Oven-Fried Okra!

Looking for a healthy recipe to try for the Fourth of July this weekend? How about Fried Okra?! Well…oven-fried! If you are from the south like me, this is an all-time favorite! But, normally it’s super greasy and has so much breading you can hardly taste the okra. This version has way less fat, cholesterol and calories and tastes almost as good as the real thing. Try it out and you may even give Luby’s a run for their money : )

Summer Training Camp Cari’s Summer Training Camp was designed to help you kick-start a healthy lifestyle and introduce you to the wide range of fun and healthy fitness activities you can do in Houston. It includes a variety of strength training and cardio activities including: boxing, resistance bands, running, yoga and more. In addition, monthly members will get a food journal (and reviews by Cari), nutrition advice, assessment with goal setting and body analysis. Cari will also take the group on an optional grocery store tour to learn how to shop healthy; on a restaurant tour to learn to order healthy; and an optional shopping trip to buy functional and stylish workout clothes and the latest gear. Memberships are $200/month or you can pay $20 for a single class.

To sign up click HERE or to get more information, email me at Cari@Cari-fit.com.

Make this the summer you slim down and look great…it’s not too late to join!

What’s Included?

• 2 Outdoor workouts a week at various locations so you won’t get bored (Spotts Park, Memorial Park, Sabine bridge, etc).  They will consist of cardio + strength training. Workouts will include upper body, lower body and abs by mixing in boxing, resistance bands, kettlebells, plyometrics and more!

• Package Also Includes (*For monthly members): a Food Journal; Personal Assessment and Goal Setting; Before/After Photos and Measurements; Yoga Classes at Joy Yoga; Kenyan Way Workouts, Cari’s Exclusive Recommendations for Online ExerciseTV Videos and Home Workouts, Workout Plan for Other days and a Copy of Cari’s new ExerciseTV dvd!

• Saturday Classes Include: a Grocery Store Tour, Shopping Tour (gear, watches, shoes, clothes,etc) at Luke’s Locker; Restaurant Tour (how to decide what to order at your fave places) and more…

What About the Heat?!

We will be in the shade and as long as you bring plenty of fluids you will do great. Cari will monitor participants closely and will offer advice on how to workout in the heat. You will burn more calories and condition your body.

Is This a Bootcamp?

No. This is more like personal training but in a group setting. Cari will not be wearing camouflage and  there will be minimal screaming : )

What If I’m Out of Shape?

Each training group is limited to 10 people and all levels are welcome. Cari will adjust your reps/weights and cardio requirements based on your level of fitness and your goals. It will feel like personal training because Cari will be very involved.

When?

Every Week: Monday and Wednesday 6:30-7:30pm

+ 2 Saturday Classes per month (date/time TBD)

How Much?

$200 Per Month Total = Only $20/hour! ( less than 1/5 Cari’s personal training rates!)

To Sign Up or for more info, email: Cari@Cari-Fit.com

Recently on ExerciseTV’s community blog, someone asked me “Does Muscle Weigh More Than Fat?”? This is a great question I get all the time…

The answer is FALSE. Most people think muscle weighs more than fat and I’ve heard this excuse so many times from people that say they weigh a lot because they have more muscle! The truth is that a pound of anything is a pound…so a pound of feathers weighs the same as a pound of bricks

But, muscle and fat differ in DENSITY. So, a pound of muscle takes up less space because it is more dense and compact, where fat is lumpy and spread out (yuck). So, the more muscle you have, the tighter and leaner you will look. If you take a 150lb woman with 20% body fat and a 150lb woman with 35% body fat, the one with less fat will look slightly smaller and definitely more toned.

Also, for most people it’s impossible to gain 2-3lbs or more of muscle in one week. When people start working out and say they’ve gained weight because they gained muscle…that’s not true. But, you do want muscle. The more muscle mass you have, the higher your metabolism and also your body burns more calories at rest.

Btw…fat can’t turn into muscle and muscle into fat. That is another myth. But, by weight training you can get rid of the fat and replace it with muscle.

As of this week, I’m on the Video on Demand channel in 38 million households! YAY! If you have Comcast, Time Warner, AT&T or any of the other major providors you should be able to access it. Here’s how:

-Go to “Free on Demand”

-Look for either Health/Fitness or similar category

-Look for ExerciseTV

-Then scroll to the “Most Popular” category and my video is titled “Long Lean Legs- Advanced”

I’m featured on ExerciseTv’s home page as the new Expert Trainer! I’ve been busy answering a lot of good questions about health and fitness from many of the 6,500+ subscribers and thought I’d share a few below. If you are interested in joining the community (it’s free) click HERE.

Here are a couple actual questions and my answers (click here):

Read the rest of this entry »

Summer is officially here! If you live in Texas like me…Heat + Humidity + Mosquitoes = Miserable Workout! But, there are ways to survive.  When temperatures heat up, our bodies have to work extra hard to stay cool and circulate our blood and oxygen. This results in higher than normal heart rates and higher body temps. Actually, you can get an even better workout outside in the summer than the rest of the year, if you do it the smart way. Not only will you burn more calories, but you will condition your heart and lungs and challenge your muscles. Think of it like running on an incline on the treadmill, once you take the incline off and go flat it seems way easier than normal. Same thing with the heat, once temps return to normal you will be surprised by your strength and endurance. Here are my top tips for surviving outdoor workouts:

Hydration, Hydration, Hydration!

This is most important. Plan ahead for your outdoor workouts and then on those days drink plenty of water. Then, about 2 hours before you head outside, you may want to sip on some Gatorade (I like the lower-calorie version “G2″) and then bring a big bottle of H2O with you during the workout. One of those little 8 oz Ozarkas won’t cut it. You better bring 3 of them or get a big 1 Liter bottle or at least the 24 oz one. It’s better to have too much than too little. Also, to keep it cold, you can freeze it the night before (empty a little out first or it might crack) and let it thaw out 4-6 hours before your workout. You can Read the rest of this entry »

The DVD Release Party on 5/21 was a huge success!

To see some of the photos and read the recap…click HERE or click the “DVD Release Party” tab above.