Foolproof Action Plan to Getting & Staying Healthy This Year ... and the Best Ways to Stay on Track
Do you want this year to be the year you actually keep your New Year’s Resolution to achieve better and healthier habits?
“It’s the ultimate personal challenge,” says Leigh Stringer, author of The Healthy Workplace. "It takes guts and determination to make and keep those life-changing commitments in our lives, but it can be done.” Stringer offers up 5 major reasons we fail, and how to stay on track:
Get Serious. We need a strong reason to overcome our natural lack of motivation.
Becoming healthier is a really good idea. But to get us to change our behavior – to actually change the way we eat, move, sleep and manage our stress on an ongoing basis – requires a really powerful motivator. We need a reason that makes it “absolutely essential” for us to do something differently, and think of ourselves differently. Our lame excuses need to be trumped by a greater calling. We need a real sense of urgency and a stronger “why.”
Deciding to be healthy has to be more than just a cool thing to do or a “nice to have.” Making the firm decision to change lifelong habits for the better requires steely resolve and a strong, unquestionable purpose. It has to be bullet-proof.
Take Action:
Think. What would incentivize you to make a firm decision and commit to it?
Write down what motivates you and post it where you will see it several times a day. This is your “why.” A strong ‘why’ can navigate when the how is not so clear.
Choose friends wisely. You can influence your own behavior by hanging out with healthy people.
Social influence and peer pressure positively impact our exercise behavior, awareness of our intent to exercise and produce results, and the attitude maintained during the exercise experience. You are more likely to stay on an exercise program if you have a friend (either an individual or group) who works out with you. Connecting with other people is critical. We are hard-wired to want to impress and relate to our friends. In addition, if you commit to being at the gym every day, you will feel good and will achieve your goals by keeping your promise to yourself.
Take Action:
Find a friend you like to exercise with and set up meetings on your calendar to do so. Make friends with people you meet at the health club.
Surround yourself with people who are healthy and have already adopted the behaviors you are trying to achieve. Decide to be around them often. It will help nudge you to make better decisions and achieve your goals.
Be accountable. Get a partner to help you stay that way.
If you are accountable for the commitments you make, you are much more likely to achieve your goals and succeed. One great way to keep honest is to find an accountability partner – someone you trust and who will check in with you on a regular basis (daily, weekly or whatever is needed) to see how you are doing, give you positive reinforcement, track how well you doing, and encourage you to stick with your commitments.
Take Action:
Find someone you trust to be your accountability partner.
Talk to them about your goals and specific objectives.
Get specific with them about actions you will want to take as well as rewards and consequences for taking or not taking them
Set up regular check-in times. This can be a text message, a periodic but regular encounter, or a phone call, whatever makes sense.
Review your progress and your goals and objectives honestly to track your performance, and modify your targets. Keep your goals ambitious but attainable.
Make Getting Healthy a Game. Sticking to your goals and resolutions isn’t very fun, but technology can help make it fun.
Do your best to make getting healthy fun. You can turn your journey into a game and adorn your arms and body with wearable devices that help motivate, engage and prompt you to make better decisions. Apply video game-thinking and game dynamics to engage yourself and change your behavior. The technology is available and has really evolved. You can turn any goal or objective you want into a game-like activity that will become ever more desirable and highly addictive. Gaming is now understood as a significant way to encourage people to adopt more healthy behavior. Two of the most powerful elements are competition and progressive reinforcement, where a player gets a challenge, meets that challenge and then receives an immediate reward for its accomplishment. Retained engagement is known to produce 90% improvements on start to finish challenges.
Take Action:
Here are a few more apps you can try:
Pact, funded by the founder of Guitar Hero, helps you make pacts with yourself to regularly exercise and eat healthily, and you are paid in real dollars to do so.
LifeTickis a goal-tracking app that asks you establish your core values, then follow the S.M.A.R.T (specific, measurable, assignable, realistic, time-specific) goal-setting method to create tasks or steps that are required to achieve your goal.
Habit Listhelps you track your “streaks” – how many times in a row you completed a habit, and will send you reminders to keep you on track.
Liftallows you to choose your goals and then select the type of coaching you require: advice, motivation, and/or prompting from the Lift community.
StickK, developed by Yale University economists, requires you to sign a commitment contract which binds you to a goal. It will cost you real money if you fail to reach it.
Pay Attention to your Environment. It may be working against you.
Your environment greatly influences the decisions you make about your health. To the maximum extent possible, take a careful look around, and if necessary, change what you see, hear, smell, taste, and feel. Choose to keep your personal space clean of the enticements that will destroy your ability to achieve your goals. Clean your kitchen and your will be 44 percent less likely to snack than if your kitchen is messy. You will eat less if your kitchen is stocked with smaller vs. bigger plates (ideal is 8-10 inches in diameter).
Take Action:
Pay attention to how your environment can sabotage your goals and objectives. Don’t set yourself up for failure by keeping potato chips in an easy-to-reach cabinet. Move them or get rid of them and place them on the forbidden list. Look at your home and work settings with fresh eyes, and put away (or throw away) anything that you are to giving up.
Strategically place healthy snacks, running shoes or other prompts in prominent places to encourage you to make good on your commitments.
Choosing one of these strategies is probably not enough. You will most likely keep commitments if you employ “multiple interventions,” including strategies that intrinsically and extrinsically motivate your behavior.
The Healthy Workplace:
How to Improve the Well-Being of Your Employees-and Boost Your Company's Bottom Line
The Healthy Workplace utilizes real life and real time research and studies to prove that it pays to invest in people's well-being. Leigh Stringer reveals how to: create a healthier, more energizing environment; reduce stress to enhance concentration. She explains how to inspire movement at work, use choice architecture to encourage beneficial behaviors; support better sleep; heighten productivity without adding hours to the workday. The book is filled with strategies and tips for immediate improvement and guidelines for building a long-term plan. The Healthy Workplace is designed to help boost both employee well-being and the bottom line.
About Leigh Stringer
Leigh Stringer, LEED AP, is a workplace strategy expert and researcher. Her work has been covered by national media, including CNN, USA Today, the Wall Street Journal and Good Morning America.
She works for EYP, an architecture, engineering and building technology firm.
She is the author of the bestselling book, The Green Workplace: Sustainable Strategies that Benefit Employees, the Environment and the Bottom Line (Palgrave MacMillan) and The Healthy Workplace: How to Improve the Well-Being of Your Employees—and Boost Your Company’s Bottom Line (AMACOM).
Leigh is currently collaborating with Harvard University’s School of Public Health, the Center for Active Design in New York, the International Facility Management Association and the AIA DC Chapter on Health and Well-being to create new tools to connect like minds and to blur the boundaries across industries in order to advance and improve our well-being at work. She is a regular contributor to Susan Cain’s Quiet Revolution Blog and Work Design Magazine. Leigh regularly speaks at U.S. Green Building Council, CoreNet Global, the International Facilities Management Association and American Institute of Architecture events and writes for a number of workplace and real estate magazines and journals, along with her blog, LeighStringer.com.
Leigh has a Bachelor of Arts, a Masters of Architecture and an MBA from Washington University in St. Louis. Leigh lives with her husband and two daughters in Washington, DC.
What People Are Saying
“Leigh is clearly on the cutting edge of the revolution that is occurring between workplace health and business performance. The Healthy Workplace is research based, immensely practical and filled with genuine insights.”
- Jim Loehr, co-founder of the Human Performance Institute and renowned performance psychologist
“We’ve spent so much time trying to make people happier at work, neglecting how to make them healthier. Stringer combines the best thinking from physiology, psychology, nutrition, and sleep science into practical advice. This is a great read on a critically important topic—a must-have for anyone concerned with waistlines and bottom lines.”
- Adam Grant, Wharton professor and New York Times bestselling author of ORIGINALS and GIVE AND TAKE
“Leigh Stringer has written the definitive guide for 21st century workplaces, and every smart CEO, manager and worker should have a well-thumbed copy of The Healthy Workplace on their desks to use as a ready reference. With fascinating research, backed by hard-hitting statistics, Stringer lays out a compelling case that, far from a luxury, creating healthy workers and workplaces is imperative for fueling productivity, creativity and a better quality of work and life for everyone.”
- Brigid Schulte, award-winning journalist, author of the New York Times bestselling Overwhelmed: Work, Love & Play when No One has the Time, and director of The Better Life Lab at New America
“The Healthy Workplace is a groundbreaking synopsis in the evolution of today's corporate workplace. Leigh Stringer not only demonstrates current challenges and trends which are changing corporate culture, but lays out in specific detail the ways companies can find solutions and innovations towards advancing the wellness agenda for their most coveted asset, their people. "
- Paul Scialla, Founder/CEO of Delos and International WELL Building Institute
“Leigh goes far beyond ROI and productivity and digs deep into unseen benefits of workplace wellness in The Healthy Workplace. Autonomy, creativity, mindfulness, and reduced presenteeism are just a few ways your culture will benefit from various workplace health initiatives. If you are looking to start a workplace wellness program or simply want to be inspired and re-ignite your population, this book will be an imperative tool so start reading and get out there and change some lives.”
- Sam Whiteside, Chief Wellness Officer, The Motley Fool
“If you pick books that offer both learning and enjoyment, Stringer’s writing delivers mightily on both. You’ll learn why the Huffington Post has napping rooms, why we have a preference for ‘savanna landscapes,’ and what ‘acres of neutral colored work stations’ do to workforce performance. Stringer offers many long lists of practical methods workplace wellness readers can take to people managers, facilities managers and food managers alike to make their workplace a healthy one. I urge you to read it!”
- Paul E. Terry, Ph.D., President and CEO of the Health Enhancement Research Organization (HERO) and Editor, The American Journal of Health Promotion
“Whether you seldom think about the interplay between healthy lives and healthy business or you live and breathe it, this book provides a new way of thinking about the connections between psychology and sociology, medicine and health promotion, architectural design, management science and the history of industrialization. Stringer convinces us like no other about the business case for raising human health and performance. Through insightful reporting of the research and company anecdotes, sprinkled with her wit and candor, Stringer challenges us to think differently and deliberately about designing healthier work organizations. This book is for everyone who wants to unlock the potential of work for good!”
Whether you are starting a new fitness routine, an experienced vet or even a recreational gym user your fitness program can fail. There is a risk you may get bored, not see results or even over train. All of these things can cause you to lose commitment, stress out, become demotivated or fall off your fitness routine. The following are the top 5 reasons that your fitness program can fail and how you can prevent that.
You have not set any goals
You are in the wrong training environment
You don’t have a support system
Not allowing for ‘fun’ time
You Don’t have a training schedule
You have not set any goals
In order to succeed at whatever your fitness goal might be it is important to set specific goals. These goals will help you attain your end goal. It usually helps to also set a timeline to achieve these goals. One of the best ways to do this is to set what is called a S.M.A.R.T goal. Often times we head into the gym with no idea what we are trying to accomplish or vague goals like "losing weight", "toning up", “working on my upper body….” S.M.A.R.T stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timely. A specific goal has a much greater chance of being accomplished than a general goal. When a goal is measurable it helps to establish concrete criteria for measuring progress toward the attainment of the goal you set. An attainable goals is important because when you choose goals that are most important to you, you will be able to figure out ways you can achieve them. A realistic goal means that you will be able to reach it and it. You can always reassess once you achieve it and set new goals. And finally the goal should be timely and set within a certain time frame to make sure you stay on track it should be written down.
You are in the wrong training environment
Going too extreme, too soon. i.e. forcing the body adapt to too much stressors all at once. Make changes gradually. Or you are in the wrong training environment and need to make a change to the right environment for you. If you don’t like big corporate gyms, then join a small studio. If you don’t like training alone, then try group fitness. If you only like training at home, then investigate that option. Whatever it is, you won’t continue going somewhere that you don’t enjoy walking through the doors.
You dont have a support system
If you don’t have a support system in place to keep you accountable you are setting yourself up for failure. Training partners, friends, spouse – people that are supportive of your goals. Too many roadblocks on the path can lead to failure. When you have a support system you are more likely to stay on track, be motivated and stick to a regular routine. We never want to let our friends or loved ones down, and we definitely don’t want to leave them waiting at the gym for us!
4.Not allowing for ‘fun’ time
Whether it’s a cheat meal or time away from the gym, the body and mind need temporary breaks, not pushing it 100% all out all the time. Allow for some things you enjoy and the program becomes much easier to follow. Plus this allows your body time to recover, regenerate and be prepared for the next week of workouts. I like to take Sunday and use it as a family day that way I enjoy my time and have some time away from the gym. 5. You Don’t have a training schedule
Pick a plan and stick to it for the duration. i.e. trust the process. Far too many try something for 2 weeks decide it’s not working and jump over to the next latest thing. One of the best ways to do this is to get a one-on-one personal trainer. If you would rather workout on your own maybe hiring an online coach like Team Trex Training is an option. Online training programs like Trex do customized programs for you and you do them on your own. It’s a great option if all you need is to have someone to be accountable to. There are a lot of different ways as you can see that your program can fail but you can succeed. Remember to set goals, write them down, get in the right training environment, find a support system, stick to a schedule and allow yourself some fun from time to time. You will be much more successful and happier with your results if you follow those steps! Happy training!
For all of you runners, you know first-hand how running safely is a year-round focus. Especially during the colder months when it gets darker earlier and visibility is low, safety should be a top priority for those who are still hitting the pavement. The following is a guide on running safety that's being shared by SimpliSafe. It includes a ton of examples on how technology can not only help with your training, but how it can also keep you safe and focused. They specialize in wireless security systems, so they definitely know a thing or two about keeping us safe.
HelloFresh Canada expands nationwide
HelloFresh Canada is now delivering its healthy and convenient meal kits from coast to coast, to help all Canadians answer that age-old question: “What’s for dinner?”
“The entire team is proud of the progress we’ve made in just six months since our launch. We’ve received overwhelmingly positive feedback from our current customers in Ontario, and we’re certain people across the country will soon see the benefits of our meal kits,” said Ian Brooks, Managing Director, HelloFresh Canada. “This expansion reinforces our mission to provide nutritious, tasty meals to Canadians.”
HelloFresh’s unique culinary experience streamlines meal preparation by sending at-home cooks inspirational recipes and pre-measured, pre-chopped ingredients to make meals from scratch in 30 minutes or less. HelloFresh takes care of the meal planning, shopping, measuring, and delivery, leaving time for the fun parts: cooking and eating!
The service is simple – customers visit HelloFresh.ca, or download the app on Android or iOS. From there they choose their subscription option (Pronto Plan or Family Plan), and select their meals for the upcoming week. Meals are delivered weekly on Tuesdays and Wednesdays directly to customers’ doorsteps, packed in state-of-the-art boxes to ensure each delivery arrives fresh.
Recipes are developed in the HelloFresh test kitchen by an in-house culinary team headed by Irene Ngo. The meal kits contain seasonal ingredients, along with step-by-step recipes and nutritional information.
“We love sharing the joy of cooking every day in a way that is approachable and rewarding. We believe that healthy eating patterns start in the home, and our kits get Canadians started with easy and delicious recipes, and high-quality ingredients,” said Ngo. “Our recipes explore new flavours and deliver crowd favourites, and get people on the path to healthy eating.”
The globally renowned organization first launched in Ontario, in June 2016, and will now reach nine provinces, excluding Quebec. The company continues to adapt its services to meet the ever-growing demand for “cook from scratch” meals. Subscribers globally are rediscovering the joy of food with HelloFresh by preparing healthy, tasty meals they can be proud to place on the dinner table. Canadian meal kits start at just $10.85 per plate. Visit HelloFresh.ca for all the available options.
HelloFresh currently operates in the USA, the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Australia, Austria, Switzerland, and Canada. HelloFresh delivered 22.1 million meals in the 3-month period up to 30 September 2016, to about 850,000 subscribers. HelloFresh was founded in November 2011, and is based in Berlin.
Additional offices are located in New York, London, Amsterdam, Zurich, Sydney, and Toronto. Current investors include Baillie Gifford, Insight Venture Partners, Phenomen Ventures, Rocket Internet, and Vorwerk Direct Selling Ventures.
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alicia@trainitright.com
Squat Variations
Did you know that squatting is a fundamental human movement pattern that involves nearly every muscle in the body? Squatting improves fitness, performance, and mobility for daily-life tasks. But do you always do the same type of squat? You shouldn’t and here’s why:
Have you ever noticed that when you do an exercise you haven’t performed in a few weeks, you experience a much more intense delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) for two or three days afterwards? Well that is because your muscles are moving in a slightly different plane of motion than what they are used to and they’ve become unaccustomed to this newly reintroduced movement. Don’t get stuck doing the same exercises each and every week! Change it up so that you can wake up muscles that may not be getting used if you are continually doing the same exercises week after week.
When you add variations into your workouts you can add strength faster and see more development and changes to your physique. Try new exercise movements, add extra weight or perform more sets and reps each workout. It’s all about the variation. Variations also help keeps you mentally stimulated and non-stagnant in your workout regime. This keeps the workouts fun and exciting as well as challenging. When you add variation exercises to your program you will hit the muscles from different angles, helping to stimulate more muscle fibers and create a nice, fully rounded muscle that really pops. Add variation – you have nothing to lose and everything to gain!
Try these examples of variations for squats that can be built into your current training program. Remember to engage the mind-muscle connection and focus on the contraction, negative and stretch phase of the lift. Don’t rush through the reps, keep tension on the muscle through the entire range of motion to get the full benefit of each exercise.
Front Squat
Place the barbell at the upper chest height in the rack. Step forward and position bar in front of shoulders. Cross your arms and place hands on top of barbell with upper arms parallel to floor. Then move the bar from rack. Squat down by pushing your hips backwards while allowing knees to bend forward, keep your back straight and your knees aligned with your toes. Squat down until thighs are just past parallel. Return to the starting position and repeat.
Bulgarian Split Squat
This can be done with a barbell across your back or dumbbells in both hands. Stand with dumbbells in your hands or bar across your back. Extend leg back and place top of foot on bench. Lower yourself down by flexing both the knee and hip of front leg until knee of rear leg is almost in contact with floor. Return to your starting position and repeat. Then switch legs.
Hack Squat w/ Barbell
Position barbell just behind your legs. With feet flat on floor shoulder width apart, squat down and grasp barbell from behind with overhand grip. Lift bar by extending hips and knees to full extension to stand up tall. Squat down by bending hips back while allowing knees to bend forward, keeping back straight and knees pointed same direction as feet. Squat down as far as you can possible while keeping your head and chest up. Repeat.
Heels Elevated Hack Squat
Place some plates or a step behind you. Position barbell just behind your legs. With toes on the floor and your heels on top of the step making sure that your feet are shoulder width apart, squat down and grasp barbell from behind with overhand grip. Lift bar by extending hips and knees to full extension to stand up tall. Squat down by bending hips back while allowing knees to bend forward, keeping back straight and knees pointed same direction as feet. Squat down as far as you can possible while keeping your head and chest up. Repeat.
Goblet Squat
Stand holding a dumbbell or kettlebell close to your chest. Then squat down between your legs until your hamstrings are on your calves. Keep your chest and head up. At the bottom position, pause and make sure that your elbows are on the inside of your knees and legs. Return to the starting position, and repeat.
Sumo Squat
With bar upper chest height, position bar on the back of your shoulders and grasp bar to sides. Place feet wider than shoulder width apart and make sure to point your toes outward 45° to 30°. Begin by squatting down by bending hips back while allowing knees to bend forward. Keep your back straight and your knees aligned with the direction that your toes are facing.. Descend until thighs are minimally just past parallel to floor. Return to the beginning position and repeat
Curtsey Squat
Stand with your feet hip width apart and hands on hips, weights in your hands or barbell across your back. Move your right foot behind your left leg, as far past your left foot as is comfortable. Using a "curtsy" motion, squat down. Keep your weight in the front leg, head up and chest up. Return to the beginning position of standing and repeat.
Box Squat
From rack with barbell at upper chest height, position bar on back of shoulders. Grasp barbell to sides. Dismount bar from rack and back up until contact is made with box immediately behind. Stand with either a regular squat position with feet shoulder width or a wide stance with feet flared out slightly. Then sit back onto box by bending hips back while bending knees, keeping your knees in light with your toes and your head and chest up. Using a controlled movement then lower your glutes onto box. Once contact is made stand back up returning to the starting position and repeat.
Much of how you use the above squat variations comes down to what you are currently doing in the gym. While I am not suggesting to drop your current routine and start this one, there is value in adding some variation to your training sessions so that you can stimulate the muscle in a different way and keep it responding without hitting plateaus.
At the end of the day, it is important to realize that no matter where you are in your training experience, there is value in the occasional variation adjustment. Whether it is to bring up weak points or to keep your body healthy and in balance, varying stance and bar placement, using dumbbells instead of a barbell can add that missing element and help with your progress.
Happy Training!
Top 5 Reasons Why Women should lift weights
Alicia Bell - Toronto Personal Trainer
A lot of women get intimidated walking into a gym and heading towards the free weight section. You shouldn’t be afraid to dive into the pit of grunting, sweating and good looking men because lifting weights (heavy ones at times) is what is going to get you the body that you really want. It will give you the curves, weight loss and the toned muscles that you want.
Going to the gym and just doing cardio is not going to get you the results that you have been wanting for so long. What it will get you; a flat butt, no muscle tone, and a lot of wasted time and energy. While lifting weights will get you the results that most people want which is a tight and toned butt, muscle tone and the best results for your time and energy.
The follow are the top 5 reasons why women should lift:
Weight Loss
Healthy Food Cravings
Tight and Toned Butt
Flat Stomach
More Energy
1.Weight Loss
One of the best things that happens when you get into the gym and lift weights is that you will lose weight. Believe it or not weight lifting will not make you big and bulky. The bigger muscle groups that you use when lifting the greater the fat loss will be. You will build long lean muscles that are great for burning fat. The heavier you lift the quicker that you will drop those pounds.
Healthy Food Cravings
When you start going to the gym regularly you are less likely to crave bad food. Once you hydrate more and eat cleaner your palate will change. That means that you will crave refined sugary foods less and want more of the fuel your body needs for energy for your daily workout.
Tight and Toned Butt
The more you lift heavy and add in squats and lunges the quicker that your butt will become tight and toned. If you strictly stick to cardio machines you do not activate the glutes fully to create that round bottom that everyone wants. So hit the squat rack, grab the dumbbells and lunge and hit the hamstrings to develop that round bottom that everyone looks for these days.
Flat Stomach
This ties in with weight loss. Because you are lifting and burning more fat the waist line is going to drop and the stomach is going to get lean and toned vs skinny fat and flabby.
More Energy
Once you start lifting the endorphins get released. What do these little guys do? Give you energy! That's why studies have shown that people who do strength training have more energy throughout the day than people who don’t exercise. The have less daily lows and have more energy to get through their days. So buckle up and prepare to feel healthy and energized when you start hitting those weights!
Don’t be intimidated the next time you walk into the gm and show those guys who belongs in that weight pit! Happy training and remember to Train It Right!
Hey Guys!
I want to make my blog a little bit more intimate. As some of you who have been following me for a while know that as of this year I started competing in Figure Competitions within the Ontario Physique Association OPA.
I was previously with Bombshell Fitness. Where my coach had me training and competing for bikini category. Although I love bikini. My body seemed more suitable for NPC bikini than bikini here in the OPA. I decided to switch to local coaching and saught out the best of the best. Sean Tierney of Team Trex. We both concluded that I would be more suited for figure than I was bikini. I also began coaching with Team Trex. So if anyone reading this is thinking of doing a competition feel free to contact me about it. I will give you all the information for you to get started with me as your coach!
Anyway back to the point. The intense training/prep was much different than what I had been doing commenced. For my first show my coach and I decided to go the natural stream. I did a regional show. This show as held in Barrie. I placed second in my category and qualified for provincials to be held two weeks following in London. Where I placed 5th which qualified me for natural provincials.
Im still learning the sport, the judging and the reasoning behind placings. And I know I have a lot of growth and development to do physically to get to where I want to go in the sport. With that being said the training, dieting along with living my life with regular work etc was not easy. It was hard. I struggled with the diet the most. Not the training. When I don't have carbs I feel deprived for some reason when in fact the opposite is suppose to happen because your body produces keytones. This time around I plan on being even more detailed with my diet and hydration. Drinking 4L of water a day isn't easy either.
Im currently sitting 10 weeks out from the OPA Gala. This is an Open show. Not a natural one. I am really excited about this show and I can't wait to bring an enhanced package. An unforgettable one I hope. I have some weight to lose. I know it sounds crazy but stage ready is a whole different level of fitness than fit for life. Or even fit for a photo shoot. This lifestyle of competing is not for every one.
Im going to try and update you all as much as I can with my schedule on how everything is going. There are ups and downs but thats what makes sport magically! Competitors lifestyles are tough but I know I can achieve much more in this sport if I really put my mind to it! And if I inspire some of you along the way to compete, go to the gym or even just become more active will be reward enough for me!
Hollywood stars have some of the best bodies that we've ever seen! Let's face it, sometimes it's completely unbelievable and we're left to wonder if it is genetics or if it's 'genetically-modified' (i.e. plastic surgery). But the fact of the matter is that no matter what, a great body takes hard work, both in the kitchen and in the gym!
But no worries, for you, we have the major keys to some of Hollywood's hottest bodies... Check out the top 5 trainers of Hollywood below...
#1 Gunnar Peterson - Responsbile for the bodies of the Kardashian clan, Angelina Jolie and more, this Beverly Hill's based celebrity personal trainer is known for helping Hollywood stars shed post pregnancy pounds and helping athletes like Brandon Jennings become stronger, faster and physically better athletes. Peterson enjoys using a mix of steady cardio and HIIT workouts to help clients see maximum results in less time! For tips from this effective personal trainer, visit his website www. gunnarpeterson.com or following him on social media.
Twitter: gunnar
Instagram: gunnarfitness
#2 Jeanette Jenkins - Have you ever found yourself wondering how Pink returned on the scene after a brief hiatus looking better than ever? Or how after having her first child Alicia Keys looked beyond amazing? Well look no further. Celebrity trainer Jeanette Jenkins is responsible. Using a mix of total body strength moves, yoga and more, Jeanette Jenkins has been able to successfully get some of Hollywood's favs such as Paula Patton into the best shape of their lives! But her magic doesn't just work for stars, you too can be trained by Jeanette by picking up her book or one of her effective DVD's. Check out her website www.thehollywoodtrainer.com to get started on the road to a Hollywood approved body!
Twitter: jeanettejenkins
Instagram: msjeanettejenkins
#3 Tracy Anderson - Want a booty like Jennifer Lopez or arms like Gwyneth Paltrow? Well then it's time for you to pay a visit to Tracy Anderson. This fitness guru has been in the business for a long time and is known for her 'feel good fitness'. Tracy Anderson believes in not just focusing on one area of your body, but moving your body as a whole for those amazing Hollywood results that we all want. Not only does she believe that music is the key to an amazing workout, but her clients are very musical. Catch Tracy on her website www.tracyanderson.com and learn about 'The Method' before she heads to the west coast with J. Lo for her Las Vegas residency.
Twitter: TracyAnderson
Instagram: tracyandersonmethod
#4 A.J. Johnson - Time to head into the A.J. Zone. Familiar face? Think House Party! This Hollywood actress isn't just a part of Hollywood's elite for her acting abilities but for her life changing abilities as well! A.J. Johnson is not only an actress but is known for her work with Beyonce, Anne Hathaway, Gabrielle Union and more! A.J. Johnson's holistic approach to fitness has not only transformed bodies but has also transformed the minds of her clients. A.J. believes in taking a mind, body and soul approach and is an avid believer in the effects of clean eating. Get locked into the AJ Zone by visiting her website www.theajzone.com
Twitter: theajzone
Instagram: theajzone
#5 Mark Jenkins - Keeping hip-hop royalty in shape is a tough job, but someone has to do it, and that someone is Mark Jenkins. Mark Jenkins is a New York based celebrity trainer that is known in the hip hop community for his work with culture greats like Sean 'Diddy' Combs, Mary J Blige and Busta Rhymes just to name a few. This former U.S Navy seal was able to help Mary J. Blige shed 40 pounds in just 2 months and Diddy run the city when he ran the New York Marathon in just 4 hours. To help those looking to get out of a cardio rut or lose a few pounds, he suggest adding jump roping to your next workout. For more tips from this trainer check out his website www.markjenkinsfitness.com!
Twitter: themarkjenkins
Instagram: themarkjenkins
Teen Body Builder - Is She Too Young?
Teen reconciles studies, work and training to fullfill her dream of being a successful bodybuilder.
Karina Chaves just turned 16 years old and will participate on Sunday in the South American Championship. The competition, organized by the WFF federation and to be held in Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil will be the fourth of the young athlete's career.
Karina decided to change the dolls to iron bars at the age of 13 and began training alone at home imitating Youtube training videos without nutritional counseling or diets. The teen did cut out some foods, snacks, soft drinks and any kind of sweets, including chocolate although she loved it so much. All in order to fulfill her dreams of becoming a bodybuilder.
" I started training early because I used to see my brother go to the gym. It made me realize that I could actually lose weight and no longer be the chubby girl as I was called by other children at the time , "recalls Karina.
Even with her family's financial difficulties, it didn't stop Karina: "I never had financial support from anyone, but on the other hand, I can't complain about the moral support given to me by family and friends."
At 14 she began working as a receptionist at a gym and only then she began to eat better and buy supplements. It was also there that she met a bodybuilder Victor Soares, responsible for presenting the championships to Karina. At the time she did not know that at her age she already could attend these events. Her passion for the sport increased more and more.
Today Karina trains from Monday to Saturday for about an hour and a half accompanied by professionals, while following a strict diet recommended by a nutritionist, which is based on good carbs, fats, proteins and sometimes some fruits.
With all this dedication, when she was 15 years old, the teenager competed in a Brazilian Championship and won first place in three categories.
" It was all due to discipline that got all these victories and I hope all will go well on the next one too ," she says proudly and confident.
With the fully defined body, the young girl, who lives in the city of Apucarana, Parana, Brazil is constantly questioned and criticized by colleagues, but says she does not mind.
" Once I was using the stair master and a lady asked me:
- Why is your body all deformed? - I will never forget that day! How can someone compare definition with deformation? I found a bit of an exaggeration on her part , "sighs.
Karina says that even with all running around all day, she can still get good grades in school, be a good worker and a promising athlete.
" I need to always commit myself to school, I plan to study physical education in the future and cannot give in ," she adds.
The 16-year old has become an inspiration for other young people who end up following a heavy workout routine. However raising once again questions about the risk of starting weight training as an adolescence.
We decided to talk to Rickson Moraes, a Brazilian Orthopedic doctor and post graduate in Sports Medicine. During the interview, the doctor confirmed that there are benefits of weight training for teens and adolescents. It has been proven by the medical literature, however, it is essential that the exercises are done under the supervision of professionals used to working with young people, using load and volume and appropriate training.
" The exercises in this age group has always created a lot of discussions among physicians. Not long ago, it was not uncommon that these young people were prohibited from performing these activities, because many were afraid the practice could compromise somehow, growth and development , "concluded the doctor.
Im interested to know your thoughts on the topic? Please comment below. Teen Body Builder - Is She Too Young?
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