ASK NATALIE – Q&A

A: To get the best results, you have to do three things: diet, cardio and weights. If you eat 500 fewer calories a day than your body requires, you will drop 1 pound per week. Try skipping creamy sauces and heavy salad dressings and add as much veggies and salads as you can possibly eat. Try to do at least 3 cardio sessions each week for at least 20 minutes to start and increase as you get stronger. As for weights, muscle unlike fat is metabolically active – 1 pound of muscle burns 35 to 50 calories each day. Try lifting 2 or 3 times a week with a challenging weight, doing up to 12 reps for each exercise you perform. If you follow these guidelines you can safely lose up to 2 pounds a week.

A: The best thing for you to do is increase the amount of good calories and fats in your diet. Good foods include complex carbs – sweet potatoes, oatmeal and whole wheat pasta. Good fats should be peanut butter, almond butter, almonds, Brazilian nuts, etc.

A: I wish it were that easy that we could just pick a body part and lose the fat there. Unfortunately, it’s not that simple. Your body decides where it is going to lose what. Most women I know lose some of their breast as they lose weight. I have one client who has dropped almost 40 pounds but not one inch of her breasts…lucky girl! We tend to lose in the breasts for the simple fact that most of the breast tissue is fat. As for your butt, to keep it nice and round add squats, lunges and hip extensions to your workout routine.

A: The best exercises for abs are full sit-ups, hanging abs and planks.

A: One of the best exercises to strengthen your back and relieve your pain is swimming. When you get the change, go for a few laps around the pool. This also counts as a great cardio workout. In the gym, try to spend some time on the lower back hyper extension machine, back rowing machine and doing pull-ups with an assisted bar. Also, planks and sit-ups on a stability ball can help strengthen your core muscles and give your back good support. And finally, don’t forget to stretch!

A: Congrats on working out 6 times a week! That is great! All I ask of you is to have a little patience. Give your body some time to respond to the new routine. I promise that if you are doing cardio, lifting weights and eating right, there is no way your body won’t respond. Since you are having dinner before training, have a protein shake afterwards.

A: You are asking a workout addict. I confess, I am in the gym everyday! So, if I can do it, so can you. But be smart about it. Always remember to change the muscles you workout, allowing your body to recover at least 24 hours between workouts. Recovery is very important. Also, don’t forget to listen to your body. On the days you are tired and still want to go to the gym, do a light cardio workout keeping your heart rate no higher than 65%. Chances are that when you leave you will feel better than when you walked in.

A: Wow! Thanks so much, you made my day! By the way, I also love Barbra Streisand!!  She is the kind of role model that makes us all proud to be women. I had a very active life in Brazil. About 16 years ago, I was a water polo player and was introduced to working out with weights. After I retired from water polo I joined a gym and after one year of learning about weights and nutrition, I did my first fitness show. Needless to say, I fell in love with training and I changed my life to focus around fitness. Today my routine consists of 5 days of weight training [3 days for legs and 2 days for upper body and abs]. I also teach spinning classes 5 times a week, Zumba and a private class of interval training. I try to run 6 miles once or twice a week. As for a website, that is a work in progress. Good luck and thank you for your sweet e-mail.