Quick Question

Anyone out there do Weight Watchers?  What do you think of the new PointsPlus plan?  Just curious!

I HEART HUNGRY GIRL!!

I encourage you to subscribe to her blog & emails. I just love her!

Potato Chip Crunch for 1 Calorie?

I'm definitely skeptical about this, but am willing to try anything that gets me closer to eating potato chips while simultaneously losing weight!

"We" Fit!!

So puuuuumped! We finally got our Wii Fit Plus with Balance Board today and I've spent far too much time on it this afternoon. I mean, I had to set it up, right? Well, more than being excited about getting it was finding out my Wii Fit age! It's...drum roll please...30!! And that's 2 years younger than my real age! Woot woot! The reason I'm so ridiculously excited about it is because my Wii Sports age was 63. Yes. I know. Seriously, what?? To make matters worse, my husband's was like 18. Which is a real crock b/c his joints & back are totally broken! Eh well, who's laughin' now?!?

And speaking of 18, my 4-year-old set up his profile and that was also his Wii Fit age! Ha. I don't think they should give kids under, say, 8 Wii Fit ages. They don't understand the balance tests and other measurements. Oh well...I'm not too concerned. He's a very active boy...he's gonna be fine!

Where have I been??

Short answer: busy. But I have a lot to write about from the past couple weeks so hopefully I can work on a lot of that today and tomorrow.

Just a quick thought for today. My trainer has me on a rockin' arm program because my cousin is getting married in June and I told her I want buff arms. :) It will be nearly a high school reunion, so...you know. Anyway, today's workout was called the "Killer Kombo." I'm hating my trainer right now. (A friend of mine used to have a saying, "Hate me now, love me later." We'll see.) It's a combo of body weight squats, push-ups, pull-ups, and jump rope. The first week I did 30 reps of each, with 2 min. jump rope. This was my second week...FORTY reps of each! IN A ROW!! So that's 40 squats, 40 push-ups, 40 pull-ups, then 2 min. of jump rope. It's appropriately named.

Anyway, my point is, that because I have a short attention span I was having a tough time mentally getting through 2 solid minutes of jump rope. (I know 2 minutes doesn't seem like a long time. Try it.) So I needed something to take my mind off of it. So I started a Hail Mary. Turns out I can say just about a decade in 2 minutes! So that's what I'm going to do: start saying my rosary during my "Killer Kombo!" (Appropriate?) I can say the intermittent prayers during my squats, etc. And I do 4 sets so I can do the last decade either during warm up or cool down. Just thought I'd pass along my fun fact for the day!

Happy & Holy fitness!

More weight loss tips for the cheapskate!

So...the economy stinks right now. So what's a girl (or guy) to do if you're trying to begin a diet and weight-loss regimen but you just can't afford a gym membership (or even don't have time for the gym). Take it from me, you can lose weight on a budget. Yes, I have a gym membership and yes, for some people it's "easier" to lose weight with one. But I still do my own workouts in and around my home to keep things interesting. And honestly, some people just can't get motivated to go to the gym. Or if you're unfamiliar with the equipment, it can be downright intimidating. Luckily you live in 2010. There are SO MANY options out there...you just have to do a little research!

First, and probably most obviously, there are workout DVDs. They come in all shapes and sizes! (Well, all DVD's are the same size of course, just work with me here.) You can get cardio routines in just about any format you want...step aerobics, kickboxing, dancing, etc. There's yoga, strength training in a million different forms, core routines, you get the picture. And the best part is, they're so cheap, you can get several different ones and never get bored!

Now for some at-home equipment, because any workout is better if you have a little equipment. first and foremost - resistance tubes. They're the bomb. They're super cheap and just one provides SO many uses. They usually come with some tips and instructions. For a little more powerful lift, light to medium hand weights are a must. You can get them almost anywhere. And when they're on sale at a sporting goods store, you can often get them at a dollar a pound. Finally, the last "must" is a stability ball. Again, inexpensive yet infinite usage.

If you want to expand your home gym a little bit more, or just expand gradually as you get the hang of it, some other ideas are Bosu balls, kettlebells, medicine balls, step benches, weight benches, and free weight bars. Some are more expensive than others, but keep in mind, these are one-time expenses unlike a monthly gym membership.

If you have an iPhone or iPod Touch, there are countless apps you can download, even for free, that give you multitudes of ideas for workouts and strength training exercises.

Run out of ideas and tired of your DVDs? Just Google "home workouts" and you'll find a plethora ("Plethora? Yes, plethora"...name that movie) of workouts you can do at home. And I also highly recommend subscribing to a health/fitness-related magazine. Many of them have great and information-packed websites too, that you don't have to pay to subscribe to. My personal favorite: Fitness Magazine!

So good luck and don't be scared to begin your journey! YOU CAN DO IT!!

Food Journaling

As I noted in my last weight-loss post, I've been on Weight Watchers for a couple of years now. It has been awesome. Granted, I go on streaks where I'm better for periods of time than others at keeping track of my food intake. But I've lost 27 pounds and it at least keeps me accountable.

If you've been trying to lose weight for awhile but just can't figure it out, my first tip towards starting on the journey is to keep a food journal. Writing down what you eat and seeing it on paper will at first probably make you gasp! Weight Watchers has been awesome and easy for me. I do it online only (don't attend meetings) which is cheaper, but it's still a monthly expenditure. I know the economy is down right now, so if you're interested in something similar online, there are many good sites where you can create a free account, enter your food and activity for the day and they'll tally up your calories, fat, fiber, carbs, etc. and tell you where you need to be for your weight & age.

A bunch of them also have a vast array of online tools like recipes, workouts, cardio ideas, and more. Here are a few: FitDay, SparkPeople, My Calorie Counter, My Fitness Pal, The Daily Plate, NutriDiary, or just Google "free online food journal" and you'll get tons of results. Check them out and sign up for one. Speaking from Weight Watchers experience, the journal is the key to success!!

Some swaps that have saved me on my weight-loss journey!

Since I started Weight Watchers back in January of '08, I have found several things that have saved my life as far as satisfying cravings when I'd otherwise eat crap. Here are a few of those things:

• 100% whole-grain anything. Switch to whole grain bread, cereal, english muffins, pitas, and tortillas...whatever. You can barely tell the difference and there's tons more fiber.
• Fat free/sugar free Jell-O pudding. Chocolate's the best. Put on some fat free whipped cream and it feels like you're being really bad!
• Quaker chewy granola bars. Eat one when you really want to have a candy bar!
• Ground turkey. SOOOO much better for you than ground beef. Or just switch to the extra-lean ground beef. But you really can't tell a difference when it's in chili, spaghetti sauce, tacos, etc.
• Veggie burgers. I know, I know. It seems like they're only for tree-hugging hippie vegans, but they really satisfy your craving for a burger when you NEED one and it's not your "cheat day."
• Fat free American cheese. This stuff really is good! And it melts really oozy-ish so it's great on burgers and grilled cheese!
• Egg whites. Not quite as good as real eggs, but tons less cholesteral and fat. And if you put in a bunch of veggies, lean deli meat, and fat free cheese, it's pretty much as good as a regular omelette! And you can buy egg whites already separated for you from Egg Beaters. Hello, easy!
• Popcorn. Second. Best. Food. Ever. 'Nuff said. Eat all you want.
• Turkey bacon. The alternative to the BEST. FOOD. EVER. Not nearly as good, but again, will do in a pinch. And really is way healthier.
• On that note, turkey or fat free hot dogs. Oohh...I recently had a fat free one with turkey chili and fat free cheese. A healthy chili-cheese dog! What?!? Seriously.
• And on that note, turkey or vegetarian chili. The turkey stuff really is pretty good!
• Water. Water, water, water. If you can't stand drinking water, add a Crystal Light packet. "Can" the pop. Water is the ticket. If you must drink pop, choose diet. Zero cals.
• I almost forgot these! They're huge! I don't know where I'd be without 100 calorie packs. They come in almost any brand/flavor/species possible. I love the Chex, Cheez-It snack mixes, and some of the chocolate cookie kinds.
• Baked! potato chips like Lays & Scoops. Life savers.
• Weight Watchers 1 POINTS bars, Weight Watchers ice cream treats
• Skinny Cow. Skinny Cow and more Skinny Cow.

Besides all these ideas, a cookbook that has saved me is Hungry Girl. She has awesome swap ideas for popular crap-foods. And it's not just for girls - the author calls herself Hungry Girl.

As far as exercise, spinning, BodyStep, BodyPump, and kickboxing are my go-to's. Especially spinning. You burn like 500 cals in 30 minutes! It's insane and it's usually only a 45 minute class. Check it out at your gym or school rec-center.

Lastly, one thing you should probably avoid by all means necessary, with every fiber of your being is the Craz-E Burger. Just a thought.

UPDATE: I just remembered - light bread! The slices are small and pretty paper-thin, but it's great for a light lunch sandwich. Check it. I'll also probably think of a bunch more things later, but I'll just keep updating.

I Heart Kickboxing

Just a quick little blurb on one of my favorite workouts - kickboxing! I started doing it regularly about a year ago at the Y (my second home) and really enjoyed it. It's an amazing cardio workout that gives me a whopping 9 activity POINTS (which is a LOT for those of you who don't do Weight Watchers)! I enjoyed it so much that I bought a kickboxing DVD to do at home when I don't make it to the gym. I did it for the second time today and realized that it's not nearly as hardcore as the fitness class at the gym, but it's still good in a pinch. I bought the Quick Fix: Total Cardio Kick DVD. Years ago I had a Quick Fix Abs video and loved it. For the most part the Cardio Kick is decent, and like I said, good in a pinch. But I noticed that sometimes the instructor mirrors you and sometimes she doesn't which is hard to keep up with. I can't remember which side I'm supposed to be on! In class the instructor always mirrors you, so you always know you're going the same direction they are. (Since she faces you, she tells you to go right, but she's actually using her left.) But in the DVD, when she's not mirroring, you have to remember to go the opposite direction and then what side you've already done, etc. It's too much thinking for a physical workout. On the upside, all the Quick Fix DVDs include 3 different 10-minute workouts. You can do 1, 2, or all 3 of them at a time. Which is really nice if you're in a rush. And Cardio Kick even includes a 4th bonus session, which I found was the most intense one! So...that's part of what I did today. What about you? Does anyone have any at-home kickboxing - or any other fitness - DVD they really enjoy? I'd love to get some more ideas!