Melissa Hall

Fitness Expert, Health Coach, Trainer • www.melissahallfitness.com • Tampa Bay, FL

Melissa Hall started a professional fitness modeling career in 2000 and has graced 8 covers, with her latest being the December 2008 Oxygen Fitness Magazine. She competed at the Fitness Universe Pageant June of 2005 and won the title of Ms. Bikini Universe. Melissa is currently residing in Tampa Bay, Florida and has recently decided to use her love and knowledge of health and fitness to pursue another endeavor, Melissa Hall Fitness.

What inspired you to do fitness?

“It was really the health of my family. So many of my family members have struggled with high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and strokes. I was always curious about fitness and exercise and that inspired me to want to get healthy and work out. not just look good but also take care of myself and it really paid off because my father, who is now 63, started exercising with me when he was 58. It’s never too late and it doesn’t take that much. I just wanted to be healthy because I’m at a point where I want to have a family. At nineteen year’s of age I started to battle my weight a bit going into college and noticed I had high blood pressure. I was eating McDonald’s and by no means was I overweight, but I was packing an extra 15lbs. I decided that I better stop this now because bad habits are very hard to break - that was one thing I realized. But once you implement any type of program and become active, if you give yourself sixty to ninety days, it is amazing what you can do.”

So what is your philosophy on fitness?

“Do something you like, if you enjoy walking then walk. If you enjoy biking, then bike. If a gym atmosphere is too intimidating or does not fit your style , you can always get a work out partner or work out at home. Most importantly, make it fun and be realistic. If you have a schedule of fourteen hours a day and you know that feasibly you can only exercise three days a week - then commit to that. I think the problem with our society are crash & fad diets when it simply equates to input–output. So be fair to yourself. If you can only work out 2 to 3 times a week, then commit to that. So on Sunday, say you know that Tuesday and Thursday look like good days, commit to forty-five minutes. that way you are able to obtain it. I also believe in workout partners because I lose my motivation. So making it simple and doing something you like will pay off in the long run.”

“It really seems hard when we are bombarded with so much information but it’s simple. You know you have to eat healthy and one thing that really works for me is eating small meals through out the day. I had a corporate job up until 2005 and I had busy hours, but I made it work. I’m not a big cook, so on Sundays I would prepare chicken breasts that I could have the next day. I did not go so far as to carry a cooler with me, but they have pre-made protein shakes that you can buy at Walmart and Target that are pretty inexpensive. If you are feeding and fueling your body, then your blood sugar levels are not going to crash and you will always want to have energy. It’s important to have between four to six small meals during the day that include lean protein, lean protein allows you to build and maintain muscle which means more calories burned at a resting state.”

“Being a certified trainer, of course I like to encourage people and educate them. So if someone wants to lose ten pounds and increase lean muscle and lose more body fat, weight training is a key. “I had one client, Linda Tyler – I have to brag about her because she was featured in Essence Magazine [the November 2008 issue], and she came to me and said, ‘Melissa, I use to be a track star. I have my master degree and I have gained fifty pounds. I am really unhappy.’ I told her how much my rates were, I said, ‘what I will teach you is a life style – you will have this the rest of your life.’ And she said, ‘I know you are really expensive.’ And I said, ‘Well Linda, what do you like to do?” She said that she liked to get her nails and hair done, and she liked handbags. And I said, ‘ok, but you still not feeling good getting your hair done, your nails, and your hand bags. What if I can give you optimal health and energy, you invest in that and you will still have that the rest of your life? How many handbags are you going to replace, how many times you are going to get your nails done.’ And she said that is the best way it has been explained to me. I said, ‘I am going to give you the best investment.’ She lost the fifty pounds and she has cut that off for three years. She said, ‘the reason I am able to do that is because you made it work for me and my lifestyle.’”

“It’s a lifestyle, not a diet – that’s what I tell everyone. It’s as simple as saying “do you brush your teeth twice a day - ok that’s about four minutes. You’ve got to give your body thirty minutes of exercise three days a week. mentally it helps so much to relieve that stress. We are always stressed, on the go, we have families, we have careers, but when you don’t give your body what it needs – what happens? We get sick, we gain weight, and exercise is such an important component. It’s not just changing your nutrition, it’s giving your body what it needs for the mind and the soul, and feeling well. I think it’s something that has been lost in our culture, especially with African Americans. One big excuse is, ‘my hair!’ Well, wrap it up! You know, I feel the same way but what is more important, taking a little extra time to do your hair or ending up with health issues twenties years down the road?”

Trim Hips, Butts and Thighs with Leg Magic Deluxe

“That is one of the areas that is so hard for us [women] to tone. I think a lot of us tend to carry our weight in our butt, hips, and thighs. When you stand on the Leg Magic Deluxe Lower Body Machine it’s like a lateral skier. So you hold onto the handle and your legs fly outward and inward. It is lateral – a side movement. And what I like is that it’s toning the front of your legs (the quads), the back (the hamstrings), the butt, and also your lower abdominal area. And you can do that for ten to fifteen minutes each day and really get a great workout.”

“Down the road I would really like to develop protein bars since those quick and ready when on the go – the higher the protein the better they are for you. What’s hard is that there are so many bars out there that have just as much sugar as a candy bar. You really have to watch your labels. So if you are going to choose a protein bar look for one that is higher in protein – I would say anywhere from 15 grams to 30 grams of protein and then watch the sugar levels. Try to stay under 11 grams of sugar. When you get up to 20-28 grams of sugar you are basically eating a Snickers Bar, and you are going to crash and burn taking all that sugar in.”

Exercise Tips for Busy Schedules

“One tip that I have if I know I have a busy day coming up is that I will split the workouts up. If I know that I cannot make it to the gym, I will get up in the morning a little bit earlier and I will go for a brisk walk for about ten to fifteen minutes, and over the lunch hour I will do the same thing – I will do another quick walk. And, then I will try to do one in the evening, but if I am not able to get that evening one in - I still was able to get twenty to thirty minutes in just by dividing it up.”

“I also tell people to figure out what time of day that they’re at their optimal or peak performance level. I am a morning person – so the best time for me to workout is in the morning. I am going to be focused and have more energy. And some people are better in the evening hours. So to kind of figure out what time of day they are going to commit to exercise.”

“Try to have protein with every meal, because protein keeps our lean muscle on. We are a carbohydrate-addicted society, and not that carbohydrates are bad, but we tend to skip out on protein and that is why supplements have been so beneficial in helping me out. When I get busy, I can’t always find chicken. So I do have a protein shake and there are plenty of good tasting protein shakes out there. There is not one brand that I endorse, I just say try some because something is better than nothing. I notice a lot of people skip breakfast and it’s the best meal to jump start your metabolism. if you have a shake in the morning you give your body some nutrients. I’m not a big breakfast person, so I will always get up and have a shake to keep my metabolism going. People are like what do you mean? Well, it’s just like a car, if you don’t have gas in the car it is not going to go. And that is the same thing with our bodies. People will skip meals, come home and eat a large dinner and they wonder why they are not losing weight. And then they see someone like me eating all the time and think how can you do that? I tell them look at what I’m eating – vegetables, chicken, rice, potatoes, natural foods and staying away from quick foods like frozen dinners and other microwave products . If you are in a crunch,occsionally but they may be high in sodium and are processed. So you want to make smart decisions.”

“As far as a budget, I know eating healthy can get extremely expensive. But if you buy a tub of protein for twenties dollars, I guarantee you that is going to last you a month. You can buy frozen chicken in the bag - I know because I hate cooking. I will go and buy a rotisserie chicken and I will take the skin off. There is always a way and that is what I tell people. Even when you go out to eat there is always a way. It’s telling them not to put the bread basket on the table or if they have it in front of you ask for them to take the bread basket, because breads have a lot of flour and yeast. Don’t get me wrong – I love my bread. But I will have that on the weekend. You know carbohydrates can be good, but I always try to stick with the natural ones that are bodies are able to digest. So I kind of stick to a structured work out and eating regiment Monday to Friday. And then on the weekend, I allow myself to have the things that I am craving, whether it is a cheeseburger, and that way it works because I am not depriving myself - you don’t have to binge. I would say gradual steps create new habits, and they go so far.”

Final Fitness Message

“My slogan is ‘Anything is possible’. I have a twin sister and she has battled her weight consistently through life, and she got up to 240 pounds. And I had the talk with her. I said, ‘I love you, and you are a beautiful woman, but I want you around.’ We lost our mother at fifty- seven, and my mother battled with her weight. I said to her, ‘what can I do to make you want to be healthier?’ She said, ‘just keep motivating me, send me an email saying Melinda you can do it, did you work out today?’ So finding a support system is very important. If you are starting an exercise program, share it with someone really close to you whether it is your husband or friend or someone that will support you back – because that is very important on staying on track. You have to do the work, but support goes so far. So you want it to be people who are going to support you and not the girlfriend who is going to be jealous because you are going to quit the happy hours!”

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