Before you go out this weekend to unwind from the week, just know that alcohol can seriously derail your getting in-shape goals because it has calories, it lowers testosterone which is the hormone that helps us burn fat faster, and it raises the body fat production hormone cortisol. 

Here's some RIO Fitness Chicago Tipsy Tips to minimize the damage: 

• Drink a glass of water between drinks.
• Wine varies in calorie level depending on the sweetness-the sweeter the wine the more calories. Wine Spritzer (half soda water and half wine) is a low-calorie way to enjoy the taste, get half the calories, and twice the volume.
• Mixers can also vary in calories so shoot for low calorie options such soda water, or have that drink on the rocks.
• Distilled liquor (rum, vodka, gin etc) calories are dependent on the proof of the alcohol-the higher the proof, the more calories. (Proof is twice the percentage of alcohol). For example, 100-proof vodka would contain 50% alcohol. To break it down, 1 1/2 ounces of liquor equals 100 calories for 80 proof while 100 proof equals 125 calories.

100-Calorie Drinks

• 12-ounces of light beer
• 4-ounce Bloody Mary
• 4-ounces of champagne
• 4-ounces of red or white wine
• 1-ounce of rum, vodka, gin, whiskey, or tequila with diet soda

150-Calorie Drink

• 12-ounces of regular beer

200-Calorie Drinks

• 12-ounce wine cooler
• 5-ounce Whiskey Sour
• 3-ounce cognac
• 3-ounce brandy
• 2 1/2-ounce martini
• 4-ounce Screwdriver
• 4-ounce rum and regular Coke

300-Calorie Drink

• 5-ounce Pina Colada
• 6-ounce Daiquiri
• 6-ounce frozen Margarita

500-Calorie Drink

• 8-ounces of eggnog

RIO Fitness Chicago® Tip:

If you are pregnant, and want to lose the "baby weight" quickly after & stay as healthy as possible while pregnant, the best way to do that is to eat healthy & stay active DURING the pregnancy. 

Exercising while pregnant IS okay to do until the third trimester. A few precautions need to be taken though: 1) Wear a heart rate monitor while you do, because your heart rate should not exceed 140 for a long period of time to minimalize your body's internal core temperature. 2) No exercises that involve any laying flat on the back and no prolonged standing ones. Both pool blood around the fetus which is dangerous. 3) No jumping/bouncing exercises. 4) No using unstable equipment like stability balls/BOSUs/etc unless under the direct supervision of a certified fitness instructor.

Eating healthy is essential to your baby's future physical & mental health, and keeping you healthy during pregnancy. 

•Avoid Genetically Modified Foods (GMOs). Not only will GMOs make you obese, but they are the reason why people are getting diseases like cancer more & more and at younger ages. GMOs are also why people are having reproductive issues/birth defects, digestive system issues, body toxicity issues, more food allergies, etc. 

•Avoid rBST dairy (recombinant bovine somatotropin, aka rBGH, aka BGH, recombinant bovine growth hormone). rBST is a chemical hormone given by farmers to make dairy cows more productive. rBGH also makes these cows more sickly, causing mastitis (inflammation of the udders, often caused by infection). And it's not just cows that are getting sick; rBGH has also been associated with an increased risk of breast cancer, colon cancer and prostate cancer in humans. For it to be organic milk it must have that "USDA Organic" label. If a milk doesn't have that label, that milk comes from cows given the rBGH or rBST synthetic hormones.

•Avoid refined sugars (soda, desserts, white breads, candy, etc.) & artificial sweeteners because they are what cancer cells already in the body love to feed off of to grow bigger, stronger, and spread. Avoid especially artificial sweeteners (example: aspartame, saccharin, sucralose) which are known neurotoxins that cause insomnia, migraines, anxiety, vision loss, muscle spasms, and even death. Not to mention, since they are artificial, the body cannot properly metabolize them = gaining body fat. 

•Avoid artificial food coloring (Red 40, Yellow 5 and Yellow 6, etc.) which are found in 90% of the food & other products we use. Artificial dyes have been linked to causing behavioral problems in children such as hyperactivity, attention disorders, and ADHD. 

•Avoid non-organic fruits & veggies that are loaded with pesticides and other chemicals that cause birth defects, and other diseases. 

•Avoid non-organic, hormone-filled, antibiotic-filled meats & fish. All of those hormones & medicines cause birth defects, and other diseases. 

Bottom line: eat ORGANIC fruits, veggies, meats, fish, and dairy! What you consume during pregnancy transmits to your child and shapes them physically, mentally, and emotionally. 

RIO Fitness Chicago® Tip: 

Here's EIGHT easy things you can start doing TODAY, RIGHT NOW, to be healthier & look/feel your best.: 

1) Have a HUGE glass of water (16oz) always before you eat. 

2) Do NOT drink your calories; do cut out all the pop, juice, sports drinks, etc.

3) Eat a LEAN protein (white meat, fish, eggs, unsalted/raw nuts & seeds, organic plain Greek yogurt, quinoa, etc) at each meal so you stay fuller longer. 

4) Cut out you intake of refined sugars, flours, and grains.

5) Eat over 40g of fiber a day. 

6) Eat fruits & veggies EVERY SINGLE DAY. 

7) No high glycemic carbs (breads, pastas, rice, oats, grains) after 12 noon.

8) Start reading labels so you know what you're putting in your body. Read both nutrition facts AND ingredients. 

When you go clothes shopping do you ever feel like the picture? If yes, RIGHT NOW, TODAY do something about it! Click the two links below to exactly how you need to eat & exercise to be your healthiest & look/feel your best ever! Also, from now on when you clothes shop, NEVER buy a bigger size. ALWAYS buy a size or two smaller, rip off the tags, throw away the receipt, and hang up the clothes in the room(s) you spend the most time in at home so they're constant source of motivation. 

Follow our RIO Fitness Chicago® 10 Nutrition Commandments 100% strict and you will see healthy, long-lasting results guaranteed: http://riofitnesschicago.blogspot.com/2013/02/eating-healthy-is-every-day-lifestyle.html?m=1

Then you need to exercise with HIIT training to see fast lean & tone results: http://riofitnesschicago.blogspot.com/2010/04/rio-fitness-chicago-tip-do-you-want-to.html?m=1 

RIO Fitness Chicago® Tip: 

Do you chew gum/mints? If so, look at the ingredients on the label & you'll see artificial sweeteners like aspartame, sucralose, and saccharin. These artificial sweetners are just two of the many artificial ingredients in gum/mints that cause everything from cancer to birth defects to ADD/ADHD. Artificial sweeteners are especially what the cancer cells already in the body love to feed off of to grow & spread. If you need gum/mints go to Trader Joe's or Whole Foods and buy organic ones like YumEarth brand (http://yummyearth.com/ingredients.html).

There are people every single day doing what it takes to be healthy as possible & look/feel their best ever. Why aren't YOU? No matter how far out-of-shape you've become you CAN do it! The REAL measure of progress is BODY FAT % LOSS, not the scale, because you can lose on the scale (muscle/water) but not lose BF %. If you want to lose body fat, if you want to be healthier, if you want to look & feel your best click the two RIO Fitness Chicago Tips below. 

Instead of doing diets or these fake supplements, follow our RIO Fitness Chicago® 10 Nutrition Commandments 100% strict and you will see healthy, long-lasting results guaranteed: http://riofitnesschicago.blogspot.com/2013/02/eating-healthy-is-every-day-lifestyle.html?m=1

Then you need to exercise with HIIT training to see fast results: http://riofitnesschicago.blogspot.com/2010/04/rio-fitness-chicago-tip-do-you-want-to.html?m=1 

RIO Fitness Chicago® Tip: 

Did you hit the alcohol & salty/sugary foods hard celebrating this Labor Day Weekend? Here's FOUR simple ways to get your nutrition back on track: 

1) Start eating something SMALL every 3hrs. This will speed up your metabolism = burning cal faster. 

2) To best detox from the booze is to keep drinking water. Since our body is 75% water, and our brain is 90% water, this will help prevent dehydration which amplifies the hangover feeling. 

3) To slow down the digestion of all the sugar, start consuming high FIBER foods. 

4) All that salty foods = looking/feeling bloated, because sodium carries excess water. To lower the sodium levels in the body, consume high POTASSIUM foods (spinach, beans, bananas, kiwi).