Tip #8: Learn the "art" of eating out

Did you know that on average, you'll eat 30% more calories from a meal at a restaurant than you would a meal from home? Scary, huh? This is a tough one for me because I love to go out to eat...no preparing food with a child attachment on my leg, I am the one getting served, and no cleaning up afterward! The danger in eating out, is that there are the temptations of appetizers, entrees large enough for two, drinks and dessert. If you're not careful you may end up leaving a restaurant having eaten way more than your body possibly needs. This can make you feel sick and cause a setback in reaching your health goals.

You can eat out while living healthy and maintaining a healthy weight; just be smart about it. Here are some tips to try when eating out:

1. Order water OR order the drink you want PLUS water
2. Skip the appetizers, OR order an appetizer as your meal
3. Share an entree with a friend, OR eat part of it and take the rest home
4. Skip dessert and/or get coffee instead. For special occasions: get dessert and celebrate!

Tip #7: Skipping meals is a weight loss no-no!

I know that skipping a meal may seem like the right thing to do if you are trying to lose weight, but it only encourages the fat in your body to stick around. Skipping meals is one of the biggest reasons people have high body fat levels. When you skip a meal you produce excess insulin, which actually makes more fat in your body the next time you eat!

If you are trying to lose body fat, skip out on skipping meals. Instead, eat small, frequent meals throughout the day. This helps you to maintain your blood sugar levels, which is favorable for fat loss.

*WARNING: Be careful with this advice. Remember to eat SMALL, frequent meals...not just more frequent meals. :)

Tip #6: Have two "meat-less" days this week

Now, before I explain, let me just tell you that I love meat. Sometimes a nice juicy steak is just what I crave. That red meat (beef, pork, lamb) gives me important protein and iron that my body needs. However, according to the American Heart Association, too much red meat can do a body bad.

Red meat has more cholesterol and saturated (bad) fat then chicken and fish. Try getting some of your protein this week from some non-red meat sources. Chicken, fish, beans and nuts are great alternate sources of protein.

Think outside the box for a couple of days this week, and see what meat-less meals you can come up with.

Here is one of my favorite ways to eat fish:

Scampi Tilapia

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Put 12 oz of thawed/fresh tilapia fillets into a greased baking dish

Combine following:
-1/4 cup melted butter
-3 cloves of garlic (or minced garlic)
-2T lemon juice
-parsley

Pour mixture over the fish and season with salt and pepper
Bake for 15-20 minutes

Enjoy your fish, chicken, beans and nuts this week!

Tip #5: Baby it's cold outside, but you still need to move!

The American College of Sports Medicine and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that all adults accumulate 30 minutes of physical activity on most days of the week.

That's a high aspiration for anyone, including me. Unless chasing my 18 month old around the house counts! This is especially hard in the winter, when the last thing you feel like doing is bundling up and braving the ice and cold temperatures to get some (aerobic)exercise. Nonetheless, it is still very important to get yourself breathing hard and your heart beating faster at least a few times a week.

Here are some ideas to get yourself moving during the cold winter months:

-Walk/run on a treadmill for 15-30 minutes (this is what I rely on)
-Go to/join a local gym (treadmill, stair-climber, elliptical machine, etc.)
-Stair climbing: I know this sounds silly, but it works! If you have stairs in your home, use them. Try this-climb to the top of the stairs at a fairly quick (yet comfortable) pace. Rest and relax on your way down. If you can do this without getting too bored, try to keep it up for 15 minutes.
-Workout to an aerobic exercise dvd
-Have fun with Wii fit
-Spend a couple of dollars on a jump rope. Jump until you mess up, take a short break and jump again. Do that for as long as your able. It's tough!
-Stationary bike
-Swim or water aerobics if you have access to an indoor pool
-Jumping jacks (remember those?)
-Dance for several songs in a row
-Put on some good shoes and go walk at a mall

Aim to do one of these activities TWO times in the next week. Do more if you can! Come on, challenge yourself, your health is worth it. You are worth it.

Keep in mind when you are doing these activities, that they're not super effective unless you are putting forth a good effort. For instance, if you walk, it should not be equivalent to a relaxed stroll in the park. Get yourself sweating and that heart beating faster. Monitor your body and breathing, and tweak your intensity and duration based on those.

***If you have any severe medical conditions, you must consult a doctor first before doing exercise.

I hope you all accept this challenge of at least TWO days of aerobic exercise this week. Need some motivation? How about this...aerobic exercise helps you to lose excess weight, increases energy levels, improves your immune system, strengthens your heart, fights off depression, and those who exercise on a regular basis live longer. Stay warm, and happy breathing!

Tip #4: Give your evening snack a makeover

In our house we have young kids and we eat dinner right around 5:30pm. Unless I have a really heavy meal, I like to have a little snack in the evening. For me, that 5-6 hour stretch is a long time with no food!

Snacks are fine to have in the evening as long as they are the right ones. Even with having an evening snack, you should still have the feeling of a little hunger in the morning. If you don’t, you probably ate too many calories and/or too much fat too close to bed time (except for special circumstances like pregnancy, etc.). This is a dangerous habit to fall into. If you’re not hungry in the morning, then you might skip breakfast, which is crucial for healthy weight management and for adequate energy throughout your day.

So the next time you need a little snack in the evening or your sweet tooth is knocking at the door in the later hours, skip out on the heavy desserts, chips, and cookies, and try one of these instead:

-fruit (any kind)
-a glass of chocolate milk (make your own, using skim milk)
-a cup of decaffeinated hot tea, with honey
-yogurt
-a banana with some dark chocolate chips and a glass of milk
-berry yogurt “dessert”: mix plain lowfat yogurt (about a cup) with honey until smooth; drizzle on top of a small bowl of berries. Delicious! In the winter I just buy frozen berries.


These are some of my favorites, but you may think these suggestions look disgusting! That’s okay—the point is to think of some healthy, lower calorie foods to snack on in the evening. Get creative, and enjoy!

Tip #3: Have a seat...

Against your wall. I realize that you are all busy people, and you may not have a lot of extra time to do a full strength training workout after a full day of work. Try this “fun” exercise out while you are watching your favorite show. A wall squat will strengthen and tone your thighs and buttocks. I’ll have a full post on strength training later, but you should know that it helps prevent osteoporosis and raises your metabolism (along with MANY other benefits). Those who do some sort of strength training 1-2 times per week, actually burn more calories just sitting on the couch, than the person sitting next to them who does not.

Place your back straight against the wall, with your thighs parallel to the floor and your legs at a 90 degree angle, as so wonderfully displayed by my husband above. Start out by holding that position for 5 seconds if you can, and then rest. Do not rest your hands on your thighs. You will feel some discomfort and maybe a little burning. That’s okay; it just means the exercise is working!



Beginners: 3 x 5 seconds (with 30 seconds rest in between)

Intermediate: 10 x 5 seconds (with 10 seconds rest in between)

Advanced: 5 x 10 seconds (with 5 seconds rest in between)


Do this once or twice a week as you are watching tv or during work if you have that freedom and privacy. The more you do this, the stronger you will become, and the easier it will become. Listen to your body, and as it becomes easier, add more seconds, and/or lessen your rest. It is normal to have some soreness the day following strength training exercises.

This may feel awkward at first, but try something new! Even if you just do this once, at least it's a start! You’re body and your metabolism will thank you.

Tip #2: Reintroduce yourself to Water

With all of those sugary, carbonated, delicious drinks out there, I believe many of you have forgotten your dear friend, water. And yes, water is your friend! Here's why...

Staying well hydrated prevents:

-tiredness
-migraines, headaches, back pain
-constipation
-muscle cramps
-kidney problems
-dry skin
-hunger

*Another important note about water is that it is absolutely necessary for fat loss. You NEED water to flush out the by-products of fat break down. One of the other beautiful things about water is that it has ZERO calories. Sometimes we may sit down to a meal and consume HUNDREDS (yes you read that correctly) of calories just from our beverages! You want to start feeling better and shedding some pounds? Pick up that water bottle.

I understand that it can be challenging to force yourself to drink water. I have lived in the south for over 13 years now, and I am a sucker for sweet tea! Here are some helpful tips to get you started drinking more water today.

1. Buy a reusable water bottle (or use one you that you already have) and take it with you everywhere.
2. Commit to drinking only water for at least one meal a day this week.
3. When you do enjoy a not-so-healthy drink, drink equal amounts of water.
4. Drink it cold! It just tastes better.

Many of you have just gotten into the unhealthy habit of not drinking water. And it's just that; a habit. It's what you are used to and you are too busy with life to even think about changing. But I want to urge you to get reacquainted today with a faithful old friend; H2O.

Tip #1: Get rid of your "All or Nothing" mentality

When it comes to eating right and exercise, many of you have an "all or nothing" attitude. You're either going to join a gym and workout 5 days a week, or not at all. You're either going to buy all organic foods or just give up and live off of the dollar value menu. How this scenario usually pans out is this: you get sick of not fitting in your clothes and being out of shape, so you get super motivated and set really restrictive and high goals. You make it 3 days...and then you're back to normal life...frustrated and discouraged. The reason the "all or nothing" mindset doesn't prove to be successful is because the "all" is usually not realistic for the long run. Listen, any diet/workout routine that you cannot maintain long-term, is not going to work. Let me present you with an alternative.

Something is always better than nothing. Don't have time to workout everyday? Fine. Go on a walk or ride a bike, or do some kind of activity to get you moving when. you. can. That's several hundred calories you wouldn't have burned otherwise. And so maybe you're not Jillian Michaels, but if you continue to do even a little each week, over time that can make a big difference! This goes for the foods you eat too. Perhaps your pantry is currently filled with processed, sugary, foods...or maybe there is not much in your pantry at all, and you depend mostly on your local restaurants and fast food joints to fuel your body. Well, just start small. Choose one or two of the "junk" foods you regulary have around the house, and refuse to buy them for a week. Limit eating out to twice a week. Drink water for 1-2 meals a day instead of Coke or tea. You choose. The point is, SOMETHING IS ALWAYS BETTER THAN NOTHING. Just because you can't do everything you want to, doesn't mean you can't do anything at all. The little changes you make, WILL make a difference.

This blog will have something new for you every single day. A new change or tip to keep in mind. Don't just go through a healthy "phase", make it the way you live.