To eat or Not to eat... that is the question!

We know we have to eat.  For most of us that isn't the problem.  I personally LOVE to eat.  And I love to eat ALL kinds of food.  This was never a problem for me personally until I turned 40.  Then I vividly recall thinking my clothes were shrinking.  I am not joking, I seriously thought my clothes were shrinking!!  It took me a while to realize I was putting on weight.  To keep from boring you, I ended up after about 18 months of back fat and a lard-er than usual booty realizing I had to lose about 15 pounds.  I kept telling myself, "I can't lose weight, there is nothing I can change..."  Well, let me just say that is a load of crap.  I started attending a spinning class 4 days a week at 5:10am, and I cut out "bad" carbs and ate mainly protein and vegetables.  In about 6 weeks, I had lost that 15lbs of weight that I had convinced myself I couldn't lose.  If you have more than 15lbs you're concerned about, it's the same ~ well I know it may be more daunting, but don't get hung up on that.  You just need to keep moving & keep away from those empty calories ~ they are not your friend.
Recently, just before Thanksgiving, my friend came by selling cookie dough for a fundraiser for her daughter's school.  I wanted to be a good friend and support her daughter ~ and truth be told I LOVE COOKIE DOUGH!  Thus began my spiral of weight gain for the holidays (I can eat a tub of cookie dough in about 3 days, and I don't like to share).  It's only about 5lbs, but it is 5lbs that feels terrible in my jeans!!  Truth is, if you are a carb lover like I am (flour tortillas, french bread, cookie dough, brownies, chips, oh how great is a bowl of chips with cheese and Tapatio melted over it...?)  then you are just going to have to kick the habit.  And a habit I do believe it is.  They say it takes 21 days to make/break a habit.  So you just have to say no and realize in another couple of weeks you won't have this urge to get up and eat needlessly.  Have a healthy dinner and be done.  No more snacking.  If you find yourself going to the pantry ~ that is your habit walking you there.  Have a glass of water or green tea and really think about how satisfied you already are.  Think about that extra push you did in the gym, or that wonderful walk you took, or how lousy you already feel in those jeans!  It will pass.  Soon, you will be longing for the full satisfying feeling of eating some fresh fish, or a grilled chicken salad, or steamed veggies or some of those wonderful complex carbs like truly 100% whole wheat bread, brown rice, oatmeal... you get the picture.  As you continue to move your body and stay away from those empty calories/bad carbs, your body will crave and thank you for the good stuff that's out there and that you are choosing for yourself. 
Take care of you ~ you have one body, one life, make it a healthy happy one!

~sometimes you just need a break, so take one~

With all of my great intentions for a run in this BEAUTIFUL weather today (it's supposed to be cold again tomorrow), I didn't get to it.  First, life happened and I had to go to the bank to deal with the theft of my debit card number  :-/  That took about 45 minutes longer than I had anticipated.  Then to be quite honest, the dead lifts I did yesterday (and probably the long walk as well) have left me quite sore.  Dead lifts are a great exercise to really kick some booty.  I highly recommend them for the backs of our legs, booty and even back.  But be careful, you do not realize how hard you are working until you cannot move the next day.  So a protein shake and a warm bath in place of my glorious run was what I opted for.  I am also using my handy dandy roller stick to work out the lactic acid from my hamstrings.  The soreness will still be with me tomorrow as frequently you are more sore the second day, but upper body it will be.
My hope is that one day I will see my progress instead of just feel it ~ do you ever feel that way too?


PS.  it is 8:37 pm, so drink some water instead of heading for the fridge or pantry!!
On to watch The Biggest Loser!!!

So sore!

I work with an adorable teacher who has been giving me tips on how to get more for my workout.  Needless to say, thanks to her, I am SO sore today.  Yesterday I not only did a good hour's worth of exercise in the gym, but I was motivated to walk the dogs because it was 66 degrees here in Sparks and absolutely gorgeous out.  My leisurely walk turned into a 1 hour and 45 minute walk.  Even my 18 year old son txtd me to make sure I hadn't fallen in a ditch or something!  One of the things I have been trying at the gym with Karri's advice, is to not take so many rests.  Have you ever noticed yourself taking your time between sets or between different types of exercise, or even stopping to chat with people you know?  You will get a better fat burn if you keep that heart rate up ~ in other words, no rest!  So, do your set of lunges, then go straight to the leg press, then to straight to leg extensions or dead lifts, THEN (and this is the challenge) go to the treadmill and push it for 5 minutes.  For me, I jog at level 6 for one minute, then I bump it to level 7 for one minute, and then back down to level 6.  This goes on for 5 minutes alternating levels (try to do the last 20 seconds at the faster speed).  If you are not a jogger, then set it to 3.8 or 4 and increase the incline every 30 seconds.  But really really push yourself!  After your treadmill cardio bump, repeat your lunges, leg press, etc.  Guess what then...?  back to your 5 minutes on the treadmill.  I would also suggest you do 5 minutes warm up on the treadmill before going to your weights.  My goal is to get 3 of the treadmill cardio bumps during my weight routine.  That usually means you end with one too.  By the time you finish, you will be fatigued and sweaty ~ that is the goal! 


Don't forget a protein smoothie after any weight routine to give your muscles some fuel to rebuild.  I get the Whey protein at Walmart.  It is only about $13 for a big container.  My personal favorite smoothie is, 1 cup milk. I use 2% because I am lazy and don't want to buy 2 different kinds of milk, and my son needs the 2%.  Non fat or 1% is a better choice.  Sometimes if I think about it I will do 1/2 cup milk and 1/2 water (tastes just the same).  One scoop protein powder (I ususally have the chocolate, but vanilla is good too.  Haven't tried the other flavors), 1/3 or so of a frozen banana (I peel my yellow bananas and break them into thirds and freeze them in a ziplock.  The frozen banana give the smoothie an ice cream texture.  1/4 cup organic frozen blueberries from Costco, and about a tbls of organic peanut butter (again Costco brand).  Blend and enjoy.  If you haven't used organic peanut butter before, let me know and I will give you a tip on how it is stored and easier to use.  It can be a pain to open a new jar of organic peanut butter.  Sounds silly, but it is true!


Hope this challenges you to work a little harder in the gym this week.  I would love to hear from you if you try this!
Shannon

My first blog~!

Hello! 
A good friend of mine suggested I attempt a blog.  So, here it goes.  Not that I am easily persuaded or anything like that, it's just I enjoy writing and I also enjoy encouraging others to be the best they can be.  So hopefully this blog will do just that. 


This year I find myself 45 years old, married 25 years, mother of two adults (at least according to their age), and realizing how important fitness, moving our bodies and eating well really is to live a fulfilled, long life ~ providing we don't get run over by a bus first.  My hope for this blog is to encourage you to get moving, learn to enjoy healthy eating and be the best that you can be.  I hope that you will set a goal to do something you never thought you'd do this year ~ 2011 ~ fitness wise.  Maybe it's to walk a 5k, or maybe it's to run a marathon.  Both of these are obtainable if you really want to do it. 


It is 2011 friends.  Do you remember a blink ago everyone was freaking out over Y2K?  That was 11 years ago.  Now let's not put off another day the choice to be healthy and live well.  You can do it!  I would love to encourage you in anyway, and I will keep you posted on my progress as well.  I have a ridiculous goal this year.  A goal I think I may not be able to do.  Do you feel that way about what you'd like to accomplish?  Is it because we are afraid to fail?  Afraid to succeed?  Which is it?  I think it's a combination of both.  So let's not let those silly worries stop us from working toward our goal, because doing something toward the goal is success.


Good luck and Happy New Year!!
Shannon