Friday, January 29, 2010

The Skinny on Cleanses

A lot of people have asked me about these colon cleanse or detox diets so I thought I would put in my two cents. While these products may help with bloating or a temporary loss of weight, it is just that- temporary. In fact, these cleanses drain everything out of your body including key nutrients that your body needs to function properly. And worse yet, the weight loss you experience is water weight which dehydrates your body making matters worse. Your body has its own detoxifying system and is built to cleanse itself. If you feel bloated try drinking more water or add fiber to your diet. Both help in digestion, which may be the cause of your problem. The best thing you can do is prevent this all together by maintaining a healthy, clean diet full of fruits, veggies, protein and moderate amounts of healthy fats and carbs. Eating breakfast is key (your mom was right, again!) and limiting your carb intake later in the day will help you from feeling too full. Eat small meals throughout the day that way your blood sugar won’t spike and dip resulting in a loss of energy, false sense of huger, and further digestive problems. So my take on cleanses? A temporary solution for an ongoing problem that will set you back more than it will help you.

Friday, January 15, 2010

New Year, New You!!!


One of the most common New Years resolutions is to lose weight/get in shape/get healthy, etc. but come February, most have lost sight of their goal. People come up with every excuse in the book but probably the most popular reason is a decrease in motivation. Here are a few stick-with-it tips to think about if you are one of these people…


1. Avoid the stress of the Spring Break crash diet by starting now. Dig out that bikini and try it on. Check out the areas you want to improve and find exercises that target those areas. Do this every two weeks to keep you motivated and on track.


2. Print out a calendar for the month and write in when you are going to work out. The buddy system is strongly encouraged because you’re less likely to let your friend down then yourself (a sad reality). Shoot for 4-6 days a week of a mix of cardio and strength training. Try different things like a yoga class on Mondays, run the track on Tuesdays, or even squash at the local gym. By mixing things up you’re less likely to get bored and skip.


3. Find a picture in a fitness magazine that resembles your ideal body and put in a place that you will see it multiple times a day. (I say a fitness magazine because you should be working towards a fit, healthy, muscular body, not a stick skinny model body you’ll find in Vogue) I love pasting these on the fridge or the door to the pantry; nothing stops a handful of cereal here or a piece of chocolate there when you have your goal staring you in the face!