I have a blog entry that has a bunch of snack ideas. Not all of them are completely healthy but most of them are under 100 cals.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/Lect/view/the-snacks-i-eat-the-most-189226

Well, for one, I would definitely like to make a warning to those out there that are limiting their calories and are NOT working out. Please be careful. The reason why is that if you limit your intake but don't do any activities, you're body isn't going to burn the fat, it will burn your muscle instead and that will only make things worse for you. Why? Because lean muscle is what gives you the metabolism to burn the fat. You don't want to lose that! You want to gain lean muscle! (I'm not talking about body building, I'm talking about remolding the fat into muscle!)

A couple ways I've found people doing this all seem to follow a common goal: Work everything.

There are many options, and though some of them may sound grueling or too hard, I've found they aren't too bad--especially if you find a partner.

1. Remember way back when in middle or high school physical education class? I've found that all of those stretches and calisthenics are actually REALLY effective. Sometimes, I have flashbacks of all the different schools I had to go through and what I did in PE as well as the couple years I was in JROTC. Reaching your toes, stretching your arms, rotating your neck, rotating your waist with your hands on your hips, cherry pickers, balancing on one leg as you stretch the thigh of your other by holding it up, butterfly stretches, jumping jacks, push ups, planks, sit ups, crunches, and running/walking that dreaded mile. Yeah, all of that still works! You can do all of them just about anywhere!

2. Weight training: There are gyms EVERYWHERE. And if going into public isn't your thing, there are tons of fitness anything out there. If you're not keen on keeping space for dumbells, try gravity straps. (I have because they are recommended by a book I bought and read--they can definitely kick your butt. Don't underestimate them!) For those, you only require a door that has some open space in front of it and they are easy to put away and travel with! My household has a set of gravity straps and a bow flex. We also have a park about .28 miles away from our front door to walk/jog/run around.

3. Walking: This is by far (usually) the easiest work out you can do and--by what I'm experiencing--is the first step to getting your body prepared to easily run for a distance if you wanted to. I'm going to quickly pull out some notes I took on walking and share them with you.

Some health benefits of walking include:
*Burns almost as many calories as jogging
* Eases back pains
*Slims your waist
*Lowers blood pressure
*Reduces levels of bad cholesterol
*Reduces heart attack risk
*Enhances stamina and energy
*Lessens anxiety and tension
*Improves muscle tone
*Easy on your joints (Unless you're like me and have weak ankles. Then it's hard at first but the more you do it, the stronger your ankles get!)
*Can be done in short bouts

Studies have shown that due to the design of our body, walking is more natural than sitting, standing, or running, and walking is not as stressful to the body as other exercises. IE. Running is much more stressful on the heart and joints and leads to many more injuries if your body isn't trained into it. The shock impact of a runner's step is 3-4 times a person's weight, while walking is only 1.5. Some sports like basketball and tennis can have a shock force of 7 times a person's weight.

Some tips to help walking be more effective and comfortable:
*Posture is Key: In order to get the most out of walking, good posture is crucial. Keep your head up and your spine straight and look straight ahead. (Though, of course make sure you are paying attention to where you are going and to keep note of your surroundings. Just generally, look ahead at where you are going!) Keep your arms and shoulders loose.

*Breathing: Take deep, regular breaths. Don't hold your breath.

*Pace: To get the most out of your walk you should try to keep a brisk pace, but not fast. You should be able to individually determine a correct pace shortly after starting your walking routine. If you find it is difficult to breathe easily, slow down a tad.

*Listen to your body: The expression, "if it feels good, do it" applies to walking and the opposite is also true. If you have a lot of pain or discomfort, check with your doctor.

*Stride: Try to take long, smooth strides. Your motion should be fairly effortless, with your arms swinging at your sides for balance.

4. Running: (I'm sure KravMark could attest to this one!) If you feel your body can handle it or you're going to push yourself to start going for it--please be careful out there. Generally starting out, it's good to only go running for no more than approximately 20 minutes. Any more than 20 minutes has been proven to lead to injuries and one of the most common for beginners is shin splints. They are VERY painful and sometimes they can take weeks to heal. The only other thing I can really say about running is start small and progress to larger goals.

5. Sports! Sports are always fun ways to stay active, build lean muscle, and have fun! (And I don't mean for any of you to think the same way as my dad and believe watching NASCAR is considered participation in a sport! :P ) I also don't mean watching sports, I mean participating in playing them.

6. Pets and kids: I'll tell you right now... You want a real work out? Check with your family members or neighbors if they have puppies or little kids that they would like off their hands for a while. Challenge yourself to keep up with them and prevent them from making and/or leaving any messes. *nod* Especially if there are multiple of them. My friend makes her living by being a nanny and let me tell you, she is not overweight. Plus, if you want a walking buddy, puppies/dogs are some of the best partners. Sometimes they will pull you along to make you go faster! lol

7. Housework: Seriously, take a look around the house. Look at all of your belongings. Even if you have a clean house. If you don't have a work out, make yourself some homework. If there are some things to pick up, pick it up. Stuff to organize? Go for it! And if not, start plotting how you can rearrange the room. I know a friend who rearranges her bedroom once a month at the very least. One day, I took note of how long it took her to do it and all of the different maneuvers she did to get stuff off of walls, place a stool on the floor, slowly rotate and walk furniture... In one half of an hour she burned close to 390 calories according to some generators I put the times and activities into.

The only other tip I think I could give is to pay attention to the vitamins and hydration, not just the calories.

(Sorry for the long post. I hope it helps a ton!)

Krave what app do you use for biking?

Nona, couldnt find ya on Runkeeper.. my username is KravMark and actual name Mark Messare if you want to add me

Mark

I added you to my street team. Lemme try and figure out how to find me. Thank you so much for the heads up!

UPDATE: Alright, I have no idea what my username is but you can search for be via my name: Natalie Rae Spittell