Change Up Your Routine With Exercise Classes

Haven't found an exercise you absolutely love to do? You've tried them all — ellipticals, recumbent bikes, treadmills, even the dreaded StairMaster — and hated every second of it. Well, you're not alone. But that doesn't mean there isn't an exercise out there just for you. Have you ever considered that you just don't like exercising alone? Often, it's the solitary nature of exercise that turns us off. Sometimes we need a support system to keep us moving. Sound like you? Try joining a group exercise class and find out!

The advantage to exercise classes is that they're a whole lot more fun than sweating it out by yourself. Most group classes add an element of fun to the mix — like hooking you into the latest and hippest dance moves and music. Plus, when you join a group, people will look out for you, which can motivate you and help keep you accountable. Just make sure the class you take involves a minimum of 45 minutes of activity and keeps your heart rate up above 60 percent. Try any of these or other cardiovascular classes at your local fitness center or gym:

• African dance 
• Boot camp 
• Cardio kickboxing 
• CrossFit 
• Hip-hop dance 
• Indoor cycling  
• Mixed martial arts 
• Obstacle or endurance training classes 
• Step aerobics 
• TRX suspension training
•  ZUMBA®

7 Tips for Controlling Your Appetite

If you suffer from constant food cravings, there are some steps you can take to remedy the situation. The first step is to make sure you're eating correctly for your metabolic type. This will help a lot. If you're certain that you are eating as you should for your metabolic type and you still feel hungry all the time, consider these tips to curb your appetite:

Don't skip meals. You should be eating three square meals a day, plus one snack, and spacing your meals throughout the day so that you don't go longer than four hours without eating. This will keep your blood sugar levels and hunger hormones stable.

Drink tons of water. When you feel as if you're starving, pour yourself a huge glass of water or grab a bottle of seltzer — it will help quell the urge to snack.

Sleep! Two hormones, leptin and ghrelin, regulate our appetite, and both are directly affected by how much sleep we get. These hormones work in a kind of "checks and balances" system to control feelings of hunger and fullness. Getting eight hours of shut-eye each night helps the hormones work properly, which in turn will help curb your appetite.

Examine your hunger. The next time you feel hungry between meals, consider the last time you ate. If it was less than three to four hours earlier, your stomach isn't growling, and you're not weak or tired, you're probably emotionally unsatisfied in some way rather than genuinely physically hungry.

Think about what, besides eating, soothes you. Steer yourself toward positive feelings of self-worth and you'll choose activities and behaviors that inherently contradict self-loathing and self-destructiveness.

Don't panic. You can and will lose weight. Even if you're eating a little more than the meal plan calorie allowance, you can still lose — it just might take a little longer. Exercise is also crucial. Working out harder and more often will help burn the extra calories you might take in if you have a bad day.

Do not beat yourself up! Sometimes we slip up, and that's okay — healthy living is not an all-or-nothing proposition. I'm here for you, and I know you can do this. Believe in yourself and try to incorporate my suggestions into your life, and let's see how you do.