Your Fast-Track to a Flat Tummy & Tight Abs – Haddonfield Personal Trainer Reveals

The New Year is still young, and if you’ve decided to make this your year for losing the weight and tightening your abs, you’re in luck.

Getting a flat midsection really boils down to two things: 1) Getting rid of the fatty layer that is covering your abdominal muscles; and 2) Tightening and toning your abdominal muscles.

The following 7 Tight Abs Tips are your Fast-Track ticket to getting a flat, attractive midsection this year.

Tight Abs Tip #1: Perform challenging strength training abdominal exercises at least three times each week. Your abs are like any other muscle in your body—they need to be consistently challenged in order to become stronger and tighter.

Tight Abs Tip #2: Stop eating junk. Processed foods, refined sugar and high fructose corn syrup do NOT belong in your diet if, especially if you want tight abs. Cutting these items from your diet will allow your body to maintain stable blood sugar levels, alleviating your body’s need to store excess sugar away in fat cells.

The fat stores created by excess sugar intake most often accumulate around your waist, covering up your abdominal muscles. Cut these items from your diet and replace them with real whole foods such as lean meats, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and fruits.

Tight Abs Tip #3: Stop doing long and slow cardio workouts. Instead, use HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) for your cardio workouts. HIIT training uses intense bursts of cardio peppered throughout your workout. This is a sure-fire way to rev up your metabolism and to get your fat stores to shrink.

Tight Abs Tip #4: Use resistance with your abdominal exercises. Crunches are great, but your body quickly becomes accustomed to the motion, rendering it less effective. Hold a medicine ball or dumbbell at your chest as you perform your crunches—this will force your abs to work harder, and will achieve better results.

Tight Abs Tip #5: Don’t be fooled. The market is flooded with ‘lose weight’ products and products that claim to flatten your stomach. Never waste your time or money on:

1. So-called packaged health food that comes with weight loss claims. If it’s processed in a package with a bunch of chemical additives then it will not help you achieve flat abs.
2. Abdominal exercise gimmicks as sold on late night infomercials – all you really need is your own body weight, an exercise ball and dumbbells or a medicine ball.
3. So-called weight loss supplements. The magic pill for flat abs doesn’t exist, so you’d be wasting your health and money on a bogus product.

Tight Abs Tip #6: Target your lower abs. It’s easy to neglect the lower abs, but they are an important part of the equation. Incorporate the V-Up into your exercise routine:

Starting Position: Sit on the edge of an exercise bench; lean back to a 45 degree angle. Extend your legs out until they are level with the floor.

Movement: Exhale and bring your knees and upper body close together, while contracting your abdominals. Inhale as you slowly release your legs, returning them to the starting position.
Tight Abs Tips #7: Challenge your core often. Don’t limit your abdominal exercise to the gym, incorporate core strengthening during daily life and throughout each workout. A strong core is the foundation for flat, tight abs.

There you have it! Seven tips that, when diligently applied, will help you shed the fat and tighten your abs.

But, keep in mind that your results will be seriously hindered if you do the same exercise routine over and over. Your abs need a progressive challenge in order to transform. This means new exercises, different resistance and increased challenge.

Call or email today to get started on a program that will challenge you, motivate you and transform your body.

Availability is limited — act now and achieve a slimmer you once and for all this year.

Kevin Hensel/ Haddonfield Personal Trainer

27 Fitness and Fat Loss Tips, Cherry Hill Personal Trainer Reveals

Cherry Hill Personal Trainer Reveals

It’s New Year’s Day, and you have a clean slate.

I don’t know if you are one to make New Year’s Resolutions or not, but either way you’re probably thinking about how you can become fitter, healthier and happier than you are right now.

These 27 Fitness and Fat Loss Tips will get you on the right track for this New Year:

1. Visualize the accomplishment of your goals each and every day. Experience the taste of success and feel that sweet satisfaction.
2. Push the intensity of your workouts. Don’t kill time, burn calories by maintaining a challenging intensity.
3. Use smaller plates at home. This effortlessly reduces calorie intake and promotes weight loss.
4. Build accountability into your workouts so that you resist the temptation to take days off. The best way to ensure accountability is to work with a personal trainer either one-on-one or in a group training setting.
5. Believe in yourself. Know with conviction that you CAN accomplish your goals.
6. Drink water throughout your day. Do this by carrying a water bottle and opting for water rather than calorie-filled beverages. This simple action is extremely beneficial.
7. Maintain your metabolism by eating a healthy snack or meal every three hours. This food should be unprocessed, low in fat and high in fiber.
8. Don’t be afraid to ask for help.
9. Incorporate High Intensity Interval Training into your cardio workouts by performing bursts of high intensity rather than exercising at a single steady pace.
10. It’s not about will-power, it’s about want-power. You have to want it.
11. Do not eat processed foods. These items are high in empty calories and contain a plethora of chemicals that are harmful to your health.
12. Stop talking about losing weight. Start doing it.
13. Fat contains twice the caloric density of carbohydrates and protein, so limit the amount that you consume. Fill your diet with lean protein and carbohydrates from plants and whole grains.
14. Be wary of products that are labeled as ‘health food’. Always read the nutrition labels.
15. Find a workout partner who is in better shape than you, or better yet work with a personal trainer to guarantee dramatic results.
16. Make a habit out of reading nutrition labels. Avoid items that are high in fat and carbohydrates.
17. Destroy negative self talk.
18. Avoid the trap of high-calorie beverages after your workouts.
19. Be consistent with your workouts. Exercise three to four times each week.
20. Expect more of yourself.
21. High fructose corn syrup should not be in your diet. It is high in calories and will quickly derail your weight loss efforts.
22. Challenge your body with each workout. Use different weights, do different exercises and break through plateaus.
23. Eat lots of whole plant foods. Vegetables, fruits and whole grains are filled with fiber and antioxidants, vital for your good health.
24. Do your cardiovascular exercise after weight training to ensure more fat burn. Your stored sugars will be depleted during the weight training then your body will rely on fat stores to get you through the cardio workout.
25. Set specific, measurable goals.
26. Start each day with a healthy breakfast. This important meal should be a balance of carbohydrates, protein and fat to get your metabolism going strong.
27. You deserve better…go get it.

After writing these tips, I realized how powerful and inspiring they are. Print this list and place it somewhere that you’ll see often – this will keep you motivated and pumped up to accomplish your goals.

If your New Year’s Resolution has to do with losing weight and getting into great shape (and whose isn’t?) then guarantee your success by working with a fitness expert who can guide you to success.

I’d love to team up with you – together we will transform your body in 2010!

Call or email to get started today.

The New Year’s Resolution Trap

Are you making a New Year’s Resolution today? If you do, keep this in mind: It has been reported that 92% of New Year’s Resolutions end in failure. Why? Because most people make resolutions that are simply unrealistic. They quickly get discouraged and then abandon the idea entirely.

To ensure that you accomplish your New Year’s Resolution, stick with a goal that is realistic rather than intimidating. Check out these examples:

• Instead of resolving to lose 70 pounds by summer, commit to exercise 3-4 times each week.
• Instead of resolving to give up all carbs, commit to bring healthy lunches to work instead of going through a fast food drive thru.
• Instead of resolving to drop 3 sizes in 3 months, commit to losing 1 pound each week until you reach your goal weight.
• Instead of resolving to never eat out again, commit to eating healthy all week and rewarding yourself with one meal out on the weekends.

Committed to your success,

Kevin Hensel

Cherry Hill Personal Trainer

The Culture of Overeating; A Survival Guide Moorestown Personal Trainer Reveals

They cast a spell over the most well-meaning dieter, and cause logical people to overeat until their sides hurt.

They occupy your thoughts to the point of obsession as you try to ignore a plate of cookies.

And when it’s all said and done, they accumulate on your body in the most obtrusive way as a result of dozens of unused calories.

Why does food hold such power? And, most importantly, how can you control your eating?

The End of Overeating

David A. Kessler, MD set out to answer these pressing questions in his instant bestseller, The End of Overeating. Despite being a pediatrician, a former FDA commissioner, and former dean of the medical schools at Yale and the University of California, San Francisco, Dr. Kessler struggles with his weight.

Observing the current obesity epedemic, he knew that he wasn’t alone.

Dr. Kessler, with the insight of some of the brightest minds in medicine and science, discovered the following three reasons that most of us are compelled to overeat.

1. An Irresistable Combination Rewires Your Brain: Think of your favorite treat – most likely it can be broken down into the basic building blocks of sugar, fat and salt. This combination is known of as the ‘three points of the compass’, a combination that has been shown to literally alter the biological circuitry of your brain.Sugar, fat and salt give food a high hedonic value which gives you pleasure. This pleasure reinforces you to return to your favorite foods time and time again.
2. The Food Industry Targets You: Everywhere you go you’ll see the clever work of the food industry, tempting you with highly palatable creations. Food has become a science, and your taste preferences the guiding light.The food industry has one goal – to get you hooked. By constructing food items that are high in sugar, fat and salt they know that you will come back time and time again.
3. Conditioned Hypereating Becomes a Way of Life: Humans are conditioned to seek more reward. When readily available, hyper palatable food become our reward a pattern of hypereating quickly emerges. Dr. Kessler describes the cycle:”Foods high in sugar, fat, and salt, and the cues that signal them, promote more of everything: more arousal…more thoughts of food…more urge to pursue food…more dopamine-stimulated approach behavior…more consumption…more opioid-driven reward…more overeating to feel better…more delay in feeling fulll…more loss of control…more preoccupation with food…more habit-driven behavior…and ultimately, more and more weight gain.”

Breaking the Cycle

The good news is that you don’t have to remain trapped in a cycle of overeating. The following three tips will put you back in control.

1. Set Your Rules: In order to resist overeating in today’s tempting food environment, you must eat by a set of self-imposed rules. Predetermined rules take away the need to make food decisions in vulnerable moments.Dr. Kessler thinks these rules should be, “simple enough to fit with your busy life, but specific enough to remove uncertainty from the food equation.”

   For suggestions as to what rules you should adopt, let’s turn to another authority on eating, bestselling author of ‘In Defense of Food’, Michael Pollan:

   • Don’t eat anything your great grandmother wouldn’t recognize as food.
   • Pay more, eat less. Look for quality of food over quantity.
   • Eat meals. Cut out snacking, stick with structured meals.
   • Don’t get your fuel from the same place your car does. Gas stations are great for fueling your car, but the food they sell are not suited to fuel you.
   • Try not to eat alone. Eating can become mindless when alone, leading to overeating.
   • Eat slowly. Eat foods that have been prepared slowly – that means no fast food.
2. Make Negative Associations: When was the last time you peeled a lemon and ate it whole? Probably never. That’s because your taste buds have a negative association with the sour taste.Our taste buds have traditionally been our guide when it comes to food selection, but this must change for you to successfully avoid overeating. Since the food industry purposely crafts food items to please your taste buds (not waistline) what tastes good can no longer dictate what you eat.

   It’s up to you to create negative associations with unhealthy food – despite their pleasing taste. Here are some negatives to focus on:

   • Those extra calories will accumulate around your waist.
   • Your health will suffer.
   • You will become more disspointed with your appearance.
   • You’ll feel sluggish.
3. Give Yourself a Real Reward: The bottom line is that we eat unhealthy food as a reward, even though it causes more harm that good. It’s time to give yourself a truly benificial reward – exercise.Exercise is a healthy reward that will not only release endorphins into your system, but will also give you the benefit of weight loss and improved health.

I truly believe that you can overcome your pattern of overeating with healthy eating and regular exercise. Call or email today to get started on a program that will truly change your life.

Located just minutes from Moorestown, NJ

Kevin Hensel

Fit-4-Life, Inc.

856-751-0033

Unleash The Power of Fiber, Voorhees Personal Trainer Tells All

Eat Yourself Thin, Mt Laurel Personal Trainer Breaks The Silence

I wish I was clever enough to have thought up that headline, because it’s so TRUE.

For the past 17 years I’ve been a personal trainer, one of the biggest issues I’ve faced with my clients is eating too little.  Excessive caloric restriction will completely sabotage your well intentioned weight loss goals.  Telling someone to eat more and lose weight doesn’t go over so well.  It’s quite a psychological barrier to overcome.

From a logical standpoint, it makes sense that if you want to lose weight you should restrict your calories, right.  Think again. Restricting your calories can be the worst thing you can do to lose weight.  When you eat too few calories not only will you not lose weight you will probably gain weight.  I know it doesn’t make sense, but let me break it down for you.

Eating too few calories or severely cutting your calories too quickly will bring your metabolism to a screeching hault.  When you eat too few calories you send an urgent message to your brain that you are in a starvation mode.  As a protective mechanism your body starts slowing down your metabolism for preservation purposes. Your body starts to see every calorie like its the last one it will ever see. 

Your body’s ultimate fuel source is fat.  You might be thinking great when I cut my calories back, my body will be forced to use fat as it’s primary fuel source because there won’t be anything else to use.  Once again, logic can be your worst enemy.  Your body doesn’t use logic.  When your body triggers the starvation mode due to caloric restriction, it will hold onto your fat cells with a vengence.  Your body will start using muscle and other important tissues as a primary fuel source.  I know it sounds counter intuitive, but it’s totally true (I have science on my side).  Your body will burn fat cells for emergency purposes, only after it’s depleted available muscle will it even think of using fat as a fuel source. Then guess what?  Now that you are burning muscle for a fuel source, you are losing valuable lean body mass.  Less lean muscle means your metabolism slows down even further.  It’s a double whammy.

All the hype created about low intensity cardio burning more fat is total crap (pardon my French).  Low intensity cardio less than 65% of your Maximum Heart Rate does use fat as a fuel source, however it is not burning stored fat in your adipose tissue (jiggly bits) it’s using the fat in your blood stream as a fuel source.  That’s a huge difference.  Fat circulating in your blood stream doesn’t necessarily get turned into fat cells (adipose tissue).  Don’t get me started.

So how do you know if you are eating too few calories or you are cutting your calories too quickly.  Well I’m glad you asked. To accurately determine your daily caloric intake is a rather complex task.  First you need to determine your Basal Metabolic Rate or (Resting Metabolic Rate RMR).  It takes some really hi-tech equipment to accurately measure your RMR.  Your RMR is the amount of calories your body burns each day just to exist (respiration, circulation, etc).  Your age, weight, height, activity levels, job, all effect your RMR.  Click here for a kool little RMR Calculator, it’s great for getting a rough guesstimate http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm  .

Remember that hi-tech piece of equipment I was talking about before that measures your RMR.  It’s called the Korr metabolic Analyzer and it’s totally awesome.  I spent an arm and leg for it, but it’s absolutely necessary if you want to lose weight.  If you do not know how slow or fast your metabolism is then you have absolutely no idea how many calories you should be taking in, not to mention you will also have baseline data so you can re-evaluate your RMR 1-2 months later to make sure your metabolism is increasing with your workout routine. 

All you do is breathe in a tube for about 10 minutes then it does the rest.  It computates your RMR based on your oxygen and carbon dioxide exchange (real techie stuff).  Once I have your RMR, then I will create you a registered dietitian designed 7 Day Meal Plan and Grocery List.  I’ll tell you exactly what, when, and how much to eat (including carbs, fats, protein, vitamins/minerals, and supplements if necessary).  Meal plans are based on your likes, dislikes, food preferences, dietary restrictions, and goals.  We also give you an online food journal account that ties in with your meal plan so you can track your calories and weight loss. 

It only costs $85 for the 60 minute metabolic evaluation and you get everything I just mentioned.  Stop shooting in the dark and find our your specific metabolic blueprint so you’re not guessing about your weight loss and metabolism.  Call me at 856-751-0033 or visit www.cherryhillbodyiq.com for more info.

So how do you master your metabolism and fire up your fat burning furnace ASAP?

1.  You should never eat below 1200-1300 calories (EVER!!)
2.  Cut your calories by 300-400 calories for 3-4 weeks.  Allow your body and metabolism 4 weeks to stabilize itself before you drop anymore calories
3.  Try to burn approximately 300-400 calories/day with endurance/cardiovascular exercise
4.  You must strength train 3-4x/week to increase lean muscle mass therefore firing up your metabolism
5.  Eat 5-6 small meals every 3-4 hours to stabilize your blood sugar levels
6.  You MUST eat breakfast within 30-60 minutes of waking up.  The reason you’re not hungry in the morning is because your metabolism is all screwed up.  Your blood sugar levels are all over the place and your brain doesn’t know when it’s really hungry anymore.  Drink a meal replacment shake if eating in the morning makes your stomach turn. 
7.  Aim to lose 1-2 lbs per week.
8.  If you do all of these things and after 8 weeks you still don’t see any results you might have a slow metabolism (hypothroidism).  Here are some other symptoms of Hypothyroidism

•Fatigue
•Weakness
•Weight gain or increased difficulty losing weight
•Coarse, dry hair
•Dry, rough pale skin
•Hair loss
•Cold intolerance (you can’t tolerate cold temperatures like those around you)
•Muscle cramps and frequent muscle aches
•Constipation
•Depression
•Irritability
•Memory loss
•Abnormal menstrual cycles
•Decreased libido

Consult with your doctor.  A simple blood test will let them know.  They have great drugs to get your metabolism back on track. 

Schedule your Metabolic Evaluation for $85.  Give me a call if you have any questions or visit www.cherryhillbodyiq.com
 

Kevin Hensel, President Fit-4-Life, Inc.

856-751-0033

Cherry Hill Personal Training Studio Located Just Minutes from Mt Laurel

Top 5 Ways To Feel Full And Eat Less, Marlton Personal Trainer Spills the Beans

It’s a common complaint I hear from my Marlton and Cherry Hill personal trainer clients: how can you lose weight if you’re hungry all the time?

The solution may be easier than you think. Many acts of overeating, in fact, may have less to do with appetite than the sheer amount of food we have on our plate, says Dr. Barbara Rolls, a nutrition expert at Penn State University and author of The Volumetrics Eating Plan.

If we super-size our meals, it only stands to reason we would want to get our money’s worth by cleaning our plates. But this is not how our bodies are meant to work.  Big meals override the cues that tell us we are full and should stop eating, says Rolls, who has seen this time and time again in various studies. It’s quite strange.

Food packaging and commercials may suggest cravings that are not really there; plus there’s depression, anxiety and other outside influences that cause us to eat when we’re not really hungry. Of course, a healthy appetite can make it hard to lose weight, especially if your stomach is grumbling because you’ve cut back on calories to shed a few pounds.

So rather than just eating less, Rolls and others say, there are ways to feel full without giving up all that much. For hunger pains that don’t go away real or imagined here’s what the latest studies suggest:

Super-size filling foods:  Fruits and vegetables contain a lot of water and fiber, which can quickly fill you up. Better yet, they are low in calories. Ross suggests super-sizing these foods much like you would fast food. Rather than cutting back, just eat more fruits and vegetables instead, she says.

Try a variety to a keep your diet interesting. Corn or strawberries may prove more appealing than Brussels sprouts or grapefruit for some, so don’t give up on all of these foods if you don’t care for a few.

Eat your protein: A high-protein, low-carb diet is believed to be unhealthy over the long term, but the latest diet craze has helped reveal a little-appreciated detail: protein-rich foods are possibly more filling. In a recent study, Dr. David Weigle of the University of Washington School of Medicine followed 19 people who kept to a 2,000-calorie diet for several months.

At first, they got 15 percent of calories from protein. Then they upped their protein to 30 percent. The men and women ate the same percentage of carbohydrates throughout, while cutting back on fats. Compared to the weeks they ate less protein, volunteers reported feeling more full when they ate 30 percent of their calories from protein. They also lost more weight.

No one has studied whether a juicy steak is more filling than fruits and vegetables, at least calorie by calorie, says Rolls. But as long as the protein is lean, she says that including such foods in your diet may help you eat less and lose weight.

Limit fatty foods, can the soda: Cakes and other fatty foods pack a lot of calories without adding much substance. A recent study on mice found that high-fat diets seem to override a hormone that tells the body when it’s full. Foods laden with sugar and fat may taste good, but they do little to fill you up.

Indeed, researchers at Tufts University found that nearly two-thirds of adults got more calories from soft drinks than any other specific food. As a whole, they were also more obese than those who stuck to fruit juice and low-fat milk.

Snack smart: A little snacking may not only keep your hunger in-check between meals, but may also leave you less tempted to overeat at dinner. Indeed, some research suggests that snacking throughout the day instead of sitting down for regular meals may lead to greater weight loss.

Keep in mind that this does not apply to what we think of as traditional snacks, such as cookies or chips. Nibbling on nuts or cheese, which are high in protein, may leave you fuller than snacking on foods that are high in carbohydrates or calories. To make sure snacking doesn’t become just another big meal, try picking out different foods that are low in calories and keep them handy for when hunger strikes.

Eat until you’re hara hachi bu:  Translated from Japanese, this literally means eat until you’re 80 percent full. Residents of the Japanese island of Okinawa, who are among the oldest and healthiest people on the planet, have perfected this practice over the years.In general, Okinawans eat 10 percent to 40 percent fewer calories than Americans. Try eating until you feel mostly full, then wait 20 minutes. Research suggests that many people are satisfied after following the 80 percent rule, even though they eat less.

Committed to your success,

Kevin Hensel

Marlton, NJ Personal Trainer Expert

Ten Tips For Looking And Feeling 10 Years Younger, Marlton Personal Trainer Reveals All

Top Marlton & Cherry Hill Certified Personal Trainer Reveals The Essential Strategies For Lasting Weight Loss And Lifelong Fitness

By: Kevin Hensel, President of  Fit-4-Life, Inc.

Dear Friend,

I’m in an interesting position. In this report I’m going to give you something for free that many others typically charge for… but, I’m more than certain that, once you discover and apply these ten fitness tips for looking and feeling ten years younger, you too will become one of my happy and satisfied clients. 

How would you like to drop three or four sizes in about eight to ten weeks? How would you like to tone and tighten your body and naturally reverse the aging process?  

Would you want to look in the mirror and see a more youthful body again – maybe a better body than you have seen in a long time? And wouldn’t you like to protect yourself from disease and injury and live a longer, more vital life?

If you answered yes to these questions, just as the hundreds of local Marlton & Cherry Hill residents that I have coached, trained and advised as a certified personal trainer did, then this is going to be the most important letter you have read in a long time. 

Right now, at this very moment, I’m going to reveal to you the 10 TOP strategies that have enabled my Marlton personal training clients to shape and sculpt the body that they have always desired.

These strategies, though simple, can prove extremely rewarding when implemented into your lifestyle, with little sacrifice on your part.

But before we dive into it, I want to let you know you can easily obtain even more health and fitness advice from Marlton’s top fitness expert on a regular basis by requesting a free subscription to my newsletter.  You can get your subscription via email or you can receive it through regular mail by calling my office at: (856)751-0033.

So let’s dive right on in and discover these ten proven tips…10 Tips To Looking And Feeling 10 Years Younger.“How To Get Maximum Weight Loss & Fitness Results In Minimum Time”

1.        Set realistically attainable goals.  You must have tangible short-term and long-term goals for your fitness program so that you can gauge your progress and stay motivated.  It’s crucial to have a “baseline” before you begin so that you can measure your success.  A qualified personal trainer (like me) can give you a complete fitness analysis that will aid you in developing a personalized fitness program which addresses your particular needs.  Having goals, particularly short-term goals, allows you to track your progress and keeps you motivated when times are tough and you don’t feel like exercising.  Keeping a journal of your cardio and resistance training workouts, as well as tracking what you eat is truly a fitness success “secret.”  Just remember that your goals should be realistic and attainable.  The best way for you to understand what is realistic and attainable for you is to talk to a fitness professional – not to buy into the “hype” of infomercials or diet and fitness products that blatantly mislead.

2.        In the beginning your fitness plan should not be overly aggressive.  One of the biggest problems most people encounter when starting a fitness program is rapidly depleted motivation after only a few weeks due to an overly ambitious fitness plan.  Two days per week of 20-minute low-intensity cardiovascular exercise (walking, jogging, biking, swimming); and two days per week of 30-minute light resistance training (using weights or resistance machines) is adequate in the beginning.  As you become acclimated to the lifestyle “shift” you can add more days and get improved results.  But beware: if you try to do too much too fast, you may end up quitting altogether. If you’ve tried and failed doing it alone then I suggest you get a training partner or personal trainer who will help you sustain your motivation and accountability.

3.        Eat regularly throughout the day.  Fasting or overly restrictive diets will enable you to lose weight – in the short run.  Because the weight you lose is primarily water weight and lean muscle tone.  But in the long-run it has exactly the opposite effect you want.  When you restrict your diet, your body instinctively thinks it’s being starved and shifts into a protective mode by storing fat. Your body’s energy expenditures will be fueled by your lean muscles causing your body fat to remain essentially the same while you lose vital fluids and muscle.  The less muscle you have, the slower your metabolism becomes, and the less fat you burn.  You should be eating three nutritionally balanced meals each day, and you should have at least one or two healthy snacks. Avoid fried and processed foods at all cost – talk about dead calories! Here’s a good rule of thumb: make sure that you are consistently “grazing” on health foods about every three hours. This includes at least half a gallon of fresh water every day. This keeps your metabolic furnace firing, so you burn more at a faster rate.

4.        If your goal is fat-loss then your cardiovascular exercise should be high to moderate intensity.  Your heart rate during cardio exercise should not exceed 70% -%80 of your maximum heart rate. Let me say that in another way: If you can’t hold a conversation during your (fat-loss) cardiovascular training – then your intensity is to high — bring it down. If the intensity of your exercise increases your heart rate beyond 80% (which can occur very easily if you are in poor shape), you will start shifting from using body fat as your energy source to relying on glucose metabolism at higher intensities which is a good thing because you will burn more calories.  Your personal trainer can supply you with a simple heart rate monitor you can wear during exercise so you always stay in your peak fat-burning range.

5.        Don’t waste your time working small muscles with isolated movements.  If you don’t enjoy doing resistance training, or are pressed for time, concentrate on working the largest muscle groups with compound resistance movements.  When I see overweight people doing wrist curls or lateral raises, I cringe knowing that they will not see results.  It’s probably due to a lack of understanding about how their bodies work.  Most people want to lose fat and tone and firm their bodies.  The way to do that is to use resistance (weights or machines) to train the large muscle groups.  Men should be concentrating on legs, chest and back.  Women should concentrate more on their legs and back.  The best exercises for legs are lunges or squats (a personal trainer can show you the proper form and then monitor you during the exercise) and leg press.  The best chest exercise is bench press, and the best back exercise is the seated row.  All of these are compound movements, which means they incorporate multiple muscle groups, and compound movements are known for quickly increasing your metabolism.

6.        Always stretch.  Stretching improves flexibility, blood flow, muscle recovery, low back pain and a host of other things.  Additionally, stretching can prevent injury, make you sleep better and improve your performance in all sports.  Always stretch, but be certain not to stretch cold muscles.  You should always warm up before stretching.  However, it is very important that you know how to stretch to achieve optimal fitness results. Never bounce, or aggressively push and pull a muscle beyond its natural range.

7.        Never Ever do a traditional sit-up.  Unless you are super athlete with an incredibly well-developed midsection, sit-ups can lead to a strained lower back and possibly lumbar injuries.  But it gets worse.  Rather than hitting your abdominal section, sit-ups can shift exercise tension to your hip flexors – which defeats the purpose.  There is so much misinformation about how to strengthen, tone, and firm the midsection, it’s almost frightening.  It is very difficult to learn proper abdominal exercise technique by reading about it or watching it demonstrated on a video.  You need to do it with supervision and get feedback about your form from a knowledgeable source.  And keep in mind that you use your abdominal muscles in almost every single movement you make. Strengthening your abdominal region is the single most effective way to prevent, or recover from, low back pain – and to get that firm, slim look you are after.

8.        Set exercise appointments with yourself.  Use your day-timer to set appointments for exercise – and then stick to them.  You wouldn’t miss a business meeting or client appointment, would you?  So don’t miss your exercise appointment with yourself.  Nothing is more important than your health.  Nothing.  Everything else will crumble around you if your health goes south.  So make your exercise appointments a priority.  If you find it difficult to keep these appointments, then consider hiring a personal trainer who will hold you to your commitment.  When you have money invested, and someone waiting for you to show up – you are much more likely to actually show up!

9.        Remember the benefits of resistance training.  Remember that feeling of euphoria you experienced after a particularly good workout?  You experienced that feeling because the most powerful “feel good” drug in the world – endorphins – are coursing through your veins.  If there is a panacea, it’s exercise. It will fuel your motivation on those inevitable days when you just don’t feel like exercising.  Additionally, exercising with resistance has tremendous benefits for your metabolism. Further, resistance training is the only way to sculpt, tope, and tighten your muscles on demand. Do you want shapelier legs? Resistance training will give it to you.  How about a firm perfectly shaped rear? Resistance training will give it to you.  Firm tummy, defined arms and a strong back? Resistance training will give it to you. Being physically fit affects every single aspect of your life: you sleep better, eat better, love better, overcome stress better, work better, communicate better and definitely look better!

10.        Never Ever skip breakfast.  If you want to maximize your fitness results or fat-loss efforts, you’ve got to eat breakfast.  Even if you don’t exercise at all – breakfast remains the most important meal of the day.  Your breakfast should contain complete proteins and complex carbohydrates (if you’re trying to lose weight, you should eat the bulk of your complex carbohydrates at breakfast and lunch, and only have vegetable carbohydrates at dinner).  A great breakfast is oatmeal (not the pre-packaged, pre-sweetened kind) with a little honey and banana and a protein drink.  Or try scrambled egg whites with Healthy Choice turkey sausage.

There you have it.  Ten essential strategies for an effective weight loss and fitness program that will have you looking and feeling better than you have in years – maybe ever! I realize that starting (or re-starting) a productive and effective weight loss and fitness program is not easy.  That’s why I encourage you to get help.…because the hardest part is just getting started and sustaining your motivation until fitness becomes habitual.  Once you develop the habit, which can take as little as thirty day, your whole life will change for the better.

Please e-mail me your name and e-mail address or call my office at (856)751-0033 to initiate your subscription to my free health and fitness newsletter or to obtain any additional information you may need.  Thank you.

Yours in good health,

Kevin Hensel, President

Fit-4-Life, Inc. Marlton & Cherry Hill Personal Training Studio

856-751-0033

Ten Super Foods, Marlton Personal Trainer Tells All

1.  Soy beans (Edamame) – awesome source of fiber and protein.   Many positive health benefits associated with soy intake ranging from lower risk of cancer to less incidence of cardiovascular disease. 

2. Grape Tomatoes – They’re sweeter and firmer than other tomatoes, and their bite-size shape makes them perfectfor snacking, dipping, or salads.  They’re also packed with vitamin C &A, fiber, phytochemicals, and flavor.

3. Fat-Free (Skim) Milk – Excellent source of calcium, vitamins, and protein with little or no artery-clogging fat and cholesterol

4. Blueberries – They’re rich in fiber, vitamin C, and antioxidents

5. Wild Salmon – The omega-3 fats in fatty fresh fish like wild salmon can help reduce the risk of sudden-death heart attacks. Salmon caught in the wild has less dioxin than fresh-farmed salmon.

6. Crispbreads – Whole-grain rye crackers, like Wasa, Ry Krisp, and Ryvita-usually called crispbreads-are loaded with fiber and often fat-free.

7. Brown Rice – Enriched white rice is nutritionally bankrupt.  You lose the fiber, magnesium, vitamins E and B6, copper, zinc, and who-knows what phytochemicals that are in the whole grain.

8. Watermelon

9. Diced Butternut Squash – A growing number of stores sell precut squash ready to go into the oven, a stir fry, or a soup or risotto.  Every half cup has 5 grams of fiber and payloads of vitamins A & C.

10. Pre-washed, Pre-cut Bags of Greens – Greens like kale, spinach, and broccoli rabe are nutritional power houses. Most are loaded with vitamin C, carotenoids, calcium, folate, potassium, and fiber.  Now it’s easy to squeeze health greens into your busy schedule.

Committed to your success,

Kevin Hensel, Owner Fit-4-Life Personal Training Studio

Located on border of Marlton & Cherry Hill, NJ

I Hate Cardio, Cherry Hill Personal Trainer Cures Cardio Burnout

I absolutely hate cardio. Walking on a never-ending treadmill, riding a stationary bike to nowhere, or steppin to oblivion on the elliptical stepper gets really old really fast. I know I’m not alone. Cardio burnout is the kiss of death to any weight loss program. I see it everyday with my personal training clients.

Let’s face it mind numbing cardio 5-6 days/week for 30-60 minutes per day is a tall order to fill let alone on a long term basis. The simple truth: if it’s not fun you have no chance for long term adherence.

So how do you have fun and avoid cardio burnout?

Let me introduce you to my little friend the pedometer. A pedometer is a very small device (approx. the size of a pager) worn on the hip or in your pocket that is designed to measure your every step (most pedometers also measure calories burned and total mileage – functions differ with each model).

Last year we did a Step Challenge with all of our clients. I started wearing the pedometer so I could test it out for the Challenge. Now I’m totally addicted. I’ve been wearing one ever since. I wear it everywhere and I’m constantly checking it to make sure I’m on track with my daily goal 10,000 steps (approximately 5 miles). I love the constant feedback and it gives me a daily goal which is alot easier for me to wrap my head around instead of doing 60 minutes of cardio all at once.

You don’t have to do 30-60 continous, boring minutes of cardio to get awesome health and fitness benefits. You can get awesome body changing results by just parking further away, taking the stairs, taking a short 15 minute walk after lunch/dinner, and marching in place watching commercials. Your daily activity level is what matters the most when it comes to losing weight and staying healthy. Bill Smith our 2008 Step Off Challenge Winner lost over 14 lbs in just 30 days, he hated cardio but the Step Off Challenge really fired up his competitive juices and made him a cardio madman. He maintained his cardio fever even after the Challenge ended.

Well guess what. The Step Off Challenge is back on, it starts Monday, August 10 and ends Sunday, Sept 6. We’ve got some really awesome weekly and Grand Prizes to giveaway. It’s totally FREE and everyone is welcome to join. All you need is a pedometer (if you already have one you’re all set, you can easily pick one up at Target/Walmart, and if you’d like I could set you up with one too). Check out all the details at www.cherryhillstepchallenge.com

Committed to your success,  Kevin Hensel

Cherry Hill Personal Trainer, 856-751-0033

3 Steps To Overcome OverEating, Cherry Hill Personal Trainer Shows How

Why do you overeat? Here are a few likely reasons:

1. Habit: Whether you realize it or not, you eat in a learned pattern, rather than out of need. You clean your plate because that’s what your mother taught. You eat what is served without stopping to check if you are full. You butter two pieces of toast for breakfast rather than questioning if one piece would do the job.
2. Absentminded: You forget to pay attention when you eat. Mindless munching while watching a movie, snacking while driving, or picking at food while cooking – these absentminded calories really add up.
3. Something Deeper: Sometimes you use food for recreation or to change your mood. These calories may lend you a temporary sense of comfort or pleasure, but ultimately your body suffers from the indulgence.

Here are 3 Steps To Overcome Overeating – read these, and apply them to your life.

Step #1: Pay Attention

Be aware of what and how much you eat. This simple concept will save you from hundreds upon hundreds of calories each week.

To apply this rule, don’t eat while your attention is distracted by another activity. Only put food in your mouth when you are hungry and conscious of it. This means turn off the T.V., get out of your car, and no matter what you do, don’t graze in the kitchen while cooking.

Step #2: Practice Balance

Be aware of the types of food that you eat during each meal, and make sure that it’s balanced. When you eat a balanced diet filled with lean protein, whole grains, lots of veggies, a few daily servings of fruit and limited fat and sweets, your body will be satisfied and you’ll lose the urge to overeat.

This means you shouldn’t always eat carb-based meals, and you also shouldn’t always eat high-fat meals. Make a mental checklist of the food groups that you’ve eaten each day. Did you eat lean protein? Did you have plenty of vegetables? Did you refrain from eating more than one or two primarily carb-based meals? This mental checklist will save you from making food decisions that you’d later regret.

Step #3: Be Tuned In

Your body will always tell you when its hunger has been satisfied – you’ve just gotten so good at ignoring the signs that you barrel through your meal only to feel like you’ve been hit by a ton of bricks once all that food hits your stomach. It’s time to take a deep breath and listen to your body.

An important part of being tuned in is to eat slowly. Once you start to pay attention you’ll notice a point when each bite becomes less and less satisfying. That is your body’s way of letting you know that you’ve had enough and that each continued bite is simply overkill (yes, even if you’re only halfway through that plate of pasta).

By learning how to control your eating habits, you’ll find weight loss to come simply and naturally.

Want to speed up your weight loss, make it permanent, and shape your body at the same time? I’ve got what it takes to get you there! No guess work, no fad diets, and no super long workouts.

Call or email today to learn more about my fitness and fat loss programs that will quickly change your life.

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