Weight loss quickie

Get your digestive system going before you even start eating by giving your earlobes a quick 30-second rub.

It will stimulate the brain, relieve stress, and lower your appetite, all while sitting at the table!

Read more: 30 second massage

Striking it right

Am having moderate success with my weight loss goal and chanced upon this slideshow today.

Good read ...

http://www.webmd.com/diet/ss/slideshow-boost-your-metabolism

Things that are working for me from this list
- Work out in the morning (half hour combo of Bikram yoga, aerobics and free weights)
- 4 cups of tea (2 cups of green tea and 2 of orange pekoe)
- High protein intake (above the regular 15%. About 20 - 25%)
- 8 cups of water (includes my intake of tea / milk)
- Aerobics (jog inbetween a two mile power walk at 4 mph)

Abs-olute envy

Never thought I would say this... but I got serious envy of this woman's flat abs

Alright! shez got 2.5" on me and far more younger than I am and minus 2 term pregnancies I bet.
But I would never have guessed her at 135 lbs. More like 110 ish

body-transformation-clean-eating-made-her-a-model

She has complete workout, meal plan and all the research included there...pertty good and inspiring read

enjoy!

Snack be gone

Hear this... No snacking between breakfast and lunch leads to greater weight loss in particiapnts of a recent study

more here No Morning Snacking

I gave it a shot this last week and dropped 2 pounds fast :)

Let's see if I and that trick can sustain.

I scheduled errands and home chores around this time and kept my mind off snaking or siting in front of my laptop, which is when my mind drifts to the refrigerator or snack cabinet.

Go on...give it a try

A quiz and some poses

Metabolism..metabol....META-----IMPACT! on losing weight

Here's an interesting quiz that picks your brains on metabolism

http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/rm-quiz-truth-about-metabolism?ecd=wnl_din_032612

Now that its established that that lill butterfly shaped gland in our neck plays culprit to all the extra inches we pack on, here's some cool Bikram Yoga poses to stretch / compress / massage and rejuvenate the thyroid gland and ultimately help regulate one's metabolism

1. Standing Separate Leg Head to Knee Pose / Dandayamana-Bibhaktapada-Janushirasana

http://www.bikramyoga.com/BikramYoga/TwentySixPosturesDetails.php?pos=10

2. Camel Pose / Ustrasana
http://www.bikramyoga.com/BikramYoga/TwentySixPosturesDetails.php?pos=22

3. Rabbit pose / Sasangasana
http://www.bikramyoga.com/BikramYoga/TwentySixPosturesDetails.php?pos=23

Other BY poses and more detailed definitions of each pose with pictures can be found here -
Bikram-Yoga-postures-benefits

enjoy the workout!

Yoga Powered

Over the last 2 decades, I've tried and tested many work out options. Bikram Yoga... Zumba.... Pilates... Aerobics.... Latin Heat... Kickbox Cardio... Belly Dancing.

But I keep returning to yoga... over and over again. It's like my first love that will never die or some such :)

I find the benefits of yoga continue long after I stop practicing it. Cellulite be gone... wandering thoughts and hamster wheel spins in the mind arrested and of late... am testing this on my sugar crazy babes.

3 minutes of deep calming breaths while in this seated hands upward in V position apparently helps cut sugar cravings.
Go on...Try it: Starting in a comfortable seated position, raise your arms overhead in a V shape. Relax your shoulders down your back and reach out through your fingertips. Stay and breathe here for 3 minutes. Finding the ease in staying here for several minutes will clear your mind and release loads of tension from your body.
It works :)

More yoga positions that work on the thyroid gland that controls our metabolism, coming up.

Lentil power

I find that the day I eat lentils at breakfast, I don't seem to be hungry much rest of the day and also eat fewer calories through the day.

Chanced upon this list and totally second it
10 super foods for bikini abs

Resistant starch (RS) is the new mantra!
its a carbohydrate that may encourage fat burning and shrink fat cells.

so... who doesn't love yougurts n fish and eggs!
eat on

5 down... woot!

Celebration time!

5 pds in 50 days!

I did this

1. Kept a food and exercise diary.
Wrote every bit i ate religiously and clocked every bit of workout.
All thanks to MyFitnessPal for making it easy peasy

2. I stuck to a work out program.
1 hr ... 5X a week that includes...
Half hour of speed walking at 4 mph
15 minutes of Bikram Yoga
5 minutes of free weights
10 minutes of aerobics

Overall I am eating about 1500 calories a day and burning about 250 cals via low impact work out.

that's all it took to drop 5 pounds... easy... breezy... cake walk

if i can... so can you :)

Take 20% off

from each meal... easy to do right?
and stretch each meal over 20 minutes.
and keep a food diary!

taking 20% off now will make your body thank you... when you get on that scale the next time...promise!

Savor each bite as the French do... stretch a meal out for 20 whole minutes.
I find that I end up eating less and enjoying more.

Also making a note of every morsel of food / drink that goes into my tummy helps... BIG time!
If you dont know the calorific value of a food you ate, try MyFitnessPal

its simply awesome... terrific and free! they even have a smart phone app to help you clock in while on the go

Train wreck

they happen... sometimes

more so on weekends...when its a party... followed by a pizza nite out with dear friends

a gazillion calories consumed! UGH

and the scale wasn't no kind to me either this morning... double ugh!

don't give up... keep up the good healthy eating and up the work out :)

btw... one slice of pizza on average has ~ 300 cals... n you need to walk at a 4 mph pace for ONE hour to burn it off!!!!!!!!!!!!
n how innocent n tempting that damn thing looks eh?!

so what would you choose? pizza / wlaking for an hour @ 4 MPH?!!!!!

Hands free...not

I find that when am busy, I forget to eat... even snack.
and am a HUGE evening binge snacker :)

You CAN control evening eating disasters.
Try these tips to normalize sleeping patterns and fend off hunger...

Plan activities to do throughout the evening, but don't make food a part of the activity

Take a bath
Walk the dog
Pay bills... balance the checkbook
Play board games with the kids
Call a friend
Keep your hands busy (play a video game, do the dishes, make a craft)
Play basketball, baseball, soccer
Read a book or magazine
Try a relaxing fitness video such as yoga or tai chi.
I got into making lanyards with my kid and find it extremely therapeutic. Picked up a kit from Jo Ann Fabrics.

You can buy them online too here ....
Fun Kid AND Adult Krafts
enjoy!

Progress report

after 5 weeks... i am down 4 pounds. My FitBit gives me these AMAZING graphs... on why I haven't made as much progress as I wanted to

3500 calories = 1 pound

so if i wish to drop a pound a week, i need to knock off about 500 cals per day either by up'ing my work-out burn or lowering my food intake.

but alas! am creating a deficit of only ~ 400 calories a day.
hence my slow progress

why does this feel like am back in middle school with a poor performance report card...lol!
but hey! knowing my numbers is half the battle... no?!

Gluttony!

that my middle name!

ALL this hard work from the last month... derailed!
self floggings.... mental... wish I could erase this weekend

i ate n ate n ate some more
biryani... deep fried chicken... chaat...honey sweet and melt in your mouth pastries

my greed being more than my need!!!! DOUBLE-FRIKKIN-UGH!

and to top it all... i cheated! by not logging in all the sneaky deep fried snacks of chips and murukkus i ate in between meals... who the *&^% am i kidding
oh well... i didn't log every bit of workout either.

am DREADING the scale morrow

waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

Quick fix

If you are like me.... you want or rather wish for over night results :)

I love these workouts... the abs and obliques...my worst problem areas

Killer abs in 5 Minutes

voov! i love how Tammy's obliques stretch out with the last one!
anyone's got 5 minutes... rite?

It's all Greek and Latin to me

Greek Yogurt... what's so great about it?
Greek yogurt is a protein powerhouse since the protein content is concentrated. Ordinary American yogurt has a protein content of 5grams in average while Greek yogurts packs up to 20grams! Imagine how much more energy we get from this yogurt.

Immerse yourself in blue.
Use blue plates, blue napkins, a blue tablecloth, even paint your dining room walls blue or use blue lights. According to a 2006 study by Dr. Val Jones, gala attendees ate 33 percent less in a room bathed in blue light.
That’s probably because we associate blue with toxic or moldy food, so we eat less. Yellow and red had the opposite effect, which is why fast-food restaurants favor those appetite-stimulating colors.

1 Serving - 1 cup measure... measure measure measure and stick to 1 portion.
After that its greed more than one's need...that kicks in

eat slowly.... it takes 20 minutes for the stomach to signal the brain that it's full. So go on...chew n enjoy every bite...slowly...ever so slowly!

Cheap snacks

If you are like me, you like the salty snacks and the crunch.
And if you are a lot like me... you wanna crunch all day long!!!

Here's a coupla cheap snacks *calorie wise that is * that not only satisfy the crave but keeps you full AND is light on calories

1 Cucumber ~ 45 cals in a 8" cuke
1 Wedge of Laughing Cow Cheese - 35 cals.
This the MOST amazing snack made by mankind... so YUM.. esp the Chipotle flavored onez :)
Water - 0 cals.
Drink up 8 eight oz glasses EVERY day
I fill a 1 ltr bottle and make an effort to sip all day long. Repeat 2X.

Here's an eye opener.... most people mistake thirst for hunger.
So next time hunger strikes, sip a glass of water.
If you don't feel so hungry anymore, Bingo!

Love handles in the ...kitchen

it all starts there...
the refined sugars
the processed carbs
n all that Viognier that i can't get enough of

from the kitchen
to my insatiable appetite
n straight to settle on my love handles
Ya ...genetics be damned as well :)

Read this recently and found it so profound...

The nature of the mind is to trick you to do whatever it wants. Pratyahara, control of the senses, is one of the steps in Raja Yoga. Learn to control the senses rather than allow the senses to control you. Actually, the senses by themselves don’t do anything without the mind, but the mind works through the senses. So by controlling the senses, you are ultimately controlling the mind. It takes time, and sometimes the mind overtakes your efforts. But don’t be too tough with your mind. If you’re too tough, the mind will rebel even more. Be gentle, be nice. For a little while, give the mind a little rope, but keep it within a limit. 'Okay, you want to eat cake? Okay, eat it; but remember, afterwards, you’ll listen to me.' Training the mind is like training a child.

When I can get my 5 year old foodie son to stay off of citrus fruits and cheese when he has a bad cough... then so can I...from food that's not good for me

And with a lill targeted help from this video here ....
Muffin top be gone!

Go lean ... on me

Spring is around the corner and that signals.... no to layering
Bring on the sandals ...sexy pedicured toesies and the pretty dresses...
minus the flabby arms


free weights are a great way to tone those forearms and hard to work out triceps

You can pick up a set of 5lb weights @ Target for under 15 bucks.



Don't have them...no problem..

Reach into your pantry for a coupla heavy cans.
Ya...its kinds ironic ... when you are tryin to loose weight and have to stare at canned food in your arms

lol! but what the hey! a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do

try this workout... Toned arms
n-joy

Go Green!

Ever wondered how the Japanese / Chinese are such a skinny nation?

Its in the green tea. Add a dash of honey and lemon and watch that fat melt.
2 - 3 cups a day is the recommended limit... but hey! even one cup works wonders for me.


Lipton Green Tea ~ $3 a box
Lemon out of a bottle *ya... ya! am lazy to squeeze!* ~ $1
Honey ~ $2
Drop a tea bag in 6 oz of water and heat in microwave for 1 minute.
Let it sit for about half a minute till the water turns green.
Remove tea bag add a dash of lemon and 1 tsp of honey and stir. All of 2 minutes to make. Tastes better as it cools down.
PS: Bigelow comes with a lemon flavored Green Tea which is quite awesome in itself

Apparently Green Tea...even Oolong Tea knocks off 5 years from the aging process.
More here -> Gree Tea

Keeping sipping... and enjoy!

Whey in - Weight out

1 scoop of whey protein... toss it in a smoothie...in your breakfast cereal... heck mix it in a tall glass of cold water.

Drink up right after a workout...and you are good to go build some lean muscle
and strength. That's because Whey is a superior protein source and provides all the amino acids needed for energy / vitality and strength and helps build lean muscle.

Banana-Peach Smoothie
I relish this in a smoothie...made from
1 banana
1 peach
1 scoop of Jillian Micheal's triple chocolate shake whey protein ( ~ $10 for a 14 oz box at Target)
6 oz of ice cold water

Whip cut up fruit with water n whey all together in a blender.

1 serving of this smoothie is 223 cals
(43 gm carbs / 1 gm fat / 10 gm protein)

enjoy!

Stay pruned

ya am talking tht dried stuff.... old n wrinkled prunes
it don't taste so bad...especially when you think of it as sth that will make you skinnier...FAST!

AND HOW does it do that?

There's a sweet, super-smart snack that could help you feel fuller, so you'd eat less at mealtimes and fit into your jeans better.

So what gives prunes the advantage in edging out hunger?
It's the fiber. Even though each test snack had roughly the same amount of protein, calories, carbs, and fat, the prune snack packed more than twice the fiber. That chewy fiber makes you eat more slowly, allowing your brain to realize when you've had enough to eat. And the roughage sits in your stomach for a long time, slowing down digestion. The fiber also reduces the rate at which sugar is soaked up into your bloodstream -- good for keeping insulin levels on an even keel and reducing between-meal hunger pangs.

Sunsweet prunes...~ $3 for a 1 pound box @ Target
5 prunes is 100 cals... thtz cheap!!! when you are on a low cal diet

enjoy it as a mid morning snack n stay pruned :)

A healthier today

As a new year rolls in n I turn a year older..... I realize how amazing my body is! I've been through 2 pregnancies... have eaten a ton of not so healthy food....slacked off much from working out... and have been lucky to getting to where I am without hitting any major health snags. *knock on wood*

I want to stay healthy... and fit and wear those skinny jeans and feel good...for myself ...always.

I used to blog n got off of it the last year or so.
Am back now... and want to blog on a long standing passion of mine.

Living healthy!
Hopefully I can share some insights with you guys... not just on what is out there...but what actually works!

So here goes. I am shooting to post one tip a day ... to help take one step forward in the right direction.... a healthier today!
and do post your feedback...if it helped you ..or maybe not so much :)

Tnx and Enjoy!