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...

Holy Frijole! You ate how many calories?!?

Holy Frijoles!!

I absolutely love Mexican food! I will usually pick Mexican every time I eat a cheat meal and sometimes I even manage to convince myself that I’m not really cheating...

Not Anymore!!

After we’ve tried so hard all week to eat healthfully and exercise...that burrito just may not be worth those 1179 calories!

I think the one that shocked me the most was the P.F. Chang’s Pork Lo Mein which weighed in at 1820 calories and 127 grams of fat. WOW! If that information was on their menu, I bet that no one would order it!

Another one that I found was misleading is the ‘Bella Turkey Burger at Ruby Tuesday....sounds like a moderately healthy choice right?? WRONG...it weighs in at 1145 calories and 71 grams of fat! So the moral of this story is educate yourself...go to restaurant’s web sites and check the nutrition information before you get there or at the very least ask questions that might give you clues as to how something is prepared. ALWAYS order sauces and spreads on the side...and if it seems too good to be true, then it probably is! Have a great weekend and remember...think before you eat!

And by the way...I didn’t eat the whole burrito...I had to have some room for the chips!

You Ate HOW Much?? Part Two

I like to eat chips out of the bag, peanut butter out of the jar, and ice cream out of the carton. I usually tell myself one of two things:

1. I’m only going to have a little or...
2. I really don’t want to dirty a dish

But, of course, the truth is I really want to eat these foods with wild abandon and have no clear notion of how many servings I just consumed! Do you know any one that does this?? It may be time for you to intervene...as I know that this is my own personal cry for help!!

A few years ago, Ruby Tuesday started including nutrition information on its menu for all of its menu items. The interesting thing is that their business dropped off by almost 40%!! So they quickly changed their menus...knowing that ignorance is bliss...at least when it comes to calories and fat content.

The moral of this story is that we really don’t want to know! We don’t want to know how many tablespoons of peanut butter we just ate or how many calories the Rib Platter at Ruby Tuesdays has or how many grams of fat we consumed in that “almost” half pint of Ben & Jerry’s we just scarfed down!

So there’s nothing wrong with having a treat...now and then! In fact, I think we all need to treat ourselves! But just be sure you know how much you are going to eat and stick with it. That’s why I advocate buying individual portion sizes of the really good stuff...because I know that I have no self control! So put that ice cream in a bowl...no, not a mixing bowl next time! Or place your serving of chips on the plate with your sandwich...don’t just take the bag with you to the den! It will make a huge difference before you know it! Have a great rest of the week!

You ate HOW much???

It is believed that close to 80% of us underestimate the number of calories that we actually consume. No wonder we can’t lose any weight! Restaurants these days serve mammoth portions of just about everything and we have conditioned ourselves to eat it...ALL!

Remember back in school when we got those little tiny cups of ice cream?? Would you believe that is actually a serving! Not anything like my bowl of ice cream in the evening! Or the little box of popcorn we used to get at the school ball game? Once again...the perfect portion. Nothing like the MEGA-TUB that we see these days. And you know what...it’s making us just that...MEGA-TUBS!!
This is not to say that you have to limit yourself to one portion...we all just need to be aware how much we are really eating. So grab out those measuring cups and spoons and spend a few days measuring to see how much cereal you are really eating or how much wine you are really drinking. One glass= 5 ounces...that’s a little more than a half cup. Once we know how much we are putting in...then we can adjust from there. Maybe you don’t want to drink less wine but would be willing to eat one less serving of pasta. It’s all a game of trade-offs. No food is bad as long as moderation is the word of the day!! And don’t forget to keep moving...maybe you can earn a few of those portions back! Have a great week!

The Magic Bullet

OK. OK. So you and I both know that magic bullets don't really exist...but here are some great hints to help you reach your weight lose goals...
1. Eat less, more often
2. Move everyday and at least five times a week do it hard enough to call it exercise
3. Drink a lot of water
4. Resist the urge to buy bigger pants
5. Eat a good, healthy breakfast...you have the rest of the day to mess up a good thing!
6. Limit alcohol and sweets...try the three strikes rule...meaning you have three strikes all week and then you are OUT (of cheats that is)
7. NO fast food...ever!
8. Go to bed early...sleep helps control hunger
9. If it's not on your plan...don't keep it in your pantry
10. Make a decision everyday...am going to gain weight, lose weight, or stay the same. Stay focused on the present!
Start carrying these magic bullets in your pocket and you are sure to notice the difference! Good luck

Spoil It!

Have you ever had really great dinner plans and realized that around 3 or 4 o’clock in the afternoon that you’re really getting hungry? So you tell yourself...No, we’re going out tonight and I don’t want to spoil my appetite. So you fast and go to the restaurant ravenous only to be greeted by a bread basket and a big glass of wine. Nice!! So now you’ve got that kind of...I’m hungry now...let’s order an appetizer feeling...Only thing is you are unable to control yourself with the bread which mixes with the wine to give you a quick buzz and rise in blood sugar.
Sounds like Saturday night!!
By the time the appetizer arrives...you’re feeling a little bit better. You have had just enough alcohol on an empty stomach and your body is in a fasted enough state that you just can’t pass up that entrée that’s a little less than healthy...So you get home around ten o’clock feeling bloated and dizzy and all you can think is...
Man! I wish I’d had a snack!!!
So go ahead and spoil dinner with something small when you feel those afternoon hunger pangs. It’s just what you need to help you make better choices and eat less later on! Have a great weekend!

Kills Bugs DEAD!

When to Buy Organic...

Buying organic can really break the bank. I have always wondered if it was really worth it... Recently, IDEA Health and Fitness Association published a list of the “dirty dozen...” a list of the twelve fruits and vegetables that tend to have the highest levels of pesticides. By purchasing the organic variety of the following “dirty dozen,” you will actually lower your exposure to pesticides by almost ninety percent! Wow!

The Dirty Dozen...
1. Apples
2. Celery
3.Cherries
4. Imported Grapes
5. Lettuce
6. Nectarines
7. Peaches
8. Pears
9. Potatoes
10. Spinach
11. Strawberries
12. Sweet Bell Peppers
So it seems like the most important thing to remember when buying organic is that if you’re going to eat the skin or if the skin is thin...best to get organic. So stick with those conventional bananas and carrots but better cough up the extra change next time you buy strawberries or apples.

The Clock is Ticking!

Finding the time...
Well here it is crunch time already! Christmas is just 11 days away! I imagine that all of us have made our lists and checked them twice but do they include exercise???
Did you know that the average American can gain as much as seven pounds between Thanksgiving and New Year? Guess I should be glad considering the business I’m in...
I want to remind you (and me!) how important it is to honor and fulfill the fitness commitment you have made to yourself! Finding the time to exercise this time of year can be a challenge so you have to make it a priority...here a few tips to keep exercise from falling off your list:

1. Do it first thing...miss the early bird sale at the mall and get yourself to the gym very first thing...that way it’s done.
2. Have a partner (this is what I do)...make a commitment to exercise with someone and don’t let yourself cancel.
3. Use the no worky-no drinky rule...if you haven’t worked out that day, then you have to forego the cocktails at that holiday party that night!(you know who you are!!)

Some Christmas Greenery...

The other night I was forced to take my mom to her favorite restaurant...Chili’s. She likes to get their Cobb Salad and even worse has herself convinced that this is somewhat healthy! Oh no!
That got me to thinking that we all kind of live by that “ignorance is bliss” nutrition regimen...so I went home and looked up Chili’s Cobb Salad on the internet. Would you believe that their Cobb Salad contains 970 calories and 60 grams of fat with 16 grams being saturated fat! Wow! Just for comparison I went to McDonald’s site and looked up the Big Mac. It contains 540 calories and 29 grams of fat with 10 grams being saturated fat.
So the moral of this story is NOT to go have a Big Mac! The moral is to be an educated consumer...ignorance is only bliss when it comes gas prices and global warming! Don’t be fooled by healthy sounding names or appearances. We all have enough knowledge under our belt to know when something is truly good for us or not. So when choosing your Christmas greenery here are some basic rules: 1. Make sure the salad contains at least 4 vegetables.
2. Have some healthy protein on top like grilled chicken or turkey.
3. Limit the fats (cheeses, nuts, crunchy things) to no more than three.
4. Choose a low fat dressing and have it on the side...
Oh and by the way...sorry Mom. Have a great weekend!!

Cardio is the key to a successful weight loss and fitness program...

Cardio is Key...

Did you know that you burn the same amount of calories whether you walk or run a mile? The most important difference is that when you run you push your heart into its cardio range. This does two things for you...

· Strengthens your heart
· Stokes your metabolism for the next 24 hours

So while leisure activity is great and does burn calories...you aren’t really stimulating your cardiovascular system enough to increase that calorie burn for the long haul. If your goal is to lose weight...you have to PUSH! That can mean running, intervals on the bike, fast laps in the pool, or skipping rope between sets in the weight room.

Increased heart rate=increased metabolism...

if you aren’t getting the results you want...

then its time to try something different!