3 pounds

One of my guilty pleasures is that I watch Oprah. No, I'm usually not home at that time of the day, but thank goodness for DVRs so that I can record it; saves a lot of time skipping over commercials, but also, if I'm not interested in the topic being aired that day, I'll just delete it. Yesterday she had Gwyneth Paltrow & Mario Batali on her show to promote a new series that is coming out where Gwyneth & Mario travel around Spain eating their hearts out. The first segment of the show was an interview with Gwyneth about her workout routine (see the video). I can only imagine that they did that so that America wouldn't curse Gwyneth after seeing her eating her way through Spain; giving rise to the fact that no one gets a free ride as far as the calorie formula goes – Calories In Read More . . .

Wii Fit

The Wii Fit (different from WWEE or Absolutely Fit) is a new video game launched from Nintendo to get people to move more. For years now there have been reports of folks who have dropped dramatic weight by using video games such as Dance Dance Revolution or some of the other Wii games. As a wellness professional, my first thought is, "That's great! It's getting people up & moving around — off the couch & that's just fantastic!" But then thinking about it for a bit, I start to get sad because it's a video game. I laugh when I think about my massage therapist, Annie. One of the newest hit video games is Guitar Hero. She says that "By the time one gets good at Guitar Hero, they could actually have learned the guitar!" Which is true. But I think that the Wii Fit is a little different. People Read More . . .

The truth will set you free, but first it will piss you off.

It’s not that people lie on purpose; when it comes to weight loss, the most recent statistics show overweight people underreporting daily food intake by 30-40% while normal weight individuals underreport by 16%. Virtually no one over-reports their food intake. Additionally, they’ll overestimate how much they move. The combination of those two little white lies that folks tell themselves is partially to blame the expanding waistline of the American public. I’m not immune to these lies. I feel like I’ve struggled with my weight for years. Well, wait… let me back up there. For most of my life I ate whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted. It wasn’t until I was in my first marriage that I used food to emotionally cope with my problems. Although I wasn’t fit when I got married, I was thin, and when I got divorced,I was definitely fat. Here’s my transformation in case you’ve 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 . . .

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 . . .

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 . . .

Intrepidation

Much fear goes along with creating a blog for me. 1) I need to think up witty titles for each of my posts. 2) I must be witty, at least most of the time within the body of my post, 3) There's no spellcheck or grammar check! All of that aside, my goal in writing this blog is to explain about my quest to be an Ambassador of Wellness. It's a title that Gary gave me several months ago, that I enjoy much more than the title given to me several years ago of "Princess". So what does an Ambassador of Wellness DO? Well, I guess I am trying to spread the word of health, fitness, and a balanced life through lifestyle choices that we make on a daily basis. It's easy to get caught up in the minutia of everyday life & blow off those things that are truly Read More . . .