New Moon and How It Can Be a Positive Phase for Your Fitness!

Image Credits: JCCC Astronomy

The moon revolves around the Earth, which puts it in 4 main phases: New Moon, First Quarter, Full Moon & Last Quarter.

The New Moon is the beginning of the Lunar Phase, and it looks like a slender, crescent in the sky. Spiritually it means for new beginnings and renewal, a chance to start over with a clean slate! When it comes to fitness there are many times you will fall off the bandwagon, but it does not mean you can't start over! As I have been practicing my photography skills lately, taking shots of the moon in distinct phases, I started looking up more information about it and saw how the spiritual meaning can really help my clients organize themselves mentally and spiritually to reach their fitness goals. 

Shot with My Nikon D3400

New Moon Journal Ideas:

You should be writing down your workouts, how much weight you used, your food intake and how you feel in your fitness journal. If you have not, this could be the reason you are not seeing the changes that you want. As a personal trainer, I always make note of clients' workouts, changes in training phases, their triumphs and failures besides also creating their meal plans. This is why you pay so much for personal training because we do all the paperwork (journaling), motivation, implementing and changing the plan that you are not capable of doing on your own. So, make sure if you do not have a personal trainer that you work with, write down everything when it comes to reaching your fitness goals. 

Here Are Some Other New Journaling Ideas to Consider Adding:

• What motivates you? 
• Release unhealthy habits that are hindering your fitness success and try out healthy ones. 
• Write down 3 - 5 reasons why you want to get healthy. 
• Visualize how you want to feel and look inside and out. 
• What is your favorite way to get yourself delighted over working out? 
• What fitness goals would you like to achieve by the next Full Moon? 

2013 Austin, Tx.

Write a goodbye letter to something that is no longer helping you reach your goals and fitness goals. Burn this letter under the New Moon as a way to release anxiety, anger, guilt, shame, fears, stress, and old habits. Make a visualization board for your regular and fitness goals! Seeing your goals in front of you really helps you to stay focused! Try out a new healthy recipe you found online, or a friend shared.

My Beginning 2007

 

Another thing to try is making a list of your greatest fitness accomplishments. This also includes just staying consistent with going to the gym. That is a huge accomplishment because most would rather be home. Make a playlist of your favorite songs for workout and cardio sessions. 

Stay focus, stay consistent and the changes will happen!

Candace

Total Body Calesthenic Workout II

Keep your fitness during quarantine by doing simple bodyweight exercises!

Decline Push Ups

3 - 4 Sets

Maximum Reps 

Can be done on the knees for beginners

Boat

3 - 4 Sets

45 sec - 1 min.

Beginners start with the knees bent and the heels on the floor

Box Frog Jumps

3 - 4 Sets

12 - 15 Reps

Can be done without the box and jumping in place instead

TRX Back Row

3 - 4 Sets

Maximum Reps

Alternative exercise: Inverted Row

Side Ups

3 - 4 Sets

15 Reps

One Leg Squat to Box

3 - 4 Sets

12 - 15 Reps

Incline Push Ups

3 - 4 Sets

Maximum Reps

Bird Dog 

3 - 4 Sets

45 sec - 1 min each side

Execute without the Bosu Ball

Easy Tips To Handle Family Holiday Get-Togethers, Galas or Parties!

7 Easy Tips To Handle The Holiday Events

• Eat clean and low carb throughout the day, so you can enjoy yourself at the party. You can also fast all day to enjoy yourself even more. 

• Do not attend a party or function while you are hungry; you will start attacking all your favorite foods. Make it an incentive to eat your greens first before you attack the sweets. The more you fill up with greens the less room you will have available for the bad stuff. 

o        Include at least 3 dark green vegetable side dishes

§     Has less calories per serving

§     Has vitamins, lowers cholesterol, and blood pressure

§     Tons of Fiber to keep your weight management in check

§     Recipes

§     Broccoli, Shitake and Red Onion Roast

§     Balsamic-Glazed Green Beans And Pearl Onions

§     Brussels Sprouts with Bacon, Garlic, and Shallots

§        Use Turkey Bacon for less calories

o        Healthy sweet potato recipes

§     Sweet potato is loaded with vitamin C vitamin A, potassium, calcium, and iron

§     Used by bodybuilders to help build muscle

§     Recipes

§     Sweet Potato Casserole

§     Marshmallow Whipped Sweet Potatoes

• If you want to try everything that is displayed to eat for Thanksgiving then get small portions of each.
• Getting 1 - 2 oz of each dish will save you unwanted calories you do not want to take in and will save you from looking like a prude during Thanksgiving.

• Take your time while eating
• Your body does not know it is full until 20 minutes. 
• Take your time and converse with you family and friends. I'm sure there is a lot of catching up to do

o        Healthy pie recipes

§     Make sweet pies without all the unwanted extra calories

§     Recipes

§     Pumpkin Pie With Rum

§     Oatmeal-Nut Crunch Apple Pie

§     Pear Custard Pie

• Drink some water between every alcoholic beverage.

o        Drink red wine, low calorie beer, or water splash with a little fresh squeezed juice

§     Cut out sodas, especially diet sodas

§     Red wine and dark beers are loaded with anti-oxidants

§     Drink beer like Miller 64 and other low calories that are under 100 calories

§     Fresh orange juice or homemade organic lemonade has less calories than the high corn syrup prepackage ones.

• Sit down at a table away from the bar and food so you won't be tempted to go get more food.

• Alcohol opens up the appetite. So the more you drink, the more you will eat ruining all the fitness goals you accomplished for the week or maybe a month. This depends on how bad you cheat on your diet. It takes 3500 calories to gain 1 lbs. of FAT! 
• If you want to try everything that is displayed to eat for the event of holiday then get small portions of each.
• Getting 1 - 2 oz of each dish will save you unwanted calories you do not want to take in and will save you from looking like a prude during Thanksgiving.

• Spend time socializing and networking so you don't focus on the food.

• Go for foods you wouldn't normally eat.

o        Eat only 1 - 2 servings of protein and other sides

§     Do not overload your plate

§     One serving or turkey or chicken without skin: 2 oz. = 50 - 70 calories (depending on how it was cooked)

§     Limit your eating to 2nd's and not 3rd's

o        Add whole grain to stuffing

§     Lowers many chronic diseases 

§     Helps weight management 

§     Lowers blood pressure

§     Lowers gum disease and tooth decay

§     Recipes

§     Bulgur Stuffing with Dried Cranberries and Hazelnuts

§     Wild Rice Stuffing With Apple and Sausage

• Look at all the food options before diving right in.

Strengthen Your Core and Elevate Your Heart Rate With This Cable Back Workout!

Back Workout

Lat Pulldown

The lat pulldown is a multi-joint exercise that involves main mover the latissimus dorsi, the largest back muscle, which extends down each side of your spine. The biceps, rear delts, rhomboids and traps are also syngistically during the pulldown exercise.

Close Grip Pulldown

Great exercise to target the primarily lats, the traps (middle and lower) and the biceps. Secondary, it uses the teres major, posterior deltoid and the pectoralis major. Many women are afraid to lift heavy for their upper body. However, developing your back create a v-taper making your waist appear smaller. It also increase your strength to later take on pull-ups and lift things easier around the house.

Squat Row

A compound total body exercise that trains the mid and lower back, legs and glutes while elevating the heart rate. Make sure to use your legs as you stand up with the close grip handle in front of your body with arms extended. Execute the exercise by squating down while keeping the arms extended, use you legs to stand up while bring the close grip handle close to your belly button. Squat back down with the arms extended to complete one rep and repeat!

Swimmers

Swimmers are a different variation to the Lying Back Extension (Superman). This exercise strengthens the core and stretches the lower back. Adding movement to it elevates the heart rate. This exercise can be done in repetitions or timed.

To build muscle: increase weight and lower reps to 8-10.

To tone up: lower weight and increase reps to 12-15.

EZ Bar Curls

The angle of the EZ curl bar allows your wrists, forearms and elbows in a more comfortable, natural and safe position, as a result reducing the risk of common injuries that many people develop over time from curling with a straight bar This will be your starting position: Stand up straight while holding an EZ curl bar at the wide outer handle. Keep your elbows close to your torso. Keep your upper arms stationary, exhale and curl the weights upward while contracting the biceps. Raise the weight until your biceps are fully contracted and the bar is at shoulder level. Hold the top contracted position for a moment and squeeze the biceps. Then inhale and slowly lower the bar back to the starting position. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.

Some Tips To Keep off the pounds this Summer!

Summer Fitness Tips to Keep the Pounds Off!

Food and Beverage choices (80%)

• Keep the fried foods, fast foods, processed foods and red meat to a minimum.
• Look for words like: blackened, grilled, & roasted.
• Go for fruit instead of refined white flour baked goods.
• Eat lots of greens. They fill up half of your medium sized plate.
•  Ask for a doggie bag to put half of the meal to go. Or share with a companion.
• Alcohol is basically liquid carbs and over 2 beers is illegal to drive! 
• Not a good idea on a family vacation!
• 1 oz. of alcohol is 80 - 100 calories
• Drinking alcohol not only gets you drunk, but it also dehydrates, fills you with empty calories which equals weight gain and water retention.
• Keep hydrated with water!
• In the hot sun without water can lead to dehydration and heat exhaustion.
• Sodas, Teas and coffee are also diuretics! 

Activity Level (20%)

Just a reminder: The less activity you do without making proper food choices, the more weight you will gain.

Just because you are on Summer vacation doesn't mean you stop working out and taking care of

your health. 

• Keep the cardiovascular training going!
• 2 – 3 x a week is adequate to maintain a strong cardiovascular endurance
• Walk, jog or run on the beach, city or country side
• Ride a bicycle or mountain bike
• Go hiking on a hill or mountain side 
• It will make you feel like a kid again
•  Play volleyball at the beach or regular outdoor activities.
• Resistance training is also just as important!
•  The more muscle you retain the stronger immune system you will have with proper
• nutrition.
• Muscle weighs more than fat, but takes up less space on the body.
• Each pound of muscle burns an additional 14 calories per pound.
• More muscle equals higher the metabolism
• A minimum or 2 – 3 times a week is adequate for weight and core training
•  Most hotels and resorts have small fitness rooms with Tvs!
• Resistance bands are great for traveling
• They can be used to train:
• Biceps
• Triceps
• Shoulders
• Glutes
• Hips

• Calisthenics: Body weight exercises
• Pushups
• Crunches
• Wall Static Squats
• Superman
• Single-leg stiff-leg deadlift
• Inclined Plank
• Single-leg calf raises
• Side plank

Falling off the band wagon for too long will make it very HARD to get BACK ON TRACK. You will have to grow through the soreness and stiffness all over again! Why go through that? I'm a bodybuilder and post contest we usually take 1 - 2 weeks off to heal from the extensive resistance training from the contest prep. However, I can only stand taking 1 week off. I get very sore once I start training again. I can only imagine 2 whole weeks off!

The Differences Between Running Outside than Inside

Treadmill Jogging or Running

• Benefits of running on a treadmill
• When weather is bad you can use a treadmill instead
• You can easily set goals by gradually manipulating the programs available
• Is easier than running outside because:
• There is no wind resistance for your body to encounter
• The belt under you feet helps you propel your step
• Breathing is easier because of air conditioning

Outside Jogging or Running

• Benefits of running outside:
• You learn how to pace yourself which is crucial for race splits and race goals.
• Treadmill gets boring after a while. Running outside exposes you to nature and scenery.
• Running outside develops your endurance to wind and weather resistance.
• Also develops you breathing capacity
• Is more difficult than running on a treadmill:
• Weather and wind cause resistance against the body
• Your feet and glutes have to propel your step
• The terrain is always different. Can encounter running on pavement, trails or hills

Jogging outside is great because you burn a lot more calories in a shorter period of time. The reason why is because the environment is different and you have to push yourself. On a treadmill, you are jogging in air-conditioning and it is pushing the speed for you. Either one is great in its own way so using both will help you greatly. Just make sure to stay hydrated, stretch before and after a run. If you are going for a long distance run eat enough carbs to give you the energy. Post run take your protein shake and replenish your carb intake for recovery. 

Bicep Workout With Balance

Bosu Barbell Curls

Barbell Curl is the standard exercise for building strength and mass in the biceps. Adding a bosu makes it also include core and balance strengthening. It also helps avoid using your upper body to lift the weight making the exercise a lot more difficult than the standard. Make sure to keep your core tight as you balance on the bosu and lift the barbell up and down.

Swiss Ball One Arm Preacher Curl

One arm preacher curls is great to target the brachialis, which is the lower part of your bicep. However, adding a Swiss ball will make the exercise more difficult and add some core stabilization which will burn more calories. Make sure when executing this exercise you keep your core tight at all times so that you don't lose control of the ball. Place one of your arms on the ball with the back of the arm against the Swiss ball with dumbbell. Use the other arm as support or place around the front of the Swiss ball. Slowly, lower your arm with the dumbbell to about 90 degrees and curl it back to starting position. You don't want to go beyond this because you can hyper extend your shoulder which can lead to future injury. Repeat on the other arm.

Swiss Ball Dumbbell Lateral Side Curls

Great way to train the long head of the biceps with stabilization. Sit on the Swiss ball and keep your core engaged at all times. Grab your dumbbells and place your arms outside of your thighs with hands facing up. Lift the dumbbells up towards your the side of your shoulders and slowly bring them back to starting position.

A Weekend of Messing Around With Your Diet Will Ruin a Whole 2 Weeks of Work

Barbell Squat

Nutrition is 80% of the Equation at All Times!!!

I hear it all the time, "I workout to be able to eat" but, are you really making a or any deficit in order to cheat the way you want to? Having clients over the years, I have done everything I can to help them understand that what they put in their mouth can make or break all the hard work they did during the week and month! Most of them never understand what I am talking about until I weigh them after the weekend or a vacation. The research that I have done with my clients over the years have shown me that an average weight gain from 2 cheat days is from 6 - 10 lbs. Average weight gain from a vacation is up to 20 lbs. It takes a week to lose 1- 2 lbs. depending on how compliant the client was to keeping track of their intake and staying active.

Image Credits Shen Therapies

The main thing is that the food and drinks really are that bad! Serving sizes at restaurants are 2 - 4x larger than what you need to eat. A meal (regular food) can be 800 - 3,000 calories in one sitting. Now, imagine adding the drinks and dessert! It takes 3500 calories to gain 1lb. or to lose it. So, now are you still surprised when you don’t keep track of your food, drinks and don’t exercise that you will gain weight? 

Image Credits: Nutra Carina

You have to remember that you are a living organism that grows or shrinks continuously depending on what your lifestyle is like: sendentary, active or athletic. We are not made of plastic. So, gorging yourself over the weekend or vacation instead of doing the standard 1 - 2 cheat meals a week and not staying active will mess up all the hard work you have done. You will have to start all over. Why do this to yourself? You don’t have to eat or drink what your friends, family or etc. to have a good time. Stop looking at your food as fun and look at it like fuel! You won’t be laughing and having fun once you step on the scale.