Start Small:
If fitting in one hour workouts 5 to 6 times a week seems way to overwhelming to manage, start small. Aim for 30 minute workouts 3 to 4 times a week to begin. By Memorial Day weekend you will see small results and be ready to kick it up a notch by adding 15 minute increments to your workouts and increase your frequency to 4 to 5 sessions per week.

Be Intense:
From now until Memorial Day use that 30 minutes efficiently. This does not include reclining on a bike while catching up on The Bachelor and filing your nails. This 30 minute power workout should be intense and get your heart rate up (at least 60% of your max heart rate) the entire time. If you usually walk, now start to jog. Maybe an intense DVD like Insanity would help and some are only 40 minutes long. It should be focused on your form, breathing and your positive inner dialogue. Think strong and healthy thoughts, not about the laundry that needs to be done or the report that is due on your boss’s desk in the morning.

Lift Heavy:
You can’t tone what you don’t have. In order to look lean you will have to strength train to build muscle. Not only will you shape and chisel your body, you will also be increasing your RMR, or resting metabolic rate, the rate at which your body burns calories at rest. Don’t be scared to lift heavy loads. Women’s bodies are not designed to bulk up, that only happens when body builders are tweaking their diet and doing serious lifting to get that Hulk-like appearance. It won’t happen to you or me unless we wanted to. If strength training is new to you, make sure to get help with form from a trainer or video (like P90X) and leave at least a day or two between sessions for the muscle to heal and build stronger. Again, start small. You can get good results by just adding weight training to your cardio routine twice a week, for 20 to 30 minutes at a time.

Here’s an oldie but goodie video where Sharzad from LuxLyfe blog and myself will show you four exercises that will tone each of our three “trouble zones”, the arms, butt, and belly. You can do these exercises while you’re getting ready for work in the morning and start seeing results within weeks!

As much as I love to find healthy organic restaurants to eat at when I travel, I also think it’s fun to find a restaurant that serves up the local cuisine of that region. In this case, last night my Beachbody Master Trainer team and I decided on a place called Love and War in Texas. Does it get better than that? The menu featured everything from wild boar to Gulf shrimp fajitas and “Texas cavier” which apparently is just a black eyed peas, onions and pepper stir fry. I was really hoping to see some sort of meat eating contest while I was in Texas but the closest I came was seeing a stuffed habanero eating challenge on the menu. We dared our fellow trainer, but he wasn’t up for the challenge that would have got us a free meal if he was able to eat them all in five minutes without water.

As I searched the menu for semi-healthy options that would best fit my food rules, I was hard pressed. The closest I came was a salad with grilled shrimp, with the dressing on the side. As I was eating the shrimp an old familiar taste was apparent. It brought me back to living in Chinatown in NYC. It was MSG, for sure. A nasty chemical ingredient that I know my body is very sensitive to and my swollen, sausage fingers and baggy eyes this morning are a testament to it. MSG is often found in mass produced “seasoning” like the spices on my shrimp. It’s also used in many packaged sauces, soups, meats, and snack foods.

Food manufacturers use MSG, or monosodium glutamate, to enhance the umami (savory) flavor of the food. Certain individuals (including myself), are sensitive to MSG and can have side effects such as headaches, bloating, and general malaise after digesting it. The problem is that it is now hidden in many food additives even though the package may say “No MSG added”. This is because the sodium is not part of the additive and the glutamate can be found in ingredients such as hydrolyzed vegetable proteins, autolyzed yeast, hydrolyzed yeast, yeast extract, soy extracts, and soy and whey protein isolate.

I would advise to avoid MSG whenever possible. Ask your server at any Asian-style restaurant if they use it while cooking and if so to leave it out of your meal. Read every label and do not buy packaged foods that contain the ingredients listed above. Stick to fresh whole foods as much as you can. And when eating at restaurants that use a lot of “seasoning” ask them to leave it out and use the salt and pepper from the table instead. In my case, the day after my mistake, I will drink tons of water, workout, and eat a fresh and high fiber diet of mostly fruits and veggies.

By the way, the restaurant was fun and I would recommend it for an out-of-towner like myself to get a real Texas experience.

This week has been a great week for blogging! My fabulous friend and lifestyle blogger Sharzad, of LuxLyfe, has collaborated with me to raise awareness for Sexual Assault Awareness Month. We filmed a short video in an alley to give our readers tips on safety and how to protect yourself if attacked.

Tip number one ladies: Put the cell phones away! You can always wait to answer a text or check a voicemail until you are safely indoors or locked inside your car, after you have checked the backseat before getting in. So, without further adieu, here is our collabo!

Excerpt from LuxLyfe:

April is sexual assault awareness month and in honor of that I asked my friend Jennifer Cassetta to do an ass kicking (more like groin bashing) demo for us. She has some awesome tips on how to protect yourself if you are ever caught in a compromising situation.  Learn, enjoy, and please be safe out there friends!

Click here for the full story…

Nine months ago I was attending an Institute for Integrative Nutrition networking/meet-n-greet led by the dynamic Jenn Cassetta. She made bringing a room of strangers together seem so effortless as she led conversations and provided topics for discussion. Her leadership ability and motivational demeanor combined with her nutrition, self-defense and fitness knowledge make her natural fit for media appearances. It also doesn’t hurt that she’s beautiful both on and off the camera!  She’s also incredibly modest. Jenn has a roster of celeb clients, three DVDs and subsequently a busy, busy schedule due to being in demand. Jenn kicked off 2012 with an appearance on the top-rated morning television show, but you must keep reading to find out the details.

P.S. If you’ve ever sweated at home to P90X and cursed your television for the burn and torture you now have a name and face to find … just kidding! Find Jenn on Facebook or give her a big “hello!!” via Twitter @JennCassetta.

For the full article, click here….

Sneakers, check. Running gear, check. iPod, check. I even packed some extra liquid vitamin B12 and packets of eBoost, just in case I needed that extra kick in the morning to go for my vacation runs. We arrived early on a Saturday afternoon and after checking into our hotel we immediately took a taxi to Los Olivos, an adorable little town dedicated to drinking wine. First stop: Epiphany Cellars tasting room. I love this place, the staff is lovely, and they always seem to have us taste more wine than is on the list. After this, we went straight to lunch for a salad with tuna, and back out for tasting. I could have stopped there but we wound up at Carhartt’s Tasting Room, the only place that stays open past 5pm with an outdoor backyard and great music. Needless to say, waking up early on Easter Sunday to run before church did not happen. We had a lovely brunch at Root 246 which serves mainly local and organic meals deliciously prepared. Somehow we wound up “tasting” (a fancy word for drinking) more wine into the evening and I got my healthy dose of resveratrol (enough for a month!). Once again, Monday morning’s run got sidetracked and soon it was time to head back to LA.

So what did I learn from all of this?

- I’m human and it’s ok to take a few days off for vacation.
- I stuck to my normal eating plan which was key to not feeling worse.
- That tip about drinking one glass of water between each drink that you have, is a really good idea, and shouldn’t be forgotten about.
- Sometimes you just have to let loose and let go off all of your rules (or at least some of them) for a short time, knowing that you can get right back into your healthy habit routine.

And that’s exactly what I did. Cheers!

Generation Rescue gives parents hope, resources and even grants to those who cannot afford treatment for their child with autism. Looking through their site, I love seeing that they provide information on how diet can affect these children. It turns out that many children that have been diagnosed as autistic actually have some form of inflammation in their gut and can have mild to severe food allergies. Which when treated with an elimination diet and supplements can make a world of difference to the child’s mental and physical abilities. I first learned of this concept listening to my fave DR Mark Hyman at a conference called Food as Medicine. He has helped heal so many children with different disorders all with integrative medicine. Love him!

Back to last night. Instead of the lame cocktail party, Danskin’s event featured a fun yoga class with Liz Arch (my new favorite yogini), and fit and healthy treats afterward. I got to thank Jenny in person for having me on her TV pilot last summer, teaching her Stilettos and Self Defense and gave her a copy of my new DVD series. And by the way, did I mention it was at the London Hotel (LA), on their rooftop at sunset? Great event Danskin and way to go Jenny! Keep up the amazing work.

I often get asked which style of martial arts I recommend. This is such a tough question to answer in short so that’s why it is today’s blog post. After training in HapKiDo  at the World Martial Arts Center (WMAC) in NYC for ten straight years, my immediate answer would have been easy. HapKiDo. It’s amazing in its diversity. There are boxing, kickboxing and sparring drills where I got to sweat my tail off. Then we learned self-defense techniques that could potentially save my life (and have).  We learned weaponry so I got to train with swords, knives, staffs, sticks, daggers, canes, fans, tonfa and nunchuks (over many years of course). The conditioning kept my body strong and lean and the meditation kept my mind strong and lean (no room for crap that fattens our minds) as well. I loved my school and spent more time there than any office, or place other than my apartment. But alas, the Socal sunshine called and I had to say goodbye.

In the last two plus years of living in Los Angeles, I have tried out a wide array of martial arts schools but none of them have lived up to the quality of teaching, diversity in the curriculum, and overall excellence of WMAC. So back to the question: which style to choose? The answer is; it all depends on the school, it’s teachers and what your goals are. So here is a quick checklist you can use when trying to find the right school for you.

1. Are you looking to learn practical self defense? If so, do your research. Some schools don’t really teach practical self defense.

2. Does the school practice the tradition of martial arts (bowing, formal names, etc.)? This is a personal decision. If you have a problem being humble and bowing to authority then it may not be for you. I personally like the formality and tradition and would only choose a school where it exists.

3. Is the Master (or head instructor) dedicated to the martial arts? Are they authentic or just trying to sell belts?

4. How much training do the instructors have in actually teaching? Many instructors wind up teaching because it is tradition to help the school. Many are terrible teachers and need specific teacher training.

5. Is there a curriculum? Some schools just teach random techniques based on their moods. This can lead to disorganized learning and lack of memorization.

6. Are you treated kindly? I have been to many schools where instructors have egos bigger than their biceps. This is not the martial way.

7. Are you looking for strictly a workout? Some schools offer cardio kickboxing programs that are separate from their martial arts programs.

These are just some questions for you to think about and make sure to ask when you go research schools in your area. Remember that it’s more about the actual school and teachers than it is about the style. You can have a great diverse style with a terribly disorganized school and conversely, have a not-so-perfect style but have excellent instruction. I happen to get very lucky and find the perfect combo of a great style (HapKiDO), super instructors, and after time a studio that felt like home.

Every year around this time I like to cleanse my body. Yes, I shower every day; I’m talking about the inside of my body. I tend to do it a little different each year. First, I pick a time-frame and set a few days aside that seem quiet on my social calendar. This way, I choose to stay home and not be tempted to go out with friends and blow it on a cocktail or dessert. This year, I decided to split it up throughout the month of April. Three days this week, and two or three days each of the next three weeks.

Next comes the preparation. Am I going to be drinking juices, eating raw foods, or what? Living in NYC, I usually used some cooked foods like my homemade Do-It-Yourself Green Detox Soup. I didn’t have a juicer, nor could I afford these overly expensive, home-delivered, chic detoxes that can cost up to $300 or more! My logic is that it should

This year, since I am in LA and it’s warm weather as usual, I decided to buy some fresh juices and eat a small amount of clean food throughout the day. I’ll show you what I mean:

Wake up: Green tea

Breakfast: One fresh squeezed juice from Pressed Juicery (Brentwood)

Mid-morning snack: ½ banana and 1 tbsp almond butter

Lunch: Almond, date, sea salt shake with added chlorella

Mid-day: One fresh squeezed juice

Dinner: Organic arugula salad, carrots, snap peas, sunflower seeds, olive oil and fresh lemon with one hard-boiled egg. And don’t forget the dried figs for dessert!

So here’s my point. There is no one way to do a cleanse and it shouldn’t cost you a mini fortune. I don’t recommend to starve yourself, especially if you want to keep up your workouts, like I do. Eat and drink clean, organic fruit and veggies. Add a little clean protein like organic eggs or almond butter. Don’t deprive yourself. Feed your body and soul well for a few days and you will feel the difference!

Email me through the Contact page if you would like a free copy of the Institute for Integrative Nutrition‘s Spring Cleanse Guide by April 30th! You will receive a great resource on why it is important to cleanse and even recipes to do it yourself!

1 Fennel bulb
Pomegranate seeds
Olive oil
Sea salt

Chop off the long stems of the bulb. You can save them to use as flavoring for a fish dish, but we don’t use them in the salad. Chop the bulb into long slices. Put in a bowl with a handful of pomegranate seeds, which you can buy from Trader Joe’s in the package above or be brave and extract them yourself. As for olive oil, I used basil-infused extra virgin olive oil fro Oliovera, which is delicious. You can use any good quality olive oil and add your own touch of fresh chopped basil and a bit of sea salt. Your tummy will thank you!