Descending Dove

New month, new book review. So yes, I read “how to” diet books. Here’s why…if my clients are reading them, or interested in them, I need to read them as well to see what the take away is.

Not all how to diet books are bad. Some offer some sensible, practical tools. As an educator, I always have to be on the look out for what clients are reading as well.

I’m currently half was through this one. And so far, nothing has made me say, “I think this would be a fantastic book for my clients to read.”

The step by step “how to” approach is clearly laid out well. The advice is common sense (which is sometimes good to reiterate), but I’m reading this book and not coming away with any “ah-ha” moments.

So far, I say…”If it were this easy to establish new nutritional habits, a book wouldn’t need to be written.” 🤷🏻‍♀️

Learning about nutrition and establishing new habits is NOT easy for those who are overweight and struggle.

Nutritionists commonly make the mistake of saying “it’s just this easy.” When in reality, our obesity rate wouldn’t be as high as it is if it were just that easy.

The over simplified nature of this book was probably meant, but the fact is that people are just too diverse, with their own particular issues to be made “this easy.”

And that’s where the author has seemed to miss the mark.

My review is not complete though, so stay tuned.

Stronger core??

Here is what you do. 3X per week (not back to back) choose 5 of these exercises. Perform each for 1 minute for a total of 5 minutes.

Keep the movements slow and controlled. It’s not the quantity of reps, it’s the QUALITY of the movement.

Belly button pulled to the spine, keeping a constant contraction on the muscles through the movement.

In planks, keep a straight line from head to toe and your chin up. When on your back, keep space between your chin and chest and do not use your neck to crunch. Use your abs to lift the body through any of these movements.

Proper core strengthening, along with effective HIIT cardio and a calorie deficit will help you develop visible core muscles.

This is a basic core strengthening format, for more programs, contact me to talk about your specific goals.

A client made me smile today. It’s been warm during the day here and she had lunch with friends. She decided to wear a non-sleeve shirt and noticed how toned her arms were.

She said, “In my head, I said ‘thank you Lisa.’”

I love hearing stories of bringing confidence to my clients lives.

My client having the confidence to take her cardigan off at lunch to show her arms meant just as much to me as if she said she strutted in a bikini. Her confidence boost is the reason why I love what I do.

Dear party hosts….

Honestly speaking for a lot of people.

Nothing will irritate someone who is trying to focus on their health like another person shoving deep fried, sugar coated whatever in their face.

“Oh come on, live a little! It doesn’t look like dessert is gonna hurt you!”

“Eat!!! I don’t want this food to go to waste!”

Or the best one…

“You shouldn’t be on a diet! You look fine!”

Turning down a serving of this or that isn’t a strike against the party host. But on the other hand, the person turning down something shouldn’t feel the need to prep an excuse or be shamed.

Many think it’s offensive for another to not eat what they cook. I think it’s offensive for people to expect everyone to want to eat something that they don’t want.

So there. I said it.

I had a client ask me today if I could design a rapid fat loss diet for an event in 6 weeks.

Yes….yes I can.
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Rapid fat loss plans, pills, teas, extreme calorie deficits, endless gym sessions and salads will work, but only for the time you do it.

And then what happens? You end up with a plan that is unsustainable for the long run, the weight you lost comes back, and then you are at square one.

That isn’t the way to lose weight, but yet SO many people buy into it.

Because why?

Instant gratification.

What happens when you lose weight the right way?

✅ You focus on your health and developing healthy habits.

✅ You do this through being educated about nutrition and your own personal style of eating in such a way that promotes health and weight loss at the same time.

✅ You develop a plan that you not only enjoy, but becomes sustainable for a lifetime. Not just for a short period of time.

✅ You learn how to reprogram how you think when it comes to being more physically active and fueling your body in a smart way that gives you the energy you need to feel good.

And yes, while I can produce a program that will give you instant gratification, I would prefer to give you the tools you need to change your health and fitness lifestyle.

That way you never need another crash diet for an event. Because cramming for a final exam doesn’t teach you anything. 🤓

Have you ever wondered what you would feel like when you are optimally balanced with your nutrition and fitness?

✅ More energy?
✅ Better stress management?
✅ Get to a healthy weight and body composition?
✅ A healthier attitude with your personal goals?

It’s not just about what to eat. It’s about why you want to make a change and how to do it to create a better balance with health and fitness.

A better balance with your personal journey creates a healthier balance with your own family.

The topics we cover are more than just food labels. We will look at:

🔔 Developing a nutritional strategy that is unique to you and your lifestyle.

🔔 Discovering your goals with health and fitness and finding a doable plan that helps you achieve success.

🔔 Finding ways to incorporate healthy habits into your lifestyle.

I help others find optimal balance with health and fitness that is unique to your individual needs and goals.

Contact me for more details.

I just watched this over the past couple of days and wanted to review it. I’m a fan of Spurlock and the original documentary, and gave this one of view.

The original movie documents his journey of what would happen if he only ate McDonald’s for 30 days. He received a lot of scrutiny because of his methods. Agree or disagree, the film opened a lot of eyes to the health implications of eating too much fast food.

In “Super Size Me 2” he sets out to start a restaurant featuring a chicken sandwich, and dives into the business of poultry farming.

What was most interesting to me is how this sandwich was developed from concept to table.

It’s another eye opener to get the viewer to see how food arrives on their table. He includes everything from the advertising, creation, development, and the farming of his main ingredient, chickens.

I could call this a “program or challenge,” but I don’t because those words describe something that you stop doing.

And properly fueling your body isn’t something that’s meant to be stopped.

This is true coaching, guidance and education about how nutrition plays a role in your overall health and body composition. This is one on one, detailed work with you.

Nutrition is personal and knowing what fits you and your lifestyle isn’t found in a book. I am certified in nutrition, personal training and behavior change.

Eating healthy, physical activity and learning how to change your behavior isn’t found in a program or challenge.

It’s found in learning about your body, your needs, and how to achieve goals that you can sustain.

I’m currently offering 60 days of one on one nutritional coaching for half off. Contact me for more details or a free consult.

I see this a lot. Women want more cardio and men want weight training. For a well rounded program, you should include both.

Cardio for heart health and weight training for strength and muscular conditioning.

For cardio, you want to do a combination of high intensity and low intensity. I recommend three days per week of 30 minutes higher intensity cardio. For lower intensity, stick to walking on a daily basis, dance cardio, anything that keeps you active throughout the day.

For weight training, you want to combine all elements. For muscular endurance, choose lighter weights or even body weight only for strength. And then on alternate days, lift heavy for muscular development. The specific amount of time varies depending on what your specific goals include.

If you need help with your own program, message me and I can develop one that fits your goals and time schedule. Once a doable plan is in place, it makes it much easier to execute and see your achievements.

Fat, sugar and salt. These are the three key ingredients that manufacturers focus on when creating new concoctions for us to see on menus and buy in grocery stores.

From Nabisco to Outback Steakhouse, there are teams of people sitting around trying to figure out how to sell you food and keep you coming back for more.

So how do they do this? “The end of overeating, taking control of the insatiable American appetite,” by David Kessler, MD describes in depth the lengths companies go to insuring you buy, consume, and keep coming back for more. The system is designed to make you want to eat, and eat more even when you don’t need or want to.

Their profits come from your growing waistline. I highly recommend reading it, or at least stay tuned because I will be talking about it more.