Cookie Breakdown...

In response to the question as to how to figure out sugar content for homeade items such as cookies and brownies...

I checked out few chocolate chip cookie recipes and most of them ended up equaling between 9-10 grams of sugar per cookie. This would be about 2.5 tsp per cookie.

A soft sugar cookie with frosting would be about 8 grams or 2 tsp per cookie.

I think it is safe to saw that most baked goods are going to add about 10 grams of sugar to your count for the day. Give or take a few.

I will work on getting a longer list so let me know if there are certain foods you want to have evaluated.

Abs-olutely Fabulous - Fitness Magazine

I will be doing this ab workout tonight-

Abs-olutely Fabulous - Fitness Magazine

You will like it!!!

When you Lack the Motivation...

As much as I do love the feeling that exercise gives me, I will admit there are days when I just have no motivation to get moving. Today would be one of those days. There are so many things I need to do, exercise included, and all I want is to curl up on the couch and take a nap. So here is my rule for days like this...Choose an activity that you generally enjoy (or at least tolerate) doing. Tell yourself that all you have to do is 10 minutes of a warm-up. If at that point you still have no energy to exercise you can quit for the day. Most likely after 10 minutes of getting the heart rate up and starting to sweat you will want to continue. The first 10 minutes are often the hardest part.

If you are having on of "those" days like I am please join me in the challenge to give just 10 minutes before you decide whether or not you are going to exercise today.

And if you need more of a boost, call a friend and get him/her to join you. Exercise is way more fun with a buddy.

Happy Exercising!!!

Advanced Leg Workout-

This little leg routine should give you a great burn. The first exercise is more advanced so if you are new to the exercise scene either skip this one or just do regular squats. You can also choose to use a much lower bench. A step bench would be a great alternative.

Weekly Challenge #2

I have been on this kick of trying to reduce my sugar intake. Sugar is my dirty little secret. It is easy for me to pass on the chips and dip but when it comes to chocolate and cookies I can't walk away. But I want to change my habits because I have seen how they affect my daughter. Everytime I reach for a treat she of course wants one. Time to reach for the veggies instead!

This week I ask you to all join me in the challenge to reduce your sugar intake. You don't have to worry about the natural fruit in sugar, just the added stuff. I have been paying a lot of attention to labels and sugar content this last week. It is amazing how much sugar is added to everything. I think you too will be suprised.

The plan-

Track all sugar intake for 3 days. Figure out how much you usually take in.

For the next 3 days reduce your intake by 30%. Ultimately try to keep your intake under the 32g/day recommendation.

Even if you are not a sugar finatic still track how much you take in on a daily basis. Like I said, it is added to almost everything. You may be shocked at how much you are really taking in.

A few thoughts...

Last week I went to one of the gyms where I teach and was shocked to see a poster announcing a memorial service being held for one of the men that worked there. There was a picture of him with the year he was born and the year he died. It still didn't make sense to me. I was speechless. I had just talked to him on the phone a few days earlier. After asking what happened I was informed that he died of a heart attack a few days before.

I was suprised at how much it bothered me that he was gone. I didn't want to teach that day because I felt so sick. This is not a man that I knew much about. In fact I only saw him once a week as I was coming and going to the gym. But he was always there. And he tried really hard to get my daughter to like him. He usually had a little dum-dum sucker for her. Soon they became friends and she would always say hi to him.

The thing is this man was severely obese. He was a walking time bomb. Medically it really isn't suprising that this is what took his life. But he was only 43 years old. Too young to die. Things like this don't need to happen.

It was reminder that day that life is so precious. I know there is no gaurantee and healthy people also die, but there are so many diseases that don't have to happen. Last Wednesday a good man and friend left us because his heart could no longer endure the stress that was put upon it every day. I am not judging him, because I truly don't know anything about his personal life, but I miss him and I am sad that his life was shortened...most likely uneccessarily.

Today let us do something to be healthier. Do it for those you love. Do it for yourself.