I found myself working through the holidays this year with alot of phone consults, coaching clients & their families on how to get through the holidays.. buffetts and the surplus of foods. Although each individual was unique their struggle was universal: "they all had unrealistic limitations on themselves on what they could & should not eat. I'm here to tell you to throw out that mentality & follw my approach of the tablespoon method.  My tablespoon method is quite simple. Please don't eliminate foods from your diet unless it's doctor advised or life or death. I.e diabetes, etc...otherwise please be realistic. Food is tempting and it's always going to be there- Your goal is to make a healthy relationship with it, not avoid it. If you notice the moment the phrase "diet" comes into your mind, it's the very moment that feeling of deprivation occurs & you are suddenly "starving" all the time & craving that very food you told yourself you shouldnt have & you elimated it. That's BS! .My approach to healthy living & losing weight is simple. MODERATION. The GREY area is the happy one! If you have sold yourself anything different, you are selling yourself short!

I've had much success as a trainer & nutritionist with my clients for weight loss due to this approach. During the holidays I advised if you are at a buffett, holiday party,etc. try this. Arrange your plate with plenty of veggies & protein & leave rooms for 3 tablespoons of whatever that food is you are "dying to try", or have grown to enjoy over time".  Outside of the holiday's , I say have 2 tablespoons of your favorite food once a week if you are craving them. Always drink water with your meals to help with the "full" feeling. Teach yourself self control, there is much more power in discipline than in avoidance. and it's time to stop torturing yourself about being perfect....or following black & white rules. Were all adults & need to start building that confidence in ourselves. That same confidence & approach we use to instill in our children. Everything we need in life comes from within. Keep in mind that with weight loss there seems to be the lesser of two evils.  Diet & Deprive yourself too much & be miserable or don't be mindful of your food intake & be overweight & miserable.  The relationship with ourselves need to be a lighter approach. Start the new year with low expectations of yourself, commit to one change weekly. Then you will be pleasantly surprised as you watch yourself grow, build consistency & reach your goals.   Consistency is the most important part of any workout routine. I now offer online training & menu planning with access from anywhere in the world, please visit my website for more tips or if I can be of service www.zenpenfitness.com . For the month of January only, I am offering 10% off of all services.

Incorporate these 10 tips for living a healthy lifestyle into your daily routine. Observe any change. Please keep me posted! It's the simple things that keep us going.

1. Elevate your heart rate
2. Stimulate your creativity
3. Laugh off your stress
4. Develop your self esteem
5. Grow your muscles
6. Expand your friendships
7. Stretch your spiritualness
8. Digest your green leafy vegetables :-)
9. Listen to your body
10. Cultivate your calm side


 About the Author: Christine Lusita , is a Certified Personal Trainer & Nutritionist in the westside of Los Angeles for more info you can visit her on www.zenpenfitness.com.

New beginnings are filled with hope and bring the element of surprise & excitement... We've all reached a point in our life when it's time to change one thing or another.. Spring or fall, Summer or Winter, we all need to rejuvenate. Some of the most exciting changes that occur, are when we decide to change something in our bodies or our daily routine. For example: deciding to lose weight, That inital glee is so clear you can see yourself fitting into those jeans. That excitement drives you! or.. When you decide to start eating healthy & you stay committed to eating good and you begin to notice the difference in your energy, mood, etc...

The new excitement becomes refreshing, the air around you suddenly seems lighter, you start to smile more, you begin to take in your environment, you begin to really listening to others, you begin to let go of all the little details, and scheduling "me" time just gets easier....and you know why? It's because we are naturally practing controlling the things we can & tossing the rest aside.. This discipline, the journey of self exploration, can lead you down the path of pure internal  bliss.  Our self image reflection begins to become one we enjoy seeing and we begin to grow in ways we hadn't known existed.

Creating peace in our body, peace in our world becomes our connection. This phrase is actually my company's motto and it's from my heart. My experience is actual. For me, when I am taking care of myself in the best way I know how, which is eating right & exercise, my worries become less, my excitement becomes more & soon I have created that life I used to fantasize about. Good friends, happy family, intrinsic value, & Great self esteem. I'd had always wondered in the past how I can create the life I want around me and realized the moment I started to get connected with what I wanted for my body, (because i had self image issues), and when I began to believe I can accomplish anything I set my mind too, my life drew to me like a magnet. I personally found this empowerment through exercise. Challenging myself. Pushing harder than I ever thought I could. I discovered my physical strengths. I challenged my old way of thinking. Each workout, I picked a new goal, even if it's to run 1 second longer, that's fine, because I still try. I watch this change in my clients lives daily.  I am so often,  asked, "how can I find the motivation to do it daily?"... One step at a time. That's how we build will power. 

So cheers to new beginnings... and with new  beginnings , i'd like to introduce to you my new website & services. Please visit www.zenpenfitness.com for fitness tips, online training, fitness contest, motivational tips & much more. Please feel free to share with me what you like or would like to see.

1. Set a goal for your health/body:
2. Make a list of the steps you will need to take to implement them. (map out your plan)
3. List your obstacles. 
4. Use your imagination & visualize yourself overcoming the hurdles "as if" you were jumping over the cones in a race.
5. Create a "no excuse list"  add all the excuses you often use that stops you from eating food & exercising, i.e  "no time" , etc. be sure to list it all
6. Next day, wake up & start implementing one of your goals & keep that list handy, because once your excuse is on it  you cant use it again.! :-)

Play. This is a great way to set some self boundaries & guide you to take steps closer to your meeting goals. Please let me know if you find this useful.

About the Author: Christine Lusita , is a Certifed Personal Trainer & Nutritionist in the westside of Los Angeles for more info you can visit her on www.zenpenfitness.com.

Changing the space and having self regulation techniques can assure us we will never be a victim to our own destructive thinking, right? Yesterday, I needed some of my own advice!   I was having a meltdown.  I had a 2 hr break, and a lot to accomplish, so I set out on a crazy list of errands and bam, I HIT a road block. WAITING...waiting unnecessarily on a jammed-packed day for me, since I am a DO-ER,  can bring out a bit of impatience to say the least!  Suddenly my impatience heightened and before I knew it, I soon thought everyone around me was an idiot! I wondered how the heck did all these people get their jobs?! 
Ya gotta laugh, right?  It was insane!  I was insane! Then I realized what was happening to me.  I was striving for perfection, and things weren't going the way I had “planned.” So instead of seeing the good things around me, I chose to see the bad. I think my internal software had a quick virus and it was ugly... Has anyone ever had one of these days? Well, I'm not big on staying unhappy because I have yet in 37 years found a good purpose for it, so I sat in my car, (windows closed of course!)  and so gracefully vented my frustrations to a bunch of dusty windows and a car full of exercise equipment, whom were all EXCELLENT listeners, and luckily, I soon started to laugh about it  and carry on with my day..

Aah, women, we just need to be heard!  If men could only understand this!  But seriously, do you know how I was able to do that?  (A) I tried to remember what I learned in my Mindful practice which is, I can’t control the "outside" but I can control what's inside of me. Then I identified with something quickly that makes me feel my best, for me, it's the feeling I get after exercise.  (B) So I thought about how I coach my clients when they are having a stressful day. I tell them simply to get up and change their environment or change their “space.”  Do something different immediately! 

So I took my own advice, found a space and dropped down for a set of pushups. For those who know me, it’s totally in character; Crazy no, determined, yes!  And it was just what the doctor ordered. You know why?  Because I stuck through them, even when they seemed impossible towards the end, even when my mind was selling me some BS to still stay annoyed and somewhere inside beneath that cranky exterior, I knew that by finishing them, I would feel that sense of accomplishment in which I had been striving for in the first place and it supported my true goals of simply wanting a strong body. Thank GOD for pushups! I felt empowered and no longer a victim!   Strong body, Strong mind. And the cool thing was.. all of that energy changed from negative to positive in literally a minute's time and it didn't end there....through that sense of accomplishment, I learned when things are tough, they don't have to get tougher, I can choose to do something good for myself . It's a choice to change how we perceive things. 

When things are going crappy for you, what do you do?  Do you beat yourself up more or do you do something nice for yourself? I share these tools with you, as it really does make a difference to get up and get moving . When we exercise there is a series of hormones that are released and we get a "rush" of positive endorphins that flow though our body creating a "feel good" sensation, there's no denying it, it's scientific!  From there, our life only gets better and with exercise, it's this awesome feeling that you have some control over how your body feels, functions, and looks.   It's an experience that I find is very powerful. 
A couple of months ago, I interviewed a 76 year old woman who does the Santa Monica stairs 3 times a week for 20 sets and I ask her "what keeps you going all these years" and she replies "It allows a personal freedom that your body is all yours and you can do whatever you want with it!"  I love her attitude!

Do you have a plan for when things don't go as "planned?”  Change the space, and exercise, I guarantee you will feel better! Let me know how it goes! 

As a Fitness Expert in exercise and nutrition who specializes in weight loss, I am repeatedly asked "What is the best way to lose weight?" and my answer is quite simple. Find your "Want Factor;” your commitment allows for the greatest success in your weight loss and exercise program. We can all adjust and modify the things we put in our mouth, but it's the period of how long we can sustain this that determines our success. If you are serious about losing weight, or maintaining, or even deciding that it's time to get healthier, I suggest making a list of your wants and why you want them. List all of your excitements, think about your goals, and visualize yourself living and breathing the new you. Take this list, go to Kinko's and laminate it! Refer to it daily. You will need to refer to this list on the days you don't want to get up, or the days you just don't feel like it.

The stronger your want is for your goals, the closer you become to achieving them! This is called creating your will power. So MANY people think, they don't have any will power, or they are not "determined people." I hear all the time, "Christine, I'm just not disciplined" or "I am weak."  NO you’re not! That's BS, because you’re not weak in raising your children, you're not weak at your job, you're not weak at all! So why sell yourself something that's not true?  Problem is:  You’re just not connected with your true wants. Your mind and heart may have a slight disconnection. They can be lacking synchronicity.

This is the perfect time to discover what you really want for yourself. Is it an image that you think you should live up to, or is it a true want that makes you feel good? In order to be successful at any task, you really do have to want it! Yes, it's a commitment but so rewarding.  I meet so many different types of people on a daily basis who possess a variety of goals. Those who are successful are able to keep their goals in the forefront of their minds and constantly remind themselves in a loving way that everything they truly need comes from within.

And the most amazing thing is, once you make this connection, this powerful choice is a mirror reflection upon everything in your life. You don't need anyone to believe in your dreams to be successful. You don't need anyone to believe in you to "help you lose weight or get healthy." It's just a choice that you decide to make when you really want something. Please trust me when I say this, it is so exciting and life changing to watch you build through consistency.

A long time ago, I really struggled with my weight and the motivation to get out there and exercise. I sold myself every BS line there ever was...I will start on Monday, " just let me sleep 5 more minutes and then I will get up and exercise,"  "as soon as I come home from work, I will go for a run...,” yada ...yada ...yada, and then, I went to the opposite end of the spectrum... I used to FREAK out in the morning if I didn’t carve out exactly the time I needed to fit everything in my workout. I didn't take phone calls because if I did I felt I lost the "energy" to work out.  Then, I stressed about it. I worried if I missed exercise for even a day or two, then my body would get used to taking a break and would become lazy and I would lose my drive. Basically I sold myself a lot of nonsense because I wasn't connected with why I wanted my goals and I wasn't trusting myself... I had no confidence that I could be consistent without falling into the perimeters of being perfect.

One special person in my life guided me to see that everything that I will ever need in life comes from within.  He asked me quite simply, "What do want for yourself?” For me, I feel so good when I am physically strong, and all the little details of perfectionism don't seem so important and my life has a better meaning when I am physically strong. So in realizing this, I threw away trying to be perfect, I thought about what it would take for me to reach my goals and day by day, I ate healthier, I exercised freely with daily goals, and I built a consistent foundation that worked for me and the rewards are endless. Consistency is such a confidence booster! I realized I had control over my choices and I was healthy, happy, thin and proud. 

As an athlete, I compete a lot in races and sports. I am always trying to find ways to conquer my inner obstacles and although I use so many methods to self-soothe and focus on the task at hand, the one thing I always remember when I am feeling off is, "how bad do I want it?"  Connecting myself with those wants always shifts my focus back to a good place. Your wants may change as you grow in life, so just keep staying in touch with yourself.  Connect with your true wants, and see how it serves you.

Here are some simple weight loss tips that work for my clients and me:

1. Drink water with very meal. (Science says we should drink half of our body weight in ounces daily). This will help you feel fuller, eat less and water aids in fat loss.

2. Eat every 2-3 hours with a proper combination of proteins, carbs and fats to keep your blood sugars stable and your metabolism going (note: each one of these macro nutrients has a digestion time and by combining them, it will allow your metabolism to work at a steady pace for digestion). For example: Instead of eating a simple sugar alone, (which will digest in 20-min to 1 hr), then cause an insulin spike, and within that hour that spike will drop, leaving you looking for more.

3. Try to keep the sugars in the evening to a minimum. Our metabolism is working slower at night as we lower our activity level. Stored sugar (glucose) turns to fat when not utilized.

4. For best results with weight loss, cardio can be done 30-60 minutes a day, 4-5 times a week, using a variety of intervals which will not only get the heart strong *(don’t forget the heart is a muscle) which will also help change the physiology in your metabolism and burn more calories! (For people needing to lose a significant amount of weight, I suggest doing "Two a days" try doing 30 minutes of cardio in the am & 30 minutes of cardio in the evening.)

5. If you are struggling with food, dedicate one high calorie day a week where you can eat up to 500 more calories than your normally do, to keep your satiety in check.

6. Strength-train. Larger muscles burn more calories.

7. Have a healthy attitude about food. Don't make it so important. We often make plans around dinner or restaurants and I feel a healthier approach if you need to lose weight, would be to focus on the company you are keeping or make an activity date like bowling, etc. Thinking of food more as a tool for survival instead of the center of your entertainment can be very helpful.

Mommy do this, mommy do that. Mommy make me breakfast, Mommy make me lunch, Mommy make me dinner, Mommy help me with my homework, Mommy get daddy off to work...ugh! It's exhausting just writing it.  It's time to learn to take your own space and do something for you! 

As a Fitness Trainer this is THE most common thread amongst my mommies that I hear.  It's interesting because, we as women by nature are doers, we are caretakers, but we don't take that much time to "take care" of our needs. And if we do, it’s often associated with so much guilt, that we don't really enjoy what we are doing anyway...

I know a woman who has 2 teenage girls in private school who needs to lose weight and refocus as she is always spinning with worry about her family. It's sabotaging her so-called life. I get frustrated that she can’t find her own space yet.  I think WHY is it that men can so easily take their own space.  "Honey, baseball is on Sundays.” “Honey, I just joined a bowling team on Thursdays.” At 6 am they are out that door off to the gym. There they go, and here we are… They go and enjoy themselves.  They don't call a million times, and when they come back, they are refreshed, calm and are able to deal with their responsibilities. 

Hate to say it gals, but we can learn a thing or two from this. Your ultimate goal is to feel good right? You want to demonstrate a good positive attitude for your children? We want to have patience, enjoy the simple pleasures in life, lead by example, but how can we take care of everyone else, but not take the time to work on ourselves?  What it boils down to is this-- there will be a breaking point. What will happen is that everything can backfire and you can become miserable, resentful or unhappy. You might be disappointed with your appearance, have lackluster energy and people will vibe on it. So why wait for that? Dedicate one hour a day for mommy time.

Just you and the outdoors, expanding your strengths, learning new challenges, exploring what your body can really do and think about it, if you endured labor, a couple of push-ups or sets of stairs will be a breeze... You deserve it. Nothing can replace the feeling of feeling strong. The fact is having a family does NOT mean you have to sacrifice all to be a good parent. That's old school and non-applicable today. 

Also, whether it is shallow or not, socially acceptable or not, sexist or not, when we look good, we feel good, tons of studies have proven this throughout many years. If you’re like me, you have to work on your body, it doesn't come naturally, BUT the reward is like no other. Isn’t there a sense of girlish pride when you strut your kid down the street and heads turn? Wouldn’t it be incredible if you could run 50 yard dashes with your kid, staying right behind him every step of the way... Take the time to get out and produce energy, everything else will fall into place.  I promise you, nothing will fall apart if you take a moment for yourself.