Day 25 of New Year New You!

Welcome to Day 25th and Hump Day Wednesday.  So here we are in the middle of the week, how many of you are looking forward to the weekend?  I know I am, this weekend is my personal date night and I plan on making the breakfast hermits I wrote about last week.  What do you have planned for the weekend? Don't forget to send me your favorite recipe!  If you don't cook you can tell me your favorite restaurant and meal.  I like to go out for dinner sometimes.  :)

Lets get started Day 25 here we go:

Fitness:

Go for a run!  Today is good day to give running another try. Pick a distance or a time and either hop on a treadmill or go outside. Today is actually going to be a pretty nice day 44 degrees and sunny.

So enjoy the opportunity to put one foot in front of the other and just GO!  Even if you only run for 5 minutes... You've done it.

Food:
Healthy Alternative!  Got a craving that just want quit?  Can you find a healthy alternative to that desire.  Did you know swapping out some fav's can save you LOTS of calories and you know what that means.

Here are some suggestions:

Instead of chocolate, try carob. Chocolate is first on the list because it's first on most 

people's list of guilty pleasures. I'm not here to tell you to do away with anything forever, moderation is key to lasting health.  It's not that carob is superior nutritiously, but it has a couple things going 

for it: Carob has 51 calories per ounce to cocoa powders 98. But even more significant is that 

carob is naturally sweeter than (or, perhaps more accurately, not as bitter as) chocolate, so you don't have to use as much sugar with it in recipes. 

Instead of a full-fat creamer, go nonfat. It won't take long for you to get acclimated to the non-fat version.  If you have a couple cups of coffee a day those calories can add up. 

Popcorn instead of Chips!  Looking for a something salty and crunchy... popcorn is a much better choice.  Popcorn has about 30 calories compared to 140 calories in a ounce of tortilla chips.  And who just eat 1 ounce of chips!  I mean really. 

Sack the soda and try sparkling water. I know, you're thinking... water? But if you 

spike it with a few twists of lemon or lime it becomes a flavorful drink.  . Besides saving 

calories, you also avoid some of the other soda ingredients (sugar, phosphoric acid, potassium benzoate) that may cause long-term health issues. 

Self Growth:
Way to go!  Today is a great day to give yourself a compliment. Write it down, post it on your desk, on your computer and enjoy.  Everyone likes compliments so why not give one to yourself.  Hey who's better to recognize your achievements the person accomplishing them.  :)

Until tomorrow,

Taj

photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/johnloo/606739059/sizes/s/in/photostream/