RIO Fitness Chicago® Tip:

If you have trouble sleeping, start adding these foods to your dinner/evening snack.

1) Unsalted/raw ALMONDS reduce muscle/nerve function while steadying your heart rhythm.

2) HONEY has glucose which tells your brain to shut off the chemical that triggers alertness.

3) CHERRIES increase melatonin which regulates the sleep cycle.

4) BANANAS have magnesium & potassium which are muscle/nerve relaxants.

RIO Fitness Chicago® Tip:

If you're going to do cardio & weight training together, first do weights then cardio. Doing weights first will deplete your energy calories (glycogen), so that all that's left to burn with the cardio is body fat calories. Doing cardio first, you'll still have energy calories to burn so you won't burn as much fat.

RIO Fitness Chicago® Tip:

Exercising outside in this brutal Chicago winter weather is NOT going to make you burn more calories overall. You do torch a few extra cal during the first few minutes, but once you get warmed up, the caloric expenditure is the same as if you did it inside. If you want to burn more cal during exercise, do high/low intensity intervals every 60sec.

RIO Fitness Chicago® Tip:

It's almost resolution time. For most people it's to get into shape, so let's clear up some myths.

MYTH 1: "Muscle turns into fat/fat into muscle." No. Muscle & fat are two completely different tissues. If you stop exercising, your muscles atrophy, so you lose the tone; and if you eat more calories than you burn, you'll gain fat.

MYTH 2: "Lifting weights make women bulk up."No. Women don’t have enough muscle-building hormone testosterone to get bulky, even if using heavy weights. Some people gain muscle faster than they lose fat, so they may look bigger until they shed the flab and reveal the slim, toned muscles underneath.

MYTH 3: "When your body gets used to an exercise, you'll burn fewer calories doing it."Yes. After five to six times doing the same routine, you'll be smoother in your movements, but you'll start expending fewer calories then when you started. That's why you should do different exercises EVERY time you exercise to constantly shock your muscles into creating new lean muscle tissue.

RIO Fitness Chicago® Tip:

Want to burn more body fat with your cardio? Then do HIGH/LOW INTENSITY INTERVALS. Do 60sec where you go fast, then 60sec slow. Repeat this for just 25mins & you'll burn more calories from fat than if you did an hour at a constant speed which burns more calories from energy.

RIO Fitness Chicago® Tip:

Do you often get strong cravings for carbs like bread/sweets/etc? One main cause is the imbalance in your blood sugar (insulin) levels. The imbalance is caused by, skipping meals & going hours on end without eating, consuming alcohol/juice/caffeinated drinks which spike then drop levels to extreme lows, and not getting enough sleep at night.

RIO Fitness Chicago® Tip:

Starting at the age of 25, we lose half a pound of lean muscle tissue every year. Losing that tissue causes a drop in metabolism (how fast we burn calories), which then causes body fat gain. This is why it's important to strength train (3x/week) & consume a whey isolate protein (Ex: ISOPURE Zero Carb) after exercise so that we maintain/create new muscle tissue = burning more calories/day.

RIO Fitness Chicago® Tip:

Are you looking for a new & fun way to get some exercise? If you have a Nintendo Wii go get the game Michael Jackson: The Experience. It has ALL of his classic songs & music videos for you to dance along with Michael trying to match his signature moves. You'll have so much fun while getting some decent cardio! Try it!

Here's the official game website http://theexperience-thegame.ubi.com/michael-jackson/en-US/home/index.aspx

RIO Fitness Chicago® Tip:

Are you so busy because of the holidays/work/school/life that you have no time for exercise? Here's two lists of high/low intensity exercises that you can get done in just 30mins a day (and how many calories they'll burn).

HIGH
aerobics: low impact 170
aerobics: high impact 238
elliptical trainer: general 213
calisthenics: vigorous, jumping jacks, push-ups, sit-ups, pullups 272
weight lifting: light/moderate 108
weight lifting: vigorous 207
running: 6.7 mph (9 min/mile) 374
walk: 4 mph (15 min/mi) 170
stretching: mild, hatha yoga 85
ice skating: moderate intensity 238
sledding, toboggan, bobsled 238
skiing/snowboarding: downhill, moderate effort 204
operating a snow blower: walking 153
shoveling snow: by hand 238
vacuuming 119
cleaning house: general, light 87
decorating Christmas tree 85
food shopping: with cart 78
christmas shopping 78
playing w/kids: moderate effort 153
baking and food preparation 136
Unloading car 102

LOW
reading: sitting 44
standing in line: light, holding items 68
sitting, watching TV 34
writing Christmas cards 61
wrapping gifts 51
socializing, standing 61
playing cards 51

Stop making excuses! Take 30mins a day to do these activities, so you avoid the holiday season weight gain.

RIO Fitness Chicago® Tip:

Weighing yourself daily is not recommended, as it can lead to weight obsession. During this season of overindulging in food/drinks though, you should weigh yourself weekly so you can catch weight gain before it's 10-20lbs later on January 1. Increase your daily activity if you're going to increase calorie intake.

RIO Fitness Chicago® Tip:

With this bitter Chicago cold most people stay in. Staying in is usually accompanied with major snacking on the couch. If you bring the bag of chips/bucket of holiday cookies with you to the couch, you may end up subconsciously devouring the whole thing (500-1000cal) while watching TV. To prevent this pour your snack in a SMALL bowl & leave the rest in the kitchen. Once the bowl is done, you're done.

RIO Fitness Chicago® Tip:

Do you have trouble sleeping at night? One cause could be the foods you're eating close to bedtime. Here's some foods that could be the culprit.

1) AGED CHEESE. Parmesan, Romano, Asiago, and other hard cheeses have high levels of the amino acid tyramine which is known to keep you up.

2) SPICY FOODS. Hot wings may taste good during the football game, but they aren't going to feel so great come bedtime; especially if you're prone to heartburn, since lying down only amps up its side.

3) PROCESSED/SMOKED MEATS. Processed meats contain high levels of tyramine and makes the brain release a chemical that makes us feel alert.

4) ALCOHOL. Many people use alcohol to help them relax, but it actually prevents your body from entering the deep stages of sleep.

5) MILK CHOCOLATE. The average milk chocolate bar contains tyrosine, which is converted into dopamine, a stimulant. This causes alertness and restlessness, which can keep you up at night.

6) TOMATO SAUCES. Tomato-based foods have a tendency to cause acid reflux and heartburn, which will prevent you from having a good night's sleep.

7) GINSENG TEA. Herbal teas are great for sleeping, but steer clear of ginseng. It acts as a stimulant, and some may experience insomnia and hypertension.

8) SOY. Fermented soy products have some of the highest amount of tyramine. Meaning soy sauce, tofu, miso, and even teriyaki sauce should be avoided hours before snoozing.

RIO Fitness Chicago® Tip:

Nutrition is about identifying daily habits. Part is recognizing if your friends/family/coworkers/significant other are preventing you from healthy eating. Always going for food/drinks? Anything active together? A group/person who enable you to eat unhealthy will keep you in that rut. Talk to them about your fitness/nutrition goals & suggest you do more physical activities/make healthy meals at home.

RIO Fitness Chicago® Tip:

Eating healthier is about making smarter choices. One key is making healthier substitutions without losing flavor. For example, instead of using butter/mayo/dressing/cheese add HUMMUS to your favorite sandwich/salad/etc. Hummus comes in so many great flavors, is full of protein & fiber which will keep you feeling full, and has about 70 less calories per tablespoon than butter/mayo.

RIO Fitness Chicago® Tip:

We here at RIO Fitness have been saying for THREE YEARS via our MySpace/Facebook/Twitter/Blog/ect what this recent Yahoo article says. You have to change up how you exercise EVERY time you exercise. Not every 4-6wks, but EVERY time you do cardio & weights do it differently. This forces your muscles to adapt to the changing variables. Which creates more lean muscle tissue = the more calories you'll burn daily = the faster you'll be lean & tone.

http://health.yahoo.net/articles/fitness/p90x-workout-program-really-best-boosting-muscles-burning-fat

RIO Fitness Chicago® Tip:

Depression, high stress, heavy sadness, all cause increased levels of the body fat producing hormone cortisol. These feelings often eliminate desire for exercise; and coupling that with unhealthy eating to cope, will lead to serious weight gain. Don't neglect exercise. The endorphin burst from even just 30mins of cardio on a machine each day, might be just what you need to lift your spirits.

RIO Fitness Chicago® Tip:

Do you have holiday shopping planned this weekend with no time for the gym? No problem! Here's what to do.

1) DRESS WARM, and park far away from the store entrance instead of looking for the first spot.

2) Shopping Downtown? Walk, walk, walk! No cabs.

3) ALWAYS take the stairs instead of elevators/escalators.

4) Carry your shopping bags to the car instead of using a cart. The added resistance while walking burns even more calories.

5) Bring small, simple snacks (unsalted/raw nuts, fruit) with you, so you are not tempted to hit up the food court.

RIO Fitness Chicago® Tip:

A question we often get at RIO Fitness is, "what exercise is best for toning/losing body fat for my abs/thighs/butt/hips/arms?" The answer is, there is NO magic exercise that is going to tone/burn body fat from a specific area. It's more about how you exercise than the actual exercises.

The answer is, HIGH INTENSITY INTERVALS. For example, doing lunges/squats/machines for lower body is better than doing nothing; but if you do just one set then rest, that's bodybuilding and the least effective way to get lean & tone. Doing HIGH INTENSITY INTERVALS means, doing one set of say 15 walking lunges, then immediately following up the lunges with 60sec of jumping jacks or side-side pushups. Once you finish the second exercise, you rest 60sec, and repeat for three sets. HIGH INTENSITY INTERVAL TRAINING, is the most effective way to tone up & lose body fat quickly. YouTube it, Google it, all the SCIENTIFIC research is proving it to be FACT.