Hi loyal readers,
This is your apparently non-loyal author touching base. I hope you've missed me--I've missed you too.
So this thing called "life" happens sometimes (especially during the summer), and unfortunately, blogging was the thing sent to the back burner.
Now I am back with a great new app to tell you about: GymPact
It's pretty awesome. Here's why...
Basically, you make this pact with yourself that you are going to workout a certain number of days a week. If you don't hit those days, you have to pay whatever amount you agree to. If you do hit those days, you get paid. For example, I agree to workout two times in one week. If I workout two or more times, I get paid. If I workout zero or one time, I pay $5 for each missed workout.
It's genius--you are good, you get money; you are bad; you lose money.
As far as working out goes, you can't fake it. You either have to:
- Check-in at a gym (includes yoga studies, climbing gyms, etc.) and stay there for at least 30 minutes (uses GPS to track this.)
- Use Runkeeper to track your activity outside by running, walking, or biking at least 30 minutes above 2 mph (also uses GPS to track this.)
- Use the brother app for at-home workouts (I haven't used this yet, but I will likely be using it in the winter.)
Anyway, try it out. It really makes you accountable and doesn't cost a cent unless you don't make your goal. To make it better, you get paid if you make your goal! Moneyzzzzz!
Oh and don't worry about vacations. All you have to do is go into your settings and "schedule a break". It brings a calendar up and you can tell the app when you will be on a hiatus from working out due to vacations or illness or emergencies...whatever. It then puts your account on hold until you get back/better/whatever.
Go make you GymPact soon!
Independence Day...also known as the day we all go to cookouts and watch fireworks.
As much fun as cookouts are, they're dangerous for us health-conscious folks. Here are a few tips from my brain to yours to stay healthy and safe today:
1. Drink lots of water: This will not only hydrate you but also fill your belly making you feel more full.
2. Stay away from the breads: It's very rare that a cookout has whole wheat buns for burgers and hot dogs. Just eat your meat without the bun! Think about it, you can taste the meat better without the bun.
3. Focus on the fruit and veggie table: Load your plate half full with fruit and veggies first. ESPECIALLY WATERMELON. Watermelon is awesome because it's not only low in calories, but it also helps to keep you hydrated. Two birds with one stone is what they say, right? (whoever "they" is).
4. Go with the light beer choice. Do I really have to explain this one?
5. Stay away from fruity cocktails: These guys tend to be pretty high in sugar-->calories. Just think about it.
6. Put on sunscreen. Somehow, mother nature decided to be nice today (well for my area at least). The sun is awesome, but lather up in sunscreen to protect your skin.
Hope these tips help today.
Yay!
I often get questions related to Nutrition Facts on food packaging.
What should I look for?
What should I avoid?
What should I limit?
The Mayo Clinic has a great explanation of this. When you access the page, hover over the nutrition label for a few little extras/hints.
When looking at nutrition facts, use the Percent Daily Values section as a guide. Now if you are anything like me, a 2000-calorie diet would result in a rapid increase on the scale--blame it on our bad metabolisms. Just adjust what is listed in that section slightly to compensate for your average caloric intake.
I can't tell you 1 specific thing to look for--they are all important. But here are a few things I do when perusing nutrition facts:
1. Limit sugars. I try not to buy anything that has more than 10g of sugar in a serving. And listen, 10g is the max so I typically aim for 6g or less per serving.
2. Ridiculous serving size. I try not to buy things that lists a serving as astronomically small, like 2 chips. Frankly, it just pisses me off so I choose not to support the company.
3. Low saturated fats. These little guys have no double bonds at the molecular level and are typically solid at room temperature. They have been shown to be correlated with bad things like arteriosclerosis and other coronary diseases. Just stay away from them if possible.
4. A lot of dietary fiber. I can't find anything bad about this stuff. Dig in!
5. Low cholesterol and sodium. This is especially important if heart disease runs in your family (like mine). Just keep an eye on these guys...they sneak into packaged foods allllll the time and cause all kinds of a hot mess in your cardiovascular system.
Hope these hints help!
This post is not for my vegetarians. Just warning ya...
Have you ever tried chicken sausages? If not, you should. Try the brand Al Fresco. Check out the ingredients and nutrition facts for the different flavors. There aren't too many added ingredients (compared to most packaged foods we have available to us), and they aren't too bad for you either.
Let me tell you, they are delicious. They taste good grilled, pan-cooked, and even microwaved for when you are in a hurry. They serve as a great alternative to hot dogs or sausages for my fellow health-nuts. If you are a car camper, they are great for cooking while camping. Soooo yummy and guilt-less.
That's all for this week. Go get ya some delicious chicken sausages!!
Alright folks. The first big heat wave has arrived in New England (thank goodness!) In my years of life thus far, I have determined that the first really hot day of each year is quite possibly the happiest day to ever exist ever in history. Yes, happier than Christmas. Yes, happier than that rare day you miraculously wake up rested. Yes, happier than a slinky on an escalator (I stole that from a commercial...because it's hilarious).
This is what I do on the first hot day of the year: I get so excited and just want to be outside all day and not do anything except be outside. Wellllllll, that's not very smart. In order for you to not be stupid like me, I'm going to give you some suggestions on staying safe in the heat. Let's hope you follow them**:
1. Dehyration
2. Burns
Let's start with dehydration. This one is easy people. Just keep water with you and drink it a lot. I know this makes you pee more, but it's worth it. Trust me. (And please get out of the pool to pee...please...I'm literally begging you. No one wants that on them so stop it.) When the temperature in our environment is high, our body temperature rises as well. Most of us know that our organs, including our brain, are not very good with extreme temperatures. They are kinda dumb in fact. The silly organs just kinda stop working in extreme temperatures. So our body tries to fix the whole sitch by sweating (or shivering in cold weather). This increases blood flow to our skin and cools us down. What is sweat though? basically, it's water and salt, right? correct. Our body still needs water to function correctly so we have to replace that water that we are sweating out. Salt and other necessary electrolytes are super important too. Na is a key component of one of the biggest pumps in our bodies. If it fails, we're screwed. Drink lots of water and get electrolytes!
Okay, this one is tough to talk about--burns. We live in a society where natural tans are considered beautiful and sexy. Sure they are. But UV radiation is definitely not the best thing for our skin. And think about it people, your skin is your body's LARGEST defense from the environment. Wear sunscreen. Wear sunglasses (gotta protect those eyeballs too). Ladies (and gents for that matter), put on face lotion every day that has at least an SPF of 15. The skin on our face is sensitive, especially around our eyes. Avoid early onset of wrinkles and sunspots by protecting your skin. I'm gonna need to follow this advice as well--I'm not that innocent (oh lord, Britney is now in my head. God help me.) I am lucky enough to not have the type of skin that burns easily. Tanning causes damage to the skin too--so be careful. be smart.
Now go have fun in the sun! Summer is here!!!!!
**Keep in mind that these suggestions are for people who are healthy and of an adult age. If you are elderly, a kid, or have certain illnesses, you need to be SUPER cautious with the sun. The sun makes the world go round but it can also cause a lot of damage to our bodies if we don't interact with it appropriately.
I can't count the number of times I've said that (or at least thought it). Most of you probably have too at some point. Who doesn't love some delicious Latin food though? I honestly can't think of one person I know who doesn't love the taste. Let's not lie--they might not like what happens after consuming the food...but they sure do like it on the way down. Why shouldn't us lifelong dieters be able to enjoy that deliciousness too?? We should...
The problem with going to a, let's say, Mexican restaurant is that it's pretty difficult to make healthy choices. Here are a few tips to help you still get your Mexican fix and not feel guilty afterward:
1. Try not to eat the chips and salsa.
I know I know...it's delicious. But there's really no way to eat this appetizer and still come out high on the healthy-o-meter. Order a glass of water or a glass of unsweetened iced tea and chug it as soon as the waiter puts it down. This will make your belly feel full until your meal comes out. If people at your table want the chips and salsa, dominate whatever conversation is going on--don't stop talking to keep yourself occupied. Or, have them take it to THEIR side of the table--out of arms reach (if you're like me and have T-Rex arms, that won't be difficult).
2. Order a la carte.
These restaurants feed us as if we are about to go into hibernation. And somehow, we end up eating it all. That my friends, is called gluttonous behavior. Basically (and I'm guilty of this too...every time), they put enough food to feed an entire country in Africa in front of us and we go to town. If you order a la carte, the servings come out smaller. Every Mexican restaurant I've ever been to has had an extensive a la carte menu. They have it for those of us who feel like we need something extra. Instead, use it to make your own meal!
3. Stay away from hard shell tacos.
Those babies are deep fried. Need I say more?
4. Fajitas are a fairly safe choice.
Granted we don't know exactly what's in the sauce they cook it in, but it's probably one of your best choices. You've got veggies, grilled meats, and YOU control the amount of toppings you put on it. It's a gimme.
5. Go for the healthier tortilla option.
Some restaurants have a gluten free or whole wheat tortilla option. If they do, take it. Now listen, they don't taste as yummy as the normal kind. I'm not gonna lie to ya. But do you want your tortilla to be the best part of your meal? or what's inside that tortilla to be the best part of your meal? what's inside it, silly!!! Plus you're the one reading this right now...you should be willing to make mini sacrifices.
6. Don't order a margarita.
If you don't know why, then we should talk. By drinking a margarita, you might be having fun, but your blood sugar is gonna go through the roof. When I say 1500 calories in one drink, I'm really not kidding. Not worth it...trust me.
7. Eat more beans, less rice.
Beans actually have health benefits to them. The rice used in these restaurants is refined which basically means you're eating empty calories. Have a few bites of the rice if you must, but go for the beans first. Beans, beans, they're good for your heart. The more you eat, the more you...(go ahead and laugh like a 10-year-old boy...it's fine)
8. Add pepper, not salt.
ESPECIALLY in a Mexican restaurant, peeps--you should want a little spice. If something isn't satisfying you, add pepper to get that extra little kick. It works.
I hope you found these tips helpful. Give them a shot next time you go to a Mexican joint. Don't be skeeeeeered. Stay Strong!!
Here's a secret: We are all busy people. We have a lot going on and more to do. We also have to watch our shows...you know the ones: Walking Dead, New Girl, Game of Thrones, HIMYM, Breaking Bad, etc. DVR and other on-demand type of programs have allowed us to watch those shows whenever we want (which is awesome). But now, we are missing out on even more precious time that we could use to do something healthy for ourselves by letting our dinners marinade in our tummies.
Here is my trick: STAY in front of the tv during the commericals and let the commercials play through!
What? You're nuts, Anti-Unhealthy. Stop it.
No. I'm for serious. During each commercial break, do a different exercise:
Push-ups
Crunches
Planks
Squats
Lunges
You can do them in any order you want and however you want. Try doing them in sets of 10 and resting for 10 seconds. Or try doing them on a per commercial basis--hold your plank position until the first commercial is over, rest 10 seconds and go back up until the next one is over, etc. etc.
You'll be sweating by the end. And if you make a habit of this, you WILL notice a difference.
I know it's hard to commit to doing something like this after working all day. I know all you wanna do by that point in the day is sit on your big comfy couch in front of your fabulous tv and veg out. I know. I get it. Me too.
But, it's not as hard as it seems once you get started. Let's not lie, during commercials, we do 1 of 3 things: get a snack, pee, or fast forward. All of those things can wait.
Give it 1 shot and see how you like it.
Consider this your new "fast forward" button for the commercials. :)
