"Thirty Days to a Leaner You"

Little changes can make a big difference in overall results.

• Regarding exercise, one tip I give, which I try to employ myself, is to exercise first thing in the morning. If you can make this change, research shows you will be more likely to stick to your routine and soon it will become a habit. Also, you will feel so good about what you've done that you'll be less likely to mess it up by eating poorly throughout the day.
• Sign up for an active event. Setting your sights on a 5K run, a hike, or a burpee challenge (my clients and I have committed to this: 1 burpee on day 1, 2 on day 2 and so on through day 121.)
• Find a friend who needs motivation. By going along as a supporter, you'll be getting your workout in AND growing closer to a buddy.
• Go outside with the kids to throw a frisbee or hit a t-ball. Don't think of it as exercise, but instead as together time. Inevitably you'll get your heart rate up and break a sweat!
• Create your "Mii". Hop on your Wii Balance Board for some hula hooping or slalom skiing. You'll have so much fun that you won't realize you're exercising.
• Can't make time for your workout because you'll miss your favorite show? Make use of those commercials. Try push ups through the first break, sit ups the next, jumping jacks, squats, plank, and so on. With each commercial break lasting about 2 minutes, you could get a 15-20 minute workout in during a one-hour show.
• Strap a kid on your back while you lunge through the neighborhood. Stop at park benches for step ups, push ups and tricep dips.
• Today, take your cardio workout 5 minutes longer than usual. Mid-run or stair climb add in three sprint-ervals of 30 seconds-1 minute each. Recover for 1 minute and repeat for a total of three times.

Diet tips:

• This one is my favorite: Gargle, brush, floss. Right after dinner. With all the effort you'll have put into a clean mouth you'll be less likely to continue snacking into the evening. An added benefit: Research directly links gum health to heart health.
• Forget fat, protein, carbs...for the day. Count fiber. Aim for 30 grams and you'll find yourself satisfied all day. When you fill up on fruits, veggies and whole grains your energy level will skyrocket and you'll have fewer cravings for the bad stuff.
• Splurge on a nice, eco-friendly water bottle. Stainless steel is your best option. This will encourage you to drink more throughout the day.
• Try a new vegetable. Don't avoid the leafy green section in your produce department because you don't know what to do with them. Try kale, swiss chard, or spinach sauteed with olive oil and garlic. The fat in the oil helps your body to better absorb the nutrients in the veggies and consuming garlic has been shown to help everything from high blood pressure to cancer.
• Eat the rainbow. Try to include one piece of produce from every color of the rainbow.
• Dish your food onto a salad plate. You will feel full with the portion size and not feel deprived, whereas if you had used a dinner-sized plate you would have most likely finished the entire helping before realizing you were full.
• Set your fork down between bites.
• Chew slowly. Really take the time to taste each bite.

Motivation:

• Look at your family. Very simply, be aware of all you are living for. Don't just survive, but thrive for them.
• Sign up for an active event. This will help you regain focus every day.
• Put your tennis shoes on. Don't even think about it. Just do it before you talk yourself out of it. Open the front door and start walking.
• Join an online support group. Sparkpeople.com is a wonderful (free) site that allows you to track calories and join groups of like-minded people in the categories you choose.
• Create a new workout mix for your mp3 player. Organize your songs to coincide with your workout. For example, for an interval session alternate between fast-paced, up-tempo songs (work period) and slower, more mellow songs (recovery period).

"Exercising, But Not Losing Weight?"

Tweaks to get the scale moving again:

• The first thing I typically recommend is to add interval training. The workouts should be short, intense, and focused. If you're going all out (ex.: 1-2 min. work, 1 min. recovery) this workout only needs to be 15-30 minutes. During the 'work' portion, push yourself to between a 7-9 on a scale of 1-10. Aim to drop below 5 for your recovery. Intervals are calorie incinerators; not just during the activity, but also afterward. Your metabolism will remain elevated for hours, burning more calories overall. Incorporate intervals twice per week.
• Take a day off. That's right-rest. You may be overtraining. When you're pushing yourself too hard without the proper recovery and nutrition, your body goes into survival mode-holding on to every spare calorie it can get, bringing your progress to a screeching halt.
• Vary your calories. If your ideal caloric intake for weight loss is 1500 calories per day, try this: 1500 one day, 1900 the next, 1400 one day, 1700 the next. Many of my clients have seen great results with this approach. When they've been very disciplined for weeks and then feel guilty on a Monday after having indulged over the weekend, they are surprised to see their weight has actually gone down. Keeping your body guessing as to what is coming next is key, whether with your exercise or diet.
• Re-evaluate sodium intake. Are you retaining water? Women, consider your menstrual cycle. Typically the scale could read a couple pounds higher before your period.
• Mix it up. You must constantly challenge and surprise your body in order to continue to see results. If that 30 minute jaunt on the elliptical isn't cutting it anymore, take a group exercise class, go for a run, lift heavier weights. Choose a different mode of exercise for each day of the week to get the scale moving again.

There you have it! All my best stuff. Good luck!