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?
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Friday, March 7, 2008
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?
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?
Thursday, March 6, 2008
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?
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?
Monday, March 3, 2008
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!"
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!"
Sunday, March 2, 2008
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!
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!
Saturday, March 1, 2008
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!
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!
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