If It’s In the Kitchen… It’s In My Belly It’s tough! It seems like no matter how hard you try sweets will inevitably find its way into your kitchen. It could be a well-meaning neighbor that baked some cookies for me. Sweets always find a way home – and then into your belly. As a Miami personal trainer, I have preached “no sugar ever – under any circumstances!” or as little as can. Because I do know how horrible those little white crystals are for your health. I get it. I see that people enjoy an occasional cookie or having a piece of cake here and there for a celebration… I know that people generally love sweets. How can I support the bake sale without stuffing my face with frosted sugar cookies? How can I say “thank you” to my well-meaning neighbor but find the motivation to not eat her sugary snacks? Being a Miami personal trainer for 15 years, I’ve learned a few things over time. I thought I’d share them with you in hopes that they’d help you out during the year. Trick #1) When money is an option… opt for that. I could buy cookies to support my niece, but one time I asked her if I could simply give her $20 instead. She could add that to the trip money or if needed, she could purchase $20 worth of cookies for herself and do whatever she wanted with them. Often times there are simple solutions like this. It’s a win-win because I don’t have to bring sweets into the house and I still get to support the field trip. Trick #2) Just say thank you and find the trash. As a Miami personal trainer, I know this one is sometimes hard for people because it seems so… well… naughty. These days I have my routine down to a science. I know when I can splurge and when I can’t. So when sugary snacks find their way into my kitchen – even if they’re from my lovely neighbor… they find their way to the trash. I’ve also passed them along to other friends, but I felt weird about giving sugar to others I care about. I’ve also tried donating them to a local food pantry, but they can only accept canned goods and unopened boxes of food for safety reasons. And I already knew from my past that if I let cookies sit in my kitchen, or if I try to come up with a rule like only 1 cookie after dinner… well… I knew it wouldn’t work. So for my own health… I had to trash them. I should mention that I’ve became pretty good friends with my neighbor and eventually told her I don’t eat any sugar. I brought it up naturally in conversation (not when she is handing me her precious baked goods!) and since that conversation, I haven’t gotten cookies. I’ve gotten a card with a lotto ticket instead. A chance to hit the lotto is much better for my belly than a cookie any day. Eat Clean, Live Lean, David Dubail Call me at 305-859-2345 or email me at [email protected] today if you would like to visit my Brickell personal training studio.