I just started reading the book Skinny Bitch based on my friend from the gym’s recommendation.  She said it had so funny moments that it was very in your face direct and I like books like that. I am about 1/2 through the book and it has stirred up some mixed emotions for me.

Points I agree with:

• some women are sick and tried of being fat
• there is no such thing as diet, its a way of life
• stop eating sh#%t
• Junk food, even fat free, sugar free is a chemical sh&%t storm
• you are what you eat
• fats are good for you (in moderation of course)

Points I have trouble with:

• Vegan-ism
• Everything organic — can be a little tough on your wallet if you are feeding a family

Eye opening points:

• Animal cruelty in slaughter houses
• Slaughter houses in general

I’ll let you know how it ends.

I’m 8 weeks out from my show and now its when I start to really firm it up.

• Elliptical 20 min
• itread 20 min — great kick ass interval running program. I did level 3.  Great sprint and hill workout
• 30 min routine practice — starting to really get my air lifts and sushanova’s.

Tip #1
by Dr. John Berardi

As a God-fearing Italian, I have to admit that I love pasta. But, as a gut-fearing weight lifter and athlete, I definitely have to choose the lower GI, nutrient dense whole-wheat variety. During training phases that require or allow for higher carbohydrate intake (higher volume training) I’ll eat one whole-wheat pasta meal per day. During other phases (like where I’m trying to lose fat), the pasta stays on the shelf in favor of a higher lean protein, good fat, and fruit and veggie intake.

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Okay, so we decided to have a mother’s day bbq — Easy right. Other than the stress of cleaning and cooking , I add in the stress of how do I make it as clean as possible without offending my guests. Really easy.  Here was the menu.

• Shrimp Skewers
• Flank Steak
• Boneless Chicken Breast
• Cucumber Salad substitution – 1/2 c balsamic vinegar instead of rice vinegar and no equal was used
• Egg whites with yolks removed and replaced with store bought hummus.
• Steamed Broccoli

All day I sipped on unsweetened ice tea and water.

Prior to my guest arriving I was able to seek out to the gym and get in 40 minutes of cardio. 20 min on the step mill and 20 min on the elliptical.

You cannot teach a man anything; you can only help him find it within himself. — Galileo

Here I am 9 weeks out from my show. This is where I really need to dial it in and get focused. To do that I take weekly pictures of myself so I can make corrections as well as look at myself and see progression. This also helps me face the brutal facts!
My workout today:
[5:30] AM StairMill 30 Min (love this machine)
Lifting
Benchpress
Shoulder Press
JumpSquats
Hanging Knees Raises
Back Extensions
Bent Over Rows

I get this question all the time.

The textbook definition is: Body Mass Index (BMI) a measure used to evaluate body weight relative to a person’s height.  BMI replaced the height and weight charts insurance companies used.

Here is the issue that some exercise physiologist and personal trainers have with it.  If  you are someone with a lot of muscle you will have a high BMI. Here’s what I mean. Back in the Arnold Schwarzenegger BMI would have been off the charts. Was he unhealthy or just muscular’

Don’t get caught up in the numbers, see how you feel. Do your clothes fit. Do you have energy. If so then the numbers don’t matter.

Most of you work in a compnay that may have multiple floors. So, instead of using the elevators try using the stairs. (Provided for security measures haven’t closed them) You will burn about calories per trip up the stairs. Hold on.. before you say SO WHAT! If you took the elevator how many calories would you burn’ If you had to go up and down the stairs 5 times you would burn 100 calories! Now image if you did this everyday Monday – Friday you’d burn 500 calories in 1 work week!  Now that’s something. Try this for a week and let me know how you make out.

Not sure where you are but here in Boston we had the first taste of winter this week. Were you ready to come out from under ALL those winter clothes’ I got tell I wasn’t I tried on a pair of pants and OOOps, not what I was expecting, So, if you are like me you’re feeling that Memorial Day is less than a month away.  Every day for the next 30 days, I will be giving you a small simple healthy tip you can easily incorporate into life. If you have any tips you would like to share, please let me know

Add 1 Fruit and 1 Vegetable to your every meal. Please keep the fruit fresh or canned without heavy syrup of added sugars.  Dried fruit may be tasty, but doesn’t count

Here are the list of Fruits and Vegetables that are currently in season:

May
Vegetables

• okra
• zucchini
• rhubarb
• artichokes
• asparagus
• spring peas
• broccoli
• lettuce

Fruit

• cherries
• pineapples
• apricots

You seen them on infomercials or maybe at the gym.  It called a kettlebell and it has been around since the 1800s and now the great training program is getting a major resurgence.  Okay enough history, what does it do for me’ Well the kettlebell combines FAT BURNING and STRENGTH training.  You heard me.  Cardio and lifting in one!!!!

There is a little bit of a learning curve and you can do it at home!!

For a quick workout, I do 10 rounds of:

• 10 double handed swings
• 10 single handed swings
• Jump rope for 1 min

Take a 30 second break

Craig Ballantyne, Men’s Health Magazine Expert, Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist created this amazing bodyweight workout that help you get bootylious. Through his Turbulence Training program, you’ll discover that strength training and interval training you will burn fat, and build muscle. To learn more Click Here!

When you view your health as nonnegotiable, your priorities naturally shift.

I have a number clients whom I work with who each and every session tell me that they are tried, or stressed out, skipping meals and basically paying attention to everyone but themselves.

You have to make yourself a priority.  If you don’t take care of yourself who is.  I know that this practice is easier said then done, but we must take baby steps to taking care of ourselves.

Here are 3 basic tips.

1. Establish a bed time — this is non-negotiable. You need 8 hours, so if you need to be up for 7am, then lights out 11pm.  This means you winding down by 10pm, I suggest being in bed or doing something relaxing such as reading, meditation, writing in your journal or spending quality time with your partner. Did you notice, there was nothing about TV, emails or web surfing’  This your shut down and unwind time.
2. Bring your lunch — when you bring your own lunch there is no excuse for saying you didn’t have time to run out, plus you are less likely to be tempted to ravage the vending machine or worse go without.
3. Exercise — I would love to see you work out 3 times/week, but I understand that may be a little difficult, but I recommend that you put it in your calendar, get up a little earlier and workout in the morning, schedule yourself a meeting and sneak out at lunch.

I hope that you are able to implement some of these tips.  I just want you to know that I can so relate to and let you that these are the steps that I took to reclaim my life.

I use to fly 100,000/year, the thought of leaving the office before 7pm didn’t occur to me, lunch consisted of M&Ms and Coke and dinner was all take out.  The people at Mary Chung’s really LOVED me and my husband. I used to have perpetual heartburn, migraines, acne and was in a constant state of tiredness.  I went to my doctor seeking a quick fix,  a prescription. Well, my doctor gave me a prescription, in the form of a book called “Don’t Sweat The Small Stuff” Well I read and it really opened my eyes, I was only 25 and stress to the hilt and said I didn’t want to live my life like this.  Now I didn’t start implementing everything, I took baby steps and over time I had all 3 suggestions implemented.

Good luck to you, please let me know how you’ve implemented these tips or if you have any other suggestions.