You are what you eat and drink

Back in June I wrote a post entitled "Good and Good for You Too" where I talked about how one high calorie desert can totally wipe out the calories that you burned during your workout.

Well, the same thing goes for your choice in beverages. Did you know that 12 oz of Coke has 155 calories and 40 grams of sugar? And one serving (8 oz) of Tropicana "100% Juice" orange juice has 110 calories and 22 grams of sugar. It is recommended that most people not exceed 40 grams of sugar in one whole day!

Your sports drink might not be as bad but still contains unnecessary calories and sugar. One 8 oz serving of Fruit Punch Gatorade has 50 calories and 14 grams of sugar.

This shows that you should not only watch the caloric and sugar intake in your favorite foods, you should also monitor the beverages that you drink. Just ask LenDale White, running back for the Tennessee Titans. White, 24, has often been criticized for being overweight and not in good football shape, however, he arrived at training camp this summer 30 pounds lighter.

How did that happen? Did he hire a personal chef? NO. Did he go on the South Beach Diet? NO. So what did he do?

"I really got to be honest," White said. "It wasn't a lot of major diet changes. (It was) watching what I drink. I was a big Patron consumer. ... That's what it was. I was drinking a lot, drank a lot of alcohol. I cut that out of my diet all the way. I don't drink at all. I cut the drinking, I stopped drinking for six months. It started falling off," White told Fox Sports.

All he did was stop drinking. In case you are wondering, one serving (1.5 fluid ounces) of Parton (that's tequila for those that are not familiar with it) contains 104 calories, according to The Daily Plate. And that's if you drink it straight. Your mixer will have calories and sugar too.

What was his motivation? The Titan's play off loss to The Baltimore Ravens back in January. According to the article, Titan's coaches and management have definitely taken notice.

How many calories are in your favorite drinks? What would happen if you just cut out high calorie beverages?

And what will motivate you to finally make a change?

It's time for a revolution!

Check out the calories in your favorite drinks and tell us what you find.

The Benefits of Swimming

So, if you are wondering why you should bother adding swimming to your regular fitness routine, consider these benefits:

-Like yoga, swimming encourages proper breathing;
-You can maintain a healthy weight by swimming. Swimming burns 3 calories per mile per pound of body weight.
-Do you hate how hot you get when you run or jog? Swimming in cool water helps to regulate your temperature so you don't over heat.
-Swimming involves the use of almost all the muscles required for movement, without the weight of your body pounding on your joints with each move like when you are walking or running. This is why people that suffer from joint problems enjoy swimming so much.
-Did you know that water resistance is greater than air resistance? This means that the muscles have to work harder.
-You will improve muscle strength and endurance as well as cardiovascular fitness while swimming.
-Swimming improves the body’s use of oxygen and increases lung function.

With all of these benefits, why not give it a try? For more benefits and information on swimming, check out the site "Health Benefits of Swimming".

Why do you love to swim?

Good and Good for You Too

Most of us have somehow gotten into the habit of having dessert every night before we go to bed. An entire day of eating right and a good workout can be completed negated with just one slice of cheesecake.

You would have to burn this many additional calories during your workout in order to compensate for these popular desserts:
Betty Crocker Chocolate Fudge Brownie=110 calories (28 gram serving)
Chocolate Cupcake=262 calories
Apple Cobler (1/2 cup serving)=350 calories
Low-Carb Cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory=610 calories

(Wow! 610 calories! How long will you have to run to burn that off tomorrow??)

Personally, I like to eat grapefruit, strawberries, peaches or other good summer fruit for dessert. I go to bed feeling happy that I had dessert and happy that I won't have to work all week to burn it off! What is your favorite healthy dessert?

By the way, I am not suggesting that you give up dessert all together for ever. I pick one day a week to treat myself to a cupcake (my weakness) or chocolate chip muffin. My day is Sunday. Try picking one day for a "real" dessert and it will give you something to look forward to all week.



Instead of sabotaging your hard work, here are some website with dessert ideas that are good and good for you too:
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/237904/12_super_fast_and_healthy_dessert_ideas.html
http://www.sheknows.com/articles/803475.htm
http://family.go.com/food/pkg-healthy-desserts/