Love at first "tight"!

The hardest part about going to the gym, well is going. I've been taking it easy for a few months do to the new addition to the fam, you know yoga here and little Zumba there. But there nothing like hitting the weights. Today for the first time in a long time I've been "baby free" and had time to get it in hard at the gym. I'm nervous of the out come tomorrow, but it felt great. I miss my muscles and I put out a want ad to get them back, but to my dismay no success. Over a year ago I had arms of steal and calves to match, now I just have memories. Well I say no more!!!!! I don't care that I'm going to have to limp half the week, but gosh darn it I'm going hard and I'm reclaiming my under 30, before baby, personal trainer body back. I may be "tight" at first, but its love at first "tight" and besides no pain no gain.

I refuse to be one of those moms in the park pushing my child in the swing day dreaming on when I'm going to reclaim my "fithood" back. Today marks a new day and no more half stepping. Time to clean out the fridge and replace all the junk with fruits and veggies! Time to drag myself out the bed at 6 am to go running! and time to hit the weights like I've never hit them before! And as god as my witness I will be the healthiest, fittest, sexiest gosh darn mom in the park! Who's with me?
:) :) :)
And as always....

See you in the gym,
Alicia Nura

If at 1st you don't succeed, try something new!

We've all done it, and we're all guilty as charged. We make unrealistic fitness goals and we wind up failing. The problem with that is, we don't try to figure out what went wrong in the first place and give up or just plain put it off. If your not an active person don't plan to run a marathon in 2 months, cause truth is, it aint happening! If you've never ate a healthy meal a day b4 in your life your probably not going to stick with that cleanse you said you were going to do before your vacation. So, if at first you don't succeed, try something new. With that being said, instead of planning on running a marathon build your heart muscle by taking a dance class first. And if you plan to change your eating habits, go fresh. That means throw out all your processed foods and buy fresh veggies and fruits. We can all meet our fit and wellness goals, we just have to take baby steps and not leaps.

See you in the gym,
Alicia Nura

Here's to the momma in you!

As a new mom I can admit I kind of lost sight to the things that were important to me before I became a mother. For instance, my health. I find myself eating things that are quick just to run back to my screaming baby, where as before hand I prepped and ate mostly fresh fruits and veggies. I exchanged salads and meals from scratch for peanut butter & jelly sandwiches and instant noodles. I felt my health slipping away and before I knew it it was gone. No longer can I just put on my running shoes and go for a afternoon run or workout, those days were long gone. I sat for months abusing my body with salty foods and sugar refined drinks. I lounged around all day without an ounce of energy to fit in a daily work out. And one day I stopped and looked and the mirror and yelled at myself "SNAP OUT OF IT". I reassured myself and said self "You're a new mom, its not the end of the world it's the beginning of a new chapter". My health begins with me and only me. As a personal trainer I took great pride in my physical appearance, and now with the baby weight it's just another reason to get out there to show all new moms that they can do it too.

Today, I take the knowledge that I've gained as a fitness professional and mix it with the knowledge that I have gained as a new mom. I now work out with my son and he loves it. I use his body weight as my own personal dumb bell, while still giving him the attention he so craves on a daily basis. Instead of those quick meals, I just attach him to me in the Baby Bjorn and prep what I have to for my meals (without the screams). My life no doubt has changed dramatically, but my health shouldn't have to. So here's to the momma in you, salud!

See you in the gym,
Alicia Nura

Drink your veggies

The average intake for fruits and veggies vary by age and how active you are, but none the less you must squeeze them into your diet. A moderately active women needs 2cups of fruits a day and 2 1/2 cups of veggies. With most of us on the go on a daily basis how do we find time to actually count the amount of fruit and veggies were consuming? Until now! Drink em! Here's my recipe for my delicious green smoothie, a meal all in one. Drink it in the morning for breakfast or right before a great workout. Never feel guilty again about skipping out on your veggies, as well as fruit.

Ingredients:

5 or 6 Strawberries (fresh or frozen)
1 cup of spinach
1/2 cup of romaine lettuce
1 banana
1 1/2 cup of fresh squeezed OJ

Blend and Enjoy :)

Calories 213
Carbs 50
Fat 2g
Protein 4g

See you in the gym,
Alicia Nura

It's a bird! It's a plane! No, It's just summer!

Year after year Americans go through the same dreaded routine, and year after year most Americans fail. You know the only two times a year when it's time to get in shape, summertime and new years. We go out set a goal to lose or tone our sheltered winter bodies to look like an unrealistic goal and within a few weeks the dream dies. The problem that most face is the "unrealistic goal" to begin with. Everybody has a body type and We have known for quite some time now in fitness that different body types respond differently to both training and nutrition. As a result, it is incredibly important to be aware of what your body type is so that you can create a training and workout program accordingly. Step one, which body type are you? There are three types:

1. The ECTOMORPH

• Slender or Thin
• Classic “hard gainer”
• Flat chest
• Small shoulders
• Lean muscle mass
• Finds it hard to gain weight
• Fast metabolism

2. The MESOMORPH

• Athletic
• Hard Body
• Hourglass Shaped (Female)
• Rectangular Shaped (Male)
• Mature Muscle Mass
• Muscular Body
• Excellent Posture
• Gains Muscle Easily
• Gains Fat More Easily Than Ectomorphs

3. The Endomorph

• Soft Body
• Underdeveloped Muscles
• Round Physique
• Weight Loss is Difficult
• Gains Muscle and fat easily
• Slow metabolism
• Generally short and stocky

So with the given information you should be able find out what body type you are so that you may optimize a training plan that fits you. Let's be realistic folks! If you're endomorph (round physique) let's not try to shoot for a Alicia Keys body, news flash you're not shaped the same. But don't get discouraged, no matter you're body type or shape there's a fitness plan out there that will get you into the shape that's made for you.

See you in the gym,
Alicia Nura

Run Ladies! Run!

Hey all,
Well most of of you may know I've been MIA for awhile, but I'm back. Due to my recent addition to my family, my little boy, I've been laying low and enjoying motherhood. Now that he's starting to sleep through the night I'm starting to regain my energy and I'm back in the gym. With that being said, last year I ran a race (3 months pregnant might I add), and I plan to run the same race this year. I wrote about my experience last year, and I can't wait to write about my new experience this year. Ladies, yeah ladies! Being as though this is a woman's race I encourage you all to sign up. I'm looking forward to seeing you all there, no excuses! Perhaps if we get enough ladies together, we can become a team and cheer each other on...Who knows, even matching t-shirts...

P.s. I've posted the link below for the website for those interested

Be well, Stay fit and as always see you in the gym,
Alicia Nura

http://www.baltimorewomensclassic.com/