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5 Quick Tips To Slim Down Before Summer

4/22/2019

1.) Eat “Bulky” to Slim Down.  Choosing “big” and bulky foods such as fruits, vegetables, soups, and salads will fill you up without packing a lot of calories. These foods are filled with fiber and water, as opposed to “smaller” foods that tend to be sugar-rich and dense with calories.

Many studies have shown that our hunger tends to be satisfied by eating a certain volume of food, (4-5 pounds per day) rather than the amount of calories per meal. Conclusion: Eating more bulky foods will help to curb your hunger and help you to lose weight faster.

2.) Snack Smart.  When starting any weight loss program, cravings can absolutely kill your diet! When you are craving fat-rich or calorie-rich foods, try and find a lower calorie food to pair with it. For example, when craving chips, eat it with lots of healthy, fresh salsa (which is low in calories and will fill you up!)

The good news is, as your body gets more accustomed to eating nutrient rich foods, you will crave these sugars less and less. This very important for long-term weight loss.

3.) Heat It Up For Breakfast. Oatmeal and other hot cooked cereals have only 1/5th the calories of dried cereals. Hot cereal packs around 300 calories per pound where dry cereals can contain 1,400 up to 2,000 calories per pound! In addition, hot cereal is more filling and can be a very nutritious way to start the day. A great addition to any weight loss strategy.

4.) Pasta over Pizza.  Pizza dough is very dense with calories, containing around 1,250 calories per pound. This is not even including the cheese, tomato sauce, or any toppings. Pasta is a much more health conscious choice when eating Italian. Your typical pasta dish, including the tomato sauce and vegetables will take you down to around 600-700 calories per pound.

5.) Focus on the breathing. Did you know that fat loss happens mostly via exhalation? Whether you're doing a K-Fit HIIT workout or going on a walk around the block, make sure you're huffing and puffing a little in order to kick start the fat burning process.

Despite what some "experts" say, there is no mystery fat burning zone. You are burning fat the moment you start moving (the ratio changes as you exercise; the further into the workout, the more fat you burn). Focus on activating bigger muscle groups by doing squats, pushups, lunges, rowing, biking. Weight bearing exercise will also help to maintain/ increase bone density which is very important to help prevent osteoporosis. Try to find at least 15 minutes in your day to do some form of exercise. Good for the body, good for the mind.

If you're looking for other ways to slim down, make sure to check out our 28 Day Summer Slim Down Challenge starting next month. Our last round in January saw participants lose an average of 9.5 lbs (click image below for details).

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8 Simple Tips To Achieve Your Best Shape

4/10/2019

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The idea of getting in phenomenal shape is usually an overwhelming thought by many. There's a tendency to think that only that gruesome Rocky type of workouts and eating oatmeal, kale salads, and salmon daily is the only way to get in amazing shape.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

Sure, you need to find a different gear to operate from, but getting in the best shape of your life does not require that obsessed mentality.

Most of the things that you can do to fine tune your body & health are relatively easy and it can be implemented right away.

Here are 8 things to help on your quest:

1.) Shift your focus to habits, not end goal.

Most people get caught up in the final goal (ex: losing 30 pounds) and completely lose sight of the process. It starts with a single step. It may be putting the alarm on, then getting out of bed when the alarm goes off, putting your running shoes on, and so forth.

Reverse engineer the process and visualize each step.

The focus should be on each action step, not on the end result. Focusing on the process will eventually take you the finishing line.

2.) Get Specific.

Instead of saying: " I want to lose 30 pounds." Be more specific by placing specific timeline and actions.

"I want to go to the gym 3x per week for the next 4 months and drop my junk food habits by 50% each week and add one more vegetable to my plate each day"

Break down your ultimate goal into daily goals and cross them out (actually do that in a calendar) each time you complete them. Every nutrition challenge we've had, we require participants to mark down an "X" on a google sheet doc if they completed the day without sugar, alcohol or over 100g of heavy starch.

The result is incredible and so consistent year after year; the people that mark down daily are more psychologically in tune and conscious of what they are eating and over 80% of participants that mark down their daily "X" during the entire challenge lose the weight required.
That's what builds momentum! Speaking of which...

3.) Momentum Creates Motivation.

Despite what you may have been taught to believe, motivation doesn't just happen. You have to create it.

Sometimes motivation comes from watching others practice a behavior that we want to adapt, but that is very short lived.

A more sustainable way is learning how to develop our own motivation by building momentum with the 'just do it' attitude.

Have you ever started washing a couple dishes and then ended up cleaning a few extra, then wiping all the countertop, stovetop and even microwave? Or you started cleaning something out of the garage and found yourself tackling boxes even 2 hours later.

That's momentum in action and the hardest part is starting out. Once you get going, you start to immediately build motivation to finish the project. This works amazingly well for workouts too. Just get your butt to the gym! Once you're there, you're going to do something.

At K-Fit, you don't even have to think, we'll have the workout of the day all planned out so all you need to do is show up!

You know our coaches will make you do something once you get there =)

4.) Plan it out.

This one is so important. Simply putting on the schedule when you're going to workout or when you're going to do your meal prep can change your life.
Speaking of meal prep, that is the number 1 way to start eating healthier.
There are several key reasons why everyone should be doing meal preps:

-Saves time during the rest of the week
-You're able to plan MUCH healthier meals
- You're able to practice (and teach others) eating in moderation
-Saves money from eating out. You're also able to buy the proper ingredients without having food going to waste.
-You can spend time on things that really matter (instead of spending 1-2 hours every night in the kitchen after a long day).

I recommend reading the blog, checking out some Youtube videos (HERE is a good one), buy some bento boxes (plenty HERE) and get to work!

Initially, the first couple times you do it, it may take a little longer...but once you get the hang of it, you'll be doing it on a weekly basis.

Did you now that here at K-Fit we have our very own master chef on call? Well, not technically, but we do have an incredibly talented chef, Theresa Rowland who's a member (and is awesome!). She will sit down with you and your family to come up with some meal prep and recipe ideas suitable for your lifestyle. Email me if you're interested.

5.) Reduce Decision Fatigue.

Let's face it, you have enough on your plate (no pun intended) with several decisions that you have to make all day long. Decision fatigue is a real thing and it affects us the most when we're hungry and also when we're tired (usually at the end of the day).

Decisions based around food and what to do eat can be very draining, especially when you're hungry or for some people hangry.

And when that happens, we usually make the wrong decisions.

Shift your decision making to things that are more important in your life. In regards to food, follow #4 to plan it out so you can add structure to your nutrition and achieve a level of health you've never experienced!

6.) Front load your calories.

Aim to eat most of your daily calories before 3pm (at least 3/4 of it). If you’re not exercising, try to eat your complex carbs for breakfast and lunch. If you do workout, add a serving of complex carb for dinner time. Veggies (which are carbohydrates) can be consumed at any time. Legumes also make the winner's circle and can be consumed at any time since they are very nutrient dense.

7.) Clean your environment.

Simple and effective. Out of sight, out of mind. If you leave that pint of ice cream in the house, you will eat it. Get the junk out of the house, and you'll improve your eating habits 10x!

8.) Maximize Your Workout Time.
Many of us don't have the time to workout for hours on end. We want to get in, get it done, and get out (hopefully feeling better than when we came in). Now, this can be done in many ways, but the very best way--in my very bias opinion--is K-FIT HIIT.

The K-Fit HIIT was originally designed as a low impact, high intensity cross training workout for a group of runners I was training. Little did I knew, it would become the studio's signature class with 28 sessions weekly.

Over the years, I've seen some pretty incredible transformations in participants' weight loss, muscle tone, energy level, blood panel readings, and simply overall well being.

You get core, full body functional training, interval sets utilizing both pull/push levers of the body and some pretty awesome coaches to make sure you're doing it right, and turning it up just for you when you need it. Oh yeah, and you'll be burning no less than 500 calories per session.

If you can't get into the studio for the K-Fit HIIT, just make sure to add some intensity to your workouts. Even if it's just a walk, throw some speed walking or jogging pick ups.

Then find a bench after your walk and do some step ups, pushups and dips.

The more muscle groups and energy systems you can engage, the better the results.

And remember, fat is lost via exhalation, so as long as those heavy breathing sessions outweigh the heavy eating sessions, you'll be in good shape. Literally.

Choices are all up to you. With nutrition and fitness you have the power to choose and absolutely change your life. Take advantage of these choices.

Committed to your health,
Coach Kendrick

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22lbs Leaner and Stronger

4/3/2019

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Every so often, we like to acknowledge a member of K-Fit that has put in that extra effort. Someone who not only embraces our culture so well, but also inspires other members with their positive energy and fitness work ethic. Brittany is one of those people and this month we wanted to put the spotlight on her.

Let's dive in and learn a little more about Brittany and how she developed a healthier lifestyle, got significantly stronger and even recovered from injuries in the past year at K-Fit.

1) Where's your Hometown?

My home was in Newark, CA, but I went to school in Palo Alto and then Fremont, CA.

2) Share 3 Fun Facts about yourself.

Born in Panama.
I have 2 dogs, 2 cats, and a snake.... but it's not enough pets.
I got to do an exclusive interview with Allen Ginsburg for my college radio news show.

3) Favorite (Healthy) Food

Homemade "refried beans" made with a combination of pinto and black beans, tomatoes, onions, garlic, salsa and a smidge of butter. It's about half vegetables, but all pureed together so my kids don't realize!

4) Share a little about your story...

I grew up in the East Bay, then moved to New York for college. I lived on the east coast for 9.5 out of 11 years, and the other year and a half I was living in Taiwan. My husband and I met in college, so we like to joke that fear of actual dating will keep us together. I wasn't even able to manage parties and bars. While we were living in Taiwan, we had the opportunity to travel throughout southeast Asia and see some of the most amazing sites in the world. We hiked along the top of the unrestored section of the Great Wall of China and didn't see another person for hours.

We travelled by boat from Thailand to Cambodia and saw as the scenery became more and more poor until even basic farming knowledge had clearly been lost. We got to try such an astonishing variety of food, including a sautéed spider that tasted like soft-shell crab.

At Angor Wat, our local guide (we couldn't resist hiring him - his name was Sauron, and we are huge Lord of the Rings fans) would mock the foreigners running along the river for exercise. "Nothing is chasing them! Why do they run?" he would ask. Obesity is not a problem there, and locals routinely scale palm trees to collect coconuts. I never got used to seeing men with machine guns walking the streets of Myanmar. And the Malaysian movie-rating system was so different we were mesmerized.

I am now a pediatrician, having done medical school in Philadelphia and residency in Oakland. After residency, I spent about a decade working with sick newborns a Lucile Packard. My group would attend high risk deliveries, do newborn resuscitation when needed, and then take care of those babies who were sick enough to need hospitalization but not so sick that they needed a neonatologist.

I loved the work - I got to save a life on a regular basis and yet 95% of what I did was happy.

However, this was also when I started learning that I need to listen to my body. Changing circadian rhythms (going back and forth between day and night shifts) was hard on me, and started making me sick. Choosing to leave Stanford was difficult, but it was the start of my journey towards better health. I now do part-time work in urgent care at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center and I am launching a new business called Newborn Transitions. I will get to incorporate all my passions - newborn medicine, lactation, and working with families to make early parenting less stressful.

5) What do you love most about Studio K-Fit ?

The ever-changing combination of exercises makes every workout different, and moving between the stations prevents boredom for those of us with a short attention span.

6) Least favorite exercise or piece of equipment..?

Anything involving step-ups... it reminds me how far to go I have on my core stabilization!

7) Has losing all that weight changed your view of fitness and nutrition?

So far, I have lost 22 pounds in the year since I joined, and this is the first time I have ever successfully lost weight in my life. What has changed the most in my view of fitness and nutrition revolves around patience and forgiveness.

I used to create strict diets for myself with intense workout regimens, and then I would have a bad day (usually around day 3-4), break the diet, and feel bad. It would all unravel from there. Learning to try and make small changes, and then be okay with occasionally breaking the rules for special events, has made all the difference.

And hydration - I never really realized how much I would crave sweets when I was thirsty. Starting the day with a big glass of water has changed a lot about how my body functions during the day. I have learned to incorporate vegetables into every meal, even breakfast, and it has helped my energy level a lot.

Studio K-fit is also the first time I have ever regularly done any weight lifting. I have noticed my shoulders getting more stabilized, my stance being stronger, my posture is better and my core is much stronger. When I started, I would wake up every morning with a sore back, and sleeping on my back was an impossibility - every time I tried I would wake up with a spasm in the middle of the night. I threw my back out every time I tried doing sit ups.

Now, I can make it through 30 sit ups during a workout with punches, and it's just another exercise. I sleep on my back comfortably - which is a lifesaver since I have shoulder injuries - and I save a shocking amount of money in chiropractic bills. Studio K-fit almost pays for itself in that respect!

8) Has your workout schedule changed and what motivates you to get your workout in after a long day?

I started off trying to come in at 6:00am one day a week, and I have learned that a schedule like that will never be sustainable for me. I recognize that I don't do well early in the morning, and so I do later morning workouts. I also no longer need to motivate to come in; the atmosphere is so pleasant and I feel so good when it is done that I look forward to my workouts.

Initially, I was honestly motivated by the fact that I was paying for it. If I'm paying for it, I have motivation to do it or it's money wasted. At least if it's a class and someone knows I'm supposed to be there. This probably comes back to the accountability that we talk about. If I am scheduled to be somewhere, I make a point to show up. I have always thought that 90% of accomplishing what we set out to do in life is showing up.

9.) What you tell someone who is intimidated or discouraged in their fitness journey?

When it comes to exercise, if you don't enjoy it, you won't do it. Don't force yourself into an activity you hate. There are a million different ways out there to exercise, and various magazines will tell you every week what new thing is "the best." The best exercise is the exercise you will do. For me, the positive environment, knowledgeable trainers and good people at Studio K-fit make all the difference. The other thing I remind myself is that, although it is important to set goals and achieve them, I spend more time on the journey than at the finish line. I like to keep the journey interesting.

One of the things I have most appreciated about Studio K-fit is their willingness to accommodate injuries. After my injuries, the first thing my physical therapist asked me, with a smirk, was whether or not the workout studio had asked me to not come back.

Apparently, that has happened to a lot of his patients with their workout places not wanting them there while recovering from an injury because they are a “liability.” I am extremely grateful that K-Fit's approach is to accommodate and help rebuild. They trust and support their clients, which helps cement loyalty... at least from me.

Brittany

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Kendrick Ribeiro, MBA, MS, CSCS

Knowledge is only potential power, until you act on it. Our hope is that this blog gives you the inspiration needed to create healthier habits, and steer you in the direction of developing the best version of yourself.

5 Quick Tips To Slim Down Before Summer

8 Simple Tips To Achieve Your Best Shape

22lbs Leaner and Stronger

Kendrick Ribeiro, MBA, MS, CSCS

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