Hello Ladies,
As we all attempt to make positive changes in our lives, we like to measure our success. We like to know that we are headed in the right direction and making progress. This is especially true in fitness. I cannot tell you how many times people have approached me about what the scale says when they step on it. ” I’m not losing weight. It doesn’t seem to be coming off very fast.” Now, losing weight is important, if you are overweight. Just keep in mind that the scale is not the most accurate measure of overall progress.

Don’t let the scale freak you out ladies. What you should realize is body composition (fat mass and lean muscle mass) is what you’re looking to change. We all want to gain more lean muscle mass and lose fat mass. The scales don’t show this progress completely.  An exchange is taking place in your bodies when you are changing your lifestyle for the better. You lose fat mass and build muscle at the same time. The more muscle you have, the more your body has to repair and burn calories doing so. In other words building more muscle helps to maintain a healthy metabolism rate.

Don’t just go by the scales. Use circumference measurements;  thighs, hips, waist, arms and the like. You can go by clothes and how they fit you. You can also have your body fat tested. But what ever you do, don’t get discouraged and stop eating!! This will only waste the hard work you’ve put in and make it more difficult to make progress in the future. Keep eating clean. Remember the type of calories one puts in the body matters most. The more natural the food, the easier your body can break it down and use the nutrients.

Hello Ladies,
Now that your minds are prepared to make some healthy changes and you’re eating
clean, we can focus on exercise. A good goal to have when you’re planning the week
is to fit in at least 4-6 hours of movement into your schedule. That’s at least four days
when exercise is a priority in your day. Not much when you consider there are 24 hours
to choose from.
 
A solid combination of resistance training and cardiovascular (aerobic oxidative)
exercise is optimal. 3 days a week (Monday, Wednesday, and Friday) can be dedicated to
resistance/ weight training. 2 days can be put towards cardio training, which should be
for at least 45 minutes at a low to medium intensity. Activities such as walking uphill,
swimming (which I highly recommend), and hiking are recommended. These cardio days
will allow for recovery from the previous day of resistance training while still allowing your
body to burn calories (specifically fat at the low intensity).
 
Why resistance training? Resistance/weight training not only strengthens the muscles
in your body, but also increases bone density, increase the strength in connective tissue,
and can also improve stability in the load bearing joints (when performed correctly of
course). You do not need a lot of heavy weights. Body weight, resistance bands and dumb
bells (2-10 lbs.) are plenty to stimulate your body. Resistance training is also helpful
because even after your workout is finished, your body needs to expend energy (calories)
in order to repair and rebuild muscle tissue.
 
So get to it ladies!! You’ve got a game plan and no excuses. Have fun and remember; time
and consistency will make your goals happen.

 
Hello Ladies! So, now that you're all mentally committed to being healthy and in the right
state of mind, we can focus on your nutrition. Eating “clean” is not easy, but it can be!
Keep it simple! Don't “go on a diet”.  Diets do not last, but committing yourself to eating
clean will.

What is eating clean? Simply put, if it wasn’t food 100 years ago, don’t eat it. Eating clean
means NO SODA OR FAST FOOD. It means eating fresh produce and vegetables, whole
grain breads, nuts, fish, meats and fruits. Ladies: Get to know your kitchens! Cooking at
home guarantees that you know exactly what's in your meals and it saves you money!
Remember that the rule of the restaurant kitchen is “the flavor is in the fat”. The truth
hurts, I know! Just keep it in mind when you go out to eat :) Our bodies digest natural
foods easier than processed foods and by eating clean, we can absorb more nutrients
and burn more calories! Keep your eating habits as close to nature as possible. People
tend to buy a lot of frozen foods and many of those are preserved with high amounts
of sodium. Not so good.

Here are a few tips:
• Eat within 30 minutes of waking to jumpstart your metabolism
• Eat every 3-4 hours
• Eat 40% Protein, 50% Carbs, and 10% Fat (Good Fat)
• Drink lots and lots of water! 

Breakfast: 7am                                          Snack: 10am
-whole grain cereal w/ fruit                          -Fruit
-Eggs (or egg whites) w/ wheat toast            -Nuts (handful)
-Oatmeal (steel cut) w/ fruit                         -Yogurt
-Yogurt (plain) w/ fruit or nuts                      -protein bar (power crunch)
                                                                 -Cottage cheese w/ fruit
Lunch: 1pm
-Sandwich (whole wheat bread, veggies, roast beef, turkey etc.)
-Chicken and rice (brown)
-An entrée salad w/ meat or fish (dressing on the side always!) 

Snack: 4pm
-Same options as above 

Dinner: 7pm
-Choose a meat or a fish
-Brown rice
-Vegetables
-Salad
-Entrée salad w/ meat or fish

These are all just suggestions. Eating clean is just a piece of the puzzle, exercise is a
major componet to getting fit! There is no quick fix or crash diet that is better than this.
Shortcuts only lead to disappointment. Educate yourselves ladies. Learn how to make
your favorite meals. Try not to view this as a chore and have fun with it. 

The Wedding Chicks are pleased to introduce Jeremy Pricer, a Nationally Certified
Personal Trainer, to give us the truth about losing weight, getting fit, and getting healthy!
Jeremy has been training one of the Wedding Chicks for the past year. This chick has lost
25 lbs., kept the weight off for 9 months and is healthier than ever!

Hey Ladies! So your big day is right around the corner and you are ready to get fit! You
want to look your best and now it’s time to get into shape. I am here to help, but I am also
going to tell it like it is. Typically, brides start going to the gym and dieting, thinking that for
the next six to eight weeks they will to lose as much weight as possible. That’s not what I
would call a smart or realistic approach to becoming healthy. What do I think is the healthy
way to go? Read on ...