Unfortunately, cardio is the 1 physical activity that’s mandatory to stay fit yet the hardest thing to do consistently over long periods of time. A feeling of angst floods me whenever I think about running outdoors or on a treadmill, getting on the Stairmaster/step mill, spin/cycling etc maybe because its the first thing i need to do in the morning when all i want to do is stay in bed for another hour….or perhaps because after a long and exhausting day at work I’m supposed to drag myself back to the gym in the name of fitness. I always have to take a deep breath, get in my mental zone before hitting that start button. There is something about cardio that makes it soooo unpleasant….sooo un-motivating but I just can’t put my finger on it.
What are you waiting for? Yes you!
You promised that come 2013 you would take matters into your hands; you would work towards loosing that extra bulge in the middle, those huge thunder thighs, flabby arms and what not! You vowed to enjoy your favorite alcoholic beverage, sugary desserts, fried foods etc one last time during the holidays. January 3rd you would turn over a new leaf by kicking bad habits to the curb, enroll in a gym or find a home workout DVD and begin this journey of finding the smaller, healthier, happier you!
It’s almost February and you’re yet to fully commit to this life changing promise. You enrolled in a gym and even showed up twice, but argh! It’s much harder than you anticipated and for that reason you haven’t been back!
After a great workout this morning I decided to stop by Starbucks and grab my regular cup of joe aka a tall bold cup of black coffee. As always, I activated my ‘see-no-evil’ glasses that come in handy and shield me from the ever-tempting goodies (cookies, cake, scones etc) on display whenever my eyeballs go a wandering.
While waiting in line I idly schemed through the drinks menu and (mistake #1 ) decided to switch the bold coffee for a whooper cup of Joe aka Tall double white chocolate mocha minus the whip cream and with non fat milk. Feeling great about my workout and coffee treat, I strolled out the store sipping on my little piece of heaven.
Keeping It Simple = Less Calories
Five minutes later I was home and couldn’t get over how great this coffee tasted. Hmm…it probably was only about 150 calories…right? I should have probably stopped thinking at this point…..but (mistake # 2) my brain kept ticking and the need for a finite answer got the best of me. With that, I reached out to my good friend Google and the findings knocked the socks off my feet!!
The answer: My little indulgence was a ludicrous 370 calories containing 15 grams of fat which is about 130 calories of fat, 48 grams of carbs, and 12 grams of protein….and oh yeah how about 60 grams of sugar….JESUS CHRIST!! I might as well have ordered “A cup of heart attack topped off with diabetes”! Who ever knew this much damage could be contained in a tall 12 oz cupful! It’s times like these that make me wish we had a real life “undo” button because I would have gladly puked that garbage out!! I don’t even want to think what the nutritional value of a Venti (20oz) looks like…wait for it… 501 calories! And this my friends is the epitome of insanity! Have 2 of those babies (ventis) and you’ve consumed almost a day’s worth of calories!! I feel horrible for those that consume such every single day as a way of life.
