Personal trainer Mike Radke shares with emme the secrets to staying in shape, the effects of alcohol and foods that will keep you fabulous.
emme: How much exercise should a woman (in her 20s) get daily?
MR: She should get at least 10- 30 minutes of exercise a day.
emme: What activities should they be doing?
MR: I don’t recommend running unless you are training for a sport or long endurance performance. Walking for 10-30 minutes a day will keep your metabolism up and make your heart stronger. I do recommend using weights for resistance for 10-30 minutes then core balance and stability exercises to lean and tone the body and finish with ten minutes of high intensity bike intervals.
emme: What foods are the worst for women to eat? Are carbs really as bad as they are made out to be? What foods are the best?
MR: The foods that you don’t consume will help you such as fast food, alcohol, bread, white rice, candy or pastries. Carbohydrates can be good because they are your source of energy. The best ones to eat are long chain complex carbs such as oatmeal, sweet potatoes and brown or wild rice. One piece of advice with food is to stay away from packaged, canned, or frozen items. An example of this is the little packets of oatmeal. They have added sugars and chemicals that will do the reverse effect and make you gain weight. Packaged rice might have 700-1200 mg of sodium which is way too much.
emme: How does alcohol affect a woman’s body negatively?
MR: Alcohol is empty calories and sugar that is guaranteed to store as belly fat and more places if consistently consumed. It also flushes out good nutrients that we have stored in our bodies.
**A shot of vodka contains 100 calories!**
emme: What is the “secret” to losing weight?
MR: The secret to losing weight is mental. You need to decide that you want to make a goal and then make a plan with a trainer. The person has to be consistent with that plan. They have to have a balance of strength training, cardiovascular training and then nutritional guidance.
emme: Do fad diets really work?
MR: Without a solid foundation, doing a hardcore diet can cause more harm than good.
emme: What is a suitable breakfast, lunch and dinner (and snack) for someone trying to stay in shape and lose weight?
Fabulous breakfast, lunch and dinner (and snack) from our trainer:
Meal 1: 2-3 egg whites with spinach, 6oz natural green tea
Meal 2: 1.5 oz. chicken breast, one plum and 8 oz of water
Meal 3: 2.5 oz. of chicken, fish, tuna or turkey but no lunchmeat! With either 3.5 oz. of sweet potato, ¼ cup of brown or wild rice or ¼ cup of oatmeal and small handful of broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, spinach, or cucumber with 6 oz. of water
Meal 4: Same as meal 2
Meal 5: Same as meal 3
Meal 6: if you like eggs do a few egg whites with a veggie of your choice. You can also just have a little tuna with salsa or 1.5 oz of chicken, fish or turkey. You can eat as many veggies as you want. They are good carbs with good nutrients that won’t make you gain weight. Be careful with dairy because that is the ultimate weight gainer.
Mike Radke has been a personal trainer for five years. He currently works at Xtreme Definition Fitness Private Personal Training Studio in Mount Prospect, Illinois. To contact him, e-mail him at maradke@hotmail.com.
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