Confession of a Fitness Fashion Victim

Do you worry about how you look when you work out?  I don't.  You don't either, right?

Turns out, we're in the minority.  Many women equate the yoga studio or pilates class as a bamboo-covered runway to show off their latest workout fashion finds.

Don't believe me?  The popularity of Lululemon and Nike activewear is so lucrative that other fashion designers are getting into fashion/fitness game.  Tory Burch wants to do a golf line while H&M is launching its H&M Sport line.

I realized I was the fitness fashion victim during a yoga class at exhale recently.  I was wearing tattered, 7-year old leggings from Target and an old Texas Rangers t-shirt I had scored during a Rangers/Astros series in 2012. Frankly, working in sports I score so many free t-shirts that I didn't buy workout clothes.

The offensive T-shirt

That is changing.  During this particular class, I felt like I was wearing a plaid shirt and Doc Martens amidst couture clad yogis.

I always equated workout wear as an unnecessary expense, thinking my shorts and t-shirts would do just fine.  I'm wrong.  There is also some functionality to activewear.  Shirts with a banded waist won't ride up and expose my stomach while I'm trying to do a headstand.  Longer pants can help with crow pose to keep sweaty legs from slipping on my forearms.

After doing some legwork, I found adorable and affordable activewear options:

C9 by Champion Women's Mesh Cami Tank

I bought this cami tank top at Target and LOVE it.  It doesn't expose my stomach when I am doing crazy yoga poses and the built-in bra is pretty supportive.  Double bonus?  It's only $18.39! 

C9 by Champion Reversible Capri Tight

C9 by Champion offers some adorable tights that are reversible.  It's like two pairs of leggings in one.

Nike Principle 2.0 Dry-Fit Jacket

Over the years, I have accumulated a nice collection of Nike jackets.  These have a fashionable slim fit and do a good job of keeping you warm.  I have had this pink one going on five years.  It has withstood numerous long runs AND bad t-shirts.  At $58.50, it's a worthwhile investment.

AND you can support a team you love while working out or running around town and look fashionable in the process.  Look at what I found:

Texas Rangers Signature Fleece Hoodie

Dallas Cowboys Fleece Shorts 

I'm still on the hunt for cute Stars & Mavs workout gear.  If you find some, please let me know! 

Diet Tip #16: Learn How Many Calories You Should Be Eating Daily

Even if you hate math and numbers you should have a decent working knowledge of calories and how many calories you should be eating.  It's not that hard.  There are calculators galore to help you.

What is a calorie?
A calorie, technically, is 4.18400 joules, you could round it up to 4.19.  In English?  It's the amount of energy required to raise one gram of water by one degree Celsius.

As it relates to nutrition, calories refer to energy consumption through eating and drinking and energy usage through physical activity.  Think of it as the amount of energy you get from eating something.

Different types of food have different calorie counts:

• Fats have nine calories per gram 
• Carbohydrates and proteins have four calories per gram 
• Alcohol has seven calories per gram

How many calories should you be eating daily? 
This is different for every person.  It's important to know how many you need so you can plan your eating strategy for the day and week.

Determining how many you need can be a complex formula but there are calculators to help you do it.   Woo-Hoo! Try this one.  It's easy.

For me, I need about 2200 calories per day to maintain my weight.  If you want to lose weight, enter your desired weight in the weight category.  So, if I wanted to lose 10 pounds, I would need about 2100 calories a day to do that.  That's not a big difference.

If I wanted to drop 1-2 pounds per week, I would reduce my calorie consumption by about 500 calories per day.

See?  Easy math!

Super Bowl XLVIII Party Prices: Be Ready to Pay to Play

We have heard how high the going rates are for hotel rooms in the New York City area for individuals interested in watching the Seahawks and Broncos play in Super Bowl XLVIII.

The late Deacon Jones & I at a Super Bowl XLV party

Let me let you in on a little Super Bowl secret: the game is almost secondary to the parties, people-watching and playin', if you know what I mean.

I received an offer to purchase tickets to some Super Bowl XLVIII parties recently and almost gagged at the sticker shock.

ESPN's NEXT Party
Want to party with ESPN celebs and professional athletes along with the women and men who love to jocksniff them?

Then the ESPN The Magazine's NEXT Party on Friday, January 31st might be for you.

Here's the invitation:
Join top athletes and celebrities for the VIP-only launch of ESPN The Magazine's NEXT issue, showcasing an elite group of emerging athletes to watch in 2014. If you prefer mingling with some of the most fashionable models and stars, check out the hottest party of the weekend, hosted by Maxim magazine. Featuring headline performances and DJs at both events, it all adds up to an unforgettable weekend!

Tickets to this bash at Basketball City on the Lower East Side are $1,100 per person and include "host bar, hors d'oeuvres, live music and a headliner performance". 

The Maxim Magazine Party 

What would a sporting event be with a Maxim Magazine party?  On February 1st, partygoers can mix and mingle with some of the hottest d-bags in the city.  Okay, that's a little harsh but....it's true.

To hang with a Maxim girl it will cost you a bit more than an ESPN celeb.  Tickets to the Central Park party are $1,200 per person and include "host bar, hors d'oeuvres, live music and a headliner performance". 

Both of those descriptions are pretty generic-sounding, aren't they? 

Understandably prices are higher in the NYC area for everything.  I get that.  Still, would you pay that much for a Super Bowl party?  Have you? 

Diet Tip #14: Go Green One Night a Week with 7 Easy Veggie Dinner Ideas

Or red or purple or orange, whatever color floats your boat.

One night a week have a vegetable-based dinner.  That's it!  It's so much easier and more delicious than you think.

We know we need to eat more vegetables but we don't do it.  This gets you in the habit.

Stumped on what to make?  Here are some ideas:

• Spaghetti squash with tomatoes, garlic, olive oil and basil.
• A veggie-based soup - I love my kale, lentil & sweet potato.
• A mish-mash of steamed vegetables - broccoli, sweet potato, cauliflower, brussel sprouts....you get the idea.  Top with any seasoning you like. 
• A huge veggie salad - use a dark lettuce and go wild creating a big vegetable mix featuring onions, tomatoes, avocado, carrots, celery, beets, mushrooms, olives, artichoke hearts, whatever rocks your veggie world.
• Steamed cauliflower with mustard - I could eat this as a meal almost every day.
• Deep dish polenta pizza, recipe courtesy of Cooking Light. 
• Eggplant Mexicano, recipe courtesy of Readers' Digest. 

Diet Tip #13: Nix the Artificial Sweetener

You might think you're doing yourself a favor using artificial sweeteners to make your favorite beverages sweeter. You're not.  Not only are you ingesting fake crap, you might also be making yourself fatter.

Studies show that artificial sweeteners stimulate your appetite and can increase your cravings for carbs.

So what can you do?  Nix the fake sweet stuff.  Don't replace it with sugar just nix it.  Have your coffee or tea without sweetener.  Novel concept, right?

I pitched this idea to a friend looking to lose weight and she asked "But how can I sweeten my drinks?"

My advice?  Let your appetite mature.  We're no longer children.  We don't need sweet drinks, sweet tea, sweet juices or sweet coffee all the time.  Once in a blue moon?  Fine.  Every day.  No.

Once your taste buds get accustomed to coffee with milk or naturally brewed tea without sweetener, fake or real, you will cringe at the taste of the pink, blue or even the yellow stuff.

You won't miss it all.  Promise.

Diet Tip #12: Don't Diet to Lose Weight

Mediterranean Diet Pyramid/Courtesy OldwaysSpt.org

If you're looking for an overall approach to eating, try the Mediterranean Diet.  It's so easy to adopt and a realistic way to eat, not diet, for a lifetime.

To succeed at losing weight, don't diet. 

What does this mean?  First and foremost, studies show that if you do radical changes to lose weight in a short period of time, you're probably going to fail.

Instead, adopt a different approach to eating.  Simple as that.  A quick change will not result in longterm weight loss.  Focus on making smart food decisions that your grandmother told you to do:

• Eat more vegetables and fruits
• Limit the amount of sugar and processed foods you consume 
• If you can't pronounce, don't eat it
• Don't drink your calories water and herbal tea are your friends

This is all easy to do.  You can still enjoy your favorite indulgences (cheese fries, pizza, hamburgers) once or twice a week, not once or twice a day. 

Diet Tip #11: Eat Vegetables as Snacks

For some reason, I was starving at 10am today.  Maybe because I didn't have much dinner Wednesday night but even after a substantial 7am breakfast my stomach was growling only three hours later.

It's easy to fall into the trap of a carbohydrate rich snack.  Vending machines offer them and they're more convenient to grab and go.  I love crackers as much as the next person but they're not a good diet staple.

We also know that our diets need to include more vegetables and fruits.  Snacking is a perfect time to incorporate them into your diet.  Vegetables might take a few more minutes to prepare but the payoff is worth it.

Here are some easy snack ideas to satisfy your appetite AND get more vegetables into your diet:

Edamame

• Edamame - okay it's a soybean but it's green....and not crackers.  It's actually what I had for a snack today at 10am. 
• Baby carrots with hummus 
• Red bell peppers and hummus - a perfect snack match 
• Raw cucumber slices - don't knock these until you try them, they're delicious.  You could eat the cucumber whole.  Be prepared to be the butt of a few jokes, though. 
• Celery with any type of dip or topping - salsa, greek yogurt with spices or topped with peanut butter and raisins (LOVE ants on a log) 
• Raw or lightly steamed broccoli with salsa - another one of my favorite snacks

Diet Tip #10: Use Your Non-Dominant Hand

This simple diet trick is along the lines of putting your fork down between bites and is just as effective.

What is it?

Use your non-dominant hand when you eat.  If you're right-handed use your left hand and vice versa.  It's much harder than you would think.

Using your non-dominant hand forces you to eat more slowly, something which is proven to help you lose weight.  A study by TCU determined that those who eat slowly consume 88 fewer calories than speed eaters.  That's not a ton per meal but over time....there's a theme here....it adds up.

The Takeaway
Use your non-dominant hand while you're eating and while you're at it, put down your fork between bites.  This won't take away from the enjoyment of the meal.  On the contrary, eating slowly will likely enhance the experience.

Diet Tip #9: The 2-Bite Rule in Restaurants

Are you a member of the clean plate club?  I was for years.  At dinner my parents consistently told me to clean my plate, regardless of my hunger level.

Don't leave your plates empty

Sure, there was some "eat your vegetables" thinking in that directive but so many of us were told to finish everything on our plates as children.  That thinking has subconsciously carried over into adulthood and we now feel compelled to eat everything put in front of us.  At least I do.

Today's diet tip: when you go out to eat, leave at least two bites of your restaurant entree on your plate.  That's it. Most restaurant portions are too big to start.  You could really get away with asking them to bag half of your dish at the beginning of meal, that IS if you're ordering an entree. You know I am a fan of ordering two appetizers in restaurants.

Leave a few bites, better yet take half of this home

Anyway, if you order a big entree leave two bites on the plates.  It's just a few calories but it adds up over time. And remember: put down that fork between bites.

All of these tactics are incredibly effective.

Is Your Salad Making You Fat?

We have the best intentions when we make a salad or order one in a restaurant. We think we're being virtuous ordering those greens with a bit of cheese and a few croutons.  How about some bacon bits and ranch dressing? Before you know it you have a salad on your plate that has more calories and saturated fat than a hamburger.

You can get fat eating salads. Really. If you add creamy salad dressing, cheese, nuts, dried fruit, croutons and bacon bits, you're adding hundred, if not thousand, of calories. Dr. Oz warns us of the fat salad, too, claiming that some women get half their daily calories from salad dressing.  Salad dressing = the emptiest of calories.

Okay, so how do you avoid the fat salad? Simple. Don't use that nasty salad dressing from a bottle or the fattening dressings they offer in restaurants. When I was fat, I lived on fat-free salad dressing.

Use salsa, balsamic vinegar or olive oil with a bit of salt and lemon as your dressing. Simple as that. (Tweet this).

Other Things to Nix
While we're at it, forgo the croutons and bacon. They are both empty calories. And if you're going to have cheese, have a flavorful one so that you need less of it. No cheddar or Monterey Jack. Have some feta, blue cheese or goat cheese. These all add a lot of flavor without a lot of calories.

Feta cheese

The Takeaway

• Don't eat bottled or restaurant salad dressing. Use salsa, vinegar (I love balsamic) or olive oiul & lemon. 
• Nix the croutons, bacon bits and bland cheese. 
• Opt for flavorful cheese, if you must have it, like feta, blue cheese or goat cheese. Just a bit to add some complexity.  

Want More Smart, Simple Diet Tips?

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Exhale Spa's Core Fusion Cardio Barre Class Review

exhale spa co-founder Elisabeth Halfpapp, center

What is Core Fusion Cardio Barre? 

The cardio portion of Core Fusion Cardio Barre

It is a one-hour strengthening and fat-burning class that sculpts your muscles and gets your heart rate up. It was created for the busy person who wants to get a full body toning and cardiovascular workout simultaneously.

The class begins with 30 minutes of exhale's signature plank runs and other heart-pumping moves followed by a short recovery period.  After the cardio session comes full-body toning moves with light weights, as well as your own body weight.  The toning portion incorporates yoga moves and has dance influences.

Friends, it's a workout.  There were moments during the hour-long class that my legs were shaking, my heart was racing and I was praying for strength.  Those are all good things, though.   It has helped me rediscover tiny muscles I didn't know I had.  The feeling you get from working those minuscule muscles is uniquely different than lifting heavy weights.  It's an overall sense of having worked, in a good way.

The class ends with a solid stretch, something many of us sacrifice for the sake of time.

"The really important part is stretching at the end," exhale co-founder Elisabeth Halfpapp told me.  "We work really intense and we want to have the strength and flexibility component as well as the cardio and strengthening."

What's the Burn Factor? 

I know a lot of us are about the numbers.  How many calories do we torch in this class?

"We had Self magazine track the burn for us," Halfpapp told me after I took her class in December.  "On average it's 375 calories per hour, give a little bit, depending on body weight and your BMI (body mass index)."   

"What's amazing is that you're not only burning calories in class but because we're gaining muscle density, it (muscle density) needs more calories to function and you're burning more calories at rest." 

The Takeaway 

Cardio Fusion Cardio Barre is a challenge.  While I was completely spent after the class, I wasn't terribly sore the next day.  This class can transform your physique using your own body weight or lighter hand weights which can result in that lean, sinewy look.  Do it consistently and certain body parts will get that desired "lift"...no scalpel needed.

 

*Classes were offered on a complimentary basis for review purposes. The opinions are completely my own and based on my experience. For more information, please visit exhalespa.com.

Diet Tip #6: Wear Tight Clothing to Eat Less

Are you someone who doesn't have an "off switch" when it comes to food?  I am.  I could eat an entire head of broccoli dipped in queso (weird, I know), a jumbo bag of Lay's original potato chips or a basket of gourmet cookies in one sitting.  I am a recovering fat girl and could easily be one again if I wasn't vigilant about making quality food choices.

One of the most effective tips I've ever used when trying to eat less and engage that "off switch" is to wear tight clothing.

Stick with me.

I am not talking hoochie clothes.  I am referring to clothing that has a waistband or certain rigidity to it so that it will be constricting if you overindulge in food.

When you wear stretchy pants, flowing moo-moos or other loose-fitting clothing your waistline can expand if you eat too much.  There's a reason you see people in sweatpants at the all-you-can-eat buffets.

The Takeaway

SPANX High Power Shaping Brief

If you're in situation in which you will be presented with copious amounts of food, try tightening up.  Wear form-fitting pants, a slim-cut jacket, an a-line skirt or your SPANX.  You won't be comfortable eating a lot and you'll feel better about yourself for not doing so.

This tip works. Try it.

 

Diet Tip #5: Lose Weight by Eating A Good Breakfast

Green smoothie

I know we start the day with the best intentions, then happy hour rolls around and we've had two margaritas, a bowl of queso and a taco.  Or at least I have.

So if we wake up with good intentions to eat healthfully throughout the course of the day, take advantage of it and eat a quality breakfast.  Study after study shows that eating a well-balanced breakfast starts your day on the right note, helps you concentrate better and gives you more energy.  Breakfast doesn't have to be a huge ordeal.  Just make it a nutrient-filled offering that honors your intentions.

The finished product!

When I was fat, I avoided breakfast, thinking I would "save calories".  I would wind up hungry and binge later in the day.  Every now and then I'll skip breakfast but most days, I get in a green smoothie.  If I'm hungrier, I'll eat something more substantial.

My green smoothie features almond milk, a banana, spinach or kale, dark berries and chia seeds or flax seeds.  If all else fails the rest of the day and I eat nothing but cheese fries, I know that I will have at least consumed some healthy vegetables and fruit to get the day going.

Other quick & easy breakfast recipes: 

• Quick oatmeal (NOT sugar-laden instant) with a variety of toppings - apples, berries, banana, dried apricots, etc.  Top with some peanut butter and cinnamon.  Delicious. 
• A veggie and egg white omelet with a side of berries - again, takes all of five minutes to prepare. 
• Hard boiled eggs with salsa - don't knock it till you've tried it.  Hard boiled eggs are an easy make-ahead item. 
• A high-fiber cereal with some berries or a banana - a 2005 Harvard Health study indicated that high fiber cereals can help men reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, stroke, intestinal polyps and colon caner.  Look for a cereal with at least six grams of fiber per serving and is low in sugar.  Fiber One and All Bran are solid choices.  (A friend of mine calls these "colon blow"...that's another story) 

Personally, I tend to binge on cereal and am rarely satiated by it.  For some, it works.  Me?  Not so much.

Eating on the run?  Here are four breakfast options:

• Starbucks Feta and Spinach Wrap - one of my favorite breakfast items clocking in at 290 calories, 10 grams fat, 3.5 sat fat, 4 grams sugar, 19 grams protein.  
• Starbucks Classic Whole Grain Oatmeal - forgo the brown sugar they give you. This weighs in at 160 calories, 4 grams of fiber & 0 grams of sugar.  Adding nuts and raisins will affect these numbers. 
• McDonald's Fruit & Maple Oatmeal - nix the cranberry/raisin blend and light cream to get it down to 200 calories and only 16 grams of sugar.  
• Dunkin' Donuts Egg White Flatbread - 280 calories, 8 grams fat, 3 gram sat fat, 18 grams protein, 4 grams sugar.

The Takeaway

Get that good food in your stomach first thing on most mornings.  Your body (and waistline) will thank you later in the day. 

Daily Diet Tip #4: How High-Volume Foods Help You Lose Weight

To drop pounds, pump up the volume.  Not the volume of your music but the volume of your food.  Think fiber and water.

Fiber is your best diet friend.  It is bulkier and makes you feel full on less food.  Foods with a high water content offer the same benefit.

Wonderful Watermelon/Courtesy Watermelon.org

A cup of watermelon has 46 calories, according to TheDailyPlate.  One big, oatmeal cookie from, say, Starbucks (which I love) has 220 calories.  The watermelon is also a better choice from a nutritional standpoint versus the cookie which offers little nutritional value.  I usually can't stop at a cup, so have two cups for dessert.  That's still less than 100 calories and after two to three cups of a watermelon, you're probably pretty full.  One cookie?  It's not all that satiating.

The Starbucks Oatmeal Cookie/Courtesy Starbucks

The watermelon for cookie is an easy swap.  What else can you do?

Fill up on a big bowl of broth-based soup as an appetizer, go light on the cheese, breaded items, etc.  Too hot for soup?  Go for a veggie-laden salad.  Again, nix the croutons, heavy cheese, bacon bits and creamy dressings.

The Science
There is data behind this.  According to Women's Health Magazine, a study at Penn State University examined obese women who ate foods with a higher fiber and water content.  Those women lost 40% more weight than women who simply controlled their portion size and cut back on fat.

In another Penn State study, women ate the same weight of food over a 2-day period.  The women who ate the high-fiber foods on the second day took in 30% fewer calories but did NOT feel hungrier or less full.

The Takeaway
Think about it.  When you eat soup before dinner, you get full faster.  It's a simple matter of volume.

Here is a great list of high-volume foods (aka high-fiber, low-calorie) from the American College of Healthcare Sciences.  Definitely worth your time.

And The Best Diet Award Goes To......

The DASH Diet, according to U.S. News & World Report.

How the DASH Diet works
Courtesy NLHBI

In its fourth annual Best Diet rankings, U.S. News & World Report says the DASH Diet is a dashing success because it's healthy and helps prevent diabetes and heart disease.  Experts deemed Weight Watchers the best diet for weight loss and determined it's the easiest to follow as well as the best among all the "commercial plans".

A delicious Mediterranean Diet meal

The Mediterranean Diet, my personal favorite, earned top honors among Plant-Based Diets and tied for third overall behind DASH and TLC Diet. 

As for the most-Googled diet of 2013, the Paleo Diet?  It tied for last place with the Dukan Diet, the popular program offered by French doctor Pierre Dukan.  

What exactly is the DASH Diet? 

A day on DASH
Courtesy NHLBI

The goal of this plan is to lower blood pressure.  Based on the foods you consume, a nice side effect is weight loss.  The plan is lower in saturated fat, cholesterol and total fat.  

Here is a 64-page FREE PDF that explains the diet in-depth, offers an extensive meal plan and recipes by the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute which helped develop the DASH Diet.   

In general you would eat the following: 

• Fruits, vegetables as well as fat-free or low-fat dairy products. 
• Whole grains, fish, poultry, beans, seeds and nuts. 
• Little sweets, added sugars, sugary beverages and red meat. 

The DASH Diet Takeaway

It's a logical, plant-heavy eating plan that has you eating foods you know you're supposed to consume.  There's no secret.  It's good, solid common "eating" sense.  

Daily Diet Tip #3: Eat Dessert, Just Not All of It

Neiman Marcus Red Velvet Rose Cake

This is one of those "well, duh" diet tips but it's one we tend to follow in theory, rather than at the table.

Go ahead and eat the rich, decadent dessert but don't eat all of it.  Eat only three bites.  You don't need every last bite of the key lime pie, chocolate cherry bundt cake or (in my case) Baklava Ice Cream Cake from Ziziki's.

This is how it works:

1. Order dessert or, if you're at home, put it on the table.  Make the presentation nice.  
2. Take a normal-size bite. 
3. Put down your fork.  Remember that one? 
4. Slowly savor your dessert. 
5. Repeat steps 2 through 5 two more times.
6. After your third bite, put down the fork for good and push away the plate.
7. Enjoy what you just had and be proud of the fact you didn't gorge.

 Studies show that the first and last bites are the most rewarding. 

That's it!  It works.  Try it the next time you go out to eat or make dessert at home.  It's a truly effective method to lose weight or maintain your hard-earned weight loss.

Try This Trick When Dining Out Diet to Help You Lose Weight

Heading to a nice dinner this weekend to continue your New Year's celebration?  You can still maintain your 2014 weight loss resolution and enjoy your evening out with this simple tip that has helped me drop more than 50 pounds and keep it off for more than a decade.

What is it?  When it comes to ordering your food, think two....appetizers that is.  Order an appetizer, salad, soup or side as your, well, appetizer and another appetizer as your entree.

We know that restaurant portions are way too big.  Appetizer portions are just about right and, many times, more interesting than entree offerings.  If your dining companion is eating a full entree with side items, have a bite or two.  It's much more fun to share AND you won't miss the extra calories of a full portion.

Here are some real world examples:

Al Biernat's Menu

Al Biernat's is one of my favorite splurge spots.  When I was pregnant, I ate an entire order of their fabulous macaroni & cheese AND au gratín potatoes.  In one sitting.  Yep.  It was heaven.  I digress.  They have a diverse starter and salad menu.  Here are a few "healthier dinner" options:

• Mozzarella, Amelia's Farm Tomato, Avocado, Basil, Balsamic Demi salad to start followed by Steamed P.E.I. Mussels & Littleneck Clams in White Wine (my personal favorite)
• Soup of the Day followed by Teriyaki Marinated Natural Texas Quail, Roasted Mushrooms & Pickled Ginger
• Baked Goat Cheese, Portabella Mushrooms & Sweet Garlic with Al's Salad (another favorite).  

I employ this approach consistently at Al Biernat's and am always satisfied.  Al's is wonderful but not something we can afford to do every week. 

Let's look at a place like Hillstone (which I still call Houston's).   I actually order two side items every time I visit: the kale salad along with black beans and rice.  It's one of my favorite meals and, at $12, is a substantial and healthy option.  Here are some others: 

• Focaccia bread plate followed by the Grilled Artichoke. 
• Couscous and seasonal vegetables, ordered together.     

Craving Italian?  Maggiano's Little Italy, anyone?  They have a ton of great options: 

Courtesy Maggiano's Little Italy

• You could start with one of their side items like that Asparagus, Spinach or Broccolini (ask them to go light on the oil) and have the side order of Angel Hair Aglio Olio as an entree
• Tuscan Chicken Sausage & Orzo Soup followed by the Tomato Caprese salad.
• Bruschetta followed by the Jumbo Lump Crabcakes
• Start with Stuffed Mushrooms and have the Chicken & Roasted Pepper Flatbread

These are just examples.  You get the idea.  Try this approach once or twice and you'd be surprise at how you won't miss an entree when you dine out.  

Double Bonus?  This approach is friendlier on the wallet.  Eating sides and appetizers is normally less expensive than eating entrees.

Interestingly, I examined restaurants like Applebee's and Chili's.  Their appetizer options were consistently fried or cheese-filled items.  In this instance, it would make sense to stick with an entree from their "light" menu or a salad (hold the dressing - eat with salsa or vinegar) and enjoy one of those items.  The portions are still big, so I suggest taking some of it home.

And, remember, put that fork down between every bite.

Thank you for reading!  Have a great weekend. 

The Top Diet Trends for 2014

I hate diets.  Okay, that's a lie.  I like learning about them.  

Truthfully speaking, we're all on "diets".  Webster defines the word "diet" as "the food or drink regularly consumed".  See.  We're all on diets. 

The thing is you can consume a healthful diet or a crappy one.  Why not go healthy?  It's much easier to take your medicine in the form of great food that is full of nutrients than it is to take expensive medicine in the form of pills in effort to treat some obesity-related illness.

Remember: it's easier to prevent disease than it is to treat it.  Think about that.  

Okay, on to the fun stuff.  What is on the nutritional experts radar this year?  Today's Dietitian surveyed more than 500 registered dietitians to find out and determined the 14 top diet trends for 2014.  Ancient grains like quinoa that will continue to be cool.  Woo-hoo.  

Quinoa salad

Here is a snippet of the top diet scoop you'll talking about, hearing about and eating in 2014: 

1. The no-wheat movement: consumers will continue to nix the wheat and adopt Paleo (the most Googled diet of 2013, btw), gluten-free or "wheat belly" diets in 2014. 
2. Add kale, coconut or chia seeds: throw it them in a smoothie.  You know we love this.  
3. Low fat no more: thank God.  Dietitians think that the "low fat diet" will be the least discussed in 2014. Low carb remains strong.  For the record, I got fat eating low fat. 
4. Fruits and veggies are the way to go: did we really need dietitians to tell us this?  You know my thoughts on the thing.  Go Mediterranean or go home. 

So, really, the "top diet trends" of 2014 aren't all that new.  It's still basic, common sense advice that our grandmothers gave us: eat your fruits and vegetables, hold off on the sugar, don't eat too much and get outside to play.  

Sounds like a good plan if you ask me!

Have a wonderful 2014!  Make it your best year yet.

The Biggest Diet News of 2013

I feel like diet news is nothing new.  We all know what we need to do, right?

• Eat real food: fruits, veggies, nuts, fish
• Avoid the fake stuff loaded with sugar, white flour and processed crap 
• Move more  

We know all this.  To paraphrase Nike: we just don't do it.

I'm right there with ya.  The season of holiday indulgence has left me with little extra muffin top and we're not even through Christmas!

Still there is always a new discovery or scientific data that might have us rethinking our approach to a healthful diet.

Health magazine (which is FABULOUS) profiled the "15 Biggest Diet and Weight Loss Stories of 2013."

Some of the Interesting Ones: 
Make sleep a major priority - Researchers at UT Southwestern Med Center determined that not enough sleep causes us to eat more and gain weight.  Think about it.  You just crave crap when you're sleep-deprived.

I am also hearing from more and more women that sleep is their "secret weapon" to staying beautiful.  {Shameless Plug Alert: Check out my new website TheBestBeautySecrets.com}.

Ditch the Diet Stuff - fake sweeteners might make you crave sugar even more.

Anti-inflammatory foods

Fight the Flame - focus on anti-inflammatory plant-based foods.  "Anti-inflammation is the key to disease protection, regardless of weight."  This is big news and might explain why some overweight adults remain healthy. What are anti-inflammatory foods?  All the stuff you think: fatty fish, dark leafy greens, berries, nuts.  Think colors of the rainbow.

The Takeaway
This is a great read if you're gearing up for "getting back on the wagon" in 2014.

I say, though, why wait?  Start now.

If you make plant-based foods a mainstay of your diet and indulge moderately (better said: when it's REALLY worth it) you can fit back into your skinny jeans on New Year's Eve....and won't have to start 2014 on a crash diet.

The best way to do this?  Adopt a Mediterranean approach to eating.  It works.

Why I'm a Working Mom Who Is NOT Guilty

Having gone through a wonderful professional transformation recently, I have had too many conversations to recount as to what my career change means for the time I spend with my daughter.

In short, now that I am working for myself, I have more control over my time.  My days and nights are not ruled by breaking news and sports schedules.  Unlike before, I am able to enjoy nights, holidays and weekends with her but I am busier than ever and loving it.

When I mention that to friends and colleagues they are shocked.

Thanksgiving 2013

"Didn't you want to spend more time with your daughter?" they ask.

"Sure, but I'm still working," I respond.

"Why?"

That simple question leads to lengthy discussions of career goals, working motherhood and choices.

Simply put, I enjoy working and love my "job".  Granted, having been a fulltime sportscaster for almost 20 years, I have had more fun on the job in one day than most people have throughout their careers.  Now that I am consulting for great clients like D&M Leasing and the Dallas Cowboys, the work is just as rewarding.

I am happiest when I am productive.  As a mother, I value the fact that I provide for my family and am setting an example for her.  The income I am able to contribute to our family enables us to travel and have experiences we wouldn't otherwise be able to enjoy.

I believe if more working mothers adopted this philosophy there would be less "guilt dialog".

Paris 2013

I am asked about feeling guilty.  Candidly, I haven't had an ounce.

Okay.  Check that.  It sucked when I had to miss her first birthday celebration in 2012 because a colleague called in sick and I had to work late on a Wednesday to do the 10pm news.  Sure, I missed the celebration that night but that weekend, we had an even better celebration that lasted two days.

Beyond that, there has been no guilt.  None.  In fact, I feel guilty when I am not working.  I want my daughter to realize that anyone, man or woman, can accomplish his or her goals through perseverance, hard work and dedication.  I want her to realize that she can achieve what she wants by working for it.  Trust me, I'm a testament to it.  Can you imagine the shock in 1992 when I told my parents I wanted to study to be a sportscaster?  Blank stares.

That's not to say working for an employer or running a business is right for every parent.  I have many friends who are fulfilled being at home fulltime, running their households and taking care of their families.  It works for them and that's fabulous.

The concept, though, of every working parent, particularly mothers, sitting at the office and saddled with guilt is false. There are plenty of us who are content balancing the challenges and rewards of working, being a parent AND taking time for ourselves.

We are out there.

And loving every minute of it.

People Your Age Are on Instagram?!?!? Yes, We Are.

"People your age are on Instagram?!?!?!" asked the 13-year in front of me.

"How old do you think I am?" I asked a bit too aggressively, fighting my reporter's urge to raise me voice another decibel.

"I'm just kidding," I awkwardly said trying to soften the exchange.

She couldn't imagine someone my age (ugh) taking selfies.  I would argue that my approach to Instagram goes beyond the selfie or picture of my latest manicure but a recent review of my profile might prove otherwise.

I digress.

People my age ARE on Instagram

I was speaking to a group of smart 8th graders at a local middle school for Career Day.  My focus was TV/Print/Radio/Web and the opportunities that the evolving media industry presents.

Some of the entrepreneurial teens were already making a career for themselves blogging, posting videos on YouTube and earning advertising revenue for their efforts.

Even more interesting was their social media habits. I asked the approximately 90 students about their social media consumption.  Across the board, they were on Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat.

When I asked them about Facebook.  Crickets.

A small sample size, yes, but my informal poll reiterates what experts are finding in much more scientific studies. Twitter is a young person's game and Facebook is for people, um, my age.  

Facebook acknowledged as much in their recent earnings report that it was seeing a "decrease in daily users, specifically among teens."

A recent study from comScore illustrates this.

The numbers are even more interesting when you look at the mobile usage numbers. 

Twitter has a larger share of younger users up to the age of about 24.

Teens and young people are also going messenger app crazy.  Platforms like WhatsApp, KakaoTalk and WeChat are gaining ground.

Scared yet?

Why Should You and Your Business Care? 
You know you need to be in the social media game, right?  You know you need to be Tweeting about product launches, sharing news germane to your industry and more, right?  You understand that your social media efforts are, many times, the first line of communication with your target customer, yes?

Well now you gotta really be in the game to connect with those tweens, teens and young professionals.

Scared now?

Don't be.  First and foremost you need to be where your customers are.  What demographic does your business focus on and appeal to?  That needs to be your main focus.

Does your business cater to women 35 and older, then Facebook and LinkedIn might be better suited for your content marketing campaign.  Trying to connect with kids?  Get on Twitter.

Confused by where to go to reach your target audience?  Don't be.  The team at That Sports Girl Media can help. We know how to talk to people, we know where they hang out and we know how to create a message that resonates with them.

We also won't waste your time or money creating a campaign on a platform that your key consumer isn't using.

Contact That Sports Girl Media to find out how we can ease your communication pain so you can focus on your business.

Take the Pain Out of Home Juicing with This Easy Trick

Before juice bars became the 2013 version of the cupcake and yogurt shop boom, I was quite the home juicer. From kale blends and green lemonade to pineapple mint juice and a grape lemon medley, I could have opened my own juice bar with all the mixing I was doing.

Green Lemonade

Why did I stop doing it so religiously?  For one, the ubiquity of juice bars and offerings from Whole Foods made the process easier.  Mainly, I hated the beating of cleaning my Breville Juice Extractor.  It sounds lazy but cleaning the pulp out of the feeder chute and the blade is a pain.  The leftover pulp in the pulp collector can sometimes attract fruit flies if the weather is warm.  It's just a whip.

One way to ease the pain is to place a grocery store produce bag in the pulp collector.  This makes cleaning this portion of the juicer a breeze, serves as a great way to recycle those bags and collects the majority of the pulp in a bag that can be tied shut so it doesn't attract fruit flies.  The video illustrates how to use the bag.

You still have to clean the blade, which can be a challenge, but it makes one step of the process easier.

Looking for homemade juice ideas?  Try this one:

• One bunch of kale - this provides vitamins A, C and K
• One half a pear - vitamins A, B1, B2, C, E, folate and niacin
• One entire celery heart, think about 6 stalks with leaves and all - this provides a bevy of vitamins B1, B2, and B6

That mixtures yields this tasty green juice:

YUM! 

What I Am Thankful for Today and Every Day

We all have different reasons for being thankful this Thanksgiving holiday.  Trolling my social media feeds has been a treat and inspiration as friends are expressing their gratitude for life changes, career moves and more.

In the spirit of the season, here are a few things for which I am thankful.  Not just today but every day.

Thanksgiving morning in Punta Mita, Mexico

• I thankful for every day I wake up and am excited about the opportunities it presents. Having made quite the career change over the last two months, I am challenged and energized by my new endeavor.  I am also overwhelmed by the encouragement and support I receive from strangers, former viewers and friends every single day.  It's humbling.  Seriously, a FedEx driver brought me to tears on Tuesday with her kind words. 
• I am thankful for my health.  I truly believe if you don't have good health, you don't have anything.  No amount of money or status can compensate for poor health.  I appreciate the fact I take responsibility for it and don't blame anyone else for weight gain, back pain or the like.  It's on me to improve it. Taking responsibility for your health is empowering. 

June 2013

• I am thankful for my daughter, her poopy diapers, her laugh, her snoring, her language development and curiosity.  Having a daughter is more fun than I ever thought it would be.  So many parents warned me about the work and drudgery that accompany having a child.  No one told me it would be so much fun. 
• I am thankful for my husband, his patience with me and the bizarre bodily noises that emanate from him at all hours of the night.  They're not pretty but they're him.  As much as we sometimes want to strangle our spouses, those of us who have the right one are lucky.  He has every reason to strangle me but hasn't.  Yet.  God bless him. 
• I am thankful for learning new technology.  Learning is fun.  Really.  

Hermes Les Amoureux de Paris 

• I am thankful for my obsession with Hermes scarves.  Collecting them has developed into a passion that I didn't know would bring me such joy.  Hunting for that vintage find is half the battle.  I am crushing on French-inspired scarves right now. 
• I am thankful that I am rarely happy with the status quo.  I am someone who is always looking to do better, do more and get more out of life.  Many times it bites me in the ass and I fear my ambition outweighs my talent but when that hard work pays off, it's magnificent. 
• I am thankful for The Mary Tyler Moore Show.  Genius TV that is still relevant today.  That and Veep make me laugh.  
• I am thankful for the failures in my life of which there have been many.  They're the best learning experiences.  

Casa Batllo, Barcelona

• I am thankful for my love of travel.  The misery of waiting in long lines at an airport and dealing with a cramped middle seat is alleviated by the magic of discovering a new city or revisiting a favorite one.  I'll never tire of Paris, Barcelona, New Orleans, Montecito or any of the wonderfully remote Mexican towns.  Just thinking about them get that travel bug going.  

Arc de Triomphe circa 1940-something

• I am thankful for the pictures my grandfather, George Mobley, took while he was stationed in Europe in the 1940's. The picture he took of the Arc de Triomphe is as timeless today as it was nearly a century ago.  I love the feeling of being in the same spot, taking a picture where he did.  He died in 1998.  My grandmother in 2001.  They had the travel bug, too. 

Childhood friends

• I am thankful for lifelong friends who are the same as they were in second grade and new friends who bring wonderfully fresh perspectives into my life.
• I am thankful for my wonderful, wacky diverse family.  
• I am thankful for you: readers on this blog and my social media family.  

Again, thank you.  I hope that whatever your Thanksgiving Day holds it's full of good food, good football, parades, good friends, family and whatever makes you happy.

Enjoy! 

What are you thankful for in your lives right now?