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
Monday, February 11, 2008
Friday, February 8, 2008
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!
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!
Friday, January 25, 2008
GERMOPHOBE!
Stay Well This Winter!
We are smack dab in the middle of cold and flu season. Just what can we do to keep ourselves well? Here are a few great tips:
1. Drink plenty of water. Keep yourself hydrated inside and out! Wash your hands often especially after your work out. Get a refillable bottle and keep it with you all day.
2. Increase your intake of vitamin C...we all know a pill is just a pill! Try to get you vitamin C from foods like citrus fruits, broccoli, red pepper, and spinach. A diet rich in vitamin C reduces your histamine levels and increases antibodies.
3. REST! The body needs our normal sleep cycle to cleanse the blood and perform cell repair. This is imperative to staying well! This is also the reason it’s not a good idea to eat before bed...blood is sent to the belly for digestion instead of doing its nightly housekeeping. That’s why we wake up tired after eating late in the evening.
4. Reduce Stress...easier said than done, right?!? Try meditation, treat yourself to a massage or a session on John’s table, or add in a yoga class. I hesitate to say it...but a glass of red wine could be helpful too...note I said ONE GLASS not one bottle.
5. Work Out! Believe it or not...daily exercise really does stimulate the immune system and helps us to stay strong and healthy. However, if you are feeling sick... exercise can be very counterproductive. If you have a fever then avoid increasing your heart rate until your body temperature returns to normal. Also, use common sense and take it easy until you are back at 100%.
6. Finally...no smoking, limit alcohol and caffeine intake. DUH!
So take care of yourself and stay healthy...warm weather will be back before you know it!!
We are smack dab in the middle of cold and flu season. Just what can we do to keep ourselves well? Here are a few great tips:
1. Drink plenty of water. Keep yourself hydrated inside and out! Wash your hands often especially after your work out. Get a refillable bottle and keep it with you all day.
2. Increase your intake of vitamin C...we all know a pill is just a pill! Try to get you vitamin C from foods like citrus fruits, broccoli, red pepper, and spinach. A diet rich in vitamin C reduces your histamine levels and increases antibodies.
3. REST! The body needs our normal sleep cycle to cleanse the blood and perform cell repair. This is imperative to staying well! This is also the reason it’s not a good idea to eat before bed...blood is sent to the belly for digestion instead of doing its nightly housekeeping. That’s why we wake up tired after eating late in the evening.
4. Reduce Stress...easier said than done, right?!? Try meditation, treat yourself to a massage or a session on John’s table, or add in a yoga class. I hesitate to say it...but a glass of red wine could be helpful too...note I said ONE GLASS not one bottle.
5. Work Out! Believe it or not...daily exercise really does stimulate the immune system and helps us to stay strong and healthy. However, if you are feeling sick... exercise can be very counterproductive. If you have a fever then avoid increasing your heart rate until your body temperature returns to normal. Also, use common sense and take it easy until you are back at 100%.
6. Finally...no smoking, limit alcohol and caffeine intake. DUH!
So take care of yourself and stay healthy...warm weather will be back before you know it!!
Friday, January 11, 2008
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.
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.
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!
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!
Friday, December 14, 2007
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!!)
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!!)
Friday, December 7, 2007
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!!
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!!
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