Tuesday, December 13, 2016

Noom Review: So you’re looking to lose weight? Let’s talk about Noom!



Speaking of the holidays and overeating...

With food, when you force yourself to see who you really are, deception goes out of the window and you can focus on actions that help you make progress. Recording your meals forces you to count the good things and the bad things, and you’re faced with your honest reality. If that is the case, why not just take a notepad and write your daily meals, right?

Monday, December 12, 2016

How will you be staying healthy during the holidays?



So we are in the middle of the holiday season! Whatever you celebrate, it is that time of the year where we eat until we hate ourselves, and then don't work out because we are too busy socializing. Yes, we're all guilty.

So in the middle of all the parties and time with family, how can we stay at least a little bit true to our goals? Here are a few tips:

Have regular meal times. This may sound silly, but for most of the year, you were able to stick with the theme of X meals a day so why can't you now? Plan where you will be at your meal time, and eat only during those times.
If you slip, don't stress. We all need  time to relax, and stressing over drinking too much eggnog has proven to actually do nothing but add on to your waistline. If you fall, let it go; concentrate on the next day!
Get enough sleep. This may also sound silly, but people who do not get enough rest tend not to lose weight. Party on, but sleep more.
Scan the buffet before you jump. You are loved and everybody cooks for you; okay, good. But when there is so much food, it doesn't mean you have to eat it all.If there is a buffet, slow down and spend time scanning the options before you jump. You make better decisions when you slow down. When someone asks what you want and gives you options, think a little first.
Smaller portions are the way to go. I cannot dare tell you to drop every fun thing during the holidays (who am I?) but try to use smaller plates to make sure you are not eating more than your stomach can take.
Alcohol can be your friend or your enemy. We tend to drink a ton of our calories, and alcohol is no different. A glass of wine or beer may not hurt, but having round after round may make you hungrier and just adds on to the calories you are trying to stay away from. Try not to be out drinking each night.
Find creative ways to exercise with your loved ones. Whether it is a yoga class, dancing, some exercise videos, or just taking walks together, look for ways to burn off the pounds and still hang with your loved ones. If you are off work, try to work out early in the day so you can focus on other fun things for the rest of the day.

How will you be staying healthy during the holidays?

Cheers Eights & Weights!

Thursday, October 6, 2016

Fitness Trackers: Who Does it Best?



A friend reached out to me yesterday asking for my opinion on the top fitness trackers, so when I also received this article on a detailed review of 78 of the fitness trackers out there, it could not have been more timely. I read through this review and it will be helpful to anyone who is so confused by the sheer mass of information out there. Here it is all in one place to help you make that very important decision :)

Check out the article here: Fitness Tracker Reviews.

Don't forget that you can buy FitBits from the link up on this site (shameless plug)! Do you have feedback about any fitness trackers you have tried? Share with us.

Cheers Eights & Weights!

Monday, September 19, 2016

Want to Measure More than Just your Weight? Try out the BeestBlu Smart Scale


You know scales and I are not good friends. Mostly because it does not tell you the whole story. Of course, if you factor in your age, sex, height, and muscle mass, the number on the scale could mean less or more. Because of this, I tend to stay away from scales and focus on body fat percentage and BMI.

But why? Why do I care about these things? Well, your body fat and your BMI are a much better indication of whether you are healthy or not, whether you will look more 'cut' or have some more flab, and whether you are eating right as well. 

Thursday, July 28, 2016

Working out at home? Here are a few sites to try...



When you think of a fit person, a lot of the time you procure that image of the gym goer with perfect shorts grunting to every exercise on every machine. But in reality, fitness can be anywhere especially in the age of the internet. If you have kids, live far from a gym, or don't have enough time/money to go to the gym and back consistently, working out at home is a great, less-intimidating option.

Sunday, June 19, 2016

Trying to Work on Your Abs? Try out #AbsWednesdays!


One of the areas people struggle with the most is the midsection. Whether you are trying to lose the fat on it or trying to build some muscle, you can find yourself in the cycle of crunch-situp-crunch. And that, my friends, does not help you much.

Thursday, May 19, 2016

Seven Reasons You May Not Be Losing Weight



You exercise. You eat well, or at least you think you do. But that scale has not budged and you don't feel any different. What gives?! Well, though the process to lose weight seems straightforward, there are things I usually find that people leave out, don't know, or actually forget. Here are seven of them for you to think about:

Wednesday, May 4, 2016

They Get You With the Add-Ons



We know add-ons by so many names, but what we know is that we don't want to eat our sandwich, chicken, or moi-moi alone. Pairing up foods with sides can work in our favor as it can help us balance out our nutrients, but more often than not, it actually works against us. I'll explain.

Monday, March 21, 2016

How is Your Strength Training Looking?



When you go to the gym, you probably see this scenario: lots of ladies on the cardio machines (elliptical, treadmill, StairMaster, etc.) pounding hard to shed those few pounds, and then you see the gentlemen by the weights piling on as much as they can with no interest in cardio. I will only address the ladies today and explain why strength training is equally as important to help you shed those pounds. I know it doesn't seem intuitive, and I know you probably detest lifting weights, but it is necessary.

Thursday, March 10, 2016

Do Spicy Foods Really Help You Lose Weight?



Have you heard time and time again how capsaicin (the active ingredient in a few types of peppers) aids in weight loss? Have you heard that all you need to do is to amp up this heat level on your food and you'd be burning mad calories? If this is true, we need to all run to the store today and buy all sorts of peppers for an easy weight loss option.

Let's assess the theory, shall we? When you eat spicy foods, you experience a very warm feeling that makes you sweat, maybe shake a little bit, do a dance, etc. So you feel like this heat must be burning all kinds of things in you. I believe it is the same reason why believe believe spicy foods cure colds or other sicknesses.

Now, it is not totally untrue that capsaicin does speed up your metabolism a little, but this increase has been shown to be very negligible and will most likely not affect you overall if you eat and exercise the same. But you do FEEL like you are losing more because you are sweating. Another theory is that because spicy foods make you feel fuller quicker (or simply because you can't eat as much as you're sweating and blowing), you probably can't eat as much as you would regular food. This means smaller portions, not a considerably faster metabolism.

While spicy food is yummy, and while it does make us feel like we're achieving something, there really is no evidence to definitely say it helps a lot. But it doesn't hurt as well ;) So continue with your spicy food, but please make sure that you get the right diet and exercise if weightloss is your goal.

Cheers Eights & Weights!


Monday, February 29, 2016

Creating a Diet That Can Help You Pedal Easier



Today, we have a guest writer (Shelly Stinson) who is an avid cyclist with a huge focus on nutrition. I am so glad she has been able to share some knowledge to readers about how to make sure your diet is appropriate for the energy levels you need to cycle. Enjoy!
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Wednesday, February 17, 2016

Want a Discount on a Quality Sports Bra?



Influenster sent me the C9 sports bra from Target free to review. Let me describe the product a little so you get a sense for what it is like. It is made of a thick compression fabric and has no padding. So when I first saw it, I was thinking I would not like it since I'm kind of on the smaller bust size scale. Also, they were pink and so that probably skewed my opinion on the negative side.

Wednesday, February 3, 2016

Booty Strength Training with Weights


A lot of the workouts I show here are body-weight exercises, but I do a lot of lifting, especially on leg day. So I thought I'd share some of that. Here is a great sequence you can try to work those glute muscles. To get larger muscles in your booty and legs, you need to challenge your body with weights. In this video, I am using 70lb weights (in the deadlifts and squats) and 10lb ankle weights (in the standing leg lifts).

Do 10 reps of each exercise and repeat 4 times! Watch the form before you start as I've slowed down the videos so you can see.


Cheers Eights & Weights!

Monday, January 18, 2016

Learning to Make Greens More Delicious



I hear you read that topic and go "Yea, right"! Can greens actually be delicious without bathing them in blue cheese? Recently, I have been exploring a lot more with vegetables, and I have come to the conclusion that you can make greens delicious. 

Monday, January 11, 2016

Happy New Year and New Year Yoga Challenge



Hello readers! 

I'm sorry for being MIA for a few weeks. Work and the holidays were both a tad hectic. But happy new year! I hope you enjoyed a wonderful celebration with your families and friends.

Now, speaking of the new year, it is also a great time for people to do some re-purposing and identify areas in their fitness regimen that they want to work on or improve. I have heard so many resolutions about getting healthier and fitter. Here is something that may help you if you are in that boat. The yoga website that I love so much - Do Yoga With Me - is having a 14 day yoga refresher online. You do 1 video each day for 14 days. It gets you in the habit of doing yoga daily, and it helps get you body and mind on track for the year. Check it out. It did start yesterday, but you can always join in and finish a day later :)

There also are a lot of yoga and fitness challenges on Instagram that can help push you. @yogahermit has a #StartYourYoga challenge, @fitmrsfats has a 7 day cleanse, and so on. Get into a challenge as it helps you connect with others as well!

Do you have fitness resolutions? Are you looking to start the year right? Share them with us :)

Cheers Eights & Weights!
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