Fitness & Health Fridays  Join myself, Lauren and other health and fitness professionals each Friday on FOX21 Morning News and Loving Living Local as we breakdown the barriers of fitness and health together.  You don’t want to miss this!

Friday, October 16th: 

Make Ahead Breakfast & Snack Recipes

I am so excited to share these kid and hubby approved make ahead recipes!  Not only are they healthy, simple and quick but they taste great too!!  I highly recommend getting kids to help with these recipes too, because they will love it that much more!!

#1: Breakfast Make Ahead Overnight Oats

Base recipe is: ½ cup oatmeal, ½ cup liquid, ½ scoop protein powder

I made: Pumpkin Overnight Oats & Peanut Butter Overnight Oats

Other flavor combos: lemon/blueberry, chocolate chip cookie, coconut/vanilla, PB&J.. the options are endless!

Classic Overnight Oats

Protea Nutrition (the protein powder I use!)

#2: Dips and Veggies

We all know we should eat more veggies but often do not.  Here’s a fun way to add more veggies to your daily diet with these make ahead dips!

#1: Green Goddess

#2: Hummus

Friday, September 18th: 

5 Things to Know Before Hiring A Personal Trainer

There is tons of information available online and programs online to help you reach your fitness goals, but taking a more personalized approach can really improve your results. If you can afford it, hiring a personal trainer is an excellent option, particularly if you struggle with keeping yourself motivated. You’re less likely skips workouts or give up on yourself when someone holds you accountable, and a trainer can give you that extra push.  However, not every trainer will be right for you.  Here 5 things you need to know before hiring a personal trainer.

 #1 Know Your Goals: The best trainers listen to what they’re clients are wanted to accomplish and can even help you set more specific goals.  For example, if you tell them you “want to get fit” they may help you set a goal to run a mile in a certain amount of time or be able to do 20 strict push ups.

#2 Don’t Be Fooled By A “Big Name” or Tons of Followers: Social media is not always the best way to pick your trainer.  Just because they have thousands of followers does not mean that they are worth the investment.  Keep in mind that trainers should be able to show their client’s results, not just their own abs!  A good trainer will also ask a questions prior to starting your first session, such as your goal, your health history, injuries, fitness level, etc.  If they don’t ask you questions, this is a red flag for sure!

 #3 Ask About Their Certifications & Expertise:  Common training certifications you will see are: NASM-CPT (National American Sports Medicine) ACSM-CPT (American College of Sports Medicine), or ACE-CPT (American Council on Exercise) all indicate some level of credibility.  The gold standard in the industry is the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA). The NSCA-CSCS (Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist) or NSCA-CPT (Certified Personal Trainer) certifications are also 2 certifications to look for when interviewing a trainer.  Be sure to also ask about their expertise, for example if a trainer loves doing sweaty high intensity workouts but you’re into yoga and low intensity workouts because of a knee injury that might not be the right trainer for you!

#4 Make Sure You Connect:

Trainers all have different coaching styles and you will want to find a right fit for you.  Don’t be afraid to say no if you’re personalities don’t align but you’re also not looking for a best friend here.  If you’re too chatty during your sessions, you may not get the biggest bang for your buck!

#5 Keep Consistent, Open Communication & Stay Open:

There’s nothing worse than hating every single workout you are doing.  Keep the lines of communication open with your trainer always.  Provide them feedback with what you’re loving or not loving about the training sessions and keep them update about your goal.  Lastly, you’re hiring a trainer for a reason- don’t be a know it all or not willing to try new things.  Stay open to new techniques, hey you might love them!

Friday, August 28th: 

How to Get Out of A Fitness Rut!

If COVID-19 has got you out of the grove, I am going to share my tips to get you motivated again! 

Tip #1: Write down your goal AND speak your goal out loud, so others can help encourage and hold you accountable. 

Tip #2: Get an accountability partner or coach.  (I work with Mike Gray currently and he is in this segment!)

Tip #3: Challenge yourself and try something new!

With the guidance and coaching from my trainer, Mike Gray, I am currently challenging myself to learn to do handstands. CLICK HERE to watch the entire segment, including when Lauren and I do handstand on air!

Find out more about Mike Gray’s Functional Fitness Coaching, HERE.

Friday, August 21st:  

I Share with You How to Be Motivated Every day! 

Fill your own cup first thing by developing an AM ritual.  This will allow you to not be so rush each day and set your intentions to be healthy, happy and motivated…..

Why an AM Ritual?

Most of us are in a rush in the morning, which leads into a rushed day and we are less likely to keep our goals at the forefront of our minds.  Not to mention if you are rushing all day you are always in your sympathetic nervous system, that fight or flight state, which can be very detrimental to your health and waistline.  Stress is the #1 reason for physician visits year after year in the US.  So start your morning a little slower, be intentional and you can be in control of your day and how you feel vs your day being in control of you!

AM Rituals to try to get you closer to reaching your health and fitness goals daily that we share during this segment:

#1 Lemon water

#2 Deep breathing, meditation or prayer

#3 Intention setting and affirmations

How do you get started?

Make a commitment to yourself to set aside 5-10 minutes in the morning.  Start with one thing and build on it from there!  Here are a few you can choose from that can help be intentional and reach your health and fitness goals:

Here are a few that you can try out – pick any that resonate with you –

• Drinking a cup of coffee or tea
• Practice yoga
• Meditate
• Take a hot or cold shower
• Go for a walk or a run
• Visualize your day
• Write/say your affirmations
• Read
• Journal
• Practice gratitude
• Deep breathing
• Stretching or walking
• Getting outside for a quick hit of Vitamin D!

Find more on AM Rituals at:

FREE GUIDE: 3 Hacks To Simplify Your Morning Routine: https://carmenohling.com/intention/

BLOG: How To Build A Morning Ritual:  https://carmenohling.com/building-the-perfect-morning-routine/

Friday, July 31st:  I share with you two healthy cocktail (or mocktail) recipes that you can use this summer to enjoy a refreshing beverage and stay healthy!!  Click here to watch the full segment and click here for the blueberry-mint spritzer recipe and here for the margarita recipe to download and try them at home! 

Plus, if you’d like to check out the new female-focused wine spritzer company created by Lori Harder that I mention, you can do that here and grab the Ultima Replenisher Electrolytes here. 

Friday, July 17th:  I share with you smoothie recipes that are not only delicious and healthy but will keep you full until lunch!  Click here to watch the full segment and click here to download the recipes and try them at home! 

Connect with me on Instagram here for more recipes and tips.

A big THANK YOU to Blitz45 in Colorado Springs for sponsoring this segment!

Find out more about Fitness and Health Fridays on the FOX21 News Website here.

Connect with Lauren McDonald here.