Hello All! This week I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about goals and how to achieve them. I feel that attaining goals that pertain to nutrition and fitness are the hardest to come by. Not only is working out a difficult responsibility but to eat right too? That just seems too much, especially when we all have full time jobs, family obligations, and schedules that barely make time for breathing! Healthy and proper eating doesn’t have to be as hard as it looks though. A few changes to our diets here and there can make all the difference in the world and help you achieve your nutrition goals. Here are some of my personal goals to live by: 1). Start off with a GOOD BREAKFAST! – I cannot stress how important that is. Eating a healthy breakfast full of protein and fiber can keep your energy levels up and your hunger down. A well-balanced breakfast can consist of a variety of foods and can be relatively easy and inexpensive to create. 2). Be realistic with your goals- If you need to lose 100 lbs, it’s not going to happen in 2 weeks. Start with a short-term one, say 10 lbs. Once that goal is accomplished, it’s easier to move on to the next 10. Realistic goals can shorten discouragement and keep you from becoming frustrated. 3). Study the Food Groups- The Food Groups (found on www.mypyramid.gov) are very helpful in understanding serving size and portion intake. Understanding what you put into your body is half the battle. The other half is portion control. When you have five minutes, log onto the website and take a look (if not for the education, then for the pretty pictures!). Each food category is color-coordinated so it’s easy to determine what’s what. Remember this: Eat the rainbow, just not the skittles! 4). Consult a professional- Ladies! Always ask someone for help if you don’t know what you are doing. At ShapelyGirl, there’s always a qualified attendant to help you with any questions or concerns. Believe me, you are not alone! Debra

It’s been a few months since I’ve blogged last, but hopefully everyone had a wonderfully happy and healthy New Year’s! As many of you know, I’ve been extremely busy with the opening of my new fitness center in South Philadelphia which has turned out incredible! We are an all women’s fitness facility and our motto is “Fitness Comes in Many Sizes.” You don’t need to be a size 2 to be fit!  Therefore, everyone is welcome to join, and what could be better than a new fitness lifestyle for a new year? So anyways, I just realized that spring is around the corner. We all know what that means, warmer weather = less clothing! I know it’s easy to hide behind those bulky sweaters and sweatpants that we all know and love, but January and February are perfect months to prepare for the upcoming season. What could be better than working hard and then having it pay off in the long run? As many excuses as we can come up with for not heading to the gym, there is none for wanting to look great. Yes it’s cold, yes we are busy, yes it’s “I just don’t feel like it” kind of weather, but why don’t you give the fitness center a try? Along with Debra’s ShapelyGirl Fitness Classes we offer pilates, yoga, zumba, tae-bo, step, circuit training, fit fusion, and nutrition. We are here to motivate, inspire, and help you to change your life. We have educated, certified trainers here who will be more than happy to help you accomplish your goals. For those of you who do not live in the Philadelphia area and cannot visit the fitness center you can work out with Debra and the ShapelyGirl team in the privacy of your home by purchasing her DVDs at www.debramazda.com/store/. All DVD’s are on sale for the remainder of January! Debra