Sore Muscles? Try Water with Turmeric!!

Workin' on staying hydrated but also find that your muscles are a bit sore from our calorie-torching workouts?  Try drinking water with turmeric!  This is a go-to when you've got muscle soreness and/or a headache - turmeric has many great health benefits, including being a fantastic anti-inflammatory!  

Give this recipe a try:

Lemon Turmeric Water

Pour a BIG glass of water (18-20 oz)

Squeeze in the juice of half of a lemon

Stir in 1/4 teaspoon of turmeric

Add a dash of cayenne if you want to kick it up a bit

Add ice and enjoy!

Goodbye soreness and hellooooo hydration!

1. Turmeric is a natural anti-inflammatory and has been proven to reduce pain symptoms and help chronic pain sufferers with arthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.

2. Turmeric has long been recognized for it’s healing powers by physicians and healers in the holistic community, however western medical professionals are only just starting to learn about turmerics benefits.

3. If you suffer from acne, turmeric is not only helpful taken internally but you can also use it externally by making a turmeric paste!

4. Turmeric root can be juiced and used as a pain reliever. Only a small amount is needed to do the trick.

5. Even chronic sufferers of arthritis and rheumatoid arthritis can experience relief by using turmeric on a frequent basis. Use it raw for best results by sprinkling it on salads and raw dishes as well as mixing it into fresh vegetable juices & coconut water.

6. Clean cuts and wounds with turmeric, it’s a natural anti-septic and anti-bacterial.

7. Turmeric has high amounts of anti-oxidants that fight cancer causing free radicals, keeping your immune system strong. If you have a cold or flu, turmeric is one of the best things you can do to speed up recovery.

8. Even chronic skin conditions like psoriasis can be helped with turmeric. for a healthy skin regimen, make a turmeric cocktail every day for 2 weeks accompanied by fresh raw foods, juices and green smoothies.

9. Using turmeric in your daily or weekly regimen will help you recover from yoga and workouts faster by reducing inflammation and easing sore muscles.

10. Turmeric also contains good amounts of iron and other minerals so use it as a blood builder.

Disclaimer: Don’t use turmeric in excess, less is more. It’s also important to check with your practitioner if you have a liver condition as turmeric can be hard on your liver in some cases.

Eating Out?! Stay On Track With These Tips!!

www.FitChickTraining.com

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 Fit Chicks Boot Camp 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:

1. 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.

2. 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

3. Ask for salsa as a side 
sauce instead of sour cream, butter, cheese or bacon.

4. 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

5. Don't drink your calories
stick with water w/ lemon, unsweetened tea, etc.

6. Order off the kids menu
many times these sized portions are "normal" and half the calories of the full sized entree

7. Check the nutrition info ahead of time
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. 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.

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 :)

What is 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 and beyond. 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, 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. 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.FitChickTraining.com Are you a certified trainer interested in joining our team? Find out more here: www.fitchicktrainers.com

Tips To Staying Cool During Summer Workouts

1. Get the timing right

early morning or late evening is best

2. Stay hydrated

Guidelines recommend consuming 17-20 ounces of water two hours before exercise, 7-10 ounces of fluid every ten minutes during exercise, and 16-24 ounces for every pound of body weight lost after exercise

3. Eat to beat the heat

Avoid spicy foods, which stimulate heat production, also high-protein foods and anything greasy will be harder to digest, thus enhancing internal heat production. Stick with easy to digest foods like fruit, eggs, or yogurt instead!

3. Dress cool

Lightweight, light color, moisture wicking, loose-fitting, and minimal clothing can provide a greater skin surface area for heat dissipation.

3. Take it easy

On crazy-hot days, you may need to change your “go hard or go home” philosophy to “go easy or go inside.” If you’re acclimated to hot weather, then you may be able to tolerate a tough workout in extreme heat, but if you live in an area where three-digit temps make headlines, scale back when a heat wave hits.

3. Notice the warning signs

If you're working out and start to feel crampy, dizzy, or nauseous, stop immediately and start doing damage control. Drink plenty of water and remove any unnecessary clothing. You can also mist your skin with water to bring your body temperature down. 

If your skin is hot but not sweaty, or your pulse feels fast and weak, those are signs of heatstroke. Call 911 and get cool any way that you can until help arrives. Anytime the heat index is over 90 degrees, you’re at risk for heat exhaustion; over 105 degrees, it’s almost a given. So play it safe—if you know you can’t handle the heat, head indoors.

75 WEIGHT LOSS TIPS!

 I can only handle 1 change now. What should it be??

• Eating out? Halve it, and bag the rest. A typical restaurant entree has 1,000 to 2,000 calories, not even counting the bread, appetizer, beverage, and dessert.
• When dining out, make it automatic: Order one dessert to share.
• Use a salad plate instead of a dinner plate
• See what you eat. Plate your food instead of eating out of the jar or bag.
• Eat the low-cal items on your plate first, then graduate. Start with salads, veggies, and broth soups, and eat meats and starches last. By the time you get to them, you’ll be full enough to be content with smaller portions of the high-calorie choices
• Instead of whole milk, switch to 1 percent. If you drink one 8-oz glass a day, you’ll lose 5 lb in a year
• Overeating is not the result of exercise. Vigorous exercise won’t stimulate you to overeat. It’s just the opposite. Exercise at any level helps curb your appetite immediately following the workout.
• When you’re exercising, you shouldn’t wait for thirst to strike before you take a drink. By the time you feel thirsty, you’re already dehydrated. Drink 8 ounces an hour before and another 4 to 8 ounces every 15 to 20 minutes during your workout. Finish with at least 16 ounces after you’re done exercising
• Drinking too few can hamper your weight loss efforts. That’s because dehydration can slow your metabolism by 3 percent, or about 45 fewer calories burned a day, which in a year could mean weighing 5 pounds more. The key to water isn’t how much you drink, it’s how frequently you drink it. Small amounts sipped often work better than 8 ounces gulped down at once.
• Skipping breakfast will leave you tired and craving naughty foods by midmorning. To fill up healthfully and tastefully, try this sweet, fruity breakfast full of antioxidants. In a blender, process 1 c nonfat plain or vanilla yogurt, 1 1/3 c frozen strawberries (no added sugar), 1 peeled kiwi, and 1 peeled banana. Pulse until mixture is milkshake consistency. Makes one 2-cup serving; 348 calories and 1.5 fat grams.
• If you’re famished by 4 p.m. and have no alternative but an office vending machine, reach for the nuts—. The same goes if your only choices are what’s available in the hotel minibar.
• Next time you’re feeling wiped out in late afternoon, forgo that cup of coffee and reach for a cup of yogurt instead. The combination of protein, carbohydrate, and fat in an 8-ounce serving of low-fat yogurt will give you a sense of fullness and well-being that coffee can’t match, as well as some vital nutrients. If you haven’t eaten in 3 to 4 hours, your blood glucose levels are probably dropping, so eating a small amount of nutrient-rich food will give your brain and your body a boost.
• Making just a few changes to your pantry shelves can get you a lot closer to your weight loss goals. Here’s what to do: If you use corn and peanut oil, replace it with olive oil. Same goes for breads—go for whole wheat. Trade in those fatty cold cuts like salami and bologna and replace them canned tuna, sliced turkey breast, and lean roast beef. Change from drinking whole milk to fat-free milk or low-fat soy milk. This is hard for a lot of people so try transitioning down to 2 percent and then 1 percent before you go fat-free.

How do I avoid late-night eating??

• Eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The large majority of people who struggle with night eating are those who skip meals or don’t eat balanced meals during the day. This is a major setup for overeating at night
• Eat your evening meal in the kitchen or dining room, sitting down at the table.
• Drink cold unsweetened raspberry tea. It tastes great and keeps your mouth busy.
• Change your nighttime schedule. It will take effort, but it will pay off. You need something that will occupy your mind and hands.
• If you’re eating at night due to emotions, you need to focus on getting in touch with what’s going on and taking care of yourself in a way that really works. Find a nonfood method of coping with your stress.
• Put a sign on the kitchen and refrigerator doors: “Closed after Dinner.”
• Brush your teeth right after dinner to remind you: No more food.
• Eat without engaging in any other simultaneous activity. No reading, watching TV, or sitting at the computer.

How can I control my raging sweet tooth??

• Once in a while, have a lean, mean salad for lunch or dinner, and save the meal’s calories for a full dessert
• Are you the kind of person who does better if you make up your mind to do without sweets and just not have them around? Or are you going to do better if you have a limited amount of sweets every day? One RD reported that most of her clients pick the latter and find they can avoid bingeing after a few days.
• If your family thinks they need a very sweet treat every night, try to strike a balance between offering healthy choices but allowing them some “free will.” Compromise with low-fat ice cream and fruit, or sometimes just fruit with a dollop of whipped cream.
• Try 2 weeks without sweets. It’s amazing how your cravings vanish.
• Eat more fruit. A person who gets enough fruit in his diet doesn’t have a raging sweet tooth.
• Eat your sweets, just eat them smart! Carve out about 150 calories per day for your favorite sweet. That amounts to about an ounce of chocolate, half a modest slice of cake, or 1/2 cup of regular ice cream.
• Try these smart little sweets: sugar-free hot cocoa, frozen red grapes, fudgsicles, sugar-free gum, Nutri-Grain chocolate fudge twists, Tootsie Rolls, and hard candy.
• Give it away! After company leaves, give away leftover food to neighbors, doormen, or delivery people, or take it to work the next day (and don't set it on your desk :)
• Walk around the mall three times before you start shopping.
• Make exercise a nonnegotiable priority.
• Remember, EAT before you meet. Have this small meal before you go to any parties: a hardboiled Egg, Apple, and a Thirst quencher (water, seltzer, diet soda, tea).
• As obvious as it sounds, don’t stand near the food at parties. Make the effort, and you’ll find you eat less.
• At a buffet? Eating a little of everything guarantees high calories. Decide on three or four things, only one of which is high in calories. Save that for last so there’s less chance of overeating.
• Scramble eggs in a nonstick skillet. Pop some asparagus in the microwave, and add whole wheat toast. If your cholesterol levels are normal, you can have seven eggs a week!
• A bag of frozen vegetables heated in the microwave, topped with 2 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese and 2 tablespoons of chopped nuts.

Great ideas for a low-cal dinner when you don't want to cook

• A smoothie made with fat-free milk, frozen fruit, and wheat germ.
• The smallest fast-food burger (with mustard and ketchup, not mayo) and a no-cal beverage. Then at home, have an apple or baby carrots.
• A peanut butter sandwich on whole wheat bread with a glass of 1 percent milk and an apple.
• Skipping meals. Many healthy eaters “diet by day and binge by night.”
• Don’t “graze” yourself fat. You can easily munch 600 calories of pretzels or cereal without realizing it
• Eating pasta like crazy. A serving of pasta is 1 cup, but some people routinely eat 4 cups.43. Eating supersize bagels of 400 to 500 calories for snacks
• Ignoring “Serving Size” on the Nutrition Facts panel.
• Snacking on bowls of nuts. Nuts are healthy but dense with calories. Put those bowls away, and use nuts as a garnish instead of a snack.
• Thinking all energy bars and fruit smoothies are low-cal.

How to Cut Calories:

• Juice has as many calories, ounce for ounce, as soda. Set a limit of one 8-oz glass of fruit juice a day.
• Get calories from foods you chew, not beverages. Have fresh fruit instead of fruit juice
• Keep a food journal. It really works wonders
• Follow the Chinese saying: “Eat until you are eight-tenths full.”
• Use mustard instead of mayo.
• Eat more soup. The noncreamy ones are filling but low-calorie
• Cut back on or cut out caloric drinks such as soda, sweet tea, lemonade, etc. People have lost weight by making just this one change. If you have a 20-oz bottle of Coca-Cola every day, switch to Diet Coke. You should lose 25 lb in a year.
• Take your lunch to work.
• Sit when you eat.
• Dilute juice with water.
• Have mostly veggies for lunch.
• Eat at home
• Limit alcohol to weekends.

How to Eat more Veggies:

• Incorporate fruit and veggie shakes into your day
• Have a V8 or tomato juice instead o a Diet Coke at 3 pm.
• Doctor your veggies to make them delicious: Dribble maple syrup over carrots, and sprinkle chopped nuts on green beans.
• Mix three different cans of beans and some diet Italian dressing. Eat this three-bean salad all week.
• Don’t forget that vegetable soup counts as a vegetable.
• Rediscover the sweet potato.
• Use prebagged baby spinach everywhere: as “lettuce” in sandwiches, heated in soups, wilted in hot pasta, and added to salads.
• Spend the extra few dollars to buy vegetables that are already washed and cut up.
• Really hate veggies? Relax. If you love fruits, eat plenty of them; they are just as healthy (especially colorful ones such as oranges, mangoes, and melons).
• Keep seven bags of your favorite frozen vegetables on hand. Mix any combination, microwave, and top with your favorite low-fat dressing. Enjoy 3 to 4 cups a day. Makes a great quick dinner.

Mantra to stay on track:

• “The best portion of high-calorie foods is the smallest one. The best portion of vegetables is the largest one. Period.
• “I’ll ride the wave. My cravings will disappear after 10 minutes if I turn my attention elsewhere.”
• “I want to be around to see my grandchildren, so I can forgo a cookie now.”
• “I am a work in progress.”
• “It’s more stressful to continue being fat than to stop overeating.”
• You can't ever "Out-Train" a bad diet

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

Texas Fit Chicks Trainer Tip: Soreness Soak

Soreness Soak

 2 cups Apple Cider Vinegar
2 cups Epsom Salt

Take a shower or bath first, this is ONLY a soak. 
Run a tub of water as hot as you can stand (to your tolerance only). 
Place ingredients into water and SOAK for at least 20 minutes. 
This has an analgesic effect and will reduce soreness and aches. 

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

Breaking Barriers

The mind is such a powerful thing, it can help you get through tough times, or it can cause you to break! The strong learn how to handle and control their mind when it starts to rant, rave and tell them to stop what they’re doing. It's possible to develop a few strategies to help break through the barriers and achieve your goals! Here are a few ideas:

Do it one more time! 
So you're at bootcamp having a great workout, when that voice inside your head starts screaming at you to “stop” or “give up,” you fight back by completing whatever exercise your doing and then add one more. Completing just one more exercise, when everything inside of you is telling you to stop is a sure way to grow your mental muscles, and the next time you might do two more. Over time, this builds and you begin to control that voice.

Set Small Goals.
When you're in the middle of a workout, always have small goals in your head. Small goals add up to big goals. For example, if my workout calls for 15 burpees, my first goal might just be to get to 5. When I get to 5 and still feel good, I start thinking, “good, I’ll do 5 more without rest,” and when I get to 10 and start to feel fatigued I might just talk myself into “two more.” But at 12, I might use the “do it one more time rule,” and then do it again. After a few more you'll be knocking out every set!

Break through the wall.
A trainer is supposed to push you! Pushing you helps to break through the wall so many people develop when working out. A person needs to be pushed to reach their physical and mental best. Breaking through a wall = strength. Sometimes you're barely able to stand after an intense workout, but you never want to lose the mental battle, so fight to the end. After doing this over and over, you're WILL wins and you break through the wall. It's amazing! One of Texas Fit Chicks Trainers, Jodi, says "suck it up on soreness. if you're sore, your body is changing and thats what we're all in this for!" So push it chicks!!

Take You're Mind Off.
During a tough workout, take you're mind off the challenge. Talk about something random, etc. Discuss progress outside of scale/measuring like "hey, I lifted the baby carrier with no struggle this week. I'm obviously stronger."

Celebrate Non-Scale Victories. 
It's a lifestyle change and non scale victories can make all the difference! Making healthy food choices when out to eat, drinking all of your water, not eating sugary foods, working out on off boot camp days, dropping a size in clothing...these are all victories to celebrate. Celebrating these victories will help you break through barriers. Other non scale victories that can be celebrated are being a good role model to your kids, friends, and family. Love yourself enough to be healthy for YOURSELF because you deserve it!

Trainer Motivation
Your trainer might help you get past the point of breaking by telling you a funny story or nonsense story! Especially if you are doing a minute or timed challenge it always helps to push you through, so if you're trainer is talking listen up and before you know it the challenge will be over! Beth, one of our TFC Trainers in Austin says, "I also will do some of the harder exercises with my chicks and ask them what is burning. .... for example if we are doing a plank hold- I ask "who is shaking? because I am! I also help by giving quotes of "no pain no gain" "Sweat, Who cares, it is dark out and nobody can tell" "You got this, and just think this is ONLY 60 minutes and you have the rest of the 23 hours to make it matter!" Motivation is key to breaking barriers!

Your body can handle more 

than your mind thinks

It's A Lifestyle Change

There are so many celebrity diets, pills and drinks that make promises to help people lose weight QUICKLY. These sell because people want what they want when they want it. Like RIGHT NOW! We need instant gratification....we are impatient. Fast results with less work is what we are after. And society has believed all the hype about these quick fixes because people do lose weight fast with them. What about after the celebrity diet or the 30 days of magic pills is over? Why don't these companies share that people usually gain their weight back plus more and most continue to struggle with their weight after trying many of these quick fixes year after year. Faster is not better. TIME, hard work, healthy meal planning and exercise is what it takes. You see, we take our time coming to terms with needing to put in the EFFORT to getting LASTING RESULTS and until that lightbulb moment happens this will always be a struggle. Once we see that it's a LIFE STYLE change the mind changes too! Fitness and health is a way of life. Let's change our lifestyle to match our goals!

~LeighAnne

#livethefitlife #createahealhylifestyle #lastingresults #makehethychoices #noquickfixes #texasfitchicks #trainwithleighanne #itsalifestyle #nomoreweightlossbandaids

BLOG CONTRIBUTOR:

LeighAnne Maloy
Texas Fit Chicks Boot Camp
LeighAnne@texasfitchicks.com

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

Non Scale Victories!!

Compliments

Are others noticing the changes in your body? BRING on the compliments!! The kind words from others noticing your hardword speak loud and clear! They keep you inspired.

Inches

Remember that muscle weighs more than fat!! Fat also takes up more surface space than muscle. Although the numbers do not suggest you lost weight you may be toning and getting leaner!!

Daily Activities Are Easier

Are your daily tasks getting easier?! Feel like you have more time for you? That's great your body is adjusting to your new healthier lifestyle!

Increased Energy and Better Mood?

Reduced fat and increased muscle reduced the level of fatigue your body feels when having to carry extra weight around. Feeling better about your healthier choices would give anyone a positive energy boost!

Clothes Don't Lie

When the pair of jeans that once were too snug to fit now fit like a glove means progress has been made!!

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

Boot Camp - Kicking It Up a Notch!!

Boot Camp -- Kicking it up a Notch

You've probably seen plenty of tips on preparing the night before for an early workout--get your clothes and water bottle ready, set the alarm, put your gear in the car, etc. But how about during boot camp?

We meet only 3 hours a week; let's work together to maximize your results. If you think you've plateaued or are wondering if you can advance the workout, here are 10 tips on how to squeeze the most out of those precious minutes:

1. Remember, you and other chicks are here to WORKOUT! This is the hour you challenge yourself and go all out. Help yourself and the chicks around you accomplish this goal. You all do a great job encouraging each other. We can do more! If you notice new chicks, encourage them to set up closer to me so they can hear/see clearly. Newbies often set up at the ends, so let's pull them in!

2. Arrive with your gear ready, ball pumped, mats, weights, water, extra layer if needed. I normally do have extras available first come first serve. Let me know if you need to borrow, but please don't skip just because you forgot your stuff :-) Bodyweight can be gear too!

3. If you arrive late, please do a moving warm up. This will give you a MUCH better workout and help prevent injury. You can do the moves we're doing, but modified, or at least 3-5 minutes of running, jumping jacks, strength motions with no weights, mini squats, walkout planks--or even dance! Just get all your limbs moving in all directions, and do up and down movements to get the heart rate going.

4. Start the move right away! We may have new combinations of movements but we don't really add completely new exercises very often. If you see me demo a move you recognize, even if you can't hear me, please go ahead and start. You can always adjust it later. I will come around to make sure everyone knows what's going on. This is a great way to squeeze in extra reps--before I yell "go!"

5.  I understand with the music and distance it can be hard to hear me so I do fully expect to repeat myself and clarify the instructions; however if you are set up near me, then you get special duties to listen and even begin the move first--this will also help chicks who are further away. If they can see you right off doing the move, that will help them get going as I make my way over to repeat the instructions. The more I instruct while you wait, the LESS time we are actually doing the exercise. If 40 moves are planned I spend a 30 seconds instructing or repeating, that's 20 minutes of NOT working out. Please help each other listen or watch.

6. Note if you are are holding a conversation during the exercise, ask yourself if you are working hard enough! :-) For steady state cardio, you could talk, but we don't do steady state at boot camp. That would be like running for 15 minutes straight (hmm, that would be pretty easy on me!). We do intervals, so the cardio portions should be at maximum effort (should feel like you are pushing to about 85%-95% effort). Don't cheat yourself! If you're chirpin', you're not workin' (I should copyright that)!

7. During any strength training:

• Brace the abs
• Keep head, neck aligned (good posture all around)
• Eliminate momentum (no swinging to get the weight up unless it's an actual swing move)
• Breath steadily (in through nose, out through mouth)
• Keep knees soft and pointed the same direction as your toes.
• Stop when your form breaks. 

8. At several camps, chicks arrive early to socialize which is a great idea. Your friendship is exactly what keeps chicks returning and bringing new ones in. If there is something urgent that you absolutely need to tell someone during boot camp, please take one walking lap with her (ask first if it's OK) to share--we totally understand that tough stuff comes up and we're all here for you emotionally as well as for the workout. A few weeks ago I tapped some of you out to chat but the decision was yours to make. You each paid to be here, so let's help each other stay focused on the workout without losing too much time. 

9. I am keeping called breaks to a minimum. I want you to know your own body well enough to know when you need one. One of the best boot camp classes I've attended is where the instructor hardly said anything--it was on an indoor basketball court with loud music and terrible acoustics. All she had to do was pick up a dumbbell or point and demonstrate the move once, including modifications, and we were off! No waiting for the clock or for her to countdown--hardly any downtime. So if I start demonstrating the next move before you're done with the prior, and you know the exercise, you are allowed to go right in! Before you know it, you'll have done 10% or 15% more during the workout just because you kept the breaks short.

10. Be consistent. If you miss a workout, please do one on your own (look at past emails from me, or go to the meal plan you were given and turn to the ending pages--there are workouts right there!). If nothing else, combinations of squats, plank/pushups, and bicycle crunches will work almost everything in your body.

#soapboxisover

Thank you, chicks, for your texts, emails, FB posts, pictures, non-scale victories, and especially for your feedback. If you have a question or suggestion, it's likely someone else has it too, so feel free to communicate with me. 

Contributed By Trainer:

Wendy Lee

ACE-certified Personal Trainer

AFAA-certified Group Instructor

Texas Fit Chicks  

Enroll: http://www.texasfitchicks.com/wendy

Facebook: East Carrollton Texas Fit Chicks

7 Weight loss Tips + Speed Up Your Metabolism!

Weight loss is a topic of vital importance for everyone that is truly interested in their health. Here are 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.

METABOLISM

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.

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