#1 Way to Flatten your abs PLUS exercises to target lower abs

I've always had issues with my lower abs. They just don't look the same after having 3 kids. It didn't help that I had 3 C-sections! I would argue that for most women, it's probably one of the most difficult places to firm up. Sometimes if you've got excess skin, there just won't be a way to completely be rid of it all, but there are definitely ways to  tighten things up. 

The number one thing you can do to flatten that area is to keep your diet clean. Sorry, there's not a magic exercise (although the routine below will target that area) and there's not a magic pill, but eating well 90% of the time and indulging just 10% of the time will get you results! How bad do you want it? If you are willing to make a few changes throughout the week and build on those, you can quickly change your body - and more importantly - how you feel! Here are a few quick tips on getting on a clean eating track....Eating out is extremely difficult when you're trying to change your habits. You have no idea how they really prepared the food, and very few restaurants offer 'clean' meals. If you can prepare your own food for the first couple of weeks, and eat out as little as possible, that will help tremendously. 

Say no to sugar for a week. Analyze the food labels and if it's got more than 11g per serving, nix it. Avoid cream-based salad dressings. A perfectly healthy salad can quickly become more fattening than a cheeseburger when you top with ranch, croutons, cheese....etc. Eliminate alcohol. That will quickly undo the work you've done if you finish the day with a couple of glasses of wine. Check out the calorie content in the number of oz you are drinking, and relate that to a twinkie. Would you eat a twinkie right before bed? Probably not - but your body doesn't know the difference between drinking your calories and eating them :)

Here is a workout routine that will really target those hard-to-reach lower abs. If you're a beginner, do 1 set of each 10-15 reps. Intermediate will do 2 sets of each movement and up the reps to 20-30. Advanced girls do 3 sets of each with up to 50 reps. 

Toe-to-Sky Hip Raise - Lying on a mat, keep hands out on either side for balance and stability, legs vertical and together. Keeping legs vertical throughout, lift hips off mat slowly, then back down. 

Oblique Crunch w/ Elevated Legs - You can use your couch for this one, place legs on top of couch, keeping quads in a vertical position. As you bring your shoulders off the ground, twist to the right and on the next rep, twist toward the left. 

Knee Tuck - If you have a bench or an ottoman you can use that for this next exercise. Lean back, holding the back of the bench - legs straight out. Bring your bent knees up to your chest and repeat

Reverse Crunch - Lying on the bench, hands behind your head holding on for stability. Start with toes touching the floor. Keep your knees bent throughout the movement - allow your toes to lightly tap the floor on the downward move. 

Texas Fit Chicks Boot Camp will teach you more about how to change your body and your life! Our passion is helping women lead healthy lives, and become great examples to our children and families.

What is Texas Fit Chicks? 

We create a fun environment for women to lose weight and get FIT! With over 125 camp times and locations across the state of Texas, we are the leader in womens' fitness. Our trainers are all (female) nationally certified and have a true passion for helping other women GET fit or STAY fit! Designed to be modified for all ages and levels of fitness, Texas Fit Chicks Boot Camp will change the way you look at fitness and yourself! We think every woman should have access to a trainer, at an affordable price. We believe that there is no need to yell, scream or intimidate women into working out and pushing themselves. Our trainers encourage you to push to the next level in a safe and effective way. You won't ever get bored or do the same workout twice! We have many clients that have been with us since we started, in 2009.

Our program is designed to dramatically change the way you look and feel in as little as 4 weeks. Our workouts and female fitness experts can help you reach your goals, in a healthy, sustainable way. Texas Fit Chicks includes a full body composition from your trainer before and after your session, and a free meal plan from a nutritionist to maximize your boot camp results. This plan includes family friendly recipes and printable grocery lists to make healthy eating simple.

For a full list of our locations, please visit our website www.texasfitchicks.com Are you a certified trainer interested in joining our team? Find out more here: www.fitchicktrainers.com

College Station Texas Fit Chicks Trainers At Home Workout!

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Boot Camp Fat Burning Workout

Warm up-15 jumping jacks-30 seconds high knees-30 seconds booty kicks-10 arm circles forwards and backwards-2 glute stretches (pull knee up to chest and hold no more than 2 seconds) and 2 quad stretches (pull foot to bring heel up to booty-make sure to grab foot with opposite hand and hold no more than 2 seconds) on both legs-shake out anything else you might need to before getting started.

Giant Set #1:
15 burpees
15 regular push ups (to modify do push ups with knees down)
50 mountain climbers (right leg then left leg = 1)
Run the length of parking lot/living room/hallway 3 times (down and back = 1)

Giant Set #2:
15 plie squat + upright row (wide feet and toes turned out-make sure knees do not go over toes and keep back flat-squat down until booty is parallel with knees-on the way up bring the weights straight up to chin with elbows out to sides and lower down-repeat)
15 squat jumps (to modify omit the jump and raise up on toes and reach arms up to sky)
15 bench/chair/curb dips (to modify bend knees)
Run the length of parking lot/living room/hallway 2 times (down and back = 1)
--FAST WATER BREAK (less than 30 seconds)--

Giant Set #3:
30 seconds double toe touches (in a plank position step with left foot to the left of body-bring right foot over to meet it-step with right foot to right side of body and bring left foot to meet it-repeat for time)
15 bent over rows (keep back flat and squeeze shoulder blades together)
15 weighted walking lunges forwards, 15 weighted walking lunges backwards (right leg then left leg = 1)
Run the length of parking lot/living room/hallway 1 time (down and back = 1)

Giant Set #4:
1 set of 21’s (7 top ½ bicep curls 7 bottom ½ bicep curls, 7 full out bicep curls) (start w/weights at sides-keeping elbows locked at sides and tummy tight curl the weight halfway up-repeat 7-start w/weights at half-way position and curl up as high as possible w/out moving elbows from sides of body-repeat 7-start w/weights at sides and curl all the way up and back down-repeat 7)
20 squat + side leg lift (right leg then left leg = 2) (stand with feet shoulder width apart w/hands behind head-do a squat (keeping tummy tight and knees behind toes)-return to stand and lift right leg directly out to the side-lower down to start-next time lift left leg out to the side-alternate for 20 reps)
1 minute curb run (level 3 (hardest)-both feet at the same time jump up to top of curb and down; level 2-right foot up on curb and left foot on the ground-jump and switch to have left foot on curb and right foot on ground-alternate for time; level 1-step up right foot then left and step down right foot then left-alternate sides for time)-you choose which level you want to do but push yourself!
--FAST WATER BREAK (less than 30 seconds)--

Repeat Giant Sets 1-4 for three total rounds before doing Tabatas!

TABATA #1: Strength
1-First 20 seconds-weighted reverse lunges (keep tummy tight and make sure front knee does not go past toes)-Rest 10 seconds
2-Second 20 seconds-squat + shoulder press (stand with feet shoulder-width-apart w/weights at shoulder height-do a squat and on the way up press weights straight up to the sky and bring weights down to shoulder height as you do the next squat)-Rest 10 seconds
Alternate 1 and 2 for 8 rounds
--FAST WATER BREAK (less than 30 seconds)--

TABATA #2: Cardio + Abs
1-First 20 seconds-jumping jacks or high knees or butt kicks-Rest 10 seconds
2-Second 20 seconds-bicycle crunches-Rest 10 seconds
Alternate 1 and 2 for 8 rounds

Booty Burner:
15 fire hydrants on right leg-15 fire hydrants on left leg (Repeat on both legs)

Cool down for at least 5 minutes more if you’re feeling super tight and tired.

Workout brought to you by Teresa, trainer at College Station Texas Fit Chicks

MWF 5-6am, 6-7am or M,Tu,Th 6-7pm

One trick to keep weight OFF over the Holidays

With all the Holiday parties and changes to your routine, things can get a bit out of whack when it comes to your fitness plan. That's part of the reason that the average American gains between 5-7 lbs during this season. There are a few simple tricks that can help when it comes to not falling into the category of weight gain over the next month or two...

• Don't go to the party hungry. Most likely it won't be celery being served as hors d'oeuvres.
• Limit alcohol at the party. We all know that alcohol messes with your metabolism, but it can also lower your will power to not over-indulge in all the fattening treats (not to mention all the empty calories you will get!)
• Drink plenty of water. Should go without saying...but increase the amount of water you drink daily, and you won't feel as hungry
• Keep tabs on caloric totals in your mind. I am not suggesting journaling your food while you are on vacation (although not a bad idea...) - but try to practice "mindful eating" - don't just eat to be eating
• Only eat when you're hungry. What a concept! :)
• Know the calorie count of what you're about to eat, to decide if it's worth it. Sometimes it is worth it for that piece of pecan pie....but ignorance is NOT bliss when it comes to eating that way for a solid day or weekend! Decide what you want to indulge in, and make that one or 2 things - and not 8 or 9!! Skip the rolls if you plan to have a piece of pie, etc.
• Exercise. Your body will feel better and you can work off those extra calories
• Think about all the hard work you have done up to this point to get where you are. On average, an hour of boot camp burns around 400-500 calories for most women. That can be completely undone by some cheesecake or pecan pie. If you put it in that perspective it might make you think twice about going for a second round of dessert :)

I have been one of those people that gained the 7 lbs over Christmas, and it is so frustrating to see everything you've worked hard for be lost so quickly. Hopefully these tips will help you maintain control of your health and fitness over the next couple of mos!! It's much easier to stay on a roll than to get on a roll!

www.texasfitchicks.com

Over 100 class times across the state to help you Re-Shape YOUR future!
Training with experts for as little as $8.25/session with our COMMIT to be FIT plan

Texas Fit Chicks is fitness for women, created by women

Texas Fit Chicks Boot Camp Groupon Deal Information

Did you purchase our groupon deal? Here are details on how to get started with Texas Fit Chicks. 

Here is a list of the camps participating in the deal and contact info for that trainer. These are the only classes avaialble for this Groupon deal.

Carrollton
Mon, Tue, Thu: 9:30–10:30 a.m. or 7:15–8:15 p.m.
Nancy@texasfitchicks.com

Temple
Mon, Wed, Fri: 5:30–6:30 a.m.
Chitra@texasfitchicks.com

Van Alstyne
Mon, Tue, Thu: 8–9 p.m. Paula@texasfitchicks.com

Arlington
Mon, Wed, Thu: 5–6 a.m.
DebbieW@texasfitchicks.com

East Plano
Mon, Wed, Fri: 6–7 a.m.
Danyelle@texasfitchicks.com

Prosper
Mon, Wed, Fri: 5–6 a.m. or 6–7 a.m.
Jeannie@texasfitchicks.com

Spring
Mon, Tue, Thu: 7–8 p.m.
Meghan@texasfitchicks.com

Tucker Hill
Mon, Tue, Thu: 7:30–8:30 a.m. or 8:45–9:45 a.m.
Shonnery@texasfitchicks.com

Katy
Mon, Wed, Fri: 5:30–6:30 a.m., 7–8 p.m., or 8–9 p.m.
Melinda@texasfitchicks.com

Waco
Mon, Wed, Fri: 5:30–6:30 a.m.
Kristi@texasfitchicks.com

Here is a list of Frequently Asked Questions to  find out more about our program.

• If I purchase the deal when can I start? Each location has limited availability so we recommend contacting the trainer early if you want to schedule your start date. You must contact the trainer before coming to your first day of camp.

• Once I purchase the deal do I go to your website to sign up? NO Since you've already paid for the deal, you will not need to sign up online. Please email your trainer directly to schedule your start date.

• Can I switch locations during my camp - or is it good for one location only? Your deal will be valid at only one location. We've found that clients get better results when they have the accountability to just one trainer, so there's not an option to move around locations or times

• I'm pregnant - can I sign up? We do not allow pregnant chicks to enroll without a written doctors note. We recommend getting the clearance before purchasing the deal. If you have been sedentary up until your pregnancy, it is not recommended to start any new strenuous fitness regime.

• I have health issues - can I sign up? You will be required to fill out a PAR-Q, found HERE. If you answer yes to any one of the five questions asked, we will require a written doctors release before you are permitted to join a camp.

• Is this deal available to me if I've been a Fit Chick in the past, or am currently enrolled? This specific deal is for new clients only. However, if you are a current TFC chick look for an email from us on how you can benefit from this deal too!

• I'm out of shape and haven't exercised in forever. Can I do this? YES! We always cringe when chicks tell us "I've got to get more in shape before I sign up" - that is not necessary!! Each exercise is shown at beginner, intermediate and advanced levels - so you will always be working at your own pace. 

• I have a trip planned and will be out of town, can I make up the workouts I miss? Our bootcamp has a 'no excuses' policy, to encourage accountability, and for you to get the results you want. Because of that, there is not a way to make up missed classes. If you have a trip planned, we recommend that you plan to start your 4 weeks after you return.

• What do I need to bring for camp?  You will need  a yoga style mat, a set of weights and a stability ball. You will want to choose 5 lb. dumbbells if you're not currently strength training. If you've been working out with weights, 8 or 10 lb. weights work well. On the third day of camp each week, we have ball day. It's by far the favorite day of our chicks and is an excellent core workout. You can pick up a ball from Academy/Target/Walmart. The box will tell you which size to choose based on your height. We use our weights on ball day as well, so be sure to have those with you.

• What do you do if it rains or we have cold weather? Most of our camps have an indoor space, just minutes from their outside location. Check with your trainer to find out if their camp has an indoor space. If not, and there is inclement weather, you will be given a rain check and be able to use it at the end of your session. You won't lose the workout....and we will not ask you to workout in the rain.

• Are you going to make me run? We hear from chicks all the time that other boot camps had them running... and running... and running. We all know running works and burns a lot of calories... but so do many other forms of exercise. TFC owner, Melody, creates challenging, effective workouts that do NOT include running. There are lots of ways to burn calories, and we like to be creative in the way we train. Don't worry - unlike other boot camp workouts, you won't be asked to run any distance during your Texas Fit Chicks boot camp experience.

• How do I sign Up? Once you purchase the deal, you will need to contact your trainer directly to schedule your first day of boot camp. You have to schedule the start date before you attend the first time. Below is the contact information for each trainer and their location:

If you have any other questions please email Support@texasfitchicks.com

I hope you will join us and Re-Shape your Future!!

Melody Chandler

Owner/Trainer
Texas Fit Chicks Boot Camp

Beat your cravings...5 ways to stop cravings before they start!

Food...Food...Food. It might be easy to choose the right things to eat all the time if we only had to do it once a day...but we don't! It's everywhere and necessary for our bodies to function. The part of the country I live in isn't known for it's great outdoor hiking, skiing, surfing or mountain climbing. Pretty much it's shopping or eating out. That's what we do in Dallas. Ok - I know some of you will say that you know of great trails to get out and get busy on...but for the most part, it's all about On the Border or Target lol. Most people I see will troll the parking lot to get a spot close so that they don't have to take more than about 10 steps to get inside the Super Target too!

We all have those unhealthy cravings to contend with ~ like the Cinnabon stand at the mall. (By the way - the classic come with 813 calories for 1 of those suckers)...but wouldn't it be great to know how to beat those cravings before they begin? We've come up with 5 ways to help you beat cravings...before they start. 

1. Manage Stress. Sounds like a no-brainer, but make an effort to see if you happen to be an emotional eater. Many times, people with high-stress turn to food as a coping mechanism. 

2. Stay Fueled. Keeping your blood sugar levels steady is critical to not over-eating later. Having 5-6 small meals (250-350 cals) per day will keep it in check. Yes. Even if you're not "hungry" eat...even if it's just an apple. It really does work to keep yourself from binging the next time you see food.
3. Eat Good Carbs. Get rid of everything in your kitchen that's white. Sugar. Bread. Pasta. Rice. Those are a recipe for spiking blood sugar followed by the dreaded carb crash that will make you craving MORE! Choose whole grain wheat instead.

4. Retrain Your Brain. Experts say it takes 21 days to create a habit...so decide today that you are going to not eat dessert after dinner every night, or give up those diet sodas (that leech calcium from your bones), or not skip breakfast anymore...etc you get the picture. Create a good habit and stick with it for 21 days. Challenge yourself!
5. Spot YOUR triggers. For me, it's when the kids get home from school, and I start to get into the pantry to feed them their snacks. While I don't buy much "junk" for the house, I do get a little 'kid food' every now and then, and 3pm seems to be my weak time during the day. My response? I found the best protein bar that tastes just like a candy bar (yes, I'm serious) and I eat that along with having a cup of hot green tea. Quest Bars work like a charm...and keeps me full till' dinner.

Our female trainers at Texas Fit Chicks boot camp (formerly McKinney Bootcamps) are all REAL women with real lives and real experience. Nope - we aren't fitness models, but we love working out and guiding other women on how to get fit! We've got 52 camp times to choose from in Dallas, Houston and College Station. Training with us will help you lose weight and get healthy. Now you can train with TFC for an incredible price. 

Check out our GROUPON Deal of the day HERE!

Click here to visit our website 

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Want a great dose of Antioxidants? Top 10 Fruits to eat

Top 10 Fruits for Antioxidents

There are so many diets out there, and books on how to lose weight. While some might take the weight off for a time, others will have you just losing water weight and are a very quick fix that won't last long term. Before I was a trainer, I was on and off the diet wagon based on which book was a best seller at the time. Thanks to the South Beach diet, eating a strawberry threw me into a tailspin. Many years ago, I was in search of the perfect diet that would help me shed all the baby weight I gained while prego with baby #2. In Phase 1 of the South Beach Diet, fruit is off limits completely. I did ok for the first day or two, but on day 3, had a strawberry and quickly fell into the thinking everyone has while on these things..."now I've blown it for the day - might as well eat what I want since I already screwed up". I had never cared much about the bakery at the grocery store either, until I started South Beach! 

While it is true that you will lose weight with this diet, it put my mind into that "Diet" mode that is not healthy and seems restrictive. I was probably off and on phase 1 of South Beach for 2-3 years. It wasn't until I stopped trying these types of "diets" and learned how to eat healthy foods, that I was able to start losing the weight.

Fruits are something that shouldn't be restricted in a meal plan (in my opinion). Yes, grapes and ripe bananas are higher on the sugar scale than others, and while I would probably limit the consumption of them if trying to lose weight, I wouldn't make them totally off limits. These are 10 fruits the USDA ranked for the disease-fighting antioxidants...

1. Blueberries
2. Cranberries
3. Blackberries
4. Raspberries
5. Strawberries
6. Apples
7. Cherries
8. Black Plums
9. Avocados
10. Pears

Fruit is natures dessert ~ enjoy!

Want more Fitness Tips? Let's connect on Facebook HERE

Check out our GROUPON deal of the day HERE! 

Top 7 Reasons Cardio is a key component of your fitness program

I hate treadmills. There is nothing worse than running and going nowhere...in my opinion :) For years, I would go to the gym and ignore the boring cardio machines, opting to only lift weights. I was missing out on so many benefits of doing cardio, but I didn’t want to be bored!! High Intensity Interval Training was the answer for me. The treadmill wasn’t so horrible if I was sprinting as fast as I could for 30 seconds then taking a break for a bit. Challenging myself like that was the only way I could stomach the treadmill. After a while though, that too became mundane. Boot Camp training was the answer for me. Doing a variety of cardio drills alleviates boredom completely and not only will your heart benefit, you might have to shop for new clothes in a smaller size!

If you are one that doesn’t have time for long drawn out bouts of cardio I have good news! You can get the same results from short bursts of activity…if done correctly!

Here are some of the top benefits of high intensity cardio exercise;

Cardio exercise improves blood circulation

Cardiovascular activity like running helps to increase the density of your capillary network. Capillaries are tiny blood vessels that cover your entire body delivering oxygenated blood and nutrients to where they are needed and taking away toxins and other waste products from cells. By increasing the density of your capillary network you create an environment where greater oxygen delivery is possible and waste disposal is made more efficient.

Cardio exercise lowers blood pressure

Cardiovascular conditioning like running can help lower blood pressure. While the scientific reasons for this are unclear, it has been observed as a common by-product of those who exercise regularly, particularly if blood pressure was high to begin with. In fact many doctors will recommend patients commit to a period of cardiovascular activity if they discover they have high blood pressure! One of our fit chicks Dee recently got a great dr. report and was able to discontinue her blood pressure meds due to her fitness training at Texas Fit Chicks bootcamp!

Cardio exercise enhances blood flow

Greater blood flow means you can circulate greater levels of oxygen around the body and produce energy more efficiently. Enhanced blood flow will also help remove waste products and toxins more effectively.

Cardio exercise increases stroke volume

Stroke Volume refers to the volume of blood the heart pumps per beat. Cardio exercise can cause a substantial increase in stroke volume both at rest and when exercising.

Increased stroke volume is likely caused by;

• A decreased heart rate allowing for more blood to enter the ventricles between beats

• A greater volume of blood in circulation leading to more blood returning to the heart

• An increase in the size of the left ventricle chamber

• An increase in the strength of the hearts contractions due to thicker ventricle walls

Cardio exercise lowers resting heart rate

Many people experience a substantial lowering of resting heart rate after improving their conditioning through cardio exercise. This is likely to be caused by an increase in stroke volume and improved oxygen delivery. The result is the heart has to beat fewer times per minute to deliver the same amount of oxygen. A resting heart of 70bpm or lower is excellent.

Cardio exercise increases energy expenditure

Cardio exercise is fantastic means of increasing your weekly energy expenditure. For those of you fit chicks looking to burn fat this is good news. Increasing your energy expenditure makes it more likely that you will create the required energy deficit for fat loss to occur. Remember if your body has an energy surplus then there is no need for the body to dig into its own energy reserves (fat) to make up the short fall.

High intensity cardio like our bootcamp hill sprints will also help trigger the release of potent fat burning hormones such as HGH thereby helping to accelerate fat loss results. Low intensity cardio will not

Cardio exercise can help improve sports performance

For those of you that play sports, enhancing your conditioning will only help your performance. More often than not it is the player or team who is able to maintain their intensity for longer that will come out on top in an athletic setting.

At Texas Fit Chicks bootcamp, we incorporate Tabata training during our workout. This high intensity training protocal will give you greater benefits than steady state training. Our bodies also never have the opportunity to plateau when you participate in our boot camps, since every single workout is different.Our clients see the benefits of working out in as little as 4 weeks with us. Join us and start this Monday to make sure your workout will get you the results you want to see. We take the guesswork out of losing weight and getting healthy! 

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We offer our womens' only fitness program in: Mesquite, McKinney, Allen, Plano, Frisco, Anna, Prosper, Keller, Wylie, Richardson, Dallas, The Colony, Lancaster, Celina, Rockwall, Carrollton, College Station & Houston

Tips for staying on track when eating out

Let's face it...eating out is really hard when you are trying to lose weight. There is a reason that calorie content and fat grams aren't printed alongside the fettucine alfredo or bowl of queso...because nobody would eat it! A dinner portion of Fettuccine Alfredo at a popular italian restaurant along with 2 of their breadsticks contain 1520 calories and 52g of saturated fat!!! (That's calories for an entire day and double the amount of sat. fat recommended for the DAY!) 

The workouts that we do at Texas Fit Chicks BootCamp will burn anywhere from 400-600 calories in one hour. Add up how many hours you'd have to workout to burn that off, then ask yourself is it really worth it??? Most of the time that answer should be a loud NO. The 90/10 rule should apply to your eating habits when you are trying to lose weight. 90% of the time be eating clean, good foods. Then you can indulge 10% of the time. This can mean that 6 days a week you are eating well and you take 1 day "off" to indulge. For faster weight loss, make that 1 meal rather than 1 day. When you realize how quickly you can derail your hard workouts - it makes the eating bad not seem so good!

If it's not time for your free meal and you have to go out to eat, here are a few tips on how to eat smart when eating out:

• Start out with a small salad. This will help to fill you up before the main dish comes, and might prevent you from overeating the higher calorie food. Order it without croutons, cheese or cream-based dressing. Oil and Vinegar is best.
• Order Veggies instead of rice
• Stick to chicken or fish as an entree - order it grilled, baked or blackened - Avoid Crusted, stuffed or fried of course 
• Ask for salsa as a side sauce instead of sour cream, butter, cheese or bacon.
• Ask for a to-go box before you start eating and divide your meal in half right away. The portion sizes are out of control in our society - and you won't feel compelled to eat more than you need if it's not in front of you
• Don't drink your calories - stick with water w/ lemon, unsweetened tea, etc.
• Order off the kids menu - many times these sized portions are "normal" and half the calories of the full sized entree

So many restaurants have their nutrition info online - so if you know ahead of time where you are going, educate yourself before you get there. You will be shocked to see the amounts of sodium, fat and calories that are in some healthy sounding entrees. The restaurants want people to come back over and over - and to make the food taste the way they make it, they load it up with butter, sugar and it's easy to get your full days worth of calories in one sitting!

When trying to lose weight, ignorance is not bliss. Once you realize how much work goes into burning calories, then you learn how many calories are in restaurant food, you will most likely decide that it's just not worth it. Our society is so food-driven these days, and if you look at what a portion size was 50 yrs ago, and what it is today, it's no wonder we have the obesity crisis that we do in America. Health experts predict that by the year 2020, 1/2 of American adults will have Diabetes. This is a shocking statistic, but true.

The best way to stay on track is to prepare as many meals at home as you can, but if you need to go out, make a plan before you go...and think this thought: "Is what I'm about to eat going to get me closer to my goal?" Might make you re-think that Alfredo :)

- Melody Chandler, CPT
Owner, Texas Fit Chicks 

Fitness Boot Camp Program for Women Only. Re-Shape your Future
Locations in Dallas.Houston.College Station


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Nutrition Tips from Texas Fit Chicks Bootcamp

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Here are some commonly asked questions from our chicks ~ we thought we'd share with you!

What would be best to focus on first, nutrition or exercise?
The Answer: BOTH! You can eat your way out of any great workout so it's extremely important that if you are trying to lose weight and create more health and wellness to your life you have to make nutrition a priority. Here are some simple tips to keep in mind. Remember, by small changes you will create big results:

     *Don't drink your calories! Check out our fb page HERE for some great links to articles that will shed more light into this.  I encourage you to drink as much water throughout the day as you can and avoid any all soda.  That may seem unrealistic, but when it comes to your health and your body don't you want to give it your best?

    *Make your calories count! Look for nutrient dense foods. It's recommended to shop the periphery of the grocery store, especially the produce section. Start reading the labels--if you can't pronounce it, you probably don't want to eat it! I love Dr. Andrew Weil's statement, "A dish can only be good as its worst ingredient." With that in mind strive to consume food that is minimally or not processed at all. When food is taken from it's natural state, stripped down and processed and then given a few man-made vitamins to make it consumable it's harder for our body to even recognize it as food. It takes longer for our bodies to digest it and it places a lot of stress on our bodily systems to break it down and absorb the small amount of usable nutrition that it holds.  Keep that in mind the next time you are making your grocery lists. Find places that you can start making some healthier changes--a little at a time.

Maybe you're not worried about counting calories, and that's just fine. Just remember that your body isn't a trash can, so don't put garbage in it.  If you are counting calories consider this: you want aim for 100-250 calories for a snack and approximately 300-450 calories for a meal. These amounts will differ from one person to the next. It will depend on your needs and the amount of exercise you do during the week.

   *Stock your Pantry for success. Fill it your with whole grains, beans, nuts and other nutrient rich foods. I'm not suggesting you just throw out what you have all at once and start fresh. It will be easier on your budget to just start with one or two items each time you shop. Some suggestions of items to start using if you don't already: brown rice, old fashioned/steel oats, quinoa, whole wheat breads/pastas/flours, lentils, black beans, garbanzo beans, all natural-low sodium broths, I could go on and on. This is just a place to start. Let me know if you want more detail on this.

   *Don't forget to eat breakfast! Feed your family  something that will give them the fuel they need for the day-not fill them with empty calories and send their blood sugar spiking. On that note if you have any artificially flavored maple syrup once it's gone do not use it anymore. It does nothing good for your body, filling it with empty calories and sending your blood sugar spiking that will cause you to be hungry sooner, and crave more sweets and calories later in the day. My suggestions for pancake toppings: All natural maple syrup, Agave Syrup, nut butters, or my favorite: plain, nonfat greek yogurt and organic strawberry jam.

    *Make sure you include some protein in your meals and snacks. How much protein? Here's how to Calculate your protein needs:

       1. Calculate your weight in kg: body weight in lb. x .45 = body weight in kg.
       2. Multiply weight in kg by 0.8. The result is the grams of protein you should consume    per day.
                For example: body weight 160lb
                 1. 160lb x .45 = 72 kg body weight
                  2. 72kg x 0.8 = 57.6 grams of protein per day

 *Make Portions a Priority! The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute provides these visual examples to help us better understand what a serving really looks like.

One Serving                                                Looks Like
1 cup cereal flakes                                      fist
1 pancake                                                  compact disk
1/2 cup cooked rice/pasta                            1/2 baseball
1/4 cup raisins                                            large egg
1 baked potato                                           fist
1 cup salad greens                                     baseball
1/2 cup fresh fruit                                        1/2 baseball
1 1/2 ounces cheese                                   4 stacked dice
1 teaspoon margarine/butter                         1 dice
3 ounces meat, fish, poultry                         deck of cards
3 ounces cooked fish                                  checkbook
2 tablespoons peanut butter                         ping pong ball

Here's an easy tip, if you're trying to eat smaller portions use a smaller dish!  And when eating out have half of the meal boxed up when it is served to you to eat later. Restaurants typically serve larger portions than one person really needs.

We'd love for you to share this information with your friends if you found it helpful!
Committed to Your Success
Melody Chandler

7 Tips to Lose Weight + How to Speed Up Your Metabolism

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Weight loss is a topic of vital importance for everyone that is truly interested in their health. Although many of us make weight loss our new year's resolution, it is a topic that must be dealt with year round. I've put together 7 simple steps to lose weight, plus details on how to speed up your metabolism. 

• When starting a weight loss journey, especially a significant one, clients that set multiple small goals instead of focusing on the main goal are much more successful.  It is much more daunting to think about losing 50 pounds in 6 months than it is to focus on losing 10 pounds in one month. By choosing the smaller goal, in 6 months you will have lost 60 pounds instead of 50.

• Reducing your stress level is essential when on a weight loss or fitness plan. Depression can cause you to eat more, eat unhealthy foods and reduce exercise. When you are stressed out it is hard to find motivation to exercise, so reducing stress can lead to being more active.

• Increasing the taste and zest in your food can help you feel full and make dieting a great deal more pleasurable. By choosing spicy food and other flavor-packed cuisines, you entertain your taste buds and add to the overall level of satisfaction you take in eating. Meals no longer have to be bland, self-denying experiences.

• As soon as you start to see some progress with your weight loss goals, reward yourself with a little shopping trip. You don't have to spend a lot of money. Just buying a new pair of pants or a new shirt will go a long way toward motivating you to continue. Soon you will see even more changes!

• To help achieve more noticeable weight loss, watch the amount of sodium that you eat each day. Eating too much sodium can cause you to retain water which will lead to pounds on the scale. If you do not see your weight go down, you may become discouraged and give up your diet. Knowing that muscle weighs more than fat is important because the scale isn’t always the best indicator of improved fitness. I always go by how my clothes fit versus the number.

• You should always try to find diets and eating plans that emphasize long term lifestyle change. Using methods of weight loss that have you losing weight much too quickly will only lead to you gaining back all of the weight you lost just as fast as you lost it. This becomes a vicious cycle for too many women. Are you one that's tried every diet? I am! Before becoming a trainer, I did the Cabbage Soup diet, South Beach, Atkins, Detox Diet....and the list goes on. Inevitably I'd lose and then gain back everything I'd lost plus another 5 or so pounds! Those are not long term fixes, and once you're 'off' the restrictive plan, you make up for lost time and gain more weight back than you lost. 

• Weight loss is all about consistency. Don't wake up one morning, think you are going to go to the gym or start boot camp one day, and be skinny the next day. Weight loss is about waking up every morning with the motivation and determination to keep on going, to keep changing your unhealthy habits into healthy habits, until you reach your target weight.

Every one of us has an idea about what we would look like if we were our ideal selves. For many of us losing weight is a vital step toward achieving that vision. By applying the tips from this article you will help ensure that you reach and maintain your ideal self. Weight lifting is a critical piece of any good weight loss program. Research has shown that weightlifting boosts metabolism. For a lot of people trying to speed up their metabolism, the first thing they think is to engage in an aerobic or cardio-exercise program. However, by merely focusing on cardiovascular activities, you may actually miss another piece of the fitness puzzle. Few people realize that when it comes to speeding up metabolism, good old-fashioned weight lifting is one of the effective methods, if not the best way to boost metabolism.

A number of studies have shown that athletes exhibit higher RMR (Resting Metabolic Rate) than non-athletes. RMR is the number of calories we burn to maintain our vital body processes in a resting state. It is usually determined by measuring a body’s oxygen utilization (which is closely tied to calorie burning) while one is lying down or sitting quietly in the early morning before breakfast or after a full night’s sleep. RMR typically accounts for about 65 to 75 percent of the total daily calorie expenditure.

When you lift weights, you’re not actually building muscle, you are breaking it down. The physical exertion involved in weightlifting causes the metabolism to speed up. After the muscle is broken down, the body compensates by building more muscle to try and keep the muscle from breaking down again. It takes a large amount of energy from calories to rebuild new and bigger muscles (happens while you sleep), So lifting weights burns calories and speeds up metabolism not only during the weight lifting workout but also while the body builds bigger and stronger muscles.

A weight lifting routine must be done correctly and at regular intervals to get the maximum effect. Going to the gym once a week will not bring the kind of results I am talking about. It will take some time and dedication to build new muscle mass but the end result will be worth it with a better body and a sped up metabolism. Texas Fit Chicks boot camp trainers teach women HOW to lift and at intervals that work. Our program is proven to get results, and we are so confident in it that it’s 100% guaranteed.

For taking the time to read this article, I would love to extend the offer of a free class with Texas Fit Chicks if you've never experienced a TFC workout, to see if our program might be right for you. Feel free to visit our website (www.texasfitchicks.com) to see which location works best for you. Reach out to the trainer in your area and let her know you’d like to try a free class. She will sign register you for the trial and get you all of the information you will need.

Committed to your success,
Melody Chandler, CPT
Owner/Texas Fit Chicks Boot Camp
Free Daily Fitness tips on Facebook

This one thing can help you lose weight, and keep it off!

A recent study from the Kaiser Permanente Ctr for Health Research, found that logging what you eat regularly can help you shed nearly two times more weight than if you don't keep a journal. If you are trying to lose weight and keep it off, something as mundane as recording what goes into your body can be a powerful tool to help!

There are a couple of reasons that food journaling works. First off, you might re-think what you are about to mindlessly eat. Do you REALLY want to write that you scarfed down a bag of M&M's for your 4pm snack? Another reason it works is because it can teach you how many calories are really in that starbucks latte with whip cream and chocolate drizzled over the top! Ignorance is not bliss when you are trying to keep track of calories you consume in a day.

Another reason it works is you can find out if you are not eating enough. I have had clients in the past that, after journaling their food, we find out that they are only taking in 800 calories a day....and 200 were from alcohol! The goal is to keep the metabolism running efficiently and burning those calories all day...not slowing to a crawl because it thinks you are in starvation mode. Here are a few ways to make food journaling work for you!

• Track your normal eating for 2 weeks. This gives you a baseline. Also include the amount of water you are drinking.
• I have several clients that track their food on their phone...there's an app for it! How easy and convenient..you don't even have to dig through the kitchen drawer for a pen!
• Write (or type) down everything you eat, right away. You can look up the caloric content later, but get it down asap. OR if you don't have time to type it in - take a picture of your meal with your phone...and figure it out later!
• Be 100% Honest. This is a no-brainer. It's not going to work if you skip this little detail
• Learn Portion Control. Even though something is good for you - too much of anything is never good. Measure it if you aren't sure!
• If you create a 500 calorie deficit each day, you will lose 1 lb per week! It's always been about calories in vs calories out...and always will be.

This year, make a resolution to track your food for the next 2 weeks. That's an attainable goal, and will help you stay on track!!

Check out our new prices for the NEW year! Better time than ever to become a fit chick with us!

Start 2013 off with a bang and Commit to be FIT! Texas Fit Chicks Boot Camp specializes in helping women lose weight. After learning how to eat clean and becoming consistent in my workouts, my hypothyroidism is under control and I'm able to stay at a healthy weight. The key to success is to eat clean 90% of the time and 10% of the time, indulge.

Our expert trainers are here to help you find consistency and we hold you accountable if you miss a workout!

Texas Fit Chicks Boot Camp has over 25 locations and times, including Prosper, McKinney, Wylie, Anna, Frisco, Allen, Plano, University Park, Richardson, The Colony, Mesquite, Fairview, College Station, Houston, Spring, Colleyville and Keller Texas!

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