Is Kirstie "Nuts"?

The definition I like best of insanity goes something like this: Insanity is doing the same things over and over again, and expecting different results. I recently viewed the DVR'd Oprah show in which Kirstie keeps saying she is nuts. But is she? According to this definition, she ate until she could eat no more consistently, yet expected not to gain any weight back. Wrong. She said herself that she chose to ignore the consequences. That she did not act responsibly when it came to diet and exercise. So, she knew what would happen when she repeated her mistakes. That behavior could indeed make you crazy! And it is what a lot us do regularly. We know how we will feel after we eat poorly, don't exercise, or don't put our well being first. I, for one, do not want to be part of the crazy club (although I just almost burned my house down after putting water on for green tea with lemon and getting so involved in thought for this blog, that I forgot it!) So, I throw out this challenge: Don't be another Kirstie. Learn from her mistakes. Try to remind yourself to take it one day at a time. Don't get overwhelmed by the thought of a lifetime counting calories and tedious exercise. Instead, just show up! Just get to that exercise class, try to portion out your food and not go back for seconds. Chew gum while your cooking so you aren't full before you even serve dinner. A little something everyday can add up to a lot. You are just one exercise session, just one nutritionally sound meal away from feeling great. I know it works for me. I am not saying it is easy to stick to, but, like anything, if you break it down into baby steps, you just might be able to succeed without feeling overwhelmed.

Speaking of Green Tea with Lemon. Tip for today: Straight from, you guessed it, Prevention magazine. In order to absorb the powerful antioxidants in green tea called catechins, you should add fresh lemon juice. Doing so will help absorb 13 times more catechins than if you drank the plain tea. The vitamin c in the lemon juice will allow just one or two cups of green tea help your heart, as opposed to the 5 cups a day consumed by the Japanese subjects in this study. Just don't add milk as it interferes with catechin absorption. The magazine also states only freshly brewed teas, and not the bottled types, are effective in promoting healthy hearts and decreasing stroke risk.