Friday, April 30, 2010

Day 59: Survival Strategies for the Office Worker


If you're like me you sit behind a desk for most of the day and only rarely get up. Having your body in a sedentary position most of the day can have some adverse effects on your health, though. It can make you physically tired. When my body is sitting in a chair all day long and I'm staring at a computer screen, I'm worn out by the end of the day. I need to engage my body more so it can be ready to move and exercise and be active when my desk time is over for the day. You can also become weaker by sitting at your desk, unless you are proactive about making sure you're engaging those muscles. Having a sedentary job can additionally cause you to gain weight. Obviously, if you're consuming more calories than you spend in a day, you're going to pack on the pounds.

Throughout the month of May I'm going to do a little experiment. I'm going to get up and move around for the last 10 minutes of every hour and see how that affects my overall well-being. Here's what I plan to do:

Stretch - Just simply standing up and stretching your neck, shoulders, back, arms, legs and wrists can help to liven you up during a mid-afternoon slump.

Wall Push-Ups - Now, you need to know that my office is surrounded on 3 sides by windows. So EVERYONE will be able to see what I'm doing. I may have to try out these exercises in my office bathroom if I start to feel self-conscious. I found these step-by-step instructions for wall push-ups on eHow.com.
  1. Stand approximately 2 feet away from the wall keeping your feet together. If you stand farther away, you will have to bend and reach too far creating poor posture and the possibility of pulling muscles in your thighs and calves. Standing too close to the wall will not allow you to extend your arms far enough to create a good workout.
  2. Place your hands flat on the wall. You arms should be straight out at shoulder height and slightly more than shoulder width apart from each other.
  3. Lean towards the wall while keeping your elbows tucked in until your nose is almost touching the wall. Hold this position and focus on your posture before finishing the push-up. You should feel a slight stretching in your calf muscles and in your upper chest. Check to ensure that your body is in a straight line all the way from head to toe.
  4. Return to your starting position slowly. Continue practicing wall push-ups until you can comfortably do 20 to 25 of them at one time.
  5. To make a wall push-up more difficult to do, practice moving your hands together until they are touching. This will require more upper arm strength to maintain correct positioning.
  6. Prevent injury doing push-ups by maintaining correct alignment in your body. Injuries can occur in your elbows, neck and lower back if you bend or arch your back while exercising.
Squats - You can either do this exercise at your chair, by simply bending down to sit (but don't sit down all the way) and standing up several times, or you can perform a traditional squat by standing, then bending at the knees, keeping your back straight.

Arms - You don't need dumbbells to get a good arm workout. Just grab something on your desk at a weight that's challenging, but not uncomfortable for you. And do bicep curls, tricep extensions, shoulder lifts, and any other arm exercises you can think of.

Core - I really need to work harder on engaging my core in my workday. So I'm going to focus on having better posture and doing some of the exercises my cousin Brooke told me about. I sit in my chair and hold my legs parallel to the ground for several minutes at a time. And I will also sit in my chair and hold my feet a few inches off the ground for several minutes at a time. This will strengthen my abdominal muscles and help me to better stabilize myself for better posture and abs (I haven't seen them yet, but I know they're hiding in my belly somewhere). I've heard of a lot of people using stability balls in place of their regular office chairs while they're at work. Obviously, you probably wouldn't want to sit on a ball for the entire day. But maybe half an hour at a time or so. I'm unfortunately unable to do this since there are a lot of metal scraps on my office floor. I wouldn't want to be sitting on the ball and have it pop all of a sudden!

Calf Raises - Something I often try to do while I'm climbing stairs or just walking around the office is calf raises. You simply take normal strides and steps, but with each step you raise up on your toes to give your calf muscles a little squeeze. This is a great workout for climbing stairs, but it also works for just walking around on a level surface. You may look a little funny but you'll have the last laugh when your calves are the shapliest ones in the office!

Some other suggestions are to go for a walk during your lunch break, try to exercise instead of hitting the vending machines or the coffee pot on your breaks, and take the stairs instead of the elevator.

What workday workout tips can you share? Do you plan to employ any of these into your normal routine?

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Day 58: May Challenges

You may wonder why I have chosen to put an image on my blog of the person I most irrationally fear: Richard Simmons. Let me explain. I have always been afraid of Richard Simmons, and I think if I ever came across him in person I would be reduced to tears or screams of terror.

However, facing your fears is a part of rising up from the obstacles in which you find yourself, and thus, Richard is a guest here on my blog today....at least, his image is a guest here. It's difficult, and it's not fun, but looking at this photograph is slowly helping me to overcome my fear. And maybe one day if I do meet Richard Simmons somewhere, I'll be able to shake his hand and offer a kind hello. Who knows?

At any rate, April is almost over and the May flowers are starting to appear, so I have a whole new slew of challenges for myself (and anyone who wishes to join me). But first, let's have a recap of some of the April challenges.

Walk to Run Challenge - I abandoned this challenge after the first time I tried to jog....I'm just not there yet. But one day I will be. And I will be thrilled to reinstate the challenge then.

Park and Walk Challenge - For this challenge I parked in the back of the parking lot every time I went somewhere so I could get a little more exercise. I actually loved this challenge so much that I think I'm going to make it into one of my 5 changes! It was nice to not have to drive around forever looking for the best spot in the lot. And I actually enjoyed parking further away and walking into my destination. I felt great knowing I was adding just a few extra steps every day.

100 Miles Challenge - For this challenge I wanted to walk 100 miles (or 200,000 steps) in the month of April. I wore my pedometer every day and I really tried hard to get those steps in. I never realized how sedentary I am at work, so seeing my step count on the pedometer really opened my eyes to that. My results so far this month (with still a day and a half remaining in April) are: (drum roll, please!) 218,646 steps, which loosely translates to 109.32 miles! Yahoo! I feel so great knowing that I walked that distance in April. What an incredible feeling! And, walking that much has improved my fitness so much that I'm actually ready to take my workouts to the next level.

Here are my challenges for the month of May:
WORK Out Challenge - Because I sit so much at my office, I really want to do more to help myself burn some calories during my workday. At the very beginning of my blog my cousin Brooke posted a comment with some of the little techniques she uses to keep moving while she's at work:
  1. For every trip she makes to the bathroom she does 5 back kicks per leg.
  2. While she's sitting in her chair she lifts her feet off the ground for several minutes at a time.
  3. She tightens her butt while she's sitting.
  4. She sits in her chair and holds her legs parallel to the ground for several minutes at a time.
I want to try to incorporate some form of getting up and moving around for 10 minutes out of every hour while I'm at work. I plan to use Brooke's tricks, as well as a few tips I picked up from some articles I read (more on that tomorrow).

Amp it Up Challenge - It's time to take my workouts to the next level. This challenge will last for the month of May and beyond. I plan to exercise 5 days per week, with only 2 of those days being low-impact workouts like walking or Wii fit. The other 3 days will be more intense workouts like my Jillian Michaels Shred DVD or Zumba. I'm honestly a little scared of this challenge, but I'm confident that I can do it. And I know it will only get easier with time. So these workouts may kick my patootey at first, but eventually I'll get so good that I'll need to bring it up even more...

The Kegger Challenge - No, this challenge isn't a fraternity drinking game! Did you know that a standard keg holds 1,984 ounces? And that 1,984 ounces just happens to be the amount of water you would drink in 31 days if you drank 64 ounces per day? That's my challenge for this month. I want to drink an entire keg of water for the month of May. I'm not going to actually go out and buy a keg, though, so I'll just have to pretend with that one. I don't drink nearly the amount of water I should, and so I really want to challenge myself to consume much more water every day. I think this challenge is going to be the one that drives me crazy because I'm really not used to drinking that much liquid at all. I typically have a few sips of water with breakfast and throughout the morning, maybe 4 ounces at lunch, and maybe a little bit when I go to bed. I'm a sweet tea fiend, so I'm going to have to make myself drink my water before I have any sweet tea. I know it's good for me, though, and my skin and body will thank me for getting in all the water I need.

So, those are my challenges this month. Who's with me? What other ways are you challenging yourself?

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Day 57: Changes


Ummm, so I was scrolling back through some of my older posts looking for something I wanted to talk about today (more on that later), and I came across THIS ENTRY, in which I asked everyone to think about 5 changes they could make in their life in order to live healthier, to lose weight, to free up clutter, etc. I said I would think about it for a week, and I would post my 5 changes, and I would follow up with everyone else to see what they came up with as far as their changes.

Well, I failed.

I forgot all about that post and the week came and went and nary a word was said about changes! Woops.

So I want to do this exercise again.

I want us all to spend some real time thinking about 5 changes we could make in our lives to help us to be healthier, have more time, be more organized, or whatever it is that is an area of weakness for you.

Maybe you need to give up something you're addicted to: diet coke, sweet tea, the Internet....
Maybe you need to take more time to sit still and reflect on things.
Maybe you need to clear your life of clutter.

I know in my previous post I was talking about a TV show I watch about a lady named Ruby who started out at 716 pounds and has now lost about 400! A couple of the changes she made were to stop drinking diet soda and to start taking the stairs more instead of the elevator. Little things can make a big difference.

I don't know what it is for you, but really spend some time this week thinking about what changes you can make to positively enhance your life, and come back next Wednesday and tell me about it!

Oh yeah, and my "other topic" I wanted to talk about is going to wait for tomorrow....Hint: It has to do with my cousin Brooke's Gluteus Maximus!

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Day 56: Wahoo!

Somebody got another 5lb. sticker last night! I am so excited that after 5 weeks of dancing around the same number on the scale, I finally managed to get beyond it! I never realized I was dealing with the ups and downs for that long, but when I went back and looked at my weight log, it really was 5 weeks (actually six weeks if you factor in that I was gone and missed one meeting).

I feel so good now....it was like that one number was holding me back from really trying and now that I've gotten past it, I feel like I can conquer the world....or at least my weight.


This week: -4.6lbs.
Total: -11.6lbs.

I attribute my success this week to three things:

  1. I obsessively tracked every single morsel of food that went in my mouth. I knew on any given day how many points I had consumed, and how many I had remaining. I told myself that I wasn't going to use any of my extra weekly points until Friday's date night, and I held to that. And even then, I only used 7 of them. I also tracked my points religiously during the weekend, when I normally slack off. I think holding myself accountable to the foods I was eating really helped me to say no to the things I was just eating out of habit. I remember one instance in particular, where I was in my mom's kitchen and there was a little basket of Easter candy sitting out. I reached in and grabbed a little chocolate and started to unwrap it without really thinking. Then I suddenly realized what I was doing and put the candy down and walked away because I didn't want to have to put that on my points tracker. At the meetings they always talk about how important tracking your food is, and now I can testify that it really does make a huge difference.
  2. I got in 2 really good workouts that I'm sure gave my metabolism a boost. I have always said it takes a lot more effort for me to break a sweat than it does the average person. I'm not sure if that's true or not, but I sweat like a hog during those Zumba workouts...it felt great, too. I'm glad I had such a good loss this week because now I'm really motivated to amp up my workouts so that they become more challenging for me. I'm getting to a new fitness level now where walking everyday just isn't going to give my body the exercise it needs for weight loss. Yes, walking is great exercise, but it's not going to help me take off the pounds anymore.
  3. I think sometimes when we are working at something, it just takes our bodies a little while to respond. My Weight Watchers instructor said something like that last night, and it makes sense. I haven't done horribly on Weight Watchers over the past 6 weeks...there might have been a couple of weeks where I just phoned it in. Or a few workouts here and there where I didn't give it my all, but by and large, I think I tried pretty hard. And especially over the last couple of weeks. And now my body finally responded to what I was wanting it to do. That tells me that I need to be consistent and persevere through the weeks when the scale doesn't show me what I want to see. If I stick with it, and do the right things, eventually it will show on the scale.
I'm very excited about my weight loss this week, and I'm hoping it continues. Obviously, I can't expect to lose 4 and a half pounds every week, but I can at least expect to continue to see my weight decreasing, little by little.

Monday, April 26, 2010

Day 55: Champion Chow -- Couscous!

You may not be too familiar with this Mediterranean side dish, but I think once you try it, it's bound to become a staple in your pantry.

Couscous is a dish comprised of tiny wheat granules. It almost looks like sand. It's similar in function to a rice or pasta. You can serve it under beef stew or stir fry, or enjoy it as its own side dish.

The whole wheat variety of couscous only contains about 3 points for an entire cup, compared to 4 points for the same amount of brown rice.

I think my favorite feature of the couscous, though, is the texture. Do you ever get bored with eating rice or potatoes with your dinner? Couscous is a nice way to liven things up in your kitchen and add some variety to your routine.

You can find instant whole wheat couscous at Kroger. It's a little more difficult to find the whole wheat stuff at Wal-Mart, in my experience. The box I buy looks similar to this one. I think I almost always get Hodgson Mill brand, not because I'm particularly loyal to it, but that's just what I always see at Kroger. The couscous can be found where you find the instant rice and pasta dishes. Or, in Wal-Mart, it's found with the ethnic foods, typically mixed in with the Arabic or Indian section.

Instant couscous is prepared exactly like you would prepare instant rice. You boil liquid, then add the couscous, remove it from the heat and fluff it with a fork.

The instructions on the box call for you to add the couscous to boiling water, but I prefer to use fat free chicken broth because it adds so much flavor to the dish. I boil my chicken broth and add some seasonings to it. Maybe some garlic or onion powder, curry powder, cumin, or whatever I'm in the mood for that particular evening. Once the seasoned stock is boiling, I pour in my couscous and let it sit for a few minutes. Then it expands and voila! My favorite grainy side dish is ready for me.

I know today isn't the day when I normally share recipes, but I thought I would provide a little bonus. I made this Weight Watchers shrimp dish the other night and topped my couscous with it. It was absolutely delicious. I hope you enjoy it!

Coconut Curry Shrimp (makes 4 servings)
Ingredients:
2 Sprays cooking spray
2 tsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. curry powder
1/2 tsp. salt
3 medium scallops, chopped, green and white parts separated and reserved
1/2c. light coconut milk
1lb. large shrimp, peeled and deveined
3 c. cooked couscous (prepared with chicken broth)

Directions:
Coat a skillet with cooking spray and heat on medium. Add the oil. When the oil is hot, add the curry powder and salt, stirring constantly, until the curry powder becomes fragrant. Add the white parts of the scallions and cook about 2 minutes. Blend in coconut milk, and add shrimp. Cook shrimp until slightly pink (4-5 minutes). Sprinkle with green parts of scallions.

Serve 5-6 shrimp with 1-2 Tbsp. of sauce over 3/4 cup of couscous for each person.

Points Value: 6 (the recipe originally called for brown rice and had 7 points, but I made the adjustment to couscous, which dropped the recipe by 1 point).

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Sunday, April 25, 2010

Day 54: One Point Apple Muffins


My friend Marissa gave me a recipe for these delicious and filling One-Point Apple Bran Muffins. They have provided me with most of my breakfasts this week, and I can't believe how filling and tasty they are! I hope you enjoy them. And thanks, Marissa!


Ingredients:
2c. All Bran Fiber cereal (like Fiber One)
1 1/2c. Skim Milk
1 1/4c. Flour
1/4c. Sugar*
4 tsp. Baking Powder
1 1/2tsp. Cinnamon
1/4c. Apple Butter
1/4c. Egg Substitue (or 1 Egg)
1/2c. Raisins (or 1/4c. Walnuts, or I use 1/2c. Peeled & Chopped Apple)
Butter Flavored Spray

Directions:
Combine cereal and skim milk (I ran my Fiber One through a food processor first to get it to a crumb-like consistency). Stir and let sit exactly 15 minutes.
Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and cinnamon.
Add apple butter and egg substitute (or egg).
Add cereal mixture.
Stir, fold in raisins (walnuts or apples)
Spray 12-cup muffin tin with butter flavored spray and fill each cup equally
Bake at 350 degrees for 17 minutes.

*These muffins aren't super sweet. If you prefer sweeter muffins you can omit the sugar and use 1/2c. of Splenda instead.

Points Value Per Muffin: 1!

Saturday, April 24, 2010

Day 53: Great Week!


Well, according to my scale and my mother's scale I'm down about 6 pounds since Monday! We'll see what the Weight Watchers scale says (and how disciplined I can be this weekend). I'm feeling really good this week, though.


I was able to copiously track every single thing I ate, and I got in some really good workouts.


I was just talking to my mom this afternoon and we both think we feel so much better now that we're not eating a plate full of crap for every meal.


Before I started Weight Watchers I was eating fast food just about every single day. I was always so tired and sluggish after work. I just wanted to lay around on the couch and watch TV.


But now I am just living a more active lifestyle. I still like to watch TV, but now I'm not glued to the couch. I'll get up and move around while I watch my favorite shows, or during the commercial breaks.


My workouts have gotten too easy for me (WHAT?), so now I'm preparing to bump it up and take myself to the next level.


I just hope this all shows up on the scale on Monday. I'm ready for a good weigh-in.


We had another Zumba workout in Rochester today and it was SO much fun. I don't think I ate enough this morning because I was had a hard time keeping up today than I did Thursday night. My ankle and calf started hurting during the warm-up, and I just felt like I was a step or two behind the entire time. But that's okay. I still broke a sweat and I kept moving, and that's good enough for me!


Plus, I already have over 10,000 steps in today and it's only 4:30PM! This may be my best day yet for getting my steps in. Wahoo!


I hope everyone else had as great a week as I did. Let me know in the comments!

Friday, April 23, 2010

Day 52: Be Responsible!

Last Fall I cleaned out my closets and ended up with about 6 bags of clothes, shoes and purses that I wanted to donate. I drove to the nearest bin I could find and dumped my clothes in, only noticing the sign on the bin AFTER my clothes were safely inside.







The sign read:
"We are a commercial company doing something good for our environment. Together we can reduce waste and conserve. We cooperate with schools, non-profits, city recycling programs and local businesses."


The sign seemed a little strange to me. Why is this commercial company excepting donations? Why are they so vague about what they're doing? And how exactly do they cooperate with these schools, non-profits, city recycling programs and local businesses? So I decided to look into the company that has these drop boxes everywhere around Decatur and other cities.

The company is called USAgain (formerly known as U'SAgain--their use of an unnecessary apostrophe does not help their case any). They operate under the guise of an "environmentally-friendly" company that does its best to keep our landfills free of recyclable trash. That seemed like a pretty worthwhile cause to me, that is until I continued my research on this company.

I found THIS ARTICLE from a news station's investigation of the company. Basically the USAgain company collects clothing and shoes in these bins and SELLS them (they don't donate) to third world countries, schools and other non-profits. They also work with a non-profit called PlanetAid, which has been under investigation for corruption in recent years. Both of these companies have alleged ties to a European cult called The Teachers Group (click HERE to read more about those allegations.). The Teachers Group has been accused of tax evasion and financial crimes. To learn more about this cult, CLICK HERE. Both co-CEO's of USAgain are members of The Teachers Group. And USAgain works closely with PlanetAid, which is a non-profit organization that has strong ties to the cult. I smell something fishy.

The problem is that USAgain disguises its drop boxes so that they look like charity donation bins. I never would have given my used clothing to them if I would have known it would be sold for their profit.

This quotation is from a news article from Quincy, Illinois:
Here's the way the U'SAgain company works. You drop off your clothing and shoes into a drop off bin. Once a week, the contents of the bin are picked up and taken to St. Louis. Then U'SAgain sells the clothes by the pound and ships them to third world countries.

So not only was my donation used for someone else's profit, but the company that received the profit was not even in my local community! In addition to this, my donation was diverted from getting into the hands of the local people in my community who are in need of it.

So you may wonder why there are so many of these collection bins in the area, and how USAgain gets local businesses to agree to put collection bins in their parking lots. Well, I'm convinced that there are two guilty parties here: 1. USAgain has fancy wording that makes their company seem like a charitable organization. And 2. The business owners who put these bins in their lots probably don't do a great deal of research.

The kind-hearted business owners are duped into thinking they're helping out a charity by placing a red donation bin in their parking lot. A representative from U'SAgain comes into their business with a great proposition: allow us to put our bin here, and you will look great to the community because you're helping a charity. And you'll get more traffic in and out of your parking lot every day without lifting a finger.

USAgain's website says this:

At USAgain, we work for three things:
people, planet and profit.

We want to be clear that USAgain is a for-profit corporation. Running a sustainable business that contributes to the local economy through job creation, buying local products and services and paying taxes is important to USAgain. We also use some of the revenue we generate to give back to the community. A percentage of each sale of the collected clothes benefits the "host" of the collection bins - the school, church, or office park where a bin is stationed. We donate a portion of our earnings to charities and nonprofits here in the US and abroad.


The first article I linked in this blog, however, says that in a phone conversation with the CEO of USAgain, he was unable to name any local organization that had benefited from his company's collections in the area.

The bottom line is that we as consumers need to be more responsible and aware of what we're doing with our unwanted items. I hate that I allowed this terrible company to make a profit off of me. And I want to start a personal crusade to make sure everyone knows about this fraudulent company and its dishonest and horrible business practices.

If you don't want to donate your clothing to a legitimate resale shop like Goodwill or Salvation Army, do some research and find out if there are shelters in your area that need clothing items. I know of several here in my community and I'm going to make sure from now on that my donations end up in the hands of a person who really needs them.

I know today's blog was an off-topic one, but thanks for reading and thanks for helping to get the word out about this crooked company.

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Day 51: I'm Gonna Pump.....You Up!

I'm starting to feel the need to "pump up" my workouts a little. I think my body has gotten adjusted to walking, so it's really not challenging me as much as it should.

I'm trying to map out what I want to do fitness-wise for next month, so I'm open to suggestions if anybody has any.

I think I'm going to set a goal of working out 5 times per week, and only allowing myself to use 2 of those workout times for walking. The others will need to be something a little more high-impact.

I have a Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred workout that has absolutely kicked my butt when I've tried it before. The DVD has three different levels of intensity, depending on your personal fitness. I've only ever been able to do level 1, so I think one goal I want to set for myself is to get to the point where I am able to do level 2. You can check out this DVD HERE.

In addition to that, I also have a few Biggest Loser workout DVDs. The Power Sculpt is a really good weights workout, and it, too, is divided into 3 segments according to your fitness level. The Biggest Loser Cardio Max is a little more challenging. I honestly haven't done it that many times because in the past I've felt like it was too difficult for me. I'll be interested to see how well I can keep up with it now that I've been working out consistently for awhile. I also have a Biggest Loser Boot Camp video that has, sadly, never been taken out of the shrink wrap! Wow. I suck. I bought that video at Target probably 8 or 9 months ago and never got around to giving it a try.

I have two So You Think You Can Dance DVDs as well, but they're not really as difficult.

I have some Wii workout video games, as well. My sister got me EA Sports Active for Christmas. It has some pretty good workouts, and even a program to build up your endurance and strength in 6 weeks. And I have a Gold's Gym Cardio Kickboxing game that is pretty fun. It's made cheaply, and there may be something better on the market now, but I really enjoy kickboxing so I bought the game.

I have Wii Fit Plus and Wii Fit, but to be honest, I really don't feel like they're a great workout. I think if I played Wii Fit Plus for a good 2 hours, I still wouldn't get the same calorie burn as doing the Jillian Michaels DVD for half an hour. The Wii Fit Plus is a good way to stay active and, obviously, it's better than sitting on the couch eating bon bons. But for someone with lofty fitness goals, the Wii Fit Plus probably isn't going to do much for me in terms of helping me to get where I'm wanting to go.

I own a rickety old elliptical machine that I bought about 6 years ago. It's squeaky and cheap, though, and I feel like it's going to break when I use it. Maybe I should dust the old thing off and give it another shot. That's a great way to get some exercise while I'm watching TV at night.

I'm doing one of my absolute favorite exercise things tonight, though. My sister and I are going to Zumba!! I've done Zumba a few times, and whew! It's exhausting, but it is SO much fun. For anyone who's not familiar with Zumba, it's a workout class that's infused with Latin and Hip Hop dance. The class is led by a certified instructor who leads you in the dances and makes it fun. Actually, I have the opportunity to attend these classes twice a week, but the only problem is that they're about 45 minutes away. I'm not sure if I want to drive all that way each time, but I'd love to incorporate more Zumba into my life. I've looked for classes around here, but it seems like most of them meet at times when I'm not able to go, like during the day when I'm working.

Does anyone else have suggestions of thins I can incorporate into my fitness routine that would have more of an impact than walking?

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Day 50: Celebration!

Wahoo!! I am so excited to have made it 50 days into writing this blog.

I'm not sure I've ever kept any discipline for 50 days straight.

This weight loss journey has been a battle for me. Sometimes I've felt like I was going uphill, both ways, barefoot in 6 feet of snow.

But I'm determined to keep pressing on. This season of The Biggest Loser has been particularly inspirational to me. I have always been a fan of the show, but sometimes the contestants make the show less inspirational and more like Survivor.

But this season I have fallen in love with the Yellow team of O'Neal and Sunshine. They are just so inspirational. They work so hard and they carry a positive attitude into any situation. To me, they are the picture of the perfect Biggest Loser contestant. They are competitive, but not obnoxious. They work hard without whining. And they appear to be in it for the right reasons. Last night's episode was such a tear-jerker as O'Neal suffered a medical setback and also found out his older brother back home had passed away. Just seeing how moved all of the other competitors were was a demonstration of what a positive force this yellow team is. So today I want to find out what inspires you? It could be a TV show, a person in your life, a quote you heard....what makes you get up and step into action? What helps you stay on track? What allows you to resist that chocolate chip cookie?

Answer below in the comments section. Maybe we can all draw from each other's sources of motivation.

And, today isn't just a celebration for me, it's also a celebration for all of my readers who have managed to stick with me so far. Even though some posts have been boring or mundane. I just wanted to let everyone know how much I appreciate having this support system around me who will encourage me and walk along with me on this journey.

Have a wonderful day!

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Day 49: Weekly Weigh-In


Does it ever seem like you keep pushing, but never really go anywhere?

That's how I'm feeling this week.

I gained this week, and I really can't offer a good explanation as to why. That's the problem.

I think I have started to slack a little without even noticing it. I'm really good at tracking my foods for breakfast and lunch, but then at dinnertime (and whatever snacks I decide to have in the evening), I don't count my points.

I honestly figured I had done enough exercise this week, and I was good enough with my eating to have a loss. So I was more than a little disappointed when I weighed in last night.

This week: +1.6lbs.
Total: -7lbs.

For the last three weeks I have been flirting around the same number, and I just can't seem to stay on the other side of it. It's frustrating, and it makes me crabby.

To be perfectly truthful with you, this number got me way down last night. I was pouty. And depressed. And it made me feel like garbage. I had a whole list of things I had planned on getting finished that evening, and all I wanted to do was to go home and crawl in bed.

And I did that for a good hour or so, until I realized that it was stupid to just be upset about the number and not do anything about it.

So I begrudgingly got my sorry self up and did a light Wii Workout, and finished the housework I was wanting to do.

I decided that instead of letting this weight gain be a discouragement to me, I was going to use it as a motivation to change the behaviors that caused the gain.

This week my goal is to track absolutely every morsel of food that finds its way into my mouth. If I follow through with this, I will see if my tracking habits are the culprit of my weight gain this week.

I am also trying to think of some new fitness ideas for next month. I think my body is getting used to just walking every day, so I want to incorporate something that will challenge my entire body in a bigger way. I may start adding smaller extra workouts into my daily routine to see if that helps me at all.

The gain could also be due to womanly issues...we are all too familiar with those.

I may not know precisely what caused my gain this week, but I can sure as helicopter (thank you, Ruby) do my best to ensure I make it to the other side of that stupid number on the scale next week!

How's everyone else doing?

Monday, April 19, 2010

Day 48: Champion Chow - The Magic Bullet


Okay, so today's Champion Chow isn't exactly a food item, BUT it is the most useful kitchen tool ever created!

I have had a Magic Bullet ever since I started cooking for myself (about 4 years ago, maybe?), and my kitchen would not be happy without it.

This little tool comes in handy for chopping onions and hot peppers, so your eyes don't get irritated; it blends a wonderful salsa or guacamole; it makes delicious smoothies.

There's nothing it can't do! We've all seen the infomercial about The Magic Bullet about a thousand times, so I won't go into too much detail here. I will say, though, that it doesn't exactly chop things with just three little presses. It usually takes a little more pressure and time than they would like for you to think. But it's still a million times faster than chopping everything by hand.

The good thing is that Wal-Mart and Target now carry this handy little food processor, so you don't have to order it on TV.

I'll leave you with one of my favorite healthy recipes I make with my Magic Bullet on a regular basis.

Breakfast (or Dessert) Smoothie
1 8oz. container Yoplait Light Yogurt (vanilla or some other flavor)
1/2c. frozen fruit blend (tropical fruits are my favorite, but berries are also delicious)
1c. orange juice

Put fruit into Magic Bullet large cup, spoon in yogurt. Pour orange juice on top and gently stir. Mix in Magic Bullet (using 4-pronged chopper blade) to uniform consistency. Enjoy!

Points Value: Approximately 5 points, depending on which frozen fruit you use.

You can also add a few ice cubes to the ingredients before you mix them, but being a person who is prone to brain-freeze, I leave this step out!

Sunday, April 18, 2010

Day 47: Fiber One Fabulosity!


For a healthy diet, you need to consume anywhere from 20 to 35 grams of Fiber each day. So why not have a little fun with it?

These two recipes, both from Hungry Girl, are absolutely fantastic and fiber packed. I think you'll really enjoy them.


Note: It's important not to overdo it when you're eating fiber-filled foods. Eating too much fiber can result in a yucky tummy.



Fiber One Mozzarella Sticks
Makes 1 Serving

Ingredients:
2 pcs. light mozzarella string cheese
1/4c. Fiber One bran cereal (original)
2 Tbsp. fat-free liquid egg substitute (like Egg Beaters)
Salt, black pepper, and Italian seasonings, to taste
Optional: low-fat marinara sauce (Great Value brand tastes fantastic)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375.
In a food processor, grind Fiber One to a crumbly consistency (like breadcrumbs). Place crumbs in a Ziploc baggie or Tupperware container. Add your seasonings to the Fiber One crumbs. Set the crumb mixture aside.

Cut both pieces of string cheese in half, giving you 4 sticks. Pour the Egg Beaters into a small bowl and dip the cheese sticks in. Remove cheese sticks from the egg and shake them to remove any excess egg substitute. Transfer sticks to the crumb mixture and seal the bag. Shake the bag to coat sticks in the seasoned crumbs.

Remove the cheese sticks from the crumbs and return them to the egg substitute to coat again. Then place them back in the baggie and cover with crumbs.

Place the sticks on a baking sheet covered with nonstick spray. Spritz the tops of the cheese sticks with the nonstick spray as well.

Bake for 10 minutes, or until the first sign of cheese oozing out. Serve with marinara sauce.

Nutritional Info (for entire recipe):
155 Calories
5.5g Fat
500mg Sodium
13.5g Carbs
7g Fiber
0g Sugars
19g Protein

Points Value: 3!


Faux-Fried Zucchini
Makes 3 Servings
Ingredients:
2 large zucchini, ends removed
3/4c. Fiber One bran cereal (original)
1/4c. fat-free liquid egg substitute
1 Tbsp. dry ranch dressing/dip mix
1/4 tsp. plus 1 dash garlic powder
1/4 tsp. plus 1 dash onion powder
1/4 tsp. plus 1 dash oregano
salt and pepper, to taste
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.
Place Fiber One in a blender along with ranch mix and 1/4 tsp. each of garlic powder, onion powder and oregano. Add a dash of salt and pepper. Grind to a breadcrumb-like consistency. Transfer to a medium bowl.
In another medium bowl, combine egg substitute with a dash each of garlic powder, onion powder, oregano and salt and pepper. Stir thoroughly.
Cut zucchini into 1/2-inch wide circles. Blot away any excess moisture with a paper towel.
Spray a large baking sheet with nonstick spray. Toss zucchini in egg substitute until evenly covered. Remove them one by one, shaking off excess egg substitute. Coat the zucchini with the breadcrumbs and lay them on the baking sheet.
Bake in the oven for 10 minutes. Carefully flip the zucchini slices over. Bake for an additional 10 minutes, or until the outsides are crispy and zucchini is cooked through.
Nutritional Info (per 1/3 of recipe):
Calories: 78
Fat: 0.5g
Sodium: 578mg
Carbs: 20g
Fiber: 9g
Sugars: 4g
Protein: 5g
Points Value: 1!!

Saturday, April 17, 2010

Day 46: Ball Park Survival Strategies

Summer is just aroung the corner and that spells trouble for dieters who also happen to love going to sporting events.



Adam and I went to a Cubs game yesterday and I couldn't help but think of a few ways to prevent myself from getting out of control and stick with my plan for a healthier me.



I'm not saying I followed ALL of these pointers yesterday (more on that later), but I am saying that the next time I attend a sporting event, I hope I will follow them to help myself to be successful and still have a good time.






  1. Allow yourself a little treat. You want to enjoy your time at the game, right? You should go in to the day planning to stray a little from your healthy eating regimen. If your'e like me, trying to completely restrict yourself from eating anything unhealthy while you're in that kind of atmosphere will just make you miserable. Eat a little lighter the day leading up to your event. Have a healthy breakfast. If you're doing Weight Watchers, save your weekly points allowance for the day. And give in to those favorite ball park foods of yours. It wouldn't be a ball game if you didn't get something from the conscession stand, right?

  2. Don't buy from the walking vendors. Get up and make yourself take the steps to get to the conscession stand. Doing this will serve two purposes: you'll get good exercise by climbing the steps, and you're less likely to overeat if you actually have to physically walk a distance to get to the food.

  3. Don't break the bank. Bring a limited amount of cash with you so you can't go overboard with the food. Or, set a spending limit for yourself for food items at the stadium. For instance, tell yourself that you'll only spend $15 on food at the ballgame. Yesterday at Wrigley one hot dog was $4.50, so $15 really couldn't buy too much.

  4. Limit yourself. Do you really need peanuts AND Cracker Jacks? In strategy 1, I told you to expect to enjoy the food a little bit and don't limit yourself so much that you don't enjoy anything. But it is important to set some kind of a limit. It's hard to do when you get the stadium and everyone around you is eating some deliciously aromatic food. But figure out a couple of items that are your favorites, and get those. Save the others for another time.

  5. Sharing is nice. Plan to share your food with the people you're with. You don't need an entire bag of peanuts or a whole large soda. Share it with the people who are with you to prevent yourself from hogging out and feeling guilty later.

  6. Keep score. Do something to keep your attention on the game, and to take your mind off of all the food options available to you. Take a score sheet with you and write down what's happening in the game. Focus on what you're there to see and enjoy the actual ball game.

That's what I came up with. I hope these pointers come in handy the next time you go to a sporting event. Hopefully they'll help me.


Like I said yesterday, I feel like I did pretty well with my food at Wrigley yesterday. I had a plain hot dog and shared a Coke with Adam. And we also shared a bag of peanuts (I'm not sure he was planning on sharing them when he bought them)....I may have had a few more than him, though. I laughed when I looked down and saw all the shells on the ground at my feet. And just for clarification, the garbage you see at the top of the picture does not belong to me!

Friday, April 16, 2010

Day 45: Take Me Out to the Ball Game!

This is going to be an extremely short post today. Adam and I spent the day in Chicago and now, after 10:00 at night, we're just heading back to the ranch. We both got to experience Wrigley Field and The Cubs for the first time, and it was a great game...very exciting, AND John Cusak sang the 7th Inning Stretch. AND The Cubs won!

I managed to make fairly healthy decisions today, although I will admit that I didn't track my foods at all.

I may have gone a little overboard with the peanuts, though...Check out my facebook page for the picture. I can't post it on here from my phone, so come back tomorrow for that, as well as some sporting event survival strategies!

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Day 44: from Decatur to Bloomington


I am loving this walking challenge we're doing, folks! So far in the month of April I've walked 102,604 steps, which loosely translates into about 51.3 miles! I have walked the length of Decatur to Bloomington!

This is a great accomplishment for me as I thought getting in 10,000 steps a day would be quite a feat. As it turns out, getting those steps in can be difficult, and there are some days where I haven't made it there, but it hasn't been quite as cumbersome as I thought it would be. I've enjoyed it more than I normally enjoy exercising, and I think it's due to the fact that I have a goal in mind that I'm working toward. Plus this weather has been so nice, and all the foliage is springing up, and it just makes you feel like life is perfect....

Is anyone else interested in training for a 5K walk, along with my mom and I? Remember, a 5K is 3.1 miles. At Weight Watchers this week they distributed information as to how to train yourself to walk a 5K. Even if you haven't been doing any walking at all, this training program is pretty simple. With the plan, you don't focus so much on distance as you do time endurance. You want to walk at a brisk pace for the amount of time indicated for each day.

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Day 6

Day 7

Week 1

10 min

10 min

rest

12 min

12 min

rest

15 min

Week 2

15 min

18 min

rest

18 min

20 min

rest

20 min

Week 3

22 min

22 min

rest

24 min

24 min

rest

26 min

Week 4

26 min

28 min

rest

28 min

30 min

rest

30 min

Week 5

35 min

35 min

rest

35 min

40 min

rest

40 min

Week 6

40 min

45 min

rest

45 min

45 min

rest

5K


Of course you can switch your rest days if you need to, and if you're already at a point where you are able to walk for longer than 10 minutes at a time, feel free to skip ahead to the middle part of the plan.

I found a walking loop in my neighborhood that is 3.72 miles (half a mile LONGER than a 5K). I would love to invite anyone who wants to come out and walk this path with me sometime in late May. I haven't decided on a date just yet, but I figure that will give everyone enough time to train to be able to walk that distance. We'll meet at my house, do our walk, and then come back to my place for a healthy lunch. The walk will probably take an hour or so, so I figure if we meet at my house around 10:30 we'll be back at the perfect time for lunch. If you're interested, please let me know so I can know how many people to expect.

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Day 43: Restaurant Round Table

Eating out is a normal part of life for most people. And with restaurant portions continually expanding along with our ever-growing waistlines, how do we avoid meals like this picture, and instead opt for healthier alternatives from the menu. Or perhaps even healthier alternatives that aren't on the menu.

I experienced this the other night when I was at Red Lobster. I thought I was ordering a reasonably healthy meal when I told the waitress I wanted blackened tilapia with New Orleans style cajun shrimp with a side of Asparagus and a house salad. After I ordered I felt pretty proud of myself for not getting my typical fried shrimp platter, and I gave myself a little pat on the back.

But when my food came the entire plate was swimming in butter! And my "New Orleans Style" shrimp was covered in a creamy sauce. I'm starting to learn that I'm going to have to specify exactly how I want my food prepared if I'm wanting to eat healthy at restaurants. I should have ordered my asparagus steamed, and emphasized that I did not want it prepared with butter. And I should have found out exactly what was meant by the term "New Orleans Style." Then I would have known to order it without the sauce.

So I wanted to start a discussion today about this topic. Please answer any or all of the following questions in the comments section below:

- How do you make healthier choices at restaurants?
- Do you find it difficult to eat healthy when you have a smorgasbord of fried, fatty foods that are so tempting?
- What are some of your favorite healthy hot spots when it comes to dining out?

I'm looking forward to hearing what everyone has to say! If you want to receive follow-up comments on this post, go down to the comment box and below it you will find a link that says "Subscribe by Email" If you click that link, any contributions to this discussion will be sent directly to your email so you don't have to keep checking back.

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Day 42: Weekly Weigh-In

I had a pretty successful week with Weight Watchers last week, and I attribute a lot of my success to my recent purchase of a scale.

I've always gone back and forth as to whether I actually want to own a scale and have it in my home. On the one hand, it can help to keep me accountable on a daily basis as to what I'm doing to my body. But on the other hand, it can be a great source of discouragement and disappointment when it doesn't read like I want it to.

But so far this $8 scale I bought last week has proven a useful tool in my journey. Since purchasing the scale, I have checked on my weight every morning. It even helped me this weekend to resist some of the junk food I would have normally given in to had I not been anticipating seeing the number drop when I stepped on the scale.

This week: -2.2lbs (this is actually over the past two weeks since I didn't go to last week's meeting)
Total: -8.6lbs.

I'm feeling pretty good about the changes I've made in my lifestyle, and I'm looking forward to reaching that 10lb. landmark. Not only will I get another sticker at my Weight Watchers meeting (yippee!), but it will also be a major accomplishment for myself that I can celebrate!

How's everyone else doing?

Monday, April 12, 2010

Day 41: Champion Chow

A lot of people have a negative reaction to the idea of fiber. They think it tastes like cardboard or dirt....or it's a supplement that old people have to take.

But fiber is a necessary and beneficial component to any healthy eating plan, my friends. So let's talk about it.

Everyone knows that fiber makes you poop. There, I said it. Fiber absorbs water in your bowels and can help to soften your stools and keep you more regular. More pooping means the food is working its way through your system more quickly and you're getting the nutrients you need while getting rid of the stuff you don't. Fiber helps to prevent constipation so all that waste isn't getting stuck and causing a back-up inside of you. It's gross. But it's important.

Did you know that fiber can also lower your cholesterol, control your blood sugar, aid in weight loss, and possibly even help to prevent certain types of cancer?

If you want more information on the benefits of fiber, check out THIS LINK from the Mayo Clinic. It has literally oodles* of information on fiber!

My preferred source of fiber is Fiber One cereal. I love this stuff. I'm not much of a cereal eater at all, so I can't comment on how wonderful a start to your day it is to grab a bowlful of Fiber One with some skim milk.

But I will tell you that Fiber One has a lot of non-cereal uses. Fiber One helps to make you fuller faster, but it doesn't have a gross, grainy taste you might think. Fiber One is actually sweet, but not overpoweringly so. It has a very mild flavor in my opinion, which makes it versatile to use in many different ways.

I love putting this stuff on top of a salad as a healthier alternative to fatty croutons. It adds just enough crunch to enhance your salad experience.

I will also regularly add a few sprinkles of Fiber One to my yogurt. It adds a little bit of a sweet crunch when you're in a yogurt funk and you're bored of eating the same old thing every day.

Believe it or not, Fiber One also makes a great breading to put on meat or other items for a wonderful faux-fried taste without all the grease and fat. Check back Sunday for a couple of my favorite Fiber One recipes.

If you're STILL not convinced of the wonder of Fiber One cereal, at least entertain the idea of picking up some other Fiber One products. Their muffins (found in the bakery section), for one, are delicious and so filling. And they also make a variety of granola bars, yogurt, baking mixes, toaster pastries (like Pop-Tarts), breads, cottage cheese, and even shakes.

I've only tried the cereal, muffins, and bars, so I'd love to hear what you all think of their other products.

Yes, their television commercials are horrifyingly stupid....but their products are worth a shot.

If you want a coupon for Fiber One products, head over to their website www.FiberOne.com.

*An oodle is a term of measurement equivalent to a gob, a bunch, a ton, or a crapload.

Sunday, April 11, 2010

Day 40: Chunky, Nutty Frozen Peanut Butter Cups

This is another recipe straight from the amazing Hungry Girl. I've said it a thousand times, but I would highly recommend any of her cookbooks as they provide guilt-free indulgences that satisfy whatever craving you may be facing.

These Peanut Butter cups can be found in the book Hungry Girl 200 Under 200. It's a cookbook featuring 200 recipes under 200 calories. She has appetizers, desserts, and even some entrees, along with some frozen drinks and smoothie options as well. With this cookbook I've never made a recipe that tasted bad. Well, except for that one time when I botched the ingredients and my brownies came out like rubber. That was weird. But I blame myself, not Hungry Girl.

You can check out a few of her recipes and articles at http://www.hungry-girl.com/. And follow the link above to check out this cookbook on Amazon.

These little ice cream-like cups make a wonderful evening snack and they help to satiate your appetite for fatty peanut butter and ice cream....trust me.

Ingredients:
1 small (4-serving) pkg. sugar-free, fat-free chocolate instant pudding mix
1 8oz. container Cool Whip Free, thawed
2 oz. (about 1/2c.) dry-roasted soy nuts (I've used peanuts when I've made them)
1 Tbsp. mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 Tbsp. reduced-fat peanut butter, room temperature

Directions:
Place pudding mix in a medium bowl. Add 3oz. (1/4c plus 2 Tbsp.) warm water. Stir until smooth and thickened, about 2 minutes.

In a small bowl, combine 1 Tbsp. Cool Whip with peanut butter until mixed well. Stir into the pudding mixture.

Stir in half of the nuts and all of the chocolate chips. Fold in remaining Cool Whip. Stir a little.

Line a 12-cup muffin pan with baking cups and spray with nonstick spray. Evenly distribute pudding mixture among the cups. Sprinkle the tops of the cups with remaining nuts.

Freeze until solid, about 1 hr. Stor in the freezer until ready to serve.
Makes 12 servings

Nutritional Info (per 1 PB Cup)
78 Calories, 2g Fat, 123mg Sodium, 11.5g Carbs, 0.5g Fiber, 2.5g Sugars, 2g Protein

Points Value: 2

Saturday, April 10, 2010

Day 39: Week in Review

I feel like I had a pretty good week this week. I weighed myself this morning and I was down about 2.6lbs from my last Weight Watchers weigh-in, but at Weight Watchers I have to weigh with clothes on, so I'm assuming I'm probably pretty close to the same.

Over the next couple of days I would like to lose a little bit of weight so I can boast a loss at my Monday weigh-in. We'll see, though. I said I would be satisfied if I managed to stay the same over vacation, but I'm not convinced of that now.

Staying on track over the weekend has always proven challenging for me, but I hope this will be added motivation for me to really work hard at it.

I've done pretty well with exercising. I've worked out 4 days so far, and I already have my workouts scheduled in for today and tomorrow.

Last night I didn't do too well with my food as it was date night and I just really didn't want to worry about it. But I did have my extra points available to me, so I still don't think I went off my plan or anything.

Overall it was a pretty good week considering the travel and all that. So hopefully I'll gain some momentum and keep going with this. We have already been working at this for about 6 weeks believe it or not!

Friday, April 9, 2010

Day 38: Survival Strategies...Vacation Vexation

So you're going on a trip. You want to enjoy your time away, have some fun in the sun, relax and take a break. But you're afraid of being away from your routine and eating a week's worth of junk food, fried food, and any kind of food that isn't good for you.

Vacation should be a time where your worries go away, but if you're a dieter, you know that trying to stay on plan during vacation can be a cumbersome task, and one that causes a great deal of stress and can potentially ruin what is supposed to be a wonderful experience.

After coming home from a successful vacation getaway, here are some of the strategies I employed to help me make it through:

  1. Ease up a little. Be realistic in your expectations. Chances are you are not going to be able to eat as healthy or be as active as you are in your everyday life. Go into your vacation knowing that you're going to try your best, but you are not going to be your own drill sergeant. You're going to have a crumby vacation if you make yourself miserable about every little thing you do.
  2. Follow the One-Treat-A-Day Rule. In the spirit of easing up on the diet plan, go into each day knowing that you will allow yourself one special treat. Maybe you want a doughnut for breakfast. That's fine. Enjoy that doughnut, but then try to be reasonable in your food choices for the rest of the day. Or if you know you're going to a fish fry for dinner, eat light for breakfast and lunch and then really allow yourself to enjoy your special treat for that day. If you allow yourself a little extra, you will be able to enjoy yourself without giving up on your goal entirely and then paying for it on the scale.
  3. Don't impose on others. Maybe your travel companion doesn't care if that cheeseburger he just ordered has 17,000 calories. It makes a vacation miserable for everyone involved if you're constantly scrutinizing everything that everyone is eating. Stick to your own foods and activities and let everyone else enjoy their food. This also goes for choosing restaurants. Don't make it a requirement to eat at a health-food place every time you go out. You can find something reasonable on any restaurant menu. Your travel buddies want to enjoy their vacation, too. And you'll start to feel guilty if you're constantly making everyone heed to you and your diet rules.
  4. Remember portion control. No matter what you've been told in the past, vacation calories still count. If you don't believe me, your scale will be honest with you when you return. Portion control is particularly important when you're loosening up the diet reins and allowing yourself to eat things you wouldn't normally have. Remember that restaurant portions are usually more than double what you need. So don't strive for the Clean Plate Award. Try to slow down, enjoy each bite, and eat only a small amount of each item you order.
  5. Get back on track ASAP! It's easy to continue with the vacation laziness when you get back to the daily grind. Remember that it's important to reestablish your routine so you can get back on track with your eating and exercise. Don't allow yourself to get caught up in the lethargy of returning home and going back to work. Get up and go! You've had your vacation, and now it's time to invite that drill sergeant back into your life.
Those are a few of the tips I picked up while I was away last week. What strategies do you use when you're away from home?

Thursday, April 8, 2010

Day 37: Walk-It Challenge

If you remember, my goal for this month is to walk 200,000 steps. My total so far is 41,808, as of yesterday. That means I need to kick it into high gear if I want to achieve my goal. April started while I was on vacation, so I wasn't as active as I normally would be. I know I can push myself and reach my goal, though.

I've actually been doing pretty well with my challenges. Yesterday I exercised for over an hour's worth of TV watching.

And I went grocery shopping and parked in the very last spot of the Wal-Mart parking lot. I assumed I would get a lot of steps walking in to the store, then back out of the store with my cart and groceries, and then even more steps when I had to take the cart back to the cart return. But as I was unloading the cart full of groceries into my car, a Wal-Mart employee walked all the way out to me and offered to take the cart for me. So I got cheated out of about 100 steps or so, in my estimation. Go figure the one time Wal-Mart decides to employ their customer service is the time when I don't need them to. I'm still grateful to the cart guy, though. It was a nice gesture, and if I had really wanted those 100 steps, I could have walked to the cart return and back without the cart. All together my grocery shopping experience bought me about 2,000 steps, which is really pretty good.

I ended up weighing myself last night, too, and it turns out that I lost 1.6 lbs. from my last weigh-in (if my scale is synchronized with the Weight Watchers scale, that is). So I'm feeling pretty good about that.

My mom and I have decided to abandon our jogging plan. We just aren't ready for it yet, and we need to build up some more endurance before we're ready to actually jog. I was a little disappointed about this at first, knowing that I had failed at one of my challenges. But then I realized that this is just a part of my journey and one day I will be able to run. Right now I have to build up to that, and I'm working hard.

So overall I'm happy to report that I'm on track this week with my fitness. Wouldn't you know that on the day I'm blogging about my walking I forgot my stinking pedometer!

How's everyone else doing with their fitness goals?

Weight Watchers launched a new Walk-It Challenge that I'm hoping to get some information on when I go to my meeting on Monday. It's a challenge to walk a 5k (about 3.1 miles) sometime in early June. I would love to join in this challenge and push myself to be able to walk 3.1 miles by the time June rolls around. I figure I don't have to participate in an official 5k...I can just do my own some place. Who wants to join me and we'll all get together in June and walk our own 5k?!

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Day 36: Confession

Now that I'm back to the daily grind, I need to be straight with you. It's not something I like talking about, and I feel like a horrible example when I bring this up, but.......

I ate like a hog yesterday.

There, I said it. Yesterday was a travel day, and Adam and I spent 6 hours in the car (he spent more than that since he had another hour and a half to drive after he dropped me off). I actually did okay with the travel part. We did eat fast food for lunch, which didn't concern me too much since I didn't blow my entire points allowance on one meal. But I did really well with resisting one of my vices along the journey: Gas station snacks. I don't know what it is, but there's something about walking into a convenience store and choosing a couple of shiny packaged delicacies that makes traveling just a little more tolerable. I love pringles and candy bars and chips and those little mini donuts....all of it. But yesterday I was able to avoid them like the plague....even during my potty break stop when the Gardettos were screaming my name.

So that's a small victory.

But then we got home. Adam dropped me off at my parents' house and the plan was for us to eat dinner there and then Adam would leave and head back to the ranch. Well, the dinner that had been prepared was a broccoli dish and I hate broccoli. It smells like rotten feet to me. I tried to be good, I really did. I tried to pick around the broccoli and just enjoy the rest of the dish, but it was impossible. So I made myself a bowl of cereal....which wouldn't have been that bad if the cereal I chose hadn't been Peanut Butter Cap'n Crunch. As a chaser after my cereal I had a bowl of various kinds of potato chips, which I followed up with a Skinny Cow ice cream sandwich and some various Easter candies.

It's all a blur to me now and I can't remember if I ate anything other than those items or not, but I didn't not feel well after my binge. It was almost instantaneous that I became groggy and sluggish. I just wanted to go to sleep.

But, alas, today is a new day. I'm back in the swing of things and I'm starting over. I've been tracking my points today and I'm planning on going grocery shopping and getting in some exercise, so it will be a good day.

I'm learning that it's okay to have those occasional slip-ups as long as I pick myself back up and get right back on track. Obviously I could have and should have stopped myself from eating so munch junk yesterday, but I didn't. If I spend my time focusing on my mistakes I'm never going to have enough energy left to work toward my goals.