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!

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. 

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. 

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).