WPLR Chaz & AJ this past Monday 1/3/11!

Jodi Fit on Chaz & AJ 1-3-11

I had a blast on WPLR with Chaz & AJ! On Monday January 3rd I was there to talk about getting fit and healthy for 2011.

Here are FOUR resolutions to getting that fit body: But before you do anything, imagine the body you want. Visualize yourself living in that body every day. Soon, with consistency and a few changes, you can reach that goal.

1-Reduce belly fat. How? Get moving! Try to be active for at least 30 minutes, 5 days a week.

2- Eliminate mindless eating. How? Get off that couch, throw away those M&M's and start thinking about what you are eating and why! Eat every 3-4 hours BEFORE you start feeling hungry, and prepare your foods ahead of time so you don't get stuck downing a bag of chips while you're making dinner. Every meal should be healthy with controlled portions of lean protein, veggies and whole grains.

3-Eat fat to lose weight! Check your balance of good fats in your diet. How? Start eating healthy(good) fats to help you lose weight. Increase your unsaturated fats. These are good for you! Omega 3's can be found in almonds, avocadoes, salmon, olive oil to name just a few. These fats help reduce inflammation and help regulate insulin pathways in order to avoid dips and surges in your blood sugar. When blood sugar is low, you crave starches and sugar. This is why it's important to avoid low fat diets. With low fat diets, you end up replacing fat with carbs, and carbs provoke a rise insulin. More insulin leads to hunger. On top of that your body digests carbohydrates faster than fat so you get hungry faster. Adding a healthy fat to breakfast, lunch and dinner actually speeds up weight loss. Fat also helps you feel more satisfied after a meal. So feel free to add some peanut or almond butter to your toast in the morning, some nuts and olive oil to your salad, and salmon at dinner.

4-Focus on health rather the number on the scale! How? Make ONE active change and ONE lifestyle change a week. For example, add 1 piece of fruit or veggie to your meal each day and walk 10 minutes. When you're comfortable, add a small change every week, and soon you will be on your way to a healthier you!

Holiday Tips

• Create a plan ahead of time. Before the holidays sneak up on you, create a plan for incorporating fitness and good nutrition into your daily routine. Evaluate your holiday and then determine how much time you will realistically have available to devote to working out and/or eating healthy meals.
• Schedule your workouts. Mark them on the calendar and set-aside time to complete them. Consider them as important as any other appointment or event you have marked on your calendar.
• When at a party, start by eating some of the healthy offerings. For example, vegetable sticks (without dip), fruit pieces, plain chicken pieces, etc. Then move on to some of the less healthy (but yummy) offerings. You will be less likely to overindulge on these foods if you have already filled-up on some of the healthier items. Yet, you will not feel deprived or unsatisfied.
• Avoid wasting calories on alcoholic beverages. The average alcoholic drink contains 150-200 calories per glass. Indulge in just 2-3 drinks and you’ve drunk the equivalent calories of an entire meal. If you partake in these beverages, choose wisely. For example, instead of having a full glass of wine, try mixing half a glass of wine with sparkling water or with a diet cola. This will help cut your calories in half.
• When shopping, don't search for the closest parking space. Park far away and take advantage of the walk you get.
• Don’t put your fitness goals on hold until the New Year. If you can’t exercise as often during this time period as you normally do, adjust appropriately. Don’t use the excuse that since you don’t have time for your full workout you just won’t workout at all. Instead accept your limited availability and simply reduce the frequency and/or duration of your exercise. It’s much better to cut your fitness time in half than to completely eliminate it.
• On the day of a party, be sure to eat regularly all day long. If the party is in the evening, eat breakfast, lunch and a snack before hand (just as you would on any other day). Once you are at the party, go ahead and indulge in some of the fun, delicious foods. Since you have eaten meals earlier in the day, you probably will find that you aren’t tempted to go overboard and eat everything in sight. However, if you starve all day long attempting to save up all your calories for the party, you will be so famished by the time it begins that it will be difficult not to overeat.
• On days that you really lack motivation or simply do not have time for your complete exercise routine, commit to do just 10 minutes of exercise. You’ll probably end up doing more than that once you get started. Even if you only end up completing 10 minutes, that is still a lot better than zero minutes.
• When presented with a large variety of food options, it’s tempting to want to eat everything. Rather than eating one large slice of chocolate cake or a huge plate of meatballs, select a sampling of bite size pieces of several of the desert or appetizer offerings. This way you get the enjoyment of trying many different foods without overeating.
• Exercise at home. You’ll be more inclined to follow-through on your exercise commitment if you don’t have to drive somewhere to do your workout. Plus, you won’t waste any time on driving, parking, the locker room or waiting to use equipment. Working out at home requires very little equipment (even can be equipment-free) and is quite inexpensive.
• When running errands or shopping, be sure to pack some healthy snacks to have on-hand. Then after you work-up a big appetite, you won’t be tempted to grab something at the mall food court or the fast foo

Shrink your waistline

I hear it from my clients all day long! "How do I get rid of this belly pooch?" or "What can I do about my muffin top?" It seems like most people are looking for a magic pill or exercise to solve this problem once and for all. But, listen up! Not only do you need to do some targeted toning of your abdominal area-you also need to be careful about what you are putting in your tummy.

If you are my client, you already know the importance of fueling yourself with healthy, balanced meals consisting of natural, wholesome foods and smaller portions eaten more frequently throughout the day. The good news is that eliminating refined carbs from your diet will definitely put you on the fast track to a thinner waistline.

You also need to learn to engage the muscles of your abdomen during the every day activities, especially when sitting in front of the computer or driving in the car. When we spend so many hours being sedentary, it's easy to lose the connection to our abdominal muscles, and as a result, they become lazy and loose.

So what can you do? Just become more aware of your posture and breathing. Sit tall no matter where you are-in the car, at work, dinner. Expand abdomen as you inhale. As you exhale, contract your abdominal muscles by gently drawing in your belly button toward your spine. Do this same type of breathing pattern whenever you perform any abdominal workout. The breathing is KEY! Get in touch with those abs, eat healthy, eliminate sugar and refined carbs and watch that waistline get gorgeous and sleek!

WPLR's Chicks that Rock & Sonia Bahgdady

I had a great time signing the 2011 Chicks That Rock Calendar at Chaz & AJ's annual Toys for Tots toy drive. Fans of the station arrived early in the morning until 10am to hear great music, and buy a calendar to have signed by one of the 'Chicks."

You can purchase your Chicks That Rock Calendar from WPLR online or at several locations. All proceeds go to Toys for Tots.

Here, we are pictured with Sonia Bahgdady from WTNH Channel 8 in New Haven.

If you're struggling to zip up those jeans, lift your fork!!

According to Jackie Keller, a Le Cordon Bleu -trained chef and author of Body After Baby, certain foods banish bloat. We all hold water from time to time, so when you know you want or need to have a flatter tummy, try adding these to you healthy eating plan.

1-Dandelion greens- Available at most grocery stores, dandelion greens contain choline, a mineral that helps transport fat and cholesterol from the liver and cleanse the digestive system and help flush fiber. Try it by tossing the greens into your salad!

2-Watermelon-Although you don't hear me mention this fruit to you ever because it has a high water content, watermelon contains significant amount of potassium, which is a natural diuretic. Aim a cup a day if you feel bloated. Try it by blending cubed fruit with water, ice and lime as a refreshing drink.

3-Cucumbers-You have heard me talk about these as a "free' food. This is also is high in water content as well as fiber- one 10 ounce cucumber contains 10 perscent of your daily fiber requirement-cucumbers help flush the digestive system. Try it by squeezing fresh lemon over raw cucumber slices for a simple snack(with protein).

4-Asparagus-This delicious green vegetable, which should already be a clean eating staple in your frig, aids in digestion and also helps detoxify the liver. Try it as a side dish steamed or grilled with dinner or over a salad. YUM!

Jodi On WTNH 8'S Connecticut Style!

This morning at 11:30am est I was on wtnh's Connecticut Style program again! Check it out!