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5 Myths About Losing Weight

Posted by Marine Miguel on August 11, 2011 in Uncategorized with Comments Off

Hey guys…here’s a quick list of 5 things (myths) that may be

hindering you in achieving your goals…

#5 All CARBS are horrible!

Not true! Carbohydrates in moderation, particularly brown rice, whole-wheat pasta, quinoa etc. provide

many nutritional benefits, keep you feeling full longer and are more easily digested than highly processed

carbs. I’m not saying you should eat gigantic bowls of pasta, but try eating around two or three ounces of

the whole wheat variety and serve it alongside veggies and lean proteins for a balanced meal.

#4 The longer you work out the more calories you burn.

Nope! You may already know this – but not everyone does. In the battle between time and

intensity….INTENSITY wins! The harder you push the better your result. Your brain will anticipate the

wall and actually tell your body to “stop” far short of that wall. So there’s always room to kick up the

intensity….my clients learn that right away with me, and that’s why their results are so awesome!

#3 Eating “fats” will make you FAT.

Negative. Not all fats are unhealthy, and some are actually a vital part of everyone’s daily diet.

Polyunsaturated fats and monounsaturated fats, such as those found in nuts (peanuts are legumes not

nuts), fish, avocados and certain oils (olive, walnut or grape seed) are believed to lower your chance of

cardiovascular disease. It’s still a good idea to minimize consumption of heart-unhealthy trans fats found in

packaged and fried foods and saturated fats, which are found in dairy products and beef.

#2 Eating at certain times will cause weight loss/gain.

Also false. If you eat 5,000 calories before noon each day you will gain just as much weight as if you’d

eaten them at 9pm. Although the time of day, season of the year, time of the month etc. do make slight

differences in how your efficiently your calories are burned as fuel, the most important thing is

HOW MUCH and of WHAT. Not so much the “when”. As long as you choices are healthy the main thing

to focus on with weight loss is this fact: To lose 1 pound your body must be at 3,500 calorie DEFICIT.

So if you’d like to lose 2 pounds a week you need to burn 7,000 calories more then you are taking in for

that week. My personal training clients average 2-4 lbs a week of weight loss typically.

#1 Don’t weigh yourself.

Bad idea. Recent studies have shown that people who weigh themselves once a week or every other

week, have a much better chance of maintaining a healthy a weight because they will notice a few pounds

slipping on and be able to course correct earlier on then someone who doesn’t weigh in. Now if you lean

towards obsessive with your scale it’s not a bad idea to only weigh yourself at a friends or at the gym

each week as you will go up and down slightly each day. So pick a day of the week and only do it then,

but don’t avoid it all together.

The deal with probiotics & yogurt…

Posted by Marine Miguel on August 4, 2011 in Uncategorized with Comments Off

A lot of my clients inquire about the health & fitness benefits of Yogurt with probiotics aka

acidophilus – and who could blame them since it’s latest marketing topic of the yogurt

industry…so I decided to research the subject and share it with everybody. Smile

Acidophilus is a general name for dried or liquid, live cultures of lactobacillus bacteria,

which are considered "friendly" organisms in the intestinal tract. You can buy acidophilus

products in health food stores & although most are milk-based, nondairy versions using

carrot juice are available. All provide much higher concentrations of the desired

organisms than acidophilus milk, yogurt, or other cultured milk products.

I strongly recommend taking acidophilus whenever you’re on antibiotics, especially the

broad spectrum ones like tetracycline and ampicillin, which destroy your intestinal flora.

Acidophilus can be helpful to those with chronic intestinal conditions such as irritable

bowel syndrome (IBS), for cholesterol control, enhanced immunity, to lower risk of

allergies, prevention of urinary tract infections & prevention of vaginal yeast infections.

You also can waste money on acidophilus products that do not contain viable organisms –

so go with a health food store purchase rather than a big box discount brand – and check

those expiration dates! The best products on the market contain a new strain,

Lactobacillus GG that has been shown to get into the intestinal tract when you swallow it.

One brand to look for is Culturelle (www.culturelle.com)…

A homeopathic MD recently told me that 60% of our immune system is in the

intestinal tract…so keeping it healthy and balanced keeps you the same way!

Open-mouthed smile

Simple travel workout

Posted by Marine Miguel on July 26, 2011 in Uncategorized with Comments Off

Hey guys…I know it’s that time of year – time to travel and have some fun, but you

don’t have to turn into a ball of goo just because you are not near the gym!

I have tons of clients requesting ideas for travel fitness lately so I put together a workout

that can be done anywhere…at the beach, in a hotel room, shoot you could even do

this while waiting in line at Disneyland. Just kidding. But really it’s that versatile and

yet very effective. Also, instead of only sharing with my clients I decided to be cool

and share with everybody, because you deserve a gift, reader! Laughing out loud

Here you go, just click below:

goo.gl/dU7pN

Use in good health &remember to always check back on my blog and Facebook

for tips and tools you can use to make your fitness more fun and effective!

Click the pic below to join my Facebook posse… Smile

10 Easy Ways to Make Exercise a Habit

Posted by Marine Miguel on July 12, 2011 in Uncategorized with Comments Off

1. Incorporate planned outdoor hikes, bike rides and 5K races into your weekend plans.

2. Commit to another person. Accountability is key for fitness success for most of us. Just telling people what you are doing helps, and of course meeting up with people or bringing a friend to your work out class is extremely helpful too.

3. Make exercise a priority…it has to be a non-negotiable. “Just Do It”!

4. Exercise first thing in the morning. Boot Camp at 6:00am anyone?

5. Or, exercise on your way home from work. …or at 6:00pm?

6. Exercise even when you’re "too tired." Chances are you will have more energy after working out.

7. Log your activity. Write down the things that are important to you. It could be how much time you exercise each day, how many steps you walked, how far you ran or cycled etc. It’s also a great plan to keep a food log – you can combine these into one daily entry of your fitness and food.

8. Be aware of all the indicators of progress. It’s not just about the scale! It’s great when your clothes are loose and you can lift heavier weights or work out longer without getting exhausted.

But there are a slew of other progress indicators, such as:

Getting a good night’s sleep.
Thinking more clearly.
Having more energy.
Receiving compliments.
Realizing your muscles aren’t screaming after you’ve helped a friend move furniture.
Seeing your resting heart rate drop over time.
Hearing your doctor congratulate you on improved cholesterol, blood pressure, bone density, triglycerides, and blood sugars.

9. Walk — with a pedometer (or a dog). Use a pedometer, and work up to 10,000 steps a day.

10. Reward yourself. Are you telling yourself that you don’t deserve a reward for something you should be doing anyway — or that once you can zip your jeans without lying on the bed, that will be reward enough? Set a goal and once you meet it try rewarding yourself with something really good – a hand bag or shoes…a trip to the spa. Something you really want – it works!