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

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

I’m still shocked at totally inept articles on exercise and nutrition in generally accepted “smart” publications, hence my “what the?” expression above.  I’m reading an article in Time Magazine about appetite post exercise, and frankly, once I calm down I’m going to write a doozy editorial to the author and maybe Time will publish it (not holding my breath).

In a nutshell, the author suggests it is because of her exercising she gains weight. WHAT????  That is, she eats junk that she normally would not have because she exercised. THAT reason itself, is frankly junk. Just because SHE has no self control or discipline, does not negate the fact that exercise physically, chemically, suppresses appetite.

I’ve spoken to many of you about the possibility of weight gain by “eating your workout” (see my blog post “eating your workout!”). It is not uncommon to AT FIRST think “well, I worked out so now I can eat X”. When, but for the fact you exercised, you would NOT have eaten X. I understand the desire to eat X (often junk), mentally and/or emotionally, because you exercised. However, what “X” is, is entirely up to YOU!!!!  You choose. You can choose a healthy snack, or you can choose cake. Most likely, you’re just thirsty. I digress, see my previous blog post “Thirst as Hunger”. Wanting to eat when really your body wants water, especially after exercise.

After that first week or two of starting to exercise, most who fell into “eating their workout” fell just as quickly OUT of it. They returned to their previous calorie consumption (or less,) and with the addition of exercise and eating habit changes, lost weight. Duh, right?! Ergo the “use common sense” expression I’m trying to depict here below, about exercise and eating properly and choice. 

Fact: Intense exercise suppresses the appetite.  Exercise increases energy expenditure and can stimulate you to make up for calories burned. What you eat is your choice. Exercise will influence appetite differently from one person to the next. In general, the higher your body temperature; the more intense the exercise, the more appetite suppression you will experience.

I stand by the fact that even short bouts of moderate to intense exercise each day shifts the hunger and energy requirement balance and makes for longer term consistent weight loss and maintenance.

Take care,

Margo

http://www.realage.com/ralong/entry4.aspx?cbr=GGLE806&gclid=CJrHsbqK7JsCFQ7xDAod503d5g

WHAT’S IT GONNA BE?????                                                                              WHEWY!

Soft Medicine Balls, also known as a medball, exercise ball, and weighted ball are great for abdominal/core work, legs, arms, shoulders, (demo photos below) and overall conditioning.  Soft Medicine Balls are very different from the much lighter and larger Stability or Fitball that many of you also use at home and with me, which I’ll discuss in another blog post.

I like the Soft Medicine Ball because of its ’sandbag’ feel, the comfort in your hand and against your body for added weight, and the fact you can toss it between partners! (We’d never toss a dumbbell, ack!)

SQUAT AND TOSS TO PARTNER

Exercises include switching/tossing hand to hand while balancing, lifting and lower during leg squats and lunges, weighed trunk rotation for abs and back, overhead for triceps, added weight for crunches, and many more.  I’m sure many of you just can’t wait for your next workout when we use these!

I’m still a proponent of using just your body and gravity, yet for those of you who like suggestions for apparatus at home to make your workouts more varied and fun, I absolutely endorse the Soft Medicine Ball, and recommend your first ball not exceed 8 pounds.

Warm regards,

Margo

SINGLE LEG SQUAT WITH TORSO TWIST                                   WEIGHTED CRUNCH TORSO TWIST

I’VE GOT YOUR BACK, SO SHOULD YOU!

Any well rounded program includes exercising the muscles of your back, the latissimus dorsi, aka “lats”. We often spend much of our time working certain areas (abs, arms, thighs) that are very visible to us; for women particularly, the tush. However, let us not forget to give equal time to the muscles responsible for all that support from your waist almost to your neck, assisting with rotation and flexion of shoulders, torso, arms, and support of your spine.  I’ll show some exercises for back in another post (you don’t need a gym or fancy equipment); for now I just wanted to remind you all to not neglect this large important area of your body in strength training.

You know what? It not only feels good to have strong back muscles, but it looks good too. Having nice firm back muscles (they reach around toward the front under your arms ya know) make your under garments and clothes fit and look better. The more developed those back muscles are, the smaller your waist looks, too. What’s not to like about that?

Warm regards,                                           

Margo

You’ve all heard of jumping rope or skipping rope, and probably did it as a kid. Well, we’re all just big kids, so think about incorporating it back into your exercise routine.  Right away many of you may think “but my knees”. Jumping two-footed lessens the single leg impact that occurs when running, and is done in short spurts to start. Jumping and/or skipping with the rope strengthens your shoulders and arms, and last but not least, it strengthens your heart. Those few seconds (and that is where you start, a few seconds) will relieve stress immediately, and help build coordination.  With practice you can skip rope for longer periods of time, and get a fabulous aerobic workout and burn major calories.

You can do it with your kids as it works for all ages and fitness levels. Jumping rope is perfect when combined with other activities such as walking, strength, and flexibility training.

I prefer the beaded type, shown above, since it’s light, easy to adjust, and is slippery on most any surface.

Okay, I tried to get a shot of me in motion; even smiling!!!!  

Warm regards,

Margo