My New 30 day Challenge Group Starts Monday August 19,2013.

I am looking for women who want to LOSE 5-20lbs, learn how to Eat Clean, Eliminate Belly Bloating Trigger Foods, Follow a fun Workout Schedule and make some Amazing Friends!! The program includes-  A home workout, Shakeology, meal plan and accountability group & Prizes!!! Are u ready to follow a set program that takes out the guesswork!?!! Space is limited!!!! INBOX ME for details! I CAN'T WAIT! Let's change these bodies ladies, together!

 

Don't Be Slaves of Your Scale

Your Bathroom Scale Doesn't Tell the Whole Story

When it comes to weight loss, the scale can be a good measure of progress, particularly if you have a lot of weight to lose. But if you place too much emphasis on your weight and not enough on your body composition (the ratio of fat to lean muscle), you're only getting half the story. Plus, dreading your weigh-in or obsessing over the number on the scale is unproductive and can lead to unhealthy behaviors such as bingeing or starving yourself. Losing pounds doesn't always mean losing fat. Here's why the scale can be misleading.

• The scale doesn't tell you how much fat you have. Your scale does exactly what it's supposed to—it tells you how much you weigh. But in addition to measuring your weight, the scale weighs bone, water, muscle, organs, and undigested food. When the number on the scale goes up or down, it doesn't represent only fat loss or muscle gain. It measures fluctuations in glycogen (stored carbohydrates) and water, and it even measures how much that breakfast you ate weighs.
• You may wonder about scales that claim to measure your body fat. These send small electrical currents up one leg, through your pelvis, and down the other leg to determine your body's density. Then a formula is used to estimate your body fat. The problem with these scales is that they're notoriously inaccurate. However, they are usually consistent in their readings, so they can be helpful as a measuring tool. Even though the body fat reading might be off by as much as 5 or 10 percent, if the number trends downward over time, you know you're on the right track. -
• The scale can't tell if you've gained muscle. A pound of muscle is like a brick, small and compact. A pound of fat is like a fluffy feather pillow, bulky and lumpy. When you gain muscle and lose fat, your body gets smaller and tighter. Building muscle also makes it possible to drop clothing sizes without a big change in weight. Perhaps after a 90-day fitness program, the scale says you lost 7 pounds, which may not sound like much. But what if you actually lost 12 pounds of fat and gained 5 pounds of muscle? That's a remarkable improvement in your body composition, but you wouldn't know it if you only used your regular bathroom scale to track your progress.
  
• You didn't really gain 5 pounds of fat overnight. You may step on the scale one morning and shriek in disbelief because the number is five digits higher than it was the day before. Stop panicking. Unless you ate an extra 17,500 calories the previous day, you didn't gain fat (a pound of fat is equivalent to 3,500 calories). Your scale is registering water, stored carbohydrates, and food. Also, cheap bathroom scales may have measurement errors, giving slightly different readings even when you're at exactly the same weight.
• Your body's water levels are constantly changing. The scale can move up or down depending on how much water you drink, how much salt you consume, how much you sweat, and how many carbohydrates you eat. An average person can see a daily fluctuation in water weight of about 2 pounds, without any changes to diet or exercise habits. These fluctuations do not signify fat loss, and watching the scale move up and down every day can be frustrating for many dieters.

If you're trying to achieve a healthy weight and improve the way you look, you should focus less on what the scale says and more on developing the good habits that will produce results. To get lean and strong, with low body fat and nice muscle tone, there are three things you should do:

1. Cardio plus weight lifting (or other resistance training). Cardio workouts raise your heart rate to help you improve your fitness level, burn calories, and shed fat. Resistance training builds muscle, which boosts your metabolism and helps you burn even more calories.
2. Healthy diet. No matter how much you exercise, you'll never reach your fat-loss goals if you don't follow a healthy diet consisting of protein, vegetables, fruit, and whole grains. The right foods in controlled portions will fuel your body as it shrinks.
   
    
3. Track your progress. If you don't use the scale, you need to do something else to check your progress.

• One of the best ways to keep track of your changing body is to use a tape measure. Record your chest, waist, hip, thigh, arm, and wrist measurements in a journal or the guidebook that comes with your workout program. Update the measurements every 30 days to see how your body changes.
• Pictures are also good indicators of progress. Have someone take front, side, and back photos of you every 30 days and keep these with your body measurements.
• Body fat testers can also be used regularly to track your fat loss. Monitoring your progress with tools other than the scale will give you a more realistic assessment of your weight loss success.
• Notice how your clothes fit. This is a foolproof way to prove that you're losing weight. If your clothes are getting looser, your body is shrinking, even if you don't see a big change in the mirror yet.
• Too many people are slaves to the scale. They can't resist weighing themselves, only to feel guilty, angry, or demoralized when the numbers don't move down quickly enough. If you're one of those people whose weigh-ins lead to loss of motivation or a feeling of helplessness, then you need to reconsider using the scale for your progress checks. Success is more than just a number.
• By Whitney Provost

Keep A Weight Loss Journal

It's easy to either eat too much or too little if you don't pay attention. That's why keeping a food diary is a smart idea. Tracking the food you eat forces you to take responsibility for your food choices. It gives you a much clearer picture of what you're really eating and how dedicated you are to your weight loss efforts. Studies show that people who keep food diaries lose more weight and keep more of that weight off in the long run.
For anyone thinking of starting a food journal, Dr. Anne McTiernan, MD, PhD, director of the Prevention Center at FHCRC and lead author of the study. “Keeping a food journal helps create accountability to self,” offers this advice on getting started with your food journal:

 

 

Be honest. Record everything. If you don’t want to write it down, you probably shouldn’t eat it.
- Be accurate. Measure portions you’re unsure of and read labels.-Facebook/Fit Genie
...
- Be complete. Include condiments and toppings, as well as how your food was prepared.
- Be consistent."If you suspect that you tend to eat in response to emotions or stress, it is a good idea to make a note of your feelings in your food journal, too. It's important to write them down both before and after your meal. Doing so will help you to understand what emotions cause you to eat and what effect certain foods have on those emotions. You may wish to make a note of the specific situation that caused the emotional eating, such as "Argument today with boss" or "Missed deadline at school." When you understand what leads you to emotional eating, you can work towards planning alternative coping strategies  Keep your journal close at hand (or your smart phone—there are many apps to help track food).for the next time the same situation arises." - Jennifer R. Scott,


 

Happy Monday!

Just remember, everyone was once a 'beginner'. DO NOT compare yourself with anyone else.

Focus on YOU! Set your own goals and strive to become better than you were yesterday. Slow progress is still PROGRESS!

 

Join me for Shaun T's Focus T25 Challenge

Ladies, I recently started Focus T25  and I am blown away and so looking forward to changing my body and breaking this plateau. 25 minutes a day, 5 days a week !   When I instruct it's all about you. It's your workout. I had to find a personal workout that I could do that didn't take too much of my time. I found it. You may or may not know that along with healthy eating, in order to lose weight, it is recommended to workout at least 5 times a day. It is hard to find that much time to come out to the studio. Some of you may have difficulty coming out at all. On August 5th there's a HUGE Focus T25 Challenge happening: I need some accountability partners to JOIN ME !  INBOX ME for details! I CAN'T WAIT! Let's change these bodies ladies, together!   Take Care and see you soon!   Nefertiti Rashid   Stay Connected

Important Studio Updates

 

Dear Columbia ladies, I hope that you are enoying classes here at Columbia Lady Group Fitness Studio. If you haven't come out yet, you have to give it a try. This is the perfect week to do it. All classes until tomorrow are only $5.00. Please note that I am still working on the schedule and trying to bring classes that not only you will enjoy, but will work with your schedule. So I apologize in advance for the schedule changes. Important Updates Schedule Changes Tuesday Morning Zumba with Nefertiti will be back at 10am starting March 26,2013. Morning Piyo will start next week as well on Weds at 10:15am (March 27,2013) . There will be a special Morning PIYO class tomorrow morning(March 21st) at 10:15am. Please come check it out if you are interested . Morning classes as well as other clases will remain on the schedule as long as there is a physical show of interest. There will be no Monday PIYO class @6:30pm March 25th only. Please check the link for the current schedule. SCHEDULE Your feedback is encouraged and welcome. Please email info@columbialadyfit.com to leave feedback, suggestions or comments. Member ID's and coin skirts I am working on the barcode card system and membership cards. My goal is to have them ready for you by the end of the month. There is a delay with the delivery of the coin skirts. The company is researching the delay now. Until then, (if I owe you one) I have several extra skirts I keep at the studio.Just ask for one during class. See you all tonight for ZUMBA with Abs and Arms with Nefertiti at 6:4pm. Sincerely, Nefertiti Copyright 2013- COLUMBIA LADY . All Rights Reserved.

 

We Plan

My grand opening has been postponed. It will no longer be March 2nd. I am now working towards having the first class March 9th and announcing the open house later in the month. Take a moment and go to www.columbialadyfit.com to see the schedule for March. It is overwhelming and a lot of work and I am blessed that I am given the week off from teaching next week to get the place ready. I say given, because it was not in my plan. I had planned to continue non stop.

 The biggest lesson that is being reinforced is that God is the best of planners. We plan, and then He plans and as long as you have done everything that is in your power , give thanks and let things fall into place as and when they were meant to be. Several ladies have mentioned to me that I don't seem excited enough. I guess it hasn't had time to sink in, or rather there is no time. There is so much to do, I haven't had time to sit and absorb everything. I am still mom, a wife and teaching classes almost everyday! So as the song says "Everyday I'm Juggling", just like you. If anything I am more humbled and thankful and working very hard to make it a second home for all of you ladies to enjoy. Here are some Before pictures I would like to share. God Willing the end of next week I will have some After ones. I can't wait.....

 Front Entrance

 

Entry Way

 

 

Building the bathroom

Renovations

 

 

 

 

STUDIO UPDATE.