Friday, September 30, 2011

Add low impact sessions

Happy Friday, and an end to September. I have a feeling Oct. is going to be fantastic. I am welcoming the fall. A client of mine pulled her hamstring while taking a group fitness class, so when I saw her this week, we had a low impact training session.

A very easy way to explain a low impact workout is that it's easy on your joints. It is very necessary to incorporate low impact workouts in your fitness regimen, especially if you train frequently. An example of low impact training would be yoga or pilates.

With low impact training you are still burning calories and using your muscles. In my client's case, we had to completely stay away from her hamstring, but we did a ton of upper body work, and many moves she was seated or in supine position (on her back). When I recieved her follow up email, (I require all my clients to check in and let me know how they are feeling), she let me know that she was really sore. Point being: You can still have a great session even though it's low impact.

Be kind, and take care of your body. If you train 4 or more times a week, break it up with low impact exercise. Enjoy the weekend.

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

xoxo
Michelle

TIP OF THE DAY:
No eating from a serving bowl, out of a big bag, or while standing at the kitchen counter. Get a dish and put a serving of your food in/on it, and you will eat less.

*for more tips and info follow my other sites/become a fan*

www.twitter.com/michellebetts4
www.facebook.com/michellebettstoughloveMiami (fan page)

*for apperances*
Mike@Esterman.com

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Over-thinking

This blog is dedicated to all of the over-thinkers of the world. I can think things to death. My name is Michelle Betts, and I am an over-thinker. This is very common for artists, as an actress and fitness professional, I tend to be in my head.

The fabulous, good, wonderful, news is there is help for all of us. I am advanced in yoga and practice regularly. The hour and a half I spend in my yoga class is by far the most calm of my week. It is the one place where I can go, and completely shut down my mind, not to mention get a fantastic exercise session in.

I just got back from my yoga class, and I am calm, happy, and at peace. Now, I also practice meditation every morning which is great also, and I highly recommend. We live in a hectic, technology based world, and I know for me, quite time is needed. If you are on over-thinker, or need some form of stress release, I encourage you to take a yoga class and start meditating.

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

xoxo
Michelle

TIP OF THE DAY:
When taking yoga, or stretching, always remember to breathe into the pose or stretch. As you breathe out, you should be able to stretch a tiny bit farther.

*for more tips follow me and become a fan*

www.twitter.com/michellebetts4
www.facebook.com/MichelleBettsToughLoveMiami

For appearances contact:
Mike@Esterman.com

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Get moving!

It is officially fall. This year, filming my reality show, Tough Love Miami, has made the year fly bye. Now that the weather is getting cooler and bikini season is past us, some of you might be slaking.

I am here to tell you NO MORE SLAKING, it will only be harder to get back in the swing of things. I'm gonna make this really easy for you. All I ask is 3-5 days of 30-60 minutes of exercise. When you really look at all the minutes and hours in the week, this really isn't that much time.

If you are really pressed for time, go out and buy a jump rope. As soon as you wake up, jump rope for 10 minutes. Ten little minutes of jump roping can burn up to 120 calories, and also get your body nice and warm. By doing this, you will burn more calories throughout the day. Now, if you have joint problems and need a low impact exercise, take a 20 minute walk during your lunch hour or after dinner....I swear to you, it will add up.

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

xoxo
Michelle

TIP OF THE DAY:
If you are pressed for time with your cardio portion of training then perform intervals, you will burn more calories in less time.

*follow me on twitter and become a fan on facebook for more tips and up to date info*
www.twitter.com/michellebetts4
www.facebook.com/MichelleBettstoughlovemiami

*for appereances please contact:
Mike@Esterman.com

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Slow and Steady

A new client of mine is seriously kicking butt. We train three times a week and she let's me really push her. In the first few weeks of training she got really discouraged. She has been working so hard, but was expecting faster results. My philosophy: Slow and steady wins the race.

I read a ton of health and fitness publications. Most studies claim that people who lose 1-3 lbs a week keep it off for good. As a fitness professional, I completely agree with this. It's a goal I set for most of my clients. I always tell them that even if they only lose 1 lb, that the 1lb is NEVER coming back.

Please don't be discouraged if you are only seeing small results. Small results in the long run add up. Stay disciplined and keep going with your fitness regimen. It will eventually become a lifestyle.

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

xoxo
Michelle

TIP OF THE DAY:
1 lb is roughly 3500 calories. If you take out 500 calories a day from your daily diet, you should lose about 1lb a week.

*for more tips follow me on twitter and become a fan on facebook*

www.twitter.com/michellebetts4
www.facebook.com/michellebettstoughlovemiami

Monday, September 12, 2011

Training With Weights

It's Monday, I just got in from my training session and I feel great. I have an upcoming photo shoot, so I am really going to be pushing myself this week. A few days I'm going to do double time, meaning, two sessions a day.

While I was on the portion of my resistance training, or for most, weight training, it came to me that some people don't know how to properly lift weights. So here are a few simple tips:

*Know what result you want. For instance, if you want to get bigger, lift less repetitions with a heavier weight. If you want to get lean with little muscle growth, choose a lighter weight with more repetitions.

*When you want to achieve muscle growth the last four reps should be very difficult. An example would be if you are doing 3 sets of 12 repetitions, by rep 8 it should be really hard and almost unbearable by the third set.

*Make sure to rest in between sets so your body can recover it's energy systems. Depending on your goal, rest between 30 sec-2 minutes.

*After training be sure to replenish your carbs, there is a 60 minute window, if you don't refuel, your body with take and store energy inproperly.

These are just a few tips, have a great workout week!!!

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

xoxo
Michelle

TIP OF THE DAY:
When you are performing a standard bilateral squat (with or without weights) if you are in correct posture you should be able to lift your toes.

*for more tips follow me on twitter and become a fan of my facebook page*

www.twitter.com/michellebetts4
Michelle Betts Tough Love Miami Fan Page

Thursday, September 8, 2011

When you are overwhelmed, exercise!!!

Yesterday was a big day for me. It was announced that I am one of the cast members of VH1's Tough Love Miami airing this fall. Although I thought I was prepared, I realized yesterday that I wasn't. I saw mean, hurtful, and most of all, not true posts about the whole cast, including myself.

I am in no way, shape, or form, malicious. It's not my nature, I don't wish harm on anyone. I have a huge heart, so last night was really hard on me. WHAT DID I DO??????? I exercised!!!!

I have a fitness pole in my home, so I put on music and performed a pole routine that I have designed. I zoned out for about an hour and went to bed feeling wonderful. After I trained my clients, I did my daily "hour of power", it's a Tony Robbins technique, and now I am getting ready to go to yoga.

When you are feeling overwhelmed, stressed, hurt, etc. get up and exercise, whatever form. I PROMISE you will feel better and let some, if not all, of the stress go.

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

xoxo
Michelle

TIP OF THE DAY:
BE KIND!!!

*follow me on twitter and become my fan on facebook*
www.twitter.com/michellebetts4
Michelle Betts Tough Love Miami Fan Page

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Alcohol Intake

I hope everyone had a fabulous Holiday weekend. I know I sure did. I spent my long weekend doing many different things. One time during the weekend I consumed alcohol, I was at the London hotel Sunday afternoon, I designated that time in which I could drink.

The very first thing I ask while assessing a new client is what their alcohol intake is per week. I ask this because over drinking is a very easy way to gain weight. I tell my clients to limit their alcohol intake, to try and only have 2 drinks per week. You would be surprised how fast the calories add up when consuming alcohol.

I understand this can be a bit challenging, try and schedule the time you drink your allotted amount of alcohol. An example would be that I knew I was going to have some fun Sunday afternoon, so even though I went to a birthday dinner Friday night, I didn't drink. Sunday was the only time I consumed alcohol, and only a few drinks.

Not drinking is very easy for me, I'm not a big drinker, I'm a health nut and would rather eat my calories than drink them. If you make it a habit, to only drink a few drinks a week, it will just become second nature. Before you know it you won't even want any alcohol at all. There are many times I go months without drinking. Try this, you and your body will thank me for it.

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

xoxo
Michelle

TIP OF THE DAY:
An easy way to stop yourself from over drinking is to have a large glass of water in between every drink. You should be able to stop at two.

*follow me on twitter*
www.twitter.com/michellebetts4

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Check your posture!

I can't believe it is already Sept. This year has flown bye. I have never felt stronger in my life, and I wish that for you too! I've kicked up my regimen for fall, and am hitting my marks, so to speak.

A soon to be client of mine had some questions for me today regarding at home training. I am all for working out at home. I think there are a ton of great DVDs out there to help you reach your fitness goals. I always tell people if you are going to train at home, be sure to check your posture.

Proper posture is a key ingredient to prevent injury. Not to mention to target the correct muscles in each sequence. What I told my client today is that if you are training at home, bring a mirror out and check your posture CONSTANTLY. The slightest off set can cause postural distortion or injury.

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

xoxo
Michelle

TIP OF THE DAY:
When performing a standard bicep curl, your elbows should be by your sides and have no movement what so ever.

*follow me on twitter for more tips*
www.twitter.com/michellebetts4