All posts tagged: abs

Feeling Bloated?

Published by

With today’s typical diet being low in nutrients and high in empty calories coupled with high levels of stress and added medication, it’s no wonder that more and more people are suffering from some kind of bloating. In addition to feeling discomfort bloating can come with every embracing symptoms such as gas or needing to go to the bathroom very quickly. So what are the most common symptoms of a bloated stomach? If your stomach protrudes outwards and you constantly feel uncomfortable because you have built up gas inside of you then this is a sign of bloating. In fact many sufferers from bloating even joke around saying how pregnant they feel because of the need to unbutton their pants when their bloating becomes severe. The great news is a bloated stomach is very different from actually gaining fat mass around your stomach since the bloating is temporary with air simply being stuck around your abdomen causing the tummy to distend outwards. Even better, stomach bloating can be rectified very quickly by simple changes to …

10 Year Wedding Anniversary…

Published by

My client, STRONG MOMMY Joanna F. (who works with me from Paraguay), is looking spectacular in her wedding dress (especially with those STRONG GIRL shoulders and arms!) as she celebrates her 10 Year Wedding Anniversary with Rio De Janeiro in the background! Joanna says, “Hi Jenny! It was always my dream to be able to wear my wedding dress again on my 10th anniversary and do a photoshoot in it. A lady once told me that once I become a mother that my body will never be the same either through weight gain or the way clothes will fit such as a pair of old jeans. At that time I didn’t know what to think but today I know it is possible…and to in even better shape than when I was younger! My jeans are even smaller and I also fit into my wedding dress! Being a mom of 2 required more dedication and commitment for me to stay on track with my workout and eat with compliance but I know how important it is …

Some weight gain after vacation….who cares???

Published by

I’m back from vacation and up about 7 pounds. So why am I posting this? Because a lot of my clients freak out after they come back from a vacation and their scale weight goes up (and this is why you shouldn’t rely on the scale). If you are away and enjoying yourself ➡eating, drinking, relaxing, sun tanning, and of course flying (this is a big one) your body will hold water. For me, it’s NOT 7 pounds of fat that I’ve gained in a span of a week (that’s crazy!). Once you get back to your normal routine those water pounds will come right off and, more importantly, the scale is only measures our relationship with gravity – break up with it, move on and judge your physique with the mirror and how your clothes fit! It’s back to training and long build for this Mama..time to build the booty☺

Appetite’s Connection to Activity Level

Published by

Awesome post by Coach Al: Here is a rhetorical question for you. Why is it that the people in the worst shape are the least active, and yet they often have the biggest appetite? Wouldn’t you think that if they have all that spare energy stored in their body (fat) they would be less inclined to eat bigger meals? Especially if the same person is relatively sedentary throughout the day. The reality is that often the most sedentary individuals have the biggest appetites. The answer lies in the connection between our appetite and our activity level. The reality is that they are closely linked in a U-shaped curve. A person who is very active on a daily basis has a big appetite and will eat food to support all of that activity. A person who is moderately active on a daily basis will eat less throughout the day but may have occasional binges in social settings or late nights i.e. during the periods when they are less active. A person who is totally sedentary (inactive) …

Buh Bye Mummy Tummy – TEAM STRONG GIRLS Nicole R.

Published by

Diastasis Recti is defined as the separation of the rectus abdominis muscles into 2 halves and is very common with pregnant and postpartum women. To some, this is also known as “mummy tummy” and the good news is…it’s FIXABLE! A few months ago I worked with STRONG MOMMY Nicole R. who came to me looking to lean out and get into better shape. More specifically she said she “wanted to get rid of her Mommy Pooch and have a flatter stomach, definition in her abs, and a smaller waist”. Nicole says, “I came to Coach Jenny after having had 3 children in 5 years. Two years after the birth of my last baby, my pregnancies had left me with a 2 inch gap between my abdominal muscles, even after consistent exercise with a focus on building my core strength. I was discouraged. Coach Jenny prescribed a post natal ab routine for me to help close this gap. I performed the routine 5 days a week and found the movements to be very straight forward and …

TEAM STRONG GIRLS Katrina T.

Published by

Last week I got Katrina T. to come over for a visit so we can capture some progress photos and was she ever sizzling hot!!! This competitive Football player came to me looking to tighten up and learn some new things about nutrition and break the “dieting” mindset of avoiding certain foods. We put together a strategy with plenty of food flexibility and higher food intake to fuel this her very active lifestyle as a competitive athlete. As we made progress, we opened up even more food flexibility and freed her from “Dieting Prison”. This STRONG GIRL shredded almost 4 inches around her waist, 3 inches from her hips, and dropped 10 (insignificant) lbs and looks GORGEOUS!!! Love those abs! I can’t wait to share more of Katrina’s journey (and beautiful photos) coming soon!!!  

Break Up With The Scale

Published by

I love when my girls break free from dieting prison which, to me, also includes the torturous act of continuously weighing yourself. It’s incredible how many of us can be affected either positively or negatively by what the number on the scale says. The truth of the matter is the scale only tells us our relationship to gravity. When used in conjunction with additional information it does have its value but over time, as one progress with their fitness goals and their physique, the scale becomes less relevant. I actually encourage the “break up” with the scale to happen as early as possible. That being said, I am so happy any time I receive a message from one of my girls that has done just that! Marilynn R. says, “Jenny I have officially broken up with the scale. I never, ever weigh myself anymore. In fact, after the batteries died in my scale over a month ago, I took the thing, boxed it up, and put it away in my closet. I don’t even care …

TEAM STRONG GIRLS Success Story

Published by

I’m extremely proud to share the progress of Lori-Ann M. who looks fantastic! This gorgeous STRONG MOMMY of 2 is also a very active Fitness Studio Owner and Instructor who came to looking to tighten up and feel the best she can bet…and we certainly achieved that! Lori-Ann says, “As a busy mom of 2 kids and fitness studio owner and instructor there are times I don’t get time to sit down and relax for even a minute. Quite often I was physically drained but kept pushing forward. Even though I tried to eat healthier options, deep down I knew I wasn’t eating enough. The physical demands on my body wasn’t matching my food intake. On top of my physically draining job I also suffer from chronic migraines and anemia. By overworking my body and not eating enough made these issues even worse! Sometimes I would teach a class and feel like I was going to pass out so I knew I needed a change. I started looking into working with a nutritionist when I …

The Importance of Patience with Dieting and Fat Loss

Published by

I wanted to share this analogy which emphasizes the importance of being patient when it comes to dieting and fat loss. This was written originally by Alywn Cosgrove who’s work I adore and adapted for my female client base. ========================= Let’s assume you go out and buy two rolls of paper towels, each with 112 paper towels on it. You put one aside and keep it for future reference (which will be your “before” picture). The other one represents you (which I’ll call your paper towel “Sally”). The core of the paper towel roll represents the lean version of Sally. The towels wrapped around the core represent the body fat that is covering the “lean Sally”. For sake of argument, let’s say that Sally wants to lose 28 pounds of fat, so (112/28) each sheet represents a quarter-pound of fat lost. Let’s also assume that Sally loses her fat equally during each day of the program for the sake of the post. Each day during the first week, you tear a sheet off of Sally representing …

TEAM STRONG GIRLS Success Story – Nicole R.

Published by

All the way from South Carolina, my client Nicole R. came to me looking to tighten up and shape her physique and also gain a better understanding of nutritional balance for her lifestyle. Over our first few weeks, she was initially scared about movement on the scale so I focused on breaking that habit by not using the scale weight as a tool of progress…I just stopped it because it’s not relevant. We solely focused on appearance for my assessments. We also realized, after 3 children, this STRONG GIRL also had Diastasis Recti (separating of her abdominal muscles) so we also put together a program to bring her abdominal muscles back together and WOW look at her midsection (more on this later)!!! Nicole says, “I was blessed to have 3 babies within 5 years but multiple pregnancies had left me with a changed body shape and a few extra pounds. In an effort to regain my old shape back, I faced a constant battle on two fronts every day – one in the kitchen where …