Christmas in September!

Without further ado, shoot over right now to my gift package page so you can download your goodies.  How's that sound?

It's all there for you in the video above, but just to spell it out, here's what you'll get in my gift kit:

• Video Download: Fit Quickies™ #1 v 2.0, “7 Seconds to a Flat Belly”

• 30- minute Audio download: “How to Supercharge Your Energy and Stoke Your Metabolism in 4 Fast Minutes: The Busy Woman’s Secret Weapon For Time-Saving Fitness and Fat Loss” PLUS
  

• Action Guide and Tip Sheet

• Science Files

• And if you're not already receiving it, a complimentary subscription to FitDream Ezine, insider tips, information and motivation to your email each week.

Then you have to promise to tell me how you like it the Fitness Breakthrough Kit. What are your favorite pieces? How do you like v 2.0 of "7 Seconds"? What questions might you have?  Fire away with them.  Click here to post your thoughts in comments below.

But before you go to collect your goodies, thank you for your readership, your business, and friendship.  You make it possible for me to do what I love – help busy women who struggle with weight, energy, and getting the food and workout thing together – succeed so that they can live their body ideal, have more energy, and be more productive and successful in their business and their lives.  There's nothing like it!

Here's to better bodies for busy women!

Jennifer Dove, Entrepeneur, Writer, Dancer/Teacher

Clarity, confidence, energy and inch loss – THIS is the stuff of which fitness dreams are made. Hallmarks of living your body ideal.  When I asked Jennifer if I could share her letter with you, she quickly yet humbly replied "Yes!"

Hi Lani,

This morning my husband looked at me and said, "Something's different. Whatcha been doing?"

I went ahead and measured everywhere this morning for the first time since starting with your coaching. Who knew this much could shift in only one month!

I'm in total shock right now.

My results from your May class?  Well…I feel funny posting this. I'm kinda overwhelmed and surprised. Don't know about weight loss because I don't own a scale.

And, I measured three times to be sure I wasn't seeing things.

Total inches lost = 9.5  inches

3/5  inch from each arm
1  inch from the waist
1.5  inch from lower abs
1  inch from hips
1.5  inch from lower hips – saddle bag area
1/2  from each thigh
3/4  from just above each knee
1/2  inch from left calf (Has always been bigger than right calf because of nerve damage from an old back injury. Now they are almost even.)

Where did it go?

My clothes do feel different. I wore a dress the other night to an event that had been pretty tight last summer and isn't now.

The biggest shifts?

1. Following your calorie density dietary plan - foods with fiber, veggies and starches, seeds, whole grains, and fruit.
2. I didn't cook with oil.
3. Not eating chicken or fish – which I did regularly before.
4. Very little stress/automatic eating of chocolate. Caught myself before it went too far. The whole food shift experience was a lot like coming home. My husband commented that we were eating the way we did when we were first married and couldn't afford fish or chicken. LOL! He loved it and so did I. Incidentally, he got on a scale at his gym and has lost 5 pounds this month.
5. Activity every day. Pushing harder about 4 times a week. I really wasn't doing more than yoga at the beginning of the month.
6. And, the commitment to do the above. I know for sure that I wouldn't have sustained this kind of change if I'd tried to do it on my own. Having the forum and other women making similar changes made all the difference! Everyone's input spurred me on.

It Gets Even Better

In the last two weeks I've noticed that:

• my energy level is more steady throughout the day
• I'm sleeping more soundly.
  
• I get up at 6 in the morning and really look forward to working out.
  
• I'm motivated to get to sleep at a decent hour each night so that I can get up and exercise in the morning. As a mom, my 20-year-old habit has been to wait until all the chores were finished and everyone else was in bed before I could relax enough to sleep myself. This is definitely shifting and should since my kids are much older now. And, like I shared the other night, my time of the month was a breeze which is significantly different. I usually get a migraine followed by a day or two of severe cramps and a downward spiraling mood cycle. But that didn't happen this month. Big surprise to me. This change alone is my motivation for keeping the changes I've made going!

The Big Picture

Jennifer, an accomplished author, presenting her poetry in performance

I would say that this experience has given birth to a sense of hopefulness, a feeling that more is possible, that I can create the kind of changes I want to see in my life.

Earlier this year, when thinking about making a change in my work, or about returning to performing more often, I couldn't get clear about what should come first – should I take more classes, get another degree, start advertising, join a gym, etc.

I couldn't visualize myself in the new place I wanted to be.

Somehow I got the message that after moving to our new house would be a great time to start to implement some life changes. And it was clear that all my business ideas wouldn't get off the ground if I wasn't feeling stronger and more confident in my body and presence.

That's why I signed up for your class.

Taking this class, really immersing myself in it, was a way to take myself, and my dreams/hopes more seriously, to put my goals out there and work toward them. Plus, I wasn't doing this alone.

Being involved in a public way on the forum felt like practice for being more fully out in the world in a bigger way. I'm hoping this makes sense. Not only did my weight shift, my thoughts shifted about who I am and what I'm capable of.

The Profound Shifts

Before your class and joining FitDream Fusion Inner Circle I spent a lot of time trying to convince myself that what I eat really doesn't make a difference. After all, we're being told it's the calorie intake that counts the most. And maybe when I was a 20-something that was true.

However, nowadays, the food I eat has dramatic effect and I finally "get" it!

My husband, son, and I went on a 4 mile hike today. While walking I asked them if they'd noticed a difference in me this month. "Heck Yeah!" my son said, "Mom, you've been a LOT nicer this month."

Ha! And my husband said, "Oh yes, it's working! What you're doing is definitely working!" What they noticed more than anything is that my moods weren't swinging from one extreme to another as they had been. Evidently, according to them, I've been pretty difficult to live for a while now. That shift the guys are sensing is about the food I'm eating now, as well as the exercise, most definitely.

I am so grateful and plan to keep it going!

~ Jennifer Dove, Entrepeneur, Writer/Dancer/Teacher, Maryland

Notes from Lani: Jennifer's experience humbles and thrills me at the same time.   The most exciting thing about working with women in health and fitness is when the connection is made that being more fit creates more energy, clarity of direction, productivity, and the deepened opportunity to share your gifts and message.  Entrepeneurs such as Jennifer absolutely and without question need energy, well-being, and the happiness of physical confidence to bring their gifts and message to the world in a profitable, authentic, and satisfying way.  This is the stuff of which dreams are made!

Thank you, thank you Jennifer for having the courage to take these simple tools of fitness by the horns, apply them in a deepening way – even without a "perfection" score, look what you've achieved and where you are going!

All New Fit Quickies™ AND

Fit Quickies™ Contest!

Yes!  Three (yes, 3!) ALL NEW Fit Quickies™ are about to be released!

Fit Quickie #6: Thigh Warriors (for those gorgeous, energetic "gams")

Fit Quickie #7: Kickstand Curls: (for flatter abs and waist cinching)

Fit Quickie #8: Hot Seat! (take a guess)

Just for fun, and because I'm excited to have 3 NEW FQs to go, I'm throwing a wild and crazy contest.

And it's so easy to enter, you could do it in your sleep.  Almost.

All you need to do to get your name in the contest hat is to jump into comments below and tell everyone one or more of the following:

1. Name your favorite Fit Quickie to date is, and tell why! (7 Seconds to Flat Belly?  Topless Muffins?   There are now 8 from which to choose!), OR
   
2. Which Fit Quickie (or two) you are most eagerly awaiting in the new collection
3. 2 things you like best about Fit Quickies™

Of course, you can answer all of the questions!

Post your comments below before noon PST on Saturday, June 19, 2010 and your name will be entered into the drawing.

The prize? The NEW Fit Quickies™ bundle including #6, #7, and #8 will be sent to you ($60 value) – free!  The drawing will take place on Sunday, June 20.  The winner will be announced here so be sure to check back in.

Let's get started! Pop right down to "comments" below.

P.S. These NEW Fit Quickies™ come with 4 downloadable mp3 features:

• Audio Tutorial Track
• Audio Practice Track
• Video Form Tips
• Video Practice (ALL NEW to Fit Quickies™!)

P.P.S. Be sure to stay in the know about the July Better Bodies 4 Busy Women McBooty Camp!

To help you keeping moving your fitness forward through the summer months, I'm throwing a mini mid-summer Booty Camp but you've got to let me know if you would like to find out more.

If you're like me, the waist is where you can sense pudge first.   Maybe it's because it's so noticeable in the way our clothes fit, or because we can so easily – quite literally – see excess poundage when it lands in our middle.

Most women (once past their teens, anyway) find the waist seems to be a favored storage area for any extra "fluff".

And when we lose some measure off the waist,  universally we feel more fit, confident, lithe, and healthy.  Yes?

Where Did That Inch In The Waist Go?

"Question for Lani – what's your input on why so many Gams Glutes Abs and Arms participants had significant inch loss in the waist? Was there a specific movement or Fit Quickie exercise that made that happen?"

This question from Jennifer just came in on the heels of the wrap of our May Boot Camp "Gams Glutes Abs and Arms 4 Summer".

Yes, Jennifer, there are exact and specific reasons we had such focused results from this class.

Let me list them for you.

Why The Waist, And So Many Showing Inches Lost, In So Short A Time

Here is a partial list of the waist stats to which Jennifer refers.  At the finish of the 4 week session, these reports started rolling in.

Now, keep in mind I'm going to focus on waist inch loss as per Jennifer's question.  These women peeled inches off everywhere else, but the waist losses really caught our attention first:

• Keturah: 1 inch off her waist

• Carol: 1.5 inches off her waist
  

• Jennifer: 1 inch off her waist

• Val: 1 inch off her waist

• Phyllis: 1 inch off her waist

For starters.

3 Steps To Cinching Inches In The Waist – This Quickly

Each of the women noted above implemented tools that were key to the May class – and are part of my signature system for energy, resilience and strength, body shaping, and weight loss.  As these results ARE typical, and coming in like clockwork for those in my programs, I'd like to show you how simple and straightforward the pathway to these kinds of successes really are.

Let's look at the 3 headliners that these women implemented:

1)  Winning Dietary Guidelines: An incredibly simple, easy-to-follow dietary plan that keeps you satisfied, well fed, and OUT of the hunger zone (critical!  White knuckle weight loss does NOT work.)  As Fitness Expert at the Health and Medical Center for Dr. McDougall. M.D., I have the inside track to simple and powerful nutrition tips that make THE difference.

2)  Targeted Body Shapers: The muscles around the middle are not only often shrouded in excess body fat (which is addressed directly with #1 above), but due to bad posture and inactivity have lost density and shape.  The best way to reverse this is to isolate and overload those very muscles. As the body fat stores decrease via the Dietary Guidelines, these muscles start to "show up" and display their "cinching" properties to your best advantage when challenged in specific, targeted fashion.

In the May class, we implemented the following Fit Quickies™ Fit Quickies, all of which – either directly or indirectly – target the middle:

• Fit Quickie #1: 7 Seconds to a Flat Belly
  
• Fit Quickie #5: Topless Muffins
  
• Fit Quickie #7:  Kickstand Curls,
  
• Fit Quickie # 4 Gorgeous Glutes and Hamstrings, and #6 (Thigh Warriors) and #8 (Hot Seat!) which work the largest muscles of the body, and also have an Interval Training effect, increasing calories burned during as well as after exercise to dip into body fat stores.
  

  Snapshot from Fit Quickie #7: Kickstand Curls

3)  Active Every Day: Though workouts were solidly in place, this does not mean "work out" every day.  It means move your body.  Just being a good animal. Include challenges to the large muscle groups of the body to build shape and metabolic rate.  It's really quite simple.

4)  Community and Support: The simple act of signing on for a focused study, whether as part of an ongoing community or a group with a time-telescoped shared goal, such as a month long course, steps you up to the plate of success.

By demonstrating to yourself that you value your fitness, health, and goals about all of it, you leap far further into the health, well-being and energy circle.

It's a way of supporting yourself, let alone getting the support of others on the same venture along with a mentor and coach. The power of this synergy has proven itself time and time again.

As a matter of fact, it is very common when women simply sign up for a class or membership, things start moving rapidly for them because it is a sign of their commitment.

Out of the wishy-wash into the spin cycle.

Off the fence and into the sandbox.  Which is exactly why I've got something new cooking just for you….

Are you seriously looking for a way to finally shake the extra pounds and inches that sap your energy, undermine your confidence and self-esteem, and tarnish your self-image? Abandon the fitness chaos that keeps sabotaging your success, and implement a proven step-by-step strategy to energize, lose weight, shape your body, and explode your vitality.  Click HERE now to get started.

You can hear the excitement in Val's voice and no wonder.

Val is one of my Gold Level members at FitDream Fusion Inner Circle who has done not only a clear job of succeeding with simple, easy tools yet has also tracked her progress for an amazing snapshot of success.

If you are looking for heightened energy, a more resilient and shapely body, and simple systems to get them, then what Val has to say will really hit home.

I'll let her tell her body and energy makeover story herself.

Hi Lani and Everyone,

Very exciting changes have taken place these few short weeks that I’m excited to talk about.  The shifts have been nothing short of amazing and…well, here are the details. You are more than welcome to share.

My success and progress toward my goals since I started working with Lani's coaching has been solid, steady, and very exciting!

Membership in her FitDream Fusion Inner Circle has made such a difference in my success.

The Stats

I have now:

1. lost an entire size (from tight 10/12 to lose 8/10)
2. dropped 6 lbs and over 10 inches (in key spots alone:  waist, abs, hips)
3. reduced 4 inches (yes!) in my waist alone!
4. shaved 3 inches off my abs
5. tightened up 3 inches off my hips.

The Excitement

Feeling more comfortable in my clothes was a big initial goal – and I'm thrilled that those changes are really happening. I can now wear some shirts tucked in with belts. Muffin top not as noticeable. T-shirts a nicer fit. Some pants/jeans are even baggy.

The Difference

The consistency and accountability factor have played such an important role in my success.

I love that my energy is much more even.

I used to notice drastic energy drops and dragging myself around. Not anymore.

With the tools that Lani has coached me to put in place, my energy is far more even, constant, and reliable. Sometimes at night now, I still have energy to do things. Amazing!

I love what Lani's dietary guidelines has done for my hunger satisfaction. I am hungry when I wake up in the morning and eat my fill of whole grains, nuts, and fruit. After that, I'm never really famished.

Sometimes, I go through lunch time without eating. I just forget. Whodathunk???! Me? Forget to eat?

Before, my diet was already pretty good, but I was lacking in some things that Lani pointed out. Implementing her signature system guidelines has made a huge difference in keeping my blood sugar/energy levels stable and even.

Decidedly Dramatic Improvements

1)  Superb 3 day exercise option rotation – I'm really getting into the groove of the 3 day exercise option rotation that Lani designed for me. starting to get into the groove of this. My brain and body loves this schedule. I'm looking forward to diversifying. And I love the Fit Quickies™.

2)  Skin improvements - I have battled extremely dry, flaky skin on my legs for several years now. That has cleared up! The only thing I've been doing different is daily adding beans and whole grains to my meals.

3)  Renewed joys: Ballroom & Nightclub Dancing! Tighter core and buns means better balance, and more confidence in my ability to execute spins and turns. This has added a new level of pleasure and fun to the dancing experience.

Fabulous!

~ Val Durack, Urbana,

P.S. A friend told me this week that I look better now than I did 10 years ago – more fit and toned. yeah!  I can't wait to see what the next weeks bring!

Notes Of Observation from Lani:

First, big hugs and hearty congratulations to Val – as well as a huge THANK you for putting your facts and observations together, sharing them with others – and for showing us what is absolutely possible with a few simple tools – and implementing them.  Fine work and what an inspiration!

Val is one of those women who listened when I said your dietary plan DOES make a difference.  And here are some simple changes to make that will allow you to eat to satisfaction, enjoy everything you eat, and lose excess weight at the same time.

She's one of those women who listened when I said that you don't need to knock yourself out with extensive workouts or fancy formulas, but you DO need to:

1)  challenge the muscles most often neglected, a few times each week

2)  move pretty much every day

3)  pay attention to motivation and mindset…and practice the value of addressing what's going on on the inside to move your success to a new level, and that includes utilizing mentorship, teamwork, and coaching support.

Are you plagued by ineffective habits or extra lbs and inches that sap your energy, undermine your confidence and self-esteem, and tarnish your self-image? Abandon the fitness chaos that keeps sabotaging your success, and implement a proven step-by-step strategy to energize, lose weight, shape your body, and explode your vitality. GO HERE now for the solution.

Triceps seem to be a universal challenge area for women.

And there's good reason why.

Not only have they checked out of the daily workload for most of us. But the targeted exercises for them are darn hard to do.

The good news is that it is easy to isolate and overload the triceps to improve their strength and shape. That's why when we position to exercise them we feel them so quickly.

In other words, targeted triceps work is not for the faint of heart. But you aren't, so no problem right?

Finding the time is another challenge. But then again, since you can so easily isolate and overload the triceps, the reps you need to do are few.

And it's worth it.  The triceps are THE muscles most responsible for giving your arms a sculpted look.

Here Are My My 2 Top Triceps Exercises for Summer:

Fit Quickie #3, Triceps Triple Play in action

1) Triceps Posterior Lifts and Extensions:

These moves are what you recognize from Fit Quickie #3, Triceps Triple Play.

In this type of triceps exercises, you position the upper body horizontally in a forward lean and raise the arm straight up beside the body, reaching knuckles to the back wall.

This immediately places workload on all 3 heads of the triceps. The trick is:

• keeping the arm straight
• keeping the arm in close to the body, and
• keeping the lift and extension repetitions tiny so that you stay in the muscle
  

Together, these 3 qualities keep the 3 heads of the triceps muscle in play.  For more about structure of the triceps muscle, click here.

There are several variations of triceps workload for this position:

1. tiny moves pulling the arm in closer to your body
2. tiny bend-extends, reaching to the wall behind you
3. tiny rapid lifts
4. tiny slower lifts

Notice these all have the word "tiny" in common! "Stay in the muscle" is the key phrase here.

2)  Triceps Dips, aka Reverse Push Ups

Once you've built up a measure of strength with Fit Quickie #3, Triceps Triple play, you might want to venture into adding this challenge.

Reverse Pushups for Triceps

To set up Reverse Push Ups, you are seated with your arms behind you, in close, fingers pointing toward your body.

You raise the seat a little off the floor, and you will notice that immediately your body wants to shift forward and take the work out of the triceps!

Care must be taken, however, to properly align on this one.  And you have to fight for it because your body so quickly wants to check OUT of the workload.

Instead, you must shift your weight back so that the shoulders are right over the wrists.  The move then is vertical as you bend and straighten the arms.  You will feel the triceps come into play right away  (yikes!).  Keep the seat tucked up, though not far from the floor, and the abdominals engaged.

Word Of Caution On Reverse Push Ups

Remember how I said the body will want to check out of the workload on this one and shift the body weight forward?

Incorrect shoulder-to-wrist alignment with Reverse Pushups

This not only reduces the workload on the triceps, it places your fragile shoulder joint in a compromised position.  Here, I'll show you.

Notice in the image at left how both the exercisers have incorrect form when it comes to shoulder to wrist alignment, impinging on the front of the shoulder joint and taking some of the work load out of the triceps.

Compare this to the Reverse Push Ups image displayed further up in the article, and you'll see what I mean.

And don't be frightened by the leg in the air which is actually a fine – yet challenging variation!

Challenge the triceps with these exercises four times a week and watch those arms shape up for summer.

© Lani Muelrath, M.A. 2010 All Rights Reserved

Are you plagued by extra lbs and inches that sap your energy, undermine your confidence and self-esteem, and tarnish your self-image? Abandon the fitness chaos that keeps sabotaging your success, and implement a proven step-by-step strategy to energize, lose weight, shape your body, and explode your vitality.  Click HERE now.

Pssst…stories like Phyllis' are coming in each week at FitDream Fusion Inner Circle.

And just between you and me, they are from women like you who are busy, and do not have a lot of time to devote to exercise and diet.

Which is why they, like you, benefit so much from simple systems of eating and exercise to bring things in on target with their energy and body shaping goals.

Sometimes these stories are more dramatic than others.

Yet when it happens to YOU, it is more than a minor miracle. Sharing eachother's excitement in solid progress with creating a better body through fitness, weight loss, and body shaping while keeping energy high for productivity is a joy best shared.

For Phyllis, this means specifically:

• down 5.8 lbs
• down 7.5 inches
• increased energy and productivity, needing about an hour less sleep
• workouts to "a new production level"
  

But I'll let her tell you.

Here is Phyllis' recent post, straight from her FitDream Fusion Inner Circle Journal:

Hi Lani and Everyone!

Wow. Time is going by so fast! We're getting down to the last few trips for our move and DS's wedding is less than a month away.  I had to take a step back and reevaluate what I can and can't do over the next month without stressing myself completely out.

I decided I CAN stay focused on what I'm eating.

I CAN fit in a few Fit Quickies every day.

I CAN at least log into FitDream Fusion and read posts on this forum to keep me motivated.

I decided I am NOT going to stress about working out every day because I HAVE to get this house cleaned out and everything moved approx 130 miles away.  I am down to mainly cleaning out closets but dang those are not fun!

Having said all the above, my DS commented last night that I am looking slimmer.

It made my day as you can imagine! So this morning I decided to weigh and measure because I had noticed a few changes too but have just been too busy to stop and measure.

Here are the results — since 5/1 – less than 4 weeks ago:

I've lost a total of 5.8 lbs and 7.5 inches! YAY!

And I’ve lost a total of 7.2 lbs since 4/18 when started eating more closely with Lani’s dietary guidelines.

And what I've lost in weight and inches, I've gained in energy.

I have found that following Lani's eating plan is what has really produced results for me.  It seems to take the workouts that I can get in to a new production level if that makes sense.

And the inches are in my abdomen and hips which is where I really need them to melt away from!

My main inch loss is:

1 inch in my waist,

1 inch in my hips,

1 inch in EACH upper thigh and

.5 in EACH lower thigh….AND.

… .25 in EACH upper arm.  I am excited about all the above but really focused on toning my arms right now because the dress for DS's wedding is sleeveless .

The fact that I had a week of vacation in SC eating some Southern Food and still experienced the above amazes and pleases me!

It's Getting Easier

I have to tell you that each small success (a pound here, an inch there) makes it easier for me to make the next healthy choice.

I have not been hungry once since starting to eat this way on 4/18. It's amazing to me. And I'm just touching the tip of the vast variety of food options out there.

Energy is UP!

Regarding energy...I find that I don't need as many hours of sleep as I used to require to make it through the day.  That's a big deal for me!  I'm getting by with about an hour less per night too.  It's great!

The support I get from all of you here has been amazing and I so appreciate the encouragement.

FitDream Fusion is such an awesome group and provides so much support for me and my goals. Lani's daily involvement with us is priceless.

Even during this time of financial setback for us, FitDream Fusion is a non-negotiable monthly expense for me.

I'm part of a FF Dream Team that I know is necessary for my long-term success. I sincerely appreciate YOU Lani and everyone here!

Need to go now, but had to share with all of you.  Thanks for keeping me motivated even when I can't always reciprocate!

~Phyllis Bahou, CA

Congratulations and excellent job, Phyllis! Thanks for allowing me to be a part of your journey – and look what you've accomplished.

Dear Readers, leave your comments for Phyllis, below, OK?

And click HERE for more FitDream Fusion "wins" reported this week!

Are you plagued by extra lbs and inches that sap your energy, undermine your confidence and self-esteem, and tarnish your self-image? Abandon the fitness chaos that keeps sabotaging your success, and implement a proven step-by-step strategy to energize, lose weight, shape your body, and explode your vitality.  Click HERE now.

image:  strachowski

Heading out on a walk down the hill to the cafe in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico

Do you ever get frustrated or stuck about how to stay fit while traveling? So that you don't arrive home flabby, enervated, and with excess poundage?

I understand the anxieties – it can be so frustrating!

And it can leave you wishing you'd never left home in the first place because now it feels like there is so much ground to make up.

One of the upsides of being an entrepreneur with a mobile business is that I get to work in far-flung places;  and more often than not, combine business with pleasure.

I still need to keep my fitness focus, though – and that means getting creative about workouts in exotic locations.

Staying Fit On The Road: Tricks For The Trail!

Take it from someone who has mastered this one.

Not to brag, it's taken years of trial and error to get this one right.  But now I've got it running like a charm.

And "master" doesn't mean "perfect" – it means simply that I've polished the system so that it is easy, portable, and WORKS.

Feliz Fitness – Working Out While In Mexico

Travel to Mexico has other fit benefits:  see 5 Ways Travel To Mexico Keeps You Fit.

But to really stay in my fitness and body shaping best, I need to include targeted body shaping exercises in addition to my usual habit of walking each day.  And the need to take simple solutions on the road with me is what, after all, gave birth to my Fit Quickies™.

So let me tell you about this morning's workout.

Today's South of the Border Workout

Perfect post-workout pleasure: popping into the hot springs just outside San Miguel

And I hit all the "hot spots".

That means the areas to be sure to target for best body shaping.  I did get creative – without my trust dumbbells for triceps, the search was on for small resistance I could hold in one hand.

Solution! An iron!  Followed by hefting a large marble egg that I found on a bookshelf here in the house where we are staying.

Oh, and then the iron spring coil I found for biceps. Where there's a will.

Here's the sequence I followed:

1. Warm up: knee lifts, deep plies with tucks, and calf raises:  to warm the large muscle groups, elevate heart rate, and bring FOCUS!
   
2. Fit Quickie #1:  7 Seconds to a Flat Belly: engage the abdominal muscles to align the upper body, keep me mindful of position, and complete the warm-up
   
3. Fit Quickie #3:  Triceps Triple Play,
   
4. Pushups and Reverse pushups
5. Fit Quickie #2: Inner Thigh Squeeze and Tease: getting the legs ready for workload
   
6. Fit Quickie #8:  Thigh Warriors: OK quads, do your stuff!
   
7. Fit Quickie #4:  Gorgeous Gluteals and Hamstrings: I can never get enough of "seat" work – and the benefits in body shaping, energy boost and calorie burn are the big payoffs!
   
8. Fit Quickie #5: Topless Muffins: an all-time top-of-the-lister for making the lines of the back and flow into the seat smooth out, lift the seat, and shape the side of my seat.
   
9. Fit Quickie #7:  Kickstand Curls: no need to "crunch" forever – just target, isolate, overload, and have the latest research on ab exercises at your disposal (I do)
   
10. Fit Quickie #8:  Backyard Burners: finish frying the glutes and releasing the back – a FUN fun way to wrap up the workout
11. Stretches: my signature hamstring stretch and hip stretches
    

Tricks for travel fitness that you can share?  Please click here and leave your thoughts in COMMENTS below.

© Lani Muelrath, M.A. 2010 All Rights Reserved

Creating the right weight loss and body shaping plan for you isn’t difficult, but it must be at the top of your to-do list. Once you have this mastered, your fitness and energy is going to take off, which I know you’re going to love.

Would you like the surefire formula that quickly makes it possible for you to abandon ineffective workouts, obsessive dieting, and habits that keep sabotaging your success?  Say YES to mastering your fitness, multiplying your energy, and moving your business – and your life – forward! Find out more here.

Do your arms keep waving long after you do?

I hear women refer to this as "triceps flap".

And yes, you CAN do something about it!  In time for summer shirts no less.

All it takes is some hard, focused work on the triceps area AND reduction of bodyfat stores.

A Triceps Tale of Woe

"What's THAT?"

During a teacher wellness program that I was teaching, Joanna, one of the participants, a second-grade teacher, ruefully relayed to us the story.

Apparently, while writing on the front board in her classroom, her loose triceps muscles set to flapping, catching a student's curiosity to such an extent that he asked her, pointing to her triceps area, "What's THAT?

Oof.

Have you ever felt like this? Like the back side of your arm was carrying on long after you'd quit waving?

Why The Triceps Lose Shape

Part of it really isn't your fault.

The triceps muscle, unless we purposely challenge it, really does not get a lot of work in modern life.

Unless you are kneading bread regularly, or involved in some other activity that requires you to push against resistance, the triceps can pretty much check out of the action.

At least the level of action required to give it good shape. To take the flap out of the sail.

This of course is complicated by body fat stores that, for many of us, seem to like to settle in this spot. Dietary planning will of course make a big difference.

But if you want to restore actual shape to the muscle and reduce the "flab" factor, or lack of muscle, then targeting this muscle with isolation and overload is a must.

There's a reason it's called "TRIceps"

The triceps muscle is named so due to its quality of having 3 different heads.

The long, the medial, and the lateral heads.

All 3 have their origin at different points in the arm or scapula, and join together to insert.

Together, these 3 play different and supporting roles in:

• extending the elbow
• extending the upper arm in a posterior direction
• pulling the arm in toward the side of the body.

To most effectively condition and shape the triceps, all 3 of these actions need to be addressed.

The need for targeted conditioning of this area is so strong that I have it early in the Fit Quickies™ lineup.  Fit Quickie #3, Triceps Triple Play, is designed with these 3 heads of the triceps fully considered.
Other powerful exercises for the triceps are pushups, reverse pushups, and triceps overhead presses.  The Fit Quickie #3 style is easiest on the joints and very targeted.  You will find Fit Quickie #3 here:  Triceps Triple Play.

© Lani Muelrath, M.A. 2010 All Rights Reserved

Chronic inflammation spells bad news for our health, plain and simple.

And though inflammation is a natural and necessary way that the body stimulates healing,  when inflammation becomes continuous and chronic, it becomes damaging.  The most common causes of inflammation in the body are physical inactivity and diet.

And until recently, high-intensity exercise has been considered a factor in inflammation as well.

However, new information tells us we've only been seeing a part of the picture.  This is good news!

Microscopic view of cell inflammation

Exercise scores again:  a new look at the evidence

For some time, high intensity exercise has been seen as a source of inflammation to the body.  By high intensity, we're talking something that pushes the muscle to perform and makes you reach deep to build new muscle:  interval training, intense resistance training, long distance running.

The kind of training that you know from the burn you feel in the muscle that the muscle is breaking down a little bit.

Yes, this natural response is inflammation at the muscle as the body scrambles to repair and build new muscle (see Taking the mystery out of how muscles are made).

However, that's just a piece of the puzzle.

This "pro-inflammatory" view has also been adopted also due to the detection of  the release in the body of myokines, a type of cytokine, as a response to muscle contraction.  And cytokines are seen as pro-inflammatory markers.  One cytokine that has been correlated with high intensity muscle demand is one known as IL-6.

But hang on a minute. This IL-6 release in response to intense exercise is evidently not the whole story.

Though the release of cytokines as been lumped together as pro-inflammatory when detected in the system, evidently it makes a difference what the cause of the cytokines release happens to be.

Are you still with me here?  Let's take a closer look.

Whenever we move, our bodies release signaling molecules that communicate to the rest of the body.  Muscle, like fat, has been proven to have endocrine properties. When it comes to muscle, myokines are released in response to voluntary contraction of the muscle.

These myokines give instructions to the body about how to function, and they hold the key to controlling chronic inflammation. The most important myokine related to muscle and inflammation is Interleukin-6 (IL-6). When muscle contracts, IL-6 is released. (4)

The myokine IL-6 has previously been linked with a pro-inflammatory response in the body.  It was thus concluded that intense muscle workload, stimulating the release of IL-6, was inflammation inducing.

But as it turns out, intense exercise is good anti-inflammatory medicine. What we're finding out is that when IL-6 is released during intense muscle workload, it is unique in that as part of this response, major anti-inflammatory inhibitors are released as well.

Thus, seeing the complete picture (anti-inflammatory cascade) rather than part of the picture (IL-6 release) makes a huge difference in how we can classify the effects of intense exercise.

IL-6 is a well-known cytokine and has long been thought to be inflammatory in nature as part of what is known as the inflammatory triad: TNF-alpha, IL-1, and IL-6. However, like people, IL-6 seems to behave differently depending on its origin, amount, and other cytokines around with it. When released from muscle, and in high concentrations without TNF-alpha and IL-1, IL-6 is anti-inflammatory. In fact, IL-6 acts to reduce the amount of TNF-alpha and IL-1 in circulation by increasing the cytokine inhibitors IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-lra) and soluble TNF receptors (sTNFR). IL-lra antagonizes the IL-1 receptor, decreasing IL-1 effects, while sTNFR binds up TNF-alpha before it can react at its target cells. At the same time, IL-6 triggers the release of the major anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10.

Properly performed exercise releases signaling molecules that stimulate a unique healing response that couples both inflammatory and anti-inflammatory mechanisms to repair, regenerate, and grow stronger tissue.  Unlike drugs, which have single targets and ignore the web-like interactions in the body, exercise works with the body's innate intelligence to produce broadly beneficial effects that improve whole-body function. High-intensity, short-duration movement that is tailored to the individual, uses short rest periods… may be the chief means of attaining anti-inflammatory effects from exercise. (4)

Background

Increasing evidence demonstrates that persistent, low-grade inflammation is a predictor of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes.  Not only that, but experimental evidence shows that markers of chronic inflammation, such as the proinflammatory cytokine [interleukin 6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF-)] and the acute-phase reactant C-reactive protein (CRP) play a direct role in the atherosclerosis and insulin resistance.

More about IL-6

Initially, IL-6 was thought to be a pro-inflammatory cytokine but recent results have suggested that IL-6 has an inflammation-controlling role and is important to the return to homeostasis after an inflammatory challenge….Interestingly, recent findings have shown that strenuous exercise is also a powerful inducer of elevated concentrations of IL-6 in plasma

The finding in two longitudinal studies that regular training induces a reduction in CRP level suggests that physical activity as such may suppress systemic low-grade inflammation.

Exercise and Inflammation

The health benefits of exercise are far – reaching: disease prevention, improved immunity, stress reduction, and improvements in sleep, mood, coordination, flexibility, bone density and insulin regulation.  Yet exercise that challenges the muscle also causes tissue damage, which causes an inflammatory response as the body's resources scramble to repair and build the damaged area. At the same time, though tissue damage turns on inflammation,  inflammation also promotes necessary growth and renewal, which is a positive effect.   It is, in fact, the only way to build muscle.

Making more muscle cells via regular exercise is good for you in a lot of ways. In each new muscle cell, there is an increase in the size and number of mitochondria, the "powerhouse" components of the cells that provide energy.  And trained muscle cells become more efficient in their uptake and use of fats and oxygen from the blood.

Exercise also increases the proportion of energy derived from fat and lowers lactic acid production as they develop endurance.

Acute exercise

In conclusion, regular exercise protects against diseases associated with chronic low-grade systemic inflammation. This long-term effect of exercise may be ascribed to the anti-inflammatory response elicited by an acute bout of exercise, which is partly mediated by muscle-derived IL-6.

Physiological concentrations of IL-6 stimulate the appearance in the circulation of the anti-inflammatory cytokines IL-1ra and IL-10 and inhibit the production of the proinflammatory cytokine TNF-. Moreover, IL-6 stimulates lipolysis as well as fat oxidation. The anti-inflammatory effects of exercise may offer protection against TNF-induced insulin resistance. Recently, our group proposed that IL-6 and other cytokines, which are produced and released by skeletal muscles, exerting their effects in other organs of the body, should be named myokines. Here we suggest that myokines may be involved in mediating the health-beneficial effects of exercise and play important roles in the protection against diseases associated with low-grade inflammation. (3)

In English?

Several studies conclude that the levels of  IL-6 ideal for the anti-inflammatory response are best stimulated by exercise intensity.  Intensity that allow for periods of recovery within the session, such as interval training. Positive correlations have also been found between glycogen exhaustion of targeted muscles as a stimulus for the IL-6 anti-inflammatory cascade.

In other words, the kind of  exercise that uses short bursts of all-out effort that significantly alters muscle and dips into liver glycogen stores.  Such as when you dig deep into your reserves to work a muscle to its limit, pause to recover, then target another muscle or group of muscles.  Or when you do supersets, alternating muscle and muscle group activity.

This ushers coveted muscle workload interval workouts into the anti-inflammatory winners circle:  Interval training, Fit Quickies circuits, Supersets, and Bar Method.

There are other reasons that this type of activity is of benefit. Short intense bursts of exercise also stimulate growth factors – factors that offset chronic inflammation.  This is also the type of exercise that:

…creates a hormonal environment that produces sustained fat-burning as well as muscle growth.  The amount of glycogen reduction is directly correlated to IL-6 release, and high-intensity exercise is shown to increase IL-6 and catecholamines together.  Catecholamines have their own independent effect in lowering TNF alpha and IL-1, synergistically enhancing IL-6. Combining these known effects with techniques that can deliver the same benefit in less time presents the opportunity to supply these anti-inflammatory effects in short time periods.

Related studies conclude that any exercise, irrespective of the intensity and the individual's cardiovascular fitness, will elicit an acute anti-inflammatory response. (5)

Obviously, more data on the effects of different modes and intensities of exercise on inflammation is in demand.

But if you have been concerned that the localized inflammation of muscle that occurs when challenging it to change via resistance,  apparently you can rest assured that this inflammatory response is not only necessary for muscle to grow, but a stronger anti-inflammatory response comes along with it, hand in glove. Previous limited views of the IL-6 factor have been preempted by this discovery only recently.

There's more! Exercise induced IL-6 has multiple other positive effects on cortisol, adipose tissue, and insulin resistance.  The door has just been opened on this one.

There are several forms of exercise that by their nature perhaps have diminished IL-6 factor response in the first place, yet by their very nature of moving the body are powerful anti-inflammatory tools.

But as now know, the anti-inflammatory exercise window is bigger than we thought.

Note: In patients with a chronic inflammatory disease, both acute and chronic exercise might elicit different inflammatory responses (i.e., exaggerated after acute exercise & attenuated after training) compared to healthy matched controls. However, the results reveal a major gap in our knowledge regarding the effects of acute and chronic exercise on inflammatory markers in patients with a chronic inflammatory disease. Results are often inconsistent, and differences in training programs (intensity, frequency and duration), heterogeneity of disease populations studied, and analytic methods may be just some of the causes for these discrepancies. To optimize exercise prescriptions and recommendations for patients with a chronic inflammatory disease, more research is needed to define the nature of physical activity that confers health benefits without exacerbating underlying inflammatory stress associated with disease pathology. (7)

© Lani Muelrath, 2010

Resources:

1) Ostrowski, et al. "Physical activity and plasma IL-6–effect of intensity of exercise". European Journal of Applied Physiology. 2000;83:512-515.

2) Pederson, et al. "Searching for the exercise factor: Is IL-6 a candidate?" Journal of Muscle Research and Cell Motility. 2003;24:113-119.

3) J Appl Physiol 98: 1154-1162, 2005; doi:10.1152/japplphysiol.00164.2004  8750-7587/05

4) Jade Teta ND, LAc, CSCS "Exercise is medicine: the anti-inflammatory effects of high intensity exercise"

5) Fletcher, Emma; Betts, Jeffery J.; Harrison, Michael; Moyna, Niall M. FACSM; O'Connor, Paul; Visich, Paul S. Effect Of "Exercise Intensity On Pro-and Anti-inflammatory Cytokines In Trained And Untrained Men": 743: May 28 1:30 PM – 1:45 PM

6) PubMed: Epidemiology. 2002 Sep;13(5):561-8.

(7) Ploeger HE, Takken T, de Greef MH, Timmons BW. Exerc Immunol Rev. 2009;15:6-41.
"The effects of acute and chronic exercise on inflammatory markers in children and adults with a chronic inflammatory disease: a systematic review."