10 things I tell women who are trying to lose weight

1. Don’t get discouraged- A lot of the time when women want to lose weight they want to have lost it yesterday.  With that being said it is very easy for people to get discouraged and quickly.  If you don’t see results that first week a lot of people throw in the towel.  Resist the urge to do so.  Remember the weight your trying to lose didn’t come on in a week and it will take longer then a week to lose it.

2.  Don’t compare yourself to others- When you try and lose weight with another person that might sound like a great idea you have someone to go on this “journey” with you.  But if that person is your spouse they will likely lose weight faster then you which is fine you just have to keep that nugget of information in the back of your head while working out.  If you have a gal pal working out with you and she is doing well and you’re not don’t think that what you are doing is wrong or not working.  You might need to alter your food intake if she is taller then you she can usually get away with eating more then you.  So as a general rule of thumb its best not to compare.

3. Consider your past- When looking to get fit for the future look at your past.  What has caused you to gain weight?  How many diets have you tried over the course of the last few years?  After you answer the tough questions you can gain clarity on the future and help set your goals for your weight loss.

4. Nutrition plays a vital role- If you workout every day and then come home & binge on wine & potato chips, & dark chocolate you probably will be undoing everything you just set out to accomplish.  Make sure you are mindfully watching what you’re eating and not just eating the first food you see after you get home from the gym.

5. High intensity training is the way to go- When you’re at the gym the best thing you can do is perform high intensity interval training which means you are not taking a ton of breaks in between sets, you are lifting heavy weights, getting your heart rate going while lifting.  When doing cardio you are doing the same thing going as fast as you can then resting alternating between that for your workout. For more information on HITT training check out http://safiretraining.com/try-a-little-tabata-in-your-life/

6. Figure out your whys- Why do you want to lose weight?  Have you put on pounds over the course of the last decade or do you always want to lose 10 pounds?  Once you figure out the exact why to weight loss you will have a better understanding of what your true goals & intentions can be.

7. Crunches alone won’t get you that 6 pack- Crunches won’t get you that flat stomach alone.  You will have to do more then just crunches, abs are made in the kitchen.  Plus when looking to get your abs in tip top shape planks are your best bet.

8. Hard work does pay off- Persistence pays off and sticking to a plan will help you lose weight.  The problem with most of us in todays society is we constantly want to change and can’t stick to a plan.  Those who do well with their fitness plans stick to them.  They realize fitness is a lifestyle and its not something that you can do in January then forget about it the rest of the year.

9. There is no magic pill-  Forget about the idea of taking a pill to help you drop 50 pounds, it doesn’t exist.  This is the lazy way out and you have no idea of what those pills do to your heart.  Don’t give in to the propaganda by the companies trying to sell you the magic pill.

10. Find an accountability partner-  Find someone that will help you with your goals, motivate you to workout, and help hold you accountable if you don’t make it to the gym, if you want to eat the heaping plate of fries instead of the broccoli as a side dish. This person can be a friend, trainer, or spouse.

Next time you hear someone say they want to lose 10 pounds give them a few tips and send them over to SaFire Training to sign-up for our bi-weekly newsletters to receive even more fitness tips & inspiration.

In good health,

Andrea

First Name * Email *

What P!nk can teach us about fitness

One of  my favorite artists is P!nk .  I love how she actually sings, dances & puts on a show.  She really works hard on stage.  So you can imagine she is in wonderful shape.  I mean who can forget her 2010 grammy performance singing upside down in a swing.  She is a true performer.  Well she has been on the cover of numerous Women's Health & Shape magazines throughout the year.  What can we learn from P!nk to help us with our own fitness journeys?  Read on below to discover what we can learn from this amazing artist.

1. She is not afraid to sweat:  P!nk is a hard worker she does what she needs to do to get a heavy, hard workout in.  She isn't one to lift the light weights and expect big changes.  When she was pregnant shedding her 55 pound weight gain she was training with heavy weights, medicine balls and interval training.
2. Add a little Pilates to your life: She balanced her heavy lifting routine with pilates.  Now for P!nk pilates maybe more needed in terms of her performances.  She has clean lines when performing and wonderful body control which are notably present in pilates.
3. She works her core: P!nk throughout the years has been known for her hardcore abs.  After giving birth her trainer has stated she trains her abs 7 days a week.  Now when training 7 days a week  you will want to lift light weights.  (Also what P!nk does) she combines pilates, bands, rings, & balls for her ab routine.  If you do lift heavy for abs I would recommend taking rest days in between lifting days for your abs.  They are like other muscle groups & do need a rest in between lifting days.
4. Don't expect a quick fix: P!nk's workout takes 60-90 minutes, 5 days a week.  Fitting that workout into your day is required medicine for everyone.  Make that time for yourself it will help you feel better, stay in shape later in life, & give you that body confidence most people need.
5. Watch what you eat: To me fitness encompasses not just your workout but your nutrition & motivation as well.  P!nk eats very clean healthy meals.  She enjoys lots of veggies, & other "superfoods".  She also enjoys protein but she is a vegetarian so her protein does not come in the meat form.  You have to decide for yourself which type of protein you enjoy.  Lean protein helps build that coveted lean muscle which helps you burn more fat at rest.

In honor of P!nk below is a great core & booty workout to help you start your P!nk fitness regimen.

As always check out SaFire Training for more fitness tips & inspiration!

In good health,

Andrea

How do I know which fitness dvd to purchase or to workout with?

There are so many fitness dvd's & youtube videos out there now how do you know which one is right for you?  Well trick question, kind of.  Which ever workout you feel motivated to do, which ever instructor you feel you have a connection to and whichever workout makes you feel like you did something.

Most everyone is familiar with the Jillian Michaels, Tony Horton (P90x), Insanity options but there are other great instructors that you might not have discovered yet.  If you go to youtube and search whichever program or fitness inspiration you feel motivated to do that day you will find thousands.  Just because the more famous people pop up first does not mean they are the best for you.  Scroll down and see what other options tickle your fancy.  You might find a fitness pro who lives in a different state or country then you but is fabulous at what they do.

I personally have found many good instructors this way.  I am a fan of http://www.bodyrock.tv/ for those of you looking for more of an intense workout at home.  I discovered them on pinterest of all places.  So if you keep your eyes open you can discover fitness professionals all around on non-traditional fitness platforms, such as pinterest, instagram, and facebook.

I would highly suggest for you to keep looking if you haven't found that instructor or program that you can do at home.  We all have those days where we want to workout but don't want to go to the gym.  That is when you get on youtube and see what you can find.  You might be surprised and what you discover & find a new workout routine that you fall in love with.

 As always check out www.safiretraining.com for more fitness tips & inspiration.

In good health,
 Andrea

Help! I need to lose 40lbs in 4 Months.

We have all been there, I need to lose x amount of pounds by x date.  How do you go about getting there?  Well first make sure you plan ahead.  You cannot lose 40lbs in 2 months and expect not to gain some weight back.  You can lose 1-2lbs a week successfully and keep it off.  If you go much more than that you risk gaining it all back and some extra lbs.  Below are some tips to how to get started on your weight loss goal.

Tips

1. Make sure you have your date in mind and subtract on average 1.5lbs a week.  That will give you a "number" goal to try and hit.  
2. Start with 3-4 workouts a week if your not currently working out.  Perform 5-6 workouts a week if your currently active.
3. Mix it up with weights & cardio- To get the most bang for your buck make sure your working your muscles as well as your heart.  Remember every pound of muscle burns an additional 50 calories at rest.  Extra motivation for you to grab a dumbbell! 
4. Intervals- When doing cardio make sure you throw in some intervals.  To perform intervals start out at a slower pace than increase to a faster pace.  Repeat this pattern for a total of 20-30 minutes.
5. Count your calories even if it is just a week- Make sure you are watching your calories.  I always advise clients to log their food for the first week so they can get an understanding of how many calories they actually consume.  My personal favorite online tracker is www.myfitnesspal.com they have a phone app as well. 
6. Clean Eating- Make sure your eating clean.  Which means make sure your eating non-processed foods.  Look for foods with less than 10 ingredients on the label.  Stick to whole grains, vegetables, fruits & lean proteins.  
7. Log your workouts- Hold yourself accountable by logging your workouts on a calendar.  You can print off a workout schedule online.  Just google "workout calendar" and print one off to monitor your progress.
8. Pay attention to more than just your weight- Take your measurements as well.  So as to not get discouraged if your weight is not budging.  It takes up to 12 weeks before you see any changes.  Measure the following body parts monthly- Chest, waist (at the narrowest), hips (at the widest), both thighs, both arms.  
9. Don't weigh yourself everyday- Your weight can fluctuate 5 pounds everyday based on if your retaining water, needing to use the restroom, what time of day you weigh yourself.  I usually recommend people to weight themselves monthly.  If you can't go that long try bi-weekly. 
10. Find an accountability partner- Having someone to report to on a weekly basis wether it be online, a friend, relative or personal trainer will help hold you accountable to achieving your goals.  They will motive you to achieve your personal best.  If you feel your accountability partner is not doing that than find a new partner.  

As always look for free videos and workout content on www.safiretraining.com for more information. 

In Good Health,

 Andrea 

How to fight that nasty belly fat

I hear it all the time how do I get rid of this, picture someone pinching their stomach.  Well most women have issues with belly fat as they get older.  Think about all the things a women's body goes through: our monthly friend, giving birth, menopause, hormonal overload and the overall need for our body to store fat in places we don't always want it too.  So how can we fight the battle against the belly fat.  Well as you round out every decade unfortunately your metabolism starts to slow.  With a slowing metabolism you need to eat less than you currently were or exercise more.  Unfortunately for most we don't realize that or act on it until you start to notice your svelte figure is getting rounder.  Not bad for some people but most don't enjoy the extra pounds.  Below are some tips for you to keep that figure it tip top shape.

1. Eat breakfast: This is the breaking of the fast meal.  You don't eat all evening and you wake up and run out the door without eating than go to work.  You start getting hungry and than eat the doughnuts in the break room.  Than say to yourself there goes my diet I guess I will have to try again tomorrow.  Thus forms the nasty habit.  Start a new habit and have a shake, hard boiled eggs, oatmeal, flax seed waffle with peanut butter are all good examples.

2. Drink Green Tea: The benefits as of late have ben proven to help boost your metabolism thus burning more overall calories which helps reduce the belly fat.

3. Move more at work:  So many of us sit around work and don't move for a few hours or all day.  Take a walk around the office every 30 minutes to an hour just to stretch the legs and let the eyes get away from the computer screen.  A little movement through the day has proven to help with productivity in the office.

4. Drink enough water: Make sure you stay hydrated that helps you stay fuller longer as well as keeping you away from the sugary drinks.  If you don't like the taste of regular water add a crystal light packet with no extra sugar or calories to your water.  

5. Get in your cardio: Most people find a little cardio helps keep their tummy tight.  So trying to get in at least 2 cardio sessions a week whether that be a light job, power walk or full out run for others.  You know your body best and how it responds.  

6. Do some planks: Perform a plank on the forearms.  You can do these daily and hold between 20 seconds- 1 minute.  Add side planks in if you want to work the obliques as well. 

As always check out www.safiretraining.com for more training information. 

Weight check or reality check

What is in your weight?  Why do women love to focus on the scale?  Why is it that we can't just see the number and let it go?  We should weight fluctuates between 5-10lbs a day.  If you really want to focus on something set a goal other than your weight.  Measure a body part you really want to tone up and try and lose inches, get your body fat checked and try and focus on that number instead of relying solely on the scale.  Focus on how your feeling and strive to achieve more energy.

I see so many people get frustrated with that number that they see staring them in the face. Focus on what you want from your workouts, how you want to feel.  Have a mental picture of how you want your abs to look, your arms to look, or the glutes and legs?  Those are the things people notice so make that goal attainable and something visual you are striving to achieve.  I personally like to have a vision board of in shape females to help motivate me if I feel like skipping the gym or eating something I shouldn't.  

A little about that number below is a picture of someone who weighs 163lbs.  Well most people strive to have abs like that but not to weight that much.  So keep everything in perspective what really is your goal?  

Try a little tabata in your life!

I have a great tabata workout for you to try!  Check out this youtube video about tabata training. Remember tabata training is 20 seconds as fast and hard as possible and 10 seconds rest.  Repeat for a total of 4 minutes. Tabata Workout

Check out SaFire Training for more workout videos! 

Creative Exercises

There are a lot of different exercises that one can do.  How do you keep the creativeness into your workout routine?  Below are some great workout ideas for you to do to keep your lifting routine fresh!  Perform 2-3 sets and between 10-15 reps.

1. Plie squat into calf raise, with one arm raised over head and the other holding onto a body bar or a couch or chair.  Like above picture.

2. Russian Twists w/pass throughs- Leaning back into a russian twists as you are moving the ball from side to side lift your leg up and go underneath your leg to the other hand and repeat going back in the other direction.

3. Plank with leg lift- In low or high plank lift 1 leg straight up to the sky do all reps on 1 leg than switch to the other side.

4. Side Plank with hip dip and crunch- In side plank dip hip towards ground as soon as your back into plank position perform crunch across the body bringing elbow towards ground.  Repeat for allotted reps on 1 side than repeat other side.

5. Pullover with leg ext.- On bench or on the ground, with 1 heavy weight lift the weight straight back overhead and pull back up above your head.  When weight is above your head lower legs out as straight as you can go.  When legs are back to center slowly lower weight above head again.

Those are just a few creative exercises to incorporate into your workout routine.  Check out www.safiretraining.com for more fitness videos.

Sleek arms in no time!

Well how do you work those arms so you don't have the saggy waving action that everyone dreads.  Well below is a great workout to get your arms in tip-top shape!  Since the triceps make up 70% of your upper arm that is why I have quite a few triceps moves. Watch my youtube channel at Andrea Eilertson for the workout video coming soon.

Perform below exercises 2 times a week.  3 sets and 10-12 reps of each.

Equipment Needed
-Stability Ball
-Light & heavy dumbbells

1. Dips- shown in the picture above.  (Leg raise is optional)

2.  Triceps Kickbacks- Bend at the waist slightly, kick arms straight out behind you hold for a second and bring back into sides keep repeating this motion for allotted reps.

3. Bicep Curls to shoulder press (wrists facing inwards)- Perform a bicep curl at the top of the curl push arms upwards towards the sky.  Keep wrists facing your face the entire time and bring down to finish bicep curls.

4. 3 way delt-raises- Raise arms straight forwards than to lateral raise and bend slightly at the waist to finish with a rear delt raise.

5. Diagonal Triceps extension on stability ball- Rest shoulders and head on stability ball, hips high in the air.  Take one arm above head and lower at angle close to ear and pull up over head.  Repeat.

6. Triceps Push-ups- You will perform push-ups with elbows tucked in close to sides rubbing the ribs with your arms.  Can perform on knees this is quite a difficult move and hurts the front of the shoulder.

7. Concentration Curls- Sit on stability ball with back of the arm on the inside of the leg.  Curl arm up towards your face and lower.  The entire time keeping your elbow on the leg.

8. Chest Press to triceps extension- Resting your head and shoulder on the stability ball lower and raise arms out to side to push-up and hold weights above the chest and than lower weights to the sides of the ears and pull back up using the triceps (back of your arm) than perform another chest press to triceps extensions.

Check out www.safiretraining.com for more fitness videos!

Lifting Weights 101

All right ladies I know that walking into a weight room full of dudes can be overwhelming.  Even for ladies who know what their doing.  So here are some tips to make yourself a little more comfortable when you hit the gym up. 

1. Have a plan- I always bring a hand written workout with me to the gym.  If you have a plan you will know what pieces of equipment you need next and can plan accordingly.  
2. Realize some of those guys working out don't actually know what they are doing- Some of those guys don't actually know what they are doing and are just as intimated as you are.  
3. Go in with confidence- Walk in with your head held high and shoulders back you will automatically feel more confident
4. Choose free weights- check out www.safiretraining.com for a video on sample exercises.
5.  Find a workout buddy- Bring a friend who knows what they are doing.  
6. Hire a trainer- Hire a trainer that will give you workout routines and than use those workout routines on your own so you feel comfortable lifting on your own. 
7. Perform 8-10 exercises- Don't just go into the weight section of a gym and do 1 set of bicep curls and call it good.  Try to do 2-3 sets of the same exercise and perform 8-10 different exercises. 
8. Use all body parts- Try and workout utilizing upper and lower body parts during your workouts. 

Those are just some tips use all or just a few to help keep you motivated and inspired to get in the gym. Remember for every pound of muscle you have you burn an additional 50 calories at rest.  So get lifting! 

Gratitude

Above picture from www.safiretraining.com 

Gratitude what does it mean exactly?  Well after looking it up the definition given was the quality of being thankful.  I would hope that people are grateful at all times of the year but over Thanksgiving it seems this is a topic we like to discuss.  I personally started a gratitude journal in September and every evening before I go to bed I write down 5 things I'm grateful for during that day.  It really helps you stay positive.  That even on a "bad" day you look back and realize it really wasn't as "bad" as you thought it was.   

So my goal for you write down the 10 things you are grateful for this past year.  I will include my top 10 list below as well so far in the year 2012.

1. My faith and finding a church that helps me grow as a person

1. Starting my own in-home personal training business

2. My family

3. My supportive boyfriend

4. Coaching basketball and being a role model to the next generation

5. Starting to become more involved in stopping the childhood obesity epidemic

6. Realizing everything does happen for a reason 

7. My friend asking me to be her maid of honor at her wedding

8. Going to Arizona this year

9. Outside church services in the summer

10. The privilege to be a teacher even if I chose to only do it for a short time before my real calling emerged. 

Get your Booty in tip top shape!

How do you work those glutes and get them ready for the winter?  Wait, what the winter, yes I do mean the winter.  We get to where jeans and leggings and you need to get those glutes in tip top shape. Below is a workout you can do to keep those glutes in tip top shape or to work on getting those glutes in better shape.  You can also check out my youtube channel for more information on how to perform these specific exercises. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1lojHiJuAc&feature=plcp

Do the following exercises 2-3 sets and 10-15 reps 

1. Curtsey Lunge w/Knee lift- Step behind in lunge position and bring knee up and out to side of body. Keep alternating legs. 

2. Plie Squats w/calf raises- Step feet out wider than shoulder width apart and squat down as you stand up raise up onto toes to get the calves involved. 

3. Walking Lunges- Take a step forward and lunge so your knee is hovering over the ground, make sure the knee doesn't go past the toe and you should have a 90 degree knee bend in both legs.

4. Split Leg Lunges- Put one leg on a couch or stability ball if your balance is strong.  Lunge down so your front leg is bent in a 90 degree and push back up using your glutes.  Make sure you sit down rather than push your knee out wider than your toe. 

5.  Stability Ball hamstring curls- Lying on back, butt lifted in air, abs tucked in tight.  Squeeze heels back to meet butt and push ball back away from body.  As you are doing this your heels are on the ball and than the bottom of your feet are, keep exchanging this position. 

6. Donkey Kicks- On all 4's take one knee into chest and kick it straight back out behind you and lift as high as possible to the sky.  Keep repeating on 1 leg than switch to other side. 

The importance of what you eat a life lesson learned

Today I went to get my resting metabolic rate measured expecting it to be great with no issues.  After all I workout and eat better than the average person.  Well boy was I in for a surprise.  My calorie burn was within the average by 20 calories which is rare for someone who works out 5-6 days a week.  We than looked at the percentage of calories I was burning from fat and it was 19% the average person burns 50% and you want to burn around 75% or higher.  So a whopping 19% is not good at all.

So now I am logging all of my foods and changed the percentage of carbs, fats and proteins I am eating.  If you chart your own you should only be getting 100grams of carbohydrates when on websites it will allow for close to 300 which is much more than the body can process I learned today.  So I thought if my body is this out of whack on my metabolism and I am in the average weight and body fat percentage.  This is a major issue that can be affecting millions of americans and we don't even know it.

So my advice for you would be find someone who can measure your metabolic rate at rest so you do know how many calories you should be eating and of what percentage you should be eating of carbs, proteins and fats.  I was under eating and thought I was eating plenty of food throughout the day. So get your nutrition in check to help change that metabolism it can take months but stick with it, it can be done.  I will be doing it myself right along with you!

How do I lose those last few pounds

I have been asked by many people in the last few weeks how do I lose the last 10 pounds or so.  Well there is no secret weapon but you can do some things daily that will make a difference on the scale to make it budge.  

1. Eat breakfast- You need to make sure you get your metabolism kicking and don't eat doughnuts.  

2. Drink lots of water- Staying hydrated is key make sure you are drinking water instead of eating when you really are not hungry and might be just thirsty.

3. Count your calories- myfitnesspal.com is a great website to use.  You might be surprised at how many calories your consuming or not consuming.

4. Find a workout buddy- Sometimes they help push you to the next level.  Make sure they are a good workout buddy and not just a good friend who really won't push you.

5. Find an accountability partner- Find someone in your life that will hold you accountable for what you are trying to accomplish.  If you tell them what your goals are they can help you achieve them or at least keep you honest.

6. Eliminate bad influences in your life- If there is someone holding you down get rid of them.  Evaluate why they are in your life in the first place.

Interval Training-What is it?

What is interval training?  Interval training is when you are going as hard as you can for a specified amount of time you than rest or have an active rest for a specified amount of time.  See example below

2 Minutes- at 85% of your max heart rate or on a scale of 1-10 you are at an 8.  

1 Minute-at 50% heart rate or on a scale of 1-10 you are at a 2.

*Repeat this for 20-30 minutes.  

Can Intervals be done on any apparatus?

Yes you can do intervals on the treadmill, bike, elliptical, stair master.

I recently went to a fitness conference where I learned the wave of the future of intervals I will share with you the workout below!! I personally tried it and burned 500 calories in the 30 minutes doing the workout so I highly recommend it if you have no heart issues.

3 in 1 workout

*This workout can be done again on any cardio apparatus-I did mine on the treadmill.  Also if you have a heart rate monitor it helps you during this workout.

First 10 minutes:

20 seconds at 95% of your max heart rate 

40 seconds active rest 

Next 15 Minutes:

50% max heart rate the entire 15 minutes

Last 10 Minutes:

30 Seconds at 95% of your max heart rate

90 Seconds active Rest 

*I will write the exact program I did personally for you visual learners (Like myself)

On the treadmill

20 Seconds- I ran at 9.5/10mph

40 seconds- I walked at 3.5mph

On the Elliptical/Pre-Cor

15 Minutes- I kept my heart rate around 65% instead of 50%

On the Treadmill

30 Seconds- I ran 9.5/10 mph

90 Seconds-I walked at 3.5mph 

Burn those calories!!

Fit Gadgets are they worth it?

After coming across a video by Anderson Cooper in which they had wonderful fitness gadgets throughout Americas history I was encouraged to write a blog about some of those products and there benefits (or lack there of).  

Below is the video from Anderson Cooper:

Anderson Cooper-Fitness Gadgets

Some of the products in the video was the lovely face yoga.  I recently saw this being done on a Rosie Pope show well does it work?  I have my doubts, I do remember my mother doing these moves from the lady in Anderson's video.  I would say it is more for sure than actually working it might add a few wrinkles when you have to stretch your tongue out so far, but no data supporting the benefits.  

Riding a horse back and forth side to side well you truly are not doing much of the work you just need to stay on the saddle.  Well you will get a little burn in the inner thighs and core work not enough to benefit you at all.  

Shake weight- Well what does this actually do for you besides make your arm fat jiggle, not much.  Your muscles are not contracting enough or at all to give you muscle growth or even to tone your arms with this weight.  Plus you are burning minimal calories since your heart rate is not going up and you can do this sitting down and you will burn even fewer calories that way.  

So if these quick fixes don't work what does?  Well good old fashion diet and exercise does.  If you need a place to start try hiring a trainer who can set you up with a good plan.  Unfortunately there are no quick fixes and you do need to put in a little effort and sweat to make your goals a reality.  Nothing replaces hard work.   

Pets as workout buddies

If your in a workout rut and you want someone to play with look no further than your dog.  Dogs are great workout buddies they can help set your pace or give you an extra push.  If you like to run your dog can bring a whole new aspect to your training.  For women they can also add a sense of security.  

Growing up I would always take my dog on bike rides with me.  My dog Shadow loved to run along beside me.  He would be very protective anytime we came across a strange dog and make sure the coast was clear for me to bike or run thru.  

Another great reason working out with your pet can be a new adventure in some cities they now have people and dog yoga.  You can actually do a yoga class with your dog.  If your dog is not that well trained it might not be the best option for you.  

So I challenge you if you have not try to go for a bike ride or run with your dog to amp up your workout this week.  If you have a cat this article may not pertain to you :) 

Ladies workout like a guy

A lot of women when we work out are afraid to lift heavy weights because we are going to get bulky.  Well that cannot happen and I'm here to let you in on a secret the guys have the weight room area figured out for the most part.  Ladies we can take a page from their book.  Below I will tell you what we can learn from how a man trains.

1. Women you will NOT get bulky.  

That is the number one fear of my female clients who were never taught how to lift weights or what lifting weights can do for your body.  

Ladies you will NOT look like the above picture contrary to what you believe.  This particular female worked hard for this body and trained to get herself this way it does not come from just lifting 3 times a week for 20-30 minutes.  You have to eat extremely healthy to get this lean and be lifting weights almost daily.  So in a nutshell this is an extremely hard physique for women to get to kudos to those who take the time and dedication to get there, as most will not even come close to that.

2. Lift your upper body ladies.  

Quite a few males lift what we call the beach muscles.  If they take their shirts off they look impressive, the biceps, the chest, abs.  Sometimes they forget the rear muscles groups but we as women will not.  Make sure when you are lifting you don't just lift lower body and work your butt.  Don't forget about the arms.  When women get older they complain about the chicken arms, or waving skin underneath their arms.  Working those triceps helps tone up the backside.  Fun fact the Triceps makes up 70% of the upper arm so work the back of the arm to tone up your arm in general. 

3. Play Games

You will always see some pick up basketball games, football games, soccer or even hockey games in the early mornings or on weekends.  Most of these leagues are adult males.  I know it gets harder for women to be involved in these leagues after kids but tell your hubby to watch the kids for an evening because its your volleyball night.  You get a workout in plus you get to mingle with friends at the same time.  It's a great stress release as well.

4. Be more focused on building muscle than in losing fat

Far to often we are concerned with how much fat am I burning when I'm lifting weights?  I should be doing cardio right now I would be burning so many more calories.  Well actually the more muscle you have the more calories you burn at rest.  So pumping iron and getting stronger will lead to more overall calorie burn in the long run.  So don't be afraid to get in that weight room with the big boys and show them what you can do!

5. I don't know what to do at the gym besides cardio

Honestly this is not just a women's issue but a men's issue as well.  I just had a conversation today with a guy who is doing the same routine he learned in high school because he doesn't know what else to do.  So if your walking into the gym without a plan you probably will throw around a few weights and call it good.  Ask a trainer for help or even hire a trainer if your completely clueless.  You will just get frustrated if you don't know what your doing and want to quit going to the gym.  The trainers are there to help you tell them what your goals are and ask what are some exercises I should be doing to help me reach those goals.  A good trainer will be able to help you out. 

     

Train like an Olympian

Since the Olympics have started I thought I would share a little training tip.  I recently read a quite saying have you looked around and seen the average American boy are we getting big!!! As I'm watching the Olympics today I'm thinking why can't everyone be in this good of shape?  Now I know not everyone is as gifted athletically as those in the Olympics but that gives no reason for the average American to not move or do the best they can.  These Olympians work hard everyday.  I am going to give you a huge hint PLAN!!! These athletes plan their workouts in advance as well as their nutrition.  You need to plan, plan, plan!! If you currently are not doing that you are letting yourself down.  If you don't know how to plan invest in a trainer.  As a trainer myself I know not every trainer is good, I get that if your skeptical.  You need to set up a consult with them get their philosophy on fitness and training, check out their personality and see if they are a good match for you.  If you want to train like an Olympian but your trainer doesn't know how to do that choose someone else.  Make sure they have the knowledge to take you to where you want to go fitness-wise.  

So if you take nothing out of this besides one thing make sure you PLAN!  Set yourself up for success and hire someone to help you if your not sure how to get their yourself.  Get off the couch and start your journey today! 

A little more motivation for you!  

Be the best you can be and you just might surprise yourself!

5K Runs

Last night I ran in my first 5K run of the summer.  I really didn't train to tough to get in shape for it like I would have liked to, but still ran a decent time.  I shaved off 15 seconds from my practice times.  The picture above is with the people I ran the race with this year.  Addie another in-home personal trainer and her husband Kory. 

Last year I had the honor of instructing a running group.  I took 4 people through their first 5K.  It is such a privilege to see someone meet their goals.  All of the people in my group finished the race and felt amazing after they did such.  Even if they had to walk throughout the race that is totally fine.  Most people think they need to be able to run the entire race.  That is not the case.  Quite a few people will run it like they do intervals.  Run as much as they can take a walk break for a minute run another 2-4 minutes take another 1 minute walk break.  People will not judge you while they are running.  Everyone is so focused on themselves they don't pay any attention to what other people in the race are doing.  So if you haven't already challenge yourself to sign up for a 5K.  You just might find you are a "runner" after all.