(Sorry for the dark video)
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Looking for a different kind of workout? Release your inner stripper with pole dancing. Before you turn your nose up and think, ‘Well, I’d never’, consider most exotic dancers have great bodies and in many cases their bodies are a by product of their jobs.
I took a pole dance/lap dance class last weekend--in celebration of a good friend’s upcoming nuptials. I showed up for a fun time without realizing a real workout was lurking around every pole spin. You are getting a cardio and strength training workout with squats cleverly disguised as a lap dance bump and grind and bicep and tricep work not so cleverly hidden as you hoist your bodyweight up on a pole. Being sexy hurt so good, I have the aching arms, legs, and abs to prove it. Four days later, my body is still reminding me just how sexy I am. ;)
If you are in the Norfolk/Virginia Beach area, please don’t hesitate to gyrate yourself over to Studio Rio. You will love the workout and the
feeling of being a woman no matter your size. Forget who you are or discovery our real self as you are encouraged to pick out a dance name while in the studio. It will be the most empowering hour you have spent working out. I promise.
Leave your inhibitions at the door and the pounds on the studio floor.
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Rewards create a feeling of doing something you want to do, not just what you’re forcing yourself to do. Even the smallest of rewards can work wonders as you travel from milestone to milestone, pound to pound, and mile to mile.
Here’s how to set up a good rewards system:
- Choose some benchmarks and reward levels. You can also reward yourself for levels of consistency.
- Make the reward meaningful to you. As a reward, a new pair of shoes may not hold as much motivation as a simple night alone with a book. Then again, it might.
- Choose two or three options from the Reward Roster below or come up with a few reward options of your own. It doesn’t take much. Sometimes, the best rewards are those you can’t buy.
- A lot of small rewards, used for meeting smaller goals, are more effective than relying solely on the bigger rewards that require more work and more time.
Don’t use food as a reward. Even good food. It’s just too much of a slippery slope. Don’t even mess with it.
- Plan to celebrate. Figure out now how you’re going to celebrate reaching your health, fitness or nutrition goal. Involve other people, tell them about it. Create a celebration that you can anticipate and then keep it within sight all the time.
- Be honest with yourself. Fudging the numbers mentally, or "borrowing" against the next reward hurts the cause of building a lifetime habit. Remember to keep your focus on building a habit, not just figuring out how to get the reward.
REWARD ROSTER CHOOSE YOUR FAVORITES AND USE THEM LIBERALLY
- Compliment yourself. Write down what you would say to anyone else who accomplished what you did.
- Create an actual plaque or trophy.
- Give yourself badges of honor for different levels of accomplishment.
- Take a vacation or weekend getaway.
- Take a day off from any goal activities.
- Put $1 in a jar every time you meet a goal. When it gets to $50, treat yourself.
- Create a Trophy Scrapbook, where you keep mementos from your accomplishments.
- See a movie.
- Make a grab bag of little prizes. When you reach a significant goal, reach in and get your reward!
- Go for a spa treatment or massage.
- Buy yourself a gift certificate.
- Take a limo ride.
- Subscribe to a magazine you always wanted.
- Go canoeing or do something outdoorsy.
- Watch your favorite TV show.
- Buy something for your hobby.
- Read a funny book.
- Celebrate "100% Days". If you reach 100% of your goals that day, choose two rewards.
- Find some time to be by yourself.
- Pay someone to do the yardwork or house cleaning this week.
- Fly a kite.
This article is used courtesy of Spark People.
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**Official Bio**- Debbie Siebers- A fitness leader for more than 20 years, Debbie Siebers has developed and perfected a host of challenging exercise routines that target specific problem areas of the body. In 1999, Debbie joined the Beachbody® team and used her fitness know-how to create the Thin Thighs Guaranteed!™ video. The popularity of that workout led to the development of Beachbody's highly successful Slim in 6® and Slim Series™ programs. Debbie is a certified member of the Aerobics and Fitness Association of America.
**Me**- Don't let the sweet smile fool you. This woman will have your legs and buns screaming with squats, lunges, and leg lifts- repeat!
Debbie has a new video available-- Total Body Solution. This is aimed at soothing those nagging aches and pains.
To learn more about Debbie's workouts, click on the logo in the right column or click the shop for products lin
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Shopping today, I found a great dress. The color was perfect, the fit flawless and the material--beautiful and lightweight. As I admired myself in the dressing room mirror, I was amazed how good I looked. My premature trip to the cash register cut short when I turned around and caught a view of my backside. My lightweight material was heavily lying on my not so light behind and it sang a full-throated song to the world about every dimple and crevice.
Two options: buy the dress with accompaniment (also known as Spanx) or leave the dress, since no sane person would make such a purchase and act like they didn’t know their ass craters were on display. Squeezing into a pair of Spanx didn’t appeal to me. I rather enjoy breathing. Aren’t I cheating by stuffing myself into a body I don’t have?
I didn’t buy the dress.
If I want the dress, I am going to have to earn the right to wear it and when I do, I will wear it with pride. The only think on display--my hard work.
*Side note*- Ladies let this be a lesson to you to always check your rear view. Make sure you look great coming and going. :)
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I’ve inadvertently taken a week off from doing any formal exercise. One day lead to another, another, and before you know it was basking in the ‘know’ of an unplanned vacation.
There are times when we need a break--from all things.
This hiatus has been good for my body and mind, but it’s not playtime in terms of being an eating free fall but a time to refocus, rejuvenate, and recommit to me.
Rest days are written into all Beachbody programs. Rest weeks will have to be written in by you.
Ahhh,
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Where do you fall on your to do list?
Are you #1 on your list? If not, it's time to reprioritize.
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Feeling like you are running on a treadmill of life?
Getting nowhere?
Switch directions!
Getting nowhere?
Switch directions!
Happy running,
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You have your new program. You have all your healthy eats. You have even purchased a cute workout outfit. You start working out and a week or two later, you find yourself falling back in the same routine.
What happened?
While it’s true you were motivated to get going, you weren’t motivated to keep going?
What’s on the list?
Why do you want to lose weight, get in shape or be healthier? What motivates you to get moving? We all know how hard exercise is, not only on the body, but also on the mind.
What’s on the list?
The list is what you need to refer back to when you feel yourself slacking off. Maybe, you wrote a list and your motivation was to fit into a smaller size for a wedding, reunion, or some other social gathering. Even though you know you have this goal, you can’t seem to trick yourself into thinking its worth it. For some of us motivation such as this will be enough, for most of us, it will not and not because we do not have the best of intentions, it will simply be because we know if push comes to shove, we can find a cute outfit in a bigger size (after all, no one can see the tag).
Truth is most people do not notice our weight (as much) as we do, but they do notice and we would rather not think about what they may be thinking. I get it. Feeling this is still not enough to keep us on task. We bail on our goal, get a bigger size, decide not to prance at the event and vow to try again.
What’s on the list?
Put something more substantial on your list. To be healthier, to see your kids grow up, to have an experience you’ve never had before, to not kill over from a preventable disease—those kinds of things need to be at the top of your list. Superficial reasons can still appear on your list but do not give these items a starring role. A superficial reason by its very definition does not lend itself to the depth of motivation you will need to for the long haul.
What’s on the list?
If you haven’t made a list, do it NOW. It will be the reason you get up, get moving, and KEEP moving. Without the list, it’s way too easy to succumb to old habits and over used excuses.
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Ever play a sport? Any sport? Boxing, wrestling, dodge ball, baseball, basketball, football and so on? Who is the most important person on the team? No, it’s not you, not this time. It’s the coach. The coach’s job is to come up the plan of action, see the pitfalls BEFORE they happen, prepare for those pitfalls and be prepared to shift courses, while staying on track, when the pitfalls are unavoidable. The coach is simultaneously a cheerleader and a foot-in-ass(er), dolling out praise and reprimand, sometimes with a smile, sometimes with sigh, but always with care. Giving the when, what, and how of motivation and encouragement, making their words sound like it’s the best advice you have ever heard. Even with all the values I’ve just outlined, the best of them all—the reason why coaches are so great—accountability.
As a fitness coach/business coach for Beachbody, my job is to provide accountability and by doing so, my roll in the lives of my clients follows the same script. I walk the tight rope of advice columnist, spiritual advisor, life coach, career coach, friend and mentor as I steer people down the path to their new lives. I hold my clients up when they have fallen or no longer have the strength to stand on their own. I relay the little things (they already know) but conveniently forget when the road seems too long. I play in the foreground until my words are no longer needed, until my player starts listening to their own voice, until the lesson has been learned- accountable starts within. Then and only then, do I take my proper place in the background.
No more hand holding required.
Be a player in the sport of life but rest assured your health is not a game.
If you like me to become your coach, email me at the link above, under the about me section.
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As a girl always looking to see how others are losing weight, I stumbled across Physician’s Weight Loss Center. A body fat analysis was free so I made an appointment. Maybe it was my naiveté I fully expected to go on for an analysis and that’s it. What I received was a free consultation, which included a body fat analysis. Greeted by the office manager (a graduate of the program) boasting about her 55lb lost, I was given a booklet of forms to fill out which asked for everything short of my DNA strip. Finally, I’m lead back into the room where I’m asked to step on the scale—the scale would read my body fat and hydration levels, oh joy, same technology I have at home. 20 body fat points higher than my at home scale, the consultation began.
The Physician’s Weight Loss Center (PWLC) offers a pocket full of weight loss programs based on the amount of weight you would like to lose. My goal weight is 179. I’m 5’11. According to the chart that was shoved in my face, I should be at 132-162 for my height. Huh? These are the lowest numbers I’d ever seen. I want to be healthy and still be meaty; my husband demands such. I have no interested in being tall and lanky nor do I have an interest in having my husband break out a magnifying glass to find the curves. I’m not planning on auditioning for America’s Next Top Model, so those numbers just won’t do. Where is the physician?
The next shocker comes when I’m informed of the recommended meal plan…of…wait for it…wait for it…1,000 calories. Do not adjust your eyes, you read it correctly. Yes, 1,000 calories and included in those 1,000 are supplements (snack bars, soups, pretzels etc.) I must purchase for the center. Are you kidding me? I was even more shocked when the office manager informed me that she was only taking in 600 calories—A DAY! Everyone knows, taking in anything less than 1,200 calories is not healthy and in fact will cause you to lose weight, but not body fat, with a calorie intake that low, you are losing muscle mass. Seems she was reading my mind, because the next thing out of her mouth was—and I quote “you will lose some muscle tone, but it will come back over time.” How, I thought? Since nowhere in this program was exercise mentioned. My muscle tone was not going to come back miraculously. Maybe they have muscle tone returns supplement in one of their little boxes. Again, where is the physician?
Guys, it gets better. We are now talking cost. It has been decided for my 30lb lost; I should be on an active program for three months and then move into maintenance for a period of up to a year. The active part of my plan would cost me $850, which includes my before and after pics (I have my own digital camera), and a consultation with the ‘physician’. $850 for three months, this explained why they wanted to get me to a lower goal weight as they are paid by the length of time I’m actively losing weight. My brain checked out on maintenance price. Where is the door?
I sincerely believe people should do whatever they need to do to get healthy. I’m sure this option has worked for many people as the common placed weight loss image of a thin person standing in too large jeans depiction implies. This plan would not be a viable option for me as there is no way I could sustain myself on 1,000 calories. I would eat everything I sight and there is no way I would pay them for the privilege to starve me under the guise of a ‘physician’s’ weight loss.
In the words of my little sister, weight loss is free. Touché little sister. Touché.
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As you all know, I use a Bodybugg to assist me in my weight loss efforts. The information I’m getting has been invaluable. We are always told that if you do cardio first thing in the morning it will rev up your metabolism. It’s true guys. I’m seeing it first hand. My normal calorie burn for just sitting still is 1.4 but on the days I do cardio. My calorie burn is DOUBLED, coming in at 2.8. This is great because I can go for hours at my job without walking. Seriously, my day job was killing me in the calorie burning department. This is why it’s so important for me to get up during lunch and take a walk.
Over time, when using a device such as the bugg, you begin to know what numbers you need to see to make goal. To lose 2lbs a month, I need to consume 1600 and burn 2600. So, when I leave the house in the morning, if I’m not at 900-1000 calories, I know I’m going to have to add in at least two more workouts to make that goal.
My numbers look like this:
Wake up with 400-500 calorie burned from sleep
Perform cardio to burn 400-500 extra calories.
Walk at lunch (with a higher calorie burn during the day, I find I do not ‘have’ to do this.)
Leave work with 1900-2000 calories burned, if this happens on a consistent basis, even if I lay on my butt when I get home (which sometimes is very likely, ok most times its very likely), I will make goal by 9pm. The rest is just gravy—the no calorie version.
Love this feedback.
I’m bugging,
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Have you ever heard of Laser Quest? Well, I hadn’t, but over the weekend my heart found a new way to beat rapidly. Laser tag is a fun game—a combination of tag and hide and seek-- where you strap on a pack, take out a laser and ‘tag’ your opponent. In the dark, you run through a maze, hide, strategize and position yourself to come out on top, as every player in the game is your enemy. There’s lot of running up ramps, squatting, quick movements and a little bit of plyometrics —before you know it, your heart rate is elevated, you’re breathing hard and sweating, all in an effort to not be ‘tagged’. Once, the game is suspended, it’s then you realize that amidst the fifteen to twenty minutes of fun, you’ve had an unconscious cardio workout.
Not one to like to make a fool out of myself—especially—in public. My fear factor was way up when approached to play this game. My first round I screamed each time I encountered a laser staring down at me. After a while, I was so into the game my initial apprehensiveness seemed (and actually was) silly. Out of 35 players, I ranked 11th, not bad for a first timer. When it came time for the second round, I’d observed some useful strategy and I positioned myself in a way to tag more than being tagged. This strategy paid off, this time; out of 36 players I ranked #1.
This game taught me so many lessons.
1. Don’t give into your fears.
2. Play with all your heart.
3. Be the best you can be.
4. Keep being active. It all adds up.
I can’t wait to go again. Laser tag will tag your pocket for $8 for a single game or $35 for the whole night.
Happ
y tagging,
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Today was my third attempt at Shakeology. This time I mixed it with 8oz almond milk and ¾ frozen pineapple. Immediately, I was thrilled with the look, thick and frothy. The pineapple did a great job at cutting the vitamin-y smell…. and…. the taste! Yes, I think we have a winner. Is it the best thing I’ve ever tasted? Not by a long shot, but its palatable enough for me to keep the bag and see what happens in 27 days....
...and counting.
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This is the new nutritional supplement from Beachbody. When I first heard of it, I had no desire to order it at all. As the weeks went by and the hype got bigger, each day I found myself being seduced by the brilliant marketing. Who could resist the bold black and green color scheme and a website with floating fruits and vegetables? It was almost like being hypnotized as the words from the numerous written and video taped testimonies drifted in and stuck to my brain. And as if that wasn’t enough, I had many of my colleagues eager to give ‘reel time’ taste tests with not a dissenting voice in the bunch. Shakeology was delish!
It was all too much. Four of my senses were on sensory overload and thus my fifth sense longed to be a part of the action. I broke down and ordered it. Friends tried to talk me out of it, not because they didn’t believe it was a great product, or even because they thought it was too expensive (it will run you $119 retail for a 30 day supply), but because quite frankly—they know me.
I am the girl who does not like my foods to touch or my condiments to mix. I’m funny about smells and the look of my food. I’m finicky with a capital ‘F’. But I figured, what the hell. I took the leap to give it a good honest try.
I’d researched the Shakeology recipes and I knew exactly what I was going to do. When the bag arrived, enclosed in a box, with a address lapel and dents from it's travels, I wasted no time, opening the bag, while my ¼ cup orange juice, ¾ cup water and ice, stood by, for the scoop, of Greenberry Shakeology that was going to bring it all to life.
Upon opening the bag, I was greeted by a vitamin-y waft of brownish green haze. I felt a precursory warning in my stomach, but I was not to be deterred. I could do this. I threw everything into a cup, gave it a twist and my magic bullet roared. As I waited, I even did a jig I dubbed my Shakeology dance.
Finally, I was ready for a taste test. So here is my review:
I can’t say I like it or dislike it. My stomach turned the whole time I drank it or shall I say chugged it. I was turned off by the smell and the taste—for me-- was not as great as I’d been lead to believe. I spent the rest of the night doing my best to keep it down because I was immediately overcome by an intense feeling to throw up. I grabbed my bag of Greenberry Shakeology, carefully put it back in the box and set the box by the door, as it soon would be marked—return to sender.
Not wanting to be a wimp about it, I decided to give Shakeology another spin. This time I tried it with 8 oz of orange juice and the taste was a little better but yet again, I chugged it to finish the glass.
I’m at an impasse. I now must decide if Shakeology’s claim--increased energy, regularity, and weight loss assistance among others--is worth stimulating and possibly activating my gag reflex everyday.
The jury is still out.
Shakeolgy comes in two flavors Chocolate and Greenberry. It retails for $119. To order your Shakeology, click on the shop for products link at the top.
(As Dr. Phil would say- I don't ask you to substitute my judgment for your own.)
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The clock is ticking. Your new body waits.
The time is now to get your eating in order.
The time is now to get your eating in order.
Happy Eating,
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So, last week I posted I would start P90X+ this past Monday.
This is an update.
This is an update.
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…. every where I turn. Ninety days of Chalean Extreme are now complete and today starts a new challenge for me with P90X+.
With Chalean Extreme, I lost 8 total pounds and not very many inches, but I gained a lot of muscle in my upper body. I’m thrilled at the new lines and striations I see that outline the different muscle groups.
For my P90X+, I am making adjustments in my diet and setting my sights on more muscle and less overall body fat. Sure, I have a weight goal I’m trying to reach but that number is evolving. I am not to be defined by any number per se. This journey is about being healthy and healthy comes in a lot of variations.
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Coming Soon! New workout from Beachbody and Shaun T.
Sometimes you have to lose you mind to get the results you want!
Sometimes you have to lose you mind to get the results you want!
Here's to an INSANELY hot body,
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For a month now, I've been using the latest gadget in my get fit arsenal--a Bodybugg. You may have seen this product used on a very popular weight loss show. It's taken a month for me to get acclimated to the bugg and to form an intelligent opinion on it.
The Bodybugg is a small black monitor you wear 24/7 strapped to your left arm. It not only calculates your calories but also your steps. You upload the information to your computer; input your food and the software will tell you if you are operating in a calorie deficit or surplus. These values are also measured against the goals you have set for yourself. Along with your body parameters (age, height, weight etc.), you also set up the amount of weight you want to lose and the system will give you a target calorie intake and output number. The Bodybugg has an accessory you can purchase--a digital display--which shows you a real-time accumulation of your calories and steps. It can be worn as a watch or clipped to your clothing.
My decision to purchase the bugg was simple. My weight loss had stalled. I was tracking my food intake and tracking my calories, a la my heart rate monitor, but still nothing by way of weight or inches lost. Based on my tracking, I should have been losing at least a pound a week. It was then I started to research calorie counters andthrough that research is when I discovered heart rate monitors are not good indicators of calorie burn. They tend of overestimate and that’s when I started to give the bugg a serious look. The Bodybugg uses heat flux, skin response, skin temperate and an accelerometer to determine calories burned. It has been proven to be 92% accurate. It does not calculate heart rate.
What I have learned from using this system is--we don’t burn as many calories as we think to sustain life. We hear that all the time. Your body burns calories all day—and it does, but for me, that burn as been approx 1.4 calories a minute. I’ve also learned that many household chores have a greater calorie burn than doing an aerobic workout. The bugg tends to either underestimate or correctly assess (I haven’t figured out which one) calories while weight lifting. At first I was disappointed with the numbers I was getting after a hard weight lifting session. I wanted the heart rate monitor to be correct. Now I’ve come to appreciate the lower numbers because it motivates me to move more to meet and exceed my goals.
I’ve worn both my bugg and heart rate monitor during exercise. With cardio exercise, I burn 200 calories or more on the heart rate monitor than the bugg and with weight lifting I burn 50-100 calories more on the heart rate monitor than the Bodybugg, therein is the problem (for me). I really wanted the higher numbers to be accurate but they just weren't. After seeing these discrepancies, it was clear to me why my weight loss had stalled.
All in all, I’ve am happy with the purchase of the Bodybugg. I stumbled out of the gate the first two to three weeks, but once I really started applying it, the weight is moving at a rate of 2lbs a week. Am I able to lose weight without it? Yes and I have but this system shows me to take greater care in the things I eat and it motivates me to keeping moving.
Here is an example of the feedback from the Bodybugg.
The Bodybugg with digital display retails for $349. This includes a free 45-minute coaching session and a 6-month subscription to the web component.
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