Mini Containers Liquid Creamer

I know many of you use these tiny containers of liquid creamer in your coffee when you are out and about. Well, Hungry Girl got a question about the calories & fat in these small containers. A very important one especially if you tend to use multiple containers. Here is a small portion of the answer from Hungry Girl:

"Those itty bitty containers of half & half have around 20 calories, 1.75 grams of fat, and 0.5g carbs (POINTS® value 1*). That doesn't sound bad, but keep in mind each one contains just about one tablespoon of the stuff. So if you can stick to one, great. But if you can't resist dumping 3 - 4 containers into your morning coffee, watch out." Read the rest of the answer here & scroll down on the page for the answer.

http://www.hungry-girl.com/askhg/askhgdetails.php?isid=1553

Butt, Legs, Ab, Back Move

I have shown variations of this move in the past but I think it is great to show it again because you can do it at the gym, home or on travel. At home or travel, if you have a ball, use it. If not, use a steady piece of furniture or the stairs in your home. To make it easier, start with both legs on the ball. This move works your butt (glutes), hamstrings, core & back. Give it a try & add it in to your routine for variety. Check out the article here from Shape Magazine:

http://www.shape.com/workouts/routines/27501829.html?page=2

Pull-up Variation-Love it!

I have been doing this move for a few years now & had not been able to find a picture to post for you. THEN, this showed up in my Shape Magazine online newsletter the other day. I was so excited because I wanted to share this move with you but thought a picture would be needed for you to understand it. Check out the link to see the full move & an explanation of how to do it. There are also a couple other great moves that I use as well at this link.

On this particular move, I do it slightly different. I put the bar closer to my hip level and I also will sometimes lift 1 leg to make it harder. Both these make the move harder so you may want to start with the link version.

Also, for those that use the lat pull down both wide & close, I use this move to do both wide & close grips just like the standard lat pull down. I also use forward & reverse grips for both moves.

Play around with the bar height & the hand grips & use this move as a great way to interject change to your routines.

Here is the link: http://www.shape.com/workouts/routines/27293104.html?page=3

Home/Travel Workout

I know that many of you often don't have time to get to the gym or just are not gym people & prefer to work out at home or do outside activities along with maybe a trip or 2 to the gym as well. If you are looking to compare things you can either take with you when you travel or can do at home, you may want to check out this home training system described on the Diet Detective website. I have not used it but it looks pretty interesting & especially if you travel a lot. I have done some suspension type training in the gym on free moving cable machines & it does work you differently! Take a look at the article & the website & see if it is for you. It could be a good addition to a home work out or a traveler!

Link: http://www.dietdetective.com/content/view/3465/65/

Avoid Overeating

There are always many suggestions to avoid overeating. I have posted before about mindful eating, meaning eat slowly, eat without distractions, listen to your body & stop when you are full and more. You can check my past posts for additional information. But for today, I saw 2 articles recently with suggestions on how to avoid overeating and ways to slow down your eating, giving your body time to register that it is full. Check them both out at the links below:

http://www.diet-blog.com/archives/2008/09/25/do_you_eat_too_fast.php

http://www.drweil.com:80/drw/u/TIP03024/Five-Steps-to-Avoid-Overeating.html

Tighten the Rear

I was short of time today to post but I thought I would show you a couple great exercises to tighten that butt & work the legs too. We all want to keep that butt "up" rather than having it head south & great "gams" and legs make us feel great in a dress or pants! Check out these 2 exercises from Oxygen Women's Fitness. Look at the pictures carefully & use strict form making sure the knee does not go past the toes. Keep that nice 90 degree angle. The second exercise is pretty tough so definitely keep strict form & start with no weight to get it right before adding weight. With the steps ups, you can use the steps from the aerobic step classes in the gym, stairs or any other area in your gym or home that allows you to step up. You can start with a lower step & work towards a higher one. Add these couple exercises in to your routine & watch that butt head north!!!!! Here is the article: http://oxygenmag.com/main.php?page=1&id=298

Healthier Recipe

I know many of you out there love muffins but we also know that a majority of the store bought & bakery muffins are high in fat and calories. May of these muffins have 300-500 calories and 15++++ up to 30 grams of fat for some!!!!! Well, I noticed a recipe makeover for blueberry muffins on the Hungry Girl site today. It sounds really yummy and the make up is pretty good! For those of you that want more protein at breakfast, like me, add an egg white omelet, some unsweetened yogurt or your choice of protein that works within your calories for breakfast. Check out the recipe here: http://www.hungry-girl.com/chew/chewdetails.php?isid=1552

There are also some great options for muffins & muffin tops online from Vitalicious that have lower calories, fiber & protein. Check out them at: http://www.vitalicious.com/

Gym and Germs

I saw this article in my Oxygen Women's Fitness "e" letter & it caught my attention because it is something I think about whenever I am in the gym. This article laid out a series of things you can do to try to keep yourself free of sickness & unwanted germs while you are in the gym. Some suggestions are trying not to touch your face, bring your own mat ( my sister had a prob with this so a good suggestion.. have you looked at some of these mats.. YUCK!), wipe down benches, handles & equipment with gym provided sanitizer or bring your won (I carry that in my bag), bring your won towel (a must!) and more.

I always bring a larger towel for the benches & a smaller face towel for wiping my face vs. using that one for the bench on my face. I also make sure that the same side of my towel hits the bench or equipment every time & the clean side stays against my body. I also wipe down benches & handles of the equipment. I regularly wash my weight gloves too. I know this may all seem crazy to some but a lot of people are working out & some may have colds, the flu or other problems so this just makes me feel better. Do what feels right for you.

Here is the link to the full story: http://www.oxygenmag.com/gymgerms

Exercise & Age

I want to get on my "soapbox" again about people just getting out & walking or moving or doing anything. On my outside jog this morning, I saw 3 older people out walking WITH A CANE. They did not let age or in one case what appeared to be a stroke stop them from getting out there & just moving. In addition, I saw a number of other older people out just walking in a couple cases even jogging. I also saw one lady that was in her 70's stretching her hamstrings to a point that many 50 years her junior could not do!!!!

Studies have proven & experts have told us that exercising & stretching not only helps slow down the aging process but also may help prevent us against certain diseases, obviously helps us keep control of our weight, resistance exercise helps build muscular & bone strength helping to stop serious injury if we fall .. very important as we get older, helps keep our cholesterol lower and so much more. In fact, experts & studies have even proven that if you have not lifted weights or exercised before, you still get the benefits by starting & maintaining a program that includes resistance & aerobic exercise.

Hey, if we can work on preventing bone loss and improving our health as we age, why not do it!!! Take a page from the people I saw out today. Just get moving no matter what age you are but obviously if you have medical issues, check with your doctor first.

Protein and Protein Powders

Reposted from an older post per request: Protein and protein powders:

One of my prior posts prompted a question on protein powders. I thought I would take time to talk about protein & protein powders based on what I have read both online & in fitness magazines.

Food protein first: Food protein is assigned a biological value (BV) that determines how efficiently protein is used in your body. Whole eggs are given a BV of 100, egg whites a BV 88, chicken a BV of 84 and beef a BV of 78. As explained in one article, when you think about that fact that all but egg whites have some calories from fat, egg whites have just a small trace of fat and 1 cup of egg whites has 26 grams of protein with only 117 calories. Egg whites are also a fast digesting form of protein... one of the fastest. After a workout, this is very important to provide your body both recovery and growth. In addition, you can buy eggs now with added omega-3s, lutein & vitamin E.

Protein Powders: First you have to consider whether you are a vegetarian or not. If yes, than you will have to search out the soy and vegetarian products out there & decide which one is best for you. Suggestions from friends or reliable online sites can help you with that.

Whey Protein Isolates: Non vegetarians will have their pick of many whey and casein protein powders. Whey is your best choice here but there are two types. Whey protein Isolates are the best source of protein powders because they provide greater than 95% whey protein. They are a faster digesting protein providing fast recovery & growth to muscles after a workout. Try to use these close to your workouts.

Whey protein concentrates are about 70-80% whey protein and along with casein protein are slower digesting proteins & are better used at other times of the day that are not as close to your workout times. They release the amino acids in to your body over several hours making them better choices for before bed or in between meals.

You will have to experiment with taste & thickness. Every brand has their own flavors & taste. I like vanilla because it allows me to mix it in oatmeal, smoothies with other flavors and fruits, pudding and many other recipes. I also have times when I mix and match .. meaning I may use a scoop of whey protein isolate & also a scoop of whey protein concentrate or casein protein for taste sake.

You may want to ask friends what they use & get their views on taste & mixing ability. Like exercise, one does not fit all. You have to like it to use it! Enjoy!

Fat Loss Tips

Once again, I saw a great article from Oxygen Women's Fitness. If you love to look lean & fit, this is the magazine for you. It has great advice & articles on weight training, healthy eating, stress release, home workouts and more. For me, this is the best magazine out there especially for those that like training information rather than more beauty and fashion information. And no, I don't get paid to say this.. I WISH! I might be able to pay my bills if I did get paid for my love of this magazine!!!!

Anyway, they have a short article on the "e" newsletter I receive on 5 tips for jump starting your fat and weight loss. I can attest to all of them since I have learned to eat more vs. restricting your calories too much like I did that when I was younger. Sleep more... I try & it seems to help. Walk more, eat fiber & the big one, lift weights. The more muscle you have, the more calories you burn at rest.

Read the full article here: http://oxygenmag.com/skinny

Abs/Glutes & More

Here is a great move for you to try that will work your core, abs, obliques, glutes & more. Just holding a ball or even a dumbbell if you don't have a ball will work your arms as well. This move is much harder that it appears and I know because I have tried it. You may want to start out by using no weight to get the feel of the move. Here is the link to the full explanation from Oxygen Women's Fitness.

http://www.oxygenmag.com/twist

Healthy Recipe for Kids/Adults

Diet Detective had a cool recipe for chicken fingers in their newsletter the other day. It is from the Tosca Reno's (of Oxygen Women's Fitness mag fame) new book, Eat-Clean Diet for Family and Kids. She has a few other Clean Eating books out there that you can find in bookstores or online that are more directed towards adults. With the rate of child obesity increasing drastically in this country, along with adult obesity as well, here is a great way to eat something good for you & tasty! As always, you can switch up up the spices to meet your taste buds. Full recipe & nutritional breakdown can be found at this link:

http://www.dietdetective.com/content/view/3474/83/

In addition, the newest Diet Detective newsletter had an article on 6 food mistakes parents make with their children. Read that here: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/15/health/healthspecial2/15eat.html?_r=2&ref=health&oref=slogin&oref=slogin

Exercise Variety!

Many people think of exercise in one dimensional terms. They think of running & how hard it is or that scary weight room or no fun type of things. Exercise can be many things to many people. We all chose to do what is best for us. Some people like to jog, others bike ride, there is roller blading or swimming or hiking. The list goes on forever. AND, don't forget about the many different types of classes in the gym these days from traditional to spinning to step to cardio pump to kick boxing and more!!!! Don't get caught up in denying the possibilities!!!

Check out the article link below on this cover girl from Oxygen Women's Fitness. Look at all the different things she does in a week. VARIETY!!!!! You can make up your own plan with lots of variety as well. Her food is very clean but she is a cover girl. You can take away tips from her menu plan though & make it work for you.

Exercise does not have to be boring, scary or a drag. Get up, have fun & if you need variety to keep you going, there are lots of things to chose from. Just do it!

Here is the link: http://oxygenmag.com/messina

Foods That Increase Cancer Risk

My sister sent me this article & I thought it would be good to share with you all. Anything we can do to improve our fitness and health is important. The attached article outlines this person's view of the top 10 foods that increase your cancer risk.

I would like to note that this person says to eat medium or rare meat. I, personally, do not suggest rare meat due to the possibility of getting sick if you do not cook the meat to the required temperature. Rare meat exposes you to the chance of getting some sort of food illness. Check a site like Food Network or other cooking sites to be sure you are cooking to the correct internal temperature.

Also, the article says to avoid sugar & artificial sweeteners. Again, I, myself, do not eliminate these totally from my diet. I think we all have to decide for ourselves how much we want to cut out or cut down. Sugar is in many foods so do read labels & check the sugar grams. You would be surprised how many grams of sugar you are eating per day. Same with artificial sweeteners. Be aware of what you are putting in your body & make decisions that are right for you & you can live with but at least arm yourself with knowledge.... knowledge is the key! Be aware!

Here is the full article:
http://www.care2.com/greenliving/top-10-foods-that-increase-cancer-risk.html

Nuts - "Good or Bad"?

I know many of us that are older thought that nuts, all kinds, were a no-no due to the higher calorie count and high fat content. Well, luckily for us all, in more recent years, we have been given the OK to add them to our food program & in fact many of them have mostly the good fat, not the bad fat (saturated or trans fat). Experts say that nuts can actually make us feel fuller & satisfied. Nuts contain mostly the good fat as I said previously but they also have a good dose of protein and fiber. BUT, you do have to portion control to limit the calories & fat content since they are high on both accounts. Measure them out or make up individual servings ahead of time. You can fit them into your program but do it wisely. For specifics on calories & fat content for different nuts, go to a site like Calorie King (one of my Fav Websites) & search their data base.

Also, check out this link to Hungry Girl for some more information:
http://www.hungry-girl.com/girls/biteoutdetails.php?isid=1537

Ice Cream Treats

I have always said that I think people should find ways to eat some of the things they like versus eliminating everything "bad" and then driving yourself crazy so that you end up giving up on any healthy eating or fitness plan. Now, I also say that some people do feel that if they start eating certain things, they just can't stop so you are going to have to figure out what is best for you... my standard line and an important one. YOU HAVE TO LIVE with your program for health & fitness. So.... for those of you that like ice cream, here are 4 choices outlined by Shape Magazine. The enlarged picture and information can be read here: http://www.shape.com/healthy_eating/8054

In addition, check out the Hungry Girl site under my Fav Websites. She has lots of treat suggestions & I believe I have posted a list in an older post.

We all can have times to enjoy as long as you find a way to fit the food into your overall program so that it works for you.

Small Steps, Big Gains

I know you all have heard the stories about just "get moving" & you will improve your health & maybe lose weight along the way. There have been many articles too about getting a pedometer & working to get yourself up to 10,000 steps per day. I have blogged endlessly about trying to get people to just start doing something, anything, just to get started if you are trying to lose some weight.

I saw this article on Yahoo Health about this very subject & they offered up suggestions on how to just "get moving" like taking the stairs, walking the dog, walk the kids to school & more. One thing I do is park farther away when I go somewhere as long as I feel it is safe to do that. I also take stairs and stand up at times vs. just sitting.

Check out the article & read other suggestions to get yourself moving in the right direction:

http://health.yahoo.com/experts/rockertraining/11668/get-moving-daily-tips-for-staying-fit/

Food Journaling-Photos??

I read a very interesting article on Diet Blog AND Diet Detective on the importance of food journaling. We all know that ALL studies have proven that food journaling leads to a higher success rate for people trying to lose weight. BUT, the difference here is they are discussing studies showing that taking photos of your food as a form of food journaling can make losing weight even more effective than just standard journaling.

Hey, we are living in a time when most people have a cell phone with a camera so that makes it easy to take pictures of your food rather than try to remember everything at the end of the day... if you are not diligent about writing things down right away. We even have very small digital cameras if people want to carry them to help with this new & novel approach to tracking your food.

When I thought about this, I was like "yes, this would really hammer home to people what they are truly eating". Many people like to play games with themselves by pretending they ate perfectly when they know they did not OR they just plain don't want to face the truth. If you are really serious about losing weight, I think this is a great idea. It will definitely show you exactly what you are eating plus it will show portion sizes as well which are a huge part of people gaining weight... just eating too much and/or eating huge portion sizes.

Read the full article here & do click on the links in the article for additional information:
http://www.diet-blog.com/archives/2008/09/08/could_photographing_meals_boost_weight_loss.php

Bicep Exercises

Here are a couple bicep moves that you may have not seen or done. The dumbbell curl is a great alternative to the traditional bicep curl. You can also curl the dumbbell as shown but with a normal hammer curl position for a different feel. I also really like the rope curl. You can curl it as shown moving your hands out to the side in more a V shape or for variety, curl the rope straight up & down for a hammer curl move. I also do this rope move in a preacher bench style. I move my arms a bit forward but make sure they stay stationary when I curl.

There are so many variations for biceps & using the cable machine with different attachments is a lot of fun. Check out your various attachments at the gym & try them out & see what feels good to you.

Enjoy the pump! The pictures are from Oxygen Women's Fitness.

Eating While You Cook

Many of us have this problem of picking & eating the food we are preparing for a meal.. especially if it is for a family or couple versus just for ourselves. A bite hear, a sip there, a munch or nibble over there for every little thing we are cooking. Little bites, sips, tastes & munches DO ADD UP. I read this article from the Diet Blog about this & will attach the link at the end my post.

There were varying points of view on this. Many said you have to taste the food to know if the seasoning is correct & if it tastes good. I certainly understand that, even not being a cook myself. BUT, I absolutely think people get carried away with their "tasting" & it turns into more a small meal than just a taste to check seasoning & such. We are not stupid & know the difference so don't play the fool or make excuses is all I am saying to this response. The article offers up suggestions to keep you from "testing the seasoning" too often & also some small snack suggestions as well. I felt the article was worth sharing with you.

Read it here:

http://www.diet-blog.com/archives/2008/09/05/time_to_stop_picking_food_while_cooking.php

Home Workouts

Are you too busy to get to the gym one day or do you just want to do your workouts at home? Either way, there are always exercises that can be done at home. I have posted about this in the past but wanted to share this article from Oxygen Women's Fitness as well. It shows a couple exercises that you can do... but also shares that like yesterday's post, you can circuit train as well. Do a couple exercises & then jump rope for a minute or two then go back to the exercises. Maybe you want to try to jump rope for 5 minutes in between the exercises... maybe you want to march or jog in place or do high knee lifts... whatever it takes.

There are many exercises you can do at home. For example, in the lunge exercise above, you can not only do a forward lunge but you can also do reverse lunges or stationary lunges and more. In the bent-over row picture, you can also do a triceps kickback from there or lateral raises. There are so many variations to choose from when working out at home.

Take a look at this article & then if you are a gym person & can't get there, know that home is a good place as well! http://oxygenmag.com/main.php?page=1&id=134

Circuit Training

I thought I would discuss circuit training in a different way today. Circuit training is mixing weight training with cardio training & also moving from one move to another quickly with little or no rest. This is an excellent way to burn calories fast, get lean & up the potential of those "after burn" calories. I am a person that definitely uses circuit training & sometimes to the extreme. I love it!!!

Here is an article from Oxygen Women's Fitness that discusses a way to use circuit training to shape up in just a few weeks if you are trying to drop a few extra pounds. Check out the article here & FYI, I love both the exercises shown in the article.

Click here: http://oxygenmag.com/main.php?page=1&id=29

Family, Friends & Losing Weight

I read this short article off the Dr. Weil site about losing weight based on the company you keep:

"According to researchers at the University of California at San Diego and Harvard, if your friends or family are overweight, there is an increased chance you are (or will be) overweight as well. A 32-year study tracked the weight records of more than 12,000 people, and found that the chances of becoming obese went up if a friend, sibling or spouse also gained too much weight - an increased risk of 57 percent, 40 percent and 37 percent, respectively. Researchers concluded that the participants were influenced by similar attitudes, behaviors and acceptance of obesity - in other words, you may not feel so bad about being fat if your best friends and closest relatives are fat. The researchers suggested that their findings may have implications for how to better deal with obesity - rather than treating individuals, it might be more useful to treat groups of friends and relatives together."

To me, I say "DUH"!!!! I have known this my whole life growing up "fat". My whole family was overweight & the food we were fed was not the healthiest to say the least. That does not make me love my parents (unfortunately no longer with me) any less.

But, come on, we all know that we are influenced & learn by what we see and are brought up on. Have you seen some of these shows where the parents are so upset about their heavy children but they are way overweight themselves & keep bringing unhealthy foods in the house yet expect the kids to change. Crazy!!! Set an example yourself for your children.

As for friends, we all know the stories of keeping company with those that make you feel comfortable & less "fat". We also hear about the sad stories of people that are losing or did lose weight but have their friends try to sabotage them or abandon the friendship once the person loses weight.

To me, the study above is a given... sad, but a given. Surround yourself with people that make you feel good about yourself & want you to accomplish your goals!!!!

Rev Up the Metabolism

I have posted many times before about ways to keep your body working well and increasing your metabolism by weight training (the more muscle you have, the more calories you burn at rest). There are other ways to rev up the body like eating certain foods, getting enough sleep, having good family & friend relationships that keep us happy & therefore keep the body happy, laughing ( increases endorphins like exercise does) and more.

Below is a short article on 4 ways to rev up the body. These are very simple steps & easy to do. Try all 4 & see how they work for you. I guaranty that if you try them, they will help! I certainly know they helped me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! On the vitamin entry, always check with your doctor first to make sure you are not taking any supplements that interfere with other medications you are on. Read the short article here: http://www.divinecaroline.com/article/22176/49486

PS: Picture from Oxygen Women's Fitness. Find their site under my Fav Websites

Training for You!!!!

I read an interesting interview in my Diet Detective newsletter with a man that wrote a book called "Look Good Naked". The reason I mention it is because he subscribes to many of the same things I do & that I have written about here like:

• "Since exercise follows the law of specificity—which states that you need to train specific to your goals—it’s essential to take these factors into account when devising a comprehensive routine. One of the biggest mistakes I see personal trainers make is that they train women the same way they train men."
• "To develop a mind-to-muscle connection. When you lift a weight, you should consciously visualize the target muscle and feel it working throughout the complete range of motion."
• "The human body is the most resourceful of all organisms and intuitively adapts to repetitive stress, including that from exercise. The longer you use the same exercises in a routine, the less effective they become."

These are just some of the points he makes & there is much more to read. I don't agree with every little thing he says but a lot of it. Since every body is different. You have to find what works for you.. now where have you heard that before.. right here!

Read the full interview here: http://www.dietdetective.com/content/view/2656/97/