Ripped Like Ripa

I don't know about you, but when I think about toned TV personalities, I think...Kelly Ripa.

Here is a clip of some of the exercises Kelly does to stay in shape while working out at Equinox Fitness Clubs in NYC. As a former trainer and client at Equinox, I have done these exercises and can attest to the tremendous results they provide!

Build Muscle to Lose Fat

Yesterday, I discussed The Biggest Loser and the importance of following a program that focuses on fat loss and muscle gain, not necessarily "weight loss." I should start by saying The Biggest Loser trainers were right on the money with the specific exercises they were doing, the show's focus was just on the wrong result.

Now, it would be silly to recommend a specific program without actually meeting each and every one of you and understanding your history and goals, but here are some general guidelines:

Focus on Strength

The best way to increase your metabolism is by adding lean muscle mass to your body through strength training. Muscle is your body's best source for burning calories and body fat.

As you gain muscle through strength training, you will lose inches and fat (not necessarily pounds). And here's a tip ladies, use free weights! Free weights force you to stabilize the weight, engaging all muscles and allowing for natural movement patterns. Women are often concerned that strength training will turn their slender figures into that of a bodybuilder, but it's just not possible. The vast majority of women cannot build large muscles because they are genetically incapable of doing so due to the high levels of estrogen they possess.

My suggestion is to use a combination of free weights and strength training machines concentrating on working out the bigger muscle groups like the chest, back, gluteus, hamstrings, and quadriceps. When it comes to my arms, I've seen the best results coming from free weight exercises like the bicep curl, triceps extension, one-arm row, bench press and flies.

Nutrition

You've probably heard all of this before but it's important to follow. In my mind, the biggest mistake you can make is dieting. Instead, just make healthier choices -- Choose this not that.

First, let me start by saying that I want you to eat carbs and I want you to eat fat. However, you need to eat the right carbs and the right kind of fat. Stay away from carbs with a high glycemic index (white bread, rice, potatoes) and instead, opt for good carbs. The best good carb is the green, leafy vegetable. Other good choices are beans, fruit and whole grains. As for fats, mono- and polyunsaturated fats are best. They actually help lower cholesterol. Some good examples are nuts, olive oil, salmon and avocado.

Protein is also important in the building of lean muscle and studies show that it actually aids in post-workout muscle recovery. Chicken, turkey and fish are excellent sources of protein, as are egg whites. I like to follow the guidelines that 45 to 60% of your diet should be calories from carbs, 15 to 35% from protein, and 20 to 35% from fat. Remember, excessive consumption of any of the above will cause excess fat storage.

Cardio

No need to get all crazy with cardio. Adding 20-30 minutes of aerobic exercise, in addition to your strength training routine, is all you need for a successful fat-loss strategy. Studies have actually shown that people who couple cardio with strength training eat less -- approximately 500 calories less!

Interval training is a great way to boost you calorie burning power, and I also think it makes the time go quicker. Interval training is in essence repetitions of high-speed/high-intensity work followed by periods of rest or low activity. This can be accomplished on the treadmill, the bike or the elliptical.

Here is just an simple example for the treadmill from Sky Sport & Spa owner Jackie Warner:

Increase the treadmill ramp to a maximum uphill climb and slow walk (almost a lunge) for 2 minutes. Then, lower the ramp and run for 2 minutes. Take 1 minute to bring your heart rate down and then start over. Repeat 4 more times (equals a 20 minute session).

Hopefully, some of these tips help you out!!

The Biggest Loser

In the health and wellness industry, The Biggest Loser is very controversial. Does it really serve as a good example of how to lose weight in a healthy and safe manner?

Personally, I love The Biggest Loser because I find it inspirational. Not only are people losing weight and getting fit, but they find a strength within themselves that they never knew existed. Props to all the contestants, especially Tara (my favorite)!

Now, just because I find it to be motivational doesn't mean I think it should be used as a model for fitness and nutrition education.

Here are a few of The Biggest Loser mistakes:

Overtraining
The show glorifies the 5-8hr workouts contestants perform on a daily basis. Exercise novices may think, "8 hours is great! The longer I'm in the gym, the more weight I'll lose!" Wrong. Overtraining can result in injury, reduce your body's resistance to illness and can be mentally taxing if your performance is decreasing while your effort is increasing (a common symptom of overtraining). To put 8 hours of stress on the body of someone who hasn't worked out in years is dangerous. This season The Biggest Loser had several injuries surface including a stress fracture, a hip injury and the reaggravation of several old knee injuries.

And, please don't even get me started on the marathon challenge where contestants were asked to run a marathon on 3-4 weeks notice! It takes MONTHS to safely train for a marathon. I actually fell victim to overtraining last year by ramping up my running routine too quickly. As a result, I suffered a high stress fracture in my tibia. I was required to be off the leg completely for 3 months and wasn't able to run for several months after. It was a lesson I'll never forget -- pushing too hard can actually set you back in accomplishing your goals.

Drastic weekly weight loss
To lose 10 to 25 pounds within a week is not safe. This figure is definitely much different from the 2-pound a week loss recommended by many health and fitness professionals. Occasionally, adults with significantly high BMI's can safely lose a little more than that, but typically its not the norm for safe weight loss. Contestants were asked to give up their favorite foods and restrict their diets to approximately 1300 calories. Obviously, this is not a sustainable diet. The focus should be on making healthy lifestyle changes, opposed to extreme dieting. These drastic weight losses can also lead to people setting unrealistic expectations for themselves. Most doctors recommend losing weight slowly and steadily.

Overemphasis on the scale
The Biggest Loser focuses solely on weight. The problem with that is weight is not necessarily an indicator of how healthy a person is. Instead people should be measuring body fat, strength, aerobic capacity and flexibility.

When someone says that they want to "lose weight", they often mean that they want to lose fat. Anyone can lose weight, but it takes a well planned program to lose fat. When you just look at the numbers on the scale, and "weight loss", you also risk the loss of lean body mass, which is essentially muscle that drives your metabolic rate down. A successful fat-loss program centers on the reduction of body fat levels and an increase in lean muscle mass. Honestly I could go on and on about this topic, but what you need to remember is that weight is only a portion of a much bigger picture. Focus on increasing lean muscle. The more lean muscle you have, the more calories you burn at rest!

Though The Biggest Loser is a bit unrealistic in terms of safe fitness programming its basic principles ring true: Focus on portion control and eating healthy foods, surround yourself with supportive and motivating people, and exercise regularly. Consistency is key!

The Biggest Loser shows us it's never too late to have the life you want. Why not start now?

Let It Rock

These days, the iPod is everwhere... especially if you’re in the gym or on a local running route. There are some runners that prefer listening to the natural sounds around them or enjoying peace and quiet, but I'm the type of runner who can’t leave the house without music. If, god forbid, my iPod dies mid-run, you don't want to know me. Trust! I'm miserable. I need my music to motivate me, and at times, to even help me keep tempo on my runs.

Here’s a sampling of my running playlist:

1. Work That, Mary J. Blige
2. Lose Yourself, Eminem
3. Makes Me Wonder, Maroon 5
4. Disturbia, Rihanna
5. Paid My Dues, Anastacia
6. Let It Rock, Kevin Rudolf & Lil Wayne
7. Pocketful of Sunshine, Natasha Bedingfield
8. Boom Boom Pow, Black Eyed Peas
9. Just Dance, Lady Gaga and Colby O’Donis
10. Stronger, Kanye West
11. Suddenly I See, KT Tunstall
12. Speed of Sound, Coldplay
13. A Thousand Miles, Vanessa Carlton
14. Island in the Sun, Weezer
15. Tambourine, Eve
16. Run Baby Run, Garbage
17. Everbody Got Their Something, Nikka Costa
18. Gotta Get Through This, Daniel Bedingfield
19. Live Your Life, TI
20. Family Affair, Mary J Blige

What are some of your favorite running tunes?

The Amazing Avocado

The avocado -- you either love it or hate it. Believe it or not, I didn’t have my first avocado until I was 25 years old. Growing up on the East Coast I never really came across avocados, and when I did, I quickly ran the other way. However, upon moving to California, not only did I fall in love with this amazing fruit (yes, it’s a fruit), I became mildly obsessed. I added them to my sandwiches (instead of mayo), on top of salads and, of course, on chips in the form of guacamole.

Besides the fact that they taste amazing, avocados are a great source of vitamin K, dietary fiber, vitamin B6, vitamin C, folate and potassium. Believe it or not they are higher in potassium than a medium banana! Avocados do have a high fat content (between 71 to 88% of their total calories - about 20 times the average of other fruits) however, these are mono- and polyunsaturated fats (the good fats that help lower cholesterol!)

There are also a ton of other health benefits the avocado offers -- just remember, the key to any nutrition plan is moderation. It is possible to have too much of a good thing … avocados included.

Strength vs. Cardio

I came across this great article in Women's Health magazine comparing the benefits of strength training and/or cardio in relation to achieving a specific goal (ie. weight loss, squashing stress or just lookin' good in front of the mirror). Definitely check it out -- I love Women's Health!

The 411: Hypothyroidism

In recent years, Oprah has publicly discussed her struggle with weight loss coupled with the news that she has the autoimmune disorder, hypothyroidism. Coincidentally, in January of this year, I was diagnosed with the very same condition. Some experts estimate that as many as 59 million Americans have thyroid conditions. Most are women, and most are undiagnosed.

Let’s talk facts:
The thyroid gland is a small gland, normally weighing less than one ounce, located in the front of the neck. The main function of the thyroid, though extremely simplified, is to regulate metabolism. What’s metabolism you ask? In essence, it’s the rate at which you use energy and burn calories.

One of the most common thyroid conditions today is, hypothyroidism, the condition where the thyroid gland doesn’t produce enough of the hormones needed to regulate metabolism at its normal rate. If left untreated it can cause symptoms of weight gain, joint pain, infertility and heart disease.

In the United States, the most common cause is Hashimoto's thyroiditis (this is what I have). It causes the body’s immune system to attack thyroid tissue and as a result, the gland can't make enough thyroid hormone. In the book, Master Your Metabolism, author Jillian Michaels discusses this condition in depth and mentions the growing concern that a significant amount of hypothyroidism is actually “being caused by environmental pollution and the release of pesticide buildup from our fatty tissues.”

Doctors usually prescribe thyroid hormone replacement pills to treat hypothyroidism. Most people start to feel better within a week or two. For most, symptoms will probably go away within a few months though you will likely need to take the pills for the rest of your life.

In my experience with hypothyroidism, I began to feel noticeably better after taking the medication after a month or two, but maintaining my weight has become challenging. In my younger years, and I’m talking about 2-3 years ago, I never worried about the food I put in my body because I knew I’d burn it off easily. Now, I work out approximately 8+ hours/wk and have to pay close attention to what I’m eating. There are actually certain foods you should try to avoid due to their natural ability to inhibit normal thyroid function: broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, lima beans, sweet potatoes, strawberries, apricots, cherries, peaches, pears, almonds, peanuts, walnuts, soybean and soy products, tofu and spinach.

If you suspect you have a thyroid condition, please consult with your physician or a local endocrinologist to get tested.

Margarita Madness

It's 5 o'clock somewhere, isn't it?

Yes, this may be a health and fitness site, but Cinco de Mayo has finally arrived and people are ready for happy hour to begin. For some, visions of flavored margaritas and stale tortilla chips flood their thoughts throughout the day and for some, they never really subside.

The problem is, margaritas are loaded with sugar and contain anywhere from 180 to 250 calories per serving. And c'mon, we all know you aren't just having one!

Not to worry! Bethenny Frankel, natural food chef, NYT best-selling author and star of The Real Housewives of New York City, has come up with the perfect recipe for a healthier version of the classic margarita.

The Skinny Girl Margarita:

• 2 oz of Clear Premium Tequila (count 1, 2 while you pour, no need for measuring)
• Tiny splash of Orange Liquor
• Juice of four Fresh Lime Wedges

Combine all ingredients over a glass of ice and garnish with a lime wedge. Makes one serving.

Prefer the frozen version? Check out Bethenny on YouTube:


I am speaking from personal experience -- these bad boys are wicked good (and I certainly don't miss the sugar or calories).

F.I.T.

Ok, so you're probably wondering what F.I.T. stands for, huh?
It's simple, F.I.T. stands for Fitness Impact Training.

Let me break it down for you:

Fitness
At the very least we all have some concept of "fitness." My definition goes something like this - Fitness is the process by which we maintain good health through exercise and proper nutrition. Simple enough, right? Well, it sounds simple, but in reality fitness can be challenging. Trust me, eventhough my background is in athletics, fitness never came easily for me. After a career-ending injury took me away from the field, I found the gym but struggled every step of the way. It wasn't until I met a personal trainer, at the age of 24, that I realized not only could fitness drastically alter my body and mind, but it could actually be fun. Yes, I said it -- fitness can be fun!

Impact
Now, impact has several connotations, but in F.I.T., I use impact to mean "influence" or "the force exerted by a new idea or concept." As you may or may not know, fitness is as much mental as it is physical. Without truly embracing fitness and making it a lifestyle rather than a chore on your to-do list, fitness is fleeting. For me, I learned to embrace fitness in such a way that it now influences so many aspects of my life. That's what F.I.T. is about -- fitness will, if you let it, produce overwhelmingly positive effects on your actions, thoughts, opinions and behaviors. It is truly life changing.

Training
No, this is not a hardcore military-style bootcamp program. This actually isn't a program at all. Training simply means education. The one thing I learned in my own training was that fitness education is an on-going, evolving process. New information on health and nutrition headline news outlets every other week and innovative training techniques surface with new technology year after year. F.I.T. is meant to provide you with the tools and education you need to reach your goals. I don't have all the answers and I sure am not going to pretend I do. I want you visit other sites and talk to as many fitness professionals as possible. Knowledge only prepares you more for those inevitable obstacles on the road to success. With confidence, you can plow right through without ever looking back.

This site will provide you with information on strength & conditioning, balance & coordination, nutrition, sport-specific training, mental health tips, and even some stories about people who inspire me. Enjoy!

* Please remember, before beginning any exercise program, always consult with your physician first.