Falling Off the Wagon

By Doug Betts
Director of Training, Core Fitness Solution

Have you ever fallen off the proverbial diet and exercise “wagon?” It can be tough to stay the course when the results seem to stagnate, or worse, back slide.

Here's a quote from a song by Robert W. Service that seems to fit appropriately in such a case:

"And so in the strife of the battle of life
It’s easy to fight when you're winning;
It’s easy to slave, and starve and be brave,
When the dawn of success is beginning.
But the man who can meet despair and defeat
With a cheer, there’s the man of God’s choosing;
The man who can fight to Heaven’s own height
Is the man who can fight when he’s losing."

There will always be times when your progress decelerates, stops, or
reverses, but remember to keep moving. As much as we like to think of the
process as science and the results as a foregone conclusion, sometimes
life gets in the way. Murphy's Law sometimes takes over your life. Dave
Ramsey - my favorite radio talk show host - would say that "Murphy" has
moved into your spare bedroom!

When short-term stuff starts getting in the way, we have to shift our
focus further out. This way, we realize that small deviations can be
overcome with small corrections. The fastest way between two points may be
a straight line, but that's only a theoretical construct. In reality,
straight lines don't exist. When you drive your car, you have constant
left and right movements of your steering wheel. Likewise, the space
shuttle (perhaps the most precise piece of machinery ever created) spends
an estimated 97% of its time correcting small deviations in its course.

There will always be setbacks. Just accept them as part of the process
(just like soreness was a part of the process when you first started!).
They are inevitable. The good news is that they are also temporary. Keep
trudging on!

When things get rough for me, I like to picture "Murphy" getting really
frustrated because no matter what kinds of twists, turns, setbacks, or
monkey wrenches he throws at me, he just can't get me to quit.

Don't let "Murphy" win!

The Worst Chips and Dips via Men's Health

By David Zinczenko

Consider the potato: It’s heavy. It’s brown. It’s gnarly. It grows in the dirt. It’s hardly the most appealing food on earth.

Now consider the Pringle: It’s light. It’s golden. It’s crispy. And it comes in a can! A tremendous improvement on the earthbound spud, right? Except for one thing: Pringles aren’t potatoes.

In fact, they’re only 42 percent potato, which means that every time you pop a Pringle, what you’re mostly eating is...um...something else. But what?

Oil. In fact, a single serving—just 14 chips—will grease up your innards with 11 grams of fat, as much as you’d get in a Burger King hamburger. And that’s exactly the problem with most chips: Food marketers have done to the potato and the ear of corn what British Petroleum did to the gulf: They took a great source of natural food, and covered it in oil.

Does that mean you can’t accompany your summer barbecue with a side order of chips and dip? Absolutely not. (I have a friend who followed the advice in Eat This, Not That! and lost 10 pounds of belly fat in six weeks and kept it off—without ever dieting!) There are plenty of healthy options out there. If you love potato chips, check out the Kettle Bakes line (the closest you can get to an unadulterated spud). If you’re into corn chips, Sun Chips Original is made from whole grains—meaning you’re upping your heart-healthy fiber intake with each bite. Below, I’ve listed some simple swaps you can make to help you stay slim all summer long—so you can literally “chip away” at your belly!

WORST REGULAR POTATO CHIP
Boulder Canyon Malt Vinegar & Sea Salt (~14 chips, 28 g)
150 calories
7 g fat (1 g saturated)
410 mg sodium

Boulder Canyon might boast “Natural Foods” on the packaging, but these chips contain nearly double the sodium of all the other major brands in the grocery store. To cut back on the sodium, opt for Popchips Salt & Pepper, instead. Popchips are neither fried nor baked—the potatoes “pop” with heat and pressure. It’s delicious ingenuity.

Eat This Instead!
Popchips Salt & Pepper (~20 chips, 28 g)
120 calories
4 g fat (0 g saturated)
290 mg sodium

Pay attention to how you chase your chips, too. Pick up the latest book in our series, Drink This, Not That!, and find out how watching what you drink can save you more than 400 calories a day.

WORST FLAVORED POTATO CHIP
Ruffles Cheddar & Sour Cream (~11 chips, 28 g)
160 calories
11 g fat (1.5 g saturated)
230 mg sodium

Ruffles are cut thick and crinkled, which means more fried potato is stuffed into each bite. Think of it this way: If you stretched out the crinkles, you’d have a massive hunk of fried potato. If you want a flavored crisp, go for anything from the Baked! Lays line, which has about 10 fewer calories per serving than almost any other brand of baked chips.

Eat This Instead!
Baked! Lays Barbecue Flavored (~14 chips)
120 calories
3 g fat (0.5 g saturated)
210 mg sodium

And remember: Not all food that sounds healthy is healthy. See for yourself—read 30 “Healthy” Foods That Aren’t.

WORST REGULAR CORN CHIP
Fritos Original (~32 chips, 28 g)
160 calories
10 g fat (1.5 g saturated)
160 mg sodium

Beloved Fritos are great for transporting bean dip to your mouth. But they’re decidedly not great for keeping off the belly fat. Choose the Baked! Tostitos Scoops! instead. They scoop just as well as the Fritos, with less than half the fat. And if you crack them in half, they’re roughly the same size, too.

Eat This Instead!
Baked! Tostitos Scoops (~15 chips, 28 g)
120 calories
3 g fat (0.5 g saturated)
130 mg sodium

WORST FLAVORED CORN CHIP
Tostitos Hint of Lime (~6 chips, 28 g)
150 calories
8 g fat (1 g saturated)
160 mg sodium

For Tostitos, a “hint of lime” includes partially hydrogenated soybean oil and artificial coloring. If you want lime-flavored chips, your best option is easily the Guiltless Gourmet line. It has fewer ingredients, less fat, and double the fiber of the Tostitos.

Eat This Instead!
Guiltless Gourmet All Natural Chili Lime (~18 chips, 28 g)
120 calories
3 g fat (0 g saturated)
200 mg sodium

WORST CHEESE DIP
Kraft Cheez Whiz Original Cheese Dip (2 Tbsp, 33 g)
90 calories
7 g fat (1.5 g saturated)
440 mg sodium

This glowing orange goop is pure junk. If you have a taste for cheese, save your calories for the real thing. We're especially fond of Tostitos Salsa Con Queso Medium. With the nutritional perks of tomatoes and peppers, salsa con queso beats straight cheese dip every time. Plus, you can eat twice as much for the same caloric punch (not that you should, of course!).

Eat This Instead!
Tostitos Salsa Con Queso Medium (2 Tbsp, 34 g)
40 calories
2.5 g fat (1 g saturated)
280 mg sodium

For life-changing nutrition and health secrets you can use instantly, follow me on Twitter. And for a more comprehensive list of disastrous beverages, and what to drink instead, check out the new losers on the 2010 list of the 20 Worst Drinks in America.

WORST PARTY DIP
Lay's Creamy Ranch Dip (2 Tbsp, 33 g)
60 calories
5 g fat (2.5 g saturated)
240 mg sodium

Make ranch your staple dip and you could be adding hundreds of low-quality calories to your snacking. Instead, choose hummus. This fiber- and protein-rich Mediterranean staple is perfect for dipping and slathering, and it has only a little over half the calories as nutritionally void ranch.

Eat This Instead!
Wild Garden Hummus Dip Roasted Garlic (2 Tbsp, 30 g)
35 calories
2 g fat (0 g saturated)
70 mg sodium

WORST SALSA
Tostitos Creamy Salsa (2 Tbsp, 32 g)
35 calories
3 g fat (0 g saturated)
150 mg

Salsa is typically the planet's finest condiment because it's packed with antioxidants that help prevent cancers and macular degeneration. Another benefit? It's typically no more than 10 meager calories per 2 tablespoons. Any salsa labeled "creamy," however, has been polluted with a dose of fatty oil. This Tostitos Creamy Salsa is more than three times as caloric as the Ortega Thick & Chunky. Maybe not such a big deal after one scoop. But after 10? You're looking at the caloric difference of four McDonald's McNuggets.

Eat This Instead!
Ortega Thick & Chunky Salsa Medium (2 Tbsp, 31 g)
10 calories
0 g fat
210 mg sodium

For the healthiest packaged foods around, check out 125 Healthiest Packaged Foods for Women and 125 Best Packaged Foods for Men.

WORST GUACAMOLE DIP
T. Marzetti Guacamole Veggie Dip (2 Tbsp, 29 g)
130 calories
13 g fat (2.5 g saturated)
240 mg sodium

Real guacamole is an incredibly healthy spread for chips and sandwiches alike. That's because avocados are rich with oleic acid, a healthy fat that helps to lower the bad cholesterol and raise the good. The problem, however, is that guacamole imposters are hiding in ever cooler in the country. This one from T. Marzetti is made up mostly of oil and sour cream.

Eat This Instead!
Wholly Guacamole Classic (2 Tbsp, 30 g)
50 calories
4 g fat (0.5 g saturated)
75 mg sodium

------------

FOLLOW DAVE ZINCZENKO ON TWITTER and get FREE live-better secrets every day!

Sign up for the free Eat This, Not That! newsletter.

Check out these cutting-edge guides to fast and easy weight loss, the brand-new Men’s Health Big Book of Exercises and Women’s Health Big Book of Exercises.

Lessons from The Biggest Loser

By Emily Gilly

This week I watched a recent episode of The Biggest Loser. Which is odd for me, because I’m not usually a fan. That said, I am really starting to see the appeal. The season is now ended, but I happen to catch this episode where the remaining contestants run a marathon. That’s 26.2 miles! In just six months, these morbidly obese people went from completely out of shape to marathon runners!

As I watched I found myself in complete awe of these people. I workout regularly but I wondered if I could do what they were doing. Even if I had six months to train, could I do a marathon? It was downright inspiring to me.

How about you? What inspires you to do more, run harder, and persevere? I think that everyone who seeks to be fit is inspired by something. For millions the Biggest Loser has inspired them to lose weight. I have to say that I am blown away by the way it has helped so many people face their weight issues.

What inspires you to be healthy?

Bella Braised Chicken Recipe

1 tbsp unsalted margarine

2 medium onions chopped

2 stalks celery diced

1 carrot diced

2 cloves garlic minced

3 tbsp flour

¼ tsp ground pepper

Six 4oz boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 tbsp olive oil

One 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes

1 cup low sodium chicken broth

½ cup dry white wine

2 tbsp minced parsley

1 tsp dried thyme

Preheat oven to 325 degrees

In non-stick skillet melt margarine. Add onions, garlic, celery and carrot. Cook until softened. Transfer to casserole dish. Dredge chicken in pepper-seasoned flour, sauté in olive oil until brown. Arrange on top of vegetables in casserole dish. In same skillet cook tomatoes, broth, wine and parsley until boiling. Add to casserole and bake uncovered until chicken is cooked (about 1 hour). Yields 6 servings.

www.corefitnesssolution.com

Stretching: the Truth

By Lisa Ann Smith
Via Women's Health Magazine

Stretching is like backing up your PC: You know you should do it, but it's easy to blow off. Besides, you never really learned how. Stretch before you sweat? After? Are a couple of toe touches enough? If you're anything like us, you're so confused you may not bother stretching at all.

But that kind of play-and-pray strategy is risky. Unlike your computer, your body doesn't auto-save. You risk losing your range of motion and stability if you skip out on stretching. So we asked experts to analyze the research and give us the real deal.

What we learned: There are three key kinds of stretching. Combine them strategically (yet simply) and you'll prepare your muscles to expand and contract quickly so you can finesse your way around the field, up your flexibility, and promote healing between workouts.

Benefits of Morning Exercise

By by Stephanie Romero

via Families.com

There are some real benefits to morning exercise. There is just something about starting your day off with a good fitness routine that can really set a good pace for the day.

One of the benefits to exercise in the morning is that you get it done. If you are anything like me, putting off fitness

until later doesn't always happen. In fact, most times if I don't get it in right away in the morning, it is very unlikely to happen later. Let's face it, life is filled with interruptions, distractions and so many things to do that it makes sense to first exercise.

When you exercise in the morning you are more likely to stick to a routine. A fitness routine is important to lose weight and get healthy. You also tend to eat better when you have exercised in the morning. Who wants to take the time to put in a good workout or a long walk, only to follow it up with a donut? Many times we are more motivated to eat healthier if we have started off the day on the right foot.

You will also find that you have more energy if you exercise in the morning. It may be difficult initially, getting yourself out of bed but once you do and you exercise, you will feel more energized to take on the day.

Research has also shown that those who exercise in the morning sleep better at night. When you workout later in the day, you cause an adrenalin rush that can be difficult to calm down when it's time to go to sleep.

A final benefit to exercising

in the morning is that it puts you in a better mood. You feel better about yourself and that can create a more positive attitude about life in general. You feel more ready to take on whatever faces you that day.

If fitting in exercise has been difficult, try switching it to the morning and discover the benefits of it. You will be glad you did.

Your Excuses NOT to Exercise Stop Here! via Yahoo Shine

By Laurel House via Yahoo

From Fonda-style leg warmers and g-string leotards, to massive gyrotonic machines, to uber-posh gyms, to The Biggest Loser televised boot camp, fitness has come a long way… all the way around. You see, as we learned in the 80s, the best way to get fit is to make it simple, accessible, and inexpensive. Yes, those machines do work… if you use them. And, yes, gyms do work… if you go… which may be why we are now a nation of fat people. It’s too easy to come up with an excuse not to work out: “Exercise equipment is expensive,” “it’s too time-consuming to go to the gym,” “I can’t afford a fitness trainer…” Well those excuses are no longer acceptable.

Thanks in part to the economy; we are going back to basics to get in shape. From at-home cardio on the Wii, walking with friends, and group exercise DVDs, you no longer have an excuse not to workout. To help renew your fitness attitude, May 1st will be the first annual World Fitness Day- a celebration of healthy and active living, and the brainchild of none other than fitness in the flesh- Jane Fonda. Attendees will learn about physical fitness from fitness experts and will be burning calories in group workouts.

To mark the occasion, some serious fitness trailblazers, including Jane Fonda, Richard Simmons, Billy Blanks, Denise Austin, Debbie Allen, and Dr. Sanjay Gupta, along with thousands of fitness fanatics, will come together, to transform Atlanta’s Georgia Dome into a workout wonderland, moving to the live tunes of the Pointer Sisters and Ludacris!

More than just celebrating fitness once a year, the concept behind World Fitness Day is to remind all of us that fitness is a lifestyle. Meaning? According to Denise Austin, “Fitness as a lifestyle means that you are dedicated to doing something active every day. It doesn’t take that much to get in good shape. If you’re too busy, tighten your tummy or do twists and rotations at your desk. Walk for 15-minutes at lunch. Just try a little something every day. It will become part of your life like brushing your teeth.” Working in extra steps during your day really does add up. Try this power walking interval exercise with walking legend, Leslie Sansone.

Make exercise and weight loss social by getting girlfriends together, put on a fitness DVD, and start a fitness program for you and your friends to use at your home. If you want to work out with a really big class, ExerciseTV* will be streaming the World Fitness Day “star”-studded classes live. Yes, you can work out with Jane Fonda too, if you tune in… Come on, get in shape girl!