Fall Into Fitness

It's October 1st and to me that is the start of fall. I know fall officially started September 22nd but when I feel the crispness in the air and my hubby spends every Sunday and every waking moment for that matter watching football or obsessing over his fantasy team (I mean really what is the obsession with a fantasy team? It isn't real.) I start to think about re committing to my indoor fitness routine. Fall is known for the hustle and bustle of the endless holiday errands but before the holiday season begins committing to a fitness program now will help you from straying from your workouts all season long.
Instead of thinking, “I’ll start over in January,” I recommend doing the following things to help you recommit now!

Just because you may not be back in school it doesn't mean you have to stop learning. Try something new by way of a new exercise class or sport, or find a nutrition or health education seminar to attend.

Evaluate your schedule. How can you fit fitness in with activities and obligations that start in the fall while staying motivated with fewer daylight hours? One way to do this is to sign up for an event that will complement your health and fitness goals, or help you achieve them. An example would be  a 10K, a triathlon, half-marathon or push the envelope with events like the Warrior Dash, Spartan Race or Alpha Showdown. These kinds of activities will keep you on track the entire year because you will have to make some positive lifestyle adjustments in order to achieve your goal.

Make a 'promise' to someone you will make the proper commitment to exercise. A promise puts your creditability on the line and that is a huge form of motivation.
Go get 'em Sassy Girl and leap into fitness

A Minute On The Lips Forever On Your Hips

Today I did something I NEVER get to do; have lunch with my brother and father. Since I live so far away from my family getting together for a quick lunch is impossible. But since I am visiting my family I might as well take advantage. We went to an Italian buffet. As I watched the two men I love dearly eat like there was no consequence it got me thinking that the resolve to stop overeating would be difficult with the constant presence and easy access of food. This is just not at buffets but everywhere. The abundance of food we have access to can be sickening. If overeating at meal time or all day is something you struggle with make sure you are not setting yourself up for this kind of behavior.

1.Food that is in easy access will always be eaten no matter what time and what instance. For example do not place a place a jar of your fav candy within reach at your desk, you will just be consuming the candy the entire day. Instead put it in your drawer to decrease the chances you will dig in but to really decrease your chances of consuming the junk keep it far enough away way you have to stand up and walk to get it. To try to limit the amount of food you eat don't leave so much on your desk. That means no "stocking up."

2.Fast Food joints are guilty of this one. Bigger portions in bigger plates mean bigger consumption. If your plate is full of foods that are delish to you the chances that you will consume many calories and saturated fat in minutes are great. The large burger, fries and soda offered for very little money at your local fast food joint are made with ingredients that are unknown. That's a scary thought. Your body isn't a trash can so don't put in crap. Just because food is cheap doesn't mean you have to order mass quantities or at all.

3. I'm guilty of this one as I'm sure you are too-eating while working, studying, or watching TV. You are distracted so it's difficult to notice the amount of food you are eating. Within minutes you can consume something that would have taken you hours. I know you know this but I am going to say it again... Eat a satisfying meal full of fiber and vegetables plus a little protein and little fat before you sit down to watch the new fall TV shows. Your stomach will be full and you will be less likely to dig into the bag of oreos.

Plane Aches

As I sit here in the airport waiting to board my flight to go visit my parents I am not looking forward to the extremely uncomfortable seats on my plane that I have to sit in for hours. I can already feel my back stiffening up. If you travel a lot you know you should get up every 30 minutes and walk the length of the plane. I suggest while you are up to stretch your arms over your head then reach them out in front and round your back. While you are sitting down you can get in a mini workout. Try isometric exercises while you're sitting - squeeze your glutes 20 times, contract your abs and hold for as long as you can or do leg extensions if you have the leg room. Basically I just want you to do something that gets the circulation going. After all preventing aches and pains is always sassy!

Sassy Girl's Heart Healthy Workout Tip

Let’s face it aging sucks. Beyond having to deal with saggy skin and wrinkles your risk for heart disease increases. Luckily there are workouts you can do to workout your heart. There are two VERY easy things you can do to make your heart stronger. If you already workout then Kudos to you. If you don't here is what you need to do:

Move and Groove
Break a sweat for at least 20 minutes (45-60 if possible) 3-4 times a week to give your heart muscle a good workout. I suggest jogging, spinning, racquetball. Basically anything that gets your heart pumping and makes you breathe harder. If vigorous workouts are not your thing or you haven’t worked out in a while try swimming or the elliptical trainer. Try upping the ante by kicking things up a notch for one minute, then slow it down for two minutes. Repeat for the remanding time.

A Little Goes A Long Way For Your Heart
This one is super easy. All you need is three 10 minute resistance workouts per week to strengthen your heart. (Once again if you can do more I totally support that. 60 minutes would be nice but not required) No lifting 1,000 lbs necessary. Try using resistance bands, dumbbells, even your own body weight. The key is to work yourself to the max while maintaining 100% perfect form.This tiny amount of strength training builds muscle and stokes your calorie-burning furnace because muscle burns more calories than fat.

Sassy Girl Sips Safely

It’s the weekend and what does that mean? Probably a few alcoholic drinks. Before you order a cocktail take a moment to think about what you are ordering and what that means for your blood sugar level. Beer, pina coladas, daiquiris and my personal fav margaritas are high in sugar so that means your glucose level will be elevated. And if you coat the rim of your glass in sugar for your strawberry concoction you will raise your blood sugar even higher.
So what should you do? What should you order at the bar?

• Limit yourself to one or two drinks only.
• Avoid sugary drinks and mixers.
• Pair your alcohol with healthy foods (never drink on an empty stomach).
• When possible, abstain from drinking and be the designated driver for your friends instead. This one is very sassy! Drinking and Driving=NOT sassy!

Every time you have an alcoholic beverage your decision to make smart food choices dwindles. It’s not awful to have a drink now and then but make sure you are making wise decisions about what you drink and what you eat while drinking.

Mistakes Are For Schmucks

It’s totally annoying to be on a “diet” for weeks but not to have lost weight like you expected. It’s totally possible that you are taking in more calories than you think. Make sure you aren’t hurting yourself instead of helping yourself in your diet journey. Follow these rules to help you become a lean mean machine.

Mistake #1: Don't Drink Your Calories

It’s easy to forget that the beverages you drink have calories. Your favorites may have tons more than an entire meal. Most people consume 20% of their daily calorie intake in the liquid form.  Replace these high-calorie drinks with water, skim milk, and unsweetened herbal tea.  Yes, some of the drinks are yummy but they don’t satisfy the need for food. You are just consuming empty calories.

Mistake #2 Starving Yourself Doesn't Work
NEVER skip a meal. I know lots of my clients think that cutting out a meal will help them ditch calories. Guess what meal it usually is? You guessed it...breakfast. I’ve said it once and I’ll say it a thousand more times if you skip breakfast the chances that you will actually weigh more than those who eat three meals a day are sky high. You will end up eating more food later in the day because you’re so hungry.  A healthy breakfast that will keep you feeling full all morning contains high fiber and nutrients

Mistake #3: Playing The Blame Game
This one is a big misunderstanding. Yes, you may have your mother’s hair color, your father’s eyes and maybe you inherited one of their body shapes but it that does NOT give you an excuse to do nothing about fitness or diet. Don’t give up hope on meeting your goal weight because of your genes. Stick to your exercise and diet plan and you will see results. Just because your parents may have a body shape that you do not want to have doesn’t mean your doomed. You are your own person and have control over your own life.

Make sure you have a challenging exercise program. Talking with a personal trainer to make sure you are spending your time wisely while working out will help you.

Stronger

"I'll never do that again.” Admit that you’ve said it after you finished an entire pizza, a can of soda, or a jumbo bag of M&Ms. If you say it the chances that you will do it again are sky high. Actually about 40% of our actions are habits so that means we are on autopilot about half of the time. There are three things you must do to make your “bad” habits become “good” habits.

1. Pay Attention

I know at first cutting back on habits is hard. You are not alone, but the trick is to have it out of sight. The saying “Out of sight, out of mind” is true. In this case Throw out the donuts, hide the booze, don’t buy the soda. Make  what you shouldn’t be doing hard and what you should be doing easy. If that thought is just impossible for you at first make the effort to reduce the habit. For example if you drink 3 cans of soda a day, try to drink the same number of cans each day for a few days (but no more than 3) then gradually start drinking less and less until BOOM you don’t need them anymore! Over time this little bit of effort in your self control will help you big time.

2. What Provokes You?

Identify what makes you go tick. Is it a certain friend that obviously isn’t sassy enough for you, coworker, stress? Do you reach for the can of soda because you need a afternoon burst of energy? Just knowing what makes you shake will make a difference in changing your ways.

3. In Lieu Of

OK so you have identified the habit, know the trigger...now what? Try to do something new to take the place of the old habit. An example: “If I reach for a soda instead I will eat an apple to give me energy” You can do this with any habit. “If I want....then I will...” Will power may not work for everyone but what does work is replacing old habits with something new.

Your friends or maybe even your health conscious cousin can help you make changes in your life. Friends are one of the biggest influences and can be an important tool for habit change. Pick your friends wisely though. You shouldn't be surrounding yourself with people that will make your new lifestyle change challenging. You want to be around people whose life choices you want to emulate.

An Apple A Day (and some other foods too) Keeps The Doctor Away

Wanna know a secret? There are 3 foods that will help you take off or keep off unwanted pounds. Of course you have to eat well daily and exercise 3-5 times a week.  I think these foods are super simple to add to your daily life. It’s another way you can make a change in your life to be sassy!

The 3 foods are...drum roll please....

1. Apples

These puppies are only 95 calories and contain 4 grams of fiber. Increasing your fiber intake will help you to prevent weight gain.

2. Almonds

Almonds are chewy and make you feel satisfied for longer. Also, chewing almonds longer helps to release more fat from the almond, which in turn helps to curb hunger.

3. Mushrooms

Guess what? Mushroom based entrees will satisfy you the same way as the same dish made with beef. They contain about half as many calories too! Awesome!