Friday, October 28, 2016

Healthy Storage Inventory

Stay focused. You are on your way to a healthy kitchen. This is the third part to finishing your kitchen make-over. Now that you have started to get better at food preparation, it's important to think about portions and storage. The right items must be on hand in your kitchen to assure you are getting the correct portions of your daily requirement. You can prepare meals for several days ahead as long as it is stored properly to avoid loss. 


It's not only important to get good foods into the kitchen, it is important to get organized and stay organized. Keep a tidy refrigerator and freezer as well as keeping foods and appliances organized in the pantry. Food prep will be much easier and quicker. If you haven't done so already, you may  want to purchase the following items: 
  • a tea pot for making green tea
  • Larger food storage containers of different sizes
  • A food weight scale
  • Measuring cups and spoons
  • Indoor grill 
  • Aluminum foil and plastic wrap
  • Zip-top bags
  • Freezer bags
  • Bulk food storage containers
Responses and Scoring:  (a) I have all of them (-5)
                                        (b) I have more than half of them (-3)
                                        (c) I have less than half of them (+2)
                                        (d) I don't have any of them (+5)


Calculate your score and add it to your score from my last two blogs and save it. Remember you are doing this to get your kitchen to reflect living fit and healthy. You can visit my website at 09body Training for more get fit exercise tips .

Friday, September 30, 2016

Healthy Pantry Basics


A simple way to make healthy cooking easy is to have the right items on hand. So what food items should be in a healthy pantry? The following foods are key ingredients for making healthy meals. 
    
Fill your pantry with these basic shelf items. Then, whenever you shop, you can pick up your perishable items. Perishable items will be in my healthy refrigeration post. Many of your recipes will incorporate these pantry staples:
  • dried beans and lentils
  • canned beans
  • whole grains
  • whole grain pasta
  • rolled oats
  • canned diced tomatoes
  • low sodium vegetable broth
  • plain soy milk and/or almond milk 
  • tahini
  • mellow white miso
  • peanut butter and/or almond butter
  • raw almonds, cashews, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds
  • dried apricots, dates and raisins
  • Dijon mustard
  • cider vinegar
  • nutritional yeast 
If you followed my last blog you should have your first score. Use the following to find out how healthy your current pantry is. Total up your score and save. 
   
Responses and Scoring:
(a) I have all of them (-5)
(b) I have more than half of them (-4)
(c) I have less than half of them (+2)
(d) I do not have any of them (+5)


See my Nutrition page at Debra Baker Fit  for a healthy recipe to try.   

Thursday, September 22, 2016

Healthy Fitness Makeover

Today is the start of the autumn season. As the days start to get cooler, we start to cover up more and spend more time inside. However, do not stop maintaining that beach body that you worked so hard to get. Over my next few blog postings, I will show you how to do your own kitchen makeover. Do you have the following items in your kitchen?
  • Good set of pots and pans
  • Good set of knives
  • Spatula
  • Blender
  • Tea kettle
  • Scale for weighing foods
  • Sealable containers for carrying meals
  • Small cooler for taking meals to work or on the go
  • Shaker bottle for drinks and shakes
  • Food processor
Responses and Scoring:
a) I have all of them (-5)
b) I have more than half of them (-4)
c) I have less than half of them (+2)
d) I do not have any of them (+5)  

Calculate your score and save it. Next blog will be your pantry checklist. Be honest and remember you are doing this exercise to find out whether your kitchen reflects living fit and healthy.
For other fitness tips and healthy living exercises, visit my website at debrabakerfit.com 

Monday, August 15, 2016

Tricep Chair Dips

I am always trying different compound exercises so I can get the most effective workout in the shortest length of time. It takes time to go to the gym for cardio and weight training. Therefore, on some days I work out at home. One quick way to tone your arms and get great looking triceps is chair dips. All you need is a sturdy chair. For extra stability, place the chair against the wall.
  • Stand in front of the chair facing away from the seat.
  • Sit down on the edge of the seat and place your hands behind your hips. Your hands should be on the edge of the seat and shoulder width apart.
  • Lift your buttocks off the seat and walk your feet forward. Make sure your hands are secure on the chair so that you do not slip off. Keep your chest elevated and head up. Your knees should not bend.
  • Slowly lower your body downward. Be careful that your elbows do not bend to an angle smaller than 90 degrees.
  • Extend your arms, raising your body upward and supporting your weight with your arms. This feels amazing.  
If this is your first time trying dips or any kind, you may not be strong enough to support your body weight. Beginners should just try one set of 6 to 8 reps. When you become more conditioned, you may gradually increase your reps and sets until you progress to three sets of 15 reps. You will love your well-defined triceps with less giggle.


Save on skincare collection at To Go Spa                               09Body Training at Debra Baker Fit

Tuesday, July 12, 2016

Coconut Oil for Health







I have been buying my fitness vitamins and supplements from Piping Rock for years. They have the best quality and prices than any of the competitors. I recommend you try Piping Rock for yourself and use my link at the bottom to save $5.00 on any order under $40.00. There's more. You save $10.00 off your order of $40.00 or more.






Piping Rock is always the best for less.  


Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil.  This is what I currently use and it's great!
Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil 54 fl oz (1.6 L) Bottle


                                                                      *09body link      Save $$ on all products with my link.

Friday, July 1, 2016

Arms to Dip For


Dips refer to upper-body training where you are required to lift loads equivalent to your body weight. So, the heavier you are, the more challenging they become. The best thing is that you can modify them as you progress. The benefits of performing dips are worth the challenge.
First, you can build your strength in several layers of upper-body muscles at the same time. Dips mostly focus on your triceps, which is the major muscle, located at the back of your arm. Your triceps muscle’s role is extending the elbow joint. Additionally, when you are pushing up out of the dips, your upper chest and anterior delts support by flexing the shoulders. Other muscles including the levator scapula, rhomboids and latissimus dorsa are also strengthened. 

                                                 Compound Exercises 
Dips are a compound exercise in that it requires movements in a number of joints. A compound exercise promotes the development of multiple muscle groups at the same time. Additionally, compound exercises mimic the regular tasks we carry out each day. This means that strength and coordination improve each time you exercise, which makes everyday tasks easier to perform. If conducted the right way, dips reduces the risk of injury to joints while insuring your triceps, shoulder, and scapular muscles are effectively developed.
For you to practice dips correctly, start by standing between two dip bars. Take hold of each bar with your hands and push your body up such that your elbows lock while your feet hang in the air. Lower your body towards the floor by bending your elbows avoiding letting your feet touch the floor. Continue moving until elbows attain a 90-degree angle. Next, extend your elbows and push your body up again. You can repeat the process a couple times a weeks and gradually increase the number of reps.
As always, consult with your physician before beginning any exercise program.  If no dip bar is available or you work out at home, try doing my number one favorite exercise, chair dips. No need for fancy equipment, just a wall and a sturdy chair. My arms feel amazing after this workout. Give dips a try and start showing off the results. Leave a comment and let know your results.                  
                           
  

      

Monday, June 6, 2016

Tone Up Before Tanning


Summer is near and it is time to put away the long sleeves and expose our arms. Since we are going to be showing them, why not look our best. We can tone and define our arms with tricep extensions. Therefore, I want to share the proper way to execute a dumbbell triceps extension. You can do this exercise at home for at least three days a week to see results. This is my second favorite home exercise, next to chair dips. 

Prepare by positioning one dumbbell overhead with both hands. With elbows overhead, lower forearm behind upper arm by flexing elbows. Flex wrists at bottom to avoid hitting dumbbell on back of neck. Raise dumbbell overhead by extending elbows while hyper extending wrists. Return and repeat.
Position wrists closer together to keep elbows from pointing out too much. Let dumbbell pull arm back to maintain full shoulder flexion. Consider using a seat with back support. The back support, however, should not be so high that it interferes with dumbbell being completely lowered. If shoulder flexion flexibility is not adequate, position hips slightly forward so elbows are positioned upward. Position body upright if shoulder flexion flexibility is adequate.
This exercise targets the triceps brachial while using anterior deltoids, major pectorals, clavicle, pectorals and wrist flexors as stabilizers. To get tips from Raymond Day Masters Champion Bodybuilder on proper bicep exercises see my Fitness Coach page at DebraBakerFit.com 

Thursday, March 17, 2016

Get Active to Help Your Heart

How much of a difference can exercise make in your life and how much do you really need to do? Exercise improves your health. You don't need to spend countless hours in the gym to achieve the benefits needed for a healthy heart. Just get active.
  
There are easy ways to add different types of activity to your daily routine:
  • Park the car farther away from your destination.
  • Get on or off the bus several blocks away.
  • Take the stairs instead of the elevator or escalator.
  • Take fitness breaks. Walk, stretch or do some office exercises.
  • Start doing some gardening, yard work, house cleaning or home repairs.
  • Remove the television from the bedroom and hide the remote controls.
  • Exercise while watching television. Some examples are using hand weights, using a stationary bike or treadmill, crunches, push ups, squats and stretching to improve your flexibility.   
  • Walk while doing errands.
  • Keep a pair of comfortable walking or running shoes in your car and office so you can be ready for activity wherever you go.
The good news is that it's never too late to start an active lifestyle. No matter how old you are, how unfit you feel, or how long you have been inactive, get started. Research shows that starting a more active lifestyle now through consistent moderate intensity activity can improve your heart health and your quality of life.


Personalized Total Training 

Tuesday, January 26, 2016

Preserve and Protect Your Back

Back pain is the most prevalent source of chronic pain, and the leading cause of disability for Americans under the age of 45. Working at desks, slouching over phones, and leaning over keyboards, millions of people put themselves at risk for back pain because of poor posture.

Awareness of posture is key to transforming bad habits that form early and do damage over time. By holding your body in good posture, you strengthen your core and supporting muscles, building good muscle memory and protecting your back. Good posture is also tied to everything from stress to confidence, appearance, and general well-being. So what if we had a sensitive and subtle way to know immediately when we started to slouch, a quiet reminder felt only by ourselves?

The Lumo Lift approaches posture in a way that’s never been done before. Clipped onto your shirt, right below your collarbone using a secure magnetic clasp, the Lumo Lift tracks your posture and activity. Using subtle vibrations as feedback, it will gently vibrate to remind you to straighten up your posture every time you begin to slouch. Patented biomechanics monitoring sensors in the Lumo Lift use angle displacement as a measure to let you know when your body slouches away from what you’ve calibrated as your standard of good posture. The customizable time delay for vibrational feedback allows for a personalized posture coaching experience. With the integration of technology, the Lumo Lift is the agent of change needed to improve your posture long-term.
I recommend Lumo


Being able to consistently sit and stand with a posture that supports overall health and well-being involves learning with the body as well as with the mind. The Lumo Lift situates learning in realime, permitting you to make the steady small adjustments that quickly become vitally useful habits in daily life. 

My favorite exercises to strengthen your core muscles are abdominal crunches, the modified plank, the side plank, sit ups, single and double leg abdominal presses, and the bridge. To learn the easiest way to properly execute the bidge, see step by step on my website exercises. 09body 


Friday, January 15, 2016

Live Long and Prosper



We can dramatically reduce the likelihood of heart disease prior to old age by adopting a healthy living lifestyle. This is according to a long-term study. The study found that people who followed healthy living recommendations, such as eating a healthy diet and getting regular exercise, reduced their odds of heart disease by ninety percent over twenty years. The study group was compared to others in their age range that were living the unhealthiest lifestyles such as excessive smoking, drinking, high fat diet, over eating and lack of exercise etc.
A healthy lifestyle was also associated with a significantly reduced risk of developing heart disease among men and women who had already developed a cardiovascular risk factor like diabetes, hypertension or high cholesterol. The study confirms the importance of healthy behaviors, such as not smoking and exercising more.
These findings also play a role in moving the public discussion toward adopting a healthy way of life as the standard norm. Fitness is a lifestyle. However, it is a choice. So, if you choose to start living fit and healthy and you need help getting started, contact a personal trainer in your area. We sometimes need extra motivation and encouragement to keep going. A personal fitness trainer may be the answer. If you need a referral, contact me and I will put you in touch with a trainer in your area.
Debra Baker CFT/SFN    Tap into your motivation      

Monday, January 4, 2016

What is Your 2016 Fitness Goal?


You can have the fit body you always wanted. If you are ready to start an exercise and weight loss plan, you need to be eating healthy meals and exercising regularly. I can tell you how to choose the right fitness program so you will get your new and fit body. This year, on my blog, I will give you the motivation and training tools necessary to keep you on track. As a certified personal trainer, I care about your success. Not only that, it is free. I only promote products and services that I know work.  

Many have wanted to start getting in shape but just lacked motivation. So let us try a different approach. Instead of making excuses why you did not exercise today, let us start with the right motivation. One of the best places to begin is by setting personal goals. A well thought-out goal can help you achieve what you really want in life, that is to be healthy and feel good about yourself. Why not, start your fitness journey using Blurb. Take photos as you progress. Your very own Blurb story will motivate you and others for years to come.

Be specific when setting a goal. Make sure it is a measurable goal. If you want to define your abdominals, then make a goal to perform a certain number of crunches during your workout. You can then count out every repetition. Your goal could be "I will work on my abs 3 days per week and perform 2 sets of 50 each workout." Write it out and place it where you are certainly to see it every day. This works and it has a way of holding us accountable. So let us get started. If you need help getting start, feel free to post your question. Today, it the time to start living fit and healthy
Make your goal to quit smoking in 2016     Complete Quit System