more songs to sweat to

At this point most of you know my love for music. It is what gets me through those days where you simply just aren't feeling the workout. Here's my most recent loves...

Very Loud - Shout Out Louds

She Wolf - Shakira

Run This Town - Jay-Z feat. Kanye & Rihanna

Say Hey (I Love You) - Michael Franti

Sweet Dreams - Beyonce

Body Language - Jesse McCartney

Blame it on the Girls - Mika

Empire State of Mind - Jay-Z feat. Alicia Keys

Lazy Eye - Silver Sun Pickups

Please Don't Leave Me - Pink

Starstrukk - 3OH!3 feat. Katy Perry

Take me Back - Tinchy Stryder feat. Taio Cruz

Panic Switch - Silver Sun Pickups

3 - Britney Spears

Party in the U.S.A. - Miley Cyrus

To see previous workout playlists click HERE. Happy jamming!

Secrets to Salad Success

I'll just have a salad...the famous words of the "healthy eater," or so they think. Many people aren't aware of the fact that salads can be the downfall of a healthy diet. The main problems?
-fat filled dressing (creamy dressings can add 200-300 extra calories to your salad)
-croutons, a 1/2 cup of these? about 100 extra calories.
-cheese (this is a KILLER, usually around 225 calories for a 1/2 cup)
-salad bars in general. They can demolish portion control and calorie control...(think about it...potato salads, fat-filled pasta salads, nuts, meats, etc. etc. etc...all slathered in fatty dressing. Yikes!)

The solution? Give your salad a healthy makeover
-Start off with lots of leafy greens...the good ones! Ditch the iceberg, and go for the dark greens such as Romaine & Spinach. These greens contain folic acid, and 1 cup is only 15-20 calories.
-LOAD up on the lo-cal veggies. Some good examples are tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumbers, carrots, onions, beets, mushrooms, radish, broccoli, and cauliflower. Stay away from ones covered in mayo, marinades, or dressings of any sort.
-Choose one or two Lean Proteins. YES, lean protein is good! However, if you load up on tons of proteins you'll be adding tons of calories. Go for grilled chicken, low-fat cottage cheese, shrimp, kidney beans, or chickpeas. As with the veggies, avoid anything covered in a heavy sauce, fried, crispy, or covered in mayo.
-Choose only ONE high calorie item. (and this is only if you'd dying for it...)
These includes things such as; croutons, cheese, nuts, raisins, avocado, granola, nuts, etc. Make sure you're not going crazy with your extra item. 1/4 a cup of these items usually adds anywhere from 150-300 calories!
-EASY on the dressing! This is the major downfall, so beware. If possible go for a low fat, low calorie option. If this isn't possible get your dressing on the side and use as small amount as possible.

Salads can be great for you. If you know how to eat them correctly! If you are ordering at a restaurant don't be afraid to ask them to specialize your salad for you. Hold the cheese, no croutons, dressing on the side...you get the picture!

Workin 9 to 5

In a perfect world there is ample time and energy to work out. Unfortunately for a lot of us, we live in the far from perfect world. Long stressful days filled with work (beit in the home or in the office) can leave you feeling less than energized.

I have a darling friend who happens to be one of my running idols. She runs like a maniac, and she even raises money whist doing it. Aside from baking miraculously, being extremely fashionably savvy, and being incredibly gorgeous; She just entered into the big time business world in San Francisco.

A few days ago, (sorry for the delay my dear), she texted me with a concern that I'm sure she's not alone in. Her question..."How does a full time working woman avoid putting on the desk job lbs?"

A VERY legit concern. One that I'm sure that many of you share. Sitting behind a desk can mean inactivity, which means lower calorie burn, which can be dangerous.

So what does a workin' girl do?

Here are my suggestions...

1. Make a plan. Before your work week begins sit down and map out your schedule. Figure out windows in your day that you might be able to get in some physical activity. If at all possible try to get your workout in before you go to work in the morning. After coming home from a long hard day of working, exercising can seem like the last thing you want to do. If you can't fit your workout in before or after work, go for a walk during your lunch brake, or run up and down the stairs if weather isn't permitting.

2. Journalize. If you can't get in the workouts you want, you have to be more particular with your food. You want to make sure you are burning more calories than you are taking in. Click here for an estimate of what your calorie burn. Subtract 500 from that, and you'll have a pretty good ball park of what you should be eating in a day, calorie-wise.

3. Pack your bags. If your plan is to workout after work, pack your gym bag and bring it with you to work. Go straight from work to the gym. If you allow yourself the option of going home to rest, you might talk yourself out of it.

4. Find a workout buddy to meet you when you have time to work out. If you have someone waiting for you your chances of making it happen will increase.

5. Take mini breaks. Every hour get up and do a lap around the office. Do 10 squats. Go up and down the stairs. Do something to get yourself moving.

6. Replace your office chair with a Physioball. This will help you keep your core tight, and increase your ab strength. It will also improve your posture.

7. Avoid the breakroom/vending machines/birthday platters...etc. etc. etc.. This goes back to having a plan. Have a food plan as well. If you plan ahead and know what you're eating, you won't be stuck making crunch time/starving unconscious decisions. If you know you are having company lunches find out before time what is on the menu, so you know how to best fit it to your situation.

8. Don't be a succor to the "this is just the way it is...I'm going to have to accept it" ploy. YOU have the ability to become whatever you want to be regardless of your circumstances. Work hard for what you want. You'll get it. :)

Take Advantage of the Harvest

You know what I love? Driving past all of the fresh fruit stands selling the spoils of the harvest. Fall definitely brings in the garden bounty. Nothing is better than fresh produce, except for local fresh produce, of course.
Fresh Tomatoes
Zucchini
Peaches
Berries
Melons...etc. etc. etc. All SO so SO good.
Use all this freshness to your benefit!

One of my FAVORITE ways to eat fruit is SUPER easy.

Fruity Fiberlicious Parfait

- Cut up whatever fresh fruit you like/have on hand
(cantaloupe, watermelon, strawberries, grapes, peaches, blueberries, bananas, etc.)
- mix cut up fruit with fat free strawberry or raspberry yogurt
- layer with Fiber One Cereal (the original kind)

This is a great quick meal that is filling, high in fiber, protein, and low in fat. Try it out. I promise you'll love it!

Beware of the buffet...

"Warning: Your eyes are Bigger than your stomach." I think this disclaimer should be posted nearby for any sort of food served buffet style. We've all been there. You go to an event or dinner party where the first thing you see is the 8 foot card table lined with a crisp white linen, and more menu items than The Cheesecake Factory.

You grab yourself a sturdy piece of Chinette paper dishware and forge ahead.

With so many of your "favorites" all in one location, a "little bit" of everything is clearly the way to go.

{...inner monologue...}

I'll take a scoop of that artichoke dip.

The black bean salsa can't be passed up, with the restaurant style tortilla chips; a must.

I'll snag one of those chicken salad sandwich croissants, but just so I can have a taste, and then I'll trash the rest, of course.

I'll load up on the veggies from the veggie tray, cause I'm super healthy. {While slathering them in ranch dip.}

Fresh chocolate chip cookies? Must have one of those.

A rice crispie treat...only for a bite.

Costco cream puffs. Check.

etc. etc. etc.

We all have the best of intentions. "I'll just try a little bit of each of these"...that is what we tell ourselves.

Problem #1: Turns out a lot of the food is usually REAL good. Our "bites" turn in to seconds.

Problem #2: Portion control is thrown directly out the window, and into some deep dark hole for that matter.

Problem #3: We talk...and talk, and talk, and TALK. What do we do while we talk? We munch...and munch, and refill our plates, and munch and graze...and talk and steal 1/2 a cookie...and talk, and go back for the second half...and munch some more.

Problem #4: For the most part, these "buffet style" foods aren't super filling. So, the grazing just keeps on keepin' on. While the calories pile up one by one.

YIKES!

So, what's a party hoppin' girl (or guy) to do?

GO WITH A PLAN!

If you know it's going to be a graze fest of unhealthy foods eat before you go. If you go full you will not graze all night trying to fill your hungry void. Choose ONE dessert, and don't go back for more. It's all about self control here people. In a normal setting one dessert is enough. For some reason when we have a table filled with 10 delicious choices we feel cheated at one. It's allll mental.

If you can't eat before you go, look at your options and pick three things. One of these should be a fruit or a veggie, (sans fatty dipping sauce). Pick your three and don't go back for seconds. Remember to ask yourself if you are full. Don't be a mindless grazer! Again, choose ONE dessert.

It's only when we stop thinking about the food choices that we are making that the calories start to pile up! Be smart. Beat the system!!

Guess who's back??

Sooo...season 8 of my favorite show premieres tonight, and I couldn't be happier.

I LOVE The Biggest Loser. I think it's so inspirational. I may even shed a tear every now and again...and by that I mean usually every episode. Admit it. You do the same! LOVE IT...get excited. I know I am.

Phyllo Pizza with Feta, Basil, and Tomatoes

Sometimes I wander over to Cookinglight.com when I'm hungry. It just so happened that they had their most popular recipes of 2009 listed. It just so happened that I think this one looks DELIGHTFUL. I have cooked with Phyllo Dough before, and it's kinda fun! For two slices of this light and crispy pizza it's only 195 calories. Kind of amazing when you compare that to the 250-300 calories you are getting for ONE slice of regular pizza. I'm wanting to try this recipe out for SURE.

(Photo from Cookinglight.com)

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella
• 1/2 cup (2 ounces) finely crumbled reduced-fat feta cheese
• 1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 10 (18 x 14–inch) sheets frozen phyllo dough, thawed
• Cooking spray
• 2 cups thinly sliced plum tomato
• 1/3 cup thinly sliced green onions
• 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 375°.

2. Combine first 6 ingredients in a bowl.

3. Cut phyllo sheets in half crosswise. Working with 1 phyllo sheet half at a time (cover remaining dough to keep from drying), place phyllo sheet on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Coat phyllo sheet with cooking spray. Repeat with 2 more layers of phyllo. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons cheese mixture. Repeat layers 5 times, ending with 2 phyllo sheets. Coat top phyllo sheet with cooking spray; sprinkle with 2 tablespoons cheese mixture. Pat tomato slices with a paper towel. Arrange tomato slices on top of cheese, leaving a 1-inch border. Sprinkle with onions and the remaining 6 tablespoons cheese mixture. Bake at 375° for 20 minutes or until golden. Sprinkle with basil leaves.

Nutritional Information

Calories:195

Fat:6.7g (sat 3.2g,mono 2.1g,poly 0.5g)

Protein:9.3g

Carbohydrate:24.6g

Fiber:1.9g

Cholesterol:11.4mg

Iron:1.7mg

Sodium:526mg

Calcium: 158mg

Joanne Weir, Cooking Light, JULY 2009