Stop drowning your tuna in mayo, instead try this light recipe. Fresh carrot, tomato and lettuce combined with a touch of red wine vinegar, give this tuna pocket a burst of refreshing flavor. Use an herb salad mix for an even better flavor.
Yield: 2 servings

Here's what you need...

• 1 medium tomato, diced
• 1 small carrot, peeled and shredded
• 5oz can white albacore tuna, in water
• 1 cup mixed lettuce
• 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
• Dash of pepper
• 2 whole wheat tortillas

1. In a medium bowl mix together the tomato, carrot and tuna. Add the lettuce and drizzle with vinegar. Mix well and add dash of pepper.
2. Serve half of the tuna mixture in each tortilla.

Take a walk through any gym, and you'll notice many mistakes. Mistakes that waste time. Mistakes that put people in danger. And mistakes that make your workout ineffective. Maybe you even make a few of these mistakes yourself.

By avoiding these common blunders, you'll put yourself on the fast track to results. Check out the following 5 fitness mistakes and the solutions you need to avoid danger and to get fit fast.

Mistake 1: You use the wrong weight

The goal is to challenge your muscles, not to simply go through the motions. If you are able to complete a set of an exercise easily, then the weight is too light. On the flip side, if you aren't able to perform an exercise through its full range of motion, and find yourself cheating on form, then the weight is too heavy.

The correct weights will feel challenging by your last few repetitions, but won't force you to sacrifice form.

Mistake 2: You do the same routine

You may have noticed that most people do the same exercises each time they visit the gym. Maybe you've been doing the same exercise routine as long as you can remember - if it isn't broken then don't fix it, right?

The truth is that exercise routines have expiration dates, and that is the date that they begin to lose their effectiveness. As a rule of thumb never use the same routine for more than 4 weeks.

Mistake 3: You don't warm up

Most people consider warm up time to be wasted time - they'd rather jump right into the heart of the routine. What they don't realize is that a good warm up will allow you to perform at a higher intensity, which means greater results.

The point of a warm up is to increase your muscle temperature. This increases blood flow, muscle contraction and reduces muscle resistance. Your warm up should last 5-10 minutes.

Mistake 4: You use bad form

Gyms are filled with people performing exercises with bad form. The two biggest reasons are that you aren't concentrating on the exercise, or you're trying to lift weight that is too heavy. Lifting with improper form almost always results in injury.

Take the time to achieve proper form, by doing so you'll avoid injury and will reap the full benefit from each exercise.

Mistake 5: You workout alone

People who exercise alone are less challenged, less accountable and typically see fewer results. It makes sense, doesn't it? Why rush to the gym if no one is there waiting for you? Why push yourself if no one is watching? Exercising alone is a recipe for disaster.

The best way to avoid injury and to see results is to work with me, your trusted source on fitness. I am passionate about seeing my clients achieve results - without wasting time, energy and effort on mistakes.

Call or email today to schedule your first workout. You'll find my contact info in this newsletter.

It's that time of year again. Coffee shops everywhere have begun to peddle their holiday beverages. With names as enticing as peppermint, gingerbread, pumpkin pie, and eggnog, it's no wonder that these drinks are top sellers. However, don't be fooled. If it smells like a dessert, tastes like a dessert and is named after a dessert…it's a dessert. It just happens to come in a cup.

Most holiday beverages contain close to 500 calories and may contain as much as 29 grams of fat.

Limit your intake of holiday dessert drinks and avoid extra weight gain this holiday season.