Buns of steel

Here are just a few of my favorite glute exercises to help tone, strengthen, and lift your bootie! I swear by all of these (plus plenty of squats and lunges too!). Try them out and tell me what you think!


1. One-legged squats with ball. Place ball against wall with your back centered on ball. With one foot off ground (or if that's too hard, place just heel on ground with little to no weight on leg). Perform squat by sitting back against ball (keep hips/pelvis tilted back towards wall), bending leg to 90 degrees. Make sure to keep weight in the heel, not the toe. To increase resistance, hold dumbbells. Do 2 sets of 15-20 reps each leg.


2. Pelvis/Glute lift on ball. Lay on ball and roll out feet, so that only your upper back is on ball. With feet placed about shoulder-width apart, lower pelvis/hips towards ground and then lift back up, holding at top for 3-5 sec. To increase resistance, use weight in between knees/legs or hold on lower abdomen. Perform 2 sets of 20-30 reps.


3. One-legged deadlift. While holding dumbbells, keeping one leg straight (but not locked), lower dumbbell towards foot. While you perform this exercise, make sure to keep back straight, NOT ROUNDED. Also, the other leg will come straight back behind you. You should feel a stretch down the back of the standing leg. This exercise also works the hamstring muscles very well. Do 2 sets of 15-25 each leg.


4. Cross-over step-up. While standing to the side of a step/bench with the opposite/outside leg on step and inside leg on ground, step-up. To increase resistance, hold dumbbells or even perform at a faster pace for an extra burn. Perform 15-25 reps each leg.


5. Cable leg kickbacks. With ankle strap secured around ankle facing a cable machine (you can also do this with a resistance thera-band), pull weight/cable back, keeping leg straight. Perform 20-30 reps each leg.

10 GREAT healthy snacks

Here are some great, healthy snacks that are under 200 calories and help you feel "full" and burn fat! The key is to combine a little bit of fat, protein and carbohydrates for optimal "fullness". Fiber is also IMPORTANT.

1. Hummus with veggies (carrots, celery, bell peppers, etc), pita chips, or high-fiber crackers

2. Cottage cheese with fruit (pineapple, peaches, pears are best)

3. Protein shake (1/2 scoop of protein powder blended with ice, non-fat plain yogurt or milk, and mixed berries)

4. 2 slices of beef jerky and a clementine/orange

4. String cheese and an apple (or handful of grapes)

5. Yogurt parfait (layer non-fat plain yogurt, low-fat granola, and mixed berries)

6. Apple slices, banana, or celery sticks w/ low-fat peanut butter (watch portion control)

7. Ranch or other dip mixed with cottage cheese (instead of sour cream) and high-fiber crackers, pita chips, or veggies (watch portion control)

8. Luna bar (I like these ones because they are a perfect combo of protein, carbs, and fat, they're under 200 cal, and they TASTE GOOD!!!)

9. 1/2 bagel (or mini bagel) with cottage cheese, tomato slices, and pepper

10. Turkey or other lean deli meat and piece of fruit

Exercise of the week...ball hamstring curls

HAMSTRING CURLS ON BALL (2 variations):

This is one of my favorite hamstring exercises, and it's a lot harder than it looks (esp the second one)!!!

1. Laying on ground with arms/hands at sides (preferably on mat) with feet/calves on stablity ball about shoulder-width apart. Slowly lift hips/pelvis off ground (and maintain position), bring feet and ball in towards you SLOWLY. Key is to dig heels into ball, so feet are flexed. This keeps the hamstring muscles flexed the entire time. Make sure you roll back out ENTIRELY to complete one repitition, otherwise, you might feel a cramp!



2. Variation of #1: Same position as above, only stick one leg straight up in air. Other leg is on ball, IN CENTER. Do same exercise as above SLOWLY, 2 sets of 15-20 reps on each leg.

I've been gone too long...

Sorry for the lack of blogging lately, December was NUTS, plus I just returned from CA after 3 weeks of being gone. One of my New Years' resolutions is to be a little regular at posting on this blog, twice a week to be exact. Look for posts most likely on Sundays and Thursdays. Sundays will be articles of interest or commonly asked questions, Thursdays will be an Exercise of the week. We'll see how I do with that!

As for YOU, PLEASE, PLEASE comment more, ask questions, and give me ideas on what you want to know that relates to fitness and health. I want to help YOU! ENJOY!!!

New Year, NEW YOU!

Why do most New Years' resolutions fail when it comes to health and fitness goals? Because most people set too lofty of goals and don't write out a clear-cut plan to attain these goals!

As we approach the New Year and ponder about where we want to be on the fitness scale, ask yourself these questions:

1. What is a REALISTIC time frame to accomplish this goal? (This is an important one)

2. What small, attainable steps and goals can I set for myself in this time table to reach the final goal? (ie. Final goal=run a 1/2 marathon by Oct 2009 Small goals=participate and run in a 5K by April, 10K by July, etc)

3. How am I going to do it? (PLAN OF ACTION)

4. What resources can I enlist or use for help to accomplish this goal? (ie. friend, sister, hubbie, books, tapes, Personal Trainer, etc)

5. What bumps in the road and challenges can I expect to come along and how do I plan on attacking them? (ie. lose motivation, get off routine for 2 weeks, etc)

6. How am I going to reward myself when/if I reach this goal? (ie. trip to Hawaii)

7. How am I going to feel about myself if I accomplish this goal and how will this affect and improve my life?

10 Tips to Avoid Holiday Weight Gain

Let's face it, we all like to eat around the holidays and then we're kicking ourselves come the New Year! Here's some helpful, common-sense tips to avoid the holiday weight gain!

1. Stay active.
One of the major causes of weight gain during the holidays is lack of activity. Time is spent doing holiday errands, which makes us more tired, less motivated, and not wanting to stick to our routine. Best thing to do is stick to your regular schedule! Not only will it help keep weight gain down, it will give you more energy and it will reduce your stress!! And if you're not exercising already, try walking outside for 30 min a day-can't beat the fresh air too!

2. Don't starve yourself.
One of the most common mistakes people make is to go hungry all day so that they can "afford" the calories later on at the holiday party they will be attending. Big no-no! You will be so hungry by the time you get to the party, that you will forget about any sense of the word moderation or control. You are setting yourself up for a major binge. Make sure to eat your normal (healthy, hopefully) meals and keep your hunger at bay so that you can enjoy the food at the party without going overboard. Another thing to do is have a snack before you go the party. A piece of fruit or something along those lines will keep you somewhat satiated.

3. Don't let your food diary go.
If you stick to your normal routine of writing down what you eat, you will be able to monitor your caloric intake better. Research shows that people who keep a fod diary actually consume 20% less food than those who do not!

4. Choose healthier options.
There are some healthy options that you can eat during the holidays. White meat turkey is a great lean protein. Vegetables that aren't laden with butter, salad not drenched in dressing, sweet potatoes, and cranberries are also options. You can also make other typical dishes healthier by changing the ingredients slightly. Try making mashed potatoes with reduced-fat or low-fat milk, yogurt or sour cream. Dips and spreads, same thing. Really think about the ingredients that you normally use and then think about how you can make the dish healthier. But, on that same note..

5. Enjoy what you love.
Yep, you heard me. We all have those certain dishes or items that just bring us back to childhood and make the holidays special. Go ahead, indulge! Be choosy about what you indulge in though. Don't choose the pumpkin pie just because it is lower in fat than the pecan (which it is). If you want the pecan, choose the pecan! You don't want to set yourself up for binges later. That one piece of pumpkin pie may not satisfy you, so you may have another when, really, you could have had just one piece of pecan and been completely satisfied. Give yourself permission to enjoy the holidays. Just enjoy with a sense of moderation. If you want to splurge on dessert, maybe you are a little more careful with your entrée choice.

6. Don't try a new diet during the holidays.
That just screams binge! You will only be setting yourself up for disappointment, resentment, and depression. Stay healthy, but don't be too restrictive.

7. Holidays are DAYS.
Yes, days, not weeks, not months, but DAYS. Treat them that way. Enjoy yourself on the particular holiday, but then go right back to your normal healthy eating plan. Just because it's the day before, the day before Christmas Eve, doesn't mean it's a holiday! :)

8. Take time for you.
It goes without saying that this season is all about stress! Between trying to shop, trying to schedule in all your holiday parties along with your kids' plays and concerts and still dealing with day-to-day stressors, it is important that you take some time for yourself. Schedule a massage, buy a new book, treat yourself to a yoga studio membership, learn to meditate, whatever. Find something that will curb your stress that is not eating! This is the EASIEST time to turn to food for comfort. There is a ton around and it is all super-indulgent. Give yourself another method to deal with stress; you more than deserve it!

9. Give (and ask for) the gift of health.
Gym memberships, exercise equipment, athletic apparel or shoes, gift certificates to a spa or personal trainer, etc. There are many "health" related gifts that you can give or ask for that would help someone you love or yourself stay healthy all year long. It will give a great jump-start to those New Year's Resolutions that we normally give up by February. Make a commitment to your body and teach others to do the same.

10. Eat, drink, and be merry!
It can't be said enough. This is a season that is full of joy, love, and many good things if you let it be just that. Let your body and mind tell you what it needs, wants, and can do without. Live a little, but don't go overboard if it is only going to make you miserable the next day. It is supposed to be fun and it will be if you stay true to yourself and your needs.

source: www.supermarketguru.com

Healthy weight loss goals

One of my readers asked me what was a good healthy weight loss goal/week. The answer: 1-2 lbs/week. We're talking BODY FAT here (which is what you're trying to lose, right?), not muscle mass or water weight. If you do the math, to lose (or gain, for that matter) 1 lb. of body fat, you have to consume 3500 calories LESS than what you put out (opposite to gain). If you divide 3500 into 7 days/week, that comes out to 500 calories/day! For example, if you normally eat 2,000 calories a day without exercising and you're MAINTAINING your weight, than you will need to eat approx. 1500 cal/day in a weeks span to lose 1 lb. of body fat. If you add exercise in and burn 500 cal/hr, 5 days a week, then you'll lose a little more than that (unless you're eating more). Make sense?

It's all about calories in vs. calories out. When you see these diets where people are losing 7 lbs/week, let's face it, it's not all body fat. If you do the numbers, that would look like nearly 25,000 calories/week that they're burning (impossible unless you're expending calories like Lance Armstrong or Michael Phelps and spend hrs a day burning loads of calories!) And let's face it, although that would be nice, I GUARANTEE if you're losing more than 1-2 lbs/week, you're going to gain it back because that's water weight! So, if you're looking for real weight loss, steady wins the race!