Oddly enough, I have been getting many email questions on topics such as anorexia diets and even a question asking if I sell tape worms! I want to make sure that each and everyone of you know that this is NOT what the Storm Wellness site is about or promotes.  We look at and discuss/compare sensible diet plans that will help change your lifestyle such as weight watchers, ediets and diets to go.  I would never promote or condone extreme diet behavior or the use of tape worms and it’s certainly not a healthy way to go about achieving weight loss.  In fact, I think all you have to do is take a look at the Storm Wellness site to know that’s now what we are about.  If you would like help achieving weight loss the healthy way then please email – it would be my pleasure to guide you in the right direction with healthy eating and workout ideas.

I hope you all got a chance to watch the Olympics.  They were awe inspiring!  The most exciting part for me was all the talk of “older” Olympians on a come back – winning medals and doing things only the “youngsters” were once thought capable of achieving.

Did you know that 38 year old Romanian Constantina Tomescu Dita claimed a dominating victory in the women’s marathon and was the oldest woman ever to do so?  41 year old Mom Dara Torres walked away with 2 Silver medals beating out competitors half her age.  The point being is YOU ARE NEVER TOO OLD TO ROCK AND ROLL!  And as Dara Torres would say “don’t put an age limit on your dreams”.
So, now that the kids are gearing back up for school and summer vacations are coming to an end, it’s time you start thinking about yourself and what your dreams and aspirations are.  Sure, maybe they aren’t as extreme as winning a gold medal in the Olympics, but that doesn’t matter…your dreams and goals are you unique to you!  Don’t delay another day, get out there and achieve your biggest dreams!

How can I help you?  Would you like more informational articles and comparisons on fitness products?  If so, just let me know and I will get these articles up.  Being a Mater Personal Trainer based just outside of DC I know the latest and greatest in all the fitness products - want to know what works and what you shouldn’t waste your money … just email me at: jessica@stormwellness.com  I want to make sure that I fine tune the articles to your needs.  Remember, I am here to serve you and to help you lead a healthier lifestyle.  I don’t just want to tone your body up – I want to reshape your lifestyle too!

I have noticed a lot of action on the Storm Wellness Site these past few months – I am curious to hear more from some of you out there who have tried ediets, weight watchers, Diet To Go, NutriSystems etc., based off my informational articles.  There truly is nothing like a personal trainer’s opinion on these weight loss programs but I also love incorporating your feedback - that’s how I am able to come up in a fair and objective way the advantages and disadvantages of each program.  So keep write in with your stories – successful or not, I would love to hear them!

Wow, I have noticed that weight watchers is really pushing there food these days.  Looks like they are trying to get into the NutriSystem niche of things.  Although they are not delivering they offer most of their products in grocery stores which is super convenient for people.  I was thumbing through a few magazines this past weekend and counted 7 advertisements for weight watchers food products.  Although, the disappointment was that it was all for sweet stuff - ice cream and desserts.  In my opinion it’s best to eliminate this junk from your diet no matter how low cal it might be.  Have some frozen fruit for dessert on a hot summer day or a warm cup of tea on a cold winter night - there are healthier more preservative free ways to calm your sweet tooth.

My clients are often asking me what type of protein they should be drinking and what brand I recommend. I always recommend that my clients supplement their nutritional program with Whey protein. It gets absorbed into the muscle quickly and has all the essential amino acids (BCAA’s) to help you build quality muscle tissue - especially post workouts. Don’t worry ladies, you’re not going to get bulky - it’s majorly difficult for woman to put on muscle mass compared to our male counterparts who carry much more testosterone in their bodies.

The truth is, you really should be consuming about 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight if you are looking to put on quality muscle mass. Whey protein is the perfect thing to help you attain that amount of protein in your diet. The brands that I recommend are designer whey - (which most people can find conveniently in stores near their home) and I also recommend Whey from Optimum Nutrition - they have many great flavors and it mixes well in drinks. Some of my clients like to take the time to blend the whey and make great drinks out of it by adding things like fruit, peanut butter or yogurt. Personally, I don’t have the time for that so I just stir and go and that’s why I like Optimum Nutrition Whey because it stirs easily and doesn’t clump and I use the rocky road flavor which is quite yummy. Also, check out these sites for purchase info: vitaminshoppe.com, webvitamins.com, and evitamins.com

If you haven’t heard of the blood type diet (which has been around for several years now), then I highly recommend checking it out. I am not usually too into all of these fad diets that come out i.e. south beach, atkins, zone. I think they all have interesting points to them but do not necessarily encompass a completely healthy or manageable way of eating and living. None the less, I like to know what my clients are up to so I read them.

Being in the industry for a while now I have begun to notice how these diet books cycle through the years - different versions of different books with the same concept being brought to the NY times best seller list and then they become a “fad” - it’s almost laughable to me at times. As Americans we are so obsessed with these diet books. Many people are diet gurus - they know every single book out there and can claim that they have tried every diet as well - it’s just crazy! There is one however that I do believe has some truly scientific worthiness to it and that is the blood type diet.

The blood type diet is based upon the concept that we should at certain foods according to our blood type. For example, blood group O is believed by D’Adamo to be the hunter and is the earliest human blood group. He recommends this type eat a meat rich diet. Where as blood group A, D’Adamo believes it to be a more recently evolved blood type, dating back from the dawn of agriculture. The diet recommends that individuals of blood group A eat a diet emphasizing vegetables and free of red meat, a more vegetarian food intake.

Of course, this book is not without it’s criticisms as they all have them - but I find this book to have some real value to it. I also have found for myself that many of the recommendations hold true. I am blood type A and have always wondered why I was not drawn to meat and found myself choking it down just to get the protein in. Turns out, my body was instinctually trying to steer me towards a more vegetarian lifestyle. I am not strictly vegetarian but I do eat very little meat and comprise most of my meals of fish, tofu, beans as protein sources with turkey and chicken every now and then. Eating this way I have noticed a remarkable difference in how I look and feel. It’s certainly an interesting concept and one I believe is worth checking out if you haven’t already as it may just be part of the answer you were looking for!