What is YOUR BODYSHAPE????

I hear people say all the time, " I could look that way if I had a personal trainer or personal chef", but really the key to becoming successful is knowing your shape and how to work with what you GOT!!! Its not about having someone do it ALL for you, just because they have a personal trainer they still have to do the work ect.. As a Personal Trainer myself I do not want people to have to continue with me. I want to teach them how to do all the things that work for their bodies and show them they are Capable of doing it themselves, then if they want to continue to pay me then thats on them!!! Not complaining! LOL!

1. Learn what your shape is-so that you can learn what Best works for your Body type
2. Keep consistent- One day a week of working out is not going to get you an entire weeks worth of success! 3-5 days will!!!
3. Nutrition is 80% of Your Success- Remember YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT!!
4. Speak positive affirmation over your Goals/Dreams so that you Will be The Person you want to be
5. Surround yourself with LIKE minded People!
6. Plan out your "Meals" for the week so when the time comes you dont start grabbing the wrong thing.

Wome have these crazy body shapes. Learn how to tell which type you are, and learn what type of training you should then be doing. By: Karen Sessions Anyone who has ever worked out can tell you that there is not just one exercise program to fit all. If you are like most ladies, I'm sure there are body parts that you would like trim down, and others that you would like to add more size and shape to. With all the conflicting information available to you, are you confused on how to properly workout to meet your body's needs? There is a solution. Identifying your body shape can remove a lot of the guesswork and refine your exercise program to satisfy your needs. Your body shape is a direct result of your genetics, as well as lifestyle. You are a blueprint of your parents, grandparents, and so on. As true as this may be, you do have the power to change the plan. This change is made possible through your lifestyle, which are your food choices and activity level. Basic Body Shape There are 6 basic body shape frames that ladies fall into, and they are: The "A Frame" The "A Frame" lady is also known as the "Spoon Shape". These individuals carry extra weight in the lower region of the body, mainly in the hips, thighs and buttocks, while their waist and bust are small. Balance needs to be met by widening the shoulder girth and the back. Cardio - This body type should zone in on lower body cardio to rid the excess weight in the lower region, such as walking, cycling, or use of the elliptical machine. Resistance training should be kept light to moderate. Avoid the stepper, as it can build more size to the legs. View Cardio exercises. Resistance Training - To bring balance and harmony, add more poundage to the Shoulder Presses, Lateral Raises, andPulldowns. Keep your repetitions on the lower end for your upper body, anywhere in the 6-8 range. View additional resistance training exercises. It is best to keep Squats light to moderate, and include more Leg Extensionsand Lunges. Maintain leg repetitions in the 10-15 range. The "V Frame" The "V Frame", also known as the "Cone Shape", lady has shoulders that are two or more inches wider than her hips. She usually has large bust, narrow hips, and thin legs. Balance needs to be met by bringing the lower body up to speed with the upper body. Cardio - The stepper is a good form of cardio to burn calories and add thickness to the legs. The treadmill on an incline is also suitable, but this body type is best to avoid the elliptical machine, as it will lean the legs up too much. View Cardio exercises. Resistance Training - To increase leg size, concentrate on quality thigh training. Basic power movements should compose the bulk of your leg exercises, such as Squats, Leg Pressesand Stiff Deadlifts. Shaping exercises such as Extensions andLunges are good finishers. Use moderate to heavy poundage and keep the repetitions on the lower end, in the 6-8 range. The "H Frame" The "H Frame" lady has an athletic build, but has a large waist and shoulders, and lacks symmetry. This body shape is squared off and blocky. Those who posses the "H Frame" really need to direct attention to their symmetry by minimizing the waist. Cardio - Cardio choices should be focused on trimming the upper body and bringing out the symmetry. Such cardio tactics should include the treadmill on an incline and the stepper. View Cardio exercises. Resistance Training - Proper lower body training is needed for balance to bring it up to par with the wide shoulders. Concentrate on Squats, Leg Press and Stiff Deadlifts as the bulk of your training, and use the Extension and Lunges as finishers. Use moderate to heavy poundage in the 6-8 repetition range. The "Ruler" The "Ruler" body shape's measurements of the chest, waist, and hips are fairly equal. This lady is lean, has a high metabolism, and doesn't gain weight very easily. Cardio - Cardio should be kept to a minimum, preferably the stepper, and more focus should go on the resistance training.View Cardio exercises. Resistance Training - Training should be intense and brief. Each muscle group should be trained once weekly. The focus should go into intensity and building symmetry through proper shoulder, back, and leg training. Use heavy compound movements such as Bench Presses, Shoulder Presses, Lat Pulldowns, Squats, etc. You want to put emphasis on building muscle, therefore keep the repetitions in the 6-8 repetition range. The "8 Frame" The "8 Frame", also know as the "Hourglass", is genetically gifted. They are the proper height and weight for their body. Their bust and hips are the same size, with the waist being 10 inches smaller… said to be the perfect figure from modeling experts. This lady's gains are evenly distributed, as well as fat loss. Cardio - Cardio should be balanced with training. Any cardio technique is fine, and keeping a variety is best. View Cardio exercises. Resistance Training - This is the ultimate body frame for bodybuilding and/or fitness. A balanced training program with a variety of exercises works well. Many find changing the workout program every 6-8 weeks productive, and an assortment of repetition ranges keeps the body off guard. The "Oval Frame" The "Oval Frame", also known as the "apple" is average height or shorter, large busted, has thin legs, and gains weight in the midsection. Cardio - Routine cardio, such as the treadmill on an incline or the stepper, are necessary to generate overall weight loss. The elliptical machine should be avoided as it leans out the legs too much. View Cardio exercises. Resistance Training - Weight training should be focused on the legs to create balance with the upper body. Include more Squats,Leg Presses, and Stiff Deadlifts to bring the lower body up to speed with the upper body. Maintain repetitions in the 6-8 range for balance. Now you have first-rate information on how to train for your personal body shape. What are you waiting for? Go take action and take control! Copyright © 2003 Karen Sessions. All Rights Reserved.

Gluten Free Peanut-Butter Crispy RIce Treats Fun for kiddos :)

Chocolatey Peanut-Butter Crispy Rice Treats (Gluten-Free)

Ingredients:

• 3 Tablespoons butter or butter substitute
• 1 (10 oz) bag gluten-free marshmallows
• 1/2 teaspoon gluten-free vanilla extract
• 1/5 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup gluten-free peanut butter
• 5 cups gluten free crispy rice cereal
• 1 cup gluten-free chocolate chips (optional)

1. Grease an 8×8 square glass pan.
2. Melt the butter in a large pan or dutch oven over low heat. Add the marshmallows, vanilla, salt and peanut butter, stirring constantly until melted and smooth; this takes several minutes.
3. Remove from heat and add cereal, stirring until well mixed. Scrape the mixture into the prepared pan and press it into the pan with a greased spatula (or you can place a piece of waxed paper over it and press down).
4. If you want to add a chocolate coating on top of your crispy rice treats, place chocolate chips in small, microwave-safe bowl and heat in 30 second intervals until melted; stirring as needed.
5. Spread melted chocolate over the bars and allow to set completely, about 2 hours at room temperature ( you can also place them in the refrigerator or freezer to speed up this process).
6. Cut bars into squares and serve.

Gluten Free Pita Pockets

Seeing this makes me take a blast to the past! My mom always used pita pockets for us growing up. She would stuff these things with various items and I am now using these nice tips for my family!!

Breakfast- Scrambled eggs/ a little bit of cheese/turkey bacon or turkey sausage
Lunch ideas- Mexican style: Grilled chicken breast with grilled onions and peppers black beans with a bit of quinoa/ Greek style Grilled chicken/lamb or beef greek yogurt made into tzatziki sauce romaine lettuce grilled veggies / any kind of salads
Kids Almond butter/honey and banana
         Almond butter/sugar free jelly with bananas
   melted turkey and cheese

 

You Asked for It! Gluten-Free, Allergy-Friendly Pita Bread

Posted by Cybele Pascal

Pita bread is a perennial favorite, but thus far, nobody has come up with a gluten-free version, at least not one that I’m aware of!  Here, on my Food Allergy Recipe Challenge, I’ve been asked for the better part of a year to create a recipe, so that those on GF diets can dunk, scoop, and stuff their pita pockets along with the rest of the world.
The most recent request came from Cathy, who in addition to avoiding the top eight allergens, also must say no to corn, sesame, and oats. Now that is my kind of challenge, so this week I finally got off my duff, and created that pocket for you.
Why make your own pita bread? Well, it’s fun to make with kids (I still marvel at the magic of yeast activating the rise in fresh bread), it’s tastiest when fresh out of the oven, and this way you know exactly what ingredients went into it.
Plus, making gluten-free breads is actually easier than baking traditional wheat varieties. I know that might seem counter-intuitive, but gluten-free breads require only one rise, so the total time is halved. Gluten-free breads also don’t require any kneading---another time-saving bonus!
What would you like me to attempt for my next challenge? Remember, you can request something more than once… I plan to get to them all!

Back Next

1 of 8

1 The thick, sticky batter.

2 Make sure your work surface has plenty of gluten-free flour.

3 Shape the dough into one large ball.

4 Divide the ball of dough into eight pieces.

5 Pat each piece into flat circles.

6 Bake until golden before transferring to a cooling rack.

7 Letting the baked pita rest for 10 minutes allows steam to give the bread moisture.

8 Fill with fresh veggies and enjoy!

Gluten-Free Pitas
Makes 8 pita pockets
Who doesn’t love stuffing a pocket with hummus and veggies? Or dunking pita triangles? These pita pockets are delicious. Be sure to use rapid-rise yeast, and don’t rush the rise. Enjoy!
1 cup plus 2 Tbsp warm water (110°F - 115°F)
1 Tbsp sugar
1 packet rapid-rise yeast*
3 ¼ cups Gluten-Free Bread Flour Mix (my recipe follows)
3 tsp xanthan gum (Authentic Foods Xanthan Gum is corn-free)
1 tsp salt
2 Tbsp plain coconut milk yogurt (So Delicious)
1 Tbsp olive oil
1. Combine warm water with sugar and rapid-rise yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. (Be sure your water isn’t too hot, or it will kill the yeast. Use a thermometer to guarantee it’s the right temp!) Whisk well, incorporating the yeast and dissolving the sugar. Let rest to "proof," about 5 minutes.
2. Measure the flour mix by spooning it into a dry measuring cup, then leveling with a straightedge. Combine flour mix with xanthan gum and salt, whisking well.
3. Add coconut milk yogurt and olive oil to yeast mixture. Blend on medium speed.
4. Add flour mixture to mixing bowl, and blend on low until incorporated, then medium speed until dough is thoroughly combined, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary. It will be quite sticky.
5. Sprinkle a work surface amply with some GF bread flour mix. Use a rubber spatula to turn out dough onto work surface. Dust hands with a little flour mix and sprinkle dough with a bit more. Mold into a ball. Cut into quarters, then cut quarters in half, for a total of 8 pieces. Sprinkle with a little flour mix, then roll into balls.
6. Brush two baking trays with olive oil. (I use a pastry brush to be sure it’s evenly distributed.) Transfer 4 balls to each tray. Use the palm of your hand to flatten the balls into 5 1/2 –inch rounds. Use fingers to shape edges as necessary.
7. Adjust oven racks to the two lowest positions in oven. Fill a baking pan with very hot water and place on bottom of oven.
6. Cover trays with plastic wrap. Place in oven and let rise until pockets start to form, about 1 hour. You will probably want to change your hot water once halfway through.
7. Remove trays and pan of hot water from oven. Set aside.
8. Preheat oven to 500°F.
9. Bake pitas one tray at a time on lowest rack in oven until golden brown, 10 minutes. Transfer to cooling rack. They will be hard. Let rest about 10 minutes. The steam will finish the pocket-making process, and they will soften up a bit.
10. Cut pockets in half. Use a knife to separate pocket if necessary. Best when eaten fresh.

Use what you Have :)

I hear a lot of people tell me I cant afford to eat healthy because I can't afford to go out and buy all new items. Well guess what you dont have to right away! Use what you have! Its really about portions and learning how much to consume!

No need to waste things around here!! Little changes make for longer lasting Lifestyle changes!! It is so hard for me to watch people so gung ho about changing everything in their cabinets, fridges and they go to the whole extreme of buying everything under the sun and then after a week or so they fall out and are back to square one! This is not a quick fix kind of thing!! This is not being on a diet all your life either!!

So for instance we just finished packing lunches! This is the night before Valentines day so we did all Heart style things!

What we used 2 Pieces of Daves Killer Bread - You can use whole wheat/multi grain a healthy tortilla
2 tbsp of almond butter
2 tsps of sugar free jelly
1 heart shaped cookie cutter
 WE put the two pieces of bread together cut out the heart shaped middle yummy soft part of the bread and put the pb and jelly on!
(We then packaged up in a baggie the remaining bread from the cutout and will save for breakfast)

For breakfast we will need:
1 pan
Pam spray
2 eggs
spice to liking
Remove bread from baggie heat up stove on medium heat spray pan and get pan warm
Place bread in pan and crack egg in middle of egg let cook to liking and sprinkle with favorite seasoning
Pair with a 1/2 cup of fresh fruit

Packed up snack size baggie of cut veggies
packed up snack size baggie of strawberries
1 low sugar go gurt
1 100 calorie pack crackers
1 Love Note!!

Use what you have ! Dont get discouraged! Let the kids help! The feel so independent wanting to do this! I know sometimes its nice to just get it done, but if we dont teach them how will they learn??  Have fun with it!!!

Yummy Breakfast Recipe! pair with 1/2 cup of oats and 1/2 cup berries!

Artichoke, Spinach & Feta Egg White Omelette

(This recipe yields 2 servings)    Printable Version

• 6 egg whites
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 3 ounces fresh spinach (or thawed frozen)
• 1 ounce low-fat feta cheese
• 2 artichoke hearts - chopped

Place egg whites in a large bowl and beat them together. Add all remaining ingredients and beat to combine.

Place a large frying pan over medium heat. Spray generously with cooking spray.

Pour ingredients into the frying pan. Cook until omelet is set enough to flip. Flip the omelet and cook the other side to golden brown.

Cut into two equal portions to serve.


A low-carb open-face omelet that has a lot a fresh flavor.


Mr Breakfast would like to thank 5minvid for this recipe.

Muscle Burns Fat... SO guess what Weights are a GOOD THING!!!!!!

One one my favorite ladies Buff Mother!! ;) totally love her and everything she talks about is so true!

Muscle Burns Fat

"Muscle Burns Fat" Our society loves beauty. The most beautiful bodies are lean, symmetrical and firm or in one word BUFF! So why do we see so many mothers starving themselves trying to be skinny? Lack of knowledge is the epidemic. The problem is too much focus has been placed on dieting and doing cardio, and not enough importance placed on weight training. Most mothers don’t understand that weight training is how they can shape their bodies, into the buff bodies they want. All the experiences that I’ve gone through in my quest to be buff have culminated into a revelation: Muscle burns fat!!! I’ve known this scientific fact for years, but for some reason I didn’t realize what it meant. It means, the more muscle you have on your body the more fat your body burns. So if you want to get rid of the motherly look of your body, lift weights and build strong active muscles that will eat the fat off your gut and butt! Remember, muscle burns fat!!! * After puberty your essential muscle growth is over and your muscle starts to deteriorate. * As you age you lose muscle. “If you don’t use it, you lose it.” * The act of pregnancy further accelerates your muscle loss. The amount of protein your baby needs to develop requires the baby to steal protein (muscle) from you! * Dieting and aerobic exercise without strength training causes muscle loss. * Pre-menopausal, menopausal and post menopausal women have lower hormone levels causing accelerated muscle loss. * Weight training re-builds your lost muscle. * Women who weight train won’t increase their muscle size much, just their muscle’s density and strength. So forget the fear of “bulking up” MUSCLE BURNS FAT!!!! Why is muscle so important????     * It is the driving force behind your metabolism.     * Muscle is an active tissue that is constantly renewing itself therefore requiring energy (calories).     * The primary source of energy for muscle is fat.     * Muscle gives shape to your body.     * Muscle helps you perform optimally as a mother MUSCLE BURNS FAT!!!!!! The more muscle you have on your body the more fat you burn and the more calories you burn. If you have a certain amount of muscle on your body you can eat a reasonable diet without gaining weight . This is called a good metabolism. A good metabolism doesn’t happen by accident. I do admit genetics play a part in metabolism, but you’d be amazed how much metabolism can be affected by your life choices. Keys to a good metabolism:    1. Weight training    2. Nutritious eating    3. Interval training    4. An active lifestyle (part of being a mother)    5. Consistency in all of the above Get rid of your scale mentality: We are often programmed to think we have to weigh a certain amount to be happy. We say to ourselves “If I could only weigh what I did in high school”. You need to get rid of that scale mentality. Who cares how much you weigh? The most athletic bodies are often considered overweight if you place them on the standard height/weight chart. Why? Because muscle is so dense that it weights much more than fat. Muscle also holds about 60% more water than fat tissue causing muscular people to weigh much more than their “skinny fat” counterparts. Since muscle weighs more than fat, don’t think that you have to be a certain weight. What you should be most concerned about is your muscle mass % and your body fat%. That is what it all comes down to, your body composition. How much muscle and fat is on your body? Does it jiggle and wiggle? Or are you firm and tight? To be buff you need to have a high percentage of muscle and a lower amount of body fat. That way you can see those sexy muscles your fat is hiding. How do I go about building muscle? Muscle in women deteriorates at almost every stage of life. This is why we must weight train!!!! Weight training rebuilds your lost muscle and therefore rebuilds your metabolism. BuffMother!’s weight training philosophy is based on:    1. The Basic Big three    2. Challenge    3. Change The Basic Big Three: What do I mean by the big three? There are 3 larger main muscle groups of the body and my lifting program is centered around them. Metabolism will be affected most if these 3 muscle groups are emphasized since they comprise the majority of the muscle mass on our bodies. The basic big three are your legs, chest and back. 1. Legs (and butt) Leg muscles are the biggest strongest muscles of our body and in order to have a great metabolism you must not neglect lifting with these potential “fat furnaces”. The vast majority of women don’t realize how strong and powerful their legs can be without getting bulky. I understand that most women have a fear of lifting with their legs because they often carry a higher amount of fat in their legs and therefore fear adding bulk to their lower half through strength training. As women we don’t have the levels of testosterone necessary to build big bulky muscles! So don’t think that if you lift with your legs you will make them significantly bigger. Initially a small amount of muscle growth will occur and before you start loose your fat on top of this muscle, you may notice a slight size increase, but this is temporary. You will soon notice how your legs gain new shape, firmness and a leaner appearance. All of which is caused by these muscles becoming more active and therefore burning more fat! Let’s talk about the area that all mothers are concerned about, your butt. It must be dealt with head on. Meaning you must make a huge concentrated effort to reshape the behind that motherhood destroyed. Butts require squats and lunges!!! Lots of them and with weight. No amount of donkey kicks, step-ups, abduction or adduction exercises will do the significant work that must be done in order to reshape your butt. These exercises are great auxiliary ones and are helpful initially and in complementary sense to a leg weight training program, but on their own they will not do much. Legs and butts are strong muscles so in order to change their looks we have to challenge them. This requires using heavier weights and intense contractions. Most modes of cardio or aerobic exercise utilize the legs. These exercises do great in toning the muscles of the legs that are used during these aerobic sessions. However, they don’t hit all the muscles of the legs and butt and for the most part they don’t build them. Instead they are what we call catabolic. This means they lead to the breakdown of these muscles. For instance look at a marathon runner. They look sickly. They are some of the most aerobically in shape people and they do a lot of working out with their legs, but there muscles are tiny and they have gross butts. So lets take a lesson from this. Aerobic exercise is very important for health issues, for stress relief, for conditioning the muscles we have, but bad at building muscle! Strong, active leg and butt muscles burn fat! 2. The Chest I don’t mean your mammary glands. I am talking about your pectorals. The muscles all mothers need to embrace. I’ve been there. Pregnancy and breast-feeding do nasty things to a woman’s breasts. The looks of a woman’s breast goes beyond the mammary tissue, it lies underneath in the pectoral muscles. Remember what I had said about pregnancy robbing our bodies of muscle. This means the muscle that once lifted our breast now is gone, and it too needs to be rebuilt. If you want to give yourself a natural breast lift, build up your chest! It will not only help those saggy boobs, but also Boost your metabolism! Strong ,active chest muscles burn fat! 3. The Back: Oh, I forgot about you back there! Most women are absolutely unaware of the huge potential fat burning muscles they have on their back. Our backs are full of muscles. There are tons of them holding our spine, ribs and shoulders in place. These muscles are very important to our health. How often do we hear about back and neck pain? Unfortunately it is rampant. I truly believe that weak back muscles cause much of the pain. Lifting with your back requires proper form and extreme focus on the muscles you are working. Strong, active back muscles burn fat! Challenging yourself: Muscles are very smart. If challenged to the limits of their capabilities they realize that they need to rebuild themselves even stronger. Then when faced with that same challenge they will be able to perform at a higher capacity. This is the key to understanding your weight training program. You must find a way to challenge your muscles. Lifting the same weight every time you perform an exercise will maintain what muscle you have, but not change them. I don’t know many people that like spending an hour in the gym to stay exactly the same. We all crave to improve ourselves. So we must challenge our muscles by lifting weights that are challenging. There is nothing complicated about it. Just make sure you find yourself slightly challenged by your lifting program. Challenge yourself. Change it up: Change is good. Your muscles get used to the same thing over and over again. They get bored just like you do. Boredom causes your muscle to not respond just as it causes you to not want to do your boring workout. Don’t be afraid to change:     * Try some new exercises     * Change the number of sets and reps of your exercises     * Increase or decrease your rest time between sets and workouts     * Change the order of your exercises Just remember to keep the basic big three muscle groups as the foundation to your weight training program. Change will help you stay focused and your muscles will keep working hard to burn your fat!!!! MUSCLE BURNS FAT!!!

Breakfast -Protein Crepes fun and Yummy for the whole family!

Egg Recipes
		Protein Crepes  2 whole eggs 4 egg whites ½ cup dry old fashioned oatmeal (Optional: Dash of vanilla extract) Blend ingredients together in a blender until smooth liquid. Use 8 to 10 inch round skillet. Spray with butter flavored Pam. Preheat pan. Pour just enough of mixture to lightly cover the bottom of the pan. Cook until “set”. Crepe will be very thin. Flip once to finish cooking. Recipe will make 2 to 4 crepes depending on size of pan and how much mixture is used. Option: Spread crepe with sugar free jam and roll up crepe, or just some low carb sugar free syrup. Tip: If your blender is not grinding the oatmeal fine enough you can blend oatmeal alone in blender to refine and then add other ingredients.