Ok all my past, present and future clients... Time to kick up the cardio... Here's a little motivation: To the song "Patron Tequila" by Paradiso Girls (download the clean version if you aren't down with the F-bomb), hop on an elliptical (precor is what I use), kick it up to 6-8 on your resistance with an incline of 20 (after a good 5 min warm-up). Now, every time you hear the word "Patron", kick it up a level on your resistance EXCEPT when it is repeated 2 times in a row (you'll see what I mean when you listen to the song), only kick it up once on the back to backs. Do this at about 120 strides per minute. Listen close, there is one spot where it almost sneaks in. More challenging option: Start at a 1 resistance and 20 incline. Every time you hear "F*%K", kick it up a level on the resistance. The last minute is tough, but hang in there.. You got it!!!!
Then, to "Diva" by Beyonce, again on the elliptical, start at level one. Every time you hear Beyonce say Diva, kick up the resistance 1 level. Here's the thing though... There are 4 spots in the song where Beyonce will say Diva about 34 times in a row (not really, but close), only kick it up 3 levels when this happens, but right after she gets out of her "Imma Imma a diva, Imma Imma a diva" she says ".. na na na diva is a female version of a hustla"- this is when you kick it up another level. So 3 levels for the "Imma Imma a diva..." then 1 level for every "diva" or ".. na na na diva is a female...". On the 3rd "Imma Imma a diva" go back down to level 3 and continue like you were before (since you're at level 3, you don't need to do anything for the 3rd "Imma Imma a diva", you already are there), but don't go above 15 for your resistance, it's too much to keep up the cadence I want. Do this at 120-130 strides per minute (or 140 to keep with the beat of the song if you can) and stay above 100 strides per minute when you get up in resistance.
Have fun, that's the whole point of this... And to get your mind off of dull, boring cardio, all the while giving you a good kick in the aaaaaaaaaaaaasssssssssssssssssssss!

Breakfast IS the most important meal of the day.

When you do not eat within the first hour of waking up in the morning (or for the lazy- the afternoon), your body still requires energy (nutrient dense food) and goes immediately into your muscle stores. Unfortunately, our bodies aren't vain and do not go into fat stores first. Body fat is considered dead tissue, whereas muscle is rich in nutrients and oxygen. If you are someone who goes to the gym on a regular basis or are wanting to start going on a regular basis, your goal is to tone up aka gain muscle. When you are not eating breakfast, you are going against everything you are working for in the gym, whether your goal is to get big and beautiful or become a skinny bitch.
Now, for all of you who drink coffee and do not eat in the am, you are making things twice as hard on yourself. Your body starts excreting cortisol when you do not feed it, especially after a cup of joe. Cortisol is a hormone that increases the production of belly fat. It is also common to produce cortisol when you are stressed. Nobody wants a thick layer of mush covering their six pack they busted their balls to get.
So, to sum up... eat up and get gorgeous!