A few years back, Jim Carrey starred in a movie called “Yes Man” about a negative kind of guy who changed his life by saying yes to everything that came his way. Hadn’t thought much about it until now, when I realized that my constant efforts to say no to "treats" were causing me to crave them even more.   It made me wonder if carving out some room for regular indulgences can help maintain overall healthy living practices.

One of my goals this year is to embrace the best health and wellness of my life. I’m talking about the whole ball of wax here, with regular sleep and journaling for clarity getting as much attention as good nutrition and exercise. So at first, the food part of it sounded pretty simple. I would try to eat 100 grams of protein or more each day while keeping an eye on the overall calorie count. Avoid sweets like it is fashion advice from Christina Aguilera’s stylist.  Aim for five daily servings of fruits and vegetables while chugging down about 12 glasses of water during my waking hours.  While it appeared to be a sound plan, I forgot one very important aspect – the human factor. Trying to be “perfect” day in and out was causing me to crave some form of relief, usually in the form of sweets.

As nationally recognized Life Coach Michelle Goss explains, “The act of demonizing sugar or any particular food just gives it attention. Pressuring yourself to constantly say no can backfire, causing you to crave that item even more.”

So I chilled out a bit. Focused mostly on healthy choices while leaving the door open for measured indulgences – things like a quarter cup of trail mix with chocolate or a couple of chocolate covered peanut butter pretzels. And when I did that, things have slowly gotten easier. Most days I don’t eat those item. But having the option there quells the rebellion before it takes place.

What is your current nutrition philosophy?  How do you balance healthy eating with indulgences?

We have all read that changing up your workouts is essential to prevent boredom and keep your metabolic furnace burning. But what about the fitness club itself? I’m pondering this thought after 15 years at the same gym and would love some feedback.

Now I’m a loyal sort of individual. When my last car died after 11 years, I promptly bought the latest model of that brand and I keep going back to the same hairstylist, massage therapist and manicurist because they deliver excellent results every time.  So it was no stretch to stick around my gym since the end of the Clinton administration. It became a constant through job changes, a divorce, the recession and the joy of meeting the right guy for good. Plus chatting with buddies in the locker room was almost as much fun as the workouts themselves.

Then things began to change. Favorite instructors left while I grew bored with the same old spin and Pilates classes on the schedule. My requests to add new classes, like Drums Alive or the escalated treadmill training I enjoyed at Canyon Ranch, were ignored. About nine months ago, there was a schism at our club with a new, state-of-the-art facility opening nearby. A big chunk of friends departed for the new venue and the social ties that kept me in place started to unravel as well.

But I kept chugging along. When my budget permitted, I worked out with a trainer to build more muscle mass and have been taking swimming lessons to combat a lifetime of being afraid of the water. Nevertheless, the malaise remained. So now it dawns on me that it’s probably time to check out the new fitness club and shake things up by experiencing different classes and challenges in a fresh environment.

Do you think changing your gym can add new energy to your workouts? Any advice to share as I ponder this decision?

Partnerships can be a beautiful thing – just ask anyone whose buddy from that third grade field trip who kept them from being left behind, or check out how Thomas Edison’s collaboration with J.P. Morgan and the Vanderbilt’s brought his invention to a mass market. The same could now be true when it comes to tackling childhood obesity.  According to a September report published by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, some states are seeing declines in youth obesity from partnerships between schools and communities that focus on long-term education, better access to healthier foods and increasing activity levels.

After reading non-stop headlines on the growing childhood obesity crisis for the past few years, I was surprised and excited by these signs of progress. As noted in this Time Magazine story, places like New York, Philadelphia and cities in Mississippi and California are leading the downward trend. Okay, we already knew that the Big Apple is trying to take a more proactive stance and California has long been considered more innovative when it comes to healthy living. But who could have anticipated that Mississippi, one of the heaviest places in the U.S., or the home of cheesesteak sandwiches would make the list?

But there it was, news that Mississippi reported a 13.3% drop in childhood obesity and Philly saw the rates decrease by 4.7%.  Curious how this was achieved? Here’s an excerpt from the article:

Jim Marks, senior vice president and director of the RWJF Health Group says there is a pattern among the cities with the most significant declines. Most are implementing multiple, comprehensive programs that target both schools and communities by upping the availability of healthier foods and encouraging more physical activity and educational opportunities. “From this aggregation, it is clear now that any community that makes these kind of changes over a few years will see their children get healthier,” says Marks. “We have now enough places that have done this that we can confidently say to communities that if they make these changes, they will see these improvements and more we hope over time.”

That includes tapping into as many different venues where people eat and buy food as possible. For instance, since 1992 Philadelphia has worked with The Food Trust to help corner stores fill their shelves with fresher foods, bring better food to under-served markets, connect schools and farms and require acceptance of food stamps at farmer’s markets. Similarly, on the state level, the RWJF report credits Mississippi and California’s success to adopting nutritional standards in schools by offering healthier food, drink and snack choices as well as increasing physical activity requirements.

What role do you think partnerships will make in encouraging kids and people of all ages to improve their wellness? Have you participated in or created any in your community?

For most people, Thanksgiving is the caloric equivalent of a 24-car pile-up.  But this great American holiday of gratitude and togetherness doesn’t need to throw a hand-grenade into your healthy habits. If you’re looking for inspiration, check out these Turkey Day strategies from some terrific weight loss success stories:

Hank Hanna, the hilarious soul behind The Business of Losing Weight Blog, has lost 110 pounds over the past 18 months by eating better, counting calories and exercising. In the process, he managed to become athletic and is now training for a half-ironman 70.3 triathlon next April. A food addict who recognizes that the daily struggles to eat well become harder over the holidays, Hank formulated his game plan in advance. His approach includes eating large portions of veggies, a little bit less lean turkey protein and then just a taste of the sweets. One of the 43.6 million Americans that AAA predicts will travel during Thanksgiving, Hank has already packed his running shoes and thought about handling the social expectations of overindulgence.

“I will definitely NOT blow it out at Thanksgiving and deal with the consequences later,” says Hank.  “Don't let what others around you are doing affect how you stick to your game plan. It is easy to give in when your family is egging you on to have another helping or when they poke fun at the way you are eating. Remember that it is all worth it for the sake of your health.”

Vicki Lauter, who first started working out seriously at the age of 46, has maintained her 25 pound weight loss for over six years through regular workouts, personal training and making smart eating choices each day. Consistency has been the key to her success, especially when it comes to dealing with events like Thanksgiving.

“I look at holidays no differently than an average day,” explains Vicki, who will be celebrating Turkey Day this year out of town with friends. “Be consistent and make conscious food choices. Although Thanksgiving food may have a few more calories, I'll just chose to eat what I really want and then pick up my workout the next day.  Yes, on Black Friday I will be at the gym NOT the mall!”

Here in our household, my fiancée, who is now training for his first triathlon after losing 30 pounds during the past year, has been banking his calories all week with the intention of enjoying all of the great food at our spread without guilt.  I’m definitely working out that morning and have arranged for salad and veggies to balance out the sweet potato soufflé and pumpkin pie that typically command all of my attention.

How do you handle Thanksgiving? Plan ahead or dive in full-throttle without any thought?

Getting tired of the treadmill or elliptical machines? Has your passion for running or cycling outdoors waned over the years? Rather than rowing a boat gently down the stream as the popular nursery rhyme advocates, maybe it’s time to explore how that sport can increase your fitness levels, endurance and burn fat.

Way before the movies “Oxford Blues” and “Social Network” ever premiered, the sport of rowing was considered elite by the general public. You know, the kind of thing British royalty endorsed and Ivy League kids did in between polo matches and society affairs. But that’s changed in recent years, as more people of all ages, backgrounds and experience levels are turning to rowing for recreation, exercise and the thrill of competition.

Just ask Micah Boyd, who won a Bronze Medal in the Men’s 8+ Rowing Event at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. A self-described former fat kid, Micah took up rowing in high school at the urging of his twin brother. The sport quickly became a passion, leading to international competitions during his stint at the University of Wisconsin and on the Olympic stage. He has coached newbies and former national champions alike at the Atlanta Rowing Club and currently works with the novice men’s team at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

“Rowing is the lowest impact endurance sport,” explains Micah. “Aerobic and anaerobic at the same time, it has both technical and physical aspects. People with competitive drive can push themselves to do another five minutes on the water, and rowing on a team motivates you to make your boat better.”

Ready to get started? Here are a few tips:

1. Find your local rowing club. An Internet search can probably locate one near most metropolitan areas with nearby lakes, rivers or other bodies of water. Being on the water is the ideal way to enjoy rowing. As Micah notes, “rowing is one of the few sports where you can go outside and be with nature.”  Many clubs offer “Learn to Row” courses for beginners several times a year.
2. Build proper technique indoors.  Concept 2, the company that makes the best-selling rowing machines in the world, offers these helpful technique videos and educational resources to learn how to row and track your progress.  A word of caution, though, against treating the indoor rower like a weight machine; working it hard without the proper form only results in muscle strains and injuries.
3. Erg for intense exercise. Indoor rowers, called ergs (short for ergometers, an exercise device that measures the amount of work done by a muscle or group of muscles) can give you a great full-body workout. Some boutique training studios are offering erg classes for aerobics, and most gyms have at least a couple of machines on hand. There are even indoor rowing competitions, which get quite fierce. My super cool fiancée won his category at the 2012 Atlanta Erg Sprints and similar events exist on a national and global level.

Have you ever rowed for sport or exercise, or thought about doing so? When is the last time you challenged yourself with a completely difference workout?

For me, the television show “Mad Men” is about more than Jon Hamm being easy on the eyes or great character development. I just dig iconic, retro advertising campaigns like Coca-Cola’s  1929 gem, “The Pause That Refreshes.”  While I’m not much of a soda drinker, I’ve learned recently that pausing to take stock of your goals, health and life overall can do wonders for your wellness and state-of-mind.

in today’s 24/7 world, there’s a lot of pressure to be wired and constantly on the go. It’s not enough anymore to put in a full day’s work and then enjoy life with loved ones. We’re expected to tweet, Instagram and Facebook every moment on social media, know current events ranging from election issues to which ex-boyfriend Taylor Swift is lambasting in her latest hit and put the household recyclables on the curb each week.  Sometimes it’s just too much to deal with.

Faced with lots of extra work recently to replace a departing client, I had to back off on everything else. Let my beloved blog gather dust and went radio silent for days on social media outlets. But I did make time periodically to be quiet and listen internally, to pause and reflect on my life overall. That practice has helped me land new business, get centered once more on healthy habits and try to appreciate each day at a time. And now I’m ready to come back, refreshed with a more balanced perspective.

As nationally recognized Life Coach Michelle Goss, CPSC, notes, we can all benefit from taking a pause. “People tend to go full-throttle in everything and just like any engine, that makes  us burn out. Letting oneself pause is so essential  to recuperate and also see if you are still going in the right direction.”

When is the last time you paused and took stock of your life? How did that impact your behaviors, use of time and direction overall?

Cue the theme music from “Chariots of Fire” as you cross the finish line of your first run, reach a major weight loss milestone or complete a Boot Camp course much leaner and less meaner than before. Shucks, it’s all going to be easy street now that you’ve got your momentum going – right?  Well, not-so-much when injuries or physical setbacks strike, causing the equivalent of a ten car pile-up on your wellness journey. That’s why I wanted to share some helpful advice from fitness enthusiasts who have weathered setbacks and continue to move forward.

Adopting healthier habits helped Meegan Dowe of the Redstar5 blog lose 120 pounds. She could run a 10k without walking and had started to pursue weight lifting until getting hit by a truck last November while walking in a crosswalk. The Halifax, Nova Scotia resident suffered soft tissue damage in her left arm and hip, with additional symptoms emerging in her arm due to an impinged elbow nerve and thoracic outlet syndrome. Nothing has been the same since.

Meegan has been on short-term disability, away from working a job she loves. Rehab was frustrating, though acupuncture and a few other treatments have helped. She is still not back to her pre-injury strength and has difficulty running consistently. But her healthy habits have mostly continued, with support from spouse Tara, a fellow 120 pound success story. The 20 pounds Meegan regained is now coming off again as she realizes that healing is much more than a physical process. Treatment and time is helping her recovery slowly but surely advance.

"My advice for anyone who has been injured is to remember first and foremost to be patient since healing takes time,” says Meegan.  “Injured or not, we are not broken. Allow yourself to feel the pain and mourn what has been lost; there is a grieving process, a very active one. Talk to someone. It will help more than you know to seek the support.”

One week from her second half-marathon, Jen Newman of the Listen, Learn, Love Mend blog felt her knee pop during a 10-mile training run. Experienced with previous knee injuries, she immediately saw an orthopedic surgeon, who recommended physical therapy. Then she tripped over a dog toy in her living room, causing an ankle sprain on top of everything else. Surgery was needed to repair all of the damage.  Off her feet for eight weeks, she went to physical therapy for months and still isn’t in pre-injury shape. Jen admits that she has been part of the problem, not keeping up with therapeutic exercises, overdoing it at the gym and not taking care of herself properly mentally or physically. But now she’s gotten out of her own head, dropped the self-pity and self-sabotage and is seeing real progress.

“Never give up,” urges Jen. “An injury is not the end of something but the start of a new adventure. Take time to listen to your body as it heals and do what is right for you.  Beating yourself up will only prolong recovery. If you stay positive, loving and gentle with yourself, you will be stronger on the other side of that injury.”

If you know hilarious, feisty fitness expert Alexandra Williams of the Fun and Fit blog, it will come as no surprise that she posted this video about exercising on one leg the week following her foot surgery.  She shares these tips for dealing with injuries and setbacks:

1. Always check with your doctor after experiencing physical pain or injuries. If you are cleared medically for activity, then start thinking about ways to exercise anything except the healing part of your body. For example, people recuperating from knee surgery can still work their upper body.
2. Find people who will provide encouragement and support as you engage in the physical activities your body can handle.
3. Have confidence that you will still be a strong person, although it might look different.
4. Be prepared for impacts that aren’t just physical. Mental aspects can come into play with changes with mood, attitude and energy levels.

Have you ever experienced an injury or physical setback? How did you handle it, and what was the outcome?

To borrow a line from Gone with the Wind, I don’t know much about birthing babies. But with numerous blog followers and friends asking for more insight on losing post-pregnancy pounds, I’m taking a step past my self-proclaimed “beloved aunt” comfort zone to address the topic.

Let’s digress for a moment. My favorite part of getting a manicure isn’t the nail treatment itself. I really enjoy digging into the latest issue of People Magazine for red carpet gown photos, heartwarming stories about everyday heroes (you know, in case I find myself in either situation) and making fun of the latest Kardashian coverage. However, one item between its pages never fails to irk me - stories about starlets who lost all of their baby weight in about 6 days and claim it was a breeze. Because after you’ve delivered that bundle of joy, it can be a struggle to lose post pregnancy pounds. Even for those who have never been overweight before.

So I turned to Tamara Grand, PhD, BCRPA Advanced Fitness Leader and Personal Trainer at the terrific FitKnitChick blog for her thoughts. Tamara, herself the mother of three and a perennial “A student,” provided enough great insight to merit its own Q&A session:

Q: Why can it be hard to lose post-pregnancy pounds?

A: Number one, new moms often have very little time or energy to devote to their own care. Sleepless nights make it hard to get back into a regular exercise routine post-delivery. Feeding the baby becomes more important than feeding themselves. Even when women have sufficient help and support to allow them to focus on themselves, many don’t, feeling guilty if they let others care for their baby while they care for themselves. Women need to realize that there’s no place for ‘mommy guilt’ and that they’ll likely become even better mothers when they satisfy their own needs for exercise and healthy eating.

Q: How about new moms who do make time for exercise and mindful eating, but still aren’t seeing the results they seek?

A:  Many women find the last 10 pounds are often difficult to shed despite their best efforts in the gym and the kitchen. Biology is the culprit! Women’s reproduction depends on fat stores. In order to conceive, maintain a pregnancy and lactate, a woman must have an adequate supply of adipose tissue. Hormones secreted during pregnancy and beyond aim to maintain those fat stores for breastfeeding and future reproduction. That doesn’t mean those 10 pounds can’t be lost, it just means that it make take longer than expected and require making additional changes to exercise and diet. Pregnancy can also lead to a variety of muscular weaknesses and injuries that may postpone a woman’s return to regular exercise.

Q. Can practicing healthy habits prior to or during pregnancy make a difference?

A. In my experience as a personal trainer and group fitness instructor, women who enter pregnancy at a healthy weight and gain only moderately during gestation have an easier time dropping the baby weight.  Perhaps it’s because they have fewer pounds to lose and have a recent memory of being at a healthy weight. Possibly it’s because it’s easier for them to exercise at an appropriate intensity to generate weight loss than their heavier counterparts. Certainly, women who exercise regularly prior to pregnancy find it easier to slip back into the habit of working out than those who’ve been sedentary for most of their lives.

Q. What advice do you have to help women regain their figure after the baby is born?

A. Make it a priority! Find or take time for yourself. Ditch the ‘mommy guilt’ and recognize that your needs are just as important as your family’s. Realize that you don’t need an hour at the gym in order to get in a workout; 10 minutes of movement, three times a day is a fantastic start. Let dad, grandma or a friend watch the baby while you take a power walk. Exercise not only has the ability to help with weight loss, it’s also a great way to release stress and re-energize.”

“Be patient. Most women find that it takes about a year to return to their pre-pregnancy weight,” concludes Tamara. “Think of fitness and weight loss as a journey. Each day, do a little more than the day before.”

Have you or someone you care about ever struggled to lose post-pregnancy pounds? What ended
up ultimately working…and what backfires would you urge others to avoid?

You’ve counted calories, exercised diligently, got support from others looking to shed pounds and now vaguely resemble that bikini-clad picture of yourself from Spring Break ’94 posted to the fridge – congratulations! Now the big question arises… after working so hard to lose weight, how do you keep it off for good? Here are three tips to help shift from a weight loss mentality into successful maintenance.

There’s a whole world of difference between the process of losing it and keeping the pounds from boomeranging back like an unwanted houseguest. After all, weight loss has a time-limit while maintenance is a life-long process. Just ask Dr. Holly Wyatt, Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Colorado and Associate Director of the Anschutz Health and Wellness Center.

“Strategies that work for weight loss may be different from those that produce maintenance,” notes Dr. Wyatt.  “Losing weight requires a negative energy balance from consuming less calories than you are burning; it’s a short-term process.  Since maintenance is about energy balance at a reduced body weight, those strategies need to be something you can do long-term.”

1)      Pump up the exercise

Three super-smart groups of experts, the National Institutes of Health, National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute and the North American Association for the Study of Obesity, collaborated on the Practical Guide to the Identification, Evaluation and Treatment of Overweight and Obesity in Adults.  According to that piece, while exercise produces minimal weight loss in the absence of caloric restriction, its greatest benefit is in weight loss maintenance.

I’m going to share a few facts from the National Weight Control Registry so you better get used to seeing their acronym (NWCR) throughout this post.  As the largest prospective investigation of long-term successful weight loss maintenance, they’ve tracked the habits of over 10,000 “successful losers” who have kept the pounds off for more than a year. They have found that most participants engage in moderate physical activity at least one hour a day, with the greatest number (75%) reporting walking as their exercise of choice.  As Dr. Wyatt says, “participating in high levels of physical activity is the number one attribute in not regaining the weight.”

2)      Pay even closer attention to nutrition

What you eat becomes even more important after weight loss. Ideally, the road to shedding pounds is paved with fruits, vegetables, plenty of lean proteins and whole grains. However, many people are so focused on cutting calories that they turn to processed, convenience foods to obtain their goals. But maintaining that newly minted size six, ten or whatever floats your boat is going to take more diligence and healthy choices than ever before. Per the NWCR, the eating habits of successful maintainers include:

• Low caloric intake, with a low percentage of calories from fat
• Eat regularly, close to five smaller meals a day
• Always eat breakfast
• Prepare most meals at home
• Rarely eat fast food (sorry Golden Arches)

3)      Practice self-monitoring

Keeping tabs on your daily food intake probably helped you lose weight in the first place. In fact, a study released by the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle a few weeks ago found that writing down everything you eat or drink in a food journal helped women consistently lose about six pounds more than those who did not.  But don’t stop this helpful practice just because you’ve reached your goal. Between smart phones, new apps, websites and old-fashioned note books, it’s pretty easy to keep on recording what you’re eating and its nutritional value. Sometimes the thought of having to report another fudge brownie is the perfect deterrent to walk away from those extra calories.

At the same time, continue to monitor your size. About 75% of NWCR participants weight themselves more than once per week while other people rely on clothing size, a tape measure, calipers for measuring muscle mass and other techniques. Right now, I’ve got a sexy little black dress hanging in a prominent spot in my closet as an incentive to eat healthy most days and have come to rely on my scale as a source of feedback instead of a back-stabbing frenemy.

Have you ever successfully shifted from weight loss into maintenance? What  practices and habits worked for you or others you might know?

Building barns might be their equivalent of a rocking house party and most of them dress like extras from Little House on the Prairie. However, we can learn a lot from the Amish when it comes to healthy living.  According to Dr. James Hill, Executive Director of the Anschutz Health & Wellness Center at the University of Colorado, Amish men and women move at three times the levels of the rest of the population.

During his presentation on “The Importance of Evidence Based Approaches to Health & Wellness” at the 2012 Fitness & Health Bloggers Conference, Dr. Hill explained than Amish men and women typically took 18,000 and 14,000 steps per day respectively, compared to 5,940 steps for U.S. men and 5,276 steps for U.S. women. If that doesn’t sound like a lot to you, consider that’s a difference of burning an additional 603 calories/day for men and 436 calories for women – which equates to losing about a pound per week.

Most of what I knew about the Amish before this presentation consisted of watching Harrison Ford’s 1985 action flick Witness or occasional news reports about their simpler life habits. So I decided to dig a little deeper and learn more about their eating habits too. According to this fact sheet from Ohio State University, many Amish focus on foods they have grown on their farms or personal gardens. Typically devoid of many pre-packaged or processed foods, their diets are not low in fats or carbs. But incidents of obesity in the Amish population are much lower than for the rest of the country.

Interesting food for thought, right? In these fast-paced times where speed and convenience often triumphs healthy living, perhaps we can all take a page from these Pennsylvania Dutch.

How have you incorporated more movement or cleaner eating habits into your daily routine? What kind of a difference did it make?