Miami Fitness Boot Camp – Weight Loss Training

Tag: Weight Loss

  • 7 quick and easy ways to begin your weight loss

    There are few things more frustrating than not being able to lose weight. You want to be slimmer and to tone your body, but your weight won’t budge. Read the following 7 Weight Loss Blockers to discover what is standing in your way and how to quickly and easily begin your weight loss journey.

    Blocker #1: Your Mind

    Your mind is your number one ally when it comes to achieving your goals. However, until your mind has been programmed for success, it will do more to derail your efforts than to help you.
    Take a few moments each day to visualize yourself at your ideal weight. Imagine how it feels to look the way you’ve always wanted.
    Protect your mind from any negative self talk. If a negative thought comes to mind, immediately reject it.
    You want to be thin and fit, and yet you think of yourself as out-of-shape and fat. Re-program your mind to think of yourself as fit and attractive, and you will be well on your way toward achieving your goal.

    Give up the belief that you can’t achieve the body you’ve always dreamed of. See it first in your mind, and then in the mirror.

    Blocker #2: Your Fear

    Change makes most of us nervous – even if it is a change in the right direction. You may not be consciously aware of the fear you have of getting into shape. Until you conquer this fear, your weight loss efforts will be blocked by self sabotage.

    Professional speaker and author, Anthony Robbins, has outlined three specific beliefs that you must have in order to conquer your fear and instantly create a lasting change.
    Believe that something MUST change. You can’t be wishy-washy about it. You can’t be considering it. You can’t even be pretty sure about it. You’ve got to be rock solid.
    Believe that YOU must change it. You can’t pass the buck of responsibility and expect to lose weight. It’s on your shoulders. Other people will prove to be great assets in your journey, but in the end you are the one who is going to make it happen. You have to want this weight loss enough to make it your personal mission.
    Believe you CAN change it. You may have failed in the past, but that doesn’t matter. When you put your mind to it, you’re able to do amazing things. Do you believe that you are capable of losing weight? Once you own the belief that you can, you’ll be unstoppable.

    Blocker #3: Your Excuses

    Your excuses for being out-of-shape are getting old. An excuse takes less immediate effort than an action, but in the long run the action taker always has the advantage. Don’t allow excuses to ruin your life any longer.
    Don’t skip out on your responsibilities with excuses, instead expect more from yourself.
    Focus on the big reason why you are losing the weight. Make a list of the benefits you’ll enjoy once you achieve your goal, and read them first thing each morning.
    Remember that you can only have two things in life: excuses or results. Which do you want?

    Blocker #4: Your Commitment

    How many times have you tried to lose weight, only to give up a week or two later? We live in a commitment-phobic world, so it’s no wonder that you routinely abandon your goals. If you truly want to lose weight then your commitment to the process is a must.
    The margin between success and failure is bridged by your commitment. Don’t give up until your goal has been achieved.
    Treat exercise with the same importance as a work meeting, and you’ll never skip it at the last minute. Find three available 60-minute time slots in your schedule and mark them (in pen) on your calendar. Now stick to your schedule.
    If you don’t give up, then you’ll never fail.

    Blocker #5: Your Diet

    If you consistently eat the wrong food, then you’re weight loss efforts will all be in vain. To put it bluntly, you need to stop eating junk. Processed foods, refined sugar and high fructose corn syrup do not belong in your diet if you want to be in great shape. Cut these items out of your diet and replace them with real whole foods like lean meats, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and fruits.
    Don’t eat processed foods. Even though processed foods are accepted by our society, they contain tons of chemicals and empty calories that will make you sick and fat.
    Fat contains twice the caloric density of protein and carbohydrates, so make sure to limit the amount that you consume. Eat lots of lean proteins and wholesome carbohydrates from plants and whole grains.
    Vegetables, whole grains, fruits, nuts and seeds are filled with fiber and antioxidants which are vital for healthy weight loss. Snack on these instead of packaged treats.

    Blocker #6: Your Patience

    It takes time to transform your body from fat to fit, even though you want it to happen overnight. Remind yourself that it took time to put the weight on, so it will take time to take the weight off. When you find your patience wavering, or when you encounter a frustrating plateau, do the following:
    Review your goal. Is it specific and measurable? Is it small and attainable, rather than monumental? Focus on your goal when the going gets tough.
    Make each workout a new experience. Challenge your body with different resistance, new exercises and a varied pace.
    Remember that anyone can have one great workout, but that won’t get you the body you want. The only way to achieve your goal is by consistently exercising and eating right, plain and simple.

    Blocker #7: Your Support

    People who exercise alone are less challenged, less accountable and are more likely to fail. It makes sense. Who would rush to the gym if no one is was waiting for them? Who would push themselves if no one was paying attention? Exercising alone is a recipe for disaster.
    Find a workout partner who is in better shape than you, or better yet, work with me, your local fitness expert, to guarantee your results.
    I am passionate about seeing you achieve results—don’t waste your time, energy and effort on mistakes.
    When you start a program with me, you suddenly have the upper hand on weight loss. I’ll be in your corner, coaching you each step of the way, keeping you accountable to workouts and giving you that dose of encouragement when you need it most.
    Get serious about your results and begin the last weight loss program that you’ll ever do.

    Call or email today to schedule your first workout. You’ll find my contact info in this newsletter.
    Write & Review

    You could be making a valiant effort to lose weight, but if you eat too much each day then the number on your scale will not budge. Even if you think that you’re limiting calories, you won’t know unless you do a little research.

    Get a small notebook to carry with you and jot down everything you eat for an entire week. Be sure to include the exact amount that you eat of each food item. At the end of the week do a tally of each day, and then figure out how many calories you eat on an average day.

    Review your daily entries for items that are filled with empty calories – like cookies, candy or soda pop. These should be the first things that you cut out of your diet as you transform your body.

    Guilt-Free Kale Chip Snack

    Salty, crunchy snack foods are a weakness for most people. Instead of eating chips or popcorn or crackers, which quickly add up in unwanted pounds, make a batch of these delicious, crunchy kale chips. Kale chips are low in carbs and make a delicious crunchy snack.

    Servings: 5

    Here’s what you need…
    1 bunch kale, washed and torn, stems discarded
    1 Tablespoon olive oil
    dash of salt and pepper
    Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
    In a large bowl mix the kale pieces with all of the ingredients.
    Spread evenly on foil-lined baking sheets.
    Bake for 12 minutes, watching closely that they do not burn. Remove from oven when crispy.
    Nutritional Analysis: 51 calories, 3g fat, 68mg sodium, 5g carbohydrate, 1g fiber, 2g protein

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  • Your snacking may be killing your fat loss results

    Your snacking may be killing your fat loss results

    We’ve all heard that snacking is great for the metabolism…but have you taken it too far? In other words, your excessive snacking may be killing your fat loss results.

    Let’s face it, there are only so many extra calories that the body can take before it adds those on as unwanted fat.

    Even if you’re eating perfectly healthy meals and putting in your time at the gym, if your snacking is out of control then your results will be disappointing.

    Here’s what you need to know to avoid The Snack Trap:

    1. Calories Count. Even when you’re snacking on “healthy” food, you’ve got to keep track of how many calories that you’re taking in. Almonds are healthy, but if you down 800 extra calories in them you’ll quickly gain weight.

    2. Fill Up on Protein & Fat. A lot of well-meaning people are still afraid of fat. They think that if their snack is high in fat then it will end up on their body as fat. This is simply not true. Healthy fat, such as avocado or almonds, is a wonderful thing to snack on as it fills you up and keeps you full longer.

    3. Avoid Sugar Calories. Sugar is an awful thing to snack on when weight loss is your goal. Refined sugar is a catalyst for fat storage, so avoid any snack that contains sugar. Remember that eating sugar will satiate your hunger for a very short period of time, and then you’ll quickly be hungry again.

    4. Don’t Be Fooled By 100-Calorie Packs. A popular marketing technique is to package junk food into 100-calorie packs. These could be crackers, cookies, chips…basically any guilty snack food you could think of. The premise is that since you’re only eating 100 calories, the snack is healthy. I’m sorry, folks, but eating 100 calories of junk food is not a healthy snack. You are better off avoiding the junk completely and eating something wholesome.

    5. Use The ‘Is It Real’ Test. As a rule of thumb, you should use the “Is it real?” test when deciding if a snack is worth eating. The test goes like this: If your snack can go bad, then it’s good for you. If your snack can’t go bad, then it’s bad for you. The idea is to eat fresh, real foods that are unprocessed and wholesome. These real foods are naturally filled with fiber, vitamins, and minerals and will assist you in achieving your fitness goals.

    6. Avoid Refined Carbohydrates. Processed and refined carbohydrates make up the bulk of popular snack foods. Take a look around the snack aisle at the grocery store and you will see that most packaged snacks are made with grains. When your goal is to lose weight and increase lean muscle then eating refined grains will work against you. If you only take one tip away from this article, let it be to remove grain-based snacks from your life. This single change could very well recharge your weight loss.

    Healthy breakfast
    Healthy breakfast

    Now you know how to snack in a healthy way that will not derail your fitness goals.

    Remember that exercise plays a huge part in getting in shape and losing weight.

    Call or email me today to get started on a results-driven exercise program! I look forward to hearing from you!
    5 Fitness Snacks
    Hard Boiled Egg and Sliced Veggies.
    Sliced Apple and Almond Butter.
    Natural, Low Sodium Jerky.
    Seasonal Berries with &fraq14; cup of Almonds.
    A scoop of Creamy Egg Salad. See recipe below.
    Creamy Egg Salad
    Most recipes for egg salad call for fat-filled mayonnaise, but this recipe uses fat free Greek yogurt instead. You get all the creaminess without added calories to set back your results.

    Servings: 3

    Here’s what you need…
    8 organic, free range eggs
    4 celery stalks, chopped
    2 Tablespoons onion greens, chopped
    ¼ cup non fat Greek yogurt
    2 teaspoons champagne mustard
    1 teaspoon fresh squeezed lemon
    dash of salt and pepper
    To boil the perfect egg: place eggs in a large pot and cover with cold water by half an inch. Heat the water to a boil, turn off the heat and cover the pot. Wait exactly 7 minutes, and then place the eggs in a bowl of ice water for 3 minutes.
    Peel and chop hard boiled eggs, discarding 4 yolks. Place in a large bowl. Add celery, onion greens, yogurt, mustard, lemon, salt and pepper. Mix well.
    Chill and then serve.
    Nutritional Analysis: One serving equals: 148 calories, 7 fat, 212mg sodium, 4g carbohydrate, 1g fiber, and 16g protein.

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  • Burn Fat Faster

    Burn Fat Faster

    Unwanted fat slows you down and makes you feel less confident. Fortunately, if you take the right steps, you can burn off pounds of fat faster than you ever imagined.

    How can you get started on this mission? With these nine fat-burning tips…

    Fat Burn Tip #1: Hit the Weights: Losing weight is always a good idea. Unless you’re losing so much you’re also burning off muscle. By adding weight training into your routine, you’ll ensure your muscle is here to stay.

    As an added perk, muscle burns more fat faster, and you burn more fat and burn it for longer after an intense weight-lifting session than you would with just cardio.

    Fat Burn Tip #2: Run like Crazy: You’ve got to want it, but if you’re willing to sprint 100 yards 10 times in a row, you’ll melt away about 500 calories from your waistline. That’s a Big Mac or two Snickers bars you just burned off! Do that a few days a week and you’ll have a new body in no time.

    Fat Burn Tip #3: Down the Green: It may seem odd that drinking unsweetened green tea can help you burn fat, but try a glass of it after working out. Not only does it taste good, but it will cause your love handles to fall off your sides faster.

    Fat Burn Tip #4: Work Out Early: Like everyone else in the world, you’ve got a lot to do in the day. Imagine if you could get to the gym or run a few miles before it all gets started? By hitting your routine when you first wake up, before you even eat breakfast, your body will burn fat like there’s no tomorrow!

    Fat Burn Tip #5: Go to Sleep: Just because you’re awake doesn’t mean you’re doing good things for your body. Live in a constant state of sleep deprivation and you won’t be able to work out as hard as you should, and you’ll likely wind up making poor food and drink choices—especially late at night.

    Fat Burn Tip #6: Stop Sitting: Working a desk job is no excuse to stay on your backside all day. Need to talk with a coworker? Leave the email and phone alone and get up and talk with your coworker face to face. Then take a quick walk during lunchtime to rejuvenate yourself and power up for the rest of the day. Making activity part of your lifestyle will go a long way toward shaving off pounds faster!

    Fat Burn Tip #7: Wait for Seconds: Your instinct may tell you to grab a second helping of meat and potatoes as soon as round one is over. But if you want to burn off fat, give yourself 20 minutes after eating your first plate to let your brain catch up to your stomach. Most likely, you’ll feel full after that amount of time and will avoid adding unnecessary calories you’ll just have to burn off later.

    Fat Burn Tip #8: Add Ice: Want to burn more fat faster, without even trying? Then stop drinking room-temperature water. Instead, drop some ice into your water and drink it when it’s nice and cold. It may seem like an old wives’ tale, but drinking cold water has been proven to force your body to burn calories in order to warm the water to body temperature.

    Fat Burn Tip #9: Go for Lean Protein: You want to burn fat, and protein makes it possible. How? By helping to boost your metabolism and build more fat-burning muscle. So grab a chicken breast and a spoon of peanut butter to give your body the upper hand against forcing fat far, far away!

    My programs are designed to help you quickly and efficiently burn fat and get into the best shape of your life.

    Call or email now to schedule your first body-transforming workout!

    How to LOVE Exercise

    Here’s how to turn something that you’ve dreaded into something you enjoy…

    1) Block the Negative: Your thoughts play a big part in determining your favorite things. Block out any negative thoughts you may have about exercise. Focus your energy on creating a positive attitude that will get you excited about hitting the gym, rather than dreading it.

    2) Focus on the Benefits: With exercise you have so much to gain and nothing to lose. Exercise makes you stronger, sexier, happier, and gives you more energy. Pick the benefit that moves you the most and fixate on it.

    3) Get Guidance: The easiest way to put exercise on your list of favorite things is to experience it at its best. Get onboard with one of my fitness programs and I’ll show you the most effective and enjoyable techniques that will get you into the best shape of your life.

    Sweet & Tangy Grilled Chicken

    Serve this delicious grilled chicken at your next barbecue. The honey-mustard glaze has a wonderful tangy flavor. Remember to add healthy side dishes for a summer meal that will satisfy without weighing you down.

    Servings: 6

    Here’s what you need:
    4 Tablespoons honey
    4 Tablespoons spicy mustard
    1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
    2 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce
    ½ teaspoon minced garlic
    6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
    Pre-heat your grill. If using coals, heat until the coals turn gray and there are no longer strong flames, 35-45 minutes.
    Combine honey, mustard, lemon peel, soy sauce and garlic. Mix well. Reserve a few tablespoons of the sauce. Add chicken and marinate in the refrigerator for 40 minutes.
    Cook the chicken 5 to 6 minutes per side. Brush with the reserved sauce, and continue cooking for an additional 3 to 4 minutes per side, until chicken registers 170 degrees F on a meat thermometer.
    Nutritional Analysis: One serving equals 183 calories, 2g fat, 13g carbohydrate, 0g fiber, and 28g protein.

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  • Exercise On An Empty Stomach

    In the morning, your body has gone 8+ hours since eating or drinking anything. Your blood sugar levels are lower at this point, and your body doesn’t have adequate fuel to workout optimally. Usually, experts recommend eating something–even if it’s just a small snack–within 2 hours before working out. When your body doesn’t have proper fuel in it, many problems can result, the lesser being that your workout performance suffers, and the greater being something like passing out during exercise.

    However, every body is different. Some people can workout on an empty stomach with no problems, while others would end up very sick and feel the negative effects of it. When I workout in the morning, I always eat (and drink) something first thing after I wake up. Usually by the time I start my workout it doesn’t hurt my stomach to exercise with a bit of food on it.

    Also, I think there might have been a bit of confusion here about metabolic rates in the morning. Eating breakfast in the morning has a positive effect on your metabolism, but exercising on an empty stomach does not. Some people say that it will burn fat stores, but overall, the number of calories your burn during a workout (regardless of where they come from) is much more important. Plus, fat burns in the carbohydrate flame. This means that exercising without eating (such as after “fasting” during sleep) your body does not burn fat efficiently, or sometimes at all.

  • Prevent Nighttime Hunger

    There is a rule of thumb not to eat two hours before going to bed. This is often misunderstood to mean that you can’t eat anything at all. Not true. You shouldn’t eat a full, filling meal too close to bedtime, but a small, healthy snack is often okay.

    It is possible to include a nighttime snack, especially on workout days, to prevent cravings and to get a good night’s sleep. What are your total calorie needs? Set aside about 200 calories for an evening snack. Then fill your kitchen with healthy choices for these 200 calories. Examples: a bowl of cereal/milk, hot chocolate, yogurt, 1/2 sandwich, fruit. Keep track of exactly how much you can have of each snack for 200 calories so you don’t fool yourself or make bad decisions at the last second.

    Now you have set limits and have a plan. If you are willing to fix a snack, sit at the table and eat it (without watching TV, etc.) then you are probably truly hungry and not just eating out of boredom.

  • Lose Weight Around My Stomach

    There is no way to target weight loss to a specific area of the body because your body decides where it wants to put on weight and where it wants to take it off (genetics). The midsection is a common “problem” area for many people (mostly us females).

    The best way to lose fat is through exercise (both strength training & cardiovascular) & diet. It is important to do a variety of abdominal exercises (e.g. crunches, reverse crunches, plank, etc.) to keep your core strong, but until that excess fat is gone, you will not see the muscle definition. So if you’re not doing your “cardio” and eating right, crunches are not going to help get the 6-pack some of you are hoping for.

    And speaking of “6-packs”, you need to know that as a woman, achieving a “washboard stomach” is sometimes difficult. Due to genetics and our hormonal systems, women naturally carry more fat around our hip & abdominal areas. For a woman to have a visible 6-pack, she most likely has a body fat percentage below 15%, a number that is challenging to maintain on a day-to-day basis.
    A combination of regular cardio exercise (at a challenging intensity, that is!) Boot camp training and a healthy diet is your ultimate bet!

  • The Best Type of Diet to Lose Body Fat

    The best diet for weight loss with muscle maintenance is also the safest diet and one that can be followed for a lifetime. This type of diet:

    Restricts calories by 300-500 daily, aiming for a 1-2 pound weekly weight loss but not so low that the body goes into starvation mode.
    Encourages a fitness program to boost metabolism and health benefits.
    Allows for a variety of foods to meet the body’s nutritional needs.
    As far as the breakdown of carbs/protein/fat, a good range would be:
    Carbs; 45-65%
    Protein; 10-35%
    Fat: 20-35%.

  • What Can I Do To Lose My Belly?

    I tell you what.. If I had a dollar for every time I heard that question I would be a rich man for sure. Here we go;

    The best exercise for the stomach is one that may surprise you. It’s not the traditional sit-up or ab crunch. It’s not leg thrusts or trunk twists either. Before you go out and buy the Gut Buster 5000, you should know that the best exercise you can do for your stomach won’t cost you a thing.

    All you need are your two feet because the best exercise that I’m talking about is none other than walking or jogging. If you’ve found that your stomach is a little more flabbier than it used to be, it’s likely there are other parts of your body that have unwanted weight attached. It’s just that the stomach is often times the most noticeable.
    Your body cannot just eliminate fat in one area. So if you are trying to crunch your way to a flatter stomach without exercising the rest of your body and reducing your fat intake, you’ll never see results.

    Start by doing cardio exercises to get that heart rate up and boost your metabolism. A good fast-paced walk or jog three times per week is a great way to accomplish this or sign up for my Boot Camp class and I guaranty you that you are going to lose size from your stomach 100%.

  • Reduce Menopausal Weight Gain

    Women between the ages of 35 and 55 will soon experience menopause. It is not a disease but rather a phase in life where the female will no longer be able to conceive a child. One of the symptoms associated with this phase is weight gain. In fact, 90% of women will gain a few extra pounds which are not a direct result of overeating but rather a shift in your hormones.

    Those who are already going through with menopause will probably notice a change in their physical body shape. Majority will gain between 10 to 15 pounds but this will not happen overnight. It will happen gradually like one or two pounds per year during premenopause and a little faster for those who are in early and surgical menopause.

    The areas where you will see a physical change will be in the abdomen thus making you look fat when you look at yourself in the mirror. Again, this is not your fault but a fact of life because there are also already fluctuations in your hormones.

    To explain this further, you have to understand that hormones do not only affect our behavior but also have a direct impact on our appetite, fat storage and metabolism.
    Females have four hormones namely androgen, estrogen, progesterone and testosterone. The first one namely androgen is the one that puts that excess weight around your abdomen. This happens because when you reach androgen, your body produces more of this hormone causing you to gain weight here rather than your hips, thigh or rear.

    Estrogen is the hormone responsible for your monthly ovulation. When you reach menopausal age, the level of estrogen that is produced by the body decreases. Because of this, your ovaries need a source of estrogen so it taps your fat cells that have the ability to make this happen. This forces the body to convert calories into fat but since your fat cells are unable to burn calories like your muscles do when you work out, this also causes you pack a few extra pounds.

    Another hormone that will also decrease during menopause is your progesterone levels. This causes water retention and bloating. The only good news is that this usually disappears after a few months.

    Testosterone is the one that converts lean muscle mass out of the calories you take in from eating. During menopause, this level also drops thus resulting in the loss of this muscle. This will slow down your metabolism thus making it difficult to burn the food you ingested and it too causes weight gain.

    Other factors that may cause weight gain during menopause could be attributed to insulin resistance and stress. Insulin resistance occurs when the body converts every calorie into fat. Stress can also make this happen as the body stores calories instead of burning as its way of saving on energy.

    So how will you be able to reduce menopausal weight gain? A lot of experts believe that this will be difficult but not impossible. The most obvious is eating a balanced diet. You will have to give up food products that contain refined sugars and switch it to fruits and vegetables. You should also cut back on alcohol, caffeine and nicotine.

    As much as possible try to stay active by exercising regularly. Examples of these could be aerobics, cycling, jogging, running and walking that will increase muscle mass and prevent osteoporosis.

  • Weight Training And Serious Cardio For Weight Loss

    Weight training (more than 10 pound dumbbells) is important for a couple of reasons. First, the more muscle you have, the higher your base metabolism will be and the more calories you will burn even at rest. But the actual numbers involved in a whole day of “extra” calorie burning due to extra muscle are relatively small compared to the number of calories you can burn during an hour of cardio exercise.

    The second reason is more important. Whenever you lose weight, you will lose some muscle along with the fat. If you don’t exercise and do some strength training, up to 30% of the weight you lose can come from muscle loss, and that isn’t likely to be healthy over the long haul. Good strength and muscle tone are essential for functional living and health. You can hold your muscle loss down to 3-5% of total weight loss with moderate strength training. Likewise, strength training helps to preserve bone density, balance, and many other important things.

    So, strength train each muscle group at least twice a week–this really only takes about 30-45 minutes per workout. Better yet, try circuit training, where you lift weights without resting between sets. This method meets both cardio and strength requirements because you keep your heart rate elevated throughout your workout, increasing the amount of calories you burn per workout.

    Focus on cardio if your goal is weight loss. You need the cardio for the calorie burning, and also to build and maintain your cardiovascular fitness.
    Our Miami’s Top Fitness Boot Camp workouts are intense and combine cardio with strength exercises getting both benefits in one.