Missa's Web Site

Welcome to my personal Web site! I live in Worcester, Mass., am an ACE and AFAA certified personal trainer, group fitness instructor, Turbo Kick and PiYo instructor, STOTT Pilates instructor and own my own studio HardCore Fitness. I am also an Independent Beachbody Coach and also do graphic design and fine art on the side (see my work at Camelot DesignWorks.)

Although fitness and nutrition is my career and much of my life, I also love pro sports (football, baseball, basketball and hockey), enjoying various white wines and martinis, music of all sorts, visiting my family in New Orleans, and spending time with my amazing friends, who I consider family. My only children are my two stunningly beautiful macaws, Monet and Dali and my Boston terrier Remy. I am also very politically active in local and national politics.

I hope you enjoy my site. Feel free to contact me at MissaJC324@verizon.net

This site is currently undergoing a MAJOR overhaul, so check back frequently for all kinds of new things!

	Recent blog posts on missajc.tumblr.com

Avoiding Mercury Toxicity While Still Enjoying Seafood I love salmon and seafood… I mean really love it. So much, in fact, I had mercury toxicity several years back from consuming so much salmon! Once I detoxed from the mercury (yeah, that was a real treat. Probably one of the most miserable experiences of my life!), I needed to find a seafood source that was mercury free. That is when I discovered Vital Choice. More...	Bang For Your Buck Exercise: The Zercher Squat Any of my clients who have ever taken my weight lifting classes or been personally trained by me knows I am a big fan of Zercher squats. Zercher lifts were created by St. Louis strongman Ed Zercher (1902 - 1995). Zercher squats take front squats to a whole new level. More...	How Much Do You Burn? I can’t count the amount of times people ask me, “What’s that on your arm? A heart rate monitor? A pedometer?” Kinda, sorta, but not really. It’s MUCH, much more. It’s basically a metabolism monitor. It’s called the BodyMediaFIT. It’s similar to a BodyBugg, but better… unlike the BodyBugg, the BMF also monitors your sleep. More...

Benefits of Omega-3 Fish Oils If you haven’t heard of the benefits of Omega-3 fish oils yet, you’re probably living in a cave. If you’re not taking Omega-3 fish oils on a daily basis yet, you might want to rethink that course of action. Fish oil, made from the tissue of oily fish, such as salmon, tuna, mackerel, herring, lake trout and sardines, contains important Omega-3 fatty acids , most notably eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and decosahexaenoic acid (DHA). These Omega-3 fatty acids are believed to have a myriad of health benefits. More...	Could Something This Simple Be Hindering Your Fat Loss Efforts? You do it all…. eat right, train right, sleep right… yet nothing is moving on the scale. There could be many reasons why, but one reason we almost always neglect to pay any attention to is how much water we are drinking. Chances are, you aren’t consuming nearly enough as your body needs, especially if you exercise regularly. More...	Magnesium, Potassium and Calcium, Oh My! Calcium, magnesium and potassium are all vital to keep sodium in check, decrease any bloating and prevent muscle cramping. These are must-haves. Magnesium - Magnesium plays a number of roles in the body, being required for more than 325 enzymatic reactions, including those involved in the synthesis of fat, protein and More...

How To Increase Push Up Reps How To Increase Push Up Reps Step 1: determine maximum number of push ups Step 2: perform sets of roughly 60% of that. When you start to get “grindy”, the workout is over. What do I mean by “grindy?” Listen to your body and use common sense… you’ll know it when you feel it. Do the above twice per week. Every 6th workout or so, More...	Have trouble digesting protein? Have trouble digesting protein? Eat lots of fresh pineapple - agents in this (bromelain) reduce inflammation in the body and support the decomposition and digestion of protein.	Shakeology: almost too good to be true! Almost… Several months ago I discovered Shakeology®, an all encompassing nutritional shake. As a fitness professional, I have tried just about every shake on the market to accompany my training. Some have been pretty tasty, some have resembled sawdust in a glass, but the first time I tasted chocolate Shakeology®, I couldn’t believe how delicious it was! The consistency is smooth and almost mousse-like, the flavor is a rich chocolate, and the calories… only 140 per serving? How could that be? With such low caloric content, I figured More...

In loving memory of my gram, Jennie Riganati

Thank you to all who participated with Team HardCore on Sunday, September 13, 2009 for the UMass Memorial 11th Annual Walk to Cure Cancer. We walked in honor and memory of my grandmother Jennie Riganati, who was diagnosed with cancer last summer and suddenly taken from us 5 weeks later on August 14, 2008. The annual five mile walk-a-thon raises money to support research at UMass Memorial Cancer Center at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. The Walk is proudly sponsored by the working families of the Massachusetts AFL-CIO. Team HardCore raised over $3200!!!