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

So...What’s the Point?!?!

You know I have this major motivation when it comes to gaining weight...well, actually I have two.

1. When I gain weight, I start to look like Uncle Fester and,

2. It’s my job to appear fit and healthy...

So I have these imaginary weight zones that kind of dictate my diet and my lifestyle...

There’s the Home-Free Zone when all my clothes fit and I feel really good about myself.

Then there’s the Put-the-Twinkie-Down Zone when my pants start to get a little tight and I would rather have a tetanus shot than to take my shirt off in public.

And finally, there’s the Uncle Fester Zone when it’s all gone to pot and everything seems to jiggle even when I’m sitting still.

So I think having some idea of what your body weight is and where it needs to be in order for you to feel good about yourself is very important. I think it’s key to know when you are getting out of your Home-Free Zone and starting to edge into Twinkie land. Let’s face it...it’s a lot easier to take off five or ten pounds than it is to take off twenty or thirty. So what’s your set point? Do you know...and how close are you to it right now?? Don’t let yourself get to the point of no return...I mean really, if we eat four times per day then we will have 1460 meals this year. It won’t hurt to practice a little self control to get back into those skinny pants! You can always eat whatever you want after you reach your goal. So weigh weekly and track your progress (or demise) and let it govern your habits. It is summer after all!

Just like Valerie Bertinelli... you can take it ...

One Day at a Time!!

One of the best pieces of nutrition coaching advice I ever received was at a Nancy Clark seminar. She said that you have to take your nutrition goals ...one day at a time.

Let’s face it, every day isn’t going to be a good day nutritionally...in fact some are going to be really bad...I mean REALLY BAD...like pepperoni pizza, six beers, and hot fudge sundae BAD. You know who you are!

So every morning when you get up, you have a decision to make. Is today going to be a weight loss day, a weight gain day, or a maintenance day?? Be realistic...if you are going out to dinner that evening then probably at best it will be a maintenance day. But if you make your decision and stick to it, then the gain days really can be offset by the days that you REALLY put some effort forth to practice good nutritional habits...the TRUTH is that we ALL really know what we’re supposed to do...we just gotta do it! At least once in a while!

Remember...there really are no bad foods
...we just get out of balance with them!

So what kind of a day will you have tomorrow???

Is the Value of Your Stock Going UP or down??

Taking Stock...
Ever heard the expression...there’s a little good in the worst of us and a little bit of bad in the best of us? (No this email is not about Elliot Spitzer!)

It’s time for all of us to take a little inventory of our daily lives and take a look at our personal balance sheet...

Think about your fitness program and your overall daily life. List on a sheet of paper the three best things that you do for yourself everyday and then list the three things that most need improvement. Make these very specific!

Now think about your top three...congratulate yourself and make a commitment to maintaining them. These behavior changes take time and have really made a difference in your life! It is ALWAYS important to recognize all that is good about who you are.

Now look at your bottom three...which one is the most glaring? Why is it so bad? Finally...are you willing to change this behavior? On your sheet of paper, list three strategies that you are willing to implement in order to make this change occur. Tell your trainer or your spouse or anyone about your intentions because this helps make the goal real and helps you to commit to what you say...now every time you think about falling off that proverbial wagon...remind yourself exactly why this behavior glared at you so harshly when you wrote down on paper...change always helps us to grow!! Good luck!!

Finding Your Reset Button

It’s time to hit the reset button!

Well all the bells got jingled and the halls got decked…now all you’re left with is a tight pair of pants and a little holiday hangover. So it’s time to hit that reset button!

Let’s start with some good goals for the New Year! There is a definite art to writing a good goal….it has to be:
1. attainable
2. measurable
3. attractive

In other words, saying you are going to start exercising or you are going to lose weight are not good goals because they are too vague. Or committing to something you absolutely hate will never work…that’s why it has to be attractive to you. So make sure your goal has a measurement in it and then tells you how it’s going to happen. It’s all about the HOW…focus on the journey, not the destination…here are a few examples:

I will eat two fruits and two vegetables every day.

I will get 100 minutes of cardiovascular exercise this week.

I will lose one pound this week by cutting out sodas and adding in two exercise sessions.

I will get more sleep this week by going to bed thirty minutes earlier.
Be sure to talk to your trainer about your goal(s) so that we can help by holding you accountable and developing a workable strategy. Good luck and Happy 2008!

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!!)