Samantha and I are in privileged company this week – we’re looking forward to a guest post from Louis Ignarro Ph.D, Nobel Laureate*,  consultant to Herbalife and member of the Herbalife Nutrition Institute Nutrition Advisory Board, in which he’ll describe the impact of a healthy, active lifestyle on heart health.   A healthy diet is, as Dr. Ignarro says, “as good for your heart as it is for your taste buds.” 

I couldn’t have said it better.  But what I often run into with my patients is that it’s one thing to know what to eat – and why (okay, that’s two things…) – but they often get hung up figuring out how to incorporate more healthy foods into their diet.  So let’s take a good look at the key “whats”, “whys” and – more importantly – the “how tos” of a heart healthy diet.

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There are about six weeks left before summer is here! For many people that’s a cause for celebration but others may be concerned about shedding their cold weather clothing and revealing a body that’s gained a few pounds over winter.  But, if you act now, you can start work on attaining the body you want.

Today, I’m going to share three dos and three don’ts to help you reach your body beautiful goals. Let’s start by setting some realistic expectations. With the summer months fast approaching, many people feel pressured to shift extra pounds quickly. Unfortunately, many people also then become despondent because extra weight doesn’t magically disappear as fast as they would want.  The ‘get thin quick’ frenzy is often started with great intentions, but if it isn’t accompanied by realistic goals then it doesn’t have much chance of success.

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Do you ever find yourself in an exercise slump?  You have great intentions to workout but, whoops, a day, then a week goes by and you have either stopped exercising or you’ve cut down too much.

Sometimes we all feel like missing a session at the gym but if we give ourselves a break from working out too often then we’re in danger of getting out of the habit of regular exercise.  I always say that some exercise is better then no exercise – and that’s still true – but a regular fitness routine will help you develop and reap all the positives of an active, healthy lifestyle!

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A fitness journal will help you improve your fitness level but you may be wondering how to get started. Take a look at a week-long excerpt from a real fitness journal and I’ll reveal what the journal tells us when we analyze the data!

Did you read my post on how to get fit and stay fit by using a fitness journal? Are you still a little unsure of what you need to do and if you have the time? If you answered yes, then check out this sample week from Hannah to help motivate you to start your journal today! I’ve added my six-week evaluation to give you an idea of how simple it can be to play detective and improve your fitness journey.

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Taking two minutes a day to update a fitness journal will help you perform better! For many people getting fit and staying fit can feel like an impossible task but a fitness journal will help keep you on track and make sure you see progress.  While this may not be the most glamorous subject, it’s important to keep a record of what you’re doing and how you feel about it because you’ll be amazed to look back six months later and see how much you’ve improved.

Keep reading and I will share a few common fitness roadblocks and help you to overcome them through a process of self-discovery. I firmly believe that keeping a fitness journal will help you on your quest to become fitter and healthier. 

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Have you reached a weight loss plateau? If your weight loss has stalled, take a look at my top 5 tips to get help you avoid a weight loss plateau and achieve your dream weight.

One of the more frustrating parts of weight loss is the inevitable weight loss plateau.  Everything seems to be going along fine, and then all of a sudden – no matter what you do – you find that the scale just doesn’t budge.  When you find that your weekly weight loss has stalled that’s often known as a ‘weight loss plateau’ and many dieters find the sudden lack of progress deeply frustrating. Let me help you understand why your weight may plateau and give you some ideas to make sure you continue to meet your goals so that your weight will start moving again.

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Stairs are one of my favorite pieces of exercise equipment.  Most people have access to stairs and, this week, I’m going to help you incorporate stairs in your exercise routine for fat-burning and strength-building results.

Training ‘up steps’ is a staple part of almost all athlete training plans.  We call it ‘up steps’ because we put in the power going up and then take our time coming down. If you have ever visited a U.S. high school or college I’m pretty sure you will have witnessed athletes quick stepping up the bleachers or maybe you’ll have heard the thunderous sound in the distance as they run up followed by a slower thudding sound as they make their way down.

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One key to maintaining a healthy weight is to balance the calories you eat with the calories you burn.  But that’s sometimes easier said than done.

Balancing your calories sounds deceptively simple.  Eat more calories than you burn and you’ll gain weight. Take in fewer calories than you burn and you’ll shed some pounds. Keep your “calories in” and “calories out” about the same, and your weight should stay pretty stable.  So why is it that hardly a week goes by that someone doesn’t complain to me that they’re “exercising like a madman, but not losing any weight” or, “eating like a bird but the scale won’t budge”?  It simply boils down to this: when it comes to counting calories accurately – the ones you eat and the one you spend – there are so many ways it can go wrong.

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Have you hit a weight loss plateau? Has your fitness plan stalled and you don’t feel you’ll reach your goals?  Don’t worry, you’re not alone. I can help you power back up and start seeing results again.

If you ever feel that you are doing everything just right with your fitness and nutrition plan but your results don’t seem to represent all of your hard work then I have a simple but effective piece of advice. Hitting a fitness or weight loss plateau is a very common problem in the world of sports performance and general weight loss. There are many theories on why our bodies sometimes hit a temporary yet frustrating roadblock but, by thinking outside the box, you can power through the frustration and start seeing results again. Keep on reading and you may be surprised at just how easy it can be to jump-start your flat-lined results.

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Is it a bad habit to snack, eat after dinner, or clean your plate?  Not always. Your bad diet habits might actually be good diet habits! Read on to see my take on a few common diet myths. 

I spend a good part of my day talking to people about their eating habits, which is not just enlightening, it’s entertaining, too.  When someone reveals what they typically eat in a day, I can get a pretty good sense for how nutritious their diet is – but it’s the little ‘asides’ that tell me much, much more.  Oftentimes, as we’re talking, they’ll suddenly say, “I know this is really bad, but I ….,” and then go on to describe their breach of some sort of “dietary commandment”.  So – in my quest to be not just flexible, but to also help them find their own personal sweet spot when it comes to healthy eating – I try to help them see that what they think is a bad habit… might not be so bad after all.

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Everywhere you go, it seems, there’s pressure to eat.  Here’s how to push back.

For most of us, the last thing we need is the pressure to eat more.  But it happens all the time.  A few years back, one of the fast food chains in the US began a push to add a whole extra meal to your day –  “the meal between dinner and breakfast”.  I do understand the desire for an occasional midnight snack – sometimes you eat dinner early, you stay up late and you get hungry. But once that midnight snack morphs into “the fourth meal”, it starts to sound more like an everyday need – which just makes it easier to justify why we cave into the pressure to eat it.

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Small changes to your recipes can lead to big calorie cuts.  A few ingredient swaps can make home-cooked dishes so much healthier.

Now that the holidays are solidly behind us, the reality of those New Year’s promises we made to ourselves are starting to settle in.  Many of us start out the New Year with big plans for big changes…which is why all this month we’re focusing on the ‘little things’.  That’s because small steps – taken together – can add up to big results, and are often easier to handle than huge sweeping changes that can be unsettling. In the last post, I made some suggestions for small changes you can make at the grocery store – that is, after all, where the path to healthy eating begins.  But now that you’ve brought your healthy ingredients into the house, you want to make sure to keep them that way when it’s time to cook. And with just a few small changes, you can make every dish you prepare at home a little bit better for you.

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If you’re exercising to burn calories then you’ll love the idea of continued fat-burning after a workout.

Let me introduce you to EPOC – Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption – this is the process that burns through extra calories as a result of your exercise session.  Many people focus on the calories they burn during a workout but your body continues to burn calories long after you leave the gym.

Regular readers will know there are plenty of reasons to love exercise, but if you’re looking to burn fat then thinking about EPOC can keep you motivated during a session.  The equation is simple; the harder you work out, the more energy your body needs to recover and that means you’re burning more calories.

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If you have ever seen a swimmer’s body then I’m sure you will recall the image of a perfectly v-shaped and sculpted back with no sign of back fat or bra bulge in sight.  Swimming is great for your back muscles so today I’m going to share my top four tips to help you maximize your pool time.

First, let’s think about all the marvelous health benefits associated with regular swimming. I must admit that a sculpted and toned back is one of the best advantages in my mind but all these other swimming benefits certainly sweeten the deal:

• Improved overall fitness level
• Superior muscle tone
• Reduced stress
• General fat reduction for a leaner, more toned you

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I am always talking about squeezing in a quick workout because it’s amazing how effective a short bout of strength or cardiovascular exercise can be.

My top three reasons for making time for a 10 minute workout:

1.  When I feel stressed, a 10 minute workout gives me an instant boost of energy and helps me refocus.

2.  Like everyone, I’m often rushing and I find a 10 minute workout is enough exercise to help me not feel guilty about missing my regular routine.

3.  10 minute workouts can deliver surprisingly effective results, quickly.

It’s always better to do some exercise instead of no exercise.   When you’re feeling busy and stressed, promise yourself that you’ll manage at least 10 minutes even if you can’t find time for a longer workout session.

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