It's easy to pack on the pounds during the holidays.  If you're not careful, they'll creep up on you.  Personal trainers share their expert advice for maintaining or losing weight in December.

When you are at the holiday parties or going out with old friends for lunch and/or dinner, it is easy to eat and eat…and eat. You can easily lose track of how many calories you are taking in.

One way you can avoid eating unhealthy foods at a Holiday party is to snack before you go.
 
Most personal trainers will also advise you eat 3 to 5 small meals a day and make sure they include lots of vegetables and protein like grilled chicken or fish.

Remember that exercise is key to weight loss and weight maintenance.

The more lean muscle mass you have, the more calories you're going to burn at rest.

Cardiovascular exercises like walking, running or group groove will start burning stored fat.  After that, you can add some resistance training like pushups or dumbbell exercises.  The resistance training will help build lean muscle mass and will eventually burn more calories.

Depending on your weight loss goals and your existing activity level it is may be a good idea to consult with your doctor before you start a new exercise program.

Original article – Fox News

With so many weight loss and weight management plans on the market why are so many people struggling to lose weight?  Because we cannot just go on a diet, lose weight, and expect to keep it off.  We need to find a way to integrate weight loss, fat loss, building muscle and weight management into our everyday life. We need a healthy plan.

At its most basic, losing weight is about burning more calories than you eat. Sounds simple right? If it were that simple, we wouldn’t be overweight. The real secret to weight loss is to make small, lasting changes. The key is to forget about instant results and settle in for the long run.

To lose one pound of fat, you must burn approximately 3500 calories over and above what you already burn day to day. That’s a lot of calories, and you can’t burn 3500 calories in one day. But if you take it step by step, you can do it.

Obviously, exercise is a key component in any weight loss program. The best way to lose weight is with a combination of cardio, strength training and a healthy diet. But how do you pick an exercise that will maximize calorie burn? The best cardio exercise for weight loss is one that you will do regularly.

• Impact cardio exercise like walking, will boost your heart rate quicker than no-impact exercises like swimming or cycling.
• High impact cardio exercise like running or jumping, burns more calories than lower impact cardio.
• Whole body cardio exercise, exercises that involve the upper and lower body, like step, group kick and group groove make it easy to get the heart rate up, and keep it up. This is a great way to burn excess calories.

 Contact Answer is Fitness in your area for more information on a weight loss program.

Most people know what they need to do in order to lose weight. Eat less and exercise more. Believe it or not, diet is often the least challenging part of the equation for many. The issue comes down to finding an exercise that you like to do and that you want to squeeze into your busy schedule.

When we hear, “I just don’t have time to exercise”, let’s face it, if you loved it, you would find the time. Zumba is that exercise.  Inspired from Latin Dance, the word "Zumba" comes from a Colombian word that means to move fast and have fun.

Zumba is a high energy, cardio group exercise program that allows you to have fun while dancing while raising your heart beat, allowing you to burn calories. It is an optimal fitness choice, mixing cardio intervals with resistance training. An interval program with a resistance and cardio combination maximizes calories burned, fat burning, and toning.

The best part about Zumba is that it is fun with easy-to-follow dance steps.  A dance party with great music and uninhibited movement, it is so easy to do that you will want to squeeze it into your busy lifestyle. People forget they are working out during a Zumba class, the perfect choice for weight loss.

Lose weight with Zumba.  Effective body sculpting movements allows you to exercise longer, and burn more calories. Contact Answer is Fitness for the schedule of Zumba classes near you.

Stay healthy and keep exercising this summer. Along with cardio exercise and strength work outs, you should eat healthy too. To help stay on your diet, here are few of our favorite snack recipes that have an extra healthy boost. And they are tasty too.

Morning boost:
Mix 1/2 teaspoon instant coffee with 6 ounces low-fat vanilla yogurt until coffee is dissolved. Spoon half the mixture into a bowl and add 1/3 cup sliced strawberries. Top with remaining yogurt, and garnish with 1 tablespoon low-fat granola. (150 calories)

This snack is great because granola provides a healthy dose of fuel to help jump-start your morning. And, calcium-rich foods increase fat loss.

Stress reliever:
Spread 2 tablespoons hummus evenly over 5 whole-grain crackers. Top with 2 tablespoons diced red bell pepper. (150 calories)

This snack is great because red bell peppers contain vitamin C, which helps lower levels of the stress hormone.

After work out pick-me-up:
Combine 1 cup low-fat milk, 1/4 cup frozen blueberries, and 1/4 cup frozen pineapple in a blender; puree until smooth. (140 calories)

This is great because the protein and carbs in the milk help repair muscles and replenish cells' energy stores after a workout. You should eat dairy within 45 minutes of exercising, when the recovery process is at its high. Also, pineapple contains bromelain, a natural anti-inflammatory compound, which may reduce post-workout pain.

Night time snack:
On 1/2 toasted whole-grain English muffin add 2 teaspoons almond butter and slices of 1/4 pear. Sprinkle with a pinch of ground cinnamon. (150 calories)

This is a great snack because according to recent research, the carbs in English muffins may help you get to sleep more quickly. Almonds are great for your health and your brain.

Father's Day is quickly approaching. Are you looking for the perfect father’s day gift to show your dad just how special he is? It’s hard to find a gift for the person who never asks or needs anything, but look no further. Give you father a series of personal training sessions. There is no better gift than the gift of health to show you dad how much you care.

Your father may be a healthy man who exercises regularly, or maybe he has not been as dedicated to working out recently for any number of reasons. Perhaps he has never exercised and you would like him to start to better his health. Personal Training can be custom tailored to each individual.

With a personal health assessment before training begins, personal trainers can assess your current fitness level and then design a customized personal fitness program based on your fitness level and your goals. This plan will incorporate cardio respiratory health, strength training and a weight loss/gain program if necessary.

With personal training, the burden is not on your father alone to stay motivated.  They will coach him throughout the training session, keep him focused on his goals and make exercising fun all while teaching him new training techniques.

The perfect father’s day gift for dad is the gift of health.

The official start of summer begins this weekend. If you have put off your “get in shape” plans, now is the time to start. Answer is Fitness, with locations in North Attleboro and Springfield, can help. With a 30 day fitness pass, see what we have to offer to help you reach your fitness goals.  With personal training and an expansive group exercise schedule, you will surely find an exercise program that is exciting, challenging and fun; which is exactly what you need in an fitness routine. Here are just a few examples:

Group Power:
Group Power is an hour of power! This 60 minute barbell program strengthens all your major muscles in an inspiring, motivating group environment with fantastic music and awesome instructors. With simple athletic movements such as squats, lunges, presses, and curls. Group Power is for all ages and fitness levels. Discover results, Discover Group Power.

Group Kick:
Group Kick brings it on! This electric 60 minute fusion class of martial arts and boxing movements will kick your cardio fitness to the next level while defining and shaping your body and self confidence! Energetic music, awesome instructors and a group environment will keep you punching, kicking and smiling! Group Kick will knock you out!

Cycling/Spinning:
The Cycling program is the original and most popular group cycling class. And it's not just because Spinning is an unmatched way to make your fitness goals a reality. With no complicated moves to learn, top-notch instructors and music that begs your legs to pedal, getting into the best shape of your life has never been more fun.

For good nutrition and healthy living, eat right and increase your metabolism to lose weight and fat. By combining nutrition, resistance training, and cardio exercise you will be on your way to a healthy you.

The recommendation for produce consumption is 2 cups of fruit and 2 ½ cups of vegetables per day for most people. Not surprising, very few Americans meet this requirement. More than 75% of the population misses this required amount. Juicing fruits and vegetables is a great way to add fruits and vegetable to your diet and meet this goal.

The juice provides most of the vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients available in fruits and veggies. The other benefit is that most people can easily drink 4-8 ounces of juice. One serving of vegetables is one cup raw, ½ cup cooked or ½ cup of juice. Juice also makes ingesting fruits and vegetables easy for those with digestive illnesses.

Juicing fruits and vegetables removes the fiber. So instead of a juicer, you can use your blender to process the produce. Or, drink 1 to 2 servings of fresh juice and continue to eat fresh produce too.

A Juicing Recipe for Beginners
6 C dark green leafy vegetable (like kale)
4 apples
2 carrots
¼ lemon or lime

Using a juicer, process all ingredients. Whisk, pour into a glass and serve. Makes 16oz.