Three Before-Breakfast Habits That Will Give You A Better Body

If you’re feeling like you’ve hit a plateau and can’t seem to make progress, here are three things you can do before breakfast that will jumpstart your metabolism, and set your day up for success.

You can improve your body by incorporating three simple habits into your routine before breakfast each day. This isn’t a gimmick or impossible goal; it is something I live by each and every morning. My days begin with a 20-minute gratitude meditation, then I press play on my iPod and listen to a playlist that includes Jack Johnson and Mumford and Sons.  Create your own morning ritual by trying the following three techniques. These simple changes that will give you a jumpstart to a better body and improved health.  After a while, they’ll become second nature.

Beverage:  Take a drink of water, and have a cup of green tea.
Start off with a tall glass of cold water to keep the metabolism high. At least 16 ounces of H2O can kick your metabolism up to 30% for the next hour. Another powerful way to prepare your body for the day is to drink a cup of green tea. Green tea has been shown to reduce body weight, increase fat metabolism, reduce cholesterol, and release powerful age-defying antioxidants. If you’re dreading a coffee withdrawal, never fear. Green tea has just the right amount of caffeine to keep you alert at work. It’s the perfect beverage for enhancing your health and improving your physique.

Activity:  Do thirty minutes of yoga.
Yoga is a simple and powerfully effective workout for toning your body and getting your muscles going. By raising your metabolic rate first thing in the morning, you’ve won half the battle towards improving your physique. A few simple yoga routines will jumpstart your body’s calorie-burning machine, and keep it burning faster all day long. Yoga has a triple benefit on your body. First, it gives your metabolism a swift kick, keeping you slimmer. Second, yoga tones muscle, giving you a leaner look. Finally, yoga helps you to fight stress and anxiety, both of which have been tied to excess weight. Yoga is a great addition to your strength-training repertoire, especially as a morning wake up. And it prepares both your mind and body for the day ahead.

Food:  Plan your menu, and eat breakfast.
Your day is off to a stellar start. Don’t blow it by sinking your teeth into junk food later on. Good eating begins with good planning, and that planning happens at the start of the day. Planning will help you stick to your goals, staving off those pesky extra ounces that come from indulging. Before breakfast is the perfect time to pack your lunch, select a dinner recipe, and slip a snack or two into your purse.

Breakfast sets the tone for the entire day, and you don’t want to skip your morning meal. Here’s a delectable shake recipe that has tons of healthy goodness (and even some chocolate). If you’re in the mood for something warm and comforting, try my protein-packed Santa Monica Omelet.

The before-breakfast solution to a better body is simple. Do your yoga, drink some water and green tea, and prepare healthy food. You only have one opportunity each day to put these practices into motion. Before breakfast is the golden opportunity to create a haven of health and repose before the day begins. With each morning, you’ll be taking action toward a more vibrant body.

Get Kathy Smith’s Yoga Sculpt (DVD containing above video clip)  for only $9.99 

Are Shorter Workouts Better For You?

Here’s one more excuse to cross off your list: I don’t have enough time. Longer is not always better. When it comes to strength training, burning fat, and really shaping and changing your body, it’s not just a matter of how long you exercise, but how you exercise.

If you are new to weight training, or find yourself at a plateau, here are FOUR elements you can adjust in your workout routine to get sensational results. As you start to incorporate these principles in your strength training, watch out – because these are some of the most powerful factors when it comes to getting results and burning fat:

• Speed: Alternating the speed of movement in your workout routine can work wonders. Going super slow on your strength moves ensures you activate every single one of those muscle fibers. And you get the added bonus of being able to focus and perfect your form.

• Progression:  Nothing puts your body on autopilot like doing the exact same series of moves, in the exact same order, every time you work out. Never changing up the progression of your routine will eventually cause you to plateau, so that you stop seeing results…not to mention that it can get downright boring. In your next strength-training workout, start switching up the order.
  Tips to get started NOWSpeed: try counting to six as you lift, and again as you lower, to get the most out of a rep
  Progression: Add this move to change up your weight training routine
  - Step-Back Lunge with Cross Chop
  - Reach your arms diagonally across your body to the left as you step back with your right leg and dip into a lunge. Pull your arms across your body to the right hip as you slide your right leg back to standing
  Resistance: If you can do 15 repetitions at your chosen weight comfortably, increase the load!
  Angle: triceps, two ways.
  - Tricep Kickback and Posterior Deltoid Lift in a Squat

• Resistance:  Go heavy or go home is the motto with strength training. Increasing resistance helps keep your body guessing, which helps you avoid plateaus so that you can continue to see fat-burning results in your workout. And no need to worry about getting big or bulky muscles. Without an intense supplement and an extreme strength training routine women’s bodies don’t produce enough testosterone to create that effect. Instead, changing up the resistance just helps you to build lean muscle tissue – and more lean muscle means better tone, and faster fat-burning metabolism.

• Angle:  Another way to ensure you’re not wasting time with your routine is to approach your routine from a different angle – literally. Take triceps. Altering the position of your arms makes a world of difference.  See the tip box for two moves that work the back of the arm… your tricep… but use different angles. Varying the position of the exercise ensures you tone the entire muscle. It’s a faster way to get results, by toning the body from various angles, in a shorter and more effective workout routine.

The Deadly Link Between Anxiety And Weight Gain

If you’re gaining weight and don’t understand why, one of the things you may be overlooking is the amount of stress and anxiety in your life.

Anxiety is the worst. And, it’s everywhere. A recent AARP poll found that non-retired boomers rated 70% on the anxiety scale. Anxiety, that cloud of fear and unease, can be about finances, health, and weight loss. Whatever the cause, one thing’s for sure: fear of what’s going to happen can be one of the biggest things holding back your health.

That’s right, excessive anxiety can be making you fat. The issue is the hormone cortisol. It tells the body to store fat, and makes you crave salty, sweet and fatty foods. And, it is triggered by the stress response. Here are a few tips on how to deal with anxiety, how exercise helps anxiety, and how reducing stress can actually turn our bodies into fat-burning machines

• Breathe like an Olympian.I know it’s cliché but in moments of anxiety “just breathe.” But like most clichés, there’s a good reason behind it. Relaxation is one of our greatest tools when it comes to learning how to deal with anxiety, and breathing is the foundation. It’s all about the exhale. It’s something you may have noticed when watching the Olympics. Whether it was British heartthrob diver Tom Daley releasing a long, controlled exhale just as he tipped over the edge, or any of the incredibly powerful tennis players letting out a classic grunt as they swung their rackets, one thing was clear: the exhale is your everything. Of course, breathing in is an equally important part of the equation, but luckily we never have to think about it – our bodies will never not inhale. Deep breathing is key for many reasons: It slows your heart rate, increases blood flow, can help reduce chronic pain, improves concentration, and, yes, plays a major role in relieving anxiety.
  A recent study at Princeton showed that the act of running, for example, can help the brain become biochemically and molecularly calm, because exercise actually creates stress-resistant neurons. 

• Count it out. So if you’d like to experience the anxiety-relieving benefits of breathing described above, try this. (Yes, everything takes practice – even good breathing.) Inhale for a count of four, and exhale for a count of four. As you do this, imagine that you’re inhaling confidence and positivity, drawing it closer and closer to you, and as you exhale, you’re pushing out all those feelings of stress and anxiety.
• Unlock the mystery of the Amygdala. There are two brain circuits involved when we experience threats or stress and anxiety. One is the frontal lobe, where we make our more logical, conscious decisions. The other is the amygdala, the more primal, fast-acting part of the brain that helps us respond quickly – or sometimes causes us to respond TOO quickly. Relaxation techniques like the one described above don’t just help us to deal with anxiety, but they help us break away from that direct path to the amygdala, so that we can make our decisions in the frontal lobe where they belong.
• Exercise your anxiety away. Exercise helps us deal with anxiety for many reasons. Whether it’s the empowering feeling you get from a good strength training workout, the uplifting experience of cardio (and all the deep breathing that comes with it), or the relaxation of a yoga class, working out is often just what the doctor ordered. A recent study at Princeton showed that the act of running, for example, can help the brain become biochemically and molecularly calm, because exercise actually creates stress-resistant neurons. So next time you’re dealing with anxiety, get out for a brisk walk, break out your yoga mat, or pop in a DVD. Science has shown us time and time again that what we do with our bodies has an astonishing power over our minds.

11 lbs Gone!  How to Lose the Fat in Two Weeks

Summer is all about relaxing, recharging, rejuvenating… and sometimes it’s about hitting the “reset” button on our bodies. In the midst of vacations, celebrations and fun with family and friends, it’s easy to lose track of the goals we set last spring to lose fat and get into shape. So, when you need to jump back on track quickly, here’s the key to hitting that reset button.

I’ve had tremendous success teaching people how to lose fat quickly with my Fast Track Program over the years.  I’ve seen people lose up to 11 pounds in two weeks – that’s why so many people consider this method the best fast track to losing fat.

This program teaches you how to jumpstart weight loss in a proven, healthy way by helping you manage your insulin levels. And, when it comes to losing fat, this is a good thing. I’m offering a free meal plan with a delicious menu of carefully-chosen “foods for fat loss” (think lean proteins, heart-healthy legumes, vitamin-packed fruits and veggies). Of course, you’ll be losing some water weight in this early stage, but don’t worry, you’ll lose fat, weight and inches too! With my free healthy meal plan, you’ll feel satisfied, and at the same time you won’t experience blood sugar spikes during the day. That means steadier energy levels, a revved-up metabolism, a lower risk of chronic illness and a quick path to losing fat.

This Fast Track Program involves lowering your consumption of calories (you’ll be getting approximately 1,200-1,300 per day), so it should only be used as a short-term plan (2 weeks max). It’s a simple, safe and physician-approved way to lose fat, jump-start your new way of eating, and accelerate your weight loss results. And, to keep you going in the right direction, after the Fast Track Program, I’ve developed Stage II. It allows you to build on what you’ve learned in the first two weeks, and then reintroduce a balance of grains, starchy carbohydrates and desserts so that you can continue to lose fat while eating all the foods you love.

So if you’re ready to learn how to those unwanted pounds quickly, while getting your your cravings under control, let’s get going! Time to jump on the Fast Track to health and wellbeing!

How it works:

It’s a simple program. During Fast Track, you’ll be eating four meals a day and eliminate starchy carbohydrates, such as breads, pastas, rice, crackers, etc., focusing on lean proteins and vegetables, and delicious protein shakes. Specifically, two of your four meals will be made up of lean protein and vegetables only. At your other two meals, you will enjoy a nutritious protein shake as a meal replacement with a small serving of fruit. You’ll steer clear of dairy, nuts, and salt, as well. And, you’ll keep chugging that water, drinking 8-10 glasses a day.

Meal Breakdown: (click here for full one-day sample menu)

4 Meals a Day:

(*Refer to lists of Protein, Meat Substitutes, Vegetables, Fruits, & Fats below)

2 Meals a day include:

• 4 oz. Protein or Meat Substitute grilled, steamed or poached with no oil
• 2 servings Vegetables (serving size = 1-2 cups per vegetable)
• 2 Meals a day – Protein Shake:

In a blender, combine: 1 cup of ice + 1 scoop Protein Powder + 1 serving of FRUIT + 1 tbsp of FAT + 4 oz of water or green tea for energy + 4 oz unsweetened almond, hemp, or soy milk.

Things to keep in mind before you dive in:

• Eat for success – Never start your day without a food plan. By mapping out where, when, and what you’ll be eating, you won’t fall into the roller-coaster trap of not eating frequently enough, having a crash in blood sugar, then craving sweets for fast energy.
• Experiment with mealtimes that work best for you. If you’re determined to learn how to lose fat, don’t just focus on what you eat, but also consider when you eat. A popular schedule is to eat a protein/vegetable for breakfast, a protein shake for your second meal, protein/vegetable for your third meal and protein shake for your fourth. Fast Track is a great, basic plan to follow, but it can be adjusted for your own personal workouts, schedules, and goals.
• Veggie Variety: Get creative with your vegetables! It’s great to combine your veggies. Remember, every color means a unique set of vitamins and minerals. Lycopen in the reds, and carotenoids and bioflavonoids in orange and yellow vegetables. And, don’t forget the super greens like broccoli, asparagus, and kale. The different phytochemicals have scientific, complex sounding names, but put simply, they’re all just pieces that fit together to create your solution for a healthy, vital life.
• Drink lots of water, and swap your bedtime nightcap for a cup of soothing and relaxing herbal tea.
• This plan uses protein powder, NOT meal replacement powder. I recommend purchasing a powder that’s whey or egg-white based and is free of artificial sweeteners, colors, and other additives you can’t pronounce. Try to get a powder that contains at least 15 grams of protein per serving and has less than 5 grams of carbohydrates or sugar. Read the ingredients label and stick with powders sweetened with stevia extract.
• And finally, don’t be afraid to bend the rules on occasion. Listen to your body and adjust serving sizes based on how much fuel you need. This is not an excuse to binge, but rather, if you’re really hungry after a meal, try adding a few more ounces of protein or some more vegetables.

Summer Emergency 911

Like the holidays, summer always seems to sneak up on us. After all of our preparation, in spite of our best intentions (and the inevitable racket about getting “bikini ready,”) we’re suddenly in the thick of it. Perhaps we didn’t meet all of our health and fitness goals – but that doesn’t stop us from heading to the beach or the pool and enjoying the gorgeous weather. It’s not too late – it’s just a minor emergency. And like most emergencies, the easiest solution is 9-1-1:

9 Fast Fat Burning Food Tricks:

1)    Shake things up. A good protein powder isn’t just the foundation for delicious smoothies – it’s a cornerstone of a quick fat burning food plan, since you’ll use it as a meal substitute. I recommend a whey-based powder that’s low in sugar and free of artificial sweeteners. And here’s the classic recipe: Add a scoop to a cup of ice with a serving of frozen berries, a tablespoon of flax oil and 4 ounces of unsweetened almond milk.

2)    Eat smaller meals more frequently. It’s not just what you eat – it’s when you eat. So try eating 4 meals a day. The aforementioned tasty smoothie will be 2 of those. The other 2 meals should consist of a lean protein like (grilled chicken or salmon) with some veggies and olive oil. (And don’t worry, there are plenty more mouth-watering options to come.)

3)    Shake off the salt. Even though the American Heart Association recommends that we have 1,500 mg/day of salt (down from the previous 2,300 mg), Americans are still averaging 3,000 to 5,000 daily. Extra salt leads to water retention and bloating, so use restraint when cooking, and always check the labels of packaged foods. A good rule of thumb: If the sodium content is higher than the number of calories, put it back on the shelf!

4)    Fill up on fiber. Refined carbs (which generally lack fiber) are quickly digested, which leads to a spike in insulin, which can lead to fat storage. That’s one of the reasons veggies are so important – their high-fiber content helps with elimination, and helps you feel fuller longer, which reduces the chance that you’ll overeat.

5)    Think about your drink. You should be chugging a pretty consistent amount of water right now – but avoid the temptation to sneak in a diet soda during this process. They tend to fill the belly with air (the last thing we want this time of year), not to mention that they’re a source of unwanted sodium and chemicals.

6)    Go herbal. Get creative with your cooking, adding in herbs that are great for digestion. Ginger is a well-known stomach aid, while peppermint and parsley can have a diuretic effect by actually helping to relax your intestines.

7)    Pump up the protein. As I mentioned above, protein plays an important role in healthy weight loss. It helps build lean muscle tissue, improves recovery from workouts, stabilizes blood sugar, helps you avoid cravings, and makes you feel less hungry between meals.

8)    Get wet. Water makes up 68 to 72 percent of our blood. And being fully hydrated is one of the most basic secrets to weight loss. It helps your metabolism function properly and transports molecules, including the fat we are trying to burn. If you want to burn fat, it must be able to travel out of the body. Water helps provide that vehicle.

9)    Map out your menu. For an in-depth description of my 2-week fast track fat-burning program, including a complete one-week sample menu (the ultimate answer to a summer 911), click HERE.

1 Fat Burning Move You Can Try NOW

Time to focus on some emergency fitness solutions. Some call the “Burpee” the single best move you can do to get fit. Combining fat-blasting cardiovascular power with a sculpting workout for your shoulders, arms, legs and glutes, the Burpee brings new meaning to the term “compound exercise.” For a quick and easy home tutorial on the Burpee with yours truly, click HERE.

1 Workout To Full-Body Fitness

If you like the “all-in-one” aspect of a move like the Burpee, you’ll love the effectiveness and efficiency of Kettlebell training. Kettlebell workouts take that killer combination (full-body sculpting plus fat-burning cardio) to a whole new level, providing a complete toning, stretching, strengthening, weight loss and wellness system. Try my Kettlebell Solution – it’s the ultimate 911 response to your summer fitness emergency.

The Real Way to Burn Fat

How to burn fat has to be one of the most confusing, ongoing debates in the fitness world. Some choose long, slow exercise, whereas others believe hard, intense workouts for shorter periods are the way. Well, the real secret lies not in just one approach, but in combining these methods into a two-pronged approach to exercise. The rule of fat burning is to combine these two types of training: 1) long and slow; and 2) hard and intense (going for broke!). This second type is sometimes referred to as interval training. When these two styles come together, it creates synergy in your body—a whole that’s greater than the sum of its parts. That means burning more fat in less time.

One group of people who know this better than anyone are the Olympians headed to London. Looking at the cut abs of a swimmer or the contoured arms of a track star gets you thinking: how do they do it? These athletes are experts at finding balance in their training to keep them conditioned, challenged, and ready for the next day’s workout or competition. When you understand how to optimize your fat-burning and body-sculpting capacity, you realize that it requires a balance between exercise and recovery. Even the Olympians have their slow-and-steady days. They also have their warrior sessions and, yes, even some time-outs.

Create Your Own Fitness Plan

Many people spend most of their time working out at a slow, easy pace. This type of training, called “long/slow,” is often recommended for weight loss because studies show that it burns a higher percentage of fat than shorter, more intense workouts. So why not take it slow and easy all the time? Well, there are several reasons. First, your body will get used to this level of intensity and “flat line” your cardio capacity, resulting in a plateau that prevents you from increasing your regular calorie burn. Second, long-slow workouts can become boring – and if you lose motivation, guess what? You can lose your workouts, too. And the third reason is perhaps the most important: when you crank up the intensity level, you maximize fat burn.

Interval training (turning up the heat for a short period of time during your workout) is what allows you to tap into hidden fat stores. Research shows that during a interval workout, fat-burning enzymes in the muscles increase to a much greater level than during moderate exercise. And burst training may be the only way to break down fat tucked deep inside the muscle into its fatty acid components so it can then be used as energy and burned off.

Clearly, the goal is to train in a way that allows you to work at a higher level so you can burn more calories and more fat in less time. You do that by scheduling both types of workouts during the week and giving yourself variety and flexibility.

Long, slow workouts: 3 to 4 days a week

These workouts are great for beginners. But whether you’re a workout rookie or a true pro, long/slow workouts are also what allow you to recover in between the more intense workouts. You can’t push yourself to the max every time. You’ll burn out, get injured, or can even reverse your fat-burning capacity.

Happy or “On a Mission”? Scientists rate workout intensity as a percentage of maximum heart rate, or MHR. You can do this with a heart rate monitor, or you can try and gauge your energy expenditure by listening to your body and how you feel.

• When you’re at 60 to 75% of your maximum, you’ve got a “happy face”; most of your long, slow training is in this range. At this level, you feel great, you’re relaxed, and you can keep going for a long time.
• At 75 to 85 percent, that smile flattens out into a look of determination. You’re not talking. You’re focused—you are on a mission and entering into warrior mode.
• At 85 to 95% you’re giving near-maximum effort with a battle-cry face. You can just barely keep this up for a few minutes.

Alternating between your “happy face” and “battle-cry face” is the essence of interval training.

Higher intensity interval workouts: 2 to 3 days a week

Somewhere between that happy face and battlefield grimace is your lactate threshold. At this point, your muscles are producing more of the waste product called lactic acid than they can clear away, and you start to feel the burn. As lactic acid builds, the burn increases until you finally feel you’re going to collapse and you have to stop. Your lactic threshold is what keeps you from training harder and burning more calories. Steady training in the happy face range never stretches that limit, so it never increases. But, when you push yourself into the grimace range a few times a week, several exciting things happen:

• It raises the calorie count of your workouts.
• It tunes your aerobic system so you can clear your lactic acid more efficiently, allowing you to work harder and burn more calories even on your slow days.
• It raises your metabolism for several hours afterward.
• High intensity bursts can significantly increase the number of muscle fibers in play, improving muscle tone and further increasing your calorie-burning efficiency.

Also bear in mind that burst training—alternating spurts of low- and high-intensity cardio—will transform your long-slow workouts. After including interval workouts in your cardio training for a couple of weeks, your long-slow workouts will be easier to complete, and you’ll be burning more calories in less time because you’re fitter. Simple as that.

Can you have a full day off? Of course! There are plenty of ways to mix and match your workouts so you can get them all done and can take a full day off. Or, on that day, try something physical but less formal, like a friendly game of tennis or some gardening. After all, the key to staying fit is to stay motivated. So when you feel like you’re getting bored and need to add some excitement in your workouts, try a new class or DVD, change your running route, or switch the time of day when you exercise. As every competitive athlete knows, there’s strength in repetition, and there’s power in flexibility. Now go find your own inner Olympian!