Tips for How to Avoid Holiday Weight Gains

Here are some of my favorite tips for avoiding holiday weight gain:

1. Make sure to always have well balanced meals and snacks readily available so that you can avoid the need for last minute fast food stops or the temptation to binge on junk food. Some quick, easy ideas for meals are homemade soups and stews, sandwiches (watch the fatty dressings), fruits, veggies, salads (watch the amount of dressing you use).

2. Allow yourself one small treat per day and only let yourself eat it AFTER you've eaten a well balanced meal. Small is the key word here.

3. Cut junk food portions in halves or quarters. People tend to make HUGE treats. Enormous cookies piled high with frosting, gargantuan brownies, monstrous cupcakes, etc. Split huge treats into more manageable portion sizes.

4. WORKOUT! WORKOUT! WORKOUT! The first two things to go out the window during the holidays are exercise and a balanced diet. The added bonus to working out is that you don't tend to eat when you exercise.

5. When you eat, start with small portion sizes and avoid going back for seconds.

6. Try to limit the amount of high fat, empty calorie foods you choose.

7. Try to limit your alcohol, soda and eggnog consumption because of the empty calories.

8. If you're going to a party with lots of food, eat a salad or have a bowl of soup before you go so that you're not starving when you get there. It'll reduce how much you eat by about 10%.

9. Check out a new fitness class at a local gym.

10. Make sure to get 8 hours of sleep per night. If you're having trouble falling asleep, try taking a hot bath and reading before bed.

11. Give high calorie, high fat leftovers away because if you don't and they're in the house, you're gonna eat them.

12. Skip the hors d'ouvres.

A Holiday Stress Busting Workout

It's that time of year when our food intake spikes and our activity level drops. Stress levels rise and sleep falls. So what's the best way to manage the stress and additional calories? Do your body a favor and take some time out to workout.

Try this:

Rather than sitting down to watch TV or a movie or read a book or magazine, try putting your bicycle on an indoor bike trainer and pedaling through your shows/book/magazine. (We absolutely love our Cyclops Fluid Trainers).

When the movie/TV show gets exciting, pedal faster. When the show's pace slows down, you should slow your pace too, but switch to a higher gear and push those pedals as hard as you can. Try standing up for added intensity. Make it a goal to ride for the entire length of the show or movie, even if you have to switch to a lower gear and pedal a bit slower.

When you're finished on the bike, perform 3 sets of 20 lunges (each leg).
Do 3 sets of 20 pushups.
Do 3 sets of Ab crunches.

Spend at least ten minutes stretching.

I guarantee that this will melt away both stress and holiday calories.

Is Being a Vegetarian or Vegan Healthier than Being a Meat Eater?

The answer is...Maybe yes, maybe no. It depends on what you eat. We automatically assume that all vegetarian and vegan foods are good for us. That they're packed full of nutrients, but this isn't always the case. In fact, I've seen a lot of vegetarian and vegan junk foods creeping into the market in the past few years. These are processed foods, cereals, dinners, meat and cheese replacers, dairy free snacks, the majority of which are high in fat, sodium, sugar, sugar substitutes, hydrogenated oils and chemicals I can't pronounce.

Take vegetarian and vegan flavored soy yogurt for example. All of those soy isoflavones and active cultures drowned in 21 or more grams of sugar. Did you know that's over 4 teaspoons of sugar in a single six ounce container! Yieks! Eat one of these puppies and you'll be starving as soon as you come crashing down from your sugar buzz. Not quite so healthy is it?

The same is true for granola bars, cookies, "nutritious" entrees, and various other treats. Have you checked out the ingredient labels for some of the soy and rice based ice creams? How about the soy meat substitutes such as soy bacon and tofu turkey? If you're looking for a real scare, read the ingredient labels on some of the non dairy cheeses. The list looks more like an anarchist's recipe for apocalypse than an ingredient list.

With more people choosing to be vegetarian or vegan, I just thought I'd take the time to point out that junk food is still junk food whether you're vegetarian, vegan, or a plain old meat eating carnivore.

Amy's Healthy Chocolate Banana Mousse Whip

Have a sweet tooth? Throw the following ingredients into the blender and puree until smooth. The result is a low fat treat that tastes wonderful.

Amy's Healthy Chocolate Banana Mousse Whip

1 block of soft tofu, drained
1/3 cup applesauce
1 very ripe banana (optional)
4 squares of semisweet chocolate (melted over a double boiler)
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 Tablespoon maple syrup

Refrigerate for a couple of hours before eating.

Enjoy!

Amy's First Aid Kit Essentials

When you purchase a first aid kit, it's easy to assume that the kit contains everything you need, but even the best first aid kits seem to be missing a few key essentials. That's why I've put together Amy's First Aid Kit Essentials.

That said, a first aid kit that's not within reach is as worthless as not having one at all. I urge you to keep a first aid kit in each of your vehicles and within reach at home. I also encourage you to take a First Aid and CPR/AED Class.

Knowing what to do in an emergency:
1) Gives you a sense of control and helps you stay calm in the worst situations.
2) Helps you help, comfort and potentially save someone's life.
Check out the American Red Cross and the American Heart Association for more info.

First Aid Kit Essentials

Personal Protection

• A Handful of Non-Latex Rubber Gloves
• CPR Face Shield
• Antiseptic/Antimicrobial Hand Wash like Hibistat or Hibiclens

Personal Safety

• Two 12-Hour Glow Sticks
• Traffic Safety Vest
• Reflective Emergency Triangle
  
• A Whistle

Protection from the Elements

• Sunscreen
• Lip Balm with Sunscreen
  
• Emergency Blanket
• Wool Blanket
  

Tools

• A Multipurpose Tool (like the Leatherman Tool that contains a knife, pliers, screwdrivers, etc.) I used mine last week to open the glow stick packages. The knife also comes in handy for cutting athletic tape.
  
• Car Window Breaker (they make keychain versions of these, too.) Like the LifeHammer.
• Tweezers
• A Small Sewing Needle (For removing splinters.)
  
• A Lighter (For sterilizing the needle.)
• A Pen and Paper
• A Permanent Marker
• A Watch
• A Flashlight with Backup Batteries
  

Medications

• Ibuprophen (Advil)
• Aspirin
• Acetaminophen (Tylenol)
• Antiseptic Cream
• Diphenhydramine (Benadryl)
• Hydrocortisone Cream
• Stomach Medication (Such as Pepto Bismol and Imodium.)
• A two-day back-up supply of any Prescription Medications you are on in the event you are stranded somewhere.
• A Bee-Sting Kit (If you or someone you know is allergic.)
  

Blood Absorbers/Wound Protection

• A Handful of Gauze Pads of All Sizes
• Adhesive Bandages (Band-Aids) Just go with normal size bandages. The small ones are a waste of space.
• Sanitary Napkins
• Blister Pads (More of a comfort item, than a necessity.)
  

Bandaging Materials

• Triangular Bandage
• Cloth Tape
• Athletic Tape
• Gauze Wrap
• Elastic Bandage (Like an ACE Bandage)
  

Rations

• Emergency Water (I like to keep a gallon available at all times.)
• Emergency Food (Like granola bars. Enough to last a day or two.)
  
• Electrolyte Replacement Powder (Such as powdered Gatorade.)

Clean Up

• Paper Towels
• Heavy Duty Trash Bag
• Duct Tape

Glow Sticks--A Lifesaver

A few nights ago I was stopped at a light on a busy 2-lane highway in Colorado. I looked in my rear-view mirror and saw that the driver behind me was stopping. We'd both been stopped for a couple of seconds when a third driver plowed into us.

It was quite the shock! I sat in the car for quite some time trying to determine whether or not I was okay. I decided I was okay then allowed my first aid training to kick in.

Is this scene safe? No. Absolutely not.
I flipped on my 4-way flashers. Is it safe now? Hardly.

I got out of my car and saw cars and trucks barreling towards us at highway speeds. Both of the other drivers were still in their cars. And by now, we also had several bystanders on the side of the road and on the highway itself, comforting the other people involved in the accident.

The situation was getting more dangerous by the second. Worse, the woman who had hit us hadn't even bothered to turn on her 4-way flashers. I asked her to turn them on and she did, but traffic still wasn't slowing down. We were going to get hit again and a lot of people were going to die if we couldn't slow traffic down.

That's when I remembered that I had GLOW STICKS in my first aid kit. I grabbed the bright green sticks and started waving them around. In a flash, traffic slowed to a crawl making our scene as safe as it could be until the police arrived to block traffic.

Had it not been for those GLOW STICKS, someone would have hit us and hit us hard. It wouldn't have mattered if we'd been on the side of the road, either. The force of an impact like that would have sent the cars flying.

Anyway, the moral of the story is that I want you to go out and buy GLOW STICKS and stick them in each of your cars so that if you're involved in an accident you can make your scene safe.

GLOW STICKS are sometimes called 12-Hour Safety Lights. Check out Glowrus.com for more info. You can also find GLOW STICKS at Wal-Mart and sporting goods stores.

And finally, I know you're thinking. Why not use flares? Same reason it's not good to rely on 4-way flashers. People just don't pay attention. Bright green sticks waving in the air at windshield level are far more attention grabbing than a small burst of fire on the ground. Also, with flares there's always some danger of starting a fire, especially on dry, windy nights.

Easy, Nutritious Snacks for Busy People

This week has been extremely hectic for me and hectic weeks call for quick and easy snacks.

Here are some of my favorites. Enjoy!

• Carrot Sticks
• Homemade Strawberry Smoothie (strawberries, plain low-fat Greek yogurt, ground flax seeds, a couple tablespoons of fresh squeezed orange juice (or half an orange), vanilla extract and honey)
• Blueberries, vanilla extract and plain low-fat Greek Yogurt
• An Apple
• Spring Mix Salad tossed with a chicken breast, tomatoes, cucumbers and a touch of goats milk feta cheese, a tablespoon of almond slices and dressed with balsamic vinegar.
• A bowl of oatmeal (quick oats) made with soymilk or dairy milk. Top with blueberries or raisins, cinnamon and ginger.
• Toast with Cashew Butter
• Half a Peanut Butter and Honey Sandwich
  

Amy's Hidden Vegetable Lasagna Extreme

I made up this recipe last night because I was sick of salad and searching for a tasty way to eat all of the wonderful fall veggies I'd just bought. Try it. I think you'll really like it!

Amy's Hidden Vegetable Lasagna Extreme

* Use a large lasagna pan because this makes a LOT!
Total Prep Time: About an hour, plus or minus
Cooking Time: 40 minutes for the lasagna, all day for the sauce.

Justin's Pasta Sauce
You can make this ahead of time. You can even freeze it and thaw it as needed. If you're making this last minute, try to cook the sauce for at least one hour so the flavors begin to mesh.

Put the following ingredients in a crockpot (you can cook them on a stove, too, but you have to be more careful about stirring so it doesn't burn):

3 cans of tomato puree
2 cans of diced tomatoes
2 red, green and yellow bell peppers
1 onion (white or yellow)
A pinch of pepper
1T basil
1/2 pound of lean Italian sausage, browned and drained. We found some called Polidori that's awesome. I think it's only sold in Colorado, though.
Cook on medium for several hours.

While that's cooking you can make:

The Lasagna:
Prepare enough whole grain whole wheat lasagna noodles to line the bottom of your pan.
Prepare 1 Spaghetti Squash (remove seeds, cut in half, steam till soft or bake till soft, then scrape squash from the rind)
1 Eggplant cut into round pieces
1 Zucchini cut into round pieces
Black pepper to taste
Pepperoni (1 package of large, round pepperoni slices)
12 ounce package of Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese, grated

The Ricotta Filling:
1 - 12 ounce container of part-skim Ricotta Cheese (can use skim milk cottage cheese, too)
A small handful of grated Mozzarella Cheese
A couple pinches of good, grated Parmigiano Cheese (NOT the powdered junk in the can!)
1 T basil
A Pinch of Pepper
2 Eggs

Beat the eggs until combined. Add the other ingredients and stir until mixed. Refrigerate until you're ready to assemble the lasagna.

Assemble in this order (or however you please):

Spray the bottom of your pan with cooking spray or use a little oil or line it with parchment paper so the food doesn't stick.

Lasagna Noodles
Pasta Sauce
Small dollups of Ricotta Cheese spread over the sauce
Eggplant rounds, grilled until golden brown (Don't use oil, just throw them on the grill. You can probably skip this step if you'd like.)
Pepperoni Slices
Pasta Sauce
Mozzarella Cheese
Pasta Sauce
Zucchini Slices
Ricotta Cheese Mixture
Any Leftover Pepperoni
Pasta Sauce
Spaghetti Squash
Pasta Sauce
Mozzarella Cheese
Parmigiano Cheese

Bake at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes or until the cheese is golden brown. Serve with a mixed greens salad. Freeze leftovers for future meals.

This recipe appears to have a lot of cheese in it, but since it makes a LOT of lasagna, per serving there isn't a huge amount of cheese. And, of course, you can always reduce the amount of cheese used.

Stay Healthy During Cold and Flu Season

Cold and flu season are officially here, so here are a few tips on how to stay healthy:

Don't Catch a Cold

1. Get enough sleep which means allowing yourself to take a short nap if you feel rundown and/or tired.

2. Get plenty of exercise.

3. Try to keep stress levels low.

4. Wash your hands often.

5. If you're right handed, then touch things like door handles and community utensils with your left hand. Better yet, wrap a piece of paper towel around the utensil and then grab it with your left hand, then wash or disinfect your hands before you eat.

6. Eat your fruits and vegetables and maintain a healthy diet. (Perhaps easier said than done during treat season when junk food begins to replace healthier fare...)

7. Take a daily multivitamin.

8. Wipe down your phones, computers, mp3 players, etc with an antibacterial wipe.

9. Wash coffee/tea cups/mugs and water bottles often.

10. Do your best to stay away from sick people. (Easier said than done.) And don't be afraid to tell someone to please cover their nose and mouth when they cough and sneeze.

11. Stay away from doctor's offices and hospitals. Think about it, where's the first people go when they get sick...(Go only if you absolutely you have to.)

Reduce the Duration of the Cold

1. The moment you feel an inkling of a cold coming on, begin using a warm saline nasal wash. Wash your nose out two or three times a day. My allergist once told me this is the most ancient cold and flu remedy on the planet. It works and it works well.

2. Drink lots and lots of herbal tea. I love Traditional Medicinals Herbal Throat Coat and Herba Tussin teas. Not only are they soothing, but they taste wonderful. Add some honey.

3. Eat homemade chicken soup. It's quick and easy to whip up. Throw frozen mixed vegetables into a crockpot with a diced chicken breast, onion, garlic, chicken broth, pepper and thyme. Let cook for several hours. Add rice or noodles and serve.

4. Eat plenty of oranges and other citrus fruits.

5. Sleep, read books, veg out watching television or movies and get more sleep. The point is to relax and give your body a chance to let your body do what it does best, fight germs.

6. If you have a fever, let it burn (within reason). Fevers are your body's natural way of fighting bugs.

7. Soak in a warm bath to help clear up your sinuses (provided you aren't running a huge fever).

8. Breathe steam.

9. Drink plenty of water.

A note: Some people swear by Zinc and Vitamin C supplements. My thought is that you can get plenty of Vitamin C through your diet. Most fruits, vegetables and juices contain huge amounts of Vitamin C and this Vitamin C is much more bioavailable than Vitamin C in supplements and these foods also contain a variety of other nutrients the body needs.

Also, the body can't process huge amounts of Vitamin C all at once, so any excess is excreted through your urine. Worse, what most people don't realize is that too much Vitamin C can cause serious health problems such as kidney stones, vitamin B-12 deficiencies and more, so why waste money on a Vitamin C supplement when nature gives us all we need?

As for Zinc? The jury's still out. Some studies show a reduction in duration, but not symptoms, other studies show zero difference between taking zinc and taking a placebo. If you're interested, you can check out the Dietary Supplements Fact Sheet at the National Institutes of Health.

Here's my mostly crackpot take on loading up on supplements when you're sick. My theory (and I am NO EXPERT nor am I a doctor), is that when you're sick you don't have a huge amount of energy. Your body can either use that energy fighting the cold or trying to digest and process huge amounts of supplements (most of which will end up in your urine anyway). Personally, I'd rather have my body use all the energy it has to fight the cold.

Don't Spread the Cold

1. If you're sick STAY HOME! Plain and simple.

2. If you do go out, COVER YOUR NOSE AND MOUTH when you cough or sneeze. The best way to do this is to cough and sneeze into tissues or paper towels. Coughing and sneezing into your elbow, as our brilliant government officials suggest, is worthless because your elbow's not big enough to cover both your nose and mouth at the same time.

3. Immediately wash your hands or use an antibacterial wipe to clean your hands after that cough or sneeze or wipe your nose.

4. Keep your distance from other people.

5. Grab door handles and other community objects with a clean paper towel to create as much of a barrier between your germs and that object as possible.

6. Wipe down surfaces you come in contact with with an antibacterial wipe.

7. Properly discard your tissues.

8. Did I mention stay home and get better.

9. Don't share food, cups, glasses, water bottles or utensils.

10. And now for my favorite, for the love of God DO NOT SPIT LUGGIES ANYWHERE IN PUBLIC!

So there you have it. Lots of ways to stay healthy during cold and flu season. I hope you make it through this season without catching a bug! Be well!

Stay Warm and Active in Cold Weather

We've all heard that when it's cold outside we need to dress in layers. That's all well and good, but dressing in layers does absolutely no good if you wear the wrong things or if you get sweaty. So here's how you stay warm in cold weather.

Before we get started, there is one rule you need to know.

Rule #1 AVOID COTTON. There's a saying amongst outdoorsy people and that is, "Cotton kills." Why? You ask. Because when cotton gets wet, it loses all insulating ability which means you get very, very cold, very, very fast. This is a recipe for disaster.

That said, here's how to dress to stay warm.

1st Layer
Polyester or silk underwear and bra (for women of course) , polyester or nylon sock liners. Sunscreen for any exposed skin, including your lips.

2nd Layer
Polyester or silk long sleeved thermal shirt and thermal long underwear, wool socks. I prefer long underwear that's skin tight and long enough to tuck into my pants. Looser long underwear doesn't trap as much heat. And one more thing. Why 2 layers of socks, you ask? First, warmth. Second, blister prevention.

3rd Layer
Depending on how cold it is outside, either a long sleeved polyester shirt and wool pants or a short sleeved polyester shirt and a heavy duty pair of polyester pants.

4th Layer
Again, depending on how cold it is, either snow pants and a heavy coat with a stocking cap and Balaclava (neck gaiter) or wind pants with your heavy coat, stocking cap and Balaclava. Slip your hands into a pair of polyester glove liners.

5th Layer
Mittens and water proof boots, sunglasses, goggles or other UV protection for your eyes. If you're going out in deep snow, then use gaiters, too.

Now that you're dressed for a blizzard...It's important not to allow yourself to sweat excessively. Sweat equals moisture and even with the most advanced fabrics that moisture will eventually equal cold, especially when you stop moving. The key is to shed layers before you get too hot, then put those layers back on before you get too cold. Yes, that does mean stopping a couple more times while on the trail, but trust me it makes a much nicer, much safer trip.

Of course even the most diligent of shedding layers doesn't stop all sweat. Armpits, the back and shoulders where backpacks and hydration systems make contact with the body and socks are prime candidates for moisture buildup.

So what's the answer? Always carry spare dry clothing. Even if you don't need it on the trail, you will appreciate changing into dry clothes at camp and/or for the ride back home.

In your bag:
Dry underwear, dry bra, dry thermal top, dry thermal pants, dry pants, dry long sleeve shirt, dry socks and liners (2 pair), dry stocking cap, dry mittens and glove liners and dry shoes.

Ingredients to Avoid

Here are a few ingredients you should avoid when at all possible. They can quickly sabotage your weight loss efforts and lead to serious health issues.

Partially hydrogenated oil of any kind--which is basically shortening. These oils love to stick to the walls of your arteries and cause heart attacks. Food manufacturers add partially hydrogenated oils because they are cheaper than butter or other healthier alternatives. Do your best to avoid foods containing this cheap fat. Some foods that contain partially hydrogenated oils are margarine and the majority of crackers and tortilla shells. So you know, La Flavorita makes partially hydrogenated oil free tortilla shells that are excellent. Back to Nature makes terrific p.h.o. free saltine crackers.

High fructose corn syrup--A super cheap sweetener that causes serious spikes in blood sugar levels. This is bad for weight loss and bad for your health in general. This darned sweetener is EVERYWHERE from bread to cereal and pasta sauce and chips and you get the point. That said, there are a lot of good, nutritious foods that don't use high fructose corn syrup as a sweetener. It might take a little detective work, but corn syrup free foods are out there. Try "energy bars" sweetened with honey or agave nectar rather than high fructose corn syrup.

Palm or palm kernel and coconut oil--These high in saturated fat oils are becoming a replacement for partially hydrogenated oils in some "health" conscious food. But there is nothing healthy about them. Best to avoid or seriously limit their intake. Foods containing canola oil are a better choice, although you still have to watch the total fat content.

Sugar substitutes such as malitol, manitol, sorbitol (notice the tol endings), aspertame, asulphate potassium, etc.-- Numerous studies have shown that "diet" foods containing sugar substitutes short circuit the brain so that it takes much longer for you to register when you're full. This means you consume more calories than you would have consumed without using a sugar substitute. Now doesn't that defeat the whole purpose of sugar substitutes? Also, the sugar alcohols (manitol, malitol, sorbitol) can cause gas, bloating and diarrhea. Not exactly pleasant.

So next time you go grocery shopping, beware of these ingredients.

Walk Off Depression

A brisk 30 minute walk a day may be as effective in preventing and treating depression as some prescription medications. Research also shows that people who walk every day are happier and manage stress better than those who don't. It's probably thanks to the endorphin high we experience for 1-2 hours after exercise. That high seems to permeate throughout the day.

* As a side note, please seek immediate medical treatment if you believe you are suffering from depression.

Beware of Big, Fat Bread

The other day I had to buy a different brand of bread because they were out of the stuff I normally buy. When I went to put that bread in the toaster, it would not fit without some serious squishing. How ridiculous is that? So for giggles, the next time I bought my normal loaf of bread, I compared nutrition labels.

The gigantic "healthy" whole grain, whole wheat and oat bread contained 110 calories per slice. My normal whole wheat and honey bread contained just 70 calories per slice. This got me thinking. 40 extra calories per slice times two slices per day equals a whopping 80 extra calories per day. That's an extra 28,800 calories per year or the equivalent of 11.5 pounds of weight I might have blindly gained just by eating a different brand of bread.

But that's not all! I also realized that the big bread had a lot more room for fixins. More fixins like mayo, pbj and butter equals several hundred more calories per sandwich. You know, it only takes consuming 2,500 extra calories to gain one pound.

The way things were adding up, if I didn't switch bread or cut my sandwiches in half, then I was going to gain over a pound a month. Yieks!

The moral of the story is two-fold, always beware of big, fat bread loaded with creepy, sneaky calories and always, always, always read those nutrition labels.

Lower Cholesterol with Flax Seeds

Check this out, numerous studies show that adding one tablespoon a day of ground flax seeds to your diet can significantly lower your total cholesterol and your LDL cholesterol.

Not only that, ground flax seeds are high in fiber, magnesium and omega-3 fatty acids. It's those omega-3s that make these little seeds a powerful anti-inflammatory.

What about whole flax seeds? Whole seeds don't work as well. They need to be ground otherwise they pass through the digestive system undigested.

What about flax seed oil? The oil doesn't have the same effect. Why? Because oil is devoid of fiber. Fiber is your blood's vacuum cleaner. It binds to circulating fats and transports them directly to your body's waste depot before they can stick to your arteries.

What about flax seed supplements? Again, not as good as the real seeds thanks to the lack of fiber. Also, supplements contain fillers and aren't regulated by the FDA so you really don't know what you're getting.

How to Incorporate Fiber into Your Diet
Do it slowly. Flax seeds are high in fiber, so it's best to start with a small amount (1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon), then work up to a full tablespoon over the course of a couple of weeks.

How to Eat Ground Flax Seeds:
Add to oatmeal for breakfast
Use them as a cereal topper
Add to a smoothie
Add to bread, muffin, pancake and waffle recipes
Use as an egg replacer in baked goods (For one egg: add 1T of ground flax seeds to 3 T of water, stir and let sit for a few minutes, use as you would eggs)
Stir a little into your yogurt
Sprinkle some on a bowl of fruit

For best results, add ground flax seeds to a well balanced, diet full of fruits, vegetables and whole grains.

You can usually find ground flax seeds in the natural foods section of your local grocery store and in a health food chains such as Sprouts, Sunflowers, Mother's and Whole Foods.

How to Change Your Lifestyle

Why do so many people fail when it comes to losing weight and improving their health and fitness? It's because we try to change too much all at once. One day, we wake up and suddenly decide to start a new life. We change our diet and our exercise routine and how we shop and how we spend our free time and this and that and the other...

With everything there is to think about in a day, making so many changes all at once is totally overwhelming. At first you might see some success, but eventually, especially in stressful situations, the brain's going to blow a few neurons and you'll return back to the same bad habits you've always had because they are easy and require little or no thought.

A much better method of making changes is to do so gradually. Make only one change at a time. As I mentioned in the previous post, it takes 2-4 weeks of daily repetition before a behavior becomes a habit. So pick one thing that you can do to improve your health and fitness. Perhaps it's going for a morning walk or reducing your soda intake by a can per day, or adding fruits and vegetables to your diet, etc.

Whatever change you decide to make, write it down and practice it daily. Don't attempt to make any other changes until this one has become a habit. Stay motivated by celebrating each of your small successes.

This process takes time (think baby steps), but if you are systematic about making small changes and turning them into habits, you will be amazed by the results! I promise!

Secrets to Living Long and Staying Healthy

My neighbor is an 85 year old woman who doesn't look a day over 65. She is in incredible physical and mental shape and she hasn't so much as had a cold in over 15 years. How does she do it? I'll tell you.

Staying Physically Active and Being Part of the Community
Anne wakes up every morning, sweeps the sidewalks around her apartment then tends to the plants around her apartment. She goes for a walk around the block, socializes with her neighbors and some of the guys on the maintenance crew, then she lifts weights (in her apartment). This is her routine every day except Sunday because on Sundays she dances (all alone in her apartment).

Eating a Variety of High Quality, High Nutrient Foods
She eats a huge variety of fresh fruits and vegetables and beans and whole grains like oats and whole wheat, barley and whole grain rice and she always has 5 almonds a day for a snack. She drinks a lot of water and enjoys hot and cold herbal teas (no sugar, bag teas).

Planning
Anne plans her meals for the week on Sundays. She makes a list for the grocery store, then goes shopping and gets only what she needs. Having a list makes for faster, healthier, less expensive shopping. Anne puts on the blinders and goes to exactly what she wants in the store, tosses it in her basket and moves on. This helps her avoid junk food temptations.

Going Vegetarian Once a Week
One day per week, Anne goes vegetarian. Twice a week, she eats fish. Four days a week she eats meat (a different meat each day). For example pork, chicken, beef and lamb.

Eating Small Amounts of Meat
She keeps her portion sizes small and always has more servings of fruits, vegetables and whole grains than meat.

Eating "Junk" Foods Sparingly
When she uses butter, it's always the real thing never even considering margarine.

She eats cheese once or twice a year.

She eats a single serving of high quality (low number of natural ingredients) ice cream once or twice a week. She drinks a glass of red wine once or twice a week and then on Sundays, when she is finished dancing, she has a single glass of Bourbon.

Anne also rarely goes out to eat and when she does, she never finishes her meal. She doesn't eat highly processed, convenience foods, either.

Vitamins
Anne takes a high quality multivitamin daily. She considers it her insurance plan.

Relaxing and Educating Herself
In her free time, Anne reads. She values her relaxation time and reads a variety of material from the newspaper to novels to magazines and books on health and fitness. She keeps her brain active by studying the latest and greatest advancements in health and fitness and as a result she knows a lot about which foods can help eliminate or reduce symptoms from many medical conditions such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and arthritis.

Practicing Good Hygiene
Another key to Anne's good health is her all around good hygiene. She washes her hands frequently and takes very good care of her teeth. Good oral hygiene is extremely important and is an often overlooked component of health and fitness.

Routine
What makes Anne so successful is that over the years her healthy habits have become a routine. For her, it now takes more time and energy to be unhealthy than it does to be healthy.

Psychologists say that it takes about 2-4 weeks of daily repetition before a behavior becomes a habit. This week, in honor of Anne, I'd like you to pick one of Anne's behaviors and incorporate it into your daily life. When that behavior becomes routine, pick another one of Anne's behaviors and so on.

Have fun!

Fitness: Getting Started

People look at me and see all of the activities I do and assume that because I'm a Personal Fitness Trainer I have always been in shape. That is not the case. In fact, at one point in my life, I was overweight and very out of shape.

So how did I manage to go from couch potato to athlete?

Very, very slowly. I started small.

Running:
I began with running. I'd jog as long as I could, we're talking 2 minutes or so, then walk to rest. Then I'd jog again, walk, etc. Over time, and it took me a very long time, I jogged more and walked less. I can now do a 5K run and am hoping to do a 10K at some point in the future.

In the Gym:
I started lifting weights. At first, I could only do one set of a handful of exercises, but over time I gradually worked my way up to more exercises, more sets, heavier weights and longer workouts.

On the Road Bike:
I could hardly go a mile and a half without dying. Over the course of about 2 years, I worked up my mileage and with the help and encouragement of our bicycling friends, I kept riding and challenging myself and can now do 65 miles in a day.

Mountain Biking:
I had a mountain bike, but had never been mountain biking, so when Justin and I moved to Pennsylvania, we found some short loop mountain bike trails in our area. PA is hilly. There was no choice but to go up.

So, we'd both pedal as long as we could, then stop, catch our breath and then start pedaling again. Over time, we're talking one or two years, we were able to climb huge hills without stopping. That said, when we mountain bike in California or Colorado, we still find ourselves stopping to catch our breath from time to time.

Swimming:
How hard can it be? Yeah...I decided to try a sprint triathlon with a 1/2 mile swim. When I started training, I couldn't even complete a single lap across the pool. I was dying. Gasping for air, floating on my back to catch my breath. It took me a little over a year of once a week swims before I could comfortably swim that 1/2 mile.

Hiking:
A one mile trail used to be it for me. After many, many hikes, each increasing in distance, now I know I can do over 10 miles in a day and I can do it carrying a 45 pound backpack.

Fitness is cumulative, so start small and gradually go bigger. As they say, Practice makes Perfect.

Music and Your Health

Music is an important component in health and fitness for several reasons.

1. When you listen to music during your workout, you tend to go harder and longer than when you don't listen to music. Check this out: Upbeat Music Boosts Exercise published on the website, Medical News Today.

2. Music can help relax you, lower blood pressure and improve your mood.

3. Music has also been shown to significantly reduce the perception of pain. Check out this cool article in Cognitive Daily: Music, Art and the Perception of Pain by Dave Munger.

4. And for people suffering from anxiety, depression, cancer, Alzheimer's, stroke victims, and more there is a growing branch of medicine known as Music Therapy. Read about it at Therapy Times in the article, Music Therapy Reduces Anxiety and Improves Physical Health.

So grab your mp3 player, turn on the radio, pick up a guitar and enjoy!

My Playlist

Boxing, Punching, Kicking, Flying Through the Air at 90 MPH Workout:

Warm-up:

• Survivor "Eye of the Tiger" Thank you so much Mr. Stallone for giving us Rocky, inspiration for greatness and so much more. (You are my hero for so many reasons.) I digress, "Eye of the Tiger" has the perfect rhythm for slow speed bag work and martial arts workouts that include punches, kicks and combos.

Move it!

• Powerman 5000 "When Worlds Collide" Awesome rhythm for faster speed bag work. Try doubling up on the punches. Also, awesome for faster kick punch combos on the punching bag with some ab work and push-ups thrown in for fun. Also love it for interval training on the stair stepper. Go! Go! Go!
• White Zombie "Thunderkiss '65"
• Ministry "Jesus Built My Hotrod"
• Alice in Chains "Them Bones"
• White Zombie "Supercharger Heaven" (The competition is toast)
• Alice in Chains "We Die Young"
• Guns and Roses
• Marilyn Manson
• Monster Magnet "Powertrip"

Road Cycling, Jogging, Slightly More Mellow Favorites:

• Queen "Another One Bites the Dust"
• The Misfits "Dig Up Her Bones"
• Prodigy "Firestarter" (Guarantee you'll pass everyone you see with this one playing)
• Metallica
• Quiet Riot "Come on Feel the Noise"
• Living Color "Cult of Personality
• Judas Priest "You've Got Another Thing Coming"
• The Misfits "American Psycho"
• Greenday "Welcome to Paradise"
• Great White "Once Bitten Twice Shy"
• Talking Heads "Burning Down the House"
• Tom Petty and the Heart Breakers
• Duran Duran, especially "A View to a Kill" James Bond here we come!
• Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
• Film Soundtracks
• Randy Travis
• Rammstein

I know this isn't music, but I also like to listen to audio books and language learning mp3s.

Cooling Down and Stretching:

• Megadeth "Secret Place"
• Enya
• The Cranberries
• Roxette, "Wish I Could Fly"

Finding Inspiration to Move

We've all had those weeks or months where we feel completely uninspired to do anything. These are the times when we tell ourselves that we are going to workout or clean the house or read a book or redo the computer, but for some reason we never manage to actually get any of these things done.

Whether this lack of inspiration comes from depression, an injury or a simple case of burnout, there is one really good way to fix it and get yourself back on track.

Read about an athlete you really admire. Watch some of their past performances. Read stories about Olympians and ball players and cyclists and footbol (soccer) players, football players, skiers, runners, tennis players, golfers, etc. Learn what they have done to overcome adversity and get past those moments where they just want to give up. The stories are inspiring.

Next, try to find that athlete's favorite playlist, that handful of songs that inspire them to greatness. Go to itunes or Amazon and download those songs onto your mp3 player.

Music in hand, find a quiet place and have a seat. Close your eyes, listen to the music and visualize yourself as your favorite athlete. Visualize how good it feels to perform, how great it feels to cross that finish line or win that game.

Then when you are totally inspired, hit the gym, the tennis court, the track, the field, the slopes, the boxing ring, the mountain and go.

In the next post, I'll share with you some of my favorite workout music.

How to Buy the Right Shoes

It is vital that you buy the correct pair of shoes for your feet. If you buy the wrong shoes, your feet, ankles, knees, hips, back, shoulders, neck, everything up the chain is going to hurt. Not only that, but you will place unnecessary stress on your joints and increase your chance of injury.

So, when buying sneakers make sure you go to a good shoe store or sporting goods store where the employees are educated in how to fit people with shoes.

A Shoe Salesperson Will Determine the Following Things for You:

• Your correct shoe size
• Your correct shoe width
• Whether you are a pronator, suppinator or neither
• If you are a heel striker or a forefoot striker
  
• Whether you have high arches, normal arches or flat feet
• What type of shoe is best for you, a walking shoe, cross trainer, running shoe (there are major differences between the different types)

With this information, a salesperson can help you choose the right pair of shoes for your needs.

Love Your Feet: A Quick, Easy Joint Pain Solution

I was talking to my dad the other day and he mentioned his knee was bothering him. He went to the doctor, the doctor did an MRI, but still couldn't figure out what was wrong. The doctor's advice was to simply do nothing and wait until the pain got worse and something operable showed up on an MRI. Until then, my dad was SOL.

Or was he? Was there a simple fix that the orthopedic surgeon had overlooked? In my opinion, yes.

Let's just say I know a thing or two about pain, namely foot pain, knee pain, hip pain, back pain, etc. I've had foot surgeries, knee surgeries and have been diagnosed with arthritis, tendonitis, severe degenerative disc disease, annulus disc tears, a herniated disc, etc., etc., etc.

I have learned that when something starts to hurt, such as my feet, knees, hips, back or all of the above; or if I find that I'm suddenly coming up with excuses for reasons why I don't want to walk or jog or if I'm cutting my walks and jogs short, it is time time to take a look at my sneakers.

With that, I asked my dad a simple question, "When is the last time you bought a new pair of sneakers?" (I already knew the answer. My dad came from a family that championed duct tape and glue to hold shoes together until they literally disintegrated off of his feet.) He told me he couldn't remember. I told him the first thing he should do is go out and buy a new pair and see if that made a difference.

Since this is my dad we're talking about, before he rushed to the store to buy new shoes, he found another pair of sneakers lying around the house and decided to try them out for a few days. Guess what, his knee pain went away. Bingo, problem solved.

I think it's so funny how we often overlook the simplest solutions to our problems. We forget the children's song we learned when we were five:

The toe bone's connected to the foot bone,
the foot bone's connected to the ankle bone
the ankle's bone connected to the leg bone...

So if you are having issues with foot, knee, hip, back pain, etc. and the doctor can't figure out what's going on, try a new pair of shoes. If that doesn't work, ask your doctor if he/she believes prescription orthotics would help. I know they have made a world of difference for me and so many of the active people I know.

Tomorrow: How to buy the correct pair of shoes for your feet.

Active Thought of the Week

How many times a day do you think, "I really should go for a walk or ride my bike or get up and move or lift some weights?" How many times a day does your body scream for you to get up and move or stretch?

Now, how many times a day do you act on these thoughts versus how many times you get sidetracked by doing something sedentary?

How many more calories a day would you burn if you actually listened to your body and gave it the activity it is asking for? The answer is a lot!

Our bodies are incredible machines! They know what we need in order to be healthy. All we have to do is follow instructions.

With our hectic schedules, I know that it's unrealistic to act on each of our active urges, however, if you acte on at least a few of these active thoughts each day, you will be pleasantly surprised by the results.

So today, when you have an urge to move, get up and take a walk, go for a bike ride, go to the gym, walk the dog, jump on a trampoline, or just stand up at your desk and do some stretches, etc.

Beans...The More You Eat, the More You Fart...

I realized today that we have talked about eating beans all week, but I never mentioned how to prevent bean gas, that noxious substance that can clear a room faster than bulldozer.

3 Ways to degas Your Beans:

1. Prepare your own beans following these instructions:
a. Rinse well and remove any foreign objects, like soil and small rocks.
b. Soak beans in cold water overnight OR simply boil for 1 minute, cover and let sit for an hour.
c. Drain and rinse.
d. Cover beans with water and cook until they are tender.

Voila, you've just now removed some of the gas causing agents in beans.

2. If you're buying canned beans, try Bean-O or other commercial de-gassing drops.

3. WATCH YOUR PORTION SIZES. Beans are full of fiber. If you aren't used to eating fiber, then too much fiber in one sitting is going to make you bloated and gassy and may even give you the runs.

I'm all for adding fiber to the diet, but I wouldn't recommend eating all 35 grams (recommended amount) in one meal.

Amy's Favorite Bean Salad

1 head of red or green lettuce (or mixed salad greens in a bag)
1 bag of baby spinach
2 cluster tomatoes
1/4 white or yellow onion, diced
1.5 cups (or a 12 ounce can) of Kidney beans (drained, low-sodium)

Throw everything into a big salad bowl. Dish out a huge serving. Toss your serving with 1 teaspoon of French Dressing.

Amy's Fast and Yummy Chicken and Pinto Bean Soup

Quick, easy and delicious!

4 cups of organic, low-sodium chicken broth (or water)
1 cubed chicken breast
2 cups of home prepared pinto beans (drained) or one 12 ounce can of low-sodium pinto beans (drained)
1 small bag of frozen mixed vegetables

1. Place the cubed chicken breast and broth into a large pot. Bring to a boil, then simmer until the chicken is cooked. (15-20 minutes usually.)

2. Add the pinto beans and frozen mixed vegetables.

3. Cook until thoroughly heated and enjoy.

Total prep and cook time: About 20 minutes.

If you want to spice it up, add your favorite spices such as thyme, marjoram, black pepper, etc. For an even heartier soup, add some cooked whole grain brown rice or whole grain whole wheat noodles.

Enjoy!

Amy's Chili Recipe

2 12 oz cans of black beans (low salt)
2 12 oz cans of pink beans (low salt)
1/2 pound (plus or minus) of ground buffalo
1 white onion diced
1 red bell pepper diced
1 yellow bell pepper diced
1 green bell pepper diced
2 big cans of diced tomatoes
2 big cans of tomato puree
1 can of diced green chilis
2-4 garlic cloves, smashed and diced
1/2 of a small bag of frozen corn
1/4 cup of chili powder (more or less to taste)
1t - 1T cayenne red pepper (more or less to taste)
1T cilantro

1. Brown the meat.
2. Dump all of the ingredients into a big pot (or crock pot), stir and simmer for several hours (stirring often).

Serve over a baked potato or mix with whole grain brown rice.

This makes a lot, so feel to freeze the extra in individual serving sized batches.

* To further reduce sodium, I prepare my own beans. Rinse and soak dry beans in water overnight. Then drain and cook in fresh water for a couple of hours until soft. Freeze what you don't need.

Beans, Beans, They're Good for Your Heart

I love beans. They're one of the most nourishing foods on the planet and they taste good. Full of vitamins, minerals, protein and fiber and they're low in fat. You know beans might just be the perfect food.

So this week, I thought it was time to honor the wonderful bean by sharing a few of my favorite bean recipes with you.

But first, I thought I'd share this story. Justin and I went to Colorado for a visit and our good friends made a wonderful dinner for us. They cooked up some beans we had never had before. They tasted wonderful and were so much fun to eat.

To eat these chunky, green colored beans, you simply squeezed the beans out of their pod and into your mouth, but the fun came when the little beans squirted out of the pod and sometimes right off of the table. It was a riot.

These beans were called Edamame or (edible soybeans). They're Japanese and they come in a frozen package. You simply boil them in water and eat. You can buy them pre-shelled, too, but that's not as much fun.

So in honor of our friends helping Justin and I discovering a new, nutritious food I declare today "Let's try Edamame soybeans" day.

My Response to Time Magazine's: "Why Exercise Won't Make You Thin"

I usually don't post on the weekends because I feel that Sat. and Sun. should be my days away from the computer, my days to play outside and burn energy, but today I'm making a rare exception on your behalf.

Time Magazine recently published an article titled, "Why Exercise Won't Make You Thin" by John Cloud. This article is full of inaccuracies, implications and missing information.

I wonder who is really behind the article? Some junk food company or fast food restaurant that wants you to eat once you're finished with the article? I know my mouth was watering when I finished reading it. A pharmaceutical company that stands to benefit from making you even more unhealthy?

Is someone about to release the next Phen-Phen? The next you're gonna lose weight, but at the cost of losing your life drug? Or is it the producer of some diet product? Whatever's going on:

Please read the American Council on Exercise's statement about this article to help clarify the fact from fiction.

That said, let's brush past the conjecture in Cloud's article and find the kernel of truth, the one he hid amongst images and descriptions of junk food. The truth is that yes, people do tend to overestimate their caloric need after they workout. They see working out as an excuse to binge on whatever they want with no consequences. We've all done it before and as a trainer I see it all the time.

A person will go to the gym, lift, then come home and think they've burned enough calories to down two supreme pizzas and a six pack of beer. That person maybe burned 200-300 calories at the gym, but he just ate upwards of 6,000 calories at home. Wow, if ever there were a recipe for weight gain... It really is a no-brainer.

Get on the treadmill or elliptical machine or indoor bicycle and set the computer to display the approximate number of calories you are burning. Sobering, isn't it? Sorry to say, it ain't much compared to the number of calories in the food we eat. I mean 250 calories burned is equivalent to about an hour of walking. That's not even breakfast.

You have to burn 2,500 calories above what your body needs in order to survive in order to lose one pound. Yowzers, right! Suddenly, that pizza you were going to reward yourself with doesn't look like a very good reward now does it?

So what is the solution? I'll give you a couple.

Tips to Prevent Overeating After Workouts
Nothing's worse than coming home from a brutal workout starving and not being able to find anything to eat. This leads to binge eating, eating out, ordering in, etc. We are all guilty of this, myself included.

To solve the problem, cook meals before you workout and then measure out the appropriate serving size and have it grab-and-go ready for when you get home.

In fact, take a day on the weekend and pre-make as many meals as you can for the week. Freeze them in individual serving size packets. We use Quart sized Ziploc Freezer bags. It's harder to overeat when seconds aren't available.

What to Eat?
It's best to cook a well balanced meal, something that contains protein (tofu, beans, milk, fish, lowfat meat), and both simple and complex carbs (for example: fruits and veggies (simple) and whole grain rice or pasta (complex) . I start with a juicy fruit like an apple or a peach, then move on to a mixed greens salad dressed with balsamic vinegar or the juice of a lemon. Then I'll grab a little whole grain whole wheat pasta topped with a homemade pasta sauce full of veggies and other goodies. (I'll share the recipe with you sometime.)

It is important to eat your balanced meal within 20 minutes of completing your workout. This aids significantly in recovery.

Anyway, after you eat, shower, get dressed, do your hair, etc. This will give your brain a chance to register that you are full.

If you still feel hungry, grab a small snack such as some fruit, 5 almonds, a bowl of homemade soup, half of a sandwich (regular sized bread) or munch on fruits and veggies or air popped popcorn made with no butter or oil.

Whether or now you have just returned from a workout or have just begun a workout program or have been working out forever...

One Fact Remains True
When you exercise, watch your portion sizes and make healthy choices at your meals, you significantly improve your health and well being while also losing weight.

So, please DO NOT let the Time Magazine article become your excuse to stop exercising. DO NOT let it convince you that you need to eat junk food right now. (The power of suggestion in his piece is very strong!)

Instead, get out and do what I did this morning. Have a balanced breakfast then go for bike ride, walk, run, jog, play on the playground at the park, go swimming, lift weights, hike, go indoor rock climbing, skate, in-line skate, etc...

I'm off to do another 17 miles on my road bike today. Ciao!

Amy's Favorite Stress Busters

Stress sucks! Literally. It sucks the life right out of you. Study after study has shown that people who are stressed out have shorter lifespans than people who aren't as stressed.

Stress coaxes you to do things you might not ordinarily do such as skip your workouts, snap at family and friends, eat junk food, skip sleep, etc. It's bad news all the way around.

That said, in my opinion there are two kinds of stress. The kind that makes you unable to concentrate on anything except for your desire to kill everything. I call this the Everything Must Die kind of stress. And then there's the stress that makes you feel sick and tired and run down so that all you want to do is sleep. I call this the I Feel Crappy Stress.

With that said, here are some of my favorite stress busters.

Everything Must Die Stress Busters

• Get some music pumping and beat the stuffing out of a punching bag and a speed bag. "Eye of the Tiger" by Survivor is great. The rhythm works well for punches and it makes you feel like Rocky.
• Go mountain biking UP some gnarly hill.
• Go road biking UP several gnarly hills.
• Get in the car and SCREAM at the top of my lungs without going anywhere. (I can't scream in my apartment or I'd really freak the neighbors out.)
• Go to a butt kicking kickboxing class.
• Carry a backpack that's way too heavy up a mountain that's way too steep.
• Go climb the indoor rock wall at our gym.
• Do a killer weight lifting workout.
  
• Go dirt bike riding.
  
• Run as fast as I can for as long as I can.
• Swim as fast as I can for as long as I can.
• Deep clean something that requires a LOT of scrubbing.
• Anything that gets my heart rate way up and requires a huge amount of energy expenditure.
  

I Feel Crappy Stress Busters

• Write in my journal.
• Sing and dance like I'm a superstar.
• Take a bath and read a trashy novel.
• Sit in the hot tub.
• Float in the pool.
  
• Swing as high as I can on a swing in the park.
• Read a magazine cover to cover.
• Play the piano.
  
• Practice deep breathing and visualization techniques.
  
• Work on a fun project I can get lost in, such as an animation.
• Make a couple loaves of homemade whole grain bread.
• Sit down with a cup of jasmine tea and a good adventure book.
  
• Vent about life to a friend or family member.
• Brush the dog.
  
• Do light cleaning.
• Go for a really mellow road or mountain bike ride.
• Go for a meandering walk or a hike somewhere quiet and away from people, traffic, the city. Enjoy the wildlife.
  
• Get a massage.
• Go horseback riding.
• Take a long drive and explore a new place.
• Do my nails.
• Get my hair done.
  

Butt Busting Park Workout

Good morning! I thought I'd share a really fun butt busting workout that you can do in your local park.

Warm Up:
Begin by walking for 5-10 minutes, gradually increasing your pace, getting your heart rate up.

Moving Lunges: Do 1 set of 15 repetitions each leg (Watch your form. See my post on how to do lunges and squats)

Stretch: Your legs and butt.

Picnic Table Push-Ups: Do 1 set of 15 repetitions (Or however many you can get without breaking form.)

Find a picnic table (a wall works, too). Place both hands on the end of the table and extend your body into a push-up position. Keep your abs tight and your body straight as an arrow.Lower your body as far as you can and then return to your starting position.

Intervals: 5 2-minute running intervals, making each interval faster than the previous one. Walk or jog between intervals to recover.

Return to the picnic table. When's the last time you had a drink of water?

Picnic Bench Step-Ups: 1 set of 15 reps each leg
Use the bench of the picnic table as a step. With one leg, step up, then SLOWLY lower yourself back down. Switch legs. Watch your form! Do not let that knee go over your toe and don't let yourself fall off of the bench. If you have any knee pain STOP. If the bench is too high, you can find some other kind of elevated object at the park to use, such as a step or a curb or a platform that makes up a piece of playground equipment.

Stretch: Your legs and butt.

Picnic Table Dips: 1 set of 15 repetitions
Sit on the picnic table's bench facing away from the table. Put your hands on the edge of the bench keeping them close to your body. Walk your feet away from the bench. Keeping your back very close to the bench and your body nice and straight, slowly lower your body towards the ground and then return back up.

Intervals: See above.

* If you want, you can repeat this cycle two or three times. Then:

Cool Down:
Jog: A light pace for 5-10 minutes, gradually slowing it down to a nice, slow walk.

Stretch: All muscles used today.

You can do this workout three or four times a week, just not on consecutive days.

Enjoy!

Disclaimer:
Again, do this workout at your own risk. Ask your doctor before you begin. This is a workout designed for a healthy individual. If you feel any joint pain, nausea, shortness or breath, etc. stop immediately and seek medical help. If you have knee issues, it's probably better that you avoid lunges and step-ups. At some point I will post some information about knee exercises.

Serving Sizes in Europe Versus the U.S.

In my last post, I talked about how Europeans stay trim by walking everywhere and walking everywhere fast. But walking is only half of the equation. Caloric intake is the other half.

By far, most Europeans eat fewer calories than Americans because in Europe the serving sizes are considerably smaller than what they are here in the U.S. For example:

A Single Serving Container of Yogurt:

In Europe = 4 ounces.
In the U.S. = 6-8 ounces.

A Single Serving of Juice/Soda/Other Bottled Beverages:

In Europe = 250 ml (or about 8 ounces or 1 cup)
In the U.S. = 12 ounces (1.5 cups) for cans, 16 ounces (2 cups) for bottles

I could go on and on. The point is that here in the U.S. we simply eat more calories at every meal and those calories add up fast.

The Solution
European serving sizes tend to be about 1/3 to 1/2 smaller than our bloated U.S. serving sizes. Here's a little trick you can try which will help you quickly and easily reduce your caloric intake.

For each of your large meals, such as lunch and dinner, go ahead and dish up your normal serving size, then simply split your meal into two equal servings: one for today, one for tomorrow. (Don't forget to do this with the calorie containing liquids you consume, too.) Also, if you go out to eat, order a to go box with the meal and immediately split the meal into 3 or 4 equal servings.

Try this for a few days and see what happens. Can you get by on fewer calories? My bet is yes.

* A final note, don't allow your total daily caloric intake to drop below 1,200 per day for women and 1,500 per day for men.

Burn a Zillion Calories a Day: Walk Like a Parisian

You want to know the secret to how Parisians (and Europeans in general) stay so thin? Here it is. They walk.

Europeans walk everywhere and they walk everywhere fast. Fast walking is great because anyone can do it, it burns a lot of calories and it's easy on the joints.

So, if you want to lose weight and stay lean and trim, go to Paris and attempt to keep up with a Parisian. If you can't get to Paris (an absolute tragedy), simply do your best to:

Walk often and walk fast. Do your best to walk, NOT DRIVE, where you need to go. For example:

• Park far away from your destination and then walk. (Use the money you'll save on gas for a nice vacation at the end of the year.)
  
• Eat lunch at your desk and use your lunch hour to go for a walk.
• Walk your dog (or the neighbor's dog) in the morning before work and at night after dinner.

And remember, no sauntering or meandering or loitering. The point is to walk fast enough to get your heart pumping, your lungs working and the calories burning.

P.S. If you want to go to Paris, the Loire Valley, Brittany and Normandy let me know because I'd be more than happy to give you some info on amazing places to stay, things to do, etc. Check out Chateau Mont-Dol in Brittany (near the abbey of Mont St. Michel). It is beyond incredible.

Copyright 2009 Amy Giaquinto

Quick, Easy Brainless Weight Loss Strategy

I remember when I was little, my great grandma used to fix me a bowl of oatmeal and a glass of grapefruit juice for breakfast. She had the cutest bowls, spoons and glasses. They were all very small. Her frosted glasses only held 4 ounces of liquid. Her flowery bowls held more than 8 ounces and her spoons were just as small and delicate.

This morning I had a bowl of oatmeal and thought about my great grandma. Then I thought about the size of my dishes compared to the size of hers. What a huge difference! The plates, bowls, glasses and silverware of today are enormous!

Most glasses now hold 8-12 ounces. Most plates have morphed from frisbee-sized to flying saucer sized. Our spoons have become hand-held troughs, our forks, gardening pitchforks.

You know, I'm going to bet money that a very quick and easy way to lose weight is to simply downsize your plates, bowls, glasses and other eating utensils.

Bigger plates, bowls, glasses, silverware = more space to fill with food = more calories consumed = lots of gained weight

Smaller plates, bowls, glasses, silverware = less space to fill with food = fewer calories consumed = easy, brainless weight loss

Try it and see.

Copyright 2009 Amy Giaquinto

Avoid Food Temptations

One key strategy I like to share with my weight loss clients is this:

If you don't buy it and you don't have it around, you can't eat it.

It's easy to get up, walk to the fridge and devour a quart of ice cream UNLESS you don't buy ice cream.

With no ice cream (or other junk food in the house), it makes you stop and think, "Am I really hungry?" "Do I really want to eat ice cream?" "Do I want it bad enough to go to the store and get it?" Probably not, right. This is one case where laziness actually works to our advantage!


Copyright 2009 Amy Giaquinto

Plastic Grocery Bags

While we're on the subject this week of trash...

There is zero reason why anyone should be using plastic or even paper grocery bags. Come on, this is the 21st century. It's time for all of us to use reusable cloth bags.

Please see yesterday's post about the top ten reasons why not to buy bottled water. Most of those reasons can be applied to why you should not be using plastic grocery bags.

Why Cloth Bags Rock

1. You can carry more in a cloth bag, which means less waste, fewer grocery bags and fewer trips in and out to bring in groceries.

2. Reusable cloth bags are easier and more comfortable to carry than plastic bags.

3. The straps won't break on a reusable cloth bag, which means all of the groceries make it inside in one piece.

4. Most stores give you a cash credit for bringing your own bag. In CA, it's .5 cents per bag. This adds up quite nicely throughout the year. Some stores in other states offer to donate your .5 cent per bag credit to local charities. Cha-ching!

5. Cloth bags make you feel good about yourself, like you're really making a difference in for the environment.

When you switch to cloth bags, be sure to recycle all of your plastic bags. Thank you!

Copyright 2009 Amy Giaquinto

Terrible, Awful, Dangerous Bottled Water

Being healthy means doing your part to live in a healthy environment and that's why I want to devote today's blog to water bottles.

Take a walk, what do you see? Arrowhead, Fiji, store brand, etc. plastic water bottles littering the grass, the forest, streets and gutters, beaches. These stupid water bottles are everywhere. And what's worse is that very few are being recycled.

In the May 27, 2007 Washington Times Article, Land Full of Bottles, by Ann Geracimos, the Container Recycling Institute states that "8 out of 10 bottles become garbage and end up in a landfill rather than being recycled. "

According to, Plastic Bottles Pile up as Mountains of Waste; Americans' Thirst for Portable Water is Behind Drop in Recycling Rate, by Miguel Llanos, in the U.S. in 2003 "40 million bottles a day went into the trash or became litter."

Instead of Bottled Water...
Buy two or three durable water bottles which you can refill. Then fill them up, refrigerate or freeze, and enjoy.

When they get dirty, throw them in the dishwasher and voila. You're doing your part to save your environment.

Try Nalegene's BPA free water bottles. They come in a variety of sizes and colors and are pretty much indestructable and they will last virtually forever.

If you're still worried about the quality of your tap water, simply buy a water filter that attaches to your water faucet.

Top 10 Reasons to Stop Buying Bottled Water

1. Waste. See above, but also, consider all of the cardboard and plastic wrap used to contain the water bottles, most of which will never get recycled. Waste, waste and more waste. Nuff said.

2. Reliance on Foreign Oil. Plastic is a petroleum product. It's no wonder oil prices are skyrocketing and oil companies are making record profits.

3. Price. Bottled water is EXPENSIVE and there are zero proven health benefits to bottled water verses tap water. You're better off saving your money for retirement, your kid's college education or a really awesome vacation.

4. Toxicity. Plastic water bottles leach the toxic chemical BPA. You can't be healthy if you're in a constant state of toxicity.

5. Wasted Water. I can't tell you the number of people who start drinking a bottle of water, set it down, walk away and simply go back for another bottle. The water and the bottle now wind up in the trash. Not only that, but these people wind up going through an astonishing number of bottles each day. Waste, waste, and more waste!

6. Storage Space. Buying crates full of water bottles takes up an incredible amount of space to store.

7. Lack of Regulations. There are fewer regulations on bottled water than there are on tap water which means that your bottled water may contain more contaminents than your tap water. Check out this article in The New York Times: Fewer Regulations for Bottled Water Than Tap, GAO Says By Sara Goodman

8. Paying for and Encouraging False Advertising. Think you're drinking mountain spring water...Think again. Most bottled water starts out as municipal water. Case in point, head north on Highway 395 from Los Angeles. There, in the middle of the California desert, is one of the nation's leading producers of bottled water. They advertise that their bottled water comes from from a fresh, mountain spring. Interesting considering they are in the middle of the desert. Think about it.

9. Setting a Bad Example. Like it or not, kids look to adults for guidance. Shoot, even other adults turn to their friends and family in search of positive role models. When you are wasteful, it teaches others that it is wasteful and our landfills grow as does the trash we see when we hike, bike, walk, garden, drive, etc.

10. Negative Feelings Like Guilt, Shame and Self Loathing. You know buying bottled water is wasteful. You know you shouldn't do it. Just knowing this makes you feel guilty and ashamed and perhaps lazy and loathful. These negative feelings help fuel depression and lack of motivation.

Finally
Be positive, do something good for yourself, those around you and the environment by using a reusable water bottle. As the saying goes, "Reduce, reuse, recycle."

If you see water bottles lying around, please pick them up and return them to a recycling facility.

Copyright 2009 Amy Giaquinto

"Healthy" Oils

All cooking oils, whether labeled "healthy" or not, are nothing more than liquid fat and fat contains a whopping 9 calories per gram.

Let's take a look at some healthy oils, such as olive, canola and grapeseed oil. Each of these oils contains 14 grams of fat or 126 calories per tablespoon. I want you to think about this for a moment. 126 calories in one tablespoon. 252 calories in 2 tablespoons. 378 calories in 3 tablespoons. It adds up quick!

I mention this because thanks to how oil is now marketed as a health food, I've seen more and more people begin to consume massive amounts of olive, grapeseed, flaxseed, and canola oil. They then come to me and ask why they can't seem to lose weight even though they're exercising and eating right.

Consider this, it only takes 4 tablespoons of oil before you have consumed 56 grams of fat (504 calories), the recommended daily allowance of fat if you're on a 1,700 calorie diet. So if you spread 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil margerine on your toast in the morning and 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil vinagrette on your salad at lunch, you've already consumed all of your fat for the day.

What's worse is this number doesn't include the fat in the other foods you've eaten and will eat throughout the day. For example, there's the fat in your bread, dairy and soy products. The fat in your tofu, meat and vegetables, etc. Fat is everywhere.

Another Way to Look at "Healthy" Oil
In my opinion oil by itself is almost worthless. It is a processed food. It's not filling because it doesn't contain fiber, protein or carbohydrates and it offers few vitamins and minerals when compared to solid foods.

If you're trying to lose weight, it would be better to replace some of your "healthy" oil with real food rich in vitamins and nutrients such as Omega-3 fatty acids. Try eating raw almonds, walnuts, fatty fish like salmon and even venison. Again, just watch your serving sizes because too much of a good thing is really a bad thing. Just ask the scale or your neighborhood cardiologist.

But I Like My Oil...
You don't have to give up oil completely, you should just learn how to moderate your useage a little better. Try measuring out a serving as opposed to pourring straight from the bottle, better known as eyeballing it. Try not to add oil to a dish just for the sake of adding oil. Your body will thank you for it. The scale will, too.

A Final Word About Cooking With Olive Oil
Don't cook with olive oil. Heat destroys its nutrients rendering it almost completely useless to your body. Cook with grapeseed oil instead. Grapeseed oil withstands higher temperatures much better than olive oil and the heat does not destroy its nutrients.

Have a great day! Be sure to go outside and do something active.

Copyright 2009 Amy Giaquinto

Amy's Favorite Weight Loss Workout

If you want to lose weight and tone up relatively quickly, try this workout. The beauty of this workout is that you can do it anywhere. The only equipment you need is your body.

3 Days Per Week
(Nonconsecutive Days)

Warm-up 10 minutes of progressively faster motion.

Interval Cycle #1 Duration of each interval = 1+ minute. Each time you repeat the jogging interval, increase your pace. You should also try to increase the time you spend in each interval by about 10 seconds or the distance between two objects such as streetlights.
Moving Lunges = 20 each leg
Recover = 2-3 minutes
Repeat this cycle 3 times.

Interval Cycle # 2 Same as above. Really challenge your speed and duration in each interval.
Push-ups = 20
Recover = 1-2 minutes
Repeat 3 times, again increasing either the pace or time of each interval.

Interval Cycle #3 Hill repeats (run to the top of the hill or a lamppost or street sign)
or sprint (as fast as you can for 30-60 seconds).
Recover = walk back down the hill or walk on flat ground.
Squats = 20
Recover 2-4 minutes
Repeat three times.

Cool Down = 10 minutes
Gradually slow your walking pace until you're just chillin.

Stretch = 10 minutes
Spend time stretching your muscles, especially your leg muscles. If you don't, I promise that you'll be sorry. :)

The How Tos of this Workout

Warm-up
Start with a comfortable walk, then begin to increase your pace until you are walking as fast as you can. Do this for 10 minutes. If you like to jog, then you can bring it up to a jog. The point is to get your blood flowing.

Intervals
Bring the workout up to a jog. Jog for 1 minute. Start counting only after you have arrived at your pace.

For those of you who can't jog, just continue your fast walk, but begin to pump your arms with purpose to increase your heart rate. You can also find a hill or increase the treadmill's incline.

Lunges
1 set of Moving Lunges 20 repetitions each leg. (If you can't do 20, then do as many as you can and gradually build up to doing more.)

How to Do Lunges
Take a giant stride forward with one leg and then slowly lower your body straight down, no leaning forward. Keep your weight in the heel of your front foot and do not allow your front knee to extend past your toes. Stop when your front knee is bent at 90- degrees. Do this slowly, then return to standing before you move to the next lunge.

To test your form, stand in front of a mirror, turn sideways and hold a broomstick over your spine. Perform your lunge. The broomstick and your back should be straight, as though the broomstick is the pole and you are the scarecrow. When you look straight down at your knee, you should still be able to see your toes.

For those of you new to lunges or with joints that complain, start with shallow lunges until you build enough muscle to go deeper. Those with knee issues, please ask your doctor or physical therapist if lunges are okay before you begin.

Recovery
By now your heart is racing and you're going to want a chance to catch your breath, trust me. So, it's time to recover. Walk it off for 2-3 minutes, but even though you're walking and recovering, it's important to keep your pace up. In other words, no meandering.

Push-ups
Do push-ups slowly and with good form. I'd rather see you go halfway down and keep your body straight as a picnic table than have your butt sticking up or your abs sagging towards the ground. To check your form, balance a broomstick on your back, press your spine into the broomstick, then do a push-up. The stick should not fall off of your back through the entire range of motion. Hard isn't it?

You can modify push-ups by doing them on your knees, against a wall or picnic table. If your wrists bug you, try performing push-ups on top of a set of dumbbells or make your hands into fists and then do push-ups on your knuckles. (You can put a towel or other soft object on the floor to pad your knuckles).

The key is to maintain proper form at all times no matter which push-up you choose to do. This isn't a race, it's a workout. If you want to race, I'll show you how to race but first things first...

Squats
Find a chair, preferably one without wheels, preferably one in which when you sit with your feet flat on the floor, your knees are bent at 90 degrees. (You can use a park bench, too.) Stand in front of the chair with your knees about hip-width apart.

Bend your knees and lower your butt so that your cheeks kiss the seat, then stand back up. No bending at the waist, no falling or plopping into the chair. Keep your weight in your heels and make sure that when you look down at your knees, you can still see your toes. Keep your back straight and your eyes pointed straight ahead.

If you have gripey knees, try shallower mini squats, for example only bend to 45 degrees.

Starting Out
It will take a few weeks before you can do this workout 3 days per week. Trust me. It still kills Justin and I. If it doesn't kill you or if you find it's easy after a few weeks, then you need to step it up a bit by increasing the duration of your intervals or by adding some weight to those squats and lunges. Feel free to add additional exercises, too.

Soreness
You will be sore after this workout. So on days when you're not doing this routine, I'd like you to walk or swim or bicycle or use the elliptical trainer, just move for at least 45-60 minutes each day. Then spend time stretching before retiring to a hot bath.

Believe it or not, the more blood you can get circulating on your non interval days, the faster you'll recover. Trust me.

Diet
Follow this workout with a nutritious meal. Remember that no workout will help you lose weight if you go home and empty the refrigerator into your stomach. I'll talk more about diet in later posts.

Until then, happy sweating!

P.S. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me.

(Always talk to your doctor before you begin and stop if you feel pain, dizziness, nausea, etc. In other words, be smart and workout at your own risk because my advice is not intended to nor does it replace the advice of a physician or physical therapist or other health care provider.)

Copyright 2009 Amy Giaquinto

Limits

Questions of the Day:

How do you know you have limits if you've never found them?

And...

How do you know those limits are limiting if you've never attempted to push past them?

We Are Mental
99.9% of our limits are mental.

I want to share a really awesome story with you. Our friend Jim, for his 60th birthday, rode a recumbent bicycle from California to Pennsylvania. Jim didn't take the shortest route, either, no he took the circuitous route and he did it hauling a trailer across the desert in June. He finished the ride in about six weeks. Total mileage: 4,013.

Throughout the process of planning the trip, Jim wondered over and over again if he was crazy, if he could succeed. He had no support, very little money, no cell phone, no Ipod or MP3 player, and very few supplies. In fact, he would be completely alone on his journey.

Despite a plethora of self-defeating thoughts, Jim pushed past his fears and began his ride. When he wanted to quit, he kept pedaling. When the weather got nasty, he kept pedaling. When people threw stuff at him from their cars, he kept pedaling.

When the mountain passes in Yosemite were too steep for him to pedal up, he got off his bike and walked. When he got caught in a brutal hailstorm in the middle of nowhere, Kansas, he tried to take cover under his trailer. When the hail stopped, he got back on the bike soaking wet, frozen and bruised.

Each day Jim pushed his mental and physical limits and discovered something new about himself and the world. He discovered all of the things he could do, all of the things at which he could succeed, things most people said were impossible. He met wonderful people, saw some of the most spectacular scenery in the U.S., and accomplished something incredible, something only a handful of people will ever accomplish.

Now I don't expect that most of you will ride a bike across America, although if you do that would be awesome. I just wanted to share Jim's story as a way to help inspire you. He found something he believed to be a limit and then proved to himself that the limit only existed in his mind.

Amy's Weekend Challenge:
Find a limit, either in health and fitness or in some other aspect of your life and challenge it. See where you go. The sky's the limit.

Be safe and have a great time!

Copyright 2009 Amy Giaquinto