Take Care,
Margo

When the label says “energy” I want you to NOT buy it. If something says “energy drink” or “energy bar” you couldn’t make me ingest it.  It will be loaded with something I don’t want in my body, nor should it be in yours.  That most likely is a LOT of added SUGAR –  or worse, High Fructose Corn Syrup, along with caffiene and more sugar (both disguised with another name to trick you).  Go ahead and google high fructose corn syrup…it’s illegal in any food product in most countries but NOT this country.

I’m keeping this blog post to the point. Do NOT buy anything being marketed with the word “energy” on it.

Have a great day,

Margo

This is the week where everyone is bringing candy and baked goods to work, the gym even (yes, I see instructors and trainers do this, it annoys me), as gifts from friends, and as hostess gifts to dinner parties,etc. MODERATION is key. What you see in my hand?  NOT moderation. I got this today, for FREE. It came as a gift with purchase, so to speak, and it is going right in my freezer (out of sight out of mind, remember that!!!).

Remember what I just said above: Out of Sight, Out of Mind. Keep sweets OFF of your kitchen countertop and off your desk. You will avoid that amnesia, unconscious nibbling if you do this. A few more tips:

1) Don’t have sweets on an empty stomach. Eat NORMALLY this week in particular, especially breakfast, so you are set up to be in good blood sugar, to help keep those cravings for sugar ‘in sight’ at bay.

2) Don’t skip lunch to “save calories” if you ate candy or baked goods mid morning. I digress, eat lunch to tame the sugar buzz from stuff you may have tried, so come later afternoon you don’t feel the enemy beckoning “eat me….c’mon…eat some more….”. SELF-CONTOL IS VERY DIFFICULT WHEN YOU ARE IN ‘BAD’ BLOOD SUGAR. EAT REGULAR FOOD, AND YOU WILL EAT LESS SUGARY STUFF.

3) Drink water. Sweets will make you thirsty, and thirst will feel like hunger (it’s mostly just thirst)

4) Last but not least. MODERATION. Have a holiday treat you love. Don’t eat stuff just because it’s there; be discriminating. But DO have it. Have what you love. A piece of cake. A cookie or two. A few candies. It won’t kill you, or throw off your weight loss if that is the goal. MODERATION. BE DISCRIMINATING. BE IN GOOD BLOOD SUGAR by not skipping regular healthy meals this week and next, and all will be just fine.

Take care,

Margo

That said, I too, get tired of a plain old glass of water at parties, or even just with dinner at home.  My clients often ask if diet soda is okay. My answer is this: “If sugared soda or alcohol is the other option, diet soda is fine”. Then I suggest the very thing I do, as pictured below.  Club soda, aka “Sparkling Water”. Simple, interesting from  my usual tap water, and HEB has a low cost, recycle can, that comes in a case of 12. I prefer the individual can, as the larger bottles can lose their fizz.  Other brands are La Croix, Perrier, Pellegrino, etc., but for a higher price tag. Me? I’m easy, HEB’s is great and under 3 bucks usually, and it kills that craving for when I want something else, not so healthy.

Remember two things while you’re here: Thirst will often rear itself as hunger, so if you feel hungry you may very well just be thirsty.  Secondly, diet sodas, even this club soda, will not necessarily kill your thirst; they can make you feel thirstier! Chase or precede a carbonated beverage with regular water. If you drink alcohol, alternate with water.

Take care,

Margo

Remember how lousy you feel every January because you are one of the ones who gained weight in November and December? Let this NOT be that year. Your stomach and body don’t know it’s “holiday season” so don’t take that fact out on your body this time. Thanksgiving really, is the one day.  All the days after are about feeling badly from the one day. It’s JUST ONE DAY of splurge. Okay, if it’s a few days for some of you, that’s still a blip on the radar screen of weeks or months of healthy new habits and new weight loss. Weight control is a process, not perfection. Enjoy the get togethers with friends and family; the next day eat properly again; move a bit more if you overdid, and realize that one day, or those few days, do not “blow everything” or all your hard work and new habits you acquired the weeks before. This is when you DECIDE. Not this year, I’m not going to drop it just because I had some fun. You didn’t “blow it”.

Like I said above, playtime’s over, back on track time. December can be a great month; it’s not too hot to exercise outdoors, the gyms are usually slower with people out shopping, traffic is easy with school breaks, so you have more time to focus on “watching it”.

Let THIS be the year you wake up January 1st and feel better from what you did in December. I’ll help you.

BACK ON TRACK, her too, sand play done!  

Warm regards,

Margo

Many of you have asked me what this is when you’ve seen it in the background of some photos.  I have some funny names for it, but the correct name is Resistance Ring, most commonly used and known in Pilates circles (excuse the pun).

I like it because it’s light, travels well, challenges stability, and is easy to use.  It’s comfortable when pressed against your body, and is useful in trunk stability and strengthening, and for targeting inner thighs, and chest as shown below.  Resistance can be increased by squeezing, so it works with many strength variables. There you have it!  Now when you see it hanging in a photo, you know what it is, although your imagination might be more fun!

Chest Press on Left

Inner Thigh on Right

Warm regards,

Margo

I like it for stability and balance work, and the fact it allows you to jump without hard impact. I’m still a fan of hard impact; yet many of my clients have varying reasons why they may need to reduce or eliminate hard impact, and this rebounder is a great alternative.  And fun.

The model I have also comes with workout bands that attach to the sides so you can do arms, shoulders, etc, while standing and/or bouncing. It also comes with a detachable handle bar (shown in the photo above) to hold onto for security and balance, or as a tool when lifting one leg or for sitting and working abs, etc.  Lots of options!!!!  And fun (did I say that already?)

I love the Rebounder for burning calories, jogging without hard impact, twisting and jumping jacks and squats, abs and more. I think it’s effective, beneficial in too many ways to list, (and lots of fun). The DVD’s that come with are a hoot, and great for novice to advanced.

Take care,

Margo

Simply put, the ab wheel works your front stomach muscles, sides (the obliques) and back muscles; all the supporting trunk muscles known commonly today as your “core”.

In most cases, you will start slowly rolling forward (I suggest on carpet to avoid slipping when new to this) keeping your trunk stable as shown, rolling out a foot or so only, then slowly rolling back to the start position.

Over time you will gradually go further, perhaps change floor surfaces, and begin to make arcs to right the and left to challenge the core muscles.  This is by no means a necessary piece of equipment; it’s handy for certain sports-specific training, but for most of us it would just be something challenging and different.  I like to share all the equipment I use here in my studio.

Take care,

Margo

I’m partial to the Reebok model (shown above) for two reasons. It is non slip with flat edges, and has easy to change detachable gray ’steps’ to create varying heights that ‘lock’ in place.  When standing on the step for leg squats/lunges shown below, the varying height is a great way to change the intensity.

Below I’m demonstrating a tricep exercise on the left and push up on the right. By adjusting the detachable steps to a higher level would create a deeper more difficult tricep dip. Likewise, if you are just learning to do pushups, a higher level gives you a several inch advantage to enable you to execute this type military pushup.

The stepper can also be used for abdominal work in many ways. Below I’m demonstrating a reverse crunch on a decline, by removing one of the adjustable steps, making the execution more difficult.

These are just a few effective and easy to learn muscle toning exercises to do with the stair stepper. Below is what I substituted for a squat; trying to grab the step for the webcam shot, over and over, until I got it right and got up before the camera snapped the shot!  :-) haha

Take care,

Margo