Women...Afraid to Lift Weights? Group Power is a Great Alternative!

I just completed a 3-day certification training class in Group Power!  It was the most amazing experience ever!  The instructor pushed me beyond MY limits of what I thought I could do.  In just 3-days, I was lifting heavier than I ever thought I could without a spotter.  Ladies, don't be afraid to pick up the weights.  You will be amazed at how quick your body will respond to burning off that stubborn fat.  Not only is this class FUN, you get results FAST!  Now, don't get me wrong...it's for men and women and anybody at any age.

Live Fit Live Strong!!

Today is the Day...Happy New Year!

Well, today is the day! Some of you have made resolutions to get in the best shape of your life. Some, like myself are just hitting the gym as usual. Whichever, you are...get up and just do it! Make today the day to change your life for the better, I guarantee you won't regret it. Getting started is the most difficult part on this journey to health and fitness for life. Just focus on the first 30 days, get a routine together that you can honestly commit yourself to doing at least 3-4 times per week, stay off the scale and prepare healthy meals ahead of time, so that you don't fall into making unhealthy food choices. For anyone that needs some additional help in getting started, I'm always open to help or give advice. Come on...you can do this! Today is the day!

A Moving Experience

I had the most moving experience today at the gym. I walked into the locker room to change up for my workout and noticed two very heavy set young girls just standing there staring at me. One of the girls finally asked me; "How did you get your body like that?" I responded by telling her...well, I work out a minimum of 5 days a week and I eat what's good for me and stay away from foods that I know are not good for me. I also told her that working out is simply a part of my lifestyle. She proceeded to ask questions of how, and what she should do, which I was more than happy to explain and share with her. In the meantime, the other girl, still just standing there, saying nothing but staring at me...begin to cry. I begin to encourage her and tell her that, just the fact that she's in the gym is a great start. I told her don't quit, but to hang in there and to keep doing what she's doing and in time she'll begin to see results; and don't be discouraged by what other people say or how they look. Everyone is different, never compare yourself to someone else. My Pastor says, "before you begin admiring what someone else has or have accomplished, ask them, what did they sacrifice to get there?". Trust me, I sacrifice everyday to stay on track to be dedicated, consistent and focused, which is the key to any breakthrough that you are trying to accomplish. I admire both girls for just making the effort to walk into the gym and for taking the first steps in changing their lives for the better.

Live Fit Live Strong!

How to Burn Over 30,000 Calories by Just Walking

Did you know that a daily brisk walk of at least 30 minutes or more can burn up to 1500 calories every week?  Let's do the math...

If you walk briskly everyday for at least 30 minutes and burn 215 calories each session; that's 1,505 in one week!  Do this for at least 6 months and you'll have burn off 36,120 calories.  Set your goal to burn off 39,000 calories, because 39,000+/- calories = 11 pounds of fat, give or take a few.

So, no excuses!  Get out there and get your walk on...you'll start seeing results before you know it.

Live Fit Live Strong!

Bone Broth Helps with Wrinkles, Stretch Marks, and Cellulite

Bone broth contains collagen to make your skin supple and radiant. This delicious, mineral-rich broth can be used to make soup to support smooth, strong skin and reduce cellulite.

Drinking bone broth makes skin supple. Cellulite does not arise from carrying excess fat. Haven’t you ever seen a thin person with cellulite? It is common. Most people are taught to choose skinless and boneless meat and to fear animal fats. This is why even those who are slender will not be able to shake cellulite until they change their diet. (5)

• Cellulite comes from a lack of connective tissue.
• The smoothness of skin is from an abundance of connective tissue.
• Collagen-rich bone broth will supply your skin with the tools that it needs to support itself.
• Adding chicken feet, animal joints, and knuckles to a bone broth will increase the amount of collagen available.

Be on the look out for the "Bone Broth" recipe!

Live Fit Live Strong!

Are You Eating After 7:00 PM?

Hey there!  I came across an article that I wanted to share with you about eating after 7:00 pm.  Have you ever heard that eating after 7:00 pm could cause weight gain?  Well, I've heard the same, but after reading this article below, I have a totally different outlook.  Check it out!

Like us, you’ve probably met people who say, “as soon as I stopped eating after 7 p.m. I lost weight.” However, don't let them talk you into skipping late dinners--this is mostly fiction! Eating after 7 p.m. itself does not cause weight gain.

Although your body does have some sense of whether it is day or night, it will handle calories virtually the same no matter what time of day you eat. This means you don’t have to forgo dinner if you get home after 7 p.m.  At the same time, we're not exactly giving you the green light to chow down all hours of the night. 

Typically when people eat at night they aren’t reaching for healthy foods like veggies and fruits. When most people eat at 9:00 or 10:00 p.m., they’re grabbing cookies, chips, ice cream, or other snack- or dessert-like items while they watch TV or relax. So when those people decide to stop eating after after 7 or 8 p.m., they are just cutting out a lot of extra calories from junk food. It doesn’t matter what time you eat the junk food, cut back on it and you’ll lose weight (what a novel idea--we love it!).

Although, we don’t recommend having a heavy meal before bedtime. If you get home from work and haven’t eaten dinner, we suggest having a light meal or a healthy snack. We find that if you haven’t eaten since lunch and you go to bed hungry, you’ll still be hungry when you wake up and you’ll inevitably end up overeating. For a light, quick, dinner, try having a veggie egg white omelet or a nonfat Greek Yogurt with fruit or a bowl of oatmeal with a hard-boiled egg.  Although these may sound like breakfast ideas, they are quick and healthy at any time of day.

—Tammy Lakatos Shames and Elysse “Lyssie” Lakatos—otherwise known as the Nutrition Twins—are registered dietitians, certified personal trainers and authors of The Secret To Skinny: How Salt Makes You Fat. They will be blogging about healthy eating and weight loss for Fitbie every week.

Live Fit Live Strong!

Eat Clean and Train Dirty!

You can't out train a poor diet!  If you are training in the gym everyday, but still eating crap, you're wasting your time.  You will never reach your ultimate goal of fitness, if you don't change your eating habits.  Take time and dedicate it to preparing healthy meals at home that you can take with you.  By preparing your food ahead a time, will help you in a huge way; so that when you're in a crunch, you don't just grab whatever is available.  Eat clean, because the only thing that you should be doing dirty...is training hard!

Live Fit Live Strong!

Look Your Best with Imported Luxury Hair Extensions!

Introducing this amazing company offering the most luxurious hair that I've ever seen!  If you wear extensions, this is where you should be making your investment that will last for up to 12 months!  Luxe Virgin Hair extensions are imported from the source and 100% virgin hair, unprocessed, no dye and not chemically treated in any way.  Unlike the processed hair found in your local shops that only last for a few weeks before it begins to tangle and shed and  is full of synthetics and mixed with animal hairs.  Finally, Luxe Virgin Hair www.luxevirginhair.com provides a solution for ALL women, not only available just for top models and celebrities anymore who get to enjoy this luxury of 100% imported real human hair!  Now you can too! 

LUXE VIRGIN HAIR is located in Atlanta, Georgia and was created to provide ALL women access to exclusive, luxury hair extensions at an affordable price.  We have women all across the world experiencing this NOW affordable luxury!

 LUXE VIRGIN HAIR, a internet based hair boutique, offering women all over the world a quality option for hair extensions, other than their local shops that only offer hair that has been processed and chemically treated.  Ever wonder why hair bought from your local shop only last a few weeks?  Well, our 100% Virgin Human Hair is Grade A++ quality human hair, no synthetics, not processed, dyed or chemically treated in any way.  We provide high quality, highly discounted hair from the source.  We import and only purchase temple hairs from India, Brazil and Europe that were collected in a responsible manner.

Try This Anti-Bloat Smoothie

I've had to almost stop using Whey Protein in my morning shakes because for some reason, its allowing me to either put on weight that I don't want or giving me a bloated feeling for most of the day.  So, I am experimenting with not using Whey Protein to see if I can feel a difference and see a difference in my body.  Since I don't eat breakfast as soon as I awake in the morning, I need to have something before I do eat breakfast, which is usually about an hour and a half after I get up.  So here is an alternative that I have found to work really great!  It's call the "Anti-Bloat Smoothie", from Brett Hoebel's 30 day flat belly plan.

Start your day off with this smoothie.  It's high in fiber, which prevents constipation, and additionally it contains natural enzymes that help to breakdown hard-to digest foods that can cause bloating.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup papaya

3/4 cup pineapple

1/2 pear, sliced

1 tsp. ginger, fresh

1 tbsp. flaxseed, ground

2 mint leaves (garnish)

1 cup of water

1/2 cup ice

Blend all the ingredients and enjoy!

Live Fit Live Strong!