September 2010 Blog Archives

By Michelle Meyers

Low-calorie breakfast options make eating out a breeze

For those of us counting calories, the thought of eating breakfast on-the-go might be enough to send us into minor panic attacks. Unlimited fat content and piles of sugar are usually the culinary choices of the day when it comes to breakfast options off a standard menu.

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By: Michelle Meyers

Bored with your exercise routine? Spice it up with these fun fitness tips

I am in an exercise rut. I do the same thing every day: wake up, walk my 2.5 mile neighborhood route, shower and then start my day. I count my steps and my daily calories, and by the end of the day I’ve reached my 10,000 step goal. Fantastic.

Here’s the problem: I’m bored. What’s an under-stimulated exerciser to do? Shake it up a bit, is what all my friendly fitness gurus tell me. Be bold, be daring, and do something different. Short of, say, jumping out of an airplane (which I’m refusing to do in my lifetime), I’m open to suggestions!

So I challenged myself to do two new things over the last 14 days, here’s what I’ve done:

Zumba – yes, I’ve gotten in touch with my inner salsa girl. I found a local class with an amazing instructor that brings hip-swiveling to a new level. Although I was somewhat intimidated by the other participants who had the routines down pat (and even donned official Zumba gear, which made me quiver in fear), I managed to keep up and enjoy myself. I worked up a great sweat, used new muscles, and walked away doing the cha-cha. I highly recommend the experience!

Calories Burned:  740/hr w/intense effort

Jump Rope – ahh….memories of grade school gym class revealed themselves as I dug deep into the toy box and found my daughter’s old pink sparkly rope. But as my dad used to say, this childhood pastime is … “about as simple and effective as you can get.” I jumped for intense thirty-second intervals, with short breaks in between for kicks. My coordination was rusty, but I got the hang of it. I was amazed at how winded I became, and so fast. Which only means I need more cardio workouts, I suppose. My legs muscles were in shock, but it felt good to do something invigorating, and so, well … different!

Calories Burned: 460/hr including rest time (30 minutes Jumping Rope, 30 minutes rest)

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By Michelle Meyers

New season of Thintervention shows real people, real weight-loss solutions

As many of the new fall season television shows make their debuts, I just couldn’t resist tuning in to Bravo’s new reality series with Fitness star Jackie Warner. Appropriately called Thintervention, the fitness expert vows to whip overweight clients into shape.

Watch the first episode on Hulu: http://bit.ly/byI7UT

I was most interested to see how the toned and cut Warner would approach her clients over the course of the series. I have previously confessed to having a love/hate relationship with famous trainer Jillian Michaels of The Biggest Loser fame, so I was curious to see if Warner would be as brutal with her subjects, and if her strategy would be much different from her workout guru competitors.

Not only was I captivated by the show, I found that the participants are quirky, relatable and very real. Most notably, former Real Housewives of Orange CountyJeana Keough returns to reality television as she yearns to shed pounds and regain her self-confidence. And then there’s 39-year-old Nikki Wood, who wants to drop 50 pounds without giving up her cocktails. She is witty, quirky and as funny as they come. Her personality and antics alone are worth tuning in for.

But the most exciting part for me is that Warner takes into consideration the psychological side of losing weight and getting fit. This coincides with my viewpoint when it comes to fad diets and expensive weight-loss programs: they don’t work because they don’t encourage you to figure out why you overeat and treat your body like garbage in the first place.

During my adulthood, I’ve lost and gained the same twenty pounds over and over again with the help from every well-known diet program out there. But every time I go off a program, the weight creeps right back on. Why? Because I haven’t fully addressed the reasons why I eat too much in the first place. And because once the dinner-in-a-box is gone, I haven’t learned how to eat a healthy diet!
 

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