When it comes to movement, one topic that I feel like isn't frequently covered is something called NEAT, which is Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis. NEAT essentially means all the activity that you do throughout the day, separate from your dedicated workout. So if you're weight training, if you have a cardio session - the calories burned during NEAT are completely separate from those workouts.

The beauty of NEAT is that it actually burns a higher percentage of calories than those dedicated workouts. Best of all, it's one of those things that you could just fit in throughout your day. If you're wondering "How do I increase my NEAT?" The easiest way is by walking. You can grab 10 minutes before work, 10 minutes during lunch. It's fitting in little pieces of movement throughout the day. It could be taking an extra walk when you go to get the mail. It could be parking farther away. You always hear "Park further away!" or "Take the steps instead of the elevator". That's how you...

So when it comes to movement and workouts, you really want to prioritize weight training. Weight training is a great way to not only build muscle but it's gonna help with your mobility, it's gonna help prevent injury especially as we get older, we lose muscles as we get older. So you really want to make a focused effort to make sure you get enough protein, that you are lifting weights. If you're unsure where you'll get started, start with body weight workouts. So squats, push ups, pull ups. Those basics will set you up to be able to start getting into more weights using heavier dumbbells. That is really how you "get toned". Its not "getting toned", it's building muscle. And you really need to challenge yourself and lift heavy to do that.

So if those two-pound pink dumbbells don't feel like a challenge and you could quickly do reps, you really want to lift a weight where it is a challenge to get thru ten reps, eight reps because that is really how you build muscles. So I always tell...

This month's theme is all about movement and the first topic I want to cover is cardio I know many people try to kill themselves with cardio in an effort to lose weight. But when it comes to losing weight and making sure that your metabolism is operating at the most optimal rate, it's really important to build muscle. So you want to prioritize weight training, which I'll talk more about in a separate video, but cardio should be used as a tool for weight loss. If your primary goal is heart health or you're marathoner or triathloner, then cardio is going to be your primary workout.

However, if you're just looking to lose weight, build muscle, and get lean (or a lot of people like to call it "get toned"), you really want to use cardio sparingly and for overall heart health. What does that mean? That means using cardio maybe one high intensity workout a week, maybe one steady-state workout. But it's really important to make sure that you rest enough. A lot of people like to focus...

Let's talk about metabolism and movement.

When it comes to movement, there are different kinds. There's the movement you do throughout the day which is called N.E.A.T. - Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis. Then there's the activity you get from exercise. It's really super important to be very purposeful about your movement when it comes to your metabolism. What's interesting is that you burn a larger percentage of calories by the movement you take throughout the day. That means the errands, the laundry, the housework, the dishes, the fidgeting, the standing desk, all of those things actually burn a larger percentage of calories than your dedicated workout routine.

If you're working out for an hour, or even 30 minutes, you're doing weight training, cardio, all of the things. That NEAT is actually burning more calories than your workouts. But don't kill yourself everyday with workouts, be very purposeful and really focus on getting more NEAT. You want to have adequate weight...

My Top 3 Tips to Get into Competition-Ready Shape

One of my New Year’s resolutions is to compete in another bodybuilding competition this summer and my ultimate goal is to get my pro card in one of tougher natural federations called the OCB (Organization of Competition Bodies). The OCB only allows competitions who attain their physique without the use of drugs or diuretics. This it what makes this competing with this federation more difficult and more rewarding

I work full-time, manage a family and still find the time/effort to prep for figure competitions. It’s not always easy, but anything worth achieving usually isn’t easy. It’s doable even with a crazy lifestyle.

Tip #1 - Make your goal a top priority and have a deadline.

When I plan to compete, I need to select a federation, date, and location. Normally I try to pick shows that are close to home so there is minimal disruption for my family. That said, I also try to be realistic about how much weight I...

Did you overdo it during the holidays? Too many cookies and not enough exercise? It happens to the best of us. (Yours truly included…never met a Christmas cookie I didn’t like.)

Don’t wait another minute to get started. Now’s the time to get back in the saddle to take control of your eating and exercising. (Yes, I know New Year’s is this weekend…that’s no excuse.)

The goal is to focus on consistency.  When it comes to changing your body, diet is 70% of the equation, while exercise is 30%. With 100% dedication, you’re ready to go.

Workout Plan

Commit to this workout 5x a week for 12 minutes or 3x a week for 20 minutes. It doesn’t matter if it's first thing in the morning, during lunch or before bed. Pick the time that works best for you and DO IT!

Complete 10 repetitions of each exercise before moving onto the next one. Repeat until you hit 12 minutes or 20 minutes.

1. Jumping jacks
2. Squats
3. Push ups
4. Crunch
5. Walking...