- if you eat a huge amount of food, work it off and walk it off, walk around the block

- It would take 27 minutes of walking to burn the 97 calories in an 8-ounce serving of cola. A really fast mile would burn 125 calories

-stay active -- not just busy -- over the holidays. And don't deprive yourself, just use moderation.

Read the full article.

• Don't wear elastic pants - especially at holiday parties. lol
• Chew sugar-free gum or mints at all get-togethers so you won't overeat.
• Limit or avoid alcohol.
• Don't miss workouts during the holiday season.
• Eat BEFORE you go to parties, so you won't be hungry.
• Eat sitting down, and eat slowly.

More tips and source of tips here

The Renee household has a new member...

...the actual fight is what name to go with. One person says Binky. One person says Kodi/Cody. Here's a brief reason why each name was picked:

Binky, a pretenious snooty name from years ago, as the kitten is extremely cute and royal looking, it seems to fit her.

Kodi/Cody, as in Kodiak bear. From the back she looks like a tiny bear running across the room. She's extremely fluffy and stout.

Right now she responds to neither name and would much rather climb onto your chest to get a whiff of whatever it is you are eating, so now is the perfect time to name her.

So please help us name this kitty!

You my friend are a freak of nature and if you aren't a professional athlete or an Olymic hopeful, I've never met you. However, in the sake of fairness and equality, let's see how you can improve...heh...as if you have to.

It may be time to change from viewing it as exercise and look at how you can improve your overall fitness.

If your main goal is no longer weight loss, revamp them. Maybe you want to do a marathon, hike a mountain, swim a personal best. That's how you keep your motivation mojo going.

You have now entered a stage of fitness that is beyond the 3x a week at the gym, which may also mean you are shelling out more money to invest in better equipment or hiring a personal trainer or attending classes to prepare your body for it's next big event.

You will also tax your body more than before. That simple 1 mile run every few days will have to drastically increase if you want to run a marathon. You'll also have to incorporate various forms of cardio to keep your body conditioned all the while balancing what you are doing so you don't overstress your body.

Lastly, nutrition, more than likely weight will no longer be an issue for you, but for peak performance, you will have to eat to suit your goals. Whether it's protein rich because you want to win a weight lifting competition or carb rich because you are running a 26 mile marathon, eat clean, fuel your body and above all, have fun!

You my friend are the type of person who has pretty much made exercise a part of your life. You walk around the block, play a few games of golf or even participate in a 5k. All for FUN!

Yet you still feel the need to kick things up. Perhaps your current routine has you hovering in the same weight and already being active, you are open to doing more.

Here's sneaky trick, want to get all five sessions in a week? Plan to do seven. That's right. More likely than not, you'll "miss" one or two workouts and wham, you still got your five sessions done.

As for food, aim for 30% protein + 30% fat + 40% carbs which will = a well balanced diet.

Obviously Eat your fruits and veggies and avoid foods that contain calories and no nutritional value, such as chips, soda and candy. And just because you are working out like a fiend, doesn't mean your mouth has to work out with the same intensity. You'll have to run 1 mile to burn off 100 calories, so that snickers bar that's tempting you right now…is it really worth 2.73 miles?

Not big on exercise. At all. You rather lay in bed and stare at the ceiling or watch infomercials of other people sweating. So how do you get started?

First step, get a check up with your doctor. Then, if it's in your budget, check in with a personal trainer. Most gyms give you the first consultation free. Use it to your advantage. What you want to do is get them to come up with a fitness plan that matches your lifestyle. Sure your read you burn more calories in the early morning, but if the reality is you hit snooze 5 times a morning, time to get a new mindset.

Now you don't have to go it alone. Matter of fact, buddying up may even make exercising feel less like work. Got a dog? Take them for a slow stroll, then a brisk walk and even quick run around the park as you both get fitter. It won't feel like exercise and your 4-legged friend will always be a gentle reminder it's time to lace up the Keds.

Lastly, get a handle on nutrition. Talking to a nutritionist is a good move, especially if all the latest fad diet news that came about in the last 5 years has done nothing more than to have your head spinning.

After about 2-3 months of consistent working out, where it now feels stranger to miss be active, devote some time to modifying your eating. It doesn't have to be drastic, no cutting out of entire food groups. Just reign in your caloric intake, drink lots of water and have treats in modification. In coming months, a few posts will be devoted solely to nutritious eating.

Tomorrow: Tips and advice for those in the Intermediate Family

This week we'll take a look at the 3 stages of fitness and ways you can get your exercise on no matter what level. We'll end the week with some timely tips for working out in the cold weather. What? Now that it's 30 degrees you thought the calories you burned bundled under the fleece sheets amounted to something? :p

Tomorrow we tackle the beginners

But some people complain to the paper that they can’t do all of that so they don’t lose weight. Well, duh.

“You watch it because you want to know the secret. But the reality is, you can’t. So why bother? Everybody in the real world seems to have the same consensus: nobody has that much time to dedicate to losing weight,” Renee Peters says. She’s the host of a discussion board called the Fatfighters, and says, “I find myself in the beginning of every season raring to go. But then they’ve lost 70 pounds and I’ve only lost 5 in the same time frame, and I find myself eating ice cream.”

Watching TV and eating ice cream instead of exercising, or a reality TV show: I wonder which one is actually to blame for her lack of weight loss.

For the record, I don't need an excuse to eat ice cream. It just makes watching people exercise that much more exciting. Plus I didn't "blame" the show for my lack of weight loss, but now that Andy Dehnart wants me to assign blame, fine. I blame him!

Story here. Granted I wish they'd link to the blog or used the URL in the name, beggars can't be choosers right? ;)

acaloriecounter.com has taken the USDA National Nutrient Database and made it available in the quickest, easiest and most usable format it has ever been in before. A search of any food instantly brings up the full nutrition facts for that food such as calories, protein, carbs, fat, sodium, cholesterol, vitamins and much more.

But it's more than caloric information.

It's a fairly new site, so go on in and kick the tires a bit ;)

Do you want to make healthy choices in 2008? This colorful wall calendar includes spaces to write down nutrition and physical activity goals each month, like “cut down on portion sizes” or “take a walk with the family after dinner.” Check the “active today” circle when you are physically active and use the charts in the back of the calendar to keep track of your weight, blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar.

Enjoy heart healthy recipes such as New Potato Salad — onions and spices give this low-sodium dish plenty of zip. So start the new year by making a plan to eat healthy, aim for a healthy weight, and be physically active!

Apply now to participate in the American Heart Association’s 2008 Start! Challenge!

We’re selecting four to seven men and women over age 30 from across the country who will be profiled on our Web site and in the media. Finalists will follow a healthy eating and exercise plan then record their experiences through an online blog.

One (1) Grand Prize winner will receive an all-expense trip to Washington, D.C. for Lobby Day, media recognition and more! We hope that by following our challenges, Americans will be inspired to Start! a healthy lifestyle of their own.

Find more information and apply to be a Start! Challenge Finalist. All applications and photos are due by Thursday, Oct. 4, 2007.

Check out the Good Food Fight online game. It's a game specially designed as a unique way to raise awareness of the types of healthy recipes featured on EatBetterAmerica.com. So not only do you stay sticky-free playing a virtual game, it's also calorie free ;)

Have fun!