A Chest, Back + Core Workout that I am Scared to Show You!

I recorded this video months ago and have delayed posting it because it involves lots of push ups, which I suck at! The video shows me struggling to do modified push ups and at first I was slightly embarrassed to share this with the world. But, over the past few weeks I came to the conclusion that this is just plain silly.

Personal trainers are not super heroes. We have faults, bad habits, and exercises that we hate and therefore leave out of our workouts. I realized that my ego was preventing me from sharing a great workout because I didn't want to show my weaknesses, which is a very selfish act. I was afraid of what people might say or think about my skill or expertise. The fact that push ups and I are not friends, does not cancel out the fact that I have been helping people get fit, including learning to do push ups, for the past 8+ years. I need to let this fear go. Fears get bigger if we justify them. If we simply take a deep breath and face them, they become smaller until they no longer exist.

#dontforgetyourfriday #mintconditionpt

Nutrition Baby Steps - Don't Drink Your Calories

Nutrition Baby Step number two is "Don't drink your calories". Every beverage, other than water, black coffee, and unsweetened tea have calories. I'm not counting diet beverages because I like to act like they don't exist. Diet sodas and the like, make me want to throw things and will require a separate post to express why I despise them so much.

Consuming 500 "extra" calories per day (or calories that aren't burned off) will result in a 1 pound weight gain each week. Yes, that's 50+ pounds in a year. 

As a general rule, I like to stress the quality of high calorie (high sugar/sodium/fat) items. If there is a food or drink that you consume in high quantities it is best to ensure that it is of the highest quality that you can get or afford. 

For instance, if you rarely consume coffee drinks then the occasional Mocha Latte (about 340 calories) is perfectly fine to use an an indulgence. However, if you have a cup of coffee everyday (or multiple for a lot of people) then I like to stress finding a low calorie, high quality version that meets your needs while saving you the calories. 

Here are some of my favorite options for the more popular beverages:

• Coffee - I have coffee almost everyday, so I prefer a local or organic coffee. I usually add coconut milk but feel free to use almond milk or low fat milk.  I also love using chocolate almond milk :) Another favorite is to add iced coffee to a chocolate breakfast smoothie.  After a couple of trips to a Costa Rican coffee farm I fell in love with the flavor of high quality black coffee so I don't use any sweeteners but feel free to use stevia (or any other less processes natural sweetener).
• Soda - There is no such thing as a healthy soda. If you cannot imagine a day without it then, you my dear are addicted to the sugar/fake sweeteners. I drink sparkling water, ginger ale or La Croix Sparkling Waters if I get a hankering. 
• Juice - Local and/or organic fresh squeezed is your best option. Bottled juices almost always have added sugar and preservatives. This is definitely a quality type situation. Fresh squeezed orange juice is a personal fave. Be careful of lemonades, they are often filled to the brim with sugar!
• Milk - I do not regularly drink cows milk. I used to drink a lot of it, I loved it! I now alternate buying low fat organic cows milk, chocolate almond milk, and coconut milk. Again, if you cannot imagine not drinking milk (or eating cheese for that matter), you might be addicted. There is actual evidence of traces of morphine being found in animal milk, creating that addictive feeling.
• Sports Drinks - Sports drinks were created for serious athletes. If you are doing a workout that rivals a professional athletes workout or a lengthy endurance training session then by all means go for it! Otherwise, stick to water. If you are training for something intense like CrossFit or a triathlon, talk to a coach about your proper hydration needs.
• Alcohol - This one is a doozy. The calories associated with alcohol add up very quickly. And, nine times out of ten, you won't be participating in a workout after you imbibe and will probably consume crap food. Organic red wine and liquor straight up are the best options. My faves include a good Red wine and a really good stout or porter. Be careful of your mixers and of your beer options. This is definitely a case for quality over quantity. Splurge on really good mixers and high quality wine/liquor/beer. You will consume it with a little more respect, take your time, and truly enjoy the process, as opposed to chugging tons of light beer. No matter what you choose, drink water along with your alcohol to help with pacing and to lessen your hangover. 
• Kombucha - Kombucha is fermented green or black tea. It is fizzy and flavored and has become my go-to in many drinking situations as I have recently cut out a lot of alcohol from my life (another blog post perhaps). It is filled with probiotics, b-vitamins, and enzymes.  I love it so much I have even begun brewing my own. 

Be observant of your beverages. Read the nutrition labels and choose high quality for those your drink on the regular. Small swaps can make big changes. 

Everyday Abs Level 2

Before you can build anything you must first create a solid foundation. The foundation of our bodies is our core. Every movement involves the core and it is our core that keeps us healthy. A strong core enables us to be active and have less chance of injury. It maintains our posture and our balance. A strong core allows us to keep up with our everyday activities and our sports and leisure activities. I have given you an Everyday Abs Level 1 workout that really focuses on the basic movements that keep the core strong. If you feel you need a little more challenge, give this Everyday Abs Level 2 workout a try. I incorporate some planks into this one and a great tune!!

Move Everyday. Eat Real Food. Drink Lots of Water. Get Quality Sleep. Food Journal.

Nutrition Baby Steps - Get Rid of Fast Food

While writing my post explaining my Nutrition Baby Steps, I really wanted to elaborate on each each but knew that my post would become way to long to digest. So I thought I would take some time with each step. 

The first step in my Nutrition Baby Steps is to ditch the fast food. As stated previously, there will be occasions in which you need food and the only option is to eat at a fast food establishment, however this is not what I am referring to. What I am referring to is the habit of regularly eating fast food for your breakfast, lunch, or dinner. I know that there are some healthier options these days but most of these meals still have a large amount of calories and fat, with very little fiber. High in fat and not so high in fiber usually results in the food moving through you rather quickly, causing an upset stomach and not providing you with much nutritional value. Additionally, sometimes these "healthier" options really aren't that much healthier. For example, most of the salads from McDonalds have just as many calories, if not more, than a double cheeseburger. 

Furthermore, because fast food establishments have to serve food in such large quantities, for such a low price, you can pretty much guarantee that the quality of the the food is not that great. Cheap ingredients, filled with who knows what, does not make for a healthy staple in anyones diet. 

What to do instead:

• Gas Station Breakfast - Cliff Bar and a banana or Yogurt w/ almonds and a banana.
• Gas Station Coffee Drink - Instead of a sugary coffee drink mix equal parts Muscle Milk with plain black coffee. This provides your caffeine with some flavor and loads of protein.
• Grocery Store Lunch - 1/2 lb high quality lean lunch meat (turkey or chicken) to make lunch meat roll ups and carrots with hummus. Or stop at a store that has an awesome deli counter or salad bar. Just be careful of creamy dressings and stay away from heavy foods (think mac n cheese and fried foods).
• Quick and Easy Dinner - Instead of pulling in for a burger and fries, make yourself some scrambled eggs and chicken or turkey sausage. Breakfast for dinner :) Another option is a rotisserie chicken and quick steamed veggies OR a part of a thin crust frozen pizza loaded with veggies and a salad. 

Here is an example of lunch that I grabbed from a grocery store on the way to the beach. Works the same for a work week lunch too, just leave out the beer :)

If you must eat fast food:

• Take a look at the restaurants nutrition information and choose wisely. Look for meals high in protein, low in fat and preferably with some fiber. If a salad and a burger have similar nutrition then pick which ever one you would like at the moment. Just remember that heavy foods make you feel heavy and lethargic, so keep that in mind.
• Places like Subway and Chic-fil-a tend to have more healthier options, but that doesn't mean everything is healthy. Again, look at the nutrition information. 
• Use your Lose It App. There is a place to look up nutrition info from this app which make these decisions a little easier. 

Long & Twisted Core Workout

This core routine uses three exercises that incorporate long hollow shapes and lots of twisting to get the entire front of your core.  Be sure to focus on pressing your low back into the ground throughout all of the hollow shapes and to sit up tall when twisting. 

Three rounds of this circuit will result in a great intermediate to advanced core workout. 

Be sure to subscribe to the Mint Condition Personal Training Youtube channel for tons of workouts in one place!! 

Trail Mix Oatmeal

When I first started trying to eat healthier I found myself eating a lot of instant oatmeal. I loved it because it kept me full a lot longer than any other breakfast. What I began to not like about it was the processed aspects of eating this on the regular. Don't get me wrong, I still always have a box of Quaker Oats Weight Control Oatmeal in the cupboard for emergency meals. I'm not sure why I always assumed that making homemade oatmeal would have been challenging, but it really isn't. I make this version regularly and it kicks the pouch oatmeals tuchus.

Trail Mix Oatmeal:

• 1 Cup Coconut Milk (any kind or water will do)
• 1/2 Cup Oatmeal
• 1/4 Cup Trail Mix (any kind - my favorite has dark chocolate, dried cherries, and nuts)
• 1/2 Tablespoon Chia Seeds
• 1 Teaspoon Cinnamon (you can add more or less)

1. Heat the milk in a small pot.
2. Add Oatmeal and reduce heat to simmer for 5 minutes (I like a little liquid still in the pot)
3. Add all of the fixin's and stir.

Its that simple. Basic oatmeal is a blank canvas so get crazy and make any flavor combo you like. Here are some of my other faves:

• Frozen Blueberries, Cinnamon and Walnuts
• Frozen Cherries and Vanilla Extract
• Peanut Butter and Jelly (Or any fruit I have on hand)

The Trail Mix version, according to my Lose It app, comes in at around 400 calories and almost 10 grams of protein and 10 grams of fiber!! Let me know of any awesome flavors you enjoy. 

Nutrition Baby Steps

Cleaning up your diet is not as easy as cleaning out your fridge. Making healthy changes is a learning process and takes time. Slowly incorporate these baby steps and get clean and lean in no time.

1. Get rid of fast food. I understand that in some emergency situations fast food is the best option, but if you are trying to clean up your diet fast food must go. If you forgot to bring your lunch and are in dire need of a meal or a snack, you're better off stoping at a grocery store, health food store or even a gas station to find a better option. 

2. Stop drinking your calories. Put aside the fact that water is fantastic for your entire body and calculate all of the calories that you are drinking throughout the day. Caffeine fix each morning (flavored coffee drink or soda, cringe), sweet tea or more soda with lunch, another caffeine fix in the afternoon, a sports drink during your workout, and a cocktail (or 2) after work or with dinner. This can total an extra 500-700 calories per day, which unaccounted for can lead to a one pound gain each week!!!!!!

3. Have breakfast every morning. Yea, yea, yea... most important meal of the day. While some may argue that the timing of your meals does not matter, starting your day with a balanced meal provides energy and allows you to focus on tackling your to do list. It gets your metabolism started and prevents random binge eating on bagels and donuts at the office. Focus on protein, whole grains, and fiber!

4. Start reading food labels. Becoming a label snob has never really been my style (except for really wanting Jenko's and Doc Martens in high school), but checking out the label on your food needs to become second nature. Blindly eating what ever you grab will keep you far from a healthy and happy body. Even if you don't know what you're looking at, start with the ingredients list. If it is filled with a ton of random complex and scientific looking ingredients, see if you can find one with more real ingredients that you recognize.

5. Eat real food throughout the day. Again, there are some in the fitness world that believe timing your meals is not as important as ensuring that you are consuming that proper amount of macronutrients (grams of carbs, protein, fat, and fiber). No matter what school of thought you have about meal timing, managing your hunger levels will help you stick to your plan. If you are "starving" you will be more likely to ditch your healthy plan and eat the next thing that comes your way. Try and mix in "real" food, food in its most natural and unprocessed form.

6. Learn how to curb your cravings. As you begin to focus on making healthier food choices, you will start to recognize your specific cravings. No matter what they are, salty, sweet, creamy, or crunchy, you will need to find replacements for your cravings. Greek yogurt with honey instead of ice cream. Pistachios instead of potato chips. Dark chocolate squares for sweet. Sometimes you can even use activities to distract you from "boredom" cravings, like painting your nails or reading a book. A good place to start is with a big glass of water!

7. Keep a Food Journal. Keeping a food journal is just like balancing your check book and just like balancing your check book there are now tools that make food journaling a lot easier. Not knowing how many calories you are regularly consuming can make reaching your goals rather difficult. This does not have to be a 24/7 habit but until you have a handle on what your typical portions should look like, food journaling is important. My clients and I love the Lose It app!

8. Make healthy meals ahead of time. As you travel along your healthy food journey you will start to recognize that preparing healthy meals does take time. You will also recognize how easy you can make your life by taking a little time each week to prepare some meals or snacks ahead of time. My top priorities are breakfast and dinner. Check out the Mint Condition Pinterest page for ideas.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Smoothie

I love peanut butter! It has slowly replaced chocolate in my life. I use to have serious chocolate cravings but now when I need a quick "sweets" fix, I just eat a spoonful of peanut butter and all is good. So when I get a chance to add peanut butter to my breakfast I am a happy girl.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Smoothie

While you need to be careful of the amount of sugar in your peanut butter, you do not need to be careful of what's in this smoothie!

• 1 Cup Coconut Milk (you can use any kind)
• 1/2 Cup Oatmeal
• 1 - 2 Scoops of Protein Powder (vanilla or chocolate) *optional
• 1 Cup frozen Strawberries
• 1 Heaping Tablespoon of Nut Butter (almond, peanut, cashew, sunflower, any kind)
• Water for desired texture

Toss all the ingredients into the blender and whip up tasty and filling breakfast. By adding the protein powder this smoothie turns into a meal coming in at around 400-600 calories depending on the powder, so make sure you eat this early in your day and follow it up with some sweat inducing exercise! If you want to leave it out or only add one scoop, go for it. Peanut butter jelly time!!!

Why a gym membership isn't your answer.

At most gyms, especially the big box gyms, once you purchase your membership no one cares if you continue to show up. Gyms will make their money whether you show up or not because they are not invested in your results. Ultimately, you will have to get to a point in which you exercise because you are investing in yourself, but everything in life becomes easier when you have someone that is invested in your success. This is why teachers and coaches exist, to help individuals reach their goals, and in turn providing value by helping you to succeed. Even personal trainers have coaches, in the form of our own personal trainers, nutritionists, lifting coaches, yoga instructors and even business coaches. This is because we understand the value that having a coach can bring to our lives and businesses.

If you have been working towards a health and wellness goal but not making much progress, it may be time to recruit some professional guidance. We hire coaches for things like our finances so why not for our health? Who cares how much money you have if you don't have your health? Change your mindset from "How much will that cost?" to "What will I get from this investment?".

Well, when it comes to personal training, here is what you will get:

1. Motivation that leads to consistency.
2. Education that leads to better decisions.
3. Knowledge that leads to efficient exercise.
4. Fresh ideas to prevent boredom and get better results.
5. Someone to correct your form and prevent injuries.
6. Someone to vent to when no one else will listen (and in some cases a good friend).

If a personal trainer isn't in the budget other options include:

• Find a friend with similar goals that will support you and call you out when you start to slack.
• Join a running club or a triathlon club.
• Use apps like MyFitnessPal and Lose It! to help you stay on track
• Purchase a Fitbit or pedometer.

Please understand that I am not saying to get rid of your gym membership and to no longer bother going anymore. What I am saying is that a gym membership should be a tool that you can use but should not be the only tool. Investing in yourself will not only enhance your well-being, it will allow you to thrive in all areas of life.

Work on yourself

Everyday Ab Workout - Level 1

No matter who you are or what your fitness level, a strong core is a must. Most aches and pains, and injuries stem from having a weak core. Every movement starts with your mid-section so it only makes sense to make sure that it can handle all of the movement we do on an everyday basis, let alone with sports and fitness activities. Here is a workout that is aimed at beginners, but it will challenge everyone if done correctly. It focuses on quality of movement, not quantity. It takes about 10 minutes to complete so it is a great option to every morning.

Subscribe to my Mint Condition Personal Training YouTube page for other workouts and Quick Combos to add to your workouts.

If this is waayy too easy, here is an Everyday Abs Level 2!