Portions and Servings, What's the difference?

Do the words portion and serving mean the same thing to you? I hear them being used interchangeably, but the difference between the two could be the reason you can't seem to drop those unwanted pounds. According to the Department of Heath and Human Services and the National Institutes of Health, "portions are the amount of foods you choose to eat" whereas the serving sizes are, "measures used to describe the amount of foods recommended from each food group."

Here's a quick visual reference. 1 Serving Equals...

• Serving of meat, fish or poultry = deck of cards or the palm of your hand



• 1/2 cup pasta or grain = one cupped palm



• Serving of baked potato = computer mouse



• 1 protein pancake = a dvd



• 1 slice of bread = a dvd



• 1 cup of leafy greens = two hands cupped together



• 1/2 cup cut up veggies = one cupped palm



• 1 piece of fruit = tennis ball



• 1/2 cup of fruit, raw, cooked, frozen or canned = one cupped palm



• 1 tablespoon of dressing = 1/2 your thumb



• 1 ounce of cheese = one domino



• 1/2 cup cottage cheese = one cupped palm



• 1 cup yogurt = two hands cupped together



• 1 tablespoon peanut butter = 1/2 a ping pong ball



• 1/4 cup of dried fruit or nuts = Golf ball or large egg



• 1 teaspoon oil = the tip of your finger or one die



• 1 teaspoon butter = the tip of your finger or one die

I fear for our children. Quick and easy snacks are way too convenient and unhealthy. Have you noticed that 1 bag of something can be as many as 4 servings? 1 bag feels like it should equal 1 serving, but it doesn't. This is alarming with the majority of kids snacks being packaged and processed. They are getting many times the amount they should. Fruit, veggies, nuts, yogurt, cheese, and natural nut butter on whole grain bread have become my staple snacks for my daughter.

Did this visual guide surprise you? Don't you think using it will help you familiarize yourself with what a serving is and help cut down portions?

I'll be happy when.....

I hear this all the time and it makes me wonder, "Well, what about now?" This weekend I was fortunate to catch an African Dance Program. As I watched it, I was in awe of the beauty and confidence these women exuded. They inspired me to write this,

" Be comfortable in your own skin, no matter what size, age, color, or shape you're in. We're all on a journey somewhere, all a work in progress. Take a moment and embrace You-You right now! Not the you-you want to become someday!"

I hear people say this all the time," I'll be happy when I lose 10 pounds, when I have a flat stomach, or when-well, the list is endless. But don't you think it's important to be happy now?As much as I think goals are important, self-acceptance goes a long way in achieving them.
Do you find yourself saying, "I'll be happy when?"

Do you want to be a Fitness Model?

Sometimes we need a "big" challenge to push us to our goals. Being a busy mom, I know all to well how we can get lost in the details of everyone else's lives. So, for those moms that email me about how to become a fitness model, this is for you.

Do you want to be a fitness model, or want pictures of yourself to mark this stage of your life? Have you transformed your body or want to transform your body? Scheduling a photoshoot with a professional and reliable photographer, will provide you with images of yourself you'll love. Below is a list of photographers I have worked with and highly recommend. After I had my daughter, I was terrified to put on a swimsuit! With hard work and the encouragement of the photographers below, I was able to feel confident and comfortable. If you're worried about posing, makeup, or even what to wear, they can help you with all of that.

Have you ever wanted professional images you could submit to a magazine? Or pictures of you and your children in your fitness lifestyle? The goal of a photoshoot is a fun and exciting one.
What do you think?

* Photographers I love working with!

facebook.com/imiragephoto

www.evasimon.com/

www.picturegroove.com/

www.jamesmpatrick.com/

www.lisabrewerphoto.com/

www.mikebyerlyphoto.com/

www.paulbuceta.com/

Have you secretly written yourself off?

Making a comeback to fitness after having my daughter and turning 40, has been anything but easy. So when I opened the April issue of Oxygen and noticed I was voted Oxygen's Fittest Mom, I was so flattered and humbled I got emotional. As I looked at the picture, it occurred to me that I had written myself off secretly. I thought I'm old, and I'm a mom now. I used this as a way to protect myself from not placing well at a show or being rejected by magazines. But there I was next to 12 time Olympian Dara Torres, she was voted "Best Comeback." Overwhelming!

Being in this industry and admiring so many of you fit moms, I want to thank you for your inspiration and for showing that having a baby isn't the end of being in shape. Let's all continue to spread this message and help each other know that you can be fit, look and feel your best, and be a mom. Yes, you can be all of it!

Is it 50% Diet and 50% Nutrition? How do you think it's split?

A young girl came up to me at gymnastics, and asked, " how do you look like that, I do an hour of cardio 5 days a week and I can't get lean?" When I asked her about her diet she said, "well, if I do cardio I thought I could eat whatever I wanted." Turns out, she thought if she did an hour of cardio, she could eat fast food and still be lean. I wonder if a lot of people feel this way? If the cardio machine says you burned 500 calories, do you think people think this all they need to do? And, what about resistance training? It seems people place more emphasis on cardio. Moms, I know you don't have any free time so:

• do you find it harder to get your workout in or eat clean?


• and, if you had to assign percentages to working out and diet how much of each do you feel determines what you look like?


• do you think it's 50% Nutrition and 50% Training?

Calories are not created equally, and I find relying solely on this ineffective. Technically we could eat a creme filled donut or a chicken breast with 1/2 cup of rice and 1 cup of veggies. Wouldn't you agree?

Total Summer Bikini Body Plan, Get Yummy!

I don't think there's anything I dread more than swimsuit shopping, okay maybe jean shopping is up there too. I know this might seem odd coming from me, but I know the difference good lighting makes. Dressing room lighting somehow perfectly brings out every flaw it can. Picture me looking in the mirror with anguish, and my daughter fidgeting and wanting to climb under the stall into the other one. It was actually a nice distraction, doesn't it sound familiar? So Moms, the next time you go swimsuit shopping buy the suit you love and ignore the lighting. I have been receiving this question a lot lately: "I don't want this summer to be like all the others, I want to be able to put on a swimsuit and not want to cover it up with a t-shirt? With all the kids summer parties, I dread this every year, please help!"

• Summer is still a few months away, so it's a perfect time to set a "I will feel confident in my swimsuit this summer goal." Find a swimsuit you love, hang it in your closet, and use it to motivate you!


• If there's one thing I know, living on mommy-time summer is coming faster than we think. So please share what you look forward to this summer? Is it rocking that bikini with confidence for the first time, or obtaining your fitness goals and feeling confident in a swimsuit? Maybe even scheduling a photo shoot? Whatever your motivation, I'd love to hear it.

*Make sure to pick up this edition, "Total Summer Body Plan" packed full of great advice and tips for swimsuit season.

Do you always feel, on?

Here's a moment you'll never forget, remember when you had your first child? All of this sudden it was like a switch was flipped, and you were "on". Don't you feel like you're always, on? You know that feeling that makes you go check on your brand new baby repeatedly to make sure they're breathing? Four years into this, I'm wondering when do you get to shut off? I love my daughter more than anything, so it's hard to admit that sometimes I want one of those pre-baby days back, where I did...I don't even know what with my time! How do you get a little of that back?

Sprints, my Yummy Mummy Leg Secret!

Are your legs and glutes where you want them to be? Frustrated with the condition of my legs, I decided to take some of my cardio and leg training to my backyard. Have you ever tried Sprinting? If your results have stagnated, and your legs aren't where you'd like them to be, incorporate Sprints. After 3 months of adding them to my training twice a week, I noticed my former flatter glutes higher and rounder. As well as, an increase in fat loss, tighter skin, and more separation in my IT band: that's the line that runs vertically down your thigh visually separating your quad and hamstring. Get outside and run! Doing all your training on machines is great, but I have to admit I've noticed the biggest changes taking it outside. Benefits, I've noticed from Sprinting include:

• You can do them at or near your home, like at a park or high school. I do them at home in my yard. They're convenient!


• You can do them with your kids.


• Time saved, not driving to the gym, if done at or near home.


• Increased fat loss all over.


• Higher fuller glutes, tighter legs, and more definition.


• Incredible Endorphin release.


• Results!

Here's an Oxygen Video of me discussing this, Enjoy!