Ridding Your Home Of Problem Foods

One all-important step to starting a healthy weight loss plan is to clear your home of the foods that can derail your diet.

Your Healthy Shopping List

Light string cheese
Cereals with fiber*
Skim milk
Whole-grain bagels*
Low-fat cottage cheese
Whole-grain waffles*
Reduced-fat yogurt
Low-fat granola bars
Light microwave popcorn
Fruits
Whole-grain bread*
Vegetables
Whole-grain crackers*
Whole-grain pasta*
Brown rice*
Mrs. Dash
Garlic powder
Black pepper
Kosher salt
Turkey slices
Light salad dressings
Tuna packed in water
Olive oil
Chicken breasts
Low-fat mayonnaise
Bean soups, beans & lentils
Boca burgers
Fat-free Fudgsicles
Soy beans (Edamame)
Fruit juice bars
Reduced-fat peanut butter
Low-fat pudding
Sugar-free Jell-O
Meal replacement bars
Bottled water
Slim Fast
Mineral water
Healthy Choice meals
Herbal tea
Lean Cuisine meals

*Good source of fiber contains 2.5-5 grams fiber per serving. High fiber source contains over 5 grams fiber per serving

If working outside your home:

Find someone supportive at work who may help you when the going gets tough or bring daytime numbers of supportive people you can call.

Check out junk food temptations at work and distance yourself from them if possible.

Suggest to coworkers that candy or other treats be kept in lunchroom (out of sight).

Toss a fresh fruit or vegetable into your briefcase every day. Good choices: apple, pear, orange, banana, mini carrots, cherry tomatoes, jicama slices.

Bring lunches from home if possible or order healthier ones.

Find the nutritious alternatives on take-out menus. These include: Grilled chicken sandwich, lean turkey sandwich on whole-grain bread, bean or vegetable soup, veggie or turkey sub with mustard instead of mayo, Greek salad, bagel and hummus, baked potato. Call establishments to check if they have healthy alternatives (light mayo for tuna salad, lowfat cheese for sandwiches) not listed on the menu.

Take note of healthier options in vending machines. Yogurt, popcorn, pretzels, broth-based soup, bottled water are your best bets.

Stock office drawer, briefcase, or refrigerator with an emergency supply of snack foods. Best bets: Nature Valley granola bars, high fiber cereal in baggies, flavored rice cakes, meal replacement bars, lowfat yogurt, light microwave popcorn, Tastetation candies.

If you have a traveling job, plan ahead. Toss fresh fruit and meal replacement bars in your briefcase; bring gym shoes; check that the hotel has a fitness center.

If working inside your home:

Keep fresh fruit or veggies out on your counter.

Toss fresh fruit or veggies in your purse, backpack, or diaper bag every day.

Assemble healthier lunches at home. Our picks: Lean turkey sandwich on whole grain bread, bean or vegetable soup, bean, vegetable or spinach salad, reduced fat peanut butter and jelly on high fiber bagel, tuna salad (made with reduced-fat mayonnaise) sandwich, reduced fat yogurt and cottage cheese mixed with fresh fruit.

Now that you've given yourself a clean start food-wise, you'll enjoy a less-stressful journey to a healthier weight.

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April 16, 2012

Hula Hoop Your Way to Lean, Sexy Abs

By: Angelique Millis International Fitness Expert

Chances are you had a hula hoop as a child and you spent many a summer's day swinging it around your hips! Little did you know that in your tireless abundance of energy, you were doing what adults refer to as "cardio". Hula Hooping can help you to reconnect with your inner child while helping you tighten and slim your body. Even celebrities like Shakira and Beyonce use the hula hoop as a cardio activity.

Why Hula Hoop? This has become popular form of exercise because it includes multiple elements that contribute to a fun cardio activity. It's creative, portable & provides both muscle toning and cardio.

Getting Started Begin by hooping for ten minutes twice a day -about as long as it takes to listen to three songs on the radio or your mp3 player -and then build from there.

Whittle Your WaistlineTo get the ultimate benefits from hooping, it is best to do a hoop routine starting with 30 minutes three times a week, pushing that to 40 minutes until you can hoop for an hour at a time. The physical benefits of hooping are incredible and will whittle your waistline. In addition to strengthening your abdominal muscles and lower back muscles, this kind of shimmy provides an intense cardiovascular workout & enhances your coordination. The best part is that you put little to no impact on your joints!

Hula Hooping for Flat Abs As many crunches as you can do, there is no other ab exercise that moves your waistline in a circular pattern. This simple and contrived motion allows you to move your hips & control your abs while keeping the hoop spinning.

If you need help, feel free to ask me any questions by clicking here: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Angelique-Millis/129125997128841 or visit www.AngeliqueMillis.com to subscribe to the newsletter!

March 15, 2012

Get a Gym Quality Workout at Home

By: Angelique Millis International Fitness Expert

Let's face it - there are not enough hours in the day to accomplish nearly half of the things on our "to-do" lists - we're lucky to even cross off 1/3 of them! Most Americans are so stressed out and overwhelmed that driving to the gym and working out is the last thing they want to do! Demands from a job, spending time with the family and household duties overcome one's need or desire to commute to a crowded neighborhood gym. Learn how to save time and work out in the comfort of your very own home!

Designate a home workout zone. Create a special area in your home where you can exercise on a daily basis. Make sure there is a TV nearby so you can watch your favorite programs while you workout. Maybe you would prefer to set it up in a calmer part of the house, perhaps by a window where you can enjoy the scenery as you stretch! Depending on the space that you choose you may want to put up some motivational posters, mirrors and a sound system if you want to be really fancy.

Equipment. Now that you have thought of a place to set-up your in-home gym, there are certain pieces of equipment that you should invest in. You will need some free weights, a workout bench, workout matt, stability ball and a piece of cardio equipment. Do not worry about spending thousands of dollars on a Bowflex or any other at-home gym equipment because believe it or not you can achieve just as an effective workout with these minimal supplies! It's all in the way that you use what you have.

Stay Motivated & Motivate Others
Those that think that they need to go to a gym in order to get an effective workout are living in the dark ages! They have been programmed to believe that they need all of those bulky and sometimes intimidating exercise machines to get in shape although it's quite the opposite! Stay on track and follow your intuition to want to save time and money by working out at home; don't let yourself make excuses! You know the old saying "Out of sight, out of mind." Don't let that happen to your at-home gym equipment! Don't "hide" your workout equipment or put it in a room that you normally would not want to be in, because unless you have already formed a terrific at-home workout habit, you will forget about it!

In many cases you will end up NOT wanting to go to the smelly dark grungy basement or garage and you only end up doing everything else except workout!
If you have limited space in your home for your workout zone, get creative and store everything (with exception of stability ball) in a medium size storage bin underneath the bench.

• Understand that fitness is a journey to be enjoyed, not a one time event. Like the old adage goes, "Rome wasn't built in a day." Your body, too, is a masterpiece in progress. Take it one day at a time, and enjoy the process.

• Don't over train! If you over train, your appetite will increase and you will start eating like a 250 pound football player and not a bikini model. Rather, do just enough to blast fat, and not to hit a plateau. Again if you over train, your body will "lock up" and not allow you to burn the fat off that you need too, because it will reach a state of "shock", thus holding onto the fat.


If you need help, feel free to ask me any questions by clicking here: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Angelique-Millis/129125997128841 or visit www.AngeliqueMillis.com to subscribe to the newsletter!

March 14, 2012