Summer vacation is winding down, fall is approaching and the kids are going back to school.  It’s time to examine the art of packing the perfect lunch.  While it is easy to rely on the school cafeteria for the kids and fast food meals for you, this method will quickly result in unwanted pounds. The only way to ensure that you and your kids are eating a nutritionally balanced, health promoting lunch is to pack it yourself. 

According to Ann Cooper and Lisa M. Holmes in their book, Lunch Lessons, “When it comes to nutrition, children are not just miniature adults. Because they’re growing, they have different dietary needs.” (Their daily serving recommendations are in boxes below.)

Use the following 7 steps as your guide for packing healthy lunches that cover the spectrum of nutrients that your growing kids need.

Don’t have kids? Keep reading. Follow these steps when creating your own fuel-rich lunch.

Step 1: Hydration

Every function of the human body requires water, so it’s a no-brainer that water should be included in your packed lunch. At least eight glasses a day.  This simple trick will help keep you hydrated and feeling full throughout the day. 

It’s easy to fall into the trap of giving kids juice or soda pop, and once your kids are accustomed to drinking these sugary treats expect a battle when you switch to water. This is one fight that is worth winning.

Remind yourself that the sugary drinks are filled with empty calories, which quickly lead to weight gain. Sugar also robs the body of vital nutrients and minerals.

Step 2: Protein

2 – 3 servings daily 1 serving equals: 2 – 3oz meat, 1/2 cup cooked beans, 1/3 cup nuts or one egg Protein is an essential part of lunch, both for you and your kids. Just as you need plenty of protein to maintain lean muscle tissue, kids need protein to support growing bodies.

Choose from this list of healthy, lean protein sources: fish, beans, tofu, nuts, eggs, chicken, turkey, lean pork and lamb.

Limit the amount of high-saturated-fat protein that your kids eat to no more than 3 servings per week. These include cheese, hot dogs, salami, bacon and sausage.

Step 3: Whole Grains

Kids 6-9 yrs: 4 – 7 servings daily Kids 10-14 yrs: 5 – 8 servings daily Teens: 6 – 9 servings daily 1 serving equals: 1 slice of bread, 1/2 bagel, 1/2 cup cooked rice, 1/2 cup pasta, 1 cup of whole grains Whole grains are one of the major building blocks of a healthy meal. The key word here is “whole” meaning not refined.

White bread, bagels, pasta and rice have been stripped of the nutrients and minerals. As a result these items convert quickly into sugar, leaving your child drained after an initial quick burst of energy. Always avoid refined white grain products.

Following is a list of healthy, whole grains: oatmeal, brown rice, quinoa, millet, bulgur, whole-wheat or sprouted grain bread, barley, whole grain cereal and whole wheat pasta.

Step 4: Veggies

4 – 9 servings daily 1 serving equals: 1 cup raw of 1/2 cup cooked vegetables When it comes to veggies, variety is key. Choose a array of colors like orange, red, purple, green, blue, white and yellow to make sure that your kids are getting all of the necessary vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals.

Don’t save vegetables for dinnertime. Pack each lunch with lots of colorful vegetables.

Try these veggie-packing ideas: Put a small container of hummus with cut veggies for dipping. Fill your sandwiches with baby arugula, roasted peppers and slices of tomato. Pack a container of veggie and whole wheat pasta instead of a sandwich. Fill an insulated thermos or coffee mug with vegetable soup.

Step 5: Fruit

3 – 5 servings daily: 1/2 cup cut fruit, whole fruit size of tennis ball, half a banana, 1/2 cup 100% fruit juice Fresh fruit is filled with vitamins, nutrients and minerals. As with your veggies, choose a variety of colors to ensure that your kids are getting a range of nutrients.

Stay away from fruits that are canned and coated in syrup, and also from fruit snacks and chews that contain added sugars. Plain, dried fruit with no sugar added is an acceptable alternative to fresh fruit if it’s not available.

Unlike veggies, it is possible to eat too much fruit. Though the natural sugars within fruit are much healthier than refined sugar, too much of it will have a negative impact on your blood sugar levels and the extra calories will be stored as fat. Stick with 3 – 5 servings per day.

Step 6: Calcium

2 – 6 servings daily Serving size based on the amount of calcium in the food. Examples of 1 serving: 1 cup cooked beans, 1/2 cup almonds, 1/2 cup dried figs, 1/2 cup dark leafy green vegetables, 1/2 cup tofu, 1 cup low-fat milk, 1 cup low-fat yogurt Your kids need calcium in order to build strong, healthy bones. Make sure to incorporate calcium into every meal.

Calcium isn’t just found in dairy products. There are many plant sources that contain calcium that is more readily absorbed by the body than the calcium found in dairy.

Try these sources of calcium: low-fat yogurt, low-fat milk, sunflower seeds, beans, sardines, soy milk, tofu, broccoli, salmon, dark leafy greens and nuts.

Step 7: Healthy Fat

3 – 4 servings daily Serving size based on the amount of healthy fat in the food. Examples of 1 serving: 1 teaspoon of olive, safflower, sesame, flax or canola oil, 1/2 cup nuts, 1 tablespoon peanut, almond or cashew butter, 1 cup cooked beans, peas or lentils. You may think of all dietary fat as being bad, but fat from plant sources are very important to the growth and development of a child’s body.

Limit animal fats, which are filled with saturated fat and cholesterol, and eliminate trans-fatty acids contained in foods that are labeled as hydrogenated.

There you have it, 7 steps to the perfect packed lunch. See the recipe below to get you started on your first perfect packed lunch.

Remember that eating right is only half of the equation. Exercise is just as important when it comes to fitness and weight loss.

Are you ready to get started on a personalized fitness program? Call me at (310)772-5105 or email today to set up a consultation.

As the sixth month of 2010 comes to a close, where do you stand with your resolutions? Have you made progress or did your motivation fizzle out?

Most people wait around for motivation to strike them like a lightning bolt. Well, I’ve got news: motivation isn’t something that happens to you – it’s something that you create for yourself.

If you don’t feel motivated to achieve your goals, it is likely due to mental roadblocks that hold you hostage. Read the following 21 Mindset Tips and prepare your mind for success.

Success comes first in the mind, so visualize yourself accomplishing your goals. Remember, you are the only person who can hold you back.

Forgive yourself and love yourself despite past failures.

Decide what is important in your life, and focus on that.

Conquer each negative thought the moment it enters your mind, when it is weakest.

Give up the idea that things won’t go right unless you worry about them.

If you bring the body of yout dreams to the point of resolve, then you’ll soon be living in it. Look towards your future, if you believe the best is yet to come then it will be.

You become what you think about most. The margin between success and failure is very small and easily bridged by determination.

Start your day by accomplishing your hardest task first.

Set small attainable goals, rather than one monumental goal.

Convince yourself that exercise is fun, and it will be.

Know your big reason why.

Create a motivating play list of songs to use as the sound track to your workout sessions.

Every decision you make leads you either closer toward achieving your goal, or farther from it. If you think you’re a fat person, then you’ll stay fat. If you think you’re fit, then you soon will be. Once you’ve set your goal, your attitude either pushes you toward accomplishment or failure. If you don’t know exactly where you want to go, you will likely end up someplace else.

You can have the body of your dreams, but first you must give up the belief that you can’t. You can only have two things in life: excuses or results. If you’re sick and tired of making excuses, then contact me today to get started on a results-driven fitness program.

Creature of Habit

What do you do every night before getting into bed? You brush your teeth. It doesn’t take much thought since it is such an ingrained habit. Imagine if exercise was as much of an ingrained habit as brushing your teeth. You would quickly achieve your weight loss goal and improve your health.

Here’s how to make exercise a habit:

1) Exercise at the same time each day;

2) Put it on your schedule as a must – not a maybe;

3) Log your workouts in a journal; and

4) The ultimate way to create the habit of exercise is to join one of my programs – talk about guaranteeing your success!
 

Mr. America Jason Kozma and his High Performance Personal Training team at  Santa Monica Personal Trainer feature personal training services, diet and nutrition advice with fast visual results as well as dramatic increases in strength and health. We work with people of all fitness levels: from beginners to competitive bodybuilders and fitness competitors. We also offer a comprehensive online personal training and nutrition program. Contact us at Personal Trainer Santa Moncia or call at (310)772-5105 to make an appointment to change your life.

Check out Santa Monica Outdoor Personal Training too!

Changing what you drink just may be the magic weight loss bullet you’ve been looking for.

David Zinczenko and Matt Goulding sure think so. But then they did write the book on it: Drink This Not That. They’ve even gone so far as to claim that you could lose up to 32 pounds in a year just by changing what you drink.

What most people don’t know is that it’s a lot easier to drink extra calories than to eat it. So you really need to pay attention to what you’re sipping on.

Here is a sampling of what their book has to offer. The following are 5 of the worst things to drink, followed by 5 slimming alternatives.

Breakfast
While a cup of hot coffee or a glass of lowfat milk are both great ways to start your day, beware of the smoothie trap. More often than not smoothies are closer to milkshakes than protein shakes.

Worst beverage: Smoothie King Peanut Power Plus Grape (40oz)

1,498 calories / 44g fat / 214g sugar
Drink This Instead: Smoothie King High Protein Banana (20oz)

322 calories / 9g fat / 23g sugar
Lunch
A study done at Virginia Polytechnic Institute showed that people who drink 17oz of water before sitting down for a meal ended up eating 9 percent fewer calories. Those calories can really add up over time.

Worst beverage:

SoBe Green Tea (20oz)

240 calories / 0g fat / 61g sugar
Drink This Instead: Honest Tea Organic Honey Green Tea (16oz)

74 calories / 0g fat / 18g sugar
Afternoon
When the afternoon rolls around most of us are ready for a pick-me-up. Too often these caffeinated drinks are loaded with waist-expanding calories.

Worst beverage: Starbucks Venti Peppermint White Chocolate Mocha with whipped cream

660 calories / 22g fat / 95g sugar
Drink This Instead: Starbucks Venti Caramel Cappuccino

170 calories / 6g fat / 18g sugar
Postworkout
There’s no good reason to follow up a great workout with a sugar-filled beverage, even if it makes claims for quick recovery and muscle growth. After exercise your body is in need of protein, carbohydrates and potassium, so choose a beverage filled with these three.

Worst beverage: Naked Protein Juice Smoothie (15.2oz)

418 calories / 4g fat / 53g sugar
Drink This Instead: Horizon Organic Chocolate Reduced Fat Milk (8oz)

180 calories / 5g fat / 27g sugar
Alcoholic beverages
There are known benefits to drinking alcohol in moderation (one or two drinks per day) such as raised HDL (good) cholesterol, boost in bloodflow, and improved sugar metabolism. A recent study in the journal BMC Public Health reported that people who have a daily drink were 54 percent less likely to be obese. However, it’s called a beer belly for good reason, since many alcoholic beverages are loaded with calories.

Worst beverage: Red Lobster Traditional Lobsterita

890 calories / 183g carbohydrates
Drink This Instead: Red Lobster Classic Martini with Gin

140 calories / 0g carbohydrates
Recent studies are reporting that most of us drink 21 percent of our daily calories. That adds up to an average of 460 calories each day. It’s easy to see how these calories quickly add up into unwanted pounds.

Pay extra attention to what you drink throughout each day. Make it a habit to pass on the calorie-packed drinks and to focus on drinking lots of water.

Remember that small changes to your lifestyle over time will make the difference.

I’m always available to help – call me at (310)772-5105 or contact me  to set up your free consultation.

Personal Trainer Los Angeles

   The Top 7 Reasons to Exercise:
Summer has arrived and along with it the dreaded bathing suit season.  Whether you can’t wait to bare it all on the beach, or if you’re still working toward a weight loss goal, exercise is the key to looking and feeling great in summer months.

But why else should you exercise? Here are the top 7 reasons to exercise this summer:

Reason #1: To Melt Fat Away

The most coveted side effect of exercise is, of course, fat burn. The combination of a challenging exercise routine and a balanced meal plan is the best known way to lose fat. Here’s what losing fat feels like:

Your pants become loose
People around you begin to say that you look great
A glance at yourself in the mirror makes you smile
Your energy levels soar
You feel amazing

Reason #2: To Alleviate Pain

Regular exercise is a great way to alleviate chronic muscle and joint pain. Persistent back pain can be lessened by strengthening your core, and you’ll protect yourself against injury. It amazes people when the chronic pain that they’ve lived with for years begins to fade after starting a regular exercise program.

Reason #3: To Increase Lean Tissue

More muscle is good for many reasons. You see, muscle requires many more calories each day than fatty tissue. In fact, one pound of muscle burns 30-50 calories each day at rest – compared to a measly 9 calories per pound of fat.

When you exercise your body composition will change to contain more lean tissue, thus resulting in extra calories burned while you sleep. What could be better than that?

Reason #4: To Stay Young

Tim D. Spector, a professor of genetic epidemiology at King’s College in London, led a study on the effects of exercise on aging. The results were astounding. They found that exercise appears to slow the shriveling of the protective tips on bundles of genes inside cells (called telomeres), which means a slowing of the aging process.

“These data suggest that the act of exercising may actually protect the body against the aging process,” said Spector.

Here’s the study in a nutshell:

Telomeres cap the ends of chromosomes and every time a cell divides, the telomeres get shorter.
Once a telomere gets too short, that cell can no longer divide.
Aging occurs as more and more cells reach the end of their telomeres and die. This results in weakened muscles, skin wrinkles, loss of eyesight and hearing, organ failure and slowed metal functioning.
The study analyzed the telomeres from the white bloods cells of twins over a 10-year period. Telomere length was used as a marker for the rate of biological aging.
It was found that the length of telomeres was directly related to that twin’s activity level. “There was a gradient,” Spector said. “As the amount of exercise increased, the telomere length increased.”
People who did 100 minutes of weekly exercise had telomeres that looked like those from someone about 5-6 years younger than those who did 16 minutes of exercise each week.
People who did 3 hours of vigorous exercise each week had telomeres that looked like those from someone about 9 years younger.
Reason #5: To Prevent or Control Type 2 Diabetes

Regular exercise helps to stabilize blood sugar levels. This is something that people with type 2 diabetes, or at risk for type 2 diabete, gain substantial benefits from.

Exercise improves the body’s use of insulin, and the related weight loss improves insulin sensitivity. Of course patients with type 2 diabetes need to get guidelines from their doctor before starting an exercise program.

Reason #6: To Lower Blood Pressure and Cholesterol Levels

Exercise has shown to lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels for these two reasons:

Weak Heart Muscles pump little blood with lots of effort. By exercising you strengthen your heart muscles and train them to pump more blood with less effort. The stronger your heart is the less pressure will be exerted on your arteries.
Exercise Increases HDL levels in some people – this means a decrease in your risk for heart disease. Other heart disease risk factors such as weight, diabetes and high blood pressure all show improvement with regular exercise.

Reason #7: To Feel Great

The first thing that clients tell me after starting an exercise program is how much better they feel.  Most didn’t even realize how bad they felt. It is easy to get used to feeling sluggish, achy and unmotivated.

Exercise boosts your energy levels and makes you feel amazing.

The quickest, easiest way to guarantee that you’ll meet your fitness and weight loss goals is to work one-on-one with a qualified fitness professional. You’ll be held accountable with your workouts and you’ll be instructed properly and shown techniques and strategies that will expedite your results.

Call me at (310)772-5105 or email me today to get started on a program that will take the guesswork out of fitness and to set your results on fire.

What are you waiting for? Lace up your shoes and get moving!

Your Reason
Your number one reason for exercise is unique to you. Maybe you want to fit into a smaller pant size or lower your cholesterol. Or maybe you just love how a good workout makes you feel.

Whatever your reason is, remind yourself of it often. Write it down and place it where you will see it everyday. It may be just the motivation that you needed.

Jason Kozma’s Santa Monica Boot Camp takes an innovative approach to fitness. Get the results you want faster than you thought possible. Want to find out more about his boot camps? Go to his Los Angeles Boot Camp page or call Jason at (310)772-5105

Personal Trainer Los Angeles

You start each morning with the promise to be “good” today. You’ll refuse the baked goods at the office. You’ll speed past that fast food place at lunch. You’ll turn a blind eye to the vending machine in the mid-afternoon. And you’ll pass on the ice cream after dinner.

But… you hadn’t counted on the fact that a box of your favorite donuts would be sitting in the break room. Or that co-workers would invite you to join them for fast food place at lunch. Or that Girl Scouts would come through the office after school with boxes of thin mints. Or that your special someone would come home with a pint of Coffee Heath Bar Crunch.

And as you get into bed each night you tell yourself that tomorrow will be different.  Tomorrow you will conquer temptation.  But tomorrow comes with its own set of special circumstances and temptation gets the best of you once again.

Why Does Temptation Always Win?

We live in society where food temptations are everywhere.  Walk through a store and you’ll see the unhealthy food items displayed front and center.  Turn on the TV and you’ll be assaulted with commercials for fattening foods. Open a magazine and you’ll notice glossy pin-ups of sugary snacks.
Go down the street and you’ll have restaurant signs clamoring for your attention.
In addition to the abundance of tempting edibles, you also have deeply ingrained positive associations with indulging.

• You treat tempting food as a reward
• You turn to tempting food for comfort
• You rely on tempting food as stress relief
• You allow tempting food to become a habit

It’s Your Turn to Win

Temptation doesn’t need to have the upper hand on you anymore. It’s time to fight back using your most powerful asset: your brain. Your mind is an amazing thing. Once it is made up about something it is nearly impossible to change it.

A Matter of Perspective

Imagine for a moment that you’re peacefully floating down a river in an inner tube. The sun is out, the birds are chirping, and you are having a wonderful time. You feel great about the river because it is making you feel good.

Now imagine that you are in a plane flying over the river. Your eye is immediately drawn to an enormous rocky waterfall. You look up the river and just around the bend is a person floating in an inner tube, having a wonderful time, headed straight for the treacherous falls.

Do you think that after your plane ride you’d be happy to get an inner tube and float down the river? Of course you wouldn’t. You’ve seen that the river spells disaster.

You now have a negative association (watery death) with the river rather than your initial positive association (relaxing fun).

Overcoming temptation is all about building negative associations in place of existing positive ones. Use the 2 steps below to harness the power of your mind to become stronger than any temptation.

Step One: Create a Strong Negative Association with all the BAD STUFF

If cookies and chips and burgers are put on a pedestal in your mind as your favorite things to eat, then you will always eat unhealthy and will continue to gain weight.  What do you dislike about tempting food?
It makes you unhealthy
It causes weight gain
It drains your energy
It kills your confidence

It degrades your quality of life
It hurts your love life
Every time that you encounter tempting food items focus on your list of negatives. It’s time to kick those cookies off the pedestal and to put something healthy in its place.
Step Two: Create a Strong Positive Association with all the GOOD STUFF

Now that your mental pedestal has been cleared, put healthy food items on it. Juicy fresh fruit, crispy vegetables and savory lean meats are a great place to start.
What do you love about healthy food?
It makes you healthy
It causes weight loss
It boosts your energy
It builds your confidence
It improves your quality of life
It enhances your love life
Immerse yourself into the world of healthy food. Browse the aisles of a natural food store. Walk through a farmer’s market. Bring healthy snacks to work. Clear your kitchen of anything unhealthy.
Using the technique above, you will soon find that healthy food is your favorite food.

And temptation will become a thing of your past.  Call me at (310)772-5105 or email me through my Los Angeles Fitness website today to make an appointment to change your life.

With summer vacation quickly approaching, you’re probably planning your next getaway. Whether you go on a cruise, an African safari or a low-key trip to the beach, warm summer days are the best time to get away from it all.

But wait – did you know that the average person gains almost a pound a day while on vacation?
Between missed workouts, extra large restaurant meals and indulgent snacks, lazy vacation days will quickly add inches to your waistline.

So before you pack your bags for your next adventure, read the following 6 Vacation Tips and come home fitter, not fatter.

Vacation Tip #1: Make a Decision

Before you leave home, make the decision that you will NOT gain weight while on your trip.

This is the easiest step to take to make sure that you avoid weight gain, but it is also the most overlooked. Instead of leaving things to chance, harness the power of creative visualization that has been proven time and time again by go-getters such as Michael Jordan, Einstein, Napoleon and Andrew Carnegie.

Visualize what it would be like to return home fitter than when you left. Take a moment to let yourself feel the excitement that you’d experience.

Remember what accomplishing your goal feels like – this will keep you motivated throughout your trip and will help pull you through the inevitable tempting situations that you’ll face.

Vacation Tip #2: Get Moving

It’s easy to spend vacation days sprawled out by the pool, but the inactivity will quickly add up to extra pounds.

Choose to be active and you’ll burn calories all day long while indulging in fewer unnecessary snacks. The following ideas will get you moving:

Go on a brisk walk each day of your trip. You’ll see new sights while burning off excess calories.
Always take the stairs rather than the elevator. Talk about bonus calorie burning!
Go on a jog in the mornings before your daily activities, or jog in the evening after the day winds down.
If your hotel has a pool, swim a few laps each day. Swimming is a fun way to get in a full body workout.
If your trip takes you to a place of natural beauty then go on a hike. Even while hiking at a slow or moderate pace you’ll burn plenty of calories.
Play some sports – beach volleyball, a game of hoops, Frisbee, or bike riding are all great ways to have fun while keeping fit.
Vacation Tip #3: Indulge with Portion Control

You have no choice but to eat out while on vacation. Whether you’re enjoying 5 star restaurants or fast food diners, you’ll be met with the same problem: huge portions.

While it is tempting to simply eat it all – you are on vacation after all – this will quickly lead to extra pounds. Use the following tips to keep your portions under control:

When you order your meal ask for a to-go box. Take half of your meal and place it into the box before you even begin to eat. This will force you to eat a healthy portion.
If you would rather not carry around a to-go box, ask that your entrée be made into a smaller portion. If it is dinnertime don’t be afraid to ask for the lunch-sized portion.
Pay more, and eat less. Take quality of food over quantity.
Eat meals. Cut out snacking, stick with structured meals.
Eat slowly, and eat foods that have been prepared slowly – that means no fast food.
Vacation Tip #4: Eat Natural Sweets

One of your biggest enemies when it comes to vacation weight gain is…sugar.

The average modern person consumes 46 teaspoons of sugar every day. The average person on vacation consumes even more than that.

Even though sugary calories taste great, the sweet pleasure comes at a high price. Here’s what I mean:

Sugar creates false hunger (as a result of the insulin rush and then ensuing plummet in blood sugar levels), which causes you overeat.
Sugar promotes aging (due to the advanced glycation end products, or AGEs, that occur when insulin levels are consistently elevated as a result of eating too much sugar). Sugar has even been dubbed the negative fountain of youth!
Sugar weakens your bones -making you vulnerable for osteoporosis, and weakens your teeth – making you vulnerable for cavities (both due to the calcium being pulled from your bones and teeth in order for your body to process sugar).
Sugar in excess is stored as fat (after your liver has no more room to store it, sugar is converted to fat and deposited on your belly, thighs, hips and the backs of your arms).
So instead of eating that ice cream cone or chocolate éclair, satiate your sweet tooth with a piece of juicy fruit.

Vacation Tip #5: Don’t Eat Fried Foods

While fast food restaurants are definitely convenient, with their low prices and quick service, it’s really not worth the additional pounds brought on by chips and fries. As you enjoy your vacation keep this in mind: don’t eat fried foods. While this is always a good plan to follow, it is even more important to abide by while traveling.

A gram of fat contains 9 calories as compared to the 4 calories that proteins and carbohydrates carry – so you can see that consuming fried foods will drastically increase your caloric intake.

Take an average potato, bake it and you have 110 calories and 0 grams of fat. Take that same potato, turn it into French fries and you have 380 calories and 18 grams of fat.

Frying food is the easiest way to dramatically increase the calorie and fat content. And you know that extra calories and fat end up as extra body fat.

Other disasters that fried foods increase your risk for include:

Heart Disease
Diabetes
Clogged Arteries
High Blood Pressure
Obesity
Acne
If I still haven’t convinced you to pass on the curly fries, keep in mind that heartburn and indigestion are not fun…especially while on vacation. Need I say more?

Vacation Tip #6: Do this Hotel Room Workout

If your hotel doesn’t have a gym, or if you’d simply prefer the privacy of your room, do this hotel room workout:

Body Weight Squats: Stand with your feet shoulder width apart. Lower down into a squat position. Make sure that your knees do not go past 90 degrees. Exhale as you straighten your legs and return to the starting position. Complete 12-15 repetitions.
Do Jumping Jacks, High knees, or jog in place for 30 seconds.
Body Weight Lunges: Stand with your feet shoulder width apart. Exhale as you lunge forward with your right leg. Make sure that your knee does not go past 90 degrees. Inhale as you return to the starting position and repeat on the other side. Complete 12-15 repetitions.
Do Jumping Jacks, High knees, or jog in place for 30 seconds.
Push Ups: Get into the push up position (depending on your fitness level choose to go off your knees, push off of the wall, or assume the traditional position). Inhale as you lower your chest down. Exhale as you return to the starting position. Complete 12-15 repetitions.
Do Jumping Jacks, High knees, or jog in place for 30 seconds.
V-Ups: Sit on the edge of a chair or bed and lean back. Exhale as you drive your knees in toward your chest, squeezing your abdominal muscles. Inhale as you lower your knees back down with control. Complete 15-20 repetitions.
Do Jumping Jacks, High knees, or jog in place for 30 seconds.
Well, now you have 6 tips that will keep away the unwanted vacation pounds. You may even end up losing a pound or two while away.

But let’s be honest, you want to lose more than a pound or two. You want to lose all of those extra pounds.

You may feel that the secret to achieving weight loss is just that – a secret. A mystery. You try, and try, and try but your goals are never met. Your dream body continues to stay out of reach.

In my experience the people who are unable to lose weight aren’t failing due to laziness. In fact, those frustrated with their weight often put in a lot of effort – but on the wrong things. A fad diet. The latest exercise gizmo. An ineffective routine at the gym.

It’s not that you aren’t willing to put in the effort – you’re just doing the wrong thing.Think about this for a moment…What if this was the summer that you took control of your body? The summer that you threw your fat clothes away…the summer that you were proud to put on a bathing suit…the summer that your doctor congratulated you on your improved health…the summer that your family and friends – and that special someone – showered you with compliments.

It’s possible. Even more possible than you think.  The thing is that you need to direct your effort in an effective way. This is where I come in.

You see, for me weight loss isn’t a mystery. It’s my passion. I have a proven method that will dramatically transform your body into one that you are proud to be seen in. However, I can’t promise that it will be easy. You’ll work hard, you’ll sweat and you’ll even feel sore. And before you know it you will be telling everyone you know about the amazing results you’ve achieved.

So as you plan your next vacation, why don’t you also give yourself the gift that you really want – a new body. A tighter body. A stronger body. A healthier body.

I am here to help you do just that. Call me at (310)772-5105 or email now to schedule your first body-transforming workout. Together we will come up with a fitness plan that is uniquely yours, one that fits your lifestyle and brings you promptly to your goals – something that you will appreciate while on vacation and at home.

You deserve it.

I know a lot of lazy people. People who would rather spend the day planted on their couch than anywhere else. People who choose take-out over home cooked, every night of the week. People who would rather have a root canal than go do a workout.

Sure, I know that we all have our occasional lazy day on the couch, but lately it seems that more and more people are turning laziness into a career. What about you? Check if the following describe you:

• You are habitually inactive.
• You’d rather be a passive observer than an active participant.
• You’re a master excuse-maker.
• You find shortcuts in order to avoid the long haul.

If that’s you, don’t get down on yourself. There are many legitimate causes of laziness. Here are just a few…

1. Sleep Deprivation: When you’re short on sleep it’s easy to become unmotivated, which quickly turns into laziness. Get a minimum of eight hours of sleep each night in order to maintain enough energy to get you through the day. Some experts even say that ten hours of sleep each night is what you need to function at your best.
2. Caffeine Abuse: Starting your day with a jolt of java may help with your initial alertness, but the dip in energy that takes place a few hours later could be the reason that you become lazy later in the day. Avoid the rush and crash of caffeine and instead rely on your steady supply of natural energy.
3. Bad Habit: At some point being lazy simply becomes a habit. If every night after work you head straight to the couch, it soon becomes automatic and not a conscious decision. Breaking the habit of laziness is actually quite easy. Simply take yourself off of autopilot and make the conscious decision to do something productive instead – like heading to the gym rather than the couch.
4. Inactivity: If your job keeps you in a chair for hours at a time, and you don’t exercise when off the clock, then your body is just accustomed to inactivity. It’s time to wake up your under-used muscles and to reacquaint yourself with the joy of motion. A simple way to get back into the swing of things is to go on a 30 to 60 minute walk either before work or after you return home. Once you’ve broken yourself in with consistent walks, Call me at (310) 772-5105 or contact me to get started on a fitness program that will quickly get your body back into great shape.

Laziness begins when you ignore that little nagging voice in your head. You know, the one that reminds you when you should take action on something rather than sit by and let the opportunity slip away.

Is today the day that you will kick laziness to the curb?

Is today the day that you will take action toward achieving your goals?

Is today the day that you will listen to that little voice of reason?

Call me at (310) 772-5105  or email today to schedule your first workout. You’ll find my contact info in this newsletter.

Do you rarely get sick, have no need for prescription meds, and can’t remember the last time that you had to visit the doctor?

If you answered no to the above questions then you are likely suffering from nutritional deficiencies.

It’s hard to know exactly what to eat for optimal health, especially since everyone has a different opinion.

Even when you make every effort to eat healthy, your diet almost always lacks important nutrients.

In her book, Green For Life, Victoria Boutenko set out in search of the perfect human diet. She immersed herself in nutrition research and discovered a very interesting observation.

The Chimpanzee Connection: Chimpanzees and humans are more closely related than any other animal species. In fact, research shows that we share 99.4% of our DNA sequence with our chimpanzee friends.

Why is this significant? Chimpanzees are in far better physical shape than humans, and possess strong natural immunity to cancer and other fatal — and quite common — human illnesses.

Victoria’s research all pointed to the chimpanzee diet as the reason for their superior health. Chimps and humans have vastly different eating habits.

It’s All About The Greens: While humans enjoy pizza and hamburgers, chimps eat a diet extremely high in dark leafy greens — an item that hardly exists in the human world.

Victoria then turned her focus on dark leafy greens. What she discovered was a super-food packed with extremely high levels of nutrients. Here are 5 amazing facts about greens:

1. Greens are packed with amino acids…AKA protein.

I’ll bet you didn’t know that dark leafy greens are a legitimate source of protein. It’s true!

Protein molecules are made of a chain of amino acids. When you consume protein from chicken, you’re getting chains of amino acids that have already been assembled into a complex protein.

When you eat dark leafy greens you are getting a plethora of individual amino acids. Your body then takes these amino acids and assembles it into complex protein chains.

2. Greens give you lots of insoluble fiber…like a sponge.

You know fiber is important, but did you realize that fiber is needed to rid your body of toxins? Insoluble fiber is extra special, since it is built like tiny sponges that each absorbs several times more toxins than its own volume. Check out just a few of the many benefits of fiber:

·     Fiber reduces cholesterol

·     Fiber prevents and reduces the risk of cancer

·     Fiber lessens risk of diabetes and improves existing diabetes

·     Fiber helps shed unwanted pounds and prevents overeating

3. Greens promote bodily homeostasis…necessary for optimal health.

Homeostasis is the physiological process that regulates all substances in your body at ideal levels for optimal health. It is a very complex process, one that your body is constantly working towards.

In order for your body to achieve homeostasis it needs an abundance of vitamins, amino acids, carbohydrates, essential fatty acids and minerals. Greens are a super provider of all of the above.

4. Greens are alkaline…which promotes healthy cells.

In 1931 Dr. Otto Warburg won the Nobel Prize for discovering the cause of cancer: weakened cell respiration due to lack of oxygen on the cellular level — this causes fermentation, which results in acidity, or low pH.

There is a close connection between the foods you eat and your pH balance. For example, Parmesan cheese is highly acid forming, -34; while spinach is an amazingly alkalizing food, +14.

When you get plenty of greens on a daily basis, you’re able to better maintain a good alkaline pH balance.

5. Greens are made of chlorophyll…liquid sun energy.

As amazing as it may seem, the molecule of chlorophyll is strikingly similar to the molecule of human blood. Chlorophyll heals and cleanses your organs while destroying harmful substances.

Here are just a few of the powers of chlorophyll:

·     Chlorophyll builds a high blood count

·     Chlorophyll helps prevent cancer

·     Chlorophyll counteracts toxins

·     Chlorophyll promotes an alkaline body

·     Chlorophyll helps sores heal faster

·     Chlorophyll improves varicose veins

·     Chlorophyll improves vision

Introducing The Green Smoothie: While the evidence for eating lots of greens continues to mount, who really wants to chomp through a pile of spinach everyday? The solution is as convenient as it is efficient: the green smoothie.

Victoria discovered that when she blended greens with fruit and water, the result was an easily absorbed, delicious smoothie. The key to reaping all the benefits from your green smoothies is to use a wide variety of greens and to drink it every day. Most enjoy it as a quick, nutrient-packed breakfast.
*See the recipe below*

Victoria did a study where people drank green smoothies everyday for a month. Most participants reported a noticeable increase in their energy levels after just the first week. This boost of energy may be just what you need to get into gear with your workouts.

Remember, regular challenging exercise is the key to achieving your ideal body.

Call me at (310)772-5105 or email me today to get started on a fitness program that will get you to your best body quickly.

There are few things more frustrating than not being able to lose weight. You want to be slimmer and to tone your body, but your weight won’t budge.

Read the following 7 Weight Loss Blockers to discover what is standing in your way and how to quickly and easily begin your weight loss journey.

Blocker #1: Your Mind

Your mind is your number one ally when it comes to achieving your goals. However, until your mind has been programmed for success, it will do more to derail your efforts than to help you.

• Take a few moments each day to visualize yourself at your ideal weight. Imagine how it feels to look the way you’ve always wanted.
• Protect your mind from any negative self talk. If a negative thought comes to mind, immediately reject it.
• You want to be thin and fit, and yet you think of yourself as out-of-shape and fat. Re-program your mind to think of yourself as fit and attractive, and you will be well on your way toward achieving your goal.
• Give up the belief that you can’t achieve the body you’ve always dreamed of. See it first in your mind, and then in the mirror.

Blocker #2: Your Fear

Change makes most of us nervous – even if it is a change in the right direction. You may not be consciously aware of the fear you have of getting into shape. Until you conquer this fear, your weight loss efforts will be blocked by self sabotage.

Professional speaker and author, Anthony Robbins, has outlined three specific beliefs that you must have in order to conquer your fear and instantly create a lasting change.

• Believe that something MUST change. You can’t be wishy-washy about it. You can’t be considering it. You can’t even be pretty sure about it. You’ve got to be rock solid.
• Believe that YOU must change it. You can’t pass the buck of responsibility and expect to lose weight. It’s on your shoulders. Other people will prove to be great assets in your journey, but in the end you are the one who is going to make it happen. You have to want this weight loss enough to make it your personal mission.
• Believe you CAN change it. You may have failed in the past, but that doesn’t matter. When you put your mind to it, you’re able to do amazing things. Do you believe that you are capable of losing weight? Once you own the belief that you can, you’ll be unstoppable.

Blocker #3: Your Excuses

Your excuses for being out-of-shape are getting old. An excuse takes less immediate effort than an action, but in the long run the action taker always has the advantage. Don’t allow excuses to ruin your life any longer.

• Don’t skip out on your responsibilities with excuses, instead expect more from yourself.
• Focus on the big reason why you are losing the weight. Make a list of the benefits you’ll enjoy once you achieve your goal, and read them first thing each morning.
• Remember that you can only have two things in life: excuses or results. Which do you want?

Blocker #4: Your Commitment

How many times have you tried to lose weight, only to give up a week or two later? We live in a commitment-phobic world, so it’s no wonder that you routinely abandon your goals. If you truly want to lose weight then your commitment to the process is a must.

• The margin between success and failure is bridged by your commitment. Don’t give up until your goal has been achieved.
• Treat exercise with the same importance as a work meeting, and you’ll never skip it at the last minute. Find three available 60-minute time slots in your schedule and mark them (in pen) on your calendar. Now stick to your schedule.
• If you don’t give up, then you’ll never fail.

Blocker #5: Your Diet

If you consistently eat the wrong food, then your weight loss efforts will all be in vain. To put it bluntly, you need to stop eating junk. Processed foods, refined sugar and high fructose corn syrup do not belong in your diet if you want to be in great shape. Cut these items out of your diet and replace them with real whole foods like lean meats, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and fruits.

• Don’t eat processed foods. Even though processed foods are accepted by our society, they contain tons of chemicals and empty calories that will make you sick and fat.
• Fat contains twice the caloric density of protein and carbohydrates, so make sure to limit the amount that you consume. Eat lots of lean proteins and wholesome carbohydrates from plants and whole grains.
• Vegetables, whole grains, fruits, nuts and seeds are filled with fiber and antioxidants which are vital for healthy weight loss. Snack on these instead of packaged treats.

Blocker #6: Your Patience

It takes time to transform your body from fat to fit, even though you want it to happen overnight. Remind yourself that it took time to put the weight on, so it will take time to take the weight off. When you find your patience wavering, or when you encounter a frustrating plateau, do the following:

• Review your goal. Is it specific and measurable? Is it small and attainable, rather than monumental? Focus on your goal when the going gets tough.
• Make each workout a new experience. Challenge your body with different resistance, new exercises and a varied pace.
• Remember that anyone can have one great workout, but that won’t get you the body you want. The only way to achieve your goal is by consistently exercising and eating right, plain and simple.

Blocker #7: Your Support

People who exercise alone are less challenged, less accountable and are more likely to fail. It makes sense. Who would rush to the gym if no one is was waiting for them? Who would push themselves if no one was paying attention? Exercising alone is a recipe for disaster.

• Find a workout partner who is in better shape than you, or better yet, work with me, your local fitness expert, to guarantee your results.
• I am passionate about seeing you achieve results – don’t waste your time, energy and effort on mistakes.
• When you start a program with me, you suddenly have the upper hand on weight loss. I’ll be in your corner, coaching you each step of the way, keeping you accountable to workouts and giving you that dose of encouragement when you need it most.

Get serious about your results and begin the last weight loss program that you’ll ever do.

Call me at (310)772-5105 or email me through my Personal Trainer Los Angeles Website today to schedule your first workout.

Mr. America Jason Kozma is a professional Los Angeles Personal Trainer in Southern California. Jason and his High Performance Training Team are helping residents all over Southern California lose weight and get in the best shape of their lives. Find out more by visiting his Personal Trainer Los Angeles website.

As the second month of 2010 comes to a close, where do you stand with your resolutions? Have you made progress or did your motivation fizzle out?

Most people wait around for motivation to strike them like a lightning bolt. Well, I’ve got news: motivation isn’t something that happens to you – it’s something that you create for yourself.

If you don’t feel motivated to achieve your goals, it is likely due to mental roadblocks that hold you hostage. Don’t allow this to happen. Your mind is the most powerful muscle in your body.  I’ve listed a number of tips to help prepare your mind for success.

·         Success comes first in the mind, so visualize yourself accomplishing your goals.

·         Remember, you are the only person who can hold you back.

·         Forgive yourself and love yourself despite past failures.

·         Decide what is important in your life, and focus on that.

·         Conquer each negative thought the moment it enters your mind, when it is weakest.

·         Give up the idea that things won’t go right unless you worry about them.

·         If you bring the body of your dreams to the point of resolve, then you’ll soon be living in it.

·         Look towards your future, if you believe the best is yet to come then it will be.

·         You become what you think about most.

·         The margin between success and failure is very small and easily bridged by determination.

·         Start your day by accomplishing your hardest task first.

·         Set small attainable goals, rather than one monumental goal.

·         Convince yourself that exercise is fun, and it will be.

·         Know your big reason why.

·         Create a motivating play list of songs to use as the sound track to your workout sessions.

·         Every decision you make leads you either closer toward achieving your goal, or farther from it.

·         If you think you’re a fat person, then you’ll stay fat. If you think you’re fit, then you soon will be.

·         Once you’ve set your goal, your attitude either pushes you toward accomplishment or failure.

·         If you don’t know exactly where you want to go, you will likely end up someplace else.

·         You can have the body of your dreams, but first you must give up the belief that you can’t.

·         You can only have two things in life: excuses or results.

·         If you’re sick and tired of making excuses, then contact me today to get started on a results-driven fitness program.

Creature of Habit

What do you do every night before getting into bed? You brush your teeth. It doesn’t take much thought since it is such an ingrained habit. Imagine if exercise was as much of an ingrained habit as brushing your teeth. You would quickly achieve your weight loss goal and improve your health.

Here’s how to make exercise a habit:

1) Exercise at the same time each day

2) Put it on your schedule as a must – not a maybe

3) Log your workouts in a journal

4) The ultimate way to create the habit of exercise is to join one of my programs – talk about guaranteeing your success!

Fitness Trainer Los Angeles

Call me today at (310)772-5105 or email me to make an appointment.  Remember, you’re in charge of your success and I can HELP!

Jason Kozma and his High Performance team at Los Angeles Weight Loss feature personal training services, diet and nutrition advices with fast visual results as well as dramatic increases in strength and health. We work with people of all fitness levels: from beginners to competitive bodybuilders and fitness competitors. We also offer a comprehensive online personal training and nutrition program. Contact us at Los Angeles Fitness or call at (310)772-5105 to make an appointment to change your life.