Video Tips on How to Avoid Weight Gain during the Holidays!

Check out these tips I've learned over the years to avoid weight gain over the holidays. But you can also use these tip during any family engagment.
Enjoy!!!!!

Food Addiction...Is it Real?

Of course it is!  Why do you think we have so many overweight Americans?  A lot of overweight Americans say they like the way they are but then why do they try and fail at so many diets?  It's not because of the diets themselves but it's because they have an addiction.  Food addiction is probably the HARDEST addiction to get over...Why?  Because we still have to eat in order to live.  Alcoholics can go without alcohol and they can avoid being around alcohol.  Drug addicts don't need to be around drugs or have to use drugs in order to survive.  But Food Addicts still need to eat.  It's everywhere you go; it's on TV almost 24/7.  Yet people are expected to give up their food addiction on there own and are criticized when they can't.  Alcoholics and drug addicts have rehab centers, counselors and the support of people around them.  Drug addicts can find people to be around that aren't going to shoot up and alcoholics can find people that won't drink around them but how do you find people that won't eat around you.  How many places of employment have vending machines or have doughnuts brought to every meeting?  How many holiday parties do you go to that aren't full of goodies?  Can you go to the movies without seeing tons of advertisement for candy and popcorn before the movie starts?  Yet we constantly criticize people when we see them shoving their mouths with unhealthy foods.  If you know someone who is trying to lose weight do you stop eating around them or do you brag about how you can eat and they can't?  We are more inclined to go out of our way not to drink around a recovering alcoholic than we are to not eat around someone trying to lose weight.  Why is that?  It might be that you are addicted to food too and not realize it.  You don't have to be overweight to be an addict.

Yes, I am a food addict.  I am able to control it most of the time now but I still struggle with it.  It never becomes easy.  You don't wake up one day and say "Wow, I never want to eat cake ever again" and then never do it.  It just doesn't work that way.  You can go years eating healthy and taking good care of yourself and then one day you decide to take a bite of your friend's birthday cake and BAM it all comes back to you, those cravings that is.  I jokingly tell people that when I go to the grocery store I "visit" the bakery and say Hi to my old friends but I'm not joking.  I really do visit and look at all the baked goods.  I look to see if calories are listed hoping to find something that is less than 200 calories and has only one serving (because I can't get multiple servings b/c I know I will eat them all).  Luckily I don't find any except for the grab your own doughnuts section but I've seen too many shows about people using their hands to pick through them and put them back.  At least my germ phobia helps me out there.  My weakness or addiction is sweets: cookies, cake, brownies...  When I get my "cravings" I start to think about what I can lose if I give in.  I have health problems as it is and unhealthy food would only make it worse.  I preach to my kids about eating healthy and try to be an example so if I give in I could influence them in a negative way.  When I was 18 I "tried" to be an anorexic but being addicted to food made it to difficult so then I thought about binging and purging.  Fortunately I was too vain when it came to my teeth so after seeing pictures of bulimics with rotten teeth I couldn't go through with that.  Then I became an exercise addict.  I worked out for 4-6 hours per day so I could eat a lot.  I would still put on weight even with all the exercise and that started my cycles of weight gain, diet, weight loss and then all over again. 

Fortunately, I had my kids in my 20's and I knew when I became pregnant with my first child that if I didn't learn to deal with my addiction at that moment then I might teach my children to become food addicts as well and I didn't want to do that.  At first they were my one and only reason to battle my addiction.  I want to clarify that I am not saying parents who can't overcome it are bad parents because they are not.  Our society teaches us to be addicts; it is everywhere you turn around.  It just happened to be my current motivation at that particular time.  But with addicts that initial motivation fades and you need to re-evaluate and find another motivation.  It can be a constantly changing thing.  So when you feel you are becoming weak go look for a new motivation.  You have to learn to be creative.  Sometimes if I start to put on a few pounds I take out a favorite form fitting outfit and put it on every morning until I can feel comfortable in it again; or it may be a bathing suit.  I may take a very unflattering picture of myself and put it on my mirror so I can see it every time I fix my hair in the morning and when I wash my face before I go to bed.  It could also be looking at other peoples success stories to help give me that extra motivation.  Each time may be different but you have to find that ultimate motivation. 

I was watching Dr. Oz today and that was what motivated me to write about this.  There was a single mom on the show who was struggling with food addiction.  She tried to hide it from her children but she couldn't do it so she would share her addiction with her kids.  She felt so bad at times she wanted to take her own life and as much as she wanted to stop she couldn't.  Dr. Oz acknowledged that it was indeed a serious addiction and helped put her into a rehab facility while a good friend watched her kids.  A rehab center!  Just like drug addicts and alcoholics.  Praise the Lord, finally people are stating just what this horrible disease is and some people need serious intervention.  I also watched Biggest Loser and this daughter talk about seeing her dad who lost over a hundred pounds.  She said she was so excited because she's only seen a fat dad her whole entire life and now she has a new dad.  She said she can't wait to start her journey to weight loss.  Her dad loved her so much, do you think he intentionally let his daughter get overweight?  No!  But he's an addict and couldn't stop.  Lets stop criticizing people who are overweight and when you see them out eating a double quarter pounder with cheese and a super sized fry and coke don't judge.  Heck say a little silent prayer for them.  Lets start educating people about this serious addiction and if you know someone who keeps trying to stop eating unhealthy foods and fail over and over again then be empathetic, get them to seek help, more help than a friend, personal trainer or a weight watchers representative has to offer.  As with many addictions it's not about the actual substance, it's about emotions and compensating for those emotions.  You do it because it makes you feel good, you get a rush and you want that feeling over and over again until one day you turn around and you realize you don't feel so good anymore, in fact you feel awful but it's too late, your hooked and you can't seem to do anything about it. 

I'm not trying to be a downer.  I just want to educate the world about this secret addiction no one wants to talk about.  I want people to be empathetic to addicts and I want you to try to help them.  If you are an addict then I want you to know there is hope.  Find your motivation, find a good friend to support you and if all else fails find a good counselor or get into rehab.  It may seem impossible because you may not be able to afford it or leave your kids but then what would happen if you die?  There is always a way so don't make anymore excuses.  Then once you have helped yourself then go out and help others.  When I help people lose weight it's not just about the knowledge I have learned in college that I use to help them, it's about knowing what they are going through because I've been there.  Not judging them but encouraging them, listening to them and supporting them when they have setbacks.  I got into this field because I know how hard it is and I wish I would have had someone to support me.  I felt too ashamed to talk about it to anyone.  I don't want anyone to have to go through that.  So I thank you for taking the time to read this.  I hope you can get something out of it and help educate others.  We can do it together! :)

Weight Loss Could Literally Save Your Life!

CNN Reports Cancer is linked to Obesity

Ok, I just had to add this article. New research has shown a link between obesity and cancer. Specifically, the report says that 49 percent of endometrial cancers are caused by excess body fat. That number is followed by 35 percent of esophageal cancer cases; 28 percent of pancreatic cancer cases; 24 percent of kidney cancer cases; 21 percent of gallbladder cancer cases; 17 percent of breast cancer cases; and 9 percent of colorectal cancer cases. Wow, I had no idea!

For some reason diabetes and heart disease aren't enough to scare most people into losing weight but maybe cancer can. I'd hate to say that I'm excited about this new research report, because I'm not exactly, but I am excited about the potential of people living healthier lives because of this report. Cancer seems to scare people more so than other weight related diseases. I guess it's because when you hear the word cancer people immediately think: chemotherapy, losing hair, being violently ill, all before getting better if that is even a possibility. I guess when people think of diabetes they think of insulin shots that don't seem so bad and for some reason don't think of the possibility of losing your feet. When it comes to heart disease I guess people think of having a pace maker or taking medications and not needing a heart transplant. Also if you did need a heart transplant the chances aren't very good for an obese person getting a heart. But the big "C" really scares people. If that is what it takes for people to be scared into losing weight well then please get scared. Many obese people don't even realize they are obese, they just think they are overweight and that they can lose it eventually.

A friend of mine was looking at some pictures of herself her mom had taken at a gathering earlier in the week and while we were looking at them she noticed one of her laying down on the couch after the gathering and there was a big ring of fat surrounding her face almost looking as if her face was being swallowed up. She asked me if she really looked that big, the dreaded question you don't want to answer...So I asked her if I looked bigger in the picture than what I really am and she sadly said no. She knew she had gained some wait but really didn't think it was that much or that she was obese until she saw that one picture. That is all it took and the next day she asked me to help her with an exercise program. So far she has lost an average of 2-3 pounds per week.

There are people that really and truly try to lose weight over and over again and fail. But then one day, something finally clicks with them, whether it is a picture, an article they are reading or a conversation with an old friend and they are hit with a few eye opening realizations. While they thought they were happy with the way they were, they really weren't. Some people realize this when they try playing a sport they hadn't played in awhile and realize they can't do it now. Some realize it when they finally get to baby-sit their grandchild they've waited for so long and they just can't keep up. Some realize it when they see a picture of themselves in a very unflattering way and then there are others who will realize it when they are told they are at risk of dying. Finding that realization can be such a memorable moment and those people who go on to lose the weight will always remember that moment.

When will you have your moment? I hope your moment can be after reading this article because I would hate for your health to be in jeopardy in the near future. Taking the first step can be hard but so worth it. It may take more than joining a gym and cutting back on some calories. For many people it is an emotional attachment, I know for me it was (and still is; I just learn to resist it most of the time). It may take a commitment of hiring a personal trainer to help hold you accountable and/or joining a support group to hear that other people struggle too and to share tips with others and get advice from a professional. Many people don't realize that their overeating or unwillingness to exercise is due to some emotional connection either from when they were a child, teenager or college.

In my family we were taught to eat when we have something to celebrate. When anybody was sad we would bake cookies, brownies or cake. I think we had food with almost any emotion we had. Even though I managed to learn to eat healthy and attempted to teach my kids to eat healthy I didn't realize that I was actually passing this eating with emotions on to my kids. Of course when anyone in the family did something good we went out to eat. But then if anyone had a rough day or was sad b/c a fish died or they were in a fight with a friend, there I was baking cookies to make them feel better. It dawned on me last year when my 14 year old daughter was sad b/c this boy she liked actually liked someone else and she came to talk to me and before I could say anything she said "Can we make some cookies?” There was my moment...the moment I realized I was teaching my kids the same thing my parents taught me. After all these years of school, training classes, working in the medical field, helping any and all of my friends to lose weight, exercise and eat right, I was teaching my own kids to have an unhealthy relationship with food. How do you undo that? Especially when I still want to eat brownies when I don't feel good.

Well, I’m working on it, lol...but I've thought of some ways to help brake the habits without them knowing and honestly without them knowing they have the habits to begin with. From now on when someone is feeling sad then we will go out and do something fun like bowling, skating, hiking or something active the kids like. When they do something good then we celebrate by going to Six Flags or Stone Mountain. I guess I'll have to keep cake for their birthdays and we can go out to eat just for fun without a feeling associated with it. I teach them how to make healthy options out at restaurants but we just don't want to associate feelings with along with it.

So to sum all of that up...GO see your doctor about all the risks that are associated with being overweight, GO look at some recent pictures (or if you were like me when I was overweight I didn't have pictures taken of me, so go get some taken) and then take a long hard look at yourself. Do you really think you are happy? Do you feel happy about the way you look? Then GO do something about it. Save your life! I think you're important enough to save. :) Good Luck!

Tips for busy moms to get some creative workouts in!

Tips for moms with kids 4 and under:

Trying to find time to work out or having the energy to work out with one or more kids under 5 is really difficult. I have 3 teenagers now but when they were little I was in the best shape of my life. I didn’t have any exercise equipment (not even a single dumbbell) nor could I afford to belong to a gym. I really had to get creative!

I was used to running and using the weight machines at the gym before I had kids, so how do I get the same workout with 3 little ones? Well I started using my playtimes with them to get my workouts. This is how I did a total body work out with the kids:

Chest: Lay on your back on the floor and hold one of the kids on your chest and press him/her up and then back down to your chest. Depending on the weight of the child would determine how many presses you do. Since I had more than one, I would take turns with the kids. Repeat.

Back: Lay on the floor on your stomach with arms laying by your side, hands facing down. Your child is laying/sitting in front of your face. Lift chest and hands off the floor keeping arms straight, hold for two seconds while making silly faces or noises. Then return back to the floor. Repeat.

Shoulders: In a standing position, feet shoulder width apart, hold child with both hands arms straight down in front of you by your thighs. Slowly lift child up to where your arms are straight out in front of you then slowly go back down. Repeat.

Biceps: In a standing position, hold your child in a cradle position with arms bent at a 90 degree angle in front of you. Raise child up as far as you can only bending at the elbows, then you can blow bubbles on your childs belly then lower back down to midway and repeat.

Triceps: This one can be tricky, so be careful. Lay on your back on the floor and sit child behind your head while holding onto them under their arms. You may want your child sitting with their back to your head just hold tight if they are tiny. Lift your child extending arms up until your arms are straight above your head. Like I said this can be tricky with bigger children as their feet will hit your face. If this is the problem then you can always do pushups which work more of your chest muscles (which can help “lift things up ) but it does work your biceps and triceps too.

Legs: While holding your child however you feel comfortable you can do squats or lunges. You can also do standing calf raises while holding your child if you want to tune your calves.

Abs: Lay on your back on the floor with your legs bent. Sit your child at the bottom of you abdomen so their back can lean your legs. Then you can do crunches trying to see if you can reach your child on the way up and make silly faces or noises. For babies/tots that are talking you can play games with them like saying the alphabet, colors, songs or whatever they are into.

With all of these exercises do as many as you can, depending on the weight of your child. Once you get used to these exercises you can repeat the whole workout 2-3 times. The faster you go from one exercise to the next raising your heart rate up you can also get a cardio workout in at the same time and burn a lot more calories! Also if you are up to it, during their nap times you can run up and down the stairs (if you have stairs) or you can put on your i-pod/mp3 player and just dance around working up a sweat. See Elementary schoole aged children as some of those exercise ideas may be appropriate for your older tot.

Elementary school aged children:

If you are not working then you can do similar workouts while they are in school using dumbbells instead of the child and again if you do the exercises quickly going from one to the next, repeating the whole set 2-3 times you will also make it a cardio workout getting 2 workouts in one. If you do work then during your playtime with your child you can purchase kids workout videos and do them along with your child. Younger kids really like these and you are instilling a great habit in them! Once they feel they are too “old” for that sort of thing then go outside and play with them. If they are riding a small bike slowly then you can jog next to them or if they are bigger then you can ride your bike with them. Swimming is also a great exercise for you and your child. If you have them in a sport then while they are at practice you can run around the practice field. Get a group of moms together to do this as well. If you can afford it, while the kids are in school join a gym with a great variety of aerobics classes (nowadays they have a lot of fun ones) or you can hire a personal trainer if you don’t like the gym atmosphere. Some women like having someone push them. You can also do these with another mom (or as many moms who may want to join in) and go to the gym classes or some personal trainers now or doing group training and I find they work out a lot harder when working with a friend or two.

Middle School/High School kids:

This is a great time to start doing real exercises with your kids. You can do workouts at home with them or go bike riding or running. I love to go running around the neighborhood or at the local park with my kids. You can also join your local YMCA and they will let your child workout with you if they are 13 or older. Some gyms are also doing this so just call and see what their age requirements are. During the summers or on weekends my kids go work out with me at the gym. When they are busy and don't have time to work out with you a time saving exercise is to exercise while you are watching TV. I usually have a show I like most nights and if I haven't worked out then I will run on my treadmill or use my elliptical and watch my TV show. It takes some getting used to it first but then it will feel like normal instead of sitting on the couch.

My kids have loved learning different exercises to do and since they have been involved with it since they were babies they understand the importance of fitness and while they do love junk food at times they also enjoy learning about healthy foods to eat. They went through stages where they would have preferred pizza every night and moaned when we would have grilled chicken, vegetables and brown rice but they have come around and all like to think of creative healthy dishes. Serve healthy foods and discuss it in a casual manner with them regularly about the positive effects it will have on their body, brain and growing. Do this without yelling at them if they don’t seem interested and they will eventually come around. I usually would say "Did you know..." so it didn't seem like I was lecturing them.

Hope this helps! I know how hard it is to find the time and energy to exercise with kids but it can be a great bonding tool and they will grow up knowing the value of exercise.

Are you ready for some football????

Pre-season is almost over...  So we've got Monday night football, Sunday night football, college football...what does all that mean?  Football parties!  Who doesn't love grilling up some burgers, chips and dip, and beer?  I'm sure plenty of you have your own traditional eats as well and I'm sure many aren't counting the calories.  But football season can easily pack on the pounds if you are not careful.  It's ok to splurge once in awhile but if you are frequently having or attending football parties then you may want to plan and prepare as to not add extra weight before the holidays even get here.  So here are some tips that can help you out.  For burgers try either extra lean ground beef or ground white turkey (regular ground turkey can have just as much fat as regular ground beef).  Use regular size whole wheat hamburger buns as the bigger buns can pack an extra 200 calories.  Try using just a little mayo (mayo with olive oil is even better) and you can use all the mustard you want as it is only 5 calories per serving and no fat or sugar!  Really try to avoid ketchup.  Ketchups has sooo much sugar in it and most people use so much of it and don't even think to consider it part of their daily calories but if you have to have it use one tbsp.  For the chips try Baked Lays and check the bag for the serving size (about 11 chips).  Try not to mindlessly eat them or you can consume multiple servings without realizing it (110 calories per serving).  Salsa is always a great option for dips as it is much lower in fat and calories and it's good for you!  If you really must have some beer then opt for the lite version and limit yourself on this as well.  Again many people don't add these empty calories in and can't understand why they won't lose weight or keep gaining.  It all adds up and one fun football party can really add up.  It takes 3500 calories to add an extra pound of fat and one can easily consume this at a party without realizing it.  I know it can be hard so if you blow it don't be so hard on yourself, it is very hard to eat healthy when we have so much good food around us.  It takes time and practice to have good will power.  If you do blow it then try adding a couple of extra workouts in that week.  (Trust me I end up doing that often, especially around the holidays, lol)  Now lets get ready for some football!

Exercise and Arthritis/Joint Pain

I've come across many people over the years who live with arthritis that will not exercise because their pain is so bad.  I know how they feel as I have lived with Lupus for the past 11 years and it seems I live with joint pain.  When you hear arthritis you probably don't think of exercise.  However according to the Arthritis Foundation, not only is it ok for people with arthritis to exercise but it can also help your arthritis and decrease the amount of pain you live with.  Getting started in an exercise program can be scary for fear of the pain.  You should really start slow and start with a good flexibility program.  Once you are comfortable with this then you can move on to strength training and a cardio program such as bicycling or water activities.  It might be tough at first but if you stick with it you can significantly decrease your overall joint pain and stiffness along with giving you more energy and helping you sleep better.  I know how hard it is to get motivated when you are already in pain but I know from experience that when I don't exercise my pain gets much worse.  I use that as my motivation to get moving.  Finding a good personal trainer can help motivate you and help you stave off other disease such as heart disease and osteoporosis. Good luck and Good health!

KrisCross Training

Welcome to my KrisCross Training Blog!  Hi, my name is Kristina Crossway and I am a certified personal trainer through the National Academy of Sports Medicine.  I am also in my last year at California University finishing my degree in Sports Management with an emphasis on Exercise Science.  I do one on one personal training, group personal training, sports performance enhancement training, weight loss and much more.  This blog is dedicated to giving tips on any of my specialties.  You can also follow me on facebook and twitter for more tips.  Also check out my own personal website:  http://www.kriscrosstraining.com/.  I will be adding videos soon with the fitness tips.  Good health to everyone!