When you begin to “let life be your workout,” opportunities to make fitness fit – to Squeeze It In – simply seem to fall from the sky…literally! Consider each leaf littering your lawn a calorie burning, waist whittling gift from the heavens when you hit the yard armed with your trusty rake and our new Squeeze It In Fall Clean Up Workout:

Cardio

Raking itself can be a great cardio workout.  Pick up the pace and get your heart pumping with 10 minutes of moderate intensity raking.

Leaf Lunges (click for photos of exercise)

Hold rake to the left of your body, feet shoulder width apart and facing forward.  As you reach and extend the rake to the left, also extend your left leg into a lunge in the same direction.  As you rake in the leaves, place your weight on your right leg and draw your left leg up in front of your body.  Proceed immediately into your next lunge.  Keep your supporting leg slightly bent and your abs engaged throughout this exercise.  Repeat for a set of 12 lunges and switch legs.

Raise the Rake (click for photos of exercise)

Hold rake in front of chest with arms fully extended.  Keep core engaged and slowly bring the rake straight up overhead.  Just as slowly, lower rake down to starting position in front of chest.  Repeat for 2 sets of 12. Read the rest of this entry »

Extra flab, beware!  Patricia Bannan is back to teach us to “eat aware.”  Make sure to check out her new book Eat Right When Time Is Tight: 150 Slim-Down Strategies and No-Cook Food Fixes. We’re believers!

Master Strategy 4: Eat Aware

by Patricia Bannan, MS, RD

When you eat a meal while driving or working at your desk, you’re ingesting calories, but can you say you are enjoying it? Not really. Eating on the go may be your default, but that’s something you may choose to change—at least some of the time.

“Eat aware” has several meanings. First, make an effort to become more mindful when you eat—at least once a day. That means taking time to savor your food, even if it’s just a turkey sandwich on rye. We multi-task to get more done, but when you eat and never pay attention to your food, you’re more likely to feel unsatisfied after your meal, and more likely to eat again later searching for that satisfaction. Becoming mindful doesn’t mean you have to assume a lotus position or savor the inner essence of every raisin you consume. I’m just asking you to spend an extra few minutes focusing on your food, its taste, how it smells, and the texture. You’ll find you eat more slowly, enjoy your food more, and are satisfied with less. That’s a good thing. Read the rest of this entry »