Stephanie Howell: How I lost 145 pounds
Losing weight was never really difficult for Stephanie Howell. She simply wouldn’t eat. Yet this former native of southern Illinois moved to Chicago in 2006 weighing 315 pounds. Five years later, Stephanie is a transformed and committed woman with a svelte 170 pound figure – an accomplishment she achieved entirely on her own. Her 5’8″ [...]
Is the Breakfast You’re Eating Right for Your Body?
Eating the right foods in the morning plays a bigger role in how healthy or unhealthy you eat for the rest of the day. Breakfast sets a whole chain of events in motion, from maintaining even energy levels (thanks to blood sugar levels) to keeping cravings in check through lunch and dinner. As a metabolic [...]
The Best Adult Dessert Ever: Raw Brownies
Last week I spoke at the Kenmore Live Studios in Chicago for a Families in the Loop event. It was a pre-Mother’s Day event, largely geared around food, fitness and style. I was there to give a few tips on how to stay healthy, but the real star of the show was Beth Aldrich, who [...]
No Excuses (Tabata) Workout #15
A Tabata workout is a set of eight high intensity intervals performed for a total of four minutes. The intervals consist of 20 seconds of high intensity exercise, followed by 10 seconds of recovery. Sounds easy enough, right? Well, they’re not. The optimum words are is high intensity. I’ll give an example of a Tabata [...]
3 Great Pre and Post-Workout Breakfasts
The right breakfast is the linchpin of many-a-workout. Eat too little – or nothing at all – and you’ll run out of fuel. Eat too much and you’ll feel sluggish and uncomfortable. I’ve posted before on foods that energize, and have written about the importance of eating the right amount of food with enough time [...]
No Excuses (5K) Workout #14
If you can walk, it’s highly likely you can do a 5K – even if you plan on walking the entire way. The speed in which you complete this 3.1 mile run depends on 1) your goal 2) how diligently you train. I’m not going to lay out an entire training plan, rather two workouts. [...]
4 Tips to Re-Shape Your Body
You want to hit a healthier weight, but never seem to have the time to get into a regular workout routine, or put together a plan to eat better. What if you didn’t have to plan and prep to make a difference? Here are a few simple changes you can make in your lifestyle right [...]
Five Signs You Need to Change Your Workout
If you’re tired of the same workout, or just not seeing the same results as you used to, it’s probably time to change things up. Here are five signs that it’s time to change your routine. 1. No Motivation Your iPod is fully loaded. You spent an hour (or more if you’re like me) on [...]
No Excuses (Spinning) Workout #13
Back in the day I used to teach Spinning®. I almost always taught at 6:00am. Like working out for anyone, getting out of bed well before the sun rises wasn’t always easy, but was always worth it. Always. I loved teaching, and had a core group of “usuals” that were completely devoted. I don’t teach [...]
Vinegar: How it can save your vision and other great uses
The other day I was packing my kids into the car after swimming lessons. As I was bent over fastening my youngest daughter into her car seat, my husband jumped into the driver’s seat and started the car. For reasons still unclear to me, he thought it would be a good time to clean the [...]
