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It’s that time of year again. Are you wondering what you could possibly get that special someone on your list with an interest in fitness?

One of my favorites is Bodylastics Resistance Bands and here is why:

• Under $50
• Adjusts to any fitness level (from beginner to Terrell Owens-Super Strong Man System)
• Builds Muscle (Strength Training)
• It is quiet (your house mates and neighbors will appreciate that)
• Space saving (You don’t need a spare room)
• Travel with it (Workout in your hotel room or at the beach)
• Comes with membership to video training (kinda like your own personal trainer

I just love workout videos that only take a few minutes and use something as common as a stability ball! It seems like lately all the time I have to get in some exercise is a few minutes here and there. I need to start making good use of my few minutes. I think this workout video will help.

WeightView.com is a really cool site that will help you lose weight quickly. How much weight do you want to lose? With the click of your mouse you can lose 20 pounds or more in a flash. What am I talking about? 

Okay, so you know it is not quite that easy, if it were the world would be filled with only thin, beautiful people. However, with this virtual weight loss tool you could download a photo of yourself and this site will show you what you would look like minus some extra pounds. 

Other than just plain fascinating, you can use this as a weight loss motivation tool. Take the picture of yourself 20 or 50 pounds lighter and tape it to your refrigerator to remind yourself to make good food choices. Tape it to your calendar to remind yourself why you should keep your workout appointments. Put it wherever you need to in order to get that image burned in your brain. This will help you to keep your thoughts on what it is you “do” want instead of the agony of what you have to go through to get it. Check out WeightView and see what you look like when you make good food choices and exercise as you should. 

You can get in a great workout at home with a set of dumbbells and the knowledge of a few dumbbell exercises. If you already know some dumbbell exercises, it is easy to fit them into what you are already doing. For example, put them next to the TV and lift them while you watch TV or during the commercials. Or you could put them next to your computer and do sets in between reading email. 

If you could use some tips on dumbbell exercises or prefer to get your dumbbell workout done all at once, go grab your dumbbells and hit the “play” button on the above video. In 20 minutes you will be able to say that you got in your full body workout for the day. 

You might remember the Presidents Physical Fitness Challenge when you were in school. You know, the one where they test you on various fitness exercises and make you feel like everyone in the entire class is in better shape than you. Okay, so that last part was totally from my perspective. But that’s how I felt!

Well now, I’m reclaiming my youth. I’ve joined the Presidents Physical Fitness Challenge (for adults). No, I’m not seeing how many sit-ups I can pump out compared to the out-of-shape lady down the block. In fact, the beauty of this is that there is no comparison to others at all. I just log my daily exercise activities online and I accumulate points. I can earn certificates and even medals, once I get enough points. Of course, since this isn’t a school sponsored event I have to actually purchase the medal - but they don’t cost much and this is the closest I think I’ll ever come to a bronze, silver or gold medal. So, it’s worth it for me. 

The Presidents Physical Fitness Challenge helps me to focus on being consistent in my exercise routine. On days when I need all the extra motivation I can get, it helps me to know that I am adding points to my total which is bringing me closer to that first medal. I imagine once I get the bronze medal, my motivation will increase even more to get the silver. (I’m having visions now, of myself standing on an Olympic-like podium with an overweight, balding official in a suit, draping that medal around my neck)

The great part is that every bit counts in the Presidents Physical Fitness Challenge. Stretching, gardening, household tasks, darts and home repair are on their list of activities that I can earn points for. Too bad they didn’t test me for these when I was younger because I’m pretty sure I could have blown away all those other 7th graders with my awesome home repair skills. Come join me, even if you have no home repair skills - there must be something on this list of activities that you enjoy. 

Are you wondering if it will cost more to eat healthy and lose weight? There are all kinds of excuses we tell ourselves in order to put off eating right or losing weight. One of the excuses I hear is that good food costs more. Well, now you’ll have to find a different excuse because this short video from my friend Scott Tousignant is about to give you a reality check. 

We all know that we should be drinking water (and lots of it) for optimum health and fitness. I know that sometimes I kind of lose my focus and even though I am still drinking water, I’m not putting forth the effort needed to drink it in the quantity that I would like. Every once in a while, I need a little “pep talk” to get my focus back. If you could use a little “pep talk” yourself, then just hit “play” on the video above. 

Choosing the right workout songs for your exercise can really help to motivate you to work out to your full potential. I really notice a  difference in the level of how hard I push myself if I’m listening to my favorite tunes on my iPod. When I’m listening to a song I like, it’s easy to lose myself in the music and forget that I’m putting my body through something that it would rather not do. 

One of my favorite workout songs is, “All Fired Up” by Pat Benatar. It has a beat that works well with running or cycling and when I keep the beat, I find that I am really pushing myself. Also, it lasts for four minutes and thirty one seconds and that is a good period of time to “push” myself. So, if I wasn’t listening to my favorite workout song while I was in the “push” mode, I would inevitably decide that I had “pushed” enough, way before the four and a half minute mark. But with my song, I can tell if I’m quitting too soon or not. 

I started adding workout music to my exercise routine about a year ago when my husband gave me an iPod. And I regret that I didn’t start sooner. Adding music to my workout has really helped to motivate me - kind of like my very own personal trainer. The workout songs set the pace and the length of my exercise.

The hardest part is deciding which songs are your favorite to workout to. You can borrow mine. Take a listen to, “All Fired Up” by clicking on the mp3 player below - Tell me, does that motivate you or what? (Of course, it’s better when they don’t cut off the chorus, but you get the idea, right?)

When you find your favorite workout songs, load up your iPod with them and - “Move It!, Move It!, Move It!”

Watching the Olympics seems to be bad for my health. Let me explain: First of all - I was taking my own Diet Tip Trio Challenge (see prior post) and the Challenge I chose was the third one - Mindful Eating. Basically, when I’m eating, I’m not supposed to be doing anything else (like watching the Olympics). So, the Olympics coerced me into blowing my Challenge. Okay, I’ll take responsibility…I blew it. I ate my dinner (and dessert because I’m celebrating for the Olympians) in front of the TV a few times. But after that I got back on track to eating at the kitchen table.

The next health and fitness problem I ran into was that the inspiration I got from the athletes motivated me to put in some hard-body workouts. Yes, I was so caught up in the Olympic Spirit that my brain deluded itself into thinking that my body could actually do an Olympic workout. Initially, it appeared as if my brain was winning the battle because I was working out pretty hard for a while - but now, a few days later, my body is getting the last word in. Of course, I’m sore as heck because my body isn’t used to this. This, isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The problem comes because I’m working out hard and my muscles need at least 8 hours of sleep to recover properly. But am I getting 8 hours of sleep? No way, because I’m staying up late watching the Olympics!

It’s a good thing the Olympics don’t last very long because I’m not sure how long I could continue at this pace. I’ll be happy to give up the late nights in exchange for more rest but I’m hoping that I don’t give up the incredible motivation toward fitness that the Olympians inspire. 

Have you ever noticed that when you are ready to get going on a diet program, you are bombarded with all of the things you’re not supposed to do? Well, I thought it would be fun if we approached this from the angle of what you’re supposed to do.

So, I’m going to challenge you to pick a diet tip from the three listed below and actually do it for a week (ideally, you should do it longer - but I’d like to see a strong commitment for at least one week).  

I’m sure you’ve probably already heard of most of these diet tips. So have I, but it doesn’t mean that I have actually done them. It’s kind of like my 7 year old son who just started taking Karate. Right before his first lesson he announced to me that he already knew how to do Karate. I had to explain to him that watching Power Rangers doesn’t mean that you know Karate. Just because you’ve seen it done or know about it, doesn’t mean that you know it. It takes practice to know something and furthermore, if you say that you know something and you haven’t practiced it - you are actually closing your mind to learning more about it.

Okay, so now I have to eat my words. How’s that for a diet program? I suppose I’m a lot like my son. I know a lot about these diet tips but I often forget to practice them. That is why I am including myself in this challenge.

Together, let’s take a look at our choices for our Diet Tip Trio Challenge:

Eat Off Smaller Plates - This is a pretty simple one. If you have kids in the house, use one of their plates. You could buy smaller paper plates or (my favorite) go out and buy a few special plates just for you that have a really cool design on them. Don’t worry about matching it to anything. Just make it fun for you. Eating off of smaller plates has the benefits of: making it appear as if you are eating more food since a smaller amount fills the plate and with a smaller plate it’s difficult to put a whole bunch of food on it in the first place. 

Snack on Fruits and Vegetables - In order to make this easier to do, have all the fruits and veggies cleaned and cut and “snack-ready”. I know if I have to cut up a cucumber in order to have a snack, I’ll opt for something else. When you come home from the store, set aside some slicing and dicing time. Put all of the sliced produce in ziploc bags or tupperware. If you do it all at once, it makes it easier to just grab a healthy snack when you are hungry or on the go. Snacking on fruits and vegetables adds necessary vitamins and fiber to your diet and it also fills you up with lower calorie foods which will help your total calorie reduction.

Every Time You Eat a Meal, Sit Down, Chew Slowly and Pay Attention to Flavors and Textures - Okay, this one sounds real easy but in our fast-paced world it is actually very difficult. This means when you are eating, you are only eating. No watching TV or reading or anything else you do while you’re eating so that you can accomplish two things at once. (I am so guilty of this) Slowing down and actually paying attention to our food helps us to enjoy what we eat, it helps us to be mindful of how much we are eating and it also makes us feel full faster if we eat slower.

So … are you up for the Diet Tip Trio Challenge?

Which one will you pick? Click on the “comment” link below and let me know which one you chose. To keep yourself accountable, let me know when you’re going to start. And don’t forget to come back after a week or so and let me know how things went. To see which one I picked, check out the comments.