Daily Tips: Thursday July 28, 2005

Health and Diet
It's important to properly pack your food. Insulated, soft-sided lunch boxes are best for keeping food cold, but they still require a frozen gel pack. If you use brown paper bags, create layers by double bagging to help insulate the food. Include a frozen individual juice box (which will thaw by lunch time) or reusable freezer gel pack to keep the food cold.

Fitness
Experts suggest that water burns twice as many calories in a 45 minute workout due to the amount of energy that is used while the workout is in progress. In a typical land workout an individual can burn anywhere from 100 to 500 calories in a 45-minute workout depending on the type and intensity of the workout.

Daily Tips: Wednesday July 27, 2005

Health and Diet
Believe it or not, 70 percent of that 11-ounce smoothie counts towards your fluid allowance (1 cup). Watch out for ready-made versions, which can be jammed with unwanted calories. Make your own, using fat-free milk and your favorite fruit for a refreshing, nutritious and low-calorie drink. Smoothies are both healthy and delicious. They make an ideal snack any time of the day.

Fitness
The right class for you is the one that you feel comfortable in and will go to consistently. If cost is an issue, most parks and recreation centers, community centers and schools offer low-cost classes, anywhere from $2 to $4 dollars per class.

Daily Tips: Tuesday July 26, 2005

Health and Diet
Its barbeque time! Skip the commercial brand marinades for summertime grilling. Sugar is often the primary ingredient. Instead, experiment with lime or lemon juice, red wine vinegar, low sodium soy or Worcestershire sauce, spicy mustard, herbs, or low-fat Italian dressing. Be creative in your healthy cooking and discover the chef within!

Fitness
A new activity or sport can be just the thing to create new energy and motivation. When you take up a new activity or sport, the time that is spent doing that particular workout or activity can pass so quickly that you dont realize how much time you are spending actually exercising. An hour can turn into two hours before you know it. You may even be tempted to tell someone about your hobby and get a partner.

Daily Tips: Monday July 25, 2005

Health and Diet
Shake it up! Want a refreshing low-fat, low-calorie drink? Make your own shakes or smoothies. Take a blender; add some ice and water; mix in your favorite fruits like strawberries, bananas or peaches and blend away. Want to increase your calcium intake? Add a little yogurt to the mix. Now thats a healthy and fruitful beverage!

Fitness
Going to a historical place? Many cities have historical sites and locations that are great for jogging and walking around. Get a map and go for it!

Rants & Rambles: Cruise

Hey everyone! Hubby and I just got back from our first vacation without the kids in 19 years!!!!! We went on a cruise and of course there was a hurricane. We were scheduled to stop in Cozumel, Cancun and Belize but wound up going to Key West and Cozumel. We still had a great time, the food was amazing, the snorkeling was unbelievableand it was really nice to have some time for just the two of us for a change.

If anyone hasnt been on a cruise Id highly recommend going on one....just not during hurricane season!

Daily Tips: Thursday July 14, 2005

Health and Diet
Be your own gardener. Unlike many exercise options, you can become involved in what youre doing, enjoy it and reap the benefits from your hard work, like bouquets of flowers or vegetables for the dinner table. It's a superb way of diverting the mind from work, family conflicts, or other issues as well as a great workout.

Fitness
To break a plateau, incorporate agility drills and speed training into your cardio workouts such as the types seen in sports training. As long as there are no physical reasons for not doing so, consider training like an athlete for a month. Even if you're training like a junior athlete it is okay at least your body is doing something its not used to doing.

Daily Tips: Wednesday July 13, 2005

Health and Diet
Do you have trouble relaxing? Practice forced relaxation. While exercise should be your first go-to, pairing it with one of the many tried and true relaxation techniques is even better. Try deep breathing, meditation, progressive muscle relaxation and visualization. Set aside some time in the morning to relax. You'll start your day on the right note.

Fitness
For your lower body, some of the toughest exercises are the lunge and squat. You can do many variations of them. For example, when doing a squat you can change your footing by moving your legs together or spreading your legs with feet pointed out. Or you can face your feet forward to target the quads more. For lunges you can do walking lunges, side lunges, front and back lunges, stationary lunges or falling lunges.

Rants & Rambles: One Year

My husband and I have been doing BFL for a year now. Not by the book by any stretch of the imagination but we have made lasting changes that are sticking. We started out just doing the eDiets Eating for Life plan and then I added the workouts also, for the first 5 months or so we saw some great results. Then the holidays came. I really wasn't too concerned about falling off the wagon during the holidays; I figured we would just hop back on once things settled down. Boy, was I wrong....here it is 7 months later and we're still struggling to get back on track!

I've had some big events that should have helped me with motivation; I had my 20 year high school reunion, I had a family reunion and my husband and I are leaving for our first cruise this Saturday. Why hasn't all this motivated me? We have made a lot of changes; I no longer buy white bread, we eat a good breakfast every day, I don't buy all the junk food for us to snack on like I used to, no regular soda and the way I cook has changed. We haven't gained everything we lost back and I am much more comfortable with my body, so this has been a good year for us but with all the progress we have made I can't help thinking about what could have been.

Last Friday a group of us from work went out for drinks. Towards the end of the evening I was talking with one of my male coworkers, we were sitting there talking about who we thought was attractive and who wasn't....I know, it sounds tacky but we had had a few drinks and we're just setting there BSing....anyway, he looks me in the eye and says so what happened to the diet. I didnt think too much about it at the time, he and I are good friends and we talk about all kinds of stuff but what he said just keeps going through my mind. What did happen to the diet? People were noticing while I was following the plan, I was getting compliments, why did I stop? That's the question I can't seem to find the answer to, maybe if I could answer that question I could get back on track.

I've decided that I need to reread the Body for Life book and really take a look at my goals. I've never been very good at setting goals, it's like I'm afraid to set them to high cause I may not reach them so I just don't bother to set any at all. Maybe I can take this next week on the cruise to relax, rejuvenate and reevaluate and come up with long and short-term goals!

Daily Tips: Tuesday July 12, 2005

Health and Diet
Don't have enough time to exercise? Delegate duties. This goes for both work and household chores. While it may be hard to let go of that old, If you want something done right... chestnut, you'll be happier in the long run if you let people help you. For starters, make a chart with household tasks and divvy up the responsibilities among family members.

Fitness
Where in your life can you plant something? Bond with your neighbors at a nearby community garden or join in on a city beautification day. If you have your own garden, plant the most beautiful flowers and plants. Go for plants that are easy to take care of (sunflowers are really easy). A garden is a gift both to you and the insects, birds, and neighbors around you. If youre feeling ambitious, try planting some edibles, such as lettuce, tomatoes, or strawberries.

Daily Tips: Monday July 11, 2005

Health and Diet
Leftovers are great when you don't feel like cooking or need something quick. But how long do they stay good? If you keep them in the refrigerator too long, they can harbor bacteria. Cooked fresh vegetables, cooked meats, poultry and fish will last for 3 to 4 days. Keep all foods stored properly and refrigerated below 40 degrees F! And, remember to refrigerate foods quickly after getting them home!

Fitness
Most people can and should exercise. However, there are individuals who should get their doctor's permission prior to beginning an exercise program. Anyone with an unstable medical condition will want to seek an exercise prescription from their doctor. Injury may also require an individual to wait for the healing to be complete prior to beginning exercise. If you have cardiac, pulmonary or metabolic disease, you should begin your exercise in a medically supervised environment.

Daily Tips: Sunday July 10, 2005

Health and Diet
If you've added lightweight training to your exercise regimen, remember that muscle weighs more than fat. If you are weighing yourself and the weight on the scale remains the same, that doesn't mean you aren't accomplishing anything. You may be losing inches and gaining muscle mass. Overall, you will be decreasing your total body fat and replacing it with lean muscle!

Fitness
Surprise a client, a friend, an associate, or your partner by using the old-fashioned method of communication: Show up in person and hand deliver a message. Yes, of course, your time is extremely valuable, but every once in a while show your face; give your e-mail, voice mail, fax machine, cellular phone, and your express mail carrier a rest. Think of all the calories you can burn throughout the day by doing incidental walking from person to person, desk to desk or floor to floor.

Daily Tips: Saturday July 9, 2005

Health and Diet
If you find that skim milk tastes too watery, add a tablespoon of non-fat dried milk to each cup. This will provide a thicker, richer taste, and boost the calcium and protein content without increasing the fat!

Fitness
Take a break from your television for a week. Enjoy the quiet. Pick up a book you've always wanted to read instead of spacing out in front of the tube. How much media do you consume in a day? Try a day without all of it. You may be surprised at how well you survive, and just how nice a little media downtime can be.

Daily Tips: Friday July 8, 2005

Health and Diet
Trying to lose weight? Dont skip breakfast! Studies show that people who skip breakfast tend to overeat later on in the day. Your metabolism may slow down if you go too long without food. If you skip breakfast, that could mean going up to 14 hours without food (from last nights dinner to todays lunch). So, break the fast. Start the day with a kick-start!

Fitness
Designate a day each week to leave your car at home. Try hopping public transportation or hitching a ride with friends to give yourself, your car, and the environment a break. Allow yourself to move to your destination in a slightly slower fashion, and think of all the reading, exercising or conversations you can have instead of sitting alone in traffic.

Daily Tips: Thursday July 7, 2005

Health and Diet
Reward yourself! Small changes add up -- and a reinforced habit is more likely to stick! So, go for a non-food reward to celebrate your success. Perhaps a new book, a good movie, a trip to the beach, new clothes or a manicure. Give yourself a special treat each time you reach a small goal. It will give you even more incentive to stay motivated.

Fitness
For those whose weekly routine involves leaving an apartment to take the elevator to the garage to drive to work and get back into an elevator to go to the 18th hermetically sealed floor of an office building for five days straight, it may be helpful to find some dirt to stand on during the weekends. Try taking up hiking as a weekend sporting activity.

Daily Tips: Wednesday July 6, 2005

Health and Diet
Phytochemicals are chemicals contained within plants. Research is showing that phytochemicals aid the body in maintaining health and protect against some forms of heart disease, arthritis and other degenerative diseases. You can find phytochemicals in tomatoes, spinach, oranges, garlic, onions and more. So, eat your fruit and vegetables every day!

Fitness
What can you do that would improve the quality of your life right now? Think of the things you keep postponing because you are waiting for more money, a different apartment, a new job or because of some other excuse. Are these the real obstacles? What are you waiting for? Focus on one thing that would make you happy and write out a plan that includes a budget and time frame to help you get it.

Daily Tips: Tuesday July 5, 2005

Health and Diet
Spinning or indoor cycling is a great way to burn calories and increase muscle strength while improving your cardiovascular health. And, it's gentle on the joints! Expand your horizons and try this adventurous class. Choose the level that is appropriate for you. If youre just getting started, you should probably opt for a beginners class. Wear loose-fitting clothing and bring plenty of water!

Fitness
You can take advantage of the wide variety of cultures living in this country without having to travel thousands of miles. Take an adventure to parts of town that tend to be ethnically focused. Culturally expand your mind as often as you can. Sometimes trying different sporting activities/exercises with friends from different ethnic backgrounds can be so enlightening.

Daily Tips: Monday July 4, 2005

Health and Diet
Drinking and driving isn't the only danger. Driving and eating is on the rise and it's a safety concern. Besides putting yourself and other drivers at risk, it also means you aren't as focused on the food you are eating. If you are not paying attention to what you are eating, it may result in the lack of enjoyment or over consumption of food. Take time to enjoy your food. Pull over and take the time to include fueling your body.

Fitness
Spending time with good friends is one of the best ways to use your time. Think of some ways you can be a better friend. If you already have great friendships, let your friends know in some creative way how much you appreciate them. Dont take your friends for granted. If there are any sore spots you haven't resolved within a relationship, think about what it might take to heal them.

Daily Tips: Sunday July 3, 2005

Health and Diet
Build your own support system to help keep you on track. Select four of the people who have the greatest influence in your life and ask them to be a member of your support team. They must agree to be there for you in times of need and to help you stay focused on your goal. It doesn't matter if these people are family, friends or co-workers so long as theyre reliable.

Fitness
Next time you take a walk to run an errand or just to relax, carry a little garbage bag with you. And as you come upon bits of trash, instead of cursing the inconsideration of some of the people who share this planet, pick it up and walk on. Wouldn't it be cool if other people did this too?

Daily Tips: Saturday July 2, 2005

Health and Diet
Think of physical activity as part of your daily routine, just like brushing your teeth! Schedule it in your daily planner. Put your workout clothes and shoes where you cant miss them. Exercise at the time that is most convenient for you, whether its morning, noon or night. When you are short on time and have to sacrifice something, it shouldnt be your exercise.

Fitness
To stimulate the abdominals without straining the neck, you can do some isometric contractions. Lie on the floor in the crunch position with knees bent. Then focus on squeezing the abdominals which originate on the bottom of the rib cage and extend to the pubic bone. Hold for 5 seconds and release for 2. Repeat this sequence for 15 repetitions.

Daily Tips: Friday July 1, 2005

Health and Diet
Table for one! It may seem like a lot of effort planning a meal for one, but it should be as enjoyable as making one for two. Plan your meals. Purchase smaller quantities of food or buy frozen varieties. If you cook large portions, divide them and freeze some for later. Make mealtime special! Set the table, light candles or add flowers. You deserve it!

Fitness
Technique is everything. The single most important thing you can do to correctly train your abdominals is use proper form. Heres the proper technique for abdominal workouts. Find a neutral position to begin where the back is relaxed and the head is at a natural extension of the spine. Knees should be bent with feet flat on the floor.