November 30, 2010
Motivation, what motivation?
Today was by far one of the hardest days I've had at the gym. It took everything I had to crawl from my cozy sheets at 4:45am this morning and drag my tired tushy to the Y. It seemed like everything that could go wrong with my workout, did go wrong. I left my iPod at another location, I had no desire to get on the elliptical, and every single person at the gym grated on my last nerve. Normally I can crank the volume, get a good rhythm going and crush some serious calories, but today I had to muster up enough energy just to go for a slow walk on the treadmill and do some basic ab exercises. Definitely not my best workout, but I guess it's better than no workout at all. Let's hope "Leg Day Wednesday" proves to be a little (no, a lot) more inspiring!
November 25, 2010
Mmmm! Tasty Salad!
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
November 24, 2010
The Gym Is My Sanctuary...And Stress Reliever.
Nothing like not turning on the alarm clock to start the day off right! My gym buddy and I had just had a conversation on Monday regarding the fact that we are both so good about committing to, and actually showing up, at the gym each morning. Then wouldn't you know it on Monday night I set my alarm for the usual time of 4:45am, but never flipped it to "On." I woke up on Tuesday morning at 5:45 (when I told her I would be there at 5:00) when my son started crying (and he normally doesn't get up until around 7:00). What a great way to start the day!
So proceed through the day of the usual work craziness, then pick up my son at the end of the day to find out that he is in super-whiney mode. Which, by the way, can grate on my nerves like nails on a chalkboard. So by now I haven't worked out yet, I'm stressed out, I'm trying to make dinner, the little one is hanging on my leg crying, and my husband is home on his break hanging out on Facebook. Needless to say I felt like someone had plugged me into an outlet, turned me to high, then dropped me in water. Good times!
My husband gets home from work at about 7:00pm and I pretty much immediately walk out the door to head to gym, and I instantly start to feel better. I know that when I walk into the fitness center that time is 100% totally mine...no phone, no e-mail, no husband, no child, just me and my time to kick some serious arse. I crank up the iPod, sweat out all of the crud that has built up in my system, work my muscles to the point of serious exhaustion, then collapse on the mats in a pool of sweat to stretch my now taxed body. But I LOVE it! I know that what I put into it, I get out of it, and nobody else can do it for me. It is something that only I can accomplish for myself and when I'm done I know that I have done all that I can. I ALWAYS feel 100% better when I'm finished, whether it is 6:15am or 8:30pm when I'm done.
Keep in mind that I didn't always have this mindset...the gym scared me to death at first. But the more I learned and the better in shape I got, the more I began to crave going to the gym. So if you're just starting out and you feel like you don't have a clue of what to do, just go and do something, anything. You can learn as you go. I promise, it gets better!!
So proceed through the day of the usual work craziness, then pick up my son at the end of the day to find out that he is in super-whiney mode. Which, by the way, can grate on my nerves like nails on a chalkboard. So by now I haven't worked out yet, I'm stressed out, I'm trying to make dinner, the little one is hanging on my leg crying, and my husband is home on his break hanging out on Facebook. Needless to say I felt like someone had plugged me into an outlet, turned me to high, then dropped me in water. Good times!
My husband gets home from work at about 7:00pm and I pretty much immediately walk out the door to head to gym, and I instantly start to feel better. I know that when I walk into the fitness center that time is 100% totally mine...no phone, no e-mail, no husband, no child, just me and my time to kick some serious arse. I crank up the iPod, sweat out all of the crud that has built up in my system, work my muscles to the point of serious exhaustion, then collapse on the mats in a pool of sweat to stretch my now taxed body. But I LOVE it! I know that what I put into it, I get out of it, and nobody else can do it for me. It is something that only I can accomplish for myself and when I'm done I know that I have done all that I can. I ALWAYS feel 100% better when I'm finished, whether it is 6:15am or 8:30pm when I'm done.
Keep in mind that I didn't always have this mindset...the gym scared me to death at first. But the more I learned and the better in shape I got, the more I began to crave going to the gym. So if you're just starting out and you feel like you don't have a clue of what to do, just go and do something, anything. You can learn as you go. I promise, it gets better!!
November 23, 2010
Slow and Steady!
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
November 21, 2010
Just Say No!
It's an overused sentence, but sometimes completely appropriate. No more adult beverages, at least for a while. Friday night I consumed one too many gin & tonics, and Saturday I paid for it in more than one way. Here are 8 reasons why I should not partake in cocktails:
1. I have a hard time stopping at one. (I told myself I would only have one, and then 7 drinks later I was wondering what happened to the first.)
2. Alcohol is like pot to me. Apparently my body thinks that when alcohol is involved there also needs to be massive amounts of deep fried sludge to go with it. And of course I can completely justify it in my spirit-induced mental state.
3. I act like I'm 19 and having my first drinks. Alcohol takes away any inhibition that I might possess at that time and throws it through the small bar windows. Notorious BIG and I seem to be on a first name basis with the jukebox at The Depot.
4. Cigarettes start to look good to me. And I can't believe I just admitted that...that's how much alcohol affects my judgement. I am the biggest opponent of smoking but when you put several drinks down my gullet there seems to be some switch in my brain that says, "Hey, go smoke a cigarette because that's what you used to do and it would be fun!" Fortunately (and I'm saying that in a big way!) I did NOT smoke any cigarettes, and haven't for about 5 years.
5. The hangover feels like little elves are jumping around in my stomach and then crawling up my spine to take a hammer to my skull. Saturday was a complete waste of a day because there was no way I was crawling out of bed to do anything except to bow in front of the porcelain throne a couple times.
This probably isn't going to be the easiest thing to do, but in the grand scheme of things, it shouldn't be that bad. I've given up things that seemed to be way worse and probably weren't as detrimental to my health as binging on an overload of gin & tonics. Stay tuned...
1. I have a hard time stopping at one. (I told myself I would only have one, and then 7 drinks later I was wondering what happened to the first.)
2. Alcohol is like pot to me. Apparently my body thinks that when alcohol is involved there also needs to be massive amounts of deep fried sludge to go with it. And of course I can completely justify it in my spirit-induced mental state.
3. I act like I'm 19 and having my first drinks. Alcohol takes away any inhibition that I might possess at that time and throws it through the small bar windows. Notorious BIG and I seem to be on a first name basis with the jukebox at The Depot.
4. Cigarettes start to look good to me. And I can't believe I just admitted that...that's how much alcohol affects my judgement. I am the biggest opponent of smoking but when you put several drinks down my gullet there seems to be some switch in my brain that says, "Hey, go smoke a cigarette because that's what you used to do and it would be fun!" Fortunately (and I'm saying that in a big way!) I did NOT smoke any cigarettes, and haven't for about 5 years.
5. The hangover feels like little elves are jumping around in my stomach and then crawling up my spine to take a hammer to my skull. Saturday was a complete waste of a day because there was no way I was crawling out of bed to do anything except to bow in front of the porcelain throne a couple times.
This probably isn't going to be the easiest thing to do, but in the grand scheme of things, it shouldn't be that bad. I've given up things that seemed to be way worse and probably weren't as detrimental to my health as binging on an overload of gin & tonics. Stay tuned...
November 18, 2010
Is It Possible??
Of course, anything is possible!! But will I keep to my plan and make it through the holidays? I'm gonna be honest...the holidays scare the living daylights out of me when it comes to food. I have done REALLY well over the past few months, but put crazy amounts of food and huge amounts of crazy family in front of me and it's a whole new ballgame. I get back into all my old "stuff", which normally includes stuffing exorbitant quantities of food in my face and then regretting it and feeling like a big pile of doo for days.
Can I, or better yet, WILL I choose to make this holiday season different? That's my plan. My goal is to have lost 2 pounds by January 1. I'm not going to completely restrict myself at family functions, but I'm also not going to load up a 5 pound bucket of food either. I'm going to choose to eat foods that I really want, but only on days of the actual family get together. In years past, holidays were like weekends...any day that was next to a holiday, or any day that ran from Thanksgiving to New Years Day was considered a holiday. Any food that was put in front of me was fair game, and you better not get in my way or you might lose a hand. Sound familiar?
So hear are some things that I'm going to do this year to stick to a plan and not pack on unwanted (and unneeded) extra pounds:
1. Only choose to indulge at the actual family get together (and by indulge I mean eat a small serving of something, not belly up to the buffet with a fork and have a free-for-all.)
2. Eat smaller portions. My Dad's side of the family is not known for portion control, or any type of control for that matter, so one way I can do that is to use a smaller plate and take one piece or scoop of an item, not 4 pieces or a dump truck load.
3. Don't stand next to the food. One of the worst habits I have is placing myself right next to all of the food, because what would happen if it was gone before I got some of it??? I can't miss out on anything!! Which is one of the reasons I got up to 190 pounds!! Step away from the food...there will be plenty for everyone.
4. Choose one meal to indulge, not the whole day. I don't spend the entire day at my family's house, so while I'm at home I can choose to eat my normal foods and indulge only at the function. Just because it's a holiday does not mean that I have to make bad choices all day!
5. Make healthy options to take with me. If I am asked to bring an item to a gathering, I can make a healthy option that I like. That way I will know there will be something healthy to eat and that I will like it...and other people can benefit from it too! Not every single dish needs to be loaded with fat and calories in order to be good! (Thanks Healthy Edge Video #2 for that tip!)
What healthy choices can you make this holiday season to keep away those unhealthy holiday habits??
Can I, or better yet, WILL I choose to make this holiday season different? That's my plan. My goal is to have lost 2 pounds by January 1. I'm not going to completely restrict myself at family functions, but I'm also not going to load up a 5 pound bucket of food either. I'm going to choose to eat foods that I really want, but only on days of the actual family get together. In years past, holidays were like weekends...any day that was next to a holiday, or any day that ran from Thanksgiving to New Years Day was considered a holiday. Any food that was put in front of me was fair game, and you better not get in my way or you might lose a hand. Sound familiar?
So hear are some things that I'm going to do this year to stick to a plan and not pack on unwanted (and unneeded) extra pounds:
1. Only choose to indulge at the actual family get together (and by indulge I mean eat a small serving of something, not belly up to the buffet with a fork and have a free-for-all.)
2. Eat smaller portions. My Dad's side of the family is not known for portion control, or any type of control for that matter, so one way I can do that is to use a smaller plate and take one piece or scoop of an item, not 4 pieces or a dump truck load.
3. Don't stand next to the food. One of the worst habits I have is placing myself right next to all of the food, because what would happen if it was gone before I got some of it??? I can't miss out on anything!! Which is one of the reasons I got up to 190 pounds!! Step away from the food...there will be plenty for everyone.
4. Choose one meal to indulge, not the whole day. I don't spend the entire day at my family's house, so while I'm at home I can choose to eat my normal foods and indulge only at the function. Just because it's a holiday does not mean that I have to make bad choices all day!
5. Make healthy options to take with me. If I am asked to bring an item to a gathering, I can make a healthy option that I like. That way I will know there will be something healthy to eat and that I will like it...and other people can benefit from it too! Not every single dish needs to be loaded with fat and calories in order to be good! (Thanks Healthy Edge Video #2 for that tip!)
What healthy choices can you make this holiday season to keep away those unhealthy holiday habits??
November 15, 2010
Eating Healthy On A Budget
Who says that eating healthy has to cost big bucks?? Honestly, I think it's an excuse for people to not put in the time and/or effort to shop for foods that are good for your body and budget. There are so many foods out there that are good for you, easy to prepare, and not a strain on the wallet. Here is a sample menu from my household (last week's menu to be exact) and how much we spent:
Dinner #1: "In A Canadian Beef Stew" (from the "Eat Clean Diet Cookbook")
Dinner #2: Chicken Salad
Dinner #3: Gluten Free Pasta w/ roasted vegetables and turkey sausage
Dinner #4: Chicken Stir Fry
Dinner #5: Chicken, Broccoli, and Brown Rice
Dinner #6: Helpy Selfy (aka, find what you can in the house and eat it)
Dinner #7: Leftovers from a previous dinner
Our grocery list included all of the ingredients for the above menu items, breakfast, lunch and snack items for the 3 of us, and diapers for Zach (I know it's not a food item, but still an item that we get while grocery shopping, and very necessary!) Our total grocery bill was $115. I don't think that's very bad for 3 people (two of them with food restrictions) and one of them that eats 99% clean (me).
Was it a challenge when I first started learning about eating healthy to find foods that we liked and didn't break the bank, SURE IT WAS! But what is more important, me staying in my comfort zone and doing things that same way I always did, or finding ways to make it work AND eat healthy foods that are good for me and my whole family? Obviously the second!!!
Are you making excuses for not choosing healthy foods when you go to the grocery store? If so, how can you change your thought process from all the excuses of why you can't, to all of the reasons why you can?? Make it a challenge for yourself...how many healthy foods can you buy this week and still stick to your food budget?
Dinner #1: "In A Canadian Beef Stew" (from the "Eat Clean Diet Cookbook")
Dinner #2: Chicken Salad
Dinner #3: Gluten Free Pasta w/ roasted vegetables and turkey sausage
Dinner #4: Chicken Stir Fry
Dinner #5: Chicken, Broccoli, and Brown Rice
Dinner #6: Helpy Selfy (aka, find what you can in the house and eat it)
Dinner #7: Leftovers from a previous dinner
Our grocery list included all of the ingredients for the above menu items, breakfast, lunch and snack items for the 3 of us, and diapers for Zach (I know it's not a food item, but still an item that we get while grocery shopping, and very necessary!) Our total grocery bill was $115. I don't think that's very bad for 3 people (two of them with food restrictions) and one of them that eats 99% clean (me).
Was it a challenge when I first started learning about eating healthy to find foods that we liked and didn't break the bank, SURE IT WAS! But what is more important, me staying in my comfort zone and doing things that same way I always did, or finding ways to make it work AND eat healthy foods that are good for me and my whole family? Obviously the second!!!
Are you making excuses for not choosing healthy foods when you go to the grocery store? If so, how can you change your thought process from all the excuses of why you can't, to all of the reasons why you can?? Make it a challenge for yourself...how many healthy foods can you buy this week and still stick to your food budget?
November 12, 2010
November 11, 2010
Goal #1 - ACCOMPLISHED!!!
First of all, let me just say WOOOOOOHOOOOOOO!!! I never thought that getting on the scale would bring me this much joy, but hey, I guess it's all how I approach it. My first goal was to get under 140 pounds...mission accomplished!!
I knew that I needed to set small goals for myself, otherwise it would just be a lesson in "How not to shoot myself in the head." If I thought about how long it would take me to get to my BIG goal (and all of the work that it would take me to get there) I would probably just panic and say "Screw it!" So I set little goals for myself and I'm going to reward myself when I get to each goal.
So what's my reward for reaching Goal #1? SHOES!!! Seriously, if you know me at all, you know that it couldn't be anything else. I'm a shoe fanatic to the nth degree!! However, this weekend is our annual shopping trip to Columbus with some of the ladies in my family so I might have to look for some SMALLER SIZE JEANS TOO!! Wow, wouldn't that be a hoot!! If I can find a pair of jeans that fit and look good (looking good in them is a must because seeing someone with sausage rolls hanging over their too-small pants is never attractive, I don't care if they are a smaller size) I'm gonna have to snatch them up!! I've never been smaller than a size 8 in my entire life, even when I was in elementary school...sad but true. So if I can find some sweet 6's that make my tush look fabulous, they are comin' home with Momma!!
So what's my reward for reaching Goal #1? SHOES!!! Seriously, if you know me at all, you know that it couldn't be anything else. I'm a shoe fanatic to the nth degree!! However, this weekend is our annual shopping trip to Columbus with some of the ladies in my family so I might have to look for some SMALLER SIZE JEANS TOO!! Wow, wouldn't that be a hoot!! If I can find a pair of jeans that fit and look good (looking good in them is a must because seeing someone with sausage rolls hanging over their too-small pants is never attractive, I don't care if they are a smaller size) I'm gonna have to snatch them up!! I've never been smaller than a size 8 in my entire life, even when I was in elementary school...sad but true. So if I can find some sweet 6's that make my tush look fabulous, they are comin' home with Momma!!
November 8, 2010
The Return of the Exerspy...
When good equipment goes bad...it has to go back. There was nothing wrong with the actual Exerspy itself...there were two issues and they both reverted to me.
1. My arm was problem number 1. Apparently my skin doesn't like to have a sensor sitting on it 18 hours a day, because it started itching and turning red. I don't think it was the Exerspy's fault, I think I have sensitive skin and it just couldn't handle all of the friction.
2. I found myself being obsessed with how many calories I was burning and eating in one day...which is not a good thing for me. I tend to be a little OCD with certain things, and this happened to be one of them. One of the things I learned from The Healthy Edge is that if I am exercising as I should be (and I'm not talking about going around the track while talking on my phone...seriously lady, if you can talk on your phone while jogging, you're not jogging fast enough!) eating the right type of foods, and drinking enough water my body will regulate itself and lose weight if it needs to. There are so many more factors that go into losing weight and being healthy than just how many calories you eat.
I will say this, I am very glad that I tried the Exerspy and I would recommend it to others that want to see what their own body actually does in a day (if you are like me, you would be completely surprised). It was interesting to find out what my body actually accomplished in one day...aside from the irritating red bumps on my bicep. It was a good reinforcement to the fact that 80% of how we look and feel is determined by what we eat. Does anyone remember the commercials showing a woman eating a cinnamon roll and then they pan out and her butt is actually a cinnamon roll...that's not too far from the truth!! If you are thinking to yourself that you would like to get healthy, feel better, and drop some pounds, adjust the type and quantity of food you are eating and I promise you will see changes quicker than if you just jump on the treadmill. Exercise is very important, but it's only about 20% of how you look!
1. My arm was problem number 1. Apparently my skin doesn't like to have a sensor sitting on it 18 hours a day, because it started itching and turning red. I don't think it was the Exerspy's fault, I think I have sensitive skin and it just couldn't handle all of the friction.
2. I found myself being obsessed with how many calories I was burning and eating in one day...which is not a good thing for me. I tend to be a little OCD with certain things, and this happened to be one of them. One of the things I learned from The Healthy Edge is that if I am exercising as I should be (and I'm not talking about going around the track while talking on my phone...seriously lady, if you can talk on your phone while jogging, you're not jogging fast enough!) eating the right type of foods, and drinking enough water my body will regulate itself and lose weight if it needs to. There are so many more factors that go into losing weight and being healthy than just how many calories you eat.
I will say this, I am very glad that I tried the Exerspy and I would recommend it to others that want to see what their own body actually does in a day (if you are like me, you would be completely surprised). It was interesting to find out what my body actually accomplished in one day...aside from the irritating red bumps on my bicep. It was a good reinforcement to the fact that 80% of how we look and feel is determined by what we eat. Does anyone remember the commercials showing a woman eating a cinnamon roll and then they pan out and her butt is actually a cinnamon roll...that's not too far from the truth!! If you are thinking to yourself that you would like to get healthy, feel better, and drop some pounds, adjust the type and quantity of food you are eating and I promise you will see changes quicker than if you just jump on the treadmill. Exercise is very important, but it's only about 20% of how you look!
November 4, 2010
Hello Tastiness and Happy Birthday To Me!
Today is my birthday and I'm 33!! I'm not one of those people that doesn't like to tell others my age...I'm in better shape now than I was in high school and through my 20's, so I'm proud to tell people how old I am. And you bet I'm going to celebrate with some tasty treats today!! I haven't had much sugar or bad fat in the last 3 months so I'm choosing today to pack it all in. And let me just say, it tasted like pure awesomeoness! I ate pretty well for breakfast (egg white, gluten-free corn flakes, and rice milk) but when I got to work there were Ideal Bakery cream sticks just waiting to be eaten (see picture below) so I took one, set it on my desk, smelled it for about 30 minutes, then lovingly consumed it and enjoyed every sugary morsel that it contained. Then for lunch me and my faithful co-workers (if I'm going down I'm taking other people with me) went to The Depot (again, see below) and had pizza and cheesy bread. Oh how I have missed you greasy cheesiness.
And now I know why I don't eat like that all the time. I feel like complete crap, I'm tired, and I have gas that could kill a race horse. So back to the healthy eating I go...but it sure was fun for one day!!
And now I know why I don't eat like that all the time. I feel like complete crap, I'm tired, and I have gas that could kill a race horse. So back to the healthy eating I go...but it sure was fun for one day!!
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| Ideal Bakery Donuts (with my workout buddy Firouze!) |
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| Depot Pizza (again with my workout buddy Fi,) I guess we'll be working out extra hard tomorrow morning! |
November 2, 2010
It's a Beautiful Day!
Adios Funkytown! People aren't lying when they say that the company you keep really affects you. I was in a horrible mood yesterday, totally feeling sorry for myself and wanting to complain about absolutely everything...until I went to Boot Camp. I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE those ladies!! They work their butts off, they don't complain (at least not too much!), and they have fun all at the same time. I felt fantabulous after giving them a good butt-kicking (and myself too) and it made me feel great to be around people that have similar goals to what I do. So the next time you're feeling in a super-funk, look at who you are hanging around with...are they supporting you in reaching your goals or giving you every excuse in the book why you won't be able to do it?
And the next awesomeness that made my day brighter was my happy friend, the scale. I lost 3 pounds since the last time I weighed myself!! I would probably be getting kicked off the Biggest Loser this week for that number, but guess what, I don't have 200 pounds to lose! And let's face it, I don't work out 8 hours a day either. I love that show, but I hope everyone realizes that unless you work out like it's your job and eat an amazingly healthy diet, you will never lose that amount of weight every week, nor do I think that you should. However I will say this, I would love to train with them for one day just to see what it's really like.
I desperately need some color on my tootsies!!
Today is a much better day...and will be even better tomorrow when all of the election commercials will be GONE!!!
And the next awesomeness that made my day brighter was my happy friend, the scale. I lost 3 pounds since the last time I weighed myself!! I would probably be getting kicked off the Biggest Loser this week for that number, but guess what, I don't have 200 pounds to lose! And let's face it, I don't work out 8 hours a day either. I love that show, but I hope everyone realizes that unless you work out like it's your job and eat an amazingly healthy diet, you will never lose that amount of weight every week, nor do I think that you should. However I will say this, I would love to train with them for one day just to see what it's really like.
Today is a much better day...and will be even better tomorrow when all of the election commercials will be GONE!!!
November 1, 2010
Funkytown
Why is it that I let other people determine how I feel??!! I'm in a total funk right now, and it sucks! It is so frustrating to me that I let other people (especially those in my family) make me mad by the things they say. I am NOT a freak because I choose to eat healthy and exercise a lot. I know it's not the popular thing to do, but I guess being popular isn't that important to me. If being popular means that I am going to eat like crap, feel like crap, be overweight and unhealthy, then no thanks. But that still doesn't mean that when people give me a hard time about it, that it doesn't make me feel like a freak of nature.
So I'm at home today with Zach and there is a big plate of chocolate cake in the kitchen that is screaming at the top of it's lungs to be eaten. I know it won't get me closer to my goal, I know it will make me feel like a big pile of dog doo, but hey, how can it be worse than I feel right now.
And that is exactly how I got as fat as I was. I am totally an emotional eater (as I've stated before) and it likes to rear it's ugly head every now and then. When I get in a funk, or mad, or stressed, food is my first medicine of choice. Does it solve my problem when I sit down with a fork and a plate of chocolaty goodness, of course not! It tastes good while it's going down, but that's about it.
Will I eat the chocolate cake today...I hope not! I'll let you know tomorrow...and hopefully I'll choose to say goodbye to funkytown too!
And that is exactly how I got as fat as I was. I am totally an emotional eater (as I've stated before) and it likes to rear it's ugly head every now and then. When I get in a funk, or mad, or stressed, food is my first medicine of choice. Does it solve my problem when I sit down with a fork and a plate of chocolaty goodness, of course not! It tastes good while it's going down, but that's about it.
Will I eat the chocolate cake today...I hope not! I'll let you know tomorrow...and hopefully I'll choose to say goodbye to funkytown too!
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