My Fitness & Diet Routine, Tips & Tricks

It might sound a bit cliche, but when the new year rolls around, I always ramp up my exercise routine and start watching my calorie intake again. I usually get sidetracked around Halloween when there's tons of chocolate lying around and then comes Thanksgiving and Christmas and at that point, I figure, "why bother?" I might as well just indulge! But I've probably gained close to 10 pounds since October and my jeans aren't buttoning so well (leggings it is!). So...I recently purchased some new fitness equipment and figured I'd share that with you guys as well as talk about the things I've been using that work for me. Let's take a look!

My Exercise Gear: 
Confession time...I hate to work out. I'm a total lazy bones so I try to find things I can do at home while I'm watching T.V. I used to have a gym membership, but it's not practical at the moment since I have a 2 year old to care for all day. Once he's in school, I'll probably go back, but for now I need equipment and routines I can do at home while he's playing next to me.

Fitbit Flex

Fitbit Flex- I got a Fitbit Flex last year ($99.99 at Target). I wanted to make sure I was getting in the recommended 10,000 steps a day and it really motivates me to walk more. It's almost like a game I play with myself to see if I can get to 10,000 by the end of the night. In the summer, my son and I took walks around the neighborhood and would go to the playground so I would easily get 15-20k steps a day. But now that it's freezing outside, getting to 10k is more of a challenge.

If you're not fond of the rubbery band as a wrist accessory, you can always do what I did and find a bracelet-style holder. There are tons of affordable options on Etsy or there are luxury options such as this double wrap one I got from Tory Burch ($175). You just take the Fitbit out of the rubber wristband and place it inside the metal section of this bracelet. Most people think it's a Tory Burch bracelet but have no idea that my Fitbit is inside!

Tory Burch Fitbit Double Wrap Bracelet

Ok, so don't laugh but I have a Thighmaster! Actually, two of them. Despite being a total 80's fad, these babies really work! I ordered this kit last year ($39.99 at SuzanneSomers.com) and couldn't be happier with it...there's the original Thighmaster which tones your inner thighs and you also get the ButtMaster which tones your outer thighs, hips and butt (like the hip adductor machine at the gym!). These give my legs a major workout and I like to do them while I'm sitting on the couch at night watching TV with my husband. But the best part is, these can also be used to tone your arms. They come with a guide and DVD with instructions on how to work pretty much every part of your body. I especially love using the original thighmaster to tone my triceps since that's a trouble spot for me.  If you don't have a lot of room in your home for equipment, these are a great solution.

Thighmaster

Another great little exercise machine is this Mini Stepper from Sunny Health. I got it at Brookstone about two years ago and it's an amazing workout! Instead of just going straight up and down, the foot pedals go out slightly to each side so it really works your outer thighs (another big trouble spot for me). It also comes with resistance bands so you can get an upper body workout at the same time. I jump on this a few times a day whenever I have 10 minutes and crank out 500 steps. It really adds up over the course of the day and is super easy because I don't have to commit to a long workout. I will say this...if you're not used to a stepper, it's a pretty difficult workout at first. To start with, I could only do about 2 minutes (100 steps) and my legs were on fire! But now, I can do about 1,000 steps at once before I get really tired.

Sunny Health Mini Stepper

I just ordered this InMotion Mini Elliptical with Convertible Pedals from QVC ($121 or $24.20 on 5 Easy Pays) and it's supposed to arrive tomorrow...I can't wait! I've always wanted an elliptical machine like the ones at the gym but we don't really have the space to put a big, bulky piece of equipment (until we finish the basement, that is). This looked like such a cool alternative...not only can you do a standing elliptical workout, but it's also a sitting workout! All you have to do is turn the machine around and the pedals convert, so you can use it as more of an exercise bike. I wish I had it when I was working at a desk job all day...I totally would have used this! From the description, it looks like the pedals are situated in such a way that your knees won't come up too far and hit the underside of the desk, so it's actually made for people to bring to work. Personally, I plan to use it both standing and also sitting on the couch, watching T.V. (are you sensing a theme yet? Haha). There's a great video on the QVC website that shows it in action here. 

InMotion Mini Elliptical

Other Exercises-

In addition to the equipment I have, there are other exercises I like to do throughout the day, whenever I get a few minutes. 

Vacuum Pose- This is a yoga pose that I read about a while ago and what intrigued me was the claim that it can take 1.75 inches off your stomach in only a month. Basically, you pull your stomach in (pretend you're pulling your belly button back toward your spine) exhale all the way, and hold it for 15 seconds. The goal is to do this for 5 minutes a day...it doesn't have to be all at once. I usually do it 4 times in a row (1 minute of exercise plus breaks in between) and break it up over the day. I do it everywhere...waiting on line, sitting on the floor playing with my son, lying in bed, etc. It's so easy and it works miracles! I'm not a fan of crunches (or any other ab exercises for that matter) but this is one I can easily do and you see results quickly. It targets the inner abdominal muscles which can get weak with poor posture and make your stomach look pushed out. Toning this inner muscle won't give you a six pack (you need to train the outer ones for that, and also burn fat with cardio), but this does give your belly a much flatter look because over time, that inner muscle stays pulled in, rather than pushed out. Click here for the How-To. 

Photo Credit: Sheknows.com

Standing Counter Push-ups-  Sometimes when I'm in the kitchen, I'll sneak in a few push ups using the counter. They're a little easier than doing push ups on the floor, but still make my arm muscles sore so I know it's doing something!

Hula Workout- This is another quick little workout for abs that only takes 10 minutes (and it's all standing work...no crunches!) I saw it in Fitness Magazine...click here for the routine.

Claudia Schiffer Perfectly Fit Workouts- When I had more time, I loved these Claudia Schiffer workouts from the 90's. I still have them on VHS, but now they're on YouTube which is much easier! I love that they target either legs, arms or abs so I used to just rotate them throughout the week. They're super effective...your muscles will be sore afterwards! I need to make the time for these again...I miss them:

Perfectly Fit Abs
Perfectly Fit Arms
Perfectly Fit Legs

Diet Tricks

I'll be the first to admit that I'm not the healthiest eater. I love carbs and chocolate and don't plan to give them up! Still, there are little tricks I use to make sure I can eat the things I like and still lose weight.

My fitness Pal- This app for my phone is the biggest lifesaver! I use it to log my food intake throughout the day and it has a barcode scanner so you don't have to search for the food you're eating...just scan it! (Unless of course it's a piece of fruit or something with no barcode). You just plug in details like your current height and weight, plus your goal weight and it calculates your calorie budget for the day. This helped me lose all of my baby weight because it makes you accountable for everything you eat. I would sometimes reach for a cookie and then stop because I don't want to have to enter it into the app and watch my calorie count go up. It really makes you mindful. Also, if you have a FitBit, you can link it to the My Fitness Pal app, and the more steps you take, the more your calorie budget rises! You can see here in this screenshot from today that so far, I've eaten more than half of my 1,200 calorie budget, BUT I earned an additional 263 calories from walking 4,717 steps. By dinnertime, I'll probably have earned another 250 calories or so. It's really motivating to see that your exercise allows you to eat an extra snack or two!

Drinking Water- You probably know that drinking water keeps you hydrated, but did you know that it also helps boost your metabolism? A study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism found that drinking water (about 17oz) increases metabolic rate by 30 percent in healthy men and women. Plus, drinking it before a meal can help you to eat less by making you feel full. 

Scoop out Breads-  A little trick I've been doing for years is to scoop out the inside of bagels and sandwich rolls. I just pick out the squishy centers with my fingers, leaving the outer shell intact (which is my favorite part anyway). This can take a 200 calorie bagel or roll down to 100 calories, but you don't really notice a big difference...it tastes the same and tricks your brain into thinking that you're eating the whole thing. That way, I can have a bagel for breakfast if I'm craving one, or have my turkey sandwich on a roll instead of plain bread without the guilt.

Image Credit- Thesimpletreat.com

I'm a big dessert eater, so I never want to deprive myself of an after-dinner treat. I have a particular weakness for ice cream, and I know that if I sit down with a container of Ben & Jerry's Half Baked I'll eat the whole thing. So I scoop some out into a bowl to limit the amount I eat, or I grab an ice cream bar, such as Good Humor Chocolate Eclair bars (200 calories each).  That way, I can't overdo it!

Finally, I tend to crave food all day long...I'm a total grazer. So I needed to find simple snacks that satisfy my cravings for either sweet or salty that are low in calories. Some of my favorites are dill pickles, string cheese, yogurt, chocolate rice cakes, and pizzelle cookies.

So that's about it! What are your favorite diet and exercise tips? I'd love to hear about them!