New exercise to try...

Getting tired of lunges and squats?  It seems like all I do are lunges and squats anymore and I'm starting to wonder if they still have any effect.  As we know, we need to constantly mix up our routine to challenge our body if we want to continue to improve.

So while lunges and squats will never go out of style, here's a way to mix it up a little so that you continue to reap the benefits.

Offset Dumbbell Lunge

The benefit: Holding a weight on just one side of your body increases the demand placed on your core to keep your body stable. The result: Your hips and abs have to work harder, and you'll also improve your balance. And better yet, you'll burn tons of calories.

How to do it: Hold a dumbbell in your right hand next to your shoulder, with your arm bent [A]. Step forward with your right leg and lower your body until your right knee is bent at least 90 degrees and your left knee nearly touches the floor [B]. Push yourself back to the starting position. That's 1 rep. Do all your reps, then repeat with your left leg, while holding the weight in your left hand. (from womenshealthmag.com)

Chocolate! Nom nom nom...

I've always been a chocolate lover.  Let me guess, you too?  Who doesn't love chocolate? 

I admit to eating chocolate.  What?!?!  She eats sugar?  You may be somewhat confused after my last couple of posts and with good reason.

But, that's not the kind of chocolate I'm talking about.  I'm talking about dark chocolate.  You know, the good kind.  Well, at least the kind that is good for you.  See, not all chocolate is created equal.  There's dark, white, bittersweet, milk, semisweet, unsweetened...

Dark chocolate is the only chocolate that can be considered healthy.  In fact, it has numerous health benefits.  It's been shown to lower blood pressure and cholesterol.  It improves circulation to the brain helping with cognitive function.  It's loaded with antioxidants which destroy harmful chemicals such as those involved in aging processes.  (You mean chocolate can keep us looking younger, could it be?) 

Dark chocolate is also high in vitamins and minerals.  It helps reduce insulin resistance, protecting us from diabetes.  It even contains a compound that has been shown to harden tooth enamel, protecting us from cavities.

With all of this evidence, why aren't we eating more dark chocolate?  Truth is, for most people it is a refined taste.  Honestly, I never used to like dark chocolate.  I was a milk chocolate fan all the way until a few months ago when I made some adjustments to my diet.  The less refined sugar I ate, the less I wanted.  Milk chocolate began tasting too sweet.  At first dark chocolate tasted bitter but the more I tried it, the more I enjoyed it. 

So when my sweet tooth hits, as it sometimes does, I subdue it with dark chocolate.  And my favorite way to do that is with dark chocolate covered almonds or dark chocolate covered bananas.  They are so easy to make and if you freeze your chocolate covered bananas you can always have some on hand.  I like to chop the banana into bite sized pieces, melt the chocolate, dip the bananas pieces into chocolate and then freeze them.  You can't go wrong with that dessert.  And, did I mention it's good for you?  :)

Just a quick note: chocolate is high in calories so remember to use portion control.  Also, choose a dark chocolate that has a high cacao content (65% or higher).

Great ab exercises!

If you see me at the gym, you'll see me doing some of these:

You can't say you haven't been warned.

I found this to go along with last weeks blog:

Sugar, delicious sugar...

So here it is 3pm and I'm starting to feel sleepy and I have the munchies.  Sound familiar?  Usually, this hits a while after I've eaten dessert.  And, today I have not had anything sweet to eat!  (P.S. I'm working really hard to cut the extra sugar out of my diet.  And it has been rough!)

But anyway, I was reading an article about hidden sugar in food and realized I DID have sugar although not from the most obvious sources like cookies, candy, or juice.  I had bbq sauce on the chicken that I ate for lunch.  Looking at the nutritional information I understand what's to blame for my afternoon energy crash.  The first three ingredients are sugar (no hfcs though).  Wow!  (No wonder it tastes so good lol)

Research shows that nearly a quarter of our daily caloric intake-- 325 calories on average-- comes from sweets like baked goods, desserts, soda and fruit juices.  A.K.A. Sugar!

If you that that afternoon Snicker's is harmless think again:  1.  Eating too much sugar can stoke your appetite rather than satisfy it, and 2. it can even become addictive!  Fortunately, with a little determination you can kick the sugar habit.  I've tested a theory that it takes 5 days to completely lost the craving.  The first day is torture, the second hell, the third is rough but it gets better from there.  By the end of the 5th day you won't even have a taste for that sumptuous chocolate cake that used to call your name.  Word of warning: It's one thing for your body to crave it, another is your mind telling you that you want it.  You have to exercise self control too.  But if increased appetite and addiction isn't enough, think about those extra calories adding up to extra pounds.

You can find anything on the internet!

Just found the most exciting exercise tool ever!  (Thank you pinterest.com.  By the way, if you haven't checked out pinterest.com I am going to warn you: I love it!  And I'm addicted to it!)

Basically, this is a website that lets you choose the area of your body that you want to improve and it shows you specific exercises you can do to target that area.  I've checked it out and I already think it's the greatest thing ever!  No more hesitation over what exercises I'm going to be doing at the gym.  Enjoy!

http://www.divine.ca/en/health/exercise-finder/c_266/

Is it really 2012 already?!?!?!

Wow, have I been slacking with this blog.  It's not that I stopped exercising- more that the holidays hit.  Busy, busy, busy...  Besides, I didn't think you would appreciate me writing this while munching on Christmas cookies.

So here we are almost three months later.  Wow!  Has it been that long already?  I went on my cruise and then quickly transistioned into the holidays.  I guess it's obvious that I didn't stick to my 1500cal diet. 

Just when I had become accustomed to 1500cals I ditched it and now I can't seem to get back into it.  I'm trying but it's been rough.  At least there aren't cookies everywhere I turn anymore. 

Since I have been able to keep up my exercising 4-5 days a week my focus is going to be back on my diet.  I found I really enjoyed the vegetable and lean protein plan.  I'm not against carbs and I do eat them.  But when I do it's always whole grains and they certainly don't constitute much of my diet.  And I find I feel better that way. 

I expect to suffer a little bit these first few weeks.  After everything that I've eaten the last three months- ugh, don't even like to thing about it- my taste buds crave sweet, salty and indulgent. 

Even so I'm ready to feel good again.  If I learned anything from my previous exercise experience it is that- what you eat really makes a difference in how you feel.  Not so much emotionally but physically.  When I'm eating healthfully I have more energy and more interest in keeping with it.  My body also functions better- less tired, less irritable and less bloated (yes, I did just say that lol).

Now that I'm back on track I'll keep you updated as I move forward.  My overall goal is still to lose that stubborn body fat that lurks in certain trouble spots.  I've made a lot of progress but I still want more so here I go...  I'm headed to the grocery store to load up on veggies and lean protein.  Look for me later today at the gym.  I'll be hitting the weights.