The Fastest way to lose belly fat
The Fastest Way to Lose Belly Fat
Speaking of taking care of business in the gym, if you’re going to really shed belly fat, you’re going to have to commit yourself to exercise. No more excuses and no more halfway doing it. You’ve got to go all out. But before you set up shop in the corner doing 3.7 million sit-ups, you should know that as helpful as it is to have a strong core for overall health, burning off belly fat by targeting all exercises directly at your abs won’t work.
Instead, you’ll need to put in a full-body exercise routine that gets your heart pumping. That means on top of a solid foundation of weights and other strength-training exercises, you’ll want to pile on plenty of high intensity cardio exercises.
The fastest way to lose belly fat
#3: Track It All
Getting rid of belly fat is a daunting task, and even when it’s going well, it can feel remarkably slow. By keeping track of your progress and your daily intake and outtake of calories, you can better determine what’s working and what’s not and have a better perspective on your actual progress.
Tracking isn’t just good at seeing where you’ve been. It’s also useful for setting goals. Run for 20 minutes yesterday? Go for another couple minutes today. Or better yet, if it took 20 minutes to run two miles yesterday, try running an extra tenth of a mile in the same amount of time today. Keep piling new challenges on top of yourself, and that fat that has clung so tightly to your belly through the years will soon be dropping off of your frame.
Even the best exercise routine in the world is fruitless if you throw away your results with sloppy eating. Remember to keep your meals lean by avoiding processed carbs, packaged foods or fried items. Fill up on lean proteins and fresh vegetables and reward yourself with organic, seasonal fruit. That, my friend, is lean living!
The fastest way to lose belly fat
Ready to take your fitness results to the next level? Call or email me today and we will get you started on an exercise program that’s designed to deliver massive results. Come on, you deserve it!
www.placentiapersonaltraining.com
Excuses that prevent weight loss
7 Excuses That Prevent Weight Loss
Then stop trying to diet alone! Grab your healthiest friends and surround yourself with them. When you’re tempted to go off track with your diet or want to skip a workout, call or text your friends for immediate support. They’ll prop you up, remind you of your goals, and encourage you to stay the course.
Excuse #7: My Body Is Delicate
First off, before you start an exercise routine, it’s a good idea to run the idea by your physician. However, unless you have an incredibly rare condition, exercises done with proper technique and eating healthily will not put you at risk for anything but improved health. As soon as you accept the fact that your body can handle much more than you’ve put it through, the sooner you’ll begin enjoying the gym and make better use of your body.
Exercise is a huge part of the equation when it comes to achieving weight loss.
I am passionate about seeing my clients achieve results—without wasting time, energy and effort on mistakes.
Excuses that prevent weight loss
Call or email me today. I’d love to get you on the exercise program that will change your body and your life for the better. www.placentiapersonaltraining.com
Benefits of fat loss
5 Big Benefits of Fat Loss
Gaining weight
Gaining weight
7 Sneaky Reasons You’re Gaining Weight
Are you plagued with unwanted pounds, despite your best efforts to eat healthy and get fit? You’re not alone. Millions of others across the globe, just like you, are struggling to shed weight in an uphill battle.
Here are 7 Sneaky Reasons You’re Gaining Weight…some of these might surprise you.
Sneaky Weight Gain #1: Sucking on Cigarettes. You may think it’s common knowledge that smoking helps you stay thin. However, you may be surprised that this is actually a common misperception. Recent research has shown that contrary to the long-believed lie that smoking keeps you thin, it actually leads to weight gain. This happens by interrupting your body’s metabolic function and causing it to be insulin-resistant. Interestingly, the same is true for those exposed to second-hand smoke.
Sneaky Weight Gain #2: Working Nights. Desperate times call for desperate measures, and for some, this measure is working the graveyard shift. While it may provide a boost to your pay (third-shift workers often get paid more than others), it wreaks havoc on your body. From messing up your sleep cycles to putting you in a position that requires less movement to eating more out of boredom, working through the night is full of weight-gaining risks.
Sneaky Weight Gain #3: Having Too Many Choices. If you’ve ever eaten at a buffet, you know what happens. There are so many options you don’t know what to pick. So you get a little bit of everything. Putting yourself in a position to be surrounded by food—even if there are plenty of healthy options—can be very dangerous. Even if you go with healthy options, it’s easy to eat too much of a good thing. When the options overwhelm you, stick to your guns: a small portion of lean meat and appropriate portions of a couple fruits and vegetables.
Sneaky Weight Gain #4: Overestimating Your Routine’s Intensity. Yes, you’re sweating up a storm when you make your way to the locker room for a shower. And your wobbly legs are the result of the squats and running you just combined in a single workout. But don’t use your routine as an excuse to eat everything in your path. To maintain a healthy weight or lose weight, you can’t eat more calories than you burned. Still feeling hungry after eating? You may not need to eat more. You may need to eat smarter.
Sneaky Weight Gain #5: Chilling On Your Backside. Everyone needs downtime. But if you’re not careful, you can wind up spending too much time on your rump. Between workouts, take a look at your daily routine. Do you work an office job? Does family time center around watching television shows together or playing board games? It may be time to make a change. No, don’t quit your job. But walk down the hall to talk to the person you’re about to email. And when family time comes around, use movie night to go on a scavenger hunt around the neighborhood.
Sneaky Weight Gain #6: Beefing Up Your Snacks. To stay healthy, you’ll need to eat something between meals. Otherwise, it’s very easy to overeat and put on extra pounds. However, you’ll need to watch what you eat for a snack. It’s easy to make a snack that is as large as a meal. But remember the purpose of your snack: to eat a little something before your next meal. It is not to fill yourself, but to knock the edge off your hunger. Keep your snacking light by drinking plenty of water.
Gaining weight
Sneaky Weight Gain #7: Chasing Beer with Food. You go out to eat and there are no tables ready. So you grab a beer and hang out, waiting for an opening. Unfortunately, you just made a belly-busting boo-boo. Because research has proven that drinking beer before you eat will result in you eating more than you would have otherwise. On top of eating more calories for dinner, that beer you guzzle is full of calories, which means before you even take the first bite of your food, you’ve already sucked down quite a few calories.
One of your best defenses against unwanted pounds is to participate in a consistent, challenging exercise routine. That’s what I do for my clients to keep them filled with energy and in fantastic shape. And that’s what I’d love to do for you.
Give me a call, or shoot me an email, and let’s get started on getting you into the best shape of your life.
www.placentiapersonaltraining.com
Belly fat
5 habits that cause belly fat
There’s nothing quite as frustrating as that stubborn belly fat that sits around your waist, makes your pants tight and destroys your confidence.
If you have belly fat to lose, then chances are great that you are harboring one or more of these 5 habits that cause belly fat.
Read the 5 Belly Fat Habits below to identify the reason why your stubborn belly fat won’t budge…
Belly Fat Habit #1: Too Much Sugar
Sugar is found in many of the foods that you eat daily. From breakfast cereals, to coffee drinks, to protein bars, to energy drinks…more items in your daily diet contain sugar than you’re aware of. All of these sugar calories add up quickly and translate into many pounds gained.
Make it a habit to read the ingredients and the sugar count in the foods you are eating. Pay special attention to breakfast items, yogurts, protein bars and any item that is packaged. Avoid eating foods that contain added sugars as a part of your daily diet.
Belly Fat Habit #2: Daily Dessert
There used to be a time and place when desserts were reserved for Sunday evenings and special occasions. Not anymore! These days dessert has become a daily occurrence. Much like the first Belly Fat Habit, having dessert is another form of having too much sugar, and all those sugar calories rapidly turn to fat.
Forget eating dessert everyday. Save desserts for cheat days and special occasions, and stick with fresh fruit as your daily after-meal sweet.
Belly Fat Habit #3: Bad Snacking
In recent years snacking has been named one of the best ways to maintain your metabolism, in order to burn fat all day long; and while there is some truth to eating small, high protein-high fiber meals frequently, for the most part all of this snacking has done nothing better than make us fat.
Most snack items are crunchy and salty, 2 qualities that you’ll rarely find in a healthy snack, and contain loads of simple carbohydrates and, you guessed it, more sugar. In order to avoid belly fat you’re better off avoiding all traditional snack foods, and to fall out of the habit of ‘snacking’ entirely.
If you’re hungry between meals then eat a small amount of protein and fiber, such as a hard boiled egg with cucumber, or a packet of tuna with celery.
Belly Fat Habit #4: Daily Alcohol
Having that drink with dinner (or two, or three…) can quickly become a fast and steady habit. It’s easy to justify the drinks because you had a long, hard day and you deserve it. The alcohol takes your mind off of your troubles and loosens you up for a good time. However, all those alcohol calories are basically sugar, and all that sugar is going straight to your belly. (Beer belly, anyone?)
Breaking your daily alcohol habit is tough, I’ll give you that, however it may motivate you to know that it’s nearly impossible to lose fat on a day when you’re drinking alcohol. Alcohol = fat storage mode. Also it’s great to know that once you’ve allocated alcohol to cheat days and special occasions, you’ll lose fat quicker and easier than ever before.
Belly Fat Habit #5: Lack of Exercise
This one is kind of a no-brainer, right? If you aren’t moving your body in a consistent, challenging way then you’re going to store body fat. Plain and simple. An effective, invigorating exercise routine is the ticket you need to dump that fat for good.
I’m here to help you simply and easily lose all of your unwanted belly fat. The start of this brand new year is the perfect time to begin an exercise program that really works – and my programs have been proven to be the most effective, so let’s get going!
www.placentiapersonaltraining.com
COMBAT FAT FIT CLASS
COMBAT FAT FIT CLASS
Get the body of a fighter without getting hit!
This 6 week class you will use some of the same conditioning & FAT burning techniques fighter use. You will also learn real kickboxing moves with out getting hit.
Trial class start Tuesday November 4th 6pm & Thursday November 6th at 6pm
The official kick off for the next 6 week program starts on Tuesday November 11th 6pm
SPACE IS VERY LIMITED SO CALL 714-883-8940 TO RESERVE YOUR SPOT!!
Combat FAT fit class is based on HIIT principal used by many athletes around the world.
Call 714-883-8940
www.placentiapersonaltraining.com
5 meals ready in 5 minutes
5 meals ready in 5 Minutes,
Most of us want to eat healthy – we really do – but a single detrimental factor gets in our way…we simply don’t have the time.
I get it, we all lead busy lives that leave very little extra time for healthy meal prep, but the alternative of fast food meals, frozen dinners and restaurant fare is making us lose in the battle of the bulge.
All too often I see people exercise hard everyday, and then flush their results away with irresponsible eating. Don’t let this be you!
To get you on the fast track to quick, healthy eating here are 5 healthy meals that take only 5 minutes to prepare:
5 meals ready in 5 minutes
Fast Meal #1: Traditional pancakes are filled with carbs, grains and a plethora of simple sugars – not something you’d consider healthy. In fact, eat pancakes regularly and you’ll find your fitness results quickly disappear. However, this simple, wholesome, 3-ingredient pancake recipe is the exception. It’s a pancake that you’re able to enjoy without guilt.
3-Ingredient Pancakes
Here’s what you need:
- 3 ripe bananas
- 2 eggs
- 3 Tablespoons almond butter
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract or ground cinnamon *optional
- Mash the bananas in a bowl (or blend in a food processor). Add the eggs, almond butter and flavor additions. Mix until smooth.
- Preheat a griddle or skillet. Lightly grease with coconut oil. Pour the batter in ¼ cup scoops.
- Once you see bubbles form, flip and cook the other side until golden.
- Serve with fresh fruit.
Fast Meal #2: Tuna is a wonderful fish that’s packed with muscle-building protein. However, most tuna salad recipes drowned out the benefits with a boatload of calorie-packed mayonnaise. Here’s a refreshing tuna salad recipe that, in addition to being quick to prepare, avoids the trap of high-calorie dressing.
Quick Tuna Salad
Here’s what you need:
- 1 green apple, chopped
- 2 green onions, tops only, chopped
- ¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 2 cans albacore tuna, in drained
- 1 Tablespoon dijon mustard
- ¼ cup coconut oil, melted
- ¼ cup red grapes, halved
- sea salt and pepper to taste
- Mix all of the ingredients in a large bowl and serve immediately. I like to serve this salad in large butter lettuce leaves, or scooped onto avocado halves.
Fast Meal #3: Yogurt has often been advertized as a healthy, guilt-free snack or meal replacement. This always bothers me because I know just how many simple carbs and sugars most flavored yogurts contain. Many people are deceived into thinking that the creamy, fruit flavored snack will help them lose fat, while it does just the opposite. Here’s a recipe for a creamy, fruit flavored snack that is actually packed with protein and free of fattening sugars.
Creamy Protein Mousse
Here’s what you need:
- 1 cup chopped fruit
- 1 (13.5oz) can coconut milk, full fat (chilled in the fridge overnight)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 frozen bananas, peeled
- 1 Tablespoon coconut oil
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- ½ cup stevia-sweetened vanilla protein powder
1) Chill the can of coconut milk in the fridge overnight. Do NOT shake the can up at all! Carefully turn the can over and open from the bottom. Drain out the liquid and scoop the white cream into a food processor. Discard the liquid.
2) Throw all of the ingredients into a food processor. Blend on high until creamy. Enjoy chilled.
5 meals ready in 5 minutes
Fast Meal #4: Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and not only because it’s the meal that breaks your overnight fast. What you decide to eat for breakfast sets the tone for the rest of your food decisions for the day. A donut or breakfast sandwich grabbed from a drive thru will set you up to eat junk for the rest of the day. On the other hand, a wholesome, nutritious breakfast will get you geared up to eat good-for-you foods all day long. This quick breakfast recipe is packed with amazing, natural flavor as well as protein-filled eggs to power your day.
Zucchini Egg Scramble
Here’s what you need:
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 zucchini, thinly sliced
- 2 Tablespoons green onion, chopped
- 2 Tablespoons chives, chopped
- 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, minced
- 2 organic eggs
- In a small skillet place the olive oil over medium heat. Add the zucchini, green onion, chives and rosemary. Cook until the zucchini is lightly browned on both sides.
- Crack the eggs into the skillet and continue to cook, mixing, until the eggs are set. Remove from heat and enjoy immediately.
Fast Meal #5: I’ve saved the best for last, in this list of 5 Fast Meals. There was a time when most people would turn their nose up at the idea of a salad being a meal, but times are changing, and we are now more aware than ever how traditional meals are too heavy and lead to obesity. I’d like you to consider a ‘Everything Salad’ to be the perfect, quick and guilt-free meal. Sure, there are plenty of ways to take a salad and make it fattening, but that’s not what we want to do. By taking a big bowl of fresh greens and topping it with lean protein, colorful veggies and a light, homemade dressing – you’ve got yourself the perfect meal!
Everything Salad
Here’s what you need:
- Dark leafy greens (spinach, arugula, kale)
- Lean protein (chicken, turkey, lamb, hard boiled egg)
- Colorful veggies, chopped (bell peppers, tomatoes, zucchini)
- Fresh Herbs (basil, rosemary, oregano, mint)
- Homemade dressing (see recipe below)
- Raid your fridge for fresh, organic produce and lean, cooked protein. Add in some fresh veggies and chopped herbs and mix together with a simple, homemade dressing. There you have it, the perfect meal!
While eating healthy, nutritious meals is awesome, don’t forget that exercise is half of the battle when it comes to getting and staying fit. Call or email me today and we will get you started on the exercise program that will reshape your body once and for all! 5 meals ready in 5 minutes
Sugar in foods
Sugar in foods
It’s hard to avoid sugar when many common foods secretly contain loads of it.
You know that eating an excess of sugar will derail your fitness progress and quickly lead to an increase in body fat, but recent studies are proving that sugar is much more dangerous than we once thought.
Your risk of heart attack doubles when 20 percent or more of your calories come from sugar, according to a new study published in JAMA International Medicine.
That is no joke! So with obesity and heart disease on the line, let’s uncover the 7 common foods that you didn’t know contain sugar.
1. Fruit Yogurt
Yogurt is packaged and marketed as a diet food for women, which is outrageous. The pretty little packages may be low in fat, but just one serving contains a whopping 19 grams of sugar.
2. Pasta Sauce
This one may come as a surprise, since pasta sauce is considered to be a savory food, but alas, it has loads of sugar hiding in it. For every half a cup of store bought pasta sauce you’re ingesting 12 grams of sugar.
Sugar in foods
3. Agave Nectar
Many think of agave nectar as a free pass, since it has been so cleverly marketed as a health food, but sadly this sweetener is just as dangerous as white sugar. Agave nectar is 85% fructose.
4. Dried Fruit
Yes, even our fruit isn’t safe anymore. Most companies are adding extra sugar in with their dried fruit, making it as sweet as candy. Just 1/3 of a cup contains 24 grams of sugar.
5. Granola Bars
It may boast wholesome, whole grains on the package, but your favorite granola bar is hiding a sickly sweet secret. The average packaged granola bar contains 12 grams of sugar.
6. Energy Drinks
When you need an afternoon pick-me-up, think twice before reaching for that energy drink. Mega energy drinks contain up to 83 grams of sugar.
7. BBQ Sauce
There’s a reason that those BBQ chicken wings are finger licking good…all that sugar it’s hiding. A 2 Tablespoon serving will set you back 13 grams of sugar. Start eliminating the sugar-packed foods in your diet today. Your body and your heart will both be in better shape for it.
And let’s not forget the place that a challenging, consistent exercise program has in your quest for good health and a fit physique. My programs are specially designed to blast fat and to build muscle in all the right places.
Sugar in foods
Call or email me today to get started on a fat loss program that really works.
Healthy fast foods
Healthy fast foods:
Sounds too good to be true, right? Fast food that is healthy?
Fast food has a reputation for being high in trans fat, saturated fat, sodium, and calories, while having next to no healthy ingredients. For example, one loaded hamburger, fries, and pie contain more saturated fat than you should eat in two days.
However, things are changing. The past few years have seen many fast-food restaurants make a concerted effort to improve their menus. As a result, many restaurants now offer low-fat options and fresh ingredients. Choose wisely and you no longer have to sacrifice a healthy meal for the sake of convenience.
But to do this, you must be an informed customer, resist menu temptations, and make healthy choices when it comes to fast food. Finding a nutritious, cheap, convenient meal may be a challenge, but it can be done.
Beware!
…of menu lingo. Steer clear of meals labeled fried, breaded, basted, creamy, crispy, batter-dipped, au gratin, scalloped, or Alfredo. These dishes are usually high in unhealthy fats, sodium, and calories.
Instead, go for lean meat options that are broiled or grilled and fresh or steamed veggies. If needed, special order your food to be prepared in a healthier manner.
…of extras. A salad may seem like a low-fat option until you drown it in fried toppings, high-fat dressing, and cheese. A deli sandwich is a great choice until you add the mayo, spreads, and cheeses. The same goes for a baked potato. What about the butter, cheese, bacon, salt, and mountain of sour cream?
Simple, fresh ingredients are best. Ask for dressings and toppings on the side so you can monitor how much is added.
…of portion sizes. A single serving at many restaurants could feed an entire family. The average meal at a fast-food joint can contain more than 1,000 calories. Extra large options should be replaced with smaller portions or shared with family or friends. Don’t forget the calories contained in your drinks. Often overlooked, the calories in sodas and sweetened beverages add up quickly.
Try unsweetened iced tea or lemon water instead.
…of buffets! Even if you choose the salad bar, buffets set the stage for overeating. You may just want to eat your money’s worth, but chances are, you’ll eat more than you need.
After finishing your meal, wait at least 20 minutes before heading back for seconds. Your body needs time to tell your brain your stomach is full.
…of eating on the run. Isn’t this what fast food is all about? Unfortunately, when you’re in a hurry and aren’t thinking about what you’re eating, you tend to overeat and overindulge.
Slow down and chew slowly. Your food will digest easier and you’ll most likely eat less. Remember, it takes time for your brain to get the message that you’re satisfied. So chew well and give your brain the chance it needs.
Be Smart
Healthy fast foods
Knowing is half the battle. The other half is making the right choices. Depending on your health condition, it may be OK to splurge every once it a while, but a habit of double-patty, greasy burgers and large fries every week will hurt your body.
Instead, choose a single-patty burger or a grilled chicken sandwich. In place of a milkshake, go for the yogurt parfait. Rather than French fries, opt for a baked potato or side salad. (Just be sure to choose smart toppings.)
Fast Food Shouldn’t Be the Norm
While there are healthier options available these days at fast-food joints, nothing is as fresh and nutritious as a home-cooked, low-fat meal. Save the fast-food meals for rare occasions when there’s no better option.
Healthy fast foods
Remember that exercise is a huge part of the equation when it comes to achieving weight loss.
Call or email me today and we will get you started on the exercise program that will reshape your body in 2013.
Why your fat loss is stuck
Fat loss stuck, If your scale won’t budge, then this story is for you.
Jon Gabriel was stuck.
At nearly 410 pounds, he had tried every diet imaginable – with no luck.
No matter what approach he took to lose fat, his body would fight him, and he would inevitably end up heavier than before.
Then one day he had a light bulb-over-the-head “ah-hah” moment: His body wanted to be fat, and as long as it wanted to be fat, there was nothing he could do to lose weight.
If you’ve struggled for any length of time with weight loss, then you know the frustration that Gabriel felt in that moment. He was at war with his body.
In the two years following Gabriel’s “ah-hah” moment, he lost over 220 pounds naturally, without surgery or counting calories. His incredible journey is recounted in his book The Gabriel Method.
One of the key components to his success was that he identified and addressed the mental and emotional reasons that his body felt safe being overweight. Once these issues were eliminated, the weight began to fall off.
The Real Reason You Can’t Lose Weight
According to Gabriel, your body wants to be fat anytime it decides that being fat is the best way to keep you safe. Once your body understands that being thin is the best way to keep you safe, your body will want to be thin and the weight will fall off.
This all ties into our survival instincts to protect us from starvation, freezing to death or being eaten.
In our modern world you have different worries than being chased by a lion, but even modern stress about paying your bills create the exact same chemical signals that are produced when you are starving or freezing. This convinces your body that you need to be fat in order to be safe.
When you approach weight loss from the outside in, you overlook mental and emotional threats that can confuse your body into thinking that being fat can help keep you safe.
Here are four threats that may be affecting you:
Fat loss stuck
1. Fear of Scarcity: When you spend your time in fear that you don’t have enough money then you send a message to your body that resources are limited. The only resource that your body recognizes is food – and storing fat is how your body saves up.
2. Emotional Obesity: At a subconscious level you may have the association that being fat makes you feel safer, or that it is serving another emotional need. In this case your body is simply trying to protect you; it is making you feel safer emotionally.
3. Mental Starvation: Though your body only recognizes physical starvation, you can also be suffering from emotional or mental starvation.
This could be a desire for love, joy, fun, intimacy, or a deeper spiritual connection. Any mental or emotional longing can send the same chemical signals in your brain that physical starvation causes.
Fat loss
4. Dysfunctional Beliefs: If you believe that you were meant to be fat, or deserve to be fat, or if you view weight loss as impossible, then your body will obey by refusing to lose weight. Change your dysfunctional beliefs first and then weight loss will become simple.
Exercise was a big part of Gabriel’s remarkable weight loss journey. Once he broke through the mental and emotional reasons for his obesity, his body craved activity.
Are you ready to begin your weight loss/fat loss journey? I’m here to help.
Call or email today to get started on a program that will transform your life forever – just like Gabriel did.
714-883-8940
www.placentiapersonaltraining.com