Continue reading »]]> I was recently sent a book to review called, HONEY, DO YOU NEED A RIDE? CONFESSIONS OF A FAT RUNNER. This book is a hilarious memoir of what it’s like to run with the gazelles when your shadow looks more like a walrus, and how running can get you through divorce, runaway donkeys, single motherhood, and size 14 jeans that won’t zip.

I’m not a runner and I don’t pretend to be one. I only enjoy running when I’m angry or stressed, however, I would get up early enough to run with Jennifer just so I could have coffee with her afterwards and hear some of her stories.

A mother of four children and two donkey’s, Jennifer doesn’t run to lose weight, she runs for the sense of achievement, the endorphins and just to stay sane. Jennifer tells her story with such humor that you really don’t want to put the book down.

An excerpt from Chapter 1:

The problem with being a fat runner is this: Everyone wants to
give you a ride.
Nobody’s ever around when you have a flat tire or run out of gas
on a lonely stretch of road, but try to go out for a leisurely three miles
after dinner, and suddenly there’s a Samaritan with a cell phone behind
every shrub.
“You okay, honey? Ya need a ride? Is there somebody I can call?”
And don’t even think about sprinting between telephone poles, or
they’ll be calling 911.
“Po-lice? I just saw a fat lady running down Front Street! Somebody
must have stolen her purse!”

You don’t need to be a runner to enjoy this book. If you are a woman – you will “get” it!

I’ve also got a book to giveaway! Just leave a comment to enter along with a contact email!

Continue reading »]]> So it’s time to get serious about nutrition and exercise, eh?

You work long hours, you have errands to do, you have a family, the finances aren’t where you’d like them to be, and you’re under stress.  I get it.  I totally get it.  Life is tough and on top of everything weighing you down you’ve noticed your body is, well, weighing you down. 

You are going to get better, you tell yourself.  You make that internal pledge (if you’re like me, it’s almost quarterly) to eat well and start exercising again.  You scour the internet to look for exercise programs and meal plans.  There are 40 million results for your search, so what do you do?  Let me help you get started by breaking down some beginning steps.

Decide where you are going.

Before you create your roadmap, you need to have a destination.  It doesn’t have to be too complex (that’s for another article perhaps), but you should have a direction in mind.  Are you looking to burn off some fat?  Looking to build muscle? Gain strength?  Get more flexible?  Yes, some of these things can be done together, but the idea here is to create a focus.  The nutrition and exercise for fat loss differs from eating and exercising to gain muscle.  Once you identify your main concern, you can create a pathway to your goal.  You just kinda need to have your goal first. 

Step 1: Identify what it is you are looking to do.

Too many cooks…

The health industry is chock full of experts, and despite popular misconception (I should clarify – despite really compelling marketing) there is no one-size-fits-all One True Way for reaching your goals.  What I recommend is to find someone whom you enjoy reading and is an expert in the area of your goal.  Fitness McBowling may speak to your soul every time he writes, but if he is a professional bowler his advice may not help you take home that power lifting trophy.  Spend a little time reading articles and e-books and narrow down 1-2 people you can identify with.  This could be based on personal backgrounds, their writing style, their sense of humor, or perhaps past accomplishments.

Reading too many blogs or fitness websites will only cause confusion. 

Step 2: Keep things simple and only read one or two credible, relevant sources of information.

Give yourself time.

Some things take time and cannot be rushed.  Health is one of those things.  This lifestyle you are embarking on, unlike most of today’s world, is not something you will get instant results from.  Don’t let that get you down; if you stick with it and put in the effort, you will get there.  Absolutely, and without a doubt, you will get there.  Many, many people expect to be an overnight success and have 8-pack abs by the next afternoon.  That’s just not a realistic expectation and you are only setting yourself up for failure by thinking that way.  It will take time and it will take effort.

Step 3: Relax and enjoy the show.  This isn’t a 3-week crash diet – it’s your life.

The Incredible Hulk was a metaphor.

When getting into weightlifting, start much lighter than you think you can handle.  While the Hulk may be able to rage out and lift whatever he wants, I highly doubt you’re a gamma ray experiment gone wrong.  Ease into things to allow your body to adapt to these new stimuli.  Even if you can physically lift more with your muscles, your tendons and ligaments might not be ready yet and need time to catch up.

Part of taking your time and having realistic expectations is to start slow with working out then build up.  Just because you could bench that weight 3 years ago, doesn’t mean you can start right back up.  Jumping right back in is a great way to get injured and push your chance of success off a cliff.  Take a couple of weeks to perform some bodyweight exercises to get your muscles and ligaments back in the groove.  And please, whatever you do, make sure you warm up adequately.

Step 4: Start slow then build up and make sure to warm up thoroughly before any exercise.

You can do this – you have what it takes.  I know you are going to take your time, get your plan together, and ease into it slowly.  It will be tough in the beginning, but you will get used to it.  In the first few days, you will start feeling better from that change in food and outlook.  A couple of weeks into it, you will start noticing huge results.  Then, out of nowhere, it will appear as if your progress has hit a brick wall.  This is just a trick of the mind.  It’s because things have leveled out a little bit, coupled with your expectations soaring during those initial weeks of huge progress.  This is when you have to dig your heels in and keep with it; this is the breaking point for most people.  Believe me when I tell you, you haven’t stopped progressing.

You have a lot to think about, so here’s a recap of your homework:

   1.       Identify what it is you are looking to do.

   2.       Keep things simple and only read one or two credible, relevant sources of information.

   3.       Relax and enjoy the show.  This isn’t a 3-week crash diet – it’s your life.

   4.       Start slow then build up and make sure to warm up thoroughly before any exercise.

Thank you for taking the time to read this.  All questions and comments are welcome as feedback is food for the writer’s soul.  And if you found this article helpful, please share it.

Make sure you visit Greg on facebook at Fit In My Pants – he always has educational, uplifting and motivating stuff there!

Author, Greg Ohnoez

Personal Fb: www.fb.me/greg.ohnoez
My ebook: www.amzn.com/B00CFPWPB0
My business page: www.fb.com/OmegaEvaluationServices
My free wellness page: www.fb.com/FitInMyPants

Continue reading »]]> We had so much fun with the last DietBet, that participants asked if I could do another one. So I agreed – not let’s make this one even better! I had 106 participants last time, I would love to see 250 this time!

Need some motivation, inspiration and encouragement to get started on your healthy lifestyle? Then join Get Fit Naturally’s Dietbet Challenge. Not only will you lose weight, but you will learn how to make healthier food choices, make friends, and earn money for charity. Join now – the challenge begins May 13th!

Here’s how it works:

1. Join Get Fit Naturally’s DietBet  <<<<—— by clicking on the link.
2. Set up your profile and ante up ($25)
3. Submit your starting weight photo a couple of days before the contest starts (photos and weights remain private; nobody will see it but you; you will receive an email 48 before the game starts with instructions!)
4. Lose 4% of your body weight in 4 weeks and claim your share of the pot (combined ante less DietBet’s administrative costs)!

The more participants, the bigger the pot and the larger your potential winnings!

When you join I will add you to a “secret” facebook group so you can download menu options and workout routines.

Have you ever participated in a social weight loss game before? What did you like most about it? What did you like least about it?

Disclaimer: DietBet compensates the hosts of all DietBet competitions.  However, the nutrition tips, workouts and encouragement of participants, comes directly from me!

Continue reading »]]> If you have read my previous post, you know that I had a very stressful, emotional, unorganized week. Due to the lack of organization and planning, my eating not only derailed, but it went over the cliff. So I decided it was time for a reset to get myself back on track.

Today my meals were as follows:

Breakfast: Oatmeal with blueberries, cinnamon, ground flaxseed and wheat germ. 3 Egg white and veggie muffins. (I am a creature of habit and this will be the same every day.

Snack: 1 small apple and 1.5 tablespoons natural peanut butter (read your label – it should contain 1 ingredient: peanuts)

Lunch: 4 oz. chicken stir fried with peppers, onions and asparagus

Snack: Protein Shake (post workout) Whey Protein Powder w/berries, spinach and banana

Dinner: Grilled Chicken Mediterranean Salad (Lettuces, olives, cucumbers, tomatoes, chicken w/olive oil vinaigrette)

My workout today (gotta sweat on a reset, i will admit it went slower than i had hoped because i am so tired from my trip)

4 Rounds with 15,10,5 reps per round (15 reps of ea exercise, then 10, then 5 = 1 round) should take 30 +-/ minutes

Push ups

Squat jumps

Smith machine pull ups (Inverted Rows)

Sit ups

Continue reading »]]> Not only did i fall off the wagon, but i rolled down the hill too. Which wagon you ask? The clean eating wagon. Sometimes it happen, and i always feel beat up when it does. Now is the time to shrug it off, remind myself that sometimes life gets in the way of your best plans and you do the best you can.

Last week my mom fell and not only broke her hip, but fractured her shoulder and foot. She had hip surgery and appeared to be doing well. Then her heart became irregular and her blood pressure dropped. Her heart had went into Atrial-fibrillation. She had never done this before so my sister and I were freaking a bit. Ok, a lot. The doctors thought it was blood loss related and gave her 2 units, which did appear to fix the problem. 24 hours later it started again – cue freaking again. And to top it off, i live 5 hours away – so it’s not like I can just hop in the car and be there. But the scare made me re-arrange my schedule and leave a few days earlier than planned. Which is how i fell off the wagon.

I had planned to leave Thursday morning and drive up to see my mom and relieve my sister from some duties. The plan included shopping and packing clean eats to take with me so I wouldn’t have to worry about cooking or shopping after I arrived. Sometimes the best plans get sidelined. Because of the complications, I doubled my workload on Monday, packed Monday night and left on my trip Tuesday morning. Tuesday afternoon, they transferred by to a rehabilitation center for therapy. The first night was a little nerve wrecking for both mom and me so I spent the night; a.k.a. very-little-sleep.

For the past 5 days my meals have consisted of oatmeal (breakfast every morning, i get points!), sandwiches, chips, a snack size Twix bar, hamburgers, pizza or nothing at all. One day I realized I had went 7 hours without eating. But I had plenty of coffee on hand – they kept it fresh at the nurses station!

Needless to say, I now feel like a soft, mushy marshmallow! So it’s time to detox and get back on track. I just heard someone gasp – Lori is going to do a detox? Yes. But not the no food, liquid only type of detox. Maybe the word i need to use it reset. I will be resetting my system with a clean, whole foods program. Lots of lean protein and lots of veggies, berries, and apples. And lots of sweat inducing workouts!

The plan is simple, just clean whole foods. Nothing processed. Not even Ezekiel bread. The only grains I will be eating are oatmeal and quinoa, and only before 2:00pm.

To hold myself accountable, I will be posting my meals and workouts each day of the reset. It will last 7 days. Would you like to join me?

Continue reading »]]> When it comes to eating healthy, how you prepare your foods is just as important as what you buy. For example, did you know that cooking tomatoes made the nutrient lypocene more readily available to be absorbed by your body? Or that some vegetables are fat soluble, meaning our body absorbs their nutrients better if they are eaten with a little healthy fat, such as olive oil?

Source: Fitsuger

Here are 5 tips for healthier cooking:

1. Cook your pasta al dente.

“Hot water breaks down the bonds between starch molecules”, according to Johanna Burani, RD. The longer you boil your pasta, the quicker your body converts those carbs into fuel, causing your blood sugar to spike. Cook the pasta to the point that it still has a little tiny white circle in the center of the pasta and then remove it from the heat and drain.

2. Remove excess fat from your ground beef.

If you pan pan fry your burgers instead of grilling them, make sure you blot off excess fat with paper towels. This could save save you up to four grams of fat. If you use ground beef for pasta sauces, you can cut down on fat by placing the beef in a strainer and rinsing under hot water before adding to your sauce.

3. Steam your vegetables.

Boiling or overcooking certain vegetables can destroy a lot of vitamins and minerals. Studies show that steaming preserves more nutrients, making them more beneficial to your body.

4. Buy BPA free canned vegetables and rinse them.

Many cans have a white lining that contains BPA which has shown to be linked with increased estrogen, obesity and other health problems. Some can linings contain enough that just one serving would mean ingesting 80 times more than recommended by experts. Rinsing your vegetables can also cut sodium content by 10 percent.

5. Use whole grains for part of your ingredients instead of white flour.

The milling process that produces white flour removes fiber, iron and B vitamins from the grain. Use whole-wheat flour, oatmeal and whole cornmeal. Whole-wheat flour can be substituted for up to half of all-purpose flour. For example, if a recipe calls for 2 cups of flour, try 1 cup all-purpose flour and 1 cup minus 1 tablespoon whole-wheat flour.

What are some of you healthy cooking tips?