Category: Fitness and Weight Loss

Contrary to popular belief, diet supplements, the latest diet fad, and even exercise can’t help you lose as much weight as this secret. And I’m going to let you in on it….are you ready?

It’s portion control.

If you can control the size of your food and meal portions, you’re well on your way to looking great – and [bonus] feeling better.

It’s easy to over indulge, especially with those foods that may not be the healthiest for us. But don’t worry. You don’t have to give up your chocolate or lose the carbs.

Here are some tips that will help get your portions down to size [pardon the pun]…

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Brain health is an ever growing concern as people age. Alzheimer’s is the second most feared illness in America. What if we could help ward off the effects of this and other brain diseases? What if we could not only battle disease, but could also help increase everyone’s ability – young and old, to learn, reason, and remember things? Well guess what, we can. The science behind brain fitness provides exciting insights into how to maximize our brain health.

Here are the five pillars of brain fitness:

Pillar 1: Nutritional Guidelines

Proper nutritional habits are associated with better brain health (ratings like Guiding Stars can help you make better food choices)

• Decrease saturated fat (fats solid at room temperature) and sugar in your diet
• Increasing intake of antioxidants (found in beans, berries, apples, nuts, etc) & omega 3 fatty acids (including fatty fish, flaxseed, walnuts. sprouts, kale, etc)

Pillar 2: Stress Management

• Reduce cortisol, increase rest/recovery. Cortisol increases with stress. Elevated levels of cortisol interfere with the brain’s energy supply, the function of neurotransmitters, and helps increase free-radicals that damage brain cells. Reducing stress (through exercise, meditation, etc.) can help keep cortisol in check.

Pillar 3: Physical Exercise

• As little as 3 hours/week of cardiovascular can stimulate increases in Brain Derived Neurotropic Factor (BDNF), described as “Miracle Grow” for the brain

Pillar 4: Mental Stimulation

• Variety, challenge, novelty are essential to brain function. Just like our bodies responding to physical exercise, our brains respond to the challenge of mental exercise. What kinds of new, different things can you try?

Pillar 5: Social Interaction

• Create more opportunities to interact, build friendships. The more friends and daily interactions you have, the better it is for your brain function.

There you have it. The things we can take control of to enhance our brain health and function. Of course, as a Personal Trainer, I like to point out that pillars 2-5 can be found in a fun, friendly health club. So get to it. As the saying goes, “A mind is a terrible thing to waste…

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There’s more to exercise than meets the eye. Sure, you lose calories, weight, and look great. You chisel muscles and get lean; but exercise can do more than that.

Looking good leads to feeling good – both reasons lead to higher self esteem. Regular exercise will help you alleviate stress and feel happier.

Exercise helps your body work more efficiently, thereby giving you more energy. We could all do with a littler more energy, couldn’t we?

Not only will you have more energy, but at night you’ll be more tired. That’s right…put those sleeping pills away if you have trouble falling asleep at night. Exercise more, and you’ll find the secret to catching your z’s.

Walking, running, or going to the gym? Regardless, more exercise combats illness and chronic disease.

Spend some quality time with friends or family and go for a walk or a hike. Play with your kids on the jungle gym. All these seemingly fun activities?…code words for exercise…

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At any given time, approximately 45% of women and 30% of men in the United States are trying to lose weight. In 2006, The US public spent $46.3 billion dollars on weight loss products alone. Yet, over 65% of Americans are overweight. Why can’t we as a nation get control of our weight?

The answer is that we must change our belief system to succeed. Change takes two beliefs: I CAN do it, and it’s WORTH doing. Failing to lose weight is failing to believe one or the other (or both) of these statements.

Think about it. If you, down deep, don’t believe that you can lose the weight you need/want to, whether it’s because your family doesn’t support you, you feel you don’t have time, or even that you don’t have the willpower to stick to a program, how much effort will you truly put into it?

What if you don’t believe it’s worth it? “Working out, sweating, watching what you eat, smaller portions…. that’s not worth it. It’s just too hard. Isn’t it?”

Those are the fundamental beliefs that we need to change in order to attain our health/ weight loss goals and I’d like to offer a few words to help you move forward with that.

Can you? Absolutely! In my 30 years as a Personal Trainer, I have never met anyone that couldn’t, if they thought it was worth the effort. You don’t have to change your life all at once. It’s about making small modifications (tweaks) in what you’re currently doing. Ask yourself, “What 1 or 2 things could I change this week to start me in the right direction?” When you accomplish that, pick another 1 or 2 for the next week, then the next week, etc. Before long, you’ve accumulated enough better behaviors to really see a difference in yourself. Next stop… reaching your goals.

Is it worth it? Ah, this is one that only you can determine. Health risk warnings aren’t enough, if effective at all. It has to be very personal to you. How would being leaner/healthier change your life? If you can’t answer that question with clarity, you’ll never care enough to change. Try answering this way, “I want to be able to (i.e. look, feel, do) because…”

Like a toddler, you have to continually ask yourself “Why?” So, you want to lose weight…why? Your doctor told you you should…why? Because he said you were at risk for cardiovascular disease…why does that matter to you? You could die prematurely…why is living longer important to you? You have two young kids and you want to see them grow up and be an active part of their lives. Now we’re getting somewhere.

So, if you’re going to try to lose weight and get healthier, first make sure you believe.

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I don’t know about you, but the holidays were killer for me in terms of my fitness level. I started out keeping with my regular exercise routine while having a cookie here and there. Gradually, the holiday treats took over and the refined sugars made me lethargic and not wanting to exercise. Now that the holiday and Super Bowl treats are gone, it is time for me to get back into the groove by exercising daily and eating right. It all seems so logical so why is it easier said than done?

Well, it could be because it is the dead of winter in New England and the sub-degree temperatures make me want to hide under my comforter. However, I have to remember the pros; being able to fit into my clothes and staying healthy for my little ones, my husband and most importantly myself.

I’ve always followed Lance Armstrong on Twitter where he tweets about his daily training and personal insights. Seeing his tweets pop up in my stream keeps me motivated. After all, here is a man who was at death’s door with cancer, and then went on to win seven Tour De Frances and run the New York City marathon. I think I should be able to ride my spin bike for at least an hour while watching a movie…

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Let’s face it – weight loss happens when we have self control and discipline. Usually, that combination means a diet. Not necessarily. Here are 5 tricks so that you can eat what you want…in moderation, that is.

1. Ask yourself if you’re hungry. Often we’re tired, bored, or even thirsty when we shovel food in our mouths. So just ask yourself: am I really hungry?

2. Don’t eat after 7. You’ve probably heard this one before and, while the act of eating won’t cause you to gain unnecessary weight, it’s simply that by the time morning comes, you won’t be as hungry for breakfast. In short, eating after 7 or 8 at night gets your metabolism and eating schedule out of whack.

3. Watch your portions. This is the most important rule. It’s no secret that Americans are an incredibly overweight population and it’s no wonder why – the portions you get eating out could more often than not feed you for an entire day, let alone one meal. One of my favorite tricks is – put what you’re eating on a plate or in a bowl – don’t eat directly out of the pan/dish/bag. If you’re still hungry, go for seconds; but chances are you won’t be.

4. Eat plenty of fruits and veggies. Not only are they good for you, but they’ll fill you up, so you eat less of the more hearty food in your diet.

5. Snack, snack, snack! Technically, it’s better to eat about every three hours than three big meals. So instead of binging three times a day, be sure to grab a little something (a piece of fruit perhaps? ;)), so you don’t have to engorge yourself later.

What’s one of your rules for staying away from the newest fad diet?

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I don’t know about you, but trying to get outside and go for a run in the winter time is nearly impossible. If you’re a skier or snowboarder, your exercise routine is set at the slopes; but for the rest of us, the gym can get monotonous.

Never fear, there are a surprising (and dare I say, fun) amount of outdoor activities that burn a ton of calories.

Snow removal doesn’t have to be all work and no play. Well, maybe it is – but you can feel good about the fact that, while shoveling, you’re burning 298 calories an hour.

Ice skating doesn’t need to be on a rink. Head out to a local lake or pond and burn 357 calories an hour practicing your figure skating moves.

Hiking isn’t just for the warmer months; you’ll be surprised how quickly you get tired. No wonder – you’re burning 408 calories an hour.

Take that hike to the next level and pop on your snowshoes. You’ll burn a tremendous 417 calories per hour.

Get outside with the kids

Take a load off and lay at the snow with this cold weather pastime: snow angels. Doing horizontal jumping jacks burns 214 calories per hour.

Building a snowman? You’ll burn 285 calories an hour. That’s worth building a whole snow family – and don’t forget the dog.

Building in the snow is fun, but throwing it around is too. Having a snowball fight will burn 319 calories an hour.

Last but not least…head back to the slopes with your toboggan. Sledding burns a whopping 357 calories per hour.

Note: All of the calorie statistics are based on a 40 year old, 150 lb. woman…

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As I approach my 43rd birthday, I find myself pondering my own mortality far more than I do the unlimited potential on the blank canvas of life that lies before me. Now, I know 43 is not “old,” but for the overweight, middle aged person, it can seem a lot closer to the end than to the beginning.

Do I continue to lament the day of my pending demise or do I chart a course down a different path? Should I just throw caution to the wind and see how far a lifelong diet of wings, pizza and beer can take me, or should I start to mix in a new attitude of healthy eating and see how far I can take myself? I choose the latter. The time is now to acknowledge and embrace the changes that need to be made to alter the course of my destiny.

I joined a gym the other day. I’ll be honest. I rue the day of my pending confrontation with Mr. Treadmill. I do not expect this relationship to be filled with exuberance and mirth…

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