Made Fit TV - Health & Fitness Entertainment

"Eating Healthy" is such a broad term. To one person, this could mean eating your daily recommended fruits and vegetables. Where to someone else, it could mean eat anything as long as it's not fast food. Whatever you consider it, there are some food selections that should be a staple in your daily nutrition plan. These could be eggs, oats, vegetables, lean meats, and olive oil, to name a few. But if you're a little stumped on what to keep in your house to keep you out of the drive-thru, check out what I eat! In this week's Made Fit TV episode, I let you raid my refrigerator, freezer, and pantry to get an idea of some food choices that work for me - and may work for you.

Check out this week's Made Fit TV video to see me in action baking sweet potato muffins. Visit www.MadeFitTV.com to for nutrition facts, and printable recipe

There are a many reasons why people can't seem to lose those extra pounds. Some of them have to do with our physiology, some with our genetics, but for the majority of us, it boils down to a few changes in lifestyle and perspective. Check out Jenny's top 10 reasons why you're not losing weight and see if you're committing one or more of these fitness fouls.

Arms are one of the first things people use to gauge whether or not you're toning up. Let's face it, arms are easiest to show off. But because we're more apt to showing them off, we're all a little self-conscious of how our arms look. Performing the "tried and true" bicep curls and tricep presses are great movements for toned arms. But, these movements can bring you down a road of monotony in the gym and closer to hitting a plateau if we don't mix it up enough. To make your arm workout more dynamic, challenging, and fun, watch my "Killer Arm Workout" in this week's new episode of Made Fit TV. Check out the exercises below, print them off, and follow along to keep you accoutable! 1.) Bicep/Tricep Combination * Pick up a dumbbell in each hand * Place your left arm at your side with your palm facing up * Place your right arm straight next to your head, bending your arm at 90 degrees with the dumbbell behind you * At the same time, raise your left palm up in a bicep curl while keeping your elbow locked in at your side, while raising your right hand to straighten out your arm to full extension * Resist on the downward motion and return each arm to the starting position * Perform a set of 12 and switch hands, performing a total of 3 sets of each movement on each arm 2.) Centipede Walk * Stand with your legs straight and lower your arms to the floor in front of you * While keeping your legs as straight as you can, walk your hands forward until your body is in the push up position and your back is straight * Walk your hands back to the starting position while maintaining straight legs and a tight core * Perform 3 sets of 10 to 12 3.) 180 Bear Crawls * Find a large, clear area that is wider than double your height * Get in a push up position with feet together * While keeping your feet stationary, walk your hands to the right until your body makes a half circle to the other side * The when you reach the right side, walk your hands back to your starting position to the left * Perform going from one side to the other as one rep, 5 to 10 times

One of the most common concerns I receive from clients and viewer emails is regarding quick and easy, healthy meals. As much as we try to convince ourselves otherwise, eating healthy can pose some obstacles in our daily lives because much of it involves prep time. The key word in that phrase is "time" -- and we all know there's not much of that to go around these days! Because eating frequent, small meals is the best way to increase metabolism and improve our energy levels, we always need to have something healthy and ready-to-eat at all times. One of my staple foods that I incorporate into many recipes is the egg. Eggs contain high quality protein and amino acids. Even better, eating just the whites of the egg eliminates the cholesterol and fat, making it a lean selection. Check out this week's Made Fit TV podcast for a delicious and convenient recipe of a Low-Fat Broccoli Fritatta. It's protein-packed, low in fat, and offers up a generous serving of vegetables. You can't beat that! Print off the recipe below to follow along. Low-Fat Broccoli Fritatta Ingredients: 2 whole eggs, 4 egg whites, 1/2 cup fat-free cottage cheese, 5 oz. frozen chopped broccoli (thawed), salt, pepper, parsley 1.) Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees 2.) Spray a 9 inch round baking pan with fat-free non-stick spray 3.) Combine two whole egg whites and four egg whites in a medium bowl 4.) Mix in 1/2 cup fat-free cottage cheese into the eggs and blend for 2 minutes, or until mixture is foamy 5.) Add in 5 oz. (1/2 package) of thawed broccoli and mix 6.) Sprinkle in salt, pepper, and parsley to taste 7.) Place the fritatta in the center rack of the oven and bake for 30 min - 40 min, until center is fully cooked and top is golden brown 8.) When done, remove fritatta and cut along the edges to remove from pan and place it on a cooling rack Nutrition Information: Serving size: 1 Total Servings: 4 Per serving: 118 calories, 2g fat, 8g carbohydrates, 2g sugar, 14g protein

I don't think I know one person who doesn't have a "trouble spot." But I'm not referring to fat this time - I'm talking about muscle. Unless you're perfect (which I doubt), there's always one muscle, or group of muscles, that just refuses to gain in size or shape. For many, this problem occurs more commonly in the legs. Momentary muscle failure is a term used to refer to the moment your muscles can no longer perform a repetition due to inadequate muscle strength. If your goal is to increase size, strength, and endurance of a muscle - this "failure" is a good thing. One training method that involves this - and is great for legs - is post-exhaust training. Post-exhaust training combines a low-repetition set of a heavy compound movement followed by a high-repetition set of a lighter weight isolation movement. An example of this would be to perform a back row (the compound movement) to stimulate the biceps, followed by an isolation movement, like a bicep curl, to bring the bicep muscle to complete exhaustion. When you see the term "post," you assume there must be a "pre," right? Well, there is. Pre-exhaust training is the opposite: an isolation movement immediately followed by a compound movement. It is believed, however, that post-exhaust training is preferred. The reason is that you can use heavier weight on the compound movement without completely exhausting the targeted muscle, while still being able to go relatively heavy on the isolation movement as well. This week's Made Fit TV video focuses on using this method on the legs - specifically the quadriceps and glutes. Check out the video for a demonstration of pairs of exercises that will target these muscle groups. Also, make sure you print off the notes accompanied with it for pointers on form, reps, and weight below. Post-Exhaust Pair 1: Quadriceps Compound: Dumbbell Hack Squat * Weight- Heavy * Reps - 8 to 10 * Sets - 2 to 4 * Grab a set of dumbbells and hold them at your sides with palms facing behind you * Elevate your heels 1 to 3 inches off the ground and stand with your feet shoulder-width apart * Bend your legs and lower your butt while keeping your back straight and chest up until your thighs are parallel to the floor * Stand up through the heels and repeat Isolation: Alternate Front Lunges * Weight - Light * Reps - 20 to 30 * Sets - 2 to 4 * Begin with feet together and dumbbells in hand, if desired * Step your right foot forward and bend it to a 90 degree angle while lowering your body and maintaining a straight back * Do NOT allow your knee to go significantly beyond your ankle - only by about 20 degrees beyond the initial 90 degrees * Push through the heel to return to the starting position with feet together and repeat on the left leg, making it a fluid motion from right leg to left leg Post-Exhaust Pair 2: Glutes Compound: Barbell Box Squat * Weight- Heavy * Reps - 8 to 10 * Sets - 2 to 4 * Use a chair or box and stand in front of it with feet hip-width apart * Grab a barbell and place it behind your neck, resting on your shoulders * Bend your legs and lower your butt to hover over the chair or box while keeping your chest up and back straight * Immediately stand up through the heels before your butt touches the chair or box Isolation: Weighted Split Squat * Weight - Light * Reps - 20 to 30 * Sets - 2 to 4 * Hold a a dumbbell in each hand * Place your right foot slightly in front of you and elevate your left foot behind you on a chair or box * Keeping your front heel down and chest up, lower your body until your right thigh is parallel to the ground * Stand up through your front heel without allowing your knee to extend over your ankle * Complete the set, and repeat on the left leg

Studies show that exercising at varying intervals like this increases your metabolism, thus promoting fat-burn. To get technical, this is called excess post-exercise oxygen comsumption (EPOC). It's also believed that this method of trainin delivers better results in less time!

With two-thirds of the American adult population overweight and one-third classified as obese, it's no wonder NBC's "The Biggest Loser"is such a continued success in primetime reality television. But behind all of the hype, the sad reality is that only about 10% of people who lose large amounts of weight - similar to the contestants on the show - successfully keep it off for a year or more, according to the Journal of Clinical Investigation. Seriously?! As a fitness trainer, this makes me sad and angry! Obesity is treatable and preventable with the right tools, guidance, and motivation. One person who is living proof of this claim is Season 2's "The Biggest Loser" winner Pete Thomas. Four years later, 185 pounds lighter, and $100,000 richer... Pete shares with me his experiences on this week's Made Fit TV podcast! Find out more about Pete Thomas and his upcoming events at these links: http://winningman.com/ http://loseitfastloseitforever.com/

Check out this week's Made Fit TV episode to see my recipe's for a healthier and leaner way to enjoy your Tuna Salad. And if you're not one who's a fan of vegetables without drowning them in dip, try my modified recipe for a fat-free, protein-packed veggie dip!

The day has finally come! After twelve weeks of clean eating, carb cycles, outrageous cardio, heavy lifting, mood swings, and a dozen coats of protan... I made it to the 2009 NPC Novice Michigan Bodybuilding, Fitness, Figure & Bikini Championships! I know that I typically post a new show on Wednesday mornings, but I wanted to get this one out as soon as possible. The competition was fierce. I was up against so many gorgeous women! The prep for this sport is a very taxing and unique one, so I couldn't have done it without the encouragement of you, my fans! I also could not have done it without the help and guidance of my talented friend, a successful personal trainer and figure competitor, who coached me along the way, Magda Sadowski. She kicked my butt! Another special thanks to Rick Romeo. He put on a great show at the Redford Theater in Detroit, MI, where the show was held, and made my experience competing in it a great one!

Spring is in the air! But before you celebrate, your first concern is probably how you are going to tone up for the summer. (We all worry about it, so you're not alone!) And though summer is 12 weeks away, it provides an optimum amount of time for you to develop a permanent and consistent health, fitness, and nutrition program. The first sign for many that it's time to "get back on track" is the soft mid-section and arms - am I right? These areas are popular for being bared in the warmer months. So instead of waiting until two weeks before your summer trip, start trimming up your abs and arms NOW!! Check out this week's Made Fit TV podcast on creative - but challenging - movements to hit your abs and arms at the same time. In the video, I demonstrate these compound movements listed below. Working both muscle groups at the same time challenges your endurance, strength, and function for great results! (Just don't forget to eat healthy and lean and keep up with your cardio, of course!) Side plank with lateral shoulder raise * Lie on one side and hold your hips off the ground with your forearm and side of your feet * With the opposite hand, hold a dumbbell face down at your side with arm straight * While keeping your hips off the ground, perform 10-12 reps of a lateral shoulder raise * Repeat on other side, 3 sets on each Elevated bear crawl * Get into a push up position in front of a step or box * While maintaining a tight core and straight arms, alternate climbing the step with your hands up and then down * Perform 10-15 reps per arm, 3 sets total 'V' sit overhead press * Sit on the ground or the edge of a box with your knees bents and together and toes off the ground * While balancing in this position, hold a dumbbell in each hand above your shoulders * While maintaining the v-sit, press the dumbbells straight up and over head * Perform 10-15 reps, 3 sets total

Strength and resistance training can involve so many different methods, equipment, intensities, frequencies, tempos... it can make your head spin! Well, whatever you're currently doing, I'm sure it's fair for me to assume that you're getting bored, right? To wake your muscles up a bit, try Negative Resistance Training (NRT). NRT, also known as Eccentric Resistance Training, is a strength training method that focuses on a contracted muscle in it's lengthened state. It conditions the muscle to become stronger and more functional, promoting better results in performance and tone. As I touched on in Made Fit TV Ep #37 "Why Plyometrics are Awesome!", the eccentric state of a muscle is when it is lengthened but still activated against weight, gravity, or some other weight-bearing force. During a movement, the concentric motion can be considered the "positive," the eccentric the "negative." Now that we have all of the technical stuff out of the way, try it for yourself in this week's Made Fit TV video! Check out the workout notes below - and print them off - to guide you at home or at the gym. Workout 1. Concentration Bicep Curls 2. Dumbbell Chest Fly 3. Front Dumbbell Shoulder Press Notes * Tempo 3/1/6 * Use weight 5 to 15 lbs. lighter than what you are used to * Perform 3 sets of each movement at 10 to 12 reps each This week's referenced links: http://coachaustin.tripod.com

Besides time and money, motivation is one of the biggest factors that can make or break your health and fitness results. Without that inner drive to be consistent and keep trucking along, you end up letting yourself down - and that's a bad feeling. Being a personal trainer, I am a motivator. People use me to push them to do something they believe they are incapable of doing on their own. But neither me or any other trainer out there can't train you forever, right? So, the next step is to find out what, inside you, can help motivate you to reach and maintain your goals. In this week's Made Fit TV episode, I answer a couple of the many emails I have received on the topic of Motivation. Check out my list below of some little tips that can make a huge change in how you look at exercise. Even if you can only relate to one tip, it's going to make staying "on track" a lot easier for you! #1 Set Small Goals #2 Prioritize Exercise #3 Focus on Numbers that Really Count #4 Eat Healthier #5 Secretly Compete with Yourself #6 Surround Yourself with Supportive People #7 Don't Give up your Power!

I always say this, but it is true!: "Nutrition accounts for 75% of the results you see from your exercise program." In other words, were are what we eat. Period. There's no way getting around it, that's just the way we as humans were made. Okay, now that you've dried your eyes from the shocking truth, it's time to take action and eat foods that work for your body and the results you are trying to achieve, as opposed to against it. Oats are one of the healthiest foods on the planet to eat because they are packed with slow-digesting complex carbs, fiber, and heart-healthy components. Granola, although it contains oats, isn't always the best food to eat. See for yourself. Flip over that box you have stashed in your desk drawer and you will see the loads of sugar and, more likely, processed ingredients listed in the nutrition facts. Now, I want to commend you for at least keeping food with you so you don't starve yourself all day and then binge at night. That's the fastest way to packing on the pounds. But if you are not sure of what granola bars to buy because of all the marketing hype... make your own! Check out this week's Made Fit TV episode where I show you how to make protein-packed, chewy, low-sugar, yummy, cranberry almond granola bars! If you're pressed for time (as we all are), whip them up over the weekend or a day off to have for snacks and meal replacements for the work week, saving you time and money! Cranberry Almond Granola Bars Ingredients: 3 cups oats, 3 egg whites, 1/2 cup sliced almonds, 3/4 cup protein powder, 1/4 cup splenda, 1/2 cup dried cranberries, 1/4 cup apple sauce, 1/4 cup honey 1 tsp vanilla extract, 2 tsp skim milk 1.) Pre-heat oven at 350 degrees 2.) While oven is pre-heating, chop up the almonds with a knife on a cutting board until they are to your desired size 3.) In one mixing bowl, combine the eggs, apple sauce, honey, skim milk, and vanilla extract - Mix for two minutes, or until smooth 3.) In a separate bowl, combine the oats, protein powder, splenda, almonds, and dried cranberries 4.) When dry ingredients are blended, pour in the wet ingredients and stir until blended together for about 3 minutes 5.) Spray a cookie sheet with a fat-free non-stick spray and pour the granola mixture onto the sheet 6.) Place a sheet of wax paper over the mixture and spread out evenly until the mixture is about a 1/2 inch thick all around and it makes a rectangle (or your desired shape!) 7.) Remove the wax paper and place the cookie sheet in the oven to bake for 15 to 20 minutes (depending on the oven), or until the top of the granola is golden brown 8.) After baking remove the entire granola in one piece to a separate surface to cool for 5 minutes, then cut it into 18 bars 9.) Cover and refrigerate for later Nutrition Facts: 1 bar = 137 calories, 3g fat, 21g carbohydrates, 10.5g sugar, 7.5g protein

Ever have the urge to just jump as high as you can to touch the basketball rim? Or try to grab the chin-up bar on your own because you didn't have someone there to hoist you up? Well, you don't need those special Jimmy shoes to improve your vertical leap (random Seinfeld reference). Plyometric movements are perfect for not only increasing you jump and power, but for optimizing your overall performance and strength. Plyometrics, which means "to increase," involve explosive jumping movements. These types of exercises are unique in that they work the muscle is more ways than one. They require your muscle to quickly contract (concentric muscle movement) and then quickly lengthen (eccentric muscle movement). Training muscles in both their shortened and lengthened states conditions them to have more controlled power in reactive movements, while preventing injury at the same time. However, it is strongly recommended that only conditioned athletes and gym-goers execute this form of training. Beginners and fair-weather exercisers could experience injuries to the muscles, tendons, or even bones if performing plyometrics improperly. So, to learn how and when to incorporate Plyometric exercise into your fitness program, check out this week's Made Fit TV podcast. I show you the basic movement of a squat jump, while kicking it up a notch with other variations for an even bigger challenge!