Skinny fat vs fit

Here is a picture of Jessica's transformation. She was never "fat" rather "skinny fat" and still fit as most people would call her. The picture on the left is from spring of 2011. The pictures on the right are all recent pictures 16 months post baby. 

When she was skinny fat, she did way more cardio than she does now and ate a lot less. These days she is lifting heavy and doing 20 minute intervals about 3-4 times a week for cardio. Don't be a cardio bunny! It will get you nowhere because your body will get used to all that cardio and you'll keep having to do more and more to compensate and to speed up your metabolism. Instead, lift heavy. The more muscle you have the faster your metabolism is because your body has to work that much harder to feed your muscles. Also, in case anyone is wondering about weight, in the left picture she was 10 lbs heavier and on a constant diet. Now she eats clean and when she started really lifting heavy, she lost 10 lbs without even trying! The point is- get lifting! Endless hours of cardio does not get your heart rate up enough! Heavy lifting and intervals are the way to go!

Resistance Band Training Explaination

Resistance Band Exercises have many different functions. The resistance provided by tubes or bands is different from that of free weights and body weight. Since the material which makes up the bands stretches, the further the band stretches, the more resistance is provided. This is useful because there will be the most resistance at the end of the range of motion of any exercise. Resistance bands can also be added to traditional strength training barbell exercises to increase the resistance towards the end of range of motion. Resistance Training anywhere is possibly the biggest benefit of resistance band exercises. Since the bands take up very little space, you can even pack them in your carry-on while you travel for work or vacation. You Can Use Resistance Band Exercises to Achieve a Variety of Health and Fitness Goals Resistance band exercises are simply another form of weight (resistance) training through which you can build strength and muscular endurance and tone your body. Resistance bands can provide light to very heavy resistance.  You can add multiple bands or tubes together to increase the resistance and this ability is virtually limitless. You can even create enough resistance with bands and tubes to support your body weight for total body exercises. You can also find special resistance tubes which allow you to connect resistance bands to sturdy handles which increase the number of resistance band exercises you can do because the resistance is enough to support your body weight. 

Traditional bands with handles range from easy to hard starting with yellow, green, red, blue, gray and black. 

Questions JulBrown22@hotmail.com

Resistance Band Total Body Workout

Some pictures to aid you and a full workout below!!! 

Email: Julbrown22@hotmail.com 

with questions...

Resistance band workout – do at least 10 reps of each movement and add in some isometric holds

Parallel squat and press

Parallel curl and squat

Cross curls

Up right row and squat

Shrugs and abductor walk

Abductor walks with band crossed

Deadlifts

Single arm press and lunge to single arm row then repeat on other side

Lat pulls with side steps (middle, right, left, high)

Lat pulls with plié squats

Scapula squeeze with demi plies

Side triceps with straight leg raise and repeat other side

Oblique side bends to single arm press and bend and repeat other side

Tricep kick- backs with band under one foot

Front raises with band under one leg

Sitting down rows with band around both feet

Sitting down abductors

Sitting down single leg press repeat other side

Sitting down double leg press

V-sits with band

Scissor kicks with feet in handles

Bicycles with feet in handles

Leg circles with feet in handles

Side plank and press and repeat other side

Lying on back, one foot in handle and hand in other handle and meet in center repeat other side

Hamstring stretches with band around foot to center, second and across body

Protein Choices

Protein is every fit persons best friend!!... you need it to grow and repair lean muscle mass! Protein powders help you reach your daily needs of protein in a quick and tasty way. I suggest anywhere from 1-2 grams of protein per ideal pound of body weight depending on if you're leaning out, bulking, or maintaining. With so many protein options it's easy to get confused over which one is best for your needs. Well here is a quick guide

Whey-quick digesting, first thing in the morning and post workout. Can also be mixed with food for meal replacement.

Casein-slow digesting, post workout with whey, and before bed.

Egg white- non dairy so you can use this if you are intolerant to dairy. Slow digesting good before bed.

Soy- I only suggest this for Vegans. Use anytime of the day.

Mass Gainers- If you are a hard gainer looking to put on quick mass. Use any time of day.

Pudding -great tasty treat to cure that sweet tooth or if you are on the go and need to pack quick protein.

Questions: Julbrown22@hotmail.com

It's a lifestyle, not a DIET!

People may make fun of you for the way you eat when you are trying to reach your goals or just trying to live a healthier lifestyle. The worst is when they say, " oh you're on a diet, so you can't eat this!" No, it's not a diet it's a lifestyle and its your choice. It's not polite to make fun of their choices so they shouldn't be allowed to make fun of you! If they do, then you should probably think twice if you really want them in your life! Get rid of the negative people who don't support you! Typically, Jessica eats 5-7 meals a day and Juliane eats 7-8 meals a day! Remember every meal should have a balance of protein, good carbs and healthy fats. Another thing to think about when you're out and everyone around you is eating fried food or sugar...do you really want to look like them?!

Work out with baby! #fitmom

Having a baby is no excuse to not get fit! Actually, having a baby made Jessica get in the best shape of her life! Besides a clean diet, cardio and weight lifting sessions, Jes finds time to make play time a priority for baby. Great workouts with baby include taking baby to a bounce house or a water park! Both is great exercise for baby and mommy! If you're a mom you should become part of team #noexcuses!

Silk Amino Acids, A Great Supplement For Those Who Train Hard!

SILK AMINO ACIDS-- I highly recommend taking a silk amino acid supplement especially if you workout early in the morning before you've had a chance to get a lot of protein in your system! 

What it is: As the name describes, these amino acids are derived from silk protein. The protein is hydrolyzed to produce polypeptides composed mainly of the amino acids alanine, glycine, serine, valine, and threonine. While each of these amino acids benefits the body individually, research shows that they can also work together to deliver a plethora of benefits.
Why you should take it: Animal studies
have shown that
 silk amino acids
 can more than
 double exercise
 endurance, while 
helping to prevent muscle breakdown. Remember, having more lean muscle mass means less body fat and a higher metabolism. Other research shows that silk amino acids may also lower blood cholesterol, triglyceride, and glucose levels, as well as provide potent antioxidant benefits.
How you should take it: Take 1 serving about 30 minutes before exercise. You can also drink amino acids intra workout and post workout in your recovery shake. Some great ones to try are  in the picture above. Some contain caffeine while others don't. 

Email Julbrown22@hotmail.com with questions!

Leg workout! Focus on Glutes and Hamstrings

Adjust the weight according to your own level, it needs to be challenging!!!

 LEGS, FOCUS ON HAMSTRINGS AND GLUTES
 
Hill intervals
warm up
6.0 incline walk 2 minutes
run at 3.0 incline 1 minute
repeat for 20 minutes
cooldown
 
3 sets of the following giant set

parallel squats with plates under toes and  barbell on shoulders, do 15 with abductor leg raises on each side

parallel jump squats with 5lb dumbell, 15

abductor walk with blue resistance band 15 each way
 
3 sets

Prone or upright leg curl machine 15

abductor leg raise on bench with dumbbell on leg, 15 each side

Straight leg dead lifts with barbell 15
 
3 sets

leg press machine with legs parallel 15

single leg bridges on bosu with plate on hips 10 each side

Plié jump squats with 5lb plate

Stretch 

 Questions : Julbrown22@hotmail.com

Progress pictures!

Here is a progress picture of Jessica. The left picture is from the first week in April and the right picture is from mid July. It is very important to take progress pictures to see the differences in your body and the amount of work you have put into sculpting those muscles. Also, they are fun to look at when you feel blah and like you haven't made any gains lately. Slowly but surely you are making gains as long as you are consistent with your diet and workouts. If you notice in the pictures, Jessica's shoulders and biceps are a lot fuller in the picture on the right. Since April she has really been working closely with Juliane, her personal trainer and eating enough protein to maintain and gain her muscle mass. As you increase muscle mass, make sure you are eating enough! You must eat to grow! Most people do not understand this concept. If you would like more information on nutrition or you are stuck in a plateau, Juliane is a great person to contact. Julbrown22@hotmail.com. 

Here are some progress pics of Jessica's booty and hamstrings. A three month progress. By the third picture you can tell her booty and hamstrings are fuller and rounder. She also put on two pounds of muscle in 4 weeks. Ladies, it is a good thing to gain muscle weight! If you don't know of you are gaining muscle or fat contact Juliane for advice and information. Don't be scared of the process!  Lift heavy, especially legs! You will end up with less flab and a rounder firmer booty!

More progress pics of Jessica. Top pic is from March, middle picture I believe is from the end if May or beginning of June and bottom pic is today July, 28...when you take progress pics try to use the same lighting in the same area. Flex as hard as you can! Loving my shoulder progress. :)

May to Sept progress pic of Jes 

Full Body Workout You Can Do At HOME!

This workout is great for beginners or those who don't have access to a gym....

Equipment needed: resistance bands, light dumbbells, ab wheel, staircase

warm up walk 5 mins... You can do this outside.

run 1 min 
walk 1 min 
repeat 3 times
cool down walk 1 min 
 
3 sets of the following giant set 

parallel squats with red or blue resistance band to shoulder press (10)
2nd stair step ups with kick backs and dumbbell shoulder press up 5lbs dumbbells (5 each leg)
push ups with blue band around back(10)
 
Up and down stairs 3 times
 
3 sets 

upright row with red or blue band crossed and alternate abductor stepping right and left (10), 

then 10 steps right, 10 steps left
plié squats up to toes with 5lb dumbbells (10)

10 jump plié squats
Russian twists on floor with 5lb dumbbells (10)
 
stairs 3 times
 
Absalicious
3 sets
crunches with 5lb dumbbell extended from head and roll hips up (15)
ab wheel straight (10)
side crunch with leg (10 each side)
 
stretch!!!

CONTACT Julbrown22@hotmail.com with any questions

Clean banana oat muffins

Here is a terrific recipe that is completely clean. If you're not sure what we mean by "clean eating" google it ;). 

Full Upper Body workout in the gym using a pulley machine

Here is a great full upper body workout if you have access to a pulley machine at a gym. You don't even have to move around to different machines so it saves a ton of time. The weight amount is not posted because it varies per person. Do what's best for you so you feel the burn but still have correct form! Ask if you have questions! Try to do this two times a week and hit legs twice a week too! 

Intervals on treadmill, warm up walk for 5 mins

1 min run, 1 min walk (20 mins total)

 
3 sets of the following giant sets
 
INCLINE BENCH PRESS WITH ROTATION OF ARMS (10)
CABLE ROW (10)
SIDE LYING LEG RAISES ON BENCH WITH DUMBBELL IN HAND (10-15 EACH SIDE)
 
SHOULER PRESS ON PULLEY MACHINE (10)
BACK EXTENSION ON CHAIR WITH A PLATE (10)
ROPE PULL BICEP CURL ON PULLEY MACHINE (10)
 
WIDE LAT PULL DOWNS WITH HANDLES ON PULLEY MACHINE (10)
BOSU CRUCH WITH BALL ABOVE HEAD (15)
REVERSE TRICEP PUSH DOWN WITH HANDLES ON PULLEY MACHINE (10 EACH SIDE)
 
INSIDE GRIP ASSISTED PULL UPS, DROP SET (10 EACH TIME, ONLY REST ENOUGH TO CHANGE WEIGHT)

Online Training and Nutrition

If you're interested in online personal training or nutrition, Juliane offers a variety of packages! The best way to contact her is email Julbrown22@hotmail.com

There is something for everyone at every level! Eat clean, Train mean!!!! 

This is a picture of Juliane competing in a regional NPC fitness and figure competition. She won overall fitness and placed 5th in figure B. Are you interested in competing? She offers a 12 week competition prep program that covers everything from workouts to posing!

And here is a picture of Jes doing Jul's hair.... Yes we even do hair and make up. The Twinspiration twins are all you need!

Healthy role models

The fit twins with their beautiful mom and Jes' baby girl Lulu!

First Post

Hello! This is our first actual post on this blog. We wanted to tell you a little bit about ourselves. We are identical twins who are really interested in helping people better their lives through healthy eating and fitness. Juliane is a certified personal trainer, nutritionist, fitness instructor and dance teacher. She has earned several fitness, dance and physique awards and qualified for the Boston Marathon! Jessica is a 4th grade teacher and a client of Juliane's. She went from post baby to fiercely fit in under a year with Juliane's guidance.

We thrive on making fitness and clean eating our lifestyle. We hope to rub off on you as you read our blog. Burn fat, get fit and feel great through reading our blog and following our lifestyle... And to make it more fun, find a twin (or good friend) to join you in your journey to a better you!

Pictures!