Yes its crazy true! Since starting ExerciseCraze.blogspot.com in August 2010 I've lost 11 pounds! I can't believe it! By exercising, watching what I eat and...blogging, I've managed to lose 11 pounds! I haven't done anything too strict which means ANYONE can do it!
I know I keep repeating the words "11 pounds" but 11 pounds is a LOT... at least for me! I'm very excited and want to thank you for helping me reach this milestone! I still want to continue to lose a few more pounds but I'm well on my way!
Of course, losing is only half of the equation. Its keeping the 11 pounds off and continuing the weight loss process will take effort and since its actually a "lifestyle" time will be both my friend as well as my enemy. Weight loss is a daily consciousness and losing and gaining will be a daily process. But, for NOW, I'm just happy with the weight loss and wanted to let you all know!!
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Article written by Caroline Costello on Independent Travel.com
Air travel, like holiday parties and office bake-offs, is one of those occasions during which it's acutely difficult to eat wholesome, healthy food. Once you've entered the airport, your stomach is at the mercy of faceless fast food corporations and busy airport cafes that serve processed "convenience" foods loaded with sodium and empty calories.
In a perfect world, you'd pack your own lunch. But with airline baggage restrictions getting tighter and tighter (airlines like American Airlines and Air Canada now only allow travelers to take a single carry-on piece on some flights), throwing some apples in your bag often means sacrificing a valuable portion of luggage real estate.
And if you decide to brave the airport food court, it can be nearly impossible to determine which menu options are your healthiest bet. The U.S. currently has no federal law requiring restaurant chains to disclose nutrition information. While some chains, like McDonald's and Dunkin' Donuts, display the ingredients and nutrition data for all of their foods, others are more covert. Sbarro, a pizza restaurant with quite a few airport locations, does not list nutrition facts on its Web site. When I called Sbarro, a representative of the company refused to provide me with nutrition facts for Sbarro foods. It's a good rule of thumb to simply avoid restaurants that don't disclose what's in the foods they serve, whether in the airport or not. Said Henry Ward Beecher: "To know that one has a secret is to know half the secret itself."
Of course, as a rule it's better to buy whole foods like bananas, apples, nuts, yogurt and dried fruit for snacking instead of fast food menu items. Unfortunately, these are not always available -- and in the airport, they're not always fresh.
To get an idea of what foods to choose when faced with a three-hour layover on an empty stomach, I took a look at the menus of a number of common airport restaurants, including McDonald's, Starbucks, Au Bon Pain and Cinnabon, and picked healthy (and not-so-healthy) options based on calorie count and levels of sodium, fat, fiber and protein. All of the healthy choices have fewer than 300 calories per serving, but some of these options are not low in sodium, and travelers watching salt intake or those with special dietary restrictions should try to pack food from home. Often, restaurant chains have limited airport menus, and depending on what terminal you're in, you may not find all of the foods below.
Healthy Airport Food Options
McDonald's Premium Bacon Ranch Salad with Grilled Chicken
McDonald's offers a number of decent salads that can be ordered with or without meat. The premium bacon ranch salad with grilled chicken has just 260 calories (without dressing) with 33 grams of protein and 50 percent of your daily value of vitamin C. But watch out -- the chicken strips step up the salt in your meal with 710 milligrams of sodium. If you're watching your salt, order the salad sans chicken. Douse your salad with the low-fat balsamic vinaigrette dressing, which adds only 40 calories.
Au Bon Pain Garden Vegetable Soup
Filled with cabbage, broccoli, zucchini and green bell pepper a medium-size serving of this vegetarian soup has just 80 calories plus 3 grams of protein and 3 grams of fiber. Like most restaurant soups this dish is high in salt (with 1,070 milligrams of sodium). Order a size small if you want to curb your salt intake.
Starbucks Multigrain Bagel
Starbucks' menus vary based on location, but you're likely to find this quick and convenient snack at most stores. The coffee chain's fat-free multigrain bagel has just 320 calories per serving, 12 grams of protein and 4 grams of fiber. And with just 220 milligrams of sodium, it's a lower-salt airport option. (These numbers are for a bagel without cream cheese.)
Starbucks Perfect Oatmeal
This food is quite possibly one of the healthiest options in your airport. It has 140 calories with 5 grams of protein, 105 milligrams of sodium and just 2.5 grams of fat. Plus, there's vitamin A, calcium and iron in this oatmeal -- and the ingredient list is comfortingly short and easy to pronounce. Jazz up your oatmeal with extra toppings like dried fruit (100 calories) or nuts (100 calories).
Dunkin' Donuts Egg White Veggie Flatbread
Thank you, Dunkin' Donuts for giving us something tasty to snack on other than sugary fried balls of carbohydrates. Dunkin's egg white veggie flatbread has just 290 calories plus 11 grams of protein and 3 grams of fiber. Real veggies like bell peppers, potatoes and onions add vitamin A and vitamin C. Keep in mind that there are 9 grams of fat and 680 milligrams of sodium in this sandwich.
Airport Foods to Avoid
Cinnabon Cinnamon Roll
This is a classic airport food, and the smell may prove irresistible for hungry travelers who've gone hours without eating. In case you're morbidly curious, one roll has 813 calories, 55 grams of sugar and 32 grams of fat, according to dietfacts.com. You don't need to eat this.
Pizza Hut Stuffed Crust Pan Pizza
When the pizza craving hits, stuffed crust pizza is probably one of the worst choices you can make, short of loading your pie with sausage and bacon. One slice of cheese Pizza Hut stuffed crust pan pizza contains 390 calories, 21 grams of fat and 820 milligrams of sodium. Compare this to one slice of cheese Pizza Hut pan pizza (you know, the kind without extra cheese jammed into the crust), which has 240 calories.
Au Bon Pain Baja Turkey Sandwich
Yes, we thought "turkey" usually meant "healthy" too. If you want to consume 700 calories, 1,670 milligrams of sodium and 27 grams of fat, then this is the sandwich for you. The Baja turkey sandwich is stacked with guacamole, Swiss cheese, jalapeno mayonnaise and turkey on a farmhouse roll. Can't resist this combination? Opt for a half sandwich.
McDonald's Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese
There are a bunch of nutritional offenders on the McDonald's menu (pretty much any food that has "double," "crispy" or "deluxe" in its name), and this is one of the worst. This burger contains 740 calories, 1,380 milligrams of sodium and 42 grams of fat (plus 95 percent of your daily value of saturated fat!). For roughly the same number of calories, you could order two and a half premium bacon ranch salads with grilled chicken -- and you would still be consuming less fat.
In a perfect world, you'd pack your own lunch. But with airline baggage restrictions getting tighter and tighter (airlines like American Airlines and Air Canada now only allow travelers to take a single carry-on piece on some flights), throwing some apples in your bag often means sacrificing a valuable portion of luggage real estate.
And if you decide to brave the airport food court, it can be nearly impossible to determine which menu options are your healthiest bet. The U.S. currently has no federal law requiring restaurant chains to disclose nutrition information. While some chains, like McDonald's and Dunkin' Donuts, display the ingredients and nutrition data for all of their foods, others are more covert. Sbarro, a pizza restaurant with quite a few airport locations, does not list nutrition facts on its Web site. When I called Sbarro, a representative of the company refused to provide me with nutrition facts for Sbarro foods. It's a good rule of thumb to simply avoid restaurants that don't disclose what's in the foods they serve, whether in the airport or not. Said Henry Ward Beecher: "To know that one has a secret is to know half the secret itself."
Of course, as a rule it's better to buy whole foods like bananas, apples, nuts, yogurt and dried fruit for snacking instead of fast food menu items. Unfortunately, these are not always available -- and in the airport, they're not always fresh.
To get an idea of what foods to choose when faced with a three-hour layover on an empty stomach, I took a look at the menus of a number of common airport restaurants, including McDonald's, Starbucks, Au Bon Pain and Cinnabon, and picked healthy (and not-so-healthy) options based on calorie count and levels of sodium, fat, fiber and protein. All of the healthy choices have fewer than 300 calories per serving, but some of these options are not low in sodium, and travelers watching salt intake or those with special dietary restrictions should try to pack food from home. Often, restaurant chains have limited airport menus, and depending on what terminal you're in, you may not find all of the foods below.
Healthy Airport Food Options
McDonald's Premium Bacon Ranch Salad with Grilled Chicken
McDonald's offers a number of decent salads that can be ordered with or without meat. The premium bacon ranch salad with grilled chicken has just 260 calories (without dressing) with 33 grams of protein and 50 percent of your daily value of vitamin C. But watch out -- the chicken strips step up the salt in your meal with 710 milligrams of sodium. If you're watching your salt, order the salad sans chicken. Douse your salad with the low-fat balsamic vinaigrette dressing, which adds only 40 calories.
Au Bon Pain Garden Vegetable Soup
Filled with cabbage, broccoli, zucchini and green bell pepper a medium-size serving of this vegetarian soup has just 80 calories plus 3 grams of protein and 3 grams of fiber. Like most restaurant soups this dish is high in salt (with 1,070 milligrams of sodium). Order a size small if you want to curb your salt intake.
Starbucks Multigrain Bagel
Starbucks' menus vary based on location, but you're likely to find this quick and convenient snack at most stores. The coffee chain's fat-free multigrain bagel has just 320 calories per serving, 12 grams of protein and 4 grams of fiber. And with just 220 milligrams of sodium, it's a lower-salt airport option. (These numbers are for a bagel without cream cheese.)
Starbucks Perfect Oatmeal
This food is quite possibly one of the healthiest options in your airport. It has 140 calories with 5 grams of protein, 105 milligrams of sodium and just 2.5 grams of fat. Plus, there's vitamin A, calcium and iron in this oatmeal -- and the ingredient list is comfortingly short and easy to pronounce. Jazz up your oatmeal with extra toppings like dried fruit (100 calories) or nuts (100 calories).
Dunkin' Donuts Egg White Veggie Flatbread
Thank you, Dunkin' Donuts for giving us something tasty to snack on other than sugary fried balls of carbohydrates. Dunkin's egg white veggie flatbread has just 290 calories plus 11 grams of protein and 3 grams of fiber. Real veggies like bell peppers, potatoes and onions add vitamin A and vitamin C. Keep in mind that there are 9 grams of fat and 680 milligrams of sodium in this sandwich.
Airport Foods to AvoidCinnabon Cinnamon Roll
This is a classic airport food, and the smell may prove irresistible for hungry travelers who've gone hours without eating. In case you're morbidly curious, one roll has 813 calories, 55 grams of sugar and 32 grams of fat, according to dietfacts.com. You don't need to eat this.
Pizza Hut Stuffed Crust Pan Pizza
When the pizza craving hits, stuffed crust pizza is probably one of the worst choices you can make, short of loading your pie with sausage and bacon. One slice of cheese Pizza Hut stuffed crust pan pizza contains 390 calories, 21 grams of fat and 820 milligrams of sodium. Compare this to one slice of cheese Pizza Hut pan pizza (you know, the kind without extra cheese jammed into the crust), which has 240 calories.
Au Bon Pain Baja Turkey Sandwich
Yes, we thought "turkey" usually meant "healthy" too. If you want to consume 700 calories, 1,670 milligrams of sodium and 27 grams of fat, then this is the sandwich for you. The Baja turkey sandwich is stacked with guacamole, Swiss cheese, jalapeno mayonnaise and turkey on a farmhouse roll. Can't resist this combination? Opt for a half sandwich.
McDonald's Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese
There are a bunch of nutritional offenders on the McDonald's menu (pretty much any food that has "double," "crispy" or "deluxe" in its name), and this is one of the worst. This burger contains 740 calories, 1,380 milligrams of sodium and 42 grams of fat (plus 95 percent of your daily value of saturated fat!). For roughly the same number of calories, you could order two and a half premium bacon ranch salads with grilled chicken -- and you would still be consuming less fat.
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Wednesday, October 27, 2010
It's never too late to ASK!
Always remember and NEVER forget, help is there...if YOU ask! People can't read YOUR mind so ask for what you need! You can't expect people to do for you what you can't ask for yourself. Ask for what YOU want in order to receive what you want!. I had a boss whose saying was "if you don't ask, you don't get". Think that sums it up quite nicely! Just a thought! Thought I'd share!
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Did you miss me?
Just back from a few days of visiting family. Taking time away from your "normal routine" can really blow the diet and exercise schedule! Running through airports is NOT a form of exercise but is a source of stress and poor eating choices! There is NOTHING good for you to eat at an airport unless you pack your own! Even the fruit, if you're lucky enough to find it, is plastic!
Eating at other people's homes can be another source of stress since you're usually at the mercy of their food choices and cooking habits. Hopefully all of your friends and family are organic, homemade mini Martha Stewarts (that's a shout out to you Mary B or should I say Julia Childs!) but for most that isn't the case! I have to admit that I DID loose weight however, since I just decided NOT to eat at all! Yes, count them..two wonderful..no matter if they are short lived... pounds! Nothing like water weight to get a girl excited!
But regardless, travel can really be a dieter's nightmare! And since I'm trying not be a "DIETER" and be a "LIFER" it was quite difficult for me. My best intentions for exercise was also pitiful! I packed my running shoes, sports bras, and running shorts and NOT one day of exercise...other than that running through the airport stuff!
So I'm bbbbaaaccckkk and hoping to get on my nutrition and exercise schedule again! Check back this weekend and I'll be back on my blogging schedule too! "Blog ya then!"
Eating at other people's homes can be another source of stress since you're usually at the mercy of their food choices and cooking habits. Hopefully all of your friends and family are organic, homemade mini Martha Stewarts (that's a shout out to you Mary B or should I say Julia Childs!) but for most that isn't the case! I have to admit that I DID loose weight however, since I just decided NOT to eat at all! Yes, count them..two wonderful..no matter if they are short lived... pounds! Nothing like water weight to get a girl excited!
But regardless, travel can really be a dieter's nightmare! And since I'm trying not be a "DIETER" and be a "LIFER" it was quite difficult for me. My best intentions for exercise was also pitiful! I packed my running shoes, sports bras, and running shorts and NOT one day of exercise...other than that running through the airport stuff!
So I'm bbbbaaaccckkk and hoping to get on my nutrition and exercise schedule again! Check back this weekend and I'll be back on my blogging schedule too! "Blog ya then!"
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Motivation
What do you do to stay motivated? Even the biggest "gym die hard" hits the proverbial wall at some point. Do you have equipment at home or can or will you exercise outside? What about the "I just don't feel like working out today" work out blues? What do you do when your schedule becomes too much and you just can't find or make the time to work out? Or what do you do when you've caught that ever so inconvenient and uncommon "common cold". What do you do when can't and shouldn't work out due to unforseen circcumstances? One or many of these situations will come to pass if you're reaching for and working for any substantial weight loss goals. These situations do occur and everyone must face these exercise diffiuclties even the die hard gyn rats at some point!
My best and only advice is to not let "it" take over! Your "it" may be different from mine and "it" can change from one day to the next. When one or many of the situations occur in your life don't succumb to "it" completely. Realize that a couple or even a few days of not hitting the gym will not derail you unless you let "it" happen over and over again. Illness, work or exhaustion happens but getting back on track quickly will keep the situation from getting out of hand.
I have plenty of "situations" that can pop up in my exercise schedule that can block me from reaching my workout goals many weeks. My best intentions to work out 5 times a week are usually just that, intentions! I currently have a few sniffles and I had a very hectic work schedule this past week. I didn't make it to the gym as usual. The coming week will also be fairly full as well. So, I've decided I need to relax, do a little something each day if I can't mak my usual gym schedule. So here are some commonly used techniques I use to help curb total gym melt down. Try taking the stairs instead of the elevator. Park farther away from your destination. Walk or exercise during lunch, if only for 10-15 minutes. Try working out first thing in the morning as opposed to to later in the day when many times the "day" takes control of your schedule. These ideas are good ideas on any day but are especially useful when your normal work out just isn't in the cards during those " bad" days.
Have "gym buddies". Knowing someone is depending on you and holding you accountable will really make the difference when you're having that inner discussion on whether or not you really have time or the will to go to the gym. Attend classes. Having a "scheduled class" on your calendar can be a form of accountablility. Last but certainly not least, the "clothes motivator" can be the trick for some who may have allowed too much time to pass since hitting the gym or exercising as they should. This is a ploy I have used in the past and it can be a tough call since it takes personal and fiscal "investment'. Buy a really GREAT outfit or item that you really love! Use that outfit or pants or dress or whatever as a motivator to loss the weight. The new size of clothes or being able to wear that item will be your motivator for heading to the gym and succeeding though the tough days.
Don't forget "tough days" occur for everyone! The key is to be prepared for when those days do occur. Don't stress over a day or two but don't lose ground by letting your inner "work out blues' take over completely. Stay motivated...its worth planning for!
My best and only advice is to not let "it" take over! Your "it" may be different from mine and "it" can change from one day to the next. When one or many of the situations occur in your life don't succumb to "it" completely. Realize that a couple or even a few days of not hitting the gym will not derail you unless you let "it" happen over and over again. Illness, work or exhaustion happens but getting back on track quickly will keep the situation from getting out of hand.
I have plenty of "situations" that can pop up in my exercise schedule that can block me from reaching my workout goals many weeks. My best intentions to work out 5 times a week are usually just that, intentions! I currently have a few sniffles and I had a very hectic work schedule this past week. I didn't make it to the gym as usual. The coming week will also be fairly full as well. So, I've decided I need to relax, do a little something each day if I can't mak my usual gym schedule. So here are some commonly used techniques I use to help curb total gym melt down. Try taking the stairs instead of the elevator. Park farther away from your destination. Walk or exercise during lunch, if only for 10-15 minutes. Try working out first thing in the morning as opposed to to later in the day when many times the "day" takes control of your schedule. These ideas are good ideas on any day but are especially useful when your normal work out just isn't in the cards during those " bad" days.
Have "gym buddies". Knowing someone is depending on you and holding you accountable will really make the difference when you're having that inner discussion on whether or not you really have time or the will to go to the gym. Attend classes. Having a "scheduled class" on your calendar can be a form of accountablility. Last but certainly not least, the "clothes motivator" can be the trick for some who may have allowed too much time to pass since hitting the gym or exercising as they should. This is a ploy I have used in the past and it can be a tough call since it takes personal and fiscal "investment'. Buy a really GREAT outfit or item that you really love! Use that outfit or pants or dress or whatever as a motivator to loss the weight. The new size of clothes or being able to wear that item will be your motivator for heading to the gym and succeeding though the tough days.
Don't forget "tough days" occur for everyone! The key is to be prepared for when those days do occur. Don't stress over a day or two but don't lose ground by letting your inner "work out blues' take over completely. Stay motivated...its worth planning for!
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Don't talk to me...!
I've been aware of the change at the gym for quite a while now but I still couldn't pin point it, exactly. I knew things were different but I couldn't really put my finger on it until recently. Have you noticed it? The gym just isn't the place it was 5 or 10 years ago. Would you agree that the gym has become an "individual" experience and no longer the "meeting place" or "social place" it was in the past?
I can remember a time when the gym was the center of many people's social universe. The gym was designed to encourage member socialization with cafes, snack bars and herbal juice bars smack dab in the middle of the facility. It was the time when the gym was so "social" that many were referred to as "meat markets". People would join a gym not to work out but to get a date. It was a great place to meat, oops, meet guys"! Meat market aside, the gym was in fact a good place to connectt with others who cared about being in shape, who cared about nutrition, and was often a great source of encouragement for many seeking to make a change in their lives. There were many gym friendships forged during those days. You saw familiar faces and you looked forward to chatting with your gym friends while on stepper. Those days are gone.
What was the catalyst for the gym change? What could possibly explain the drastic move from the social entity gyms were in the late 1990's to the current "get it done and get out of this place" it is today? For me the two things that have transformed gyms were and are headphones and the hectic lifestyles of living in 2010.
Because of headphones, no one initiates conversations while sweating on the stepper. No one lingers next to the treadmill to chit chat. Why? Because more times than not the person beside you has headphones on and they're listening to their IPODs or they have their headphones plugged into the TV which is attached to nearly every machine in the place! Also, people are pressed for time. No longer do people spend a couple of hours at the gym. We just don't have the time to chit chat AND work out! Hence, "I can't hear you AND I don't want to hear you" gym mentality. The social gym is gone and its been replaced with the "don't EVEN talk to me" gym.
I too enjoy the alone time that the modern headphones have morphed the gym into because I'm also short on time. I mean I still have gym friends but I'm unable to spend the time chatting I did in the late 90's. I've also decided the use of headphones is actually a signall in the gym world. The use of headphones declares the desire to workout "alone" or can be interpreted as "I'm busy and pressed for time"and just want to exercise and leave!" The lack of headphones is the opposite signal which is "code" for "I'm open to socializing". Of course, god forbid, you just FORGOT your headphones because you could be in a for quite a chatty gym experience!
Gym codes! Who knew? Everyone apparently since gym codes are signals that everyone knows without really verbalizing. They are unstated and silent but they speak volumes! So, change happens...even at the gym. Next time you visit your gym look closely. Can you decipher the codes?
I can remember a time when the gym was the center of many people's social universe. The gym was designed to encourage member socialization with cafes, snack bars and herbal juice bars smack dab in the middle of the facility. It was the time when the gym was so "social" that many were referred to as "meat markets". People would join a gym not to work out but to get a date. It was a great place to meat, oops, meet guys"! Meat market aside, the gym was in fact a good place to connectt with others who cared about being in shape, who cared about nutrition, and was often a great source of encouragement for many seeking to make a change in their lives. There were many gym friendships forged during those days. You saw familiar faces and you looked forward to chatting with your gym friends while on stepper. Those days are gone.
What was the catalyst for the gym change? What could possibly explain the drastic move from the social entity gyms were in the late 1990's to the current "get it done and get out of this place" it is today? For me the two things that have transformed gyms were and are headphones and the hectic lifestyles of living in 2010.
Because of headphones, no one initiates conversations while sweating on the stepper. No one lingers next to the treadmill to chit chat. Why? Because more times than not the person beside you has headphones on and they're listening to their IPODs or they have their headphones plugged into the TV which is attached to nearly every machine in the place! Also, people are pressed for time. No longer do people spend a couple of hours at the gym. We just don't have the time to chit chat AND work out! Hence, "I can't hear you AND I don't want to hear you" gym mentality. The social gym is gone and its been replaced with the "don't EVEN talk to me" gym.
I too enjoy the alone time that the modern headphones have morphed the gym into because I'm also short on time. I mean I still have gym friends but I'm unable to spend the time chatting I did in the late 90's. I've also decided the use of headphones is actually a signall in the gym world. The use of headphones declares the desire to workout "alone" or can be interpreted as "I'm busy and pressed for time"and just want to exercise and leave!" The lack of headphones is the opposite signal which is "code" for "I'm open to socializing". Of course, god forbid, you just FORGOT your headphones because you could be in a for quite a chatty gym experience!
Gym codes! Who knew? Everyone apparently since gym codes are signals that everyone knows without really verbalizing. They are unstated and silent but they speak volumes! So, change happens...even at the gym. Next time you visit your gym look closely. Can you decipher the codes?
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