One of the biggest challenges for many of my clients is getting consistent cardiovascular exercise, especially from November through March when it's tougher to get out on the trails and roads.

High Intensity Interval Training (known as HIIT) is one of the best workouts you can do to burn fat.  It combines brief bouts of hard cardio with easier intervals for recovery.  Everyone can benefit from effective intervals, but the best thing about this class is you can take what you learn and create an infinite variety of workouts on your own for your treadmill at home or your time at the gym.

I will use the Step, the BOSU, and the treadmills and elliptical for this 45 minute class.  You must have knees that allow you to lunge and squat to take this class and you will need a heart rate monitor.  I am only taking six women for the first class.  I want women who are ready to take their fitness to the next level.

Class time: Wednesdays 6:05 PM.  The dates of class are: Nov. 17, Dec. 1, 8, 15, 22, 29, Jan. 5, 12, 19, 26.  The cost is $225 for ten sessions.  Enrollment in the class includes Highbanks hikes and a coaching session on using a heart rate monitor for burning fat.

If you are looking for a way to supplement your personal training, this is it.  Email me right away if you are interested.

My number one strategy for healthy eating is to have things made that can be heated up in the microwave any day of the week.  Today I made chili and it's amazing.  I am going to eat it all week, pairing it with different things to add variety.  It's great alone, over pasta, over rice, or as a side dish.

Easy!  Spray a large non-stick pan.

Heat up chopped onions, garlic, and a chopped jalapeno pepper.

Add ground turkey (or I used Yves Meatless Ground) and brown.

Add lots of  chopped zucchini, squash, yellow pepper, green pepper.  I like chunky chili.

Add a can each of rinsed organic black beans and kidney beans.

Add a cup of frozen corn.

Add three cans of low salt diced tomatoes with the liquid.

Simmer.

Add spices (I used chili powder, black pepper, garlic powder, and Cholula)

Top with a little shredded cheese or sour cream.  Enjoy!

Throughout the fall and winter, I will be having group hikes at Highbanks.  This is a fantastic cardio workout that is included in all personal training and group exercise packages.

I go a fast enough pace that it is challenging and never boring.  It is meant to kick your booty.  There are hills, hills and hills.

The hike follows two trails in the park that, when combined, form a 4.25 mile (one hour and ten minute) walk.  You will be sweating!

If you are nervous about keeping up, use that as motivation!  Get on a treadmill and after you warm up, set the pace at 4.0 mph.  See if you can walk at that pace.  If you can't, work on building up to it by doing a minute at a time with a slower recovery walk in between.  If you can walk at 4.0 mph, see if you can do it for an hour, and every five minutes set the incline to 6% (five minutes flat, five minutes at 6%, back to 5 minutes flat until you reach one hour).

Don't let being nervous stop you, but instead let it light a fire of determination in you!  By March you absolutely can be walking the trail with us and keeping up.  In the meantime, you will burn a whole lot of calories training for it on the treadmill.  If you need help with this, get a heart rate monitor and sign up for one personal cardio session with me in the studio.  I'll walk you through it and you'll leave with a plan for using that cardio machine at the gym or at home.  What a great plan for November through March.

Ready...go!