Juice Cleanse?

Be honest now, do you know what a toxin is?  The word toxin is thrown around so much that a lot of people think that having a juice-only diet will flush bad things from your body.  You can’t remove “bad stuff” from your body with green juice.  Toxins, are, by definition, poisons made biologically. Drinking only juice isn’t going to clean your digestive tract either.  Have you ever looked up the possible side effects from a “juice cleanse?” It’s not pretty. Here are some: feeling lightheaded, your skin aging more quickly, or “losing your spark.”

So really the next time you hear about amazing results from a juice cleanse in X number of days (the smaller the number, the more skeptical you should be) don’t believe it. If someone is going to promise you you'll lose two dress sizes in a week they might as well say something equally as unrealistic like ‘all my friends are mermaids and I travel by hoping on the back of my dog.’

Yes, you can loose a few dress sizes in a week. But it isn’t healthy and the weight loss WILL NOT LAST! Doing such an extreme thing is a simple fix that will give you complications later in life. Real results will only happen once someone changes their habits.

If you want to feel great and boost your immune system just keep it simple,  you should eat healthy, sleep well and maintain a reduced stress level. And if you want to avoid infection, wash your hands.

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Work hard to get a fab body

Who doesn’t like to show off their best body. It’s funny because most people yearn for having their hard work at the gym acknowledged and make everyone else jealous. Male or female, it doesn’t matter.

Everyone is a beginner. I thought I would break some things down and help you figure out what you’re supposed to be paying attention to and what you’re supposed to ignore.

1. Diet is key!

If eating clean and working out didn’t go hand in hand more people would be in amazing shape. One of the biggest myths is that diet really doesn’t play a role into creating the physique that you want.

Guess what? Candy, soda, chips, etc are not good for you. But you know that already. If you really want toned abs give that stuff up….for good! The days of refined carbohydrates like cakes, cookies, pies, donuts and the like are behind you. Focus on tracking your food intake to make sure you are getting GOOD carbs.

Here is a list  30 HEALTHY carbs

1. Oatmeal (old fashioned or Steel Cut)
2. Yams (almost same as sweet potatoes)
3. Brown rice (love basmati, a long grain rice)
4. Sweet potatoes
5. Multi grain hot cereal (mix or barley, oats, rye, triticale, and a few others)
6. White potatoes with skin (glycemic index be damned!)
7. 100% whole wheat bread
8. 100% whole wheat pasta
9. Beans and lentils (great for healthy chili recipes)
10. Cream of rice hot cereal
11. Quinoa
12. Couscous
13. Pumpkin
14. Butternut squash
15. Fresh beets
16. Broccoli
17. Kale
18. Asparagus
19. Spinach
20. Salad greens
21. Tomatoes
22. Peppers (green and red)
23. Onions
24. Mushrooms
25. Cucumbers
26. Zucchini
27. Carrots
28. Green beans
29. Peas
30. Cauliflower

2. Workout Smart!

Spot training doesn’t work, I repeat “spot training doesn’t work.” There’s just no such thing. You need to train the ENTIRE body to get to your desirable body shape.  Your body moves together as a system. You need to ensure that the system in question moves in a certain way.

It’s going to take time and making sure you mix up your workout program. Strength training should be high on your list of “must do’s.” Make sure to add in dead lifts, cleans, snatch lifts, squats (with weight) and plenty of curls and flies.

3. Get some sleep!

It’s super important to get the right amount of rest. We’re talking about the basics: 8-10 good hours of sleep in a very dark room along with lots of down time. Stress ruins your progress, just like poor eating does.

Just follow these basic steps and you are on the road to finally getting the body you’ve always wanted!

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Staying Sassy Between Meals

Who doesn't love a snack! Me? I love popcorn! Snacking is something that sabotages many people’s healthy eating efforts. They eat a healthy breakfast, lunch and dinner but they forget to prepare healthy snacks. When hunger strikes the unhealthy food at the vending machine calls! As you can guess, a lot of these foods are super high in calories. It's easy to watch your calories and unnatural ingredients. Pack your snacks or a least plan out snacks. There are lots of options when it comes to healthy snacking. Here are some options: Greek yogurt, fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds. These are all packed with health boosting nutrients and require 0 preparation.

So don't forget to meal prep your snacks for the days ahead to keep your food intake in check!

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Is cardio the answer to weight loss?

Most people exercise to lose weight. You see people spending hours on the cardio machines hoping to shed a few lbs. Sadly, doing hours of only cardio isn't the answer to weight loss. So what exactly is the best exercise for fat loss? Wouldn't one answer be amazing? Just one single exercise, a holy grail of weight loss. We can all dream, right? Truth be told, there is no single best exercise for burning body fat. Instead the intensity and the consistency of your chosen exercise is what matters most. Like I've said for years on this blog, "consistency is key!" With that being said, let’s take a look at how and what kind of cardio and how much you really need to succeed.

Yes, cardio should be a staple in your fitness routine. Regular cardio exercise is important but it isn't the magic formula. It really doesn’t matter whether you choose running, cycling, cross-training or anything else. They will all burn body fat just as effectively. What really matters is the intensity that you perform the exercises.

For many years every cardio-machine in gyms had a option to 'fat burn.' It was assumed that working at a lower intensity for a sustained duration would be the best way to burn body fat. Truthfully, High Intensity Interval Training (short burts of all out cardio followed by a short rest) not only burn fat during the workout but seriously increase your body’s post-exercise response to "fight the fat." To be simple about it, your body continues to burn fat at a much higher rate even once you have finished your workout. Score!

So next time you’re in the gym, try not to stress about getting on the "perfect" machine. Use the rowing, cycling or running equipment or simply choose the exercise that you enjoy the most and try adding some high intensity interval training to really improve your body’s fat burning capabilities.

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