Tag Archives: energy

Cravings…arrrrrgggggggghhhhhhh!!!

Posted on March 26, 2012 | 6 Comments

Cravings.

It’s almost a dirty word.  It sets off such emotion. We all have them and we all deal with them differently.

The triggers to these cravings are endless.  Hormones, TV,  commercials, watching other people eating something, listening to other people talking about food, emotions….and on and on.

I have a few tactics that I use to help me stay on track to battle cravings.   Tactics?  Oh yes tactics.  This is warfare my friends.  Get your armour on.  It’s go time!

Tactic #1 Brush your teeth
This will kill a craving in its tracks.  Food tastes weird right after you brush your teeth. The benefit of doing this is twofold.  You clean teeth and kill the craving. Make sure you brush your tongue and inside your cheeks as well for an even stronger effect–weird I know, but try it!

Tactic #2 Chew some sugar-free gum
This is simple and it works. The chewing takes your mind off of the craving. There are now dessert gums. Sugar free and that will help with any post meal cravings for sweets.  Try it!

Tactic #3 Drink like you live in the desert
Most people are dehydrated and end up mistaking hunger or cravings for actually being thirsty. Water is magic…seriously!  Not only does it quash your cravings but it helps your metabolism.  Double whammy.  Boo-yah!!!
Now, I know many of you are rolling your eyes about me mentioning water, AGAIN–but if you read my blog post about sweeteners, I use Crystal Light to help get in my allotted water and have lots of options for flavours.

Tactic #4 – Chew on this….
Fibre…this will help battle those cravings by slowing down the absorption of sugar.  Aim to get 30 grams of fibre each and every day.
Here are some great high fibre foods that you can easily incorporate into each meal:
-apples 4 gm of fibre
-broccoli  7gm in 3/4 cup
-blackberries 7gms per cup
-beans   6gm in 1/2 cup
-oatmeal  7 gms 3/4 cup
-peas 9 gms in 1/2 cup
-strawberries 4gms per cup
-raspberries 5 gms per cup

Tactic #5 Zzzzzzzzzzz
At night cravings go sky high….that is when you need to shut ‘er down.
When you are tired you make bad choices.  If you see that you get into the habit of snacking at night.  STOP IT!!
Go to bed early and you will feel so much better!!!

Use these 5 tactics and crush those cravings!

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Are you eating this poison? You might be surprised.

Posted on March 2, 2012 | Leave a comment

Think there are short cuts to losing weight??  Magazines, tv ads, infomercials, are always telling us that they have a short cut.  Ummmm no…sorry.  There are NO short cuts.

If you are looking for ways to cut corners so you can lose fat fast then you will be very disappointed and bigger, probably with other health risks. You can’t and let’s be honest, you know that.

The real deal is that you HAVE to move and by move that doesn’t mean just stroll on a treadmill or walk the dog. You have to move, and challenge your muscles.
You have to eat REAL food. There are some amazing foods out there that will help you lose weight, and give you energy; drumroll please…

…lean sources of protein, veggies, fruit, ( green face ).

Yes, I know a bunch of you just rolled your eyes.  Exciting!!  Yeah!! Well, it all depends on how you look at it.  I don’t think its exciting carrying extra weight, stressing over the clothes that don’t fit, or being so tired that you can’t do anything.  To me, that’s not exciting, but to many people out there it must be!

I think its pretty exciting that I have energy to burn and that I am not riding a blood sugar roller coaster.  I eat for energy. I think that real, healthy food is cool!

Your food should be what gives you energy.  Your food should be as close to the way nature intended it to be made as possible (although I do love seedless watermelons and I know that isn’t how nature intended it).  You are the result of what you put in your body in many ways.  Put crap in long enough, you look and feel like crap.   On that note, here is something else to think about…

I’ve talked about this before but it’s so worth repeating; be careful of hidden dangers in your “food”.

High Fructose Corn Syrup (HCFS) is basically a sweetener that is produced from uneatable corn.

This ***poison*** is completely horrible for you and the worse part is …

(wait for it)

…high Fructose corn syrup is in almost every processed food you eat and the foods you feed your kids!

High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is processed very differently in the body than other sugars and thus has different effects.  Recent research has shown that high fructose corn syrup leads to:

  • Abnormal increases in body fat (especially in the abdomen)
  • Directly linked to increased incidence of diabetes
  • Consumption directly correlated with increased obesity rates
  • And like I said, it is found in almost everything (see the list below).  I avoid this stuff like the plague.

I eat real food (non processed)  that contains ZERO HFCS.
High Fructose Corn Syrup = BELLY FAT
Here is a list of food with high levels of HFCS:

Jelly: Smucker’s, Welch’s, many others
Syrup: Aunt Jemima Original Syrup, other fake syrups
Pop: Coke, Pepsi, Mountain Dew, 7Up, Dr. Pepper
Power Drinks: Gatorade, Powerade
Juice: Ocean Spray Cranberry Juice Cocktail, Minute Maid Products, Most “fruit drinks”
Barbeque Sauces
Bread (nearly all high-volume brands)
Ketchup
Hershey’s Chocolate Syrup
Salad Dressing
Ice Cream (any cheap store brand)
Frozen and refrigerated products aimed at kids:
Popsicles
ice cream treats
juice boxes
Candy
M&Ms
Caramels
Twizzlers
Lollipops
Hard candies
Gummy Bears
GumBalls
Jelly Beans

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Suck it up…take your easy somewhere else, we like it hard!

Posted on May 6, 2011 | 7 Comments

There seems to always be two ways to people look at things:  Happy or sad, black and white, glass half full or half empty, two sides to every story, easy or hard, etc.
A lot of things, situations, challenges are what you make them.

Here’s what’s easy:

  • eating chips and dip
  • drinking that wine
  • avoiding challenges
  • making excuses
  • complaining
  • being lazy
  • eating cookies

Here’s what’s hard:

  • going against the grain
  • saying no to the crowd
  • committing to your goals
  • moving when you just want to rest
  • pushing yourself to get back up when life knocks you down
  • seeing the future when looking at the present

Exercise can be considered a metaphor for succeeding in life.
Discipline, willpower, determination, purpose, achievement.
The things that increase you potential in life share many of the same rules.

Accountability is key.

You are the 5 people you hang around with the most.  If you go to the gym and walk on the treadmill, look at the weights, treat it like a social event, chat with your friends you will go nowhere fast.  You want to stay in the security and comfort of like-minded thinking, enjoy yourself, that’s EASY but don’t expect results.

If you show up to boot camp you will be motivated, inspired and encouraged to be pushed to the next level.  That’s accountability and that can be hard.  But, everything I have found in life that has value doesn’t come easy.  It comes with commitment, desire, action.  But you will be expected to give it your all.  Want to turn it into a social event? Want to come late, interrupt, complain? Do it somewhere else…don’t try to drop  your pity party and woe is me problems  on others and try to influence them into your mentality.

We work hard to achieve results.

Change requires an effort.  If you want to look different and feel different it requires effort and at times it won’t be easy….and those are the times that you need to suck it up.

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Announcing my diet book!!

Posted on April 12, 2011 | 13 Comments

I want to blog about this again, because I think some people read the words but have trouble putting it into action for themselves. Trust me…if you chose to follow this, I guarantee you are going to make the process of achieving your health and fitness goals easier.

I get asked a number of times daily via email, Facebook, Twitter, “What do you eat”

I am happy to tell everyone what I eat.  I eat real food.  Surprise!!  Mystery over, the cats out of the bag!!

I know that so many of us struggle with weight issues. I’ve been there.  I have walked in your shoes.  I was a size 16/18 and I was over 220lbs.

So when I tell you I know how you feel; I really do!  I know exactly how mad you feel when you try clothes on and they are tight.  I know how jealous you feel when you see someone skinny eating cheesecake and you secretly wish a wardrobe malfunction on him or her.  (Button on their skinny jeans shooting across the room comes to mind!)

Add ethical to this search and it drops to 30 million

It seems like there is an endless supply of diet books and each claims to be the last diet book you will ever need.  Dr’s, trainers, celebrities, coaches, former athletes, the mailman all try to capitalize on “their” idea of a “diet”.  The sad part is most don’t work!!!  You know this and I don’t need to tell you that.  Simmer down, I can hear you say “Carrie, my friend’s aunts best friends cousin did the “so & so” diet and she lost 20lbs”  Ok…yes, you can lose weight on some diets. But, go back and see them in a couple of months.  The term yo-yo comes to mind.

So, I’m going to write my diet book…right here, right now!!  Here it is. Eat real food in proper amounts.  Support great nutrition with responsible exercise and sleep.  Book done. Look out New York Time…here I come.

I know I won’t be getting a book deal anytime soon because what I am telling you requires an effort!

I know you are busy; we all are.  But, you have to make meals.  Pre-packed ‘food’ products are not going to work.  You have to exercise.  End of story, yes have to!

It all comes down to how bad do you want it??  How bad do you want to be healthy?  The alternative is being sluggish and unhappy.  Is not fitting into your clothes working for you?

Excuses; I have heard them all…..and then some.  If you have an excuse why you can’t make meals or exercise, I am here to support you.  I am here to help you, show you the light or give you a shake up and say wake up!

Real food is nourishment, it’s energy, it makes you energetic and strong. Processed food, makes you hungrier, tired, moody.  Which option sounds better to you?

Why are you punishing yourself by eating junk. That is what it is…punishment.  If you think that cookie or the chips or ice cream is a reward or treat…you are soooo wrong.  Once you get your head around that…you are off to the races!!

Here are some boot camp food rules to live by:

  • don’t go longer than 3hrs without eating
  • drink at least 3L of water daily
  • exercise daily
  • protein must be at every meal
  • say good-bye to processed foods (cookies, chips, bagels, fast food, frozen dinners)

Do the work see the results.

This is what I ate today:

  • coffee
  • chocolate/pb protein shake + apple (breakfast)
  • hard-boiled egg with cucumber slices + couple of walnuts (snack)
  • chicken breast with tomato sauce and salad (lunch)
  • yogurt with mixed berries and slivered almonds
  • early dinner before boot camp – tuna in yellow pepper cups(cut up pepper filled with tuna)
  • after boot camp – mixed berry protein shake
  • chamomile tea
  • 3.5L water

What did you eat??  Whatever emotional value you put on food, change it.  Food is fuel.  Eat smart and watch your body change.

Stop making excuses why you can’t and start making steps towards why you can!  You are where you are because of the choices you have made.  You will be where you want to be because of the choices you will make.

I have lost over 200lbs – I have been where you are!  Now trust me and come and be where I am now!!

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Be the best you!

Posted on April 6, 2011 | 10 Comments

“Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today.” ~Thomas Jefferson~

If you are like many busy people you usually take care of everyone else but yourself.  You are putting your needs behind everyone the needs of those around you, but….at what cost?

You might notice that you have said things like, “Once hockey is over I will get back to exercising”, “As soon as I get that new job (or whatever) I will start working out and eating right.”, “When the nice weather returns I’ll get back to exercising.”

Maybe you’ve start noticed that you have less and less energy.  Things that once were simple or “easy” are now requiring real effort.  It might seem that you “woke” up and wondered how you gained that 25lbs?

The neglect of your personal well-being could take place over weeks, months or even years.  If you are sick or your body can’t handle exertion than what good are you to those that you have put before your own health needs?

Everyone has the ability to feel energetic.  Everyone should have energy each and everyday.  You have the right to put your health and fitness needs at the forefront of your life.

When you have energy, you can do anything.

When you feel energetic you usually feel more creative.  Things you do are more fun, your relationships are healthier.  Your thoughts are clear and can lead to action.  You are enthusiastic about life.  You feel confident, unstoppable, fearless.

Who doesn’t want to feel like that every single day????

Take care of yourself.  Be healthy, make the changes you know you need to make. Stop making excuses…make changes!

Go from good to great.

Be amazing, not average!

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I have a secret that will change your life!

Posted on November 9, 2010 | 27 Comments

I get this question all the time “How do you have so much energy???”

Yes.  I have three young children and a small petting zoo of animals at home (sore spot with hubby–sorry…I love you!!

I work during the day with clients and then I teach boot camp at night.  I cook, I clean and then I clean again because my children love to test my cleaning abilities-hahaha – NO JOKE, I think they conspire from time to time.

We have marathon loads of laundry and have the joy of cleaning up after animals.

My days are full and busy.

I am sure this is nothing unique to me, most of you are probably saying, “Welcome to my world too!”

I bounce out of bed in the early morning to meet with clients and sometimes I do stay up late answering emails and catching up on things.

So what’s my secret?

I have been reluctant to reveal it…..it’s been a tightly guarded secret….that I have only revealed to a certain privileged few.

Those that have been told the secret have taken it and ran with it!  I mean literally they took off (Amy comes to mind immediately!!)

If I told you that you could have endless amounts of energy, stamina to get thru your day with a smile, the ability to bounce out of bed feeling refreshed and recharged…would you want to know what it was and would you do it?

Sure you would.

I think everyone wants to know what the secret to endless energy is…but who is willing to achieve it??

There actually is a secret to my success…it’s a formula, and without it I wouldn’t be here to talk about it today.

If I hadn’t applied the formula and tweaked it over the years, I would still be 220lbs.  I’d still be sad.  I’d still be miserable.  I would still be trying to make excuses about being happy with myself, just the way I was and I would not be participating in life.  I would only be a spectator…how horrible!!

What are you missing out on because you have no energy?  Why in the world would you sacrifice any bit of happiness because of something you could change?!

What would you be doing differently if you had endless energy?  How would your life be if you bounced out of bed excited to start your day?

Do you want the secret formula?

Do you want what I and so many others have?

I will gladly reveal the secret of my success to you, but, you have to be ready for it…..who’s ready for it?????

Let me know.  I will be glad to share it. But you have to want it…Do you want it?

 

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