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Healthy Acorn Squash Bowl

Squash was a pretty rare treat in my family’s household growing up. In fact, I never once had spaghetti or butternut squash until I made them for my own grownup self. Since squash only comes out during certain times of the year and mom only felt like making them on rare occasions, they were pretty special when we did have them. Mom liked to roast the squash and then fill it with butter and brown sugar. Oh, so yummy!

In order to relive that lovely memory, I decided to prepare some acorn squash for myself. Only this time, I didn’t want to drench it in fat and empty calories. I added cranberries and nuts to the healthy acorn bowl to amp up the nutrition content. It tasted like fall, even though we’re on the verge of spring, but it was excellent!

Acorn Squash Bowl

Ingredients:
1 acorn squash
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp sliced almonds
1 Tbsp dried cranberries
Drizzle of honey

Directions

  1. Cut the squash in half and scoop out the seeds and pulp. Helpful hint: those serrated spoons used for eating grapefruit work perfectly for scraping out the pulp.
  2. Wrap the squash halves in aluminum foil, leaving the cut edges open. Place the squash on a cookie sheet or roasting pan with the cut sides facing down. Pour a thin layer of water into the bottom of the pan. This will make the final product turn out moist and tender.
  3. Roast the acorn squash at 450 degrees for about 45 minutes or until fork-tender.
  4. Remove from oven and let cool to your desired temperature.
  5. Sprinkle the remaining ingredients into one half of the squash and drizzle with honey. Use a spoon to scrape out the flesh and add-ins and enjoy.

For 1/2 of the squash with the indicated add-ins, the approximate nutrition content from SparkPeople is:
Calories: 208
Carbs: 51g
Fat: 3g
Protein: 3g

I mean, that’s a lot of food for 200 calories!!!

I love how some childhood memories revolve around the smells and textures of delicious food. I have a similar precious memory of eating grapefruit with my mom as a child. I will definitely be sharing this treasured tradition with my Peanut.

Weekly Food Prep

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Well, since it has been made public, I can tell you that I’ve been following the Self Magazine Drop10 plan, with workouts courtesy of Tone it Up. I got a copy of the entire plan before it was published because I signed up to be a VIP tester. Along with the workouts with K&K, I’ve been following the plan pretty religiously, with a few meals out here and there. This week, my menu looks something like this:

Breakfast:
  • Cheesy Eggs on Toast: 338 calories.
  • I sauteed the edamame, carrot, soy sauce and oil mixture ahead of time on the stove at home and then I make the eggs separately at work in the microwave. I mix them both together for the final product.
Edamame Carrot Egg Breakfast
Lunch: 
  • Sausage and Pepper Roll: 320 calories.
  • I used the substitution guide and chose mushrooms instead of peppers. I also couldn’t find chicken sausage at my grocery store, so I used two breakfast turkey sausage links instead.
  • I packaged the mixture in baggies for each day, making them easy to grab and go in the morning.
Snack:
  • Lentil Salsa Dip n Chips. 189 calories
  • Lentils make this dish look like gray mush. This does not look all that appealing, but I assure you, it tastes great. I think I’ll be adding this snack to my regular rotation. It is rather filling.
  • I packaged the chips in baggies for quick pre-portioned snacks, as seen above in the first picture.

Dinners:

  • Spaghetti
  • Turkey meatballs
  • Stir-fry
  • Scalloped potatoes and ham
    • This last one isn’t on the plan, but I’ll make sure to have the recommended 450-calorie-sized portion from the recipe we’re making. We have ham leftovers that we really don’t want to go to waste.

200 Free Calories:

  • Often get spent on 2 girl scout cookies and a spoonful of peanut butter. Once in awhile, I’ll have a diet cherry 7up with a shot of Southern Comfort. #YOLO, right?

*Note: Calorie calculations are based upon information entered into the SparkPeople nutrition counter. I entered the brand names and types of food that I used specifically. Self.com has a little bit different calculations than I came up with.

I usually do all my prepping for the week on Sunday, after Hubster does the grocery shopping. This week’s menu took me 1 hour from start to finish, including cleanup. I don’t do a whole lot of dinner prep beforehand though. We usually make dinners and eat them fresh as we go, but I do sometimes make some of the grains ahead of time.

I love this Drop10 plan! I’ve noticed that the balance of protein, carbs and good fats is keeping me pretty satisfied all day. I do have to add in a banana or other snack around mid-morning on days where I’m extra active. Those are the only days where I feel a bit shaky if I don’t eat a little extra.

I feel like I haven’t been a slave to the numbers on this plan either. Self Magazine does most of the dirty work for me, so I don’t have to. The substitutions are amazing, because I can use whatever I have on-hand or left over from a different meal. I eat mostly the same thing every day for breakfast, lunch and snack. Dinners we switch up and I try to incorporate meals that my whole family will eat. Heck, Self even includes a steak dinner. And of course, Hubster totally went for that.
I could hardly take it when I saw that Karena and Katrina are in the development stages of getting their own reality series on Bravo. I couldn’t say anything before it was published, but now I’m geeking out about it. I hope Bravo does an amazing job of catching them behind the scenes and maybe even broadcasting some workout sessions with them. I don’t know too many of the details, but I think that would just be too cool.
Tomorrow I will share a squash recipe with you that I also prepared on Sunday. Stay tuned!

 

Weekly Workout Rundown

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Monday:
  • 30 min run outside with my pup
Tuesday:
  • Sick/rest
Wednesday
  • Sick/rest
Thursday
  • 35 min PM run
Friday
  • 20 min circuit training at lunch with friend
  • 30 min PM interval run
  • 20 min Drop10 workout
Saturday
  • 70 min run (5miles/992 calories)
Sunday
  •  Rest
 So, this was my scantily-populated workout calendar for last week. As mentioned previously, I wasn’t feeling well on Monday and Tuesday. Monday, I got my first outdoor run of the season in. It’s still in the 40’s in Wisconsin, but Monday was sunny and I was ready to get back outside. After that run is when I started to feel under-the-weather. Thursday I took it a bit easier and Friday I went back full force. A little too forceful perhaps, because I’m still sore from that day.
Photo
Results of Saturday’s workout, 5 miles, 992 calories
I’m preparing for a family 5K in two weeks. Hubster and I have a tradition of running this same local race every year, and even Peanut wanted to be signed up for the kid’s run. I’m not about to argue with that! He’s going to wear his special Sketchers that make him run really fast. Haha!
I’m finding that posting my workouts is helping me notice habits (good and bad) and making me more attuned to where I could use some tweaks. I’m not hell-bent on glorifying my body or anything; that’s not what these goals are about. I find that goals, in any area of my life, keep me motivated and encourage progress. ~Better every day. That’s even the motto of this blog. 
With that in mind, here are three of my current and newly-created goals:
  1. Start tracking calories and distance of runs in addition to minutes, so I can tell if I’m getting faster.
  2. Keep incorporating yoga or other more mindful practices into my routine to stay sane and limber.
  3. Make that Saturday long run a little faster. I’m aiming for 5 miles under 60 minutes.
  4. Tune in even more to my body, taking it easy when I feel spent and not overdoing it. Working out improves the immune system, but working out too much can damper it.
Tomorrow I’ll be back with a glimpse into my food prep for the week. I also have a scrumptious squash recipe to share that came out of these preparations.
Any good suggestions for how to run faster?

Weekly Workout Rundown

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Monday:
  • 20 min circuit training at lunch with friend
  • 45 Zumba after work
  • 35 min run after Zumba
Tuesday:
  • 25 min run in AM
  • 15 min walk at lunch with Hubster

Wednesday:

  • 35 min interval run in AM
  • 20 min circuit training with friend at lunch
Thursday:
  • Rest
Friday:
  • 45 min interval run
  • 25 min Self Drop10 strength workout
Saturday:
  • 55 min run
Sunday:
  • Rest
Here’s what I was up to last week. Better late than never, right? As I mentioned in a previous post, I was ill Monday and Tuesday, so I pretty much took a break from everything, including blogging. Next week’s workout rundown will be pretty sparse in comparison due to said illness. I woke up this morning with the beginning of another head cold on top of it, so I haven’t worked out since Monday. Gah! I have the itch to run real bad, but I’m trying to be more cognizant of my body’s signals to rest.
I also wonder if I’ve been sick so much lately because I’ve been overtraining. I actually seem less sick than those around me at home and such, but I seem to be catching everything. I’m going to up my Vitamin C intake and lower my workouts a tad just to see if I can build my immune system back up.
Anyone else following the Drop10 plan? Anyone know of any great printable workout planner pages? I’ve been working on trying to devise one of my own, but if I don’t have to reinvent the wheel, I won’t.

7 Small Daily Tweaks to Improve Health

When new healthy habits form and old detrimental ones fade away, progress happens. I’ve been adopting some new techniques and tweaking my routine here and there to build upon the foundation of healthy living I’ve built for myself. I’ve been a fitness buff and a health food fan for a long time, but there is always more I could be doing to get better every day. I do have some bad habits that need to be broken, some eating patterns that could be cleaned up, and some new goals I would like to achieve. Let’s explore some of the tiny techniques that I’ve been using that have made a huge difference toward health improvement:

1. Yoga Breathing Breaks: Throughout the morning, I’ve been known to sneak away for a few yoga breaks. I don’t do any full yoga routines, due to the logistics of working in an office. But I do sneak in some yoga breathing exercises. I usually perform the first part of a sun salutation over and over, breathing slowly through my nose, until I feel relaxed, usually about 5 minutes. I am not a very good seated meditator, but moving with my breath through a few stretching exercises feels amazing. I’m not only actively meditating, but I’m also limbering my body and practicing mindfulness without even thinking about it. The simple act of movement becomes a  great distraction to bothersome thoughts, making quieting the mind a whole lot easier than when sitting. And the benefits of meditation any which way you do it are phenomenal. Besides that, the habit gets me up out of the seat I sit in 8 hours a day and gets my blood moving.

Complete Pilates Yoga Meditation photo P2231297_zpsa4c92e3c.jpg

This is the book I use for my daily meditation/relaxation needs.
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I perform the first part of the sun salutation through and through: 
mountain, backbend, swan dive, forward bend, return to mountain pose.

2. Trade in Diet Soda: Without really trying to, I have successfully cut out diet soda from my diet (apart from the highly occasional fast food run). I have long cut out regular soda and sugary juices from my diet, but I still always had a diet soda every day with my work lunch. To cut costs for a few weeks, I cut soda from the grocery list and didn’t miss it as bad as I thought I would. Now, we’re saving a bit of extra money every week and I’m not killing brain cells. Seriously. Aspartame + Caffeine = Dead Brain Cells. After watching Hungry for Change, I decided to maintain this healthy habit and keep my brain for awhile. Water it is!

3. Work out in the Morning: Now, I am not a fierce proponent of morning workouts. If the only time you have to work out is in the evenings, that’s quite alright as long as you follow through. However, I myself have made the successful transition to working out in the mornings (I will discuss how I did it in a future post). This way, I get to spend the entire evening with my family, and I’m not running off the gym after work (not that I think this is wrong, it just causes severe mommy guilt). I also get the bulk of my workout done before my day even starts. In addition, working out in the morning before breakfast actually creates up to a 20% increase in fat burn. I’m all for that!

4. Eat Clean, Eat Clean, Eat Clean: As I’ve stated before, eating clean is the only “diet” that intuitively makes sense to me for long-term lifestyle implementation. It makes sense to get your nutrients from “as-God-made-them” sources and to stay away from processed foods. That’s a scientifically sound idea. I’ve been eating so healthy lately that whenever I have a not-so-healthy meal, I don’t feel good afterwards. It feels sort of like a hangover with a lingering “bleh” feeling and sour stomach. Quite the incentive to continue eating healthier, right? I know that French fries are going to give me stomach pains, so I don’t eat them.

Source: indg.ca via Krista on Pinterest

5. Don’t Cut out Stretching: When crunched for time during a workout, the easiest sacrifice to make is to skip the stretching, right? Bad move. By doing so, you are robbing yourself of the benefits of stretching, which include better posture, easier recovery, increased mobility, enhanced performance, enhanced exercise form, etc. I have recently started incorporating foam rolling (aka: self-myofascial release) into my stretching routine, based on the recommendations from my NASM studies. I just use a foam swimming noodle right now, which you can find at the dollar store, to massage out my knots. It feels sooooo good. I hear a lot of people saying that if it doesn’t hurt, you’re not doing it right. Either I don’t feel pain like most people or I’m a masochist, but I love the feeling (but I’m a lover of deep deep-tissue massage and have a super-high pain tolerance). And it really is working, making me feel less stiff, increasing my range of motion, and ironing out my exercise form.

6. Eat Breakfast a Little Later: I always eat breakfast. As you probably know, skipping breakfast is a cardinal sin of healthy eating. However, I’ve found that eating a little bit later in the morning helps me to eat fewer mindless snacks throughout the morning. I can make it to lunchtime without a problem if I eat at 9:30 instead of 7:00. Plus, I don’t actually start to feel that hungry until after 9, so it’s really not necessary to eat before leaving the house. Such a simple concept, but it really is making a huge difference! I’ve been good about planning my meals in advance so that I can prep them at work. Microwave scrambled eggs really are a miracle.

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7. Try New Foods: I’ve discussed before the different foods that I’ve tried as part of the goals I set for myself last summer, and I’m setting intentions to continue this goal. This past week, my family was subjected to bulgar wheat for the first time. It was a success! Even meat-and-potatoes Hubster found it to be a good alternative to rice. He does like quinoa, and bulgar has a similar consistency. I tend to fall into really bad food ruts, so picking up new foods to try always helps me climb out. I will be adding bulgar to our regular rotation of whole grains. You can find it in the bulk section at your grocery store for super cheap. It’s really easy to make too much (see below), so freeze the leftovers for an easy grab-and-go option on rushed days. It’s always helpful to have a healthy mixture of food options to choose from, and adding more to the repertoire is great for giving your body a healthy variety of nutrients.

I hope these small tweaks that I’ve made in my own regimen inspire you to change a thing here or there in yours. Just try implementing one idea at a time and really pay attention to the difference it makes. If it doesn’t work, pitch it. If it does work, adopt it. Either way, keep moving onto the next step and see what happens. I’d love to hear back with your results. Good luck!

Personal Trainer Interview 3: Bree Bond

This personal trainer interview series has given me so much pleasure and insight already, that I can think of nothing better than to continue the series with my next interviewee, the lovely Bree Bond. She works both as an actress and an NASM-certified personal trainer.
In fact, if you want to train with Bree herself, online or in person (in the Los Angeles Area), you can contact her here:

“Every time I am a student, I leave being a better trainer.”

1. What was the driving force behind your decision to become a personal trainer?

Throughout my life I’ve dipped in and out of different sports, never really staying committed to any of them. Whether it was cheerleading, dance, gymnastics, soccer (didn’t even make it to my first practice haha), basketball (laughed out of tryouts) or track, I was never the most athletic child or even teenager at that but I never had any weight problems. Then my senior year of high school rolled around, and I became very self-conscious about my body. I was a junk food junkie and like I said, not very committed to any physical activity… It started to show. When I went to college I ended up gaining about 20 pounds and I was determined to get it off. I found Tone It Up and their nutrition plan changed my life. I started doing their online workouts and soon I found myself using what I was learning and creating workouts of my own and really enjoying the process of training and being active. I ended up losing 30 pounds and changing not just my body, but my entire life. God so lovingly used my situation in gaining weight to show me what I was passionate about: health, wellness and fitness. Getting my certification was really just the next step in advancing what I was already doing and gave me the ability to share my love with others.

 
 

2. How did you choose which personal training agency to certify with?

 

I asked around at several gyms, trainers I trusted, and did plenty of research. National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) was hands-down the winner for me and I am so thankful that’s the agency I went with. The test is harder than others (so I’ve heard) and I wouldn’t doubt it, because it was certainly a challenge. But I am thankful for the great education I received through it. About 90% of the gyms that I had applied for when I was first searching for a gym to work for asked me if I “had my NASM”, and some told me they wouldn’t hire a trainer if they didn’t. Whew. I highly recommend NASM to anyone looking to get their certification.

 
 

3. How did you prepare for the exam? Any tips, tricks, or best practices?

 

Read. Read. Read. Read. Flashcards. Notes. Repeat. I read my book close to 3 times and had skyscraper-sized piles of flashcards. I didn’t just memorize my flash cards though, I made notes on them about how the term or idea was applicable in real life training in a way that would help me not only remember it but actually know it. NASM has great online supplements like videos and online quizzes that I used also.

 
 

4. Did you take a personal training workshop? If so, how did it help you prepare for the exam?

 

I didn’t take any workshop, but I think it would have a been a great idea. You always learn so much from watching others.

  
 

5. I know you are also an actress. I’m interested in how acting and fitness might meld together. Will you be using your acting skills in the fitness world or vice versa?

 

I find that the two cross over perfectly sometimes. I have to be in good shape for acting and I have to be in great shape for training so that always goes hand-in-hand. I’ve gained a confidence because of personal training that I don’t think I had before and that’s helped me in my career as an actress. The fact that my job as a trainer is so flexible and I am so blessed to be able to work from home creating online plans for my incredible Instagram/Twitter followers is how I’m able to go on auditions whenever they pop up too. The two careers really complement each other and the people I get to work with and meet through both of the industries are awesome.

  

6. I am a Twitter follower of yours and can see you’ve built quite a following. How are you using the web/social media to build your online presence as a fitness professional?

 

Thanks for following 🙂 When I first made my Twitter and Instagram accounts, I had no intention of building a following. It was always just a personal account and it still is, but my personal life and professional life aren’t much different. I’ve “met” and developed relationships with the most amazing people through social media and I think that’s how I’ve built the following I have now. Investing in people, talking with them, answering questions and just being passionate about what I do. Nothing is ever forced or a “follow me” competition. I pray everyday that God will use me to spread the glory and love of Jesus Christ and I think that he’s just chosen this platform for me. I can’t take any of the credit honestly. I’m just really grateful for where He’s brought me and the people He has put in my life through social media and outside of it because of fitness.

 
 

7. Any health and fitness resources/research publications that you read daily or recommend? How else do you keep up with PT trends?

 

I wouldn’t say I keep up with PT “trends”, I’m not into fitness trend-hopping. There is nothing that will get you results like moving more, eating healthy/whole foods, lifting things, running, sweating, smiling and loving yourself. I love Tone It Up to motivate the hell out of you, Blogilates when coffee just doesn’t perk you up enough, @StuftMama to make you laugh and realize we’re all awesome, capable human beings, Livestrong.com for info on tons of things, DailyHIIT for intense home workouts, @HeatherWaxman when you need a little love, @PowerCakes when you need some inspo or food ideas and @BreeLovesBeauty for breath of fresh air. And if you creep through my Instagram followers you’ll find really awesome people too. I could go on and on about how many inspiring and cool people there are. I also just pay attention to what people are posting about. I’m always learning what’s going on in the fitness world by just paying attention to what people are doing and what they’re saying about it.

 
 

8. These days, there are a variety of places/ways to train—at a studio, in homes, in offices, and even online. What has your personal training experience been like? Or where do you see this certification taking you?

 

When I first got certified, I was just at home in Houston training my friends and myself. I didn’t have clients haha! I moved to Los Angeles and immediately started looking for a job. I got hired at a gym and started training there. I loved my clients, LOVED, but the gym environment I was in wasn’t for me. I ended up leaving that gym and realized I had been given something huge with my following on Instagram and Twitter, so I just put the idea out there and asked them what they thought about online training and I had a great response. I have a few people that I’ve met that I train in person and I love doing that, but until I meet more people, that part of my business is slower compared to online trainees. I never ever saw my certification taking me where it has today, so I’m not sure if I can even say where I see it taking me in the future! Again, God is in full control. He always comes up with better ideas than I do anyway, so I just like to leave it up to Him 😉

 
 

9. What are your plans for using your certificate in the future? Any personal training goals for this year?

 

Ideally I’d love to just grow my business into whatever God has for it, keep loving on people, learning, challenging my clients and myself! I’d like to get certified in many other things, but that takes a lot of money haha. So while I am striving for that, I’m just trying my best to be faithful with what I’ve been given today. I think the next certification I’d like to get is Corrective Exercise Specialist. So many people, including myself, suffer from chronic pain and injuries and it’s such a frustrating thing to live with. I’d love to help people be free from their physical limitations and I can probably make that certification happen by the end of the year. I would love to study nutrition sometime in my life too, I think I am just as passionate about that aspect of health as I am the sweaty part of it. My next personal fitness goal is to get my pull ups! 🙂

 
 

10. Has your personal training experience influenced how you yourself workout now? If so, how?

 

Definitely! In fact, I think I worked out more when I wasn’t a trainer than I do now. And that’s not a bad thing. I was overtraining and I see now why I wasn’t getting the results I wanted. Educating myself on exercise progression, volume, intensity and all the other variables that come into play with training has improved the effectiveness of training myself. I’m always trying new workouts that I’ve designed before I put them on my girls’ plans too. I’d never ask them to do something that I couldn’t/wouldn’t do–unless they were just stronger than me and needed that challenge, which has happened 😉 I also love looking to other trainers now too. Everybody has so much insight and perspective in this industry and I love learning those things. I never want to be too proud to admit that I don’t know how to do a certain lift or answer a question. I love training at the gym I do because I’m constantly being humbled, challenged and learning. Every time I am a student, I leave being a better trainer.

  
 

11. What advice would you give to someone like me who is just starting out and studying for the CPT exam?

 

Do not wait until the last minute to study and study well. Like I said earlier, really focus on what you’re learning and how it’s applicable, not just memorizing a bunch of ideas and terms. Get up from your desk and do the moves, try out what you’re learning and enjoy the process. You’ll never be finished learning, so just keep that in mind and use your better judgment about everything you read or what someone tells you. If it doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t.     Thanks so much for your insight, Bree! I look forward to seeing what the future holds for you in both acting and personal training. Your positive energy and attitude certainly radiate through your posts and words. It was a pleasure doing this interview with you!

Weekly Workout Rundown

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Monday:
  • 20 min circuit-style workout with friend at lunch
  • 45 min Zumba class after work
Tuesday:
  • 40 min run before work
  • 15 min walk to work
Wednesday:
  • 35 min interval run before work
  • 20 min circuit-style workout with friend at lunch
Thursday:
  • 20 min Shiva Rae Daily Energy yoga after work
Friday:
  • 45 min interval run before work
Saturday:
  • 60 min long run in AM
  • 35 min strength workout
Sunday:
  • Rest
This week I was able to squeeze in a short burst of yoga on one of my typically “rest” days. I like to think of this as “active rest.” As I stated last week, I have a standing goal to include more yoga into my weekly rotation. This week–mission accomplished!
I have also been regularly running on Saturday mornings lately. I’m trying to increase my pace and potentially shave time off of my 5k PR. Hubster and I have our annual 5k date coming up, so I want to see if I can push even harder this year. We’re even signing our Peanut up for the associated kids’ run. My own little posse of runners…I love it!
What does your typical week look like?

Weekly Workout Rundown

photo 0e340d3e-62ba-4e55-9f4a-7258f16cd99a_zps3484b587.jpg
Monday
  • 45 min interval run in AM
  • 25 min circuit training with friend on lunch break
Tuesday
  • 30 min run in AM
  • 30 min slow/mod walk with mom at lunch
Wednesday
  • 30 min run in AM
  • 20 min circuit training with friend on lunch break

Thursday

  • Rest
Friday
  • 40 min run in AM
  • 20 min circuit training with friend on lunch break
Saturday
  • 65 min run/5 miles
Sunday
  • Rest
This week was pretty top-notch as far as training goes. I did almost everything I wanted to, except injecting a little yoga or stretch workout in there somewhere. This week, I’m going to make sure I get it done. It always makes me feel so much better, even just 20 minutes of it.
I cannot post my meal plan this week as it is top secret. I made all  my preparations on Sunday for the week. All my breakfasts and lunches through Friday await me in the fridge. This has made life in the mornings so much easier. I literally grab my food and go, which is even more convenient than fast food! Today I even had enough time to walk to work and run for 40 minutes. Now, if only I planned enough time to dry my hair…
My friend and I, whom I have been training with on lunch breaks, decided to try out this Total Body Transformation from Chris Powell. Instead of doing the program over the course of 12 months, we are narrowing it down to 12 weeks. I am also training from a top-secret workout. More deets to come, when I can:) I am beyond stoked! But the suspense is killing me, friends.
I will meet you back here for my WWR next week! My Diet Bet comes to a close this weekend, so I’m pushing hard for good numbers, folks.

I’ll Bet You $20: The Research Behind Diet Bets

I just put $20 down on a bet that I will lose 4% of my body weight (around 6lbs) in four week. I’m participating in this Diet Bet hosted by Erica House. Diet Bet claims a 90% success rate, which got me to thinking about why it works so well. Let’s explore the research and psychology behind diet bets briefly, shall we?
1. Monetary awards motivate dieters: As this article explores, financial incentives seem to be quite effective for weight loss goals. Competition that involves money seems to spur people to action–at least more action than they would perform if going it alone. It seems to work for participants on The Biggest Loser, doesn’t it? Of course, the fame and high dollar amount attached to those winnings differ significantly from throwing $20 in a pot with a few coworkers. But that doesn’t mean a few extra bucks in your pocket isn’t effective.
2. But only in the short term: The long-term effects of diet bets are a bit discouraging though. Since bets are typically temporary, the motivation to continue the weight loss plan is temporary too. Studies have shown that the effects may not hold up long term. Even though people are successful at losing weight with diet bets, many people gain the weight right back once the bet is finished. The immediacy of money earned creates a stronger reaction than the long-term effects of healthier living. Once you’re done with the bet, you must transition from external motivation back to intrinsic motivation unless you want to keep signing up for bet after bet. Or you need to find a way to change your “diet” mindset to a “lifestyle” mindset. Diet is temporary. Healthy living must become a complete lifestyle change.
I have an example of these concepts living right under the same roof with me. Hubster lost an impeccable amount of weight about a year ago with a Biggest Loser Challenge hosted by his employer. Hubster won not only the team component, but also the personal component, taking home well over $100. The weight stayed off for a few months until Hubster went back to his old ways of eating and not exercising. Now he’s back to where he started. The monetary incentive was definitely effective in the short term, but without carrying those new habits into the future, the weight loss won’t stick.
3. Use bets for habit formation: Speaking of habits–habits are generally said to be formed in 21 days (or 66 days by some). If you’re really committed to working out five days a week and planning out meals for each week, you could make your newfound habits stick. According to Psychology Today, you should also incorporate triggers (keeping running shoes by your bed) and rewards (money, new magazine, etc.) into your new routine to make it habit-forming. However, if you’re of the mindset that this “diet” is just temporary, you will likely have trouble once your bet is over. Diet bets are an amazing premise for healthy habit formation, but only if your intentions are set for the longer-term.
4. Peer encouragement can have a profound effect upon your results. When you’re committing to something like a diet bet or a lifestyle change, consider making it public. Tell your Facebook friends, shout it out on Twitter, let your friends know at brunch and get your family in on it. Heck, why don’t you just blog about it? The more people you tell, the more deeply entrenched you become in the healthy cycle. Peers are great for keeping you accountable. Participate in the friendly chatter on the betting sites. Find a few pals on your diet bet site and keep in touch after the bet is over. Research shows that the more you log on, the more successful you’ll be at hitting your weight loss goals.
5. Positive vs negative reinforcement: Positive reinforcement seems to be the winner for creating long-term changes in behavior, although negative reinforcement is effective in the short-term. Diet Bet offers positive reinforcement for weight lost–a bigger dip in the money pool. However, on the betting site stikK.com, if you lose the bet, your money is given to an anti-charity (a democrat donating to the republican party, etc). Whichever form of reinforcement you choose, be sure it is something that really pushes you to make changes. If you’re passionate enough about the outcome, you have more chances of succeeding.
6. Diet bets really keep you honest. On Diet Bet, for example, your entry must be officially verified by a live person. You take a picture of yourself in “airport” apparel (no shoes, belts, etc) and a picture of your scale reading with a password. You can’t cheat yourself out of the results. And I think that is one of the reasons why participants’ success rates are so high.
Ready to make a bet on your weight? Here are some betting websites to check out and get started:

Weekly Workout Rundown

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Monday:

  • 35 min AM run
  • 30 min Jillian’s Shred It with Weights in PM

Tuesday:

  • 30 slow/mod walk at lunch with mom

Wednesday:

  • 45 min run in AM
  • 40 min Tone It Up DVD (arms, abs, long and lean) in PM

Thursday:

  • Rest
  • 30 min slow/mod walk at lunch with mom

Friday:

  • 20 min circuit training at lunch

Saturday:

  • 60 min run/walk in AM

Sunday:

  • Rest

Last week was a little bit off-kilter. I was not feeling well toward the end of the week and on Tuesday I turned my alarm off instead of hitting snooze. The universe was telling me to take a break. That’s my story anyway. This week, I’m ready to push it again though. I’ve got money placed on my success, and that’s a fact!

I also have some super exciting news that I don’t think I can make public yet. It will require me to workout and eat even more keenly than I am now for about 5 weeks, but I am stoked about it. I will let you know when I know more.

I won’t have a food breakdown this week as Hubster failed to grocery shop. I’m left with frozen leftovers and good ole PB&J until further notice. Still trying to keep it clean though. I had some clementines and baby carrots to work with, so I should be good.

How was your weekend? What do you usually do when you’ve missed a few days at the gym?