Meet your favorite new weeknight dinner! Steam 12 spears of asparagus until lightly crisp. Roll four slices of deli ham around each of three spears and then broil until lightly crisp. Serve over a bed of mixed greens and baby tomatoes with an egg prepared “over easy” and light vinaigrette. http://ow.ly/EyVfw

Dine out no more than once or twice a month! A University of Illinois study found that the average American consumes an extra 24,000 Calories each year thanks to restaurant dining: a potential 7 extra pounds!

Skip the bread basket. If you’re going out to dinner, bread is a cheap waste to spend your Calories on. You’re there for a delicious entree! Bread and other “extras’” just add unnecessary Calories to an already heavy meal.

Tired of your typical routine? The same thing can get old time after time! Try mixing up the order you do things in, or doing a “triathlon workout”- do three different machines for a third of your workout. Not only will the change-up feel novel, you’ll hit muscle groups you may be neglecting.
http://ow.ly/Dx6f3

Juices (even vegetable juices) can contain a lot of Calories! One popular Pinterest recipe contains more Calories and nearly as much sugar as a can of classic Coca-Cola.  
The beet and carrot juice concoction contains 110 Calories and 24 g of sugar. while a can of coke contain 90 Calories and 25 g sugar.

Everyone has time for breakfast, no excuses! Hard-boiled eggs, yogurt, fruit, nuts, and American Heart Association certified lunch meats all make great mix and match, grab and go, breakfast combos

Looking for the best way to reduce abdominal fat? Crunches, planks, and other abdominal exercises help increase muscle, but to burn fat, you need to increase your cardio: the fat burning effects of strength training are far overstated by uneducated gym goers. To lose weight and reduce fat, stick to an 80-20 or 90-10% of cardio and strength training.

We all fall. While you’re down on your knees, figure out why. Avoid it the next time. Then get back up and keep on moving. The only failure is in not learning  from our missteps. “The best day of your life is the one on which you decide your life is your own. No apologies or excuses. No one to lean on, rely on, or blame. The gift is yours — it is an amazing journey — and you alone are responsible for the quality of it. This is the day your life really begins.” -Bob Moawad

Trying to figure out how to “have your cake and eat it too?” Find out your Caloric needs, and then divide those Calories among your meals, saving a little for a daily treat. Dietitians call these “discretionary Calories”- fun Calories that can be used for items we typically think of as unhealthy, thanks to the majority of our diets being exceptionally healthy. On a 1,500 to 2,000 Calorie diet (the amount necessary for the average adult to meet and maintain a healthy weight), discretionary Calories can healthfully fall in the range of 300-500 Calories. Just make sure the rest of your diet is exceptional: lots of vegetables, lean proteins, and healthy fats!

Trying to target your glutes and thighs? Don’t hold onto the handles of your treadmill or stair-climber: many gym goers crank up the speed and hold on or lean to meet the momentum, but this actually reduces the efficiency of your workout, and because of this, the Caloric output you expend wont match the readout on your machine. It will be far less. -www.fitnessphysician.com