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No more using working out as a way to control your eating. Exercise is not “Damage Control”!

Think of this scenario :

You worked out hard at least a 4 times out of the week and you ate good 90% of the time, don’t you think you deserve to just let loose? This mindset of “I worked out hard” or “I will just do EXTRA cardio tomorrow” are phrases I often hear and sadly, we have all done this !!

How much further would you be if you decided not to do this as often as you do ? Technically, you are taking one step forward in the gym, then taking one step (and often 2 steps) back with our lack of discipline in eating. This cycle then keeps repeating and your not seeing noticeable results and moving at a snails pace where you could be making remarkable improvements.

A lot of the times its not about a lack of control rather than a lack of motivation when your alone. Sure, it’s easy to eat healthy in the morning. It’s a nice fresh start to the day and you have ALL the motivation in the world. Then you get to work, hopefully you packed a great lunch and you eat healthy. The stress of the day happens and BOOM you go home. Your now tired, stressed and have food available without reserves and you might use food as a coping mechanism for the feelings you have and not for hunger. We as humans like comfort. We like to comfortable and typically that’s food related to help comfort our feelings. You need to start to learn the difference between hunger cues and feelings. Sometimes we need to just learn from ANTS !!!

ANTS, yes ants are amazing little creatures that may seem like nuisance but have a purpose. We can learn a little from them and here is how to use Ants to help control your feelings and motivation.

In your life you don’t have a boss besides YOU.Ants labor hard on their own will. They aren’t doing all the hard work for someone else, they are doing it for themselves. We too should want to work hard because it is beneficial to us and to everyone around us.

Ants plan ahead.They labor hard all summer and gathering food for the winter. While there are instant benefits to working out like healthy endorphins, what we do today is an investment for our future. If you labor now for a reward later you increase the motivation factor of starting TODAY. If you want to be healthy enough to play with your grandchildren and go on vacations in your 80s, then you labor hard now in your 40s. You must plan for the future and be willing to work now for a healthier life later.

Live life with a purpose. It is so easy to fall in the trap of laziness. Commit to being active, to fight laziness, to not give into napping when it isn’t necessary, to go to the gym after work even though you just want to hit the couch and relax. Also eat with a purpose. Eat to nourish your body and for nutrients not always for comfort.

Here are some simple ways to live like an ANT :
Live like an Ant

-Protect your environment, creating boundaries in your life to keep you safe and healthy

-Work on constantly improving

-Clean your space regularly. The more disciplined you are at home, the more disciplined you will be at work and in your extra time.

-Don’t procrastinate!! Get it done early!!

-Remove the toxic things in your life !!

-Prep cook and PLAN ahead of time.Making that a priority is the key to being successful !

-Take initiative and do things on your own. Don’t wait for others, you might be waiting a LONG time.

-Don’t do life alone. We need a support network to help us stay on course and reach our goals.

-Carry heavy weight regularly. I am saying, don’t be afraid to lift heavy stuff. Haven’t you ever watched an ants pick something up? It, oftentimes, takes several attempts. You can see them trying to tackle it from different angels. You might even see them drop it along the way. Be like the ant, and look at the impossible with a desire to attempt it ! You’ll get stronger and stronger with each attempt!

-Walk 12,000 steps a day! Get your body moving regularly !!!

Take the simple advice from an ANT…. Be productive, Try and try again, and Don’t wait to start living !!

With summer right around the corner, we are able to eat more fresh produce now more than ever during the year. One of the most overlooked fruits are Cherries ! With a wide range of health benefits, cherries and to be more specific the tart cherries are considered superfoods. If it’s insomnia, joint pain or belly fat that’s holding you back, cherries might be that one fruit to add into your daily routine.

There are some amazing benefits to eating cherries. One of them is the ability to help combat belly fat. Those who ate cherries over time had  significantly lower blood levels of cholesterol and triglycerides than their cherry-deprived counterparts. Another great benefit for cherry lovers is the ability to help eliminate  soreness post workout. It is suggested that eating a cup and a half of tart cherries or one cup of tart cherry juice can significantly reduce muscle inflammation and soreness. Remember that a good workout actually causes muscle damage because of the microtears you are creating in your muscles which result in inflammation. Cherries also help with insomnia. Whether it stems from unbalanced hormones, excess stress, a busy mind or unhealthy habits, a large portion of us are left tossing and turning each night in wide awake but drinking cherry juice could help just by drinking a 1/2 cup 30 minutes prior to bed time.

When buying cherries you want to loos for cherries that are dark and large for their variety with firm and glossy skin. The ones with the nice green stems are the ones that were most recently picked. To store you can keep fresh unwashed cherries at room temp for up to 2 days. If storing in bags to prevent bruising store and refrigerate three to five days.

Now with your new cherries here is a breakfast recipe to try out !

Cherry Pie for one
Ingredients
-1/2 cup old fashioned oats

-1/3 cup unsweetened almond milk

-1 tsp. chia seeds

-1 tsp. honey

-1/2 tablespoon almond butter

-1/2 cup 2 % plain Greek yogurt

-1/4 cup fresh cherries pitted and halved

Directions
-In a 4-6 oz glass  container, layer ingredients in this order: bottom is uncooked oats, almond milk, chia seeds, honey, almond butter, yogurt, and cherries. Refrigerate eight hours overnight !!

265 calories, fat 9 g, saturated fat 1 g, carbs 46g, dietary fiber 6 g, sugar 25 grams, sodium 77 mg, protein 10g.

This is why we Squat !

Benefits of doing squats in your weekly workouts:

-They are anabolic and recruits other muscle groups. No other exercise with the possible, exception of the deadlift, does more to promote overall muscle growth. This means, not only will the squat build muscles directly related to the exercise itself  building your quadriceps, hamstrings, and calves but it also indirectly promotes muscle growth across the rest of your body, in places like your biceps, chest, and back..

– Squats help to increase functional strength. Because the squat is a very natural movement, there is no doubt that it has the ability to create a foundation for other movement you are performing. Not only do squats  build huge amounts of muscle, the squat also forces your body’s nerve networks to work your muscles more efficiently.

-Squats help to increase your vertical jump and sprint times. Squats will make you stronger and more explosive no matter what your particular sport is. This is why squats are part of the regular training regimen of every training program for athletes.

– It’s a BOOTY builder… enough said. But they also help with core strength and flexibility.

So how do you perform a squat? Below are the cues to perform a basic non-weighted air squat.
Air Squat

1. Create a neutral pelvis
2. Send your butt back
3. Track your knees out
4. Head Up, chest up and look forward
5. Shins vertical
6. Maintain Lumbar as you squat
7. Put the weight in your heels as you drive through your quads to the beginning position.

All squats are hip based motions. The hips are the core part of the body and the driving force of the extremities such as the legs and arms. Begin by folding at the hips and pulling yourself back as if you are going to sit down onto a box or chair behind you. Actively engage your hip flexors and hamstrings as you complete this movement. You should feel as if your feet are pulling apart and your toes are turning out, heels in, in a corkscrew fashion. Keep in mind your feet will not actually move since they are rooted into the ground  but the effect will take place sending a circular or spherical energy through you’re the ground into your body giving you the strength to pull down and explosively push up.

Take an inhale and keep your head up and eyes forward which will help with maintaining midline stability and the neutral spine. In addition to help with this keep your chest up. All these aspects will help you maintain the spine and your lumbar curve protecting your back and giving deep strength to push through the air or with weight on your body.

Make sure that you are using proper technique when performing squats and add them into your weekly workouts for a killer total body effect !!