The Effects of Obesity on Your Finances

Studies from the Center of Disease Control and Prevention indicate that 67 percent of the US adult population is overweight (BMI of 25-29) and 34 percent are obese (BMI 30+). Many people are aware of the physiological implications of being obese, but are they aware of the financial impact obesity has? The United States Department of Health and Human Services estimated that obesity accounts for 9 percent or as much as $78 billion in direct costs of total U.S. medical expenditures. Direct costs are expenses attributable to preventive and diagnostic services. Taxpayers covered about one half of these expenses through Medicaid and Medicare. Combined Medicare and Medicaid costs due to obesity are approximately $37.6 billion.

Being overweight or obese has significant financial impact on individuals' wallets. Being overweight or obese may mean up to 4 times higher life insurance premiums compared to normal weight individuals. Obese individuals can expect to pay 10 times higher lifetime medical costs related to chronic diseases like Type 2 Diabetes and Hypertension than their normal weight counterparts. The average yearly cost for prescription drugs for diabetes is $680, heart disease is $627, and hypertension is $502. Living a healthy lifestyle can reduce the need for medications and can put hundreds of dollars back in one's budget to spend on other items. Instead of spending money on prescription drugs, one can reward themselves with a 3-day cruise to the Bahamas (starting at $400) or season tickets to the Atlanta Falcons (starts around $650/ ticket).

Here are some resources to help you lose weight and incorporate healthy behaviors in your lifestyle.

1. Attend an Expo: At many health fairs or health and wellness expos, vendors from various health and wellness disciplines are available to answer questions.

2. Research: To learn more information about chronic diseases go to major health organizations website like the Center for Disease Control or the American Heart Association.

3. Join a gym or hire a fitness professionals: After joining the gym, be sure to ask questions and enlist the support a personal trainer to assist in creating routines that work. Atlanta personal trainers' prices are only between $35 - $90 per session. A small price to pay for good health, and reduced health care costs.

Ayana Roberts

Atlanta Personal Trainer

(678) 713-4863

A Simple Plan For Weight Loss

Simple Tips To Lose Weight.. Guaranteed!

The one thing trainers stress to their clients is to not get caught up in the "marketing hype" of quick weight loss plans and the multi-billion weight loss pill industry. Losing weight is not hard, but rather simple when you take a common sense approach to it. It does not require hypnosis or extreme caloric restrictions diets or fasting and you don't have to count every calorie you consume. To lose weight, you have to eat right, get sleep and move.

To eat right means to increase your consumption of earthy carbohydrates (fruits and vegetables), eat lean protein (chicken, fish or turkey) decrease your consumption of processed carbohydrates, sodium and sugar. It is important that you get on a regular, consistent, eating routine. Do not skip meals or go long periods without eating. Skipping meals may slow down your body's metabolic rate, making it harder to lose weight. In order to maintain a regular eating routine, you have to plan your meals. Take time to plan your meals several days in advance and then create a grocery list. This may take more time, but your body and your wallet will thank you.

Getting enough rest is just as important as eating right. Adequate sleep regulates hormones like leptin & ghrelin levels go up, which in turn, increases feelings of hunger. You should try to get at least 8 hours of sleep a night.

Finally to lose weight, you have to move. Not only do you have to move, you have to move at the right intensity. Everyone should engage in moderate intensity exercise. Moderate intensity should increase your heart rate and breathing to a point when conversing becomes harder. You should be able to speak a few words but not be able to carry-on in a conversation. Also, if you find yourself daydreaming, reading a magazine or watching T.V., you are not exercising with the right intensity. Consider hiring a personal trainer to find a cardio workout that keeps you motivated and help you lose weight. Five days of exercising is recommended for one hour. Lift weights two of those five days. Resistance training increased lean muscle mass, therefore helping you burn more calories throughout the day.

Keep up with Atlanta Personal Trainer-Ayana Roberts on Beach Body.

Eating Healthy On A Budget

Save Money While Eating Healthy

Eating healthy means consuming the right amount and right kind of carbohydrates, proteins and fats. Many of these foods are not found in a box nor can just adding water create them. Eating healthy takes dedication and determination. If you eat out more or buy “box” meals more than you cook at home, it will take time to adjust to a new way of food preparation. This transition does not have to be hard. Knowing a couple of “tricks of the trade” will help you live healthier without going over budget.

Know how to navigate the grocery store. Successful navigation starts with having a plan. Make a grocery list of all the foods you are going to eat for the week. Use coupons. You don’t have to wait until the Sunday mailers for coupons. Many brands and grocery chains have coupons and offer special promotions online. At first glance, it will look to be more expensive. Fresh produce, meats and deli items may cost more, however the more meals prepared at home, the more money will be saved.

Now that the refrigerator is a beautiful display of fruits, vegetables and dairy, take 2 hours out of a Saturday or Sunday to pre-plan your meals for the week. Start with cooking 3 main dishes with 3 vegetables. Section these dishes into meals and store in the refrigerator. Using this method reduces cooking to 2 to 3 times per week. Take time to plan your lunches as well. A family of 3 can save about forty-five dollars a week or around $2,340 a year. Lastly, plan snacks for when you are the go. You will save an average of $1,300 a year when you pack your own snacks when running errands, traveling or picking up the kids from school. Purchase items that don’t have to be refrigerated like protein bars without a lot of sugar. By using these healthy tips for your meal plan, you will not only find yourself saving money but feeling healthier and fuller.

Note: Finding the right meal plan for your fitness goals can be very confusing and time consuming. That is why it is important to seek the advice of a certified personal trainer or nutritionist.


Certified Personal Trainers of Lithonia
Certified Personal Trainer
(678) 713-4863

Keep up with Female Personal Trainer-Ayana Roberts on Beach Body.

Gain Weight Fast By Building Lean Muscle

Most Effective Way To Gain Weight The All Natural Way

Putting on muscle or lean body mass is more than pumping iron at the gym and consuming more calories throughout the day. You have to know what to eat and what style of workout works best for your body. It also takes proper planning and time.

It cannot be stressed enough that proper nutrition is key to gaining lean muscle mass. It has been said that great bodies are made in the kitchen. You should plan your meals to ensure you gain lean body mass and not just body weight. Lean body mass is a calculation of how much you weigh without body fat. This weight includes all organs, bones and muscles. Your target nutritional goal should be to consume around 5-6 meals a day, packed with protein along with complex carbohydrates and some fats (yes, fats). Protein sources like chicken, turkey, lean beef and eggs will help you achieve that rock solid, ripped body you desire. Life without carbohydrates is unhealthy. Carbohydrates are the body’s main source of energy. You want to make sure that you include complex carbohydrates like potatoes brown rice and whole grains. Avoid simple carbohydrates like white pasta and white bread. Lastly, fats are an essential part of your diet. Fats have been shown to help regulate your metabolism. Consume good fat, polyunsaturated fat versus bad fats, saturated fats.

There are so many training techniques used to help put on muscle. All of them have be proven to work. However, you have to know which one works best for you and how to perform the exercised properly. Two popular training techniques are Split Training and High Intensity Training. When you think of bodybuilding, most people think of split training. Using this techniques, you focus on a different muscle group each workout, and use heavy weights with low repetitions. In order for this technique to work, you have to go to the gym with a plan. Know what muscle group you are going to work and how. It is also important to incorporate rest days. These days are just as important as your workout days. High Intensity Training was made popular in the 1970s that recommends you to exercise to muscle failure. This techniques incorporates 1-3 full body workouts a week with a high number of repetitions. For both techniques, change up your workout routine. Your body will get used to the same workouts overtime.

Gaining muscle is not an unreachable goal, but it does require dedication. Don’t waste your time while at the gym. Make sure you are doing the right exercises by consulting with a knowledgeable trainer. Good luck!

Keep up with Atlanta Personal Trainer-Ayana Roberts on Beach Body.

Atlanta Personal Trainer | Healthy Ways To Lose Weight Fast

Healthy Ways To Lose Weight Fast With Diet and Exercise

How are you coming with your New Years resolutions? Are they becoming a distant memory? Has the panic of “I need to lose weight fast” set in? Instead of wasting money on fad diets or weight loss pills that don’t work or may be dangerous, use these healthy tips to help you lose weight fast.

1) Watch Your Sodium Intake
Excess sodium in your diet causes the body to hold on to extra fluids, which leads to weight gain caused by water. Stay away from highly processed food or pre-packaged food that contain high levels of salt.

2) Eat Foods That Help in Weight Loss
Eat foods that are high in fiber, low fat and low in calories to help you lose weight. High fiber foods and complex carbohydrates like wheat germ, grains and beans metabolize slowly in your body, keeping you full longer. Fruits and vegetables not only help you lose weight, but also reduces your risk for some cancers.


3) Engage In Interval Training
Interval training increases your caloric burn during workouts than doing steady-state exercises. Interval training involves quick stints of intense exercise followed by a recovery period. Most personal trainers will recommend that you try to incorporate interval training at least 3 days per week.

4) Get Enough Rest
Sleep is very important in regulating hormones like leptin and ghrelin that effect hunger pangs. In the sleep deprived, ghrelin levels go up which in turns increases feelings of hunger. Try to get at least 8 hours of sleep a night.

Keep up with Female Personal Trainer-Ayana Roberts on Beach Body.

How do you know if you are exercising at the right intensity?

Two Great Methods To Take Your Workout To The Next Level



When I am exercising, I always find myself looking around at the other gym “go-ers”. I look to see how hard they are working and what they are doing.  I love to see people engaged in high intensity workouts because it motivates me to take my workout to the next level.  In contrast, when I see someone talking on the phone, reading a book or a magazine, I wonder how effective he or she thinks his or her workouts are.  In order for your cardio session to count, it has to be at a moderate intensity.  If the sessions are less intense, then it counts as an equivalent to a stroll in the park on a beautiful spring day.  How do you know if you are exercising at the right intensity? There are two great methods: 1) a heart rate monitor and 2) using the Rate of Perceived Exertion Scale (RPE). 

Heart rate monitors will calculate a heart rate zone for you to stay between to optimize your workouts.  This zone is 65% to 85% of your maximum heart rate.  These numbers are calculated using a simple equation:

            65% = 220 (max heart rate) – age x .65
            85%= 220 (max heart rate) – age x .85

Almost all heart monitors will calculate this range for you and will alert you when you drop below or go above this zone.

The RPE is a scale that uses how you feel to assess how hard you are exercising.  The scale ranges from 0 for no intensity to 11 for extremely high intensity.  To achieve moderate intensity you should have a RPE of 4-6.  This equates to you being able to speak a few words before having to take a breath. Therefore if you are able to talk easily, while you exercising, you are not working out hard enough.  Conversely, if you feel breathless and can barely speak a few words, you are working too hard. Before you start or change your workout routine talk to a personal trainer for advice and your doctor.  Make sure your workout routines are at the right intensity gets you 1 step closer to achieving your dream body.

RPE 1-2:
Very easy; you can converse with no effort
RPE 3:
Easy; you can converse with almost no effort
RPE 4:
Moderately easy; you can converse comfortably with little effort
RPE 5:
Moderate; conversation requires some effort
RPE 6:
Moderately hard; conversation requires quite a bit of effort
RPE 7:
Difficult; conversation requires a lot of effort
RPE 8:
Very difficult; conversation requires maximum effort
RPE 9-10:
Peak effort; no-talking zone


Keep up with Female Personal Trainer-Ayana Roberts on Beach Body.

Top 3 Exercises to Get Flat ABS

Here’s my vote for the top 3 ways to a flat stomach

AB Exercises on a Ball

Stability or Swiss balls are one of the safest pieces of exercise equipment for your abs and arguably one of the best ways to tighten your core.  This is one of the best ways to get those flat abs you always dreamed of. These balls are frequently used by physical therapist to ensure proper spine alignment. Shy away from some of the products you see in the infomercials that make outrageous claims. A lot of the products are ineffective, unsafe will quickly start to collect dust under your bed or in a corner. Follow the guidelines on a proper ball size. The correct size of the ball is based on your height and weight.

Pilates

Pilates does not use your typical crunch moves. These moves engage every muscle in your core. Research has shown that pilates provides a better workout for abdominal muscles than regular crunches. Be careful, most of the moves proven success is based upon proper technique. Therefore, make sure you are doing the exercises correctly. Consult with a personal trainer or a certified pilates instructor to determine which exercises work best for you and for proper form techniques.


Isometric AB Exercises

Isometrics are strength training techniques where the joint angle and muscle length do no change during contraction. Meaning, there is no motion. Incorporating isometric exercises will help increase abdominal muscular endurance. Isometric exercises are great when you are short on time and have a limited time for a workout. A great isometric exercise is the plank.

Keep up with Female Personal Trainer-Ayana Roberts on Beach Body.