|
Reviewing Your Training Goals for 2012
Now is the time to take stock of your training goals. Which goals did you successfully reach this year? Perhaps, you have goals that need to be re-worked for the upcoming year. Start with determining your BMI, or Body Mass Index. Then review your current training schedule. Perhaps you can tweak it or improve it.
What is Your BMI?
Your BMI, or Body Mass Index, is a training tool designed to tell you what percentage of your body mass is fat. Once you have determined your BMI, your HomeBodies personal trainer can help you set your goals, begin or re-design your training program, and track your progress along the way. We have a BMI Chart posted at the bottom of our nutritional support page.
The government sets the guidelines for determining your BMI. Factors considered include your age, height and weight, as well as how active a lifestyle you lead. Knowing your BMI is important when setting your fitness goals, especially if those goals include weight loss.
Recent studies have proven only five percent of people lose weight when attempting to lose through diet alone. Successful weight loss not only requires eating healthy and cutting calories, it also requires regular, intense exercise.
Review Your Current Training Program
Perhaps you have been following a specific training program, but have noticed you have reached a plateau. Consulting with one of the HomeBodies personal trainers can help you get back on track. Our personal trainers evaluate your current training program and add or rotate exercises to "change it up."
Sadly, many women do not add strength training to their rotation of exercises. Often, women feel lifting weights and using weight machines will cause them to have the hard muscles of men. This is not true. What strength training will do for a woman, is "turn up" the metabolism. Women who use strength training as part of their exercise program lose weight 40 percent faster than women who do not.
Strength training also prepares the muscles to burn fat. It keeps them burning fat longer when performing cardio exercises. If you are a female and have not been strength training, ask the HomeBodies experts to help you design a personal strength training plan. It may be just what you need to jump start your 2012 fitness goals.
Yoga can be overlooked by both men and women who believe it has no place in a fitness routine. Nothing could be further from the truth. Yoga has many benefits, including stretching and working the muscles, increasing strength, increasing flexibility and increasing range-of-motion. Yoga works to keep the joints moving fluidly and is a recommended exercise for those people suffering from arthritis or other joint diseases.
Additionally, yoga strengthens the soft tissues of the body including the tendons and ligaments. It can help increase a sluggish circulatory system and aids in relaxation. Consult a HomeBodies personal trainer to find the type of yoga best suited to you.
Pilates is a whole-body fitness routine for both men and women. Aimed at working on your inner core, Pilates treats the body as one machine. Benefits of Pilates include promoting strength, promoting balanced muscle development and increasing range of motion.
Pilates is an exercise program capable of being adapted to different fitness levels and needs. Whether you are just beginning an exercise program, or have been a part of program for some time, Pilates can be adapted and adjusted to fit your specific needs. Pilates is safe for all age groups. The long-term practice of Pilates has been shown to not only improve your core strength and improve muscle tone and fitness, it also has been proven to sculpt the body into a long, strong, lean appearance.
Just as women often neglect strength training for cardio, men often neglect cardio for strength training. Cardio has many benefits to men including getting the blood pumping and moving to the muscles. This lessens the chance of muscle injuries. Cardio also keeps the metabolism burning.
Often, men and women get stuck in a cardio rut, doing the same type of cardio routine day in and day out. There are many different types of cardio exercises to choose from. Schedule a consultation with a HomeBodies personal trainer today. You and your personal trainer can discuss your interests and hobbies and develop a cardio program sure to get you "revved' up for 2012.
Of course, no diet and exercise program will work without nutritional support. Your HomeBodies personal trainer can help you design a nutritional program designed to meet all your dietary needs. Our experts can help you in creating dishes that are low-carb, low-fat, even low-sodium, while ensuring you get the proteins, vitamins and minerals needed to fuel your body.
Do not be discouraged if you did not meet all your goals in 2011. Consider 2012 the year to continue the plan of wellness you have begun.
Healthy Recipes  by Chef Noche
Anyone living a healthy lifestyles knows one of the best forms of protein is chicken. Low in fat, cholesterol and sodium, yet high in protein, chicken is one of Nature's wonder foods. However, even the most dedicated can tire of the same old chicken dish day-after-day.
Here is a Caribbean inspired dish sure to get your taste buds watering. This recipe is low-sodium, low-fat, low-carb and high-protein. It is simple to prepare, yet tastes as if you spent hours in the kitchen.
Chef Noche's Caribbean Chicken
Serves 6
Ingredients:
6 oz boneless, skinless, chicken breast strips, approximately 8 strips
2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 jar chunky peach salsa
1 cup shredded 2 percent mild cheddar cheese
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Drain and rinse black beans, then spread in a 9x13 casserole dish.
3. Single-layer the chicken breast strips over the beans.
4. Evenly spread the entire jar of peach salsa over the chicken breast strips.
5. Place in oven and bake for 35 minutes.
6. Remove from oven and sprinkle cheese evenly over chicken. Return to oven for 10 minutes, or until cheese begins to melt.
7. Remove and enjoy. This dish can be served with pico de gallo and sliced lemon on the side.
Calories per serving: 249
Total fat per serving: 8.6 grams
Saturated Fat: 5 grams
Cholesterol: 20 grams
Carbohydrates: 13 grams
Sodium: 423 grams
Protein: 27.3 grams
|
