Day 4.8: Thank My What...?!

How was your weekend?  It was so sunny and beautiful, I hope you got out in the sunshine.  We went cross-country skiing as a family.  It was great fun.  Our oldest tried skate skiing for the first time and WOW is she a natural!  It was amazing to watch how fluid she was.

Two things I love about cross-country skiing: it is a total body workout and every extremity is warm the entire time.   If you want to try this sport sometime, you can rent gear for super-cheap at Weber State's Outdoor Rec office.  Snowbasin grooms a track, and so does North Fork up by Eden.  Check out TUNA for more information.  There's even races, if you're crazy like that.

I can't wait to watch the Nordic events in Sochi in a couple weeks.  They are my favorite winter events.  They are such great athletes and every time I see them I am inspired to be stronger and healthier.

Skiing Saturday in the bright sunshine I felt a strong sense of gratitude.  (I could live with more gratitude every day and my life would be much fuller, but this is a topic for another day).  I felt grateful for my healthy body, for a beautiful place to live, for snow, for sun, for my awesome kids, and my supportive and challenging husband (not that he's challenging but that he challenges me) (okay, he's challenging sometimes...aren't we all).  During November in Primary we talked a lot about showing gratitude and went over and over different ways to show gratitude for different things.  

So I pose the question: 

How do you thank your body or show gratitude for it?

Over Saturday and Sunday I really thought about it.  The main things I thought about were how I fuel it, and how do I feel about it.  Stuffing my body full of sugar or junk is no way to thank my body for the years it has been so good to me, and is sure to hack years off my life span.  Having a negative body image is also a betrayal to my body, just like judging a person by their looks.  Hating how I look is overlooking the myriad of ways my body is truly awesome.

As women we spend an undue amount of time criticizing, hating, covering, hiding, attempting to change and being ashamed of our bodies.  This is not to say that we shouldn't try to continually improve.  But just as we are taught not to be hyper-critical of the people in our lives, we should treat our bodies with the same respect.

So thanks, body, for carrying me through 37 years of healthy life, for carrying and bearing and nourishing 3 children, for hugging and laughing and running and swimming and jumping, skiing and sleeping and holding babies, for kissing the people I love, and talking to people I care about.  I'm going to treat you nicer, because I still need ya for a lot of years and a lot of challenges yet to come, I'm sure.  

Teach your children, especially your daughters, how to show gratitude for their bodies.  Example is the best teacher.

Find a way to thank your body today.  And thank our Father in Heaven for such an awesome, beautiful, functional, perfect gift.

Day 3.10: Today is Better than Yesterday

Last day of this 10.  Don't give up today, work out to start the weekend off right!  Eat those fruits and veggies and drink drink drink!  Some of my kids have been drinking more and it has helped their chappy lips and dry knuckles.  Yay!

What challenges were you successful in for this cycle?  I said I was going to moderate the challenges for the next 10 and I meant it.  Ramping up to full speed after the holidays was tougher than I thought.  Sheesh.

Measure and weigh yourself if you think there's any chance that you've changed.  Me, not so much.

And while there are no numerical changes that mark the successes I've had this 10 days, I know that I have improved:  we picked back up on our weekly group class, I worked out 4+ days/week for the past two weeks, I am drinking all 64 oz of water daily, and I am eating more fruits and veggies.  All very positive and healthy improvements.  I hope you have improved in some small way, too, because we can all find joy every day in doing something better than 10 days ago.

I know that I also said that I was going to do consecutive 10 day challenges, but I'm revising my statement.  Think of it as being fluid, going with my gut...not disorganized, sloppy, and unmotivated.  Be positive.  We're going to start again Monday.

Enjoy your final day.  Celebrate your wins.  Ready yourselves for Monday.  We begin anew.

Day 3.8: Hard Facts About Exercise

The other morning I pulled on my compression tights and thought "I really like these.  Maybe if I wear a long sweater no one will know they are workout pants."  I'm avoiding jeans and wearing stretchy pants.  It's gone a little too far, don't ya think?

Alrighty, back to what I do best: information.

I read this a month ago and really really loved it.  It is called "8 Cold, Hard Facts About Exercise"

It is worth reading.  I really liked the 5th fact: "I won't allow you to eat whatever you want".

Whenever I start exercising a lot my appetite increases.  But more than my appetite is my "perceived food budget".  Yeah, I can totally eat a dessert after each of my 5 meals.  I worked out.

As you can see, this is not working for me.

When you start truly calculating how many calories you burn during exercise (as the article points out) it's really not as many as you think.  I have a cycle computer that tells me I burn 900 calories on a 90 minute ride.  I appreciate that calculation because it gives me permission to eat everything in sight.  But I'm preeeettttyyyy sure that it's off by about 300 calories.  Truly.  And while 600 calories is a lot, it ain't 900.

I am always jealous of professional cyclists.  They are always saying in interviews how they have to force themselves to eat enough calories during the day so they don't bonk.  This is during a grand tour, like the Tour de France.  Those poor cyclists.  Wouldn't that be an interesting problem to have?  Forced to eat enough calories?  Wouldn't I love to be them.  Riding 150 miles each day.  For 3 weeks straight.  Never mind.

Other facts I liked:

"Exercise alone won't change you."  Enter my personal diet challenges.  This will be a hard one for me to get through.

"Exercise will always feel hard."  Each time I ride my bike I dream of a day when I can ride 17 mph for hours without it hurting.  Unfortunately, it will always hurt.  My mind just has to quit telling me that I can't go any more.  Because in reality, I can.  Our ability to push through the hard will increase as we exercise more.

I am ready for some results that I can see.  This article helped me see some things I can change that will hopefully help me get off my plateau.  Did you find anything interesting or new?

Day 3.3: Body Image: What is your ideal?

Happy Late Day 3.

Saw this in November and thought it was post-worthy.  These are photos taken by Howard Schatz of women athletes in their prime and at the top of their individual sports.  Read the full article here.  It is fascinating to me how many differences there are.  When we think about our goals and what we want to be or look like it is important to remember two things:  what are we trying to accomplish and where are we starting from.  As we analyze our individual strengths and weaknesses we can use those to become our individual best.  With my personal physique it would be crazy of me to try to be a rhythmic gymnast.  With my personal strengths I am more suited for long distance and endurance activities.  

And, while my dreamy-dream is to be a super-athlete, the main thing I have always tried to accomplish is being a healthy child-bearer, child-raiser, wife, and church-member.  And these are the hardest and most challenging pursuits of all.  Which is all the more reason to step it up.  Be realistic: we don't have a personal trainer, dietitian, team, and host of medical advisers, and all the fitness equipment and gear we could possibly need.  But we do have the internet.  And friends & family and plenty of resources.  And me.  So no excuses, either.

So take a gander, oooh & aaahhhh, & think about what's possible, don't get discouraged, dream, set goals, and keep on working at it.  We'll get there...eventually! 

Always remember:

Be your fabulous self!

Just a healthier version!

Day 3.1: A Fresh 10 Days (remember 3 is the number of times we've done a cycle, 1 is the day of 10)

I am so excited for the New Year!  I was thoroughly ready to say good-bye to 2013...it was not awesome in so many ways...I'm ready to commit to a better me and a healthy and happy new year.

So, I am making a push until Easter. Tess once said that the best time to make a diet and exercise push is from New Years to Easter.  I wholeheartedly agree.  There's not much on the calendar that is celebratory in nature that comes with a lot of social eating.  Let's use that to our advantage and make some positive and lasting changes. I am going to run consecutive 10-day phases, even if they don't start on Monday :) Easter is on April 20th.  In 14 weeks and 4 days, or 101 days.  That means we will be going through 10  10-day cycles.  Brace yourself.  

Today is Day 1 of a Fresh 10 Days.

I have been getting health-related emails since December, most about what to watch for and what will be big in 2014.  Some of these things caught my eye.  I will share them with you over the next couple months, but this 10 days I wanted to focus on this little gem:

"Adopting a plant-based diet could help tip the scales in your favor. A five-year study of 71,751 adults published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics found that vegetarians tend to be slimmer than meat-eaters even though both groups eat about the same number of calories daily. Researchers say it may be because carnivores consume more fatty acids and fewer weight-loss promoting nutrients, like fiber, than herbivores do."

I am not going to be a vegetarian.  I like meat and I like what it does for my body and my appetite.  But I can see the advantages of eating more plants.

The first challenge this 10 Days will be to eat 3 servings of veggies & 2 servings of fruit each day.

That makes even me feel a little panicked.  My diet is bread-centric.  And I dislike cold foods in the cold weather.  But I'll manage.  Here's some ideas of how to do it:

• make a green smoothie with one cup of spinach - 1 serving
• eat a cup of carrot & celery sticks (sans ranch, please) - 1 serving
• eat a cereal bowl of salad with veggies on top (1 tbps or less of olive oil for dressing) - 2 servings plus a bonus of 1 healthy fat serving
• top your morning oatmeal with 1/2 cup berries - 1 serving
• eat a banana, apple, or orange - 1 serving
• any 1/2 cup serving FRESH fruit - 1 serving
• fruit juice or concentrate - 1/2 cup (we've been over this, but juice is so concentrated and sugary and lacks all the fibrous benefits of fresh fruit)
• drink exception: 8 oz of V8 tomato or fruit blend - 1 serving

See, not so bad.

The second challenge is to eat 1400 calories per day.  We have done this before.  We can do it again.  Remember that fruits and veggies and protein are energy-dense foods, while breads, sugars and processed foods are calorie-dense.  Energy-dense foods help you feel full, lose fat, and provide nutrients.

The third challenge is to exercise every day for a minimum of 30 minutes.  We are going to increase the minimum exercise time next challenge, but for this 10 Days 30 minutes is the bare minimum.  Do more if you are feeling like a rock star.  If you are like me and took a huge portion of December off, and you worked out hard yesterday to kick your rear into gear, and are paying for it in soreness today...30 minutes is PLENTY.  Use the things we've already learned: mix cardio up with weights, get outside, and do something with a group or partner occasionally.

The fourth and last challenge is to eat no sugar.  The giant tin of almond roca is not helping my situation any, but I did have the gumption to chuck all the other Christmas candy and treats.  All I have left is a big bowl full of nuts, in the shell, which will end up being a great snack.  It will take time to pry them out of their stubborn shells, and they are full of healthy fat and proteins.  It will become my new afternoon ritual.  I personally am going to commit to indulging in sugar only once in 10 days.



The last thing about losing weight that I want to discuss today is your personal incentive, goals, or base reasons to lose weight.  Some ideas are:

• Put your money where your mouth is.  Websites like dietbet or healthywage let you make a goal, pay monthly, and pay you when you meet your goal.  I like that!  People on healthywage have won $1000 for meeting their goal weight over a 6 month period.  The more lbs the more money you get.  WOW!
• Don't obsess about a number on the scale.  Focus instead on how you feel, how fast you run, a specific area of your body, or an item of clothing you would like to (realistically, of course) fit.  Not the 1-size-smaller-than-you-have-ever-worn-in-your-life jeans that you bought on sale and hung up to remind you of how skinny you'll never be.  I've never done that.  Nope, not me.
• Make a goal and visualize yourself there. The more you visualize yourself exercising and being fit the more likely you will be to get out and exercise.  Make a notebook with magazine pictures and positive reinforcement statements about your ability to be where you want to be.  Research shows this is a powerful tool in achieving goals and people who do this are successful in their ambitions.  I like to look at the Athleta catalog.  It makes me want to look like that: strong and healthy, not skinny and underfed.  I also want to be able to stand on my hands with my feet almost touching the ground behind me.  Unrealistic?  Maybe a little.
• Divide your goal in to smaller short-term goals.  Want to lose 10 lbs?  Set a goal to lose 1 lb per week, 4% of your total body weight in 30 days, or 1% of your body fat in 2 weeks.  These are all realistic and healthy goals that help you focus on the smaller less overwhelming task to get to your overall goal.  I am terrible at this: I set my weight loss goal and put it off, convincing myself that I can do it all in the last 10 weeks of my time period.  Classic fail technique.  Works every time.
• Reward yourself.  If you work out all 10 Days this time, buy a new piece of exercise clothing or other clothing item.  If you're like me, new exercise clothes always make me excited to work out.
• Set activity-based goals.  Run a half-marathon, ride 100 miles, hike to the top of Mt. Timpanogos, do a triathlon, go to Hawaii (jealous).  Having an activity with a set date will encourage you to get fit enough to accomplish this activity in an enjoyable manner: no walking the marathon, or taking 20 hours to summit, or wearing a mu-mu on the beach.  Know it's coming and OWN IT!  I entered a lottery for the Little Red 100 mile bike event on June 7.  I hope I get chosen...and if I do, I'll be ready!  If I don't, I'll need someone to be support while I ride 100 miles on my own...somewhere.  This also means I need to start riding my bike downstairs.  Ugh.
• Do it for your right reasons.  We've discussed this before in this post, but make sure you are making this journey for a good reason, one you and your family can all support, and that mentally will help you become a better person for you.  Doing this for the right reasons will help you stick to your goals.  My reasons are that I want to reach my personal best.  I have always wanted to reach that best and stay there.  My goal is to be lighter so everything in my life is easier: hiking, walking, running, and playing.  I want to be healthy so I can keep pace with my teen-aged daughters, my amazing Mom (who did a ninja course at a trampoline park at 60...NINJA!) and, eventually (heaven help us all) my grandchildren.  Also to set a good example for my daughters of a healthy lifestyle and eating habits, so they can avoid problems such as anorexia or bulimia which affect so many young girls and women today.

Are you ready?  I am!  So I'll end this ridiculously long and blathering post with this inspirational and thought-provoking quote...and then I'm going to work out.  I'm already in my workout clothes.  Half the battle is already won.

Be Committed!

And Kathryn, we love you.  Your dad was, and is, a great and kind person.  Having seven daughters, he had the patience of Job, and he passed on his best qualities to you.  You and your family are in our prayers.

Day 2.4: The Law of Inertia...and ZUMBA!!

Wait. What?

Well, I did much better yesterday.  Did you?  I haven't heard.  From anyone.  I did see that someone ran this week.  Great job!  I did strength training yesterday and it felt great.

This is where Newton's First Law of Motion comes into play: an object in motion tends to stay in motion; an object at rest tends to stay at rest.  See?  Not just for geeks.

I took a week off from specific "workouts".  I stayed active, but didn't do focused exercise.  It took some serious external/inernal force to get me moving yesterday, and now that I'm moving, I'm excited about doing it again today.  Except that yesterday at 4 pm I got a cold: sneezing, itchy eyes, etc.  So I went to bed at 8 pm.  I am still going to exercise today because there are health benefits to moving when ill.  But I am also going to nap, and go to bed early again.  My poor family.

See this article about the best and worst exercises to do when sick, since we're all susceptible:
http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/10/health/exercising-with-cold-flu/

ZUMBA TONIGHT, ANYONE??!!

I found (and verified) two classes tonight:

Lady Fitness Layton 8pm - Free with 3-day free trial membership

Bountiful Rec Center 9 pm - $5

I still can't find the church in Layton - and the co-worker isn't sharing :)

Keep moving through it!

2.1: Our Next 10 Days Start Monday December 2

Whew.  Am I glad that's over.  I had a really fabulous holiday with my family, cooking, playing, skiing, and going to a movie.  But me and my delicious Pumpkin Toffee Cheesecake had to part ways.  Had to.  It was it or me, and knowing how my family feels about pumpkin in general, it was the cheesecake that got dumped.  Lucky for me.

We got to see "Frozen" Saturday...loved it!  Oh my, you really need to see it.  I'm not going to spoil it, but I am going to buy it.  Definitely.  It made me proud to be a strong woman, and to have strong girls.  Girls rule!

So the fridge got blitzed last night, all delicious holiday food covered in cream and cheese, masquerading as vegetables are gone and we are starting fresh.  I'm keeping all my lean turkey meat, and I've boiled the turkey carcass for some delicious turkey vegetable soup.  I feel so much better already!  I am going to weigh myself this morning, and most likely weep a little over the pound or two loss I erased with the help of my cheesecake, but I am looking forward to feeling a little better, tighter, and stronger over the next 10 days.  I relish the return to my predictable & scheduled life.

This 10-day cycle we are 

ditching the jiggle to maximize the jingle in our December!

Goals for our next 10 days:

• Eat 1400 calories per day.
• Drink 64 oz of water per day.
• No added sugar.
• Prioritize your workout.  Make it a scheduled time each day, and do not allow interruptions, even if you are at home.  
• Exercise at least 30 minutes every day but Sunday.  Do not skip.
• Super foods: Olive Oil & Greek Yogurt.  Greek yogurt (buy no-sugar-added) is packed with protein, a great recovery food, and vanilla flavor with added fruit is a great ice cream substitute.  Olive Oil has a multitude of healing properties and its monounsaturated fats could help you burn and store fat more efficiently. Sub it in for butter and drizzle it on your salads or cooked veggies, saute your meats and veggies in it.

Hints & Tips:

• We are entering party season.  Look forward to family Christmas Parties by making them your cheat meal.  Enjoy them most by eating clean and working hard so they aren't tainted by negative feelings.
• Drink water at parties.  Nothing racks up the empty calories like punch and soda.  Drink two cups of water before your meal, and even eat a cup of veggies at home before you go.
• Don't buy Christmas candy.  Don't do it.  Leave it at the store or tightly packaged.  You can't cheat with something that isn't around.
• Working out releases endorphins which regulate our moods and stress.  Holidays are stressful as much as they are enjoyable.  Skipping your workout is detrimental.  View it as a blocked time of day. This is increasingly important during the Christmas season.  Do it in the morning, when it's too cold to do much else.
• Workout just before one of your meals or snacks.  An empty-ish tummy is a happier tummy when you are running or jumping around, and you can feed your muscles by eating post-workout.

Tasks:

• Weigh & measure yourself.  Write it down.
• Prepare your specific meal plan based on the guidelines below.

The 10 Day Meal Plan:

Breakfast: 300 calories

16 oz water

1 serving complex carb

1 serving protein

1 fruit

Morning Snack: 200 calories

Lunch: 300 calories

16 oz water

1 serving veggies

1 serving protein

1 grain (1 slice bread - whole wheat only!)

Snack: 200 calories

Dinner: 400 calories

16 oz water

1-2 servings veggies

1 serving protein

1 complex carb (brown rice, beans, quinoa, yams, wild rice)

Have things on hand like raw nuts, V8 juice, raw fruit like apples, and cut up veggies.  Having a snack plan of attack will keep you from mindless eating.

If you want to do a meal substitute with a protein shake, add spinach, kale, whole kiwi, pears, or apples, along with greek yogurt to add fiber, a veggie serving, and muscle-building dairy to your protein shake.

I will be posting some healthy food ideas, carbs to avoid, new exercises, and other motivation to keep us moving toward healthier happier selves.  

Let's get to it!

Day 1.6: Over the Hump!

More than halfway there!  Are you amazing yourself?  I know I am, but it doesn't take much over here :) I think being accountable to each other is key.  It's not a new principle, but it bears repeating.

It's SATURDAY! Exercise as a family today - go on a hike, run around the park while the kids play, OR let Dad manage Saturday chores while you take just an hour OUTSIDE.  Depart, change your scenery, do something you haven't done all week.  
It'll make you less bored.  
And bundle up...It's refreshing!  If you go out, make sure your knees are covered and toasty.  This will help avoid injury.  Careless people wear shorts in the cold.

Things to Think About:

Mix up your workouts with weight training.
Are you feeling empowered by your control over your sugar cravings?

Did you eat a yam?  If not, do it TODAY.

Do you feel the need to exercise?  That's a new habit forming.

You should be feeling full and happy all day.  Don't skip your meals or snacks.
Drink drink drink.  Your body is flushing out toxins and fat.

Look forward to Thanksgiving...and a well deserved celebration meal.

All these things mean you are making progress.  I need to do better at drinking. It's hard when it's not hot out.  I'm going to do better!

If you're brave, jump on a scale.  But don't be discouraged if there's no change yet.  Muscle weighs more than fat, and you are definitely building muscle.
If you can wait, don't get on until Day 10!

Comment and let us all know how you're doing!!!

Make Saturday count! 

Your hard-earned rest day is tomorrow NOT today!

Day 1.1 - Let's Get After It!

Good morning!  I woke this morning with such a great attitude, and 37 minutes after my alarm went off!  Terrible.  This challenge is so much for me, I'm so glad you talked me into it!  Tess is gung-ho, and I really hope you got up at 6 am!  Do you want a wake-up call tomorrow?!  At 7?

Here's the quote of the week:

"I'm not losing weight, I'm getting rid of it.  I have no intention of ever finding it again"

This is not original, I stole it from a gym membership ad.  I love it.  So let's keep this in mind this first 10 days.  We are getting rid of old habits.  We are getting rid of some smidgen of ourselves and we will not welcome it back with a careless snuggle with a baked good.  No ma'am.

Tasks for today:

WEIGH yourself.  Undressed.  Same time every time you weigh.  Some weigh daily, some don't.  The conditions must be consistent to get true comparisons.
Measure your BODY FAT.  Some scales have it.  If you want to come borrow mine, you are welcome to make a private date with my scale in my bathroom.  Let me know so I can at least clean it first :)

MEASURE yourself.  With a sewing tape measure. Where?  Everywhere.  Chest, waist, hips (at widest part), thigh (again, widest part), calf and ankle if you are totally crazy, becuase you all have GREAT calves and ankles.  Just sayin'.  Again, make sure you measure the same place every time. Sliding your tape down your thigh does not count as inches lost.

As painful as it is, we need to acknowledge where we are today.  And we can't see improvement if you can't compare today with 10, 20, 30 days from now.  Even the tiniest improvement will be motivational.

Write this information down somewhere.  Myfitnesspal has a check-in tab where you can enter all this info, and in settings you can adjust the fields to say what you want to measure.  Don't lose this information.

Comment on how your day went.  Ask questions.

HAVE A HEALTHY DAY!!