BMI stands for Body Mass Index, a numerical value of your weight in relation to your height. BMIs are good indicators of healthy or unhealthy weights for adult men and women, regardless of body frame size.

In the BetterU program this week I learned that it is important to know your BMI number because carrying too much weight is a risk factor for heart disease and stroke. BMI values less than 18.5 are considered underweight. BMI values from 18.5 to 24.9 are healthy. A BMI between 25 and 30 is considered overweight and a BMI above 30 is considered obese. To find out your BMI, click here.

Finding out your BMI is painless. There are no needles, no dunking booths, or pinch tests. All you need to know is your height, your weight, and your activity level. I know two of the three. Of course I know how tall I am, or should I say how short I am. I also know that I fall in the “active” category. What I don’t know is my weight. I haven’t weighed myself in…um…quite awhile.

I have a love/hate relationship with the scale. So we broke up. It’s a long story. In summary, I used to let the scale control my mood…if it was down, I was up! If it was up, I was down.

So, lately I’ve been tracking my progress by…

• Using a tape measure
• Seeing how well my clothes fit
• My energy level
• How I look in the mirror

These methods work great, but I think it’s time to dial it back in so I make sure I’m at a heart-heathly weight. So, I’m going back to weighing in about once a week. But first, I think I’ll go buy my scale some flowers to make sure we get back together on a good number note.

Now I really must go calculate my BMI, if I’m in a great mood on Monday, you’ll know why!

Send an email to fitnessandspice@gmail.com and we’ll get your prize right out to you!

Unlike Bethenny’s margarita, my Piña Colada is alcohol-free, and protein-full, which is great if you…

• Are under 21
• Are getting ready for bathing suit season
• Are pregnant like Bethenny (Congrats, by the way!)
• Have really good taste!

I won’t keep you much longer because you’ll be wanting to mix up a batch of these refreshing, guilt-free…

Piña Colada Protein Popsicles

• 1 cup Vanilla Protein Freeze
• 1 cup So Delicious Unsweetened Coconut Milk
• 1/2 cup Chopped Pineapple
• Shredded Coconut to taste (totally optional)

Blend all ingredients together in an electronic mixer. You can also stir in a few pieces of pineapple for a chunkier treat if you’d like. Pour the mixture into popsicle molds and freeze for 1-2 hours. Enjoy! Makes 4 popsicles at 127 cals, 2 grams fat, 9 grams carbs, 17 grams protein per popsicle.

Now I really must go to yoga and get caught in the rain.

1. Get fresh. Buy local produce.

2. Remember to skip the paper or plastic and bring your canvas bags to the grocery store.

3. Journal in a fitbook, printed on recycled paper.

4. Recycle old iPods. (I have a drawer full. Don’t judge.)

5. Shop for environmentally-friendly gym clothes! How cute is this organic cross-back tank from Gaiam?

6. Bring your own mug to Starbucks. Not only will you save paper, you’ll save some coin, too. Starbucks will knock off $.10 every time you bring your own cup, you do-gooder, you!

7. Make a trip to Goodwill to hand over some clothes that no longer fit, skinny.

8. Toss your fitness and cooking magazines into the recycle bin.

9. Snack on Sabra Hummus which, according to the label, now comes in Earth Friendlier Packaging.

10. Drink a lot of water from your favorite reusable water bottle like my personal favorite, a KOR ONE Water Vessel.

Speaking of KOR ONE, this could be your lucky day!

Want to WIN a green KOR ONE Water Vessel? Then tell us one GREEN THING you are going to do this St. Patrick’s Day!

The contest will close on Thursday, March 18th and the winner will be announced on Friday.

Now I really must go try Dublin my water intake and subtractin’ my carbon footprint.

…sorry, Mom, it’s for the good o’ the blaugh.

Some of you might be getting ready to celebrate St. Patty’s day with some green beer or some green eggs and ham. I’ll be making this amazing green-high-protein pizza crust. Let’s call it the…

Lean Green Pizza Machine

From the Kitchen of Krista Schaus (modified ever-so-slightly by Joanna O’Sutter)

• 1/2 cup egg whites
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup ground flax
• 1/3 cup brown rice, pea or hemp protein powder (I went all the whey and used vanilla Protein Freeze)
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/4 tsp hot pepper flakes
• 1 cup spinach

Combine ingredients in a blender until smooth. Cook like a pancake by pouring the mixture in a pan coated with Pam Olive Oil. Cook over medium to medium-high heat until bubbles appear and it starts to cook through. Flip and cook the other side. Cool completely. Cover your green crust with your favorite green pizza toppings and bake on a pizza pan or stone for 8-10 minutes at 400 degrees. Makes one serving.

You can thank your lucky charms and Krista for this great tasting, low carb, high fiber, and St. Patrick’s day approved pizza crust.

Now I really must go have another slice of pizza and get ready to Irish you a happy St. Patrick’s Day!

If you’re like me, a cross-trainer, then you should be buying new kicks every 6 months, according to Women’s Health Magazine.

If you’re not like me, and you’re a runner, I’ve read you should be getting new shoes every 300+ miles.

So, if you’re overdue for new shoes like I was, I suggest you run to the store and score some new duds. Your feet will thank you.

Now I really must go change my batteries, put my new shoes on, and spring forward to the gym!

Please send your mailing address to fitnessandspice@gmail.com and I’ll have your timer shipped right to you.

I hope you use your Gymboss in good health and have the time of your life!

Similarly, in her book, The Beck Diet Solution, Dr. Beck talks about the concept of:

“Strengthening your resistance muscle and weakening your giving-in muscle” when it comes to food.

What does this mean? As Dr. Beck explains, “Every time you resist the urge to eat something you really shouldn’t you strengthen your tendency to resist it again in the future. And every time you give in and eat (or overeat) food you shouldn’t, you strengthen your tendency to give-in.”

As a result of this little lesson, I am now training the little willpower I do have like my body…with focus and planning. My plan?

• More focus on goal setting with statements on why achieving my goals is important to me
• A renewed focus on food journaling and food prep. If it’s not on my plan, forgetaboutit!
• Being prepared for obstacles

Speaking of obstacles, this week the BetterU program had a tip about what to do when you have an unplanned snack attack. They suggest creating some distractions like painting your nails or going for a walk to keep your mind off mindless munching. Here are a few more helpful hints to keep from eating too many extra calories:

• Brush your teeth or put on some Crest White Strips (I’m always less likely to eat right after I brush)
• Drink more water or make a cup of hot tea (I sometimes mistake hunger for thirst, do you?)
• Go shopping, but not grocery shopping
• Read in a room other than the kitchen.
• Whatever you do, do not watch the Food Network
• Take a relaxing bath
• Knit if you know how to knit, otherwise…
• Grease the handles of your fridge with baby oil
• Have your jaw wired shut. Kidding!
• Blog, but if you don’t have a blog then read a really good blog like this one
  
• Call a long-winded friend

Now I really must go to the gym and do the other kind of resistance training and if I get hit with an unplanned snack attack I’ll call Carrie (to wish her a happy birthday, of course!)

The Gymboss I ordered arrived in the mail a few weeks ago and I’ve been using the sucker as a stop watch and as an interval timer ever since. Here’s what I love about my Gymboss:

• It’s pink. But, yes, it does come in other colors, too, like good ole black…

• It’s about the size of a pager and it can clip on your waistband, fasten it to the cover of your fitbook, or just let if hang out on the handlebars of your spinning bike.

• It has several features to help you time your workouts. For example, two days a week I have High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) in my program, so I set my Gymboss for  30 seconds of sprints and 30 second recovery for 15 minutes. At each interval my Gymboss either vibrates or beeps depending how it’s programmed so I know when to work and when to slow it down. The Gymboss is great for those cardio sessions like plyometrics, kettlebell  swings, jump roping, and outdoor sprints so you don’t have to pause to look at your watch, you just wait for the buzz from the Gymboss. I also use this timer as a stop watch on my home spinning bike that doesn’t have all of the electronic gadgets like gym equipment.

I’ll be honest, setting up my interval sessions the first time was a lot like setting the timer on my VCR (ok, DVD Player)…it was challenging. Maybe if I would have had someone else do it for me or read the instructions first, it would have gone a little smoother. But now that I have it set up, I’m good to go on and on like the energizer bunny.

Want to WIN a Gymboss? Enter the drawing by telling us all about what gets you through your heart-pumping workouts in the comments section. This contest will end on Sunday, March 14th and the winner will be announced on Monday.

Now I really must go lace up my shoes and show the gym who’s boss!

• You left your sweat on the bench I was about to use at the gym
• You spent an hour in the steam room and then decided to join us in the gym to workout
• It turns the armpits of your wife-beater t-shirts yellow
• You stink

Solutions? Use a towel to clean up after yourself, then wash said towel and your gym clothes in a product like Tide with Febreze Sport. If you read fitness magazines, you might have noticed advertisements for new fangled Tide. So did I.

So, this weekend when I was fresh out of laundry detergent, I scooped up some of this new Tide. I have to say it smells as it should…good and clean! According to my label it has an Active Fresh Scent. I’ve never smelled Active Fresh Scent before so I’m going to take their word for this one.

Febreze also makes a spray for sprucing up all of the stanky stuff you can’t stuff in the washing machine like gym bags, gym shoes, and equipment. So, if you’ve ever left used gym socks in your gym bag overnight, this stuff just might be for you, smelly. Oh, and did I mention Febreeze Sport is an Official Locker Room Product of the NFL?  I wonder if the Tide sports collection is the Official Locker Room Product of the White Sox? (ba-doom-boom!)

Now I really must go put on my Active Fresh Scented gym clothes and do another load of…deadlifts.