Fab Fit Squad

Over the past 3 years I have shared a nutrition, workout and motivational tips, but this past week I was speaking with some of the readers of my blog and they asked for me to share more about me.

So.. here it is. I’m not perfect I too struggle with this time of the year! Last week I attended a conference that was serving lunch. I started out the day with my oatmeal, egg whites and berries for breakfast I packed 2 snacks (AM and PM). They were serving lunch so I didn’t bring my lunch. Well.. let’s say that was a mistake while it was an EXCELLENT chopped salad, it lacked PROTEIN! 20 minutes after I ate I was STARVING!!!! We were in a part of the convention center where they didn’t have store to purchase water and my 1/2 gallon water bottle only made it to lunch.  Let’s say by the time I got home that night I was ready to eat my leg off!!! Because I didn’t eat enough all day I came home and started GRAZING until I finished preparing dinner. Lesson learned — bring more protein and carry more water. The next day I went back to the event and was much more prepared and didn’t come home to eat 1/2 of my kitchen cupboards.

As for workouts — the past few weeks I have been flat out finishing up some projects before the end of the year. Typically I like to workout 4-5 days/week. Let’s just say it’s been difficult! Just this past Monday I had a plan to hit the gym at 5:30am — I like to workout in the AM because I less likely to get interrupted or have the day get away from me. Unfortunately my body had a different plan. I woke up at 1:30 AM and didn’t fall back to sleep until 4am, let’s say when the alarm went off at 5:15am I wasn’t feeling it. I gave myself the out. That doesn’t make the whole week is ruined it means I missed ONE workout and I need to brainstorm to see if there were other ways to make it up. Before I got out of bed I went through my mental calendar and decided that I could make up this workout on Thursday because that is typically my rest day.

How do I stay motivated? I started competing in 2004 because I needed a goal! I lost 30 pounds and I was like now what! Competing gives me a goal to strive for. When I first started competing I did about 5 shows/year now I do 1. That’s really hard for me to stay on track and last year I went 14 months without competing! I packed on the weight for me. I had put on 12 pounds during that time. Why do you ask, because I didn’t have a motivating goal and for the most part sleepwalked through my workouts. NOT THIS YEAR!!! I vowed that would not happen taking off those 12 pounds SUCKED OUT LOUD. My next show is May 2012 and will stay within 5-7 pounds of my show weight.

What’s a good goal? I’m always asked what is a good goal. My response is typically what will motivate you  to get out of bed on a 3 degree snowy morning. That’s a motivating goal. Goals are very personal. Your goal could be something really simple such as fitting into your pants or training for a marathon. Finding your motivation is truly personal and if you want to do some brainstorming, shoot me an email.

I hope this gives you a little insight to me. I will be offering 15 min goal setting appointments the week between Christmas and New Year’s. Please send me an email with some days and times that will work for me.

The average American will consume up to 3,000 calories during the Thanksgiving weekend. You don’t need to be a statistic. Here are a few weeks to beat the Thanksgiving weight gain. Here are few tips to help you stay on track.

• Instead of using the ladle to put gravy on your plate, using a soup spoon instead
• Hold the stuffing and you’ll save over 200 calories.
• Watch your sugar intake this means baked goods,  both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks
• If someone asks you to bring something how about you bring some nice healthy veggies — sauteed green beans
• Slow down and eat! Eating too fast doesn’t give your brain a chance to register that you are eating.
• Fulling full? Take dessert to go or have it late night — give yourself time to digest.

Don’t let this or any holiday be your “exception”. I’m not saying don’t enjoy yourself, but make sure you keeping your eye on your long term goal weight loss.  Having a big meal can easily derail your hard fought progress.

Need some more tips — check out my posts from the last few years.

On my Facebook page, I have been doing the 12 days of Fitness, become a Fan so you can check out the first 9 days.

Day 10 — I  recently read a great book called “What Got You Here Won’t Get You There“  the author laid out 4 commitments that I am going to apply to fitness.

1. Let go of the past – forget what you tried in thast past, learn from them and then move on. The next step is to determine what are you going to do NOW to acheive your goals.
2. Tell the truth — look at yourself in the mirror every day and ask yourself, am I doing everthing I can do acheive my goals? If you can honestly say that you are then you are on track, if you feel like there are a few more things you can do, then step it up! (more…)

Yes, it’s that time of year. In just 30 days, we’ll start thinking about New Years Resolutions. Did you know that 71% of all resolutions makers fail make their resolutions?.  Here are the top 6 reasons why we fail to stick with our New Years Resolutions.

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Here we are again, it’s November and we are on the starting line for the holiday mayhem. Each year you say this year will be different and then you get wrap up and STRESSED TO THE MAX!!! Here are 7 ways to reduce holiday stress. (more…)

There is nothing like a dream to create the future. — Victor Hugo,  Les Miserables

Here are 5 ways to give you the kick in the butt to jump start your weight loss procrastination. The unofficial start to summer,  Memorial Day is just 4 short days away!

1. Understand your motivation: If you are planning to lose weight for someone other than yourself, it will never work. Get real around why you want to lose the weight! Do you have a summer event coming up and want to fit into that little black dress or have you signed up for a summer road race and need some motivation to get training. Step back and look yourself in the eye and ask WHY DO I WANT TO DO THIS!
2. Use your motivation to your advantage. Do you beat yourself up, each day that you don’t take steps to our goal. Use your goals as the push you need to keep going. I find that by hanging posters or motivational quotes really help give me the push in the right direction that I need.
3. Change your internal language! Instead of saying I HAVE TO or THERE IS NO WAY. Change your dialog. I want to lose 25 pounds so that I will be _____________ (insert what happens when you achieve your goals or how will you feel when you achieve goals.
4. Set goals fueled by your passion. You can’t go anyway without a road map, okay now a days GPS.  Here is where you take those goals and break them up. Your goal for this week is to lose 1 pound and develop a plan on how you are going to do that. Want to run a 10K, go to this site Need help more, shoot me an email.
5. Still not fired up to get moving on your goals, try this. Write a letter to your future self. Imagine that you have achieved your goals. What would you say to yourself, how would you feel, how would you look, what would you do. Now write a letter to yourself as if you didn’t meet your goals. Both letters will help you drive you forward.

Still need a kick in the pants, shoot me an email. Have any additional comments, just post them below.

Tomorrow is my husband’s company party.  Now I’m not competing for a little bit, so I can go off the reservation a little bit.  But not to crazy– don’t want to have to take it off before my next show.

So I’m going to stick to the following:

• Shrimp cocktail (Yum)
• Grilled (chicken or beef skewers)
• Diet soda
• Veggies (no dipping sauce)

Who am I kindling its the holiday’s I will treat myself to 2 Stoli Blueberry vodka’s on the rocks.

Cheers!!!  Will you be going to a holiday party, how will you surplurge?

Americans drink more hard liquor in December than any other time of the year, according to the Distilled Spirits Council.  Plus, we all drinking leads to EATING!! If you’re picking appetizers all night, you’ve got your head first in a pizza, or worse yet, as the Brits say if your drinking eating is like cheating!

So it the holidays and with everything that is  going on in the world, who can blame a girl for going out and getting a cocktail or 2.  But here are suggestions on how to do it without blowing your diet. Try on of these to cocktails.

Chocolate Martini (10 oz.)
Calories: 438
Carbs: 24 grams

Irish Coffee
Calories: 210
Carbs: 8 grams
*Sorry no whip cream

1. Since you are drinking make sure you EAT, nothing is worse that drinking on an empty stomach
2. Be sure to eat something before you go out that way you are not ravenous and won’t make unhealthy choices

Do you have any healthy tips you’d like to share, let me know! I would love to hear from you.