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The thing about change is that is seems so permanent. If it is too last, permanency is what we're after, right? But it is the long term aspect of change -  that feeling that we'll miss what we're moving away from so much that we'll barely function without it - that prevents most of us from ever taking a step toward it in the first place.  To succeed with any new health outcome, you'll have to change something, so buck up and get over it - change isn't so bad. Let's address a few of the factors that  make change so difficult in the first place, and hopefully by the end of this post, you'll h......
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What purpose does food serve for you? Have you thought about it before now? It is okay if you haven't  - I didn't either, until recently. While defending myself for making certain food choices, I realized I have a food philosophy, and that having such a thing actually enabled me to embrace a lifestyle that has resulted in lasting changes, nutritionally speaking. Mind you, my diet was not always nutritionally sound. There was a time when a giant  soft pretzel and a diet Coke was a meal on Friday night. I was young and stupid then. Happily, I've seen the light. My philosophy is now that food s......
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I’m addicted to watching The Biggest Loser (don’t worry, I’m gearing up for a loooong series of posts re: this show very soon – later this week, actually, so sit tight.) I love watching the massive transformation that takes place in a relatively short time. It is amazing, don’t you think? Off the show, people just like that are able to lose weight, and keep it off. They aren’t famous, of course, like the contestants, but they should be. Keeping weight off is HARD work. So how do they do it? I want to know, don’t you? Fortunately, weight loss is a subject that colleges and univers......
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Sometimes it is good to make a mistake.  Here are 5 mistakes that can help you reach your goal... 1. Skipping a workout (or two). When you are focused on trying to shed pounds, you might think missing a workout is taboo. But, let's assume you miss that workout not because you choose to skip it, but because something came up. Bad weather when you planned a run outdoors, or the power went out at the gym, or your 4 yr-old comes down with a fever and hour before your kickboxing class at the Y. Life happens. First off - this isn't a mistake, but an opportunity to troubleshoot. Bad weather? Hike in......
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One of the reasons so many people have a tough time getting started with a weight loss plan is enormity of the project before them.  It is like standing in front of Mt. Everest, with no idea how you got there, or how to begin scaling that monster. Not to oversimplify the complexity of health behavior change, but sometimes the easiest way to tackle a mountain like that is to take just one step.  Addendum: one step that leads to another step. Here is a great example of a real person who lost 135 lbs (it took 10 months - which is a little more than 1 lb per week - a very healthy pace): Fitness ......
Apr

05

It’s happening again. Halloween, followed by Thanksgiving, “the Holidays,” Uncle Ed’s birthday, the in-law’s anniversary, New Year’s Eve, then New Year’s Day! Are you short on time too? This is a very busy time of year for everyone, and you have to keep up, or you’ll find yourself even more overwhelmed. Though it is hard to find time for yourself during the busy holiday season, making time for fitness doesn’t have to equate to an hour-long workout at the gym. My motto: Do what you can, when you can, because ALL activity adds up!

Here are 10 fun ways you can burn 10 calories, FAST!

1. Run up and down the stairs for 45-60 seconds.
2. Vacuum two large rooms (okay, maybe not fun – let’s call this “multi-tasking”).
3. Put on some great music and dance like no one is watching.
4. Play tag with your kids.
5. Go get the mail, and take three fast laps around your house while you’re out there.
6. Park in the furthest space from the door at the grocery store. Pushing a full cart of groceries clear across the parking lot burns calories and provides resistance for a two-for-one mini-workout.
7. Better yet, park at the end of the driveway and unload the groceries. The extra walking with heaving bags in your hands will be great exercise. You get bonus points if you have a steep or very long driveway.
8. When you’re unloading the groceries, before you put that gallon of milk in the fridge, use it to do 6-10 bicep curls per arm, then hold it in front of you while you do a set of 8-12 squats or lunges.
9. Set the timer on the microwave and see how many jumping jacks you can complete in one minute.
10. Rake leaves! This is a great upper body workout.

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