I hate “Diets”

I hate “Diets” because it just seems to imply that someone is only exercising or eating healthy for a short period of time. Once they lose weight and reach their goal, they go back to their old habits!

This type of thinking only turns “diets” into “yo-yo dieting”, which means after all that effort and time you too to lose weight and learn great eating and exercise habits, you just gained back all your weight…and then some.

If you know what I am talking about first hand, I am sure you hate dieting too. You are in luck though, because I have some good news and…depending on how you look at it, maybe some bad news too.

Bad news first

I don’t think that it’s bad news, but for some it might be just that. The bad news is this: There is no magic diet pill or spell that will make your magically thin and healthy. Crazy, right? I feel like I might have just told someone that Candy Land doesn’t exist! hehe

You have to think of your eating habits and exercise routines as a part of your life. If what you are currently doing isn’t getting you to where you want to go, a temporary and short term fix won’t solve the problem for good. Maybe temporarily, but you don’t want a temporary fix because you will constantly have to worry about fixing a problem. You want to have a permanent fix. This involved a complete lifestyle adjustment and for some…and pretty big change in your life.

It may be a bit slower of a process to finally get to where you want to be. It may take time to find the healthy foods that you love to replace the old foods that didn’t do your body any good. It may take time to find and start a realistic workout routine you can keep up with and stay with (not the same machine, but the routine). By doing it this way, a lifestyle change, you will see long term results, which in the end, it’s something we are all after.

The Good news!

Your body will feel great! It’s amazing how much happier people seem to be when their body’s are functioning at their best because they are receiving the nutrients and exercise they need.

It’s not always about looking skinny/fit/slim…it’s all about being healthy and feeling good!

As always…it will be worth it. I’m here to cheer you on. You ready for this?

♥,

Twinkie

Tags: diet, dieting, eat right, exercise, fit, Fitness, Healthy, Nutrition, Skinny, SkinnyTwinkie, slim, Twinkie, Weight Loss, yo-yo diet, yo-yo dieting

Elliptical Machine

I first started using the Elliptical Machine after I was recovering from hurting my knees while running (soft and uneven ground- don’t recommend it). As you might have guessed, the Elliptical Machine is low impact, and easy on your knees. I thought of this machine as a temporary step while my knees were recovering, and found that I loved this machine and the workout I was getting.

Your lower body is mostly what gets worked out, but since your arms are on the handle bars, you get an upper body work out (like cross country skiing). With this full body workout, it gets your heart rate going, and calories are in turn getting burned. It burns quite a bit of calories actually. Be sure to increase your levels of intensity so that your body doesn’t get used to it, and still gives your body a workout. Start slowly, and depending on how your body is feeling, start increasing the intensity.

I have found success with this machine, but I would like to hear other people’s reviews and what they think about the ever so popular Elliptical Machine.

Tags: burn calories, cardio, elliptical machine, exercise, good for your body, gym, Healthy, Lose Weight, low impact, review, success, toned muscle, Weight Loss

Fitness joy for Twinkie

Believe it or not, I wasn’t always a fan of exercising….

When I thought of exercising I just thought of sweating, lifting weights, and trying to catch my breath. It has taken me years,  but I have come to love working out.

I think the trick is just finding something that you love, and it becomes easy to stick with it. I started out with Dance. Dance worked for me because I love music, and it was just so much fun to move with the music. I could dance for hours on end, and I have before.

If you are in an exercise routine that you absolutely hate, try to find an alternative that still gives you the same benefits. Again, if you actually enjoy what you are doing, you will make the time to make it happen, won’t make excuses on why you can’t keep it up, etc. You want to be happy with what you are doing with your time, exercising included.

So what is an exercise that you love to do?

Tags: Blog, dance, Diary, exercise, Fitness, goal size, goal weight, Healthy, idea, lifting weights, Lose Weight, motivates, motivational, music, natural, Perfect, shopping, Skinny, stay active, sweating, Twinkie, Weight Loss, working out

Thanksgiving can be good for you…

Thanksgiving can either brake you or be quite beneficial for your body. It’s all about preparation. Here’s a couple of traditional foods that no Thanksgiving should be without.

Turkey

Great news, Turkey is not only low in fat (ok, without the skin anyways), but it is also high in B Vitamins, Potassium, Zinc, and Folic acid. So what’s so great about all of that? These wonderful nutrients are helpful in lowering blood cholesterol, protect against heart disease, and cancer. What else does Turkey do to help? Turkey also aids the immune system, nerve function and growth, and help regulate blood pressure.

Potato

High in Vitamin C, B-Complex, Potassium, Magnesium, and Calcium. As a result, potatoes are helpful with relieving high blood pressure and rheumatism, and helps boost the immune system. If you are trying to lose weight though, limit the potato intake.

Cranberry

Full of antioxidants, Calcium and other healing properties.  Research suggests that Cranberries can help with heart disease, helps to strengthen bones, can get rid of some types of stomach ulcers, heal urinary tract infections, and even helps as dental health. A lot of Cranberry products are loaded with sugar, so try to go the all natural route.

Yam

Yams are like a super veggie, with lots of vitamins and minerals that are very helpful to the body. Yams are a great source of Potassium, B Vitamins, Manganese, Fiber, Folic acid and healthy carbohydrates. If you want to reap the ultimate benefits of yams, I would suggest skipping the idea of “candied yams”. Adding the sugar to the yams will dilute the health benefits of the yam, so a great alternative is using a small amount of butter or coconut oil and a couple dashed of salt and pepper. No sugar needed to enjoy.

Pumpkin

High in Antioxidants (Carotenoids, Zeaxanthin and Lutein) and also high in Fiber, Iron, and Zinc. If you can find a Pumpkin Pie recipe without all the sugar, you will be all set!

Healthy Thanksgiving

As you can see, Thanksgiving can be very healthy for you. How you can ensure that Thanksgiving is a healthy meal for you, is to avoid sugar as much as possible. Another thing that you can do, is be sure that you eat until you are satisfied. Don’t just keep eating more and more just because food is there. That’s what leftovers is for! Don’t get so stuffed that you feel sick. If you do, you aren’t benefiting your body the way you should be.

Tags: Cranberry, Healthy, Nutrition, potato, potatoes, Pumpkin, Thanksgiving, Turkey, Weight Loss, Yam

Review: The Biggest Loser Season 8 Week 9

My only comments for Week 9 is reserved for what happened at the very end of the episode. When Daniel was sent home, he visits his old friend David from The Biggest Loser Season 6

Here is the conversation (not quite word for word, but pretty close) that Daniel has between his now much heavier friend David from Season 6:

Daniel “So what’s going on with you, where’s your head at like weight loss wise?”

David: “I have other things going on that are more important to me right now.  i’m overweight, yeah, i’m a big guy”

Daniel: Not a priority?

David: Not right now. I don’t feel the unhealthy. Ya know, I don’t feel it. You know, when it does, when that changes, then I’ll start losing it”

(Daniel’s Comments for a little bit, then David Continues…)

David: I know I can do it, I just gotta make that decision to do it.

Daniel: What do you think keeps you from making it now?

David: I’m just taking some time to relax and working every day. You know, I’ll lose it eventually.

Is it possible to actually be so extremely lazy/tired/unintelligent that you would rather choose to die rather than live?

That’s exactly what Season 6 contestant David is doing. How is his own life not a priority to him right now? Is eating healthy and working out so terrible that you would rather just deny your current situation and decide you would rather be 6 feet under rather than walking among the living? Really? Your job isn’t more important, and the fact that he says he doesn’t “feel the unhealthy” is an absolute lie. Every day he looks in the mirror is a reminder of how he is killing himself with choices he made – with each meal and with each day that goes by that he doesn’t chose to exercise.

He said it  himself, folks. “I just gotta make that decision”. Yes, he is making the CHOICE to be the way he is.  Sad, but we all have a Choice of whether or not we are going to be healthy or not.

You can tell David tried to lose weight on the Biggest Loser Season 6 because he is “supposed to” or because “I’m fat” or perhaps because of the prize. He needs to realize that he needs to lose weight because he NEEDS to if he wants to live. Again, it’s a Choice. Nobody is force feeding him or chaining him down so he can’t find a gym.

I choose to live. You?

Tags: Choice, Daniel, David, eat healthy, exercise, fat, Fitness, important, Life, Live, Obese, review, Season 8, The Biggest Loser, Twinkie, Week 9, Weight Loss