Look in the mirror
Posted by leah on Aug 12, 2008
This week’s tip: Watch yourself in the mirror while you work out. This will help you to see if you are using correct form. If you aren’t sure what the move is supposed to look like, pick up a fitness magazine and compare your form to the models demonstrating the moves.
You don’t have to look like the fitness models (although you might want to) - just make sure your body positions are the same. If the model has his/her knees above her heels, that’s where your knees should be. If the model’s shoulders are down and back, yours should be do.
Go Slow
Posted by leah on Aug 5, 2008
This week’s tip: When lifting weights and doing toning exercises, perform each rep slowly. If you go too fast, you use momentum instead of muscle strength to perform the exercsie, and you put yourself at risk for injuries. Doing the movement slowly, while concentrating on using correct form, is more effective AND it’s safer.
Carry a water bottle
Posted by leah on Jul 29, 2008
To make it easier to remember to drink water throughout the day, try carrying a water bottle with you. I use a refillable bottle that holds a quart of water, so I know that each time I finish it, I’ve had four cups worth of water. If you spend a lot of time in the car, keep your water bottle in your car’s cupholder, and it will always be convenient to sip some water.
Keep a Food Diary
Posted by leah on Jul 22, 2008
A study by Kaiser Permanente, which will be published in the American Journal of Preventative Medicine in August, found that keeping a food diary doubled the amount of weight people lost. So if you need to lose a few pounds, try keeping a diary of everything you eat.
Stay Hydrated With Water
Posted by leah on Jul 15, 2008
This week’s tip: don’t forget to drink water, especially when you are exercising or spending a lot of time outdoors in hot weather. You need to replace all the water you sweat off!
And if you are trying to lose weight, one of the best things about water is that it has zero calories. Forget all the fancy energy drinks and vitamin-enhanced waters - plain old water is so good for you, keeps you hydrated, and helps you maintain a healthy weight. You can always take a vitamin with your glass of water!
Don’t drink soda
Posted by leah on Jul 8, 2008
This week’s tip: don’t drink soda. Sodas have a lot of sugar, and usually don’t have any nutritional value. If you want something carbonated and sweet, try adding just a little juice or a squeeze of lemon to a glass of sparkling water.
Quit eating fast food
Posted by leah on Jul 1, 2008
This week’s tip was inspired by a post on almostfit, How I quit eating fast food. If you want to be healthier, not eating fast food is a good idea. So much of it is fried, covered in high-fat, high-sodium sauces, it tends to come with soda - another thing you might want to consider not consuming - and often, fast food meals have upwards of 1000 calories -that’s a lot for one meal.
Some carbs are good for you
Posted by leah on Jun 24, 2008
This week’s tip: eat healthy carbs
Most people think of white bread, chips, and pasta or sugary treats like cookies when they think of carbs - but there are other carbs, like vegetables, fruit, and whole grains, which are actually really good for you and should be included in your diet.
These healthy carbs provide lots of vitamins, fiber, and antioxidants. Vegetables tend to be very low in calories, fruits are a healthy way to eat something sweet, and the fiber in whole grains may help prevent some cancers. So eat carbs, but choose the healthy ones!
Have a glass of wine
Posted by leah on Jun 17, 2008
This week’s Tuesday tip: Have a glass of wine…but only one. That seems to be the general consensus of studies on the health effects of alcohol. Red wine in particular is supposed to have some powerful antioxidants, and has been linked to lowering the risk of heart disease. Unfortunately, drinking more than a moderate amount of wine (which is 1 4-ounce glass for an average sized woman per day) has more negative effects on health than positive. So sip that one glass slowly and enjoy it!
Exceptions: doctors in the US recommend not drinking *any* alcohol if you are pregnant or trying to become pregnant, or if you have certain health problems (such as addiction, or liver disease) or are taking medications that could be negatively affected by consuming alcohol. Also, obviously don’t drink wine if you are underage or if you are going to be driving a car, because that would be illegal, and getting in trouble with the law is not good for your health. 
If you can’t drink alcohol for religious reasons, because you are underage, or because of a health condition, grape juice also has a lot of antioxidants.
Wear Sunscreen
Posted by leah on Jun 10, 2008
You’ve heard this one before, I’m sure, but it’s worth repreating. Wear sunscreen! It protects your skin from damaging UV rays that can cause skin cancer, age spots, and wrinkles. So wear sunscreen every day!