In keeping with my 2012 Inspirations to eat more "real" foods and less processed stuff, I have to cut my favorite ingredient:  refined sugar.  This is such a struggle for so many of us.  I find that when I truly lay off the sweet stuff I do feel better and, magically, stop craving or wanting it.

Here are a couple of facts to keep in mind:
1.  The Recommended Daily Amount of sugar for the average woman is 5 teaspoons.  That's it.  No more.  

2.  The average US adult consumes 22.2 teaspoons of sugar each day.  That adds up to an extra 355 calories.  Those are empty calories, mind you.  They are good for nothing, add no nutritional value and do nothing good for your body.  I looked for a picture of the mound of sugar which represents how much sugar we eat on a yearly basis.  I've seen that demonstration and have been aghast.  Hopefully, you have seen those too and know what I mean.  

I guess you have discovered my Fit Tip for this Friday is to look at the amount of sugar in your day and put a hold on it.  Here are some of things I try to keep in mind while I try to keep a track of my own sweet tooth.

1.   Eat regular meals with healthy amounts of protein, good carbs and good fat.  You will not be hungry so won't have the urge to snack.  I am by nature a "snacker" so I have to keep this in mind and prepare a real meal BEFORE I start the snack routine.  

2.  Bring your own goodies or appetizers to to parties.  Use sugar alternatives in your treats if you like.  (Stevia, applesauce, bananas, or whatever substitutions you like.)  I think it's always best to actually know WHAT you are eating and can control what's going in.  If  you bring it you know you have something good and healthy to enjoy.

3.  Brush your teeth or chew a piece of gum. That minty taste signals to your brain that the meal is over.  Also, I always hate to ruin that fresh taste once I've done that, and most things taste pretty awful right after you brush your teeth!

4.Drink LOTS of water.  It makes you feel full and helps you flush out the junk.  Sometimes, too, we think we are hungry when we are actually thirsty.  

5.  Do Enjoy treats and treat yourself.  The worst thing you can do is to constantly deprive yourself of something.  I try to make sure it's worth the calories.  For me, a piece of Key Lime Pie is ALWAYS worth the calories.  I haven't had a piece in quite some time . . . 

Remember, the more sugar you eat the more your body will crave it.  Haven't you ever noticed that if you eat something sweet in the mornings as breakfast or snack you seem to crave something sweet all day?  That's just what sugar does, along with many other unhealthy things to  your body!

ALSO, HERE'S MY WEEKLY PET PEEVE

Have you seen this? Taco Bell has a new burrito with beef, cheese AND Flaming Hot Fritos mixed in!  How gross is that? Who would eat this?  500 Calories and 22 grams of fat in this little puppy.  I'm thinking this should be outlawed.

Do you have any food pet peeves?

Any tips on keeping away from sugar? 

I am trying something new this week, and hopefully, will keep it up every week.  So, welcome to FIT TIP FRIDAY where I will post a different FIT TIP to help us all stay motivated, try new things or just learn some new or different ways to add a bit of "health" to your routine.  Even if you think you have heard 'em all before, there just might be some little  nugget that you can take away. . . .

In honor of the first post I thought it fitting to see what tips other healthy bloggers have to offer, so here's what some of them had to say.  Hopefully, something in this list sounds worth giving a try.


BLOGGERS' BEST HEALTH TIPS EVER 

"Eat things that are ingredients, not things that have ingredients." --Dawn Dolobowsky

"You didn't put all that extra weight on overnight, so you aren't going to take it off overnight either. It takes time!" —Michael J Schiemer of My Frugal Fitness

 "Talk to your doctor. That advice is for real. I have restrictions on what types of exercise I can do, so it was an important discussion." —Danielle Liss of Kittenagogo.com

 "Think about health as a journey instead of a destination. You don't magically arrive at "healthy" and then put it out of your mind—it's a daily promise to keep your body and your mind as happy as possible so you can enjoy life as long as possible." --Keelie Sheridan

 "Set a goal, like a 5k, and train for it. Crossing the finish line is symbolic for all you went through to get there!" —Christine Hill O'Sullivan of Average Moms Wear Cape

 "You can't out-train a poor diet—the importance of nutrition for fitness and weight loss cannot be overstated." —Bonnie Lang of BonnieLangFitness

 "From my husband when I was lamenting looking as though I'd never lifted a weight in my life, even though I'd been lifting for years: 'Dude, a calorie isn't a calorie isn't a calorie!' " --Carla Birnberg of MizFit

 "One small change leads to a few small changes. A few small changes lead to many. Many small changes lead to bigger changes. Bigger changes lead to lifestyle changes." —Tara Martin of A Life Changing Journey

 "Do not measure your success by comparing yourself to others, instead concentrate on improving your own personal level of fitness and celebrate the improvements. What really matters is that you are pushing yourself to the best of your ability." —Dawn Smith Shaffer of Dawnie's Life

 "Eat before you're ravenously hungry. It's much harder to make healthy choices when your body is screaming for fast energy NOW!" —Tamara Grand of Fit Knit Chick

 "You don't have to be perfect to succeed. Falling off track for a couple meals or even a couple days is fine once you've made it a lifestyle, not a diet." --Theodora Blanchfield of Losing Weight in the City

 "Eat intuitively, move often, and love thyself." —Katelyn Block of Chef Katelyn

 "Tracking what you eat holds you accountable! It really worked for me!" —Ashley Cornell(credit:  Shape.com)
credit:  www.shape.com/weight-loss/weight-loss-strategies/bloggers-reveal-1-weight-loss-tip-ive-ever-gotten

That's a lot of tips!  Hopefully something speaks to you.  If not, I leave you with one final Friday Fit Tip:

Find a way to MOVE every day AND if it doesn't have a mother, it's not real food!  

Have a great Friday!

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This is definatley a Non-Blog blog and I will tell you why.  I don't just get here and spout out all sorts of blogging stuff to you all.  I have been following lots of fit bloggers lately and I'm not sure where they find the time and energy to post several times a week AND some 2 - 3 times a day!  I'm not sure anyone wants to hear all that much from me, that I have that much to say and that you have that much time to read it all!  So, I try to chat when there's something on my mind, a question I have had or something has come up in a class or an area I have researched.  It's been pretty quiet this week, as you can tell.  

On Monday I was thinking of motivation, which lead me to think about all of the "fit friends" I have and what they do so keep it fresh, tips they follow and what they do to stay fit (other than work their booties off!).  I came across  an article that supports something I do ALL the time (that I always think of as bad) as a habit of fit people.  It's really easy and for all of  you who know me and see me daily can attest - I really do this! (Nevermind that I really DO have "real" clothes in my closet!  Maybe I just want to save them for later. . . 

FIRST TIP OF FIT FOLKS:
PUT ON YOUR WORKOUT CLOTHES!

If you want to establish good habits and really want to be a fit person it all starts with one easy step:  Getting dressed in your workout clothes!  This works for me EVERY day - and especially on those days I'm just not too motivated to really work out.  I know if I put the clothes on at some point during the day they will be put to use.  It is much easier to do your "high kicks" in the kitchen, or work on new exercise moves in front of your family if you are in appropriate exercise clothes.   

I did read that some people actually sleep in their workout clothes.  I don't really practice this one, but I tell you, if I were planning on an early morning run, especially in the dark winter, you bet I'd get to bed in  my workout clothes!  So, if you are an early morning exerciser and the act of actually dressing that early is derailing your exercise, then this tip might just salvage your workout. 

Sometimes life does get in the way and your normal workout routine just cannot happen.  Last week I had jury duty.  I SAT on my bottom from 8:00 am until 5:00 pm when I was gloriously released from duty.  When I got home I was more tired than I would have been had I lead THREE classes in a row!  It would have been so easy to just plop on the couch and continue sitting!  But, I couldn't wait to change into comfortable clothes and once changed I found that a little yoga would really help stretch out all the kinks from so much sitting.  Therefore, by just changing clothes I was motivated to move around and think about my body.  So, even on those days when it's not easy to find the perfect time to work out, when you have the best of intentions but get distracted with carpools, meetings, planning dinner, returning emails, and life in general, try putting on your workout clothes.  I promise it truly helps keep your body and your workout on your mind.  It's an easy first step.For  me, the problem is making myself change into "real" clothes. . . It's pretty bad when I actually DO change and my family asks me if I'm going out somewhere.  I will try to work on that one.


What tips do you have?