Smart Coach Tip

Love this insight from #SmartCoach

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Words to Inspire: Tuesday

Love this insight from #SmartCoach!

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Updated Stats! Three years and counting.

Well, it's been three years since I reached my goal of 129.9lbs, a 25lb weight loss of which I've maintained. Actually, I deliberately gained back 10lbs after a little while. Why? Because the 129.9lbs made me look too thin. I look and feel better at 140.5bs. I fluctuate up and down between 5lbs and that's more than okay. I'm still in the healthy range for my age and height (frame) and that's what's important. I can truly say that I'm maintaining a healthy weight for me.



Being naturally slim, the key for me is caloric intake. I stay within budget by drinking plenty of water, cutting extra fat, reducing sodium and sugar (this stuff is everywhere) in my diet. I continue to weigh and measure my foods and adhere to portion controls. When I get a craving for something tasty and full of all the good but not so good for you stuff, I make a healthy version of it instead. I also allow myself the occasional full fat, full flavor, salty, sweet, crunchy, smothered in gravy treat. There's no "No" in my diet, it's more like not this time. ;)

Words To Inspire: Saturday

Love this insight from my #SmartCoach!

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Say What?!

THERE'S A BETTER VERSION OF YOU OUT THERE. GET UP® AND FIND IT.

UP® is a revolutionary system that guides you every step of the way to a better, healthier you.


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How Do I Drink More Water Everyday?

I make sure to have a glass of water with every meal along side of my other beverage. My rule is I must drink my water before I can drink my other beverage. Also if  I'm grabbing a snack, I also grab a bottle/glass of water. This works for me and keeps me properly hydrated. What's your trick or tip for drinking more water?

How to Trick Yourself Into Drinking More Water Every Day

Water is the best thing you can put in your body, yet so many of us ignore it throughout the day. Here are some great ways to trick yourself into developing a healthy habit of drinking lots of water every day.

Why You Should Be Drinking More Water

We need water to survive, but drinking enough to get by isn’t ideal for your body. Water is required to cushion and lubricate your joints, protect your brain and other internal tissues, regulate your body temperature, and remove waste from your body through urination, bowel movements, and perspiration.

When you don’t have enough water, dehydration comes out to play. When you’re dehydrated you’ll experience dry mouth, low blood pressure, headaches, dizziness, dry skin, and worst of all, fatigue.

A simple way to tell is by taking a look at the color of your urine. A light-to-medium yellow (or clear) is what you want to aim for. If that yellow is more of an amber, it usually means you’re not getting enough.

So how much do you need? While it’s hard to determine an ideal amount exactly, we previously consulted with Dr. Pamila Brar and there are some guidelines you can follow:

•                Men should drink about 3 liters (about 13 cups) of total fluids a day.

•                Women should drink about 2.2 liters (about 9 cups) of total fluids a day.

Men need a little more because they tend to be larger on average and naturally have a little more muscle mass—which holds water better than fatty tissues. Of course, pregnant women and nursing mothers need more water as well. If that seems like a ton of water to you, that’s a bad sign. It actually breaks down to just four to eight sips of water per hour, but remembering to drink it can be hard—especially if you’re busy at work and don’t have time to worry about that lingering feeling of thirst, or if you have a workout later in the day and don’t want to feel like crap.

Not only do you have to remember to drink it, but you also have a lot of other tasty beverages out there competing to make their way inside of you. While a soda or sports drink may sound thirst-quenching, the sugar and other extras aren’t going to do you any favors—and they might even make you more thirsty. If you can help it, stick to water. But if you really want a different beverage, at least drink water in addition to it. Remember, water is the cheapest drink out there! According to Trent Hamm at The Simple Dollar, choosing to drink water instead of soda could save you about $312 every year.

Keep your daily activities in mind, too. If you’re exercising or doing any strenuous work, staying hydrated beforehand can ensure you feel good during that workout later on. The same goes if you’ve been drinking a lot of coffee, caffeinated tea, or alcohol. They act as diuretics, causing you to urinate more and lose some water. Also, if you’re in a warmer climate, you perspire more and need more water than you would in a temperate zone. It is possible to drink too much water, so don’t overdo it, but your body can process 15 liters of it every day. The “happy medium” range is pretty wide.

Hide It In Your Daily Routine

If you already have a good morning and bedtime routine, make drinking water a part of it. You can still have your morning coffee, but add a glass of water in beforehand. The Natural Choice blog recommends having a glass at the same time and in the same place during your routine every day:

...get in the habit of drinking a glass of water right after you get out of the shower, or right before you wash your face at night. This is an easy way to add at least two glasses of water a day to your routine.

Wake up, have a glass of water. Get ready for bed, have a glass of water. Just by doing that you get a head start on the rest of the day. If you’re having a hard time remembering to incorporate it in your routine, find ways to make your water more visible. Put a glass of water on your nightstand so you see it before you go to bed or have a glass waiting by the coffee maker so you remember to have a glass while your joe brews.

Get a Decent Water Bottle and Mark It with Time-Oriented Goals

Water bottles are an excellent way to increase your water intake. Get a high-quality one, even if it costs you a little more. A good stainless steel or heavy-duty plastic bottle should do the trick. Once you’ve found one you like, take it with you everywhere.

You can take your water bottle usage to the next level by coming up with your own timed drinking goals and marking it on the bottle. Get some tape or a label maker and start marking how much water you’d like to drink by a certain time every day. This way you can actually see your water drinking goal and you’ll know whether you need to play catch up or if you’re ahead of the game.

It doesn’t hurt to really make your water bottle your own, either. Cindy Dyson at SparkPeople suggests that the more you like your water bottle, the more likely you’ll want to use it:

Whether it’s your favorite color or a unique design, the more you bond with your bottle, the less likely you’ll be to lose it. Slap an inspirational sticker or image onto it, or even write on it with a permanent marker. Now you’re ready to drink from it throughout the day—don’t forget to refill it as soon as it’s empty.

There are a lot of good options for water bottles out there, but the most important thing is that you like it. You’ll never stay on track with a water bottle you hate using or are embarrassed to be seen with.

Make It a Game

Gamification is an effective way to get yourself to do a lot of things, and drinking water is no exception. Incentivize your new water habit by rewarding yourself when you reach milestones. Go a whole week drinking your goal every day? Treat yourself to something you don’t normally get. It goes both ways too. Forget to drink enough water yesterday? No Netflix or video games until you’ve made up for it.

Competition is a great way to keep your drive too, and on her blog, the “Tri Sport Girl” suggests a race is the perfect way to compete with yourself:

Everything is more fun as a competition.... Apply the same concept to water consumption, and suddenly you’re racing to see how much water you can drink by lunchtime (my current PB is 1.25L) or how soon in the day you can finish 2L (my PB is 2:36pm).

Just be sure you’re not just drinking a bunch of water in the morning and none for the rest of the day. It’s best to spread it out, but a challenge is always a good way to keep yourself engaged. However you like to gamify your life, find a tool that works for you and track what you do. When you can see how well you’re playing your own game it can only help you.

Set a Timer and Create Mental Triggers

If you’re still having a hard time remembering to drink water, set a timer on your phone. Create a few alarms set to go off throughout the day and when one goes off chug a big glass of water. This might seem like overkill, but nothing snaps you back into a routine like a phone screaming at you to drink.

Part of building a new habit is finding a way to do things without the need of outside help, however, so it’s a good idea to create your own mental triggers. For example, if you start to feel hungry, have a glass of water. This does a few things for you: it’ll help your stomach and intestine on the digestive front, keep you hydrated, and possibly even curb your hunger. In fact, you may not even be that hungry and your brain just sent you the wrong signals for what it needed.

You can also make mental triggers for other things like having a glass of water every time you use the restroom or taking a sip of water every time you stop working. Have a sudden craving for junk food? Grab a glass of water instead. Triggers can be requirements you have to meet as well. Lauren Conrad—yes, that Lauren Conrad—made a rule that she can’t start each meal until she’s finished a one liter bottle of water. It sounds kind of extreme if you don’t spread out your drinking, but it’s a great way to force yourself to focus on water first and food second.

Jazz Up Your Water Drinking Experience

 You might be more inclined to drink water if it was a little more interesting. If that’s the case, there are plenty of ways to go beyond plain, boring H2O. Some fruit or cucumber in your water adds a little flavor without adding in the sugar you’d find in straight fruit juice. Freeze some lemon slices in ice cubes for an easy water upgrade or try a little ginger and herbs to switch things up a bit. If you’re missing the fizz from your soda, try some sparkling water or club soda. You’ll get the bubbly without the other not-so-great stuff.

Just like a personal water bottle, having a good water glass that fits you is important too. Use a glass you love and you’ll feel better about drinking from it. For example, I drink my water from a large Spider-Man glass (seriously, it’s awesome). It reminds me that super heroes drink their water, so I should too.

If super heroes aren’t your thing, consider a fun straw. If a crazy straw will get you to drink more, do it. Plus, drinking from a straw can help you drink more in the long run. You’ll sip and sip, not realizing how much you’ve actually had. Sure, you could probably drink just as much by chugging, but sipping from a straw takes less effort so you’re more inclined to do it.

Eat Your Water

Yes, food has water in it too. It may not have enough for you to only eat your daily intake of water, but there are some foods you can snack on that can help. Fruits and vegetables are a great source of water, and also make for a healthy alternative to chips or candy. Here are some of the fruits and veggies with the highest water content: 

Cucumber, Lettuce, Celery, Radishes, Tomatoes, Bell Peppers, Cauliflower, Watermelon, Spinach,     Strawberries, Broccoli, Grapefruit, Apricots, Cherries, Grapes, and Zucchini. 

Pick your favorites and keep those around. It’s important to note, however, that when you cook these things, they lose a lot of their water, so they’re best eaten raw.

Drinking more water can literally change your life for the better. When you’re properly hydrated, you can digest easier, sleep better, and think clearer. Learn to love the taste of water, because every single sip is good for you.

Article by: Patrick Allan, http://lifehacker.com/how-to-trick-yourself-into-drinking-more-water-every-da-1678956552

illustrations and photos by Tina Mailhot-Roberge, B Rosen, Rubbermaid Products, undressedskeleton, rafael-castillo, Anita Hart, Martin Cathrae.

The Benefits of Logging Every Bite

Yes, staying under your calorie budget is important for weight loss, but what might be more important is the act of food logging and increased awareness of what, how much, and how often you’re eating.

Almost every weight loss plan under the sun includes food tracking, and for a good reason! Research finds a consistent relationship between more regular tracking and weight loss. As all Lose It! users have experienced, food tracking forces people to pay closer attention to what they’re eating throughout the day.

But here’s something new: by tracking your food in an app, you may have an advantage over those tracking food through other methods. Research has found that people who track their food in an app like Lose It!, rather than with the traditional pen-and-paper approach, naturally eat fewer calories each day and are much more likely to stick with their goals and lose more weight. You’ve already figured out the best way to track your food, now just stick with it!

Why does this make sense?

When your goal is to log every bite of food you have, you’ll become more of an intentional eater. Take this real-life example, from the Lose It! office earlier this week. One of our colleagues brought some cheesecake back to the office after his lunch and left it on the kitchen counter, offering it up to the office. Now we’re far from perfect (when we go out to lunch as a company we always ask for extra rolls), but none of us ate the cheesecake.

Here was the thought process that went through each of our heads: “Ooh, there’s some cheesecake in the office—I’ll just have a small slice. Well, if I do that, I have to track it. That’s kind of a waste of my calories. And I don’t want to know how many calories are in cheesecake—yikes! Hmm, I I’ll pass on the cheesecake this time.”

Since we are constantly thinking about tracking, passing on the cheesecake wasn’t hard. By being conditioned to track every bite you eat, it becomes a LOT easier to turn down otherwise tempting food, and find room in your budget for an appropriate amount of tempting food.

How can you build this habit?

Building up the habit of logging each and every bite is certainly valuable, but how can you get started? Make it an hour-to-hour, day-to-day goal. First aim to track everything you eat in the morning, then aim to track everything you eat in the afternoon and evening. It sounds simple, but breaking the day into smaller portions of time is a great trick to make sure you log all your food. Another option is to plan out your full day of food—and log it all—before you even start your day.

You can even set logging reminders in Lose It! — here’s how to do that in the most recent versions of both the iOS & Android apps:

iOS: Go to Me (More in iPad) > More > Reminders

Android: Menu Button > Profile (“Me” on older models) > Insights > Reminders

Here, you can program a push notification reminder to be set to log one of your meals if it hasn’t yet been logged. Some users like to have reminders programmed throughout the day to stay on track, and others like to just set all meal reminders to come at night to let them know if they missed any meals.

Do you have any tricks to make sure you log every bite?

*Article by http://blog.loseit.com/log-every-bite/

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Fiber’s Role in Weight Loss

We always hear that high fiber foods are good for weight loss, but what exactly is fiber, what does it do, and what are some easy ways to eat more fiber? We’ll answer those questions here!




So, What is Fiber? 

As you might know, fiber is a type of carbohydrate (sugar and starch are the other two types). Unlike sugar and starch, your body can’t digest fiber so it doesn’t provide your body with any calories.

There are 2 types of fiber: soluble fiber and insoluble fiber. Soluble fiber can absorb water and other liquids — think about how rice or oatmeal absorbs liquid. Insoluble fiber cannot — think of kale and other leafy vegetables. Generally, all fiber originates from plant-based foods.

What does Fiber do, and Why is it Good for Weight Loss? 

Fiber plays a huge role in your health. It can prevent constipation, and keep your digestive system healthy. While your body can’t break down fiber, the bacteria that live in your large intestine can break it down. A high fiber diet means healthy gut bacteria and a reduced risk for colon cancer.

Fiber also slows down the rate at which the sugar (glucose) from your food enters your blood stream (picture the little glucose molecules trying to free themselves from the trapping of the fiber). This means that your blood sugar won’t spike as drastically, and your body won’t have to work as hard to manage a large dose of sugar. Fiber also plays a role in improving your cholesterol levels. In the long-term, researchers have found a high fiber diet to be associated to reduced risk of heart disease and obesity.

For weight loss, fiber offers something very valuable: satiety! In general, foods with fiber have higher volume and fewer calories, meaning you can eat more “bulk” without blowing through your calorie budget. Plus, it’s harder for your body to break down fiber, so it keeps you fuller for longer.

How Can I Easily Eat More Fiber?

Fiber comes from plants, so eating more fiber means eating more plants, and plants closer to their natural form. Focus on fruits, veggies, nuts, legumes, and whole grains and it will be easy to meet the recommended 25 grams of fiber per day for women and 38 grams of fiber per day for men.

To check how much fiber you ate today, open your Lose It! app, go to the Nutrients My Day screen, and tap on the pie chart. Lose It! Premium members can even set fiber goals to keep better track of their intake of this important nutrient.

*Article from: http:blog.loseit.com/fiber/

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The Perfect Way To View Your Journey

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Being Fit Is Attainable

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Spicy Chicken Wings with Blue Cheese Dip

By Linda Melone

Serves: 4
Hands-on time: 10 minutes
Total time: 1 hour (including marinating time)

INGREDIENTS:

• 12 bone-in, skin-on chicken wings (about 2 lb), trimmed of visible fat
• 4 tbsp hot sauce
• 1/4 cup low-fat cottage cheese
• 1/4 cup low-fat plain yogurt
• 1 tbsp crumbled low-fat blue cheese

PANTRY STAPLES

• 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp paprika
• 1/4 tsp ground cayenne pepper
• 1/8 tsp fresh ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp sea salt, divided
• Pinch fresh ground white pepper
• Olive oil cooking spray

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Place chicken wings in a large resealable plastic bag. In a small bowl, stir together oil, hot sauce, paprika, cayenne, black pepper and 1/8 tsp salt. Pour mixture into bag with chicken, seal and set aside to marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes.
2. Prepare dip: In a small bowl, blend cottage cheese, yogurt, blue cheese, remaining 1/8 tsp salt and white pepper with a fork. Refrigerate until serving.
3. Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly coat with cooking spray. Remove chicken from bag, discarding marinade. Arrange chicken on sheet in a single layer and bake for 15 minutes. Flip chicken and bake for 15 more minutes or until chicken starts to brown. Serve with dip, removing chicken skin before eating, if desired.

Nutrients per serving (3 skinless wings and 1/4 cup dip): Calories: 203, Total Fat: 13 g, Sat. Fat: 2 g, Monounsaturated Fat: 6 g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1 g, Carbs: 3 g, Fiber: 1 g, Sugars: 2 g, Protein: 23 g, Sodium: 605 mg, Cholesterol: 53 mg

*Article from MyFitnessPal blog - http://www.cleaneatingmag.com/recipes/classics-made-clean/spicy-chicken-wings-with-blue-cheese-dip/

The 1 Thing You Need to Be Active and Healthy as You Age

Would you believe me if I told you that strength training is the most important type of exercise you can do for better health? This may be hard to believe because most of the general population believes that you need to jog, run or do some sort of cardio to be lean, fit and healthy.

I’m a former high school and collegiate track and cross-country runner, so I love running as much as the next guy. But as I’ve gotten older, I’ve seen firsthand the importance of being strong. If you are a runner or cardio junky, I’m not telling you to stop those activities. You just need to incorporate strength into your routine so you are balanced.

To build a healthier body, you need a strong foundation that can withstand the aging process. Let’s be honest here: The end of life isn’t pretty for most of us. Health-care costs can triple or quadruple, pill boxes with the days of the week on them become our best friends, walkers are a necessity, and often we need help with simple tasks as we become ill or face a disease. Sounds like a real hoot.

Most of us like to live life on our own terms and if you want to continue doing so, I suggest that you pick up some weights. I’m in no way saying strength training can cure all. But just take a second and picture yourself as an 80-year-old. It sure would be nice to be able to carry your groceries, play with the grandkids, stand up straight and get out of a chair without needing to use the armrest to stand up. These are just the simple tasks in life; now imagine that you cannot do these simple movements because you aren’t strong enough. That image doesn’t make you feel good, does it? Struggling with these everyday tasks in old age doesn’t have to be a reality.

As we age, there are a number of physiological functions that decline; this increases your risk of developing osteoporosis, arthritis, type 2 diabetes and sarcopenia (loss of muscle mass). Strength training 2–3 days a week can help prepare you to fight these effects of aging.

It’s never too late to create new habits. Strength training for many people isn’t as fun as walking, spin class, yoga or playing sports. But it’s hard to deny the short- and long-term benefits of hitting the weights, including:

• Increased bone density
• Stronger ligaments and tendons

But the goodness doesn’t stop there. Muscle allows us to continue to be active, functional and healthy. It’s critical for activity, and movement is critical to our happiness.

The best way to build strength is by doing compound exercises, which recruit multiple joints through a full range of motion and engage the most muscle mass. Squats, shoulder pressesand deadlifts are my three favorite compound exercises. These are functional moves that are easy to learn and can be done with dumbbells or barbells. You are in no way limited to just these three exercises or to dumbbells and barbells; these are just my preferred methods to build strength. The TRX suspension system, kettlebells and body-weight exercises like chin-ups and push-ups are other effective ways to train.

If I still haven’t convinced you that you need to strength train, take a trip to the local nursing home. Sit and watch the people there move, and you’ll see firsthand what the majority of these folks lack: strength. Train now for a healthier, more active future.

*Article by Erik Taylor - https://blog.myfitnesspal.com/the-1-thing-you-need-to-be-active-and-healthy-as-you-age/?native_client=1

Yummly … is it really?

I’ve been looking for more meal ideas to spice up my daily menu so I was so excited to try Yummly because of the buzz I heard over the internet and from my daughter. It’s described as this on iTunes: Yummly puts every recipe in the world in your pocket. The most powerful recipe search, the recipe sites you love, your digital recipe box, recipe recommendations just for you, and one-hour grocery delivery - all with you wherever you go. Experience what millions are already enjoying on the web, now free on your iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. Plus it’s available for Android and Windows. The description also says:

--The most powerful way to search the recipe sites you love--

--Collect, save and organize your favorite recipes in your digital recipe box-- 

--Discover recipe recommendations, just for you--

--The smartest shopping list you have ever seen--

--Ingredients delivered to your doorstep in an hour—

I was like wow, I’ve gotta try this so I downloaded the app and was immediately greeted with a signup page and my dietary preferences. Once I completed this I was presented with recipes to match my tastes. The recipes were familiar and quite different from what I’m used to which piqued my interest. I decided to check out a few of them and was quite surprised that I actually liked their choices well most of them. Some were not to my liking such as beets. Not a fan. I found a recipe that looked tasty and decided to make it. Now, I’m a darn good cook and can hold my own with the best of them out there. 

However, the recipe I chose which was rather simple did not turn out anywhere near the way it was displayed or reported to taste. I was totally disappointed. So I set out to discover why this happened. I reviewed the recipe again and realized that the author left out some important steps (facts) which accounted for the failure. So I plan on making the dish again but will include what I believe to be the missing steps and believe I will have success. 

So is Yummly really Yummly? I’d have to say yes for a seasoned cook in spite of the missing parts. For a newbie, I’d have to say not so much because they may not know that they were to blanch the veggies before adding them to the rest of the ingredients. So its like the blind leading the blind in that respect. My hope is that every contributor proof reads their recipes before posting to ensure all steps and ingredients are accounted for. 

Thinking Differently

I was just wondering to myself, "What can I snack on?" My thoughts were running through the different food items in my kitchen. I then thought of my calorie budget at that moment. Hmm, I said to myself, I've got to eat something low calorie but filling to stay within budget. So a snack was out of the question, I didn't want to "waste" calories on food that did not provide a complete positive impact. So I began considering once again what to eat. Then it hit me, I did not have lunch yet. What a nice surprise because it allowed me to prepare a healthy and filling lunch of baked bbq wings, toss salad, slice of wheat bread and ice water! I thought differently and it paid off. Thinking differently allowed me honestly consider my options and choose the best one which was a meal rather than a granola bar.

Eating healthy and staying fit is a lifestyle that requires you to "think differently" and then you "act differently." This process tends to happen almost naturally. So keep moving forward in your "Fit Journey" and continue to think and act differently.