RIO Fitness Chicago® Tip:

Do you often feel & look bloated? Here's seven ways to lose the bloat.

1) Cut out the high sodium foods/seasonings. Sodium carries water in your body; so limit your sodium intake to 1200mg/day. You'll be surprised how quickly that adds up.

2) Eat high potassium foods which lower sodium levels and kick excess water. Foods like, bananas, cantaloupe, kiwi, spinach, tomatoes, beans, and asparagus — which contains an amino acid called asparagine that acts as a diuretic to flush excess liquid out of your system.

3) Steam your veggies. For example, eating 1/2 cup of steamed carrots has the same volume in your stomach as 1 cup of raw carrots.

4) Stop chomping on gum. Gum chewing creates gas in your stomach, making you look puffy. Eating quickly does too, so slow down.

5) PMSing? Be sure to get enough calcium (1200mg/day) & magnesium (300mg/day). Both crucial nutrients found to help relieve PMS symptoms like bloating.

6) Take the probiotic with the strain B. infantis. Can be found in supplement form or Dannon/Activa yogurt. Check the labels to make sure.

7) To help evacuate gas, try massaging your abdomen in the direction of your GI tract. Press your fingers near your right hip, slide up toward the ribs, across and down near your colon in a circular motion. Sounds funny, but it works.

RIO Fitness Chicago® Tip:

If you're trying to get into shape & you give in to a really bad treat, just get over it! Stressing is only going to make it worse. If it was at lunch, get some extra activity & finish the day eating healthier. If it's late at night, start again tomorrow with healthy eating. Relax & be patient with your fitness goals. Nobody gets out of shape overnight & nobody gets into it overnight either.

RIO Fitness Chicago® Tip:

No time for a healthy snack? Try 100% NATURAL CASEIN PROTEIN. Low in cal (130)/fat (1g)/carb (7g), high quality protein (24g) with no artificial flavors, sweeteners, or synthetic colors. It's a slow digesting protein, so it'll keep you full longer. It's a better sub for Slimfast/protein bars that are loaded with cal/fat/sugars & low quality protein. Mix ONE scoop with 8oz of cold water & drink.

http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/opt/naturalcas.html

RIO Fitness Chicago® Tip:

Artificial stimulant fat burners (Hydroxycut, Lipo-6, etc) are not effective because there's a layer of adipose tissue that blocks it from attacking the fat. They're also harmful, because they're loaded with caffeine & other stimulants that affect your heart/liver/kidneys. If you want a natural fat burner, that is truly effective in burning bad fat because it is healthy fat itself, try LIPIDEX.

LIPIDEX contains Omega 3, 6, 9 essential fatty acids, flaxseed oil, fish oil, and other healthy fats that help to burn bad fats. Essential fatty acids (EFAs) increase fat burning by causing your body to use stored body fat as the preferred source of energy. When this happens, carbs will be used for muscle fullness and protein is used to repair and build more muscle mass. In situations where people are deficient in EFAs, fat is not the preferred energy source. This results in catabolism, when muscle is used as energy and broken down. Carbs are also used as energy which depletes the muscle and loosens the skin. Fat, though, is pretty much left alone, so you get fatter and weaker when you don't get enough EFAs. Essential Fatty Acids basically turn your body into a fat burning inferno.

**Men taking LIPIDEX can take the bottle recommended amount of 6 capsules twice daily after meals, which is 6g of fat. Women only need 3g of fat, so women should take just two capsules after breakfast, lunch and dinner.

***Fat burners are not meant to replace proper exercise & nutrition! They're just meant to be a nutritional aide.

To learn more about LIPIDEX or just about healthy fats and their positive benefits click the link.
http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/san/lipidex.html

RIO Fitness Chicago® Tip:

Nobody should be eating under 1200calories/day. Eating too few cal daily can "shut off" your metabolism. Meaning, you will begin burning cal at a slower rate so that when you do eat/drink it will be stored as fat for a future energy source. This also leads to your body catabolizing your muscle tissue to use as fuel. That's bad because the more lean muscle we have the faster we burn cal all day.

RIO Fitness Chicago® Tip:

The "weight room" make you uncomfortable? Think of it as the "lose fat & tone up faster room." Strength training burns 4x more cal than cardio & keeps your metabolism (how fast you burn cal) high for 24-36hrs. To target more muscles use free weights/medicine balls/BOSUs. Best way to strength train to get lean & tone quickly is HIGH INTENSITY INTERVAL TRAINING. Google/YouTube it, and start doing it!

RIO Fitness Chicago® Tip:

That daily morning Starbucks/DD ritual, can be hindering your body fat loss goals. Most of those coffees are loaded with cal/saturated fat (ex: A DD mocha latte has 450cal) due to the added sugary syrups, honey, whipped cream, and whole milk. For a low-cal drink order flavored coffee beans (hazelnut, chocolate almond, white chocolate) instead of syrupy mix-ins, and lighten the coffee with skim milk.

RIO Fitness Chicago® Tip:

Recently a question came in to us about a 500cal diet to "lose weight." Eating under 1000cal/day is dangerous & can turn your metabolism off. **You don't have to do crazy diets that are temporary fixes, don't truly work, and often lead to gaining weight back plus some!!** Follow the RIO Fitness Ten Nutrition Commandments to start seeing healthy, 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) Eat high glycemic carbs (ex: bread/pasta/rice/oat) ONLY after you exercise, because they digest quickly. Eating them all day long = body fat gain because they're not burned quick enough. 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 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 day/exercise.

RIO Fitness Chicago® Tip:

Two simple things we can do RIGHT NOW to start getting in shape are, 1) Have bread/pasta/rice/oat carbs ONLY after exercise. These are high glycemic carbs that digest quickly, so eating them all day long = body fat gain. 2) Avoid alcohol. Alcohol not only has calories, but raises levels of the body fat producing hormone cortisol, and lowers the body fat burning hormone testosterone.

RIO Fitness Chicago® Tip:

If we have to wait until the end of our school/work day to exercise, it can be hard to find the motivation. Especially, if we have to go home to get ready, then leave again to the gym. To stay motivated we should always have our gym essentials (gym shoes, comfy clothes, water, etc) with us or in the car, so we can go straight there. Planning ahead makes a big difference in whether we reach our goals!

RIO Fitness Chicago® Tip:

Next time you're out for drinks, think about your drink of choice. Most mixed drinks are 200-400cal, so drinking over 1000cal can add up quickly = body fat gain. Try having a WHITE WINE SPRITZER (4oz white wine, soda water and a lime). It's half the wine and half the calories.

RIO Fitness Chicago® Tip:

If we view healthy eating as negative or a punishment we won't be successful with it. Eating healthier is just about making better/smarter choices. This means substituting out unnecessary extras (butter/mayo/sour cream/dressings/cheese). Sub butter/dressings for fresh lemon/lime or olive oil/vinegar vinaigrettes, and salsa & hummus instead of mayo/sour cream/cheese.

RIO Fitness Chicago® Tip:

What's in your fridge/cabinets at home? If we surround ourselves with unhealthy food/drinks, we're going to consume them. If we surround ourselves with healthy options, we'll consume those instead. Our homes should be filled with LEAN proteins (white meat, fish, eggs, beans, unsalted/raw nuts), a wide variety of colorful fruit & veggies (more color the better), 100% WHOLE GRAIN carbs, and water.

RIO Fitness Chicago® Tip:

1lb of fat = 3500 calories. So to lose body fat, our weekly goal should be to burn at least 3500cal. This does NOT mean doing cardio machines for hours/day; because after 30mins our body starts burning only energy cal, after 60mins starts burning muscle. Instead, burn 300-400cal/day with actual exercise, and another 100-200cal/day by parking further from entrances & walking, and always taking the stairs.

RIO Fitness Chicago® Tip:

Do you have "try this" friends who always order decadent foods/drinks & push them on you, or live with people who fill the house w/ junk food? Getting in shape is already a hard enough struggle within yourself, so talk with your friends/family about your goals. Invite them to exercise with you & eat healthy with you. Having partners makes getting in shape a lot easier, so by the end of this week, buddy up with at least one person.