Help I Am Snowed In

Active things to do when you are snowed in:

1. Dance to MTV or a DVD or the radio
2. Create an exercise circuit around the house for yourself or you and your children for example, use the stairs or one stair to go up and down, use hula hoops, small balls, jumping jacks, squats, any activity you can come up with.
3. Find an exercise program on TV
4. Clean up the house, a closet, some forgotten corners
   
5. Put on a show
6. Play a game with your dog or kids
7. Shovel then make snow angels
8. Sledding

Then make cookies and tea and enjoy a good rest! SNOW DAY!

Motivation: Set Up A Home Exercise Space

• Make a space for your workout, no matter how big, a corner somewhere that is all yours.
  
• Get to the library and check out some new exercise DVDs
• Make a small investment, mat, exercise ball, resistance band
• Keep children, spouse, pets out
• Stock up on water or better yet get a good filtration system and save the earth
• Get some sleep, you need 7 to 9 hours of quality sleep each night. More likely to use that nice space you set up.
  

Go Easier on Yourself

"Oh no, I ate a cookie" is one of the leading causes of major lapses. This being said or thought leads to "What the hell, I might as well eat the whole box". Diet researchers dub this the "what the hell effect". It turns a manageable setback, eating a cookie, into self-defeating sabotage.

A better way to deal with setbacks is to be easier on ourselves, not harder. Forgive your setbacks and don't fall prey to the what the hell effect. When you don't feel bad it is easier to get back on track.

Basic Principles of "Health at Every Size"

1. Accept & respect the diversity of body shapes and sizes.
2. Recognize that health & well being are multidimensional & include physical, social, spiritual, occupational, emotional, and intellectual aspects.
3. Promote all aspects of health & well being for people of all sizes.
4. Promote eating in a manner that balances individual nutritional needs, hunger, satiety, appetite and pleasure.
5. Promote individually appropriate, enjoyable, life-enhancing physical activity, rather than exercise that is focused on a goal of weight loss.



Source: The Association for Size Diversity and Health

Holiday Stuffing

Don't fret if you over ate and over stuffed this past weekend. Just get back on track with your mindful eating and regular exercise. Unless you managed to eat an extra 3000 calories everyday (very hard to do) you won't gain a pound that will last. The bloat you may feel is from unusual over indulgences and will be gone before you know it.

What Burns Calories

Thought I would use this week of the Thanksgiving Feast to give you an idea of what kind of calories you burn doing different activities.

1. Inline Skating - 425 calories 30 minutes
2. Running - 374 calories 30 minutes
3. Jumping Rope - 340 calories 30 minutes
4. Hula Hooping - 300 calories 30 minutes
5. Tennis - 272 calories 30 minutes
6. Dancing - 221 calories 30 minutes
7. Walking Vigorously - 170 calories 30 minutes
8. Biking Flat - 220 calories 30 minutes
9. Cleaning Moderate - 200 calories 30 minutes
10. Swimming - 300 calories 30 minutes
11. Office Work - 120 calories 30minutes
12. Watching TV - 35 calories 30 minutes
13. Vacuuming or Mopping - 75 calories 30 minutes

So enjoy your feasting this week but make sure you move your body too.

Long Term Thinkers Make Healthier Choices

I read an article in a Fitness Journal that researchers from Kansas State University found that people who use long-term thinking have a greater capacity for implementing healthier behaviors. I found this very interesting. Think about the people you know well, think about yourself. Are you a planner, do you make lists and think about your future and how you want it to look?

Whether you are a future thinker or not, the article gives some tactics to use to help you become more successful in making healthier choices.

1. Counter impulsive tendencies with self-questions before making a decision to act. For example "Do I really need to eat this now?" "How do I want to feel if I choose to have another drink?"
2. People with similar habits are often drawn together. Think of the long term thinkers you know and include them in your circle of friends more often.
3. Try to delay an immediate impulse, craving or action by delaying it in small increments of time. Wait 10 minutes before giving in to the craving then re-evaluate the intensity of the craving. If it is strong wait another 10 minutes. Regular practice may effectively evaluate the influence that current behaviors have on future outcomes.
   

Give Up Sugar!

I was standing in line behind a mother and her daughter. The daughter was about 10 or 11 years old. This young girl told her mom she was going to give up sugar. Her very smart mother replied "what good will that do?"

That mom is so right, giving up sugar will do nothing except make you end up craving it even more. When ever you give up any food group, sugar, carbohydrates, fats, proteins, whatever, your body will let you know it is not happy. A major binge is imminently in your future on what you gave up.

So enjoy all foods when you feel like eating them. Stop eating them when they don't taste so good or you are full. Your body is miraculous, if you listen it will tell you want it needs nutritionally and let you know when to stop eating.

Thanks to that smart mom that girl will enjoy sugar and hopefully all food.

Count to 10, Pause

You may have heard the phrase "count to 10 before you speak". Usually this is reserved for an argument. If you count to 10 there is a better chance something will not be said that could be regretted.

I would like to suggest when you head for a snack, second helpings another piece that you pause and count to 10. Consider whether that food is really what you want, need and desire. This count and pause may help to prevent you from eating more than you really need or making a choice that is not the best one.

Pause and Count to 10.

What Will Your Answer Be?

I was talking with a good friend the other day. She said "it is time, I am ready to join a gym and start exercising". I asked her "why now"? Her answer " I know I will feel better, of course and things are in the right place to start devoting some time for me".
I am so happy for her. Of course she will feel better but the biggest question I had for her concerned her experience with exercise in her past.

• What kind of exercise did she do previously and did it work?
  
• Did she go to a gym in the past? and if so, what did she do there?
  
• If she used to belong to a gym, what happened that made her stop going?
  
• What made her stop exercising on a regular basis?

Whatever the answers were to these question can help figure out what will work for you now. My friend said she used to go to the gym and work out on the machines for 30 minutes. That was about it, maybe tried a class, but not too much. Her interest wained and she got busy so the gym membership lapsed.

So what to do, the best intentions are there. Ask yourself the hard questions and then try something different than you experienced in the past. Obviously that did not hold your interest enough, or perhaps your knees rebelled. Whatever the reason, try something new and keep trying something new until you find what you like to do.

You are much more likely to continue. Enjoy the experimenting.

Domino Diet

What has your experience been with gaining or loosing weight. My experience is usually with gaining weight. All of a sudden those pounds are there, they kind of crept up on you. What happened?

Recently though I actually had it happen in the opposite way. I lost some weight not consciously trying. What was my first thought....oh my, I must be sick, is it cancer? Why did I lose weight? I will share with you that was the prelude to my mom's cancer, unexpected weight loss. So automatically my thoughts turn negative when I lose weight without making an effort.

But I forgot to factor the new dog we got a couple of months ago, Domino. This bundle of high energy needs a lot of exercise to tire him out. So after my normal work out I have been making time during the day to walk him. Thus burning 100 to 150 extra calories a day. My food intake has not changed but my calories burned has changed. It was a fun and exciting discovery. I am always telling my clients, burn a few extra calories a day(don't increase you food intake) add them up over the week to equal 500 plus pounds and after a few weeks a pound will come off.

Fun Huh! Try it! I challenge you, the Domino diet!

Have A Good Relationship or Be Skinny?

This question was being asked on a radio show this morning. Would you rather be thin or have a good relationship? Wow, loaded question.

Most women answered be thin, not having to worry and fret over our weight would apparently take a big load off our minds. Then who cares if we find love in a good relationship? This made me sad.

I challenge all of you who answered "be skinny" to try something else "be comfortable in your own skin and love yourself". We are all different sizes and shapes, our partners love us in our different sizes and shapes, why can't we women love ourselves the same way?

Be healthy, be smart, be fit, be kind, be generous, be loved and be in love with ourselves. Not be skinny!

Think about it...

Make An Appointment

I was working with some wonderful women yesterday and the conversation naturally turned to exercise and food. We all fret about it, how do I find time to exercise? What is my motivation? We all make and keep appointments everyday, the doctor, dentist, hair, nails etc. Why don't we make appointments for our self to exercise. Put it on your calendar and it is more likely to get done.
Give it a try...make your appointment to exercise today!

Wellness Tip

I had the wonderful opportunity to attend a Wellness continuing education seminar today. I love this coaching tip and felt it can be used in everyday life as well. When you ask a question and the answer is "I don't know" ask back "What if you did know?" This can open up the possibilities. Try it on your co-workers, your friends, confidants, children.

Mindfull Eating - Week #3

How To Be Someone Who Eats Mindfully:

• By acknowledging that there is no right or wrong way to eat
• Being aware of the different degrees of experiencing food
• Accepting your individual eating experience
• By looking at the immediate choices and direct experience with food & eating - listening to your bodies needs now - not the distant health outcome of that choice
• Is aware of the effects and have the ability to counter mindless eating
• Achieving desire insight to achieve specific health goals and becoming fine tuned to experience eating to match these goals

In essence Mindful Eating is listening, tuning in, gaining insight and connecting with your body and it direct needs every time you eat.

I have positive feelings that everyone can achieve this power most of the time. Go for IT!

Mindful Eating in 3 weeks - Week #2

Mindful Eating Involves:

1. Recognizing and allowing yourself to become aware of the positive and nurturing opportunities that can be made through food preparing and eating. Learning to respect your own inner intuitions and wisdom
2. Making food choices that are both pleasing and nourishing. Allowing your senses to connect with these food choices, savoring, tasting and enjoying the selection.
3. Acknowledge how you feel about food, your responses to the food, liking it, disliking it, not having an opinion on it.
4. LEARNING TO BE AWARE OF PHYSICAL HUNGER AND SATIETY CUES to help guide you in your decision to eat, not to eat or to stop eating.
   

Mindful eating is INTUITIVE EATING as we all once had the ability, as infants, to allow our bodies to guide or appetites and food selections. Give this some thought and I will add some more food for thought next week.

Mindful Eating in 3 Weeks - Week #1

Definition of Mindfulness:

1. deliberately paying attention, non-judgementally
2. a practice that includes both internal & external environments.
3. being aware of what is present for you, mentally, emotionally & physically in each moment
4. with practice can open the possibility of freeing yourself of reactive & habitual patterns
5. promotes balance, choice, wisdom and acceptance of what is

How great is that? Now read on next week how to apply this to eating mindfully.

No Sacrificing - Try Sharing

So you go to the movies and the smell of that yummy popcorn wafts around. The calories are high but the taste is hard to resist. Don't sacrifice and do with out, ask your friend to share a bag and enjoy. Walking around the city, roasted nuts, big pretzels. At the fair, fried dough, cotton candy. What ever your pleasure is, my thoughts today are don't sacrifice - share and ENJOY!

Set A Goal

My beautiful niece got married this past weekend. In expectation of the wedding my sister-in-law and niece worked out and ate healthy. They had a goal. So why not make a new goal every time your old goal comes to pass. Set a date, plan a party, find something that will encourage you to work out and eat healthy. Why Not!

Get Off That Scale

It can be done...I know you can do it. Stay away from your scale for a day, a week, a month? Whatever your obsession is with the scale try to set a goal to make the time longer and longer between checking. Judge yourself not on what your weight was that day but on how you feel. Use those feelings to make healthy choices in your daily life and forget about what that scale says!
Stop measuring the meat!

Creat A Fitness Bucket List

I loved that movie "The Bucket List" and it gave me an idea. We can all create bucket lists for the big things but how about the little things too. Make a list of some fitness achievements you would like to accomplish. Run a mile, lift ? pounds, walk that big hill whatever it is writing it down can make it more real. Then DO IT!

What Am I Eating?

Try making one meal a day the meal you pay attention to. Set the mood (table), pick foods you really want to eat (listen to your brain), eat slowly and pay attention to your food.
Enjoy!

Make Some Changes

Okay! So my goal was to blog some great fitness, nutrition, health and wellness tips every week. I was very successful for a many weeks especially when the weather was cold. But as the weather got nicer it was harder for me to sit down in front of my computer and type. I am not a great typist and I am the kind of person that needs to move and be active so what do I do? As a coach and trainer most of my work has me moving all the time.

So what happens when your goals aren't achievable? They don't work and you feel bad because you feel like you failed.

Well I ask my clients when a goal doesn't work what can you do to change them and make them work? This is what I asked myself about my blogging? What can I do to keep this commitment to my clients to keep passing along all the wonderful, informative information I read and come across? What will I stick to? How can I make this work?

What I have decided to try is shortening my posts. That is keep them to one or two lines? The information is still there but the time commitment is less. So for the future or maybe until the weather gets too cold to move I will continue to provide you with tips you can use for fitness, health, intuitive eating and wellness but in an abbreviated form.

I hope by reading this blog you can surmise today's tip...

If a goal does not work, ask yourself the question...What can I do to make it work? Then make the change and try again!

Keep working on your goals.

What Gives in Your Routine When Life Happens

You never know, things happen sometimes very suddenly, sometimes gradually. Your everyday regular life and routine can become a mess. Yep I said it a MESS. Disruptions, upsets, illness, surgery, happy occasions, bad scheduling, traffic, accidents just general stuff can may if even more difficult to stick to the routine...exercise, eating healthy, getting rest.

I am speaking from experience. Recently I have had a lot of life (and death) get in my way. My sweet kitty and treasured friend of a dog died within one month of each other. Now that sucks and it is so not fair. Then in the middle of all this emotional upset I had a horrible, indescribable, completely draining stomach flu and then I through in a little knee surgery for good measure.

What happened in my life could not have been prevented. But with the drama in my life it took heroic efforts to want to move my body to exercise and think about taking care of myself. Some times after I was recovered from the stomach flu the movement would help my mind clear.

My message this week is something I learned through all of this, doing something positive created a positive reaction in my feelings. It helped if I did one thing, even something small and seemly insignificant for myself. The energy from this created a positive impact on the rest of my day and I was able to heal.

Doing something positive for yourself in the middle of what ever chaos is happening in your life can help you get through it much better.

So, take a nap, have a healthy snack, go for a walk, soak in the tub, even sit back for five minutes and close your eyes and free your mind. Create something positive for yourself and it will come back to you in a positive way.

Start Small - Why Small Changes Work

I recently read an article about a task force that consisted of members of the American Society for Nutrition, the Institute of Food Technologists and the International Food Information Council. Their job was to study the efficacy of "small changes". They came up with 5 reasons why "small changes" might help people be more successful achieving goals. These reasons are:

1. Small changes are more realistic to achieve and maintain than large changes.
2. Even small changes can have an important impact on body weight regulation.
3. Small, successful lifestyle changes can lead to increased self-efficacy.
4. The small change approach can be applied to environmental forces.
5. The small change approach can become a unifying platform for the public and private sectors to work together to combat obesity.

So what can you take away from this? Regarding #1, any goal you set whether it involves eating healthy, smaller portions, more exercise is much more achievable in small increments. For example instead of saying "I am going to exercise every day after work this week" when you have not worked out at all is unlikely to happen. Take it smaller, make a goal to work out once or twice the first few weeks to get comfortable with the idea. You are much more likely to keep that goal.

Secondly, regarding the second item on the list. If it is important to reduce your body weight stop thinking in the big picture. This can be overwhelming. Start small again. Every 1/2 pound is less than you started with. DON'T get on the scale daily to check this but DO check around the same time once a week. Remember reducing portion size will reduce calorie intake. Take a smaller plate and a smaller portion and be done with it. Again, think about how to achieve this goal by making obtainable. Pick once or twice a week to start and work your way up to more often.

The 3rd point on the list is extremely important...self-efficacy. This is your belief about your capability to execute a course of action. If you have a strong sense of self efficacy you are much more likely to be successful in your endeavors. Making small changes creates success which in turn creates more self efficacy. YOU CAN DO IT!

Items 4 and 5 on this list were mentioned to make us aware of the environmental influences that effect our ability to make changes. Businesses have "supersized" meals creating the thoughts that more is better. Think in terms of "100 calorie packs" and "low fat or healthy" options that are becoming more readily available. These options can be created on your own to keep costs down tool. Make your own "100 calorie packs" buying bigger quantities and breaking it down. Become more aware of what you have when you have it.

Although this article concentrated on weight loss it can be easily applied to exercise and any other goal you wish to make your own.

Think Small Get Big Results!

Help I Have Kids! Part 1, Exercise!

This blog is not for every one but if you have kids it is for you. What do you do with your kids to give yourself time. Time to exercise, time to eat better, time for YOU.

There has been a plaque in my home for many years that said "If Mama Ain't Their Ain't Nobody Happy". So what does it take for you to be happy. Good health, feeling good about yourself, your body, your mind, relaxation, you pick your desire. But if any of these good feeling involve exercise and eating better this blog will give you a couple of ideas.

What do you do when you take your kids outside to play? This is your chance you can also use this time to move with your children. They will love it that mom is playing and your body will love you because you are moving. Hop, skip rope, jog around the block, ride bikes. Get out there and participate.

Ok you are stuck inside now what. Throw on an exercise program on TV or a DVD and move with your children jumping all around you. How about putting on a CD and dancing around the house. Dance is a great way to burn calories and have fun and you are with your kids so no one care what you look like.

Make exercise a game and it will go faster, occupy time, be fun for everyone and create a lasting healthy impact for your family.

Dream, Describe & Do

Many people create career plans. We all have paths to take, through our education choices and plans, our family plans and choices into our careers and job selections. We get so busy with life and family that you put yourself on the back burner. This can create stress, unhappiness, fatigue, anger, resentment, weight gain or loss and more.

In this blog I am going to suggest you do something for only you! Take a few minutes, sit back, relax and dream.

Dream: Ask yourself a few questions in this dream What do I want my personal future to look like? What can I do to create this dream. Paint a picture of your personal wellness in this dream. What kind of person do you want to be when it comes to your well being.

Compartmentalize: Choose the most important part of this dream. Pick the one area or desire that is going to be the building block to the rest of the dream. If your desire is health then what is the building block to get you there...eating, exercise? Figure out what is the most important for you.

Space: Now think about how big the space is between your dream and your life today. How can you get to the point of making your dream happen and step over that space into action. You can help yourself to make this space smaller by...

Motivators: What makes this dream important to you? Why do you want to make this dream come true. Listing the motivators, the inspirations you need, what will prompt you to continue with the necessary changes to make your dream come true?

Obstacles: Identify the obstacles that may get in the way of you reaching your dream. List all of them whatever they may be. The key here is to recognize all sources of impediments so there are no surprises as your work toward your dream.

Strengths: This is so important to achieving your dream. What are your personal strengths that can be drawn upon on to help you overcome any of the obstacles you listed. Use your past experiences to help you figure this out. Think about a time in your life when you applied any particular strength to move on or get ahead. Draw on those strengths to get past your obstacles.

Strategies: Now think about the approach to making this dream a reality. How are you going to plan and tackle and achieve this dream. Come up with a reasonable, achievable and doable plan of action.

NOW WRITE IT ALL DOWN AND GO!

I Had A Dream I Was Flying

How great is it when you have a dream you can fly. I remember having these dreams more often as a child. Having one as an adult gives it a whole new meaning, at least for me.

There is so much going on in life, my life, your life, every one's life that we often get bogged down with all this "stuff". Personally I have difficult things and easy things to deal with. Happenings that are painful, events that are joyous and let's not forget the everyday bits and pieces of life.

When I was young and had a dream that I could fly I would wake up feeling good and happy. This time as an adult having that dream that I could fly made me feel secure. It was a truly amazing experience. To wake up feeling that you have the power and security to handle anything that could come your way and make it a positive outcome. This is big for me. I have always had strong convictions and feelings but have come to realize the power of listening and letting go. I have not sacrificed anything just view it differently. Then reacted to it differently.

This is largely due to my training as a coach. It all started with fitness and health, eating intuitively and then learning how to ask the right questions and listen for the answer when I became a wellcoach. Now I do this in many given situations, with my family, friends, and of course clients. Listening and looking for the deeper thoughts in an answer to a well thought out question.

So what can this blog do for you... well I would like you to think about some questions.

1. If you could do anything what would you want your life to look like right now?
2. What kind of relationship would you like with...?
3. What can you do to make these changes happen?
4. What needs to change to make me happy, satisfied, stronger?

Ask yourself a "what", "why", "where", "when" and "how" questions then think carefully about your answers. Whatever you need to change to find yourself flying is worth it.

Happy Dreaming!

Challenge Your Heart Rate

A great way to make your work outs go faster and be more efficient is to challenge yourself and your heart rate. This is simple to do with a heart rate monitor or without a monitor.

The idea is to take your work out up a notch for a few minutes at a time during the session. The plan for any type of exercise it to keep a steady pace for 3 minutes then pick up your heart rate by picking up your pace or intensity for the next 2 minutes then bring your heart rate down back to your steady pace. Every 5 minutes you will be changing the routine for a 3 minute interval then a 2 minute interval. The intensity routine work out can be adjusted depending on your fitness level. 4 minutes to 1 minute of intensity, 2 minutes to 3 minutes of intensity or if you wish, 4 minutes of high intensity and 1 minute steady pace. The important thing is to choose a plan to fit your needs that day.

For example if you are outside walking there are several ways to pick it up. I used walking as a way to teach myself to jog. This picked up my heart rate and made my workout more efficient, challenging and fun because the time went so fast. I would allow myself to walk up the hills and jog lightly down the hills and on the flats.

Ok, so you are not into jogging, don't - you can just walk faster, use a straighter stature, swing your arms bigger, lift your legs into a knee up while your walk.

The idea is to pick up your heart rate. Using a heart rate monitor follow the guidelines on the page on this blog titled "Heart Rate Training Zones". Find the age range appropriate and pick out the range of your heart rate. For example if you are 40 years old a good interval work out would entail keeping your heart rate between 117 -126 for your steady pace then 144 - 153 for the higher intensity level. If you do not have a heart rate monitor check the page titled "Rate of Perceived Exertion" that can help you figure out if your heart rate is up. A good work out using the guidelines mentioned in the article would be to keep your rate of perceived exertion between 6 and 7 for the steady pace and between 7 and 9 for the higher level.

Try this type of work out, have fun, get and energising work out and watch the time fly by. Let me know how it works for you and enjoy.

Do A Combination Work Out

Finally you find 30 minutes, 45 minutes, 20 minutes and feel motivated to do a little exercise. Here is the delima...cardio or strength training? What I would suggested is doing both, especially if you have not devoted much time to exercise during the week.

Pick your favorite heart rate raising routine and get going. Then stop and take a few minutes to add in a little body muscle training. Here is an example of something you can do in just 45 minutes. You will get at least 20 minutes of cardio fitness, enough to start that fat burning off and some muscle conditioning that will help you continue to burn more calories during the day. An added bonus is that if you don't rest your heart rate will stay elevated for a little extra cardio fitness.

• Let's begin with a treadmill work out. Get on that treadmill at a good clip either walking, jogging or walking on an incline what ever it takes to get your heart rate up and running. Stay on for 10 minutes.

• Push the pause button, carefully get off and use a bench or weights for 3 sets of 10 triceps and 3 sets of 10 biceps. This should take you about 7 to 10 minutes. No resting in between sets of triceps and biceps.

• Now back on the treadmill and crank it up. Use as much energy as you can muster for another 5 minutes.

• Again, get off carefully and keeping your head in line with your spine, don't look down hit the floor with 5 push ups (on your knees or toes), breathe - up from the floor - 5 single leg squats on each leg, 5 more push ups, breathe, up from the floor - 5 single leg squats on each leg, and 5 more push ups - up from the floor - 5 single leg squats on each leg. Give yourself 7 to 10 minutes to complete this portion.

• Next, you know - its back on that treadmill. This time crank it up for another 5 to 7 minutes.

• That should complete 40 minutes of fitness using your heart and your upper and lower body muscles.

• During the last 5 minutes, cool down for 3 minutes then do some standing crunches to complete the workout with abs.

This type of working out can be applied to any time frame or cardio fitness you desire. If you are outside walking, tricep dips can be completed on a curb. A push up can be done anywhere as well as squats. While you walk you can use your own body resistance to do some biceps.

Combination workout save time and make the time go very fast. Enjoy!

What Happened to Young Me! Second Edition

One thing I have realized since having my children later in life is that it is never too late to make a change. What you did in your past is in your past and we all have to opportunty to move away and forward to make a healthier life.

The most important thing is to find your motivation. Whether it is staying young for your children, a history of disease in your family, a tragedy that brought you to change or a realization of some kind... you got there now go with it.

So what else can you do to keep or find that youthful you beside finding your "joy in exercise" as mentioned in the First Edition of this post? Another obvious answer, food, eat food to enjoy it! I am not talking diet, restriction, abstaining from food. I am talking about how to enjoy food! Yep again here is that word joy but routed into the word enjoy!

How many times have you decided to go on a diet and not eat sweets, breads, pastas, cakes, cookies, candy. How many times have you given up foods that you love and enjoyed doing it? I don't know about you but I think giving up things I like to eat sucks! Not to mention but to think about how long does this abstaining usually last for you. What ever we give up we crave more of, it is a fact.

Think about that boy/girl you dated that your parents hated. Wasn't that making the forbidden or hated person much more attractive to you. The same goes with food, what ever you give up you want much more. My answer, don't give anything up. Eat, enjoy your food. Tune into your body and it wants and desires regarding food and enjoy what you need and want.

It is amazing if you let your body and your mind dictate your selections how smart your choice will eventually be...

Make It The Right Size

We have all heard or read different thoughts on what portion size we should be eating.

The portion of food that you eat should match the size of your stomach. To adequately describe the size of your stomach, take one hand and make a fist. Then wrap the other hand around that fist you made with your first hand. That is the size of your stomach. Another way of thinking about stomach size is comparing it to a large potato.

When you make yourself a plate of food keep that vision in mind. A real challenge for many people is trying not to walk around and pick at your food. Do this you may eat a lot more food than you realize. Then you end up feeling full and bloated. And NO your stomach is not stretched out. Your stomach size can not be made larger or smaller. The only permanent way to reduce your stomach size is through bariatric surgery.

I would like to offer a couple of ideas for tricking yourself into feeling full with out the overload of food. To create the deception in your brain and make it seem like you have more food, use a smaller plate. AND always put your food on a plate so you are aware of how much you are actually eating. Also, if you want to feel full and satisfied after a meal use the correct pairing of foods on your plate...a carbohydrate, a protein and a small amount of fat as I have blogged about previously. Another helpful hint to feeling full is to maintain the volume but reduce the calories. Fill your plate with, fruits, vegetables, whole grains and hearty soups. These will take up space in your "fist" sized stomach and leave you feeling satisfied.

What Happened to Young Me! First Edition

I don't know about you but I used to look younger without make up. I loved getting carded for purchases or in a bar. Those were the days.

Ok, so now I need to actually put make up on to look younger. This happens and I have found some other solutions as we age to make me feel and look younger. Besides the obvious stay out of the sun ( I will admit a hard one for me), use moisturizers, don't smoke and plastic surgery. Here they are:

The first one is exercise. I know another obvious way to keep ourselves younger but it is so true and really pretty easy (especially if you are following some of the tips on my blog). I made a slow start. I gave some thought to what I might like to do, that would be fun and move my body. For my first exercise experience it was Jazzersize (I guess I always wanted to be a dancer). Of course I wasn't very good but was able to pickup some moves and found my joy. The main reason for this sudden interest in staying young was when I began to have children. I knew it was time to do something to keep up with my young kids as well as not look like an old mom!

I wish I had found the joy of exercise in my 20's and 30's instead of starting in my 40's. I can only imagine how I could look and feel now.

Well you may say finding the joy in exercise, yea right! But there can be some joy in it for everyone it's just a matter of finding out what the joy is that will work for you.

So don't make the same mistake I made and wait to move your body and start to feel good. Find your exercise joy and have some fun too.

Look for the next edition of "What happened to Young Me" coming soon.

Pair it Correctly

There is scientific proof that eating a carbohydrate, a protein and a small amount of fat together as a meal will keep you feeling full for a longer period of time.

Our body needs all three sources of these nutrients to give us energy, keep us healthy and feeling satisfied. Whenever we take one away something is lacking and our bodies let us know. If you have ever tried giving up carbohydrates for any period of time you will start to realize you have no energy. Carbs are instrumental in giving us the "get up and go" we need every day.

It is also very important to feel satisfied after a meal. This will cut down on snacking during the day. A perfect meal consists of a carbohydrate some protein paired with a health fat. A great example of a good breakfast that will keep you satisfied and feeling great are eggs. Eggs are the perfect food, protein and a healthy fat. Scramble a couple of eggs in the morning add a piece of whole grain toast and you are set for a few hours. If you are pressed for time, plan ahead. Every week I hard boil a dozen eggs and keep them ready in my refrigerator for the week. On the go I grab two of these hard boiled eggs and a 1/2 cup of granola. This meal keeps me going from one project to the next all morning long.

Give it a try and let me know how it works for you.

Switch It Up

If you are doing the same routine every time you exercise your body (and your mind) may be falling into a rut. 30 minutes on the elliptical every day, every other day or 3 times a week gets boring for you and your body.
We need to get out of the same routine workout regime. There are a few ways you can shock your body and improve your image too.
Changing the type of exercise you do is a great way to improve cardiovascular capacity and make exercise more successful and rewarding.
Instead of the same movement whatever that may be, running, elliptical training, biking try doing different things for every other workout session. Bike one day, run or walk another, take a class or rent a video. Also, make changes to the duration and the intensity of your exercise time. Some days try to keep your pace steady other days challenge your self.
Something common many people do when they exercise is always move in a forward motion. Run, Walk, Elliptical, Bike all forward facing motions. Try some lateral moves, step aerobics, dance or just do a side step for a while during a walk.
Most importantly mix it up and you will see better results for your efforts.

Go to the Library to Exercise

Can't or don't want to get to a gym.
No time, no money, don't know what to do with your children while you are there, don't like the atmosphere? Whatever your reason there is a great solution.
Your local library has dozens of exercise videos and DVDs for free! Yes you can rent an exercise solution and improve your health, happiness and fitness ability for free.
Choose from workouts using equipment or no equipment. Dance tapes, step aerobics (use a stair in your home if you don't have a step), floor aerobics, Pilate's, yoga, strength training. Choose tapes that are 20, 30, 40, 60 minutes long and based on your fitness ability, beginner, intermediate, advanced. The choices are there for your use and for FREE!
No excuses like bad weather, sick children, no time, no workout clothes. Pop in a DVD and get a 20 minute revival any time of the day!
The Library a great place to exercise.

5 Tips to Keep Your New Years Resolution to Lose Weight

1) Be realistic, it won't happen overnight

2) You will have setbacks and bad moment or days. Don't worry just
get back on track the next day or next hour.

3) Throw away your scale and the obsession that goes with it.

4) Sit down to eat, enjoy your food, savior it, make it special.

5) Before you eat - STOP - think about why you are eating...is it true hunger
(your stomach is empty, rumbling) OR are you eating because you are
feeling angry, boredom, avoiding something.