Walk This Way

Something that we do everyday without even giving it thought is one of the best exercises and best ways to lose weight. Yes, Divas, WALKING. We learned to walk as toddler with lots of determination. First we started crawling and once that was mastered then we moved up to the next level, walking. Of course walking did not come easy then. Some of us had lots of falls, unsteady knees, and then let’s not forget the “plop” we made on the floor as we got unsteady and fell. Ahhhhhhhhhhh, I was a genius even at the toddler stage or so my mother tells the story. (I am sure I have shared that with you before, if not, I am telling you now). According to my mother, I never crawled. One day she sat me on the floor and I just got up and started to walk, just like that. No trial an error, no scrapes from the falling, none of that nonsense. I just mastered the skill right from the start.

Ok, let’s stop gabbing about me and my brilliance and get back to my intent for this blog. It is then no wonder that to this day, I find walking the favorite exercise out of everything that do for fitness. If you have been following my postings, you may recall that I have mentioned that I have a vast collection of exercise DVDs. Within my hoard, I have 18, (no I am not a pack rat) yes, 18 Leslie Sansone “in home walking” DVDs.

For those of you that have never heard of Leslie Sansone, she is the queen of walking, literally. She has created dozens of indoor walking exercise DVDs/videos. Some of the titles are Walk Away the Pounds, Walk Away Your Hips and Thighs, Walk Away Your Waistline and the list goes on and on. Leslie has DVDs geared towards teens and older adults as well. The DVDs can range from 1 mile up to 5 miles and come with chapters so you can do all the miles or chose to do only a few.

What the workouts consists of is marching, (walking in place) kicking, side steps, grapevines etc., all to the beat of music. She can make you work up a sweat with a 10 minute mile to some kick butt fast paced music. Leslie has even incorporated strength training in her workouts to help you build muscle with rubber resistance training. (OMG, please stop thinking that rubber resistance training is training to resist the use of condoms, don‘t make me laugh). You can choose Faith Walks as well with Christian music.

If you are interested in learning more about Leslie Sansone, check out her website. There you can find an array of her workouts and get to play clips from the DVDs, just to see what I am going on about. www.Amazon.com is also a great place to find her DVDs at great prices.

If you would rather walk outdoors, grab Fido or Twinkie, or whatever it is that you have named your pooch and take a walk. Researchers (here we go again with the people that get paid to do the cool jobs) have found that people that walk their dogs 20 minutes a day, lose an average of 14 pounds a year.

So whether you do in home walking or walk your pet (remember he needs exercise too) get up and walk. It is easy, you have already gotten over the learning curve, and one of the cheapest forms of exercise.

TTFN
Diet Diva 4 Life

She Can't Keep a Secret

Ok, I will admit it. I read the Hollywood gossip. I get in the especially long lines at the supermarket so that I can read at least the hottest tidbits from one of the most popular gossip rags ( I wont say the name but it starts with E and rhymes wirer) without having to actually buy the thing. I mean, I can’t buy my favorite cheeses and the gossip magazine as well, the Diet Diva must make sacrifices you know.

Until I go to the supermarket, I get my fix of gossip from the internet. I was reading www.dailymail.co.uk when I happened to stumble upon an article on this year’s Oscar sweetheart Kate Winslet. You remember Kate, the chick from Titanic who threw that diamond into the ocean and Leonardo had the hots for? Well, Kate has finally revealed the secret to her envious figure. She says she owes it all to just “20 minutes of Pilates a day”

When asked, Kate dismissed she engages in grueling exercise or “faddy” diets, she insists that Pilates done in her home to DVDs no less is the culprit for her knock out body.

Did you know that Pilates was developed and inspired by Joseph Pilates, a prisoner of war in the Second World War about 75 years ago? (you guessed that’s why it is called PILATES huh and not named after someone else huh; you are a genius) It is a non strenuous exercise that stretches the muscles of the body to make them more long and lean. I like it because what other exercise can you do that consist mostly of lying on your back? (come on, get your filthy mind out of the gutter for a few minutes please) Rather than building up muscle, Pilates is most effective at toning the muscles of the buttocks, stomach and thighs, the plight of most women alive.

If you live under a rock in some undiscovered country, and have never even heard of Pilates and want to discover what Pilates is all about, I suggest that you first pick up a DVD and check it out. There are tons of DVDs available on this exercise. There also may be some community centers in your neck of the woods that offer low cost classes, look into those options as well.

So if you are looking for a new change in your exercise routine, give Pilates a try, you just may like it. It will not result in bulky muscles, but will have you on the road to a long, sleek toned look and you may just be a rival for Kate.

What else do you have to do in 20 minutes?

TTFN
Diet Diva 4 Life

Pssst...Diaries Are Not Just for Your Dirty Little Secrets

Hello Diet Divas,
One of the most successful tips for getting and staying healthy is to maintain a food and activity diary. I mean, most of us, at least those of us who want to look like we are organized, keep a schedule of the things we plan to do either on a daily, weekly or monthly in some sort of organizer (there are some anal retentive Divas that do it on an hourly basis…bless you if you can do this and may I add, you need to see a professional for this sickness)

Write down the foods you eat or plan to eat, the activity you plan to do (walking, running, which DVD workout, etc) and how much of it you will do as well as the goals you plan on reaching for that day, week or month.

If you do this on a daily basis, make sure you do it the night before, this way the next morning you will know exactly what your meals and activities are. If you think that doing it a week at a time is your choice, then I suggest that you draft your schedule every Sunday night.

Now, please don’t write down what you know that you can never accomplish, that is setting yourself up for failure right from the start. Your behavioral goals should be simple and something that can be accomplished with few major changes in your life; example- cutting out excessive use of salt or sugar, or whatever behavior you want to change to make your life a more healthy one. Small changes can lead to bigger changes later on. Write it down and make it happen! (kinda like the movie, Field of Dreams..build it and they will come)

Remember to list EVERYTHING you eat, even snacks (don't try to lie and say you don't have the snacks Diet Divas, you know you do and you have to list them.) At the end of he week, sit down and review the past week. You may be surprised at the stuff you consume and the foods you can eliminate from your diet. I betcha didn't know that by cutting just 100 calories per day from your diet, you can lose ten (10) pounds a year. Yes, this is true.

So Diet Divas, in addition to keeping your diaries of “dirty little secrets,” keep a FOOD and ACTIVIY DIARY as well, believe me, this is one diary you won’t mind if it falls into the wrong hands or your mother reading if she happens to be spending her vacation with you and decides she wants to give your bedroom a quick cleaning (can someone please tell me why moms feel the need to still use that cleaning line? We all know they simply want to snoop)

If any of the Diet Divas out there do this already please give me some feedback, if you plan on doing it or have any other suggestions to add, give me feedback as well, I welcome it.

TTFN (TA TA FOR NOW)
Diet Diva 4 Life