Why You're Not Seeing Results

    Wondering why you're not seeing the scale budge or feeling your clothes get loose? You're eating clean, doing the workouts, still nothing! Whaaaaaa?!

Ask yourself these questions, and I'm not trying to challenge you but instead to move you forward:

    If you eat every 3 hours you re FEEDING your body the energy that it needs to burn off the calories that your using douring your excerisze. It's SO common to not eat enough, food is NOT the enemy. If you're working hard in the gym you need to properly refuse your body otherwise it's gonna be a sentient battle and you're body is trying to say to you "MmmMmm, I am NOT getting rid of this fat. You aint feeding me! So Imma hold onto this cause I NEED it. Mmmmmkay?!"

I'm just saying'!

Your food could look something like this! It doesn't need to be professional, but eat yummy healthy food and eat often!

    If this is your first program of high intensity or if you JUST started hitting the gym really hard, your body could be holding onto water weight like a crazy person as well. So you need to DRINK more water. 1 gallon per day is IDEAL, but if you can make that happen at least ensure you get 8 glasses of generous water. Your body is gonna have a cortisol response to the stress and waters gonna trap around the muscle tot ry to protect it. This happens to women a lot. If it's week 6 and you're still not seeing results than thats not the issue, but if you're on week 2-3 this could be the reason. Don't get discourages, and keep going! 

    Take the body image OUT of the equation and look at your fitness level for a minute. Are you improving? Can you last longer? Are you feeling stronger doing other activities throughout the day? If yes, then you are on your way. Some people will not see "physical" results during the first 45 days of their program and in the last month will lose 30 lbs. You need to trust the process and do the WHOLE program. You can do it!! You just need to give yourself more time. 

- Drink more water.
- Eat more healthy food THROUGHOUT the day, and eat enough.
- Be patient! <-- I know, not fun. But seriously!! You're in this for the long haul anyways, and when summer rolls around you'll be glad you didn't give up.

Much love!! xoxox

Friends Help Friends Get Bootys

Hey sugaplums! Day 25 here and I'm STILL at it! 

Trying to work on my BUNS and my CARDIO. Phewwww!

The Best Ways to Track Your Weightloss Progress

THE MEASUREMENT TEST
Measurements, like weight, are a good general
guide. Take into considering muscle mass being gained!
A rounder booty, for instance, takes up more space than a flatter one. 
Still, like we said, a good general guide. When measuring, 
measure the smallest part of your waist and the
fullest part of your hips, upper thighs, chest, and upper arms. Once a month
right after your — yes — period is a good time to measure.

THE CLOTHES TEST
If your clothes feel looser and it’s not because you’ve
been sitting in front of the tv with your legs tucked up in your shirt (don't worry, 
we all do it) that’s a sign you’re getting your Fit Girl on.
This is great for girls who want to quit the numbers game. Fit Girl Project:
Take a picture of yourself in a pair of jeans at the beginning of the Challenge
and take a progress picture at the end of every week and then collage them!

THE PHOTO TEST
Before & After photos are another fab way to track
progress. No numbers for this one either. B&A pics are best taken a month
apart in the same outfit with the same background, same pose, and same
angle for the most accurate comparisons. I recommend the day
after your period for happiest results ;) ALSO, send in your before/after
pics to Beachbody.com if you used a program and they'll send you a free
shirt for the program you completed! Weightloss AND new clothes?! 
#win

SEE, fit girls ARE happy girls! ;)

Why Ya Need To Stretch Everyday!

Stretching. Yesssss. Stretching is what means you get to exercise again tomorrow. Cuz without it you’ll be CRAZY sore and will not only have a hard time working out — you’ll have a hard time moving around. Trust me, last week I forgot to stretch after my Burn Circuit 1 and I was out of commission for 2 days... 2 DAYS!!!! (crying over here). Just like what you drink is just as important as what you eat, stretching is just as important as exercising. Also, it’s part of exercise. Stretching burns calories! Don’t skimp.

General rule: Active stretching before you work out and passive stretching (aka
traditional stretching where you hold stretches for 15-30 seconds) after when you’re
super warm. 

Sneak in as many little stretch breaks throughout the day as you can. You can stretch just about anywhere — in bed, in the shower, at your desk, waiting in line. Ahhhhh. It feels so good. #mmmmm All I'm asking is that you stretch for at least one song length (can you do two? that’d be rad) after your circuits. Put on some Britney Spears, #OopsIDidItAgain and stretch everything. Relax into your stretches. Enjoy them! You’re preparing yourself to fight the Fitness Dolls fight another day!

Thank you to the fitgirlsguide for this inspired post! Love you guys <3

Easy Ways To Burn More Calories

GOAL: Be active for 30 minutes a day, 6 days per week. 

1. TEN OF SOMETHINGS. Take mini-breaks every hour to do Ten of something. Esp if you work at a desk. 10 calf raises, 10 wall pushups, 10 desk tricep dips, 10 mini-jumping jacks, 10 standing crunches. So many options. Our bodies hate sitting around all day. "Ten of Something" makes them happy and earns major mermaid stickers.

2. WOBBLE CUSHION. Oh! And have you tried a wobble cushion? We’re wobbling around on ours right now. It’s a free core workout and your back will heart you for it. And it makes sitting still more fun — cuz you don't have to sit still! “Brb Googling that now.” Do it!

3. ATTS. Always Take the Stairs.

4. BAD SPACES ARE GOOD. Park far away when you’re running errands. Bonus, you don’t have to wait for that chick to pull out of that space. Double bonus: Nobody scratches your car. (Unless there’s
some jerk going around keying cars that are parked far away.)

5. FLATS ARE FRIENDS. When you wear flats you’re more likely to walk more during the day. Extra walking is one of the easiest ways to burn some extra cals. #YES

6. THE WALK AND TALK. Have a call to make? Make it on a walk. Can’t get outside? Do the walk and pace. (Bonus: If you walk briskly and get your heart rate up this counts as part of your 30 minutes.) These upcoming two also count as part of your 30 minutes. 

7. FRIEND DATES. Move friend dates from the restaurant to the street. Walking with a bestie is like getting paid to hang out in exercise dollars. #freemoney

8. “FRIEND” DATES. Your TV character friends are almost as good of an exercise distraction as your real ones. Get any last minutes of the day’s workout in while you zone out.

How To Lose Weight

    Hey loves! As you probably know by now, I've had my share of ups and downs with the scale. It can be a frustrating process and even a frustrating mind set. Sometimes we backslide and when we no longer feel apart of the "progress" we feel stuck in our current weight and wonder if we'll EVER get to our goals. The truth is, it's totally up to you. 

    While it may be hard to believe right now - your dream abs, thighs, or arms etc, are totally within reach. Nothing is stopping you, except you. When I first realized this concept it was a tough pill to swallow because it meant accepting that I was NOT at my goal weight/body also because of ME. YIKES! What a wake up call. Losing weight since that point hasn't been "a breeze" but I felt a sort of relief knowing that I could do it. 

    There's no magic pill to losing weight, toning up, or "getting abs", but there are definitely steps! And as much as it's tempting to buy into the "next great thing", the BEST thing you can do is to focus on being healthy. Don't worry about the Paris Diet, the Atkins Diet, or how many points something has. Just ask yourself "Is this healthy?" And if it is, then good. If it's not, have some in moderation. Your eating should be about 80% healthy and 20% treat. If it's manmade, it's not as healthy as it should be. Low-fat ice-cream, low-sodium chips, fat free granola bars.... are all things that are man made. It's tempting (and confusing) to look at these things and think they're healthy, but in truth - they're not. 

    If you're starting at square 1, the easiest place to start is not to look at what you "can't have" and instead to focus on having more of what you SHOULD have. Let me explain that..

    Focus on ADDING to your diet, instead of removing. Start adding more fruits, vegetables, grains, and natural protein sources. When you focus on adding foods to your diet you'll be less focused on avoiding the unhealthy foods.

    While I highly encourage tracking what you eat in a day, that can feel restricting and overwhelming in the beginning. If you're a beginner, just start with adding healthy foods to your menu. Once you've gotten a grip on that, then you should start to track what you eat each day. Don't worry so much about calories! Focus on the quality of the food you're eating. Proteins, fats, and carbs! 

    If you want to lose weight you need to active as well! And honestly, sometimes this part is so focused on that people get stressed about it! Just get your blood pumping. Go on a walk if thats all you have available to you. But PLEASE don't go to the gym and spend $50 on a gym membership, it's NOT necessary and chances are you will be as confused as I am in there, and end up wasting time & money. Go for a walk, a jog, get some cheap badminton rackets and play with a friend at a park, or do home workouts (with me!). 

    Like I said, there is no magic pill to weightless, but there are steps. Focus on eating the right foods & be active.

    Chances are you already know what to do and just need some help or accountability to make it happen. Thats what I'm here for! I'm always excited to welcome new people to the Fitness Doll Challenge, and if you're not ready for that that's OK! You can email me at jessica.herle@hotmail.com or add me on facebook and we can start talking about other little ways you can get healthy first. Baby steps are greater than no steps!

Talk soon! xoxox

Day 14 - TurboFire & Burn Circuit 1

    Hey loves! Let me just take a second here to say I LOOOOVEEEE working out at home! Not that I don't like gyms or the people in them - but working out at home is just SO my jam. Theres no traffic to get there, I get to wear whatever works for me even if it's not cute or appropriate (lol), and I just get to follow along to my TV. I mean seriously, I'm working out with the BEST of the BEST trainers, and right beside my bed! Muahahaha. just kidding ;) Not to mention, I'm CLUELESS in a gym haha.

    Today is Day 14, and on my schedule is HIIT 15, and Sculpt 30! I decided to do a Chalean Extreme workout instead because I wanted a change-up. The Chalean Extreme workout I chose was Burn Circuit 1. Just a quick, 30 minute workout but let me tell ya! My legs are already killing me and I don;t even want to know how I feel going down the stairs tomorrow, eek! Oh well! I'm all about that bass ;)

Original Fitness Doll Challenge Application

Fill out my online form.

Online contact and registration forms from Wufoo.

My Abs Are Showing!!

    Hey sugars! Yesterday was a GOOD day. Finally I could see progress in my body from all the workouts, healthy meals, and shakeology. Sometimes the journey feels endless, but I've realized even the smallest amount of results it's SO worth it. It's such a satisfying feeling because you no-one can take it from you, you can't buy fitness, and you KNOW the "blood, sweat and tears" that went into it!

    My weight is currently 124.6 and my goal for the end of the month is (hopefully) around 120lbs, HOWEVER I would like to clarify that the scale is not my ultimate goal.. I have a pair of cut-off jean shorts from Abercrombie that I currently "fit" into, but I want them to feel and look BETTER. 

    The photo wasn't darkened or anything so I'm not sure why it looks like this on my computer LOL. I uploaded the original to here and facebook and it looks a lot lighter on facebook... hmmmm. If you want to join me in my quest of losing 4 lbs (or maybe 10 lbs depending on your goals!) this month - apply for my october fitness challenge here. Love you guys!

Feeling Tired

    Ahhhh, do you ever have those days where you know you're SUPPOSED to workout yet you are SO. DANG. TIRED. That's me today. I promise myself I would do this TurboFire Round 2 perfectly, so it would seriously kill me to skip todays workout but I neeeeeed to sleep! Seriously! My brain has been in overdrive for so so long today.

What should I do?!

    Workout. I know I should. And not only *should* I but I know deep down this is a test.  I've read countless times different quotes that say "Discipline is the bridge between setting goals and accomplishing them," "Success happens when you do what you know you should do, long after the mood you said it in has passed."

    So yes. I am NOT in the mood to workout tonight, but my goal body and dreamy abs won't make themselves happen. I need to do this. One step in front of the other. Just give it 5 minutes and soon my body will be grateful I'm doing it, right?!?! Ay yi yi, I'm sleepy folks. If you want to do the October Fitness Doll challenge with me fill out the form here. 

    Consider this my sign off... after my workout is done I'll probably pass the **** out LOL.

Goodnight loves xoxox

PS. Todays workout is Fire 45, jab jab hook! 

How To Keep The FUN In Fitness

    Working out doesn't have to be boring, if you're doing a Beachbody workout I know you're not bored BUT on the chance that you're a gym rat and tired of the same old cardio machines and dumbbells at the gym - STOP! Try something new. I'm a HUGE fan of workout DVD's since they're always fun, energetic, and your typically doing it with others (in the TV but HEY who's checking where my friends are from).

    You need to change up your routine so that you stay motivated and most of all, amped up! Pre-workouts are effective but you don't want to rely on them in order to feel energy throughout our workout. If you feel like you NEED a PWO, then you might be doing 1) The wrong workout or 2) not eating the right foods.

    Well, to target #1 (since #2 is an entire post in itself) here are some tips to keeping the FUN in fitness!

Try some sports! 

    I have to say, after I quit playing soccer in High School I stopped considering myself an "athletic girl" even though I still cared about fitness. Well, last weekend my boyfriend and I bought 2 badminton rackets and birdies from the dollar store (YES, they really were a dollar!) we've been playing EVERY. DAY. OMG, who knew how fun badminton was?! (we're even thinking about joining some type of couples team if we can find one)

    Playing badminton at the park (we go so we can throw the ball for my pup, Charlie) has become my addiction. And it's SUCH a good way to get my heart rate up aside from my daily workouts. I know badminton isn't enough to get a serious weightless transformation at the level we're playing at, but seriously - everything counts over the long run.

    If badminton's not your thing, try another sport! Tennis, basketball, soccer, there are so many! Grab a friend, your man, anyone who might want to play and just go for it! You guys will probably have WAY more fun than you're anticipating and you'll be going back for more fun (and burned calories) ASAP. 

    Besides just field sports, if you live near the beach you can go paddle boarding, surfing if you know how - and if you don't, take lessons! What better time?! Unless you're afraid of sharks, which I am... so I'll stick to paddle boarding since there's less time in the water for that one LOL. 

    Have you tried a kickboxing class? A dance class? Yoga? I get my kickboxing and dance fix in with TurboFire (my soulmate workout ♥) and yoga from the 21 Day Fix + P90X. Try taking a class that's near you! A cycling class, Zumba, or go for a run with your pet! 

    Basically, the key to keeping the FUN in FITNESS, is to try new things and to MAKE it fun. The truth is, going to the gym and doing elliptical for 30 minutes just is NOT fun for me, so thats why I do my beachbody workouts. Try them! My friend Laura ordered Brazil Butt Lift last week and said to me "These are hard, but honestly - I'm having SO MUCH FUN!" Make fitness fun and you won't feel like it's draining you, instead you'll feel like it's truly energizing you!

I hope you liked some of the ideas here, try something new this week and let me know how you liked it! Talk soon!

Top 10 Butt Exercises

Hey dolls! Today I wanted to give you guys a quick home workout you can do to tone your booty! It's such an important muscle to work not only for the *ahem*... visual... but to be stronger during everyday activities! A strong booty is great for so many things including a stronger back and an easier time going up steps... plus who wouldn't want a derriere like this?!

1. Stand with feet hip-width apart and, for added intensity, hold weights at shoulder level or at your sides.
2. Bend the knees, and lower into a squat, keeping the knees behind the toes.  Imagine that you're sticking your butt out behind you, but keep the torso upright and contracted.
3. Press into the heels to stand up.
4. Repeat for 2-3 sets of 8-16 reps

1. Stand in a split stance, with feet about 3 feet apart. You want both knees to be at about 90-degree angles at the bottom of the movement, so adjust accordingly.
2. Hold weights in each hand (or place a barbell behind the neck) for added intensity.
3. Bend the knees and lower the back knee toward the floor, keeping the front heel down and the knee directly over the center of the foot.
4. Keep the torso straight and abs in as you push through the front heel and back to starting position.
5. Don't lock the knees at the top of the movement.
6. Perform 1 to 3 sets of 10 to 16 reps according to your fitness level and goals.

1. Stand behind a 15-inch platform or step, weights in hand.
2. Place the right foot on the step, transfer the weight to the heel and push into the heel to come onto the step.
3. Concentrate on only using the right leg, keeping the left leg active only for balance.
4. Slowly step back down and repeat all reps on the right leg before switching to the left.
5. Perform 1 to 3 sets of 10 to 16 reps according to your fitness level and goals.

1. Start on your hands and knees, with your shoulders directly over your hands and your hips over your knees
2. Tighten your abdominals and keep them engaged throughout the set.
3. Lift your left leg into the air until the sole of your shoe is facing the ceiling and your thigh is parallel to the floor.
4. Slowly lower the knee until it’s hovering just above the floor, then lift and lower eight times.
5. Switch legs. 
6. Do 3 sets of 15. 

1. Using dumbbells of 10-15 lbs hold the weights in front of the thighs. 
2. Tip from the hips and lower the weights as low as your flexibility allows. 
3. Keep your back flat or with a natural arch and make sure you keep the abs contracted to protect the back. 
4. Squeeze the glutes to raise back up. Do 2-3 sets of 8-12 reps.

1. Lean your back against a wall, making sure that your whole back is touching the wall. Your feet should be about two feet from the wall and about shoulder-width apart from each other.
2. Slowly slide your back down the wall until your thighs are parallel to the ground. Aim for a 90-degree angle.
3. Keep your weight in the heels of your feet and make sure your knees are behind your toes. You should be able to tap your toes.
4. Keep your back flat against the wall. If it starts to arch, slide up until the small of your back is touching the wall again.
5. Lift right leg for 30 seconds, then switch and lift left leg for 30 seconds.

1. Lie face up with your knees bent, feet hip-width apart and arms by sides with palms down. 
2. Slowly lift your hips off the ground until you form a diagonal line from knees to shoulders. Try to keep your abs tight as you lift your hips higher. 
3. Raise butt as high up as you can, keeping your glutes squeezed tight. 
4. Hold for a 5 count and lower back down to mat.
5. Repeat for 60 seconds

1. Start in a squat position with knees softly bent.
2. Jump up, lifting legs as high as you can off the ground. As you fall down, drop all the way to the floor.
3. You should be in a deep squatted position with knees pointing slightly outward and your hands on the floor. 
4. Repeat the jumping motion without breaking up the movement for 60 seconds.

1. Assume a wide stance with your legs two to three feet apart, toes turned out. Place your hands on your hips.
2. Push your hips back and lower your body until your thighs are parallel to the floor.
3. Hold for a few seconds, and then slowly push yourself back to the starting position. That’s one rep.
4. Repeat for 10 reps.

Go on a walk and try to find some hilly areas. Emphasize your glutes and focus on them during the uphill periods. If you're feeling ambitious you can even do some uphill lunges! 

I have to say, I did these and I really felt the burn but it was NOTHING compared to Brazil Butt Lift. Those DVD's scorch my buns in a way I've never felt before LOL. So glad I have Leandro!

^Goal booty^

Top 10 Ab Workouts For A Sexy Core

Get into the pushup position. Now bend your elbows 90 degrees and rest your weight on your forearms. Your elbows should be directly beneath your shoulders, and your body should form a straight line from your head to your feet. Aim for 1-2 minutes. Your first time will probably be around 30 seconds, don't put any pressure on yourself to last longer than that in the beginning!

How to improve your plank time:
The longer you can hold the plank, the more resilient your lower back will be to injury, and the better your abs will look.

Practice: Do planks a few times a day, and try to hold the position a little longer each time!

Use body-weight exercises: Push ups will improve your plank time (and abs!)

Hold it!
If you don't have the core strength yet to do a regular plank you can build up to it by doing the "bent knee" plank. Once you've conquered the plank and can last for 2+ minutes you can move on to these
tougher variations!

1. Lift one leg up. By raising one let in the air you'll increase the demand on your core to fight your body's natural udder to rotate.
2. Lift one arm up. Yep, same thing here! Your body will want to fall to one side. Don't let it! Stay strong girl.
3. Use a swiss ball. Rest your forearms on the ball and you'll have to stabilize your body and stop the ball from rolling out under you.

Lie face up on your mat and place your hands behind you head, supporting it with your fingers. Bring your knees in to the chest and life the shoulder bladed off the floor without pulling on the neck. Rotate to the left, bringing the right elbow towards the left knee as your straighten the other leg. Switch sides, bringing the left elbow towards the right knee. Continue alternating sides in a pedaling motion.

How to improve your bicycle: Keep your lower back on the floor at all times to keep tension in your core

Practice: Do this everyday, 1-3 sets of 15 reps

Hold it! Go slow until you build the strength to move to an upbeat pace and exhale as your "pedal" changes with each leg

Lie on the floor and extend your legs straight up with your knees crossed. Place your hands behind the head for support, but avoid pulling on your neck. Contract the abs to lift your shoulder blades off the floor, as thought you're reaching your chest towards your feet. Keep your legs in a fixed position and "crunch." Lower and repeat!

How to improve your leg crunch: Focus on keeping your legs still and imagine bringing your belly button towards your spine at the top of the movement.

Practice: Do this with your ab routine, 1-3 sets of 12-16 reps

Hold it! Make sure you don't strain your neck, mentally remind yourself to relax your neck muscles and  focus on lifting with your abs and not with your neck.

Lie on a mat facing up and extend your arms straight out behind your head with hands clasped, and keep your arms next to your ears. Contract your abs and lift your shoulder blades off the floor. Keep the arms straight and avoid straining your neck! Lift all the way up until you've done a proper "crunch." Lower and repeat! 

How to improve: If you feel neck pain, put one hand behind your head while keeping your other arm extended.

Practice: Repeat for 3 sets of 15 reps

Hold it! Once you're able to do 3 sets without taking breaks, challenge yourself by holding a dumbbell to add intensity.

Lie on the floor and place your hands on the floor of behind your head. Bring your knees in towards your chest until they're bent to 90degrees, with your feet together OR crossed :). Contract the abs to curl the hips up off the floor, reaching the legs up towards the ceiling. 

How to improve: It's a very small movement, so try to use your abs to life your hips rather than swinging your legs and creating momentum. 

Practice: Repeat for 2-3 sets of 20 reps

Hold it! You'll feel this in the lower abs, and because thats primarily the muscle that you're working, this is a small and subtle move. You only need to lift your hips a few inches off the floor. Once you've mastered this move try this variation to make the reverse crunch harder!

1. Add ankle weights to challenge your balance 

Lie on your back with your knees bent and your hands gently cradling your head. Keep your feet on the flow. Now flex your feet and keep them flexed as you contract your abs, lifting the shoulder blades off the floor. Try not to pull on your neck with your hands, but lightly support your head. At the top of your crunch, press your heels down into the floor while keeping your lower back in contact with the floor. 

How to improve: Focus on lifting from your chest and not your neck. This will help you avoid injury!

Practice: Repeat for 3 sets of 15 reps

Hold it! This heel push crunch looks like a regular crunch, but in this version you'll be engaging the rectus abdominis muscles more. When you're ready for a challenge you can put a weight-plate on your chest so work your abs even more.

Sit on a ball or chair and hold a medium weight. Begin the movement with the weight at chest level, and keep your shoulders relaxed. Keeping your hips and knees facing forward, rotate the torso to the right as far as you comfortably can. Focus on squeezing the muscles around your waist. Rotate back to centre and then to the left, keeping the movement slow and controlled.

How to improve: Make sure you do this slowly so that your body is working form your core and not from momentum. 

Practice: Repeat for 2 sets of 20 reps

Hold it! This workout really challenges your obliques, if you're new to oblique work take it easy on yourself the first couple times you do this. When you're ready to make it more difficult, up your weight that you hold. This will also work your shoulders and arms!

Lie down on your right side, resting your forearm. Your legs should be straight with your hips stacked. Press into your forearm to lift the hips off the mat. 

How to improve: If you can't rest on your forearm yet, you can start by resting/pressing into your hand. This is still a challenge but will be easier than if you were using your forearm. 

Practice: Do this for 30-120 seconds repeating 2-3 times on each side

Hold it! Hold your body in a straight line, and rest your free arms behind your head to give you extra balance. When you're ready to make this harder you can choose from the foot variations below!

1. Harder: Feet stacked

2. Easier: Feet staggered

3. Easiest: Knees down

Being in the plank position, on your hands and toes. Make sure your hips are down and the back is flat while bracing your abs. Life your left leg, bend your knee and bring it in towards your left elbow without moving the rest of your body. Take your left leg back and then bring your right knee in towards the right elbow, making sure you keep the rest of your body in the same position. 

How to improve: This one sounds easier than it really is. In the beginning, it's normal to shake and wobble, but focus on keeping still and eventually you'll get stronger.

Practice: Do this for 30-60 seconds and repeat 3 times. 

With your exercise ball, start in a plank position with your feet resting on the ball (looks like an elevated push-up.) Roll the ball towards you with your feet, tightening the abs into a crunch. 

How to improve: You can rest your shins/ankles on the ball in the beginning until you're ready to roll from your feet. 

Practice: Do this for 3 sets of 15 reps

How To Get The Most Out Of Your Workout

Do you want to make your workout more effective? DUH! Who doesn't! While there are tons of resources and workouts available online, here are some ways to ensure your body is a fat burning, calorie scorching, FURNACE during your workout!

1. Have a small snack 20 minutes before you start
An energy boost and essential so you don't pass out!

2. Drink water THROUGHOUT the day
Drinking it before and after is not enough. You need to be properly hydrating throughout the day since your body takes a couple hours to absorb H2O into the blood stream.

3. Warm up for 10 minutes
This should be gentle stretching and something to get the blood flowing. If your body isn't warmed up when you start your workout it'll spend the first 10-15 minutes "warming itself up" instead of burning your fat stores. What?! I know. So please, warm yourself up!

4. Multitask your muscles
Deadlifts and squats use multiple muscle groups at once making your time "a la sweat" TWICE as effective. You'll get a nice boost in your metabolism and heart rate (which doubles as your cardio) WIN!!

5. Focus on the workout
As temping as it is to send emails, texts, check facebook etc during your workout, you lose out on difficulty when your distracted. When you're working a certain muscle - FOCUS on that muscle group and imagine it being the HARDEST lift ever. More focus = more toned.

6. 8 hours of sleep
Getting enough sleep is hard for most North Americans but if you're trying to lose weight then you NEED to prioritize your beauty sleep! (It'll be a win-win when you notice your dark circles are gone too.) If a body is working out without enough rest it'll HOLD onto your fat stores which we all know is a fitness dolls NIGHTMARE!

Working out just isn't enough. We need to be smart with our time and intentions! Getting a slim and sexy stomach takes some tweaking and commitment. Try these tips out and let me know if you feel the energy boost and notice a difference! What tips and trick have you tried that work for you? 

What is a HIIT Workout?

If you're apart of the fitness community at all, chances are you've heard of HIIT workouts. HIIT = High Intensity Interval Training. HIIT workouts are short, effective, and incredibly different. Most workouts are 45-60 minutes. But the average HIIT workout is only 15-30. Much shorter, which means... YAY more time to spend getting ready or taking your dog on a walk ;)

In case if you don't know what a HIIT workout actually is, it's short bursts of intense energy & giving it EVERYTHING YOU'VE GOT, followed by a short rest period. This is repeated multiple times, and the possibilities are endless! 

Why is a HIIT workout one of the BEST things you can do for your fitness? 

It's been proven that HIIT gets and keeps your heart rate up so that you burn calories at an accelerated rate ALL DAY. HI!! Yes please!! A high intensity workout increases the body's need for oxygen during the workout and creates an "oxygen shortage," causing your body to ask for MORE oxygen during recovery! This after burn effect is commonly referred to as Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption also known as - EPOC. EPOC is the reason why intense exercise burns more fat and calories than regular cardio. Your metabolism will have a crazy boost for up to 48 hours AFTER your HIIT workout. So, not only are these workouts shorter, but they're like A ZILLION times more effective. My favourite workout is TurboFire which has 3 different HIIT routines that I absolutely L♥VE!! HIIT 15, HIIT 20, and HIIT 25. If you haven't tried HIIT yet try this routine below! It's only 7 minutes long for 1 circuit, but do it 3 times and you've just got yourself a kick butt routine for the day! 

Have you tried a HIIT workout before? What did you think? Leave a comment below!

Eat Protein To Lose Weight

Hi fitness friends! Today I want to share the important of proper protein in your diet. Many people have the misconception that in order to lose weight you need to eat a little bit of food and workout hard at the gym for 3 hours - NOT TRUE! Myth - BUSTED!

One of the most important parts of a successful weight loss plan is nutrition. Well, protein is essential for giving our body the proper fuel and energy it needs to function properly, recover, and aid in weight-loss.

Why? Protein plays a vital part in aiding the body's building, repairing and structural blocks of every cell in your body. You see, proteins are made up of smaller units called amino acids!

Amino acids link up in various combinations to form chains. They can be divided into 2 groups, non-essential amino acids (your body can make on its own) & essential amino acids (the ones you can only get from dietary sources). Our bodies are unable to store protein so it's clear that we need to eat protein with every meal in order to allow our bodies to absorb the amino acids properly! Unfortunatly, we can't stock up on protein by eating it once a week! Absorption of protein/amino acids is sooo important! If amino acids are absent in our diet, the production of proteins that include there essential amino acids are reserved in your body. Wrose, if you do not eat sufficient amounts of protein your body has to find it elsewhere and looks to your muscles for answers. Less muscle --> slower metabolism --> more fat stores!

Another reason protein is so important is that it takes more work to digest, metabolize, and use, which means your body burns more calories processing protein! Foods high in protein also take longer to leave your stomach - which makes you feel full sooner and longer.

Last but not least, your body uses the amino acids in protein to build lean muscle, which NOT ONLY makes you more toned and stronger, but assists in scorching more calories and more fat - keeping your metabolism in high gear! Say it with me, YAY!!!!!

**By the way** I'm a serious advocate that women don't need a protein supplement & that we should be getting our protein from natural sources like eggs and chicken, etc.

How To Get Rid of Cellulite

Hey pretty girls!! This is SUCH an important post because we ALL struggle with cellulite eventually in our lives, it's inevitable to happen. 

What IS cellulite? It's the lumpy bumps of skin caused when fat presses up against the vertical connective tissue that surrounds fat cells in our thighs AKA the dimpled effect.

What causes it? Genetics, hormones (estrogen), extra weight, smoking, stress, poor diet, high alcohol consumption, lack of exercise, etc. Some of those factors are out of your control, but MOST aren't! MEANING: you can get rid of MOST of your cellulite! Say it with me "YAY!!!"

1. Eat healthy! Eat plenty of fiber, fruits, vegetables & whole grains, this will help to remove waste and toxins from the intestinal tract! In addition to that, eat lean proteins as your main muscle and energy building source (the more muscle you have, the faster your metabolism is... the faster your metabolism is, the less body fat --> the less cellulite!)

2. Drink PLENTY of water! Increase your daily water intake - this will help shed excess fat including the fat that's stored as cellulite! In addition to that, water strengthens you the collagen in skin which will help to reduce the lumpy look and keep you looking younger! Less wrinkles & no cellulite? YES please! :))))

3. Exercise regularly! Cellulite is fat, bottom line. It's important to do both cardio and strength training a few times per week to keep your metabolism revved up! I recommend High Intensity Interval Training, also known as HIIT along with your cardio and strength training. HIIT is a MAJOR fat blaster! PS. TurboFire has 3 HIIT workouts in it & they're sooo fun! 

4. Use an exfoliator! Use an exfoliator scrub with some sort of caffeine ingredient in it. Caffiene is supposed to break up fatty deposits as you massage it into your skin. In ADDITION to that, it also tightens, hydrates, and plumps your skin!