Sugar Free Mentos in Mixed Berry: SO DELISH (delicious!!) I can not even stand it! They taste better than the regular Mentos!

Jelly Belly Sugar Free Jelly Beans: they taste good and have great flavor but tend to be a bit more chewy then the real deal but still good.

Rock Star Sugar Free Energy Drink: This one tastes great and is carbonated so you can’t really tell that it is lacking its usual double dose of sugar per serving!

Sugar Free Tooties Pop Miniatures: These are great and just as much fun as eating the full size pop!

Sugar Free York Pepermint Patties: Can ANY pepermint patties taste bad?? God I love these!

Go Lighty Sugar Free Hard Candy: These are great tasting (the whole line of candy) HOWEVER consumer beware that if you have too many the subsitute sugar tends to have a laxative effect!!!

These are just a few of the very good alternatives you can use to help yourself consume less sugar in your diet, obviously anything in moderation helps as well….Try these sugar free treats to see which ones you like! Good Luck!

I am writing to inform everyone that already owns a pair of FitFlops or knows how comfortable they are however they prefer or need a shoe…Fear not…I talked to someone at FitFlops and a shoe is on the horizon!!! I am super excited and I can not wait to get a pair. The “FitFlop Team” told me that the NEW FitFlop Clog and Boot Styles are scheduled to launch this November or December!!! Woo Hoo though I live in a climate where I can wear the FitFlop Styles year round, I still can not wait for a clog style for work!!!

Please watch your nearest Ladies Foot Locker, Macy’s, Victoria’s Secret, Bath and Body Works, and FitFlops.com for the newest styles!!!

Do you wear FitFlops? Let me know what you think or how they have helped you by leaving me a comment!!! I will get back to you soon!

First the Adidas Women’s Megabounce/Running Shoe tops my list. I own 3 pairs of these sneaks and absolutely LOVE them!!! I thought when I was buying the shoes that the “bounce bubbles” were just a sales ploy but after wearing them for a while I realized they only got better with age, more and more comfortable, and are incredibly durable! I have a bad back now and wearing these shoes give me the ability to stand on my feet for 12 hours with out fatiguing my feet, legs, or causing back pain! They are truly amazing! The Adidas Megabounce + Running Shoes are available in men’s too.

The second shoe that takes the cake is the Nike SHOX TURBO+ VI Womens Running Shoes. These offered similar comfort to the adidas bounce but not the same. The Nike SHOX only has the shock absorbers in the heal as oppose to the entire foot. I found the shox feature to be very comfortable and the Nike SHOX feature was great but the Nike SHOX has padding at the ball of the foot which I think will eventually wear out and turn uncomfortable over time.Nike Shox are available in mens too!

The third shoe is the New Balance Zip. This great and comfortable shoe is comparable to the Adidas bounce and is super durable. The zip is extremely stylish with bright colored shock absorbing soles to choose from and is incredibly supportive for all day wear. It is also a light weight shoe that allows your feet to breath by offering a mesh outer foot covering and a super supportive rubber sole. The New Balance Zip is also available in Men’s shoes too.

So if you are looking for an incredibly comfortable fitness shoe that will allow you to last all day on your feet  before and or after your workout, defiantly buy one of these three shoes! You will not be disappointed!

The website is http://caloriecount.about.com/ you will have to create an account so they can track your progress and results.

I have a friend who used this website and he is having amazing results!!! He loved where it showed you how long it would take to get to your target weight, as it keeps you motivated!!! Check it out!!! Let me now how it works for you!!! Good Luck!

I have just tried out the new fitness FitFlop that are available in the U.S for the first time! Here is what I learned: The FitFlop originated in the UK and have been helping people get more of a work out just from walking in them and relief from lower extremities and back pain, all from a FitFlop!!! And when I tried them on, just wearing the FitFlop for 5 minutes I felt the difference!

One FitFlop wearer says: “FitFlop are absolutely incredible shoes. They feel as though they are part of your foot and you forget you have them on. I have degenerative disk disease with multiple herniated disks which causes me much pain and discomfort. I wear FitFlop the entire day and feel better all over by the days end.”

When I wore them I was SHOCKED! They had so much cushion and give. The FitFlop were so much easier on my joints and back and as I have herniated disks in my neck and back that causes me daily pain,  and I too noticed less pain when wearing the FitFlop . They have an amazing foot bed with a spongy sole and a strategically comfortably placed foot strap and thong.

The claim is that FitFlops increase muscle activity in the legs and glutes (butt muscles) so it strengthens your lower extremities for overall better body strength, relief from all over pain and improved balance…not something you get from an average flip flop! Basically you wear the FitFlop as you would any other flip flop or sandal and you get actually get a lower body workout while doing your regular walking, shopping, or household chores…best part? The fitness part of this shoe is backed by tons of research and customer feedback! In addition daily wearers report being able to walk miles in them and after trying them on I truly believe you could indeed walks mile in them as they are  just incredible!!!

Please if you have a free minute go to your local Macy’s and ask the shoe department for the FitFlop and experience the FitFlop for yourself! Try them on (both feet and walk around the store to experience the feel, bounce, and comfort), you too will see what everyone is raving about! Initially I was turned off by the only style that Macy’s carries as its not to my complete taste (at least to the outfits I wear) however the benefits out weigh the styles available. The benefits and wearer feedback behind the FitFlop are astonishing, from a better lower body and improved balance to pain relief! Get you FitFlop NOW!!!

To learn more about FitFlops and to shop for more styles available visit their website by clicking here: The FitFlop. You can buy them at amazon.com where they offer 3 colors or by clicking this link or any of the FitFlop links throughout this post.

If anyone owns FitFlop and wants to share their experiences/feedback with myself and others, I would love to hear it! Just leave a comment for me Thank you!

I recently included a link and an highlights on an article from the book Eat This Not That but I hadn’t actually owned it yet as I had just read an article with a small portion. However I recently went out and bought the book and it is amazing for sure!! What I love about this book is:

• The extensive decoding it does of famous restaurant menus and the REAL meanings of “baked” and “crispy” and how they cook Indian, seafood, Thai food and many more!!!
• Compares multiple meals from famous restaurant’s chains such as Olive Garden, McDonald’s, KFC, Dunkin’ Dounuts, Dairy Queen, Panera Bread and MANY MANY MORE!!!
• Compares popular Halloween, Valentines, Easter candy, traditional holiday meals such as Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter meals.
• Compares daily drinks such as milk, cocktails, beer, smoothies & shacks, coffees, and many more!!!

I really couldn’t believe this book when I bought it. I couldn’t put it down I needed to read ALL of it!!! They have many chapters and they are separated as follows:

• The Introduction has includes the “Top Swaps: The simplest ways to change your body forever”
• Chapter 1: 8 Foods You Should Eat Everyday, Plus 20 to avoid at all costs
• Chapter 2: At Your Favorite Restaurants; the best and worst meals
• Chapter 3: Eat This, Not That Menu Decoder; strategies for eating right at any restaurant
• Chapter 4: On Holidays and Special Occasions; Eat This Not That! holiday survival guide
• Chapter 5: At The Supermarket; Complete Eat This Not That grocery list
• Chapter 6: Drink This, Not That; The ultimate healthy beverage guide
• Chapter 7: What To Eat When…You’re Tired, Stressed, or in the Mood
• Chapter 8: EAT THIS, NOT THAT! for Kids

Did I mention this is the very best book I have ever bought!?! If there is one book you ever have to buy it is this one for sure!!! Check it out here: Eat This Not That: Thousands of Simple Food Swaps That Can Save You 10, 20, 30 Pounds-or More! You will never make a better choice to improve your health, body, and overall well being, as a personal trainer I HIGHLY recommend this book!!!

One of my favorite comparisons is the breakfast eat this not that (as shown below):

Eat This!: Ham, Egg & Cheese English Muffin Sandwich:
310 calories
10 g fat (5 g saturated)

Not That! Multigrain Bagel with Lite Cream Cheese
530 calories
17 g fat

One would assume that the multi grain bagel with LITE cream cheese would be way better than something not “lite” or multi grain, but that is not true, and that is why I love this article cause you learn about the good, the bad, and the evil. I hope you enjoy the article as much as I did! The author of the article also has an ENTIRE book out of simple food swaps that can save you 10, 20, 30 pound or more!!! It is titled Eat This Not That and it can be bought on amazon.com by clicking this link! If you think the article is great you will LOVE the BOOK, check it out!!!

I must say I personally heard excellent things about aquatic aerobics and therapy when I was taking my classes to become a personal trainer and almost pursued the aquatic path. Even after hearing all the hype about aquatic therapies and almost pursing the field myself, I still thought “If the land therapy didn’t work all that great how is a heated pool going to help me?” However after the first day I could feel a little difference! Now that is something to be happy about!

I personally find aquatics beneficial because:

• You have decreased gravity which offers support and resistance to your bodies muscles and joints
• You will target and utilize different muscle groups and improve your strength and balance in the water
• It is challenging as well as relaxing as it eases joint pain and swelling and it increases circulation.

I think mostly anyone with serious injuries like myself, would reap great benefits from aqua/aquatic therapy, as I already feel a bit of improvement. Also a lot of post surgical patients go to aqua therapy due to the inability to do weight baring therapy on land it alleviates the swelling in the joints and improves the circulation of blood in the legs and ankles.

Other patients that will greatly benefit from aqua therapy are:

• Patients with severe muscle loss
• Multiple sclerosis
• Patients who have had strokes
• Parkinson’s Disease
• People with muscular dystrophy
• Arthritic patients
• Military personal suffering severe battle wounds
• Joint replacement patients
• Back injuries
• Neck injuries
• Back surgeries

If you have had any type of joint replacement or strained muscle or muscle injury to your back or body you may want to look in to aquatic therapy vs the land therapy. I am telling you I can feel a difference already after just a few visits vs a year of land therapy! You will not regret trying aquatic therapy!!! If you have tried aqua therapy already message me and let me know how it worked out for you? I would be interested in knowing…Thanks

The headwraps I can live without. However I am sad they didn’t work out for me as I need just that (a real no slip grip) to keep my hair and bangs back during everyday activities. I think they would work great on thick or curly hair…has anyone else tried these with success? I would be curious. I think for now I will just keep using my little clips and goody lobster claws for now

Trampolines. There was a study done that shows jumping on a trampoline big or small for 20 minutes a day helps loosen stubborn fatty deposits and fat cells and releases them to be burned off as energy!

The Stability/Exercise Ball. You can achieve amazing results using this ball. There are many different ways to tighten and tone not only your behind and thigh but your ENTIRE upper body, core including back and abs, all the way down to your toes. This is one of the best tools to use if you have injuries to your neck or back.

The Bosu Ball Trainer. I have raved about this one before although you can not get a FULL range of motion on it, it is still one of the greatest tools by far for your abs!

Resistance Bands. Also known as therapy bands, and exercise bands. These handy little gadgets come in all shapes and sizes and are one of the best tools for shaping up not bulking up. They offer a great workout with amazing resistance and have the ability to strengthen and define your muscles like you wouldn’t even imagine. These little miracles are over look way too much!

Ankle and Wrist Weights. These babies provide an ample “spruce” to your walking regimen or any body weight exercise.

Jump Ropes…Good ones. A good jump rope offers a great cardio workout while having fun and counting calories!

Yoga/Fitness Mat. If you are going to be using the ball this is a great idea. That way the ball does not slip on other flooring and away from you. It really offers some darn good padding when working out on a hard surface.

A darn good pair of sneakers. This can make a world of difference in your workout and how long you work out. I have bad back and neck injuries due to a car accident and with that said, I find that the adidas Bounce (these come in mens and womens) and the adidas Juxta (adidas megabounce for men , adidas juxta for women) sneakers are just the best sneakers in the world for walking and offering the new support I need! They really do offer bounce and improved stability and are my all time favorite all purpose workout and EVERYDAY sneaker.

Good workout cloths. Loose fitting, sweat soaking, (also known as dry fit), the ability to keep you cool and fresh clothing! You need something you can move easily in, if you cloths are tight fitting it will limit your range of motion resulting in a much poorer workout than you might think. Think loose but fitted, stays close to your body but doesn’t squeeze the life out of you or lift up when your raising your hands: this applies to MEN and WOMEN. Examples:

• Men- shorts that are YOUR SIZE and not 1 size bigger! The same applies to shirts, you want to be able work hard at your workout not trying to move around in the silly cloths. Dry fit clothing from Nike or adidas are always a good idea, who likes to sweat anyway?
• Women- yoga pants, shorts, shirts, and tanks are a great idea for any workout as they are made to stretch and to move around in all sort of positions. Dry fit clothing from Nike, adidas, or Otomix are always a good idea, who likes to sweat anyway?

I hope these tips have helped and I hope you invest in your own home gym containing many of these products! I promise you that I have my very own gym made up of these very products and when used regularly they offer amazing results!!! If you have any questions or comments please feel free to message me by leaving a comment in the “comment box” found on this page. If you adhere to this advice and you have made some great progress I would love to hear that it helped. Happy upcoming bathing suit season and say good bye to that cellulite and fat!!! You CAN do it…