8 Minute Workout!!! Get it Done Fast

Hello there,

I hope you are all doing well today.

I wanted to share with you a quick and simple 8 minute interval training workout video.

Perfect Fit Personal Training 8 Minute Workout

If you are short on time but want a good workout, this video is for you! If you want to extend your workout and make it longer or harder, then repeat the video two or three times.

Interval training is a very effective way to burn calories and fat. It’s also more fun than doing eight minutes straight of the same thing; for example running or stationary aerobics.

I hope you enjoy this 8 minute interval training workout. I would love your feedback!

Nicole

Your Weight Does Not Tell the Whole Story!

Your scale gives you a number, you feel a certain way.

A lower number? You probably feel pretty good. Your mood just changed for the better; it’s going to be a good day!

A higher number? You may feel disheartened, you wasted your time dieting/exercising, you feel discouraged.

Your number on the scale does not tell the whole story, however.

What is your body fat percentage? Do you have a lot of muscle? Are you tightening up and toning more than you were two months ago?

You need to look at the big picture when it comes to your weight and body composition. The way your clothes look tell the tale better than a generic number on the scale.

I found this photo on line and it really speaks to this:

 

Cheat to Stay on Track

Diet; it can be a bad word in some circles. If you’ve ever been on one, you know how it feels to be without your favourite treats and foods. So why go crazy depriving yourself of all the foods you love…just cheat!
Cheating on a diet is crucial if you want to stay focussed and stop pining over the chocolate bar in your cupboard, or the ice cream in your freezer. So how can you cheat without feeling guilty and going overboard?

Make a plan

If you have a plan in place, it’s harder to fail. Give yourself a set menu for the day, including your fruits and veggies, healthy whole grains and lean proteins. At the end of each day, give yourself something that you really enjoy, but that you know is bad for your diet. For example, one square of chocolate, or two tablespoons of rich ice cream.

Buy Less

If you have less of the bad things in your fridge or cupboards, you are much less likely to eat them! If you don’t have chocolate bars or ice cream pops in your freezer readily available, it’s much harder to go grab some when you’re watching your favourite show on the couch. If it’s not in the house, it’s a lot harder to indulge.

Best Splurges

If you’re going to cheat, but only want to cheat a little, what are the best choices you can make?
• 100 calorie pre-packaged treats. You know you’re getting the same taste as the treats you love, but in a much smaller package. Easier to cheat when you only have one; bigger sizes make it easier to eat more.
• Make Your Own- buy in bulk things like chocolate covered raisins or pretzels and figure out how many make up 100 calories. Make your own cheating snack-packs. Freeze the rest for later.
• Low calorie pudding- you can get your favourite flavours like chocolate or butterscotch in single servings of 60-100 calories.
• Fresh fruit- might not seem like a splurge, but it’s so sweet and tasty! Buy what’s in season and enjoy a variety like strawberries, watermelon, or cantaloupe.

Cheat Day

If you aren’t interested in doing the 100 calorie cheat every day, then why not take a day off from your diet once a week? That way you can enjoy the things you really love in their full capacity. For example, Saturday is your day off from dieting. Enjoy three meals that you really want and craved all week. Get those craving out of your system and get right back on track the next day.
Surprisingly, after you’ve been eating clean for a while, you may stop craving those treats and not even enjoy them anymore!

Depriving yourself of the foods you love for long periods of time can make you feel very unsatisfied. Keep your diet going by allowing yourself that little cheat every now and then. You will be better off in the long run; your diet will last longer and you won’t have so many cravings.

Cheat on Your Diet to Lose Weight!

Yes, that’s right, I’m encouraging you to cheat on your diet!

Diets, in a nutshell, are not really the best way to lose weight. Sure, you may see the pounds come off initially when you cut back on all the foods you love to eat, but over the long run, it’s impossible to live your life and be on  a constant diet.

Cheating, however, enables you to eat well MOST of  the time  ( 6 days per week), and gives you that one day to enjoy the “bad” foods that are usually forbidden (cake, icecream, whatever…)

Here’s the deal; every day of the week, eat your well rounded and regular meals including all the basic fruits/veg, lean protein and whole grains. Pick one day (usually a weekend day) to cheat. You can indulge in whatever you’d like and not feel guilty, because tomorrow you’re back to your “diet”.

Eventually you may find that your cheat day is getting more and more healthy; as you eat cleanly throughout  the week, your body will crave less and less of the “bad” foods that contain high sugar, fat and salt content. You will be able to enjoy those foods on your cheat day, but you may not even want to!

So I urge you to give it a try. Post your healthy foods up on the fridge for the week; make a plan! Then, give yourself the cheat day to eat as you please.

You will have less cravings during the week because you’ve already indulged, and your body will desire those unhealthy foods less and less.

Let me know how it goes!

 

What’s for Dinner?

Having trouble figuring out easy and healthy dinner ideas on a regular basis?

The internet is such a great tool for finding recipes, and here is one I’d like to share.

Fish tacos with wild salmon! Sounds yummy and healthy too.

Click here to see the recipe: http://www.food.com/recipe/amazing-salmon-tacos-133959

Enjoy your dinner!

Emotional Eating, Anyone?

If you’re like most people out there, you eat to celebrate, to wallow, to enjoy, to mourn…the list goes on. Food and emotions often go hand in hand.

If you’re having trouble keeping food out of your emotional reaction to a situation, here is a quick article from one of my favorite sites, Sparkpeople.com:

http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/wellness_articles.asp?id=693

Food and emotion should be separate entities, but they sometimes collide.

Next time you reach for the chocolate when you’re bored, remember that there are other ways to cure your boredom that don’t involve empty (but tasty 🙂 calories.

Good luck on your path to health!

Get Back on Track

January 1st; when was that again? It was  a while ago now.

Are you having trouble staying on track with the fitness goals you set way back then? Chances are, if you’re like most people, those resolutions have been forgotten.

If you’re having a hard time staying on track with the health and fitness dreams that you have for yourself, then it is a very good time to hire a personal trainer.

Getting fit and staying fit on your own can be tough! Getting to the gym regularly, eating healthfully, and staying committed can all be very hard to do. That’s why having a personal trainer to keep you accountable is such a great idea!

With a qualified personal trainer in your corner, you will be constantly encouraged, motivated to push yourself harder, and encouraged to keep pursuing your goals. Not only that, you might even learn a thing or two!

Call or email: nicole@perfectfit.ws

604-318 6534 to chat about your personal health and fitness wishes and dreams. Let’s make those dreams a reality!

Have  a great Friday.

You Are What You Eat

With January 1st resolutions maybe a distant memory, you may have fallen back into your old dietary ways.

Even if you’re at the gym plugging away at weight and cardio machines, you may be finding that you’re not reaching your goals as fast as you’d like to.

What are you eating these days?

What you eat, how much you eat, and when you eat can greatly impact your weight loss gains (or should I say losses?!)

Eating well, nutritiously MOST of the time, is going to make dramatic differences in how quickly you shed those unwanted pounds. Just exercising (even though exercise is great!) is not going to get you to your ultimate weight loss goals, at least not nearly as quickly.

Keeping a food diary daily can really help you keep track of what you’re eating, when you’re eating it, and maybe even why you’re eating it (were you hungry, or was it just in front of you so you ate it?) A great resource center, which is free, is called sparkpeople.com, where you can track your daily  food intake and it will show you how many calories, fat grams, protein and carbs that you are actually taking in. It can also give you a meal planner so you can plan how to eat for a certain amount of calories.

Working out regularly is a great way to help you burn calories while also building lean muscle tissue, but it needs to go hand in hand with great eating patterns.

For more information on starting a workout plan with Perfect Fit Personal Training in North Vancouver, BC, please email me directly at: nicole@perfectfit.ws

Together we can plan  a pathway for you to reach your health and fitness goals.

 

Have a great Sunday!

 

holiday blues?

Did the holidays give you more than you bargained for?

If you´re like most people, you may have imbibed more than usual in high calorie drinks and desserts. With all the variety and options to choose from at holiday parties and dinners, it´s hard to keep saying no.

With the new year upon us, it´s a great time to reasses your goals, past and present, and make a plan to reach those goals.

Setting small, attainable goals are more reasonable than setting large, mostly  unattainable goals.

Good luck on your path to health and wellness in 2011!

Winter Party Weight Gain

Even before Christmas hits, the weight gain is steadily approaching.

Winter parties begin in November, usually, and include many alcoholic drinks, appetizers, mains, and desserts.

So what are some tips to help you stave off the weight gain and continue on your path to health and wellness?

• Eat before you go out; go slightly full already
• Decide ahead of time what you’ll allow yourself to give in to. Choose or two things ahead of time.
• Drink some water before you go, and throughout.
• Choose your drink wisely; wine vs. mixed drinks, eggnog vs. soda water, etc.
• Wear tight clothes; that way you will fit less in!

You don’t have to give up all the holiday treats, but try to make wise choices so you’re not stuck on a treadmill for four hours trying to balance your calorie intake.

Enjoy the holidays!