I'm back....but I've moved :) fitforeating.com

It's been a little while since I posted, partly because I've been wanting to switch to a regular .com website. You can now find me at fitforeating.com!! You should be able to comment, follow, etc. without having to have an account. See you there!!

A little more on carbs

So we've established carbs are necessary for any eating plan. That being said, you can definitely OD and cause your body to retain water (aka being bloated). To figure out the number of carbs you need, you just need a simple math equation. The government and other health experts recommend that at least 45% of your daily calories come from carbs. Each gram of carbohydrate is 4 calories. So to figure out your daily carb intake goal, take 45% of your daily calories and then divide that number by 4 to get the grams of carbs you should be eating. Here's an example:

1500 calories per day total
45% of 1500= 675 calories from carbs
675/4= 168 grams of carbs per day

Once you know where you want to be, familiarize yourself with how many carbs are in your favorite foods. For instance, a big bowl (2 servings) of Honey Nut Cheerios has 46 grams of carbs. I was surprised to find that out.  Add 1/2 cup of 1% milk and you're up over 50 grams. If you eat that for breakfast every morning, you're already close to 1/3 of your carb needs for the day and you've barely hit 300 calories.

So if you're wondering why you're holding on to "water weight," take a closer look at how many carbs you're taking in. It doesn't mean you have to excessively document it, but it doesn't hurt to have a general idea of what you're eating and how it affects your body.

Decent pasta sauce option

You would think pasta/spaghetti sauce would be a no brainer when you go to the grocery store. It's all made from tomatoes right? But alas, very little in the canned/dry part of the grocery store is an easy health choice. After checking out the labels, pasta sauces have a good amount of sodium and many actually have added sugars. For any tomato based sauce (or juice for that matter), you will get a few grams of sugar on the nutrition label that can be attributed to the natural sugars in the tomato. The trick is looking at the ingredient list to see if they've put in the un-natural sugars. Why put a few teaspoons of sugar into your system when you don't have to? Save it for the occasional cookie or brownie! :)

Over the last few months I've been experimenting with making my own versions of sauces in an attempt to make something as natural as possible. I actually have fair amount of time on my hands, but I know not everyone does. So, I actually found a decent pasta sauce on the shelves that will work when you just need something quick or when you want to have something on hand to make mini pizzas, etc.

Classico "Spicy Red Pepper" is actually very tasty! The red peppers give it that extra (natural) sweetness and it's seasoned pretty nicely. Best of all, the ingredients are pretty straightforward and the nutrition stats are good. This is based on a half cup serving:

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 125g
Amount Per Serving
Calories 60g Calories from Fat 25g
	% Daily Value *
Total Fat 3g	4%
Saturated Fat 1g	2%
Trans Fat 0g
Sodium 300mg	13%
Total Carbohydrates 8g
Dietary Fiber 2g	8%
Sugars 5g
Protein 1g
Vitamin A	10%
Vitamin C	2%
Calcium	4%
Iron	2%
* The Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Dr. Oz's "Best Times" show

Since I'm home during the day, I try to be on the lookout for interesting topics on "Dr. Oz" or "The Doctors" (word is Jillian Michaels is joining the cast this fall). The other day, I came across a repeat of Dr. Oz that was focused on the best times to do certain activities based on the body's natural rhythms. While I'm not quite sure it will make the difference between losing weight or not losing weight, it doesn't hurt to try it out.

The first "best" was the best time to weigh yourself. Not so surprisingly, it's in the morning right when you get up (after you've gone to the bathroom). Your body has burned calories throughout the night without you eating or drinking, so this is probably the lightest you'll be all day. What was a little surprising to me was that the best time to work out is right after you wake up as well---before you've had breakfast. The theory here is that working out before you've eaten means you'll burn fat rather than whatever food you've just taken in. To me, this goes a little against what I've been told, which is that you should eat 30-60 min before working out. Maybe this doesn't apply because it's first thing in the morning? I'll need to do some more investigating, but if it's true--sounds good to me!  Of course, the old rule of eating breakfast within 60-90 minutes of waking still applies, so I guess this means you'd need to keep your workout to around an hour or less in order to meet that deadline.  Seems like a pretty tight schedule in the AM!

There are a few  more bests in the link below, including best times to eat (not sure I agree with that one) and best times to grocery shop, etc.

http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/best-time-lose-weight-pt-1?hs317=billboard_2

Cheap "Super Foods"

I was so excited to see this article! One of the biggest misconceptions about eating healthy is that it costs a ton. Not so! I recently helped a friend re-tool his grocery shopping to be healthier and it actually saved him a ton of money. Part of the reason people think it's expensive is because of the packaged "diet foods," which in reality you should probably be avoiding anyway. Stick to fruits and veggies (frozen of fresh), lean poultry, dry beans and whole grains (rice, pasta, oats) as your staples, and you can easily come in under your food budget. The bulk section is a great place to look for some of these. Of course that will mean cooking more at home and committing more time, but you know exactly what you're getting as opposed to a packaged diet meal. Check out a few budget friendly health items:
http://www.ivillage.com/10-cheap-superfoods/4-b-359572?nlcid=dt|07-06-2011|

Water alternative and possible calorie burner

I saw this in Health magazine a few months as part of a "healthy cleanse" plan. The claim is that burns an additional 80 calories per day (drinking the whole pitcher), but either way green tea and citrus is great for you and it's a great way to change it up from water:

-Brew 64 oz of green tea (6-8 tea bags) and cool, either by placing in fridge or ice cubes.
-Wash and slice an orange, a lemon, and a lime and add to tea.
-Drink!

(Warning: Boring subject ahead) All about water!

I was trying to think of a clever title for this post, but there isn't much you can do with water. As per most things I post about, there are varying opinions on how much water you should be drinking per day. The old rule is 8 glasses (8 oz.) per day, and that's still probably okay. However, if you're working out you definitely need more. My book gives me the following guidelines:

17-20 oz 1-2 hours before you work out (body needs time to circulate it)
7-10 oz every 20 minutes while working out
16-24 oz after working out

So, potentially an additional 64 oz for a 40 minute workout. Sounds a little excessive to me, unless you are sprinting that entire 40 minutes. It's true that you need to stay hydrated, but it also depends on what you're doing and a whole bunch of other factors. Listen to your body. If you feel thirsty, drink. But what you can take from these guidelines is that you do need water before, during, and after a workout. When you sweat, that's water leaving your body that needs to be replaced (our bodies are something like 70% water!). Too little water can cause cramping during physical activities as well as other more serious symptoms. As necessary as water is for life, you can also have too much. When you're getting into the 150 oz range, you will likely start to retain some of it on your body (bloating), especially if you've been eating higher amounts of carbs and sodium, two things that hold on to water for dear life. And in super extreme cases, too much water can lead to hospitalization and worse.

What if you've grown bored of water? I certainly do! Some of your water intake can be replaced by tea (hot or cold), preferably unsweetened and fresh brewed. I've heard different things on whether or not coffee counts. On one hand, it's water based. But it's also a huge diuretic, which is the opposite of what you want when you are trying to hydrate. I personally don't count it, and I actually drink a glass of water in the morning with my coffee to counteract that effect. Fruit is also a good way to get some water in a tastier form. Watermelon, tomatoes, berries, and apples have a high water content and also have some fiber to fill you up.

Bottom line: I try to stay around the 80 oz mark for water per day when I do either no workout or a light one. If I'm doing something more intense, it goes to about 100. Your body will usually let you know if you need it, you just have to look for the signals. There are some times during the day when you think you're hungry, but in fact it's water you need. Another good reason to drink throughout the day--you'll likely eat less!

Successful half marathon!

On a personal note, I completed my second half marathon yesterday! It went pretty well--I finished in 2:08, which was right around my goal. There's really nothing quite like training for and finishing a race. If you haven't done it or it's been awhile, I highly recommend it!! Whether you walk, run, bike or swim, it's a way to challenge yourself and stay accountable for your goals. Not only did I get to eat whatever I wanted yesterday (the reward for burning 1300 calories before 9 AM!), but it makes you realize how far your body can go if you have the right attitude and determination to push it there. It definitely is "mind over matter."

I will also say that while training took discipline, I had more mental hurdles while actually running the race. I started out kinda slow and had people passing me left and right. I had moments of discouragement (would I be the last to finish?!), but around mile 5 I got into the zone, started passing people and didn't get passed again. Lots of good lessons learned in that race! I was never a runner in high school or even college, so I fully believe ANYONE can do this. It takes commitment and patience, but it is so worth it!

I also signed up to take my personal trainer exam on July 14 (17 days!) so keep me in your prayers. :)

Gym/fitness equipment: What to use and how to use it

One of the keys to sticking with a health program is to mix it up. Once you've done the same routine or class several times a week for a month, not only will your body adjust to it and burn less calories, but chances are you'll get bored and start putting less and less effort forth. If you still love that class or elliptical workout, by all means continue to do it--just add in some new stuff once in awhile to keep your body working at its max capacity.

I've been practice training a friend of mine for the last month or so, and as I've planned the workouts it's occurred to me that there is almost an unlimited amount of exercise combinations you can do. Seriously, I'm pretty sure you can go your whole life not repeating the same routine. Therefore, there's no reason to get bored working out! Whether you have a gym membership or you like to work out at home, there are a lot pieces of equipment you can use to change up your workouts. Some you might be familiar with, and others might look intimidating. I've included a few below and why I think they're worth trying. If you are at the gym and see something you've never tried, don't be afraid to ask one of the staff to help you. You're paying to work out there, so you should be able to take advantage of everything they offer. Otherwise, you can usually find a youtube video to show you as well :)

At the gym:
1. Cable machines -- Unlike regular weight machines, the cables force you engage your core to stabilize you in order to execute the exercise. This burns more calories and engages more muscles (which is good!). Plus you can do many different exercises on this one machine-- there are cuffs you can attach to do leg work as well the arm exercise pictured below.

2. Assisted pull-up/dip machine -- I LOVE THIS MACHINE! It looks hard to use but it's not, and you won't find a better all around upper body workout. Regular pull-ups are pretty difficult, so this machine allows you to rest your lower legs on a platform attached to a weight column. The more weight you add, the easier the pull-up will be. Basically, the weight on the column is subtracting from the amount of weight you have to pull up(your body weight). For a beginner, start with 80-100 pounds. Follow the pictures on the machine to see technique- It should be somewhat difficult to pull yourself up but you should be able to complete 10-12 and really feel your arms and chest muscles. Plus you'll feel super tough! The part you don't see in the picture are the bars right next to her hips, which you can use to do tricep dips. Instead of pulling yourself up, you lower yourself down, letting your triceps do the work. Do in these a couple of sets of these two exercises and I guarantee you'll tone up your arms, shoulders and chest in no time.

Gym or home:
1. Bosu balance trainer -- Most likely your gym has these, but you can also buy one for home if you really like it (they are pricey though). This essentially adds a degree of difficulty to exercise you might already to. It forces you to balance yourself while doing that particular exercise, therefore engaging more muscles and burning more calories. Ball side down you can do push-ups or planks on it, or ball side up you can just sit on it and do some arm exercises. Click here for some other possibilities.

2. Body bar (or weighted bar) -- The next few are variations on the traditional dumb bell. The weighted bar comes in a variety of weights (I own a 12 pounder), and can be used instead of a set of dumb bells in most cases. Much like a bar you'd see on a bench press, the weighted bar is great for squats and lunges---you can just rest in on your shoulders and go. Here are a few more moves you can do with the body bar.

3. Medicine/Toning Balls -- The inspiration for this post came from me getting kind of sick of dumb bells and planning a workout using a 10 lb. medicine ball instead. You can do some very different things with a ball than just the traditional dumb bells (of course the reverse is also true), and it can be just the trick to break through a plateau or just keep you interested in working out. My favorite aspect of the medicine ball is that you can pass it back and forth--either to a buddy or just to yourself from hand to hand. You can do this as a form of cardio (i.e. passing it from hand to hand while you hop from foot to foot) or as strength training (i.e. standing on one foot and slowly passing it back and forth, holding for a few seconds in each hand). Here are a few others to try. A toning ball is basically a small version of a medicine ball. It makes it easier to hold while doing pilates/yoga type moves, and if you have a smaller amount of weight you can hold two. Both are great in my opinion, but if you are more of a pilates or yoga fan you might want to opt for an 8 lb toning ball or a set of 4 or 5 lb ones. If you tend to like higher intensity workouts, go for the bigger medicine ball.

4. Resistance Tubes -- The lease expensive option for a home gym. Resistance tubes can be very useful when used correctly, but you have to choose the right one. The tubes come in different levels, from easy (extremely stretchy) to difficult (not very stretchy at all), that vary the difficulty to stretch it and therefore work your muscles more or less depending. The basis of the resistance tube is having something stable to serve as the center point, whether it's your legs or piece of furniture. There's really no limit to what you can do with a tube--just holding toward the center and pulling it in opposite directions will give you an arm workout. The tubes take up little space, so it's an easy way to get a workout in while you're watching TV. Here are a couple moves to try.

Reading list

If you've ever gone to the library or Barnes & Noble looking for a diet or health book, you know there are an infinite amount. Some are downright ridiculous (Lose 5 pounds in one day?) and some are actually pretty good. I've probably at least skimmed most of them out there, and here are a few that I like:

1. Jackie Warner "This is Why You're Fat" - It's a harsh title, but sometimes you need some tough love! If you're not familiar with Jackie WaIner, she's a personal trainer who has her own gym and has had a couple of shows on Bravo. She is in crazy, crazy good shape because her programs have a big emphasis on weights, which I to agree with to some extent. She explains how weight training can really impact weight loss, and she definitely has the results to back it up. I also like the focus on cutting out sugar. This modification is what I feel really jump started my own weight loss. I was a full on sugar addict, eating candy and other crap just because it fit into my daily calorie budget. Once I cut it out, I really got the momentum going. Another thing I enjoyed about Jackie's plan was the list of staple meals to eat everyday. It helped me tremendously to have a couple of specific "super meals" that I knew were good and that kept me from having to think about what I was going to eat every 2 hours.

2. Health Magazine "Carb Lovers Diet" - While I'm not in love with this book, it's still a good basic plan with tasty food that is essentially good for you. It's realistic in the real world, and that goes a long way with me. Basically, this plan calls for eating a "resistant starch" carb at every meal that will keep you fuller for a longer period of time. Luckily, potatoes are on that list so that's pretty exciting, especially since they are kind of a no-no on other diets. Anyway, it's a good starter plan but I'm not sure how effective it is if you only have a few more pounds to lose.

3. Bethenny Frankel "Naturally Thin" - I'm a huge fan of hers! She went to school to be a natural foods chef, so her plan is centered around clean eating. It's easy to read, funny, and easy to relate to as well. How could I not recommend someone who invented a line of reduced calorie cocktails?!?! (Side note: I also just finished her self-helpish book "A Place of Yes," and it was really, really good! It's especially helpful if you're thinking about making any changes in your life.)

4. David Zinczenko "Eat This, Not That" - This is more of a recipe book, but I highly recommend it! It's basically healthy versions of favorite restaurant and comfort foods. I personally modify the recipes even more, but it's pretty good as is, especially for beginners. He also has variations of this book for drinks, the grocery store, and an actual diet plan book. Needed have a male represent in this list :)

Best choices for bread

As you may have surmised from the previous post, I'm definitely a carb lover. I've tried MANY different breads, and spent way to much time comparing labels in the grocery store. The first thing I look at is the ingredient list to see if "whole wheat" or "whole grain" is the first item listed. That's a must! If it says enriched, it's out (no matter what the large print on the front on the bread bag says). I then look to the nutrition label and check out calories, sugar, sodium--the fewer the better on all these items--and then the fiber content. The more fiber the better, and some breads will even have a decent amount of protein in them, which is a bonus. Be sure to check the serving size at the top, as some breads have one slice per serving and others have two.

For a long time, I went with Sara Lee 45 calorie multi-grain, which is a good choice according to the above criteria. However, most places it's almost $4 a loaf, which is kind of crazy for bread. So I recently switched over to Wonder Bread Smart Wheat. It's very similar to the Sara Lee 45 calorie breads (5 calories higher and a smidgen higher in sodium) and costs about half the price. Healthy eating has become a pretty hot button issue lately, and I really feel like some companies are taking advantage and charging way more than necessary for something that's only slightly better than it's less expensive counterparts. I don't mind spending some extra money if something is way better for me, but in this case it's just not crucial.

Carbs: The good, the bad and the ugly

I've been meaning to write this post for like the last three weeks, and I finally think I have my thoughts together to do it. Carbohydrates are the one of the most misunderstood food groups (actually called a macronutrient) and because of that, people end up doing crazy things like eating a giant block of cheese in hopes of losing weight. Carbs are one of three macronutrients that the body needs to function, and the main purpose of the carb is energy. The other two macronutrients (fat and protein), can eventually be converted to energy, but carbs are the immediate source. If you think about your RMR (the amount of calories your body burns just keeping itself alive), you can see that you need well over 1,000 calories just to keep your heart beating and brain working, and a significant amount of that energy need should be met by carbs. If it's not, things just wont run as smoothly.

So why on earth are there low/no carb diets? Because truthfully, cutting all carbs will cause a drop in weight--in the short term. The reason for this is that it carb storage requires water. Therefore cutting carbs will let you drop the "water weight" which can be a significant amount. However, as soon as you start eating them again, that same water weight will come right back on.

So we know we need to eat carbs, but that doesn't mean any and all. This is where we get into good carbs/bad carbs. Overweight people who go on Atkins do lose real weight--but this is at least partially attributed to the fact that they are cutting out bad carbs-- doughnuts, white pasta, white bread, etc. These are carbs that are stripped of their nutrients in order to "enrich" them. Basically, taking a whole grain and getting rid of the good stuff (fiber for example) in order to make it white. You'll notice that all the white stuff has a whole grain or brown counterpart, whether it's rice, flour, etc. That is what the product was meant to be---what is was before it got processed. There's a lot of talk out there about processed foods, and I am definitely in favor eliminating as many as possible. When you take away the nutrients, the body digests food more quickly, which then affects blood sugar and hunger levels. I don't know about you, but eating one Kripsy Kreme doesn't even put a dent in my hunger.

So that's a rundown on carbs. I always feel like if I know how things work, it will help me make better decisions. If I have to choose between white bread and whole wheat, the fact that I'll be fuller for longer always sways me to the whole wheat. In some cases, the whole grain versions may be more calories, but overall it's worth it. More later on how many carbs you should be eating...

Buying organic: Where to save, where to splurge

Eating organic is a huge trend and is only getting bigger--even store brands are getting in on the action with generic organic products. But do you really need to buy EVERYTHING organic? Probably not. There are plenty of non-organic products you can safely eat. One rule of thumb is that if you're going to peel off the skin (avocados, bananas) you don't really need to worry about buying the organic version (unless it's the same price...if it is, why not?). If it's something that's coming straight from the farm to your mouth (lettuce, tomatoes, strawberries) then it's wise to spend a little more and go organic. Here's the "dirty dozen" list of produce that's worth the splurge and the 12 least contaminated.

12 Most Contaminated Peaches Apples Sweet Bell Peppers Celery Nectarines Strawberries Cherries Pears Grapes (Imported) Spinach Lettuce Potatoes 12 Least Contaminated Onions Avocado Sweet Corn (Frozen) Pineapples Mango Asparagus Sweet Peas (Frozen) Kiwi Fruit Bananas Cabbage Broccoli Papaya

Resting Metabolic Rate: How many calories do you actually need?

It's been awhile since I posted! Studying is taking up a lot of time and I just back from a short (but very fun) vacation. But it's time to get back at it. I've had a lot of conversations lately about how many calories to eat, and one number that I hear is 1200 per day. That is actually the very, very lowest a female is supposed to go in terms of calories. At 1200, you are flirting with the "starvation mode" line your body identifies when it decides to hold on to fat even harder to keep you from starving. If you are a very small person, 1200 might be OK for weight loss. But for most of us, ideally we'd stay in the 1400-1600 range--only a few hundred above that 1200 line, but enough for our body to know it's OK to burn off the fat!

Where does this number come from? Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR) is the amount of calories your body burns just sitting on the couch all day not moving a muscle. Basically, what it takes to keep your heart pumping and your organs functioning for the body weight you currently have. The rate varies with gender, age, weight, height and activity level. The activity level is the one thing you have the most control over. There are levels 1-5 of activity levels, and the difference between being "inactive" (level 1) to "extremely active" (level 5) can be up to 1,000 calories per day! That means that someone who is at level 5 will lose 2 pounds more per week than an inactive person before you even count the exercise calories burned.

Here's an example of RMR and how you can use it to figure out calorie needs. Put your information into an RMR calculator such as this one: http://www.webmd.com/diet/healthtool-metabolism-calculator
Just to see how much activity factors into metabolism, check your rate for all 5 activity levels. Here are my numbers:
inactive: 1655
lightly active: 1896
moderately active: 2138
very active: 2379
extremely active: 2620

I consider myself "moderately active" right now. So if I eat around 1500 calories, I have a 638 calorie deficit every day through eating. In 5 or 6 days, this will translate to a 1 pound weight loss. Since this is only what your body burns (hence "resting" rate), I get to add in how many calories I burned through exercise to determine my total weight loss. Very soon, I will start training for race and at that point I will be "very active" and my body will be burning an extra 240 calories per day just because I increased that level. This translates to an extra 1/2 pound in a week not even counting my exercise calories! So you can see how important it is to be active--it truly makes an impact on your health in measurable ways. This formula also explains why it gets harder to lose weight as you get smaller. As your weight goes down, so does your RMR making it harder to get to that same calorie deficit.

One other thing I use my RMR for is to help me deal with the little fluctuations on the scale. As we all know, weight can vary by up to 5 pounds on simple things like how much water you've had or what time of the month it is. Since we know the RMR is the number it takes to MAINTAIN your weight, we also know that if you eat that number of calories you won't gain any weight. So if you use your RMR as your max calories per day (no matter what!), you know you havent gained weight no matter what the scale says. It puts a little more logic and a little less emotion into weighing in, which will hopefully keep you motivated as you continue.

What should you really be eating each day?

There are a lot of tough things I'm trying to learn right now, but one chapter I thought would be easier is the nutrition chapter, since it's something I've been teaching myself for the last several years. To some extent it has been, but there are definitely some new things I'm learning about what exactly we should be putting in our bodies every day. The government has had different variations on what it recommends for nutrition. If anyone remembers the "4 basic food groups" policy or the "food pyramid," it looks a lot different than what they are recommending today. It's a good change for sure, but in my opinion, it's pretty hard to do. Example 1: My book says that the government is now recommending 9 servings of fruits and veggies per day (I thought it was 5). Five of these are to be veggies and four are fruit. Does that seem like a ton to anyone else? I find it a bit of a challenge to work in 3 per day personally.

While I am a little skeptical of government given health advice, the new nutrition site is actually pretty cool. You can get a personalized plan based on your specific info and it gives pretty detailed info on what you should eat, etc. I just wish this was more widely publicized so it could get into the hands of people who need it! Check out the website for yourself and see what it tells you to eat: http://www.mypyramid.gov/

Easy, healthy breakfasts

One of the cardinal rules of weight management is "always eat breakfast." When we wake up, we haven't had anything to eat for sometimes 10 or more hours. After such a long time without food, the body begins to go into conservation mode and slows the metabolism in order to hold on to the body weight that's still there. That's why it's really important to have something within an hour of waking up--the body needs this signal to know that you are not starving and go back to the normal process of using the stored fat, etc. for energy rather than trying to hold on to it.

That being said, not everyone has a huge appetite in the morning. This is an opportunity to get some of your daily needs in for a small amount of calories. As always, listen to your body. If you find you're not that hungry in the morning, but you're ravished by 11 AM, you might want to save a few more calories for a mid morning snack and keep breakfast small. Here some of my favorite things to eat in the morning:

Oatmeal: Best choice!! Fiber and protein to keep you full, whole grains, low fat & calorie, zero sodium and you can mix with all kinds of good stuff. Stay FAR away from pre-packaged instant oatmeal. It's full of sugar and sodium, and it's more expensive. The best way to buy oatmeal is in bulk from a health food store. It's super cheap (even for organic) and just as easy to make as the packaged stuff. It only takes a minute and a half and adding fruit and nuts almost makes it the perfect meal. I do bananas, sliced almonds and organic, unsweetened soy milk and it's delicious and under 300 calories. I eat it every single day and sometimes twice in one day. Yum!

Eggs: Eggs are a really good choice for a fast, inexpensive breakfast. You can easily add veggies to them and make and omelet with whole wheat toast or an egg sandwich if you're on the go. The yolks in eggs get a bad rap, but they are actually pretty nutritious and have the good cholesterol that's good for heart health. I usually use at least one full egg and add a white or two to add protein without extra calories. You can also do an egg based breakfast for 300 calories or less.

Cereal: I love, love, love cereal but there are many varieties that are trouble for your health (think teaspoons of sugar per bowl!). Kashi cereals are a great choice, and if you want to go more affordable, plain Cheerios with some fresh fruit will also work well. Stick with skim milk or light/unsweetened soy milk.

In an emergency, alarm-didn't-go-off situation, keep some low sodium veggie juice on hand and pour yourself a glass before you head out the door.

20 minute workouts

According to my textbook, the number one excuse people give for not working out is lack of time (I know I've said it more than once to myself and others). When we have several things on our plate, working out is the first to go when in fact it should be first on our lists. There are a whole host of benefits to exercising, and one that is usually not discussed as much is stress relief. Exercise releases endorphins that help with relaxation and elevate your mood. There's a reason why people rarely say, "I wish I wouldn't have gone to the gym." I know that every time I do some sort of physical activity, whether it's going for a walk or playing outside with my daughter, I always feel better and am better equipped to handle the rest of my day.

If you are truly struggling with finding the time, there are a couple of things you can do to get the most bang for your buck when it comes to time spent exercising. My two suggestions are cardio intervals and circuit training. Both are the among the top calorie burners and both can be done from anywhere. In fact, there are some great workout DVDs with 20 minute workouts that you can do in the living room with little equipment. One of my favorites is Jillian Michaels' 30 day shred. There are 3 20-minute workouts at progressively difficult levels, and they are very effective. You're done before you know it and you will feel and see the effects if you can squeeze it in 4 or 5 days a week. If you're not into working out via DVD, pick up an issue of Fitness or Shape magazine.  Every month they have plenty of moves you can do at home and combine for a quick 20 minute session.

If it's nice out and you don't feel like messing with weights, go outside and rotate fast walking with short bursts of sprints. Almost anyone can do this for 20 minutes and it burns 1.5 times more calories than jogging at a constant pace because you are hitting your max heart rate and keeping it high even as you recover (the walking). Cardio intervals also give you a really good afterburn, meaning even after you're done you will continue to burn calories at a higher rate than normal. Even 20 minutes of this will make a difference if done regularly. You'll find yourself able to sprint longer and faster and in no time, you'll build up endurance for any phsyical activity you choose to do.

Sanjay Gupta on Conan

I would not usually expect to get health advice while watching Conan O' Brien, but he had Sanjay Gupta on the other night (following the hilarious Tina Fey), and he actually had some pretty good tidbits. The first few minutes of the interview are about little things you can do to add years to your life. Who knew daily flossing can add 1 to 1.5 years to your life? Luckily, drinking coffee was also on the list. Two cups a day can add 2 years! Woohoo!

Here is the link, it's actually still a pretty funny segment:
http://fitperez.com/2011-04-20-dr-sanjay-gupta-talks

The Power of the Playlist

I've found that as I research different races to sign up for, some do not allow iPods/MP3 players to be used while you're running. Crazy! That's a serious deterrent for me. My iPod is what gets me through long runs, or really any type of workout for that matter. Music is extremely powerful. When you think about it, many important moments in our lives are celebrated through it, and it has the power to make you happy, sad, angry, sentimental or anything in between.

Everyone has different music that motivates them. I, embarrassingly, listen to all kinds of bad pop when I work out because that's what gets me going. It's the guilty pleasure songs that keep me running when I start feeling the fatigue set in. In my opinion, a well constructed playlist can make you work out a little longer or a little harder. For example, I have Kayne West's "Stronger" at the end of my running playlist and that almost always makes me go a little faster to finish up the workout. It's important to choose music that inspires and/or motivates you, whether lyrically or the sounds themselves.

I've also used music as a motivator in itself. Whenever I don't really fell like exercising or I haven't been the gym in awhile, I hop on iTunes and buy a song or two that I know I will look forward to hearing during a workout. Or sometimes I just make a new playlist with songs I like but haven't heard in awhile. Either way, it's taking you from the contemplating stage (I'm sort of thinking I should go to the gym) to the action stage (I'm preparing to go).

Buying music can also be an inexpensive non-food reward for when you're doing well in your wellness program. Say you are finally able to run that 9 or 10 minute mile, or you've just lost your first 10 pounds. Instead of celebrating through food or drink ("I deserve a cupcake for all my hard work!"), buy yourself a new cd or a few new songs. It will keep you going and give you a sense of satisfaction that you are rewarding yourself in a healthy way.

Goal setting without using the word "pounds"

I don't have any research to back this up, but I would say a significant portion the of health and fitness goals people make start this way: "I want to lose x pounds by x date."  In my experience, weight loss goals are frequently triggered by an event: New Year's, a vacation,  seeing a friend or family member lose weight, weighing yourself for the first time in months, or even watching an episode of the Biggest Loser. But once the thought of making a change occurs to you, it's important to get down to the nitty gritty. Just saying "I want to lose 20 pounds," or "I want to get healthy," isn't enough. How are you going to do it? What will you eat? How often will you work out? Will you follow a specific diet plan or do it on your own?

The over arching goal needs to have smaller goals (in a PR plan we'd call them objectives) that will get you there. Not only will this provide a specific plan, it will create positive reinforcement along the way. While it might take you a few months to lose 20 pounds, setting a goal like "eat at least 4 servings of vegetables a day" is something you can work on and feel a sense of accomplishment with every single day. And it will fit in to the overarching goal of weight loss or better health.

For me personally, this hit home when I decided to start running. I signed up for a race and began the training program, focused on my goal of getting through a 13 mile trek without passing out rather than on losing 20 pounds. A training program gave me small goals along the way, and I had small victories every time I completed the day's running assignment. As a welcome side affect, I lost 20 pounds. If I would have weighed myself daily and measured my success only on the scale, I probably would have quit. As we all know, the scale fluctuates wildly day to day, and I definitely put on muscle throughout my training which would have added weight. But as I completed 5, 6, and 7 mile runs, I didn't really care much at all about the scale because I knew I was making progress and meeting my smaller goals. So, I would challenge everyone to set small, measurable and attainable goals that will give you a sense of satisfaction along the way. Set a bunch in fact. Drink more water, do 30 minutes of some physical activity, eat less sodium ....chances are you'll be able to accomplish at least one or two a day to give you that sense of accomplishment we all need to keep going. And if you don't, tomorrow is another day!

CHEESE!

I once had an aunt challenge me to give up cheese for a week. Or maybe it was a month, but either way I couldn't do it! I've never done well on eating plans that completely restrict a food, and while I don't eat tons of cheese, I do like a sprinkle here and there. Regular cheese is notorious for saturated fat content, which leads to all kinds of issues both weight and health wise. However, you (or I!) don't have to give it up completely. Decent reduced fat cheese is available, and I personally believe reduced/low fat dairy can be used in moderation with any eating plan. As always, pay close attention to serving sizes! Most shredded cheese is in 1/4 cup servings, which isn't a whole lot, so measure it out and don't feel you have to use the entire serving if you feel you can go with less. I find and 1/8 cup on a taco or turkey burger will do for me, and that's usually less than 50 calories.

I'm a big, big fan of Sargento reduced-fat sharp cheddar, but do note that it doesn't melt quite as well as its full fat counterpart. If I'm watching my money, I will go with Kraft pizza cheese, which is half cheddar and half mozzarella. Since most mozzarella is made with lower fat milk, it's naturally lower in fat than cheddars without being labeled (and priced) "reduced fat." Just make sure the mozzarella is labeled "part skim," as there are whole milk mozzarellas out there. Since the Kraft pizza cheese is half and half, you are still getting the cheddar but it's lower in fat and a little cheaper than purchasing the reduced fat packages. Some store brands have a pizza blend, or you can easily make your own by combining a regular cheddar (or even better, a reduced fat cheddar for an even lower calorie/fat count!) and keeping it in a freezer bag or Tupperware-like container.

Put a 1/4 cup of some reduced fat cheese on some healthy bread (will post later on that) and enjoy an under 200 calorie grilled cheese. Or my personal favorite--add it to some baked french fries and indulge guilt-free on some cheese fries :)

Good tortilla substitute

I LOVE Mexican food. Especially fajitas...yum. But I try to stay away from white flour/refined stuff, which is of course what flour tortillas are made from. I've never been a big fan of the whole wheat tortillas, and frankly they are still a little high on calories for me (I want as many fajitas as I can have!). Last year I stumbled upon Joseph's whole grain pitas at Wal Mart that are only 60 calories each for the entire pita! Granted, they don't taste like a flour tortilla but they taste good enough for me, especially when I can have two for the same calories as one tortilla.


They also have some other good stuff in them like oat bran, flax and omega-3's which are good for heart health. They are lower in sodium than regular flour tortillas and have 6 g protein and 4 g fiber to help keep you full. Not sure where else they are available, but you can buy online @ josephsbakery.com. I think if you buy online you have to get 5 packages at a time, but they freeze well and you can use them in place of bread or even pizza dough. I put a tablespoon of pasta sauce, some low fat cheese and veggies on one and throw it in the toaster oven for an under 200 calorie pizza snack, and it is GOOD. Let me know what you think, or if there are any good bread/tortilla alternatives I'm missing out on!

Back to Studying!

I'm about 7 months from my 30th birthday, so naturally I've been doing a lot of life reflection lately--especially since I've been going to many, many 30th birthday parties for my slightly older friends. I, as I'm sure a lot of people do when they are about to hit a new decade of life, am going through the list of things I thought I would have or have done by now and wondering where the time went. While I can check off some things on that list, there are definitely some areas that need some improvement. Item one is career.

There are many people who have no idea what I do for a living without a long explanation, and as it turns out, entire regions of the country that don't understand the concept of public relations at all (and therefore won't pay me to practice it). So I've decided to switch gears to something that's useful in every area of the country and that I'm actually interested in--health and fitness.

On Tuesday I signed up for a course to get my personal training certification. Through research online, this appeared to be a relatively simple process--they send you a book and some study materials and you sign up and take an exam when you're ready. However, when I opened the Fed Ex box, there were THREE books waiting for me, mostly filled with terms I am not familiar with (oligosaccharide??!!). Looks like this might be a little more intense than I thought. Anyway, this brings me to the point of this post. I read the chapter on the business of being a personal trainer and one of the suggestions was to keep a blog, I guess for new business purposes but either way it's a good idea, as I think it will be interesting to document the process.

I named the blog Fit For Eating, because If you know me, you know I LOVE to eat. I've never succeeded on a diet where I was deprived of nachos or pizza. Not natural! So I've had to figure out ways to still eat what I like while still losing weight (or at least not gaining it!). Luckily, I don't mind a hard workout and I've been able to lose more than 30 pounds in the last 6 months or so still eating cheese fries and having a few beers on the weekends. Basically, this blog will be a place to talk about ways to do that--getting fit in a way that still lets you enjoy food. So if you're reading this, feel free to comment, question, or share whatever is on your mind!