If you’re a hard core snacker or grazer like me, at some point you’ve got to get a reign on portion control. It’s just too easy to sit down in front of the TV or computer and realize a half hour later that your fingers just devoured that whole bag of tortilla chips. Bad fingers!

The autopilot hand to mouth action can be tamed if you insist on seeing what you are eating. Instead of mindlessly grabbing a full bag of (insert your fav snack) use your eye to scoop out a small portion. Where ever you choose to plant yourself look at the food before you eat, taste and enjoy it.

Study after study shows that if you don’t use portion control you’ll eat what’s in front of you. Not because you’re hungry, but because it’s just there. So here are some helpful images to remember when deciding on the perfect portion:

Snack Of Choice: Picture This:

Dark chocolate A pot of lip gloss.

Popcorn A shower-cap full.

Cheese A tube of lipstick.

Piece of fruit A tennis ball.

Ice cream Half a tennis ball.

Nuts A palmful.

Guacamole Two cotton balls.

Chips or pretzels A womans fist.

Two bagel halves Two round compacts.

This morning you awoke to your blaring alarm clock, rolled out of bed, hit the shower and stumbled off to work. Your first thoughts of the morning probably consist of the jam packed to-do list you created the night before and possibly the left over unease of a riff you got in with your significant other. Day in and day out we find ourselves completely submerged in thought and emotion. So much so that we can’t see what amazing things are right in front of our face. We hide in the cloud of the mind and end up missing what’s most important in life, actually experiencing it!

We all know how powerful the habitual mind is in it’s busy, worried, caught up in all the details state. And that’s all the more reason to realize what opportunity each day can hold if we reconnect with the moment as it unfolds. Here is a simple yet life changing practice you can do at any moment to interject gaps of mindfulness into your day.

The Pause Practice: Simply take three conscious breaths at any moment when you notice you are drowning in thoughts or overwhelmed in emotion. “Pause practice can transform each day of your life. It creates an open doorway to the sacredness of the place in which you find yourself. The vastness, stillness, and magic of the place will dawn upon you, if you let your mind relax and drop for just a few breaths the storyline you are working so hard to maintain. If you pause just long enough, you can reconnect with exactly where you are, with the immediacy of your experience.” (Pema Chodron, Shambhala Sun) Just be where you are! Let the pause practice be like popping a bubble. Let it be just a moment in time, and then go on with your day.

So here is my challenge and yours: Leave gaps. The most important thing to do with each day, each morning, afternoon, and evening is to punctuate the endless script in your head with gaps of being present. These gaps, are like poking holes in the clouds. Many small holes can create one gigantic gap that can envelope your entire life, so that the continuity is no longer the mind’s rambling, but one continual gap of mindfulness.

In an ideal world we could maintain mindfulness, or present living, all the time. Yes, we all lead busy, detailed lives, but we can work toward being more aware of the fabulous life we have! Try the pause practice right now and see how you feel, awaken to your surroundings, or what have you. Let me know in the comments!

Over the last few years pilates and yoga have taken the world by storm. What is it about that 6am Bikram yoga class with the line out the door, or that Reformer class with the month long waiting list? People just can’t get enough! While pilates and yoga both whip you into shape physically, I’m convinced it’s the mental and spiritual practice that keeps people hungry for more.

After a long stressful day at work, taking a yoga or pilates class is a sure fire way to calm and focus the mind. Both disciplines focus on turning inward and practicing body awareness. By placing your intention and awareness on the body or breath you become instantly present. The worries, and thoughts whirling in the mind quiet and tension subsides. And for crazy busy celebs, mind-body work is exactly what they need and desire. So, take a cue from the stellar ladies below and roll out a mat for some centering yoga or pilates.

Kerri Walsh, Beach volleyball olympic hopeful in Bejing, attributes her chiseled core to her pilates practice three times a week. “It makes you more felxible, so you’re stronger and more stable, too.” As if she doesn’t already work out enough! Those olympians just train, train, train.

Madonna, who’s turning 50 this year(!), literally transformed her entire self using mind body exercises. Madge’s friend Sting introduced her to the practice of Ashtanga yoga during a session with yogi guru Danny Paradise. Besides her amazing physical metamorphosis, yoga allows Madonna to find mental calm and clarity. She told ABC’s 20/20 “I want to be liberated from my ego, less concerned about what other people think of me.” She also said,”I remember that I couldn’t sit still for a second. I was always on the move. I was often pretty aggressive, wild and unpredictable, but all that’s changed.”

In the August issue of Self, Rebecca Romijn discusses her weekly fitness regime, which surprise, surprise, includes lots of pilates. She keeps up with her super fit, high octane beau Jerry O’Connel by practicing pilates three to four times a week and working the elliptical for 30 min. five days a week. The 30 year old model is more in tune with her mind and body then ever before…”When you’re in your 20’s, you’re sort of going along for the ride, still partying and not quite getting it. I don’t regret one second of it. But you’re constantly looking to the external to find happiness. The older you get, the more you realize it comes from a much deeper place.”

Victoria Beckham also swears by pilates because she can’t stand the gym. Since, the pilates method offers thousands of movement variations I can see why it keeps her excited about staying fit. Running on a treadmill staring at the wall could never keep my interest either! She admits, “I like to do pilates, even though I should go more often.”

Travel bug itching? There’s nothing more mind numbing than sitting in your air conditioned office peering out the window at the gorgeous sunny day you could be enjoying. After all, that could be you in the linen dress sauntering down the sidewalk, window shopping, and nibbling on sweet treats from quant cafes. Ahhhh traveling… if you’re like me it’s all you really work for. Yes you have responsibilities, but you want to see, taste, and experience the world! We currently find ourselves in the midst of prime getaway time, so I wondered, how can we exercise and eat healthy during our much deserved travels?

Here are my top 5 tips for fitting exercise and stellar eating habits into any vacation:

1.) Walk, Walk, Walk: Stuff some sneaks in your bag and explore a new town on foot. You would never discover, that hole-in-the-wall burrito joint, or packed underground lounge on a tour bus. Mingle with the locals and find the hidden gems of your dream destination by walking everywhere. Stroll through museums, and parks to stay active. Forgot shoes? Hit the beach for a barefoot power walk in the dry sand… preferably at sunrise or sunset.

2.) Hit The Market: If you happen to be staying in a condo or room with a kitchen, save money and eat well by cooking some meals. I love finding outdoor markets where you can buy ingredients for authentic local dishes. Nothing beats the spices and insects I discovered in Thailand markets!

3.) When In Rome…Ride A Bike: If you’re more of a city lover, check out bike tours and rental shops. Like walking, riding around the narrow streets of a huge city is the best way to see everything and burn off any indulgences.

4.) Pack Snacks: Take plenty of nutritious snacks to keep you satisfied on all of your adventures. Save the calories for meals of the local fare. Baggies full of whole grain cracker, nuts, and dried fruit are perfect.

5.) Choose Active Adventures: Instead of lounging by the pool, sipping on high-cal pina coladas, sign up for a rainforest hike or kayak tour. Spend your days hiking breathtaking waterfalls or snorkeling with the sea turtles. The activities are endless!

The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, not to worry about the future, but to live the present moment wisely and earnestly.
-Buddha

The thought manifests as the word; The word manifests as the deed; The deed develops into habit; And habit hardens into character. So watch the thought and its ways with care, And let it spring from love born out of concern for all beings.
-Buddha