Congrats To The Last 2 Challenge Winners! Here Are Their Top Fitness ?'s....

Hi guys! I just wanted to give a shout out to Mindy, who won last week's challenge and also Adana who won the week before that! They asked me some great questions, so I thought I'd share with the rest of you (see below)! If you are the winner this week, you'll get to ask me 3 of your fitness questions! Good luck to all of you - and finish this week strong : )

From Last Week's Winner - Mindy:

1. If i work out then eat lunch or dinner, is it more beneficial than eating before a work out?
Well, you want do to both. You don't want to workout on a completely empty stomach or you won't have any energy. So, eat a small meal or snack within 1-2hrs of your workout (not right before, unless it's very small and easy to digest like 1/2 banana or something). Then, you want do eat another meal or small snack within 30-60min when you are done to help your muscles recover faster. If it's not mealtime, a handful of nuts would be perfect. You want to focus more on carbs pre-workout (for energy) and protein post-workout for muscle recovery.

2. What is the best way to get off the last 5 lbs.?
Switch things up! Your body hits a plateau because it wants to hold on to those last 5lbs! So, keep your body and mind guessing by spicing up your workouts and diet. Try a new workout and some new foods. Even if you think it's not as hard or maybe has more calories- give it a try. Also, sometimes upping the intensity of your cardio will do the trick. Your body gets used to a certain intensity, so try some intervals and make it harder. With weight training, try a different weight. Do some sets with light weight and high reps and some with heavy weight and low reps (always aim for at least 10-12 though).

3. My kids (13 & 9) like to work out with me, do you have any suggestions on activities that would be good for us to do together?
That's great that they are active and like to workout with you! Maybe try a new outdoor game or sport they can do after school. Or, start a routine of doing a walk, run or bike ride after dinner. Or, maybe you could all train for a 5k, bike ride or mini-triathlon. They have a lot of races that kids can do with their parents. Then you would have a family goal (and a little competition). If the weather isn't great, maybe try a fun yoga or hip-hop or other dance video inside. Hikes and exploring things outside are always fun for kids too. Maybe you could find a new park or hiking trail to explore on the weekends.

From Adana (previous week):
1. What's your opinion of juicing?
I think juicing is a great way to get in some extra fruits and vegetables and create some tasty drinks. However, I would recommend that you do it yourself so that you don't end up consuming extra ingredients (calories, sugar, chemicals, etc.) that you don't need. If you buy your juices from the store, just make sure that the ingredients are all natural with no additives. There are some people who like to use juices as a detox or cleanse diet. I would not recommend this, because although juices are nutritious, they are not enough for a meal. You can use them for a snack or mini meal (or pair with some protein like nuts) but to just drink juice all day would not be good. You may lose a few pounds this way, but you will gain it all back as soon as you start eating normal food.

2. Do you believe doing crunches or working out before bed helps boost your metabolism?
Hmmm. Well, I'm not really sure about this one - but I'm going to have to say "no". Crunches are great to work your core and abdominal muscles, but it shouldn't matter what time of day you do them. Typically it's best to do your crunches and hard ab work at the end of your workouts, so that your core is not completely tired during the rest of the workout. But, doing a few crunches throughout the day (including bedtime) is totally fine. I wouldn't do a hard workout right before bed, just because it may interfere with your sleep. The best way to increase your metabolism is to eat breakfast, eat mini meals throughout the day and also increase your muscle mass (do strength training).

3. What are the best moves for reducing cellulite?
That's a tricky one, because there really isn't a magic move that will do the trick. However, by increasing your muscle mass (especially in the legs) - you will have less fat and the muscle will plump up the tissues closer to the skin and smooth out the appearance. You aren't going to "bulk" your legs by doing strength training though. Even if you gain muscle, you are just replacing some of the fat (and cellulite) with muscle tissue. It's not going to be larger, it will just be less lumpy and stronger! Do squats, lunges, inner and outer thigh leg lifts (on the mat) and other moves to target glutes and legs. Also, watch your diet - make sure you aren't eating too much fat (healthy fat is ok) and avoid sugar and sodium. Cardio helps too, because it will help burn fat...which is what you want. But, to spot treat the legs, glutes or wherever you have the cellulite - I would focus on strength training those areas a little more.