Calorie Intake..And A Prize!!!

Twas the night before Easter and all through the house..not a creature was stirring, not even a.....Well here in the Braxton household my mother is still up..It's midnight and she's dyeing Easter eggs. She has every year since I was a kid some 40 plus years ago, in the same metal mugs . She did them when she lived alone, she did them when I was very sick a few years ago, and even tonight, at midnight, she's coloring her eggs. Why , you say , does this have to do with fitness, and travel. Well it's called habit. That is her habit..which she has many, and so do I . To lose weight , to live a healthy lifestyle, and to stick with it , you need to develope "habits". And in this case "new" habits. The biggest one, besides excercising, is to change your eating habits. It's really hard to do so on the road, thats why I pack a lunch. Another way, if you have a smart phone or an Ipad, is to download an app to track what you eat. I have on mine Livestrong.com ( which they have an app on Apple) and Tap "n" Track. You'd be amazed at how logging what you eat, makes you more aware of what you eat and how much.They both have you log not only what you eat, but your physical activity as well. How it works is that you set a goal loss ( how much weight you want to lose each week, neither app lets you set of goal of more than 2lbs a week) , and then with your height and current weight, the app determines how many calories you need to take in a day to achieve your goal.  You also log in your physical activity as well, whether it's a work out session, housecleaning, or walking your dog. It keeps it real. Eventually it becomes a habit. You automatically look at the labels on the food that you consume, and are aware of what you eat, because you have to track it. It becomes a habit...a good one. After a while you dont need the app because , in your head, you know what your daily calorie consumption is and can track in your head what you have eaten.
So tonight, I'll go to bed . knowing that in the morning my Easter Bunny ( my mom) has made me a splendid Easter Basket..the same way that she has been doing for over 45 years.....her habit, and I will wake up with the enthusiasm of a 4year old..looking forward to see my basket.

Now I want you all to get into the "habit" of tracking what you eat, and reading labels. Go to either one of the sites...my favorite is Livestrong.com ..or Tap N Track and set your goal. For the first 3 people to do so and track for 3 days..you get a prize! E-mail me your progress @
karab1963@aol.com
Happy travels, and stay fit!