SUMMER SHAPE-UP

Tips for getting motivated and keeping your body bikini-ready all summer long!

- Weigh yourself daily - this will help you stay on track
- Don't let a single food mistake throw you off-track
- Wait it OUT; don't give into cravings, it will disappear
- Eat controlled portions of your favorite foods
- Split the calories - share a dessert with a friend
- Eat enough food - at least 1200 calories for women
- Revive yourself with caffeine instead of sweets
- Eat lean protein for strength
- Eat foods rich in Omega 3's for flexibility
- Eat iron-rich soy foods and fruits for cardio fitness
- Enjoy your workouts - try something new
- Fill-up with veggies and other high fiber foods
- Boost your protein by adding it to every meal
- Replace 1-2 meals with Protein Bars and Shakes
- Keep a food journal
- Boost your metabolism with a circuit workout
- Tread water to burn calories and reduce joint stress
- Swim to burn even more calories
- Watch tv away from the kitchen so you won't snack
- If you feel the urge to snack, check or email or call a friend

BURN BABY BURN

Try these outdoor weekend workouts that will torch the calories!

Kayaking - 340 calories per hour (works shoulders, triceps, biceps, back and core)
Hiking - 400 calories per hour (impoved cardiovascular fitness and great leg workout)
Cycling - 500 - 700 caloreis per hour (improved cardiovascular fitness, great legs and glutes workout)
Inline Skating - 815 calories per hour (sculpted thighs and glutes) - also easy on the joints
Speedminton - 400 calories per hour (get tank-top worthy arms)

FUN, FIT FACTS

Increasing your steps 3,520 per day can take off 5 pounds per year and decrease your belly fat

Take the stairs whenever you can

Strength training is one of the best ways to offset a widening waistline as you get older. For the ultimate boost, combine weight trainging with cardio

Eat chicken and other lean protein to help build muscle

Eat yogurt for muscle-building calcium

Ease joint pain with fish rich in Omega 3's

Fight workout fatigue with iron-rich soy

Enjoy vitamin packed fruit for heart health

Share a "treat" and ITS CALORIES with a friend

Staying active keeps the muscles in your back loose and strong

Regular exercise decreases asthma symptons

Regular exercise helps the body regulate sugars that feed bacteria in gum tissue; therefore, cutting your risk of periodontal disease by more than half!


A HEALTHY NEW YOU

You’re fittest year starts now! Now is the time to transform your body by boosting your motivation and metabolism, gaining increased energy, and chiseling your booty into shape. I am going to spread the health by providing you with a few tips to get you going. However, you have to WANT IT and ATTACK IT in order to achieve IT. I can only give you little boosts and little advice but what you do with it is up to you.

Think outside the box. Winter is a great time to learn something new like ballroom dancing, ice skating, kick boxing.

Be an active TV watcher. Don't let re-runs stop you from exercising. Make a date with your television set. While you're watching your favorite show, walk or run in place, do lunges and squats. And, during the commericals do sit ups and pushups.

Integrate exercise into your life. Park in the last parking stall and walk, take the stairs instead of the elevator, walk to your co-workers desk instead of emailing or calling them; go for a walk during your lunch break and during your kids afterschool activities, walk around the gym or park while you wait.

Rejuvenate yourself. Winter is the time to rejuvenate body, mind and spirit. Get a massage, learn yoga, take time for some light reading. Treat yourself to other activities that promote wellness so you can feel good physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.

Remember the 30-day rule. It takes about four weeks for the body to adapt to lifestyle changes. So, don't give up and stick with it.

Strive for the 3 Cs. Commitment, Convenience, and Consistency

Exercise takes commitment. We are all busy, so like any other thing in your life, put it on the calendar.

Convenience means choosing a gym that's close by, or an activity you can do at home, or a time when you're not likely to be interrupted.

Consistency. Even if you only do 20 minutes a day, it's better than not doing it all.

Dress in layers. When exercising outside, layer your clothing. Before your body warms up, you may feel chilled, but once the blood gets pumping, you'll feel overdressed.

Find your motivation. What is your goal: losing weight, strengthening and toning, or preparing for a race or event. Goals aren't enough to get you there; you have to be motivated by the day-to-day workouts. So choose something you enjoy doing and will be likely to keep up, whether it's walking or hiking with a friend, working with a trainer, or taking a dance class.


ESCAPE THE WINTER BLUES

• Get at least 20 minutes of exposure to sunlight (or you can use a full-spectrum bulb in the room that you spend most of your time).
• Have a mug of hot chocolate to slash symptoms such as slugginess, blue moods and fatigue. I recommend the diet Miss Swiss Hot Chocolate (mmmm, good)
• To increase your serotonin levels, eat at least 3 daily servings of fruit. Make one of those a banana. Bananas are rich in tryptophan, an amino acid that instantly stimulates serotonin production and can elevate mood by 20%.
• Escape the body blues by phoning a friend when you can’t get out. Research shows that 72% of woman increase their endorphin levels just by chatting with a pal for 15 minutes each day. The key is to connect with uplifting people who make you feel great about yourself and leave you feeling energized.

TURN UP THE BURN

• Reach for green tea (boost body metabolism)
• Eat fish and flax (polyunsaturated fat) sends signals to the brain that “we are full”
• Toss in some hot and spicy spice (increases the calories your body burns)
• Add protein to every meal (body works harder to break down protein, therefore burning more calories during digestion)
• Boost your calcium intake (encourages weight loss and builds stronger bones)
• Lift weights (reduce muscle loss as you get older)
• Switch to health fats
• Eat regularly (eat 5-6 small meals daily and eat every 3-4 hours)

THE SKIN DIET
I am all about taking care of yourself from inside out. The most appealing asset any woman can possess is beautiful dewy skin. Your skin requires constant monitoring and pampering. Constant care, cleansing, toning, moisturizing and nourishing all year round is the fundamental routine to be followed by every woman. Healthy skin and good nutrition go hand in hand. Vitamins and minerals play an important role in maintaining the quality of your skin. There is a direct relationship between what you put into your body and what shows up on your skin.

Vitamins C (antioxidants) – helps fight against the harmful effects of the damages caused by the sun’s ultraviolet rays and other free radicals.
Vitamin E – help lubricate your skin
Biotin – good nutrition for the skin (found in bananas, eggs, oatmeal and rice)
Protein – contains essential amino acids necessary for building and maintaining skin cells
Vitamin D – helps us absorb calcium (most people get the necessary requirements from the sunlight on their skin)
Zinc – protects skin from sun damage. Eating fatty fish is also recommended b/c they contribute beneficial fatty acids to the diet that help protect the skin from sun damage.
Water - Drink plenty of water and stay away from caffeine
Eat bran to help flush toxins out of your body and thus clear your skin

A GLOWING COMPLEXION!
“Perk up dull winter skin” (I love pumpkin and this recipe for the skin sounds good enough to eat).

Apply a mask made of pumpkin, brown sugar, ginger, and cinnamon. Pumpkin’s enzymes, like trypsin, combine with brown sugar’s large granules to slough off dead skin cells and reveal fresh skin underneath. Ginger’s anti-inflammatory compounds, called shogaols, reduce redness, while cinnamon’s natural warming properties open pores so the other ingredients can more easily penetrate skin.

Mix ½ cup of canned pumpkin; ¼ cup of sliced ginger; 1 tsp. of ground cinnamon and ¼ cup of brown sugar. Apply to face and leave on for 10 minutes; rinse with warm water.

For more information on what to eat and what not to eat to keep you beautiful from the inside out, please give me a call at 303-905-7988

SURVIVING THE FEAST SEASON
(This is a three part series being featured in the Serenity Magazine)

It happens every year about this time. The air gets nippier, the days get shorter and your jeans get TIGHTER. Ready or not, feasting season is here. For more information on how you can survive the FEASTING Season, download the Surving the Feasting Season document.

Surviving the Feasting Season Part One Download