monicas memberGood morning Coast Fitness family, I want you to meet Amparito Calderon. She is one of my fabulous H I T  class members. This is what Amparito wanted to share with you. “When I first started exercising I would always wear long sleeves to avoid showing my arms. My self-esteem and self-confidence wasn’t 100%. Now that I’m doing regular exercise and keeping a healthy diet, I see the change in my body and I feel good, especially about myself. I’m more energized, I have lots more strength and endurance and best of all I feel happy. One thing I can say about the H I T  class is that I saw quick results and  it has changed my life.”.

Amparito has showed determination and dedication to her health and it shows. In less than six months she has lost over 10 lbs. and she is 5% away from an ideal body fat. I’m extremely proud of Amparito and all the H I T  participating members. Thank you for your trust and your hard work.  Monica E.

Diet Myth… Diet Soda Helps You Lose Weight

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Most diet drinks are lower in calories than the regular drinks because they don’t have regular sugar. The problem is the artificial sweeteners, which have been tied to weight gain.. Why? you ask, well research shows that artificial sweeteners stimulate taste receptors that sense sweetness in both the esophagus and stomach. Anticipating energy, the pancreas releases insulin, an important hormone for accumulating body fat. At the same time, chemicals are sent to the brain’s satiety center, which becomes confused as to whether or not the body is actually receiving calories (energy), you crave more food and become susceptible to overeating in order to feel satisfied. So what is the result? You feel even hungrier and less full, which can lead to weight gain. Artificial sweeteners are more than 100 times sweeter that natural table sugar, which can desensitized our palate from naturally sweet foods and fruit. Next time choose a healthier alternative like seltzer water with lemon or lime. You have put in the hard work to workout, now follow up with healthy nutrition. I’m here to help you succeed. See you on Thursday for Body Pump (HIT)  Monica E.

Are Reduced Fat Foods Healthier?

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Fat is one of the things that makes food taste good. When fat is removed from foods, a lot of the flavor is removed as well. In order to make up for the lack of taste, extra sugars, chemicals and thickeners are added to enhance the flavor and texture of these foods. These additives are often far worse for us and sometimes just as fattening as full-fat food. In addition, “low-fat” and “fat free” doesn’t mean that it’s lower in calories. Make it part of your shopping time to read nutritional labels. Keep your eyes open for the source of calories and avoid buying reduced fat processed foods. Instead opt for fresh or whole foods. Buy natural, non-processed foods and consume in moderation. Of course don’t forget to workout regularly…. join me tomorrow, Tuesday at 6:30 pm for Body Pump (HIT). Monica E.

Did You Know?

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Here are just five health benefits of Indoor Cycling and Yoga:

Indoor Cycling Benefits:

Strengthens your lower body, by making you gluteus maximus, hamstrings and quadriceps stronger.

Increases endurance and energy.

Burns tons of calories and benefits your heart and lungs.

It’s a low impact exercise because it doesn’t put pressure on joints, as aerobic classes do.

Works and strengthens your core.

Yoga Benefits:

It boost your immunity.

Reduces stress and helps to get better sleep.

It helps to reduce migraines.

It helps fight food cravings and helps us become mindful of our nutrition

It increase flexibility and strength.

Come join me every Saturday for Zen Cycle at 9:45 AM and experience for yourself the amazing feeling of this morning cocktail.  Monica E.

 

Body Pump “HIT” Crew

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Once again we’ve make great progress in our workout. Weights and cardio intervals have been proven to slim you down faster. In fact, scientists are so excited about these new findings that the American College of Sports Medicine hosted a special session on the topic. Introducing bouts of vigorous activity can speed up weight loss and cut your workout time by up to half or more. Australian researchers have found that women who alternated just 8 seconds of high-intensity cardio exercise with 12 seconds of low-intensity activity for 20 minutes, 3 times per week, slimmed down faster than steady-paced exercisers who worked out twice as long. I encourage you to stay on your fitness path with me and witness the changes of your strength and endurance and of course, a toned body. Coming up in the next few week I will be measuring body composition to give us a clear road map of where we are and where we need to be. Rock on crew!  Monica E.

Go For Intensity

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We are lifting weights, training to failure ( the good type of muscle failure). Make sure to do the movements with the intensity you’re capable of in the least amount of time …. that’s the key to weight loss without spending hours at the gym. Our barbell (HIT) class is better than dumbbells, as we are moving prime muscles better with more weight. Doing exercises that involve multiple muscles, allows us to do fewer movements with more intensity without tiring out too quickly. I want to thank the Coast Fitness members that joined me tonight. You’re intensity and strength was fierce! Let’s do it again Thursday at 6:30 PM. Monica E.

Never Start Cold

Stretch

That’s right, always take time to stretch and warm-up your muscles and get your blood flowing. Do some light aerobic exercise like cycle or use an elliptical machine for 5-10 minutes prior to working out. This will get your muscles burning and will activate our “Fat-burning” mechanism. See up you tomorrow at 6:30 PM for “Body Pump” (soon to be HIT). Come ready to sweat!  Monica E.

Happy Sunday

Good morning Coast Fitness friends, it’s a beautiful morning to be active. Before you head out to have breakfast at your favorite pancake spot, take into consideration all you hard workouts of this past week. An average breakfast has 850 calories. An hour of vigorous exercise burns 500 – 700 calories. This means that one meal will cost you an hour or more of vigorous work. Make your choices smart and efficient. Choose a morning hike, bike ride, swim…what ever makes you feel good and then a breakfast with healthy carbohydrates and fresh fruit or veggies. You’ll feel lighter, healthier and ready for the day. Have a Funday Sunday…. Monica E.

Saturday morning Zen Cycle

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Hi Coast Fitness friends, great class this morning! I was so pleased to see new members join the class and feel successful at the end. Your heart benefits from the half hour of the cycle portion of the class and the rest of your body grows stronger and more flexible with our yoga practice. You don’t have to wait to be flexible, thin or anything else…… I am here to guide you through a mind and body class that benefits you head to toe, inside and out. You guys rocked!! Don’t forget to join me every Saturday morning at 9:45 AM.

High Intensity Training with Monica

The fundamentals of the High Intensity Training (HIT) class are that exercises are brief, infrequent and intense. We perform our exercises with a high level of effort, or intensity to stimulate the body to produce an increase in muscular strength. As our strength increases, the HIT techniques will have the weight/ resistance increased progressively to provide the muscles with adequate overload to stimulate further improvements. The HIT class is tailored to be user friendly, so all levels are welcomed. Currently my class is “Cardio Pump” which has prepared us for the new and exciting format “HIT.”  My class is every Tuesday and Thursday at 6:30 PM. Be prepared to be motivated, build strength, get fit and feel amazing! See you there, Monica Estrada.