Working Out: The Perks We Forget About

It’s so easy to stay in the negative when we aren’t in the shape we want to be in. We make excuses, we say it’s too hard, we complain of being so tired, depressed, and unenergetic. There’s NO WAY we could possibly committ to a daily workout, especially BEFORE we start our day.

But we forget (and so easily, too) how amazing it does feel to BE active and to STAY active.

People often say “I just ran out of motivation” and believe me, I used to say the same thing. Then I realized that waiting to do something or start something until you WANT to do it is never going to get you anywhere. If I only did things based on when I FELT like it, I’d never go to work, I’d never get out of bed before 9AM, I’d be completely and utterly unaccomplished and bored with myself.

We have to CREATE motivation, strength, and determination. These are outcomes of our own internal assessment and self growth.

Here are some things I started doing lately and the after effects:

• I started drinking LOTS more water (close to 100 oz a day) and now I WANT to drink more water all the time, in fact, I’m thirstier
• I started doing 5am cardio and now I go to bed on time WANTING to wake up and workout all over again
• I started putting fuel into my body instead of sludge to merely keep me alive and now I CRAVE healthier food
• I stopped drinking alcohol when I was depressed or had a rough day and instead I go on a walk or a run and guess what, I FEEL better
• I never let myself go more than 2 days without working out, even when I’ve had bad food the same day, and now I find myself craving bad foods less!

I now SLEEP harder, think DEEPER, SEE further, and feel BETTER.

But why is it so easy to forget this when we dive into a plate of nachos Friday night and then somehow don’t come up for air again until Monday morning when we feel defeated, exhausted, and mentally drained from guilt?

We have to keep track of how things make us feel. We have to REMEMBER what makes us feel GOOD, what makes us feel ACCOMPLISHED, and sexy!

Trust me, there are perks to the hard work it takes to lose weight and get your body into shape. This is a continual journey for more than just abs, it keeps your brain active and alert and aids in the complete, all-encompassing joy that is your life.

Don’t give up! You GOT this! Get it!

A look into my early start today….

Body Image And Comparing Yourself to Others: Why It’s Not Worth it

I have written posts before on body image before. I’ll link some of them here:

• Why You Should Be Your Own Voice
• Body Image: Why YOURS is Sexy as Hell
• My Personal Journey of 50lbs
• Keeping a Healthy Body Image: A Reminder we ALL Need
• Focusing on More than Numbers and Appearance

But today I ran across a post that really spoke to me and I’ll be reblogging it below. I think it is SO important to stay on top of our mentality and outlook when it comes to our bodies and continually work to be at a mindset where you can love your body. But it’s true that sometimes the thoughts and expectations of others can hinder our own thoughts. Frances is a Seattle blogger who speaks her mind and does nothing less in this post. Please make sure to visit her blog here and read her other posts.

Mirror, Mirror on the wall…

 A high school classmate of mine posted something on Facebook today comparing herself to a well-known and extremely thin celebrity. The gist of the post was why bother competing if we have already lost. It is a very good question but it got me thinking about body image and the way we view ourselves as women.

 

I don’t think any female wakes up every day and thinks she is supposed to look like Barbie or Kim K or Gwyneth Paltrow. I do, however, think we wake up every day and are told that we should want to look this way. This puts us in this weird middle place where we know that the whole world is not judging us on a daily basis, watching the number of calories we take in, the number of hours we spend in the gym, and how flattering our outfits are on these rock hard Pilates bodies. No. We might be judged by the people we know, our friends, family, coworkers; and we might be judged in passing by strangers we walk by in the mall or at a restaurant, but in general we do not experience the same type of scrutiny to always look amazing as celebrities do, and yet we feel we should put ourselves through that experience.

 

Most days after showering I look at my naked body in the mirror and I see some really positive things. I have great collar bones, my back is really nice, I have a stellar ass, my legs are long and toned (even if there is a tiny bit of cellulite). But I also seem to focus on the negative aspects of my body. My stomach is not flat, my hips are too large, I have back fat that cosmetic surgeons refer to as flanks (I know this from looking up liposuction), my breasts are too small, the backs of my arms are not as toned I would like them to be, my nose is slightly crooked, my upper lip is too thin, my eyebrows are different shapes, my ankles are too skinny, and so on. Yet, with all of my imperfections, most days, I look in the mirror and can overlook the things I hate about my body. I can put on clothes and know they flatter my body. I can walk out of the house with my head held high and know that I look good.

 

The paparazzi don’t follow me around every single day, and I think that helps my self-confidence, living in the PNW doesn’t really hurt it either. But I guess my point is, who decides what is beautiful and why do we all expect to fit into the same box of beauty? Why do we even want to? We all have different hair color, eye color, skin color. We come in different shapes and sizes, so why are we trying to force ourselves to change? Of course, I am not saying to accept being overweight, or people shouldn’t get cosmetic surgery if that is what they really want, but I am saying that striving to look like a celebrity is ridiculous. Those women are paid to be beautiful whereas the rest of us are paid to show up to work every day and perform our job duties. Sure, being pretty helps me in my profession of slinging margaritas, but my job is not to be pretty.

 

Comparing ourselves to knockouts such as Jennifer Lawrence is like comparing ourselves to aliens. We seem to forget that we do not live in the same world as these beauties. Sure, we might inhabit the same planet, but we are not actually competing with them. I wake up every day having no fear that my boyfriend might one day leave me for Angelina Jolie, partly because he has never done a movie with her, but also because it is never going to happen. We spend so much time worrying about how we look and wondering why the girls that grace the covers of gossip rags have these perfect bodies while we slave away trying to maintain a reasonable BMI that we forget these starlets are freaks of nature. We forget to look around the grocery store and see the women we are actually competing with, and usually against those women, we are safe.

 

But the bigger problem is that we seem to forget we are more than just our outside appearance. For all of my physical flaws, I am pretty fucking awesome. I am smart and creative, I dance and laugh at myself, I make my friends and family laugh (usually at my own expense), and generally I am a pretty cool chick. So, while being pretty might be what gets me free drinks, being rad is what makes guys, friends, family, strangers, whoever want to continue a conversation with me. That has to count for something, and honestly I think that has to count for a lot more. I was born with this body type. I came out of my mother’s womb destined to have a pear shaped body and be mistaken for a lesbian throughout my formative years, I cannot change that. Being awesome is something I had to groom, not a lot because I was also born pretty freaking awesome, but it has been honed, slightly. That is what I think we should be focusing on. Not who looks the most like some famous actor or singer, but who can hold a conversation and have an original thought and make a joke and laugh at themselves. Maybe if we started focusing more on those things we would be jealous of how funny or smart a celebrity is instead of how thin or large breasted. And maybe it is just me, but I would rather look up to a smart person than a pretty person.

If you have a personal story or body image perspective you want to share, please let me know! I’d love to help share your thoughts.

Guest Post: Enjoy a Healthy Vacation by Remaining Nutrition-Minded

Cole Millen is an avid traveler and foodie who never forgets that life’s best memories are made through real life apprehension of legitimate “experiences.”

Working hard all year long to prepare your body to look great during vacation is a big effort that will reward you with looking and feeling terrific.  When many people go on vacation, they are surrounded by amazing foods that can quickly begin putting the calories back on.  To avoid this happening, consider trying out new things when it comes to your snacking and dining out options during your vacation.  You’ll discover you can maintain your current weight while also still being able to experience great foods that are healthy and satisfying.

Pack Snacks to Ward off Hunger Cravings

Packing nutritious snacks is one of the best things you can do to keep from splurging on fatty foods such as potato chips, candy bars and ice cream.  If you are going out shopping for an afternoon, consider packing dried fruit, homemade granola bars, nuts and fresh fruit.  A bag of grapes or apples will be a great thing to take along with you to the pool or the beach to get you through the afternoon until suppertime.  These are also great items to feed your family during the day without giving them foods that are loaded in sugar.

Picking the Right Hotel

Often times picking the right hotel is overlooked in your plans for staying healthy. This can be a big mistake considering it is one of the most important aspects of a healthy vacation. It is pivotal to ensure that your hotel selection can accommodate to the healthy lifestyle that you are trying to embody while you are away from home. Make sure that the hotel offers the amenities that are most important to you in helping. On a recent trip of mine I went to Sin City and found a great site that listed reviews for Las Vegas hotels regarding both their amenities and offerings as well as the restaurants in the area. This allowed me to plan out which restaurants I would be able to visit as well to eat both nutritiously and deliciously.

Pack Your Crock Pot and BBQ Grill

You may have never thought about packing your crock-pot to take with you on vacation.  If you can make a humorous adaptation to the motto, “Have crock pot, will travel,” you might be surprised to discover how creative you can get with your meals during vacation.  Traveling with a crock-pot is especially handy if you are traveling with your entire family.

Feeding a whole family at a restaurant for every meal can quickly add up to hundreds of dollars a day.  By taking your own basic cooking staple, you can choose to prepare healthy meals that simmer all day while you are out enjoying your vice.  When you get to the hotel in the evening, your meal will be ready!  If you are going on a more rugged type of vacation, leave the crock-pot at home and bring a miniature BBQ grill so you can roast vegetables and fish for you meals.

Watch Out for Food and Menu Labels

For the times you do choose to dine out or stop at a store to pick up some groceries, be sure to check the food labels.  If you consider purchasing a fat-free salad dressing, make sure you pay attention to the sugar content on the label.  Fat free items are often still packed with a lot of sugar and this can add on extra pounds without you even knowing it.  One salad dressing option you might consider is using a homemade salad dressing consisting of a combination of extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice and seasonings.  Greek yogurt is another healthy topping to add to a salad to give it a delicious flavor without all the unnecessary calories.

If you would like to write a guest post or have a topic you’d like me to write about please email me at sarah.rose.scott@gmail.com

18 Health Rules that Won’t Fail You

Hey guys! It’s been a while! I’ll be honest, the less I’m posting on this blog, the less serious I seem to be about keeping up with my goals and health, so I’m BACK!

Here are 17 health rules that have helped me out IMMENSELY and that I need to be reminded of. Many of them I’ve always lived by, but some were also adapted from 25 Lazy Ways to Stay Skinny.

1. Stay active even when you’re eating poorly. Making the effort to stay active and keep up with your fitness level will make you feel better, improve your mood and lower your stress levels.

2. Keep a water bottle in your sights at all times. If it’s in front of you, you’re going to remember to drink it. You should be drinking water all day, every day. I am trying to get 80-100 oz down every day but realize it can take a while to work up to it without having to bathroom every 5 minutes. Most of the time when you think you’re hungry, you’re probably just thirsty.

3. Make sure you eat enough throughout the day instead of saving all your calories or caving at night. Night time cravings will be less so as you get used to eating more during the day.

4. Stay away from mindless eating. Avoid eating in front of the TV or getting snacks at the movies. Take time to enjoy your food and let your brain process when you are satisfied.

5. Keep snacks on hand, in your purse, and in your car. Having a protein bar or almonds on hand lets you feel in control of your cravings and can help prevent you from making that stop at the drive thru.

6. You don’t need calories to help you sleep. Stop eating after dinner.

7. You don’t have to be perfect when it comes to food. Let yourself indulge when you have a super crazy craving, just watch your portions. No one food makes you gain weight, it’s about portion control and moderation.

8. Portion out pickable foods such as crackers, chips, grapes, etc. Ever reach the bottom of a bag of chips and think “how the hell did that happen!?” Mindless eating is easy to do. When you are going to have a snack, portion it out onto a small plate or bowl. The other day I made my boyfriend and I cheese and crackers but took a minute to slice the cheese into portions and put the crackers on a plate. Not only was he impressed with the presentation, but then we both had a good idea of how much we were eating.

9. Order small, stay small. Always order a small (or a tall). There’s no need to grab a venti coffee when a tall is just as good. Going to get froyo? Grab the smallest container. You’ll be surprised at how satisfied you are on less. Keep your wallet bigger and your tummy smaller.

10. Say no to artificial sweetners. Fake sugars only increase your sugar cravings and lead to bloating and fatigue. Remember that article I wrote about sugar-free candy?

11. Stick to the 2 day rule. Never go more than 2 days without working out or doing some sort of activity. It’s important to take a break and let your body rest at least once a week but the longer you go without working out, the harder it can be to start back up and stay motivated.

12. Stop going back for seconds. It takes 20-30 minutes for that fullness feeling to kick in. Instead of hurrying back for a second plate, let your brain catch up with your stomach.

13. Always choose whole grains – they keep you fuller longer and help stabilize your blood sugar. Say YES to brown rice, whole wheat pastas, and breads instead of white flour.

14. Eat until you’re satisfied, not full or stuffed. Often times we think we have to keep eating until we feel uncomfortable to know that we got enough food, not true. Take your time when you eat, put your fork down between bites and get in tune with how you feel instead of waiting for stomach pains.

15. Don’t let yourself get ravenous. Have a small snack before going out or hitting up a party instead of showing up super hungry and filling up on beer and chips.

16. Don’t drink your calories. Your body needs water, stick to it. Empty soda, alcohol, and juice calories are full of sugar, slow your metabolism, and won’t help you feel full.

17. Use smaller plates. A bowl of cereal can be a whole different event depending on the size of your dishes. 1 cup of cereal is all you really need and it will be a lot more appealing if it comes to the brim of a small bowl instead of barely resting at the bottom of a large one.

18. Eat more color and keep your plate full of veggies! It’s nice to sit down to dinner and see a lot of food in front of you. Fill up half your plate with steamed and seasoned veggies and dig in!

12 Great Ways to Improve Your Life!

Haven’t blogged in a while (oops!) but I’m back on track for my health and fitness goals in a HUGE way and I can’t wait to share everything with you! Until then, I will leave you with 12 tips I wrote today for the Wellness Newsletter at the college I work for.

1. Get organized! Life is hectic enough without trying to remember where you left your keys or where that receipt went. Take some time to create a system to keep yourself organized so when you’re short on time you can check your priority list and get things squared away without creating more stress in your life. Here are 10 tips for keeping your desk clean and organized.

 2. Don’t jump to conclusions. It’s easy to assume the negative in new and different situations but often times we can spend so much time assuming what “might” happen that we forget to look at the reality or the bigger picture. This can lead to actions that can hurt relationships or create unwanted anxiety in our lives. Create open communication with those around you and try to focus on what can be done as you go instead of dreading all the ways something might fail in the future.

3. Start a project to feel good about yourself. Often times we get so caught up and busy with work and aspects of home life that we forget to take time to be proud of ourselves. Starting a project can not only get your mind in the zone and away from negative thoughts but it will also make you proud of your accomplishments in the end. A few ideas to start, even if you don’t know how to do something yet, you can learn!

• Find a volunteer group and make a difference
• Maximize home storage or clean out your garage/spare room you’ve always wanted to
• Buy an old piece of furniture and jazz it up with paint, fabric, etc.
• Learn to play an instrument
• Find a friend who has a hobby you’re interested in and agree to teach each other your skills
• Start an exercise program and commit to it
• Create a recipe book or collect your favorites and plan a weekly or monthly meal schedule
• Learn to change your own oil in your car
• Plant a vegetable garden
• Head to the Good Will or Value Village and see what kind of outfit you can find for under $15 or find      parts and try to build your own home stereo system

4. Make fun and rest days a part of your routine schedule. I hear so many people planning their workouts or when they are going to do homework or housework. Hardly anyone plans days for fun or for sleeping in. Make these priorities, too! I find that if I plan days to relax, not hit the gym, and eat nachos, I’m more likely to stay on track with the rest of my goals. Feeling like you need a day to just veg out in front of the couch and watch TV? Make a date with yourself to do it and you won’t feel like you should be doing something else because it’s planned!

5. Take 10 minutes every day to think about what you like about yourself. This might sound silly but it’s important to remind ourselves why we’re awesome. Try to get in the habit of thinking only positive thoughts when you look in the mirror instead of focusing on something you want to change. Be proud of what your body can do instead of just what it looks like. Praise yourself for your accomplishments, even if it’s something like getting that report in early.

6. Create a what-I’m-thankful-for jar. Wouldn’t it be great when you’re feeling down to reach into a jar and pull out a piece of paper with positive reinforcement from yourself? Take scraps of paper and get in the habit of writing down good things that you accomplish, that happen for you, or that others have said/done. We all take time to vent to others about what annoys us but forget to be happy about things that go well in our lives. It can even just be quotes from the day or something you heard that really resonated with you. Think of ideas as you go and remember to go pull from the jar again at a certain date. You could also do this with your significant other and make jars for what you like about each other. It can be as simple as the following statements:

• “Today I put $50 extra towards my car payment”
• “The bus driver saw me running on my way home and held the bus for me so I was able to make it home on time”
• “I had the MOST amazing meal at this Seattle restaurant that I need to go to again”
• “My friend said the FUNNIEST thing today….”

7. Remember that your thoughts and emotions aren’t always facts. When something upsets us, it can be easy to let that lead to a slippery slope of bad feelings, assumptions, and unwanted thoughts. If you train yourself to take time to observe your thoughts before you act on them, you can choose which ones you agree with and which ones you’d rather throw out. A simple idea but something that has changed my life completely.

8. Don’t make unnecessary rules for yourself. How often do you say “I should” do something a certain way? Most of the time we set standards for ourselves that are way above and beyond what we would expect of anyone else. For example, I remember when I started working out; I would tell myself that I “should” be working out every morning at the same time and what happened when I didn’t? I felt like a failure for the day. Instead of making rules for yourself that end up making you feel guilty/anxious, make realistic goals. Now when I say I’m going to work out the next day, I will plan a time but don’t punish myself with negative thoughts if something changes; if I can’t workout in the morning, I’ll go at lunch or after work. Life happens, be flexible with yourself.

9. Keep optimism at the forefront of your mind. What happens when you constantly expect things to go wrong or to feel unhappy? You find it! It’s the core of self-fulfilling prophecy. Even when you have bad days or moments, try to remember that what you look for is what you will find. If you think about what you want in life and how you are going to feel right now and tomorrow, that’s most likely what will happen. Set the pace for your own positive expectations. Here are 60 quotes that will change the way you think.

10. Get out of your comfort zone. How many successful people do you know that always did the same thing, never took any risks, or never ventured down new paths? Yeah, me either. Anything from trying new foods to finally attempting to do something you’ve never done can get your mind working in new ways and create new experiences to bring happiness to your life.

11. Remember the little things that make you happy. Ever see someone post an old photo of you from back in high school or see a toy or a food that you totally forgot about from when you were little? How happy do you feel in that moment? Little things in life like this make us happy but we forget to acknowledge them. I love getting up and making coffee in the morning or hearing my favorite song randomly on the radio.

12. Be honest. We all know this but how often are you truly honest with yourself and what you really want or need? I can think of plenty of times when I went to go hangout with a group of people when really, all I wanted to do was stay home and scrapbook. It’s important to be as honest as we can with others and remember that no one can read your mind.

Consistency: The key to your success

It sounds obvious – if you keep doing something, it’s bound to work but many people fail to make time for regular workout routines and eating schedules. And if we’re constantly battling as we try to find time for a workout, guess what, it’s NOT gonna happen!

Finding time is the wrong way to look at it. We need to MAKE time. When I am consistent, I see results without even realizing it. As we establish habits (when we regularly get up, workout, eat breakfast, etc) we begin to get into a rhythm and it’s easier because we’re not trying to fight against our bodies. Remember over Xmas break when you were a teenager and you’d stay up as late as you could and sleep in all day, sometimes not eating breakfast until 2pm and then getting into a really weird sleep schedule. When you aren’t consistent with your diet and exercise, it’s like the same thing and your body will pay for it.

Now let me clarify – I’m not saying eat exactly the same things everyday at the same time and run exactly 4 miles everyday – sure that’d work but you’d go insane. What I mean by consistency, is don’t go one extreme or another. If you’re doing good all week and then you go out to dinner and eat more than you should, bring yourself back together and start the next meal right. Making time to exercise on a daily basis is also important. I’m consistent in my exercise in that most days of the week I AM exercising. Granted, sometimes it’s only running for 10 minutes in the morning or doing half of a workout DVD but it’s still moving.

Realize that a healthy balance of food, exercise, and sleep is key. Give yourself a cheat meal instead of a cheat day. When you can’t get rid of a craving for something, have a small amount, savor it, and then move forward. Sometimes when we constantly deny ourselves things, we end up bingeing later. If you do go crazy one day, realize it’s not like it’s making you gain back all of the weight you lost. Don’t let it be the start of a new bad habit. Instead, push forward. Think of “oops” days as a step in a different direction.

I also try to workout even on days when I’m being “bad.” Knowing that I’m still going to have to move my tush makes me want to eat less so I don’t feel as heavy or sick later. Again, it’s the consistency factor.

We are never moving backwards, only forwards, either towards our goals, or towards bad habits. Realize that you can continually change your course and path as you move. You don’ t permanently close the fitness door just because you ate a couple brownies. Think of your life and fitness goals as ONE road, instead of a fork with two paths. You’ll always be on the same road, you will just be determining how windy it is.

You can do it!

40 Ways to Reward Yourself Without Food and Creating a Reward Jar or Star Chart

It’s been a habit of mine for years, I do a good job at work or make an early deadline and I want to reward myself with beer and food. But when you’re on a weight loss journey, rewards need to be different. Lifestyles and habits have to change. So how can we reward ourselves at the end of a long day, especially after we’ve been super healthy and didn’t cave at the sight of cheese.

There are a lot of posts out there with ways to reward yourself, but many involve money and planning. Food is an immediate reward that we can get instantly the minute we walk into the kitchen. So I wanted to brainstorm and come up with some great ways to reward yourself that are just as easy as putting food to your mouth (well, almost).

I like the idea of creating a bowl of rewards, for those times when you feel accomplished but don’t exactly know where to go or what to do. If you can tie a friend or significant other into this too, even better. Tell your boyfriend or girlfriend what you’re doing and that if you draw a foot rub reward card, they will be happy to participate.

Another idea is making a calendar and putting a star on everyday that you workout and stay within your calorie goals. A certain number of stars could equal different reward levels. 5 stars = $10 at your favorite store or 50 stars = new boots. Get creative!

It’s also easy to fall into reward routines better known as the giant cheat day that can leave you feeling guilty and trigger hormone responses to sugars and fats you haven’t had access to in a while. While cheat meals are important every now and then, try to avoid having an entire day where you just don’t care and eat everything in sight.

Whether you decide to write these down and use a reward jar or not,  these will help you stay on track. Some may require outside participation from your loved ones. Here are some great ways to reward yourself without food and distract yourself from cravings:

• Enjoy a footrub
• Rent a movie from Redbox
• Take a bubblebath
• Give yourself an entire Saturday to do whatever YOU want and don’t feel guilty about it. Whether its video-gaming, reading, or saying no to any and all invites
• Drink tea (loose teas are amazing!)
• Give yourself $5-$10 and hit up your local thrift shop or GoodWill and discover a new treasure or buy some new books!
• Drop everything and give yourself 30 minutes on a weeknight you feel you need a reward and do something you’ve been meaning to get to but haven’t made time for. Like cleaning out your car, organizing your closet, or free-writing. Some things aren’t fun to do but will make you feel SO much better afterwards
• Get crafty – take an hour to hop on Pinterest and find a fun DIY project
• Meditate
• Nap! You deserve it!
• Do a homemade facial with honey and oatmeal
• Jump in your car and go adventuring – find a new park or a secret place you can always go to get away from it all for a minute
• YouTube funny videos
• Make a new mix CD or finally update your iPod with a new workout mix
• Plan some new outfits – try mixing and matching and you’ll discover you have a bigger wardrobe than you thought!
• Have your bf/gf cook YOU dinner
• Go see a matinée by yourself
• Sleep in the middle of the bed
• Go to your local library and check out a book on tape
• Sleep in as long as you want and don’t feel guilty
• Turn off your phone for a day and don’t check work emails
• Print off one of your favorite pictures and frame it for your room or desk at work
• Meet up with your best friend or S.O. and write a list of things you love about the other person, then exchange
• Run to your local beauty supply store and buy a $1-$3 hair treatment, light a candle, and listen to your favorite relaxing music
• Get outside! Go on a hike or find a new trail
• Look for a new workout outfit
• Buy a plant or flowers that you can grow in your backyard or on your patio/balcony
• Have an old magazine swap with friends and read fun articles you haven’t before
• Order a new workout/fitness DVD used on Amazon to spice things up
• Get a massage
• Go to bed early, no really, don’t make excuses or worry about finishing up anything, just hit the pillow
• Get some new nail polish
• Try new hairstyles
• Make coupon books for you and your bf/gf to exchange
• Lay around and do absolutely nothing
• Indulge in a show you usually don’t let yourself watch
• Brag about your weight loss/progress. Ain’t nothing wrong with sharing your goals and how you are accomplishing them. It’s silly, but sometimes a LIKE or a comment on Facebook really do encourage and motivate us. Plus, you’ll be inspiring others.
• Browse the web for healthy recipes and alternatives
• Re-arrange your furniture or hangup a picture in a new spot
• Take your old clothes that are too big and make them into crafts, leg warmers, cut old t-shirts into fun designs, get creative

Low-Cal Taco Salad Under 400 Calories

I’ve really been inspired lately to find yummy healthy foods to eat while losing weight. Sure, you could eat baked chicken and veggies every night but the key to sticking with anything is incorporating variety!

Here’s my 393 calorie taco salad recipe! It was so delicious, inexpensive, and filling, I didn’t even think about dessert or crave anything more after dinner.

Buy the leanest ground turkey you can find, cook, drain, and add taco seasoning (I used a store brand $0.47 packet and it was amazing!) Then top with all chopped ingredients, 5 crumbled tortilla chips, salsa, and low-fat sour cream.

The whole meal was 453 calories and I didn’t even MISS not having cheese! When you add tons of healthy flavors, you’ll be amazed at how satisfied you are. To cut out 80 calories, take out the avocado – this was delicious but I don’t think I would have noticed if it was gone.

White Fat and Brown Fat: Let’s Gain Some Fat Knowledge

Obese individuals tend to have little to no brown fat. Brown fat actually burns calories into heat in a process referred to as thermogenisis. It can also only be detected in body scans when an individual is cold. Intrigued? I’ll get to more about brown fat in a minute.

Have you ever wondered what fat really does and how it interacts with the rest of our body, what it releases? When fat enters our body it is broken down in a process called emulsification. Fat cells are broken down into fatty acids and glycerol, only to get built up again later, this is actually because fat cells are too fat (ba dum tss) to go through cell membranes.

White Fat – or white adipose tissue (WAT) – oh we all know what this is. We’ve all seen those 5-20lb replicas of white fat, that yellow, lumpy, oh so desirable mush. Don’t get me wrong, this fat is important, too. It cushions our bones and organs, gives up a soft exterior, but in excess it can lead to health issues. Did you know that our fat cells actually change and adapt as we gain fat? If you look at the fat cells of a lean individual vs. an obese one, you will notice that obese fat cells can carry 10x the amount of fat than a normal fat cell. An extra 30lbs may make you heavier and have a greater fat mass, but it’s not actually until individuals are obese that their fat cells actually multiply. Once we reach this status it is actually harder to get rid of fat cells, aka you may still always have 10-20 million more fat cells than a lean individual, however, they can get smaller and you will be healthier at that point. Fascinating.

White fat cells don’t just sit around like couch potatoes. They actually release hormones that can aid in keeping us healthy or making us gain weight. The key hormones in this function are leptin – a protein hormone responsible for telling you “hey stop! we’re good down here! We’ve got plenty of fat to burn and you’re full!” It’s also known as the appetite hormone – remember it’s evil nemesis ghrelin? The one your body secretes when you’re stressed? Well, imagine leptin and ghrelin up on top of a cliff like in Princess Bride, swords in hand, ghrelin advances forward “you killed my fat cells, prepare to die.” Ok – so not exactly, but if your stress levels get high enough to reach the evil perch where ghrelin hangs out, then he’s going to create an army of fat cells by stimulating your appetite.

The other protein hormone that white fat cells release is called adiponectin and it is only secreted by fat cells. This hormone helps regulate glucose levels and influences how your body reacts to insulin. It’s an extremely important hormone, the problem is that when fat cells become too big like they do in an obese body, the production of adiponectin can decrease and completely shut down in fat cells. This aids in heart disease and diabetes. Low levels of adiponectin can also lead to insulin resistance.

Brown Fat – or brown adipose tissue (BAT) – the mysterious fat many people don’t know about which acts a lot more like a muscle than a fat. This fat is essential for survival. It contains mitochondria which generate heat and explains why brown fat is found in animals in cold climates, in babies who have yet to develop white fat cells, and in individuals when they are cold. Now, I’m not here to tell you that brown fat is the miracle fat and that if you have more of it, you’ll be skinny in no time. However, brown fat has been found to absorb glucose and actually burn calories, unlike white fat. Brown fat also needs more energy to survive and will actually suck up white fat around it. Brown fat is activated when the body gets cold, it’s a survival mechanism to keep us warm. One of the most interesting discoveries that is still being heavily researched is the detection of irisin which is a muscle hormone that is released during exercise. It has been found to actually turn white fat cells into brown fat cells. Please don’t go and turn your heat off and try to shiver off all those Christmas cookies. But it is interesting to know what’s going on inside that body of yours.

There is also visceral fat and the omentum that I go into a lot more detail here.

Running: Why I do it, how to start, and the amazing benefits

Usually when I tell people that I love running they look at me like I’m crazy or just flat-out tell me that I am. What started out as a way to get out of the house as a teenager, has turned into a passion and a drive that has helped me lose over 40lbs in the past two years and kept me happier in my life than just about anything else! Here are 101 reasons to start running!

Some common misconceptions I hear about running ALL the time:

Running is hard on your joints and can ruin your knees

I don’t want to mess up my hips

Running is boring

Running doesn’t burn that many calories

While it is true that when you run you are hitting the ground with 4x your body weight, running can actually help to protect your joints. There are also a lot of ways to project your joints when you run and only increase your mileage by 10% each week. When tissue that supports joints (cartilage) breaks down, it’s referred to as Osteoarthritis and can be extremely painful. Many people believe that running accelerates this process but that’s actually not true. Runner’s World has a great article on how running improves joint health. In fact, the biggest cause of OA is actually high body fat and increased weight that bares down on the joints on a day-to-day basis. Dropping just 10lbs can take 45lbs of pressure off of the knees! Running, along with exercise in general, allows cartilage to pull in oxygen, compress and expand, and stay healthy while flushing out toxins. Not to mention, running helps keep your bones strong and keep your body young from the inside out.

For me, I run for the challenge, the runner’s high, and the feeling that I have competed with myself and accomplished something whether it’s a 10 minute run or a 40 push through the pouring rain. The endorphins that are released during your second wind on a run are something that I live for. Sometimes a good run is just what I need to reset my mentality, mood, and get my head back in the game. I’m also always more motivated to eat healthy and there’s nothing like a good sweat to flush out toxins in your body and skin.

Here are some of my favorite benefits of running:

1. Stress reliever/eliminating depression – the best time to go on a run is when you are in a bad mood, no really, trust me. Within minutes of getting outside or hitting the treadmill, you will start to feel euphoric and that feeling will follow you for the rest of the day. You’ll also be able to sleep easier and deeper at night after you’ve put in a good run for the day.
2. Growing your mind/training your brain – running is a great time to throw on some headphones, zone out, and think about your life, your goals, what you want, and how to get it. I can’t tell you how many realizations I’ve come to by going on a long run on the weekend. It also creates an environment for you to focus and train your mind. You will need determination and perseverance on longer runs and up those steep hills. Often times, overcoming our minds is the hardest part for runners. Learning to turn off the part of your brain that says “I think I’m tired” or “we can’t do this” – you’d be surprised how far your body can actually take you. Running and aerobic activity can also make you smarter. The more you exercise, the better your ability to make sound judgements, be less indecisive, and boost your concentration and memory.
3. Improving balance and coordination – can you stand up and hold your foot behind your body without tipping over? The more I run, the more I notice my ability to balance and function improves. Running outside and on varying terrain requires your body and stature to constantly re-adjust. It also greatly increases your core strength.
4. Improve your immune system – the more active we are, the healthier we are, and therefore more likely to fight off those nasty colds before they take us down hard. When I’m running on a regular basis, I hardly ever get sick.
5. Boost your confidence – run tall and suck in your stomach and over time you’ll feel the results. You’ll also be impressed with your own efforts, distances, and your mood. It’s hard not to feel confident, powerful, and sexy when all of this happens. You’ll be more motivated to keep running, eat healthy, and have more energy.
6. ENERGY! – Yep! You’ll have more of it. You’ll want to do more and will be surprised at how much more alert you are. Suddenly that 2-3pm slump isn’t so bad anymore and falling a sleep becomes a breeze.
7. Muscle definition and a flat tummy – there’s nothing like running on a regular basis and starting to see the fat melt off, getting that defined line in your legs, and seeing the muscle underneath start to show. You’re a beast and it shows! Running is a great way to increase your lower body strength and lose stomach fat.

So maybe now you’re thinking “maaaaybe I could run” – you don’t have to be hardcore about it to call yourself a runner, either. Runners are people that run once a week, run marathons every year, or occasionally go on jogs. They are ALL accomplishments and something you should be proud of. Here’s a few tips on how to get started and some things to think about:

• Start off slow – don’t get crazy and try to go on some 4 mile run on your first bout
• Stay off the pavement – although the outdoors provides a better challenge and burns more calories than running on a treadmill, it can be a scary place to start. If you are going to run outside, find a track or run along the road on the dirt or gravel if you can.
• Get some sweet kicks and fun running gear. Invest in that arm band for your MP3 and make that workout mix you’ve been meaning to get to. I spent a pretty penny on some neon/glow-in-the-dark Asics last year and I cannot tell you what a great purchase they were. Plus, I’m always more motivated to hit the trails when I know how cool my shoes look
• Download a running app (like Nike Training Center) or find ways to log your runs, distance, etc.
• Set a goal or find a race that interests you. I still want to do the Survivor Mud Run, the Warrior Dash, and the Zombie Run at some point. Get a group together to train and then celebrate when you actually make it through the finish line!
• Track how you feel before and after a run. Monitor your mood and see how running challenges you and changes your outlook.

The most important thing about exercise, health, and fitness, is finding something you love and can be passionate about. Running isn’t for everyone but I’m constantly enthralled by the stories I read of people that are 50 or older who have never ran a mile in their life and are suddenly training for half-marathons and 5ks. YOU CAN DO IT! Consistency in anything is key and the more you do something, the better you will get, the stronger you will become, and the happier you will live your life.