Archives

New Small Group Training Time in Minneapolis

Jul30

Working out with a small group, rather than by yourself, is fun, motivating, cost-effective, and gets results. I’m offering more training now: Mondays and Wednesdays at 5pm in Minneapolis. Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays in St. Paul will continue.

Please join me! Feel free to contact me with any questions.

Summer vacation

Jul1

Note that there will be no classes or training July 4-13.  Enjoy the break – but of course keep moving and eating right!!  🙂

Last Chance Workout! With Steve Whitcomb

Jun27

The fabulous Steve Whitcomb will be teaching his last Boot Camp class with Total Balance Fitness this upcoming Monday, June 30. Amanda will be taking over on Monday nights after that. Boot Camp at 6:30pm in Martin Luther King Park! Come say goodbye to Steve AND get your butt kicked! Free to anyone who isn’t a regular Boot Camp customer, $12 to drop in otherwise.  Hope to see you there!Steve Whitcomb, Boot Camp Instructor

Boost Your Metabolism

Apr29

Boosting your metabolism means burning more calories throughout the day and can make you lose fat and feel more energetic.  Who doesn’t want that??  Here are some quick tips to help your metabolism increase:

  1. Eat small portions frequently.  Aim for eating every 3-4 hours.  That’s 4-6 small meals/snacks.  Too much time between meals puts your body into starvation mode, which causes your body to store any available energy as fat.  It literally makes you fatter to wait 6 hours before eating again, so don’t do it!
  2. Move daily.  Maybe you don’t always have time to get to the gym and do a solid 60-minute workout.  Parking far away from the door and walking the extra distance is better than nothing!  5 Minutes is better than no minutes!  Get your family/friends involved so you’ll be more likely to stick with it.
  3. Eat protein throughout the day.  Examples:Eggs at breakfast, tuna at lunch, chicken at dinner.  Other good sources include Greek-style yogurt, quinoa, beans, meat, milk, cheese.  Aim for 20g protein at each meal (3 eggs, OR 1 cup beans, OR 4 ounces meat/fish/poultry).  Men and larger people need more; you can estimate 1g protein per 2 pounds body weight to find your daily need.
  4. Build muscle.  Muscle burns more calories than fat, so the more lean muscle mass you have, the faster your metabolism works!  So lift heavy things, or do any kind of resistance training, and build that muscle.  Three times per week is best.
  5. HIIT (high-intensity interval training).  Sprints, hills, burpees, or whatever.  Get up to those intensity levels where you can hardly breath.  Once a week, 5 reps, 60 seconds of High intensity sprints, with 90 seconds of rest.
  6. Beneficial foods:  fish, green tea, coffee, eggs, organic produce, iron-rich foods like meat and lentils, water, chili peppers, and calcium- and fiber-rich foods like dark leafy greens.  Watch out for trans fats which can slow your body’s ability to burn fat.

So, there you have it.  Quick tips about eating and moving to help you burn more fat and have more energy.  Try it and let me know how it’s working for you!!

SUCCESS: Lose Your Love Handles 2014

Mar12

What a great contest this time around!  26 hard-working individuals participated in improving their nutrition, exercise, and healthy lifestyle habits in this annual fitness/nutrition challenge.  In total the group lost 54 pounds, 13.5 inches from waistlines, and 25% body fat, as well as gaining 20 pounds of muscle.  Way to go, Love Handle Losers!

 Some things the challengees worked on included:  daily exercise, drinking adequate water, eating more veggies with a focus on dark leafy greens, consuming adequate protein, lowering intake of processed carbs/sugar/alcohol, stress reduction, and getting enough sleep.  Many participated in additional bonus challenges including walking/running 20 miles in a week, doing 100 squats every day, and a public photographic food diary.

 The top three achieved over 100 points each week: Alisha Krueger, Isaac Everhart, and Frances Anderson*.  Participants nominated each other for some awards, including Best Food Photos to Sarah DeYoung, Most “Plain” Foods to Isaac Everhart, Best Facebook Posts to Heather M., and Best Banana & Dog Photos to Frances Anderson.  Allison Erickson achieved the award for “Most Points in the Under 100 Points Per Week Category.”  Robyn Schein had the biggest muscle gains with 8 pounds transformed from fat to muscle.  JeaNell Krupnick won the award for Biggest Loser (inches), with a whopping 2.5 inches lost from her waistline.  There was a tie for Biggest Loser (pounds):  both Ali Yocom and Shauna Goodman lost 10 pounds!  Ali Yocom was also our Biggest Loser of Body Fat.  Our Overall Winner of the $100 cash prize was Frances Anderson.  This third time winner lost 2% body fat, 7 pounds, and 2.5 inches from her waist this month, as well as achieving the most total points.

 Allison Erickson, one of our high scorers and Big Losers, says, “I have learned so much in the past month doing the Lose Your Love Handles challenge with Amanda. I actually love spinach and kale, I continue to survive while not consuming, sugar and artificial sweeteners everyday, even thrive:) And I have made exercise a daily routine for myself. Thanks, Amanda!”

 Incredible achievements, Lose Your Love Handles contestants!  Your determination and success is inspiring.  If you missed the chance to participate, another opportunity will come up in October:  Scare Off the Pounds!

 

*Name changed for anonymity

Lose Your Love Handles 2014

Jan25

Feb 1-28, 2014, Second Annual Fitness Contest/Challenge!

Need some accountability, motivation, and guidelines to get your to your goals, whether it’s nutrition, weight loss, healthy living, or general fitness?? Sign up and participate in the second annual Lose Your Love Handles contest!

Last year’s contests had such awesome results – read about Lose Your Love Handles 2013 here and Scare Off the Pounds here.

Weigh-ins start NEXT WEEK so get on scheduling those ASAP. I’ve got some new stuff for you to do this month so get excited with me and get motivated to Lose Those Love Handles! Just contact me to sign up and schedule your weigh-in.

More details here on the event page on Facebook.

Weight Loss Yoga Workshop

Jan5

Second annual Weight Loss Yoga Workshop is coming up: Sunday, January 12, noon-3:30pm

 

1535402_10201842776645717_1824527894_n

, $50 including meal. Last year was a fun and informative time practicing yoga, discussing our journeys, and preparing and eating a nutritious meal together.

This workshop is part cooking class, part yoga practice, and part nutrition information. I am excited to lead you to more mindful eating as well as positive self-image and acceptance of where you are at. As a yoga instructor, personal trainer, and boot camp coach, I have had the honor and privilege to help my clients change habits, lose weight, and improve their lives. Please join us for a life-changing experience among friends. Click below for more info and a link to sign up:
Weight Loss Yoga Workshop

The pounds got scared!

Jan5

Successes from the October Fitness Contest

24 Challengers competed in Scare Off the Pounds last October, counting grams of protein, glasses of water, limiting sugar and alcohol intake, and adding up the minutes of exercise, not to mention all the burpees, crunches, and so much more that these hard workers did! 15 of the participants achieved incredible results. This year there was a tie – a previous winner from Lose Your Love Handles in February 2013, Frances Anderson*, made even more progress with 7 pounds lost, 2% body fat reduced, and 3 less inches. The newcomer who tied her was Alisha Krueger, who lost 3% body fat and gained 2 pounds of muscle. After the prize was given away to these two winners, more big “losers” came out of the woodwork: Johni Baxter lost 7 pounds, lost 4.5 inches, lost 3.8% body fat, and gained 2 pounds of muscle. Our biggest “loser” was Trish Rothe who lost an amazing 4.8% body fat as well as gaining 6 pounds of muscle. That is the most progress I have EVER seen in a mon th!!

HUGE CONGRATS to everyone who participated. Looking forward to our next contest/challenge, Lose Your Love Handles 2014 in February!

This entry was posted on January 5, 2014. 1 Comment