MOMMY GOOD BODY

why? WHY?!?!?!

2011-03-14T15:35:00.000-07:00

Do you ever commit to something and ask yourself "why"? Yeah, that's what I'm doing with this stupid push-up challenge. And the fact that I'm on my own in this blasted thing is making it even harder.

Boo, hoo, hoo, hoo, hoooooo.

At least, I've stuck to it!

inspiration

2011-03-08T12:19:00.001-08:00

I'm sure many of you know Lindsay and have already read her blog but I HAD to share it here. She contacted me a few months ago asking general diet and exercise questions. We stayed in touch for a few weeks but our correspondence kind of fizzled. Then Sunday night I saw her blog and her amazing, inspirational transformation and I got goose bumps. Literally! She is so beautiful (always has been) and her story is just so relevant and real. I've asked her to do a guest post with more details which will come soon but for now I encourage you to go to her blog and get inspired.

get in my belly

2011-03-06T19:07:00.000-08:00

I had a conversation with a friend the other day about eating/exercising/weight loss and she asked me about my personal eating habits. After giving her the scoop she told me I should share them here. I know I've mentioned some of my "tricks" in the past but I felt like it would be a good idea to share my tips for staying in control.

I have a hard time restricting myself from any food. When I say no this and no that I always end up binging on it. So instead of going on food lock down I alter my initial instincts when it comes to eating.

I try to use a smaller plate whenever possible. I have 2 salad plates at home that I like to use for meals. I end up with less of a portion than a dinner plate would allow and am never left feeling empty or unsatisfied. On the rare occasion I end up using a dinner sized plate I ALWAYS feel over full/stuffed/uncomfortable at the end of the meal.

I never go back for main course seconds. Let's be honest, lasagna has about 50 bajillion times more calories than the steamed broccoli you served with it. And although a fruit salad has alot of natural sugars it's a way better "double dip" than the sloppy joes. If I need more after my salad plate portion I'll go back for seconds and dish up on healthier sides.

When we eat out Michael and I always split our meal. If we go fast food we'll order one value meal, split the drink and fries and each get our own "entree." It does get obnoxious sometimes though because he is a very picky eater. I'd say that almost always one of us ends up compromising on what we really want so that we can split. It may sound annoying but it's cost effective with both calories and dolla, dolla bills. :D I also split food with the kids because alot of times I'm not as hungry as the drive through menu would have me believe. I'll end up with a few left over nuggets and some fries. It's enough to keep me satisfied until my next meal, even if it comes earlier than normal, which I can make healthier anyway.

If there is a time when I go out and order my own entree, I won't order anything else. If I go to In N Out I get a cheeseburger animal style, of course, and nothing else. No fries for me thanks, I already have a giant cheeseburger to clog my arteries with. If I really, really want a whole meal I will get a kids meal. I've heard that a kids meal is actually the appropriate size for an adult anyway.

I love to eat fruit before a meal. When I start cooking dinner, I'll rinse some grapes or cut up an apple. This helps begin to fill me with a fibrous food that is relatively low in calories. I end up eating less of the dinner that I've made which could be anything from homemade pizza to alfredo. I also eat the same kind of fruit numerous times in a day. I don't know why but I used to not eat more than an apple a day because I felt like I wasn't supposed to or something? But now, when I buy the Costco packs of apples I treat them like a constant daily snack morning, noon and night. I will eat 2 or 3 apples in a day and it feels and tastes great. I get fiber, quick energy and nutrients. If you have lots of fruit, eat lots of fruit. The same goes for veggies too of course.

This may seem like alot of things but I like having a whole arsenal of tricks to help me in various situations. If I can make wise portions a part of my daily diet I know that I won't gain weight no matter what I eat.

Now the next part of this post (it's long, I know) is about why I can eat what I do and stay the same size. I exercise a lot. I burn at least 600 calories every time I teach. Add that to the small portions and you get success in maintenance.

Do you know how much you burn during your workouts? I've used this example before but let I'll share it again. If you run a mile, you burn 100 calories. If you walk a mile you burn 100 calories. Picture it like this, if you heat up some left over pizza in the microwave it takes 1 minute. If you heat it up in the oven it takes 10 minutes or so. The same level of heat can be achieved using different methods at varied lengths of time. Now, if I burn 600+ calories in a one hour Zumba class, it is equivalent to me going 6+ miles. If I wanted to go the 6 miles in the same amount of time I teach a Zumba class I'd end up with 10 minute miles. Basically all of this break down is to show you that I burn a lot of calories and eat fatty foods in smaller portions to end up staying where I'm at. If you don't know how much you burn I would recommend getting one of those watches or some kind of Body Bug that tells you. It's nice to know.

If you want to lose weight you have to burn alot and eat less. It is a simple equation: calories in and calories out. The first being the lesser of the two. I AM NO EXCEPTION TO THIS RULE. If I were to stop exercising like I do and keep eating the fatty foods, even in smaller portions, I would gain weight.

Do you have any questions?

"deenra"

2011-03-04T13:02:00.000-08:00

My husband is the king of saying words in a funny way.

He adds an 'N' to words like 'pickle,' 'thirsty' and 'with.'

They then become 'piNckle,' 'thirNsty' and 'wiNth.'

It's silly and he is silly and that's part of why I love him.

So tonight, I'm making 'deenra' rather than dinner.

And this is what's on the menu.

SPINACH ARTICHOKE LASAGNA

For the full recipe go here. I also want you to know that I originally discovered this on www.justcookalready.com.

Fabulous little blog.

(Actually, not so "little" anymore! Yay!)

grapes and cottage cheese

2011-03-03T14:07:00.001-08:00

This was on my menu today along with steamed broccoli (good thing my husband will be studying in the other room all night long!) and lots and lots of water.

What healthy, QUICK food/snack can you share with me?

I've also reinstated my trips to Sunflower's for produce.

I heard some health guru say once that if you buy the produce, you'll eat it.

I know it sounds like, "well duh!" but it's a truth that can be forgotten and then we end up with a cart full of fruit snacks and granola bars rather than produce.

Sigh....eating right is harder than exercising. Boohoo.

say no to crack

2011-03-01T19:59:00.000-08:00

(Rather than giving you the "I'm the worst blogger in the world" speech, I'm going to assume you don't care and pretend it hasn't been a century since I've posted.)

So CRACK, yeah, like real, addictive, druggish crack. I'm on it. It looks like this.

SOUR PATCH WATERMELONS!!! EF!!!

These little babies are screwing me. So I've decided to say, "screw you," right back!

As of tomorrow (I know, I know, cliche) I will start a diet. Not an I wanna lose weight diet. It's more of an I need to get healthy diet.

I really love that my workout regimen allows me to basically eat whatever I want in moderation. That being said, it's high time I give my body nutritional love in the same way I give it exercise love.

I know I need to straighten out my diet and it's big enough for me to blog about. Not sure if you remember but I am the self proclaimed worst. dieter. ever. This is where you come in.

You wanna join me?

I swear it will be easy to clean it up seeing as how there is a bounty of fresh fruit and veg coming into season lately.

Wanna? Should we?

Yes?!

Yes!

Go!

p.s. I am also officially starting the push-up challenge again tomorrow too. It's high time I conquer that sucker for reals. Just like I conquered my bread baking after producing salty brick after salty brick for 5 years. Join me in that too if you wish.

new challenge

2010-06-13T21:15:00.000-07:00

How about before and afters? Since the push up challenge bored some of you to death (and me too) what do you say we try some before and after shots? I have a couple sweet ones I can already post from before I had a baby and now but Michael wants to do like a six week serious program starting with befores. I am so tired. I am rambling. You get the idea. You in? Even if you don't lose a ton of weight at least you'll most likely be more tan by the end and that can help anyone look better. ;)

can't we just start over?

2010-05-28T16:54:00.001-07:00

Anybody finish the 100 push up challenge? That's what I thought. Anybody wanna start over? Anybody not do it the first time and wanna start with us? You know you can do this program on your knees too right? It doesn't have to be military push-ups. So who's with me? Whaddya say we take the initial test this weekend and training begins on Monday? Everybody put one hand in the center and...GOOOO TEAM GOODBODY!!!

breakfast

2010-05-19T14:46:00.000-07:00

If you're like me, you don't want to have to think hard about breakfast. I don't like a complicated meal first thing in the morning or most times of the day for that matter. Usually because I am rushing to get to the gym but also because I am not 100 % with my brain power at that time of day.

For me a successful breakfast has some fiber and some protein.

If I have a slice of whole wheat toast (for the recipe go here) with a bit of peanut butter, I call that good. If I have the same toast with delicious, fatty regular butter and a glass of milk on the side, I'm still good just not as good.

I like the idea of smoothies too. I think Lindsay mentioned this and I started to brain storm some ideas that would make it even quicker. I have a magic bullet blender but any blender would probably work. If I loaded the blender with all of the fruits/veggies I was going to put in my shake the night before and stuck it in the freezer, all I would have to do in the morning is add the liquids. I could pop it on the blender base and wha-la! Breakfast. Even if you don't do the night before bit, it's still pretty quick. Also, to get some protein in your smoothie you could add milk or yogurt or a vanilla protein mix.

*Little side note here, most of you have probably heard that it is wise to consume protein after a resistance training workout. And that it is. However, you don't need to fork out money on a fancy pants protein shake if you don't want to. Drinking one 8 ounce glass of milk can serve as the necessary amount of protein your body needs to help your muscles rebuild. Sweet. Cheap.

Other good breakfasts are eggy breakfasts. I will say this though, if you go the egg route, try and eliminate at least one of the yolks and don't have more than three eggs. In fact, two is probably sufficient. I also don't recommend eggs everyday. Way too much cholesterol. If you want a night before type of egg breakfast, try combining your eggs and veggies in a plastic bag in the fridge. Then when you wake up, you can boil the baggie in a pot of water (girls camp style) or dump into a frying pan to scramble or make into an omelet.

Do you like pancakes? How about making a healthy version, freezing individual servings into plastic baggies and then nuking them. You can toss with a touch of powdered sugar or drizzle a small amount of syrup on them right into the same bag. Then use the bag as a wrapper and no utensils are required.

Other simple breakfasts off the top of my head.
yogurt and granola
oatmeal (not the instant, sugary flavored stuff) with nuts, dried fruit or peanut butter
hard boiled eggs and a piece of fruit
peanut butter and banana

I hope this helps. I've said it once and I'll say it again, I am a terrible dieter. If I give myself too many restrictions, like most of you, I will fail at whatever my dieting goals are. I really think that the idea of protein and fiber in my breakfast is easy and flexible. Wait, did I mention why you should have protein and fiber? Duh! Sorry. Fullness. That's why. It will help you get through to lunch or if not that far, to your early afternoon snack. I hope this helps Chelsi. Any other questions, let me know. xoxo

hey thanks

2010-05-18T13:13:00.000-07:00

Being sore is your bodies way of thanking you for using it to its best abilities. The next time you sit down on the pot and your legs speak up, tell them they're welcome and smile at the service you did for your quads.

breakfast

2010-05-16T22:41:00.000-07:00

I just saw that Nutri-Grain bar commercial again and it got me to thinking. As hillarious and silly as it is, they have a point. Along the same lines as 'make a change, and a change will happen,' breakfast really is the perfect place to start.

Riddle me this, if you head to Magelby's Fresh for breakfast and totally smorgasbord, is there even a fart in he11 that you are going to 180 your eating habits for the rest of the day? No, I didn't think so. Start right and yes you may screw up an hour later but the chances are smaller for a screw up then they would be if breakfast is already screwed. You know what I'm saying?

Secondly, personally I don't think a Nutri-Grain Bar is a very good breakfast but if it's a breakfast where there normally isn't one, then so be it. For all of you non-breakfast people out there, I'm gonna smack you. Seriously, it's called break-fast for a reason! Your body has been burning up all its energy stores over night and if you don't give it something new to burn guess what? You'll end up storing the first thing you eventually eat at lunch. I know breakfast can be hard, ever since having a baby my breakfast appetite has plummeted. But if you neglect your body of its natural needs then you are going to end up with a poor outcome. The same rule would apply if we are talking about holding our urine. Neglect your body of the need to pee and well...you get the idea. Give your body what she wants and needs hey? Okay.

So there is a little healthful rant for you. Make breakfast the best meal you can because if you start off on the wrong foot you are most likely screwin' yerself for tha rest o' the day. Argh. (That was the random pirate in me trying to scare you into taking this seriously.) Non-breakfasters, come on, give it a try. Just try and stomach something simple and small like a piece of whole wheat toast and a banana. Happy eating in the morn' to all. xoxo

yupdate

2010-05-16T15:38:00.000-07:00

Yup, it's official, I'm subbing more classes than you can shake a stick at. Check out the left side bar for the dates.

On to bigger and better things. I don't know if any of you saw on my FB page about ayayay doing a special on their T-back tanks. If you become a FB fan and post what you do in your ayayay, you can get half off a T-back tank. They are so cute and sassy. Even if you "aren't ready physically" to wear this style of top as one of my cute friends put it, you could wear this top over your swimwear. It would be so cute to show off your suit but still cover a bit too. Just an idea.

Lastly, I just wanted to publicly recognize my good friend Heather. She successfully completed the 21 day challenge along with the other four gals mentioned below. I feel so TERRIBLE that I forgot to include her. Part of my penance is public recognition. I hope you can all give her a virtual high five because we all know it was a major feat to accomplish. Hooray Heather!

Oh and just one quick question? Have you fallen completely off the band wagon or maybe just had a nibble here or there? I hope it's just the appropriate occasional nibble but I would NEVER judge if you had done a 180. xoxo!

and the winner is...

2010-05-11T13:34:00.000-07:00

Seirra!!! Hooray to Seirra Prina from Prina family! I have tried and tried and tried, that's three 'trieds', to get a stupid video to upload on this dern blog to no avail. I filmed myself randomly choosing a name out of a bowl so that everyone could see it was kosher. Sorry that I can't get it to work, you'll just have to trust me on this one.

Here is a pic of the final four. I don't remember how many we started with but you gals are the last ones standing. Can you believe you did this?! Can you believe that you are still doing this?! I am so proud and so inspired by all of you. I feel sad that I can't get an ayayay item for everyone but that would cost me close to 200 bucks and I just don't have that kinda cash right now. I'm so, so, so sorry that I can't. You have no idea. However, I do believe that after the initial, "aw shucks I didn't win" wears off, that most of you will remember the prize you have given yourselves and be okay. Thank you so much for sticking with this and for teaching me new ways of looking at food. I am overwhelmed with joy for all of you. xoxo

To all of the people out there who joined and didn't quite make it to the 21 days, hooray for you too!!! Congratulations on challenging yourself and succeeding. I hope that somehow, this little challenge helped you. Maybe just being able to initially evaluate your daily diet and say, "what can I fix" helped. Whatever it was, I am so glad that so many people stepped up to the plate and so glad that I have friends who are willing to indulge me and my silly little blog. Love to all.

Seirra email me what you would like and what size you are and your address to katillac765@gmail.com. If you have any questions about sizing or anything let me know.

160

2010-05-07T19:54:00.000-07:00

No that's not my weight, thank goodness, although when I was pregnant.... Whoa, totally getting side tracked here.

Anyway, did you know that the average American consumes 160 pounds of sugar a year? Holy Moly that's alotta sugar!!! I just thought that all of you anti-sugarites out there would like to know that after the 21 days is up you will have consumed 9 pounds less sugar than the average peep. Niiiiiiice. No wonder everyone who has sworn off the sweet stuff is showing results!

motivation?

2010-05-05T14:22:00.000-07:00

Not sure if this is considered motivation but I just wanted to know what all of you are planning on doing after all of this is over?

Don't feel embarrassed to say that you are going to go right back to your old ways if that's what you'll do. Maybe some of you will return to the old habits just not in the same full force way as before. I don't think that many of you will become addicted to Diet Coke again. I do think that the no sugar crew will eventually, gradually add in the occasional sweet treat which is wonderful and okay. I guess I should stop assuming and ask again, what will you do? I wanna know. There is no wrong answer here so be honest.

one more time with feeling

2010-04-30T00:28:00.000-07:00

Forgive me for sounding redundant but I feel the need to once again clarify the point of this whole exercise. I know we are more than half way through here and I know I have been overly wordy (sorry, that's just in my nature) about what this whole thing is about but I have run into some speed bumps that have confused me. So I guess this is more for me than you but hey, you can post your success at the bottom of this rant for day 12 so there you go.

Anyway, it's late and I'm a touch peeved and I should probably sleep before posting but the problem is I won't sleep if I don't get it out. And since my husband is on call tonight and definitely won't be sleeping that means all of the driving to Disneyland will be left to me tomorrow. I gotta get it off my chest so I can sleep so listen up.

The point of this 21 day challenge was not to starve any of you, deprive any of you, hurt anyones feelings, push you beyond your limits or brain wash you into a diet. It was to help hold you accountable for your own eating habits. Whether they need a healthy boost with some extra veggies or a stiff shock with the zero sugar idea, it was to help. That's all. I thought that it would be nice to offer a support group and an incentive. I also thought it would be nice to coach you through and make sure that you truly challenge yourself. One of my besties who is doing this challenge originally posted her diet plan in the beginning. I called her out asking her for more and she politely declined my "invitation" to do more. She explained why her 21 day plan was right for her and why it would be an adequate challenge. I agreed with EVERYTHING she had to say and let her make her own decision. She has been successful and has even shown results on the scale and in the mirror. Good for her. For balancing the challenge with what works for her. Good for her for sticking to it and good for her for saying NO when I said MORE.

Have any of you seen the Shawshank Redemption? There is a line in that movie after Andy Dufresne escapes from prison that goes, "he crawled through a tunnel of es-ach-aye-tee and came out clean." That is applicable here in a sense. I don't want anyone to literally go crawling through poop. I do want everyone to come out of this clean. I want you to see a light at the end of a poop filled tunnel and fight hard through that dookie to make it there. You may get some in your eye, puke at the stench or have to stop and pinch your nose but keep going. Keep fighting. Keep holding yourself accountable and you will come out clean.

What is to happen when all of this is over? When the 21 days are done what will you do? Well shucks, I guess that is just up to you. Isn't that awesome?! It's your choice whether you fall back into your old ways, you find moderation and balance between a ton and none or you keep going on a hard core track. You choose.

Remember last weekend when it was Violet's birthday and I made the decision to indulge? Remember how for me that was justifiable grounds to splurge and enjoy good food in the company of people I love? You can do that too. Go ahead! I don't care! I want you to be happy. If you are miserable without your Diet Coke, please stop this silliness and drink a freakin' Diet Coke!

I was so stoked, surprised and inspired by Darise on Sunday when she passed up her Mother-in-laws homemade apple pie. Isn't that just awesome?! Then a couple days later, she ate Oreos. Oreos! She passed up the apple pie and ate the Oreos. Isn't that just hilarious?! I love it. It's perfect because it's real life. (Sorry Darise if this example makes you feel exposed but I figure you posted it in the public comments so it's fair game right? And besides, it's so rad. Just the realness of the whole thing. I mean that. We've all been there.)

Is any of this making sense? Can any of you honestly tell me that you are ready, willing and able to make it through the next few days? Can you? Do you even want to? Because I've got news, if you don't want to, no one is making you. I don't care as long as you are happy and satisfied. It's about you. Hmmm. That sentence sounds familiar. :) Please don't blame me. Please don't hate me. Please don't pass the buck and please, for the love of homemade apple pie, do what is best for you. I love you all and I want you to succeed.

real age test

2010-04-29T15:23:00.000-07:00

How old are you? Now how old are you inside? The Real Age Test takes approximately 5-10 minutes and can not only calculate your health according to your lifestyle, it can give you great tips as to how to live younger. I have taken this test twice and the second time around I am younger! The first time I took it I was 24 and my Real Age was 20.8. This time I am 26 and my Real Age is 19.4. Sweet hugh? I found this motivating and I think you should try it. (Beware of some of the questions, if you click yes without reading they can spam you stuff.) I bet all of you are much younger than your true age may suggest, especially with how clean you've been eating. :) And if that isn't motivation enough, consider this, you are more than half way through the challenge! Hooray for Spring diet cleaning!

p.s. To Heather, the beautiful bum face who called me out about my push-ups, I am not doing very well. At all. In fact, my last day was last week and I completed day 1 of week 4. I feel terrible that I let it drop and am recommiting myself now. Right here, right now. I have the website already pulled up and I'm rearing to go. Wish me luck that I can accomplish day 2 of week 4 after being dorment for so many days. Yes I can! Yes I can! And if I can't, I'll try again and again until I can.

Ahem...

2010-04-28T20:20:00.000-07:00

Excuse me? Where are you? I love you. I miss you. I want you back. If you fell off the wagon today, get back on right now. Not first thing in the morning. Not after your last cookie. Now. xoxo

success!

2010-04-27T20:36:00.001-07:00

Motivation for today, success! The word, SUCCESS. All of you have obtained it and keep grabbing more each day. You are successful. You are healthy. You are winning and you are choosing to do it all on your own. You. Congratulations on your success. I love it.

sweet success

2010-04-25T19:21:00.000-07:00

Doesn't your success taste almost as sweet as your favorite dessert? I mean really, do we even need the sugary concoctions when we can get such gratification from rocking this 21 day challenge? No. The answer is surely no. :) Congratulations to all of my successful challengers and congratulations to those of you who have slipped and come back. It's good to make this a daily fight if for some reason temptation gets the best of you. I KNOW everyone is going to come out the other end of this feeling clean, mean and accomplished.

As you all know last night was Violet's birthday party. A few of my friends were discussing their "trigger times" or the times of day that they feel the most temptation to binge on sweets. Here were some of the most common times of day:

Anytime between the hours of 2-5 p.m.
This is because everyone experiences a natural slump in energy during this time of day. I think we crave sweets because we want a pick me up.

The evenings between 8-bedtime.
I think this is because we are three things, tired, thirsty and sitting down. Our hands aren't moving, our minds are moving slowly and (most of us) are finally kid free.

Anytime you are thirsty.
Have you ever woken up from a nap and wanted a giant bag of gummy bears? Or been driving home from the gym only to stop at a Circle K and buy a huge freakin' slurpy instead of a giant water bottle?

After a meal.
I don't know if there is a biological reason for this or if it's because us fat Americans like a sweet dessert after a salty dinner? Whatever the reason, it is a common pitfall for many of us.

Ask yourself when and why you crave sweets. Once you have it identified, take control. Help yourself know what you really need before you sugar yourself up. I know that not all of you are warding off sweets but this can be a helpful tidbit to anyone. Or at least I hope it's helpful. Do any of you have other trigger times? Lemme know.

daily dose

2010-04-22T20:24:00.000-07:00

Here is your motivation boost for today.

I have a birthday party planned for Violet this weekend and I have invited a few of my closest friends. There will be cake and treats and junk and goodies. Tonight at the gym I talked with a couple of the friends who will be in attendance at this feast and you know what those Hard Cores said? Nugh ugh! Not gonna happen! My husband can eat my cake but I will not partake!

Pure craziness. The next time you feel like cheating, remember what you're up against down here in Tucson. Pure desert grit right there. I guess I'll only make one dozen cupcakes rather than two?

As for me, Saturday will be a sweet, simple carbohydrated day. :) I choose my battles and this one is easier left to the Hard Cores to fight. Love it. Love them. Love all of you.

p.s. Would you all please stop thanking me! It's so nice but turn that gratitude around and thank yourself! You guys are rocking this thing!!! I'm rubber, you're glue....

keep it up

2010-04-21T15:54:00.000-07:00

Nice work for day 2 my little chickadees. (I can say little because you are all shrinking by the second!) Again, I was a proud woman last night as my Blackberry went bananas with all of your success.

Motivation for today.

Whenever one of those horrible, can't help but ogle, makes you never want to eat again Victoria's Secret Commercials comes on, Michael and I have the same conversation time and time again. We talk about how if my job was to look like that, I mean my actual LIVELY HOOD, was to look like a Victoria's Secret model, I still couldn't do it. You thought I was going to say I could do it didn't you? Well you're wrong. Even before having two kids, I would have never cut the mustard.

This is an excerpt from an interview with Heidi Klum done by Marie Claire magazine:

“I always think, Look at how people were before they were pregnant,” Klum says. “If you were a toned, healthy, energetic person, most likely you will be like that again.” Cold comfort to the untoned and unhealthy, but the straight dope is sort of refreshing. “A lot of people come to me, and they’re like, ‘Will I look like you after I have the baby?’ And I say, ‘Well, how were you before?’ You can’t kid yourself.”

It's true isn't it? We are all different and very few of us have ever or will ever look like Heidi Klum no matter how hard we try. But that's okay because this challenge isn't about that. Make this challenge about you and you alone. Make it about your personal best. Not Heidi Klum's personal best, not the personal best of Skinny Butt Magee who lives down the street, not even the personal best of your sister who's always been smaller than you. You. Just you. It's all for you and about you. Doesn't the limelight feel nice sometimes? :)

one proud hen

2010-04-20T13:30:00.000-07:00

Oh dear. I didn't realize how happy I would feel after hearing everyones success stories. I can't even begin to describe my elation! I am like a proud mama hen with all my darling chicks! Congratulations for sticking to it and for making it so easy. Yes you can! Yes you can!

I was thinking about what I could post for motivation and then I thought of this little phrase that sometimes revs our engines. It goes, "I bet you fifty bucks....."

Well guess what, depending on what item of clothing you choose from ayayay, I am betting you almost 50 bucks! I hope that thought helps ignite the competitive spirit inside all of you. :) Just so you know, I would never bet against a single one of you. I know you can do this!

On a little side note, I have a calender where I am writing down every one who checks in each day. I am sure there is some kind of cool blog application thingy I could add where you could check in each day but you all know my technical abilities. Just call me Cave Woman Kat. For now, good ole paper 'n pencil 'ill have ta do. :)

mmm mmm good

2010-04-18T22:02:00.000-07:00

Did you know that sometimes, success tastes so sweet that you don't need sweets to cure your sweet tooth. Sweet. I bet that's what is going to happen to all of you.

Hooray for a challenge and hooray for already succeeding by taking the plunge! I am going to do my best to keep posting motivating tidbits daily as we go through this refiners fire.

Did you know that it takes 3500 calories to lose a pound?

Did you know that by adding your upper body into a workout you burn 20 percent more calories? (I'm not saying that everyone should start running like Phoebe but maybe just use your arms more intensely during classes or something. :) )

Have you ever craved Krispy Kreme at midnight, pregnant or not? Did you cave and fill that craving? Was the doughnut as good as you had imagined? That's what I thought. Sinning doesn't feel good does it? Wickedness never was happiness.

The next time you are going to indulge, consider the rarity of the indulgence. If you can buy/make it anytime of year then it's probably not binge worthy. Ask yourself, "is this Peep worth the calories? Don't they make these all year now instead of just at Easter? What is really in this thing? Would it ever rot if I left it sitting on the counter? Will I eat just one Peep and then be done or will all of these little yellow chicks eventually end up in ma bellay?" These questions are good to ponder. They are also good to answer. Don't forget the answer.

Hopefully some of these will help you to jump start your 21 day challenge. I can't wait to see who the winner is! I have this sneaking suspicion it may be all of you. :) xoxo

And p.s. don't forget your push ups!

twenty one REVISED

2010-04-16T11:12:00.000-07:00

They say it takes 21 days to make or break a habit. There you go. Accountability challenge.

Every day for twenty one days you will fight for the good and against the bad so set your goal and post it in the comments. It can be no soda, no carbs (which I'm not a super fan of but it's your prerogative) no eating after 8 p.m., more solid servings of healthy fruits and veggies (fries don't count as a veggie), no sugar!!!! whatever it is, post it and do it. Report your daily success here and you can get one step closer to winning an item of clothing from ayayay. I know, I know, I am SOOOO not a giveaway girl. I really don't like them, especially on personal, measly blogs like my own but this is in the name of life and love and fitness and health so I'm doin' it. Incentive enough? Hope so.

So here's a rundown of the rules:

Post your personal 21 day diet challenge here by Monday and I will approve it.

Then starting Monday post a comment everyday that you succeed in your goal. This will count as an entry with a total of 21 entries possible.

If more than one of you make it to 21 then I will do a random drawing.

This whole thing is on an honor system so please be honorable and honest. If your goal is no soda and you have even a sip, that counts as a screw up. I'm serious!

Are we all clear? Is this good? Are you motivated? I can scratch this whole idea and figure out something else because frankly I wouldn't mind purchasing an ayayay item for myself. Lemme know watcha think. Oh and when you post your personal diet challenge can you leave me your email address just in case we need to discuss some things. Thanks! One last thing, you are more than welcome to tell your friends about this but it doesn't count as more entries or anything. This isn't a giveaway to get more readers it's a giveaway to challenge my current readers and friends.

One final word here, be ambitious.

And the revision begins here. So I know that technically I'm not requiring a whole lot of you but I thought that everyone would require more of themselves than this. I feel like no one is doing something that is really pushing their boundaries. I know I sound like a total turd but I want MORE! I really do. I don't think that not eating sweets after a certain time or only eating them once a day or only having one soda a day or eating an apple a day are good enough. You have an opportunity to collectively, as a group, support each other through a change. A heavy change. I can't remember exactly how much Weight Watchers costs but I'm pretty sure it's not free.

Maybe the problem is that I haven't committed to anything? Or that we have different goals? Maybe one person wants to be healthy and another wants to be skinny? I think that if you identify what it is that you want, then maybe you will be able to set a more specific, less wussy goal. I don't want anyone to starve and I don't want anyone to gain a complex but I do want everyone to confront themselves. To weed out the bad and add in the good. A CHANGE, not an edit or an alteration. CHANGE!

Here is me, mine, what I will do. I have lost quite a bit of weight lately and it's wonderful but my belly, she still ain't tight enough. They say that abs are made in the kitchen and I really believe that. As much as I believe in "calories in, calories out" for weight loss, I think if you want to cut your belly muscles you have to weed out alot of junk. I am vowing to cut out simple carbs. That means no more mac n cheese, no more french fries, no more Chick-fil-a chicken sandwiches and no more Reeses puffs for breakfast. Even though I am still able to keep my calories in check while consuming these foods, I am positive that they are what's keeping my kangaroo pouch full. So there. I'm doing it too and I don't even win anything in the end.

Give me more! Challenge yourself. If you are truly scared to fully give up something for 21 measly days, then you may want to reconsider your whole world. Food isn't everything. It's good but we CAN go without certain foods for 21 days. I would rather have you set your goals too high and fail a couple of the days then choose something TOTALLY DOABLE and totally weenie. Do I hope you will make it all 21 days and then continue? Sure. Of course. Absolutely! Am I going to monitor everyone to make sure it keeps going? No. Of course not. Are you crazy?

Now gear up and go get em. You can do anything for 21 days! Anything! Yes I can! Yes I can! Say it over and over.

friendly advice

2010-04-14T09:36:00.000-07:00

I was on the phone with my bestie the other day and she was lamenting the fact that she hadn't lost any weight over the last week despite hard effort. We were going over her diet and exercise regimen and decided that her diet was the culprit for her inability to shed it. Out of nowhere I found some sage advice. I told her that if you make changes, change will happen. It sounds so simple but more often than not we forget how simple shrinking ourselves really is. And maybe that's what makes it so hard?

This week (or the next time you decide you want to minimize) try thinking of making a change. Leave it at that and nothing more. I will change the size of plate I eat off of. I will change my Froot Loop breakfast into a whole wheat toast breakfast. I will stop eating after dinner no matter what. A little change can have a big impact so make a change to see a change.

some extra bits

2010-04-09T14:36:00.000-07:00

First I want to explain a few things about my push up training. I just finished week three and am about to start week four. But because of my other workouts, I won't start until Monday. I just can't pump out the five sets after teaching a full class that includes anywhere between 24-48 push ups. I'm sorry I have to take my "weeks" slower but I really do want to succeed at this. I know I will fail if I try and combine the 100 push up program with my already full regimen. SO there's that. The next little thing is this. If any of you are struggling with your push ups or can't seem to pump out the sets required of you on a specified day you know what to do right? You just repeat that day the next time you get down to do your workout. Since it's all about slowly building up to being able to do 100 consecutively you have to take it at your own pace. Just because the website specifies a certain amount doesn't mean you have to do that many if you can't keep good form while doing them. You can't cheat your way through this thing so modify, modify, modify.

The next tidbit is about dieting. I know I need to offer good tips and dieting tools right here on this bliggity blog. The trouble is, I am the worst dieter on the face of the earth. I shared my fruit "trick" here a few days ago and I don't think anyone took me seriously. Let me tell you something you will take serious, Diet is 80 percent of weight loss. There is no miracle pill (unless that is a caffeineated multi vitamin made by One A Day which I am not promoting to all of you Mormon readers out there) or miracle hormone injection (cough* cough* HCG). There is an age old saying that women hate to hear. It goes like this: calories in, calories out. That is the secret. You can cut out carbs, trim the fat, up the fiber or drink more water but the truth is, to lose weight, you have to spend more than you gain. You need to create a calorie debt! How awesome that you get to go into debt over something without feeling guilty! Hooray! Ya, I think I'll look at it that way from now on. :)

My last tidbit is this. What do you want from me? I want to give you what you want. Don't get me wrong, this blog is totally for my own satisfaction but half of that satisfaction comes from my readers. So what can I do more for you? What do you want to know about that I know about since, according to my favorite sister in law, I am a know it all. :) I did get a little suggestion to explore apposing muscle groups and how they interact and I can do that. Other than that, I don't know what I can do. So tell me before I run out of ideas and leave this blog dormant for another 7 or something months. I love you. All of you. And I feel your love when you tell me about your push up success. Thanks for reading, thanks for motivating and thanks for sticking with me. Ugh! Ugh!

extra! extra!

2010-04-08T12:50:00.000-07:00

I had the honor of writing a little diddy for the fabulous Jen of Have Your Cake. Her blog is fresh and thought out and I love her daily blurbs. She is honest and to the point about mantaining a healthy life style without being intimidating. Check it out! www.havyourcake.blogspot.com

ayayay'm in love

2010-04-06T23:34:00.000-07:00

Pretty sure most of you if not all of you know about this athletic clothing line I'm so excited about. It's a company out of SLC that sells the most adorable, high quality and fun exercise gear ever. I am so infatuated that I could go into debt just to own a full ayayay wardrobe. I know their website has been acting a little funny lately but their online catalog is up and running. Check her out. There is something for even the most conservative girl out there.

boy i otta...

2010-03-30T21:29:00.000-07:00

Oh how I wish I had done less than 25 push ups for my second initial test. Yeesh.

As for something more exciting, I am workin' on it. Promise. Coming soon to a theater near you.

good but not great

2010-03-28T19:18:00.000-07:00

I was really hoping that my second test would be as awesome as some of you, *cough *cough Chelsi, but instead I could only pump out 27. That's ok. It's still plenty better than my first initial test and so I am satisfied for now. I think we need a little motivation here, a little pick me up. Maybe I should find something interesting to post about, any suggestions? Or I could just keep doing/saying push up, push up, push up, push up....

3 new posts below

2010-03-23T16:03:00.001-07:00

pregfit instead of just pregnant

2010-03-23T14:39:00.000-07:00

Since I have alot of friends who are either pregnant, trying to get pregnant or have been pregnant, I figure a working out while pregnant post might be of some use to all.

My pregnancy with Jack was healthy, normal and fairly easy. I never puked, only felt nauseated during the first trimester and was able to work on my feet as a waitress the whole 9 months. I gained 39 pounds.

My pregnancy with Violet was equally as good. However, I continued exercising at my pre-pregnancy fitness level and only gained 29 pounds.

When I get questions about what is a healthy and safe amount of exercise during pregnancy I usually tell people to continue their current exercise routine until comfort necessitates modification. Basically that means if you lift weights, you can keep lifting them. The modification will come when you don't feel comfortable lying on your back and you will have to do chest presses, crunches and other exercises on an incline. If you take aerobic classes or do other aerobic activities, you can keep doing that same workout for the same duration of time. The modification will happen when your bladder forces you to stop jumping and you have to minimize the movements to a lower impact option.

Here are a few tips:
During cardio exercise you should be reaching 40-60 percent of your maximum heart rate. Basically, you should be able to speak while working out.

If it feels uncomfortable, it's probably not right. Again, listen to your body.

Any good fitness instructor should be able to provide you with specific pregnancy modifications. Feel free to ask for options before or after class. During class listen for the words, level one, low option, or low impact. Those are for you.

Tests have shown that exercise during pregnancy can reduce or even eliminate symptoms of morning sickness. I know I never threw up but the naseau was awful too. I felt less naseau on the days I worked out. Swear.

It sounds simple, it sounds easy but you would not believe how many people freak out about exercise during pregnancy. It's ok to keep it up and keep it moving. Going back to the post below, as long as you listen to your body, you will be fine. If you have questions about what you can and can't do, talk to your doctor. You may be surprised to find that doctors really support/encourage good, sweaty exercise through out the entire 9 months. Whatever you do, don't stop. I promise you that your body will have an easier time during delivery and an easier time losing the post pregnancy weight. For me the best part of teaching classes all the way to the end of my second pregnancy was the tiny sneakers Violet was born wearing. Just kidding but wouldn't it have been funny? No really, it was gaining 10 pounds less than I had with Jack. Worth every ounce.

***Every pregnancy is different. If you have had or are having a pregnancy with complications, this post probably will not apply to you. I am speaking to the average woman, with the average pregnancy. If you think you may have a pregnancy with specific guidelines, talk to your OBGYN before embarking on any exercise program.

push up and up

2010-03-23T14:30:00.001-07:00

Is it just me or was day 3 of week 2 not as bad? Yeah. That's what I thought. It is just me. I thought that I would be weaker after taking so many days off but I think I am stronger. Maybe it's because I finally gave my body enough rest to actually rebuild what I tear down when I work out. Who knows? All I know is that brief hiatus has really re-inspired me to grab this thing by the horns. Hope you guys are feeling good too. I can't wait to take the "initial test" over again on Thursday to see how much I've grown. Did you read that Chelsi did 32 after an initial test of only 14?! Isn't that rad?! Can I get an Ugh! Ugh!?

i listened and learned

2010-03-23T13:23:00.000-07:00

You know how everyone keeps saying things like, "listen to your body, it will tell you what it needs"? Well, I listened and I learned that everyone is right. Saturday morning was my last class of the week and as I mentioned before I had taught 8 classes in five days. Boy was that alot. One night I taught a Zumba class from 6:30-7:30 at Gold's on the East side of town, then sped all the way to LA Fitness on the North side of town to teach Zumba from 8-9. Luckily I was only five minutes late and I didn't kill anyone on the way. (For all of you Utah peeps that is basically like driving through town from the University Mall to the Provo Towne Center in under 30 minutes.) My point is, I may have overdone it a teensy bit last week and as punishment my body thought it would be a good idea to make me sick. As if making me sore wasn't bad enough, she threw the illness in there for good measure.

I am happy to report that after 3 days of basically doing nothing (nothing meaning no exercise) I feel a million times better. In fact, I would venture to say that I feel one hundred million and ninety nine percent better (There's a little shout out to the Maury Povich paternity test show for you)! It's wonderful. Life is good and I think I know what all the fuss is about. Listening to your body really does produce good results. Now, if I could only convince my body that it needs all of the chocolate chip cookies. :)

Here's a little challenge for you, since the hundred push-up program isn't enough, try listening. If your body says you're tired, sleep. If she says she is hungry, eat. Thirsty, drink. Naked, shop. Wait what?! Ok that last one was lame but really, listen. Don't gorge, pig out or force yourself beyond your limits. Chances are it will have a negative effect rather than a positive.

Now, go q-tip your ears and listen up. I bet your day will be so much better.

shunshine! i hate shunshine!

2010-03-21T18:55:00.001-07:00

Remember when Mad Madame Mim got sick and the anecdote was sunshine? I wish that would cure me right now because this whole not being able to breathe thing is screwing me. I am officially postponing my push ups until at least one of my nostrils is clear and my face doesn't feel like it's having braxton hicks. I hate to do this but after teaching 8 classes in five days last week plus the gnarly week 2 of one hundred push up mania, I think this cold is my body telling me to sit down or else! Please don't give up just because I am taking a sick day. Please! I need you!

push up-chuck

2010-03-18T15:28:00.001-07:00

Am I the only one out there hating this more day by day? I seriously dread Monday, Wednesday and Friday and we're only on week two. So pathetic!!

Also, do any of you do more than the max out "at least" number? Yesterday I hit 17 and that was all she wrote. Seventeen? Is that all it takes to zap me of me muscle juices? I guess so.

I will not quit, I will not quit, I will not quit, I want to quit, I MEAN, I will not quit, I will not quit....

tooty fruity

2010-03-17T09:23:00.001-07:00

I have this awesome dieting tip that is going to blow your mind. At least, it should because it works like a freaking charm.

Eat a handful of fruit roughly 30 minutes before eating a meal. When I am cooking dinner or preparing lunch the first thing I do is slice an apple and eat half or have some berries. Any fruit will do and it doesn't have to be alot.

I'm not sure the exact science of it all but when I think about it logically these are the reasons I can come up with for it working. First it starts to fill up your tummy before your meal which helps you eat less. Next it is a fiber rich food which also sustains the full feeling for longer after you eat. And last, I think it somehow keeps my blood sugar stable. Not sure if this one is true and since I'm not a doctor or a registered dietitian I don't think you should quote me on that. However, I do notice that I am less fatigued when I follow this rule. You know how after you eat, you just want to take a nap? I don't get that very often anymore.

So there you have it. Three pretty good reasons why you should eat fruit before you eat your meal. If those reasons don't officially do it for you how about this? I can't stop losing weight. Yeah I teach gym classes and work out alot but we all know that diet is 80 percent of weight loss. We also know that I am the WORST dieter in the world. So if I am losing weight and this is one of the only "dieting" tricks I am using, it must be working right? Right. Try it. You'll like it.

A big thanks to Heather for this tip. It has revolutionized my life in the last month. I never imagined something so small could make such a big difference. It works for me, I hope it works for you too.

shape ups

2010-03-11T15:21:00.000-08:00

Have any of you seen these shoes? Have any of you thought, "hmm, maybe I should try those?" Well if you have, shame on you! Hey, here's an idea, maybe you should exercise for real instead of spending big bucks on a pair of shoes that make you look like you ride the short bus. So lame. So ugly. Such a sad farce.

vacation

2010-03-11T13:19:00.000-08:00

Hi push-up friends. Or should I say push-up fiends? Eh? Eh? Lame. Sorry.

I just wanted to let you all know that I won't be reporting for Day 3 of the push up challenge until Saturday. I had to take a lifting class today and ended up pounding out about 4 sets of 8. If you add that to all I did yesterday it equals, well, jello arms. So to give my chest a break I will be moving my Day 3 to Saturday from Friday. Just wanted to let you know. How are you doing? I bet you are rocking it and I know you aren't going to give up either. Seriously, how rad will it be when you can drop down and do 100?! Super rad. Can I get an ugh! ugh!?

push update day 2

2010-03-10T16:54:00.000-08:00

So it's official. I'm an idiot. I cannot for the life of me figure out how to get the push up charts onto my blog. I know it's possible because the girl I got the idea from had them on hers but I just can't figure it out.

My remedy for this problem is just to provide links to the corresponding chart each day. That's the best I can do. Sorry.

Anyway...I accomplished day two successfully. Ugh! Ugh!

It went like this:
Set 1: 10
Set 2: 12
Set 3: 8
Set 4: 8
Set 5: max out but do at least 12. I did 13. Ok, ok 12 1/2. :)

Here's hoping that you were successful in your second day. Has anyone else already had thoughts about how hard this will be getting soon? Like very soon. Yeah me too. But for some reason, it's still kinda fun in a sick, punishing kind of way. :)

push-update

2010-03-08T15:30:00.000-08:00

Day 1 done. Successful completion. I am going to get Michael to help me put up the charts for the coordinating days on my blog. I may be capable and even pretty good at teaching fitness classes but I am a complete moron when it comes to anything technical.

Here is the rundown
Set 1:10
Set 2:12
Set 3:7
Set 4:7
Set 5:10 (I may have been able to do more than 10 if Jack weren't trying to climb on my back for a ride.)

Phew.

If you are doing this with me, so far I only know of Chellor, then you can report on your own blog, on my blog in the comments section, on your refrigerator at home or on FB. I don't care, as long as you're being honest. I would love to hear how it's going for you though so if you do get a chance leave your stats in the comments below. Can I get an UGH! UGH! (More manly than a woot! woot! don't you think?)

shifty pants

2010-03-06T14:53:00.000-08:00

Did you have to read that title twice? Yes I meant shifty not the other word you may be thinking of. Anyway, I am currently waiting on hold with Nordstrom Rack in Illinois. Why in the world, you ask? Because I am desperately looking for a pair of Nike workout pants. Ridiculous? Maybe. Ok yes. But let me just say, I get stopped constantly by strangers and friends alike asking me where I purchased these pants. They are the cutest work out pants ever. EVER! And yes, you were reading right, I ALREADY have a pair. I bought them in Hawaii at the Nordstrom Rack there in a size medium. At that time, they fit perfectly, now they are a bit large and wearing over sized workout pants while jumping around in front of an audience has become a bit risky. So here I am, listening to hold music and crossing my fingers that this store (there were only five across the country that even had them in stock) will actually have them. Pathetic right? Or just highly motivated? Also, I should mention here and now that I have already scoured the Internet high and low and I even called the Nike company. When I say scour, I mean scour, like looking at websites in Denmark and the UK. Seriously people, when I want something bad enough, you can bet your sweet booty that I'll get it.

CRAP!!! Two down, three to go. If no one has them, I may shed a tear.

So without further adieu, here they are. Before you scratch your head and say, "those? Really? That's it?" please remember that everyone is allowed to love and obsess over something different as long as no one else gets hurt in that process. :)

HALLELUJAH!!! I found em!!! Thank you Chicago! Thank you Maryland! I went ahead and ordered two more pairs just for good measure. Patheticism (is that even a word?) at its finest.

extreme turdiness

2010-03-04T13:47:00.000-08:00

The reason I haven't posted anything about my push up challenge is because....I haven't started. AH! Not because I didn't want to, I am seriously psyched to do this, but because I have hardly had a chance to breathe let alone remember to drop down and pump out 20. Or however many it is. I started teaching at a second gym and I seriously get a sub request phone call EVERYDAY. Seriously. And since I have that awesome "I just can't so no" complex, I have been subbing like EVERYDAY. On top of that, my husband has been Q3 for the last couple of weeks, which basically just means he has been at the hospital for 36 hours at a time every three days, and my Grandpa is in town. Sheesh, can somebody throw me a rope here?! No, I'm not complaining. Too busy is much better than not busy enough. It seems it's always one or the other doesn't it? If anyone has found the sweet spot called just busy enough would you let me know where that is. Thanks.

So seeing as how my life is a giant bowl of bananas lately, I decided to go ahead and start this upcoming Monday for two reasons. A)Because I am hoping that some of you will get some balls (yes I said the word balls and yes I meant it in that way) and join me. And B) because I am going to hand out my blog address to all of my gym peeps in hopes that they will join me too. So, there you have it. Legitimate excuses as to why I haven't started yet and why I decided to wait.

Now for reals this time, who's in?

apology

2010-02-27T11:57:00.000-08:00

Hello friends. I am a bum. I have totally abandoned you and it's not fair. I want to apologize and recommit myself to this blog. After all, it's not like I am committed to anything else right? :) No but seriously, I liked having this little side blog even if it wasn't super successful to freely talk about exercise, food (instead of typing food there I probably should have put healthy eating but you know me...) and other activities.

In order to recommit I have decided to do something big and bold. I am a member of this great little cooking blog (just-cook-already.blogspot.com) and while trying to find something new to make for dinner I ran across a girl who inspired me. She is one of those super cute, childless, healthy eating, hard core chicks that you love/hate. (Which seems a bit unfair of me to say because I have never actually met this person, I have only stalked her blog.) One of her New Year's Resolutions was to take on the 100 push up challenge. When I first read this I scoffed. One hundred military push ups? Like 100 on my toes? HAHAHAHA! Yeah right dude. I can maybe squeeze out five, semi-good push ups consecutively, while cursing, on my toes. But then I thought, if this cute little bean pole can do this, then why the heck can't I? I've always been a bit more muscly then the average Jane (yes I am calling my thickness muscle not...well...thickness) of course I can do this! And you know what?! You can too!

So what do you say? Who is in? That a girl!!! Let's get started. Here is the website I am using as a guide. Today I am going to do my initial test and Monday will be the beginning of the end of my wussiness.

Kat's Initial Test Results: 12
Pretty meager. Alright Monday, bring it on!!!

Why?

2009-08-04T22:29:00.000-07:00

Why do I want to be so skinny that my ribs show in my chest?

Why do I want to be so skinny that my thighs don't touch?

Why do I think I looked my best when I was barely eating?

Why does hindsight exist?

Why can't I have the will power my in-laws do?

Why isn't it ok for me to look like this right now?

Why is satisfaction contingent on so many things and so impossible to attain?

Do any of you feel frustrated with the way you look and even more frustrated that you are frustrated about the way you look?

I just hate feeling like this.

my current salad obsession

2009-06-25T14:20:00.000-07:00

Here she is! The most glorious home made salad ever. Some of you may remember me saying that I don't like home made salads as much as restaurant salads. They just never taste as good to me. Well that is no more! I love this salad! I wish I could take total credit for it but I can't. When I lived in Tennessee there was this little tea room that sold a salad just like this minus the chicken. I would go and buy a 20 oz cup of the dressing for seven dollars a pop just so I could have it on my salads at home. Since I have no way of getting that dressing now that I'm in Tucson I've had to be creative. The dressing really makes the salad. Here is my makeshift copy cat recipe.

Honey Lime Vinaigrette (All of these measurments are guesses because I usually just eye ball it.)

1/2 cup oil
2 TBS vinegar
Juice of two limes
1 clove garlic peeled
1/8 cup honey
1 handful of cilantro (I just twist off a handful of the bunch they sell at the store)
1/2 tsp salt (maybe more)
1/4 tsp pepper (maybe more)

I throw all of these ingredients in a blender (or you could use a food processor) until it's smooth and green. Then I taste it to make sure I love it, which I always do. After drizzling a little bit over my salad I put the rest in an enclosed container and it stays well in the fridge for a few days. Its flavor is really bold so you don't need a ton.

The rest of the salad is pretty standard. Pan seared chicken breast pounded thin and seasoned with some s&p and garlic powder. Spring mix greens and a little extra spinach for good measure. Sliced strawberries, feta and some chopped pecans. Ta da! SO easy. Really I promise. And if you don't feel like cooking chicken and that whole mess the salad is just as outrageous on it's own. (One more side note here. If I go to the trouble of cooking chicken I always pound out and cook two breasts at a time. That way I only use a half of a breast on my salad and have 1 1/2 for leftovers of any kind.) Go for it! Try it! You'll like it!

Plateau

2009-05-14T15:28:00.000-07:00

So there comes a time in every girls life when her weight loss plateaus and she is stuck. I know that this seems kind of early for a sad story about how my weight isn't moving but I am really just trying to give myself a little kick in the pants.

As you know last week I went to the gym twice and was loving it. This week, I am not so lucky. Because Violet can't go to the daycare until she is 6 weeks old, I am left to rely on Michael to babysit so I can go to the gym. Since his schedule is bananas this means that I have been to the gym exactly ZERO times this week. Ugh!

Now lets be honest, all of the weight I was losing was basically just the stuff that surrounds the baby. The extra blood, the water, the baby itself and maybe some other things like the placenta. I guess the actual "baby stuff" weighs about 15-18 pounds. If we do the math, I gained 29 then subtract 17 and we are left with the 12 I have to go. What does this mean? It means that technically I haven't lost a single pound I "ate" on. Bummer.

Here is my solution for the next 2-1/2 weeks. Eat less, Don't finish whats on my plate and only eat when I am hungry. All of these things sound simple but honestly they are easier said than done. I guess just cutting out the sweets isn't going to get me where I want to be so I am revving it up a bit.

For lunch today I had brown rice topped with steamed sugar snap peas and carrots. Sounds really bland and boring but when you add just a TINY bit of butter and fresh lemon juice and s&p to the veggies, it's actually extremely delicious. You should try it. Steam any of your favorite veggies, remembering to have as many as you want, and put it over some yummy sticky rice. You will be full and satisfied. If you need something sweet after (like I always do) then try a sweeter berry like a strawberry or have some fresh pineapple.

Heaven knows that dieting is not my best subject in weight loss school but I am realizing that the reality is I HAVE TO DO IT. Leave your dieting tips here for me and anyone else who follows this indulgent little blog. :) Thanks and good luck!

Scratch that...

2009-05-08T11:07:00.001-07:00

T-minus 12 pounds! Woot! Woot!

Shut up!

2009-05-07T15:25:00.000-07:00

Okay so obviously it's about freakin' time right?! I don't really know what to say today but I wanted to start bloggin' on this blog again to hopefully help me reach my fitness goals. Like I said on my other blog, I am back at the gym. It feels really good but I hate watching the chunk in the mirror so I know I need to go back to the diet too.

I have decided that I will give up the sweets. This is so hard because I am really not giving myself any vices right now at all. I can't have any caffeine because of the boob sucker and I am on a high fiber diet because of other post pregnancy related butt issues. If you know what I mean? So cutting out sweets sounds simple in theory but in practice it is proving to be a challenge.

I have 14 pounds to go and was hoping to have them all off by six weeks. I don't know if this will happen because right now six weeks is like 26 days away. That is like almost a pound every two days or something. Possible, just not probable. However, I am still not ready to give up on my goal. I would rather aim ridiculously high and fail then set some silly goal and get lazy.

I plan on doing alot of weight lifting this time around. I want my muscles back! So even though I am jonesing to go back to Body Step and start teaching again and all of that, I plan on really focusing on hitting the weights dude. Just a little tidbit about weights (which I may have already shared before). When I was engaged my knees were acting up really bad and the orthopedic surgeon said it was either surgery or no cardio. I stopped cardio all together and just lifted hard core every day and I was smokin'. Not like those veiny body builder women either, more like I was 19 and just smokin'. :)

So there it is. Lots of weight lifting to regain and retain muscle tone, high fiber and nutritious diet, and especially no sweets. I think I can do it. Can you? Or really, a better question is, what are you doing? Hopefully something.

Getting Paid to Workout

2008-09-10T13:15:00.000-07:00

For all of you out there who frequent classes at the gym or who workout at all I have some info to pass on. I have been asked before about what it takes to become a group fitness instructor so let me tell you what I know. First I want all of you to know that I am not, I repeat, am NOT an expert on this by any means. I am just giving you what I know and what are the most common ways to become certified.

A few years ago the gym at my university was holding AFAA certifications for primary group exercise. Since I was a student I received a discounted rate which was somewhere around 200 dollars for the initial training. It was about 6-8 hours long on a Saturday. We reviewed technique and safety and then were given a 100 question written exam and a physical exam. During the physical exam we had to present our own choreographed segment of a standard aerobics routine.

Last weekend I attended my initial certification for Body Step which is a program by Les Mills. It was Saturday and Sunday and lasted for 8 hours each day. It was hard core but I made it through with a pass, or an "A". Now I have three months to perfect my technique and learn the routine perfectly so that I can video tape myself teaching a class. After I record myself I will submit the tape to Les Mills corporate and will be assessed and graded with a pass or fail. This training cost 200 dollars and I will be forever certified in Body Step.

Both programs do require additional yearly follow up training. With AFAA you are required to acquire CEU's or continuing education units. They cost about 50-75 dollars for three and I believe you need 20 each year. Make sure to check out the website.

With Les Mills all of the choreography is created for you so every three months you pay 35 dollars to receive a DVD, CD and booklet with all the choreography info.

With AFAA you will be a "freestyle" instructor. You will provide your own music and your own choreographed routines. Also if you want to teach say...kickboxing or cycling or pilates, there are extra certifications you can get.

It is the same with Les Mills. If I wanted to teach Body Combat which is basically kickboxing, I would have to pay for another certification and attend another training.

Now I know this is a ton of information but there are even more choices out there. My sister in law is certified through ACE. She has really liked being certified through this company and I don't know all of the details but it may be a little less rigorous than AFAA if you are interested in freestyle.

As far as pay goes, the going rate seems to be something between 30-40 dollars an hour. I know some gyms even go off commission these days like, the more people in your class the more money you make. (I think that is just bananas but hey, I am new at this...)

I know this is a lot of bla bla bla and there are probably going to be one to two readers max for this post but I think going through all the certification is worth it. That is because I enjoy exercise and I enjoy the group fitness atmosphere. Don't ever let yourself think that you could never do this, I honestly think that 95% of people out there could do it if they really wanted to. It's not about whether you look like a barbie doll up there, it's about you being a motivating, enthusiastic instructor whose joy for fitness shows in her attitude. Good luck to all those interested! I hope some of this rambling has helped. If you have any questions just email me katillac765@gmail.com

Great News

2008-08-01T12:43:00.000-07:00

I am sure that most of you who read this blog read my family blog too. So you probably already know that I am going to be working at the Gold's Gym here in Tucson. I am so stinkin' excited to be doing something that I love and that is so good for me. I feel so hopeful that this will be the thing I need to make me feel at home in Tucson.

Now that I have this great new job (which won't exactly start right away) I think it will be easier for me to come up with some great new posts for this little bloggy blog. I guess I was feeling like I was getting a bit monotonous with the same old, same old "eat right, exercise" bit over and over.

Another great thing is the method of instruction at this gym. It is called Les Mills and basically it was described to me like this. Think of McDonald's and the hamburger, you always know what you're going to get. With Les Mills group fitness you always know what you are going to get in terms of choreography, intensity and training. I think it will be great for me because I am a new instructor. It will keep me from having to spend hours upon hours coming up with new choreography and purchasing new and exciting music and bla bla bla. If you are interested in finding out more about Les Mills or even getting certified yourself then check it out here.

I'm Back!!!

2008-07-09T19:39:00.000-07:00

Woohoo! Here I am! Here I am! I am officially back in the blogging world and I have three things to say. After gaining who knows how many pounds I have successfully returned to my diet for three whole days!!! And I mean consecutive days too!

Other news, apparently Bisquick has trans fat! I make corn bread (Michael's favorite food in the whole wide world) using Bisquick and if you get the regular kind it has trans fat. Who knew?! Not me. So I switched to the green and white "healthier" box and it works the same, tastes the same and has no trans fat.

And my last note worthy note is that I can kick box, in my living room, by myself, while the baby is asleep and still get a great workout. How fun! At least I think so...

I hope all of you are on the bandwagon. I don't know what that means but lets say the band part = your workouts and the wagon part = your eating habits. May all the calories you consume just slide right off you!!!

Update

2008-06-21T11:58:00.000-07:00

I am officially in Texas at my parents house.
I haven't worked out in almost two weeks because of all the mumbo jumbo moving stuff.
I haven't been watching what I eat although I haven't intentionally eaten crap.
I am still just three pounds down and holding.
I am ok with all of it and will start over again today.

Thanks Carmen for calling me out. I was beginning to think that if no one else was holding me responsible than I wouldn't have to either. More good stuff to come in the next couple days. I just have to finish some research! :)

A little tangent

2008-06-06T15:50:00.000-07:00

I was in my pantry closet and noticed that I have approximately 2 1/2 bottles of corn syrup one if which was facing me with it's nutrition label. Now you probably have two questions here. 1. Why the heck do I have so much corn syrup? 2. How bad is corn syrup? First answer, people keep moving and handing me, along with other food, bottles of corn syrup. Second answer, oh it's bad!!! It's so so bad!!! Calorie wise there are 120 in two TBS of corn syrup. But what is so bad is the ingredient list. Did you know there is high fructose corn syrup in corn syrup? Along with salt and water, these are the main ingredients. I was confused as to why they need to add high fructose corn syrup to corn syrup and so I googled. What is high fructose corn syrup? I stumbled across this article and learned a couple things.
1. High fructose corn syrup was developed in the 70's around the time they developed partially hydrogenated oils as a cheaper alternative to butter and regular sugar.
2. It starts as corn starch but then goes through 3 different chemical alteration processes before becoming HFCS.
3. Most foods are sweetened with this product rather than sugar cane or beet sugar.
4. High consumption of fructose in lab rats showed serious medical disadvantages such as infertility, and heart failure.

There are things I learned about HFCS previous that were also a little grim. If you have read the book, "You; On a Diet" by doctors Oz and Roizin then you know the harmful chemical effects of HFCS in the body. Basically, if I remember right, HFCS isn't registered in your brain as a sugar or sweet and therefore you can gorge on it with out a sugar overload warning coming from your brain. Since it is chemically altered so heavily your brain is like, "I don't see anything" while your butt is screaming, "help us we are going to burst with HFCS-ness!"

Bottom line (no pun intended), HFCS is bad, really, really bad! Which really sucks because it is everywhere! I mean everywhere, ketchup, salad dressings, crackers and apparently it is even hiding in stuff that is already evil like regular corn syrup. Basically just read your labels and watch out for it as best you can. Sometimes you can't avoid it but for butt's sake try!

Done and Done

2008-06-06T00:06:00.000-07:00

I did it ya'll. Three pounds down, seven to go!!!

I chickened out!

2008-06-03T19:35:00.000-07:00

So I kind of chickened out yesterday from weighing myself. What happened was this, I didn't get to go to the gym in the morning and seeing as how I use the scale at the gym (I actually don't have one at home) I didn't end up weighing myself. I don't know if you know this but technically you weigh a little less in the morning so that is why I always wait for my morning poo and then I go and step on the scale! :) Ha! It may sound silly but it is true. Anyway, I know it's a lame excuse and I don't know what I am so scared of because honestly I did so well last week! I was even at the gym this morning at 7 a.m. but still skipped the weigh in. Tomorrow I will have to get brave and get my booty on that darned thing. I promise to let you know how it goes (because I know you are all just biting your nails) whether it's good or bad.

In the meantime, I wanted to let you all in on a little something I found out. Apparently salads aren't the only things you can order from fast food restaurants these days. Yesterday we went to a different side of the island and after our beach trip we landed our starving belly's in a Burger King. I was nervous about ordering and appalled by the ridiculous price for a chicken salad. I was about to give in and order a Whopper Jr. rather than a Whopper Sr., when I spotted the veggie burger! I ordered it sans mayo and took off a bun slice. When I came home I checked online to see how I had done, the result was a pleasant surprise. Only 340 calories, when eaten without mayo, and since I took off a bun flap it was even less! It was actually really tasty and filling and I didn't feel hungry for quite a while after. However, I wouldn't recommend this as an everyday food choice because the sodium content was a little high and the burger left me very thirsty. Well, the beach and the burger left me very thirsty but needless to say, I felt victorious in conquering my potential burger blunder.

After finding a new option for calorie control at Burger King I got online and looked at Wendy's, Taco Bell, and McDonald's options too. So here is the rundown on my fast food investigation. Taco Bell has recently come out with the "Fresco Menu" which offers 9 items under 9 grams of fat and nothing is over 350 calories! What a great way to get some veggies in too! I like the fresco ranchero chicken soft taco or the or if I'm really hungry the fresco bean burrito. Next, Wendy's, I love their chili and one small cup has 190 calories and 5 grams of fiber. It is filling and great, just don't burn your mouth or add too many saltines (one pack of two saltines has 25 calories, that could add up quickly if your not careful). Last, my least favorite but apparently America's favorite, McDonald's. The grilled chicken snack wrap in honey mustard or chipotle bbq have 260 calories and the ranch has 270. The fruit and walnut salad only has 210 calories but I always skip the nuts because they are roasted and sugared and basically have no nutritional value anyway, and this probably saves around 100 calories. Besides, I don't like walnuts that much anyhow.

So there you go, healthy (ok at least semi-healthy) options from major fast food chains that are low calorie, not the same old salad, and won't leave your stomach feeling like a bottomless pit. Need I say more?!

Heavy Monday

2008-06-01T19:52:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is the official weigh in of my own butt. I have been re-committed to my 10 pound weight loss for a week and I am attempting the scale tomorrow to see the progress. I have to admit that I feel lighter. I don't know if this is just wishful thinking but I really am hopeful that there will be a difference. I have done really well the whole week even with Jack's Birthday on Tuesday and his Birthday party on Saturday. I am still motivated and I love when I have the weight loss mindset. It comes and goes but right now it has definitely come and I am milking it for all it's worth. I have been visualizing the number that I want to weigh all week. I see it in my mind and I think of it all the time. It is a great way to stay focused when faced with everyday temptation. I am also trying to keep an open mind for the possibility of no change. Seeing as how this week "Aunt Flo" has been staying with us. Sometimes she makes me retain water pretty bad. :( But I will cross that bridge when I get there. So here is to tomorrow. I will post again and let you know how it goes. Everyone cross your fingers and wish me luck!!! :)

I want to leave you with a tool, one that I have used all week. If I am faced with a temptation I ask myself how important it is for me to eat it. I think to myself, "when is the next time I will get to eat this?" If the answer is the whenever I want, because the temptation happens to be a Snickers bar, then I walk away. If it is a chocolate mousse filled creme puff from a fancy bakery in Hawaii then the answer is probably not anytime soon, so I eat it. This method of separation between the important and the un-important might seem elementary but it is so helpful. You can use it at work, at restaurants and at home. I hope this all makes sense and that it helps you the next time there is a pan of brownies in the break room or a bag of chocolate chips in the cupboard. Wait for the fantastic, once in a lifetime sweets or junk food will become an everyday occurrence.

Confession

2008-05-27T15:10:00.000-07:00

I am going to make a shocking confession right here and right now, and I know my husband won't like it. But here goes...I currently weigh 10 pounds more than I did when I got married! ACK! I know, it sucks, but it's true. Now before all of you go and give me sympathy and tell me it's OK, stop and really think about that! I have only been married for a little over 4 years. That is more than 2 pounds a year! There are a lot of things I could say to justify this IE: the baby, growing older, the fact that you are always super skinny when you get married, etc. But that still doesn't change the truth, which is, I AM 10 POUNDS HEAVIER NOW THAN WHEN I GOT MARRIED!!!

I really don't like this fact, and the fact that there is no fiction to it. It is what it is, 10 pounds of the truth. So...I am getting serious. I was reading my own post about the healthy snacks I like to eat and I came to a moment of clarity. I really do like to eat healthy and the reason I don't eat healthy sometimes is because I am lazy. Seriously, it is so much easier to pop open a bag of Cheetos and a can of coke than it is to chop up veggies and fresh squeeze some orange juice! How lame is it that I am willing to sacrifice my health, my body, and my overall satisfaction with life, for junk food and T.V.?!?!?!

So I am going to do it. I am going to knuckle down and do it! I made it through yesterday so healthy that my bowels didn't know what to do with them selves! My butt was like the exhaust pipe on an 87 Chevy! Poor Michael must have slept with a gas mask on because I really don't know how he would have survived otherwise! But I know that if I keep this up I will get what I want. How simple is that? Work for something and you will get it. It's not like, work for something and if your boss really likes you he will consider you for the promotion but you will be up against three other candidates! It is what it is. Work hard, eat right, lose weight! That. Is. It. Cut and dry! I love it!

Now, I don't want any pity or "you are crazy" comments. I don't want people to tell me that I am skinny and that I don't need to lose weight! I want people to lash out and tell me that I should get rid of that gallon of milk+extra that is jiggling on my butt! I want people to say, "YOU CAN DO IT!" and, "YOU GO GIRLFRIEND! HOLLA!" I want you to support me like a high school football coach. Maybe a little yelling and butt slapping and just tough love!

So! This is my confession. I have put it out there for all to see and read and hear. I am 10 pounds fatter than I used to be and I am going to lose it. The good old fashioned losing it way. Just watch me! ;)

Favorite Snacks

2008-05-25T16:07:00.001-07:00

So here are a few of the things I like to eat that I feel like are healthy "live-it" options.

I love old-fashioned oatmeal for breakfast. Not only is it full of fiber, it is filling and tasty. I like to mix in any of these things: (not all together) pumpkin and cinnamon, apples and cinnamon, skim milk and a little bit of peanut butter, or a little honey and skim milk. I always use one splenda packet to sweeten it so I don't have to add any extra calories. The other good thing is that, for me at least, oatmeal keeps me regular! ;) Nothing like the morning constitutional!! (Side note, if you aren't pooping at least once a day you should probably re-calculate your fiber intake.)

Pineapple and low fat or fat free cottage cheese. I use fresh pineapple right now because it is so darn cheap and accessible over here but canned is great too. In fact, I love the sweet/salty combo with most canned fruits. One thing to watch for with the canned fruit is whether it is in its' own juice or in syrup. If you want pears, peaches, mandarin oranges, or pineapple, most of these come in their own juice which is nice. A small serving of this is a great snack because the protein in the cottage cheese keeps you full for a while.

Whole wheat pretzels and peanut butter. If you buy the all natural, salt, sugar free peanut butter it is way better for you. Just look on the jar of Skippy or Jif and you will see hydrogenated oils and added sugar. I take a small spoonful of real natural peanut butter and dash it with salt and sprinkle it with a tiny bit of splenda. Honestly, I think it tastes so much better than the unhealthy stuff anyway. The good thing about the pretzels is the fiber from the whole grain and the crunch. When I diet I really miss the crunch of crackers and chips so this is a great substitute.

Low fat chocolate soy milk. So, so good. I would never drink a cup of the vanilla by itself but the chocolate is so tasty. I like to mix my protein shake with this too. Throw it in the blender with a banana and some ice and it is like dessert!

Whole wheat tortilla and hummus. Me and the Chunky love hummus and putting it on a tortilla is so simple and quick. I have a specific brand of tortillas that I am a fan of. They are La Tortilla Factory Whole Wheat Low Carb/Low-Fat Tortillas. They only have 5 net carbs, 80 calories, and 3 grams of fat. Plus they have 14 grams of fiber and they taste soooo good. I know! I know! They are like the best things I have ever found! I was so excited when I made this discovery. Again, the protein in the hummus prolongs fullness. Just be careful with the hummus, they add high fructose corn syrup to that too. :(

This one is simple. Gogurt. There are only 70 calories in one and if you put them in the freezer they take longer to eat and are more like a treat.

There are honestly about a hundred more things that I could list but these are just a few. If you have any good ideas please post them! It's good to share!

How much do you burn?

2008-05-20T18:13:00.000-07:00

This link will take you to a site that calculates how much you burn during a ton of different activities. Even things like arts and crafts and bailing hay! Crazy but neat to see what your body is burning during any given time of day.

p.s. The salad post kind of bombed and it doesn't really seem like many people are reading the blog anymore so I will try and recruit a few more participants before I post the salad recipes. Thanks to those who sent some in and to those who even check this blog out! :)

Calling all salads!!!

2008-05-17T00:33:00.000-07:00

Hey ladies, I need your help this time for sure. I don't know about you guys but I hate salads from my own kitchen. I don't know what it is but when I make a salad at home it never tastes as good as if it were made anywhere else. I could use the exact same ingredients and it still wouldn't be the same. I have to force myself to eat the salad ingredients that I buy so my money won't go to waste. I get so sick of the same old fat free and low calorie dressings and I can't seem to spice things up. Take me out to eat and I would order a healty salad off the menu in a heart beat. But hand me every salad ingredient under the sun and I wouldn't be able to make anything a rabbit would want to eat! Argh! So here is where you come in, I need good salad recipes. Email me whatever you have, whether it's tips to make things tastier, salad dressings, or the whole salad recipe! I will post the good ones and we can all share! katillac765@gmail.com Can't wait! Can't wait!

Roller Coaster Ride

2008-05-12T20:50:00.000-07:00

Hi friends! Today was a wonderful day. We went to the beach as a family and I was able to boogie board, layout and watch the baby splash a ton. It was phenomenal. Now what does this have to do with anything?

I don't know about you but the first thing I do when I wake up in the morning is get naked and look at myself in the mirror from every possible angle. I do this because I generally look the skinniest in the morning. It tends to set my mood for the day and usually it is better than worse. This isn't because I actually think I am skinny, it's because I believe that I look the fattest right before I go to bed. So I wake up and have a "new", "slimmer" body and I feel pretty good. Today was no exception, except it was! I think all of my hard work and goal reaching may have paid off from last week because not only was I "morning skinny", I actually did look a bit better. So needless to say, I was excited about myself and felt proud of my body.

Because of this new found self esteem I had absolutely no reservations to spend the day at the beach in my bikini. No reservations until we arrived at the beach and there were many, many, skinny, skinny girls there. I mean the ones that must be models or something. They seriously must have had a model convention at the beach today! It was ridiculous. So I spent part of my day flat on my back sulking and feeling like a whale amongst the minnows but then something changed...I remembered how I had felt this morning. I thought of all the hard work I had done trying to meet my goals and I felt better. I wasn't about to go jogging down the beach or anything but I felt better and I got off of my towel and my big, lazy, sulky butt. I turned out to have a wonderful day and I am so glad that I remembered my early morning skinny body.

Point is, when you have days of emotional roller coaster riding you can end on a good note. I started my day at the very top of the roller coaster, right after you do the slow motion click click click and just before you begin your descent. I hit many bottoms and my stomach did some loop-d-loops but in the end I was comfortable with myself and I exited today's ride with a positive feeling. I know that I will probably never wear a size 2, and I know that I will never be a 5'9" blond super model, and I know that I will never be considered a walking barbie doll. But all of that is ok, because none of that is real life and I am a very real life. I am ok because what matters the most is being healthy and that includes having a healthy self image.

So assignment today (you do realize that these assignments are totally bogus and I am just happy that someone is reading my ramblings?) is to love your body because it is yours and because life is full of ups and downs but as long as you set goals you will have more ups than downs. Keep up the good hard work ladies and don't let anyskinnybody get you down!

Fun Fact Friday

2008-05-09T11:47:00.000-07:00

So last week was a freaky fact but you know I decided that I don't want to do that every week. Instead this week lets be positive. Besides, I realize that most of you don't order fettuccine alfredo when you go to an italian restaurant. It was mostly to promote awareness but I realize I can do that with good info not fatty nasty info.

Lets talk about running and it's benefits to your body. We all know that there are cardiovascular benefits to this type of exercise but for those of us with sensitive joints we also know that there are risks too. I mentioned previously that I have bad knees which leaves me unable to run for times throughout the year. What should I do then? Is running the only way to get out and enjoy the fresh air? Of course not but it is definitely the most convenient because it requires the least amount of equipment. But did you know that you can burn the same amount of calories by walking the same distance? That may sound like duh! But when I was told that I was like aha!

See, a mile is a mile. That means that whether you decide to run, walk or trot the distance is what really matters. Think of it this way, if you eat a gallon of ice cream does it matter how fast or slow you eat it? No, the calorie consumption is the same whether you inhale it like hot air or you savor it lick by lick. When we run a mile our bodies burn roughly between 100-120 calories. When we walk that mile our bodies do the same amount of work just in a slower time. So it's ok to walk. If you are an experienced runner that needs a break than walk and don't feel guilty. If you are an experienced walker that needs a challenge then step it up and run for an interval. Either way your body is benefiting from the motion. So never get discouraged when someone laps you on the track or when your too achy to run that day. Just change it up and make the distance what matters. Keep it up ladies and don't forget your renewed vows from the beginning of the week. Good luck!

America's Junk Food Obsessed Cities

2008-05-07T00:32:00.000-07:00

I found this article interesting. See what you think. BTW while I am talking about what you think, I just want to say I love all of your comments. Every night I go to bed with like 50 ideas swirling in my head for this blog. So expect more and keep up the comments! Thanks everyone! Junk Food Cities

Why Weight?

2008-05-06T13:04:00.000-07:00

There are a million varying ideas as to what women should be doing in regards to weight training. Advice ranges from the traditional low-weight + high rep combination, to skipping weights all together. I know that some of you have been told that if you lift heavy weights you will turn out looking like Popeye after he has his spinach. I want to clear up some of these conflicting ideas by telling you what I think. Now this is all based on my own personal information, gathered from a book here and a magazine there but most importantly from my own experience.

Have you ever heard the expression "use it or lose it"? Good because if you don't use your muscle you will lose it. Think of a person who has been in a comma for months. When they wake up they can hardly walk, sit up or even talk. This is due to extreme muscle atrophy. Meaning their muscles weaken to a point where simple everyday tasks are a chore. This can happen to you and your body, maybe not in such an extreme way, but along the same lines. Take me for example, I haven't really danced since I was eighteen and tried out for the UVSC dance team. Every once in a while I get the urge to leap and turn again so I go upstairs to the little gym room and I test out my skills. I have learned that even though I remember how to do the moves, I struggle to get my fat arse off the ground when leaping. This is because my dancing muscles have weakened. I didn't use them and so I lost them.

Let me give you a statistic. The average woman gains twenty four pounds between the ages of twenty five and sixty five. This weight gain, when stretched over the 40 year time period, comes out to 8 extra calories a day. That's right, 8! Want to lose 10 pounds in a year and three inches off of your waist? Then simply cut 100 calories from your diet each day. (That doesn't mean that you will end up weighing zero pounds after 13 years, be reasonable ladies.) Now listen to this little tidbit about muscle. Every pound of muscle burns between 40 and 120 calories a day just to sustain itself. If you increase your muscle you will increase your bodies natural calorie burning capacity. To parallel the massive calorie burn of the muscle, let's realize that one pound of fat burns 1 to 3 calories per day. Ew! The last little fact I want to mention is startling. If you are at a stable weight at the age of 35 and don't do any resistance training, you will need to consume 120-420 fewer calories per day just to maintain that weight.

Now that we know muscle is incredibly important, let's talk about the best ways to weight train. First let's learn something, to be considered fit in a muscular sense, a 30 year old woman should be able to do 45 push ups on her knees. This is where we should start. It may seem more exciting to head to the gym and train on all of the fancy equipment but really you can get a good workout without all of the mechanics. Seriously, how many push ups can you do? Can you do 50 walking lunges on each leg? Can you put your feet under the couch and do 30 sit-ups in a minute? Start with the basics and then move on up. When I say move on up I mean it too. Don't grab the 5 pound dumbbells and do 30 bicep curls. That is like using a rubber chicken to tone your arms, pretty un-realistic. Grab a dumbbell that feels heavy and curl it until the point of exhaustion. If this is a 20 pound weight, then do the 5,8 or 10 reps that it takes to fatigue that muscle. There is no point in pretending to build muscle. Do it, commit, lift weight not toys shaped like weights.

Obviously everyone is different. But I know that for me and for the other people I have trained with, this is the most effective way. When I really challenge my muscles I see results because I am building muscle. Before I was married I wanted to get in serious shape but I was having terrible knee pain. It was so bad that I almost couldn't make it to class from my car. I went to see an orthopedic surgeon and he told me that if I wanted to be able to "walk down the aisle" I should stop all cardiovascular exercise. I was stunned, how did he expect me to lose weight for my honeymoon without being able to run or even use the elliptical? Instead of giving up and getting soggy, I committed myself to a new and serious weight training program. I was intense in my workouts and I got in great shape. My muscle tone was incredible and I actually looked like I worked out. I am not recommending that you skip all cardio because it is sooo good for your body, but I am suggesting that you take weight training seriously. Don't forget your muscles, give them some tough love and make em' burn. Why "weight"? Get fit by increasing your muscle mass and getting off or your...tush! ;)

Renewing Our Vows

2008-05-05T01:06:00.000-07:00

So of course tomorrow is Monday, the most popular "start my diet" day and instead of the typical Sunday night prayer, "and please help me achieve my goals and stick to my diet this week" I thought I would really contemplate the opportunity I have here. Now that I have a blog dedicated to healthy success and now that I have a strong desire to get pregnant in the next few months I really do need to renew my vows and get to where I want to be.

So here is a list of my vow renewal:

1. I vow to think of my body, I mean really envision my body before I eat. That way I won't just mindlessly grab the potato chips because I will see, in my minds eye, the squishy on my hips.

2. I vow to do the stairs at least once everyday, except Sunday, because I know the positive impact this will have on my tush. Honestly the stairs and spin class are the two most powerful butt shapers I have ever experienced.

3. I vow to stretch at least once during the day. Whether it's morning Yoga or a nighttime bender with my Hubby. (Not that kind you dirty mind people. We really do stretch together!) This will decrease my chance for injury and will help align my mind and body.

4. I vow to eat vegetables everyday this week. I will honestly eat a vegetable in a healthy form not covered in butter or battered and fried. And avocados, corn, and white potatoes don't count.

5. Lastly I vow to prioritize my life around my son, my husband and myself not the T.V. or the computer.

Now here is your challenge. Remember a time where you felt you were in shape. Think of the things that you were doing. Think of what filled your days and how you felt physically and emotionally at that time. Remember the exercises you did and the foods you ate. Choose the positive highlights of this time of fitness and re-apply them this week. Walk a mile in your old shoes, better yet walk 3 miles in your old shoes and start over. After all, it's Monday! What better day than Monday and what better time then now. Good luck. I'll see you all next week happier and healthier.

This is a picture of me when I felt I looked the best. I was happy and fit and thrilled to be alive.

Freaky Fact Friday

2008-05-03T12:26:00.000-07:00

So I know it is technically Saturday but I had all of the intentions of posting this yesterday. Since I wasn't able to accomplish it yesterday I thought I would finish it today. Much like we should all do when we miss a workout day, we should just do it the next day instead of scrapping it all together! Now here is your freaky fact.

A single lunch sized portion of Olive Garden's fettuccine alfredo can be broken down like this:

Nutrition Facts
Calories 850
Total Fat 48g 74%
Cholesterol 383 mg 128%
Sodium 723 mg 30%
Total Carbs. 70.5 g 24%
Dietary Fiber 2 g 8%
Protein 33 g
Calcium 450 mg

Not only is this one portion of artery clogging pasta making up about half of your daily caloric intake it is the calorie equivalent of roughly 7 bowls of Cornflakes and the fat equivalent of 4 glazed Krispy Kreme doughnuts.
Notice the percentages next to the grams and milligrams? Pay particular attention to the cholesterol, that's right! One LUNCH SIZE portion contains 128% of your daily cholesterol! What does that even mean people?!
But let's give it some credit, there are 33 g of protein in it right? Wrong! One four ounce chicken breast contains roughly 30 grams of protein on it's own.
In one of my favorite episodes of the Nanny (yes I like Fran Drescher and yes I like the Nanny) Fran picks up two pieces of pizza and lays them on top of each other. She turns to Maggie next to her and says, "Don't worry sweetheart, when you stack them on top of each other like this the body doesn't know." Please ladies, don't ever think that your body won't know or that you can go to the gym and run the 8 miles that it would take to burn this off. Give your vascular system a break and choose a healthier option. In conclusion, if you are out to lunch at the Olive Garden, stick to the Soup, Salad and Breadstick (yes one "breadstick" not "breadsticks") for $5.95 that we all love.

What does success taste like to you?

2008-05-01T14:33:00.000-07:00

If you had to describe your body what would you say?
Or better yet, what flavor do you think you would taste?
Are you tighty-frutti, or cottage cheesey?
Are you marshmallow squish or hard apple candy?
Do you like your flavor but need to be revitalized?
Maybe you're a banana waiting for the fat to be peeled from your thighs!
Or maybe you are an apple but wish you were a pear.
Whatever your desire, whatever your flavor,
Decide today to do yourself a favor!
Promise yourself that you are going to change/enhance/revitalize!
It may be a rocky road ahead but the reward will eventually be realized.

If you commit to change and commit to fight;
You can abolish the jello-jiggle and keep your abs tight!
You can become the grade-A, top choice piece of meat;
Instead of the squishy log of 70/30 ground beef.
You can change your image from couch potato to potato gun!
The best part of all is that sometimes it's fun!
Not everyday will be a Sundae with nuts;
But each day you work hard you will begin to get cut.
Your rolls will stop rolling and your skin will get tight;
You'll go from full fat fudge to fluffy and light!

So today is the day that you stop being Kentucky Fried Chicken!
Today is the day you back away from the kitchen.
No one will know if you cheat or mess up,
It's all up to you, to you and your gut!
Make a choice here and now to change your original flavor;
To something more healthy that you (and your hubby ;) will want to savor.
Choose for yourself to start living today;
Trade in your full fad "die-it" and pick the more permanent "live-it" way.