February Goals Recap

This month has been a lot of work, but I think I've done well on my goals:

• Exercise - I, with my husband, have been using online workout videos to get in exercise sessions each week. We started with every other day, but haven't quite kept it up. I try to be realistic with life getting in the way, but really my life is dependent on my health, so I need to work on that.
• Increasing Up Time - I've really met this goal. During the week I spend at least 2 hours "up" each day...typically the majority of that time is walking. I haven't successfully maintained 10,000 steps each day, but I do reach that goal often and am usually above 8,000 per day.
• Water, Water, Water - I wish I knew the ounces I've been drinking (I don't track that), but I bet it's a lot! I drink a ton of water every day. I haven't noticed any affect from it yet, but I'm sure it's helping.
• Nutrition - This area I probably struggle with more than exercising! I think I have improved (homemade whole wheat bread, less and healthier desserts, healthier breakfasts), but I have yet to enjoy the improved nutrition. I've read about people who actually crave healthy foods after eating right for long enough and I'm hoping to get there one day.

February may be ending, but I will still be working on these goals. Meanwhile onward to March!

Random Thoughts - Health and Fitness

"Today, more than 95% of all chronic disease is caused by food choice, toxic food ingredients, nutritional deficiencies and lack of physical exercise." 

- Mike Adams 

NaturalNews.com

I don't want to be part of this statistic! I know I need to do better making a difference in my life - choosing healthier foods and making a bigger effort to exercise. 

My main focus on exercising or activity this month has been walking. I found this quote and in a conformation biased way I agree with it: 

"Walking is the best possible exercise. Habituate yourself to walk very far." Thomas Jefferson

Notice how Jefferson says to "Habituate yourself." You need to do the work and put in the effort. No one can do it for you.

I know I have been improving. I might not see it on the scale, but 2 hours of walking each day counts. It counts for me. All of my workouts count. My good choices count, especially so when I feel like making bad ones. I know I can make a difference for my health - body and mind. 

Image: Jennifer SweetOnVeg

"I've always believed fitness is an entry point to help you build that happier, healthier life. When your health is strong, you're capable of taking risks. You'll feel more confident to ask for the promotion. You'll have more energy to be a 

better mom. You'll feel more deserving of love." 

Jillian Michaels

Product Envy - Exercise Equipment

Here are a few products I've been looking at recently. I can't afford them right now, but it's fun to window shop : ) 

1) Gaiam Print Yoga Mats are so pretty! It's hard to pick my favorite, but this purple one just is so relaxing I love it! I've been attempting to incorporate yoga into my exercise schedule...usually on "non-workout days" as a means of stretching all my muscles. I'm also hoping to improve my flexibility. I currently don't have a mat and usually end up sliding all over the floor, so I definitely hope to purchase one in the future!

2) BOSU Standard Balance Trainer. I've never used one before, but recently I've seen a bunch of workouts on Pinterest that incorporate one, so they aren't just for balancing! My joints get very sore laying on the floor to do different exercises and I feel that using a BOSU would help with that.

3) Gaiam Balance Ball Chairs. I've seen these types of chairs on Pinterest and am interested in using one when I do sit at my desk. It's supposed to help with back alignment and helps strengthen your core. 

4) Fitbit Force Wireless Activity + Sleep Wristband. While I currently use a pedometer I like how the Fitbit is used on your wrist. I wonder how accurate that is for measuring steps? It also tracks other things, including monitoring your sleep! I'm not sure if I like the idea of having an electronic attached to me at all times, but I like that it syncs all of your information to your computer so that you don't have to record your own stats.

What exercise products would you love to have?

Working Out Sucks! - A Book Review

Image: Amazon

A month or two ago I read Working Out Sucks! (And Why It Doesn't Have To): the Only 21-Day Kick-Start Plan for Total Health and Fitness You'll Ever Need by Chuck Runyon et al. While I disagree that this book will solve all your health and fitness problems, I do believe it can help "kick-start" your exercise and health plans.

Runyon et al. excel at motivating the reader to take control of their life and improve their health. I love how the chapters are small, which makes it easy to read just a section or two when you have a short break. The last section of the book is a diet/exercise plan. I didn't use this section myself, as I'm not into counting calories or measuring out servings, but it was helpful to get ideas.

The book includes real-life examples of people who have turned their life around in the health department. Inspirational quotes and informational statistics help activate your inner desire to improve your life. 

As I said earlier, it's not going to be all you need to change your life, but it will help. Funny, insightful, and a quick read, it's bound to touch on some area that relates to you, but don't expect the "Kick-Start Plan" to match your needs. 

Walking Walking Walking

Image: Peter Blanchard 

Increasing my steps each day isn't easy. My legs get tired (wearing shoes in the house and switching between my two pairs tennis/running shoes each day seems to help). I don't like getting sweaty and out of breath (I know that means I'm working hard, but it's not pleasant to deal with every day). 

My new favorite way to add steps is by walking (fast paced, but maybe not quite speed walking) while watching TV (Olympics anyone?). I've tried reading while walking back and forth in the house, but it sometimes makes me dizzy. I know I can't put as much effort or speed into walking when I read either. 

You're supposed to reach 10,000 steps a day for a healthy lifestyle. That's equivalent to 5 miles! I am trying to attain that many every day (I've reached it a couple of times), but it requires dedicating at least 2 hours of walking to reach it. I'm trying to lose weight and get in shape, so I can accept that I have to put in that much work, but for other people that seems like a lot of time dedicated to walking! 

If you have workouts during the week as well could you diminish this number? For example, say you workout for 30 minutes 3 times a week. Do you really need 10,000 steps each day? Especially on the days you're working out? An intense workout burns more calories than walking. 

I'm just not sure what to focus on...getting 10,000 everyday or trying to dedicate more time to workouts, even if they are short. What do you try to aim for in steps each day? Or what kind of exercise schedule would you suggest for a beginner to exercising?

My Mantra

This is my mantra. It seems simple, but it's not. It gets tiring to eat right when you see fabulous but fatty food on the television and internet. It's hard to always work hard when you are tired of working out and you don't see progress. When both of the first lines aren't working out you don't feel good. I know because I get to that point a lot. 

I get tired. Tired of cooking homemade meals. Tired of staying active. Tired of making the right choices. Don't we all? Yet I press on. I want to feel good. I want to feel positive about the way I look. I want to know I'm doing the best for my body. I want to be healthy and fit for once in my life. I've heard that happiness is the key to health, but I think it's the other way around. Health is the key to happiness. If you aren't healthy you can't truly be happy because there's always that part of you that knows you aren't feeling good (either mentally, emotionally or physically).

I want to be happy. I have a whole year of plans and projects to get to that goal. I know I'm not going to get there without this key step - Health. It's all encompassing. You have to be healthy - physically, in your relationships, in your career, emotionally, and mentally - in order to be healthy. I want to feel good, so I'm going to eat right and work hard, even when I don't want to. I will feel good.

What's your mantra? How do you motivate yourself, especially when you aren't seeing improvement?

A Newbie to Healthy Eating

My switch to healthier eating has been pretty recent. Sure I've been telling myself that I have been doing better since September, but in actuality I wasn't doing that great. I dislike eating healthy. I have cravings for fast food, ice cream, pizza, you name it! I know that these foods aren't going to help my goals of losing weight, so I've been slowly moving towards a healthier lifestyle in general. It's hard! Here's what I do:

• If you are going to choose an unhealthy food, try to add something healthy to it. I still eat pizza, but I make it homemade (store-bought dough) and add spinach, onions and peppers to it. I use turkey sausage and low-fat mozzarella. I still get that yummy pizza taste, but it's not as bad for me. 
• Think about the money you save. It's been getting easier and easier to turn down those packaged goodies in favor of fruits and veggies when I look at my grocery receipts! Fresh food seems to cost a loss less and since we're on a budget going healthy is more economical. Make the effort to wash and chop up your own produce instead of buying the more expensive versions that do the prep for you.
• Hold yourself accountable. It has made a huge difference sharing my health goals with my husband. He reminds me of them (because I've asked him to) when I might be tempted to eat unhealthily. We make the meal plan together and shop together so that it's easier to make good choices. 
• Make switches slowly. In the last month or two we have almost doubled the variety and amount of veggies we used to eat, we now make our own whole wheat bread, we stopped buying muffins and pastries, we only buy natural pop (and not much of it) and we don't buy ice cream anymore. We used to buy ice cream at every shopping trip, so that was a huge change for us! We are still trying to eliminate processed foods, but we recognize that it is slow. Just pick one focus each week (or month!) and agree on it as a family. If my husband was still eating unhealthily, I wouldn't be doing so well. It's hard to succeed when there are unhealthy options available in your home. Start small and move your way up.
• Treat yourself a little. While we don't buy ice cream (or haven't for about a month...we'll see if we can last!), we have started buying frozen fruit bars. They still have that satisfying sweet taste, but they don't have the high amounts of fat from ice cream. I think it's important that you don't totally deprive yourself (not that we'd starve). You are still going to want treats, just try to make good choices that will still give you some satisfaction.

What changes or moves have you made to eat healthier? I'm always looking for more ways to improve. 

Free Video Workouts

I don't belong to a gym. I don't really want to either, as that means commuting in order to workout. I much prefer working out in my own home in private. My husband and I like to work out together, but coming up with your own routing and timing each move is difficult for us. So we rely on video workouts. I don't want to shell out money to work out, so we stick with free videos we find online. 

Our current favorites are the videos from here and here. I love that both of these sites offer a great variety of workouts in a variety of lengths as well. Cycling through the videos ensures that we don't get bored and that we keep our workouts fresh. I think that it's also good that our bodies don't get used to any particular routine. We try to workout every other day, but at a minimum don't go without a workout for 3 days. 

Do you have any free workout videos that you enjoy? We are always looking for new ones, so please let me know!

Olympic Spirit

Don't you just love the Olympics? It's so inspirational seeing all the athletes competing. It inspires me to improve myself physically, even though I know I will never compete in the Olympics and probably in any sport to any extent at all. 

It amazes me to see the speed, agility, skill and sheer awesomeness of these athletes. It makes me want to do better and increase my own abilities. 

I know I can improve and I know I will. Just this week my weight has stopped fluctuating for my morning weigh in. It's so encouraging to see the number staying low! Now I want to start seeing it move DOWN. 

I've been increasing my steps each day (which I read today can also decrease your risk of heart disease). I did have a poor eating day on the weekend, but I'm not going to let that stop me. Even if you have a low day for exercise or your diet don't let it stop your overall improvement. One bad day can't stop you! 

How do you keep yourself on track? Do you allow yourself "low" days? Do you have a specific routine coming off of those days? Let me know!

Healthy Roasted Veggies

Roasted Zucchini

I make roasted veggies multiple times every week! It's a healthy side dish that goes so well with so many types of food. My typical go-to veggies are butternut squash and zucchini. I've also used my general technique on broccoli, cauliflower, and sweet potatoes. 

Roasted Butternut Squash

Here's how I make them:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
• Cube or slice your veggies. (I often do this for all of them at the beginning of the week and then roast them throughout the week as we need them. I just store them in a container of water in the fridge.)
• If your veggies are wet, pat them dry with a dishcloth. 
• Spray/coat your cookie sheet/pan with olive oil. I have a pump of olive oil and just spray a little bit on to keep the veggies from sticking.
• Spread them out on the pan - always give them more room than you think they need! They don't roast as well when they are crowded (especially the butternut squash).
• Sprinkle them with the seasoning of your choice - I use Parmesan cheese (1 Tbs max for a large cookie sheet) and a "All-Purpose" seasoning (salt-free and again probably 1 Tbs for one pan). You really don't need to add extra salt beyond what's in the Parmesan. 
• Roast the veggies for 30-40 minutes (30 for zucchini, broccoli, and cauliflower and 40 for squash and sweet potato cubes). 

Walking Challenge

One of my goals this month is to try to be up more. Up just means not sitting (duh), but I do want to also get up to the daily recommended number of steps to maintain health and weight (10,000). You can't really know how many steps you are taking without a pedometer, so I bought one. I researched different options and settled on this one. It was relatively inexpensive, but had great reviews. 

I've actually had the pedometer for two months now and it's great. I do find that it records most accurately when worn on the lanyard around your neck. While I've had it for some time, I haven't really stuck to any schedule for improving my daily step totals. So I've developed this walking challenge for February that ties into my health goals. Each day (excluding rest days) I up the steps goal by 500 steps. I know it doesn't seem like very much, but once you hit your typical number of steps upping it each day is a lot of work! The rest days are thrown in there because it's tiresome to be constantly trying to keep track. I would recommend still tracking your steps and maybe just trying to solidify whatever progress you've made. 

Let me know if you use my walking challenge! It would be great to have some step counting buddies : ) 

The Happiness Project: February Goals

The theme for February is Health. Through the last couple of years my health has taken a dive. I've been stressed and busy finishing school and getting married. My life has finally smoothed out and I am in a set routine! I want to take advantage of this and get healthier and lose weight. It's so disheartening to look at pictures and just see the weight adding on! So I'm going to be attempting to introduce some healthy habits this month with the following goals:

• Exercise - I want to get a set exercise schedule and routines set up so that it's easier for me to get exercises in on a regular basis. I'm hoping to work up to every other day. 
• Increasing Up Time - I KNOW I am not active enough, but besides exercise sessions I want to work on just being UP! 
• Water, Water, Water - I don't actually drink very many non-water beverages, but I can always drink more water and I'm hoping drinking more will help with the health of my skin especially.
• Nutrition - I never manage to eat enough fruits and veggies and I'm sure there are a lot of other areas I need to improve on as well.

Well that's definitely a lot to work on! I almost don't have high hopes of actually improving this month, but if I can set myself up to improve that would be a success.