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I am a wife, mother, and health and fitness professional. This blog is dedicated to all things fitness...products, events, and training. Please follow along!

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Holiday Diet Tips

Holidays bring family and friend together to reconnect, socialize, and spread good cheer. They also bring lots of opportunities to eat, drink, and be merry. Even the most disciplined of people can struggle to maintain their diet during the holiday season.


Here is a list of top tips from the Doc's over at WEB MD on how to handle holiday temptations: 

1. Trim back the trimmings. Go all out and deck the halls with boughs of holly, glitter, and lights, but when it comes to holiday food, accessorize with care. To shave calories, go easy when adding nuts, cheese, cream sauces, gravy, butter, and whipped cream -- additions that don't add much to the meal, but can add plenty to your waistline. Trim calories wherever you can so you leave the party feeling satisfied, but not stuffed, recommends Carolyn O'Neil, MS, RD, author of The Dish on Eating Healthy and Being Fabulous.

2. Wear snug clothes and keep one hand busy. When you wear snug-fitting attire, chances are you'll be too busy holding in your stomach to overeat. While you stand around looking posh in your holiday finery, hold a drink in your dominant hand so it won't be so easy to grab food, recommends obesity expert Cathy Nonas, MS, RD.

3. Chew gum. When you don't want to eat, pop a piece of sugarless gum into your mouth. This works well when you're cooking or when you're trying not to dive into the buffet, says Nonas.

4. Be a food snob. If you don't love it, don't eat it, says American Dietetic Association spokeswoman Melinda Johnson, MS, RD. Scan the buffet for foods you truly treasure and skip the everyday dishes that are available all year long. And don't think it's your responsibility to sample everything on the buffet. Go ahead and indulge in your personal holiday favorites, then find a seat and, slowly and mindfully, savor every mouthful.

5. No skipping meals. Always eat normally on the day of a party. "People who skip meals to save up calories tend to overeat everything in sight once they get there," says Katherine Tallmadge, MA, RD, author of Diet Simple. "Eating sensibly throughout the day will take the edge off the appetite and empower a bit of restraint." Start with a nourishing breakfast, have a light lunch, then a small snack or salad shortly before the event.

6. Check it out. First things first. When you arrive at the party, grab a sparkling water with a twist, and wait at least 30 minutes before eating. This will give you time to relax, get comfortable in your surroundings, and survey your food choices on the buffet before diving in, says Tallmadge. A buffet is an invitation to eat all you can, and unless you carefully scrutinize it and make wise choices, you're likely to overeat.

7. Add fun and games. Cynthia Sass, MPH, MA, RD, co-author of Your Diet Is Driving Me Crazy, proposes taking the focus off food and getting family and friends more active during holiday parties. Think horseshoes, badminton, sledding, ice skating, or building snowmen. Indoors, try a spirited game of charades, or rent an instructional dance video followed by a dance-off. "The best parties include dancing, so why not make dancing after eating a new holiday tradition for a great form of fun and recreation?" asks David Katz, MD, MPH, author of The Flavor Point Diet.

8. Alternate alcohol with nonalcoholic beverages. Alcoholic drinks are loaded with calories -- especially holiday favorites like eggnog. "Cut your alcohol calories in half by alternating water or seltzer between alcoholic beverages," Katz advises.

9. Skip the appetizers. "Eschew the appetizers rather than chewing on them," says Katz. If you need a little nibble before the meal, go for the veggies, fruit, salsa, or a small handful of nuts.

10. Limit the variety. Brian Wansink, PhD, author of Mindless Eating, suggests putting only two items on your plate when you go to the food table. Return as many times as you like, but only take two items each time. "Variety stimulates appetite, and if you limit your choices to just a few items and stick with these, it will be easier to control than eating a little bit of 20 different dishes," agrees Katz.

Friday, November 25, 2011

Getting Back on Track


If you are anything like me....you over ate on Thanksgiving. Turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, sweet potato casserole, pumpkin pie....and more! Right about now....I'm feeling pretty sluggish!
Here are some super easy tips for getting back on track....

1. Stop beating yourself up. Stop now. It will not do you any good and it will only work against you. You ate too much on Thanksgiving. Big deal. Move on.

2.Skip the scale. You know you overate, you know you put on a couple pounds. Big deal. Move on. Adding to your guilt only makes you feel defeated and it's not worth it.

3.  Have a good breakfast. Your metabolism doesn't start until you put fuel in the tank. Hearty carbs and lean protein in the morning will keep you satisfied longer!

4. Track what you eat. Keeping tabs on what you eat keeps you conscious about what you eat and how much.

5.Stick to your normal workout routine. Compensating for those extra calories by over-exercising will leave you burnt out...or worse.



"Great results will follow if you allow yourself to solve difficult problems" -- George Burns

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Tabata Training

The Tabata Protocol is named after Dr. Izumi Tabata. He is a former researcher at Japan’s National Institute of Fitness and Sports. Tabata is an interval training method developed by the head coach of the Japanese speed-skating team. (It is termed a protocol because Tabata and his team took the speed-skating coach’s workout and studied it to quantify how effective it really was.) The Tabata workout consists of six to seven 20-second full-speed sprints (or as many reps as you can do) interspersed with rest periods of 10 seconds.

With a special thanks to Jess over at blondeponytail for hooking me up with a gymboss timer, I completed my first  tabata training with a client.

As you can see....


the gymboss is small, light weight, and a fun little tool. It did all of the counting for me so I could check out my clients form as she moved through the exercises. 

Here is my client Mo, after her round of Tabata Crunches....



 Her tabata  plie  kettle bell squats..


And her round of tabata TRX squats...


We mixed in a few other tabata's and Mo got a full body workout!

All in all I think it was a quality workout and I think my first round using tabata training went well. There is always room for improvements, and after seeing Mo go through this session I can already see where I will make some tweaks for next time!

Thanks to Mo for playing along at tonight's session. Go check our her blog Hard Body Here I Come! Click HERE

Friday, November 18, 2011

Playing With Your Food

 Eating a wide variety of foods increases the likelihood that you will be exposed to sufficient quantities of all essential nutrients, which vary in amount and combination among different foods. This will help to improve your health and may help prevent diseases. If you eat a variety of good food, your diet will provide you with adequate nutrition. However, you should remember that:
  • * The way in which foods are grown, stored and prepared can affect nutrient value.
  • * Food variety is not based on how much of each food you eat or how often you eat it.

This weekend we stepped out of the box a little bit.


Buddha Hand Fruit. Noted as one of the 6 most bizarre foods. We washed, cut the "fingers" length-wise a enjoyed. We found out after the fact...that it wasn't ripe yet. Note to self: do more research before diving in!

For more info on the Buddha Hand Fruit. Click HERE


Dragon Fruit...not as exotic but still fun. This is a very odd looking fruit. It tastes like a kiwi that has been toned down a bit. I enjoyed the dragon fruit much more.

For more info on the Dragon Fruit...Click HERE

We had fun trying new and unusual fruit! Step out of your box and try something new with your family for dinner! You never know what you might discover!

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Product Review: Soybu Fitness Gear

 I first found Soybu when I was looking for a fall running jacket to train in for my first marathon. I found Soybu's Nirvana Jacket and fell in love with it! 

Soybu Nirvana

Me wearing the Nirvana Jacket at the Des Moines Marathon 2010


It is light weight, super soft, and great for layering! Here is what Soybu says about their jacket...

When the mercury dips, our lightweight versatile Nirvana jacket is a pretty heavenly way to ease into the Fall months. Fashion-forward details like mock-neck styling, curved raglan seaming and slightly belled long sleeves make this jacket look great with every bottom and top in our collection. Invisible zipper pockets are perfect for tucking away money and keys, and flatlock seams make it uber-comfortable. We think you will love the way this jacket gives your wardrobe a multi-purpose boost. Zen fit. Fabric content: recycled polyester/virgin polyester/spandex.


This fall I returned to Soybu when looking for a comfy yet "useful" pair of pants....aka I could wear them around and still log many miles in them!

I found Soybu's Lotus Pants...


Feel great going straight from the gym to a latte break with friends: our Lotus Pant is stylish enough to take you through your day. Made with our sustainable Soybu Stretch RE-FLEX, this pant is fitted through the thigh, graduating to a subtle bootcut hem. Our no-flip fitted waistband is part of what gives this pant studio-to-street appeal.Lotus Fit. Fabric content: recycled polyester/virgin polyester/spandex.


I noticed a trend..."recycled polyester"...so I did a little more research. Soybu blends eco-friendly fibers into their fabrics in effort to create long-lasting apparel with minimum impact on the environment. The company states that while inspiration comes from many sources, they take our cue from the incredible beauty of nature, and will always do our part to be kind to the planet.


Clothes I love that give love back!