For years, people have been asking me to begin online coaching services for women looking to shed body fat. While I had always loved the idea of being able to assist ladies in their fat loss efforts, I had always had one major hesitation...until now!

You see, what I hate about some online coaching services is that they generally provide 'cookie-cutter' diet plans that are designed for one-type of body/person; and let's face it, what works for one person RARELY works for another. To top it all off, many online coaches fail to consider medical conditions, prescription medication limitations, digestion issues and the day-to-day lifestyle of their clients. So, I knew that if I was ever going to offer up my services, I wanted to be different; I wanted to have a wide-range of knowledge to offer.

In the past few years, I've spent many hours reading the latest studies, understanding supplements, taking nutrition courses to further my education AND - the most informational part - experimenting with different plans and programs on my own body. With all of this taken into account, I finally feel like I'm at a point where I can safely and effectively create truly customized plans for women looking to shed excess body fat. So...drumroll please...the online store is officially up and running!

For the time being, I'm offering the following services:
4-Week Fat Loss Programs
6-Week Fat Loss Programs
10-Week Fat Loss Programs
12-Week Fat Loss Programs

For each program, I'll begin by sending clients an extensive list of questions, which I'll use to design a truly customized plan, and then we will work together week-by-week to make modifications (as needed). During this time, I'll also be sending them some motivation, available for any questions and pushing them to stay 'on the wagon'. I can't wait to start creating change for others the way I was able to create change for myself!

A new study from the University of Gothenburg in Sweden took a look at how food is depicted in children's TV programmes and the link between the children's TV watching habits, diet, BMI and waist-to-height ratio. 

The dotoral thesis by Steingerdur Olafsdottir, is partially based on data from the European research project IDEFICS (Identification and Prevention of Dietary and Lifestyle-Induced Health Effects in Children and Infants) and focuses on the popular Swedish children’s TV show "Bolibompa". After analyzing approximately 25 hours worth of TV material, Olafsdottir was able to draw some conclusions on the types of foods and drinks presented to viewers.

While it was noted that the show did demonstrate a presence of fruits and vegetables, it was also noted that these depictions were often in the background of the shot. In the foreground, and usually being eaten by or held by a character (more often children than adults), were junk food items such as cookies, ice cream and candy. In fact, one out of every five item was a high calorie, low nutrient food. 

In addition, Olafsdottir found a connection between children's TV watching (time in front and commercial exposure) and the consumption of sweet drinks. Children whose exposure to commercials was high (and not controlled by their parents) had a twice as high chance of drinking sweet beverages regularly, compared to other children. There was also a connection observed between TV watching and the likelihood of BMI  and waist-to-height ratio increases.  

Story Source: The above story is based on featured research published by Science Daily. 

Today was a particularly tough day, mentally-speaking. I'm not entirely sure why today of all days, but I was feeling quite down about my physique; I know it will pass. 

You see, I'm in a bit of a transition phase right now where I'm carrying around more body fat than I'd like to. Over the past two years, I've been playing around a lot with my diet and training routine in order to learn as much as I can about what my body likes and to also obtain optimal hormonal balance.  However, while there have been many pros to this experimentation process, there have also been a few cons. During this time, I put on some awesome muscle (and I've gained some incredible strength; even i'm surprised), but as I said above, I also added more body fat to my frame than I would have like to. I know, logically, that this is ok and nothing to sweat about, but it still doesn't prevent me from feeling uncomfortable in my skin sometimes. 

All in all, I'm pretty much finished with experimenting on my diet, so now it's just about executing what works for me...I'm just a little bummed that it's going to take some time to get leaner again. Oh well, cest la vie; it's all a part of the process!

H20
On another note, I realized that my water intake has been pretty poor as of late and so this week I made a conscious goal to drink more. When I reflected on the times in my life where my water intake was on point, I made an observation; I drink way more water when I carry around a big 4L jug. Weird, right? So, I went to the store and bought myself a big, huge bottle and so far so good! I guess you do what you gotta do to get the job done! :-)

DIET
With regards to diet, after those two years of experimentation I now know that what I need to follow is:

• Five meals a day, with lots of water; coffee and tea allowed
• Four lean protein meals and one fatty protein meal
• One serving of healthy fats per meal
• 1 cup of GREEN veggies per meal, if desired (however, no more than 1-2 cups or it can be too much carbs for me)
• No sweeteners or sugar

TRAINING 
Right now my routine is a 12-week, 4-phase periodization cycle with a progressive increase approach to steady state and interval cardiovascular training. I'm just about to exit my strength phase and enter into hypertrophy for 4-weeks (beginning next week) and so I'm hoping that that change will also stimulate some further fat loss as well.

Stay tuned!

Every now and then we all need a little pick-me-up. So, to help brighten up your day, here are ten humorous and/or cute photos that are bound to make you smile!

 If you have any more fun images you'd like to share with me, either post them on my Facebook page or email them to me at kristen@kristenadamson.com. Have a smiley day!

These days, there are a ton of people giving out health, nutrition and fitness advice; some for free, others for a fee. Likewise, there are some with credentials and others with none at all, but frankly, it doesn't really matter anymore - you can get both good and bad advice from either. So how do you sift through the bunch to determine who to listen to? I've got a few tips for you!

I've been actively researching health and fitness for five years now. Not only have I acquired my own credentials (some of which are TRULY useless), but I've learned who I should be 'following' and how I can personally get my hands on the latest studies and research. Not only has this proactive approach taught me a heck of a lot about health, but it has also allowed me to discover, for myself, who knows what they're talking about and who doesn't. With that said, here are some things to be mindful of when you're following a health and fitness, nutrition and/or wellness advisor:

Avoid those who provide black and white advice.
If there's one thing I want you to remember from this blog, it's that fitness, nutrition and holistic wellness is NOT black and  
white. By this I mean, if someone is always giving advice that says: x + y always equals z, they likely don't have 
all of the facts**.You see, while our bodies function very similarly in many ways, they also function quite differently in
others (for a number of reasons); what works for one, may not work for another. Great role models in the health and fitness  
industry understand this and arm themselves with an abundance of information so that they can try different methods
with their clients, or advise on several methods for their followers. Like it or not, there is a ton of trial and error in health and fitness because we've yet to understand it all, scientifically-speaking. Anyone who's constantly promoting black and white   
information (without any scientific backing) is usually playing the "know it all" role...but let's be honest, nobody knows it all!
** Some exceptions apply because Science has uncovered a lot, however in this case, the advisor should tell you 'why' & where to learn more. 

Ignore advisors who: give directions based on the Food Pyramid, promote a fad-diet or encourage one training method only.
In keeping with what I said above, your advisor should never promote one method and one method only. In particular, however, I recommend that you avoid those who work from the Government-released Food Pyramid, promote a particular fad-diet and/or encourage one method of training (like cardio only, for example). With respect to the Food Pyramid, there is reason to believe that these guidelines are established by lawyers, farmers and politicians in their respective countries. While I have no solid proof to back that up, I can tell you that the Food Pyramids, quite clearly, demonstrate that we all should be eating the same way; and this just isn't true! Likewise, they don't always take into account what kinds of foods are beneficial to our bodies vs. what kinds are not. And on a personal note, I find that most of the Food Pyramids out there promote way to much carbohydrates (especially given how inactive we've become), way too little healthy fats and protein, and far too much dairy!

Don't engage with those who cannot participate in a constructive debate.
Since most health and fitness information isn't black and white (as mentioned above), then most of it it remains completely debatable. Thus, whoever you're taking your advice from should be able to participate in a healthy, constructive debate. If not, they're likely just in an advisory position to simply be heard; you know that 'I know everything, listen to me or you'll fail' mentality?

Stay away from those who fail to answer 'why' questions and/or provide sources of information.
Bottom line: if they can't tell you why or at least direct you to something that scientifically explains why, they aren't a well-informed individual; don't forget to ask why!

If they fail to take safety into consideration, steer clear!
Especially with regards to personal trainers, however also applicable to people directing your diet; advisors should be covering all of your safety needs. Trainers should be asking about injuries, family history, aches and pains etc. While anyone designing a custom diet plan for you should be asking about medication, hormonal disorders, allergies etc. 

If posts, blogs and/or conversations  are consistently negative in nature, say goodbye!
Simply put, having a negative advisor will rub off on you at some point; you'll either absorb the negativity yourself or, eventually, run away from it. From the start, make sure that the people you're following or taking advice from have a positive spirit and are promoting a happy, safe and healthy journey!

Be mindful of those who consistently throw their credentials in your face.
I don't mean to bash credentials - really, I don't - but there are some people out there who like to use their pieces of paper as a crutch. Some of the most knowledgeable people in this industry don't have any credentials! Why? Because they know how "cookie cutter" a lot of the educational programs are. As someone who has participated, for herself, in several different programs, Ill tell you firsthand that a lot of them teach - yes, I'm going to say it - black and white information. Of course, you can learn a lot about the fundamentals in these classes/programs, but what's more important is that you're up-to-date on the latest facts, figures and studies if you're going to be successful in providing advice - this industry is always evolving! So, anyone who constantly leans on the fact that they're some special [insert title] is, in my opinion someone to watch out for. Make sure they prove their knowledge and expertise before you start taking them too seriously. 

Over the years, I've had some pretty ugly statements thrown at me with respect to having children and building a family. Now, don't get me wrong, not one person has meant to be rude intentionally  - I know that - but I think, often times, people just don't know what to say so they blurt out the first thing that comes to mind; I think they believe that they have to say something in order to break the awkwardness.

If you know someone who's suffering from infertility - and yes, I say suffering, because it can be quite painful - here are a few things NOT to say and why:

"You don't want kids anyway, they're [insert some moderately annoying traits about children]"
Listen, we understand the sentiment, but let's get one thing clear: it won't matter what little annoying traits some kids can have, we still want them. End of story. Intentionally complaining about these motherhood experiences, in an effort to make us feel better, simply reminds us that we can't experience the same ups and downs as other women; and trust me, we'd gladly take the downs if we could also experience the ups!

"You can have mine!" (jokingly)
No...just no. When people make comments like this, it is very frustrating. It makes it sound as though you don't want your kids (and we know you do), which just reminds us that it seems as though all the people who don't want children get them, and all the people who desperately wants kids don't. 

"Well don't worry, these days there are so many options. Why don't you [insert alternative method for family planning]."
We know the options...please don't remind us. Our Doctors drill them into our heads even when we're not ready to hear them; it doesn't make it any easier, it simply makes it more stressful. 

"Just think about the things you'll be able to do without kids in your life, you can [insert suggestions]"
Bottom line: if we wanted to do all those things without the "burden" of kids (which is how people try to make it sound), we wouldn't have wanted children in the first place. Besides, we know we still CAN do those things with kids in our lives, it just may take a little longer; we're OK with that!

"I'm sure everything will be fine. Doctors are always wrong, you'll be able to have children."
Now this one, for some women, is comforting. However, you must know that you're walking on thin ice! It is important that a woman work through the grieving cycle and comments like these can send her right back to the denial phase. Instead of denying the situation alltogether, encourage a hopeful but realistic and proactive mentality. 

"It could be worse..."
Maybe so, but we don't want to hear it. Learning you're infertile can often feel like the end of the world. Women feel less womanly and for the first time in their lives, they often question their purpose on this earth; please understand. 

What the heck should I say?
Infertility is a very sensitive topic for most women - it literally feels like your children (yes, unborn, but equally as special to you) have passed away; there is an intense and long grieving cycle.  This blog may make it seem as though there is nothing you can say to help...and that's because there isn't. But if you really want to be comforting to your loved one, here is the approach that I, personally, recommend you take: 

Basically, recognize their agony and situation, ensure them that you're there for them to lean on and remind them that they CAN and WILL get through it with support.

When I first began bodybuilding, I, like most beginners, focused on the 10-12 rep range. I stuck with this range for about two years because 1) it worked for me and 2) It seemed like the most applicable rep range for someone who was looking to simultaneously shed bodyfat and get stronger. 

As many of you know, I've made it a point to help others change the way they view and live their lives. Since my accident and my POF diagnosis, I've put an emphasis on accomplishing my goals - no matter how far-fetched - being healthy (mentally & physically)  and dabbling in as many new experiences as possible; I'm focused on taking risks and living life the the fullest (cliche, I know)!  As a part of this mission and journey, I've decided to embark on another new and exciting adventure that I'd like to share with you every step of the way!