Archive for August, 2010

Have you been dieting for weeks but feel as if you’re making very little progress?

Maybe your weight loss program is just not realistic!  Here are some unrealistic ideas that may be blocking your success.

Unrealistic Goals

If you are following a realistic, healthy eating plan, you will lose, on average, a pound a week.  You may lose more some weeks and less some weeks, but, over time, the average will be a pound a week.  That means around 4 pounds per month.  If you are expecting to lose 30 pounds in a month, you are being unrealistic and are going to be disappointed.

Unrealistic Plan

If you are following an extreme, restrictive diet, you are doomed to fail.  Even if you lose tons of weight, it will all come back and then some when you return to your regular eating patterns.  Why would you want to put yourself through all that misery and deprivation just to weigh less for a few days?

A realistic food plan has to be seen as a lifestyle change, not a quick fix.  In order to lose and maintain your desired weight,  you need to commit to eating a normal, healthy, balanced diet of real foods that you can follow for the rest of your life.  And by “real foods” I do not mean shakes, bars, or pills!

Unrealistic Self-Expectations

Are you perfect?  Do you never make mistakes?  Of course not!  But many people look at a diet slip-up as a reason – or maybe an excuse –  to drop the whole thing.  If you happen to make a bad eating choice now and then, forgive yourself and move on!  You will occasionally have a bad day.  Just don’t let it turn into a bad week, then a bad month, etc.  Acknowledge that you momentarily got off course then get right back on!

By letting go of unrealistic goals, plans, and expectations, you will be much more likely to have long term success with your weight loss program!

For more weight loss help, sign up for my FREE eCourse, “40 Healthy Weight Loss Tips.”

Whether you are doing cardio or strength training, listening to fitness music can improve your workout.

Some people like to compile their own playlists from old and current favorites.  This is especially easy to do if you have an ipod or other mp3 player.

Others prefer to buy or download collections of fitness music specifically prepared for different types of workouts.

Here are some suggestions to help you choose the best type of music for your workout:

• For strength training, choose powerful music that inspires you to put your maximum effort into every movement.
• Music for walking should start off at a slower pace for your warm-up phase, then increase the tempo to speed up your pace and keep your heart rate up.  It should also include a slower cool down segment at the end.
• Make sure you have enough music to last for the length of your workout.
• Have more than one playlist or CD to use for your workouts.  Variety keeps you from getting bored.
• If you are listening to headphones, keep the volume low enough that you can still be aware of your surroundings.  You also don’t want to damage your hearing while improving your health!

During my multiple former lives as a child care director, high school cheerleader coach, and health club owner, I was required to take CPR many times.  The problem was, by the next week I couldn’t remember how many compressions and how many rescue breaths they said to do!

This uncertainty can cause people to hesitate if they find themselves in a situation where they actually need to use their emergency life-saving training.  And every second counts when CPR is needed!

Now the doctors at the Sarver Heart Center at the University of Arizona College of Medicine have developed a new technique called “continuous chest compression CPR.”  This method does not include mouth-to-mouth breathing at all.  Here is a video demonstration.

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This recipe for roasted vegetables is a healthy addition to any meal!

You will need an assortment of fresh vegetables.  In this picture we used broccoli, zucchini, yellow squash, mushrooms, onions, and grape tomatoes, but it would also work with asparagus, potatoes, whatever you like.

Wash the veggies and cut them into bite-sized pieces.  Spread them in a single layer on a baking pan.  Spray with non-stick cooking spray made with olive oil, then season to taste.

Roast at 425 degrees for 10 minutes.  Take them out of the oven, stir, then roast for about 5 more minutes.

The picture shows the veggies arranged around a poached egg for a simple brunch, but they are a delicious, healthy dish any time!

The first time I ever saw a copy of Eat This Not That I was visiting my parent’s house.

There were two “Eat This Not That“  books on the coffee table: The Supermarket Survival Guide and The No Diet Weight-Loss Solution.

I picked up one of them, intending to just flip through and get a general idea of what it was all about, and I couldn’t put it down!  I kept reading parts aloud to other people who were in the house and saying, “Did you know this?” or “Can you believe that?”

As the weekend progressed I noticed that everyone who showed up had the same reaction.  They were completely hooked and had to keep reading just one more page….

The Eat This Not That books are written by David Zinczenko who is the editor-in-chief of “Men’s Health” and editorial director of “Women’s Health.”

The premise of this book series is that you don’t have to give up any particular food type in order to lose weight. The “secret” is in the choices you make.  The books are divided into chapters such as “Pantry Staples”, “The Freezer Section”, or “At Your Favorite Restaurants.”

The pages within the chapters are loaded with pictures of actual products and colorful graphics describing them in terms of calories, fat, sodium, and fiber per serving, plus other nutritional or just interesting information.  Each time you turn to the next page, the left hand page shows the “eat this” foods, the right hand page the “not that” foods.

For instance, Kellogg’s Smart Start cereal has 190 calories and 14 grams of sugars per 1 cup serving, compared to Cheerios with 100 calories and 1 gram of sugars per cup.

Or how about this – a McDonald’s Quarter Pounder contains 410 calories, 19 grams of fat, and 730 mg of sodium.  But their Premium Grilled Chicken Club has 570 calories, 21 grams of fat, and 1,720 mg of sodium!

Did you know that most restaurant wheat buns contain more fat and sodium than sourdough? Ok, I’ll stop!

Before I get distracted by any more food facts, let me just summarize by saying that the Eat This Not That books are over-the-top full of practical, useful information presented in an entertaining, easy to read format.  And their small size makes it easy to take them along to the store or restaurants.

I HIGHLY recommend that you buy Eat This, Not That. Once you get one, you’ll want the whole series!

Zumba is an aerobic workout based on Latin dance moves such as salsa, reggaeton, flamenco, merengue, samba, and even hip-hop and belly dancing!   Most Zumba classes seem almost like a fun, high energy party!

You may feel a little lost at your first class but that will pass quickly.  There are definite moves to learn but they repeat throughout the class so you get lots of chances to perfect them.

Your class will begin with a warmup, then progress to some of the slower dance moves.  As the minutes tick by, the tempo will increase and new moves will come into play.  You’ll find yourself really dancing your butt off – which, of course, is the point!  The music will cycle between slower and faster rhythms so that you get a bit of a respite now and then.  By the end of the 45 minutes – an hour, you will definitely feel worked out but also energized!

In the beginning, if you’re unable to keep up with the more intense parts, just walk in place until the music comes back to a more comfortable pace, then join back in.  Within a few classes you shouldn’t have any trouble doing the entire workout.

So what are the benefits of taking a Zumba class?

• I would say the #1 benefit is burning up to 800 calories per hour!
• It’s a total body workout.
• It’s also a fantastic cardio workout.
• Going to a Zumba class provides an enjoyable social occasion which relieves stress and increases self-esteem.
• You get dance lessons along with working out!

When looking for a class to join, ask if you can observe or just try it out before committing, to see if it seems right for you.  Bring a friend along if you’re afraid of feeling self-conscious.

Once you do join a class, be sure to wear shoes that don’t stick to the floor, such as dance aerobic shoes.  Also bring water to drink and a towel because you WILL sweat!

Here’s an example of some actual Zumba class members.  You can see that people of all fitness levels can take part.

Have you tried Zumba?  Tell us about it in the comments below!