Is Buying a Car Really Like Getting a Root Canal?

I recently read a story equating the car buying process to getting a root canal.  The only difference is that car salesman don’t give you laughing gas or novocaine to numb the pain.  They seem to inflict more of it.

As it relates to me, I am a car flipper.   I have never kept a car more than a few years.   I would buy a vehicle, get bored with it after two years and want to trade it in for a new one.  While I was never “upside down” in my car, I don’t think I made smart purchase decisions.

Friends consistently asked why I didn’t lease a car.  Frankly, I never thought leasing was an option.  I am someone who puts 15,000-plus miles on my car per year traipsing from Frisco to Arlington to Downtown Dallas to Fort Worth and beyond covering sports in DFW.  I thought I would get tripped up in the mileage game.

How To Turn An Internship Into A Full-Time Job

Derek Harper, me, Cody Winstead

For some a successful internship means parlaying the experience into a full-time job. One of the best producers I have ever worked with was Cody Winstead who did exactly that.  He was a CBS11 sports intern, became a full-time (and outstanding) sports producer for CBS11 & TXA21 and is now a sports producer with Silver Chalice productions in Chicago.

How Did Cody Do It?
It sounds simple: he was smart, creative, proactive, eager to learn, kept his ego in check and was always willing to do whatever it took not just to get the job done but to kick ass while doing it.  These are all essential elements for success in not just sports media but any industry.

Unfortunately, too many interns seem to drop the ball when it comes to mastering these simple steps that seem like common sense.

Let's dive a bit further. In a guest post for CareerBliss.com, Ashley Mosley, the Community Engagement Manager for InternMatch, outlines specific things interns can do to turn their experience into a full-time job.

Here's an excerpt:

• Become irreplaceable: How do you add value to the company? It’s your duty to go above and beyond to ensure your coworkers and manager can’t imagine how things would run without you around. While you may still be at the bottom rung as an intern, there’s still a lot you can do to find your niche within the company and seize opportunities to move up.
• Network: Kickstart your networking efforts by making a point to attend all company events. Introduce yourself to coworkers at lunch, or invite some full-time employees to coffee for an informational interview during which you can learn about their professional experiences and goals.
• Take advantage of every opportunity: Standing out at your internship often means becoming a “yes” man or woman. If there’s a seminar or training opportunity available to you, adjust your schedule to make sure you’re in attendance.

Great advice for any industry. These principles work. Trust me.

Want More Internship Scoop?

For more internship advice, check out the internship section of my blog for advice on what to do, what not to do, what to wear and more.

 

How to Cut Calories, Fat and Sugar with 10 Simple Recipe Swaps

You probably know that applesauce is the perfect swap for cooking oil.   But how do you eliminate cooking oil when you're sauteing yet still retain a recipe's flavor?  Easily. 

There are certain tips and tricks that can help cut calories and fat while cooking.  Many of these are well-known while others might be new to you.

The applesauce swap is one of my favorites.  I use it in place of oil in a brownie recipe.  The double bonus is that it makes your freshly baked goods moister than if you used oil.

The cheat is simple for sweet recipes:

• When a recipe calls for fat in the form of butter, margarine or oil, use applesauce in a one-to-one ratio.  Yep.  Simple as that.  
• You could also cut the amount of fat in half and use applesauce for the other half.

Here are some other great swaps from The Program by Kelly Traver and Betty Kelly Sargent.  That book doesn't seem to be in print in any more but you can get their updated book, The Healthiest You: Take Charge of Your Brain to Take Charge of Your Life. 

Real World Tips to Avoid Getting Fat Eating in Restaurants

Do you live on restaurant meals?  Starbucks in the morning, followed by Cafe Express for lunch and Mi Cocina at dinner?  That sounds like a normal Dallas day for many.

If you're eating all the food restaurants put on your plate, you can easily pile on the pounds.  Yahoo Shine has an informative blog post offering "10 Ways to Lose Weight at Restaurants."  I have lived my professional life on the road, eating at restaurants and lost more than 50 pounds in the process.  It's possible.

Some of the tips are good common sense, like these:
4 "Sauce on the side please!" - this is a no brainer.  Also ask for every salad dressing on the side. I would go a step further: when it comes to salads, ask for plain balsamic vinegar.  It's delicious and helps you avoid getting fat eating salads.

5 "All-you-can-eat buffets are not the answer" - True words!  I'm sorry, you might think you're saving money but if you overindulge in these enough, it will cost you in the long run.  You will pay for new clothes because you're gaining weight. You might also be visiting the doctor more frequently because of all the fried crap and sugar-loaded bombs you are consuming.  

I lived on the Golden Corral buffet when I was broke and worked in Knoxville in the 90's.  I was fat, sick and miserable. AVOID THESE.

One of the tips from the Yahoo article is important for us parents:

"8. I was a pediatric dietitian in a former life, so I feel compelled to warn parents against seemingly "kid-friendly" items. You likely already know this: Kids' meals can be loaded with calories, fat, and fillers that neither young nor old need to consume. Seemingly pint-sized meals weigh in at over 1000 calories-more calories than your little one might need in an entire day! Instead of ordering from the kids' menu, try ordering a healthy choice off the adult menu, and either request a smaller portion, split the meal, or simply take leftovers home."

Good advice.  Those chicken fingers and mini-pizzas are not your kid's friend.

Dinner at Maxim's in Paris - no chicken fingers allowed!

I would add the following:

• Don't eat the whole meal.  Restaurant portions are huge.  Put half of your entree in a box.  You won't miss the other half and you will have an additional meal for later in the week. 
• If it's just a regular restaurant night out and not the meal of a lifetime, leave two bites on your plate.  Two, small bites will save you some calories. 
• Getting quesadillas or something else cheesy?  Ask the server to go light on the cheese.  Again, you won't miss the extra grease. 
• Share your desserts!  Always.  You don't need the whole thing. 

Like this?  You might also like these: 

• How I stayed slim eating indulgent meals in Parisian restaurants. 
• How to enjoy Tex-Mex without getting fat. 
• How one woman lost weight following the Starbucks diet.

What Professors Don't Tell You in School: The 7 Deadly Sins of Sports (& Media) Internships

In the minds of many, I have your dream job.  For almost two full decades (GULP), I have worked in professional sports for the Rockets & Cowboys AND covered every sport imaginable in Houston, Guam, Knoxville and, currently, in my hometown Dallas.  It's fun, exhilarating and unpredictable.

It's also nothing close to what you think it is.

I have shed some light on a day in my TV life in covering the Rangers 2013 season opener and offered tips to ensure a successful internship in my series, How to Win Your Internship and Parlay it Into a Successful Career. 

What about the Seven Deadly Sins of a Sports Internship?  Brian Clapp offers hilarious advice on succeeding in a sports internship in a blog post of the same title for the website WorkinSports.com.

Here are a few of my favorites "sins" along with my two cents:

Three Gameday Purses You Can Take to Sunday's Cowboys/Rams Game

Since the NFL's new purse and bag policy went into effect, I have been on the lookout for stylish, yet functional clutch bags that work for NFL games.

Remember, the NFL limits the size of bags you can bring into games.  AT&T Stadium's policy is a bit more liberal, allowing a bag that is 5.5" x 8.5".  Use this brilliant trick to determine if your bag will be allowed into AT&T Stadium for Sunday's Cowboys/Rams game.

If you're not toting kids, I believe tiny clutch purses and cross body bags are the way to go when it comes to sporting events.  Here are three purses, that are perfect for Cowboys home games, college football games, golf tournaments and more:

Diet or Exercise? What's More Effective When It Comes to Weight Loss?

Should I diet or exercise to lose weight?  Which one is more effective?

It's a constant discussion whether either you're trying to drop just a few pounds or 30.  Ultimately, it's a combination of the two that work.

But when trying to drop a large amount of weight the challenge can be daunting.  It's usually a basic premise of move more, eat less crap and more of the good, real stuff that works.

I am a big believer that 30 minutes of exercise a day will change your life.  Dramatically.  I also subscribe to the Mediterranean diet philosophy that focuses on produce, olive oil, fish and wine.   I lost 50+ pounds more than a decade ago and have kept it off even after having a baby.


Yet you see studies and those motivational pictures on Instagram that scream "A FLAT STOMACH STARTS IN THE KITCHEN" or "YOU CAN'T OUT-EXERCISE A BAD DIET."

All of that is true but nothing gives you the immediate satisfaction and endorphin rush of a nice, 30-minute workout to get the blood flowing.

A new study proves that.

It's a big, scientific-jargon-filled piece outlined in the October's Annals of Behavioral Medicine but the results are clear: it's best to diet and exercise at the same time but you might see results if you start with exercise first.  Once you see the benefit of a few weeks at the gym and you start seeing changes in your body, improving your diet might be the next natural step.

Just try moving for 30 minutes.  It will make you feel like a new person.  Promise.

Looking for some great exercise options?  Here are a few of my favorites:

• Walking or running - being outside in the fresh air does WONDERS
• Pilates - great for the core
• A workout from the Nike Training Club app - they don't pay me to endorse it....it's just that awesome
• Hula hooping - it's like a natural corset for your core
• My full-body toning routine that can be done anywhere and requires no equipment.  Perfect for the gym-averse.

Get The Real Skinny

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Want more no-diet, simple diet secrets that work? Get 10 of them in my ebook The 10 Easiest Diet Tips: Simple Secrets To Help You Lose Weight & Maintain Your Weight Loss For Good. It's yours when you sign up for The Real Skinny, my newsletter featuring diet & fitness tips (like this) that can help you make fat your bitch for good. 

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