Below is one of the many articles in magazines such as Fitness Magazine and online that I've found that lists the health benefits coffee contains.
    Just like the pros and cons of all foods and drinks, moderation determines how beneficial or harmful something can be. Specifically with coffee, caffeine is the "big bad guy" if you drink a significant amount of it or if you're one of those people that has bad side effects from it (shaking, nervousness, etc.). 
    Something they don't mention in this article is that you should make sure you're drinking enough water during the day so that you're not dehydrated while drinking coffee. Coffee is a natural diuretic so if your not hydrated enough, excessive coffee consumption could lead to symptoms such as constipation and lethargy. But as long as you re hydrated and have coffee in moderation than there's nothing wrong with daily habit.  http://www.qualityhealth.com/featured-article-segment?fa=105856&rf=45458&mc=&ct=36917

    The first benefit of coffee they list is it lowers your risk for diabetes and in turn dementia and Parkinson's, when limited to 1-2 cups a day. I've read elsewhere that serious coffee drinkers (3-6 cups a day) also have this lowered risk, as long as they don't put sugar and heavy creamer in their coffee.
    I've noticed that not everyone makes this next connection. Drinking more than a moderate amount of coffee each day could increase your risk of diabetes if you drink it with sugar and lots of creamer. This is only one contributor to how many calories and what kinds of food you eat overall. Your entire lifestyle influences your your risk for diabetes, heart disease, cancer and a myriad of other illnesses.
    So, the small lesson from this is to lighten the load of additives you add to your cup of coffee. Coffee is extremely low in calories by itself, but most people can't drink it black. Instead of sugar use a form of zero calorie, or just low calorie sweetener. When it comes to creamer, use sugar free coffee creamer (less calories) and only use the serving size listed. Milk and other milk substitutes like coconut, almond or soy milk have even less calories than creamer and have no cholesterol.
    Also, better tasting, better quality coffee needs less stuff added to it to taste good. So, choose a coffee you like. Personally, I like really bold/dark coffees.
    

   I'm sharing my current health & fitness pursuits on my Youtube channel. You can check it out at http://www.youtube.com/user/happilyeverafter999.

    I started the Prep Schedule for the Turbo Fire program today. If I had started this back when I was working out almost every day I wouldn't even need the prep class, but alas, I am out of shape at the moment.
    A reminder about snacking to you all and for myself: Don't forget to eat healthy snacks, especially when working out. Right after my workout, I was working on my before stats at beachbody.com for the program and I should have gone to eat a snack first because I got a massive headache! Now I'm eating a salad with apple, romaine lettuce and raspberry vinaigrette. 
    I am not a big salad eater usually, but recently I've been in the mood for them (like a chili, southwestern salad or salad with apples). I am not one of those dieters that thinks you have to eat salad all of the time to lose weight. In fact, forcing yourself to eat salad all of the time can make you feel deprived. In fact, many salads do not have enough or have too many calories either because of the portion or the ingredients (like many of Chili's and other restaurant salads). 
    Vegetables can be served in many different ways, so don't feel obligated to eat salads. Just keep your calorie count down to lose weight. And in order to have  healthy body eat more whole grains, less saturated fat and a variety of fruits and vegetables.

    Almost everyone regardless of their shape or size have self-esteem issues. They may vary from little to big issues but one common theme among these thoughts is that we're always waiting for something better, waiting to change ourselves, waiting for the right time, waiting to truly live in the present. Below is a poetic article addressing what we may be missing out on when we're constantly thinking about the future.    http://blogs.psychcentral.com/weightless/2011/10/a-poor-body-image-the-moments-we-miss/
    Of course we must think about the future whether it be dreaming or planning, but often we don't take action in the present. Think about how many times people say they'll start something "on Monday" or "next month," like diets, fitness plans, reading more, learning to do something, studying or even relaxation and spending time with friends and family. We do this all of the time without even realizing that there probably isn't any rational reason why we're putting things off. 
    The New Years Resolution is the ultimate "I'll do it later" excuse. Instead of starting something on New Years Day, you can promise yourself that you'll continue what you've been doing for the next year (and hopefully, the rest of your life). The latter is the only kind of New Year's Resolutions I believe in making because there is history behind the promise to yourself, giving you more motivation to keep going.  
    You can start anything you want to accomplish right now; in the present. Even if you don't want to start, if you just take the first step, no matter how small it is, you'll already be on your way. This first step makes it harder to put it off any further. The rest of the steps will follow as you improve and learn and you'll gain more motivation along the way. All you have to do is to become committed and find inspiration that drives you. Visualizing what you want in the future can help inspire you now.
    Another thing to remember, is the only true failure is in completely giving up on yourself and never trying again. If you fall short of your goal, go backwards, take a break or stop completely, you can ALWAYS start it back up again. Even if you've given up on yourself for a really long time, you can STILL bounce back. Therefore, there is no failure if you don't want there to be.


Check out some inspirational stories and interesting articles below.

CDC article on Calories: http://success.orriant.com/success/index.php/2011/08/calories-matter/


USA article on Maintaining Weight Loss: http://yourlife.usatoday.com/fitness-food/weight-loss-challenge/story/2011-10-12/Analysis-finds-it-is-possible-to-maintain-weight-loss/50745306/1


Another Diet Blog: http://dietdon.com/weight-and-resolutions-picture-yourself-thin/


Free weight loss and blogging site: http://www.extrapounds.com/

Beach Body's has different programs and tools as well as success stories from people who have used their products: http://www.beachbody.com/

    Two years ago I started my weight loss journey and lost 50 pounds in 8 months. I did it the hard way with exercise and a reduced calorie diet. I learned a lot along the way and I'm confident about my life regarding weight maintenance. 
   However, I kind of fell of the wagon this past year, first starting with freshman weight gain and then I just stopped completely following all my good my good habits. I still know how to get results, I just haven't been motivated as much a I have been in the past. It's embarrasing gaining some of my weight back, but I'm not worried about it in the long run because I know I can do it and am determined to hold a healthy weight through out my life.
    So, this time around I decided that I'm going to use one of those fitness programs out there so that I don't really have to think about what exercise to do every day. I chose Turbo Fire and I can't wait to get it in the mail from Amazon! I'll also be swimming and lifting 5 pound weights as needed and when I feel like it. I'll let you know about my progress along the way.

     95% of all dieters gain their weight back. And even the percentage that doesn't gain it all back will often gain almost half back over time.
     I'll be talking a lot about this topic and the topic of getting back on track in the next few months. Below are some helpful, inspiring and interesting articles and blog posts that I found today.

http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/15-tips-to-restart-the-exercise-habit-and-how-to-keep-it.html
http://zenhabits.net/how-to-get-back-on-exercise-train/

   
    Chow Down is a wonderful documentary about how heart disease is related mainly to diet. It shares the stories of one doctor trying to prove that a vegetarian or at least plant based diet can prevent and even reduce the amount of plaque in your arteries and heart disease overall.. 
    You can watch it for free on Hulu.com.