Become the BEST version of YOU

If your goal is to lean out, shed weight and improve your health, in my opinion, the key to success is to have a plan, know your numbers (calorie intake vs. how much you burn) and forgive yourself if you mess up.

I rely on two apps to guide me towards my goals:  myfitnesspal (connect with me at www.myfitnesspal.com/maria365) and my Fitbit. 

At the end of the day you can NEVER make a mistake with food.  Everything you do is an experiment.

So rather than saying, "Oh my gosh i really messed up today."  Say, "Wow, that was another food experiment that didn't work."

Through trial and error we will be able to find the foods that work for us, rather than staying on a fixed rigid diet.  Take your blinders off.  Our head will say one thing and our body will say another.  Find what works for you!

Eight things I learned from my run this morning

This morning I decided to go out for my weekly run in spite of not feeling well.  The past 2 days, I've been feeling yucky for lack of a better description.  I am definitely fighting something off.  Possibly a virus, without fever, having a massive headache.  I was curious to see if my run would help me shake the feeling. 

So, here's what I learned:

1.  Push yourself even when you don't feel like it, it will be worth it.

2.  I will not melt when it rains.

3.  A short run is better than no run.

4.  Hearing the right music will make you run faster.

5.  Don't break your stride, just keep a consistent, steady pace.

6.  Going against the wind feels really awesome.

7.  Next time carry ID in case I collapse.

8.  A good run puts things in the right perspective.

So overall, my stats were OK.  My past 2 runs I hit the 5 mile mark, but cut today's run short.  My goal is to continue to improve with each workout.

Are you tracking or slacking?

I always say knowledge is power and consistency is the key to results.  Well, keeping track of your numbers can be extremely helpful in reaching your weight loss goals.  This type of instant feedback can help me make better choices, and influences my decisions to pick up the pace when I need and get more active.

Its been a full month since I've had my Fitbit Zip.  I was looking for a change from my Bodybugg device.  I rarely watch HSN TV and saw The Fitbit Zip was offered at that particular moment on easy pay, and discounted at $49.95.  Like I said, I rarely watch TV, but just happened to have HSN on.  So I figured this was a great opportunity to "test drive" it and if I didn't like it, I could return it.  Fitbit Zip is also sold at Target.com and Amazon.com for $59.95.  Another bonus is that I wanted to get away from the reoccurring fee associated with subscribing to Bodybugg.com.

As I had mentioned, my goal is to monitor my numbers; Fitbit Zip sets the magic number of 10,000 steps which is the default goal for this cute little clip on device.  Did you know that 10,000 steps daily is approximately 5 miles?

And, since this month is National Heart Month, The American Heart Association uses the 10,000 steps metric as a guideline to follow for improving health and decreasing risk of heart disease, the number one killer of men and women in America.

I love how this syncs to myfitnesspal.com app (you can connect with me there, my username is maria365) and tells me how many calories I need to burn in order to meet my weight loss goals. 


Best part is that its very easy to use.  However, for me, the hard part was remembering to clip it back on after changing.  I sometimes even sleep with it.  One day, I did forget to clip it back on and felt totally lost without it. 

Another thing I've noticed is that it depends on what workout I do that will almost guarantee that my goals will be reached.  On that particular day where I did crush my goals, I got a little notification on my iPhone.  I did TurboFire Fire 45EZ from the Turbofire program*.  The music is off the hook and the choreography is so much fun.  I had logged in a little over 5,000 steps in just 45 minutes. 


If you own a fitbit zip and want to connect with me, look me up!

*TurboFire^® is the intense 90-day cardio conditioning program that will help you get leaner with exercises that burn up to 9x more fat and calories than regular cardio.  New challenge groups are forming March 4, 2013.  Message me on my Facebook Like Page if you're interested.