Weight loss scams. Don't be a victim.

How much money do you spend on "healthy" products like cleanses, creams, pills, potions, powers, exercising gizmos and “secret” diet regimens? You are spending money unwisely. Most of the "weight loss" products on the shelves promise fast, safe and lasting results but they really don't work. They hurt your bank account is what they do. There are so many weight loss scams on the internet as well. They are complete with fake testimonials from celebrities and "real" people.

So, instead of spending a gross amount of money on weightloss, I'm going to help your wallet.

• Claims that you can lose weight without diet or exercise. For real results, it is recommend reducing about 500 calories per day through diet and/or exercise for a safe and realistic 1-2 pound loss per week. You can't lose a lot of weight fast safely. The body just doesn't work like that.
• Be aware of words like "miracle,” “revolutionary,” “secret,” “guaranteed results” and “scientific breakthrough" to describe a product. If the product is so wonderful wouldn't it be on the news and not only on a weird website?
• Claims that you will lose X pounds in Y days. No product or plan can guarantee specific results; everyone is different.
• Claims that you can burn fat while you sleep and/or by wearing or rubbing on a product. Weight loss is an internal metabolic process, and no patch, lotion, etc., can rev up that process or eliminate fat in specific areas. If you could "spot" train everyone would look awesome. Plain old hard work is the answer, not magic.

Instead of relying on claims of incredible results on Instagram or Facebook posts, do an online search of the product and company name, with words “complaints" or "scam" and if you see anything questionable, don't do it. I like this website, dietscam.org, it's written by doctors and has details about many weight-loss scams. Now you know some of the warning signs of weightloss scams. Please don't waste your hard earned money.

In Health,

Jessica Bailey

Fitness Facts

Do you ever "test" your knowledge on fitness? You'd be surprised at how informed you actually are. Whether you’re a gym bunny or a new exerciser, I've found some great facts for you.

If you are a runner, listen up: Stretching before running may lower your endurance

No, you should never start your workout on "cold" muscles but doing static stretches isn't the answer.  Instead of stretching, try warming up with a walk and running-specific moves to mobilize your joints before your run.

You should then make sure to include stretches as part of your post-run routine.  

Morning exercise could make you ill

I despise working out early in the AM. Now, I have an excuse. While daily exercise is great for your health, heavy training sessions early in the morning can make the immune system weaker and put you at increased risk of infection from bacteria and viruses. While a morning jog or gentle exercise session is unlikely to put you at great risk, it may be best to save heavier workouts for later in the day.

Women and men respond to exercise in different ways

Don't get me wrong, exercise is a great activity to engage in as a couple, I fully support the idea! Know that it may not be a good idea for women to follow the exact same workout regime as their partner. Women and men respond to exercise and diet in different ways, and that women need to do a lot more exercise and pay more attention to their diet to reap the same results as men. How annoying is it that a man can just lose 10 lbs by making a small change and women have to put in alot of effort to lose 10lbs? While exercising with your partner is a great way to stay motivated, try to tailor your workout to get the results you want.

These 3 fitness facts may seem quirky and perhaps insignificant, but trust me, they will help you build a stronger, slimmer, healthier body.

In Health,

Jessica Bailey

Food labels are lying to me

Do you know how to grocery shop for healthy foods? I thought I was! I shop the perimeter, and I study food labels. That should be enough to keep me healthy, right?

But reading food labels can be deceiving. I am going to give you a few tips that I have learned when shopping.

Label lie #1: Under 100 calories per serving

I don't know about you but one of the first things on a food label I look at is number of calories per serving. But are you looking at how big that serving size is? Or how many servings the food package contains?

For example, many cans of soda, juice or iced tea — which most of us assume is a single serving — are actually 2, sometimes even 3 “servings.” In 1 can. YIKES! That is alot of calories in one can.

You are probably doing the same thing with cereal. you can pour what you think is a single serving into a bowl, while in reality that’s actually 3 or 4 times the amount (and calories) listed on the label.

And chips? Forget about it. A serving size is usually 1 ounce … which, depending on the size of the chips, could be as few as 8 to 10 chips. 8 chips? Ok, I can't even remember the last time I only ate 8 chips at a time.

Another one that is deceiving is.... salad dressing! Many easily contain 100 calories per serving, which is usually only about 2 tablespoons. Do you know how easy it is to pour 6 or even 8 tablespoons of dressing on your salad? And that is how you ruin a healthy choice.

Help yourself out and always look at the serving size of your favorite drink or snack and dole yourself out 1 serving.

As for salad dressing, instead of that packaged trash, make yourself a nice mix of olive oil and vinegar for a dose of healthy fat. I love this salad dressing and I use it all of the time. It's great because the dressing doesn't over power the taste of the vegetables.

Label lie #2: Made with whole grains!

The awesome news is replacing refined grains with whole grains may help reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes, stroke and heart disease.

Grains help fill you up and keep you feeling full so you’re less likely to reach for that bag of potato chips.

The problem is that while a package may say it contains whole grains, it may also contain refined flour and added sugar; not your best choice when trying to eat healthy and stay lean.

Help yourself out and check the ingredients list before you buy. Steer clear if you see these ingredients listed:

• wheat
• enriched wheat flour
• semolina
• durhum wheat
• rice
• oat flour

Look instead for:

• stone-ground whole wheat
• whole or rolled oats
• whole-grain brown rice
• bulgar
• quinoa
• whole-grain corn

That means the product is most likely all whole grain.

If you want to be 100% confident the product is whole grain, look for the 100% whole-grain stamp, which means the product contains only whole grains.

Although the packaging might say …

Only 100 calories per serving!

Made with whole grains!

Or any other healthy claim …

Make sure to read between the lines

The Power of Green Tea

Green Tea can be a great way to lose some weight. It is awesome because it is easy to drink and you don’t have to do anything else to it. Try drinking it once a day. May I suggest to drink it in the AM. Really, you just want to get into the habit of drinking it so that it will become a part of your diet and you won’t think much about it anymore.

Green tea helps your body burn calories and fat. It also provides a lot of different antioxidants which are really good for your body. This all helps with weight loss. If you start drinking green tea but don’t change your habits, you probably won’t see any weight loss. You need to be eating healthy and working out on a regular basis as well. The tea is supposed to speed up the weight loss but it won’t work unless you have made healthy choices overall. Keep in mind that green tea isn’t going to make you lose weight quickly. It will take some time but the waiting will be worth it.

I know that I drink it to help maintain my current weight. Once you have lost weight you wanted, you want to make sure you are able to keep it off for the long-term.

If you are unsure about green tea, it won’t hurt to give it a try. You can buy some at the grocery store or even ask for some at your local coffee shop. Most places that serve coffee and tea will serve the green tea.

If you try some green tea and really enjoy it, it might be a good idea to buy some of it in bulk. That way you would always have it around and could drink it on a daily basis. By doing that you will have improved your health no matter how much weight it allows you to lose.

In Health,

Jessica Bailey

Fitness is a mind game

Setting new goals doesn't do much good unless you change your mindset. Changing your mindset can help you to reach your goals. Try putting some energy into reframing the way you think. This can be very powerful when working on dieting and exercising.

Start Small

A big goal is great but I suggest you focus on the types of goals you choose to work towards. That way you don't get frustrated easily if the goals are too difficult or take too long to accomplish. It is better to set small goals for yourself. You can even set a variety of goals. For example, perhaps your weekly goal is to get to the gym 2 times. If you do more than that, you will feel even better. Little by little, you will get to where you want to be without feeling too overwhelmed.

Listen to Your Body

This is a big one. Your body is really great at talking to you and letting you know what's up! When it comes to both eating and exercising, you should listen to your body to tell you what it can and can’t handle. Know that when it comes to your diet that  some foods are better for your particular body than others. Pay attention to how your body feels when it comes to eating certain foods or doing certain exercises. When you workout listen to your body to help ensure you don’t suffer injury.

Write Your Goals Down

This has been so beneficial for me, only because they become more real. To see your goal written down can be very motivating. You can also leave your goal somewhere you will see it every day. This will be a good reminder of what you have to work towards. On the fridge has worked for me because I see it every morning when I open the fridge to get out my Britta filtered water.

Celebrate Success

Each day, you should celebrate some kind of success. Reflection is a natural and healthy part of life. It is always a good idea to think about one thing that went well with your day and one thing that you can continue to work on. Celebrating small accomplishments will make you feel more successful and can help to boost your confidence. This will help you meet your fitness goals.

Reaching your fitness goals by changing your mindset is key. Know that isn’t easy and doesn’t happen overnight, but with the right tools, you can do it. You will see results if you change your mindset!

In Health,

Jessica Bailey

*the above picture is from a video shoot I did recently for barre where I was the lead instructor. I set the goal and wrote it down. I made it happen.