Are you planning to outlive your children?

I find it mind boggling when I read all of the flyers and advertisements about goodies for the Fourth of July.  Do holidays REALLY need to focus on sugary candy, cakes and deep fried treats?  Especially in the summer?  How about all of the bountiful fruits and vegetables that are in season?  Fresh fruit is everywhere right now and it is delicious!

I can't tell you how many eye rolls I get when I bring up a topic like this but do you realize that our children have a shorter life expectancy than our generation does?  Do you realize that two out of every five children and two out of every three adults are considered obese in America?  We are eating ourselves to death and all we do is roll our eyes!  We fret when our teenagers have eating disorders.... one cause of this is them not being taught about proper fitness and nutrition when they were children!  Our children are learning by example, they are watching everything we do... we are careful to watch our language and buckle our seatbelts, but it is time to take it one step further and watch what we put in our mouths and how dusty our running shoes are getting!
My children are far from perfect eaters (they just selected burger and fries and chicken strips and fries for lunch) BUT they also helped me make zucchini loaf (low fat and whole wheat) and enjoyed that after our swim.  Sneaking vegetables in is great but also make your children aware of how important veggies are to their health, to growing big and strong...
I'm not saying cut out all of your treats, just rethink what is important and what a treat could be!  Don't think of the changes as a sacrifice, think of it as a gift to a longer and healthier life.  How many times have you said, I will eat better tomorrow, I just want to enjoy _______ FIRST!  Tomorrow is here!

So what are you serving on Independence day?

If you are looking for help to get yourself and/or your family back on track with your fitness and nutrition I would love to help.  You can find my webpage at www.GetFitWithNicola.com -you can sign up for the FREE coaching option, and/or email me!

Summit 2011

So much to sum up from my Beachbody Fitness conference in LA this past weekend!  End the Trend was the key slogan... helping people bring health and fitness back into their lives!  Simple changes can go a long way... tough at first but slowly they become habit!  Here is a 5 minute video summarizing the weekend!  But there will be more updates to come!

Can you Spare 10 minutes for a quick workout?

Yes, I said 10 minutes!!!  Tony Horton (a la P90X) has another program called 10 Minute Trainer!
You can do the workouts individually or stacked together!  It makes for efficient use of time by combining cardio with resistance training and ab sculpting. 
Take a look at the video clip below! 
The program comes with 5 10 minute workouts, plus a bonus 35 min fat burner cardio workout, PLUS (if you buy it from a coach) Fountain of Youth yoga from Tony Horton's One on One video series, workout calendar, meal planner with recipes, on the go workout cards, 10-day lean jean plan, resistance band and cardio belt! Contact me for more info or go to www.GetFitWithNicola.com

How will I fit a workout in to this busy summer schedule?

I cannot believe it is June 6th already! Summer vacation is underway in my home and I am trying to workout a schedule to fit in kid's activities, my workouts, my business, house cleaning, grocery shopping, pool cleaning... you get the picture... too much to do, not enough free time to do it in.
My plan? To schedule my days! I tend to operate better with a schedule and get a bit flustered with last minute changes so this won't be a bad thing for me, but I know that if I don't get my workout in during my "workout window", it very likely will not get done with creating chaos in the house! I am on week 10 of P90X, so I can't exactly stall out now after all of my hard work! Part of my passion behind my fitness is being a great role model for my children and for the people I am coaching through these programs... a good role model finishes what they begin (unless they are injured or have another really good excuse), but stopping because I didn't schedule it in (after the laundry and before the swim lessons), is not a good excuse in my books! I love my children and I plan to have a fun summer with them, but I also think that keeping my fitness where I want it to be makes me a much happier and fun mommy than I would otherwise be :) (side note, this is my personal opinion for me - I don't judge others choices, just sharing what is important for me!!!)
Whether you exercise with your children, take them to childcare at the gym, workout before they get up or however works for you, just make sure you model for them the importance of good health and fitness to a level that works for you.
My children start swim lessons this week, then soccer camp... I think during the week of science camp we might need to get some extra energy burned off with lots of evening swimming. There are a few great workout programs for kids too on DVD if it gets too hot out and you can't leave the house... Shaun T's Fit Club for Kids and Tony and the Kids.

If you would like help working out a schedule that will fit with your lifestyle, finding a program that you can work with or how to get started on Shakeology, please contact me and sign up on my website at www.GetFitWithNicola.com to make me your free coach!