You’re not alone. Eating when we are tired is one of the biggest derailers of diets and weight loss efforts. You can stay as strong as you want all morning, but by the afternoon…well, it’s a different story. Read my article on Suite101.com for some solutions that might very well help you over the hump—and keep those pounds falling off.

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Weight loss is a challenge. But here are a few simple tricks that will help you on your road to weight loss success. They are simple, free and most of all – painless.

(continue reading at Suite101.com)

Every January begins the same: You vow to eat better, exercise and become healthier and fitter. A few months later you read an article on “bikini bodies by June” and wonder, “What happened to those vows?”

You are not alone. 60 percent of people drop their fitness resolutions within six months of making them. This year, be one of the 40 percent who succeeds. With these 11 steps, it’s easier than you imagine.

1. Consistency. Make exercise a part of your life. It doesn’t matter what it is or how much, just move your body. Be consistent. Small moves add up and make a difference if performed regularly. No one mastered anything by doing it only occasionally.

2. Fit exercise into your life, not vice versa. A little here, a little there is better than nothing at all. Try to increase your daily physical activity. Take the stairs, park farther away, bring groceries in one bag at a time, pace while you talk on the phone, or conduct meetings standing up. The more you move throughout your day, the more calories you burn.

3. Play. Your child can ride his or her bike or scooter while you run or walk briskly. Throw a ball around together. Hula hoop. Play tag, swim or dance. Make fitness a family affair and everyone benefits, both physically and emotionally.

4. Gather with friends. Instead of meeting at the local coffee house, grab your friends and walk. Go on bike rides together, hike the hills or dance the evening away. There is strength in numbers.

5. Exercise before work or during your lunch hour. Morning and lunch hours at gyms are usually less crowded. Pick a gym close to work so you can shower and head straight (or back) to the office. Exercising earlier in the day can boost your success rate, too, as unscheduled events tend to disrupt evening workout plans.

6. Make workouts shorter but harder. You can make changes to your body and health in a short amount of time, especially if you put some effort into it. Instead of
resting between sets, alternate between exercises or circuit train. Work each muscle until it fatigues and train several muscle groups simultaneously. Keep the intensity high when time is premium.

7. Use your heart. Add some heart rate raising elements to your strength-training program. Perform jumping jacks, skips or shuffles between sets, or try bench step-ups. Keep your heart rate elevated during the standing portions of your workout to maximize calorie burn.

8. Less than an hour? No problem! Block out 30-minutes for exercise most days of the week. Work your core and lower body one day, upper body the next, cardiovascular system the following. You will be surprised at how much you can accomplish with a minimal investment of time. Find the hour of day that works best for you and be consistent.

9. Do it with love. Indoor cycling? Martial arts? Tennis? Boot camp? Aquatic fitness? Find a form of exercise that really appeals to you. If you anticipate the workout, you are more likely to stay true to it in the long run.

10. Fake it ‘til you feel it. Instead of considering exercise punishment, treat is as, well, a treat. Look forward to your workouts — they are a break from your stressful day. They boost your mood, give you time for yourself (or to socialize with other likeminded individuals) and help you feel energized. Tell yourself how much you are looking forward to your sessions. Pretty soon you will believe it.

11. Consistency. A typo that consistency is repeated twice? No, because consistency is the key. Once you begin to skip workouts, return to elevators instead of stairs and no longer walk the kids to school, the days turn into weeks, the weeks turn into months and the months turn into years – years of doing nothing. Do something as many days of the week as you can, even if it’s only 10 or 15 minutes. Day after day of some form of exercise will reap rewards, but day after day of nothing will not. It doesn’t have to be long, it doesn’t have to be that hard, but it has to be regular.

About your resolution? You, and only you, have the power to make this year’s resolution stick. Do it. And have a fitter 2008.

Not much happening in the metabolism department? Need a change to get things going? Here are eight (nearly) painless ways to stoke your metabolic fire.

Continue reading at LA’s the Place….

You exercise sporadically. You eat about the same as you always have. Then one day you can’t button your pants. What gives?

Hormonal changes and loss of lean body mass (muscle) contribute to this waist creep – the expansion of our waistlines we tend to experience as we approach, and pass, our 40s.

On average, women lose five pounds of muscle per decade after 18 years of age. If we continue to eat as we did when we were younger, the issue of calories in versus calories out comes strongly into play. But keeping the creep at bay is easier than you think.

BLAST THE FAT
We know it. We’ve heard it. We’ve read it. But we are so busy with our careers, our lives and our families that we don’t want to admit it. There is no “magic pill” for losing weight and staying, or getting, into good physical shape. The bottom line is we have to eat healthy….and sweat more.

Food: Simply put, we need to eat a variety of fruits and vegetables; consume whole grains and high-fiber foods; limit saturated and trans fats; cut down on sugars and simple carbohydrates; and limit alcohol. Controlling portion sizes is key, too. Don’t deprive yourself of what you want. Eat healthy – most of the time. And indulge – a little. It’s all about balance.

Exercise: 30 minutes most days of the week is recommended for general health. But to keep our lean mass up and our body fat percentage down we need to add just a little more effort.

Fidget
According to Len Kravitz, M.A., Ph.D., program coordinator of exercise science and a researcher at the University of New Mexico, people who fidget burn an additional 352 calories per day than people who do not fidget. Those extra 352 calories can add up to a yearly net loss of about 36 pounds! So fidget, take the stairs, park farther away, pace while talking on the phone, walk to a colleague’s desk, conduct meetings standing up or walking around, dance, exercise while watching TV, make housework brisk, walk the kids to school, garden…be as “inefficient” as possible, making as many trips and taking as many steps as you can.

Structured exercise
BREAK IT UP
Rise 20 minutes earlier to fit in some strength training and core work. Then break up your 30 minute “most days of the week” cardio into 10- or 15-minute increments throughout the day, or however it fits into your life. Your goal is to reach 200-300 minutes of cardiovascular exercise per week. Write down how much you exercised each day in a cheap calendar or a journal, then total the week. Keep adding to it until you’ve reached your 300 minutes – and exercise has become a way of life.

GET THE COMBO
Use large muscle groups. Combine movements. Pushups work wonders for the upper body. Or try a stability ball “wall squat” with bicep curl. Use as many muscles as possible within each exercise. Now’s the time to be creative.

CRANK THE INTENSITY
Less time means higher intensity. Work each muscle until fatigue with a weight you can lift at least eight times but no more than 15. Experiment with a circuit. Add intervals to some of your cardio.

BURST FORTH
Between exercises, add a jump, a jack or a shuffle. Not only does this raise your heart rate and increase total calorie burn, but it also adds bone-protecting impact to your workouts.

SWITCH IT
Our bodies need variety to see results, and as we grow older we are more susceptible to overuse injuries. So protect your joints and muscles, and challenge your body, by shaking things up.

Your body is an amazing machine. Take care of it and it will take care of you.