Boy, that taste really stays in your mouth, doesn’t it?

Dear God! No!  Just when I thought that there were no more food atrocities to commit against the human race, along comes hamburger in a can. It makes me realize that I am just not creative enough to come up with disgusting and evil foodstuffs. I'm speechless. I'm shaking my head as it is buried in my palms. Just make sure that you watch the videos to gain the entire experience.     Read More . . .

It’s always something

A few weeks back, my husband, Gary & I were walking into Sports Authority when we saw the dreaded folding table set up in front of the entrance surrounded by little girls holding boxes of cookies! Girlscout cookie season has started. What really struck me about it was that this occurred just 3 weeks after the New Year. I thought about all of those people who had made resolutions to "eat healthy" this year, or "give up junk food". I thought about them because after three weeks of eating differently; depriving yourself of everything that you think is good (because that's what healthy eating is. Isn't it?), all that is needed is one innocent little girl selling something that only comes around once a year to derail you from your commitment to your health. Two weeks later was the SuperBowl. It is now said that the SuperBowl is the 2nd Read More . . .

30 Day Challenge

Back in September I tried Bikram Yoga for the first time. I was undecided as far as the benefits go, and was pretty sure that my body was not meant to contort into some of the positions that the class was doing (specifically Eagle Pose & Fixed Firm); however, I decided to give it a try. I signed up for an unlimited 30 day membership (at an unbelievably affordable rate) & made the commitment to go. Now, at this point, I need to confess that I have inherited frugality from my father. Or rather, I'm cheap. Plus, since I'm a personal trainer, I hate having to pay to exercise. There are lots of personal trainers who have separate gym memberships from where they work – that just seems crazy & a waste of money to me. But I digress… Because I hate paying to exercise, and because I am cheap, Read More . . .

The chemical free diet

Yesterday, Jenny McCarthy & Holly Robinson Peete were on the Oprah Winfrey Show. They both have sons with autism. Jenny McCarthy has just published a book titled: Louder Than Words: A Mother's Journey in Healing Autism where she discusses her journey to reverse autism in her son. Yes, you read that right – reverse autism. What I find fascinating about this topic is that she was able to do it through food. Within 2 weeks of eliminating dairy, wheat, and artificial flavoring and dyes from her son's diet, he had doubled his vocabulary. That's HUGE! For those of us who are healthy, we don't really consider how food affects us – maybe a bit in reference to our weight, but to realize that there are foods out there that are toxic to us — foods that may be fine for someone else, but for a child it clouds the brain, Read More . . .

I don’t think my body is supposed to do that

 On Labor Day, Yoga studios around Austin sponsored “A Free Day of Yoga“. I used that opportunity to try Bikram Yoga. Many people that I had talked to about Bikram Yoga loved it, for various reasons, but mainly because it was a really good workout for a yoga class. Bikram yoga is held in a room at 105 degrees & 40% humidity, and consists of the same 26 postures  performed 2 times, in the same order, for the same duration each class. I was expecting it to be hot. I was expecting it to be difficult. I was expecting not to like it. I was not expecting to leave class. I was not expecting to be the best one in the class. I was expecting to be able to hold my own – and I think I did hold my own. My initial thoughts were “I don’t think that my Read More . . .

AARP Trainer Program

I just joined the AARP Trainer Program. The American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) & American Council on Exercise (ACE) have teamed up to provide affordable personal training to AARP members. It's a new program, so we'll see how it does. I think it's great that seniors are getting more active. It's really interesting for me to compare clients at similar ages. Those clients who have been exercising for years appear to have better cognitive function in addition to balance, coordination and strength. It's really encouraging. Not that I can't wait, but knowing that my body and mind will be better because of the things I'm doing today makes me feel better about aging.     Read More . . .

Heathy Dining? At a Restaurant?

A few weeks ago, Hungry Girl wrote about the Healthy Dining Finder. Just over the weekend I stumbled upon the site myself. Now I have to say that I was really disappointed in the restaurants that I found, but given that they are a new site & they were focused on chain restaurants, the results are acceptable at this point. The fate and success of this site is now up to us. On the Healthy Dining Finder website, they have a preprinted form that you can hand out to your favorite restaurants. I think this handout does two things: 1) it allows those restaurants who do serve healthy food to register their location on the website, but more importantly, I think it sends a message to any restaurant that we as consumers are starting to demand foods that are good for us from restaurants. New York City is on the Read More . . .

But … how do you know? Part 1

On the bottom of every nutritional facts label there is a foot note. The footnote tells us that diets based on 2000 & 2500 Calories should have "x" amount of Total Fat, Saturated Fat, Cholesterol, Sodium, Total Carbohydrates and Fiber respectively. That's great, but how do you know which one you should abide by? How many Calories do you need in a day? Three things influence how many calories you need in order to maintain your weight. Your Metabolism (aka: Basal Metabolic Rate – BMR) The amount of activity that you get on a daily basis (aka: Thermic Effect of Activity – TEA) How many Calories your body uses to process the foods that you eat (aka: Thermic Effect of Food – TEF) Your metabolism is responsible for using the bulk of your calories in a day – roughly 75%. A few things contribute to your metabolism: Genetics Age Weight Read More . . .

Happily Ever After

I love the TV show "The Biggest Loser". I don't really know why I like watching it so much, but I do. I'm amazed at the contestants losing 3 to 20 lbs on a weekly basis. It's fantastic to see the contestants get smaller and smaller and smaller & then see what they looked like at the beginning of the show. I really couldn't care less about the drama – I TiVo it for that same reason – so that I can skip over the overly dramatic TV crap – that way, I can get through a 60 minute show in less than 40 minutes. Although I was never as heavy as the folks who are on that show, I can relate to their struggles & am completely jealous that I didn't have a team of doctors, dietitians and personal trainers at my disposal when I went through my weight Read More . . .

One Size Doesn’t Fit All

The USDA Food Guide Pyramid     In this blog post I talk about the Metabolic Typing Diet   http://www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines/dga2005/document/pdf/DGA2005.pdf   http://www.mypyramid.gov/         Read More . . .

Certifiably Certified

Because the summer is a slower period for folks in my business (people taking vacations and although new clients want to look good in a bathing suit, they really don't want to spend any time in the gym), I decided that this would be a good time to complete a few certifications that I have been wanting to do: ACE Lifestyle & Weight Management Consultant, and wellcoach Wellness Coach. I'm really excited about the Wellness Coach certification. I think it's what a lot of people are looking for when they are looking for a personal trainer. Granted, some people are looking for someone to help them through their workouts, but for the folks out there who know what they're doing in the gym (for the most part) and know the basics of good nutrition (but just aren't doing it), this is the person they are looking for.  Excerpt from the Read More . . .

Yum-O!

I’ve finally added the Summer Wheatberry Salad to my website. It’s the perfect light summer salad. Make it as a side to complement grilled chicken or fish or even burgers. It’s a great potluck dish too because there’s no mayo or dairy ingredients. If you’re not familiar with the wheatberry, it is the whole wheat grain before it’s been milled into flour, wheat germ or bulgur. Once cooked, the finished product looks like a cross between barley & rice. Enjoy! Read More . . .

alli or enemy?

Alli is a diet drug that is available today over the counter. Alli is a reduced strength version of a prescription only pill called Orlistat. Orlistat works by preventing the body from absorbing all of the fat that a person has consumed (an estimated 50%). That sounds good. Right? If the body doesn't absorb the fat, then it doesn't absorb the calories that you've consumed through fat. Fat is higher in calories than protein or carbohydrates. Each gram of protein or carbohydrates, holds 4 calories. Each gram of fat holds more than twice that at 9 calories. So then by taking alli, consuming fat isn't as calorically expensive. If I eat the same number of calories and take alli, I'll reduce the number of calories that my body absorbs, thus giving me a calorie deficit; which is what is needed in order to lose weight. Well, thinking about it, where Read More . . .

I’m training in 78704

I am a personal trainer and nutritionist. I train folks out of two different locations: the Westwood Country Club fitness department and a local independent gym. At the beginning of 2007 the local gym that I trained out of changed ownership. The policies that the new owners put in place forced me to look at other options for training my clientele. I explored opening my own private boutique, I looked into other personal training gyms and renting space from other trainers who have their own studio space. Although some day I like to think that I'd like my own personal training studio, until I increase my independent client base, it doesn't make fiscal sense. I settled on a new personal training gym: the South Congress Athletic Club. They just opened their doors January 12th & they are in the very hip part of town, the South Congress District. It takes Read More . . .

A Better Life

I’m always striving to be better. Sometimes I meet the mark, sometimes I fall short. I guess that’s what’s called being human. Why do I bring this up? well, to reiterate my 2007 New Year’s goals; I wanted to: 1) Run a Half-Marathon 2) Take better care of my nails 3) Walk Lucy most days of the week 4) Blog once a week Okay – So where do I stand on these Resolutions? 50% isn’t so bad – is it? BUt the year isn’t over yet. I can still redeem myself. Right? I ran the 3M Half Marathon in January. My Goals for the Half were 1) to run continuously (i.e.: not walk) 2) finish in 2 hours. My time was 2:02. WooHoo! I met both of my goals. I’m happy about that. Since then, my running has really taken a front seat to the rest of my fitness goals. Read More . . .

Healthy Eating: beyond poached fish and celery sticks

I love food. I love the flavor of it, texture & aroma. I love eating. I am a self-described foodie. Wikipedia defines a foodie as "A gourmet is a person with a discriminating palate and who is knowledgeable in fine food and drink. The word is a corruption of the French word gourmet, a valet in charge of the wines. It is often used as an adjective for meals of especially high quality, whose makers or preparers have used especial effort or art in presentation or cooking the meal, or for facilities equipped for preparing such meals, such as a restaurant." I don't know if I fall into the gourmet part of this explanation; I certainly don't waste my calories on "common foods" like candy bars or fast food. Although it has to be good, it doesn't have to be gourmet & I'm all about volume. Why do I tell Read More . . .

I think I might be crazy

I have been trying to make myself a runner for years. I had all but given up hope until about 6 months ago when it really kicked in. I was able to do it and not stop. I set goals for myself and reached them. I really started to like running because it allowed me to clear my  head about whatever was on my mind. I enjoy doing it first thing in the morning so that I can set my day. At first, it was all I could do to not think about running while I was doing it – that made it all the more difficult. But eventually, as I was able to learn from my breathing and heart rate whether I should slow down or if I could step it up, it became more fun. I started driving the routes that I took to see how far I Read More . . .

New Year’s Resolutions

I am typically not a person who makes New Year's Resolutions. I definitely make goals, but I guess that I've never put much stock in New Year’s Resolutions because I am continually evaluating my life, where it is and where I want it to be, that I don’t wait for the beginning of the new year to set my goals and start working towards them. I think that the New Year is a good time for reflection; looking back on what has happened over the past year, observing which aspects of my life are better, which have stayed the same, and which are worse off. I’ll often try to imagine myself at the end of this year. What do I want to be different? Just imagining what my life is going to be like in a year, five years or ten sets the foundation for my life; because if I Read More . . .

You are what you eat

For Christmas, Gary gave me a book written by Paul Chek, called How to Eat, Move & Be Healthy. First, Paul Check, for those of you who don’t know him, is a leader in the wellness & personal training industry. The man is brilliant in his approach. Last January, a member on another board suggested that I read the Metabolic Typing Diet. I started it, but never finished (I do that quite a bit). Then a couple of months ago, Gary bought Dr. Mercola‘s book: Total Health. Dr. Mercola also uses the Metabolic Typing Diet. Anyway, even though I didn’t finish it, it really made sense to me that everyone is different in how they metabolize food & therefore we each need different macros & food sources to become optimal in our health. The idea behind Metabolic Typing is that depending on where our heritage originated, the food sources that Read More . . .