August 2009 Blog Posts

Ever wonder what water can do for your weight loss? I know I have. Time and time again, we are constantly told, "Drink lots of water," and that drinking lots of water is the key to weight loss. Well, this article explains why. http://www.examiner.com/x-18135-Western-Colorado-Natural-Health-Examiner~y2009m8d27-Water-for-weight-loss According to this, water flushes out the toxins (which include fats that you do not want your body to store) from your body. Here are some tips for how to drink water from the article: "Drink half your body weight in ounces of pure water. For example, if you weigh 160 pounds, then you can aim for drinking 80 ounces...

During my daily browse, I came across this article about a weight loss bucket list (I'm assuming based on the movie, 'The Bucket List') and I have decided that I think it would be both interesting and inspirational if we all comprised our own bucket list. For those of you who don't know what a bucket list is, it's a list of things you want to do before you die. The list can range from the very simple to the most outlandish things ever, but nonetheless it's essentially a list of your goals/wishes. So, here is mine: 1.) To go at least...

The American Heart Association today announced that us Americans consume about 22 teaspons of sugar per day with teenagers consuming about 34 teaspoons per day. That's a whole lot of sugar, people. This comes mostly from soft drinks and candy. How much sugar should we be consuming? According to the AHA, women should consume no more than 6 teaspoons of sugar per day, equivalent to about 100 calories of sugar, and men should consume about 9 teaspoons, equivalent to about 150 calories, in order to remain heart-healthy. None of this, of course, applies to natural sugars that come from fruits and veggies. Here's an...

I always thought I worked out better in the heat. Not the muggy, humid heat outside but when the air conditioning is not on at the gym kind of heat. In that kind of heat, I sweat more, and when I sweat more, I feel like I'm doing more and when I feel like I'm doing more, I continue to do more. Well a group of scientists is now suggesting that global warming and hot weather can actually work the opposite way and discourage our bodies from losing weight. Brown fat is the type of fat in our bodies that stores energy....

(Above: Aquatio Fitness Drinking Fountain, said to reduce the need to bend over when drinking from the fountain) Now this is really cool! Personally, I'm a bit of a water snob. When I'm at home, I refuse to drink water from the tap and will only drink from a store-bought jug or a Brita filter. BUT, when I'm at the gym, all bets are off. When I'm working out, I'm so thirsty, I don't care what I'm drinking. So, to save a little money, I usually bring an empty water bottle to the gym and fill it up there. The water spills all over...

In case you haven't yet heard about the Am i Fat? application Buddy has started for Facebook, it is an application that allows you to post a photo of yourself on your Facebook and your friends can vote anonymously on the simple question of whether or not you are fat! This is not meant to be mean, just help you get a glimpse of what your friends think so you can actually get the motivation you need to get your butt in gear and lose the weight you've always wanted to. Here are five reasons I love Am i Fat?: 1.) It's simple...

In case you haven't yet heard about the Am i Fat? application Buddy has started for Facebook, it is an application that allows you to post a photo of yourself on your Facebook and your friends can vote anonymously on the simple question of whether or not you are fat! This is not meant to be mean, just help you get a glimpse of what your friends think so you can actually get the motivation you need to get your butt in gear and lose the weight you've always wanted to. Here are five reasons I love Am i Fat?: 1.) It's simple...

Boy oh boy do I have a deal for you. Well, I don't have the deal. Buddy does. Right now if you CREATE A TEAM and get FIVE people to join your team, Buddy will upgrade your membership to a premium account. The premium account, which typically costs money to upgrade to, comes with a couple extra cool features that you do not get with regular membership. Here are some of those features: *"Losing for Good" weight loss program *A weekly portable diary you can print out and bring with you on the go *A favorites list where you can manage your favorite exercises and...

When I met my guy, I learned a lot more about video games. And when I learned more about the Nintendo Wii and the way it uses video games to actually get children and senior citizens to be active, I was even more intrigued by video games. Then I saw my cousins playing with their Wii Fit and I was sold. This is a video game system that really could help some people at least begin their fitness routines. Amazing! For those who are unfamiliar with Wii, the games are simulated from real life games and the movement of your body...

When I met my guy, I learned a lot more about video games. And when I learned more about the Nintendo Wii and the way it uses video games to actually get children and senior citizens to be active, I was even more intrigued by video games. Then I saw my cousins playing with their Wii Fit and I was sold. This is a video game system that really could help some people at least begin their fitness routines. Amazing! For those who are unfamiliar with Wii, the games are simulated from real life games and the movement of your body...

There's a sign on the door of the Gold's Gym I go to that says something like, "Know that being here is half the distance." Or maybe that's not exactly the phrase, because come to think of it, that phrase sounds a little silly. Whatever it is, it's inspirational as heck and every time I see it, I think in my head, "YEA I'M HALF WAY THERE! I'M AT THE GYM." This may sound a little silly, but for someone who finds it at times agonizing and miserable to drag themself to the gym, they know what I mean. Picking the right...

So I don't know if any of this will be helpful to you, but lately, I've noticed a huge hype surrounding probiotics. Commercials for them being in yogurts, cereal bars and other foods. What I wanted to know is: what is a probiotic, what makes it so healthy and why should I eat it? Here is the most basic elements of what I found. When you see "live cultures" on a product, that's a probiotic. Probiotics are live microorganisms that are "good bacteria" because they can support general wellness and prevent diseases. These types of bacteria help your body build up a stronger immune...

There's a lot going on in the world of weight loss lately. So, I thought I'd use this post to give you some avenues to learn more about what's going on. For starters, as my last post talked about, there is a great debate going on about whether or not exercise can help you lose weight. In my opinion, this is just absurd, and whoever started this vicious rumor that you can not exercise and fit into your skinny jeans is a mean, mean jokester. This article from ABC News talks a little bit about the debate: http://www.abcnews.go.com/Health/MensHealthNews/story?id=8297625&page=1 You decide whether it's a fact, or...

I was skimming through my Google Alerts today and came across this blog, "The Examining Room of Dr. Charles." The entry that caught my attention is about Dr. Charles' theory that exercise might not necessarily be effective in weight loss. Here is his evidence: "A recent study, published this year by PLos One, looked at 464 overweight women, and divided them into four groups. Women in three of the four groups were asked to work out with a personal trainer for 72 minutes, 136 minutes, and 194 minutes per week, respectively, for six months.  Women in the fourth group acted as a...

Boy, oh boy, did this article rub me the wrong way: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/32272548/ns/today-today_books/?GT1=43001 Steve Siebold, a motivational speaker, went on the Today Show to talk about his new book, "Die Fat or Get Tough," and also to talk about how if you are fat it is your own fault. Let me take a step back and say that yes, if you let yourself get overweight, it could be your fault. You do have the power to choose what you put in your mouth and what you do not. But will Mr. Siebold's "tough love" approach actually get you to want to lose weight? This article...

I took these questions off an article from The Examiner that talks about having the right mindset for losing weight (see article here: http://www.examiner.com/x-5544-Houston-Weight-Loss-Examiner~y2009m8d4-Is-your-mind-ready-weight-loss) But, I figured it would be fun to make it into a survey. Below you will find my answers. You guys can copy the questions, paste them into a comment box and answer them too! Have fun! Ask yourself the following questions: Do you have a realistic weight-loss goal in mind? I think so. I want to lose about 20 lbs., but more importantly, feel healthy again. What is your motivation and why is it important to you? My motivation...

I don't know why, and I wish it weren't so, but despite all of my efforts, I just can't get into salads. Here is why: -They take too long to make (that is, cut up the lettuce, each vegetable, etc.) -They don't taste as good (to me) as a sandwich or something else with bread in it, because I love bread. -No matter what dressing I choose, I always end up hating it and then it's all over my salad, so naturally, I end up hating my salad. -It costs a lot to buy all of the ingredients to make a really good salad. -I never...

This morning I woke up and had a brilliant idea! Come on people, it doesn't happen everyday so let me wallow in the days that it does. Maybe I am taking it a little too far to call my idea "brilliant." Anyway, here it is: Tweet what you eat! 10 years ago, people kept written diaries. Some people do still keep written diaries. I know I have one, but since the rise of writing what you think on the Internet, it's become increasingly hard to maintain a digital and written diary. I know a lot of people also keep food diaries when they're trying to...