Tips


CARDIO IDEAS...

1. Walking
If you put a little oomph into it, walking is a great exercise, burning about 180 calories in 30 minutes. Adding hills, sprints or even a few minutes of jogging can increase the amount of calories you burn. Make sure you walk briskly--pretend you're trying to catch a bus--and keep your head up, back straight and swing your arms.

2. Bicycling
Outdoors or indoors, cycling gives some great cardio. Using all the power in your legs, you'll increase endurance while burning lots of calories, anywhere from 250-500 in 30 minutes, depending on how fast you go and how high your resistance is.

3. Running
Running is one of best activities you can do. It doesn't require special equipment (except some quality shoes) and you can do it anywhere. Best of all, you burn serious calories, especially if you add hills and sprints. A 145 lb. person can burn 300 (at 5.2 mph) in 30 minutes. The downside is, it takes lots of practice and you should watch your knees and ankles for any discomfort or pain.

4. Swimming
Swimming, like cross-country skiing, is a full body exercise. The more body parts you involve in your workout, the more calories you'll burn. Spend 30 minutes doing the breastroke and you'll burn almost 400 calories. Best of all, your joints are fully supported so you don't have to worry about high-impact injuries. It's also great cross-training for other cardio activities.

Other ways to squeeze in five minutes here or 10 minutes there, at home: Try doing the housework to some music. Cleaning at a slightly faster pace than normal should get your heart rate up! Spend a few minutes climbing up and down the stairs. Not exciting, but effective. Do some step aerobics, stepping up onto the bottom step of a staircase and back down onto the floor. This will also be good exercise to strengthen and tone the legs.

You should do different types of cardio exercises during the course of a week, if possible. The thing to remember is that too much repetition will fatigue muscles and you will plateau, which will slow your results down. By adding variety to your workouts you give muscle groups a chance to recover on their days off and you can maintain a steady progress.

 



Control Cravings

So you're doing great with your workouts... and you're making healthy eating choices at meals... don't ruin it by giving in to sugar cravings later!

Here's what to do the next time a craving hits:

  1. CHEW GUM
    peppermint &cinnamon are the best flavors to stave off sugar cravings

  2. "PREVENT DEFENSE"
    Don't be perfect ALL the time. Prevent cravings by allowing a "cheat meal" or "cheat treat" and actually PLAN it into your day.

  3. FIGURE OUT THE CAUSE
    Did you not eat enough at mealtime? Cravings stem from appetite, not hunger, so fight that with a tall glass of ice water!

  4. CHANGE YOUR ENVIRONMENT
    Take a shower... take a nap... take a walk.

  5. HAVE THE ALTERNATIVES READY
    Don't even have the sweets available in your pantry - instead stock up on low-sugar protein bars, almonds (just a handful), or fruits.

  6. DON'T BE OVERLY RESTRICTIVE
    The more restrictive you are with the sweets, the more you'll binge in rebellion. Eat moderate portions of protein, carbs and healthy fats throughout the day to stay in balance.

  7. FALL OFF THE BIKE?
    GET RIGHT BACK ON


If you've tried everything and still crave a sweet treat, keep your sanity by giving in and having a LITTLE. Then move on - accept it and get right back in the groove of avoiding the cravings the next time.

Living a fit and healthy lifestyle means including a variety of your favorite foods in moderation -- enjoy yourself along the way!