How to make your New Years resolution last…

Do you make a new years resolution every year? Is it the same every year?

Did you know that Fitness, weight loss, better health are at the top two or three for most people every year.

Why is that?

You know that your life is more fulfilling when you feel good about yourself, have more energy, are looking great, and all that equals feeling great.

Every year most people fall away from their resolution by February or March, and that’s a long time for most people.

How do I make this a life change rather than a flash in the pan, one day declaration?

Here is how to keep your fitness resolution…

1) Set attainable goals.

Write them down and put an attainable timeframe on your goals. I.e., 5 pounds down in January, 5 pounds in March, Half marathon in April etc.

Big pipe dream goals are a set up for failure so be reasonable and be sure you can get it done.

2) Keep yourself accountable.

Most resolutions fail because they are a “one time” declaration on New Years Eve on a whim.

If you are serious, pick someone in your life that will help you stay accountable to your goal daily, monthly, and yearly.

Share the details and be sure they are ready to help you achieve. (You can always send it to me; I will keep you on track)

3) Commit your goal to yourself and your family.

Share your goals for the year with your family and friends. The more you talk about it, the more you will feel a sense of commitment to your goals and the more people will ask you about how you are doing.

4) Stay strong

Lets not sugar coat this, changes to lifestyle are tough. It takes determination, focus and support from friends and family.

Focus on the people that support and encourage you. Keep in mind there will be the negative people but you can defeat them with your success.

I believe in you.

Please use me as your resource to help you achieve your goals for 2012.

Heres to a new and prosporous you in the new year.

Top 2 tips to avoid holiday weight gain

Hey Team

I know we all want to avoid the 5,7,10 lb weight gain that statistically happens during the holiday season.

Even better, my goal this year is to lose 5,7,10 lbs during the season and be on the positive end of the statistic.

How do we stay focused and on track?

As a general principal, we need to burn more calories than we consume. Its easy to consume 2000+, even 3000+ calories at a single meal, never mind the entire day.

My top 2 tips to focus on to stay on track:

#1 - Portion control – basically keep your meal to one plate. Even at a buffet or full spread party, you can enjoy, savor and indulge without overeating.

Keep serving sizes to about the palm of your hand (no fingers, and not piled high).

Think of your plate as divided into quarters – 1 quarter protein, 1 quarter starchy carbs, 2 quarters bright colored veggies (this doesn’t include sweet potatoes with butter and marshmallows). I’m also in favor of a bit more than 1 quarter protein if you desire.


#2 – Stay consistent with your exercise – Schedule your workouts like you would an appointment and be sure to keep it.


I recommend early in the day if possible. Most of us get increasingly busy in the afternoon and it’s easy to blow off your workout.

You can train with us, workout in your living room, the gym, our band program (www.fitbodybandprogram.com) or one of my quick workouts from the website. Just get in a workout.

Get an accountability buddy to help. Train with a friend who is counting on you to be there. I train with a friend and if our schedules don’t match, we are required to text “done” when we finish. We treat this as a competition for more fun and inspiration.

Check out my website for group training times and locations- we will hold you accountable and burn massive calories this season. www.lefeverwellness.com

Email me back or post here with your top recommendations for staying fit during the holidays.

The Turkey Nap and Tips

It’s the season to talk about the much publicized turkey nap - caused by the evil Tryptophan!

Most interesting to me is that during the other 11 months of the year you don’t hear anyone talk about needing a nap after eating a turkey sandwich…..hmmmm wonder why?

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A small bit of science- tryptophan is an amino acid that can have effects on relaxation. Tryptophan helps the body produce the b- vitamin niacin, which then helps the body produce serotonin, a chemical that acts as a calming agent in the brain and plays a key role in sleep. – ok enough science.

FYI - Other foods that are considered sources of tryptophan are dairy products, beef, poultry, barley, brown rice, fish, soybeans, and peanuts. - Do you need a nap after reasonable consumption of these?

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Here are 5 reasons you may feel sleepy after a big holiday meal;

Carbohydrate overload – A heavy carbohydrate meal will increase insulin levels, which lowers amino acid levels in blood, creating an increase in the relative level of tryptophan in the blood. Serotonin may then produce a sleepy feeling. This can happen at any meal. How do you feel after a big Italian meal with pasta? Sleepy right?

Fatty food – A meal rich in fats slows down the digestive system and requires lots of energy to digest. Blood flow is redirected to your stomach rather than the rest of your body, leaving you with less energy overall and a lot more calories to pack on your mid-section. And is a contributor to naps and fatness.

Alcohol - Alcohol is a central nervous system depressant. A drink or two can be processed by your body typically without any ill effects. However start getting to the “few” and “many” drinks as part of the holiday celebration will add tons of calories and be a nap-factor. (Too many can add to the lampshade on your head factor)

Overeating -Your body requires a great deal of energy to digest a large meal (particularly high fat and high carbohydrates). When your stomach is full, blood is directed away from other organ systems, including your nervous system. And of course you know by now…you will feel the need to snoooooze. Eat smaller portions of the items you really want. Don’t waste the calories just because food is in front of you.

R&R - Often the most relaxing part of the festivities is likely to be the meal (suppose that depends on your relatives). No matter what you may have been doing throughout the day, Thanksgiving dinner provides an opportunity to sit back and relax, eat a big meal watch some football and,…. guess what? zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

A couple of quick tips to keep your energy levels up:

1) Snack on the fruits and vegetables (minimal dip) to keep calorie count down.

2) Eat a balanced turkey dinner - balance turkey or protein, a good helping of veggies and smaller servings of potatoes, breads etc.

3) Reasonable serving sizes - Eat one plate of food and be finished. Try everything but keep the servings sizes of heavy carb and fat foods small. Taste, enjoy, savor, and move on.

4) Beverages – be aware of high calorie celebratory drinks – especially alcohol. Have a couple for the entire day.

5) Exercise – get a workout in before your festivities to increase your metabolism and burn calories – a great healthy start.

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Most of all – enjoy your time with friends and family. We all have so much to be thankful for – stop and take a minute with your family to be thankful.

I am thankful for all of you!

Happy Thanksgiving.

Pumpkin Turkey Chili

Tiffany made this chili (recipe from allrecipes.com) for us and for her work. Everyone loved it!.

Try it and let us know how you like it.

PUMPKIN TURKEY CHILI

Ingredients:
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped yellow bell pepper
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 pound ground turkey
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 2 cups pumpkin puree
• 1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 dash salt
• 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup sour cream

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat, and saute the onion, green bell pepper, yellow bell pepper, and garlic until tender.

Stir in the turkey, and cook until evenly brown. Drain, and mix in tomatoes and pumpkin. Season with chili powder, pepper, and salt.

Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 20 minutes.

Serve topped with Cheddar cheese and sour cream. (skip this to lower fat content)

ALso try garnishing with jalapeno peppers and cilantro.

Nutritional Information
Amount Per Serving Calories: 285 | Total Fat: 16.6g | Cholesterol: 76mg Powered by ESHA Nutrient Database

Prep Time:
10 Min

Cook Time:
20 Min

recipe from www.allrecipes.com

Fat Season is Here - How to avoid the holiday weight gain

It’s here...the "Fat" season.

Time to focus on staying fit.

But you ask.... isn't the fat season around Thanksgiving and the end of the year with all the parties and holiday festivities?

Yes it does ramp up heavy then (pun intended).

However, and this is a big however...

When you add Halloween and all the candy and treats, It actually starts about NOW!

Every store I go into has a sale on mega bags of chocolates and other "treats"

And the stores are fighting for your business with big discounts.


I want you to make it through the rest of this year at or below your current weight, and or size, and with an increased level of fitness and wellness.

I know you can do it.

It will take some work
It will take some willpower
It will take some encouragement and support from others (and me)

Here are a couple ways to help you avoid the "Fat" season- and end the year fitter than ever.

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1) Delay your candy purchase until a day or two before Halloween. If it’s in your house, it presents an unnecessary temptation. How often do you eat something just because it’s there?

2) Allow yourself just one piece of candy (small size) in the morning and then one at night. Skip any other desserts that you would normally eat after dinner and plan to eat well balanced.

3) Only buy enough candy so that you expect to run out before the evening is over. It’s crucial to weight loss success to not have “trigger” foods lying around – the temptation is often too great and most of us will fall victim if its there. right?

4) Increase your exercise activity - Add a fat burning circuits or the Fit Body Band Program (http://www.lefeverwellness.com/products-store-1.php) every day that you eat your two pieces of candy. This will help counteract the increase in calories that you are consuming.

******side note: Fit Body Band Program is on sale until Halloween at 25% savings - enter coupon code SPOOKY***

5) If you indulge a bit too much forgive and move on - it’s important to forgive yourself and move on. (Enroll in the boot camps to get back on track) Dwelling on the past will not help your success today.

6) Substitute your chocolate fix with something healthier. Fruit, veggies, Greek yogurt with berries, or (my favorite) a peanut butter Craver (http://lefeverwellness.getprograde.com/) will help to satisfy your cravings. And you can feel good about your choice.


What is Your best way to avoid the FAT season? Write back and let me know your tricks.


Plan to stay healthy and let me know how I can help you!

Dedicated to your health and wellness

Coach Greg

P.S.
Are you enrolled in boot camp or personal training to keep your metabolism on Fire?

Don’t Forget *** 25% saving on the Band program until Halloween - Coupon code SPOOKY at http://www.lefeverwellness.com/products-store-1.php

Which is more effective Diet or Exercise?

I’ve been asked a lot of questions lately about how to eliminate those extra few pounds, and “why isn’t it going away if I’m working out hard”.

My first question back is what’s your diet like? Do you want to write it down for me to review?

The response is usually met with oooohhh, not so good. And, uuuuhhhh no.

So I took a poll among my boot campers, personal clients, and some friends –

The question was – which do you think is more important …diet or exercise?

The response was mixed.

Quit honestly, if you are focused on either or both in effort to improve your life, congratulations, keep up the good work. You are already moving toward success.

But, let me be very clear and to the point about exercise, weight loss, and fat loss.


You will get better results with the best diet/nutrition program and the worst fitness program --- than you will with the best fitness program and the worst diet/nutrition progam.

Bottom line ------ you can out eat any good fitness program and not get the results you are looking to achieve. Which of course leaves you baffled.

If you want results with fat loss you should include the following immediately;

1) Eat protein at every meal – yes every meal, eggs at breakfast, tuna/chicken at lunch, snack with nuts/mozzarella/non fat cottage cheese, diner with chicken, fish, lean meat.

2) Eat 5-6 small meals per day – smaller meals will provide the immediate energy requirements and be less likely to store excess calories from large, high calorie meals.

3) Get with the greens – Eat lots of green veggies. Romaine, spinach, green beans etc.

loading up with greens will increase your fiber intake and bulk which will help you eat less of other foods that may increase calorie or fat intake.

4) Eat at least 2 hours before bedtime. Give your body time to digest your food. This helps with proper digestion and avoids possible stomach discomfort, which could interrupt your much-needed sleep.

Start with these four steps and you will see results quickly. Add my fitness band program and accelerate your results. Lets get it done together.

You Only Get One Body


http://lefeverwellness.getprograde.com

Tips on Surviving the Fair Food

Have you been to the fair yet?

It ends this week in OC and tons (no pun intended) of people will be heading there this weekend.

So is the fair a place to walk and shop or a place for you to eat the “special” Fair food?

For most it’s a place to eat some really interesting foods.

I get that it’s only once a year, but for many people, this is normal eating.

Every year I’m amazed at how they can make Fat even Fatter?
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I’m writing this newsletter to help you avoid falling victim to the massive calorie avalanche at the fair.

The fair food is similar to a train wreck. It’s a horrible thing, but you can’t help staring or being involved.

Last time we were at the fair, we were floored at the food choices. As we stood waiting for our grilled corn, we looked around at the other eating choices in the area – Gadzooks!! What I saw was shocking.

Here is the list of memorable items and their statistics (stats courtesy of Calorieking.com)

New comer this year: Chocolate covered Corn dog? –Not yet listed. However let’s break it down.

Hot dog -fat salty meat – covered in batter – dipped in chocolate- Holly smokes, hook me up to the cardiac machine.

*Fried Twinkies – 420 cal / 34g FAT / 45gcarb
*Fried snickers – 444 cal / 29g FAT / 42g Carb
*Fried zucchini (but it’s a vegetable-not after frying) – 620 cal / 40g FAT / 1100 sodium
*Fried onion rings (3 rings probably not the massive ones) – 309 cal / 13g FAT / 40g carb
*Fried Cupcakes – not yet rated on the Fat-o-meter, but can you imagine?
*Fried Pop tarts- not yet rated on the Fat-o-meter

Who thinks of this stuff? Keep in mind they aren’t just fried; they are battered first then fried, a double calorie whammy.

I ask how they can keep making these nasty foods and then I look around at the people eating them (check the statistic in the P.S.).

Even my son commented on how nasty the food was and how it made people fat. Let’s add the rest of the equation, it not only makes you FAT but also adds to your risk of heart disease, stroke, cancer, etc. Talk about an accelerator.

I get that the fair may be a one day event. But some of these people eat this way all the time. And some people are changing their eating habits, for the better, and don’t need to be around the temptation of the calorie bomb.

Here is the important part - - How can you avoid overeating and getting caught up in damaging all the hard work you have been putting in to get yourself healthy and in shape?

Fair Tips.

Eat before you go to the fair. Choose something healthy that is reasonably high fiber/high protein. This will help you feel full longer so you can enjoy all of the other attractions the fair has to offer without wanting to eat when you walk in the door.

2) Drink plenty of water – water helps you feel full and will help keep the fried food craving away.

3) Choose something healthier to eat – turkey leg, grilled corn, BBQ without all the starchy side dishes. (fried Veggies don’t count – they are still fried. Check stat below)

4) Choose one treat and share it – sharing is a great way to avoid overeating. Have a couple bites and pass it on.

And then be sure you are enrolled in our next boot camp or personal training to keep your positive fitness momentum. Your fellow boot campers are there for support too.

Write me back or post a comment and let me know what methods you used to avoid the food pitfalls of the fair. Have a healthy day

Coach Greg
www.lefeverwellness.com
http://lefeverwellness.getprograde.com

P.S.
A recent report on the fatness of America was just issued and we are up 1% from 25 to 26% OBESE. That’s not overweight, it’s OBESE.

Spring Cleaning

It’s Spring Time

One of our favorite times of the year
.
Time to clean house, clean closet, cleanse your body, and prepare for summer.

Does this include your workout? You bet it does!

This is a great time to evaluate your workout and fitness.

Are you still in the gym with the same old routine?

If so, you are missing out on an opportunity to make a change, turn up your calorie furnace and energize your attitude and results.

I recommend making changes to your workout monthly for the most effective results for fat loss, toning, and strength.

As you may know, changing your workout periodically keeps your body in tip top shape. The same old workout will result in less calories burned, over use of the same muscles, and what we truly don’t like…boredom.

- Here are a few tips for “spring cleaning” your workout.

1) If you are doing the same cardio program, change. Move to bike, treadmill, elliptical, jogging… something different.

This will accelerate your calorie burn and work new muscles. Try an interval workout of one minute at medium intensity (60%), and 30 seconds of high intensity (90% not able to have a conversation), repeat as able.

2) If you are on a weight training program, change to intervals. Perform a set of squats, then upper body, then cardio, and repeat with minimal rest. This will increase your heart rate and improve your conditioning.

3) Review your diet. By diet I mean the food you consume. Are you eating 4-5 smaller meals per day? Are you including protein at every meal? Are you including veggies at every meal?

My personal go to chef - Chef Jamie Gwen has some excellent meals for you, check her site for suggestions. www.chefjamie.com

As always, call or email me for assistance to help you get dialed in for spring and summer.

Yours in good health

Coach Greg

949-294-1790

New Year New Me

It’s been the number one resolution year after year…weight loss and fitness.

I wonder why people wait until January to proclaim their new goal, new life, and new body.

Whatever the reason, it just is.

So this past week was the number one diet week of the year. I’m hoping it goes longer than a week and people actually stick with a program.

A main reason people fall off the resolution wagon is a drastic change to their life. Its tough to form new habits, especially drastic ones.

I’ve seen it many times. People make the claim of 20 pounds lost by March, only to fizzle out by January 15th and be back to where they started.

Here are a few tips for you to maintain your diet and fitness for 2011.

1) Set goals for yourself. Make them measureable and with a deadline. Example, I will lose 10 pounds by March 1st. And write them down on paper.

2) Have a plan to achieve your goal- I will lose the 10 pounds by working out 4 times every week and eating smaller portions of food.

3) Set yourself up for success – Have food in your house that is high in protein, high in fiber and easily made.

Even prepare your next day meals the night before. Nothing ruins your success faster than being unprepared. If you are not prepared you are more likely to stop at fast food places and make high calorie, high fat choices. Not good.

4) Set your workouts as appointments to your day. If they are on your calendar with time blocked you are more likely to keep your appointment.

Better yet, schedule a friend to join you to ensure you make your workout appointment.

5) Make your goals achievable. I see many people make ridiculous goals in January, only to fail quickly and be discouraged.

Make yours reasonable and achievable. If you need help with goal setting, please call me and we can work through your plan together.

6) Hire a trainer for accountability. So it may cost a few dollars, but who better to get you started and keep you focused on your goals.

Really, summer is not far away and we know you want to have that beach body. It’s best to start with an expert now.

Happy New Year to you all. I wish you the greatest of success, fitness and wellness for this new year.

Coach Greg