Give PEAS a Chance!!

If iceberg lettuce, pickles, and ketchup didn't count... when was the last time you had five servings of fruits and vegetables in one day??

I am a terrible dieter...deprivation just doesn't work for me. And the harder I try NOT to eat something, the more it seems like I want to have it! So I discovered a new strategy...I use ADDITION instead of SUBTRACTION. Instead of saying I can't have Fritos or Reese Cups or Pizza, I just tell myself that I can have any and all of these things after I finish the healthy stuff.

Okay here's your challenge...
For the next week, you have to eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables per day. You must have at least one serving with each meal and you have to eat it first...then after that you can have anything you want. The idea here is that the fiber in the fruits and vegetables will help you feel full faster and you won't eat as much of the other stuff. Remember, use healthy preparation methods for your fruits and veggies to further enhance your success.

And NO....iceberg lettuce, pickles, and ketchup still don't count!! Good luck! Let me know how it goes. Have a great week

Gimme Some Sugar!!!

On a recent episode of Good Morning America, they did a segment on hidden sugars in various foods. One of the foods was the GO LEAN bar by Kashi....sounds healthy enough right? Wrong.

The GO LEAN bar has as much sugar as FIFTEEN Hershey's kisses. Wow! I have to say I think that I'd rather have the kisses! Now, I know I've touched on this topic before but this deserves a quick review.

Five grams of sugar is equal to one teaspoon of sugar...

So, the next time you are eating a breakfast cereal or drinking a juice drink...look at the label! If it says that it has 25 grams of sugar then you are literally ingesting 5 teaspoons of sugar! Not necessarily what you had in mind for a glass of V-8 Fusion or that bowl of Raisin Bran Crunch?!

Not only that...a gram of sugar has four calories ... then 4 X 25=100 calories. Wow...bet you didn't realize that the 160 calorie juice drink is 63% sugar?!

So that's the bad news...the good news is that you can start over today...reading labels and making choices that make sense for your healthy lifestyle. Be especially aware of pseudo-healthy foods marketed towards children...they're usually loaded with sugar. Just remember...just because it sounds healthy doesn't mean it is!

What are you really craving?

You know that late afternoon gnawing sensation in your belly? When you are really craving something but you're not exactly sure what??

It could be just another wave in the ebb and flow of your blood sugar levels. The body likes for everything to stay kind of even...blood sugar, blood pressure, H2O levels, etc. and it strives to keep the body in that balanced state, known as homeostasis.

So when things get out of whack, it goes to the brain and has it tell you that you're hungry or thirsty or whatever. Unfortunately, we often misinterpret the signals or ignore them altogether, thus causing the body to go even further out of balance. So just guess what the body does to combat these stressful waves?? It decides to store fat or retain water or whatever it thinks it should do to avoid this situation in the future! Not exactly what you had in mind?!

So when you get one of those cravings...try to stop and listen. Your body is trying to tell you something. If its hungry, don't wait...feed it! Your weight loss efforts are best rewarded when you never let yourself get too hungry. As a rule of thumb...if you get past 6 on the hunger scale of 1-10, then your body is going to react by storing fat because it wants to be sure it has something for later! And one more thing...did you know that thirst is often misinterpreted as hunger? So start listening to your body, I'm sure it has something to say...and hopefully it's "thank you!"

All Ho~ Ho'd Out!!

Well...it's official, I did my part this holiday season. You may remember that I explained in my last Fit Tip that the average person gains seven pounds between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day. I am happy to report that I came in a little below the average! I did weigh yesterday and I have GAINED THREE POUNDS! Yuck!

But at least I know...right?! As hard as it was to get on that scale yesterday...I am glad that I did. As our yearly calendar hits the reset button, so should we. I think that it's important that we all have a starting place. Note that I didn't say anything about a Resolution! So take some time today to think about how you're going to hit your Health and Fitness Reset Button! Goals give us a purpose and there's nothing that motivates me more than knowing there is a finish line!

We, as your trainers, are ready to help you not only to set your goals but to map out a pathway to them. So...we can do your bodyfat or measurements, do a treadmill or push-up test, or give you some goals to improve your flexibility. Now that I know I've got some (more) pounds of fat to lose...I've de-junked my kitchen and am ready to start making my way toward my finish line! How you measure success is up to you...but I think we all do a little better with our program when we have a goal in mind. If your goal is weight or body fat loss...take that first step onto the scale. Knowing is a lot better than not knowing because then at least you can start moving in the right direction! Happy 2009! Let's make it a GREAT year!

Two Weeks of Too Much ...

Here we are again...the most wonderful time of the year! Two weeks of eating, drinking, and doing TOO MUCH! A recent study reports that the average person gains seven pounds between Thanksgiving and New Years Day...yikes! Although I do have to admit that it's good for business, I would rather prospective clients live up to that statistic and that our current clients become an exception to that rule!

Did you know that seven pounds is equal to 24,500 calories? This year there are 34 days between Thanksgiving and the New Year...that means you would only have to over-consume 721 calories per day to gain those seven pounds! That's actually pretty easy to do! So here are a few strategies to help you avoid that Holiday Heft:

~Eat a snack before the party...that's right ruin your appetite with something healthy before you head out the door. Besides you don't want to be one of those party goers that stands next to the buffet like it's a trough!
~Drink plenty of water...all day long and alternate between every alcoholic drink. Unless, of course, you want to put that wreath around your head like you did last year.
~Graze don't gobble...when I was little, I was always told to clean my plate...so I would always save my favorites for last. Bad idea...eat your favorite foods first so that you don't force yourself to make it through everything on your plate just to get to the good stuff!
~Exercise every day...period! Don't make excuses for yourself! We're all busy but it just can't wait until the New Year. Do your exercise first before anything else. You will have more energy and feel better about yourself for the rest of the day. A thirty minute workout can burn up to 400 calories! A GREAT way to burn off those excess sausage balls and egg nog!
~But most of all have fun! Enjoy yourself this holiday and know that we will be here to whip you back into shape after you delete this email and reach for your next handful of Chex Mix...

Little Baby Fat Bombs ...

It's hard to believe that it's already the first week of November and the holidays are already upon us! I hope everyone had a Happy Halloween and didn't partake in too many little baby fat bombs...

"So what are little baby fat bombs" you ask?!? They are those innocent, little bite-sized pieces of candy that you supposedly bought for the trick or treaters but proceeded to eat yourself. It is really hard to believe how quickly these tasty little morsels can add up! Here's a look at the calorie count of just a few...

~Twizzlers- 1 treat size pkg.= 45 calories
~Almond Joy- 1 snack size bar= 90 calories
~Milk Duds- 1 treat size box= 40 calories
~Butterfinger- 1 snack size bar= 100 calories
~Milky Way- 1 snack size bar= 90 calories
~Reese cup- 1 minature cup= 36 calories

So...I ate seven minature Reese cups(among other things!!) That's 252 calories! That's more than two full-sized cups...which I never allow myself to have! No wonder I had such a Halloween hangover on Saturday!

Sometimes when I'm gorging myself...I visualize a gas pump display ticking away the calories in my stomach...just like it does the gallons of gas in your car tank. Then I begin to wonder just how much am I going to have to move to work all of those calories off...and is it really worth it?? In this instance, it really was worth it! But I bet we've all got a little bit of extra cardio work to do this week! See you at the gym!!

OH and by the way...if you've still got any of those little baby fat bombs lying around your house...get rid of them...FAST!

The Summer Lazys!!

You know you’re being lazy when you...
• spend 10 minutes searching for a close up parking spot instead of parking at the far end of the lot
• use the elevator to get to the third floor (or less!)
• drive to the mailbox
• have a yard boy, housekeeper, and take your car to Autobell
• stand with dog instead of walking it
• say it’s just too hot to exercise

It’s time to get crackin’ and move a little more! Have a great week!