Junk in the Trunk?

Growing up I always knew that I was a bit more "endowed in the rear" than my fellow smaller framed females. I was never considered skinny, willowy or petite. I was bigger, taller, and more athletic than all the girls (and boys) in my class through 8th grade. I hated it all through elementery school, high school, and years following. I tried covering it in skirt sizes way too big making sure not to hug an inch (my parents must've been proud) and spent countless hours at the gym crying to the trainers "JUST TELL ME WHAT I CAN DO TO GET RID OF IT". You see for some, including my former self, a big butt or curves as we consider it now, resonates with extra fat in the behind. It went hand in hand with considering yourself a fat a**. To some it was considered being curvy or bubbly, to me it was hell- and I wanted it gone. But no matter what I did, it never went away.

Over the years, my "curves" have defined me as a woman and as a mother. It's something I'm proud of, and Ive learned to defend. I wasnt fat, I was healthy and athletic. I was curvy, voluptuous and till this day would not trade my big hips or rear end for anything in the world. It may not be ideal to other standards of a female body, but its my perfect body. I'm a woman and a mother. My hips carried me through pregnancies and child birth. I've learned to love them, work em, and be proud of them. Thanks to the help of the J.Lo's, Beyonces, Rihannas and Christina Hendricks of the world its now more appreciated and accepted than ever. Whether you've got it or you dont- and this post is all about loving and embracing whatever body form you were given- its important to develop a stronger lower body. Many people think squats and lunges on the legs will make them bigger than they already are- but its not the case. Dont use heavy weights- you can get a killer leg workout with no weights at all. 

One of my favorite glutes exercise (a fancy word for saying butt) is the pelvic lift. Lie on your back on a mat, knees bent and hands by your side. If you're more advanced you can put a weight on your pelvic bone (between 10 and 20 lbs). Squeeze your glutes and lift your butt high off the floor. Thats one rep- go as long as you can- then rest. Do this 3 times. If you want to challange yourself, leave one leg on the floor and lift one leg at a time. Enjoy!

The fat thats not fat...

I've always been curious about that little pooch by the belly..its technically not considered fat- its called bloat, dead skin, after baby belly, whatever you call it- its there..and while there are reasons for it being there it doesnt mean it belongs there! I've noticed through my own journey that there are times when my stomach is more "bloated", and times where its leaner. There are so many reasons for this, I've done some research and came across this article by Greg Joujon Roche, celebrity trainer that I think sums it up and provides great detailed info on the "fat thats not fat".

As a rule, I’m contemptuous of fast weight loss methods, because they invariably trigger rebound weight gain. But there’s one way to lose weight quickly without causing a rebound: losing what some doctors now call “false fat.” False fat is the five to ten extra pounds of water weight, generally accompanied by abdominal bloating from gas, that comes from eating foods that cause food reactions. False fat isn’t really fat, or adipose tissue, but it looks like fat, feels like fat, and can last forever if you don’t do something about it.
Most people think of food reactions as allergies, but allergies are just one type of food reaction. The other, more common type of reaction is a food sensitivity, which is an allergy, but milder. All forms of food reactions, however, have similar symptoms: water retention, abdominal bloating from gas, food cravings, heartburn and indigestion, facial puffiness, and low energy. If you frequently have more than one of these symptoms, it’s quite possibly due to food reactions.

Food reactions typically occur when people can’t fully digest what they eat. For example, the food reaction of lactose intolerance is an inability to fully digest lactose, the sugar in dairy products. When food molecules can’t be fully digested, the body identifies them as foreign invaders - such as pathogens - and tries to get rid of them, in part by washing them away with extra water.

This inability to fully digest foods is extremely common these days, because:
• We eat too narrow a range of foods. Most people get about 75% of their total calories from only about 10 of their favorite staples. Unfortunately, when you overeat any one food, you can exhaust your body’s ability to digest it, by depleting specific digestive enzymes.
• We eat artificial foods that the body doesn’t recognize as foods.
• We eat foods we’re not genetically programmed to eat. The easiest foods to digest are those your ancestors thrived on. The hardest to digest are the foods your ancestors rarely ate. For example, Asians and African Americans have extremely high rates of lactose intolerance, mostly because their ancestors didn’t consume many dairy products.
Because it’s hard for your body to digest foods that you eat too often, the foods that most often cause food reactions are usually very common foods. The six “repeat offenders” that cause a huge majority of reactions are:
The Six Repeat Offenders:
1. Wheat
2. Dairy products
3. Eggs
4. Corn
5. Soy
6. Peanuts

Others that often cause problems are shellfish, chocolate, gluten (in wheat, rye, and oats), citrus fruits, M.S.G., and aspartame.

People often love the foods to which they are most reactive, because reactive foods can cause a drug-like response. As they enter the bloodstream - and trigger a distress alarm when they’re identified as a foreign invader - part of the body’s distress response is a release of feel-good endorphins, and energy-boosting insulin and adrenaline. This creates temporary spikes of contentment and satisfaction - which inevitably subside, causing a desire for more of the food: cravings!

It’s easy to find out if you’re reactive to various foods, by taking a rather expensive doctor’s test. Most people, though, can figure it out just by avoiding certain suspicious foods for about a week, to see if their symptoms subside. To do this, restrict all of your suspicious foods - the ones you eat most often, and seem to crave. Then add them back in one at a time, looking for symptoms, such as indigestion, or the gain of water weight. This procedure can be challenging, because it’s hard to avoid your favorite foods. But it can really pay off.

When you eliminate all your reactive foods, you’ll probably lose several pounds of water weight, or edema, almost instantly. You’ll look and feel much better. And after you rid your system of the last vestiges of your offending foods, your cravings for them will drop dramatically. Conquering cravings will benefit your dieting efforts tremendously.

You’ll quickly find that there are numerous substitutes available for virtually all foods. Why? Because millions of people need them, since food reactions are so common.

Give this some consideration. It’s very important.

In light of this, I've cut down on Diet Coke- and have decided to switch things up as far as eating goes. My body has gotten so used to the foods I've been eating and frankly- I'm getting quite sick of them myself! So I loaded up on some foods that Ive never tried, or have tried and just never stuck with.

This mornings breakfast was quinoa, 2 eggs, and a bowl of strawberries. I got some almond butter last night from whole foods that I fresh ground- something about fresh ground makes it more exciting to eat- so will that as a snack soon with some celery.

I did an hour of plyometrics this morning that were torture! Think anything that includes jumping. Jumping jacks, jump squats, jump lunges, squat jacks, shuffling, kicking- I broke it down into about 20 different moves, did each for 30 seconds to one minute. Did each sequence twice, then rested 30 seconds. Did the entire thing for an hour. It's been getting hotter here earlier so I've been getting up earlier to do my workouts, its not always ideal doing a 6 am workout- BUT the increased energy, better mood, I can do anything attitude makes it all worth it :)

What the bleep were those cards about?

The other day I posted this picture of cards on my facebook asking anyone if they knew what they were for..squats and lunges was the closest response. Yes you do squats with these..but how?

The idea is that you're doing 100 squats. Before starting this exercise you must make sure your form is good- so that you dont hurt your back. You're starting straight, feet are shoulder width apart. When you squat down to pick up the card, you're using you squat to bring you down to pick up the card. DO NOT bend over to pick up the card- this will cause injury to your back. You will be doing a very deep squat to allow you to go low enough to pick up the card. Once you've got the squat down, you focus on speed. Up and down up and down- feel the burn. When doing this exercise imagine as if you're doing it with a friend, and its a competition who will win- better yet do it with a friend!

Stand at the front on the mat, in starting position.
Squat down pick up the first card.
Place the first card on top of the second card.
Pick up the first card and the second card SEPARATELY.
Place the first card, then the second on top of the third.
Pick up card one, then card, then card three.
Place card one, card two, card three on top of card 4.
You get the drift...

Your butt will be burning, your thighs will be screaming, your heart will be pounding, sweat will be dripping (especially once you start doing 20-30 cards) BUT they will thank you later!

Enjoy!

The Calorie Counter..

The other day I stopped into Sports Authority and purchased the Polar FT4 Heart Rate Monitor. It monitors your heart rate making sure you're in your fat burning zone- as well as tells you the amount of calories you burned during your workout.

While the numbers may not be 100% accurate, its interesting to see the difference of calories burned in each workout. For instance, 60 minutes of run-walk intervals burned roughly 438 calories while 30 min run plus 20 minute weight training burned 392. It's a small yet motivating piece pushing you harder cuz once you know the amount of calories you burn on average during your workout you'll want to increase that each time. I went to a dance class on Sunday, it was a 3 hour fundraiser- allowing you to come in and leave at any time. I stayed the 3 hours wearing my monitor- and was pleasantly surprised to see 1,686 calories burned after the class! We wont get into how my legs felt the rest of the day- or the enormous appetite I had- but the fun was well worth it!

This morning was a short 7 am workout before the kids woke up
Hill Sprint
100 jumping jacks
Stationary Lunges with shoulder presses (15 reps)
Walk out Push ups (8 reps)
Lat Pulls (15 reps)
Frog Leg Crunches- Bicycle Crunches (50,30)

Repeated the sequence 3 times. Even if its something short- its well worth it. Just do something.

The 25's..

Yesterday I went into Harry and David and picked up a package of their coffee samplers. They make all the great flavors, and I'm getting a little bored of mine so its time to sample the goods out there! This morning's taste was Hazelnut Praline. I like my coffee super strong so the hint of sweetness really worked for me. I like this flavor- almost in love- but there are others to try!

This mornings workout was what I call "The 25s". I started off with a little cardio warm up about 10 min..then did one exercise per large muscle group- and 25 reps of each..so
Squat- 25 reps
Push Ups- 25 reps
Dumbell Rows- 25 reps
Shoulder Press- 25 reps
Bicep Curl- 25 reps
Tricep Overhead Extension- 25 reps
Frog Leg Crunches- 50 reps

Use a lighter weight than usual, so that you can finish 25 reps without using momentum.

Did 3 min of high energy cardio after the circuit and continued the circuit 3 times.

Thursday is an off day- no clients-I've set aside so many errands to do today but cant get into the grove of doing them! I think I'll go for a second cup of Joe..

Miss me?

So someone saw me recently and says, "So you stopped working out these past few months?" I smiled- I know what she was talking about..just cuz I'm not writing about it doesnt mean I aint doing it!

Yesterday was Memorial Day, I had 2 clients that still wanted to work out. My day started with hill sprints and then a circuit training of
2 ball squats-2 push ups-2 side planks (done without resting for 10 sets)
Dead lifts while raising the leg
Squat deep and shoulder press with heavier weights than usual (15-20lbs)

In between each set I did 3 minutes of high energy cardio. Try this. 60 sec jumping jacks. 60 sec jump squats. 60 sec high knees.

Did that circuit 3 times.
The next client was a newer client and I dont work out with new clients. I had her doing toning exercises on the mat with hill sprints in between. Planks, leg lifts, scissors, jack knives, bicycle twists, and lots of poses that test your stregnth by having you hold them foreeevveerr!. Want a great ab firmer? Hold a plank 2 min, side plank 1 min, other side 1 min, back to standard for another 2 min. Ye- you're pretty much drenched at that moment!

My eating has been the same...strict during the week and let loose on the weekend. Lately I've been needing something sweet every night. My mouth just craves it. When fruit doesn't cut it I'll have some s.f.f.f (sugar free fat free) choc pudding. I made these turkey burgers yesterday for the next few days. I sauteed onion, mushroom, spinach with salt, pepper, red chilli flakes, cumin and some liquid amino acids (brags makes a good one, tastes like soy sauce). Then when that cooled I mixed it with ground turkey breast. Put it on the bbq till it got nice and charred on both sides, and voila. Last night I had it for dinner is lettuce wraps. I used big pieces of lettuce with tomatoes, pickles, onions, and salsa inside. I dipped it in ketchup as I do with almost everything else in my life- was great. I used them for lunch today with steamed brussel sprouts, and some brown rice.

Let's talk a little business here. Summer is coming up. For me, reality is the dread of wearing a swimsuit doesnt scare me simply b/c my lifestyle doesnt include parading the beach in tiny white bikini- BUT I do like to use anything and everything as motivation to kick things up a notch. If you're always doing the same thing and never push yourself harder you will never achieve something you've never achieved. Think about it, always do the same-you'll always see the same results. Stuck in a rut? Switch it up. Never get bored. For me- summer means light airy loose clothing. It mean long days out with the kids and lots of energy needed. It means beaches, parks, pools, zoos, water parks- all areas where you're out in the sun, on your feet- you want to be comfortable, you want to have energy, and lets face it- u wanna look good and FEEL great. Summer also translates into BBQs for me. My home becomes BBQ center every summer. We love to entertain and summer is the perfect time to do it. I used to dread BBQ's b/c of the amount of calories I'd consume without even thinking. They're always filled with chips, salsa, candy, meats, fries, bread, sauces, beer- the works- and not the best for those trying to eat better. So get prepared before summer with a new attitude and appreciation for your body and the food you put into it. Train yourself before to make the right choices, and do it in a way where you're not focusing on what you CANT have but on what you CAN have. Put daily exercise and activity into your summer plans NOW and get a jump start on them before summer hits. Prepare yourself mentally, and get into it physically.
So- think summer, think thin- and think about getting there now- committing now.

Nice to be back!

I'll get back into Q and A's..you can email your questions to RachelCFT@gmail.com or post them directly on the blog. 

Real Women- Meet Mishi

I've known Mishi my entire life- she is actually the sister of former "Real Women" Sarah Nagar. Mishi has also had an extreme transformation- in how she looks- eats-exercises-and through this interview you will clearly see how and why. What I find so interesting and applicable to this blog is how 2 sisters completely transformed their bodies using their own unique methods. I've said so many times and will continue to say- find what works for you! Clearly as we've seen so many times- different thing will work for different people- the common denominator is commitment, motivation, patience, and a desire for change! With that- you can do anything..so without further ado- meet Mishi Harari

1.) Hey Mish, tell me about yourself a little bit..a little intro to who you are

My name is Mishi Harari. I'm 27 and I'm a stay at home mom of 3 little kids, ages 4, 2, and almost one kh! Contrary to some skeptics, that doesn't mean I actually stay at home and be a mom all day, I'm quite busy keeping everyone happy, entertained and active, and I'm also currently studying at the Institute of Integrative Nutrition, learning to become a health coach. I have a lot of plans for what I want to do once I graduate. I'm 5"3 and 120 pounds.

2.) Walk me through your eating day. Whats on the menu?
On an average day for breakfast I will have whole grain rolled oats with an organic brown egg, some blueberries and half a grapefruit, with green tea or water.

For lunch I'll have an ezekiel bread sandwich with 1/4 an avocado, plain tuna, or a sandwich with left over dinner in it. I always have a fruit and veggie with my lunch, and of course, water!

Dinners are typically grilled chicken breast, salmon or ground turkey, seasoned with sea salt, olive oil and other tasty spices. I'll bake sweet potatoes and a salad, or quinoa/brown rice and some grilled green veggies. I have been experimenting a lot with kale!

Snacks are nuts, apple, carrots or celery with natural, orgranic, natural peanut butter, and some organic raisins, both of which are  without preservatives and added sugars.

Why do you chose to eat organic? What benefits do you feel they have?

First of all, organic produce is much tastier. And even more importantly, there is no issue with pesticides, herbicides, genetically modifying, etc...you're actually eating the REAL fruit. Have you ever noticed organic produce is much smaller and has different shapes, not all perfectly colored and shaped? I have learned so much about issues with pesticides and modifying foods that I hate to even put them in my mouth anymore! (I am not totally organic at all, it's not easy to get organic products here for various reasons, but we're trying). Even better then that altogether is eating locally grown, small farm produce. There you are only eating seasonally, and only eating produce that has only traveled a short distance, as opposed to buying fruit (even organic) at the market from Chile, which has traveled a few thousand miles to get to you, and is really not fresh anymore. This all really means the nutrients in the locally grown farms is much more dense. This produce is fresh and packed with all the good stuff and will stay that way until it gets into your body!

How long have you been eating this way?
I have been into healthy foods for a good few years now. I have been studying nutrition on my own for a long time and I'm actually not quite sure how I became so into it!


3.) Do you work out? 
Yes

What do you do-how often do you do it-and how do you do it with 3 little kids??

I exercise usually fives days out of the week.  I send my oldest off to school, put my two younger ones for a nap and I have about 2-21/2 hours to exercise, eat a quiet breakfast, get dressed and do some things around the house before they get up and the day starts.
I do a mixture of aerobics, circuit training and yoga. I usually do about half hour of the first, and 20 minutes- half hour of yoga. I pretty much make up my own routines as I'm going along. It's great! I will shorty be working on becoming a yoga instructor. I'm not exactly sure when the time will allow, but I hope to make it happen soon!

You used to live in California, do you feel that living in NY makes it harder to work out?

I visit home, CA, every summer for two months and I faithfully go to an exercise class almost everyday. So every year, when I go back home to NY after the summer, I get really down because I have to start working out in my boring living room. This year was different. I came back home with a lot of enthusiasm to stay fit throughout the year! And since I don't have easy access to gyms and classes, I have found an inner strength to rely on my own motivation to keep me going. I don't rely on DVD's or classes anymore. I just work hard to keep myself motivated and make my physical activity work with my lifestyle in NY!

Wow! What keeps you motivated?

What keeps me motivated is the way I feel when I exercise. I feel my body getting stronger and my endurance strengthening as well. After a good workout my head feels clear and my endorphins are going so I feel like I can do anything.
It's a great start to the day!

Be honest, do you have any guilty pleasures?
Honestly, I don't really have any guilty pleasures. When I keep my mind focused and make sure to eat lots of veggies and drink a lot of water throughout the day, I really don't even crave anything junky. It's called "crowding out." In our house, thank gd, we really don't have sugary products or junk food. My kids have treats (not candy) on the weekends, or special times, and during the week everything is sweetened naturally with bananas or a little raw, unfiltered honey, etc...So not having junk in the house also helps a lot!

What advice would you give to all women out there looking to live a healthier lifestyle?
My advice to anyone out there trying to live a healthful and rich life, is put your mind to it, take small, tiny steps and most importantly, eat a lot of veggies. Try one new vegetable a week, especially leafy greens, with lots of water, or green tea if you need the caffeine. This will be sure to curb your cravings and keep you energetic. Also, don't start on a rigid, intense exercise program. Start with 5 simple minutes a day and work your way up. That way you won't get burned out and lose motivation. And check in with yourself often to make sure the rest of your life is in balance, because living a happy, healthy life is not just about the food we eat!

To contact Mishi for nutrition counseling she can be reached at MishiHarari@gmail.com