Rising Star Fitness

OK… ATTENTION ALL YOU BEER BELLIES OUT THERE!!!

 Put down that brew!! Drop that donut! Lay off the drive thru!!

Ok sure…you have heard that all before, but did you know that the extra fat you carry around your middle can cause inflammation and disease?

Researchers from the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis found that fat cells secrete inflammatory proteins that have destructive effects on blood vessels and other cells of the body. These chemicals are implicated in the development of coronary artery disease and the Metabolic Syndrome- a group of symptoms that include high blood pressure, high blood fats, abdominal fat deposition, insulin resistance, inflammation and blood clotting abnormalities. Scientists recognize cellular inflammation is an important marker of declining metabolic health….not to mention the precursor for cancer!

So do your best to reduce that belly fat! Watch what you put in your mouth, and get active!

BEACH TENNIS…A NEW SPORT!

Yes you read correctly…Beach tennis! The latest craze to hit a volleyball court near you!!!

All though the sports roots are in tennis, it shares more similarities with beach volley ball and badminton (my kids love to play!)

The game is played on a regulation beach –volleyball court, and four players volley back and forth without letting the ball bounce.

Now lets think about this…tennis really gets those legs moving, heart pumping and hand& eye coordination to reach new levels…so you throw some sand into the mix, and WOW…nice legs! Tight buns! Great shoulders!

Beach tennis was first played in Brazil and Holland and was introduced to the United States in 2005.

If you would like to know more about this new sport, and check out pro tournament schedules, please visit:

www.beachtennisusa.net

GOOD JOB DUCKS!!!

Just wanted to give a shout out to “my team” the Anaheim Ducks for their recent victory over the Detroit red wings in the Stanley cup playoffs! The ducks are the new western conference champs for 2007!!

HERE WE GO GUYS!! Get that cup!!! We will be cheering you on all the way!

Posted by amystebbins at 04:53 AM | Permalink

I am pretty sure that most of you out there have heard the Surgeon General, and the American College of Sports Medicine suggest that we all need to exercise moderately for at least 30 minutes a day.

HOWEVER…truth be told, moderate exercise for only 30 minutes a day, is just NOT enough to give you the significant gains in physical fitness most are looking for.

The SG’s suggestion DOES promote metabolic health, and is certainly better than sitting on your bum, but the point of starting an exercise regime is to make improvements!

Several groups of scientists from Germany to Canada have studied the effect of moderate and intense exercise on women. They compared the effects of exercise programs that burned the same number of calories, but were different in intensity (moderate group and intense group)

 Their findings do not surprise me at all…

The women, who exercised intensely, lost more weight and in a shorter amount of time, than the women who exercised moderately.

The moral of the story?

Train intense to make gains in physical fitness and shed fat fast!

I train at an intense level most days of the week. When training at a greater level of intensity, you will get through your workout faster as well!

As a mother of a three year old boy and eleven year old girl, this is a must! With a quicker workout, I have more time to do all I need to get done.

A fabulous healthy and fit body faster…who could ask for more!

If you would like more information on training programs like mine, feel free to email me at Amy@risingstarfitness.com I would be happy to help you J

EXCITING PLANS FOR THE FUTURE

I just wanted to give everyone the heads up….

We have some exciting things coming your way in the near future!

Stay tuned for more info…

If you would like to be notified of future events, sign up for our e-mailing list. Just send me an email to Amy@risingstarfitness.com

MORE RECIPES POSTED!!!

Check the recipe section for some more recipes!

I just made these new additions to our recipe section last night…it rained here, so it was the PERFECT meal!! So yummy and satisfying…like a big hug for my tummy! As my kids would say! J

NOTE- I would absolutely LOVE to hear suggestions for our recipe section! Do you have a certain recipe you would like to see here? What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast, lunch, snack time or Dinner?? How about dessert??

Do you have a favorite recipe you would like to have made lighter??

How about a good story or memory of your favorite dish??

PLEASE send the recipes in!! I would love to post things you all would like to eat!

Send your recipes, suggestions, stories or questions to

Amy@risingstarfitness.com

I look forward to hearing from you all!!

Happy Training and Healthy Eating!

Until next time!

Amy Stebbins, CFT

Posted by amystebbins at 10:33 AM | Permalink

It IS possible to build a beautiful, strong and healthy body with minimal exercise equipment. You do not have to invest thousands of dollars on the home gym that you saw on “lifestyles of the rich and famous”. If you follow my advice, those rich and famous people will be asking you where and how you got that tight body!

There are a few simple fitness tools you can start with, and the best part is that you can take them with you any where. Just stuff them in your bag and go! It doesn’t matter that your hotel or home doesn’t have a gym…because you don’t need one.

Here is a list of my favorite and inexpensive fitness tools.

YOUR OWN BODY WEIGHT!!!- Yes that’s right folks!! Push ups, pull ups, crunches, leg lifts, kick backs and plyometrics are EXCELLENT and VERY EFFECTIVE exercises that give tried and true results. Those boot camp style exercises and sprints can get you breaking a sweat, and building quality muscle in no time.

RESISTANCE BANDS AND TUBING- I know you have all seen these and thought “WHATEVER” but they are a little secret bodybuilders do not like to talk about. They can give you constant resistance! This in turn means tight, beautiful muscle. TRY THEM! Make sure to purchase various resistances. Remember people…PROGRESS! When one band becomes too easy, it is time to move on to the next one! You will get NO WHERE if you cheat yourself. REMEMBER…fitness takes WORK. If a hot, beautiful body came in a bottle, everyone would have one. It is worth the effort…believe me!

GOOD OLD JUMP ROPE- YES!! Remember in grade school playing double Dutch?? Well it is time to go “old school” …Just ask any prize fighter how they got that fat free body mass, and they will tell you…JUMP ROPE!! Just ask Sylvester Stallone.

SWISS BALL and MEDICINE BALLS- these tools have so many uses, that it would literally take me all day to list them. I use my Swiss ball everyday when I work my abs. I take a weight plate or medicine ball and rest it on my chest, then crunch. It works!

EXERCISE MAT- you want to be comfortable on the floor doing those hip raises, and crunches right? These are essential.

RUN OR WALK- yes…you can do it anywhere and the best part is that it is free.

These are just a few of the basic tools you can use to get in the best shape of your life!

If you have more questions on how to perform these exercises, or if you are interested in having a custom program designed just for you, using these methods, just contact me at Amy@risingstarfitness.com

I hope to hear from you soon!

STAY TUNED FOLKS….I will be posting some interesting pictures soon!! Keep checking back!!

Posted by amystebbins at 08:51 AM | Permalink