Armed with this knowledge, many people think that losing weight should be easy with enough exercise. You may take this as bad news, but the truth is that for those who aren’t use to exercising and are out of shape, beginning an exercise program may actually lead to weight gain.

This fact, however, shouldn’t stop you from exercising, as you’ll eventually turn the weight corner and start losing.

What is it about exercise that may cause some people to gain instead of lose weight?

Muscle Mass: One of the main reasons exercising can lead to weight gain is that it promotes the growth of muscle mass.

If you are not use to working out and haven’t used certain muscles regularly, after exercising your muscles will be sore and will increase in size.  While you may burn off fat, muscle is denser than fat.  Therefore, the weight you gain is in your muscles.

And take heart.  Since muscles take up less space than fat, your extra weight doesn’t necessarily translate to larger size.  In fact, once you start working out, you’ll probably become thinner, even if you maintain your previous weight.  Instead of using a scale to determine if you are slimming down, have your body fat tested regularly or measure your body at certain areas like your waist.

If you see that you’re losing inches, then you know you’re on the right track.

Cardiovascular activities like walking, running, or swimming will encourage the growth of lean, toned muscles.  Other activities such as weight lifting promote the growth of larger, stronger muscles that contribute to weight gain.

There is good news in this.  If you stick with the exercise program, your muscles will soon stabilize in size and after a time, become toned.  After your muscles are strong and able to handle more strenuous workouts, you will be able to burn calories faster.

While it may be frustrating and disappointing to see the scale go up after starting an exercise routine, it shouldn’t stop you from exercising. You may just be building muscle faster than losing body fat. This can be especially true if you’re genetically prone to building muscle fast. The key is to incorporate plenty of cardio exercise in addition to strength training; that way you will burn plenty of calories during your routine and be more able to shed pounds.

Eating Habits: When you work out and burn calories, your body will feel the need to replace those burned calories.

This may make you feel more hungry than you usually do, which can cause you to eat more than normal – sometimes without knowing it.  A good idea is to keep a food journal to track the actual number of calories you are consuming.

You may also end up eating more calories and justifying their consumption since you’re exercising.  After a good workout, you may see an ice cream sundae as a reward for the calories you burned.  Be careful.  If you’re interested in losing weight, you can’t simply break even with your caloric intake and the amount of calories you burn.

At the same time, eating too few calories can be counterproductive and slow your weight loss.  Without enough calories, your body may slow its metabolism.  So eat plenty to keep your body well fueled, but choose healthy calories that will help your body recover after a workout and grow stronger.

Hydration: Depending on the time of day you weigh yourself, the scale may read differently.  Your weight can fluctuate as much as five pounds depending on the amount of water or food you have recently consumed, or the amount of water you have shed in sweat.  It is therefore important to weigh yourself at the same time.

My exercise programs are specifically designed to produce results quickly.

Call or email today to test drive a program that will get the numbers on your scale headed in the right direction.

Give It Time:  Whatever the cause of your weight gain after exercising, don’t give up!  Not only is exercise the key to shedding pounds, but it is also vital for overall health and well-being.  Give your body time to respond to a new routine.  It can take several weeks for your body to “recalibrate” itself to increased activity and changes in eating habits.  But once it does, you’ll begin seeing the weight-loss results you seek!

Food gives the energy needed to function mentally and physically. Don’t believe it? Consider this: Studies have shown that children who eat breakfast before school perform better on their reading and math scores, have longer attention spans, visit the school nurse less frequently, and are better behaved in class.

As if improved school performance weren’t reason enough to get your kids into eating breakfast, kids who eat a healthy breakfast are better able to get the daily nutrients they need. They are more likely to eat recommended levels of essential vitamins and minerals such as calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, riboflavin, folate, iron, and vitamins A, C, and B12. Breakfast-consuming children also have lower cholesterol levels.

Some kids, especially teenagers, skip breakfast because they would rather sleep in, or because they think skipping breakfast will help them lose weight. Unfortunately, skipping breakfast to lose weight is a myth.

In fact, those kids who don’t eat breakfast are more likely to have a greater body mass index (BMI) than those who do. Skipping breakfast makes kids so hungry they eat extra calories later in the day to make up for their skipped morning cuisine.

Easy, Healthy Options
Why aren’t your children eating a healthy breakfast each day? If it is because your family is too rushed in the morning, or you think you don’t have extra time to make them a homemade nutritious meal, it’s time to change your thinking. There are plenty of easy, fast, healthy foods to have readily available for your kids to grab and eat on the way.

Any food is better than no food for breakfast, but healthy foods give your kids the energy they require to make it until lunch. A great way to knock out breakfast is to handle it the night before by hard-boiling some eggs. Hard-boiled eggs are a great source of protein and are fast and easy in the morning.

You can also keep some small yogurt containers in the refrigerator for your kids to grab on the go, and of course, keep whole-grain bread, English muffins, or bagels on hand to toss in the toaster.

You can also warm up microwavable oatmeal or let the kids eat cereal bars in the car. Keep whole-grain, low-sugar cereals on hand that kids can eat with low-fat milk or yogurt. Lastly, keep fresh fruit such as apples, bananas, and pears readily available to eat on the go.

These are all nutritious options that are easy for moms or even kids to make themselves.

Good Start
So before rushing out the door tomorrow morning, make sure to give your kids a good start to the day. Fuel them up with a quick, healthy breakfast. They may not thank you, but their stomachs, minds, and teachers will.

Healthy eating goes hand in hand with maintaining a consistent and challenging exercise program. Call or email me today to get started on one of my programs that will get you feeling younger and more energetic than you thought possible.

Don’t wait – call or email today to get started.

4 Worst Breakfast Items
Don’t get caught eating one of these 4 things for breakfast:

1. Breakfast pastry: muffins, doughnuts, bear claws and croissants sure taste good with coffee, but all those refined carbs are going to cause unwanted weight gain.
2. Granola Bars: watch out for the breakfast bars that claim to give you fiber, vitamins and minerals. Check the number of carbs and sugars on the back of the label – most contain the same sugar as a pastry.
3. Cereal: here’s another popular breakfast item that has tons of sugar lurking beneath its surface. Only eat cereal that has no added sugar and that contains some protein and healthy fat.
4. Drive Thru Breakfast Sandwich: don’t even think about heading to the drive thru for a quick breakfast sandwich. Instead grab a hard boiled egg from home to enjoy on your commute.

Breakfast Protein Parfait

Here’s a great recipe to make the night before for an easy grab-n-go breakfast straight out of the fridge. It’s packed with protein, vitamins and minerals for sustained energy all morning long. And it tastes great too.

Servings: 1

Here’s what you need…

• 1/4 cup Greek Yogurt, plain, fat free
• 1/4 cup low fat cottage cheese
• 1 scoop high quality strawberry or vanilla protein powder
• 1/4 cup fresh berries
• 1 Tablespoon pecan pieces, toasted

In a small bowl use a whisk to combine the yogurt, cottage cheese and protein powder. Mix until well incorporated.

Place half of the yogurt mixture into a clear cup, top with the berries and then the remaining yogurt mixture. Top with pecans.

Nutritional Analysis: One serving equals: 260 calories, 6g fat, 307mg sodium, 11g carbohydrate, 4g fiber, and 38g protein.

Fiber.
Stocking up on fiber will do wonders for your abs. High fiber foods are nutrient dense and low in calories. Try these high fiber favorites: raspberries, pear (with skin), artichoke, peas, apples (with skin), broccoli, brussels sprouts, and carrots.

Medicine Ball.
The first medicine balls were created in Persia over 3,000 years ago, made with sand filled bladders and used by wrestlers as part of their conditioning. Today you can get the same rippling abs by incorporating medicine balls into your exercise routine. Do a sit-up holding a medicine ball at your chest then throw it to a partner as you raise your chest toward your knees; or hold a medicine ball with arms straight up in the air as you do crunches.

Reduced Salt.
Too much salt leads to water retention, and that spells disaster for your six pack. Pay attention to the sodium content of your food. Limit salt intake by not eating packaged foods and by putting down the salt shaker.

Oblique V-Sits.
Who really wants a muffin top? You don’t, so incorporate Oblique V-Sits into your routine in 3 simple steps. 1) Lie on your side with legs straight and hands behind your head. 2) Raise your arms and legs simultaneously, while exhaling and squeezing your obliques. 3) Repeat on the other side.

Lean Protein.
Along with fiber, your meals should be packed with lean protein. This will help support muscle growth while controlling blood sugar – all important factors when it come to washboard abs.

Sprints.
The days of long slow cardio sessions are long gone. We now know that short intense bursts of cardio is the ideal way to melt fat. Run 60-90 second sprints in between resistance training sets to really kick your fat burning mechanism into high gear.

No Sugar.
Sure, sugar tastes good, but indulging in it causes your body to store layers of fat. Enjoy fresh fruit, rather than refined sugar. If you really want washboard abs, then say no to sugar.

Hanging Leg Raises.
This is one of the most effective ways to strengthen your abdominals. 1) Hang from pull-up bar with legs fully extended. 2) Exhale and drive your knees up toward your chest. 3) Inhale as you slowly lower your legs back down.

No Grain.
If you’re serious about that six pack then put down the bread basket. Grains are full of insulin-spiking carbohydrates—the perfect combination for fattening you up. Learn to love grain-free meals that center around lean meats and vegetables.

Mountain Climbers.
Here’s another intense exercise that really targets your abs while also burning fat. 1) Get into push-up position. 2) Exhale as you alternately drive your knees in toward your chest, keeping your back flat.

Washboard Abs.
Contact me about my tummy flattening programs that will get you those washboard abs that you’re wishing for. Call or email today to get started

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If it is early in the morning allow yourself about 30 minutes before you start to workout to eat something like ½ of a pink grapefruit.  You can use a packet of Stevia or local honey to sweeten it.

Post Workout Tips
After you have finished a workout your body’s blood sugar has dropped and you are on empty.  If you don’t eat quickly your body will crash.

If you don’t give your body food high in protein in will begin to take protein from your muscles, which is what you don’t want to happen.  So instead, try 1 cup of Trader Joes’ Non-Fat Yogurt or 1 cup of Greek Yogurt like Fage or Oikos.  Add in ¼ cup of Bear Naked Peak Protein Granola.  That will give you about 25g of Protein.

You should eat this about 30-45 mins after your workout.  The next thing you should be consuming is a meal.