Beach for Memorial Day Weekend? It's not too late!

As a personal trainer and nutritionist, people always ask me "What are some quick fixes before a big event or a beach trip?" Even though with proper diet and training noticeable results typically take 4-6 weeks, here are 10 things you can do if you only have a week or less. 

1) Cut out alcohol....no if's and's or butt's. It's extra calories that you don't need.

2) Exercise: get in a daily 30 min total body circuit workout which includes lots of body weight exercises. Typically you want a day of rest in between the workouts, but you're in a time crunch, so no worries, you're not going to "overdo it". Here is a workout you can do at home without any equipment. Repeat each exercise for 1 min with little/no rest in between until you reach 30 min. Don't forget a 5 min cool down and stretch.

-Lunges

-Push-ups (modified are ok if you can't do regular push-ups)

-Jumping Jacks

-Bicycles (abs)

-Squats

-Tricep dips

-High knees

-Plank

-Mountain Climbers

3) Try to sneak in exercise whenever you can. Take your kids to the park to play, go for a walk with a friend, sneak in some stairs as you're doing housework or  even "the horizontal mambo" will count... you're welcome, guys: )

4) Cut back on carbohydrates: Get your carbohydrates in early in the day, pre and post workout only. No carbs past 3 pm. Stick to 1/2 c plain oatmeal or 1 slice Ezekiel bread

5) Center your meals around protein, veggies and healthy fats! (and no, potatoes do not count as a vegetable in this instance)

6) Reduce your sugar to only 10g a day. This means read every label and count every gram of sugar you put in your body. It will be hard, but its only for a week or less, so suck it up so you don't have to suck it in!

7) Cut back on sodium: It might make food taste better, but it makes your body look worse....it's not worth it! Don't eat anything canned and don't salt your food.

8) Pig out! on green leafy veggies that is....kale, spinach, spring mix, collards.... are all great. In addition eat some cucumbers and asparagus which naturally help flush your body of extra fluid.

9) Drink a ton of water! Well atleast a gallon.... but drink as much as you can. It helps flush out fat and any extra water your body might be holding on to. If you're not a water drinker, like myself, flavor it with mint, lemon/lime juice, cucumber slices, strawberrries or watermelon. 

10) Rock that body! There is nothing you can eat or drink to give you confidence, that has to come from within. So go out there and show off your best features and feel great about yourself. A great personality and confidence will always outshine good looks!

How is red wine heart healthy? See what the Mayo Clinic says...

Red wine and resveratrol: Good for your heart?

Red wine and something in red wine called resveratrol might be heart healthy. Find out the facts, and hype, regarding red wine and its impact on your heart.

By Mayo Clinic staff

Red wine, in moderation, has long been thought of as heart healthy. The alcohol and certain substances in red wine called antioxidants may help prevent heart disease by increasing levels of "good" cholesterol and protecting against artery damage.

While the news about red wine might sound great if you enjoy a glass of red wine with your evening meal, doctors are wary of encouraging anyone to start drinking alcohol. That's because too much alcohol can have many harmful effects on your body.

Still, many doctors agree that something in red wine appears to help your heart. It's possible that antioxidants, such as flavonoids or a substance called resveratrol, have heart-healthy benefits.

How is red wine heart healthy?

Red wine seems to have even more heart-healthy benefits than other types of alcohol, but it's possible that red wine isn't any better than beer, white wine or liquor for heart health. There's still no clear evidence that red wine is better than other forms of alcohol when it comes to possible heart-healthy benefits.

Antioxidants in red wine called polyphenols may help protect the lining of blood vessels in your heart. A polyphenol called resveratrol is one substance in red wine that's gotten attention.

Resveratrol in red wine

Resveratrol might be a key ingredient in red wine that helps prevent damage to blood vessels, reduces "bad" cholesterol and prevents blood clots.

Most research on resveratrol has been done on animals, not people. Research in mice given resveratrol suggests that the antioxidant might also help protect them from obesity and diabetes, both of which are strong risk factors for heart disease. However, those findings were reported only in mice, not in people. In addition, to get the same dose of resveratrol used in the mice studies, a person would have to drink over 60 liters of red wine every day.

Some research shows that resveratrol could be linked to a reduced risk of inflammation and blood clotting, both of which can lead to heart disease. More research is needed before it's known whether resveratrol was the cause for the reduced risk.