With the new year came new resolutions — eating healthier, getting more organized, making more money and starting an exercise regime. Well, before you have a chance to default on the latter, we got an exclusive interview with Dawn Strozier, The Fitness Queen of Keeping You Lean, a fitness expert and celebrity trainer.
Here’s the scoop on getting fit this year — for reals!
Q: How did you get started in the fitness industry?
A: After running into some health challenges that forced me to take a look at the type of foods I was feeding my body.
Q: Do you have a fitness studio to work one-on-one with clients?
A: I have a studio in Inglewood, California where I hold group classes four times a week and personal training sessions.
Q: How did you get the nickname?
A: I came up with the nickname The Fitness Queen of Keeping You Lean on the phone with my best friend brain storming. We were looking for a name that would both speak of my expertise and the service I can offer to others.
Q: Which celebrity clients have you whipped into shape?
A: Most of my clients would like to stay anonymous, but I have trained with comedian and radio personality, Steve Harvey for about a year and I have to tell you, he is great to work with.
Q: What is your preferred workout gear?
A: Nike — I wear their clothes very well and they are comfortable.
For a similar workout look to Dawn’s (above) try these:
Nike Just Move It shrug, $60.
Nike Fusion skirt, $40.
Q: What is your favorite item of the moment?
A: A Marc Jacob’s bag or any type of bag … I am a very simple kind of girl.
Q: You are stranded alone on a tropical island, but you still want to stay fit, what would you do for exercise?
A: I would do sit ups, push ups, jumping jacks, lunges and wind sprints to keep my body toned. I would also do yoga, kickboxing and other forms of aerobic activities to break a sweat and burn calories.
Five tips Dawn Strozier recommends for starting the new year off healthy:
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Develop a realistic plan for your success that fits into your time schedule, a plan that would allow you to be consistent and stay commited.
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Start cooking your meals ahead of time. Cook on Sunday for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Cook again
on Wednesday evening for Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Allow Sunday to be your free day where you enjoy whatever you want. This will allow you to have healthy meals on hand, especially during a hectic day, and give you something to look forward to on Sundays. -
Remember feeding your body more frequently throughout the day is the key to effective weight loss. Eating more meals of smaller portions accelerates your metabolism and keeps it moving.
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Count portion size not calories. Employ a common sense approach when determining your portion sizes. Use the palm of your hand or a clenched fist.
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You need both cardiovascular exercise and resistance training to promote healthy weight loss. Cardiovascular exercise is more effective when done at least three times a week for one complete hour. In order to build strong lean muscle mass, at least 45 minutes of resistance training three times a week is needed. The more lean muscle mass you have, the more efficiently your body will burn calories and unwanted fat.
For more information on Dawn Strozier’s classes and to get her fitness DVDs for adults and children, visit www.thefitnessqueen.com.
(Photo credits: Dawn Strozier and Nike.com)
