RIO Fitness Chicago® Tip:

With tax season here, are you paying the FAT TAX? Fat tax = paying for a gym membership and never going. If you're paying for a membership and not going AT LEAST 16 days out of the month, you're wasting money! It's really easy to fall prey to this if they auto charge your credit card/bank account because most people don't even notice the charges. If getting healthy & fit is not enough motivation to go, think of all the money each month/each year you're throwing in the garbage by not going. Stop making excuses and go!!

RIO Fitness Chicago® Tip:

Diets don't work! They're temporary fixes that often lead to gaining weight back plus some. Follow the RIO Fitness Ten Nutrition Commandments for long lasting results:

1) You have to burn more cal than you're consuming. Ask a health & fitness professional to calculate your daily calorie limit and start staying within it.

2) Eat every 2.5-3hrs = 4-6 SMALL meals/snacks per day to keep your metabolism (rate at which you burn cal) fast. Eating 1-2/day slows your metabolism = body fat gain.

3) Avoid bad trans/saturated fat foods, because they lead to artery clogging, cellulite, and keeping your body fat cells full. Eat healthy unsaturated fat foods (ex: fish/nuts/flax) that help to burn body fat.

4) Only eat high glycemic carbs (ex: bread/pasta/rice) after you exercise, because they digest quickly. Eat low glycemic carbs (ex: fruits/veggies) the rest of the day because they digest slowly.

5) Eat lean protein foods (ex: chicken/turkey/fish/nuts) that are not high in saturated fat. Consume a whey isolate protein (ex: ISOPURE) that is low cal/carbs after every time you exercise (weights & cardio). This will build lean muscle which help you burn more cal all day long.

6) Limit alcohol consumption. Alcohol increases levels of the body fat production hormone cortisol and lowers body fat burning hormone testosterone.

7) Limit sodium intake to no more than 1200mg/day. Sodium carries water which will make you look & feel bloated, and can lead to high blood pressure. Eat high potassium foods to lower sodium levels.

8) Drink 80-120oz of water everyday. Prevents overeating, reduces soreness after exercise, and keeps your skin looking healthy.

9) Limit sugar consumption because excess sugar is turned into body fat. Avoid "sugar free" foods/drinks because artificial sweeteners are not properly metabolized by the body and are turned into body fat.

10) Get rest every night! Lack of sleep increases levels of body fat production hormones and decreases growth hormones that help us recover from our day/exercise.

RIO Fitness Chicago® Tip:

You're never too young or too old to start lowering your heart disease risk.

IN YOUR 20s:

1) Stop smoking! One cigarette a day stiffens your arteries by 25 percent.

2) Oral contraceptives like birth control slightly increase the risk of blood clots, and if you're a smoker, the combo can be especially dangerous.

3) Limit alcohol. Alcohol consumption can raise triglycerides, increase blood pressure and lead to weight gain, thanks to all those empty calories.

IN YOUR 30s:

1) Find positive stress management techniques that do not include food/alcohol/drugs. Stress has a direct negative impact on heart health. The constant bombardment of adrenaline raises blood pressure and destabilizes plaque in your arteries, making it likely to cause a clot or heart attack.

2) Lose the baby weight. Carrying around extra pounds can lead to high cholesterol, high blood pressure and other heart disease risk factors.

3) Stay connected to friends and family for the sake of your mood and heart. Having strong social support can help lower your blood pressure and improve other cardiovascular functions.

RIO Fitness Chicago® Tip:

February is American Heart Month. Heart disease is the number one killer in the U.S. Five heart-healthy foods are:

1) GARLIC benefits blood pressure, platelet aggregation, serum triglyceride level, and cholesterol levels.

2) SALMON. A cheeseburger has more than half a day worth of the artery clogging fat, which will increase your risk for a heart attack. The Omega-3s in salmon can prevent erratic heart rhythms, reduce likelihood of blood clots inside arteries, improve the ratio of good cholesterol to bad cholesterol, and prevent cholesterol from becoming damaged, at which point it clogs arteries.

3) BERRIES are high in polyphenols, which prevent cell damage that creates unhealthy blood vessels and heart.

4) QUINOA is an excellent source of magnesium, the mineral that relaxes blood vessels. Low dietary levels of magnesium lead to some scary health issues like increased rates of hypertension, ischemic heart disease and heart arrhythmias.

5) HOT COCOA is full of antioxidants – two-times more than red wine and three times more than green tea. Hot chocolate mixes are full of sugar, so use 100% cocoa.

RIO Fitness Chicago® Tip:

Carbs are not bad! You just have to know which ones to eat at what times. High glycemic carbs (Ex: bread/pasta/rice) digest quickly so they should ONLY be eaten post-exercise to restore your energy levels (glycogen) quickly. Many people though, eat them all day & obviously don't exercise all day, so these carbs are not burned and turned into fat. Instead eat low glycemic carbs (fruits/veggies) the rest of the day. Here's a link to see a glycemic index of foods. The higher the number the quicker the food absorbs.

http://http://www.lowglycemicdiet.com/gifoodlist.html

RIO Fitness Chicago® Tip:

Holidays like St. Valentine's Day can be an emotional/stressful time for many. Stress leads to increased levels of the cortisol hormone which increases body fat production. Here's some relaxing ideas:

1) Wrap your hands around a warm cup of tea, breathe in the steam, and for just a few moments you can enjoy a moment of peace.

2) Sing along to your theme song. Just as faking a smile can make you feel genuinely happier, singing along with your favorite song (even if you don't feel like it) can do wonders for your mood.

3) Breathe. If formal meditation seems too hippie for you, just focusing on your breath can garner some of the same benefits.

4) Write it down. List everything that's stressing you out and causing you concern. Just emptying the clutter in your brain will make you feel lighter, whether or not you have the time or energy to focus on solutions right now.

5) Stretch. You could probably give yourself a mini-yoga class if you know the postures, but you don't need to be a yogini to engage is some old-school gym class stretches. Easy neck circles or by hanging your right ear towards your right shoulder, then left ear to left shoulder. If you're feeling especially tense, take a few moments to knead the muscles along the top of your shoulders.

RIO Fitness Chicago® Tip:

You can exercise anywhere!

IN THE CAR: At each red light you can squeeze your abs/glutes (2/3 of your core) tight & release for 15-20reps.

AT WORK (if allowed): Sit on an exercise ball, instead of a desk chair. Not only will this improve your posture, balancing on the ball activates your abs and quads even while you’re working on the comp. Order a phone headset, so you can do body-weight exercises like lunges & squats while you’re talking on the phone.

AT HOME: Use the bed, dresser, or sink for push-ups. With your hands far apart, you work the chest, as you move them closer together, you’re working the triceps. Another great triceps move is sitting on a heavy chair that won’t tip over (or a firm mattress) and do tricep dips. Use a step or a raised fireplace ledge to do raised lunges. To increase the difficulty, add weights (ex: large soup cans/water gallon jugs). You can also do jumping jacks, jump rope and run in place for cardio.

ON A PLANE/TRAIN/BUS FOR A LONG TRIP: Get up and stretch. You are not really going to be able to tone muscles or burn calories in this situation, so the whole idea here is to get your body moving. Pointing your toes, flexing your calves and rolling your ankles will keeping blood pumping through your lower body. It’s important to keep moving during long trips, as they might lead to deep-vein thrombosis, a blood clot that can be fatal.

RIO Fitness Chicago® Tip:

Five ways to burn body fat faster:

1) Eating a low-carbohydrate protein bar 60-90 minutes before you work out will enable you to exercise longer and harder (and burn more calories). Eat any closer to exercising & blood will rush to your stomach, actually diminishing your performance.

2) Inhaling & exhaling through your nose, rather than your mouth, helps stabilize your heart rate and (like the pre-workout snack) increase your endurance.

3) Strength-train before doing any cardio, if you lift weights first, your body is warmed up by the time you hit the bike, and you'll burn fat throughout the entire cardio.

4) Do the exact same workout every time you hit the gym & your body will start to adapt to it, and eventually stop burning as many calories. If you jog one day, try biking or swimming the next. If you weight-train from the shoulders down one day, next time begin with your legs and work up.

5) The best way to burn fat is interval training. One minute on the treadmill at, say, 7mph, followed by one minute at 4mph, then back to 7 mph (and so on) for 25 minutes will whittle away body fat pounds & build your endurance. Eventually, you'll be able to extend the high-intensity periods (and decrease the low ones) until your whole cardio is done at top speed.

RIO Fitness Chicago® Tip:

If you're afraid to quit smoking because you think you'll gain weight here's some help to give it up for good:

1) Plan activities for times when you have the urge to grab a cigarette. Call a friend, take a walk, or do some errands.

2) Keep your hands busy at all times especially in the evening hours. Catch up on e-mails, or indulge your nails with a manicure.

3) Carry a water bottle with you whenever you can. This will occupy your hands & is a calorie-free to stay hydrated.

4) Bring healthy snacks (dried fruit, nuts, string cheese, and low-calorie energy bars) with you, in portion controlled snack bags.

5) Keep sugarless gum, mints, or a travel-size mouthwash with you. It's great for cleansing your palate when you're craving sweets. At night, brush your teeth right after dinner.

6) Get moving! If you haven't been exercising, NOW is the time to start! Exercise will minimize your hunger, boost your metabolism, help you burn calories, and improve your mood.

RIO Fitness Chicago® Tip:

Proper form is key to avoiding injuries. Improper form is causing unnecessary pressure to your spine, joints, and ligaments. That pressure is going to cause you IRREVERSIBLE chronic pain in 10, 15, 20yrs. If you're arching your back or being lifted off the bench/pad so you can lift the weight, it's too heavy! Use a moderate weight that allows you to control the full range of motion of the exercise.

RIO Fitness Chicago® Tip:

It's great to have a significant other who supports you with your exercise/nutrition goals or who'll go with you to exercise. Very important to have a support system from those you love when trying to get healthy & back into shape. Although, if you're doing the same exercises as your opposite sex significant other, ask yourself ladies, do I want to look like my boyfriend/husband, and guys vice versa. For example, doing a set of barbell bench press then resting, or a set of barbell bicep curls then resting, that's bodybuilding. Common sense, men & women have different body types, so if you strength train like a man you'll look like a man. Not to mention, bodybuilding is the LEAST effective way to get lean & toned quickly. Bottomline, go together to the gym but don't weight train the same.

RIO Fitness Chicago® Tip:

The most important time to consume protein (Ex: ISOPURE Zero Carb Whey Isolate) is post-exercise, because it builds lean muscle tissue which helps you burn more calories all day long. For the rest of the day it must come from food. Not all proteins are the same though. A McDonalds cheeseburger has protein, but also A LOT of saturated fat which slows down how fast protein is absorbed. Not to mention saturated fat also contributes to cellulite, high cholesterol/blood pressure, and artery clogging. What you need is lean protein like turkey & oily-skinned fish (tuna/salmon/mackerel); the fish will also have healthy fats (poly & mono unsaturated) that you need in your diet to burn bad fat.

RIO Fitness Chicago® Tip:

Five MORE quick & simple ways to stay thin without much effort:

1) Don't surround yourself with temptation. If you stock your cabinets with Twinkies, Doritos, and Patron tequila, you're going to consume it. Fill it with healthy foods and you'll do the same.

2) Allow yourself a treat once/week. View it as a reward for a WEEK of dedication to exercise & healthy eating. Depriving yourself completely is only going to stress you out, so ONCE per week have a treat, work it into you daily calorie limit and MOVE ON!

3) Mom was right, eat breakfast! During sleep your metabolism (rate at which you burn Cal) slows down, and when you skip breakfast it stays slow. Now you're at lunch starving, which means you're more likely to make unhealthy choices and overconsume Cal.

4) Keep moving! If your day consists of just sitting at work/school, get up and move around whenever you can. Take the stairs, park further away from entrances, go make copies at the machine on the next floor; take every opportunity you can to get more activity in your day!

5) NEVER skip meals! Much like number three, if you go hours & hours on end without eating, your metabolism slows down. Try to have a SMALL meal (approx 300Cal) or SMALL snack (approx 150Cal) every 2.5-3hrs.

RIO Fitness Chicago® Tip:

Five quick & simple ways to stay thin without much effort:

1) Don't do crazy, quick-fix diets. To stay thin, you have to cut back on calories (calories consumed vs calories burned), eat more fruits and vegetables and more fiber, and drink more water—all healthy things that provide more food volume for the number of calories.

2) Keep track of your weight & body fat %. Don't get obsessed with measuring, but every four weeks keep track so you can catch a 5lb weight gain before it turns into 25lbs.

3) Exercise regularly. You don't have to be a fitness fanatic, just get at least 30mins of mood-boosting and calorie-burning exercise in each day. Try a variety of classes or cardio machines, find friends to walk with, or experiment with at-home exercise DVDs.

4) Don't solve problems with food/alcohol. Ask yourself, "Is food/alcohol really going to solve the problem, or will it just end up making you feel worse after you finish eating/drinking?" Instead, go for a walk, watch a favorite movie, call a friend, or taking a bubble bath.

5) Stop eating when you're full. You don't have to be a member of the clean-plate club. As soon as you feel satisfied stop eating so you don't overconsume on the calories.