As much as I love exercise (and you know I do!) exercise alone will not get you a toned stomach.

Your diet is a huge part of the equation.

Someone could workout all day long, but then eat in a way that promotes major fat storage, and they wouldn’t have a toned, beach-ready tummy.

While your diet is probably not terrible, the 5 secrets below will help you improve it even more. And a cleaner diet means flatter and more attractive abs.

Diet Secret #1: Don’t eat late
This is the most simple and effective way to flatten your abs. Instead of eating less food late at night, simply don’t eat late at all. Try these tips…

• Brush your teeth right after dinner. Once your teeth are clean, you’ve put an end to your consumption for the day.
• Change things up. If your evening routine revolves around food then find a new routine.
• Let the habit form. The first few weeks will be tough, but soon your new no-food-late routine will feel normal.

Diet Secret #2 Drink more water
Drinking lots of water is another extremely simple way to promote fat loss. Chronic dehydration triggers false hunger signals that causes you to eat extra, empty calories. Try these tips…

• Drink a big glass of water before each meal. This will make you less likely to overeat.
• Replace sugar-filled sodas, coffee drinks and juices with water. This tip alone can make a huge difference in the shape of your body.
• Carry water with you throughout the day.

Diet Secret #3: Load up on fiber
Most of us do not get enough fiber in our diet. This is a problem since fiber is essential when it comes to getting lean. Fiber-filled foods are low in calories and are filling, so you’ll be eating less and getting lean. Try these tips…

• Turn salads into meals. Add a serving of lean protein to a large pile of greens for a guiltless meal. *Try the recipe for Sweet & Smokey Chicken below and serve it on a bed of greens.
• Include vegetables in every meal. The benefits to eating more veggies are too many to list, so just know that your body will become healthier and leaner with each fibrous bite.
• Fruits are a tasty source of fiber. Eat fresh, seasonal fruits every day.

Diet Secret #4: Eat fewer carbs
Now I didn’t say to cut out all carbs, but rather to eat fewer carbs. These diet secrets are meant as lifestyle changes for you to stick with long term. Eating fewer carbs is a realistic and very effective way to flatten your tummy. Try these tips…

• Choose whole grain bread and pasta instead of white. Whole grains are less likely to be stored as fat. That being said, limit the amount that you eat.
• Eat half of the carbs. Make your sandwich open-faced and cut down the size of your pasta serving.
• Avoid carb-filled snacks. Instead of crackers or chips, have a hard boiled egg, a protein shake, fresh fruit or veggies.

Diet Secret #5: Only wholesome sweets
Refined sugar-filled sweets will quickly add up around your waistline. Learn to enjoy natural sweets. Try these tips…

• Fruit is natural candy. When you stop eating refined sugar you’ll find fresh fruit to be more sweet and delicious than ever.
• Do not eat foods that contain white sugar or high fructose corn syrup. These items are the worst for your abs.
• Try wholesome sweeteners, like pure maple syrup, raw honey or dates in your cooking instead of white sugar. Get white sugar out of your kitchen.

Take these diet secrets and run with them. These tips, along with a challenging and consistent exercise program, are the formula for a toned, lean body.

I’m here to help you meet your fitness and weight loss goals, so guarantee your results by teaming up with me.

You deserve that fit and attractive body – I can help you get it.

Call or email today to get started.

A little balance in life is important. So while eating healthy most of the time is essential for flat abs, it’s OK to enjoy a weekly cheat.

The rules of the cheat day are simple: control your calories but loosen up on the content of your diet. So you’ve been craving pizza all week long? Enjoy a slice on your cheat day.

Notice I said a slice and not the whole pizza. Indulge with control!

This chicken has awesome flavor and is quick to make on a weeknight. Serve with a leafy green salad and a side of asparagus or broccoli for the perfect flat abs meal. Makes: 4 Servings

Here’s what you need…

• 4 bone-in, skin-on, organic chicken thighs
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 packet Stevia
• dash of salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Rinse the chicken and pat dry. Place in a large ziplock bag.
3. In a small bowl combine the remaining ingredients. Add to the ziplock bag and toss until the chicken is fully coated.
4. Place the coated chicken thighs on a broiling pan. Bake for 40 minutes.

Nutritional Analysis: One serving equals: 248 calories, 18g fat, 428mg sodium, 1g carbohydrate, 0g fiber, and 18g protein

You want to get into better shape, to drop the fat and to increase your tone and strength.

Join the club…most people are actively working toward an elusive fitness goal.

So what separates those who end up achieving their goals from the rest of the masses who are trapped in a fruitless struggle?

Winston Churchill hit the nail on the head when he said, “Never, never, never, never give up.”

The bottom line is that it is possible to achieve any fitness goal when you lock on to it and strive towards it every day. Unfortunately distractions are everywhere, making it easy to fall off track.

This brings us to the classic Henry Ford quote, “Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal.”

In order to stay the course it is vital that you keep your eyes on the goal.

Here’s how to get to your goal in 5 Steps:

Step One: Only One At A Time
When you’re feeling motivated, and decide to set a goal, it’s tempting to become over-ambitious by setting multiple goals. While it’s great that you want to improve many things about yourself, the pressure of trying to achieve more than one goal at once will cause you to drop all the goals and go back to status quo.

Focus in on the one goal that you really want to achieve first, and focus all of your efforts onto this goal with laser-like force. There will be plenty of time in the future to see to your other goals, but for now see your number one goal all the way through to completion.

Step Two: Start Slow
Another pitfall that often results in dropped goals is the act of starting out too fast and too strong. If your goal in fitness is to drop 6 pant sizes and to exercise 5 times a week, do not (I repeat, DO NOT) go out and hit the gym hard for the next 5 days in a row. You’ll be so sore that I guarantee you’ll stop all progress the following week and your goal will be put back on a shelf.

Take a deep breath and remember that this isn’t a race. This is your life, and it’s you against yourself. Start out slow and steady and gradually build as you progress toward your goal. Don’t allow self-induced fatigue to get in your way.

Step Three: Know Your Reasons Why
Why is this goal so important to you? There are probably many reasons, and you should know every single one of them. Write down each and every possible reason you can come up with as to why your goal needs to be met.

Intimately get to know the ‘reasons why’ this goal is so important to you. You should have them memorized and should recite them every single day. Remember what Ford said – when you take your eyes of your goal you’ll see loads and loads of obstacles. Keep your eyes locked onto that goal by filling your mind with all of the ‘reasons why’ you’re going to see this thing through.

Step Four: Think About It
Along with thinking about your reasons for accomplishing your goal, it’s also helpful to focus your mind on how you’ll feel once you’ve done it. Dedicate some time each day to picture your new post-goal life.

How awesome are you going to feel when you’ve accomplished this goal that’s been on your mind for so long? Pretty amazing. Fill your mind with that feeling of accomplishment well before you’ve finished the work. The more you feel connected to the end of the race, the more likely it is that you’ll make it through.

Step Five: Put It All On The Line
It’s time to put your money where your mouth is. Invest in something that will help propel you toward your goal. When you shell out some of your hard earned money to aide in your progress, then you are going to take this process that much more seriously.

It’s time to seriously commit yourself to seeing this goal to completion. If your goal is to lose weight and to get into amazing shape then invest in one of my proven fitness programs.

My clients see results. My clients achieve their goals.

It’s time that you become one of my clients.

Call or email today and together we will get you to your goal.

A goal is a dream with a deadline.

Can you imagine the new-and-improved body of your dreams?

Now is the time to attach a deadline to that dream so that it becomes reality

Often times their reason is self-inflicted: I don’t have the time. 

Sometimes it’s procrastination: I’m going to start as soon as tax season ends. 

And occasionally the reason is downright funny: I don’t like to sweat. 

As you can imagine, I point out to these well meaning excuse-makers that, despite their legitimate reason not to, exercise is a vital part of cultivating a strong, healthy and attractive body.

In fact, if they would just exercise 2 to 4 times each week they would feel a dramatic improvement in their daily life, starting with renewed energy and strength.

I then bring up the health benefits and explain how many of their health problems would improve. I talk about how great they will feel, and look, dropping those extra pounds and rediscovering a slender figure.

However, there was an excuse that would always stump me.

The sneaky excuse of ‘being active’: Oh, I don’t need to exercise with a personal trainer – I’m very active. I play golf and tennis and Wii. 

Well, that is a good excuse, right? Golf, tennis and Wii are all active sports that burn calories. Maybe they can be fit without doing any other exercise…

Then I started noticing a trend.

The ‘golf’ people couldn’t touch their toes in a simple flexibility test. The ‘tennis players’ couldn’t jump rope for 60 seconds. The ‘Wii players’ needed a week to recover from a one mile jog. The so-called ‘active’ people encountered injury after injury.

And then it hit me.

You can’t become fit simply by being active.

Only by being fit can you become more active.

To be lean and to maintain a level of fitness there is no substitute for a consistent, challenging exercise program. It’s the only way, folks.

To truly be fit is when your body is able to do whatever you ask of it. This comes from a combination of flexibility, strength and endurance.

So, do you exercise?

Or are you fooling yourself with the idea of ‘being active’?

How do you feel about your current level of fitness? Are you able to do each and everything you want? Or do you end up opting out of activities that you know would be too challenging?

If you’ve used the excuse of ‘being active’ in the past, take a minute to reconsider your position. Don’t bank on your ‘active’ lifestyle with the hope of true results.

Contact me today to start an exercise program that will make you truly fit.

And if you’re furthest from active but simply want to lose those extra inches and pounds, make the decision to call or email me today.

As they say…there’s no trial run in the game of life.