Caitlin Hart Training

Caitlin's Top Ten for 2012

2012-01-10T12:36:00.001-08:00

Happy New Year! I can't believe it's already 2012! As many of my clients have told me, they already got started on their resolutions for this year when they signed up to train with me. This is excellent news, but I wanted to go ahead and write a post for my blog readers or clients who want a little extra help when it comes to healthy resolutions.

First of all, many of the "TOP TEN blah blah blah" posts on New Year Resolutions are going to give similar info. I suggest you read them and take that info to heart. It's mostly good advice. I'm going to try to give you new advice that is also quite important for your New Years Resolution goals.

Caitlin's TOP 10 Rules to a Successful 2012 (Weight Loss) Resolution:

#1. Stop thinking of it as a resolution... you'll forget about it by February.
#2. Start thinking about what you want the rest of your life to look like. No diet is more successful than a diet you plan on following forever, so don't attempt to change your diet so drastically you head straight for the cookie isle the minute you fall off the wagon.
#3. Don't think that exercising makes up for a bad diet. I don't care how many squats, sprints, lunges, or crunches you do, if you eat an entire bag of Doritos, you are not going to work it off.. plus you'll probably be too sick to work it off. Gross.
#4. Learn to Recognize the Enablers in your life. If you're best friend keeps offering you margaritas and getting annoyed with your dietary restrictions, or you husband insists on keeping your favorite ice cream stock piled and continues offering it to you, they are not helping you. They're holding you back. Find a way to communicate how serious your goals are and make sure they're on the same page, or you will struggle 50x more than you have to to reach your goals. In my opinion, someone who does this is usually insecure about you changing yourself, especially if it is a spouse, sometimes serious changes like dietary and health changes may require some superb communication (i.e. a serious discussion) and possibly couples therapy.
#5. Quit Whining. Stop beating yourself up, complaining about how you look, complaining about how bad healthy food tastes, and suck it up. Use all that whiny energy on something useful, like a workout and making a healthy meal that tastes good. It is totally possible and it will be a much better use of your time. Whining only brings you down... find a way to look at yourself positively and harness that positive energy to succeed.
#6. Get a Physical. Get your hormones checked, your body checked, and make sure you're healthy and that you have no other medical conditions that could be holding you back. Every once in a while it IS a thyroid problem, so make sure yours is OK.
#7. Don't be a Poor Sport. If you "mess up" on your diet, or you have a lazy few days... don't destroy everything you've worked for so far by just giving up. Suck it up (a common theme here) and get back to business.
#8. Understand what you are taking on. Weight loss is one of the most difficult things to achieve. It is not only difficult to take weight off, it's also difficult to keep it off. It is not easy. There is no magic pill, there are no magical fairies, and even the magical surgeries fail often. Why? Because people expect life to be easy. It's not. Weight loss requires discipline, hard work, and a solid willpower of steel. You have to decide for yourself, I WANT THIS, I am GOING TO MAKE IT HAPPEN. Repeat after me "I can do hard things!"
#9. Find something you love about it. Weight loss and healthier habits are meant to be good things. They are beneficial in so many ways. You'll be lighter, move easier, your joints will thank you, etc. Exercise can actually be fun, too. Find things to keep you active throughout the day. Go for nature walks, walk and talk with a friend or neighbor or spouse, learn a new sport, take up kickboxing (my favorite!).... there are many FUN ways to work out, and stay active, so find them and do them.
#10. Eliminate the Crap. Do some in-home cleaning. Get rid of all that tempts you. If the food lasts longer than a few months, it's probably not great for you. If it has chemicals in the ingredients list that you cannot pronounce, it's probably not good for you. Get it away from you, don't eat it. Just get it out and start over with healthy, clean foods that don't give you a guilt complex and make you feel amazing.

I hope these are helpful to you. Happy 2012!

~Caitlin

Why Focus on Food, when we have 4 (or 5) Other Senses?

2011-11-20T11:19:00.001-08:00

Call me a humanist, but I consider the most driving forces in a human being's life to be the pursuit of happiness, and pleasure. When we do something that brings us pleasure, it sets off a reaction in the brain, flooding our senses with dopamine and serotonin and rewarding us for a certain activity. This is a good thing, it causes us to do things that are good for our bodies and for the continuance of the human race. Unfortunately, our bodies' reward systems cannot discern certain destructive behaviors from good ones.

This dopamine rush is addictive. It occurs when we nourish our bodies with good food, it occurs when we get our heart pumping during a good cardio workout. It also occurs when we do certain illegal drugs, and levels can skyrocket when we eat sugary foods. These are not good things.

So why is it that we always seek that dopamine response when we're having a bad day? We want to make ourselves feel better. And the problem is, the easiest way to do this, is to reach for that delicious "reward" food, the higher in calories, the better! This leads to a snowball effect. Now every time we are sad, or don't feel that great, or have a bad day, we self-medicate with our favorite "bad" foods, and we don't use any other method of reward.

Why has our society neglected all the other senses? We have 5 (some say 6) senses... let's use them!

Instead of relying on taste and food to raise your mood, let's take a look at some ways we can get the rush of happiness with the other 4 (or 5) senses.

Touch:

The obvious second choice to taste, there are many ways to gain pleasure from the sensation of touch. Here are a few examples:

- Petting your Pet. Many scientific studies back the benefits to connecting with an animal through petting and snuggling them. This creates a rush of endorphins, allows you to become emotionally connected with your pet, and also fulfills a social need within most people.

- Hugging. Family, friends, remember to respect other's boundaries, but hugging, and touch in general can do a lot to connect you to someone.

- Crafts. If you can find something you can actually do with your hands, sculpting soap, knitting, crochet, sewing, art, these things are multi-sense stimulators.

- Sports. Rock climbing is one of the most touch-stimulating activities, and it also give you that awesome rush of adrenaline! Playing a sport not only gives you tactile stimulation, but also gives you social interaction, something we don't always get enough of.

- Dance!

Sight

Walking outside on a sunny day can bring your mood up instantly. Looking at beautiful art, or seeing a movie that excites your emotions can also be effective in reversing a bad day. Here are some examples:

- See an art show at a museum. Not only will you expand your cultural horizons, you will excite your visual senses, a sense we often take for granted and ignore.

- Go for a walk in a beautiful natural environment or botanical garden. Enjoy the beauty we were meant to be experiencing. Whether you're religious or not, we are a part of this world, we should engage in it.

- Look around, appreciate the craftsmanship of the furniture, the architecture of buildings, enjoy what sites you have around you.

Smell

Smell is part of taste. Learn to appreciate smells that are not food smells. These can also bring pleasure.

- Smell the Roses, the flowers, learn to discern the difference between different flowers.

- Go to a perfume shop and try to find a new perfume or cologne.

- Coffee is something I love the smell of. It can actually erase a headache, just the smell of it! Find out what your favorite smells are, and find a way to incorporate those smells in your home, or take the time to seek them out and enjoy them.

Hearing

Auditory sensations can be some of the most rewarding. How could you laugh, if you were unable to hear the joke? Even visual humor is not as enjoyable without hearing the sounds that accompany it.

- Go to a comedy show, and enjoy the sounds and sites of a funny comedian.

- Listen to music that makes you happy. If music affects your mood like it does to me, make sure to keep the sad music out when you're in a bad mood, and try to keep your music happy and rewarding. Nothing gets me out of a bad mood quicker than putting on some music I can sing and dance to.

- Really listen to music. When I was a kid, my step-dad used to sit me down and make me listen to his Braveheart music and other varieties of beautifully composed music. He would point out where the music ebbed and flowed, how cool it was when certain instruments joined it, what it did to force your emotions to change with the tempo. Enjoying music in this way was very enjoyable to me.

- Play an instrument. Were you ever in band? Play the piano? If not, take up an instrument! If so, get back into playing it. Why rush home to eat a cookie, when you can rush home and play out a beautiful song?

Combine the Senses:

Dance to the music, sing to the music, and let yourself have some childlike fun.

See a play, dress up for a ballet, get out there and do something!

Life is short. Let's stop making Date night about a dinner out and a movie. Go do things, play games with your spouse or significant other, be a part of the world, do not just watch it go by.

If you can start getting out there... you're focus will shift from food, to enjoying life and all the activities and opportunities it has to offer you.

And for those that believe in a 6th sense..

Intuition

- Allow yourself to tune in to your environment, and your own body. Listen to it. It will not lead you astray.

- Find something that speaks to you, it doesn't necessarily have to be "spiritual" but you need to nourish your mind and your intellect, and if you believe in souls, you need to nourish that too. Don't neglect yourself.

- Take an honest look at yourself from time to time. Find out what your lacking, and go get it!

If you take anything away from this post, I hope it is this: food is a means to nourish the body, but it is not the only sense we have. Enjoy your food, enjoy taste, but remember to also enjoy the rest of your senses as well. If you keep a well balanced mind and body, and you use all the tools you've been given, food will no longer be your captor, but will assist you in keeping good health. If you can look at it in this way, you can make smart and nutritious choices, stop focusing on food all the time, and get on with your life!

Love to all of you! Your favorite Round Rock Trainer,

Caitlin

Healthy, Fullfilling Lunch Recipe

2011-08-27T11:44:00.000-07:00

Looking for a healthy and delicious recipe? Try mine! I adapted a vegan friend's recipe to fit my own carnivorous needs, and came up with something I like to call Crack! Be careful... it's addictive! This is perfect for those watching their carbs and starches! Leave out the sweet potatoes if you are...

Ingredients:

All veggies possibly going bad soon and/or:

yellow pepper

red pepper

orange pepper (organic if possible)

1 package of organic turkey dogs

1 package of organic beef hot dogs

basil leaves (I grow my own)

2 giant mushroom caps (portabello)

1 white sweet potato (small)

garlic (minced or powdered)

1 small knife full of butter

**This is a lot of food feel free to make less, I just cook it all up in a GIANT skillet and save leftovers for the week.

Instructions

1.) dice the peppers (I keep them largish)

2.) dice the sweet potato

3.) cut the mushroom caps into bite-size pieces

4.) slice the turkey and hot dogs into bite size pieces

5.) get a giant skillet, put it over your biggest burner, and crank it up to high. Melt the butter and throw in the minced or powdered garlic.

6.) Start with the hot dogs, brown both sides of the slices. Toss in some basil leaves ( I don't even bother shredding them)

7.) Add the sweet potato, it takes longer to soften

8.) Add the mushrooms

9.) Add the peppers

10.) Add anything that hasn't been added yet (extra veggies perhaps)

11.) stir around a lot, leave the lid on and let it all soften.

12.) Eat when the sweet potatoes are done!

Why Weight Loss is So Difficult

2011-07-21T15:11:00.001-07:00

It's so common I can almost predict what I'm going to hear every time I meet with a new client. Usually it's some form of "I'm fat, and I cannot seem to lose weight on my own," or "the weight keeps creeping on no matter what I do!" And I tend to give them lots of words of encouragement, "Don't worry," I say, "I will help you take it back off again, you just have to do exactly as I say."

Unfortunately, no one does exactly as I say. I had to ask myself why that is. I think the easiest explanation, is that I am asking for a lot. In order to put on weight, we have to eat an excess of calories, not exercise enough to make up for the extra, and slowly but surely our waistlines will begin to grow larger. It is usually a slow process, one that kind of sneaks up on us while we avoid the scale. We start noticing our pants are getting a little tight, or some stay in denial and just wear skirts or dresses to avoid having to try on those jeans they once wore with ease. Eventually, we wake up and realize just how far we have let ourselves go.

Believe me, I know. My weight cycled as a child, I went from a healthy weight, to underweight with my tonsillectomy, and back to overweight when we moved away from my home town and I sat around all summer eating Jelly Belly's. It went back down when I realized that if I skipped meals, I could lose weight (my ignorant middle school friends gave me this idea). I didn't realize I was hurting myself until one day I almost passed out in a pizza place from a panic attack/low blood sugar. So I started eating normal again right as puberty set in, and sure enough I chubbed back out. I didn't realize that what I had done was mess up my metabolism, which is what many women do because of the diet cycling they do.

What I promote now is a slow, gradual lifestyle change that WILL work, but it's just as slow, if not slower than packing on the weight took in the first place. And it is not nearly as enjoyable. In fact, it kind of sucks.

If you enjoy the occasional sweet thing, you are a kindred spirit of mine. Unfortunately, most people who enjoy the "occasional" sweet thing (or fried thing, or salty thing, insert your guilty pleasure foods here), enjoy it a lot more often than they realize. Those who think they have a relatively healthy diet, may not be fully cognizant of the little tidbits here and there that are sabotaging their success.

The hard cold reality is, when it's weight you want to lose, you have to be perfect. There is the caloric deficit you have to create, but there's a lot more to it. Insulin, Insulin resistance, and how our bodies deal with the different types of calories we put into it have a HUGE impact on weight loss. Why are low-carb dieters so successful? Because SUGAR (the byproduct of carbs) is what really makes us fat. I promote whole-grain carbs because the fiber does protect us from some of that, but really, the lower the carb count, the faster the weight will fall off.

You can read any female body competitor's blog, and she's most likely eating a low-fat, low-carb diet to lower her body fat. These women are hard core, they are drastic, and they see results. It's time for you, my clients, and my fellow weight cyclers, to get hard core. I am not saying eat like a body builder, but it's time to really take an honest look at your diet, just like you have finally looked at your body with brutal honesty and realized you need to change.

YES, you need to work out with me. Building muscle, and therefore raising your metabolism will most definitely help you see results. However, it's not enough alone. It will never be enough by itself. You have to fix the diet.

So here's my plan for you:

START A DIET JOURNAL TODAY!!! Not tomorrow... right this moment. Go out, buy yourself a cute little spiral notebook, and get to it. I want you to write down what you ate, how much you ate of it, how you felt (physically or emotionally) after you ate it, and what time you ate each thing.

I want you to start looking at the trends in your diet. I want you to start noticing all the tiny bites your taking of cheat foods, and where it's adding up. Hold yourselves accountable. This is the only way you will truly succeed. Believe me... I know.

Once you start the diet journal, I want you to start limiting your carbs at night, and make dinner your smallest meal.

Enjoy a delicious salad with lean chicken at night, and give yourself 1 cheat day/week where you can enjoy those things you have to avoid the rest of the week.

Get at least 30 minutes/day 5x/week of cardio OR 2-3 days of HIIT for at least 20 mins.

Get in 2-4 days of weight training (preferably with yours truly :p)

Start substituting your carbs with vegetables.

Make sure you have a nice lean protein with every meal, and get in your good fats like avocado, and olive oil.

This weight battle is one you can win. I know it. I have lived it. I have seen the diligent clients succeed. Stop making excuses and DO IT.

For a Diet Journal Template please send me an email at caitlinharttraining@gmail.com, and I will forward one to you. I also review diet journals for all clients free of charge.

Running Barefoot, Tips to Avoid Injury

2011-04-25T18:04:00.000-07:00

Barefoot Running is the newest craze. Look around Austin, TX, and you'll see Vibram's 5-Finger shoes everywhere... especially if you shop at Whole Foods.

Last week at the ACSM Fitness Summit, barefoot running was a Hot Topic. Unfortunately, because this is a recent (dare I say?) fad, there just isn't enough science to back up whether barefoot running is better or worse than running with running shoes.

What I can say, is that if you are planning on running on anything but a surface you are 100% positive is free of debris and has a nice soft cushion, please don't let your feet go completely naked. This is just asking for horrific injuries such as the following:

I think the perfect surface for fully bare foot running would be a golfing green, or perhaps a beach with great sand.

Now there is a huge difference between running with shoes on and running in 5-finger shoes. First of all, we've been trained to wear shoes most of our lives. We are not used to walking or running barefoot for long periods of time. Naturally we are going to toe or mid-foot strike when we are barefoot, but with shoes, we learn to heel strike. This is important.

When you start wearing barefoot shoes, you're foot is in for a rude awakening. All those muscles that have just been hanging out, relaxing in your shoes, are now going to have to work. For this reason, if you decide you need to be at one with nature, and go barefoot running, make sure you ease your way into it. Otherwise, you will have some pretty bad foot pain, possible over-use injuries, and no fun.

When you go to REI or wherever you may find these 5 finger shoes, be sure to ask the salesman what 5-Finger or Vibram recommends for breaking them in. So far, I've heard the best way is to only wear them 30 minutes at a time, slowly ease your way into an hour, and keep doubling the time over several weeks. Do not attempt running in your 5 finger shoes until you have mastered walking around in them on a daily basis.

If you choose to continue running in your shoes, make sure you have good shoes. I cannot tell you how many people I have trained who have injuries that could have been avoided if they'd been wearing better shoes. Go somewhere and get a gait analysis, make sure you are put in the proper footwear for your particular gait. If you have knee pain, or shin splints, you are probably in the wrong shoes. I know it's expensive, but it is worth the money you are going to save on surgery down the road.

(Don't worry.. you don't actually have to do a gait analysis in your underwear)

If you have any questions or want advice on this topic, please feel free to email me at caitlinharttraining@gmail.com.

ACSM Fitness Summit Top Ten Important Facts

2011-04-18T20:37:00.000-07:00

I went to the ACSM Fitness Summit last week, and I really enjoyed it. Not only was it amazing to visit California (I'd never been there before), it was awesome to get some of the knowledge I already had reinforced, and learn some new things. Going to these conferences seems to recenter me, and it's also nice to see the studies and statistics that back up the methods I'm using, and teach me about new ways I can help my clients get the results they need.

I decided that since it's late, and I have been really busy trying to catch up on all the work I missed while I was gone, I wanted to sum up the top 10 things I got from the conference, that I want to make sure I share with you guys. Each one I may post more detail on in the next week or two, but while it's still relatively fresh in my mind, here they are:

#1) STOP DRINKING YOUR CALORIES

#2) We are an incredibly sedentary society, and all the sitting has detrimental effects on not only our weight, but also our health, I'm going to teach you new strategies to break up the sitting.

#3) High Intensity Interval Training is one of the most effective ways to boost your metabolism, shrink your waist line, and improve your athletic performance.

#4) STOP INGESTING ASPARTAME

#5) Barefoot Running is something you need to ease into, and is not yet proven to be safe or unsafe... if you are one of my runners who is considering switching to barefoot running, please talk to me and I will give you strategies to ease into barefoot, or five finger toe shoes safely.

#6) There is some really COOL technology coming out to help all of us on our path to health and wellness, I'll do a post giving you some good links for all kinds of technological goodies!

#7) BOSU balls do NOT activate your core any more than doing the same exercise on solid ground. Just something to think about...

#8) Exercise, and full range movement actually stimulates the brain, and helps create more dendrites in the brain. It improves short term memory first, and the longer you exercise, the more this neural development spreads to the rest of the brain, making you smarter and smarter! The more ways you move the better you activate your brain.

#9) Breakfast really is important, as is getting the right amount of PROTEIN, CARBS and FATS. We need balanced nutrition. If you eat too little you will slow your metabolism and make your weight problem worse.

#10) Resistance exercise actually does burn calories, boost your metabolism, is incredibly important, and creates an after burn for several hours post-exercise. Basically it's just as good as High Intensity Interval Training, but you need both. Yay! Such good stuff. Feel free to email me with any questions.

Ohh.. and lastly... avoid large quantities of sugar...

Going To Extremes, and Why It's a BAD Idea...

2011-03-02T15:12:00.000-08:00

Most of the people who know me, know that I am a bit of an extremist. I like to sky dive, I like to take flying trapeze classes, and when I commit to something, I tend to take it to extremes.

That being said, in my time as a Personal Trainer, and also through my own weight loss journey before I was a Personal Trainer, I have experimented on myself with many extreme diets.

I want to tell you a little secret. They all sucked.

Whether it's the cabbage soup diet, the adderall diet, the raw food diet, the vegan movement, the HCG diet, the Paleolithic Diet, the Skinny Bitch Diet, Atkins, or whatever other diet movement you have recently become attached to, I want you to remember something very important. Listen to your body. Listen.

My body got mad. It is tired of me experimenting on myself all the time, and I have to say, my days of test driving fad diets are over. I'm not going to be stupid about it anymore. After trying hundreds of diets, and seeing that none of them are the magic bullet, and trying tons of supplements, and realizing most of them are wasting your money, and some are actually quite harmful (the most recent one was a REAL doosie), I have decided enough is enough.

My body hated some of those diets, and even worse, some of those diets hated my body and sent me into some real situations. There is so much conflicting information out there, but ultimately, here is what I believe.

We are meant to eat whole, unprocessed foods, like veggies, fruits, small animals, and nuts and seeds. We are not meant to eat weird, chemically altered foods, like cheese-its, snickerdoodles, reeses peanut butter cups, or any of those foods that live longer than we do.

We are not meant to take weird supplements, even if it is the sap from the guggle tree, the bark of a white willow tree, or whatever else. Would you ever go suck on a guggle tree? I don't think so... it's in India, good luck finding it. So don't take the supplement. If it isn't a natural source of caffeine, don't drink it or take it in pill form (I'm talking diet pills).

Eat small portions, eat lots of fiber to keep yourself full, and stop stressing out. I promise, if you start preparing all your meals at home (perhaps pre-cook some of them for convenience), maintaining a good caloric intake for your goals, you will start seeing your body transform. Stop eating boxed foods, cereals, triscuits, chips, etc, and your will not only feel better, you're body will start shaping itself, and you will be healthier. Add exercise on top of it, and you get one sexy body, no fad diets required.

You may feel deprived taking Oreos out of your diet, but it doesn't mean you have to get all crazy and start trying some fad diet where you can only eat 3 heads of cabbage, and only if it's 6 hours before you go to sleep (see, I can make fun fad diets, too!). Be reasonable, give yourself a break, and if you accidentally (or not accidentally) eat a little cheesecake at a party, enjoy it, and then get right back on track. The point of healthy living and eating is that it should be a lifelong thing. You should be able to keep up good habits forever. Which is why indulging every once in a while is good. It is important for you to be OK with allowing a few mistakes, so that you don't just give up and give in to an unhealthy lifestyle.

Enjoy your health. Think of your food as fuel for getting you through the day, and your workouts, and eat accordingly. Remember, I am just a Personal Trainer, not a Nutritionist, and this is all pure advice, nothing more. I just want you all to be happy, and successful, and I want to make sure you aren't out there giving yourself a hard time when you should be enjoying the journey.

The Importance of Mental Health in Physical Health

2011-02-12T10:25:00.000-08:00

The majority of the people I train are people who want to lose weight. The majority of those people are females, and most of them do, indeed, need to lose weight. This said, it becomes a lot easier for me to recognize a female who has body dysmorphic disorder, or a potential underlying eating disorder, if she comes to me, already thin, and is desperate to lose large amounts of weight. It is harder for me to detect those things in someone who really needs help losing weight, but it doesn't mean they don't exist.

So what makes the difference between having an eating disorder (of which I believe are beyond just anorexia and bulimia) and having a healthy desire to be at a healthy weight?

Obsessing over one's weight is a big sign. When a person is so obsessed about what they weigh, that they let it affect their lives 24/7 and their happiness, that's when it becomes a problem. Weighing yourself compulsively, and then "punishing" yourself if you don't have the number you wanted is unhealthy. When counting calories turns obsessive, and you cannot turn your thoughts away from the scale and the food you're ingesting, things aren't looking good for your mental well-being.

Ever notice how some people just lose weight on accident? Usually it's men. Usually it's men who cut out one thing, like cookies, or maybe they got busy and forgot to eat lunch for a week. Whatever it is, they were never stressing over making their 5 lb/week weight goal, they simply cut back on calories.

When we start to obsess, and get stressed out over things we cannot control, the levels of adrenaline and cortisol rise in our body, creating a flight or fight response. That's great if your life is in danger, or you've got a lot of time to use that adrenaline up in an intense fitness routine. However, for most of us, if we are stressed all day, that energy becomes detrimental to weight loss. It causes us to store belly fat, and our body to hold on to all of it's resources for dear life.

The same thing happens when we lower our caloric intake under 1200 calories. That creates a starvation response, and the body, again, hold on to every calorie because it thinks things are gonna be sparse for a while. Our bodies can work against us if we let them, so why not work WITH our bodies?

Ever hear Pregnant women talk about how they tried and tried to get pregnant, and when they finally gave up, they got pregnant? Or how someone finally found their soul mate when they gave up looking for him/her?

It happens all the time! You stress over pregnancy, your body thinks something big is going on around you because you're worried and full of adrenaline ALL DAY. You will never get pregnant because your body doesn't work correctly under stress. The minute you relax, your body sees a calm environment, one that is safer for mom to have a baby in, and boom! You got your wish.

Same thing with weight loss. When you learn to relax, and follow a Personal Trainer's simple guidelines to weight loss, your weight WILL come off. If you learn to meditate, refocus on weight loss as a long journey, not a rat race, I promise results will be yours. The more you stress, the closer you come to creating a MONSTER of problems. Learn to love the journey, love exercise and how good it makes you feel, learn to love healthy foods, take my advice, use my recipes, and you will reach your goals.

If you are at your wits end, let me take your weight loss into my hands, off your shoulders, and help you achieve victory without losing your mind.

Call me or visit my website at
Round Rock Personal Trainer.

Why You Aren't Losing Weight... and What You Can DO About it

2011-01-27T18:57:00.000-08:00

The most common question I get from clients, and potential clients that I meet with, is, "what can I do to lose weight?" And every time, I try to make it very clear. Losing weight requires 2 things, exercise and proper diet. Guess what? If you are training with me, you're obviously getting the exercise. If you're training more than 2 days/week you are probably getting at least the recommended amount if not more. OK, that's 20-30% of the problem solved... but we've got 70-80% of the problem still looming overhead.

Nutrition and Diet determine 70-80% of your weight loss success. That's just how it is. I wish it were exercise, cause I can do that with you. I cannot hover over you, calculating calories like some sort of food nazi, and be with you every minute of every day forcing you to make good choices.

I am not a nutritionist. It's not my field, nor my right, to make a diet plan for you. However, I can make some very STRONG suggestions on this issue.

Here's what I suggest. Calculate your BMR (Basic Metabolic Rate).Click here for a good site to do this. Unfortunately, the BMR cannot know your exact muscle to fat ratio, so it is accurate within 100 calories (you're under if you have more muscle and less fat, and over if you have low muscle and high fat ratio). This is the basic amount of calories you need to survive at your height and your weight. It is what you need to ingest to maintain your current weight if you have no activity at all aside from sitting in a chair twiddling your thumbs.

Now use that same BMR Calculator, but put in a weight closer to your goal weight. That is your new target amount of calories. For example, if you are a 30-year-old female, who is 5'5" and weighs 200 lbs, you would naturally be burning around 1,689 calories/day just existing. If you wanted to weight 150 lbs, you would need to eat around 1,472 calories/day, and slowly your body will take the weight off. In order to lose 1 lb, you need a deficit of 3,500 calories, so depending on how many calories you cut from your diet, and how many you burn from your daily caloric intake, you can take weight off relatively easily if you allow your weight loss to become more scientifically minded.

If that same woman were to cut her calories down to 1472 calories/day, and not exercise once, she would lose 2 lbs a month. However, if she started working out, and creating an even higher caloric deficit through daily activity, that weight loss could be sped up to 2 lbs/week. I want you all to remember, NEVER eat less than 1200 calories per day. It will SLOW your metabolism down. Now if you accidentally go under 1200 calories every once in a great while, nothing bad will happen, but your body starts going into starvation mode if it is deprived long enough, and that creates a slower metabolism, and a harder time losing weight. Just trust me, always stick to at LEAST 1200 cals/day. Even if your goal was to be 100 lbs and you were 5'2" you should be eating at least 1240 calories even that low (not usually recommended to go to 100 lbs, I'm just using it as an extreme example).

My point is, if you can figure out your ideal daily caloric goal, and stick to it, you will see results. The type of food you eat is also important. It's hard to stick to 1400 calories/day if you eat them all in oreo form. That's only 20 oreos. Sorry, but you'll be full for like 30 minutes. It's important you are getting the right nutrients to stay full between meals, and that you space your meals wisely. I suggest no longer than 4 hours apart, but ideally every 2-3 hours if you are eating 6 times/day. Protein, Fiber, and Water are your best friends. Make sure you get that protein and fiber because it will keep your blood sugar levels more stable and you feeling fuller and more satisfied longer... not to mention keeping all engines running smoothly. Making smart choices about your carbohydrate intake is also important. Whole grains, high vegetable counts, and portion control is important.

If you have a hard time keeping track of your calories, and you want a great way to do it, check out this website: http://www.livestrong.com/myplate/. You don't have to pay for the membership, it's a free service, but the membership will help you design a plan that's best for your body type and your metabolic type. Everyone is different, and different ratios of carbs/proteins/fats benefit different types.

Hopefully this post can help you get organized. Another trick I have come up is using a meal planning calender. I write what I'm having for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks for the week ahead, calculate all of the calories in advance, make sure I stay within a range that's right for my metabolism, and grocery shop for everything the weekend before the new week starts. This not only saves me a lot of eating out money, but also helps my household run a lot more smoothly, and I no longer have to get really worried about if I'm eating too much/not enough. It really helps a lot.

If you have any questions, or would like me to set you up with a nutritionist who can help you further, please feel free to call me or send me an email.

~Caitlin
(512) 949-9580
caitlinharttraining@gmail.com

HEALTHY Peanutbutter/chocolate Recovery Shake

2011-01-06T12:27:00.001-08:00

I made this recipe myself, not to say it hasn't been done before, but I did it on my own without a recipe. I hope you enjoy as much as I did.

1/3 c. Whey Protein Isolate (I found this in the bulk bins at Sprouts Farmers Market)
1 Tbsp.-ish Peanut Butter (organic) I didn't measure it exactly just threw an overflowing teaspoonsfull of it in
1 frozen banana
1.5 cup almond milk
1 squirtfull of liquid Chocolate Stevia

DELISH! It even passed Jeff's taste test! Try it.. it's good for you. Perfect After-workout snack!

Also, I want all of you to read this article, or at least read the summary...

http://fitness.mercola.com/sites/fitness/archive/2011/01/05/best-way-to-prevent-inevitable-muscle-wasting-as-you-age.aspx?aid=CD945

it just reminds you, and explains in further detail, why you need to be doing High Intensity Interval training. Seriously. For $45/month, you can join my High Intensity Interval Bootcamp!! DO IT!!! Monday & Thursday from 7 am- 7:30am. That's it. And you'll start seeing results faster than you think! Call me (512)949-9580

2011, The Year YOU Are Going to Make A Change

2011-01-04T12:27:00.001-08:00

So 2011 is upon us! Happy New Year to Everyone! I'm sure most of you have written down New Years Resolutions, myself included! Now, when it comes to exercising and eating right, I've heard every excuse in the book why people cannot seem to follow my weight loss plans. No one wants to change... not really... not deep down. We all want things to be as they are, it's easier. I'm here to tell you that change is really hard. I didn't start out as a Personal Trainer. I changed my life and became one. I didn't start out naturally thin with a great metabolism, I worked my weight off, and I had to change my exercise and eating habits to do it. Both exercise and eating have to be changed, it cannot be one or the other, it simply does not work that way.

I can tell you with 100% confidence that Exercise and Eating Right are hard work. But I can tell you with that same 100% confidence, that they are WORTH IT.

Caitlin's Top 5 Reasons why Exercise is WORTH IT:

1. Exercise boosts Immune System/Life Quality/Length of Life. The people who regularly exercise get sick a lot less often. Case in point, I've gotten mildly sick once or twice in the last year. My husband, who is less active, has gotten sick about once a month. Are you chronically ill? Exercise might be the prescription you need! Studies haveproven that Exercise can increase lifespan, and most definitely life quality.

2. Exercise boosts Mood. When you exercise, get your heart pumping, you get a flood of endorphines, regularly called an exercise high. It feels amazing when you finish your workout. You feel tired, yes, but you feel exhilerated! Exercise, when done regularly, can become incredibly addictive, making a noticeable difference in your mood on the days you do and don't work out. Not only that, but you feel better about yourself, and getting closer to your goals, when you put in a good workout. Studies have proven Exercise more effective than anti-depressants.

3. Exercise enhances your Sex Life. Yes, I mentioned it. I had to. All I'm going to say is, read this article, and find out for yourself why.

4. Exercise Boosts Metabolism. Especially when you are Weight Training and Sprint Interval Training. More Muscle Mass = Higher Natural Metabolism. I can help you with this!

5. Exercise Reduces Stress. It helps reconnect your mind and your body and take your mind away from all of the stressful things that are in your life. It also helps flood the body with endorphines (as I mentioned before) and reduce the amount of adrenaline and cortisol that may be flooding your system while you stress out mentally.

Caitlin's Top 5 Reasons why Eating Right are WORTH it:

1. Eating Right Boosts your Immune System. See my article on Obesogens. See my article on High Fructose Corn Syrup. See all my articles. The way you eat can drastically affect the way you feel and the way your body runs. If you've got artificial chemicals mucking up the factory, it's not going to run too smoothly, now is it?

2. Eating Right Boosts your Self-Esteem. You know when you're eating healthy, you feel great about yourself, and your ability to do something good for your body. When you eat something bad, you know it, and you feel it. You may get down on yourself for it. Was it worth the 20 seconds of tastebud bliss? I don't usually think so.

3. Eating Right Gives you Lots of ENERGY. The better you eat, the healthier, and the more whole foods you eat, the more energy you will have naturally. This will help you get your workout on! Eating every 2-3 hours, including protein to keep yourself full, and getting all your green veggies and vitamins in (especially the B vitamins) will make a significant difference in your daily energy levels!

4. Eating Right Increases Your Lifespan. This is a no-brainer. The healthier you eat, the healthier you are, the longer your body will function at a better rate, and the longer you will live, and live comfortably for that matter!

5. Eating Right HELPS YOU LOSE WEIGHT!!!!!! 70-80% of your Weight Loss success depends on how you eat. I can work you into the ground with lunges and pushups, but if you go home and stop at Wendy's on the way there, you're not only negating all the hard work you just put in, your probably adding to the problem. Do me a favor, add "STOP EATING FAST FOOD" to your resolutions list and keep it there for the rest of your life. I would rather starve than eat fast food. It is SO bad for you.

If you're ready to change your life, to get in shape, and learn the skills necessary to succeed at your health and weight loss goals, come see me.

Call today (512) 949-9580 for a Free Consult, or go to my website: http://roundrockpersonaltrainer.com, or http://austinspersonaltrainer.com.

ANNOUNCEMENT:

We will be starting our HIIT Bootcamp as soon as we reach enough members, we have 4 more slots left, and they are ripe for the taking!

Enjoy Sprint Interval Training, with Peer Support and Time Improvement Goals!

2 days/week (Monday and Thursday) for only 30 minutes/class!

Classes will be held Monday & Thursday at 7:00am-7:30am at Settlement Park in Round Rock, TX. Classes are only $45/month if you act now! Starting in February they will be $50/month!

10 Easy Weight Loss Tips from your Favorite Trainer

2010-11-23T16:03:00.001-08:00

1) Drink plenty of Water - studies have proven that drinking more water (especially before meals) helps us eat less, but is also essential to the bodies processes that break down fat and speed up metabolism.
2) Eat Smaller Meals, every 2-3 hours - Eating more frequently helps keep your blood sugar levels more stable. This is essential to keeping mental functions level, and also keep our energy levels even throughout the day. When your blood sugar drops, you are more likely to overeat or reach for high calorie foods. Make sure you eat smaller portions if you switch to a 6 meal/day plan.
3) Weight Train - the more muscle mass you have, the higher your metabolism. If you don't weight train, you will lose muscle mass as you age, thus your metabolism will slow. It is essential for weight loss success that you keep a weight training program (2-4 days/week).
4) Eat Protein at Every Meal - protein helps rebuild muscles, maintain muscles, and maintain blood sugar. It helps you feel fuller longer. It's the most important nutrient in my opinion.
5) Cut Out "White" Carbs - sugar, most breads and pastas are white, and have been stripped of the all-important fibrous casing Nature created for them. This makes it too easy for our bodies to digest, and therefore, white carbs are easy to absorb, easy to store (as in fat), and create a spike in the blood sugar and then a huge dip. I recommend replacing white rice with brown, white pasta with whole wheat, etc. and cutting out sugary foods.
6) Don't OVER eat - Eat slowly. Enjoy your meal. Find out your ideal caloric intake, and stay 200 calories under that if you are looking to lose weight.
7) Don't UNDER eat - if you are eating less than 1,000 calories/day and you are a grown adult, you are slowing down your metabolism and going into starvation mode. Starvation mode makes the body conserve all energy brought in. This is counter-effective, because the minute you start eating normally again, you will gain weight.
8) Don't Eat While Distracted - stop eating in front of the computer, television, while chatting on your cellphone, iphone, etc. Stop, enjoy the meal, and experience it in it's entirety. When you distract yourself, you take in calories you might not have, had you been listening to your body and it's signals. Take the time to sit down and eat your food.
9) Stop Drinking Your Calories - stop drinking calories. Sodas, Alcohol, Sweetened Teas and Lattes, Juice, all of these are liquid sugar going straight to those love handles. If you have an addiction to Soda, try drinking Soda water or Stevia sweetened beverages. Try your Lattes with Low fat milk and no sweetener. Replacing high calorie beverages with no calorie beverages alone can be what you've been needing to get over that weight loss slump.
10) Activate Yourself- If you're not currently in an exercise program, or exercising at home, start! Get moving. You should be working out 5 days/week minimum if you want to lose weight. Cardio kickboxing, weight training, sprinting, interval training, swimming, the list goes on and on. If you don't feel like you're able to motivate yourself, call me today or go to my website, and get started. There's no better time than the present to take control of your health.

An Interesting Video about Sugar/HFC/Soft Drinks/Obesity.. ALL MY CLIENTS SHOULD WATCH THIS

2010-11-06T17:50:00.000-07:00

Obesogens

2010-09-28T20:10:00.000-07:00

I recently read this article on Obesogens. It made a TON of sense. So, rather than going on about my own personal theories, here's what WIKIPEDIA had to say about Obesogens:

Obesogens are chemical compounds foreign to the body that are hypothesized to disrupt normal development or homeostasis of metabolism of lipids ultimately resulting in obesity.[1][2] Obesogens may be functionally defined as chemicals that inappropriately alter lipid homeostasis and fat storage, change metabolic setpoints, disrupt energy balance or modify the regulation of appetite and satiety to promote fat accumulation and obesity.[3]
There are many proposed mechanisms through which obesogens can act, including alterations in the action of metabolic sensors; dysregulation of sex steroid synthesis, action or breakdown; changes in the central integration of energy balance including the regulation of appetite and satiety; and reprogramming metabolic setpoints.[4][5] Some of these proposed pathways include inappropriate modulation of nuclear receptor function; therefore, these compounds are classified as endocrine disrupting chemicals.[6] Several examples of substances that could be classified as obesogens include tributyltin, bisphenol A, diethylhexylphthalate, and perfluorooctanoate. Emerging evidence from laboratories around the world suggests that other chemicals will be confirmed as falling under this proposed classification in the near future.
The term obesogen was coined by Bruce Blumberg of the University of California, Irvine.[7] The topic of this proposed class of chemical compounds and how to counteract their effects is explored at length in the book The New American Diet.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obesogen.

Please do me a favor and read this newsweek article. It's pretty scary.

http://www.newsweek.com/2009/09/10/born-to-be-big.html

If you haven't read this, you need to

2010-09-20T17:57:00.000-07:00

There is a recent article that just came out at rd.com (reader's digest). I feel that every single friend/client/person in the world should read this article. It really sums up exactly what I feel people need to know.

Here's the link:

http://www.rd.com/living-healthy/13-things-you-never-knew-about-your-weight-slideshow/article180189-12.html?links

PLEASE READ IT!

My next post will be on Obesogens. You won't want to miss it.

PS: just updated my website. http://roundrockpersonaltrainer.com

If you haven't signed up with me yet, do it! There is no better time than now to take control of your health!

Stevia... Is it safe?

2010-02-14T08:53:00.000-08:00

I'd like to start by saying that I am not a nutritionist. I'm simply a Personal Trainer with a great interest in Nutrition and the health of myself and my clients.

It all started when I went to my local healthy grocery store, Sprouts. I'm a lover of drinks, non-alcoholic of course, and one of my favorite isles to check out is the one with all the alternative soda options. They have sodas sweetened with organic cane sugar or "evaporated cane juice" (pretty much the same thing). They also have some sodas sweetened with one of my favorite low-glycemic sweeteners, Agave nectar. As I went down the isle, I saw a new kind of sweetener, Stevia (although the drink it was in is called Zevia). "What the heck is Stevia?" I wondered to myself. Being so against artificial sweeteners, I read the back, only to find out it comes from a plant source, meaning it wasn't chemically created. That's all fine and good, but there are plenty of plant sources out there you don't want to ingest. To name one off the top of my head, Tabacco. However, in the name of science, I decided to do a little experiment with myself.

I started the month of February by taking sugar out of my diet, and replacing it with Agave Nectar, and Stevia. I bought two 6-packs of Zevia sodas (one orange, one lime) to test the taste, and the effect on my body. From my own experience, I have two things to complain about Zevia. Number one, the taste. Gross. It's like aspartame in a way. Super sweet, weird aftertaste. Number two, how my body responded to the soda. Not only did I ALWAYS feel somewhat queasy after drinking the Zevia, I also got a rather uncomfortable response from my intestines. For that reason alone, I say NO to the Stevia. Honestly, I actually prefer the taste and feel of the sparkling water with a little lemon juice.

On to another personal theory of why Stevia may not be good for you. Going with the concept of moderation in all things, just as massive amounts of sugar do bad things to you, massive amounts of a small plant located in South America, may not be as "natural" as you'd think. How often have you stumbled upon a Stevia plant in your lifetime? Sure, it's POSSIBLE the Native American's used it in one of their drinks (See Stevia's Website). How often did they consume that drink, though? And how long were their life spans? Just because the Native Americans may have consumed Stevia does not mean it's necessarily GOOD for you. They also smoked Peyote and used dung as camp fuel. I wouldn't say they were the models of healthy living.

Aside from the fact that it doesn't make me feel good, and from my own personal theories on the matter, there have been a few recent studies that have come out about Stevia. These studies say that Stevia may in fact be good for you.

"Stevia Effects: A New StudyThis latest study on stevia effects was published in the journal of Food and Chemical Toxicology. It showed that Rebaudioside A, derived from the stevia leaf, was non-toxic and showed no evidence of genotoxicity at doses of 750 mg. per kg. of body weight in mice and 2000 mg. per kg. of body weight in rats. The researchers emphasize these results are consistent with previous stevia studies and that stevia is safe and non-genotoxic. The conclusions reached from this study on stevia effects should be welcome news to those eager for a safe, natural sugar alternative.

Stevia Effects: Are There Benefits?Some stevia studies have shown that this natural sweetener may have additional health benefits. In rats, it appears to increase insulin sensitivity. If this holds true in human, it could be beneficial for those with diabetes and metabolic syndrome. Some stevia studies have also shown that it helps to lower blood pressure and could be useful for those with hypertension. "

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1747708/new_stevia_studies_is_it_safe.html?cat=5

The only negative study on Stevia I found, was cited in Wikipedia:

"A 1985 study reported that steviol, a breakdown product from stevioside and rebaudioside (two of the sweet steviol glycosides in the stevia leaf), is a mutagen in the presence of a liver extract of pre-treated rats[33] — but this finding was criticized on procedural grounds that the data were mishandled in such a way that even distilled water would appear mutagenic.[34] Over the following years bioassay, cell culture, and animal studies have shown mixed results in terms of toxicology and adverse effects of stevia constituents, but in general, they have not been found to be harmful. While reports emerged that found steviol and stevioside to be weak mutagens,[35][36] the bulk of studies show an absence of harmful effects.[37][38] In a 2008 review, 14 of 16 studies cited showed no genotoxic activity for stevioside, 11 of 15 studies showed genotoxic activity for steviol, and no studies showed genotoxicity for Rebaudioside A. Nevertheless, even if a chemical can cause DNA damage in the controlled conditions of a bioassay (e.g., in bacteria, in mammalian cell cultures) it is a fundamentally different question whether it causes cancer in intact organisms (e.g., rodents, humans) or is teratogenic (i.e., causes birth defects). No evidence for stevia constituents causing cancer or birth defects has been found.[37][38]"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stevia

And, as you can see, it may not be a very reliable study.

So what do I personally recommend? I say, if you want a little Stevia, go for it. I feel like it hasn't really been used long enough for anyone to know for sure the effects, however the studies seem to point to it being a relatively safe thing to ingest. I do caution, however, that you don't overuse Stevia. Use it in moderation. Limit yourself to one Stevia sweetened beverage a day. Personally, because of my own experience, I am going to stick with using Agave nectar as my sweetener of choice. I'll explain in my next article why.

Splenda... and all it's Chemically Altered Glory!

2010-01-28T05:38:00.000-08:00

SPLENDA:

This article has long been overdue. For those of you who love to drink Diet Coke because you think you're doing your body a favor, I want you to read this article, and reconsider your beverage choices.

As you all know, I am a HUGE proponent of eating healthy, clean, and natural. So artificial sweeteners kind of go against nature, by their very nature. Starting with Splenda (aka Sucralose), a sugar substitute CHEMICALLY ALTERED so that our bodies cannot digest the sugar calories. They alter the chemical code, to make it into a chlorinated sucrose (sugar) molecule. Meaning they change sugar's basic molecular structure. Here's a diagram to show you what I mean: The first diagram is of sucrose's chemical structure.

The second diagram (below) is of sucrose's altered structure, now Sucralose.

Notice that the two OH's on the right are now Cl's.

How do they alter the very chemical structure? I can guarantee it's not natural. If you'd like to know more about the process, click here.

Despite the fact that it isn't natural, there have been numerous studies that find nothing wrong with Splenda. The only study I could find to actually say anything possibly negative about Splenda or Sucralose's effect on the human body were from a Duke University study funded by the Sugar lobbying group, so they may not be as impartial as we'd like them to be. The study found the mice in the study who were dosed with between 100 and 1000 mg/kg per day of sucralose had a 50% reduction of good bacteria in their intestines. They also found it increased body fat in those rats and led to an increased pH level in their intestines. These were rats, however, not humans.

On the other hand, who's to say the studies conducted by the FDA are unbiased? I've recently had the unfortunately eye-opening experience of watching Food, Inc., and I feel as though the FDA is not as trustworthy as it would like us to believe it is.

So I did some more digging.

I'm not super excited about doing research on the Internet. Anyone can put anything they want out into cyberspace, and I don't want to falsely report to my faithful blog followers. I will say this: the fact that Splenda/sucralose has chlorine, and the fact that our bodies absorb anywhere from 11-27% of it, means we might be slowly poisoning ourselves with it. Chlorine is not meant for the body. We're also tricking our bodies. We intake a sweet substance, and our brain tells the insulin receptors to get ready for a big surge of insulin! But then nothing happens. We get zero. Now our bodies are ready for action, and nothing? What does this do? It makes us crave the sugar and the jolt we usually get with it, and tends to turn dieters into sugar junkies all over again.

And must I stress for the 3rd time that SPLENDA IS NOT NATURAL. It just isn't. It was made in a lab, it has potentially harmful chlorinated chemicals in it, and it's not recognized by the body. Our bodies were designed to ingest very low levels of sweeteners, things occuring in nature. Table sugar does not fit in to this plan, nor does Splenda. My consensus? Stay away.

I wanted to include here a few of the blogs and sites I found against Splenda, just so we can kind of see what the CONSUMERS and the Organic Community are saying, not just the scientists:

http://splendasickness.blogspot.com/

http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_16815.cfm

the following web pages also scared me but I'm not sure how trustworthy they are, so take it with a grain of salt:

http://www.truthforum.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=56&t=170
http://www.wnho.net/splenda_reaction.htm

I know there are several other artificial sweeteners out there. I found Splenda to be the least threatening of them all. I wanted to blog about all of them, but honestly, just the little amount of info I got was incredibly time consuming, and not nearly as fruitful as I'd hoped it would be. I will blog next about the natural calorie free sweetener, Stevia, and whether or not it's healthy to put into our bodies.

As a final note, I have a personal blog. I recently posted on the movie Food, Inc., which I watched last weekend. I didn't post about it on this blog because I feel like it's a personal passion I now have, something I don't want to push on others. But if you're interested in reading about my very strong opinions on the Food Industry as we know it, please check out my blog at http://hoketungs.blogspot.com/.

New Years Resolutions, and Why They Often Fail

2010-01-01T08:38:00.000-08:00

It's 2010. Time passes so quickly. I think back on how a full decade has passed since the Y2K scare of 2000, and it really doesn't feel like it was that long ago. Normally the blog posts I write are full of information and research. Today I want to write something I have seen time and again, and experienced myself around the new year.

The Number 1 New Years Resolution that Most People Make and NEVER ACT ON:

In 2010 I want to Lose Weight:

Ok.. so you want to lose weight. Most people stop here. Hence, the lack of success... However, if this is the resolution you have made, I'd like you to ask yourself the following questions:

1. How much Weight do you want to Lose?

2. Why?

3. How are you going to ensure that you lose this weight/get in shape/tone up?

4. Are you going to eat healthy and exercise?

5. How often and what type of exercise will you be doing?

6. How will you change your diet?

7. How are you going to make sure you do this?

8. How STRONG is your resolve to lose weight?

Just because you dream it, doesn't mean it will happen. You have to MAKE IT HAPPEN. I could sit around all day WISHING I had an amazing body, but unless I go to the gym, work out regularly, and eat the right things the right way, I am not going to see a difference in my body. Your body is the product of how you treat it. I know this. I know because I was able to transform my OWN body, and I know that if MY body could change, EVERYONE's body can change (for the better or the worse). It is human nature. Our bodies adapt to the environment we give them. I have seen clients bodies change. I've seen a woman with no shape, turn into a beautiful hour glass within months. I have seen women's butts go from saggy and shapeless to round, taught, and about 2 inches higher than they once were.

You also have to WANT IT ENOUGH. On a scale of 1-10 how determined are you to reach your goals? If you are at a 7, you won't see results. You have to be at a 10, heck, an 11, to make sure you follow through with your weight loss plan. There is no magic weight loss pill. Losing weight requires WORK. Losing weight is not easy and can be frustrating. It doesn't happen overnight, and you may not see results for weeks, or months. And then... one day, you go shopping and are suddenly having to buy pants 2 sizes smaller! That's the reward, though, and you have to do the work to get that.

So this year, when you decide you want to "lose weight" make a real plan. If you don't see yourself having enough willpower to stick to the plan, but feel like all you need is a little support, or a little guidance, maybe you should think about hiring a trainer. Maybe a little kick in the rear is what you need. Most people really don't have all the tools they need to lose weight. Most people have no idea what to eat, how often to exercise, what KIND of exercise they should be doing, etc. That's where I come in. Nothing makes me happier than helping people achieve their goals.

I hope you all enjoyed bringing in the New Year, and are ready to make 2010 the HEALTHIEST YEAR OF YOUR LIVES!!!!

What Recovery Shake Should I Use?

2009-12-12T12:05:00.000-08:00

A common question I have gotten from clients and bootcamp goers, is "What recovery shake do you recommend?" At first, I wanted to recommend the shake I use occasionally, but then I realized, this is something I haven't done enough research on. So I found a few articles online, looked up a few research studies, and have come up with the following information for those of you who want advice on your post-workout recovery.

The first website I found was: http://www.truthaboutabs.com/post-workout-meals-shakes.html

Then I found: http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Making+Your+Post+Workout+Meal+Count+for+Muscle+Building-a01073955351 which basically has the same idea. You want to eat protein, carbs, and no fats after your workout.

This Article mentions a study proving that eating real Meat after a workout helps promote muscle growth better than eating any other source of protein: http://www.drmirkin.com/fitness/1181.html, found it on this website: http://stanford.wellsphere.com/exercise-article/new-theory-on-recovery-from-workouts/77936.

What I recommend, from my own personal school of thought, is to eat recovery FOOD. Instead of a recovery drink, try to get in a simple carb and some protein within 30 minutes of finishing your strength training workout. This will prevent muscle loss and refuel the muscles so that they are less sore than they would've been the next day. An example of a recovery meal that I personally enjoy eating?

1. a bowl of lentil soup and a piece of gluten free bread or some crackers
2. a sandwich with lean meat, or tuna
3. fat-free greek yogurt with granola(mine's gluten free) and dried blueberries
4. gluten-free pasta with meat spaghetti sauce
5. QUINOA or Quinoa Oatmeal (Made from smashed quinoa)

Now that I've read the article about eating meat vs. other protein sources, I will try to include more meat and less plant sources of protein right after I work out.

I still haven't answered which recovery shake I recommend. I suppose if you can't get the real food in your body it is better than nothing, so here are a few I found with ingredient lists I can live with:

1)ProEnergy - although it has Stevia in it (which I'm not a huge fan of)
2)Endurox - the protein shake recommended to me by my fellow personal trainer and friend, Jake
3)I found something called Warrior Milk- but I can't find any reviews on it, nor can I find a complete ingredient list. It seems cool, but I am not 100% sold: http://www.warriormilk.com/

I do want to talk about my own personal experience with Endurox. I tried the following Endurox myself: http://www.accelsport.com/product-info/EnduroxR4-lemon-lime-info.html. The problem I have with Endurox is:

A) It has artificial coloring in it.
B) It doesn't really follow with my nutritional rules of eating WHOLE. Aside from that, in a pinch, it's not bad stuff.

What I did like about Endurox is that it relieved muscle soreness, and also prevented muscle cramping when I drank it DURING a run.

Anyway, that's all I've got for you. If you have any comments, please feel free to share. I'd like to emphasise that I'm a human being and my word is NOT law. I just do the research, and report what I find, and how I feel about it. I encourage you all to do the research yourselves and see what you come up with. If you find any information you feel you need to share with me, please feel free to email me or even call me and let me know!

Enjoy your holiday season!

All About Sugar

2009-10-27T09:13:00.000-07:00

Caitlin's Thoughts:

Ok, we all know that sugar isn't the greatest thing to put in our bodies... but I decided to explain to everyone WHY sugar is such a bad idea... (I'd like to request that you not switch to sugar substitutes right away though, that's next weeks blog topic).

Don't get me wrong, I still struggle with my own sugar addiction. I might even consider myself something of a sugar connoisseur. However, that time is over now. I have learned the American way of eating is at the root of our obesity epidemic and can no longer sit idly while we all get fat. So with this blog post, I am going to make a promise to the rest of you. I will listen to my own advice, and I will be cutting out sugar from my diet in every way possible. That promise includes all sugar, even white carbs, and Halloween candy. I'm going to cut it out completely for a month, and then report to you any signs or symptoms of change due to the lack of sugar in my diet.

If I'm anything, I'm an experimenter. Most of my training methods have been tried out on myself first. The advice I give in this blog, is something I have tried and listened to myself. In fact, my post about high fructose corn syrup was written 6-9 months after I had last even allowed high fructose corn syrup to enter my body. I haven't touched the stuff since! I know it will be hard, but I will blog about the hardships of getting over my sugar addiction, and try to make it to 30 days without sugar. I encourage the rest of you to try this with me! They say if you do something for 4-6 weeks it becomes a habit, so maybe I can cut out sugar for good. But now I do it for the sake of my own health, due to the research I just completed, and for the sake of experiment!

SUGAR

Sugar is a listed ingredient in almost every packaged food item available. It flavors even our salty foods, our breads, and sauces. Sugar stimulates the taste buds in a most delightful way. It gives us instant energy, but not without a price. The following is a list of things sugar does to us, backed by several research studies, and taken from Nancy Appleton, Ph.D on her site you can see the research studies she cited to back up every single item listed:

1. Sugar can suppress the immune system.

2. Sugar upsets the mineral relationships in the body.

3. Sugar can cause hyperactivity, anxiety, difficulty concentrating, and crankiness in children.

4. Sugar can produce a significant rise in triglycerides.

5. Sugar contributes to the reduction in defense against bacterial infection (infectious diseases).

6. Sugar causes a loss of tissue elasticity and function, the more sugar you eat the more elasticity and function you loose.

7. Sugar reduces high density lipoproteins.

8. Sugar leads to chromium deficiency.

9. Sugar leads to cancer of the ovaries.

10. Sugar can increase fasting levels of glucose.

11. Sugar causes copper deficiency.

12. Sugar interferes with absorption of calcium and magnesium.

13. Sugar can weaken eyesight.

14. Sugar raises the level of a neurotransmitters: dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine.

15. Sugar can cause hypoglycemia.

16. Sugar can produce an acidic digestive tract.

17. Sugar can cause a rapid rise of adrenaline levels in children.

18. Sugar malabsorption is frequent in patients with functional bowel disease.

19. Sugar can cause premature aging.

20. Sugar can lead to alcoholism.

21. Sugar can cause tooth decay.

22. Sugar contributes to obesity.

23. High intake of sugar increases the risk of Crohn's disease, and ulcerative colitis.

24. Sugar can cause changes frequently found in person with gastric or duodenal ulcers.

25. Sugar can cause arthritis.

26. Sugar can cause asthma.

27. Sugar greatly assists the uncontrolled growth of Candida Albicans (yeast infections).

28. Sugar can cause gallstones.

29. Sugar can cause heart disease.

30. Sugar can cause appendicitis.

31. Sugar can cause multiple sclerosis.

32. Sugar can cause hemorrhoids.

33. Sugar can cause varicose veins.

34. Sugar can elevate glucose and insulin responses in oral contraceptive users.

35. Sugar can lead to periodontal disease.

36. Sugar can contribute to osteoporosis.

37. Sugar contributes to saliva acidity.

38. Sugar can cause a decrease in insulin sensitivity.

39. Sugar can lower the amount of Vitamin E (alpha-Tocopherol) in the blood.

40. Sugar can decrease growth hormone.

41. Sugar can increase cholesterol.

42. Sugar can increase the systolic blood pressure.

43. Sugar can cause drowsiness and decreased activity in children.

44. High sugar intake increases advanced glycation end products (AGEs)(Sugar bound non-enzymatically to protein)

45. Sugar can interfere with the absorption of protein.

46. Sugar causes food allergies.

47. Sugar can contribute to diabetes.

48. Sugar can cause toxemia during pregnancy.

49. Sugar can contribute to eczema in children.

50. Sugar can cause cardiovascular disease.

51. Sugar can impair the structure of DNA

52. Sugar can change the structure of protein.

53. Sugar can make our skin age by changing the structure of collagen.

54. Sugar can cause cataracts.

55. Sugar can cause emphysema.

56. Sugar can cause atherosclerosis.

57. Sugar can promote an elevation of low density lipoproteins (LDL).

58. High sugar intake can impair the physiological homeostasis of many systems in the body.

59. Sugar lowers the enzymes ability to function.

60. Sugar intake is higher in people with Parkinson’s disease.

61. Sugar can cause a permanent altering the way the proteins act in the body.

62. Sugar can increase the size of the liver by making the liver cells divide.

63. Sugar can increase the amount of liver fat.

64. Sugar can increase kidney size and produce pathological changes in the kidney.

65. Sugar can damage the pancreas.

66. Sugar can increase the body's fluid retention.

67. Sugar is enemy #1 of the bowel movement.

68. Sugar can cause myopia (nearsightedness).

69. Sugar can compromise the lining of the capillaries.

70. Sugar can make the tendons more brittle.

71. Sugar can cause headaches, including migraine.

72. Sugar plays a role in pancreatic cancer in women.

73. Sugar can adversely affect school children's grades and cause learning disorders.

74. Sugar can cause an increase in delta, alpha, and theta brain waves.

75. Sugar can cause depression.

76. Sugar increases the risk of gastric cancer.

77. Sugar and cause dyspepsia (indigestion).

78. Sugar can increase your risk of getting gout.

79. Sugar can increase the levels of glucose in an oral glucose tolerance test over the ingestion of complex carbohydrates.

80. Sugar can increase the insulin responses in humans consuming high-sugar diets compared to low sugar diets.

81. High refined sugar diet reduces learning capacity.

82. Sugar can cause less effective functioning of two blood proteins, albumin, and lipoproteins, which may reduce the body’s ability to handle fat and cholesterol.

83. Sugar can contribute to Alzheimer’s disease.

84. Sugar can cause platelet adhesiveness.

85. Sugar can cause hormonal imbalance; some hormones become underactive and others become overactive.

86. Sugar can lead to the formation of kidney stones.

87. Sugar can lead to the hypothalamus to become highly sensitive to a large variety of stimuli.

88. Sugar can lead to dizziness.

89. Diets high in sugar can cause free radicals and oxidative stress.

90. High sucrose diets of subjects with peripheral vascular disease significantly increases platelet adhesion.

91. High sugar diet can lead to biliary tract cancer.

92. Sugar feeds cancer.

93. High sugar consumption of pregnant adolescents is associated with a twofold increased risk for delivering a small-for-gestational-age (SGA) infant.

94. High sugar consumption can lead to substantial decrease in gestation duration among adolescents.

95. Sugar slows food's travel time through the gastrointestinal tract.

96. Sugar increases the concentration of bile acids in stools and bacterial enzymes in the colon. This can modify bile to produce cancer-causing compounds and colon cancer.

97. Sugar increases estradiol (the most potent form of naturally occurring estrogen) in men.

98. Sugar combines and destroys phosphatase, an enzyme, which makes the process of digestion more difficult.

99. Sugar can be a risk factor of gallbladder cancer.

100. Sugar is an addictive substance.

101. Sugar can be intoxicating, similar to alcohol.

102. Sugar can exacerbate PMS.

103. Sugar given to premature babies can affect the amount of carbon dioxide they produce.

104. Decrease in sugar intake can increase emotional stability.

105. The body changes sugar into 2 to 5 times more fat in the bloodstream than it does starch.

106. The rapid absorption of sugar promotes excessive food intake in obese subjects.

107. Sugar can worsen the symptoms of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

108. Sugar adversely affects urinary electrolyte composition.

109. Sugar can slow down the ability of the adrenal glands to function.

110. Sugar has the potential of inducing abnormal metabolic processes in a normal healthy individual and to promote chronic degenerative diseases.

111.. I.Vs (intravenous feedings) of sugar water can cut off oxygen to the brain.

112. High sucrose intake could be an important risk factor in lung cancer.

113. Sugar increases the risk of polio.

114. High sugar intake can cause epileptic seizures.

115. Sugar causes high blood pressure in obese people.

116. In Intensive Care Units, limiting sugar saves lives.

117. Sugar may induce cell death.

118. Sugar can increase the amount of food that you eat.

119. In juvenile rehabilitation camps, when children were put on a low sugar diet, there was a 44% drop in antisocial behavior.

120. Sugar can lead to prostrate cancer.

121. Sugar dehydrates newborns.

122. Sugar increases the estradiol in young men.

123. Sugar can cause low birth weight babies.

124. Greater consumption of refined sugar is associated with a worse outcome of schizophrenia

125. Sugar can raise homocysteine levels in the blood stream.

126. Sweet food items increase the risk of breast cancer.

127. Sugar is a risk factor in cancer of the small intestine.

128. Sugar may cause laryngeal cancer.

129. Sugar induces salt and water retention.

130. Sugar may contribute to mild memory loss.

131. As sugar increases in the diet of 10 years olds, there is a linear decrease in the intake of many essential nutrients.

132. Sugar can increase the total amount of food consumed.

133. Exposing a newborn to sugar results in a heightened preference for sucrose relative to water at 6 months and 2 years of age. (In case you're wondering why you have always been addicted to sugar)

134. Sugar causes constipation.

135. Sugar causes varicose veins.

136. Sugar can cause brain decay in prediabetic and diabetic women.

137. Sugar can increase the risk of stomach cancer.

138. Sugar can cause metabolic syndrome.

139. Sugar ingestion by pregnant women increases neural tube defects in embryos.

140. Sugar can be a factor in asthma.

141. The higher the sugar consumption the more chances of getting irritable bowel syndrome.

142. Sugar could affect central reward systems.

143. Sugar can cause cancer of the rectum.

144. Sugar can cause endometrial cancer.

145. Sugar can cause renal (kidney) cell carcinoma.

146. Sugar can cause liver tumors.

If that doesn't convince you to re-think your sugar intake, I don't think anything else will, aside from the fact that sugar could be the very thing keeping you from reaching your weight loss goals, and causing detrimental effects to your health and mental well-being.

Please feel free to leave comments and questions!

Caitlin Hart Training

Weight Training VS Cardio

2009-10-18T07:54:00.000-07:00

Ever since I was a fairly young child, I worried about weight. Who didn't, in such a media-obsessed, shallow country as the USA? If you're the fat kid in school, your life is it's own circle of hell. I was never a "fat" kid, but I usually got chubby and then grew, chubby and grew. When I was 9 years old, I got my tonsils out. As a result I lost a significant amount of weight, and asked my mother how I could stay skinny forever. Her answer "diet and exercise." So I vowed to exercise from then on.

I didn't actually start trying to exercise until I hit 17 years old. I started running on the treadmill. In my then-opinion, that's how you exercised. I didn't even realize that women could lift weights, I don't think weight training even crossed my mind. I've come a long way since then.

Getting into Personal Training, my view on fitness and exercise has vastly improved. I have studied, researched, and listened to peers in the field. One of the most fascinating discoveries I ever made on my journey to becoming a Personal Trainer, was how useless Cardiovascular exercise was compared to Weight Training in every single fitness category aside from Heart Health. How can this be? It's a similar concept to why long distance running isn't as effective as sprinting. Cardio burns fat and muscle and only burns calories during the actual act.

Weight training builds muscle. Each pound of Muscle burns 50 calories. Each pound of fat burns 5. Imagine if you build just 10 lbs of muscle, you are burning 500 calories per day MORE than you were before. That means you could sit at your desk at work, and breath, and you will burn 500 extra calories per day, giving you weight loss/fat loss without lowering your caloric intake by 1 calorie. Just think about that the next time you want to hop on the treadmill and do 30 minutes of cardio (typically burns about 150-300 calories).

If you consume a proper recovery drink/meal within 15 minutes of weight training, you significantly increase the amount of muscle you can build and prevent soreness of the muscles. My friend, Jake , recommends a recovery drink called Endurox.

So my recommendation? Weight training is FAR more important than cardio as far as weight loss is concerned. However, cardio is important for the health of your heart, so don't cut it out completely. Just make weight training your primary form of exercise, and supplement cardio on the days you can't weight train. If you read the following article, it has a similar viewpoint to mine, and it includes a sample workout I think is a great idea.

http://www.bodybuildingforyou.com/articles-submit/lynn-vandyke/cardio-vs-strength-training.html

**I hope this article was helpful and informative. Any questions and thoughts on the matter are always appreciated, so leave a comment if you have anything you'd like to add.**

What Is High Fructose Corn Syrup, and Why is it Bad for You?

2009-10-09T12:58:00.001-07:00

What is High Fructose Corn Syrup?

High Fructose Corn Syrup "is called isoglucose in the UK and glucose-fructose in Canada – comprises any of a group of corn syrups that has undergone enzymatic processing to convert its glucose into fructose and has then been mixed with pure corn syrup (100% glucose) to produce a desired sweetness. In the United States, HFCS is typically used as a sugar substitute and is ubiquitous in processed foods and beverages, including soft drinks, yogurt, industrial bread, cookies, salad dressing, and tomato soup." (Defined by Wickipedia.org)

So to put it more simply, high fructose corn syrup is derived from corn, through unnatural processes, and used to sweeten anything from most breakfast cereals to most US soft drinks. Why? It's cheaper than sugar. Have you ever tasted the difference between a soft drink sweetened by cane sugar vs. high fructose corn syrup? There is definitely a difference.

Why is high fructose corn syrup bad for us?

I'll start with Dr.Oz's explanation, Dr.Oz has appeared on Oprah many times. Taken directly from Oprah.com, high fructose corn syrup is on Dr.Oz's food hall of fame list. "Although they taste sweet, Dr. Oz says food products that contain high-fructose corn syrup should be avoided. Dr. Oz says the body processes the sugar in high-fructose corn syrup differently than it does old-fashioned cane or beet sugar, which in turn alters your body's natural ability to regulate appetite. "It blocks the ability of a chemical called leptin, which is the way your fat tells your brain it's there," says Dr. Oz. "It's not so much the 150 calories in the soda pop—it's the fact at that same meal you will normally consume an extra hundred calories of food than you would have."

In the Caitlin Hartung school of thought, any unnaturally processed food is not good for you. If you cannot get the food without it having to go through some sort of chemistry experiment first, it's not meant to go through your body. Our bodies are designed to recognize foods that are naturally on this earth, already provided for us. When we put things in our mouth that aren't natural, the body can't recognize what it is, or even necessarily how to properly process it. Americans are the worst culprits in eating processed, chemically altered foods. We're also being overtaken by obesity. Coincidence? I don't think so.

High Fructose Corn Syrup is the cheap alternative to sugar, used by companies trying to save money, not interested in your health. Just one last article I'd like to reference about High Fructose Corn Syrup and I'll let you decide for yourself:

"Recent research from researchers at Johns Hopkins University has uncovered that the human body treats glucose and fructose differently – when consuming glucose, two things happen:
For starters, insulin is released from the pancreas, prompting the body to balance out the glucose levels in the bloodstream. And secondly, glucose is signalling the brain that sufficient energy is available, causing the release of satiety hormones that make you feel full.
By comparison, fructose is not able to enter the brain – so the brain doesn’t respond to your fructose energy intake and in response, your body never gets the signal that your stomach has been filled. You just keep eating and eating and while your stomach expands, you never get the neurological sensation that you’re full. A perfect setup to becoming overweight and obese."(skinnychef.com)

It's a very interesting/informative article, and I suggest if you have time to click the link above and read it.

I don't want to place all of the blame on High Fructose Corn Syrup, it's not the only ingredient at fault for causing weight gain and diabetes to rise like wildfire in this country. Sugar in any form will cause weight gain if you eat it in excess. I recommend to my clients and to most people to substitute high fructose corn syrup for something natural, however, because it's a BETTER alternative. It's a LESSER evil.

I'd like to follow up with what's wrong with artificial sweeteners in a later blog entry, so stay tuned!

ANNOUNCEMENTS!!!!

2009-10-07T10:43:00.001-07:00

FREE CONSULTATION TO ANYONE WANTING TO CHANGE THEIR LIFE FOR THE BETTER! Simply fill out the form on the side bar that says "FREE Consultation" and I'll contact you to set up a Consultation.

Also for the month of October, we have some amazing specials going on! Email or Call today to find out what those are!

(512)949-9580
caitlinharttraining@gmail.com

Thank you to those of you who have already referred clients! I hope you enjoy your free training sessions! You earned them!

We're currently working on getting the website kinks worked out. I've got a great web designer who is completely revamping the site and it will hopefully be up and running soon, however I will keep posting my informative articles to this blog. Anyone who wants to do a testimonial, please contact me and I will put you on the website, along with a before and after photo.

I want to remind everyone, that for every friend you refer, you get 50% off a month of training! I want to reward you for keeping my business up and running!

Sprinting VS Long Distance Running

2009-10-04T12:44:00.000-07:00

Ever notice the difference between a long distance runner and a sprinter?

Can you guess which one is which?

Long Distance Runner (left) Sprinter (right)

for both pictures.

Notice anything? Perhaps it's hard to tell at first but there are some of the key differences:

1. The sprinter has larger muscles.

2. The sprinter has lower body fat percentage (usually)

3. The long distance runner is more slight in build

4. The long distance runner has much less muscle tone.

If you look up photos of long distance runners vs. sprinters you will notice this trend with most of them.

The way you exercise can determine the shape your body takes. Mainly this is because it determines how your body uses its resources to help you get through these workouts. Long distance runners are doing aerobic exercise, whereas Sprinters and weight trainers are doing anaerobic exercise. The difference is important.

While cardio workouts burn fat and calories over a long period of time, they also tend to burn muscle as well. This is because the body has to find it's largest resource of calories and that tends to be the muscles. Especially after a weight-training workout, one should avoid long distance running, as it negates the process of muscle building. There is nothing wrong with long distance running, in fact it has been proven to promote heart health over sprinting, but if you really want to maintain muscle mass and lose more body fat, sprinting is better choice.

Why does sprinting take off more body fat than long distance running?

Sprinters train with high intensity bursts for short duration periods, burning more sugar, and less fat during the workout. When a high intensity burst of exercise is performed, the body burns more relative amounts of sugar, but burns more fat and calories after the workout. It burns calories anywhere from 16-48 hours after the workout. Low or moderate intensity exercise, such as long distance running, has no after burn effect. You burn what you burn and that is it.

Also important in answering this question is looking at the hormones involved in these two types of exercise. Low to moderate intensity exercise produces a large amount of unopposed cortisol, leading to a catabolic, muscle burning state. High intensity exercise also produces cortisol, but does so along with growth hormone and testosterone, enhancing fat burning, leading to an anabolic, or muscle building state. Therefore the long distance runner has less muscle than the sprinter.

One of the reasons I prefer sprinting is that it takes less time, the workout is harder but not nearly as tedious, and it gets you great results while still maintaining muscle mass. The more muscle mass you have, the higher your metabolism will be. This means that if you can maintain or add muscle to your frame, you will burn more calories than you did before, and lose more weight over time if you continue to take in the same amount of calories you always have. This is why sprinting helps you lose weight more permanently than long distance running. If you had to stop running for a few weeks for some reason, you would still be burning a significant amount of calories by just breathing. However, if you had lost muscle mass, or didn't have much to begin with because you run long distance, you might gain weight over this inactive time, because you aren't burning as many calories.

We're Here!

2009-09-29T11:09:00.000-07:00

Caitlin Hart Training has finally decided to join the blog world! Every week I will be posting new blog entries on health issues, fitness related issues, etc. I'm hoping this will become a valuable resource to my clients!

For those of you wondering what topics you can expect to be hearing about I have the next month planned as follows:

October week 1: Sprinting Vs. Long Distance Running
October week 2: What is high fructose corn syrup, and why is it so bad for you
October week 3: Weight Training vs. Cardio
October week 4: All About Sugar

So stay tuned for some exciting topics!!!