You’ve probably seen a list of “healthy foods” to eat before. Maybe it was given to you by your doctor, your nutritionist or your personal trainer. This list probably included somewhere along the lines of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, high fiber foods, lean meats, etc. A list is a good thing to have if you have absolutely no clue where to start. But, with information being widely available to us nowadays, I’m sure that we’re not short on information about which foods are healthy. So, I decided to talk about the difference between nutrient density and calorie density and why most experts recommend nutrient dense foods.

Nutrient density refers to the amount of nutrients that are present in foods. The higher the nutrients such as vitamins and antioxidants in a certain type of food the more nutrient dense it is. It just so happened that most fruits and vegetables are high in nutrients and low in calories. So, this is the reason why these are good for our health especially if we are trying to lose fat. For instance, you can eat a lot of broccoli, asparagus, spinach etc., and feel full without worrying about gaining weight. In addition, you will also get tons of vitamins and antioxidants that will help your body function better. This makes sense if you’re on a reduced calorie diet because if your choices are limited then you’re better off with foods that will satisfy you and your body’s needs.

On the other hand, calorie dense foods are foods that are..well – high in calories without much benefit to your body. They are also usually high in fats that do not do your heart any good either. Foods like marshmallows, donuts, cupcakes, and all the other things we consider “junk” food are typically referred to as empty calorie foods because they are void of any nutrients and yet they stack up the calories. For example, if you eat 2 donuts, you will most likely eat the amount of calories that are equivalent to about 2-3 meals. As evident, this is definitely not good if you’re on a limited calorie budget.

Good Food vs. Bad Food

I never like to label any foods as bad. This is why I put the terms “bad” and “healthy” in quotation marks. In my opinion, living a healthy lifelstyle means that we learn how to live a balanced life. In my terms, this would mean that I can have my chocolate cake every now and then but, most of the time, I am eating nutrient dense foods. In that regard, can you lose weight even if you only eat 5 donuts a day? The answer is yes. You will probably have a lot of cravings and not really look fit but you can lose weight if that’s all your after. Eating nutrient dense foods if yis a better strategy because of all its benefits to our body and our satiety especially if you want to lose weight and live a healthy lifestyle. This does not mean that you can’t enjoy calorie densed foods that you love. You’re just going to have to learn to enjoy them less often.

I believe in striking a balance between eating healthy and enjoying my foods. Just because you’re on a mission to live a healthy lifestyle, it doesn’t mean that junk foods are eternally banned from your list. So, now I leave you with a question: How do you strike a balance in your diet and exercise?

Today, I wanted to share with you a very powerful and effective tool that you can use when motivation is not enough (which it usually isn’t) in your fitness journey. This strategy is called finding your “why.” These are the reason or reasons you told yourself for starting on the path to fitness. You may have known these reasons all along but they may be hidden or unclear to some of you.

Your whys can be a lot of things. It can be the very first reason that gave you that turning point into wanting to lose the extra weight. Maybe it’s that time when you were getting ready for a casual dinner with friends and didn’t like getting ready because nothing fits you. I was there at some point too. It took me awhile to get ready because I had to try on several outfits so that I can choose the one that best hides my love handles. Your turning point may be different. It can be even deeper that just not fitting into clothes but it’s important to remember them especially during your most difficult times.

To give you a clearer idea, here are some of my “whys” and how I think of them on a daily basis:

When I first started, I like to imagine myself having already achieved my goal. This can be something like a vision of me standing in front of the dressing room mirror at the mall while trying on the perfectly sized jeans and jumping for joy because they actually fit me. (I know it sounds silly but it works.)

I also had an idea of who I wanted to look like. A role model who will inspire me to go for my goal in full blast. For most people, this person would be a celebrity and for me it’s Jessica Biel. She still looks womanly and yet she has muscles in all the right spots. I always have her in the back of my mind whenever I felt the need to reach for dessert which is my main nemesis.

The other thing, and one that’s important to me, is knowing that if I keep doing my workouts and eating the right way, that I will be strong as an Ox when I get older. I don’t ever want to be the old lady in crutches who can’t live by herself. I want my quality of life to be at its best even at age 60, 70 and upwards. I imagine an older version of myself and still lifting weights, rock climbing, or just living an active lifestyle in general.

Why This Strategy is Important

When the going gets tough, these are 3 powerful images/visions that I use for myself. When I first wrote them, I got very emotional and you might get that way too. This is a sign that you are doing it right and you really go to the root of your whys.

Your “whys” may be totally different from mine. Maybe you want to be healthy so you can keep up with your kids, or you want to build confidence when you start dating again, or feel good that you’re doing something good for yourself. Whatever your “whys” may be, remind yourself of what they are everyday and keep it front and center. Pretty soon, you will reach your goal and feel proud of yourself.

Your homework is to come up with your “whys” and write them down. You can even post it in the comments section once you’ve come up with your list or just write them down where you can see the list everyday. This strategy is very effective because it helps us with changing our mindset and our habits. When it comes to losing weight, even the best exercise or nutrition plan in the world is useless if you don’t have the right mindset as a strong foundation. If you really want weight loss success, do this strategy and do it everyday.

A lot of times, people get tired of eating healthy because they eat bland foods. In my world, healthy eating is never boring or dull. Through the years, I have found or created some delicious, easy snacks that will sure make you re-think what healthy food tastes like.

In this post, I’ve compiled a list of my top 7 favorite quick and easy to make snacks that will surely keep you on track on your fat loss efforts and keep the bathroom scale going in the right direction. With snacks like these, you will satisfy your taste buds and sweet tooth.

Chocolate Oatmeal

1/2 cup old fashioned oats
2 tbsp dark cocoa
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
1 tbsp ground flax seed
1 cup water
Microwave 2 min

This is a good breakfast meal or snack. It taste like a big chocolate oatmeal cookie– before its cooked anyway.

Makes 1 serving as a meal.

Oatmeal Protein Pancake

They're a little burnt but that is how I like them

These are my favorite pancakes ever! I can eat them every morning and not get tired of them. You can also add 1 large, ripe banana to this to add more flavor and sweetness.

1/2 cup old-fashioned oatmeal
1/4 cup low-fat cottage cheese (or tofu)
4 egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Process the oatmeal, cottage cheese, egg whites, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a blender until smooth.

Spray a nonstick skillet with cooking spray. Add the batter and cook over medium heat until both sides are lightly browned.

Makes about 5 pancakes with 2 pancakes per serving.

Mixed Nut Bar

This is my favorite and the bootcamper’s favorite homemade protein bar.

3/4 c pecan meal
3/4 c almond meal
1/4 c walnut pieces
2 whole Omega-3 eggs (I like Eggland’s Best) plus 2 egg whites, beaten with egg beater until it foams
6 scoops vanilla or chocolate whey protein (or 3 scoops of each)
1/4 tsp salt
Stevia to taste

To make the pecan and almond meal, process the nuts in the blender.

Mix everything together in a large bowl, and continue stirring until all of the ingredients mixed together thoroughly.

Spread the dough into 8×8 inch baking dish coated with olive oil cooking spray and bake for 15 minutes at 350 degrees Farenheit.

Makes about 8 medium sized protein bars.

Nuts Flax Smoothie

Makes for a refreshing drink

1/3 c cottage cheese
1 scoop vanilla whey powder
2 tsp almond butter
1 tsp ground flaxseed
3-4 ice cubes (around 1c)
1/4 to 1/3 c water

Blend and enjoy!!!

475 calories – divide by two if you’re eating other stuff with it. If not, have it as a meal.

Chocolate Mousse

For those times when you want something sweet and it tastes like Chocolate Mousse!

1/2 container of Jell-O Sugar-free Chocolate Pudding
1/4 cup Greek Yogurt (I use FAGE – you can find it at Costco, Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods)

Mix together and enjoy.

Apple Yogurt Snack

1 c non-fat plain yogurt
1 large apple, chopped into cubes
1 scoop chocolate protein powder

Just mix together and enjoy. This is anothe convenient snack that you can prepare overnight and take to work.

Berry Protein Snack

1/4 cup Blueberries or 1/3 cup Strawberries
1 Scoop Chocolate or Vanilla Protein Powder
1 tbsp Peanut Butter
A little bit of water

Just mix all ingredients with a little bit of water to dissolve the protein powder. This is good for a quick breakfast or snack.

There you have it, 7 healthy snack choices that you can have for everyday of the week. You won’t say eating is boring again. I have many other healthy recipes that I enjoy and I’m always on the look out for them because I never want to eat bland food. This strategy helps me stay on track with my fitness goals and keeps me focused on the road to a healthy lifestyle. I hope they do the same thing to you too.

There’s no doubt that Super Bowl Sunday is one of those high-calorie days and if you’re rooting for the New Orleans Saints or the Indianapolis Colts, your stress levels will probably be through the roof. Most likely, you will de-stress by eating more. For those of us who don’t have the luxury of being able to afford football game tickets, we’re either attending a party or having one at home. Since I like to avoid clean up, I’m going to attend one.

Now, I like to strike a balance in all areas of my life. That’s the only way I can keep sane (lol) and it’s just a lot more fun that way. This means that going to a Super Bowl party does not mean that I have to avoid every unhealthy food that the hostess serves. Instead, I use some simple nutrition strategies to get ready for this big day. Take note that these strategies are tried and tested to keep you on track on your fitness goals so that you’re not kicking yourself in the butt for “cheating” too much come Monday morning.

Strategy #1: Eat Mostly Lean Proteins

Scientific studies have shown that lean proteins give you that feeling of fullness. At the same time, proteins take a lot longer for your body to digest which means that you’ll stay full longer and burn more calories during digestion. Personally, I find that proteins even help me with my cravings. Once I eat enough protein in my meals, I don’t think about eating sugary stuff.

This is the specific strategy you can try on game day: eat eggs topped with some salsa for breakfast and eat chicken with romaine lettuce for lunch. Lean proteins are low in calories and both meals are pretty low in carbs. So, you’ve essentially lowered your calories and carbs to prepare yourself for the high calorie, high carbs meal that are usually served at Superbowl parties.

I still want to look like this when Monday morning comes

Strategy #2: Fasting

I’ve talked about fasting for a little bit in last week’s post but it is quite my favorite way to lose weight and keep it off. Fasting is a great way to reduce the total amount of calories that you eat without obsessing over every single morsel of food that you eat. Not to mention that you’re instantly reducing your sugar and salt intake as well.

Fasting also works well for people who are not diabetic yet but have problems with their insulin response (called insulin resistant). I am one of these people and because of this, I tend to carry my fat on my love handles and lower back when I gain weight. A quick and easy solution for me is fasting since it enhances my body’s response to insulin (makes me more sensitive to insulin).

If you don’t care about all the sciencey insulin stuff, here’s a way for you to get ready for your Superbowl party. Starting Saturday after lunch, simply don’t take in anymore calories besides sugar-free gum and/or green tea until lunch the next day. Next, for your lunch on Sunday, eat a well balanced meal with proteins and vegetables which can help you stay full until party time. This might sound difficult but it really isn’t since most hunger signals only lasts about 5-10 minutes. After that, you usually don’t notice it. Stay busy!

There you go, 2 strategies that are pretty doable and are sure to keep you on track even if you overeat during the Superbowl party. From experience, I use both strategies but strategy #2 seems to work best for me. If you choose not to follow either strategy, just make sure you don’t end up regretting it the next day. It is a lot easier to control what you eat than it is to exercise more. We simply can’t think that we can make up a bad diet with exercise. It just doesn’t work that way.

Many people dream of having sexy abs or just flatter abs in general. It is this fact that a lot of us tend to be frustrated when we seem to do everything we’re supposed to do and yet we don’t get the results we want. To key to ending this frustration lies in simply educating ourselves about the things that will help us achieve this goal. This post will talk about the 3 most important things that you need to understand to get the most out of your efforts in having a nice midsection.

This is my definition of sexy abs - with muscles but still very feminine

But, before we move on, let me just make one thing clear when people say they want to lose weight, they really mean they want to lose fat right? I’m sure that anyone who’s reading this don’t want to lose muscle.

Ok, here are your tips:

Tip #1 You can’t crunch away your belly fat

Ever heard of people doing thousands of ab crunches a day and still have flabby abs? How about those who fall for useless ab equipment informercials on late night t.v.? All these people seem to believe that doing exercises that are specific to your “problem” body part will magically make the fat in that area go away. The one thing to understand here is that “spot training” is a complete myth!

All of us are born with muscles and in this case, we are all born with ab muscles. When people have fat (especially if there’s a lot of it) on top of those muscles, they wouldn’t be able to see their abs flatten no matter how many ab exercises they do. The key to flattening those abs is to simply reduce your overall body fat. Most women can see their abs when they have a body fat percentage of 15-17% and statistics have shown that the average American woman have a body fat percentage of 38%. Basically, you will see those abs once you get closer to your ideal body weight for your body type and you can do this by doing tips #2 and #3.

Tip #2 Calculate Your Calorie Deficit

A lot of people already know that they have to go on a “diet” in order to lose fat. When they say the word “diet,” they usually mean just eating the same way and same things they used to eat – just smaller portions. This is fine because you will get a calorie deficit this way. But, this strategy may only work for a few weeks and if you really want to see your sexy abs, it just isn’t enough.

I don’t have anything against diets because I believe that they teach us some important points especially if the diet is based on sound nutritional principles. The problem with diets is people tend to go on and off them. Either they are on a diet or they aren’t. A better way to approach this if you really want to keep the results you’ve gained is to keep the habits you’ve learned from the diet and adapt them into your everyday life for the long term.

Last but not the least, you also need to do is to figure out your calorie intake for maintenance. Calorie what? Your calorie intake for maintenance is the amount of calories you need to eat everyday in order to maintain your current weight. In order to lose weight, you have to eat under that maintenance level. Most people should start at 20% under their maintenance all the way up to 30% but no more than that. If you don’t know your calorie maintenance and need to find out your deficit as well, click on this Calorie Deficit Calculator.

Once you figure out the amount of calories you need to eat to have a deficit, you can then start to count the calories that you eat everyday. A good, free online calorie counter that I like is Sparkpeople.com. You might think that this is way too much stuff to do but it really is just an exercise in helping you get familiar with the calories in food. Once you’ve been counting calories for a good 3 months, you should be able to guess them to the point that you don’t have to do it anymore.

Why count calories? Simple: If you don’t know how much you’re eating, you’re just guessing. It’s important to know how much you’re eating right now so that when you’re results come to a halt, you can reduce your calorie intake further.

Rusty Moore of Fitness Black Book created this video about calorie counting which makes a lot of sense to me:

You can find out more about Eat Stop Eat (ESE) by clicking Eat Stop Eat (ESE). I truly believe in ESE and if you look carefully, you will find that I sent in my testimonial for the product because I truly believe in it. But, I also recommend that you master #2 first before going into any type of “diet” program.

Tip #3 Don’t be afraid to lift heavy weights

A common thing that I see, especially in women, is their lack of strength training program. I have done the same mistake before and believe me, I’m kicking myself in the butt for it. I used to hang out by the treadmills or the stationary bikes and spend countless hours there. What a waste of time!

But, if you are pressed for time and you only have about 30 minutes to spend at the gym, hit the free weights instead. Lifting barbells and dumbbells burn a lot more calories compared to cardiovascular exercise alone. What’s even better is that you will still burn calories even after you’re done with your workout! The best exercises to do for fat loss are squats, deadlifts, military presses, push ups, pull ups, chin ups, etc. Bottom line, you want to choose exercises that make use of multiple muscle groups at the same time which helps you burn more calories in a shorter period of time. If you really want to do some cardio, do this interval protocol instead. Plus, the additional muscle mass that you get will burn evern more calories compared to fat.

Take Home

Understanding and putting into action the 3 tips above will help you make big changes to your body. They may not sound very sexy like the latest cleansing diet or celebrity workout out there, but these are what works. Put in the effort and take yourself out of your comfort level by doing these and I promise that you will see your sexy abs in no time.

At ATD Fitness, I created this tradition of having 100 repetition challenges every Wednesday. So, since December 2009, the bootcampers have been going through this challenge and they are rockin’ it! So, what is the 100 rep challenge?

It is basically a challenge where they perform 25 repetitions of each exercises with the exercises as follows:

• Bodyweight Squats
• Push Ups
• Reverse Lunges
• Kettlebell Swings

Then, one person times the whole thing for another person and everyone tries to do them faster compared to the last time. Besides seeing a 30.5 second improvement on everyone’s time, I have also seen big improvements in strength. For instance, some people who used to perform half of the kneeling push ups were able to perform all 25 repetitions with full push ups. That is simply amazing!

Here are the times from this morning's challenge

So, why do the 100 rep challenge?

Well, first, it definitely pumps everyone up and keeps the motivation strong for each participant. Also, the feeling of accomplishment of beating their own time means that they are making improvements in other areas besides weight loss. They are becoming fitter week after week and that just makes me a proud trainer. [I wish I can show you guys a video of how great they were but they are a little camera shy...lol]

More importantly, these are the type of challenges that will keep your body guessing so that you will continually see results. If you were to compare the calories they burned during just one round of this to running on the treadmill for the same amount of time, the calories burned during the challenge would be way higher.

So, are you ready for this type of challenge? If so, the week of January 25th would be our trial week and this will be your chance to try out ATD Fitness Bootcamp workouts for free. Simply fill-out this contact form and I will put you on the list. Will 2010 be your year to a sexy body?

I have been an avid gym goer for quite some time now and I always notice a particular trend – the cardio machines are always crowded. Most of the time, there’s even a line to use them. I’m talking about the treadmills, ellipticals, bikes, etc. Whenever I look in that direction, I just shake my head in disappointment. It’s good for me because then the weights are free for me to work with but it’s not always good for the people who are cardio kings or queens.

Why Cardio is not the answer…

Besides the popular belief that you have to do tons of cardio to lose weight or get rid of belly fat, we have been led to false beliefs. This belief is an old fitness myth that tends to be kept alive by biased media which are influenced by their advertisers.

Don’t get me wrong, cardiovascular activities such as walking, running, biking, climbing stairs can beneficial to your health and weight loss but not in the way that many people do it. It should not be priority in your fitness routine and here are the reasons:

• Most people don’t nearly do any intense sessions on the cardio machines. They either watch t.v. or read a magazine or hold on to the handles for support. When you do this type of cardio all the time, your body gets used to it immediately and stops responding. Thus, not giving you any results.
• Doing a lot of repetitive movements for long periods of time taxes your joints which can deteriorate in the long run
• You are bound to get tired of your chosen cardio activity that you will get bored and not go to the gym anymore.

Seriously? You can let go of the handles.

If you do love cardio and you just can’t seem to shake off the treadmill from your veins, do this instead:

• Get a structured strength training (weight lifting) program and perform it before your cardio session
• Follow this beginner High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) Protocol on the treadmill or bike:
  Warm-up for 3-4 minutes at a fast walk or light jog
  Interval 1 – run at 8.0 mi/hr for 20 seconds
  Interval 2 – walk at 4.0 mi/hr for 90 seconds
  Interval 3 – run at 8.0 mi/hr for 20 seconds minute
  Interval 4 – walk at 4.0 mi/hr for 90 seconds
  Repeat intervals 1-4 another 2-4 times
  Cool down for 5 minutes
• As you get better with the beginner HIIT protocol, you can either increase your interval times and rest times by 10 seconds or increase the speed or incline on the machine.
• You can perform this protocol for a minimum of 15 minutes to a maximum of 25 minutes. Doing more than 25 minutes of HIIT is unneccesary.

The reason why this HIITs are so effective is due to its metabolism boosting effects that happens after you’re done with it. Because your body is working at such a high intensity than what it’s used to, it also has to work hard to restore your body to its normal state. All the restoration that your body does after the session is what speeds up your metabolism.

Another benefit to HIITs is the feeling of not being hungry after a cardio activity. You probably felt ravenous after running long distances but if you switch to doing these intervals, you won’t feel hungry at all.

So, the next time you head to the gym and feel an inkling for the cardio machines, make sure to follow the above protocol. You’ll be sure to get more results in no time compared to the usual long duration cardio routine that a lot of people are so fond of.

If you have any questions about this article, please post them below. Thanks for visiting!

I have noticed that a lot of people have been getting sick around me lately. There’s no denying that flu season has started and what comes with it are common symptoms such as a cold, coughing, or maybe even fever. Maybe you’ll only get one or two of these symptoms and they won’t ever develop into a full-blown flu. No matter what, the question is, should you workout when you’re sick?

You shouldn't workout when you look like this already. Although, I look worse when I am sick...haha.

This was a common question that I was asked a few weeks ago when my bootcampers started feeling sick. The answer is yes and no.

You should not workout if you have a head cold and have a difficult time breathing. You’re head cold will get worst and breathing will become harder during a workout especially if you workout at an intense rate. The best thing to do at this point is to eat as healthily as you can, stay at home and rest, and keep away from other sick people (or from infecting other people for that matter…lol).

On the other hand, you should workout if the symptoms are just about to show up. This means that if you’re nose just started getting runny or your throat just started hurting, you can still workout. But, you need to take a few precautions to prevent the symptoms from fully developing into a cold or a flu. Here are some of the steps that I take to do just this:

• Hold off the sugar – sugar has been known to lower your immune system response.
• Eat lots of food with antioxidants – I like to get my antixoidants from blueberries, other types of berries, cinnamon, a little bit of honey, green tea, and white tea. These foods have tons of antioxidants that can aid your immune system in fighting of whatever virus you may have.
• Eat lots of green veggies – green veggies can give you the vitamins that you need to boost your immune system.
• Eat foods with Vitamin C such as apples – Apples actually have more Vitamin C than orange so fill up on this fruit if you’re feeling under the weather. Take some additional vitamin C supplements if you think that you need more of it but don’t want to consume the extra calories – just to be on the safe side.
• Hit the gym – Because your symtoms are not in full throttle yet, you’re more likely to get better with a workout. I promise that you will better afterwards.

I do these steps as soon as I feel something coming on and it works all the time! Let me tell you that I haven’t been sick for two and a half years. Before I started working out and eating healthily more consistently, I was always the first one to get sick as soon as the weather changes. Now, I have even more reasons to keep up this lifestyle besides fitting into my skinny jeans

I hope you learned something from today’s post. Please feel free to leave a comment or ask a question in the comments section below. I look forward to hearing from you!

If you look around the internet, your local neighborhood, and sometimes the news, you will observe that fitness boot camps are becoming more popular than ever before. What is so special about these boot camps that your typical group exercise class doesn’t have? More importantly, what is special about ATD Fitness Boot camp?
Here are some elements of ATD Fitness Boot camp that other boot camps or group exercise classes just don’t have:

Structured Workouts

Our boot camp workouts are carefully designed to ensure that you are burning the most calories in a shorter period of time. You don’t have to waste your valuable time in a 1-2 hour long Yoga class just to get a good workout. In our standards, a great workout program is created to deliver the best results in a shorter time while still having fun! At the same time, we ensure that you, as an individual, make some type of progress during each and every workout so that you will keep getting the results you want.

The instruction that you will get at ATD Fitness is unparalleled because we take the time to explain what each exercise does and how they are performed properly. This gives you a better understanding of our training principles while also increasing your awareness about the training principles that apply to you. Most group exercise classes will simply tell you what to do and give you no more information as to why you’re performing such an exercise and what benefits you are getting from it.

Long Term Habits

They say that it takes 21 to 30 days for people to develop new habits. At ATD Fitness, our 4-week programs ensure that you will get into the habit of working out 3 times a week.  During this time, you will feel so good about yourself and your accomplishments that you would want to continue going on the path to fat loss success.

On top of physical training, we also provide you with our most successful nutrition strategies that complement our workout programs and your lifestyle. These strategies are so easy to follow and we give you the support you need in order to effectively follow them.

Camaraderie

At ATD Fitness, we recognize the importance of support no matter what your fitness level is. Our fitness camps are packed with people who share similar goals. They inspire and motivate each other to do well during the workouts. This is the also the fuel that keeps our workouts and workout environment full of energy. More importantly, we are all open to sharing delicious recipes, fat loss strategies, and our friendly smile to everyone in the boot camp. You wouldn’t find better workout partners than those at ATD Fitness.

Training is Personal

Although our workouts are structured to be done as a group, you still get quality instruction from a great personal trainer. Our boot campers always comment that they get enough attention from our personal trainer without the high cost of paying for one. We keep our class size small enough that no one gets unnoticed and each person gets the attention that they need.

ATD Fitness Boot Camp is a great option for people who enjoy all these benefits without the high cost of paying for such high class customer service and workout program.  We all know that you can always get a gym membership at an more inexpensive price point but we also know that most people who have gym memberships, never make it inside the gym. Even if they do, most of them do not get the success that they seek. So, why not accelerate your fat loss results today by joining ATD Fitness Boot Camp? We promise that it will be the best investment you’ll ever make. We even guarantee it!

Now more than ever, there is so much confusion about weight loss and what really works. Many women’s magazines tend to advocate high repetitions light weight strength training that does not show much effectiveness when applied to real life scenarios. To add to this misinformation, many so called “fitness advice” in the news and other media channels that are really advertising for certain big companies are disguised as such. So, as a consumer, what can you do to make sure you don’t fall for these gimmicks? Get your information straight from the source! Personal trainers are the most accessible professionals in the health industry. Their services are valuable because they can help accelerate your results by taking the guess work out of your training and nutrition. But, how do you make sure that you’re not wasting your money on a bad personal trainer? Here are some signs that you can look for when choosing your personal trainer:

How does he/she look?

Without being judgmental you can get an idea if personal trainers know what they’re doing just by how they look. Most personal trainers get the “look” that they have from applying the training and nutrition principles that they give to their clients to themselves. This is also a good way to tell if your potential personal trainer practices what he/she preaches which is a good sign of their personal and work ethics. Of course, you still have to take into account how their genes affect their physique but even people with the most perfect genes, still have to do some work to look a certain way.

Are they knowledgeable?

Most of the time, personal trainers are open to having a free initial consultation with a new client. You can take advantage of this situation by asking your own questions. Prepare them ahead of time and take note of the answers that they give you. If the answers make sense to you and they are not fumbling for words, chances are you might have found a good personal trainer. But, don’t stop there. Take their answers home and research them even further. Most of the time, you can find numerous articles on effective exercise and nutrition practices online. You can also use this consultation by getting a free workout. Does this personal trainer explain how to perform exercises properly in a way that makes sense to you? Is he/she patient or give other ways to explain an exercise when it doesn’t make sense the first time? Does he/she explain the benefits or the reasons for performing such exercise? Simply asking this question can give you an idea on whether this personal trainer is knowledgeable enough to give you the results you want while also getting a “feel” if your personalities will work well together during future training sessions. The day after the first consultation, make sure to pay attention to any unusual pain that you might not have felt before your training from the previous day. Besides the usual soreness that you may experience, you can tell if this personal trainer did the good job by ensuring that you demonstrated proper form during your exercises.

Are they Referable?

The ultimate fool-proof way to hire a personal trainer or any professional for that matter is to find people they’ve already worked with. You can either ask your friends or family for any recommendations or ask them questions about their experience and any results they have achieved with the personal trainer in question. Most of the time, people who are pleased with a certain product or service are more than happy to share their experience and most personal trainers who perform their job well come highly recommended. There you have it, the top 3 signs of a great personal trainer. Once you’ve gone checked all these signs off your list, don’t immediately sign up for a full year of training. Test out your new personal trainer for a few sessions while giving your best to follow their training and nutrition advice. Pay attention to the things that he/she does outside of your workout sessions. Does he/she usually give you more service than you’ve asked for? Does he/she seem to really care about your success? If the answers are yes to these two questions, you may just have found a gem of a trainer and he/she is a keeper for sure.