FATS That Keep You THIN!

While dieting/losing weight, most people think about cutting out fat. Fat free, low fat, and reduced fat, are all terms we associate with diets, but there are some fats that are healthy fats and yes, they can actually make you skinnier! Omega-3 Fatty Acids, also known as essential fatty acids, are necessary for your health, but must be obtained through food since your body does not actually make them. Many of you know that fish, such as salmon, halibut, and tuna are good sources of these healthy fats, as well as nut oils, but many people choose to take their Omega-3 fatty acids in the form of a supplement. There is currently no recommended daily intake for Omega-3s, so you should always consult your doctor or nutritionist before you start taking any supplements. I usually use a mix of supplements and food sources during the week to obtain my fatty acids. 

So we call them essential, but what do they actually DO?

Brain Health

Omega-3s play a huge role in brain function, and are vital for brain memory and development. When you don't get enough Omega-3s, you could experience symptoms such as fatigue, poor memory, mood swings, and depression.

Heart Health

Omega-3s may reduce your risk of heart disease! The American Heart Association recommends eating fish rich in omega-3s at least twice a week, which can reduce the risk of stroke in a person by as much as 50%. Omega-3s can help reduce high cholesterol and high blood pressure, which are both risk factors for heart disease, which I might add, is the #1 cause of death in both men and women in the US! 

Digestive Health

Omega-3s are also lubricant for your digestive tract. It may not sound appealing, but when it comes to weight loss, don't neglect your food after you ingest it! You still have to digest it! While dieting or on a new healthy eating plan, many people experience discomfort due to the change in their diet, and most people do not eat enough fibrous foods, such as leafy greens and other fruits and veggies that would make your intestinal tracts job much easier! Omega-3s can help keep you normal and prevent uncomfortable constipation, which lets face it, can be a problem when you eat a high protein diet (and we all know the importance of protein!).

Beauty

BONUS! Omega-3s can help bring moisture to your skin, harden nails, make hair shinier and healthier, and help you keep that youthful glow (especially in these winter months!). Nothing like an extra perk from something that keeps you healthy!

I personally have found much success in adding Omega-3s to my daily supplements, and I find that I actually stay leaner while taking them vs. not taking them. Don't believe me? Try it for yourself! 

(Always consult your doctor before taking supplements or implementing a diet plan.)

Allergies, Schmallergies

Don't you hate it when you get your mind set the night before and say, "I'm going to get up early tomorrow and run," but you wake up to a stuffy nose, watery eyes, and a little chest congestion? I cannot tell you how many times this has happened to me, and our usual instinct is to just want to stay in bed and tell ourselves that by spending time running outside will only make us worse. Unfortunately that is a load of bollock. You will probably feel just as (if not more) allergy ridden if you lay around for the next 30 min, so I say, get your tush outta bed and get on with it!

A couple of years ago, when I was in college, I went through a myriad of tests at the allergist to try and pinpoint some issues I was having while living in Oklahoma. I found ut the usual, my worst allergies are mold and mildew, my nasal passages are pretty much always swollen, and I have exercise induced asthma. Yay! Now read closely this next part, Dr. Gary Gross in Dallas told me that I need to DO MORE CARDIO to help with the above! I said...you've got to be kidding me. I enjoy lifting heavy weights and sprinting, but distance running, spending hours on the elliptical, these things I dreaded. I don't want to watch my favorite tv show while sweating it out next to someone who is going 1000 spins a second with no resistance or incline, and in my particular gym, the cardio area is about 20,000 degrees hotter than the free weights area. I also didn't want to pound the pavement on boring jogs around my neighborhood or heaven forbid actually get in the car and DRIVE somewhere to get out and run. These things just didn't float my boat...at the time.

I have learned to enjoy cardio, but it has not been easy. There are many days when I am dragging myself up the stairs to plug in my headphones and listen to Pandora while I pedal away for the next half hour. Just this morning, I seriously walked out the front door for a jog while my head was saying, "should I go now, or later?" when I know full well that is If I don't go now, it ain't happenin'!

Some of the keys to my cardio success are:

Competition

I have to say, that the reason I enjoy weight lifting, is the obvious progress I can chart as I progress. I took this idea to my cardio, and it has helped a ton! I use MapMyRun to log my runs, and I can attempt to speed up my pace. This allows me to compete with myself and I enjoy that!

Duration

I also love weight lifting because I can get it done quick! I can shave off wasted time during a workout, and I can make my time spent at the gym as small as possible, which is how I like it. I have spent too many hours working in gyms, and it is not someplace I love going to spend my free time. So I usually keep my cardiovascular activity to 30min bouts. This helps me stay focused and not completely HATE it. 

Repetition

It really comes down to this one. Not every day is going to be a good one. I cannot always beat my time on every run. Some days it is going to feel like I have not run in weeks. But those are they days that I keep trucking. I put one foot in front of the other and try not to think about how I feel winded or exhausted or tired, etc. By getting out there on the hard days though, it actually makes the other days easier. I almost feel that by getting those days out of the way quickly, I am able to get on to the good days, which make you want to keep going! So don't let those bad days get you down too much! 

Variation

I also like to mix up my workouts. Although I jog 3 days a week, on the other days, I enjoy getting my cardio in on my bike, by power walking with my dogs, swimming, doing Camp Gladiator, and pretty much any other way I can. This helps keep boredom at bay. There is only so much elliptical time a person can handle...well at least this person.

Try applying some of these to your next rough cardio session! 

Cause, when was the last time you felt worse after a workout that you did before you started?

Exactly!

Oh, and those allergies, running/cardio not only helps clear chest congestion, but it always clears my nose (on cool days like today), give me energy, and sets my day up for success! Because on days like today, if I made it through that run this morning, I can conquer anything!

Happy Running!

Let's start the week off right!

Fitness App Frenzy!

So it is Monday, 

one of my favorite days of the week

 (mainly because I am full of energy and well-rested from the weekend),

 and I have already started my morning off right with a killer Camp Gladiator workout with my amazing campers! They really know how to start the week off right!

I am so excited that this week is the week of Thanksgiving! I absolutely LOVE the holidays! I love everything about them, the food, the family, the decorations. There is really nothing that I dislike during the holidays, not even the long lines or crazy shopping center parking lots. I LOVE IT ALL!

With that said, I have to really keep on track with my own diet and exercise and with all the electronics that have taken over our lives, there are some great APPS and websites to help you keep track, because as we talked about yesterday, 1 cookie can turn into 10 cookies pretty quickly!

Here are a couple amazing APPS that really help to keep me on track!

Some even send you reminders when you have not logged your meals/workouts recently!

And BONUS...they are all FREE!

My ALL TIME FAVORITE website/app is:

MyFitnessPal.com

This is the most functional app for me personally.

I am able to keep track of my food intake and my exercise in one place AND it breaks down your food into sub categories so you can track not only calories, but fats, sugars, carbs, protein, fiber, and pretty much whatever else you could track! It just takes a little time fiddling around on the website to set your information exactly how you like it!

NOTE: You can only see the breakdown of your food on the computer or on the ipad, 

but the iphone only shows your calorie intake.

You can also set your calorie intake, weight loss goals, etc. 

If you do not have access to a nutritionist, MyFitnessPal will set your goals for you (when it comes to meal breakdown). If you do have a nutritionist to consult with first, you can customize your goals to meet your personal needs.Around the holidays, my sweet tooth kicks in a bit, and this helps me monitor my sugar intake.

ALSO! You can get your friends in on it too, and they can see your daily logs for food and exercise! This really keeps my personal training clients on track because if they are sluggish in their workout, I can see if their diet on the day before had anything to do with it!

another great website/app is:

MapMyRun.com

If you have a smart phone with internet, you can carry your phone with you on your jog, 

and the GPS will track your route, time, pace, distance, etc. 

It even interrupts your music to give you a time and pace update at each mile AND it uploads your run to your account on the web so you can see it later and compare it to previous runs.

my final app recommendation is:

Pandora

First off, I have about 20 different Pandora stations. 

Recently I have been listening to my Frank Sinatra Holiday station while enjoying my chilly morning jogs. You can make a station centered around whatever song/artist of your choosing. It puts together a great array of songs by similar artists, with just a few ads thrown in there.

NOTE: Pandora pays for all the songs it plays, which is why they play ads, so I don't mind the occasional pitch if it means they are playing by the rules and it is FREE for ME!

Give these a try if you don't already! Get your friends in on it, make it a game! Maybe whoever gets closest to their goal on MyFitnessPal has to drive the group on Black Friday?

Do you have any other favorite fitness apps?

 Leave a comment and let us know!

And have a great Monday!

Tis the Season to be 10lbs heavier

It is days before Thanksgiving,
and if your family is anything like my family, you are still finishing off candy from Halloween. I know, you thought more kids would come by (don't we all), but they didn't and now you are stuck with a couple bags of Snickers, KitKat, (insert name of candy you still have here). As we polish off the remains of Halloween, Thanksgiving lurks in the near future. Turkey skin, gravy, stuffing, an assortment of creamy casseroles and pies. It is a diet's worst nightmare and it is just beginning! I'm sure your calendars are filling up with holiday parties, cookie exchanges, and more. Soon you will be throwing all your hard work away and waiting for January 1st to set a New Year Resolution to "lose 10lbs", which is ironically the same resolution you had last year, and the year before, ... you get the picture. 

But don't let the Holidays ruin your fitness plan! Why does there have to be "holiday weight"? Most people on a diet are SO STRICT, that when they indulge in 1 slice of pie, that they throw it all away, figure "all is lost" and think that they might as well eat the whole dang pie because in our minds:

 1 slice = 8 slices

or might as well!

(how do we come up with this stuff?)

 But all is NOT lost!

It is our mindset that needs to be changed, not the food! Sure, have a slice of pie, but just ONE! Don't think about it as falling off the wagon, because that only encourages quitting. If you allow yourself to enjoy the holidays REASONABLY, you wont have the usual regrets. 

Aside from food, exercise should be a part of your routine too! Just think, if you burn an extra 300 calories on a jog in the morning, that piece of pie wont hurt your diet later that day! I know we are all busy, and you think, Whitney, really? a jog? like I have time for that! But you can MAKE time! Wake up 30 minutes earlier, Heck! park farther away at the store every time, and you can really rack up some extra steps taken each day (don't believe me? get a pedometer to wear for the season. You will actually walk more BECAUSE you have it on.) Take time to walk the dog, ride your bike, or play football with your kids! Just MOVE MORE during the day and you will have to WORRY LESS about that cookie you ate! It is the perfect time of year for your family to get outside!

Fit Tip #1: 
If you want to move more during the day, pick up a pedometer at your local fitness store! You will be surprised at how you actually want to walk MORE steps to rack up your daily count! A little competition with yourself never hurts!