That's Fit

We know the standards when it comes to weight loss -- less calories, more exercise, lots of water, not a lot of junk food. Now check these out -- some unconventional ideas for losing a few pounds.

Go Blue. The color blue functions as an appetite suppressant. So serve up dinner on blue plates, wear blue while you eat, and cover your table with a blue tablecloth. Then avoid all visions of red, yellow, and orange while you eat. Studies find these colors encourage eating.

Mirror, Mirror, On The Wall. Hang a mirror across from your seat at the table and you may eat one-third less than normal. Looking at yourself while you chow down will remind you of why you're trying to lose weight.

In my family it's well known that my dad has a great "sniffer." He detests perfume so, of course, when I was in high school I wanted to wear perfume terribly! I remember buying some with a subtle scent, then putting on the tiniest bit imaginable while I was up in my bedroom. My father, from downstairs, shouted up to me to "wipe that stuff off!" It was amazing. While I don't think many people have a sense of smell quite as attuned as my dad's, it turns out that most of us can be trained to sense danger through our sense of smell.

Scientists have determined that the human sense of smell can be trained to detect even subtle changes in smells associated with danger. Study volunteers were exposed to two grassy odors and none could differentiate between the smells. The volunteers were then given a mild shock during one of of the smells; after being given the shock they were all able to tell the difference between the two odors. MRI brain scans taken before and after shocks were administered showed a change in the olfactory cortex after the shocks.

It's official... the nose knows!

There's a couple of things you can pretty much count on when it comes to asparagus:

1) It will supply you with a variety of powerful antioxidants, including a healthy dose of glutathione;

2) It contains a good amount of folate, which has been shown reduce the risk of heart disease and certain types of cancer;

3) It contains certain amino acids that can help reduce water retention, something that can make you look a bit puffy, and;

4) It will make the pee of many people who eat it smell pretty funky.

Since it's the most fun topic out of the four, that's what I'll address. The pee issue.

Strangely, this scent-chaing affect that asparagus has on urine does not occur in all people. Even more strange is the fact that there is also a segment of the population who cannot smell the funky scent given off by asparagus-laced urine. It is believed that only those with a certain gene can cause the break down of chemicals inside the asparagus that causes the scent, and only those with the proper gene can smell the results of that chemical breakdown.

I tend to think that moderation is the best way to go when it comes to most things, including alcohol consumption. However, I'd be a liar if I said I always followed my own rule. We all overindulge from time to time -- sometimes it can be easy to get carried away when you're having a good time. Despite the resulting hangovers, life goes on and we all have to pay for our overindulging.

If you find yourself in a situation where you've woken up with a raging headache, nausea, red eyes (etc) and don't have the luxury of laying around all day recovering in front of the TV, here are some tips from AOL's All About You on how to look good if you're hungover but still have to go about your daily life.

I'm a Yankee Candle junkie. Every time a coupon arrives in the mail, I head right out and redeem it. Burning scented candles is one of my favorite feel-good practices. A little aroma therapy is just what I need to warm my spirits.

Today I bought three news flavors -- black cherry, peach, and vanilla cupcake. The cupcake one -- which smells exactly like its intended scent -- is what inspired me to write this post because it hit me as potentially odd that I grabbed this mouth-watering candle when I don't consume sweets (headaches and a desire to eat healthy drove me away from them). And then I realized: Smelling vanilla cupcakes is enough. I don't need to eat them. I guess it could have gone the other way -- my candle could have sent me right to the bakery for the real deal -- but it didn't. And as I sit here right now, cupcake aromas swirling around me, I am completely satisfied.

If scents alone do the trick for your sweet cravings, check out Yankee Candle and all this delicious fragrances this company has to offer.

Forget expensive perfumes. When it comes to arousing men with scents, lavender, pumpkin pie, doughnuts, and black licorice top the chart. Break out the sweet stuff, my friends, and your men will respond.

Folk wisdom suggests that various aromas are sexually enticing, says Dr. Alan Hirsch of The Smell & Taste Treatment and Research Foundation. Because no data previously existed on this very topic, Hirsch set out to investigate the effects of 30 odors on penile blood flow. What he found was that each odor produced an increase in flow in each of his 31 subjects. But some odors, and some combination of odors, increased arousal more than others. Here are the winners.

• Lavender and pumpkin pie together increased the median penile blood flow by 40 percent.
  
  

• Doughnuts and black licorice increased arousal by 31.5 percent.
  
  

• Pumpkin pie and doughnuts: 20 percent.
  
  

• Orange: 19.5 percent.
  
  

Some loser scents include buttered popcorn which came in at nine percent and cranberry with a low two percent.

What will you be serving your man tonight?

Research shows there are at least seven reasons we eat. Hunger isn't always one of them.

• Time
• Sight
• Smell
• Variety
• Temperature
• Refined Carbs
• Alcohol
  
  

For the skinny on these seven, check out the following gallery.

Air fresheners are big business these days -- in my grocery store almost a half of an aisle is devoted to all the different styles and scents of air fresheners and air sanitizers. But how healthy are they?

Last week the National Resources Defense council released a study that shows that most air fresheners (12 out of the 14 they tested) contain controversial chemicals called phthalates. Phthalates have been linked to health issues such as cancer, developmental abnormalities, and fertility. And although the U.S. doesn't regulate phthalates some other countries do, which is a little disconcerting.

Even if there isn't any "proof" that phthalates are dangerous, I for one will be making an effort to use one of those 2 brands that tested negative for them: Febreze Air Effects Air Refresher and Renuzit Subtle Effects.

Life is too short not to be fully "tuned in." The Daily Turn On! is designed to wake up your senses, all six of them: smell, taste, touch, hearing, sight and intuition! Everyday The Daily Turn On! with That's Fit Life Fit expert Laura Lewis will awaken your mind, your body and your life!

Did you know ... Your sense of smell can directly impact your physical, mental and emotional well being. As a matter of fact, smell is one of the most important senses. Smell travels directly to the limbic system, the most primal area of the brain. This area is where emotions, memory and behavior are controlled. Smell influences mood, memory, emotions, choice of mate, the immune system, as well as the endocrine system.

What we sniff truly empowers or weakens our mental, emotional and physical state. A bit of lavender will calm the savage beast. Jasmine will calm and perhaps get you "in the mood" for romance. And the essential oil of lemon has been known to increase accuracy in data entry by up to 54%! The good news? Any scent will turn more of your brain on! Even while you are sleeping!

Turn On your senses ... Wake up to a fit life!

Whether you're left with embarrassing wet spots, white residue, or worse yet body odor, there's nothing worse than an antiperspirant that doesn't work. And this time of year when sweating can happen just from sitting outside in a lawn chair it's as important as ever to have reliable underarm protection. So do you have an old-standby that never fails you? It seems like most people would have their favorites that work for them, but if you're making changes in your lifestyle and are getting more active you're 'old standby' might not be doing the trick anymore. Check out this article from iVillage -- they road-tested all the popular drug store brands and give the low-down on each one. Or if you're reading this and have your own opinions please share!

I once had a friend who liked that "new car smell" so much he actually found an air freshener scented like it and put it in his old beater car. He loved it. But have you ever thought about why new cars smell the way they do? And they usually smell that way for weeks, if not months to a year or more (depending on how many fast food meals and to-go coffees you spill!). Unfortunately, it's due to chemicals used during the manufacturing process like bromine, chlorine, and even lead that give off harmful fumes for up to 3 years.

Suggestions for limiting your exposure include avoiding sunny parking spots whenever you can, using a screen on the windshield when you park, and then letting the car air out before you get in. Click here for a listing of the 10 worst cars tested, and the 10 best.

Just thought I'd share one of the cutest things that happen in my house. My husband has confiscated and is now in posession of my deodorant. Of course, he may get even with me for telling you this, but he uses my Lady Speed Stick and it works well. In fact, the reason he uses it is due to the men's deodorant creating a weird chemical reaction with his body. The 'guy stuff' would leave odd stains on his shirts and create funky odors.

What makes it all so great is that he's this big perfectly muscular and athletic guy who is a police officer. He's totally all the manly guy things in the world, but his armpits smell like strawberries and I think it's adorable. More importantly, the deodorant works and that's how this is all relevant to you. I buy the Lady Speed Stick clear drying deodorant in strawberry and it's awesome.

I spend all day in the gym and after he runs seven miles and lifts weights (then showers), Rob spends all day in a bullet proof vest. From what I've been told we don't smell half bad. The clear drying stuff is terrific because I wear a ton of tank tops and the last thing I'd want is yucky white stains on my shirts. Lady Speed Stick seem to cost less than the other deodorants on the shelf and it also comes in Cool Coconut, Berry Blossum and Pink Crush. The scents are fun, so give em a try. You can smell fruity instead of smelly too.

A few weeks ago I posted Hey Smokers! This is what your friends won't tell you. and boy did I get some feedback. You know, I wrote it kind of harshly...it is true. It's just one of those things that stick in my craw. This is a blog and AOL welcomes us to be opinionated. It is what it is. I hate smoking. Smoking is not one of those deals that effects just the person doing it; everyone surrounding the smoker is affected. But, what inspired me to write the article was all of my friends who are former smokers.

Across the board, they all are disgusted by smoking now. They also say that they "had no idea how offensive they were being, how gross it smells......even from far away, and also how nasty it looks". Go talk to someone who has already kicked the habit. They probably had no idea how offensive they were. Look, my job is to promote fitness. Most of the time I do it with a happy face, cheerful voice, and congratulating air. Every now and then it's time for straight talk. That's what that blog was all about.

Some people respond to loving hand holding. Some people respond to the harsh truth. If you visit the comment section of that blog, you'll see the suspected replies of "Gee it's my habit, and it's not hurting anyone but me." "I've tried to quit but it's an addiction, none of the remedies actually ever work, woe is me, blah blah blah". I even got cursed out a few times. Oh well. Some accused me of 'hating them'. Nope. I hate smoking. Lots of terrific people smoke, and that's also pretty frusterating.

We now have news out on another small device for diagnosis health issues: this one uses sniffing to detect health problems varying from Alzheimers to a deviated septum.

The idea is that the sense of smell is one of the most delicate of senses and may act as a sort of "canary in the mine" to give early warnings of impending or already existing issues. By measuring how deeply a person sniffs when smelling a scent or odor experts can determine if their sense of smell is impaired or not, and then find out why if it is.

I hope I'm not asked to take this test anytime soon because the smells they use include ripe cheese mixed with rancid meat, burning mixed with skunk scent, and then (a sigh of relief for participants) bananas.

To start with.....you stink! Most folks I randomly interviewed today decided they'd rather sit next to someone who stepped in dog doo, than someone who was smoking a cigarette. Isn't that telling? Even if you recently smoked, but already put your cigarette out, you still stink. Gross. I imagine you didn't think it was that bad did you? You were wrong.

Second. It makes you unattractive. No amount of hair styling, fancy dressing, or scrub-a-dubbing can help when you have one of those nasty sticks hanging out of your mouth. Smoking also makes your teeth yellow and skin wrinkly. Mmmmm. That's pretty. If you smoke, just forget bathing or dressing well at all; with a cigarette in your mouth you'll always look bad.

Third. Pregnant women and parents all cringe when they cross your path. They fear your choice will kill their beautiful babies someday and they wish they could zap you away.