Sound Off

Resolution Rehash

2011-01-03T08:53:00.000-08:00

New year resolutions always get me thinking. Mainly because they are usually the same...rather it is to lose weight, keep better records or stay in touch, they are a dime a dozen and stick like Velcro on a potato. December is a month spent riding on the pretense that in January "things are changing." The justification for lavish eating, drinking, smoking, and spending all for the misconception that "this year things will be different."

Things are not different. The year will repeat the last and in a matter of weeks, the resolutions will give way to the desire of what drove you in December...longing for instant gratification.

I think resolutions fail because the gratification doesn't seep into your body like the buzz of a Long Island or the slow soothing of nicotine. Rather the satisfaction of adhered to resolutions create holes that are memories of food, drink and vices that were abandoned. When something is taken away it becomes a source of fixation. If you want this years resolution to stick, there must be a new fixation. Rather than the loss of something that made you feel good -- and did it really? Did the hangover, the fat, the cough, the bill really satisfy anything? -- look toward something else that makes you feel better. Set a small goal...rather than lose 50 lbs, shoot for 5 lbs.

You can't trade stopping something that offers immediate gratification with a resolution that will bring delayed long term gratification and expect it to work.

Set yourself up for success not failure by creating small goals within your large goal. Make the progress visual by posting a list and checking off your small goals as you reach them. The visualization of seeing checks next to accomplishments will help ensure you that your hard work is paying off. It works with any resolution. Chart the bills you pay off, the money you save, the people you call each week/month, the days you haven't smoked, the words you haven't said, the acts you haven't done.

If you mess up, it is ok, start again. Make your resolution to make it a year, not to change your behavior. If your goal is to "start working out" there is nothing to keep you going...your goal was to start, you reached it. If your goal doesn't have a timeline, it is easier to let it fade in to the background along with the satisfaction you could have with the purpose behind it.

I have never met anyone who reached a goal and wished instead they had reverted
to the behavior that got them in the predicament in the first place. Never.

What ever your proposed resolution is, if you don't start with a plan, you can rely on failing. Do yourself a favor, think it through and be realistic about your resolution or save yourself the trouble and those around you the aggravation.

Another Typical "Oh Crap" Christmas

2010-12-18T16:29:00.000-08:00

I shouldn't be surprised that there was another "blog worthy" incident this Christmas, and it is only the 19th. Late getting a Christmas tree in our little town in North Carolina, a good ole boy (well he had one foot in the grave, the other in a cast and apparently left his teeth by the sink) came out and sold us "any tree without a red tag" for $20. Well, none of the 5 tree's left had a red tag so it was buyers choice. I mean who in the bible belt waits til the week of Christmas to get a tree...ummm we do.

The man's grandson put the tree on the car, tied her down (apparently he wasn't a boy scout), and I was afraid the whole way home the tree was going through the windshield of any car behind us. Since it was so loose, mom and I contemplated accelerating into the drive way, hitting the breaks and hopefully landing the tree at the front door. Considering our luck, we decided against it. Looking at our "Charlie Brown tree" and the tree stand, that is more for a Rockefeller center tree, we weren't quite sure how it was going to work, but with all four screws fully screwed into the base, it looked pretty good. Lassoing the tree with the lights, I think we will be better off buying new ones next year than trying to unravel the mess made trying to get a light in each void on the tree. I was stretching lights from the top to fill in parts of the tree I wasn't even sure were there!

At last, the lights were up, and we began putting on ornaments...one by one with all the Christmas cheer available.

About the time we put on the last ornament, the jolly "it doesn't look so bad tree" turned into the "oh crap" Christmas tree. Sitting on the floor, I looked up just in time to watch the tree falling towards me, ornaments falling off and landing all around. The tree was down. We were laughing (and still are). Pushing the tree up right, I began looking around. The tree trunk was just too small to be anchored down, and the weight of the ornaments caused the trunk to slip back and the tree forward--on my head. My solution went through a couple of stages. First I wanted to duck tape it to the wall, but the walls are wood and tape doesn't stick too well and there is a window to deal with. I opted to shoving a tennis ball in one quadrant, a styrofoam square in two quadrants and a vacuum attachment in the fourth. Not being too confidant in that solution, I wrapped one of the loops of lights on the tree around the window latch, actually double looped...then got the bright idea to use the blind pull to wrap around the trunk of the tree and tie that puppy off. So far so good, but if in the morning the valance is out of the window, the ornaments are scattered around the room and the lights have torn a part no one will be surprised.

I think we will just put some Kahlua in the coffee and call it a Christmas puddle.

Fight Holiday Weight Gain

2010-12-15T05:58:00.000-08:00

The hustle is on. It looks like people are training for American Gladiators in the malls, fighting holiday traffic and trying to score the perfect gift (even if it means wrestling Wolf). With the craze people generally grab what is easy to nourish between shopping, work, parties and Christmas plays. Then January comes and no one can figure out how the scale is tipping a little past pudge. I want to help you out with breakfast. Lunch and dinner is generally where I get the most resistance because of parties or other poorly fashioned excuses, but I am willing to work with what I can :) Just because Cinnabon tastes good now, doesn't mean it is going to look good later.

Even though New Years is generally cold, the jackets generally shed by the time clock strikes twelve, and you don't want to look like 16 oz sausage in a 12 oz wrapper.

Aside from the aforementioned Pumpkin Pancakes, which would be the best option and great to make and TAKE with you shopping or to work (since they can be wrapped and put in a zip-lock), here are some great, easy, calorie conscious ideas:

FIVE ALTERNATIVES TO CINNABUN

One cup oatmeal mixed with 2 T chopped pecan halves, 2 packets of splenda and cinnamon (can be made with light soy milk)
2. Two reduced fat whole grain waffles with 2 T sugar-free syrup
Two reduced fat whole grain waffles with 1 T peanut butter & 1/2 sliced banana
Breakfast Smoothie: 1 cup vanilla soy milk, 1 cup frozen berries, 1/2 med banana (blend til smooth)
(Second only to Pumpkin Pancakes) Casein Pancakes: 1 scoop ON Vanilla Casein 4-5 egg whites, 3/4 c oatmeal, 1 T splenda, cinnamon (to taste). Mix well and make into evenly sized pancakes. This will give you 1.5 servings but it is hard to write the recipe otherwise.

By eating a hearty, healthy breakfast, you are more apt to make better lunch and dinner decisions (tho not guaranteed you are on your own if the "toast with eggnog" turns into Weekend at Bernies...too much nonsense to even know if you are dead or alive). It is not hard to stay on track during the holidays, you only have to apply a little thought, a little preparation and discipline. Put your New Years outfit out so you have some motivation. If you don't start now, it will just be harder later.

Pumpkin Pancake Recipe

2010-12-10T07:37:00.000-08:00

After posting on Facebook that I was so blessed to have such a great friends and pumpkin pancakes to get me through tough times, I had requests for the recipe...so here it is! These are great! They also travel well for a snack during class (or 4.5hr finals!), after workout, during Christmas shopping! So don't gain that weight this holiday season, have all the flavor without all the guilt!! Topped with a little sugar free syrup or honey if eating post workout, makes this holiday treat, one that is good for EVERY MEAL!!

Pumpkin Pancakes:
1/2 cup Pumpkin
1/2 cup Oats
3 egg whites (sometimes I add a little more)
2 packets Splenda
Cinnamon
Mix well. Spray pan with Pam, heat over med-low. Pour mixture into four even pancakes, cover and cook on med-low until pan cake is able to flip. These will not bubble like regular pancakes, but the top will begin to look 'firm,' aprox 10min. Flip, cook another 5 min and serve. Cook times will vary depending on your stove.

The Nutrition: 244 calories/ 3g fat/ 30g carbs/ 17.5g pro/ 170mg sodium

The Info You Need to Read to Believe

2010-10-11T05:32:00.000-07:00

Everyone is looking for the secret to the perfect body. We all want to know the key. Sometimes that key (or one of them) is perpetrated by friends and loved ones, but we dismiss it because "what do they know". There are a few tips that we should all adhere to regardless of the method of delivery.
Since we want info from professionals, here it is:

Drink water
Take a multi-vitamin
Include a protein supplement
Workout

Personally speaking, when I was just getting into competing, I was told to drink at least a gallon of water a day by people close to me. It wasn't until a girl down the hall in the dorm told me that the reason she lost weight was because she started drinking a gallon of water a day and stopped drinking other stuff (even diet sodas). I started on her recommendation (despite being told countless times before) and low-and-behold, inches GONE. It is true. I have the personal first-hand experience backed by the education that points to water as the top weight loss aid.

The second thing that most people don't have a problem with is the knowledge that you need to have a multi-vitamin in your diet. These days, food alone doesn't normally provide enough of the vitamins that your body needs to efficiently metabolise food. The problem lies in remembering to take it. Here is my lil tip: put it by something you need everyday (next to your toothbrush, next to your coffee pot ect), but put it next to something that will help you remember when you have eaten. Multi-vitamins need to be taken with food.

Likewise, most people do not get enough of the right kind of protein, or if they do, it is in a high fat form. Supplementing your training diet with a high quality protein, will allow your body to maintain lean muscle and take off stubborn body fat better than those with the higher fat content.

Exercise. Do we really need to validate this one? If you want a tight, tone body you HAVE TO DO RESISTANCE training in addition to maintaining a diet to lose the fat hiding your perfect body.

If you have any questions that you would like to see addressed in this blog, send me an email: lnewton@leslierae.com. I would be happy to help answer your question from a first hand account backed by years of training and education.

Attitude is Everything

2010-10-01T08:41:00.000-07:00

I made a Face Book post the other day that went something like this:

Do what I say or do as I do, either way you will improve.

One of the comments referred to me as cocky...Really? I don't think so. I am not saying that I am better than you, or that I don't have room to improve. I merely noted that I walk the walk, and within that walk, is something undoubtedly you either don't know, haven't seen in a while or could reinforce and renew your goals.

In a world filled with individuals who try tell you what you need to do in order to improve, is an overpopulation of "preachers" who haven't lived out their own "preaching" recent enough for you to even be able to tell if they ever have.

I am not that person. If I tell you the best way to work your abs is to do sprints, it is because that is what I have learned, and it is what I do. We all could use sound advice from time to time, but what good is advice on investments from someone in bankruptcy? Maybe the advice is good, but I wouldn't consider it sound. Why would you get personal training from a trainer more out of shape than you? Because of the old notion "those who can't, teach?" Maybe, but to me fitness is like a foreign language, I want to learn from someone who can speak it fluently, not point to a track on a e-learning book.

If that is cocky, our world is in much worse shape than I ever thought.

Nutrition 101: Revisit the Basics

2010-09-12T13:39:00.001-07:00

There is a lot of confusion about nutrition out there. I am always asked if I've heard about this diet, or that supplement, or been to this website or read that book. The answer varies but one thing stays the same: at the end of the day, calories are calories and the body only needs so many of each calorie source. Some of you may be a bit confused, and it's ok. Nutrition is not something readily taught in today's society. If we knew, I mean really knew and understood nutrition, there would be a lot of multi-billion dollar companies out of business.

So let's start with the basics: There are four nutrient sources of calories. A calorie (k) is the unit of energy our body receives from the nutrients we ingest. Nutrients are measured in grams (g) and the number of calories per gram of each nutrient source varies. These sources may be familiar: Fat, Protein, Carbohydrates, and Alcohol. Alcohol in this context refers only to the percentage of alcohol per volume in each beverage.

Fat has the highest calories per gram at 9k/g. Protein and Carbohydrates both have 4k/g, and alcohol has 7k/g. Manufacturers estimate the number of grams per nutrient and then the number of calories. I say 'estimate' because if you take a nutrition label and do the math, they rarely, if ever, add up to the numbers posted.

According a report by the US Government Accountability Office (GAO), the FDA has not done random sampling to test the accuracy of Nutrition Facts labels since the 1990s. This means you may or may not be eating what you think when your meal comes from a box or wrapper. Companies are always going to error in their favor, so the bad may be minimized and the good may be embellished. This is not the end of the world; you can always prepare your own meals, a novel ideal in today's society I know. But, the basics cannot be argued. The nutrients in grams in unaltered meat, grains, fruit, vegetables, nuts, and virtually all whole, raw foods is not argued and can be found in a variety of calorie count websites and books. I am not saying stop eating prepared foods; I am just opening your eyes (a little) to the reality of your consumption. We don't need to become paranoid; we just need to become a population that thinks for itself. Taking things at face value only benefits the person selling the product.

Gains Aren't Made in the Gym

2010-09-06T06:05:00.000-07:00

It has occurred to me, being in a new gym, that the misconception gains are made in the gym and lifting everyday is the most important part to making those gains. That is simply false. Gains are made out side of the gym in the food, supplements and sleep you get.

Granted, without training you will not make the gains you want, but training should not be at the sacrifice of the other components. If I have a choice between getting sleep and a workout, I will choose sleep and make up the session later.

It is a lot like taking care of a plant. If you spend all your time pruning the leaves and branches to the sacrifice of properly watering, timely feeding, and the provision of adequate sunlight, you will soon find yourself with a brown, wilted plant.

The roots have to be firmly planted and cared for before the plant will thrive. Same goes for your body. This is achieved through nutrition, supplements and sleep.

We have hammered the nutrition, and I think that is pretty understood. Supplements like vitamins, recovery products and quality proteins are going to help ensure the roots of your fitness goals are cared for and have the ammunition needed to progress.

Sleep is often over looked. Muscles are not 'grown' in the gym.They are broken down in the gym. Torn down through repetitions and sets. Muscles are 'grown' when you sleep.

When your body is at rest, the energy your body needs to maintain your 'awake' activity (regardless if you are running or vegging out on the couch) can be spent rebuilding the breakdown from the gym.

This recovery is not fully possible when you are awake, and you need more than a few hours of sleep. Even at the heightened peaks of training for a show, I will skip a workout for more sleep if I have been cheating hours or minutes from my sleep.

If you continually breakdown a muscle that hasn't been allowed to fully recover, you are asking for injury and negating the progress of your fitness goals. Train smart and make sure that you aren't sacrificing the roots of your goals because you are too caught up in pruning the fruits of your effort.

Are You “Healthy”

2010-08-18T19:09:00.001-07:00

I can remember, more times than I care, being labeled "healthy." I never took it in a flattering way and don't know one girl who would.

Looking "healthy" is about like being told "you look like you've stopped dieting." This is reason enough to re-examine all the "healthy" labels on forbidden foods. Let's look at two big health claims:

#1 Red Wine is Healthy because it Contains Antioxidants

True, red wine does contain antioxidants. However, the antioxidants are a result of the red grapes. Eating grapes will give you the antioxidant benefit without the alcohol content.

The health claim related to red wine is in relationship to other alcohols. In relationship to beer, wine is healthier.

In relationship to pneumonia, having a cold is better...but, either way you are sick.

#2 Dark Chocolate is Healthy because it Contains Antioxidants

True chocolate does contain antioxidants. The coco bean is widely known to be loaded with flavonoids, a type of antioxidant that has been linked to increasing HDL (the good cholesterol). These antioxidants subsequently are present in dark and milk chocolate due to their coco content.

The news is rampant with chocolate health claims, and thus has validated chocolate cravings and splurges.

What these "health claims" do not address is the high fat and sugar content. So while you are adding to your health, you are also clogging your heart and widening your hips.

The Half-Truth Bottom Line

Finding a health claim for something that you know is on the "avoid eating" list is only a justification. It is not a free-pass. Things that are "too good to be true" often are just that.

Be aware of who's promoting the health claim, and what they have to gain from you buying into it. If the product manufacture's making the claim: scratch your head, use common sense and WALK AWAY FROM THE CHOCOLATE!

(Over)Training 101

2010-08-16T06:37:00.001-07:00

We have all done it at one point, or several points, in our lives. Sometimes we get a new workout program, met someone new, end a relationship, or get bad medical news we tend to go from 0-60mph with exercise. We work past failure and get up and do it again, sometimes training multiple times in a day. Justifying our actions by comparing our workouts with athletes who spend their days in the gym and on the field.

What we don't take into consideration is the fact that athletes have been conditioned for excessive training. They are getting the nutrients and care to support their training. We, on the other hand, usually end a fitness spree one of two ways: injured or burnt out.

Overtraining is not limited to beginners but can also affect those in an established fitness routine. Wikipedia defines overtraining as "an emotional, behavioral and physical condition that occurs when the volume and intensity of an individual's exercise exceeds their recovery capacity."

This is not to say you can't train like an athlete. You just need to live like one too. It takes the body 12-24 hours post exercise to regenerate and repair. If there is inadequate rest, the body will plateau, strength will decline and injury is just a rep away. Counter this by alternating muscle groups on different training days to allow adequate rest.

The next thing to keep in mind is nutrition. The body can't regenerate and repair without fuel from food. If you are training hard, but hardly eating, the amino acids (the building blocks for protein) become deficient and your body will not be able to keep up with your training. If your body becomes calorie deficient, it will breakdown muscle tissue to offset the deficit. You need to consider more than just calories. Your diet should be made up of a balance between healthy fats, proteins, and carbohydrates.

This gets tedious since we are repeatedly told that we need our calorie burning to be greater than our calorie consumption, if we want to be lean. But, there is a fine line between the two. And, if you have a hard time finding your balance, invest if finding some help! In the long run, you will save time, energy, frustration and injury!

Getting Workouts Form Magazines?

2010-07-21T12:37:00.000-07:00

Are you thinking that taking a weight loss supplement is going to make you look like a fitness model? Really?

The advertisements in fitness magazines would have you think that looking like the fitness model were as easy as proper supplementation and some cardio. Oh young grasshopper…it isn’t that easy.

It is true that fitness models take supplements, but they only supplement, or add to, a lifestyle that revolves around a specific look. These are not women looking to lose ‘baby weight.’ Similarly, the women in the magazines didn’t get there by going half-steam in the gym.

Story time:

I was in the gym, hard to believe I know, and there was a women working out in the weight room, awesome…at first. She was what I would consider ‘average,’ had a few pounds to lose and no more than a fleeting sign of muscle tone.
She was carrying around a issue of Oxygen as she made her way to the squat rack. Double checking the article she set the magazine down and attempted to pick up the empty bar already in the rack. Acting like the 45-lb bar were closer to 200-lbs, she put it down and left her post to get a lighter bar…the 15-lb bar.

She then proceeded to try and mimic the exercise in the article: stiff leg dead-lifts. She made a decent attempt. Putting the bar down she sits down and starts flipping through the magazine…some time later she does another set.

You are probably wondering where this is going. Here it is: People like that are wasting their time and taking up space. What was she accomplishing? Nothing…she might as well have kept the magazine in her hands and gone through the motions. A 15-lb bar stiff legged dead lift on an adult who isn’t rehabbing is pointless; It is just a stretch. Go to the stretch area and leave the squat rack open for someone to squat in.

My problem is not with people who are not strong. It is with people who go through the motions and wonder why they don’t look like the woman in the article they're following. The workouts from magazines like Oxygen are great and can be super effective, but you have to be willing to work hard if you want them to work for you.

To look like a fitness model you have to be willing to sweat, you have to be willing to push weight (you are not going to look like a bodybuilder), you have to eat perfect and get sore…a lot. Oh ya and your social life just got a lot stricter. Happy hour is less happy and now you really do have to spit out the wine at tastings.

I get asked a lot “what do I need to do to look like you.” My response is generally “I wouldn’t wish what I go through on anyone.” While I have fine tuned it and live a more normal life than my early days of competing, the fact is for me to go anywhere there is a cooler involved, a gallon of water and a hefty amount of vitamin’s, minerals and protein supplements. I work out at least five days a week and even when I'm on vacation.

Moral of the story is if you want to look like women in the magazines, you have to train like them. Just because they aren’t a sweaty mess in the picture, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be. Grab a weight that is going to do something and shut-up and train.

Workout for Fat Loss

2010-07-20T15:14:00.000-07:00

Fil’s ‘I’m gonna win and you’re not’ workout

A friend of mine, Fil, is competing in a weight loss challenge and asked me for some advise on a ‘just starting back’ workout, here are my words of wisdom. Keep in mind this is an otherwise athletic person. He plays basketball and dodge ball on a fairly regular basis. The weight loss challenge will produce a winner based on actual body fat lost.

Each week do 3-4 days of a resistance training circuit workout. Use moderate weight for 3-sets of 10-12 reps. Take time to recover between sets, but not enough to ‘cool’ down. For 1-2 of the days, pick two exercises for chest, back and one for shoulders. The other 1-2 days pick three exercises for legs, and one exercise for biceps, triceps and abs.

This will give you 5-6 exercises each day. AFTER weights, do 35-45 min of cardio at a moderate pace. You want to be able to talk but not sing. Alternately you can do 20min of moderate cardio and then play 30min of basket ball. But you don’t want to do and hour of cardio, an hour of weights and 30 min of basket ball…keep it under two hours!!

Then for two days, do HIIT cardio (high intensity interval training) only. This is 30 sec (or so…anywhere from 20-90sec) of super high intensity, the intensity will increase as your fitness does, so if ‘intense’ right now is a jog it doesn’t matter. Just do about 80% of what you can, then bring it down to a recovery walk for 60-120 seconds and repeat for 30-40 min. This schedule will give you 1-2 days of rest. You need to take at least one day a week of rest and let your body recoup.

Fil: What does circuit mean!

LeslieRae: In this case, that you are doing more than one body part. You can also do a circuit by doing one round of each exercise and then going back around and doing a second and third round.

Fil: This high intensity cardio sounds no fun.

LeslieRae: HIIT actually helps the time go by...because you are only focusing on 1 minute at a time.

Fil: Do I stay on one exercise or move around while doing it.

LeslieRae: I would recommend, for you, to just do the exercise. Your heart rate will elevate during lifting and the point of lifting is to work the muscle, so don't worry about constantly moving like some people do. By working each muscle, you will burn more calories through out the day...the same is true with HIIT...it is proven that the body will burn more calories following a HIIT session than a 'fat burning' cardio session. You get hours of fat burning following the HIIT, but you don't want to do it every day...you need to have buffer days so your body can recover and you don’t end up burning muscle...which is another reason why you HAVE TO keep your training under 2hrs.

Weight Loss Problems?

2010-07-19T11:36:00.000-07:00

When talking to various people through the years, often people who are overweight credit a slow metabolism for their inability to reach a healthy weight. While there is such a thing as a slow metabolism, it's rare, and it's usually not what's behind being overweight or obesity. The culprit is generally the lack of attention to diet and exercise.

For arguments sake, let’s look at what metabolism is and how it affects your weight and life.

Dr. Donald Hensrud, with the Mayo Clinic explains metabolism as “the process by which your body converts what you eat and drink into energy. Even when you're at rest, your body needs energy for functions such as breathing, circulating blood and repairing cells. The number of calories your body uses for these basic functions is known as your basal metabolic rate (BMR).”

In order to determine how many calories you need, generally speaking, multiply your weight by 10 (150 pounds times 10=1500 calories) then for each decade past 20-years-old take off 2%. That is your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR). That number will adjust for activity level and lifestyle. You will want to determine which of the following groups you fit into and multiply your BMR by the affiliated percentage.

• Sedentary (sitting most of the day, with very little physical activity)—20% or 0.20
• Light activity (walking around campus, basic cleaning, cooking, walking the dog)—30% or 0.30
• Moderate activity (heavy housework, gardening, spend most of day on your feet)—40% or 0.40
• Very active (prolonged physical sports, regular training, outdoor work, manual labor)—50% or 0.50

Once you multiply the two numbers add them together and multiply that number by 1.10. This will add the appropriate number of calories needed for digestion. Now you have your base caloric number.

Several factors determine your basal metabolic rate:

Your body size and composition. If you're larger or have more muscle mass, you will burn more calories, even at rest. (So overweight people are more likely to have a faster metabolic rate — not a slower one.)
Your sex. If you're a man, you probably have less body fat and more muscle mass than a woman of the same age, so you burn more calories.
Your age. As you get older, your muscle mass decreases, which slows down the rate at which you burn calories.

Rather than a slow metabolism, the factors that are more likely to contribute to weight gain include:

Eating too many calories
Not getting enough exercise
Certain genetics and family history
Taking medications
Participating in unhealthy habits, such as skipping breakfast or not getting enough sleep

If you still think your metabolism is too slow, your doctor can check it or check for rare conditions that can cause problems with metabolism. But, chances are if you make some lifestyle changes, look to natural weight loss solutions and start picking up your activity level, you will start to see the weight drop off.

2010-07-14T12:41:00.000-07:00

Looking to lose weight?
Tired of over dosing on diet pills?

The solution seems easy: cut calories and lose the weight.

However, it sounds way easier than it is. Every part of you is in to the idea except your stomach.

Researchers say that the reason your stomach protests, and you feel like you can eat everything in sight is because when you diet too hard your body goes on the offense. In doing so, it pumps out more of the hunger hormone ghrelin to remind you that you need to eat (in case you just forgot that your body needs food to survive). However, just because you have an internal alarm system, doesn’t mean that you can’t beat it and lose weight in a healthy manner.

Lean protein has been in the spot light for a long time now and for a good reason. Protein keeps you fuller, longer than other nutrients, partly because it takes your body longer to digest and absorb the nutrients. Purdue University did a study that found that eating lean protein (such as lean turkey bacon, egg whites, or protein shake) at breakfast keeps you fuller longer than eating it at other times in the day. Try to get have about 20-30grams of protein at breakfast.

Working out doesn’t just help to burn calories. A study published in the American Journal of Physiology found that 60 minutes of high-intensity cardio can reduce your appetite for up to two hours afterward.

"Aerobic exercise lowers ghrelin levels and increases the amount of an appetite-suppressing hormone in your body," says study author David Stensel, Ph.D.

To get the most out of this insert HIIT (high intensity interval training) or plyometrics into your cardio workout; that is do short bursts of speed with periods of rest in between.

Another way too keep your calories in check is to make sure you are getting in enough fats. Too often people cut out all the fat from their diet, but that can backfire. Oleic acid, an unsaturated fat found in olive oil, nuts, and avocados, helps keep hunger at bay, according to a study in the journal Cell Metabolism. When you have Oleic acid in your diet, it's converted into a substance that can trick your body into thinking it isn’t hungry anymore. However, don’t go crazy! Unsaturated fats should only make up about 20 percent of your total calorie intake. Incorporating about two tablespoons of natural peanut butter, an ounce of nuts, or a quarter of an avocado into your daily diet will help.

2010-07-08T10:00:00.000-07:00

Alcohol has long been recognized as “non-diet friendly.” Terms like “beer-belly” have been coined to reflect the outward effects of drinking. But what you may not know is the damage it does inside. I’m not talking liver or health, although those are important; I want to expose the muscle damaging properties.

Alcohol is a toxin, a muscle sabotaging toxin, and your body can not use it for any function. Every other calorie, rather from fat, carbohydrates or proteins, can be used for something in the body. When the body has enough from each of the three primary sources of calories, then the calories are stored as fat in the body. Alcohol’s calorie content (7 calories per gram) is “empty” in that no calorie can be used to maintain body tissue or function and because of that, every calorie from alcohol must be “burned off,” where as only the excess calories of the other three have to be “burned off.” Alcohol has also been proven to slow down the body’s metabolism (ability to “burn” existing fat).

Alcohol is particularly bad when you are in-training mode because it slows down protein synthesis, by about 20%. Protein synthesis is when the body combines amino acids to form complete protein chains…EVERY protein chain has to have EVERY amino acid before the body can use it in building and maintaining muscles. When you are already killing it in the gym trying to gain precious muscle you don’t need anything else slowing down the building process. And, when you finally get the muscle mass you desire, you certainly don’t need anything undoing your masterpiece.

If there is not enough protein synthesis to maintain the muscle you have or are training to build then the body will break down the muscle it can not support, or not repair the muscle you just destroyed in the gym.

That’s right, just like little Pac-Mans running around eating up the good stuff and undoing all that work.

As if that isn’t enough, Alcohol lowers testosterone and increases estrogen. This should be a no brainer and eye-opener, but let’s elaborate anyway. Testosterone is the single MOST important hormone needed to build muscle. This is why men have an easier time then women developing muscle. The amount of muscle a person can gain is directly related to their level of free-flowing testosterone.

Drinking alcohol=Lowering free-flowing testosterone
Lowering free-flowing testosterone=Lower ability to gain muscle
Lower ability to gain muscle=Wasted gym time

Depletion of water and important vitamins and minerals associated with alcohol consumption doesn’t help either. Muscle tissue is approximately 70% water, taking away such a vital part throws everything off balance. Like wise, vitamins and minerals are important to keep cells healthy and the body functioning properly (including building muscle).

Bottom line, every drink you have puts your goals a little further away from being reached.

Have goals, but have a plan

2010-07-07T11:20:00.001-07:00

One of the draw backs of the American marketplace is that we are inundated with the unlikely. We are romanced by lives and looks and careers that most of us will never have. Chances are you will not be a supermodel, NBA star, an Olympian or make the Forbes list.

Often we hear about Cinderella stories and long for a fantisful story-tale life too, and when we don't get it we feel gypped. We have to make the most out of what we have, but at the same time that doesn't mean what we have is the most we can. There is difference between thinking that we will be the next Bill Gates and settling for a 9-5 we hate. A big difference. There is a difference between thinking we will be the next Victoria Secret Angel and settling in with that post high school weight gain. A huge difference.

We don't have to quite dreaming about "making it," because obviously there are some people who do. However, our dreams need to be more practically tailored. If you want to model, you can not go from fat to fabulous with out steps!

I always dreamed of modeling, but the reality is, I am not model material. I am too big for fashion, too flat for fitness and not striking enough for couture. However, that doesn't mean that I can't model, it just means I don't expect to land the next big BSN campaign. I have to take steps. I have to build up my name and reputation in the fitness industry. I have to maintain a physique that BSN looks for, I have to build up my portfolio...oh and it wouldn't hurt to start winning a few shows! HAHA! All of which are possible, but it is those steps I have to focus on, not my ultimate goal.

It took me a while to realize that. I think the defining factor was in 2006 when I turned pro. I had dreamed of turning pro, but that wasn't my focus at shows because I thought it was a lofty goal, a dream that was never supposed to come true. Really what were the chances? My focus was on each show and improving in each show. That is what I did, and the result was my dream.

What is your dream? What have the people who have made it done? Do you want to be an actress/actor? Are you doing any local productions? If you are, have you pursued the next level? and the next?

I could have stayed competing at the local/regional level in fitness and done well, but I wanted to move up and compete with girls who were better than me. I probably wasn't ready when I started competing at the national level and I was defiantly scared, but I was ready to learn and improve. I took a chance, I put my money where my dreams were and made sacrifices. The result was one step closer to my dream of being on the glossy pages of fitness magazines.

Happy Birthday America

2010-07-02T09:40:00.001-07:00

July 4th is my favorite holiday! It is the holiday with the least pressure and still holds so much meaning. Now, when i say July 4th is my favorite holiday, I am referring to the reaction it has on people....Christmas and Easter significance by far out weights that of July 4th for me, but people have corrupted the days as far as I am concerned.

With July 4th, there is not pressure to spend time with people you avoid the rest of the year. You aren't trying to impress in-laws with dishes you can't cook or pressured to buy gifts for people you hardly know because "they got you something." All you have to do is get together with the people you normally spend time with, throw some food on the grill, enjoy the freedom of America and all the joy that comes with it and remember the sacrifice and courage that paid for it...God Bless the USA!

Every time I hear Lee Greenwood's God Bless the USA, I cry.

I'd gladly stand up next to you and defend her still today...Gladly.

Goals Come and Go, but Health is Forever

2010-06-30T08:48:00.000-07:00

Depending on what time of year it is, or who is hot in Hollywood, has an impact on many people’s goals. When the Hollywood socialites were the main faces in entertainment news, skinny was in. During the Kim Kardashian craze, women were pushing to boast voluptuous curves. The battle between body types dates back to Marylyn Monroe and long before.

Rather it is a size 00 or a fuller figure that is in demand, one thing that stays the same is the longing for a youthful glow and tight look. The radiant look of health builds confidence and hides flaws.

When you go out, you are naturally drawn towards those who radiate the glow of health. You can kill yourself in the gym and on diets, reach your goal and never look good.

Exercise is important, very important. It will help you reach optimal health and release endorphins that not only combat stress and depression but also revive the production of hormones that will help your overall glow. But there is more to the equation.

Proper nutrition is a big key! And, there is nothing proper about fast or processed foods. The question that remains is: Can we get all the nutrients we need out of the foods we eat?

I don't think so. I think that our resources have been so contaminated and altered that truly complete and nutrient rich foods are few and far between. If you have ever researched the requirements for organic foods you know that just because it is certified organic and free of pesticides, doesn't necessarily mean that a few years ago the soil wasn't drenched with chemical fertilizers or that they aren't subject to pollutants from rain runoff, other outside sources or proclaimed natural fertalizers.

I am a huge advocate of taking vitamins and minerals. I know that in order to get the nutrients that I want and need, I could never eat that much and wouldn't like the results if I did!

At the bare minimum, I take a multi-vitamin, joint support, omega's and collagen (the supplement not the lip injections). I live in Phoenix, AZ where the air is full of pollution and the sun beats down hard. I train hard and as a result put more wear on my joints and muscles than most people.

Even though I go through the motions to look the way I want, I work equally as hard to not look like a dried out desert rat. The internal and external affects of sun, pollution and life can leave you looking much older and worn out. Placing additional stress on my joints requires me to take extra care in offering them the specific nutrients they need to stay healthy.

Rather I am in my "lose fat" or "build muscle" phase, I am always in stay healthy mode.

Just Takinig Diet Pills to Lose Weight?

2010-06-21T13:08:00.001-07:00

Becoming the size and shape you want to be is not just about taking diet pills. While they help, they are not the end-all, be-all. It is like having a bar-b-que and not turning on the grill.

You can’t just have good intentions; there has to be follow through. You have to think about is what behavior got you to the place you want to leave.

Were you training hard and eating right? Chances are no. So, why would a continuation of that behavior result in any permanent change in the right direction? You will have to make a drastic lifestyle change in order to make a drastic physical change.

Exercise and good nutrition are two must have’s in any weight loss plan. You could probably drop a few pounds without the two, but chances are that you still will not be where you want to be physique wise. This is why there are so many companies out there developing the next great diet pill.

Many people who do not get the results they want with one pill, simply try another one, or take it more often. You have to look at the big picture. If you keep the same life style you had that got you where you are, there is little to believe that you will change much without changing the cause of the problem in the first place. This doesn’t mean that you have to drop everything and start training like a professional athlete! You just have to start.

Proper nutrition, and exercise, combined with a quality diet pill will make a much larger impact on your results and the speed in which you receive them. You can check out some great tips for diet and exercise free from STG.

Your first step should be making a plan. It doesn’t have to be super detailed or intricate, but it does need to be a conscious awareness that there needs to be change. Find a friend who has the same goals and help keep each other accountable.

Do some research and make a smart decision about the diet pill that you want to help you jump start your fitness goal. There are many out there, some with Ephedra, some without. Some that are stimulants and thermogenics and others that are stimulant-free.

If you are jus starting your new life style, start with a mild diet pill. You are already making several changes that your body will be adapting to and rewarding for, wait until you hit a plateau to pull out the big gun diet aids!

Leaning Out for Your First Show?

2010-06-17T13:11:00.000-07:00

Losing fat is difficult enough under regular conditions, but trying to lose enough to step on a figure/bikini stage is a whole other situation. It is often overwhelming for first time competitors but interestingly enough, can get harder from show to show.

It can get harder for a couple of reasons. If you dieted too hard the first time, there could be some issues with your thyroid acting properly. If you took “off-season” too seriously, there could be more fat than the first round. And, unfortunately, as we get older dropping the fat gets harder and harder. But if it were easy, the majority of the population wouldn’t be overweight.

Getting started in competing takes a huge lifestyle change. It requires a degree of dedication and attention to detail that, chances are, has never been done before. Typically, when you are trying to drop some fat, you hit the gym a little more, the bar a little less and throw in a diet pill. But, if you want to get on stage and do well you will have to do a lot more than that!

The number of women who don’t have to change their life to prepare for a competition are few and far between…and we hate them. The rest of us have to work hard, very hard. In addition to strength training, there is exhausting cardio, relentless dieting and killer restraint.

My first show was pretty easy to stay on track because the process was exciting and I was scared not to. I was so meticulous about my diet I picked the shredded carrots out of my salad because they had “sugar.” I spent a minimum of two hours a day at the gym. I did a major rebound! Cheese biscuits, pasta and cookies were regular on my menu. Not to mention, I took some advice to the extreme, and during prep for the next show thought I could slack off a bit with the diet. The results were not good.

That seems to be a constant though…a lot of competitors go through a roller coaster of shows they hit and shows they miss. I had to come to a place where I stopped taking everyone’s advice to heart and learned what worked for me. What I could get away with and when I had to put my nose to the pavement.

While taking a fat burner is a part of nearly every competitor’s preparation, it doesn’t make the training any easier. There is a huge misconception that taking a fat burner means that you don’t have to work as hard. It is an aid, not a solution.

Spend the time and do the research to find out what works the best for you! The diet and training that Monica Brant uses is not what works for all of the pro girls. Listen to your body (but not your stomach!) it will help you know if a regime is working or if you need to try something else.

Are Your Healthy Foods Packing on Pounds?

2010-06-16T13:19:00.000-07:00

One of the top misconceptions of people who are trying to lose fat is that all they need to worry about is eating healthy foods. This is a train of thought that can not only sabotage your fat loss, but end up packing on excess weight instead. Getting trapped in the “it’s diet” mind set has many people over eating and sometimes even getting further off course than when they started. But, better planing and education can put you right back on course.

A study at Cornell University found that people, who were consuming snacks that carried a low-fat label, ate 50% more calories than when they ate the regular versions.

It is easy to think that you can have extra because it is low-fat, sugar-free or healthy. But the reality is that low-fat foods are usually higher in sugar, while sugar-free foods are higher in fat. Keep in mind that manufactures only put what you want to see on the front of the packaging. Turn the product over and read the label so you are not a victim of ignorance.

Some of this century’s most popular foods, which are paraded as healthy, are full of calories that consumers are not aware of. Sushi and salads are two diet friendly foods that often end up being diet disasters. The problem is we are told that these two are good, safe options to order out, that they are low in fat, and calories. But what they don’t tell us is that there is a whole world of sushi and salads and that only part of it is actually healthy.

When you think of sushi, generally, you think of steamed rice, lean seafood and veggies. But what you often get in those specialty rolls or tempura that has become so popular is fried fish, mayo-based sauce or even cheese. One shrimp tempura roll is 540 calories (the calorie equivalent of a quarter-pound burger). Stick to the sushi basics and pick ONE simple roll with tuna or another lean fish and pair it with miso soup, small seaweed salad and half a cup of edamame. All of these will offer your taste buds satisfaction, your stomach fulfillment and only adds up to around 450 calories.

Salads are tricky. There are so many versions and spin-offs that it is no wonder people are misguided! For example, one grilled vegetable and chicken salad from California Pizza Kitchen is loaded with 1,044 calories! Taco salads are just as high if not higher. But, a great way to reduce the amount of calories in taco salads (by 450+) is by using salsa as your dressing and skipping the sour cream and cheese all together.

Keep your salads basic. Include raw veggies and lots of them! Top it with lean protein, typical tuna or chicken salad is not lean. Use plain grilled chicken/fish, plain tuna or other lean meat. Keep your other add-ons to a minimum. Where salads get calorie expensive is when you start adding nuts, cheese, croutons, fruits and dressing. Just because a dressing is low fat does not mean it is low calorie. Just because it is reduced calorie, doesn’t mean it is low calorie. Stick with a light vinaigrette if you can, that way the fat content is generally from good fats and the sugars are typically low too.

Road Blocks: Learning How to Bend

2010-06-14T14:57:00.000-07:00

Life offers a series of twists and turns that seem unrelated and like directionless road blocks. It never fails, when everything is going great, something happens to ripple the calm waters. We often blame the moment on "it figures" or "this is my luck" type references. But the truth is, not many people experience many totally calm waters. If it appears like they do, chances are it is because of how they respond to the ripples, not the absence of ripples.

Choosing how to respond to a situation is a reflection of you, not the situation at hand. That is not to say that you should embrace every turn with open arm and gratitude. I have not had the best response to every event that has come in to my life, and don't expect to but that doesn't mean that you have to fold at every sign of struggle.

Hang in there, ride the wave and clear your own path. Most often the reason for failure is lack of perseverance. Now, there are times when you do need to look at the whole picture, swallow your pride and cut your losses, but not all the time.

The people who "made it" did so in spite of trials and road blocks. Some times you need to learn how to bend. While a mild storm can break down some of the strongest fences, but a flag can still blow through some of the strongest storms.

When you feel like you are alone in a tough situation, it can be easy to lose sight of the value in hanging in and moving forward. Help yourself by having a plan, by talking with someone who has been in your shoes, or keeping a journal and finding within yourself the limits and the boundaries that you need to make. Sometimes it is a simple modification and sometimes it is a new plan.

If you are struggling with your fitness goals, the chances are you have either not given yourself enough time or are not working with the right information to make the right changes. I have a workout guide to help you get started and be armed with information to make a difference.

If it is a personal or business situation, take some of the same principals as you would in anything else. Write down your goal and how you see yourself getting there, map out a time-line and see if it's reasonable. Write the pro's and con's associated with success and failure. Be honest with your ability to make it happen. So many dreams are disillusioned. Just because someone with your skills made it easily, doesn't mean you will. You have to know that your journey will be independent of everyone else's. Your struggles will be unique and your success will hold different value.

Summer Blues

2010-06-10T13:29:00.000-07:00

With all the hype getting ready for summer and the excitement of warm weather and sunshine, it is easy to get romanced by plans and forget the reality. The reality is that summer means shorts, tank tops and bathing suits. If you neglected your fitness during the winter months this could keep you up at night!

Lack of early physical preparation is not the end all for your summer plans. You may be able to still make a difference and enjoy the warm weather more comfortably.

Make a Plan
Schedule at Least 30Min for Working Out
Keep a Food Journal
Find an Accountability Factor

With out a plan, you are planning to veer back off course. Map out what time line you are working on (when is your summer vacation, reunion, or party). Figure out how many weeks there are and if there is anything happening between now and then. Armed with this time-line you can really see how important each week is in your progress. Every week matters, every day matters.

Find at least 30 minutes, more if you can, each day for exercise. Your exercise should include both cardio and weights. Even if you are only doing 10 minutes of full body workout and 20 minutes of high intensity interval training cardio.

If you are working on a 30 minute plan, the 10 minute full body workout should have less than 10 sec breaks and maintain a elevated heart rate and go right into your cardio. If you have more than 30 minutes, divide the extra time between the two (for example if you have 40 min, do 15 min weights and 25 minutes cardio). Once you get to 45 min of cardio, just add the time to weights until you have 45-60min of weights BEFORE your cardio.

Keep a food journal. You may think you are eating clean, but when you write EVERYTHING down that you put into your mouth, it may shock you how many places you could clean it up. Focus on including a lot of lean protein and veggies with good carbohydrates and healthy fats!

Find an accountability factor. If you are like most of the population, you can easily talk yourself into or out of anything. If you have someone that is keeping you accountable, being a little tired or getting an offer for "better plans" will not be as tempting. And, if you can find someone who is serious about training to workout WITH you, that would be even better. Just make sure that if you do enlist a training partner, you don't end up talking and taking breaks. You should be pushing each other to work harder.

Armed with a detailed plan and the motivation to execute it, you should have some visible results when your done! Good Luck :)

Weighing in for a New Start

2010-05-21T10:22:00.000-07:00

Taking your life seriously means taking all aspects of it with pride, the inside and the outside. An education and what you know is very important, it will keep you in the door, but what gets you through the door is who you know AND what you look like, not just on paper. The visual presentation is an outward display of the pride you take in presentation. If you don’t take pride in the way you look, why would an employer invest in taking the chance you will show the same indifference to your work?

We aren’t talking about looking like a model, or having a body like a swimwear model. We are just talking about taking pride in what you present to the world. The first impression is all you have to make a statement. Unless you never meet your employer and work from a remote location, the way you look makes a difference. Two equally qualified applicants applying for the same position will no longer be equally qualified when one of them has physically taken not pride in their appearance.

Taking pride in your appearance doesn’t need to be another job. It means making some better nutrition choices. You don’t need to have a strict diet or be a certain size, but there are few and far between people in the top of any industry that disregard their outward appearance.

There is a grave difference between slaving in the gym and slaving at the buffet. Finding a balance where you lifestyle reflects your ability and not apathy. In an economy like the one we are wading through, employers are looking at everything. Don’t lose the job for reasons that have nothing to do with your aptitude.

There are plenty of people who will help if you don’t know where to start or how to make the first step. You can email me, and if I can’t help you directly, I can point you in the right direction!

lnewton@leslierae.com

Training is a process, not an event

2010-05-18T12:36:00.000-07:00

The reality is that people who want to make a dramatic change to their body, did not get into their current state from an hour every other day for three weeks. So working out for an hour every other day for three weeks is not going to 'fix' the problem.

This news may be discouraging, but it should be encouraging. The fact that you are not at your goal after a few weeks is not surprising. If it were possible to have dramatic results from minimal effort, America would not be in such a health crisis.

Instead of looking for a new body in the mirror every morning, try tracking progress that is real. Celebrate (not with cheat food or alcohol) making it to the gym an extra day, or lifting a new heavier weight, or making it another half mile. After 4-6 weeks, notice your clothes fitting different; feel the difference in your energy.

The changes will be as fast as your dedication is to your goal. You can't go into a program for 45 minutes three days a week and continue the habits that got you there in the first place, and expect much. Before our lives will change, we have to be honest with ourselves and with our dedication to our goal. Partial commitment will yeild partial results.

Even once you get to your goal, there is work to be done. We can't abandon the process that gave us results unless we want to forfeit those results. How many competitors have we seen (I know I have been there a few times) who look AMAZING on stage and a month later look like the 'before' picture in a weight loss ad? Lose the dedication and work ethic and you will lose the progress.

It took me many, many shows to give up the 'off-season' mentality. I would finish a show and turn around and finish a buffet! I had it in my mind that I needed to "eat it while I can." What a horrible mentality, it lead to depression and long up hill journey's. After I finally recognized what I was putting myself through, I chose health. I chose to have a cheat meal, not an all-access card. I stay within 10 pounds of where I want to be on stage and have found a balance. We all need to find that balance.