I Just wanted to loose a few pounds

Thank you Umut for the following testimonial of your experience training with me. I really wanted to loose a few pounds, but even though I was dieting and going to the gym, I just couldn’t seem to get more than 5 pounds off.  After experiencing ho-hum results from in-gym trainers, I knew that this time around I wanted to work with an independent personal trainer.  After doing some research, I was pleased to find Carla and Compleat Fitness. I was impressed by the fact that Carla doesn’t just train people on the side – this is her full-time profession.  And in addition to her clients, Carla is constantly training her own body for marathons and triathlons – intimidating and motivating at the same time!

I’ve been working closely with Carla for about 5 months now.  She is even-keeled, professional, reliable, and easy to work with.  My sessions with her are supportive and positive, and I always leave feeling better than when I came in.   She manages to calmly weather my moments of frustration and keep me on track.

One of the reasons I chose Carla is that she has a wide skill set.  Some days we do free weights in the gym, some days we go for a run outdoors, and other days we do intervals and exercises in the park.  This type of cross-training has kept me from getting bored.  And Carla’s nutritional advice compliments our workouts well.  I’ve tried the nutritional supplements that she recommends and have been surprised and pleased by the results.  During the times when my weight seemed to plateau, the shakes and cleanses helped get me over the hump.

So far I can report that I’ve lost 15lbs (my goal!) and have gained strength and tone.  It’s not just the weight loss, the actual shape of my body has changed.  I’ve been getting compliments left and right, and I love how clothes fit me now.  As a doctor I’m sure I haven’t been the easiest of clients for Carla, but I have found that she is well-read, experienced, and knows her exercise physiology.  Carla has certainly gained my respect and I would not hesitate to recommend her.

-Umut

Avoid Holiday Weight Gain! Come to my event to find out how.

Are you getting fat just thinking about the holidays?

Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years are getting closer and closer!

What do they all have in common?  FOOD!

Heavy meals, drinks, sweets, candy, cookies, pastry....all creeping closer, all ready to leap on your hips, thighs and butt.  Stop the assault on your waistline and on your body.  Help is available!  Free yoursdlf from the millions of celebrating calories that want YOU for their dinner!

Join us for an afternoon of education and tasting.  Stop those sneaky calories before they end up in your body, and you end up on another endless cycle of dieting and deprivation.  Learn to control your appetite easily and effortlessly.  Allow yourself to choose to eat healthier and enjoy it.  Give yourself an amazing new gift for the holidays, a new healthier you with the body your want.

Sign up today, and fit right in!

Email carlaweier@compleatfitness.com or call 917-292-2069 to register.

Sunday November 14, 3:00 pm at my fabulous new home located at  #1 Northside Piers, PH10, Brooklyn NY 11211.  Easily accessible by the Bedford stop on the L train

Detoxifying Spring Seasonal Food: Millet

Millet is a grain that is fairly high in protein.  It is a gluten free wheat alternative excellent for consuming in the spring.  It has a sweet and salty flavor; is a diuretic; strengthens the kidneys; is beneficial to stomach and spleen-pancreas; moistens dryness; is alkalizing; and is anti-fungal- one of the best grains for those with Candida overgrowth. This simple spicy dish is versatile and is a hearty accompaniment to wIld salmon, a green salad, or steamed vegetables.  You can toast millet in a little oil before cooking to bring out the flavors.  For softer millet, add more water.  You can find this in boxes in the grain section of gourmet grocery stores or health food stores.  If the store has a bulk section it can often be found there as well.

Herbed Millet with Steamed Vegetables

1 cup millet

2 cups vegetable broth or water

½ onion finely chopped

3 small cloves garlic, peeled and minced

1 teaspoon chopped fresh sage.

Rinse millet well.  Combine all the ingredients in a saucepan over low heat.  Cook for 30-40 minutes, until all the liquid has been absorbed.  Serve warm with steamed vegetables, chopped raw vegetables, fish or a salad.  Makes 4 servings.

NATURALLY DETOXIFYING FOODS: Foods to eat and Foods to avoid

Whether you are transitioning to a cleansing lifestyle or simply want to be more knowledgeable of which foods to consume to improve digestion and overall health these are good guidelines to follow. Maintenance Nontoxic Diet Guidelines

• Eat organically grown wherever possible.
• Drink filtered (or properly purified water).
• Eat a natural, seasonal cuisine, focusing on fresh foods as much as possible.
• Focus foods on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds.
• If dairy and meat are part of your diet focus on low-or non-fat dairy products (particularly organic yogurt), fresh fish (not shell fish), organic poultry, and wild game such as buffalo.
• Rotate foods, especially common allergens such as milk products, eggs, wheat, and yeast foods.
• Cook in iron, stainless steel, glass, or porcelain cookware.  Avoid Tefflon and other fabricated non stick finishes
• Avoid or minimize cured meats, organ meats, refined foods, canned foods, sugar, salt, saturated fats, coffee, alcohol, and nicotine.

Foods to Include during a Cleanse

• Dairy substitutes: Rice and nut milks such as almond milk and coconut milk.
• Non-gluten grains: brown rice, millet, amaranth, teff, tapioca, buckwheat, potato flour, quinoa, gluten-free oats.
• Fruits and vegetables: unsweetened fresh or frozen whole fruits, water-packed canned fruits, diluted fruit juices, and raw, steamed, sautéed, juiced or roasted vegetables.
• Animal proteins: fresh or water-packed fish, wild game, lamb, duck, organic chicken, and organic turkey.
• Vegetable protein; split peas, lentils, and legumes.
• Nuts and seeds: walnuts; sesame, pumpkin and sunflower seeds; hazelnuts; pecans; almonds; cashews; nut butters such as almond or tahini.
• Oils; cold-pressed olive, flax, safflower, sesame, almond, sunflower, walnut, canola, and pumpkin.
• Drinks: filtered or distilled water, decaffeinated herbal teas, seltzer or mineral water.
• Sweeteners: brown rice syrup, agave nectar, stevia, fruit sweetener, and blackstrap molasses.
• Condiments; vinegar; all spices including sea salt in moderation, pepper, basil, carob, cinnamon, cumin, dill, garlic, ginger, mustard, oregano, parsley, rosemary, tarragon, thyme, and tumeric.

Foods to Exclude or Minimize during a Cleanse

• Dairy and Eggs, even organic.
• Butter and mayonnaise.
• All processed foods: boxed cereals, frozen meals with additives, bread, canned goods.
• Gluten including sources from bread and grains including wheat, corn, barley, spelt, kamut, rye, and oats.
• Certain fruits and vegetables: oranges, orange juice, corn, creamed vegetables,
• Animal protein in the form of pork, beef, veal, sausage, cold cuts, canned meats, frankfurters, and shellfish.
• Soybean products such as soy sauce, soybean oil in processed foods, tempeh, tofu, soy milk, soy yogurt, and textured vegetable protein.
• Peanuts and peanut butter.
• Specific oils: shortening, processed oils, commercial salad dressings, and spreads.
• Drinks: alcohol, all coffee, caffeinated beverages, and soft drinks.
• Sweeteners: white and brown refined sugars, honey, maple syrup, high-fructose corn syrup, and evaporated cane juice.
• Condiments: ketchup, relish, chutney, barbecue sauce, and teriyaki sauce.

RENEWAL AND BALANCE: Why Everyone Needs to Detoxify

In an ideal world our food would nourish us and give us the nutrition we need to replenish our systems.  But since the world is far from ideal, our bodies need much higher levels of minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants just to cope with our toxic environment.  The food we eat is for the most part “mass manufactured” and compared to 50 or 100 years ago, depleted in essential minerals, vitamins and may have genetically modified aspects which are very foreign to our bodies. Getting adequate nutrition from our depleted foods is simply not enough. Here are 8 other reasons why cleansing is important:

• Many people eat non-foods like MSG, saccharine, nutrisweet, splenda, artificial colorants and flavors which put stress on our systems.
• Almost all foods have pesticides, chemicals (PCB's, Dioxins), and Fluorides which come into our bodies each day.
• Most meats have antibiotic, hormone, and chemical residues.
• Most fish have mercury and chemical residues.
• Even if we are drinking purified water, most of us shower in water that is full of chemicals, or sit in Jacuzzi’s or swimming pools that are full of chemicals that enter our system every day that must be dealt with.
• Our foods are contaminated with phthalates from plastic wraps, Styrofoam, Tupperware, and non-stick coatings from fry pans which enter our system.
• Our clothes, mattresses, and sheets, are full of chemicals, flame retardants, preservatives, and anti-fungals which enter our bodies through the skin.
• Our air is full of carbon monoxide, petrochemicals, lead, mercury, plastics fumes, etc. which enter our bodies when we breathe.

Thus to flourish we must supplement and consume more foods that are naturally detoxifying.  Click here to learn more about my 12-week Spring into Action Cleansing and Renewal program.  And Click here to learn what foods you should be eating more of, and which ones you should be eating less often.

Make Small Changes for Big Rewards

When your diet is focused on detoxification it is also very important to get regular exercise as it stimulates sweating and encourages elimination through the skin. Exercise, including weight training also improves our general metabolism and helps overall with detoxification.  For this reason, regular aerobic exercise along with weight training is key to maintaining a nontoxic body, especially when we indulge in various substances such as sugar, caffeine, or alcohol.  Since exercise releases toxins in the body, it is important to incorporate adequate fluids, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. Sometimes people get discouraged because they set goals that are a bit unrealistic and then punish themselves for not accomplishing their goals fully.  In truth, the longest-term success starts with small, short-term goals.  I find when my clients set weekly or mothly goals it leads to more permanent changes in their food choices and physical activity level.  Try these simple strategies to keep yourself on track.

1. Keep track of your progress.  Try keeping a simple journal of your day’s activities including sleeping, eating, exercise and entertainment to discover the glitches and negative habits holding you back from your aspirations.
2. Find more ways to move.  Sure, a 30-minute cardio workout at the gym is ideal for breaking a sweat, but committing to adding small doses of additional movement throughout your day will help put you in a mindset for exercise.  Opt for the stairs, add an extra walk to your dog’s schedule, get off the subway a stop early, hit pedestrian-friendly shopping areas, spend 15 minutes when you immediately get home for some stretching or yoga.
3. Fatigue your muscles.  Don’t’ be afraid of lifting some weight and sweating a bit.  Fear of bulking up keeps many people (primarily women) from challenging themselves with heavier weights.  If you skimp on the pounds, you won’t stimulate the need for muscles to grow stronger and tighter.  Choose enough weight so you can complete eight to 12 reps. The last rep should be tough, but not so difficult that you can’t maintain good form.