New Year’s Resolution: Don’t Fall for the Monkey Trap

By Bonnie Pfiester, Fitness Trainer

Moving on in many ways means saying goodbye. The problem is, goodbyes are often hard, even when the place we are headed may be a good place to be.

I don’t know why it is so hard to let go of the past, but it is. We prefer the “known” over the unknown I guess. Ironically, we often prefer the known even if the known is not a good place to be.

It may sound crazy, but I believe many of us don’t get to experience a lot of great things in life because we have such a strong grip on the past. This issue can also affect us when attempting to make New Year’s resolutions – especially when it comes to weight loss.

It reminds me the story of the monkey trap. The trap is basically a hollowed out coconut filled with rice. The coconut, which is chained to a stake, has a small hole in it just big enough for the monkey’s hand to go in but too small for his closed fist of rice to come out. Crazy as it seems, the monkey cannot see that freedom without rice is more valuable than being captured with it and is trapped.

Like the monkey, we are often scared of losing something, like a favorite food or a certain lifestyle. While pride may stand in the way for some, others hold on to excuses. Unfortunately, many people simply accept things the way they are as if there were no other choice. In essence, we are no different than the monkey – trapped by our own decisions.

Sometimes we need to take a closer look at what is standing in the way of our success.
What do we have such a tight grip on? What has kept us from making our New Year’s Resolutions stick last year or what prevented us from even making them to begin with? Whatever your answer is, this year is the year to let go so you can move on.

~Bonnie

Bonnie Pfiester is a Personal Trainer, wife to the famous fitness trainer Steve Pfiester of the reality TV show “Fat March”, and owner of the women’s health club Longevity Fitness.

You can enjoy more of Bonnie’s fitness and beauty articles at www.BonniePfiester.com or here at the kitchen table by visiting the Bonnie Pfiester page.

You are invited to leave your fitness and sports nutrition questions in the comments below for Bonnie to briefly answer or write about in future articles.

©KitchenTableMedicine.com, LLC ™

How to Enjoy Holiday Treats without Fattening Up

By Bonnie Pfiester, Fitness Trainer

Everyone knows it’s easy to gain weight over the Holidays. Christmas parties and yummy treats seem to replace exercise and healthy food. Once high calorie foods are in our view it’s hard to get them out of our head.

Although most people admit going off their diet this time of year, we still act shocked at how fat we feel by New Year’s Day. Did we really eat that much?

Over the years researchers have found we don’t gain quite as much weight during the Holidays as we once thought, but we do gain some weight. I feel like I already gained 10lbs just from Thanksgiving alone. There’s no wonder we end the season feeling like a fat Santa.

First, our bellies stay stuffed. Family and social gatherings are always centered on enormous feasts, making overeating a trend of the season. It’s as if we’ll never be able to eat again. Interestingly enough, no matter how disgusting or fat we feel after pigging out we often repeat our actions the very next day.

Another reason we gain weight is because we snack more. Between large feasts and fancy parties are delicious sweets. Chocolate covered pretzels, fudge, fruit cake, Christmas cookies – you name it, they are all floating around every office in the country. Of course we’re going to eat it! We don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings right?

The next explanation for fattening up over the Holidays is because we drink more calories like eggnog, cider and hot chocolate. Alcoholic beverages replace water. All the sudden you’ve added several hundred calories to your day in just beverages alone.

Lastly we feel fat because we don’t workout as much. If we could just burn as many calories running errands as we do running miles we’d be set.

Unfortunately we trade workouts for shopping and our neglected muscles begin to feel mushy. In the end we feel like Santa looks – no wonder gyms are so busy each New Year!

So how can we survive the Holidays?

We have to make time to work out so we can “afford” to eat the extras if we want them. Doing more cardio makes room for more calories and lifting weights helps you to feel nice and firm instead of fat and flabby.

The Holidays are hard for all of us. As my grandmother once said, “you can’t always change your circumstances, but you can change how you respond to circumstances and that’s what counts.”

Average Calories in Popular Christmas Treats:

• Chocolate Fudge with nuts: 472 calories (1 serving)
• Pumpkin Pie: 340 calories (1 slice)
• Pecan Pie: 503 calories (1 slice)
• One Brownie: 242 calories, (2” square)
• Chocolate Covered Pretzels: 190 (13 pretzels)
• Chocolate Chip Cookie: 210 (1 cookie)
• Eggnog (non-alcoholic): 343 calories (1 cup)
• Apple Cider: 130 calorie (1 cup)
• Nestle Hot Cocoa: 112 calories (1 packet)

Approximate Calories Burned During Activity: (calories vary per individual)

• Walking: 135 calories per hour
• Walking for exercise: 230 calories per hour
• Power Walking: 400 calories per hour
• Jogging: 600 calories per hour
• Yoga: 240 calories per hour
• Aerobics: 400 calories per hour
• Spinning: 440 calories per hour

Bonnie Pfiester is a Personal Trainer, wife to the famous fitness trainer Steve Pfiester of the reality TV show “Fat March”, and owner of the women’s health club Longevity Fitness.

You can enjoy more of Bonnie’s fitness and beauty articles at www.BonniePfiester.com or here at the kitchen table by visiting the Bonnie Pfiester page.

You are invited to leave your fitness and sports nutrition questions in the comments below for Bonnie to briefly answer or write about in future articles.

©KitchenTableMedicine.com, LLC ™

Are You On the Sumo Wrestler Diet?

By Bonnie Pfiester Fitness Trainer

Have you ever wondered what Sumo wrestlers eat to look the way they do? Recently, out of curiosity, I decided to do my own research and I was shocked at my findings. The Sumo diet looked a little too familiar.

First, Sumo wrestlers typically eat only two times a day, skipping breakfast to keep their metabolism low. This is also a common practice in America. Whether it’s a lack of time or appetite, many people skip breakfast. I don’t know about you, but the next time I’m tempted to skip breakfast I’ll picture myself as a Sumo wrestler.

The next rule for the overweight athlete is to nap after eating. Their secret to gaining weight is to sleep for at least 4 hours after each meal. Although most American’s don’t take 4-hour naps, we typically return to our office chair with little activity.

Next on the agenda for a weight gaining diet is to eat socially as much as possible. Believe it or not, according to leading researchers, a meal eaten with others can be at least forty percent larger and have thirty percent more calories and fat. The only way to combat this one is to limit eating while socializing and practice self-control.

Another component to the diet is what a Sumo wrestler drinks. Their drink of choice is beer – and lots of it. Alcohol increases cortisol levels helping wrestlers store more fat around their abdomen. That gives a whole new meaning to the term beer belly.

Finally, the wrestler overeats at night. The traditional meal for a Sumo wrestler is a stew, called Chanko-nabe, which is made up of a meat, rice and vegetables. Surprisingly, the stew is not high in fat. The key to their weight gain is the sheer volume of food they eat.

Once the final meal is eaten, the Sumo wrester hits the sack in order to store as much food as fat instead of storing it in the muscles and organs as nutrients. Similarly, most Americans also eat their largest meal late in the day with little time before going bed. If we don’t go to sleep right away, we do the next best thing which typically includes a couch and a television.

Although this is normally where I would insert a powerful closing statement, I think the Sumo wrestler said it all.

~Bonnie

Bonnie Pfiester is a Personal Trainer, wife to the famous fitness trainer Steve Pfiester of the reality TV show “Fat March”, and owner of the women’s health club Longevity Fitness.

You can enjoy more of Bonnie’s fitness and beauty articles at www.BonniePfiester.com or here at the kitchen table by visiting the Bonnie Pfiester page.

You are invited to leave your fitness and sports nutrition questions in the comments below for Bonnie to briefly answer or write about in future articles.

©KitchenTableMedicine.com, LLC ™

Weight Issues Cause People to Hide

By Bonnie Pfiester, Fitness Trainer

As a fitness professional, I often feel like a Priest at confession. Over the years, I’ve heard it all. As people lose weight they begin confessing past ‘sins’. One of the most popular confessions is what people choose to avoid because of their weight.

Top on everyone’s list is taking family photos. One of the hardest things to do is to get someone who’s lost a lot of weight to come up with a “fat picture”. They all have the same response, “No one wants to get their picture taken when they’re fat.” Unfortunately, once they lose weight, they realize how much of their life was lost to just a memory.

Next on the list are weddings and reunions. Both events offer opportunities to see people you haven’t seen in a long time. If that’s not enough stress, then you add the million photographs to capture the occasion. Before you can even get home to unpack, pictures will be posted online and emailed across the country. Read more

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Make Your Exercise Time Count in 3 Simple Steps

By Bonnie Pfiester, Fitness Trainer

Diet and exercise are not hard but take time. Unfortunately time is not something most people have a lot of.

Ironically, people end up wasting a lot of time because they don’t manage their time wisely.

They spend too much time doing one thing, not enough time doing important things or wasting time doing anything and everything but the right thing. When people feel as though their effort does not match their results, they give up.

I want to encourage you! Here are 3 simple steps to help you make the most of your time.

1. Take more time to eat less. You look like what you eat more than you look like what you do. The catch is eating right takes time. The whole process starts with grocery shopping. If you don’t shop well, you can’t expect to eat well. Then you have to prepare the food and do whatever it takes to make sure you have healthy food with you at all times. Packing lunches and snacks are a vital part of avoiding temptation.

Paying closer attention to calories and portion sizes will also require some time but the payoff is tremendous.

2. Take less time to exercise more. Many people invest a lot of time in what they would call exercise, but is often just increased activity. Although activity is good for your health, it’s not as effective for weight loss.

Many people are just going through the motions and wasting a lot of time doing minimal effort. Really burn some calories by turning a long morning stroll into a purposeful power walk. If you do weights, train at a higher intensity with less rest in between.

You don’t have to spend three hours at the gym everyday. Commit to one powerful hour three to five days a week and make every minute count! The more quality time you invest, the greater the reward.

3. Take the time to make sure you are not wasting time. This is a biggie. People spend a lot of time and energy on things that don’t work. Fad diets, weight loss gimmicks, books and fitness magazines often lead you to believe weight loss can be easy. It’s our human nature to try the easy way first. In the end, we just waste a lot of time trying to avoid the inevitable. Other people struggle because they completely go it alone with no guidance at all.

A person who is basically guessing their way through their fitness program is doomed for failure. Don’t waste your time floundering around aimlessly. Invest a little time initially to be properly guided. Hire a professional if you need to. Diet and fitness does work.

If you take time to understand why and how it works, you’ll be a lot more motivated to apply it to your own life.

~Bonnie
www.LongevityClubs.com

©KitchenTableMedicine.com, LLC ™

Running Pain Free

By Bonnie Pfiester, Fitness Trainer

Some people make running look easy. Who would think such a simple task would be so difficult. I know when I started to run again, I was discouraged to discover just how challenging it was.

Not only was I unable to run very far, everything hurt. My hips hurt, my knees hurt and my pride hurt even more. If I only knew then what I know now, I would’ve prevented injury and progressed at a faster rate.

That’s why Russ Altman, Certified Personal Trainer and Running Boot Camp Coach at Longevity Max Fitness, is passionate about teaching people how to run. “People don’t pay attention to injury warning signs. They continue to run or don’t make modifications,” explains Altman.

One of the common mistakes is increasing mileage to quickly or sporadically. In addition to a good warm-up, Altman suggests only a 10-15% increase in mileage, or time, each week to prevent injury. He also recommends a day of rest between runs to allow your body to recover.

Another common mistake is not having proper footwear. Bill Urban, from the Runner’s Depot, says most people buy their running shoes too small. “When your body heats up your feet swell”, Urban explains. “There should be a full thumbnail length between the toe and the end of the shoe.” Read more

©KitchenTableMedicine.com, LLC ™

One Soda Per Day Can Change Your Waistline

By Bonnie Pfiester Fitness Trainer

America’s obsession with soda has nearly doubled since the early seventies. According to the American Beverage Association, the average American drinks an estimated 54 gallons of soda per year – that’s about 19 ounces of soda per day. The average teenager drinks 31 – 42 ounces of soda a day.

What if I said you could drop 26 pounds if you just drank one less soda a day? It’s true. A regular 20 ounce coke accounts for 250 calories. One coke a day doesn’t sound too bad until you add it up over time and realize it could mean a couple of dress sizes. One soda a day adds up to a whopping 91,000 calories over a year’s time – that’s 26 pounds of fat.

“Liquid candy”, as many dentists call it, often times fall between the cracks when people begin a diet. Sometimes it is more obvious to get rid of unhealthy snacks, like cookies and donuts, and forget about what we drink. The truth is that a small can of coke has more sugar in it than most snacks. Although there are very few of us who would eat 10 teaspoons of sugar, we quickly drink it in just one 12 ounce can of coke.

To help feed America’s infatuation with soda, manufacturers and fast food chains offer more variety and larger sizes than ever before. When coke products first came out, they came in 6 ½ ounce bottles and were considered a treat. Now sodas aren’t special at all but more like a staple in most homes.

Manufactures have kept up with America’s demand for cola. Unfortunately though, more soda means more weight gain. If that wasn’t bad enough, now manufacturers have taken it up a notch introducing a large variety of “energy drinks”. What most people don’t realize is a lot of the “energy” coming from energy drinks comes from high amounts of sugar. Some popular energy drinks contain as much as twenty teaspoons of sugar in one can.

What if you aren’t a coke drinker? You’d be surprised how many calories are in beverages most people would consider healthy. Cranberry juice is just one example of a high-calorie ‘healthy’ pick, having 18 teaspoons of sugar. Other popular juices like orange juice, apple juice and grape juice are actually higher in calories than an equal portion of regular soda.

The bottom line is that you can’t forget how drinks affect your family’s waistline. There is nothing your body wants or needs more than water – especially living in Florida. Water should always be the go-to drink. Not only is it healthier for you, it can actually help improve the way you look.

~Bonnie

Bonnie Pfiester is a Personal Trainer, wife to the famous fitness trainer Steve Pfiester of the reality TV show “Fat March”, and owner of the women’s health club Longevity Fitness.

You can enjoy more of Bonnie’s fitness and beauty articles at www.BonniePfiester.com or here at the kitchen table by visiting the Bonnie Pfiester page.

You are invited to leave your fitness and sports nutrition questions in the comments below for Bonnie to briefly answer or write about in future articles.

©KitchenTableMedicine.com, LLC ™

Make it a “Gym Date”

By Bonnie Pfiester Fitness Trainer

When you think of going on a date, most people think of going to dinner or a movie. Although there are more creative date ideas, food and entertainment tend to top the list.

When I began dating Steve, he worked three jobs and went to school. We had to find time to share with each other. He would go to church with me and I’d go to the gym with him. Since working out was something he did every day, the gym was a big part of our date life – and what a great date idea.

First, a gym date is healthy. As stress continues to inhabit our lifestyles, we need to workout more than ever. Busy schedules leave us very little spare time so a gym date kills two birds with one stone, allowing you to spend more time with the love of your life and take care of yourself too.

Second, a gym date is sexy. Dare I say sexy? There is something attractive about a person who takes care of their body. I’m not talking about beautiful looking people wearing tight fitness clothes. I’m simply talking about the attractiveness of someone who is disciplined. Maybe it would be easier to understand the opposite - laziness is unattractive.

In addition, working out makes you feel attractive too. I know I am the most confident and feel the best about myself when I’m working out the most. This type of confidence greatly affects how someone receives and gives love.

Next, a gym date says “I love and support you”. Everyone needs to exercise, but some people may need it more than the others. When you go to the gym together you are telling your spouse you love and support them. The accountability and support of doing it together can speak volumes.

Another important part of gym dating is making couple time without the kids. Since most clubs offer childcare, parents can spend time together as a couple without the worry of getting a sitter. The time you spend in they gym will make you a better spouse and parent.

Lastly a gym date is very affordable. Monthly dues for the entire month equal what most people spend on one dinner date. In today’s economy, an affordable date is a welcomed. If you think about the number of gym dates you could have in a month’s time compared to the equal cost of other dates, you can see there is a lot of bang for the buck.

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not suggesting you cancel your dinner reservations for Valentines Day so you can hit the gym. What I am suggesting is a gym date is a great date idea with endless benefits.

~Bonnie

Bonnie Pfiester is a Personal Trainer, wife to the famous fitness trainer Steve Pfiester of the reality TV show “Fat March”, and owner of the women’s health club Longevity Fitness.

You can enjoy more of Bonnie’s fitness and beauty articles at www.BonniePfiester.com or here at the kitchen table by visiting the Bonnie Pfiester page.

You are invited to leave your fitness and sports nutrition questions in the comments below for Bonnie to briefly answer or write about in future articles.

©KitchenTableMedicine.com, LLC ™

Why You Should Invest in Fitness

By Bonnie Pfiester Fitness Trainer

When it comes to luxuries, a health club membership is one of the few luxuries that often prove be a good investment. However, a gym membership is commonly one of the first things to go when money gets tight.

Somehow, we justify the need for television and other extras over the need to stay healthy. Don’t get me wrong, if you tried to take my satellite TV away I would put up a pretty good fight too. Interestingly enough, some of the same people crunching numbers to make wise investments are unaware of the return on fitness.

First, healthy people have fewer hospital admissions, shorter hospital stays and lower medical expenses. One of our members recently bragged “I feel great and am taking half of the medication I needed before.” Although most of our members are just excited to feel good again, it’s also financially rewarding.

Second, healthy people have the opportunity to make more money. Fewer medical issues means fewer sick days and more money in your pocket. Not only are you able to work more hours but you become a more valuable employee, increasing job security.

Another plus to being fit is healthy people tend to land more jobs than overweight, out of shape individuals. Employers are more likely to invest in healthy employees merely because they are more likely to be energetic, disciplined and productive.

Next to physical health is the positive affect fitness has to our mental health. Physical activity actually helps manage depression and anxiety. A Harvard study once found that strength training reduced clinical depression symptoms more than counseling.

This is particularly helpful for women since women are the least likely to lift weights and twice as likely to suffer from depression. Mental healthcare cost money, so the more stable we become mentally and emotionally the more money we can save.

Furthermore, exercise builds confidence and increases self esteem, which can have a major impact on someone’s career. People who once lacked the confidence they needed to chase their dreams begin to have more drive than ever. One of our members recently said “I now have the confidence to believe I can accomplish anything I set my mind to.” This newfound confidence can take you places in your career you never thought possible.

Besides all the obvious savings, healthy people save in many other ways. Whether it’s walking 9 holes instead of renting a golf cart or using a city sidewalk instead of taking a cab, healthy people have more options to save money.

So whether you decide to invest in a good pair of tennis shoes or decide to join a gym, investing in fitness is one investment worth making.

~Bonnie

Bonnie Pfiester is a Personal Trainer, wife to the famous fitness trainer Steve Pfiester of the reality TV show “Fat March”, and owner of the women’s health club Longevity Fitness.

You can enjoy more of Bonnie’s fitness and beauty articles at www.BonniePfiester.com or here at the kitchen table by visiting the Bonnie Pfiester page.

You are invited to leave your fitness and sports nutrition questions in the comments below for Bonnie to briefly answer or write about in future articles.

©KitchenTableMedicine.com, LLC ™

Rock It - Pilgrim Style

By Bonnie Pfiester Fitness Trainer

The Pilgrims were on a high-protein, low-carb diet

In 1621, the Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Indians shared an autumn harvest feast known as one of the first Thanksgiving celebrations. I’ve often wondered what was on their menu back then. Something tells me it wasn’t high-calorie stuffing and pumpkin pie.

From what I understand, a person’s social standing determined the food they ate. The best food was placed closest to the most important people at the table. Instead of sampling everything, people just ate what was next to them.

Although the traditional Thanksgiving meal typically includes a big turkey or ham, we eat more side dishes than meat. The seventeenth century meal would have included a lot more protein from meats like deer and wild fowl.

Unlike today’s menu where we have loads of vegetable dishes, veggies weren’t always available to the colonists. Instead of high-calorie casseroles, the side dishes were either fresh or dried, like Indian corn. Since they had no refrigeration, they couldn’t have made my grandmother’s congealed salad either.

Pies were not an option since ovens weren’t even invented. That means no fancy bread or cakes either. As a matter of fact, although the Pilgrims did bring sugar on the Mayflower, the sugar supply had dwindled by that time so it was very unlikely there were many sweets at all.

The colonists cooked more like I do – they used a lot of spices and didn’t use measuring cups. The pilgrims improvised with a lot cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, pepper, and dried fruit in sauces for meats. Maybe that’s where we got the idea to make cranberry sauce.

The big meal was typically eaten at our lunchtime, which they called “noonmeat”. Their supper was a much smaller meal, which is definitely better for the waistline. By eating during the day, the colonists had more time to burn off the extra calories.

Finally, one thing we often forget is that the colonists were more active than we are today. Days consisted of hard labor for all the men, women and children. While the boys were building houses, gathering crops, collecting firewood and hunting food, women were churning butter, making candles, milking goats, washing clothes and cooking.

The colonists didn’t gather their food up in less than one hour at the grocery store. Resting simply wasn’t an option. Preparing the food for the celebration was hard work. No wonder they celebrated when they finally got to eat what they had worked so hard for.

~Bonnie

Bonnie Pfiester is a Personal Trainer, wife to the famous fitness trainer Steve Pfiester of the reality TV show “Fat March”, and owner of the women’s health club Longevity Fitness.

You can enjoy more of Bonnie’s fitness and beauty articles at www.BonniePfiester.com or here at the kitchen table by visiting the Bonnie Pfiester page.

You are invited to leave your fitness and sports nutrition questions in the comments below for Bonnie to briefly answer or write about in future articles.

©KitchenTableMedicine.com, LLC ™

6 Steps to Calorie Counting in Your Kitchen

By Bonnie Pfiester, Fitness Trainer

One of the greatest treasures I received after my grandmother died was her recipe box. Recently, I was thumbing through all the recipes and noticed an odd number written on the top of some of the cards.

All the sudden it hit me, the number reflected the calories for that dish.

One recipe, Salmon-Broccoli Bake, had the numbers “1600” noted at the top of the card. Another recipe for Overnight Coffee Cake had “3700 cal” written in my grandfather’s handwriting.

It’s funny how the smallest thing can bring back certain memories.

Since I was a kid, I remember my grandfather jotting down notes with his unique squiggly handwriting on 3×5 cards in the kitchen. Over time, I watched him weigh food on a small scale and listing numbers as if he was doing some science experiment. Although my grandfather was a professor at Florida State University, I learned his mad science skills were simply being used to manage his waistline.

As I reflect back on those days in my grandparent’s kitchen, I can vividly remember my granddad counting out his favorite rye crackers, making sure to abide by the serving size on the box. He would then add the number to his 3×5 card. After supper he would continue his list of calories for each dish, always keeping a tally for the day.

Once I saw those recipe cards it made me think how we could all learn by his example. Unfortunately, many people don’t know exactly how to count calories. Truth is, besides reading labels and looking up whole foods, I rarely took the time to add up all the ingredients in my own recipes until lately. I discovered tracking calories is easy and rewarding.

Here are a few steps to help you get started.

1. Use a calorie book or an online calorie counter to find the number of calories in your whole food ingredients.

2. Measure ingredients using food scales and/or measuring cups for the most accurate information.

3. Tally the total calories for packaged foods by multiplying the number of servings used in your recipe by the number of calories per serving.

4. Use alternative ingredients for high-calorie items to help save calories in your favorite dish.

5. Add the final list of calories for each ingredient and divide by number of servings to get your final count. For instance, the 3700 calorie Overnight Coffee Cake served 15 people 247 calorie treats.

6. Once you have completed the math, document your answer on your recipe card or book.

If you love to cook but need to watch your waistline, begin counting calories in your favorite dishes today. What you will learn in the process will be more valuable than you could imagine.

~Bonnie

Bonnie Pfiester is a Personal Trainer, wife to the famous fitness trainer Steve Pfiester of the reality TV show “Fat March”, and owner of the women’s health club Longevity Fitness.

You can enjoy more of Bonnie’s fitness and beauty articles at www.BonniePfiester.com or here at the kitchen table by visiting the Bonnie Pfiester page.

You are invited to leave your fitness and sports nutrition questions in the comments below for Bonnie to briefly answer or write about in future articles.

©KitchenTableMedicine.com, LLC ™

Fueling for Fitness

By Bonnie Pfiester, Fitness Trainer

Fueling up for fitness is the key to success.

Choosing the right fuel for a workout depends on the workout you’re fueling up for. It’s like fueling up a car. The fuel used for drag racing is totally different than fuel used for Nascar. Dragsters just need to get to the finish line as fast as possible, which is only about a thousand feet away. Nascar fuel needs to help you go fast, steady and strong so you can go the distance. In many ways the same principles apply to fitness.

Fueling up for fitness and weight loss can be very different. For instance, if you need to make it through an intense workout, like weight training or a boot camp style class, you’ll need something that can power you through your entire workout. Lifting a weight or powering a jump requires blood sugar readily available.

Unfortunately, if you choose the wrong fuel or don’t to fuel up at all you’ll end up broken down on the side of road for sure. Every time someone falls out in boot camp or weight training it’s because someone either didn’t’ eat - or didn’t eat right. A sugary Slim Fast drink or a 100 Calorie breakfast bar won’t last 15 minutes through intense training. That’s like putting dragster fuel in a Nascar. It’s simply not made to go the distance.

A dragster can go through more than twenty gallons of top fuel from warm-up to finish line. The same thing happens when you fuel up with high-processed foods or foods high in sugar– you simply burn through it too quickly. Once your body uses it all up, your blood sugar drops, leaving you dizzy, light-headed and often nauseous.

You need a fuel source that will help you go the distance. Low Glycemic foods like oatmeal, long grain rice, quinoa, squash, nuts and many vegetables take longer for the body to break down, releasing glucose more slowly and steadily. This means a steady and reliable energy source for your workout.

On the other hand, a fat-burning workout doesn’t require the same fuel source for energy. Of matter of fact, you want to force your body to use fat stores for energy instead of food. Since low-impact aerobics, jogging and walking don’t require instant power, you can wait for your body to make the blood sugar needed to keep you moving. Much like a hybrid, you can use stored up energy, or fat stores, for fuel.

When it comes to fueling up for fitness, choosing the right fuel for the right exercise is key to success. Now that you’re all fueled up, like Darrel Waltrip says, “Boogity, boogity, boogity! Let’s go racin’ boys!”

~Bonnie

Bonnie Pfiester is a Personal Trainer, wife to the famous fitness trainer Steve Pfiester of the reality TV show “Fat March”, and owner of the women’s health club Longevity Fitness.

You can enjoy more of Bonnie’s fitness and beauty articles at www.BonniePfiester.com or here at the kitchen table by visiting the Bonnie Pfiester page.

You are invited to leave your fitness and sports nutrition questions in the comments below for Bonnie to briefly answer or write about in future articles.

©KitchenTableMedicine.com, LLC ™

Is Food a Bad “Ex-Lover”?

By Bonnie Pfiester, fitness trainer, and wife of fitness trainer Steve Pfiester, trainer for the reality tv show “Fat March”.

Obesity is so much more than a physical condition.

There are reasons people are overweight, many of which are purely psychological. This became extremely apparent on “Fat March”.

As Steve spent countless hours with the marchers, they had plenty of time to really search their heart for answers. Loralie’s description of her relationship with food was probably the most profound.

“Steve” Loralie said, “Food is like an ex-lover that is just no good for me. Not just any ex, but a really sexy ex. When I think about him (food) all I remember are the good times. I forget how much pain and guilt he would cause. And after an incredible night together full of passion he just leaves you crying on the living room floor in the fetal position full of guilt” “And yet, late at night… I still want him so, so bad”.

Like a real relationship, people often feel trapped in their overweight body. They feel they have no way out and no hope. Many times, like an unhealthy relationship, it just takes support and guidance. Without help it is easy to just give up and give in to simple pleasures that leave you “crying on the living room floor in the fetal position full of guilt”.

Also similar to unhealthy relationship, people can lose self-worth. Food, like an abusive husband, puts you down every time you indulge. Fat can make you feel unworthy and unattractive. Before you know it, you are just trying to accept things the way they are, only to live in a lifestyle that continues to make you miserable.

There is a way out and it starts with making a change. People often fear change because they fear failure. Women may stay in an abusive relationship because they fear failing. Whether it’s the fear of being alone or not being loved again, the fear of the unknown often keeps people in the known, no matter how bad it is.

There is nothing to fear, health and fitness is not a mystery. Fitness loves you more than any great tasting food. It doesn’t lie, it takes care of you, it rewards you - it is tried and true. You are absolutely no exception. It may take time, but most great things take time. The one thing I know for sure is nothing will change without making a change.

~Bonnie

Bonnie Pfiester is a Personal Trainer and owner of the health club Longevity Fitness. You can enjoy more of Bonnie’s fitness and beauty articles at www.BonniePfiester.com .

You are invited to leave your fitness and sports nutrition questions in the comments below for Bonnie to briefly answer or write about in future articles.

©KitchenTableMedicine.com, LLC ™

Weight Loss: Balance Your Dieting Checkbook

By Bonnie Pfiester, Fitness Trainer.

Dieting is all about checks and balances

Have you ever looked at your checking account and been surprised to see the balance was lower than you expected it to be. I think we’ve all been there before. At first you think “there’s no way I spent that much money”. Then as you look further you begin to uncover all the small stuff that created the big problem.

It’s funny how the little stuff adds up quick and the same applies to our diet. It’s all the extras that can get us in trouble. Condiments, salad dressings, snacks, cream and sugar – they add a lot of extra calories to our diet. Unfortunately most people have no idea how many calories they are taking in.

Dieting is all about checks and balances. The only difference is, most of us don’t ‘balance’ our diet account to see where we stand. That habit would never fly when it comes to our money. Most of us can’t afford to just keep writing checks without reconciling our account. The truth is we really can’t afford to ignore how much we eat either. Eventually it will catch up with you.

We can fool our self into thinking we don’t have to count calories, but just because we don’t count them doesn’t mean that they aren’t there. The only difference is no one is there to cut you off once you’ve gone ‘over the limit’ like the bank does when you are in the red.

Managing calories is like writing a budget. It takes a little time in the beginning, but as you begin to journal your food you quickly learn what you can and cannot afford to eat. The good news is, unlike managing your bank account, you don’t have to do it forever. Part of the initial discipline is just a learning process.

You may be a good steward of you money, but are you a good steward over your body? Your body is the most valuable asset you have. Maybe it’s time to do some checks and balances with your health this year.

~Bonnie

Bonnie Pfiester is a Personal Trainer and owner of the health club Longevity Fitness. You can enjoy more of Bonnie’s fitness and beauty articles at www.BonniePfiester.com .

You are invited to leave your fitness and sports nutrition questions in the comments below for Bonnie to briefly answer or write about in future articles.

©KitchenTableMedicine.com, LLC ™

Cellulite Reduction: The Best Treatments

By Bonnie Pfiester, Fitness Trainer.

Someone once asked me if I knew of anything that would help get rid of cellulite.

I am proud to say I do!

My answer isn’t a cream nor is it a complicated surgical procedure. My solution is something that has been around for years – diet and exercise.

Surprised?

You see, I don’t believe the issue is always the lumpy fat we call cellulite, but the problem can be magnified by the result of muscle deterioration. The unfortunate combination can leave skin loose and lumpy.

Let’s look at the facts. Women who do not exercise lose an average of 5 pounds of muscle per decade before menopause and a pound a year thereafter. Since cellulite is more common for women, this causes a couple of problems.

Each pound of lean muscle lost decreases your metabolism, making it easier to gain weight. If you already have a problem with cellulite, the slowing metabolism will only make matters worse. Weight gain causes the cellulite to be more pronounced as the fat cells grow.

If that wasn’t bad enough, the firm muscle that once supported the skin and fat is now shrinking. Lumpy fat cells are growing and smooth firm muscle is withering away. Have I scared you into working out yet?

Let me encourage you. Although diet and exercise may not get rid of all the cellulite in the world, it sure can make a huge difference. A low-calorie diet can reduce and manage overall body fat, affecting the size and visibility of cellulite.

Exercising to preserve or increase lean muscle mass can prevent, and even reverse, a lot of the problems. Building lean muscle not only increases your metabolism to help fight weight gain but it builds firm shapely muscle to support and smooth out our aging skin.

Some may argue, but I have seen too many transformations as a result of diet and exercise that are undeniable proof that it can work. Although diet and exercise may not always get rid of the problem completely, I bet it works ten times better than any cellulite cream on the market!

~Bonnie

Bonnie Pfiester is a Personal Trainer and owner of the health club Longevity Fitness. You can enjoy more of Bonnie’s fitness and beauty articles at www.BonniePfiester.com .

You are invited to leave your fitness and sports nutrition questions in the comments below for Bonnie to briefly answer or write about in future articles.

©KitchenTableMedicine.com, LLC ™

The Adam & Eve Diet Plan

When I consider all the diets on the market, I can’t help but wonder how Adam and Eve ate.

I mean, there was no paparazzi to capture them eating at the trendy “Garden of Eden Café” nor were there tabloids exploiting Eve’s hot body and her latest “In the Garden Workout”.

Diet and exercise as we know it didn’t even exist.

Deep fryers weren’t even invented and the closest thing to fast food was picking an apple off a tree. High calorie foods simply were not as easy to come by and exercise was a just way of life.

No one had to tell Adam and Eve to workout, they got plenty of exercise with their standard daily duties. I bet we’d burn a lot more calories and eat a lot less if we had to live like they did.

With that in mind, I really doubt obesity was much of an issue. Eve couldn’t have just gone to Publix to pick up a few groceries. Collecting food took time and energy. Since there was no refrigeration, it was essential the food was fresh for each meal so the chores were never-ending.

I don’t know about you, but I think God is pretty smart. We humans are the ones who goof everything up. He created a lifestyle complete with everything we need to eat and live healthy.

We are the ones who not only have turned eating into entertainment but we’ve become greedy and impatient. We want to get the most food for the money and there better not be a long wait.

If that was not bad enough, we’ve created a ton of shortcuts in life to actually avoid burning extra calories. We circle parking lots to avoid extended walks and wouldn’t dare get up from the couch to change the channel.

If we were to go on “Adam & Eve’s Diet and Exercise Program”, we’d eat more fresh whole foods, take fewer shortcuts and increase our activity. It all makes since. Like I said, I think God’s smart and His original design was a pretty good one.

~Bonnie

Bonnie Pfiester is a Personal Trainer and owner of the health club Longevity Fitness. You can enjoy more of Bonnie’s fitness and beauty articles at www.BonniePfiester.com

©KitchenTableMedicine.com, LLC ™