January 2010 Blog Posts

When it comes to losing weight, some people are definitely more dedicated than others. Let's face it. Losing weight is hard-no, VERY HARD-work. But today I came across an interesting blog about a person who is not only dedicated to being healthy and living a long life, but so dedicated that he has decided to swap his typical office desk and chair to a stand up desk! I have to admit, it is sad but a true story that whenever I see a chair, I look forward to sitting it. I'm not sure if this makes me lazy or just trained to...

Every morning when I'm at the gym, and I look up at the treadmills and ellipticals I think, "Ughhhhhh I want no part of that." But I tell myself that if I don't do it, I'm not going to lose the weight. Then I see those people who come to the gym, every single day, don't do a MINUTE of cardio, but look great! So what is their secret? Can you lose weight without doing any cardio? Apparently you can, but in a different way. When you lift weights, you gain muscle, and the muscle takes the place of your fat. I've always been...

When embarking on a new diet, you learn a lot. You learn what's good for you to eat what's not. What you've been doing right all along, and certainly what you've been doing wrong all along. We all make some mistakes when it comes to food. All we can do is learn the mistakes we're making and try not to make them again. This article from MSN.com talks about a few common food mistakes and how to fix them: http://naturalhealth.msn.com/?section=articles&category=3&contentId=23175696&source=msn/&gt1=25067#/articles/3/23175696/ I know I'm definitely guilty of mistake no. 1: thinking products that say "whole grain" or "whole wheat" actually is made of whole...

Spoiler Alert: If you read to the end, you will know who went home on this episode of the Biggest Loser. In my opinion, this episode is an example of hype advertising. I was expecting this huge blowout between Melissa and Jillian and Lance and Jillian, but that's not really what we saw. Sure, there were some tiffs with Jillian, and some hatin' from Miggy and Migdalia aimed at Melissa, but it wasn't what I was looking forward to watching all week. Last week I complained about the irrelevance of the Ribbon Challenge-I thought this week's challenges were EXCELLENT in comparison. The...

Exercise can at times be agonizing if you're not into it. I know that when I'm not in the mood to exercise, I sometimes make the excuse that it's not even worth exercising because I will not be giving it my all. This is a very bad excuse, I know. Well, if your workouts are more fun, you're more inclined to enjoy doing them. So, here are a few suggestions for how to make exercise more fun. Swim If you like the water, swimming can be a great workout, and something different from the traditional treadmill. Run up and down your stairs Okay, well maybe...

A while ago, before they were on shelves everywhere and billboards and magazine ads, I blogged about Sketchers Shape-Ups-a moon-shoe looking sneaker that apparently helps people lose weight. I doubted their ability to do so then, and I still do now. Now, I haven't done extensive research on whether Shape-Ups actually help people lose weight. But apparently someone else has. First, I guess there are all different kinds of these shoes in all different brands. They all basically preach the same purpose-to tone your bottom, increase your balance and help your posture. Well, according to this article on MSN.com, the shoes actually can...

Spoiler Alert: If you read to the end of this post, you will know who went home on last night’s episode of the Biggest Loser. WOW. Tonight’s episode was explosive! (I don’t think I’ve ever used the word explosive in my life, and I’m not really sure it fits there). The fight between Melissa and Jillian and Bob, Koli and Sam vs. Michael. The heat was on last night, and it looks like next week is going to be pretty firey as well when Lance confronts Jillian about calling his wife a liar on national television. I missed the first 20 ish minutes...

I'm sure many of you have been curious about the calories you're consuming in certain foods when you go out to eat at chain restaurants. For example, how many calories are in a particular salad at Chili's or Applebees. Many of you who have wondered this, like me, have probably done what I've done: searched for the answer on Google. And if you did, this site is probably what you found: http://calorielab.com/restaurants/panera/asian-sesame-chicken-salad/33/3609 But, I like to think that I'm sharing something new and exciting with at least some of you. There are probably many sites on the Web that can tell you the number...

As I reach out and introduce myself to some of you new buddies, I see that many people are using the Wii as one of their forms of exercise. I recently got a Wii myself and do see the value in using it as a tool to lose weight and maintain weight loss. So, I thought it might be useful to find for you guys a list of some of the best fitness games for the Wii. I have the Wii Fit Plus, which really only comes with its own set of mini games, but I'm thinking about getting the...

The newsie in me always wants to look up the answers to everything. But Google can't tell me what to dinner (well, technically it can if you Google "What should I eat for dinner") when I'm out at a social event and want to stick to my diet. So instead, I'll ask you guys for some advice. Take for example tonight. Tonight I was at a chamber mixer, in a crowded room filled with networkers, alcohol and unhealthy food. Last week I started the South Beach diet, and for any of you who have done the South Beach diet, you guys know...

SPOILER ALERT: If you read to the end, you will know who went home on this episode. First a spoiler alert, now a confession. If you've been reading my blog the past few days, you know I've been feeling under the weather :( I'm told it's a 5-day head cold and I'm on day 4 now, so *crosses fingers* looks like it's the end. Last night, however, I could barely keep my eyes open long enough to watch the Biggest Loser-which is a true shame for two reasons 1.) I enjoy watching the show and 2.) I like to blog about it the...

Unless you've been living in a cave for the last several years, you've probably heard of or seen the Livestrong bracelets sold by Lance Armstrong's foundation, the proceeds going toward cancer research. The wildly popular yellow rubber bracelets are proudly worn by family members and friends of those affected by cancer. Well, since the success of these bracelets, several other causes have created spin-off rubber bracelets with their own colors, messages and meanings. Now, the cause of losing weight even has its own bracelet. It's called the PoundPuncher bracelet. The bracelet has a button that you can move depending on how much weight...

As I lie in bed and try to kick this cold (that of course had to wait and arrive on a Friday night), I'm flipping through some Web sites, looking for some motivation to hopefully get me hopping out of bed after my cold and at the gym full-force! I found this nice set of stories on MSN.com of six people who lost serious pounds by changing a few habits.   It seems that that is the real trick to weight loss-changing your habits. And these average Joes and Janes must have gotten a handle on which habits to contol. Anyways, for your viewing...

I believe there could be some (a little but some) truth to what the lady in the Taco Bell drive-hru diet commercials is saying. She probably did lose some weight by not eating all the other fast food she was eating before and instead eating off the Fresco menu at Taco Bell. That is, if she was chomping down Whoppers and Big Macs every meal. To me, her schpiel doesn't even make sense! "When I switched to the drive-thru menu instead of eating the other fast food I was eating...." How much fast food were you eating woman!? Obviously the underlying argument...

Spoiler Alert: If you read to the end, you will know who goes home. I do have to say, for some reason, I wasn't as excited about this season as I was the last season. I don't know if it's because most of the contestants are older than I am and I don't have a lot I can relate to in their lives. Or maybe I just haven't given them a fair shot yet. Let's start with their challenge: to ride a marathon on a bike split up by each teammate (couples). I was sitting on my couch wondering what would be...

I don't know about you, but I feel like the Biggest Loser just ended. But it's back and this time with couples! This season will be interesting in other ways not only because it is a couples edition, but also the shows heaviest contestant yet (I know, this happens every season) will weigh in at 500 lbs. I can't say who will be my favorite yet since I haven't seen any previews for the new season, but here is the show's list of contestants: http://www.nbc.com/the-biggest-loser/contestants/ Stay tuned for a new set of Biggest Loser recaps starting tomorrow!

If you can't be thin, dress thin? Well, it's not a permanent solution, but at least it can help you build some confidence while you really try and achieve your goals. MSN Lifestyle and Glamour magazine brings us this article about dressing to make your body look 10 lbs. thinner: http://lifestyle.msn.com/your-look/everyday-style/staticslideshowglamour.aspx?cp-documentid=23098099&gt1=32002   Some of these tips are downright fascinating to me. For instance, one of them says that if you can match your clothes (I'm assuming they mean match in color) you can look 5 lbs. thinner. Another one that intrigues me says you should wear shapely skirts-which I had always assumed would make me look...