"Living a healthy lifestyle will only deprive you of poor health, lethargy, and fat." -Jill Johnson

So, it’s t-minus 21 days since New Year’s when said by end of the month you were going to lose 30 pounds, workout everyday, eat nothing but salads, cure cancer and secure a ticket to Obama’s inguration.

Well how are you doing on your resoultions.  Well this is National Healthy Weigth week. Meaning that losing 30 pounds in 1 month woudl not be considered a healthy wegith.

So here are 5 suggestions for setting a healthy weight loss goal.

1. Calories in = calories out: you need to burn more calories than you consume and to lose a pound a week you need to reduce you rconsumption by 500 calories
2. Make time in your day for activity — just 10 -20 minutes a day will get your heart pumping
3. Change take time so don’t expect huge results overnight — there is no magic pill
4. Share your goals to help go have accountability
5. Give yourself permission to not be perfect

Do you have any other tips’

Today is Rid The World of Fad Diets Day.

What is a fad diet’

1. A diet that gets really popular and then falls out of favor.
2. Offers a quick fix
3. Eliminates food groups

There have been so many over the years, so I thought I list a few a get your input how many of these have you tried and what were your results’

• Atkins – For this diet how much bacon and pork rinds did you eat’
• Cabbage Soup — Really — I mean don’t you only eat that on St. Patrick’s day’
• The Zone Diet — 30/30/30 — I tried and let me tell could keep the math straight.
• Grapefruit Diet — when you eat these combined with a protein it will burn fat.
• South Beach — This diet is like the energizer bunny! I think I will have to come up with a new category for this one.

“Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.”

This week is healthy week, so what does that mean’ That means this week we are going to focus on what we can do to reach our healthy weight and maintain it.

With January comes everyone thoughts of losing those last 10 pounds, within weeks of January 1st.

Stop right their, thoughts like that are self-defeating.  Ideal weight loss is any where from 1-2 pounds per week.

So, what are you thoughts around healthy weight’

45% of people make a new year’s resolution yet less than 10% keep any of them.  Is it because they pick to many or is it because they aren’t ready to change’  Do we set our bars so high that when we don’t reach them we get disappointed and give up’ 

In order to make changes we go though 5 stages of change.

1. Pre-contemplation — someday you will (insert the topic)
2. Contemplation — someday soon I will do it
3. Action — today is the day so watch out
4. Maintenance — I got this

What stage are you in’  Don’t be afraid change is hard! You will get discouraged, you may question yourself, may be afraid to look like a fool, but guess what nothing easy is ever worth it

So, get moving!!!

Researchers now say that butt fat, yes you heard correctly, butt fat may now protect  you from getting type 2 diabetes. Interesting.  So, stop wishing your J.Lo away and and embrace it, stick it out and say baby got back!

The FDA has recently issued a diet pill warning for the following.

Potentially Dangerous Weight-Loss Products:
2 Day Diet
3x Slimming Power
5x Imelda Perfect Slimming
3 Day Diet Japan Lingzhi
24 Hours Diet
7 Diet Day/Night Formula
7 Day Herbal Slim
8 Factor Diet
999 Fitness Essence
Extrim Plus
Fatloss Slimming
(more…)

This afternoon, I am meeting some friends that I made competing.  The friends I have made competing are amazing women, they all set goals and do whatever takes to meet them. We are meeting for lunch today on a snowy Saturday afternoon to talk about our goals for the next year.

My big hairy audacious goal (BHAG) next year is to compete in an Women’s Tri Fit Competition.  I have wanted to do this since 2005 and now I am taking the steps to make my goal come to fruition.  This year will be detailing my progress toward this goal, the training methods, mental focus and how manage this with trying to have a life.

For me the journey begins NOW!!! Tell me when does your journey begin’

I remember when I was in high school and Oprah walked out onto to her talk show in those black Calvin Klein size 10 jeans and boy did she feel like she arrived!  Now fast forward to 2008 and she is now over 200 pounds.  Has this ever happened to you’

You lose some weight and then start to eat everyhting you’ve been mising on your diet’

DIETS DON’T WORK!!!

Oprah has more money and can afford to a trainer everyday, a cook and an in home gym and she still struggles, do you want to know why’

It boils down to change and your commitment to making change, as we approach resolution season ask yourself 3 questions:

1. Why is it important to change
2. What barriers will you encounter
3. How will you over come those barriers

Let’s be honest life happens, but what are prepared to pick yourself up when life knocks you down’

Talk me, how did you answer those 3 questions.

New Year Resolution making is just around the corner.  Let me ask, how’d you do last year’ Do you achieve all that you set out to resolve’  Well how me make 2009 the year that you make all your new year’s resolutions’

Here are few steps to help you make them.

1. Define your goals and write down your goals so that they are visible
   • a flab stomach is a wish
   • losing 5 pounds of fat is a goal
2. Create a  tracking system
   • without a tracking system how will you know how you are doing against your goal
3. Grab a partner or board of directors
   • someone or a group of folks who you tell your goal and will how you accountable.  I talking touch love, not someone who will say “that’s OK, you’ll do it next year”
4. Evaluate
   • take a look at your tracking system and see how you are doing are you making process, if not why what do you need to change to hit your goals, if you are hitting your goals, how can you keep going.

Quick advice:

Don’t set more than 2 resolutions this year.  If you find that you are accomplishing what you want to do, then set 2 more.  Most folks want to change the world after their hangover where off, so put the cape back in the closet and pick 2 things you REALLY want to accomplish this year and work your fanny off to get it.

So, tell what are you thinking about this year’  Do you want someone hold you accountable’  I can help you need me to give you a hug while I kick you the A%#$^&.

Stay tuned, I have some goals I am working on and will share them with you next Monday!

We’ve all gone to the store formally called natural food store or coop because we thought organic was better.

Organic only means that wasn’t grown with pesticides, but does it mean that its healthier and/or better for you.

Experts say that their isn’t enough evidence to say their is a distinct advantage to eating organic. You are less likely to encounter pesticides, which may come back to haunt all of us with side affects. While the natural fertilizer, manure, may cause E.Coli.  Regarding if you go conventional or organic is it recommended that you rinse all fruits and vegetables prior to eating.

Here is where I play the green card and I don’t mean money’  By not purchasing conventional foods, we aren’t hurting the earth with pesticides.

My gut tells me how long can your wallet sustain the cost go for it’  What do you think’  Do you buy organic, if so why’

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’

A popular Japanese actress claimed she lost 26 pounds following the Morning Banana Diet.  Now supermarkets in Japan can’t keep bananas in stock, in fact Dole has increased its imports by 25%.

Here are the basics of the diet:

Morning:
banana as many as you want
room temperature water

Lunch:
anything you like

Dinner:
anything you like but eat by 8pm

*3:00 pm snack is okay, but no desserts
Must be in bed by midnight.

So does this sound like a sensible diet’  You’re thinking about it aren’t!  I got news for you NO!!!!!!! This is just another diet fad and when you loose the weight and go back to not eating banana’s for breakfast you gain the weight right back.

Do you disagree, I would love to hear your opinion.