Alcohol = Calories!

5oz. of Red or White Wine = 100-130 calories

Red Bull and Vodka = 177 calories

SF Red Bull and Vodka = 74 calories

5oz. Mojito = 160 calories

Vodka and Water = 100 calories

Strawberry Daiquiri = 250 calories

American Beer = 150 calories

Liquor (80 proof) = 100 calories

Liqueurs (Bailey's, Kahlua) = 150 calories

Champagne = 100-130 calories

Rum and Coke = 156 calories

Frozen Margarita = 246 calories

Margarita on the Rocks = 182 calories

Whiskey Sour = 210 calories

Martini = 175 calories

Now, how many of you usually only have one drink? Think about it!

I got these numbers from Woman's Health Magazine and FindArticles.com. 

"The Bikini-Ready Workout"

My favorite book The Woman's Health Big Book of Exercises has workouts in the back of the book personal trainers have come up with. My favorite "The Bikini-Ready Workout." I did it for a month before I left for Spring Break with my family...

Me- Spring Break '10

This workout was created by one of Hollywood's most famous trainers Valerie Waters. As you can see from my picture above, it made me very lean, and toned. I loved it!! :) Here is an example of her workout:

Circuit 1:

Single-leg hip raise  2-3 sets 12 reps.

Side plank 2-3 sets 30 sec. hold

Plank 2-3 sets 30-40 sec. hold

Situp 2-3 sets 12 reps. (I usually do 25 reps.)

Circuit 2:

Dumbbell squat 3 sets 15 reps.

Single-arm cable row 3 sets 12 reps.

Dumbbell straight-leg deadlift 3 sets 12reps.

Dumbbell bench press 3 sets 15 reps.

Circuit 3:

Valslide reverse dumbbell lunge 3 sets 12 reps.

Dumbbell shoulder press 3 sets 12 reps.

Dumbbell lunge 3 sets 10 reps.

Triceps pressdown 3 sets 12 reps.

Dumbbell curl 3sets 12 reps.

TRY IT!! :)

"The Eat- Clean Diet"

Just started reading this book... and, I believe it's a book everyone should buy. If you are trying to lose weight... or even not, this book is the key to everything you need to know. You will be healthier, happier, more energized and looking better than ever. Tosca Reno explains in the book,

 10% Genetics + 10% Training + 80% Nutrition = "Body Beautiful/Body Healthy Formula"

Quote

"Pain is temporary. Quitting lasts forever."

 - Lance Armstrong

The Bible

I think every girl should invest in this book. The pages are falling out of mine because I carry it around every where with me. It goes through each body part and shows you a ton of different exercises for each, how to do them properly, and alternatives if you want easier or harder. And you can even find in the back different workouts that personal trainers have come up with. My favorite- the bikini ready workout!

Jamie Eason- Love Her!

Jamie & I at the Arnold Classic 2010 in Columbus, OH

Since I've grown an interest in Health and Fitness, Jamie Eason has been my inspiration. She is a great role model for anyone that loves to be in the gym and eat clean. I wanted to share her website and her facebook fan site. I love reading them daily because she has tons of tips and advice! If you read her facebook, other personal trainers and fitness rats leave comments and advice as well. Very helpful for those of you with questions. :)

A Little Help With That WILLPOWER!!

I ran across this article in Ladies' Home Journal by Leslie Goldman the other day. I think it gives great tips for when your cravings get the best of you. The trick is learning that the solutions are all in your head.

• STRESS: Instead of thinking, "after a crazy day at work I deserve a big pile of fries." Write down your worries in a journal. Stress triggers your cravings for comfort foods because your body wants the soothing hit of dopamine they provide, and eating something you love takes your mind off things. If you write down your worries instead "you will become more aware of your negative emotions so you can find ways to work through them," says Dr. Alber, Psy.D., author of 50 Ways to Soothe Yourself Without Food.
• CHOCOLATE CRAVINGS: Instead of thinking, "if I see chocolate I eat it. There's no stopping me!" ... walk off the urge to indulge. It's not just the taste that makes chocolate so tempting, it's also the blissed-out feeling you get from eating it. When chocolate's potent blend of fat and sugar hits your bloodstream, it signals the reward center of your brain to release dopamine, a chemical that produces feelings of euphoria. The sensation is a mild version of a high, like people get from drugs and alcohol, says Joe Frascella, Ph.D. Britain's University of Exeter found that taking a 15-minute walk may help curb chocolate cravings.
• DEPRESSED: Instead of thinking, "when I'm feeling sad, I pop doughnut holes like mints. They're a perfect pick-me-up" Eat a small amount of carbs like a cup of plain cheerios or a small english muffin, it can help you feel better in about a half hour. Carbs stimulate production of the feeling good hormone serotonin, which dips when you're depressed. Just make sure you control yourself, don't over do it!
• TIRED: Instead of thinking, "after a bad night's sleep I have to eat constantly the next day. I'm ravenous!" GET ENOUGH SLEEP, or since it's not always possible- eat fruit, veggies and high-fiber carbs regularly to help your body produce leptin more efficiently. Just a few nights of tossing and turning can send your appetitite into overdrive. That's because sleep helps regulate body weight and metabolism. Lack of sleep increases appetite, and may cause you to gain weight. It's important to get the sleep your body needs.
• PMS: Instead of thinking, "when I have PMS chocolate is a need, not a want." Sooth premenstrual tension the healthy way through exercise, deep breathing or yoga. Once you cut stress, your candy bar cravings will be less intense. To kick the chocolate craving, have a piece throughout the month so you don't over do it when it's your monthly visitor.
• FOOD CONNECTIONS: Instead of thinking, "I have to get a bucket of popcorn when I see a movie." Identify the situations that trigger mindless eating (keeping a food journal can help.) Popcorn seems like a necessity because you've been conditioned to want it whenever you catch a flick, says Dr. Albers. "When an event becomes linked in your brain to a specific food-like popcorn and movies, hotdogs and baseball games, or bowl of icecream and your favorite tv show-you're likely to indulge without even thinking about it," she explains. Once you figure out your mindless eating, you can come up with ways to sever the food connection or create healthier ones.
• MORNINGS: Instead of thinking, "the only thing I ever want for breakfast is a big bagel." Eat a combination of complex whole-grain carbs and protein for breakfast to reduce your cravings. Blame morning food cravings on a brain chemical called neuropeptide Y, which helps govern your appetite for carb-rich foods. "Levels of NPY are high in the morning because your body wants immediate fuel after fasting for eight hours," says Somer. The problem is that while foods rich in simple carbs-such as a bagel-are digested rapidly to deliver a blast of energy, you then have to deal with blood-sugar crash. And what will you want to eat to make yourslf feel better? MORE CARBS! Both complex whole-grain carbs and protein take longer to digest than simple carbs, so you'll get a steady stream of energy and feel full longer. Try a piece of whole wheat toast topped with peanut butter- it's my favorite! :)

I felt like a lot of these I could connect with cravings I have. I'm really bad about saying "I'll just eat better tomorrow." But, I've learned to keep the pounds away, the inches off, and the energy high... you can treat yourself once in awhile, but have a bite... don't eat the whole thing!

Determining Your BMI (Body Mass Index)

Deciding what is a healthy weight for you is not only what you see when you step on the scale.  One of the first things you should do is measure your BMI (Body Mass Index).  This is a mathematical equation that estimates your body fat.  Your height and weight are entered into the equation with the resulting number revealing whether you are underweight, normal weight, overweight, or obese.

One drawback to measuring BMI is that it doesn’t differentiate between body fat and lean muscle mass.  So if you’re an athlete or have a lot of muscle mass, your BMI may not classify you correctly.  The resulting number could indicate that you’re overweight when in fact you are not.  The opposite goes for those individuals, such as older people who have lost muscle mass… your BMI may indicate that you are underweight when you’re not.  However, for most people, your BMI should give you a pretty accurate idea of where you stand.

To determine your BMI, there are lots of BMI calculators on the internet.  However, you can determine it yourself by using the following equation:

(weight in pounds) divided by [(height in inches) x (height in inches)] x 703

Compare your resulting number to the chart below:

Below 18.5 = Underweight
18.5 - 24.9 = Normal
25 - 29.9 = Overweight
30 and above = Obese

Fitness Myths!

I figured the subject of "Fitness Myths" would be a great subject for my very first blog!

According to expert Jan Wyche in an article by Liz Neporant, here are some of the most common fitness myths:

Myth #1 - "Stretching is Essential" - Research shows that stretching before exercise actually increases your chance of getting injured and may decrease your workout performance.  According to Wyche, the best way to prepare your body for physical activity is with a three to five minute warm-up of easy walking, light cycling or gentle movement.

Myth #2 - "Muscle Turns Into Fat" - "Fat and muscle are two totally separate types of tissue.  They aren't interchangeable," says Wyche.  People get fat when they stop working out because they continue to eat the same amount but burn off fewer calories.  As a result, their unused muscles grow soft while they simutaneously gain excess body fat.

Myth #3 - "Stay Skinny With Diet Alone" -  You can lose weight simply by cutting back on calories.  But combining exercise with diet will help you lose weight more quickly.  More importantly, it will help you keep the pounds off permanently.  The majority of participants in the National Weight Control Registry (a survey of thousands of people who have lost a significant amount of weight and kept it off for years) report that a consistent exercise program is one of their key weight maintenance strategies.

Myth #4 - "Long and Slow to Zap Fat" - Wyche claims that the so-called "fat burning zone" is about as real as "The Twilight Zone."  "The workout that burns as many calories as possible, whether it's long and slow or fast and furious, is the best workout for fat burning and weight loss," she advises.

Myth #5 - "Lose Before Lifting" - Actually, if you're truly serious about losing weight, lifting weights two to three times a week is a must.  "Building muscle helps maintian your metablolism even while you're resting and will help you slim down," Wyche notes.  When you combine diet with cardio exercise only, you tend to lose a lot of muscle mass; weight training helps preserve muscle so more of your weight loss is truly from fat.

Myth #6 - "High Reps Rule" - Choose a weight you can lift at least eight times keeping good form but no more than 15 times without your muscle feeling the challenge.  If you can do more reps than that, the weight you're using isn't heavy enough to give you results.  And, as Wyche points out, decreasing body fat will help you see the shape of the muscles underneath.

Myth #7 - "Crunch Away Ab Flab" - There's no such thing as spot reducing -- that is, you can't magically zap the fat from an area by exercising it.  Wyche says that you could do 5,000 crunches a day and still not see any improvements until you burn the layer of fat over your ab muscles, which is done by trimming your diet and burning more calories through cardio exercise.

Myth #8 - "Beef Up to Gain Muscle" - "The body uses protein, carbs and fat to build muscle," Wyche notes.  Any excess protein you eat beyond what your body needs will simply be expelled through your urine or stored as body fat.  Your best bet is to eat a balanced diet that includes a variety of vitamins and minerals and enough calories to build strong, shapely muscles.