 I’ve got to warn you, there are myths still going around about strength training. The truth is that strength training is one of the absolute best things you can do for your health and appearance. If you’ve fallen for these 5 myths then you’re missing out on tremendous potential results. It’s a Myth…that Muscle Turns Into Fat Why would anyone want to build muscle if it could morph into fat after a span of disuse? Rest assured that this is a myth of the highest order. Muscle tissue is muscle tissue. Fat tissue is fat tissue. One will never become the other. It’s a Myth…that Strength Training Doesn’t Burn Fat On the contrary, muscle mass is your number one ally against fat gains. A pound of muscle burns 10-20 calories each day, while you’re just living and breathing. Regular strength training helps you increase your muscle mass as well as preserve existing muscle mass, turning you into a fat burning machine. It’s a Myth…that Lifting Weights Makes Women Bulk Up Yes, strength training increases the amount of muscle on your body; so many women take this to mean that their body will become body-builder-esque, which is quite the look you’re going for. The truth is that the female body simply doesn’t contain high enough levels of testosterone to produce that level of results without a very focused and dedicated effort. The tighter, toned figure of a recreational female weight lifter is every bit feminine. It’s a Myth…that Strength Training Is For Young People Only Ha, that’s a used-up excuse that senior citizens across the globe have shattered. Assuming that your doctor has given you the OK, you have much to gain from a regular weight lifting routine. Improved balance and coordination, better strength and flexibility, and a decreased risk of osteoporosis are just the beginning. It’s a Myth…that Light Weights and High Reps Tone Best This myth, popularized in the 90’s, that very high repetitions of very light weights would result in a toned physique, has become outdated. These high repetitions will increase your muscular endurance but will not add strength or tone. We now know that in order to truly challenge your muscles, heavier weights with lower repetitions are a must. Start with an 8-10 repetition range and push your muscles with each set. Including strength training as a part of your fitness routine is essential for achieving a fit and toned body. My custom-made fitness programs remove all of the guesswork for you. I know what works, and I make it my mission to see you reach your goals. Call or email today and we’ll get you started on the program that’s best for you.
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 Here is another healthy, homemade dinner that’s easy to get on the table after a long, busy day of work. That’s why recipes like this one are so wonderful to have on hand – it only takes a few minutes and tastes fantastic. This casserole like comfort food, but without the guilt. Kale is a nutritional powerhouse, filled with calcium, and numerous vitamins and minerals. What you need Serves 6 1 teaspoon olive oil 1 yellow onion, diced 2 garlic cloves, minced 3 cups kale, chopped dash of salt and pepper Pinch of each, dried: thyme, rosemary, tarragon, and parsley 4 links nitrate-free, chicken sausage, sliced into half moons 1 head cauliflower, cut into small florets 1/2 cup chicken broth 1 teaspoon lemon juice 1 cup fat free ricotta cheese 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded and divided Instructions 1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Lightly grease a casserole dish with olive oil. Place a large pot of water to boil with a pinch of salt. 2. In a large skillet over medium heat, sauté the olive oil, onion, garlic, salt and pepper, dried herbs and chicken sausage. Mix well, and then add kale. Cover for about 3 minutes, until kale gets bright green and wilted, then remove cover. Sauté for an additional 3 minutes until everything is tender. Set aside. 3. Place the cauliflower florets in the pot of boiling water. Boil for 5 minutes, then remove from heat, drain, and return cauliflower to pot. 4. Add the kale mixture to the pot as well as the chicken broth, lemon juice, ricotta cheese and half of the Parmesan cheese. Mix will over medium heat until all has been incorporated. 5. Transfer to prepared casserole dish. Top with remaining Parmesan cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 15 minutes. Remove foil and bake for an additional 5 minutes. 6. Remove from oven and serve. Nutrition One serving equals 238 calories, 10g fat, 584mg sodium, 14g carbohydrate, 4g fiber, and 18g protein  So you took a break from your fitness routine this summer. You ate, you drank, you relaxed, and ate some more. Well, now it’s time to face the music. As you look in the mirror after a summer of less-than-healthy eating… Your body is puffy and bloated. Your joints are achy. Your clothes feel tight. Maybe you are feeling that way right now. Here’s how to get you back on the fitness fast track. 1) Find Your Focus Summer happened. You ate things from the “never eat these” list, you drank more that you should have…but now it’s over. Draw a line in the sand. You’re back now so the bad eating stops now. If you’re serious about your fitness goals, then the past few weeks were the exception, and not the rule. Don’t beat yourself up for letting loose. Simply get back up, dust yourself off and get focused. 2) Get Hydrated While summer days can take on many forms, the end result is most often dehydration and water retention. The only way to restore your balance is to get hydrated. Your first priority in getting back on track is to drink plenty of water throughout the day. Start with a tall glass of water in the morning, and carry a water bottle with you to sip throughout the day. Don’t add any artificial sweeteners or stimulants to your water – these will sabotage your hydration efforts. For flavor, add sliced fresh fruit, herbs or vegetables to your water, just like at the spa. 3) Cleanse Your System For your first few days getting back on track I need you to be extra picky about what you eat. Stick with only whole, real foods like fruits, vegetables and lean meats. Whole, real foods will help to restore balance and block out cravings. Don’t eat any packaged foods for the next few days. This means no snack foods, processed meat slices, dairy, baked goods or alcohol. 4) Get Some Rest As relaxing as summer days are, most end with the feeling of exhaustion. Make catching up on sleep a priority over the next few days. When your body is low on sleep, it becomes easier to make poor eating choices. You’re also less likely to get back into your workouts if you don’t give your body a chance to rest. Aim for getting a full 8 hours of sleep each night. 5) Jump Back Into Your Exercise Routine It’s time to sweat out all those indulgences. So lace up your shoes and put on your favorite gym clothes. When you start your first workout, ease in slowly. Take the time to warm up and stretch your muscles before powering up to a solid 30-minute routine. I have just the exercise plan for you – one that will not only help you recover from your summer but will help keep you motivated and going strong in the future. If you haven’t joined yet, now is the perfect time for you to start. Together we will get you to your goals with my results-driven method. Simply call or email me today to set up your first workout.  Eat too much refined sugar and you’re headed for obesity and a host of other ailments. So what should you do with that sweet tooth of yours? Turn to nature’s candy: fresh fruit. This dessert is very simple, and oh-so-sweet. Use fresh, local, organic fruit for optimal taste and nutrition. Enjoy! What You Need Serves 4 1 small watermelon, chopped 1 cantaloupe, seeded and chopped 1 mango, pitted and chopped 1 cup fresh blueberries ¼ cup fresh mint, minced Instructions 1. Chop the fruit into small, uniform cubes. Combine the ingredients in a large bowl, then scoop into small cups. Enjoy! Nutrition One serving equals: 127 calories, 1g fat, 33mg sodium, 30g carbohydrate, 4g fiber, and 3g protein. I hope that you get a chance to give this recipe a try this week. Remember that I’m only a call or email away to assist you in all things fitness. And if you are not yet one of my prized clients then call or email me now to set up your first workout – I’d love to help you achieve your best body ever!  … is that you cannot control it.
Do you disagree? Go stand on a scale and decide to lose 5 pounds. How'd that work out for you? Did the number drop on command, or did it not budge? Of course it didn't budge. And yet you spend your precious time obsessing about your weight as if you could magically control it. The good news is that you do have complete control over a couple of important things that influence your weight. These are your choices about diet and exercise. Think about this…your current weight is the sum result of your choices in eating and exercise. Take a minute to think back over the last three years of your life. What kinds of foods did you eat most often? How intensely did you exercise, for how long, and how often? Now look at yourself in a full-length mirror. You are looking directly at the result of your past choices. If you are pleased with what you see then keep on eating and exercising the way you have been. It's working for you! If you’re not satisfied with what you see, then it’s time to start making different choices about food and exercise. Here are some suggestions: Healthy food choices:
Focus your energy on the choices you make regarding what you eat and how you exercise. If you don’t know where to begin then please reach out to me, I’m here for you. Call or email today and I’ll help get you started on a fitness program that will quickly transform what you see in that mirror. Call or email me today and we will get you started on an effective exercise program today!  Traditional pasta is a big no-no when it comes to being fit and toned, so many fitness enthusiasts turn to vegetables for their noodle fix. This is a wonderful recipe to make a big batch of and to use throughout the week for meal prep by adding chopped, grilled chicken breast for protein. There’s tons of flavor and fiber to keep you fueled and happy.
You’ll need a spiral slicer for this recipe, in order to create long, noodle strands out of zucchini. If you don’t already have a spiral slicer, it’s a great tool that makes low-carb noodles quickly and easily. The addition of roasted asparagus to this pasta is simply delicious. Enjoy! What You Need Serves 4 1 bunch, organic asparagus 1 teaspoon olive oil dash of sea salt and pepper 5 organic zucchini 2 Tablespoons sun dried tomatoes, chopped For the dressing 1 garlic clove, chopped 2 Tablespoons yellow onion, chopped 1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard 1 Tablespoon lemon juice ¼ teaspoon sweet paprika 2 Tablespoons olive oil ¼ cup fresh chives, thinly sliced Instructions 1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. 2. Trim the ends off the asparagus, and chop into ½ inch pieces. Place in a medium bowl and combine with the olive oil and a dash of salt and pepper. Transfer to a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. 3. Trim the ends from the zucchini and use a veggie peeler to remove the green skin. Cut the zucchini in half, width-wise, then run through a spiral slicer to create long, angel hair noodles. Place the noodles in a large bowl. Add the sun dried tomatoes and roasted asparagus. 4. In a small bowl combine all of the dressing ingredients. Pour the dressing over the noodle salad and mix well to combined. Nutrition One serving equals: 134 calories, 8g fat, 10mg sodium, 10g carbohydrate, 5g fiber, and 5g protein I hope that you get a chance to give this recipe a try this week. Remember that I’m only a call or email away to assist you in all things fitness. And if you are not yet one of my prized clients then call or email me now to set up your first workout – I’d love to help you achieve your best body ever!  You want what millions of other people do—to be lean and fit. Whether you want to trim off extra pounds so you’ll feel better, look better, or be better prepared to tackle whatever demands come your way, you probably want to find the most efficient way to do it. Well, with this email, you can figure out if you should put your emphasis on diet or exercise to get the results you want. I present the contenders for your weight-loss attention… In the Left Corner: Diet While fad diets have tried their darndest to malign the fine name of dieting, proper diet continues to be a vital way to lose weight. In fact, research has shown that if you’re only going to do one thing in your journey to weight loss, it should be dieting. What does dieting mean exactly? It means taking very careful note of every bite you put in your mouth. But you can’t stop there. Because paying attention to what you eat isn’t going to make you lose an ounce of weight. You’ve got to take note of it and then reduce the number of calories you consume. If you want to lose even more faster, you’ll even want to make sure your calories are good calories. In other words, you can’t eat just Twinkies and Big Macs every day. You’ll want to go with fresh fruits and vegetables, lean protein sources, and lots and lots of water. In the Right Corner: Exercise Like diet, there have been all sorts of fad exercise programs that have spanned from dangerous to ridiculously funny. But exercise hasn’t lost its place in the race for weight loss. Why? Because savvy people realize you’ve got to hit the gym if you’re going to maximize your weight loss. The best technique for weight loss is to burn more calories than you take in, and exercise is your golden ticket for shredding calories and building muscle. There are other reasons exercise rocks in the world of weight loss. It is the best way to ensure that the weight you drop is fat and not muscle. Also, when you exercise, your muscles tone up and grow stronger. With more muscle, your body’s ability to shave off calories increases, making it easier to burn calories even when you’re doing nothing at all. Diet can’t do that! Who Wins the Battle? More than likely, you read this hoping that exercise alone would help you lose weight because you hate the idea of watching what you eat. Or maybe you’re just the opposite, and you prefer to watch your diet but absolutely loathe exercise. Well, there’s bad news for you either way. This battle that has been waging on for decades (okay, make that centuries) is ultimately a draw. If you’re not willing to eat right and exercise, the success you see today will be gone tomorrow. Try as you might, one of these ingredients alone is not enough to help you lose weight, keep it off, and have an overall healthy lifestyle. In fact, you will find that once you become serious about losing weight, you will be careful about what you eat because you don’t want to put all that exercise to waste. At the same time, you’ll push yourself harder in the gym because you realize you could burn even more calories and get closer to your weight goal today. So stop pitting diet against exercise and do both. Your good health and leaner self await! I’d love to be your solution for challenging, effective exercise program. Call, text, or email me today to get started!  Here’s a high protein salad that is bursting with flavor and nutrients. Try the simple homemade salad dressing – it’s much healthier than store bought dressings, and still lends lots of flavor.
This delicious recipe for Spinach Salad is a quick and simple meal that’s filled with fiber and protein. For a complete dinner, add a grilled and sliced chicken breast. Dinners like this will get you well on your way to transforming your body. Pack the leftovers for a wholesome, fat burning lunch. What You Need Serves 4 6 cups organic baby spinach 4 hard boiled eggs, chopped 6 pieces bacon, crumbled 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved 1 teaspoon olive oil Juice from one lime dash of pepper Instructions 1. Combine the spinach, eggs, bacon and tomatoes in a large bowl. 2. In a small bowl whisk the olive oil, lime juice and pepper. 3. Pour the dressing over the salad, mix and serve. Nutrition One serving equals: 170 calories, 10g fat, 337mg sodium, 5g carbohydrate, 2g fiber, and 13g protein I hope that you get a chance to give this recipe a try this week. Remember that I’m only a call or email away to assist you in all things fitness. And if you are not yet one of my prized clients then call or email me now to set up your first workout – I’d love to help you achieve your best body ever!  This question might make you squirm, but let’s ask it anyway… Are you wasting time in the gym? Do you regularly push yourself to the limit? Do you feel the burn with each rep? Do you have nothing left to give when it’s over? Or would you describe your routine more like a comfortable trot? Do you coast along, breaking a respectable sweat while doing the same old thing? Since you are spending a portion of your valuable time exercising, I assume that you have goals and aspirations for your body. And I also assume that if you had the option to achieve that leaner, more toned body even faster you’d jump at it! The following tips are going to show you how to spend less time exercising, while achieving quicker, more noticeable results. Sound good? Be Focused. It sounds obvious, but this crucial requirement for an effective workout is often overlooked. Don’t be one of those people who exercise their jaw muscles (from chit chatting) more than any other muscles. When you’re lifting weights, focus on that specific muscle group. Researchers have proven significant increase in muscle activity when people focused on what they were doing, compared to thinking about unrelated topics. Be Confused. Err, more specifically your muscles should be confused. Do this by changing up your routine often. This helps to avoid plateaus and to continuously challenge your body. Try new exercises at new intensities and new weights. Be Nourished and Hydrated. Stay on top of your food and your hydration levels. The best results are achieved when you’re drinking enough water and eating real, wholesome foods. Be Strategic. The time of day that you exercise makes a huge difference in your results. And no, I’m not going to say that there’s a universal ‘right time’ to workout. Your job is to figure out when your body is at its best and to make that the time that you consistently exercise. If you’re not a morning person, then don’t force yourself to wake up at 5am, try working out after work instead. Be Watched. There’s a benefit to working out in a group setting. Researchers saw a significant increase in strength and endurance in the people who had an audience versus those training on their own. Be Caffeinated. Caffeine has been shown to help burn fat and to increase endurance. If you don’t have any medical conditions that would otherwise make moderate caffeine intake unsafe, then drink a caffeinated beverage one hour prior to working out. Be Pumped Up. Check this out: researchers found that music motivated weightlifters to complete two more repetitions on average than those who were not listening to music. That’s a great reason to listen to upbeat music while you exercise. Be Comfortable. Not only will you be happy to put comfortable workout clothes on, but you will also be able to focus better on your workout, rather than wondering if your pants will split when you squat. Be Smart. If you’re not already one of my valued clients, then now is the time to become one. Working with a professional ensures that you’re being challenged and are seeing results. And that’s just smart, right? If you don’t know where to start when it comes to exercise, I’m here to help. It’s my passion to make exercise a part of your life that you look forward to and are rewarded by. Call or email me today and we will get you started on the exercise program that completely transforms your body.  Here’s a wholesome dinner that will please the whole family. Serve it with a scoop of quinoa and a serving of steamed broccoli for a complete meal. This delicious recipe for Apricot Chicken is a quick and simple dinner that’s filled with fiber and protein. Dinners like this will get you well on your way to transforming your body. Pack the leftovers for a wholesome, fat burning lunch. What You Need Serves 5 ½ cup fruit-only apricot preserves ¼ cup coconut aminos 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger 1 garlic clove, minced ¼ teaspoon sweet paprika 1 lb organic chicken tenders Instructions 1. In a medium skillet combine the apricot preserves, coconut aminos, vinegar, ginger, garlic and sweet paprika. Place over low heat and mix often for 4 minutes. Rinse the chicken tenders and place in a baking sheet. Pour the apricot mixture over the chicken, and place in the fridge for 20 minutes. 2. Turn on the High broil. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Place a wire rack in the center of the sheet and arrange the marinated chicken in a single layer. Place in the oven on the top rack. After 5 minutes, use tongs to flip the chicken. Return to the oven for another 5 minutes. Allow the chicken to blacken slightly. Nutrition One serving equals: 215 calories, 1g fat, 91mg sodium, 14g carbohydrate, 1g fiber, and 27g protein I hope that you get a chance to give this recipe a try this week. Remember that I’m only a call or email away to assist you in all things fitness. And if you are not yet one of my prized clients then call or email me now to set up your first workout – I’d love to help you achieve your best body ever! |
David CorderOwner and Lead Personal Trainer at Perfect Fit Wellness Center. Archives
August 2019
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