Monthly Client Spotlight

SPOTLIGHT ON……  Lissa Yogan!

JANUARY 2016

Seven Months, Thirty Pounds, & A Body I Don’t Recognize.

I don’t think I’m very unique.  I’m decidedly middle-aged, a wife, a mother, an employee, a sister, a daughter etc.  I stress eat, love sweets – REALLY love sweets, always was busy and on-the-go, and thought I was doing fine since I walked regularly and tried to eat a fair amount of fruits and vegetables.

Then I accompanied a friend to this program called “Healthy Conscience”.  I honestly thought I’d do it to be a good friend and try some new exercises since I had had a lot of running related issues during the past year.  I didn’t expect to learn much.  At the same time, I enrolled in Weight Watchers – again thinking I wouldn’t learn much but that it might be good to be held accountable.  We weighed in at Healthy Conscience also.  My weight shocked me!  I was the heaviest I’d ever been which led to insight one – I’m quite capable of living in denial!

I am competitive and learned that I am also motivated by external rewards.  The Healthy Conscience program was a blast!  I loved the gentle teasing that motivated me to keep going.  I loved the one-on-one instruction provided by Ian and Michelle.  I learned a great deal and was quickly humbled when I realized I could hardly jump anymore! – even a jumping jack was hard.  Egads!  How much denial had I been living in?  (A great deal I learned….:O)   Ian asked us our goal at the first class and I said I’d like to lose 10 pounds.  He said, “You’d like to?  Or you’re going to?”.  I said I would.  At the last weigh-in, I hit 10 pounds exactly and won.  I re-enrolled because I just loved the exercises (they change all the time and I loved the variety and way that my body responded.  I could see it getting stronger and more flexible).  Mari Hahn helped me understand some of my stress reactions, the role of my adrenal glands, the need for massage and stretching etc.   After completing the second 5-week program I decided to go out on my own. 

My workout routine evolved to taking a class from Michelle, a class from Ian, and learning Pilates on the reformer with another pumps instructor, Mary Olsen.  Mary was a lifesaver in terms of helping me recover from a frozen shoulder.  She gently showed me how to turn, how to stretch, how to tighten my core and pay attention to the many muscles in my body.  Once I got into an acceptable weight range – I began to run again – slowly!  I started with walk four minutes, run one minute for a total of 30 minutes.  Today I can run 5 miles without stopping!  I work out at Pumps 3 times a week, I run 3 times a week and do Pilates stretching after every run.  I cut out sugar – I am an addict and learned that I do better if I just don’t have it.  On Dec. 20^th, I weighed in – 30 pounds lighter than my weight on May 20^th!  I reached my goal.  I don’t really recognize myself when I look in the mirror.  My body is shaped differently now; I’m stronger and leaner.  I have tons of energy and love my new routines.  If I did it – anyone can!

5 Metabolism Myths-Busted!

Sometimes, your metabolism works against you even when you think you’re doing everything right. It’s time you took a good, hard look at how your metabolism really works.

Check out the metabolism myths below and then use your new knowledge to put your metabolism to work…

Myth 1: Metabolism Works from 9 to 5

Difficult as it may be to believe, your body’s metabolism does not stop working when you do. In fact, your metabolism works all day, every day. If it didn’t, you wouldn’t even have the energy to get out of bed in order to read this article. (You are out of bed, aren’t you?) Also the time of day that you eat isn’t what makes you gain pounds. It’s what you eat. So if you think you can get away with eating that quarter-pounder with cheese, bacon, mayo, and bun; a large order of greasy fries; and a 32-ounce milkshake without any consequences—just because you ate it at lunch and not late at night—think again! Eat smart all day long, have a healthy snack at night if necessary, and then sleep well, knowing your metabolism is doing its thing even while you’re catching some Zzzzs.

Myth 2: It Can’t Be Controlled

You’ve probably met someone who seems to be able to eat anything they want without gaining weight. You may have even dreamed of having such a metabolism. Well, there’s good news. You may not have the metabolism that lets you do that just yet, but you can work toward it. Help boost your metabolism by lifting weights, getting a good night of sleep, eating enough protein to power you through the day, and drinking plenty of water. Want something more than water? Here’s another smidgen of good news: a little caffeine in your daily intake will help you get rid of calories faster than going without. Just make sure your caffeine isn’t bathed in sugar and unnecessary calories.

Myth 3: Skinny Folks Have Higher Metabolism

Yes, a high metabolism can help you burn more calories than a low metabolism. But don’t let that fool you into thinking the skinniest people around have the highest metabolism. Quite the contrary. If the thinnest individuals had the highest metabolism, they would likely be dangerously underweight. As it is, when you are very thin, your metabolism will likely be lower, as there’s not much of you to burn away safely.

However, you shouldn’t grab the ice cream carton in order to put on extra pounds to up your metabolism. Instead, focus on adding muscle pounds via the weight room.

Myth 4: Getting Old Makes Your Metabolism Go Bye-Bye

There is a bit of truth to this myth. As you age, your metabolism will drop a tiny bit. Not enough to make a meaningful difference, but it does drop. Much of this decrease (again—it is almost negligible) is due to the typical muscle loss that accompanies aging.

Want to curb your body’s age-related drop in metabolism? Include resistance training in your exercise routine. As you age, keep up the weight training and you’ll keep your metabolism strong and steady throughout all the stages of life. In the event it does drop a little, you’ll be in such good shape you won’t notice.

Myth 5: You Can Eat Your Way to Higher Metabolism

Occasionally, the world is taken by a weight-loss idea that is so simple you’d be a moron not to give it a try. One of these recent ideas is that you can eat or drink certain things to boost your metabolism and lose weight with greater ease.

While eating peppers on a regular basis and drinking gallons of green tea each week offers some health benefits, it won’t do more than temporarily boost your metabolism. Approximately half an hour after consuming these supposed metabolism mega-boosters, the boost is over and you’re back to your normal metabolism. A normal, well-balanced diet is a much better option.

When it comes to achieving and maintaining your most effective metabolism, a consistent and challenging exercise routine is key. Call or email today and we’ll get you started on an exercise program that will take your metabolism to the next level.

When you work with us we make it our personal mission to get you the results that you deserve.

Let’s do this!

Every Little Bit Counts

Do you have diabetes or high blood pressure?

Did you know that by dropping as little as 5 to 10 percent of your body weight these problems can be greatly alleviated?

Just think how great you will feel after losing excess weight and improving your health!

Strawberry MicroGreen Salad

Microgreens are tiny leafed vegetables that are harvested when less than two inches tall. They have remarkably intense flavor and high levels of vitamins and minerals. Pair this salad with a piece of lean meat for an excellent, light meal. Servings: 4

Here’s what you need:

•              3 cups organic microgreens

•              1 cup sliced strawberry

•              strawberry dressing (6 strawberries, 1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar, 1 teaspoon honey, 1 teaspoon olive oil, dash of salt and pepper — blended)

•              1/4 cup chopped walnuts

1              Toss the microgreens with strawberries and dressing. Sprinkle with walnuts.

Nutritional Analysis: One serving equals: 124 calories, 6g fat, 8g carbohydrate, 3g fiber, and 2g protein.

Call today for a consultation and assessment!

Email: Pumpstrainingandpilates@gmail.com

Phone: 219-548-3480

Web: Pumpsfitnessinc.com