Thinking of Hiring a Personal Trainer?

Do you want to lose "The Last 10 Pounds", improve your health, and truly enjoy this life?

I'm ready and waiting to help :)
Call 1.888.441.1602 and let's get started now!

My personal and small group training takes place indoors and out. Vancouver and Burnaby locations include Groundwork Athletics on Granville, Stay Fit Anywhere on Alberni, and Gold's Gym near Gilmore skytrain station.

Training at your workplace, home or apartment gym are also great options, especially if time and/or finances are somewhat limited.

For more information on fitness and nutrition, visit www.nadeenboman.com or call 1.888.441.1602.

Five meal myths that need to be shelved

Some additional tips on my contribution to the article for how to make healthy pizza:

1. Control your ingredients by cooking at home.
2. Go vegetarian or opt for lean proteins like turkey or chicken instead of high fat, high calorie pepperoni, sausage and beef.
   
3. Go "lite" on the cheese (avoid varieties with over 30% MF) and remember that a portion is just 1oz.
   
4. Unprocessed foods are a healthier option as a general rule so avoid choosing processed (marbled, softer, pre-shredded) cheese and pick hard, smelly brands to top your pizza.
5. Load up on the veggies! Peppers (green, red, yellow, orange), mushrooms, spinach, tomatoes, and onions are all good options...and don't forget that spices are fat and calorie free!
   
6. Use low sodium tomato sauce to reduce your salt intake. 
7. Make your own whole grain dough from scratch or try cutting a whole wheat pita in half. The thinner the crust, the better.
   
8. If ordering out, (it's still OK once in awhile), Panago is a good option as they now offer a multigrain thin crust dough along with fresh salads. 
   
9. Always add salad whenever possible and choose greens over caesar. You can modify your caesar and cut out tons of fat and calories by trashing the croutons and subbing the creamy caesar dressing for a vinaigrette.
   
10. Remember that just because you've made some healthy substitutions doesn't mean you can eat an entire pizza. Overeating on ANYTHING will trigger fat storage in the body.

So there you go, it's pizza for dinner tonight :)

Stretching is Important

I've just posted 8 basic stretches to Flickr. Use these images and accompanying descriptions to ensure you're stretching properly and keeping your body long and lean. You should stretch frequently and most definitely after a workout. Aim to lengthen your muscles every day.

Exercise causes our muscles to contract and shorten. Without stretching our muscles out, we risk injury and hinder our ability to increase strength. Tight muscles pull on our joints and put the body out of alignment.

When you have the option to stretch lying down this is the ideal situation. Stretching while standing is substandard as your muscles aren't able to fully relax, a requirement for any effective stretch. Still, a standing stretch is better than no stretch at all.

It's very important to hold your stretches in place for a minimum of 30 seconds. Use a timer. If you guess you'll almost always fall short of the 30 second minimum.

Do not bounce. Your body may activate a sensory receptor meant to protect you from injury. If you over-stretch you risk automatically contracting the muscle you're trying to relax.

You should not be in pain during your stretch. On a scale from 1 to 10, where 10 feels like your tearing the muscle and you can't feel anything at 1, aim to be at about a 3 where you feel the stretch but are comfortable to hold it. Every 10 seconds you can increase the intensity of the stretch slightly as your body adapts.

Now go be taller!