Haute Fitness

The 15-Minute Workout

2011-08-30T10:03:00.003-04:00

Let's face it - We're all busy and important people and sometimes we simply don't have time to get in a full workout. Try this equipment-free, fun and challenging routine to get it in wherever you are in 15 mins!

15 Pushups (Muscles Worked: Chest, Shoulders and Core)
Modification: Perform on your knees
Progression: Use a staggered stance so that one hand is under your shoulder and one is parallel to your chest

25 sit-ups (Muscle Worked: Abdominals)
Modification: Crunches
Progression: Keep your hands over-head

20 Jump squats (Cardio. Muscles Worked: Quads and Hamstrings)
Modification: Don’t come down as low during the squat portion and rather than jumping, simply reach up
Progression: Perform side to side. Get down as low as you can and jump as high as you can on each repetition

15 Forward lunges on each leg - 15 Back lunges on each leg (Muscles Worked: Quads and Hamstrings. Balance)
(Make sure your front knee stays directly over your toes and that you are on the ball of your back foot)
Modification: Keep your lunges shallow
Progression: Add a jump to each repetition

25 Reverse Crunches (Abdominals)
(Aim to lift your hips off the ground without swinging the legs)
Modification: Keep your head and shoulders on the floor and focus on gently lifting the hips off the ground
Progression: While lifting the legs 90degrees, simultaneously perform a crunch with the upper half of your body with arms overhead reaching towards the toes

30 seconds of High-Knees (Cardio)
Modification: Low-impact knee lifts
Progression: Knee tuck-jumps

20 Plie Squats (Muscles Worked: Adductors and Quads. Balance)
(Wide stance with toes turned out to the side. Make sure knees do not go past the toes and hips are tucked in)
Modification: Hold onto something for balance and keep the squats shallow
Progression: Perform on your toes

20 Curtsy Squats on Each Side (Muscles Worked: Abductors and Quads. Balance.)
(One foot steps the other so you are on the ball of the back foot and hips facing forward)
Modification: Hold onto something for balance and keep the squats shallow
Progression: Between each repetition, lift the back leg to perform a side lateral extension

20 Side-Step Squats (Muscles Worked: Quadriceps, Hamstrings, Abductors and Adductors)
Start with legs only hip width apart. Step wide to the right and squat. Bring feet back to hip width apart and squat. Repeat on the left side
Modification: Don’t perform the center close-legged squats
Progression: Substitute the closed leg squat with a jump

Repeat once

As your fitness level improves, you can challenge yourself by using the progressions or going through this routine as many times as you can within a 15 minute period!

You Don't Have to Like it - You just Have to DO IT!!!

2010-12-16T10:18:00.004-05:00

So you haven't been able to work out lately? Whether it's because of an injury, work, travel, or personal reasons, getting started back up again can be tough. Really tough. Reasons to delay like, "What's another day of not exercising going to do," or "I'll start back again on Monday" play in your head as your waistline slowly expands. Here's my 1-2-3 to getting back on track and what you can do to help yourself stay there.

1. DON'T PUNISH YOURSELF. Whether you've been away from the gym for days, weeks, or months, trying to compensate for this through increased excersise and/or decreased eating won't work. These two extremes will lead to hunger, burnout, injuries and depression. Move forward and don't look back (do this for break-ups too).

2. PREPARE. You know what you need to do and how you need to do it. Get your schedule in order, plan your workouts, and take time to go food shopping. Prepare as much food as you can ahead of time so that you aren't making rash decisions about what to eat in a state of hunger. This time-saving step will make the transition of regularly incoporating the gym a lot easier. You'll know what you have to do when you get there and have a healthy meal waiting for your after. Perfect.

3. GET THERE! Look, getting to the gym is half the battle, right? If that initial motivation is holding you back, enlist help! Make a gym-date with your friend or hire a trainer for the first few weeks to stay motivated. With a trainer you are motivated because someone is expecting you to show up and you've made the financial commitment to do so. Other ideas to help you stay motivated are to set-up a rewards system so that if you complete each planned workout to the best of your ability, you reward yourself with a massage or a pair of shoes for example. Another idea is to put money aside in a jar every time you skip a workout. When you reach your goals, you get your money back. In psychology/psychiarty there exists a saying, "Change your behavior and your mind will follow." This means that once a consistent pattern of behavior is established, that behavior will become easier and normal to that individual. You know those "crazy" people who wake up super-early to work out at 6am and actually like it? It wasn't easy for them the first few weeks to wake-up and hit the gym, but over time, they established a routine. Now it's no problem for them at all and they come into work boasting about how great it is that their workout is already done. You might be sitting next to him/her right now. Other proven ways to stay committed are to share your goals with others so you are held accountable and to write down your goals and keep a diary of your progress towards those goals. Visualization is also a helpful tool. Put up photos of the body you'd like to have, or hang a pair of jeans you'd like to fit into.

While psychologists and psychiatrists have their saying about establishing a routine, I think the one that works best was one my mother used to tell me as a child (and sometimes still) regarding doing things I don't want to do ... "You don't have to like it, you just have to do it." Get to the gym and before you know it, you'll find yourself back into an easy, healthy routine.

How to Get Legally High

2010-08-17T10:55:00.003-04:00

I don't get those people who go to the gym, hit some cardio, and feel great after. You know who they are. They step off the treadmill, the stair climber, and sometimes appear magically from the steam room to tell you how great they feel and how they just crushed their workout. I never feel like that! I get done teaching or done watching Britney Spears' music videos while on the elliptical and think to myself, "Thank God that's over!" These people are high off of exercise. I 've heard about this phenomenon also knows as the "runners high," but I don’t ever recall feeling like that. Not wanting to miss out on a good time, I did some research to find out why people were getting high without me and how I can get in on the action.

The term "runner's high" is used to describe the feeling of euphoria after a prolonged and rigorous workout. This feeling is not exclusive to runners, but was first coined by long-distance runners who reported feeling euphoric, motivated and energized after marathons. The rush these athletes felt is due to a release of chemicals from the pitutairy gland called endorphins. Endorphines not only bring about the feeling of elation, but also block the sensation of pain. Scientists discovered that endorphins are released when the body is placed under great stress for a considerable period of time and when muscles use up their stored glycogen and begin functioning only with oxygen.

To get this exercise-induced high, you must exercise for at least 30 minutes in order to fully deplete your glycogen stores and work at a moderate to high intensity (Tip: If your workout goal is to chase this high, a carbohydrate-laden snack is best pre-workout as your body burns through carbs faster than it burns though protein and fats thus depleting your glycogen stores more quickly). How do you know if you are working hard enough? You should be breathless. If you're talking to your friend while on cardio, texting, or flipping through your iPod touch, you're not going to get there. Similarly, if Im teaching a spin class while singing along to Beyonce, Im not going to get there either which leaves me wanting to knock out the next person who posts on Facebook how great their am-fasted morning cardio was (I will delete you).

The simple solution? Put your phone away, pre-set your workout music and work out as hard as you can for as long as you can. Eat right, focus, and your next workout will leave you legally high.

Dieters Beware

2010-08-11T10:37:00.004-04:00

Trying to lose weight and still can't understand why the pounds aren't coming off? An article in the January edition of Time Magazine suggests a possible reason. For all of you who count calories, please stop reading here.

"When you buy a car with a six-cylinder engine, you expect to get six cylinders. When you buy a dress in a size 10, you expect a size 10. And when you buy a burger at a fast-food joint that's listed on the menu as containing 500 calories, you jolly well expect 500. But you may be getting a lot more than that. The same may be true of the omelet and the pasta you get at a sit-down restaurant — and of the frozen dinner with the label you read so carefully before you tossed it in your supermarket basket and took it home.

According to a new study published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, prepared foods may contain an average of 8% more calories than their package labels own up to and restaurant meals may contain a whopping 18% more. Worse still, as far as Food and Drug Administration regulations are concerned, that's perfectly O.K.

The findings are the result of work conducted by Susan Roberts, professor of nutrition at Tufts University, and Jean Mayer, of Tufts' USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging. It was Roberts who initiated the study, and it was her own struggles with weight that got her started. Author of the book The Instant Diet, she was working on new recipes for the paperback version (retitled The "i" Diet) and, as was her practice, used herself as a guinea pig. As a rule, she lost weight on the menu plans she recommended to readers, but when she redeveloped some of the meals using what were supposed to be calorically equivalent supermarket or restaurant foods, the pounds stopped dropping off. Just as suspiciously, she always felt full.
"I went into the lab and said, 'I don't believe these calorie numbers,' " she says. "So we went out and started collecting foods and sampling their contents."

In all, she studied 29 restaurants and 10 frozen-food products, taking care to select foods that dieters would be likely to choose, which meant that they were said to contain 500 calories or fewer and that, in restaurants, they were among the lowest-calorie items on the menus. Back in the lab, Roberts' tests revealed the high-calorie truth, and the numbers were even more troubling than ordinary dieters would appreciate.

No one would deny that the 18% calorie overload on restaurant menus is a problem. The additional 8% in frozen foods sounds less serious; in a 500-calorie entree, after all, 8% adds only 40 calories. That, however, is in a single meal. Over the course of a year, consuming just 5% more than you need in a 2,000-calorie diet can mean a 10-lb. weight gain. "The 18% and 8% figures are just what you need not to lose weight," says Roberts.

In her book, Roberts reformulated menus to correct for the problem, but there's a big, fattening world out there that isn't taking such remedial steps. Federal regulations are strict about the accuracy of the net weight of a package of prepared food, which must be at least 99% of the advertised weight. When it comes to calories, the count can be a far bigger 20% off. The Federal Government plays no role in checking the calorie claims in restaurants, which means it's up to the states to handle the job — with the predictable patchwork results. "It really is the Wild West when it comes to this," says Roberts. "And when state inspectors do visit, they have other issues to worry about — like making sure there are no mouse droppings in the kitchen."

Even a restaurant whose published numbers are accurate down to the last calorie still may not give customers a truly realistic sense of what they're consuming. Every item on the menu, after all, has a separate calorie count, but many people pay attention mostly to the main course, piling on side dishes as something of an afterthought. Five of the restaurants in the survey even provided side dishes at no extra cost, and these added up to an average of 471 extra calories — exceeding the 443-calorie average of the entrees. "What they should be telling consumers," Roberts says, "is what actually comes on the plate."

That seems like a fair requirement. It's hard enough to maintain your weight in the all-you-can-eat buffet that is the modern world. The least the health-conscious should be able to expect is a fair reading of what they're eating — and they can take responsibility from there." - Time Magazine 1/6/10

Unfortunately, this isn't the first I heard about this. I came across this article while researching the claim that protein bars can legally contain 30% more calories than the packaging claims. The best way to avoid hidden calories? Prepare clean meals at home using little fat and sodium . You will need to plan ahead, but that extra planning can save you 10lbs a year!

Always Packing

2010-08-10T09:39:00.003-04:00

I once picked up a guy on the tennis court because I had a ton of drugs in my bag. Not the illegal ones, but truth be told I was carrying as many pain relievers as CVS stocks. I overheard him ask someone for Tylenol because he had a headache. I was packing.

I always carry Aleve, Tylenol and Advil in my gym bag (I'm usually touting a banana in case one of my students crashes from a lack of sugar and a screwdriver for spin shoes but that's besides the point). As an instructor, a trainer and an admitted-klutz, Im constantly injured or sore. Because all pain relievers are not the same, based on what ails me, I appropriately medicate.

So what are the differences between Advil, Tylenol and Aleve and how do I know which pill to pop? If inflammation is involved (i.e. swelling and redness), I use Aleve (naproxen). Aleve is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID) and works by reducing hormones that cause inflammation and pain. Many Orthopedists recommend this to reduce swelling for sprains, tendinitis, bursitis and breaks, as do Rheumatologists for the treatment of Arthritis. The standard dose is one tablet, caplet, gelcap, or capsule every 8 to 12 hours while symptoms last (though 2 doses are recommended for the first treatment) with a full glass of water.

Aleve can be used in conjunction with Tylenol which functions principally as a fever reducer (antipyretic) and pain reliever (analgesic). "It works quickly to relieve pain caused by conditions such as headache, osteoarthritis, and muscle pain and to reduce fever caused by infection. Unlike acetylsalicylic acid (ASA, Aspirin), which is also an analgesic and antipyretic, acetaminophen does not reduce inflammation." Tylenol is often used in hospitals as the side effects are milder than other over-the-counter pain relievers. This is especially true for individuals who suffer from ulcers or acid reflux as it is less irritating to the stomach lining. The usual adult dose of Tylenol for pain or fever is 325 – 1000 mg every 4 to 6 hours as needed (maximum 4 g/day).

For general muscle aches and minimal swelling, I use Advil or Motrin (Ibuprofen). Advil is a pain reliever which reduces inflammation, but not as effectively as Aleve. It is, however, less irritating on the stomach which makes this a great second-line treatment if you need to reduce swelling and have a sensitive stomach. The typical dose of Advil for pain or fever is 200 – 400 mg every 4 to 6 hours as needed (maximum 3.2 g/day), though some doctors prescribe 600mg or 800mg doses.

For most exercise-induced pain, the best remedy of course, is to give your ailing body part a break and make sure you are well-hydrated. If that doesn't work, look for me carrying my gym bag and I'll hook it up.

Let Them Eat Cake! But No Drinking ...

2010-07-20T10:58:00.005-04:00

You're better off having a piece of cake than 2 or 3 drinks. While a piece of cake (350kcal) may have more calories than a vodka soda (90kcal), it certainly doesn't have more than a frozen margarita (700kcal). So yes, it depends on how many and what kind of drink you have that form the basis for the preceding statement. But calories aside, alcohol has terrible post-consumption effects!

Alcohol causes dehydration and electrolyte imbalance. Not only are you likely to have a headache from the dehydration, you are likely to have false hunger pains and desire salty and fatty foods! Dehydration makes you hungry and because one of the 4 basic electrolytes is sodium, the body begins to crave foods with salt which combine fat, protein, and carbs. This is why it's more appealing to hit up Fuddruckers when hungover as opposed to whipping up an egg-white omelet.

Alcohol is a heavy diuretic. When you are dehydrated, the brain shrinks away from the skull and the blood vessels in the head expand giving you a headache. "The body’s capillaries begin to shrink, leading to mild hypothermia, or that cold, sickly feeling. Dehydration starts as your liver processes that 1st beverage, but other effects begin several hours later, as the alcohol makes its way through the small intestine. Alcohol breaks down into acetaldehyde, which the body attempts to expel because it’s toxic. Fat builds up in the liver as well, reducing some blood flow and preventing toxins from being flushed out of the liver. Also, alcohol inhibits the metabolization of glutamate, one of the body’s main stimulants. In the beginning, this inhibition makes the imbiber feel nice and mellow, but as the alcohol wears off, the body overcompensates for the lack of glutamine by producing more of it. This makes it hard to sleep."

When I do personal training or nutrition counseling, I always ask my clients not to drink. It's not just because of the empty calories, but because they are likely indulge after drinking as well. In addition, they can't have a good workout (or one at all) with a hangover and lack of proper sleep. If you are really committed to losing weight and training, ditch the alcohol. It's not worth it.

Ladies and Gentlemen: Start Your Engines!!

2010-05-27T20:18:00.004-04:00

Ever hear someone say, “I can’t lose weight because I have a slow metabolism?” I have. I have heard it a lot. Perhaps the individual really does have a medical condition such as an underactive thyroid, but if not, here’s the truth about metabolism and a few things you can do to rev yours up.

Generally, metabolism refers to the number of calories your body burns in a day. It is influenced by your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR), which is the number of calories you burn while performing basic functions like breathing, your level of physical activity, and the number of calories it takes to digest and absorb the foods you eat which is known as the Thermic Effect.

1. Eat Foods High in Fiber: Fiber-rich foods are more difficult to digest than simple carbohydrates and therefore have a greater thermic effect. Foods high in fiber include: Fruits, vegetables and whole grain cereals which can also help suppress your appetite.

2. Take Your Vitamins: Your body relies on vitamins and minerals to help it perform and run efficiently. If you become deficient in any of these vitamins or minerals, this deficit can have a negative impact on your BMR. There are lots of vitamin- rich foods including fruits, vegetables, eggs, liver and nuts. If it’s hard to maintain a balanced diet, try taking a multi-vitamin supplement.

3. Water: Yes, I know you’ve heard it time and time again, but drinking water will not only help you feel satiated so, but water helps transports all those vitamins and minerals so they can reach each individual cell and help you perform at
your maximum level! If you are not properly hydrated, your BMR may be reduced.

4. Power Protein: Protein isn’t just essential to help your body heal and repair, it has the greatest thermic effect of all the macronutrients. In essence, it takes more calories for your body to breakdown protein than it does fats and carbohydrates. In fact, research suggests that 25% of the calories in protein are burned during digestion and absorption alone.

5. Keep it Spicy: Spicy foods can temporarily increase your BMR by increasing your body’s temperature for a short period after consumption. In turn, you will burn more calories as your body attempts to regulate this increase in temperature.

6. Cardio is King: Regular cardiovascular exercise helps you not only burn calories as you work out, but the number of calories you burn after a cardio workout remains in an elevated state for approximately 75 minutes after your workout is completed

7. Get Lifted: A pound of muscle burns around 6 calories per day while a pound of fat burns around 2 calories per day. Which would you rather have more of? If you increase your lean muscle mass you can raise your BMR so that even at rest,
your body is burning an increased number of calories.

By making these few minor tweaks to your exercise and diet regimen, you can really rev up your metabolism. On your mark, get set, GO!

Sugar-Free Isn't So Sweet

2010-05-21T16:05:00.003-04:00

If you’ve ever read the nutrition information on a protein bar and wondered “what are sugar alcohols,” you’re not alone.
Some sugar alcohols occur naturally in plants and some are extracted from plants (sorbitol from corn syrup and mannitol from seaweed), but they are mostly manufactured from sugars and starches.

Sugar alcohols are like sugar in some ways, but they are not completely absorbed by the body. They also are absorbed more slowly. Because of this, the blood sugar impact of sugar alcohols is less and they provide fewer calories per gram (0.2 to 3 calories per gram compared 4 calories per gram for sugar). This is an advantage for diabetics as little or no insulin is required for metabolism.

Be advised, however, that even though sugar alcohols have less calories than sugar, they are less sweet and can have a laxative effect! Because they are not completely absorbed by the body, sugar alcohols can ferment in the intestines and cause bloating, gas, or diarrhea. This happens because the sugar alcohols hold on to a lot of water in the bowel. Another consequence is that when undigested carbs reach the colon, the normal bacteria present there goes kinda nuts. Probiotics and cultured yogurt can help fight against this.

The next time you’re reaching for a protein bar or are perusing the sugar-free aisle of your local grocer, check the nutition label of the product for sugar alcohol content. The names of the individual sugar alcohols are required by the FDA to be on ingredient list of any product that contains them. They will either be included in the total amount of carbohydrate or on a separate line for sugar alcohols. If the product is labeled “sugar-free” or “no added sugar,” the manufacturer must show the sugar alcohol count separately.

For your sake and for the sake of those around you, please remember this if you opt to go the sugar-free route: Like so many other things, if you consume too much, the side effects may not be so sweet.

(Don't) Shake it Like a Salt Shaker

2010-05-05T15:41:00.002-04:00

After I posted "How I Got Tricked by an Omelet," I received an e-mail from one of my students claiming she was tricked by salt. She was surprised and dismayed to learn that one of her favorite restaurant meals contained more than double the amount of salt the ADA claims healthy adults should consume daily. So how much salt is too much? How does the body use it? And how can we avoid excess salt in our diet?

Salt is a critical part of our diet. Through a process called osmosis, salt helps maintain fluid in our blood cells and is used to transmit information in our nerves and muscles. This electrolyte is especially important for athletes. When the body becomes overheated, sweat is produced and cools the body as it evaporates from the skin. Without an adequate amount of salt, the kidneys wouldn't retain enough water for this phenomenon to occur. However, if we consume too much salt, the fluid present in our circulatory system increases. This increase requires the heart to pump harder and faster so there is adequate force to circulate the blood through our circulatory system. Blood vessels react to this increased pressure by thickening and eventually narrowing. This is what leads to high blood pressure and eventually arteriosclerosis.

Americans consume approximately 77% of their sodium intake through processed and prepared foods. While it's of course beneficial to limit the amount of salt you add to food while cooking (approximately 5% of sodium intake comes from adding salt while cooking), it's the packaged food and restaurant-made meals that can greatly increase your salt intake. Healthy adults should consume approximately 1500mg-2400mg a day which is about a teaspoon of salt. Did you know that P.F. Chang's Sesame Chicken and Rice has 3060 mg of sodium?? That's almost double the amount of salt a healthy adult should consume in one day!

While preparing your meals at home is the healthiest option, it's not always feasible. To avoid restaurant dishes laden with salt, check the restaurant's website before heading out. Chain restaurants with more than twenty locations are now required by law to list nutrition information , and many restaurants have been doing so voluntarily on their websites. Make sure you check the serving size too! Often times food manufactures will post modest serving sizes on their website or food labels to make the nutrition information appear healthier.

If you are concerned with your salt intake, or high blood pressure runs in your family, take the time to do a little research on your favorite foods. It's worth it!

Getting Fat

2010-04-22T15:12:00.002-04:00

This entry is dedicated to Sarah whose comments on my last post prompted me to write this.

Sarah wanted to know two things: Can the fat contained in avocado and egg yolks be considered healthy and what my opinion is regarding keeping food in the house you are likely to over-eat.

Yes, the fat in avocados and egg yolks can be considered healthy. The fat contained in avocados and egg yolks is mostly the healthy fat, monounsaturated fat. This monounsaturated fat, Oleic Acid, has been proven to raise levels of HDL ("good"cholesterol) which protect the arteries, while lowering levels of LDL ("bad" cholesterol). Cholesterol forms naturally in the body and is essential in regulating hormones, forming new cells, utilizing Vitamin D and aiding food digestion. All of the fat soluble vitamins, (A, D, E and K) are found in the egg yolk and the egg is known to be one of the only foods naturally containing vitamin D. The reason people tend to stay away from these two foods despite their beneficial properties is that they are calorie-dense. The yolk of an egg has three times as many calories (60kcal) as the egg white (17kcal). Sixty calories is not at all significant in proportion to your daily caloric intake. Since there is a great deal of nutrition found in both the yolk and avocado, I suggest they should be included, in moderation, as part of a healthy diet.

As for whether to keep certain foods in your house which you are likely to over-eat, DON'T DO IT! Why volunteer for that torture? Yes, in an ideal world you'd have the strength and willpower to eat only one cookie or one tsp of peanut butter. If your diet is on point, you biochemically shouldn't be craving these things or over-eating. But here's the thing ... eating is not just biomechanical, it's physiological and emotional. We use food to soothe, to celebrate, to punish to reward. You might be diligent in eating well most of the time, but if you let your guard down (maybe you're tired, sad, happy, etc.) the psychological reasons for eating may take over and you will find yourself back on the couch eating the Nutella and McVitties.

Hope this helps! Please keep your questions coming by e-mailing me at: heather@hautefitness.com

How I Got Tricked by an Omelette

2010-04-20T15:50:00.005-04:00

Scene: Breakfast time at Suka restaurant in London at the Sanderson Hotel where a beautiful buffet lay before me. As usual, Im starving.

Day 1: What I really wanted to do was spread Nutella on top of a chocolate muffin. Instead, I made the grown-up and healthy decision to order an egg white omelette. I sat and sulked waiting for the omelette to arrive. Once it did and I took a bite, I noticed how rich and fluffy it was! So rich and fluffy, I became suspicious. After the omelette cooled, I saw butter was rising to the top. Since I didn't specify I preffered the eggs be prepared without butter, oil or salt, I begrudgingly placed the blame upon myself. I am used to asking for these omissions when ordering chicken, fish and steak at restaurants, but quite honestly, it simply didn't occur to me to ask for an omelette without these things. Lesson learned.

Day 2: Im eyeing the Nutella and thinking about stealing a pack for later. Today, armed with the "butter lesson" I learned the prior morning, I order an egg-white omelette without butter, oil or salt. The omelette comes and lacks the sheen from the day before. Im excited. I take a bite. It's still rich and fluffy. Too rich and fluffy. It almost tastes cheesy, but I can tell no cheese has been added. I needed to call in an expert so I called one of my best friends, a chef who trained at the famous Grenoble cooking school in France. I awoke an angry Frenchman, but was undeterred. This was an emergency. I explained the situation regarding the offending omelette and he said two words to me that have changed the way I look at egg whites while ordering out. HEAVY CREAM. Dead silence on the phone. I couldn't believe it! Fine restaurants and especially those in Europe, use cream to make the food richer. I had no idea and quite frankly, Im still pissed about it.

Day 3: I practice saying "no butter, no oil, no salt, no cream, no milk" to the waiter. I practice doing this in the nicest tone as possible trying not to sound like a demanding American. He comes over and it's performance time. I thought I nailed it, but his eye roll said otherwise. Whatever. When the meal arrives, I am relieved to see the omelette looks deflated. Perfect. It took me 3 days to finally get it right. Now I know.

Keep this in mind: It's not the restaurant's job to watch your diet. It's the chef's job to make food taste good! Although a chef may assume if you didn't want oil, salt or butter, you probably don't want the heavy cream, it's not their job to presume. Because you often don't know how restaurant food is prepared, it's best, when trying to eat clean, to prepare most food at home. If you are going out with friends and are concerned with food preparation, ask the waiter. If you are embarrassed to ask in front of company, call ahead! Whether you're on the road or eating at home, preparing the food in a healthy manner is almost as important as what you are eating.

Cellulite: The Ugly Truth

2010-04-03T18:32:00.002-04:00

Here’s the ugly truth … Once you have cellulite, there is nothing you can do to get rid of it. There are some treatments and therapies that claim and perhaps do minimize the appearance, but the results, if any, are temporary.

The good news is that there are some things you can do to prevent cellulite formation:

1 Cardio exercise. Cellulite is formed when there is an inadequate blood supply to the septae. Septae is the fibrous connective tissue that stores fat in the layer directly under the skin. When there is a tear in the septae, or when that “netting” is weakened, fat cells are pushed upwards forming cellulite. By challenging your aerobic capacity, you are increasing the efficiency of the cardiovascular system. The cardiovascular system is responsible for ensuring your cells get the energy and oxygen it needs through circulation

2. Massage. As if you need another excuse to go to the spa! Massage breaks up congestion and spasm in muscles allowing blood to flow more freely throughout the body. Massage is also shown to reduce stress, which is associated with increased fat storage in the areas of the stomach, hips, thighs and buttocks.

3. Stay Hydrated. Proper hydration maintains cell permeability allowing nutrients and oxygenated blood to circulate through.

4. Workout out and watch what you eat!! This one is obvious, but it’s worth a mention. Cellulite can’t form without fat. The more fat you have, the greater your risk of developing the cellulite.

As for treatments, there are some creams containing caffeine that are said to help, and a number of non-invasive cosmetic procedures like Velashape which claims to smooth out the skin’s surface. I wish I could tell you that coming to one of my classes or a training session will help you get rid of the cellulite you have, but I can only tell you that it will help prevent cellulite in the future. That and you will have a blast … see you at the gym!

Lincoln MONUMENTAL WORKOUT

2010-04-01T12:47:00.004-04:00

It's finally time to work out outside!! If you are a runner, this announcement may excite you. If you are not, like me, this opportunity everyone else seems so thrilled about can be met with a blank stare and yawn. I'm all about an outdoor workout, but since Im not being chased, Im not running. Here is one of my favorite outdoor routines only those living in the DC area can take advantage of. This Monumental Workout uses no equipment, challenges strength, builds aerobic capacity and burns a ton of calories through interval training.

The Lincoln Monumental Workout

Instead of using the steps in front of the Lincoln Memorial, use the stairs behind the memorial adjacent to the bridge which are wider and aren't populated with photo-snapping tourists.

Run the stairs as fast as you can. Repeat 5 times
25 pushups
50 tricep dips (there is a bench at the top on the same side as volleyball courts)
50 jumping jacks
50 sit-ups
25 jump squats
5 pulse walking stair lunges*
1-3 minute break

Run stairs 4 times
20 pushups
40 tricep dips
40 jumping jacks
40 sit-ups
20 jump squats
4 pulse walking stair lunges

Continue sequence until you are down to one stair run. Take away 5 reps each cycle for dips, jacks and sit-ups. Take away ten reps each cycle for push-ups and squats. **The pulse walking stiar lunge is a split lunge where one foot is two steps higher than the other. Pulse down for specified number of reps and then take a giant step forward switching lead legs and every other stair.

Try doing this routine once or twice a week and time yourself each session. Within a month you should see your time improve as well as your ability to recover. Next month? The Jefferson Monumental Workout.

New Relationship New Rules

2010-03-26T10:12:00.003-04:00

So you're blissfully happy in a new relationship with a fabulous new man - only problem is you're gaining weight. Sound familiar? Maybe your priorities have shifted and you dont have the time, effort, or energy to count every calorie and carb gram that once ruled your life. Or, maybe you're gaining weight without realizing that the more time you spend with your man, the more detrimental it can be to your waist line.

Ladies (and some gentlemen), here's the thing ... Your boyfriend/husband/fiance can drink more than you can, eat more than you can, eat faster than you can, and will eat foods that you normally would never touch! He can do all these things without it negatively impacting his physique. He can, you can't. Here are some tips to help you avoid the weight gain that often comes at the start of a new relationship.

Take control of the kitchen. Most men honestly don't care what's for dinner. Prepare lean proteins, vegetables and complex carbs. Leave dinner preperation to him and you might be coming home to a pizza.

Going out for dinner? Choose a restaurant that has healthy food options. Remember to hold the butter, oil and salt! Just because food is baked, broiled or steamed doesn't mean it's prepared without these additives.

If he's going out drinking with his friends and invites you to come along, decline every now and then. Not only will it give you and your partner some much needed time apart, you will save yourself 500-2000kcal. Hitting the bars isn't only about the beverages consumed while out, but you are more likely to eat late at night or suffer from a hangover which likely means skipping a workout and eating high-calorie foods in an attempt to recover. Schedule a girls night at the movies or spa instead.

When serving food at home, make your plate first (this is different than serving yourself first). You know what a healthy, reasonable amount of food is for yourself. If you make his plate first and then yours, you are more likely to dole out far more food than you normally would.

Take your time while chewing! He might be scarfing down his food, but that doesn't mean you have to. It takes the mind about twenty minutes for it to realize your stomach is full. If you slow down, you are less likely to over-eat.

If he's digging in for dessert, try drinking sugar-free hot chocolate or a glass of milk with sweeter and sugar-free vanilla syrup (this is a personal favorite. You can add ice to make it a faux-milkshake). Both will satisfy your craving for something sweet and take you a few minutes to finish. By the time you are done he should be done eating his sleeve of Golden Oreos.

I know, it isn't fair. Most men don't worry about their caloric intake the way women do and if your boyfriend/husband/fiance works out, he's going to be eating even more!

If you pay attention to these few things, your body and your mind will thank you. He will too :-)

P.S. I apologize if this post seems sexist, but it is what it is. Most men eat with more freedom than women do.

Pull or Strain - It Ain't the Same

2010-03-22T15:19:00.001-04:00

How can you tell if that pain you are feeling in your hamstrings is a pulled muscle or if you are simply tired and sore? Generally speaking, the pain associated with a pulled muscle is usually more localized and acute. If you are feeling fatigued and tired in addition to having pain, you more likely are suffering from Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS). DOMS occurs after the body has had adequate time to rest and recover which is why most people are generally tired and sore a day or two after a tough workout. A hot soak in a bath full of Epsom salts can help as well as tylenol/advil. If the soreness isn't too bad, you may continue to work out. In fact, if the soreness is in your legs, I suggest light cardio to get you moving and the blood flowing.

If, on the other hand, you think you've pulled a muscle ... DO NOT ATTEMPT TO WORK THROUGH THE PAIN. According to Paulina Ochoa, MPT at I.C.E. Physical Therapy Group (the best physical therapy practice ever ... seriousy), "One should apply ice to an injury within the first 48 hours. This will help control the swelling that occurs from the body's response to injury. The ice will constrict the blood vessels and limit internal bleeding. It will also help minimize the pain. After the first 48 hours have passed, a valuable treatment is hot/cold therapy. The contrast between hot & cold helps to stimulate the body's circulatory system to pump faster thus reducing pain and inflammation. You begin and end the treatment with ice. Each treatment has three ice therapies to 2 hot therapies. Each therapy should last 3-5 minutes. You can use cold packs, frozen peas, ice baths & hot compresses, whirlpools, or microwavable packs. If an injury is chronic, it is OK to use heat. Heat will open the blood vessels and allow for more blood flow to the area. Heat should not be applied to an area with inflammation present, nor should it be applied after exercise. In those cases ice is better."

Know your body, know your limits. If you need a day or two off, take it! You'll be better off in the long-run.

Now that You're in a Relationship (with your Trainer), Don't get Dumped for Cheating

2010-03-18T07:46:00.002-04:00

Here’s a secret ... Personal Trainers know when you're cheating. They don't have to ask "how is your eating" or "did you get your cardio in?" If you're body is not responding to the prescribed program regimen and diet, you are doing something you are not supposed to be doing.

When you begin personal training, you are investing your time and money to achieve a physical goal. It's a commitment. As trainers, it's our job to help you reach that goal. In fact, the better you look, the better we look!! If you aren't showing improvement or are gaining weight (when weight loss is your goal), trainers look like they are not doing their job. Because trainers don't like to be put in that position, some trainers may make you sign a contract, or even drop you as a client (I'm one of them).

Here are some of the expectations and things you can do to make sure you are getting your money's worth and keeping your end of the (verbal or non-verbal) agreement.

1. Stop drinking! One glass of wine with dinner once a week? Fine. Going out drinking with your friends? NO. Even if you are sticking to vodka soda, those calories add up. Not only do the calories from alcohol add up, but you are highly unlikely to eat well if you have a hangover. Ive never heard any of my friends say, "My head is killing me, would love some egg whites and broccoli." You are more likely going to go for burgers and pancakes ... yet another waste of calories. Don't do it.
2. Even if you are not staying out until all hours drinking, you need to go to bed early and get adequate rest. Your body heals and repairs itself when you sleep so if you aren't getting enough sleep, you aren't getting enough recovery, which means you can't physically perform at your best.
3. You should not only be exercising with your trainer, but on your own too. If weight loss or weight gain is your goal, you should be at the gym 4-5 days a week. Ask your trainer what you should be doing when you are not with him/her and get it done. Also, give each workout everything you have. Walking on a treadmill while talking to your friend does not count as a cardio. I wish it did.
4. Come ready to work. Before each session with your trainer, make sure you've eaten and are hydrated. I can't tell you how many sessions I've had to cut short because my client didn't eat well or enough. It's a waste of your money. Also, leave your phone in the locker room. Focus on your goal and enjoy the little time you have where you can put all your focus on yourself.

In return, trainers should design each program to incorporate your likes/dislikes and limitations. They should detail which workouts you should be doing when you are not working out with them, and if they are qualified, they can and should discuss diet. They should make clear what their cancellation policies are and be on time with appointments. You should be able to reach your trainer and if you need to leave a message, expect a response within 24 hours.

In any relationship, communication is key and like any relationship, you and your trainer will have good workouts and bad workouts together. I promise, if you and your trainer can agree to these few things, you both will be happy.

Finding the Right Personal Trainer

2010-03-17T09:04:00.002-04:00

My friend, Lance Breger (Personal Trainer at Mint), recently wrote on his fitness blog that having a trainer is like being in a relationship (http://lancebreger.blogspot.com/). I've always thought this to be the case. You spend a lot of time and money with your personal trainer so it's important you are getting something out of it . Both the trainer and trainee should make each other look good, and the only way to do that is to make sure you achieve the results you want. So how do you know which trainer is right for you?

First, qualify the trainer. All trainers should be nationally certified through ACE (American Council on Exercise) or NASM (National Academy of Sports Medicine). Yes, the gyms should have this covered, but some gyms have apprenticeship programs or weekend workshops that will allow their staff to train clients. No good. Even if a trainer says he/she has been training for years, he/she should be nationally certified.

Second, get a referral. Have you seen a friend, colleague or family member achieve tremendous success with his/her trainer? Ask them who they used!

Third, watch them on the floor: Do they seem to be working with clients who are at a similar level? Do you see any exercises you haven't seen before but would like to try? Many trainers have an area of expertise. Some trainers work more with beginners (Lisa Jolly at Vida Fitness), some with clients recovering from injury (Kayla Gretchen at Vida Fitness), some with fit individuals looking for a challenge (me).

Fourth, do you think your personalities will match? Does the trainer seem to be friendly and chatty with their clients or more subdued - which would you prefer? You need to actually like your trainer!!! My father once told me that I don't need to like more colleagues, I just have to work with them. Not the case here. At work, you are in a group environment. While training, you are 1:1. You will be spending 1-5 hours with him/her a week. You will get to know him/her and he/she will get to know you. Will the trainer push you? Will he/she make you laugh? You should look forward to your sessions with your trainer, not dread it.

Lastly, do your schedules match? If you are a morning person and your trainer only works at night, it's not going to work. Can you see each other regularly? Like any relationship, if you can't find time for one another, the relationship will fizzle out and you won't get the results you want.

Now, if you are worried about looking creepy because you are staring at the trainers trying to figure all this out ... sign-up for a free consultation where you will be able to talk to the trainer one-on-one. Remember, you and your trainer have the same goal - to make you look good! You just have to make sure you find the trainer that's right for you.

Top Secrets of Portion Control

2010-03-04T13:57:00.003-05:00

1. Before Eating, Divide The Plate. Here’s a simple rule to portion a plate properly: Divide it in half. Automatically fill one side with fruits or vegetables, leaving the rest for equal parts protein and starch. This way, you begin to see what a properly balanced meal looks like. Spaghetti and meatballs? Steak and potatoes? They’re only half a meal, incomplete without fruits and vegetables.
2. Pre-Portion Tempting Treats. The bigger the package, the more food you’ll pour out of it. When two groups were given half- or 1-pound bags of M&Ms to eat while watching TV, those given the 1-pound bag ate nearly twice as much.
3. Head Off The Mindless Munch. Five minutes after eating at an Italian restaurant, 31 percent of people couldn’t remember how much bread they ate. If you’re worried you might do the same, have the bread removed from the table.
4. Downsize The Dishes. If you’re one of the 54% of Americans who eat until their plates are clean, make sure those plates are modestly sized. On a standard 8- to 10-inch dinner plate, a portion of spaghetti looks like a meal. On a 12- to 14-inch dinner plate, it looks meager, so you’re likely to dish out a bigger portion to fill the plate. When researchers gave study participants 34- or 17-ounce bowls and told them to help themselves to ice cream, those with the bigger bowls dished out 31% more ice cream.
5. Limit Your Choices. The more options you have, the more you want to try. In one study, researchers gave two groups jellybeans to snack on while they watched a movie. One group got six colors, neatly divided into compartments; jellybeans for the other group were jumbled -together. Those given a mix ate nearly two times more.
6. Use Your Power For Good. Most homes have a “nutritional gatekeeper” who controls 72 percent of the food eaten by everyone else. The person who chooses food, buys it, and
prepares it wields power. If that’s you, take advantage of it.
7. Avoid A See-Food Diet. Office workers who kept candy in clear dishes on their desks dipped in for a sample 71 percent more often than those who kept their candy out of sight.
8. Turn Off The Television. The Vast Wasteland leads to vast waists. It’s not just the couch-sitting. TV distracts you from how much you’re eating, and the more you watch, the more you’re likely to eat. In a study comparing how much popcorn viewers ate during either a half-hour show or an hour-long show, those who watched more television ate 28 percent more popcorn.
9. Think Before You Drink. Pour cranberry juice into two glasses of equal volume: one short and wide, the other tall and thin. Most people pour 19 percent more cranberry juice in the short glass because the eye is a poor judge of volume in relation to height and width.

Debunking Bulk

2010-02-06T11:06:00.004-05:00

Earlier this week, I asked a conditioned female student in my Total Body Conditioning class why she was always using 3lb weights in class. Her response was, "I don't want to bulk up and look manly. I bulk easily." Her theory of how muscle is built is not uncommon in women. Her response, quite honestly, is something I hear often. Today, with the help of my friend, NPC National Level Competitor, Jason Fuller (Xtremelyfit.net), we are going to explain why women physically cant bulk the same way a man does and discuss the benefits to women who increase their weights in a group exercise class.

Simply put, women don't have the same level of hormones as men. Yes, there are women bodybuilders, but they work very hard for that look and supplement their diet in order to be able to achieve and maintain those gains. In addition, group exercise classes use high repetitions (15-25) to exhaust muscle groups. With a rep range that high, if a woman uses 3 lbs and is still not reaching exhaustion, the body just maintains. If a woman were to increase her weights to 5lbs for example, she would likely fatigue at 15-20 reps which is the point where the body will sustain energy by burning fat while simultaneously improve muscle tone and definition. It's at this level where cardiovascular and muscular improvements are seen and where women can start to increase their bone density and metabolism.

Women, lacking in testosterone who really want to build or bulk up, would need to consume 1.5g of protein per pound of bodyweight a day. She would also have to lift heavy enough where her body reaches failure at 6-10 reps. It is at this level the Central Nervous System recognizes the need to overcome the stress being placed on the muscle and will therefore grow. Generally speaking, group exercise classes are not formatted for this, nor do they provide weights heavy enough for this phenomenon to occur.

Lifting 5-10 lbs in a group power or total body conditioning class 2-3 times a week will not get you ripped. What it will do is make you look lean, toned, increase bone density lessening your chance of osteoporosis, and help you rev up your metabolism so you're burning more calories when you're not at the gym. If the 3lbs you've been using in your favorite group exercise class is pretty easy, it's time to step it up and challenge yourself.

Frequency, Intensity, Duration

2010-02-01T13:36:00.003-05:00

Hitting the gym almost every day and still not seeing results? Aside from having a proper diet, there are three key components of a workout that elicit physical changes when optimized ... Frequency, Intensity and Duration. Just because you go to the gym everyday (frequency) does not mean you are working out hard enough (intensity) or long enough (duration).

Studies say you need 30 minutes of exercise a day. This is a bare minimum and provides no guideline as to how hard you should be working. For example, walking on the treadmill while watching your favorite episode of Seinfeld will not promote weight loss. On a rate of perceived exertion (RPE) scale, 1-10, I suggest a RPE of about 8 for a true cardio workout. Level 8 means you can talk, but for no more than 30 seconds without becoming winded. The duration of your cardio routine depends on your goal. If you are trying to lose weight, 45 mins. If you are trying to shred the muscles you've been working so hard to build, 15-20 mins AFTER you lift. Those looking to lose weight should be hitting cardio 4-5 times/week. Those looking to stay in shape or shred 2-3 times/week.

Group exercise classes, especially spinning, can take a lot of the guesswork out of this for you. Spin classes are long enough for you to get in a complete cardio workout, and the instructor lays out the intensity, often using intervals, which can be difficult to do on your own. If you are in weight loss mode, try a few spin classes each week. They're a blast and are designed to give you a great cardio workout.

If you find yourself not seeing the changes in your body you had hoped for, and you're confident your diet or medical condition is not the reason why, ask yourself:

Am I working out hard enough?
Am I working out long enough?
Am I working out with enough intensity?

Chances are it's one of these three factors that once changed, will bring you one step closer to getting the body you want.

Food For Thought

2010-01-28T15:30:00.008-05:00

I asked my friend, a regular gym-goer, someone who pays attention to what he eats and how he looks, to write down his top 5 healthy snacks. Here was his list:

-- Low Fat Kettle Crisps
-- Banana
-- Reduced Fat Triscuits
-- Apple & Skim Milk
-- Popchips

While he aced some selections, he missed it entirely on others.

Food should be seen as a source of nutrition for the body, not just as a calorie source.

Bananas are a nutritious grab-and-go snack: A good source of vitamin B6, vitamin C and fiber as well as manganese. A piece of banana also provides approximately 460 milligrams of potassium, making it a heart-friendly health snack. In addition, apples fill you up with fiber, and skim milk is a great addition to any snack for its calcium, riboflavin, and vitamin D.

On the other hand, Low Fat Kettle Crisps, Popchips, and Reduced Fat Triscuits might be low in fat, but provide the body with empty calories. Just because a product is low-fat or contains low sodium does not mean its good for you. Maybe it's better for you than the original product, but it's not healthy.

When eating, I ask my clients to ask themselves these 2 simple questions:
1. Is this food or meal providing nutrition (vitamins, minerals)?
2. Is this meal balanced (protein, fruits-vegetables, complex carbs, maybe some healthy fat). If it's a food item, how does this fit in with what I've eaten or will eat today?

Without counting fat grams, carbs, calories, answering these two questions can help you easily determine if your providing your body with the fuel it needs to perform at its best.

Supplement Stacks for Athletic Training

2010-01-18T08:01:00.009-05:00

I’m often asked, “If I have a proper diet, why do I need to take supplements?” If you aren’t training much, you don’t. If you are hitting the gym more than a few days a week or are training for an athletic competition, the reason is because supplements help increase your training capacity and speed up your recovery time. In fact, you may think by taking a simple multi-vitamin you are getting more than enough essential vitamins and minerals. The RDA guidelines on the back of vitamin bottles are guidelines really for maintaining survival without developing symptoms of nutrient deficiencies. Athletes need more than what these guidelines dictate and should look at Performance Daily Intake guidelines which are intended for active and healthy adults, as a minimum. Men who are looking to gain mass should take: A multivitamin, B-complex, zinc, Creatine, BCAAs, and Glucosamine. The B series supports energy. Glucosamine is to prevent joint damage and pain. The Branch Chained Amino Acids (BCAAs) contribute to protein synthesis, an incredibly important factor that aids the recovery process. Zinc helps the immune system, which can be compromised when training intensely. Lastly, Creatine, an organic compound, is a great supplement for the “heavy lift” days as that, along with ATP, is the body’s basic fuel for muscle contraction.

For men over 30 yrs olds, Jason Fuller (xtremelyfit.net), Sports Nutrition Expert and NPC level Body builder, also suggests adding DHEA to the stack. DHEA is naturally occurring in your body and helps raise testosterone levels. I suggest women always take a Multivitamin, Glucosamine, Bcomplex, Calcium and Iron. The reason Iron is suggested for women is because in addition to this mineral being lost though sweat and excretion, it is also severely and quickly depleted through the menstrual cycle. Calcium help prevent osteoporosis, a condition more prevalent in women.

Again, keep in mind; these suggestions are for athletes or those who are training vigorously. The most important factor in performance, for individuals at any level, is adequate rest and proper balanced nutrition.

Tips On Watching Your Weight While Dining Out

2010-01-12T10:46:00.003-05:00

Watching your weight can be difficult, especially when you find yourself regularly dining at restaurants. Here are a few tips to help you combat the hidden calories and pick the best food options while dining out:

Don't assume that just because your entrée is baked or broiled, it's without butter, oil and salt. Remember the restaurant is more concerned with the food tasting good than the extra calories. If you are watching your weight, request a simple preparation without these additives.

If you know you are going to a restaurant known for its large portions (i.e. Cheesecake Factory, Maggianos), ask your meal be split before you are served. If there is less food on your plate, you won't be as tempted to over-eat.

A salad is not always a healthy appetizer! Caesar salads, Caprese salads, Cobb salads are loaded with extra calories and calorie-rich dressings. You are better off ordering a shrimp cocktail, mussels or a broth-based soup.

Have one glass of wine with dinner, not a bottle. Not only is alcohol full of empty calories, the more you have, the less cognizant you will be of your food consumption. If you prefer a cocktail, have one straight or with a calorie-free mixer like soda.

Skip the bread. As you know, I don't believe in the low-carb diet craze, but when at a great restaurant, why fill up before the best part? I admit the popovers at BLT might be an exception to this rule.

If you want dessert, go for it, but share. You will likely be full from your meal and having a few bites will satisfy your craving.

While you might be self-conscious asking the waiter to split your meal or requesting a piece of fish without butter, oil, or salt, remember you are not the first one to do this and you certainly won't be the last. You are the patron and there's nothing wrong with politely asking for what you want. You'll enjoy your guilt-free meal a lot more and have fabulous leftovers to take home.

What and When to Eat Post-Workout

2010-01-04T15:43:00.005-05:00

I received an email today asking what some healthy and filling meals are good to eat after a workout. When you work out hard, you become dehydrated and hungry making you more likely to overeat or choose unhealthy fare. In fact, did you know that when you're in calorie deficit your body actually craves fattening food with high caloric content?

After a workout, especially a tough one or one that lasts more than 45mins, you should quickly try to replace lost fluid and attain electrolyte balance. This will also help curb your appetite. I like G2 (no, they're not a sponsor). While the way you should eat following a workout remains the same whether you just lifted heavy or completed a cardio session, like most things in life, timing is everything!

If you just lifted and are looking to gain mass, you should wait an hour to eat as the you

r level of growth hormone is elevated. A protein shake shortly thereafter can be great as it supplies the body with amino acids to help rebuild and repair damaged tissue and controls appetite (I like LeanBody, Muscle Milk and Myoplex). In fact, a study recently reported in Fitness Rx showed that those who consumed whey protein before a meal, ate 30% less than those who didn't or used a different form of protein powder (soy, casein etc).
If you just did cardio and are looking to lose weight, you should try to eat within 75mins as your post-workout caloric burn is highest and your metabolism is raised.

If you work out after dinner, consume a 300kcal-600kcalprotein shake an hour before bed. That will keep you satisfied throughout the night and give the body the fuel and replenishment it needs to recover.

Regardless of the type of workout you do, you should follow with a clean, healthy and BALANCED meal. Yes, there are carbohydrates in there! Having carbohydrates in your post-workout meal actually helps in the delivery and digestion of other nutrients. The liver more readily uses the glycogen from the carbs making more of the protein available for muscle repair.

One of my favorite post-workout meals is one that I make for Miss DC, Jen Corey, when she's training with me. I call it the "Crown Salad." The Crown Salad consists of spinach, 4oz turkey, half a pear, half a cup of brown rice, and reduced-fat feta cheese. We finish it off with a spritz of balsamic vinegar (not vinaigrette)! Remember, salads don't always have to consist of just lettuce. Good healthy additions can include: lean protein, beans, eggs, steamed veggies, whole-grains, and low-fat cheese. After a night of teaching I 'm starving and make a salad consisting of spinach, couscous, feta, broccoli and turkey. The couscous is the 5min Near-East brand and the turkey is Hillshire farm. Takes 7mins total.

Remember your post-workout meal is just as important and your pre-workout meal. If you don't properly replenish lost liquids and supply your body with the fuel it needs to recover, you won't see results. Be mindful, cognizant and treat yourself well.

Get Killer Calves Without Wearing Killer Heels

2010-01-02T16:23:00.002-05:00

Boys-
I don’t know what the obsession is with seeing me in pair of 6-inch stilettos heels and eyeing my calf muscles with envy. Quite honestly, I expect most of you are more focused on my shoes. It seems that for some men, most men in fact, the development of the gastrocnemius and soleus, the muscles that make up the calf, doesn’t come easy. Here are some tips to get you those killer calves without having to wear killer heels.

-Mix up your rep performance. Each rep should give you full extension and contraction. Some should be done slow and controlled while others should use explosive power.
- Do heavy weight with low reps (6-8) and low weight with more reps (12-25). In essence, train your calves the way you would when trying to increase size in your larger muscle groups. 1-2 times/week
-Try performing calf raises using different pieces of equipment. Seated, standing, hack machine, squat machine, smith machine are all good options.

In order to elicit the changes you want, whether in the calves or other muscle group, you must challenge yourself. Consistency is key. Try incorporating these tips for a few weeks and I guarantee you wont need those Gucci stilettos. Wanting them is another story.

P.S. The shoe featured is mine!

Glucosamine: It’s that Simple

2009-12-28T21:26:00.003-05:00

If there is one supplement critical to the development and prevention of injury in athletes, it’s Glucosamine. Glucosamine is the single most important substance in the synthesis of connective tissue, which makes up 99% of the tissue in the human body. “Cartilage, tendons, ligaments, intervertebral discs, pads between joints and cellular membranes are all comprised of connective tissue.” As athletes, we put an incredible amount of stress on these tissues as we lift, run, jump, and compete.

Supplementation isn’t just important for runners or jumpers who place repetitive pressure on their joints, it’s critical for bodybuilders as well. As you know, the only way to enlarge muscles is to strengthen them. When bodybuilders do this, they use their joints, shoulders, knees, hips and elbows as stabilizers. Think about a bodybuilder who’s in the hypertrophy stage of training doing a basic bicep curl. He/she is lifting heavier than they normally do and the concentric move of the curl requires both the shoulder and the elbow to support the force placed upon it. If the elbow and shoulder are weak due to degeneration, he/she will be unable to lift the weight necessary to attain his/her goal. Another example is the weighted squat. When the athlete performs the squat, he/she adds the bar to the shoulders. Not only do the knees and hips need to be strong to support the prime movers, the shoulders and elbows assist the upper body to ensure the bar stays properly in place. If an athlete’s joints are not functioning well, he/she will see a marked decrease in training and performance. This is why supplementing with Glucosamine can be beneficial.

Glucosamine doesn’t just prevent injury, it has been proven to reverse damage to joints In particular, to the damage caused by osteoarthritis! The supplement aids in feeding injured connective tissues, the most critical precursor for rebuilding the collagenous mix that forms connective tissue. Studies have shown that oral doses of 750-1500mg/day initiated a reversal of degenerative osteoarthritis of the knee after two months!

Osteoarthritis(OA) is a condition characterized by pain, joint damage and limited range of motion, which can occur from repetitive injury or joint stress. These factors are prevalent and a major concern for competitors. OA affects over 20million people in the United States and our risk increases for this disease with age.

Common treatment is aspirin or ibuprofen. While these treatments are inexpensive and may produce some short-term benefit, they actually accelerate the progression of joint destruction! Aspirin is the most common drug prescribed for treatment of OA, but since the therapeutic dose required is relatively high at 2-4g/day, toxicity often occurs. “Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) and gastric irritation are an early manifestation of toxicity.” NSAIDs, other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like Advil, are often prescribed as a secondary treatment option to aspirin when the side effects of aspirin are too severe. This course of treatment is suggested only for a short amount of time and has its own side effects like: Stomach upset, headaches and dizziness.”

One side effect of aspirin and other NSAIDs that is often not mentioned is their inhibition of cartilage repair and acceleration of cartilage destruction. Because OA is caused by degeneration of cartilage, it appears that while NSAIDs are fairly effective in suppressing the symptoms, they possibly worsen the condition by inhibiting cartilage formation and accelerating cartilage destruction. Simply stated, aspirin and other NSAIDs appear to suppress the symptoms but accelerate the progression of OA. Their use should be avoided.

Glucosamine can offer similar relief without the same gastrointestinal side effects. In addition, Glucosamine supplementation can be taken once a day whereas the other pain relievers require oral dosages taken every few hours.

Here’s how it works:
Connective tissue is half made of collagen, half proteogycans (PGs). The PGs are comprised mostly of glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), which are really long chains of modified sugars, half of which is Glucosamine. To produce new connective tissue, collagen and PGs need to come together. In order to do this, glucose must be present. Without proper amounts of glucose in the body, new connective tissue cannot be made. By supplementing Glucosamine into our diets, we can bypass this critical rate-limiting step.

Glucosamine supplements can be found at any pharmacy, health food store or sports nutrition center. Supplements may come in the form of Glucosamine Chondroitin or Glucosamine Sulfate. “Chondroitin is a cartilage extract which may help OA by improving joint function, but can differ in degree of purity and effectiveness compared to Glucosamine Sulfate.” Both are effective, though studies have shown Glucosamine Sulfate is more readily absorbed and may also stimulate the incorporation of sulfur into cartilage. The recommended dose for both of these products is the same, 1500mg/day. Because there are little side effects from Glucosamine, athletes can use up to 3000mg day. There also have been no contra-indications or adverse reactions with drugs. Naturally, beneficial results with Glucosamine are more obvious the longer it is used. In a study done by the New England Journal of Medicine, subjects reported a decrease in pain after only four weeks!

All individuals, especially athletes, benefit from supplementing with Glucosamine. It is readily available, inexpensive, and not only can reduce an athlete’s risk of injury, but has been proven to reverse joint damage. If you want to get the most out each workout, each game, each trial, you must make sure you are healthy enough to do so. Glucosamine, in conjunction with a well-balanced diet, can help you do that. It’s just that simple.

Low Carb Diets are No Good for Athletes

2009-12-26T15:32:00.008-05:00

When I hear an individual rave about weight loss achieved through one of the many low-carb diets currently the rage (i.e. Atkins, South Beach, Zone), I want to know these three things:

How long has he/she kept the weight off?
How is he/she feeling?
Is he/she able to maintain a steady and intense exercise regimen?

I bet the answers are “a few months,” “ok” and “he/she doesn’t really work out all that much." While a moderately active individual may achieve some success on one of these plans, these low-carb diets are completely unsuitable and unsafe for athletes.

Let’s start with my favorite diet-to-hate, Atkins. Atkins claims on it’s website that it’s effective because the plan puts the body into a state of ketosis by severely restricting the intake of calories from carbohydrates. Purposely inducing a state of ketosis, unless you’re a diabetic or suffer from epilepsy and are under direct medical supervision, is ridiculous, unhealthy and dangerous. Side effects of ketosis resulting from low-carb diets, not just Atkins include “temporary dizziness, headache, lethargy, weakness, diarrhea and nausea. In addition, a person on a diet extremely low in carbohydrates, fiber, and many vitamins and minerals is liable to feel cranky, sluggish, and deprived.” This is especially true for lean individuals … Athletes! How can an athlete give his/her all in a game or workout under these conditions?

Ketosis occurs when the amount of carbohydrate fuel- the fuel that is needed to run the body - drops below a critical level, forcing the body to turn first to protein (yes, this means muscle) and then to fat reserves to do the work carbohydrates normally do. When protein is deflected in this manner, excess nitrogen is released and places a burden on the kidneys. When fat is likewise deflected, the breakup releases fatty acids, or ketones, into the bloodstream, further burdening the kidneys. If ketosis continues for long periods of time, serious damage to the liver and kidneys can occur.

In addition to purposely straining the kidneys and the liver, the Atkins diet, in its initial stages (about two weeks) restricts carbohydrate intake to 20g. How many calories is twenty grams of carbs? 180calories. While Atkins doesn’t limit the amount of total daily calories one may consume, it does limit the amount of calories coming from carbohydrates, the basic source of fuel for the body. Let’s say we have a 250lb male football player. His daily caloric needs during the season are 5500 calories/day. This means that 5,320 of his calories now have to come from protein and fat. Even if 70% of the remainder of his caloric intake comes from lean protein, which is unlikely, 30%, or 177g of fat are being consumed on a daily basis. That’s eating a pound of fat every 2.5 days. Under no circumstance is this healthy or appetizing.

The Zone Diet, while it doesn’t specify a quantitative limit on the number of daily carb grams, does limit total caloric intake as many diets do. The Facts About Fitness web site, makes a calculation that a hypothetical athlete, a baseball player let’s say, who weights 180 pounds should have 2106 calories daily on Zone Diet. An active 180lb male should be eating approximately 3900 calories/day, 3400 calories if dieting! The Zone diet also sets calorie limits for meals and snacks to 500 calories and 100 calories respectively. So while following the Zone Diet, this player should gear up for the big game with 3 rice cakes or a small apple. Would you bet on a win for his team? Not only are the calories restricted in the Zone, but also so are the percentages of calories coming from carbohydrates. In fact, since rice cakes have too many calories coming from carbohydrates, he could not eat 3 rice cakes as a pre-game snack. He could have one rice cake and half an apple.

While on a low-carb diet, whether it be the Zone, South Beach (similar to Atkins though more liberal in the allowance of vegetable servings) , or Atkins, glycogen stores, the main source of fuel for athletes are depleted. You know what else becomes depleted along with these energy stores? Water. With the depletion of each ounce of carbs stored as glycogen in the body, you lose about three ounces of water. Athletes show a decrease in performance when as little as a 4% reduction in body water content. Imagine a team of football players running the field on a low-carb diet. They’d play worse than the Redskins (if possible)!

Of course people will lose weight on low-carb diets! They restrict calories and dehydrate the body of the one element needed for survival … water. They also increase the rate at which fatigue sets in, cause dizziness, headache, lethargy, weakness, diarrhea, nausea, lead to muscle-wasting, and ignore the benefits of a diet rich in fruits and vegetables. While some individuals may choose to risk all these things to lose a few pounds, no competitor, no athlete should.

Should You Work Out While Sick?

2009-12-15T14:40:00.005-05:00

Tis the season of the flu and the cold. It's also the season of over-eating and feeling compelled to work off the calories you burned from crashing someone else's holiday party last night. Should you hit the gym or take a break if you aren't feeling well?

In most cases, take a break. Your body needs the energy to fight the infection or virus. While light cardio helps boost the immune system, when you are feeling run-down, fatigued or lethargic, your body is actually telling you to rest and slow-down. Listen to it! Also, the gym can be a breeding ground for germs and bacteria (gross, but true). If you have a compromised immune system as it is, going to the gym may actually make whatever illness you have worse. If you have been ill for a while and are ready to get back into it, start with some light cardio or high repetition lifting. Allow your body to slowly return to normal. You'll get there, just don't rush it.

If the (Spin) Shoe Fits

2009-12-13T15:58:00.004-05:00

If you take a spin class, even just once a week, it’s worth investing in a pair of spin shoes. Spin shoes allow the foot to move more freely resulting in a better leg workout, especially for the hamstrings. Wearing spin shoes also helps prevent injuries like shin splints as they allow for a better heel drop creating dynamic movement in the gastrocnemius and soleus muscles of the calves. These specially designed shoes also give you an opportunity to quickly and easily clip out for one-legged drills. Having spin shoes in a popular class means you are more likely to get a bike! Not all of the studio bikes have cages, but they all have clips. I’ve seen many students come to class needing to switch bikes with a fellow member because they are in regular shoes, or not be able to participate at all because the few bikes with cages were already taken!

If you wear the shoes only for class indoors, a good pair can last two years, so it’s important to get the right ones. The best way to do that is to go to a bike store. Not only are the employees knowledgeable about the product and fit, but will also be able to properly place the clips. The clips most Spin and Real Ryder bikes use are SPD clips. Although you can find the clips and shoes in most sports stores, it’s worth consulting with the experts. A pair of shoes can cost anywhere from $79-$140 so you’re sure to find a pair within your budget. They also make great additions to any holiday wish list!

Tips to Avoid Over-Eating this Holiday Season

2009-12-09T10:07:00.003-05:00

January comes around and we all scramble to get to the gym because we ate too much over the holidays. Really, there's nothing wrong with indulging every now and then. Enjoy some of your favorite foods! If you deprive yourself, you are more likely to markedly overeat when you allow yourself that treat. Like everything else however, the key is moderation. With the holidays coming up, here are a few tips to help avoid over-eating and the feeling that comes along with it making you feel as though you are bigger than Santa himself:

1. Water: Drinking water, especially before a meal, can make you feel full. Also, dehydration is often misinterpreted as hunger.

2. Put it on your plate: Rather than repeatedly taking handfuls of chocolate-covered pretzels (my absolute favorite) and Christmas/Hanukkah cookies, make yourself a plate. Visualization will allow you to be mindful of the of what and how much you are eating.

3. Eat before the party: When you are ravenous, you are more likely to eat faster and go for the first thing in sight. Healthy or not. Also, because you are eating quickly, your body is unable to properly determine when you are full. It takes your stomach 15-20 minutes to send the signal to your brain that you are full.

4. Use the mirror: If possible, eat in front of a mirror. This will help you visualize how big your bites are and how fast you are eating. Studies show those who eat in front of a mirror eat significantly less than those who don't.

5. Use smaller plates, bowls, cups and utensils to help control your portion sizes.

Lastly, stay consistent with your workout regime! Try to avoid that all or nothing attitude where you think, "I already ate a ton today, might as well skip the gym too." I hear it all the time from clients and am guilty of having done it myself on occasion. If you continue to work out, you will also continue to rev up your metabolism making those few extra calories magically disappear.

Lunch Combos

2009-12-06T12:02:00.003-05:00

Need to do a full body workout in 30-45mins? Try using combination moves that simultaneously work both the lower and upper body while getting your heart rate up. Aside from being efficient, these exercises can be modified or progressed to accommodate any skill level. Some of my favorite moves and the ones I use often in my lunchtime classes at WSC are:

Squats with an overhead press (shoulders)
Forward lunge R foot leads with hammer curls (biceps)
Forward lunge L foot leads with tricep kickbacks (triceps)
Alternating lunges with free weight chest press (chest)
Alternating back lunges with free weights. Feet come together for low row (back)

To progress these moves you can of course add more weight, or trying mixing them up by incorporating isometric holds. For example, try doing a squat with an overhead press. Then, hold the squat halfway down while just doing the overhead press. Not easy. To make these moves easier, you can keep the lower body movement and alternate arms, or, if you feel like your heart rate is getting too high, take the lower body exercises out! Either way, you’ll get a complete workout in a short amount of time.

Try It - You May Like It

2009-12-05T08:17:00.003-05:00

Once upon a time, a long long time ago, I went to the gym for the very first time. I had no clue what the machines did or where my hands or feet were supposed to go. Do I sit or stand? Do I face the machine or away? Even today when I see a new piece of equipment at the gym, I approach it slowly with extreme caution and stare at the instructional pictures and mime the movements like I was perfoming on a NYC street corner. I've learned to get over my fear of the new because I've found that some of the things that once intimidated me are some of my favorite classes or exercises. Spinning is a good example. There were too many knobs handles and levers. Now I teach spin at least 5 times a week.

Don't be scared or embarassed to try a new class or even a new machine! There are always trainers around who can help. I can guarantee you that every person in the gym, the ones you think are going to make fun of you, have been in your position. Furthemore and truthfully, people are too self-involved in what they're doing to notice you sitting on a piece of equipment backwards. If you don't try it, you won't know if you enjoy it.

The Magic Wand

2009-12-04T10:52:00.005-05:00

One of my best friends called me last night to tell me she wanted to lose muscle mass. While she admitted to being lean and fit, she thought she was too big and asked which classes she could take to avoid further muscle growth. Muscle growth occurs when you are stressing the muscles to the extent they break down at the cellular level. They rebuild when you rest, more specifically, sleep. It is for that reason taking adequate rest periods during the hypertrophy stage of training is critical. As body builders can tell you, the stress placed on muscle to build takes a lot of work and effort. You won't bulk up from taking a dance class,spin class or even some of the group power classes which focus on high repetitions.

Because she was most concerned with legs, I suggested running. Nothing does it better. If you can't run due to injury, try a pilates reformer class. When done consistently, pilates reformer can help achieve that long and lean look in both the legs and arms while strengthening the core. The bottom line however, when trying to lose weight, is that you have to decrease your calories. Plain and simple. I have many clients who say, "Heather, I want to lose weight right here" and will point to their waist. If there was a magic wand that could do such a thing, I'd happily trade it in for my broomstick. :-). If you want to lose weight, gain weight, change your body, you have to put in the work.

Stressed Out

2009-12-03T14:09:00.002-05:00

No matter how hard you may try to anticipate and plan for "off days" at the gym, sometimes your body just needs a rest ... scheduled or not. Overtraining is common among athletes training for a specific event. They place an extreme amount of stress on their muscles and cardiovascular system, but without proper recovery they unknowingly increase their risk of injury. Overtraining Syndrome does not just apply to athletes, but to any individual consistently working out. Some symptoms of overtraining:

Muscle pain, especially in the legs
Irritability
Overuse injuries like shin splints and plantar fasciitis
Loss of enthusiasm and motivation
Insomnia
Decrease in training capacity or intensity
Lethargy

If you don't take care of yourself, if you become injured, you'll be missing more than just a day or two of working out. Listen to your body. Resting today will make your workout even better tomorrow.

P.S. This is NOT an excuse for why you didn't make class last week. Don't even try it!

Top 5 Pre-Workout Snacks

2009-12-02T13:59:00.005-05:00

There are few things worse than going into a workout hungry or dehydrated. A calorie deficit will not only affect your performance, but your mood. The motivation you usually have to knock out that last set will be gone, and you'll find yourself staring at the clock during your cardio session. Having a pre-workout snack can make all the difference.

Having a 250-300 calorie carbohydrate-loaded snack approximately an hour before your workout can make all the difference! Specifically, choosing foods that are low-moderate on the glycemic index (www.glycemicindex.com) so your body can sustain the energy throughout your workout. Some of my favorites?

1. Banana w peanut butter: The high potassium level in bananas also help prevents cramps making this a great choice - especially on leg day.

2. Cereal Bars: Most varieties will do, though I love Odwalla bars.

3. Trail Mix: About two handfuls will keep you satiated.

4. Greek yogurt with a small piece of fruit: Ideal when you're craving something sweet.

5. Oatmeal: You can pick this up easily at Starbucks or Caribou coffee which have single-servings.

IN THE ZONE

2009-12-01T14:40:00.001-05:00

Last night I had a student in my spin class tell me she was working at 95% of her maximum heart rate for almost the whole class. Because she was still breathing and talking, I knew this couldn't be the case. When I asked how she determined her maximum heart rate, she told me 220-age. While 220-age is a general and decent guide for the general population, it's not so great for people who are in shape. In fact, the better shape you are in as you age, the further off the calculation can be! Someone who works out consistently and challenges himself/herself with cardiovascular training has the ability to get his/her heart rate higher and recover more quickly than someone who doesn't work out. For example, a deconditioned 40 year-old may correctly assume 180bpm is his/her maximum heart rate while a fit 40 year old might be able to get his/her heart rate quite a bit higher!

For cardiovascular training, NASM recommends training in the 65%-85% range. You may have noticed those charts on some of the treadmills and ellipticals in the gym showing fat burning and cardio training zones denoted with blue and yellow shading. While exercising at 65%-75% of your maximum heart rate, you are effectively burning calories in an aerobic state. When pushed to go higher, you are asking your body to increase oxygenated blood flow and in essence training your heart to be more effective at meeting those demands.

I think the best way to calculate heart rate absent the use of a VO2 mask and a team of exercise physiologists is to use rate of perceived exertion scale (RPE). This can be as simple as asking yourself, "Am I working at 75% of my max? Can I go higher?" At 75% of your maximum heart rate you should be able to hold a conversation for about 30 seconds. At 85% of your maximum heart rate, you should be able to respond to questions when asked, but perhaps not hold a prolonged conversation. The work you do at 85%-90% of your maximum heart rate should not be sustainable for a period longer than 90 seconds (sprints are generally performed in this range). If you like to go by numbers, you can purchase a heart rate monitor and record your heart rate when you feel you are at 75% and 85%-90%. This way, you'll have your own personal baseline for comparison.

CHANGE IT UP

2009-12-01T11:38:00.002-05:00

Going to the gym religiously and not seeing the results you want? Could be because your body has adapted to your routine and therefore is not being challenged. While all and any exercise is great, when you do the same workout day after day and week after week, your body becomes conditioned to the stress you place on it. In order to get results, you have to change it up a bit. Rather than running on the treadmill at a steady pace, try interval training where you go at a moderate speed for 2-4 minutes and then sprint for 1. This will not only challenge you during the workout, but will increase your metabolism for up to 75 minutes post-workout since your body has to work hard to get your heart rate up again and again! If you're lifting, try changing up your exercises or simply increase the weight you're using.

Another good and fun way to change things up to to hire a personal trainer who can show you different exercises for each muscle group and set you up with a plan to help you reach your goals. If a personal trainer isn't in your budget, try to get some friends together who are at the same fitness level and do a small group training which is only a fraction of the price. Many gyms have special packages now for the holidays where you can purchase several sessions at a discounted price. It's well worth it and could be great addition to your holiday wish list ... assuming you've been good of course...