Haddonfield Personal Trainer Success Story 20

February 20, 2010 by Kevin Hensel  
Filed under Blog, Success Story of the Month

 

Dan getting revenge on Matt

In a little over 3 months, Dan Frischberg has lost 43 lbs, over 8% bodyfat, and 33 inches (10 inches off his waist).  Dan has been kicking some serious butt!!  To be perfectly honest I wasn’t so sure he’d be so successful when he started.  He had 0 motivation and no real confidence that he’d succeed.  Finances were a little tight so we had to figure out a payment plan.

      Dan has really flat feet and his hip was a real mess so we had to take care of few muscular imbalances first.  Now Dan is a complete cardio madman.  He workouts with us 3 times per week and now comes in on his off days to come and do the elliptical stepper another 2-3 days per week.  He’d struggled to do 3-4 minutes on the elliptical when he started, now he’s cranking out 20 minutes.  He stopped skipping meals and always eats breakfast.  “I’m actually losing weight and eating more.  Best of all I’m not even hungry,” Dan says. 

Listen to Dan’s secrets to success in his own words.  Watch out Dan Dychtwald, Fit-4-Life’s current biggest loser 115 lbs – Dan F is going to give you a run for your money!!

 You could be our next success story.  Call today 856-751-0033 or click on the link below to schedule your FREE Fitness Consultation

Haddonfield Personal Training Studio Located in Cherry Hill, NJ.  Just minutes from Haddonfield.

10 Ways To Cure Late Night Eating, Haddonfield Personal Trainer Reveals

January 26, 2010 by Kevin Hensel  
Filed under Blog

 

Is This You At Night?

Late night eating is the kiss of death to any weight loss program.  Many people maintain good diets during the day only to blow it late at night out of boredom or insatiable cravings. Below are 10 tips to curb late night eating.  Click here for the quickest way to stop late night eating.

  1. Skipping meals and snacks is one of the single biggest reasons for late night binging.  Be sure to eat 3 good meals during the day with 2 between meal snacks. Most people try to eat too few calories during the day only to binge late at night. If you skip your late afternoon snack 2PM – 4PM you’ll get home totally starved, then you’ll binge for dinner.  A few hours later when your sugar levels crash at around 8PM-9PM you’ll get crazy sugar cravings which is only going to lead to binging on evil processed carbs and sugar.  Don’t skip your snacks especially your late afternoon snack (Aim for a 150-250 calorie snack with 10+grams of protein eg. apple and 20 raw almonds or 1 cup of greek yogurt and blueberries!!) Click here for must have pantry list.
  2. When you feel the urge to eat late at night, try drinking 2 or more cups of water. You can also make a cup of herbal tea sweetened with honey or agave nectar (natural sweetener – low on the glycemic index). Hot liquids have a soothing effect on emotions and appetite.
     
  3. Remind yourself that it’s normal to feel hungry late at night due to habitually eating late. Breaking this habit is like learning to quit smoking.   Remind yourself of your goal to lose 20 or 30 pounds and the key to losing this weight is to STOP late night eating.  Write your fitness goals for the month on an index card and attach it to your refrigerator.  It’s a constant reminder that you are sabotaging yourself - believe me it works!!
     
  4. Much of late night eating after dinner can be avoided by hiding the junk food. Put foods that you’re prone to eat late at night out of sight. Better yet, don’t buy junk food at all, though this may not be possible if you have kids.  If you need a snack, don’t eat out of the bag or container.  You are 80% more likely to overeat if you eat out of the food container.  Put a single serving in a bowl or small plate (small plates make your portions look bigger – believe me these mind games work) then put the rest of it away out of sight (Make it annoying to get another serving – store it in a high cupboard or behind healthier options in the pantry). 
     
  5. Suck on hard candy – I recommend Ricola sugar free the menthol makes everything you eat afterwards taste really funky. Most hard candy have only a few calories and they give you the satisfaction of snacking.  You can also chew on gum which will satisfy your oral craving for a few hours- try sugar free gum.
     
  6. Keep a written copy of your diet plan and food journal in view, which will keep your goal of losing weight firmly fixed in your mind. The temptation to snack late at night will not be as great if you don’t give into the urge for several weeks.  Keep your food journal on the kitchen table or close to your pantry.
     
  7. Some people have great success by simply brushing their teeth late at night when you know your snacking is going to go to the bad place. This method has been known to curb late night eating for many people.
     
  8. The most vulnerable time for eating late is 1 hour after dinner right up to bedtime. Keep your life interesting by working on a favorite hobby and NOT watching TV. The ads on TV can subconsciously trigger the impulse to eat. Boredom is your biggest danger to late night eating.  Read a book or read all of my emails – I’m sure you have enough of them to create a novel.  Here are some great books to really curb your late night eating “Eat This Not That” series, ”Omnivore’s Dilema”, ”Eat Smart, Play Hard”, or watch “Fast Food Nation” or “Food Inc” – you won’t want to eat for awhile after these.
     
  9. Psyche yourself for the battle. You know that you will feel tempted to snack late at night. It’s an artificial feeling that will go away when you go to bed. The next morning, you probably won’t be hungry …. eat breakfast anyway within the first hour of waking up…. it’s the most important meal of the day.
  10. Have dessert.  Late night carbs do have a sedative effect – so give in and treat yourself.  Here are some great ideas that are extremely tasty and low in calorie.  I totally love the Skinny Cow Ice Cream Desserts -they’re only 140 calories.  JUST EAT ONE!!  I prefer to make a protein smoothie.  Make it taste like a chocolate milkshake.  I love Chocolate Shaklee Cinch Meal Replacement Powder 1 scoop with 1 cup of skim milk (soy milk),  1/4 cup of plain greek yogurt (adds a great amount of extra protein and it really gives it a great milkshake consistency), and to make it extra frothy add 4-5 ice cubes.  I also add a tablespoon of all natural peanut butter (Crazy Richards is my favorite) for an extra treat to make it taste like a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup.  It packs about 30 grams of protein and it really does taste like a milkshake.  The fiber and protein will really fill you up.

Changing your eating habits is extremely difficult.  The best cure for late night eating is stabilizing your blood sugar levels.  Stable blood sugar levels curb hunger and cravings.  Click here to find out how you can stabilize your blood sugar levels and get rid of your late night cravings in just 7 days.  Click here

Moroccan Stew – Haddonfield Personal Trainer Secret Recipe

January 20, 2010 by Kevin Hensel  
Filed under Healthy Recipes

Moroccan Stew

This stew is perfect for a cold winter day. It is packed with antioxidant-rich vegetables and fragrant spices. Serve this stew over a scoop of cooked quinoa or whole grain brown rice. Yield: 6 servings

Here’s what you need:

  • 1 1/2 cups plus 3 tablespoons water or vegetable stock, divided
  • 1 large size yellow onion, finely chopped
  • 2 large size red bell peppers, seeded and chopped
  • 2 or 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 teaspoon agave nectar or pure maple syrup
  • 1 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon grated or minced fresh ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon saffron
  • 2 medium size sweet potatoes or garnet or jewel yams, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
  • 1 can (15oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
  • 1 can (15oz) chickpeas drained and rinsed
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  1. Heat 3 tablespoons water in a soup pot over medium heat. Add onion, peppers and garlic, and cook for 5 minutes. If the water begins to evaporate, add a little more.
  2. Stir in the agave nectar, coriander, cinnamon, cumin, ginger and saffron and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add sweet potatoes, and stir to coat. Stir in tomatoes, remaining 1 1/2 cups water and chickpeas. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low.
  3. Simmer until sweet potatoes are tender, about 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, then serve over quinoa or brown rice.

Nutritional Analysis: One serving equals: 141 calories, 1g fat, 29g carbohydrate, 6g fiber, and 6g protein.

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

January 20, 2010 by Kevin Hensel  
Filed under Blog, Lose the Weight

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