Following my  Fitness Tips is a good way to add to your daily health and wellness routine. Just a few changes every week can make a huge difference in your overall fitness program and results.

• It is very important to weight train! It is fine to do the “latest” trend workouts as long as they are joint friendly and form guided by the instructor, but it is also important to train with weights for bone density, weight training promotes fat free body mass, making it even more important to add to your routine because muscle mass decreases with age, Weight training also increases the strength of connective tissue, tendons and muscle as well as improving your overall quality of life! So please whatever you do, do NOT remove weight training from your weekly routine.
• Every week I see people trying desperately to control their weight and becoming increasingly frustrated, while exercise is certainly a large part of a healthy lifestyle, food and nutrition are key to successful weight loss and overall fitness. It is important to journal your food intake!
• Stay away from processed foods, there is nothing good about food being changed from it’s natural form to last longer.
• Your emotional health is just as important as your physical health: that’s why the mind must never be neglected, find a way that makes you feel emotionally healthy, yoga, hiking or reading, whatever taps into that inner peace.
• Get more ZZZ’s. Sleep is so important for our bodies and yet we all seem to cheat ourselves of this precious time. Sleep produces a tissue repairing growth hormone and lacking this hormone can cause weight gain. When we are tired our bodies produce a chemical called ghrelin, which triggers sugar cravings for a quick energy fix.
• I know that you have heard it over and over but it is true, you have to DRINK PLENTY OF WATER! Dehydration causes your metabolic rate to slow down which has a negative effect on calorie-burning and exercise, so even if you are working hard this will have a negative effect on your fitness results, so drink up!
• Get moving and stop procrastinating on your training, this only leads to more frustration, over eating and feeling bad about yourself, after a few workouts you feel the endorphins kick in and you are feeling great about yourself and ready to go! Once you get to this point you will want to keep on going to reach your goals.

My Personal Secrets:

• The first thing that I do when I wake up is drink a glass of fresh infused lemon water! It is my morning detox!  It aids digestion, eliminates toxins, invigorates the immune system and keeps my skin clear, healthy and hydrated!
• Workout 3-4 times per week mixing weight training, cardio, TRX suspension and lots of core work!
• My favorite workout is an interval routine outside in the warmer weather. In addition, I like to hike and use my stationary bike at home.
• Planks, Planks and more Planks! These are the best core strengthening exercises you can do. I never do a workout without adding a form of Planks into the routine. If you struggle with planks, simply modify the exercise until you build up enough core strength to do a full plank, that is what this exercise is all about!
• Have a Fruit or Vegetable smoothie made at home every day for lunch, it keeps me satisfied until dinner.
• Take your vitamins everyday. Check with your physician for advice on the right supplements for you.
• Add Barleans Total Omega Swirl Complete Omega-3,6,9 Nutrition in Delicious Orange Cream Flavor to your OJ every morning, the combination of Flax, Fish Oil and Borage oil reduces inflammation in the body and has numerous other benefits to your health, check it out at www.barleans.com
• For emotional wellness, I like to get massages, take a yoga class, hike, read or take a warm bath to reconnect my body and mind.
• I also do Reiki on myself a few times per week, Reiki energy was a game changer for me, I am lucky to have found amazing teachers over the years, they are my earth angels who have helped me unblock my internal energy blocks and have brought out my natural gifts and I now have the ability to help others and my true passion of helping animals on yet another level!
• I meditate daily! I know many of you say that you find meditating difficult, I did too! It is not that difficult once you learn to turn off your mind and ego. Once you get there I promise you will have a hard time not meditating daily!
• Hire a trainer, it is worth the investment, even I have a trainer that keeps me on track, I help her with my fit tips too! The health benefits of having someone that you are accountable to is priceless!

Flat Belly Secrets:

• There are four basics to belly fat control: Stress management, getting enough sleep, eating the right foods and regular exercise!
• Stress Control: While it is not possible to avoid it completely, it is important to learn how to control stress in our lives, we usually make poor food choices while under stress in turn making our health suffer. Find your stress control, such as deep breathing techniques, yoga, reading a book or a bike ride. This will calm the mind and body and keep your cortisol levels in check and your belly flat.
• Sleep: I know I have said it again and again, but we all need to get enough SLEEP!
• Diet: Getting enough fiber in your diet is important in controlling belly fat. I recommend keeping a food log for a full week to review your exact food intake and making the appropriate changes. Eat slowly, it is important to chew your food, do not eat too fast, it causes bloating.
• Exercise: Ideally, we all need thirty minutes of vigorous exercise four days per week!

*The information on this page is for educational purposes only and should not be used as a substitute for the personal care or advise of a doctor. Always consult your doctor when starting a new fitness or nutritional program.*