Plug Nose -- Down The Apple Cider Vinegar Goes

Yes, this stuff in a bottle doesn't taste so good...AT ALL! I have to plug my nose just to get it down.

However, besides the multiple benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar, it helps with WEIGHT LOSS!

It reduces your appetite due to the fiber  compound it contains. It's called pectin, something found in apples.  So if you have problems with overeating, this is the stuff for you!

You have those days where you retain a lot of water? Well when this happens, your weight goes up. The wonderful thing about Apple Cider Vinegar is that, it contains potassium and potassium helps to flush out the sodium content in your body.  When you eat foods high in sodium, you retain and gain weight.  This will help to flush that and lower your weight.

When it comes to your metabolism, we will do anything to make it work faster and harder right?  Well Apple Cider Vinegar helps with making your metabolism speed up and burn more calories.  See, now I can get all technical here, but I want to keep this simple.   Apple cider vinegar contains acetic acid. When acetic acid comes in contact with foods, it helps promote the absorption of iron. A high iron absorption leads to a high oxygen utilization, which ends up raising the rate of which your metabolism works. When the metabolic rate is high, a lot of calories are burned, which causes weight loss. Also, of the three macro nutrients, fats are the most calorie dense, weighing in at 9 calories per gram. Apple cider vinegar helps reduce the transit time of fats in the stomach because it improves digestion. This in turn leads to weight loss as less fat can be absorbed by the body and YES IMPROVES DIGESTION!

You can drink this daily and add 1 to 2 tablespoons to your water.  Again, the taste is pretty rough.  It's STRONG I'm not gonna kid ya.  So, a suggestion is to add a little honey to it.  Honey also helps with weight loss. Honey helps to breakdown cells in your stored fat areas of your body and also helps with your digestive tract!

So what are you waiting for ...DOWN THAT PUPPY!

 

Where Did All The Resolutionists Go?

It's that time of the year.  Yes, I know! We are already on the eighth week into the new year.  Did you make a resolution to lose weight and eat better?

As I look around the gym, I see that those that started out strong the first week of January are no where to be found.  Some have given up.  Some got burned out.  Some never really gave themselves a chance.  Most didn't start with a plan and were unrealistic.  

I have always tried to help those that make such resolutions to remember to be REALISTIC about their weight loss goals.  But, I get it, you're "On a mission. You got this"  That mission was supposed to be BALLS TO THE WALL!  But the balls never made it to the wall.

LOOK FAMILIAR - just add 2013 to it right?  It doesn't have to be this way - never again!

If you are one that has fallen off the fit train, I wanted to make a few suggestions to help you get back on board.  Some are still chasing it to jump back up....Take my hand, get on up here and maybe take some of the following to heart.

You know yourself better than anyone else.  Maybe you hate the gym.  January 1st, you were so excited to get in there and now the thought going to the gym and working out makes the EXCUSES spew out of your mouth or fill your brain. Ultimately, excuses can ruin your journey to weight loss!

Me at the gym

Making a goal to hit the gym everyday or just exercise everyday may not be realistic for you.  That is FOR NOW.  If you have noticed that you keep chasing this same goal, maybe it's time to be honest with yourself. 

     A. If you don't belong to a gym and you are doing your own thing at home, maybe it's time to either ONE get a gym membership and USE it or two invest in a personal trainer.  For those locally I've offered express prices that are VERY reasonable You don't have to be a celebrity to afford a personal trainer these days.  We can work with your budget. Obviously doing your own thing isn't working.  So maybe it's time to try something different.

    B.  If you do have a gym membership, set a goal to go to the gym two times a week.  Do this consistently for a 2 to 4 weeks.  Once you can stay consistent for the 2 to 4 weeks, add another day in there.  So now, you are going 3 times a week.  Do this for 3 to 5 weeks CONSISTENTLY.  Once you have got that down and you have been consistent, add another day in there, and so on, so forth.  You get the idea right?  Just a side note, before you add that extra day of exercise in your week, maybe 2 to 4 weeks needs to be a little longer like 3 to 4 weeks.  Set SMALL goals for 2 weeks at a time.  This way you are not so overwhelmed!  When you can accomplish your goals, I promise you will be proud of yourself.  Achieving these goals are important.  Why?  As I told one client, how can you expect to lose over 100 pounds if you can't reach a 2 week goal of going to the gym 4 times.  Right?  He didn't realize it like that or looked at it that way.  He just saw this, "THIS IS HARD!'  Change the way you think.  Change the way you look at this.  It's clear the weight has to come off.  You don't want it there anymore.  So now you have got to find a way to achieve small goals.  Those small goals will become larger, more challenging goals - in time.  Just focus on achieving those small goals and I promise you stick with it, the weight WILL COME OFF! Soon you won't look at it as, "this is hard!" You will be, "I'm doing this!"  There's nothing like seeing results, getting exciting and then you just want to keep going!

        Also, I would suggest to keep your visits to the gym interesting and enjoyable, and again you know yourself better than anyone.  Maybe you get board super easy on the cardio machines at the gym.  Find two different group exercise (to start) classes that you really enjoy.  You would not believe how group exercise makes the time go by SUPER FAST!  Where as when on the cardio machines at the gym, is it me, or does the time seem to drag?  It does, doesn't it?!!!!!  By doing this, this will help you to stay motivated.  Because consistency is key here, you will actually meet new people that have the same goals that you have.  You will find that there are people just like you, so nope you are NOT alone!

       Once you begin to be consistent at the gym and you have been able to do this for at least 3 months, well even two and a half, you will be on the right track to making this a HABIT.  Making gym life a part of your weekly routine.  PAY ATTENTION to your progress.  PAY ATTENTION to your energy level!



     D. If you do NOT belong to a gym and are doing the home thing, again, you know what you are doing for your workouts.   Clearly they are not working.  Doing the same thing over and over is only going to sabotage your goals.  Be honest with yourself when I ask.  Are you really working out to your full potential?  How intense are your home workouts?  Are you changing up your workouts to add intensity or strength training? 

        If you are not sure what to do at this point, let me please suggest this, at the top RIGHT SIDE of this page, you will see my advertisement for the MET-RX 180 workout.  This workout, if done consistently for 90 days - and you follow the nutrition plan that comes with it, YOUR BODY WILL TRANSFORM!  This home workout plan is everything you WILL NEED to hit your goals.

        If you are really serious and you can be super honest with yourself and realize that what you are doing is not working and you don't want to join a gym nor hire a personal trainer, PLEASE ORDER THIS WORKOUT 90 PLAN!  Click on that photo up above, then it may go to a screen, then you will have to click on the photo again to get the information on how to order this workout plan.  IT PAYS FOR ITSELF BECAUSE IT WORKS as long as you follow it!

     E.   Now, this one I talk about A LOT! No matter where you are working out, this is the ONE thing that will help you to burn calories FASTER.  STRENGTH TRAINING.  I'll say it again, LADIES YOU WILL NOT LOOK LIKE A BODY BUILDER! If all you are doing is cardio, then you may want to pay attention to this because that is WHY you are NOT hitting your goals.  You see, the more lean muscle you build, the MORE CALORIES YOU BURN on a daily basis.  If you can strength train 4 non consecutive days of the week, you are going to see something amazing happen to your body!  If you leave this out, your journey will be a much longer road.   Cardio doesn't make you lean, strong and firm. Cardio makes you soft.   So this is KEY and should NOT be left out of your weekly schedule.

I realize that it is so frustrating when you aren't losing the weight you want to lose.  I know, I've been there, it really sucks.  But YOU are the only one that can do this!  If you REALLY want this and you are really on that mission and serious, TRY TO TAKE SOME OF MY SUGGESTIONS ABOVE!  You are not destined to be overweight!  And, if you are always hungry while dieting, THEN YOU ARE DOING IT WRONG! 

Don't give up! Summer isn't here yet!  Transform yourself mind and they way you feel, think and set your goals.  Be realistic with weight loss! You can't go balls to the wall, when you really aren't even motivated and hate working out, nor really that serious.  Also, what you eat in the kitchen is what you wear on your body.  So you can't keep fooling yourself anymore.   Be real and honest with yourself....YOU CAN DO THIS!!!!!!!  I'm here, ask questions!

LOVE YOURSELF!  If you can maintain your car CONSISTENTLY, then by golly I sure hope you would take care of you!

Love,
GG

MODERN Wheat = A Perfect Chronic Poison

I HAD to share this article with you.  It blew me away.  I rarely eat wheat but now I'm thinking of NEVER AGAIN.

If you have switched to wheat bread, I ask you to PLEASE read this article!

 

MODERN WHEAT, A PERFECT CHRONIC POISON

 

 

(CBS News) Modern wheat is a "perfect, chronic poison," according to Dr. William Davis, a cardiologist who has published a book all about the world's most popular grain.

Davis said that the wheat we eat these days isn't the wheat your grandma had: "It's an 18-inch tall plant created by genetic research in the '60s and '70s," he said on "CBS This Morning." "This thing has many new features nobody told you about, such as there's a new protein in this thing called gliadin. It's not gluten. I'm not addressing people with gluten sensitivities and celiac disease. I'm talking about everybody else because everybody else is susceptible to the gliadin protein that is an opiate. This thing binds into the opiate receptors in your brain and in most people stimulates appetite, such that we consume 440 more calories per day, 365 days per year."

Asked if the farming industry could change back to the grain it formerly produced, Davis said it could, but it would not be economically feasible because it yields less per acre. However, Davis said a movement has begun with people turning away from wheat - and dropping substantial weight.

"If three people lost eight pounds, big deal," he said. "But we're seeing hundreds of thousands of people losing 30, 80, 150 pounds. Diabetics become no longer diabetic; people with arthritis having dramatic relief. People losing leg swelling, acid reflux, irritable bowel syndrome, depression, and on and on every day."

 

To avoid these wheat-oriented products, Davis suggests eating "real food," such as avocados, olives, olive oil, meats, and vegetables. "(It's) the stuff that is least likely to have been changed by agribusiness," he said. "Certainly not grains. When I say grains, of course, over 90 percent of all grains we eat will be wheat, it's not barley... or flax. It's going to be wheat.

"It's really a wheat issue."

Some health resources, such as the Mayo Clinic, advocate a more balanced diet that does include wheat. But Davis said on "CTM" they're just offering a poor alternative.
"All that literature says is to replace something bad, white enriched products with something less bad, whole grains, and there's an apparent health benefit - 'Let's eat a whole bunch of less bad things.' So I take...unfiltered cigarettes and replace with Salem filtered cigarettes, you should smoke the Salems. That's the logic of nutrition, it's a deeply flawed logic. What if I take it to the next level, and we say, 'Let's eliminate all grains,' what happens then?

"That's when you see, not improvements in health, that's when you see transformations in health."

 



Just a positive message for those that are emotional eaters.  PLEASE remember to just LOVE YOURSELF.  Stop beating yourself up.  Take a moment when the time comes that you are about to sabotage your healthy eating due to something upsetting.  Take a breath, and just STOP and be still for a moment.  Remember that every time you choose something healthy, you are giving yourself love. 

So in that moment when you are about to sabotage your hard work, ask yourself, "Am I loving myself by beating myself up and then sabotaging ME by eating this ?" You will find your answer within you.   When you stop in THAT MOMENT and make yourself aware of what you are doing to yourself , that is then one step closer to learning how to beat emotional eating.  LOVE YOURSELF constantly it truly is ONE OF THEY KEYS to a successful journey in in weight loss!

 

Just A Thought

Hi All! I know many of you are busy today with the Game. I decided to not participate in the watching the SB today. I needed to SLOW down, find some solice today. This is going to be a trying month for me. And there were some notes I was taking today and thought I would share a thought. So many times in life we allow fear to stop us in our tracks; the sad thing is we don't always recognize that we are afraid. We find excuses, we create responsibilities, we create challenges. How many times do we talk ourselves out of what we say we really want? What we really want to say? Why are we afraid? Some of my clients had did things such as gained weight to keep other's away. They didn't want anyone to like them, or even fall in love with them. This was simply due to fear. We stand in our way. Whether we are talking diet or your spiritual walk, staying on track takes constant work. Since life constantly pulls us off course, LIFE CAN SIDELINE US - losing a job, a divorce, loss of a loved one, or even illness. Sticking to the right path requires making constant readjustments and purposeful purpose-filled steps. TAKE SOME TIME to readjust. Get your goals down on paper. Maybe just one goal for each week. Or one goal for one month. But keep readjusting so you can continue to flow in life and kick FEAR in the butt so you can reach your goals! Pay attention to the things you can't see, but to the things you feel. Have a gorgeous day! GG

 

BIKRAHM YOGA - BARKING YOGA More Like It

I have to admit it! As much as they annoy me, especially Kourtney Kardashian's lazy worn out Valley Girl voice, I am so hooked on the Kardashian's.  The new Miami serious just came out and I'm addicted.  I need serious help! Who else is addicted and can't seem to stop watching these people? 

I dare you to count how many times Kourtney Kardashian smiles in the next episode! She comes across as so uptight, she is the one that is hard for me to watch and NOT ENJOY!



Anyway, enough about the Kardashians.  I have to share my Bikrahm yoga experiences with you!

A while back, I attempted Bikrahm Yoga.  I lasted 10 minutes in the room and I had to get the hell out of there.  It was over 90 degrees in the room and I couldn't breathe.  But this time, I told myself I was going to stay the entire class, even if that meant laying on my mat and just meditating while feeling as though I was going to have a heart attack! LOL..YES!  I mean I am fit but this is whole different ball game folks!  Have you tried it?

One of the things I didn't like was that the instructor basically barked the poses instead of actually doing them with the class (that by the way was wall to wall people, the woman to my left, guy to my right was so close that if I extend my arms, I'd knock them upside the head on accident).  She didn't have a soft soothing voice the cue, something I'm use to.  It was very militant since she has the poses memorized.  They are always the same and never different. 

When we began the warm up, there was a breathing warm up.  I have to tell you something, this part REALLY freaked me out.  As soon as she commanded everyone to tilt their heads back and breath their air out, it was if I was in a horror movie.  It scared the crap out of me.  It sounded so scary and WEIRD!  I didn't like it!

I was trying to enjoy myself.  I tried to focus on what I was doing, my breathing, holding poses what have you.  It was a bit difficult when I had men that had no shirts on and hairy backs facing me.  To make matters worse hairy backs, with sweat just rolling down their backs making the hair look more like a wet dog.  Men that take yoga and that's it, Bikrahm develop an odd stomach.  It sticks way out and is a solid odd look.  This is why you can't just do ONE THING when it comes to fitness, you must mix it up!

 The smell in the room was gross, someone kept farting to my right.  I just don't know about this! It was one guy's first time, he wore SWEATS! He was so hot in those things, he needed to get out of the room.  The instructor literally wouldn't let him leave and talked him into staying in her militant voice. 

There was nothing Zen like about this experience for me.  I think there would've been had the instructor use more SOOTH / SOFTNESS in her voice.  So next I will try HOT yoga.  Temperature is a little lower than Bikrahm and I'm hoping the instructor will actually do the class and have a ZEN LIKE voice.

And there you have it! (hope you got a slight chuckle).
 

Why did today, Tuesday, feel like Monday? Boy, it was a long day.  Although my weigh in is next Sunday, I thought I'd take a picture, my obliques are really coming in and my body fat is down which is pretty good for being in the 22nd day of January.
Please excuse all the female products on the counter, typical self-bathroom portrait (DISCLAIMER - That is BIKINI TOP not a bra):

 

I know that no matter what I won't have a flat lower abdominal wall due to two kids and losing over 100 pounds.  That's just life.

I was really looking forward to the gym today.  I LOVE teaching R.I.P.P.E.D.!  We did some new stuff today that was pretty intense.  Our microphone was broken at the gym, so I had to yell to the entire class.  Thank GOD I was a cheerleader in my earlier life! HA HA HA.

I loved my lunch.  I bought two rotisserie chickens and shredded them up.  I had 4oz of chicken, quinoa, mushrooms, bell peppers, green onions and tomatoes.  Clean and YUMMY, wanna see?

Boy did that fill me up!

After teaching a strong class, I was so mad at myself today.  I forgot my gym jacket. Lord was it cold outside and I was drenched.  I had to put my dress from work on over my gym clothes.  I looked ridiculous! HA HA HA. So glad it was dark out. 

So famished tonight, yet pooped working 12 hours.  Rotisserie chicken is absolutely convenient! I made a salad with spinach and arugula, sliced almonds, raspberries and 4 oz of chicken. Look how gorgeous my salad looks (before I dig in!):

 

 

One of the things that I wanted to remind my students tonight and remind you is this powerful statement: EXCUSES ARE LIKE PUTTING NAILS INTO YOUR COFFIN.  I know that is rough, but it's true.  Each time we get away from working out and we make excuses, the next excuse becomes even easier to fall into. 

 

View working out/eating healthy a privilege and something you are gifting to yourself.  Our souls and our actual bodies are two different things.  Without our soul/thoughts our body wouldn't move.  Are you going to make your body move?  Are you going to tell it to, or, are you going to keep talking yourself out of it?

 

Love you, love the gift that was given to you - your body. 

 

I hope you had a wonderful day and smiled a lot today.

 

That Gym Girl

 

 

Something To Think About...

Rarely, does anyone accidentally end up where they want to be. We can accidentally fail, but we probably will not accidentally succeed – you must succeed on purpose.

 

YOU CAN DO THIS!



Party On A Bike

Yesterday was the first class I taught for 2103.  I was super excited since I worked for a couple of hours on a great play list for my cycle/spin class.  I was so pleasantly surprised to see new faces.  Wait, hold up, stop the music, that's right, the gym was packed due to those that makes those new year's resolutions to work out more.  Although sure, many do not uphold their promise to themselves, it is still nice to see new faces and those that haven't been in the gym for sometime.  I'll take it, a packed class noooo problem.

Anytime I play the song, "Love Game," with Gaga and Manson, you know we are gonna have one sweaty class.  It was fantastic! That's me on my Schwinn bike getting ready to teach class.

I did pretty good yesterday, considering it's my last day of vacation from my daytime job.  I ate clean and kept it real!

Lunch: Chicken, Kale, 1 tblspn of 100% of Extra Virgin Olive Oil for my dressing, 1/2 a carrot, blueberries and organic green tea. Yummy!

I wasn't too hungry when I got home after class, but thankfully, I had cooked a ton of chicken yesterday so I could just heat something up.  Dinner was a clean sweep too, I'M ON A ROLL!

Dinner: Chicken and 1 cup of quinoa

Did you make a new year's resolution?  If so, what was it?  Have you stuck with it so far? Let me hear from you out there in the internet world!

New YEARS ...NEW YEAR

Good afternoon fitness peeps! I have been a little absent, I apologize.  With the holidays and teens out of school for Christmas break, it's been busy.....We have 3 days left of 2012.  I'm sure a lot of you have been looking forward to a brand new year.  A lot of times, the reason why we have NOT hit our fitness goals is due to NO ACCOUNTABILITY.  When you can find ways to be held accountable for your fitness/weight loss goals, you have a HIGHER rate of achieving them.  This page YOU can use to hold yourself accountable.  I am very proud that all of my clients have hit their 2012 goals and actually went above and beyond them on the scale.  We have one that has lost over 120 lbs in 2012.  Her Summer, she's gonna be looking sexy in her bathing suit (2 piece ) she has NEVER been able to wear.  All it takes is work, constant change up in your workouts, understanding how to eat and when and what to eat.  So if you would like to try something new, be held accountable....Which IF YOU list your 3 goals for fitness/weight loss I WILL BE CHECKING IN ON YOU to make sure you are hitting them.  It's up to you. You can think the same which will make you stay the same, OR you can take my hand (so to speak) of 25 years of experience and DO THIS once and for all.  Your turn, you list your 3....