A Brilliant App to Help Plan Your Trip to Paris

The New York Times briefly mentioned this app produced by Le Pavillon des Lettres in Sunday's Travel section.  I was immediately interested.  I know the hotel well and thought it would do a good job with a digital offering. I had no idea how thorough it would be.  I have paid for Parisian guide apps that aren't nearly as extensive. The app has the obligatory hotel information...

Diet Tip #21: Make Sure You Eat Enough to Lose Weight

If eating less helps you lose weight, then eating a LOT less will help you lose weight faster, right? Don't starve in anticipation of a big meal Not so fast. When your body doesn't get enough quality nutrition, it switches into starvation and conservation mode.  Meaning, it slows down your metabolism so that when you do eat, your body will burn the calories at a slower pace.  This...

Diet Tip #20: Check for Sneaky Sugar

Tuesday we focused on snack swaps you can make when you're craving sugar.  Today let's be more proactive. Sugar can be the devil.  It's a devil I love and battle every day.  Excessive sugar can damage your heart, cause diabetes and much more.  It's not like one cookie killed anyone.  Moderate indulgences are fine but it's hard to be moderate when it comes to the white stuff. That...

Diet Tip #18: Brush Your Teeth

If you're fighting a craving, brush your teeth.  Doing this signals your brain that you won't be eating for a while.   Brushing your teeth also gives you that minty fresh breath, something that doesn't mix with chips, candy or whatever it is you might be craving. Brush those teeth to fight cravings! I am a nighttime eater.  This trick has worked for me time and again to help fight...

Diet Tip #17: Check Calorie Counts When Dining Out

Starbucks Cranberry Orange Scone/Courtesy Starbucks.com This falls under the category of things you don't want to know but should.  Be proactive about learning more about the calorie counts of food items at your favorite dining establishments.  It might make you rethink your food choices. When I found out my favorite Starbucks cranberry-orange scone had 490 empty calories and 34 grams...

Confession of a Fitness Fashion Victim

Do you worry about how you look when you work out?  I don't.  You don't either, right? Turns out, we're in the minority.  Many women equate the yoga studio or pilates class as a bamboo-covered runway to show off their latest workout fashion finds. Don't believe me?  The popularity of Lululemon and Nike activewear is so lucrative that other fashion designers are getting into...

Diet Tip #16: Learn How Many Calories You Should Be Eating Daily

Even if you hate math and numbers you should have a decent working knowledge of calories and how many calories you should be eating.  It's not that hard.  There are calculators galore to help you. What is a calorie? A calorie, technically, is 4.18400 joules, you could round it up to 4.19.  In English?  It's the amount of energy required to raise one gram of water by one degree...