Wendy Roche – Personal Fitness Trainer – Asheville, NC

People come to me for all kinds of reasons.  Perhaps it’s weight loss, a special event (sports, wedding, vacation, etc), to get off medications, pre/post pregnancy training, or anything in between.  What reminds me that my life is about more than me is when my clients see results and do the amazing.  Great feats are happening around here and it’s only right to share their successes.  Here are a few examples.

       Elizabeth and Abe (husband and wife) have both lost weight, increased muscle mass, decreased aches and pains, look and feel great and changed their diet.  Elizabeth has completed a half marathon and a mud run.  Abe is super strong as well as playing soccer and softball with much more ease than before.  Now they are doing push ups on medicine balls.  Looks easy?  Give it a try.  Amazing!!

     Rose (yes these pictures are of the same person) has lost weight, gain muscle mass, went down in clothing size, cleaned her diet up perfectly, feels great about herself, and looks even better.  She has plans on running a 5K and can now deadlift 135 lbs!  Amazing!!

   Lisa wanted to run the Asheville Half Marathon when an injury wouldn’t allow her to.  Together we got her stronger and ready to run the next years Asheville Half Marathon which she did and loved it.   She also raced in the Shut-In, which is a very extreme 18 mile run up a mountain in the Pisgah National Forest.  She has recently completed her first marathon with more planned already.  Amazing!!

All of these clients are doing things they’ve never done before.  Their lives have changed for the better and they’re not done yet.   Way to go Elizabeth, Abe, Rose, Lisa, and all of my other amazing clients!  Keep it up!  If you’re ready to be Amazing then give me a call and let’s get started!!  Why wait to see results?  828-712-1929

Do you really think that just because you don’t have a gym membership, a personal trainer, or are out-of-town that you get to forgo your workouts?  Oh no!  Here is the perfect body weight workout that you can do anywhere, anytime.  All you’ll need is a stop watch or a watch with a second hand.

Here’s how it works.  Do each of the four circit 3 times.  Each time take the intensity up a notch so that by the third round you’re going as hard as you can.  For the first round do each exercise for 30 seconds, second round 35 seconds each, and 40 seconds each during the third round.  Here are the exercises, good luck and have fun!!

#1  Y push ups, Basketball jumps, Shadowboxing – jabs

#2  Diagonal burpees, Downhill skiers, Power jacks

#3  Suicide drills, Arms out high knees, Floor hops

#4  Diagonal 1/2 burpees, Shadowboxing – hooks, plyo lunges

It’s been a while since I’ve posted anything.  The main reason for that is because the last post was so great.  I’m not bragging, the material wasn’t even my own.  It was Harvard’s report on what the food pyramid should be.  It’s so complete that I thought a little more time up for all to read was appropriate.  If you haven’t read it do that now. 

The importance of the types of food you consume on a daily basis is still giving a lot of people a lot of trouble.  There is such an addiction to food that in this country that it goes largely unnoticed.  I think an awakening is necessary to what the American food supply is truly made up of.  Therefore, I haven’t written any new posts in a while.  Read or reread the previous post and be on your way to a life full of health and less of disease. 

 If you or someone you know needs help with weight loss please call me at 828-712-1929 to schedule a free consultation and get started on a path to health and wellness today.

One of the main reasons I got into the personal training industry was to help people see through all the confusing information there is about food and weight loss.  Around every corner there’s another diet and extreme way to think about food.  It drives me crazy, it drives you crazy, and now it’s time to stop with all the bad information and bizarre ideas of how to lose weight. 

Is weight loss the only problem?  Is that the only thing on your mind?  How about heart disease, strokes, diabetes, or cancer?  Are any of those things a concern?  The second biggest reason I got into this business was seeing my Grandfather suffer a stroke and the effects it had on him as well as the rest of the family.  Strokes are preventable! 

I am a personal trainer and it is my job to formulate a fitness program that will help my clients reach their goals.  If it were that easy we’d all be skinny and as healthy as possible.  But it’s not that easy, there’s more to it.  Diet plays a huge role in overall health.  If the diet is junk you’ll get junk results.  Period!!

Issue #1:  The United States Government is not to be trusted with nutritional recommendations.  Although the USDA hires the worlds’ best nutritionist and scientist to be on the board there are also special interest groups on that some board such as dairy and meat companies.  Those special interest groups are paying big bucks to make sure that our schools, military, and every other government-run group abide by the USDA nutritional “recommendations” so we’ll buy their products.  Money is the bottom line and in return we are experiencing the greatest rise of cancer, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes in children ever seen in history.  Something is very wrong and it starts with our diet.  The United States is known around the globe for having the worst diet on the planet.  We are paying the price for holding that title with human lives.  It’s ridiculous and it has to stop!

Harvard School of Public Health shares my exact thoughts and concerns.  Here is a report that they put out 3 years ago.  Read over it and make your own decision.   

Issue #2:  Ourselves. 

Stop fooling yourself.  We try to fool ourselves into thinking that junk food is not really that bad because the box said “all natural” or that we’re eating chicken because that’s what the box said it was.  If it’s in a box you really don’t know what it is.  The chicken McNugget is only 50% meat.  What’s the other 50%?  The vast majority of processed foods are just that, 50% recognizable and 50% God knows what.  It’s criminal that this stuff is actually legal to sell to the public. 

It’s not that good.  We seem to not want to give up this or that.  We want to hold onto something that’s familiar, something that’s gotten us into the situation we’re in now and for some reason we can’t let it go.  Maybe its sweets, sodas, creamers (that’s a big one), or TV dinners.  It’s as if living without these things will make our lives somehow less fulfilling, pleasurable, or suddenly everything will become bland and pointless.  Well, trust me when I say that giving up those truly meaningless things will not kill you, leave you short of breath, or make you gain weight. 

Addiction.  There just may be a greater problem and it’s called addiction.  Food addiction is very real and is the reason why those terrible for you foods keep calling your name.  Get help and change your life not only for you but for those in your life as well.

The message is simple…eat whole foods not processed foods that are made by people and you’ll live a much healthier disease free life.

How to lose weight?  I have people come to me all the time and want to know how to lose weight.  Not only loosing weight but then keeping it off is always at the top of everyone’s mind.  I won’t get into too much detail in this blog post but I will tell you what you need to know to get started and some action steps to take today.

Have a Goal 

Goal setting is one of the best ways to get and stay motivated.  Motivation, without a personal trainer there to help you out, is hard to come by sometimes.  Having a goal to reach has helped a lot of my clients get on track and stay on track.  Goals such as running a 5k, hiking a particular trail, doing 10 push ups in a row, or seeing more definition in your arms or legs are all great goals to shoot for.  You want something attainable that you can accomplish in a relatively short period of time.  For example you don’t want set a goal of running marathon (26.2 miles) when you have never run once in your whole life.  Running a 5k is something more realistic for a beginner.  If you need help finding a goal talk with a personal trainer for some advise.

Be consistent

The only way I’ve moved from a size 14 to a size 8 and stayed there for the last 17 years is from being consistent.  I am always thinking about my next work out series or goal and have been very consistent in those workouts for all these years.  Let me clarify, being consistent does not mean finding a routine and doing that same routine over and over again for the next 17 years.  Your workouts MUST get harder as you get stronger and more amazing (which you will).  Consistently change your workouts every 6-8 weeks.  Challenge your body more and more each time.  Learn new exercises, try new things, lifter heavier weights, run a little faster and a little longer.  Keeping your body guessing is the only way to keep it changing and that’s how you see results.  If you need help being consistent talk with a personal trainer and find out how they can help you.

Eat for Life

Food is an essential part to your success.  In fact it’s 80% of your success.  Rediscover the purpose of food and use it to your advantage for a fit body.  Food is not meant as a reward.  It is not there for you to punish yourself with either.  Its sole purpose is to fuel your muscles with nutrients and keep your metabolism up.  That’s it!  Please understand, just because that’s it’s only purpose doesn’t mean that it can’t be exciting, enjoyable, fun and social like it’s always been.  Healthy, nutrient full, good for you food is tasty and amazing and makes you amazing.  Fake food, as I like to call it, i.e. fast food and baked junk does nothing for you but fill a temporary void, make you feel lousy, and make you fat.  Learn what’s right, make those right choices and get the body and self-esteem that you desire!!  If you need help with a diet plan talk with a personal trainer that can make some nutritional recommendations for you.

Get a goal, be consistent, and eat for life.  Get started today.  Happy New Year!!

Here’s the workout in written form.  Print it out and be awesome!!!
Printable Version
Happy Thanksgiving!

 Don’t be a turkey!

   As a personal trainer it’s a true passion of mine to see that you are as healthy as you can be.  Now that the holidays are rapidly approaching it’s time to get into the gym and make sure you don’t gain any unwanted holiday pounds.

Just in time for the holiday season, I am now accepting new clients!  Unfortunately my available times are limited so if you’ve been thinking about starting a fitness program don’t hesitate any longer and risk gaining another pound.  Call me to set up a FREE consultation before someone else steal the time slot you need!

The next two months are crucial to you keeping your health and weight in check.  See what personal training can do for you.  I can’t always accept new clients so take advantage of this time and make this your season for real change!  828-712-1929 or wendy@o3healthandfitness.com

You now have the best butt workout in history!!!  Make sure you’re warmed up before doing these exercises.  Perform 12-15 reps of each exercises and try to go through the circuit three times.  Use enough weight so that it’s difficult to get 12 reps and heavy enough so that the 15th rep is near impossible.  Integrate this circuit into two of your weekly workouts for the next six weeks and report back to me on how toned, lean, and lifted your buns have become.

Romanian Deadlift:

Tips:  Keep your knees soft, Push your hips back, Keep the natural curve in your low back, Lift with your Hamstrings NOT your back

Bulgarian Split Squat:

Tips:  Position front foot so that knee is directly over it, Maintain a straight back throughout the move, Don’t lean too far forward, Try to get bar to middle of the shin

Forward Lean Lunge:

Tips: Bend over at the waist, Keep the back straight, Lunge down keeping the hips and back exactly the same

One Leg Deadlift:

Tips: Keep the back straight, Bend at the knee not at the spine, Aim to touch and floor with your hands

(An Amazing Workout Is At The Bottom Of The Blog)

Asheville is big on its outdoor activities.  Whether you’re trail running, hiking, or just strolling around our beautiful downtown being in shape will make those experiences more enjoyable.  A number of my clients talk about how they don’t get winded any more when walking up hills (which are abundant around here) or how they want to train for trail running races.  Both of those examples are great ones to highlight the diversity of personal training and how it can be applied to anyone no matter the goal.

If you’ve got weight to lose, muscle to reveal, or want to be better at your sport then get started today with personal training and experience more of what Asheville has to offer.

One of the great things about having a personal trainer is that don’t have to come up with all the workouts all the time.  Try this workout; do the whole workout straight through and then repeat one or two more times.

 Sumo Highpull

Incline Dumbbell Presses

Chin Up

Front Deltoid Raises

Deadlift

Push Press

Tricep Pressdown

Ok, so you got the gym membership; check.  You’ve taken courses on nutrition and bought tons of cooking light cookbooks; check.  You’ve got a library of workout DVDs for those days you just want something different; check.  Then why is it that you’re still not seeing the results you’ve been longing for?  Why can’t you lose weight!!??

Perhaps it’s time to stop wasting time and energy in the wrong direction or at the very least get some new direction from a personal trainer. 

• Personal trainer help you perform exercises correctly to avoid injury. 
• They will be there to motivate you throughout your week so you don’t lose focus on your goals and hold you accountable for your actions so you don’t go back to being the heaviest you ever were. 
• Also personal trainers study and experiment all the time with exercises and know cutting edge ways to safely tax the muscles to demand change and weight lose.  They’ve got workouts that won’t bore you and that are as effective as they are fun.
• There’s more to getting fit than just exercise.  Let a personal trainer talk and council you about nutrition and make sure you’re feeding your body everything it needs to see optimal results every week!

If you’ve been at the weight loss thing for a while then all you may need it a boost in a different direction.  Call a national certified personal trainer today and see how your weight lose track and be elevated to the next level.