Not Eating Fruit??? Gasp!

Egads. I was talking to a friend of mine who said she hadn't eaten a fruit in weeks. Yes, I said WEEKS!

I couldn't believe my ears!I fully recognize that many of us don't get the daily allowance of fruits and vegetables we should. But to go weeks without a fruit astounded me. From health classes in school, I knew early on that fruits, vegetables, dairy, lean proteins, and grains were integral to a healthy diet - integral to building a healthy body. I just can't fathom not eating a fruit, or vegetable for that matter, for weeks on end. I don't plan a meal without those components in mind! The truth of the matter is that your body needs a variety of foods EACH DAY! You need a little from each food group to stay strong and healthy! Here's what PBSkids.org has to say about the fruit food group:

What’s good about it:
Vitamin C helps us absorb iron and is important for healthy teeth and gums.
Vitamin A keeps our skin and hair healthy, and helps with growth and eyesight.
Potassium helps us work our muscles.
Fiber helps food move through our digestive systems, is good for our hearts, and may help prevent heart disease and cancer. (Keep in mind that fiber is only in whole fruit, not fruit juice.)
Carbohydrates, which our bodies like to burn as fuel, so they work as a source of quick energy.

How much you should eat: 1.5 to 2 cups every day.

Soooo, if you're like my friend and find you're passing over fruit more than a day at a time...think again!

Do something healthy for YOU!

Food for Fuel

When I began to focus on getting healthy and fit, I examined the foods I ate. Hmmm, Snickers candy bars, fresh potato rolls and chocolate cake are not nutritious fare – delicious, yes, nutritious, no! Darn it! Instead of looking at food as the foe that I had to deny myself – the enemy that I had to defeat – I began to look at food as my ally. Correct food would fuel my body in a way that would maximize my fat loss and give me the energy to pursue increased physical activity – which would be required to reshape my body.

Now when I plan my snacks or my meals, I do so with nutrition in mind. I stay away from “empty” calories (foods that have no or little nutritional benefits for my body – sodas, sweets, chips, packaged and processed foods) and instead try to choose foods chockfull of nutrients. Am I successful all the time? No. But I definitely strive to make conscious decisions about my food before it goes into my gaping mouth!

Here are some of my favorites I eat to fuel my body:

Stonyfield Farm yogurt with a handful of walnuts stirred in.
A handful of almonds.
A whole-wheat tortilla, filled with beans and cheese, and warmed till cheese melts.
Bran flakes cereal with a handful of walnuts and skim milk.
Fresh fruit.
Fresh veggies.
Whole-wheat toast topped with some peanut butter.
Whole-wheat pita bread stuffed with tuna fish salad (made with a little light mayo) and veggies such as lettuce, bean sprouts, celery and cucumbers.
Water, water, water.

These are just a few of the items that fuel my body. I love looking at recipes and other people’s ideas for healthy foods. Have any healthy snack and food ideas?

You Have Healthy Food Choices - Even at McDonald's!

Okay, I ate a healthy breakfast this morning, but was running late for work, therefore, I didn't get a chance to pack anything for lunch. So I reached in my fruit bin and pulled out an orange. As I'm typing this, it's almost 2:00 in the afternoon...and that was my lunch.

Lest you misunderstand me, that's NOT a good thing! Preparing what you will eat for the day is VITAL to staying on a healthy eating plan. You know, "proper planning prevents poor performance!"

I have to run my children around all afternoon and so I will not be walking in my door until 6:30 tonight. You've been there - some days are crazier than others! What to do?

To starve myself is stupid. But I don't have time to eat at a restaurant and order something "healthy" tonight....this means fast food. Before you act shocked that I would eat at McDonald's, hear me out.

First, I don't make it a habit to eat at fast food places. Second, as much as I'm famished at the moment and want to inhale a Big Mac, large fries, and a Diet Coke (yes, I know the irony), I will order the Asian chicken Salad. Yummy. A MUCH better choice....I will not use the dressing and I will ask for the chicken to be baked. That will give me something nutritious while meeting my hunger pangs...and tide me over until I get home. Once I'm home, I will fill in with a fruit and maybe a slice of whole wheat toast. Perfect.

How do you make healthy food choices when you've let yourself get too hungry?

Are Your Pants Too Tight?

I was thinking today how easy it is for 10 pounds to creep up on me. That's how I ended up 30 pounds heavier after six children! I woke up one day and thought, "Who is that fat lady in the mirror?!"

Yep, it was me all right. Same face, albeit much rounder and fuller. Same hands, but fingers more like sausages. It was me for sure.

Now having lost 30 pounds, I KNOW to watch for little upward increments in weight. I'm not obsessed by it - I don't let it control me. But I keep a wary eye on how my pants fit - and on the scale. People who've lost weight always say that maintenance is actually the hardest part of the process.

It's been 1 1/2 years since I slimmed down and over two years since I determined to live a healthy and fit life. Now, I KNOW to nip a 3-5 pound weight gain in the bud early...to avoid a repeat of my "fat lady" days. I increase my exercise or moderate my food choices when I notice the scale inching upwards.

Don't obsess over every pound. But by all means, keep a watchful eye on your body. It reflects how you treat it! An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure...you know what I mean! :-)
How do YOU maintain your weight/fitness goals?

How to Get the Results You Want

I once heard the definition of stupidity as doing the same thing over and over and over, yet expecting a different result.

Boy have I done that numerous times in my life! Think about that... It's soooo true. Why do we expect to lose weight, or get fit, trying the same old, same old, just in different packaging? We try this latest fad diet, or that latest fad diet, expecting a miracle food plan...all while hoping to not have to give up our gluttonous and sedentary lifestyles long term! We hope that by eating a particular food combination, or eliminating something, we can even lose weight while not having to get off our couch and lift a finger in exercise. We want a quick fix, not an overhaul. Believe me, I've been there!

Achieving success, or changing your life, means doing things the way you've never done them before.

It requires more than just hard work! We are human beings - we form habits because they give us comfort and security; we know what to expect. So to break our patterns of behavior - our habits - requires an overhaul in our resolve and mindset:

RESOLVE: (Click here to see my Dec. 27, 2007 post) Determine what your new course of action will be - complete with a game plan and goals. Determine why you want success. Determine your purpose, the benefits of your success. And it doesn't have to be complicated - just a simple list of the few things you will need to do from this day forth to reach your goal. Resolve yourself to what it is you truly want.

CHANGE YOUR MINDSET: Keeping your same mindset about your weight or fitness will NOT lead to change. To achieve your new goals, you're going to have to think differently about nutrition, about exercise, about your priorities, about your future. In the past, I WANTED to lose weight, I wanted to get fit, but I never acheived it because I wasn't willing to change my mindset from the temporary to the permanent.

So as we pursue adding exercise, or increasing the intensity of our exercise, let's understand that this is for life. Long term. From this day forth, exercise WILL be a part of your everyday life - even after you've lost weight. Begin to go about pursuing better health in a way you've never done before..both in determination and mindset.

I, for one, don't want to be "stupid!"

Short on Time for Exercise?

Is lack of time an issue for you? I think I hear a resounding, "YES!!!" Especially when it comes to exercise...when the hour glass of time is almost running out in our day, it's exercise that gets canned.

But in essence, exercise is one of the more important things we need to make sure we carve time for on a daily basis! It increases our strength, improves our health, keeps our weight in check, clears our mind, and actually gives us energy! We run around serving everyone else all day, and end up neglecting our own nutrition needs and fitness goals. So when we get up the next morning to repeat our crazy schedules, we're even more depleted and less fit than the day before, and so the cycle goes. We end up cutting our noses to spite our faces. NOT exercising, so we have more time to serve our loved ones, only leaves us less able to serve them to the best of our ability. Not to mention shorting ourselves on our health!

For me, my goal is to exercise in hour segments. I know, that sounds like a lot. And it is when you look at all the things you have to fit into your 16 waking hours. When I was 30 pounds heavier, I knew it was going to take an extra measure of effort to change my metabolism and lose that much - so I committed to an hour. It worked. However, there are many times when I can only carve a half-hour chunk of time - so I don't beat myself up...I do the half hour and am happy. When I wake up at 5:45 a.m., get school lunches made, get five children and myself dressed and ready for school and work, get the last child on the bus at 8:10 a.m., leave for work at 8:11 a.m., rush home at 2:30 p.m., do homework and make dinner, run a child to gymnastics at 4:15 p.m, come home and feed who's left at home, leave again to take another child to dance at 5:30 p.m., stay with her until 7:00 p.m., rush home to pick up another child for swimming at 7:30 p.m., pick up the gymastics child at 8:00 and bring her home, then run back out at 9:00 to pick up the child from swimming, then I haven't really been home to exercise, have I?

Here's where getting creative and COMMITTED comes in. I will do one of two things. First, I will change into exercise clothes before I leave to run kids to their activities so I eliminate excuses....then I either walk or jog near the place where my daughter is at dance (since I have an hour in town to kill) or I will come home at 9:30 p.m. and force myself to go on my elliptical after I get everyone to bed. The key is - I don't give myself the option to flop on the couch and tell myself I'm too tired. I won't do an hour if it's that late at night - but I definitely do the half hour. I've made a rule for myself: A half hour of exercise is my minimum - it's a MUST daily.

I know, you're feeling like you're going to have to rob Peter to pay Paul in order to even fit in a half hour. Well, if it seems insurmountable to fit in a half-hour chunk of exercise, don't lose hope! There's an alternative. Go to this site titled: Fast Track Your Fat Loss! 10 minute workouts that slim you down and tone all your trouble spots. http://health.msn.com/fitness/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100183101&page=1

It's a suggestion on how to work in three 10 minute segments of exercise into your day to meet your 30 minutes of exercise. Think about that...does it seem more feasible for you to split it up over your entire day instead of one large chunk? If so, go for it. What works for one person may not work for another. I need at least a half hour of exercise to make me feel an energy boost, to sweat a bit, to clear my brain, and to feel that cardio intensity. But you have to do what works for YOU. The key is to find what works personally so that you STICK to it. Only consistency and permanent lifestyle changes result in lasting improvements.

How do you overcome the time obstacle for exercise? We're all busy women - you're no different than me! What has worked for you? What hasn't worked? Your suggestions might be just what someone else needs to hear!

Weather Nixing Your Exercise?

It's March 1 and in my part of the world, six inches of snow dumped overnight. And talk about cold? It was -2 degrees a few mornings ago! Trying to exercise amidst these conditions is tough, let alone finding the gumption to deal with such conditions.

Is this an obstacle for any of you? It certainly is for me. I've have to get creative when the nasty weather flies. I've become a runner again over the past two years. I thrive on it and enjoy it - immensely. BUT, at -2F, no thank you! I admit it - I'm a wuss in either extreme cold or extreme heat.

So my solution? I bought a $90 Nordic Track elliptical machine on clearance, I joined the YMCA, and I have my tried and true exercise videos. If I can't exercise in inclement weather now, then I'm just filled with excuses!

If I feel particularly wimpy about the cold, I skip the pool at the YMCA and opt for their treadmill for a run. If I don't want to venture out in a snowstorm and risk my life coming down my winding, twisting, mountain road, then I opt for my elliptical machine in my basement or a cardio video. On the rare day we get sunshine and it hits above 35 F, I might run outside or go for a power walk. (If I was a skier or a snowshoer, winter exercise would be easier!)

Is winter weather holding you back from just moving it? Does anyone else have any real-life examples and suggestions to breaking winter's grip on your exercise motivation? We have at least another month of some pretty difficult weather. Let's figure out a way to do this and jump start your spring!

Better Health = Better Quality of Life

Recently, I was asked to describe my blog, or its purpose, in just a few sentences. (Did that person realize how difficult that is for a person who can taaaaaaaaaalk????)

Hmmmm. Here goes: It's not about tooting my own horn, or yours....it's about using our success stories (yours and mine) as well as our experiences to encourage and motivate women to pursue good health - to not give up hope that it IS an attainable goal! It's about focusing on improving our quality of life as women through improving our health - we become more energetic mothers, more productive workers, more fun as friends, and better lovers when we are healthy. It's not about addressing our outward appearances, but rather our entire person - fitness and health, inside and out.

Breast cancer runs in my family. I can't change my gene pool. But what I CAN change is my current health status - my weight, exercise, and nutrition. Should I ever develop breast cancer, I at least will have the comfort of knowing that I did what I could to make sure it wasn't because of my poor health habits. What a burden of regret to carry if one were to develop a life-threatening illness because of one's choices in lifestyle. In otherwords, take control of the things you can, and let go of the things you can't.....

Since there are many aspects of becoming healthy, let's focus first on getting ourselves motivated and moving. In later posts, we'll discuss food, nutrition, exercises, fitness, strategies, tips, etc. etc. etc.

For any of you who have made the journey from unfit to fit, there were obstacles to overcome in getting yourself moving - to actually getting yourselves in an exercise habit. What were your obstacles (childcare, money, time, motivation, lack of self control?) And more importantly: What did you do to overcome those obstacles???

Share your insights won't you? It just might influence someone to get off the couch!

Willie's Wisdom

In a recent interview, country music icon Willie Nelson said, "Well, I have started running. What I was trying to do was do at least as much good in the daytime as I was destroying in the nighttime. But it got to the point where I was losing ground. I had to start trying to stay alive or I was going to die. So I've had to give up the smoking and drinking. And when I quit that and started running, I got a lot healthier."

Hmmm, from the mouth of Willie! My own experience (sans the drinking and the smoking to begin with!) was that running had the biggest impact on changing my body shape.

I'm not claiming everyone needing to lose weight and wanting to be healthier needs to run! But, you DO need to amp up your daily exercise from what your current routine is. If you're sedentary, walking will be enough of an "amping up" to make an initial difference. If you're used to daily walking, maybe start by increasing your pace - instead of a 20-minute mile, strive to walk a 15-minute mile. Or instead of walking 2 miles, increase to 4 miles. If you've already been doing that, amp it up some more. Change to 1/2 hour on an elliptical machine or try jogging. And jogging can be added slowly - walk 5 minutes, jog 2, walk five minutes, jog 3, on and on it goes. You get the idea. But AMP IT UP.

If you're overweight, you know full well the fat won't melt by a miracle. If you're truly honest with yourself, you KNOW it's going to take an investment in sweat and exercise - an investment in YOU. Don't be afraid of it - embrace it....it's what will lead to a healthier you! And hey, if Willie Nelson can amp up his exercise, so can you!

Here is an excellent Web site for someone interested in learning about jogging for the first time. One article is titled "From Couch to 5K Running Plan". It has all kinds of resources for new runners - or just a place to find answers to the unknown if you've never ventured into the world of jogging before. http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml

Just move it! :-)

A Permanent Fix to an Unhealthy Body

There is a Chinese proverb that says, "One cannot refuse to eat just because there is a chance of choking." The meaning is that you shouldn't be afraid to try something just because there is a slight chance you'll fail.

We've all heard the claim that we need to stop dieting ... and instead make lifestyle changes to our daily routines and habits. And it doesn't take a rocket scientist to know it's true - LASTING changes in our body shape and health only occur through permanent changes in our lifestyle. But how frightening does that sound? It takes us out of our comfort zone! That's why people continue to try diet upon diet upon diet. Because it seems "short-term, doable, less painful than a full-scale lifestyle change." But in reality, it's the yo-yo dieters who suffer in the long run. The goal, if reached at all, is usually short-lived. Once the diet is over, old habits and lifestyles reign again. And lo and behold, the weight and poor health come back with a vengeance.

My challenge to you is to not be afraid of failure. Yes, there's always a chance we'll fail at anything we try, but the courageous are not deterred by that chance. The only thing you have to lose if you fail, is you remain overweight and in poor health. The thing you have to gain if you succeed is an entire new life with a healthy body and a healthier future.

So get out of your comfort zone and get away from the old-school notion of dieting. Do yourself a favor and don't be afraid to "choke." Make one healthy lifestyle change today...just one. And do it for a few weeks. It could be as simple as choosing to park farther away from work, or taking the stairs to your apartment, or walking a half hour every day, or drinking an extra glass of water, or adding one fruit to your meal... Simple, small changes. Begin to feel the success. Then build upon your success - until your new lifestyle choices have become your "old" way of doing things. The only permanent changes that will occur with your body are the ones that result from lasting, healthy, lifestyle choices.

One cannot refuse to eat just because there is a chance of choking.

Determined to Succeed?

Getting healthy starts with your frame of mind. Many people's journey toward better health and weightloss begins as a failed mission from the git-go.

One trainer mentioned that he could tell when a client wasn't going to succeed in her goal. When asked how he could predict that, he gave an example: During one initial evaluation with a client, she was already making excuses for the times she wouldn't be able to exercise due to her schedule, and how she couldn't stay away from certain foods because her ethnic background was such an influence on her. In the same breath, she expressed her displeasure with her weight and teared up when discussing her frustration. His claim as to the client who would succeed? The one who not only came in frustrated and discouraged about her health, but also came in determined that she was ready to do what it would take to better her life, no matter what.

Are you there yet? Are you determined to actually DO what it will take to succeed in your dreams, in your goals? No excuses? That's what success takes.

And that is exactly why I suggest you make the changes in your lifestyle slowly - initially choosing to ax only one poor nutrition habit and choosing some type of exercise to integrate into your daily routine. I can't stress this enough. The two must be joined together - better nutrition AND daily exercise. As you conquer this little bit, you can add more challenges and changes to your lifestyle....master other poor nutrition habits and intensify your exercise as time goes on. Just remember that slow and steady wins the race. Those who burst out of the starting gates at full speed with miles ahead of them will inevitably tire and lose the race. Your goal is to actually MAKE it to the finish line! Put one foot in front of the other and move forward step by step.

Need more encouragement? Read my Oct. 7, 2007 post. Go get 'em....and this time, no excuses.

Sticking to It?

Well, it's February 8, over a month since the start of the new year - and all those promises you made to yourself! How are you doing? Are you encouraged by your progress? Are you remembering to join exercise WITH better eating habits? Great! Or are you feeling discouraged....have you not adhered to what you said you would do and feel like giving up?

Here's the truth of the matter. Nobody arrives to their destination without taking all the little steps it takes to get there. If I want to drive from New York to Oregon, I have to drive mile, by mile, by mile to get there. I might take a detour, I might have car trouble that slows me down, but if I keep going forward in those miles, I'll reach my destination.

So it is with your journey to better health. So, while you may hit a detour here and there, if you don't give up, if you keep chipping away at your exercise and eating habits, you will see improvement; you will get there. Perfection is impossible to maintain. You will NOT exercise every day for a year the way in which you set out to do. You will NOT keep away from that one food forever that you said was off-limits. But that is NO reason not to TRY.... it is no reason to fall off the wagon and stay on the ground! Dust yourself off, get back with the program, and continue...for YOUR sake! If you keep to what you set out to do even 90% of the time, then you're headed in the right direction!

Nobody has as much a vested interest in becoming healthy than YOU. Becoming healthy, losing weight and changing habits is NOT impossible. It's up to you.

Tip for the day: Try to eat one extra fruit and one extra vegetable today. And while you're at it, down a glass of pure, refreshing water. Here's to you!

Make Metabolism Your Friend!

After you've adjusted to changing a few of your habits and exercising more, there's another thing to contemplate....metabolism!

According to Lisa Balbach, "Metabolism is the amount of energy (calories) your body burns to maintain itself. Whether you are eating, drinking, sleeping, cleaning etc... your body is constantly burning calories to keep you going.

"Metabolism is affected by your body composition. By body composition, I mean the amount of muscle you have versus the amount of fat. Muscle uses more calories to maintain itself than fat. People who are more muscular (and have a lower percentage of body fat) are said to have a higher metabolism than others that are less muscular. For example, let's say you have two people who are the exact same height and weight. One exercises on a regular basis with weights, in addition to aerobic exercise, and has a low percentage of body fat. The other never exercises and has a higher percentage of body fat. The first person who exercises will have a higher metabolism than the second person. What this basically means is that person #1's body will use more calories to sustain itself than person #2."

So, metabolism is your friend, or foe, based on how you nurture it. There are things you can do that will rev it up (hence, increasing weight loss) and things you can do that will slow it down (hence, making fat stick to you like molasses)!

Here are the top 4 ways to rev your metabolism according to AOL Body:

1. Rev up your aerobic workout: Your metabolism may stay revved up to five times longer after a vigorous aerobic workout than after an easy one.

2. Eat mini-meals: Physically, eating small amounts every two to four hours helps keep your blood sugar on an even keel and may even help your metabolism to keep burning at a higher rate.

3. Sip green tea: Researchers believe that flavonoids in the tea are responsible for a metabolism boost.

4. Have a cup of coffee: The amount of caffeine (about 135 mg) in an 8-oz cup of brewed coffee is enough to raise your metabolism for more than 2 hours. Drinking it before a workout may give you an extra kick. Caffeine may help free stored fat, so your body can burn it for energy as you exercise. (If you have high blood pressure, avoid caffeine before exercise.)

Here are the top 4 ways to sabotage your metabolism according to AOL Body:

1. Eat too few calories: When you deprive your body, it thinks you're stranded on a deserted island. The result: Your metabolism slows so you don't have to resort to eating rats to stay alive.

2. Skip breakfast: Not eating breakfast may cause your resting metabolic rate to dip by 5 percent - a small decline, but one that may creep up to a 10-lb weight gain in just a year's time.

3. Extreme stress

4. Neglecting strength training: A 10-week study of more than 2,000 women found that those who participated in a simple twice-weekly workout (20 minutes of strength training and 20 minutes of aerobic exercise) not only shed 4 pounds of fat but also regained 3 pounds of muscle they'd lost during the aging process. One set is fine, just make sure the weight is heavy enough to fatigue your muscles after the 12th rep. Remember: As you lose weight, you may also lose muscle, leading to a slower metabolism, so always remember to challenge your muscles.

There you have it - plan to make metabolism your friend! Rev up!