Sep 2

Sep 2 Q&A WITH TRAINER VERONICA PRINCE

Getting advice is my JAM.

And I know that physical fitness is something that a lot of you are passionate about so I wanted to link up with my good friend Miss Veronica Prince and just ask her a fewww questions about the whole working out thing.

I personally do some kind of exercise about 5 times a week but that doesn't mean that every now and then while I'm busting my ass on the stair master I don't think to myself...is this realllly helping me?

You know what I mean? And then you start to wonder...is this building my legs up or is this toning them down? Is there even a difference? So while everyone else is sweating their life off and thinking about their ass, I'm over there thinking about if what I'm doing is even working.

SO.

Let's get into the questions ay??

Okay.

1.

ME: Okay so the first question that comes into my mind that I feel like I get asked A LOT is how can girls slim down/ tone up/ their legs?

VERONICA: So it kind of depends. You have to determine if your legs are MUSCULAR and you want them a little less "bulky" or if they are big and "soft".

If they are muscular and you want to tone them down, then you are going to want to do HIIT workouts. HIIT = high intensity interval training. So an example of this would be jump squats and jump lunges.

I would do 4 sets of 15-20 reps. Another type of HIIT is sprinting intervals so I suggest getting on the treadmill and sprinting with 90% effort for 30 seconds then taking a break for 30 seconds. Do this for a total of 15 minutes.

Also!!! Jump roping is GREAT for the legs whether you're wanting to tone up or slim down!

2.

ME: Amazing! Okay so what do you suggest as an ideal week of working out? I personally do 3 HIIT workouts, 2 days of steady cardio for about 30-45 minutes and 2 days of interval sprints. Sound good?

VERONICA: Yes that sounds perfect! So this is what I suggest BECAUSE this way you are always surprising you body and burning a TON of calories.

- 4 x's a week = RESISTANCE TRAINING. This means just using something a little bit more than your body weight so try incorporating a medicine ball, resistance bands, or light weights.

- On these days also do 10 minutes of interval sprints.

- 2 days a week do 30 minutes of steady cardio

- The last day you should so some kind of active rest so try going for a walk or a hike for 30-45 minutes.

3.

ME: What would you say to someone that feels like they are killing it in the gym but they stopped seeing results?

VERONICA: I would tell that person that they definitely need to check their water intake. Water is a huge reason why some people hold on to weight.

ME: YES! I totally understand that. When I was right out of high school and started to work out on my own, I noticed that after two weeks of drinking a gallon of water a day my love handles SERIOUSLY shrunk. It was amazing.

VERONICA: Yeah it really really helps! When it comes down to it, your results are going to come from what you're feeding your body. If you're eating more than your burning then you will maintain or gain, if you are burning more than you are eating then you will lose weight.

ME: I feel like this is why girls starve themselves sometimes though and then they can't even make it thru a workout because they don't have enough energy. WE NEED TO EAT NUTRITIOUS FOODS!

VERONICA: Oh totally. Yeah we NEED food to workout. I would also tell someone that if they're not seeing results that you DON'T need to go buy every supplement on the planet. Really the only supplements I suggest are Protein and BCAA's. (Branch chain Amino Acids).

4.

ME: What do the BCAA's do for us?

VERONICA: Basically Amino Acids are the building blocks of protein so it leads to greater muscle gain and it helps maintain lean muscles. This also promotes fat burning which can lead to weight loss AND they help replenish muscles after a workout so you're not as sore!

5.

ME: Okay amazing!! Yeah I remember my trainer had me drinking those like all day every day when I was training for a fitness competition. Speaking of hardcore fitness training, what are your thoughts when girls say they are afraid to lift heavy weights because they don't want to bulk up?

VERONICA: So....it takes body builders A LONNNNNNG time, a TON of work and a BUNCH of weight to look that way. Us lifting heavy a few times a week isn't going to magically turn us into that. Not to mention that those body builders are usually on some kind of growth hormone, testosterone and steroids..

Heavy lifting is ESSENTIAL for us and has so many great benefits. The higher percentage of muscle mass that we have the faster our metabolism is working all day long, even when we're at rest. This is because muscle is harder to maintain than fat so your body has to burn more energy to keep it!

When lifting heavy the idea is that you're toning right? So when you say that you want to TONE you're basically saying that you want to lose body fat and build some muscle.

Next time you do a heavy workout, do 6-12 reps with the last 2-3 reps being pretty hard for you to finish, and rest for 60-90 seconds in between sets.

TRAIN SMARTER, NOT HARDER.

ACHIEVE THE SAME SUCCESS IN LESS TIME IN THE WEIGHT ROOM RATHER THAN RUNNING.

6.

ME: Yeah honestly, I see AMAZING results when I lift heavy, especially ass workouts ;) haha, okay! Next question. I LOVE LOVE LOVE fasted cardio, what are your thoughts?

VERONICA: It's great because it revs your metabolism for the rest of the day! I definitely don't suggest weight training first thing in the morning because you need more fuel for that but fasted cardio is great. Something like the bike or the stair master.

7.

ME: Okay, what are some of your favorite pre and post workout snacks? You want to have carbs before a workout for fuel and protein after to rebuild muscles, right?

VERONICA: Yeah Ideally! I like to have 1/2 a sweet potato, quinoa, oatmeal or an apple or banana with almond butter before a workout. Afterwards I like to have a protein smoothie or salmon :)

8.

ME: One last question...I feel like girls ask me this question a lot which is why I've focused on it so much with my 8 Tips to a Flat Tummy Newsletter...Girls always want to know how they can loose the belly, get abs, and just tone their core. I have always noticed that I get the best results from WHAT I EAT, but I'm interested in asking you on what your thoughts are on this from the perspective of a trainer.

VERONICA: You NEED to focus on your diet. Core strength exercises can help, like planking and leg raises but honestly the core starts to peek through after a clean diet and just working out in general. Whenever you start consistently burning calories from cardio, weight training, and other workouts, the overall calorie burn will result in weight loss from your mid section.

ME: Good to know!! Yeah that's why I made the 8 tummy tips because I feel like with just a few habit changes, you'll really start to notice that bloat goes away and your abs peak though. Everyone HAS abs, their just hidden!