Short answer is absolutely not!

While I personally don’t eat anything with a face or a mother, I think other people’s food choices are exactly that, their choices.  While I can help you transition to eating more plants, it is not necessary for you to be vegan to work with me, either in the gym, or in the kitchen.  That said, I’m not the best person to ask for help with any meat-based recipes.

The quick answer is… it depends.

A junk food vegan diet, which is rather common among new vegans who are active with animal rights issues, is not healthy.  And while you will earn the karma of grateful cows, it won’t do much for your physical health.

A whole-foods, plant-based vegan diet, that is high in vegetables (especially green leafy ones), fruits, legumes and whole grains will lead to improved health, lower blood pressure, lower cholesterol and lower risk of heart disease and cancer. An added bonus, it is helpful for weight loss.

I highly recommend watching the movie Forks over Knives for some powerful examples of lives that were changed by switching to a whole-foods, plant-based diet.

A great exercise program for weight loss will include strength training as well as cardio vascular exercise.  Strength training can help you lose weight for many reasons:

1)    Muscles at rest require calories, while fat cells at rest do not, so the greater your lean body mass, the more calories you will burn throughout the day, including when you are sleeping.

2)   The body will burn more calories in the 24 hours after a strength training workout than a cardio one, so while the calories burned during exercise might not be as much as a good cardio workout, you’ll continue to burn calories after you stop working out.

3)   Strong muscles will help you be more efficient with your cardio workouts, and in everyday life, increasing your caloric burn for both.

There is no one ideal exercise for fat loss.

The first key ingredient is nutrition.  You need to be burning more calories each day than you take in, and good nutrition is the cornerstone.  You cannot exercise away a bad diet.

Within the exercise arena, a good program will combine cardio-respiratory exercises with strength training.  Both will elevate your oxygen consumption, which is what burns calories.  Since muscles at rest need calories, and fat cells use very little if any, increasing your lean muscle mass will help you burn more fat 24/7.

Cardio exercises will have a more immediate effect.  If you are an experienced exerciser, adding in intervals to your cardio will increase the calories burned during exercise, and after exercise.

There are lots of good reasons to have a personal trainer.  If you are new to exercise, A trainer will instruct you on proper form of exercises.  This is crucial to prevent injuries.  The trainer can instruct you, then monitor you, and correct any mistakes.  A trainer can put together a comprehensive program, incorporating cardio and strength training, and even flexibility.  A trainer can also be your biggest cheer leader.  If you are paying your trainer, you are much less likely to blow off your workout.  Many of my clients tell me that the days they workout with me are their hardest workout days.  While they might know what to do on their own, they often don’t work quite as hard all by themselves.

Online coaching is a new and exciting way to offer life changing, transformation, fitness coaching to clients. It can be utilized by anyone, anywhere, offering convenience, responsiveness, flexibility, and affordability.  You get to work out where you want, when you want, giving you maximum flexibility.

The best part? The program is your program. No longer limited by rules of the gym, scheduling necessities, and financial obligations to a host of other parties, I can give you precisely what you need, when you need it.

Throw the word ‘training’ out the window. I will be your concierge – giving you what you need, when you need it. Every client is different from one another. That, and over the course of your training you will need different things from me in terms of direction, support, and accountability.

With online training I can give you what you need, when you need it.

I offer a variety of packages so you can pick how much ‘face’ time you want with me.  We can meet on Skype (or in person) 1x a month, 1x a week or 2x a week.  You decide what fits your lifestyle and budget.  With all options you get a program that is customized for you.  You get accountability and the ability to track your workouts and meals.