January 2011
4 posts
Ask Missa: Why do you get nausea when working out...
Q: Why do you get nausea when working out hard? I’m cruising along really working, proud of how well I’m doing and …. nausea, yuck. Why, and any great suggestions to avoid it or just keep working through it?
A: Nausea during exercise is pretty common, especially when heavy lifting or during interval training, as this is very taxing on the central nervous system. There can...
Missa's Chicken Fajita Plate
Ingredients
6 oz. chicken breast, sliced into strips 2 oz. onions, sliced 2 oz. green bell pepper, sliced 1/2 cup canned diced tomatoes 1/4 cup low fat shredded cheese Chopped lettuce leaves Fajita or Caribbean Jerk seasoning
Slice chicken breast, onions and peppers and sprinkle with fajita or Caribbean jerk seasonings. Coat a skillet with non stick spray and stir fry chicken, onion and...
Ask Missa: Question: What Are Your Thoughts On...
One of my best friends saw a commercial for the Fullbar Program and asked my thoughts. Here is my answer:
What is the concept of the Fullbar program? According to their website, “Thirty minutes before meals, eat any befull solution product with a 16 oz. glass of water. You’ll notice that when you’re eating your meal, you’ll already...
What Does 1,650 Healthy Calories Look Like?
It’s the new year, and for me, that always means 12 weeks of “cutting,” or shredding off the body fat put on when bulking and building muscle. This year is different than usual for me, since my bulking period got cut short due to my broken neck. In addition, due to 2 months of complete inactivity while recovering, I gained a good 12 lbs. of fat. So the dieting/working out ...
December 2010
2 posts
How Inner AND Outer Strength Saved My Life From A...
Fitness Magazine is looking for stories about recent health accomplishments. Of course I immediately wanted to share my story of my broken neck. I heard back from the magazine within an hour of submitting my story, then was interviewed by an editor over the phone! Below is the letter I submitted:
I am 35 years old and own a fitness studio. I teach dozens of fitness classes per week and...
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November 2010
2 posts
The Magic of Fresh Herbs
I hold pride in the fact that my cooking is often referred to as a “flavor explosion.” As much as I’d love to take credit for this all on my own, the credit goes to the fresh herbs I use. Dried herbs certainly have their place in cooking, but it is a rare day I use them when I could be using fresh herbs instead. Those who are concerned with keeping the foods that come out of their kitchens healthy...
HardCore Fitness Post-Thanksgiving 3 Day...
For those clients who do not already buy Shakeology, you will need 9 servings of Shakeology, which can be purchased at the shake bar at HardCore Fitness for $45 ($5 per single serving packet). Please order your packets at the studio in advance to ensure we have enough for everyone!
The Science Behind the Shakeology 3-Day Cleanse by Steve Edwards, Director of Results I like to call the...
October 2010
9 posts
How Physical Strength Allowed Me To Function With...
We all know that being physically strong is a good thing, but I want to point out the specific exercises and muscle groups that allowed me to function relatively easily while wearing an 8 pound metal halo on my head for the first 7 ½ weeks of my broken neck.
First and foremost, thank goodness my core is conditioned as much as it is. Carrying around 8 pounds that are protecting two shattered...
Exercise vs. No Exercise - My Own Personal...
It has been 6 1/2 weeks since I broke my neck, thus unable to exercise. Never mind the injury itself and the directly related pain, I feel like the rest of my body is falling apart from lack of activity! My knees and ankles ache, my whole body is stiff, my upper, middle and lower back aches… I feel 100 years old! If this is how the non-exercising population feels on a daily basis, NO...
HUGE Beachbody Coach Opportunity Has Been...
WHOA!! Beachbody has just announced that they will waive the start up fee of $39.95 to start your own business as an Independent Beachbody Coach on Monday, 10/18! And get this… sign up TODAY and you’ll get the Business Starter Kit FOR FREE (4pm ET October 16, 2010 through December 31, 2010.) As a coach, you get 24% off ALL of their amazing products, including all workouts like P90X,...
Not All Oils Are Created Equally
By now, most people know there are good fats and bad fats. This blog is going to focus on oils that are considered good fats, and how and when they are appropriately used in cooking. Some cooking basics to keep in mind: For baking: Coconut, palm, canola and high oleic safflower and sunflower oils work best. For frying: Because they stand up well to the heat, avocado, peanut, palm and sesame oil...
The Creation of HardCore Fitness
This blog explains in great detail what drives me as an instructor, a fitness studio owner, and what sets my studio apart from your regular, everyday gym. I am a big fan of networking with other fitness professionals around the country and exchanging ideas and just making connections in general. I recently befriended a fitness professional in Georgia, and while getting to know each others...
Random Nutrition Tip
Fat free salad dressings aren’t necessarily the best way to go. Many of the vitamins in your salad’s healthy veggies are fat soluble and require fats for the body to absorb them. Try using heart healthy oils (such as olive oil, avocado oil, flaxseed oil or even walnut oil) and balsamic vinegar as dressing, or add some omega-3 rich avocado slices or some walnuts to the salad! Throw on a...
A Testament To The Mental Effects Of Exercise
As a fitness instructor, I exercise anywhere from 10-20 hours a week and burn between 2800-3500 calories a day. Exercise is my natural relaxant.
Since being laid up with a broken neck for 5 weeks, I have noticed that even the arsenal of narcotics and anxiety meds the doctors have me on (Morphine, Percocet, Valium AND Xanax, to be specific) haven’t even come close to keeping me as calm and...
Nutritional Healing (For Bone Growth/Repair)
As many of you know, I broke my neck 4 weeks go in a diving accident. I saw my orthopedist this past Thursday for progress x-rays. My healing is coming along quite well, and I’m just about out of the woods as far as needing surgery (which would only be necessary if anything in the vertebrae were to shift at all). I go back in 4 weeks for more progress x-rays, and my doctor said that IF the...
September 2010
8 posts
Article: 8 Tips To Survive Football Season →
How to enjoy tailgating and football Sundays (my personal favorite time of year) without blowing up to the size of a small barn!
Local service recommendation: Best massages EVER... →
Anyone serious about their athletic training knows the importance and value of a good massage. Seeing how I just broke my neck in a diving accident 2 wees ago, a LOT of quality massage therapy is also in my future, and there is no one else I plan on receiving said therapy from other than Ben Hallen of Manual Balance Massage Therapy in Central Mass. Ben has already performed some energy work on my...
“You see, you wouldn’t ask why the rose that grew from the concrete had...”
– Tupac Shakur
“Everything you want is out there waiting for you to ask. Everything you want...”
– Jack Canfield
More Pec For Your Buck - How To Bench With The...
Anyone who knows me knows it’s almost impossible for me to walk into a gym these days without cringing unless I’m blindfolded. The things I see in there make me want to rip my hair out. People truly have no clue what they’re doing, and I can’t just walk up to any old random gym rat and try to talk some sense into them. Thank goodness I have my own studio! But I digress… One big issue with...
August 2010
17 posts
Fuel and Refuel For Peak Performance... Or For ANY...
Recently a client of mine started complaining about feeling very weak and just out of it during her workouts. She would regularly take my 45 minute spin class at 8:15am followed by my 60 minute weightlifting class at 9:15am several times a week. So I asked her the most obvious question first, “What are you eating for breakfast?” Her response was, “Nothing, I don’t really eat breakfast, I just have...
Avoiding Mercury Toxicity While Still Enjoying... →
I love salmon and seafood… I mean really love it. So much, in fact, I had mercury toxicity several years back from consuming so much salmon! Once I detoxed from the mercury (yeah, that was a real treat. Probably one of the most miserable experiences of my life!), I needed to find a seafood source that was mercury free. That is when I discovered Vital Choice.
Vital Choice provides fast home...
Bang For Your Buck Exercise: The Zercher Squat
Any of my clients who have ever taken my weight lifting classes or been personally trained by me knows I am a big fan of Zercher squats. Zercher lifts were created by St. Louis strongman Ed Zercher (1902 - 1995). Zercher squats take front squats to a whole new level. Instead of the bar being held across the shoulders, it’s held in the crook of your arms (the inside of your elbows). The Zercher...
How Much Do You Burn? →
I can’t count the amount of times people ask me, “What’s that on your arm? A heart rate monitor? A pedometer?” Kinda, sorta, but not really. It’s MUCH, much more. It’s basically a metabolism monitor. It’s called the BodyMediaFIT. It’s similar to a BodyBugg, but better… unlike the BodyBugg, the BMF also monitors your sleep.
I am a self...
Benefits of Omega-3 Fish Oils
If you haven’t heard of the benefits of Omega-3 fish oils yet, you’re probably living in a cave. If you’re not taking Omega-3 fish oils on a daily basis yet, you might want to rethink that course of action. Fish oil, made from the tissue of oily fish, such as salmon, tuna, mackerel, herring, lake trout and sardines, contains important Omega-3 fatty acids , most notably eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA)...
Could Something This Simple Be Hindering Your Fat...
You do it all…. eat right, train right, sleep right… yet nothing is moving on the scale. There could be many reasons why, but one reason we almost always neglect to pay any attention to is how much water we are drinking. Chances are, you aren’t consuming nearly enough as your body needs, especially if you exercise regularly.
A very simplified explanation: You need water for your...
P90X Extreme Newsletter #43: Clean and Green ; 12... →
“If you believe in yourself, have dedication and pride and never quit,...”
– - Paul “Bear” Bryant, the Late, great coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide football team
“Any discussion about optimal calorie intake is really a total waste of time -...”
– Ian King, strength coach & author of “Get Buffed”
Magnesium, Potassium and Calcium, Oh My!
Calcium, magnesium and potassium are all vital to keep sodium in check, decrease any bloating and prevent muscle cramping. These are must-haves. Magnesium - Magnesium plays a number of roles in the body, being required for more than 325 enzymatic reactions, including those involved in the synthesis of fat, protein and nucleic acids, neurological activity, muscular contraction and relaxation,...
How To Increase Push Up Reps
How To Increase Push Up Reps Step 1: determine maximum number of push ups Step 2: perform sets of roughly 60% of that. When you start to get “grindy”, the workout is over. What do I mean by “grindy?” Listen to your body and use common sense… you’ll know it when you feel it. Do the above twice per week. Every 6th workout or so, retest for max. (At 2 workouts a...
Have trouble digesting protein?
Have trouble digesting protein? Eat lots of fresh pineapple - agents in this (bromelain) reduce inflammation in the body and support the decomposition and digestion of protein.
Shakeology: almost too good to be true! Almost...
Several months ago I discovered Shakeology®, an all encompassing nutritional shake. As a fitness professional, I have tried just about every shake on the market to accompany my training. Some have been pretty tasty, some have resembled sawdust in a glass, but the first time I tasted chocolate Shakeology®, I couldn’t believe how delicious it was! The consistency is smooth and almost...
HardCore Fitness →
Group Fitness and Personal Training Studio located at 50 Lake Ave, Worcester, MA. Offering Turbo Kick, Zumba, STOTT Pilates, PiYo, indoor cycling, weightlifting classes, personal training, and more!