Flexibility training: I have to admit, this is my least favorite and an area of exercise I am really BAD at, however, it is very important!
- Purpose: Enhances your joints’ ability to move through a full range of motion. Keeping your muscles flexible will help improve physical performance and posture and reduce the risk of injury, low back pain, and muscle soreness; increase the flow of blood and nutrients to tissues; and help improve muscle coordination. It not only will make you feel better but function better.
- Types of activity:
- Stretching exercises (either alone or within a class setting)
- Consider: A yoga or Pilates class
- You can also use your Swiss Ball to do a variety of flexibility exercises
- The Foam Roller is great for spine mobilization and others areas of the body
- Last but not least, certain sports programs tailored to enjoy as a hobby, incorporate flexibility as part of their conditioning like Karate, jogging, biking, etc.
- Frequency: 3 to 5 times per week (perhaps after an exercise program)
- Duration: Approximately 10 to 20 minutes (or more, if you have the time)
- Intensity: To the point of tightness, not pain...and make sure your muscles are warm prior to your flexibility training regimen
Here is a website that has some photos of 8 stretches to get you started! Sports Fitness Advisor and more about flexibility training. This is Blog #3 of SIX BLOGS to cover the Diva 6 Components to an Effective Exercise Program: Flexibility Training 
- Cardiovascular conditioning
- Strength and endurance training
- Flexibility training
- Core and balance training
- Corrective exercises
- Functional training
Click her to see:
- Cardiovascular Conditioning
- Strength and Endurance Training
www.MyDivaDiet.com
WE MADE IT... on page ONE and even the #1 spot on google search since July of 2009!
After the release and one year of marketing MY DIVA DIET: A Woman's Last Diet, without leaving my home....our website (designed by Brian Anderson) made it on page #1, #1 spot of google for the keywords "diet book"! Results 1 - 10 of about 32,700,000 for diet book.
We are also on page one of google for "fat loss diet books", "women's diet book", and many other key words!
It was a year ago when MY TEAM and I completed MY DIVA DIET: A Woman's Last Diet Book. Amber, Brian, Scott, Sean, Michelle and Dan! Wow, what an ordeal–if I had knew writing a book was so difficult, I may not have done it. However, I am VERY proud of our book that helps women lose weight while maintaining or gaining their health.
MY DIVA DIET first review was by Margaret of Midwest Book Review....
Still another diet book? Well "My Diva Diet: A Women's Last Diet Book " is a diet book unlike you have ever seen before! Author and Certified Fitness Trainer Christine Lakatos, with the assistance of contributing author Amber Garman, along with help a team of folks that includes Brian Anderson, Scott Martin, Angelica Lakatos, Nicole Stuiber, Michelle Ahearn, Dan Port, Sean Troeger, and H. David Segal, M.D., bring to women a ground-breaking diet plan specifically designed to promote health, nutrition, weight loss, and a healthy lifestyle. This user-friendly, interactive instruction guide offers a workbook format providing quizzes, checklists, recipes, advice and tips -- but most importantly a plan designed for women of all ages for successfully losing and keeping off unwanted weight. In this quirky fun style with animated "fitness superheroes" and "diet villains" readers will be motivated and entertained while learning to achieve a healthier lifestyle. Readers will also find a wealth of knowledge and resources to achieve their desired goal and can checkout www.MyDivaDiet.com for information of follow up products due for release. "My Diva Diet" is confidently recommended for women of all ages and circumstances seeking to improve their physical health and well-being through diet and exercise.
We have since had many other reviews, endorsements by fitness experts and doctors, as well as comments about the book! Check it!
Our hope is to complete the next one to compliment the diet, MY DIVA DIET "Lets Train", a complete exercise guide for women of all ages and levels of fitness to get fit fit forever!
Our mission: "To empower women so that they can get into great shape, to challenge them to be better women, and to ensure a legacy of good health for the next generation!" E.C.L. Empower–Challenge–Legacy
Our legacy message is to help children so we have a dream of a possible video game and/or animated series for children to educate and motivate, while entertaining them, toward a healthy and fit lifestyle. Something WE all need!
Our commitment: To help you lose weight the safe, healthy, fastest and lifelong way!
MY DIVA DIET: A Woman's Last Diet Book
Amazon.com
Bodybuilding.com
Barnes & Noble.comGoogle Us–hopefully we will be on page #1 for a long time, bringing you more products to ensure your fat loss, get healthy, success!
Strength and Endurance Training: Muscular Fitness is actually a combination of both strength and endurance. Strength is the greatest force a muscle can exert in one effort; for example, the ability to lift an object one time. Endurance is the muscle's ability to make repeated efforts.
Strength gains come from resistance: how much weight you lift. Endurance is achieved through repetition: how many times you lift a weight in succession. Both are important to develop.
Even if you don't intend to be an athlete or bodybuilder, you should still care about muscular fitness because it:
- Impacts everyday activities
- Affects your sports performance when it's just a hobby
- Is a major factor in shaping your physique and reducing body fat.
Strength and endurance training in summary
- Purpose: Helps build muscle, strength and endurance, and bone density; has many other health benefits; increases lean body mass, which supports fat loss and makes you look firmer.
- Types of activity:
- Weight training with free weights and some machines
- Circuit training
- Consider: Pilates, which covers some strength, core, and flexibility training
- Frequency: 3 to 5 times per week
- Duration: Approximately 30 to 45 minutes
- Intensity: Depends on the number of sets and repetitions, weight load, and the rest period between sets
Weight training is one of the best ways to improve your Strength and Endurance
Benefits of weight training:
- Increases metabolic rate
- Increases bone density
- Increases lean body mass
- Injury prevention
- Improves balance, flexibility, mobility and stamina
- Decreases risk of coronary disease
- Aids in rehabilitation and recovery
- Enhances performance in sports or exercise
- Slows the aging process
- Makes you feel and look better
Prior to starting any exercise program make sure you are fit enough and consult a physician and a certified fitness trainer!
Here a few weight training programs you may consider:
Beginner: Full Body Routine
Intermediate: 2-way Split Routine
A: Chest, shoulders and arms--plus core
B: Legs and back--plus core
Advanced: 3-way Split Routine
A: Chest, shoulders and triceps
B: Legs
C: Back and biceps
Core can be done every other workout.
Check out a great Dumbbell Workout and how to get Six-Pack Abs and a Small Waistline
MY DIVA DIET is based on the Five Factors Affecting Body Fat and Health
The Five Factors
- Factor #1: Liquid Consumption
- Factor #2: Quantity and Distribution of Calories
- Factor #3: Quality and Purity of Calories
- Factor #4: Restrictive and Unbalanced Dieting
- Factor #5: Exercise
This is Blog #2 SIX BLOGS to cover the Diva 6 Components to an Effective Exercise Program: "Strength & Endurance Training" - Cardiovascular conditioning
- Strength and endurance training
- Flexibility training
- Core and balance training
- Corrective exercises
- Functional training
Click here to see Blog #1 Cardiovascular Conditioning
Cardiovascular Conditioning (alias "cardio") requires movement of the body by large muscles groups over a sustained period of time.
MY DIVA DIET is based on the Five Factors Affecting Body Fat and Health
The Five Factors
Factor #1: Liquid Consumption
Factor #2: Quantity and Distribution of Calories
Factor #3: Quality and Purity of Calories
Factor #4: Restrictive and Unbalanced Dieting
Factor #5: Exercise
I would like to spend the next SIX BLOGS to cover the Diva 6 Components to an Effective Exercise Program:
- Cardiovascular conditioning
- Strength and endurance training
- Flexibility training
- Core and balance training
- Corrective exercises
- Functional training
Today I will focus on Cardiovascular Conditioning
BENEFITS INCLUDE
- Increase in circulation
- Improvement in overall heart health, including increase in stroke volume and cardiac output
- Decreased blood pressure
- Decreased resting heart rate
- Increased lung function
- Improvement in blood lipid profile
- Less prone to fatigue
- Improvement in overall energy, stamina and endurance
- Increase in muscular endurance
- Increase in insulin sensitivity
- Improvement in mood and sense of well being
I'm not a fan of Dr. Phil but he does have a great page about Cardio -- By Robert Reames, CSCS, *D, RTS1, CPT
Component #1 Cardiovascular conditioning quick overview
- Purpose: Supports your heart and lungs, has many other health benefits; has a major impact on fat loss
- Types of activity:
- Biking, running, fast walking, stair climbing, rowing, etc. (outside or indoor)
- Consider: A spin class, group aerobics class, kick boxing, circuit weight training
- Frequency: 3 to 5 times per week
- Duration: Approximately 30 to 45 minutes
- Intensity: 75 to 85% of your maximum heart rate
As far as intensity goes, it is better to do a shorter duration and higher intensity than longer duration with a lower intensity.
Calculating Target Heart Rate:
Basic Target Heart Rate Example
220 - age = Max H.R 220 - 47 = 173
Max H.R X Intensity 178 X 85%= 147 per- min.
Therefore the cardiovascular zone is around 147 per min.
Karvonen method
The Karvonen method factors in Resting Heart Rate (HRrest) to calculate Target Heart Rate (THR):
THR = ((HRmax - HRrest) × %Intensity) + HRrest
Example for someone with a HRmax of 180 and a HRrest of 70:
50% intensity: ((180 - 70) × 0.50) + 70 = 125 bpm
85% intensity: ((180 - 70) × 0.85) + 70 = 163 bpm
Special Note: While cardio is great for your heart and lungs and does help with burning calories and will help you lose some weight, it is not as powerful as strength training, when you want to lose fat, re-shape your body and much more--this will be my next topic!
Increase your knowledge:
And check out my other blogs about Exercise:
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Exercise Tips by Super Fit Diva
So get up and go exercise, and yes the photo in the beginning is me when I was a track star--miss those days!
Fiber: The Abandoned Substance
“Where’s the water and fiber? The American diet lacks water and fibrous foods, so we become dehydrated and constipated–two unhealthy conditions that can leave you miserable.”
The American diet is full of processed and man-made food products. These foods rarely, if ever, contain fiber. To make matters worse, it’s relatively rare to see fresh and natural legumes, nuts, seeds, whole grains, vegetables, and fruits on an American table. With this kind of diet there will be consequences!
What is constipation?
Constipation commonly means infrequent bowel movements, difficulty during defecation, and incomplete bowel evacuation. What are the causes of constipation?
- Lack of daily fiber in the diet
- Dehydration
- Lack of physical activity
- Too much milk and other dairy products, like cheese
- Medications
- Irritable bowel syndrome
- Life changes or routine fluctuations such as pregnancy, aging, and travel
- Abuse of laxatives
- Ignoring the urge to have a bowel movement
- Specific diseases
- Problems with the colon and rectum
- Problems with intestinal function
Fiber
Fiber is necessary for proper digestion and elimination. The key health benefit of fiber is its regulation of intestinal track function, and a high-fiber diet may prevent common intestinal ailments like constipation, hemorrhoids, and diverticulosis. Fiber has also been linked to the prevention of colon and breast cancer. In addition, fiber can help lower blood sugar and manage diabetes and obesity. Because fiber makes you feel full, it will help you eat less, thus lose weight!
Types of Fiber:
Soluble and insoluble fiber are not actually digested as they travel through the digestive system. This means that instead of being absorbed into the bloodstream for use as energy, fiber excretes from the body. Soluble fiber is broken down in digestion and creates a jelly-like mass around digested food. This helps bowel regularity and lowers cholesterol. Insoluble fiber is not broken down during digestion and therefore works as an “intestinal scrubber”, helping prevent constipation. Recommended fiber consumption is 25 to 35 grams per day. Sources of fiber include legumes, nuts, seeds, grain, fruits, and vegetables.
Protect your colon–it is the place from which many diseases start. Increase your intake of fibrous foods and water! You will be happier, healthier, and leaner.
Top Fibrous Foods
Fruits & Vegetables are great one of the best sources of fiber! Make sure they are fresh and your vegetables are not overcooked. Occasional dried fruit is good too!
Legumes
- Cowpeas: ½ cup = 8.3 grams of fiber
- Chick peas: ½ cup = 7 grams of fiber
- Kidney beans: ½ cup = 6.9 grams of fiber
- Lima beans: ½ cup = 6.8 grams of fiber
- Navy beans: ½ cup = 4.9 grams of fiber
Grains
- Triticale: ½ cup raw = 8.7 grams of fiber
- Bran (corn): 2 Tbsp. raw = 7.9 grams of fiber
- Amaranth seeds: ¼ cup raw = 7.5 grams of fiber
- Rye: ¼ cup raw = 6.2 grams of fiber
- Barley: ½ cup cooked = 4.4 grams of fiber
Hot Cereal
- Raiston: ¾ cup cooked = 6 grams of fiber
- Wheatena: ¾ cup cooked = 4 grams of fiber
- Quaker oatmeal: ½ cup dry = 4 grams of fiber
- Quinoa Inca Red: ¼ cup dry = 4 grams of fiber
- Lundberg Cream of Rice: ¼ cup dry = 3 grams of fiber
Nuts & Seeds
- Pine nuts (dried): 1 oz. = 4.1 grams of fiber
- Pumpkin seeds (dried): 1 oz. hulled = 3.9 grams of fiber
- Chestnuts (roasted): 1 oz. = 3.7 grams of fiber
- Pistachios (dried): 1 oz. = 3.1 grams of fiber
- Coconut (raw): 1 oz. grated = 2.5 grams of fiber
Do yourself a favor, when you are about to prepare or eat a meal, ask this question "where's the fiber"? Fiber should be in every meal and you won't find it in foods that are considered protein like fish, chicken, turkey, beef, eggs, milk, cheese, etc. (the exception would be a fruit-fortified yogurt), and you won't find much, if any in man-made and processed foods!
Eat (and green drink) 25 to 35 grams of fiber each day and you will be healthier and LOSE WEIGHT and drink water all day every day! Check out "diet villain" ALERT: POPS -- dehydration and how water is so critical to health and weight loss!
Factor #2 of MY DIVA DIET: The quantity and distribution of calories are calculated.
- Total daily calories are approximately 1,200 to 1,600 (or more in some instances, depending on whether you are in the Diva Reduction Phase or Diva Maintenance Phase of MY DIVA DIET, your activity level, and other variables).
- Daily nutrient ratio for fat loss is 35% protein/45% carbs/20% fat (or close) and approximately 20 to 35% protein/45 to 65% carbs/20 to 30% for maintenance.
- Number of meals is four to five per day.
- Meal sizes are controlled appropriately (portion control).
- Meals are timed appropriately (every three to four hours).
This blog will focus on number of meals -- Eating frequent small meals throughout the day is a great way to lose weight!
Number of meals per day (including snacks)
There is another way we miss the mark. We think we are doing ourselves a favor by not eating all day, but by dinnertime we are starving and we overeat, grabbing whatever is at hand—and most of the time that “convenient” food is not healthy or fit.
* Notes
- When we are trying to become or stay healthy & fit, we want our calories to be used rather than stored as fat. More calories are stored as fat when we eat too much at one sitting.
- Glycogen storage—complex carbohydrates stored in the liver and muscles for later energy use—is okay, as long as we don’t store too much.
- We also need to watch our blood glucose levels.
- When we eat small, healthy, and fit meals every three or four hours, we can keep our blood glucose level stable, thus avoiding highs and lows in blood sugar.
- A stable blood glucose level will also help us burn fat more efficiently throughout the day.
- Eating frequent small meals is a much better safeguard for controlling blood glucose levels than relying solely on the glycemic index—a way of ranking carbohydrates according to their effect on blood glucose levels.
* Number of Meals Per Day Rules
- Take your 1,200 to 1,600 (or more) calories and break them down into four to five meals evenly spaced throughout the day, including snacks. For example, a 1,200-calorie day would mean 300 calories per meal.
Paw Daily Meal Plan Quick Guide
- Try to eat quality protein in 2 or 3 of your daily meals.
- Eat quality carbs in all 4 meals (just watch the type and amount).
- The fat will fall into place. (Fat is found in many protein-rich foods, and traces are found in grains, fruits, and vegetables.)
- Keep added fat to a minimum.
- Don’t forget your fiber.
* FYI's
- Here are a few tips to help you eat frequent small meals evenly spaced throughout the day for beneficial fat loss, health, and overall well-being:
- Plan ahead—cook more in the evening so you will have food for your breakfast and lunch the next day.
- Keep freshly cut vegetables available for snacks, to include in your lunch, for tortilla wrap and sandwich meals, and for omelets, soups, salads, etc.
- Pack your own lunch (and some snacks) for the day—it’s a great way to control your food choices.
The Five Factors
Factor #1: Liquid Consumption
Factor #2: Quantity and Distribution of Calories
Factor #3: Quality and Purity of Calories
Factor #4: Restrictive and Unbalanced Dieting
Factor #5: Exercise
To learn more about the 5 Factors Affecting Body Fat and Health -- check out my blog "Failure is Not an Option: Get Fit Forever with MY DIVA DIET's Formula for Success"
