Monday, November 29, 2010

Yoga, Yoga, Yoga, O'my

I hope everyone had a fantastic Thanksgiving and enjoyed yummy food with people you love. Last week I joined a new yoga studio right around the corner from where I live. I love Exhale, in Venice, but I rarely have time these days for the drive. As a new member of Yogaworks, your first week you can attend as many classes as you like. I took advantage of this and went 4 times throughout the week.

I have been a fan of yoga for years, I encourage all my clients, and everyone I know, to practice at least once a week. Now I know why. There is just something about yoga that centers me (and most people). I handled stress more easily, was more relaxed, and a co-worker at the night club I work at kept on telling me I was glowing (I took a late class right before work that evening).

There are many different kinds of yoga. Try as many as possible and see what you like. Classes are offered through most cable stations, meaning you don't even need to leave your home, you can watch and follow in your living room. There are also dvd's you can rent for free at your public library. If you want to live a more peaceful life, start practicing yoga today!

Thank you for reading and no matter what shape and size you are, always love yourself!!!

xoxo
Michelle

TIP OF THE DAY:
Physical activity is a huge mood improver, take a 20 minute walk during your lunch break and it will do wonders.

Thursday, November 25, 2010

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. Today, I want you all to enjoy yourselves, I hope you are surrounded by positivity and love. It's OK today to indulge a bit. The key is a bit. Don't stuff yourself and overeat, but do enjoy dinner!!!

Thank you for reading and no matter what shape and size you are, always love yourself!!!

xoxo
Michelle

TIP OF THE DAY:
Today please be thankful for all your blessings, even through hard times. The fact that you are alive, breathing, and reading this is blessing enough!!!

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

New Year's Resolution

This morning as I was doing my morning ritual (hour of power), I started thinking about all my clients. I am pretty sure most of them will tell me next week how they over-ate and feel horrible about it. That's why I'm urging all of you to make a New Year's Resolution regarding your health and fitness and start it now!!!

Every year after the holidays I sit down and do goal setting for the following year. Well, on Tuesday November 9th (yes, I remember the date), I spent hours making my 2011 vision board, along with my goal board. I have both of these boards hung in my bedroom wall, they are the first thing I look at every morning. I feel good, I'm ahead for 2011, and I am positive it will be a good year for me.

Today make your fitness resolution/goal.....what you want out of 2011. This way you can stick with it through the Holiday season and not gain any of those pesky holiday pounds. I swear to you, it will keep you focused and on track for a positive 2011!!!

Thank you for reading and no matter what shape and size you are, always love yourself!!!

xoxo
Michelle

TIP OF THE DAY:
Sweat for 2.5 hours a week. You can break it up however you like (10 minutes of walking here, 60 minute pilates class there, etc.). This is the recommended allotment the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends. Even if you only get to the gym or fitness center 3 days a week, which consists of workouts under an hour, this is enough. You can do it, love yourself enough and make the time!!!

Monday, November 22, 2010

Have patience

It is only 12:30 and I've done so much today. I made a deal with a client of mine that I would wake him up and we could go practice yoga together. I love yoga and advise everyone I work with to try and practice once a week. Well, we started today and made it to the 6:30 am class. I then trained another client at 8:15, got dressed and made it to an 11 am audition. I feel great!

While I was in my car I thought about how much time and dedication it takes to change your body. All I can say is be patient. I understand, you make the commitment to start training, a few weeks go bye, and you don't see big results. It can be very frustrating, but I promise if you keep at it for the long haul, YOU WILL SEE AND GET RESULTS. You just have to be patient.

Even I, being a fanatic, get impatient. I eat a healthy, balance diet, and I train RELIGIOUSLY......my arms are still not where I want them to be. My arms are my weakest body part. I just have to keep working on them, and be more patient. Eventually I will see the results I'm striving for, and when I do, it's going to be fabulous!!!

Please keep up your hard work, try not to get discouraged, and have patience.

Thank you for reading and no matter what shape and size you are, always love yourself!!!

xoxo
Michelle

TIP OF THE DAY:
Transform your carb rich foods like pizza and pancakes by making them healthy. Substitute regular flour for almond flour (blanched, ground almonds). You'll get more protein and fiber, plus hefty doses of calcium, magnesium, and antioxidant vitamin E.

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Litmus test

I just had a fantastic training session, today I worked my legs and rocked out to Katy Perry. Her new album is pretty upbeat, it really gets me going. While I was training I thought about a new client I'm working with.

Before I take a client I meet and assess with the person. It's fast and pain free. I try and gauge how serious they are and what level I need to push em and be on em. I find out their goals to see if I'm the right trainer for them. After the initial assessment we come up with a regimen and plan. This is where my litmus test comes into play.

The first week I'm not aggressive, I sit and wait. I take notes if the client flakes completely, gives me an excuse, etc. Don't get me wrong, I understand that things come up....we live in a busy world, however, I can generally tell what's up. Week number two is when the drill sergeant comes out, as my mother says, "Your mean". Frankly, it's not my job to be nice, and if I have to be mean to get you going, I'm completely capable of that.

Today come up with your own personal litmus test. Find out what you are stalling on and make a plan, whatever that be, to get going. We are in full blown holiday mode where the average person puts on the pounds, this is the time to work harder and not hold back.

Thank you for reading and no matter what shape and size you are, always love yourself!!!

xoxo
Michelle

TIP OF THE DAY:
Spread 2 tbsp. peanut butter on whole wheat bread with a sliced banana and drink an 8 oz glass of skim milk for a great meal. You will feel full and keep your blood sugar steady. The meal has 511 calories, 25 grams of protein, 19 grams of fat, and 8grams of fiber and it is yummy, yummy, yummy.

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Change

I read an article the other day regarding change. It stated how most Americans don't like change, try to avoid it at all costs. The article also stated that change was good for you in a many different ways in terms of your health. I thought about this for awhile, pondering my life.

This year with the help of Anthony Robbins programs, I have made major changes. Yes, change is scary, but living is also scary, the world is scary, life is simply scary. The thing with change is that it awakens you, helps you see things differently. Change helps you grow as a human being. I welcome change and say BRING IT ON!!!!! My life and the way I think and handle stress has completely changed for the better from a year ago, I'm so thankful for that.

Today while you are in the gym, I challenge you to change your regimen in one little way. Use a machine you never used before, take a class you've never tried, spend extra time stretching a body part that you don't stretch, etc. Feel it the next day and smile!!!

Thank you for reading and no matter what shape and size you are, always love yourself!!!

xoxo
Michelle

TIP OF THE DAY:
In order to save those veggies right before they spoil, invest in a crock pot and make a soup. It will cook to perfection while you are at work, and you will have a healthy meal readily available throughout the week.

Monday, November 15, 2010

Do you brush your teeth?

I have been very frustrated lately. I constantly have people asking me for help, and I love giving it. When I follow up, I find most of the time that the person didn't take my advice. I have clients, friends, and family whom I train, and every week I hear the same sob story. They tell me they really want to lose weight and get healthy, but don't have time. You know what my response is? "Do you brush your teeth"?

It's a very simple question and everyone says, "of course". Well, that's how I feel about exercising. In order to be serious about getting healthy and changing your body, you have to start making diet and exercise a main priority, and part of your daily ritual. It has to be something you make time for and just do, like brushing your teeth.

It can be as simple as a twenty minute walk, or even waking up ten minutes earlier and jump roping.........you can even do this while you are still in your pajamas. Before you go to bed tonight look at your schedule for tomorrow and plan to get some form of exercise in. If you start making this a ritual, I promise you will start seeing results, and your health will improve. You will also make your personal trainer very happy.

Thank you for reading and no matter what shape and size you are, always love yourself!!!

xoxo
Michelle

TIP OF THE DAY:
Add servings of broccoli to your weekly diet. This fabulous vegetable not only is proven to burn fat, but it also is a cancer fighter.

Thursday, November 11, 2010

A plateau

The other day when I was training my legs, during my training It was a difficult workout. I pushed myself, and I was exhausted after my session. I train myself on a split system. This is where you take and spend a whole day of training on a body part, and alternate body parts throughout the week. An example would be Monday: legs, Tuesday: biceps and triceps, Wednesday: Back and Shoulders, etc. The following day after I killed my legs, I wasn't very soar.

This leads me to talk about when your body plateau's. It's not that I didn't work hard or push myself, my muscles have just become use to the exercises and stress. There is a pretty simple remedy to fix this. All you have to do is change it up. This means next week I will incorporate new exercises with different weights, and take out older exercises I have been doing for awhile.

A good rule to follow is changing your routine about every 12 weeks to avoid a plateau. Increasing weight and changing the amount of repetitions needs to change constantly though. Always listen to your body, and remember, the last two repetitions should be really difficult.

Thank you for reading and no matter what shape and size you are, always love yourself!!!

xoxo
Michelle

TIP OF THE DAY:
Research found that 20 minutes of walking a day is enough to safeguard against stroke, which kills more than 80,000 women every year. An easy way to add a little more steps into your day is by parking further away and taking the longer way to walk to work, or taking a nice walk during your lunch break or after dinner.

Monday, November 8, 2010

My week off

Happy Monday, I hope you all are having a great day! I had to take a week off my blog to take care of myself. I got a really bad case of food poisoning, followed by symptoms of a cold. It was absolutely horrible, I felt weak all week. Today is the start of a new week though, and I'm feeling much better.

I did want to share an interesting experience with you. Anyone who reads my blog knows my favorite grocery store in LA is Erewhon. It's a natural food store that caters to raw foodies, macrobiotics, and vegans. It's a bit pricey, but it's worth it to me.

Friday afternoon I was still feeling under the weather, and I knew I had to be up late working at night. I went to Erewhon and sat down at there tonic bar for the first time. THIS TONIC BAR IS UTTERLY AMAZING!!!!! I told the two men behind the counter (Truth and Jason), what was going on with me, and they mixed up all natural concoctions to help me feel better. There was an immunity shot, an antibiotic shot, and a warm immunity tonic.

I spent about an hour sitting there drinking, watching them brew many different tonics, shakes, and shots: I was fascinated. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE western medicine and believe if you don't feel well that you should always go see your medical doctor. I do also believe, however, in herbs and natural products. I woke up Sat. morning feeling a hundred times better, what they made for me worked.

It's the beginning of the week, get to the gym, and start out strong!!!!

Thank you for reading and no matter what shape and size you are, always love yourself!!!

xoxo
Michelle

TIP OF THE DAY:
I wanted to share with you my personal recipe for the best shake ever. I make one for myself right after my training. It's soooooo good for you and fabulous, if I do say so myself. Try it, and let me know what you think.

1 scoop of inner armour protein powder (you can order it at bodybuilding.com)
1 scoop of amazing grass gluten free and raw wheat grass (bought at whole foods)
1 scoop of Sambazon organic freeze-dried acai (bought at any health food store)
2 tablespoons of golden flax seeds
1/2 an average size pomegranite

Mix with about six ounces of water, blend, and enjoy!!!!!