We all know how important it is to exercise regularly but it's also just as important to give your body regular breaks. So long as the 'break' doesn't become permanent!
Depending on how hard you work, your body needs to recover accordingly.
If you go hard and hit the gym Monday to Friday, you should take at least one day on the weekend to recover, the other you could do a more leisurely activity.
It's also important to give your body a longer rest from time to time. It doesn't hurt to take a week off each season just to rest it and change things up.
You'd be surprised how your body will re-energize when you give it a chance. You will come back stronger and with new energy...ready to tackle the new challenges that lay ahead.
So go ahead...give yourself a break!
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
HOW TO STAY CLEAR OF TEMPTATION...
It can be very difficult to resist temptation but here are a few tricks to help you stay clear.
1. STAY AWAY FROM DRIVE-THRU'S- Drive Thru's are the templates of disaster. It's so easy to biggie size your fries or add a shake instead of a diet pop when you're eating on the go. It's convenient...you really might not be hungry but you're given a combo and you eat it just because...not a good thing
2. EAT MINI MEALS- By snacking throughout the day rather than eating 2 or 3 large meals you have more control over how much you are eating. You are not overeating because your blood sugar is low and you feel like you're starving. By eating small amounts regularly you are better able to listen your tummy and stop when full. Your body also uses the food more efficiently because it knows there is more coming soon.
3. WEIGHT YOURSELF REGULARLY- By weighing yourself it reminds you of where you are at. If you are up a few pounds then you know sooner than later to make some adjustments. Mainly psychosomatic but it's all good.
4. GET HAPPY- Poor food choices is often associated with mood. If you are happy and content you are more likely to keep things in check. If you are sad or emotional you may look to food for comfort and that's not a good thing.
By trying these four things you may just be able to steer clear of temptation and look to make better food choices for you. Give it a shot!
1. STAY AWAY FROM DRIVE-THRU'S- Drive Thru's are the templates of disaster. It's so easy to biggie size your fries or add a shake instead of a diet pop when you're eating on the go. It's convenient...you really might not be hungry but you're given a combo and you eat it just because...not a good thing
2. EAT MINI MEALS- By snacking throughout the day rather than eating 2 or 3 large meals you have more control over how much you are eating. You are not overeating because your blood sugar is low and you feel like you're starving. By eating small amounts regularly you are better able to listen your tummy and stop when full. Your body also uses the food more efficiently because it knows there is more coming soon.
3. WEIGHT YOURSELF REGULARLY- By weighing yourself it reminds you of where you are at. If you are up a few pounds then you know sooner than later to make some adjustments. Mainly psychosomatic but it's all good.
4. GET HAPPY- Poor food choices is often associated with mood. If you are happy and content you are more likely to keep things in check. If you are sad or emotional you may look to food for comfort and that's not a good thing.
By trying these four things you may just be able to steer clear of temptation and look to make better food choices for you. Give it a shot!
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
DON'T SKIP THE PROTEIN!
I remember when I was growing up I remember believing that meat (man source of protein) would make me fat. A lot of people still believe that today. It's silly of course as protein used properly helps to build muscle which in turn helps your body to burn calories more efficiently.
It's when people eat too much protein or protein foods loaded with fat, that we run into trouble.
How it is cooked is very important, along with eating it regularly.
If you sit down at dinner and have a grilled 12 oz sirloin steak with buttered potatoes, broccoli with cheese sauce and buttered french bread...you are indeed consuming too many calories and a lot more fat than you need.
The meat in itself is 2 to 3 times larger than a normal serving of 4-6 oz.
If think that chicken is a good protein source you are correct. But Kentucky Fried Chicken is not! That's just loaded with extra fat. ONE piece of extra crispy chicken breast is 490 calories and a crazy 31grams of fat! On average a 6oz grilled chicken breast has 281 calories and 3 grams of fat in comparison...yikes.
Great protein sources are lean red meat, chicken salmon, tuna, yogurt, tofu, quinoa (protein grain), lentils and beans. Of course there are too many to list.
My main point here is to make sure you get a healthy serving of protein at every meal. By healthy I mean cooked without added fat.
So don't be afraid of protein.
Mix it up, use proper serving sizes, keep it healthy and enjoy!
Now could somebody please pass the honey-glazed chicken?...Sml
It's when people eat too much protein or protein foods loaded with fat, that we run into trouble.
How it is cooked is very important, along with eating it regularly.
If you sit down at dinner and have a grilled 12 oz sirloin steak with buttered potatoes, broccoli with cheese sauce and buttered french bread...you are indeed consuming too many calories and a lot more fat than you need.
The meat in itself is 2 to 3 times larger than a normal serving of 4-6 oz.
If think that chicken is a good protein source you are correct. But Kentucky Fried Chicken is not! That's just loaded with extra fat. ONE piece of extra crispy chicken breast is 490 calories and a crazy 31grams of fat! On average a 6oz grilled chicken breast has 281 calories and 3 grams of fat in comparison...yikes.
Great protein sources are lean red meat, chicken salmon, tuna, yogurt, tofu, quinoa (protein grain), lentils and beans. Of course there are too many to list.
My main point here is to make sure you get a healthy serving of protein at every meal. By healthy I mean cooked without added fat.
So don't be afraid of protein.
Mix it up, use proper serving sizes, keep it healthy and enjoy!
Now could somebody please pass the honey-glazed chicken?...Sml
Friday, October 30, 2009
HIT THE WEIGHTS! BETTER THAN JUST DOING CARDIO!
In my younger years I used to believe that 'cardio' was the only way to burn fat and keep myself in shape. How wrong I was...that's the hard way to do it!
Building muscle is the quickest way to re-adjust your metabolism to burn more calories, become stronger and if you stick to eating healthy you will lose weight too!
Now the best combination for staying fit is both cardio and weights but more emphasize on the weights is a good thing.
15-20 minutes three days a week is all you need. Start light and work your way up making sure you do both upper body and lower body.
Don't have access to weights? No problem...push ups, pull ups, sit ups, squats and lunges are excellent multi-muscle builders. Again start small and work your way up...adding as you go and changing things up regularly.
The Internet is a great way to start if you don't have access to a personal trainer, because technique is very important in order to keep yourself from getting injured.
Lots of stretching is important before and after exercising too. But make sure you do a little bit of cardio before stretching to warm yourself up, otherwise you may pull a muscle.
So if you don't already, add weights to you fitness routine.
It won't take long for you to feel better about yourself and see results!
Keep smiling and stick with it!
Building muscle is the quickest way to re-adjust your metabolism to burn more calories, become stronger and if you stick to eating healthy you will lose weight too!
Now the best combination for staying fit is both cardio and weights but more emphasize on the weights is a good thing.
15-20 minutes three days a week is all you need. Start light and work your way up making sure you do both upper body and lower body.
Don't have access to weights? No problem...push ups, pull ups, sit ups, squats and lunges are excellent multi-muscle builders. Again start small and work your way up...adding as you go and changing things up regularly.
The Internet is a great way to start if you don't have access to a personal trainer, because technique is very important in order to keep yourself from getting injured.
Lots of stretching is important before and after exercising too. But make sure you do a little bit of cardio before stretching to warm yourself up, otherwise you may pull a muscle.
So if you don't already, add weights to you fitness routine.
It won't take long for you to feel better about yourself and see results!
Keep smiling and stick with it!
Thursday, October 29, 2009
TRY EATNG MINI-MEALS RATHER THAN HUGE ONES
In today's world eating 3 large meals a day is not the best way to fuel our bodies.
The 'large meal' concept came from way back when people ate to survive. They would use up all their energy to chase down and kill an animal, in order for their families to survive. They would eat all they could handle after the kill and dry the rest to eat until the next big kill. Never knowing how long the wait would be.
We, on the other hand, eat for very different reasons. Because we are bored, emotional, pressure to try something, for social reasons...the last reason being because we need fuel.
We have 'programmed' ourselves to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner, whether we are hungry or not.
Our bodies are built to expend energy continuously. Hence they need to be fueled in this fashion. During the day when we are generally using the most energy is when we need to eat.
Small meals regularly keeps our energy levels up and allows us to function most efficiently.
Eating more calories than our bodies need results in extra energy which is stored as fat.
Eating late at night, just before bed, is not a good thing as our bodies metabolic rate (calorie burner) drops down and our need for food diminishes.
Upon waking we need refueling and this is when we should have our largest meal of the day.
The 'large meal' concept came from way back when people ate to survive. They would use up all their energy to chase down and kill an animal, in order for their families to survive. They would eat all they could handle after the kill and dry the rest to eat until the next big kill. Never knowing how long the wait would be.
We, on the other hand, eat for very different reasons. Because we are bored, emotional, pressure to try something, for social reasons...the last reason being because we need fuel.
We have 'programmed' ourselves to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner, whether we are hungry or not.
Our bodies are built to expend energy continuously. Hence they need to be fueled in this fashion. During the day when we are generally using the most energy is when we need to eat.
Small meals regularly keeps our energy levels up and allows us to function most efficiently.
Eating more calories than our bodies need results in extra energy which is stored as fat.
Eating late at night, just before bed, is not a good thing as our bodies metabolic rate (calorie burner) drops down and our need for food diminishes.
Upon waking we need refueling and this is when we should have our largest meal of the day.
Definitely not the meal to skip.
Think of it like trying to run your car on fumes...doesn't run so well. Well you body isn't going to run very well either if you don't fill it up.
Also eating mini-meals doesn't leave you starving, so you are less likely to overdo it when it's time to fill your tank.
You won't have so many 'highs' and 'lows' during the day as your blood sugar levels will be more constant. You will feel better and this can only be good.
So give it a try...start eating smaller amounts more frequently, listening to your body and stopping before you are full.
Your body will thank you for it!
Keep smiling...
Monday, October 26, 2009
YOU'RE NOT A BEAR...SO DON'T HIBERNATE IN THE WINTER!
I know how easy it is to slack off your workout routine in the winter. No more bikinis, short skirts, tank tops and little dresses. Now you can trade in for long pants, shirts that cover it all, sweaters and bulky jackets.
So being a little bloated after eating that double portion of pasta isn't going to show instantly. But believe me it won't take very much time before it does. Don't let your winter cover ups give you a false sense of security.
With this comes the cold weather that often becomes peoples standard excuse for not exercising. Ha...you don't have to like winter to exercise.
Figure out what you like to do and do it! Try new things...how about snowshoeing or cross-country skiing? You can still go to the gym...how about skating or just plan walking? Put on your snow boots and get moving! It's never boring and trekking through the snow is way better for you than just plain walking. How bout building a snowman or having a snowball fight?...all good.
They even have walking programs at most malls. You can even get out and shovel your drive way.
The exercise will help chase the blues away and the adrenaline will make you feel better about yourself.
Not to mention the fact of all the extra time you have to get yourself ready for the summer season!
Start now...time's a wasting!
So being a little bloated after eating that double portion of pasta isn't going to show instantly. But believe me it won't take very much time before it does. Don't let your winter cover ups give you a false sense of security.
With this comes the cold weather that often becomes peoples standard excuse for not exercising. Ha...you don't have to like winter to exercise.
Figure out what you like to do and do it! Try new things...how about snowshoeing or cross-country skiing? You can still go to the gym...how about skating or just plan walking? Put on your snow boots and get moving! It's never boring and trekking through the snow is way better for you than just plain walking. How bout building a snowman or having a snowball fight?...all good.
They even have walking programs at most malls. You can even get out and shovel your drive way.
The exercise will help chase the blues away and the adrenaline will make you feel better about yourself.
Not to mention the fact of all the extra time you have to get yourself ready for the summer season!
Start now...time's a wasting!
Thursday, October 22, 2009
STARBUCKS?...YIKES...THE FANCIER THE NAME, THE WORSE IT IS FOR YOU
Ok...BEWARE OF STARBUCK'S FANCY LINGO...THE LESS YOU CAN PRONOUNCE IT THE WORSE IT IS FOR YOU!..HA..
The hidden calories and fat in these oversized 'comfort' beverages is crazy! The ones made with cream and whipped cream do not do your body good.
For instance the most basic FRAPPUCCINO is caffe vanilla. This is a blended coffee with milk and whip cream. The most common size is Grande and has a whopping 430 cal with 130 cal or 14 grams of that in fat!...yikes.
A CAFFE LATTE wish is essensially expresso and steamed milk runs at 190 cal for a grande and 60 cal or 7 grams is fat. Better than the FRAPPUCCINO but you've still gotta watch it.
Even a basic grande HOT CHOCOLATE is 370 cal with 140cal or 16 grams of it fat.
If you are going for something cold the LEMONADE BLENDED BEVERAGE is lemonade and ice and the grande is 250 cal and no fat. This one isn't so bad.
But if you ignore the beverages you can't pronounce and go for a black coffee or tea you aren't adding any extra calories or fat to your day. Even if you have cream and sugar in it you are ten steps ahead of the 'fancy' drinks.
So stick to 'simple' when ordering. Skip the whipping cream and ask for non-fat milk to trim the calories. There is also a hidden secret that I have discovered. They have a small size called a SHORT which is about 1 cup. Some beverage they won't make this small but it doesn't hurt to ask. When I decide to treat myself I order a non-fat latte short. This runs under 100 calories and next to nothing in fat. A healthy choice but still a treat from my normal assortment of teas.
And if you're thinking of adding a muffin, tea biscuit or cookie to that you might as well throw in the towel!...ha...I don't even want to start depressing you with those stats. If you've gotta have something either share it with someone or have a few bites and save the rest for another day. I know, easier said than done but you've gotta start somewhere!
Keep smilin and have fun...
The hidden calories and fat in these oversized 'comfort' beverages is crazy! The ones made with cream and whipped cream do not do your body good.
For instance the most basic FRAPPUCCINO is caffe vanilla. This is a blended coffee with milk and whip cream. The most common size is Grande and has a whopping 430 cal with 130 cal or 14 grams of that in fat!...yikes.
A CAFFE LATTE wish is essensially expresso and steamed milk runs at 190 cal for a grande and 60 cal or 7 grams is fat. Better than the FRAPPUCCINO but you've still gotta watch it.
Even a basic grande HOT CHOCOLATE is 370 cal with 140cal or 16 grams of it fat.
If you are going for something cold the LEMONADE BLENDED BEVERAGE is lemonade and ice and the grande is 250 cal and no fat. This one isn't so bad.
But if you ignore the beverages you can't pronounce and go for a black coffee or tea you aren't adding any extra calories or fat to your day. Even if you have cream and sugar in it you are ten steps ahead of the 'fancy' drinks.
So stick to 'simple' when ordering. Skip the whipping cream and ask for non-fat milk to trim the calories. There is also a hidden secret that I have discovered. They have a small size called a SHORT which is about 1 cup. Some beverage they won't make this small but it doesn't hurt to ask. When I decide to treat myself I order a non-fat latte short. This runs under 100 calories and next to nothing in fat. A healthy choice but still a treat from my normal assortment of teas.
And if you're thinking of adding a muffin, tea biscuit or cookie to that you might as well throw in the towel!...ha...I don't even want to start depressing you with those stats. If you've gotta have something either share it with someone or have a few bites and save the rest for another day. I know, easier said than done but you've gotta start somewhere!
Keep smilin and have fun...
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