You have been working on your fitness this Spring in preparation for the kick-off of Summer and the various vacations you have planned.  Good for you!  Is it time for hot dogs and beer?  Well perhaps but if you want to break the vicious cycle of binging and cleansing, here are some things you will need to stay healthy through the summer:

Protein Powder  Pack one serving of protein per day that you are on vacation.  It might even save you on the cost of one meal per day but it will definitely help maintain your muscle mass that you have worked so hard for.

Detox Tea It is fun to treat yourself to cocktails or something a little sugary when you are away from home.  Help your liver and kidneys out with those excess toxins, sugar and fat my drinking some detox tea in the morning or at night.

Greens Powder It is hard enough for us to get enough dark, leafy greens in our diet when we are home.  Mix a serving of powdered greens into your shake or a glass of water to help get those nutrients and enzymes to keep your digestive track moving.

Fizzy Stick (Natural Energy Drink) The social norm is to wake up with a hangover and scream for coffee.  While it might have the effect of waking you up it’s going to further dehydrate you and possibly increase your headache. Instead, pour the contents of this fizzy stick into at least 8 ounces of water to get a good dose of B Vitamins along with a boost of Guarana, a natural tree bark caffeine.  Repeat if necessary.

Cleanse Capsules For those that have been through the 28 Days To Health™ weight loss and detox program you might have some leftover Ultra Body Cleanse Capsules.  Take 1-3 of those before you head to bed (after an indulgent day) and that will further aid your liver with antioxidants to complete it’s natural detoxification process.  If you have not been through this program please do not use this supplement on it’s own.  It needs to be combined with a proper nutrition program to minimize detoxification symptoms.  Contact me for more information.

Embrace your inner Boy Scout and BE PREPARED!  The idea of vacation is to let the stress of life’s tasks fade away but NOT all your hard work to become lean and clean.   Have a fantastic trip!

Kendra & Pam at the Fitness Court in SF

It was a gorgeous weekend in San Francisco!  I was there for a few days combining socializing and networking as I plan my return to my favorite city in the world.  After a couple of birthday celebrations and the amazing food that SF as to offer I was ready for a good sweat on Sunday.  My girlfriend Pam and I had planned to check out a new fitness studio but couldn’t bear to go inside on a sunny day in the city.  We chose to walk Chrissy Field and the Marina Green and then stumbled upon this amazing fitness court.

According to their Facebook Page, “The National Fitness Campaign builds fit communities by providing free-to-the-public outdoor Fitness Courts in schools and parks in the Bay Area and across the country.”  The court is a permanent fixture at the Marina Green and is open to the public.  It featured boxes and steps covered with all weather track and simple bar and ring apparatus to complete a full body workout.

We were greeted by our trainer Joe and we eagerly agreed to be led through the 7 minute circuit.  There were speakers set up that played a voice over telling you when to switch stations.  Joe walked us through the course stations which were clearly marked on the ground demonstrating and helping us through the workout.  The sun was blazing down and Pam and I laughed that we can’t believe we were so hot in San Francisco!

The circuit is fantastic and complete.  You move from planking to step-ups or box jumps to push-ups to lunges to a pulling exercise for your back to agility drills and finally to a lower back extension.  Every station has options for beginning through advanced and there were others doing their own exercises off to the side.   The circuit takes 7 minutes to complete and you can go around as many times as you want.  Pam and I did it twice and walked back along the marina and felt great about our workout for the day.

The trainers there representing the National Fitness Campaign told us we could download a podcast of the voice over telling you how to go through the circuit.  So any time you go to workout you can have the benefit of the timer.  You can check out more information on the free fitness court and others around the nation at their website.

Arbonne's Global Training Conference 2012

Last weekend I spent 72 hours in Las Vegas re-igniting my passion for working in the health and wellness industry.  I was surrounded by 9100 other men and women from around the world who have the common goal to share what we know as the “Arbonne Experience.”  My big take away from the conference was not only a stronger conviction in the products and brand that I have grown to love BUT, more importantly, that I have the opportunity to help others with their dreams by sharing what I do.

We are all looking for better health.  Every night on the news we hear reports about diseases or studies on foods and diet programs.  Every magazine features some celebrity and “how they lost the baby weight” or “what they eat when they are on the road.”  As a whole we want to feel better and live longer but we are challenged with temptations or bad information along the way.

I must have made 25 calls to my clients and colleagues yesterday updating them on the new and improved products that Arbonne launched in Vegas.  What I found was a genuinely enthusiastic response.  My clients are always sharing right back at me all the healthy foods, protein shake recipes and workouts that are helping them reach a higher level of vitality.  This creates an amazing synergy that affirms the career path I have chosen.

My goal and focus this year is to help people realize that they are already working with me when they share their experiences in health and the nutrition tools that Arbonne provides.  The message can be spread louder and further if we all tell our friends what is working for us.  It is very simple.  We have seen people in our network try diets with 800 calories a day, starve themselves with drinking only juice for days on end or exercising hard for countless days and not replenishing their body with proper nutrition.  Lets raise the awareness of simple, solid nutrition information and help change the direction of this country.

My dreams are big and my passion is strong.   If you connect to this passion for health and wellness and want to learn how you can be a part of it please contact me.   Let’s find health and prosperity together in one place.

Check out the first few minutes of the conference in this Growing Strong Video

Copyright Ruben Domingo Photography

That might sound like a scientifically proven statement but it’s not.  It’s true for me though and maybe for you.

Today marks Day 19 of my 28 Days To Health™ nutrition program.  I am feeling fantastic!  My digestion has really improved, my energy has increased, I am sleeping deeper and I am really into getting my exercise.

Yes, I have been a personal trainer for 10 years but I go through the same cycles of workout frequency that most people do.  My ideal is to work out 4-6 times per week.  This number depends on my schedule but also how intense my workouts are.  If I am doing heavy weight lifting and get really sore then I take more rest days in between.

When you go through a program like 28 Days To Health or a time period where you are being stricter than normal on your diet, a few things happen:

No alcohol means no hangover! – Maybe I am showing my age but even a couple of glasses of wine can make me lose sleep and feel groggy and lethargic in the morning.  Alcohol also dehydrates you and even slight dehydration can affect workout performance.

Better quality of sleep – This time around it took me about 5 days into the cleanse to not be tossing and turning.  Even though I was not wide awake during those night and I was in the bed for 8 hours, I wasn’t in the full REM cycle.  Now on Day 19 I wake up refreshed and figuring out what form of exercise I want today . . . yoga, weights, dance class?

Increased recovery time – After a resistance workout your muscles need anywhere from 24-72 hours to fully repair.  By removing the inflammatory foods like gluten, dairy, sugar and alcohol I am less sore and feel ready to workout again sooner than before.  Even if I am moderately sore from a leg workout I can choose to do yoga or something less strenuous.  Either way I get to move!

More time available – At the moment I am in the middle of a 4 day stretch of having only protein shakes.  This frees up a lot of time I would normally be preparing and/or going out for meals.  Getting outside or to the gym also helps me stay on my diet program so I am not loitering around the kitchen and challenging my resolve.

It’s going to be a beautiful weekend in California so get out there and be grateful you have the ability to move and thrive!

It is once again my turn to experience the 28 Days To Health™ program that I teach.  I am going through the online course which has been updated by the company and I am loving the daily emails that I get.  This morning I awoke and my email says “It’s Day 12 — Sixteen to go!  Are you sick of your shakes?”  Well actually I was kinda thinking that.

It’s amazing how right on the email content speaks to the experience I am having every day.  There is a different topic featured each day which is a good reminder of the concepts of the program.  For example so far I have seen, preparing your kitchen, using spices, healthy fats, hidden sugars, gluten explained, etc.

There are other fantastic features in each daily email.  There is a daily recipe which are all in the manual but it is helpful to see one at a time because I honestly have never gone and read through the whole recipe list.   The daily schedule of supplements spells out how much protein powder, detox tea, cleanse capsules etc that you need to fit into your routine.  At the bottom is a ‘Tip of the Day’ which help to keep you focused and motivated.

SO . . . HOW DO I FEEL?  Someone asked me this last night at our Healthy Happy Hour in Reno, NV.  At Day 4 my afternoon hunger subsided and I was able to go three meals a day without snaking.  It was also at that point that I count feel the brain fog start to lift.  Sometimes people experience a bit of emotional cleansing as you start to balance your hormones through proper nutrition.

Around Day 8 I could feel my favorite benefit of mental clarity start to come on.  This past work week has been incredibly productive.  I am following through on tasks that have been on my ‘To Do’ list for quite a while. Some morning I have felt groggy and some I feel more refreshed.  I expect that to improve in the next week to where my grogginess does not happen.

As for craving the sugars and “bad” food I am doing pretty well.  Last night I had to avert my eyes from the bowl of chocolate covered almonds.  I allowed myself some the Arbonne Fit Chews which have some pure can sugar in them but also have herbal appetite suppressant.  This emergency dessert comes in handy especially at social functions where others are indulging.

At almost the half way point and I am excited for the results to get better and better.

Check out these great tips from this article found of FoxBusiness.com on how to save while shopping for ogranic.

Click here to find the Dirty Dozen which are fruits and veggies that are the most contaminated therefore you SHOULD buy their organic counterparts.

Read the entire article here.

On this wonderful Spring holiday morning I thought I would share my favorite bunny joke with you.  This is Day 7 of the cleanse program for me so my indulgences are limited to a couple deviled eggs and some strawberries.  My family is going golfing AND playing some Bocce Ball later so that should keep me occupied.  Have a fantastic day!

Dr Oz gives good tips on how to make sure you have a successful detox experience.  As I am on Day 3 of the 28 Days To Health™ program myself, I am very conscious of my eating and exercise habits and just about to break through to feeling better energy.

Dr Oz’s tips are:

Don’t go cold turkey.  When I coach clients who are heavy coffee drinkers, alcohol consumers or smokers we discuss taking a couple of weeks prior to starting the 28 Day program to ween themselves off those habits.  This will soften the detox symptoms.

Don’t starve yourself.  Many people are fearful of cleanse programs because they hear about things like drinking only lemon water with cayenne pepper for weeks on end.  28 Days To Health™ spends a lot of time educating clients on how to create hormonally balanced meals that include carbohydrates, proteins and fats in every meal (or even liquid shake meals!)

Drink plenty of water.  A 28 Days to Health™ mantra is “The solution to pollution is DILLUTION!”  Between the recommended protein shakes, detox tea, colon cleanse drinks, herbal tea and “fizzy” tabs energy drinks our clients automatically get plenty of water to aid the body in flushing toxins.

Research your detox plan.  Our clients have the comfort of knowing that there is a board of directors behind the content in the 28 Days To Health™ program including medical doctors, naturopath doctors, chiropractors and other health care professionals.  It is always recommended to check with your personal doctor to make sure you are cleared to make better diet habits.

Don’t reward the end of the detox with a food binge.  The last week of the program is spent preparing participants for “Life after the 28 days.”  We discuss testing yourself for food sensitivities, making better choices, party tips and tricks and living a 80/20 lifestyle.  (Eating cleanse friendly 80% of the time and allowing some “treats” 20% of the time.)

Click here to watch the short video from Dr Oz.

To learn more about the 28 Days To Health™ weight loss and detox program click here.

From the producers of Food Matters comes a new food documentary that will motivate and re-inspire you to continue or START your quest for wholesome, real food that will provide the nutrition you need for a healthy body.  Hungry For Change steps away from the horror scenes at the factory farms and through various interviews from health and nutrition experts gives a powerful call to action to step up and demand better health for yourself.

Some of the topics are a repeat from other food documentaries out there but even so give a slightly different perspective.   In my 10 years in the health and fitness industry I find that repetition is what we need to counter-balance the images and messages we get via marketing of the big food industry in this country.  I jotted down some of the quotes that caught my attention during the film.  Unfortunately I did not write down who said what but my intention is to inspire you to watch the film for yourself.  It is FREE until March 31st so take 90 minutes for yourself sometime this week.

One of these topics is sugar and how it is the basis for the current American diet.  An expert claims, “we need to expand our definition of sugar . . . it’s more than just the white sugar . .  it’s waffles, pancakes, bread, pasta sauce, pasta, cereal etc.”  Quite simply it is put, “Its not fat that makes you fat, it’s sugar that makes you fat.”  They thoroughly cover the topic of soda and claim that ”Diet Soda will make you fat!”  We teach this is the 28 Days To Health program too.  The chemicals that make these soda “diet” or 0 calorie are toxins that our body doesn’t know what to do with.   Our insulin reacts even without the actual sugar and creates the same fat storing situation in the body.

Hungry For Change brings to our attention that “food kills more people than drugs and alcohol combined.”  We have so many safety measures around traffic laws, prescription drug control through the FDA, toy safety tests and warnings but everyday we are shoving a mystery cocktail of chemicals and genetically modified foods into our mouths and it is so dangerous.

For obvious reasons I was thrilled with the section of detoxification.   I loved the way they explained the connection of weight loss and detoxing, “As long as you are taking in more toxins then you are eliminating, your body’s not gonna let you burn fat because burning the fat will just put more toxins into your body so you have to address the fact that you’re being assaulted with toxins before your body will allow you to let go of fat.”  They give suggestions on foods to include in your diet like parsley and chia seeds that will promote your body’s ability to detoxify naturally.

I plan on watching this movie again this week.  As my friends and I gear up to start the 28 Days To Health program in one short week it’s a great reminder of the importance to treat our body with the greatest of care.  If you are inspired by this film like I was then ask me how you can take your own strides towards a healthier you.