HOW TO GET INTO THE BEST SHAPE OF YOUR LIFE

We all get to a certain point in our physical lives when we know IT'S TIME. Time to do something about the condition we've let our bodies fall in to. The obvious neglect has caught up with us and we're not only seeing evidence of this in the mirror day in and day out, but we're feeling the effects of it as well. Feeling it in our joints, lower backs, bulging guts and mushy butts, and more importantly, in our beleaguered breathing. It’s time to stop making excuses and put a plan of action into place. A simple plan you can live with now and forever. Change is never easy, but if not now, when? So let’s get started.

3 EASY STEPS:

1- Eat 6 small lean, clean & green meals daily
2- Strengthen and tone with weights (3-4 days/wk) and yoga (1-2 days/wk)
3- Do 30 – 60 minutes of cardio (5 days/wk)


STEP 1 - EAT 6 SMALL LEAN, CLEAN & GREEN MEALS DAILY
Let’s break this down. Breakfast. Snack. Lunch. Snack. Dinner. Snack. Easy enough. So what exactly do we eat?

EAT LEAN

This means eating foods naturally low in fat. Easy enough. This covers your fruit, veggies, and all other naturally low fat foods. This does not include “fat free” or “low fat” Entenmann’s. There’s nothing remotely natural about it, so let’s get real, ok!

EAT CLEAN

This covers foods which are unprocessed, or as close to what nature produced. Nature does not produce Pop Tarts. It produces oats, barley, apples, etc., and other pure foods. If you eat oatmeal, go for steel cut oats or rolled oats, not instant cinnamon apple quick oats loaded with sugar. If you eat chicken, eat baked or grilled chicken, not white flour coated and deep fried chicken nuggets (i.e.: a foodlike substance). If you’re thirsty, drink water, green or herbal teas or fresh squeezed juices. Clean = unprocessed. Unprocessed foods included all your fruits, veggies, nuts, grains, etc. Again, pretty easy.

EAT GREEN

Eating green means any and hopefully all of the following: eating foods which are organic, as many green colored veggies as possible, and hopefully, foods which are locally grown as well. To start, organic foods are just better for you. They have no pesticides, herbicides, growth hormones, or anything else included in your typical “conventional” foods. If you buy foods which aren’t labeled organic, then take it to mean you’ll be getting more than you bargained for.

If you live in NY, why buy apples shipped all the way from Washington state when you can buy apples picked from a local NY orchard? It makes green sense to buy the local apples since its better for the environment and it takes less time to get them from the local orchard to your table. Time and travel reduce vital nutrients. Not so green, huh?

As for buying green veggies, the more the merrier. Spinach, kale, collard greens, broccoli, peas, asparagus, Brussels sprouts, cucumbers, and on and on. High in nutrients, antioxidants, fiber. All fruit and veggies offer tons of health benefits, but the green stuff is packed with power. Go GREEN!

STEP 2 - STRENGTHEN AND TONE WITH WEIGHTS & YOGA
In the overall scheme of getting in great shape, strength training is by far my favorite. I’ve been a bodybuilder for over 30 years, and can honestly attest to the fact that strength training will deliver a killer bod. The more muscle your body has, as opposed to fat, the more efficiently your metabolism runs. I strength train about 5 days a week and this has always worked toward helping me maintain a lean physique. Lifting weights not only builds muscle, but it also strengthens the tendons and ligaments around your joints. According to the Mayo Clinic, it as well helps to strengthen your bones, thus reducing your risk of osteoporosis. Think shoulder, lower back and knees which as we age, tend to be problem areas for sedentary as well as active adults.

Now a little something about yoga. If you aren't already practicing yoga at least once a week, I highly recommend you try it. As we get older and lose flexibility, especially in our lower back and hamstrings, yoga is one of the best classes out there for remedying this. Most gyms offer yoga classes as part of your membership, so take advantage. I recommend beginner Hatha yoga classes to 16 year old cross-training athletes, as well as to seniors. A good instructor will usually demonstrate modifications for most poses if you’re not able to attain a pose due to limited flexibility, recent injuries, surgeries, or if you’re pregnant. Oh, and let’s not forget the whole yoga mind body connection. A HUGE plus in my book. Give yoga a try and I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how it will help toward getting you into awesome shape.

STEP 3 - DO 30 – 60 MINUTES OF CARDIO
And finally, cardio. This covers pretty much any exercise which raises your heart rate. This includes, but is not limited to exercises such as  brisk walking, running, cycling or spinning, swimming, rowing, jumping rope, stair climbing, kickboxing, horseback riding, skiing, inline skating, ice skating and so much more. I absolutely go nuts when I hear someone say, “I don’t like cardio.” Yikes! This to me pretty much equates to “I don’t like moving!” If you don’t like moving your body, you might as well just lie down and wait to drop dead right now.

Cardio is so important for a multitude of reasons. It's a great way to burn calories and help you lose weight (i.e.: less body fat). It strengthens your heart so it doesn't have to work as hard to pump blood. It increases your lung capacity. It helps reduce your risk of heart attack, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and diabetes. It makes you feel great. It helps you sleep better and it helps reduce stress. Cool. So on top of the fact that it primarily helps you reach your goal of getting into awesome shape, you get all that other stuff too? That works for me. How about you?

See? That wasn’t so hard. Eat clean, strengthen and tone with weights and yoga, and do your cardio. Now all you have to do is take the first step and put it into effect. Need help? Give me a ring and I’ll help you lose weight and get into the best shape of your life! I’ll leave you with two reminders. Your heart doesn’t take days off and neither should you. And finally, every day is a new opportunity to improve your life, so get started today!

Lisandra McGrath is an ACE certified personal trainer and an ACE certified Health Coach. She’s also been a bodybuilder for over 30 years, and is an IFBB professional figure and bikini competitor. You can contact Lisandra via her website LisandraBeFit.com or via email at lisandrabefit@yahoo.com. You’ll also find her on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.