Ewww Gross! Food Additives Are In Everything

Having a hard time breaking a food addiction? I love chewing gum but after reading this I will think twice before I hand over $1.50 multiple times a day to the newsstand person.

• ·      Titanium dioxide, which is commonly used in paints and sunscreens, is also found in many salad dressings, coffee creamers and cake icing.
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• ·      One of the key ingredients in many canned and fast food chili is silicon dioxide, also known as sand.
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• ·      Lanolin, an oily substance found in sheep’s wool, is an additive used in chewing gum.
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• ·      Cellulose, which is actually ground-up wood pulp, is often used as an anti-caking agent in bagged cheeses.
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• ·      Sodium bisulfite, a toilet bowl cleaning chemical, is also used in potato chips

Contest Time With Oatworks!

WOW, I crave this stuff and it's AMAZING for you. The flavors are rich and they taste incredible. I love to enjoy these before my workouts or as a snack! They are GLUTEN FREE | VEGAN FRIENDLY | DAIRY FREE | NON-GMO | NO CHOLESTEROL | NOTHING ARTIFICIAL

Want to get your own? Now you can win a variety pack to try for yourself. It's easy.

Here's what you have to do:


1. Follow @Oatworks and @Sassygirlfit on Instagram 


2. Regram the photo pictured above with the hashtag #FitWithOatworks


3. Tag @oatworks and @sassygirlfit and tell us how you are staying fit this summer!


4. You're entered to win!

A few months ago I did a review of this product. You can read what I thought Here

@Oatworks will choose their favorite and ‪#‎repost‬! Who will be the winner? You have until 11:29pm EST Sept 1 so get to it! #FitWithOatworks 

Funky Fitness Fad Workouts

We’ve all been in this situation; you’re up way too late at night flipping through the stations on TV. You have work in 4 hours and should be asleep but decide against it for the time being. Some crazy infomercial catches your attention. “What is this?” you wonder and continue watching to learn more about this new fitness product. What happens next all depends on your personality. Some of us watch and giggle at the ridiculous products are being shown and renew our gym memberships faithfully each month while others are mesmerized as they grab the phone to make the purchase for “the next big thing!” Regardless of which category you fall into, I’m sure that you remember these huge fitness fads from the past.

1. Tae Bo

Tae Bo was very popular in the 90’s and we’ve all been there. Getting together with our friends after work, squeezing into our newest spandex outfit, and popping the tape into the VCR to get our sweat on. Woo! The Tae Bo trend has slowed down, but is still being incorporated into many fitness videos and classes all over the place. The greatest thing about the Tae Bo fad is that it actually works! It’s a good aerobic exercise to burn some extra calories if that’s what you’re into. Get that old workout outfit and VHS tape out of your closet and bring the trend back!

2. Thigh Master

Ah, the Thigh Master. Can you imagine how beautiful all of our thighs would look if we still used this magical product? We’d all be running around dressed as Chrissy from Three’s Company if the Thigh Master was as great as it’s believed to be. But instead we’re sitting on our couches squeezing our thighs together and watching Three’s Company. Do we really think that will give us rock hard… thighs?! This is a fitness trend that was bought by many back in the day and is probably found at thrift stores everywhere.

3. 8 Minute Abs

Let’s be real here. If it only took 8 minutes to get rock hard abs then we’d all have them! It’s still a trend used by many. Check out the views that it has on Youtube! People believe it works. I’ll let you in on a little secret though. Doing an 8 Minute Abs video won’t get you anywhere near that six pack that you’re dreaming of. Especially if you’ll be guzzling down an ice cold six pack later that evening. 

There are so many other fitness fads that have swept the nation over the years. Some that we love to remember and others that we’d like to forget. It’s fun to look back on all of the fitness success along with the embarrassment. Honestly, reminiscing and laughing about these fads it’s probably the most workout that most of us have gotten in a while. That’s okay though! Better than nothing, right? Which fitness fads are your favorites? 

I recently did a podcast special about this topic, featuring a few of these items.  I had a great time reminiscing with the host. Get a preview of the fun episode now.  LISTEN

The full interview will be coming very soon!

ChChCh Changes

What you are about to read is true. Someone comes to me with a big life changing goal. They want to lose 50lbs and completely transform the way they look (and feel). Sounds reasonable, right? I am a personal trainer so I am the right person to come to about such a change, correct? After hearing the goals of this person, we map out the training and we talk about the parameters of a nutrition plan to achieve it. I want to point out that virtually every time this happens it involves physique or body transformation rather than performance. (Athletes, no matter what level they play at, tend to follow through and do whatever it takes).

I always ask, “What are you prepared to do to achieve your goal?”  The answer, 100% of the time is, “Whatever it takes.”  So we begin.

The first week I see them 3 times, typically the perfect amount of training days. They tell me they’re keeping a food log, which is the most important piece of a fat loss plan.

The second week I see them 2 times. They tell me they had a work gathering, but other than that they’ve been really sticking to the nutrition plan we created for them. Looking over the food journal, nothing we discussed has really been implemented except for a the occasional token change that is obvious.

By the third week, they don’t show at all. The fourth week, they come in once, and they give me their food journal but tell me that I shouldn’t really look at it “because it’s not really representative of how I eat normally.”

The person had a big, transformative, life-changing goal. Their actions and behavior were small, insignificant, and inconsequential.

Wanna be let in on a secret: all of the instant-results and quick-fixes are scams. Don’t be fooled by glossy ads in magazines or the cute fit models looking great in the GNC ads.

If you want to change your life in a big way, you will have to CHANGE YOUR LIFE IN A BIG WAY.

If you want to lose a transformative amount of body fat, and keep it off forever, you must:

1.              Find time to lift heavy weights 3 times a week.

2.              Eat differently than you eat now. That means cut out all your dinners that can be ordered at a fast food joint or anything meal that can be made that comes from a box.

3.              Sleep. 6-8 hours EVERY night.

4.              Reduce or manage stress in your life. Hint: do #1 and you will be helping yourself.  

There is simply no way around this.  Don’t try to argue with me. Don’t cheat. I’m not trying to be mean. I’m just telling you the truth.  

Sugar, Sugar…How To Stop Cravings!

How many times has this happened to you? It’s 3pm and you reach for block of chocolate or can of soda. It’s an afternoon slump and you need something, right? Sweet things generally taste great! The down size is they are not so good for you. You know this, but how can you stop these cravings and work towards minimizing the sweet treat cravings?

3 things you can do right now to help yourself stop craving sugar.

Eat regularly

This has to be my # 1 when it comes to most people. Eating regular meals and snacks, you limit the likelihood of drops in blood sugar levels. Skipping meals ALWAYS leads to problems. It really urks me when people tell me they skip meals because they are trying to stop sugar cravings, lose weight, etc.  It is important to have at least three meals a day and if necessary a couple of small snacks between meals.  If you are concerned about calorie intake, save part of your main meal as a snack later on. Never skip a meal if possible, as this opens you up to the possibility of binge eating when hunger hits hard later on and it will.

Say “NO” to artificial sweeteners 

Splenda, Equal, Nutrasweet are all fake sugar, and yes, they don’t contain as many calories, but they are in fact thought to increase sugar cravings. Not good. Foods containing these substances taste, sweet; therefore the body expects a rush of sugar to follow.  When this sugar hit doesn’t eventuate, cravings kick in and you will find yourself back at square one, wanting a sweet treat all over again. 

Brush your teeth or chew some gum 

I do this one all the time. Most sweet things don’t taste good after brushing your teeth, so this may put you off eating something sweet at least for a short time. It gives you are chance to reevaluate why/what you are craving.  Chewing gum can have the same effect and has the added benefit of occupying your mouth, so it is in fact impossible to put anything else in it.