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 Dear Friends,
Wow, what a winter! Our lives were interrupted in a big way by the onslaught of snow. I barely trained during the month of February due to the snow, but also to a 4-week flu/cold/cough. It felt like spring would never get here!
Many of my clients were unable to stick to their exercise routines because I could not see them. I'm sure many more of you had trouble, as well.
On the days that I was well, I am glad to say that I was able to get in my exercise (in addition to shovelling, that is!). Yes, I'm a trainer and I know alot of exercises, but I also used a few resources that anyone could benefit from:
1. Netflix: you can choose from hundreds of exercise videos. If you have a playstation (or Netflix's "box"), you can watch the videos directly on television. You can also watch some on your laptop.
2. ExerciseTV: some workouts are 3 minutes, some are 45. You should be able to find something here. This is the site I studied while coming up with new ways to torture my clients!
So even if your gym is closed or your trainer is MIA, there are still no excuses to fall out of your exercise routine. Some people lost power during the storm. If this was the case, here's an easy routine: 20 squats, 10 pushups on toes, 15 crunches, 20 alternating lunges, and 1 30-second plank. Repeat 10 times with minimal rest.
Happy Spring!
Danielle
Owner, My Fitness Coach, LLC |
| DAILY LIVING: Stealthy Calories |
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Making Better (& Informed) Choices
I recently spoke with a few clients who are trying to lose/maintain weight and who are trying to make better choices regarding their food: trading white pasta for wheat, eating more fruits and vegetables, cutting out soda, etc.
However, certain "better choices" might be the reason the pounds are not coming off. It's one thing when you know you're being unhealthy and do it anyway. It's another when you are trying to eat healthy, but end up with unwanted calories.
Here are some examples:
EXAMPLE 1
T. went to Tropical Smoothie and bought a Southwestern Chicken Salad and Island Fever fruit smoothie. Lettuce, chicken and fruit are totally healthy, right? The salad also has rice, corn, black beans and guacamole. Even without dressing, the salad ends up having 474 calories, 1576 mg sodium (we should only have about 2200 mg in a day), and 27 g fat. Now granted, the fat is from the guacamole and is a healthy fat, as my clients point out. Regardless, would you still want that salad if you knew it was wasting 474 calories?! You might also think that you can have more food later since you "only had a salad". That's why the pounds don't come off so easily while eating salads!
As for the smoothie, T. asked for half of a smoothie. The company website says they offer Splenda or sugar, but she didn't know to ask while in the store. So the healthy smoothie ends up being 211 calories (422 for a whole one). A medium piece of fruit is only 50-75 calories, so wouldn't you rather save your calories for something else?!
At the end, T.'s light, healthy lunch is almost 700 calories.
EXAMPLE 2
My partner (and sometimes reluctant client) Chris stopped at 7-11 on the way out of town. He looked for a healthy lunch. Even though he would have liked the egg and sausage biscuit, he settled on the turkey in a pita. It was white bread, but there was no mayonnaise and only a thin slice of cheese.
When he brought it back into the car, I immediately grabbed it to look at the nutritional information. I knew from experience that 7-11's "healthy" choices are a lie!
Drumroll........
It had 700 calories, 60 g of fat, and 2300 mg of sodium.
How is this possible? The bread felt greasy, so I'm sure it was loaded with oil (definitely at least one oil that contains trans fats). The cheese serving size was probably about 2 ounces, and the turkey, while low fat, was a high sodium contributor.
He was going to eat it anyway, so here's how I improved the nutrition content (with his permission, of course):
--I immediately took off 1 piece of pita bread from both halves
--I took off more than half the cheese and about 1/4 of the turkey
So be careful of restaurant claims or notions that food is healthy when it's not. Reading labels and looking up nutrition information will help you, and experience will prompt you to question what you're eating. If in doubt, please feel free to ask me! |
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BEST FINDS |
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Here are the latest, best finds I've discovered!
1. Dolci Gelati: most flavors are low-calorie. Can be found at Whole Foods, the Italian Store, Dean and Deluca and a small handful of other stores.
2. Sur La Table cooking classes: I took a homemade pasta class and a meat class, and loved it! The closest store is in Arlington and classes run every day. They're very popular, so book early. However, just remember you don't need to use as much oil and butter as they do. It will still taste good!
3. Joy of Motion dance classes: To balance the calories from the cooking class, of course! I'm taking a Hip Hop class, but there are plenty of styles to choose from. It's great exercise and lots of fun. They have all levels, from Introductory Dance to Advanced. |
| FITNESS: Reaching our goals |
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All of us have had long-terms goals at some point. Whether graduating high school, college, business school, getting a job, buying a home, starting a family or a new project, we understand there is a beginning, middle, and end. When it comes to reaching our fitness goals, however, most of us are stumped.
Reaching fitness goals--losing weight, gaining weight, getting stronger, faster, or simply improving balance--takes time. It also takes consistency. Sometimes, we jump on plans that offer immediate results and many promises. When it doesn't work, we blame ourselves for failing.
Please let me offer two important points:
1. Not everyone is cut out to follow the same fitness/nutrition plan. This is why there are so many options, and so many people who swear by each one. So just relax, and find the plan that works best for you. Atkins too difficult? Try Weight Watchers. Or, if you hate structured plans, try intuitive eating. When you find a plan that works for you 85-90% of the time (nothing is perfect), stick with it!
2. Stick with it because you need consistency. When you were in school, you knew you'd graduate, but you still had homework every day. If you failed one exam, it didn't mean you wouldn't graduate--you just tried harder the next time. If you failed many exams, you would have had to delay your goal of graduation. So it is with eating--work day by day and do your best, and you will eventually reach your goal. |
| ANNOUNCEMENTS |
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PILATES CLASSES AT SUN AND MOON YOGA STUDIO
I'm still teaching Pilates classes on Monday nights in Arlington at Sun and Moon:
5:30 - 6:30 Beginner Pilates mat
6:45 - 7:45 Advanced Beginner Pilates mat
And now on Sunday mornings:
9:15 - 10:15 AM All Levels Pilates
You may try the first one for free.
DOES YOUR COMPANY NEED A WELLNESS PRESENTER?
I have prepared presentations on nutrition, exercise and stress management. I can also design a custom presentation based on needs. Please email me or call me (703) 517-6073 to discuss!
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