Holiday Foods and their calories are upon us!!!

It is that time of year when there seems to be food, especially sweets, around every corner. I have discovered that even people who do not celebrate Holidays still suffer from the extra calories that seem to be everywhere.

At coffee shops there are tempting peppermint drinks that often have whip cream or some other sugary substance, and of course all the tempting cookies, cakes & bars that they show in the case. Fast food places (which you should not be at) offer specialty shakes that seem to call out at the Holidays. Friends bring sweet treats to share to the workplace and so many workplace holiday events or happy hours. There are many parties with alcohol, cakes, pies, cookies, layered dishes, etc.....where are the vegetables? Oh, I see a few being dipped in ranch or smothered with cheese.

This is the reality of food at this time of the year and the other reality that often goes along with it is that people indulge. We consume more than we would. The weather isn't as nice to get out and get a little exercise and all the weight we have kept away all year long from our slowing metabolisms seems to jump aboard in a few short months. We can't let this happen this year, or any year actually.

There are some simple solutions for handling this problem. Now is the time to kick up the caloric exertion. If you already exercise, then maybe it is a good time to get a trainer for a couple of months to show you something new, or push you a little harder. It is better to do it now rather than wait until January after you've already added weight. It is easier to keep the weight off than to try to lose it after gaining. If you don't exercise, then get out for a daily walk, or take a class at a gym or community center.

If you are going to make some bad food choices and indulge at a party, then make sure you eat healthy for as much of the weeks prior and after that you can. The day of the even stick to healthy veggies and lean protein so that you get your daily needed intake. Drink water when you first arrive to a restaurant or party so that you won't over indulge. The water will help fill you. Also, at a restaurant order a healthy soup or salad first to help fill you before heavy entree's or desserts.

The biggest concern I have for everyone is to please not drink too much, especially if you are driving. Alcohol calories quickly add up and alcohol quickly impairs our abilities. Drink water between each alcoholic beverage. If you ned to look like you have a drink, or a simple soda or shirley temple so you can look like you are drinking, or even non-alcoholic beer.

Enjoy the Holidays and the food responsibly with plenty of exercise and rest and you can stay away from those dreaded pounds that you will be crying over in the spring. Of course, if you find yourself with those pounds call me and I can set up a training program for you privately or with a group.

Stay Healthy

Ciao,

Laura Fortino
Bella Body & Mind of Huntington Beach
http://www.bellabodyandmind.com

THE MYTH OF EXERCISE!!!

Well Hello Everybody. So sorry to be gone so long, but I got married on July 31st and I just had way to much to do! I'm back now and I am a little upset at the media trying to "stir things up" about exercise.

Has everyone read the Time Magazine article about exercise? If you haven't, you may have heard on TV all the crazy reports about exercise not causing people to lose weight. Now, I agree that the only way to lose weight is to eat less calories than you burn. That is the bottom line and the big secret. However, how are we going to burn those calories, not by sitting at our computers. We need to get up and move around and exercising is a great way to burn more calories.

The real key here is to understand that your body burns calories all the time, even while sleeping. Calories are the energy we use to do everything we do. Therefore, the more you do, the more effort you use, the harder you work and the longer you work, the more calories you burn. The problem for a lot of people and this formula is that when they work harder and longer, they are hungrier and they eat more. This does not mean exercise doesn't help you lose weight, it means people are still over eating. Consuming more calories than they burn off. It seems to me then, that the reason people don't lose weight is they eat more.

There are no ways around it. No products, no special weight loss pills, no supplements, no fad diets, nothing that is going to change the hard line facts that to lose weight we must put out more energy and eat less. Exercise, therefore, is a great way to burn a few extra calories. After you get adjusted to your new routine and your food in-take, the major hunger pangs will subside and you will be able to burn fat while exercising and not leave the gym and put the calories back in by taking a trip to a restaurant or store on the way home.

It would be great if there was a quick fix or an easy way to lose weight. There isn't, there is only one way and that is why a good personal trainer can take you through sessions which are geared to burning calories, but also increasing muscle mass. Why is that important? Simply because a muscular body burns more calories all the time than a fat body or even a thin body with no muscle mass. Muscles require much more energy to move and when you add muscle you change the toneness of your body, the shapliness of your body and the efficiency of your body and your heart.

Exercise is good for you in so many ways. Exercise is linked to prolonged life, less risk of heart disease and cancer, better sleep habits, and less depression. With a trainer like me, I can help you plan your diet so that you stay within your calories, eat food that will make you healthier & happier, food that will fill you and you will see weight loss, but you have to want to go through the hard part of making changes. In the end, if you dedicate enough time to your goal you will reach it and exercise will be a key part in your weight loss. You don't put on 10,20,30, 50, etc pounds in a couple of weeks or a month, so taking it off will also take longer than a month.

Dedicating the time and yourself to the process will make you feel better, be stronger and look better all at the same time. There is no myth. You need to burn more calories than you eat, adding exercise to your life can help you do that, as long as you don't add more calories in the process.

I wish you all luck. Contact me through my website www.bellabodyandmind.com and get started today. If you are not local, I do diet coaching and planning through skype and e-mail as well as Life Coaching.

Ciao,
Laura Fortino
Bella Body & Mind of Huntington Beach
http://www.bellabodyandmind.com