Sunfare

I am always looking for ways to make the lives of my clients easier. There is no excuse to be unhealthy! Lack of time is an infamous excuse. If you are looking for sympathy due to your busy life, don't come to me. Lack of time is an opportunity and challenge to become more efficient. Are you up for the challenge? Will you take this opportunity to fine tune your life and create time for the important things in life?

So, we've already established the importance of good nutrition. The way I see it, you have a few choices to achieve your nutrition goals.
1. Plan and prepare your meals.
2. Hire someone to plan your meals, like a nutritionist. OR
3. Hire someone to plan and prepare your meals.

You can hire a nutritionist and a chef which may be surprisingly affordable, check around. You may find better deals with new graduates or ask around. We often find what we are looking for, just put it out there.

I recently had a meeting with Sunfare, healthy meal delivery service. I met Carl, the very charismatic, energetic, and involved owner of Sunfare. Sunfare delivers fresh, healthy meals in Southern California as well as Phoenix, Arizona.

I met Carl at the Southern California location and was greeted with fresh fruit and a bottle of water. I toured the facility, hair net and all! The facility was beyond clean, the employees looked happy and the food was being delivered and prepared right there. They get daily produce deliveries and prepare everything with a homemade flair. The meals are customized, and there is a lot of variety. You choose how many meals, ingredients you like, and there are vegetarian options. I even got a day of meals and I must admit, it was indeed delicious. Here's a peek at my meals for the day.

Breakfast: Quesadilla w/ Salsa and Cantaloupe

Lunch: Tuscan Chicken Salad w/ Watermelon

Afternoon Snack: Prociutto Wrapped Caprese Kabobs (I ate this before I took the pic, I was hungry! :-))

Dinner: Mediterranean Salad

Dinner: Herb Grilled Salmon

Evening Snack: Roast Beef w/ Chipotle Mayo and Grapes






One of the best things about Sunfare, besides the outstanding customer service is the packaging is made from corn and potatoes, totally biodegradable! I think this is a great solution for the lack of time excuse!

New Beginnings

It's funny how things come full circle. Not haha funny, but ironic. Nine months ago I stopped working for a boot camp and now I am starting my own. It's an outdoor adult fitness boot camp. I am excited about it. I knew I wanted to be apart of this because the business model works with the synergy of other trainers. We all work together yet put the work into building our own camp. Good thing I live in LA, the weather is mild and people love to exercise. Okay, maybe I am reaching, but people are willing to workout. It's apart of the budget and something that gets a spot on the to-do list. It's a great start. Good enough for me!

Perhaps I should clarify "stopped working for." I was fired...yeah, for being too ambitious. Being an independent contractor should never be mistaken as an employee and I run my business as such. Long story short, took a gig to teach an indoor fitness class and it was perceived as a threat to the boot camp so I got the boot. I was bitter after, I knew I was a great trainer and I just didn't get this idea of my class being a conflict or threat. I am always looking for the silver lining and I do believe things happen for a reason, so I let it go and took it as a sign to work on my own fitness business. I have never been happy to have a "boss."

What we do when the window of opportunity opens determines whether we lose, maintain, or gain position. Whenever things get tough and scary, I think about my true passions in life. I tell myself to proceed in love, not fear. I write what I want in life. I visualize what I want in life. I believe, even if i have to pretend to believe, I believe I can have the life of my dreams. And I repeat this process until it becomes real. This is what I tell my clients who hit the wall and don't think they can lose the weight, or don't think they can change their eating habits, or don't think they can stop smoking, or don't think they are worthy of being in a healthy body. The list goes on. I firmly believe we can be, do and have the desires of our heart. Sometimes we have to give ourselves permission to have a new beginning...a fresh start...a do-over. It may not be easy but all things are possible.

Eating Out

Quick Tip: When dining out, especially at American restaurants, only eat half your meal, especially if it is a splurge meal!

I enjoy dining out, but the calorie count is through the roof at most restaurants, unless you order from the lite menu. I usually eat half and bag the rest or share. This is easy on your body and your wallet.

Meal I shared at Panini Cafe Downtown, Los Angeles. Chicken skewer with Romaine Avocado Salad and Rice. Half was plenty!

Indulge

As a fitness professional, people look to me for inspiration and answers to their questions and concerns about their bodies and health. I am a firm believer in enjoying life and indulging in the pleasures of life. Yesterday, I had a Peanut Butter Cupcake! It was so good! :-) This was surprising to some. From my experience, if you eat a good diet loaded with veggies and fruits, stay hydrated (water is best), and exercise, then you cannot fail. My days are filled with spin classes, yoga, walking, jogging, body-weight exercises, and stair climbing, so I do not feel guilty when I indulge in a little something something.

I get that everyone isn’t a trainer and constantly being active, but it doesn’t mean you can’t apply what I do to your life. My tip to you is to challenge yourself to add more activity in your day, it could be anything…stairs, push-ups, walking, dancing, or jumping. Get moving!

Gotta Love My Job!

One of my regular, hard working, peddle pushing, sweat dripping, One Artist Wednesday spinners wrote this great post! Check out her blog at http://djh222.tumblr.com/

One Artist Wednesday

Fitness is an important part of my life. From running half marathons and getting lean with ballet based classes to trying yoga with septuagenarians and struggling through beach bootcamp I’ve tried a variety of classes and experienced a number of inspiring instructors. When you work out 3-5 days a week you better LOVE what you’re doing and who you’re doing it with, which is why I am currently addicted to SPIN classes at the YAS (Yoga And Spin) Downtown LA location.

Each Wednesday at the 5:15pm class our instructor Kristie puts in a special CD of music for that specific session - one with a single artist that will get our blood pumping for 45 minutes. “One Artist Wednesday” is a great way to combine my love of music with fitness. One of the best instructors I have ever had, Kristie LaTray is physically an amazing example of what every woman in the class is aiming for while shouting encouraging, supportive words to help you feel strong in who you are today.

This month she’s shaken things up a bit and every Wednesday there are two artists battling it out for the ruler of SPIN class. Last week Beyonce beat Janet Jackson. Who will take the crown tonight?

SWEAT

I went to Austin Texas last week and participated in 7 fitness boot camps in a 48 hour time period. Why I did this is another story. Granted it was hot as a pepper pudding, as my mom would say, but before the workout even began, I was sweatier than a glass of ice water in a Bikram yoga studio. When I looked around I realized I was sweating more than everyone else, including the men...not so fabulous!

Today I taught two spin classes back to back and I was sweatier than a long tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs. Over the years, I've noticed an increase in the amount of sweat my body has been producing. And over the years, my fitness level has been advancing. This lead me to do a little research about sweat.

From a biological standpoint, I know that sweat is the body's cooling system. The body releases a plasma fluid containing electrolytes through the sweat glands and then it evaporates from our skin thus cooling the body. But why do I sweat more now that I am in the best shape of my life? Well, sweat can depend on our genetics, gender, environment, intensity of the workout and our training level. Hmmm... okay, I can say my workouts are more intense now, so that's a factor. Come to find out endurance training leads to more sweat in many instances. So this is why I sweat so much. I also learned that the more sweat the body produces from endurance training, the less sodium it loses in the through sweat. Guess I will continue to pass up those sports drinks.

Fat Burning Tip #9

Eat all food groups. Each day our body craves protein, carbohydrates (yes carbs!)and fats. Our body is designed to use protein, carbohydrates and fat to function and provide us with energy. Each type of nutrient helps us in different ways.

The key to burning fat is quality, quantity, and timing of the food you eat. Eat the best of these foods in small portion sizes often.