Office exercise

Missed my early morning workout and feel a major difference -- less energized. Not a way to start the week! It is very hard to get a long exercises break at the gym...so Audrey's strategy for the day.... print all documents on printer at opposite end of building.

I estimate it is an extra 50 steps to the other printer. If I normally print 10-20 documents a day, making this one little change will add 500 to 1000 extra steps to my normally sedentary workday (the bane of many a working gal's figure -- sitting all day). I throw in a couple of 10 minute walks around the building, and voila! I will have burned an additional 250 calories while at work (the same aprox number a cals burned if I did 30 min of low impact aerobics).

Those extra 250 cals burned daily would result in 1-pound weight loss every 2 weeks. Imagine losing weight without having to change into gym clothes and break a sweat. Hmmm, 30 minutes of low impact aerobics at 5 am or walking a little more throughout the day -- it's nice to have options.

Fighting the winter lazies

Baby its cold outside....As the strains of my all time favorite crooner, Dean-O, play on my iPod. Yes it is cold but not too cold to stick to our healthy eating and exercise. As you can read from my last couple of posts it is hard to be disciplined every day...when short days combine with chilly temperatures to make my usual round of excuses seem more viable, "it's too cold", "I'm too tired", "All I want is meatloaf and mashed potatoes with gravy, forget the health food". Never fear, Audrey is here with some easy ways to fight back and stay fit and fab!

1. Power in numbers -- grab your best pals and head outside for a brisk walk. It's a safe and fun way to exercise in the winter. What could be better than combining heart healthy exercise, beautiful winter evenings, and all the latest gossip!

2. Fire up your competitive spirit -- This works great for you and your guy friends. Make sticking to a fitness routine a competition between you and your best guy. Award points for achieving your daily fitness goals and set a time period for the competition (say a 10 week winter challenge). At the end of the challenge, add up the points and the "loser" gets to treat you to a ________ (fill in the blank with what ever you decide as the prize). BTW -- my very best guy has boldly entered the ring with yours truly for our own 10-week winter challenge. Bring it baby!

3. Buy yourself a Holiday present -- Yes, it is better to give than receive, but when it comes to your health it is ok to invest in YOU. While you are out shopping for gifts for all your friends and family, take a break at a local book shop, grab a skim frappuccino and peruse the cook book section for a great, low cal recipe book. My mom recently surprised me with a copy of the Splenda®, World of Sweetness dessert cookbook. It is unbelievable. Think of every dessert you love and subtract 1/2 the calories but keep all the yummy taste and you have some idea of what awaits you inside the pages of this little collection of sweetness.
OK, onward and upward. Keep up the effort and focus on all the super health benefits of winter exercise and flavorful, low fat comfort foods! Take care, Audrey