Saturday "Smart Swap!": Pancake Topping Pointer
Saturday July 11, 2009
Mmmm ... Saturdays mean pancakes at my house! If we sleep in, we're not averse to having them for dinner! But, my favorite pancake-topper was costing me way too many calories and I was forever trying "diet" versions ... but they just didn't measure up to the Eggo syrup I'd loved since I was knee high to a grasshopper!
I have finally found a diet-friendly alternative to my beloved Eggo syrup. At 240 calories per serving (due to 40 -- gasp! -- grams of sugar, no doubt), my childhood fave had to be used very sparingly to top those cakes. A little drizzle and I was done. But pancakes just aren't the same when they're dry, no?
Well, good old Aunt Jemima to the rescue! I recently tried Aunt Jemima Lite syrup and I am happy to say it is just as tasty as my tried-and-true Eggo brand and it has 100 calories per serving. That shaves off 140 calories off my breakfast in a snap! Sweet!
Are You Getting Fresh?
Friday July 10, 2009
Fresh fruit is always a diet staple, but it's especially refreshing in the summer -- it will cool you off when it's served up chilled and it helps you stay hydrated due to its high water content.
So, be sure to take advantage of the tasty fruits that are in-season this time of year:
- blackberries
- blueberries
-
cantaloupe
- cherries
- plums
-
raspberries
Your local farmer's market will be offering all these fruits at a great price throughout the month because July is when they are at their peak! Yum!
Image: Fruitsandveggiesmatter.gov
"Sneaky" Summer Activities
Thursday July 9, 2009
If it's hot weather where you are, you may find your energy drained and your motivation tapped out by the end of a scorcher. Instead of aiming for a full-blown workout today, why not "sneak" some extra activity into your schedule. Here are a few ideas:
- Taking the stairs for 15 minutes total throughout the course of a day instead of taking the elevator each trip will burn 159 calories.
- Playing badminton with your kids for 30 minutes will burn almost 200 calories.
- Wash your car by hand for 20 minutes instead of using a drive-through wash to burn about 60 calories.
- Get out into the garden and weed and garden for 15 minutes to burn about 80 calories.
What's your favorite way to increase summertime activity while still keeping your cool? Post your ideas here in the comments section!
Walking Not Working?
Wednesday July 8, 2009
Walking is a great exercise for losing weight, but if you keep taking the same walk at the same pace, week after week, and month after month, you may find your scale doesn't budge anymore. This has happened to me and it can be very frustrating!
Keep in mind that the amount of calories you burn doing any activity changes with your weight. A 150-pound person walking an average of 3.5 miles per hour burns about 130 calories an hour. When you weighed more, you burned more calories with the same workout.
If you don't lose weight when walking anymore, mix it up. You may be experiencing a plateau because your body has become accustomed to what you've been doing -- that means you're burning fewer calories. Remember the FITT principle? It stands for frequency, intensity, time and type of exercise.
You may have to adjust all four of these factors to start peeling pounds again. If you can't alter all aspects at once, tackle one a week (Walk more often this week; walk faster the next week, etc.). If you find you can't consistently make workout changes, you may need to adjust your food and beverage caloric intake to be lower. The lower your weight, the fewer calories you need.
Consider alternating your regular walk with another type of exercise such as a kickboxing class or starting Pilates. This will give your weight-loss efforts a boost and will introduce you to a new activity that you just might find more enjoyable than that same old, same old walk!
More: Seven Things You Don't Know About Walking for Weight Loss
