9 Easy Ways To Blast Ab Flab Now!

Let's just get straight to the point... 

You need these tips now so you can start blasting away the ab flab 

begin enjoying the way you look and feel and 

increase your chances of living an energetic, disease free life! 

Let's get you started! 

What are they? 

 **Eat an apple a day! An apple is a slow digesting carb source with loads of antioxidants! Apple polyphenols boost muscle strength and endurance and promote fat loss around the middle. It increases your body's ability to burn fat and limits fat production and storage. When's the last time you had an apple? Don't go another day without one! 

**Go green! Without going into scientific detail all you need to know is that green tea keeps your metabolic rate up by preventing the breakdown of nerepinephrine which helps keep the metabloic rate up. So preventing its breakdown is what you need... Green tea kicks butt at getting the job done! 

**Get back in black! Oolong tea... Also enhances the metabolic rate by reducing levels of cortisol... A stress hormone that encourages fat storage around the belly. 

 **Ice, Ice, Baby! Drink ice cold water that is. It increases the metabolic rate by 30%. Do it first thing in the morning before you do anything else.... Then do 10 of each as fast as you can... Burpees, pushups, squats, mountain climbers and jumping jacks. Just make it your everyday morning ritual... Its an easy thing to do. You won't be sorry. 

**Be nutty! Eat nuts for snacks, on salads, in desserts (healthy recipes only)... Enough said! 

**Slow it down! Choose slow digesting carbs... They will keep your insulin levels down and will keep them steady. Insulin levels spike with refined carbs like white bread, white rice and anything processed. Get far, far away from that unless you want sure fire way to create a bodily environment ripe for fat storage... Choose sprouted whole grain sources instead... Like Ezekiel breads and cereals. Brown rice and oatmeal are also rockin choices. 

**Got grapefruit? Want to lose up to 4 pounds in 12 weeks without changing your diet? Try adding grapefruit to a couple meals a day. Grapefruit also lowers insulin levels! 

**Omega 3's promote fat loss faster than eating a diet low in fats. Olive oil, peanut butter, walnuts, salmon, trout! Eat some everyday! 

 **Protein with every meal! Protein promotes hypertrophy and enhances fat loss...They also boost peptide levels which decrease hunger levels! 

These are 9 easy things you absolutely must begin to do now! I've been practicing these tips for about a year now and I have some pretty darn flat abs! Not trying to brag about that... I just knew others had done it and I wanted to do it too... Not sure if you know this, but I'm a 45 year old mother of 4. If I can do it you can too. All it takes is a determination to adopt habits and be consistent for the long haul. Think where you can be in a couple years! Consistency will pay off and you will see a more beautiful you emerge regardless of your age or stage in life... 

Do it today! 

Because better health, more energy and a more beautiful you is what you really want isn't it?

Not just a detox... but a total life reset!

Have you ever flown into a big city and as you descend you literally watch the sky turn from a pure, crystal-clear blue into an ugly, yellowish-brown haze?  It's kinda scary to see the kind of air we were meant to be living in compared to the air we actually do live in.  It's like a toxic soup we absorb into our bodies all our lives, not to mention the air we breathe, the food we eat and and water we drink. 

How do we find a way to get those toxins out of our bodies?  Can we? Or is it a hopeless situation?  Why would we want to be concerned about it? 

I sometimes wonder if some of us have so much toxin built up inside that it prevents us from losing weight, causes excessive bloating and digestion issues and in the long run causes more serious complications. We workout consistently but seem to still struggle.

The good news is that our bodies are very resilient machines, able to neutralize the chemical onslaught. The bad news is that even our bodies can be pushed to the limit! We feel the effects in the form of lower energy, weight gain and weakened immune system.  We end up struggling to do what we used to do much more easily.  Again I ask is there anything we can do since we can't really change the environment we live in... 

I think so... It starts with looking inside... If we are serious about being healthy, it's just as important to take a look on the inside of our bodies as much as we do on the outside of our bodies. We can eat good and healthy, but do we ever take time to flush out our system with say a detox/cleansing process or even just fasting for a 24 hour period? 

I have been looking into the idea for myself.  I love the idea of change!  You can't always do the same thing and expect to get different results... I love trying new things to see what happens, how my body responds, how I feel not only physically, but emotionally, and spiritually.  The cleanse I'm looking into encourages you to look at it as a not just a cleanse but a total life reset.  You are encouraged to do it during a time in your life when you won't be especially distracted or stressed by events, at a time when you'll be able to focus completely on the task.  It is also best not to do any strenuous exercise during the duration of the cleanse (3 weeks) because it will be giving your body a serious internal workout, so it's important to allow you nervous system to remain in a relaxed state and to refrain from asking your body to repair muscle tissue at the same time it is cleansing and releasing toxins.  

I will have a hard time with the idea of not exercising for 3 weeks, but I love the idea which makes so much sense, that during the cleanse you are creating an internal system that works more efficiently than it previously did and a muscular system that's been allowed to rest, recuperate and recharge! We so often want to work our bodies hard because we know that in order to see change we have to push our bodies past the limit to get stronger and have more endurance, but we also need to consider balancing that out time and again with recuperating and recharging in more restful/internal ways.

It's also encouraged to journal about the process, noting how your body feels each day, how it responds, how you experience anything emotionally or spiritually.  I love the idea that it can be experienced almost like it's a personal retreat if we take it seriously enough and really carve out the time to let go of the rest of life for a while!  

In a few weeks the Wagner's are retreating it to the mountains!  I think that will be the opportune time to try out my own detox/cleanse!  I look forward to sharing my experiences with you.

Want to join me?  Check out this link for more info... and then inbox me on facebook to let me know!  I would love to share the experience with YOU!

www.beachbodycoach.com/donnakwagner  Click on "ultimate reset"

  

"Life is not merely to be alive, but to be well!"  

~Marcus Valerius Martial (Roman Poet)    

What's it Worth?

I recently read somewhere that the best investment we can make in life is in personal development. Why? Because that is the one investment that can't be stolen or taken away from you.  

Even if it costs you more than you want to spend or even what you can afford to spend it's a wise investment because the return on the investment is HUGE.  It's true... whether it's your health you're investing in, your skill set for a job, or relational skills the return is 100X the investment in regards to the ultimate quality of your life.  

Instead 98% of people spend and waste money on dumb things that give no return (like overpriced shoes, handbags, or starbucks). Why do we think we can afford to spend here and there on such pointless stuff and ignore the more important areas of personal development... why not take an inventory of everything we waste our money on and instead funnel it toward what will give us a greater return?  It's because our society produces consumer mind-sets that only think about how to spend money on worthless things rather than on how to save or to have an investor's mindset... We spend on worthless stuff and ignore important areas.There are many important areas we could consider that would give us a return on our personal development investment... but since we need a focal point in this post and since I'm a fitness professional let's talk about health..YAY!. What if we chose to invest in that area over worthless areas?  What returns would we get on that investment? 

More energy, strength and endurance to live our lives to the fullest!
More fulfillment and confidence when we actually like how we look!
Huge financial savings because we avoid heart disease, stroke and diabetes in our future (top 3 preventable killers)!
Pain free, strong bodies that carry us into our older season of life still able to have fun and be adventurous!


I don't know about you but that sounds totally worth it to me! Think about the alternative... being lethargic and lifeless, having no confidence or drive to go for our dreams, forking out thousands of dollars for health care and drugs because we are sickly and feeble as we age, being stuck in our rocking chairs longing for someone to visit us because we can't get out and take initiative to enjoy life... wow, that's gloomy.

 I was recently feeling burdened by what I invest in my personal health... but then was reminded of these principles and knew right away what I needed to do was change my thinking to line up with the idea of it being an investment!!!  It's worth what I pay for my gym membership, worth what I pay for my health food and supplements, worth what I pay for anything I need to help me workout effectively, worth it to be involved with a community of others who will help me press on, worth what I pay to get up a little earlier to complete my workout... and the list goes on... 


You were designed with all the right parts to succeed in many areas of life... what you might still lack is the skill... If it's worth the investment and will give you a return, get the skill, the help and support you need to grow and develop in profitable areas and don't get sucked into the mold of society... spending on worthless things and having nothing left to invest in what really matters and in what can't be taken away.

If you need some help to take your first steps toward investing in your health and in ensuring better quality of life as you age, I'd love to have you be part of my health and wellness support group!  We get the tools we need to workout effectively, we challenge each other in various ways to stay after it until we see the results, we have a great meal plan we follow, and we invite others we know who want to be part of a caring committed community!  For more information find me on facebook and inbox me!!  The best part is you don't even have to live near me to be part of this group!!!  

I'll be waiting to hear from you!!!  
Donna 

Find me on FB... mention my blog in your friend request so I don't scratch my head wondering who you are and whether I should befriend you!!!   
My FB name is "Donna Clark Wagner"

Daily Choices Add Up!

Most days I get up super early to get myself off to work. What a beautiful day it was today!  I don't enjoy getting up early, however, when the sunlight is peeking it's way through my window and I just know it's going to be a beautiful day... it makes it alright to be up so early.

On mornings like that I love to sit a few extra minutes in my sun room and sip my morning green tea with my oatmeal, blueberries and a fried egg or two... to be alone in the quiet is a great stress reliever not to mention a great way to start the day, to acknowledge God and read from His great Book for wisdom and insight to guide my life and lift and feed my soul... the deeper and more real part of who I am.

I'm blessed when I get to work because not only do I get to see a bunch of wonderful people that I sincerely like being with but we get to workout together and I get paid for working out... I just love that!  Today we focused on core stability and metabolic fat burning cardio bursts. After such a workout I love to refuel with a power-packed recovery drink.. not only does it quench my thirst effectively but also helps gives my hard worked muscles what they need to recover and get stronger. A must for my day!

By mid-morning I'm famished and take a few minutes break between meeting with clients to enjoy a whole, natural snack... almonds, apples and extra water. Now I'm energized for the rest of the morning.

A great part of my day is seeing my clients come in each day... I always feel a sense of joy when I see them coming to faithfully get in the trenches with me to move and give their body new life as they condition their muscles and cardiovascular system for long-term preventative self-care. I'm grateful I get to do what I love!

After my morning appointments I love stopping by Naturally Yours Grocery Store to pick up more real food!  Blueberries, broccoli, peppers, spinach, cherries, apples, bananas, avacados, almond butter, gluten free bread, eggs and a rotisserie chicken! For lunch I'll have some of the chicken with a big green salad and a big bowl of bananas and cottage cheese and a few cherries for dessert.

As I pick up the gluten free bread I remember what I heard... that wheat is really not as good for you as we once thought... I hate when the "experts" change their mind, however, when new suggestions arise I check them out and give their recommendations a try just to see if I get results... So I hear wheat causes the belly to bulge!  Whoa!  If that's true then wheat is gone for me.  I did try the gluten and wheat free bread and gotta tell you that my belly is less bloated!  Wooo hooo! Try it and see what you think.  It doesn't taste the best but if it delivers greater health and wellness I'm sold and will force my taste buds to adjust!  They do that ya know!  Interesting, since I eliminated processed sugar from my diet I no longer crave it and when I do have it... well, I feel a little ill. So just a bite or two is all I can handle and I'm better for it.

Think about your day too... what are your daily habits?  The little things we do each day add up over the years either for our good or for our detriment.  Stopping long enough to examine our days and evaluate what we're doing or not doing will go a long way to helping us get on our way to better health and wellness! 

Have a healthy day!!!
Donna

Weight Loss or Fat Loss?

Most people who begin training with me state that their goals are to lose weight and tone up... Probably 9 out of 10 people list this as their main goal and reason for wanting a trainer and then they go on to tell me about their problem areas and ask which specific exercises they should be doing to work on specific areas of their bodies.  

What most people don't realize is that a better goal is not to focus on weight loss but on fat loss... who cares how much you weigh. If we're honest what we are really after is seeing our body composition line up the way we want it to. That has nothing to do with weight loss and everything to do with fat loss.  You can weigh 100 pounds but have poor body composition.  I'd rather weigh 150 and have my body composition lining up nicely than I would weigh 95 and be what the fitness industry calls "skinny fat".

Developing a rocking body composition results from doing the hard work to get strong and condition our muscular and cardio vascular system through weight training and high intensity interval training.  But it's not exercise alone... we also work hard to focus on our diet!!!!  Diet is priority number one!  You cannot out train a bad diet!  Focus on these two things consistently and you will get results!  Just don't give up too fast... It takes time.  It took years of sedentary lifestyle habits to get out of shape. Think about how many years you have been sedentary and maybe eating mindlessly.  You have to be patient as your body begins to respond to your new habits and begins to repair and rebuild itself. Decide it's just part of your new lifestyle, include it everyday the way you include breathing and sleeping and keep learning about it for the rest of your life... Don't get stressed out or disappointed because you aren't seeing instant results. It takes time and is soooo worth it.  Fill your mind with everything good you know is happening when you exercise and eat clean.  It will give you so much life knowing you are empowering your body through good habits.

So if Fat Loss is the goal how do I do that you ask???      Let me count the ways... don't get overwhelmed  with this list and begin trying everything tomorrow... just start to add a few ideas at a time.  Keep adding new ideas when you feel ready... pretty soon you'll be on your way to a healthier fat burning lifestyle! 

1. When you workout... WORK HARD!  It's best to give yourself a limited amount of time and push yourself like crazy in that amount of time... Try 30 minutes and make your body work hard!!! At the end of every set you should feel wiped!!!  If not, use heavier weights or increase your range of motion!!! 

2. Avoid isolation single joint lifts... Do exercises that involve more than one joint movement. Replace bicep curls with bicep curls and squats... or bicep curls and overhead press.  Make you body do more work.

3.  Change the tempo of your reps... don't always do single counts... try 4 counts up to one count down or 2 counts up to 2 counts down. 

4. Use short rest periods... It cracks me up when people do a set and then rest for 5 minutes talking to friends or reading a newspaper when they workout... Really?  That's not working hard!!! If friends distract you from working hard, work out alone.

5. Try to create an anabolic response which will increase your growth hormone.  Choose exercises that really spike your heart rate and create a burn in larger muscle groups.  Jump Squats!!!  Any jumping exercise or plyometric move will torch the fat!

6. When you strength train use HEAVY LOADS!  You won't bulk up ladies, but you will burn fat and continue to create a stronger body which is what you need to build a balanced beautiful body composition!  

7. Do higher intensity sprint intervals for conditioning.  Try six ALL OUT 30 second running sprints with 1 minute rest between sets.  Ditch slow-go cardio!

8. Be active in everyday life... move more!  Take stairs, park far away, do yard work, brisk walks after dinner!

9. Eliminate ALL, I'm talking ALL processed foods!  PLEASE! THEY ARE SOOOOOO HORRIBLE!  

10.  Eliminate all trans-fats! A MUST! Margarine, shortening.

11. Don't avoid fat though-- smart fat that is!  Research shows that people with 30-50% coming from smart fats have lower body fat!  (omega 3 fats that come from fish, olive oil, grape seed oil, coconut oil).

12. Take fish oil to boost your omega 3 fats and to ensure your omega 3 to omega 6 fat intake is balanced.

13.  Eat a diet with high quality protein organic meats.  Eating a diet with 15-20% of diet coming from protein raises resting metabolic rate (amount of calories your body burns at rest). 

14. Eliminate wheat and grains in favor of veggies! (try gluten/wheat free bread and pasta).

15. DRINK WATER! 3 liters a day for detox... flush out your system. Avoid alcohol, juice, soda, and sport drinks.

16. Eat an antioxidant rich diet to prevent inflammation which leads to fat gain.  (kale, broccoli, cauliflower, berries, cherries)

17.  Eliminate high glycemic carbohydrates. (never eat pastries, cake, processed carbs... oh so bad!).  Eat low glycemic veggies... peppers, eggplant, garlic, onions, mushrooms, spaghetti squash, water chestnuts.

16.   Take probiotic to improve gut health. (low fat yogurt)

17. Make sure magnesium level is 500mg/day.

18.  Zinc!

19. B vitamins... especially with a high protein diet. (helps with detox).

20. Green tea also helps detox body and elevate fat burning.

21. Drink caffeine before your workout to increase fat burning and work capacity. It gives you more energy to work hard!

22. Take time to find outlets for stress... when we are stressed the body releases cortisol which is known to cause the body to store fat.  Take amino acid taurine to help lower this stress hormone. 

23.  Eliminate sugar.

24. Get enough sleep. Early to bed and early to rise has been shown to improve  body composition. 

25. Know you have complete control over what you put in your  mouth and decide to take control. 

Pick 3 things you can start doing today and keep adding things every week as you feel ready.  If you want help designing  a workout program please contact me... I would LOVE to help you get a jump start! Or check out my beachbody website for some great resources for workout programs and supplements!

www.beachbodycoach.com/donnakwagner

  

I think I'll go have some green tea, yogurt and blueberries for my evening snack then go for a brisk walk!  Wish you were here with me!  Have a healthy day!

Donna   

Beach Body Challenge!

I was recently looking for a new way to shake up my workout routine and stumbled upon Beach Body resources. I knew of several friends who had raved about the P90X program so I decided to give it a try! I'm now approaching day 30 and I have already seen a half an inch disappear from my waist line!!! Yeah baby!

What I love about the program is that not only does it deliver an incredibly challenging workout program but it also provides a wonderful eating plan that I have fallen in love with! Easy nutritious meal planning which lays out what to eat for every meal and gives easy recipes to follow. Great for someone like me who absolutely despises everything about meal planning, cooking, shopping etc... Every meal and snack I've had has been simple to prepare AND is tasty and satisfying! And I've lost inches with it!!! Can't beat that! Anyone who has been serious about their health and wellness understands that diet is 80% of everything that you do to achieve your goals. You must eat clean... you can't out train a bad diet.

I've loved this program so much I have invited others to consider doing the challenge with me... and so we begin together as a team April 1st (I'll be a little ahead of the game, but that's ok)!!! Can't wait to see and share the results we all come up with!

As a trainer it can be frustrating when people don't have all the tools they need to achieve success! A well balanced program includes Fitness, Nutrition and Support! We will workout 6 days a week, we will follow an excellent well balanced nutrition plan along with taking a daily power packed nutrition supplement called "shakeology"(watch video below for more information) and we will support each other on our own private Facebook group.

Are you frustrated with not seeing the results you are looking for? Then it's time to try something new! If you are looking to shake up your fitness routine and get serious about your diet and be part of a fun, like-minded community consider joining us! I plan to start new 90 day challenges every month so there's plenty of time to look over the information I've post below and think it over!!! Only serious goal-setters need inquire! I would love to help you reach your fitness goals! It's exciting that it's now possible to help coach people not only in person but now also online thanks to Beach Body Programs!

Check it out...

www.beachbodycoach.com/donnakwagner

www.myshakeology.com/donnakwagner

The Furnace of Transformation

Extended periods of quiet reflection, centering down, paying attention to what's going on in the heart, meditiating on what's most excellent, what gives hope, what has the ability to touch my hurt, my longing, my confusion... Stopping to consider such things, I find, can go a long way in determinig the trajectory of my life.
HOWEVER....
Life is distracting. Especially in today's day and age... I have so much around me that demands my attention and it's funny how easily I give my attention so willingly. I am guilty of spending hours looking at the meaningless and boring status updates of people on Facebook, some I hardly know... or as I log in to check email how many times I do I venture off and read goofy news headlines and spend 30 additional minutes on the computer than I had originally planned to. I'm not trying to knock Facebook or email. I love these avenues for connecting and even meeting new people but for me they can be a source of major distraction to my spending time on more noble and important pursuits and I sometimes find I am miserably out of balance.

I recently taught a 2 week series in our church adult catalyst class on slowing down for the purpose of silence and solitude. As an introvert, I am naturally drawn to being alone to enjoy reflection and contemplation as my spiritual pathway to God. For most I know the idea of solitude for the purpose of meditiation and quieting down can be overwhelming and foreign. (to me that's so mind boggling... who wouldn't want to spend 3 hours alone to think and just be???? ahhh... I salivate just thinking about it). In the same breath I admit, that due to busyness, I don't do it often enough. I was challenged as I prepared for this class... I poured over different resources and found that getting quiet to allow for time and space to reflect is a key way for christians to grow in their faith and character and can even determine the future trajectory of life itself.

I like Romans 12:1.... "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind... then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is... his good perfect and pleasing will." I read about the desert fathers in some of the resources I looked over and they were convinced that if one took the call to be transformed seriously that solitude was a must. They said... "Solitude is the furnace in which transformation takes place". So according to this verse and the wisdom of the desert fathers we need to be renewed in our thinking in order to be transformed and the conduit of being transformed is solitude.

I was further challenged by thoughts I have already shared regarding distraction. I read in one resource called "The Way of the Heart" by Henry Nowen... " We move through life in a very distracted way... never taking the time to wonder if what we do, think and say are worth it."

The Bible talks about us taking off the old and putting on the new. I believe that the new self is the true self, the person God sees us as... the false self is what we naturally default to when we move through life in a distracted way, never taking time to think if what we do, think and say are worth it... Henry Nowen went on to say..."Our false self is fabricated by social compulsions... we spend a lot of time fearing for our identity. We all live this way... depending on the responses of others, needing ongoing and increasing affirmation. What matters to us most is how we are perceieved by the world. If busyness is good, I must look busy. If having money is a sign of real freedom I must claim more... If knowing people proves I'm important, then I must make more contacts. It's our continual lurking fear of failure that tends to drive everthing we do. Without solitude we remain victims of our society and continue to be entangled in the illusions of the false self... going with the flow without thoughts of what it means to take off the old and put on the new."

It seems again that to prevent us from becoming entangeld too deeply in the illusions of the false self, solitude might help.... What is solitude? Why would anyone seek solitude? Most define it as a time and place for ourselves, privacy, recharging, restoring, a place where we gather new strength to keep competing in life according to the false self... However, I was challenged to think it more a place of conversion where we have a chance to let go of the false self that chases after compulsion and instead emerge from solitude with new perspective... discovering our true selves, the self that resembles what God sees and created us to be. A place of surrender and letting go of the continual struggle to live up to the demands of the false self and instead to rest in truth that says I am loved and valued no matter what.
Of course, surrendering and discovery are a process... sometimes a long process, that I am convinced simply begins with a decision to say yes to being open to the possibilities that would come into a life characterized by silent awareness to our inner world... the longings, the fears and the wonder of the heart... a process that would lead us to discover new directions, goals, perspecitves and dreams that more closely line up with the way God designed us to experience life.

In my consideration to include solitude more regularly I plan to use the following questions to help guide my thoughts... (from Phillip Yancey's book... "Prayer")

1. How can I slow down?
2. How can I simplify things?
3. How can I bring silence into my life?
4. How can I savor this moment?
5. How can I speak up? (tell the truth)
6. How can I settle in? (establish roots and rituals)
7. How can I shed my armor and masks?
8. How can I serve the community?

Asking and answering these questions for the purpose of centering down I pray help bring me closer to God who is already near! Nothing better than knowing and being fully assured God is already present in our lives... and all around us... Solitude offers us the chance to attend and respond to that presence for the purpose of deep transformation, renewed perspective and maybe even a new direction altogether!!!