RIO Fitness Chicago® Tip:

Halloween parties start tomorrow! If you're still not fitting into your costume, don't resort to starving yourself. Starving will result in loss in scale weight, but in the long term it will cause weight gain; because your body will hold onto your fat (energy reserve), anything you do consume is stored as fat, and eventually muscle will be consumed for fuel.

Healthier steps you can take right now is to:

1) Completely avoid all high glycemic carbs (bread/pasta/rice/oats) for the weekend. Fruit/veggies are low glycemic and the carbs ok to eat.

2) Avoid high sodium foods which cause you to retain water = you look/feel bloated. Eat high potassium foods (banana, beans, spinach) to lower water levels in the body. List of other high potassium foods http://www.vaughns-1-pagers.com/food/potassium-foods.htm

RIO Fitness Chicago® Tip:

Between now & Jan 1, is when most people gain 10-20lbs. Don't wait til Jan 1 to make that resolution to get healthy & in shape. START NOW with simple things like:

1) As soon as you wake up before consuming calories, do cardio. It's the best time to burn fat with cardio.

2) Eat breakfast each morning. Skipping keeps your metabolism slow, and makes you more likely to overeat/make bad choices at lunch.

RIO Fitness Chicago® Tip:

Is your attitude towards exercise negative? Do you dread it? Do you ever change up what you do? If exercise for you is nothing but an hour on cardio machines and just doing machines for weight training, that does sound awful & really boring. Exercise should be challenging, fun, and interesting. The key to that, is to always change it EVERY time you do it.

Instead of weight machines use free weights, medicine balls, and BOSUs to mimic the same movements. Instead of cardio on a machine like a zombie, take advantage of this decent Chicago weather before we're buried under snow and go outside. Find a sledding hill and run the hill, go rollerblading/bike riding, take a kickboxing class. Find something you enjoy. It can be anything, as long as it gets your heart rate pumping & that sweat pouring.

RIO Fitness Chicago® Tip:

Next time you exercise bring these three friends.

1) WATER (80-120oz/day). Sweating during exercise makes you dehydrate. This makes you tired faster and less likley to finish with intensity which is the key to body fat loss. Drinking H2O also helps prevent overeating, because that "hungry" feeling you often feel, is not always for food, it can be your body telling you you're dehydrated.

2) WATCH. Having a watch on while you exercise helps you monitor how long your sets & rest periods are. This helps you cut down on the wasted time you spend in the gym or wherever you exercise and give you more time to live & enjoy your life!

3) HEART RATE MONITOR. Heart rate sensors/calorie counters on cardio machines are inaccurate. The machines calculate heart rate by how fast (revolutions) the machine is going & by a preset math equation. You do not enter any of your specific stats (gender, age, height, body fat %, BMI) except age & weight into the machine. Age, gender, and body fat % being what really determines calories burned. Plus with all of the electronical interference in the gym (TVs, cell phones, ipods, computers) the sensors are off even more. With a HR monitor you enter all those stats in when you turn on the watch, so you always know you have an accurate reading of your heart rate, if you're in your "heart rate fat burning zones" or if you're burning more energy (glycogen) than fat. The HR monitor, we here at RIO Fitness Chicago recommend is called Polar (www.PolarUSA.com).

RIO Fitness Chicago® Tip:

How you shop at the grocery store may be one of the reasons you can't lose that body fat. Here's FIVE simple ways to shop better.

1) Stick to the edges & venture strategically into the aisles. The edges of the supermarket are the healthiest food (dairy, produce, meats, seafood). The aisles are junk-food central (processed-food & the nutritional dead zone).

2) Use the self-checkout. The more exposure to temptation, the more likely you'll give in. You’re more likely to buy a candy bar when you’re stuck in a line flanked by candy racks.

3) Bulk up. Discount clubs like Costco and Sam’s Club are great, but only for things that won’t spoil and foods that won’t be too tempting. Frozen chicken/vegetables are great to buy in bulk. A 15lb bag of oranges/pallet of Oreos is not.

4) Ask when next shipment is. Most stores receive shipments of fish or meat on certain days of the week. Buy on that day for the freshest product.

5) Shop on less busy day/times. Try to go grocery shopping on Wednesday (slowest day) or after 9pm (slowest time). For the same reason as doing self-checkout.

RIO Fitness Chicago® Tip:

Latest statistics show that high profile athletes make up only about 15% of Americans who take steroids. The other 85% is your average person who goes to the gym and takes steroids strictly for a cosmetic purpose; which is dangerous because many are uneducated. This could be your family members, friends, co-workers, anyone, and you may not even know it.

What are steroids?

Steroids are synthetic versions of the hormones our bodies produce naturally. Cortisone is a steroid. It signals the body to break down inflammation. Birth control is a steroid. It’s made from the female sex hormones estrogen & progesterone. Then there are the most known steroids, anabolic steroids. They are made from the male sex hormone testosterone. Anabolic steroids tell the body to increase in muscle size and strength; it also helps the body to recover from workouts faster and helps lower body fat % rapidly.

Can steroids harm you?

Doctors have been using steroids to treat patients since the 1930s. They’ve been used to treat cancer patients, burn victims, and most recently HIV/AIDS patients. Under medical supervision they can be taken safely. Although there are NO studies that have been done to show the long term effects of steroid use. Yes, NONE. There’s NO proof to show that it causes cancer or kidney damage. Only in cases with the abuse of oral steroids has it been shown to cause liver damage.

Side Effects?

Men may experience acne, hair growth/loss, increase in the bad cholesterol LDL, joint stress, testicle shrinkage, decreased sperm count (abuse can make you sterile), and gynecomastia (the increase of fatty breast tissue, aka “bitch tits”). “Roid rage,” occurs in 5% of the population. Only if you’re already an angry person, steroids may make you even angrier. *Acne (back, neck), mood swings, and sudden development of fat tissue in the chest are the main signs of steroid use.* Fortunately, once you are off the drugs most of these symptoms in men are reversible.

Women who take anabolic steroids may suffer acne, abnormal hair growth, deepened voice, joint stress, menstrual problems, and an enlargened clitoris. Unfortunately for women, most of these side effects are irreversible.

***RIO Fitness Chicago® DOES NOT endorse nor promote the use of steroids unless prescribed and supervised by a licensed medical professional!***

RIO Fitness Chicago® Tip:

Instead of reaching for booze or Ben & Jerry's after a stressful day reach for these:

1) MILK. It contains tryptophan, which as it is metabolized is converted to mood-boosting serotonin. Plus, its calcium, magnesium and potassium content help keep blood pressure down.

2) GREEN TEA (Uncaffeinated). Packed with theanine, which increases the brain’s output of relaxation-inducing alpha waves and reduces the output of tension-making beta waves.

3) COLD WATER. Drink a glass, then go for a walk outside. The water gets your blood moving and the fresh air invigorates by stimulating the endorphins that de-stress you.

RIO Fitness Chicago® Tip:

Late night info-mercials promise their product will give you those sexy abs you've always wanted. Bottomline, no machine or doing 1000s of crunches a day will help you see that "six-pack" if your body fat % is not low. How do we get our body fat % low:

1) Have a quality health & fitness professional calculate your daily calorie limit and start staying within it. Body fat loss = buring more calories than you consume; but not to the point where you're starving yourself, because that will have the opposite effect (your body will start storing fat).

2) Do cardio properly to burn majority calories from fat not energy/muscle. Doing cardio for more than 30mins burns majority energy calories (glycogen) & NOT fat. You need to do you cardio in high-low intensity intervals every 60sec for just 25mins if you want to begin burning body fat quickly. Getting your cardio in as soon as you wake up before consuming any calories will speed up the fat loss even more.

3) Strength train. Resistance training burns 4x more calories than cardio. And keeps you metabolism (how fast you burn calories) high for 24-36hrs, cardio is only 2hrs.

4) Limit high glycemic carbs (bread/pasta/rice/oats) to ONLY after exercise. These are carbs which digest quickly so if you're eating them all day long, they're not being burned and turned into body fat. Fruits/veggies are low glycemic and are the carbs that are ok to eat throughout the day.

5) Limit alcohol consumption. Overconsuming calories, stress, and alcohol, are the three quickest ways to gain body fat. Alcohol triggers the body fat production hormone cortisol to begin storing body fat.

RIO Fitness Chicago® Tip:

How many calories are you drinking daily? Don't just think of calories in terms of food. If you drink that entire bottle of Gatorade/juice/pop it can add up to 200-400cal. Couple that with a meal that's 400-600cal or higher, you've just consumed 600-1000cal in one sitting = overconsuming cal = body fat gain. The nutrition facts listed are usually only 8oz of a drink not the entire bottle (16-32oz).

RIO Fitness Chicago® Tip:

Healthy eating for most people doesn't come easy. It's not an 8wk program or something that happens overnight, it's a complete lifestyle change. Best way to get started is to begin writing down what you're eating & the times. This will help you identify habits; like if you use food to deal with stress or if social events are always food/drink centered.

RIO Fitness Chicago® Tip:

Best way to reach your exercise & nutrition goals is to have a support system who encourages you. Ideal is to have an exercise buddy & accountability partner with your nutrition. Find a friend/family member/co-worker who shares your goals & begin conquering them together. Even if it's doing cardio together or calling eachother at the end of day to go over nutritional choices made throughout the day.

RIO Fitness Chicago® Tip:

How many times have you eaten bread/pasta/rice/oats today? Those are high glycemic carbs which digest quickly, and if not burned immediately are turned into fat. Eat them only after exercise, or only once per day if you can't do that. Fruit/veggies are low glycemic and are the carbs ok to eat throughout the day because they digest slowly.

RIO Fitness Chicago® Tip:

Can't lose those last ten pounds? It may not be because of your exercise & nutrition, but chemicals you're eating & drinking unintentionally. They’re called endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs), and many of these chemicals work by mimicking estrogen; the hormone that doctors DON’T want women taking anymore due to increased risk of heart disease, breast cancer, stroke, blood clots and abnormal mammograms. Three simple ways you can avoid eating/drinking a lot of EDCs:

1) GO ORGANIC. Organic foods can be expensive. But not all organics are created equal; many foods have such low levels of pesticides that buying organic just isn’t worth it. High pesticide foods are celery, peaches, strawberries, apples, blueberries (domestic), nectarines, sweet bell peppers, spinach, kale/collard greens, cherries, potatoes and grapes (imported). Low pesticide foods are onions, avocado, sweet corn (frozen), pineapples, mango, sweet peas (frozen), asparagus, kiwi fruit, cabbage, eggplant, cantaloupe (domestic), watermelon, grapefruit, sweet potatoes and honeydew melon.

2) GO LEAN. Always choose pasture-raised meats, which have less fat than their confined, grain-fed counterparts and none of the weight-promoting hormones. Plus, grass-fed beef contains 60% more omega-3s, 200% more vitamin E and two to three times more conjugated linoleic acid (a nutrient that helps ward off heart disease, cancer and diabetes, and can help you lose body fat). For fish, avoid ahi or bigeye tuna, tilefish, swordfish, shark, king mackerel, marlin and orange roughy. Focus on smaller fish like anchovies, Atlantic herring and mackerel, and wild-caught Alaskan salmon. When you cook the fish, broil, poach, grill, boil or bake instead of pan-frying; this will allow contaminants from the fatty portions of fish to drain out.

3) FILTER YOUR WATER. The best way to eliminate EDCs from your tap water is an activated carbon water filter. Available for faucets and pitchers, and as under-the-sink units, these filters remove most pesticides and industrial pollutants. if you have perchlorate (a component of rocket fuel!) in your water (you can find out by asking your municipal water supplier for a copy of its most recent water-quality report) you’ll need a reverse osmosis filter. These filters range from $28-$60.

RIO Fitness Chicago® Tip:

When was the last time you went to the doctor/had a physical? If you can't remember, you definitely don't know what your blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol, triglycerides, or thyroid levels are; all which could be leading to health problems in the near future.

1) BLOOD PRESSURE - Healthy number is less than 120/80 mmHg. High blood pressure is 140/90mmHg or higher. High BP often has no symptoms and, left untreated, can lead to stroke, heart disease, kidney damage, and vision and memory problems. To lower your numbers, consume a low-fat/sodium diet, limit alcohol, don't smoke, and exercise 4-5/wk.

2) BLOOD SUGAR - Healthy number of a fasting blood-sugar level is 99mg/dL or less. A level of 126mg/dL or higher indicates diabetes. Diabetes more than doubles your risk of heart disease and increases your chances of kidney disease, vision loss, and other health issues.

3) CHOLESTEROL - Healthy number is total cholesterol (LDL & HDL) under 200mg/dL. The higher your cholesterol levels, the greater your risk of heart disease. LDL cholesterol should be under 100mg/dL. Elevated LDL levels cause the formation of plaque in the artery walls, which leads to atherosclerosis and an increased risk of heart attack and stroke. HDL cholesterol should be 50mg/dL or higher.

4) TRIGLYCERIDES - Healthy number is less than 150mg/dL. Triglycerides are a type of fat in the blood, and elevated levels increase your risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Elevated triglycerides are a greater risk factor for heart disease in women than in men, another good reason to get your level into the target zone. To do that, lose body fat, quit smoking, consume no more than one alcoholic drink a day, and exercise 4-5/wk.

5) THYROID - Healthy number is a thyroid-stimulating hormone level under 4.0mIU/L. Besides helping regulate your metabolism, body temperature, and heart rate, thyroid hormones affect skin, hair, muscle strength, mood, and mental functioning. If your level is high, above 4.5mIU/L, your thyroid isn’t producing enough hormones to help your body function efficiently.

RIO Fitness Chicago® Tip:

Do you always feel tired, even if you get eight hours of sleep? Here's two common mistakes (then solutions) you may be making which could be causing that.

1) Skip the alcohol before bed. Once your body begins to remove it from your system, it acts as a stimulant. Instead start a nighttime ritual that promotes sleep like a warm shower (when you step out, your body begins to cool off, a process it goes through before sleep) or sip a cup of decaf chamomile tea.

2) Don't exercise before bedtime. Exercising before sleep (especially cardio) can leave you staring at the ceiling in bed, since it can take 3-4hrs for your body to cool itself. Try to get it in the morning (best time to burn the most fat) or at lunch; you'll feel the energy-boosting effects for hours.

RIO Fitness Chicago® Tip:

Forget about BMI, forget about the scale (to an extent), all you need to know is your body fat %! Body fat is where all your disease risks (heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and cancer) are coming from. A LOT of doctors go off of BMI, but that's just height over weight. A muscular bodybuilder who is only 5'7" & 220lbs, his BMI will say he's obese, so BMI is irrelevant. The scale will say you've lost 10lbs, but it is possible to lose on the scale, but not body fat % = you've lost water/muscle weight. So the scale is irrelevant.

For WOMEN: 18-35yrs old body fat % should be 18-20%, 35-50yrs old should be 20-22%, 50yrs old + should be 22-26%

For MEN: 18-35yrs old body fat % should be 12-14%, 35-50yrs old should be 14-16%, 50yrs old + should be 16-20%

Have a qualified health & fitness professional calculate your body fat % TODAY, so you can begin tracking REAL (getting healthier) progress!