Try starting a new business. Or better yet, open a new location for your existing business. Or even better still, open your first location for your business. I have to admit, I don’t think I have ever had this much going on at one time. And to make things even more interesting, we are opening in less than two weeks! How’s that for pressure?

I’m not complaining, not by a long shot. And I’m no stranger to pressure and pushing myself beyond my own limits. It’s just that it all looked so simple on paper. In reality, sometimes contractors don’t show up on time, or finish when they said they would. Sometimes materials are late, or wrong, or just plain don’t go together the way they are supposed to. Sometimes the original price the vendor gave was before he knew about “the extra work that would be involved” and the new price is almost double what he first quoted. And sometimes there is just two pieces short of enough material to complete the project and an entire case needs to be ordered which will take a whole week to arrive, just for those two pieces.

Then of course, there are the long days at the suite coordinating things and just plain doing a lot of the work yourself. There are bruised knees and sore lower back from installing flooring. There’s dust in the eyes from changing out ceiling tiles that are probably hiding the treasures of Tutankhamen. And for some reason, it seems that there are scissors and utility knives out there just waiting to nip off another piece of my fingers at any opportunity. (I swear, the FBI is going to have to take a whole new set of fingerprints, because my fingertips have all changed.) And all of this while trying to maintain a schedule outside of the preparation for things like client appointments, networking, workouts and of course, sleep.

I had a guy stop by yesterday while I was gluing down some random pieces of flooring, and ask when the place was going to open. I told him the 27th. “Of February?” he asked with raised eyebrows. “Yes,” I replied, ”February.” His astonishment only became more astonish-er when he asked who the owner was, and I raised my hand. Yup, I’m doing the labor, so what?

But it will all be worth it, I am positive. When we fling open the doors on February 27th and people are clamoring and pushing each other aside to get in, all while screaming things like, “I want to “meet The Rhino!”” it will be a job well done. Ok, maybe I’m fantasizing a little, but you get the idea. And I think that we are going to be offering such a wide spectrum of services, that we will be able to help a lot of people. And I can’t wait.

On opening day, we will have some vendors offering their services, we will have some demonstrations of our classes and some products for sale. Of course, we will be signing people up for classes and programs. So, in other words, don’t miss it! We are looking forward to seeing you there! And then you can see how all the hard work we have put in thus far has all come together!

The holidays are over and long since gone. Eggnog, ham and luscious desserts are just a memory now. But the results have lingered on. You decide you need to do something. You need to kick the fitness routine into high gear start getting ready for summer. Your choice? Boot Camp! Yes! Everyone is doing it, it must be fun. You think you'll give it a shot. Heck, the mom next door is doing it, how tough can it be?

Let me warn you. Any fitness boot camp worth the entry fee is going to be tough. Like the training from which it borrows its name, boot camps are not for the faint-hearted. If you haven’t exercised in awhile, or never exercised, you may want to go through a short preparatory program before entertaining the idea of subjecting yourself to the rigorous routines that are usually found in boot camps.

That said, let me also say that if you are ready, there is nothing quite like a fitness boot camp to jump-start your motivation to get into shape. If you are fully prepared, the boot camp may be just what the doctor ordered.

And you can survive. Here’s how.

1. Join with a friend. Misery loves company. But more so, if you have someone to go with, you are more likely not to miss a session and you will be able to motivate each other.

2. Stay hydrated. Keep a bottle (or two) of water with you at all times and use it. You are going to need it, and if you get dehydrated, your performance and your health may suffer.

3. Push yourself. When the instructor demonstrates an exercise with differing levels, push yourself to the one just a little more difficult than the level at which you would feel comfortable. Of course, if it’s too tough, or you feel dizzy, lightheaded or short of breath, back off or stop.

4. Change the way you eat. You will be burning a lot more calories than your body is used to, and this is good for weight loss, but you must also fuel your body to be able to endure the rigors of the boot camp. Ask your trainer how you should be eating for the duration of the program.

5. Continue training. After you have completed the boot camp and gotten your little certificate or whatever, it’s not over. You will need to continue training at or near this level in order to maintain your condition. In addition to your regularly scheduled workouts, you may want to give yourself two or three days a week of intensive boot camp style exercise. And the good thing is that most of the exercises you learned in boot camp can be done on your own almost anywhere, so you probably won’t need to sign up for another boot camp just to accomplish this.

There you have it. You are now ready to join the ranks of the elite boot campers. Prepare well, train smart and you will survive. See you on the other side.

You're going to a Super Bowl Party. And you're dreading the pain of having to deal with all of those tempting, fattening foods. Well, you can survive. In addition to the obvious things, (like avoiding too much beer) these tips can keep you from sabotaging your fitness success.

1.    Have a healthy meal prior. If you are satisfied, you are less likely to overindulge. Even if you just have a good old fashioned protein shake before you leave, you will feel more full and not be inclined to eat more than you should.

2.    Bring your own healthy dish, vegetables with low fat dip. Hosts won’t usually turn their noses up when a guest brings a nice plate of food. It is almost always welcome. So you get to have something nutritious to munch on AND you get to look like a gracious guest. It’s a win-win.

3.    Tortilla chips and salsa not potato chips and onion dip. There’s just way too much fat in potato chips. No one should be eating them. And then load them up with sour cream? That’s thunder thighs just waiting to happen. Opt for the lesser-of-two-evils corn chips and salsa. You’ll thank me later.

4.    Use small plates – practice portion control. Smaller plates get full faster, giving you the mental picture that you are eating more. Let’s face it, if the food is there on your plate, you are more likely to want to eat it. ALL. Less on your plate, means you’ll eat less.

5.    Don’t limit yourself – have fun, just make the right choices. Be smart, think about what you are putting on your plate and in your mouth. But enjoy yourself. Eating well is not a death sentence, if you make the right choices, you can still have fun.

Most importantly, remember tomorrow is Monday. Get back to the gym and get your normal routine exercising done. You’ll beat yourself up a lot less for a little overindulgence on Sunday, if you make a point to try to burn it all off on Monday.

Well it’s happened once again. We’ve gotten the wool pulled over our eyes one more time. It seems that those helpful little nutrition guides that a lot of restaurants and fast food places are providing us to make us feel better about our food choices, are loaded with a lot more than chicken nuggets. One could say they’re full of baloney.

A new study by the American Dietetic Association revealed that the “low-calorie” foods that you buy in restaurants and frozen meals from grocery stores may not be as low in calories as you think. What, you say? They’ve been lying to us? Yup, once again.

According to the study, researchers selected meals from fast food and other restaurants and frozen meals from grocery stores. All of these foods were listed as having less than 500 calories, or were among the lowest calorie items on the restaurant menu. On average, the restaurant items contained 18% more calories than expected, and the frozen grocery store meals contained, on average, 8% more calories than listed. These increases are not considered statistically significant, and for the frozen grocery store meals, are considered well within government guidelines for accuracy. However, these guidelines do not apply to restaurants, and some of the restaurant items actually contained TWICE as many calories as expected.

Think about that for a second. You walk into a restaurant for an after-meeting meal with your co-workers. You think, “I’ve got a handle on this. I’m going to have the low-calorie meal and stay on my plan.” And then, BAM! You get slammed with twice as many calories as you thought you were getting. Not to mention the little extra amount of fat and carbs that no one is talking about. And you didn’t even know it. Those sneaky little guys. And you wonder why you can’t drop the pounds.

Now, consider this: If you take in just 5% more calories than you burn off, you can gain 10 lbs over a year. Tell me, how good was that restaurant meal? Was it worth it?

So, what do we do? Well, you have to make your own healthy meals, and avoid pre-prepared meals from restaurants and markets whenever possible. And if you do have to eat out, be aware that that “low-calorie” meal being hawked on the menu may be just another load of junk food cleverly disguised as healthy.

Losing weight is never easy, and the only safe way to do so is through proper nutrition and exercise. However, you can increase the amount of weight you lose through what you eat. Instead of dieting to cut calories, stick with these metabolism-boosting foods.

Boosting Your Metabolism

Your metabolism is how you burn calories. When you're not exercising regularly, your metabolic rate slows down considerably. Increasing your metabolism helps you burn calories faster, thus producing quicker weight loss results. By eating well-balanced, portion controlled meals with foods that boost your metabolism, you not only feel better eating healthy, but also make your body work harder to get rid of calories.

Beverages That Boost Metabolism

Water is the best thing you can give your body and the easiest way to transition into eating healthier. As a natural appetite suppressant, water keeps you feeling full so you don't eat more than you should. It also flushes out sodium and toxins from your system. You need at least 64 ounces of water a day to keep your body healthy.

Green tea is another drink that helps boost metabolism. This tea also has properties that could help reduce the risk of cancer and heart disease. Best of all, green tea has a great taste and makes an excellent substitute for sugary sodas.

Foods That Boost Metabolism

Fruit in general is going to increase your metabolism, since its natural sugar satisfies your sweet tooth while the vitamins help your body. Grapefruit is especially beneficial and packed with vitamin C, which cuts down on insulin levels and promotes weight loss.

Vegetables, of course, are necessary and help you lose weight as well. Broccoli in particular is full of vitamin A, folate and fiber, with powerful phytochemicals that boost your immune system.

Hot peppers may seem like a strange thing to eat, but capsaicin, which is found in cayenne peppers, stimulates your body and releases stress hormones that speed up your metabolism.

When it comes to protein, lean turkey is the best metabolic boosting food, with a lower number of calories compared to beef.

Oatmeal is a great breakfast option, since it's high in fiber and keeps you full until lunch. Mix it up with low-fat yogurt, which provides calcium for your bones.

Notice the difference in your body right away when you replace your old diet with metabolism boosting foods.