Salire Fitness, Pilates, and Life Coaching

How to achieve "Progress and Sustained Change"!

2011-05-24T15:08:00.011-05:00

Here we are again moving out of spring and into summer.

With New Years behind us and spring now moving into the background, I wanted to ask you the following question, “how well have you been doing with your resolutions”?

If you are like most people you are probably answering that question with some hesitancy, some frustration, and a little disappointment. In fact, statistics indicate that most people (80%), do not keep their "resolutions" beyond January 15th and those that do rarely make the six month mark.

Whys is that?

Well I believe the reason is that many people use “faulty words”. For instance many people use the words resolution and change and never give either of them much thought. They operate on auto-pilot when it comes to the words they use. But this is extremely dangerous and detrimental to their sustained Success, because as we know from vast research, “words create worlds”!

Let’s look at each of these two words for a minute.

First let’s start with the word "resolution" (to resolve to, to commit to in spite of the odds, to stay the course regardless of the pain and sacrifice required). How many of us can truly say that when we voice that we want to lose weight, stop smoking, get fit, increase our energy, and cut back on sweets, we actually take stock of what we just said. Have you really “resolved” to do any of these things? Have you really decided no matter what the cost that you will accomplish these goals even if the sacrifice were painful beyond your wildest dreams?

Next, let’s look at the word “change”. Why is "change" a bad word you may be asking. Well, change is not a bad word. In fact, we witness many great changes everyday, but "change" is not what someone driven to transform their life needs. After all, just look around; change happens inevitable (good and bad). Take a look at the economy, the stock market, home prices, the price of gasoline, or on a happier note the beauty within the changing of the seasons. You see, change is good, but change just happens regardless of and many times, in spite of --- us.

As a life coach, a personal trainer, and a personal development speaker, I assist people just like you in really taking stock of the words you use in your conversations with yourself and with others. I also assist you in using better, more specific words to employ better proven strategies so that you can finally and realistically witness a “permanent and positive life progression”!

Now there’s a word for you. That’s what I actually believe people want and desire most, it isn’t random change it is sustained "PROGRESS"!

How is this done, how is Progress achieved and sustained?

The first step is that you must have a specific written and well defined goal/purpose. Next, you need a positive progression of thoughts and of words in regards to your conversations from where you are today to where you most want to be! Finally, once this has been realized (and you could hire a life coach to assist), you can then and only then start to achieve and sustain this new found “life progression” that many seek but few find and even fewer sustain!

So what life progressions will you decide to resolve (remember that is where the word resolution comes from)? What have you decided to commit to regardless of the sacrifice and hurt it may take to achieve it?

I suggest you resolve to have a better life but when you decide (resolve) to commit, you must come up with your goal, then you need to design your strategy, and finally you must use "better words" in your conversations in order to progress to and sustain a more joy-filled, passionate life of continued and sustained success!

Let me know how I can assit you in "progressing and growing" into all you desire to be, and also I would love to assit you in designing repeatable strategies to use along the journey of your sustained progress.

Call Nolan V. Ferraro at (504) 821-4896

info@salirefitness.com

www.salirefitness.com

Success is just a Thought Away, it all starts with Clarity!

2011-05-14T13:49:00.005-05:00

I want you to succeed in all areas of your Life and I want to assist you in finding successful strategies to do just that!

I work with a number of wonderful individuals who come to me for assistance in achieving and sustaining balance, focus, and clarity in their life and especially around their wellness needs!

The first place that all growth starts is in achieving clarity. Clarity is the place where you decide who you are, who you want to be, what you are willing to sacrifice to get there, and how you will know when you have arrived. In my experience I have seen many people who believe they truly want to make a positive and powerful change in their life but their efforts are often frustrating and fruitless because of a lack of clarity. This lack of clarity often leads to a lack of specificity which then leads to a lack of achievement, ending in great frustration.

I say that Clarity is the first step because knowing that you want to go somewhere is not enough, you need to know where you want to go. No one would ever know they want to attend a friend’s wedding out of town and then just show up to the airport and randomly purchase the cheapest ticket leaving the airport as soon as possible. No, they would only purchase a ticket (maybe the least expensive or not) that would take them safely to the city where the wedding was taking place. In fact, most people would have researched the destination, an airline, and ticket prices before ever packing and showing up to the airport. Why is that? Because you need clarity in your travel plans in order to assure yourself a safe and successful journey. Life is no different!

After you achieve clarity you need to work on the next important growth and success principle and that is the principle of Specificity. It is a proven fact that life like air travel, needs Specificity! In fact, research often demonstrates that people are most successful when they know the following:

• That they want to go somewhere
• Where they want to go (or at least in what general direction they want to travel/move)
• How they plan to get there
• What to expect along the way
• How they will know they are there once they arrive

So, as you sit there thinking, “I sure wish life were more invigorating and I had more zest, energy, focus, and balance” or “what is my true passion and how can I live it out daily”, start with getting a clear picture of who you are and what gets your blood pumping! After you have reached the point that you know you are ready to move, then keep mining down and getting more and more specific about your core values, your passions, and the direction you feel led to take, and hire a professional life coach who can assist you in avoiding road blocks, hold you accountable, and champion you along the way!

If you would like help starting this awesome passion and purpose filled journey I would love to assist you.

Let's jump in and get growing!

Just send me an email to info@salirefitness.com or call me at
504-821-4896

GOD BLESS and Get Growing,
Nolan V. Ferraro
www.salirefitness.com

Make Better Bad Choices This Holiday Season

2010-12-15T11:10:00.003-06:00

As the holidays approach arm yourself with five tips to help you stay trim.

1) Fill up before you head out - Before you go to any holiday celebration, have a quick balanced small meal to prevent you from overeating. Have a small bowl of oatmeal with some skim milk or a small salad with grilled chicken. You will eat less at the party when you arrive already satisfied.

2) Chat Away…From the Table - Rather than standing around the appetizer table and mindlessly eating on chips and dip or fried hors d'oeuvres, catch up with your family and friends away from the tempting food choices.

3) Think Delicious and Desirable - Start with what’s Most Delicious or Desirable. This goes against the conventional nutritional wisdom, but if you start with the most tempting Holiday treasures and treats, you will not need to overeat in order to reach your final desert destination. When you feel satiated, stop eating and forego the other food options, even if it’s the healthy choices- the general goal is to cut calories.

4) Sip strategically - If you’re trying to lose weight a major factor preventing you from achieving your goal may be those late night drinks. Alcohol is extremely calorie-dense. In fact, one gram of alcohol has 7 calories. A rum and coke has about 180 calories, a 5 oz. glass of red wine has 130 calories, and a 8 oz. pina colada has a whopping 644 calories. That’s 100 more calories than a Big Mac! Also be aware that alcohol has the tendency to increase your appetite and cloud your judgment in making healthy food choices.

Why Do We Body Store Fat?

2010-12-08T12:05:00.000-06:00

Prehistoric humans were battling for their survival and trying to find food. When food was in abundance, excess food that was consumed was stored as fat to help protect against times when food was scarce. These early humans are responsible for the way our metabolism works. That survival mechanism is why your body stores fat for when food is in short supply.

The problem is that you no longer need to store fat to protect against lean times but your body doesn’t know the difference. It couldn't care less about how you look or long term health consequences. This fat gets stored in unsightly areas including the stomach, lower back, chest, legs and upper arms.

Your body doesn’t let you pick and choose where it stores fat. In order to lose fat in those unsightly areas, you must lose fat overall. You can't choose to only lose fat on your stomach. Your body doesn't work that way. But if you lose it overall, you'll lose it on the stomach too.

A new recipe for all of you!

2010-07-07T12:10:00.005-05:00

Hello Friends!
Enjoy a Healthy Low Fat Chicken recipe from Salire Fitness

http://www.recipezaar.com/recipe/Low-Fat-Chicken-With-Caramelized-Onions-4263

WDSU Interviews Nolan Ferraro

2009-12-29T11:32:00.000-06:00

How to Keep Yourself From Starting The New Year As Round As Santa

2009-12-09T10:22:00.000-06:00

Okay, here it is - part 3 of our "Battling The Holiday Bulge (and winning)" series. (see the related features section below for links to parts 1 and 2).

The Average American gains 7 - 12 pounds between Halloween and New Year's and studies show that most will abandon their fitness programs.

Yes, I know, I've already said this but it bears repeating. Between the parties, high fat foods, alcohol and hectic schedules who has the time (or the inclination for that matter) to worry about exercise, never mind healthy eating?

Most people are busy putting off their healthy eating and exercise programs "until the 1st of the year." That is, until they try to get into their clothes or get a good look in the department store mirror.

There is still time to formulate a plan that will have you closer to the fitness goals on the first of the year instead of looking at an extra 7-12 pounds of ugly fat. These easy tips will help you get through the holidays with a minimum of stress and weight gain.

1. Don't try to "diet" during the holidays. Instead set a goal of trying to maintain your present weight. This way, you have a realistic goal. Since , as I have previously mentioned, the Average American gains 7-12 pounds, you will still be ahead of the game. You can allow yourself to indulge here and there, but you won't go over the edge.

2. Pay attention to how quickly you eat and exactly what you eat and drink. Chew your food slowly and focus on your companions and the social aspects of each event .

3. Remember that alcohol is packed with calories. Choose light beer and wine over mixed drinks. A holiday-sized mixed drink can have as many a 300- 500 calories or more.

4. Offer to bring a favorite low-calorie dish to holiday parties. This way you'll know there will be at least one "safe" item.

5. Make the effort to continue a regular exercise program. Find a buddy or consult with a professional to help you keep yourself on track. Aim for 2 to 3 thirty minute sessions per week (remember - a little bit is better than none).

6. Never go to a party or event on an empty stomach. Before going out, snack on protein, like chicken or cottage cheese. Protein satisfies and will help you eat less.

7. Keep an eye on your portion sizes. In the heat of celebration, portion sizes can be quite excessive.

8. Don't let a hectic holiday schedule force you to eat fast food. Prepare and freeze several quick, healthy meals. That way, you have an option other than high-fat, fast-food meals.

9. Avoid Tasting While Cooking. You will be appalled at how quickly the calories add up. Get a family member to taste the food for you.

By, Dianne Villano
http://www.fabulousliving.com/index.php?option=com_resource&controller=article&category_id=238&article=21343

2009-12-02T19:06:00.000-06:00

A Salire Fitness Moment - Holiday Fitness Tips

2009-12-02T16:52:00.001-06:00

Is the Exercise Cool-Down Really Necessary?

2009-12-02T11:08:00.001-06:00

By GINA KOLATA
Published: October 13, 2009
By: New York Times

MY husband and I were riding our bikes not long ago, and when we were about a mile from home, we did our usual thing. We call it the sprint to the finish: ride as hard and as fast as we can until we reach our driveway, racing to see who could get there first.

We pulled up, slammed on our brakes and hopped off our bikes. A neighbor was walking by and said, “How did you do that?”

“I just put on my brakes,” I told him. No, he said, he meant how could we just stop like that without cooling down?

Strange as it might seem, that had never occurred to me. But the cool-down is enshrined in training lore. It’s in physiology textbooks, personal trainers often insist on it, fitness magazines tell you that you must do it — and some exercise equipment at gyms automatically includes it. You punch in the time you want to work out on the machine and when your time is up, the machine automatically reduces the workload and continues for five minutes so you can cool down.

The problem, says Hirofumi Tanaka, an exercise physiologist at the University of Texas, Austin, is that there is pretty much no science behind the cool-down advice.

The cool-down, Dr. Tanaka said, “is an understudied topic.”

”Everyone thinks it’s an established fact,” he added, “so they don’t study it.”

It’s not even clear what a cool-down is supposed to be. Some say you just have to keep moving for a few minutes — walking to your car after you finish a run rather than stopping abruptly and standing there. Others say you have to spend 5 to 10 minutes doing the same exercise, only slowly. Jog after your run, then transition into a walk. Still others say that a cool-down should include stretching.

And it’s not clear what the cool-down is supposed to do. Some say it alleviates muscle soreness. Others say it prevents muscle tightness or relieves strain on the heart.

Exercise researchers say there is only one agreed-on fact about the possible risk of suddenly stopping intense exercise. When you exercise hard, the blood vessels in your legs are expanded to send more blood to your legs and feet. And your heart is pumping fast. If you suddenly stop, your heart slows down, your blood is pooled in your legs and feet, and you can feel dizzy, even pass out.

The best athletes are most vulnerable, said Dr. Paul Thompson, a cardiologist and marathon runner who is an exercise researcher at Hartford Hospital in Connecticut.

“If you are well trained, your heart rate is slow already, and it slows down even faster with exercise,” he said. “Also, there are bigger veins with a large capacity to pool blood in your legs.”

That effect can also be deleterious for someone with heart disease, said Carl Foster, an exercise physiologist at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, because blood vessels leading to the heart are already narrowed, making it hard for blood to get in. “That’s always a concern,” Dr. Foster said. “But to my knowledge there is not a wealth of experimental data.”

But does it matter for the ordinary, average athlete? “Probably not a great deal,” Dr. Thompson said. And, anyway, most people don’t just stand there, stock still, when their workout is over. They walk to the locker room or to their house or car, getting the cool-down benefit without officially “cooling down.”

The idea of the cool-down seems to have originated with a popular theory — now known to be wrong — that muscles become sore after exercise because they accumulate lactic acid. In fact, lactic acid is a fuel. It’s good to generate lactic acid, it’s a normal part of exercise, and it has nothing to do with muscle soreness. But the lactic acid theory led to the notion that by slowly reducing the intensity of your workout you can give lactic acid a chance to dissipate.

Yet, Dr. Foster said, even though scientists know the lactic acid theory is wrong, it remains entrenched in the public’s mind.

“It’s an idea we can’t get rid of,” he said.

In fact, Dr. Tanaka said, one study of cyclists concluded that because lactic acid is good, it is better not to cool down after intense exercise. Lactic acid was turned back into glycogen, a muscle fuel, when cyclists simply stopped. When they cooled down, it was wasted, used up to fuel their muscles.

As far as muscle soreness goes, cooling down doesn’t do anything to alleviate it, Dr. Tanaka said. And there is no physiological reason why it should.

That’s also the conclusion of a study of muscle soreness by South African researchers who asked 52 healthy adults to walk backward downhill on a treadmill for 30 minutes — an exercise that can cause sore leg muscles. The participants were randomly assigned to cool down by walking slowly uphill for 10 minutes or simply to stop exercising. The result, the researchers reported, was that cooling down did nothing to prevent sore muscles.

And muscle tightness?

“In a different generation we would have called it an old wives’ tale,” Dr. Foster said. “Now I guess I’d call it an old physiologists’ tale. There are no data to support the idea that a cool-down helps.” But, he added, once again, “it’s an idea we can’t get rid of.”

Exercise researchers say they act on their own advice.

Dr. Thompson says if he is doing a really hard track workout he will jog for a short distance when he finishes to avoid becoming dizzy. If he runs a half marathon, he will “start shuffling forward,” after he crosses the finish line, for the same reason.

As for Dr. Tanaka, he does not cool down at all. He’s a soccer player and, he says, he sees no particular reason to do anything after exercising other than just stop.

A Salire Fitness Moment - Triceps Bench Dips

2009-11-25T13:07:00.003-06:00

New Orleans Boot Camp with Salire Fitness

2009-11-25T13:03:00.001-06:00

The Human Body Is Built for Distance

2009-11-16T15:21:00.000-06:00

Does running a marathon push the body further than it is meant to go?

The conventional wisdom is that distance running leads to debilitating wear and tear, especially on the joints. But that hasn’t stopped runners from flocking to starting lines in record numbers.

Last year in the United States, 425,000 marathoners crossed the finish line, an increase of 20 percent from the beginning of the decade, Running USA says. Next week about 40,000 people will take part in the New York City Marathon. Injury rates have also climbed, with some studies reporting that 90 percent of those who train for the 26.2-mile race sustain injuries in the process.

But now a best-selling book has reframed the debate about the wisdom of distance running. In “Born to Run” (Knopf), Christopher McDougall, an avid runner who had been vexed by injuries, explores the world of the Tarahumara Indians of Mexico, a tribe known for running extraordinary distances in nothing but thin-soled sandals.

Mr. McDougall makes the case that running isn’t inherently risky. Instead, he argues that the commercialization of urban marathons encourages overzealous training, while the promotion of high-tech shoes has led to poor running form and a rash of injuries.

“The sense of distance running being crazy is something new to late-20th-century America,” Mr. McDougall told me. “It’s only recently that running has become associated with pain and injury.”

The scientific evidence supports the notion that humans evolved to be runners. In a 2007 paper in the journal Sports Medicine, Daniel E. Lieberman, a Harvard evolutionary biologist, and Dennis M. Bramble, a biologist at the University of Utah, wrote that several characteristics unique to humans suggested endurance running played an important role in our evolution.

Most mammals can sprint faster than humans — having four legs gives them the advantage. But when it comes to long distances, humans can outrun almost any animal. Because we cool by sweating rather than panting, we can stay cool at speeds and distances that would overheat other animals. On a hot day, the two scientists wrote, a human could even outrun a horse in a 26.2-mile marathon.

Why would evolution favor the distance runner? The prevailing theory is that endurance running allowed primitive humans to incorporate meat into their diet. They may have watched the sky for scavenging birds and then run long distances to reach a fresh kill and steal the meat from whatever animal was there first.

Other research suggests that before the development of slingshots or bows, early hunters engaged in persistence hunting, chasing an animal for hours until it overheated, making it easy to kill at close range. A 2006 report in the journal Current Anthropology documents persistence hunting among modern hunter-gatherers, including the Bushmen in Africa.

“Ancient humans exploited the fact that humans are good runners in the heat,” Dr. Bramble said. “We have such a great cooling system” — many sweat glands, little body hair.

There is other evidence that evolution favored endurance running. A study in The Journal of Experimental Biology last February showed that the short toes of the human foot allowed for more efficient running, compared with longer-toed animals. Increasing toe length as little as 20 percent doubles the mechanical work of the foot. Even the fact that the big toe is straight, rather than to the side, suggests that our feet evolved for running.

“The big toe is lined up with the rest, not divergent, the way you see with apes and our closest nonrunning relatives,” Dr. Bramble said. “It’s the main push-off in running: the last thing to leave the ground is that big toe.”

Springlike ligaments and tendons in the feet and legs are crucial for running. (Our close relatives the chimpanzee and the ape don’t have them.) A narrow waist and a midsection that can turn allow us to swing our arms and prevent us from zigzagging on the trail. Humans also have a far more developed sense of balance, an advantage that keeps the head stable as we run. And most humans can store about 20 miles’ worth of glycogen in their muscles.

And the gluteus maximus, the largest muscle in the human body, is primarily engaged only during running. “Your butt is a running muscle; you barely use it when you walk,” Dr. Lieberman said. “There are so many features in our bodies from our heads to our toes that make us good at running.”

So if we’re born to run, why are runners so often injured? A combination of factors is likely to play a role, experts say. Exercise early in life can affect the development of tendons and muscles, but many people don’t start running until adulthood, so their bodies may not be as well developed for distance. Running on only artificial surfaces and in high-tech shoes can change the biomechanics of running, increasing the risks of injury.

What’s the solution? Slower, easier training over a long period would most likely help; so would brief walk breaks, which mimic the behavior of the persistence hunter. And running on a variety of surfaces and in simpler shoes with less cushioning can restore natural running form.

Mr. McDougall says that while researching his book, he corrected his form and stopped using thickly cushioned shoes. He has run without injury for three years.

By TARA PARKER-POPE

New York Times

Salire is Offering a Boot Camp Discount $$$!!

2009-09-05T15:47:00.006-05:00

Hello from Salire Fitness and Pilates!

We are so excited to be offering a Fourth boot camp in Metairie starting in October!

We are also very excited that after Donating $13,500 to the susan G. Komen Foundation to combat breast cancer we will be continuing our partnership with them for quit some time!

We have now also partnered with Desire Street Ministry and will be allowing partticipants the ability to choose from 3 awesome charities/non-profits:

Susan G. Komen

Desire Street Ministry

City Park

We are also very Excited that each of our clients will have the ability to get a 50% discount off of the already discounted price of only $100 or attend for absolutely FREE!

Bring 1 friend in October and receive 50% off of your enrollment fees or bring 3 friends to boot camp in October and attend for FREE!

Your eating habits can actually reduce bad cholesterol and diminish your dependency on medication!!!

2009-08-25T10:16:00.003-05:00

We all know animal-based and highly processed foods contain more than there fair share of sugar, salts and fats!

“Clinical indicators of heart disease — high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol (especially the 'bad' cholesterol, LDL), high blood homocysteine and a couple of other indicators — also are important to consider but these occur mostly because of a bad diet. When total blood cholesterol is under 150 mg, almost no heart disease is observed. The usual range of total cholesterol in North America and other western countries is between 160 and 260 mg, so most of us are in trouble,” say nutrition and health expert Dr. T. Colin Campbell, professor emeritus of nutritional biochemistry at Cornell University and author of The China Study, which explores the connection between disease and diet. Dr. Campbell continues and states "There is evidence that diet alone can prevent and even reverse heart disease."

Dining Out advice from Dr Campbell:

-Consume a whole foods, plant-based diet (oats, whole wheat, dried beans, tofu, eggplant and almonds are all cholesterol-lowering foods)
-Eat lots of colored vegetables and fruits
-Restrict salt, sugar (refined carbs) and fat
-Add a regular exercise program
-Drink at least two quarts of good water per day
-Get some sunlight
-Sit back and enjoy

Septemeber Boot Camp

2009-08-20T16:25:00.004-05:00

Salire's boot camps have taken off in the last few months. We hit an all time high in August (the hottest month of the year) with attendance around 160 people. We are in the process of wrapping August camps up and expecting September to be the biggest yet! We had the honor of presenting the Susan G Komen Foundation with a $13,500 check at the end of one of our camps where Regan Forrester, the president of the board accepted the check on behalf of this amazing foundation. Below is a picture of that event as well as some great shot taken of this month’s camps.

Salire Fitness and Pilates is Offering $20 Trio Reformer Classes

2009-05-24T20:15:00.004-05:00

Summer Special of $20 per Reformer Trio Class!!!

Salire Fitness is excited to be offering a Summer special for the months of June, July, and August!

We are offering our "Trio Reformer Pilates Classes" for a Reduced rate of Only $20 per participant per class!

Please sign up now by calling or email Salire Fitness and Pilates at:

(504) 821-4896
salirefitness@yahoo.com

also see our website at:

www,salirefitness.com

Our classes are Awesome and focus on all of the Pilates fundamentals!

Obesity: Out Of Our Control?

2009-04-22T17:29:00.002-05:00

What if it’s not your fault? What if your particular struggle with weight has a virus as its underlying cause? Some researchers think that there may be more to the problem of obesity than meets the eye. Sometimes there seems to be as many theories about what makes us fat as there are varieties of cookies lining supermarket shelves—unregulated sweets being prominent among the usual suspects.

Dr. Nihil Dhurandhar, a leading researcher in the field, thinks that viral infection may contribute to the development of obesity in some people. At least six different pathogens appear to promote weight gain in animals.

Salire Fitness, Pilates, and Life Coaching

How to achieve "Progress and Sustained Change"!

Success is just a Thought Away, it all starts with Clarity!

Make Better Bad Choices This Holiday Season

Why Do We Body Store Fat?

A new recipe for all of you!

WDSU Interviews Nolan Ferraro

How to Keep Yourself From Starting The New Year As Round As Santa

A Salire Fitness Moment - Holiday Fitness Tips

Is the Exercise Cool-Down Really Necessary?

A Salire Fitness Moment - Triceps Bench Dips

New Orleans Boot Camp with Salire Fitness

The Human Body Is Built for Distance

Salire is Offering a Boot Camp Discount $$$!!

Your eating habits can actually reduce bad cholesterol and diminish your dependency on medication!!!

Septemeber Boot Camp

Salire Fitness and Pilates is Offering $20 Trio Reformer Classes

Obesity: Out Of Our Control?

Excercising When Sick

Good Reason to Sphere

Keeping Your Head In The Game

Balance on The Field

5 Secrets To Keeping The Weight Off For Good

Ancient Eating Habits

Fibromyalgi- What?

Cinnamon And Your Health

Row Your Body into Shape

The Pre-Workout Meal

Screen Saver

The Sewing Circle of Life

Yea Burpees!

Core Strength

Eyes Wide Shut

On A Roll

Duct Tape for Christmas

Be Good to Your Heart

Blueberry Almighty

Stressful Times

Watch Your Form

Secrets Of The Raw Kind

What's the Deal With Acupuncture?

Harmony

The Walking Cure

After Hour Food Spooks

Immune For The Future

Squat This

Your Sweet Tooth

Brain Food for Thought