College and dorm life can take a toll on setting and maintaining a healthy schedule for eating, exercise, and proper sleep. Kristin found out quickly that the late night dorm gatherings with heaviest caloric intake before going to bed slowed her metabolism and added unwanted pounds. Having grown up in an active household dedicated to swim practice, tennis practice, and focus on proper nutrition, Kristin knew what to do. She had just gotten trapped into a bad pattern while enjoying hanging out with her peers. Hours after college final exams ended the semester, she was packed and set out to Las Vegas Live-in-Fitness with her sister, Karen. They both knew that they wanted a much-needed change to start their summer. They just didn’t realize how easy it would be to make the necessary changes once removed from the usual distractions and temptations. From the supervised grocery store visits to the workouts, they set the pattern for success they will take home with them. With the jumpstart they received at Live-in-Fitness, you better believe there is no stopping them now! Check out their results at www.live-in-fitness.com.

Change is a curious thing. In most areas of life you dread it, yet in others you pine for it.

You’re told that change is hard, that it takes time. You’re also told that change is the most consistent thing that you’ll encounter. You wonder how to make lasting changes that will improve your life.

I’m here to argue that change can happen in an instant.

I know this goes against mainstream belief. Most people believe that change has to be worked at for months or even years. We expect to try and fail numerous times before we ultimately give up or succeed.

Think about it-how many people do you know who struggle with their weight? They want to make a healthy change by getting in shape, but the change never seems to take hold.

Is there something in your life that you want to change? Do you have weight to lose? Do you have high blood pressure? Do you have a pair or pants that you wish you could fit into?

What is preventing you from making a positive change in your life?

According to professional speaker and author, Anthony Robbins, it’s the getting ready to change that takes times. In the end there’s an instant when the change occurs. Robbins goes on to outline three specific beliefs that you must have in order to instantly create a lasting change.

Belief #1: Something must change.
Do you kind of want to get into shape or do you absolutely have to lose the weight? Does dropping a few pounds sound nice or is living another day in your current body simply out of the question? In order to make a lasting change you must be convinced that the time is right.

Belief #2: I must change it.
It is vital that you take full responsibility in making the change. Sure, others may assist you, but in the end you are the one who is going to make it happen. You have to want this change enough to make it your personal mission-no one else will do it for you.

Belief #3: I can change it.
Don’t let past failures get in your way. The truth is that you can do amazing things when you put your mind to it. Believe that you are capable of losing weight or making any other positive change in your life.

Why do most people fail to make lasting change? They leave it up to willpower. This works for awhile, but you’ll always revert back to what’s comfortable. The solution?

Change what you’re comfortable with.

You’ve probably heard that humans are motivated by two things: 1) to avoid pain and 2) to gain pleasure. When you want to change a behavior pattern the key is to associate pain with the behavior that you don’t want and pleasure with the behavior that you do want.

You know that you want to lose weight and that to do so you need to quit eating comfort food late at night. You also know that you need to start exercising on a regular basis. Up until this point your brain is trained to associate pleasure with eating comfort food late at night and to associate pain with exercise.

It’s time to retrain your brain to feel good about exercise and to feel bad about eating late at night. Think about all of the negative things about being overweight and connect these unpleasant thoughts to your late night snack. Now think about all of the wonderful things about being in shape and connect these pleasant thoughts to exercise.

You are capable of making a big change in your life. Start by contacting me for your no obligation fitness consultation.

Remember, change can happen in an instant.
Smart Shopping
Never go grocery shopping on an empty stomach. If you do, you will end up with a cart full of bad decisions and regrets! Instead, make a list of healthy foods to buy and go after a sensible meal. Avoid the chips/candy isle and stick to the outskirts of the store where fresh food such as produce, dairy and meats are displayed.

Springtime Shrimp Salad

Here’s what you need…

For the Dressing
1 Tablespoon grated orange peel
1/3 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons oil
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
For the Salad
1 lb fresh asparagus, trimmed, cut into 2-inch pieces
8 cups torn Boston lettuce
3 Oranges
1 lb fresh or frozen shelled deveined cooked shrimp, thawed
In a small bowl combine all of the dressing ingredients; beat with a wire whisk until well blended. Set aside.
In large nonstick skillet, bring 1/2 cup water to a boil. Add asparagus and return to boil. Reduce heat; cover and cook 5 to 6 minutes or until tender.
Meanwhile, arrange lettuce on 4 individual salad plates. Peel oranges and halve lengthwise; cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices.
Drain asparagus. Rinse with cold water; drain well. Arrange asparagus, orange slices and shrimp over lettuce. Drizzle salads with dressing.
Nutritional Analysis: One serving equals: 290 calories, 9g fat, 24g carbohydrate, 6g fiber, and 29g protein.

As you can imagine, I hear a ton of excuses from people on why they don’t exercise.

Sometimes the reason is self inflicted: I don’t have the time.

Other times the reason is procrastination: I’m going to start as soon as tax season ends.

And occasionally the reason is downright funny: The dog ate my gym shorts.

I usually point out to these well meaning folks that, despite their reason, exercise is a very important activity that will dramatically improve their life. I bring up the health benefits and describe how many of their physical ailments would improve. I talk about how great they will feel dropping excess weight and rediscovering a slender figure.

However, there was always an excuse that would get me.

The devious excuse of ‘being active’: Oh, I don’t need to exercise in a gym – I’m very active. I play tennis and hike in the summer and I ski in the winter.

Well, they have a point, right? Tennis, hiking and skiing are all active sports that burn calories. Maybe they can be fit without doing any other exercise, especially if they are at a reasonable weight.

Then I started to notice a trend.

The ‘active’ people couldn’t touch their toes in a simple flexibility test. The ‘tennis players’ couldn’t jump rope for 60 seconds. The ‘hikers’ needed a week to recover from a one mile jog. The ’skiers’ encountered injury after injury. And then it hit me.

You don’t become fit by simply being active. That’s backward fitness.

Only by being fit can you become more active.

To become and maintain a level of fitness there is no replacement for a consistent exercise program. It’s the only way.

True fitness is when your body can do whatever you ask of it. This means having flexibility, strength and endurance.

Do you exercise? Or are you fooling yourself with the excuse of ‘being active’?

How happy are you with your level of fitness? Are you able to meet all of the functional demands of life? Or do you find yourself opting out of experiences or situations that you know would be too challenging?

If you’ve used the excuse of ‘being active’ in the past, it’s time to reconsider your options. Don’t practice backward fitness with the hope of true results.

Contact me to get started on a program that will make you truly fit. And if you’re furthest from active and simply want to lose those extra inches and pounds, make the decision to take action today.

After all, there’s no trial run in the game of life.

Be Excellent

The most important aspect in becoming and staying fit is to be persistent. You can exercise every day for a week, but if you follow that week with a month of no exercise then you’ve lost all ground. Find an exercise program that you are able to consistently do and then stick with it. In the words of Aristotle, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”

Simple Spaghetti Squash

Spaghetti squash is one of the easiest vegetables to prepare without adding fat in the cooking process. Each squash is filled with folic acid, potassium, vitamin A, and beta carotene – and best of all it is a low calorie food. Servings: 4

Here’s what you need…

* 1 spaghetti squash
* 1 Tablespoon dried basil
* 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

1. Cut squash in half and scoop out the seeds and fibers. With a fork pierce the squash skin a few times.
2. Fill a microwave safe dish with 1/2 inch of water. Place the squash cut side down in the dish.
3. Microwave on high for 10-20 minutes or until the skin gives easily under pressure (be sure to use an oven mitt, as the squash get very hot.) Let stand for a few minutes.
4. With a fork, scrape the pasta-like insides into a medium bowl. Mix in basil and garlic salt.

Nutritional Analysis: One serving equals: 42 calories, 0g fat, 10g carbohydrate, 2g fiber, and 1g protein.