Perfect time to start losing weight!

Ok, so we've had plenty of time to make our resolution for this year and many people have already failed or become discouraged.  I'd like to go over some tips that can help someone who is trying to eat healthier or lose weight. 

Obviously if you can hire a personal trainer and see a nutritionist that would be your best option but many of us can't afford that luxury.  So that being said, getting your entire family in on this with you is the best.  You would then, as a family go through the house and throw away junk food and any other products that are processed, full of sugar, sodas, etc...

If your family can part with these items at least at home then that is a huge success for you! Learning together as a family on how to cook healthy meals creates a bond that will be married. If you are not sure how to cook healthy then get some cook books that use real ingredients. At first it will seem like you just don't have the time and not sure how you can do this. Planning is your first step. You should plan for at least 1 week of food to keep in the house. Going to the store every day by forgetting something or just getting dinner each night can be quite costly in itself. Each member of the family should sit and write down their weaknesses. For example, every now and then my kids (teens) would like Captain Crunch or Cinnamon Twists cereal. Every now and then for them is not too bad but I know that if it is in the house I will sit with the box next to me and finish at least half of it. So I don't keep it in the house. If certain items call your name or make your mouth drool then you probably shouldn't keep it in the house.


A few tips to help you curb your cravings is when you feel really hungry then drink a "cold" glass of ice water, about 6-10 oz. I can keep individual dove dark chocolates in the house without eating them in one sitting (like I can do in other situations) so when I am hungry I will eat one of those and then drink the water. Wait for about 30 minutes and if you are still hungry then treat your self to some fruit or veggies :).

If your family is like mine and they don't want to help you, well this is where I really succeed. So I'll cook my dinner and my husband will cook his yucky dinner. The kids will usually eat from me but sometimes they go to my husband. At first I thought it would be hard watching them eat unhealthy but tasty meals. But I came up with a plan! So I continue to eat my healthy meals and I will take a bite of their unhealthy meal. This really helps me with my cravings. Also if we go out and they get fries and I got fruit, I will sneak a couple of fries. So I made my situation into a good one so I can "taste" the unhealthy meals and get my cravings fix. Everyone keeps food hidden in the house if it is something I might like to eat late at night. After awhile it gets easy and I get to "taste" what I'm missing and that is enough for me.

Another trick is to journal your feelings when eating. Yes GUYS too :). I've been involved in nutrition and exercise for many, many years and I just started journaling and I found out I was teaching my kids bad eating habits! As strict as I am, I found out that every time someone in our family was sad then I was baking cookies for comfort. I was teaching them to use food for comfort when you are sad. Also I noticed that every holiday and birthdays and anytime the kids have done something really good in school, we take them out to eat. So now I was associating doing good things with food as well. Ugh, that was frustrating. So now when we are sad then we watch a funny movie with very low calorie, low fat popcorn. And if someone did something great then we would go do something fun like a movie or rock climbing or bowling.


So those are some of my tips.  Hopy you enjoy!!!!!!!!
Kristina Crossway


NASM CPT

Video Tips on How to Avoid Weight Gain during the Holidays!

Check out these tips I've learned over the years to avoid weight gain over the holidays. But you can also use these tip during any family engagment.
Enjoy!!!!!

Obstacles: Living with an autoimmune disease and trying to maintain fitness

I recently found out the meaning behind this song and I felt a strong urge to share my story hoping to help others who live like this or live with someone like this. Rob Thomas wrote this song about his wife who suffers from an autoimmune disease.  Most people who suffer from an autoimmune disease usually suffer in silence.  It is hard for people to understand these diseases because you usually don't look sick and the only way you may find out that they are suffering is if they tell you.  But then because you don't look sick you are written off as a complainer, especially if you are sick for a long time.  I was diagnosed with Lupus about 12 years ago.  When I have a flare up I will have really bad joint pain, extreme fatigue and depending on the flare up I may suffer from pleurisy, kidney infections, muscle pain and more... When I'm not having a flare up I still suffer from fatigue, mild joint pain and muscle pain. 

The past 3 years I have been sick with multiple autoimmune diseases.  When one gets better another one manifests.  Lupus, polymyositis and crohn's disease are the ones diagnosed but the doctors feel there are others that they can't identify.  After I had a mild Lupus flare up a few years ago, mainly dealing with joint pain, pleurisy and severe fatigue, I then began to suffer from severe muscle pain.  I would work out (because exercise is actually good for people with Lupus b/c it helps with the joint pain if you can get through the workout) and then have severe pain for almost a week.  Every muscle hurt and became weak to where I could barely hold up a blow dryer to dry my hair.  The pain would subside a little and I would try to work out again only to feel this extreme pain and weakness.  After about 3-4 episodes of this my doctor did some more blood tests only to find my cpk levels (muscle enzymes) were over 22,000 which normal values are below 300.  You would normally find this level in people who were in a car accident and had severe muscle damage.  This was polymyositis and I wasn't able to work out for over 6 months.  Of course I'm so stubborn I kept trying about once a week only to suffer more pain.  After the prednisone finally put this one at bay I started having severe digestive system problems in which they finally decided to remove most of my large intestines.  After this surgery (which was the worst surgery I've ever had including the horrible recovery) I was diagnosed with Crohn's disease.  I finally started getting better overall after another round of prednisone.  My doctor prematurely took me off my meds because he said everything looked ok even though I said I still didn't feel right.  By this time I'm seeing 5 different doctors because one doctor won't treat everything, if I suffer joint pain I see the rheumatologist, nerve pain/weakness-neurologist, abdominal pain-gastroenterologist, breathing problems-pulmonologist, chest pain/high heart rate-cardiologist...and so on. 

After going off my medications I was just getting back into my routine of running 5 miles and strength training then BAM:  all of sudden I can't breathe while running.  I had just started running hills since my girls were in cross country so I thought, wow these hills are brutal I could barely run a few miles.  Each day I ran less and less having to stop because I couldn't catch my breath.  Uuugggghhh!  Not again!  I just want to get better, c'mon!  After a few months of being treated for asthma that I'm sure I don't have I am still not any better.  I keep trying every week to run and I push myself until I feel like I'm going to pass out b/c I think ok this time I can do it.  The doctors finally decide to run some blood work only to find I'm really iron deficient...what?? I'm on prescription strength iron supplements, I eat iron rich foods and because of the birth control I'm on, I don't have a cycle at all.  The reasons one might be iron deficient is either malnutrition or bleeding.  After another test it is discovered I am indeed bleeding internally somewhere along my digestive tract.  So next week I undergo a few tests, one to see if I really have asthma or some other lung problem and the others are an upper and lower endoscopy to try to find the bleeding.  If they can't find anything with the upper and lower endoscopy then I get to swallow a camera pill.  Ok, so that's kind of cool.

In the meantime I keep training clients yet when I go to work out I feel like a really old lady barely able to push myself to run 1 1/2 miles alternating running/walking and only able to lift light weights less than 50% percent of what I'm used to.  I love training clients and when I am working with a client I actually feel pretty good, knowing I'm helping them achieve their goals and seeing them improve and get healthier is just such a good feeling.  My family has adjusted to my illnesses for the most part.  It is hard for family that lives far away why I haven't been able to go see them.  My husband has struggled off and on because I don't look sick and I might feel good a few hours per day then  I start to feel bad again.  I have to really plan my day in advance because I have to conserve my energy.  My husband will come home and want to go out to eat or see a movie but I can't because I used my energy already.  He struggled with having to schedule a date especially since he is a spur of the moment person.  He tries and he goes to my doctor's appointments to try to understand this better.  I'm in a lot of pain and it is hard for him because he can't do anything to help me.  Being married to someone who has been sick for 3 years can be pretty difficult.  Especially when prednisone can make you very irritable and so can being iron deficient and pain.  He is really learning to ignore my "exorcist moments", which can be pretty bad.  I'm thankful he can get past that.   

My kids are awesome.  I put an oversized chair in my room so they come in my room to watch TV with me on the weekends.  I'm usually in bed for most of the weekends to rest up for the week.  Having 3 teenagers climb in bed with you or sit in the chair next to me and watch movies is really awesome.  When my husband is home at night there are 3-4 of us in my bed and 1-2 in the chair watching movies.  My bedroom has become the family room and I really feel blessed for that.  So I'm hoping next week will bring some answers and then treatment to make me normal again.  I can't wait! :) If you know someone who lives like this don't treat them like an alien b/c you don't know what to do, just find ways to encourage them, make them laugh or do something fun with them that they can handle.  They want to feel normal but also understood. 

God Bless!

What you should know about your trainer and what your trainer should know about you…

I’ve gotten a lot of emails recently regarding the article linked to my website regarding how to pick a personal trainer. The reason I posted this article is because I wanted my potential clients to know what a qualified personal trainer is. First, there is the certification. Is your trainer certified? Who are they certified with? Is it up to date? Here is a link with personal training certification programs that are accredited through the National Commission for Certifying Agencies: http://www.noca.org/GeneralInformation/JoinNOCA/tabid/65/Default.aspx.

This is a third party certification agency that examines the organizations that certify personal trainers. You should ask your trainer what agency they are certified through and then verify it.

Once you’ve established that they are indeed certified then you should ask if they have taken continuing education credits because new research comes out regularly. Most certification agencies require their trainers to take a certain amount of cec’s in order to continue their current certification. Also ask if your trainer has taken any college education classes in the field of exercise science, health and fitness or something in a related area. It is not required by trainers and it doesn’t necessarily mean the ones with the college education are better than the ones without. It really depends on what the trainer has educated themselves with and are they applying that to the clients. Your trainer should create a customized training program and this should change regularly as you become competent on what you have learned. A trainer should never have their clients in severe pain the day after a session. If you do have this severe pain then you should talk to your trainer about cutting back on the weight or amount of exercise. If your trainer says that you are fine and continues to have you wake up in severe pain each time then it’s time to find a new trainer. If you experience any pain during a workout you should tell your trainer and try a different exericise and if the pain persists then maybe you should make a trip to the doctor to make sure you are ok to keep training.

Something clients should focus on during a consultation is whether or not you think you will get along with this trainer. This is very important because it is your money and you shouldn’t dread your workouts because you don’t like your trainer. If you don’t notice this until after you start training with them then talk to your trainer and let them know if you don’t agree with something like the way they talk to you or if they are yelling at you. Again, it’s your money and you should feel confident with your trainer.

Now trainers, same thing goes…ask your client what their goals are and then ask them if they are willing to do what it takes to get there. You will most likely only spend 1-3 hours with them per week so the rest of the week they need to be disciplined as well. You don’t want to train someone who won’t succeed. You may need the money but it could hurt your clientelle if you are training people who are not getting results. Other potential clients aren’t going to know it was the client who continued to eat too many calories and not work out when you are not there. Also, trainers don’t be offended if your client interviews you and asks a lot of questions about you. That usually means this client is serious about their work out and they will succeed with your training. Also, you should see if you think you will get along with your client. If the client is clashing with your personality then it might be best to not pursue this because if they decided later down the line that they don’t like you then they can give you a bad reputation. This is a two way relationship and both parties need to be satisfied. But don’t just take my word for it, do your own research. Both the client and trainer needs to take care of their health/reputation.

So that’s what I wanted to say on this topic. Here is the link to the MSN article I found on chosing your trainer. Good Luck! :)

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3076604/

Kristina Crossway

KrisCross Training

NASM Certified Personal Trainer

Are you stressed????? Here are some tips to help get a little mellow...:)

 Are you under a lot of stress?  Is your boss driving you crazy?  Your spouse nagging?  Stress can cause a great deal amount of symptoms such as weight gain, hives, asthma, illnesses, ulcers, heart problems, and can eventually lead to death.  That's just scary.  Who can live without stress these days?  Whether it is someone cutting you off on the road,  co-workers talking behind your back, list of bills, kids that won't even let you go to the bathroom by yourself, dogs chewing up everyones underwear, etc.... I don't know of anyone that doesn't live with any stress.

Depending on what is bothering you, the first thing you should do is to try talking about it to your spouse, best friend, or a trusted family member.  Sometimes just talking about it to a loved one can have an immediate response of relief and you will feel much better about it.  Learning how to do yoga or meditation is another way to help try to get rid of your stress as well.

My favorite way to relieve stress is through exercise.  Exercise helps keep me in shape and it helps me get through stressfull situations I've had.  For me, running is my stress reliever.  I run without an ipod because I like to think about everything that stressed me out that day and I actually re-live it in my head although I may have edited my parts by yelling back in my thoughts or saying what I wish I had said.  No I don't go around running and yelling foul words looking like a crazy person, I just run and play it all in my head.  By the time I am done I feel so much better and it is all forgotten.  It is kind of a running joke, ha, ha, that when anyone sees me running around my neighborhood, they say "Oh, I guess her husband pissed her off again."  LOL

Exercise will help to reduce tension.  I think most of us hide stress in our necks so really good neck stretching exercises can help with that.  Exercise can also help relax you so you can get better rest.  Exercise can give your better self esteem and people that exercise regularly, will eventually start eating healthier as well. 

The type of exercise that you do for stress will vary from one person to another.  Finding something you enjoy is a good first step.  Whether it is running, elliptical, roller skating, yoga, dancing around in your living room, or playing hopscotch with your kids.  Outdoors is usually the best place to exercise when wanting to relieve stress and try to stay away from crowds or work people since they may trigger the stress. If you are stressed at work then try taking a long walk while on lunch and take your lunch with you to eat while walking.  Healthy lunch of course:)

Keep trying until you find something you like, you have to like it if you want it to help you.  GOOD LUCK!

                                                                                                                     Kristina Crossway    http://www.kriscrosstraining.com/

                                                                              

                                                                  

November is Diabetes Awarness Month

Exercise is an important part of living a healthy lifestyle but an even more important part of a diabetic’s lifestyle. Exercise shouldn’t be a chore but should be fun and challenging. There are plenty of ways for people to get exercise without signing up at a gym or hiring a personal trainer (but that is a good way to get your exercise). If you don’t like lifting weights or attending aerobics classes then find something you like. Whether it is dancing around in your living room, riding a bike, hiking, ice skating, bowling or swimming there are plenty of ways to add exercise into your life and it could mean saving your life.

Obesity is on the rise, in fact skyrocketing, which means diabetes is on the rise too. The norm for what the average American thinks they should weigh or size that they should wear has increased and because of this many parents don’t recognize there child as overweight. Just thinking your child is thick, big boned or a little chunky and that they will grow out of it or think there is no need for concern can be a fatal mistake for your child later on in life. An overweight child is twice more likely to get diabetes than a child in the normal weight range. While some children are diabetic due to genetics most children who get diabetes later in childhood or early adulthood could have been prevented with proper diet and exercise.

Teaching your child about healthy eating and exercise is such an important tool to use and the earlier you start teaching them the more likely they will become healthy adults. It’s never too late to start teaching them but you must be an example as well. Check out the American Diabetes Association’s website for the top ten benefits to being active. http://www.diabetes.org/food-and-fitness/fitness/fitness-management/top-10-benefits-of-being.html

Avoid Gaining Weight Over the Holidays!

Did you know the average person will gain anywhere from 5-25 or more pounds between Halloween and New Years? Between Halloween candy, Thanksgiving feasts, Holiday parties, Family gatherings, Hanukkah, Christmas gatherings, and New Year's parties how is anyone to survive? Not to mention most offices have treats left out during this time from either employees, employers, other businesses and marketing teams. Planning ahead of time for the holiday's is key! You can still enjoy yourself without the weight gain if you plan ahead of time. Hiring a personal trainer can really help keep you accountable and help you make a plan of attack. This time of year can be really difficult for people not to just give up till New Years. If you can't afford a personal trainer you can still do it yourself but will require greater strength and will power. Most people find it hard to find time to exercise and the holidays can make it worse. This is a very busy time for people so exercise is usually put on hold. Here are a few things that can help you avoid the average fate:

Plan and Prepare! Get a calendar and map out your typical parties, gatherings, holiday dinners, office parties and any other events you know you will be going to. Then pencil in any possible last minute parties that may happen. If possible try to find out what will be served at all of these events. You don't have to deprive yourself but don't go overboard as well. Allow yourself a small plate of food, trying to make at least half the items healthy choices. Save room for dessert if you know you will not be able to resist. (like me) Use a dessert size plate and take a small piece of your dessert of choice. If there are many desserts then see if you can take a spoonful of each one but no more than what will fit on that plate. If alcohol is served and you must have some then choose a glass of red wine or light beer. No alcohol is best as it can really add up in calories. Another great idea is to choose which of your favorites you will have at each event. For example, if you know your mom's family gathering is making your favorite macaroni and cheese, then that is what you will splurge on for that party. Don't have dessert, instead have dessert at another party you know will have good desserts.

NEVER go to any of these events hungry. Not eating lunch so you can splurge at the party can really backfire. Since you will be starving when you get there you may have 3 times as much as you would have had and consumed more calories than if you had eaten lunch. A good trick I like to do is about 30 minutes before I get to the party I like to make myself a really big salad consisting of spinach leaves, cucumbers, mushrooms, bellpeppers, maybe a few thin slices of deli turkey and two tablespoons of balsamic vinaigrette(no sugar added). Mix 2 cups of spinach with fresh veggies and add dressing in a tupperware dish then shake it up to mix the dressing throughout. This is very tasty and filling. I finish with a full glass of water, then by the time I get to the party I am ok with having a small amount of food.

It is still a good idea to keep a food diary to keep you in check. This is for you only so don't forget to write something just because you don't want to admit it. This is to help you see if you really went all out for one or two days then maybe the next few days eat really conservative. Another trick I do is that during the week I make myself avoid the goodies at work and eat really healthy during the week and maybe cut back on calories as well so I can eat a little more calories at the parties. So if I normally eat 1700 calories per day then I might cut back to 1300 calories per day during the week so then I can have extra on the weekends. Now don't go and eat an extra 2000 calories in one night (although that could be just one slice of cheesecake). But try to balance it out so you are not consuming more calories overall the total week.

Exercise is another key to help you not gain weight over the holidays. I know that this is the most difficult time of year to find the time when you have so much extra to do. This is where you really have to sit down and map out how you can get exercise in. For example if there are a few nights that you have must watch TV nights then use those times to exercise as well. Get some equipment like some free weights, stability ball and resistance bands and you can get a great workout while watching TV. Also if you already have a treadmill or elliptical then you can use those as well while you watch TV. There are other ways of getting some extra exercise in like parking at the end of the parking lot so you will walk further to get to the store, taking stairs instead of elevator and walking on your lunch breaks. With some of those just make sure you are in a safe environment. Depending on your job you should be able to take some time at your desk to exercise. Either bring a stability ball to sit on instead of a chair and/or use some resistance bands. At least a few times a day do a few minutes of resistance band exericses.

If you already go to the gym or have a personal trainer then try to fit those in at a different time if you are going to be busy shopping or entertaining. It's just 8 weeks so if you need to switch to early morning before work or a lunchtime session then really try to make that work out. Just keep telling yourself, it's just 8 weeks.

Some people already need to lose weight so they will say why start it now when it is too hard and then I'll start my New Years resolution to lose weight. Why do you want to gain more weight to make it more difficult to lose later on? You can start now, avoid the gain and you could lose some weight before the new years, then by the time new years come around you will be in better shape and able to work harder to lose the weight more quickly.

You can still enjoy the holidays, eat the good stuff, avoid the weight gain and lose weight. I know for some of you this seems impossible but I promise you it is not. I don't have the skinny gene. I gain weight if I hang out to long in the bakery (ok, if I eat a lot from the bakery). I have learned how to enjoy the holidays without feeling deprived and the key is proper planning and preparing both physically and emotionally. You will actually feel good about yourself after the holidays where most other people are sad and feel horrible with their weight gain.

So let's plan! Prepare! Take Action! I know you can do it! If you can't do it on your own then there are people that can help. Plus it is a slow time for personal trainers so ask for a holiday discount during the 8 weeks of holidays. I'm sure they will oblige. So go on, have a very happy holidays without the guilt, bloating and weight gain. Good Luck! Email me or post comments with questions, I'd be happy to help!

To strength train or not to strength train?

If you want to maximize your weight loss then you should incorporate strength training. Losing weight without strength training can result in muscle loss, so you may lose weight but losing muscle will decrease your overall metabolism which can be the reason you may gain the weight back later on. Not only will increasing your muscle mass increase your metabolism but will help improve your overall health and fitness level. Many women don’t want to train with weights because they are afraid of getting bulky or looking masculine. This is a myth that prevents many women from reaching their weight loss goals. Not only does strength training increase metabolism but it also helps prevent osteoporosis. In order for women to look masculine or develop large, bulky muscles they would have to workout for hours each day along with training with very heavy weights.

For maximum benefits one should exercise 3 times per week for about an hour which should include: warm up and cool down, flexibility training, aerobic and strength training. If you are new to exercise or haven’t been successful with it then check with your doctor before starting a program. Once approved for exercise there are some small steps you can do to get started:

• If you always take the elevator, try the stairs if it is safe to do so, also bring your cell phone in case of emergency.
• If you try to park next to the door of wherever you're going, park farther away and walk in the daylight hours.
• If your habit is to eat at your desk, take a 10- to 20-minute walk first, then have your lunch (or take a walk after you eat).
• Instead of watching TV all day Saturday and Sunday, plan active weekends. Go to the park, take a walking tour, ride your bike, or row a boat. Go play with your kids!

Having a qualified, certified personal trainer can help men and women achieve their personal fitness goals, whether it is to lose weight having lean, toned muscles or build big strong muscles for power and greater strength. Especially if you have never exercised before personal trainers can customize and plan to ensure you meet your goals in a safe and effective manner along with holding you accountable and yet being encouraging at the same time. Also if you’ve exercised before and failed then having a personal trainer can show you how to do it in order to succeed.

Learning what your heart rate should be during exercise and having a heart rate monitor can also help you achieve your goals. If you are not getting your heart rate up high enough within a safe range then you will not be burning enough calories. A personal trainer can help you determine your targeted heart rate and monitor that you are staying within that targeted heart rate range.

Losing weight too quickly or losing muscle because you are not strength training will lower your metabolism and you will hit that plateau where you stop losing weight. Many studies show that physical activity is the best predictor of whether one will maintain their weight loss. Sometimes people hit plateaus for other reasons such as doing the same routine over and over again. Your body adapts to its surroundings and if it gets used to the same routine it will start to use less energy to do these same routines so it is best to switch routines regularly and interval training has also shown success in breaking the plateaus.

Remember that when eating healthier and exercising to lose weight that you will need to continue this to maintain your weight loss. Many people gain the weight back because they feel that when they lose the weight then they are done with diet and exercise. To lose weight and keep it off then you must first go in knowing that what you do to lose weight needs to be seen as lifelong changes. So make small changes in your diet over time so you get accustomed to eating healthy. Don’t think of it as depriving yourself or torture. Make small changes slowly and over time you will get used to it but you can still have your favorites just not as much and not nearly as often. Slowly increase your exercise and understand that you will need to do this for the rest of your life. This will not only help you to lose weight, help you keep the weight off but also help prevent health problems later on such as heart disease. As with the other things we covered earlier, a great personal trainer can help you find new ways to make small changes towards eating a healthy diet and having a great exercise regimen.

Oprah's Flash Mob Dance

Hey Everyone! I've been really busy this past week (and sick :( ). I'm working on a few articles but they aren't quite finished yet so until then I wanted to share with you Oprah's Flash Mob Dance. I'm sure most of you have seen this by now but I still love to watch it! Maybe you are tired of it, if so I'm sorry but I love to dance and this is still cool for me. So here is the video link:





Now if you enjoyed it you can also learn it if you haven't done so yet. It is fun to do and great exercise as well! Have fun!