Yesterday, as I've done each morning for the last nearly 15 months, I got out of bed and headed to the gym. I do it almost by rote now and throw on whatever workout pants and top are clean. I don't think about it much now, but when I first started a regular routine I was intimidated by the idea of even walking into the gym. I felt overwhelmed by alll those sleek glamazons running like hell on treadmills in tight Lycra outfits. I literally didn't know what to wear. What kind of top would I wear, a t-shirt? Were shorts okay? Would I look stupid?

In fact, I sat on my gym membership for at least nine months before actually going the two short blocks across one avenue. I made all kinds of excuses--I couldn't find the time in my day, didn't feel good, had too many after work commitments, couldn't get away in the middle of the day to hit the branch near work, and the like.

At some point, I realized I was paying good money to be at the gym like everyone else and had as much right to be there as anyone else no matter what I wore. Eventually, I became disgusted with myself for having these feeings. So once I made the commitment to go to the gym on a regular basis in Sept. 2005, I went out and bought new sneakers and some black Lycra/Spandex/stretchy workout/yoga pants and sports tops specially made to wick away sweat. I celebrated my decision to commit to the gym. I thought that if I made the effort to "look" the part, I would eventually feel like a fit person.

I've subbed in a few new pieces since then and my workout tops (a big investment with built-in bras) are too big now but they still serve a very good purpose and they remind me of my commitment to take care of myself.

I often run into motivational moments at the most odd time. I'll clean at 2 in the morning and I'll cook after months of not making a trip to the grocery store. The cleaning kick has yet to come back but the cooking-bug has come! Blame it on late night Food Network shows or just being bored with what I eat. It's time to a food change that's light, filling and tastey.

I came across a press release at work that had recipes on it. The source happened to be Weight Watchers, which I never thought to go to for recipes. I thought it would be stingy or not enough taste. But you have to try this one!

Mesclun, Kiwifruit, and Goat Cheese Salad
Makes 4 servings

Ingredients
6 cups fresh mesclun (young mixed salad greens)
2 medium kiwifruit, pared, halved, and thinly sliced
1 cup strawberries, washed, hulled, and sliced
1/4 cup light raspberry vinaigrette dressing
1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese
2 tablespoons slivered almonds

Preparation
1. Place mesclun, kiwifruit, and strawberries in a large salad bowl.
2. Add dressing; toss well. Sprinkle with cheese and almonds; serve
immediately.

POINTS® value per serving: 3, 155 calories, 9.7g fat, 4g fiber

NOTE: POINTS® values for these recipes were calculated using the calories, fat, and fiber information for one serving. Results may differ from adding the POINTS values listed in the Eat Wisely booklet for each individual ingredient.

Weight Watchers and POINTS are the registered trademarks of Weight Watchers International, Inc.

©2006 Weight Watchers International, Inc. All rights reserved.

===

I've heard Weight Watchers prepared food is pretty good and that their recipes are easy to manage. Kris, commented on one of my last posts, with a recommendation to this website: http://www.healthybalance.com/ It has a lot of good recipes ranging from main dishes to drinks. You're also able to share some of your own recipes on this website, too.

It happens every month, and yet it's always an utter drag. PMS, that is. Some months are worse than others, but usually I'm bone tired, a little weepy, spacy as all get out, hungry, headachy, and have low energy.

This past summer I finally got into the routine of taking a daily vitamin. Much as I hate taking big pills and don't always "remember" to take it, I make sure to during my PMS and MS weeks, in hopes that that extra dose of iron will perk me up.

I've learned that my PMS week is my least creative and productive week of the month - and since I figured that out, I've begun to work around it. I've also learned that taking good care of me really helps - for example, going to bed a little earlier and forcing the rational me to actually go to the gym on my designated gym nights despite the irrational me's pleas to curl up with "Studio 60," "Veronica Mars," and my cat.

As I write this, I hear my couch calling me from 30 blocks away, but I've got my gym bag packed and under my desk, so there's no getting out of it tonight, irrational me, you hear me?!

I stepped on the scale today, like I do most mornings. After using the bathroom, I strip down and step on. I don't have a digital scale--just an ordinary one. I step on and off three times to make sure I am getting an accurate reading. Then I record the number in a small diary along with the date and special note about what I ate the day before that might account for a fluctuation up or down.

After years of not weighing myself, probably because I was in denial about just how bad things were, I've found that it's very helpful to have a daily guide to the variations and fluctuations in my weight. I find it helpful in setting the right tone for the day. It puts my day of eating, drinking and socializing, and exercising into perspective. There is nothing like that number to show you where you stand!

If I recall what I ate If I recall what I ate the day before, (a piece of fruit tart, a petite filet, a glass of wine, and so forth), a 2-lb. weight gain is put into perspective very quickly. The weekends are typically more challenging for me, as is the pre-menstral time when I can feel myself eating more and grazing a bit.

For me, weigh-ins have become a way of life. They keep me on track.

Prevention.com is an awesome place for tips and ideas to become more active and healthy. People with various energy and motivational levels will find something on this sight to capture their attention. Chris Freytag, as mentioned by the other bloggers, shares her health plans and exercise tips on this sight. Freytag answered my exercise questions. However, Prevention.com touches upon eating habits, keeping your family healthy as well as beauty, which we forget is affected by our wellness.

• What are some exercises I can do to tone my arms?

CF: check out my 8 week program on www.prevention.com – each week I have been giving a few ideas for upper body exercises with hand weights. Focus on doing push ups, shoulder raises, mid back rows, Tricep extensions and bicep curls!

• If there is one exercise that will help all aspects of my body, is it running?

CF: Well – running is great cardio and uses the legs – but doesn't' do much for the arms and abs. Walking is great too as long as you keep up the pace – work hard, add terrain, etc. Supplement with some Pilates and weights and you've got a total body workout!

• What I can I do to maximize my trip to the gym?

CF: I always tell people – there are so many choices – do what you like to do – if you don't' like running, walk on an incline; do an elliptical, try a stair stepper, etc. Better yet – change it up – do 10 min on the elliptical, 10 min on the treadmill and 10 min on the bike. Cross training!

Definitely check out the 8 week program. And I'm trying a little bit of each of my top choice machines tomorrow morning at the gym! If we did not ask anything that answered your questions, you can ask Freytag at the prevention.com forum.

Chris Freytag is a professional trainer who is associated with Prevention magazine. I asked Chris the following questions:

Tobi: What kind of exercises/crunches will target the lower abs? Mid-abs?

Chris: Basically all ab muscles are working with ab exercises. Our "lower abs" is the transverse Abdominus which wraps around you like a belt. You can always use this muscle with ab exercises. Always pull your belly button to your spine, imagine zipping a pair of jeans that are too tight and pull in that muscle. The full body roll up really targets the whole core and is probably one of the best overall ab exercises!

Tobi: What can I do to prevent the sugar low that happens between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. each day? It's profound, although less so though when I eat fruit or something.

Chris: Try a complex carb like whole grain toast or whole grain cereal. Or, maybe some carrot sticks dipped in a tablespoon of peanut butte, or a handful of almonds and an apple. By adding a little healthy fat you'll stay satisfied longer.

Tobi: What's good for tightening and toning the gluteus maximus? (The derriere)

Chris: The best overall bun tightening exercises are squats and lunges. They work if you are consistent! Also the leg extension when on all fours on the floor, extending the leg behind you. Add a resistance band and you'll really feel it!

Thanks Chris! It's good to have a second opinion. There are also tons of great exercises for the abs and ass, along with healthy snack ideas, right here on AOL Diet & Fitness.

I was up in Boston this weekend to see my college friends and my boyfriend - some whom I have not seen in months. Most of the people I saw noticed I lost my beer/late night snacking pouch-of-a-belly, which is the part of my body I noticed got a little out of control. Of course, I noticed that my clothing fits nicer and my stomach is actually flat. And if you look close enough, you can even see abs re-forming! But for others to notice a difference, even though it is slight, boosted my confidence and encouraged me to keep up a more active and healthier lifestyle.

A helpful tip I utilized this weekend came from a comment on one of my posts from YogaBaby. When she craved soda, she actually poured down half of the drink so she would not drink it. But I didn't have to pour half out because I found since I cut back on the caffeine, when I had a Coke this weekend, the sugar was too much to handle and I only felt like drinking half anyway.

It's also helpful when the people around you eating healthy, too. It's very hard to eat something like grilled chicken when you're friend is eating a burger and fries! One of my favorite places to eat in Boston is b.good. That is where me and my boyfriend had a midday snack, mango and raspberry smoothies with a broccoli, red peppers, and carrots cooked in sesame soy oil and garlic.

The point of my weekend is that once you're in the swing of things, it's easy to keep it up. Getting started was difficult but I think this is something that I can keep up for months to come.

So, I've been asking everyone I know what they think of the blog--always a mistake.

"A little impersonal," said one friend.
"There's not much of you in there."
"Why don't you write about what it was like not to know what to wear to the gym."
"I want to hear your tales of humiliation and struggle."
"Why don't you talk about when you named your thighs 'Perdue Oven Stuffer Roasters?'"
"How about the time you asked why Paula couldn't take a melon baller to scoop out all your fat ?"
"Or, why not talk about the mallet you thought could pound the fat out, kind of like making chicken paillard?"
"Gee, how about when you were hungry and you didn't know what the heck to eat."

And the like.

What everyone wants to know about are the excruciating struggles, the tales of falling off the wagon, how it felt to give up having two pints of Ben & Jerry's in the freezer at all times, the fear that I'll gain weight back and the jeans I bought two weeks ago won't fit, and so forth and so on.

So, in the spirit of the struggle, there was a time not so long ago when two pints of Ben & Jerry resided in my freezer at one time. Chocolate Heath Bar Crunch and sometimes Peanut Butter Cup, or Karamel Sutra and Vanilla Caramel Fudge. Full-fat ice cream. Often, I'd team an ice cream up with Coffee Almond Fudge frozen yogurt. But it didn't really matter. Having all that ice cream in the freezer was an open invitation and excuse to say, "who cares..." It was fat-making and fat-perpetuation in progress. Not good at all. Sabotage...

I would see sales at the store, "two pints for $6 or $7" and that would trigger a buying frenzy. I gradually realized that I should replace these fat-packed snacks when after my 20 millionth complaint about having Perdue Oven Stuffer Roaster thighs, Paula said, "Why not try Tasti-D-Lite when you really need a sweet treat?"

In case you don't have it in your area, Tasti is a chain of low-fat frozen dessert stores that features dozens of exotic flavors like Creamy Coconut and depending on the flavor, anywhere from 11 to 17 calories per fluid ounce. It's a low-fat, low carb, and apparently Kosher dessert. Some have criticized it for having overly chemical properties. No matter, I changed my habits and now, on the rare occasions when I want real ice cream, sorbet, or gelato, I have a small portion or a taste.

It was hell seguing from full-fat ice cream, lower fat ice cream, and low-fat frozen yogurts, but I did it. Frankly, I don't bring it into the house anymore. Read: I don't bring it into the house any more. However, I can honestly say when I'm visiting my family and I see the ice cream (my dad loves it), I gravitate to it because it's there.

Don't turn up the heat in my apartment, which is currently sweltering despite the 30 degree weather, but do turn up the heat in the food you eat this winter.

I recently subscribed to writer Jane Brody's Personal Health podcast on The New York Times' website, and this week she talks about spicy food.

My favorite spicy food of late is Trader Joe's killer Thai Lime and Chili Peanuts. When I eat a small dinner, I often have a handful of the peanuts for dessert and soon feel sated. This, says Brody, is the effect that spicy food can have on you. According to the podcast, eating hot chilies, black pepper or ginger increases feelings of satiety so that you eat less; they also raise the body's metabolic rate, which means you burn extra calories.

Thai food for dinner, anyone?

I noticed a home workout on TV where the trainer used water bottles (16.9-ounce bottles of water) to show exercises that you can do at home. The bottles probably represented 3-lb. or 5-lb. free weights, but I'm not sure. In any case, she showed a functional fitness routine that looked easy and fun.

In one exercise, the trainer lifted the bottles up on a diagonal with outstretched arms, then took them down as she went into a squat. She also did one-arm rows holding a bottle leaning forward with a flat back. For the core, she stretched her arms straight out to her sides (without the bottles) while rotating or turning her mid-section, alternating from side to side.

I do some exercises at home too, particularly crunches/sit-ups while I'm watching or listening to the TV. Last night, I placed by feet up on an ottoman, made sure the small of my back was touching the floor, and did four sets of 25 crunches. I took a slight break between sets. I always make sure my back is stabilized on the floor and that my hands are touching the back of my head. I noticed when I focus on lifting my torso up as a unit and look at the ceiling, I get a more complete engagement. I try not to lift and lead with my neck. I want to feel my abs actually doing the work.

I am looking for a better way to target and tone the lower abs. Anyone have any suggestions?

With winter temperatures finally settling in, I was craving a nice, hearty meal so last night I made whole-wheat fusili with homemade tomato sauce that I had prepared over the weekend. Whole-wheat pasta (1 cup) has about 197 calories and it was very tasty. I'm not certain how many more calories were added with the sauce, but the dish was delicious and a wonderful treat after a long day.

Well, more fun than running on the treadmill. Since it's freezing outside, I have found the next best thing to running at the gym. I have found a machine that I enjoy using - the Precor EFX elliptical cross trainer. It's not like a regular elliptical that has you swinging your legs a short distance. It works out your entire lower body, the butt, thighs and calves by allowing you to adjust the incline. The higher the incline, the more you're able to bend your knees as you glide. It's like using an elliptical and stair climber at the same time. It also glides better than a regular elliptical.

I find myself going right to this machine and if all of them are taken, I work on something else until one is free. I find it has been most effective to me, in combination with those leg exercises I do everyday. My legs feel soar today - I think that means it's all working!

What a change of feeling to actually have a machine I prefer to exercise on instead of dreading them all together.

The iPod 'tis the thing. Or rather, the gym mix that I finally finished making for my iPod is the thing that I credit for helping me go an extra quarter of a mile on the elliptical this week. I've been holding steady for the last few months at 2.5 miles in 30 minutes, but I'm trying to get up to 3 miles, and I think I can do it.

Here's a sample of the songs I've been bopping (and sometimes mouthing the words) to:

-Queen's We Are the Champions, Bohemian Rhapsody, and Fat Bottomed Girls, natch!

-Nirvana's Smells Like Teen Spirit

-Big Boy's The Way You Move

-Andrew Bird's Two Way Action

-Beastie Boys' Intergalactic

-The Clash's Should I Stay or Should I Go

-Fame's Hot Lunch Jam & Body Electric

-Black Eyed Peas' My Humps

-Ryan Adams' New York New York

-Aida's My Strongest Suit

-Spring Awakening's Totally F****d

-Ben Folds Five's Underground

-Soul Asylum's Somebody to Shove

I obviously haven't bought much new music in the last few years, but when I tire of this mix, I'll definitely have reason to do some serious iTunes shopping!

In my work, multiple and competing deadlines are a fact of life. This is a fact of daily life for most people--simultaneous commitments, various deadlines or, at least, targets for completing projects, and pressures to say "yes" when you clearly need to set boundaries and say "no".

Often, there is no choice in the matter and we surrender to the pressure with what I call "nervous eating." As deadlines loom, details remain unresolved, and decisions need to be made that minute, I tend to gravitate to food. For me, it's chocolate (preferably good chocoate like Lindt), pretzels (trying to stick to no salt and whole wheat), Diet Dr. Pepper (a guilty pleasure), sometimes a bag of Cracker Jack (actually one of the lower fat junk foods) or Smart Food cheesy popcorn. It might also be a cookie or chocolate-covered graham cracker.

I allow myself these occasional lapses, but for no more than a day. And I'm coming up with solutions: Stay filled up on decent foods, eating about every two hours just a little bit. When I feel the nervous eating coming on, I bring in a banana or a Granny Smith apple, and I often divide my lunch into two parts so I have something to eat in the mid- to late afternoon instead of a chocolate square.

Eat good snacks, I tell myself. I made a list of those in a post last week. Almonds, baby carrots, soy nuts, fruit, and so forth...