Starbucks

Did you know it takes approximately a 4 mile run to burn off a vanilla latte from Starbucks?

If you are at Starbucks how about trying a green tea or unsweetened herbal tea on ice....

At least your next 4 mile run will be going toward getting leaner and not just burning off your latte!

Enjoy your day,

Melissa

Interview with Sarah King Feldman

Interview with Sarah King Feldman......

 

Founder of Food Beautiful, Sarah King Feldman is a Exercise Physiologist, Public Speaker, Life Coach, Holistic Nutritional Consultant and Raw Foods Chef. In addition she competes in athlete in Half Marathons, Triathlons and Adventure Racing. Sarah is also an author of the book Foods Beautiful, contributing author for multiple Chiropractic and Health Magazines and TV & Radio Voice for How Food Heals the Body. Her discipline, determination, love for people, management skills and desire to change the health of this world have been the driving force for her attaining her goals.Sarah has been extremely helpful to me on my journey of eating healthy. 


Sarah has been extremely helpful to me on my journey to a healthier life.  I asked her to share some of her tips for the readers of my blog.

1. What are your best tips for women who want to lose weight but not go on some crazy diet?


a. Free up your mind: Remove past hurts or anger by seeking forgiveness or reconciliation with those individuals that have weighed your spirit down.

b. Drink 64 oz of water; it detoxifies your body and flushes out toxic cellular debris that slows down your metabolism.

c. Remove all processed foods. Instead of bread eat brown rice, instead of cereal eat oatmeal. Recipes in Food Beautiful Book.

d. Take a powdered green (by AIM) for blood sugar balance, cleansing,

e. Keep the colon and organs healthy. Do a total body cleanse one to two times a year. Add 2 TBS of ground flax seed to 10 oz water 2 times a day, this removes excess estrogen in the body and keeps the colon moving.

2. What are some super foods for women?

a. Dark Leafy Greens

b. Chia and Flax seed

c. Citrus fruit: loaded with vitamin c which – maintains healthy levels of collagen found in youthful skin . It is a free radical scavenger and anti-inflammatory, antihistamine and enhances the immune system.

d. Celery and carrot juice; calms the nerves, improves the strength of bones

e. Sprouts – loaded in enzymes, protein (amino acids), and 200-600% more vitamins than prior to sprouting.

3. What foods do you feel like helps women for anti-aging and skin?

a. Citrus fruit

b. Celery

c. Red cabbage

d. Spinach

e. Carrots

f. Coconut, sesame oil

g. Parsley

h. Nettles (tea)

4. Any workout tips?

a. Interval training burns more fat and gets you into shape twice as quickly than working out at a constant speed.

b. Have a goal that challenges you.

5. Any tips on how to get started when someone is eating cheetos and their family hasn't even heard of sprouting or eating healthy?

a. If eating healthy is not a desire for someone, give them a food beautiful book that can change the way they think.

b. Replace a meal every two weeks with a healthy meal on foodbeautiful.com or from the food beautiful book. By week six all their meals can be “beautified” and healthy for everyone in the family. If they just want to think more clearly have greater energy than replace their typical breakfast with Breakfast of Champions (inside Food Beautiful and in Recipe section at Foodbeautiful.com).

Sarah...Thank you so much for taking time to share with  the readers on my blog.  If you are interested in learning more about Sarah please visit her website at http://www.foodbeautiful.com/

Please let me know if there are other questions that you would like to ask Sarah.

To your health,

Melissa

A few favorite strength moves from Dara Torres' coach

IN THE GYM


Once Torres is through with the pool and back on terra firma, Strength and conditioning coach Andy O'Brien takes over, using Bosu balls to strengthen stabilizing muscles throughout her body. Here are seven of their favorite exercises.



Shoulders

1External Cable Rotation

Using a cable machine with the cable at waist level and elbows at hips; rotates arms in and out to opposite sides-Begin with your right arm and rotate it to the left side, keeping the left arm still and then switch to the left arm, rotating it to the right side.

Do 10-15 reps on each side; 3 sets



2 Swiss Balance Ball Letters

Lie on stomach on a Swiss balance ball with three-pound weights in each hand and while balancing on the ball put your body in the position of the letters T, Y, Z, W and V. Do each letter 15 times; 3 sets.



Core

3 Twist Balance Cable Rotation

Using the cable machine, hold a small sized balance ball in left arm at stomach and reach around the ball with right hand to grab the cable then rotate from the middle to the right and the left, working the obliques. 15 reps each side; 2 sets



4 Floor Crunches

Low-Do the first set flat on your back with an eight-pound medicine ball between the knees. Knees are bent and feet are on the floor. 30 reps

High-Do the second set of crunches flat on your back with the ball between your feet and feet up in the air. Reach up and try and touch the ball. 30 reps

Elbow and Knee Touch a.k.a your traditional bicycle crunches-Lie on your back and bring your knee to the opposite elbow. 30 reps



Do 3 sets.



Upper Body

5 Weighted Pull-Ups

Traditional weighted pull-ups (Torres adds 15 pound weights to each ankle to her 130-pound frame) 15 reps



6 Bosu Push-Ups

Flip a Bosu ball upside down-with the flat part facing up-and do a push-up. 15 reps; 2 sets.



Lower Body

7 Weighted Bosu Ball Squats

Flip the Bosu ball upside down and stand on the flat part and with your legs shoulder width apart and a 40-pound weights in each hand do a squat. 10-15 reps; 2 sets





ON THE STRETCHING MAT

Torre's secret weapon is resistance stretching: a trainer positions a muscle in the shortest possible position and continuously contracts it through the entire range of motion for that muscle, while Torres provides resistance. She typically stretches for two hours three times a week, and will do shorter sessions up to four times a day when she's racing. She mostly works with two stretching trainers, Steven Sierra and Anne Tierney of Innovative Body Solutions. They compiled this breakdown of a typical stretching session.



1 "Mashing" to loosen her up-45 minutes

*Mashing is deep tissue massage using the trainers' feet! One trainer works Dara's legs while the other simultaneously works the upper body. Mashing can be very intense and goes deep into her muscles to release knots and adhesions quickly-this allows her muscle to contract better and flushes toxins.



2 Lower body-30 minutes

*The leg is divided into 8 major muscle groups and stretched in this order: Calves

Quadriceps, central, medial and lateral hamstrings, glutes, iliacus (adductors), tensor fascia lata, and abductors.



Note: All Resistance Stretching stretches are using Dara's resistance-very different from other forms of stretching where the leg is lengthened and then held in position in order to "stretch."



* The same routine is repeated on the each leg. If imbalances are found, then problem-solving is used (balancing muscle groups). i.e. if the lateral quadriceps is not stretching, Anne and Steve would target the medial hamstring first, and then return to the lateral quad).



*After both legs have been worked along the 8 major muscle groups, Dara does double leg stretches (one of the benefits of having a 2-person stretching team-another reason why Dara's training is like no other)



3 Upper body-30 minutes

*Dara prefers to have both trainers work her arms at the same time and do deep rotational stretches while she is on her back and elevated on a massage table (so the arms can go past the plane of the "floor.") All major muscle groups are addressed, chest, back, lats, traps, biceps, triceps.



* The arms are stretched together in X and Y formations and across various planes and angles. Not only is Dara resisting during these exercises, but by "rotating" her arm, the trainers are essentially "wringing out" the arms-allowing them to stretch tendons, fascia, more muscle, and the joint capsule. (Picture it like wringing out a wet towel- it gets a lot dryer a lot faster, the more you twist and grab more and more fibers).



4 Core Strength and Flexibility-20 minutes

* After Dara's arms and legs have been stretched individually, trainers begin stretches and massage techniques to address the core and rotation of the core.



5 Finishing Touches -palpation, more mashing, and lung pumping -5-20 minutes

* Finally, trainers finish up the 2 hours by palpating the diaphragm and mashing out the lats. Both of these allow more range of motion (ROM) in her shoulder girdle.

* To palpate the diaphragm, Dara lies on her back in a sports bra to expose her ribs and abdominals. The trainers essentially "dig" under her ribs to access the rectus abdominals and diaphragm. This form of "massage" allows her rib cage to expand and open up more.

* Finally, Dara lies on her side on the floor in order for her lats and infra/supraspinatus to get mashed out. This provides relief for shoulder impingements.

Push up Challenge

I want you to start doing push ups everyday.  If you can't do a full body then start with push ups on your knees.  Go to failure each day.

There are no excuses....
You can do these anywhere......

-the kitchen
-outside while the kids are playing
-in the morning
-at night

Doesn't matter when or where...just do them.  Every day.....as many as you can.

Get strong,

Melissa

AB ATTACK GROCERY LIST

Chicken  breasts, ground bison, egg whites, whey protein powder, turkey breast/lean ground turkey, white fish, wild Alaskan salmon, spinach, broccoli, asparagus, bell peppers, green beans, kale/collard greens/chard, berries, apples, old-fashioned oatmeal, sweet potatoes, brown rice, low-fat yogurt, raw almonds, natural peanut butter or almond butter (limit 2 tbsp per serving), chunky salsa, water, green tea, unsweetened cocoa.

In addition to proper nutrition, both cardio and weight training exercises are needed to burn abdominal fat further.  Though beginners will see a huge change once the proper diet is inserted, exercise is needed to maintain lower body fat levels.

Grocery shop like this and your waist band will be loser soon!

Melissa

PERFORMANCE VS. FAT LOSS

One important point to address is the necessary distinction between a dietary recommendation for athletic performance versus that for an ordinary person trying to lose fat.

Elite athletes and those training for endurance day after day need to replenish depleted carbohydrate stores (glycogen) constantly.  However, most average people have plenty of glycogen to sustain daily activity without having to eat large amounts of carbohydrates.

In fact, if glycogen becomes depleted through exercise, the body will begin to pull from fat stores to sustain the activity; hence, fat loss.  Unfortunately, most "healthy" dietary recommendations are more appropriate for endurance athlete types than for the average fat loss-seeking American.

Thus, there is indeed a difference between a healthy diet and a fat loss diet.  To successfully lose fat and optimize health, keep the starchy carbs in check, focusing on lean proteins and green leafy vegetables first, while eating more frequently throughout the day.

Remember those cookies you ate???

Ready to blast fat in 24 minutes...I did this one this morning after my weight workout and TRUST ME...it really works.

Follow this plan twice a week, in between your strength workouts.  Do each exercise as many times as you can for 45 seconds.  Rest for 15 to 30 seconds between each exercise.  Take a 60 second break after the entire sequence, then return to the first exercise and repeat the whole circuit.  During week one, do six rounds.  Add one round each week until you've reached 10.

STATIC SQUAT IN-AND-OUT JUMP
Stand with your feet less than hip-width apart, hands behind your head, back straight.  Lower into a squat position.  Keeping your knees bent and staying low, jump and spread your legs so that you land in a squat.  Jump back to start.  Continue alternating as fast as possible.

MOUNTAIN CLIMBER
Assume a pushup position with your arms straight and body in a straight line.  Drive your right knee toward your chest, then return to the starting position and repeat with your left leg.  Continue alternating legs as fast as possible, maintaining control.

LUNGE JUMP
Stand with feet together, elbows bent 90 degrees at your sides.  Lunge forward with your right foot.  Jump straight up as you thrust your arms forward, elbows still bents.  Switch legs in midair, like a scissor, and land in a lunge with your left leg forward, arms at your sides.  Continue alternating legs.

SQUAT THRUST
Stand with feet hip-width apart, arms at your sides.  Bend your knees, put your hands on the floor, and extend both feet back so you're in a pushup position.  Keep your back straight and core braced.  Jump your feet back up to your hands, then stand.  Repeat as fast as possible, maintaining control.

Sample day of eating from a true athlete

Tera Moody is a runner based in Boulder, Colorado, who finished 5th place in the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials of the Women's Marathon.  She runs twice a day often, but not always.  Here's her typical eating on a two-run day.

Workout 1
Water
Pre-workout: Oatmeal with cinnamon; decaf coffee with soymilk; water
Post-workout: Bread with peanut butter; grapefruit; water

Breakfast
Scrambled eggs with bell peppers and mushrooms
Herbal tea

Morning Snack
Almonds
Liquid Iron Supplement
Emergen-C Vitamin drink (By the way, I drink this too....I love it)

Lunch
Plain turkey sandwich
Water

Workout 2
Water
Pre-workout: PowerBar Endurance drink
Post-workout: Pear

Dinner
Steak
Steamed asparagus with olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper
Baked potato

Evening Snack
Dark Chocolate


This is a good glance at one of the world's top performing endurance athlete's diet for the day. 

This might inspire you or shock you...you might be realizing how much food that you consume each day....and you are not working out 2 times a day!  We might not be a world's best endurance athlete but we can sure eat like one! 

This was taken from a book called "Racing Weight" by Matt Fitzgerald.

Advanced Cardio Workouts

These are not for a beginner.  These are really intense but they will really help you out of a plateau.  Try one of these 4 workouts for your next cardio session.

• Bike 55 min., 10 min. warm up 1 min. hard/ 2 min easy for 30 min.  The hard should be gradual where by the time you finish the intervals you're legs are spent.  Cool down 15 minutes high spinning 80-85 revolutions.
• Bike 55 min., warm up, moderate effort, check cadence (revolutions every 5 minutes, between 80-85 rpm./18-19mph) at 15 min do 2 min. increase resistance and maintain 85 rpm/ or 19mph.  Decrease resistance (easy/moderate) until 30 min. and repeat 2 min. hard, then decrease resistance until 45 min. and do 2 min. all out effort until legs are burning, then decrease resistance.  Easy remainder of time.
• Hard run: 10 minute warm-up easy jog, then do intervals of 1 minute hard followed by 2 minutes easy, do this for 40 minutes, then 5 minutes cool down.
• Hard run: 10 minute warm-up easy jog, then 30 seconds hard followed by one minute easy jog, do this for 30 minutes, cool down 15 minutes.

Hang in there,

Melissa

Sample day of my eating and weight loss tips

Many people have been asking me to share a sample day of what I eat.  Here is what I ate today....

Breakfast
Shake with 1/2 cup plain kefir, 1 cup of frozen fruit, ground flax, handful of spinach, Whey protein powder and water.  Blend in magic bullet. I also had a piece of Red Rice Bread with almond butter. 

Mid morning
Banana, handful of raw almonds and a boiled egg

Lunch
Green veggies with a few carrots, tuna and an apple (I would usually have a complex carb at this meal but did not today)

Mid afternoon
Greek plain non fat yogurt with one container of fresh blackberries

Dinner
Grilled Salmon
Steamed veggies
Rice

Later this evening I had a piece of fruit and a few organic raisins

I do not eat the same thing every day but this is a general idea.  Remember if you are eating healthy foods then you can eat more.  If you want to maintain your current weight then eat all that you would like but make sure they are made by God not by man. 

If you are trying to lose weight try a few of these tips:

• Reduce your complex carbs after 3pm in the afternoon
• Stop eating after 7pm
• No fruit juice
• Eat 5 to 6 small meals a day
• Increase your greens-add them to every meal
• Fill up on veggies especially green ones...you cannot eat too many of these
• Say no to cheese or only in moderation
• Only eat sprouted breads
• No white flour, no sugar, nothing fried
• Reduce your processed foods
• Reduce your salt intake
• Drink 8 glasses of water per day
• If you need a snack in the evening-pick a lean protein or a shake
• Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of ground flax to your food per day
• Stop all diet products (diet coke, diet food, lean cuisine, low-fat, non-fat etc)
• Exercise at least 20 to 30 minutes 5 days a week m...try the interval training

New 7 Day Challenge- Say goodbye to SUGAR

We have a new 7 day challenge.  I want you to give up sugar for 7 days.....I know that this will be a tough one because sugar is in almost everything.  I want you to avoid all sugar: (sugar, honey, agave, artificial sweeteners and any other form of sugar). 

The only sugar you are allowed to have is a piece of fruit. 

You can do this for 7 days.  It will be tricky if you are used to having a lot of sugar.  This means nothing added to your Starbucks...no jelly....no diet drinks.....no candy....no chocolate....no bars....

If it's in a box or bag...chances are...it has SUGAR!

If you do this one thing for 7 days...........  You are really going to notice a difference with your cravings.  You will desire less sweets.  By day seven a piece of fruit will taste like a dessert...OK...maybe not quite a dessert but you are really going to notice the difference.

The 1st few days depending on where you are on this journey....you might feel cranky and tired but by the 3rd or 4th day...you are going to see that you have more energy.  Your energy level will stay more consistent.  You won't be on a roller coaster. 

You can do this!!

Sugar free for 7 days!!

Melissa

Cardio Challenge

Do this 3 x's per week

On the treadmill.

0-2 minutes walk 3.5
2-5 minutes jog 5.5
5-6 minutes jog 6.0 incline on 2
6-7 minutes run 7.0 incline on 0
8-9 minutes run 7.2 incline on 0
9-11 minutes walk 3.8 incline at 4
12-14 minutes walk 4.0 incline at 5
14-15 minutes run 8.0 incline on 0
15-17 minutes walk 4.0 incline on 6
17-18 minutes run 7.5 incline on 0
18-19 minutes walk 4.0 incline on 6
19-20 minutes walk 3.8 incline on 3

If you can't hit the numbers on the treadmill...just use this pattern and do your best.  This is a very challenging 20 minute cardio session.  Try to add this 3 times a week with your strength training and you will see some results in a very short time! 

Get ready to sweat!

Melissa

Another Beginner's Workout

2 days a week (non-consecutive days)

1. Bench press with dumbbells, barbell or machine (chest)
2. Dumbbell side lat raise (shoulders)
3. One arm dumbbell row or lat machine pull down (upper back)
4. Dumbbell extension behind head (triceps)
5. Dumbbell Bicep curl (biceps)
6. Leg extension or lunge (thighs)
7. Standing calf raise (calves)
8. Lying leg curl  or a roll out with a ball (hamstrings)
9. Crunches (abs)

Feel free to substitute any of these exercises for any others, this is just a guideline.  Do this routine for 2-3 sets of 8-12 reps per exercises, except calves and abs, where you can go up to 20-25 reps.  Rest one minute between sets.  After 3 to 6 months, you'll want to add exercises and move up to a split routine.

Beginner's weight lifing program

Here is a great beginner's program for you if you have dumbbells.
Total Body

2 sets of 25 reps with no rest in between.  Do this 2 to 3 times a week with a day of rest in between.

Legs
Squats
Lunges

Back
Lat Pull down
DB Rows

Chest
Chest press with DB
push ups

Shoulders
clean and press with DB
side or front raises

Bi's
DB curls

Tri's
 Overhead extensions or kickbacks with light weights

Ab's
Basic crunches

On the days you are not lifting weights try to do 20 minutes of HIT.  30 seconds on and 30 seconds off.  You can pick any cardio that you enjoy...just push it.

Tips from Jack LaLanne on how to have a healthy life

Jack was quoted on his 90th birthday saying "Dying would ruin my image."  Here are his eight rules for a healthy life.

1.  Exercise vigorously-at least twice a week with weights, plus water exercises.
2.  Exercise during commercials, if you have to.
3.  Change your exercise routine every thirty days.
4.  Avoid indulging in bad habits.
5.  Always have goals and challenges.
6.  If man makes it, don't eat it.
7.  Eat vegetables and fruits.
8.  Keep up on current events.

Have you hit a plateau?

Not getting any results....try a few of these ideas to get out of your rut:

• HIT training-intervals of walking, running, biking in 30 secs on and 30 secs off
• Go outside and do 20 minutes of sprints (up and down the driveway or sidewalk)
• Add 100 lunges to your routine carrying a plate in front of you
• Do something new-a body pump class, boot camp....do something you never do
• Add stretching, foam roller, yoga-staying flexible is key to getting the best results
• Push yourself...could you have run a little longer...lifted a little more weight...done one more rep?
• Find a workout partner that will push you
• Keep your eating clean
• Try cardio 1st thing in the morning on an empty stomach
• Change your workout-lift heavier, lift lighter with more reps, shake it up...get out of your rut
• Eat smaller meals throughout the day
• Run sprints up and down a hill outside in the yard
• Try to do 25 to 50 pushups every day (on your toes!!!)
• Listen to your favorite music while working out
• Focus your mind on what you are doing...this is your time
• Dance with your kids

Get off the couch!

Melissa