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When was the last time you celebrated your body? Have you showered it with praise lately? Do you honor it for all it does for you?  Strengthen your relationship with your body and give your diet plan a boost! Celebrate "Honor My Body Day"!

As if the toll on health and beauty wasn't reason enough to lose weight, let’s not forget about the pocketbook.  On average, “obese people spend $1400 more a year on health care compared to someone of normal weight,” says Eric Finkelstein, the foremost authority on the economics of obesity in the United States.  And whether you, your employer, or the government picks up the tab, obesity is running up the health care bill.

Everyday, people ask, “Am I losing weight too fast?” or “Am I losing weight too slow?”  We compare ourselves to others to validate our efforts and to make sure we’re doing the right thing....

So, the New Year begins. You made your fitness resolutions; you set your weight loss goals. You joined a health club. You’re starting out strong. Then…...you miss a day of exercise. You indulge in chocolate cake. You tell yourself “this is so hard”. You’re losing steam.  Now what?

Whether you're trying to keep a New Year's Resolution or just need help finding a workout routine that’s right for you, these 30-day quick-start exercise guides give you what you need. Choose from six different fitness plans, each one geared toward a different type of exerciser and all packed with action-oriented workouts to help you meet your goals...

When you decide to make changes in your behavior, you need to set goals. And you should be SMART about it. SMART is an acronym that stands for Specific Measurable Attainable Realistic and Timely.  Here's how SMART correlates with your nutritional behaviors.

Since it's Christmas, I thought it might be fun to make a Christmas Foods Quiz.
Can you answer these ten questions about some traditional Christmas foods?

Though active people typically pay close attention to their fitness regimen (proper cardiovascular workout, strength training and stretching) they may be making crucial mistakes in their diet. Not putting the right nutrients in your body could ultimately affect the overall fitness benefits of an active lifestyle. The American Council on Exercise (ACE) shares the following nutrition mistakes commonly made by active people.

Weekend weight-gain seems to creep up on you. How? It's so easy to get in the mind frame of "I've been good all week, so I deserve to splurge this weekend!" Those free-for-all weekends add up to pounds-gained quicker than you'd expect. Here are some simple ways to avoid weekend weight-gain....

‘Tis the season to visit the doctor, be it for a flu shot or the flu.  And you know what that means: The Dreaded Weigh-In.  Is there any wonder why we cancel our medical appointments?  Weight bias in health care exists.

The hustle and bustle of the holiday season places extra demands on our already busy lives. If you’re like most people you may feel pressure to take on more than you can comfortably handle. You may struggle with balancing your needs against increased family obligations. This added stress often results in over-eating and using food to calm anxiety.  So, what can you do to prevent this from happening? Set your boundaries! Setting strong boundaries is one of the best ways for you to enjoy the stress-free holiday that you deserve.

Pearls of wisdom from the Calorie Count forums...

"Terrified About Winter" says, “I get a free gym membership with the apartment I’m renting, but we are moving next week.  I am terrified that I will lose all motivation to keep working out after I move, especially with an Iowa winter coming up.  I’m scared I will start making excuses like, “It’s too cold outside to exercise today.”

Calorie Counters respond....

In a past Blog, I covered the differences between chronic dieters (also called ‘Restrained Eaters’) and Natural Eaters who have not experienced deprivation diets.  The disparity rests with the restrained eaters' narrow boundaries, rigid control and inevitable feelings of guilt; the natural eater shares none of these.  For restrained eaters, all is presumed well as long as they stay within their narrow boundaries, but when they breakthrough and eat “forbidden food” (or even anticipate overeating). restrained eaters lose their resolve and that can lead to a binge.  For restrained eaters, the holiday season is particularly problematic.

If you’re like most dieters, you probably don’t like your body so much. You probably are frustrated and angry with being overweight.  But do you realize that criticizing yourself undermines your efforts? Shake that trend with an attitude of gratitude and lose the weight with ease.

At the risk of sounding unprofessional, I think fad diets are a hoot - in a cynical way.  A book, a plan, a pill, a drink, whatever.... Fad diets provide (false) hope for a quick fix, not lasting change.  They involve the complete suspension of normal life for as long as they last.  Many are dangerous when extended, but who can make it past the first few days?  And, what's more, they give people something to talk about.  And so, without further ado, meet the Fad Diet du Jour.