I hear there are some amazing transformations of some contestants that have gone from fat to *f.a.t.!!!! You may want to tune in for some inspiration, gals!

Has everyone seen the New Balance Commercial? I just saw it and love it! I know all you runners will love it too! And just like the commercial says - it’s all about commitment, so help your loved ones commit to their New Year’s Resolution and consider a pair of New Balance running shoes to put under the tree!

Every woman wants to look good in her Christmas day photos right? Well you’ve got ten days left to look your sexiest for Santa, or whichever one of his elves you’re crushing on this year. (eeewwww!) I’ve got ten suggestions to incorporate into the next ten days of your life to help become the prettiest *f.a.t. (Fit After Thirty) little angel you can be this year!

Read the rest of this entry »

Today’s post originated with the idea that I should write an article about pampering. Pampering ourselves and pampering our loved ones. (In this exact instant it is dawning on me that the brand of diapers Pampers, was probably chosen because of the meaning of the word pamper.)  I love it when I have those light bulb moments! Back on track. I wanted to write about pampering for a few reasons.

1. I stumbled across a thought provoking article on the subject of one way a husband can pamper his wife. (Keep reading).

2. People’s financial situations this holiday season will require many to cut back on spending, so  pampering someone can be a meaningful, inexpensive gift to give without breaking the bank.

3. Women are pulled in so many directions that the stress of everyday life is truly taking a toll on our mental and physical health, and pampering is in order!

Studies show that even when mothers match their husbands in hours worked at a job outside the home, the brunt of the child rearing workload is still handled primarily by the mother inside the home. (This is not to say all husbands are lazy. Sometimes men are willing to help, but their wives don’t let them, because of a controlling, protective nature. And sometimes the kids are just at an age where they need more of mom’s skills over dad’s.) Regardless of the reason, the end result is a bunch of stressed out, over-worked women with no down time for themselves. 

That must change! BUT, as strongly as I believe that, I wasn’t quite sure how I felt about an article I read by our friends over at Marriage-zone.com, while doing research for this topic. Here’s the background: Dude wants to show his wife how much he loves and cares about her; dude paints her toenails. (Not just once, but regularly).

Even though the guy was not saying a man should paint his wife’s toes as a means to getting sexual gratification for himself, I feel compelled to turn the idea into a porn video in my mind. I imagine the pedicure as pure foreplay by seeing myself panty-less, in a skirt, as my man looks up with my big toe in his hand, examining the nail as he asks sultrily, “is this too short, or do you want it longer?”

Read the rest of this entry »

Have I mentioned before how much we love men? That is why we love Men’s Health Magazine, because they are dedicated to keeping men healthy! But the great thing is, a lot of the information they provide on their site and in their magazine is very applicable to women as well.

We love the Eat This Not That books, and from that research, we give you the top 20 worst foods. If you eat out, steer clear of these foods, or at least be aware of the impact it will have on your health so you do not overdo it! It’s not just about your weight - think about your arteries! The biggest surprise comes from a couple of items that would, on a menu, seem to be healthy.

Read the rest of this entry »

From Self Recipes Database: Here is a great winter recipe with one of the best 15 foods to burn calories from yesterday’s article!

Ingredients

Vegetable Oil Cooking Spray

2 tsp olive oil

1 small shallot, chopped

1 cup packed fresh spinach, chopped

4 whole eggs

4 egg whites

8 sun dried tomato halves, chopped

½ cup grated Asiago

2 tbsp chopped fresh basil

¼ tsp salt

1/8 tsp freshly group pepper

4 slices whole wheat toast

2 cups fresh berries

Preparation

Heat oven to 425°. Coat 4 small baking dishes with cooking spray. Set aside. Heat oil in a large pan over medium heat. Cook shallot until soft but not brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Add spinach; cook 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Lightly whisk eggs and egg whites in a bowl. Stir in sun-dried tomatoes, cheese, basil, spinach mixture, salt and pepper. Spoon into baking dishes; bake until firm in the center, 12 to 14 minutes. Serve each with 1 slice toast and 1/2 cup berries.

289 calories per serving

13.4 g fat (5.2 g saturated)                               

27.7 g carbs

4.3 g fiber

17.5 g protein

With the economy in shambles, and the holidays around the corner, a lot of you may be doing a lot of budgeting of your money. But for a Fit After Thirty girl, the holidays are also about budgeting your caloric intake. It’s all about moderation. One of the greatest pieces of snacking wisdom I can offer to help you in this balancing act is to eat thermogenic foods. Actually, all foods are thermogenic, because they all require calories to burn them, but some are more thermogenic than others, and a few foods actually contain less calories than it takes to digest them!

Therefore, your body can gain the benefits of the nutrients in the foods without gaining weight along with them. They are all fruits and vegetables anyway, so they are not calorie-dense to begin with, but if you have got to snack on something, why not make it a food that burns itself along with a few calories from the holiday cookie you ate the day before!

Read the rest of this entry »

A recent study by Ruut Veenhoven of Erasmus University Rodderdam in the Netherlands, as part of a Happiness Research Program, indicates that it is just as important to overall health to be happy, as it is to not smoke.  So does that mean that if you go around being cranky, negative, and unhappy you might as well be a smoker? Wow. That’s a pretty heavy statement, and quite frankly, I’m not too happy about it!

So, it’s not enough that I avoid cigarettes, consume little alcohol, try to eat healthy, take vitamins, exercise regularly and get my yearly pap smear; now I’ve got to smile all the freakin’ time?

Read the rest of this entry »

In my previous post about kegel exercises, Turn Your Vagina Into A Vice Grip, I gave you an overview of kegels for fitness. I’m glad you all liked the article. But don’t wake me when I’m dreamin’, people; I was just gettin’ started!

I hate to keep beating a dead vagina, but it’s time to talk Kegels once again, because we barely touched the surface the first time. (Those muscles really are hidden and buried nowhere near the surface). This time though, I think I am going to be anointed Super Relationship Saver for today’s Kegel wisdom. In fact, I’m having my graphic designer draw up the monogram that will adorn my chest, right after I write this.

I hear a lot of men complain about their low libido-women, and how women are just not giving “it” to them enough.  I would tend to assume that this is due to the man’s emotional disengagement, and a reduction of romantic gestures they put forth when the relationship was young, if it weren’t for one thing. I hear a lot of women complaining of their own low interest in sex. Certainly men’s laziness in the relationship could account for some of the low female sex drives in the world, but not every man can be lazy and disengaged in the relationship, can he? (Let’s give them the benefit of the doubt).

Of course, there are many reasons for a woman’s lack of sex drive which I can address in another article, but the fact is, men want their women to initiate more sex and a lot of women just don’t feel like it. Well guess what? There’s a reason for this. Studies confirm that women’s sexual desire is usually more of a receptive type of desire. What this means is that it is often triggered by thoughts and emotions arising during sexual excitement, not before. I’m channeling some cranky *f.a.t. reader’s voice right now. I hear her saying, “that’s nice, bitch, but if I’m not in the mood for him to be touching me, then how would I get sexually excited enough to trigger my receptive desire?” Good question, Cranky *f.a.t. Reader.

Read the rest of this entry »

In the next few weeks most of you will be surrounded by cookies in one way or another. Whether through a work function, a party you attend or host, a cookie exchange, or your own holiday baking, we will have access to more doughy confections than any other time of the year. I’m not a huge calorie counter myself, and prefer just approaching the season with an attitude of moderation. But I know a lot of you like to be more precise with your dieting methods, so that you don’t end up with Santa’s belly by new year’s day. So, I’ve compiled a cookie calorie count list to refer to as you munch your way through the holidays! 

Almond cookie

Serving Size: 2″  Calories per cookie: 51.34     Fat grams:  3.12       Carbs: 5.14

Homemade chocolate chip cookie  

Serving Size: 2′1/4″ diameter    Calories per cookie: 78     Fat grams: 4.5    Carbs: 9.3  

Chocolate chip large bakery style:

Serving Size: 5″ diameter     Calories per cookie:  210,    Fat grams: 10       Carbs: 6 

Gingerbread cookie

Serving Size: 1 gingerbread man  Calories per cookie: 90  Fat grams: 5  Carbs: 12

M&M cookie:

Serving Size: 2″  Calories per cookie: 107    Fat grams: 4.6     Carbs: 15.5

Sugar cookie:

Serving Size: 2″    Calories per cookie: 110,      Fat grams: 5      Carbs: 14.7 

Powdered sugar frosting:

Serving size: 2 Tbsp.                 Calories per cookie: 112,    Fat grams: 4   Carbs: 19

Cream cheese frosting:

Serving size: 1 TBSP                  Calories: 60   Fat grams: 3.5   Carbs:  6.8 

White chocolate macademia large bakery style:  Calories per cookie: 210     Fat grams: 11,    Carbs: 29

Oatmeal raisin :                       Calories per cookie: 94            Fat grams 2            Carbs: 17 

Mexican wedding cookie:  

1″ diameter                            Calories per cookie: 98,              Fat grams: 7.3        Carbs: 7.4

Peanut Butter:    

3″ diameter     Calories per cookie: 95, Fat grams: 4.8. Carbs: 11.8  

With Hershey Kiss on top:

Serving: 1 Kiss Calories: 26 Fat grams: 1.4 Carbs:  2.7 

Chocolate covered pretzels:

Serving size: 13 pretzels Calories: 190 Fat grams: 8  Carbs: 25