Sep 2nd, 10
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Swimming is great exercise. Water provides great resistance while still being low impact. It’s a great way to get a lot of exercise without putting forth a lot of strain – plus you stay cool while you do it! But for some of us, swimming isn’t a great option. I love to swim – but I don’t swim. Several years ago (18 to be exact) I had surgery on my left foot. After the surgery it seemed that I’d get this tearing/burning sensation when I swim.
I got all kinds of suggestions from that there was debris in the water and that they needed to change the pool filters, that there was more chlorine in the water than normal and it was bothering the incision, just all kinds of weird things. The truth was, it was the ligaments in my ankle pulling and tearing. I was literally spraining my ankle while swimming. Go figure – great exercise and yet I’m probably the only person on the planet who can manage to injure myself just swimming around. :/
Sep 2nd, 10
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One of the biggest challenges someone who is trying to lose weight seems to face is the dreaded factor of at some point during their diet, they will have to go out to eat at a restaurant. Whether they’re going out because they ended up not having enough time between this and that to go home and eat like they thought they would, or a special occasion crops up that entails dinner out, eating out can trip up those of us trying to lose weight.
Most people think that just getting a salad will fix the issue – but most restaurants add lots of cheese, meat, and dressing to their salads, among other things, that end up driving the calorie content of those salads up with some of their entrees! What I’ve found works best for me is to pay attention to what comes with the meals – if I can choose my sides and vegetables are sides I can choose from, I’ll pick the veggies. I also will ask for a to-go box and box half my meal immediately when I get it so that I only eat half of my meal. Or, I’ll ask for an extra plate and put half my meal on it and one of my friends and I will share my meal that way, so I am only getting half of the meal.
An old boss of mine taught me the halving trick. She said she used to go to her favorite fast food places and still order whatever it was she wanted, but she would simply cut it half at the place, toss half in the trash, and then eat her meal. It worked for her, she’s skinny as a rail now. 
Just thought I’d share a couple of my tips for how I get along when eating at a restaurant.
