Workouts Do Not Equal Free Eating Pass

It's Friday evening. You just got home from spin class, your fourth one this week. You're starving, and all you can think about is ordering a pizza. You were good all week, right?  What's one night of pizza and junk food? How much could it hurt?

A lot.

Our perceptions of caloric intake/expenditure are often skewed. We tend to downplay the caloric value of food and overestimate how much we've actually burned. This misconception can lead to weight gain or a weight loss stalemate, which results in frustration and diminishes your efforts.

The best defense against this vicious cycle is knowledge. Most food tracking apps and programs will give you the nutritional value of foods, which you should also compare to the food label. It's important that you are utilizing accurate tools to calculate these numbers.

It's also important to remember that all calories are not equal! Attached to those calories are a host of other
nutrients and ingredients that impact your workout and your overall health. The 100 calories in an apple are going to be far better for you than 100 calories worth of cake.

Calculating calorie expenditure can be a bit more tricky. We don't all burn calories at the same rate. But averages are available and are a good way to get a handle on true expenditures. How often have you thought, "I must've burned 1,000 calories in that class/workout!"? The truth is, it's incredibly hard to burn 1,000 calories in 45-60 minutes, unless you are an athlete doing a super-high intensity workout. For example, you'd have to keep a racing pace (20 mph or greater) for one hour in a spin class to break the 1,000-calorie threshold. Chances are, you're somewhere between 500-800 calories burned, even if you are a seasoned spinner. A one-hour Zumba class can burn up to 400 calories, but you're probably somewhere in the 250-300 range.

One slice of pizza, on average, is worth 250-350 calories. 

Will one meal, once a week hurt? Probably not. As a matter of fact, it's probably a good thing to employ the 80/20 rule. It's okay once in a while to indulge. But having a "bad meal" or a "cheat snack" daily because you worked out is a slippery slope, and will kick off a very dangerous fitness glut. Arm yourself with knowledge, make smart choices, and take pride in your efforts to fuel your body with nutrition.

5 Critical Steps to Staying Resolute in the New Year

Day one of your New Year's Resolution is here. You've got determination. Focus. Dedication. Excitement. Enthusiasm. It's going to happen, you're going to be amazing, and nothing is going to stop you.

But do you have a plan? What's going to stop you from slipping back into your old habits by the first week in February, only to panic at the beginning of May because summer is 3 weeks away?

The biggest key to your health and fitness success is planning. A short-term and long-term plan. Goals are awesome, but they will never be realized if you don't plan for them. It's time to go at 2014 like no other year before it. If you want this to be the last battle, you've got to plan for the war.

1. Have a schedule: You must make exercise part of your regular routine. If you don't blow off grocery shopping, paying your bills, or going to work, you can't blow off exercise, either. It needs to be a habit, and it needs to be consistent. If there are days of the week that you know are just too insane, then don't plan to work out that day. But choose the days/times that you know will work, and commit to them. Good intentions don't burn calories.
2. Be realistic and specific: Do not plan to work out twice a day every day if the last time you saw a treadmill or a dumbbell was 5 years ago. Be realistic about the frequency and time of day you plan to exercise. If you're not a morning person, resolving to go to the gym at 5am isn't going to work. Start with 3-4 days/week, 30 to 60 minutes, and work your way up. Know exactly what you're going to do and when. Ask most fitness professionals and/or fitness enthusiasts if they have specific activities set for specific days, and the vast majority will say yes.  If you really love the Wednesday night group fitness class, that that's your plan for Wednesday. Also be sure to have a Plan B. If you hit traffic and can't make the class, that doesn't mean you go home. It means you do something else instead. The same goes for equipment use. If you like to use the elliptical, but they're all taken, then get on a bike or a treadmill. Skipping because you're late or someone else is using your item of choice is nothing but an excuse. 
3. Map your meals: If you're on the go, have a family, work insane hours, etc., eating well can be a challenge. You'll need to map out your meals for the week, even if it means sitting down once a week, listing it out, making food in advance, etc. Not knowing what you're going to eat or even having anything suitable on hand is a surefire way to wind up with take out. 
4. Choose variety: This goes for exercise and healthy eating. You need to keep it fun and different to stay engaged, but also to see the changes in your body. Most plateaus are a result of routine--your body gets used to what you're doing and stops responding. It has to be challenged in order to change. Variety can be hard to figure out when you're new to all this, so just keep trying new things. If you've never taken a spin class before, don't assume you won't get through it. Try. Often we surprise ourselves! The worst that can happen when you try something new is that you don't like it. At least you still got a workout in! 
5. Track your progress: This is not just getting on the scale once a week. Track your steps taken, calories burned, minutes exercised. There's tons of apps and devices out there for you to use.  You need to see your accomplishments outside of pounds shed. You need to see yourself getting stronger, working out longer, working harder. All of this will keep that enthusiasm alive and well. It can even inspire you to set specific fitness goals, such as running a 5k, or doing an obstacle course challenge. You need to see how far you've come in order to keep going. 

May 2014 be your strongest and healthiest year yet!