Get Real About Your Calories………

Last week I posted a bit about the Labor Day weekend, and the loss of my old friend, co-worker and mentor, Bob Considine.  This morning, I found a comment from his niece, Chantal, which made me really happy and reminds me that I never know who’s taking a peak into peaceandfitness.com.  Thanks for leaving a comment, Chantal.  It brought me a little closer to your uncle, this morning, and that is a gift.

Ellen will be back to the gym today, and back on her regular schedule, as will I.  Two weeks from today, September 22, is the party for Charlotte.  They have named her the Regional Winner of the Richard Swanson Award.  For those that are curious, the award was started by Mary Swanson, who created the SilverSneakers program and named her dad, Richard, as her inspiration.  The party will be a light luncheon at the gym at about 12:30 (immediately after my class, which we will end a bit early that day).    All students, friends and family are welcome to come on out.  If you read my blog and live locally, if you are a student in another class, or a friend, you are welcome to come join us and see what 95plus looks like!  For those of you who live a distance, and worked so hard at helping with the voting, I promise that I will bring your awesome energy with me…and I will take some pics of the event.

With only one minute left online, I have to share (because I was asked) my favorite weight loss tip.  GET REAL WITH YOUR CALORIES.  Get a journal (or a scrap of paper, or an app or message pad on your phone) and start writing down your food intake.  Don’t guess.  Look up calorie counts.  If you have to guess, maybe you shouldn’t be eating it…..and don’t overestimate your calorie burn, either.  I jog a mile or 2 in between classes and feel like I am working so hard, sweating my butt off, only to learn I have burned between 100 and 2oo calories per “run.”  We can eat that in no time flat, so don’t let your fitness be a ticket to eating more!  GET REAL WITH YOUR CALORIES and you will start to see that scale moving in the right direction.  Write em down.  Add em up.  Most weight loss programs suggest about 1200 calories a day for women and 16-1800 a day for men.  Of course this is just an approximate.   After a few weeks of trial and error, you will find your own magic number.

Monday.  Always a great day to start anew!  Go get em.