Personal Trainer Austin Texas

For those of you looking for an alternative to dumbbells, a weighted body bar can be a nice addition. They vary in weight size from 8 to upwards of 20 lbs.  I use them for shoulders, arms, lower back, thighs, tush, upper back and chest. You can do it all with one single bar! Storage is a snap, as it stands up in a corner taking up no space at all.  I’ll list just a few of many exercises you can do with this body bar:

• Bicep Curls
• Tricep Press
• Dead lifts for lower back and hamstrings
• Squats for thighs and tush
• Chest press (laying down, pressing bar upwards)
• Rowing for lats
• Overhead press for shoulders

These are just a few basics you may recognize; I’m happy to show you other exercises that make for great “muscle confusion”!  (Confusion is what your muscles want to keep things fresh and effective.)

Warm regards,

Margo

I just love the advent of the yogurt shop. That stuff tastes good, doesn’t it?  It’s crap for the most part, yet every now and then I love to indulge!!!  So, about the grocery store dairy section ‘light’ yogurt you buy thinking it’s so healthy, right? Read the label on Yoplait; (or any brand) they all have same ingredients. You will find a boat load of high fructose corn syrup. Did you know high fructose corn syrup is illegal in food in Europe (and other places) but PREVALENT IN OUR FOODS HERE! I digress, see my recent post on the book “In Defense of Food”.

When out and about and you want that TCBY type, or Yogurt Planet dessert, make sure it’s in moderation, that is, not frequent.  Once a week. Here are ingredients in your average fat free yogurt fruit flavored treat: (note first one)

Ingredients: Sugar, Corn Syrup, Strawberry Puree, Nonfat Milk, Whey, Stabilizer (Cellulose Gel, Mono and Diglycerides, Cellulose Gum, Carrageenan), Strawberry Concentrate (Strawberry Juice Concentrate, Natural Flavors, Beet Juice [For Color]), Lactic Acid, Yogurt Culture.

I’m okay with most sugar free foods and I strongly suggest you never eat “fat free” foods. They just add high fructose corn syrup! ugh!

I’ll cut to the chase.   Good snack?    Look right

Bad snack – See below

There’s nothing as good for you as whole foods, unchanged as much as possible by human hands. You’ll live better, longer, happier and healthier.

Warm regards,

Margo

What’s your number?  Copy this link into your browser to calculate your BMI and Calorie needs at rest:

http://www.weight.com/definition.asp?page=2

This topic (what defines obese) has surfaced a lot lately in my work, hence this post today. The current accepted standard for measuring obesity is the Body Mass Index (BMI). In a previous blog post of mine titled “body mass index vs body fat percentage” I list specifics, so please reference it for details.

Above is just a quick calculator I found on the web that’s easy (and fun?) to do.  It also gives you your calorie needs AT REST. “At rest” meaning what you burn; what your body needs to stay alive, at rest, and nothing more.  BMI does not take into account people who are body builders, pregnant, have frames way small or way larger then the norm, etc. It just happens to be the most convenient and accessible way to find your height to weight ratio.  If your BMI is over 30, you are classified as clinically obese. Over 40, morbidly obese. A waist measurement (generally) over 35 for women is considered obese, and over 40 for men.

I believe it’s important we face the truth of our BMI. It’s the first step to doing something about it! (See me for details on where to begin!) :-)

Warm regards,

Margo

I’M ONLY 20!!!!!! (er, I mean my BMI is 20)