…Training: what is best for you?…

With resources that you can find on dozens of fitness websites, it can be very hard to figure out what is the best workout method for you to use for your own fitness goals.  There are also various fitness trends that circulate other sites such as Pinterest that make it easy to get overwhelmed with the idea of starting a new fitness program.

The first thing that you have to do is ask:

What is your overall goal?

This is a question that I ask all of my new clients.  I have found that people like to focus on short term goals rather than the long term overall goal.  Those are great BUT you have to create a healthy lifestyle that will work with your current lifestyle.  This will allow you to properly integrate healthy habits that you will be able to sustain even after your short term goals are reached. In my experience I often see people work hard to achieve their short term goals. After that goal is reached, they stop training or practicing healthy habits and revert back to their old habits.  But, if you get people to focus on working towards long term life goals, this is when you find clients will be more successful and more satisfied with their overall healthy lifestyle.

Here is a document that I give my clients when we have our initial fitness consultation.

 [gview file=”http://www.infinitelifefitness.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/What-are-your-goals.pdf”]

You have to create an overall mind shift to get people to think of more than just short term goals.

There is a huge misconception that being healthy and fit requires you to give up a lot things that you regularly enjoy.  That is FALSE! You have to find a balance via making health and fitness fit into your current lifestyle. Integration of healthy habits makes it an easy transition and also allows for this habit to become a true habit that can be sustained for a long period of time.

If you feel that this is something that you can not do alone, there are infinite support groups that can be found online.  You can also seek the help of friends and family.  You can maybe convince them to join you so you can help to keep each other accountable.  You can also seek the help of a personal trainer or coach that can also assist you every step of the way.

Stop giving up on the idea that you can not be the healthy and fit person that you want to be! YOU have to make the decision to get up and make those needed lifestyles changes to help you reach your goals. YOU have to take those steps to set things in motion to get you closer to those goals.  YOU have the power and drive to do something about it.

…Tips for Correcting Skin Issues Using Various Skincare Methods, Including Lasers…

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A lot of people put a lot of focus on mental and physical health and fail to put enough health focus on other aspects of their body. Your Skin is apart of your body that is often neglected or overlooked.

If you have skin issues that you want to correct, you will quickly find out that you have a sea of choices. But that sea can easily be reduced to the size of a small pond as you rule out options that won’t work for you. Then you will be left with only the best choices to pick from. Here are some tips that can help you decide if lasers or other skincare methods will work for you.

Know Your Skin Type and How That Can Impact Treatments

Dry skin and oily skin react in completely different ways to certain skincare treatments. The same is true of thin and thick skin, light and dark skin, or clear complexions versus scarred skin. Any one of those factors can help you rule skin treatments in or out. You can use all of them together to narrow your options down significantly.

If You Have a Laser Procedure, Have the Right One

If you are thinking of having a laser procedure done, make sure you have the right procedure and are treated by the right device. Lasers fall into many different categories, including Fraxel, ablative, and non-ablative varieties. They also specialize in different things. For example, if you want to get rid of unwanted hair then you should be treated by a hair removal machine, but if you want to get rid of unwanted wrinkles then you should use a laser type that is recommended for wrinkle removal instead.

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You also need to understand that each laser model is slightly different. Some of them are better at treating people with lighter skin tones. Others are less specific and can be used on darker skin colors as well. It may take you some time to find the one that will treat your skin problems without creating more of them.

Make Sure You Understand Your Other Skincare Choices

While laser treatments can be excellent for treating some skin problems, far too many people seem to think that they are the only treatments available aside from surgery. That couldn’t be further from the truth.

One options is that you could potentially use lotions or creams to treat minor skin problems. You can even get prescription creams, if you need something a bit more potent. Another choice, if your skin issues are moderate, is to have light therapy or sound wave therapy. Both of those types of treatments can make your body produce more of its own naturally healing substances, such as collagen. There are also plenty of treatments for severe skin concerns, including microdermabrasion and chemical peels.

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Don’t Get Frustrated if You Don’t See Positive Skincare Results Right Away

Many of the skincare treatments above and other skincare methods don’t work right away. Some of them take repeated applications or clinical treatments before you will start to see your skin improve.

So, one big skincare tip is don’t move from one treatment type to another too quickly. Be sure to give whatever you try a good amount of time to work before you deem it unsuccessful.

Discuss Skincare Methods with an Expert Before Choosing One

The most important thing you can do when choosing a skincare treatment is talk to an expert. They can tell you all about each treatment choice you have, the skin types each treatment tends to work well on, and how long it will take to see results. Then you can make your final choice about which skincare method to use.

…Merchandise Evaluation: prAna Jeans & Sweater…

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prAna is a clothing company.  They thrive on creating versatile, stylish, and sustainable clothing and accessories that you can wear during every activity, every adventure, every day.

prAna was started in a garage in Carlsbad, California back in 1992. At that time yoga and climbing gear left a lot to be desired, so Beaver and Pam Theodosakis decided to create their own stylish and sustainably made clothes. They sewed the first pieces themselves, labeled them with tags made from homemade recycled paper, and shipped their orders in fruit boxes from local grocery stores.

Today, prAna is still based in Carlsbad. We’re a lot bigger than we used to be, but we continue to follow our core belief that companies like ours should give much more than they take from the world. Our commitment to sustainability, community, and doing right still inspires and pushes us to find innovative ways to do good things in a good way.

I was lucky enough to get to try out a full outfit from prAna and this is what I got and my overall thoughts:

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Overall Comments:

I was VERY skeptical about getting these items and trying them on.  I am a woman, this has a very unique shape and build.  Because of that, it is very hard for me to find clothing (especially jeans) that fit correctly and COMFORTABLY.

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This is the sweater Stacia Sweater.  I deiced to get a size medium (I am 5’10 tall, I have long arms and a long torso. I typically get sweaters larger so they will be long enough for my torso and my arms).  This sweater is SOFT and comfortable. The color… is by far one of my favorite shades of blue/green.  And, this sweater is cozy yet helps to keep your body heat contained.  What that means is, I am a cold natured person. I am typically cold no matter where I go.  I was quite warm during the whole time that I had this sweater on. The length of this sweater was GREAT!

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The next item that I would like to talk about are the jeans:

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These are the Kara Jean and I got these in a size 10. I typically get jeans that are a size bigger because I have a round bottom and thick quads (in other words ladies… I have a bit butt and thick thighs! No shame in those gainz! LoL). I was very interested to see how these jeans would fit (especially since I did not get to try them on before I got them).

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I was SHOCKED at how well they fit me.  I slide the jeans on and was able to button them with ease (also meaning that my training has paid off and I have not grown to need a bigger pants size 😛 ).  There is a slight stretch in the jeans, so in the areas that the jeans were more fitting, they were not uncomfortably tight.  They actually fit just right. Like I said… I was SHOCKED at how well these fit.  And the quality of the material is great! It is not a thick jean material.  It is a thinner/stretchy material but has a great color and I love the folded pant legs at the bottom.

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Price & Quality: Over the years I have learned to embrace and accept the term “you get what you pay for”.  The Stacia Sweater is about $89.00 and the Kara Jeans are about $89.00.  Yes this seems like a steep price to pay for a sweater and jeans… BUT once you get these items you will realize exactly what you are paying for. You are paying for a quality product that will be able to keep up with you and your busy/active lifestyle.  You are paying for organic and recycled material that is used to create some of the pieces of clothing that prAna offers. You are paying for the bluesign® systems tat was created to ensure that the fabrics that are uses meet the highest environmental and human safety standards. You are also paying for Fair Trade which are standards that were created to ensure that garment workers have safe working conditions, a voice in the workplace, higher earnings, and that women are treated equally. Although these rights may seem basic, they are simply not guaranteed in many of the countries where clothing is produced. You are also paying for traceability  which is prAna might not know the exact plant that grew the organic cotton, but then can make a close guess.  They can trace their fabrics life from the farm where the bowl of fiber was grown, through processing and production, all the way to end product. prAna finds it very important to make sure that what they sell their customers is in fact what they claim it to be.

So, if you are looking for a cutting edge company to support, prAna offers various products that are organic and environmentally friendly.  They take pride in providing the best quality products for their clients, giving back to the community and their workers, and being able to use natural resources to create their products.

HERE IS A COUPON CODE for 15% off your own prAna purchase: PFS16LIFE

Code is valid until 10/31/2016

…Celebrity Workouts: Are They Worth It?…

The likelihood is we all have a celebrity fitness DVD hanging around behind the TV. And in many cases, probably a few more. These workout programs make up a huge percentage of the fitness program industry and sell at an astonishing rate. But are they worth your money, and do they ever – honestly – work? Let’s take a look at some of the biggest problem areas I have found with celebrity fitness programs.

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Celebrities have personal trainers

First of all, the rich and famous have money to burn – and they can afford to pay for a personal trainer. And not just the one session a week that the rest of us can afford. Their personal trainers will – in effect – live with them for months at a time to put them through their paces. You can’t expect to replicate that by doing a workout DVD once or twice a week.

You pay top dollar

Heard about the latest fitness craze? Kayla Itsines is a celebrity, albeit she became one through her fitness program. She has 5.3 million Instagram – that’s twice as many as Gwyneth Paltrow. And she’s big business. But take a look at any honest Kayla Itsines review, and you’ll find out a few things. One, it is expensive. There are PDF guides and a $20-per-month app to buy. And it’s hard, too – perhaps too much for the first time trying to take control of their fitness for the first time. Now, the program will give you results – but the information it gives you is nothing you can’t find by yourself online and on forums.

The before and after scam

We’ve all seen those before and after shots on websites. They are the prime selling point for most fitness DVDs, regardless of whether they are celebrity-hosted or not. The trouble is, what do these pictures tell you? Sure, they show dramatic results. But as plenty of people have proved, you can do amazing things with a camera.

They target the wrong areas

You can’t target areas where you want to lose weight. If you have big thighs, nothing is going to make them smaller unless you lose weight all over. It’s the same with your waist. Core exercises will help you develop your muscle, but you have to lose weight everywhere if you want your abs to show through. So, the next time you see a ‘Tiny Tummy’ celebrity DVD that focuses on waist training, forget it.  

It doesn’t result in lifestyle change

Take a look at most celebrity fitness programs and they will all tell you the same thing. Workout x times a week for y weeks. But what happens afterward? The vast majority of people just return to their old routines, put the weight back on, and buy another DVD the following Christmas. Good for the celebrity workout industry, sure. But not good for your permanent fitness and physique, or your bank balance. You are far better off learning about exercise and nutrition yourself and making the necessary changes slowly.

Have you have success from a celebrity DVD? If so, why not prove me wrong in the comments section below!

…Infinite Life Fitness Recipe: Bell Pepper Nacho Bites…

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Who does NOT love nachos?

OK… if you do not love nachos there is no way we can be friends. The savoy mixture of seasoned meat with cheese and fresh veggies…It is making my mouth water to just think about it!

I decided to create a simple, healthy, and cost effective alternative to one of my favorite dishes.

This would be a great dish to have as a finger food when you have people coming over OR it can be a great snack/meal.

Ingredients:

  • 1 package ground lean meat (turkey, chick, lean beef)
  • Assortment of Bell Peppers (red, orange or green and I made 4-6 “bites” per bell pepper)
  • 1 cup low fat Cheese
  • 1/4 cup Salsa
  • 1 tbsp Tomato Paste
Directions:

1. Cook meat thoroughly, add desired seasoning if desired

2. Drain meat and mix salsa/tomato paste to coat meat for flavor

3. Scoop out seeds from peppers and cut into boats (each pepper = 4-6 pepper boats/bites)

4. Scoop meat into pepper boats and sprinkle cheese on top of the meat

5. Either heat up in microwave for 2-3 minutes or stick bell pepper boats onto a non stick baking sheet in the oven at 300 degrees for 15-20 minutes (or until all of the cheese is melted)

6. Remove boats from oven (or microwave) and top with your choice of vegetable (such as minced onions, lettuce, etc.)

You can also top these bits with low fat sour cream or plain Greek yogurt.

By substituting the chips for the bell peppers you are able to cut out a huge overload of carbs without sacrificing the quality or flavor of this dish.

By using lean meat, this will also allow you to cut the amount of fat that is traditionally in this dish.  You can get creative and add diced tomatoes, olives, and other things that you will traditionally find in nachos.  Please be mindful when you add more items.  That can compromise the healthy nutritional value of this meal.

Bon Appétit