Walking with Weights? Consider this first...

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/ankle-weights/AN01867

Walking with weights has become a pretty popular trend. I even see various weights on people using the treadmills at the gym. This article, however, makes some really great points. You won't find me walking with weights after reading this!

Running Tips for a 5K Race

http://www.shape.com/fitness/sports/running/race_training/running_for_beginners

Maybe some of you would like to join me in training for a 5K race. I would love to hear your stories if you do. The above link has some great tips for training to run.

Monthly Measurements

This month's measurements were MUCH better than last month's. I have lost another 3.5 inches in my waist, an inch in the hips, and an inch in the chest. Whoooo Hoooo! The explains why I needed to go out and buy new shirts. A couple of weekends ago I just couldn't stand how my shirts were feeling. They were just too baggy, and my elbow kept getting caught in the sleeves when they would slip down my shoulders. I can't wait until I need to buy new pants, but that seems like it will be a process still. The hips just don't want to give up the padding.

On Monday I jogged for 29 minutes before starting my cool down. I am so excited that I am "getting" this running thing. I want to sign up for a 5K. I'm looking at the Susan G. Korman 5K race in October. I would like to do one sooner, but I haven't seen one in my price range yet. The 5K is a total of 3.1 miles. Right now I am jogging just over 2 miles without stopping, so I'll definitely be ready by October. Daniel is most likely going to sign up for the P.F. Chang's marathon in January. I won't be doing that anytime soon!

I entered a contest to win $500, but I don't have high hopes for it. The person who changes their body composition the most in 60 days will win. I haven't been changing too fast (and I really don't want to, anyway), so I don't think I'll win. It gives me a nice incentive, though. And it puts me only a week after starting student teaching, so I will REALLY be working to having the body I want for that goal. Slowly but surely.

Spin for Diabetes

Daniel and I tried something new and different yesterday, and we had a blast! We joined the Spin for Diabetes event at Pure Fitness in Scottsdale. It was too much fun. We weren't able to raise a whole lot of money ($35), but it was something.

I can tell you that I won't be spinning on a regular basis, though. The seats are designed for a different body shape than mine. I am bruised in areas I didn't think could bruise, and I would have thought I had plenty of padding! Other than my rump hurting I feel good, though. Surprisingly, my legs are not sore at all.

Daniel and I peddled like crazy, each of us taking 2 turns at 10 minutes each time. The event was set up for teams of 4, so we had to go twice since it was only the two of us. Even though we were exhausted we came in just fractions of a mile under the winning team. They had 4 people, so a bit of an advantage.

We came home with lots of neat prizes. We each got a hat, a t-shirt, a pair of socks, and a bicycling shirt. It was pretty cool to come home with something when we expected nothing. It's been a long time since we've done volunteer activities, too, so that was nice to do again. Today we catch up on the errands we didn't get done yesterday. It's an exercise rest day, but I don't think we're going to be doing much resting!

Happy Anniversary!

Part of a healthy lifestyle is emotional health. Part of our emotional health is having friends and family we know we can count on. Today I celebrate one special relationship- my marriage. Today is the 10th anniversary of mine and Daniel's marriage. Anyone who knows us well knows that there was a time we were not sure this day would come. I'm so glad we made it.

I want to share a story about the week we got together. Daniel was borrowing his dad's truck because his car was in the shop. In the truck was a Shania Twain CD that Daniel brought in. We listened to that CD over and over that weekend and for a long time after. Once we were engaged I imagined singing one of the songs on our 10th anniversary. Here it is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3E9u4-Rvmo Daniel, I know you are reading this. You are Still the One!

I have been blessed with experiences that have shown me that life isn't always easy, no matter who we are. I have a new theme song that I am SURE we will need plenty of times in the next ten years. Our girls, after all, will be teenagers sooner than we know! So... for the next ten years, I invite Daniel, all my friends, and my family to join me on The Climb: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NG2zyeVRcbs

To everyone who has been a part of my life, thank you. This day is special to me, and each of you played a part in helping me become who I am today.

Go Me!

This has been a wonderful start to the week for working out.

Monday I had my training session with Jim. We started with the scale, and I wasn't disappointed when I saw it hasn't moved since last week. I've come to realize that my body doesn't want to do it gradually. It seems to like to take great leaps of 3-5 pounds seemingly overnight. I can handle that now that I know it's a pattern. On the other hand, we HAD to go out and buy me new shirts this weekend. My XL sizes were too big and were getting extremely frustrating. I actually look like I have a shape now, instead of hiding in a tent! Yes, with these shirts I can see a few more of the rolls and parts I don't like, but my arms aren't getting stuck in the sleeves when the shirts shift on my shoulders too far. It's a fair trade.

After lifting weights and doing some ab exercises with Jim I hit the treadmill. What a day! I actually jogged for 25 minutes without stopping to walk. I was so excited, but I know not to expect to be able to do that every time I try. Eventually that will be the norm, but for now it will just be an achievement. I have to be honest with my expectations. Sometimes I feel I am competing with Daniel and get frustrated. He's doing awesome, but THIS (this one thing called being healthy) is all about ME. It's not for Daniel, it's not for the girls, it's not for anyone else. I am in charge of this, and I get to decide what is "good enough." It's nice to have one thing that I can be selfish about without feeling guilty. So much of life as a wife and mother is about putting ourselves last. In this area I come first, and I have come to realize that I deserve that.

Last night Daniel joined me for Step class. I LOVE when he comes to classes with me. It's neat to look over and see a smiling face during the classes. They really are tough, but I love them. The more of my friends in the class, the more motivating it is. Last night Bonnie and her granddaughters joined us, too. I can't think of a better way to workout than to be surrounded by positive feelings. Any of my Arizona friends who read this blog... feel free to join us anytime. If you need a 30 day pass for the gym let me know!

I reached another great achievement last night at Step. I did the whole class on the step with one riser. It was only a couple of weeks ago I would be exhausted without the riser and wind up doing the exercises on the floor for part of the class. Whooo Hoooo! I love that I was able to do the 7 Ups (7 knee lifts going from the floor to the step- not as easy as it sounds). I think we did about 10 sets of those overall.

Tonight... MetCon and jogging. My goal for jogging today is to increase the speed from 4.2 mph to 4.5 mph. We'll see what happens!

Snack Idea

Well, I tried a new food this weekend. Amazing for me! LOL

It turned out that I absolutely LOVED it. This is one food worth setting aside part of my food budget for. My mother-in-law made a fabulous dinner for us while we were in Payson. Grilled chicken breast, a veggie tray, and bruschetta. It's the bruschetta that I had never tasted before. OMG! Yum. Here's a recipe I found for anyone who wants to try it:

http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/bruschetta_with_tomato_and_basil/

Only 100 calories per piece, and 2 pieces were more than enough to fill both my belly and my heart. I have finally admitted that I am an emotional eater, and that emotional side needs to be fed once in awhile, too. Thanks, Trish, for introducing me to something new. I might have a special request for Christmas dinner! ;-0)

Morning exercise

Tuesday's Gone.... Breathing life into an old post. I decided to link this one up today because the thoughts still ring pretty true. Morning exercise and I just don't get along.

I've been having a hard time lately because I really don't DO anything with my body until it's time to go to the gym in the afternoon. It's really tough to burst into energy after sitting around all day. Now, of course I don't JUST sit around all day, but it sure feels that way. I don't count cleaning the house and running errands as exercise.

Anyway, Daniel has been getting up to do a morning run, so I thought I would get up this morning with him. We can't both leave the house at the same time with the girls sleeping, so I did a walk video. I didn't feel like eating breakfast after exercising, and that is a bad habit to fall back into. I did wind up eating, but it wasn't until 8:00. That won't work for long! In a few weeks I'll need to be out the door shortly after 7 AM for student teaching. I'm also more tired than I usually am at this time of day instead of energized like exercise is supposed to do for a body. I'm grouchy and impatient, too. I have an afternoon meeting at the school, so I won't be able to take a nap.

I don't think this schedule is going to work for me, so I'll have to figure something else out. I can't flip things around and eat first because my thyroid medication needs to be taken on an empty stomach, and I can't eat for an hour after. I really think exercising on an empty stomach didn't work for me. I'm used to eating a healthy snack before working out. I've read a lot about how the muscles use the food.

Maybe for now I'll just have to feel lazy in the mornings. Soon enough I'll have plenty to do to get my body and brain working in the morning, just by getting ready to face the challenge of student teaching. I really don't know the answer to this one. I'll have to play it by ear.

Weekly Weigh In/ Workout with Trainer

Yes, we finally have some progress! Yesterday my trainer weighed me, and I was down another 3 pounds. I have finally broken the 10 pound mark for a total of 11 pounds of weight loss. My current weight is 176. It is obvious I won't get near my goal for student teaching, but this is probably healthier anyway. I am also down another percentage on body fat. Not too long and I will be under 30%. That number is important because it is a standard for obesity and carries a lot of health related warnings. I am hoping by the end of this month to be at 29%.

Yesterday's workout was killer, as usual. For some reason I have no strength in my upper body. I think I've been focusing on my legs a lot more. Of course, Jim knows this and had me do an upper body workout yesterday. Fortunately I am not sore today, so I'm not doing too bad. The ab workout he put me through was AWESOME! I might start doing some of those exercises right before bed. I CAN see some small results from those exercises since we do them in MetCon, too.

I am jogging a little more on the treadmill. Jim is convinced this is the reason for the scale to start moving more. I'm convinced it's because I started eating a little more. I know, it sounds backward, but I've done a lot of reading on the subject. Either way, it's been fun to be able to do more. I really want to be able to run. I used to enjoy that in high school, and it is something that I could do anywhere at anytime. It's nice to have a backup for when the gym is not an option.

Well, this week is off to a good start. Tonight I am heading to Pure Step. Believe it or not, I'm actually finding some coordination that makes the step routine fun. I CAN do anything I set my mind to!

Fish- Ick!

I got this information from the Eat This, Not That newsletter. I thought I would pass it along, even though I don't like fish. It makes sense, though. Unfortunately I haven't found a fish I like to eat, so I would drown it in the unhealthy tarter sauce. I've tried.... I really have. We eat shrimp once a week at home now, but I still don't get excited about it.

Generally speaking, seafood is a safe bet for helping you stay lean. After all, lobster, fish, and oysters are all great sources of protein. But there's one caveat: You have to skip the calorie-laden ramekin of butter and the layers of fried, flaky batter, which instantly turns an otherwise healthy meal into a trans fat-packed gut bomb. Opt for cocktail sauce, and stick to steamed, baked, or grilled dishes.

Bad News/ Good News/ Thanks to a friend

Well, the bad news is that the scale hasn't budged at all this week. Neither has my body fat index. I'm not quite sure what is going on, but I'll keep pushing through this frustration. The good news is that I MUST buy new shirts and bras (sorry men, that's a fact of life). My upper clothing is literally falling off of me every time I work out, and that is getting frustrating. So, there is progress somewhere. It's just not measurable, and honestly I was hoping the lower body would go first so I needed to buy new pants for student teaching.

A piece of good news is that I am now starting to jog the way I've been wanting to! I made it 15 minutes yesterday, which is just over a mile. I wasn't going at as quick a pace as I ultimately hope for, but it's a start! This is the longest I have jogged since I was in high school, so I can't complain. I found that if I ease into it by increasing the speed by a tenth of a mile every minute I seem to do pretty well. My ankle that has bothered me in the past is doing pretty well, thanks to the advice Daniel gave me about foot placement.

I have to give a shout-out and thank you to my friend Bonnie. She was with me at the gym yesterday when I weighed myself, and she kicked me in the butt to stop feeling down. Thanks Bonnie! She is a great person to have around who won't let me feel sorry for myself. She is honest, but caring. Bonnie has been joining me for a lot of classes and cardio workouts. It is SO much easier to work hard with a friend working equally hard and willing to laugh. You should see us at Combat (Kick boxing) class. It's a hoot!

My trainer can see I'm getting frustrated, and he wants me to stay off the scale. From now on only he is allowed to weigh me. I agreed to that. This process is frustrating sometimes. Jim thinks he can take some of that frustration away by putting me on the scale at his pace. We'll see how that works.

Food Log

My trainer asked me to keep a food log for awhile so he could see what was happening with my diet. Yesterday at our training session he was really happy. He said I was eating really well and asked if he could keep my food logs. He wants to use them to show his clients a good example of the diet he suggests. Whooo Hooo!

Although that is exciting news I have some not so good news to report. I am only down 3 quarters of a pound this week. Jim (my trainer) is convinced I have to be building muscle, because he has seen how hard I've been working. I sure hope he's right! My shirts are falling off of me, so he might be on to something.

Simple Swaps

I just finished reading a book that had a lot of interesting information in it. It was "The Biggest Loser Simple Swaps: 100 Easy Changes to Start Living a Healthier Lifestyle" by Cheryl Forberg. Although I didn't agree with some (perhaps even a lot) of what was included in the book, it did get me thinking. What food can I change that will be healthier and more beneficial to my goals?

One example became so clear yesterday at breakfast. I had accidentally purchased the full flavor, fat, and calorie yogurt instead of reduced that I've been getting. When I filled out my food diary (more on that in a coming post), I realized that the yogurt I ate for breakfast was a full 70 calories more than the reduced variety. I honestly can't tell the difference in the reduced and full flavors, so this seemed like an easy change to make. By the way, this was on Yoplait yogurt. Each yogurt is going to be a little different.

I never thought I would get Daniel to eat healthier, but he is taking this lifestyle pretty seriously, too. Another swap we made came from a suggestion by our personal trainer. He suggested switching to reduced fat cheeses. We have found a WONDERFUL cheese that melts well for sandwiches and has a terrific stand-alone taste. The Sargentos line of reduced fat cheeses are only 50 calories per slice compared to an average of 80 in the full fat versions. At Wal-Mart the Sargentos brand is even comfortably in our price range! Awesome!

Simple Swaps- really not so simple, but we are learning. For me, part of being healthy is still enjoying food. I am looking for better ways to do that every day. If I can save 70 calories by switching to a different brand or variety, that's great. I still get to have the same breakfast, it's just better for me!

INCREDIBLE couple of days!

Typical of me, I took a couple of days to be frustrated with my results from last week, then I used that frustration to push harder. The last couple of days has been GREAT with AWESOME workouts!

Wednesday my friend Bonnie joined me for MetCon class. It was killer, but I had a great workout and was proud of how well I kept up. After the class Dan coached me on some jogging I've been desperately wanting to do but just couldn't get the hang of. Did you know you actually have to LEARN how to run properly? What a crazy thought! Anyway, Daniel noticed my stride was too long and showed me how to shorten it. I was able to jog at 5 miles per hour for 7.5 minutes. Not an incredibly long time, but awesome for me. In the past I couldn't get through 3 minutes without my breathing becoming out of control. I'm looking forward to giving it another try tonight!

Last night Daniel, Bonnie, and I tried Pure Combat. It's a cardio kickboxing class that includes arms. Wow, what a workout! It was awesome, and for the first time since working out my abs are sore enough that I KNOW I got a good workout for that part of my body. Daniel liked the class enough he is going to join me. Whooo Hoooo!

It is so much fun to workout with a friend. I really appreciate Bonnie joining me, and having Daniel in class is an inspiration to work just a little harder. His workouts are so intense that it's a challenge to see how closely I can keep up with him. Next week my friends Dan, Mira, and Alison are joining us for Combat. Watch out, Pure Fitness, we're taking over and getting in shape! Maybe they'll feature our group in their next commercial. How a group of friends got together and changed their lifestyle. That would be neat.

Tonight's class..... MetCon. Last tough workout of the week. I'm going to make the most of it!

Challenge from Jillian Micheals

Challenge for this week: Think of a way that you enable your family or a loved one to engage in unhealthy habits, contemplate why and then have a conversation with them about how the two of you are going to change that dynamic!

What are some ways that you enable your family to make unhealthy choices?

Motivation quote

“Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.” – Jim Rohn

Habits are hard to get into if they are good and hard to break if they are bad. Fortunately Daniel and I have made it a habit to exercise every day. Joining a gym really helps in that area. Since we don't like to waste money it is easy to get ourselves into the gym. The girls like it, too, because they have friends there.

A Case for Naps

I am back to feeling like I need a nap in the afternoon. Fortunately the kids are going along with me pretty well. We've started a rest time after lunch for the summer. Here's an interesting article from Web M.D.

http://www.webmd.com/balance/features/the-secret-and-surprising-power-of-naps?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Frustrating Day- Monthly Weigh-In

I was very disappointed by my progress at my monthly weigh-in and measurement session with my trainer. I have lost a few more inches in various places, but my waist size has actually INCREASED this month! I'm not quite sure why, as I feel I do work really hard when I am at the gym, and I am going 5-6 days per week. I feel depressed and frustrated by this, but I'll keep working hard and see if I can increase the intensity a little bit. Back to different treats in the house for snacks. No more frozen yogurt, too, which I found out was just as bad as ice cream when I did the comparisons for myself.

Eggs- The "Perfect" Protein

I am not diabetic, but I like to read about how to keep blood sugar under control. With the number of people in my family who do have diabetes, it seems like a good idea to do everything I can to prevent it now. This article comes from the Reversing Diabetes newsletter that I get, and I think it has some great information on eggs. I'm excited to find out that 2 eggs per day is perfectly acceptable. I am reading this in more and more information every day, so I think it's a pretty standard piece of advice now. I love eggs. Now I just need to find some recipes!

The Perfect Breakfast Food for Diabetes

If there’s one food that’s developed an undeservedly negative reputation, it’s eggs. You’ve heard it for years: Limit your egg intake because they’re loaded with artery-clogging cholesterol. And it’s true: Eggs are full of cholesterol—about 213 milligrams—all in the yolk.

But more recent studies show that eggs are actually great for you. The reasons? First, the negatives have been grossly overstated. The cholesterol found in eggs isn’t the same as the cholesterol in your blood stream—only your body can manufacture that type. And what mostly contributes to its manufacture is saturated fat, not dietary cholesterol. Doctors now say that from a cholesterol standpoint, eating eggs in moderation—that’s no more than two per day—is absolutely fine. For those who have high cholesterol, it’s best to stick to no more than 3 to 4 egg yolks per week. Egg whites contain no cholesterol though, so feel free to have a larger amount if you wish.

Then there are the good things inside eggs. It turns out that an egg is nature’s perfect protein. So much so that nutritionists use egg protein as the gold standard to rank all other proteins. That’s because eggs contain all the essential amino acids (the ones your body can’t make on its own) in just the right proportions.

Because they’re all protein and fat and no carbohydrate, eggs have no impact on your blood sugar. And like all protein, they help control your appetite by keeping you full longer. That means you eat less while controlling blood-glucose levels better—a double win!

Egg yolks are also one of the few foods that naturally deliver vitamin D, a much-needed vitamin that most of us don’t get enough of—which is why milk is usually fortified with it. Eggs also provide vitamin K to build strong bones, choline to improve our memory, and lutein to protect our eyesfrom macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness in older folks.

Be careful how you serve them, though. Eggs usually come on a breakfast plate, straddled by mounds of bacon, piles of butter-soaked hash browns, and white-bread toast. The super-healthy approach? Cook your eggs in a bit of olive oil, and serve with whole-wheat toast and fresh fruit. Now that’s a great breakfast! Likewise, be careful with egg salad or deviled eggs made with lots of mayonnaise. Both are fat and calorie bombs.

10 Solutions for Stress

I found the following article in a newsletter I get from Reader's Digest. It has some stress solutions. Which is your favorite way to relieve stress?

http://www.changeone.com/gen-con/hl_article.jhtml?articleId=425&trkid=c1_nmn_04_ChangeOne_NonMemberEmail&partnerId=33325