Summer Fun Healthy Eating Tips

Hey fitness peeps! I'M BACK!!! I know, I know, it's been a LOOOONG TIME! For awhile I was on a roll with this blogging thing, but life has been busy! Busy in a good way, though, so I can't complain, but I am sorry I haven't been able to update Confessions of a Fit Girl like I used to. I'm always preaching that when it comes to exercise there are no excuses, we make time for the things we really want to do, but that just doesn't apply to exercise, it applies to everything! So I've gotta' start practicing what I preach and I rededicate myself to this blog! So expect a lot more posts in the future!

Now on to the subject of this particular post... Summer's here and even though it seems like we work hard all spring to look good in those summer clothes, we often throw all of that hard work out of the window once summertime actually arrives. Summer barbeques, picnics, carnivals, amusement parks and other fun outings can get us into a lot of trouble! When it comes to staying fit, exercise is only half of the battle, a big part of it is nutrition. In fact, experts say that your diet counts for 80% and exercise only 20%. The last post I wrote, "Diet Vs. Exercise... " discussed this very thing. Both diet and exercise are very important but the fact is, with a proper diet, you can lose weight without exercise, but unless you constantly burn way more calories than you take in, you can exercise all you want, if you don't have that diet is bad, it's all in vain. Often you find yourself, if not gaining weight, at a complete stand still, which is fine if your maintaining but if your goal is to lose weight the plan is to do a combination of both diet and exercise.  If you haven't already, I suggest you read my last blog to learn more on the issue, but I say all this to say that diet is a big part of the equation and I don't want all of your hard work to go down the drain this summer. So I'm giving you some summer fun healthy eating tips to help you out! 

Take the guesswork out of the calorie counts of common foods you'll find at popular summer events, and find out what you should steer clear of and the better-for-you options!


1. The Ballpark
Bad Pick: Jumbo Dogs and Large Beers
You don't have to get the super-sized foot-long, jumbo dog or the largest cup of beer. A jumbo beef hot dog (larger than a foot-long) can contain about a half-pound of meat per dog! That clocks in at around 750 calories and 68 grams of fat depending on the brand (and that doesn't even include the roll!) Washing that dog down with a tall 16 oz. regular beer will set you back about 200 more calories.

Better Pick: Regular Hot Dogs and Light Beer
Enjoying a regular-sized hot dog (5 to 6 inches) and a small beer are fine. A regular dog on the bun with ketchup, relish and mustard comes in at around 280 calories. Pair it with a 12 oz. light brew for another 100 to 120 calories.

Just make sure you don't overload the dog with high-cal toppings. It's the chili and cheese layered on top that's the real trouble! That's when 300 or 400 calories turns into 1,500! The best trick is to have a plan. Know what you're going to eat and when you're going to eat."

See satisfying 400-calorie meals at the ballpark!



2. Outdoor Concert
Bad Pick: Frozen Cocktails
What's often popular at these venues are "frozen everything" drinks. They can be fairly high in calories mostly because of the volume. A large frozen margarita can set you back 900 calories! Not to mention the fact that so much alcohol lowers inhibitions, and you start having a "Who cares?" mentality when deciding what to eat.




Better Pick: Mojitos
This refreshing drink has about 170 to 230 calories and is usually made with light rum, lime or lemon juice, club soda, sugar, and fresh mint leaves. Choose the smallest size to save calories and keep from getting inebriated. If you are truly craving a margarita, order a small one on the rocks for a calorie range of 250 to 500 depending on the size. Remember, if you're thirsty and outside at an all-day concert, alcohol is the most dehydrating beverage you could have. Drink plenty of water to keep from getting parched.

Check out the calorie ranges of more summer cocktails here!



3. The County Fair
Bad Pick: Giant Fried Drumsticks
Those huge drumsticks are actually deep-fried turkey legs that clock in close to 1,000 calories!

Better Pick: Chicken Kabob
Choose grilled foods, like a 4 oz. chicken kabob for 450 calories or a medium-sized corn on the cob (hold the butter) for 77 calories.

Additional tip: Sit down and eat with a fork and knife because you're less likely to eat mindlessly.



4. The Carnival
Bad Pick: Funnel Cakes

Funnel cake is a food you definitely want to stay away from. Anything with the F-word—fried—is going to be higher in calories per density. One 8.3 oz. funnel cake (about the size of a regular paper plate) with powdered sugar is 658 calories.

Better Pick: Cotton Candy
If your sweet tooth is craving something decadent, it would be better to go for cotton candy. A small (about 1.5 oz.) is around 150 calories.

Additional tip: Share with the kids and you'll eat fewer calories. 



5. An Amusement Park
Bad Pick: Fresh-Squeezed Lemonade
Homemade lemonade on a hot summer day sounds refreshing (even healthy!), but this is one of the more deceiving drinks. Quite often, it's made with sugar water in addition to the fresh-squeezed lemons. Lemonade contains about the same amount of calories as a full-sugared soda. Guzzling a 16 oz. lemonade will set you back 200 to 250 calories and no, this doesn't count as a serving of fruit juice.


Better Pick: Fruit-Flavored Water
Ask for ice water, lemon wedges or slices to squeeze and add artificial sweetener or two sugar packets for a tangy drink between 0 and 30 calories. Or, keep a few sugar-free single-serving drink mixes on hand to add flavor to your water bottle for 0 to 5 calories per serving.


6. Seafood Festivals
Bad Pick: Fried Foods

In general, it's best to avoid fried foods at warm-weather festivals. French fries (6 oz. have 520 calories), crab cakes (a 3 oz. crab cake can have between 160 to 200 calories), and hush puppies (5 small pieces are about 260 calories) won't help you reach your weight loss goals any sooner.

Better Pick: Lobster and Crab Meat
Lobster and crab are fine as far as calories go, especially if you have to work at getting to the meat. (You'll likely eat more if the meat is already pulled out of the shell for you.) It's really not the lobster or crab, but the butter and the sides that will do you in.

Remember to stick with steamed. A medium (2.5 lb live weight) steamed or boiled lobster has around 287 calories. A medium (2 oz.) hard-shell blue crab has about 50 to 60 calories of meat in it. Steamed shrimp (4 large are about 30 calories) and oysters (4 steamed are about 40 calories) are more good low-cal choices to pile on your plate. Cocktail sauce is 55 calories for ¼ c, a better option than tartar sauce, which has 296 calories for ¼ c serving!


7. The Movie Theater
Bad Pick: Super-Sized Servings
Huge tubs of popcorn and extra-large cups of sugary sodas are tempting because the largest sizes don't cost much more than the smaller servings.  

Quick Tip: It does make more financial sense to get the larger serving, but if you're going to do that, get two people to split a drink, and get the bucket that's shared by all.

A large buttered popcorn at AMC Movie Theatres can have 1,640 calories and 126 g of fat in its 20-cup serving! If you quench your thirst with a "medium" 20 oz. nondiet soda that adds another 250 calories.


Better Pick: Kiddie-Size Combos
In some theaters in the Midwest, there are Kiddie Combos available which have about 2 cups of popcorn, a small package of candy, and a small beverage. At AMC Movie Theatres, a kid-size popcorn without butter has about 300 calories and 20 g of fat. (The buttered version of the kid's size adds 170 calories and 17 g of fat.)

You can also fill your cup with better beverages like unsweetened iced-tea, diet soda, or water.

8. The Bar for Happy Hour
Bad Pick: Fried Finger Foods
Fried appetizers are definitely foods to avoid at the bar. A lot of people get fried zucchini or fried mushrooms, but there's no calorie advantage to eating those foods versus fries or onion rings.

Fried zucchini has about 346 calories for a 5 oz. serving, fried mushrooms have 315 calories for a 5 oz. serving, and onion rings have about 470 calories for a 5 oz. serving.


Better Pick: Veggies
Order a relish or antipasto plate, munch a few cheese cubes, pickles, olives, or chew on hard, crisp veggies like celery or carrots.

Medium-sized olives are about 4 calories each, small pickle slices are about 1 calorie each, and one cracker-sized slice of cheddar cheese is about 22 calories.

9. A Cocktail Party
Bad Pick: Bowls of Snacks
The host generously made sure there were plenty of tasty snacks within every guest's reach at her party, but it's easy to overdo it if you're digging in mindlessly while you chat with friends. Twenty potato chips have about 200 calories, and a ½ c of dry-roasted, salted peanuts will set you back 427 calories.

Better Pick: Handful of snacks
Take a handful and remove the bowl from the table if you can. If you're out with friends and they want to keep eating, dip your hand into the basket as soon as you can and that's your portion."

Addition Tip: Take small bites and eat one chip at a time. (It won't make a difference in the calories, but you might be more aware of how much you're eating if you do that.)

Stick with 10 potato chips (100 calories) or 40 peanuts (237 calories) to keep from taking in too many calories.

 
So that's it! 9 common foods you'll find at 9 popular Summer events. Now you know, so choose wisely and enjoy! 


source: http://www.prevention.com 

Diet Vs. Exercise: Can You Really Have One Without The Other?

Hey, fitness lovers and friends! How's it going? Can you believe we are already 6 months into the new year?!? (In around 2 weeks it'll be July so I guess the year is not so "new" anymore.) How is everyone coming along in their fitness/weight-loss journeys? Still hangin' in there tough? Or have you slacked off a bit? Or maybe you're playing it safe getting just the right amount of exercise and eating just the right amount of food a day to maintain. Whatever your situation may be, DON'T STOP! DON'T GIVE IN! and DON'T GIVE UP!  It gets hard sometimes, especially in the summertime with all the summer picnics and barbeques, but it's never impossible. The reality is, it doesn't matter how many times you fall, all that really counts is that you keep getting up!

So now that I've given my little pep talk, let's get down to the matter at hand, the subject of this post which is "Diet Vs. Exercise: Can you Really Have One Without The Other?" Now anyone who knows me knows my opinion, I've stated it in this blog more than several times, diet and exercise is the key to achieving true total fitness success. (And by "diet" I mean eating healthy balanced meals of fruits, vegetables, proteins, grains, and dairy.) But am I right or wrong? You may be thinking, "Jonelle, it doesn't matter what I eat, as long as I burn it off, I'm good." Or, the flip side of the coin, "Jonelle, my diet is excellent, I don't need to exercise." My response? You already know. But open your mind and let go of any preconceived notions you may have had before reading this and let's discuss this matter further...

The Diet vs. Exercise Debate

The issue here is what’s more important, diet or exercise? To answer that, you need to create a caloric deficit.  A "caloric deficit" is expending more calories than you consume. You can create a caloric deficit with just diet alone or through exercise.

So Why Exercise?

Dieting alone is 50% of the equation. In addition to the obvious physical benefits that come from exercising, such as more energy and a better physique, there are numerous health-related reasons. Being active will lower your risk of countless diseases and conditions. Lower cholesterol and blood pressure, stronger immune system, and less stress are just a small sample of what you will achieve with an exercise program.

Yes, you can lose weight with just dieting. But the let me pose this question to you, if person "A" burned 1,000 calories with a combination of weight training and cardio and person “B” didn’t do any training and just cut calories, are the results going to be the same? Will persons “A” and “B” health be the same? Will their body compositions be the same? The answer is NO. The training group will always come out better all the time.  No amount of dieting can ever make you stronger, only training can do that. No amount of dieting will ever make you more physically conditioned or build lean muscle. Only training can do that. Yes, you can lose weight with just dieting, but if you are able bodied, dieting alone is the worst way to lose weight.

Newly published research by scientists at Oregon Health & Science University demonstrates that simply reducing caloric intake is not enough to promote significant weight loss. This study demonstrated that there is a natural body mechanism which conserves energy in response to a reduction in calories.

Want to rev up your metabolism? EXERCISE. Super-charge your metabolism and calorie burning by building muscle. If you’re not hitting the gym or pushing play, you should. Why? Muscle demands energy to just “sit” on your body. Fat does not. For every pound of muscle that you gain, your body burns 50-70 calories more per day. That means, if you gain 10 lbs. of muscle, your body will burn an additional 500-700 calories per day, and with proper diet, that equates to more or less guaranteed weight loss.

So Why Diet?

It's unfortunate when a person who works out on a regular basis consumes food that is counter-productive to a healthy lifestyle. A diet of unnatural, unhealthy foods and beverages forces your body to work twice as hard during workouts, and actually works against your physical efforts.

Unlike exercise, which is something you can choose to do or not, eating is a daily necessity. Why not adopt a quality diet that compliments your exercise? Your diet will depend on your individual goals, whether they are to lose weight and be toned, or to build muscle. Building and strengthening your muscles is actually one of the most effective ways to lose weight and keep it off. You cannot expect your body to function at optimal levels and burn fat if you do not take the initiative to assist it with the proper diet. Many diets that are designed for fat loss will leave people feeling tired or sluggish, because their bodies are not receiving the proper nutrients or activity. After all, what good is looking great if you lack the energy to participate in your favorite activities? Psychologically, being worn down can have a negative effect on your mood, outlook, or self esteem. These things will remain positive when you have the energy required to accomplish your goals. 

Concentrate on a healthy diet, rather than one that will speed weight loss, which comes naturally with improved health.  Eat a lot of nutritious, plant-based foods, and ensure that your meats are lean and of reasonable portions. Boost your fiber intake, and reduce salts and sugars.

My Conclusion

At the end of the day, if you are looking to lose weight and someone tells you that you can lose weight by just following a diet program and you don’t need to exercise, run the other way.  If someone tells you that you can eat all you want, whatever you want and all you have to do is exercise, run the other way.  All the exercise in the world can’t undo a poor diet.

When looking to lose weight and improve your health, do your best to make diet and exercise as common place as brushing your teeth.


sources: http://www.hellolife.net and http://fittalknews.com 

S.A.F June Update

Confessions of a Fit Girl's home site, Succeed At Fitness, has officially been updated for the month of June!!! Check it out now!

• NEW June Fav of the Month: Zumba!!! 
• NEW SAF Special Feature: "Best Apps For A Healthier You"
• NEW Feature Story: "15 Fruits You'll Crave"
• FREE Healthy Dining Out Guide download
• NEW Nutrition Tips

Also, stay tuned because there will be a new Confessions of a Fit Girl blog post coming soon. Thanks for all the support! Let's succeed at fitness together!

Debbie Downers and Negative Nancys

Hey fitness lovers! I know, I know, it's been awhile since my last post! I'm trying to be more consistent and was on a role for awhile but life sometimes gets in the way. Sorry. But I'm back! :) Here with a post on a subject that has been on my mind for awhile now and that's "Debbie Downers and Negative Nancys." If you don't already know, "Debbie Downer" and "Negative Nancy" are terms used to describe people who always have a negative attitude, no matter what the situation or how joyous an occasion it may be, they can always find a down side, bring up a negative point and as you can guess, these people are never much fun to hang around. Now that I've got the definition of the two terms out of the way, you may be wondering, "how do these type of people relate to fitness or nutrition?" Well, I'm glad you asked!

I've found along my weight loss journey, and even today, when it comes to talking about fitness & nutrition there are A LOT of Debbie Downers and Negative Nancys in the world! And I'm not talking about random people you may meet in passing, I'm talking about people you really know, like friends, family, co-workers... etc. Often these people, since they are so close to you, can be negative influences in your life without you even realizing it. While some may be out right negative about your decision to start a new healthy life style or good health and exercising in general, others can be Debbie Downers or Negative Nancys without them even realizing it. For example, you ever start talking to someone and the subject has nothing to do with health, weight, nutrition or fitness, but somehow you find that the subject of food and how they need to lose weight but nothing seems to be working seems to come up? Then that turns into how they want to exercise but just can't find the time? Then the subject of different foods comes up and how many calories are in this and that are brought into the conversation and it just goes on and on until, even though you may be a health & fitness nut, you're even tired of talking about it? Sound familiar? I know I can relate! And no matter how much encouragement or advice you give them, they never really listen, they just make excuses to stay in their negativity because the reality is, most Debbie Downers and Negative Nancys are complainers who put nothing into action. Not only can this type conversation be annoying, but it can also discouraging. No matter what point you are in in your journey, this isn't the kind of conversation you need to engage in, but it can be especially detrimental if you are at the beginning of your weight loss journey. We all need to try to surround ourselves around encouraging, positive people who, even though they may not be interested in a more healthier lifestyle, support our decision to make change and encourage us in reaching our goals!

Debbie Downers and Nancy Negatives aren't easy people to be around but what do you do when you have no choice in being surrounded by them? Say your job is full of them or your family isn't supportive? My advice would be: 1.) Limit your time around those people. That may sound harsh, especially when it comes to family, but negativity is negativity and at the end of the day you've got to take care of yourself! If it takes not being apart of the "clique" at work or taking some alone time at home, do what you have to do to stay positive. 2.) Try to change the subject. This can be hard because most of the time, these types of people (Debbie Downers and Negative Nancys) like to harp on the same subject over and over, they like to keep the negativity going and have a hard time letting a subject go, but if you're persistent enough, they'll get the point that you no longer wish to talk about it. And finally, 3.) Realize that you can't change people. This goes for Debbie Downers, Negative Nancys, and everyone else! People only change when they want to change. Contrary to popular believe, change isn't something that just happens, it's always a choice. Also, a lot of times, a characteristic of being a Debbie Downer or a Negative Nancy didn't just happen overnight, this was probably something that developed from years of being around a parent, sibling or friend who was one first (stuff like that tends to rub off on you which is why my first bit of advice was to limit your time around them), so it's not entirely their fault. Be patient with them.  

And sometimes you've just got to rid yourself of the Debbie Downers and Negative Nancys in your life, period. Now I definitely wouldn't suggest this if your dealing with a family member (that's a whole other story!) but being constantly surrounded by a negative person is not only bad for your health and fitness goals, but it's bad for your sanity in general, especially if you are making an effort to be a positive person. The choice is ultimately up to you.  Be patient and stay positive!


Your friend,
Jonelle

Best and Worst Movie Food Picks

Hello healthy people! How's everything going? Hopefully you all are keeping your bodies moving and your minds on all things positive! Those are always two essentials to achieving success! With Spring officially here and Summer just around the corner, the weather makes it much easier to get moving. I know lately here in Missouri, besides from those rainy days every now and then, it's been great weather for walking, hiking, bike riding, softball and other outdoor activities. During Spring and Summer, there's always a lot more stuff going on indoors as well. One of my favorite things to do during the summer, that isn't an outdoor activity, is going to the movies! Summer time is the best time for new movies! Watching a movie at home just doesn't compare to the big screen. The only negative that comes along with movie watching is the popcorn and other bad for you goodies at the movie concession stand. Now some would argue that those treats don't have to be a problem, you can just as easily bring an apple or some other healthy treat in with you to the movie theater (which I actually have done from time to time), but let's be real, most people aren't going to do that and even if you do, no one is "perfect". Movie popcorn and other snacks play an essential role in the theater-going experience. So the best plan of action is to be well informed before which is why I give you:

Best and Worst Movie Food Picks

AMC's new Smart Movie Snacks Bundle.
The snack pack contains fruit chips,
trail mix, popped corn chips, and a
bottle of water (which can be
substituted for Diet Coke or Coke Zero).

Admittedly, no one goes to the movies expecting a salad bar, but you may be shocked to learn just how fat-loaded typical theater fare is. And although AMC Theatres recently announced its new healthier snack packs with items such as trail mix and bottled water, most movie offerings are decidedly less wholesome.

Get ready to cringe: A medium popcorn and medium regular soda at Regal Theaters can pack as many as 1,600 calories!!! That’s about the amount recommended for an average woman for an entire day! Although many large restaurant chains and other places that sell prepared food will be required to display calorie counts under new federal regulations, movie theaters are exempt — making it even more important to get the facts before you go. Granted, an occasional movie splurge is unlikely to hurt anyone, but frequent theatergoers would be smart to seek out less sinful swaps.

Plain air-popped popcorn is actually a healthy snack: It provides a serving of whole grains and some fiber, with only 31 calories per cup. But enter oil, in which most movie theaters pop their corn, and that “buttery” topping, and the calorie, fat, and sodium content skyrocket. CSPI says that a large container at Regal (20 cups!) provides a whopping 1,200 calories, 60 grams of saturated fat, and 980 milligrams of sodium.

Smarter swap: Get the smallest size of popcorn offered — at Cinemark, the junior bag has 200 calories, 11 grams of fat, and 190 mgs of sodium — and say no to any extra topping. Even better, split the popcorn with your movie date.

You’d never eat that much candy parked in front of your TV at home, but there’s something about those jumbo movie theater offerings, plus eating in the dark, that gives us license to binge. But if you don’t watch serving sizes, your waistline might pay for it. The serving size on candy boxes is usually a modest 1 ½ ounces, typical movie-theater candy boxes contain 3 to 4 ounces. So if you eat the movie-sized 4-oz box of Reese's Pieces, you'll munch away 580 calories, 61 grams of sugar, and 20 grams of saturated fat. Other concession-stand favorites aren't much better: A 3.1-ounce Sno-Caps box has 400 calories, 53 grams of sugar, and 11 grams of saturated fat, while Milk Duds pack 370 calories, 44 grams of sugar, and 8 grams of saturated fat per 3-ounce box.

Smarter swap: If you must satisfy your sweet tooth, pick something like Twizzlers or Sour Patch Kids over chocolate, which contains more fat and calories. But you still need to watch the portion size: Four pieces of Strawberry Twist Twizzlers have just 133 calories, less than 1 gram of fat, and 95 mg of sodium, while 1.5 ounces of Sour Patch Kids contain 140 calories, no fat, and 30 mg of sodium. Share the candy with a friend so you’re guaranteed not to eat the whole box.


If you order a movie theater soda, you'd better be pretty thirsty. In the 1950s, an average-size fountain soda was about 7 ounces; today, a small soda from Regal Cinemas is over four times that amount, at 32 ounces, or 4 cups. A large-size soda from the same chain holds nearly 7 cups —that's 500 calories and 33 teaspoons of sugar!


Smarter swap: Your best option is water or a small diet soda.

Seeking nachos for a more robust bite? At Cinemark, the standard serving of 3 ounces of chips and 3.5 ounces of cheese sauce adds up to 550 calories, nearly 50 percent of which come from fat — and the sodium count is a sky-high 1,060 mg, nearly half the recommended daily limit.

Smarter swap: Believe it or not, a plain hot dog on a bun is a better option. It contains half the calories (242), and also provides 10 grams of filling protein (it does contain 15 grams of fat, so it’s still not exactly a health food). Squirt on some mustard to juice up the flavor while adding a mere 5 calories.

With that irresistible aroma comes major calories and fat. The Cinnapretzel at Regal Theaters contains 754 calories and 6 grams of fat. Use the little tub of icing that accompanies it and you’ll tack on another 200 calories.

Smarter swap: Satisfy your cinnamon cravings with some old-fashioned Red Hots instead — 20 pieces have just 70 calories and no fat or sodium.






Tempted by those gooey pizza pies at the movies? A 7-inch Freschetta pepperoni pizza at Cinemark theaters serves up 530 calories, 22 grams of fat, and 1,270 milligrams of sodium — not horrible if it’s serving as your dinner, but pretty substantive for a matinee snack.

Smarter swap: If you're craving the chewiness and warmth of pizza, soft pretzel bites are a good option. Even with the cheese dipping sauce, they contain about 250 calories and 9 grams of fat. If you're watching your sodium intake, however, skip the sauce — since the bites alone contain 890 mg.

Other helpful info. you might like to know...

Calories of popular movie theater favorites:

• Large Buttered Popcorn (20 cups): 1500 calories, 116g fat, 90g carbs 
• Hot Dog (1 dog with bun): 305 calories, 4.5g fat, 23g carbs 
• Nachos with Cheese (large, 4 oz): 1101 calories, 59g fat, 131.5g carbs 
• Soft Pretzel (large): 483 calories, 4.5g fat, 99g carbs 
• Cotton Candy (2.5 oz): 300 calories, 0g fat, 74g carbs 
• Junior Mints (3 oz): 320 calories, 5g fat, 68g carbs 
• Milk Duds (3 oz): 340 calories, 12g fat, 56g carbs 
• Sno-Caps (3.1 oz): 360 calories, 16g fat, 60g carbs 
• Raisinets (3.5 oz): 380 calories, 16g fat, 64g carbs 
• Gummi Bears (4 oz): 390 calories, 0g fat, 90g carbs 
• Goobers (3.5 oz): 525 calories, 35g fat, 55g carbs 
• Twizzlers (6 oz): 600 calories, 4g fat, 136g carbs 
• M&M's (5.3 oz): 735 calories, 31.5g fat, 105g carbs 
• Skittles (6.75 oz): 765 calories, 9g fat, 166.5g carbs 
• Reese's Pieces (8 oz): 1200 calories, 60g fat, 138g carbs 
• Starburst (24 pieces): 480 calories, 10.5g fat, 99g carbs 
• Coca-Cola with ice (large, 3 pints, 18.9 fl oz): 353 calories, 0g fat, 88.4g carbs

I realize to avid movie theater goers this post may be somewhat of a downer but it's if you're trying to succeed at fitness, I think it's always best to know before ya' go! When you know in advance, even if you do choose to eat a high calorie movie treat, you can plan the rest of your day accordingly, whether that be extra added physical activity/exercise or a smaller amount of calories for the remaining day. So now you know. :)


Talk to you later, fitness peeps!
And as always, keep it healthy!
- Jonelle


Source: http://www.everydayhealth.com

Tough Love: DISCIPLINE

Hello healthy people! How's it going? I hope you've checked out my new site, Succeed At Fitness.com, by now. There's lots of great info. and resources on there to help you succeed in your fitness and nutrition goals, so please take advantage of it! My goal is to help encourage, motivate and support you and Succeed At Fitness is one way to help me achieve my goal, so support me in my effort to support you by visiting the site.

Now on to the subject of this blog post, a first in my "Tough Love" series: DISCIPLINE.  According to Dictionary.com, there a number of definitions for the word: (1) "training to act in accordance with rules", (2) "activity, exercise, or a regimen that develops or improves a skill", (3) "behavior in accord with rules of conduct"... that's just a few. But to sum it up, discipline is doing what other's won't do in order to achieve your goals. A lot of us like to make excuses for why we can't, or better yet, why we won't do things. When it comes to exercise, "I don't have the time" or "I don't have the right equipment" or the lamest excuse in the book (mostly used by women) "I don't want to sweat." And when it comes to diet, "I just don't have the time to cook my own meals", "I refuse to calorie count!", "Eating healthy costs too much", and the most honest (but still equally as lame) excuse of them all "I just don't want to change how I'm eating". Any of these statements sound familiar? If so, you're not alone. You're not the only one whose used them, I've used quite a few of these excuses in the past myself. The key word is EXCUSES. Let's say time really is a factor, the reality is, you make time for the things you really want to do. If it takes getting up at 4 am every morning in order for you to get your exercise in (and I actually know a couple of people who do this) then start getting up at 4 am every morning! It might take waiting until 10 pm every night, then start exercising at 10pm every night! I hate to sound judgmental, sarcastic, or mean, but it's really that simple. Finding the time in the day to do these things actually isn't the hard part, the hard part is having the self discipline to start and then continue doing them.

If getting fit and eating healthy was easy, everyone would do it! There would be no overweight people in the world and the thousands of diet programs out there would have no need to exist. It's not easy, but nothing worth having comes without great sacrifice. When you become self disciplined, failure simply isn't an option anymore. Success is the only word you're going to accept. It's not a short road or an easy road, but it's the one that you will look back on and treasure because YOU DID IT! You passed the finish line when there were times where you couldn't even see the road in front of you! From my own personal experience I can tell you that there is no greater feeling than that!

DISCIPLINE: DOING WHAT OTHERS WON'T DO. Set your self away from the crowd! Be a leader, not a follower! Don't allow any of the negative thoughts that come into your head to stay there! You CAN do this, you WILL do this, and that's just all there is to it.  

Need some more encouragment? Check this video out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9cM_jb0tVs and I dare you to use the word "can't" ever again!



It's tough love, peeps, but it's necessary sometimes.
Stay disciplined and be encouraged!
Jonelle

SUCCEED AT FITNESS IS HERE!!!

Hey! Just dropping in to tell you all that my fitness and nutrition site that I've been working on, Succeed At Fitness.com, is here!!! It's officially up and running so go check it out! Succeed At Fitness was created to help others succeed in fitness by achieving a healthy mind, body & spirit through exercise, nutrition, and positivity. Look to Succeed At Fitness. or encouragement, tips & tricks, reviews and so much more! The best thing you can ever do for yourself is get healthy. A healthy mind, body, and spirit is essential to achieving total fitness. Let's succeed at fitness together!

The plan is for the site and both of my blogs ("Confessions Of A Fit Girl" and "Mind & Soul") to all work together so if you'll notice the new links to your right you will see that you can now access Succeed At Fitness.com through this page. Pretty neat, huh? :) Enjoy! And please let me know what you think of the site!


Thanks,
Jonelle

Weight Vs. Inches and Muscle Weight Gain

Confessions of a Fit Girl

Hello fitness friends! I'm back with another post which I'm excited to bring to you because I think you will find it very informative and helpful on your weight loss journeys! But before I get into the subject of the post, can I take a minute to ask you if you notice anything different about my blog? The design perhaps? :) LOL! Well, unless this is your very first time coming to my blog (and if so, WELCOME!!!), I'm sure you've noticed that I've got a whole new design going on here! I told you guys there were going to be some big changes coming soon and this is one of them. I've been hinting around my big news for a couple of weeks now but if you're friends with me on Facebook or follow me on Twitter, you probably already know so I might as well spill the beans here. On April 1st (yes, April 1st and no, this is no April Fool's Day joke) I'll be launching my new fitness and nutrition website, Succeed At Fitness.com! (If you'd like to take a sneak peak, click here.) Combined with this blog, along with my other blog, Mind & Soul, I'm hoping Succeed At Fitness will be a powerful resource to help people totally succeed at fitness by achieving a healthy mind, body, & spirit through exercise, nutrition and positivity! If you're not friends with me on Facebook, why aren't you? Friend me please! :) And be sure to follow me on Twitter, too! I'll be announcing the launch of the site on those two pages, as well as my blogs.

Now that I've broken that news, on to the subject at hand... the title of this blog is "Weight Vs. Inches and Muscle Weight Gain". I know the whole "weight vs. inches" thing is something we all have to deal with in our weight loss journeys. I'm maintaining now, but I remember this being a hard issue for me to deal with while I was still trying to lose weight. Just imagine (you may not even have to imagine, this may be you now), you're eating right, faithfully exercising several times a week, and you've gotten used to doing your weekly weigh-ins and seeing the scale go down a pound or two (maybe more) each week, but now all of a sudden, it stalls. Or even worse, it starts going the other way!!! This has recently become an issue for me which leads me to the second part of the title, "Muscle Weight Gain". I'm currently working my muscles more than ever before through free weights and kettlebell training, and although I'm noticing some inches lost and all my clothes are still fitting great, the scale has gone up quite a bit for me and I have to admit, even though I know I know better, as a former fat girl who lost a lot of weight in the past and doesn't EVER want to go back, this has been somewhat troubling for me. So all this led me to write this post. I've digged up some great information that I think everyone will find helpful and encouraging! (I know I did!) So let's get to into it! 

Weight Vs. Inches - Losing Inches But Not Losing Weight

What do those numbers on the scale really mean?

Because so many of us want to lose weight, at any given moment, most of us know how much we weigh. Most of us even have a favorite scale, the favorite being the one that gives us the lowest number possible. (Don't deny it, I know I do! Lol!) We talk about weight, think about weight, and sometimes lie about weight, but how often do we think about what that number means? For too many of us, weight isn't just a number but something that can actually change how we feel about ourselves. But, what does your weight really mean and how useful is it when it comes to tracking weight loss progress? Learning the answers to those questions may just have you tossing out your scale forever! If not forever, you certainly won't let it be an essential thought in your everyday life.

Focus on FAT LOSS,
NOT WEIGHT LOSS

Focus on Fat Loss, Not Weight Loss
When you talk about losing weight, what you usually mean is slimming down, but slimming down doesn't always mean losing weight. It may sound odd, but it's possible to get thinner without actually seeing a change in your weight. This happens when you lose body fat while gaining muscle. Your weight may stay the same, even as you lose inches, a sign that you're moving in the right direction, but if the scale doesn't change, you may not even be aware that you're getting real results. Knowing the difference between losing weight and losing body fat can change how you get results and may even change how you look at your own body.



The Truth About Your Weight

What does your weight say about you? If you think about it, that number doesn't tell you a whole lot. The scale shows your weight, but does it tell you how much of that weight is muscle and how much is fat? Or how much of that weight is water, bones or organs? A bodybuilder's weight could be off the charts because of extra muscle, but does that mean he's overweight or fat? Most of us would say no because we know that weight doesn't tell the whole story. Knowing your body composition is crucial information if you really want to get results and, unfortunately, the scale doesn't tell you that. Another reason scale weight isn't so reliable is that it changes all the time. All of us experience weight changes throughout the day, sometimes by as much as 10 pounds depending on what and how often we eat and drink. (Did you get that? 10 POUNDS!) While the scale isn't completely useless, it may not be the best tool for people just starting a fat loss program. If it doesn't help you stay on track and reach your goals, maybe it's time to throw out the scale for good.

Should You Throw Out the Scale?

"Don't step on it... it makes you cry."

You now know that focusing on fat loss is much more important than focusing on your weight. When you lose body fat, you're making permanent changes in your body, shifting your body composition so that you have less fat and more muscle. When you lose weight, you could be losing water or even muscle. It's impossible to know if you're seeing real results or just the product of your daily habits, hormonal shifts and changing hydration levels.
When you first start a program, you may need extra encouragement to keep going, proof that what you're doing is working and the scale may not give you that. Other ways the scale can work against you:

• It measures everything: The number on the scale includes everything - muscles, fat, bones, organs, fat, food and water. For that reason, your scale weight can be a deceptive number.
• It doesn't reflect the changes happening in your body: If you're doing cardio and strength training, you may build lean muscle tissue at the same time you're losing fat. In that case, the scale may not change even though you're getting leaner and slimmer.
• It doesn't reflect your health: As mentioned above, the scale can't tell the difference between fat and muscle. That means a person can have a low body weight, but still have unhealthy levels of body fat.
• It isn't always a positive motivator: If you step on the scale and you're unhappy with what you see, how does that make you feel? You may question everything you're doing, wondering why you even bother at all. Focusing on weight may overshadow the positive results you're getting such as fat loss, more endurance and higher energy levels.

One way to measure your success,
other than the scale,
is to take your measurements

Even if you're not ready to stop weighing yourself entirely, using other ways to measure progress can keep you motivated and help you realize that you are making changes, no matter what the scale says.

• Go by how your clothes fit. If they fit more loosely, you know you're on the right track
• Take your measurements to see if you're losing inches
• Get your body fat tested or use an online calculator
• Set performance goals. Instead of worrying about weight loss or fat loss, focus on completing a certain number of workouts each week or competing in a race

If the scale is making you crazy, taking a break from weighing yourself may just open your eyes to other possibilities. Your weight isn't the only measure of your success. Put away the scale and you may just see how far you've really come! 

Muscle Weight Gain - The Positive Side of Scale Increases

When replacing body fat with
muscle, gaining a few pounds is
a good thing!

If you have increased your workouts and you have noticed a higher number on the scale, it is probably do to muscle weight gain. Muscle is heavier than fat, so as you tone up and build more muscle, and number of pounds you weigh is likely to increase. This type of weight gain due to muscle mass DOES NOT mean you are out of shape. The more fat you lose and the more muscle you gain, the healthier you will be and the better you will feel.

Muscle also burns calories more quickly than fat, so your metabolism will speed up as you build more muscle. When you are replacing body fat with muscle, gaining a few pounds is actually a good thing. To gain lean muscle mass, you’ll need regular workout routines with weights, machines or strengthening exercises. Your workout routines should be modified each time you work out to work different muscles (so your entire body will be balanced). If you are bodybuilding or weight lifting regularly, make sure you allow yourself enough recovery time between workouts. Working out with weights for about 45 minutes every other day is the ideal for gaining muscle. Low impact aerobic workouts, or cardio exercises and relaxation exercises, are healthy for you to do on your off days. The cardio exercises will help you to burn fat in between weight lifting workouts, which will help you build muscle.



So with all that being said, I'm no nutritionist, dietitian, or expert, but I do know a few things about fitness and nutrition, and I am constantly making an effort to educate myself more and more everyday. Do I recommend giving up the scale completely? Hmmm... that's a hard one... I think that's a personal choice, I do know that regardless if you ever look at that scale or not you will be able to easily visibly tell if you are losing weight just by inches lost and dress/pant sizes going down, so to be honest, a scale is never really necessary. While I was losing weight, I used my scale as a source of motivation. To continually see the scale go down encouraged me to do more! Now that I'm maintaining (and not to mention the fact that my scale isn't exactly cooperating with me lately), I actually think I'm going to give the scale up. But like I said, it's a totally personal choice. (And if you're worried about not being able to tell if you've gained weight if you don't weigh yourself, don't worry, the theory that weight can "creep up on you" is a myth. We all can tell when we're gaining weight! When our pants don't zip anymore, we can't get into the same dresses or shirts, we look in the mirror and see the beginning of a double chin... these are all visible signs that a lot of times we choose to ignore.)

I found all this information to be very useful and I hope you have, too! I hope if you happen to have been discouraged about your progress before reading this that you are now encouraged! Knowledge is power and you'll never succeed without. I hope this blog enlightened you so we can all succeed in fitness together!



Sources: About.com and 3fatchicks.com

The Search For Perfection...

Hello fitness geeks! LOL! Just kidding! But hey, I'm a fitness geek, too! That's one name I'll gladly be called! :) How's 2011 so far? How have your fitness journeys been going? Are you still in it to win it? Eating healthy and exercising regularly? Or have you slacked off a bit? Come on, be truthful with me and yourselves, there's no shame in admitting if you have. Everyone gets off track from time to time, the important thing is recognizing it and getting right back on the road again! In no time you'll be hitting goals and making accomplishments that will keep you on the road to success for good! Don't get discouraged, get encouraged! YOU CAN DO THIS!  And to the ones who have been faithful to their new healthy lifestyles, a big CONGRATULATIONS goes out to you! I'm sure by now you're seeing some results that make it all worth it! Not only that, but when you're eating better and exercising regularly, you feel better, physically as well as mentally. I'm sure your self esteem is up and I personally find exercise to be a big stress reliever so your mind has got to be clear. The advantages to a healthy lifestyle just keep going and going so keep it up!

STOP SEARCHING FOR PERFECTION.
NO ONE IS PERFECT.
(What is "perfect" anyway?)

I've been thinking about what to make this blog post about for awhile now and as always, conversations that I've had or heard inspire me. This blog post will be short but sweet. I've said it before but I think it bears repeating: STOP SEARCHING FOR PERFECTION. No one is perfect. I know you've probably heard this preached to you again and again, you may even be tired of hearing at this point, but I still don't think it truly has sunk in. We all have different bodies... male, female, tall, short, thin, thick, athletic, husky, curvy, straight... etc, etc. There's a good chance that in a room of 50 people you wouldn't find 2 bodies that are exactly alike. So why is it that we look at other people in person, on tv, or in a magazine, and expect to look like that particular person? Sometimes it just isn't possible and it's as simple as that. I'm not saying that you can't work to make your body the best it can be, but the key words in that sentence are "your body". Everyone's body is different. I'll admit, I'm guilty of this, too. I probably have around 30 or 40 fitness videos and I sometimes find myself looking at each one, searching for the girl that I would most like to look like, or even buying a particular video for the soul reason that I like the way that instructor looks, thinking that if I do her workout, maybe my body can look like hers. It sounds a little pathetic but all of us do it. It's even okay to think that way - up until a point. The point has been crossed when we find ourselves getting frustrated or mad at ourselves when we see our bodies not looking like the photo or person we admired. If we're working hard and doing the best we can, we should just be proud of what we're accomplishing, not getting upset over comparisons.

No matter what size, I AM ENOUGH.

Life is too short to sweat the small stuff and whether we look like the next supermodel, bodybuilder, actress or singer, is the small stuff. A healthy body comes in many different forms, there's no clear cut model for it. Love the skin you're in and stop searching perfection because not only is no one "perfect", but no matter what size jeans you fit in, YOU'RE ENOUGH (good enough, pretty enough, fit enough, smart enough... etc.) JUST THE WAY YOU ARE!

Your Friend In Fitness,

Jonelle (a.k.a - "Fit Girl")

I'M BACK with ZUMBA!!!!!!

Hello my fellow fitness fanatics! It's been awhile but I'M BACK!!!  It's been over a month since I lasted wrote a new blog post and I apologize for that but life has had this fit girl pretty busy! You know how it goes, work, family & friends, hobbies, and everyday life in general can overwhelm you at times. Also, I'm not sure if you all can tell this or not, but I'm a person who loves to try new things, if I'm interested in at all, I'm going to give it a try, so that's one characteristic I possess that can get me into trouble sometimes where I get so busy trying this and that, that I lose sense of my priorities and writing this blog is a priority for me. So here I am, back and ready to give you my all when it comes to fitness, nutrition, motivation and encouragement! (I'm also still working on my big surprise for you guys (the one that I mentioned before in my last post that will hopefully will help you achieve and/or maintain total fitness? Yes, that's the one!) It should be ready any day now and when it is, there will be a big announcement so there's no chance of you missing it.)

Now even though I've been M.I.A. on Confessions Of A Fit Girl, don't think for a second I've been missing in action when it comes to my fitness & nutrition! I'm a fit girl for life! That is one area of my life where I make NO EXCEPTIONS! Working out and eating healthy is non-negotiable, it's just as simple as that. In fact, I've tried a new workout program since I last wrote you guys which I'm loving so much I have to share! This program isn't new at all, it's been around for awhile now and even though I'm the self-proclaimed "Exercise Video Queen" who "tries everything", I regretfully admit that I never even considered giving this a try in the past. I'm not a big fan of dance workouts and I was always hesitant, thinking that I would be way to uncoordinated to get the moves. (Just a quick word of advice, when it comes to exercise dvds, if it's too complicated - and by complicated I don't mean challenging because that's an entirely different situation, you WANT your workout to challenge you, but complication equals frustraion and when frustrated with exercise, 99.9% of the time you're going to feel defeated and throw in the towl. Just thought I'd throw that in there in case any fitness instructors are out there reading this. :) Now back to the subject at hand... ) But boy, was I wrong! Not only did I get the moves, I ended up LOVING IT! So much that after attending my first live class this past Saturday, I'm thinking of starting to attend classes regularly. What am I talking about? ZUMBA!!!!!!

So What is "Zumba"?

Zumba^® class led by creator,
Alberto "Beto" Perez

In case you've never heard of Zumba^®, let me first explain what it is.  Zumba is like a big party with the added benefit of hundreds of calories burned! It’s an exhilarating, effective, easy-to-follow, Latin-inspired, calorie-burning dance fitness-party that’s moving millions of people toward joy and health.
Zumba Fitness^® is the only Latin-inspired dance-fitness program that blends red-hot international music, created by Grammy Award-winning producers, and contagious steps to form a "fitness-party" that is downright addictive. I know it was for me after the first day! Since its start in 2001, Zumba Fitness has grown to become the world’s largest – and most successful – dance-fitness program with more than 10 million people of all shapes, sizes and ages taking weekly Zumba classes in over 90,000 locations across more than 110 countries.

How It All Got Started...
Sometimes, great ideas are born from accidents. In the mid-‘90s, no one could have predicted the success of the Zumba^® program, not even Alberto "Beto" Perez, who created the Zumba program, after what many have called a true "happy accident." As a fitness instructor in his native Cali, Colombia, Beto’s life took an unexpected turn one fateful day in the mid-‘90s when he darted off to teach an aerobics class and forgot his traditional aerobics music. He improvised using his own mix of music from tapes he had in his backpack (salsa and merengue music he grew up with). Spontaneously, he created a new kind of dance-fitness, one that focused on letting the music move you (instead of counting reps over the music). His class loved it! And on that day, a revolutionary new fitness concept was born – the Zumba^® Fitness-Party.

Zumba Fitness: The Company
In 2001, Beto brought his new dance-fitness style to Miami, Florida and created a business, calling it Zumba Fitness. They trademarked the word Zumba^® and set a goal to expand the brand all over the world. First came the DVDs, then the infomercial – which introduced the Zumba Fitness-Party to the public on a wide-scale basis – then came the demand for Zumba classes and Zumba Instructors. That’s when the company took off and the Zumba program expanded in a big way with apparel & accessories, music CDs, and in 2008, one of the best-selling at-home fitness DVD series ever – The Zumba Fitness^® Total Body Transformation System. In 2010, Zumba became the first branded fitness program to launch a video game on all three major gaming platforms: Wii, Xbox, and PS3.

Fast forward to today, the Zumba program is now taught in gyms and studios all over the world to millions of Zumba enthusiasts! Like me!


The Zumba Fitness^® Total Body Transformation System
This is the workout program that I started Zumba with (and will continue to use even when I begin going regularly to live classes. As you know, I am an exercise video junkie who has lots of videos, but once I picked this up I just could not put this one down! I immediately loved it.

What's Included:

• Zumba Fitness Basics Workout
• Zumba Fitness 20-Minute Express Workout
• Zumba Fitness Sculpt & Tone Workout
• Zumba Fitness Cardio Party Workout
• Zumba Total Body Transformation Guide 
• Zumba Fitness Flat Abs Workout
• Zumba Fitness Live! Workout
• (2) Zumba Fitness Toning Sticks 

The Basics Workout teaches you the Zumba moves. It's pretty long (I think around an hour) but it really goes over every single move you'll be doing in the rest of the workouts so it's essential you start out with that. My hesitation towards Zumba was always that I felt I would never be able to do the moves, but after doing the Basics video I had no trouble at all! (And even though it's only "teaching" you the moves, it's a pretty good calorie burner, too!)  I only needed to do the Basics Workout 1 time before moving on to the 20-Minute Express Workout and then soon,  the full on Cardio Party which is around 45 minutes. I've also now done Zumba Sculpt & Tone, Flat Abs and Live! All are great cardio as well as strength and toning. One thing I don't like about most ab workouts is there's always a lot of floor work and hardly no cardio at all. Not true with Zumba! With Zumba, even though you are working your abs you are STILL getting a workout and burning those calories! NOW THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT!!! :) The Live! video is pretty nice because it's basically the Cardio Party but with a live class so you really feel like you're apart of the party. And that's what Zumba is, a party! No matter whether you're doing the workouts alone at home or in a fitness class with other people, the music and dancing of Zumba make it a party and actually fun to workout! 

So would I recommend Zumba? Of course I would! Don't wait, give Zumba a try today! Ditch the routine and join the party! 

To preview Zumba before buying and/or attending a class, check out this video of The Zumba^®Fitness Total Body Transformation System: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOpXuHL9RM4
To buy, click here.