Who says you need more than 3lb weights???

I’m towards the end of the Tracy Anderson program and I’m going to continue with the workouts for a long time. I love the results and it’s definitely a type of workout I look forward to everyday. It consists of fun dance moves and 3lb weights. I have many women asking about my arms and they can’t believe the shape was developed with 3lb weights. I’ve encouraged a couple of friends to try and it out and they bought the CDs. I’m hoping they stick with it and I can share their results.

I’ve started to incorporate yoga, which is located blocks from me, Wanderlust. The intensity, variety of classes, instructors and type of people attend keep me coming back for more. I’ve been doing yoga off and on for 20 years and I’ve probably tried almost every practice, even Yogafit, with Beth Shaw in Manhattan Beach, Ca. I always come back to it for spiritual and physical improvement. These unique types of workouts (not your typical gym routine) are great ways to get out of your comfort zone, shake up your routine and change your physical and emotional state. What I’ve learned from changing my workouts over the past 30 years is it’s all about nutrition, discipline and just moving no matter what it is. The activity only starts to matter when you do it with a specific goal in mind, e.g. training for specific competition, health factors, and improvement in strength, stability or mental acuteness. Enjoy what you choose so it becomes a habit!

Results Just After Two Months!

It's only been two months since I started the Tracy Anderson Method and I still enjoy it and continue to see results. I truly enjoy the dance moves and the challenging strength portion of the workout; however in my opinion it's all about what you eat. I was happily surprised the recipes this program provides include grass-fed beef, fish (high in Omega 3), eggs and yummy spices. I also welcome the cancellation of salt and sugars; yes, including honey. This program uses fructose (fruits), which I usually do not eat. I'm a huge fan of Kurt Harris (Archevore Diet) and I tend to exclude sugar all together. The closest I come to sugar is root vegetables. I have brought some fresh fruits (puree) back into my diet.I'm always open to change and having new experiences. I still continue my coconut oil use so I know I'm getting healthy fats.

I'm 5'5, a healthy 110 lbs with a HDL of 102 and LDL of 72. People always want to know how I do it.
First, I'm blessed with great genetics and second, I choose a healthy lifestyle and commit to it.
I feel lucky to share my experiences with friends and family with the hope it will inspire.

First Month of a New Workout!

Here it is one month later; I’ve lost 5 lbs of unwanted muscle and fat while becoming more tone and energetic. I really enjoy the Tracy Anderson Method because it’s never the same and results come quickly. I’ve been able to scale back the amount of workouts to 3 times per week. I include one four-mile run because I love the early morning wildlife and beauty around Lady Bird Lake. I believe it’s my eating habits coupled with muscle memory that allows me to continue to see the results without having to work so hard at it. Sticking to a diet of good fats (animal and plant based), protein and nutrient rich vegetables helps me to maintain lean muscle and minimal inflammation. The benefits of feeling good physically and hormonally motivate me to make healthy food choices.

My friends and business partners are quick to point out my physique, which it quickly moves to a discussion around nutrition. What I find is it’s more about choices being made versus not having access to information to make a change. While I order protein/fat based meals they choose carbohydrates and sugar based drinks. They know what the right choice is; however they choose not to change. It’s not a lack of knowledge; it’s a lack of interest in changing their current choices.

I continue to share my story hoping it will be helpful when they are ready to make that change.

 

Change Your Workout!

I can’t believe another few months have passed without sharing updates. I continue my healthy habits; my core diet consists of fat, protein and nutrient rich vegetables, regular workouts and lots of rest. If there is one thing I’m not consistent with it’s the type of workouts, and for good reason.
During the summer months I shifted from yoga and walking to running. I love Austin’s Lady Bird Lake trail so much I felt compelled to run 4 miles every day at 6:30am. Sharing my morning with wildlife, fellow passionate runners, the beautiful sunrise, listening to uplifting sermons was my motivation. What was most interesting was watching my physique and strength change. My major muscles; quads, calves and glutes gained anywhere from an inch to ½ inch and my speed increased considerably. It’s awesome to experience and know I have the power to change my physique and strength. This is one of the answers when people ask about my ability to be motivated and disciplined.  I’m motivated by the power of choice and disciplined by seeing results.  

After enjoying about 7 months of daily runs I was ready for a new challenge. My younger sister who lives in San Diego finds that life gets in the way of her workouts; yet she has the desire to live a healthy lifestyle. I saw an opportunity to not only give myself a new challenge, but to be the accountability coach my sister needed. When I was traveling for work I bought the Tracy Anderson Method DVDs, which is a lifestyle program that is customized to the body type. At the time, I wanted a workout that didn’t require equipment and was something I could do in a hotel room. I loved the movements, different routines and results. This would be a great starter workout for my sister, easy to monitor and when she travels there would be no excuses. I shipped my sister the DVDs and made sure she understood the toughest part of the program was not the workout, but the food recommendations. When you don’t have healthy, nutritional habits in place a program like this can be extremely tough. We started two weeks ago with sharing food prep photos and texting when we completed workouts. She has stuck to the program and has lost 4 lbs in the first week. I couldn’t be more proud of her discipline and dedication. 

Once again, I’m seeing the change in physique and different areas of strength. I’ve lost the inches I gained from running; however I’ve become more tone, lean and flexible. From my perspective; because my eating habits have always been consistent (you can read about my diet in previous posts) the amount of body fat (12-14%) doesn’t change that much. It’s more the structure of my muscle that changes. For instance, Tracy Anderson Method focuses on smaller muscle groups unlike the repetitive movements (major muscles) in other workouts like running. Therefore, I’m seeing a change in my physique and not necessarily weight loss. I’m a true believer that if you have good nutritional habits you won’t have to focus so much on losing body fat versus gaining strength, flexibility or becoming lean.

It’s important to have goals that guide the decision in the type of workout you do. What are you trying to achieve? For my sister, she is working on creating good nutritional habits while at the same time changing her physical structure. The Tracy Anderson Method works because its not just about the exercise. Working out is more a function of physical capabilities (strength, flexibility or agility), and your nutritional habits are more about how much body fat you store.

I’m looking forward to my sister’s outcome over the next month or so. Hopefully she will allow me to post before and after photos.

It's a choice and discipline!

I can’t believe it’s been almost a year and a half since my last blog and my passion for fitness and health is stronger than ever. Over the last year I’ve had the opportunity to work with friends and family on their nutrition and fitness out of love rather than a business. It has not only been rewarding for them, but it continues to challenge me as an advocate and help me to gain perspective on the industry as a whole. The health and fitness culture is ever changing and it’s important not to get overwhelmed or get locked into a routine. I find the greatest challenge for most is making the choice to get healthy and to get disciplined about it. Everyone has access to a healthier lifestyle, however if you never choose it or get disciplined about it you’ll never experience a joyful, long healthy life while on this earth.

How many times have you heard people complain about their weight, their eating habits, or their laziness? Every time I hear this I think about their choices and unwillingness to conduct them self temperately. If they can be disciplined about their family responsibilities, job, finances or daily commitments, why is it so difficult for people to be disciplined about taking care of themselves? People aren’t willing to delay their gratification. People aren’t willing to suffer a little now to gain in the long run. 

Discipline is a friend and tool we’ve been given to help us do what we wouldn’t do without it so we can have what we say we want. We can act with advanced decision making. We can have an advanced plan, e.g. plan what we will eat, plan when we workout, plan when we go to bed. If there is no plan then we tend to do what we want in the heat of the moment. How will people have victory in this approach? They won’t. We’ve got one body so we’d better make the best of what we have if we want it to last us a long time. My hope and desire is for people to make a choice and start planning what they need to change (little by little) and do it with discipline. 

It has brought me great pleasure over the last year to be in the presence of people who have made the choice to live healthy and receive gratification through discipline.

I continuously fuel my passion for health and the love of others through my personal journey of transforming lives I touch. I'm excited to share this personal journey whether it be mind, body, soul or spirit. More to come!

The Truth about Anti-Oxidants

The so-called “anti-oxidants” (green tea, red wine, blueberries, chocolate) the media talks about all the time contain “polyphenols”. The link below is to a blog entry that examines the true effects of polyphenols. It finds that they are NOT really anti-oxidants in a direct way. On the contrary - they tend to irritate and inflame our membranes and cells.

If consumed in small amounts, however, polyphenols have a hormetic effect. Hormesis occurs when the body responds favorably to toxins and stressors. Exercise is an example. It stresses the body (and even destroys muscle) but in moderate amounts makes you stronger. Apparently, polyphenols have a similar effect. Consumed in small amounts, they apparently energize our cells to fend off oxidative stress. Consumed in large amounts, they may be harmful, as they are toxins.

http://wholehealthsource.blogspot.com/2011/02/polyphenols-hormesis-and-disease-part.html

The Truth About "good" and "bad" Cholesterol

You've probably heard about "good" and "bad" cholesterol. Supposedly having high HDL (the "good" cholesterol) protects you from coronary artery disease (CAD), and having high LDL (the "bad" cholesterol) puts you at greater risk of CAD.

A large study of patients admitted to the hospital with CAD challenges this conventional view.

The table above shows the incidence of coronary artery disease among LDL/HDL groups in the study. Lower LDL levels were associated with a higher incidence of coronary artery disease (CAD), contradicting the conventional view. However, the study confirmed the conventional view that higher HDL is associated with lower incidence of CAD. Both correlations were strong, but the HDL correlation was particularly powerful.

Then the study compared LDL and total cholesterol levels in CAD patients with the rest of the population and found that the CAD patients on average had lower LDL and total cholesterol levels, again contradicting the conventional view.

The full study is here: http://astute.cardiosource.com/2007/vposters/pdf/275_Fonarow.pdf.