Hailey's Helpful Hints

  Already feeling the winter flub creep up on you? Aka - the extra poundage from weekend after weekend of football tailgating and all day beer drinking. Fall comfort food. Seasonal drinks. Trader Joe's pumpkin bread. Most are. But most just pull out the oversized sweater to hide behind and carry on. If you're determined that this won't be you this fall/winter but have no idea where to start to target your trouble areas, I encourage you to check out this resourceful, interactive website that allows you to select the body part you wish to work on and provides you with easy at home exercises you can do to keep those unnecessary pounds at bay. To use the Exercise Finder, click HERE .

How genius and functional is this water bottle? It's almost as cool as my iPhone card carrying phone case with an added bonus of carrying a key. It's products like this that make me shake my head and wonder - why the heck didn't I think of this? I'm smarter than that. Perfect for the gym, long bike rides or to carry with you all day as you try to get in your 64 oz of water. Which I can't seem to master for the life of me. Tomorrow I keep saying. But for today, I sit surrounded by wine glasses and Diet Coke. Sigh. To purchase, click HERE .

I find Oct, Nov, and Dec some of the most discouraging months of the year. Sure they are packed with memorable, fun-filled holiday festivities but with those festivities come an excess of mindless eating and drinking. And a season of busy schedules and not enough hours in the day. Gym? What gym. For me it starts at Halloween. I have a sweet tooth so trying to keep my damn hand out of the candy bowl is near impossible. Insert: Gain 2 lbs. Then Thanksgiving. Dave's favorite holiday. Which translates to a menu that consisted of: mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, stuffing, green bean casserole, rolls, turkey, and cranberry. For two. Followed by round 2 at a friend's house. Insert: Too many pounds to willingly admit. Think heavy knee bends after shimmying into my jeans. And now the Christmas holiday is before my gut. I mean eyes. A few pounds heavier than my skin feels comfortable in and busier than ever. Did you know that new research shows that a 165-pound women has to pare o...

With summer officially underway, there are many more opportunities - lounging poolside, backyard bbq's, beach vacays - that can sobotage your diet. If you've been reading this blog long enough, you should all know by now that I'm a huge advocate for not drinking your calories. But - and a heavy but - I am all about enjoying a few cocktails. While I'm not a big beer drinker as I don't like the stomach bloat that comes after and red wine on a hot day does not sound appealing, I stick to a "skinny" cocktail. Knowing that traditional umbrella drinks can contain 400-1,000 calories per drink, I've found other ready to pour, yummy, summery picks besides the boring 'ol vodka soda that will get your swigging alittle smarter on a hot day: Skinnygirl - Pina Colada ($15) Coconut cream usually takes this rum treat into waist-widening territory. But testers of this coconut and pineapple juice concotion didn't seem to miss it. So put on grass skirt and sha...

Talk.About.Brilliant. I'm obsessed. Gorecess.com makes finding a fitness class and scheduling a time to exercise so much easier. Tired of your workout routine? Interested in taking a class such as Barre or Mat Pilates but your gym doesn't offer it? Moved to a new city and are unsure of where to workout? GoRecess helps you find the best class of the day, where you want, when you want, so you can be your best every day. Maybe you're in the mood for a certain type of workout. Maybe you want convenience and something that fits your hectic schedule. Maybe you want variety and the flexibility to try new places. Or maybe you just need the motivation of a good instructor and others around you to inspire you to push yourself. From spinning and yoga to pilates and boxing and more, GoRecess will help you find exactly what you're seeking.   Say goodbye to boring runs on the treadmill, mindless strides on the elliptical and excuses to skip a workout. Now get off yo...

Do something good for yourself this weekend and take 15-45 min of couch time and get your heart pumping.

SWAP YOUR STANDARD CUP OF COFFEE WITH A GLASS OF HOT LEMON WATER. It is recommended by nationally known nutritionist Ann Louise Gittleman, author of "Fat Flush for Life" and other books to start your day with a hot glass of water flavored with lemon. The combination can benefit your body in numerous ways, including helping you to lose weight and keep hydrated, improving your digestion and upping your vitamin C intake. You can even spice up this morning drink to boost its benefits. Types: Gittleman recommends combining the juice of half a lemon with 1 cup hot water. If you don't want to squeeze your own lemons, you can substitute 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Make sure to use 100-percent organic lemon juice. You can spice up this drink and further rev your metabolism by adding a pinch of ground cinnamon and a pinch of ground ginger, Gittleman says. Lemons will keep for up to 10 days at room temperature, so you can shop for them weekly. You also can store fresh lemo...

I can't even begin to explain how flippin' excited I am about this post. My intention of Hailey's Helpful Hints is to bring you daily tips, tricks and product picks that are useful (and helpful) in your everyday. This post is the epitome of that. Hands down, one of the best products I've come across in a long time. A very long time. Why? Because EVERYONE wants to look their best! If you want to tighten up your mid-section (or anything from your chin down)...You're tired of looking at that post-baby bulge, beer gut or last year's Christmas dinner...You want to get your sexy back - not that you lost it, just sayin...You want to get healthy, naturally ...keep reading. If you personally know me or have been following my blog for some time you know I am a health & fitness guru. I've been an athlete my entire life. I'm all about calories in - calories out. That you need to get your butt to the gym. Or outside. Just get moving. I was adamant that there was ...

I get asked all the time - If the "fat burn" and "cardio" setting on exercise machines both torch calories, which one is better? My theory is as long as you are moving you are burning calories. But the harder you work, the higher the number of calories burned will be. To explain it in real easy terms; the preset cardio programs on most stationary bikes, treadmills, and ellipticals shed calories by working with intervals - sandwiching challenging periods of training between easier ones. Fat burn sessions, on the other hand, typically keep you moving at a consistent pace and exertion level but for a longer period of time. That can be helpful if you're just starting an exercising routine or trying to improve endurance. To get the biggest bang for your buck, I personally believe the CARDIO option is the best bet. The highs and lows of the intervals will get your heart rate up and keeps it there - even during the short stints. The bursts of speed and intensity streng...

Can't lose those last 5 pounds? Can't fit into your shorts from last summer? Can't kick the sweet tooth? Can't. Can't. Can't. Enough. You CAN. It's a choice. A conscious choice. YOU choose what goes in YOUR mouth. YOU choose to drive your car through the drive-thru. YOU choose to order the burger over the fish. From this point on - there are no more can'ts. You CAN get in those shorts, I promise. And you can do it with baby steps. No crazy diet. No juice cleanse. No starving yourself. Below are some easy tips on how to make small changes in your diet that can result in significant weight loss without having to even break a sweat. Read on... 1. Don’t eat in front of the TV. You’ll eat up to 288 calories more, according to research from the University of Massachusetts. Instead, eat at the table, and trade one hour of TV for a casual walk. Together, that’s 527 calories burned. 2. Get in tune with your tummy. Pay attention to how full you feel, and put down ...

I'm obsssssessed. And you will be too once you get your hands (or boobs) on this bra! I've never been one to spend big money on workout clothes. Especially when I don’t think it really makes a difference whether you have the expensive stuff or the affordable stuff. Honestly the girls at the gym all done up aren't there to work-out, they're there to look good. Ummm leave please. Wait. Time-out. Is it bad that I just said boobs????? I guess breasts are politically correct but that just sounds too formal. Anyway, moving on. So you could spend $42 on this Lululemon Flow Y Bra IV... Or you can spend $16.99 at Target on essentially the same thing - the C9 by Champion Fashion Seamless Cami. I'll take the C9 in every color!! Everything about the C9 by Champion Fashion Cami is perfect. Why they call it a cami is beyond me. It's a bra. It's extremely versatile and the stretchy Nylon/Spandex material is uber comfortable. It even has adjustable straps so you can get the...

So after yesterday's post, y'all should be off your fad diet kick and ready to devote your soul to getting in shape the healthy way. Right???? That's what I thought. It's time to talk CARDIO . Barf. I'll admit - as much as I like fitness, I. hate. cardio . And I think I speak for most. But we all know that in order to lose one pound of fat, we have to burn 3,500 calories. And because I am anti-food deprivation, cardio is my only saving grace. The best cardio in my mind is one that you will actually do. Consistently. And hopefully kinda enjoy it. For me this means doing interval cardio training. If I don't move from one exercise to another, I seriously want to commit mental suicide. For example, I'll do the elliptical trainer for 15 minutes, then switch to the stationary bike for another 15 minutes and finish off on the treadmill for the last 15 minutes. Interval training is a great way to keep everything fresh. Accroding to Shapefit .com, there are two s...

Forget the expensive gym memberships. Or all the expensive equipment that eventually gets pushed out into the garage to collect dust. You can lose weight without spending a lot of money. Like I said in the "Beat the Bulge" post, the key to losing weight is CALORIES IN, CALORIES OUT. Meaning if you want to lose, or even maintain, you're gonna have to get moving. People ask me all the time how I stay in such good shape. For those of you that know me, I'm not super skinny, I'm muscular. Another love/hate in my life. I can thank genetics partly for my lean, muscular build. But it's not all genetics - I do have to work for it. Eating healthy is one thing but breaking a sweat is another. The secrets to my success - sticking to the basics . We have far too many 'tools' on the market that claim to bring you amazing results. Susan Summer's Thigh Master. The Bender Ball. The Ab Rocket. Tony Little's Gazelle. The Push Up Pro. The Butt Blaster. NEWS FLASH...

Piggybacking on yesterday's "Fight the Fad" post, I thought I would share how I personally beat the bulge while fighting the fads. Fad diets that is. Bear with me, this is a long one but so worth the read... One of my favorite sayings is "nothing tastes as good as skinny feels." Think about it. It’s true. When you are thin, you feel amazing. You can be more active. You don’t get tired as easily. You have more confidence. You love to shop more. You want to be more social. But how we go about getting thin is what matters most. I’ll confess – My closet is filled with size 24 jeans that I frankly couldn't get my left butt cheek into these days. Yes, I’m pregnant now but they hung unworn for quite some time beforehand. I would shimmy into them and spend far too long doing lunges around my house to loosen them up. All that work and I still couldn't breathe. We've all been there. But sadly I beat myself up mentally over the fact that they didn't fit. I ...

For as much of a health nut as I am, I can't believe it's taken me this long to blog about the topic of health & fitness. I definitely will not have any problem giving you my two cents on the topic throughout the life of this blog. Bear with me on this one - I can already tell it could be a long one. I get asked all the time how I maintain my petite frame. It could be part genetics although my family isn't made of skinny- minnies . I honestly think it's my will power. I've made it a lifestyle. I am a purist when it comes to maintaining your body. This doesn't mean I eat super "clean" and am a Vegan. When I say purist I mean I have very little tolerance for people that actually believe in any quick fix miracle diets. Specifically - FAD DIETS. Low carb , detox diet, HcG diet, cabbage soup diet, juice diet, grapefruit diet, Atkins, South Beach, The Zone, Flat Belly Diet, Master Cleanse. I even put diet pills in this same bucket - carb blockers, fat ...