• Never arrive at a holiday party hungry – have a snack beforehand to avoid over-eating.
• Don't hang out near the food – get a plate of goodies and head to another room.
• Intersperse alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. When you finish a cocktail, drink water or a non-alcoholic beverage before the next.

Leave the Cell Phone at Home. You can't get in a good, efficient workout if you are constantly interrupted by phone calls. And if you are able to carry on a phone conversation while you are exercising, that's a sign you are not working hard enough! So leave the cell phone at home, in the car or put it in your locker. You've made the commitment to go to the gym, so make your workout count!

July’s FiTip

Put a Time Limit on Your Workouts. It’s hard enough to find time to exercise, yet I often see people spending too much time in the fitness center. Depending upon your goals, 30-60 minutes of exercise per session is plenty. Here’s a technique I use: I note the time I start my workout and I set an end-time. Then I make it a point to get through my training in the allotted time.

June’s FiTip

Give Yourself a Bonus Day. No doubt about it, sticking to a healthy eating plan is a challenge. Here’s a trick that many people use: Pick a day – maybe on the weekend – to enjoy those normally “off-limits” foods. Knowing that your bonus day is coming up will make it easier to maintain a healthy diet and will help you avoid the guilt from “cheating.”

May’s FiTip

Plan Your Work and Work Your Plan. I often seem folks at the gym wandering from machine to machine, station to station, having given little thought to their workout. If that’s you, it’s great you are there. But to get the most out of your effort, you should have an overall workout plan, as well as, a plan for each session. Before I hit the gym, I know which body parts I am going to train, which exercises I will do and how long it will take. That ensures my workouts are efficient and effective.

April’s FiTip

Planning a spring vacation? There’s nothing wrong with taking an occasional break from your fitness and healthy eating routine. But if you’d rather not, vacations can offer great opportunities to stay fit while enjoying your trip and experiencing a new locale. Go hiking. Rent a bike. Take a Yoga class at the hotel. Work out at a local gym. Find a neighborhood running track. Not only will you remain active and feel good when you get home, you just might meet some interesting fitness-minded people along the way.

When dining out, remember the “50-50 Rule.” The typical American restaurant meal includes far more food than most people need. In fact, some meals supply a full day’s supply of calories – and then some. So before you even dig in, ask for a “to-go” box and put half your meal away to be enjoyed later.

January's FiTip

By late January many New Year’s resolutions are barely a memory. If you have already fallen back into bad habits, now is a good time to remember the old adage “if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again!” Ready to give your New Years resolution a fresh start? Here are some tips:

• Set both short-term and long-term goals
• Celebrate small victories and accomplishments
• Keep focused on your end goal
• Give yourself time – with the right approach and consistency, you will see results and that will fuel your continued progress.
  

November - December FiTip

‘Tis the Season…To Stay Fit!

The holidays challenge even the most ardent fitness enthusiasts. But there are ways to maintain a healthy lifestyle this time of the year. A few tips:

Set a goal to maintain your current weight and monitor it weekly
Reduce calories at meals to offset extra ones consumed during festivities
Suggest co-workers limit the amount of holiday treats brought to work
Eat a snack before going to holiday parties
Find time for exercise sessions, even if they are brief.
Most of all, enjoy the holidays – in moderation!

Think of Food as Fuel

You wouldn’t put cheap, bad gas in your car would you? And you know what eventually happens when you don’t fill your car’s tank! Treat your body like your car. Fuel it regularly – every three or four hours – with balanced meals and snacks of quality, healthy foods. By eating regularly you will kick your metabolism into high gear and keep your blood sugar levels in check, which are critical to maintaining a healthy weight. You’ll feel better, too!

June’s FiTip

Make Sure Your Workouts Matter

When you exercise are you really working at it? Are you increasing your heart rate? Stretching and taxing your muscles? Breaking a sweat? Or, are you just going through the motions? No matter how you exercise, make sure you put forth enough effort to make it worthwhile – otherwise, you are wasting your valuable time. Like everything else in life, you get out of exercise what you put into it.

Check out our new video podcasts with time-saving ideas on exercise and healthy eating for busy professionals.

Remember to Eat

Nutrition experts say it’s important to eat a moderately sized meal or a snack every three or four hours. This keeps your energy levels up and helps to maintain consistent blood sugar levels, which is important to managing your weight. Each morning, make a note of when, where and what you plan to eat, and make sure you keep healthy snacks handy. If like me you sometimes forget to eat, jot down the times you should eat and keep the reminder nearby.

February’s FitTip

Go shopping for a healthy lunch

Next time you need a quick lunch, drive by the fast food joints and stop in a supermarket. Prepared salads, fresh fruits and vegetables, lean deli meats, whole grain breads and dairy products, like yogurt and cottage cheese, make for fast, convenient and healthy meals. Grocers are increasingly stocking individual servings of popular items, making lunch a breeze.

January's FiTip

Set Measurable Goals – Not Resolutions – for 2006

For most of us, New Years resolutions last about as long as the time it takes to write them down. Take a more business-like approach to your health this year by setting measurable goals. For example, shoot to lose a certain number of pounds, reduce your blood pressure or cholesterol to a specific number or commit to an exercise plan that includes a set number of weekly workouts. Write your goals, set timelines and go after them the same way you chase important business goals. You will be amazed at the progress you can make!

October’s FiTip:

Killing Cravings
From Charis Nawrocki, competitive athlete & president, My 2 Sense

• Identify what food type you’re craving. Choose a low-calorie, low-fat version of the item; or, simply cut the portion in half. Moderation, not deprivation, works. Most of the time we are only missing the ‘taste’ of an item, not the entire item!
• Identify when the craving occurs. It is very common to connect a food item with something we do at a certain time of day. Choose to do something different at that time. Take a walk or call a loved one. Whatever it is, that craving will lessen, even disappear!

August's FiTip

Do More With Less
As in more exercise in less time. Fast-paced workouts are more time-efficient and can be more effective. Set a time limit for your exercise sessions and strive to complete your workout in the allotted time. For most people, 3-4 sessions per week lasting from 30-60 minutes – combined with a healthy eating program – will produce significant results. Just make sure that you exert sufficient effort while exercising and continually increase the intensity of your training.

July's FiTip

Take Time to Stretch
In the rush to squeeze workouts into busy schedules, stretching, which is an important part of a complete exercise program, often gets overlooked. Be sure to take a few minutes to stretch and warm up before training. When lifting weights, use time between sets to stretch. And don’t forget to stretch and cool down after your workout. Stretching is not only beneficial to joints and muscles, it also is relaxing.

June's FiTip

Add Fitness and Fun to Your Vacation Plans
Hitting the road this summer? There are plenty of ways to have fun and get some exercise at the same time. Try mountain biking, hiking or canoeing. One of my personal favorites: renting a bike and riding along Chicago’s lakeshore. If you’re a workout enthusiast, find a local gym. It’s a great way to get ideas on what to see and do, while sticking to your exercise program.

May's FiTip

It’s spring and everyone is breaking out the BBQ grill.
Next time you fire up the grill, cook some extra chicken breasts, fish or lean red meat to eat throughout the week. Keep some in the ‘fridge and freeze the rest. This will ensure you have a good supply of healthy, low-fat protein available for meals and snacks.

April's FiTip

It’s almost swimsuit season, are you ready?
If not, and you’re having trouble finding time to exercise, try building workouts into your schedule. At the beginning of each week, look at your schedule and make an appointment with yourself to exercise. Put it on your calendar and stick to it! Even a half-hour of activity a few times a week can make a big difference.

March's FiTip

Are you getting bored with your exercise program?
To keep interested in it -- and to keep challenging your body – every few weeks shake things up. If you’re training with weights, avoid doing the same exercises or machines and try new ones. Switch to different types of cardio equipment. Start an exercise class. And with spring and better weather on the way, plan to incorporate outside activities into your routine. Remember, to be successful you need to exercise consistently. Variety will help keep you interested in your program and make working out more enjoyable.

February's FiTip

Evaluate your new exercise and eating program.
How are your new exercise and eating programs working? Have you been able to stick to them most of the time? Are you making progress toward your goals? If so, congratulations – keep going! If not, ask why. There is a good chance that the diet and exercise programs you started were not right for you and your lifestyle. Don't give up! Examiner the barriers you encountered, and think of ways around them. And, consider getting assistance from exercise and nutrition professionals. The best exercise and eating program is the one that is right for you and your lifestyle.

January's FiTip

Start out slowly.
As they saying goes, Rome was not built in a day, and neither is a great body. With the best of intentions, we often start exercise and eating programs that are too rigorous. Remember, better fitness and health require changing lifestyles and behaviors, which is hard! Ease into a healthier lifestyle one step at a time. And if you take a step backward, staying focused on your goals will help you get back on track.