Shake it up

Have you been stuck in a food or workout rut? Are you stuck right now?

If so, it can be difficult to get yourself back on track. You may find some inspiration for a few days, but relaxed behavior can easily return if you are bored with your food, tired of your workout routine or both! And, you know what this leads to...

I've recently tried to shake things up to solve this problem for myself:

1) Write out your goals and post them. Remind yourself why you want to be healthy.

2) Find new foods. Try a new vegetable, buy a new cookbook or revamp an old recipe with healthier foods. For me, since I'm always short on time, I searched for some new and easy crockpot recipes like beef stroganoff with wheat noodles and white chicken chili.

3) Try a new type of exercise. I'd been going to the same gym for four years and I recently switched. The change in scenery alone helped a lot! I also tried a spinning class for the first time and found that it was a great cardio workout that I loved!

Spice without the sugar!

I just made one of my favorite treats to eat during this time of year. Forget the high-calorie, high-sugar pumpkin pie and Halloween candy. Try this is a low-calorie, yet satisfying dessert!

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Spice Bars

Mix together:

1 package spice cake mix (unprepared)
1 15 oz. can pumpkin
1 cup mini chocolate chips

Bake in 9x13 pan for 10-12 minutes at 375 degrees.

Cut into 36 squares for 50 calories each (or 1 Point if you are following Weight Watchers.)

Serve - guilt-free!

What Motivates You?

We had our first snow today. Yes, it's only Oct. 12, but it snowed...ALL.DAY.LONG. I value my outdoor workouts a lot since you can't do many of them in Minnesota. I was trying to tough it out last week and ran outside when it was 40 degrees, windy and drizzling. I made it three miles and I was pretty surprised with myself. I prefer to run in sun and 80 degrees even though some would say that is too warm - I love it!

But, back to the 40 degrees - I had to find the motivation to accomplish that run. As you know, some days it's much easier to find incentives to work on your goals than others. For those days that you need to dig deep, make sure you have a written list of your goals handy for inspiration!
Answer these questions to help you get started:

-Why do you want to be healthy?
-What have you already accomplished?
-What is your next short-term goal?
-What is your reward for reaching that goal?

Let me know - What motivates you?

If you don't know where you're going...

... you may end up somewhere else.

I love that saying because it's so true. I am a queen of over-committing and I always have a full plate. I also tend to set expectations for myself that may be unrealistic - especially when it comes to weight loss efforts. In fact, I find that most people do the same.

I'm trying to combat this by setting some realistic and short-term goals for myself. I've been teetering about 3-5 pounds over my goal weight for the last several months. It's as if I've been sabotaging myself for some reason. I find maintaining weight much more difficult than losing weight because you don't have that constant motivation or change happening.

I've been creating some excitement again by writing down and posting different goals for myself - they are always specific, easy to reach in a short period of time and I tack on a small reward if I reach them. Taking these baby steps should help me reach my ultimate long-term health and fitness goals.

Going Greek

One of my favorite things to eat is salmon. Tonight I made it for dinner along with my homemade yogurt sauce. I typically make this with non-fat plain yogurt, but tonight I tried Greek yogurt for a change. Honestly, when I bought the Greek yogurt, I didn't really know the difference between it and non-fat plain yogurt. I found the taste to be so much better, so I figured I'd better do some research. Usually better tasting means worse for you. But, I was pleasantly surprised!

8 oz. Greek Non-Fat Yogurt stats:
--121 calories
--151 milligrams calcium
--20 grams protein
--83 milligrams sodium

8 oz. Non-Fat Plain Yogurt stats:
--127 calories
--450 milligrams calcium
--13 grams protein
--175 milligrams sodium

Since I really watch my sodium, this was good news for me. I was disappointed about the calcium difference, but I take a supplement to meet calcium requirements. As far as the taste, I discovered that Greek yogurt is strained to get rid of the liquid that's found in non-fat plain yogurt.

Verdict: I think I've just gone Greek!

If you could eat anything, what would it be?

Before I changed my lifestyle to a healthy one, I ate whatever I wanted. I ate whenever I wanted to and I ate as much as I wanted to. (And, it showed...)

If you could eat whatever you wanted - health aside - what would it be?

For me - pizza!

Second question - if you have changed your ways to healthy ones, is the answer still the same?

Personally, I still love pizza, but I don't care for it in the frequency that I did before. Also, I love having fresh veggies or a salad with pizza. Even better, I love making homemade pizza. It's not nearly as greasy and I can make it just how I like it - lots of veggies, lean meat and a whole wheat crust.

Remember...getting healthy doesn't mean giving up foods you love. It just means having certain foods in moderation or making some adjustments to make your meals healthier.

Good carb vs. bad carb

Carb.

Never has one word brought so many conflicting thoughts to my mind: sugar-simple-energy-processed-calories-bread-complex, no-NO-NOOOOOO! But, no matter how much negativity is associated with carbohydrates, perhaps brought on by certain commercial diets, you do need carbs to maintain an overall healthy diet. Choosing the right carb is key to successful wellness.

Complex carbs include fruits, vegetables, beans, seeds/nuts and whole grains. These foods are not typically processed, so they are high in vitamins and minerals. These foods are high in fiber, keeping you fuller longer and providing you with a slow release of energy. Complex carbs foods are great options if you are trying to lose weight or manage hunger - GOOD CARBS!

Simple carbs are easily spotted - they are processed foods that provide little or no nutritional value because of the high fat and calorie content. Because they are difficult to digest, you'll feel an energy spike, then crash. Examples are candy, soda or baked goods made with refined flour - BAD CARBS!

Stick with the GOOD CARBS! Check out www.mypyramid.gov - it's a great resource to help you determine the portion of good carbs you should have per day.