Wait! Before you skim down to find which exercise I’ve labeled as the best, read the whole story…

It’s always interesting when I’m approached and asked to pin down a single exercise as the one that will help lose the most fat or sculpt the quickest. I’m always slow to answer.

You see, I’m acutely aware of the fact that though an exercise may be perfect for Client A, it may not be the best choice for Client B-hence my hesitation to label any exercise as the universal best.

That being said, there are exercises that are better than others. And, yes, there are even a few that I would label as the best.

What makes an exercise the best?
When deciding which exercises to include in your routine it is important to consider the type of movement involved. The simpler the movement, the fewer calories you’ll burn. On the other hand, the more complex the movement, the more calories you will burn.

Simply stated, exercises that use complex movements will deliver better results than exercises that use only simple movements. Complex movements recruit multiple muscles, some to stabilize and others to perform the movement. This process keeps your heart rate higher than a simple exercise would, giving you a more intense workout.

What is a complex movement?
A complex movement is a multi-joint movement that recruits large portions of the body to complete the exercise. Let’s compare a simple movement leg exercise with a complex movement leg exercise:

The leg extension machine uses a simple, isolated movement to work the quadriceps. You’re in a seated position moving only your knee joint. There isn’t much involvement, if any, from other muscles and it doesn’t burn very many calories.

Now let’s look at a free weight walking lunge. You start by standing with your feet together and a dumbbell in each hand at your sides (or a barbell across your shoulders, or a medicine ball held at your chest, or even with no weight at all). You take a large step forward and lower your back knee, keeping your front knee at a 90 degree angle. Now you push off your front foot and pull your back leg forward, repeating the movement.

How many muscles did you utilize while performing the lunge? Probably too many to count.

You certainly worked your quadriceps, gluteus, hamstrings, calves, abdominals, supporting muscles in your shoulders, arms and back-just to name a few. You also raised your heart rate and really kicked your metabolism into high gear. That’s what I call a great exercise.

Other ways to increase intensity
Using complex movements are just one of many ways to kick your workout intensity up a notch. Try incorporating a Super Set into your routine. To do so simply perform two or more exercises in a row and then take a short rest.

Or how about a Compound Set? Perform one exercise, rest, then perform an exercise with opposing body parts. To find exercises that compliment one another, choose ones that have similar but opposite motions such as a chest press and a row.

The key to finding the best exercise is to find the ones that bring your workout intensity to a whole new level.

I’d be shortchanging you if I named any exercise as the best. The fact of the matter is that it is a combination of changing your workouts up, using interval training, and even some good old cardio that will ultimately see you to your goal.

These methods will help you to burn more calories, increase your metabolic rate, and will stimulate the production of more fat burning and muscle toning hormones. Of course, there is more involved to achieving your fitness goals. You need to incorporate fat burning into your routine. You need to consistently challenge yourself during workouts. You need to take control of your eating habits and to get your diet dialed in.

So what’s the best exercise for you?

Well, we do a lot of them in New Orleans Boot Camp for Women <–click to learn more!

“If you are not making someone else’s life better, then you are wasting your time”

Thats One of my Favorite quotes by him in this video, I hope that you enjoy this video over the weekend as much as I have.

Special thanks to Frank K for sending it to me!

Jonas

Could These Foods in New Orleans Could be Making you Fat?

It’s easy to let yourself be fooled into thinking the things you eat are healthy. Foods dressed in crafty packaging lead you to believe they will help you lose weight.

But do they?

The truth is that most of the time the only thing special about the so-called healthy food product is the clever marketing. Have you been fooled by the following foods?

So-Called Healthy Food #1: SALAD

Who doesn’t get a self-righteous feeling when ordering a salad, right? Salads are healthy, and salads equal weight loss. Unfortunately, not anymore.

Salad in and of itself is a wonderful, healthy food. It is filled with nutrients and untouched by artificial additives. If only we left it at that.

Most salads on the menu today are loaded with fat laden extras. Croutons, tortilla strips, nuts, and even fried chicken (not the best source of protein). And let’s not forget the salad dressing.

While you know that salad dressing isn’t very healthy, you may not be aware of the staggering number of fat calorie packed in these dressings. Most people add between a quarter to a half a cup of dressing to their salad, and with the average creamy salad dressing weighing in at 8-12 grams of fat per tablespoon, you can see how an innocent collection of greens can quickly turn into a spare tire.

So-Called Healthy Food #2: 100 CALORIE PACKS

In the snack section of your local grocery store you’ve probably seen the attractively packaged “100 Calorie Packs.” These light and airy snack packs send a subtle message that they are healthy and in line with your desire to drop the fat.

I mean, how harmful can they be? Let’s take a look at the snacks within the package.

Here are the most popular:

• Oreo cookies
• Ritz snack mix
• Planter’s peanut butter cookies
• Cheese Nips crackers
• Chips Ahoy cookies
• Shortbread cookie

Hmmm, that list sounds like junk food-doesn’t it? These items are high in sugar, salt and fat, and they don’t contain a grain of nutritional value. And let’s be honest, most people don’t eat just one pack…

So-Called Healthy Food #3: CEREAL

Can a box of cereal help you lose weight? That’s the message being sent out by a handful of cereal brands, namely Special K. This cereal manufacturer has gone so far as to create the Special K Challenge, a program which claims to help drop 6 pounds in 2 weeks. The message that most consumers take away from the cereal commercials is “If I eat this brand of cereal then I will lose weight.”

Wait, don’t grab a bowl of your favorite cereal along with your skinny jeans just yet.

It’s dangerous to think that any food item will promote weight loss, especially a food item that is high in simple carbohydrates. In the fine print you will see that the cereal claims to help lose weight when incorporated with a very low calorie diet, and that the cereal itself has no weight loss inducing power.

Making the Healthy Choice
As a rule of thumb ignore the bold claims on food packaging-the information you really need is listed on the nutrition label. Finding healthy food is simple when you use the following guidelines.

• Eat Fresh: The healthiest food in the world is fresh, unprocessed whole foods. This includes fresh vegetables and fruit, whole grains and legumes, and raw seeds and nuts. These fresh foods supply your body with vitamins, minerals and enzymes that are priceless to your health. When it comes to meat, poultry and dairy choose products that are grass fed and hormone and antibiotic free.

• Set Limits: Let’s be honest. Just because something is edible doesn’t mean you should eat it. A key to healthy eating is to identify which items to limit or even eliminate from your diet.

• Cholesterol. The American Heart Association recommends that you limit your intake of cholesterol from food to less than 300 milligrams per day.

• Saturated Fat. Your intake of saturated fat should be less than 7% of your total daily calories.

• Trans Fat. It is recommended that you either eliminate trans fat from your diet or keep it under 1% of your total daily calories.

• Sugar. Most of us consume way more sugar than we should. Make a habit of checking the ingredient list of the foods you eat. If sugar is the first listed ingredient then you know that item is packed with sugar.
  
  Look at the whole picture: A healthy diet consists of taking in a combination of fats, carbohydrates, fiber, protein, vitamins and minerals each day. Remember that eating too much of even healthy foods can lead to weight gain. All of the foods that you eat should fit together to form a well-balanced, calorie controlled diet.

The bottom line is that you should eat to live not live to eat in New Orleans….. Your body will thank you for it.

Interested in how many women in New Orleans lose weight fast? Read this article about my New Orleans Fitness Boot Camp Program

If you have any questions or comments leave them below. I’m more then happy to help you out!

Do you have the New Orleans Stubborn Fat Blues?

Every year at about this time frustrated people around the globe look in the mirror and take in the end results of their holiday eating frenzy.

Maybe your waist is larger, or your hips are wider, or maybe your New Year’s resolve has fizzled.

So what do you do about the stubborn and seemingly permanent fat?

Sink into a depression?

Well, the easiest thing to do is to throw a pity party. Then before you know it your feelings of self pity begin to snowball into a full blown case of the Stubborn Fat Blues.

How do you know if you have the Stubborn Fat Blues?

• Your pants are tighter today than they were a year ago
• You’ve tried to lose weight only to fail.
• You feel trapped.
• You’re close to giving up on yourself.

If you can relate to any of the above statements then you have the Stubborn Fat Blues – quite an unpleasant condition to have.
Fortunately, there is a cure.

It all starts with your mind. The thing about the Stubborn Fat Blues is that it affects your mind more than anything.

You see, your mental state is critical in determining your shape and size. When you focus on all of the things that you hate about your current body like the size of your thighs, the shape of your butt, or the way your belly looks then you’re putting all of your energy on the negative.

The more you think about how unhappy you are, the unhappier you will become.

Makes sense, right?

So instead of wallowing, use the following techniques to conquer the Stubborn Fat Blues:

1. Take it one battle at a time.
You may have 20, 50 or 100 pounds to lose before you reach your ideal weight – and, boy, that can be overwhelming. The truth is that weight loss like that won’t happen overnight – it takes months of dedication. It’s no wonder so many people simply give up.

Don’t worry about winning the entire war today, instead focus on conquering one battle at a time. Take it one meal at a time, and one day at a time. A healthy meal, a good workout and you’ve won a battle. Remember, 100 pounds is broken down into 350,000 calories. Sure, that sounds like a lot, but all you have to do is focus on burning more calories than you take in today – in the end weight loss will be inevitable.

2. Use a trigger.
How many times throughout your day do you find yourself plagued with negative thoughts? I’m too fat. I’ll never look as good as I used to. I’m not attractive. Yikes! Thoughts like these will ruin your chance at regaining your figure – they are total momentum killers.

Here’s what I want you to do. Whenever a negative thought enters your mind instantly do the following:

• Breathe out and squeeze your abs for 5 seconds – 3 times
• Throw away any junk food within arms reach
• Plan to exercise that day

Make negative thoughts a trigger to take positive action toward your goal – the results will amaze you.

3. See what you want.
If you have weight to lose, mirrors are a nightmare. Every lump and pouch seems to jump out with alarming illumination. And it doesn’t help that most of us see things as worse than they really are.

When was the last time that you closed your eyes and pictured the body that you wished you had? It may sound hokey, but I’m serious. Your mind is very impressionable, and when you bombard it with only the negative then you will be stuck on that image.

Take time each day to visualize your ideal body. Close your eyes and put yourself in that ideal body – feel what it feels like to be fit and attractive. This exercise is a powerful way to fixate your mind on your goal in a way that will leave you no room for failure.

4. Get serious.
Sooner or later you will decide that you are fed up with the Stubborn Fat Blues. You will decide that your health is important. You will decide that you deserve to look great. And you will do what it takes to achieve amazing results.

The best way to ensure that your motivation stays strong – and that your goal is met – is to get on a New Orleans fitness program that actually works.

If you need help finding the right program for you – I can help. Together we will identify your goals, find workout programs that you enjoy and create a routine that works with your schedule. It’s that simple.

Jill Lost 25 pounds With New Orleans Boot Camp and Climbed a Mountain!!!

Contact me today for a consultation and to learn more about the Best New Orleans Boot Camp program available to you.
Then you can say goodbye to the New Orleans Stubborn Fat Blues – forever!

Make sure to leave a comment below and let me know How I  help you fight the Stubborn Fat Blues!

The New Year renews hope for your dreams.

And if you are like most people then your dream for the New Year has everything to do with losing weight.

It makes sense, doesn’t it? What better time is there than now to transform your body into the one that you’ve always dreamed of?

To get you off to a great start I’d like to share with you some food for thought:

Why do you eat?

Now I know at first glance the answer to that question seems painfully obvious – but I want you to dig deeper. You’re probably thinking that you eat when your body is hungry to get the energy you need to sustain life. And you’re partially right. But that’s not the only reason that you eat.

The truth is that you (along with almost everyone you know) eat too much. Your body simply doesn’t need all of the calories that you consume, and it shows in a physique that is less than svelte. If we only ate to fuel our bodies then we’d all have washboard abs. And that’s clearly not the case, right?

So what drives you to eat when you shouldn’t? Hmmmm. The answer to this question could be just what you need to see results before 2010.

Here are the four basic reasons that you eat:

1. Because you’re hungry.
This one is obvious. You eat when your body tells you that it’s hungry and in need of fuel. Just like your car lets you know when it’s time to head over to the gas station for a filler up, your body is great at letting you know that energy stores are low.

Eating when you are hungry and stopping when you are full is a healthy thing. Too bad this isn’t the only reason that you eat…

2. Because you’re emotional.
…but the truth is that you also eat when you are emotional. Think back – can you remember a time when you turned to food after a stressful confrontation? Or how about when you’ve soothed the blues away by treating your sweet tooth? And it’s not just negative emotions that lead to emotional eating – most of us reward happiness with unnecessary calories as well.

Emotional eating adds an untold number of calories to your diet – all calories that are unnecessary and turn into fatty deposits on your body.

3. Because you’re social.
Come on, don’t just sit there, have a slice of pizza with us. No one likes to eat alone, and so you feel obligated to eat with others. How many times have you filled up a plate just because everyone else was eating?

When eating becomes a social activity with no thought to the calories that are being consumed, only one thing will result: weight gain.

4. Because you’re habitual.
At the end of each day you relax in front of the television with a snack, and I’m willing to bet that it isn’t because you’re hungry. You simply associate sitting down to watch television with eating something. Or maybe you always visit the vending machine on your break whether you’re hungry or not – it’s just become a habit.

As humans we love to form habits, and when your habits involve eating extra calories then your waistline suffers for it.

Here is my challenge to you:

• Take the time to examine why you are eating, and choose to only eat when you’re truly hungry. This small action has the potential to dramatically improve your physique in the coming year.

• Remember that improving your diet is only half of the equation when it comes to reshaping your body.

The quickest and most permanent results are achieved when good eating habits are accompanied by challenging New Orleans exercise program.

I’d like to see you transform your body before  2010 – so much so that I am willing to pay you for Every Pound and Inch you Lose!

Just click the link below and register for the next boot camp starting Dec. 7

New Orleans Exercise Boot Camp Program! <—-Click here

Make sure to leave a comment below and let me know what really drives you to eat what you shouldn’t!

Can You Do 5 Steps to Setting your New Orleans Fat Loss Goals?

I was in Orlando this past weekend. I went to a seminar that talked about Strategies and how to get your Goals done.
It was a Great event..Plus I got to take my daughter to Disney while  I was down there….. I had a blast with her!

However, I wanted to share with you 5 Key points I herd over and over again at the seminar…………

Can you do me a favor and Just Do these 5 steps? It’s a Great way to Reach Your Goals!

1. Make a Choice, Look at your body, Your Quality of life. What do you really want to have?

2. Be Specific- Leave no Detail left behind.

3. Find Your Reason- Now that you know what you to change, ask yourself WHY?

4. Form your Plan- What is it going to take to get there? What are you going to have to do?

5. Take Action-  Do you know the Number one cause of failure in most peoples lives?……….Never Taking Action!

• We develop comfort zones and become afraid to Step out of those boundaries and really go after our goals.
• We know we Must Change………….
• We know that we have to follow our plan to be happy, but seldom do…….

DO NOT let your written plan of ACTION go to waste….

Start immediately on working toward your goals!

For all you Action takers out there,  make sure you take action and Register for the next Boot Camp

The Only Boot Camp that Pays you to Lose Weight!!

Click here to Register New Orleans Fitness Boot Camp

Make sure to leave a comment below and let me know your 5 actions!

New Orleans Boot camp will Pay You to Jump Start you Weight Loss and fit back into those skinny jeans!

Yes you are reading this correct and No I’m not going crazy!
I’m dead serious about Motivating you to lose FAT and INCHES all over your body!

In fact, after you register for one of my Boot camps  locations you will be earning CASH every time you Lose a Inch or Pound!

Cool right?…well…

Here are the Rules:

1. You must be registered for Nov.2,2009 boot camp at one of our 4 locations.

2. Must attend Pre and Post Evaluation on Oct. 31. (so that we can get your measurements and PAY you for your results)

3.Must want to Flatten your Stomach!

4. Must have full attendance for 3 day or 5 day program

5. Must want to firm your Buns & Thighs

6. Must want to fit back into those Skinny jeans!

Don’t forget….this offer expires Oct. 31st!!
Hurry before it sells out!

This offer applies to everyone who is already registered too!

Also, Make sure to leave a comment below if you have any questions or if you want to let me know how motivated you are!

Are Cocktails Calories causing Weight Gain in New Orleans?

Let’s be temperate about temperance. Alcohol as a moral problem. But alcohol as a food, or at least as an article of dieting, is a big subject to New Orleans reducing weight.

It must be conceded that a great many alcoholics are spindling and cadaverous in New Orleans. They get that way because they use alcohol instead of food.
For a so called “Normal people”  who drinks only as an occasional accessory to food, must look upon alcohol as a potential builder of corpulence.

Alcohol is funny stuff, as the night-clubber said when he found two wives waiting up for him. It provides plenty of calories and burns with a lovely light, especially on plum pudding.

It burns within you with the same intensity-at the rate of 7 calories per gram, nearly twice the output of protein or carbohydrate and within a couple of calories of the high-heat level of fats.

Alcohol provides a fourth kind of calories.
Practically alone among food materials, alcohol can be absorbed directly from the stomach without the intervention of digestion. Once it is in the blood it has no place to go. There are no friendly storehouses to welcome it, as is the case with other foods. Consequently it has to be burned, liberated as heat and energy. It takes about 31/2 hours for the average person to burn i ounce of alcohol, the amount you or someone else gets from two ounces of 100 proof whiskey.

Number one, among the virtues of alcohol the fact that its energy is rapidly available and that it has its place in medical practice. It also encourages a tautly nervous person to relax and for that reason, especially among the elderly, it is sometimes an aid to digestion.

For most of us in New Orleans, however, alcohol goes to work so fast producing  that energy from other foods we have eaten aren’t given a chance.
They aren’t needed while alcohol is taking over the whole job and they hate to cross the picket line. They can be stored in the body if alcohol can’t, so the food that isn’t needed just transforms itself to fat in the hope that it will be appreciated at a later date.

If your daily calorie count takes due notice of the energy value of alcohol, however, you can see that all your food is assimilated by keeping it within maintenance limits. Alcohol calories count just the same as any other, even though they aren’t very good calories.

Alcohol tends to make you feel hungry and so you are more likely to eat more, when you are drinking.

You can also notice yourself feeling more hungry the next day, as alcohol burns sugar. So you can find yourself bingeing the day after you have had some alcohol. So if you want to drink alcohol and you are on a diet, you need to be very careful!

Some people try to work around this problem and do some extra exercise at some time in the week to make up for a good night out with a few drinks and that really doesn’t work that well for various reasons LOL

If you are truly trying to lose weight in New Orleans then you should only have alcohol in moderation and perhaps get on a Weight Loss Program in New Orleans that is Consistent, Motivating and hold you Accountable to limit you from sabotaging your Fat loss Goals!

I’d LOVE to hear your comments in the comment section below…