Trim & Slim For Life

So I still haven't made it to the gym. I almost felt good enough yesterday but by the time I got off work I felt the sniffles coming back on so I didn't go. And today I went to work, gym bag and everything, only to find out we were getting SLAMMED with a snow storm that started a few hours before I even got out of work. So, skipped the gym again. But I have made it a definite point to keep moving. When I read, I've been either doing it standing up (YES, I have been standing up to read a book because you can burn up to 50 more calories per hour just by standing instead of sitting) or I lay on the floor with weights around my ankles and work my hamstrings. I also did a couple workouts from On Demand.

I picked up "Slim for Life" by Jillian Michaels and read the entire thing yesterday, which is why I'm posting so late today. Normally I write my posts the day before so they can post at midnight, but I spent so much time reading I didn't have a chance to blog. The book, I thought, was actually really good. Normally it's $29.95 and I got it for $17. It covered pretty much everything I've been reading and searching on the internet and laid in out plain and simple for the reader. It's kind of an activity book, too. As you read, you check off the passages/tips that you think or plan on following up with and at the end of each chapter you get points assigned the the different tips you're taking. The most important tips that we shouldn't be skipping (Stuff like eating healthy and working out often) get 3 points while stuff that help but aren't essential (like new gym clothes and motivation techniques) get only 1 point.   
Here are some of my favorite tips:

•  "Don't skip any meals, especially breakfast. When you skip meals, it throws off your blood sugar and triggers insulin instability, which then causes you to overeat when you finally do eat." (pg. 24).
• "Follow the 80/20 rule... eat great food 80% of your daily calorie allowance and make 20% of it treat foods." (Pg 28)
•  "Keep to a 2 drink maximum.... Studies have shown that alcohol suppresses fat metabolism by as much as 70%. It contributes to unwanted fat storage, too, because when you drink alcohol, it's broken into something called acetate, which your body will burn before anything else. All other extra calories will be stored as fat." (pg 30)
• "Hands off... [when on the elliptical, treadmill, stepper] you burn up to 25% fewer calories when you hold on" (pg 66). 
• "Be Wholesome.... Don't be tricked by the labels multigrain, 7-grain, 12-grain, or organic flour. This is important because 100% whole-grain means that neither the nutrients nor the fiber have been removed during processing." (Pg 74). 
• "Be Salt Savvy... have fewer milligrams of sodium per serving than calories per serving." (pg 85). Be Sugar Savvy... keep your sugar intake below 5 grams per serving." (Pg. 85). and... "Be Like Grandma-Get Your Fiber...make sure that the product you choose has at least 2 grams of fiber per 100 calories."
• "Sit on a stability ball instead of a chair to strengthen your abs and back and to improve posture." (127).
•  "Inundate yourself... Surround yourself with images that inspire you to get slim. Post them on your fridge, desktop, and car dashboard." (152). 
• "Engage in teatime... many teas are lightly caffeinated; caffeine is a natural appetite suppressant Green tea, for example, has been shown to squelch hunger, boost energy, burn up to 4% more calories, and increase the rate of fat oxidation (fat burning). Herbal teas (non caffeinated) can also be helpful in fending off hunger, as some of the properties of herbals support a host of organ and metabolic functions." (171).
•  "T2 The following powerhouse teas actually help burn fat and up your metabolism!... King Peony White Tea; Loose Lease Pu'erh;" (215)
• "For caffeine to be effective in the slimming department, you have to combine it with exercise. It dramatically enhances fitness performance because it lowers our perception of the intensity or difficulty of our efforts" (224)
• "Aromatherapy has long been practiced as a way to curb hunger..... try these slimming scents, recommended by aromatherapists to help curb cravings: grapefruit, cinnamon, ginger, and coriander oils." (175)