Positive & Proactive

In keeping active on a daily basis it is imperative to maintain two of the best qualities:

• Positive
• Proactive

Stay positive; when you have the attitude that you can, you will.

Stay proactive; when you spend less time thinking about it and more time doing it, you get much more done without psyching yourself out.

Positiveness & Productiveness are two qualities that don't only make you succeed in your exercise life and achieve in your work life, but your optimistic outlook and constructive doing will make you congeniality and contagious.

Idle Hands

One large reason for overeating is boredom. We sit in front of the tv, and we munch.. and munch... and munch!!

Next time you're catching up on that TiVo, grad a hobby. That could mean writing letters to friends and loved ones (bonus points**), scrap booking, needling, plan a vacation, turn the tv and organize your closet, clean your kitchen, finally go through that mail pile, plan your next girls night (if you're a guy, bonus points**), plan your next move on taking over the world (or your office**).

We get unnoticed gratification when we keep our hands busy. A reason why smokers find it so hard to quit is because hands to mouth becomes addicting. So instead of munchies, find a new habit/hobby. You'll get tons done and you'll watch your little waist shrink!

Disclosure: No, wine does not count as a hobby**

Refined Sugar and its effects on YOUR Body

Refined Sugar (sucrose)= extracted from the sugar cane or sugar beets, also extracting all purification and nutrition, therefore leaving an "empty calorie food", in other words a food with no nutrition.

Refined sugar is found everywhere. Most middle isles at the grocery store contain loads of sucrose. Cereal, anything preserved, bread, mayonnaise, ketchup, peanut butter, spaghetti sauce, microwaveable meals, etc.

Reasons to stay away: refined sugar has high blood glucose levels, slowing digestion and releasing high insulin levels (insulin takes sugar and stores it as fat), therefore causing obesity, high blood pressure (sugar creates high level of triglycerides which are a form of fat in bloodstream), decreased Serotonin (Serotonin tells your brain that you are full), low immune system (sugar depletes vitamin C in your cells).

WATCH YOUR SUGAR INTAKE. YOU'LL BE AMAZED AT WHAT YOUR BODY CAN LOOK AND FEEL LIKE WHEN YOU CUT OUT ALL REFINED SUGAR.

Stuck in a Rut

You decided to become fit. You're relatively healthy throughout the week; exercising and practicing healthy & nutritious daily dieting ('diet' being the foods you consume throughout the day, NOT restriction). You've noticed a positive change, you're proud of yourself. Then, one week you step on the scale or try on your skinny jeans and to your horror... You've gained! But you've been doing so well, but you've made so much progress....

When this happens, which it will, instead of crashing, look at your routines (diet&exercise) from the past few weeks. If you've kept a Nutrition Diary, compare weeks. What did you slowly add to your diet? How much are you consuming of each product and have your portion sizes increased? Even if you've added foods that appear healthy, check them out further. Some foods are great in moderation but can easily add to additional calories/fat.

Check your workout program. Have you increased your anaerobic (weight) routine and decreased cardio? Added muscle and no cardio could mean that you're building muscle, but not burning the fat on top, creating a larger frame. Build the muscle, perform long stretches, and continuously do cardio.

How about your cardio program? Have you found a favorite and stuck to that particular program for the past week or more? If so, you may have reached a plateau and need to switch up your routine.

The easiest rut to find yourself in is the nutrition rut. Be sure to compare weeks, note the different foods taken or added to, and recognize what may be causing the problem.

Everybody goes through ruts. The trick is to relax, identify the problem and with a clear mind create the solution. A clear mind gets you everywhere. A stressed panic leads you negatively.