February 7, 2013

By Lisa English

I have been hungry all day today! Seriously, I feel like all Ive done is eat; and no matter what, that irritating feeling of persistent hunger wont go away. I could do some serious damage to a large pizza and a pint of ice cream right about now! Do you ever have days like that? Ever wonder WHY you have those days of feeling like a bottomless pit?

Well, I have the answer! Ok, maybe not the only answer, but I figured out what caused my insatiable hunger and relentless cravings for starch and sugar. I didnt get enough sleep last night! Thats my confession. I broke one of the cardinal fat loss rules and when we break rules there are consequences!

Research shows that the average American adult needs 7-9 hours of quality sleep each night .

And let me tell you, this girl needs at least 8 quality hours of sleep to function well! The key word here is quality . Now I know some of you think you are good on 5 hours of sleep, but your body needs time to repair and reset hormones. Not getting enough sleep throws all kinds of important hormones out of balance. This leads to increased hunger, decreased energy and cognitive functioning, increased stress and irritability, decreased levels of important fat burning hormones (like HGH) and increased levels of fat storing hormones.

This is how it works. When we are sleep deprived, our bodies are under stress, which raises cortisol levels. You may have heard cortisol referred to as the stress hormone and its connection to increased belly fat. Elevated cortisol leads to an increase in blood glucose, which signals the brain to release insulin. When cortisol and insulin are running around together in elevated levels, our appetite increases, along with our ability to store fat!

Two other important hunger hormones that are affected by a lack of sleep are ghrelin and leptin . Ghrelin is mainly produced in the stomach and tells us when its time to eat. Normally ghrelin rises before a meal and falls after we eat. When we havent gotten enough sleep, ghrelin levels are elevated, which increases appetite. Leptin is mainly produced in our fat cells and is responsible for shutting off hunger and letting the body know when its full. Lack of sleep causes leptin levels to decrease, which means we dont ever get the memo that we are full.

So basically, since I didnt get enough sleep last night I threw everything off, put my body under stress, increased my hunger, and decreased my bodys ability to feel full. I set off a hormonal war inside my body that left me craving pizza and ice cream, increased my fat storage potential and squashed my fat burning efforts.

But, all is not lost. Luckily I knew that I didnt get enough sleep and I knew that my hormones were stacked toward extreme hunger and fat storage, so I armed myself with my best defense mechanisms!

My plan for kicking my hormones into shape!

1. I ate regular meals every 2-3 hours
2. I focused on lean protein and fibrous veggies
3. I drank LOTS of water
4. I sipped on BCAAs (branch chain amino acids)
5. I took a 60 minute leisure walk
6. I took a short nap (15-20 minutes)

Why these tricks work:

1. Eating frequent meals focused on mostly protein and fibrous veggies helps regulate blood sugar and control hunger.
2. Drinking plenty of water helps with hunger and energy and aids in the digestion of all the fiber J
3. BCAAs have been proven to help control hunger, energy and cravings. BCAAs are a secret weapon among figure and bodybuilding competitors, and this is one supplement I recommend to all of my clients. For more awesome information on the science behind BCAAs check out this blog by Metabolic Effect.
4. Leisure walking (just a stroll, people, not power walking) helps reduce cortisol.
5. Naps have been shown to reduce elevated cortisol caused by a crappy nights sleep.

So, next time you are having one of those days where you feel like you could gnaw your arm off, ask yourself if you got enough sleep the night before. If your answer is yes, try my tips above. If your answer is no, try my tips above. If sleep isnt the culprit, something else likely is. While you work on figuring out why your hormones are out of whack, implementing the strategies above will help get them back under control!

Interested in learning more awesome tips like these? Sign up for my email list on the top right side of this page and receive a FREE gift!

December 9, 2012

By Lisa English

Are you ready for boot camp? Dont let the name scare you! Im here to clear up some common misconceptions about boot camp and why you CAN be a Beyond Fitness with Lisa Boot Camper. I can assure you I will not yell in your face to get your attention, although I have been known to break out my best dance moves for your entertainment

1) Its too hardcore: If the name boot camp sounds scary to you, then fear no more. Beyond Fitness with Lisa offers a different kind of boot camp! Sure, you can expect to sweat, get out of breath, elevate your heart rate and feel the burn; but all while being encouraged to work at YOUR own pace and fitness level! This boot camp is designed to empower you and build you up, both mentally and physically. The typical military style of tear you down and then build you back up is not a part of this boot camp.

2) I dont have time: We all have busy schedules and lots of demands placed on our time. The participants in this boot camp are working mothers, busy professionals, and doting grandmothers who all wear multiple hats. The boot camp only meets 2 times per week for an hour. Participants have reported benefits such as: reduced stress, improved health, better sleep, more energy, more confidence, inches lost, improved fitness levels and a feeling of accomplishment. Thats a lot to gain from just two hours a week!

3) It doesnt fit into my budget: Lets be honest eating lunch out, going to happy hour, impulse shopping at the drugstore, and just buying beverages like coffee and soda can easily add up to more than the cost of one boot camp session. By skipping some of these things, we can not only come up with the money for boot camp, but also eliminate some of the things that are sabotaging our health and fitness goals! Its all about choices; and with all of the benefits that boot camp has to offer (refer back to number 3), it seems to offer more bang for your buck! Just sayin.

4) Im not fit enough yet: No matter what your current fitness level is, the goal is to improve at your own pace on your own terms. (Hear what Char and Krystie have to say) YOU are in control of your workout the entire time; I just guide you through the exercises and provide encouragement! I use a unique technique from my friends at Metabolic Effect called rest based training (RBT). Thats right you are encouraged to REST during these workouts. My goal is to get you push hard enough that you have to rest multiple times during the session. Youll know youre doing the workouts right when you have to rest. How do you know when to rest? You rest whenever you feel like you need to! Whether your muscles are burning, the weights get too heavy or you just need to catch your breath, your goal is simply to push until you cant, rest until you can. Depending on your fitness level, you may spend more time resting at first than you do working; and that is ok.

5) I dont like to be yelled at: If you dont like the stereotypical Jillian Michaels in your face approach, then the Beyond Fitness with Lisa Boot Camp is perfect for you! I will push you to your limits while using positive reinforcement. The only things youll hear me yell are Thats the way to push!, Looking strong!, and You got this!

Click here for details on the next available boot camp and how to register. I hope to see you there!

November 9, 2012

By Lisa English

I often get asked for advice on nutrition. All too often people want my opinion on some diet that has worked for others or is popular at the moment. Just in the past couple of weeks Ive been asked about the Paleo diet, the HCG diet, Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, and a Vegan diet. Most people really want to know one thing. Is this diet good or bad?

I always start by reminding people that I am not a dietician and I do not prescribe any diets of any kind. That being said, people still want to know what and how they should eat. To help provide a little clarity to this mystery, consider the following 5 tips when choosing what diet to follow.

1. Stop dieting. Seriously, who wants to be on a diet all the time? When most people hear the word diet they automatically think DEPRIVATION and that leads straight to fear-based thinking. Fear of being hungry, fear of giving up our favorite foods, fear of not being able to have fun, fear of not being able to stick with it, and ultimately, fear of failure. No wonder diet is a dirty four letter word!

If you dont go on a diet you dont have to worry about all the things you cant have, and you dont have to feel like a loser when you go off the diet

2. Do your research. (Two of my favorite resources at the moment are The New Me Diet by Drs. Jade and Keoni Teta and Jonathan Bailors The Smarter Science of Slim.) Dont just assume that because a diet is being prescribed by doctors, or because you saw it on Dr. Oz, or because your best friend lost 30 pounds without being hungry that any one diet is right for you. There are no magic pills, shots, foods, supplements, or macro-nutrient ratios that are guaranteed to work for you. The magic happens when you search for your own answers and make your own decisions about what is right for you. This can take years and it will likely change, which leads me to my next point.

3. Get comfortable with change. My way of eating has evolved over time and that is mainly due to three things: 1) I have changed my thinking, and therefore stopped dieting; 2) I keep learning and applying new information about nutrition and how the body works; and 3) I keep my focus on what works for ME and make adjustments when Im not getting results. Changing my thinking was the most important step in getting to where I am right now. Before I changed my thinking, I was a dieter. Ive done the starve yourself all day and then binge at night diet, the its fat free so it must be good for me diet, the strict competition diet, and the now Im going to eat everything Ive been missing for the last 16 weeks diet! Some of those diets lasted longer than others, but ultimately they all failed; and I got tired of feeling like a failure.

4. Clarify your goals. This is so important with anything in life and deciding what and how to eat is largely dependent upon what we want to achieve. If you are looking to improve blood pressure, cholesterol, glucose, or your health in general then you will need to choose to eat foods that produce those results. If you want to sport a six pack on the beach, then you will likely have to go beyond just eating healthy foods and choose to follow a nutrition plan that will make your abs pop! The point is that your nutrition has to support your goals, and your goals may change and evolve over time (which is why number 3 is on this list!).

5. Think long term. If you want lasting results, then you have to think about that when making changes to your diet. If you can be satisfied, healthy, and happy never eating ice cream again then go for it! I for one, know that is not possible for me, so I build it in to my nutrition plan in a way that supports my goals and works for me. This is the difference between diets and lifestyles. Diets are usually rigid and temporary; lifestyles are flexible and easy to follow over the long haul.

I dont pretend to have all the answers. I am still learning, but what I do know is that a good diet is one that supports your goals, fits into your lifestyle, and one you can stick with!

There is no one size fits all plan. You can choose an off the rack diet and see how it fits, or you can choose a custom diet designed by you. Whatever it is, own your choice!

Want to learn more about nutrition and how to find what works for you? I include nutrition education in all of my boot camps . I also coach individuals on nutrition through personal training and wellness coaching.

July 31, 2012

By Lisa English

Are you excited and grateful for each new day or are you simply going through the motions as days turn into weeks, weeks turn into months, until finally, another year has passed. Do you wonder where the time went as you shake your head in disappointment that you still havent accomplished that New Years Resolution, or finished the latest remodeling project, or cleaned out the junk closet, or quit the job you hate, or signed up for that ONE thing youve always wanted to try?

If you want something different or something more out of life then you have to create it.

As a recovering analysis by paralysis kind of gal, I know firsthand what its like to dream about all the things you want as time continues to slip by and nothing changes. So, how can you finally make your dreams come true? These are some of the lessons (some very recent ones) that Ive learned and steps Ive taken to help launch me into a whirlpool of action. Im talking about the kind of action that is so unbelievable, yet so easy, that you wonder why you didnt do something sooner!

1) Set goals. Napoleon Hill said, A goal is a dream with a deadline. I work with clients all the time on setting short and long term goals and helping them identify specific action steps they will take each day, each week, and each month until they hit their target. Im quite skilled at helping others to break things down into small manageable steps, encouraging them to see their potential, and guiding them through any challenges or obstacles they may face. Ive seen people achieve what they once thought was impossible, and then go do something even bigger! Facilitating change and growth is what Im trained to do; however, I have found it difficult to apply those same skills to myself. Im human I get stuck spinning my wheels just like everyone else, which is why I decided to switch roles and become the client.

2) Hire a coach. Sometimes we are our biggest barriers and if wed just get out of our own way we might actually get somewhere. Obviously, if we could see the light then we wouldnt be stuck in the same place year after year wondering why our dreams havent come true. Thats why I hired a coach (who I continue to work with) and she has been INVALUABLE. In just one month I was able to achieve all that I have dreamt about (and more) for the last 10 years! Now my coach is not a magician or a miracle worker. She is a master of her craft; a skilled, trained expert in facilitating change and growth while instilling confidence in others. Just like me, she guides her clients and helps them to discover that they have everything they need to achieve the life they want. She doesnt set my goals for me or tell me what to do. She is my partner, my sounding board, my teacher, and my mentor. She walks beside me on MY journey, she listens carefully, she helps me to see and learn the lessons in front of me, and she accompanies me up that great big mountain and then screams and claps and celebrates when I claim my stake. As a coach, I know the sense of reward and joy she feels when I can say, I did it! As a client, I know the overwhelming sense of accomplishment, pride, joy, and confidence that is a result of MY hard work.

3) Believe in possibilities. Im never surprised when my clients experience success for the first time. I am always able to see their potential even if they cant. For me, learning to let go of my own self-limiting beliefs has been life-changing. Did I mention that in one month of working with my coach I achieved 10 years worth of built up dreams? LOL! That didnt happen by accident; it happened by design. Once I committed to living the life that I want instead of thinking about it and analyzing it, things began to happen. I worked with my coach to set goals, take action, and focus on possibilities instead of the what ifs? That was scary at first; I felt insecure about the perceived risks I was taking. Very quickly the fear was replaced with excitement, the excitement turned into action, and the action created so much momentum that instead of worrying about all that could go wrong I was too busy trying to manage all that was going right! That, my friends, is the Universe at work. Believing in possibilities creates a life of ABUNDANCE. Yes, it takes work; but its so much easier than you think. As my coach said, it is difficult to operate in a world of abundance when you are mentally living in a state of lack. All we have to do is open our eyes.

4) Adopt an attitude of GRATITUDE. This one takes practice; and like anything else, the more you practice, the better you become. The more grateful we are, the more we have to be grateful for. Its like a domino effect. Sometimes we have to practice gratitude in the midst of loss, failure, and disappointment. That doesnt mean that we arent entitled to our feelings, but we can choose to look beyond that one moment, experience, or circumstance and see all of the things around us that are worth celebrating. Some of my greatest disappointments and failures have taught me the most valuable lessons and in the end presented me with some of the most precious gifts. Ive learned to try to practice gratitude as much during difficult times as I do during good times. Its easy to be grateful when I get my way; it builds character when I choose to be grateful even when things dont work out how I want them to.

If you are not living the life that you want, its never too late to start. These four steps can help you get the ball rolling. All you have to do is take the first step and be prepared to sprint because your life vision might show up a lot faster than you think!

Are you ready to take the first step? Wellness coaching can help. Contact me for a complimentary consultation.