Womens Ab Workout

Flat Stomach Exercise of the Week - EZ Bar Skull Crushers

admin — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 00:50:44 +0000

When you read the title of this article I’m sure you’re thinking - what has she come up with next? I promise this exercise really won’t crush you in the head - its just a term to scare you away from it. This exercise is a great exercise for women to lift weights and will help you get tight, toned arms.

This week’s Flat Stomach Exercise of the Week for your Flat Stomach Workout helps us get rid of those flabby arms that nobody wants by focusing on our triceps.

Just in case you’re not quite sure - your triceps are located on the back of your arm. They connect your elbow and shoulder joints and help with movement of your arm. Your triceps, along with other smaller muscles, help keep your back straight and strong. Having strong, tight triceps helps keep your joints strong and ensures limited injury to these joints as well as helping you through daily activities - such as picking up your car keys or making dinner.

Making sure you have strong, tight triceps helps get rid of that ‘flabby arm’ look that no woman likes when wearing a t-shirt, tank top or strapless dress. When you build your tricep muscles you help to burn the fat in the surrounding area, thus bringing out some definition and keeping your arms tight and toned. Who doesn’t want tight, toned arms?

Using the EZ Bar (or a straight barbell) works both triceps at the same time spreading the weight equally across the muscles, by isolating your triceps, and helping you build strength in your triceps. Make sure to watch the video below for proper form and technique to ensure you don’t ‘crush your skull’ with the skull crusher.

Happy Training!

Click here to view the embedded video.

More Flat Stomach Exercises:

Flat Stomach Exercise of the Week - Stability Ball Dumbbell Chest Press

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Three Tips to Help You Stick to Your Flat Stomach Diet and Workout While Traveling

admin — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 00:12:13 +0000

I spent the last week away from home (if you saw my Facebook status you know I was on a school trip with 100 5^th graders - fun). The trip was fun, but while I was away for those four days I did not have the access to good food or the gym. AHHHH….what to do?

This is a common problem many people face when it comes to vacation or travelling away from home. You don’t always have access to a gym and you don’t always have access to food that you would normally eat on your flat stomach diet.

So instead of freaking out I kept in mind my three tips for traveling away from home….tips that you can keep in mind on your next business trip or vacation and not stray off the path to your flat stomach.

Tip #1 - Take a few days off from the gym

If you don’t travel often and this is just a quick trip away from home then make those few days your rest days. If you are on vacation - it’s time to relax - not worry about whether or not you can get to the gym. Your body will appreciate the rest when you get home. Your muscles will be recovered and you’ll be ready to go when you get back.

However, if you’re really concerned with your workout routine - go for a walk or a run. Maybe take a hike or rent a bike if you can. Try a different form of exercise than those you are used too. Your body will still be burning calories and you will come home guilt free because you didn’t miss all of your workouts.

Tip #2 - Watch what you eat

Since you are going to be eating out a lot while out of town - try going for those ‘healthier’ options. Stay away from the French fries if you have the options of veggies with dinner. Try a salad with the dressing on the side and stay away from too much fried food. Don’t clean your plate either - we all know that restaurant portion sizes are way too much to eat anyways - so enjoy good food, but not a clean plate.

Tip #3 - Pack your meals before you go

If it’s a quick trip and you really don’t want to tempt yourself with the options of going off of your flat stomach diet - then prepare for the trip. Pack some protein powder, peanut butter, oatmeal and some healthy snacks. Maybe even pre-cook some chicken for the road if the travel time isn’t too long and get a fridge to store the food in when you get to the hotel. I’ve done this before when I went away for a quick trip and didn’t want to stray off of my diet. It worked well and when I got back home I was ready to get back down to business on my flat stomach goals.

So, next time your job or your life takes you away from home - don’t stress out about what’s going to happen with your flat stomach workout. Instead enjoy the trip by taking a few days off, being extra careful with what you eat or pack your meals so you know what you’re going to eat. But above all - don’t stress about missing a day from your routine, traveling is stressful enough. Instead, enjoy your trip and know in a few days time you’ll be back home and kicking butt on your flat stomach workout.

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When Is the Best Time of Day to Work Out?

admin — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 21:59:03 +0000

Timing is everything. However, when it comes to your flat stomach workout – is there a best time to hit the gym? With minimal scientific research, this question has turned into one with much debate and controversy. So when is the best time to workout?

Studies have found…

Your strength is greatest in the afternoon – enabling women to lift heavy weights and reach your maximum
Working out in the afternoon creates less opportunity for injury. Our bodies are alert and awake – so are we mentally. Plus, our body temperature is at its peak – allowing for maximum flexibility of the muscles and joints – therefore preventing injury.
You have a greater aerobic capacity in the afternoon – if you’re training for a marathon or running sprints you’ll have greater endurance if you schedule your workout in the afternoon.
If you hit the gym in the morning you’re more likely to consistently go. Hitting the gym in the morning and then heading to work allows for your workout to be done and over with – so you have no excuses at the end of the day to skip you workout.

However, we are all different. Some of us are morning people and have no problem waking up in the morning and heading to the gym. While others can barely wake up in time for work and need to get to the gym in the evening after work. You make the time work for you. If you need to work out in the morning because it is more convenient then go to the gym in the morning. Your body will adjust to working out at this time and you will have a great workout.

Another problem that we come across when deciding when to go to the gym is our personal life. Between your family, relationships, work, running errands, and whatever else life can through at you it can be difficult to figure out when is the best time to go to the gym. That’s when you have to squeeze in your workout whenever you can - no matter the time of day - just whenever you have the time.

So when is the best time to for your flat stomach workout? The best time is whenever works for YOU. The most important part in figuring out when you workout is making sure that you WILL go to the gym and that you can get your workout in. If that means working out one day in the morning and the next day at night – no big deal – your body will get used to the routine. Just get to the gym - and remember dedication and focus are the two most important keys to reaching your flat stomach goals - not the time of day.

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Dedication and Focus - Keys to Reaching Your Flat Stomach Goals

admin — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 14:03:57 +0000

I get a lot of emails from readers, and honestly – it’s one of the best parts about the internet – interacting with my readers and clients without meeting them in person and continuing to help motivate and guide them to reach their flat stomach goals.

Well, I recently received an email in response to my last article about Why Women Need to Lift Weights in the Gym. Here’s what she said….

Hey Melissa!
Thanks for the great articles and info on your site - it’s really helped me get back in the gym. Lifting weights used to be my big fear, however, now I’m having a problem staying dedicated to my routine. I’ve learned to eat healthy and clean and I’ve lost some weight. But, it’s not enough – I want a flat stomach, I want to lose more weight.
I’m motivated and I know what to do in the gym but I can’t seem to stay focused or dedicated to my workout. I’ll go to the gym for a few days and then won’t feel like going one day and then I don’t go back for days. I don’t know what I need to do to get focused because I’m starting to get frustrated at my ‘ditzy ways’ with the gym.
Any suggestions?
Thanks for your help
Monica

I know Monica is not alone. Personally, I have struggled with the same issues of dedication and focus as sometimes life comes at you fast and from angles you are least expecting it too. If you’re not 100% motivated or dedicated to working out, it makes getting there and achieving your goals that much harder.

Today, we’re going to solve Monica’s problem (and yours) and we’re going to make the commitment and stay dedicated to our goals and fitness plan…

First, answer these three quick questions:

1) Why are you working out?
2) What are your fitness goals?
3) Do you like working out?

The answers to these three questions are connected and I’ll show you how here…

#1 – Why are you working out?

If your answer is ‘because I have too’ – if I was grading this answer as a paper – I’d give you a D! Not enough information and that truly does not tell me WHY you are working out – do you have to because you ‘feel’ like you have to or do you ‘have’ to for health reasons? WHY are you working out?

If you don’t know why you are heading to the gym every day before or after work –t hen why bother going? Maybe you workout because you truly enjoy it – AWESOME – now from here we create your fitness goals of what you want your body to look like, feel like, and be like. You may workout because it is necessary for your health – from there you create your flat stomach goals.

*Being Dedicate + a No Pain No Gain Attitude has gotten Ava Cowen to THIS level*

However, if you are working out because you feel like you have too – then we have a problem that needs fixing. My first question is - What or who around you is making you feel like you ‘have’ to work out? Yes the benefits, of working out, are but you shouldn’t feel like you HAVE to do it – you make your own decisions everyday – you control what you want to do – don’t let anyone else make you feel like you ‘have’ to do something – we’ll continue this one in number three.

#2 – What are your fitness goals?

I’ve heard many people respond to this question by saying – wait I need goals when I work out? WOAH!! Stop right there – like question one – if you have no purpose for what you are doing – then why are you doing it? You are wasting your time!

When setting up productive goals – you need to set up long term goals, and then the short term goals that will help you get there. Like Monica mentioned – she wants a flat stomach – well – if you don’t have the dedication daily – you’re not going to get there (sorry for the hard truth!) How can we fix this?

First, make getting a flat stomach by X date your long term goal. Make the commitment, put the date on your calendar in pen, sign up for the show, the race, and the climb, whatever it is. Now you’re committed – hopefully the date is a few months in advance – and from here you set up your flat stomach workout to help you reach that goal – you are committed and know what you are working for.

Since we sometimes get distracted by life and all that is around us, it is also important to set short term goals along the way – I want to lift x amount of weight by this day, I want to run X amount of miles in X time by this day, etc. Short term goals; have to be accomplished to get you to the big picture in the end. Even set up daily and weekly goals. The more goals you set up for yourself the greater commitment you make to yourself and the more dedication you have because you want to achieve those goals. No one wants to set themselves up for failure – only success. Goal setting helps you reach that success - and what is better than being successful? Knowing you reached your goals is one of the most exciting steps in the process.

#3 – Do you like working out?

If you answered NO WAY JOSE to this question – I want to know why you are doing it then. Why are you forcing yourself to do something you don’t want too? This question relates back to number one – why are you working out if you absolutely hate it! If you don’t like walking on the treadmill – find another way of doing cardio that you like – there are TONS of options.

If you don’t like going to the gym and lifting weights in front of all those big meat heads – find a private trainer, or studio that you can work out in. There are SO many options out there – find one. If you are a fitness fanatic (like myself) then awesome! But now it’s time to figure out WHY you are working out and from there make a plan and make your time in the gym effective towards some ultimate goal.

One more tip – Tell someone what your goals are. Email me – melissa@womensabworkout.com - and tell me what your goals are - I’d love to know. When you tell someone, they help to hold you accountable and they can help keep you going.

Now it’s time to be dedicated to you – no more excuses as to why you don’t have the six pack you want, why you don’t fit into your ‘skinny’ jeans – the time for you to do it now. Exercise is exercise. Make the commitment, stay dedicated, and focused and you can do it. And let me know what you’re working towards – I’d love to know and we can work together to make sure you get there!

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Flat Stomach Exercise of the Week - Stability Ball Dumbbell Chest Press

admin — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 16:31:33 +0000

There are tons of awesome exercises out there to help you build muscle and burn fat. You don’t need to include ALL of these exercises everyday, but it is important to change what exercises your flat stomach workout has every few weeks.

This week I’m going to suggest you try the Stability Ball Dumbbell Chest Press. This exercise offers all the benefits of a chest press while adding some difficulty and allowing you to further strengthen your core muscles.

Every woman should being doing the chest press (its not going to make you look like a man - we now know that there are many benefits of weight lifting for women). The dumbbell chest press builds your chest muscles, which helps to increase your upper body strength. By building our chest muscles we also tighten our triceps. Tight triceps means sexy, toned arms in any sleeveless or strapless dress. This exercise also helps you build sexy shoulders without doing too much shoulder work.

By moving the dumbbell chest press from the bench to a stability ball, we increase the benefits by strengthening your core. In order to keep the stability ball ’stable’ you must engage your core and glutes during the entire exercise. Having a strong core and glutes helps to prevent back injuries in the future, as well as helping you reach your flat stomach goals faster.

Watch the quick video below to see the proper form for this exercise, to prevent any injury.

Happy Training!

Click here to view the embedded video.

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Four Types of Push-Ups to Strengthen and Tone Your Arms and Abs

admin — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 16:03:47 +0000

Need a new exercise for your upper body to keep your workout exciting? Or are you trying to sculpt lean, sexy arms? Whatever the reason for your need of a new exercise you need to make sure that you add push-ups to your workout today.

Now it might seem weird that I’m telling you to add push-ups to your workout - right? They seem like such a simple exercise that there couldn’t possibly be so many benefits - I agree. However, push-ups are a great exercise to help you further your progress towards a flat stomach and build strength in your upper body.

Doing push-ups is going to help you build muscle (which we all know helps us burn more fat), and also helps our upper body become stronger. Unfortunately, many women lack necessary upper body strength, and push-ups are a great simple exercise to help you increase that strength.

Not only do push-ups benefit your upper body (chest, triceps, shoulders) but doing push-ups correctly will help to strengthen your core muscles. Having a strong core will prevent back injuries and get you to that flat stomach faster.

I think my favorite thing about push-ups - they’re portable! Haha - yes - no equipment required! Plus, you can use your stairs, books, coffee table or even the couch to help you make them more difficult. Personally, I also like to challenge myself and like to see how I get stronger - tracking how many push-ups you can do is a great way to do that. For example - lets say you can barely do one push-up (without going on your knees) - no problem. If you keep trying everyday (doing 10 push-ups on your knees and trying one push-up without being on your knees) - you’re going to see your strength increase and pretty soon you’ll be doing 5 push-ups without going on your knees. Seeing the increase in number of push-ups is an instant picture to show that your hard work is paying off and you are getting stronger.

So - what types of push-ups are there? There are 100s of different variations of push-ups, but I’m not going to show or tell you about all of them. This short video shows four of my favorite types of push-ups that are going to help you get stronger, sculpt lean, sexy arms, and get a strong, tight core.

Click here to view the embedded video.

**Side Note - If you don’t do push-ups with the right form or sag your lower back -they are going to prove to be no benefit to you - you will instead only hurt yourself. Make sure you start off slow and gradually and daily build your strength.**

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Why Women Need to Lift Weights - Benefits of Lifting Weights for Women

admin — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 22:34:41 +0000

Ladies – I know we’re ALL scared of something – for Dorothy it was lions, tigers, and bears (oh my!). While for many of us, when it comes to losing weight , we are scared of failure, not working out hard enough, doing the ‘wrong thing’ and looking like a man caused by lifting weights. Well, ladies, its time to get rid of these fears – its time to take charge – today I’m going to tell you why you no longer need to be afraid of lifting weights and why lifting weights for women is important (heavy ones too).

For too long I have been the lone female in my gym in the free weight section. Most of the women in the gym are spending the hour they have to work out on the elliptical or treadmill – making sure to burn the exact amount of calories they consumed for the day. Maybe one or two trickle upstairs and join me, but for the most part it’s me and the guys – lifting the weights - building muscle and burning fat.

It’s time now for YOU to start doing the same and spend time lifting weights.

In order to get rid of our fear of lifting weights, we must look at why we are scared of lifting weights.

Reason #1 – You think that lifting weights will make you look like a man.

I agree - I don’t want to look like a man either! Currently I’m in the gym lifting weights 5 days a week and I don’t look like a man. This can no longer be your excuse because well, as a woman you do not have enough testosterone in your body to bulk up like a guy does. Our levels of testosterone are so low, that we will not bulk up and look like Arnold Schwarzenegger just because you are lifting weights a few times a week.

(Side Note - also, if you don’t like the look of lean women either who have muscles, lifting weights a few times week to burn fat won’t do this too you - it takes time and dedication to building muscle and the possibility of other substances.)

Also – lifting HEAVY weights will NOT make you look like a man either – for the same reason – we don’t have enough testosterone in our body to allow us, as women, to bulk up.

If anything – lifting weights, heavy or light - will help you burn more fat and help you become stronger. When you add muscle to your body, your body in turns burns more fat, therefore helping you reach your flat stomach goals faster. (You will even burn fat while you’re not working out!). What’s even cooler – is you will see yourself getting stronger and honestly – what woman doesn’t want to be strong? I love it when I can go in the gym one week and lift a heavier weight than I did 3 weeks ago – it shows that you are working hard.

Reason #2 – You don’t know what to do and you don’t want to make a fool of yourself by doing the wrong thing.

Okay – stop right there. There are PLENTY of people in the gym who don’t know what they are doing and many of them are guys. There are people in there with poor posture, making up exercises and some who aren’t even working out because they’re talking. So, there is no need to worry about not knowing what exercises to do and if you are doing them right or wrong.

Plus, most people aren’t actually watching you. Yes, you get your random people who do quickly glance over at you, but for the most part everyone in the gym is there to get their workout in and get out. They aren’t going to be staring at you and wondering what is she doing? Unless of course you start flapping your arms like crazy like I saw some guy the other day. But I know you won’t do that.

There are so many opportunities for you to find out and learn what exercises you can do with weights in the gym that you don’t need to be nervous. You can check out the exercises on my YouTube channel, you can read workout magazines to see what other women are doing, or you can search the internet.

If you are really nervous and don’t feel comfortable just going out on your own then set up a session with a trainer at your gym. They’ll be more than happy to show you what exercises to do, show you how to do them properly, and to give you a routine to start off with. There are so many ways for you to find WHAT to do (plus I’m going to be sharing some more with you) that this is no longer an excuse.

Reason #3 – You’re scared you are going to hurt yourself.

This is a very understandable concern. However, like I mentioned above – ask someone, research the proper form and technique and if you’ve never lifted weights before, don’t start with the heaviest weight possible. Start off light and let yourself get stronger.

Also, lifting weights properly will help you prevent injuries- now and later in life. Research has shown that lifting weights increases bone density, therefore decreasing the risk of osteoporosis in women. They have also found that lifting weights helps to strengthen the connective tissue between your joints, making them stronger. When the connective tissue becomes stronger, it adds support to your joints, preventing injury. Plus, we all know that when we exercise, we are lowering our levels or body fat, therefore lowering our cholesterol and risk of diabetes and heart disease.

So, are you still scared? There is no need to be – I know you can do it and you know you can. There are no more excuses for you to not lose body fat and get stronger – lifting weights will only help you.

However, if you are still worried about lifting weights – leave a comment below or email me - melissa@womensabworkout.com and let me know what is preventing you from adding weight lifting to your flat stomach workout routine and together we’ll make sure that you can start lifting weights and losing fat faster!

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Six Random Health Facts to Start Your day

admin — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 01:13:38 +0000

I’ve been reading a lot of magazines, newspapers, and message boards - there is so much cool information out there - about EVERYTHING! Here is a list of the six most recent random health facts that I found and think you need to know too!

- Its been proven that physical activity can decrease your risk of cancer. Sitting still and not moving increases the levels of estrogen (increase the risk of breast cancer) and insulin cells (unhealthy and healthy cells) that circulate around your body to mulitply faster. Time to get moving!

- Carbs are not the answer to a satisfied stomach. Studies have shown that people whose carb intake was 55% of their daily calories were less satisfied and full when compared to those whose carb intake was only 43% of their total daily caloric intake. Next time your hungry, instead of grabbing a bag of potato chips, grab some healthy whole grains or veggies, to help keep your tummy happy.

- A smile a day keeps the stress away. Smiling really is the best medicine. Not only will smiling help you reduce stress by helping to change your mood, but a recent study has found that when you have a smile and a positive attitude may help you live longer. People who smile are better able to handle stress, and are better equiped to deal with the negative facts of life.

- Caffeine has become the most popular drug in the world. People who consume more than 300 milligrams of caffeine per day are increasing their risk of high blood pressure, insomnia, and stomach irritation. If you need to have caffeine to keep you going through the day, try to keep your intake minimal and in the morning.

- Eating smaller meals, 6-8 meals per day, controls your blood sugar levels by spreading your calorie intake throughout the day. Eating smaller meals keeps your metabolism working continuously throughout the day, burning fat even as you sit at your desk. (Most importantly, it keeps you feeling full, which helps you avoid the mid-afternoon binges).

-The hip bone’s connected to the…well, we’re not talking about the hip bone here. But there are two systems in your body that are very connected - your digestive system and immune system. What happens in your digestive system can affect whether or not you get sick. So in order to avoid getting sick this winter, make sure your diet is full of probiotics (found in low fat yogurt) and quercetin (found in broccoli and apples).

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Flat Stomach Diet Lunch Recipes - Spinach Salad

admin — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 17:04:48 +0000

I’m sitting down now, planning and preparing my lunch menu for the week. Planning really is one of the most important parts of any flat stomach diet. Why? Knowing what you are going to eat helps keep you on track. You cook the food for the week ahead of time and everything is ready for you to go. Plus, you don’t have to come home after a long day of work and stress of the question ‘What’s for dinner?’

With planning in mind - I thought I’d share one of my favorite flat stomach diet lunch options. Its a quick, put together recipe that you can have ready to go in five minutes - not to mention it’s tasty AND good for you!!

Click here to view the embedded video.

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Inspiring Women: Heather Frey

admin — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 22:15:23 +0000

Heather Frey is one of those SUPER inspiring women - you know - one of those people that if you were lucky enough to see them in person you would get all nervous to go up and talk to them? Heather is a Mom, Figure Competitor, Artist, and President of her OWN Online Business. With SO much going on its amazing Heather has time for herself. But as you will read, that is one of the keys to her success…realizing that making time for “Heather” was the only way she would be able to be the BEST that she could be.

Let Heather tell you how she made herself the BEST that she could be….

Womens Ab Workout: Tell us more about yourself. Who are you?

Heather Frey: I am you, and all of your readers. I am the struggle we’ve all been through or are going through. I’ve been heavy, thin, fit, and unfit. I’m no different. I just finally figured out how to balance all the important fitness factors (resistance, cardiovascular training and nutrition) as they pertain to my life and body. I just finally got sick of struggling and sick of beating myself up, so I decided I had enough. I did that by using the most important muscle, though the most resistant, my mind.

My first career, only put on hold hopefully, is as an artist. My “girls” reflect that inner desire we all have to find peace and joy in our lives. It gets harder as life gets more complex so my art is a reminder of our own value and strength.

WAW: How long have you been training and what are your goals and aspirations in the fitness industry? (PS - that picture is REALLY Heather - check out her after pics below!)

HF: I’ve been working out for over 20 years, but I’ve been “training” since 2006. I met a girl at my gym with a body to die for. I looked at her and told myself “I want to look like that”. It turned out she was a Figure Pro. Over time, we became very good friends and she encouraged me to compete. Compete in what? I didn’t even know what Figure was. But she showed me exactly what to lift, how many times, how heavy, what to eat, and holy barbell…transformation! I could hardly believe it myself. Don’t get me wrong, it was HARD work, but I became addicted to the results. For the first time ever, I could actually SEE my hard work and not just stay in a holding pattern.

What are my aspirations in the fitness industry? To have every amazing fitness professional from personal trainers, to group fitness instructors, sports rehab specialist, pre-post natal trainers, sports specific trainers and coaches, and all special and unique trainers in between to be a part of our SmashFit Team and make them available to EVERY person who is ready, wanting or just thinking about getting fit or taking their fitness to the next level. I want SmashFit to start get us all to wake up and simply grab our health back!

I have also been named the Spokesperson for The Weekly Fitness Challenge, a global movement to get people HEALTHIFIED and FIT! The problems we could solve if we could reduce or eliminate our collective weight related health issues. My aspirations in the fitness industry are to pull together as many experts on health and nutrition as we can throughout the world and see if we can’t start making some serious changes.

WAW: You are a Mom, Figure Competitor, and an Online Business Owner (Smashfit.com) – what was your motivation to start working out and get into fitness?

HF: I’ve always been athletic. I was a gymnast growing up so since there isn’t adult gymnastics (though I’m working on it at my daughters gymnastics gym :), I had to find some release for my inner athlete and working out was it. It wasn’t until a few years ago, that I found out getting into super shape was a sport!

WAW: What was your inspiration to start your online fitness business Smashfit.com?

HF: My inspiration was two experiences. The first was watching my friend, struggling with her weight; hire a trainer at my gym who just happened to be this gorgeous woman. All the guys flitted around this trainer distracting her from my friend (poor training for sure) and knocking my friends confidence to the ground. Bad match. She ended up leaving the gym. I don’t think she ever came back.

The second inspiration was my own experience. What a HUGE difference it makes to have an expert standing in front you and telling you what YOU need. Again, the results were amazing to me. I encourage everyone who is starting their fitness journey or those who want to take their fitness to the next level, to hire a trainer! They’re too expensive? Well how much did you spend going out to eat last month? Or on books, magazines and CD’s you don’t look at? Or the gym membership you don’t use? If you took that money and applied it to a professional to give you exactly the information YOU need, the results would shock you. They did me. That’s why I created SmashFit!

WAW: To get into great shape, as yourself, you must be pretty particular about your training. How would you describe your training? Are you into body part training or full body training? Why?

HF: I would describe my training as very focused. I love my gym and have a lot of friends. I have small children, so adult interaction is crucial to stay grown-up like. BUT, when my headphones are on and I’m in my zone, I pretty much stay there. I focus on each muscle I am using and squeeze to make sure I get it extra strong! I focus on my form and what I want the muscle to do and look like. My strategy is a body part (or two) a day. For competition, I need to make sure I hit each one, so this helps me stay “organized”. This said, I think all over workouts are incredible and now that I am the size I want to be, I do venture out into all-over fitness when I get a chance. I do cardio 6 days a week, and ride my bike hard a few days a week for double cardio days…and love it.

WAW: One of the biggest parts of fitness, whether training for a figure competition, as you have done, or just trying to lose weight and get a flat stomach is a DIET. What does your diet look like? What are three tips you can you offer women who are trying to change their eating habits/diet to get in shape?

HF: I like to call it nutrition. The word diet has gotten a bad wrap over the years and seems to conjure up thoughts and feelings of “restriction”. Often when we think of a “diet”, we think of it as a temporary strategy to lose weight, but inevitably people tend to go back to their old ways and regain their weight. Diets just don’t work in my opinion. I focus on my NUTRITION and what will get me the results I need to compete, stay healthy and remain hunger-free.
My nutrition basically consists of chicken, fish, egg whites, oatmeal, sweet potatoes, quinoa, asparagus, green beans, romaine, and spinach. I eat 5-6 small meals throughout my day making sure to have a protein and carb at ever meal. I take fish oil and flax to get the essential Omega-3s.

Three tips to begin your TRANSFORMATION!

1. Get rid of processed and sugar foods. Stop buying sweetened foods, white bread, snack crackers, etc. They are loaded with sugar and sodium.
2. Start PLANNING what you are going to eat and have it ready! I make a ton of chicken and steamed veggies for the week so I only have to cook once!
3. Stop eating the food you look at and say “I shouldn’t eat that”. THAT alone will make a big difference in reducing your caloric intake.

WAW: What are your four favorite exercises for lean, sexy legs?

HF: Lunges, lunges, lunges and lunges! Side lunges, short lunges, long lunges, long lunges with a kick, pulse lunges, lunges with jumps in between. Did I mention lunges? Certainly I do many different leg exercises but for over-all tight, lean legs the lunge rocks. It hits the quads, hamstrings, glutes, and hips. Also great are the Leg Extension machine, Squats, and Hamstring Curl machine. 

WAW: I love that you have your “How to Juggle Sixteen Things at the Same Time and Still Retain Your Sense of Humor” Certification – how do you make sure that you have time for your fitness routine/training and healthy eating?

HF: Working out is as part of my day as taking a shower. Sure you could skip a day here and there, but you just don’t feel right. I MAKE the time. If I can’t go in the morning (the best time for me), then I go at night after my kids go to bed and drag myself in there, like it or not.

WAW: What advice can you offer other women to help them “juggle sixteen things at the same time and still retain your sense of humor”?

HF: Simply, make it happen. You are AS important as your children, your husband, your friends, and your job. Women tend to put themselves at the end of the line when it comes to doing things for themselves then wonder why they are tired and sad. You simply have to cut in line and make yourself a priority. That doesn’t mean you are selfish…getting healthy is not selfish! It’s simply getting your body and mind in the best possible shape so you can give the BEST of yourself to your loved ones. I am a better, stronger, happier and more energetic Mom than I was when I began the motherhood journey 11 years ago with my first daughter.

WAW: Where can we find more information out about you?

HF: You can check out my bio on SmashFit.com and read a bit about my own revelation.

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