Fidget to fight fat:

In a recent study, scientists from the Mayo Clinic issued motion-sensing skivvies to 10 heavy people and 10 thin ones, then recorded even their tiniest movements 24 hours a day. Ten days later they found that overweight people simply moved less than their lean companions, burning 350 fewer calories per day. To get yourself "fidgeting," plop down on a stability ball for 15 minutes each hour and use it to keep yourself in perpetual motion.

Food Through a Lens

Ah! Food. One of my favorite pastimes. I thought it would be fun to take a picture of everything I ate for one day. I also thought it would help me stick to a healthy diet...it didn't. Here is what my Thursday looked like through the lens:

My daily morning coffee. One cup of Joe with 1/2 TBS creamer and a packet of sugar substitute.

Breakfast: One egg substitute only omelet, a clementine, a Western Alternative Sweet Wheat bagel with 1 oz Weight Watchers cream cheese.

Morning snack: 2 saltine crackers. I didn't need these, but Belle was having some and I grabbed two without even thinking about it. I had to get two more to take a picture of and then put them back! Mindless eating....I'll work on that.

Lunch: Grilled peanut butter and (sugar free) jelly sandwich and one apple.

Snack: Okay, it's not really a snack. We took Tre to the dentist at about 2:30pm then to the park to play. On the way to the park I was hungry so we stopped at the gas station and I got a 32 oz Diet Dr. Pepper. I knew we would eat dinner soon so I didn't want to eat anything. The drink did the trick.

Dinner: McDonald's Grilled Classic Chicken sandwich, and 3/4 of a large fry (ugh!). Tre got to pick where we went to dinner (when the kids go to the dentist we make it their 'special day' so they don't dread going) and apparently I was too hungry to make a healthy choice, hence the fries. Sure was tasty though.

Snack: 1.5 cups Fiber One cereal, dry, and one cup Light Vanilla Soy Milk.

Evening Binge: 2 maple bars from Harmons. I don't want to blame anyone but myself, but I had a meeting for work from 8-9:30 and Jer wanted me to stop and get him Butter cream Maple Bars from Harmons. They didn't have any but these maple bars looked delicious even though I wasn't hungry at all. So what did I do? I bought a box of 4 and ate half of them. Yikes!

Totals:

Calories: 2385

Fat grams: 89

Carb grams: 357

Protein grams: 91

Sodium: 3889 mg

Fiber: 54g

Sugar: 98g

Not one of my best nutrition days. I think Friday will be a much better day.

A Mother of a Workout

I am cutting down to a tip of the week instead of daily. Just in time for Mother's Day, I have a tip for working out with your kids. Depending on how big or little they are you may need to adjust. When I am stuck in a hotel room with no way to go out and run and no weights in site I turn to my kids for resistance training. Here are a few exercises that are my favorites:

Push up: Let your child sit or lie on your back to add extra weight to some basic push ups.

Dip: Sit your kid on your lap, slide off the chair with hands right next to your hips, bend at the elbows to lower yourself to the floor and then press back to starting. This works the triceps.

Curl and Press: Works biceps and shoulders; Start standing up holding your child under their arms, arms straight. Bend elbows to bring the little bugger's face to your face (bicep curl), kiss if needed, then press them into the air over your head (overhead shoulder press) and reverse the motion.

Squats and lunges: Put 'em on your back or shoulders and squat and lunge until your hearts content (beating hard).

Leg extension: Sitting on a sturdy chair (or on the edge of a swimming pool) let your kids sit on your feet and hug your shins. While holding them in place extend knees so legs are straight then lower. You'll feel it, but I'll tell you it works the quadriceps, or front part of the thigh.

Core: Any ab exercise can be done with your child sitting on your stomach. What this does is force you to keep the abdominal wall contracted throughout the movement which means extra work for the core.

Happy Mother's Day to all!

Tip of the Day--SHOULDER'S

Well, it's trying to be shoulder bearing weather outside. Hopefully it will stick. Time to pull out the t-shirts, tanks, and swimsuits. And what better way to feel great in these items than shapely shoulders?

Put an extra shoulder exercise (or two) into your strength routine starting ASAP. Soon you will be seeing some shape and cut to your upper arm. Not a lot of people have a lot of fat covering their shoulder area. So when you work this muscle you can see the definition a lot sooner than say, your glutes. Plus the eye automatically travels from your eye's to your smile to your neck and shoulders. Here are a few shoulder exercises to try:




Overhead Press: Aim for 3 sets of 8-10 reps with weight that is so heavy that you can barely finish the 10th rep with good form. Anywhere from 8 pound dumbbells to 30 pound dumbbells.Lateral raise: Again, use a weight heavy enough to tire out the muscles within 12-15 reps. Finish 3 sets of these.

Front raise: Same as above. This exercise focuses on the front head of the deltoids (shoulder). Always keep abs tight and knees slightly bent.

Push ups, pull ups, chest press, and some triceps exercises also work the shoulders as an assisting muscle group.

Tip of the Day--TREATS

This is not really a tip. Just a question. If you could only eat one treat for the rest of your life, what would it be?

I think I couldn't live without sugar cookies. I only eat them around certain holiday's and birthdays. I like to make sugar cookies with my kids. The kitchen is a mess, the kids are sugar laden, and the memories are set by the time we are done. And it is an all day thing. I guess treats aren't just about taste, but what they represent.

Now it is your turn. We did healthy snacks already so now it is not so healthy snacks. What would you choose?

Belle blowing out the candles on her pink frosted sugar cookie at her 5th birthday party

Tre and Belle showing off their snowman cookies they made this past summer. What is better than eating snow (men) in July?

Christmas sugar cookies are a tradition in our house. The kids (okay, me too) look forward to this all year!

Tip of the Day--BOOTY CALL

Want a great exercise that works your glutes? Try one leg squats. I do mine on the Smith Machine with 20 pounds on each end of the bar. You can also do them with dumbbells or just your own body weight. If you do it this way, put the top of your non-working foot on a bench or chair for balance. Squat down as low as you can and push through the heel of the working foot on the way up. Aim for 2-3 sets of 12-15 reps on each leg. This can also be done at the gym on the leg press machine. It's important to remember to keep your knee stable and not let it cave in or press out. It stays right in the middle.

Tip of the Day--SNACKS

Snacks are good. The right kind of snacks are even better. Here is a list of my favorite snacks that tide me over until my next meal. Please add your favorite snack foods to the comment section. I always like new snack ideas. Thanks!

• light string cheese and an apple
• handful of almonds (12-24)
• bowl of Kashi GoLean with soy milk
• Western Bagel wheat bagel with WW light cream cheese
• Skippy Natural Peanut Butter (just on a spoon)
• banana or apple dipped in melted PB
• protein shake
• snap peas
• Fiber One Caramel Delight cereal, dry
• Fiber One granola bar
• any 100 calorie pack snack
• South Beach Diet high protein cereal bar

I am sure there are others but these are the ones I like best. The trick is to eat something with a little healthy fat, some protein, and carbs. Or veggies plain since they have fiber and we typically don't get enough veggies in our diets. Snack time is a great time to fill fiber or veggie requirements. It is also a great boost to your day and can help you from scarfing down your next meal because you are so famished.

Remember to add your favs to the comments.