Lauren Showers

Tips and Tricks on Getting Fit Together

The month of love is here and many of us are thinking about losing that few extra pounds and impressing our love ones with a tighter more toned physique. Chances are your sweetie is thinking the same thing. Help inspire each other to get into better shape and improve your health by training together.
Walk in His/Her Shoes

Easy Ways to Incorporate Protein into Your First Meal of the Day

Power Packed Oatmeal

Add a scoop of Pro Blend Alpine Vanilla to a bowl of cooked steel-cut oats to pack in your morning protein. This makes for a complete meal to kick-start your day.

Muscle Mocha or Lifters Latte

Add ½ or 1 scoop of Pro Blend Mocha Cappuccino protein to your morning cup of joe for a low fat, low sugar café mocha. Or add the Alpine Vanilla to your black coffee for a creamy sinless latte.

What it Takes to Lose the Weight and Keep it Off

The government estimates that $33 billion is spent on weight loss products and services each year. That is a lot of money, but with all that dough going towards losing weight, why are we still seeing rising numbers in obesity every year? Maybe the money is going in the wrong places. Fad diets and gimmicks are too numerous to count these days and without the right education on how your body responds to nutrition how are you to know what is going to work for you or what is healthy for your body?

Never fear, Lauren is here to help. First, I want to make sure that if losing weight is a goal of yours, you will always put health as your number one. You should never try to lose weight at the expense of your health. This means putting harmful stimulants into your body, not eating appropriate amounts of food, or trying to lose too much weight. A healthy approach will always turn out to be more beneficial than any superficial or overboard attempt.

The weather is cooler, the leaves are changing and with all the beautiful scenery there are breathtaking hiking trails waiting to be discovered. Fall is a great time to lace up your hiking boots and get trekking. Not only will you get your body moving to help shed off (or ward off) the holiday weight gain, but it will also give your mind the chance to unwind and enjoy the beauty of nature.

Hiking can burn between 350-600 calories an hour depending on the hills involved and any weight you may be carrying on your back. At this rate, adding an enjoyable hike three times a week to your routine can help you drop one pound every two weeks. Hiking is also great for building muscle and toning your hamstrings, quads, glutes, and calves. Your cardio and endurance will improve as you push yourself through the winding path, and your core will get its fair share of work from the uneven surfaces. You can even get your arms in on the action by using light weight hiking poles. All in all, hiking is a great total body workout to condition your body and mind.

Times are getting tough when it comes to the dollar, and we are looking for every way possible to stretch it just a little further. Before you consider cancelling your gym membership, taking a break from your yoga practice or cutting back on healthy supplements, think twice. This may be the only type of investment in a downturn economy that is guaranteed to show returns. Exercise is a study proven stress-buster and eating healthy is crucial to your wellbeing in the high stress world we live in today.

The Holidays are around the corner which in itself can present quite the hair pulling emotions, along with 401Ks looking bleak, stocks going down… okay I need not remind you. Just the thought may make your blood pressure rise, which is another reason to keep that gym membership. (exercise reduces hypertension)

Virtually everyone has something they would like to improve on whether it’s their diet, endurance, or even public speaking skills. Most improvements in our life require discipline, which takes us out of our comfort zone and into a new way of doing things. As the saying goes, “If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got.”

We have all been there, a spark of inspiration occurs, a rush of motivation, and we are determined. In our minds at that moment, there is no turning back. Tomorrow, we will start our more focused, driven, and goal oriented lifestyle. How quickly that energy fades and we soon find ourselves back in old habits feeling a sense of failure once more, awaiting the next surge of enthusiasm.

Sometimes talking to your friends and family about health and fitness can be difficult, especially if you are discussing weight loss. Your loved ones can be even more sensitive to the subject when coming from you because it can be taken personally instead of as positive criticism.

Luke 4:24 from the Bible says "...Truly I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own country." This explains to us how it can be even more difficult for you to make an influence on those closest to you. This doesn't mean we give up on them... it just means we have to be a little more creative and "sneaky" in our approach.

Some ideas to inspire and influence those you love to fitness:

• Make sure you talk to them about other things besides weight loss and fitness.
• Leave fitness magazines laying around for them to read or healthy recipes they might want to try.
• Plan an active activity after dinner eating dinner together like a walk around the neighborhood or bowling.
• Plan a cooking date and share with them your favorite healthy dishes.
• Maintain an upbeat attitude.