To start, you need to make a plan on when you will do your cardio component. You should aim for at least 5 days/week to get your heart rate up. You may walk, jog, skip, bike, do jumping jacks…whatever it is that you enjoy! The idea is to find something that you love to do and that you will stick with over a long period of time. I’m talking a very L-O-N-G time, like your entire life! Don’t make this just some passing phase. 30 minutes of vigorous exercise is great. Or, you may choose to do a 15 minute ‘interval’ session. For this you will alternate between jogging very fast and then slowing down, then speeding up, then slowing down. You can do this for 30 sec. intervals or 1 minute. It is really up to you.

Next, you can do some resistance exercises such as: sit ups, push ups, squats, lunges, and leg raises simply using your own body weight. However, if you want to progress to gain muscle I do suggest that you eventually invest in a couple of dumbbell weights followed by an exercise program. You can also purchase a stability ball at a reasonable cost. A stability ball, dumbbells, skipping rope, and your own body weight are all you need to achieve a lean and sexy body. I know because this is all I use! If you are interested in following the program that I do, you can view it at “strong>The Fit Chic”

This program is filled with a year of workouts that will only take you 20 minutes to complete. You can even do them in the comfort of your own home, as I do. This will save you hundreds of dollars when compared to a gym membership. Often my kids are running all around me, yet I still can get in an awesome workout. We also have 10 minute express workouts for those moms who may have a super busy week. With only 10 minutes to spare, we have created exercises for you to get the maximum benefits in little time.

Or, you may be interested in getting fit and bonding with your partner, we also have a workout program for couples. “More Love Less Fat” is filled with a year of workouts that will encourage your relationship to flourish as you both embark on a journey towards optimal health. Scott and I love working out together. It is our time to truly connect. When we are both fit and healthy we feel we can give only our best to each other!

I wish you the best in Fitness for 2009 and look forward to helping you along the way,

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.

I cannot stress enough though how great it felt to throw that food out. Just because my son didn’t want it, didn’t mean that I had to eat it! Who am I helping by doing that? I was always told not to waste food, but I am not the one that needs it. By eating it, this does not help people that lack in food.

Next time you have food in front of you, and you are not hungry…please don’t eat it! It’s is a great feeling to be conscious and in control of your behavior. I dare you to toss it. Then tell me how great it felt.

Have a good one,

Angie
ISSA – C.P.T.

I dare you to

Here are just a few ways that exercise will directly increase your sexual satisfaction:

1. Regular physical activity, just walking for 25 minutes 3X/week will decrease impotency related problems. Physiologically every time you engage in physical activity, your heart rate will increase, thereby pumping more blood to all of your organs…especially to the organs that we want to work for us!

When a women exercises, she is priming her body for sexual arousal. All this means is that, again, she is getting more blood flow to her genital area. Therefore, she is more likely to experience peak arousal when engaged in intimate activity, resulting in her to want to initiate more sexual activity AND to feel great pleasure.

2. Research has proven exercise will lead to more frequent sexual activity and the pleasure of orgasms. When two people are exercising, losing weight, feeling great and confident…this only sets up your relationship for a wonderful sex life!

3. Exercise has been proven to: reduce stress, increase sleep quality, and increase energy levels. Think about this for a minute…do you really feel like having sex when you are stressed and fatigued? I know we don’t! I would much rather curl up with a book and get my sleep! We all know in today’s society there are many reasons for couples to be stressed, sleep deprived, and miserable. But, flip the switch, and the same can be said about feeling great satisfaction in life. Begin to exercise together and you can be walking advocates of a couple that CAN be less stressed, more energetic, and best of all … a lot more sexually satisfied!

The best thing you can both do for the security of your marriage and family is to give each other the gift of exercise. You will both be happier. The kids will benefit tremendously when they have parents that are arguing less, feeling more happiness, more joy, and just a more positive outlook on life in general.

When Scott and I workout, whether it be together or alone, I can guarantee to you that we will experience much more joy that day.

Remember this: Feel Better = Feel Sexual

Oh, and one more thing…SEX will Burn Calories!!

Cheers to health,

Angie
ISSA – C.P.T., B.Ed.

1. Begin to feel more connected as a couple. Now you have a common goal to focus on. You are both putting your thoughts and energy into creating an atmosphere for your goals to flourish. Working out together is quality time. You will have a lot of talk about. You will have a solid half hour to truly bond. You can plan to workout when you are most likely to have little interruption.

2. Lifestyle will become more conducive to a fit and healthy couple. This is fantastic! When you begin to workout together and feel GREAT, you want this feeling all the time. You will begin to appreciate quality, wholesome foods. You will realize that eating well makes you FEEL well. When you feel well, your entire outlook on life enhances! As a couple you may begin to question some of your current activities if they do not suit a healthy lifestyle. For example, sitting on the couch for hours and eating chips on a daily basis is not what fit people do day after day. You will find yourself gravitating towards activities such as: joining a walking club or bowling. This is just what happens when you realize how awesome being fit feels!

3. Have a TON more Energy! This is simply the best. I love to workout mainly because of the natural high that I get immediately afterward. My day flows much more smoothly. I feel energized, I am more productive, I am less stressed. When I have a productive day, it makes me feel really good. I know that I am also a lot more patient with our children. I think this is because when I don’t get my workout in, I just keep thinking about it, which leads me to be irritable. My best time to workout is first thing in the morning because then I do not have to feel irritable when ‘life’ seems to get in the way of my intentions.

4. Argue less. When Scott and I workout we are just a much more happier, relaxed, and joyous couple. When we both feel this way our day together flows well. What I mean is that we feel really good because we are living the life that we want to live. I respect his need to workout. It makes him feel good and as a guy, he feels more attractive. He gets a huge ego boost when he gets home from the gym and I cannot wait to touch his muscles! He also understands my need to workout. I feel so great afterward. My mood is positive and I’m much more patient all day. When you workout chemicals are released into your brain that make you feel happy. It’s super!

5. More intimate. I think you can put 2 and 2 together. When you workout and take care of yourself you will feel amazing and want to share these great feelings with your partner. When you workout together, well the fireworks will explode because you are both feeling so attractive, leading you both to want to initiate more intimacy. This is how you want to live! Start 2009 on the right path. Get that sexy body and bond like never before!

Have a wonderful day!

Cheers to health,

Angie
ISSA – C.P.T.

Then the children came…how can a tiny, precious, 7lb bundle of joy upturn your entire life? Too easily.

Wow, it truly is such a miracle to create a baby – yet it takes a miracle to raise one without jeopardizing that deep connection to your partner.

Children, career, and extra-curricular activities will often leave you and your partner (spouse) completely exhausted by the end of the day. The last thing you likely feel like doing is working out. Do you have anything left to really GIVE of yourself?

Scott and I have gone through this exact scenario. However, with our ‘fitness minded’ background we understood that exercise had to become a part of our day. We, too, went through the period of gaining weight, feeling like crap, and just feeling like something was missing.

I decided to try to workout at home, but it was ‘Hit N’ Miss.’ I had many excuses. Scott began to workout more consistently at the gym. He would walk in from work, grab a bite to eat, change, and then take off again. This left me feeling lonely, resentful, and misunderstood. I was at home all day with two little ones. I wanted that break to take care of myself too! I knew I could feel more energized, more focused, more joy, and more happiness because I felt these exact feelings when I was committed to working out before we had children. I wanted these feelings back! We began to argue a lot because I felt my needs were put on the ‘back burner.’ I was jealous of his lifestyle.

So what happened? We decided to challenge each other to get in amazing shape! Without realizing it, we were working out together at home because it was just easier for the both of us. We didn’t have to find care for the kids. We also did H.I.I.T. training together. We just planned a workout time and did it. No excuses. I was hooked right away because I was feeling great, I had my spouse to talk with, and I found us really connecting again! It was so much fun! I was so motivated to write out and reach my goals because I could be accountable to Scott and it was a way to challenge each other.

I’m sure many of you can relate to the chaos of raising a family. Of course, it is a lot of great chaos too. The chaos I’m referring to is the sudden lack of time for you as a parent to take care of your own needs. Unfortunately, most couples wait too long to put their needs first. This has led to a strikingly high divorce rate. Couples fall out of love for many reasons…a big one being that they have simply lost that Love Connection.

Working out together will give you that Love Connection back! You will BOTH begin to feel the ‘high’ of more energy, greater productivity, better sleep, and deeper intimacy. You will love the journey together.

Cheers to health,

Angie
ISSA – C.P.T.