#TuesdayTip National Bagel Day

Oooh, bagels. Those crusty, chewy, tasty treats! I’ve been watching my carbs because I do see a difference in my body when I eat them, but today I made an exception since it’s NATIONAL BAGEL DAY! Happiness.

So how can you have bagels more often if you are trying to be healthier. This Tuesday I have some tips for you.

Ever wonder how bagels are made? Click here to check out this cool movie about Brooklyn Bagels or watch it below!

January 5, 2016July 14, 2023

#TuesdayTip Mindful Eating #Fitness #Lifestyle #Healthy

Like so many people, I make New Year’s resolutions. This year I want to refocus on my writing, get more organized, lose another 35 pounds and be healthier in general. Big goals and sometimes they seem scary, but then again, there’s that old adage: Those who fail to plan, plan to fail.

So I wrote down some goals for when I want some new books to be out and plans with friends. I’ve been slowly emptying closets and cleaning up in my home office. As for continuing to lose weight and being healthier, I’m eating better and working out, but to not have the yo yo effect I’ve had in the past, I’m trying to find ways that this new me is the future me. That means having sound eating habits and not relying on food as a crutch the way I have.

I’ve acknowledged that. Since college and immediately thereafter, food has been the go to thing when I get stressed out or unhappy or to celebrate. I need to change that emotional connection to eating to break a cycle I’ve repeated all too often.

I’ve been reading more about diet and incorporating healthier foods and I signed up for a course at Rodale U. The course is on mindful eating and so far, the course has made me more conscious of what I’m doing with my eating and food choices. If you’re one of the first subscribers to the course, it’s free with the coupon code MINDFUL. You can click here to sign up for the Take Control Rodale U course! Remember the coupon code is MINDFUL.

Mindfulness is actually a thing I’ve been focusing on in general. Thinking about body and breath connections when working out or doing yoga. Being in the now instead of dwelling on the past or worrying about the future. I’ll share more about that in the future! For now, here are some quick tips for mindful eating:

Why are you eating the food? Is it because you’re hungry or for some other reason? If you’re not sure, ask yourself: Would you eat a regular meal right now instead of chips/chocolate/cookies?

Write down what you are eating! Keeping a food journal is a good way of tracking what you are eating and when. Are there patterns to your eating? Do you eat late at night? If you’re using an activity tracker, like Fitbit, there are journal capabilities in their app. I’ve mentioned Wellcoin in the past to journal, but also get rewards and prizes. I just won a $10 Amazon Gift Card there. Other food journal apps you can check out are Lose It and My Fitness Pal. There is also the grandmama of all fitness plans Weight Watchers.

I’d love to hear what some of your resolutions are and how they are going!

December 15, 2015

Christmas Cookie Countdown & How to make them healthier #TuesdayTip #HealthyLiving #Recipe

I’m not really a baker, but I love cookies and cakes! Especially cookies. This time of year is both glorious and difficult since I’m sticking to my goal of eating healthier, but those Christmas cookies and treats are so so tempting.

Today’s tip is simple: A link to the awesome Betty Crocker Christmas Cookie Countdown. If you can’t find a cookie that you’ll like on there . . . Well, I don’t know what to say to that.

As for me, I’ll try a couple of these when I have more time and I think I’ll try making some of them healthier with some substitutions. For example, you can substitute a can of diet soda or seltzer in brownie and cake mixes instead of the oil and eggs. Applesauce and mashed bananas can be used as well in lieu of the oil for some cakes, brownies and cookies. You can click here for The Ultimate Guide to Healthier Baking infographic which has a number of other substitutions you can make for healthier eating.

Coconut Oil has also become one of those things to have handy and use as a substitute for butter. Click here for the 10 Best Sugar Cookie Recipes Using Coconut Oil!

November 17, 2015October 30, 2018

#TuesdayTip Fitness Apps WellCoin and Fit Bit

As some of you might know, I’ve had a long battle with my weight. I’ve gone up and down so many times that I guesstimate I’ve lost and gained hundreds of pounds.

I’m on the heading down again and have lost 30 pounds. I’ve done that with a combination of better eating (a key part of it) and being more active. I’ve shared some of my healthier recipes with you in the past and today I’m going to share two of the apps that have helped me meet new people who keep me encouraged and help me track what I’m doing so I can keep to my lifestyle change. In the future, I’ll share some apps for workouts and exercise that are helpful.

WellCoin

I learned about Wellcoin several months ago and am now a Wellcoin Ambassador. What is Wellcoin? Wellcoin bills itself as the “World’s First Health Currency” and basically, you enter information about your lifestyle to earn points you can exchange for things like gift certificates, healthy food and drink samples, yoga lessons, etc. It’s free to join, but to earn the points you will need to photo document the various healthy activities you are doing.

The activities are many. You get points for counting steps, sleeping 7+ hours, eating healthy meals, participating in the community by verifying other people’s activities, etc.

I find that documenting my activities helps keep me aware of what I’m doing and also, I see interesting new foods, etc. that others are trying out. Makes me want to be adventurous and try them out as well.

Click here if you want to follow me there!

FitBit

As I mentioned, being more active is a big part of being healthier. I log at least 12,000 steps a day by walking to and from my office from the train station, getting up every 30 minutes to move and going to the gym for cardio and strength training. Yes, it can be work, but I am feeling so much better and stronger. It’s worth it!

I use FitBit and its community and app to help me. This does require the purchase of a FitBit device and there are several different kinds. I have the Fitbit Flex which I wear on my wrist. I have friends who use the Zip and the One which attach to your clothing. Still others have variations of the Charge (wristband) which also track your heart rate. Regardless of which one you choose, the end goal is the same: monitoring your activity.

In addition to monitoring, you can friend people on FitBit and cheer them on. Challenge them to daily or weekly goals. It’s all in the name of helping others stick to it. You can friend me by clicking here!

Another thing I really like about the FitBit is the smartphone app. You can use the GPS on your phone to have the Fitbit track your walk. You can also journal what you eat with a really nice interface.

The Fitbit also helps you track your sleep so you know if you are getting that essential 7+ hours of sleep (I don’t regularly, but am getting better).

I hope you enjoyed today’s Tuesday Tip!

November 3, 2015July 14, 2023

#TuesdayTip Boosting Your Metabolism

As some of you may know, I’ve been trying to lose weight and be healthier. I’ve made some lifestyle changes to do that and have lost 30 pounds. Some of the changes are probably obvious, but I’ll share them anyway along with some links for you on this Tuesday Tip day!

I drink more water! Water fills you up. It helps your liver process toxins from your body and first thing in the a.m., it wakes up your metabolism from a long night of rest. Click here for more info on how drinking water can help you!

I walk more and I exercise every day in one way or another. I try to hit the gym for cardio exercise at least twice a week and then do strength training twice a week. As we get older, it’s important to improve our core strength and stay strong to do everyday tasks. Click here for info on the muscles to work on for core strength and a quick core workout.

If you want, you can friend me on Fitbit and challenge me to a workout! I love challenges.

I’ve stopped using artificial sweeteners and only have sugar in my first cup of coffee. I’ve also limited myself to two diet sodas a day. Rough for me, but I know they are not healthy. Here’s a good article from the Mayo Clinic explaining the different sweeteners and possible concerns with them.

Finally, I’ve been researching ways to boost my metabolism to help burn calories. At work I’ve got a little kitchen timer that dings regularly to remind me to get up and move. I’ve started doing intervals on the elliptical and even while I’m walking, changing the pace to increase my metabolic rate. Click here for more tips on things you can do to boost your metabolism and burn calories just by doing some pretty simple things.

Hope you enjoyed today’s Tuesday Tip!

June 2, 2015February 17, 2021

Grilling Your Food & Health Risks #TuesdayTip

This morning I was reading a magazine that mentioned the risks of grilling your food and the connection to cancer. Apparently there is no hard evidence about this, although there are some studies that say that grilling, as well as broiling and frying, can create some compounds that are associated with certain cancers.

There are steps you can take to lower the risk (if it exists).

Cook for less time at a much higher temperature.
Lower the temperature and cook the meat/fish longer.
Trim fat so you don’t get a lot of drips and flare-ups.
Clean all charred bits off the grill and take them off your food.
Cook fish which doesn’t create as many of the compounds that could harm you.
Marinate your meat/fish and use spices like red pepper, rosemary and garlic.

Hope today’s Tuesday Tip was a help!

For additional reading on this subject, please try:

Eating Well
American Institute for Cancer Research
Rodale’s Organic Life
Prevention Magazine

February 26, 2014February 17, 2021

#WriteWed My Writing Process & #Contest

One of the most frequent questions I get is, “How can you write so much when you’ve still got your full time job?”

It’s not easy, I’ll confess. There is a tug and pull between work and writing obligations and even more importantly, between family and work/writing obligations.

Because of all those conflicting things, I had to adapt to creating a writing process for myself that minimized conflicts.

The first thing was to make the most efficient use of my time. That meant writing on my commute to and from work. That also meant learning to write when it wouldn’t impinge on family times, namely, early morning and late late night.

I learned to be a morning person something which my mom would find hard to believe if she was still alive. I was one of those people who loved to laze in bed until noon.

Now I’m up at 5 a.m. on weekdays and on the train by 6. I get a solid 45 minutes of writing in on the train ride in and another on the train ride home.

The bulk of my writing is done on Saturday and Sunday mornings. I’m up by 6 usually, make the coffee (must have coffee) and then I’m on my laptop. During the winter months, I’m usually on the couch under a blanket while I write. I also usually have the television on. Yes, I know that some might find that distracting, but I’m used to working in noisy environments.

The spring/summer/Fall months are my favorite ones since when it’s warm enough, I head out onto my small balcony and sit and write there. In the early mornings it’s peaceful and I can often hear and smell the ocean, which is quite relaxing. The family cat, Osiris, will often join me. Here’s a picture of her and also, of some of the flowers I try to have on the balcony. I love those also and wish I had more space to grow things at my place.

Orisis my family cat

When I’ve got tight deadlines, I also work late at night, but I’m not a fan of that. First, because I’m tired from a day at work and second, because that’ll make me tired for the next day at work. But when I have to do it, I do.

So that’s my writing process. It works for me. It may not work for you and I think the key is to find out how to balance your writing life with all your other obligations.

Contest

Don’t forget we’ve got lots of fun things going on for the release of the Lucky 7 Bad Boys Contemporary Romance Box Set.

This set is available for pre-order now, but will be officially released on March 3. We’re having a big release party on March 5 at our Facebook page and a contest where you can win a number of different items. Just check out the Rafflecopter below to find out how to earn points!

You can also get extra points by capturing the bad boy keyword(s) (hint: find the hot bad boy pic) in our Lucky 7 Videos. You can find them here:

Lucky 7 Video #1
Lucky 7 Video #2

a Rafflecopter giveaway