blogging away

If anyone feels so inspired...

Here is a list of 100 food blogs to inspire healthy eating. Let me know your favorites (even if they're not on the list) and I'll add them our "blogs we love" sidebar.

back in the saddle... *again*

Hi girls! I feel like I'm giving a confessional, but here goes... Summer really took a toll on my fitness. I was in such a good place with my exercise routine, was totally motivated to stay consistent, heck, I even looked forward to going for a run (gasp!), and was improving my nutrition in major ways. And then came the heat. The vacations. The vacation food. The sleeping in. I've decided too much freedom is self-defeating for me, since I am a procrastinator by nature. I need a deadline, a specific time that I absolutely must workout at or else I won't get it done, in order to be successful. So I was looking forward to going back to work so my daily schedule would be more consistent. And then, tragically, the principal cut my hours drastically with the intent to eliminate my position. AARGH! (He just doesn't want to pay me an hourly rate when he can make a salaried teacher do all the extra work without having to pay them more). Whatever. It threw me off. So I'm finally back on a schedule and it's going okay... I just need to keep it up so I can get to the level I was at before. I'm walking 2-3 mornings a week at the lake with a new friend, which is fun because we have a lot to talk about, and the time goes by fast!

Today I decided I was tired of Level One of my 30 Day Shred workout, so I did Level Two, and boy did it kick my butt! But I totally finished it- yay me! I'm really proud of myself and I'm not looking back- I really want to make it to Level Three!

Increasing my protein and decreasing calories is what I'm starting to work on again, but it's so hard to get past the carbohydrate cravings right now.

How are you doing??

Success!

After four L O N G months of training and 3 months on our own personal 'Biggest Loser Diet,' I feel like going on a hiatus. I can say that I'm am so exhausted of trying to eat good and exercise regularly. Does that sound blasphemous? I promise to jump back on the band wagon soon, but I want just a few weeks off. I testify that it worked, diet and exercise. I completed, along with a good friend and my hubby, a half marathon just over a week ago. I lost about 15 pounds through all this and feel like I'm back to myself after the third baby. If anyone has words to inspire and get me moving sooner than later... please comment or email me. Thanks:)

Calorie Counter

I recently signed up for six sessions with a personal trainer. As part of my regimen, she asked me to start a food diary. "Arrgh!" I thought, knowing that personal accountability when it comes to my eating habits was not one of my favorite things.

So, I started looking for a good online calorie counter/food diary. My favorite is at Livestrong. Their "Daily Plate" section lets you pick a calorie intake goal based on how much weight you want to lose per week and your general daily activity level. Then you record your daily food intake, using their fairly-extensive database of food items (including restaurant food and other prepared foods) or entering in your own information.

You can also record your daily activity (their activity database includes "sitting in church", if you can believe that!). It adds those calories you expend to your daily allowance and subtracts the calories you take in. So you have a running total of how many calories you can consume in a day. Water intake is also recorded.

Give it a try! I think you'll like it!

going green

I'm spending a week at my mom's home in Utah, and am impressed with her and my sister Kristin's daily morning smoothie- of vegetables! So I asked mom to show me how she makes one, and here it is!

Color: Algae.

Texture: Pondscum.

Flavor: Pondscum.

I'm not a fan. I'll take my veggies raw, thank you very much.Just a disclaimer- it apparantly was the Italian parsley, kale, and collard combined with pineapple that gave it the bitter flavor I could barely gulp down. Krisin made a different one the next day with a watermelon base that was more tolerable. Perhaps if I stick with spinach and fruit it will be sweet enough for me.

Master Your Metabolism

Okay, I haven't been on for a LONG time so forgive me if any of this sounds redundant. I just had to share this amazing book I finished reading called 'Master Your Metabolism' by Jillian Michaels. If you don't know who Jillian is, she's the relentless taskmaster of a trainer from The Biggest Loser and personally, I would love to have her kick my butt any day. However, whether you love her or hate her, this book will blow your mind!

Jillian shares her own struggles with weight (yeah, can you believe she's had to struggle!) which was quite inspiring. I think many of us who obsess over our weight have demons of one kind or another regardless of how thin we are at the moment. All I know is that this is part 2 of an epiphany I had about a year ago. I was eating a granola bar (sounds healthy right?) and decided to look at the ingredients. It wasn't the first time I wanted to find out what I was eating but it was the first time that I asked myself, "What exactly am I putting into my body?!" Over half the ingredients I couldn't understand much less pronounce. And I wondered, if food is fuel, what is this doing to me? Or worse, what is this doing to my family?

I say that reading this book is part 2 of my little revelation because it explains what exactly preservatives and a plethora of other chemicals and toxins found in the environment are doing to our metabolism and overall health. Jillian writes, "Our nutritionally deficient, dieting, stress-dominated living and toxin-filled eating has abused our endocrine systems, hormonal balances, and metabolisms to make weight loss nearly impossible." From there it just clicked. It made sense to me.

While I can't afford to make every single change Jillian suggests in her book because some are environmental, not just dietary, I have been trying my best to consume whole foods whenever I can. As Jillian puts it, "If it didn't have a mother or it didn't grow from the ground, don't eat it." Yes, it does cost more to eat whole foods and it takes more preparation and planning. But I've noticed my family actually consumes less food because the food we eat is so nutrient dense we aren't filling up on empty calories. We also don't waste as much food because we have to eat our food before it spoils, which happens faster when there aren't any preservatives. Thus, in my experience, I spend about the same on groceries as I did before. And the best part? I don't ever feel like I'm starving myself.

So pick up this book! And don't just read it, study it. Use it as a reference even if you don't go along with her meal plans, the book can be used as a tool to know HOW to eat and WHAT to eat. Remember, weight loss is 80% dieting!!

Checking In

Something that has helped me to stay in check with what I consume all week is something so simple, we can all do it! Every Saturday morning my husband and I send an email to my brother and sister in law with our weights. They do the same with us too. Knowing that I have to share my weekly results with people I look up to as far as fitness goes totally helps. Something as simple as 'Checking In' with our weekly weigh ins helps me to munch on apples at night instead of my favorite Ice cream and as a result, over the last 10 weeks, my husband has lost 15 pounds and I have lost 10.5 pounds! It's now become somewhat addicting too. Seeing that I really can drop atleast a pound of weight a week is awesome! We just came back from 10 days of vacation and I'm up 4 pounds but now I know I have the knowledge that I do know how to drop the weight and it doesn't scare me to drop those pounds again! In 3 weeks I could be back to where I was and it's not all that hard after all. As you know with kids, 3 weeks can fly right by. So back to being somewhat good eaters we go...(Just so you know, we allow ourselves a free day each week. We haven't had to be diet nazis to keep the weight off, just aware of our calorie intake.) Anyone who'd want to email me with your weekly weigh in, let me know. I'd be happy to email you mine as well! It's good pressure to be good:)

Tori and Alycia

Since I was invited to contribute to this blog I will tell you what I have been up to. Tori and I started working out last Saturday (a little over a week ago) doing something called the Slim in 6. I don't know who it is by but I will get back to you on that one. We started out with "Start it Up" which we mastered in about three days. It was a great work out and so we thought to ourselved that We can do anything now. We were WRONG!! We moved on to the next DVD called "Ramp it Up." I am amazed we are still alive!! It is a great workout but it is intense. I have to say though that we are very proud of ourselves for sticking with it. This is our first day we have taken off and we are back at it tomorrow. It is an hour long work out and we try to make it through without screaming in pain but we have not quite accomplished that goal but we are making progress. Tori wants to look great when she goes back to work in 6 weeks and I want to tone up this flab from having three kids and gravity :) I will keep you posted on our progress. We are trying to eat better but haven't quite mastered that. We started out with just eating smaller portions and that seems to be helping so we will see. Thanks Heidi for inviting me to this blog. I like reading about what is helping you out and it is nice to see that we aren't the only ones that struggle with it.

here goes week two...

(These are my new running shoes- my reward for running so much!)

Hi girls!
Can you believe it?! I made it to week two! Week one was very successful. I tracked *all* my eating, stayed pretty much within my food plan, and exercised 5 out of 6 days! I am feeling very motivated, and am excited that I was able to keep it up all week without slacking off. I think something that is helpful is that it is a 16 week program, and there is an end in sight. Previously, I had the perspective that trying to exercise and eat better would be forever, because I'll always be kinda working at it with no real results, but it's better than gaining. (Like when I told my sister Cheryl that I've forsaken ice cream in an attempt to lose weight, and she asked "For how long?" I was confused why she would ask me that, because I had this eternal-trying-to lose-weight perspective). But now whenever I am tempted to stray from my food plan, I just think that I'll let myself eat that in 16 weeks, and it doesn't have to be never again. In the meantime, I'm developing great healthy eating habits that will prevent me from returning to not-so-good habits of eating. It's been a stretch to fit protein in to 5 small meals a day, but I'm getting a feel for what I like and when I have time to make certain foods. I also recalculated my daily caloric intake, which is now 1,115. A couple of friends helped me figure out my BMR, and then I took 2/3 of that for my new daily calorie goal. With what I actually have time to eat from my P90X food plan it's a perfect fit! This week I want to do better at adding up the calories. I totally tweaked my back at the beginning of the week from a Jillian Michaels DVD (squats and lunges with hand weights) and/or a funky sleeping position, but it got better quickly. Now, however, I have a pinched nerve thing going on with my right leg which sends a pulsing pain shooting down from my hip to my calf. It's pretty annoying! But I'm keeping up with my workouts and stretching a lot. Okay, vent over. I had chicken and steamed vegetables for dinner tonight after a 3 mile run (I thought of you Genine!), and I just did some arms/shoulders Pilates. Time for bed!

Run Run Run.....

So I have NEVER been a self professed runner. Then with the inspiration of my Sister In Law, I gave it a shot. After her first and second child she was probably a size 12 and all through high school, about a size 8. Since her second child she's taken up running and healthy eating, or CLEAN eating as she calls it. She's probably a size 2 or 4 and now with 4 children and 35 years old weighs approx 120.
We ran our first half marathon because of her and I'm training for my 3rd half right now for this summer. I just have to say thank you to her. There's a few girls in my ward I've been running with and I'm so grateful for them. Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday we run at night. This way we don't have to push kids or deal with the sun. We just do +/- 3 miles and on Saturday mornings we do a long run between 4-6 for now. It's been great to run with friends and they are a great motivator. I know getting into the habit is miserable but I just need to say how rewarding the sweat of it is. Good luck to everyone on here continuing with whatever plan you've put into place for yourselves!! We Can Do It and be healthy, hot mommas too!! Way to go everyone, Keep On Truckin'!!!

DAY ONE.

Okay, girls, this is it. I'm finally committed to a schedule and program. My brother-in-law Jon ordered the P90X Extreme Home Fitness Kit, and I am pretty impressed. He's going full steam ahead with the exercise portion of the program, (which is too intense for me), and I'm going with the nutrition plan! It is simple enough and has plenty of food suggestions that seem to be a good fit for me, so here goes! The main thing I like about it is that it is well-balanced with the food groups. It has three phases, and I'm starting with Phase One, Level One, which means my Food Plan is 50% protein, 30% carbohydrates, and 20% fats for 1,800 calories daily. It's broken up into servings and focuses heavily on portion control. 1,600 calories are 5 servings protein, 2 servings dairy, 1 serving fruit, 2 servings vegetables, 1 serving fats, 1 serving carbs, and 3 servings snacks (which will be fruits/veggies to get my 5 a day), and 1 serving condiment. Then I figure the extra 200 calories are a buffer or can be a healthy snack if I'm hungry. Whew!


My exercise plan is custom to what I actually enjoy doing and what fits my schedule. Since I don't work Tues/Thurs/Sat, those are the mornings I will take my 3 mile run through the neighborhood, followed by strength training exercises. Mon/Wed/Fri I work in the morning, so it's getting too hot to run outdoors by the time I'm ready to workout. So those days I will do a workout video in my living room during Emily's nap. Total: 6 days of exercise, at least 1 hour long! Can you believe I'm actually excited?!





I have discovered that I enjoy working out at home since my only audience is Emily. Cheryl got me hooked on Pilates a few years back with the Pick Your Spot Pilates DVD above. I borrowed the 10 Minute Solution from the library, and liked it enough to order it from Amazon (it's en route!)















I heard good things about the Jillian Michaels (from The Biggest Loser) workout DVDs, so I also ordered 30 Day Shred, since it's based on the 3-2-1 method: 3 mins strength, 2 mins cardio, 1 min abs.
















No More Trouble Zones came in for me today at the library, so I'm trying this one out until my order arrives! I'll be sure to post reviews of my new workout videos :)















Yesterday I had a mini-breakdown of discouragement because I replaced the battery in my scale and discovered that I've gained 10 pounds since becoming consistent with my exercise. Crap! My eating habits have been self-defeating, and now I am more motivated than ever to see results. I feel like I'm moving to the next level by adding strength training to build muscle and increase my metabolism (which I suspect is low- I'm making an appointment to get it tested). I bought a couple of 2 pound weights that were on sale at Target, so I'm all ready to go!

Wish me luck! Actually, pray for me. I think that's the only thing that will make sure I stick with it and stay motivated! :) And thanks for all your inspiring experiences and advice! You guys rock!

acknowledgment

Something that is really helping me keep up my ever-in-flux motivation to workout and push myself harder is... posting my daily (or every other daily) exercise success on my status update on Facebook. I love the encouraging comments I often get, and it makes me feel good to know that I'm not the only one who knows that I went for a run. Because for me it's a huge deal that I overcame the constant temptation to talk/rationalize my way out of exercising. It also helps me when I know that people can see me the way I see my ideal self- someone who is excited about getting in shape. And the closer I am to that ideal, the better I feel. And that's my fitness therapy for today :)

Signs Of Success

 

I just wanted to thank the ladies who made comments on my last blog. I don't know you, but you keep me inspired and motivated!! Thank you!

This week I had some success that I wanted to willingly share with you! I'm going to put my numbers out there...brace yourselves! I started this year off at 218 pounds, a size 16 slowly creeping into an 18. In February, I really started putting my shoulder to the wheel, as you know from my last post. I am blindingly excited to announce that today I am 175 pounds...but that isn't the best part! I went to California in March and was excited that I fit into a size 14 jeans with no problem. I've been wearing those jeans still, lamenting to my husband on a daily basis, "I just don't see or feel any difference."

Tonight, I went to Costco with my family. I found some really cute Calvin Klein jeans and I thought, I'll buy the size 10 and hang it on my door for motivation. When I got home, I thought, I'll just try on the jeans to see how much further I have to go. One leg in, no problem. Second leg on...little tighter. Zipped and buttoned?? WHAT?? Yes! I fit into a size 10!! That may not mean a heck of a lot to some, but I KNOW there are ladies out there who GET me!! I am on cloud 9! I seriously looked at myself in the mirror for 15 minutes. I couldn't believe it. And now? I can't believe I'm posting a photo, but I'm just so proud and I sincerely hope this tells everyone: if I can do it, YOU CAN DO IT TOO!!!

Best wishes and good health!

Love/Hate Relationship

So I've been lurking in the shadow of Girls in Shape for some time now. Heidi invited me to be a poster on this blog months ago when she started it, and I've strategically waited until now to post. You see, I have a love/hate relationship with exercise and good health in general. And as of late, the stakes have only grown higher as a woman over 30, hitting obese marks and ironically, being accepted to medical school. I decided, once and for all, that if I couldn't lose weight for myself, my life or my family members, I at least needed to lose weight to be an example for my future patients. Can you imagine the hypocracy? "Uh, you are obese...and you need to lose 50 pounds or you are going to get diabetes, high blood pressure, heart problems, etc..." Uh-huh. And you're what, 50, 60 pounds overweight, oh doctor, my doctor?

Right. Touche.

I have been a distant cheerleader for Heidi as she publicly decries her lack of motivation, or enthusiastically shares her triumphs. She inspires me, as do the rest of you brave bloggers. The main reason I held back was because of my love/hate relationship. When I start out a regime, I'm all gung-ho, until the first long weekend, or vacation, or visit from company comes along, and I decide to take a vacation from healthy eating habits... I mean, that's what vacation is all about, right? Hmmmm... it's taken years, but I've finally learned that a vacation doesn't mean throwing all caution to the wind and indulging every little tastebud desire. I mean, this is me, my body...why am I treating it this way? So, back to my point...I'm all gung-ho and lose a few pounds, take the wrong path at the fork in the road and end up back at the beginning with those few pounds, plus friends. As much as I wanted to share Heidi's enthusiasm, I just wasn't ready to deal with a round of defeat, especially so publicly.

The love/hate relationship is mostly with the scale. It loves to tell me I weigh at least 20 pounds more than I think I do, and I hate it in return. Love/hate. So, back in February, I decided to make some subtle changes. Everyone is different. Different vices, different problem areas, different schedules. I had to find something that worked for me. And then, I figured when I reached a reasonable milestone, I'd start sharing my success with the group. Chalk one up to self-preservation. For me, late night snacking, and snacking on the wrong things at that, is my MAJOR downfall. So, I started cutting most sugar out of my diet. For the most part, I've stuck to a rule of not eating after dinner, and most certainly, not after 8pm. As for exercise, I'm poor and can't afford a gym, so I slowly gathered small tools that anyone can get: a medicine ball, hand weights, resistance bands, etc. I am lucky enough that with our tax return, my hubby bought me a small elliptical a few weeks ago, which I love.

So here we are, about two months later. According to my abhorred scale, I am down 25 pounds. I have more energy and more enthusiasm for getting on the elliptical or throwing around some weights, even when I don't want to. And if that isn't enough motivation, I read this blog because there are some pretty dang amazing women on here, each one with great tips and success stories. In the back of my mind now, I push harder through workouts for the right reasons: I want to be healthy to have a longer life with my loved ones, to run and not be weary, to be active and not out of breath chasing my soon-to-be 5 year-old, to feel sexy (yea, I said it)and lastly, to be an example to my future patients.

So thank you Heidi, for sharing your struggles because you are certainly not alone, for your bravery in posting it on the web and for your rabble-rousing because you make a great cheerleader. And thank you to the rest of you great ladies... I look forward to getting to know each of you on this blog! Eat well, sleep well and be merry!

I DID IT!

Yes I did. We ran our 1/2 Marathon this weekend and I not only did it, I ran the whole way! These are my friends Tina and Kelley. We made our shirts: "THERE IS POWER IN BELIEVING" and on the back it says: "I BELIEVE".
It was awesome. We stayed together at a great pace. Finished in 2:22 (6 min. slower than Oprah. We were trying to beat her time.) We are for sure going again next year. And are looking for a triathlon to do this summer! Keep going ladies! There is Power in Believing! I Believe!

simply inspiring!

Thanks you guys for all the great posts lately! You've really helped me get motivated to meet my exercise goal this week of working out six days!

Diane, you've got me adding in more strength training (and my bootie is feeling the pain!)

Genine and Camille, you've got me believing that I really can be a distance runner! And even though I can't do the half-marathon this summer (I know, I'm totally bummed... scheduling conflicts suck) I'm still going to train like I'm going to be in one... that way I'll be ready for the next time!

Emily, your tips on distance running are SO helpful! It's really making a difference in my routine.

I can feel myself getting more and more in shape! Now I just need to work on my self-discipline when it comes to cutting calories and the weight will just be melting off me! Right? Right?!?!

You girls are awesome! I love you!

It is official. I am a runner.

When Heidi invited me to join this blog, I thought "...okay. I really want to do this. I want to get in shape. But I never seem to stick to anything." Afraid of failure, I almost gave up. But I really wanted to do something to lose all of the weight I gained while being prego with Max. None of my clothes fit and I was tired all of the time. Something had to change.

Luckly around the same time I was invited to run with a group of women from church. The first time I went out I couldn't run more than 1/2 a mile. I felt soooo out of shape. I cursed all of those late night milk shakes as I jogged/walked up that hill. Of course then I went home and had a milkshake... you know... to celebrate that I excercised. *It sounded so good!*

I am happy to report that thanks to this blog and supportive women, I ran 8 miles on Saturday! Ran! It is official. I am a runner. I feel good and am happy to say am trimming down. Several people have said to me- "There is no way I could ever to that!" But I just remember how I felt that first time out there. I didn't think I could, but I stuck to it and am so happy that I did. We can do it! Thanks everyone!

PS: I found an AWESOME website called mapmyrun.com you can enter your zip and see all kinds of great routes or map your own. Best of all- it's free!

No Excuses!

So after watching the Biggest Loser Contestants run a half marathon in 2 hours and 34 minutes, I think it was, I am motivated! Just think if these people who start out at weights well above the 250 mark and on multiple medications can do it in 10 weeks, then so can I. My husband and I were so inspired. Tara and Sione in particular ran the whole thing and never gave up. They both still weighed over 200 pounds and kept a 5 mph pace or better.

The first year I signed up for a 5K, I failed to run the entire thing, even with training. I always had in my mind that I could sprint but that I was not built for long distance. The next year after mentally deciding I could do it, I signed up for the 13 + mile half marathon and completed the whole thing without walking a step and only training for a month. I know that's not optimal from a safety standpoint but my point is it was possible. From personal experience, your size and shape are not your issue. Your mind is the issue. Can we do it? YES WE CAN!!

Don't forget to look up the AFCHALF taking place in August in San Diego this year. It's not only a beautiful course but a good one to start with if you've never ran one before. YOU CAN DO IT!!

Do-It Yourself Boot Camp

Do you ever watch your kids playing in the park and think, "I remember when I used to do that all day long"? Have you ever wanted to join a boot camp exercise group but have been stymied by the cost or the schedule?

Well, welcome to DIY Boot Camp!! I'm going to show you some exercises you can do in your local playground, park or garage. This is just a quick workout to start. You can do as many rotations of the moves as you have time for. If people want to see examples of more exercises, just let me know.

A well-rounded fitness program is composed of three things: aerobic exercise, strength training and stretching exercises. This workout will have a little bit of everything. Most things you can do with your own body weight and playground equipment, but you can also add a jump rope and a ball (a basketball, for instance). You will need a watch with a second hand or stopwatch, also.

Let's begin!

Start by walking or slowly jogging for five minutes to warm up.

Okay, now let's go to work!:

With each exercise, remember to do things slowly and deliberately, letting your body weight give you resistance. Keep your abs tight. This will help strengthen your core. Do each rotation for three minutes, unless otherwise stated. That means that you repeat the rotation if you finish in less than three minutes.




10 triceps dips/10 pushups--that's the goal. Use a park bench for the dips. If you have to stop and rest after a few, that's okay. Just keep going. You can do the pushups "girl-style" or "guy-style" or against a wall or other stationary object, as shown. Alternate the dips and the pushups for 3 minutes.

Run/walk x 3 minutes

10 crunches alternating with 10 back extensions x 3 minutes. When you do crunches, make sure that you're not bending your chin to your chest. Keep your neck long and straight and your head neutral, fingers touching the sides of your head. You can mix it up by bicycling your legs while you crunch, doing a reverse crunch by lifting your hips, or by alternating touching your elbow to the opposite knees. Back extensions are done while lying face-down, arms straight above you like Superman. Then contract your back muscles as you raise your arms and legs--slowly and deliberately up, slowly and deliberately down.

Run/walk x 3 minutes or jump rope x 3 minutes

20 squats/10 walking lunges. If you have a ball with you, find a sturdy wall. Stand about 3 feet away from the wall. Squat holding the ball at your chest. When you stand up from the squat, throw the ball at the wall like you're passing it to someone. Catch the ball and squat. Throw/catch/squat/up. Throw/catch/squat/up. When you do the walking lunges, step forward firmly onto a flat foot, front knee in line with the front ankle, back knee tries to touch the ground. R/L = one lunge. You can sneak in a core exercise by holding your ball in front of you with your arms straight and twisting towards the right when you step out right, then the left when you step out left (does that make sense?). If you have knee problems, walk or run x 3 minutes.



Walk/run x 3 minutes

10 pull-ups and 10 hanging crunches. This may be the trickiest part of the workout. You can start by trying jumping up to the pull-up. Modify the hanging crunch by hanging with the knees bent at 90 degrees for as long as you can. Work up to it. You can do it!



Walk/run x 3 minutes

Now it's time to stretch. Make sure you stretch just to the point of tension and hold the stretch 20-30 seconds. You worked your arms, legs, back and abs, so take the time to gently stretch everything.


Let me know if you think this was helpful/not helpful/full of crap, or if you want to get together sometime for a run-through.

Have fun!! Diane

huff puff

After taking a week off due to sickness, I started running again this morning (thanks mom for coming over to watch Emily so I could get motivated!) and it felt *great*. I really missed the energy boost, and was still feeling great by the time evening rolled around- I had enough pep in me to make spaghetti for dinner! There's nothing like getting the flu to make you appreciate good health. And now I'm off to go take some vitamins. I hope all you girls are surviving the winter "let's-all-get-sick-and-pass-around-germs" season!

Cocoa and Chicken??

So I was complaining on hershey's.com about some milkduds I bought for my middle child when I saw recipes... I clicked and found a healthy recipe for baked chicken with a cocoa/curry seasoning. (I need to stay more focused while on the computer:)) I'm planning to give it a try and thought if anyone's looking for a new flavor for boneless skinless chicken breasts... here it is:

Preheat oven to 350'F
2T Cumin
2T Curry powder
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Pepper
1 1/2 T Hershey's Cocoa Powder

Rub the chicken with a little oil then rub the seasoning mix all over it. Place it in the oven for 20-25 Minutes until juices run clear. Here's hoping it tastes pretty good! No egg batter and bread crumbs, no pan frying and no sugar in teryaki or other marinades. Should be healthy too! I'm gonna eat mine with rice and some veggies. Good Luck!

February Survey!

What energizing songs are must-haves on your workout playlist??

so I guess I need new running shoes...

BECAUSE I'M TRAINING FOR A MARATHON!!!

(a half-marathon, actually- 13 miles)

Genine sent me the info about San Diego's half-marathon, which "begins at historic Cabrillo National Monument, with its majestic view of both San Diego Bay and the Pacific Ocean, follows scenic San Diego Bay and Harbor Island along the Embarcadero to The Star of India, winds through downtown San Diego, and ends in beautiful Balboa Park."
Check it out at http://www.afchalf.com/

Here's the layout of where we will be running (jogging), and that is one of the main reasons I'm so excited about it- it's through some awesome parts of San Diego, and I'm looking forward to the new perspective. Cheryl has expressed interest, so we are going to start training together after she recovers from her delivery. I'm already pumping up my workouts!
Does anyone have any recommendations for a fun and not annoying workout DVD??

HCIATBTP.

That stands for "Holy Crap I Am Tired But Totally Pumped"

I just ran 2.0 miles. Without stopping. Without walking. (My warm-up and cool-down are an additional .1 miles each).

I had a small window of opportunity to exercise today, and I took it! The old Heidi would not have even thought about it. What? Workout at night? Um... I've got more important and relaxing things going on... (Such was the excuse I gave myself when I didn't workout Tuesday and Thursday- aargh!)

But this knees-aching, lungs-burning, heart-pumping, fat-jiggling, shoulder-twitching, sweaty-hair activity has made me feel better about myself, and feel healthy, and strong. I have a renewed sense of determination. Trust me, it was only determination that kept me jogging after sprinting up a steep hill!

Something else I have noticed is that I like to be very eloquent as I relate my exercise experience to Jason as soon as I get home, which I suspect he does not fully appreciate. He is very supportive, however, and gives me high-fives. I can't ask for much else :)

let's party... with celery?

Okay, week 2 has concluded. And I worked out another SIX consecutive days! I have exercised 12 of the last 13 days! (Sunday is my day off). I am seriously blown away that I'm meeting my goals. This week was harder than last week because my mood was lower, but now that it's the weekend and I'm looking back at what I've accomplished, I have hope for the future. And hope for a new pair of running shoes- my feet are SORE!

I have figured out what happened to my mindset to actually get my butt in gear. At stake conference last weekend, one of the speakers was talking about the importance of keeping the commandments, and he said "there is a difference between wanting to be righteous, and wishing you wanted to be righteous." The former takes action, even though we are not perfect- we put forth effort. The latter thinks about it, wishes they would take action, but that is really an illusion. To me it's similar to worrying about something. Worrying, thinking, fretting- subconsciously I feel that it gives me more control over a situation- but it's all in my head. It really accomplishes nothing except increasing my own anxiety. So I have finally somehow flipped the switch in my head to want to exercise, instead of just wishing I wanted to. And that really makes it easier to get it done, don't you think?

The next step is to flip the nutrition switch in my head. I still only wish I wanted to eat healthy. But with the move coming up, we are trying to eat what we have in the cupboards, which really limits the indulging. I did get some carrots, celery, and broccoli, (and I'm wishing I would eat them, but they are hidden in the vegetable crisper), and I've been eating more apples and bananas lately... I still love my big comfort bowl of cereal, though!

So I'm off to peel some carrots! Yay for me!

this is how I feel!

Five days. FIVE days. Soon to be six! That's how many days in a row that I've exercised. Can you belive it? I hardly can. What in the world has gotten into me? I think I finally hit rock bottom after having four Mondays of motivation, then slacking the rest of the week. I've been kidding myself each time that this time will be different. Yeah right. It's the story of my life since my metabolism slowed down. I'd much rather curl up with a book than get all hot, sweaty, and sore. So what changed this week? A combination of going back to work (ie- being forced to get my butt out of the house before 8am), good weather, extra pounds from the holidays, and prioritizing exercise and park-time for Emily above email, dirty dishes or a good book.

So Monday I walked to the park. No big deal. I always am motivated on Mondays. The trick was to work out on Tuesday, too. Tuesday is my day off. No reason to get up early. So I enlisted support and got Cheryl to walk with me and we took the kids to the park by her house. I'm already ahead of the curve! Wednesday is tricky. I worked until 9:15, had a doctor appt. for Emily at 9:30, then Music Makers at 10:30. After that is naptime. And then it's only a few minutes before my day is suddenly over and Jason is wondering what's for dinner. So after the appt, we only had 10 minutes to get to Music Makers, so we walked the short way to get there on time, then I walked the long way home to fit in my exercise. I was so proud of myself! I even did it all in jeans, not having time to change clothes. Thursday I made the mistake of trying to finish a book during our morning routine. Before I knew it, it was 11:00 and nothing was done, except the book. I could feel the cloud of gloom descending. Then, miraculously, Cheryl called to say she was at the park in my neighborhood! I threw Emily into the stroller, jogged the short way there, then took the 2-mile route home for a great workout! Hallelujah. I took a nap with Emily that day, facedown with my shins hanging off the side of the bed. Today I walked around the lake (4 miles!!) with some friends (picture a stroller brigade), and I got my butt kicked by the double umbrella stroller I used for Brady and Emily. It is heavy, with no forward momentum whatsoever. Now that was a full-body workout. I had to jog while pushing it to attempt to keep up with the other girls' walking pace and their oh-so-nice double jogging strollers. (Yes, I'm green with envy!) Tomorrow I have Brady again, so I'll get another nice workout battling the double stroller to make DAY 6 of the most consecutive days I've exercised since my junior year of high school!

So what do you think? Will I be able to maintain my girl-power attitude over the weekend into another week of awesomeness, or will my inner slacker dominate?

How do you deal with conquering the slackerness once it takes hold?

quote of the century.

"If eating cake is wrong, I don't want to be right."

-Lorelai Gilmore, Gilmore Girls(Discovered tonight during girls night in with Emily...)

AND!

I have exercised THREE days IN-A-ROW! I'm so on a roll. I almost didn't today, but I bit the bullet and speed-walked to the church for Emily's Music Makers class. And the feeling of pride I now have is feeling even better than cake! Crazy, I know. The beautiful weather doesn't hurt, either :)

breaking news!

Drumroll, please... we're moving to a new apartment! TWO whole bedrooms and *a dishwasher.* It's in the same neighborhood, so we'll still be within walking distance of the park. And guess what is waiting to kick my butt? The long steep hill where our new complex is situated right in the middle. I might have to put an E-brake on Emily's stroller :)

Eliptical Enlightenment

As great as the power of evil might be, it must always withdraw with the appearance of righteousness.

- Dennis B. Neuenschwander, Ensign, Jan. 2009, p. 9.



One of the biggest incentives to exercise for me is that I get some uplifting reading done while I'm on the eliptical machine. I am a die hard multi-tasker and since I like to be distracted from the difficulty of my eliptical workouts, I place a good magazine or book over the monitor. I've found this is the best way to get the church magazines read cover to cover and other good reading and I not only feel physically better after a workout, but I'm on an emotional high and ready to take on the world. Today, this quote really impressed me as I thought about the temptations that pull us off course in whatever we are pursuing in life. When I think of how this relates to healthy living, it reminds me of D&C 89:4 which talks about the consequences of the evils and designs of conspiring men in our day and the warnings and forewarnings the Lord gives us with his words of wisdom. As much as I'm not tempted by the standard things we all think about with the word of wisdom, fats and sugars certainly have my number and the scales and inches cry out as proof of my indulgences. So this morning after I got off my eliptical machine physically and emotionally enlightened, I made a healthy shake instead of going for something ultimately less satisfying. And isn't it interesting that when we go for the less satisfying but fat and sugary things, we always want MORE? But with the healthy foods, we are satisfied. Just like the gospel. Very cool I think.



Oh, and if you want to try a yummy and very satisfying shake, here's what I threw in the VitaMix blender this morning:

1 cup soy milk

1 T flax seed

1 T wheat germ

6 frozen strawberries

1 banana

2 handfuls of fresh spinach

1 T protein powder (optional)

Although I can't blame my not-so-flat abs on Emily, I joined the Self.com 'Reach Your Goal' free online program, which has four customized plans to choose from. The 'Finally Lose The Baby Weight' plan sounded like the best one for me, so I'm looking forward to the "fast, flexible, kidproof sweat sessions."

The other three plans are 'Drop 8 Pounds this Month', 'Tone Without Cardio', and 'Run 3 Miles With Ease'. The program has an online food diary and workout log, which automatically calulates the calories consumed and burned. There's also a buddy list, so if anybody out there signs up, we can "help one another stay motivated by sharing your achievements and swapping inspiring messages."

We'll see how long I stick with this... I'm feeling extra-motivated today after my hour-long workout in our apt. complex fitness room. I like using it since it has good equipment, but since Emily started running around, I can't bring her there. This is our last week of vacation, but once Jason goes back to work I'm going to see if any of the girls I know in our complex want to trade baby-sitting so I can work out there once a week. It's also how I keep up with the latest music videos on VH1 since we don't have cable :) Today I switched between Katy Perry's Hot and Cold and a Frasier rerun (the one where Niles and Daphne get married).

Anyway... has anyone made any New Year's Resolutions (fitness/nutrition oriented or not)?