Tips To Looking Ageless

Society is obsessed by youth and I think it’s highly overrated.  I’ve noticed that as we get older, some people will go to great lengths to try and hide their age, especially women.  In my opinion, age is defined by your spirit and not by the date on your driver’s license. 

No matter what my age, I’ll always be young at heart.  I don’t follow the trend telling me what I should look or dress like for my age.  If anything, I break just about every rule.  I don’t hide my age, but rather surprise people by looking younger because I stay fit and eat healthy.  With each year passing, I gain more wisdom, knowledge and success.  And I would never trade that for anything.

I’m not embarrassed telling anyone that I’m 38 years old.  I’m often asked how do I keep looking so young.  I stay young by being active and choosing healthier food.  I exercise any chance I get.  I would rather spend 2 hours at the gym than at a beauty or nail salon because being fit will make me look and feel naturally young and beautiful. 

I take pride being an all natural trainer and woman.  I would never have plastic surgery to look better nor would I ever inject Botox to make myself look young.  I embrace the wrinkles I have because it tells people that I’ve lived a full life. 

Besides being fit, having a nice complexion is the key to looking youthful.  There are foods that you can eat that are good for your skin to prevent cell structure damage that can lead to wrinkles, fine lines and loss of firmness.  I recommend half a cup of blueberries daily, as it will help smooth fine lines.  One of my favorite vegetables that also help me look younger is spinach.  Spinach contains beta-carotene and lutein nutrients that have been proven to improve elasticity to help firm your skin.  I suggest that you serve yourself three cups per week.

Just because you’re older doesn’t mean you should let yourself go.  I wake up everyday finding ways to challenge myself, mentally and physically.  Look youthful by eating the right food and staying active!

Overcoming Your Weaknesses

The one thing that builds your character the most is having the ability to overcome your weaknesses.  Everybody has qualities of all sorts, both strengths and weaknesses.  Only you know what they are.  Some people choose to shy away at the things they are not great at because they’re afraid to fail.  You only fail if you don’t try.  If you do it enough and work hard at anything, you will succeed.  You can turn your weakness into your strongest quality.

Doing things that you are great at may be enjoyable but you must challenge yourself by working on your weaknesses.  I choose to work on my weakness to challenge myself until that weakness becomes one my strongest qualities. 

Growing up, I watched my mom deal with the difficulty of having asthma and other health issues.  My mom was overweight and did very little exercise.  She often had to fight to catch her breath when she was just walking.  Lucky for me, I am the only one in the family who inherited asthma from my mom.  As a child, I knew I didn’t want to be unhealthy like her. 

I developed my own eating habits and exercise routine.  I didn’t make excuses for myself for not having perfect lungs and I make sure to stay active and jog often.  I jogged everyday to build up my endurance and my breathing.  Up to this day, I have no problem running 4 miles daily even with asthma.  However, if you’re just starting out, be sure to consult your physician before any new exercise program.

Don’t limit or make excuses for yourself.  Whatever your weaknesses are, you’ve got to fight to improve yourself.  It may not be easy but it’ll make you stronger and better.  I’m constantly trying to improve myself and I can never learn too much.  It doesn’t matter how long it takes, life is an evolution and I believe that we can always be better.  I’m truly confident that you can do anything if you put your mind into it.  I challenge you to challenge yourself by overcoming your weaknesses – mentally and physically.

Sculpting The Perfect Abs

Questions from R.F. – “So is working out your abs a good idea to do everyday or every other day and how long is good for a work out?  Just wondering if they need time to rest like arms and legs do with weights.”             When it comes to abs, there’s no right or wrong way to work out.  It all depends on your goal.  Whether your goal is to have a runner’s lean abs or a muscular bodybuilder’s abs, it requires doing a lot of cardio exercises and a healthy diet.  Doing ab exercises alone may not be enough to give you the sexy abs you desire.  It requires work and consistency. I enjoy running and I used to jog 4 miles daily for my choice of cardio exercise but I had to find a balance because I was losing too much weight.  Now, I jog 4 miles every other day to maintain my weight.  I eat fairly healthy and I don’t feel the need to eat more just so I can jog daily. If you want a lean runner’s abs, you can do a shorter weightless ab workout everyday or every other day.  If you’re just starting out, start slowly and work your way up. My suggestion to start is 3 sets of 12 sit-ups (5 minutes). But if you want a muscular abs like the bodybuilders, then it requires an intense 1 hour of ab workout with heavy weights once or twice a week.  Ab muscles are like any other muscles in your body, it needs time to rest. I personally do 500 (5 different ab exercises @ 100 reps) weightless ab exercises daily at least 5 days a week.  My ab workout takes me about 45 minutes and is not for everybody.  When it comes to abs, as a woman, I think it’s more complicated than a man.  I like my abs to be somewhere in between a runner’s and a bodybuilder’s abs with some definitions, just enough ab muscles to find it sexy but not too much to considered masculine. There’s no right or wrong way to sculpt your perfect abs.  The choice is yours.  Whatever time and effort you put in will be the result.

Losing The Last 10 lbs.

Questions from P.N. – “I've gained 10 lbs and I'm now chubby.  Is it best to work out when I wake up which is usually around 1pm or before I go to bed, which is around 6am.  How often do I need to do cardio per week?  Is it alright to just eat 1 big meal per day?”

Whether you just started to gain or are trying to loss the last 10lbs., 10 seems to be the ultimate number.  It may not sound like it’s a lot but I applaud anyone keeping track or staying conscious of their body.  If you’re like me, 10 pounds would be quite a dramatic physical change because of my height.  I think finding the time to work out anytime of the day is fantastic!  If you have a choice, I recommend working out in the in the morning. It’ll jump start your metabolism for the day and burn stored fat instead of the food you’ve just eaten.  Before bedtime might not be a good idea because it will raise your energy level and may make it harder for you to fall asleep.

Cardio exercises are best for losing weight.  I recommend 1 hour per day at least 5 days a week until you reached your fitness goal.  If you’re just starting out, I recommend walking because it’s low impact and you can do it practically anywhere.  As you get more comfortable with your choice of cardio exercises, pick up the pace to burn even more calories!

I say it often and I’ll say it again.  Food is 80% responsible for your weight loss or gain, therefore eating healthy and cutting your meal portion is best.  I don’t recommend eating 1 meal per day because you’ll end up eating more than what you need.  Your body will then store the extra fat, which will make you gain even more weight.  If you choose to skip a meal, replace it with a healthy smoothie but don’t starve yourself to loss weight.  I recommend eating a regular healthy meal 3 times a day and carry a healthy snack throughout the day if you’re still hungry.  That means no fast food, sodas or alcohol.  Drinks a lot of water (8 glasses per day is recommended).

The key is to break your daily routine and try something different.  You can’t expect to get results doing the same thing.  The concept to losing weight is quite simple, eat less and work out more!  Follow these guidelines and you’ll loss that 10lbs. in less time and effortlessly.

There’s Always Room For Improvement

Obesity is an on-going problem in America.  When I looking around, I see so many overweight people.  I’m not talking about curvy, big-boned or voluptuous people. I’m talking people who’ve really let themselves go, given up and morbidly obese.  I often wonder at what age and when did they give up.  What’s the true problem for the mental break down?  Did they wake one day feeling hopeless and say, “This is as good as it’s going to get”.  If this is you, just know that you’re not alone.  Let’s break that negative thinking starting today because the truth is, there’s always room for improvement.  We can always be better!

I know far to many people who’ve stopped taking care of themselves once they get into a serious relationship or get married.  They feel that they don’t need to impress anyone anymore.  It’s not about impressing others, it’s about being healthy.  Being admired for your physique is only a plus.  Even if that was the case, isn’t your partner worth looking good for?

As we age, it’s even more crucial that we take care of ourselves to avoid future health issues.  Don’t give up because you think you’re too old.  Staying fit will make you feel younger.  You’ll have more strength and energy to do the things you want to do.  You are responsible for the health and maintenance of your own body.  Every little effort you do to take care of yourself will improve your overall fitness.

Here are some guidelines to help you get started.  You can do it! 

1)  Have a positive attitude and change your negative thinking.  

           (Stop making excuses.  Start saying - I can & I will)

2)    2)  Set a short-term goal. (Example - losing 2-3 lbs. per week)

3)  3)  Set a long-term goal. (Example losing 50 lbs in a year)

4)  4)  Create a nutritional plan.  (Low calorie meals and cutting your food portions)

5)  5)  Have a workout routine (Cardio exercises are best for losing weight)

People are always fascinated how I maintain myself physically.  That’s because I don’t wake up thinking that what I have is good enough.  I wake up thinking,  “How can I improve myself today?”  No matter at what age, I’m constantly challenging myself to be better and I won’t stop until the end of time.

It doesn’t matter how you put on the weight.  It’s about finding a solution.  When do you stop taking care of your body?  The answer is never!

Broken Schedules & Managing Your Time

One of the top excuses I hear from people for not working out is finding the time.  Anyone that knows me well would never say such things because they know how much I multi-task and how dedicated I am to staying fit even while living on the road.  Being self-employed I have the freedom to make my own schedule, although it doesn’t make it any easier to find the time.  It still takes effort.

We all have to earn a living to provide for ourselves or for our family.  Working out is just as important.  You owe it to yourself to maintain a good health.  At the end of our lives, most people realize they should of taken better care of themselves and will grasp at anything to stay alive.

I don’t doubt that some of you do the best you can and that’s great but there’s always room for improvement.  People often ask me, “How do you find 2 hours or more in a day to work out?”  My schedule is constantly changing so I have to be flexible with my time to get my workouts in.

There’s 24 hours in a day, even if you used 16 hours between work and sleep, most people still have 8 hours of personal time.  How you choose to use that time is totally up to you.   Here are some tips I use to maximize my time in order to get my workouts in:

1)    I don’t watch TV unless I’m jogging on the treadmill. 

2)    I don’t spend hours on the phone just chatting. 

3)    I don’t spend hours at the hair or nail salon.

4)    I get ready quickly and don’t waste time looking in the mirror.

5)    Although social time is important but I don’t “hang out” on a daily basis.

I work around the clock until my mind needs a break. Some people take a break by having a smoke or calling a friend to gossip on the phone.  When I take a break, it’s only to workout.  Every time I take a break, I’ll either jog for 4 miles, swim for 30 minutes or do 45 minutes of ab training.  I believe in being productive and using every minute wisely.

What makes it harder for me to keep a consistent workout schedule is my traveling.  For people who travel for a living know all too well, it takes a lot out of your body whether you’re flying or driving.  After a full day of traveling, I’m wiped out.  I usually give my body a day to catch up before I exercise.  This is the only time I would skip a workout.  Nevertheless, I’ll still give my body a good stretch and try to get a good night sleep.

Most of us have complicated schedules but it’s important not to give up on your body. When you are as busy as I am, it’s even more critical to make the time to exercise.  This will allow your body and mind to be more energized.  While I was in college I had multiple jobs and sometimes I would do my exercises after midnight if that was my only option.  When someone tells me they don’t have any time to workout, I can only conclude that working out it’s not that important to them.

Lose Weight with Cardio Exercises

I can’t emphasis how great cardio is for your body and truly the best overall workout. Whether you choose to walk, jog, swim, cycle, aerobic, elliptical or participate in an active sport, all of these are great choices.  Cardio is truly the best especially if you’re trying to loose weight.  The more you do it, the better your results will be.  When you exercise your cardiovascular system not only will you burn off calories, your heart and lungs will get stronger.  This will improve the quality of your breathing because oxygen will be circulating better. 

A protein shake is an excellent pre-workout supplement if you are doing cardio exercise.  My choice of protein is soymilk.  Your muscle strives on protein so it’s good to consume protein approximately 30-60 minutes before doing cardio exercise. This will help increase your metabolism so that you loose more weights from fats.

My favorite cardio exercise is jogging.  As a warm up, I jog 4 miles before doing any exercises.  I used to do this daily but I had to cut down to every other day because I was burning too many calories and losing too much weight, which I know for most of you that is a good problem to have.  If you’re just starting out, I suggest you start slowly and work your way up.  Begin with a simple one-mile walk.  As long as you take that first step, you’re off to a great start! 

The best thing about jogging for me is the runner’s high that I get when I’m done and nothing gets my heart pumping more.  I feel alive and have the energy do anything. I’m often asked, “How can you stay on the treadmill for so long?”  For me, it helps to put on my ipod.  When doing cardio, I choose techno music because the fast beat really gets my body moving.  It’s during this time that I feel like I have no care in the world.

My advice is choose the music that you enjoy or have a TV in front of you to catch up on the news or your favorite program.  Some people may do better with a workout partner or being outdoors.  My technique is not for everyone, you’ll have to find what works best for you.  I enjoy jogging because that is when I’m truly alone and free of any thoughts or stress.   You need to make your exercises a priority, fun, and exciting.  That way it’s not a task but something to look forward to.  It’s this mentality that makes the difference between being fit or unhealthy.

If you are trying to loose weight, I recommend doing cardio exercises at least 5 days a week for at least 30 minutes to an hour.  If you need to, take a day to give your muscles a chance to recover by stretching, taking a nice bath, or getting a massage.  Cardio exercise is truly the best overall workout to maintain a healthy weight.

Trim the fat to get sexy abs!

How many of you out there exercise and can’t seem to get those sexy abs that you’ve always wanted?  Don’t use that as an excuse to stop what you’re doing, lets analyze and find a solution to the problem.  If you to want have sexy abs you have to lose the fat around your waist.  The only way to that is by eating healthy, exercising, doing cardio along with abdominal exercises.

If you are exercising and not getting the result, you obviously have to do something different either with your diet or exercise or maybe both.  What you’re doing may seem like a lot of effort but if you’re not getting the result, then it’s just simply not enough.  You can’t expect a different result if you continue to do the same thing.

First thing you have to look at is your food intake.  To gain great abs, you’ve got to be lean.  What do I mean by lean?  Having no “extra” fat in your body. Try cutting your food portions or eating a lighter meal, even if that means eating one spoonful less at each meal.  You may not think that it would make that big of a difference but every calorie counts.  Your liquid intake also has a big impact.  That means no alcohol, sodas or anything with a lot of calories.  Replace your liquid intake with 8 glasses of water a day and you’ll see the changes.

The second part is exercising.  You’re probably not doing enough exercises to see the result you want.  The best exercises to trim down and get sexy abs involve cardio.  Most likely you’re not doing enough cardio exercises to burn the fat.  Some people think that if they walk or jog 30 minutes a day that it will be enough.  What is enough?  Everyone is different and depending on your body and goals, I recommend doing an hour or more of cardio per day if you’re serious about trimming the fat to get those sexy abs.  Cardio is the fastest way to burn the fat.  Without it, no matter how many ab exercises you do, your abs will always be hidden under a layer of blubber.

According to the Health Check System, your body fat percentage categories for women and men are as follows:

Women           Men

Essential Fat    10-12%           2-4%

Athletes           14-20%           6-13%

Fitness             21-24%           14-17%

Acceptable      25-31%           18-25%

Obese              32%+              25%+

Although there are several formulas, using the U.S Navy body fat formula, my current body fat is 12.35%.  Does that make me unhealthy?  No.  Charts are only guidelines and this is only of them.  Don’t be afraid to trim down your fat!  I’m very healthy and my endurance is extremely high.

Three years ago, I was 88 lbs. and by most standards, I was in great shape!  For my height, I was already considered underweight.  My abs were toned but I wanted a more defining set of abs.  In order to do that, I had to do something different.  I was doing 200 ab exercises daily and decide to increase it to 500 ab exercises.  As healthy as I was, I still had to trim down my fat to reach my goal.

Now I weigh 85 lbs and my abs are still toned but just more defined and that was exactly my goal.  To have my abs, I do 45 minutes of ab training daily, a 4 mile jog every other day and 30 minutes of swimming along with a variety of other exercises.  Of course I continue to eat healthy. 

Keep it simple!  If you are at a plateau and are not getting the result, you may need to change your diet or your exercise routine.  Maybe even both.

Breaking Your Limitations

No matter what your fitness goals are, do you put in just enough effort to maintain or do you take it beyond your comfort zone to be extraordinary? If you want to be great, you have to push your mind and body beyond your limitations.

You wouldn’t know it by looking at me that I have asthma and I’m also allergic to my cats. My symptoms of asthma and cat allergies are: wheezing and shortness of breath. How does this affect my workout? I have two choices:

1) Avoid my cardio exercises all together in fear of an asthma attack.

Or

2) Push myself beyond my own limitations.

Having asthma and cat allergies, running would be the most challenging to me. Instead of replacing running with an easier exercise, I choose to master it.

As a society, we have hundreds of reasons not to workout but you only need one good reason to workout and that is to be healthy. I can pity myself for not having perfect lungs by not exercising but I choose not to. In fact, I use that weakness to motivate me to be stronger. Amongst other exercises, I jog 4 miles every other day and over time, I’ve trained my body and lungs to the point where I have so much control and endurance. Cardio is by far my top workout as it builds up my endurance and nothing is better to me than a runner’s high.

At home, I have my 2 cats that I’m allergic to plus my asthma, which makes it even harder for me to breath when I jog. I normally jog a 10 minutes mile, it takes me 40 minutes to complete my 4 miles jog. When I do my home workouts, it takes me longer but I don’t avoid it just because it’s harder and uncomfortable. My lungs work extra hard having the cats around. But no matter how long it takes to complete my 4 miles, I just do it! I’ll stop and walk if I need allowing me to catch my breath but I would never compromise my workout just because I have a less than perfect lungs. I give it my best effort and I improve upon it. I fight to become great.

The way I see it, you can train your mind and body to break your limitations. You have two choices, push yourself and become extraordinary or you can just be average. The choice is yours.