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Super Foods Healthy Recipe

Killer Kale Slaw

Here's an Ultra Healthy Twist on an All American Favorite.

Ingredients:
  • 4 cups finely chopped Kale
  • 1 cup low fat Greek strained yogurt
  • 2 tbsp. honey
  • 2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tbsp low fat milk
  • 1/8 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
Method:
  1. Rinse, dry, and finely chop 4 cups of kale
  2. Toss kale and walnuts in a large bowl
  3. In a separate small bowl mix yogurt, milk, honey, and cider vinegar
  4. Pour dressing mixture over kale and stir until mixed thoroughly
  5. Place kale slaw in smaller bowl and refrigerate for several hours.
This recipe is loaded with nutrients from some of the most nutrient dense foods.  Enjoy.

Learn more about Fitness, Nutrition  and Healthy Meal Planning from NYC Personal Trainer | Nutritionist. 



Save Time, Save Money with this Simple Fitness Tip

As you may have noticed from previous posts, I'm all about maximizing time and money especially when it comes to maintaining optimum health and fitness.  So, here's another great time and money saving fitness tip.  Ride a Bike to Work.

Bike riding is a great healthy, environmentally friendly way to get around especially in NYC.  There is a certain freedom that comes along with coming and going on your own time. and relying on yourself to get where you want to go  You move through a different pulse of the city when you ride a bike, You feel the fresh open air, rapidly taking in vast areas of the city instead of breathing the stale or crowded subway air,   Not relying on public transit, and feeling the open air while partially removing yourself from the rat race and having the nimbleness to behave somewhere between that of a car and a pedestrian  also gives you a satisfying sense of freedom. 

Here are some more great reasons to ride a bike:
Exercise - biking outdoors is a good form of cardiovascular exercise.  It  provides greater resistance through wind and pavement grade and improves proprioception  providing you with a more effective workout than indoor cardiovascular machines
Saves money - gas, mileage, cab / subway fare
Saves Time -  combining activities like exercise and commuting saves time.  You get your cardiovascular workout done and don't have to spend time indoors on a machine.  In addition, depending on travel points like biking cross town in NYC after work during rush hour could very likely save you a lot of time,
Environmentally friendly.  No Gas, No fumes,  Runs on human power., expending calories.

*One Caveat.  As Always... Be Safe and Be Aware. There's a lot of nutty people acting crazy out there especially during rush hour.

For more ways on how to maximize your training results in minimum time or for outdoor personal training sessions that include bike riding in NYC contact Andrew NYC Personal Trainer Today.

How to Tone Up, Burn Fat, Increase Metabolism and Get Awesome Abs with the Body you’ve Always Wanted.

Now that I have your attention I’m going to let youin on a little trade secret.  Doing ab exercises or Pilates class is not the best way to burn belly fat and get abs you can see.  It’s not even close to the level of effectiveness of the strategies I’m about to reveal to you.  Many people think they can reduce belly fat and tone their abs by doing lots of abdominal exercise.  Unfortunately this is a training myth known as spot reduction.  Spot reduction assumes you can lose fat and tone a specific area by doing exercises that focus on that area.  Following this belief can significantly inhibit the return on your training efforts. You may create strong abdominal muscles but you’ll still never see them because there’s still a layer of fat surrounding them. Here are some of the most important elements in the fat burning formula that will help you summon the elusive abdominals and your best body ever.

 

Strength training or resistance training is the best form of exercise to help your body burn fat and increase metabolism.  Since you are breaking your tissues down when you perform strength training exercise, you’re body will continue to burn calories and fat long after your workout is over as it uses nutrients to repair the tissues and strengthen the muscles.  Plus as you tone all your muscles evenly over time the effects will multiply.  Your metabolism will increase as your body burns more calories and fat all the time to sustain your increased lean muscle tissue plus what you burn from individual strength training sessions.  Exercises that work large and multiple muscle groups work best.  Why?  because large muscles like legs and back use much more energy (calories, fat) than small muscle groups like biceps, or abs, and don’t worry your ab and core muscles actually do quite a bit of work during exercises like squats for legs.

 

Cardio

One of the most effective cardio training techniques for fat burning is High Intensity Interval Training (H.I.I.T).   H.I.I.T isn’t for everyone, especially if you’re just starting out or have physical or medical restrictions.  You’ll need to build up first.  If you’re intermediate to advanced it works very well.  H.I.I.T is a great cardio training strategy that will keep your body burning calories and fat hours after exercise is over.  As an added bonus H.I.I.T. accomplishes much more in less time.  22 minutes is an average recommended time plus a warm up and cool down. This 22 minutes of H.I.I.T. training is can be more effective than an hour of steady state, moderate pace cardio, like walking for an hour

 

Nutrition:

Following any crazy crash course fad diet will certainly be a recipe for failure in the long run.  Eating healthy doesn’t need to mean starving or depriving yourself of the foods you love.  Be open- minded and willing to try new foods or recipes and you’ll find some healthy foods you really like. Develop and awareness of what you take in your body by reading and understanding food labels.  Most importantly eat a wide variety of foods in moderation that include protein,carbohydrates (fiber), unsaturated fat, water.  Chew your food slowly, taste it and enjoy it.  It takes 20 minutes or so for your stomach and brain to register how full you actually are.  Eat until your satisfied.  Space your meals evenly throughout the day.  By taking in a variety of nutrients and spreading well-balanced meals evenly throughout the course of the day you’ll feel fuller longer, decrease the chances of calories being stored as fat, and have much more energy throughout the day.

 

No magic potion or pill can take the place of proper nutrition and the right exercise program.   These principles are the foundation of what I use to get my clients in great shape and are techniques I've personally been using for years.  If ever there were a magic formula for the body you desire this would be it.

Awesome at Home Workout from NYC Personal Trainer with Low Cost, Time Saving Fitness Tips.

It's good to have options when planning your exercise routine.  That way you'll never miss your weekly workouts.   Here's a back and abs routine I've been doing for about the past month in my NYC apartment.  It doesn't require much space,  uses equipment that is relatively low cost when compared to the majority of other home exercise equipment, and only takes about 30 minutes. Best of all it's almost a gym quality workout because you're doing some of the most effective exercises possible like pull ups proving once again it doesn't take a lot of time, money, or space to get a great workout and keep yourself in tip top shape just know how and dedication.

 Effective, Versatile, Low-Cost Home Exercise Equipment

  • Iron gym $40
  • Power wheel $15-$20
  • Resistance band with door anchor $15-$20
  • Mat $20 (optional)

 Exercise Specs.

  • Pull Ups 2-4 sets  8-12 reps 90-120 sec rest
  • Resistance Band One Arm Row 3 sets 10 reps 45 sec rest
  • Power wheel 2-3 sets 8-12 reps 60 sec rest
  • Ys & Ts  2-3 sets, 8-12reps
  • Crunches 3 sets 12-15 reps 20-30 sec rest
  • Lying Pelvic Twist 3 sets 8-12 reps 30 sec rest.

 How to perform exercises as a routine

 Pull ups: 

Using iron gym in doorway (or other pull up apparatus) my favorite grip for the iron gym in particular is the neutral grip. but I also switch up the grip every few sessions to keep it interesting and keep my body guessing (a major key to stimulating results).  If you can only do 3 to start that’s ok you’ll build up in time.  Keep your movements slow and controlled.  Focus on the contraction at the top ease yourself down slow.  If pull ups are totally out of the questions for you at this point, then another option is to anchor your resistance band high up on your doorway and then sit on the ground to do pull downs.  Hold the handles and sit on the floor.  Extend your legs in front of you with a slight bend in the knees  Keeping your spine straight, and shoulders seated in place, draw your abs in tight  Initiate the move from your upper back muscles pulling the handles down in front of your shoulders keeping your hands close to the front of your body.  Pause and squeeze at bottom and slowly release your arms back up to the top keeping some tension on the muscles at the top so you do not completely extend and lock your elbows removing all tension from the muscles being worked..  Repeat for reps.

Resistance Band 1 Arm Row:

The bands pale in comparison to heavy dumbbell rows but here’s a little trick I found that really helps crank it up.  Find the heaviest resistance band you can get, make sure you have a really good anchor on your doorway, double it up and grab both handles in one hand.  If you have big hands like I do this won’t be a major problem.  If you can’t get a good grip on both handles at once then this won’t work well and you’ll have to taper it back to holding one handle.  Step back to adequate resistance, stager your stance, step the foot opposite the arm you’re using in front, brace your core, initiate the move from the shoulder blade in your upper back, and row your arm into your side focusing on squeezing the muscles in your shoulder blade pause, release repeat. Alternate arms and stance.  Take little or no rest between sets.

Power wheel

This exercise is similar to the pullover another super effective exercise.  When using power wheel extend only as far you feel comfortable so you can pull yourself back up even if it’s only one foot.  Over time you’ll get used to it and be able to extend farther.  Keep your core tight as if someone were going to punch you in the stomach.  Works abs, lats, chest 

. Ys and Ts 

Simple yet effective, Ys and Ts target an area even the most experienced fitness enthusiast doesn’t normally hit.  For the Ys lye on your belly in prone position with arms extended overhead, point thumbs up then lift arms up toward ceiling squeezing mid traps between shoulder blades. For Ts reposition arms along shoulder height, keeping thumbs pointed up.  Lift and raise arms up squeezing mid traps between shoulder blades.

Perform power wheel and Ys, and Ts as a compound set.  Perform 1 set of power wheel followed by 1 set of Ys and 1 set of Ts rest, then repeat.

Crunches and Pelvic Twist.

Contrary to popular belief more abdominal work doesn’t necessarily get you a six-pack, and when one part of the rectus abdominals (six-pack) contracts it all contracts so regular basic floor crunches work just as well as any socalled “low ab” exercise.   Don’t just move your body or worse yet, your head and neck.  Tighten your abs like someone’s going to punch you in the stomach and keep your abs tight the whole time, focusing on the squeeze atthe top.  Pair the floor crunches with the pelvic twist and alternate them.  For the pelvic twist turn onto your back raise legs so hips and knees are at 90 degrees.  Rotating at the waist lower legs to left, back up and then lower to the right.  Continue rotating side to side.  Create a smooth, steady, constant rhythm throughout.

 Don’t forget to stretch at the end, the rear delt stretch and child's pose are two good stretches for your back routine and make sure to work your other body parts evenly throughout the week to create well balanced strength and a well proportioned physique.

Work with a personal trainer in NYC,  or online personal trainer anywhere

Mental Exercise for Motivation

Here's some mind body words of wisdom  you can use as a mental exercise for motivation  .  Sayings like these make a good mantra to chant to yourself occasionally to help increase self awareness which is the first step to making long lasting behavior change.

Watch your thoughts, for they become words

Watch your words, for they become actions

Watch your actions, for they become habits

Watch your habits, for they become character

Watch your character for it becomes your destiny.

Learn more about personalized mind body fitness training from NYC personal trainer Andrew Schmarje

Trainer's Motivational Quote

Here's one of my all time favorite quotes.  It's especially relevant for those trying to maintain motivation for training and eating properly.  I first saw it posted outside the Forman's office at an industrial company I worked for in college, then again later outside a professor's office in the theatre building in college, and later I posted it at my desk as an independent personal trainer for a constant reminder of the power of persistence.  Simple reminders like these keep you going at times when you may want to give up.

"Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence.  Talent will not, nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not, unrewarded genius is almost a proverb.  Education will not, the world is full of educated derelicts.  Persistence and Determination alone are omnipotent."

The "Press On" quote has and always will solve problems of the human condition.

Calvin Coolidge

Need help with accountability and motivation to stay persistent in your lifestyle fitness training and nutrition efforts contact NYC personal trainer Andrew Schmarje for more info or help.

Enjoy the Foods you Love by doing this Super Simple, and Effective Nutrition Technique.

A Free Nutrition Tip for the New Year you can Use All Year, Every Year
  • Think of a favorite meal you really like that you could eat very often no matter what it is. 
  •  If it isn't an especially healthy meal think of ways you could make this meal healthier without sacrificing flavor and enjoyment of the meal.
  • Don't be afraid to try new things.   Experiment and practice cooking this meal with your newly designed healthy recipe or locate establishments, where you can have this meal prepared in a healthy manner without sacrificing flavor.  
  • Keep in mind it may not taste exactly the same the first time.  If it's very close then after a few times of trying it you probably won't be able to taste the difference.  Keep in mind you can keep tweaking and fine-tuning your recipe further.  Be sure to include a well balanced array of portioned foods that include water, protein, carbohydrates (fiber), and unsaturated Fats.   Most importantly avoid processed foods
  • One of my old personal favorites is turkey taco salad.  Made with avacado, salsa, black bean, cheese, low fat fage yogurt, brown rice on a bed of shredded dark green lettuce.  Even this old favorite has morphed into different meal variations throughout the years.  For example one of the ingredients I use now is Bison meat instead of ground turkey or lean ground beef.  The Bison has very little fat and still provides that uncompromising red meat taste and juiciness
  • Be creative.  The possibilities are endless.  
This is a very simple yet extremely effective fitness nutrition behavior modification strategy.  Let's face it if you have to force yourself to eat something you can't stand or are depriving yourself,  how are you going to maintain this type of diet and more importantly why would you want to?  Life is too short.  Enjoy healthier foods more often and you'll improve your health, body weight, and remove a lot of guilt associated with eating foods you enjoy that may not be so good for you. 

Would you like some help with your nutrition efforts contact NYC personal trainer | nutritionist Andrew Schmarje.

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