Yea .. I'm going to stick with four walls, a floor and heat.

Just call me old fashioned.

Run a marathon
I’m training for a half marathon in February. I’ve gotten in a couple of good long runs this month. One day I even ran to work (11 miles). Don’t worry, there are showers at work. I didn’t work stinky-style all day.

Be on time
I’d go with 50/50 here.**** I had considered turning all my clocks ahead, but I was afraid I’d just do the math, overcompensate and end up really late for things.

So there you have it. Some might read my progress and give me a big old F. But I like to work in baby steps. I’ve got 11 more of these months to improve.


What are your goals for 2010? Have you been keeping at it?


*A month for lovey dovey couples and oodles of chocolates
**So what if I’m making up words? I was an English major. We can do that.
***Flash back to grammar school, progress reports and gym class.
**** Which would be failing in school terms, but I think it’s pretty good!

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Labels: diet, health, New Year's Resolutions, weight loss

While technically you’re supposed to workout with Jillian every day, I was a tad bit overly cocky at first. I thought, “I exercise every day … and this workout is only 20 minutes. This’ll be nothin’.” So I used heavy weights, I did super squats, I lunged my legs out, I practically double dutched when she told us to jump rope. The result? Old lady hobbling for days. I’m amazed by how many muscles Jillian can reach with only 2 dumbbells, a mat and 20 minutes.

If any of you are “Biggest Loser” fans, you know Jillian Michaels as the hard-a$$, no-frills trainer who makes 400lb men cry. And she’ll make you cry, too. If you let her.

Her 30 Day Shred is definitely a DVD worth having in your repertoire. She doesn’t dally with super-long warm-ups or many breaks. Her workout is 20 minutes and she works you hard for every single minute. But then you’re done in less than half an hour. And I guarantee you’ll feel it. Her routine isn’t groundbreaking, but it’s quite effective.

How do you stay in shape in the winter? What’s your go-to workout video?

Labels: Jillian Michaels, weight loss, winter workout

Just in case you doubted whether I really hit the slopes last weekend, here's a video to prove it. A couple of notes: The mountain is MUCH steeper than it looks ... and I'm going way faster, too.

And props to the camera man, filming backwards while snowboarding. Now that's just plain showing off.

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Labels: calorie burn, weight loss, winter workout

I don't mind running in the rain, sleet or cold.* But slap some snow slop on the road and you can count me out. Trying to run on that sidewalk slosh is an uphill battle all the way. You have no traction ... and just forget it if you hit a hidden patch of ice. The safest way to run in that stuff is to (mom, close your eyes) run in the middle of the road. Right in those car tire tracks. And since I'm not a huge fan of playing chicken with things that are way bigger than me, I've set out on a quest to find a safer winter workout.

This past weekend I tried snowboarding.

Yea ... That's not how I looked.

And while my bum isn't all that happy with me today, those few precious seconds before I surrendered to gravity were beautiful. Gliding down the mountain,** crisp air in my face, controlling the board with the slightest shift of my weight -- it was exhilarating. Not to mention a great workout.

According to Self.com, you can burn 400-500 calories snowboarding for an hour. And I can only imagine how many calories I burned getting back up every time I fell***.

So help me out. How do you stay in shape in the winter? What should I try next?

Labels: calorie burn, snowboarding, weight loss, winter workout

You know all too well that working out is good for your body. But did you know it’s also good for your brain? A recent study of 33 people with an average age of 70 showed those who exercised 4 days a week for 6 months had cognitive functions improve. What does that mean exactly? They were better at multitasking, processing information and selective attention. (And the changes were greater in women than in men.)

A larger study showed moderate exercise in midlife showed a 39% reduction in the odds of developing mild cognitive impairment. (So, hopefully you won't do stupid things like buy fancy sports cars when you turn 50 ...)

Researchers don’t know exactly why this is true, but they think it’s because of better blood flow to the brain. I think it’s because you’ve got nothing to do but think while you’re working out. I don't have the energy to do anything else!

Labels: brain, workout

Imagine waking up from holiday hibernation only to find you no longer fit into your skinny jeans. As you lumber over to the computer you realize you’ve also been kicked off a dating site because those sticky buns have stuck to your buns.

This happened to 5,000 people last week. Talk about a slap in the face of self esteem. International dating site BeautifulPeople.com recently kicked 5,000 former members off its site for gaining a little holiday weight. Apparently those who had ''let themselves go'' during the holidays had to be let go.
''Letting fatties roam the site is a direct threat to our business model and the very concept for which BeautifulPeople.com was founded,'' said Robert Hintze, founder of BeautifulPeople.com.

“The U.S.A. has been grossly over-indulging since Thanksgiving. It's no wonder that so many members have been expelled from the network. We hope they will be back after shedding the festive pounds." Greg Hodge, managing director of BeautifulPeople.com, said in a statement. "We responded to complaints by moving the newly chubby members back to the rating stage. This is the same as having them re-apply,"

Finding a beautiful date can’t be all that hard, but what will these members do when their significant other gets a little less attractive? We’ve all been there – a comfortable relationship = Saturday nights on the couch in comfy pants eating Chinese food. A recent study in the NY Times showed women gain 11-20 lbs after 10 years with a significant other.

So what do you think? Does the site have the right to shed the dead weight? Or does the whole concept of a dating site for beautiful people show how ugly people can be on the inside?

Labels: dating, holiday, weight, weight gain

by guest blogger Deanna Murray

There are leftovers everywhere. Leftover Christmas cake, leftover pies, leftover cookies and then there’s all the New Year’s Party munchies … So, how is a dieter who’s really really trying to make a difference in her appearance supposed to get through it all??

Well, when enough’s enough when it comes to the fat train express, enough is enough. So, I was actually challenged by a fellow dieter to come up with the top 10 reasons ‘Fat Is Good’ … (basically because she was sick of hearing me talk about how bad I wanted a piece of cake). She said if I could actually list justifiable reasons, then I could eat all the holiday goodness I wanted …

So, here it goes.
10. At Halloween, you don’t need a costume to dress up as the Pillsbury Dough Boy – you’ve already got the rolls.
9. You’ve always got a place to set your cup when sitting down on the couch to watch TV.
8. You never have to be careful where you step, because you can’t see your feet.
7. Kids like to sit on your lap because you are ‘soft’ and ‘jiggly’
6. Don’t have to worry about keeping up with fashion trends, because the cute clothes aren’t in your size.
5. Blubber is warm … look at the polar bears.
4. You always have an excuse to wait for an empty elevator.
3. Unlike trees, you can’t tell how old a person is by how many rings (rolls) they have.
2. You’ll never get clothes you don’t like as gifts.
1. People will never wonder why you are ordering a ‘Diet Coke’

Hum … OK. So not a single one of those is a real reason fat is good – in fact, we all know fat isn’t good for us. This list was just a really, really sarcastic way for me to come to grips with all the things I don’t want to be – motivators to stay on task and do my best to not cheat on my diet or my exercise plan – to keep my eyes on the prize.

Daily, temptations are thrown at us dieters – especially those of us who actually enjoy eating – easily making us falter or waiver in what our eating plan is. This is why it is important to keep yourself accountable.

For me, my sister keeps me accountable, and I her.. Every single day, several times a day, she asks me what I am having for each meal. Also, we are writing down everything we eat – even down to a piece of gum – in order to get a real look at what’s going into our bodies.

The reward of this diligence is awesome. Feeling clothes fit a little differently, having someone actually say they notice a difference in appearance – it all makes it worthwhile. And the extra spring in my step, knowing I am doing something to stay healthy and fit is really satisfying.

So, to you smiling gingerbread men who are begging to be eaten so they don’t get thrown in the trash, or to you sweet little cupcakes with reindeers made out of fondant and to you chocolate dipped strawberries and pretzels and cherries and ……

I say, I sure enjoyed our short-term friendship, but in the long run, you’ve way outstayed your welcome … and your eviction from my thighs, hips and other areas will be arriving very, very soon .... You Will. Not. Tempt. Me ….

Labels: holiday leftovers, weight loss