It’s Thanksgiving this week! The Holidays are officially here. You know what that means don’t you? Parties, parties and more parties. Whether they are work parties, family parties or even neighborhood parties, one thing is certain: Wherever you go, you’re pretty much guaranteed that there will be food – and lots of it. Sweet, salty, savory and anything that’s naughty! It is so hard to maintain a regular schedule during this busy time of the year. And yes – very possibly your workouts might not be as consistent as they normally are. So it is even more important to stick with healthy, clean eating as much as you can.

Here are three tips to help you stay on the healthy wagon:

1)   Don’t go to a party on an empty stomach! You will be more likely to over eat if you show up to your shindig ravenously hungry. Do yourself a favor and have a small healthy snack before heading out the door; like an apple and a handful of almonds – or even just a handful of nuts. This way you will be able to let your mind do the deciding instead of your tummy.

2)   If you don’t LOVE it, don’t eat it! Don’t allow yourself to feel pressured into eating something you don’t even like. If you are going to give in a bit, make sure it’s for something that you absolutely love (and you never, ever get except this one time of year when you visit your great aunt Edna) And remember, we are not teenage boys – we don’t need ½ the pie, 3 servings of ice cream to go with it and 8 scoops of whipped cream… one small serving will do and then be DONE!

3)   IF, for some strange reason you completely blow it and fall waaaay off the healthy wagon, don’t use this as an excuse to stay off until January. One party blip won’t set you too far behind, but a month of overindulging will. If you fall off, get right back on the very next day.  (remember – it’s a holiDAY not a holiMONTH)

Good luck with your healthy endeavors. You can do it! Stay Healthy! And have fun

Change is hard. We all know that. One of the hardest things to change is eating habits. Food is around us 24/7 and for some it is a constant battle to eat healthfully and stay on track. This is where journaling can be extremely useful. I don’t think we need by glued to our diet journal every day for the rest of our lives, but I DO think it is very helpful in keeping track of our intake and being aware of how much we are consuming.

It is actually really simple to do – once you commit to doing this. All you need to do is buy a book. A spiral bound notebook will do or you can even use plain paper and keep them all in a folder. On one side of the paper you will write what you eat for each meal or snack. On the other side of the paper you will record how many calories are in the food that you just ate. The key is you HAVE to record this throughout the day every time you eat. If you wait until the end of the day to record everything, I guarantee you will be forgetting something. When the day is done you add up the calories you have consumed for the day. You’ll also be able to see the quality of your food choices. Sometimes we don’t eat quite enough, other times it’s waaay too much!

This brings us to the next question: How many calories should I be eating? AHH! Such a great question!  This all depends on your age, weight height and activity level. There are a lot of free online calorie counters. Here is a link in case you have a hard time finding them: www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm. Knowledge is power right? The more we know the more, the more we can succeed! It might be a bit of a pain to journal but I promise it will make you so much more aware of what you put in your mouth!!

I celebrated my 42^nd birthday March 12^th. It sounds like a lot of years to some, but you know what? I actually feel better than ever. I have been asked by a few people if I “feel” 42! I don’t know what that means and I don’t know what 42 is supposed to feel like. What I do know is that I feel fabulous! I attribute this to my active lifestyle.

Exercise is like preventative medicine. Studies show that when we exercise we have more strength and energy; we can maintain or lose weight (instead of gain) because we keep our metabolism revved, we build muscle and bone density. With exercise we can lower blood pressure and cholesterol; we decrease our risk of certain diseases such as heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, even cancer. With exercise comes a better memory, less depression and an increased life span as well as a better quality of life. Who wouldn’t want all of this? Exercise is our fountain of youth – available to everyone.

Unfortunately, there are a lot of people who don’t take advantage of all that exercise has to offer. Studies show that a lack of exercise can result in increased fatigue, weakness, loss of muscle mass and bone density; there is a decrease in mental health, loss of self esteem, increase in anxiety, and depression. Without exercise there is a greater risk of disease, a weakened immune system, a decrease in quality of life and ultimately a shorter life span. Hmm – this is a list I would rather avoid thank you very much. Exercise isn’t always easy but the benefits are immeasurable.

Listen – we are all going to be celebrating a birthday this year, whether it’s your 28^th or 85^th. As a gift to yourself, take a drink from the fountain of youth called exercise. It might not give you magical immediate results but I promise, if you keep on “drinking” from the fountain, you will begin to feel better, stronger, healthier. Your body will thank you for it ….and after all, aren’t you worth it?

I want to be the voice of reason for people so they can understand that being healthy isn’t a mystery. I am so sick of people doing all kinds of different diets to lose a ton of weight, only to gain it all back – and then some.  There are so many fads and trends in the fitness industry: a special diet; a new way to eat; a new machine to help us “whittle that middle”; various tools to help shed the unwanted weight. The truth is there is NO magic bullet. What it comes down to is the same thing that it has always come down to: Good nutrition, paired with a consistent exercise program (that includes weights) is the key to a healthy body.  Any advertisement that tells you that you can lose weight by eating whatever you want is… well… false advertising. Anyone who tells you that you shouldn’t eat carbs is…well…wrong. Any one who claims that one machine will solve all your weight issues, is…well, you guessed it: wrong!

Look – when we were teenagers we didn’t have to worry so much about our weight. That is true for a few reasons. We were younger, more active, and our metabolisms were faster than they are now. As we age (this is no secret by the way) it becomes harder to maintain that lean frame we once enjoyed. For some very few, lucky people, genetics is on their side and they are naturally lean. However, that is not the case for the majority of the population. So you can pretty much adopt what I am about to tell you as truth: Anyone who is lean and healthy has to work hard at it. PERIOD.

So – do away with the mystery – the truth is out! Being healthy doesn’t have to be a guessing game.  Make good nutrition and exercise your  priorities and you will be on the right track. It’s no magic bullet – but it IS true and it WILL get you there!

So I get asked this question a lot: “What’s better for me, cardio or weights?” The answer is both! One is not better than the other. They both are necessary and they both serve their own purpose. Cardio –or aerobic- exercise can prevent or reduce inflammation that leads to heart disease, while weight training can lower bad cholesterol levels and lower blood pressure. Weight training also is the way we build muscle. When we have more muscle mass our metabolism stays revved, thereby burning more calories (a muscle cell burns more calories than a fat cell).  At the same time, when we do cardiovascular exercise we are burning calories too.

So – on to the next question: if I only have time to do one, what should I do – cardio or weights?” To that I answer: why not do both?! One of my very favorite things to do is to mix my cardio with weights. I do 2-3 minutes of high intensity cardio, then 2 minutes of high intensity weights. For example, I might do 2-3 minutes of jump rope then 2 minutes of walking lunges. The next 2-3 minutes of cardio I might do sprinting, then do 1 minute of triceps dips and 1 minute of push-ups. I try to choose exercises that use multiple muscles so that the intensity keeps my heart rate elevated. The trick is to keep it tough and challenging! If you do this for a good 45 minutes to an hour, you got both your cardio and weights in for the day…not bad if you’re on a tight schedule eh?

Try it out…you can always let me know how it goes!!

So – let’s talk about food for a minute. If any of you know me than you will also know that I love food – I really do.  I just am choosy about what I will eat.  How about you? Are you choosy about what you eat too, or will you just eat something because it’s there to eat?

Listen – I haven’t always had this mode of thinking. As a kid I pretty much ate whatever I was offered…especially if there was sugar in it! But as an adult I have learned to decipher what food I really love as opposed to what I kinda like.  As a result I will frequently pass on certain dishes whether dining privately with my husband or at a gathering with several people.

What it comes down to is this: I work hard 5-6 days a week to help me stay healthy, fit, be strong, and at keep at my ideal weight. Why, oh why would I throw it away to eat something that I don’t like? All food has a caloric value right? Then I’m going to make sure that the calories I put in my mouth are worth the effort that I expend trying to be healthy.  And of course – these delectable treats can only be in moderation. But honestly, if I work so hard during the week I’m not going to eat something  I don’t REALLY enjoy.  If I don’t LOVE it, it’s not worth it. Try implementing that ideology in your life too.  You might find yourself turning down a dish or two – and saving a few extra hundred calories as a result. If you consistently pass up 5-600 calories per week, it would be enough to drop up to 10 pounds in a year! Can you believe that?

Start saying this to yourself: “If I don’t love it, It’s not worth it!” See what happens….

Recently I was involved in a comment thread on Facebook. It was all about soda! Diet and regular! It was actually entertaining to see everyone’s opinions!  I let myself get pulled into the “discussion” because I just couldn’t help myself! I definitely have some strong opinions, and when it comes to soda – there are no exceptions!

I don’t like soda – I’m, just going to get that right out there. (My husband likes it but that’s another story all together!) Listen, it’s’ not like I have never had soda. As a kid I used to love root beer and now, as an adult, I have been known to steal a sip of my husband’s Coke if I feel a headache coming on. But honestly, there is absolutely nothing good for you in soda pop. Soft drinks of any kind are just loaded with sugar. There is no nutritional benefit found in them. A study from Purdue University states that one can of Coke, 12 ounces, per day for a year equals over 50,000 calories or up to 15 pounds of weight gain. I don’t know about you but for me, No Thanks! Diet soft drinks, while they aren’t loaded with real sugar, they are loaded with artificial sweeteners which can wreak havoc on the body. Not only do studies suggest that these artificial sweeteners actually inhibit weight loss but they are also being linked to various medical concerns such as migraine headaches, nausea, vision impairment etc.