334/365 WebMD's Dessert Wizard

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

Need a quick tool to help you decide if eating your favorite dessert is worth it or not? Enter the Dessert Wizard. If you don't like counting calories, this calculator will translate the desserts you want to eat into the number of minutes you need to exercise doing a variety of activities. It's super quick so give it a try! It quickly puts things in perspective and clears up the question of, did I work out hard enough to earn _____________ dessert? Hint: the answer is usually no.

In health,

Lauren

331/365 Simple Syrup

Friends and Fitness Enthusiats,

Who likes iced coffee? How about iced tea? As a lover of both, I just saved myself money and saved myself from high fructose corn syrup and other foreign sweeteners. I made simple syrup!

I've been wanting to do this for ages. What is it? Liquefied sugar! It makes sweetening your favorite cold beverages a lot easier and pretty much for free if sugar is already in your pantry. The beauty is that you really get to control how much sugar goes into your beverages. Sure you have the option of pumps when you go to Starbucks or what have you but when you're in control, you win.

Here's how to do it:
1. In a saucepan, pour equal parts of sugar and water. I did 1 cup of sugar to 1 cup of water.
2. Bring the concoction to a boil. Take it down to a lively simmer for 15 minutes. Stir occasionally and watch the syrup consistency emerge.
3. Pour into a squeeze bottle or jar and enjoy!

In health,

Lauren

PS: Everything in moderation!

328/365 Know Your Limits

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

I have always been a "walk it off" kind of gal. If I have a headache or a mild injury, I try to go it alone without medication or professional help. Sometimes, you really just have to listen to your body and know your limit.

Once again I am writing about this whole I'm not going to run this 10K thing because I'm still working with this road block. I'm totally bummed, mad at myself for getting hurt, but I know it's for the best. My birthday is coming up and it's time I got older and wiser. Not only am I not going to run, I am going to go see an orthopedic surgeon! This may seem like an obvious decision to most of you but for me, this is big!

You never know when an injury is really bad. There is a difference between an ache and a pain, like a sharp, shooting pain that hurts when you do something specific. Know your limit...but don't be a pansy  :)

In health,

Lauren

315/365 The 7C's Challege

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

Robert Gilbert, Ph.D., is a professor of sports psychology at Montclair State University and is a public speaker, motivational coach, sports coach and author. As an employee of Verizon, my boss Coach Mark encourages us to call the Doc everyday to get pumped for our lives. Every year, he runs the 7C's Challenge from the day after Memorial Day to Labor Day, a 98 Day challenge! The 7C's you cannot partake in are these:
- cookies
- candy
- chocolate
- chips
- cola
- cake
- and complaining about not getting to have the other 6 C's.

This challenge is hard for me because my birthday is in June and Kelby's and my mom's are in July. I like cake! I also like cookies and chocolate, specifically my chocolate chip cookies. Still, I have put them aside and challenge you to join me! Who's in?

Also, here is the number for the Doc if you'd like some motivation before you start your day: (973) 743-4690

In health,

Lauren

306/365 Think Twice about Fast Food

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

I found this video from diet.com after watching some Pilates videos. I had to know what a 4 year old cheeseburger looked like. I hope this makes you think twice before ever getting fast food again:



I am aware that this video is from 2008 but, come on, fast food is evil and we all know it; I don't believe the business has really changed that much.

In health,

Lauren

281/365 Shopping to Stay Motivated

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

As you know, I have been switching up my routine in hopes to get my body just right for beach season. I feel awesome and have lost weight; I think I'll reach at least one of my goals by this time next Wednesday. To keep myself motivated (and because there were incredible sales), I decided to go shopping. Lately I haven't had many good shopping days but, on a particularly rainy and gray Monday, I went to the mall and was very pleased.

I grabbed a bunch of clothes to try on and one after the other I was pleased with the result. I looked great in everything I tried on and felt sexy and cool. This feeling of satisfaction from my accomplishments thus far have stayed with me over the last day and a half. When I'm tempted to eat a few more calories or slack off, I think about that feeling, how awesome and proud of myself I felt trying on everything. This helped me regain discipline and stick with my plan until the end (at least until the next morning, temptation is always about!).

So, even if you don't buy anything, go shopping halfway through your own endeavors. Try on a different size or a style you didn't think you could pull off; you just might surprise yourself. Are you happy about how you feel? Are you happy about how you look? I was thinking about that quote, "Nothing tastes as good as this looks." I'd like to make a change: "Nothing tastes as good as this feels." Feeling healthy and comfortable in your skin is priceless and worth more than all the calories in the world.

In health,

Lauren

278/365 Getting in Touch with My Inner Jew...Challah!

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

The food making continues! Actually, most of this was done on Saturday since it was rainy and gross but, that's okay. I want to share more happy delicious things that have been made from my tiny kitchen.

I know I wrote a post once upon a time ago about the dangers of eating yummy bread such as this: highly addictive with little nutritional value in return. However, it is the Easter season and I thought it was time to try a stab at making this bread (and yes, I do realize that bread made with yeast like this one would not be acceptable at Passover). Anyway, here is the finished result. The recipe was from Tracey's Culinary Adventures. The one downfall was that her baking time is too high and I should have kept a better eye on my bread; as you can see, it's a little too brown and not shiny enough. Next time, I will bake this at 350F for 20-25 min rather than 375F for 30 min. Still, the bread was not ruined. It is sweet and delicious just like I hoped it would be. Though it is still nice and tender, if I don't eat it (or give it away) quickly it will become hard. This isn't always a problem though; I could make Stuffed French Toast which will probably thwart my April plan...update on that soon, it's going well! Also, I did see a recipe for whole wheat flour challah; I'll explore that in the future too along with gluten-free food.

Remember: everything in moderation!! Happy Easter!

In health,

Lauren

268/365 Placate Cravings with Flavored Tea

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

Clearly my month-long diet and exercise challenge has affected my blog topics...all about food! I don't think this is bad. In fact, I think this is great because it shows y'all that I am no better than anyone else. I too crave delicious food, chocolate, sweets, and everything else under the sun. One tip that I subscribe too and I hope you will too is to stay hydrated. Drinking water before satisfying a craving ensures that you're not dehydrated and makes your belly full, somewhat hindering you from letting more food pass through your lips. Other than water, you can try different kinds of tea.

There are many kinds of tea that you can find in the grocery store. If you have the means, I suggest going somewhere that sells loose leaf tea like Wegmans, Rostov's, or Notting Hall. These establishments usually have people who can tell you lots more about tea than you could ever dream; their passion makes the experience special. Tea is a 0 calorie drink except for the spoonful of sugar, glob of honey, or cream with which you may take your tea. I picked up two teas today from Notting Hall: Raspberry Truffle and Chocomint. I cannot wait to go home and try them; the aroma is intoxicating. I have been jonesing for some chocolate/sweets the last few days and I know these teas will hit the spot. I'll let you know how they go.

In health,

Lauren

PS: There are proper ways to make tea. Here's the break-down:

Black Tea: Water should be at a rolling boil when you steep your tea for 3 minutes. Do NOT leave your tea leaves in the water and do NOT squeeze the bag (if you're using bagged tea) as it will become bitter and the flavor will be diminished.

Green Tea: Water should be almost at a boil, like the bubbles are about to start. Steep only for 1 minute then remove the tea from the water.

Tisanes (Herbal Tea): Water should be almost at a boil but can steep for 5-10 minutes.

For greater detail, check this site out.

251/365 Just because it's _____ doesn't Mean You're Excused from Exercise

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

When I worked at my college's gym, my fellow coworkers and I knew that it'd be a slow day if it was raining. For some reason, bad weather outside deters people from exercising inside. Don't let this be you! Things like "raining," "Friday," or "your menstruation cycle" are not what I consider a valid reason to not exercise.

Reasons that you are excused from exercising are:
- You feel like you're getting sick, you are sick, or you have just recovered from getting sick
- You feel pain in your chest (not how Cee Lo feels it) or on the left side of your body when doing regular exercise...go see a doctor
- You can't breathe or are short of breath

So if you want my respect as a fellow fitness enthusiast, don't let petty, temporal excuses get in the way of your burn.

In health,

Lauren

229/365 Happy Snack Tip 1: Portion Control

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

Snacking becomes a challenge when you can't stop. A snack is supposed to be a small meal, <300 calories. Meals are ideally defined moments in our day where we focus on the art of eating, meaning we turn off the TV, step away from our desks, and enjoy our meal. I know this is difficult in the first place, but we should try to do this with our snacks too. That being said, I will impart to you whatever tips I can when it comes to snacking this week.

Tip 1 is to make smaller portions. If you buy big bags of crackers, pretzels, trail mix, etc. to be more economical and eco-friendly, transfer your snack food into a small ziploc or reusable container. If you bring the whole bag with you to work, to your desk, to your couch, etc. you will be more inclined to eat the whole bag. Instead, make your bag smaller. This way, you set yourself up to have a controlled portion of snack food and will make yourself do more work in the future in order to eat more of your snack food.

As a guideline, if you really feel like you have to get seconds of snack, it's probably time for you to eat a real meal.

In health,

Lauren

157/365 Christmas Cookies

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

I heard the following short story on This American Life on NPR. It is called "Christmas Cookies" by comedian and writer Edith Zimmerman.

“Good morning,” I said to my students, “does anyone like,” and here I reached under my desk to produce a heaping tray of homemade treats, “Christmas cookies?”
     “Yes,” they screamed.
“How much?” I asked.
     “A lot,” they screamed.
“Do you love them?” I asked.
     “Yes,” they screamed, “we love them.”
“So, why don't you marry them?” I asked.
     “No,” they screamed.
“Why not?” I asked.
     “You can't marry cookies,” they screamed.
I looked down at my engagement ring and sort of slid my hand behind my back so the children couldn't see.
“Is that like for sure a fact or is it something you just assume?” I asked.

Christmas cookies are darn delicious, I know. There are so many kinds and usually a plateful asking you to eat them. I am a cookie monster so by all means, eat a cookie. But which one? How many? My advice to you is to break off half of the cookie, take a bite, and see if the whole thing is worth eating. These cookies were probably a gift from someone else, right? Well, the giver isn't there and won't know that you didn't finish their mediocre cookie. If the cookie is worth finishing, enjoy it while keeping in mind that each one is worth about 100 calories depending on size. How are you going to balance that out?

When it comes to junk food, you cannot feel bad about "wasting it" or throwing it away. It's junk food and junk is meant to be disposed of.

In health,

Lauren

130/365 Thou Shall Eat Thine Own Sweets

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

As winter's chill begins to set in, Christmas and other holiday parties will be getting underway. I think we can all agree that we don't need to try every dessert put out on the table. A rule I try to follow is to only eat sweets that I make myself. This is pretty restricting as I am often too busy to bake. I sometimes extend this to sweets that my friends make or those that are made by people I know, not a bakery, grocery store, food chain.

The major reason for this commandment is because I know that we are often too busy, too lazy, or simply don't know how to bake our own sweet treats. If we can't do it, then we can't eat it.

The second reason is the ingredients used. I know everything that I am putting into my dessert. I have the power to decide the recipe I choose. Will it use shortening? Will it use lard? How much sugar is in it? Can I adjust it? I also know that most of my friends don't have access to high fructose corn syrup, soy lecithin, or any other additives. I can be certain that the only ingredient put into my treat that can't be found in the grocery store is love; it makes the food taste extra good.

So, at your next engagement, do your best to only eat the sweets that you contribute. Your only possible exception would be goods handmade by someone you know personally.

In health,

Lauren

124/365 Thankful for Leptin

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

Now more than ever must we exert control over our eating impulses. Thanksgiving is in 4 days! Now I love Thanksgiving just as much as anyone else. I won't lie to you, I get my food on. From now until Thursday, I'll give you hints for not totally blowing your healthy lifestyle to bits. I refuse to give you healthy recipe alternatives because let's face it, that would not do justice to the delicious foodie holiday of Thanksgiving.

The important thing to remember is to do your best to listen to your body. I know that stuffing is my weakness. I love it. And sweet potato anything. And pumpkin pie. And green bean casserole. Okay, clearly I love it all. Take a little bit of everything and eat slowly; allow the hormone leptin to tell you that you've had enough. Nobody is going to take the food off of your plate. All this Thanksgiving isn't going to disappear that day. So listen to your body and stop when you're satisfied not when you're stuffed like a turkey. I know the challenge of stopping since the food is so tasty but we must. It's just not right and we shouldn't abuse the gift of food.

In health,

Lauren

93/365 Deny Thyself

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

For those of you that the last post does not apply to, here's one for you: Deny Thyself. In this world of plenty, if you have the means, we are offered many things to eat and drink. Think about the most recent meal you have consumed. Did you go back for more out of pure lust for the food you were eating? Perhaps there was something that you got two, three, or four of when only one would have sufficed. It's a matter of listening to your body and a matter of discipline.

When I am at a function that features multiple desserts, I often find myself sampling every kind that's out there. First off, this is dessert; you only need a taste. After all, as Jim Gaffigan puts it, dessert is more food after you've just eaten food. Second off, unless its homemade or you've had it before, think about whatever it is you're about to consume. Is this pineapple upside down cake really phenomenal? Is this store bought white cake with super sweet, stiff icing really that delicious? Third off, one dessert could be upwards of 200 calories. Do you like to get a couple cookies or a huge slice of brownie? It's too much and pure lack of control. I'm not saying you can't enjoy desserts, just deny yourself of that extra piece or that monstrous slice or second dessert.

This deny yourself idea can also be applied to your meal itself. You can definitely enjoy food however, you should enjoy it if you need it not simply because you want it. Deny thyself and you will more greatly appreciate the food you eat.

In health,

Lauren

68/365 Crap Food = Crap Feeling

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

Though I enjoy going on road trips, I do not enjoy the feeling in my stomach and bowels after eating road trip food. Like the title indicates, crap food makes you feel crappy. Though there are healthier options out there, if it's from a fast food place (or even a restaurant), more likely than not it will not be as good for you as it tastes.

From my perspective, as someone who eats healthily regularly, I think that people who eat and enjoy fast food have become insensitive to the poor ingredients in fast food. They get complacent with that bad feeling and simply choose to ignore it. Partially hydrogenated oils and those that are made of trans fat are unnatural and absolutely unhealthy for you; they are often featured in fast food chains. They increase LDLs (bad cholesterol) and decrease HDLs (good cholesterol that clears out LDLs). Your system doesn't know what to do with them. Something very high in fat is not easily digested in your intestines. Your body just wants to get these foreign things out of your system as fast as possible. Enter yuck feeling in your bowels.

Plus, my mood changes depending on the food I have eaten. When I eat healthy foods, I feel light. I feel energized and ready to go. When I eat crap food, I feel like sitting, sleeping, and sometimes vomiting. Food is energy; it's meant to make you move (not the BM kind unless of course it's high in fiber). If your food doesn't do that, I hate to break it to you, it's probably not food.

I'm not saying you can't eat fast food once in awhile. I just caution you that you will probably feel yucky, especially if you eat too much. Crap food=crap feeling; remember that.

In health,

Lauren

47/365 Labor Day Pains

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

Labor Day is the last holiday of the year where eating (read gorging) ourselves with hot dogs, hamburgers, coleslaw, potato salad, cookies, etc is somewhat acceptable. This is not okay. I know the temptation to have a bit of everything is very strong but you can fight against it.

Remember your plate ratio. If you stick to that, I imagine that you'll get full from all those juicy fruits and veggies and won't have room for another hot dog.

Only get one helping of dessert. Usually there are several options to choose from. Select only one. Think about what that dessert is and what it tastes like. If you know that cookie is not the best cookie you'll ever have, leave it be. If that piece of cherry pie looks like it was made from canned pie filling, leave it be. You're better off rewarding yourself for being good with an amazing piece of chocolate or fruit later than munching through a mediocre sweet. 

Listen to your body. On holidays and yummy food fests, we tend to ignore our full or satisfied stomach. If you are not actually hungry, please don't eat more. Walk away from the food. Chew gum. Brush your teeth. Ask yourself, am I willing to give up what I want now for what I want most?

If you do find that you ate too many calories, please just kill it at the gym tomorrow. Burn those calories and be kinder to your body tomorrow. Happy Labor Day!

In health,

Lauren

38/365 Out of Sight, Out of Mind

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

When you eat out, you are faced with many temptations. Over the course of this blog I will try to address each one and give you a defense against them. Today's temptation to battle is how to say no when you're already full.

I am a big fan of 20/20 and remember a segment about how eating with others makes us eat more. A study was done where two women were sitting in a room eating ice cream. They both started out with a serving each with the ice cream container between them. After they finished the first serving, Woman 1 got another scoop of ice cream. She was told to do this whenever she and Woman 2 finished their helping. Woman 2 voluntarily proceeded to get another scoop as well. Woman 1 got yet another scoop. Woman 2 followed. You see the pattern that is happening. When food is placed in front of us, we will continue to eat it as long as someone else is eating it. Even if you're full, part of you, for whatever reason, will continue to eat anyway.

I'm sure that you have experienced this just as I have at dinners, luncheons, or any food date. Eating is a social thing but, be mindful of what that can mean to your endeavors to eat healthily and consciously.

At home, my solution for this is to first remove your plate and utensils from the table. Don't even give yourself the option to civilly eat some more. Try to remove the food from the table entirely. Store it so that you don't get an extra helping. At a restaurant, place your utensils on your plate and your napkin on top of it. It certainly would not be polite to grab your utensils again and get more food. Even better, have your waiter take your plate or box up your leftovers as soon as he/she can. Out of sight, out of mind.

When tempted to get an extra helping when you're not hungry, put the food out of your vision as much as possible. If you don't see it, you won't think about it.

In health,

Lauren

32/365 Toss it Before you Eat it

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

When eating that lovely, dark green, leafy salad of yours, I have a fine suggestion. Toss it before you eat it! Drizzle your dressing onto your salad, not too much, then toss it so that the dressing coats all your leaves.


This will help cut down the amount of dressing you use. If you simply pour dressing on, you'll eat that layer and find that the succeeding layers don't have enough dressing. You then might pour on a little more and a little more then all of a sudden you have way too much dressing, calories, and fat.

Before

After  :)

Ooh! I just had my salad today with some awesome dressing from Annie's. It's this really great company that makes organic and natural foods like dressing and crackers and cereal and mac and cheese. Anyway, the flavor was fantastic: Creamy Asiago Cheese. I recommend it.


So remember, toss it before you eat it (picture coming soon)


In health,


Lauren

28/365 Everything in Moderation: Alcohol

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

Many studies have shown that a glass (4.5 oz) of red wine a day is good for your health. Harvard researchers argued that 3 glasses of wine a day increases HDLs (good cholesterol) which are good for clearing out plaque in your arteries, a very good thing. I'd like to think that these studies are correct. One 5 year study in France concluded that "people who drank two to five glasses of wine a day had up to 31% less risk of death from any cause than nondrinkers." That's a pretty outstanding statistic that I think probably has more to do with lifestyle than the actual properties of alcohol. To drink a glass of wine a day means that you're probably enjoying your food and the company you are dining with.

I won't go on about all the negative facts about alcohol because I think you, as a healthy person, already know them. The point is that you should enjoy your alcoholic beverages for the sake of the taste, the cozy feeling, and the friends you are with in moderation. Like my professor said, "There's an enzyme in our bodies specially designed for breaking down alcohol. I think alcohol is a good thing."

In health,

Lauren