Music Rules

The faster you move, the more calories you burn. Increase the tempo of your music, and off you go! Your body responds to what you're thinking, and when you are pumped up by what's entertaining your head, your workouts will be faster, harder, and longer (kind of sounds like those commercials...); but really, it's true. The faster you swing your arms, the faster your legs move, as they control leg turnover; the beat of what you're listening to is going to make you swing them faster and they aren't going to do that if you're listening to something mellow, or even something you've heard a million times. Sometimes it's all about the music - experiment, and get someone else's playlist - sure, it might not have been anything you would have ever thought you might listen to, but you could be surprised - and more fit! Enjoy your workout - Melissa

Lethargic and Lazy

I've had to force myself to work out this week, which is very unusual for me - and most everyone around me has felt the same way. The humidity is high, it's hot and sticky, and we're all sweating like pigs - who WOULD want to work out!! But, we have to to anyway, because honestly, you feel SO much better when you're done and you won't have that guilty conscience later in the day. The MOST important thing to remember is to drink a LOT of water - even when you don't feel thirsty. We drink enough to quench our initial thirst, but you most likely don't drink enough to replace all the water you have lost. Your body is approximately 70% water; it is the primary transporter of nutrients into your cells and toxins out of your body. When you get dehydrated, your blood thickens and doesn't flow properly; the thirst center of your brain gets a signal that it needs a drink; when it doesn't get enough, sodium levels are increased, you start to retain water, and the toxins in your body aren't eliminated. This causes you to fatigue more easily, get more headaches, and have increased muscles soreness. Because water keeps organs and joints moist, your risk of developing arthritis increases - at any age. The more active you are, the more water you need; the more hot and humid it is, the more water you need; the older you are, the more water you need (as you age, your body decreases the amount of water it keeps in reserve - that's one reason your skin WRINKLES!!). So, instead of drinking one glass of water at a time, drink two. The way you look and feel reflects your internal health, and water is the best medicine - and motivator! Melissa

Everybody Has To Do It

In the last two weeks, a race-car driver, two professional basketball players, a former boxer, and a former President have all been at my gym; they were all in great shape, smiling and friendly. They probably don't always jump out of bed eager to hit the gym - but they do it anyway, and it shows. When your body feels strong, it can do the work it needs to do, physically and mentally. When you do your homework, you are confident and prepared. We might not all be famous, or have a fancy car, or be able to make a basket, but when you get yourself going - and all those endorphins start jumping around - you'll feel like a champion. Then everybody better watch out because you'll be the one out in front! Melissa

Vacation's Over...

Well, I've had four days of great food and fine wine - now back to reality!! If you enjoyed your last few days also, here's how to get back in fighting shape: 1) get a good night's sleep; 2) make yourself get up and go work out - nothing like a good sweat to get rid of that sluggish feeling; 3) eat a high-protein breakfast - EGGS! - they will help to keep you alert and energetic; 4) drink LOTS of water - you might have "forgotten" to drink as much water as you normally do and it will help to flush out those extra calories; (5) continue to eat lightly the rest of your day - chicken, salads, fruit - eat regularly so your blood sugar remains stable; don't feel as though you have to starve yourself; it will only make you weak and more likely to slide back into vacation mode; and 6) get another good night's sleep so that you can maintain for a few days while you get back on track. Before you know it, you'll be planning your next vacation - heehee! Melissa

Summer Reruns...

Yeah, I hate them too, but at least I've picked some goods ones! I'm going to be out the rest of the week, so thought it would be a good idea for you to reread the series on the three best exercises to give you a total body workout; it's always good to refresh yourself on proper form - if you're not doing the exercise correctly, or paying attention to maintaining your form, you'll build up the muscles in your wrists instead of your biceps, or your knees instead of your butt. So, April 27, 28, and 29 describe in detail my three recommendations - refresh yourself and perfect your workout! I'll see you Monday - Melissa

Nobody's Perfect!

I am always being asked about supplements - what to take, how much, what do they do. I personally take a lot of different vitamins and minerals, as regularly as possible, instead of a multi-vitamin. However, I know what I'm taking and what it's for, but not everyone does; so in general, I would advise you to take a multi-vitamin. Any brand is good, although Centrum always shows up in everything I read, so I'd go for that one. If I don't know you personally, I would not tell you to take any one thing individually, but all of us could use a multi-vitamin in our diet just to make sure you were meeting all of your nutritional requirements on a daily basis. It's hard to get everything in, especially if you are on a low-calorie diet or working out particularly hard (as in training for a marathon). It should be iron-free, unless you have anemia (it will show up in a blood test). By taking one every day, a multi-vitamin will help you to stay healthy and feel energetic. Hope you are having a good week! Melissa

The Benefits of Music

My Ipod bit the dust last Friday - fortunately for me, both the Tour de France and the British Open were on my stairmaster TV (although it's a little tricky to watch golf and work out hard at the same time...), as well as ESPN. So I survived for one day, but really, I HAVE to have music when I work out indoors. I immediately went out and got a darling little lime green shuffle, and spent most of the afternoon downloading songs from my son's picks on Itunes; I'm so excited as I desperately needed new ones and tomorrow I'll be rocking out (oh, picture that!). Anyway, there are so many benefits to working out to music, but the best is that music makes us smarter, and exercise boosts your brain power, so you are not only getting benefits physically, but also mentally. Music helps to clear your head, improve your mood, relieve your stress and motivate you - SO DOES EXERCISE! - together they can change your life! You feel better, you work out harder and longer, you get stronger AND your workout is more fun - from head to toe. Not only are you a better gym rat, you're a smart one! Melissa

Iron - Eat It to Pump It!

Whether your goal is to be an Ironman (or Irongirl!), improve your overall fitness, or increase the size and/or amount of muscle, you will need to start from the inside by making your cells more powerful. You do this by eating iron-rich foods; iron is the most plentiful and powerful mineral in your blood, giving it that rich, red color (in the form of hemoglobin); it's primary purpose is to send oxygen to all of your cells, including your muscles and heart. When you have oxygen-rich blood, your energy levels are increased, you have a healthy immune system, and you grow stronger physically. While most people are not deficient in iron, strenuous exercise and heavy sweating contribute to loss of iron, and if your stores are low due to inadequate intake, you will feel tired and fatigue easily. There are several ways to lose iron, but for athletes, one of the primary ways is through the bottom of your feet during a long run. It's important to replenish iron by eating red meat, primarily, along with dark, green vegetables, and fortified cereals. (Actually, liver is the number one source, but it's so yucky...!) By adding citrus fruits to your meal, you will increase the absorption of iron by 30%; calcium, on the other hand, interferes with absorption, so you want to limit the amount of milk or other dairy you eat or drink at the same meal. Iron supplements are poorly absorbed, and interfere with the absorption of a lot of other nutrients, so make sure your daily vitamin is iron-free. By eating a diet rich in iron, and working your muscles to any degree to which they feel resistance (meaning, you don't have to bench 300 pounds!!) you will have larger and stronger muscles - you'll feel like an Iron Girl! Melissa

The next day...

Well, the veal chop was PERFECTLY grilled, the wine was AWESOME and the American league won - YEAH! The cupcake thing worked "pretty well" - I did manage to sneak some extra icing from the one left over - but I shared it, and there's only so much icing on a cupcake...but the best news of all is that I didn't look any older today!! So all in all, my upcoming year is off to a good start. Attitude is everything - no one can ruin your day, or your year, unless you let them. Make sure you laugh every day, even at yourself, and enjoy the little things - they all add up to something big. Dogs and little kids got it right, so just run around and jump up and down like they do - before you know it, somebody will be playing with you! Smile, and someone will smile back. It's easy to be happy and it's all up to you! Melissa

Happy Birthday to Me!

Today has been a great day, and it's not over - my husband is cooking dinner for me, there will probably (for sure!) be a great bottle of wine involved, and the All-Star game is on. But the BEST part will be the icing on the cake - literally! I'm just giddy over the thought of that creamy, gooey stuff on the top. You might think I'm crazy, but we all have our favorite thing we just can't get enough of. Fortunately, my cake tonight is in the form of a cupcake; it's already portion-controlled, and when it's gone, it's gone - no sticking my finger along the side or going back for more. It's a perfect solution, really - and tomorrow I'll just still be really happy about my great day, even if I'm one year older! The trick is to make it easy on yourself. The little 100-calorie packs, bite-size candy bars and smaller versions of the real thing may not be the most economical way to go, but they're worth the extra cost when you step on the scale or don't have to go that extra mile. So, treat yourself today - it's my birthday! Melissa

Try Something New

It took a long time for me to appreciate and value any form of exercise that was slow and controlled, more to do with strenghthening and flexibility than cardiovascular and speed, and involved mental concentration and an awareness of your inner physical self - not to mention something low impact (and did I say SLOW??). I have been taking Pilates regularly now for about 3 months - in no more than two weeks I had definition in my torso I have NEVER had before! In addition, the abdominals are flatter and stronger - in a way I can actually feel. Pilates involves your whole body; it is slow, continuous movement starting from the muscles along your spine and your deepest abdominal muscles, and works to improve your flexibility and posture while reducing stress and tension through regular breathing - challenging your mind and body to work together to make you look, feel and perform better. Take advantage of a mat class, and give it a try - you'll thank me! Have a good week - Melissa

Slow it down to build it up!

We've been talking (or rather, blogging...) about slowing down in different ways all week, and you'll love this! If you're like me, the idea of weight lifting is either by using dumbells or machines, and a certain number of repititions in 1-3 sets; normally they aren't anyone's favorite thing to do, so the faster you can get through them and the least often, the better. HOWEVER, you can actually get better results by reducing the amount of weights and repetitions, but taking more time with each one - when you slow down, you allow not only your larger muscle groups to get stronger, but also the little ones that support them. ALL your muscles burn calories, and you have a lot more of the little ones than the big ones; when you exhaust your muscles, your body repairs that muscle, and builds more - as much as 50% more (in the big ones AND the little ones!). The more muscle you have, the more calories you burn - even when at rest (SLEEPING!). Each pound of muscle burns about 100 calories a day; slower reps (even if they are lighter) allow you to you develop a long, lean-looking, fit body. So imagine yourself working from the inside out - feel yourself getting stronger, and the results you want will follow. Have a nice weekend - Melissa

Fill 'er up!

Say you did everything right today - started the day with breakfast, had your two snacks and a high-protein lunch - but you're still walking in the door at 6:00 STARVING! Sure, it's time for dinner and you want to be hungry, but it's a dangerous time to be starving, so here's a trick: drink two glasses of water as soon as you get home, and follow these with an apple, a dill pickle or a small piece of lowfat cheese. The apple is filled with water and will expand in your stomach, has some fiber so it's naturally filling, and it's a great way to control your blood sugar (which could be why you're starving); the dill pickle is crunchy and salty, satisfying both your need to eat something and eat something that isn't going to lead to eating out of a bag of anything; and the lowfat cheese is a protein/fat combination that slows digestion, dulls hunger and, because of the fat, is really satisfying. You could even eat all three, but honestly, an apple and pickle don't really sound that good together...anyway, try one of these - it will at least give you enough time to think about what you want to have for dinner - a light and healthy meal that will help you to get a good night's sleep and wake up ready for a big breakfast! Melissa

Relax and Eat

My little dog INHALES his food; every day he just can't wait to eat - he stands at the back door while I fill his bowl and then he barks and jumps around like I haven't fed him in three days until I set his bowl down. I swear that food is gone in ten seconds, and he has no idea whether it was steak or dry dog food. A lot of us eat that way - or maybe not quite, but you get the idea. Slowing down while you eat is beneficial in a lot of ways, but primarily it allows you to fully enjoy your meal because you are more relaxed, it helps you to digest your food better because you are taking the time to chew it, and you will eat less because you give your stomach time to signal your brain that you have had enough - this takes about 20 minutes. Give this a try tonight - take a bite, chew it thrououghly before you swallow, and then put your fork down and take a sip of water. This might take a little practice (I'd never get my dog to do this) but you'll find yourself eating less and enjoying it more. Not only will it keep you from overeating, but you'll sleep better too because your body doesn't have to work as hard to digest your dinner. (And if you take that dog for a walk, it will help to settle your dinner even more!) Melissa

Take a Deep Breath

It's your first day back after a 3-day weekend, and you're rushing around trying to catch up; maybe you're a little bit tired, and MAYBE you gained a couple of pounds - all of which can be helped by breathing deep from your belly and letting it all out slowly. You take in oxygen when you breathe - this oxygen goes into all of your cells through your circulatory system, replenishing nutrients and increasing your energy levels, while at the same time reducing tension and stress, and releasing endorphins that improve your mood. It is expelled as carbon dioxide through your lymphatic system, and takes with it toxins and other stuff that cause muscle tension and fatigue, making you sluggish and unfocused. Put one hand on your chest, and one on your stomach - focus on breathing in from your abdominals, allowing your lungs to expand to their fullest, and then push it out until again you feel it in your abs - this allows you to take in more oxygen, and release more carbon dioxide, in addition to working out your heart (muscle) and making it stronger. This is also the benefit of aerobic exercise - it increases your heart rate and forces your lungs to take in more oxygen - all of which help your mind and body to relax. By recharging your body you are able to lose weight AND burn fat - everything is working better to make you feel better! Have a good week - Melissa

Just in time for the 4th!

I'm giving myself the day off tomorrow (hee hee) so here's my new favorite ice cream find that is so perfect for this weekend. It's called Red, White and no more Blues from Dreyers - IT'S FABULOUS! Vanilla ice cream with strawberry and blueberry ribbons - delicious and nutritious! It's one of their 1/2 fat versions, so 1/2 cup has 110 calories and only 3 grams of fat. One of my friends is famous for saying that's how much you eat while you're scooping it in the bowl, so no cheating...AND, there is a study from the Journal of Clinical Nutrition that ice cream is the best thing to eat two hours after a workout - it raises insulin levels, which slows the breakdown of muscle-building protein. Wow, another perfect food! Happy Fourth of July - Melissa

The Muscle Plan

The July issue of Men's Health arrived today, and of course I had to STARE at the cover - hey, we like to look too...anyway, it's possible for all of us, men and women, to have that lean, strong look. It does take some work - but it's worth it! Here's my top four list to be successful: 1) Work out HARD - 200 minutes a week of interval training, pushing yourself to the limit. Take yourself out of your comfort zone, bring yourself back in, and then go right back out. Vary your workouts, find a friend, load your IPOD - do whatever it takes, and do it. Cardio burns fat, the underlying soft tissue beneath your skin, often showing up as that dreaded cellulite. Add weight lifting 2-3 times a week, and focus on the larger muscle groups - alternate heavy and light days, but you have to have some heavy days to build muscle. Remember, the more muscle you have, the more calories you burn and the leaner you look. Then remember to rest - your muscles need time to regroup and take in nutrients; 2) Drink lots of water - your muscles are 50-70% water (depending on how big they are); water carries nutrients into your muscles, allows them to work harder, and helps to make more muscle. Water allows your muscles to expand - they suck the water out of your fat cells like a sponge (I just made that up, but it sort of works that way...); 3) Eat meat! Red meat is full of iron, zinc and B vitamins - the most nutrient dense form of protein, and the most complete form of amino acids, which are essential for building muscle. Vegetarians may not agree with me, but if you want to look lean and feel energetic, you need to eat lean cuts of red meat. This of course, is followed by chicken, fish and eggs - your body uses pretty much all the protein you eat in all body processes, repairing, rebuilding and refueling. 4) Suck it in - it doesn't matter what how active you are or what you eat if you walk around with your gut hanging out. Stand up straight and imagine your shoulders are slightly behind your back, and pull in your abdominals - you'll feel more powerful, and look awesome. Then sit back and enjoy the results! Melissa