H2O, Water water water!

Start your day the ma'am way-drinking water! I wake up at 4:40AM, roll out of bed into my clothes, stagger into the kitchen, flip the switch on the coffee pot then pour myself a nice big glass of water with a splash of lemon juice. Ahh....It's refreshing, hydrating, and acts as a simple cleanse at the start of my day.

Proper hydration is crucial to a healthy body, especially if you are exercising regularly. Some symptoms of dehydration include:

• muscle cramping



• headaches



• dry mouth and thirst



• dizziness or light headedness



• over time dehydration can lead to injuries or illness

(see http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/dehydration/DS00561/DSECTION=symptoms)

Proper hydration helps flush toxins from your system and will improve your performance during your workout, even during your work day!

My tips for increasing your water consumption:

• start your day with a glass of water



• sip water throughout the day, try using a cup with a straw or carry a sport cap water bottle



• drink extra water right after your workout when your body is ready to absorb it



• don't try to cram drinking water by chugging a gallon in one sitting



• alternate water and your other beverages (e.g. coffee, tea, juice)



• keep track of the number of glasses of H2O you've had throughout the day until you get in the habit of drinking water.

I vaguely remember a cartoon/commercial from my youth that used to sing: "Water, it's the best no calorie drink in all the world!" They were right! Happy sipping.

Can you smell what the ma'am is cooking? Spinach!

A-gah gah gah!
Welcome to "Can you Smell what the Ma'am is Cooking?" i.e. Recipe of the Week

So I was out of veg at home and was cruising the Produce section for something quick and easy. The BIG bags of cleaned spinach were on sale and I was inspired. The resulting recipe is a quick, slightly crunchy spinach side dish.

Almond and Olive Oyl Spinach

1 big bag of cleaned spinach (no need to splurge on the baby stuff)

1/4 cup of raw slivered almonds

1 Tablespoon Olive Oyl

1 shallot or half a red onion

garlic or garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste


Toast almond slivers in a large skillet over medium heat. This won't take long so don't leave! You just want them slightly tanned. mmmm.... Remove from skillet.

Heat 1 T olive oil and begin to brown shallot or onion until just soft. For a little crunch remove from skillet at this point. If you're lazy like me, leave them in there.

Add as much of the bag of spinach as the pan will handle, wilt and mix with onions. Continue to add the remaining spinach until you have the entire contents cooking in the skillet. Once the spinach is mostly wilted, add the garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste. Ma'am likes lot of garlic.

Toss in the almonds and shallot/onion (if necessary). Remove from pan, trying to leave residual liquid in the pan. Enjoy!

Popeye says, "If you eat ma'am's spinach, your forearms can grow as big as mine! A-gah gah gah!"

Sweet Treat Day

How big was that croissant?

Some days the foodie wins out over the fitness nut. Sweet Treat Day is one of those days. It's

my weekly holiday-once a week I get a special sweet treat, 100% guilt free. I have a special lust for pastries and baked goods, such that if I ate all that I wanted I would weigh about 200 lbs. So the compromise I have forged between head, heart and stomach is the weekly Sweet Treat Day. I hold back on the indulgent sweets all week long until my special day.

Some days it's high brow, some days it low brow, but it's always a delight. The hard part is choosing from week to week how I want to indulge. This week it was a HUGE almond croissant from Avenue Bread. Hand made with love, flaky, buttery, filled with marzipan...so delightful.... It was about the size of my head (see illustration). It was worth waiting for.

Have you a similar lust or weakness with a fabulous, yet indulgent food? Try my tip for enjoying your fave cheat without the excessive weight gain: Pick a frequency (not daily) for your fave food and "save up" for that special indulgent day. For example, I love pizza, but only have it once a month. This means that when I do indulge, I am not going to settle for Domino's, I will be holding out for the really good stuff, i.e. quality not frequency.

Happy indulging!

Fat Pants

You know you have them-the Fat Pants.

Fat Pants fall into one of two categories:

1. The pants that let you know that you're getting fat because your waist/butt/thighs/all of it! won't fit in them anymore or



2. The new, larger pants you buy because you can't fit into your old favorite pair anymore. Type 2 Fat Pants =>

I think it's a good idea to have the Type 1 Fat Pants. Meaning some concrete sign that it's time for you to get serious about your health again. Once your Type 1 Fat Pants start to get tight, I encourage you to take that as a challenge! Not a challenge to go shopping for Type 2 Fat Pants , but a ch allege to get your body moving again. A challenge to honestly evaluate your overall nutrition and eating habits. A challenge to find friends or family that can help you make some healthy shifts in your life.

Due to the ebb and flow of our hectic schedules it's difficult for most folks to maintain one specific scale weight. However, it is a good idea to put some upper and lower parameters on what we consider is healthy. I recommend a 5 pound bracket of scale weight that you try to remain within from week to week. Alternatively you can have your Type 1 Fat Pants and your Skinny Pants. When the Skinny Pants fit, or you're at the lower end of your scale weight bracket, you know your doing pretty well with your body mass. When the Type 1 Fat Pants start to constrict your breathing or the scale creeps over that upper bracket, that's a signal to reevaluate your habits.

Having these concrete measurements helps me remember what my personal boundaries are. My Type 1 Fat Pants help keep me honest. They let me know when I need to be more consistent with my workouts or less consistent with the dark chocolate. They also save me from spending time and money at the mall on Type 2 Fat Pants .

If you're not sure what your body mass boundaries are, I challenge you to go to your closet today and find your Type 1 fat pants. You may be surprised what you find.

WWKE: What Would Kathy Eat?

It's late. I just finished cardio at the gym and it's 10 PM. I need one more meal today and I am HUNGRY. What sounds good? Lots of things: chicken strips, tortilla chips, croutons, chocolate.

But I remember that I am trying to lose 2 pounds scale weight in 2 weeks and the meal plan I made out for the day calls for a protein shake and 10 almonds as my final meal. My class will never know if I eat half a bag of tortilla chips for dinner, but I will know and the SCALE WILL KNOW.

So...What Would Kathy Eat? I followed through on my meal plan and enjoyed a protein shake and almonds. If I still want a flavor blasted treat I can have some herbal tea before bed.

The moral of this story: Remember the 7 P-s.

Proper Prior Planning Promotes Peak Performance

I planned my meals in the morning to set myself up for success throughout the day. I was also mindful of my goals, which made following through on my plan that much easier.

Lose 3 pounds in 3 weeks

Want to lose 3 lbs in 3 weeks? Try these 3 tips consistently for 3 weeks

1. Calorie deficit...You need to burn 500 more calories a day than you are consuming to lose 1 pound a week. What equals 500 calories? One candy bar, 1 medium french fries, 2 cocktails, 3 beers, or 4 glasses of wine. Try cutting out 100 calories five times a day. Measure out your peanut butter (2 tablespoons max), try your mocha with nonfat milk and no whip, take 1/2 cup of rice rather than 1 cup. Or switch some of your higher calorie foods for my favorite filler: broccoli ;)



2. Calorie burn... Try burning an extra 100 calories a day in addition to your usual work out. What burns 100 calories? 20 minutes of walking, 25 minutes of gentle yoga, or 30 minutes of housework like vaccuuming. Or add an extra 10 minutes of push ups, sit ups, squats or other strength training after your cardio work out.



3. Cut back on foods which cause water retention or can lead to inflammation due to food allergies. Cut back on your sodium by watching prepared foods like: any microwave dinner or canned soup, the salty-crunchy food group (you know what I'm talking about!), restaurant take out. Foods which can commonly cause inflammation are sugar, flour/gluten, soy and dairy. (Check with a doctor/naturopath if you are concerned about food allergies.)

Remember...consistent, persistent focus is key! Don't start Monday and quit Wednesday because the scale hasn't changed! Follow through for 3 weeks and you will be amazed by your progress.

If all 3 changes at once seems like too much to tackle, start with shift one for Week 1. Cut back 500 calories you eat each day for one week. For week 2: Keep up your week 1 change and start burning an extra 100 calories a day. For Week 3: Keep up your changes from Week 2 & 3 and start cutting back on sugar and other potential inflammatory foods.

Ask reliable friends and family to help you stay consistent or to join you in your health and fitness challenge. You can do it...Just do it.