I’ve already told the kids they will be getting the two shots needed to prevent swine flu this year. Of course, this prompted lots of “no ways” and “I hate shots” drama from them. Tough, I figure a few shots won’t be such a big deal if I promise a trip to Dairy Queen for a cone afterwards.

Besides the shots, which won’t protect you 100% from the H1N1 flu, what else can you do to prevent getting sick? Elmo’s advice about washing hands, not touching your face and mouth, and sneezing into your elbow (all things I need to practice) are easy to do for both kids and adults. Here are a few more tips

Advice from Dr. Erika Schwartz, Medical Director of Cinergy Health

1. Get eight hours of sleep every night.
2. Eat three meals a day that balance complex carbohydrates, protein and are chock full of fruit and vegetables. Stay away from prepared and preserved foods.
3. Drink six glasses of water and two cups of green tea a day.
4. Exercise six days a week to feel better, not to exhaustion.
5. Stay away from sick people and don’t go to work if you are sick. If we care for each other we won’t be spreading the flu.
6. Address stressors in your life and limit their impact.

Dr. Schwartz seems to be advising that you build up your immune system, eat healthfully, take care of your body and brain by exercising, and eliminate stress. All good advice to avoid getting sick (or reducing the time you’re sick) from swine flu or the common cold.

My “I’m not a doctor, just a mom who’s a bit of a worry wart” advice

1. Keep a supply of all the things you like to drink and eat when you’re sick, especially cans of soup and bottles of juice to keep you hydrated. (I particularly like butternut squash soup and V8 juices. My kids and their dad like ramen noodles and Campbell’s Chicken Noodle soup.) Keep some easy to make or heat up meals in the freezer or pantry, too.
2. Make sure you have a working thermometer to take everyone’s temperature.
3. Stock up on over the counter fever reducers and pain relievers. Ask your doctor what s/he advises you take. Make sure you have enough for a couple of weeks as well as the children’s versions of the medications.
4. Stock up on disinfecting wipes, alcohol-based hand sanitizers or antibacterial hand wipes, too. Get the kids to help you wipe down counters, sinks, door handles, the phone and your car’s interior a few times a week or more.
5. Encourage the kids to wash their hands after play dates, using the playground, and before all meals. If the kids can’t get to the bathroom at school, most teachers keep a bottle of hand sanitizer in the classroom. An alternative is Wet Ones® Antibacterial Wipes, which clean hands and kill 99.99% of germs. They’re just as effective in killing germs as a gel hand sanitizer, but also clean away dirt. Plus, they don’t dry out your skin like alcohol-based sanitizers. Kids can keep a packet in their backpacks, cubbies or desks. Talk to the teacher about supplying the classroom with them, too.
6. Bring wipes or sanitizer to the gym! Remember to wash your hands after working out, too.
7. Find out if your grocery store delivers or if there is a food delivery service available in your area. If not, there may be a local milk delivery service that offers online ordering. Besides milk, they usually deliver yogurt, eggs, cottage cheese, and juice, so at least you’ll have some food coming in.
8. Don’t forget about your pet’s needs. Make sure to have enough of their food and medication on hand in case you can’t leave the house for awhile.
9. Find out your company’s or university’s policies regarding the swine flu. Do they have a plan? (If not, they should!) Are they advising you to stay home if you’re sick? Do you need a doctor’s note? If you’re enrolled in school, can you get assignments online or via email?
10. For the kids, what is their school’s policy regarding H1N1 flu? Do they want you to keep kids home if they have a fever? How soon can you bring them back? Is homework and class assignments available on the school’s website or via email from their teachers?
11. If you’re sick, do you have someone to watch the kids, take over the school carpool, get groceries, pick up the mail, etc.? Make sure you have backup and all their contact info. However, if one of you is sick, the whole family may have to stay home, too. You may want to stash away some special games, crafts, books or videos to keep the kids entertained while you’re camped out on the couch.
12. It’s scary when mom or dad is sick. Know what to say to your kids when that happens. Reassure them that you’ll be fine.
13. You may need the older kids to help out and take care of their siblings, too, so make sure they can reach what they need. (You might want to put some dishes and glasses out on the counter or give them a lesson on how to change the toddler’s pull up.) Explain that they cannot use the stove. Show them how to safely use the microwave, if they’re old enough. You know the drill.
14. Go over (again) with the kids on how to call 911 if there is an emergency. Kids always seem to get into trouble when mom is upstairs sleeping.
15. To learn more about how to stay healthy go to www.flu.gov.

Elmo says wash your hands: H1N1 flu preventive tips and some swine flu advice is a post from: This Mama Cooks! Stop by for more healthy recipes!

It’s surprising where you’ll find terrific online recipes that go with the Weight Watchers Momentum Plan. Of course, there is the Weight Watcher site. Then again, any website that offers nutritional information would work, and there’s a bunch out there by food companies, magazines and fitness gurus:

• Bob Greene’s TheBestLife.com has a list of of Best Life approved foods, like Skinny Cow and Flatout Flatbreads along with recipes. Read my review of Skinny Cow, Keeping trim with Skinny Cow ice cream treats, at my review blog, This Mama Cooks! Reviews.
• MakingLifeBetter.com has over a 100 healthy recipes using convenience products like Ragu sauce and Lipton teas. Read my review of the site at This Mama Cooks! Reviews: This summer get out of the kitchen with MakingLifeBetter.com.
• Taste of Home’s Healthy Living and Cooking website is a great resource for those with special dietary needs and features Diabetic, Heart Health, Low Fat, and Low Sodium recipes. There are also recipe makeovers and healthy menu plans. There is also an exclusive enewsletter and website just for Home Healthy Cooking magazine subscribers.
• Clean Eating is a new favorite magazine of mine that I came across during a shopping foray to Costco. The website has a limited number of recipes. But what they have a wealth of are shopping lists to go with the magazine’s 14-day menus. I really should treat myself to a subscription. But until then, I’ll sign up for the Clean Eating e-newsletter.
• EatingWell magazine also features recipes on their website. However, make sure you check the nutritional info before you make the recipes. eating well doesn’t always mean eating low calorie or low POINTS.

What are your favorite low calorie, healthy and diet recipe websites?

Check out my 5 Things/Ways advice posts for more tips on fitness, diet and getting healthy.

5 recipe websites to help you get inspired to eat better this summer is a post from: This Mama Cooks! Stop by for more healthy recipes!

Halloween is traditionally the biggest candy holiday. Did you know that 30% of kids report that they sort their candy first when returning home with trick-or-treat loot? Only 20% of kids savor it, while 16% share it, 14% stash it, and 7% swamp it.

Chocolate is kids’ favorite Halloween treat, followed by lollipops, gummy candy, and chewing gum. I’m glad to know that because I’m planning to get a bag of mini Hersey bars and some lollipops for the neighborhood ghouls. More than 93% of children go trick-or-treating each year, so I better get to the store soon!

These are just some of the findings from the National Confectioners Association (NCA) survey showing that since 2005, candy manufacturers have continued to expand their product lines to meet consumer demand for more "better for you" options for trick-or-treaters. One example is sugar-free product releases increased 51% from 2006 to 2007.

But like all treats, it’s all about moderation. Here are some tips on how to keep Halloween healthy for both kids and adults.

How to have a happy, healthy Halloween for the whole family
From Candy Dish blogger Susan Fussel and This Mama Cooks!

• Eat before you trick-or-treat. Serve a nutritious dinner before your children set out for a night of candy-collecting. You and your kids will be full enough to resist the temptation to eat candy at each trick-or-treat stop. During your pre-trick-or-treat meal, take the opportunity to discuss Halloween safety, as well as the importance of healthy eating and lifestyle choices.
• Walk don’t drive. Don’t drive around to trick or treat. Walk instead. If the weather is bad, drive to your local indoor mall to walk and trick or treat instead. According to the NCA, only 8% of families trick-or-treat in their own neighborhood. Come on people, stay at home – you can get some exercise and save on gas money, too!
• Sort and save. Allow your kids to enjoy some of their Halloween bounty. Then work with them to portion out two or three treats in small bags. Create a week’s-worth of bags to accompany nutritious school lunches or to serve as after-school snacks.
• Hide it. 90% of parents admit to sneaking goodies from their kids’ Halloween trick-or-treat bags. Get your skinny spouse to hide the Halloween goodies from you all. (My husband does this with me and Nutella.) Then they’re in charge of doling out the goodies when everyone deserves it.
• Share it. Call your local food bank or homeless shelter and see if they’d take it. Or use the chopped up candy to make treats for your school or church’s next bake sale. (See my post 5 Ways to Avoid Temptation During Bake Sale Season for more tips.)
• Practical pairings and portion control. Try pairing caramels with an apple or a snack-sized candy bar with a banana. Chop up a bar and sprinkle over some low or no fat plain or vanilla yogurt.!

For more Halloween health tips check out my post 5 Things Dieters Can Do with Halloween Candy (Beside Eating It).

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5 ways to trick, treat and have a healthy Halloween is a post from: This Mama Cooks! Stop by for more healthy recipes!

Life has its ups and downs, and so does my weight it seems. I’m back on the heavy side again, even though I’ve been working out regularly when I haven’t been traveling. I’ve decided I’m in a diet and exercise rut and need to change it up to get back to where I want to be with my weight, eating habit and fitness routine.

Here are five things you can get out of your diet or workout rut:

1. Start a different exercise routine.

Last year I was working out at the rec center down the street from my daughter’s preschool. Over the summer, I only used the exercise bike and some free weights. I’m not challenged anymore.

To change it up I started working out to Jillian Michaels - 30 Day Shred. The real title of this exercise video should be “Jillian Michaels comes to your house to kick your ass.” Besides that it’s challenging, I like it because it only takes 20 minutes a day (thank goodness!) and Jillian has you use big and small muscles at the same time for maximum calorie burn.

2. Eat something different.

Are you one of those people who eat the same thing for breakfast every day? Trying new foods that fit your diet or weight loss plan can help you get out of a weight plateau.

I’ve been exploring polymeal cooking based on the book Healthiest Meals on Earth: The Surprising, Unbiased Truth About What Meals to Eat and Why. (You can read my two posts on it at More polymeal cooking: antelope tenderloin with blackberry sage sauce and Healthy holiday polymeal cooking with the Healthiest Meals on Earth.) Even if you’re on a strict weight loss diet, you can use some of the recommended foods like fresh vegetables, garlic, fish, nuts and even an occasional nibble of chocolate or glass of wine in your food plan.

Try looking a old things in a new way, too. Maybe you want to get out your old cookbooks and modify some recipes. One book that I’m going to do this with is Margarita Mama: Mocktails for Moms-to-Be. No I'm not pregnant! However, the book is full of non-alcoholic mocktails that you can modify to make even healthier and lower in calories. Here's a sample:

Basil Pomegranate Lemonade

Pomegranates contain high concentrations of polyphenols, which are antioxidants and have been shown to inhibit the development of certain cancers.

Ingredients:

• 6 to 8 basil leaves
• 2 oz. of pomegranate juice
• 4 oz. lemonade (substitute a sugar free lemonade or make your own with stevia and fresh lemon juice)
• 2 oz. lemon-lime soda (substitute a sugar free soda or use a lemon-lime flavored seltzer water)

Directions:

1. Mix basil and pomegranate juice in the bottom of a tall glass.
2. Fill the glass with ice.
3. Add the lemonade and the soda/seltzer and stir.

3. Try new diet and exercise products.

I’ve been trying out Sensa for a few days. (See my post Sensa: a new approach to weight loss to learn more about how sprinkling Tastants on your food can help you feel full faster, stay satisfied longer and lose weight.) Now I know all about placebos, but I think this product is different. I am feeling fuller faster, and not stuffing my face until I burst because I’m still hungry. Plus, I’m not hungry a hour later. Maybe it’s only working because I’m paying more attention since I’m using a special product. Stay tuned.

There are so many new products to try from protein bars to exercise equipment. I’m hoping that Santa will bring me a Wii Fitness and Jillian Michaels Fitness Ultimatum 2009 for Christmas or maybe earlier for my birthday. Treat yourself to get out of your rut!

4. Find new rewards to motivate you.

Find a non-fitness or diet product to reward yourself with, and remember it’s not necessary to break the bank. Buy a new bath or hair product. Suave products are terrific and usually under $3. Download a few episodes of your favorite TV show on iTunes to watch during a break in the day – only $1.99 an episode. Or go to your library’s website and reserve that book you’ve been wanting to read – FREE!

One slightly more expensive treat I’d like to recommend is pzizz. It’s a downloadable software program that generates random soundtracks that you can listen to that will help you get a good night’s sleep. You can even use it while you power nap during the day. Read my review of pzizz here.

5. Revisit your goals.

All the gurus out there from business to health tell you must write down your goals in order to achieve them. For example, Weight Watchers has you set a 10% weight loss goal, and they have you note it in your materials. If you wrote them down, good! If not, it’s a great time to do it.

Then after you’ve reviewed (or finally wrote down) your goals, write down all the benefits you can think of to losing weight, working out, eating healthier, or getting more fit. It can be as frivolous as, “I want to fit back into my wedding gown.” or as important as, “I want to improve my blood pressure.” (If you’ve done this before, review them and add a few more.)

Put away your goals in a safe, private place. Then on your calendar set a time – maybe a month or two – to review your goals, the benefits of your getting healthy journey, and to track your process (or maybe lack of it) again.

I hope these five things will help get your out of your fitness and diet rut and get you motivated!

Read more of my 5 Way/Things Advice articles.

5 ways to get out of your diet or workout rut is a post from: This Mama Cooks! Stop by for more healthy recipes!

I’m having a get together next week and have decided to turn it into a “soup and salad” party. While doing my online research, I found out that soup is an excellent food for anyone trying to lose weight or eat more healthfully. Here are a few reasons why:

1. Eating soup helps cut your intake of food. By having a bowl of low-calorie soup prior to a meal, you can cut your total mealtime intake of amount of food and calories. According to Penn State researchers, diners consumed 20 percent fewer calories when they had both the soup and entree compared to when they did not have soup. The authors cautioned people to pick low-calorie, broth-based soups that are about 100 to 150 calories per serving.

2. Soup is convenient. Thank goodness for Amy’s Soups. Not only are they organic, but many of them are low calorie, low fat, high fiber, vegetarian, and delicious! According to The Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 97% of people who ate soup as part of a low-calorie diet thought soup was a valuable part of their weight loss plan.

Whether you buy Campbell’s, Amy’s, Progresso, or a store brand, there are many terrific healthy choices for soup. Read the labels, pick the healthiest ones, and stock your pantry! Canned soup takes a few minutes to heat up. So if you always have it around, you won’t be as tempted to cheat. Plus, it’s easy to take to work, and you can often find healthy soup on the menu at most restaurants.

3. Soup lowers the energy density of your diet. Since broth-based soups have a lot of water and relatively few calories per portion, it has lower energy density than other foods. By increasing the water content of your foods and decreasing the fat content, you lower your food’s energy density. If a food has low energy density, you can eat more of it.  Also, broth-based, vegetarian or lean meat soups that are water rich and low calorie actually encourage weight loss.

4. Soup is healthy. O.K., not the crab bisque with the heavy cream and sherry. Instead I’m talking about soups using beans, low sodium and low fat vegetable or chicken broth, lean meats, brown rice, barley, and of course, veggies. There’s something special about taking a bunch of healthy foods, adding water or broth, and heating it up. I don’t know if it’s the warmth of the soup that’s so satisfying or that it takes a while to eat. However, according to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, eating soup (like a chicken and rice soup) reduced calorie intake of subsequent meals more effectively than eating the ingredients (chicken and rice) separately followed by a glass of water.

5. Making healthy soup is easy. I’ll be making my famous Butternut Squash Soup (only 2 Weight Watcher POINTS per cup) since one of my guests is a vegetarian. (She has MS and swears the soup has restorative powers.) But I wanted to make another healthy soup that was not too labor intensive.

My husband hunts and has the meat processor make venison Italian sausage. Since venison sausage is as lean as turkey sausage once you cook it and drain off the fat, I thought it would be terrific in soup. Here are a few of the healthy and easy recipes I found:

• Italian Sausage and Zucchini Soup from Kalyn’s Kitchen – Kalyn sticks to the South Beach Diet and uses Dreamfields Healthy Low Carb Pastato keep the carbs low.
• Italian Sausage Soup from the Cooking Light community boards. This recipe gives nutritional information and is about 5 Weight Watcher POINTS per serving.

But here’s the one I decided on. I liked that it used high fiber Northern beans instead of pasta – great if you’re eating gluten free. (Note: if you can’t tolerate gluten, make sure to check the labels of your favorite soup stock. Many brands add wheat. You may want to make your own.)

While there’s no nutritional information, since it’s close to the Cooking Light recipe and substitutes beans for pasta, I’m guessing it’s around 4 Weight Watchers POINTS per serving.

Italian Sausage Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 pound Italian sausage (use turkey or venison sausage)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 (14 ounce) cans beef broth (find a low or no fat version – or substitute vegetable broth)
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can Italian-style stewed tomatoes
• 1 cup sliced carrots
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can great Northern beans, undrained (instead, drain, rinse and add some water)
• 2 small zucchini, cubed
• 2 cups spinach – packed, rinsed and torn
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:

In a stockpot or Dutch oven, brown sausage with garlic. Stir in broth, tomatoes and carrots, and season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer 15 minutes.

1. Stir in beans with liquid and zucchini. Cover, and simmer another 15 minutes, or until zucchini is tender.
2. Remove from heat, and add spinach. Replace lid allowing the heat from the soup to cook the spinach leaves. Soup is ready to serve after 5 minutes.

Note: to make it even healthier, add more of the tomatoes, carrots, zucchini and spinach. And try to use organic produce and broth whenever possible.

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5 reasons why soup is healthy for dieters and everyone else is a post from: This Mama Cooks! Stop by for more healthy recipes!

One of the biggest challenges dieters face is eating at a restaurant. If you’re on a diet with a fixed daily menu, it’s impossible. It’s one of the reasons I gave up doing the Extreme Fat Smash Diet. However, for those of you on more flexible weight loss plans like Weight Watchers, dining out is easier but not without its risks.

All the diets I’ve been on give you tips for how to eat at a restaurant. You know, things like “order the grilled fish with no sauce” or a “get a salad with dressing on the side.” We all know how to follow those strategies. Instead, how about trying a new one:

Plan your restaurant meal before you leave the house

1. Choose the restaurant in advance and make reservations. No restaurants with a buffet or a mascot like Chuck E. Cheese. (Yuck!) Instead, pick a restaurant with a varied menu, so you can find something healthy to eat. Your best bets are seafood restaurants that grill (not fry) their fish, Japanese places for low-cal/high protein sashimi and miso soup, or one with an extensive salad bar. Also, when you make a reservation, your table is ready when you arrive (hopefully) so you don’t spend time drinking and snacking in the bar.

2. Plan out your food budget before you go. Calculate how many Weight Watchers POINTS or calories you can use during the meal. Then stick with it!

3. Don’t leave the house famished. Have a light snack, like a piece of high fiber fruit or something with protein in it (nuts or a glass of skim milk) an hour before your reservation. Make sure you’ve had a few glasses of water or a cup of tea (bring a to go cup in the car) before you leave, too.

4. Get your exercise in earlier that day. If you can manage it, exercise then immediately go out to eat.
(Shower first and change your clothes, please!) That way your metabolism will be revved up and you’ll be burning calories at a faster rate while you dine.

5. Go to the restaurant’s website to plan what you’re going to order. Or have them fax you a menu. Write down what you’re going to order and any questions you have for the wait person. (Can I get it with brown rice? Instead of the potato, can I get some steamed veggies?) When you arrive, tell the hostess that you don’t need a menu since you already know what you want to order. That way you won’t be tempted to sabotage your plan.

For more Five Things/Ways advice articles, click here.

Click here to read how Outback Steakhouse is a great place for dieters, and those on gluten free, diabetic or low carb diets…

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5 tips for eating out when you’re trying to lose weight is a post from: This Mama Cooks! Stop by for more healthy recipes!

Keeping with the ball theme started in last week’s post, Get rid of flab quickly by using an exercise ball, here are five videos that demonstrate several kinds of exercises you can do with an exercise ball.

I do variations of the chest and shoulder presses as well as the abdominal exercises. I especially like using weights and an exercise ball at the same time. I feel I’m getting “more bang for my buck” and using my time more effectively.

Remember, exercise is not without its risks and this or any other exercise program may result in injury. To reduce the risk of injury in your case, consult with your doctor before beginning your exercise program. As with any exercise program, if at any point during your workout you begin to feel faint, dizzy, or have physical discomfort, you should stop immediately and consult a physician.

Do you use an exercise ball with or without weights? What exercises do you like to do?

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5 Swiss ball exercise videos is a post from: This Mama Cooks! Stop by for more healthy recipes!

As I travel through the grocery store I realize that another eating holiday - St. Patrick's Day - is upon us. Here are five ways to cope when Irish tummies are growling.

1. Beer - If you must have a beer this St. Patrick's Day, choose wisely. Instead of that nasty green Bud Light, treat yourself to a Guinness, Harp, Beemish or Murphy's. The dark, rich stouts have only 3 Weight Watchers POINTS per 12 oz. bottle. Drink slowly and savor the flavor!

2. Drink your greens. There are so many ways to "tipple the green" besides having an Irish beer. One way to drink your greens is to try Naked Juice's Green Machine juice. (Don't have Naked Juice in your area? Try Ocala Superfood Micronutrient Fruit Juice Drink instead.)

Green Machine has several "superfood" ingredients including spirulina, chlorella, blue green algae, spinach, broccoli, and others. Sounds gross but its apple juice and pineapple juice base gives it a sweet flavor. One cup is 3 POINTS.

I love it and have a glass of it in the morning with my vitamins. Also, I think the superfood goodies have helped keep me healthy this winter, unlike the rest of my family who keep getting sick.

Green tea is another example. According to an article at MSNBC.com,

Green tea contains relatively high amounts of a type of phytochemical called EGCG, proven in laboratory studies to be a powerful antioxidant...studies show EGCG can increase production of enzymes that protect us from cancer-causing substances, decrease levels of a substance key to promoting cancer development, and increase cancer cell self-destruction.

3. Do your corn beef right. If you're cooking for your skinny relatives you can download St. Patrick's Day: Not just for the Irish, a history of the holiday, which includes traditional recipes. But don't worry, Weight Watchers is a great source of low POINTS corned beef recipes: Corned Beef and Cabbage Strudel (4 POINTS per serving) and Corned Beef with Cabbage and Boiled Vegetables (7 POINTS per serving, which you can slim down even further by omitting the potatoes). Click here for more St. Patty's Day Irish Weight Watcher recipes.

But I loved the Denver Post's Asian twist on corned beef - only 2 Weight Watchers POINTS per serving:

Sweet-and-Sour Cabbage With Corned Beef

Makes 6 servings.

Ingredients:

• 1 teaspoon canola oil
• 4 ounces deli sliced corned beef, cut into thin strips (You could use leftover corned beef from your St. Patrick's Day dinner.)
• 3/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons coarse Dijon- style mustard
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 6 cups shredded green cabbage (about 1 pound)
• 2 cups shredded carrots
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. In a large nonstick skillet with a lid, heat oil over medium- high.
2. Add the corned beef and saute, stirring often, until lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Add the water, vinegar, mustard and brown sugar. Stir to combine.
3. Add the cabbage and carrots and reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are very tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Check the vegetables midway through and add more water if necessary.
4. Season with salt and pepper before serving.

4. Get your green on and MOVE! March in the St. Patrick's Day parade in your city. Take a Celtic dancing class. Put on some music by your favorite Irish band (U2 or The Dubliners, anyone?) and rock out. Or enjoy the warmer weather - and the greening parks - by getting outside, riding your bike or taking a walk.

5. Make yourself a weight loss or getting fit personal pot of gold. This marvelous idea comes from Weight Watchers. Write your accomplishments on slips of paper and keep them in a little black pot. When you're suffering from a momentary set back in your weight loss journey, take out the little reminders of past accomplishments. As you're more successful in getting healthy, the amount of "gold" in your pot will grow and inspire you!

Beannachtam na Feile Padraig!
Happy St. Patrick's Day!

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5 ways to stay lean and green this St. Patrick’s Day is a post from: This Mama Cooks! Stop by for more healthy recipes!

My personal trainer introduced me to circuit training during our last session. Before, my usual routine was to ride the stationary bike for 30 minutes, then do an all over body workout with weight lifting machines or dumbbells.

My new routine is to do five minutes of cardio on the Cybex Arc Trainer (my new fave piece of gym equipment) or the stationary bike. Then I do two weight lifting exercises – two to three sets of 10 reps, first lower body then upper body exercises.  Repeat until all the weight lifting exercises are done.

Sounds interesting? Let me tell you more.

1.  What is circuit training? Circuit training is a workout routine that combines cardiovascular fitness and resistance training. It’s comprised of short bursts of resistance exercise using moderate weights and frequent repetitions, followed quickly by another burst of exercise targeting different muscle group.

As you switch between muscle groups, your heart rate goes up. In my case, my personal trainer added aerobic exercise – Arc Trainer or stationary bike – between the sets of resistance exercises.

Click here for two examples of circuit training workouts.

So why should you circuit train?

2. Increase your muscle mass. A circuit workout improves both strength and endurance, and jump-starts metabolism because your gaining muscle. This is especially important for women, who tend to lose muscle mass at the rate of 1% per year in their late 30s and 40s. Their muscle is usually replaced by fat.

By gaining muscle, you’ll also protect yourself osteoporosis. Plus you’ll look trimmer as you tighten up.

3. Circuit training is a time saver. Many people do weights one day, and an aerobic workout the next day. Instead, you have the benefits of both types of exercise in one workout session.

Also, you’ll find that you get a better, more intense workout when you circuit train. Your heart rate is going the whole time because you work harder and more efficiently. This means you burn up more calories in less time.

Bottom line – circuit training works because it’s short and sweet. Also, since my workout only takes me about 45 minutes to an hour, it fits better into my hectic schedule. This means that I’ll stick with it.

4. Get help in creating a circuit training workout. There are many example of circuit training workouts available on the Internet and in books. But they may not be right for you. How is your gym set up? Can you go quickly between the track (to run) and the weight room (to lift). Or are they on opposite sides of the building? (No running in the halls, kids!)

What about your home gym? Can you do some aerobic exercise (jumping rope or using a stationary bike) in the same room you have your free weights?

Another thing to consider are physical limitations. If running is too hard on your knees, maybe using a stationary bike is a better way to get your heart rate going. A good personal trainer can analyze your personal situation and create a circuit training workout that’s right for you.

5. The negatives of circuit training. I’m really thrilled that my trainer developed a circuit that’s perfect to use at my rec center. But it has its limitations as well.

First, I’m one of those people who like to read a book or listen to a podcast when using the stationary bike. (I like to combine my exercise time with learning or reading.) Since I’m only on the bike for five intense minutes, it’s too hard to concentrate. Instead, I’ll stick to music.

Second, if your gym has strict rules about wiping off the equipment after exercising, it’s really hard to do that and circuit train properly. After all, you don’t want to take breaks between exercises. A way around this is to bring a container of disinfecting wipes with you, so you can immediately wipe of the equipment. It may seem silly, but it will save you from getting dirty looks from fellow gym goers.

Third, your gym may not be set up to circuit train properly no matter how clever a personal trainer is in developing a program for you. If this is the case, talk to the gym manager to see if they could move a few exercise bikes into the weight room or clear enough space so exercisers can jump rope or run in place.

Give circuit training a try. You’ll find that’s it’s very addictive and a fun, fast way to get through your workout.

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5 things you should know about circuit training is a post from: This Mama Cooks! Stop by for more healthy recipes!

This year my mission is to “blog-evangelize” or spread the word on why blogging is such a powerful tool. I mostly talk to writers on how to use blogging to promote their work. But why shouldn’t blogging be used by those trying to lose weight and get healthy, too?

Here are 5 reasons to incorporate blogging into your weight loss journey:

1. Exploring your emotions. Tracking what you eat, how many times you work out, and your weight is one thing. Blogging about how you feel – your emotions – can help you discover the triggers that cause you to overeat. Blogging is also a way to help you figure out why you have the relationship you do with your body and food.

So why use a blog? It’s just as easy to write in a notebook, right? This leads me to my next couple of points.

2. Convenience. If you’re like me, you live your life online. You’re constantly emailing people, Googling or shopping online. Maybe you use an online service to plan your family’s meals, like Menu Planning Central. Or you could be doing your weight loss using dieting sites like Weight Watchers or SparkPeople. What ever the case, you’re already online. Why not do your self-discovery there, too?

Now I can hear a few of you saying, “My online diet plan comes with a blog! I can journal there.” That’s great, but what happens when you leave the diet site because it’s too expensive or not working out for you? All the self-exploration you blogged about is gone unless you print it out or transfer it. What a pain! Instead, blog at a FREE service like WordPress.com or an inexpensive service like TypePad where this blog is hosted.

3. Public accountability. Another problem with blogging on a membership dieting site is that it can only be read by other members. Your outside support team – friends, coworkers, and family – can’t read your blog. You may think that’s a good thing, but I don’t. To successfully lose weight and get healthy you need to be accountable and “out there.”

Also, your support people need to know what’s up with you so they can help you out. If I saw on my friend’s blog that he was upset about not losing weight that week, I would try to leave him a few words of encouragement. Also, when your best friend lives half way across the world, blogging helps get the word out that you need her help.

4. Building community. An advantage of your blog being on the Internet for everyone to read is that you meet people who are going through a similar journey. They can offer encouragement, tips, recipes, and a few laughs.

You never know. You may get really serious about blogging and want to meet your online friends at conferences like BlogHer. It’s where I got to meet diet bloggers Carmen of The ELFF Diet and Jennette Fulda a.k.a. PastaQueen of Half of Me. I also got to meet Jillian Michaels of The Biggest Loser thanks to a lunch sponsored by AOL. Who knows who’ll I’ll meet at the next conference?

5. Helping others. Amy Gahran says at her blog, Contentious.com sometimes vulnerability can be your greatest strength:

“So rather than whine about setbacks or difficulties, use them as an opportunity to engage your community in helping you find solutions. Open yourself up to their ideas. Be willing to be influenced by them…”

Blogging is two-way conversation. Not only can people help you, but you can reach out and offer assistance. It’s a great feeling that as you shrink, you’ll “grow” as you help others by sharing your story and wisdom.

With this all said, if you’re interested in learning more about blogging, contact me and I’ll email my beginning blogging handout tha I use when I speak to writer’s groups. I also recommend taking Wendy Piersall’s E-Moms at Home 10 Days to a Better Blog: blog traffic e-course.

Now get blogging!

For more tips, check out my other Five Things and Ways advice articles.

(This post was inspired by Reason-4-Smile’s post Seven benefits of blogging to your personal growth.)

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5 reasons to blog your weight loss journey is a post from: This Mama Cooks! Stop by for more healthy recipes!