tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-41127522209091696932023-07-17T22:05:08.409-07:00Get Fit~Feel Great~Live Well...Choose to Live Well!Karissa Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05308921591683706754noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4112752220909169693.post-28066153798914221162011-12-16T12:56:00.000-08:002011-12-16T13:04:40.389-08:00Let's get Active!I would really like to get this blog active again by answering some of YOUR questions. Please send me those burning "you've always wanted to know" questions about fitness and nutrition. I'm certain this topic is on your mind a bit with the new year just around the corner! Please email questions and topics of interest to PremierPhysique@gmail.com<br /><br />Speaking of getting active, is this something you could use a little encouragement on this month? Here are a few ideas to minimize that dreaded holiday weight gain.<br /><br />1. Just 10 minutes<br />Can you afford just 10 minutes at the beginning of the day? A walk around 1 block, a quick jog on the treadmill (take those clothes off it the night before!), a home strength routine using an exercise ball? It will not only boost your metabolism for hours, but start your day in a "healthy" frame of mind. You just may make a different choice when you pass those red and green tinfoil wrapped candies at the office later!<br /><br />2. Park farther away<br />As if you have a choice! No reason to wait in a row of cars though if that's your secret to getting the upfront parking spot at the mall. Take that a little less glamorous spot in the back corner of the lot.<br /><br />3. Enough shopping online!<br />Isn't it easier to pick something out when you see it in person anyway? All this online holiday shopping is just adding up to even more holiday pounds. Get off your bum and get to the store. :)<br /><br />Have a very Merry Christmas!Karissa Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05308921591683706754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4112752220909169693.post-42110405813542054032011-07-06T13:10:00.000-07:002011-07-06T13:15:39.488-07:00Beat the Heat: Tips for your outdoor workouts this summerIt’s the heat that’s making your workouts real tough these days! Here are some tips for making it through during these hottest days of summer.<br /><br />1. Safety first: If the heat index (temperature combined with humidity) is over 100, choose to exercise indoors.<br />2. Lower your expectations. Change your goal for the day – maybe just to finish the workout! <br />3. Drink extra water – consider bringing a water bottle with you during your workout, but especially be drinking a lot the day of/day before to get yourself extra hydrated. Cold water is more beneficial in these temps than room temperature water. Also, help drop your core temperature by pouring water on your head! <br />4. Be willing to alter your workouts – it’s okay to do more cross-training (swimming! water running!) and less of your usual sport…when you do exercise on land, head out earlier in the morning or later in the evening. Sunrise is best.<br />5. Consider adding a sports electrolyte drink for a little more energy. Choose a natural brand that does not contain artificial flavors or colors such as Recharge or Y Water. Also check out some of the online recipes available to make your own.<br />6. Clothing: wear a visor with a sweat band; a hat will not allow the heat to escape your head. Wear performance materials that wick sweat away from the body rather than cotton.<br />7. Embrace your chance to soak up some vitamin D by choosing only moderate protection sunscreen made from natural ingredients such as titanium dioxide and zinc oxide. Chemical sunblocks will INCREASE your risk of skin cancer. There are many acceptable choices available at your local natural foods store.<br />8. Get creative: here are some tips I found in Runner’s World, definitely on the creative side!<br /><br />Miami Ice: Steve Brookner of the Bikila Athletic Club in Miami came up with this idea while running the marathon leg of Ironman Arizona. "They had thin sponges at each aid station," he says. "So I took one and grabbed a couple of ice cubes." He put the cubes on top of the sponge, then put his hat on over both. As the ice melted into the sponge, it created a cool spot on his head and a nice trickle of water running down his neck. <br /><br />The Tucson Cold Cap: Randy Accetta, president of the Southern Arizona Roadrunners and a 1996 Olympic Trials marathoner, keeps his head cool in the extreme heat of Tucson with his "cold cap." "I'll soak a baseball cap in water and put it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes or overnight before a morning run," he says. "An old baseball cap retains the moisture longer than the new technical hats."<br /><br />The Badwater Bandanna: For years, Denise Jones puzzled over the best way to keep the competitors in the Badwater Ultramarathon cool. Finally, Jones--considered the "dean" of Badwater aid-station volunteers--came up with the answer: Lay a bandanna out in a diamond shape. Place a row of ice cubes in a horizontal line, just below one tip of the bandanna. Then roll it up "like a burrito," and tie it around your neck. "We've found that this is the best way to keep runners cool," she says. "It feels wonderful.Karissa Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05308921591683706754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4112752220909169693.post-49930600088216326572011-05-13T19:24:00.000-07:002011-05-13T19:29:42.464-07:00Low Fat or Low Carb? Part 2So if low-carb does seem to show greater results, then what’s wrong with this approach?<br /><br />Low-carb dieting at first is primarily water loss. This isn’t always bad, except that the water quickly returns when the regime is stopped. And the dehydration this causes has several negtative effects on our delicate systems. Most importantly though, low-carb always results in muscle loss. Those pounds coming off are often more muscle than fat. You see, most of our body can function just fine on the energy from proteins and fats. But our brains and our livers cannot. They absolutely need glucose. When we aren’t getting any through our diet, the body resorts to the backup plan: break down muscle to obtain glycogen, and convert it into glucose. <br /><br />A low-carb dieter’s body is under chronic stress from this situation. This is incredibly detrimental to athletes, who not only need their muscle but need the quick energy from carbs for successful workouts. Even the casual gym-goer trying to tone up and get fit will find their capacity severly limited without energy for their workouts and with a body chronically breaking down their muscle mass.<br /><br />Before I sound all "pro-carbohydrate" I want to clarify that I do think the American diet is WAY too high in carbs. I don't think we need any flour or pasta and I certainly don't think we need any sugar. I believe daily consumption of plenty of fruits and vegetables and unrefined whole grains can help one to have adequate carbohydrate intake.<br /><br />So if not low-fat or low-carb, what’s the answer? Moderation. We don’t like that word, do we. Portion control? Balance? Self-discipline? Patience for results? Difficult concepts in today’s “have-it-now” mentality… but assets to be gained for a lifetime of health.Karissa Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05308921591683706754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4112752220909169693.post-11108109479019554932011-04-28T21:06:00.000-07:002011-04-28T21:08:49.360-07:00Low Fat or Low Carb? Part 1Since the “experts” keep changing their mind, it is no wonder that we are thoroughly confused about proper nutritional techniques for weight loss and maintenance. You probably will not be surprised that my answer is neither. Low Carb, I will say, has its place for certain situations, but this needs to be entirely based on the understanding that our modern diets are easily too high in carbohydrates, and we certainly could all benefit from cutting down on processed breads and pasta. But let’s take a closer look at these two dieting techniques, first understanding what these nutrients are.<br /><br />Our caloric consumption from food comes from four basic energy-providing nutrients. Carbohydrates contain 4 calories per gram, protein 4 cal per gram, fat 9 cal per gram, and alcohol 7. No the latter is not very nutritious, but it is important to note that it is indeed a source of energy, providing more calories per weight than most of our foods. I certainly don’t have a problem with the low-alcohol diet, which is quite beneficial since alcohol calories convert easily into belly fat.<br /><br />But carbs, proteins and fats are all essential nutrients for health. Yes, even fat. Unfortunately heart disease has only skyrocketed since reducing this important component of our diets over the last few decades. The low-fat craze of the 80s did provide a quick weight loss solution for many. After all, cut out the nutrient that provides 9 calories per gram and it’s easy to create the calorie defecit needed. But like all other popular protocols, the pounds piled back on. <br /><br />The low-fat philosophy was mostly based on an ideology that just doesn’t stand up to science. If you want to lose fat, eat less fat, right? The truth is that eventually our body’s need for this nutrient will only program our bodies to store more of it. This diet also has shown significantly less results than low-carb dieting in many studies, and one of the reasons is thought to be the difficulty in maintaining it.<br /><br />Stay tuned for the low-carb review!Karissa Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05308921591683706754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4112752220909169693.post-20525156139209843712011-03-15T21:13:00.001-07:002011-03-15T21:14:59.520-07:00Returning to Fitness PostpartumMoms On The Run has a prenatal and postnatal fitness specialist, Laura Polikowsky. Here is what Laura has to say!<br /><br />Q: I had a baby six weeks ago and my doctor has given me the OK to resume exercise again, now what?<br /><br />A: Congratulations, now we just need to find some time for you to exercise! As we know the sleep habits of a newborn can leave you barely enough time to get yourself fed let alone squeeze in a workout. If you are lucky enough to live in a climate where a walk outside is possible I suggest you begin there. Start with a short 20 minute walk to see how your body and the baby respond. If all is well continue to increase the length and speed of your walk. If you would like to begin running and your body feels ready, utilize an interval program such as Moms On The Run to progress slowly into running. <br /><br />If the weather is not conducive to walking outside and your child likes the car seat, consider taking them to the gym with you. Most gym based child care centers will not take children until they are 3 months old but until then they can go on the workout floor with you. If you time it right they may sleep in the car seat the entire time you are on the elliptical or bike. Other moms place their babies into the baby carrier and workout on the elliptical or treadmill with the baby strapped on. If you choose this method make sure your posture is fantastic and your baby does not get too warm.Karissa Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05308921591683706754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4112752220909169693.post-8912901308412573012011-02-27T20:17:00.001-08:002011-02-27T20:23:32.804-08:00Priority #1 in Weight Loss: Keep your MuscleA while back we talked about the hard WORK of weight loss and the problem with typical diet techniques that result in a 95% rate of regaining the weight.<br /><br />To get off the yo-yo cycle and keep weight off for good, a dieter’s first priority needs to be to maintain their muscle. This is the only way for one’s metabolic rate to maintain as their weight is decreased. This doesn’t result in the fastest weight loss, that's for sure. Muscle does after all have weight. So what does this mean from a diet and exercise standpoint? First of all, it completely unvalidates any weight loss programs that do not promote fitness. Maintaining muscle in periods of calorie reduction can only be done through exercise. Strength training especially will help to maintain this muscle.<br /><br />Second, it means we have to be conservative about cutting calories so that our bodies have enough nutrition to maintain our muscle mass while we lose. If you are serious about long term weight maintenance and health, don’t allow yourself to lose weight too fast. Depending on how much you have to lose, even 1 or 2 pounds a week could mean you are losing muscle along with the fat. Consider creating your calorie reduction by exercising more, which improves your metabolic rate, over eating less, which decreases your metabolism.<br /><br />Lastly, it means that weight in itself is not a good measure of your progress towards losing body fat. A body composition test is a service provided by most personal trainers that shows you the amount of fat you’re losing. If slow results have been a deterrent in the past, body fat testing can be instrumental in keeping you motivated.Karissa Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05308921591683706754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4112752220909169693.post-89281447976349824562011-02-13T09:32:00.000-08:002011-02-13T09:45:19.992-08:00Strengthen your Low BackStrengthening your low back as you strenghten your frontal core muscles is important to keeping your muscles in balance and preventing low back pain. I recommend the following basic low back exercise because it is easy to do with no equipment and is very effective, requiring very little time.<br /><br />Lie on your stomach with arms extended above your head. (Think: Superman!)<br />Lift one arm while simultaneously lifting the opposite leg. Keep your head down and lift from the lower back. Alternate sides, lifting slowly and in a controlled fashion. As you get used to the exercise, hold this position for 15 seconds and then switch sides. Do each side 2-4 times. As this becomes easy, lengthen the holds to 30 seconds and then 1 minute. When one minute becomes comfortable, try adding a "pulse" - just a small movement up and down instead of holding steady. Start at 30 seconds and then work up again.<br /><br />The video below shows the initial exercise, slow lifts without the hold or pulse.<br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNbun_9jNPQ&feature=related">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNbun_9jNPQ&feature=related</a><br /><br />If lying all the way on the ground is uncomfortable, you also can do this exercise by balancing on one knee and one hand:<br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKphoBQZnpE&feature=related">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKphoBQZnpE&feature=related</a><br /><br />You are well on your way to a strong and healthy back!Karissa Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05308921591683706754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4112752220909169693.post-15428298634142075072011-01-31T20:05:00.001-08:002011-01-31T20:11:07.469-08:00A Stronger CoreCore strength is about so much more than a flat, toned midsection. Keeping strong abdominal muscles is essential for preventing low back pain by helping to maintain that spinal alignment you are working so hard to achieve with Dr. Ploeger.<br /> <br />Although crunches are beneficial, and better for most than sit ups or the abdominal machines in the gym, strengthening the rectus abdominus “6 pack” muscles is not as important as strengthening the transverse abdominus. Your transverse is more crucial to core strength and is the muscle that “holds it all in.” Many people spend countless hours crunching, only to find no effect in the tummy-flattening department. <br /><br />Here are some basic exercises that you can get started with. <br /> <br />Crunch on a fitness ball: You will activate millions of more muscle fibers than you will crunching on the ground. You’ll still get to work your rectus muscles, but you’ll also have to get every other muscle in your core involved as well for balance. Make sure you pull your stomach in tightly to prevent your low back from arching as you crunch. How far should you “hang off” the ball? Choose a position on the ball that is challenging, but does not allow movement in your low back. Here is a good video to demonstrate:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTfIFu5DQi8&feature=fvsr">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTfIFu5DQi8&feature=fvsr</a><br /><br />Most beginners will not want to start that far back off the ball. Make sure that your hips are not moving. They should be sturdy throughout the movement, not pushing into the ball near the top.<br /><br />Plank: Hold your body up on your knees and elbows, keeping your elbows directly beneath your shoulders and your hips in line with your torso and legs. Keep your abs and glutes tight so that your low back does not sag. When you can comfortably hold this position, try increasing the plank to be on your toes instead of your knees. Check yourself in a low mirror if available – your whole body should look like one straight line.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEIwWzqx3-o">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEIwWzqx3-o</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGxrXqpAPUI">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGxrXqpAPUI</a><br /><br />Next week we will review low back exercises to complete the picture.Karissa Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05308921591683706754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4112752220909169693.post-70677197354117497762011-01-31T20:05:00.000-08:002011-01-31T20:07:50.248-08:00A Stronger CoreCore strength is about so much more than a flat, toned midsection. Keeping strong abdominal muscles is essential for preventing low back pain by helping to maintain that spinal alignment you are working so hard to achieve with Dr. Ploeger.<br /> <br />Although crunches are beneficial, and better for most than sit ups or the abdominal machines in the gym, strengthening the rectus abdominus “6 pack” muscles is not as important as strengthening the transverse abdominus. Your transverse is more crucial to core strength and is the muscle that “holds it all in.” Many people spend countless hours crunching, only to find no effect in the tummy-flattening department. <br />Here are some basic exercises that you can get started with. <br /> <br />Crunch on a fitness ball: You will activate millions of more muscle fibers than you will crunching on the ground. You’ll still get to work your rectus muscles, but you’ll also have to get every other muscle in your core involved as well for balance. Make sure you pull your stomach in tightly to prevent your low back from arching as you crunch. How far should you “hang off” the ball? Choose a position on the ball that is challenging, but does not allow movement in your low back. Here is a good video to demonstrate:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTfIFu5DQi8&feature=fvsr">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTfIFu5DQi8&feature=fvsr</a><br /><br />Most beginners will not want to start that far back off the ball. Make sure that your hips are not moving. They should be sturdy throughout the movement, not pushing into the ball near the top.<br /><br />Plank: Hold your body up on your knees and elbows, keeping your elbows directly beneath your shoulders and your hips in line with your torso and legs. Keep your abs and glutes tight so that your low back does not sag. When you can comfortably hold this position, try increasing the plank to be on your toes instead of your knees. Check yourself in a low mirror if available – your whole body should look like one straight line.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEIwWzqx3-o">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEIwWzqx3-o</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGxrXqpAPUI">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGxrXqpAPUI</a><br /><br />Next week we will review low back exercises to complete the picture.Karissa Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05308921591683706754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4112752220909169693.post-6432950654970644662011-01-04T19:55:00.000-08:002011-01-04T20:24:10.642-08:00Do the Golden Arches want in on your New Year's Resolutions?Does McD's usually see their sales go down in January while everyone is on their health kick? They certainly are keeping up on market changes at least, introducing this week a rather scrumptious-looking Fruit & Maple Oatmeal that you can find on TV or the home page of McDonalds.com. It certainly looks healthy, and admittedly tempted me to stop by that drive thru I haven't seen in a few years.<br /><br />But if we are attempting to live by the rule of eating foods we've heard of before, let's take a little closer look at a few of the ingredients:<br /><br />modified food starch, sulfur dioxide, calcium ascorbate, undefined cream (?!*!), sodium phosphate, diacetyl tartaric acid ester of monoglyceride, sodium stearoyl lactylate, sodium citrate....<br /><br />My spell-check's not liking those words so well! Save the 5 minutes in the drive thru, and pull out the raisins and dice up some apples while your oats are cooking.<br /><br />Decisions like that, time after time... that's what will make 2011 your best year yet!Karissa Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05308921591683706754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4112752220909169693.post-64378041186136764512010-12-10T16:23:00.000-08:002010-12-10T16:25:50.881-08:00"But I walk every day!"One of the biggest deterrents for many when it comes to taking a big step forward towards a healthy weight goal is the failure of their past attempts. Sure we can blame that on lack of motivation or commitment, and sometimes that’s the case. But I also think there are large gaps of knowledge missing for the average person when it comes to HOW to lose weight. People have vastly oversimplified a complex problem into “eat less exercise more.”<br /><br />A big misconception out there is that daily exercise will lead to weight loss. Daily exercise of moderate intensity leads to weight MAINTENANCE. Multiple times I’ve heard expressed “But I walk every day! And I haven’t lost a pound.” I typically respond with “So your weight has stayed the same? That’s great!”<br /><br />Congratulations are definitely in order. The average American gains 5 pounds a year! In order to achieve weight loss, we need to accept this basic fact: it takes WORK to MAINTAIN one’s weight in our modern technologically assisted lifestyles. People are so focused on their desire to lose, that they are unaware that they are actually gaining.<br /> <br />The bottom line is that weight LOSS is not just work. It’s HARD work. It may just be the hardest thing you will ever do. In fact, I believe it has to be one of a person’s top priorities or it will never happen. Let me clarify that it CAN be easy – a fad diet or starvation, but we all know how quickly those pounds pile back on. Weight loss that comes off and stays off… that deserves a medal of honor. 95% of all weight lost is regained (and more!) Stay tuned to learn practical tips on how not to be another statistic.Karissa Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05308921591683706754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4112752220909169693.post-78525827413072269642010-11-23T11:54:00.000-08:002010-11-23T12:06:54.087-08:00Trim your Turkey DayThanksgiving is full of challenges for the health-conscious among us. What can we do to fight back against the "normal" weight gain of 1-2 pounds in one day?<br /><br />Here are my top 5 tips for a healthier holiday:<br /><br />1. Go for a run in the morning.<br />...Or any form of exercise, really! Cardiovascular exercise helps to suppress the appetite for most people. Just don't buy into that little voice when you're done telling you you deserve an <span style="font-style:italic;"></span>extra <span style="font-style:italic;"></span> piece of pie.<br /><br />2. Get all the food set up on the counter for serving, not the table. It is easier to think twice about an extra serving when the food is out of easy reach.<br /><br />3. Start your meal with a full glass of water. Water suppresses the appetite and increases satiety. Better yet, try this at every meal!<br /><br />4. Dawdle. Take small bites. Take your time and enjoy each and every morsel. Most Americans chew 5-6 times a bite when it should be 15! Put your fork down between bites and focus on the conversation, and your friends and family around you more than the food. <br /><br />5. Stay the course. One hard day doesn't minimize the positive effects of your previous week's efforts. Get right back on track Friday... why not pack a lunch with fresh veggies before you head out to shop?! No need to add one more line to wait in Friday if you can skip the drive-thru.Karissa Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05308921591683706754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4112752220909169693.post-1198499482834949032010-11-01T12:22:00.000-07:002010-11-01T12:25:12.480-07:00$40 billion$40 billion...<br /><br />This is the amount Americans are currently spending every year on their efforts to lose weight. Is it working? Well no. We are fatter than ever. We try time after time, jumping on the latest fad diet or pill or exercise machine. Let’s take a look at some of the craziest diets in history:<br /><br />1820 – the vinegar diet (side effects include vomiting and diarrhea – yep, weight loss!)<br /><br />1830- Graham’s Cracker Diet –eat crackers and bread, they won’t make you promiscuous<br /><br />1857 - Zander Rooms – fat massagers<br /><br />1903 – Chew and Spit it Out<br /><br />1920s – the grapefruit and coffee diet<br /><br />1925 – the cigarette diet (they were allowed to advertise the appetite-suppressing benefits)<br /><br />1930s – slimming soap (hand soap that “firms, tones and de-fats”)<br /><br />1935 – Dinitrophenol – a weed killer that mysteriously caused factory workers to lose weight…so 100,000 dieters consumed before discovering it was causing blindness and death<br /><br />1954 – the Tapeworm Diet<br /><br />1964 – The Drinking Man’s Diet – you can drink gin and vodka, just don’t eat carbs<br /><br />1970s – the “last chance” diet – consumers drank Prolinn, a juice made of <br />slaughterhouse byproducts. And then they died.<br /><br />1979 -The Martinis and Whipped Cream Diet<br /><br />1970s - The Sleeping Beauty Diet – just go to bed for a week (Elvis)<br /><br />1980 - Breatharian Diet – who needs food when there’s yoga<br /><br />2000 - Vision Dieter Glasses – food is less appealing<br /><br />2000 - Cotton ball diet<br /><br />This isn’t just history folks. We still have electronic ab belts, the Lemonade Diet, The Jello Diet, The BananaSlim diet. “No pills – just bananas”… That <span style="font-style:italic;">is</span> just bananas. Is there a better way? Stay tuned!Karissa Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05308921591683706754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4112752220909169693.post-73980559014846379512010-10-23T16:03:00.000-07:002010-10-23T16:06:40.260-07:00Sleep to Lose Weight?When you are determining your plan to avoid those extra holiday pounds this year, is adequate sleep in the picture? There have been several interesting studies in recent years showing increased incidence of obesity in sleep-deficient populations. Some of the suspected reasons for this are:<br /><br />Tendency towards overeating from being awake more hours and also being awake late at night<br /><br />Lesser production of appetite suppressing hormones that are produced during sleep<br /><br />Less recovery and repair of body tissues<br /><br />The correlation between less sleep and higher stress levels (since we know stress inhibits fat-burning by increasing cortisol production)<br /><br />Less daytime physical energy leading to lower physical activity levels<br /><br />Some of the more recent studies done happened to target abdominal fat, younger adults and minority populations, showing similar results as past research, such as: <strong>Participants who slept less than 5 hours a night experienced a 32% increase in abdominal fat over 5 years.</strong><br /><br />But before you think that gives you a license to sleep in… the same study showed that those who averaged more than 8 hours of sleep increased by 22%. Well, all I know is those people must not have children! And I suppose you do really limit your physical activity calories when you are in bed all day. <br /><br />So this holiday season, since we already know sugar and alcohol calories will directly increase the belly fat, plan enough space in your celebration schedule for some rest.<br /><br /><em>Sources:<br /><br />Hairston, K.G., et al (2010) Sleep Duration and Five-Year Abdominal Fat Accumulation in a Minority Cohort: The IRAS Family Study. Sleep. 33(03): 289-295.<br />Amy Norton. (2010) Sleep habits linked to fat gain in younger adults. Reuters Health. March 1st.</em>Karissa Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05308921591683706754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4112752220909169693.post-70294551934476442712010-10-20T11:36:00.000-07:002010-10-20T11:48:41.795-07:00Welcome!I want to extend a special welcome to patients of Ploeger Chiropractic. This blog is for you! Your decision to seek regular chiropractic care for your family shows you value health and wellness as a top priority in your life. You know that without your health, you really have nothing!<br /><br />This is a place where I will be addressing common questions that come up about fitness, nutrition, and weight loss. I would especially love to answer your specific questions to help you along on your journey towards health. Please submit them at any time to PremierPhysique@gmail.com.<br /><br />And now a little about me:<br /><br />I am the owner of Premier Physique, LLC in Forest Lake, MN, where I specialize in offer customized fitness and nutrition services for both individual clients and group settings. I am nationally certified through the American Council on Exercise as both a Personal Trainer and a Lifestyle and Weight Management Consultant. I am also a Certified Nutrition Specialist through the American Academy of Sports Dieticians and Nutritionists. Additionally I am a certified Group Fitness Instructor (YMCA), BodyPump instructor (Les Mills), Golf Conditioning Specialist (GMP), and stay current in CPR/AED through the Red Cross. I have a B.S. in Kinesiology, emphasis fitness/wellness, from the University of Minnesota, and numerous continuing education credits in nutrition, supplements, weight loss, bodybuilding, health counseling, and more. <br /><br />I began Premier Physique in 2001 as a way to independently pursue my passion for fitness and helping others. In 2007 I began offering group fitness classes for moms. After 3 babies in 4 years, how else was I going to get my workout in?! "Moms On The Run" was born and is now rapidly expanding in the Twin Cities Metro. It has been incredibly rewarding to help so many other women in this stage of life get back into shape, make lifelong friends and workout buddies, and achieve feelings of accomplishment from their success.<br /><br />I look forward to helping you accomplish your health and fitness goals as well!Karissa Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05308921591683706754noreply@blogger.com0