A New Chapter

New Gym, Same Me!

I’m delighted to announce that I will be training clients out of O2 Fitness in Goose Creek, South Carolina. Its a wonderful team there and I’m excited to test out the new digs with YOU!

As always, feel free to send me any questions you may have about anything. I will be posting more as I get my feet wet in the new facility, and I can’t wait to share what Ive been up to. Your success is my success!

Stay hungry, stay motivated, and let me do the rest. The hardest part is just showing up, let me help you get there!

IN HEALTH,

Demi Eliese

Goal Oriented Success *Client Spotlight*

One of my favorite things about what I do is having a client who has a rock solid tangible GOAL in mind, such  as a high school reunion or a wedding. I know these clients will be standouts for me because they have something to work towards and together we both have something to really push for. Whats even BETTER is once they achieve their goal-it’s 99.999999% likely that they will want to keep what they’ve worked so hard for because they look and FEEL so awesome. Plus, by this point it has become a habit and apart of their lifestyle. That right there is the REAL payoff as a trainer!

All this being said-I sure do love a good before and after! I use the term “after” very loosely because in all honesty it really is a PROGRESS picture! It is truly a trainers hope that they keep health and fitness as a life long habit. BUT! Let’s be real here…those side by side pictures to see the progress is so completely motivating and SO MUCH FUN to see because it is a direct reflection of consistency and hard work!

For this blog’s client spot light it goes to none other than Gillian. She came to me with a GOAL of looking and feeling better as a bridesmaid in her friend’s wedding. The first thing I noticed about her is her true willingness to put in the work that was needed to achieve her goals. This is something a trainer can really pick up on literally within the first minute of meeting a client. She was open and ready to make whatever changes she needed to make in her lifestyle as needed and she trained with me 3 times a week, never missing a session. During each session she left it all on the gym floor. She remembered all of my training cues as the sessions went by and she just continuously improved. Not to mention she has a wonderful personality and we had so much fun doing so. This is something I want everyone to know. You can have fun with the process! You are making an investment in yourself so why not? 🙂 I know we did, and I feel like I have a friend who makes me a better trainer because she just gets better. In 3 months she lost lb’s but most importantly lost tons of inches and gained massive self-confidence! Her endurance and strength has massively improved and I couldn’t be prouder! Without further ado…I give you Gillian’s progress pictures!

That right there is the sum of tons of SWEAT AND CONSISTENCY INSIDE AND OUTSIDE OF THE GYM.

Proud of you girl! You LOOK INCREDIBLE! 

As always feel free to reach out to me for anything, results are what I’m after!!!

In Health-Demi

 

I love my clients!

This is Jessica-she lost 6 lbs and 4 inches in just 4 weeks! She’s a hard worker and super consistent! She also drives all the way from Columbia to get her training sessions in!

One thing I will forever be grateful for is that I truly love what I do. Sure I get paid for it-but the connections I’m blessed to be able to make with people everyday are PRICELESS. Personal Training is so much more than helping someone lose weight. It includes (but not limited to) helping to instill confidence, better sleep habits, bringing sexy back ;), having enough energy to chase your kids around, getting to really KNOW someone beyond the surface, more energy, better habits overall, etc. I tell clients all the time that it’s ok to be selfish and take care of yourself! In order to serve anyone else in your life you GOTTA HAVE A FULL TANK! Meaning: If you are “running on empty” all the time, you will not be able to serve those around you…your family, friends, etc. Keep your tank full, keep yourself healthy and you’ll feel like you can do anything!

Something I want everyone to know is that I KNOW how hard it can be to hire a personal trainer. You’re paying a lot and putting your trust in (most likely) a complete stranger…and FINGERS CROSSED the relationship works and you can get the results that you want so bad. I also want you to know that I AM THANKFUL for all of you. Thank you for letting me in your life and for being vulnerable. This sort of thing is NEVER overlooked or taken for granted. All of you are an absolute blessing to me. ❤

In Health-Demi

 

Are you putting too much focus on cardio to reach your goals?

Ask yourself:

What are my specific goals?

What am I doing to attain these goals?

Am I just doing cardio “to feel good?” i.e. ‘endorphins’

There are a TON more questions you should be asking yourself-but one thing I do talk a lot to my clients about is NOT overdoing your cardio. It truly does not matter how much weight you want to lose. Anything over 60 minutes a day is counter productive and will lead to overuse injuries, making you more susceptible to colds and upper respiratory infections because your immune system will be compromised from high levels of cortisol. If that sounded foreign to you: just think that when you do too much cardio your body gets stressed out (cortisol is released) and can make you weak in many ways. The repetitive nature of running, elliptical, etc can put pressure on your joints and ultimately cause an injury over time. You may get into the symptoms of over training, which is a legit illness that can last 3 months and it’s only cure is rest.

When you look at your body-think of it like a sculpture. Draw an outline of your body on a piece of paper if you must. Get out a pen and actually draw where you’d like to see improvements that make sense. I.E. narrower waist, rounder glutes, more defined shoulders, etc and add a weight loss goal if needed.

*Fun Fact:  I used to be a cardio addict. It also was the time when my body fat was very high and I had NO muscle definition.  Cardio truly can be an addiction: because we all know that runners “high” is legit. Fear not-you can break that addiction. Remind yourself that weight training does NOT make you bulky (unless you are male and train a certain way).  On the contrary-it shapes your body. Training with resistance makes you strong and injury proof.*

I will use one muscle group as an example here or else this will turn into a book. 🙂 Let’s say one of your goals is to have bigger and rounder glutes. Your plan of attack should include hip thrusts, squats, deadlifts, kickbacks, step ups, lunges, sprints….and about a dozen different varieties of all of these movements. (No matter what the goal-remember not to neglect other areas of your body of course in your training, just train your specific area of interest differently to attain your goal. This is why having a personal trainer is a bonus). Notice ‘sprints’ in bold. If you want bigger and rounder glutes, SPRINTING is your cardio. Along with sprinting on an incline, among MANY other variables. If you do too much steady state long cardio and your goal is bigger and stronger glutes, that cardio will eat that muscle that you are trying so hard to build for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and you will see minimum results.

 All this being said, EVERYONE is different, everyone has different goals, and everyone has different abilities.  Personal trainers that are capable streamline plans for each individual that they are training to make your goals a reality. Also-when you are trying to build any muscle, REST is critical for muscle recovery. If you are hitting that muscle every damn day with some sort of cardio-it will never get a chance to recover and get stronger (GROW), plus you MUST EAT EAT EAT the RIGHT way (usually more FOOD if you make the right choices: again this is why a personal trainer is a fantastic investment) if you want any muscle group to get strong and have some growth.

Now speaking of weight loss-this cardio principle still rings true! If you train INTENSE, add in some HIIT (high intensity interval training), and lift with absolute FERVOR, then your training session is pretty much all you need! In 30 minutes I can train a client and leave them dripping with sweat, which means their heart rate went up, which means THERE WAS A CARDIO ELEMENT to it, therefore they burned calories and will be burning calories long after the session is over (after burn effect) SO IN TURN …. they lose weight over time while getting strong. 🙂

THE MORAL OF THE STORY IS…actually THINK about your goals. Get specific! Do NOT chase skinny! Chase HEALTHY. Chase STRENGTH. Chase FUNCTIONAL FITNESS. You train hard in the gym so you can live with vitality outside of the gym and not injure yourself! Once you get in this MINDSET everything else “magically” falls into place. 😉

More questions? Feel free to contact me for anything. If you live in the Charleston area, I offer my first session at Exemplar Fitness for free. There are always corporate specials, hospital employee discounts, as well as veteran discounts to train with me personally.

I also offer a “Sweating for the Wedding” training package for Brides and/or their bridal party: 3 month and 6 month packages available.

In Health-Demi

Best Of Charleston Reflection/Results

The Best Of Charleston has come and gone for 2017-and I am happy to tell you I came in as the 1st Runner up for Best Trainer in Charleston!

Of course I would have loved to win, but I am exceptionally pleased with where I placed! The competition was strong and fearless, and I was among some of the best trainers that Charleston has to offer.

As an added bonus I was invited to the official “Best of Party” held by the City Paper at the BEAUTIFUL Gaillard Center and it definitely did not disappoint! My boyfriend Chris AKA DJ Rehab provided amazing music as always, and multiple vendors provided delicious drinks and fantastic food. The theme was “Fairytales” as you can see in the picture. 🙂 As a sweet bonus; Chris also took home 1st Runner up for Best Club DJ.

I was also able to network with other incredible business owners in Charleston and it truly inspired me to just keep doing my best in everything I do.

My passion is truly helping others live healthier lives and just to show anyone that YES, you can be the best version of yourself in every way possible. I feel extremely honored and humbled that the Charleston community saw that and supported me in this journey!

From the bottom of my heart-THANK YOU.

Demi

Supplement or nah?

Definition of supplement

1. 1a:something that completes or makes an addition

   Some Synonyms: additive, addendum, addition, appendix, compliment, extra, option

Now that the definition is out of the way, I think you have a pretty good idea what a SUPPLEMENT IS. In what I’m specifically talking about today is naturally; dietary supplements to enhance your performance and/or natural well being and overall  health.

These include but are not limited to:

Protein bars, shakes, etc

Fish oil

Amino Acids

BCAAS

Pre-workout

Fat burners

The list goes on and on…

There is a REASON why I prefaced all of this with the definition of what a SUPPLEMENT is, which is what all of the above fall under. This is why:

TO ADD SUPPLEMENTS TO YOUR LIFESTYLE MEANS THAT YOU HAVE VERY SPECIFIC GOALS AND YOU HAVE A PLAN. TO ADD SUPPLEMENTS TO YOUR PLAN MEANS THAT YOU ARE ALREADY ON A HEALTH AND FITNESS PLAN AND LIVE THIS LIFESTYLE OR YOU ARE BUILDING NEW HABITS, AND AGAIN YOU HAVE A PLAN.

If it sounds like I’m yelling, I am.

Supplements are NOT for anyone who thinks they can take a pill, patch, shake etc *NO MATTER WHAT IS PROMISED TO YOU THROUGH FAKE MARKETING* and just continue on with your sedentary lifestyle eating whatever and thinking you will have any positive results!!!

If any supplements tells you, “All you have to do is drink this every day and you will lose weight without changing your lifestyle! or All you do is take this pill in the morning, and wear this patch and BAM a bikini ready bod is on the way!”

RUN FAR FAR AWAY WHEN YOU HEAR OR SEE THESE CLAIMS! Because that is all complete BS and they are just stealing your money. #FACTS

Now! On the flipside: there are some GREAT supplements out there, and I recommend certain ones to my clients all the time. There is even a shake I recommend to my clients and it’s the ONLY one I endorse because it helped me feel super healthy and supplemented my own weight loss journey where I  lost 60 lbs 3 times in my life.  Again: this shake didn’t make me lose the weight. It HELPED me and made me feel good in my fitness journey. Check it out here or not; it’s all good. Remember; supplements are to ADD and enhance your healthy lifestyle. Think of them like the cherry on top of your icecream (probably not the best analogy for a health and fitness blog but you get my point), supplements just make everything a little bit better and more enjoyable for you when used the right way.

I do recommend Shakeology to everyone if they are looking for a protein and super food drink to SUPPLEMENT their healthy lifestyle. Depending on the client in front of me, I will also recommend other products depending on their specific goals. It’s all very subjective and all of this is another reason why having a  personal trainer is so important.  It’s not just about your workout, but everything else you consume during the day that can make or break your results. All of this being said-there are a ton of clients who choose no supplements whatsoever-and that is completely ok as well.

**Remember-supplements are to ENHANCE your journey to a healthier and fitter you…they are NOT a quick fix, they are NOT just a pill you can pop and magically lose weight.  No weight loss patch will curb your appetite and therefore help you lose weight. It’s NOT going to happen. If there was a quick fix that worked-wouldn’t everyone on planet earth be fit and healthy?**

Truth is: you gotta work. You have to put in the TIME, blood, sweat, and tears. You have to be PATIENT, you have to be CONSISTENT. There will be ups and downs. You have to roll with it. That’s why it is called a JOURNEY. You will have set backs. You will mess up. It’s in these moments that define your character and how bad you want to live a healthier lifestyle. You simply just have to keep going. There is no magic ANYTHING…stay hungry, stay focused, do the work and you will see the results that you’ve always wanted.

As always, I am always here for your questions or concerns-if you’d like to meet up for a free consult in the Charleston area-just send me a msg via my contact tab.

In  Health-Demi

Variety inspires consistency

Variety=RESULTS!

You need it. Everyone does. Why?

It is the only way you will stay committed for the long haul in your fitness journey. No one wants to be going to the gym everyday and doing the same routine, week after week. That is a sure fire way to get in a mental rut that can possibly halt your motivation altogether.

One thing that I have really embraced over the years is that I will never know it all, and neither will you. I strive to keep learning from everyone around me and I use all of it somehow. There’s a saying that goes; “If you’re not learning, you’re dying” and I truly believe that. Stay humble-learn and grow.

As a fitness professional I encounter a lot of the same split routines with gym members. Usually it goes something like this: Chest, Back, Shoulders/Arms, Legs. Or a combination of some of those spread out over the week. While this is very effective and DOES have it’s place in our fitness regimens-I do encourage variety with myself and my clients for many reasons.

Main one is that you can get mentally bored. Another reason is if you really do the same thing week after week…month after month..you’re body will start to adapt and you may encounter that dreaded “plateau” where you will stop seeing results and/or improvement.

Start to think outside the box. Don’t be afraid to ask others for help or research different workout ideas on your own. Think of stability AND resistance training at the same time. Sports specific drills such as football and soccer drills can be very effective for speed training, burning calories while being seriously fun! Take a group fitness class here and there to shake it up a bit and to inspire ideas for yourself in your training. While it can be a bit scary to step outside your workout “box” and take out your ear buds…I promise you will gain some benefit from it.

As  always feel free to ask my anything-I’m here for you.

In Health-Demi

Move past your comfort zone

The only way to get better at anything is to do things you may struggle with, and then keep doing them. When you become great at those things, find something else to conquer. I believe this is what life is all about.

This of course can translate to all sorts of different ideas in your life. But of course I want to talk about the workout aspect of this.

Many people avoid HIIT (high intensity interval training) because they don’t enjoy the discomfort it can temporarily bring. Many women don’t lift heavy weight for fear of looking bulky. Many only do tons of cardio because they enjoy that endorphin rush it can bring, when in reality you NEED a strength training component in your life to be a well rounded athlete. Yes-you are an athlete.

These are just examples, but you get the point. Find things to do that you haven’t done before. Take a group fitness class, spin class, go do stadium sprints, do a solid hour of hypertrophy training in the gym (heavy heavy weight lifting!)…find what makes you feel a little “hesitant” when you think about doing it. THEN DO IT! Breaking up your routine with something new is a great and FUN way to bring some variety to your fitness and we all know variety is a key component to seeing and feeling results faster.

P.S. Have you voted for me for Best Personal Trainer in Charleston? If not: just click  HERE and scroll down to “Best Personal Trainer.” You will see “Demi Eliese Fitness” right at the top, click “VOTE” and you are good to go after you quickly verify your email address so the site knows you’re not a robot. I would be very grateful for your vote!

As always, feel free to ask me anything.

In Health-Demi

Tabata training

Tabata Training.

Maybe you’ve heard of it, maybe not.

Those who do it or have done it will tell you, IT’S INTENSE.

It’s supposed to be. Tabata training is a form of HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) that will leave you WASTED and sweaty. Whats great is that you will stimulate the EPOC effect (Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption) which means you’ll be burning calories long after the workout is over. Tabata burns a lot of calories and provides a killer full-body anaerobic and aerobic workout. Tabata training also improves athletic performance, improves glucose metabolism, and acts as an excellent catalyst for fat burning.

The definition of a Tabata is taking a movement, doing it ALL OUT for 20 seconds, then 10 seconds rest, then repeating 4 rounds. It may only technically take 4 minutes to do a Tabata.  If you are not gasping for air like you are about to collapse in your 10 second break-you didn’t go hard enough. Ideally, Tabata training should be done with one movement. So, if you choose a movement like front squats, or thrusters, or burpees, you do it at absolute maximum intensity for 20 seconds, take a 10-second rest, then begin again.

Another great thing, is you don’t necessarily need any equipment for this type of workout nor does it need to be that long-since it’s so intense. If you want to implement Tabata training, I advise twice a week. You can make the workouts as long or short as you want, heck I’ve seen people do hour long Tabata’s and I’ve done those myself-IT’S NOT EASY. And you can structure it how you want it.

EXAMPLE:

20 seconds mountain climbers, 10 second rest

20 seconds high knee jog, 10 second rest

20 seconds of burpees, 10 second rest

20 seconds air squats, 10 second rest

REPEAT as many times as you can handle. Switch up the movements every cycle if you’d like. Structure it out before you start the workout so you can keep the intensity UP.

As always, feel free to ask me anything. Also, don’t forget to vote for myself in the Best Of competition for Best Personal Trainer! You can vote HERE. Then just scroll down to “Best Personal Trainer” and click on “Demi Eliese Fitness.” Thank you!

In Health-Demi

Corporate Discounts and other incentives/offers-plus a way to win 1 month of FREE training!

I told you I was going to give you my personal training corporate discounts today, and I aim to please. Please note that these discounts only apply to local business owners AND their employees; as well as hospital employees and veterans or active military in the Charleston area. If your business would like to become an affiliate partner with DM FITNESS, you can lock in these special rates, and I will put your website and logo on this website (free to do).  If this is something that interests you-please contact me and we can set that up.

Without further ado-here are the heavily discounted rates:

3 times a week of Personal Training with me at Exemplar Fitness:  $299/month.  

Twice a week of PT with me: $219/month 

One time a week of PT with me would be $139/month 

**There is an additional charge to the gym for their fee which is $59/month, discounts are available through the gym if there at least 5 people from your company signing up-contact me with more information on that.**

There are no contracts with me or the gym.

You are always offered a complimentary session.

*If you are interested in group training please contact me and let me know as those prices are drastically different according to group size and how many times a week you would like to train. A corporate discount will still apply to your group if it applies.*

***If you are reading this and still haven’t voted for Best Personal Trainer, I would be honored to have your vote! Even if you don’t live in Charleston, you can still vote. ALSO-everyone that sends me a screenshot of their vote will be entered into a drawing to win 1 MONTH OF FREE TRAINING (winner picked at random). Click HERE to be taken directly to the voting screen. Scroll down to the category of “Best Personal Trainer” and there you will see “Demi Eliese Fitness”…click on “VOTE”, verify your email address and you are good to go! The screen shot should show the green “voted” button  next to my name to qualify.***

As always, feel free to ask me anything!

In Health-Demi