CORE Personal Fitness Trainer - Los Angeles

Best Abdominals

CORE — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 10:36:34 +0000

Perhaps nothing says “sleek” better than a flat midsection. But in the ever-elusive quest to get that rippled, defined ”six-pack,” Americans are spending millions of dollars on all kinds of abdominal gadgets, supplements, diets and creams. Save your money.

All you need for a flat and hard tummy is to eat right, sweat, and crunch! We all have abdominal muscles — yours just may be hiding under an extra layer of fat.

Here are a few exercise hints to get real results:

Do some type of cardiovascular exercise (walking/hiking, jumping rope, playing soccer, rollerblading, bicycling, even gardening) at least 3-5 days per week for 30-60 minutes, to burn fat and help your abdominal muscles show through. If you can sing while you are exercising, you are not training hard enough—so get working!
Eat 4-6 small, well-balanced meals throughout your day. Aim for lean proteins (chicken, fish, turkey and chicken sausages, tofu, nuts, beans and egg whites), whole grain breads and cereals, vegetables and fruit, and low-fat and non-fat dairy products (cheese, milk, and yogurt). Eat carbohydrates (pasta, bread, etc.), fats (salad dressing, butter and margarine, oil) and sugars in small amounts.
Strength-train, or CORE-Train a couple days/week and you will burn fat around your tummy even faster. Muscle requires more energy to sustain itself—and calories are energy, so with more muscle, you burn more calories! Muscle also increases your metabolism so your body burns more fat—even at rest!
Crunch! To sport a beautiful and lean-looking midsection, work your abdominals 3-5 days/week. Be sure to train your “6-pack” superficial abs, your sides or obliques, your lower abs, and especially, the deep or CORE abdominals– the most important ones!

Here are a few terrific exercises to get you started:

Let’s start with the what is probably the best abdominal exercise ever – planks! Planks strengthen the deepest layer or core abdominal muscles. With a strong core, posture, coordination, spinal stability and balance are all improved, and back pain is reduced. Lie on your belly with your forearms out in front of you, your elbows directly below your shoulders, and toes on the ground/mat. Push your torso, glutes, hips, and legs off the floor into a plank position, resting only on your forearms and balls of your feet. Stabilize your hips, so they do not sag toward the ground. Pull your navel into your spine and breathe. Hold for 20-30 seconds. Come down slowly and try it again. When you can hold your planks for 30 seconds, try lifting a leg off the ground for 5-10 seconds. Switch legs. There a many varieties of planks to challenge your core abs. Come back soon, to read my blog about “plank progressions for the advanced athlete”.

Now let’s do some crunches, or “torso flexions,” as Pilates Instructors call them, since you are flexing your spine, when you crunch. Crunches target the superficial abs, or rectus abdominus muscles. Lie on your back on a mat, feet flat on the mat and knees bent. Clasp your hands behind your head and make your head dead weight in your hands. Inhale and prepare. On your exhale, slowly lift your head and shoulders off the mat, flexing your upper torso, as if you are trying to flex into a letter C. Concentrate on tightening your abdominal muscles as you lift, and gently pull your navel into your spine. Lower down. Do 15 repetitions. Now place a small ball between your legs and squeeze it hard as you crunch, to really activate the abs (and inner thighs too)!

Now to target the side abdominal muscles, alternate between reaching your right elbow toward your right knee 10 times, and left elbow to your left knee, 10 times. Keep your non-working, or opposite shoulder relaxed as you crunch. To make this exercise even more effective, try bringing your knees up towards your elbows as you crunch, ouch!

To target lower abs, place your legs in the air, knees bent about 90 degrees. You can either place your hands behind your head, or you can place them on the mat along your sides. Lift and curl your hips off the floor toward your body, exhaling and drawing your tummy muscles in, throughout this reverse crunch. Try about 10-15 reps.

Master these ab exercises, eat nutritiously, and do your cardio, and you should be well on your way to great abs!

Steps Toward Maximizing Fat Loss and Controlling Your Weight

CORE — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 11:33:36 +0000

Most of us have tried losing weight and body fat only to gain it back–and then some. We’ve tried dieting, spot reducing, melting and dissolving.

Dieting is the most popular way people try to lose fat/weight, but as we all have learned, diets rarely work on a long-term basis. There’s the Atkins Diet, the only carrot juice diet, the Zone diet, the grapefruit diet, Oprah’s diet, Slim Drink diets. You name it, it’s out there.

Spot reducing is another way people try to lose body fat. Spot reducing is attempting to lose fat in isolated areas of the body by doing tons of exercises targeted to those specific areas. These areas usually include: the buttocks, mid-section or gut area, thighs and abdominals—hence, we do butt blasters, inner and outer thigh exercises, and sit-ups, until we are blue in the face. Muscles do not own the fat that surrounds them. Fatty acids are liberated from the areas of the body that have the most fat to spare, not from those areas that you feel are untidy.

Many of us have also attempted to lose fat by melting, sweating, or dissolving it away, spending hours in steam rooms, baths, and saunas, or even getting massages in an attempt to have fat rolled off us. Or how about those of us who actually get tricked into trying to lose cellulite by using fat-dissolving creams?

Losing body fat and controlling your weight is not easy, but it can be done if you follow this 4-step lifestyle-changing approach. The 4-step approach includes:

1) doing between 20-60 minutes of aerobic exercise at least three times per week,
2) doing some form of strength training at least twice per week,
3) keeping flexible and limber by stretching, and
4) following a low fat, high protein, balanced diet…….for life!

The 4-step approach takes work, I know, but if you truly want to live a quality, healthy, energetic and happy life, then you must implement these steps into your life forever!

1) Aerobic exercise is any of various sustained exercises that use large muscle groups in the presence of oxygen to stimulate and strengthen the heart. Aerobic exercises train the cardiovascular (heart) and respiratory (lungs) systems to exchange and deliver oxygen efficiently to every part of the body being used. As the heart muscle becomes stronger and more efficient, a larger volume of blood may be pumped with each stroke and with fewer strokes, facilitating the rapid transport of oxygen to all parts of the body with less stress on the heart. An aerobically fit individual, therefore, will be able to work longer, at a more vigorous pace, and with a quicker recovery. Examples of aerobic exercise include: brisk walking, jogging, bicycling, swimming, jump roping, cross-country skiing, cardio-karate and dance.

To most efficiently burn body fat during exercise, follow these important rules:

Exercise duration: should be at least 20 minutes per day, preferably between 30-60 minutes per day.
Exercise frequency: should be between three and five times per week.
Exercise intensity: also referred to as your training heart rate range (THRR), should meet individual needs. Most studies have shown that moderate levels of exercise intensity (60% to 75% of your maximum heart rate) tends to be more fat burning than sugar burning. High intensity exercise (more than 80% of your maximum heart rate) tends to be more sugar burning than fat burning. With high-intensity exercise, muscle exertion becomes so great that the demand for oxygen within the muscle cells exceeds that which is being supplied by the blood. The muscles can no longer rely on aerobic metabolism (energy from fat) to meet their needs and must draw on your body’s limited supply of glucose (the brain’s only source of energy), since glucose can be partially broken down to provide an immediate source of energy, even in the absence of oxygen. This is referred to as anaerobic metabolism (energy from sugar). To most efficiently burn body fat, throw 30 second to 2 minute high-intensity “bursts” or “intervals” into your sustained program every 5-10 minutes.

Calculate your THRR using Karvonen’s Formula, which the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommends using, since it accounts for people’s individual resting heart rates and is therefore, the most accurate.

Karvonen’s Formula
220 – your age = your Maximum Heart Rate (MHR)
Take your MHR and subract your Resting Heart Rate (RHR) = y
y x (intensity level range of between 65-75%) = _____
Take that figure and add your RHR back in, which is your Training Heart Rate Range (THRR).

For example, using an intensity level of 65%:
220 – 48 (my age, shhhh) = 172 (my approximate MHR)
172 (MHR) – 60 (my RHR) = 112 (y)
112 x .65 (65% intensity level) = 72.8
72.8 + (adding my RHR back in) 60 = 132.8

I should therefore, try to maintain a THHR of approximately 133 beats/minute during my 30-60 minutes of aerobic training, and add a few high intensity intervals, into my workout as well, every 5-10 minutes. I can monitor my heart rate accurately by wearing a heart monitor.

Exercise Monitoring: can be done most accurately by wearing a heart rate monitor during exercise sessions. Another way to monitor your heart rate is to stop exercising to check your pulse. Divide your THRR by 6 to find out how many beats you want to get in 10 seconds. Realize however, this is not an entirely accurate measure of your heart rate since it may drop by 10-20% when you stop exercising. Over time you should be able to use the Perceived Rate of Exertion Scale, or simply, be able to judge/perceive whether or not you are in your training range by the difficulty of your breathing level during exercise.

Do not get discouraged if you do not lose as much body fat as you would like right away. Losing body fat takes time. Given that your body’s fat cells did not get to the size they are today overnight, it is not likely that they will disappear any faster. It takes much less time to overeat calories than it does to exercise them off unfortunately.

2) Strength training/weight lifting is also part of a successful, long-term, weight-loss program. Some people believe that weight lifting will cause them to develop “oversized” muscles such as on professional bodybuilders, but muscle growth can be monitored.

Muscle tissue hypertrophies (grows) as a result of strength training, and you may, early in your weight lifting program, gain a few pounds of body weight. This additional lean muscle tissue will help to accelerate and promote increased utilization of fatty acids. As muscles grow in size, the amount of metabolically active tissue increases, leading to a higher rate of caloric burn, especially immediately following workouts. Remember, fat is primarily burned in muscle tissue. Think of your body’s lean muscle as the engine in your car and your body fat as the gas tank. The bigger the engine, the more gas it uses while running. Similarly, the more muscle tissue you have, the more fat you will use while you are exercising. As you develop more musculature, your metabolism increases and you burn more calories, even at rest!

Another more obvious benefit of weight lifting is the body shaping, toning and sculpting advantage. Resistance training often offers a visible improvement in muscle tone and definition within just weeks of training.

Weight lifting may also help many people improve their skills in activities such as tennis, golf, dance, football and other sports that are directly associated with muscular strength, muscular endurance, balance, and coordination. Improved strength will also lead to decreased injuries!

3) Stretching for flexibility is another basic fitness component. Developing flexible muscles though static, controlled stretching, allows for a greater range of movement, reduced muscle tension, enhanced relaxation, improved posture and coordination, reduced stiffness, and delay of the physical deterioration associated with aging.

Adequate stretching also helps to prevent injuries associated with daily activities and exercises, especially those activities that may move the joints beyond their normal range of motion at rapid speeds. Ever injure your hip, wrist, elbow or knee falling, skiing, rollerblading or participating in any other activity and when you went to the doctor, he/she said, “You were very lucky. Your injuries could have been worse had you not been so flexible.” (or strong, etc.)

Long-term changes in flexibility are not well documented, but most experts agree that permanent muscle changes are possible when tissue temperature is elevated and low-force, long duration, is applied. In other words, stretching should be more productive and possibly even safer, if you warm up your muscles and tendons first, move in and out of stretches slowly, and hold stretches for at least 20 seconds.

4) Eat Healthy! The final component to losing body fat through the team approach is eating a low fat, high protein, high fiber, balanced diet that includes foods from the four food groups.
Stay tuned, for more about eating healthy………coming soon!

So, if you are really serious about losing body fat, feeling more energetic, gaining more confidence and self-esteem, and reducing the risk for developing various infections and diseases, just follow this foolproof team approach (and hire me as your personal trainer) to get into the best shape of your life. Good luck!

Best Butt on the Beach!

CORE — Mon, 18 Jun 2012 13:10:12 +0000

Summer’s here, and that means BEACH! If you are like many people, no matter how good you might look, summertime also unfortunately means bathing suit stress – especially about your rear view. Fear not. Just read on to learn how to develop the best butt on the beach.

First, commit this to memory: For maximum results, work your maximus! To develop a round, firm, and shapely behind, you must target all three butt muscles: the gluteus maximus, which is mostly responsible for the shape and appearance of your butt, and the smaller gluteus medius and gluteus minimus, which lie just below the gluteus maximus.

Let’s begin with a leg squat and hamstring curl and get warmed up:

1. Squat-Curls:

Stand with feet a bit wider than hip width apart, feet slightly turned out. Squat down as if you’re going to sit onto a chair. Keep your back straight, and put your weight into the heels of your feet. Try to squat deep (parallel to the ground if possible!) to isolate your butt muscles the most. As you ascend from your squat, simultaneously kick your right heel back toward your butt, curling and contracting your hamstring muscle, the thigh muscle behind your upper leg. Squat again, but this time, curl your left leg back as you come up. Try 10 squats, alternating leg curls on each one.
(Click on the photos to see them enlarged)

Your next exercise is the lunge, which in my opinion, is one of the best leg and butt exercises of all for women! There are many variations of lunges, but to target the glutes (and protect the knees), let’s do reverse lunges.

2. Reverse Lunges:

Stand with feet parallel and hip width apart. Step one foot back into a lunge position; both knees should be bent at 90 degrees. Keep your back straight and abdominals tight. Push through the heel of your front foot to step back to starting position. Do 10 on each leg. (see Debbie doing lunges at the beach)

3. Butt Blasters:

Now drop down onto your hands and knees. Place your hands just below your shoulder joints with elbows locked, and knees below your hip joints. Straighten your left leg behind you, and kick it up and down firmly15-20 times like Debbie, my client, is doing in the photo. Now bend that same leg, and continue kicking it up and down another 15-20 times, as if you were trying to kick your foot through the ceiling. Point your foot when you do the straight-legged kicks, and flex your foot when you do the bent-legged kicks for best butt isolations. Also, lock your torso/CORE by gently tightening your abdominals to protect your back. Switch sides.

Almost finished. Feeling the burn? Time for hip lifts or bridges.

4. Bridges:

Turn over onto your back with knees bent and feet flat on the mat. Feet should be turned out just a bit and just wider than hip width apart. Lift your glutes and hips off the mat, pushing through the heels of your feet and drawing in your abdominals gently at the same time. Squeeze your glutes as you lift. Do ten repetitions and then hold your tenth repetition for 10 seconds. Before you roll back down from this last hip lift, do ten more small range butt pulses and burn baby burn!

Unfortunately you can’t develop the perfect butt with my butt exercises alone. You must also eat healthy and do aerobic exercises too.

The good news is that summer time brings tasty, seasonal, fiber-rich fruits and vegetables like, berries, melons, mangoes, avocados, cucumbers, and corn, that fill you up and keep you hydrated too. Add lean proteins to your food plan too, like: fish, chicken, lentils, low fat cheeses, yogurt and tofu, whole grain breads, pastas and cereals, and at least 8 glasses of water a day, especially on hotter days. Eat desserts, sugary foods and starchy carbohydrates like potatoes, white flour and breads in moderation.

Now that you’ve got your diet under control, think of something you like to do that is active, and add at least a half an hour of that activity to your daily routine too. Swimming is wonderful exercise for the whole body, and summer’s the best season to hit the waves or lanes at the local pool. If swimming’s not your thing, walk, hike, bike, or just garden or play with the kids at the park. Don’t forget to stretch to keep your body flexible and safe from injury, ideally both before and after you exercise, but especially after you exercise when your body is warm and pliable.

Core Prep for Pregnancy: Exercises for Your Best Baby Belly!

CORE — Sun, 03 Jun 2012 13:34:20 +0000

Congratulations, you’ve decided to have a baby! You’ve ditched the birth control pills, spermicide gels or diaphragm – and you’re ready for the next step: Belly prepping!

Pregnancy places tremendous stresses on your body, but if you start exercising and eating right, you can help ensure your chances of delivering a safe, happy and healthy baby about 40 weeks down the line.

When I was pregnant at the ripe ol’ age of 43, my strong core muscles helped me push out my nine pound, healthy boy, in 5 big pushes. I am certain delivering my boy was made easier, because I had been preparing my core muscles for this moment.

For the best belly, you should core-train at least 2-4 days a week, as well as do some kind of aerobic exercise, such as brisk walking, swimming (my favorite when I was several months pregnant – there is something very fitting about floating in fluids just like the baby inside you!), or cycling, 3-5 days a week.

Core-training comes in many forms: Pilates, Yoga, balance-training, stability ball and band exercises, TRX-training, etc. But all focus on strengthening and stabilizing your deep abdominal muscles, pelvic floor, glutes, hips and back. Working the core improves balance, posture, flexibility, and coordination too.

Here are five of my favorite core pregnancy prep exercises:

1. Kegels:

Every doctor recommends kegels for pregnancy because they strengthen the pelvic floor muscles responsible for pushing your baby out. A strong pelvic floor will also help reduce your chances of getting urinary incontinence and hemorrhoids later. Kegels can be done discreetly anywhere, anytime — even standing in line at the supermarket. Simply squeeze and contract your pelvic muscles like you are trying to stop peeing midway through the stream. Hold a few seconds and then release. Repeat as many times as you can.

2. Hip Lifts-Bridges:

This helps strengthen the core muscles and legs, and also helps promote relaxation and rejuvenation of tired feet. Lie on your back with knees bent, feet flat on the floor, thighs together (unless or until your growing belly forces you to do it with legs apart, which is fine), and arms relaxed down by your sides. Lift your hips off the floor as high as you can, contracting your buttocks and gently pulling in your abdominal muscles. Do 10 hip lifts and then hold your tenth one for 30 seconds. Roll back down to the floor. You can make this exercise even more effective if you put a spongy ball or pillow between your legs to squeeze (which will engage your inner thigh muscles) while you lift! And if you really want to work, put your feet up on a platform, or stability ball, like I am doing in the photo! (Click on the photos to see them in full size.)

3. Supported Squats:

Squats strengthen your legs, hips and glutes, so you’ll feel sturdy and strong, even when you gain your baby weight. I liked using my TRX-straps for my supported pregnancy squats (see photo), but you can hold on to a ballet bar, fence, or do bench/chair squats, and stand up and sit down from your chair/bench. Stand with feet about hip width apart, with your weight distributed mostly into the heels of your feet. Squat down like you are going to sit onto a chair. You can do squats with feet parallel or turned out , but make sure to keep your knees in line with the direction of your toes. Try 10-20 squats a day.

4. Supermans:

This is a terrific exercise for strengthening and stabilizing your core muscles, especially your back. It also helps with balance. Get down on all fours, with knees under hip joints and hands under shoulder joints. Inhale to prepare…. exhale and reach your right arm forward and left leg back. Gently draw in your abdominals to help you stabilize your torso, align your head so you are looking down at the ground just below you (not looking at the camera like I am doing in photo) and keep your hips level. Switch to your left arm and right leg. Do 3-5 Supermans a day, holding for 5-10 seconds each.

5. Back Rows:

As the breasts grow (in my case, to ridiculously uncomfortable proportions) we can at least lessen the discomfort and improve our posture by strengthening the upper and mid-back muscles. You will need a medium strength resistance band for this one. Sit (like Jennifer in the photo) or stand, with abdominals gently engaged, and hold the band handles in your hands. Contract or squeeze your back muscles to pull the band towards your chest in a rowing motion. Keep your shoulders down and relaxed. Do 2 sets of 10 back rows 3 times a week. Be sure to stretch your chest muscles after you do your rows. Reach your hands behind your back, and interlace your fingers, palms connected. Push your chest forward as you pull your hands down and back behind you, straightening your elbows. This stretch feels great when you are breast-feeding too.

Also, now’s the most important time of your life to start eating right. The best bets are a good balance of whole grain breads and cereals, a variety of fruits and vegetables, low-fat or fat-free cheeses, yogurt and milk, and low-fat protein sources such as, fish, turkey, chicken, egg whites or tofu.

Of course, pregnancy brings with it huge responsibility, not just to your own body, but to the little one growing inside. Forget about drinking alcohol or smoking anymore, if you happen to partake of those.

Last: Don’t forget to take a doctor-recommended prenatal vitamin with folic acid, drink plenty of water, and limit sugars and caffeine.

This is a magical moment in your life. Make the most of it – you will be glad you did!

Stay tuned for more pregnancy prep exercises here on my blog, as well as on my Facebook page!

The Benefits of Exercise When Dealing With Cancer

CORE — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 17:50:27 +0000

I am posting this great article, written by David Hass, Family Hospitality Coordinator at Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance, in honor of my Aunt Esther Zeitlin (and her family), who recently passed from Ovarian Cancer. May she rest in peace.
Photo: Esther Zeitlin (March 16, 1930-February 28, 2012)

Aunt Esther was a skilled pianist and tennis player, and outstanding painter, sculptor and dancer. She raised my four cousins, and was a loving grandmother. In my aunt’s case, cancer attacked her muscles early and rapidly, causing debilitating muscle fatigue, that made all activity difficult to impossible. My family has experienced a great loss.

The Benefits of Exercise When Dealing With Cancer
By David Hass
When a person is diagnosed with any type of cancer, it can be a frightful experience. With the advent of modern technology, doctors and other medical professionals can treat many cancers such as mesothelioma and others successfully with medicines, specialized treatments, and surgical intervention. However, there are many things that a cancer patient can do himself or herself to improve their health. Many patients have found that engaging in an exercise program can be very beneficial to their overall well-being. When dealing with cancer, the proper type of exercise can provide many benefits to a cancer patient.

After clearing it with a doctor, an acceptable exercise regime should be initiated as soon as possible. Even when a person has cancer, it is important to keep the organs of the body that are not affected by the disease in good working order. Exercise can strengthen muscle tone, decrease excess fat, improve the functions of the heart and circulatory system, lower blood pressure, increase energy, and improve overall physical health.

Dealing with the disease of cancer from day-to-day can be emotionally draining for a patient. Keeping doctor’s appointments, being x-rayed frequently, having blood tests done, going for treatments, are all stressful tasks that must be carried out by the patient. However, these endeavors are all overshadowed by the dreaded possibility of dying from the disease. Understandably, many patients become prone to depression.

Exercise can help improve a cancer patient’s mental health or outlook about their disease by elevating their mood. A person’s mood is impacted by exercise because it produces endorphins. Most forms of exercise produce chemicals called endorphins that circulate through the body while exercising. They create what is commonly called a “runner’s high.” These endorphins produce pleasurable feelings much like the feelings that are created when taking morphine. Endorphins are manufactured in the brain and managed by a complex system that utilizes neurotransmitters to deliver them to the circulatory system.

While exercise is one way that a person can deal with their diagnosis of cancer, a patient will need the support of family members and friends. Some patients might find it beneficial to join a support group.

For additional information, visit the webpage of the Harvard Medical School regarding the benefits of exercise.

Workout Tips

Carla Zeitlin — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 12:15:24 +0000

It’s the New Year, and what better time than now, to add CORE-training to your list of resolutions. CORE-training will improve your physical appearance by toning and firming up your muscles, increase your metabolism so that you burn more calories and fat, improve your posture, coordination, energy level and balance, help prevent back pain and injuries, and much more!!

But you must train properly to achieve these results, so read on……

Gradually Increase Resistance: While your muscles may be strong enough to lift heavy weight, the surrounding connective tissues–ligaments and tendons–usually require more time to adjust to the work-load placed upon them. A gradual, progressive increase in weight is the wisest and safest route to muscular strength and size.

Use Controlled Movements: Your movements should all be controlled, slow and concentrated. Jerking, speeding up, or using momentum (swinging your body back and forth) to lift a weight or complete a set of an exercise, does nothing for you but set you up for big time injuries. (Back muscles are particularly susceptible to rocking or jerking movements.)

Warm-up: Be sure to do a 5-15 minute warm up and stretching session before you begin training, to keep your muscles flexible and avoid injuries. Staying flexible and stretched out will also allow you to move fluidly through the full range of motion of each and every exercise. If you’re under 40, hold your stretches for 30 seconds. If you’re over 40, hold them for 60 seconds. As you reach your 40s, your muscles become less pliable, so they need to be stretched longer.

Train Your Entire Body: To keep your muscles symmetrical and balanced, be sure to train muscle groups equally. Aside from the obvious disproportionate look that may occur from not training symmetrically, muscle imbalances may lead to injuries. For example, if you do 4-6 sets of quadriceps exercises (front of upper thigh), be sure that you also exercise the back of your thigh (hamstrings) muscles for 4-6 sets too, preferably either on the same training day, or on an alternate day of that same week!

Train With a Partner: Exercising with a friend may help you to stick to your workout program, and keep you motivated! So next time you head out for a run, or to the gym, grab a friend. Your friend will thank you too!

Carla Zeitlin training with her friend Angela

Breathe: It seems that almost daily I have to remind a client to BREATHE. Some people concentrate so hard on perfecting their form that they forget to breathe naturally. Holding your breath can increase blood pressure, which can lead to light-headedness and possibly fainting. Exhale while your muscle is working (exerting), or is contracted, and inhale back to starting position.

Stay Hydrated: Drink plenty of non-sugary fluids, preferably water, while you train. Being dehydrated can zap your energy and lead to muscle fatigue and dizziness, so drink lots of water – your body will love you for it!

Wear Proper Workout Clothing: Choose comfortable clothes that flatter your body and make you feel good in them, and wear good, sport-specific shoes with a good arch support, especially if you are doing Plyometrics and other jumping, leaping, bounding types of exercises in your workouts.

More training tips to come in future blogs, so stay posted!

Now get out there and have a great workout!!

Eat Right and Crunch for a Great Set of Abdominals!

Carla Zeitlin — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 14:34:02 +0000

Perhaps nothing says “sleek” better than a flat midsection. But in the ever-elusive quest to get that rippled, defined “six-pack,” Americans are spending millions of dollars on all kinds of abdominal gadgets, supplements and creams. Save your money.

All you need for a flat and hard tummy is to eat right and crunch! We all have abdominal muscles — yours just may be hiding under an extra layer of fat. Here are a few exercise hints to get real results:
Do some type of cardiovascular exercise at least 3-5 days per week for 30-60 minutes to burn fat, and help your abdominal muscles show through. Be sure to throw intervals or “bursts” into these workouts to get your heart pumping hard, which increases your metabolism and helps burn fat faster! For example, if you are running, do a few sprints. If you are cycling, peddle as fast as you can for about 30 seconds, recover and do it again, a few minutes later. Examples of some great exercises to start with are: power walking, bicycling, jump roping, playing basketball or soccer, swimming, doing the elliptical machine or the stationary bike, and/or rollerblading. If you can sing a song while you are exercising, you are not training hard enough—so get working!

Add a couple days per week of strength training into your program and you will burn fat around your tummy even faster. “Muscle requires more energy to sustain itself—and calories are energy, so with more muscle, you burn more calories,” explains Jill Brown, a spinning instructor at Golds Gym, Venice. Muscle also increases your metabolism so your body burns more fat—even at rest!

Eat 4-6 small, well-balanced meals throughout your day. Aim for lean proteins (chicken, fish, flank steaks, turkey and chicken sausages, tofu, nuts, low-fat beans, egg whites and protein powders), whole grain breads and cereals (brown rice, pastas, breads, etc are always best), vegetables and fruit and low-fat and non-fat dairy products (non-fat and low-fat cheese, milk, and yogurt). Eat carbohydrates (pasta, bread, etc.), fats (salad dressing, butter and margarine, oil) and sugars in smaller amounts.

Now crunch!

Although everyone has the potential to sport a beautiful and lean-looking midsection, genetics do play a role in determining the shape and amount of your abdominal muscles. But if you train hard and vary your abdominal exercises, you will get the results you are looking for. Remember, variety is the secret.

One person at the gym bragged that she could do 500 sit-ups in a row. But the truth is, when it comes to crunches, more is not better! It is the quality of the exercises that will help you, not the quantity.

Be sure to train your CORE-abdominals – the deepest layer of abdominal muscles first and foremost, since these stabilizing muscles help protect and strengthen your spine and back. Do upper, lower and side abdominals too, for harder and more defined-looking abdominals.

The plank is the most effective ab exercise for strengthening and developing your deep, core abdominals. Get onto your belly with legs outstretched, resting on your forearms. Inhale to prepare. On the exhale, peel your tummy, hips and thighs off the ground, so you are hovering over the ground, on your forearms and feet. Keep your neck long, hips level, and tummy drawn in, to really tighten/contract those deep abdominal muscles. Beginners can modify the plank by keeping their thighs on the ground so they are resting on thighs and forearms. Hold your planks for 10-45 seconds.
The plank abdominal exercise
The basic crunch is the next best abdominal exercise—it’s kind to your lower back and it can work your entire abdominal region if performed correctly. Lie on your back on a mat, both feet flat on the mat and your knees bent about 90 degrees. If you have lower back problems, put your feet up on a chair, bench or wall with your knees bent at 90 degrees so that your knees are just inside of your hip joints. Clasp your hands behind your head and make your head dead weight in your hands. Take a deep breath in and slowly exhale as you lift your head and shoulders off the ground. Pull in and contract your abdominal muscles (visualize your navel pressing down into the mat) while you are lifting and stop when your shoulder blades clear the mat.
Hold your contraction at the top for a count before lowering. You can also try squeezing a pillow or spongy ball between your legs as you crunch, for an even more effective crunch that will also work your inner thighs and glutes. Good job!

The basic crunch abdominal exercise

To target the lower abs, do reverse crunches. Start again on your back, with knees bent, feet flat on the ground. Rest your arms down by your sides. Now, use your tummy muscles to pull your toes up and over your face. Do these 10-20 times.

To train your side abdominal muscles or obliques, let’s do bicycle crunches. Start again on your back, but this time, place your feet in the air with knees bent. Clasp your hands behind your head. Crunch up and twist your torso to reach your left elbow to your right knee. Now twist and try to reach your right elbow to your left knee. Alternate sides back and forth until you’ve done about 10-20 torso twists or bicycle crunches.

Master these abdominal exercises, do “cardio” often and eat right, and you’ll have six-pack abdominals in no time!

Health & Nutrition

Carla Zeitlin — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 20:23:21 +0000

Diet (from the Latin word, diaeta meaning “a way of life”)

Carla and her CORE fitness team will share their knowledge and information about healthy, nutritious and balanced eating (high in protein and low in fat) that is sure to keep you looking and feeling fantastic. Confused about how to eat? The benefits of good nutrition include: improved resistance to colds and infections; reduced risk of developing acute or chronic disease; increased resistance to stress, aiding in the prevention of premature aging; a healthy physical appearance; AND increased energy, aiding in the regulation of a stable emotional and social life.

A balanced diet of wholesome, nutritious, low-fat foods with optimal amounts of nutrients (carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals and water) helps you avoid disease and feel your best, physically and emotionally.

Vitamins and Minerals

Vitamins are essential, non-caloric substances that help promote growth and development. Vitamins are organic compounds, produced from living material only, such as plants and animals. The fresher the food, the colder the storage temperature, and the shorter the cooking and holding time, the higher the vitamin content.

Minerals are also a very important part of one’s diet. Minerals help in the development of bone structure and muscle contraction. Minerals also aid in blood formation, protein building, and energy production, among other bodily processes.

The Recommended Dietary Allowances for Vitamins and Minerals

The RDAs are established by the Food and Nutrition Board and are designed for the “average” man or woman with an average weight, body fat percentage, nutrient absorption and excretion rate, stress level, and hereditary pattern. Therefore, please consult with your health care professional to be sure you are getting what you need.

All new clients receive a booklet with the RDA’s of Vitamins and Minerals, their functions, and food sources.

Alternative (complementary) Medicines

In my two decades as an athlete, personal fitness trainer, pilates instructor and coach, I’ve learned a great deal about the benefits of using Eastern/Alternative medicine. I am a yoga practitioner, and regularly visit a Doctor of Oriental Medicine for acupuncture, acupressure, massage and herbal remedies. I also occasionally visit a chiropractor. In my experience, Western and Eastern Medicine work in concert, and my body and soul have benefitted from both!

I encourage everyone to seek out whatever works best for them individually.