Motivation Monday: The Best Way to Ensure You'll Hit the Gym Consistently

Two weeks into the new year, how are those 2013 resolutions going?

Mine?  Eh.  I'm still not getting up consistently at 7am on workdays.  It's a challenge.  But I am consistently hitting the gym and exercising.  I've said it time and again, that's the one thing I won't sacrifice.  I don't go to a therapist.  I exercise.

I've been a gym goer for more than 20 years and I've learned what works and what doesn't.  The number one secret to getting to the gym consistently?  It's not the hot trainer which can be motivation on certain days, let's be honest.  It's a matter of picking one that is close to you. 

It's as simple as that. 

I belong to a gym that is pricey by Dallas standards.  Sure, it has the most cutting edge classes I've ever experienced, is super clean and has a wonderful, caring daycare staff but it's expensive.   I've even resigned my membership because I felt it cost too much only to return.  Why?  Because it is literally three minutes from my house.  I pay almost $150 a month but I go at least five times a week because I have no excuse not to do so.

The Best Fitness Apps & Gadgets for 2013 From the CES & More

With all sorts of wonderful fitness-related products debuting at the Consumer Electronic Show this week in Las Vegas, the marriage of technology with health and fitness is a relevant one.  I'm kind of digging the iBitz fitness tracker for kids.

I blogged about the "Cell Phone Diet" last year which basically advocates using your smartphone to  motivate you to lose weight by using inspirational photos, ringtones and reminders.   It's not a totally ridiculous concept. 

TechCrunch provides an exhaustive list of apps, websites and gadgets that can help you reach your health, fitness and weight loss goals.  It is an outstanding reference guide.

Some of the highlights include:

• The Nike+ Fuel Band - a friend of mine who works for the Cowboys uses this and loves it because it helps him keep track of his activity level during the day. 

Rock Your 2013 Resolution: Preparing for Those Unexpected Snack Attacks

Tuesday, I had a weak moment at work.  I visited the vending machine.  Twice.  Once for Baked Cheetoh's and again for some weird, fake Butterfinger Wafer bar.  I don't know what it was, I guess I was craving fake, orange food.  

My moment of weakness

Not only did that fly in the face of my New Year's resolution to avoid visiting the vending machine, it went against my philosophy of trying to eat real food, as well.  Another resolution: don't wallow on the negative.  So I'm moving on!  And learning from it.

What's the lesson here?  Be prepared!  Whether it's sitting at a desk all day or running around town, like I do many days covering sports across DFW, I usually bring a snack to quiet any crazy cravings.  A key to snacking success: get a bit of protein and keep it under 200 calories.

I'm a huge fan of homemade trail mix bars.  I like the mix of nuts, berries and natural ingredients I can control.  Unfortunately, I can't eat them right now because of some recent dental work. 

Here are some other portable, easy snacks that are great when you're on the go or stuck at your desk:

• A piece or two of string cheese with an apple or grapefruit (I peel & eat them just like an orange).  I buy the big bags of string cheese from Costco.  They last forever.
• Hard boiled eggs - they might stink up your car but they're a perfect food.
• Luna Protein Bars - love these.  Each bar has between 170-190 calories with 12 grams of protein and three grams of fiber.
• Luna Fiber Bars - I just discovered these and really like them.  Each bar has 120 calories and seven grams of fiber.
• Premade peanut butter and jelly sandwich - not a BIG, honking one, a small one.
• Precut carrot, celery or bell peppers (my personal fave) with a packet of portable hummus 

Plan your day.  Carry those snacks with you to work and around town.  It might save you from visiting that vile vending machine and a few bucks in the process.

What are some of your favorite, healthful snack options for those times you're stuck at your desk? 

A Great Quickie Workout When You're Pressed for Time

I hear ya.  I feel ya.  I sympathize with ya.  But not having any time to exercise is not an excuse.

Wednesday night I was able to cram in a quick 20 minute workout after I got home from work around 7:40pm (which is early for me).  Jordan was crawling all over me and even doing jumping jacks with me.  It was kind of fun.

Here is the actual workout:
10 squats
10 pushups
10 situps (I did five sets of situps and five sets of bicycle situps)
10 triceps dips
10 jumping jacks
Do this circuit once and repeat 10 times.

Thirty minutes of exercise can change your life.  This quick, little routine lifted my spirits and made me feel so much better about myself today.  Not so slothlike. 

Try it.  Or try some simple stretches or yoga poses for half an hour.  Tell me what you think.  I promise, you will feel better and have more energy after the workout than you did before it.

A Healthful, Easy Weekday Breakfast

How can you not love an egg white?  Really.  It has all sorts of nutritional goodness including slimming and satisfying protein for hardly any calories.  Huge nutritional bang for the buck.

Tuesday, I shared one of my other go-to breakfasts that is quick, easy to make and hearty enough to keep you satiated for a while.  Today it's all about the incredible, edible egg white.

Before I go any further, I have nothing against the yellows.  I just prefer the egg white.  Jordan gets two or three egg yellows a week.  It's not a "let's keep fat away from the kid thing."  This just happened to be an egg white kind of day.  More on that later.

I made this breakfast for both Jordan and me in five minutes.  It's another creation so simple, yet versatile, even I can't screw it up.

My omelet featured two egg whites, a dash of Mrs. Bragg's seasoning (love it because it has no sodium) and liberal handful of torn salad greens.  I added a heaping spoonful of Mrs. Renfro's green salsa for my omelet.   Jordan had the exact same omelet sans the salsa.

Once I sprayed the pan with olive oil Pam, I timed myself.  It took all of five minutes to cook this omelet, let it cool and cut it up for her to eat.  Could that be any easier?  Jordan loves it, too.   She gets vegetables and protein for breakfast.  I added half a banana, a piece of bread and some milk this morning for her.

I'll add anything and everything to an omelet: cheese, broccoli, peppers, spinach, cauliflower, olives, just about vegetable-related.  If I want something more substantial, I'll add some whole wheat or corn tortillas and make breakfast tacos.  My concoction this morning, according to the Daily Plate was only 103 calories with three grams of fat, 10 grams of protein and two grams of sugar. 

That was it for me this Wednesday morning.  I broke my New Year's resolution on Tuesday and visited the vending machine at work.  Twice.  Not pretty.   I have Fake Food regret this morning.

A Quick, Easy Oatmeal Recipe That Keeps You Going All Day

It's so easy to overlook breakfast or grab some delicious yet calorie-killing scone from Starbucks or a big, fat (literally) bowl of cereal.  Don't!

Anyone who knows a thing a two about weight loss or weight loss maintenance extols the virtues of a good, healthy breakfast.  There are a slew of studies that support this.

One of my favorite breakfasts is this oatmeal recipe which is ridiculously easy to make. Bonus? Oatmeal is satiating.

According to Nutrition Journal, eating oatmeal for breakfast leaves you feeling full longer than if you ate cold cereal. (Tweet this)

The following recipe yields one serving:

• 1/4 cup of oatmeal, I love Open Nature Quick Cook Steel Cut Oats
• 3/4 cup of water
• 1/4 -1/2 apple, chopped
• 1 tablespoon peanut butter, I like Earth Balance. Any nut butter will do. 
• Liberal dash of cinnamon

Looks like baby poop but it's delicious!

Microwave the first three ingredients in a bowl for one minute and stir. Microwave another minute or two depending on the consistency you like. Take the bowl out of the microwave and add peanut butter and cinnamon. It will be piping hot, so let it cool for five minutes.

If you're out on apples or want to mix it up just microwave the oatmeal and water and add some fruit once it's cooked. Blueberries, blackberries, strawberries or raspberries are good.

It looks like a dirty diaper in a bowl but it's delicious.

According to the Daily Plate, this is 261 calories, 11 grams of fat, 5 grams of fiber, 8 grams of protein and 5 grams of sugar.

Don't Get Fat Eating Salads! Here's the #1 Tip to Slim Down Your Salad

Did you know that young women get half their daily calories from salad dressing?  Half!

At least that what Dr. Oz (love him!) claimed on The Today Show Monday morning when I was channel surfing.  That means you're wasting a ton of empty calories on a condiment!  A condiment, that in many cases, is loaded with saturated fats and high fructose corn syrup.  And that gross, fat-free salad dressing?  Forget it.  It has a ton of sugar, preservatives and other crap that make you fat, as well.

When I was fat, I lived on fat-free salad dressing.  When I made the commitment eat to real food, all of that fake garbage went right out the window, including the bottled dressing.

In lieu of salad dressing, I normally top my salads with a good balsamic vinegar.  It adds a wonderful flavor and might also help you burn fat.  A Japanese study done in the mid-2000's found that subjects who ate a high-fat diet but included vinegar, ultimately lost 10% more body fat than those who did not consume it.  Sweet!

Other great options are a balsamic reduction, salsa, homemade dressing or just a bit of lemon and olive oil.  These are fresh, easy and taste so much better than a bottled dressing that has been sitting on a store shelf for six months.

Two flavorful, affordable vinegars

In some restaurants, when I specify I would like plain, balsamic vinegar along with my salad, servers sometime make a mistake and bring balsamic dressing instead.  They are usually happy to correct the error.  In Mexican restaurants, I always top my salad with salsa, except at Mi Cocina.  I do splurge and request their spicy blue cheese dressing on the side for their Rico Salad.  I LOVE it but only eat it once in a while and don't eat all of it.  Just a few bites.

Crazily, some places don't have vinegar.  I stopped eating meals at Panera because the sandwich shop doesn't make its dressings on-site.  Meaning, it's shipped in and full of preservatives and high-fructose corn syrup.  Subsequently, they don't have any vinegar in their stores.  At least that's been the case at the three across DFW I've visited.

Try eliminating bottled salad dressing from your diet.  It's another way you can rock your 2013 weight loss resolution and easily cut empty calories from your diet.