RIO Fitness Chicago® Tip:

Laughing for 10-15mins can burn up to 50cal. For a good laugh watch this short YouTube clip from the The Situation workout DVD. No proper form, no real explanation of why you're doing the exercises you're doing and what they're actually working on ("gluteum maximus" LOL!), and the same exercises over and over and over. The guy is hilarious though! Don't waste your money on this DVD. P90X & Jillian Michaels DVDs are a much better investment.

RIO Fitness Chicago® Tip:

To get back into shape we need to keep things simple. One of the easiest things we can do every day to jumpstart getting back into shape is cardio. Especially if we can do it as soon as we wake up before consuming any calories which is one of the two best times to do cardio (after strength training is the other). The correct way to do cardio to burn more body fat is simple as well. Only 25mins of 60sec high/low intensity intervals. Here's an example for a machine, but the principle of up & down intensity every 60sec can be used for anything (running/walking outside, swimming, doing actual stairs, etc).

Cardio example (treadmill):

Warmup 60sec @ 3.0 speed
Minute 1 - Speed 5.0
Min 3 - Speed 5.0
Min 5 - Speed 5.0
Min 7 - Speed 5.0
Min 9 - Speed 5.0
Min 11 - Speed 7.0
Min 13 - Speed 7.0
Min 15 - Speed 7.0
Min 17 - Speed 7.0
Min 19 - Speed 7.0
Min 21 - Speed 9.0
Min 23 - Speed 9.0
Cooldown 60sec @ Speed 3.0

That's it just 25mins of cardio to burn more calories from body fat! All the even numbered mins (2,4,6, etc) you come down to Speed 3.0

Side note, doing more than 30mins of cardio will burn just energy calories (glycogen) not body fat. Over an hour, glycogen runs out, and so the body will burn muscle tissue, which will slow down our metabolism = gaining body fat quicker.

RIO Fitness Chicago® Tip:

2012 is just a few days away, and you might be researching diets to begin helping you get in shape. Diets don't work. They're just quick fixes that only help you lose "weight" not body fat. Losing "weight" means you'll eventually gain it all back, and maybe plus some. Exercise & eating healthy are NOT 4-12wk programs that we just stop doing, it's an every day lifestyle change that helps see REAL results like losing body fat and keeping it off. Here are the TEN Nutrition Commandments that if you follow 100%, you are guaranteed to see results in a HEALTHY, long lasting way.

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. Nobody should ever eat under 1200cal/day, because that lowers metabolism which means holding onto and storing more body fat.

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:

Are you an expecting Mommy or know someone who is? The best way to lose the "baby weight" is to not only eat healthy during the pregnancy, but most importantly to stay active. It IS okay to exercise up to the third trimester. Only a few precautions though: 1) Wear a heart rate monitor while you do, because your heart rate should not exceed 140 for a long period of time to minimalize your body's internal core temperature. 2) No exercises that involve any laying flat on the back and no prolonged standing ones. Both pool blood around the fetus which is dangerous. 3) No jumping/bouncing exercises. 4) No using unstable equipment like stability balls/BOSUs/etc unless under the direct supervision of a certified fitness instructor.

RIO Fitness Chicago® Tip:

Millions of people make New Years resolutions to get in better shape, but don't have a plan of how to. One great way to get/stay lean in 2012, is to cut out alcohol. Alcohol is the one of three quickest ways to GAIN body fat (overconsuming calories & stress are the other two). Alcohol not only has calories, but it causes increased levels of the body fat producing hormone cortisol, and it also lowers levels of the body fat burning hormone testosterone. With that triple whammy of ways to gain body fat, it's hard to stay in shape. Cutting it out might not be easy for some, but doing so will guaranteed make us look & feel (no hangovers) 100 times better.

RIO Fitness Chicago® Tip:

A great way to make exercise easier so we can keep up the intensity we need to see quick results, is to get our breathing correct. Perfecting shallow breathing by taking in a breath through mouth and out through our nose, not only helps prevent our mouth from getting dry; but most importantly it helps regulate our heart rate by keeping it from getting too high too quick. Not easy to perfect breathing, but practice, practice, practice makes perfect.

RIO Fitness Chicago® Tip:

Do you stretch AFTER you exercise? We always should if we want to see quick results from exercise. Stretching after exercise puts our muscles in recovery mode by elongating the muscle, which means better blood flow. Better blood flow means once we take a whey isolate protein (Ex: Natural ISOPURE Zero Carb) after exercise, the protein will digest & absorb quicker = building more LEAN muscle tissue quicker. The more lean muscle tissue we have, the more calories we will burn all day long = the more body fat we will burn. STATIC stretching is the type of stretching you want to do after exercise, NEVER before. DYNAMIC stretching/warmup is what we should do before exercise.

RIO Fitness Chicago® Tip:

We do NOT recommend becoming scale obsessed and weighing yourself daily; but with all this holiday food, cookies, drinks, etc, hop on a scale so you can catch a 10-20lb body fat gain. The body can only can take in so many calories (approx 500) before it starts to store the rest as body fat. Enjoy your holidays, but keep food/drink in moderation and get in serious daily exercise. Your waistline/hips/thighs/butt will thank you January 1.

RIO Fitness Chicago® Tip:

50% of the people who make a New Year's resolution to get in shape quit after just 6wks. If this is gonna be your resolution:

1) Don't wait until Jan. 1 to start being active & cautious with what you consume, start TODAY!

2) Find the correct strength & cardio exercises for your specific goal. So many will just walk in a gym, and get on machines cause that's what they see everybody else doing. Do your research!

3) Find an exercise buddy that is already living the healthy lifestyle you desire to have.

4) Status it, tweet it, tell everybody you know about your goals, so that EVERYBODY can keep you accountable if you start to slack.

RIO Fitness Chicago® Tip:

We're never too young or too old to live a healthy lifestyle. Daily exercise & good nutrition are NOT a 4-12wk program that we stop, they're something we have to live every day. Watch this short video of this 60yr old man with a 20yr old's body, and then ask yourself, "what's my excuse for not being as healthy as I can be?"

RIO Fitness Chicago® Tip:

Did you have breakfast this morning? As it gets closer to bedtime, the body knows we won't be consuming calories, so it slows down how fast we burn calories (metabolism) while we sleep. If we skip breakfast it stays slow, so once we do finally eat, what we consume will be stored as fat. Not to mention, if we're starving, that's when we tend to make bad choices and overeat. Great breakfast options are ones that have LEAN protein in them, because protein keeps us feeling full longer. Examples: two eggs with fresh fruit, plain Greek yogurt with fresh fruit mixed in, natural Casein protein shake (www.bodybuilding.com/store/opt/naturalcas.html).

RIO Fitness Chicago® Tip:

"It's cold outside, I don't want to get sick." FALSE. The weather has nothing to do with getting sick. Viruses & bacteria are what make us ill. Wash your hands regularly, especially before eating; and especially when leaving the gym, so you don't spread the major bacteria that's in the gym to your car & home. Also, do NOT touch your eyes (quickest entry for bacteria/viruses), nose, ears, or mouth without washing your hands first.

RIO Fitness Chicago® Tip:

You don't need expensive home equipment or a gym membership to get in some intense exercise. Do you have stairs, a bed, a couch, chairs in your home? The stairs you can use for cardio by jumping up & down, or walking/running/crawling up & down. The bed, couch, and chairs can be used to do many strength training exercises like pushups, dips, planks using the best weight ever = your own body weight.

RIO Fitness Chicago® Tip:

"I don't have time for exercise/to eat breakfast/to eat during my busy day/etc." Truth is, we DO have time. It's just a matter of making the effort to change, to get healthier, and to see the results we want. Get up 30-60mins earlier so you can exercise & have breakfast. Wake up earlier also, or the night before to prepare your snacks for the following day so you're not starving. For every excuse, there's a solution, so less talking about what you're going to do and DO IT! Answer this, "TODAY, I am going to _________________________________ to get healthier and look & feel better."

RIO Fitness Chicago® Tip:

There is a huge difference between looking "skinny" and actually being lean with a low body fat %. It IS possible to look "thin," but still have a high body fat %. Having a low %, not only will decrease our chances for heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and cancer, but also reduces cellulite, and makes us look and feel better, especially in our clothing. Women 18-35yrs old should be 18-20%, 35-50yrs old 20-22%, 50+yrs old 22-24%. Men 18-35yrs old should be 12-14%, 35-50yrs old 14-16%, 50+yrs old 16-18%. If you don't know know your number, have a qualified health and fitness professional calculate it for you ASAP!

RIO Fitness Chicago® Tip:

All this holiday eating/drinking can make us look & feel bloated. To change that, limit your daily sodium intake to 1200mg, drink more water to flush out the excess water, and eat more high potassium foods (unsalted beans, unsweetened dried apricots, spinach, squash) because potassium helps to lower sodium levels in the body. Google "high potassium foods" for a more detailed list.

RIO Fitness Chicago® Tip:

This holiday season, when you go holiday shopping in some extra activity by doing simple things like: parking further away from the entrance and walk, always use the stairs instead of elevators/escalators, and avoid the thigh & waist expanders at the food court by bringing your own small snacks like a banana, apple, or a cup of unsalted/raw nuts in a baggy. These are just simple steps to help avoid the holiday body fat gain.