TIPS AND TRICKS!!!

Last night we had our second meeting and we talked about tips and tricks that help us achieve our weight loss and other goals. We had a great discussion and I think we all learned a lot from each other! Here's the list we came up with:

*Savor your food--put utensils down between bites and when eating, bring utensil to your mouth, not your head to the food
*Always have healthy snacks with you to avoid getting to the starving point
*Stand in mirror and praise yourself--brag about all you achieved that day
*Use a food journal and keep track of your eating
*Do exercises during tv shows and while in line at the grocery store--anytime you could be sitting still--every little bit helps!
*Portion out snacks immediately after buying--cut up fruits and veggies to snack on as well
*Set out almonds in a dish to grab from when passing by
*Before taking another bite, decide if it's because you like the taste or if you're really still hungry.
*Keep water bottle full of ice with you at all times
*Dance and play with your kids whenever possible--they'll love the attention and you'll burn more calories!
*Buy new workout clothes--everyone loves new clothes!
*Reward yourself for short term and long term goals achieved
*Stick to your goal for 21 days--then it will have become a habit!
*Put your exercise clothes on as soon as you roll out of bed--you'll be more inclined to actually exercise then!
*Use salad plates instead of big dinner plates to help with portion control
*View gym time as alone time! Especially if you have little ones! Shower at the gym without little ones interrupting! Sit in the jacuzzi at the gym after a workout
*Plan ahead when going out--decide what you'll eat and bring snacks with you if possible.
*Serve salad before EVERY meal--you'll fill up faster on the healthy stuff!
*Learn serving sizes for foods--check the nutrition label for accurate serving size
*Hunger pangs=your body burning fat!
*Get sleep! You can't do anything if you're too tired!

Here are some websites to help you with calorie counting as well as exercise goals!
*mapyourrun.com
*sparkpeople.com

Come next week for our topic,"Commitment, Desire and the Little Things" by Kelly Sherman!