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August 4, 2026

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Week 5 – DaoFitlife Meal and Exercise Plan

On a weekly basis I update my meal and exercise plan google sheets so you can see real time what I eat, drink, and how I move. You can download the templates and customize them for your own meals and workouts. And I have a rolling update of my fast and simple recipes HERE. Tips of the week: Now is the time for cardio, cardio, cardio. Spring is coming, and the weather is getting warmer. It is the perfect time to do calls outside, as you are walking. Salads are back in style. Definitely check out my post on 30 calorie…

salad on brown wooden bowl with dip

Best Salad Dressings for 30 calories or less

We are getting warmer weather, and you know what that means – BIG SALADS! We can’t talk about salads without talking about salad dressing. If you want a healthy salad that achieves your goal of keeping your meal low-cal, you have to make modifications to what you find in the grocery store aisle. Otherwise, your dressing may be be more calories than the salad. If you are like me, you don’t want just a measly drizzle – that’s not the point of dressing! Dressing shoudl bathe the chopped veggies and greens in a yummy, zingy, salty and sometimes sweet goodness….

woman in green tank top and black leggings doing yoga on blue round trampoline

The DAO of CARDIO

Do you have a “love-hate” relationship with cardio?  I DEFINITELY do. Let me count the ways. On one hand, after a good run or spin class, you feel that “high.” The sweat is cathartic You are detoxed. That playlist you would never disclose publicly absolutely rocked. On the other hand, it is time consuming. It can be boring. You can only queue up so much on the Netflix app.  So the question is, are there any really good reasons to do cardio? Does it get you results? And what role does it play in weight management?

fried egg and vegetable salad on white ceramic plate

Week 4 – The DAOfitlife meal and exercise plan

On a weekly basis I update my meal and exercise plan google sheets so you can see real time what I eat, drink, and how I move. You can download the templates and customize them for your own meals and workouts. And I have a rolling update of my fast and simple recipes HERE. Tips of the week Now that this is the Equiox and first week of Spring, this is a good time for renewal. One part of that is the “deload” act of resetting your body. Deloading simply means tapering off an intense workout routine to allow your body…

strawberries in white cardboard box

10 foods you can eat a lot of without gaining weight

Have you ever called a friend after going to a flash sale and crowed how much you bought for so little money? That feels GOOD, right? Let’s explore how we can do that with food and “calorie” money.  What’s the skinny? This article will explore foods you can eat high volumes of that do not have a lot of calories Knowing these foods and having them on hand will help you when you have the “munchies” and also result in feeling fuller because of the high volume of fiber and water content many of them contain.  Keep these foods in…

person sitting on top of gray rock overlooking mountain during daytime

The secrets of being “naturally thin”

First of all, I am not talking about myself. I wish. I will be the first to admit I have to work hard to be fit. After a while, it becomes more effortless because the habits are so integrated into my day-to-day routine that I don’t even give it a second thought. Some of the habits I have learned are from my “naturally thin” friends. Who are these “naturally thin” people? These are people (who we hate) who always seem to stay thin without putting too much effort into diet or exercise, or who may not work out at all….

The Bride Guide to Getting Fit

If your wedding is coming up, or if you just got engaged and want to look amazing on your wedding day, you are in the right place. I have been through the trenches of training and adjusting diet for the big day. Especially losing the weight you inevitably gain when you fall in love. Why is that? Decadent dinners, wine, ordering pizza with your boo while Netflixing. And then the rude awakening – a looming wedding and all the baggage it comes with.

Week 2 – The DAOFitlife Meal and Exercise Plan

On a weekly basis I update my meal and exercise plan google sheets so you can see real time what I eat, drink, and how I move. You can download the templates and customize them for your own meals and workouts. And I have a rolling update of my fast and simple recipes HERE. This week, I feature the Ezekiel BLT and my Zoodle recipes. Note that I also endorse intermittent fasting, including the 5:2 method, which I describe here. I overnight fast on a case-by-case basis, meaning I usually eat my first meal at 11-1130am. What drives this approach…

The DAO of strength training

It is really hard, if not impossible, to make noticeable changes to your body without incorporating strength training. Most people shy away from it or do it wrong. In this post, I will share what I learned from training with numerous top-tier trainers over the years. What is strength training? The term “strength and conditioning training” refers to the format of exercise which highlights building the strength, size, and endurance of skeletal muscle. It can include these types of workouts as tools, but it is also good to be aware that you don’t have to be picking up a weight…

woman lifting black and gray barbell

Best Strength Training Apps

As part of a comprehensive fitness routine, strength training is important to keep that balance with cardio. It isn’t one over the other – in my experience, they are both necessary. There is something powerful about lifting and moving your body in ways you never thought possible. That extra testosterone boosts confidence, both in and outside the gym.

Sabotage series part III – Put down that protein bar and listen up!

The nutrition industry has definitely evolved. You can find protein bars in all different flavors – cinnamon bun, chocolate chip cookie dough, red velvet cake, chocolate brownie.  There are even protein COOKIES and protein BROWNIES and there is even high protein ice cream you can buy.  Go to any GNC and you will even see protein chips, popcorn, and the entire assortment of any flavor of protein bar. Plus, you can have protein powders in cool flavors like vanilla ice cream and strawberry cheesecake. What is not to love? A LOT.

Week 1 – The DAOFitlife Meal and Exercise Plan

As part of this series, in the interest of full transparency AND possibly giving you some great ideas, I will provide a tracker of all my meals and workouts for the week. Each week, a new exercise and meal plan will be published. I keep a repository of recipes HERE. DAOFitlife Meal Plan -Week 1 This plan will change week after week. As a static constant, it will embody principles from the following articles: The DAO approach to food , eating, and meal planning – keeping it simple, variety cycling, and keeping ready to go meals and snacks on hand; The 80//20…

person wearing orange and gray Nike shoes walking on gray concrete stairs

The DAO of HIIT

HIIT (High intensity interval training) is an important ingredient in your cardio soup. It is an excellent fat burner, and has an after-burn effect of raising your metabolism and burning more overall calories during the day. Plus. challenges your agility, and makes you feel, well, superhuman! Cardio, as I explain in this article, is important to a holistic approach to health and exercise. HIIT is like an amazing accessory that makes the entire outfit. Read on to get the quickest, most effective workouts you can knock out twice a week. What’s the skinny? This article reviews the best HIIT workouts…

woman in red tank top and black leggings doing yoga

How to stay fit in a COVID world

The “new normal”.  Our worlds, once so big, have gotten very small. It’s almost the one year anniversary – the worst.anniversary.ever. Gyms and workout studios are closed (or closed, reopened, closed and kind of reopened).  Peloton sales have gone UP.  App sales have gone through the roof – the fitness industry, besides the toilet paper industry, is a real winner in these “uncertain times”. There also have been winners and losers in the fitness sphere on the consumer side. I hear binary feedback from my audience – either they got in the best shape of their lives, or suffered from…

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