ER&E Report

Exercise: I haven't been good at getting exercise in every day. I have been doing daily exercises to strengthen my lower abs (diastasis recti) as well as my pelvic floor (information for a future post). That ought to count for something. ☺

Food: I've done okay. I need to go get some spinach to get back on green drinks. They really make me feel good.

Treats: Not so good. I noticed an interesting trend: I ate more treats on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays than I ate the other days of the week. Rebel? I think so.

I'm too tired to make any goals for this one.

Me, Myself, and Thigh

As I mentioned before, I've been stuck in a bit of a rut for the past 7 months, as far as my weight goes. I've made a little progress in my inches since that time, but I'm stuck. And I realized that it's because I don't have a quantifiable goal. My goal had been to get to 170-175, which was where I was pre-JuJu, and I've done that (a couple times-argh!). So last night I decided to focus on one number and work every day on that.

I selected my thighs. I've never paid much attention to my thighs, and I don't even know what number to aim for, but I can see that they have some room for improvement (to put it nicely). ☺

Every day, I will do these exercises morning and night:

MUSCLE GROUP: OUTER THIGH

Lying Abduction:

Lie on your side with your hips stacked one on top of the other, head resting on your arm or propped up on your hand. Take legs about 45 degrees in front of you for balance. Lift the top leg off the bottom leg about an inch. Hold it parallel and flex the foot (toes pointed forward, not up.) Slowly raise and lower the top leg without touching the other leg between repetitions. Do 10-15 repetitions, being careful not to rock forward or back off your stacked hip position. Alternate legs and repeat.

MUSCLE GROUP: INNER THIGH

Lying Adduction:

Lie on your side and bring your top leg in front of the bottom leg. Bring the front foot up towards your thigh and rest your foot on the floor just above your knee -- toes pointing forward. Raise your bottom foot about 1 inch off the floor. Slowly raise your bottom foot up as much as comfortable, keeping a slight bend in your leg. Hold for 2-4 counts and slowly lower back to starting position. Complete 10-15 repetitions.

source: http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=52449&page=2

All of the other information I found about toning thighs I do at my Body Pump class: squats, lunges, and deadlifts.

I've been doing the Body Pump class usually twice a week, and step aerobics once or twice a week. My goal is to get two days of aerobics every week, and increase the weight I'm using for squats in Body Pump.

One site I was looking at stressed the importance of burning fat (aerobic exercise and eating well) + toning legs (strength training). Otherwise, your nicely sculpted muscles are hidden under a layer of fat. Seriously. Just ask my waist.

As for a thigh number, that's a hard one. I'll measure once a week, which gives me more incentive to keep up with my goals. I'll aim for half an inch loss (measured at the widest part of my thigh) for now.

ER&E Report

My friend Amy used to do a weekly ER&E (Eat Right and Exercise) Report. Here goes:

Exercise: I missed Friday (the day after I posted my new goal) I need more strategies to get some form of exercise on days that I don't make it to the gym. For example: a few minutes of pushups and situps or running up and down the stairs in our garage.

Food: I've been using whole wheat flour in place of white flour in many recipes lately. Most of the time you can't tell a difference, or if you can, the difference is delicious! I like pancakes made with whole wheat. White flour? Not so much.

I make green beans from the frozen ones. I add a teaspoon of butter and a teaspoon of olive oil and saute the green beans (you need a good non-stick pan -- mine is hard anodized) in that with seasoned salt and no-salt seasoning (e.g. Mrs. Dash). Put the lid on and steam them until the green beans are tender. yum! I did that same trick tonight with zucchini, mushrooms, bell pepper and green beans. So good. Some days I almost think I could be vegetarian. ha!

Treats: I had yummy chocolate cake Friday night, but only one piece, and nothing else treat-y. I didn't have any other treats the rest of the weekend.

Treat replacement ideas: bite-size frozen bananas, frozen blueberries, cold cereal, green drink.

Goals

As I was updating my "number," I remembered that I entered my numbers from a year ago, after Evy was born. I weighed 214 a year ago today. 39 pounds. I've worked hard, but I've slipped a lot, too (remember the "Smore's in a pan"?) I've been basically stagnant for six months now. And I'm happy where I am, but I can still see areas that could use a little ... help.

My goal (that I'm sharing in order to give me some accountability) is to exercise 6 days a week. I can walk to pick JuJu up from school (for the next two weeks), I have a great ab workout that I can do, even with kids around. (not to say it's easy with "helpers", but it's possible) Walking on the blackberry trail is one of my favorite things to do. And of course the gym. Six days a week. Got that?

AND I need to do something about sugar. Saying "no sugar" feels like a death sentence. But this free-for-all thing I've been doing has got to stop. Hmm... I used to do no treats on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, and that worked pretty well. And luckily, it's Thursday, and I had treats the last three days, so that's an easy one to say right now. ☺

Happy healthy living!

Baby Steps

I skim the Modern Molly Mormon blog and read a good one today with some really great tips in it. I thought I'd pass it along.

One thing she alludes to, but doesn't say it straight out, is that if you "goof" (like eat half a pan of "Smore's in a pan," for example), you can start over right away! You don't have to wait until tomorrow or next Monday to get back on track. Do it now!

☺

Zumba!

I tried a new class at the gym tonight. My body was not made to move that way. Hip swaying, shoulder shaking, I felt very uncoordinated, but it was a good workout, and I had enough fun that I will give it another chance.

As for my weight fluctuations. argh. It wasn't my fault! My mom and sisters were in town and they practically held a gun to me and forced me to drive them to the Almond Roca factory where I purchased illegal quantities of chocolate-y goodness and consumed much to my heart's content and my behind's detriment. argh. But I'm on my down yet again, and hopefully that will continue, at least until our 3 week drive across America this summer where I will be away from my gym and my green drinks and lentils and rice. Seriously, you have to try this recipe. Make sure you add enough honey and salt and cheese and sour cream. I've been making it every week lately and eating it for lunch several days in a row. Mmmm... And my kids and husband love it, too. darn! ☺

A Conversation With Myself at the Gym

Ugh, look at that tummy roll.
I wish I hadn't eaten those animal crackers today.
Why do I do that to myself?
I feel so full and fat.
I ate too much dinner. But it was soooo good. I shouldn't have had that second serving. Why can't I just say no to myself??
Man, my butt looks so big tonight. Did it look this big last week? I think I'm getting fatter, not skinnier.
Why did I eat all that chocolate over the weekend? All the hard work I've done over the past year and I still have that ugly tummy roll and ick, look at that butt again. It looks so wide when I do my squats. If I hadn't eaten second helpings at dinner and chocolate over the weekend I probably wouldn't have that awful tummy roll. Why do I always do that to myself?
Ugh. Yuck. Ick.

This is a sampling of the dialogue I had while I worked out tonight. Lovely, huh? The weird thing is I didn't even realize I was doing it until I got home, exploded at my family and then sat and racked my brain for what went wrong. I had a great day today, got a lot accomplished, got to have lots of alone time, went to the gym, and then kaboom! Mommy St. Helens.

Negative self-talk. Never motivates. Never inspires.

Technique 1: Catch yourself doing it, and then turn those thoughts into positives.

For example:

Ugh, look at that tummy roll.
Can you believe I have three kids and it's that small?? I've worked really hard to get it as good as it is!

I wish I hadn't eaten those animal crackers today.
I'm not going to eat any animal crackers tomorrow. Instead I'll eat celery and peanut butter.

I ate too much dinner. But it was soooo good. I shouldn't have had that second serving. Why can't I just say no to myself??
I don't know why I eat second helpings!

Help! I never used to have daily second helpings (pre-Evy). Is it hormones? Stress? Fatigue? (I know I eat more when I'm tired.) I need a plan for dinner. Dish the plates in the kitchen, leave the food in there. Something. Dinner is my biggest struggle. Any suggestions?

Technique 2: Rewind your thoughts.

Once you catch yourself being negative (and catching yourself is the hardest part), stop yourself, mentally back up your train of thoughts and then force yourself to take another mental direction. "I really like this instructor. She makes the workouts so fun. She's getting over a cough, and yet she came tonight. That's because she's an athlete. I'm an athlete, too!" (that's a heckuva lot better than where my thoughts were before!)

I did the thought rewinding technique with a different situation that I was obsessing over several years ago and it worked wonderfully. It took several months of "rewinding" and then forcing myself to think about something benign or positive, but I truly mastered it. I stopped thinking about it and the situation became better just for that.

John and I are off sweets. Here are two great posts he's written about it:
Gettin' Sweaty
Q&A

I love that we're doing this together. It makes me less likely to give in, because he'll harass me if I do. ☺ I'm still hanging out at 175-176, but I'm working really hard, and not discouraged like I was a few weeks ago.

Up again. and back again.

176.

Thanks, stupid food. Extra-sugary and excessive food.

I have several "problems":

1. I love food. Especially sugar. I have a hard time limiting my sugar intake. Very hard time. But I am not touching another piece of birthday cake. Hear me?
   
2. I think I'm invincible. "I won't gain weight if I eat this." And I don't, until I eat too much junk for several days or weeks.
3. I don't really believe that I can (i.e. want to bad enough) maintain a weight/size smaller than I am right now.

I was a size smaller (10/12) than I am right now post-Jenna/pre-Alisa, but other than that, most of my adult life I've been about the same size that I am right now (12/14). However, I'm not doing this just for my waist line (though my waist still needs some work, even if I can fit into my old pants -- ever heard of muffin top?), this is my overall health I'm focusing on. But then I can't shake the thought that I know I can be a size smaller. But then I go right back to not believing I could maintain it if I achieved it (although I maintained a 10/12 for a year before I got prego with Alisa). Or maybe it's that I think "why bother? I'm happy where I'm at."

I've also been overwhelmed for the past two weeks with surgery, Enrichment, teaching preschool, and birthday party, so I've been tired. I eat when I'm tired. I feel discouraged/depressed/apathetic when I'm tired.

I'm back. And hopefully back down again.

Slipping

Thanks to my high-sugar and treats consumption over the last two months, my weight loss has completely stagnated. But thanks to my Body Pump classes, the inches have still been ever-so-slowly coming off.

This last week or two I've found myself in a serious get-in-shape slump. I'm not choosing thin, and I don't care. I know I'm just tired. Mentally and emotionally. But eating ice cream, pop-tarts, M&M's, kisses, brownies, Ghiradelli Pecan Pie chocolate squares around the clock and second helpings at meals? Not very thin-smart. Pretty fluffy-stupid, if you ask me.

But like I said, I don't care! I know I want to turn this thing around, because I am slipping down a slippery hill that I've been working so hard to climb, and I know I'll regret it later, so why can't I choose the little things all day long to keep going uphill? Because I'm tired of climbing and I just want to take a short nap. Or maybe a long nap.

Okay, plan of action:

• green drinks! Go buy spinach.
• throw out the rest of the kisses and ice cream?? I'm not as strong as you, Lara! and I think my family would kill me!
  
• more water.
• clean my house! right after my nap.
  

That's all I can do for today. Any advice, chastising encouragement etc. are most definitely welcome.

Oh, and I'm feeling thrush again. Is that helping me eliminate sugar? Nope, because it's not affecting my baby. If she'd get fussy about it, it might make it easier for me...

Corn Chowder

This has become one of my very favorite soups. Especially in cold winter months.

1/2 cup chopped onion (I use dried onion and add a little water while it's cooking)
1/2 cup green bell pepper
1 Tb cooking oil

Cook onion and bell pepper in hot oil until onion is tender but not brown.

1 can chicken broth (I use chicken bouillon and water)
1 cup cubed, peeled potato

Stir in chicken broth and potato. Bring to boiling, reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.

3 cups frozen corn (I've also used drained canned corn)

Stir in corn. Cook, uncovered, about 10 minutes more or till potato and corn are tender. Stir occasionally.

1 cup milk
1 Tb salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp salt

Combine in a small bowl, then stir into the corn mixture.

2 slices bacon

Crisp-cook, drain and crumble bacon. Add to soup, and stir.

1 cup of soup has: 180 calories, 6 grams fat, and 4 grams of fiber

Options:

• before adding the corn, blenderize half of it to make a thicker soup.
  
• add 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese with the bacon.
• add several slices of cut-up ham instead of, or in addition to, the bacon. It makes it a heartier, and more filling meal.
  

Question from a reader:

Do you have any suggestions for when you just can't get full? I have the hardest time feeling satisfied at lunch, and I wind up eating way too much junk.

Well, I am certainly not an expert, but I always love a soap box. ☺

The afternoons are probably my hardest time of the day, too. I think it's because it's my "down" time. JuJu's at school, Lucille's in quiet time, Evy's napping, and I'm kind of tired, which makes me prone to snacking.

A couple of thoughts:

• If you feel hungry, you should eat a real meal. Because if you don't, you will end up snacking all afternoon. Many "experts" suggest eating five small meals a day instead of three large ones. Doing so helps keep your blood sugar up, and keeps you from getting over-hungry, so you feel less inclined to overeat, or snack on unwanted calories between meals.
• Hide the snacks. I have a certain spot on my counter where all my baked goods/treats tend to end up. If I keep them there, I will see them and then eat them all day long, without even thinking about it. Just by putting them elsewhere: in the fridge, on a different counter, etc. helps me not snack on them.
  
• Find a healthy comfort food. Soup, for me, is comfort food. It warms and fills my belly with relatively few calories. I make different soups a couple times a week, and there are always leftovers for lunch the next day.
  
• Have a plan. When you're hungry, what will you eat? For me, that has been my green drinks lately, or leftover soup. If I don't have a plan, I eat anything and everything. A couple of suggestions for what to plan on: high-fiber cereal, celery and peanut butter, almonds and applesauce... any suggestions?
  
• Water, water, water!
• When I was off sugar for thrush reasons, I found that if I was craving sweets, it was typically because I was either hungry or thirsty. Yes, sweets still taste good and make me "happy," but good food and water are what I need.
• Remember that eating sugar makes you want to eat more sugar. Once you start, it's hard to stop.
  
• Brush your teeth. Doesn't really work for me, but it might for you! ☺

Now it's your turn. How would you answer my friend's question?

Green Drinks

My friend Lara recently introduced me to green drinks/smoothies. They are my favorite meal of the day right now. Here is my latest favorite combination:

1 or 2 big handfuls of baby spinach
1/3 cup frozen blueberries
1/3 cup frozen pineapple
1/2 pear
1/2 cup carrots
1/2-1 cup water
1-3 Tb. flax seed

Blend well. According to My Fitness Pal, with 2 Tb. flax seed, this recipe has about 200 calories and 7 grams of fat. (The flax seed supplies 45 calories and 2 grams of fat per tablespoon. Flax seed is really good for you.)

I've used strawberries, but they aren't as sweet, so I have to add pineapple juice concentrate to sweeten it. I've even added frozen peas to this drink. Hippie enough for you? I usually drink one around 11 am, when I'm starting to get hungry. It's a perfect snack for while I'm fixing lunch and getting my daughter to kindergarten. Then I can eat my lunch in peace later.

The thing I like best about this drink is that I'm eating a couple servings of fruits and veggies without even thinking about it. And one less thing to think about is always a good thing around here.

(When I first started drinking these, I had to add a couple teaspoons of sugar to it, but I've gradually gotten used to the taste and depending on what fruit I use, I don't add any sugar any more, and only seldom add pineapple juice concentrate.)

At the risk of looking foolish in your mental images ...

I try to incorporate exercise into my whole day. While I cook, clean, and even brush my teeth, I keep my tummy tight, with a healthy posture through my back and shoulders. When I'm standing still, I do mini leg lifts, or rise up and down on my toes. Is that too dorky? Here's one of my favorite ab strengthening exercises: I stand straight, with my belly tight. Then I lean to the side (like you would if you were playing "I'm a Little Teapot"), but lean from the waist, so your hips stay in the same place, and your upper body bends over. As I lean over, I inhale through my nose, and then, exhaling with exertion, I rise back up straight, using only my ab muscles to lift my body. Does that make sense? Don't make me post a video of myself doing it! :)

I don't know how much of a difference this actually makes in my overall health, but it feels good, and when I feel like my body is "tight," I'm less likely to eat poorly. Just a thought.

Running!

Comment from John on my last post:

I always hated running. I would finally commit, head out, and run some randomly selected distance. Inevitably, I would feel horrible for the next couple of days.

Finally, it dawned on me that maybe I needed to be smart about it. That's when I found Couch to 5K on-line. By the end of the 9 weeks, I was running 3 miles, 3 times a week and I loved it. I felt accomplished, capable, in-shape etc. I went on to run a half-marathon later.

I am a big believer in exercise plans. People tend to believe they are stronger and more fit than they really are. Whatever exercise you pick, work into it slowly and it'll work better.

Me Gusta Mueve, Mueve

Most of my posts so far have been about food choices, but another important key to health and fitness is exercise (oh, and sleep is the other element to health and fitness, but since I'm up way too late writing this, maybe I'm not the best person to talk!).

About 10 years ago, when I still wasn't exercising regularly, I had a doctor comment to me that, in order to thrive, our bodies require: food, water, sleep, and exercise. It was a sort of epiphany moment for me, since I'd always considered exercise optional, like a hobby.

Sports: hated them.
Aerobics: someone else's hobby. Not mine.
Walking: only if I didn't have a car.
Dancing: I liked that, but it was just a casual hobby.
Running: makes my head and lungs hurt. John swears it gets better with practice.
Swimming: No, thanks.
Biking: mmm... maybe.

After I had babv #1, my dear friend and fitness buddy Lucy encouraged me to come try out her "hobby": a dance aerobics class at the gym. I was extremely skeptical, but after trying it a few times, and thinking about it a lot, I finally did it! Within a couple of months, I was in the best shape of my life.

Joining a gym is generally a big commitment. And not a cheap one. Lucy taught me that our health is an investment. I can either invest the time, money, and effort on exercise now, or spend it later on medical care.

The trick with exercise is to find something you genuinely enjoy, and then schedule time for it. Make a standing appointment with your exercise of choice, and do everything you can to keep it. (I'm such a hypocrite with this one, by the way! I'm working on it...)

After baby #2, I joined Curves and actually quit several months later. It wasn't the kind of workout I needed or enjoyed, but I know a lot of people I met there swore by it (in other words, try it, if it's something that appeals to you).

After that, I bought several Firm videos, and those are actually pretty good. However, I personally can't exercise at home. My kids interrupt me, I see dirty dishes I "should" be washing, etc. etc. For me, I need a complete change of scenery, with other people cheering me on, challenging me to do just a few more sit-ups! But that's just me. My friend Caryn works out at home every morning, super early, and that works for her (so in other words, try it before making a commitment to a gym).

I love the gym. I love the friends I make there. I love how it challenges me to do just a little more. I love how I feel when I come home. It's my way of pampering myself with time away from my kids and housework. Love it.

I would easily put my decision to join the gym six years ago in the top 5 best decisions in my life.

That said, it might not be your thing. What is your thing? What has worked for you in the past? What appeals to you now?

¿Te Gusta Mueve, Mueve?

Temptations and Successes

I did it! No cheesecake or pumpkin bread for me yesterday. However, there is still more of both left (guess what you're having for lunch today, Jenna and Alisa!)...

None for me! Thanks for all your fabulous support!

Sugar Confessions

I consumed way too much sugar (yet again) this past weekend. argh.

We still have chocolate chip pumpkin bread and pumpkin cheesecake in our fridge. Now, I want you all to listen to me:

I. am. NOT. going. to. eat. any. (more.) of. it.

I am saving myself for fudge. Do you hear???

Telling someone a goal like this has always helped me to have better restraint. Anything you'd like to publicly state that you won't eat today?

My Fitness Pal

I don't count calories, or track what I eat in any way. I'm too lazy, and not obsessed with losing weight enough. Probably more lazy than anything.

My Fitness Pal is a tool I found that makes it easier for me to track what I'm eating. I tried it almost two years ago, and was very interested to see that I only really went over my suggested calorie intake on days that I ate treats of any kind.

My suggestion? Track what you eat for a couple of days. You might be surprised by what you're eating. It has helped me make better food choices.

Anti-Perfectionism

Several people have commented to me that this is the worst time of year to be off sweets. I say that this is the best time of year to go off sweets, because there are so many to partake of!

Flylady talks a lot about perfectionism and how it literally cripples us. For example, say your house looks like a post-tornado/war/toddler-zone. You know that you'll need an hour of uninterrupted time, not to mention mental and physical energy, to get everything cleaned up. Because you don't have the time or energy to tackle it all right then, what do you do?

Nothing? I have often thrown in the towel in moments like these, because I know I can't make my house "perfect" right then. If I can't do it all, why do anything? Why even start if I can't finish?

Flylady's point is that it doesn't have to be all or nothing. Wouldn't five minutes be better than nothing? This all-or-nothing-perfectionism revelation has changed the way I think about a lot of things.

That's how I look at being off sugar during the holidays, too. Refusing even just a little sugar is better than nothing, right? So what if you can't do it "perfectly" sugar-free! Wouldn't it be better to only consume 2,000 calories worth of fudge this holiday season, rather than 5,000? ☺

For me, eliminating sweets completely makes me feel bitter and rebellious. I don't want to give them up for life. But I do want to cut way, way down. For lots of reasons. For the rest of my life, I will probably be "off" sugar, but still enjoying them a little now and then.