Between our 40 contestants, 30 decided to weigh in at the end of the challenge. The results were outstanding.

A total weight loss of 130 lbs !! I am so proud of everyone

If this isn’t proof that eliminating certain foods from you diet is beneficial i’m not sure what is. The clients were allowed 3 strikes throughout the month. They had to eliminate sweets/ desserts for a week, then sweets plus alcohol for a week, then sweets plus alcohol plus grains, and to finish it off they had eliminate all of the above, plus dairy.

Congratulations to everyone who competed and succeeded. We did not have one participant join the contest and not lose weight !

We will definitely be doing a new challenge starting at the beginning of the new year.
We will keep you posted.

Have a great weekend.

THE DIRTY DOZEN is representative of the 12 most contaminated fruits/veggies if not organically grown. I think it’s so important people become familiar with this list, because if you are not willing to spend the extra money for organic produce then you should at least be aware of which items have been contaminated more than others. The dirty dozen list was determined from government data from over fifty-one thousand tests. The Environmental Working Group was able determine the most contaminated produce as well as the cleanest.

THE DIRTY DOZEN
1. PEACH
2. APPLE
3. BELL PEPPER
4. CELERY
5. NECTARINE
6. STRAWBERRY
7. CHERRY
8. LETTUCE
9. GRAPE (Imported)
10. PEAR
11. SPINACH
12. POTATO

THE CLEANEST TWELVE
1. ONION
2. AVOCADO
3. SWEET CORN (Frozen)
4. PINEAPPLE
5. MANGO
6. PEAS ( Frozen)
7. ASPARAGUS
8. KIWI
9. BANANA
10. CABBAGE
11. BROCCOLI
12. EGGPLANT

Print this list out and hang it on your fridge until you become more familiar with it. Bring it to the supermarket with you when you shop too. Another tip that I always remember is those fruits/veggies with a thicker outer layer tend to be more protected from harmful chemicals. Harmful chemicals are not able to break through that layer as easily as fruits & veggies that are more exposed to sprays and fertilizers… For example, bananas and avocado have a nice thick layer and offer a little more protection.

DIRTY DOZEN, CLEANEST DOZEN - CHEAT SHEET

Conventional wisdom on what precautions you should take when considering pregnancy are a little outdated. Only one out of the 14 recommendations for preconceptions is related to food… and its not even about real food, its about a synthetic supplement. Folic Acid.
Losing excess weight is also a recommendation… they just don’t have any dietary suggestions on how to do it.

When I mentioned to my doctor that we may try for a baby in a year or so all he said was to start taking a folic acid supplement. Hmmm thats it I thought?? There has got to be more I can do to get my body as healthy and prepared as possible. I’m sure if I were a smoker, not active, big drinker, etc. that he may have had some other recommendations. I did some deeper research and found some great sources. One book really stood out to me and I think should be required reading for all women and men who want to try and get pregnant someday.

Since so many women tend to keep this topic private, and don’t usually like to talk about the fact that they are trying ( which I totally understand. I wouldn’t want to share this either if I didn’t think this information was so valuable) I thought it would be good to share this info with you to help you start your journey to motherhood. Even if you’re going on to your 2nd, 3rd, or 4th child you could get something great out of this post. Honestly the nutrition points in this book were so great that I would recommend this book to anyone looking to improve their health. ( It may freak out your boyfriend or husband if he sees you reading it though and its not something you’ve discussed )

The book is called REAL FOOD FOR MOTHER AND BABY – The author is Nina Planck, and topics include: The fertility diet, eating for two, and baby’s first foods.

What I loved about this book from the start was how Nina encourages women to really take control of their health before they even decide to get pregnant. I have to say that giving your body 2 years of eating healthy organic foods, and living a healthy lifestyle are ideal if you want to have children. Your new baby needs a healthy home for 9 months before he enters this world, and it’s your job to make it as comfortable as possible for him or her. You should not wait for the day you find out your pregnant to make these positive health changes to your lifestyle ( unless your pregnancy comes as a surprise. In that case just start making these changes as soon as possible.

I want to break this topic down into a few categories. I’m not sure how many there will be yet, so lets just call todays post Part 1.. and we’ll see how many I follow up with.

Part 1
Four Fertility Rules ( these are all modified from Nina’s book)

Rule # 1 – BE AN OMNIVORE
Omnivore – Eats both Plants & Animals
Eating lots of fresh plant foods and vegetables is very important before and during pregnancy, BUT ” it is difficult to get pregnant and build a robust baby on a diet of plant foods alone. That’s probably why there are no longstanding, strictly vegan societies” says Planck.
Vegan diets, although sometimes loaded w/ nutrients and “life” foods can be lacking essential nutrients that can only be found in animal proteins.

Vitamin B12 is found only in animal products. Although some vegetarians claim that they get their B12 from plants, the Vegetarian Society has claimed that humans cannot use the plant form.

Iron levels may be reduced because the iron from plants is poorly absorbed. Eggs, as well as sperm, need iron to make proteins and DNA. The best iron sources you can get from from Grass Fed red meats, and liver.

Essential omega 3 fats such as DHA and EPA are only found mostly in fish, as well as small quantities in meat, dairy, and eggs.

Complete Proteins that are essential in the proper proportions can only be found in animal products.

According to Planck ” Do NOT rely on Soy for protein if you’re hoping to conceive. Soy phytoestrogens alter the menstrual cycle, change hormone levels, and even stop ovulation.” Please not that it does not high levels of soy to cause these nasty side effects. Stay tuned for more posts on soy in the future, but for now all I can say is this.. AVOID IT. The only soy foods/products that I would recommend are the fermented ones such as misso and natto.

The difference between a vegan and a vegetarian diet is DAIRY AND EGGS. Planck suggests that off these 2 alone you can cover the main fertility nutrients. Both will provide complete protein Vitamin B12, A,D, as well as a few omega 3′s. Your milk should always be organic, and grass fed if possible, and your eggs should be pasture raised.

Once you are pregnant your baby needs fish oil… and lots of it! Planck suggest flax oil and walnut oil as an alternative if you won’t eat fish…but she does not recommend it.

I hope you found these tips from Rule number 1 as powerful as I did. Here are the key points you should take away from it
Ideal foods for fertility – Grass fed beef, liver, pasture raised eggs, spinach and other leafy greens, organic and pastured dairy products.

Rule # 2 – FAT AND FERTILITY
Traditional fertility foods include Fatty items such as butter, eggs, liver, etc. There are limited to no societies that limit fat for fertility or pregnancy. Fats are essential for human health, and also contain key fertility nutrients to make estrogen. A major benefit of fat is its ability to absorb key vitamins and nutrients from other foods such as vegetables. For example in order to break down the anti oxidant beta-carotene from a carrot you Need Fat ! The point of this is you can eat as many large salads as you want, but if you are not eating any healthy fats alongside it you will not absorb all the nutrients, and anti oxidants that you could have.

Rule # 3 – THE SEAFOOD PRINCIPLE
Our bodies are made up of 70% water, so you know it’s essential to our existence. According to Planck, ” Pregnant and laboring women are drawn to the water. Until he is four months old, a newborn can hold his breath under water”. Even our chemistry is related to sea… both our blood and tears are salty. The key components for life and getting pregnant that we get from the sea are omega 3 fats and Iodine. Iodine which can be found in most seafood is a key element in preventing hypothyroidism. Why is this so important for pregnancy? Well, hypothyroidism is a common cause of infertility and miscarriage… so heres to eating seafood including fish, kelp, and roe.

Rule #4 – DON’T EAT CARBAGE
It sounds so simple to say EAT REAL FOOD, but what foods should you avoid. Refined foods are not pro-baby. They lack essential vitamins such as B and E which are both needed for conception. It is important to know that many foods and nutrients work together when they are absorbed in the body. Like I mentioned earlier a corrot stick is loaded with nutrients, but if its not accompanies with a healthy fat you will not absorb all the nutrients. There are too many combinations to remember so just remember this. When you eat leafy greens accompany with cold pressed olive oil. If you eat whole grain bread top with some pasture butter. Maintaining a healthy balance of carbs, proteins, and fats will help keep your hormonal levels in check. Eating healthy REAL foods also help to keep your weight at a healthy level. When in doubt of any food, read the ingredient list. When you are unsure of any of the listen ingredients you can bet its safe to simply avoid it.

I hope this is a simple, and positive start for you to get your body baby ready. Remember once you do conceive you want your baby to have the healthiest home for 9 months before he or she enters this world.

Happy Healthy Eating ! And remember I got all of this info from Nina Planck’s book REAL FOOD FOR MOTHER AND BABY.

Stay Tuned for Part 2- Your Pregnant! Most important foods during each trimester.

Starting Tuesday is NO GRAINS, as well as no alcohol, and no desserts.
I just want to clarify that I don’t think all grains are bad for you, and I certainly don’t think all grains will make you gain weight. The reason we decided to eliminate grains for two weeks was that most people generally eat way to many grains. Eating to many grains makes it hard on your system to break down and digest, and it can block the absorption of key vitamins and minerals. Most people look at something like ” whole grain”, or “multi grain” as the best option, but the truth is a mix of lots of grains is actually harder on the system to break down. After the challenge I recommend you stick to one grain at a time during meals or snacks. For example – 100% rye bread, or steel cut oats. Eliminating grains for a week, or even a month, usually helps calm the system a bit, as well as help you drop a few pounds, and lose the “wheat belly”.

The No Grains week seems to be scaring quite a few of you, so I wanted to provide you with some grain free recipes, and snack ideas. I have tried most of these recipes and they are all delicious. I hope you enjoy them. I will also clarify which grains must be eliminated for the challenge.

GRAINS THAT NEED TO BE ELIMINATED
Oatmeal and all varieties of oatmeal, hot and cold cereal,granola, granola bars, cereal bars, fruit bars such as nutri grain bars, all bread products, pasta including- rice, quinoa, buckwheat, wheat, spelt

I think that covers it. If you have any questions about a specific food then please ask us first before you consume it.

Lets start with some breakfast, snack, and side dish ideas and then follow up with some dinner recipes

1. LARA BARS – These are awesome for snacks. They are primarily made up of dates, and they usually only contain about 3-5 ingredients per bar. Remember that chocolate is now allowed for the month so avoid the bars with chocolate. My favorite flavors are cashew, coconut cream, and carrot cake. Look for these at whole foods, any major grocery store, and target.

2. Banana Carrot Muffins – I posted this recipe a few weeks back, and handed out print outs at the studio. If you didn’t get a hand out, then simply click the link for the recipe. If you feel like you need a “carb” type food in the morning then you have to try these. These muffins are heavenly !!

3. Cauliflower Rice – This one is a great idea. Simply steam some cauliflower until it is soft ( but don’t over do it). Then transfer it to your food processor and just pulse it. Once it reaches a rice consistency it is done. I think its best to mix with your meat and vegetables instead of just eating it plain.

Next Up – Heres a few dinner recipes as promised.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH LASAGNA
I got this recipe off my friend Stacey’s health/fitness blog last week. It is so good, and will be perfect for the no grain, as well as the no dairy week.

Here is what you need to get started

1 lb hot Italian sausage, casing removed
1 red onion
3 cloves garlic
1 15 oz can pizza sauce
1/2 c roasted red peppers
1/4 c extra virgin olive oil
couples leaves of fresh basil
1 small butternut squash

Directions

Get your oven to 400ºF. In a saute pan crumble the sausage and brown it, along with the onions & garlic. While that’s going, cut the top and ends of the squash off and peel it. Split it into 1/4′s. What I mean by that is, right where the squash starts to turn bulbous, cut it in 1/2, width-wise. Split those two halves in half, lengthwise. This will make it much easier to cut into planks. Pull out the seeds. Don’t be anal about getting out all the strings, as you won’t even notice those when they’re cooked. Slice the squash into the aforementioned planks.
Make the sauce by pureeing the pizza sauce, red peppers, olive oil and basil. If you don’t a contraption that will puree (blender, food processor, immersion blender), chop up the red peppers and just whisk everything together.
Using a 9×9 oven safe baking dish, put down enough sauce to lightly cover the bottom of the dish. (This keeps the squash from sticking to the pan.) Next add the squash, trying not to overlap the pieces, then spoon on the sausage mixture, followed by the sauce. Repeat until all your ingredients are used up…trying to reserve enough sauce to cover the top of the lasagna.
Bake for 45 minutes. You’re looking for a bubbly pan with a crispy, browned top. Right out of the oven, the lasagna may by liquidy, let it set for a good half hour before cutting into it, as it will solidify.

Next Up

MAPLE WALNUT CHICKEN – I got this recipe off of paleoplan.com . If you can’t tell by now I love paleo recipes. They support my metabolic type and they
eliminate most food groups that I try to avoid.

This Recipe was awesome. I love GLAZE , and this creates a sweet, maple glaze. The only thing I did different with the recipe was use chicken thighs instead of breast

Ingredients

4 (4-6 oz each) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 Tbs olive oil
1 Tbs fresh thyme
1 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
3 Tbs pure maple syrup
1/2 cup water

How to Prepare it

Combine olive oil, thyme, sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Rub chicken with seasoning and let stand.
In a 12″ nonstick skillet, toast walnuts over medium-low heat 4-6 min or until golden and fragrant, stirring constantly. Note: walnuts may burn quickly if left unattended.
Transfer walnuts to dish, and turn heat up to medium under the hot skillet.
Add chicken to same skillet. Cook 12 min or until done, turning frequently.
Transfer chicken to a clean plate.
Add vinegar to the chicken drippings in the hot skillet and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
Add maple syrup and water, and simmer 6-7 min until slightly thickened. Stir in walnuts and serve on top of chicken.

SPAGHETTI AND MEAT SAUCE
WHAT ???? Well kind off. Your noodles will be made of either kelp noodles, or spaghetti squash.

Ingredients

1 lb ground beef or turkey
marinara sauce (1-2 cups)
one package of kelp noodles, or one spaghetti squash
1 Tbsp olive oil
1-2 cloves crushed garlic

How to make this healthy alternative

Brown the meat in the olive oil using a large skillet. Once the meat is cooked, add the noodles and the marinara sauce.
Stir and bring to a simmer.
Toss in the crushed garlic before serving.
If using spaghetti squash: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Split the squash lengthwise, then dig out the seeds.
Place both halves face down on a baking pan, add 1/4 cup of water.
Bake for 30 minutes.
Dig out the squash with a fork and add to your skillet with the meat.

Start out with these, and I will try and post a few more snack recipes tomorrow.
If you haven’t noticed, most of these recipes are pulled from paleoplan.com

If you want more ideas, simply check out their site. It is so neatly organized and easy to find recipes. Click the “Recipe” tab at the top to search tons of tasty recipes.

Enjoy & Good Luck w/ the elimination of grains.

We decided to call it MISERY LOVES COMPANY, because not all of our clients seemed to thrilled to enter this challenge ( we didn’t really give them an option )

Each week a new food item/group that is generally knows to cause weight gain, disrupt digestion, increase cravings, etc. has been eliminated from all of our participants diets. Each client has been weighed in this week and at the end of the four weeks they will be weighed again. The client who loses the largest total percentage of bodyweight will be the winner of our $400 pot !!!

WEEK 1 – NO DESSERTS, CANDY, OR SWEETS

To clarify this includes all halloween candy, anything with the word “sugar” on the ingredient list, cookies, ice cream, candy bars, cakes, pies, milk shakes, etc.

I have always loved desserts, but over the last year I have really tried to eliminate all sugar from my diet. This led me to discover “paleo” desserts. Common ingredients include almond flour ( refrigerate after opening), coconut oil and coconut flakes ( unsweetened), 100% organic maple syrup or raw honey, and eggs. I try to always have these ingredients in my house so that I can whip something up if I want it.

Here are a few recipes to help you get through your first week off of desserts. Although those of you who are doing the challenge will be off all desserts for 4 weeks, the first week will be the hardest. After week 1 you will settle in and realize that you do in fact feel better not having sugar filled desserts to pick you up around 3 p.m. and after dinner.
I hate to admit that I love any type of “diet”… but I really do enjoy the Paleo Plan. I love the foods they eliminate and the foods they introduce. The plan really works well with my metabolic type so I get a lot of my recipes, especially dessert recipes, off of paleo plans. Please remember that although these recipes eliminate sugar, and processed foods they still contain fat and calories. Yes it is nutritious fat and calories, but it is still fat and calories. One to two treat will be plenty. Don’t go thinking you can have 5 cookies because they don’t have sugar in them.

PALEO CANDYBARS

Ingredients
3 Tbs coconut oil
1/4 cup carob powder or raw cocoa powder (optional, and is allowed because it has 0 grams of sugar in it.)
1/2 cup ground nuts (almonds, hazelnuts)
3/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1 Tbs raw honey (optional, add more to taste)
parchment paper

Instructions
Melt the honey and coconut oil in a saucepan over medium heat.
Once combined, add the carob, ground nuts and coconut and mix together.
Pour mixture onto a small baking sheet covered in parchment paper.  Form into a square when cool enough to touch.
Refrigerate until hardened. Cut into 4 servings.

GRAIN FREE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

Yes we gave out this recipe in the studio last week, but now if you want to have them you have to remove the chocolate chips. Chocolate chips are not the same as raw cocao powder and they contain sugar. I will be making these this wknd and replacing the chocolate chips with unsweetened shredded coconut, and dried cherries.

Makes between 24-36 cookies

Ingredients

3 cups almond flour
1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
1/2 cup raw honey or 100% organic maple syrup ( I used maple syrup)
2 large eggs
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/2 cup dried cherries, or cranberries

Instructions
Preheat oven to 375℉.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a small mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients. Set aside.
In a medium mixing bowl, beat the eggs, honey, and vanilla extract with a hand mixer, or wire whisk.
Pour wet ingredients slowly into dry ingredients and beat with mixer or fork until combined.
Add the melted coconut oil and continue to blend until combined. Stir in coconut and dried fruit
Drop Tablespoon size balls of cookie dough onto prepared baking sheet.
Bake for approximately 8-10 minutes.

Last option to start the challenge off with is the easiest to make. It is a fruit and yogurt option.

Fresh Fruit w/ yogurt, nuts and cinnamon

Serves 2

Ingredients
1 orange, peeled and diced
1 apple, diced
1/2 cup pecans or walnuts, chopped (optional)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup plain greek yogurt 2%

Instructions
Place the fruit into bowls.
Sprinkle with chopped nuts (optional) and/or cinnamon.
Top w/ yogurt

GOOD LUCK TO ALL OF OUR PARTICIPANTS. I HAVE NO DOUBT YOU WILL ALL DO GREAT !!

Even if you are not participating in our food elimination challenge I encourage you to follow along and try to do it on your own. The holiday parties kick in, in about 1 month. Think about how much alcohol, appetizers, and desserts will be in your face during those parties. Although I encourage self control most of us don’t display much discipline once the alcohol kicks in Take advantage now and try to shed a few extra pounds before the parties arrive.

Enjoying beautiful Maine

Dave taking on the ocean

Beautiful

I have recently made 3 new purchases that I am so excited/ happy about. After hearing these purchases you may wonder how exciting my life is, but thats ok… to each his own. All of these products compliment the holistic lifestyle that I continue to pursue and improve on. It is always amazing to me to look back over each year, month and day to see some of the small changes I have made in my lifestyle that turn into Big Big changes !! Here are the newest additions to my healthy lifestyle.

1. VITA MIXER
I have a feeling that once I start using this regularly I am going to wonder how I ever survived without. The Vita Mixer is almost a cross between a hard core blender and a food processor. It can break down almost anything. I am the most psyched about this because the clean up is drastically easier than a juicer. The vitamixer uses all components of the fruits and vegetables, including the skin… so there is no discard tube ( like w/ a juicer) where it shoots out pieces of the fruit or vegetable.

Our new VitaMixer

I have been using a blender for the last year or so to make smoothies w/ coconut milk, avocado, egg, etc… but I feel like its time to add more veggies into my breakfast and lunch. I always have veggies with dinner, and usually with lunch… but I think I would be better off by adding a little more.

I have already started making nutritious breakfast smoothies including.. apples,carrots, spinach, mint, ginger, cucumber, berries, kale, pear, kiwi, arugula, avocado etc. ( not all of those at one time of course:) The options are endless.

Carrot, Apple, Spinach, Avocado, NUTRITIOUS !!!

I should mention that this is a serious purchase. It is not cheap, in fact its ridiculously expensive. ( your looking anywhere between $300-600). If you are good on ebay, or craigslist then definitely check that out first. I have heard stories of people getting them for up to half off on those sites. I did my homework and read consumer testimonials, talked to clients who have it, looked up the cons as well ( that was hard to find), and then realized it was time to jump in and get it. Click HERE to check it out on amazon.

2. ULTRASONIC AROMATHERAPY DIFFUSER
This device is heavenly !!! Over the last year I have tried my hardest to remove as many toxins from my home as possible. Household cleaners, shampoos, perfumes, detergent, and CANDLES, especially YANKEE CANDLES !!! I love candles but I know how toxic they were. I especially love yankee candles but am aware that they are some of the worst. The ULTRASONIC AROMATHERAPY DIFFUSER allows me to have wonderful scents in my home without the toxins. All you do is add a little water to the machine, and add a few drops of your favorite essential oil and turn it on. It acts like a dehumidifier and releases some steam w/ the scent of your oil. It also has a cute little light that makes it very “spa” like.

Essential Oil Diffuser w/ UFO mood lighting , haha

I like to add some grapefruit oil during the morning or days because it is so refreshing and really wakes you up.

At night I like to add some lavender oil. I LOVE lavender at night. It literally puts me to sleep so quick. I find it so soothing and relaxing. I used to light a lavender-vanilla yankee candle every night. It never gave me headache when it was lit, but when I would blow it out the smoke, and scents would really bother me. With this machine it literally just puts me to sleep, the sound of the machine is even relaxing to me at night.

Essential Oil is peaceful, minus the chemicals that most candle provide. Beautiful roses help too !!

This purchase was $69 and worth every penny. I love this machine.
Click HERE to see it on amazon.

3. LUSH
Have you heard of this cute little store ? I’m obsessed. They hand make their own beauty products for women and men. They make these amazing bath bombs that you simply drop into your tub. Depending on what “bomb” you chose: lavender, avocado, romantic, etc. determines the type of bath you will be having They make their own face scrub and masks using real food products. Almonds, honey, avocado, essential oils, coconut oil, chocolate ( yup, you read that right), seaweed, sea salt…A lot of their products come in small containers because they need to be refrigerated and only last about 30 days.
I purchased a facial mask that is made up of honey, almonds, avocado, lavender… I LOVE IT !! It left my skin feeling so soft and refreshed. My facial mask only cost about $7/ tub. The tub is small, but provides enough for 3 masks, and I will do 1 mask a week.

Please excuse my creep smile, and just focus on the whole food, essential oil mask that leaves your skin feeling baby bottom soft !!!

The employees were great at the store on Newbury street. They will demo any product you are interested in on you..they will talk to you about your skin type and then recommend certain products based on their ingredients and benefits for your skin.
I only made one small purchase, but I will definitely go back.
My next purchase will be their aluminum free deodorant, along with some bath bombs, and some of their moisturizing lotion. Too many good options to choose from !! Click HERE to check out their website, but I do recommend you go to their store if possible, because they will help you with products that will be best for you.

That wraps up my 3 new purchases. I think I need to not spend any money for the next weeks and just focus on my workouts instead !!!
I think it is essential that you all remember this..

You can work out as hard as you want, BUT… If you don’t take care of yourself, eat Real Food, get quality sleep, drink quality water, de stress, breathe Fresh Air, and enjoy the beautiful outdoors you will never fully achieve your health goals, and you will never be Healthy !!
Focus on your health and your internal body… NOT the external !!

What small change will you make this week to improve your HEALTH ?

I have no doubt that I have found my calling. All I want to do is help educate and spread the word to others about health, fitness, and wellness. It really is alarming to look around and see how many people are truly sick, and basically living only 1/2 alive. The amount of children with ADD, ADHD, and Diabetes is scary, and its not their fault.

With all the information I have been trying to pull together for the E-class / E-book I have been sitting at my desk, in front of my computer a lot more than I am used… and a lot more than I would like to. I started thinking the other day about how crappy my body feels when I sit for long periods of time ( maybe thats why I picked this profession), then I realized that I am only sitting about half the time as the average person. Most people are stuck at their desk for 7-10 hours a day.
We all know that sitting too much tends to give us poor posture, but do you really know what its doing to your body posturally ?? Are you doing anything to correct the postural deviations in your workout?? Of course improving the set up at your desk, location and height of computer, not tilting your neck on the phone all day, etc. will help improve postural deficiencies. I hate to be the one to tell you this, but it’s going to take a whole lot more than that considering the human body was not designed to sit down for that long day after day.

Lets take a deeper look at what happens when you sit all day.
1. Forward Head Posture

2. Rounded shoulders
3. Tight Rectus Abdominis
4. Increased 1st rib angle
5. Posteriorly tilted pelves- resulting in long(stretched) glutes sometimes called gluteal amnesia “lack of a booty”
6. Tight hip flexors, quads and hamstrings

Now that you know this… does it sound like a good idea to head to the gym after work and hop on the recumbent bike, read a magazine, and then follow it up with a few hundred crunches ??? NOOO , this will only reinforce the awful posture you have been pulling yourself into all day long.

Its time to make your gym time an opportunity to reverse the negative effects sitting has done to your body all day.

I have created a new workout to help you reverse those poor postural habits you’ve been creating at work all day. It’s called the POST WORK WORKOUT. I only perform 3-4 reps of each exercise, because otherwise it would have been 30 minutes long. It includes a warm up, 2 strength circuits, and 1 metabolic finisher

I created this workout with these specific intentions
Warm UP
* Open up your hip flexors
* Stretch your lats
* Increase T-Spine mobility
* Glute activation w/out involving your lumbar spine
* Hip extension and glute activation along w/ firing external rotators of the shoulder

Strength
* All exercises focus on a tall posture, TVA activation, and firing up the entire posterior chain

Finisher
* You have been sitting at work all day… most likely BORED OUT OF YOUR MIND ! This finisher is designed to burn some fat and calories and really allow you to release some energy. Let it all out at the end, give it 100% and call it a day. You deserve to let out a little aggression, energy, whatever you want to call it.

These are just a few exercises you may want to incorporate to give you a great workout, improved posture, and more functional mobility.

Not all gyms will have the equipment used in this video such as the Myoforce Versus, The Meca Back Wedge, or Kettlebells… no need to worry… The Training Fix has it all, so maybe you should just come see us
I’m only partly kidding. If you do have any questions about the exercises in the video please don’t hesitate to shoot me an email or phone call to ask, I would be more than happy to help.

Hope you all have a great, healthy week !!!

If you missed the link here it is again – THE POST WORK WORKOUT