What am I talking about? I’m talking about the TRUTH. Let’s face it – most of us are not completely honest with ourselves when it comes to what we are eating. Do you really tell the truth when someone asks you what you are eating to lose weight? Usually not. This is the problem. If you want results, I mean the REAL DEAL, you need to be completely honest with yourself.

I want to tell YOU that I am eating totally clean today. There I did it. I am going to tell my husband too. Why? Because I know that once I tell you, now I will do it. Simple as that. Wow, it feels so great now that I just made myself accountable to all of you.

I’ve been totally rockin’ it with my home workouts. I’m working out 5 days/week, yet still picking at snack foods that I know are not good for me! They are only in the house for lunches for the kids and I do like to bake them cookies for their lunch. I know I just need to get myself in the right mental frame to make the changes.

I’m telling you though, once you speak your goals OUT LOUD, you will be much more likely to stick to
your plan. TELL SOMEONE TODAY. It’s powerful!

Have a great day and weekend!

Cheers to health,

Angie Tousignant, ISSA – C.P.T.,B.Ed. Creator of “More Love Less Fat” – A Couples Guide To Transforming Your Body and Relationship. She is committed to helping women and couples to be the best they can through exercise and nutrition.

Do you find you are mostly on your own when it comes to eating healthy and having intentions of losing weight? Is your partner overweight, yet doing nothing about it? Are you the only one in your household enjoying large salads, nuts, and fresh fruit and berries?

What if you and your partner BOTH decided to get in the best shape you possibly can in 2009? I mean, NO EXCUSES. What if you both decided to commit to a workout plan as a couple? You could hold each other accountable. You would be a team. You would be eating the same foods. You would no longer feel that you are ‘denying’ yourself anything because you are both eating the same meal. You would not have to feel tempted by the other foods in the house because they are not there! You could surround yourself with only healthy foods. You would feel that connection with your partner because you are both going after the same goal. Doesn’t this sound like a fantastic beginning to the New Year? How about the beginning of a new and exciting chapter in your life?

I feel so fortunate that Scott, my husband, is a health nut. We are both always encouraging each other to workout and eat well. We have each others best interests in mind. It is so much easier to think and act like a fitness minded person when you live in the same household as one. Fitness becomes your identity. It’s just a wonderful way to live versus trying to reach your health goals on your own. It’s like a constant battle field when other people in your home are not on your team. The goal in mind seems so much more out of reach. The fun of it is missing. Eating well seems more challenging because your intentions are different than everyone else’s.

I guarantee you that your journey towards healthy living will be that much more successful with your partner ‘on board’ with you. So you’ve got some thinking to do now:

1. How do I get my partner to want to get fit with me? Ultimately this will need to be their choice. However you can give them the reasons why you feel it would beneficial to you as a couple to get fit together.

2. Do you have a program you can both follow?

3. When will you do your cardio?

4. Do you have a nutrition program to follow?

I hope that I am getting you to really think about your health and fitness goals for 2009. It is almost here!

“What You Believe, You Can Achieve.”

Cheers to health,

Angie
ISSA – C.P.T., B.Ed.

When I think of the word holiday, I think of family, friends, and lots of yummy foods. The majority of people think, “Oh, I’ll eat my heart out over the next few weeks, and then I’ll start eating well in the New Year.” I always think, “Why wait? Why not start right now?”

Having partner support will only skyrocket your fat loss success. With your partner onboard with you, you will have the added benefit of someone that understands what you are going through. You can share your goals with each other. You can be that source of inspiration when one of you needs the extra boost to stay focused. You will share that many more like-minded activities that can only bring you closer together.

Over the holidays Scott and I plan to help each other stay focused on our fitness goals in several ways that I want to share with you:

1. Before bed, we will go over our ‘action steps’ for the following day. These are the 2 or 3 things that you want to accomplish the next day. For example, do cardio in the A.M., eat two meals with carbs, lift weights in the evening. You want to be as specific as you can with these action steps.

2. We will plan to do our cardio component in the A.M. before the kids wake up.

3. The day of our holiday meal, we will ask each other what we will choose to eat and not eat.

4. We will remind each other NOT to go up for seconds.

5. Remind each other to choose 1 – 2 of our favorite desserts.

6. We will go for a walk after our meal.

7. Have a contest. The person who loses a pound or maintains their weight over the holidays is the winner and is rewarded by the other partner.

There is absolutely no rhyme or reason why you should have the attitude of eating your heart out over the holidays and then going all hard core in January. People that do this usually only last for MAYBE two weeks and their enthusiasm drops right off. It’s like they get so revved up because of all the hype of it being a ‘New Year’ yet they really have no plan to keep their enthusiasm sustained.

Why not choose the attitude to take the small steps that you can RIGHT NOW to live a healthy lifestyle and keep on taking those steps each and every day. Just because it’s almost 2009 and the beginning of a New Year, does not mean that you will suddenly have more motivation, or that sticking to an exercise program will be any easier. Your motivation is based on YOU, and your beliefs regarding your role in your fat loss journey. What can you do to keep your motivation and enthusiasm strong? Start that journey today and keep jabbing at it each and every day.

Will you choose to be UNSTOPPABLE TODAY?

Cheers to health,

Angie
ISSA – C.P.T., B.Ed.

I perform 6 different core exercises in the video that target your obliques (side of abdominal muscles), external and internal obliques, transverse abdominis muscle, and many other smaller muscles that support your spine.

The Exercises:

1. Russian Twists
2. Stability Ball Sit Ups
3. Stability Ball Plank
4. 2 Dumbbell Twists
5. Jackknife
6. Medicine Ball Twists

I hope that you enjoy this workout!!

Cheers to health,

Angie
ISSA – C.P.T., B.Ed.

Quick, fast movements or High Intensity Training (H.I.T.) will increase your metabolism to accelerate your fat loss during and long after your workout.

Here’s a great question for you: “Who’s generally leaner and reaches lower body fat %, sprinters or distance runners?” If you are thinking distance runners…ehhhh, wrong answer! Yes, they are lean people, but not leaner than most sprinters, just skinnier. Sprinters may look bulkier, but their body composition is made up of much more muscle. More muscle results in their body becoming a ‘fat burning furnace!’

Research has proven that it is not what happens during exercise, but what happens after exercise that makes a difference. Training at a high intensity will increase your metabolism for hours after your workout.

High Intensity Training (H.I.T.) helps your heart work more efficiently and burns calories in record time. New research from the University of Guelph Ontario shows that interval training increases the amount of fat you burn during other workouts too. It’s like its effectiveness carries over to each additional workout! In the study, women cycled for four minutes at 90 percent of their max, rested two minutes, and repeated the pedal/rest interval nine more times. After doing these hour-long workouts (called HIT for high-intensity training) every other day for two weeks, the women used 36 percent more fat for energy during a low-intensity 60-minute ride than they did before the study. Intervals improve your ability to use fat for fuel. This does not mean you have to do 60-minute interval sessions on the stationary bike. It means that if you replace your typical cardio session with a HIT routine, you’ll amp up the fat burning effect of your lower-intensity workouts, too.

Research has also proven that if you only do long duration cardio, your body will ADAPT. Basically saying that your metabolism will adapt and therefore you will burn less calories doing the same amount of work as your did during previous workouts. Your body is simply able to devise a way to ‘survive’ the task, become more efficient, thereby burning less energy.

In conclusion, you should always look for ways to ‘trick’ your body and incorporate the short bursts of movement into your cardio component. You can still do your 30 minute cardio sessions, but you also need to change it up and do some H.I.T. sessions as well.

It is best to always change up your pattern of cardio so that your body cannot adapt! Keep it guessing and this way your metabolism will have no option but to work at a high speed!

Cheers to health,

Angie
ISSA – C.P.T., B.Ed.

You may want to listen to what I have to say here because your thoughts may be having a direct effect on just how much exercise you engage in each week!

A very compelling study by psychologists listed in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology stated that “people who kept a weekly gratitude journal exercised up to an 1-1/2 hrs. more per week than their grumbling peers.”

People in the gratitude group had to list up to 5 things they were grateful for each week for 10 weeks. These participants also reported feeling more enthusiastic and determined in general…the combination of these feelings are just FUEL for exercise! This very noteworthy study can be said to imply that having a strong mindset is key to weight loss.

Now, if you have not heard of the Unstoppable Fat Loss Audios…well you are in for a treat. This program is critical to skyrocketing your fat loss success. They are jam packed with key mindset strategies that will transform your thoughts on a daily basis. You will hear amazing stories about people that have achieved incredible fat loss success once they realized their mind needed to change!

In conclusion, I would like you to take some time to reflect on your own daily thoughts. How would you sum up your attitude? Do you wake up grateful? Do you look around and truly see all the positive that surrounds you or do you tend to only focus in on the negative?

Obviously, having an ‘Attitude of Gratitude’ will get you closer to your ideal weight. So go and get yourself a small notebook and begin reflecting on all the greatness you have already in your life! You may begin with being grateful for the gift of ’sight’ to be able to read this…

Cheers to health,

Angie
ISSA – C.P.T., B.Ed.

The holiday season has arrived, which means that you will be surrounded with tempting foods, alcoholic beverages, and be presented with many opportunities to bail out on your workouts. Lucky for you, the Unstoppable Fat Loss mindset that you are developing will help you blast through any obstacle or barrier that you are faced with during this festive time of year.

If you have been thinking of starting a weight loss routine and are beginning to debate whether or not to put it off until the New Year, it’s time to take action. There’s no better time than now.

If you have been following an exercise and diet program for a little while and you are getting a little nervous about how you will handle the holiday temptations, it’s time to begin thinking of how great it’s going to feel as you continue to make progress during these challenging times.

I have a great audio for you today that will help skyrocket your fat loss motivation. This interview was conducted by my friend Scott Colby and in the process raised thousands of dollars for Trekking For Kids. I love being a part of these fund raising events and dishing out some outstanding content in the process.

The questions that we answered on mindset and motivation for weight loss were absolutely awesome. Scott and I were joined by our friends and motivation experts Jim Katsoulis and Kevin Gianni on the call as well. This made for one heck of a motivating audio that you will not want to miss.

Download this audio and pop it into your mp3 player and head out for an energizing walk. When you get back let me know what you have learned from the audio and what you are going to take action on today.

Let’s get through the holiday season in better shape than where we are at today. When other people are just setting their New Years Resolutions, you’ll already be well on your way to achieving them and may have already achieved those goals.

Wrap 2008 up in style!!!

If you are in search of some incredibly powerful and motivating programs to help you lose weight here are my top 3 recommendations…

Jon Benson’s M-Power Series

Jim Katsoulis’ Program Yourself Thin 2.0

Scott Tousignant’s Unstoppable Fat Loss

Empower Your Mind… and Your Body Will Follow!

Scott Tousignant

There are many reasons…but lets talk about technology. We are so spoiled! We have remote controls for everything from TV’s to our cars, and stereo system. Our appliances allow us to press a button while everything is done for us. No more manually scrubbing our clothes or carrying a load of clothes outside to dry. Look around your home at all of your gadgets and think about how operating each one of them means less ‘work’ in terms of calories burned for you…What about walking…how far do people really walk these days?

Personally, I used to walk about 20 minutes to get to school each day. This was just normal. Nowadays buses pick up students and they are dropped off just a few feet from their school entrance. Gym classes have been reduced in the schools. There are more cars on the planet than ever before! People have TV screens that take up half of their living rooms! We now do more sitting on the computer to find information or chat to a friend. We have leaf blowers and snow blowers to make our lives ‘easier’ …. so that we can SIT more!

If we compare our lives to that of people in the Amish Community, it is proven that on average men take an average of 18,425 steps a day and the women 14,196 steps, which is significantly greater than the 3,000-5,000 daily step tally recorded by the average North American. Wow! This is a HUGE difference! The Amish people do not have the luxuries that we are so used to in our everyday lives. The men and women do a lot more physically demanding tasks each day. They are burning more calories just to live their lives.

So what should we do to increase our MOVEMENT or ambulating time each day? James Levine, professor of medicine from the Mayo Clinic, has created his work environment to include walking on his treadmill each day. He says that he will walk up to 4 hours a day within his office while going through paper work, and reading articles. Get creative! Try to incorporate walking into your workday schedule. If you are not able to fit a treadmill into your office…wipe the dust off that old stationary bike and start pedalling while watching TV at night. And don’t be shy to suggest going for a walk with a colleague to discuss work issues. Or you can suggest that the next office meeting be a ‘walking meeting.’

I also suggest to get active with your kids! Instead of sitting on the bench at the park, get up and chase them. Climb the equipment…find that playful side in you! Instead of driving to the store for one item, take your bike or walk. It really is the ‘little things’ that we do that will add to the burned calories in your week.

Now that you’ve read this…get MOVING!! Wash your car…ride your bike…bring the dog for a walk…

Cheers to health,

Angie
ISSA – C.P.T., B.Ed.

You, too, can be a very successful eater. Work on these stategies:

If you want to be rock solid in your food choices, rock solid in believing in yourself, rock solid in all aspects of your fit lifestyle – the choice is yours. Tell yourself right now that you are not your past. Tell yourself that you are entitled to eat however you please. If you pass on the donuts at work, and co-workers begin to question you – stand firm. Simply state that you are trying to eat healthier and change the subject. This is about you, not about them.

You should not feel rude for turning down food or a second helping. You have made a conscious decision to take care of your health. You want to have more energy, feel more vibrant, experience more joy in your life. When you are in these awkward situations, keep reminding yourself why this is so important to you. Stay strong and focused. You CAN do this. Each time you are faced with these kinds of situations and stay focused, you will become that much more stronger.

Successful eaters also try to stay as conscious as possible when it comes to food. They stop to think before they eat that chocolate bar… “Will these extra calories fit into my food plan for the week? Or, can I find another way to celebrate this occasion?” I do recommend that you schedule in a treat meal or two during the week. This tactic does encourage you to stick to your plan because you do not feel ‘denied’ of your favorite foods.

I hope that these tips will be useful to you, especially over the holidays. What I strongly suggest is that you begin to imagine you are already at a big gathering with lots of tempting foods…how will you react? Picture how you want the night to unfold. This is very powerful. Visualize the foods you will choose and see yourself passing by those that are not conducive to your fit lifestyle.

Oh, and if you want to get really serious and get some serious results you may want to check out Unstoppable Fat Loss. These audios are packed with the key strategies that will skyrocket your motivation to create a rock solid mindset. You will learn how to transform your thoughts to the actions that will get you closer to your fitness goals. All aspects of your life will brighten. If you don’t have a strong mindset, just how long will your motivation last? This is just where its at folks!

You can do this!

Cheers to health,

Angie
ISSA – C.P.T., B.Ed.

Do you already have the thoughts that…”Ya, maybe I’ll just wait until the New Year to begin my diet program.” Or, “There is no point in trying to stick to my plan during the holidays since I HAVE TO eat Aunt Pat’s homemade apple pie or I just HAVE TO eat one of her delicious brownies.”

If you are already succumbing to this kind of ‘all or none thinking’ you are setting yourself up to loosen your belt another notch. This is obviously not the direction you want.

What you need is a PLAN before the holiday gatherings and feasts begin. Put your needs first. Keep your goals and visions alive.

How can you turn down Aunt Pat’s desserts without thinking you are offending her?Very tactfully. Acknowledge that the food looks awesome and smells so good. Mention that you know it must have taken her a lot of time to prepare and then say, “I think I’ll pass this time.” You are complimenting the chef, yet putting your needs first.

If you know the menu ahead of time you can go over a plan of action BEFORE the food is literally right under your nose. For example, picture all of the foods that you know you will be exposed to. What do you want on your plate? What is a good portion size for you and your goals? SEE your plate and the food. Now when you are actually in the situation, you will be more in control of yourself. Tell yourself that, “I will fill my plate once, and there is no going back for a refill.”

Keep in mind that you DESERVE the body you are setting out to achieve. Who cares what everyone else thinks! This is about you. You have a mission, and you are setting yourself up to achieve it. What should matter the most is that you are there at the party, you are having fun with family/friends…this is what truly counts. Take the focus off the food.

Oh, and remember there is no perfection…but you CAN MANAGE the holiday spread, instead of the spread grabbing your waistline!

Cheers to YOU, and to the body that you deserve!!

Angie
ISSA – C.P.T., B.Ed.