Fats are an essential part of proper nutrition. But as you know, eating too much fat can be unhealthy. And then there is the problem of flavor. Some fat-filled foods taste great, so they are hard to resist. New research tells us exactly why.

If you have a tough time cutting back on unhealthy fat and sugar, it may be because of the way your brain reacts to certain foods.

Study – Fatty Foods and Sugar as Addictive as Cocaine

A US government study suggests that processed foods and sweet, sugary drinks and snacks actually cause a reaction in your brain that creates addiction. Nora Volkow is the Director at the United States National Institute on Drug Abuse. She says that there is overwhelming data which has identified fatty foods and sweet treats as having the addictive power of cocaine, nicotine and other drugs.

This is relatively new knowledge, not really known by scientists in the 1990’s. Previously, if someone could not cut back on unhealthy fats, sugar and fast foods, that person was said to have a will power problem. They simply were not trying hard enough.

But now we know that is not always the case. If you crave doughnuts, sweet sodas and sugar-packed candy bars, it may be because your brain circuitry rewards you with an explosion of “feel good” hormones and chemicals when you eat them.

No fewer than 28 scientific studies on food addiction were published in substantial medical and health journals in 2011 alone. And they all revealed similar findings. This is not good news if you are trying to limit fat and sugar.

Because now that the food manufacturers have been alerted to this knowledge, sugar, fat and high fructose corn syrup are going to find their way into more and more foods.

And while fats and sugars have always been in the human diet, modern processing has created a new level of addiction. Extremely concentrated sugars, unhealthy fats and refined flour with little fiber or nutrients are being found in addictive fast foods and sweet treats. So what was already a problem in your brain has become even more difficult to combat.

Fortunately, [Tweet “you can rewire your brain to lessen the effects of sweet and fatty foods”]. Slowly begin to limit the amount of high-fat, high-sugar foods and snacks you eat. Just remember that you have a natural tendency to crave these types of foods, since your brain will reward you with pleasure.

And remind yourself that too eating much fat and sugar can lead to diabetes, cardiovascular problems, stroke, heart attack, poor circulation and overweight. Cutting back is going to be difficult, but the health rewards are more than worthwhile.

Here’s also a great book that will help you understand this as well. Salt, Sugar and Fat. 

If you are looking to really understand hunger and hormones, join me for my webinar, click here to register 

Exercising with high intensity interval training can help you to get a great workout in little time. And if you choose the right exercises, you can get a total body workout that you only need to perform three times a week.

High intensity interval training requires that you exercise as intensely as you can for a short period time and that you follow that will active recovery for a period of time. By alternating these intense bursts with recovery you get a great cardio workout as well as strength training. This workout can be done at home or in a gym.

For this workout routine you’ll need some simple equipment including:

• dumbbells – no need to be very heavy
• box for box jumps – you can also use a stair if you don’t have one or can’t jump to knee height
• jump rope
• timer for intervals – a clock with a second hand will work

Warm Up. You should always begin your workout with a warm up. You can do jogging, jumping rope, jumping jacks or high needs for 5 minutes to allow your muscles and joints to be prepared for exercise.

Intervals. You’ll be performing 5 intervals that you’ll repeat for a total of three times to get a full body workout in just 30 minutes.

Interval 1 – Lunges. You’ll perform lunges as fast as you can for 1 minute. Follow with 1 minute of active recovery while jumping rope.

Interval 2 – Box Jumps. Perform box jumps as fast as you can for 1 minute. Follow with 1 minute of active recovery by jogging in place.

Interval 3 – Pushups. Perform pushups as fast as you can for 1 minute. Follow with 1 minute of jumping rope.

Interval 4 – Uppercuts. Uppercuts are performed by standing in a squat position while holding your dumbbells at your side. With your right hand punch up across your body to the left side. Repeat with the other hand. Follow 1 minute of this with 1 minute of jogging in place.

Interval 5 – Overhead Press. Stand in a quarter squat holding your dumbbells at your shoulder level. Press them both overhead. Then return to the starting position. Repeat this action for 1 minute and follow up with 1 minute of jumping rope.

Repeat this entire cycle 5 times.

Cool Down. After completing this cycle 5 times, cool down with light jogging, walking, or high knees for 3-5 minutes. Then perform a total body stretch routine to prevent injury and improve your flexibility

I was a fitness competitor for nine years. I’ll be the first person to admit that when I was competing my off-season consistency was a bit of a battle. I would finish doing a show in June and wouldn’t compete again until the following April. Here’s my dirty little secret.’ I didn’t stay consistent. It took me about two seasons of this consistent non-consistent merry-go-round for me to realize that if I was consistent with my off-season nutrition and workouts getting it together for a show wouldn’t be as hard. I mean my coach told me this year in and year out, maybe she knew something I didn’t know.

With consistency, anything is possible. In real estate, it’s about location, location, location.’ In fitness, it’s about consistency, consistency consistency.

I know firsthand that consistency is tough. In order to remain consistent, we need to change is our mindset.  Our healthy lifestyle is a CHOICE, not a death sentence. I give myself and my clients 2 FREE meals/week. Those are the meals that I savor and enjoy.’ It’s, when we have those little nibbles, bites, or do it just once that eventually catch up with us. I’m guilty of being a nibbler, which is much harder to manage. So.. how do you stay consistent’

1. Patience. Know that consistency will pay off. Many of you want week-by-week changes, sadly our bodies don’ agree.’ We need to trust the process and stay the course knowing that your best body is just waiting for its unveiling.
2. Taking Consistent Action. I feel you; I can be one of the biggest procrastinators on the block. The two things that make me take action with my fitness are making a plan and recipes. Each week I sit down and schedule my workouts in my calendar. I treat it like an appointment I can’t break. Now if something does come up, I go back to my calendar and reschedule the workout, but trust me it must be HUGE for me to give up a workout. As for my nutrition, I’m a big fan of recipes. On Saturday mornings while I’m drinking my coffee I pour through the internet — mainly Pinterest –  to find new clean recipes or recipes that I can make clean. Trust me I’m no Rachael Ray, but I do what I can.
3. Setting A Goal. Each month I set a goal. With each goal, I give myself a reward. Have you heard of a little place name Lululemon’ That place is my personal fitness reward center. When I have a goal, I’m like a machine especially with a reward like Lulu! Here are some examples of goals I set for myself in the past — By the end of a month I will get on a piece of cardio equipment no more than two times. I will try three new starches during this month. I will limit myself to two treat meals/week no nibbling. Make sense’ At the end of the day, we all want results. Want to know the secret to getting results’ Being consistent!’ Consistently following your nutrition and training program leads to amazing results.’ Feeling stuck or stalled” I am starting my 7 Days to Recharge Your Metabolism in March. During the program, you will have accountability and guidance to help you live the healthiest life possible. We are here to help we don’t want you to struggle or feel alone.

When the holiday season begins to roll around it gets much easier to lose sight of your goals and stop working towards your diet, but that’s a huge mistake! Generally from mid October to mid January “the holidays” are whopping 2-3 months and that’s a whole quarter of the year. If you’re working hard to lose weight the rest of the year it’s a huge waste to throw it all away for just a few months of snacks. So many people end up gaining weight during the holidays and then when January comes around they find themselves further behind than they were before. It doesn’t feel good to lose that progress and it’s not going to help you on your path to being healthier. I’m not saying you can’t let up, you should definitely enjoy the holidays and your favorite holiday treats, but don’t ruin all of your hard work by ignoring your weight loss goals through the holidays. Here are three of the most common holiday weight loss excuses to look for so you can watch to make sure you aren’t trying to use them.

1. “The holidays only come once a year. I might as well just enjoy myself.” I’ve already mentioned this. Yes, the holidays only come once a year but they do come every year. A better option would be, “Christmas only comes once a year.” Enjoy that Christmas feast. Eat your heart out. Don’t use the holidays as an excuse to binge for weeks (or months) on end. A holiday is a special occasion. THE holidays is a period of time.
2. “It’s too cold outside to exercise.” Trust me I’m right there with you. I hate the cold! So.. instead of my nice long walks around the Charles, I take all my workouts inside. Exercise is more important than ever during a time of year where you’re likely going to be overindulging more often. Try an indoor workout video, run up and down stairs, dance along to your favorite music. It doesn’t need to be structured, just get moving. Spend 30 minutes moving your body enough to get your heart pumping, that’s something you can do without even leaving the house. “It’s too cold” is just an excuse to get out of doing the healthy thing.
3. I can’t say no to the host/hostess/family member or they’ll be upset.” We all have those friends/relatives who are “food pushers” They ones who have their “signature” dish that you can’t not eat without hurting their feelings OR the ones who no matter how many times you say no think we’ll always keep presenting more and more food options. This can be tough. It’s not easy to turn someone down when they’re offering you kindness. Here’s the thing to remember though… Your obligation to yourself to stick to your goals and treat your body right is more important. Sure, some people might get a little upset when you turn away a second helping of their food or a certain dessert but they’ll get over it. Explain you’re watching your weight and you’ve already had your fill. If you’re really worried about making someone upset, ask for a smaller helping. For example if they’re offering pie simply say, “Hey, could you cut that in half’ I’m already pretty full.” Don’t throw away all of your hard work by falling victim to excuses. Your health and goals are important. You don’t want January to hit as you realize you’re further from your goal than you were at the start of October. It’s not a great feeling.

Weight loss success requires change. You’ll change your eating habits, you’ll change your level of activity, and if you really want to succeed you’ll also change the way you think. If you find yourself failing to lose weight over and over again, it’s possible you’re only focusing on the eating and activity portions.

Is your mindset sabotaging your weight loss efforts’ Here are some of the most common ways people are defeated by their own mindset.

1. They have an all or nothing attitude. If you think the only way to lose weight is to restrict what you eat to only the healthiest of foods and spend all of your time exercising, then boy are you wrong. It’s not about strict rules, it’s about balance. You can have tasty treats, but you need to balance them with healthy foods. You can still have pizza but rather than an entire pizza you have a piece of pizza with a lean protein and veggies and a side salad. By restricting yourself you’ll find yourself craving the foods you’re depriving yourself of and next thing you know you are on a bender. Studies have shown the deprivation leads to binging or a chronic obsession with food.
2. They put other people’s needs before their own. Do you ever feel like you’re so busy taking care of other people that you don’t have time to take care of yourself’ You want to eat right but you’re so busy doing things for other people you find yourself eating fast food and other comfort foods’ No matter how hectic your life is, it’s important to take time to take care of your body. Your health is important and it’s worth the time. The best part’ Once you take some time to put together healthier meals and get in some exercise you’ll find you have more energy than ever before to do what needs to get done.
3. Your mind is full of negativity. If you’ve failed at losing weight in the past it can be hard to stay positive. What makes this time different than last time’ Your mindset makes a difference though. If you think you’re going to fail, you’re going to fail. Take control of your inner monologue. Remind yourself that this time is going to be different because you want it and you want it bad. You’re going to make it happen. Push out negativity. Change can only happen when you’re positive it will happen. Do any of these sound like you’ If so it’s time to put an end to the self-destruction. It’s only when you develop a healthy mindset about weight loss that you can start to see real and lasting success!

At this end of this month I will be opening up my Lean and Sexy program. During this program we not only work on your body, but also work on changing your mindset. To get on the waiting list, and be the 1st to hear about it, click here.

Don’t be that girl sitting on the sidelines during Memorial Day BBQs. Each year I write ways to help you survive with out having the guilt feeling on Monday night, when you are unbuttoning your pants and rubbing your food belly! Come on, we’ve all done it!! LOL.

I want you to enjoy this weekend without feeling guilty!

Here a few past posts to help you glide into the weekend.

5 ingredient clean grilling recipes

You have control

10 ways to fight holiday weight gain

Looking for  a blueprint check out my summer sprint. You’ll receive 4 weeks of emails to help you glide through the summer with clean eating.

Kris Carr was diagnosed with cancer and not really given a bunch of options for treatment. Instead of accepting the doctors words, she decided to take matters in her own hands. She looked at what she was eating and started a vegan/vegetarian diet to recharge your body. Carr also eliminated processed foods, sugars and stimulants. What I like about her approach is that it’s flexible and doesn’t come at you in a militant dictator. She tells you the facts and from that point you can decide how you want to proceed. She found that by changing her diet she:

• less colds
• slept better
• better medical numbers
• less aches and pains
• consistent energy

Who doesn’t want one or all of those side effects.

As a way to further heal her body she talks about maintaining a healthy Ph balance. In our bodies balanced is 7. < 7 is very dangerous and our body functions start to come to a halt. Believe it or not it’s easier to become acidic. We can change our diets by adding more alkaline foods.

Karr is a big believer of green veggies. They have chlorophyll to help build your blood and detox our bodies. Veggies and fruits have phytonutrients to help fight free radicals. Free radicals cause use to age faster. She gives tons of recipes in the back of the book.

She also goes into great detail about food intolerances and to discover what intolerances that you may have. You can work with your doctor or a naturopath to find what food intolerances you may have.

Through out the book, Karr talks a lot of self care. Be it through meditation, exercising, yoga or bounding on a trampoline. Which of these do you think you can implement’

Have you ever wanted to start something and wanted a checklist of how to get started’ Well Karr gives you a list of what you should have in your pantry to get started. She also gives you a 21 day guided cleanse.

Overall, I loved the book and believe you will as well. It’s a quick read, a wonderful host of experts that break down the information without big words.

Give it a listen. Once you are done, I’d love to hear your feedback, please leave in the comments below.

Next Month book is Cavewomen Don’t Get Fat: The Paleo Chic Diet for Rapid Results

Want to be kept in the loop about book reviews’ Join my mailing list below. (I hate spam, so I won’t spam you)

In 2001, my husband, Philip, and I were busy professionals. We both worked 60+ hours week and we were eating at whatever place would deliver or was on our way home. Does that sounds familiar’  That October we got married; I wanted to make sure my husband and I lived a nice long life of marital bliss. Instead of giving each other Christmas presents that year I suggested we give each other personal trainer.

In January of 2002 we started working with a personal trainer. This man rocked and turned our world upside down. We worked out with him for four months and he helped us shed a total of 80 combined pounds.He also taught us the importance of having fitness goals as well as the role the nutrition plays.  Good bye take out!

Since that initial meeting with the trainer, Philip, my husband, has really embraced fitness. He has run in a three Falmouth (7.1 miles) road races, competed in two obstacles courses and ran the Miami half marathon.

If that wasn’t enough, what makes Philip my fitness hero is three years ago he decided to compete in his first triathlon. We have been together almost 20 years and I’ve never seen him swim so I was like way to go! We get to Miami and the water was very rocky and he was a little freaked out, but instead throwing in the towel. He changed his goal to just getting out of the water alive.  Not a bad goal =) I’m proud to report, he did make it out of the water alive and has completed two tri’s. He is currently training for another one the first week of April. He uses this early spring tri as a way to help manage the winter weight gain and keep him busy since there’s no football and golf season is months away.

Over the years, Philip’s doctor has been very supportive of his training regime as it keeps his blood work looking good, his blood pressure and weight down. In fact, Philip is the only member of his family that isn’t taking a medication to manage his blood pressure.

I loved that our initial meetings with a trainer has set up us for a fitness lifestyle. For more than twelve years Philip has remained active. He’s always looking and willing to try new things to do and ways to stay fit inside and outside of the gym.

We all know it’s move it or lose it. He plans to stay active well into his golden years.

In my fitness career I’ve found that there are three types of fitness folks.

• Seekers: In constant search of the “diet plan” “workout” “coach” “super food” etc. that will help them to achieve their goals. When “the something” doesn’t give them fast weight loss or a quick fix, they give up immediately and declare it a failure.
• Poser: They say all the right things, buy the right stuff, wear the right clothes, belong to the right groups, talks the talk but kinda walks the walk.
• Doers: These are the folks that put their blood, sweat and tears into making their goals come true. You get up before the sun rises, go to the gym when they don’t feel it and make the most of their workouts.

You ask the question, how can you transition’ Or can you transition’ Yes, you can!!

1. Set your intention. Get clear about what you want!!!
2. Take an inventory. See how things the way they are. I’m not saying project stuff onto yourself. Talk a good hard look in the mirror and say where you are. Think of it like this. If you were looking at your bank account, you wouldn’t exaggerate your bank balance. That’s what I want you to do with your health.
3. Now ponder what it would be if you have your ideal/best health or fitness level. Give yourself the opportunity to dream, what it would be like for you. Is it mean or this is where the song “Dreamweaver” comes on.
4. ACTION – take a look at your dream/vision and pick 2 things that you can do TODAY to move toward that vision.  Once you have those 2 things and STICK with it for 30 days.

The goal of this blog post wasn’t to make any one feel ashamed. It was something for you to think about, and put wonder in your mind about what it would be like to GO FOR IT!
I really think that everyone has something inside of them that holds him or her back from their goals. I know how good it feels to hit my goals and I want everyone to feel that want. I want you to give yourself “permission” to feel great and look fabulous.
How many of you are ready to feel great and look fabulous. I would love to hear what 2 things you are going to work on for the next 30 days, please leave me a comment’

You are successful in all areas of your life except this. You step on the scale it makes or breaks your day! It’s time to end this vicious cycle and finally break up with the scale. Let’s enter spring with a new attitude, just as the seasons change so can you. This year, will be the year, you won’t dread putting on your spring clothes, being photographer or even looking in the mirror. I’m want to help 10 women — change their attitude and SMASH THE SCALE!

This program includes:

• Nutrition program — including a organic, natural supplement line of products.
• Workout program
• Unlimited email support
• Private Facebook group monitor by several health and fitness experts including myself

Ready to get started give me a email me and we’ll get you started. I’m excited to work with you!!