A Life That Fits

Find Your Perfect Fit Body, Mind and Soul

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Weight Loss

3 Easy Ways to Stick to an Exercise Routine

by Victoria Bailey on September 27, 2012

in Body & Beauty

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How many times have you said to yourself …“I have to start exercising more!”

We all know we should do it. The benefits of regular exercise are endless – it help us to lose weight and maintain weight, improves our sleep, improves our mood, decreases our stress levels, and not to mention the countless health benefits from heart disease to cancer prevention.

I know what it’s like to be on the ‘workout roller coaster’. You get off to a really great start, lose momentum after a few weeks and start all over again a few months later.  Or you have a great routine for years, something happens to get you off track and now you’re struggling to regain your groove.  I’ve definitely been there and I’ve found a way to get off the roller coaster and make exercise a permanent part of my life.

The secret is to make exercise a habit.  Studies show that people who successfully change their lifestyle over time, do so by making their new behaviors into habits. Our psychology works in a way where most of our daily choices are made on autopilot.  New things take energy and concentration and a significant amount of effort – effort is not sustainable over the long term as it requires constant willpower.  Habits are effortless because they become a part of what we do, we don’t even think about them – whether it’s brushing your teeth in the morning or driving home on the same route every day. More

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Freshology: Celeb endorsed, but does it work?

by Victoria Bailey on January 20, 2012

in Health & Nutrition

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One of the first things I did when I moved to New York is sign up for Freshology meal delivery service.

While I pretty much stopped putting myself on strict diet plans after I turned 30 (I had tortured myself enough in my twenties), I had to admit… I was enticed by the celebrity endorsements and the sleek, modern branding.  Stars such as J-Lo, Sofia Vergara, Mario Lopez, Sarah Michelle Gellar and many others have all been associated with this all natural, gourmet meal delivery service.  While I was living in Canada, I didn’t have the option because it’s not available outside the U.S.  So when I moved, I just HAD to try it.

I decided to opt for the Silver Plan – which consists of frozen vs. fresh meals.  The Gold plan (which includes fresh meals) was approx. $49 per day which is a bit pricey and if it wasn’t something I wanted to invest in, I figured most people would feel the same.  So I decided to try the one that was more realistic and therefore hopefully sharing my experience would be more relevant and helpful.  Plus, with frozen items I knew I could store them longer in case I didn’t eat all of the meals in a given week. More

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Why I love yoga and why you should try it

by Victoria Bailey on November 28, 2011

in Body & Beauty,Health & Nutrition

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photo: flickr lululemon athletica

I love yoga.  Anyone who knows me, knows that I am obsessed with it.  It is my absolute favorite workout.  If I had to choose only one form of exercise, it would be yoga.  It’s that good.  Here’s why I think it’s the greatest thing ever:

1. It is an amazing wholebody workout.

Not every type of yoga is physically challenging – restorative and hatha styles are much more gentle and while they still have toning benefits, I wouldn’t go so far as to say they would substitute cardio and weights in terms of exertion.

However, Ashtanga, Vinyasa, Power Yoga, Flow Yoga and the hot varieties like Bikram and Moksha, can definitely get you into great shape.  You are using your own body weight to hold standing poses, arm balances and planks, and so you tone and strengthen all of your major muscle groups.  In addition, the flow and/or hot aspects of these classes provide a great cardio workout.    Oh, and don’t worry if you can’t actually do an arm balance – the work is in the prep, so just by getting into the right position you work to strengthen your muscle and core to eventually go all the way up. More

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Don’t be fooled by the numbers…

by Victoria Bailey on January 25, 2011

in Health & Nutrition

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Label1-articleLargeDo calories matter? How much should I be eating? Are there too many carbs in that? Can I really eat fat? How do I make sense of a nutrition label?

These are common questions I get from my clients, and also with friends, family and sometimes complete strangers.  There is so much miss-information out there about nutrition and weight loss.  There are a lot of people out there who are really trying to make better choices for themselves and their health and yet are often confused by the information presented through government guidelines or marketing campaigns.

Nutrition numbers and labels are probably the biggest source of confusion. Today I read two articles that made me frustrated.  One was about a potential lawsuit against Taco Bell because they are potentially not using enough ingredients to use the word “beef” in their advertising. Apparently all they need is 35%. What’s in the other 65% – fillers. What does that mean? Chemicals. Chemicals that are body doesn’t know how to utilize, that put stress on our liver and disrupt our hormonal systems and biochemistry. More

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Do Calories Matter?

by Victoria Bailey on January 20, 2010

in Body & Beauty

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Tape Measure next to Nutrition FactsGiven that most of us are focused on weight loss during this time of year, I’m going to devote the next couple of posts to this topic.

It continues to amaze me how much misinformation there is on this topic. It’s something I am very passionate about because I spent most of my teens and early twenties on diets or periods of calorie restriction. So when I meet with women that are frustrated, disillusioned and confused by their countless attempts to lose weight, it makes me more determined to get the right information out there.

As you’ve heard me say in a previous post, we really need to eliminate the weight loss mentality from our vocabulary. And I’m happy to say, the shift is happening. There is definitely more awareness about the benefits of eating healthy, and the ineffectiveness of fad diets and quick-fix gimmicks.  Having said that, there is still some confusion and conflicting information.

One topic that always sparks debate is the need for calorie counting. I’m sure you’ve heard people say things like “as long as you’re eating healthy food, calories don’t matter” or on the opposite end know of successful programs that are based points and pre-set meals etc that do limit your total daily intake. I’ve also met many people who say to me “I’m eating healthy and still gaining weight, why is that?” In fact, I’ve experienced this last one myself! More

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The biggest weight loss mistake

by Victoria Bailey December 1, 2009
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The dieting season is fast approaching. Here are some statistics for you to think about: • More than 70% of woman are currently on a diet • Over 95% of dieters regain the weight within 1-3 years As a nutritionist, many of the clients that come to see me have weight loss as one of [...]

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