Cold and Rainy Days

Don’t ‘cha just love these cold and rainy days?

Yeah, me too.

What I want to do is curl up on the couch with a warm blanket and a hot cup of coffee. But unfortunately it never happens. 

The winter blues getting you down with all this rain? 

Did you know that exercise is a great way to banish those blues?

When you workout, those happy endorphins get released and give you that “feel good” high.  Better than eating a pile of cookies

Not just the emotional part but it also warms you up.  Distracts you from whatever is going on in your life (at least for the duration you are exercising).

Everytime I start feeling blue, I get up and do some sort of simple exercise.  Like some crunches or even stretching. I just do it for less than a minute.  It doesn’t take long and it helps keep me sane

I would love to hear about what you want to do when it rains and what you actually do….you can post your comments right here.

Nicole

Also wanted to let you know that we are having some great promotions for December which you can check out here.

New Year, New You!

New Year New You!

Don’t wait until Jan 1st to start on your New Year’s Resolutions…when you can get a jump start on them now!

Who doesn’t want to win over $400′s in free gifts? The perfect gift for the holiday season!

Remember: The discounted “New Year, New You” Class Cards will ONLY be available from Nov 1-Nov 4th between 7:30PM-8:30PM at the Shape It Up Studio.  At 8:30PM on Nov 4th the cards will go to the regular price.  So stop in this week and get ahead start on the competition and your resolutions! 

Just in case you misssed the details, here they are again….

Did you know that the average person can gain 5-7 pounds over the holiday season??  So if you feel like you aren’t at a comfortableweight now imagine how you’ll feel after the holidays…

We are going to be celebrating the “New Year, New You!” Pre-Resolution Contest!

On Dec 29, 2009, one lucky person will be winning a pamper-me prize!  This prize will include a new haircut, a photo shoot, a massage and a gift certificate to the Deptford Mall to pick out some new clothes!!! (A $400 value!!) Not to mention a smokin’ body!!  Just in time for the New Year!

Here’s how to win:

The person who has attended the most SIU Studio Classes (between Nov 1, 2009 until December 22, 2009) and has made the most physical & emotional changes will win!  Pretty simple, huh?

Starting Nov 1, 2009, Shape It Up is going to be practically giving away “New Year, New You!” Class cards.  These cards are sold in blocks of 25 classes. You can purchase as many as you like (***Last chance to purchase your Contest Card will be November 24, 2009).  However, if you want the best deal for your cards the first week of November (the 1st though the 4th) these cards will be discounted…our regular price for one studio class is $7.50 but the the beginning of next week these cards will be only $4.00 per class! (After the 4th, the price will go to $7.50 per class for the contest cards.) Cards can be purchased at the SIU Studio from 7:30pm-8:30pm Monday- Thursday (if you need another time please call me at 609-501-0587)

We are also going to provide massive support on this contest!  Because it is occurring right around the holidays, we know how easy it is to get off track with your fitness. But  you can  fit it in!  We have 30 minute classes and we will be providing some surprise “helpful” hands to help you get in your workouts.

So forget your 2010 New Year’s Resolutions for a new you because if you do this contest you’ll have to pick out another resolution!

See you this week!

Nicole Simonin

P.S. If you have any questions please feel free to email me or call 609-501-0587

Trick or Sweet

Trick or Sweet

Halloween marks the beginning of the 3 biggest holidays of the year.  These holidays are filled with fun, family and food.  The real scary part is how much food is consumed over the next two months!
There are “fun” sized Halloween treats which are perfect for calorie control- unless you eat too many.  But beyond that most Halloween treats are no treat for your waistline. Chocolate candies can average 100 calories a pop. But do you really eat just one?  Six unassuming little chocolates can add up to 600 calories in a matter of seconds. If you are not paying close attention to how many goodies you are eating those calories can really add up. Some better alternatives are Twizzlers or small peppermint patties.  They have half the calories as their “fun friends”.

Here are some better bad choices:
 Musketeers Bar – fun size 1 piece –> 70 calories, 2 grams fat & 11 grams of sugar
 Candy Corn – 11 pieces–> 70 calories, 0g fat & 14g sugar
 Caramels – 2 small pieces–> 80 calories, 2.25g fat & 8g sugar
 Taffy- 1 piece–> 55 calories, 0.5g fat & 12g sugar
Take advantage of this time of year’s bounty.  Pumpkins are a great choice with high vitamin A and fiber but add that to sugar, butter and pie shell and you are gonna feel like you look like a pumpkin! Don’t be misled!  Those pumpkin muffins and pumpkin breads that are in the local coffee shops are high calorie foods and are far from healthy.  Read your nutritional labels to find out what the real scoop is on what you are putting into your body. 
Dunkin’ Donuts Pumpkin Donut is 300 calories, 16 grams of fat and 18 grams of sugar
Starbucks Pumpkin Scone is a whopping 480 calories, 17 grams of fat and 43 grams of sugar.

 A far stretch from low calorie and low fat healthy treat!
For those coffee lovers, a Starbuck medium pumpkin spice latte with whole milk is 410 calories. If you really feel the need to indulge order the smallest version of your coffee or split your donut with someone.
Healthy Treats would include apples…plain apples.  Those caramel apples are seemingly “healthy” but that caramel on top adds an extra 300 calories to this treat.

So does that mean you can’t enjoy any Halloween treats this year?  Absolutely not!  Everything in moderation. Plan ahead.  Think about all the treats you have to choose from.  Decide how many calories you want to blow on treats. Then pick the one treat that you absolutely must have this Halloween year.  Eat it. Enjoy it. Then walk away from the rest.
Have a Happy “Healthy” Halloween this weekend!

What Really Ticks Me Off…

You know what really ticks me off and gets my blood boiling?

I hear this quite often from people I meet (not from my clients) but people I run into on the street.

Once they find out what I do for a living they start talking about their problem areas. How they just can’t get rid of their post baby pooch or how they hate when they wave and get an extra breeze from the saggy back part of their arms….that’s not what drives me crazy….

Then they tell me how they’ve tried this product or that service….and how nothing worked. I can just see the defeat in their eyes….that’s not what irritates me….

What really irritates me is these people that are essentially complaining about their body or lack of energy and ….

ARE DOING NOTHING ABOUT IT!!!!

I could see if you were bustin’ your hump 6 days a week following your nutrition very closely and not seeing any results (which btw doesn’t happen here at SIU )… but if you choose to sit on your butt and do nothing about your saggy arms and flabby gut then shame on you!……..ahhh that always feels good to get off my chest

Notice the word “choose”…you have a choice!  Are you happy with yourself?  Do you WANT to change?  You can do anything you put your mind to so get off your tush and start today!

If you aren’t sure how to get started call me for a free consult.  We’ll discuss your goals and how to ACHIEVE them! It’s FREE for crying out loud!  You have nothing to lose – you risk nothing by sitting & talking with me. You don’t have to do it alone. SO I hope that this blog gives you the kick in the pants to get motivated and do something!  Whether it is here at Shape It Up or just being more active in general…make a choice and be true to yourself!

Nicole Simonin

Nicole@shapeitupfitness.com

609-501-587

P.S.:What are you doing still reading this?!  Get up and get movin’ Tonight we have some great calorie burning, body toning classes at our studio http://shapeitupfitness.com/the-studio/siu-studio-calendar/ great way to get started!

Mantua's Community Day

It was nice seeing you out at Mantua’s Community Day last Sat!  If you weren’t able to come out you missed some good times!  There were lots of activities for the kids along with local businesses, jammin’ music and lots of food (I won’t  comment on that …your usual “healthy selections” at fairs..).  It was brisk and windy but we met a lot of friendly faces and had a great time!  I want to personally thank Denise Kahofer for voluntering her time and talents to help us out at Mantua Day! THANK YOU!!

The winner of the SIU Raffle is….(drum roll please ….

CONGRATULATIONS TO JANE LUEPER OF MANTUA!!!

Jane gets FREE One Month Pass to Shape It Up’s Specialty Classes! 

I can’t wait to see the changes she makes when she takes advantage of this awesome prize!!!

See you in classes!

~Nicole Simonin

 

 

All's Fair In Love And Squats?

Denise Kahofer submitted an article to me because she thought it would be interesting to me..she was right!
This article was about a farwell speech an employee gave to their fitness company’s interns. It is really profound. This is what he said:

“Exercise is the only thing in the world that he knows of that is fair to everyone.”

Which is so true. It doesn’t matter where you came from, what race you are, if you are rich or poor, no matter what your health issues, no matter what your occupation is…exercise is beneficial to everyone without exceptions.  That’s pretty amazing don’t you think? You can do exercise anywhere…in your car, at line in a grocery store, your living room. You don’t need expensive equipment.  Body weight exercises are great for getting nice and lean.  Exercise will keep giving back.  The numerous benefits to exercising far out weigh the negatives.  Image if everyone would just do this for themselves everyday, maybe the obesity rates wouldn’t be so high.  Maybe illnesses wouldn’t be as bad. And maybe we’d all be a happy culture!

The great equalizer….exercise!

Nicole Simonin

PS: Want to get started on your fitness?  Call 609-501-0587 and find out what we can do for you!

No One Eats Perfectly All The Time

No one eats perfectly all the time.  Not me, not you.  If anyone tells you they do (100% all the time), I’d bet good money that they are lying.  As a personal trainer, I hear a lot of “diets” from clients. Ditch the diets!  That is just setting yourself up for failure.  Diets usually consist of denying yourself of certain types of foods.  There is no way you can live on a diet for the rest of your life!  You can have cheat meals and still lose weight. I have developed this blog to offer my help for anyone frustrated with their weight and whatever their current eating habits are.  So please feel free to share.  I will be happy to help!

Nicole Simonin

Tasty Tidbits for Tots!

Tasty Tidbits for Tots!

It 2pm and the natives (aka kids) are getting restless…it’s snack time. You look in the refrigerator and search for a healthy kid-friendly choice.  I mean they are kids. They “should” be eating healthy food so they can get big and strong. Isn’t that what we tell them?

 “What can I give them?”…  Are you familiar with this scenario?

Being a fitness professional, I hear this many times during the week.  As a mom, you want the best for your children. With so much misleading information on nutrition, I am not surprised how often I get that question (I am shocked it isn’t every five minutes). 

 America’s obesity rate continues to sky rocket.  Diabetes is on the rise along with Metabolic Syndrome. The next generation has a great deal of work ahead of them if they want to avoid the debilitating medical issues that arise from being overweight.  It starts with parents. By parents educating themselves first, it gives children a healthy advantage for the future.  Parents can begin by teaching their children the importance of eating fruits and vegetables, eliminating refined sugars and saturated fats.  Now this is not going to work if you are telling them to eat right while you are eating a double cheeseburger with fries. Teach by showing!  Kids learn more from seeing than from hearing (think about how many times you have told them to do something and it still never seems to get done). Let your kids see that you take care of yourself by exercising and eating right.  Whether you think they are absorbing the concept or not …I can assure you they are!

Where to Start

Don’t assume that your kids are young and will “burn it off”.  The eating habits that are instilled in them while they are young will stay with them for the rest of their lives. So if you can start them at a young age… great! If not there is no time like the present. I recommend having 5-6 meals per day for all my clients. The same goes for kids.  This insures that blood sugar levels stay even-keeled (i.e. less …ehem…shall we say “emotional outbursts”). Prepare meals that are balanced.  These are meals that consist of certain types of lean protein, starchy and fibrous carbohydrates and healthy fats.

Forgive yourself

Healthy living is not about perfection but consistency.  You are not always going to achieve a well balanced meal every single time.  Forgive yourself and move on. For instance, when you find yourself confronted with less than ideal food choices, try to find the healthiest option you can out of the selection that is offered.   The best way to compensate for those times is make sure your kids (and yourself) are eating healthy 90% of the time and by giving them a good quality daily multivitamin. 

Ideas for quick snacks

Here are some quick and easy snack choices for your “natives”:

• Ants on a Log- celery stick with peanut butter and raisins
• Low fat cheese stick and apple slices
• Low fat Cottage Cheese and pineapple
• Smoothies with fruit and silken tofu
• Homemade pita chips (cut up tortilla and bake with different spices) and hummus (also great with carrots, peppers or celery)

For those picky eaters

Are your thinking “My kids will never eat that!”?  By no means am I advocating to starve your kids but if healthy foods are the only option they have…they will eventually try it. Kids are very resilient. One missed meal and I’ll bet they’ll eat at the next one.  They are not going to starve.  Think about when your child wants something, what do they do?  They ask over and over AND over until you concede. Simply reverse the tables on them. If you are consistent with them they will eventually give in. Then you can pat yourself on the back for adding a few years to their life.  Isn’t your child’s future important enough to stick to your convictions?

Nicole Simonin is an ACE certified Personal Trainer and Lifestyle & Weight Management Consultant and the owner of Shape It Up Fitness.

 

10 Best Foods for Your Heart

Simple food choices go a long way when it comes to your heart’s health. Focusing on fresh foods full of heart-healthy fats and antioxidants can decrease your risk of developing heart disease and cut your chances of a heart attack. These 10 foods will help keep your ticker in top shape.

Oatmeal
Start your day with a steaming bowl of oats, which are full of omega-3 fatty acids, folate, and potassium. This fiber-rich superfood can lower levels of LDL (or bad) cholesterol and help keep arteries clear.

Opt for coarse or steel-cut oats over instant varieties — the coarse and steel-cut contain more fiber — and top your bowl off with a banana for another four grams of fiber.

Read more

5 Ways to Boost Your Metabolism

“Metabolism” is the name of the bodily system that converts food calories to energy needed to perform various tasks, like pumping oxygen to muscles during a long walk. Many variables contribute to your metabolism, including heredity, gender and age. But you can quicken yours; here’s how.

Exercise more. When you walk, run, or lift weights, you increase the energy required of your body, which raises your metabolism then, and for hours afterward.

“It’s not a huge spike, but it makes a difference,” says Gary Miller, PhD, associate professor of health and exercise science at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

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