Why Strength Train?

Okay, so I keep getting questions about whether or not women will "bulk up" if they start strength training.  The answer to that is no (because we're women - bulkiness is basically testosterone-related). YOU MUST STRENGTH TRAIN (yep, I said MUST) and the article below tells you exactly why.  I couldn't put it in better words, so I thought I would just copy the article "as is".


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Why Strength Train?
By Kathy Smith


Still not convinced you should strength train? Here's a good reason. After the age of 30, we all lose a quarter pound of muscle mass each year. Yikes! With less muscle, our metabolism slows down and we gain fat—averaging about 15 pounds a decade. While muscle is metabolically active (each pound of muscle burns approximately 35 to 50 calories per day), stored fat is not, burning far fewer calories. The more muscle you have, the more calories you burn throughout the day, whether you're walking, vacuuming . . . even sleeping! What's more, while aerobic activity burns fat during exercise, weight training utilizes fat hours after exercising, so your metabolism stays slightly elevated for a longer period of time following a strength-training session than following an aerobic workout.

Hypothyroidism - what to look for and what to expect

I'm re-posting this since January is 'thyroid awareness month' :). It was originally written by me in November 2010. I am down 13 pounds now...for the record. ;)

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Hypothyroidism is a condition/disease where your body is lacking the sufficient amount of thyroid hormone. The problem with this condition is that the thyroid is in charge of your metabolism. When you lack thyroid hormone, your metabolism slows. You can see how this plays into weight loss...right? When someone is hypothyroid, it is EXTREMELY difficult to lose weight. Where one person can lose 2 pounds in a week, you may only lose .5 of a pound.

This actually happened to me just last week, I was thrilled with losing 7 pounds over the last 2 months drinking Shakeology and increasing my workouts. Then my friend tells me 'oh, I've been doing the same thing, I'm down 15 pounds'. UGH! This is where your 'will' to lose weight has to be the strongest ever. You CAN do it, you have to work REALLY hard at it, and it's WORTH IT!

Maybe you're unsure of whether you are hypothyroid. Some of the signs of hypothyroidism are:

Fatigue
Weakness
Weight gain or increased difficulty losing weight
Coarse, dry hair
Dry, rough pale skin
Hair loss
Cold intolerance (you can't tolerate cold temperatures like those around you)
Muscle cramps and frequent muscle aches
Irritability
Memory loss
Abnormal menstrual cycles
Decreased libido
Constipation
Depression

You may have just a few of these symptoms or you may have many of them, each person is different. For me, I had many of the symptoms, but I kept coming up with other excuses for them. Then, once I started losing my hair, I high-tailed it to a Doctor! Lo and behold, I found out that I have a version of hypothyroidism called Hashimoto's Disease (a disease where the body attacks the thyroid, because it thinks it is something bad).

If you think you may be hypothyroid, you must visit your DOCTOR asap. You can see your regular doctor, but it's even better to visit an Endocrinologist. He/She will do the proper blood tests so you will know, once and for all, whether it's your thyroid that's wreaking havoc on your life. Good luck!

Les Mills PUMP is in the HOUSE (literally)

It's official all of my gym rat friends (and I use that term endearingly)...  :)

Les Mills PUMP is available for purchase at www.mycoachforfitness.com - just click on the word SHOP and you'll find it.  Do some browsing while you're there --- why not?

So, this program is based on the ever-so-popular Body Pump that we all do at the gym.  So, when you're snowed in and can't get to the gym or maybe you feel like doing your own thing for a while, you can do it at home ---just press play on that DVD player--- SWEET!!!

P90X2!!!!!

So, it's been a while since I've blogged.  I got REALLY busy at work...like CRAZY busy.  The only thing that was keeping me sane was working out...until I hurt my back.  After a few months of recovery & chiropractor visits, I'm totally back in the game.  I've been doing P90X for about 3 weeks now...I love it!!!  I broke through my plateau and am losing weight (and turning fat into muscle) again.

Here's the rest of the excitement...coming soon...P90X2!!!!  Available for pre-order (through me) beginning on 9/1.  I can't wait for this one myself!  Looks like a fun one!!

Hypothyroidism - what to look for and what to expect

Hypothyroidism is a condition/disease where your body is lacking the sufficient amount of thyroid hormone. The problem with this condition is that the thyroid is in charge of your metabolism. When you lack thyroid hormone, your metabolism slows. You can see how this plays into weight loss...right? When someone is hypothyroid, it is EXTREMELY difficult to lose weight. Where one person can lose 2 pounds in a week, you may only lose .5 of a pound.

This actually happened to me just last week, I was thrilled with losing 7 pounds over the last 2 months drinking Shakeology and increasing my workouts. Then my friend tells me 'oh, I've been doing the same thing, I'm down 15 pounds'. UGH! This is where your 'will' to lose weight has to be the strongest ever. You CAN do it, you have to work REALLY hard at it, and it's WORTH IT!

Maybe you're unsure of whether you are hypothyroid. Some of the signs of hypothyroidism are:

Fatigue
Weakness
Weight gain or increased difficulty losing weight
Coarse, dry hair
Dry, rough pale skin
Hair loss
Cold intolerance (you can't tolerate cold temperatures like those around you)
Muscle cramps and frequent muscle aches
Irritability
Memory loss
Abnormal menstrual cycles
Decreased libido
Constipation
Depression

You may have just a few of these symptoms or you may have many of them, each person is different. For me, I had many of the symptoms, but I kept coming up with other excuses for them. Then, once I started losing my hair, I high-tailed it to a Doctor! Lo and behold, I found out that I have a version of hypothyroidism called Hashimoto's Disease (a disease where the body attacks the thyroid, because it thinks it is something bad).

If you think you may be hypothyroid, you must visit your DOCTOR asap. You can see your regular doctor, but it's even better to visit an Endocrinologist. He/She will do the proper blood tests so you will know, once and for all, whether it's your thyroid that's wreaking havoc on your life. Good luck!