Hard to Find Hard to Keep

What's the most elusive component of fitness?
MOTIVATION
 
Recognize that even when we make smart and necessary changes, we shouldn't expect them to feel good right away.
Abandoning your usual habits and trying out new behaviors is often uncomfortable and disorienting, and it can take awhile before the changes we make (e.g., eating fewer calories, exercising more) start to pay dividends.
Once you tell yourself it's ok to feel anxious or even temporarily discouraged about your new efforts, you'll be freed of the pressure of counting on instant success. You won't beat yourself up for not immediately loving a new exercise class or for wanting to indulge in chips rather than carrots. Most important, if you give yourself the leeway to experiment to find what works best for you, you'll end up with better results (just keep the faith that you will succeed eventually.)

Exercise!

~Tip for the Day~

Exercise, Exercise, Exercise

(this is mostly for my benefit because I am greatly lacking lately!)

Eat your Greens!

Tip for the Day!


All leafy greens are nutritional
winners, but some in particular take the prize: the greenest ones.
Spinach, kale, watercress, and other dark greens pack more nutrients
into their leaves than do their paler relatives, such as Boston lettuce
or Belgian endive. Dark greens' high concentration of chlorophyll, the
green pigment in plant cells, seems to be linked to higher levels of
nutrients. The darker the green the better it is for you.

How much sugar are you really Drinking?

A 20 ounce bottle of Coke contains the equivalent of 17 teaspoons of sugar. I could never imagine going to the sugar bowl and eating 17 teaspoons
.

An easy way to convert grams of sugar into teaspoons.

Divide the grams of sugar by 4.2 to get the number
of teaspoons. For example, an 8 oz container of fat free fruit yogurt
has 41.1g, or 10.3 teaspoons, of sugar.
(43.1 divided by 4.2= 10.3)

How much sugar are you really eating!

Half Off

If you cannnot live without a certain food, schedule a time once a week to indulge yourself, but cut in half the size of your portion. For example, if you usually eat 4 to 6 cookies, have 2 or 3 instead.
Eat without guilt, remorse or anxiety. Chew slowly. Enjoy every bite. And refuse to eat more than half of your normal snack intake. Your carefulness will add up over the long haul to a significant reduction in your weight. And your new better-body attitude will favorably affect the way you feel.

Book Review Winning by Losing

I have just completed reading Winning by Losing by Jillian Michaels.

It was very good. This is the first book I have read that is closest to how I lost the 40 lbs. Watching calories and exercising. This book will help you make the life changes to get the weight off and keep it off. I would highly recommend this book.  You can eat all foods but it is best to eat healthy whole foods. This book is not full of gimmicks. It will take hard work on your part but I think you will love the results.

I give this book 5 stars out of 5.

Free Newsletter from Jillian

Easy Substitutes

• Instead of cream use evaporated skim milk or yogurt
• Applesauce holds moisture in. Use it when recipes call for oil or butter.
• When a recipe calls for sugar, taking as much as 25% out will not affect taste.
• Sprinkle powdered sugar over pancakes instead of syrup.
• Spread your bagel with low fat jelly instead of cream cheese.
• Use mustard instead of mayo in your sandwiches.
• Use wine vinegar instead of vinaigrette in your salad.
• Top a baked potato with salsa in place of butter.

Good Eggs

(Print from art.com)
A large egg has only 75 calories and 1.6 grams of fat. Use eggs as an inexpensive source of protein. After years of getting a bad rap, the poor egg is finally off the diet hit list. Plus, eggs are an important source of vitamin k, selenium, and riboflavin.

What is Physical Fitness?

(print from art.com called fitness)

ACE defines physical fitness as an "enhanced capacity that allows for an improved quality of life." In other words, when you are physically fit your body is improving or maintaining health, not deteriorating. Your heart, lungs and blood vessels work the way they were designed to work. You are increasing your muscle strength and endurance, and you are moving toward good flexibility. Your overall body fat is in a safe level zone, do that you are maintaining a strong, lean body mass. And you are not chronically fatigued. When you are physically fit, you carry a sense of wellbeing, an attitude of positive expectancy and an exuberance for Life.

Just Desserts

• 
• (print from art.com)
  
• Share desserts rather than eat them by yourself
• At a restraunt, order one dessert and enough forks for each person at the table to try a bite sized sample.
  
• At home, cut that piece of pie in two. Give to someone else 1/2 or freeze it for another day
• For some nutrititional benefit, select a dessert made with fruit or fruit juice
• Change the idea that you deserve a dessert after each meal. One dessert a week is plenty.
  

Food Fakes

FROZEN YOGURT- Has less calcium and as much sugar as regular yogurt, without the benefits of active cultures.

SPORTS DRINKS- These highly acidic beverages contain lots of calories and can harm tooth enamel.

FAT-FREE PRETZELS- Don't bother- pretzels are allready low in fat.

LOW-FAT COOKIES-   You'lle end up eating too many, because the truth is they just don't satisfy.

Maximize Your Breathing

 (Print from art.com)

The way you breath can give you energy that you thought could only come from food. Many of us breath shallowly through our mouths, which actually saps energy and keeps our body in a state of stress. Taking deep, slow, controlled breaths through your nose will get more air into your lunges and bloodstream. This will also cause waste products to be taken out of your body tissues more efficiently.

Why We Diet

67% to be healthier
21% to look better
6% for a better love life
3% for a better job
3% just don't know

How much do you weigh on other Planets?

How much do I weigh on...

I just saw this and thought it was fun!

Think I want to live on Pluto!