Sweet Physique

It is ME

2011-03-01T12:52:00.001+11:00

I am your biggest competition and your strongest advocate.

I am your biggest supporter, your biggest fan, your biggest groupie.

I'm also your biggest obstacle, your biggest challenge, your biggest defeater.

Any guesses on who I might be?

I am me...and I am you.

Chant of A Champion

2011-02-10T23:57:00.002+11:00

When I think of quitting I will think of who will be standing next to me on stage.
Will I be able to say that I worked harder than her?
When I stand on Stage will I be able to say that I pushed myself harder, that I kept going when I felt like stopping, and that I gave that extra effort when I felt like collapsing?

It’s that last burst of commitment that separates the champions from 2nd place. I will train when others go out with their friends.
I will train when others are eating out at their favorite restaurant. I will train when others are taking an off day
I will train when others are hanging out with their boyfriends.
I will train when others are sleeping.

Every moment is a victory:
Each step on the treadmill.
Each set.
Each rep.
Each bite of food.
Each and every thing I do has a purpose.

The food nourishes my body.
The training invigorates my spirit.
The weights stimulate my muscles.
The supplements support my health.
The rest gives me a chance to rebuild.

Never stop. Never give up. Never say can’t. Never say won’t.

A champion must first challenge the self before they can challenge others. I am my competition.

Failure is not an option.
I'm not better than you
I'm just stronger
And I don't mean physically

How to lose weight in 10 easy steps:

2011-02-07T22:20:00.001+11:00

1. Eat less.
2. Move more.
3. Eat less and move more.Publish Post
4. Eat better stuff.
5. Move heavy stuff.
6. Eat slower than that.
7. Move faster than that.
8. Move further tomorrow.
9. Move every day.
10. Keep moving.

Breakfast On-The-Go

2009-08-30T19:58:00.004+10:00

I hear these statements all the time-

“I don’t have time.”
“It just takes too long.”
“I dont have several hours every week to prep my food.”
“It’s so expensive.”
“I have to cook my families food, you think I have time to cook and weigh my own? And for a week?”
Those are just a few of the excuses I hear. I tell people that they would be better off spending that hour in the kitchen instead of on the elliptical at level one going no where. It starts in the kitchen, and it doesn’t take me 5 hours to prep my food.
Today I decided to time how long it took me to prep all of my beef, chicken, breakfast loaves and my protein ice cream. Guess what? It took me 59 minutes. An hour from the time I cooked it until I weighed and packaged my food. I usually do this twice a week.

So stop with the excuses and take time in making yourself more successful with your diet.

Pumpkin Pancakes
3 egg whites
15 g vanilla protein powder (1/2 scoop)
30 g old fashion oats
60 g (1/4 cup) canned pumpkin
2-3 g sugar-free fat free cheesecake pudding mix
dash of cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice
splenda or stevia to taste (optional)
This makes 5 pancakes

Banana Raisin Oatmeal Cookie
25 g old fashion oats
15 g vanilla pp
10g raisins
2 g sugar free fat-free banana pudding mix
Optional splenda/stevia
4-6 Tbsp water (this will vary based on your preference)

• In a 14 oz Ziploc reusable bowl, combine all ingredients and mix with fork• Smooth mixture over bottom of container.
• Cook in Microwave at 60% for 1:20 (time may vary with different microwaves) If you prefer it more on the crunchy side, flip cookie and then cook additional 20 seconds on full power.
Nutritional Information:Calories: 196 Fat: 2.9 g Carbs: 26.3 g Protein: 15 g

Chocolate Banana Mini-Flapjack
10g old fashion oats
10 g vanilla pp (or your flavor choice)
1 egg white
2 g sugar free fat-free banana pudding mix
Optional splenda/stevia
1-2 Tbsp Davinci’s sugar free syrup (optional)

• Combine all ingredients and mix thoroughly.
• Place on skillet on med/high heat.
• When ‘mix’ starts to bubble, flip and cook other side.
Nutritional Information:Calories: 101 Fat: 1.5 g Carbs: 9.5 g Protein: 12.6

Cinnamon Chips
1 whole wheat Pita
Spray butter
1 tsp cinnamon
¼ cup splenda (you may not even need all of this)
1 Tbsp Sugar Free Hershey’s syrup
2 Tbsp Fat-Free Cool whip*you can also use sugar

• Slice edges of Pita so that you essentially have 2 pita’s
• Using fat-free spray butter, spray both sides of pita and lay them oncookie sheet or stone.
• Then take cinnamon and sugar and sprinkle it on pita (side facing up)
• Bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes then flip and sprinkle cinnamon and splenda onother side. Bake for a couple more minutes. If you like it extra crispy, broilfor 1 to 2 minutes.I cut my pita’s into pizza shapes, drizzle sugar-free syrup over the top and serve with a couple Tbsp of fat-free cool whip.
Nutritional Information:Calories: 177.5 Fat: 0 g Carbohydrate: 35.5 g Protein: 7.5 g

Protein Pumpkin Cookies
35 g old fashion oats
3 egg whites
15 g vanilla protein powder (or ½ scoop)
¼ c (60g) canned pumpkin
4 g SF Fat Free Cheesecake pudding mix
½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp pumpkin pie spice
½ tsp. cinnamon
3 packets of Splenda or SF syrup (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• In bullet or blender mix egg whites and splenda together
• In separate bowl, add all remaining ingredients
• Pour liquid mixture in with dry mixture and mix thoroughly
• Place on cookie sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes
Nutritional Information: makes 5-6 cookiesCalories: 284 Fat: 4 g Carbohydrate: 36.2 g Protein: 27.2 g

High Protein Banana Mini-Loaf
105g steel cut oats (or grinded oats)
9 egg whites
1 ½ scoops vanilla protein powder
8grams SF FF Banana pudding mix
90 grams raw banana
Cinnamon & Nutmeg to taste (optional)
2-3 packets of splenda (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• In bowl mix all ingredients together making sure it is blended well.
• Spray mini loaf pan with cooking spray.
• Pour batter into mini loaf pan.
• Bake for 35 to 40 minutes.
The recipe makes 3 mini loaves
Nutritional Information: For ONE loafCalories: 276 Total Fat: 3.6 g Total Carbohydrate: 35 g Protein: 29

10 Tips for Successful Goal Setting

2009-07-03T04:24:00.001+10:00

1. Plan the work and work the plan: Write it down! Any goal setting is usually best done if it is documented and put into writing. Set the intention by putting pen to paper or fingers to keyboard and make yourself a list of 10 small and big goals that you would like to achieve. List them in chronological order with a target date for achievement. Once they are clear to you, break them down into individual tasks, activities and action steps you need to take to make the milestone a reality. It is especially important to break down the earliest goals NOW seeing that they will be the first on the list of things to do…

2. Set realistic deadlines: It is integral to set a time frame for each goal to determine that you will have sufficient time for the tasks and activities needed to achieve that milestone properly and effectively. As you work through each milestone, each task and each activity you will truly realize whether or not the timeframe you gave yourself is realistic or needs to be updated. Deadlines allow you to track your goals and give you accountability.

3. Believe that you will accomplish the goal: Listen to your inner voice.
The little voice that is continuously sub-consciously judging self. The engagement of self-talk and personal commentary on each situation that you encounter. It can be both positive and negative. Positive inner dialogue and thoughts support the accomplishment of our goals and obviously negative chatter will undermine your self-confidence, self-esteem and self-image which will deter you from reaching your milestones. You can control and change its tone by believing in yourself and positive outcomes or resolutions.

4. Visualize the outcome: Paint a picture of what the end result of accomplishing a goal will look like! Really focus on what it will feel like when you get there. Close your eyes and pretend that you have already achieved it. How does it feel? Utilize that great feeling to give you fuel which will continuously motivate you to move forward. If need be go back to the refueling station and get some more good feelings. All it takes is the power of visualization. It will be your guide. Personally, I am a big fan of vision boards. Go out to your local magazine rack and pick up 10 inspiring magazines that cover a variety of topics that you enjoy. Go through them and cut them up into smaller pictures that you can paste onto a big sheet for you to refer to on occasion for inspiration. It is really cool to pull them out in the future and see some of the things you accomplished by implementing the Law of Attraction. Believe me, it works! I am already on my third one…

5. Make you goals measureable: Use the SMARTER acronym.
• S = Be specific. Make sure you are precise about what you want.
• M = Make your goal Measureable. Accurately measure your achievement.
• A = Achievable / Action oriented. Choose goals that you plan on achieving.
• R = Realistic. Even if the goal may stretch you make it realistic.
• T = Time-frame. Measure the success of you goal and set milestones.
• E = Exciting. Make it exciting so goals aren’t boring and tedious.
• R = Recorded. Writing it down will allow you to clearly focus on your goals.

6. List the benefits: Unless you know exactly why you are attempting to achieve any goal you will not be willing to make the effort needed to fulfill it accordingly. Why are you really trying to accomplish this? Why are you investing valuable time and energy into this? Why is it important to you? Answer these questions so that you are clear about your reasons for wanting to achieve your goal. It will guide you in realizing if it is a worthwhile project or that it needs modification so that it can become more important to you.

7. Share your goals: It is wonderful to have a support network around you when attempting to accomplish any goal. Make your goals public and be accountable to them. Share them with family, friends, co-workers, teachers and/or your boss! Of course it is best to only share with those that are supportive of your dreams. If you don’t feel that someone whole-heartedly believes in you nor has good intentions then sometimes it is best to keep your goals to yourself, quietly achieve them and make them aware of it once they have been accomplished!

8. Identify and eliminate any obstacles: If your progress is slow and you are unhappy with what you have achieved to date on any specific goal then you must ask yourself if the goal is really important? Why did you pledge to accomplish it? Are you going about doing things the right way? Are there specific obstacles interfering with the finalization of that goal? Attempt to do a root cause analysis to determine why you are not making the progress you desire. Be honest with yourself and take steps to change the picture if need be. If it there is a roadblock, figure out a way around it. Be a problem solver and move through it or just realize it isn’t part of the master plan and try a different path.

9. There is NO failure: Sometimes you will experience temporary setbacks, tragedies and disappointments which are really just opportunities to learn from and readjust your strategy. Embrace them with an open mind and recognize the opportunity that lies within each tragedy. Your goals may morph over time because of this so adapt to the change and update your goal list and action plan accordingly.

10. C E L E B R A T I O N Time!!! By rewarding yourself graciously every time you reach a personal goal it will be very satisfying and help you indentify your successes! It will give you energy and enthusiasm knowing that the next reward is waiting for you to be celebrated at the finish line of the next goal! You have devoted time and effort to the success of that milestone so it is integral to recognize that by doing, getting, buying, eating, participating and/or enjoying something SPECIAL of your choice! Now move on to the next goals with focus, drive, passion and persistence and look forward to celebrating again and again and again….

Set yourself up for success by applying these ten goal setting tips and enjoy the rewards! If you can dream it you can achieve it! Just remember that ACTION creates the ENERGY needed to accomplish anything, so get started NOW no matter how you feel and reach for your dreams!

10 Easy Tips & Afternoon Snack Ideas

2009-07-03T02:23:00.002+10:00

1. Portion out your snacks first. Snack size zip-top bags are the perfect size bags for your child. Place 1/4 cup nuts, dried fruit, or chips into Snack Bags and make your own 100Kcal snack packs! It's never wise to send your child to the table or out to the livingroom with a full bag of chips! That's a recipe for disaster instead. Teach portion control--not blind eating!

2. Designate a snack shelf. If you wish to provide your child a sense of choice and at the same time limiting their indulgences create a shelf or drawer that is labeled afternoon snacks. To help with quantity make a list of foods that they can only have 1 item, if they can have 2, and fruits & vegetables can be 3 pieces!

3. Beat the heat with a frozen treat. One of my favorites--peel a banana and place on a cookie sheet. Drizzle with melted chocolate and top with chopped nuts. Freeze! Or you can spread peanut butter on the banana and dip in melted chocolate--now freeze!

4. Create a "cook" book for your kids. There are plenty of cookbooks out there, but why not make your own. Team up with your child to select 10 of your own approved recipes for your child to make without you home or your assistance. If you need help in this department let me know. I created one back in college and I still have it on hand. I'd be glad to share!

5. Cut it up. If you want your fruit & vegetables to be eaten then you need to prep them. If you don't feel up to it buy the fruit or vegetable trays at your grocery store instead. Cut up the oranges, slice the apples (you can keep them cut up in lemon water), wash the grapes, and cut up the carrot sticks.

6. Make it fun. Do you have wooden skewers around? If so, cut them in half and they are perfect fruit kebabs for the kids! It's an easy activity and tasty, too!

7. Something warm. A simple warm snack is Triscuits with sliced apple on top and then broil a slice of cheddar over top! There is a reason why apple and cheddar are thought to be soul mates! You can also try grapes with mozzarella!

8. Blend it up. Smoothies are always fun, and you really don't need a recipe to give it a swirl. Try 1 cup liquid to 2 cups fruit and you will be safe. Add in yogurt, granola, nuts, or cookies for some fun! My favorite is 1 banana, 1/2 cup milk, 1/2 cup peach yogurt, and 4 ginger snap cookies!

9. Let it roll. Tortillas are a staple in my house--both flour & corn. Toss one in the microwave for 15 seconds, top with meat, cheese, and roll! Pizza rolls are easy--2 Tbsp. pizza or spaghetti sauce, 1 tortilla, 1 slice of ham, and 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese.

10. Parfait time. Parfaits just look pretty! Thankfully they can also be tasty and nutritious, too. Take 1/2 cup of your favorite yogurt, top with 1 cup fresh berries or fruit, and 2 Tbsp of cereal. My favorite--Lemon yogurt with blueberries and Honeynut Cheerios!

Biggest Loser Stuff

2009-06-30T04:05:00.002+10:00

Biggest Loser Diet
- modified, low carbohydrate diet 45% of calories from carbohydrates (mostly fruits, vegetables and some whole grains), 30% of calories from protein, and 25% of calories from healthy fats or oils (seeds, nuts, avocado, olive oil)
- no “white stuff”
- whole foods, elemental ingredients
- 4-3-2-1: daily 4 cups minimum of fruits and vegetables, 3 servings of healthy proteins (e.g. fish, skinless chicken breast, 93% lean ground turkey), 2 servings of whole grains, and 1 serving of healthy fat.- Aim for everyone to have 1 serving of fish daily.
- There is room for 1 optional treat per day.- Cereals must have minimum 5 grams of fiber per serving and less than 5 grams of sugar per serving. This limits the cereals to certain oatmeals, bran cereals, or other high fiber cereals on the market.
- Goal of 7 calories per pound of body weight for daily caloric intake. This is recalculated after significant weight loss.

Biggest Loser Exercise
- Goal is 7 hours per week of exercise
- Incorporate weight training, coaching, teamwork, and competition

9 Cold, Hard Weight Loss Truths

2009-01-14T23:32:00.002+11:00

Even if you’re not trying to lose weight, chances are you’ve seen some ideas on how to do so: “Eat what you want and lose weight!” “Lose 30 pounds in 30 days!” “Finally, a diet that really works!” “Lose one jean size every 7 days!” “Top 3 fat burners revealed” “10 minutes to a tighter tummy!” But these claims are readily rebuked by anyone who’s tried to lose five, 10, or 100 pounds. Losing weight ain’t that easy. It’s not in a pill, it doesn’t (usually) happen in 30 days, and judging from the myriad plans out there, there is no one diet that works for everyone. Looking past the outrageous claims, there are a few hard truths the diet industry isn’t going to tell you, but that just might help you take a more realistic approach to sustained weight loss.

1. You have to exercise more than you think. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends getting at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise most days of the week; this includes things like shoveling snow and gardening. And while this is great for improving heart health and staying active, research indicates that those looking to lose weight or maintain weight loss have to do more—about twice as much. For instance, members of the National Weight Control Registry (NWCR)—a group of over 5,000 individuals who have lost an average of 66 pounds and kept it off for five and a half years—exercise for about an hour, every day. A study published in the July 28, 2008 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine supports this observational finding. The researchers enrolled 200 overweight and obese women on a diet and exercise regimen and followed them for two years. Compared with those that gained some of their weight back, the women who were able to sustain a weight loss of 10 percent of their initial weight for two years exercised consistently and regularly—about 275 minutes a week, or 55 minutes of exercise at least five days a week. In other words, things like taking the stairs, walking to the store, and gardening are great ways to boost activity level, but losing serious weight means exercising regularly for an hour or so. However, this doesn’t mean you have to start running or kickboxing—the most frequently reported form of activity in the NWCR group is walking.

2. A half-hour walk doesn’t equal a brownie. I remember going out to eat with some friends after a bike ride. Someone commented on how we deserved dessert because we had just spent the day exercising; in fact, we had taken a leisurely 20-minute ride through the park. This probably burned the calories in a slice of our French bread, but definitely not those in the caramel fudge brownie dessert. Bummer. And while it’s easy to underestimate how many calories some foods contain, it’s also easy to overestimate how many calories we burn while exercising. Double bummer. Even if you exercise a fair amount, it’s not carte blanche to eat whatever you want. (Unless you exercise a ton, have the metabolism of a 16-year-old boy, and really can eat whatever you want). A report investigating the commonly-held beliefs about exercising, published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, concludes that although exercise does burn calories during and after exercise, for overweight persons, “excessive caloric expenditure has limited implications for substantially reducing body weight independent of nutritional modifications.” In other words, to lose weight, you have to cut calories and increase exercise.

3. You do have time to exercise. If you have time to check email, watch a sitcom or two, surf the Internet, have drinks, coffee and dinner with friends, go clothes shopping, and on and on, then you have time to exercise. Yes, sometimes you have to sacrifice social, TV, or leisure time to fit it in. Yes, sometimes you have to prioritize your exercise time over other things. But your health and the feeling you get after working out is well worth it.

4. Eating more of something won’t help you lose weight. The food industry is keen to latch onto weight loss research and spin it for their sales purposes. A prime example is the widespread claim that eating more dairy products will help you lose weight. However, a recent review of 49 clinical trials from 1966 to 2007 showed that “neither dairy nor calcium supplements helped people lose weight.” This idea—that eating more of a certain type of product will help you lose weight—is constantly regurgitated on supermarket shelves (think low-fat cake, low-carb crackers, whole grain cookies, and fat-free chips), but is in direct opposition to the basic idea behind weight loss—that we have to eat less, not more.

5. Calories in = calories out? There is a fair amount of controversy over the basic question of how people gain weight. Is it simply a matter of energy intake being greater than energy expenditure? Or is there more too it; do the type of calories we eat matter and can avoiding certain types help to lose or prevent weight? The various low-fat, low-carb, and glycemic index advocates can’t seem to agree on which it is. However, most can agree, and logical sense would tell us, that drinking 500 calories of soda is not equal to eating 500 calories of fruits and vegetables. One is simply “empty” calories—those that provide no real nutritional benefit and don’t do much to combat hunger. Whether you ascribe to the simple idea of trying to burn more calories than you take in or focus on avoiding certain types of calories, you want to minimize intake of empty calories, and maximize nutrient-dense calories.

6. Your body is working against you. Most people have noticed that it’s hard to lose weight, but easy to gain it. This is a relic of harder times, when food was not as abundant as it is today. Our genetic taste buds made energy-dense food desirable because it was necessary to pack away calories so we could make it through the thin times. We feasted when we could, in preparation for the famine. But now that we live in a time of abundance, that system predisposes many of us for weight gain and retention. And for obese dieters, this system is even harder to overcome; after weight loss, they become better at storing fat, making it harder to keep weight off. However, this isn’t to say that many haven’t lost weight and kept it off successfully. It just means you have to be diligent.

7. Our cultural environment is also working against you. Let’s face it, modern society does not make it easy on those trying to eat healthfully and exercise. According to Linda Bacon, associate professor of nutrition at University of California at Davis, “We get a tremendous amount of pressure to eat for reasons other than nurturing ourselves, and over time, people lose sensitivity to hunger/fullness/appetite signals meant to keep them healthy and well nourished. It’s hard for people to come to a healthy sense of themselves given the cultural climate, and nutritious and pleasurable options for healthy food are not as easily accessible as less nutritious (ones).” That doesn’t mean this can’t be overcome, but it does require maybe putting other parts of your life on a “diet.” TV would be the biggest culprit, since many food advertisements, especially for children’s junk food, come during this time. Other areas to put on a “diet” are chain and fast food restaurants (where portion sizes are distorted), a bad-influence friend, or driving, which may help increase walking and biking.

8. Maybe you don’t need to lose weight. Some feel that the medical problems associated with excess weight are exaggerated. Gina Kolata, a New York Times science writer questions the notion that thin is a realistic or necessary objective for most. In her book, Rethinking Thin, she asserts that weight loss is an unachievable goal for many, and that losing weight isn’t so much about health as it is about money, trends, and impossible ideals. Recent research also challenges the idea that being overweight is bad. A study in JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association, found that being 25 pounds overweight did not increase the risk of heart disease and cancer, and may even help stave off infections. It’s true that people can be fit and healthy and not necessarily be thin, just as it’s true that thin people may not necessarily be healthy. Good health, rather than weight, should be our focus; too often, it’s not. Striving for an unhealthy level of thinness may be detrimental to our health, but understanding the health repercussions of obesity is also critical.

9. This is not a diet; this is your life. The diet industry would have us all think that we can lose weight fast, and that’s that. But most people who maintain their weight understand that eating and exercising are not temporary conditions, to be dumped once a pair of jeans fit. Instead, they are lifestyle choices, and ones to be made for the long haul.

-- By Brie Cadman of DivineCaroline.com

An apple a day...

2009-01-09T23:40:00.000+11:00

Clean Eating Foods

2009-01-07T00:35:00.000+11:00

If it swims, flies, comes out of the ground or falls off a tree, it’s yours!

Here is a list of foods that should be selecting from daily:
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dg5qm82n_9c6k2rbdt

Say NO to popcorn @ the movies

2009-01-06T23:34:00.003+11:00

Popcorn shocker
If you're used to popcorn being a better-for-you option, you'll probably fall out of your chair when you find out the stats on the movie theater version. A large size with butter packs in around 1,500 calories and 130 grams of fat. Opt for the smallest one (Kid's Combo), leave off the butter and it'll still set you back around 500 calories and 25 grams of fat). It just doesn't seem worth it at all, does it? Sneaking in your own microwave-popped bags is one potential solution, but we don't need to tell you that movie theaters frown on this. So chomp on your own popcorn at home or just skip it altogether, because movie theater popcorn + you = larger pants (sad, but likely true).

Beverage blunders
A movie theatre-size "small" soda (16 not-so-small ounces) clocks in at around 200 calories The scary slushy machine pumps out an equally offensive beverage; with around 220 calories in each same-size serving Skip 'em — stick with water or diet soda, and save your calories for things you can actually chew.

Helpful food fact
Studies have shown that people eat more during sad movies than they do during upbeat funny ones. So arm yourself with guilt-free snacks if you're going to see a tearjerker!

King size mistakes
Watch out for those giant-size movie candies, people!
A 3 oz. bag of peanut M&Ms contains 470 calories and over 24 grams of fat! Reese's Pieces 8 oz. Movie Size has 1,200 calories and 60 grams of fat. Zoinks!
Twizzlers 6oz. Movie Size contains 600 calories and 4 grams of fat. And you thought this low-fat treat was a good idea, right?

P.S. What is all this "Movie Size" about?? Why don't they just call it what it is....Extra Extra Large!!

Movie Snack 911
Until movie theaters start selling healthier treats, you may need to resort to subtly bringing in your own. Here are some no-guilt snacks that can easily fit in your purse: Tootsie Pops and Blow Pops: With just 60 to 70 calories each, and hardly any fat at all (Blow Pops are fat free), these will keep your mouth happy and occupied for a long time. Yum!

Apple Slices: Apples aren't boring — cut up a pretty Fuji apple, squirt some lemon juice on it (to keep it from getting brown) and toss those slices into a zip-top bag. You'll have a delicious and completely healthy snack that has fewer than 100 calories.

Recommended website w/daily emails

2009-01-06T23:13:00.004+11:00

www.hungrygirl.com

"Hey, Hungry Chicks...Sign up now for your DAILY Tips & Tricks... Each day you'll receive tasty tidbits from the world of food and dieting. Monday is the day for all the latest NEWS HEADLINES, Tuesday get our picks 'n' pans in CHEW THE RIGHT THING, Wednesday is ASK HUNGRY GIRL day with advice straight from HG, Thursday's WEEKLY WEIGH IN offers a revolving door of diet content and Friday's GIRLS BITE OUT serves up survival strategies for the weekend ahead."

2009-01-05T01:14:00.000+11:00

A goal without a plan remains a dream.

2009-01-04T22:41:00.000+11:00

Habit is habit and not to be flung out of the window by any man, but coaxed downstairs a step at a time

2009-01-01T00:08:00.001+11:00

Seeing is believing. Seeing is also achieving...

2008-12-31T05:37:00.001+11:00

There’s more to life than chocolate. But not right now.

2008-12-30T23:55:00.001+11:00

Enthusiasm releases the drive to carry you over obstacles and adds significance to all you do.

2008-12-30T02:45:00.001+11:00

Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.

Exercise in '09

2008-12-30T00:02:00.001+11:00

Here are the anticipated trends in fitness, according to the American Council on Exercise (ACE).

Boot Camp-Style Workouts: Boot camp workouts remain extremely popular because they provide a total-body workout that's varied, fun and challenging. Up to 600 calories can be burned during a boot camp session, which is obviously going to facilitate weight loss. But in addition to a great cardiovascular workout, muscles are strengthened through high- and low-intensity exercises such as pushups, squats and lunges. You don't typically experience significant muscle fitness benefits in other aerobic exercises.

Budget-Friendly Workouts: With today's economy showing no signs of strengthening, more people will cut costs to stay in shape. Of the ACE-certified professionals surveyed, 48 percent said that gym memberships will decrease in 2009 and 52 percent said less people will hire personal trainers. Look for more people to use the resources around them as their gym and equipment.

Specialty Classes: While yoga and Pilates will remain strong, dance-based classes are all the rage this year! Zumba, a fitness program inspired by Latin dance, combines South American rhythms with cardiovascular exercise. Bollywood, ballroom, Afro-Cuban and other exotic dance styles are growing in popularity.

Getting Back to Basics: Despite the fact that many exercises and equipment are becoming more advanced and trendy, trainers will continue to focus on basic movements and techniques with their clients again.

Circuit Training: Studies have shown that interval training combining strength training and cardiovascular activity at different intensities provides a more time-efficient workout than participating in traditional aerobic and weight training sessions. With an increase in popularity of circuit training, many gyms are even setting up their own circuits to allow their members an easy path to fitness.

Kettlebells: The reason for the surge in kettlebell training is that it gets back to basic training that requires functional, whole body fitness. Kettlebells require an individual to focus on whole-body conditioning because lifting and controlling a kettlebell forces the entire body, particularly the core, to contract as a group, simultaneously developing strength and stability. Kettlebell workouts engage multiple muscle groups, making it a great way to get a whole body workout in a relatively short period of time.

Boomer Fitness: Individuals age 50+ have the means, motivation and desire to enhance their quality of life through physical activity--and they are only growing. The 50+ audience continues to redefine our expectations about age, vitality and life, and has highlighted the importance of physical activity as we age. Since September 2007, AARP's fitness initiative for boomers--aimed at providing a wide range of affordable fitness services to its 39 million members--has been going strong.

Technology-Based Fitness: From iPods to Cardio Cinema to exergaming (i.e., Wii Fit, Expresso Bikes) the latest in technology will continue to infuse itself in all aspects of fitness. Look for 2009 to provide more interactive video games that provide fitness benefits, as well as new inventions to make exercising a more engaging experience.

Event or Sport-Specific Exercises: Despite the emergence of new and trendy workouts, sports or recreational activities will remain a popular way to stay in shape. Participating in a friendly game of basketball or volleyball, training for a marathon, or taking a day-long bike ride are just a few ways that people are staying in shape and having fun doing so!

Mixing It Up: Traditional programming is changing from what we called linear progression to undulating as research shows similar if not better results. For example, mixing low-intensity cardio with intervals on some days, and mixing high-volume, low-intensity weight training with low-volume, high-intensity training on alternate days.

2008-12-12T23:54:00.001+11:00

“Suffer the pain of discipline or suffer the pain of regret!” - Unknown

Stop and listen

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Listen to your thoughts…
for they all manifest in your actions.

Is your mind telling you to:
workout?
eat clean?

or is your mind telling you to:
sleep in…
have a little bit of dessert???

Once you start regulating what your mind is thinking…

START taking control of that monster and make it do what you want.

Make your mind the mechanic behind your success.

THINK healthy thoughts and you will MANIFEST healthy actions!

Fitnesscure.com

Make smart choices daily

2008-11-22T00:24:00.001+11:00

Nothing we can do can change the past, but everything we do changes the future.

2008-11-15T04:39:00.001+11:00

"Lack of time means lack of desire."

2008-11-15T03:57:00.001+11:00

All the so-called “secrets of success” will not work unless you do.

How to get abs

2008-11-14T00:02:00.001+11:00

What do you need to buy to get abs? Nothing, Abs are FREE!!!!!

You don’t need any potions, powders, magical miracle pills, or crazy contraptions that give you abs in 7 seconds. There are no magical methods that exist. So if you are looking for magic, keep on looking and good luck to you.

Workout consistently and eat right. And don’t eat any junk food. That is how you will get abs and it takes time and dedication.

You get visible abs by having low bodyfat. You can do 5000 crunches a day and you’ll never in your life see your abs unless you lower your bodyfat. That means you can’t eat all the delicious treats you love if you want to have abs.

I don’t make the rules, I just follow them. So you can have abs if you are willing to work for them. Are you? That is what will determine your success. If you stop eating junk food for one day it won’t make a difference. You have to commit yourself to working out regularly and eating right.

And yes,… it’s hard.

7 Keys to Having a POSITIVE MENTAL ATTITUDE

2008-11-13T23:50:00.001+11:00

KEY #1: Choose your attitude in advance - When you wake up…you have a choice. You can be in a good mood or a bad mood. You also choose your attitude. You can wake up and mutter to yourself “this is gonna be a cruddy day” or you can tell yourself “this is gonna be a great day!” That immediate choice is the start of a great attitude. You’ve already decided it’s going to be a good one.

KEY #2: Visualize success - What this means is picture yourself having a successful day. Runners in the Boston Marathon picture themselves crossing the finish line. Maybe not in first place, but still finishing the 26-mile race. Self-visualization is a key factor in having a positive mental attitude. Will it work 100% of the time? I wish it would. However, by visualizing your success, you’ll be able to have a better handle on what does happen. And a better chance of making it happen.

Key #3: Demonstrate humor, energy and enthusiasm - We call these three items the MAGIC ingredients. Because without each one, creating a positive mental attitude will be very difficult. First, HUMOR. There is normally humor in every situation. Finding it is the KEY. Sometimes you’ll need to stretch and dig a little deeper to find the humor in a situation. But once you do, you’ll feel so much better. The ENERGY we talk about is important because without some ‘energy’ in your attitude, you’ll be dragging along behind everyone. Energy is closely related to the third ingredient…and that is ENTHUSIASM. My father used to tell me “Nancy, enthusiasm is contagious; let’s start an epidemic.”

KEY #4: Resist negative influences - It’s a fact. When we have a negative experience with a company, we’ll tell more people about it than if we have a good experience with the same company. And many times, when you hear that someplace wasn’t very good, you’ll believe the person who told you and choose not to do business with that company. However, you may only be hearing HALF the story. Check things out for yourself. Especially if the negativity involves a person you work with or know. I bet we’ve all heard negative things about someone we didn’t know and then when we had the opportunity to meet them ourselves, we find that they’re not as bad as someone had alluded to. In fact they might be nice. But you need to be the judge. Take negativity out of your life. Steer clear of those who drag you down and say negative things all the time. Being around other positive people is a good start.

KEY #5: Be a WHATEVER-IT-TAKES person - This “KEY” means be a problem solver. Life is going to put obstacles in front of all of us. How we go around those obstacles is the KEY factor. There’s normally a good answer to every problem put in front of us. Dale Carnegie said it best. Ask yourself, “What is the worst thing that can happen here?” And move up from that.

KEY #6: Embrace change…expect it and accept it - Some people are very good at handling change…and some resist it a lot. We had a fun saying at our house - I can still hear my father saying it: “Nancy, the next time you change your mind…get a good one.” The major KEY to handling CHANGE is to accept it. Deal with it. In most cases there’s little we can do to stop it.

Key #7: Be grateful for what you have - I’m not sure this KEY needs to be explained. So many people have so much. And yet those same people are often the ones that constantly complain. Why wait for some life altering experience to be grateful for all you have? Be grateful, NOW…before something bad happens and makes you aware.

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Hard Work + Consistency + Time = Results

Actually DO

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The results you achieve are not based on what you plan to do or what you say you'll do. Your results come from what you actually do.

The rationalizations and excuses you make will not add any value or quality to your life. Your actions are what truly make a difference.

To get where you wish to go requires more than just talking about it. To get where you wish to go requires focused, sustained effort.

And the great thing is, you're perfectly capable of making whatever effort is necessary. You must simply choose to actually do it.

No one can reach real fulfillment on your behalf. The life you experience is the life you create for yourself.

There are so many possibilities to choose from, and so many opportunities to make life great through the actions you take. Now is the moment to actually do it.
-- Ralph Marston

In Control

2008-11-11T06:13:00.003+11:00

There are lots of temptations and there are plenty of excuses. Keep in mind, though, that you are in control of you.

To reach the destination you have chosen, you must follow the path that will take you there. And while diversions and distractions will constantly come along, remember that you are in control of you.

Your thoughts, your words and your actions are precisely the ones you choose. They can take you anywhere you would like to go.Though many things are out of your control, you are always in control of you.

You can respond, you can adjust, you can persist and you can move in the direction of your dreams, no matter what the outside factors may be. You are in control of you. Your decisions in each and every moment determine the quality of life that you live, it is a heavy responsibility and a magnificent opportunity.

You are in control of you, and you will always go right where your actions take you.
-Ralph Marston

Ask yourself these ?s

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1) What do you think your issues are with food right now and in general…??

2) Why do you think you are having a hard time eating well..???

3) Why do you think you are eating unhealthy/junk foods all the time..??

4) What is the hardest part(s) of your day..??

5) How have you been feeling on a daily basis..??

6) How do you see yourself, your body and your life..??

7) What do you like about cardio..???

8)WHERE and HOW do you see yourself in 6 months..??

You & Your Starbucks Choices

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DO be picky and specify “nonfat” milk.

DON’T order the special fancy seasonal coffee drink, just ‘cuz it’s only available for a limited time. We know it sounds good, but do you REALLY need eggnog in your coffee?

DO dress up your drink with a shot of sugar-free syrup. It’s calorie-free. Be creative!

DON’T feel silly asking for a “Skinny Latte”. Sure, it sounds a little prissy, but it’s worth it!

DO stick to the Grande, Tall, or the frequently overlooked Short. Save that ginormous Venti for coffee emergencies only.

DON’T ever get whipped cream on a beverage there. Ever. It’ll add around 80 calories and 8g fat (POINTS® value 2*) to your order. Sometimes MORE.

DO your research beforehand, so you know what you’re getting into. Look, we’ve made it easy for you. Maybe print a copy of our guide, and keep it in your glove compartment?

DON’T be afraid to special order. Create your own beverages using whatever guilt-free ingredients you can rattle off. “Nonfat”, “sugar-free”, and “light” are all words that should be in your SB vocabulary.

These drinks get the OKAY…

Pike Place Roast
PER SERVING (Grande): 5 calories, 0g fat, 10mg sodium, 0g carbs, 0g fiber, 0g sugars, 1g protein — POINTS® value 0*
In a rush? Feel like being super-low-key? Saunter up to the counter, ask for a Pike Place, and you’ll have a lovely coffee blend in, like, 15 seconds. So you can skip waiting in line with the herd of people and sweeten your coffee all by yourself (stick to nonfat milk a nd Splenda!). Feeling adventurous? Skip the Pike and ask for the flavor of the week. Oooh, look at you trying new things!

Skinny Latte
PER SERVING (Grande): 130 calories, 0g fat, 150mg sodium, 19g carbs, 0g fiber, 18g sugars, 13g protein — POINTS® value 3*
Where were we before the Skinny Latte? We were standing over by the sugar and cream, shaking an empty pitcher, and crying, “Why are they always out of nonfat milk?” This way is SO much more dignified and, not to mention, SUPER-DELICIOUS. Plus you can order your Skinny flavored without adding any calories or fat — choose from Vanilla, Hazelnut, Caramel, and Cinnamon Dolce. SWEET!

Caffè Misto (with Nonfat Milk)
PER SERVING (Grande): 70 calories, 0g fat, 90mg sodium, 10g carbs, 0g fiber, 10g sugars, 7g protein — POINTS® value 1*

Ah! Another light ‘n classy option — freshly brewed coffee mixed with frothy steamed milk. Known in international circles as Café Au Lait or Café Con Leche, it’s known in our circle as a must-have morning coffee option.

Frappuccino Light Blended Coffee,
All VarietiesPER SERVING (Grande): 110 - 210 calories, 0.5 - 4.5g fat, 180 - 260mg sodium, 20 - 42g carbs, 2 - 4g fiber, 13 - 32g sugars, 5 - 6g protein — POINTS® value 2 - 4*

The regular Coffee and Espresso versions clock in with just 110 - 130 calories and a POINTS® v alue of 2* each. But there are about a bazillion different flavored ones, many of ‘em well worth the extra calories if you’re craving a real treat. A few we’re impressed with are the Caramel (160 calories, POINTS® value 3*), the Cinnamon Dolce (140 calories, POINTS® value 2*), and (drumroll, please!) the Pumpkin Spice (150 calories, POINTS® value 2* ).

Tazo Tea
PER SERVING (Grande): 0 calories, 0g fat, 0mg sodium, 0g carbs, 0g fiber, 0g sugars, 0g protein — POINTS® value 0*
Choose from Black, Green, and Herbal Infusions. It’s simple, it’s classic!

How to deal with sugar cravings?

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Wait it out!
Sometimes cravings are emotionally driven, and you may be eating sweets in reaction to your emotions. Before you dig into the donut box, stop, recognize your craving, and ask yourself out loud if it is worth the few minutes of pleasure instead of achieving the body you want and can enjoy 24 hours a day.

Eat more often.
You might crave sugar if you haven’t eaten a balanced meal or snack because your blood sugar may be low. Your body knows the fastest way to get its blood sugar back up is to get some simple carbs in there, so it tells you to crave sugar-and you do! That’s just another reason we have you eating balanced meals throughout the day!

Break the habit!
If you always have dessert with dinner or get a treat every day from the vending machine at 4pm, recognize that pattern, and break it! Do something completely different, such as taking a walk or calling a friend instead of hitting the vending machine.

And, last but not least, give in and have a bite! Before you get too excited, I want it to be loud and clear that I’m not giving you permission to binge! Share a dessert, have a mini size chocolate bar, or a small cookie. Be sure to go out and have it in order to keep the temptation of leftovers out of the house!

Think Yourself Thin

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The next time you find yourself salivating over that scrumptious-looking slice of pizza, think long and hard about the calories, the fat, the grease – and just imagine how long it will take you to burn off all that yuck.

The key to making good food choices may be focusing on the negative, say Boston College researchers. It seems scaring yourself away from something fattening can be more effective than thinking about something nutritious.

Time to practice: Turkey sandwich on whole wheat bread or bucket of fried chicken? Don't think about how healthy that sandwich is. Instead, think of how hard you'll need to work to remove the fried stuff from your hips, butt, and gut. Yep, that turkey sounds pretty good, now, doesn't it?

1lb of fat:

No Brainer Steps To Weight Loss

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1. Eat clean. It has been said that successful weight loss is 80% diet and I have to agree. You can get some good results from adding workouts to your daily routine, but watching what you consume is going to be a huge factor. Focus on fruits, veggies, lean protein, whole grains, beans and nuts. The closer something is to its natural form, the better it is going to be for you!

2. Exercise. As mentioned above, diet plays a big role in weight loss. Exercise comes in at #2. In addition to burning calories (and we all know that burning more calories than we consume is what equals weight loss), exercise boosts energy levels and helps you get more out of the hours in your day.

3. Be consistent! Consistency in every aspect of your program is vitally important. Make healthy eating and exercise part of your life, every day! The results will come with patience and consistency.

4. Have long term goals, not just the upcoming event. Wanting to lose weight for a specific event is fine if that is what jump starts you to get with the program. But, you want to think about long term. Do you want to be in the same boat again when the next “event” rolls around? Wouldn’t it be better to take a healthy approach to weight loss, keep it off and be ready whenever that next big reunion happens?

5. Have a maintenance plan. Planning for maintenance is key. You need to know what you will do once you reach your goal weight to maintain it. If you go right back to your old habits, you will end up right where you are now. Write down what you plan to do from an overall eating and exercise standpoint so once you reach your goal, you know what you need to do in order to stay there.

Having problems doing all of the above? Hire a personal trainer to keep you motivated, on track, doing the right thing and assisting with accountability

Making The Most Of Your Exercise Plan

2008-11-06T23:59:00.005+11:00

Know Where You Are.
Understanding your current fitness level is essential to knowing what type of exercises will benefit you the most. If you have specific goals (lose weight, train for a marathon), you will also need to know your current stats before you can plan a workout that will make the most of your training time and allow you to gain resistance or lose fat quicker.
Among the most basic information you need to be aware of is:
- Your heart rate during rest. Simply sit down on a chair, breathe deep a few times and then take your pulse (you can do this manually or using a stopwatch) for a minute.
- Your heart rate after stepping on and off a plastic step for two minutes. If you don’t have a step available, simply march in place, making sure you raise your knees significantly, for the same amount of time.
- The amount of pushups you can do before your arms give out.
- The number of crunches you can do before your stomach (or back) burn to exhaustion.
- Your weight and height.
- Your body fat percentage. You can get this tested for free at many gyms, even if you’re not a member. Otherwise, consider buying your own handheld fat analyzer or a Tanita body fat scale, both of which are very accurate.
- Your flexibility. To test this, sit on the floor, legs open, back flat against the wall. Then, bending forward, try to reach as far as possible straight forward. If you can reach to the distance of your toes, your flexibility is good.

Decide Where You’re Going.
Being clear about your fitness goals will make it easier to design a workout program that will get you there. There’s no magic single answer for everybody, and what type of exercise you do depends a lot on your taste and physical capabilities. For example, if you hate biking, taking spin classes doesn’t sound like a good idea. You’ll eventually get burn out and may end up quitting the gym altogether. Also, joining a spin class is not the best option for a beginner, even if you like the idea. Instead, start with something easier, like riding a stationary bike or biking through your neighborhood.
When choosing a goal, make it clear and then break it down into manageable steps. Rather than “I need to lose 20 pounds,” decide how much you can lose in a month (4-6 lbs is an accepted range) and then take it from there. *Be sure to reward yourself when you make it to your mini and major goals*

Plan Your Way There.
Once you know what you want to achieve, you can then design a workout plan to help you get there. Ideally, this should include a combination of cardio and strength training, and it can also include flexibility and endurance training.
To be successful, you will also need to decide how many times a week you can workout and for how long. If you’ve had trouble in the past adhering to an exercise routine, schedule your workouts as you would any other activity that requires an appointment.

Keep A Training Log!
Keep a training log for all your fitness requirements, keeping account of the reps you are using, how many sets, what weights you are using and also the date, time and where the workout took place is imperative for gauging your day to day progress. Also recording all cardio- vascular activities is just as important.

Ways to beat boredom

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Try out another gym. A lot offer free trial days/weeks

Find a buddy. Time flies alot quicker when you have someone to talk/gossip with.

Take a class. Yoga, cycling, fitness, Crossfit, all of the above

Run across Canada. All you need are maps and some stick pins. You can start small by running to the next town or the next neighborhood. Just pick a destination on your map, figure out the distance and start running. Keep track of your mileage during each workout and place a stick pin on the map to keep track of where you are.

Switch it up. Instead of doing the treadmill for 40 minutes, do 20 minutes on the treadmill and another piece of equipment for 20 minutes

Kick it up. Every 2-5 minutes hop off equipment and do something! Jumping jacks, push ups, mountain climbers etc. Change up the intensity and body part each time

Listen to Podcasts. Sometimes tv gets boring and listening to a motivation podcast will help you kick start your day/week. My fave: http://www.motivationtomove.com

Create a Routine. Make a couple treadmill routines that you can switch between during the week. Change the hills, pace, etc.

Finally...Go to the spa and be pampered

Welcome!

2008-10-30T22:42:00.000+11:00

I wanted to create a site where I can record my precious tidbits of information. It will be fitness and health related with my main focus being motivation, exercise, diet, favourite recipes and other random things I find interesting (and hope you do too!)

I hope you visit regularly, comment and take away helpful tips to use in your daily life. My goal will to be to update often :)