Help Victoria,

I want to get in shape and eat a healthy diet, but I am so busy and I would like to know how could I get the best bang for my buck with getting in shape. I wouldn’t even be writing you, but your last newsletter has been speaking to me all week. The information about Alzheimers and diabetes really hit me hard. I had no idea. So I am ready to do something now. What should I do?

Bella


Hi Bella, I am glad my newsletter moved you into taking immediate action. Members like you are the reason I get up everyday and scour research papers and listen to countless hours of health and fitness writers online, not to mention attending conferences on every topic known to the medical industry.

I am a science and behavior junkie. I love science and I love people even more, so I put my energy into finding out more about how our infinitely designed bodies operate. The more I understand, the greater good I can be to humanity when it comes to healing and reclaiming the power you were granted by God to be the best at anything you are willing to work at.

When I was medically obese, I was so lost. I did not understand that I had to make getting lean a priority with the same fervor I used to consume tons of calories. I had to make getting fit and being fit a habit. When I was HEAVY, I had made negative behaviors a habit instead of healthy, fun activities. I lived to eat instead of looking at food as fuel and eating to live! You see, food is supposed to serve you, you are not supposed to serve food.

Also, our bodies were born to move and we are supposed to have a life of fun filled life of adventure and surprise. We have so much power and so much fire, it’s just that it gets squelched by our over packed schedules and terrible eating habits which destroys our biochemistry.

When your biochemistry is out of whack, you feel tired, fatigued, stressed and emotionally drained. It doesn’t matter how great your life is, if you don’t feel good, nothing moves you. And you miss the moments that are special gifts given for your pleasure.

Bella, a great way to start a fast track fitness program is to START! Now more specifically, you need to do a program that will burn fat, increase flexibility, improve your heart and lungs, increase circulation, strengthen and condition your muscles, strengthen your bones and let’s not forget… tone and tighten your hips, arms, buns and thigh! Wow, that sounds like you could be at the gym for hours a day doesn’t it?

At first glance, that seems like a gigantic undertaking, but I have a shortcut. One method of training that I just love. It’s portable and can go virtually anywhere. It has been my mainstay on video sets and it’s wonderful for traveling. It works fantastic on movie sets is so convenient when traveling. It is time efficient and you don’t need to go to the gym unless you choose to.

What is this miracle life saving training (literal) method? It is Circuit and Interval Training. It’s a combination of weights and cardio training. It combines fat burning activity with resistance training moves. It’s a workout from heaven as far as I am concerned.

Cardiovascular and strength circuit training is a total-body workout that involves performing a series of different exercises in one training session, alternating between intervals of strength training and cardiovascular exercise. Because the workout includes both strength and cardio training, you will experience the amazing benefits of both types of body changing exercise.

Full Body Circuit

Here’s a sample of a quick and simple workout that you can do four to five times a week?

Perform each exercise in the circuit for 45 seconds or approximately 20 repetitions each; whichever is more suited to your fitness level.

Get in Gear

Put on your favorite fitness clothing that helps you feel inspired. Put on a good pair of workout shoes. Select an area of your home that has space and is free from clutter and anything you could fall or scrape your self on.

You can even put on your iPod or portable CD player and hit the park, the beach or the streets for this as well. I put my weights in a backpack and go to the beach when I am traveling with clients. The fresh air feels good and nature is so magnificent and provides the ultimate inspiration.

Let’s Do This!

Put on some music you like that inspires you that lasts at least twenty minutes with a good beat. About 120 beats per minute is recommended.

After you stretch out your back and calves begin your first circuit with two minutes of cardio.

Here are some samples of cardio

• Power Walking with arms swings
  
• Dancing
  
• Jogging
  
• Step aerobics
  
• Jump rope
  
• Rebounder
  
• Stationary bike
  
• Treadmill
  
• Elliptical
  
• Stairmaster
  (Any of that cardio equipment you bought and put in the garage or use in your spare room, as a clothes hanger will work)
  

Next do some strength moves while remaining upright. Make each move complete,

Strength Moves (using weight you can handle safely without joint pain for 20 repetitions). Experiment! Play around with different sized weights and see what you like. I like to start my clients with light hand weights that range between 3-5-8 and 10 pounds. The biceps can use heavier weight than shoulder press on most people. So you need to find your perfect weight for each exercise.

You can use squats, plie’s, lunges or easy sways and side lunges to keep the blood circulating in your lower body while you do the weights. If you feel more grounded with no lower body motion, then by all means, stand still and lift.

Strength Samples

• Walking lunges
  
• Stationary lunges
  
• Bicep curls
  
• Triceps Extensions
  
• Shoulder press
  
• Rows
  (Add your own other favorite exercises too. Personalize it and make it fun and interesting. Mix it up, experiment and make a game out of it)

After you have finished a complete set of 20 repetitions for one body part, get back into you next round of cardio for two minutes.

Here’s what your workout will look like.

• Warm-up and stretch
  
• Cardio 2 minutes
  
  
• Bicep Curls with squats (slow and controlled)– 20 Repetitions
  
• Cardio 2 Minutes
  
  
• Triceps Press with Squats 20 repetitions
  
• Cardio 2 minutes
  
  
• Walking lunges 40 total lunges
  
• Cardio 2 minutes
  
  
• Standing Shoulder press
  
• Cardio 2 minutes
  Etc.
  

As a beginner, I suggest you start with a ten-minute session to see how you feel. If you can go longer, keep going. You can do this combination for up to forty-five minutes when you are strong enough.

After completing your last strength session, stretch out again until your breathing returns to normal, then do some abs and final stretching.

Power Shaping

Bella once you see your fitness improving and your jeans getting loose you will love this type of training as much as I do. I absolutely love this type of training. That’s why I made a DVD called Power Shaping II that uses interval sand circuit training that is dance based. It is so much fun, you lift lightweights while you do low impact cardio moves. You are sculpting while you get your groove on. It is one of my favorite workouts to teach to fitness instructors and to personal trainers who have a dance background.

When I was told by my endocrinologist that I had type 2 diabetes and I had better get the weight off now, I got on a low glycemic diet and started a program like this.

I chose it because circuit exercise allows you to quickly alternate between strength and cardiovascular, your heart rate remains elevated and sustained above a resting level throughout the entire workout. This promotes real life saving and fat burning cardiovascular conditioning.

Circuit training programs are also proven to burn more calories compared to traditional strength-training programs due to the sustained level of an elevated heart rate. By keeping your heart rate up throughout your session, more work is performed in less time resulting in greater caloric expenditure (more burned fat) during your workout. Hallelujah!

Another awesome benefit is that the addition of cardiovascular exercise between strength exercises also increases lean body mass, which results in a higher resting metabolism. This means your basal metabolic rate is elevated and you burn more calories throughout the day. You will become a fat burning machine. YES! Now that makes exercise worthwhile.

Some of the other great benefits of my Power Shaping Total-body workout are:

• Improved lean body mass
  
• Improved posture
  
• Coordination and Balance
  
• Increased bone density
  
• Lower Blood Pressure
  
• Reduce risk of heart disease
  
• Reduces Stress and Depression
  
• Tightens Arms, Hips, Thighs
  

Bella, the bottom line is that circuit training improves your heart, your head and your behind! What a great combination of benefits for you. You don’t have to rearrange your life completely and you should start today. Get your diet cleaned up, get your shoes on and start working on your future by investing in yourself with fun, fitness and don’t forget to play too!