A Life's Long Journey

What the experience meant to me

2009-10-09T10:08:00.001-05:00

A week ago was my last night as a Weight Watcher’s leader. It’s been almost two years at one meeting in particular. It was a bitter sweet moment and one that I wanted to write down and share with all the people that have touched me during the last few years.

I started my weight loss and fitness journey in 2007 with Weight Watchers. I had joined Weight Watchers so many times before. After all, my oldest son will be 22 in November and I was still working on losing the “baby weight”. However, I was determined this time to be fit and fabulous by the time I turned 40. It would be different this time I just knew it and it was! I made my Life Time goal in August of 2007 after loosing about 50 pounds and over 56 inches. I also incorporated running into my life and was training for my first half marathon a feat I never even thought about much less embraced and was actually going to complete.

It was at this time that I knew I had to be part of this organization. I wanted other people to feel the same way that I did. To set and reach goals that before had just been dreams or better yet, accomplish things that they had never even considered doing before.

I won’t forget my first meeting. I even blogged about it. http://kehoracek.blogspot.com/2007/11/mentor-week-1.html
I was so worried about what people would think about me and if I could really get the meeting plan prepared and articulate it accurately. I had so much to teach them.

As the time passed we talked about so many things, moving more, planning, motivation and everyone’s favorite “Fat Girl/Guy Thinking”. Weight Watchers calls it Automatic Negative Thoughts but I like the other term better.

Last night as I finished the meeting, I had so many people come to me and tell me what a blessing or inspiration I had been. However, they don’t realize what a blessing and motivation they have been to and for me. You have helped me work through several of my own issues by talking about your own struggles. You have taught me to share more about myself and you have taught me to reach for stars that were not even in sight two years ago.

I will cherish and care about each individual that I have met along the way. Some reached their weight goals other have not reached their weight goal but have learned and reached other goals that will help them along their journey. I’m so honored to have been able to be a part of each person’s life as they allowed me just an hour of their week to work towards becoming the person they know they can be.

MIA

2009-09-16T09:08:00.002-05:00

I’ve been Missing In Action for quite some time. I’ve had so many life events that have caused one day to seemingly roll into the next and before I knew it a week and now months have gone by. It amazes me how time flies, and in a blink of the eye we move from January through December.

I attended the PNP.com Women’s Fitness Retreat a couple of months ago. It was a wonderful experience. I met so many nice people that I never met in person before. We spent three days working out hard, learning to eat right and trying to come to terms with the Fat Girl/Guy thinking that lurks in all of us. Months later I’m still processing some of the things that I learned about myself. I’m sure as the weeks go by I will have a lot of thoughts to share and hopefully ones that cause you to take a look at some of the things that are happening within your own life.

One topic that came up frequently was how various “life things” can get in our way and cause us to be derailed on our weight loss and fitness journey. I ran across a quote and I think it’s very relevant: “Adversity is a fact of life. It can’t be controlled. What we can control is how we react to it”. – Anonymous

It sounds so simple, yet it is so true. We are all going to face adversities of one sort or another in our lives. They will all be of varying degrees and could range from the death of a loved one to the kids driving us nuts. At the moment, each of them will be the most important thing.

During these difficult times, we have options to control our reaction to the issue. A fight with someone doesn’t mean that a banana split will inspire a truce. A binge on chocolate chip cookies will not bring a loved one back, and a McDonald’s Big Mac will not make the bad day at work better.

We all have many choices that we can choose from to get us through adversity. I have several that I use but I would love to get comments on what you use that is non-food related to help you during your difficult times. Maybe if we share our strategies will can arm ourselves for the next event.

Crazy Little Thing Called Guilt

2009-05-29T14:36:00.001-05:00

Remember that song "Crazy Little Thing Called Love"? It's kind of cute in that it talks about all the things that love does to a person and what has to be done to control it.

Guilt is the same way. It's amazing how it can affect our thoughts about ourselves and accomplishments. We can be successful 95% of the time and we make one small boo-boo or poor choice and we tend to believe that we have undone the lasts week's worth of effort. We start focusing on all the negative things and forget about the positive, buying into the mental suggestion that we will forever be in a state of un-health and misery.

We can't change the past but we can change the future. We need to let go of the guilty feelings, forgive ourselves and move on. If we continue to focus on the poor choice and let the guilt consume us it is harder to make the next step or to make the correct choice the next time around. Its that fat girl or guy that sits there telling us how we aren't worthy or that we are a failure. We can't listen to that.

One great tip that I have used is to write your feeling on a piece of paper and then burn it or if you are worried about fire, just throw it away. True, its purely symbolic gesture but the idea is to help get rid of the guilt and not hold on to it any longer.

I would encourage you this week as you move through the week whenever you find that you are beating yourself up over something, to write it down, get rid of it and move on.

Even better than that, write it here on the blog page where you can leave it for good. I'll comment back to help you get through it.

Planning + Preparation = Success

2009-05-22T12:33:00.002-05:00

Preparation is the second half of Planning. I talk a lot about how we need to have a plan for everything that we know and for some things we don't know. However, the best laid plan cannot come to fruition without effective preparation. Too many times we plan but don't prepare and come home to find that we are either too tired to cook or we don't have the necessary items on hand. This makes it so much easier for us to grab something quick, easy and often unhealthy.

This weekend I took all the food that I eat in a week and laid it out on the table so you can get an idea of what I am talking about. Now, I'm not saying that you need to eat what I have in this picture. What I'm demonstrating is an example of what advanced preparation can look like. I have meals prepared in baggies, pre-portioned and ready to grab and go. That's how I can be successful.

Now, the next thing that you might tell me is "Oh Kathleen, I couldn't possibly do all that, it takes too much time". Well I'm squashing that one because it took me just a little over one hour to cook and bag up everything here, including laying it out and taking pictures. I use my Sunday afternoon to do my grocery shopping and then immediately come home and start preparing. It's worth the couple of hours to shop and prep back to back and it leaves me in a success mode for the week. I've even prepared enough so that I have food to last me through the weekend. I have no excuses to go off plan now, do I?

The other things that I do is brown up some hamburger for others in the house and make a few extra chicken breasts or one casserole that I can throw into the oven or my son can fix on those nights when track practice runs longer than normal or the husband has to work late.

There is nothing like the feeling of control and confidence when I can come home and know exactly what I'm having for dinner and all I need to do is reheat it in the microwave or pop it in the oven and cook it up. Quick, easy and healthy, that's my style.

I'm Not Perfect!

2009-05-14T02:03:00.003-05:00

I received more emails from PhitNews subscribers last week than ever before.. Most of it centered around the couple of sentences I wrote, regarding my "rough week". I won't go into the details of what caused it because it doesn't really matter. What makes me fall off the wagon will be different than what makes you fall off the wagon. What does matter, is that we ALL fall off the wagon at one point or another. Don't let anyone tell you they don't, because if they do, what they are probably saying is that they just haven't yet, or they're simply lying to you! Its what we do when we fall that is the measure of our true strength.

Perfectionist thinking gets people nowhere. It's a nice idea to live in fairy tale land where Ding Dongs and Ho-Hos are all calorie free and we can sit on a bench and be fanned by a nice looking "cabana boy" but it probably won't be happening anytime soon.

Perfectionist thinking with regard to our weight loss occurs in different ways. For example, some individuals are afflicted with the all or nothing attitude which convinces them that if they don't lose weight each and every week they are failures. They focus on their imperfections and have a difficult time recognizing the great strides they have made. Another example (this one is my personal favorite) occurs because we get depressed when we don't meet goals that we set for ourselves, even when we suspect that the goals may not have been realistic in the first place.

Here are a few of the things that I have started to do to help myself when I get into one of my slumps.

1. I write about it. I write to you people out there. I trust you. You have become part of my family and I know that you want to see me succeed as much as I do you.

2. I look for the positive in whatever is happening. Most of the time I can find it. If I can't, I jump to the next step.

3. I ask for help. I have one or two close friends whom I trust to give me that swift kick in the pants (so to speak) when I become obstinate. I know that they will be honest with me and I've learned to trust them when they tell me that things are okay, or that they will get better.

4. Make a small goal that I know I can achieve no matter what, even if it is just to eat a healthy breakfast!

5. Enjoy the process. I can't say I'm so great at this one, although I'm getting better. I'm learning so much about things that I never would have considered in the past. I'm also learning more about myself, and that's even better.

"No one is perfect... that's why pencils have erasers." ~Author Unknown

Say Yes!

2009-05-05T14:04:00.002-05:00

I was watching a movie the other night. It is entitled "Yes Man" starring Jim Carrey who plays the main character in the movie. In short, he was leading a dull and unfruitful life when a friend turned him on to a motivational conference. In the conference he becomes convinced that he should just say "Yes" to everything. If he doesn't, bad things, he believes, tend to happen.

Later he meets a young woman who lives carefree in a band that has only five or six fans. She takes a running/photography class because she just likes to do both of those things and in essence just lives life to the fullest, the complete opposite of Jim's character.

The young lady says "The world's a playground. You know that when you are a kid, but somewhere along the way everyone forgets it."

Is this not the truth? All too often we don't want to get out of our comfort zone, or to try something new for fear of failure, rejection or embarrassment because of what others may think. We don't play in the grass, crawl on our hands and knees, ride bikes or just lie on the ground and watch as clouds go by. I wonder why this is.

One thing that I've learned to do during my weight loss and fitness journey, and I'm still learning, is to live life to the fullest. To try new things, meet new people and get outside of what I would normally do. I've learned so much about whom I am and how much I have to offer to others and how much other people have to offer to me. I was missing out due to my insecurities. But not anymore! I'm convinced that life is a playground and I want to try all the rides, not just the merry-go-round.

Live life and say yes to something that you have always wanted to try but were too afraid to.

Karen’s Success Story

2009-04-30T14:05:00.013-05:00

I've been a Weight Watchers leader for a year and a half now, but although recently I've struggled with continuing in this role for several reasons, Karen's story represents the major reason why I keep this job.

Karen has been an active WW member for over 89 weeks folks! EIGHTY NINE! That is one year and almost 8 months. I can't say that I remember her when I started my weight loss journey but she must have been there around the time I reached my goal. I do remember when she reached her 75 lb mark as I weighed her then. I weighed her at her 100 lb mark as well.

When I do my getting started meetings and when I took this meeting over I told everyone that no matter what, if you feel like quitting, please come and talk to me. I truly and genuinely care about you reaching not only your weight loss goal but your YOU goal. I tell them that I understand what it is like to be at a plateau. I was at one for NINE WEEKS, and I never want to forget that feeling. I tell them I have big shoulders and I can deal with the fact that they don't want to track exercise or they are just sick of doing this. But please, come and give me one chance to help them get re-motivated and to stay with the program.

Well, Karen had been struggling for three months to lose three pounds. She had been up 1, down 1.8, up .6, down, 2.6. Back and forth. You know what that's like, we've all been there. Yet, each week she would continue to come and weigh in. Last night she came as usual and I happen to weigh her. She was in a doom and gloom frame of mind and said she just really didn't know how this was going to go. I told her not to worry, let's just see what happens. She stepped on the scale and had lost 4.6 which pushed her into her goal weight of 154.6. Her total weight loss was 158.8 lbs. That's right 158.8 over an 89 week journey. She burst into tears, I cried for her and hugged her tightly and told her how proud I was of her (I'm tearing up right now thinking about it). I told her that it was now the beginning of a whole new her.

It doesn't end here. She proceeded to tell me that she almost didn't come to the meeting that night. She said she was sick of living like this and messing around with three sticking pounds but somewhere in her head she remembered me telling her to "just give ME a chance" and that we would work together to get over that hump. She said after she thought of that, she just had to come to the meeting and talk with me. To make things even better, her granddaughter who usually just drops her off at the meeting, stayed that night and was there to celebrate and witness this life changing event for her grandma. We also figured that during her weight loss journey she lost an AVERAGE of 1.77 lbs each week. What do we say here, "1-2 lbs per week".

We celebrated that night hard in the meeting room, we talked more about what it means to reach goals and persevere. We talked about support, what it is, and why we need it. We talked about never letting a little thing like the number on a scale, a cookie or pie rule how we live our lives or how it can make us feel.

I can't stress to each and everyone of you enough, that you can do this. You can learn to change your life, to live a healthy and fit lifestyle. You are worth it, and if I could hug and cry with each one of you as you reach your goals, I would do so gladly.

In short, this is why I'm a Weight Watchers leader and this one episode has brought more joy and satisfaction to me than anything I've experienced in the last few months.

It’s About Attitude

2009-04-23T14:02:00.002-05:00

Many of you know that I just completed my first triathlon. I'm now part of an elite club. Less than 1% of the world's population ever completes a triathlon so no matter what my time or where I placed I'm a pretty special person, if I do say so myself.

I don't want to talk about me today though; I want to talk about a fellow competitor with whom I did the race. Her name is Jill. This was Jill's second triathlon and she was very excited about doing it. She had purchased a new bike, trained, and was ready for the first triathlon of the year. I know she was excited to be competing with our friend Kathy and me. Together they were going to "break me in" to the so called tri-world.

We had a great night picking up our race packets, looking at the huge pool that we would swim in, checking out the transition area and driving the 12.5 miles long bike course to get an idea of what to expect. Let me tell you, there are lots of hills in the Oxford, Ohio area!

We headed out to the race on Saturday morning and somehow we got lost along the way. Whilst trying to find our way, we stopped to ask for directions. At the same time I wanted to check out a strange noise I'd heard coming from the back of the van. We found that Jill's bike had fallen off the bike rack and was being dragged along the road for who knows how long. Her tire was shredded and rim thrashed. We knew at this point, that it was unlikely that her race would take place as planned.

I was sad for Jill, I was also sad for me because I felt I needed her to complete this race. I had no clue what I was doing. I was tempted to just back out.. I mean, it would have been an honorable gesture, right? Probably also cowardly , but you know, Jill wasn't upset at all. In fact, she just said, "you know, it was meant to be, but I'm still going to swim and run". So that is exactly what she did. She did the swim portion, waited for me to finish the bike ride and was at the transition for us to run our three miles together and for us to finish as friends and as a team.

Finding the positive in and learning from a negative experience are important parts of dealing with setbacks. The most important part of a setback is getting up and moving forward. Not letting that negative experience to permanently impede your forward movement.

An old Chinese proverb says: "Fall down seven times, get up eight times.." Its determination and attitude that will get us beyond the difficult walls that block us from our dreams.

My kudos go to Jill this week who didn't let a little bike wreck keep her from having a great time and completing a dream.

Taking Care of Yourself

2009-04-16T12:39:00.001-05:00

I believe that in life there are givers and takers. One isn't better or worse than the other because we really should see ourselves on both sides of that equation. Sometimes giving and sometimes receiving.

I however, tend to be a giver and probably do a terrible job at being a receiver. I give and give and then I get to a point where I feel burnt-out and resentful toward the very people that I have enjoyed giving to.

We talk a lot about taking care of ourselves in non food related activities. Recently, I have found myself to really be burning the candle at both ends. I love being active in my family's life and I really enjoy the relationships and interactions that I have come to have with many people within my community locally and in web land. However, I was starting to see that I was suffering. Some of the things that I would normally take time to do for myself were being put onto the back burner and worse yet I felt that some of my duties as mommy and wife were being ignored.

So I had to take a step back and look at what was really important to me. I asked myself a tough question; what could I keep and what did I need to let go off? What could I give to someone else? I can't be Wonder Woman, as much as I would love to wear that cute outfit and have an invisible plane! So recently I made some changes in my life that will allow me to take better care of myself and those that are closest to me.

Is it hard? Did I disappoint some other people in the process? Yes, I'm sure I did. However, I need to practice what I preach and I was finding that some food items were making it into my cart that perhaps shouldn't be there or I was fudging a bit on a good workout to make room for other things when really those weren't as important as eating right and exercising.

What type of changes do you need to make in your life to "right adjust" yourself so that you are taking care of the most important person in your life, YOU!

Fake It Till You Make It

2009-04-09T13:23:00.003-05:00

Do you ever feel like you just aren't "in the mood" for this anymore. I sure do. Trust me, just because I'm a Weight Watchers Leader and Personal Trainer doesn't mean that I don't get sick of counting calories or Points or measuring, weighing, drinking water and exercising. Many times I'm just not in the mood. You know, it gets old after a while and sometimes and I just want to rebel.

In fact, sometimes I do rebel. It's in times like this that we just have to "fake it till we make it". We simply go through the motions whether we like it or not. That's why is so important to have things planned out and keep them readily available for the times when we are just not in the mood pop up. Trust me, we aren't going to plan a menu when all we want to do is grab something simple and go home to do nothing.

Having two or three quick and healthy meal options is a great way to work through times like this. I always make sure that I have chicken breasts cooked and frozen ready to use as well as some brown rice and frozen veggies. A person can do a lot with just those few ingredients.

Exercise needs to be approached in the same way you approach brushing your teeth. You don't spend hours in the bathroom brushing your teeth but the dentist recommends 2-3 three times per day and you must brush for 2 minutes. So with exercise, since its many more pieces to take care of, you must just get in 2-3 bouts of 10-15 minutes of movement. Take a walk around the building, that you work in, walk up and down the staircase at home. Just move. It's like brushing your teeth, you just gotta do it!

Folks, we aren't always going to have a stellar workout or have a week of fantastic eating, or lose weight every week or make a huge personal breakthrough in our thinking. But, what we can do, are small consistent things that add up over time to gradually get us to where we want to be.

Attitude Shift

2009-03-27T04:25:00.001-05:00

Attitude is a huge factor in determining weight loss and fitness success. We might think that it's just the food we eat and the exercises we do or don't do that determines the eventual outcome but that's not all. Yes, they are important, but in addition, it is our attitude and how we choose to embrace the process that forms the framework for continued success or failure.

If we are looking at the changes in our food and the need for exercise as negative then it will be difficult for us to want to embrace and maintain the lifestyle over the long term. We need to look at the changes as things we want to do, that we know are beneficial. Not as punitive assignments that we must undertake, or else. Sometimes we must do them but our focus should be mostly on the fact that we know the outcomes from the process will ultimately get us to our goal.

Here are a few tips that we can use to help shift our attitude.

1. Keep a gratitude journal. Write down all the things about the process that you are or will be grateful for. They can be anything from being able to keep up with your kids or grandkids, to walking up a flight of stairs without becoming winded.
2. Use positive thinking. So many things exist on the internet today that we can subscribe to that will help us start the day on a positive note.
3. Limit your exposure to negative people or effects. We sometimes get bombarded with sights, sounds and people that tear us down.
4. Surround yourself with like minded people who help you become better at eliminating your bad habits.
5. Instead of saying "I can't"; ask yourself, "How can I?"

Choose one two of these this week as it relates to your weight loss and fitness journey and see if by shifting your attitude about your new lifestyle, you achieve more success and happiness in the process.

Starting Now

2009-03-19T12:20:00.001-05:00

I've recently challenged my group of Weight Watchers members to a Spring Arm Challenge. If you are reading this blog, you are welcome to join in as well.

The idea of this challenge got me thinking about the many times we wish to accomplish something but put off making the effort due to one or more of a variety of reasons. The one that I hear about the most, is one that even I have been guilty of using. It is the one that says; "I'm not good enough". What?! How can any one of us know whether we good enough at something if we've never even taken the first step?

If we're honest with ourselves, we will often conclude that what we consider to be reasons for not taking the plunge, are actually excuses in disguise. You don't have to be good to start something, but you have to start if you hope to ever become good at whatever that activity is.

Its not enough to simply decide to do it, we must start the process. We must do something tangible and measurable. We have to put action behind our decisions.

My challenge to you this week is to start on that project, goal or aspiration that you have been putting off for weeks, months or even years.. It doesn't have to be a huge step but a step that puts you that much closer to reaching your dream.

Get brilliant on the basics

2009-03-11T13:39:00.006-05:00

"Get brilliant on the basics" is what Vince Lombardi said when he took over the losing Green Bay Packers and a reporter asked him how he would turn around the team.

As many of you know, a football enthusiast I am not, nor do I really understand the game. However, I'm learning to follow it somewhat and I will say that I've come across some rather interesting individuals as I learn more about the current coaches and athletes as well as those from years gone by.

What struck me about this quote is that so many of us look at our weight loss and fitness journey as a mysterious and complicated undertaking. Sometimes we have to try a few different approaches before we finally find what works for us, but all in all it is a simple process and what he wrote about "getting brilliant on the basics" is so true.

If you hone your skills on the following three basic areas, you will reach your weight loss and fitness goals and accomplish more than you ever thought possible.

1. The 90/10 rule

Make healthy food choices 90% of the time. If you can't kill it or grow it then it probably isn't all that great for you from a nutrition standpoint. It may sound harsh but our bodies weren't made to process substances with names we can't pronounce. Our bodies do know what to do with fruits, veggies, lean meats and the like.

The other 10% of the time, enjoy life. Have some of the indulgences that you want and then move on. Earn them through eating healthy 90% of the time and then enjoy them.

I joke with my Weight Watchers members and tell them that our bodies only know to put "Ho-Ho" cream on our thighs for later processing.

2. Move More

Move More. Get off the couch and away from the TV and start moving. Our bodies have over 200 bones and 600 muscles that need daily use and activity if they are to serve us well. We need to incorporate cardiovascular activity and resistance training to take care of our bodies well into our golden years.

Find something that you like to do and get to it. So many different activities can be done and never feel like exercise.

3. Postive Focus

Get Rid of the "Stinkin' Thinkin". What we feed into our minds and thoughts are what we should expect to get out. Find a group or a close friend that supply you with motivational support and a place to vent. Start focusing on all the good things about yourself daily instead of the negative things. The areas that you want to improve in, work on them but don't fret over it.

It's the basics that get us hung up most of the time. Get brilliant on the basics and tell me where you end up.

Struggle a little, so you can fly!

2009-03-05T13:42:00.004-05:00

The transition from your old self and habits to a new and improved YOU can be likened to that of a single egg morphing into a beautiful butterfly.

We've talked about this in the Meeting Room but I thought it was worth repeating just because change is inevitable in all our lives whether it has to do with health and fitness or something else. How we move through that transformation can be insightful.

A butterfly starts its life as a tiny egg, just drifting on a leaf, seemingly oblivious of what is happening to and around it. This is somewhat like us when we are in the denial stage. We don't see a problem with our weight, health or lack of activity. We have managed somehow to get this far with no issues. However, at some point we have an "aha" moment when we finally see the need for change. Maybe we couldn't buckle a seatbelt on an plane, fit into a seat in the movie theater or heaven forbid, experienced a health scare involving ourselves or a loved one.

At this point we have entered the caterpillar stage. We start thinking about what needs to be done, and how we will get there. Some caterpillars are known to eat until they get too big for their skin. Yikes! Maybe that is why some of us overeat in stressful situations, it could be our caterpillar survival instinct at work.

The action phase is similar to the cocoon phase. There is so much taking place inside that we don't see. In fact we may even find the chrysalis to be ugly. Often we have changes that are happening inside us during this phase. Our habits are getting better and we notice what works and what doesn't. However, we don't see this on the outside as the changes are covert. This is when it is important to look inside to acknowledge and take credit for the things you are doing right.

The maintenance stage is comparable to the butterfly emerging from his cocoon. He has to struggle to get through the opening. You take the final steps to find the wherewithal to continue with this lifestyle and spread your wings.

Here is the story I told in the meeting room: (Author unknown)

A man found a butterfly cocoon and brought it home with him. One day a small opening appeared. He sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through that little hole. Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as far as possible and could go no further.

Then the man decided to help the butterfly. He took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon. The butterfly then emerged easily. But it had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings. The man continued to watch the butterfly because he expected that, at any moment, the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body, which would contract in time.

Neither happened! In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings. It never was able to fly.

Struggle a little, so you can fly!

Experiencing Life

2009-02-26T05:05:00.004-05:00

Eleanor Roosevelt has become somewhat of an intriguing and captivating figure to me. During the past few years I have run across quotes from her and she seemed to be such a well educated individual. After reading her book entitled "You Learn by Living: Eleven Keys for a More Fulfilling Life" I learned that she really had no formal education yet seems to be such a smart individual and a person that would have been fascinating to meet and listen too.

Here is one of her more famous quotes:

"The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience"

For some reason, this just smacks me across the face and tells me to ponder, consider and reflect on my life and what I'm doing with it. Am I living it to the utmost? Do I reach out and eagerly reach out without fear for those newer and richer experiences? Honestly, I have to say no. I'm a person that likes things to be black and white and unknown or vague situations are not circumstances that I handle well.

I learned through my weight loss and fitness journey that I would be experiencing situations of this nature and slowly I had to embrace them. Now I have come to love them. The gym to me in the beginning was not a familiar place to be. I really didn't know what I was doing. Fortunately, I had a great trainer and some awesome material. However, I still was doing it on my own basically, and I had to struggle through the uncomfortable stages and awkward feelings. Nevertheless, I now, blast through the gym doors and know what I'm doing, and why. I now have people asking me for help. What a change! I've learned to enjoy different foods not only for their taste but also from their texture and color and I'm better now because of it.

I know that I want to experience more in life. I know I have a lot more to experience in life. I can't say yet that I will do so eagerly but I am committed to "reaching out".

What fears or concerns you have about losing weight and being healthier that are keeping you from living your life to the utmost? Let's work on them together so we all can begin to really experience life.

In It For Life

2009-02-20T04:47:00.001-05:00

Two nights ago, during my Weight Watcher's meeting I posed an interesting question to the group. I wanted to know by a show of hands, how many of the members would describe themselves as being on a diet. I was pleased when not a single hand was raised. It made me feel confident that each member of the group is destined for success in the pursuit of their weight loss and fitness goals.

Weight loss and ultimate fitness cannot be contained by following a fancy diet of high this, low that or none of those. It has to be a sensible approach to choosing healthy foods 90% of the time and getting our tushies off the couch and moving more. We have bones and muscles in our bodies and they need to be used. If we don't use them we will lose them.

Too many people start the process thinking in terms of being on a diet and that once they reach their ultimate goal whether it is a certain number on the scale, a specific dress size or what have you, that they are done and all will be well from then on. When this approach is taken, it is just a matter of time before the individual reverts to the same lifestyle that brought them to where they were to begin with, and in many cases they end up worse off than they were before.

The sooner we resolve ourselves to the fact that this is the way we will need to live our lives from now until the end of time, the better off we will be.. This means learning to find moderation in what we do and eat, embracing moving more and having healthy activities incorporated into our daily lives.. It means believing in ourselves and filling our minds with positive thinking and the desire to pass these lessons on to our families and to the next generation. It means learning to love the feeling of rolling on the floor and playing with our children or pets and not having to dread the thought of having to say that we can't participate.

Folks, if you want to be successful, you must be in this for the long haul, for your lifetime that is. Be in it for life and it will become your lifestyle. If you do this, I can say with confidence that your weight loss journey will be much easier and a lot more enjoyable.

Time in a Bottle

2009-02-13T14:36:00.001-05:00

I often hear people say that they don't have enough time to exercise or cook healthy meals. I've talked often about tips for prepping foods on the weekend and planning to help us have a smoother week. I also posted a few months ago a schedule of mine showing how busy my day is and how I get through it.

My come back to this comment is we have all the time there is. The problem is: How do we make the best use of our time?

Here are couple suggestions for helping you.

1. Work on developing a routine pattern.

If we plan our day with a routine pattern waking up at the same time and incorporating our activity as an essential part of our day we are less likely to miss or skip it. If we have a general pattern as to when and what we eat we are less likely to stray.

2. Say no to nonessential tasks

Many times we find that we agree to take on additional tasks and work without considering how this will impact our own life or those around us. Before agreeing to one of these tasks consider your own goals and schedules and ensure that you can still ascertain what you want to accomplish.

3. Maintain good health

Maintaining good health through proper nutrition, rest and regular checkup help us to ensure that we can continue with our active lifestyle..

All of us have only a limited amount of time on this earth and as sand through an hour glass it can quickly disappear before our eyes. However, using this time and making it count for something is the beginning of good judgment and lasting happiness.

Open up to Self Knowledge

2009-01-29T14:58:00.001-05:00

Eleanor Roosevelt wrote: "It is curious that many people seem to fear self-knowledge because they assume, and often quite wrongly, that it implies discovering only derogatory things about oneself. Actually, an important part of self-knowledge is that it gives one a better realization of the inner strength that can be called upon, of which one may be quite unaware.."

Because it is easier to say, "I can't," than "I can," or at least "I can try," many people go through life unaware of untapped strength, even untapped ability. They haven't explored their own capabilities. They really don't know where their strength lies"

Wow, do I see so much of this in people that are in their weight loss and fitness journey? You bet I do. I even see it in myself and today that's what I want to write about.

Before, I started this journey the thoughts of doing any type of physical activity short of a walk with my child or dog was really something unheard of. It really isn't that I didn't want to do it. I just didn't think about it and I'm sure if someone suggested I would have laughed them off.

It wasn't until I met an individual that helped me realize that I had so much more potential in me if only I would take one leap of faith and "try". It started with just losing weight and slowly learning more about healthy nutrition and activity, including weight lifting and various cardio activities. Then she asked me to run a race. "A race" I thought, I mean I'm no Olympic marathon runner but she told me how this would give me a new found degree of self knowledge regarding what I could do and how far I could push myself. I did my first 5K and actually enjoyed it. Then she asked me consider a ½ marathon. 13.1 miles. Honestly, I thought she was insane. Again with quiet persistence she encouraged me and suggested that I just start running longer distances.. I didn't commit to running that first race until I had already run 8 miles and it was at that point that I knew I could do it and I did.

Now I'm at the beginning of a new journey for triathlon training and I'll tell you. I'm scared and I'm not sure if I can do it. I know I can run and I'm pretty confident that I can ride that bike. It's the swimming part that has me worried. I'm practicing and doing the things I know I should do to train. I've contemplated several times backing out but decided I really, really wanted to do this. So I signed up for my first race. I'm not backing out now, because I would lose $45, and I'm cheap! :)

My wonderful friend continues to gently prod me and encourage me as I learn to discover myself, my capabilities and my potential.

You too have more within you than you know or can even mentally conceive. If you only reach within yourself you will be able to take yourself to astonishingly new heights.

I would love to hear of what things you have felt concern over but looked within yourself and discovered that you could do.

To Reach Your Destination, Don’t Go It Alone!

2009-01-22T14:00:00.001-05:00

I'm reading a fantastic book by Eleanor Roosevelt. I've used her quotes many times and decided that I wanted to know a bit more about this woman. The book, in case you are interested in reading it, is "You Learn by Living - Eleven Keys for A More Fulfilling Life"

Some of the things she writes about have given me so much to think about. Its fascinating to realize just how so many aspects of what she says can apply to our weight loss and fitness journey. She tells the story of a young child telling his parents that he wants freedom. The parents decide that for one day the child may decide everything for himself. After about half of the day the child returned to his parents and started to ask questions. The parents responded that it was the child's decision because it was his day of freedom. The child paused and replied, "I'm tired of Freedom".

I share this story from the book because many times we start a fitness and weight loss program and believe that we can do it "all on our own". We want the freedom to make the choices and do it "our way" only to quickly realize that "our way" doesn't work, and that going it alone is tough.

We have the freedom to make choices during this process and we should learn how to make them wisely. After all, we can't have someone buying our food and cooking it for us. I wish I could, but I'm not rich enough. What we do need is someone or a community of people to help us learn to make better assessments and decisions that will enable us to develop the tools to at some point, do it "our way".

Are you trying to do this on your own, is your own way working or are you getting the help and support that you need from someone or a community of people. I would love to know your thoughts on this.

"Because I'm Worth It!"

2009-01-15T14:31:00.002-05:00

L'Oreal has a great catchy line in one of its commercials that says "Because I'm Worth It" and some Hollywood beauty then tries to entice you to purchase their cosmetics. Now I'm not here to say that that makeup line is good, bad or indifferent. What I am going to say is that YOU are worth it.

So many people don't take the time, money or effort for themselves in this weight loss and fitness journey. I hear it all, I don't have time, eating healthy is expensive or it's too tough and yet they still want the ever elusive fit and healthy body.

Before any of us can really know that this journey will be the one that sticks, we have to believe that we are "worth it". We are worth the struggles, the planning, preparation, and yes maybe pain and heartache that will accompany us on the journey. In order for us to get from one point to the other we have to look deep within ourselves and embrace all the good, bad and ugly and then let it go.

Too many times women believe that their worth is in taking care of their family and friends always giving of themselves to others and never providing a moment for themselves. Men tend to find their worth in their jobs and will often work long hours for a job that they can't stand but won't take ten minutes to prepare some food or get involved in some activity to keep themselves sane. Both wonder what they are doing living a rat-wheel type of life, moving rapidly but going nowhere.

Each of us deserves to be healthy and fit. We deserve to live life to OUR fullest potential. We deserve to laugh and roll around on the floor with our loves ones or our pets. We are worth the extra expense of a healthier diet and some time away to take care of ourselves.

I encourage you this week to find one or two ways that you can be kind, love yourself and find your worth because if its one thing that I have learned is its that "I'm Worth It"

Hope vs. Expectation for 2009

2009-01-08T13:55:00.000-05:00

I've been doing some reading lately and something caught my attention that I thought was so significant that I had to write about it. It's the difference between concepts of Hope and Expectation. What is the difference between these two ideas and how can we use each of them to motivate us to achieving a healthier, fitter and more fulfilling life?

Hope is a belief in some sort of positive outcome. It allows us to think in a bigger scope than what we might normally be accustomed to. However, it leaves us with some sort of opposite "choice" as well. Perhaps what we are hoping won't be the outcome as well.

An expectation is considered probable and normally there isn't a question about it. It implies a high degree of probability and usually some type of plan or preparation is envisioned so that we can reach it.

Too many times when we start a new year we are "hoping" that this is the year that we will lose that weight, start eating healthier or exercising, even if history has shown that the likelihood of our completing the dream isn't favorable.

I would like to challenge everyone to look at 2009 in a different light. Let's set ourselves up to obtaining some of these dreams by setting expectations for ourselves so that our dreams are more likely to become reality.

If we start expecting ourselves to eat right, exercise and lose weight, we are more likely to put a plan into place and follow it. Set the expectation today. Start with just a few simple changes to get you on this road. Here are my suggestions:

1. Plan. Plan a day of your life or two days of your life. Write it down on paper so that you know what hours you really have to work with.
2. Add one veggie to your daily menu. (We should be getting in 3-5 per day!)
3. Drink an extra class of water during the day.
4. Move just a little bit more. It doesn't have to be a lot, just start moving around. Commercials during your favorite television program are great times to do it and you won't miss a beat of it.
5. Plan. Plan how you can incorporate items 2-4.

Dreams are wonderful and I believe that we should all have them, and big ones. Set new and higher expectations for yourselves in 2009, which will in turn bring you that much closer to making those dreams part of your own reality.

Holiday Survival Guide - Week 8 - Gifts

2008-12-28T15:18:00.001-05:00

If there is one thing that we can count on during this time of the year, it is the tradition of giving and receiving gifts. This entire process can sometimes become a chore, especially when the gifts revolve around food. I thought this week we would discover some things that we can give that are food related and how we can handle the food gifts that we get.

Here are some great examples of gifts that you can give that aren't food related, don't cost much money and might help to encourage your loved ones or friends to jump on the health and fitness band wagon with you. There's nothing better than a support group.

•Put together a little cookbook of some recipes that you enjoy and love. Even make some samples if you can.
•Have a get together with your friends.
•Ladies think of pretty nail polishes or some home made body scrubs. Get a great little jar and there ya go
•Men, how about some gloves or offer to help your friend with some yard work or something. Can you say "Extra activity points"
• Candles
• Books
• Magazines that you have read and have enjoyed the articles. I have many, many old running magazines and such. I can't bring myself to throw them out but I'm sure my friends would love them, especially my running buddies.
• Journals
• Reusable water bottles, you'll be helping the environment too.

Now what to do with the plates of goodies that people bring in to you. Choose wisely what you will keep and enjoy. Choose one or two of your most favorite goodies and get rid of the remainder.

• Wrap them up and take them to a local shelter
• How about the fire department or local police station
• Take them to work and share them with your co workers
• Take them to a church function and share them with your church family
• Share them with a shut-in or elderly neighbor or to a nursing home.
• Send them to work with your spouse or significant other
• Last but surely not least, THROW THEM AWAY!

Some of you may be aghast at the thought of throwing them away. However, if you really truly don't want to have them be sitting on your hips for the remainder of December and all of January, take a deep breath, close your eyes and let them go into the bin.

Here is to wishing you a happy an healthy holiday gifting giving and gift receiving season!

Holiday Survival Guide - Week 7 - 2009 Goal Setting

2008-12-19T16:25:00.006-05:00

Now that we've bragged about where we've came from in 2008 its time for us to get started on setting goals for 2009. There is nothing better than feeling as if you are in control of this process and crossing some things off our list of "to-do's"

Many people have a hard time setting goals. I know I'm still not the best but I'm getting better and just starting with a few things and accomplishing them can really help us be motivated to set bigger and longer term goals.

The other thing I want you thinking about are goals that are not necessarily related to your ideal scale number. Let's start looking at life in terms that are much bigger than the scale. After all, does that 12x12 pad control your life, are you living for the three digit number that appears there? I hope not! Let's start living LIFE!

Here are a few S.M.A.R.T. tips to help you set some goals:

• Specific. Some of the questions you might want to answer are who, what, when, where and why of the goal. For example, "I want to compete in the OSU Triathlon, May 3, 2009."

• Measureable. Can you measure the specific pieces of the goal or points along the way so that you know how close you are to achieving it or when you actually do?

• Attainable. Can you achieve the goal? Anything is attainable if you are willing and able to do what is necessary to achieve that goal.

• Realistic. Is the goal realistic? The objective of the goal is to be able to achieve it and if we truly believe that we can achieve it then I believe we can but we also need to look at the entire spectrum of what needs to happen to get to that end result.

• Timeline. We need to set a time to when we will finish this goal. That gives us an opportunity to put a plan into place and know that everything we do helps us to reach one step closer to our goal.

It is easy for us folks that have struggled with weight loss and fitness to have our entire being and self revolve around a scale. I so often ask people how they are and the response I get is inevitably that they will know once they step on the scale. Isn't that sad?

Folks, there is more to us than a number on the scale. We are living, breathing, loving, learning, individuals that should be putting forth more into our lives and obtaining dreams than worry about a 10 second stance on the scale.

I'm challenging you this week to start righting down some goals for 2009. It could be anything from learning to paint, maybe you have always wanted to, to learning to drive a tractor.

The key here is to start putting down on paper the hopes and dreams that we all had as small children and believed that we could do and start working towards realizing those dreams.

I would love to get comments on goals that you are setting out for yourself for the 2009 year. I'll be posting mine.

Learning to Love your Body

2008-12-15T13:51:00.017-05:00

I had a person email me today in reference to my recent article regarding alcohol. Although it seemed to be of value to her, she gave me a comment about "hips that won't go away"

I her asked to give me a bit more insight on how she was feeling because she was obviously not having a good day.

Obesity is at an all time high in this country and with that comes the notion that women should all fit in this so called perfect body. You know, the Twiggy type, probably not more than 13 years old and a minuscule percentage that will ever walk that runway.

As a result of this conflicting notion of being overweight and trying to fit the perfect image comes a self-loathing that is equally destructive. You can use this anger or frustration to fuel your desire to be more healthy and fit but at the same time you have to love your body where it is now because even after you lose the weight it will still be YOUR body.

Here is a great list of twenty ways to start loving it today!

Compiled by Margo Maine, Ph.D.
___________________________

Think of your body as the vehicle to your dreams. Honor it. Respect it. Fuel it.

Your body is extraordinary--begin to respect and appreciate it.

Create a list of all the things your body lets you do. Read it and add to it often.

Become aware of what your body can do each day. Remember it is the instrument of your life, not just an ornament.

Create a list of people you admire: people who have contributed to your life, your community, or the world. Consider whether their appearance was important to their success and accomplishments.

Walk with your head held high, supported by pride and confidence in yourself as a person.

Don't let your weight or shape keep you from activities that you enjoy.

Wear comfortable clothes that you like and that feel good to your body.

Count your blessings, not your blemishes.

Think about all the things you could accomplish with the time and energy you currently spend worrying about your body and appearance. Try one!

Be your body's friend and supporter, not its enemy.

Consider this: your skin replaces itself once a month, your stomach lining every five days, your liver every six weeks, and your skeleton every three months.

Every morning when you wake up, thank your body for resting and rejuvenating itself so you can enjoy the day.

Every evening when you go to bed, tell your body how much you appreciate what it has allowed you to do throughout the day.

Find a method of exercise that you enjoy and do it regularly. Don't exercise to lose weight or to fight your body. Do it to make your body healthy and strong and because it makes you feel good.

Think back to a time in your life when you felt good about your body. Tell yourself you can feel like that again, even in this body at this age.

Keep a list of 10 positive things about yourself--without mentioning your appearance. Add to it!

Put a sign on each of your mirrors saying, "I'm beautiful inside and out.

Choose to find the beauty in the world and in yourself.

Start saying to yourself, "Life is too short to waste my time hating my body this way.

Eat when you are hungry. Rest when you are tired. Surround yourself with people that remind you of your inner strength and beauty.

Now, I would love to hear comments about why and what you love and respect about your body.

Holiday Survival Guide - Week 6 - 2008 In Review

2008-12-11T13:09:00.003-05:00

We talk a lot about goals at Weight Watchers and Phit4Life and the importance of having goals. They give us something to strive for and to ascertain where we are in our journey. We get a sense of accomplishment in achieving them and they help us to stay motivated. However, the down side to being goal driven is the tendency to forget about rewarding ourselves and taking a good look at where we are now in comparison to where we came from.

This is a hard one for me and I'll be honest with you. It's tough when you are in maintenance. You don't get a reward, sticker, star or keychain for just staying the same. Should I be proud of the fact that I've maintained this weight loss for almost 18 months, you bet I should, but do I? Nope! Shame on me and shame on you too! I have accomplished some great things in the last year and none of them were reflected on the 12x12 pad that we all love to pay such homage to.

Here are some of the things I have done in 2008:

1. Ran my second half marathon in Indianapolis, the largest half marathon in the U.S.
2. Enrolled and completed my Personal Training Certification, including becoming CPR and AED certified.
3. Ran a 5k in July
4. Helped to support and rally three wonderful Weight Watchers members to train and run their first 5K and inspiring them to even run a 10K.
5. Started Phit4Life which includes a full body workout class and online personal training services.
6. Ran my third half marathon at the Fort Wayne Inaugural run in September.
7. Successful lead three Weight Watchers meetings inspiring other people to live fit and healthy lifestyles as well.

And folks these are just the big ones that got me some bling to wear around my neck a neat tee shirt or a cool certificate. It doesn't even touch on the countless things that I've learned about proper nutrition, intense exercise and goal setting strategies or all the things that I do as a wife, mother, colleague and friend. I have accomplished a lot in 2008 and I have a lot to be proud of.

I'm challenging you today to get out a piece of paper or better yet, comment back here to tell me about all the things that you have done in 2008. Be proud of where you are today and where you have come from it will help you set your 2009 goals, which is what we will talk about next week. Now get busy braggin!

Types of Cardio Training

2008-12-08T10:27:00.003-05:00

There are a number of types of cardiovascular training that can help you meet your fitness and training goals Today I'm going to talk about three of the most common types in use. I'll address each of them separately and examine how they can be incorporated into your fitness regimen for maximum fat loss and fitness.

Steady State

Steady State cardio is done for 60 to 75 minutes. It tends so be somewhat monotonous and may even be considered by some as boring. During this type of exercise we want to keep our heart rate at 55-65% for maximum fat loss effect. How does this actually work you might wonder. Performing steady state cardio has little to no effect on cardio vascular fitness levels, but it does wonders when it comes to burning through fat.

Let's look at it in this way. Put a pan on the stove and put some butter in it. The pan represents your body and the butter is the fat you want to destroy. If you turn the heat to a low setting the butter or fat will slowly melt away and the integrity of the pan in unaffected. It may take longer to melt the butter but it gets the job done without sacrificing anything else. More on this pan analogy in the following sections.

Interval Training

Interval training occurs when you work hard for period of time, usually about one minute, followed by a recovery period of the same duration. This can be continued for 30 or even 60 minutes. The objective is teaching your body to go harder for a shorter period of time without crashing. It also amps up our metabolism, resulting in a great afterburn.

It has been found that by doing this type of cardio, the body increases its cardiovascular ability or the ability for the heart to pump blood and oxygen to other parts of the body. It has also been shown to increase the body's anaerobic capacity. This means that your body will become more efficient at using other means than oxygen to supply energy to itself.

Turning again to the butter and pan analogy, it would be similar to turning the burner on and off. As you do this the pan (your body) starts warm but stays warm and gets even hotter. It continues to melt the butter even when the pan is turned off and it is using indirect heat (anaerobic) to melt the butter when the direct heat (aerobic) is turned off.

High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)

High Intensity Interval Training is the cousin to Interval training. HIIT occurs when you go all out; balls to the walls, so to speak, for 20 seconds, maybe thirty and then in a recovery mode for the balance of the minute. You will repeat this cycle for about 20 minutes; maybe 25 if you are lucky. When you are done with a HIIT session you should have nothing left to give. When you do HIIT it puts your body in an anabolic state. Because of this we can only continue it short amount of time and could suffer muscle loss if we do not fuel ourselves properly.

Consider the pan analogy once again. In a HIIT session we torch the butter (fat) within minutes but if the pan has nothing to burn after the butter has flamed up, it will actually turn upon itself and ultimately warp or ruin the pan.

Each of these modes of cardio can and should be incorporated into your exercise regimen. Keeping your body guessing at what will come next and how it should respond, is key to successful weight loss.

Holiday Survival Guide - Week 5 - Alcohol

2008-12-04T15:11:00.001-05:00

We know that with the holidays come the endless parties and many involve alcohol. Not all alcohol is created equal either, so with a little bit of education we can make wiser choices and still come out on top.

I'm going to be blunt here, but by now most of you are used to it. Booze is a total waste of calories/Points but a lot of us like to enjoy some every now and then. My best advice is that if you are in fat loss mode, you don't have the wiggle room to do it often. Maybe once every six weeks. If you are maintaining or even trying to build you can do it more often but it really is a waste of nutrients.

If you are going to drink try combining it would some protein. In doing so it will have a minimal affect overall on your weeks efforts. Just remember that if you drink you will probably not see a loss on the scale. Alcohol packs on fat and water retention and when I drink it can take 2-4 days before I see the scale back off from the drinking.

What's best to drink? Wine first only because it has some benefits for the heart. Next I would just stick with light beer, mixed drinks that are mixed with diet soda. Stay away from fruity drinks, cream based drinks, and such, these are loaded with extra sugar. A vodka and diet coke will set back about 80-100 calories versus a white Russian which is a nice 250 calorie a drink. :)

Additionally, if you are going to party it up on the weekend you need to pay the piper prior to going. An additional 10 minutes of hard cardio intervals daily to make up for your indulgence is required. If you want to drink you need to be ready to have a calorie deficit going into it.

If you do choose to drink go into it knowing that the scale will probably not show you any love on the next weigh-in. Alternate each alcoholic beverage with water or a diet drink. Set a limit to the number of drinks you will have and stick to it. Better yet, offer to be the designated driver for the night!

Interested or Committed to Weight Loss?

2008-11-30T11:36:00.001-05:00

A client of mine sent this to me today and I just had to share it. I hope you enjoy and are willing to discuss in the comments where your mind is today and what you will do the rest of this week to be in the committed group!

From The Wt. Loss Minute By Linda Spangle, RN, MA
Author: 100 Days of Weight Loss

"What is wrong with me?" Carol slammed her hand down on the table. "I'm so frustrated with myself! Every morning, I tell myself that today will be different. I'm going to stay on my diet the way I should, and NOT fall off by the middle of the afternoon."

"Have you been having trouble with this?" I asked. "You wouldn't believe it," she sighed. "I've done everything you've said. I plan out my meals, set out my exercise clothes, buy healthy foods, and write down what I eat.

"But every afternoon, it's like this monster comes over me and I lose my determination." Tears began sliding down her cheeks as she continued, "It feels too hard! I've had a lot of challenges and disappointment lately, and I always end up reaching for a glass of wine or a few cookies to help me cope. Then I get upset because I've messed up my diet again."

I handed her a box of tissues, then responded, "Carol, there's nothing wrong with you at all. What you're doing is extremely common and normal. I think the real issue is how you're coping with your life struggles."
Then I asked, "How badly do you want to lose weight? How important is it to you?" Carol wiped her eyes, then responded. "I want it VERY badly. I can't stand how I look and feel right now. I would give ANYTHING to be able to lose weight."

"Anything?' I asked. "Does that mean you're willing to give up having wine or cookies when you get upset or feel challenged?" Carol thought for a minute. "Are you saying I can't ever have a glass of wine after a bad day?"

"Not necessarily," I replied. "Being successful isn't about setting rigid rules or feeling deprived. It's about making choices based on what you truly want in your life."

It sounds great to say 'I really want to lose weight' but making this happen takes effort. If you tend to routinely fall off your diet plan, you may want to look at the difference between being interested and being committed.

When you're 'interested' in losing weight, you say all the right words, but it doesn't take much to get you off track. A hard day, another disappointment, and you're back to food being your best friend.

In contrast, when you're 'committed' to your weight-loss plan, you stick with it no matter what. You don't blame circumstances or other people for your slip ups. On days when you get worn down or don't "feel" like dieting, you stay on the plan anyway.
Here's a summary of the two directions.

If you're "interested" in losing weight...

* You stick with it only until something better comes along (such as doughnuts).
* How you feel determines your outcome. If you don't 'feel like it,' you stop your efforts.
* You need to see results. When the scale doesn't move, you lose your motivation.
* You blame everything else (people, travel, circumstances) for your struggles with staying on your diet.
* Whenever you face challenges in life, you give up and plan you'll start your diet again tomorrow.

If you're "committed" to losing weight...

* Nothing stops your efforts. You stick with your diet, "no matter what."
* Emotions don't control your actions. You stay on track even when you don't feel like it.
* Your motivation isn't linked to the scale. You assume that if you stay motivated and work hard, you'll eventually see results.
* You don't depend on other people for your success. You know it's up to you, not them.
* A bad day or a lot of challenges don't affect your efforts. You keep going in spite of it.

At this point, Carol nodded. "I thought I was really determined to lose weight, she said. "But I've been acting like I was onlyinterested in it. Starting today, I'm going to change my approach and live in ways that show I'm truly committed to my goals."

Folks, let's really brainstorm reasons why we don't make the committment switch and stay in the interested phase. I want to know what is that you think is really holding you back and how you are going to bust through it.

Holiday Survival Guide - Week 4 - Moving Around a Holiday Party

2008-11-27T12:44:00.005-05:00

At this point we have talked about some of the three most important elements of getting through the holiday season; planning, activity and healthy, yummy recipes. This week we are going to discuss how to move around a holiday party setting so as to come out the other side unscathed.

My first point is to plan. Remember in the beginning we talked about what parties were ones that you wouldn't give up. If this is one that is negotiable then maybe not going is the option. I know you might not like that, and your host may be a bit offended but hey, who is most important in all of this? If that is what it takes to make or break your weight loss and fitness goals then I say excuse yourself politely.

If you decided that this is a party that you must attend here are a few tips that you can use.

By using some or all of these tips above you can participate in holiday parties, feel included in the group and still maintain your weight loss and fitness lifestyle.

A Day In My Life

2008-11-24T14:51:00.005-05:00

I get a lot of questions from people wondering what I eat and what I do for exercise or how do I get it all done. So I thought it might be fun to share what my day looks like as well as the foods I eat and workouts I do on a regular basis.

Day starts: 05:15 a.m.
Son off to school 06:30 a.m.
Work 08:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Workout at lunch 12:00 p.m. - 01:00 p.m.
Work 01:00 p.m. - 05:00 p.m.
Pickup son from practice 05:00 p.m.
WW meeting 05:45 p.m. - 08:00 p.m.
Home for dinner 08:00 p.m. - 09:00 p.m.
Prep for next day 09:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.

This is a typical day for me. I have two WW meetings, one on Monday and the other on Thursday. Those days are very busy for me. My son dives so I have to get him from diving practice daily after work. He will also frequently accompany me to WW meetings or the gym if necessary. On Saturday mornings I have a WW meeting at 8am and a boot camp class that I teach at 10am so half my Saturday is used up as well. Sunday’s are used for laundry, grocery shopping, bill paying and food prepping for the next week.

I also have horses and dogs at home that need to be fed, pampered and played with. I have a husband as well, so I can’t waste much time and any amount of free time I have needs to be used wisely.

I tend to use one menu for my food for the week and then change it weekly. This is just easier for me as far as food preparation goes so I always know what to expect.

Here is the menu I’m following this week.

B – 1 lg. egg, 3 egg whites, 1 c spinach, ¼ c salsa, 1 t canola oil (scrambled) ½ c oatmeal
S – 1 sm. apple, 2 TB peanut butter
P/W – 1 scoop protein powder mixed with water, ½ sweet potato
L – ½ bag mixed greens, 1 pouch of seasoned tuna, and ½ c oatmeal mixed with ¼ c pumpkin
S – 1 scoop protein powder mixed with water, ½ oz almonds
D – 4 oz ground turkey, ½ c marinara sauce, ½ bag cauliflower
S – Scoop of casein protein powder mixed with sugar free Jell-O pudding.

This is about 1700 calories, 55 grams fat, 153 grams carbs and 163 grams protein

Currently, I’m completing two full body workouts and a lower and upper body split during the week. I do cardio the other days and swim one night of the week. Here is an example of the workout I completed today. I did three sets. Tonight I’ll do 30 minutes on my NordicTrack ski machine at home.

Superset One: Frog Thrusts
3 passes walking lunges 3 passeswith 20# DB
3x10 OH Presses 10 reps 25# DB
3x10 Lateral Raises 10 reps 15# DB

Superset Two: Step Up Jumps Single Leg Alt (split 15 sec one leg, switch) (use a step bench) completed3x10 Weighted Step Ups 10 reps 20# DB
3x10 Dumbbell Strt Leg Deadlifts 10 reps 115# BB
3x10 Bentover Rows 10 reps 65# BB

Superset Three: Straddle Jumps on Step Bench
3 passes Bearcrawls 3 passes
3x10 Chest Presses 10 reps 70# BB
3x30 sec Planks 3 sets of 30 seconds each alternating leg raises

Superset Four: Mountain Climbers
3x10 Pop Squats 10
3x10 Biceps Curl 10 reps 20# DB
3x10 OH Extensions 10 reps 25# DB

So there you have it, if you ever wondered what I do for a workout or what I eat, this is it. If you have questions please feel free to post them up, I’ll be happy to answer.

Holiday Survival Guide - Week 3 - Eating Healthy and Yummy Foods

2008-11-20T15:33:00.001-05:00

Holidays sometimes bring to us huge food challenges. Although we know that the holidays aren't about the food we have to be realistic in that we know we will be facing foods and needing to bring foods with us that are both healthy and yummy or let's face it, we probably just won't eat it. I mean there is more to life than chicken and broccoli, right?

The first thing I think that we have to acknowledge is that food can be both healthy and great tasting. It takes some practice to be good at cooking with different flavors and getting used to different textures but all of this is part of getting food to taste good.

Secondly, if you are Weight Watchers member and have access to E-tools you should be using them. There is a plethora of information on the site that allows you to search for recipes and input your own recipe to find a Points value and work changing ingredients to fit into your Points area. Many times just changing eggs to egg whites or whole milk to non-fat milk can significantly change the Points value and the taste is not sacrificed in the least.

So, what if you aren't a Weight Watchers member or you are but don't have access to E-tools. There are many sites on the internet, cook books either in the meeting room or the library that provide healthy recipes and all the nutritional information for you. If you aren't interested in those two options we can even purchase software that allows the nutritional information to be figured and you can start your own recipe collection for just a few dollars. MasterCook is a great one that I use and recommend.

Fresh fruits and veggies are great to keep around on trays during this time. Almonds and other nuts are a wonderful source of fat and cheeses and yogurts are a great way to get dairy and milks in too. Combining some of these together with some creativity can make for a great snack or mini meal while we are waiting for the BIG event.

Lastly, everything in moderation people, if you must have some of grandma's pie that is only made one time per year, have that piece and enjoy it. But forgo the mashed potatoes or count on exercising a bit more to make up for it.

I would love to get comments on what healthy and yummy recipe you are making for yourself this year to stay on plan and achieve your goals while still satisfying your taste buds.

So just what is protein?

2008-11-17T02:55:00.003-05:00

If you are training and eating to lose weight, protein needs to be a staple in your diet. Why? Without getting all scientific or geeky on you, here is a simple explanation.

A protein is a long chain of amino acids. Proteins have different functions, some of which are; maintaining structures within our ligaments, aiding in digestion, the building and repair of muscles, and the production of antibodies and hemoglobin.

Protein is one of three essential macronutrients identified in dietary requirements. Since its primary function is the growth and repair of body tissue, it is required for just about every cell within out bodies.

Protein will also boost your metabolic rate, which in turn helps your body torch the fat. Some research as shown a boost in metabolism in as much as 30% for several areas after protein in consumed, whereas, a high carb meal might only produce upwards of 10%. This means a higher protein diet keeps our metabolism burning calories even after you have eaten.

Protein also helps to stave off hunger. Starting your day with a large egg and egg white veggie omelet will hold you over much longer than the fruity cereal that you may be wolfing down now. That is assuming you are even eating breakfast. The breakfast issue is itself an important topic, which we will address in a later post.

Protein after a workout means potentially less pain later. Drinking a protein shake immediately after workouts has been shown to be the best way to boost muscle protein synthesis at the most critical time of your training day, thereby optimizing the muscle building and growth processes. Conversely, if you don’t use the post workout window to feed the muscles properly, those fibers will actually breakdown rather than rebuild. Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) may also be offset by a post-workout shake.

So, with all of the above information you can see the importance of protein in your diet, so let’s work on getting in some more during the next week.

Holiday Survival Guide – Week 2 – Exercise

2008-11-13T14:54:00.006-05:00

You probably knew that you wouldn’t get through a 12-week series with me and not have me mention exercise, right? The reason that I’m putting it into the 2nd week and not towards the middle is because last week we talked about planning and I think that exercise should be planned into this season just as are all the parties, pageants and gatherings.

At a minimum if we can keep our exercise in place, then we are helping to burn a few extra calories or gain a few activity points. This will certainly help because I just know that extra unplanned goodies will be had.

Exercise doesn’t have to be done in one block, and during the holiday season big blocks of time usually aren’t readily available. So if we acknowledge that, we can then insert little pockets of extra movement throughout the day. This gets our exercise in and can actually benefit our metabolism by giving it several positive bumps during the day.

Here are a few things that you can do in 10-minute blocks throughout the day. Select three or more of these, and you have your activity in for the day. Everyone has 10 minutes, between commercial breaks at TV time, standing over a stove cooking dinner, breaks and lunches at work or waiting for a son or daughter to finish an after school practice.

Walk a half-mile or better yet push yourself and walk 1 mile.
Jog in place or do high knee raises.
Dance around the house to your favorite music. Get your kids involved and they will benefit too.
Jump Rope or fake jump rope if you don’t have one.
5 minutes of squats, followed by 5 minutes of bicep curls (use some soup cans from the store).
Walk up and down stairs.

If you don’t want to do one of these for ten minutes combo up a few of them and make each of them be 2-3 minutes and you will be feeling better and energized in a relatively short period of time.

Our holidays are busy, but by incorporating a small amount movement we can stay on track and give a gift to ourselves.

Sailing In Rough Waters

2008-11-10T13:03:00.002-05:00

Achieving weight loss and fitness can be likened to sailing. Wikipedia offers this description:

“Sailing is the art of controlling a sailing vessel by changing the rigging, rudder and dagger or centre board. A sailor manages the force of the wind on the sails in order to change the direction and speed of a boat. Mastery of the skill requires experience in varying wind and sea conditions, as well as knowledge concerning sailboats.”

The vessel is analogous to our bodies and the sea and winds, to the ever changing environments, and challenges we face on a daily basis. We are the sailor, learning how to manage all these things as we move through life. Sailing can be a fun, yet frightening experience as one learns this skill.

Many times as we sail, the waters are calm and we are learning how to maneuver through life. As long as we are weighing and measuring and losing weight and things are going our way, we are quite happy. We sail parallel to our ultimate goal of reaching the coast line but we are content with the status quo. However, we soon become dissatisfied with our existing position and decide that we must grab the helm of the boat and sail directly toward our goals. Directly into the rough waters.

During this time, we have to decide what we really want and whether we willing to make the sacrifices that are necessary to get to our goal. It won’t be easy and certainly not as fun as just sailing along, but it will be worth it in the end.

Are you sailing along and discontent with your current state or is it time for you to sail into the rough waters?

Holiday Survival Guide - Week 1 - Planning

2008-11-04T16:32:00.002-05:00

The holiday season is really only a few days long but it somehow gets extended to 90 days or more. Nevertheless, it is fast approaching and I thought that a great way for us to approach this period is to break it down week by week. Let's see if we can get through it with less stress, some weight loss or maintenance. We can even set ourselves up for making New Years Resolutions that don't involve losing the dreaded 5-7 lb gain that often follows the traditional Thanksgiving turkey and Christmas ham feasts, and New Year's drinking binge. Join me over the next 12 weeks where we will look into everything from planning and moving around a work environment to goal setting.

You may be tired of hearing me say it but, plan, plan and then plan some more. Plan for what you know is happening and even more importantly, plan for what might happen and of course, expect that there will be occurances that completely catch you off guard. This is the time of the year when the unexpected happens all too often. Remember, failing to plan is planning for failure.

So, how do I suggest you start? Decide what you really want out of this holiday season. Do you want to maintain, lose or would you even accept a small gain in the scale. Yep, you heard me right. If you know that you are willing to accept a small gain in the scale then let's just put it out there right now. Then, get your a calendar and start marking down those parties and events that you know you will NOT miss. You know the ones with grandma and grandpa, church or school related events, and put them on the calendar now. Start investigating what is going to be happening at these events as we will have to move through them. We can't be having cookies and eggnog at them all and if we go without knowing what we are setting ourselves up for, crash will happen.

Once we have a schedule done, then we need to start mentally rehearsing how we will handle these occasions. We have several options, from bringing some of our own lower point and lower calorie dishes, to avoiding the food entirely. We will get into some of those other areas later in the series but for now keep your calendar handy so we can always know what we have in store for us.

Diets Don’t Work

2008-10-31T02:43:00.015-05:00

I work for Weight Watchers and this is our slogan. It really is true. If we want to lose weight and become fit and healthy we need to stop believing that just by depriving ourselves of what is intended to keep us alive will make us thin.

Diets don’t work! I know I said it once, but I figured it was worth stating again. If they did, we would all be thin because don’t we all start one every Monday morning?
If you are hungry, truly hungry, then I say eat. In fact, studies have shown that people who eat small frequent meals/snacks during the day are less likely to be overweight. Why? If you are eating every few hours your body will never become hungry. When I started this practice, it was so foreign to me that I set an alarm clock at 6am, 9am, 12pm, 3pm, 6pm,and 9pm. Yes, I eat at 6am and even right before I go to bed!
NOTHING is off limits. Stop right there and take a breath, because you heard me right. Some foods are better choices than others but if we deprive ourselves of something that we really want then we tend to binge. I say, work it into your week’s meals, plan for it, eat it and enjoy it.
If you aren’t hungry, don’t eat. This is a tough one as each of us have triggers that lead us to believe that somehow those Ho-Hos in the cupboard will satisfy the feeling of anger over your child’s current report card. Trust me it won’t.
This brings me to the issue of our emotions. Learn to respect them. Learn what emotion you are attempting to satisfy with food and learn to find other ways to comfort or distract yourself from that emotion. Maybe, your child’s poor grades make you feel that you are not in control of him or her. Find something that you can control. Like what you put in your mouth. You will feel better and will learn to work with your children on positive ways to overcome their issues.
Respect yourself both on the inside and on the outside. Who you are on the inside is more important than what you look like on the outside. I’m always talking with my Weight Watchers members about “fixing what is on the inside and then our bodies have no choice but to follow”. Each of us is a wonderful being made in God’s image and has talents and gifts that can be shared with our families and friends. Identify your gifts and start using them.
As you begin to value your health you will want to become more active. Find something that you are good at or that you enjoy, perhaps a walking group in your community, a softball league or riding bikes with your family. All of these are great activities that get you moving and feeling better about yourself.

Remember all of these things don’t have to be done in one week. Choose one and work on it for the next 21 days. We know it takes 21 days to make something a habit and in a matter of a few months you will be on your way to a healthier and more fit you!

Traveling and the Phit Lifestyle

2008-10-21T11:32:00.006-05:00

Part 4 - How do I Exercise on the Road?

You might think that with traveling comes the halt of all healthy eating and exercise. During our series we have discussed how we can go about eating healthy through proper planning, grocery shopping and wise restaurant choices.

Today I want to discuss exercise. Just because you are on vacation doesn’t mean that we get a “get out of jail free card” from exercise. This is something that can be incorporated into your day with little or no effort, again with just a bit of planning. Here are a few tips:

Take the stairs and ask for a room that is not on the ground floor. Why? I took the elevator up when I first arrived. I’m on the second floor and other than my trip arriving and my trip departing I have taken the stairs daily. This is at a minimum twice daily and on a few occasions four times. It doesn’t seem like much but it all adds up.
Since we planned our hotel we should know whether a gym or not exists. If it does, use it! Plan to wake up 30 minutes earlier or make a date with it at the end of the day. The hotel I stayed in was open until 11 p.m. No excuses there.
No gym available? Gotcha covered. Resistance bands; purchase them for about $10.00 and bring them with you. The box contains a great little workout and you can do them in your hotel room. They don’t take up much room and fit nicely in your luggage.
Don’t have resistance bands or forgot them? Sorry, but I can fix that too. Regular, wide and narrow pushups bang out a fantastic upper body. Now toss in some lunges and squats and you have a great lower body workout. What about your core, throw in some planks and planks with knee raises, run the stairs a few times, jog in place, do jumping jacks or high knee raises and your cardio routine is done.

The point here is that you don’t need to forgo a workout just because you are traveling and return home being set back in your fitness level. Put some creativity into it and you can be active anywhere and at any time.

Being phit for life means that you will have periods during your life where you are not in control 100% of your food and exercise. However, incorporating just a few of the tips above, research, planning and execution and you have no need to worry about traveling for business or pleasure.

Being the Best YOU

2008-10-20T14:19:00.005-05:00

I saw a military commercial the other day that talked about how joining the army or some other military branch, could make you better. I'm sure they can do a few good things but it made me think about how we always want to change ourselves into something or someone else. It seems we're never quite satisfied with the way God made us and the inner and outer beauty we all have.

None of us can twitch our noses or bob our heads and become someone else. We aren't paper dolls on which we can mix and match arms, torso and legs and honestly, I'm not sure I would want that anyway.

What we do have control over is making ourselves the best we can be. I'm sure some of you can't even imagine all the things that might be good about yourself and I'll tell you that it isn't always easy complimenting oneself. I'm challenging you to take a good look at yourself in the mirror and choose one part of you that you love. I don't care if it is that little spot that is between your right ankle and right big toe, just find a spot that you find attractive. Guess what, we aren't going to change a darn thing about that spot. You love it, right?

Now, look at one part of yourself that you really want to change. Maybe it is your arms. Maybe you can envision that with a little bit of work you would have lovely shapely arms. That is where we start. Position yourself on a path towards full acceptance of the best YOU, that you can possible become.

Traveling and the Phit Lifestyle

2008-10-15T01:03:00.003-05:00

Part 3 - Dining out in Phit style

Okay you say, packing snacks and small meals are no problem, but how do I handle eating out. I mean you aren’t the chef, right?

Dining out doesn’t need to be a scary experience. As with anything we need to go into it with a plan. Knowing what restaurant we will eat at is a great start. Also, go into it having some sort of idea of what you want to eat. I mean just the basics. Is this your MB (metabolic boost) meal or do you just want a good healthy dinner? Chicken, steak, fish? What is your poison?

Personally, I don’t even look at the menu if I know that I’m trying to keep within my menu style of clean eating. I mean why even tantalize yourself with the many options? My philosophy is that if I don’t own it I can’t eat it and once the order comes out of my mouth, I in essence, “own it”.

Last night, I decided that I wanted salmon. I love salmon and if I can get it I will. As soon as the waiter came and asked me for my drink order I told him that I would like “dry grilled salmon” over a plate full of steamed veggies. I’m not picky on the veggie part so what ever they have is fine with me.

Now I will say that you will be asked if you want a potato, salad with dressing, rice anything because someone asking for this kind of food is not the norm for most restaurants and this is where you need to be strong. If you have your plan in mind then you must stick to it and if you must, write it down and read it off to him/her.

There are a few vocabulary words that you should learn during your dining out experience.

Avoid:
• Heavy or cream sauces
• Blackend – this sounds healthy but to get that nice crispy part, normally lots of butter or some type of oil is used.
• Fried, breaded or stuffed ANYTHING
• Sour creams and butters. (These aren’t the lo-fat version, folks)
• Skip the bread and rolls. If you can see that it is offered on the menu just tell them you don’t need it.

Ask for:
• Baked, broiled or grilled, poached or steamed
• Extra veggies
• Salad dressing on the side or just choose balsamic vinegar and olive oil that YOU apply to the salad
• Choose, water, diet drinks or unsweetened tea and coffee.

What makes you CHOOSE to live a healthy and fit lifestyle?

2008-10-13T12:00:00.001-05:00

After 14 days of eating right and exercising while on the road, two of which I really whined about, I started to think about WHAT is it that makes me CHOOSE to live this type of a lifestyle now. I mean, really, how easy it would be to just have had a free-for-all during these last two weeks and chalk it up simply, to being “on the road”.

Two years ago when I was one month from turning 39, do you see what’s coming? I thought if I ever wanted to be “skinny” by the time I’m 40 I’d better do it now. Little did I know that those few thoughts and words would cause me to embark on a journey that would change my thoughts about food and exercise 180 degrees.

Over the last two years my thoughts have changed from about being skinny to being “healthy and fit”. I’m never going to be skinny but I can be healthy and fit. I have chosen that my longevity and the health of those that I love around me are more important than the filling in a Ding Dong or a bit of cold chicken nuggets.

I now choose to take care of myself and others by purchasing healthy foods like fruits and vegetables and preparing healthy snacks that my children and spouse can eat. They will eat it if its there, trust me. I choose to take extra time out of my day to move a bit more, through weight lifting and aerobic activities and getting my family involved too. It’s a great time to learn what is happening in the lives of those around us that we love.

As you move through your journey you need to keep in front of you, the objective you had when you started. Sometimes it is just as simple as wanting to look hot in clothing and that is okay, but be prepared that through the process you may decide that other priorities are becoming more important and as they do that you keep them in the forefront of your daily choices.

Your life begins now

2008-10-10T12:27:00.001-05:00

I was thinking the other day of how many times I hear people tell me that once they lose weight they will be able to do something else in their life and they will finally be happy. People, I’m here to tell you that you are selling yourself short on living your life to the fullest potential now. No number on that 12x12 pad will make you happy. Do you think skinny people in Hollywood are truly happy? Some maybe, but it isn’t because of the number on the scale.

Choose today to take the first step to living your life now. Choose to make a better life for yourself and family. You can start walking today. I don’t care, how long or how far just start. Five minutes of walking today will lead to an hour in the future and who knows what next. Take your bike out; you know the one that you got when you bought bikes for the kids at Christmas because as a family you would ride? Tune it up and get riding, your body and your children will adore you for it.

You are worth the investment of some time and energy. You are only one step from completing things that you never thought possible, if you will just start today. Don’t let a number on a scale dictate to you. Don’t postpone your dreams another day.

If you aren’t sure where to start, drop me a line and let’s see if working together, we can’t help you start your new life, beginning today.

Traveling and the Phit Lifestyle

2008-10-07T10:49:00.004-05:00

Part 2 - Safe bets on food for PhitLife traveling

I had about five hours that knew I would be “out of sorts”, in airport terminals or driving to and from the airport to my hotel. I knew that I didn’t need a huge meal during this time so I packed a protein bar in my bag. Unfortunately, due to the new airline restrictions I had to wait and purchase a bottle of very expensive water after I got through security.

I had about an hour lay-over in Cleveland and chose at that time to eat my protein bar and take a stroll around the airport. Don’t take the escalators or “people moving” devices. Move yourself. Walk up the stairs. It made me feel pretty darn good that I actually got to the top of the stairs before the escalator people and I really didn’t even get out of breath. If you have time, do it a couple of times and you just got a great workout in.

Upon my arrival to the hotel I quickly found a store, turned on my refrigerator and headed over for a quick shopping trip. Here is what I now have in my fridge and hotel cupboards.

• Plain oatmeal. I found them in single serving sizes.
• Almonds
• Turkey pepperoni
• Dannon Lite and Fit yogurt, individual servings.
• Apples
• Grapes
• Cherry tomatoes
• Individual servings of tuna
• Low Carb Snickers protein bars
• Protein powder (brought from home)
• Snack size baggies. Buy then or bring them.

I now have several different options to take as snacks and such during my workday. I brought one of the crushable coolers and a gel icepack and I’m ready to go. It’s great knowing that I don’t need to blow every meal and snack just because I’m not in my usual surroundings.

In Part 3 we will look at tips for a successful dining out experience.

Sweet Toxicities

2008-10-02T13:03:00.001-05:00

Do you know that an animal could die if it licks or even steps in antifreeze? One would wonder why an animal would ingest something that is toxic enough to kill. It’s because it tastes sweet to them. You may wonder where I’m going with this. Let me explain that each day most people are putting into their diets and their children’s diets a substance that is just as toxic, yet they don’t even think twice about it. What is it? It is refined sugar. It is in just about everything.

Sugar is a pure refined carbohydrate and the body is not able to use this substance unless it contains additional vitamins, minerals and proteins. Sugar will actually cause our bodies to produce an acid in our blood stream. That acid interferes with our cells ability to breath. Yikes, that is scary uh?

Sugar also is devoid of anything nutritionally valuable and is sometimes called “empty or naked calories”. In fact, it’s worse than nothing, because it will leach vitamins and minerals from our body. Remember, we can’t metabolize it without vitamins and minerals.

Sugar is also one of the number one factors leading to obesity and diabetes, both of which will shorten our lives. It causes us to crave more of it too and really acts like a drug of sorts.

The best thing for you to do is to start decreasing the use of sugar. It will be difficult at first. Begin by not buying sweetened cereals for you and your family. Then start weaning yourself from candies and other sweetened products. Instead put in their place healthy, sweet choices, such as honey, fruits or organic natural sweeteners. Your local health food store is a great place to find these types of products.

I promise that you, your body and your loved ones will thank you as they learn to live without this terrible substance in their bodies.

Traveling and the Phit Lifestyle

2008-10-01T13:51:00.001-05:00

Part 1 – Planning is everything

I’m traveling for a few weeks for business and I really want to return with a couple pounds of fat lost or at least with none gained. This is day three of the travels, counting the actual day of getting here and so far I’m feeling pretty darn proud of myself.

Here are a few tips that I can recommend to you before you even leave your house.

1. Decide what your goals will be during your travels. I mean is this a business trip or a vacation? Do you want to lose weight, stay the same or maybe you are even willing to accept a gain.

2. Research where you will be and what will be available to you for exercise. I have a nice hotel. It has a pool, hot tub, gym with treadmills, elliptical and bike as well as a universal type weight machine and a nice array of free weights. Just knowing that I have this equipment at my disposal makes it easier for me to know that I really have no excuses in that department.

3. Learn what amenities will be available to you in your hotel room. Most hotels these days provide a small refrigerator and a microwave or for a minimal cost you can have one placed in your room. Again, just preparing yourself for this will alleviate any concerns as to how or what you can keep in your room for food and snacks.

4. Know what your schedule will be if possible. I knew that I’d be running around and that my first choices of food would not be at my beck and call so I knew that I would have to get to my destination, do a bit of shopping and some minimal preparation to be successful.

In future posts I will talk about what and how to organize your week’s schedule and what are some great foods to have one hand.

My Oscillating Life

2008-09-24T07:03:00.006-05:00

I’m having a really rough day today and I felt that it was important to put these types of days out there just as much as I talk about all the things that we should do. I mean, most of us know what we should do most of the time. Its how to do it when you don’t want to that gets us.

I’m sure that all of this is stemming from my couple weeks of traveling, being out of my usual environment and although I did great during my travels it was mentally exhausting towards the end, physically too, in the sense that I had to exercise, eat and sleep in atypical surroundings.

So, here I am a few days after I’ve returned to my characteristic setting, healthy food stocked in the pantry and refrigerator, fresh pillow cases on my own bed and family around and yet I feel somewhat empty and out of sorts. I have a half marathon coming up on Saturday and I’m not even excited about it. I have to run 5-6 miles tonight and I’m doing everything possible to figure out a way NOT to put on those running shoes. Ever had these discussions with yourself?

Here is what I have decided to do.

Do what I know needs to be done. This is no time to be stopping the cart. I’ve got me a race to run and I’ve trained hard for 12 weeks to prepare my body, mind and spirit for this event. I can’t let a few days of feeling yucky ruin what I’ve worked hard for. I would feel worse if I did.
Start focusing on what I will do after my marathon. A lot of athletes have a let-down after an event. It’s like the high of all the work is let out like air in a balloon. I think I might be feeling this early.
Make sure that I have only good healthy choices in front of me. This isn’t the time to have a box of Pop Tarts in the house. I’ll tell you exactly where they would go. :)
Get to bed early over the next few days. I think I’m overly tired and being over tired leads us to make poor food choices and binge when we really don’t want to. I could use the extra sleep prior to my big day anyway.
Get my last run in tonight. It is part of my training schedule. I will be able to cross it off my schedule and know that I kept up my part of the schedule for 12 weeks, not missing one run, even during two weeks of being away from home.

Our lives are not always going to be a “bowl of cherries”. But with the right direction and not allowing ourselves to deviate from our intended goals we can move past the pits and enjoy the fruit.

Practically Perfect in Every Way

2008-08-29T08:40:00.000-05:00

No one can hear these words without thinking of Julie Andrews and Mary Poppins. Ah, if only it were that easy.

I was raised in a family where my father taught us to do it right the first time and when I say right, I mean to perfection! This is a great characteristic to have. However, it can also be a detriment to an individual, especially when learning to live in a world that isn’t perfect, especially when we are bombarded with the quick and easy fixes that the commercial world likes to drown us in on a daily basis.

Changing my eating and exercise habits for the most part has been easy. I was told by my trainer, eat X and I did. I was then told exercise like Y and I did. That’s kinda just me. I’ll paint it whatever color you want, just tell me the color. The problem with this is that when I do make a mistake I give myself a flogging behind close doors. I mean, gasp, I would make a mistake or eat a cookie, two or maybe even three? I mean what type of person would I be if I did that?

Yesterday, I had a horrible day. I don’t know why, perhaps it really just was the side of the bed I rolled out on. I ate horribly for the day. I ate Sugar Smack cereal, how’s that for a great way to start your day off? Then I ate a handful of almonds. Not so bad you say. Well, I had some running around to do at lunch and figured I would eat on my return. NOT, I stopped at a local market and ate Circus Peanuts, you know those little sugar loaded Styrofoam-like things and some of those lovely little sugar coated orange slices and to wash it down, well a Diet Pepsi, for sure.

I then needed to run 2-4 miles as I’m in training for a marathon. I’ll tell you, a person doesn’t run in 85 degree weather 70%+ humidity and eat what I did during the day and think that she will feel great. Cause, guess what I didn’t. My three mile run was worse than my 10 mile run three days earlier. Why? Because when you eat crap, you feel like crap and your get a crappy workout. It’s that plain and simple.

So, this morning I pulled myself up by the seat of my pants, ate my oatmeal with protein powder, a great little bowl of cottage cheese, tomatoes and almonds for an a.m. snack, some chicken and veggies for lunch and some tuna and an apple for my p.m. snack. I’m feeling great with the good food inside of me and know that I’ll have a killer, “Benches of Death” routine this afternoon.

I’m learning that it is okay to not be perfect. It’s okay to do the best that I can. When I fall short, I hop back on this rocking horse of life and move forward. I’ll leave the “Spoon full of Sugar” and perfectionism to Mary Poppins and her charges.

THE Secret to Weight Loss and Fitness

2008-08-26T08:27:00.004-05:00

Does this get your attention? I can’t tell you how many times I have been asked, “How did you lose your weight?” or “What do you do to maintain your weight”? People are waiting with baited breath, wanting to know what magic pill I took, what I drank or what gadget I used. So, I’ll let YOU in on my secret and I promise you too can lose weight and get fit and it’s simple.

• Track what you eat and I mean track it all! The good, bad and the ugly. If you don’t know what you are doing now, how can you change it?
• Measure and weigh your food always until you are at your goal weight. No one realizes how much the extra bite, lick and taste is as far as extra calories and all of those add up. The cold fries off little Johnnie’s plate or the extra licks of little Susie’s ice cream cone.
• Move more. Every person should be getting in 30 minutes of a cardiovascular activity daily. Walking is great, but I want to hear that you were breathing hard and sweating. You should feel like you did something. That’s fat burning, baby.
• Weight train. You need a minimum of two fully body workouts per week using free weights, machines or resistance bands. Weight training increases muscle, keeps us standing upright, reshapes our bodies AND a big plus, allows us to burn more calories when we are doing nothing? How great is that? And, let’s just dispel a myth, right now, that you will not get bulky by lifting weights, it just won’t happen
• Change your thought patterns. In each of us lives a Fat Girl or Guy. You know that little voice in your head that whispers, “You aren’t worth it, you will fail because you always do, a little more won’t hurt you, that’s enough exercise for today.”

Kick that little brat to the side and start looking at all the things that you are doing right and what more you can do. Log those things down and keep them in front of you so that you see the changes that you are making.

Now, normally when I starting telling people about the fact that I ate better, tracked what I ate and worked out hard, I see the person’s eyes glass over and start staring off into the distance. People, you want and easy fix and I’m hear to tell you that the five steps above
are easy and will get you to your ultimate goal of weight loss and fitness.

Family, Friends and Food

2008-08-22T10:11:00.001-05:00

I just had this huge rush to write. I have a friend who is working towards eating right and exercising more. She has come so far in the last eight weeks and I know that the next eight weeks can be even better.

Her dilemma this weekend is to get through two or three activities with friends and family and food. It’s like the three big “F” words (lol)

I gave her some suggestions and I’m hoping that she will follow them and end up being successful in the end, getting her one step closer to be powerful over her life and food demons.

· Activities involving friends and family do NOT and I repeat, do NOT, have to revolve around food. Seriously, are you there to visit the pie and the mash potatoes, or are you there to celebrate the person’s life or event.
· Take your food with you. As soon as you get there and people starting eating, pull it out and put it on a plate. Do you honestly think someone will question you about where you got that and if you do, tell them you brought it from home!
· Drink plenty of water. Bring your cooler and keep it full of water bottles. Have water in your hand to sip keeps you busy and keeps you full
· Lie, yep, you heard me say it. If you have to lie, this is one time I believe it is okay and really it might not be a lie. Tell them you are in training. You are right, you are “training” yourself to be a healthier you, so really maybe it isn’t a lie.

And for people that are reading this and are “food pushers”. STOP I’m begging you! If you care about the loved ones around you and want them to be with you for the rest of your life, please don’t push them into eating foods that are not healthy and they don’t want to consume. It’s hard enough to say no to these foods without you tempting us. We want to be there to watch you celebrate and to be a part of your life but we want to do it without the food being the center of the world.

Juggling

2008-08-20T12:36:00.001-05:00

As we approach fall we sometimes have a sense of looking back at where the year as gone. I see this more frequently with individuals that have children in school. School sort of exemplifies the end of the year because once school is in session, it is the never ending running hear and there, homework and PTA meetings. Where does that leave us and our healthy fit lifestyle? Juggling that is for sure.

Here are a few tips that you can use to help get you back on track or at least running in the right direction.

Plan, plan and then plan some more.

Why I list planning three times, you might wonder, because, how many times do we plan something just to have a wrench thrown into it and then be stuck not knowing what to do next. Have a couple of plans so that if the first one doesn’t work we are prepared for what to do next.

Take some time to prepare things up front.

We all have to grocery shop and we all want a quick and easy fix, weather it be a choice of a snack or a meal idea. After you are done grocery shopping, take some time to cut-up and bag some raw veggies, wash your fruit or package your almonds. That way when the morning comes you can grab and go. You can even cook some of you meat products in advance and use them for a couple of meals during the week.

Schedule your “me” time.

You schedule everything else and this should be no different. If you make a date with yourself and block that time out for you then nothing else should come up to take its place. You are NO LESS important that someone else.

I would love to hear your input on what things you do, to help you get through this period of time and if you need some help, post up that as well and we will see if we can help you.

Looking back

2008-08-12T14:15:00.000-05:00

Looking back into what we used to do or how we used to behave can be depressing or motivational.

Perhaps in the past we ate healthier, we were thinner, had a little less grey hair. However, if you are following my writings then you probably are on fitness and weight loss journey and looking back on where you used to be could be motivational.

Think of how many changes we need to make during this transformation. We are learning to make better food choices, eat portions that are meant for us and fuel are bodies like a fine tuned machine. None of these changes came overnight and so many times we are beating ourselves up over what we aren’t doing or what we could be doing better. Yes, we all can improve, but we should all also be proud of the small changes that we are making to bring us closer to the goals we want to achieve.

Give me a shout out of some of the changes that you have incorporated into your life and are proud of.

Moving towards the dream

2008-08-06T14:31:00.000-05:00

After reading my last few posts I thought all of this sounds great, but what do we do to make those dreams come true. I mentioned believing is the first step as if you don’t really believe in the dream how on earth can you get it to come to fruition.

Then I ran across this quote and it brought to mind a few more elements that need to be addressed so that we can truly live our dream.

"Our self-image and our habits go together. Change one and you change the other."

This is so true. What we do each and everyday molds us into the type of person that we are and can help to change us into the person that we want to be. So, how do we go about it?

1. Identify the habits that are contributing to the poor behavior. Are you not choosing the healthiest foods are you making excuses to not exercise?
2. Decide on how you can make a change in that habit.
3. Execute the new habit. Plan better; ask for help from someone, read some books. Hey, just get up off the couch and move a bit more.

Now you aren’t going to make these changes overnight and some days will be easier than others. But through consistency it will become a new routine. As you embrace the new habit you will begin to see yourself as a different person, a stronger person, one who has more desire to try new things to be unconventional and standout from the crowd.

Today choose your new habit and begin to watch the new you emerge.

Dorothy and her Friends.

2008-07-31T09:24:00.007-05:00

My brain is a strange thing it comes up with some of the craziest things and at the strangest times.

I wrote yesterday about dreaming and the importance of it. Dreaming is the first step in the process. We have to believe that we are capable of accomplishing that dream. We may need more money, more education or a change in something else but we should believe that no matter what we can accomplish the dream.

When I think of the Wizard of Oz and the characters in the movie it makes me think about how each of us have many of the tools inside of us to bring those dreams to a reality, we sometimes just need someone to point them out to us or perhaps a brushing up on some of those skills.

It’s important for us to take an inventory of the skills and abilities that we do have and to cherish them and use them to better ourselves.

Tell me what skills and abilities do you have that are helping you to move in the right direction?

The Wonderful World of Disney

2008-07-29T08:25:00.003-05:00

Most people have been to Disneyland or at a minimum have watched Disney movies.

Walt Disney said " If you can dream it, you can do it"

and he did. The Magical Kingdom is that because of the dreams and aspirations that Mr. Disney had. It takes us to a place or time where anything is possible. The underdog wins and all is good.

So many times in our fitness and weight loss journey we think of little things. Yes, all those little things will add up to something bigger but are you really dreaming dreams and stretching yourself to think of the possibilities that are bigger and greater than maybe you even thought possible.

As long as we think & dream small we will stay small, we will never achieve those bigger results because we haven't put them inside us. If we dream of not just the possible but the nearly impossible and keep it in front of us we are likely to move closer to it.

Dream large and live life.

Props to the girls

2008-07-28T15:10:00.003-05:00

This week I had the honor of running with Karen, Deb and Michelle. They are three WW members in my Monday night meeting. During the spring I gave an open invitation to my members to come and walk or run with me on Saturday morning.

We started the Couch to 5K program. It's an awesome program for anyone that wants to learn to be a runner. One year ago I started the same program. http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml

It was just amazing to watch these ladies transform over nine weeks. I'll never forget the first impressions I had of them. One I thought for sure was doing it just to drag her friend along. What a great friend she was to support her friend in this weight loss adventure. The friend, I thought would never come back after week one. The lady who I think of the most though was so concerned on week three when she would have to run three minutes. She actually told me that she wished I would NOT have given her the schedule.

Now, nine weeks later these ladies are wanting instructions on how to train for a 10k race coming up in September and I think next year I'll have them on the 1/2 marathon wagon with me.

What this shows me is that little things we do in our lives can have enormous impact on those around us.

So this week my hat is off to Karen, Deb and Michelle. I'm so proud of you three. Keep it up and never look back!

What Not To Wear

2008-07-22T14:30:00.000-05:00

Do ya’ll just love this show or what? As ruthless as they are I would love to be on there. I’ll be the first to raise my hand to wearing clothes that just don’t flatter me and yes my favorite word is “comfortable” BRRRRR just must make Stacey and Clinton shiver when they here that.

I thought that today I would talk about some of things that you can do during your journey to feel better and look better. I mean after all this is a journey and we are learning about ourselves in all aspects why should learning how to dress ourselves in a flattering way be any different.

1. Take an inventory of all your clothes. If you have been holding onto them for the last few years until you could fit into it, you probably shouldn’t be wearing it even if you could fit into it J let’s just get rid of it and move on, shall we?

2. Go and get fit for a good undergarment. Ladies undergarments are essential. We need to have “the girls” where they belong and it isn’t in our mid section either. No matter what size you are good fitter undergarments are a must.

3. Do some research on the type of body you have and dress IT to the nines! It will change over time so make sure that you are re-evaluating as time goes by. Plus size gals can look and feel great about themselves in the clothes that are available in many of the stores.

4. Accessorize, accessorize, accessorize. Remember how you loved playing on your mom’s jewelry. A pretty pair of earrings, a necklace and some bracelets goes a long way to top us off. A pair of nice shoes with open backs and toes also helps to accessorize and elongate our bodies.

5. Take time to see what colors and fabrics fit you best. Take a friend with you that can help you see the different styles and such. This is no time to bring little Joey or little Sue, this is your time so take it and enjoy.

These are a few things that you can do to help you through the transition. It doesn’t have to cost a lot of money. Share clothing or shop at a local thrift store. You would be amazed at what you can find if you take a little bit of time.

You are changing during this time and need to show yourself and everyone how far you have come even if you aren’t at your goal. You are beautiful on the inside and a little bit of planning and preparation can show the world that you are on the outside too.

The Patterns of our Journey

2008-07-15T07:33:00.002-05:00

“To understand is to perceive patterns” Isaiah Berlin

Have you ever looked at quilt, checker board or anything that has a pattern and thought, WOW, that isn’t right, or perhaps you felt it was a complicated pattern but when you step back the entire picture just works. It works because of the pattern. It might not be something that you understand but the artist or whoever put it there, because it works for them. Others might or might not “get it”

Our eating and exercise lifestyle has a pattern and when we understand that pattern we will be in more aware of what we are doing.

A great way to figure out your pattern is to:

1. Write down everything you eat and drink and WHEN.

Why you ask does it matter when I eat something. It matters because you need to establish your own unique pattern. You may not be eating enough, you may be eating too frequently and if you don’t really know, then how can you make a correction.

2. Write down how you are feeling and your physical satisfaction when you eat.

You may find that by writing down how you are feeling that you really aren’t hungry. You are reaching for the food because of some other reason. Again, recognize a patter.

3. Make the adjustments as necessary.

Once we have identified the when, what’s and why’s we can make adjustments as necessary.

Finding out pattern and learning to change it when it is necessary is a key to being successful in this journey.

Tell me what you see as your pattern.

Fire it Up

2008-07-07T10:51:00.002-05:00

Wow, it has been some time since I've jotted down the crazies that run through my head. So much has happened. I'm starting a second WW meeting as a leader. I just love the one I have now, I'm working towards my Personal Training certification and can't wait to fire up some people over exercising or moving more and eating healthy.

So many times I hear people say that they lack "the motivation" to continue or get started on a healthy eating and exercising plan. Here are a few things that you can do to get motivated.

1. Write down what you want. Not just a simple statement either. Write down, how it will feel, look, smell or even taste. Yes, success has a taste!

2. Start planning how you can make the goal become a reality. If you don't know how, then reach out for help. Attend a Weight Watcher meeting or get with an on-line trainer. Our Phit-n-Phat.com group is a blast. We workout hard, eat right and encourage people.

"Motivation is the fuel, necessary to keep the human engine running" Zig Ziglar

What is your fuel?

So you don't have the willpower?

2008-03-24T13:26:00.002-05:00

The definition of will power by Encarta is ‘a combination of determination and self-discipline that enables somebody to do something despite the difficulties involved.”

I have heard on so many occasions people say they don’t have the will power to eat right, or make the right choices or exercise to be fit. I’m sure I’ve even said it myself when I was working towards being healthier and more fit. It’s almost as if each individual person believes that somewhere deep within themselves they either have or don’t have this innate control.

I don’t think that we are born with a certain level of willpower. I think that as we grow and learn that we hone this type of skill. Small children have very little willpower over what they do or don’t do and as they grow they lean how to exercise more of this. Hence, the terrible two’s :)

However, a quote from James Gordon can really sum up the debate of willpower. He states “It’s not that some people have willpower and some don’t. It’s that some people are ready to change and others are not.”

So where are you in your journey? Are you ready to change, really change?

2007 in Review

2008-01-01T10:48:00.000-05:00

Many times when we are in the midst of changing the change is so slight that we forget how much really IS changing. I’m like this frequently and honestly it isn’t a good thing.
I’m really hard on myself and forget that once I’ve reached a goal that I should take at least a little bit of time and reflect on that particular goal and really relish what I’ve done so far.

So as we are now in 08 and I thought what a great time to do just that. Reflect on where I have come from before I start the next chapter of my journey.

Total weight lost 38.6 pounds
Total inches lost 41
Obtained WW lifetime status August 08
Ran first 5K August 08 in 36 minutes, placed 4th in my age group
WW receptionist September 08
PNP moderator September 08
WW leader October 08
Ran first half marathon December 08 in 2 hours and 34 minutes

I know I have so many others that I can’t even measure. My level of confidence has increased, my knowledge of health and fitness has improved friendships have grown and people’s lives that I have touched for the positive are all examples of immeasurable progress.
Most of these things I did without even having a plan, can you imagine what we can do if we actually sketch out our goals and actually work towards them!

A Change is coming

2007-12-27T16:01:00.000-05:00

“Change has a considerable psychological impact on the human mind. To the fearful it is threatening because it means that things may get worse. To the hopeful it is encouraging because things may get better. To the confident it is inspiring because the challenge exists to make things better.”- King Whitney Jr.

Which of these are you, are you fearful, encouraging or confident? Our weight loss and fitness journey can take us through all of these emotions and often we can be stuck for a period of time in one of them.

Our ultimate goal should be to find a change as a challenge; an opportunity to make our body fitter, healthier and better. If we can recognize the process and embrace each step of it then all of the steps that get us from one level to the next won’t become so daunting.

I have to admit that right now I’m between fearful and encouraging. I’ve just started to lift heavy so that I can put on a few pounds of muscle and this means going against everything that I have been doing for the last 11 months. I’m eating more calories and with this I will put on some fat. It is terrifying, yet I know, that if I do it with healthy food that the fat will be minimal and I’ll be able to strip it off in a few month at which time beautiful, strong muscles will appear. However, as the scale goes up the fat girl emerges her ugly head and laughs at me. She is telling me that I have failed. Conversely, the phat girl is boldly shoving her aside and telling her that in the end she will win.

Change… embrace it.

And she’s off…

2007-12-06T14:18:00.000-05:00

I just came back from finishing the Las Vegas Half Marathon. This has been a culmination of 14 weeks of running, lifting weights and fueling my body like a machine.

The event was wonderful and I was able to share it with friends and family that traveled to come and watch me. I never would have thought that I could have completed such a feat. I suppose not that I thought I couldn’t just something I never thought of doing and as I was running at about the 12 mile I wondered if I could complete it. I knew I would but wasn’t sure if my legs would carry me through. Having this wonderful, fit and strong body is stimulating and knowing that I had trained for this made some of the discomfort bearable.

However, the strange thing was that on return I found myself sad or almost in a state of depression. I would have thought that the euphoria would continue for days or even weeks. It was if I had nothing else to look forward to. This goal has been my focus for so long that now I felt I had nothing.

So today I pulled out a 08 calendar and starting jotting down the rest of the years schedule. I have things planned through June of 08 and figure that by May I’ll have some more goals in mind for the balance of the year.

I ran across this quote from George Bernard Shaw and I think it sums up how I feel.

“I dread success. To have succeeded is to have finished one's business on earth, like the male spider, who is killed by the female the moment he has succeeded in his courtship. I like a state of continual becoming with a goal in front and not behind”

I don’t know that “dread” is quite the adjective that I’m looking forward but I think the fact that we should always be looking forward and not behind is accurate. Don’t be content in your current state continue to move forward.

I’ve also uploaded a couple more pictures from the LV race.

Here come the holidays

2007-11-13T16:36:00.000-05:00

Ah, the smell of fresh warm cookies from the oven, the site of carolers strolling down the sidewalks and the sound of the ringing bells. All of these invoke some memories within us. Most of us that have very fond food memories that surround all these types of thoughts as the holidays approach and we are quickly able to toss away our desire to be fit and healthy.
Now is the time to really stop, think and assess what we really want. What are these holidays about? Is it really about the food or is it about something more? If these times are special to us don’t we want to be around to really truly and fully enjoy them and live in them? How special to have memories of these events to share with children, grandchildren and yes even great-grandchildren or dear friends as we grow older.

“Freedom is not procured by a full enjoyment of what is desired, but by controlling the desire.” (Epictetus)

If we can learn to control our desires we will be able to fully enjoy our lives and the freedom that comes with being able to choose our lifestyle. The next time you think that you actually want something try and figure out are you controlling the desire or is the desire controlling you?

Mentor Week 1

2007-11-06T16:26:00.000-05:00

I had my first WW mentoring meeting last night. I have to admit I was a bit worried about how I would be accepted. I think that many people that still have weight to lose or who have yo-yoed back and forth so many times don’t actually believe that I once was in their shoes. Well honestly, I’m still in there shoes. Once this level of fitness is reached one can’t just stop and say okay I’m done. We have to keep living the life.

It is kinda sad how many people are desperate to be fit and healthy and most of the issues that I see don’t come from food they come from a lack of self-worth and confidence. How do people get so messed up thinking that they aren’t worth it? They would give their eye’s tooth for anyone else but they can’t take ½ hour each week for themselves.

I met several nice people and many of them asked if I was going to be their full time leader. I don’t know that this will be my final location but while I’m there I will be helping them as much as I can. I’m excited to help people get on this high that I’m on.

One particular lady said that she felt so ashamed that she had lost 44 lbs and gained back 23 and she said she just was feeling like she should give up. I told her please don’t give up and to think of how many other parts of her as a person are wonderful. She had lovely blue, steal grey eyes and I told her so. I don’t think she even knew that herself. I hope she takes that home with her this week and thinks about it. I’ll be certain to be checking in with her next week.

Belief and action

2007-11-01T08:44:00.000-05:00

Do you believe that you can accomplish your life's dreams of health and fitness. I know I certainly do. A quote from W Clement Stone is very intriguing "I think there is something more than believing: ACTION! the world is full of dreamers, there aren't enough who will move ahead and begin to take concrete steps to actualize their vision"

In essence dreaming is the beginning of our journey and believing in ourselves will help us get there. However, action is what it will take to make real our dreams and the beliefs will support us along the way.

Don't just dream and believe, do and your world will flourish.

Official Now

2007-10-31T11:48:00.000-05:00

I'm so excited that I'm officially a Weight Watchers leader. I did my Basic Leadership training course over four days this past week. It was so intense and brought to light quite a few personal issues I still have myself. I'm a constant Picasso, ever evolving.

It brought me to think about what happens to us when we finally think we have "reached the top" the pinnacle of our efforts. I ran across this quote that said "When you reach the top, keep climbing". Isn't this true, we shouldn't stop we shouldn't just say, Oh well I'm done guess there is nothing more to do.

Constantly challenging ourselves both physically and mentally will help us continue this lifestyle with all the fervor and vigor that we had when we started. Do you remember that feeling, excited about how you would get through the next day, so happy with the weight or inches you lost or the great decision you made about forgoing some unhealthy choice.

Now that we are physically able to be more active we should be searching for things to do. How about enter a race, walk or run, ride a bike, take a hike that you never could have before. Just live in the new found moment and body that you have.

Keep climbing and when you think you have reached the top, look higher.

Impossible Dream

2007-10-11T14:10:00.001-05:00

From the musical “Man of LaMancha” comes the timeless song the Impossible Dream. Here is a link to the words if you don’t know them or need a refresher. http://www.reelclassics.com/Actors/O'Toole/impossibledream-lyrics.htm

In the lyrics we here of someone reaching out and perhaps never obtaining their final quest in life, they continue on that even if they don’t they will still leave this world being a better person for having at least tried.

Goals and dreams are so important and trying to writing them out on paper for us to look at and review even more important. Once we have them on paper we can look at them, make a plan on how to obtain them and go forth with conviction as we execute that plan. Sometimes those goals become or so we think impossible. It might be to an unforeseen event or a distressing time in our life. We cannot just give up on those goals during those tough times; we have to change our action plan instead.

In our health, weight loss and fitness journey we will have many dreams and many obstacles that try and get in the way. We must not let those obstacles keep up from continuing to strive for our “Impossible Dream”
Take a moment to write your Impossible Dream and when something comes up that seems it will keep you from obtaining it, how will you change your action steps so that you can still get there?

Willy Wonka and Veruca

2007-10-10T15:20:00.000-05:00

I loved, no I love this movie. Gene Wilder in probably the best role ever and really what person doesn’t really love chocolate and all the wonderful things that he had in his factory from the stream to the Oompa Loompas?

One character in the movie, Veruca Salt, the young lady who wanted everything I can relate to. Miss Veruca wanted everything. She wanted the golden ticket, the golden egg and the golden goose and all NOW (whiny voice)

In our weight loss and fitness journey we are all a little bit like Miss Veruca. We want everything and we want it now. We don’t want to wait; we don’t really even want to know how to get to the end. We just know that we want it now.

Unfortunately, changing our habits and thoughts doesn’t happen overnight and because it doesn’t we are forced to wait and even when we do change our thoughts and habits sometimes we have to wait because our bodies aren’t ready yet. They are so accustomed to being at a certain weight or activity level that they just aren’t quite sure if we are serious about this new food and extra activity. Therefore, it (our body) just waits, waiting to make sure that it is good and ready to start shedding some of that unwanted and unneeded fat.

We need this time during the waiting. It is imperative that during the waiting we continue to practice and hone the skills that we have learned or are learning so that they become a solid foundation, embedded in our being, never to be lost or not used in the future. So the next time, you starting thinking that you want all of this “now”, think of Miss Veruca.

A new ending.

2007-10-09T15:15:00.000-05:00

I work with a personal trainer. I love it and she has several clients. Many of these clients are new in their weight loss and fitness journey and I’m amazed as I read their stories at how many times people have started and stopped or cycled back and forth with the desire to lose weight and become fit. Every month, every occasion and sometimes everyday wanting to just start over.

It is sad to think that sometimes we have to repeat and repeat things over and over and then finally one day something strikes as poignant and we just know that this will be the one that will finally make us stick to our guns and get to the end, wherever that might be.

A quote by Carl Bard says: “Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending”.

Isn’t it great to know that today can be the day of a new ending? It doesn’t matter what we did in the past and you know, we really shouldn’t want to start from scratch because then that means we have to have all the bumps and scraps all over again.
Think about today being the first day of a new ending like the alternate endings from a movie. Play them in your head, see your self and thinner, fitter and stronger.

An oops turns into an Ahh

2007-10-08T13:06:00.000-05:00

I had an oops about Tuesday. I stepped on that darn scale. I didn't lose any weight from the week before and my training said to wait until Wednesday and see if perhaps some of the fluid retention from running was gone.
Oh, that was bad advice. What did I do, after a long run and a hard w/o. I stepped on that scale. Really, now what was I expecting, duh. Of course, it read that it was up and why shouldn't it have been.
The next day after speaking with my friend, Tammi. Good and faithful Tammi. She told me to promise her that I wouldn't get on that scale until Monday. Now, I won't break a promise to her so I said. I promise, with the most sincere little girl scout smile I could muster up. In the back of my head I'm thinking. What did I just promise?
Well I finished my week with great eating and another fantastic 8 mile run. Tammi and I shaved on 7 minutes from the last week and finished it in 86 minutes. Whoo, hoo for us!
I have a WW staff meeting yesterday and it required us to weigh. So, I got on the scale and was so surprised when I was given a little piece of paper that read 151.8. I about fell down. That was 3.2 lbs down. Yippee.
So, although I had to get on the scale earlier than Monday I figure that was okay. This morning I didn't weigh and will stay off that thing for another week.
I'm curious, has anyone else tried this yet and how does it work for you?

Accomplishment number 1

2007-10-01T09:44:00.001-05:00

Well, as I promised, I didn't step on that scale until this morning. I'm happy to report that I've stayed the same. I guess it proves to me that if I'm eating right and exercising then the scale doesn't need to confirm to me that I've done exactly that.
I took my measurements for the month of September and I was down 1.25. I know it doesn't seem like much but when you have less to lose then the inches come off slower as well as the weight.
I also needed to buy new clothes so Friday I went to do some shopping and was quite pleased that I fit into a size six pair of jeans. It is amamzing that at 155 I can slip on a size 6. The more I do this the easier it is to release the scale and just count on how I'm feeling. I'm feeling strong, fit and empowered.
Yesterday I ran 8 miles in preparation for my half marathon in Vegas on December 2. If that doesn't make me feel strong and fit I'm not sure what will. I finished it in 1 hour and 32 minutes. Not too shabby for a person who just started running in June.
My goal this week will again be to not step on that scale until Monday morning. I'm playing around a bit with my calories to see if I can drop a few more pounds and I don't want to discourage myself when it isn't needed.
If you are chained to your scale and believe that it makes or breaks you try giving it up for a week and see what happens. You may be surprised.

I have an Addiction

2007-09-27T14:22:00.000-05:00

I’ve talked about being a “scale-aholic” before but I’ve never really come out and confessed about how much of an addiction it is with me. I have a love/hate relationship with that scale too and I’m sure many of you can relate. The scale can make or break my day or night. Yes, I said day or night because I have been known to weigh myself at night. Crazy I know, but done nonetheless.

I went to Phat Camp this last week. It was at my personal trainer’s house in TN. I weighed myself on Thursday morning and the number was, well, acceptable. I knew I would be working out hard and eating extremely well during the next four days so I didn’t worry much. I came home on Sunday and Monday morning hopped up on that “bad boy” and yippee, down about three pounds. Oh, how I love my scale.

Tuesday morning, hop up; Say What, I said, the number has gone up. Not by much but up and I’m not happy. Tuesday night, up even more, Wednesday morning, up again. I’m now really ticked because I’m still working out hard and eating very well so how can this be. I emailed my PT and she said it probably was just the shock of traveling and training that led to the scale decline. She has encouraged me to stop weighing once a day and certainly doesn’t like me doing it twice. I need to just weigh myself once a week.

I need learn to go by how my clothes feel and how I feel about my body. I can’t let a number on a 12”x12” pad dictate how I feel about myself. My goal for the month of October will be to just step on the scale once a week and forget about the rest of the time. I was able to not get on it this morning and I’ll work diligently to not step on until Monday morning. Stay tuned for the results.

Lifetime with WW

2007-09-25T10:32:00.000-05:00

I haven't posted in a while but certainly not because things are boring. Actually quite the opposite.
On September 13th, I was awarded my Lifetime membership with Weight Watchers. I took pictures of my journey and showed people and explained to them the importance of not just eating low point, 100 calorie pack foods, but the importance of eating nutritionally dense food and exercising.
Exercising is such a key component to all of this. I'm not saying everyone needs to be out running daily or lifting weights although I think weights are very helpful in sculpting the body we want, but we do have to be moving. We can't stalk the Wal-mart parking lot to find the closest parking stall to the door and getting up to turn the TV doesn't need to be an inconvenience. We need to incorporate daily activities that we love and enjoy into our lives. This will help us be healthier emotionally and physically.
So with the Lifetime goal under my belt I move on. On to the maintenance mode. I'm a bit concerned about this as I no longer have a weekly weigh in to keep me in line or a loss on the scale as my reward. It is now about living this way for the rest of my life. But I know I can do it.
I have also signed up for a half marathon in Las Vegas in December so I will be training for that over the next few months and talking with everyone about the training as well as my continuing education with Weight Watchers to become a leader and share to everyone how they too can feel this great.

We are what we eat and

2007-09-11T14:43:00.000-05:00

think.
We have heard so many sayings like this. Our bodies are like a computer or a fine tuned machine. Junk in junk out. The computer is only as good as the data that is entered. We could list a half dozen of these types of sayings.
But, have you ever thought about what you think about yourself and the attitude that you have towards this entire journey. I will guarantee you my friend if you think positive thoughts; positive outcome is what you will get.

I read this story the other day and just find it so telling of some people and perhaps even ourselves, if we are willing to admit it.

Two farmers lived in a town. One negative, the other positive, the positive farmer would thank God for the rain and watering of the crops. The negative farmer would complain that if it kept raining the roots would rot and they would never have a harvest.

The sun would shine and the positive farmer would thank God for the sunshine as it provided vitamins and minerals the plants needed and was confident in a prosperous harvest. Mr. Negative farmer crabbing the sun would scorch the plants and how on earth would they survive.

One day the two farmers set out to goose hunt together. The positive farmer brining is new hunting dog. Before long shots rang out and the positive farmer gestured to his dog and told the other farmer to “watch this”. The dog jumped out of the boat and ran on top of the water, picked up the goose and ran back to the boat onto of the water, jumped into the boat and laid the goose at his master’s feet. The positive farmer was beaming with delight and looked at the negative farmer asking what did he think? The negative farmer shook his head in disgust and replied “Just what I thought, that dog can’t even swim!”

Is this you right now? Are you the negative farmer that just doesn’t see the good in anything that you are doing? You only see the reasons that you can’t eat healthy, the reason that you don’t have time for exercise, perhaps even thoughts of the fact that you don’t deserve to be fit and healthy.
Stay focused on the positive things that are happening and you will be more inclined to repeat those as you move closer to your ultimate goal. Look at the energy you are gaining, the clothes fitting loser. Perhaps your blood pressure has decreased or you have been able to change medications. All of these are positive strides you are making and are moving you towards your ultimate goal.

Mirror, Mirror on the wall...

2007-08-20T12:53:00.000-05:00

We all remember this from the Snow White movie where the wicked witch would ask who was the fairest one of all. I'm sure the perception that she had of herself was one of perfection and pure beauty. She was fine until the mirror told her otherwise. However, I think that deep down somehow she had the "thinking" part right. She may not have been the nicest or the prettiest in comparison to Snow White but she did have a high self esteem. This comes from how she saw herself.

How do you see yourself, healthy, happy, physically able, determined, or do you see a an unhealthy, sad and debilitated individual who knows that he or she will not be able to complete or perhaps even start this journey?

We must learn how to throw down the negatives and and begin to see ourselves as the kitten in the picture does. We need to have a winning attitude that tells us we can overcome anything and face this with the ferocity of the lion.

The image that we need to see is one of power, stealth and tenacity. One of cunningness to be able to overcome the quickness of the world around us as we answer its negativity with that of firm belief in ourselves.

Look into the mirror today and tell me what you see. Look deeply, not what is on the first reflection of the mirror but what is in deeper and further down.

Mirror, mirror on the wall... who's the fairest one of all.

Frog in a pond

2007-08-17T20:53:00.000-05:00

A frog was born at the bottom of a small circular well. He lived there with his family, content in the water swimming around that little well. He thought life could not be any better.
One day he looked up and noticed light at the top of the well. He became curious and SLOWLY climbed up the well. When he got to the top he carefully looked out over the ledge and what did he see, a pond! He couldn't believe it. This was 1000 times bigger than the well. He ventured further and saw a lake and was just amazed. As he continued his journey he came to the ocean. Everywhere he looked all he could see was water. As he thought back about his prior life in the little well he began to realize how limited his thinking had been.

Our journey to a healthy and fit lifestyle is like this little frog. So often we are content in our current life when all of a sudden we see a light. That light might be a doctor saying we need to become healthier, the death of a loved one, the fact that we cannot play with our children or a friend who has turned their life into a healthier and more active one. As we continue along our journey and see how much more we have instore or how many more things we are capable of we realize how sad it is that it took us so long to make this change.

Therefore, we need to go a bit further than we have gone before, dream a little bigger and look over the edge and out into the horizon at the big ocean that we learn to swim.

Leadership

2007-08-16T10:40:00.000-05:00

One of my fears with this Weight Watcher Leadership journey is fear. I’m afraid that the people in the current meeting won’t like me as well as the prior leader. You know change is hard for people and something as simple as a change in leadership can bring the largest and most functioning company to its knees; all because the leadership changed. The leader may even be better than before but because he/she is different or completes tasks in a different fashion others are resistant.

I found a good quote from John C Maxwell.

“A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way and shows the way”

I need to remember that if I can show the members that I know, understand and feel what they do and know the best way for them to get to their ultimate results that they will be quick to embrace me. I’m sure after a few months with the group I will share this blog with them so that they can understand where I came from and the continuing transformation that I’m making even though the weight loss goal has been met.

Precious Time

2007-08-15T19:41:00.000-05:00

Today was my son's first day of schoold. I can't believe how fast time goes by. It just seems that a few months ago he was starting first grade. I have that picture still, you know, the one with two top and one bottom tooth missing. How precious.

So many times we tell ourselves and others that we cannot fit exercise into our life due to time constraints. As our children grow they are involved in more activities and our lives are spent as taxi drivers more times than not. However, we can't let time dictate our life and control us. How much time do we spend in the evening chatting on the phone, watching TV, or surfing the internet? Lots I bet, especially if we were to actually tally it up.

We can enjoy these other aspects of down time but only after we take care of ourselves first. The next time you are sitting at a child's sporting event take some time to walk around the parking lot. Tossing a pair of dumbbells or resistance bands in your car and voila, instant gym. Grab another one of the other parents and before you know it you will have your own little fitness network. You can even ask each person to come up with a new activity and that will keep the variety alive and well.

Time is important and if we want to live long and healthy lives and even extend the amount of time we have on this earth, then watching how we spend our time is key.

Whatz Up!

2007-08-14T15:22:00.000-05:00

I'm sure you are wondering... thinking she has lost some weight, gained some muscle, ran a race, what else could she possibly want to do next.

Well, I'm pleased to say that the next portion of my journey will be to work with Weight Watchers. I have loved this program for many years and the things that it can offer women and men of all ages, shapes and sizes.

I'm hoping to eventually have my own meetings. I'm so excited to be able to be part of the program and perhaps even change some of it too. I believe they are great at teaching people portion control and how to best work foods, any and all into their daily lives. However, I believe that a huge portion of eating clean, nutritional dense food, along with more emphasis on the exercise portion could and should be included. So, after I get acclimated to the WW way of doing business I'll be trying to incorporate some of my own tips from the exercise area into my meetings.

I will be sharing with the members my progress pictures and blogs too as I believe that I will have lots of inspiration from members as I move forward in this area.

Hope to see you at a meeting in Indiana some day.

Negativity

2007-08-13T12:15:00.000-05:00

So often we are influenced by those individuals around us. Unfortunately, in the day and age negativity seems to be what people offer as opposed to encouragement, light and love.

The negativity that we have received from the moment we were children through adult hood forms us into who we are and what we believe we are capability. I’m here to tell you that you don’t need to focus on those things that have happened in your past.

Anais Nin is quoted as saying “From the backstabbing co-worker to the meddling sister-in-law, you are in charge of how you react to the people and events in your life. You can either give negativity power over your life or you can choose happiness instead. Take control and choose to focus on what is important in your life. Those who cannot live fully often become destroyers of life”

I know it can be hard when you are surrounded by the negativity or perhaps have never even had encouragement. However, you have the power to change yourself from within. You have the ability to change those thoughts and become the best person you can be. God planted a beautiful seed within each one of us and we have the ability to grown ourselves into people that can make changes and help others. Disregard those individuals in your life that are holding you back and believe in yourself.

Email me if you need a boost.

And the Results are In

2007-08-12T06:43:00.000-05:00

Well here it is 12 hours since I finished my 1st 5K race. I'm sitting here at the computer, first 20 oz of water already having been consumed and about ready to start on some coffee.

My body, well, it is feeling the extra stress that it handled yesterday. I'm sure most of it is just some stressed and tense muscles and nothing more.

The weather was so hot about 85+ degrees and 60% humidity. I was good during the day with feeding my body some extra carbs and hydrating well. I met my friend at the location early for registration and although we arrived quite early it was good to have all of that done and some time to walk around, warm up and use the ladies room a couple time. It is amazing how I needed to use it even though I had not had water two hours prior. Talk about pre-event jitters.

It was a gun shot start with everyone starting at once and we were off. Down the road about 1/8 of a mile, turn left and keep on running until the cone turn around and repeat. A water stop was provided about half way coming and returning and was a welcomed refreshment.

We were able to complete the first half running the entire way but on the return we walked a couple of times. I was disappointed in that, but my goal was to just complete the race and I did. I completed it in 36 minutes and 18 seconds and was fourth in my age class. I have no clue how many were in the age class, there could have been just four, but it sounds good and makes me feel like a champ! The time was the best I have ever done and I certainly am thrilled about that.

The sense of accomplishment and pride I have regarding this even is almost indescribable. The discipline, will and desire to complete this goal is what it is about. Any one can do something if they put the goal in front of them daily and focus on it completely and entirely.

I challenge each and everyone of you to find a goal, make it something that you think is not something you could do. It doesn't have to be a 5K, it could be walking around that block, learning a foreign language or patching up a broken relationship. Set up a plan for obtaining that goal and work on it until you have accomplished it.

The Race is On!

2007-08-10T14:33:00.000-05:00

Many of you may know that I’m running a 5K. It is my first 5K race and I’m so nervous and yet excited at the same time.

It was only six weeks ago that I started the Couch to 5K program (C25K) and for a person that probably couldn’t run 100 yards, running 3.1 miles seems like a marathon.

I’m proud of myself! You know that is something that is hard for me to say and to share. I’m not a prideful individual and have never been one to gloat or revel in my successes. However, as I continue on this journey I’m realizing that I should not be ashamed of where I was or where I am now. I have worked hard for this body and this fitness level. I have dedicated myself to me. Is that wrong? I don’t think so and neither should you.

So, tomorrow at 7pm EST, if you think about it, send some strong winds my direction and give me a shout-out for completing an ambition that was only a dream a few short weeks ago.
Don’t forget that you too should be proud of all of the accomplishments that you have done during your journey no matter how large or small. Stand up and take pride in your progress.

Adventures in Pop Tarts (cont)

2007-08-09T09:11:00.001-05:00

Well here I am three days later after my Pop Tart trials and I'm happy and relieved to say that the four pounds gained are now gone.

It does bring me to another thought, especially after a couple of the comments I have had from people.

1. Why did I eat not one but four. I can honestly say I believe I was hungry. It had been hot and muggy and I didn't want to cook. It was 9 at night and I was tired. So instead of taking an apple with some PB or grapes and some yogurt, they were all in the house, I just grabbed the closest easiest thing. I'm sure after the first pack they then just tasted good and as with any type of addict, one just wasn't enough.

2. Even though I have lost this weight I still have "fat girl" thinking. I was in such a panic about those four pounds that I was sure that I was doomed for another month to get it off.

My PT told me that this was just carby junk in my system and that by getting right back on track the next meal, or day in my case, that my body would adjust back to normal and sure enough it did.

We have to remember that losing the weight and going through the motions is really the easy part of this. It is the mental change that we need to work on that will take longer. We need to remember that we have all the right tools to do what is necessary and it is only a matter of using them or not that allows us to fail or drives us closer to success.

I know I'm on another road at this point and don't know if the road will ever end. However, I do know that I have the ability triumph and so do you.

Adventures in Pop Tarts

2007-08-08T14:05:00.000-05:00

I have a confession to make, not only am I a self professed scale aholic but I’m also a Pop Tart binger.

Sunday was a horrible day for me. It has been hot and sticky and we have no A/C. It was about 90+ degrees and about 70% humidity. I completed one of my last runs before my race at 1pm and had not consumed much in the way of food due to the heat.

I finished my run, went to the grocery store afterwards, came home, fixed a healthy lunch and surprisingly enough a healthy dinner. However, as evening approached my body started calling out to the fact that it had not been fed properly; properly in the terms of eating every two to three hours and having veggie or fruit with each snack/meal. So at 9pm at night I was scrounging around the house trying to find something to eat that required little to no preparation and to what would my wondering eyes appear but box of Pop Tarts!

Now, these are not staples our house but Granny gave them to DS as a treat and who am I to refuse an 80 year old little lady in giving her GS some treats right. I mean, I had ignored them for several days. However, they called to me and called loudly, I confess to you all, I ate not one but four, yes four of these horrible cardboard tasting, nutritionally devoid things.

You do not want to know what the scale said the following day. It was enough to throw me into a breakdown. Now, I will say, that I didn’t gain 4 lbs of fat, but the scale did show a gain and that was enough for me. I knew for sure that I would not be able to get this off…

Stay tuned for part two.

I have reached a goal

2007-08-03T13:58:00.000-05:00

If you have followed me for a while you will know that I'm on a healthy and fit lifestyle transformation. I started this in January, as don't we all, in the effort to lose some of the dreaded weight that appeared over time. I also will turn 40 in February of 08 and certainly wanted to be better off then than I was at 39, again, don't we all.

I started Weight Watchers January 18 and yesterday, the 2nd of August finally reached my goal. The last month has been horrible, up a 2 pounds, down a pound, up one pound, down .5. Last week was the worst, I hopped on the scale, feeling all skinny, when the receptionist told me I had GAINED 3 lbs. I about cried. How could this be, I eat everything right, not one unhealthy calorie, not one splurge. I run three days a week and lift weights three days a week. Each exercise session burning anywhere from 500-700 calories. (via a Polar HRM)

After pulling myself together, I had a chat with the leader who encouraged me to eat more. Now figure that one out! I then talked with my PT who also suggested that I eat more. So holding onto only the fact that things really couldn't get worse, I chowed and I chowed some more. I stayed with my normal regimen and just increased the food. Yesterday when I stepped on the scale I had lost 7.4 pounds! I again about cried.

I'm so excited about this and feel so empowered. My next goal is to be a WW leader. I want to teach and help others overcome what I have. I want them to know how great life can be and how we can be healthy and fit for family and more importantly for ourselves. I'm excited about what I can bring to the table to WW and the additional information that I will learn from them. So, if you are ever in the NE Indiana area, look me up and perhaps we will see each other at a meeting.

You too can reach your goals, never give up.

The Road Less Traveled

2007-08-02T13:51:00.001-05:00

Robert Frost wrote a poem about traveling down a road that had not been taken by many and that in the end he was very happy that he decided on that path.

In the Bible it also talks about two gates or paths that we can choose to go through. The wide gate is what most people choose. It is effortless, simple, unproblematic and in short a lot more fun. The narrow gate, which few people choose to enter is teaming with “lions and tigers and bears, oh my”. Sacrifices, pain and difficulties will often arise if one enters this gate. However, the reward is greatest. In the end we will inherit the Kingdom of God.

Our new lifestyle is so much like this poem and passage from the Bible. It is so easy to take the road that is traveled by many and it is easy to go through the wide gate. But, in doing so we are robbing ourselves of the ultimate goals and desires that we are seeking. What road are you traveling on?

A Fish Story

2007-07-31T12:14:00.000-05:00

My dad loves to fish. It is one of his favorite things to do. Just the process of getting his poles out and the motor tuned up so he can launch his boat. He used to fish in bass tournaments and thoroughly enjoyed watching all the boats rev there engines and then blast off to the fishermen's favorite or even secret fishing place; the "big one" to catch!

I can hear him talking about the wonderful lures that he would be putting onto each of his five, yes I said, five fishing poles. If one didn't work then he would quickly switch to another one because for sure a Rappala, crank bait or silver do-dad widget was going to do the trick! (What ever happened to a good ole' worm I wonder :)

I sometimes think of the foods that I am tempted with as my own personal bait. It is as if society or many people around me are just trying to bait me into the pizza, beer of course, ice cream, candy, etc. However, I ran across a quote, not sure from whom, that states:

"The taste of the bait aint' worth the pain of the hook".

I'm sure this is very true to the fish when he is being reeled in by the fisherman to spend the next few hours in a live well or perhaps and worse yet ending up on someones plate! I don't want to think of how many hourse and what type of pain I will have to put into the gym or out on the road running for one fleeting taste of food that won't be worth the eventual sting of the gym! For me, I want to carefully look over the tangling hook and determine if this is worth ingesting or better yet something that should be "spit out"!

Sorry dad but I'm rooting for the fish!

I Did It

2007-07-25T14:15:00.001-05:00

I did, yes I did it, I really, really did (happy dance inserted here)

Yesterday was my run day and in the continuation of my c25K training I was to walk for five minutes, jog for 28 minutes and then cool down with a 5 minute walk.

I started out feeling a bit apprehensive since my Sunday run was certainly not stellar, good but not great. However, as I got into about minute 16 or so I started feeling rather strong. I had a good beat going and my music was pumping. I had increased my speed from 4.8 to 4.9 thinking it wouldn't be that big of a difference to my body and it would help in the stamina area.

As I approached the 28 minute marker I glanced down at the screen and it showed that I had completed about 2.5 miles. Now the 5K is 3.1 miles. I started thinking that if I were running this race for real I wouldn't be stopping at the 2.5 mile point and just walking it in. What would I do, I would pickup the pace, I would see the finish line, I would cross it with all the might I could summon into my legs. So with that being said, I increased my speed and started to pretend to be in that race. As I got closer to the 3.1 marker I increased my speed again and "sprinted" across that finish line.

I cannot tell you how happy I felt and still feel. It is a huge accomplishment for me. One that in my wildest dreams I could NEVER have imagined contemplating yet doing and here I did it. I completed the 5K in 36 minutes and 24 seconds and that includes my 5 minute walking warmup. So I know that come race day I will have a great run.

Norman Vincent Peale wrote:

"Formulate and stamp indelibly on your mind a mental picture of yourself succeeding. Hold the picture tanaciously. Never permit it to fade. Your mind will seek to develop the picture...Do not build up obstacles in your imagination."

As I continue my training up to race day I will envision myself crossing the finishing line, running easily with great breathing control and strong legs. I will paint a picture of the sights, sounds and feelings that I will have of all the glory and pride that will be in completing this goal.

What picture have you painted of yourself today?

Excuses

2007-07-24T09:55:00.000-05:00

Today I started to think about all the things that could cause us to not finalize our goal. It really is amazing the excuses that we can use.

1. I'm too tired
2. Not enough time
3. Too old
4. Not fit enough

The list really can go on and on. In fact, as a little lesson, why don't you write down your top three and then set them aside for later.

Mine are or could tend to be:

1. I'm too tired
2. Not enough time
3. This process is taking way too long

In looking at these excuses I have a choice to find a work around or just give up. You have that choice too. Any one of us to find some reason to not spend a good hour of time sweating our tushies off at the gym and then packing every single piece of food that enters our bodies. After all it is work and takes some planning.

"People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I don't believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and, if they can't find them, make them." George Bernard Shaw

If we look at this quote we can easily see that we have to create the time to go to the gym or get our physical time in we can't let our lives be happenstance. We will never achieve our goals if we are using excuses for not getting there.

So, take your three reasons that you listed at the top and now, tell me what circumstance YOU will make so your circumstance is one that you want.

My C25K Journey

2007-07-23T09:36:00.000-05:00

I mentioned earlier that I was completing a C25K (Couch to 5K) running program. You can find this on cool runnings .com if you are interested.
Running is hard and I will start by saying I'm not a runner. Never have proclaimed to be one or found it as something that interested me. However, my PT suggested that I try the program as a new avenue of fitness. I have a love/hate relationship for it at this point. You see, one run can make you feel like you are the best runner life has to offer and the next run can make you feel like you will cough up a lung or erp one if you know what I mean :)

Yesterday I went to a "real" running store and purchased a "real" pair of running shoes. I'm hoping this will help with my performance as well. How fun, to be fit by "real" runners and to be part of this "club" now :) Above is a picture of my new shoes.

I'm starting the 8th week of the program and will run for 28 minutes with a five minute walk warm-up and a five minute walk cool down. Yesterday I ran with a friend who has trained for half marathons before and she is darn good. Her pace is faster than mine so I struggle to even keep up with her which in all honesty I cannot. However, I'm happy about this because I have a goal which is too keep up with her. We will be running our first race on August 11th and I'm confident that she will do great. My goal is to just complete the 5K (3.1 miles) jogging the entire way.
I found a quote by George Patton that will be my motto until the race and perhaps afterwards as well:

"Human beings are made up of flesh and blood, and a miracle fiber called courage."

I know this is something I can do and the courage is what will pull me through to the end.

The Outcome

2007-07-20T13:23:00.001-05:00

I'm sure everyone is sitting at their computers with baited breath wondering how my WW weigh in went last night, right? Well I'm happy to say I was down one pound. Now, I will say that for a small moment I was a bit depressed. I mean, after all, I gained 1.6 the week before. I was thinking, “Why can’t it at least be the same amount I gained last week, there for my two weeks will be a wash” But in the end it is what it is and let me remind you all again, The Scale Does Lie! (http://www.primusweb.com/fitnesspartner/library/weight/scale.htm)

So after my meeting I continued on with my running program. I’m planning on running in a 5K race on August 11th. I’ve been working the C25K program and had to run 25 minutes continously. I was able to complete this task with a little help from Axel Rose and Steven Tyler, Let's face it, who could run slowly to “Dude Looks like a Lady” or "Paradise City"? I finished 2.5 miles in 35 minutes and that isn’t half bad considering I shaved off about 5 minutes from my previous time running the same distance.

However, this morning came my great awakening. My dearest friend reminded me last night or asked me “Who says you have to complete this goal within a certain time frame? He has asked this question before but I guess until yesterday it never really dawned on me, that it was only me that was putting the pressure on me to achieve this WW goal within a certain amount of time. Therefore, I have thrown out the window, the idea that I must reach this goal by next week or the week after or even the week after. If it doesn’t come for five more months then that is okay too. I know what I’m doing is healthy and I’m in the best shape of my life right now and I can only get better if I continue on the path that I am now.

Then, I ran across this quote from W Edwards Deming which really sums up how I feel today.

“We should work on our process, not the outcome of our processes”

So with that being said, it will be my process that I will continue to work on and let the outcome fall where it may and when it so chooses.

A little update

2007-07-19T07:34:00.000-05:00

I have not written for about a week and to be honest I’ve been struggling. I’m sure most people don’t know and I’m not ashamed to say that I’ve been a bit discouraged. Last week at my WW meeting I actually gained 1.6 lbs. Now, I will tell you that no one gets fat from eating right and exercising, both of which I do consistently. My average calories are anywhere from 1500- 1700 per day and a normal workout session burns between 500-700 calories. Thank goodness for heart rate monitors, if you don’t have one, get one.

Anyways, during the last week I have been struggling with what to do, the thoughts of giving up have been daily and strong but I know that something is happening within my body and as I talked about before, the number on the scale is just such a small piece of the puzzle or part of the picture. However, I’m a self confessing scale-aholic and no matter what I know logically, emotionally that number does matter.

So, with this hump to overcome, I’ve searched for a few quotes on discouragement and found a couple that I felt was appropriate for me to remember and perhaps you as well.

Failure is an EVENT, never a person. (William D. Brown)

This is big for me, because I’m quick to say I’m a failure at this; forgetting that at this point I’ve lost almost 30 lbs and over 32 inches.

"Every great work, every great accomplishment, has been brought into manifestation through holding to the vision, and often just before the big achievement comes apparent failure and discouragement." (Florence Scovel Shinn)

I think this is a wonderful. It reminds me that I do have a vision and that I need to hold firm to it that this small blip could really be the sign of a great thing to come.

So with this off my chest now, I’m on to bigger and better things. I’ll be checking in later to let you know how things have went.

Until then, eat well and exercise hard. Enjoy your life and this journey you are on.

The Crow and the Pitcher

2007-07-12T12:04:00.000-05:00

A crow was terribly thirsty and came upon a pitcher which had once been full of water. However, when he put his beak into the pitcher, found that only a very little amount of water was left and he could not reach far enough to get it. He tried and tried and was going to give up in despair.
Then a thought came to him and he took a small pebble and dropped it into the pitcher, then he took another pebble and dropped it into the pitcher. It didn't seem if anything was happening but he continued on dropping small pebbles into that pitcher. At last he saw the water mount up near him and he was able to quench his thirst.

We are all so much like that little thirsty crow. We see something that we want and probably need and expect to be able to have an immediate gratification. However, this process takes time and little by little changes occur within us. Most of the times the changes are unseen to us and start on the inside before the outside appearance is even noticeable. Nevertheless, if we continue to make small changes, before long we will be able to quench our wants and needs.

Actions Speak Louder than Words

2007-07-11T15:06:00.001-05:00

How many times have we heard this saying or others such as “Talk is cheap”, “The proof is in the pudding”

You see, we know what we are supposed to do, but the truth is many people don’t DO what they know. Knowing really isn’t enough; we have to take action to make the knowledge worth it.

We know that eating the right foods and moving our bodies daily will improve so many aspects of our life. We will have better health on the inside, improving blood pressure levels, lower cholesterol, fighting off cancers by giving our bodies the food and fuel it needs to protect us. We also have a better outlook on life as exercise releases the good feeling endorphin hormones. This in turn helps us cope with stress, manage our jobs and have healthier and happier relationships with family and friends.

However, knowing all these things and actually putting an action plan into place is a key element! Start today by putting into places an action that will move you closer to your ultimate goal. Show those around you without words where your true heart and passion lies in your own journey.

Looking at the clouds

2007-07-10T12:02:00.001-05:00

Lie on your back, look up at the clouds and figure out what they look like? Imagine the fire breathing dinosaur, the horse running freely or a quiet mountain. I like to do this sometimes; it is really fun with your children they have great imaginations and are never afraid to “see something” that we struggle to.

Albert Einstein, a man of great imagination, wrote several quotes regarding imagination.

“Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere”
“Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life’s coming attractions”
“Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand”

In our journey to a healthy and fit lifestyle we are so quick to take out the imagination of it all. We feel we are destined to remain a certain size, shape or look. We don’t imagine that we could be strong enough or fit enough to run a race, lift a certain amount of weight, and eat a different food. By limiting ourselves we are taking out any possibilities of great things to come. If we take the time to imagine how we ultimately want to be we can put a process in place to take us there.

What do you see in your clouds?

You can't change the past

2007-07-08T19:04:00.000-05:00

It is funny how most people reminisce about the past, beat themselves up for the past. Hold grudges on people from past occurrences. I long for things I should have done, could have done, never did and funnier yet things that never even happened. Why can't I accept the here and now be proud of where I am and look at the future?

We can look at this phenomenon two ways. The past can definitely motivate you. You can also be optimistic about it and take the lessons learned from it an move on.

As I looked for two quotes regarding the future, I found two that seemed to almost fit together. Edmund Burke wrote " You can never plan your future by the past" and Alan Kay says "The best way to predict the future is to invent it"

It is so motivating to know that things that I've done in the past that have kept me from reaching my fitness goals can just be written off. I can choose to not live this way and further and that my future is completely in my own hands. I can invent it, as Kay states. I can reinvent habits and invent a new body and lifestyle.

Are you looking forward or living in the past?

Inadequacy

2007-07-03T15:01:00.001-05:00

“Raise your hands if you’re Sure!” Sorry, but I’m kinda, sorta, raising one hand and looking around to see if anyone else is too. I’m a perfectionist and can’t stand the fact that I might not measure up to someone or something. I don’t like to be the center of attention and would far prefer to be in the background. I would make a great Supporting Actress.

I came across this quote from Maryanne Williamson which was used by Nelson Mandela in his 1994 Inaugural speech as well as in the recent movie Akeelah and the Bee.

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that frightens us most. We ask ourselves, “Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and famous?” Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that people won’t feel insecure around. you. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in all of us. And when we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

Wow, is this not really powerful. This is telling us that we need to let our light shine. We need to be proud of who we are the talents and gifts that God gave us. We should be proud of our accomplishments and our transitions to healthy and active lifestyles. We should want to help other people have this same feeling too.
I think the next time I hear the Sure commercial I’ll be heaving my hands into the air with vigor, heartiness and satisfaction.

Change Hurts

2007-06-25T13:30:00.000-05:00

I really wanted to link this somehow to the “Love Hurts” song but just wasn’t clever enough today. So think of the tune to Love Hurts for a moment. (Music playing)

Sometimes I think about how my life used to be. How I used to eat, or not exercise, not really care about when I did eat or what it would be. I’m a very structured person so the fact that I was unstructured in this area is still sort of a mystery to me but oh well. For many months I really longed and mourned that lifestyle. I missed some of the spontaneity and fun that came with my eating and drinking. Any exercise I got might have consisted of playing with my horses or going for a casual walk with my son as he rode his bike. It wasn’t an easy thing to alter my habits no matter how much I wanted to.

Anatole France, a French writer, wrote; “All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter another.”

It is strange that he uses the word die. It seems so permanent. Once something is dead it doesn’t come back, it is gone forever. We have to have this same attitude, what we are changing into cannot be something that is just for this week or year, we must completely be dead to our old lifestyle and then we will grow and enter a new one. I say grow because I’m assuming that our new life is just as an infant. We will start out with our baby steps, move onto a grammar type school and then secondary school and then graduate into our new life to live and be successful.
I believe that I am dead to my old life and now in the grammar school of my new life. Where are you?

A Scary Movie

2007-06-24T16:56:00.000-05:00

I love a really scary movie. Not the fake blood and gore ones but ones that are suspenseful and make my skin feel like it is prickly. I can remember growing up, and sometimes still, when a scary part comes to the screen I cover my eyes and peek through my fingers. It is kind of as if just peaking will not make me look at the scariness full on and therefore mutes it in some small fashion.

Our new healthy lifestyle can be compared to a good scary movie. We really want one, like the thoughts of having one but only want to look at it through “our fingers”. However, if we aren’t facing this journey head on and looking straight it, how will we really know how frightening or intimidating it is? It may not be quite as daunting if we can see all of it instead of having our fingers covering bits and pieces of it. For all we know, our fingers could be covering the soft and harmonious parts and thus leaving us with a distorted and uglier picture.

Eleanor Roosevelt wrote a brilliant reflection on this topic, “You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you REALLY stop to look fear in the face… do the thing you think you cannot do”

Now, I think I will go watch a scary movie and sit on my hands :)

Stress

2007-06-23T14:04:00.000-05:00

This word is probably one of the most clichéd words in the English language today and yet stresses are everywhere in our lives.

What is stress? Stimulus or environmental change of such intensity or duration that it taxes a person’s previous adaptive capacity to its limits.

Changes are happening around us all the time. Most of the time we are able to bend and flex to accommodate to the new situation. However, there are times where we may have a catastrophic situation such as the death or illness of friends, or family, a change or loss of jobs these changes can take our breath away and the ability to adapt will be difficult.

It is important to continue with a healthy and active lifestyle during even the worst of times as our bodies and mind need a continuous outlet for the pressure and tension. We also need to make sure that we keep ourselves in check during “normal” periods of our life and not allow ourselves to get too distraught over minimal changes that happen. Let’s save ourselves for when the “big one” happens, shall we?

Greg Anderson wrote; “The perfect no-stress environment is the grave. When we change our perception we gain control. The stress becomes a challenge, not a threat. When we commit to action, to actually doing something rather than feeling trapped by events the stress in our life becomes manageable.”

So, what’s your stress today? Is your perception distorting the reality and what are you doing to help yourself.

Wayne's World, Wayne's World . . .

2007-06-22T09:48:00.000-05:00

Party time, Party Time, Excellent, Excellent (guitar sound) RRRR

If you are familiar with this movie then my words above will make complete sense to you and you may already be busting into the Bohemian Rhapsody.

If you haven’t seen this movie then the above won’t make a whole lot of sense but I think the little story below will.

In the movie, Wayne wants a guitar. It is the all time most exceelent and amazing guitar. Something that he desires to have more than anything, he tells his friend Garth that “it will be mind, oh yes, it will be mine” Garth answers to his friend “you’ll never afford it! LIVE IN THE NOW!”

Wow, we have all had this experience with something in our lives. We so long for the perfect body and healthy lifestyle and we chant to ourselves that we will obtain that, when all of a sudden, WHAM our friend, yes our best friend, spouse or family member –tells us we can never acquire that vision and to just “live in the now”.

We can look at this two fold, we should also dream and dream big and know that we can obtain our ultimate goals with hard work and dedication and at the same time we must live in the now so that we don’t lose sight of the daily activities that will ultimately get us to that eventual goal.

On the flip side, many times when we have a high and lofty goals, people around us will try and convince us that we should not aim to such high standards and that we should be happy with our current surroundings and never try to become something better or greater. I think most of the time it isn’t that they are trying to be negative or hamper us but it is themselves scared of what we might become and the fact that we may not ‘be the same’ as we have been in the past.

However, you choose to look at this story is up to you, you may have it come across your life in both ways. Either way, remember this:

“Whatever course, you decide upon; there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong. There are always difficulties arising which tempt you to believe that your critics are right. To map out a course of action and follow it to an end requires courage.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

In the mean time: “Party on Garth, Party on Wayne”