At Home Ab Workout For Women - Get In The Best Shape Of Your Life

At Home Ab Workouts For Women

From a busy stay at home mom, to business leaders, many women find it difficult to find time to workout. Plus the gym isn't always the most pleasant place to exercise. Between the stares, crowds & gym membership fees can be frustrating. Women spend millions each year on fitness DVDs, & home fitness equipment. These products are fine as long as you use it. If you're not ready to commit to expensive home fitness machine or are afraid that the DVDs will gather dust on the shelves, don't worry, below is a great at home ab workouts for women to get your body toned & in shape!

Crunch with Medicine Ball

Starting with knees bent and feet firmly planted on floor, lift upper body up slowly in a range of motion that is comfortable to you. Hold at top for 3 seconds then lower the body down slowly. As you return to the floor, remember to lower one vertebrae at a time on the floor. Keeping a curved shape in your spine will help. Perform 15-20 reps


Seated Oblique Twist with Medicine Ball

Sit tall with good posture. Start by curving your spine as you lower down toward the floor. Stopping halfway, twist your torso to the right. Twist back to the center then return to start. Repeat on left side.  Perform 10 reps on each side

Crunch on Stability Ball

Rest lower back on stability ball. Hands can be behind your head or crossed on your chest. Also, shoulders are relaxed and feet are firmly planted on the floor.  Lift upper body up in a comfortable range of motion. Hold for 3 seconds then return to start.
Perform 15-20 reps

Atlanta personal trainer, Ayana Roberts provides at home workouts for women to help you get in shape without going into a gym. Ayana Roberts is the owner of Ayana Wellness specializing in personal training, corporate wellness, nutritional planning and most of all motivating clients to get in the best shape of their lives. For a free consultation call 678-713-4863.

Certified Personal Trainers of Lithonia provides healthy nutritional & fitness advice one session at a time. They are Atlanta’s premiere full service personal fitness team. They specialize in providing a customized fitness program to fit all fitness needs whether trying to lose weight or gain muscle. Their courteous and professional staff has served Atlanta women and men for over 10 years, with results worth boasting about.

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 Trainers on Weight Loss Blog.

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 Trainers on Weight Loss Tips.

Quick at Home Workout: Lose Weight Without Breaking a Sweat

After a long day at work or taking the children around to their activities, the last thing on your mind is a workout. The worst thing you could do at this point is to give in and skip the workout for the day. Instead of throwing in the towel, try doing these quick at home workouts without breaking a sweat. An isometric exercise workout is strength training without moving. It involves toning the muscles when the length of the muscle does not change and there is no joint movement. You will be using your own body weight as resistance. Benefits of isometric exercises include increased metabolic rate which can help speed up weight loss, increased bone density and increased lean muscle mass. Lean muscle mass helps you burn more calories throughout the day, even while at rest. Best of all the exercises can be done in a short amount of time. Below are 4 exercises you can do right at home.

#1 Prone Plank
Lying face down, place elbows and forearms by your chest
Lift your body up to form a straight line. You should be resting on forearms and toes
Maintain straight line, keeping hips up
Hold for 30 seconds. Repeat 2x

#2 Side Bridge
Start on your side in a straight line
Lift up on forearms to form a bridge
Maintain straight line
Hold for 30 seconds
Repeat on other side

#3 Shoulder Raises
Stand with feet shoulder width apart
Raise a light weight directly out to the side. The arms and lower body should form a “T”
Hold for 30 seconds and then slowly lower down. Repeat 2x

#4) Isometric Squat
Place back up against a wall. While maintain your back on the wall, walk your feet out until thighs are parallel to the floor. Should form a 90 degree angle
Do not push on thighs or knees with your hands during the exercise
Hold for 30 seconds then walk back up. Repeat 2x

Before starting these exercises, keep a couple of considerations in mind. Isometric exercises can elevate blood pressure; therefore make sure you do not hold your breath. Breathe continually during each exercise. Those diagnosed with hypertension should consult with their physician before starting. There is a tendency to relax the mid-section. This may put added pressure on the lower back muscles. Make sure abs are engaged by pulling your bellybutton towards your back. By using this quick at home workout, you get a great workout session in with no sweat and minimal time.

Atlanta personal trainer, Ayana Roberts provides at home workouts to help you get in shape without going into a gym. Ayana Roberts is the owner of Ayana Wellness specializing in personal training, corporate wellness, nutritional planning and most of all motivating clients to get in the best shape of their lives. For a free consultation call 404-781-9881.

Black Hair Care Tips For Women After Workout

Great Hair Care Tips After a Workout

African American women cannot afford to let the excuse "I don't want to mess up my hair" keep them from meeting the recommended guidelines for physical activity. It is well know that African American women have higher rates of being either overweight or obese when compared to their peers. A main contributor to this occurrence is lack of exercise. Several barriers have been cited as reasons why African American do not workout including time, environment and finances. A new barrier recently researched is hair care maintenance. A survey conducted by Wake Forest University showed that 31% of the women surveyed were less active on purpose out of concern for their hair and style maintenance. This is a valid concern since African American women spend and average of $100 on salon visits or the negative effects sweat has on their hair. Salt in the sweat can dry the hair and make it more fragile. In addition, applying excess heating due to the use of hair dryers and flat irons may cause the hair to become brittle and lead to breakage. Many hair stylists believe that high heat applied to the hair should not be done several times during the week. Below are several tips for active African American women to protect and maintain hair before and during and after workouts.

Before the workout:
For long hair, either clip the hair off the neck, with a butterfly clip or ribbon tie. Neither method will leave indentations in the hair. Women with long or short hair can tie the hair up in a cotton bandanna or scarf. However, this is not advised for those who sweat excessively in inner portions of their head. This will cause swelling for women with natural hair and will cause the hair to feel brittle for women with relaxed hair. The bottom line is to make sure the hair is off the neck and hairline.

During the workout:
It is important to stay hydrated. Without enough water, the hair will lack moisture. For women who sweat a lot, periodically pat dry the hair to remove excess sweat.

After the workout:
For all hair types and styles, apply a small amount of leave-in moisturizer. For those who wear straight hair, after applying the moisturizer, wrap the hair and keep it tied tightly till you are ready for styling. For curly hair styles, after moisturizing, wear a bonnet if the plan is to blow dry and style. No bonnet needed if the plan is to keep it curly. For those who did not sweat a lot, after unwrapping the hair, finger style or flat iron with a light serum or light pomade to add moisture and shine back to the hair. For the heavy sweaters, apply a leave in thermal conditioner before blow-drying the hair on low heat. Then apply a small amount of serum before styling.

Weekly maintenance:
The active African American women should wash and condition their hair weekly and deep condition bi-weekly. Let the conditioner sit on the hair for 15 minutes before rinsing. Make sure to get protein treatments and conditioning treatments by a stylist. This will help you maintain great looking hair.

Ayana Roberts
Atlanta Personal Trainer
Weight Loss Tips

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

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 Weight Loss Tips.