Are you exercising correctly for your body type?

Note: I originally wrote this for another publication.  But read till then for the SPECIAL OFFER!

Have you ever started an exercise program only to find that you weren’t getting your desired results?

Have you found that no matter how hard you work-out and how much you restrict yourself from certain foods, you never end up looking like a supermodel?

Are you one of those women who vows every year to get in shape and join a gym, only to find that you have become inactive within a month?

If you answered “YES” to any of these questions, then you are most likely NOT EXERCISING CORRECTLY FOR YOUR BODY TYPE!

Hello, my name is Stacy Rae Mednick and I am an expert in Body Type training, motivational speaker, mother, wife, business owner, inventor, volunteer, writer and blogger.

I also write a free newsletter for all my mothers and clients out there and it can be found at www.StacyRaeFitnessMama.Com.

After 30 years of being a personal trainer, I have watched women struggle with losing weight, getting in shape, having a baby and getting their bodies back and the list goes on and on.

Women all over the world are struggling with their body image and self confidence, and often this is rooted in difficulty in achieving weight loss. This I believe is a world-wide epidemic. So what is the solution?

As a trainer who wants the best for my clients I tell them that I have the solution and I believe that I do.

The solution is simple, real, honest and it WORKS. I have seen it work in my clients’ lives over and over for years.

The first thing that needs to happen with women is they need to know what their personal floor plan is going to be, meaning they need to know what their body type is first. You wouldn’t start building a house without a floor plan would you?  So why would you start a workout plan without a floor plan just for your body type?  It makes sense and it doesn’t work any other way.

Once this has been discovered, then you can start working on you, and getting results from the INSIDE OUT. I am a trainer who works and teaches my clients about working from the inside out first. The change from the outside will happen without a doubt. Without this process taking place as well, women will continue to spin their wheels, looking for a quick fix for their weight loss and it doesn’t work.

All women are NOT created equal. We all come in many different shapes and sizes. We were not able to choose our parents or our body type. The body type that we are born with is a gift and how we choose to treat our gift is our responsibility. Which is why I am creating a workout to be launched on-line before the end of the year.

Once you surrender to the genetic structure of your body type, only then will the long-awaited journey of results begin. Women need to accept who they are and the body they were born with. This is the biggest part of the solution right here. That doesn’t mean your weight loss goals are easy, it means you now need to get to work on your body type with specific goals and planning. Getting results with any body type takes effort, however any thing in life that’s worth having takes effort right?  So below are the four body types that walk the earth, they come in different heights, bone structures, and cultures.

But your body type is your own, so OWN IT, RESPECT IT, AND LOVE IT, IT IS YOURS!  Each woman is so special, there is no one else like you, think about that, you my friend are ONE OF A KIND!  That is truly amazing. You are a gift to yourself, your family, your friends, the universe. You are a GIFT to YOURSELF!  My hope is that this information can, EMPOWER you to be your personal best. No one can lose weight for you, make you better or change the body you were born with. It is what it is, but it starts with you accepting who you are and the gift you were given. This powerful information that I teach and speak about should be taught in school because then we would have more women loving themselves, accepting themselves and loving who they are from a much younger age. Women today start at an early age with not liking who they are and they hurt themselves in many ways.

My hope is that I can help make a difference, one women at a time so that they can PAY IT FORWARD to other women and we together as a force can love who we are from the INSIDE OUT.

There are four body-types.

Each woman may have a little of each, however one characteristic stands out in all women.

The ECTOMORPH: is long and lean, can carry more body fat than muscle, and is the shape of a banana.

The MESOMORPH: is athletic by nature and carries more muscle than body fat than the other body types, weight gain goes to the stomach and upper back and is shaped like a apple.

The ENDOMORPH: carries their weight in their lower body, has smaller, softer shoulders and is shaped like a pear.

The MESO-ENDO; is an athletic body type, gains weight all over the body, is very curvy, and is shaped like the top of an apple and the bottom of a pear.

You may go to my website: www.body-techniques.com and view some videos about your body type and see which one you are, there is also a body type test you can take on the body type page.

Sign up for the free newsletter on Stacy Rae Fitness Mama.

I have invented a perfect workout tool for all women to workout anywhere, anytime, anyplace. It is the Med’s Band, a resistance band with exercises directly printed on the band, you may purchase it from my other website: www.medstac.com

If you like what you have read and would like to meet with me for a complimentary consultation, please leave a comment below with your email address (so I can contact you) . Limit: first 50 respondents.

Is it my imagination or am I gaining weight this summer?

Moms, do you find that you are eating less healthy during summer time than when the kids are at school?

Do you find your workouts have taken a backseat to the summer camps, Junior Lifeguards, V.B.S. and everything else your child is signed up for?

Chances are you may be gaining weight during the summer rather than losing weight like you thought you would be. Summer is a great time to get outside and feel the fresh air on your skin, however, I think some of us mothers just seem to feel the heat of the car and the race of the schedule just the same as we do when the kids are in school. Moms’ workouts seem to be suffering more now in the summer time than during the school year. Then you add friends and family coming to visit and everything starts to take a backseat because you have to take your family sight-seeing in Los Angeles. Do you fee this way or is it just me? I have talked to many moms that about half way through summer have just about had it, and most moms that I talk to are just not able to fit much else in their days other than what is expected of them with the kids’ schedule and where they have to go and what they need to do.

I don’t know about you, but I am still as busy as when my boys are in school, and also still struggling to get in that workout that I so desperately need.

Don’t get me wrong – I LOVE SUMMER — but between the hectic schedule of places to take the kids, trying to juggle work and child-care, club soccer, play dates and errands, staying in shape and maintaining our sanity is a little bit easier when school is in session. Sign up for my newsletter get some valuable TIPS to stay in shape during the summer and not gain weight or lose your sanity.

Here’s a sneak peek.

• Ask a friend to watch your children for you while you go ALONE for a walk to the beach, park or somewhere outside so you can feel and breath the fresh air instead of exercising inside. Then trade with her and watch her children so she can go on her walk alone and fee better to. The objective here is to take some time for mom without having to take all the kids with you so you feel more refreshed.
• Take your kids to the park and let them play while you jog, walk or ride your bike around the area so you can get some cardio in. Next, find a grassy area for some push ups, crunches, some stretches and maybe a few moments of breathing and quiet time.

Keep moving, eat healthy, and HAVE FUN – after all, it’s summer.  More next time!

Why it’s Important to Know Your Body Type

I'm a certified Fitness Trainer. How can I help you?

Here’s an excerpt from this month’s NEWSLETTER (if you haven’t yet, please sign up for free!)

It is important to first know what your body type is before starting any exercise program. Because if you don’t’ you could just end up more frustrated than anything. When you finally realize that losing weight, having more energy for you kids and wanting to become more healthy is going to take effort, then why not do it correctly from the very beginning. Knowing your genentic make-up and understanding how to work with it instead of against it is really
important. You want to be your body’s friend not its enemy, and believe me your body wants to be your friend and not your enemy. So train smarter, not harder and take my body-type test at my website: Body Techniques
and take the first step to knowing about your body-type. I also have some great videos, from Take 5 that you may view and you will really be ready to get going.

My hope is that you will learn to accept your body so that you may be a great role-model and example to your family and your children. When mama’s happy everyone’s happy, but when mama’s not happy then the family really feels the effect of that. Be happy and take the time to take care of yourself so that you can be your personal best and be the best mother and wife you possibly can be.

Ever had one of those days…

When my husband and I decided to try to have our first baby almost 11 years ago, we never knew what having children was all about. We knew that we wanted children, however I guess you never know what having children is all
about until you actually have them. Now fast forward after having three boys in the last 11 years and believe me we NOW know. Children don’t come with directions on how to raise them. We also as humans are not born with
instructions on how to take care of our bodies.

When we buy a new or used car it usually comes with a manual. But, unfortunately babies do not come with instruction manuals. Over the years taking care of our boys while owning and operating two businesses has taught my husband and I to learn fast — how to do everything all the time 24/7, and if you don’t — the ship sinks quickly.

Learning how to be a HAPPY, mother, wife, business owner, friend, aunt, neighbor and volunteer comes with a price.

My oldest son is in the 4th grade, my middle son is in the 2nd grade and my third son is in preschool. With the school year ending tomorrow I have been desperately trying to fit in as many things as possible. All of my boys
play baseball at different levels. My older son is in T.O.C. (Tournament of The Champions) and after taking him to practices all season long, we are now committed to games on Saturdays. My middle son loves baseball and is the pitcher on his team THE PHILLIES (20/0).They are undefeated and are in the playoff’s. My youngest son just finished
his first season of T-ball, and wow was that a hoot! Last weekend was his last game and he had a party. He received his first trophy and he was beside himself. As parents you all know that if you children play sports, they
have to sign up way in advance, so now all three boys are in soccer for fall. But, do you think that they would wait to start those practices after summer and before the next school year? Of course not, which leads me to
today feeling like a mother with her head cut off!!!! Do you know what I am taking about?

I know mothers who are reading this must, there is no better description! As I was preparing breakfast and getting lunches ready for the day (which normally I do the night before, but do to practices last night I
barely got a meal on the table), my oldest son reminds me that it’s pajama day at school and he gets to bring popcorn to the class room for a movie. As I start to prepare homemade popcorn he informs me, mom REMEMBER
everything we bring to school has to be store bought. I look at the clock and realize how I am going to make this happen. So off I go to the store to get the box of popcorn for him. I barely manage to get back home to give it
to him and send him and his younger brother off to school. I exhausted just writing about this! Well now it’s time to get my 4 year old ready to go with my friend who I do a trade for child- care for training to come and get
him. I look at him not dressed, teeth still not brushes and his stubbed toe from school yesterday. He can barely walk but is excited about his play date. I manage to have him ready with a clean band aid on, clean clothes
and brushed teeth, just in time for my friend to knock on the door. “When you came I was in the middle of trying to get the darn breakfast dishes done, so I could shower and get ready to blog and work.” I had to laugh at
myself as I went to the door with one yellow Playtex glove on one hand and a pan in the other. I opened the door and my friend and I just laughed as we quickly exchanged how our crazy mornings were going I realized
WOW I AM NOT CRAZY OR ALONE! What a breakthrough that was for me. As I watched my 4 year old leave without a kiss goodbye, a look behind, or even a wave I realized that he is his own little man. I could have still had him
clinging to my leg not wanting to leave or be open to letting me try to get to work. He is a sweetheart and I am so blessed. I won’t trade this for anything.

I do believe however, that mommies need balance; we need time for us and time to take care of our bodies, IF MOMMY IS’NT HAPPY NO-ONE IS HAPPY! I know this from my own experience. As a mother myself, I make sure I get my workouts in. I know that it is my saving grace. If you mothers out there are not taking care of yourself then now it is time to do so.

I want to encourage you exercise and get yourself moving. You can start slowly and it
doesn’t have to be all at once either. So if you don’t have time to do an hour at one time, do 30 min. You can do a walk with a toddler in the jogging stroller, if you have little ones. You can go to the park and walk or jog
around the play ground. (I do this while my kid’s play at the park). You can use the Med’s Band to do strength training anywhere, anyplace, anytime. The Med’s Band is a resistance band with exercises printed directly on the band for easy use. You can buy one at Medstac.com. My husband and I are the inventors of the band.

Getting on an exercise program doesn’t have to be expensive. You can get in shape in the convenience of
your own home, beach or the park. But DO IT! You will feel better and have more energy to be the SUPER-PERSON everyone needs and expects you to be EVERYDAY!! Without my workouts and proper sleep, I think I would
have gotten in the car and driven north on PCH and maybe turned back, but today as a more mature mommy, I know that’s NOT a option nor a choice to make.

We as mothers need to balance our lives, find out what works best for you.

Ask your husband to give you two mornings a week our two evenings a week for
time to workout, or try to do it as suggested above if you have a newborn or
a toddler. Get outside and get your nature endorphins going, that is all free
and also helps if you have any depression going on.

Life as a mommy is often hard, but at the end of the day it’s all worth it
and I wouldn’t trade my experience for anything. Now that’s what I’m talkin’
about!
Your’s truly,
Stacyraefitnessmama.com

STOP DIETING Part 2: Getting out of a Food Rut

A lot of my clients can see from looking at the Food Pyramid that they are lacking in certain food groups and that they need to eat more protein, for example, or get more calcium each day.

For the most part, people don’t eat enough of a variety of food each day because, they get stuck in what I call a “ food rut”, and are also creatures of habit and eat the same thing day in and day out.

This is not only unhealthy, but it could eventually cause you to be deficient in certain vitamins and minerals. Being deficient in these areas can lead to certain diseases according to research that I have seen in many medical journals and also through my own research and experience. It also keeps you from losing weight. The body responds best to a variety of food, and small frequent meals and snacks. One hour upon awakening in the morning is best and then eating every 3-4 hours throughout the day is your best defense to lose weight and keep the metabolism elevated.

It is important with all four body types to eat proper amounts of protein, often women don’t eat enough protein and that is part of the reason they aren’t losing weight, Often times women eat too many servings from the bread group and fail to eat enough calcium too. I truly believe eating enough protein (about ½ your current body weight in grams of protein). and enough calcium depending on your age is on of the best way’s you can get your weight under control with all body types.

With my body type workout and eating system I have put together a weekly food log for seven day’s of the week that you can check how many serving from each food group you had each day. Carbs, Veggies, Protein, Diary, Fruit, Fats, Water, Caffeine and Alcohol. I also have a place to journal food each day and a place to comment on how your mood was each day as well. The one food group I feel strongly about is the carbohydrate group. I believe that the Ectomorph body type should have 7-9 servings daily making most of those complex carbohydrate choices, Mesomorphs 5-6 servings daily making most of those complex carbohydrates, Endomorph body type should have 3-4 servings daily making most of those complex carbohydrates and the Meso-Endo body type should have 3-4 servings daily making most of those complex carbohydrate choices. This is the one food group that I feel really makes a difference when it comes down to food choices for the body types. I also feel that getting enough calcium for all the body types is very important for weight lose too as well as proper sleep habits.

Having breakfast is one of the most important decisions you will make every day, it is an important habit to create. It also helps jump-start your metabolism. Try one of my amazing recipes.

One of my favorite recipes is my Breakfast Egg Burrito:

You’ll need:

1 Cup egg substitute (eggbeaters)
¼ Cup onion
¼ Cup red pepper
1-2 Roma tomatoes
Sprouts
Salt-Free herbs and spices
4-5 Mushrooms
Non-Stick cooking spray
2-3 tbs. fat-free cheese (0ptional)
Salsa or hot sauce (Optional)

Wash and cut vegetables. Dice or cut into bite-sized pieces. Set tomatoes aside.
Mix vegetables in bowl with egg substitute. All spices.
Spray frying pan with Pam. Heat at medium flame. Cook mixture, stirring constantly until firm to your liking.

Enjoy!

Utterly Wonderful

Image via www.utterlyengaged.com

The gals at Utterly Engaged- this beautiful new website for the newly engaged interviewed me for the inaugural issue of their ezine. I answer the 5 Common Questions asked by brides-to-be before starting a workout plan for the Big Day. Please take a look and leave a comment. I’d love to hear your feedback.

I’ll be at the New Mom Expo in Anaheim this weekend!

See you there.

STOP DIETING! Learn to lose weight the right way.

As a personal trainer who specializes in Body Type Training for over 25 years, I have seen and heard a lot. Mostly a lot of excuses from clients about how they want to lose weight and feel better yet are too lazy to do what it takes to make it happen.

Losing weight is not easy and yet it really is a black and white situation if you look at it from a perspective of what your body type is.

Because we are born with a specific body type (there are four main body types) it is important to choose your foods wisely.

I have seen it time and time again with my own clients when they make poor choices about what they should eat and then wonder why they train and don’t see any results.

I know from experience that each body type should be eating healthy foods from all the food groups and be aware of the portion sizes they are consuming.

Weight loss is really about moving more and eating less. You have to move your body to lose unwanted body fat and eat less calories daily. If you are trying to lose weight you should try to eat 500 calories less than you have been currently eating.

I often tell my clients to use the food pyramid and see what it suggests for the amount of calories you should have each day according to your age, activity level and so on. It is a very informative website and it is NOT A DIET! (I don’t believe in diets, and if you take the first three letters from the word DIET, THEY MAKE THE WORD DIE! That is the truth.)

Other questions that are also answered nicely on this website are how many calories you should have per day. Although it doesn’t break done concepts about food for the four body types it gives really

Good information about all the food groups by using graphs, colors and pictures. It is great for the whole family and also children. You can also print out the food pyramid for a fridge visual. Check it out!

Presenting…. my new logo.

Yes, that is a caricature of me. And the sunflower is one of my favorite flowers! Let me know what you think? Feel free to post your comments. I would really appreciate your feedback.

K-LOVE RADIO INTERVIEW: On Prayer and Fitness

I was interviewed by K-Love Radio, a Christian radio station, about our Prayer and Fitness ministry. Check out the audiocast here.