Today's tip is brought to you by celebrity trainer Gunnar Peterson*, who has buffed up the likes of Bruce Willis, Hugh Jackman, J. Lo and Angelina Jolie.

"If you’re spending a lot of time at the pool during the summer, fill water bottles with water and use them in the pool as dumbbells to bump up what you’re getting from your water time. It’s also a great conversation starter."


*According to an interview in Glamour, Peterson hasn’t always been the fitness guru he is today. He used to be a fat kid. “My mom sent me to Weight Watchers meetings in Houston, Texas, when I was 10 years old.” For some reason that makes me trust him more.

Do you break a sweat swimming? What other summer activities do you do?

Labels: celebrity trainer, Gunnar Peterson, J. Lo trainer, trainer tips

This week’s tip is brought to you by Gunnar Peterson, a celebrity trainer famous for buffing up the likes of Bruce Willis, Hugh Jackman, J. Lo and Angelina Jolie.

According to Peterson, a great way to lose weight is to hit the sack. No. I’m not talking boxing. “Sleep, sleep, sleep!” Peterson suggests. “Sleep reduces cortisol levels (or at least helps keep them lower), allows muscles to repair and grow, keeps the hunger hormone (ghrelin) in check, and helps keep your energy up so that you don’t snack for energy. Plus, it’s hard to eat bad stuff when you’re asleep…”

I know. It sounds like a tip that should be paired with the cookie diet, but there’s actually some science behind it.

Doctors say both the hormones leptin and ghrelin can influence our appetite. And studies show the production of both may be influenced by the amount of sleep we get, according to WebMD.

"When you don't get enough sleep, it drives leptin levels down, which means you don't feel as satisfied after you eat. Lack of sleep also causes ghrelin levels to rise, which means your appetite is stimulated, so you want more food," Michael Breus, PhD, director of The Sleep Disorders Centers of Southeastern Lung Care in Atlanta, told WebMD.

According to a Sanford study, participants who slept less than eight hours a night had lower levels of leptin and higher levels of ghrelin, as well as more body fat. Those who slept the least amount weighed the most.

So don’t feel so guilty if you overslept and missed that morning run*. You were just fighting fat with a few extra Zs.



*Like I did this morning


On a side note – I'd like to get some feedback on how I'm doing here. Are you enjoying Weigh In? Getting any good tips? Anything you think I could do better or add? Have you taken some of my advice and lost (or gained!) weight? Let me know!

Labels: Angelina Jolie, Bruce Willis, celebrity trainer, Gunnar Peterson, Hugh Jackman, J. Lo, sleep

This week’s tip is brought to you by Gunnar Peterson*, a celebrity trainer famous for buffing up the likes of Bruce Willis, Hugh Jackman, J. Lo and Angelina Jolie.

According to Peterson, you should “mix up your cardio for different results and to keep it interesting so that you’ll go longer and do more. Change your intensity, duration, music, and whether you do it before or after your strength training. You’ll be happy you did.”

If you do the same workout every day, every week, your body will get used to it. Changing things up will create change in your body while also preventing injuries. Plus, you won’t get bored.

Buy a new exercise DVD, sign up for a spin class or change up reps and weights. The summer is the perfect time to get outside and mix things up. I recently joined a boot camp and every week we have a different workout. It helps me push myself harder than I would by myself. Plus I get to be outside after a long day confined to a cubicle.

What’s your favorite workout?



*According to an interview in Glamour, Peterson hasn’t always been the fitness guru he is today. He used to be a fat kid. “My mom sent me to Weight Watchers meetings in Houston, Texas, when I was 10 years old.” For some reason that makes me trust him more.

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Labels: fitness, Gunnar Peterson, trainer, workouts