How Do I Get Started With My Fitness Goals?

How has your New Year’s goals been since January? 3 months has passed for 2024 already and there’s still time to achieve your fitness goals. However, that’s much easier said than done!

You may have said, ‘New year, new me,’ and set some fitness goals on New Year’s Eve with the best of intentions, but it turns out that following through — and even just starting out — can be tricky. But don’t worry! We’ve all been there, and I’ve got some tips that will help you see some progress on your fitness goals in no time!

Tips for Getting Started With Your Fitness Goals

1. Set Small, Measurable Goals

One of the biggest mistakes people make when setting fitness goals is starting too big. Yes, ambition is a great thing, capable of getting you all fired up, but it can also quickly lead to demoralization. After all, if your initial goal is overwhelming and unrealistic, chances are you’ll feel discouraged when you don’t make as much progress as you’d hoped.

Instead, it’s better to start with smaller, more achievable targets. For example, instead of heading into 2024 with the goal of losing fifty pounds, you might decide to go for a ten-minute walk each day. Instead of resolving to run a marathon this year, you might start with a 5K, then a 10K, and maybe a half marathon.

2. Get A Gym Buddy

Going to the gym can be a hassle. Forcing yourself to wake up early to head to the gym before work takes a lot of willpower, and finding the energy to hit the gym after a long day is equally challenging. That’s why having a gym buddy can make all the difference.

Not only will a gym buddy add accountability (you can easily ignore your alarm and sleep in if you were planning on working out alone at the gym, but you probably wouldn’t want to leave your friend hanging!), but they can also make the entire process more fun. You’ll be able to workout, socialize, and receive the motivation and support you need. It’s a win-win!

3. Schedule Time On Your Calendar

Life can get really busy. With all the hustle and bustle, it’s easy to let fitness take a back seat, so scheduling dedicated time for your workouts is a must. Treat your fitness routine like any other appointment. In the same way you’d mark a coffee date or a doctor’s appointment in your calendar, you should also carve out a special slot for your workout sessions. This helps create a routine and ensures that you prioritize your health and well-being.

4. Prioritize Protein

Many people forget that getting in shape isn’t just about working out. Nutrition also plays a significant role in achieving fitness goals — and that means eating protein. After all, not only can protein help when it comes to muscle repair and recovery, but it can also help you feel full for longer, which can support any weight loss goals.

Not quite sure what to eat? Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered! You should try to include lean sources of protein like chicken, fish, beans, and nuts to support your fitness endeavors.

5. Get A Trainer

If you want to meet and even exceed your fitness goals, the best thing you can do is hire a trainer.  Not only can a personal fitness trainer assess your current fitness level, but they can also tailor a workout plan to help you meet your specific goals. With their expertise, guidance, and personalized attention, you can establish a safe and effective workout plan or level up your current one.

A trainer can correct your form, offer tips, and provide accountability. They’ll also know when it’s time to switch up your workouts for variety and can offer invaluable advice when it comes to your diet. Sounds pretty great, right?

If you’re ready to tackle your fitness goals, get in touch with me today at happyhelen@gmail.com today!

Why Am I Not Losing Weight?

There’s nothing more frustrating than hitting a weight loss plateau or being unable to lose weight in the first place. However, there are plenty of reasons why you might not be seeing the results you want, ranging from your exercise routine to your stress levels to your diet.

Weight loss isn’t easy. In fact, it can feel like navigating through a confusing maze of conflicting information and setbacks. So, even if you’re giving it your all, you still might not be hitting your weight loss goal.

Putting in the hard work but not seeing results can feel discouraging and frustrating, but the good news is you’re not alone — and you’re not destined to stare at a scale that hasn’t budged forever. There are several common weight loss mistakes that might be holding you back, so making a simple change can result in a major difference.

You might struggle to lose weight if:

You’re Exercising Lots But Are Ignoring Your Diet

Everyone knows exercising can help people lose weight and get in better shape. However, you can’t out-exercise an unhealthy diet. An extra lap across the pool or weight lifting session at the gym won’t automatically balance out unhealthy eating choices. Ultimately, your weight comes down to 30% exercise and 70% diet, so you must carefully examine your nutritional intake.

Your Workout Needs To Change

Repeating the same workout routine for an extended period can lead to plateaus in weight loss progress. Over time, your body will adapt to repetitive movements, meaning the effectiveness of your workouts will diminish. To avoid this, incorporate a variety of exercises into your routine and change the intensity and duration regularly.

You Have A Sedentary Lifestyle

Spending hour after hour sitting at your desk or in front of a screen can put a damper on your weight loss efforts, leading to reduced calorie burn and a slower metabolism. Of course, you can’t help it if your job requires you to sit at a desk all day, but you can incorporate movement into your daily routine.

But don’t worry! You don’t have to uproot your entire day. Small changes can make a major difference. In fact, something as simple as standing up and stretching once an hour can result in a 13% boost in metabolism!

You Aren’t Sleeping Enough

Sleep might never cross your mind as a factor behind weight loss, but a lack of quality sleep can impact your hormones and, by extension, your metabolism. Aim for seven to nine hours of quality sleep each night to support your weight loss goals and overall well-being.

After all, if you’re awake longer, you have more opportunities to eat, less willpower, and poorer decision-making skills. On top of that, the North American Association for the Study of Obesity has found that people receiving less than four hours of sleep a night are 73% more likely to be obese than those getting seven to nine hours a night.

You Are Too Stressed

It’s easy to dismiss stress as an unavoidable part of everyday life, but chronic stress can derail your weight loss goals. You might be too overwhelmed to plan out well-balanced meals if you’re constantly stressed. Instead, you’ll choose convenient options like fast food or microwave dinners. You may even end up stress-eating! Plus, chronic stress can impact you on a hormonal level. It can release cortisol, a hormone that can promote fat storage in the abdomen.

You Aren’t Eating Enough

It may seem counterintuitive, but eating too little can actually hinder your weight loss journey. Severely restricting your calorie intake can result in a fast initial weight loss, but it will slow down your metabolism over time, making it more difficult for your body to burn fat efficiently. Instead, your body’s survival instincts will kick in, causing you to store additional fat, not lose it. Significantly cutting back on calories can also impact your thyroid, blood pressure, and period.

What’s more, maintaining a low-calorie diet isn’t a walk in the park. It’s all too easy to become bored or hungry with a strict diet. Drastically cutting calories can even lead to binging cycles and a poor relationship with food in general.

You’re Depending On “Avoid” Lists

Some people swear by strict “avoid” lists that tell them what they can and can’t eat or even go so far as to demonize certain foods. However, labeling foods as “bad” can lead to misinformation, resentment, and an unhealthy relationship with food. You may avoid “off-limits” foods yet seek comfort in other unhealthy foods. Or, you might experience feelings of guilt and deprivation. Either way, “avoid” lists can wreak havoc.

Instead of completely cutting out foods you enjoy, try to eat in moderation. Watch your portion sizes, but allow yourself to enjoy the occasional treat. It’s all about finding a healthy balance and taking a thoughtful approach to your diet.

Your Diet Is Too Monotonous

If you try a new diet and see some progress, it’s easy to fall into a pattern and eat the same foods every day, but that’s a mistake. Having a monotonous diet can lead to boredom, cravings, and complacency. Plus, you’ll likely miss some vital nutrients. So, try incorporating a wide range of fruits, vegetables, proteins, grains, and healthy fats into your diet, and don’t be afraid to experiment with your meal planning or recipes!

You’re Eliminating Entire Food Groups

While completely cutting out carbohydrates, proteins, or fats from your diet may seem like a good plan on the surface, eliminating entire food groups can actually deprive your body of essential nutrients, leading to imbalances. Your body needs nutrients, and each food group helps meet those needs! Instead, try to create a well-rounded diet containing various foods from across the food pyramid.

Ready to turn things around and conquer those weight loss hurdles? While changing your workout routine and diet can be a challenge, you don’t have to do it alone!

I’m ready and willing to help you lose weight. Reach out to me today at happyhelen@gmail.com to get started!

What’s The Difference Between Processed, Minimally Processed, and Ultra-Processed Foods?

When it comes to foods, you’ve probably heard the terms processed, minimally processed, and ultra-processed tossed around — and there’s a clear hierarchy. Minimally processed foods are better for you than processed foods, which are better for you than ultra-processed foods. What’s unclear is what differentiates the three from one another. For example, where is the line drawn between processed and ultra-processed foods?

If you’re a little confused, don’t worry! I get it — and I’ve got you covered.

Minimally Processed Foods

Of the three types of foods we’re discussing today, minimally processed foods are the closest to unprocessed foods and don’t contain any added fats, salt, or sugar. Minimally processed foods are only slightly altered from the natural plant or animal to simplify transportation, storage, and preservation and ensure the food remains safe to eat.

Take fresh lettuce, for example. Before being sold at the store, it may be pre-washed, cut into smaller pieces, and packaged. Similarly, milk is pasteurized and refrigerated before being sold, while we often buy meat that has already been trimmed of fat and vacuum-packaged. Other examples of minimal processing include grinding, fermenting, drying, roasting, boiling, and freezing.

We see minimal processing for many fruits, vegetables, meats, nuts, and whole grains — and most of it’s completely healthy. After all, cutting broccoli into florets, drying fruits, or freezing meat or seafood counts as minimal processing!

Processed Foods

Processed foods differ from minimally processed foods in that they have added salt, sugar, fat, or starch ingredients. Typically, processed foods contain two to three components (or more) and are ready to be eaten without additional preparation.

These foods undergo additional processing like canning, bottling, and non-alcoholic fermentation to ensure they are easier to prepare and have a better storage life or flavor. (Think freshly made bread, canned fish, salted nuts, certain cheeses, beans in brine, and some smoked meats.)

Ultra-Processed Foods

Ultra-processed foods are exactly what they sound like. They’re foods that have been highly processed. Instead of merely including additional salt, sweeteners, or fat, ultra-processed foods contain artificial colors and flavors as well as preservatives that increase palatability, preserve texture, and lengthen shelf life. NOVA, a well-known diet classification system, says that ultra-processed foods are “snacks, drinks, ready meals, and many other products created mostly or entirely from substances extracted from foods or derived from food constituents with little if any intact food.”

Like processed foods, ultra-processed foods are typically ready to eat without much additional preparation. However, unlike minimally processed foods and processed foods, ultra-processed foods require several processing steps and ingredients, such as bulking agents, color stabilizers, hydrolyzed protein isolates, emulsifiers, maltodextrin, fructose, modified oils, and humectants.

Chicken nuggets, hot dogs, veggie burgers, energy bars and drinks, sweetened breakfast cereals, ice creams, white bread, soft drinks, frozen meals … the list goes on.

Why Processed Foods Are So Appealing

Chances are you eat a lot of ultra-processed foods each day — and you’re not alone. In fact, ultra-processed foods make up roughly 60% of the average adult’s diet, and it makes sense.

We love these foods because they taste good. They’re relatively cheap and are ready to be eaten with little-to-no additional prep, meaning you can save time and even gain essential nutrients. Yes, even ultra-processed foods provide vital nutrients like protein, iron, and various vitamins. For example, fruits and vegetables frozen immediately after harvest will retain most of their vitamin C. Some foods can even be fortified with specific nutrients, such as iron, B vitamins, folic acid, iodine, and vitamin D, to prevent everything from rickets to goiter.

Additionally, processing via pasteurization, cooking, or drying can sometimes slow or destroy the growth of harmful bacteria, while emulsifiers can make our foods more appealing to eat. Notably, emulsifiers prevent peanut butter from separating into solid and liquid parts.

Why Processed Foods Should Be Eaten In Moderation

Processed foods aren’t inherently bad, and you shouldn’t avoid them altogether. However, you’ll want to be careful when it comes to ultra-processed foods. When possible, you’ll want to opt for foods in their least-processed form because ultra-processed foods:

• Can harm your health: Eating too much ultra-processed food can lead to high blood pressure, breast and colorectal cancer, and even impaired cognition when you’re older.

• Don’t contain as many nutrients: Processing of any kind can remove or destroy nutrients. Peeling off the outer layers of fruits, vegetables, or whole grains removes fiber and phytochemicals, while heating or drying foods can destroy additional vitamins and minerals.

• Can increase your risk of weight gain: What’s more, eating too many processed foods can lead to weight gain. This is especially true for ultra-processed foods, as they contain a high ratio of calories to nutrients yet aren’t usually particularly filling. The result? You’ll probably eat or drink a lot before you begin to feel full, all while consuming lots of calories. In a study published by Cell Metabolism, the group on an ultra-processed diet consumed roughly 500 more calories per day than those on the unprocessed diet when allowed to eat as little or as much food as they wanted. The ultra-processed group also gained two pounds on average over fourteen days, while the unprocessed group lost weight.

If you’re trying to lose weight or get in shape, you need to pay attention to what you’re eating. Limit your intake of ultra-processed foods and listen to your body. However, nutrition can only get you so far. You’ll also want to exercise!

It’s a lot to keep track of, but I’m here if you need some help! Reach out to me today at happyhelen@gmail.com to get started!

Should I Track My Food In A Food Journal Or App?

Plenty of people have found success through tracking their food in a journal or app — including participants of the 12-month Diabetes Prevention and Management program. However, food tracking is not a one-size-fits-all solution for weight loss or better health. Some people benefit from it, others use it for a little while before switching to a new tactic, and others can find it less than beneficial. 

I can’t tell you whether food tracking is the best option for you, but I can let you know all about food tracking, its pros and cons so you can make the final call for yourself.  

What Is Food Tracking?

So, what even is food tracking? It’s exactly what it sounds like!

You’ll need to track what you eat and drink each day. Not only does this mean recording what you’re eating, but it also means keeping track of how much you’re consuming! You’ll want to include everything you eat or drink — and, yes, that includes any mid-afternoon snacks or cups of coffee.

By tracking your food intake each day, you’ll have an accurate insight into your eating habits, giving you the power to make more informed decisions moving forward. You can even use the information you gain from food tracking to set SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-based) eating goals.

How To Track Your Food

Tracking your food is simple, especially thanks to today’s food tracking apps. The hard part is being consistent and accurate. It’s all too easy to slack off one day and slip into bad habits. 

You’ll want to record at least these two items below in an app like My Fitness Pal, Lose it or MacroFactor.  

• What you’re eating: Record the foods and drinks you consume throughout the day. Note how it’s prepared, and don’t forget to include any toppings, sauces, dressings, or condiments to get the complete picture!

• How much you’re eating: Document how much you’re eating to get an even better idea of your habits. Use a food scale and measure your food for the best results. 

The rest of these are more specific and definitely can be beneficial, but more for an advanced person who has the time and energy to dig deep into their gut health and habits.  

• When you’re eating: If possible, note the time you’re eating. Did you reach for a bag of chips at 9 p.m., or was your breakfast burrito more of a brunch burrito?

• What you’re doing: Whether you’re watching television, scrolling through social media, or eating with a friend, you’ll want to keep track of what you do when eating.  The reason is to understand how distracted or mindful you are when eating.  

• Who you’re eating with: Were you eating alone or with someone, such as a friend, spouse, child, or colleague?

• How you’re feeling: Also, pay attention to and record your emotions. Did you feel happy after eating that? Energized? Depressed? Yes, food affects our mood! 

Once you’ve collected enough information, it’s time to look back at your records for patterns, habits, or trends. You might notice that your diet isn’t as healthy as you thought, or maybe you eat unhealthy snacks when you’re stressed, or you’re drinking beverages with added sugar several times a day. Tracking your food will give you a closer look at what you’re putting into your body on a daily basis, and you can then use these insights to make positive changes.

It can be easy to become obsessive over tracking your food, but that’s the last thing you want to do.  Accept that you’ll never be able to perfectly record precisely how much you eat and drink — nor should you strive to.  Instead, you can eyeball portion sizes and log your food intake into your food journal or fitness tracking app.

The Pros Of Food Tracking

Food tracking can:

Help You Meet Weight Loss Goals

Food tracking has helped many people lose weight! In one study, those keeping a food diary lost twice as much weight as those without one — and it’s hardly surprising. After all, food tracking provides insight into what you’re eating, making it possible to track progress and tell whether you’re eating fewer calories than you expend. If not, you can then adjust accordingly to enter a calorie deficit and start shedding some pounds.

Let You Know Whether You’re Eating Enough

Food tracking can also benefit those with a history of undereating or a health condition that masks hunger cues. By recording what you’re eating, you’ll see whether you’re eating enough to give your body the fuel to function without things like fatigue or hormonal imbalances. If it turns out that you aren’t eating enough, you can then increase your food intake until your symptoms go away and you feel at your best.

Help You Meet Fitness Goals

Food tracking can be an incredibly valuable tool for athletes and those who take training seriously.  After all, intense training and workouts require higher calorie intakes — and food tracking will let you know whether you’re providing your body with enough fuel.

If your goal is to build muscle and increase strength, this is even more important! You’ll want to pay special attention to how much protein you’re eating, as the amino acids found in protein are key players in repairing and maintaining muscle tissue.

Reflect Progress And Provide Motivation

It can be difficult to notice progress if you don’t keep any records. That’s why food tracking is such a powerful tool.  If you have a food journal or use an app to record your food intake, you can have a clearer view of how your diet and food habits have changed and your progress so far.  Not only does this allow you to celebrate small and large changes, but it also provides you additional motivation moving forward!

Help Detect Food Intolerances

Food tracking isn’t just good for your dietary and fitness goals.  It can also help you identify the causes of digestive problems and quickly connect the dots! For example, you may have felt bloated or gassy on and off for years and only realized it was due to a food intolerance after looking closely at what you’re eating and when.

Create Awareness

One of the best things about food tracking, whether you’re using a food journal or an app, is simply the awareness it creates.  By recording what, when, and how much you eat, you’re forcing yourself to pay attention to your food intake.  Not only does this show you what you’re doing right, but it can also highlight any bad habits you’ve fallen into, allowing you to take action.  Essentially, food tracking shows you what you really eat, not what you THINK you eat, and can result in increased mindfulness around your diet.

The Cons Of Food Tracking

While food tracking can be incredibly beneficial for some people, it isn’t necessary for meeting dietary goals — and it isn’t ideal for everyone. Food tracking isn’t worth it for some, while others only use it briefly, taking the insights but then eventually stopping the tracking.

Food tracking can:

Cause You To Miss The Big Picture

Some people get so caught up in tracking their food intake that they forget everything else. Exercise and other lifestyle habits are thrown to the wayside in favor of tracking food and counting calories, but that’s a major mistake. After all, using only one tool to gain and measure health is never a good idea.  

Require Lots Of Math

Food tracking can sometimes involve calorie counting, which can have some negative side effects. Instead of thinking about food as food, you might view foods as the number of calories they contain.  Essentially, food tracking can take the joy out of eating and replace it with stress and thoughts of counting. No one wants that!

Encourage Disordered Eating

At its worst, tracking your food can lead to disordered eating habits. Food tracking often involves weighing or measuring food and understanding how many calories you’re eating, which can lead to disordered eating. If you focus on your intake too much, you may find yourself restricting your calorie intake to an unhealthy level that’s both damaging physically and mentally.

Be Addicting

In a similar vein, tracking your food intake in a journal or app can become addicting and harm your mental wellness. Instead of enjoying food and life in general, you’ll wind up constantly tracking what you’re eating and drinking — or thinking about it.

Be Inaccurate

Unfortunately, food tracking isn’t 100% accurate. For one, current labeling laws allow for a 20% margin of error, meaning that a 200-calorie snack might actually be 238 calories! And that’s not even accounting for you forgetting to track and remembering the next day, which may be less accurate as it is.

What’s more — the nutrients in fresh produce can vary, depending on the variety, region of origin, ripeness, and season. There are a lot of variables, and there’s absolutely no way food companies and the USDA can account for every change to produce 100% accurate labels.

Cause You To Restrict Healthy Foods

Food tracking is all about how much you’re eating, making it easy to focus on the wrong things.  You may avoid high-fat foods like cheese, eggs, meat, and fish simply because they have more calories, causing you to miss out on necessary nutrients.

To Food Track, Or Not To Food Track…

For some people, food tracking works well.  For others, something like intuitive eating might do the trick — and there’s nothing wrong with that! Everyone is different, so it’s perfectly fine that food tracking works for some but is detrimental to others.

If you need help, a little guidance from a professional can go a long way, especially if you’re new to food tracking!

Ready to get started? Contact me at happyhelen@gmail.com! 

How to Get 100g of Protein a Day

One of the hardest things I tackle with my clients is getting high enough protein each day! Most people tell me, “Oh, I get enough protein, I have a Greek yogurt at breakfast.” If you are getting 40g of protein a day, you are barely getting enough for keeping you alive, not for optimal health and daily life. If you do ANY physical activity at all, forget it! No wonder it’s so hard to lose fat if you are eating mostly carbs that only makes you hungry in a few hours. As a woman, this will catch up with you over time. Women actually need MORE protein as they get older so let’s load them up!

Whether you are trying to build muscle or lose fat, getting a minimal of 1g of protein per pound of body weight will be one of the key solution to your goals. In order to build muscle, you need a high amount of protein - as you probably know. But if you want to lose fat, you need protein to keep you FULLER LONGER and increase that metabolism. Protein takes more energy to digest, so it can also increase your metabolic rate. Not to mention if you build muscle, you speed up your metabolism as well.

Here are 5 different ways to mix and match proteins options for everyone! Remember you can use these proteins to add to salads, even smoothies, and paired with yummy seasonings or veggies!

1.

Meal 1: 1 protein shake - 20g 

Meal 2: 4 eggs - 24g 

Meal 3: 1 can of tuna - 30g 

Meal 4: 4 oz salmon, 1 cup brown rice - 28g 

Total = 102g

2.

Meal 1: 5 oz Greek yogurt, 2 eggs - 28g 

Meal 2: 3 oz ground turkey - 20g 

Meal 3: 8 oz ribeye steak - 57g 

 Total = 105g

3.

Meal 1: 4 oz smoked salmon - 24g 

Meal 2: 5.4 oz chicken thighs - 40g 

Meal 3: 1 cup brown rice, 6 oz cooked shrimp - 43g 

Total = 107g

4.

Meal 1: 1 thick-cut bacon, 3 eggs - 23g 

Meal 2: 15 chicken nuggets - 45g (or spread this over 2 meals)

Meal 3: 8 oz Chilean sea bass - 42g 

Total = 110g

5.

Meal 1: 4 eggs, 3 egg whites - 40g 

Meal 2: 2 chicken sausage links - 26g 

Meal 3: 4 oz chickpea pasta, 2 oz of 90% ground beef - 41g 

Total = 107g

I’ve helped so many clients with their fat loss journey through nutrition coaching. If you need help with your nutrition, email me at happyhelen@gmail.com!

How Eating Fewer Calories Is Hurting Your Fat Loss Journey

It may seem counterintuitive, but the truth is that consuming fewer calories can actually slow your fat loss journey.

When people want to lose fat, they automatically jump to reducing their caloric intake. And it makes perfect sense! Fewer calories in = more fat loss, right?

In theory, yes. But the truth is that eating fewer calories can negatively impact your fat loss journey, not to mention your overall health!

All About Calories

Before we dive into how consuming fewer calories can hurt your fat loss journey, let’s first go over how calories and metabolism work.

Put simply, a calorie is just a unit of energy. It’s equivalent to the amount of heat energy required to raise the temperature of a gram of water by 1°C (1.8°F or 4.1868 joules) and serves as a measurement of the energy content of food and drinks.

For many people trying to lose fat, calories are automatically the enemy, but the truth is that our bodies need calories for everything we do, from breathing to circulating blood and digesting foods to fighting off infections. However, if you eat and drink more calories than you expend, your body will store the excess as body fat, causing you to gain weight.

So, how many calories do you need? It depends on your age, size, physical activity level, environmental temperature, dieting behaviors, and hormonal status! As a general guideline, the average man should consume around 2,500 calories daily, while the average woman should consume roughly 2,000 calories daily to maintain a healthy body weight.

To estimate your specific calorie needs, you’ll need to determine your basal metabolic rate (BMR), calculate how many calories you’ll need to maintain your current weight, and think about how many calories you’ll need to consume to lose weight (this number should be somewhere between your BMR and daily caloric requirement).

The Impact Of Eating Fewer Calories On Fat Loss

When people want to lose weight, they often turn to diets and drastically cut back on their caloric intake. However, this approach can be counterproductive. In fact, research examining The Biggest Loser shows that metabolism will significantly slow after a dramatic weight loss — and regaining that weight won’t return your metabolism to its previous levels.

A low-calorie diet can decrease the number of calories your body burns by up to 23%, so keeping the weight off will be EVEN MORE DIFFICULT! People will need to stick with extremely low-calorie diets, which is unsustainable in the long run.

Why does this happen? Our bodies are just too good at adapting! If you deprive your body of calories and don’t consume enough calories to meet your basal metabolic needs, your body will think you’re going to starve and automatically start conserving calories. Its survival instincts will kick in and slow your metabolism to save energy, meaning you’ll burn fewer calories per day and begin converting extra calories into fat. Which is the opposite of what you want….

Your body’s metabolism works hard to create a new balance when you consistently don’t consume enough calories, which can lead to weight loss plateaus. No matter how little you eat, you won’t be able to lose any weight. It’s frustrating and discouraging — and it happens to nearly everyone.

When 65 dieting women were analyzed, their bodies burned 50 fewer calories per day on average — and those who were overweight or obese used hundreds of fewer calories a day. Every 10-calorie drop in BMR meant one more day to achieve their weight loss goal, meaning the greater the change in BMR, the longer it took to reach weight loss goals. So, if your metabolic rate drops and your fat loss journey slows to a crawl or comes to a complete halt after a calorie reduction, don’t worry! It’s completely normal.

Luckily, you can overcome metabolic adaptation and continue your fat loss journey in a few ways. For example, reverse dieting (slowly increasing your caloric intake while lifting weights) can raise your metabolism and restart your fat loss. Similarly, frequent exercise and other lifestyle changes can keep your fat loss journey going smoothly.

Lose Fat The Right Way

Losing fat and keeping it off is tricky, especially given how our metabolism reacts to restricted-calorie diets. And that’s not the only way severely restricting your caloric intake can affect your body! Following calorie-restricted diets can also cause you to feel fatigued, reduce your fertility, weaken your bones, and prevent you from getting enough protein, vitamin A, calcium, biotin, thiamine, and other nutrients.

Need help losing fat in an effective, healthy, and sustainable way? I’ve got you covered! Reach out to me today at happyhelen@gmail.com to get started!

Reverse Dieting 101

Many people think eating less is the key to fat loss, but believe it or not, that’s not always the case.  Sometimes you have to eat MORE to lose fat! 

This is a process called reverse dieting. But what exactly is it, when should you do it, and how does it work?

What is Reverse Dieting?

If you eat fewer calories than your body consumes, you’ll lose weight — but it doesn’t last forever.  Your body will start preparing for survival by reducing your basal metabolic rate (BMR).  You’ll use less energy as your body won’t require as much fuel.  Additionally, your digestion will slow to help your body absorb as many nutrients as possible.  Eventually you will stop losing weight, even if you are overweight and eating very little calories.  

I’ve seen it happen frequently with clients — someone who is 30-50 pounds overweight and eating less than 1000 calories a day who cannot lose anymore weight despite how little calories they eat.  Our bodies are smart and will adapt to anything you give it! 

The problem is as your body adapts to the lower calories, it becomes harder to lose weight as your body is holding onto the reserves to preserve energy.  This is why you need to reverse diet, which is to increase your calories slowly.  Increasing your caloric intake can raise your BMR, meaning your body will expend more energy each day, regardless of what you’re doing. Your digestion will return to normal, and you’ll have more energy available for workouts.

However, you can’t jump straight into a higher-calorie diet, especially if you’re coming off a restricted-calorie diet.  To avoid significant fat gain, you’ll need to add calories slowly and strategically WHILE lifting weights. 

Lifting weights is an important part of reverse dieting since building muscle is the key to increasing your metabolism.  When done correctly, reverse dieting will help you get out of the fat loss plateau while allowing you to eat more food. It’s a win-win!

Why Would Someone Need To Reverse Diet?

A few reasons:

You’ve Already Cut Back Your Calories But Aren’t Losing Weight

If you’re following a highly restrictive diet but have hit a weight loss plateau, reverse dieting will be the key to turning this around.  It may seem counterintuitive, but slowly increasing your caloric intake while lifting weights will boost your metabolic output and restart your fat loss.  

You Want To Put On Muscle

Want to gain muscle and improve your body composition without gaining too much fat? Eat more calories and lift weights! The key is to do strength training with the reverse diet to get the maximum benefits of eating more calories.  Otherwise, those extra calories may be stored as fat instead of using it towards muscle growth.

How Do You Reverse Diet?

If you’re planning on reverse dieting, there are a few things you need to do to set yourself up for success.

First, you’ll need to choose a method for tracking your food intake. I like to use My Fitness Pal app.  Track all your food for a week or two along with your weight on the scale to find out what your maintenance calories are.  Your maintenance calories are the calories you consume daily/weekly where your bodyweight does not go up or down. 

No online formula or calculator will get it right for every person because everyone is different, so you will need to experiment to find your maintenance calories for a few weeks to know for sure.

Once you figure out your maintenance calories, then each week, slowly add 50 calories per day.  MAKE SURE YOU ARE LIFTING WEIGHTS!

For example:

1700 calories a day maintenance to begin.

Week 1: 1750 a day

Week 2: 1800 a day

Week 3: 1850 a day

This is not an absolute— you may find you can only add 50 calories every other week instead, or 100 calories every 3 weeks —  it depends on your metabolism and your activity level.  

Finally, you need to monitor your progress and make adjustments when necessary. You can weigh yourself daily or weekly, take progress photos, or measure your waist or hips to see changes in your body composition. 

While some people can increase their caloric intake weekly without gaining much fat, others need more time.  You may realize you can only increase your calories every 3-4 weeks.  

It is common, if not welcomed, to gain 2-4 pounds in reverse dieting before it plateaus.  It is EXTREMELY difficult to gain muscle without fat, and most people will not be able to do this.  So expect some fat gain as part of the process and don’t panic! 

Wondering if reverse dieting is the right solution for you or planning on trying it out but not sure where to start? I can help on both fronts! Contact me today at happyhelen@gmail.com to get started!

A Beginner’s Guide to Meal Prepping

Cooking nutritious and balanced meals takes time, energy, and care — There’s a reason people say that cooking is a love language!

However, our lives are busy and unpredictable, meaning there often isn’t enough time to cook from scratch at every meal. That’s where meal prepping comes in.

What Is Meal Prepping?

If someone says they meal prep, what they mean is that they prepare entire meals or dishes in advance. These pre-made meals can be prepared, semi-cooked, or fully cooked and will need to be stored in your fridge or freezer until you’re ready to eat.

Meal prep has become increasingly popular over the last few decades. People have become busier and busier, and meal prepping ensures that they don’t have to look very far for something healthy come mealtime.

When To Meal Prep

Deciding when to meal prep is one of the first hurdles you’ll need to overcome. Most people picture dedicating their entire Sunday to preparing dishes for the upcoming week, but there is no single right way to meal prep. Do it when it works best for you!

You’ll want to think about your goals and daily routine, check your calendar, and consider when you’re likely to eat out before deciding which meals to prepare. For example, if you know you’re constantly running late or skipping breakfasts, consider make-ahead breakfasts. If you never have the energy to cook on Friday evenings, make sure you have a meal ready to go in your fridge or freezer.

Once you know how many meals you need to prepare in advance, you have a few options.

• Make-ahead meals: These are great for dinner, though they can also be useful for breakfast and lunch. These full meals are cooked in advance before being refrigerated. Then, when it’s time to eat, all you have to do is throw them in the microwave, in the oven, or on the stove to reheat! It’s fast and easy!

• Individually portioned meals: By preparing fresh meals and portioning them into individual portions that you take to work, you can save plenty of time and stress.

• Batch cooking: You can also make large batches of a recipe and split them into individual portions. Then, you can freeze and eat these individual helpings over a few months.

• Ready-to-cook ingredients: Cooking a meal can be a time-consuming process, and prepping ingredients only adds to your time in the kitchen. By preparing the ingredients in advance, you can split up and reduce time spent in the kitchen.

How To Start Meal Prepping

1. Buy some sort of Tupperware or glass Pyrex glassware for each meal of the week - for most people it will be lunch and dinner (2x a day).

2. Decide 1-2 recipes you want to cook for the week.

3. Cook all the meals for the whole week on the Sunday prior for the week.

4. Divide into the small containers for each meal and each day.

5. Store in your fridge for easy to grab each meal!

Clearly this is not rocket science and just takes a little advanced planning.  It can be as easy as baking a large batch of roasted veggies and chicken in the oven.  Or a large soup recipe that you can easily prep for the week by dumping all into one pot. 

The Benefits Of Meal Prepping

Meal prepping takes a little time and effort upfront, but it’s more than worth it! Not only can meal prepping help save you time, but it can also boost your mental health and emotional well-being. After all, you won’t have to deal with the last-minute stress of figuring out what to make before each meal. It may not seem like much, but dealing with that brief panic three times a day, seven days a week is mentally exhausting!

Want to save money? Meal prepping can help with that, too. For one, more meal prepping means less takeout or eating out. It also means less food waste, as you’ll be able to buy exactly what you need. Plus, planning ahead allows you to buy ingredients in bulk for freezing, resulting in even more savings.

What’s more, meal prepping can help you reach your nutrition goals and improve your relationship with food. It is one of the best strategies for a healthy weight loss and also help you figure out what foods to eat to lose fat.

After all, preparing everything in advance can help reduce your portion size and means you won’t have to resort to takeout or TV dinners at the end of a long day. Since you have to think about what to eat ahead of time, you’ll be more likely to choose nutritious meals instead of whatever happens to be closest and easiest to make. This can also improve the variety in your diet, making meals more interesting.

Feeling a little overwhelmed by meal prepping? That’s okay! It’s a lot to take in. I help my clients meal prep by coming up with recipes and even helping them cook! If you need a little help, reach out to me at happyhelen@gmail.com! 

What’s A Good Beginner Workout Routine?

Knowing which workout routine to do is tricky if you’re just starting to work out. After all, it seems like everyone is telling you something different - from your friends who swear by cardio, to the magazines that recommends lunges.

While everyone is different, all beginner workout routines should include some strength training a couple of times a week. Many assume that strength training is just for bodybuilders, but the truth is that everyone can benefit from regular strength training, regardless of age, fitness level, or fitness goal.

Why Is Strength Training So Important?

Incorporating strength training into your workout routine twice a week has plenty of benefits. Regular strength training can:

Help Increase Your Muscle Mass

Even though your muscle mass will naturally decrease as you age, you aren’t powerless to stop it. With strength training, you can preserve and even increase your muscle mass at any age to become stronger and look more fit!

Make It Easier To Burn Calories And Control Your Weight

Strength training can also help if you’re trying to lose or maintain weight. After all, strength training results in more muscle; the more muscle you have, the more quickly your body will burn calories. With a higher muscle mass, you’ll have a higher basal metabolic rate, meaning you’ll burn even more calories by doing nothing other than breathing! What’s more, your metabolic rate is higher for up to 72 hours after a strength-training session (ever heard of excess post-exercise oxygen consumption?), so you’ll be burning extra calories for the hours or days following your workout.

Improve Bone Strength

Since strength training places stress on your bones, it can increase your bone density. This additional stress tells the cells responsible for building bones to rebuild your bones even stronger than before, which can lower your risk of osteoporosis and fractures.

Boost Brain Health

Strength training can also improve your brain health and slow age-related cognitive decline. After all, strength training results in reduced inflammation, improved blood flow, and increased expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor, all of which can help your brain.

Increase Joint Flexibility And Mobility

While you may not think of strength training as a way to become more flexible and mobile, it’s true! Regular strength training will help your joints stay flexible and reduce symptoms of arthritis, as it increases joint range of motion. Just make sure to use your entire range of movement when performing exercises to reap the most benefits.

Improve Your Mood

There’s a reason strength training is a legitimate treatment option for symptoms of depression. Like all forms of exercise, strength training increases mood-boosting endorphins, but that’s not all it does. It can also help you sleep better and can reduce anxiety!

Increase Your Overall Quality Of Life

Strength training can raise your overall quality of life. Think about it. Increased muscle and joint strength mean you can continue to do everyday activities like carrying groceries to your car or lifting your kids up, even as you age. Better balance means a lower risk of falls and injuries.

Plus, strength training can improve your heart’s health, lower your blood pressure, increase blood circulation, and reduce your risk of hypertension and heart disease, all of which can help you live a longer, healthier life. Strength training can even help manage chronic conditions like arthritis, diabetes, and back pain.

What Types Of Exercises Should You Use?

When creating your workout, you’ll want to include compound movements (movements involving more than one muscle group). For example, a squat is a compound movement because you’ll need to engage your core, hip flexors, glutes, quads, hamstrings, and calf muscles.

By using compound exercises as the base of your strength training workout routine, you can maximize time and calorie burn. After all, you’ll use multiple muscle groups at once, meaning you’ll get more done and burn more calories in a shorter time.

Compound exercises can also help quickly increase your range of motion, dynamic flexibility, and coordination as well as build a foundation of strength and functional fitness. Compound movements like push, pull, squat, and lunge simulate the actions we need to do in everyday life, which means incorporating compound exercises into your workout routines can also help you with things like carrying grocery bags, shoveling snow, and other activities.

In addition to squats, you can try push-ups, planks, deadlifts, wall sits, barbell rows, pull-ups, lunges, kettlebell swings, barbell hip raises, and more to reap all the benefits of compound movements.

You’ll also want to do a full-body workout, not a body part split. Body part split workouts can be beneficial if you need to work a specific muscle, maximize muscle growth, or minimize rest days, but full-body training is the best option for most people.

In a full-body workout, you’ll be able to burn more calories, increase strength, and build more muscle in less time. What’s more, you’ll be relatively fresh for each exercise and will hit a much higher percentage of your body’s total motor units per day than a body part split workout. Plus, full-body workouts are a lower time commitment than body part split workouts and are great for both pros and beginners alike!

Get Started With Strength Training Today

The good news is adding strength training to your workout routine is easy. You don’t necessarily need an expensive weight machine or gym membership. Exercises like push-ups, planks, lunges, and squats don’t require any equipment, and many other strength training exercises require relatively cheap equipment, such as resistance tubing, medicine balls, barbells, and dumbells. No matter what exercises you do, don’t be afraid to start slow and gradually increase your resistance, reps, or weight.

Ready to learn more about the basics of strength training? Download Strength Training 101 from my website for free!

Best Workout Program for Seniors

When you hit a certain age, your body might not feel quite like it used to, and the fear of falling or injuring yourself may be weighing on your mind. However, exercising will be even MORE important than ever as we age! 

Seniors can drastically enhance their quality of life by being active.  Regular exercise will not only give you more energy and reduce stress, but it can also boost brain function and even counteract diseases like diabetes and osteoporosis! Sounds great, right?

Workout Programs For Seniors

So, what types of exercises should you be doing? Think mainly of exercises that focus on functionality and balance. You should consider doing these functional movements several times a week: 

Squats

Squats are suitable for people of any age, but they’re particularly beneficial for seniors. Just think of all the things we do in everyday life that involve our core and lower body — getting off the couch, standing up after using the bathroom, sitting down at the table for dinner, or even squatting down to pick something off the ground. The list goes on!

Unfortunately, these things only get more challenging as we get older only because we STOP being as active.  However, doing squats can strengthen your core and legs. You’ll experience a higher quality of life and can maintain your independence for longer.  For example, instead of relying on a grab bar by your toilet or assistance from someone, you can engage your core and lower body to stand up on your own.  

What’s more, squats can help you burn calories, build your obliques, and improve your flexibility. Plus, squats can help lower your risk of knee or ankle injuries since they strengthen your legs’ bones, tendons, and ligaments.

Deadlifts

Lifting heavy objects off the ground is a significant source of lower back injuries, but you can’t avoid picking things up forever. You’ll need to deal with groceries, laundry baskets, or even grandkids. Enter deadlifts - an exercise that involves bending at your hips to pick up a weighted barbell (or dumbbell) off the ground before standing up.  

Regularly doing deadlifts can help strengthen your glutes, hamstrings, quadriceps, core, and back. Plus, they can prevent your back from giving out while lifting light or even heavy objects from the floor. If that isn’t enough to convince you to start incorporating deadlifts into your workout routine, they can also reduce lower back pain, raise bone mineral density, and boost your metabolism!

Overhead Press

Overhead presses are also great for seniors hoping to stay in shape and make their lives a little easier. However, whereas squats and deadlifts mainly target the core and lower body, overhead presses work the chest, shoulders, upper back, and arms.

More muscular arms and shoulders means an easier time when grabbing a mug or dish from that top shelf! 

Balance Exercises

Toddlers constantly fall and bounce back up almost immediately, but it’s not the same with older adults. Every 11 seconds, a senior goes to the emergency room due to a fall-related injury.  The good news is that regular exercise incorporating balance can reduce your likelihood of falling by 23%.

Some of the best exercises for improving balance include:

• The Tightrope Walk: Want to improve your balance, core strength, coordination, and posture? Do the tightrope walk regularly! This exercise is exactly what it sounds like: you extend your arms to the side and slowly walk in a straight line as if you were on a tightrope. When you raise your foot, hold it for a few seconds before taking your next step.

• The Tree Pose: A popular yoga move, the tree pose involves balancing on a single leg while resting your other foot against the side of your thigh. You can then press your hands together in front of your chest or above your head. If you aren’t 100% comfortable, you can also hold onto a chair with one hand for balance.

• Lunges: Lunges will not only help shape and strengthen your quads, glutes, hips, calves, and hamstrings, but they can also increase your core strength and prepare you to prevent potential falls.  After all, if you lose your balance while walking, it’s natural to take a step backward or forward to try and prevent a fall.  

Don’t be afraid to have something nearby for stabilization when performing these balance exercises, whether that’s a chair, a wall, or another person. 

Exercising as a senior offers countless benefits, and it’s not all that different from what you may have done in the past.  Just be sure to focus on exercises that target functionality and balance, and don’t be afraid to start out slow and take breaks.  If you need some help designing and executing the perfect workout program for seniors, contact me today at happyhelen@gmail.com.

Am I Building Muscle?

When people say they want to “tone” their muscle, what they really mean is that they want to build their muscle. Toning is not a real thing - it is purely a marketing word for women. The truth is that your muscle can only decrease or increase in size - you can’t “tone” it.  

What Muscle Does

So, what does muscle actually do? And why might you want more of it?

First of all, having more muscle will allow you to do more in your daily life.  Not only will your workouts be better, but having muscle will help with everyday tasks, such as carrying the groceries or mowing the lawn.

Second, having more muscle is a guaranteed way to prevent injury.  It can help strengthen your bones, ligaments, and tendons, while lowering your risk of bone loss, fractures, and osteoporosis. 

Third, having more muscle increases your metabolic rate, helping you burn calories at rest.  

Last, but not least, having more muscle will give you that lean look that you are looking for! 

How To Build Muscle

Say goodbye to questionable hacks and so-called shortcuts — the easiest ways to build muscle are lifting weights and eating in a caloric surplus!

To gain muscle, you’ll need to eat enough protein and calories to put your body into a mild caloric surplus. This is called bulking, and it can increase your muscle mass and body fat together.   That is normal!  Aim to eat at least 1g of protein per pound of bodyweight daily to avoid gaining too much fat. 

However, eating more won’t magically give you more muscle.  You’ll also have to train to ensure the additional calories are being put towards building muscle rather than stored as fat.  You will need to do some strength training that hits all major muscle groups 2-3 times a week.  

How To Tell If You Are Building Muscle

Sometimes it can be difficult to tell if you’re actually gaining muscle from your workouts. 

You may be building muscle if:

• You’re getting stronger: There’s a strong correlation between muscle growth and strength, so if you track your weights and notice that you can lift heavier, you’re likely building muscle! 

• Your body composition is changing:  Take photos to assess body composition changes over time.  I would recommend photos every other week but not more than that since changes are usually slow and small.  Keep in mind muscle and fat WEIGHS THE SAME (1 pound is 1 pound).  But muscle takes up less space, so even if the scale is the same weight, you are actually leaner if you have muscle in the place of fat.   Use a tape measure to track your waist measurements.  

• You have gained weight:  Unless you are an advanced bodybuilder, you are probably gaining both fat and muscle at the same time.  This is why we bulk first then cut later.  Don’t be discouraged if you gain fat with muscle - that is part of the process! 

• You have an increased appetite:  Muscle tissue burns more calories than fat and can increase your metabolism, so if you find yourself hungrier, it may be because you have built more muscle! 

Building muscle takes time and hard work - and knowing how much to eat can be hard to navigate.  I’d love to help you with that journey! Email me at happyhelen@gmail.com today!

How to Lose Belly Fat

Anyone can have belly fat — and what is super annoying is that not only does it affect appearances, but it comes with a plethora of health problems. While the subcutaneous fat located just below the skin merely poses cosmetic concerns, the visceral fat around internal organs is associated with health issues such as abnormal cholesterol levels, high blood pressure, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes. 

Why Does Belly Fat Happen?

What exactly causes belly fat? When overeating and under-exercising, you’ll end up with unused calories. Everything has to go somewhere, so your body will store this energy as fat, likely in the belly, hips, thighs, and butt.

Who Has Belly Fat?

Anyone can have belly fat - it doesn’t discriminate.  However, it’s particularly common among older women, as the lower estrogen levels caused by menopause can cause the body to disproportionately distribute fat to the abdomen.  It’s a physiological change that nearly all women experience during menopause — even those who have never had much fat! The body can often transition from storing fat in the hips and thighs (creating a pear shape) to the abdominal area (resulting in an apple shape).

 Aging men also struggle with belly fat as well.  The change is slower and steadier for men than women, as men of all ages are already more likely to store fat in their abdominal area.

You can also blame your genetics, as people with certain genes are more likely to store fat around the waist.

What Can You Do About Your Belly Fat?

While belly fat may seem unavoidable (unfortunately, you can’t change your genetics or stop the aging process), the good news is that it’s not hopeless.  There are a few things you can do to combat this problem.  

First, not surprisingly, have a healthy diet.  Eat unprocessed foods like fruits, vegetables, fish, nuts, and plenty of protein. Cut out sugary beverages, watch your portion sizes, and consume limited amounts of sugar.

Doing a bunch of abdominal exercises can help build your muscles, but it won’t help you get rid of belly fat.  You still need to be in a caloric deficit to lose fat regardless of what exercises you do. That being said, if you build ab muscles, they will pop out more when you lose the fat! 

You will want to have a solid plan of resistance training to build muscle and increase your metabolism, but you can also add other physical activities that are fun for you!  This could be hiking, biking, swimming, or any sports you love.  After all, having an intense workout routine that gets you results isn’t any good if you can’t follow it.  The most important part is being able to be consistent.  

Results tend to be faster in the beginning when starting a new workout and food routine — however, belly fat is notoriously stubborn.  If you hit a plateau, and you notice your caloric deficit is too low (for instance, 1200 calories for women is too low and not sustainable long term) - you will want to reverse diet out of this while changing your exercise routine. It’s always good to create new stimuli so your body doesn’t keep adapting.  

In terms of a reverse diet, consuming an extra 150-250 calories per day while keeping up strength training will increase your metabolism and help your body burn more fat in the long run.  Similarly, switching training gears for a few weeks can prompt your body to burn more fat and get you past that plateau.  For instance, if you’ve been lifting sets of 8-12, you can switch to a strength phase of heavier weights at sets of 1-4 reps. 

Above all, be compassionate toward yourself! Plenty of people have belly fat — and it’s not easy to get rid of. If you need some help reducing your belly fat, contact me at happyhelen@gmail.com today!

Do You Need Cardio to Lose Weight?

If you’re trying to lose weight, one of the first things you may be considering is doing some cardio. But actually - research shows that cardio is not necessary to lose weight and not only that, it is not a great strategy for long-term fat loss. So, if you were dreading those long runs, swims, or bike rides, don’t worry! With a combination of proper nutrition and resistance training, you can lose weight more effectively than with cardio alone.

A Combination of Exercise and Diet Is Best

Studies have shown that a combination of exercise and a healthy diet is the most effective way to lose fat. In one study, overweight postmenopausal women were placed on a diet-only program, an exercise-only program, or a combined exercise and diet program. Women in the exercise-only program only experienced 2.4% fat loss, while women in the diet-only program saw 8.5% fat loss. Those in the combination program experienced an impressive 10.8% fat loss. 

Some of you may have heard of HITT (high intensity interval training) as an effective way to burn fat.  Now while HITT cardio does burn calories and work type I muscles more efficiently than LISS (low-intensity steady-state) cardio, resistance training is actually better for long-term fat loss. Resistance training burns calories, builds type II muscles, and increases your resting metabolic rate, making it easier to manage your body’s fat ratio over time.

Resistance Training vs. Cardio

Let’s discuss the difference in terms of resistance training vs. cardio for fat loss.  Yes, if you compare side-by-side someone who does an hour of running vs. an hour of resistance training - yes, the cardio will burn more calories in that hour.  But the reason why this does not work for long-term fat loss is because over time, your body adapts to cardio, which means you have to keep doing more and more of it to have the same result.  I have personal experience in this- I was a marathon swimmer which means I swam anywhere between 3-6 hours in one session in the ocean.  I swam about 20-30 hours a week.  I did LOTS of cardio but guess what — my body never lost a pound! My body adapted to that cardio very quickly.  Just ask yourself - are you REALLY going to be doing 3 hours of cardio a day for the rest of your life to keep the same weight? 

Resistance Training for Long-Term Fat Loss

Building muscle is one of the best long-term strategies to long-term fat loss. When we build muscle, we increase our metabolic rate and burn more calories at rest.  Not only that, having muscles prevents injuries, protects our joints and increases our quality of life.  You don’t need to be lifting like a bodybuilder to have benefits — you just need some progressive loading that’s done safely.  However, building muscle and strength is something that requires patience to see over time - which means you have to trust the process! 

Some clients panic because when they start lifting, they gain muscle and fat and the scale goes up.  THAT IS OKAY! It’s very hard to gain muscle without fat.  Also diet is key — it doesn’t matter cardio or resistance training, a proper balanced nutrition will always have a huge impact on what happens to your body.

When starting your resistance training regiment, complex multi-joint resistance exercises are the way to go.  These are movements like deadlifts, squats, overhead presses -  as they use many joints at once and recruit more muscle movement.  This increase in muscle movement will increase caloric expenditure as well.  Muscles use around 7 to 13 calories per pound of muscle while fat only uses 2 to 5 calories per pound of muscle.  Of course, everyone is different but the point is - the more muscles you have, the more calories you burn doing anything! 

If you want to lead a healthier lifestyle and need a little help with your resistance training, reach out to me at happyhelen@gmail.com today!

Four Reasons Why Strength Training Will Help You With Weight Loss

Most people who are hoping to lose weight often only focus on cardio workouts for fat loss. While cardio is certainly an effective method of weight loss, incorporating strength training into your workouts can help you lose the weight and keep it off! Here are some reasons why strength training can help you get to your goals: 

1. The afterburn effect. Burning calories at a faster rate than usual doesn’t have to stop when your workout stops. With the afterburn effect, your body’s metabolic rate will remain elevated as you recover after your strength training session. During the 24-48 hours following your workout, your body will burn more calories than usual as it works to repair muscles, remove lactic acid, and restore oxygen levels. 

2. It can improve your metabolic rate. Your body uses more calories to maintain muscle than to maintain fat. Since strength training builds muscle, your metabolic rate will increase over time. With an increased muscle mass, your body will burn even more calories while you’re working, sleeping, going about your daily activities, or doing nothing other than breathing! 

3. It can reduce belly fat. According to a study published in 2014 that tracked over 10,000 men for more than 12 years, weight training is more strongly associated with less belly fat than aerobic exercise. 

4. It changes your body composition. Strength training builds muscle, and muscle is denser than fat. You can weigh the same on the scale but the person who has more muscle looks leaner.  Ultimately, when women want the “tone” look, they actually mean muscle - because the muscle is what gives your body definition.  

Are you ready to add strength training to your weight loss plan? If you’d like a little help with creating an effective strength training workout, reach out to me at happyhelen@gmail.com!

Back to working out? How to ease back into your routine without getting injured

It’s been at least 3 months since your gym has been open and you feel out of shape. You may have done some exercises here and there but nothing as consistent as when you were in your old routine. However, now that things are reopening, your are worried that you may injure yourself getting too quickly back into it. Here are some tips that will help you ease into a solid workout routine safely.

1. Start with body weight exercises. Instead of loading that heavy dumbbell, start with some body weight exercises to ease back into the harder stuff. 

2. Do 2-3 times a week. Don’t go balls out working out 6 days a week off the bat. You may feel excited that work off the COVID weight, but start with 2-3 days a week and gradually build into more days.

3. Add in some N.E.A.T. N.E.A.T. Stands for non-exercise activity thermogenesis, which is all your daily movement outside of exercise. Instead of one dedicated hour of workout a day, you actually increase your metabolism and burn more calories if you move constantly throughout the day. 

4. Do a solid 10 minute warm-up. Warming up is probably one of the best ways to NOT get injured. Warming up increases blood flow so your body is ready to do the hard workout ahead! 

5. Stretch after working out. Do some solid stretching for your entire body post-workout. It will loosen up your muscles and give you the flexibility you need to prevent an injury.

6. Hire a trainer. Having a professional who can guide you safely into the workout will prevent you from accidentally overloading incorrectly or not moving in the optimal way for your body. 

Need a trainer to provide you with the accountability and safety you need during COVID times? Contact me today for your consultation session! Email happyhelen@gmail.com today.

March Steps Challenge: Benefits of Increasing Your N.E.A.T

Most people these days have a pretty sedentary life. You get up, get in a car, sit at a desk for work, get back in a car, come home, sit down. Studies show the average American does about 5,000 steps a day.

Researchers compared the average step counts from the U.S. with other countries:

• United States: 5,117 steps. That is about 2.5 miles.

• Switzerland: 9,650 steps = 4.8 miles.

• Japan: 7,168 steps = 3.5 miles.

So let’s increase our daily movement, aka N.E.A.T!

Non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT) is the energy expended for everything we do that is not sleeping, eating or participating in exercise.

Studies show that NEAT helps with resistance in fat gain in regards to overeating. In a study of non-overweight volunteers, those who did more NEAT were less likely to gain excess fat if there were excess calories taken in on any given day. Without activating daily NEAT, those excess calories may result in fat gain. This is because of lipoprotein lipase (LPL), an enzyme that converts fat into energy source. By increasing NEAT, your body uses LPL as energy fuel instead of storing it as fat.

How to increase daily NEAT if you work a desk job:

1. Stand instead of sit all day.
2. If you have to sit, set a timer every hour to get up and take a lap around the office.
3. When you take a call, pace around the office.
4. Park your car further away. Or even better, walk, bike or take public transit to work.
5. Play with your kids. Take your dog for a walk.
6. Clean or do daily tasks around the house.
7. Go for a short walk post dinner. It will also help promote digestion.

Come join my March Steps Challenge! We are going to battle it out to see who can get the most movement in a day. You just need a fitness tracker like Fitbit, Garmin, Smartwatch, etc. It can also sync with Apple Health if you have your phone with you all day. Download Stridekick and find “HappyHelen” to find me and I will add you to the challenge!

5 Tips to Surviving the Holidays

The holidays are filled with fun parties, work gatherings and festive occasions involving lots of FOOD! Especially since sweets are available at every corner, here are some tips on how to survive the massive amounts of food this season:

1. In a meal, eat your protein and fats before carbs. Carbs are the most filling and we tend to eat the most of, so make sure you get your protein and fats in before you eat the carbs.

2. Instead of eating all the sweets available sample a little of each. 

3. Keep drinking water. Keep hydrated throughout all the holiday eating. Drink some seltzer or water between each alcoholic beverage to avoid over drinking.

4. Don't attend a holiday party on an empty stomach.  Eat a little before you attend as being hungry makes you over-indulge. 

5. Take a walk after a large meal. Studies show taking a walk after large meal promotes digestion and improve sugar levels. Even a 15-minute walk helps!

Lastly…ENJOY! This season only comes once year, so it’s okay to indulge with your friends and family as you see fit. Especially since having quality relationships with your friends and family are important for your overall health, don’t restrict yourself too much! Just keep everything in moderation and don’t eat to the point where you feel uncomfortably full or sick. Happy Holidays!

5 Tips to Getting Back in Shape for The Fall

Summer is over and you are getting back into the swing of things. Back to school for the kids, work life resumes, but what about your workout routine? Has it fallen through the cracks during the summer? Are you looking for renewed inspiration this Fall?

Here are some tips to help you get back on track:

1. Eat less processed foods. Processed foods are engineered to make you eat more- period! It's not necessarily less or more healthy than regular whole foods, but processed foods hijack your palate so you want to eat more of it. As you know, processed foods can be so tasty you eat more for no good reason besides the delicious taste of it! Instead of worrying about eating less carbs, or eat more protein/veggies, just eliminate most processed foods so your body can regulate your hunger and let you eat what it needs to to feel nourished! You will be surprised how your body will make good decisions if you stay away from processed foods. Keep in mind places like Whole Foods has a TON of “healthy” processed foods – it's always best to cook your own food that is minimally processed.

2. Try a new activity. Can't get psych on your regular workouts? Try a new activity! Join a running group in your neighborhood. Go to a spin class. Try a random workout class. Go for a bike ride. Do an adult gymnastics course. So many things to try out there- you may surprise yourself. Maybe you are the next Zumba superstar and you don't know it!

3. Get a workout buddy. We all need accountability and sometimes having someone there with you is all you need. You would be surprised striking up a conversation with the person next to you in class, or make new friends at the neighborhood running group!

4. Try working out outside. Get some vitamin D – studies show working out in the sun improves your mood.

5. Get a trainer. Most gym go-ers don't know the best programming for their bodies so they spend hours on the treadmill and wonder why they don't see results. Say you pay $50 a month on a gym membership, that is $600 a year. If you take the $600 and invest even a few sessions in a trainer who can point out YOUR specific mobility issues and build a customized workout routine that benefits YOU, you will get way more out of that $600 than those hours on the elliptical.

Not sure how to get to the results you want? Reach out to Helen at HelenLinFitness@gmail.com for your free consultation today!

Why Eating Less Can Cause You to Store More Fat

A common problem I see with female clients is that the minute they want to lose weight, they cut calories drastically. And by drastic, I mean anything under 1200 calories is way too low, if you are over 5 feet tall. What makes me crazy is that there are articles out there saying “1200 calories” is the perfect amount for many people – that make no sense! Everyone has different metabolisms.

But, at the same time, I get it. I went through this myself — if you want to lose weight, you create a caloric deficit. You can do this by eating less or working out more. Some people choose to do both at once (which I don't recommend but that's a whole other topic).

However, when you eat less than ideal for your body weight, the problem most people run into is that after a certain amount of time, it slows down your metabolism. Your body is smart- it is always trying to be efficient and saving energy. If you eat a lot, your body is like, “Hey! Food is plentiful so we can keep using the energy stores!” But if you eat less, your body thinks, “Oh crap, survival mode so let's slow down the metabolism to store the energy as fat for later!”

How do you know when you are eating too little? Some potential signs:

1. You don't feel hungry a lot. When your metabolism is slow you don't feel as hungry as frequently or at all. (Keep in mind you can also eat too MUCH and never feel hungry so this is varied from person to person).

2. You workout frequently and feel tired. If you are active (do some physical activity everyday) but you feel tired a lot, then your body is telling you you may not be eating enough.

3. You track your foods and are under 1200 calories a day.

How to Change Your Metabolism to Lose Fat

1. Lift heavy weights with compound movements with appropriate rest intervals.

2. Lift consistently – at least 2-3 times a week.

3. Eat enough calories to support your heavy lifting. On days you lift, you should definitely be upping your calories with healthy carbs and protein.

4. Get your calories up to a decent amount before cutting. Decent amount should be at least over 2500 calories for a woman. (Yes ladies, I am blowing your mind that you can eat this much and not gain weight). This strategy is called reverse dieting.

5. Get a trainer to help customize the best food and training program for your goals.

Contact Helen to help you with changing your metabolism to a roaring one, to a point where you can burn calories while sitting on your butt at work! Email HelenLinFitness@gmail.com for your free phone consultation today.

Why Cardio Sucks For Fat Loss

Want to lose Fat? Stop doing a bunch of cardio!

Are you someone who wants to "tone" and lose fat but spend your time running or doing a bunch of cardio and wondering why the fat is not coming off? Diet of course is important but also understand what you are telling your body when you do cardio all the time. 

CARDIO SUCKS FOR LONG TERM FAT LOSS.

Cardio is great for cardiovascular health.  It is great for improving your endurance.  But it is not going to build you muscle, aka the "toning" you desire.  When women want to "tone", what they really mean is they want to build muscle.  

Our body is a great machine that is good at any adaptation that we throw its way.  When you do a lot of cardio, you are sending an adaption signal to be good at endurance and you don't need a lot of muscle for endurance.  In fact, what happens is over time with excessive cardio, your body starts to store fat.  

Believe me, I was a marathon swimmer- I swam for 3-6 hours in the ocean or pool (5-6 days a week) and not lost a single pound - and my body composition looked the same.  My body had no reason to lose fat because as it adapted, it became more efficient to swim long distances which means it got easier and my body was not using much energy to do it.  

So what's the answer? RESISTANCE TRAINING.  When you do resistance training, you are now sending a whole different signal to your body to BUILD muscle.  

Why build muscle? It increase your resting metabolic rate! Even though side by side, an hour of cardio burns more calories than an hour of weight training, but every pound of muscle you gain you increase your resting metabolic rate by about 50 calories a day.  That's your body burning calories by doing nothing.  

For your cardiovascular health, keep your cardio to twice a week for 30 minute sessions.  Your daily movement can count towards your cardio.   Or a walk around the block with your dog.   But no need to spend 60 minutes on a treadmill each day.  Do resistance training 2-3 times a week is way more beneficial than a daily run (if your goal is to lose fat).  

As you build muscle and have a proper nutrition that goes with it, your body composition will change.  But the scale can go up or down depending on a variety of factors- sleep, diet, carbs (holds water), stress, and/or your workout.   You CAN LOSE WEIGHT AND NOT LOSE ANY BODY FAT!  You can also see an increase in scale when you start to build muscle as well.  That's why it's beneficial to work with a trainer who can help you monitor all these different aspects since the scale is very deceiving when you start doing resistance training.