If you could reduce your workout time to less than you spend in your morning shower and double the fat burn and fitness result would you do it? 

Pre-hab is the popular term given to injury prevention exercises. Not necessarily part of the "workout" these movements are a value addition to any workout program. Prevention is always the most effective treatment of injuries, so why not learn how to prevent rather than prepare to repair. Sports injuries are a common occurrence especially among exercisers partaking in physical activity beginning later in life. 
Although there is inherent risk involved with any physical movement, injuries can absolutely be avoided. 
Exercise, if to be effective, must be strenuous, difficult, and challenging, but painful?...no way. If you experience "pain" during an exercise, chances are you may be doing more harm than good. Take a look at your form and ask a trainer or certified fitness professional if they can observe you during the movement and offer any tips. Then, if you still experience the pain, you may need to terminate the attempt at the exercise, work on your imbalances and return to it at a later date when your body is ready to advance. Enter, pre-hab exercises. Think of these exercises not as a workout, but as a practice to avoid injury, straighten your posture and make your body more enjoyable and comfortable to live in.  The exercises I most recommend for injury prevention are:


Plank, on the ground, in a push-up like position. Hold static or try moving leg and arms one at a time, start with 30 second holds, working up to 3-5 minutes


Hands over head squat, Reach up towards the sky, begin flexing at the hips and knees as if sitting in a chair until your knees reach a 90 degree angle, return to standing position. Ensure that your ears stay between your arms and your eyes gaze straight forward. Repeat until you can no longer keep proper form.


Back lunges, stand with feet together, take a giant step back and lower your back knee to the floor, alternate legs or continue with the same leg, focus on lowering straight down and pressing your front heel into the floor. Repeat several reps until you feel some fatigue and wobbliness in your legs.


Windmills: Stand with feet wide apart, hands reached out to your sides, crossing over, touch right hand to left foot, stand and repeat to other side, keep spine as straight as possible, even if it requires bent knees. Make sure the torso rotates and arms remain straight. 


There you have it, a great warm up routine to help keep you injury free and happily exercising long time! Warming up doesn't take long but it does take conscious effort and awareness. Please take care of your body, if you break it, you buy it. :) 

There are so many diet books and so much conflicting info, it could make your head spin! How do you know  I'm going to give you my personal recommendations for the most sane and realistic diet strategies out there and books that have shaped the way I eat and think about food. 


Starting from favorite oldies but goodies, to new and recent finds


Supercut by Joyce L. Vedral and Bill Reynolds--1985 (same age as me!) so old school bodybuilding but with sound nutritional advice and real result oriented tried and true recipes. Also explains a lot about bodybuilding and supplementing.


May all be Fed by John Robbins--1992 Incredibly yummy Vegan Recipes designed to save your body and the planet. My mother used to cook from this book when I was a kid and we still go back to it. I consider this comfort food. Also full of great information about health and how food effects the body. 


Omnivores Dilema by Michael Pollan--2006 Natural, whole, real food approach to proper nutrition and a vital life. Diet is based mainly on plant foods with protein as a side dish. Not the bodybuilding ideal, but great for health and nutritional vitality. 


What to eat by Marion Nestle--2006 down to earth advice for the real world, answers questions and busts nutrition myths, will help you simplify thoughts about what is good nutrition in a world of so many choices


Eat Clean Diet by Tosca Reno--2007 Great easy to follow plan, nothing processed, all whole real foods, balanced meals, high protein. Very motivating and a fun read.


The Four Hour Body by Tim Ferris--2010 Very unconventional advice definitely geared toward those who want astonishing results and are willing to work diligently on it. For a quick tighten-up and fat loss his plan may work for you but not a life long program. Be wary of "cheating the system". In the long run nobody wins by cheating. 

Lunch for Breakfast? and for lunch? and for dinner? 
What is the difference between breakfast and lunch anyway? Well...breakfast (at least in the US) is typically high sugar, high fat, low protein, high carb white processed junk, nothing green or lean about it. Not so awesome for the lean and svelte physique. But lunch on the other hand, tends to be more about sandwiches, salads, etc.. and we start to see complete nutrition for the first time since rising. How can we really carb load in the morning on sweets pastries and cakes and still expect to be lean? If you're currently on a Pillsbury dough boy breakfast regimen, consider changing your breakfast and expect to see results. 
Early this morning I swapped  my usual favorite meal of whole grain oatmeal with cinnamon for a lot of veggies and egg scramble, added a dash of salt, black pepper, and 2 tsp. of Turmeric powder. AAAAmazing. Now...I know what you're thinking..I don't have time in the morning to be chopping vegetables and whipping up eggs. I need something instant! Well I have a secret trick. I chop the vegetable in advance. ah ha! Just dedicate 1 hour of your time to grocery shopping and vegetable chopping, invest in a good large tupperware container, chop away and you'll have vegetables for the week, great for stir fry's, steaming, mix into fresh salads, and, the lovely turmeric scramble. Seriously, you can never have too many vegetables and there's a million ways to eat them. If you can't stand the idea of veggies for breakfast then at least a couple hard boiled eggs on your way out the door? Incredible health is not something we are given, it's something we earn. So get busy!

2 whole eggs + 2 egg whites, mixed veggies & turmeric, with a cup of green tea

Ever heard of the Minimum Effective Dose? Sure you have, you wouldn't take more advil than the bottle prescribes, stay in the sun without sunscreen longer than an hour, or walk a mile if your destination was only a block away. 
There is only so much exercise the body can handle before it turns from strengthening to breaking down. Be careful over-exercisers. Yes the body is capable of great feats of athleticism and I am all for pushing ourselves to the next levels. But when it comes to excessive exercise, just keep this quote in mind, "Anything beyond the MED is wasteful. To boil water, the MED is 212°F (100°C) at standard air pressure. Boiled is boiled. Higher temperatures will not make it "more boiled." Higher temperatures just consume more resources that could be used for something else more productive."(The 4-Hour Body, Tim Ferriss).
So now we ask ourselves, what is the Effective Dose? and how can I take advantage of that minimum?? Sounds awesome doesn't it? 

Unfortunately the minimum does not apply to effort exerted. It's more about time and number of repetitions. So yeah, you can achieve amazing results in a very little time...BUT, you must exert maximum effort, passion, desire, focus. You see, it's not about how long you exercise, it's about how much of yourself you pour into it. 
Here's the bottom line. If you want results you must put energy towards them. So..if you want to boil water, use the highest heat, but not for too long!! 

When it comes to losing body fat the answers aren't always one size fits all. Some find it easy to lose, some find it near impossible and frustrating. If you've ever struggled to lose fat and wondered why it has to be so hard, you may want to listen up. 

It's spring! the better weather is almost here, will you be ready to bear some skin? Here is a spring into fitness plan you can incorporate into your routine to get results fast. Follow these few rules and see quick results: 
1. Wake up earlier, hibernation season is over, open the window shades and wake up with the sun. 
2. Drink water immediately upon rising. Tea or coffee if you like but at least 8 oz of pure water first.
3. Do something active in the am, a walk around the block, some stretching on a yoga mat, or hit the gym. 
4. Cross train, try new types of fitness, or rotate between your favorite 3, for example, jogging, weight lifting, and kickboxing, or yoga, swimming, and morning walks, possibilities are endless, be creative and try something new. 
5. Skip night time indulging. When you get the urge just reach for the water instead. Night time is the worst time to carb load. Try to keep your evening meals to mostly protein and vegetable. 

Today is my last day to spend in India before heading back to the US. What a trip it has been!!! Today is rainy, hence the only reason I have time to update my blog! lol. There is SO much to do and see here that I haven't wanted to spend any time on the computer. Well, that and the fact that Internet is not as easy to come by around here. Anyway, on to the details about the trip. 
It has been such a roller coaster ride, I don't even know how to properly describe it with words. We have had struggles, luxuries, scares, delights and educations. There were points where I was feeling that I was ready to go back home and eat familiar food, see familiar things and relax, and other points where I felt like I could stay a while and that life back home is too complicated, like we should live like these simple and apparently very happy people. It has been an eye opening journey that's for sure. 
Soon I will be back in America but I won't forget the experiences of India.