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.

Soon, the gourmet feasts will be here…and so is that snazzy dress that you plan to fit into! Here is the TRUTH to your concerns:

The key to burning the most fat that you possibly can, is to implement a weight resistance program in your routine. Yes, you do need to do cardio and you do need to eat well. However, what many people forget is that you will burn a lot of calories while doing your cardio and you can reduce your calories through your diet; but the downfall is that you will likely s-l-o-w down your metabolism! This is the last thing that you want to do.

How Do You Keep Your Metabolism Running High? You can keep your metabolism running HIGH by engaging in weight or resistance training. The more muscle that you have in your body, the more calories you will burn-even at rest! If you are not currently following a weight training program or you do not want to spend hours at the gym, I can suggest to you to give The Fit Chic program a try. I complete my weight training in 20 minutes or less in the comfort of my own home!

How Can I Turn My Fat Into Muscle? This is not possible. Muscle and fat tissues are two totally unique tissues with unique properties. Exercise will help to shrink fat cells; these cells do not turn to muscle. The fat needs to be ‘burned’ through cardio and then these cells will shrink in size. Muscle tissue is tissue of the musculature system that helps to control body movement. You can increase the size of your muscle through weight training.

Why Do You Want More Muscle In Your Body? More muscle = High metabolism = Higher Calories Burned; EVEN AT REST! We need muscle in our bodies to encourage our metabolism to remain high.

How Many Repetitions Should I Do When I Lift A Weight? Ideally, you should aim for anywhere between 8-15 reps. The key is to keep GOOD FORM as you go through the motion of lifting the weight. “Smooth, controlled movements.”

What Do I Need To Do To ‘Target’ My Butt, Thighs, and Abs? You cannot target any body parts! What you need to do is the combination of cardio, nutritional eating, and weight training. As your body burns fat and gains lean muscle mass, you will SEE those target spots getting smaller, tighter, and leaner.

Should I Stretch Before My Workouts? The majority of research encourages people to ‘warm up’ before any physical activity. It is better to do light cardio for a couple of minutes; as ’stretching’ could lead to injury.

Now You Have The Facts…So Go And Get THE FIT!!

Cheers to health,

Angie
ISSA – C.P.T., B.Ed.

We will begin TODAY to answer your weight/fat loss questions, nutrition questions, and any other questions related to your health and fitness. Please feel free to ask Scott and I a question and we will do our best to give you the most sound advice we are capable of. Remember we are not doctors and can only answer questions to the best of our knowledge, and within our field of work.

Q: How much cardio should I be doing to achieve maximum benefits while following The Fit Chic program?

A: As we have laid out in the book, you will do 3 days of walking at a brisk pace for 30-40 minutes. We recommend going in the morning on an empty stomach. However, if that does not fit into your schedule, go when you can! We also recommend that you do at least 2 days of HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training). As you get closer to your goal weight, you can increase your cardio and go for a walk in the morning, then do HIIT training in the afternoon.

Feel free to send in your questions and/or concerns

Have a wonderful day!

Cheers to health,

Angie
ISSA-C.P.T.

I will also be following Jon Benson’s Every Other Day Diet – Lifestyle Plan as a guide to my food choices. I know that my eating is my biggest challenge so I am looking forward to seeing the great results I have accomplished in the past from his eating plan.

This is what I have eaten today…

Meal #1 : 7:30 – oatmeal with blueberries and protein powder
coffee

Meal #2 : 10:30 – 2 chicken fajita wraps with veggies

Meal #3 : 2:00 – yogurt with blueberries and granola

Meal #4 : 5:30 – chicken salad with walnuts, fresh peppers, tomatoes,
cucumbers

Meal #5: 8:00 – cottage cheese with salsa, carrots

I wanted to give all of you an idea of what I ate and some of my food choices. Maybe this will give you an idea to try something new. Or, better yet, you can share with me and other readers some healthy foods that you love! I do not like to count calories, so I judge how much to eat strictly by how I feel. I eat enough to feel satisfied, NOT full, since I am eating 5 meals/day.

Have a wonderful day…

Cheers to health,

Angie
ISSA – C.P.T.

I am following his 20 minute advanced home workout program. I have also taken the challenge even further by adding on his ‘Glute Specialization Program.’ This is only done in the morning and at night. It only takes a couple of minutes and I feel it gives me that extra pump on my days off.

This has definitely been some of my best workouts ever! I love working out my legs because it is where I’m most critical of my body. So doing Nick’s intense workouts 3 days/week with 20 minute sessions has been awesome for me. I feel that I’m targeting the area that I always complain about! Better yet, my Fit Chic express workouts only take me 10 minutes to do and I’m completely exhausted after that. I’m still incorporating an all over body workout in a short amount of time.

As for my cardio yesterday, I decided to ride the stationary bike for 30 minutes. Wow, I was drenched like a wet rat. Today I will either go for a long walk or ride the bike inside. It’s been raining really heavily here and I don’t want mud all over my butt!

My food for today: Meal 1 : 2 whole eggs, salsa
Meal 2 : oatmeal, protein powder, and blueberries
Meal 3 : cravers bar (all organic), apple, almonds
Meal 4 : fish and veggies
Meal 5 : large salad, tbsp light dressing, walnuts

I also drink at least 8 , 8 oz glasses of water. This is considered a ‘low carb’ day for me…

Have an awesome weekend!

Cheers to health,

Angie
ISSA-C.P.T.