The starting point of all achievement is desire, Keep this constantly in mind. Weak desire brings weak results! - Napoleon Hill

My cousin, Wendy recently asked me this question and and since it's a common question, I thought that I should post it.

I have a quick question. I know you are doing the body building etc. I have been going to the gym now to get back in shape and to lose some weight I have reached my goal and can fit into clothes that I have been trying to fit into but I'm having problems still with trimming down my thighs and arms, abs is not too bad. Any suggestions? Thanks and take careWendy

Hi Wendy,
Congrats on your weight loss and going back to the gym! Believe it or not, this is a common question. Unfortunately the areas where you gain weight the quickest are also the last areas where we lose. Most people’s fat deposits aren’t equally distributed. Women tend to gain weight in their thighs/hips (pear-shaped), or in their stomachs/breasts (apple-shaped). Unfortunately we can’t spot reduce and lose fat only in one area or in the areas of our choosing. You may have to lose some more overall fat and firm those areas by lifting weights. You didn’t mention what you currently do at the gym so I am assuming that it may be mostly cardio therefore I would recommend the following:
1. Incorporate some light weights into your workout. I would recommend using light weights and high reps. For example, 12 to 15 reps with short 30 second rest between each set. Don’t be too concerned about getting too muscular. You don’t have enough testosterone and you are not lifting heavy so you should not be concerned about getting too muscular. Lifting weights will help tighten these areas.
2. Include some pylometrics and body weight workouts in your routine. Here is a link to examples of plyometric exercises. http://www.sport-fitness-advisor.com/plyometricexercises.html.
3. Change your workout and include some variety. If your regular workout includes running or walking on the treadmill, add do some interval work and increase the incline on the treadmill. For example, walk on the treadmill for 1 minute then increase the incline and speed for a minute, then reduce the incline and speed for a minute then increase for a minute. Make sure you include a regular 5-10 minute warm-up and cool down. Good luck!

If we all did the things we are capable of, we would astound ourselves! - Thomas Edison

I decided that I will not compete this year. The reasons are that I enjoy working out way more when I am not preparing for a competition and I really want to focus more on doing more shoulder and core exercises. I’ve also started doing body weight workouts which are fun, but challenging.

I always read the ingredients listed on food packages before I purchase foods. Some of the things I avoid and will not purchase are foods with high fructose corn syrup and trans fat. Basically, trans fat is made when manufacturers add hydrogen to vegetable oil--a process called hydrogenation. Hydrogenation increases the shelf life and flavor stability of foods containing these fats.
I was extremely surprised to learn that there was high fructose corn syrup in fat-free half .y husband adds it to his coffee in the morning. I am not sure why high fructose corn syrup would need to be included in fat free half and half but there it was? Needless to say, I will no longer be purchasing fat free half and half.
I am not sure why but I haven’t been sleeping well for the past 2 nights. Not sure if it has to do with the Daylight Saving Time change. My goal for the next few days is to get lots of sleep.

3 foods you must NOT eat if you want to lose fat.

3 foods you must NOT eat if you want to lose fat.

My cousin recently told me she wanted to lose weight. I really don’t think she is really serious so until she is there is not much I can do to help her. But my suggestions to her would be to try to lose fat, not weight. I say fat and not weight because if I wanted to lose 10 pounds I would prefer to lose 10 pounds of fat and not 10 pounds of muscle. Mainly because fat takes up way more space than mucle (pic below), and the more muscle you have the more fat you burn.

3 foods you must NOT eat if you want to lose fat.
1) Processed foods from a bag or a box. For example, avoid breakfast cereal. Most breakfast cereals have way too much sugar.

2) Carbohydrate snacks. For example, a bag of chips or granola bar. Does anyone really get full from eating a granola bar? I know that I don’t!

3) Liquid calories – Such as Coke, fruit juice. Most fruit juices are filled with high fructose corn syrup and I don’t think anything is worst than Coke except maybe Pepsi. Also if you are hungry will drinking a can of Coke and drinking juice really help? You might as well just drink water – zero calories!
4) Breakfast from fast-food restaurants. Just to give you an idea a Bacon, Supreme Omelet & Cheese on Croissant from Dunkin Donuts has 680 calories and 44 grams of fat.

Luckily my cousin likes to cook so I don’t think she has to be too concerned with #4.

What I am giving up for Lent

Every year I try to give something up for Lent. This year I am going to give up chewing gum!
I seem to have an addiction to gum and I am going to try hard to try to give it up. Forty days of no gum and hopefully I will be able to give it up completely after 40 days. I gave up gum for about 1 week last year. My trainer insisted that I give it up for about 1 week before my last competition (mainly because it causes bloating). Unfortunately on some days a chew as much as 1 pack of gum a day! Maybe it's the sweetness that I am really addicted to? Maybe I am really addicted to sweets! To help determine if it's really an addiction to sweets, I am also going to give up candy.

What's the big deal about chewing gum? Well the problem is the artificial sweeteners in the gum. Some artificial sweeteners are not really good for you. I finally made up my mind after reading the following:

"Artificial sweeteners always seem to have a significant downside to them whether it is causing cancer (saccharin), seizures and headaches (aspartame), tumors (acesulfame K) or possible immunologic disorders (splenda). Now research shows they also promote weight gain."

I really don't use artificial sweeteners except for some stevia I add to my oatmeal so all I have to do give up gum! It's that easy! Not!

Hard Work or Genetics?

I recently heard a fitness expert say that if you want to look like a sprinter "do sprints", if you want to look like a yoga instructor do yoga, or a Pilate's instructor do Pilate's. Pretty crazy, so if I start playing basketball, I will look like a basketball player? I wish it was that easy. I know my husband wouldn't mind having shoulders like Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic's but he certainly isn't going to get those shoulders just by playing basketball! Basically genetics has a big part in a person's physique. With that being said, this does not mean that you should not work with what you have and try to make it better, some hard work will go a long way! Each of us has limitations. Since I tend to store most of my body fat in my mid section, I may not get that six pack that I long for, but I am not going just give up and say well, I have poor genetics so why bother? I may not have the genetics to become a professional figure competitor, but I will try to look the best that I can. BTW, my goal isn't to become a professional figure competitor but I wouldn't mind having abs like this Alicia Marie

Latest Diet Craze!

People will try almost anything to lose weight. On the radio this morning there was an ad for a diet shake that will supress your appetite. There is always some new diet shake, pill, tea, or strange procedure to help with weight lose. When are people going to stop wasting their money and just exercise and eat healthily?

"North Americans spend $50 billion a year on pills, potions, diets and programs promising nothing short of miraculous weight loss. Many of them are nonsense, according to an editorial in this week's Canadian Medical Association Journal."

'The majority of commercial weight-loss providers manipulate vulnerable consumers with impunity, cultivating unrealistic expectations and false beliefs.

" Vulnerable consumer" is the key word. I had a friend who spent lots of money at a clinic that hooked her up to electrodes, which were suppose to melt the fat off her. When I told her that it was a waste of money and would not work, she proceeded to tell me that I wouldn't understand because I wasn't fat. I will certainly agree with that, I don't know what's it's like to be fat. But what I did understand was that she should stop eating at Popeye's, and that might help! Unfortunately people will always be duped by the latest diet "craze".

I am an exercise addict!

I was speaking to my sister today and she called me an addict...an exercise addict! I know some may not think being an exercise addict is a bad thing, but I don't believe that any types of addictions can be good. I am definitely not an exercise addict, and I know that the first step is to admit it. Now, I don't think I can stop exercising, I always have to be active whether it's just going to the gym or playing a sport. Last night I was actually looking into taking up a new sport. Perhaps taking tennis or swimming lessons. I know how to swim, but I want to be be able to do all the strokes and swim laps. I am definitely not a strong swimmer. Considering all the couch potatoes out there, being an exercise addict may not be that bad, but I really don't think it's good either.

Here are signs that you are an exercise addict:

• You feel that more exercise is better. An addict feels that more exercise is better therefore they spend hours in the gym, everyday and don't take a day off!

Excessive exercise is actually not good for you and can lead to injuries. I personally only workout 1 hour a day and after 1 hour of working out, I am out! I do not exercise everyday either. Your body needs time to recover!

• You workout even when tired or injured. This is generally not a good idea. Unless you are a professional athlete who gets paid then why risk it.

I don't like getting injured and don't like pain, hospital, stitches, etc so I am usually really cautious about this. When I am tired, I know it's time to rest.

• You prevent interactions and fail to attend functions and invitations because you cannot miss a day of not working out.

Sometimes I do exercise because I don't have anything better to do, but I don't turn down invitations because I need to workout. I do sometimes avoid situations where it involves drinking alcohol and eating foods that I don't usually eat.

• You believe in the "no pain, no gain" principle. Some people actually believe that unless it hurts, they are not working out hard enough?

So these are some signs that you are an exercise addict! The answer is no, I am not an exercise addict!

So I still have not completely decided whether I will compete in May. I worked out really hard on Monday and during my workout, at times, I thought to myself, "do you really want to do this...it's not easy"! You see, I tend to workout harder when I am preparing for a competition, and I make sure I do every rep. Do I really want to make all those sacrifices I will need to in order to prepare? The diet part is the easier part of competing (except for the last 2 weeks). What is even most difficult is maintaining muscle and not losing muscle. I do have to decide soon but in the meantime, I am going to continue to train as if I am going to compete on May 10th!