I'm A Winner!

Last week I wrote Xs and Os for Mid-Week Blues Buster 3.07, and I found out today I won. For those of you who write flash fiction, you should try your hand at MWBB. They use a song prompt, and it always makes my mind spin a story. 3.08 is going on right now! I was super excited to win, since this was the first flash piece I'd written in some time. I've been so busy this month.

Here's the cool badge I won:

Not only have I gone on a semi-second Honeymoon with my husband in Punta Cana (you have to go there), but I published a book, The Devil Within. My mother-in-law came in town, and we took the kids to Stone Mountain. And this coming week I'm going to the Midwest Writer's Conference. So much going on!

And today, I'm celebrating another accomplishment. I went for a run and did 2 miles in 11 minutes 44 seconds. This has taken me forever to accomplish. And now I can work on increasing my mileage over the next few weeks and speed. I'm intending to do a 5K sometime later in the year (because you know, I don't have enough on my plate). I mostly run because it helps keep the weight off and I've struggled with weight for some time. I also do it so I can organize the thoughts in my head. Running is great for planning and plotting out works-in-progress. Today, I worked on figuring out the next steps in the new Southern Lit novel I'm working on. More details on that later, when I'm at a point where I feel like I can share.

Weight Loss Tips #19: Don't Stop Moving

First off, I need to apologize for my blog sabbatical.  I was horrendously busy at the end of the school year, and since then I've been walking every morning and reading every night or gymming it.  I've had little time to sit down and blog.  I miss writing when I don't make it part of my life though, so here I am: back!

Weight loss is indeed a simple formula.  Expend more calories than you consume, and you will lose weight.  There are all sorts of people out there touting some miracle way to have the pounds float away: drink cabbage soup for a week, eat only carbs, eat no carbs; but the truth is the way to lose weight and to be more healthy is to eat less and to MOVE MORE. 

I love to be lazy.  I love to sit around and do nothing, especially after a long day at work or a long night up with a toddler who won't sleep, but I really do think the key to long term and long lasting weight loss (think keeping it off forever) is moving as much as you can. 

We spend a lot of time sitting.  If you have a desk job, then you're not moving much unless you make yourself.  If you're just starting this movement thing, then there's no need to jump into going to the gym five days a week unless you really want to.  You just need to start trying to walk 10,000 steps a day.  You can track steps by using a pedometer or a fitness tracker. 

I have the UP24. 

 

 

This little band goes on your wrist, and tracks your life.  The compatible app tracks your steps, and it tells you how many resting calories you're burning and how many active calories.  It tells you the most active you've been during the day, the most idle, and whether or not you've reached your goal. It tracks your weekly trends of movement and sleep.  The app also gives you advice and tells you interesting facts.  It will set goals based on your recent movement (or lack thereof).  It links up to other apps: Myfitnesspal and Mapmyfitness among others. 

 

When I started, I was amazed by my non-workout days.  I was generally moving less than 10,000 steps.  It led me to change little things about my life.  I started trying to take Skippy for a walk every morning to increase my steps.  I started parking at the far end of the parking lot.  I made an effort to get up every thirty minutes and walk around.  I noticed when I started moving more I started feeling better.  I slept better, and the weight started coming off more quickly, because I was expending those calories I was taking in.

 

Once you start moving more, you can make it a lifestyle change.  Similar to reducing portion size, increasing movement will lead to weight loss and better health overall.  I've replaced mornings of sitting with coffee and surfing the Internet to mornings soaking in the sunrise, communing with nature, and increasing my activity!  It's funny how after only three weeks, I feel like it's a way of life.  It's easy to make changes if you do it and you stick to it!  Make it a life long habit. 

 

CHECK OUT THE LAST EDITION OF WEIGHT LOSS TIPS--->HERE!!!

 

 

 



Weight Loss Tips #18: Be Your Own Cheerleader!

Yesterday, I ran the 2014 Walk of Life with some of my co-workers.  I ran it last year too.  Last year, I was in way better shape than I am this year, and I also had been running a lot prior to the race.  I had a stress fracture in my leg though and after the race I had to take some time off from running.  Part of me wanted to just stop running completely. 

I wanted to run the Walk of Life in 40 minutes or less.  The course was 3.25 miles long (so a bit longer than a 5K), and I completed it in 42 minutes 14 seconds.  I was bummed.  I was bummed I didn't reach my goal. I was bummed I walked part of the way.  I was bummed I didn't beat my time from last year (36 minutes), even though that wasn't my goal to begin with. 

And then I realized while I was beating myself up that I accomplished my goal of finishing the 5K.  I ran a large part of it, and I can train to beat my time next year. I can run more 5Ks for great causes and improve my time as I go.  Everyone around me was telling me what a great job I did, and all I was doing was making myself feel bad. 

Two words: STOP IT! 

Be your own cheerleader in order to go further, to lose weight, to run harder, and you will do better and feel better about it!  Similar to a positive thinking mentality.  Sometimes thinking negatively is a self-fulfilling prophecy. 

I think this is why so many people stop trying to win the battle of obesity and stop trying to lose weight when they have ONE bad day.  They beat themselves up!  Instead of telling yourself you can't lose those 5 pounds, start telling yourself you can.  Praise yourself when you lose 1 pound.  Pat yourself on your back when you run 1 mile, or heck, even a 1/2 mile!  All of these are accomplishments worth being proud of because they lead you to your ultimate goals.  Be your own biggest cheerleader and the weight will come off.  Revel in how you have taken control of your life and keep up the momentum by praising your own efforts.  Listen to people when they tell you you're doing a great job, because chances are they're telling you the truth.  Stop the negative thinking!

Here are a few people who have motivated me lately:

• Listening to Other People's Stories: My sisters and the guy at Chappy's.  These people had some great advice for me on how to lose weight, how to keep going, and how to think positively while doing it. 
• My friend Miranda Grace: She and I are taking this journey together.  It helps to have someone who can ground you.  She and I motivate each other, we hold each other accountable to exercising and eating right.  We compare food diaries on MFP.
• My friend SB: He likes to say things like, you can run a half-marathon with me in October.  HA!  But seriously, having another person who THINKS you can achieve something that wild and crazy is motivating.
• Seeing Other People Who've Been Through the Same Struggle: I love seeing people who've been in the same boat as me, who have struggled for so many years and have achieved their goals!  It's amazing, and it makes me want to get there again and keep it off for good!

CHECK OUT THE LAST EDITION OF WEIGHT LOSS TIPS-->RIGHT HERE!!!

The First Mile Is Always the Hardest

I ran a slow mile today, while my phone dictated again that I was Superwoman Fast.  I was not.  Something is wrong with my GPS--I'm sure.  I came home, and I downloaded MapMyRun to replace Endomondo, and I mapped out what I ran.  I did a lovely 2.13 miles in 25 minutes.  That's pretty darn slow! 

The first mile is always the hardest though.  The first few minutes with your feet hitting the pavement.  During that period of time, you tell yourself you want to quit.  It's the same with Spin.  It's the same with writing.  Heck, sometimes, it's the same with anything new you're trying.  That's why I like running--it's such a challenge. It makes me realize I can do something I never thought I'd be able to do.  I feel so good once I get through the first mile, and I know at that point I can make it to the second mile and so on.  But sometimes, I just stop.  I stop when I'm ahead, or when I don't think I can move another muscle. I stop when I'm behind or because I'm telling myself I can't keep going. Sometimes I stop, because I have a defeatist attitude. 

I've defeated myself so many times in my life.  I stopped writing for years, because I thought no one would like what I wrote.  I stopped exercising, because it got hard.  I basically stopped trying.  I want my kids to see my try and succeed.  I want to be a healthy influence on them, and I want to stop defeating myself. 

I want to tell myself these things: I can run a mile.  I can run 2 miles. I can run a 5K.  I can write a book.  I can get a book published.  I can do anything I want to do if I just round the corner and get past the first mile.  The first mile is always the hardest.  That's where your legs tweak, your breath catches, and you run into little roadblocks that can stop you if you let them.  I'm going to run around the roadblocks from now on.  I'm going to reach my goals: exercise, career, and life.  I'm not going to let the little things stop me from achieving what I want to do in life and from winning the race. 

If you quit in the middle, you never know how far you could have gone. 

 

 

 

 

 

Working Toward a Goal Again

It's raining cats and dogs here today.  Torrential rain accompanied by near-constant lightning and thunder. When I was little, I used to say God was having a bowling party, and that's what it sounds like outside. The thunder is so loud the glass in the window next to my chair just vibrated.  Oh I can't wait to do school drop-off in this weather and drive to work through sheets of rain.

Needless to say, I didn't run this morning.  This is our second day of rain, and I didn't run yesterday even though I should have.  The rain yesterday fell all day, but there wasn't a thunderstorm. 

I have decided I can't do three days in a row of running.  I know I've said before that "can't" is another four letter word, but the muscles in my legs hurt, especially around my previous injury and I worry and don't run efficiently.  I'm separating my running days by a rest day now, and I think it will really help.  I'm not just "resting" on my rest day.  I'm doing other activities: Zumba, Spin, or simply going to the gym to run the treadmill and lift weights.  Tonight, I'm going to Zumba.  I mainly feel silly doing Zumba, because I don't think I'm the best dancer but I like the exercise and the music!  It's fun, and before you know it--it's over. 

I had grand visions of beating my time in this 5K race I'm doing here in a few weeks, but I've decided that's not really important.  What's important is getting out there and doing it.  Training by body to run the whole way, and then doing another 5K in a month or so.  Just getting on the wagon and not falling off. 

I feel like last year I came so far.  I'd really made exercise part of my life.  I'd lost weight.  And then--somehow I gained part of it back.  I stopped working out as much.  I started eating more, and now it feels like there's a mountain in front of me to climb.  I know I can do it though.  I went back and read some of my weight loss posts from the last few years, and I can see how to succeed.  It's just getting there.  That's the hard part. 

 

 

 

 

Goals for the Week

Here goes!  Re-commitment one step at a time.  The first step is naming my goals.  When I was posting my weekly goals on the blog, and checking them off at the end of the week I had the most success.  Often we as humans tend to abandon our goals when we don't write them down.  Writing them down makes them more permanent, and posting them to a blog for the whole world to see makes them seem achievable. 

Here goes.  My FOUR goals for this week:

• Lose 1 Pound: Starting off small here.  But I'm well on my way to doing it by tracking my food and by exercising. 

• Write 500 Words a Day: I'm still editing.  I have found that I HATE editing.  I can edit and WRITE at the same time.  I need to throw myself back into writing, as I've gotten away from it the last few months.  When I don't write I feel unsettled, as if I'm being called back to the computer to type away and throw my thoughts onto the blank Word template. 

• Clean My Room: My room has been a mess of Ebay clothes for about three months.  They are in boxes, but the boxes are cluttering the whole room.  I NEED to clean them out, so I can then put the Exercise bike in the bedroom and have something to do on rainy days like today!

• Blog: Blogging helps my mind by preparing me to write.  I need to blog, at least three times a week.  It's such a great stress relief, and it helps my creative juices start to flow.

In Moderation

It's July 4th, and a wet one at that.  We have been stuck in the house with the kids, and they are going stir crazy, as only little boys know how to do.  In fact, they are walking around the house wearing one of Darling Daughter's tutus, and I'm writing this in hopes that one day their future girlfriend will read this and laugh!  Yes--blackmail is a wonderful thing.

I haven't blogged in some time.  Hubby took me to New Orleans for our TEN year anniversary.  I still can't believe we made it 10 years.  It has been rough, but worth it, and I recommend a trip without kids for any married couple.  We had a wonderful time, and we really reconnected.  We ate a LOT, drank a LOT, danced A LOT, and sweated A LOT!  Excuse the qualities of the photo.  My camera is still broken, so every photo I've taken recently has come from my iPhone.  I miss my camera.

 

 

Here we are in front of the St. Louis Cathedral at Jackson Square in New Orleans.  The weather was beautiful, though HOT.  We enjoyed ourselves so much, and it was a much needed vacation without the kids. 

 

Okay: moving on.  This post is supposed to be about goals.  I have been neglectful in my goals.  I stepped off the path, and I took a long detour but I'm BACK.  It took me realizing I had gained back 20 pounds of the 50 I lost to realize I need to have goals in my every day life...again.

 

I came back from New Orleans rejuvenated and ready to make the necessary changes.  Watching your weight and exercising is a lifestyle change, as I have said many times before, and it takes constant adjusting to stay on track and not get waylaid by the taste of chocolate or alcohol!  (Those are my two biggest weaknesses!)

 

I came back and I went to three Taekwondo classes in a row.  I hopped back onto MyFitnessPal, and I started tracking my food.  I started full throttle back into my lifestyle change, and hopefully this time I will be able to stick with it for LIFE.  The thing about changing your lifestyle is it shouldn't be HARD.  You should still be able to eat what you want, but in limited quantities.  The problem comes in when you try to cut out foods you love COMPLETELY.  That will never work, because as soon as you start eating those things again you'll keep eating more and more of them, thus sabotaging your hard work.

 

I love MyFitnessPal, because you can literally eat anything as long as you try to stay at your calorie goal or below.  I can still have my chocolate occasionally and my alcohol occasionally, IN MODERATION.  Those two words I have trouble with.  I don't really like doing anything IN MODERATION.  I know this about myself, and it's a battle I fight daily.  I like to eat to excess, I like to laugh to excess, talk to excess, read to excess, drink to excess.  It is one of my many flaws, so I really have to work hard against letting it take over my life and lead me down the wrong path.  Self-worth and self-reliance, reigning in control of our natural tendencies towards self-destruction is one of the many lessons in life--at least I feel that way.

 

No one is perfect.  Nothing is handed to you.  The key to success in everything, including weight loss, is hard work.  Hark work, will power, motivation, and realizing you don't have to give up everything you love to eat and drink in order to live a healthy life will take you a long way.

 

Hopping back on the horse right now, and galloping towards my goals.  See you on the other side.

 

 

 

 

 



Ramblings about Life

I've been slightly missing.  Okay--a little more than slightly.  I went off the lamb, because I had things to do over the last couple of weeks.  Our moths did not make it.  I am thinking this is because I didn't put them in a dark place or put soil in their jars.  They started stinking up the house, and we threw them out.  There is always next time. 

I have been editing and writing like a crazy person.  I'm intent on re-revising my novel.  I'm adding detail, even though I know most people say don't add but take away when you edit.  Still, the previous length put the story more into a novella category than a novel category.  I need to add a few things, change a few things, do a complete re-edit, and then go crazy sending out to agents again.  I'm keeping a list of those I've sent to, so I won't re-send after I have received a rejection.  I'm also thinking about self-publishing, but I don't have a lot of TIME or MONEY to advertise my self-published book.  Sure, I could promote it on Facebook, but most of my friends would get sick of that I'm sure.  I could also become a Goodreads author and try to promote it through there.  We'll see.  I don't "have" to get published, but it sure would be nice. 

Today, I'm trying to get back on track with my diet and exercise.  I haven't run since I realized I had a stress fracture back in April.  I want to run on Sunday, starting slowly with one mile.  Today, I'll do Taekwondo, and I'll just try to stay more active and watch my food intake a little bit more.  I've been "treating" myself too much lately, and it's starting to show in how my clothes fit.  This means I really need to cut back, and adjust my eating behavior.  I know I can do it, but chocolate seems to be calling my name this week!

I snapped a photo this week of Number One with his little sister.  She stuck Hubby's cap backwards on her head, and when I took the photo I was amazed at the resemblance between she and her eldest brother.

I remembered taking a photo of Number One in a hole in the wall restaurant when we lived in Hagerstown.  It was one of our favorite food joints.  Number One was somewhere around 1 or 1.5 years old in the photo, but the resemblance between these two is uncanny.  It never ceases to amaze me how much they look alike.  Excuse the quality of the newer photo: it was taken on my phone since my camera decided to die!

More Than Just a Number

I'm one of those people who "sweats" everything.  I think and I over analyze, and I think some more.  I'm a quick decision maker, usually, but I worry about almost every single interaction I have with everyone in my life.  I wonder if that made him mad.  I wonder if I hurt her feelings.  Does she like me?  Does she hate me now?  This probably stems from some deep rooted insecurity or self-esteem issues I have, due to alopecia and how it's affected my emotional well being.  At least, that's was a psychologist would say.  People are people though, and they all act differently and think differently, and over think differently, or don't think at all.  I'd take over thinking over not thinking at all any day.

Over the last couple of years, I've been thinking about health and weight.  I've been over thinking it and analyzing every last bit of food I've put into my mouth.  When I have a splurge day--despite telling YOU it's OK--I usually beat myself up!  I'm really good at beating myself up and being hard on myself.  It's one of my greatest flaws: perfectionism.

I read this article on Shine yesterday, and I absolutely LOVED it, and I needed to share it with all of you who have struggled with your weight your whole life and seem to not be getting anywhere.  I'll sum it up for those of you who are too lazy to click on the link.

Basically the article is called, "Can you be Fat but Fit?"  The consensus through new studies is YES!!!  If you work out and eat relatively right, but don't lose weight then YES, you can be fit.  The key is working out and eating right.  That's always been the key to being healthy: reducing caloric intake and increasing caloric output.

My favorite party of this article was the fact that moderately obese people live 3.1 years longer than normal-weight people.  Now, I don't know how much of this is actually TRUE, because I read this on Yahoo!, and I didn't go looking for statistics to back it up, but I like this idea.  I like the idea, and I think I've always tended to agree with it, that if you are doing the right things, like eating and exercise, then you are prolonging your years and your life.  The number on the scale just doesn't mean a thing, even though we all have a psychological need to see it go down.  We've been fed bull crap about ideal weight our whole life, and we've been fed unrealistic images of men and women whose life is to EXERCISE every day.  These actors and actresses in magazines have personal trainers who basically kick their asses for a living.  Regular old people simply don't have the time or the need to want to exercise 8 hours a day.  We don't live in front of a camera.  We live our lives, and we need to make sure we're healthy to be their for our kids and to get the most out of life: to fulfill our purpose, if you will.

http://www.runwriterace.com/2013/01/scales-cant-tell-you-everything.html

Don't sweat the small stuff and hem and haw when that number on the scale doesn't go down.  Live your life in a healthy way by doing the following:

• Moderate Exercise for 30 minutes a Day.  This can include walking.
• Eat Right, but don't monitor EVERY BITE
• Stop looking at the Scale
• Know in how you feel how fit you are.  Everyone can tell when they start a new exercise plan.  Their breathing improves, they can walk up a flight of stairs without getting winded, and generally they become more active.  You can sense your body feeling and looking stronger.
• Annual Physicals: Keeping an eye on your cholesterol and blood pressure is a better indicator of total health than the weight on the scale.  If these things are in check, then most likely you're doing fine.
• Addressing Your Mental Health: Mental Health Issues can take away your drive, from exercise and eating weight.  If you're depressed then deal with it in a productive way.  Seek help from a counselor or a psychologist.  Talk to family and friends.  Figure out how to get out of your funk so you can live a healthy life. 

Keep Moving!  Never Give Up!  Live a Health Life. 

 

 

 

Thirty Minutes a Day to Achieve Your Goals

I've been working really hard to stay motivated with my weight loss.  I think I mentioned I gained 10 pounds, and now I'm trying to take it off...AGAIN.  For me, for my lifetime, it will be a never ending battle. I am just not one of those girls who can eat whatever they want, exercise when they feel like it, and stay skinny.  I'm big-boned, which is really just a nice way of saying "thick." 

But, I don't mind.  I like my curves.  I like that I have hips.  Not very much of my weight is in my stomach, so I know that plays out well for me in regards to heart disease.  I eat well, and I exercise, and I sometimes splurge, so I know I'm setting a healthy example for my family.

I have been logging into MyFitnessPal every day and logging my food every day, in part from my sister who has been texting me every day if she doesn't see my Food Diary.  I love the accountability.  I actually think what her reaction will be if I ate a Super Size Cheeseburger meal and fries.  And, we tell each other when we cheat, the struggles we have staying within our points system, and our exercise achievements.

Speaking of exercise: I'm dying to go back to Taekwondo.  It hit me like a ton of bricks this morning.  I miss it so much.  I like the discipline, and I like having someone motivate me.  Plus, I miss my friends from there.  We all just have so much fun.

If I'm sitting at home, I can always find a "valid" excuse to avoid exercise.  I need to read, or clean out the closets, or play with the kids.  All of these are noble, but they shouldn't take the place of daily exercise.

Today, I jumped on the trampoline for 15 minutes with Darling Daughter.  I don't think that burns many calories, but I did hurkeys and toe-touches, and it felt great.  I also don't know whether I should be doing that with my leg, or whether it is considered "weight-bearing" exercise, but I would think not since you are not banging down on heavy pavement.  After that, I came in and did some strength training exercises with the medicine ball.  I did sit-ups and dreaded push-ups.  I don't think there will ever be a day when I LOVE push-ups.  They are just not for me. 

I felt so good to be using my body.  I can always feel a difference in my happiness level when I exercise.  I can always feel the benefits of it, no matter how little I do, and every time I exercise I think: why did it take me so long to recommit to doing this for my body?  There's nothing like looking at your body and feeling so good about coming so far and realizing the reason you achieved your goals was because you put your mind to it. 

And to top it all off: I stepped on the scale this morning, and I lost THREE pounds.  Tangible benefits.

So my goal is to do 30 minutes a day of exercise over the next week.  I have to build back up somewhere, and now that the bronchitis is exiting my body and my stress fracture is feeling better, I know I will achieve my goal.  I will just think of this guy, when I am sitting on the couch and trying to find someway to make up excuses...

The 30 minutes do not have to be in a row.  You can find exercise by looking for it: gardening, taking the stairs, CLEANING. 

Never Quit.  Achieve your goals.

An Update for the Weary

This week has been busy and hectic, and I haven't been writing.  Writing at all is better than no writing at all. I've been slowly editing my first draft of my book.  I'm not ready to send it anywhere yet.  I've been slowly working on my second work, plus a short story that seems to be going nowhere fast.  The key word this week: slow. I'm thinking about entering some writing contests too, but I haven't quite gotten there.  I receive emails almost daily from Writer's Digest about some contest or other, and I think maybe it would be a good way to get some recognition making it easier to be published in the long run. So what have I been up to if I haven't been writing or working out or blogging:

Mostly I've been reading.  I'm trying to finish Cloud Atlas.  I absolutely love this book.  Second great book I've read in a row, after finishing Heart of Darkness last week.  Apparently the movie, Apocalypse Now, is based on Heart of Darkness (Oh how I love Wikipedia!).  I'd like to see it, as I never have.  I spent some time with a friend from Taekwondo trying to pull it up on his Netflix, but alas Wi-fi failed us.  There's so much riding on technology these days: such as your next good flick! 

Also, at work I've been quite busy the last couple of days.  I didn't get home until almost 6:00 last night.  All hopes I had of an evening run were squashed, when I sat on the couch with an Amber Ale and I could not force my body to move.  It took all I had to walk up the stairs and read to the kids, much less eat, although Hubby did make some incredible enchiladas.

Speaking of kids, Number One was allergy tested yesterday.  It's about time!  He has dust mite allergies, tree pollen and grass.  Dust mites!  This is bad news for Hubby and me who are notoriously bad cleaners.  Have you ever looked at how much dust mite covers cost?  Gees!  So now Number One is on Flonase and a daily pill for his allergies.  Maybe this will rid him of his almost constant sore throats and headaches.  Here's hoping.  We'll probably wait to invest in dust mite covers until Number Two has been tested (next week).  We already know from experience that Number Two is allergic to cats and dogs, so we'll just wait for his back to light up like a Christmas Tree!!!

Running, I didn't have a good, witty lead in to this subject as it is getting me down.  My running days might be numbered. I want to do a 5K in April, and in fact I've already commited to doing one.  Taekwondo is on a short break this weekend, so I'll see how a few good runs feel on my leg.  I haven't run since last week, and my leg feels great.  I just keep reinjurying it every.time.I.run, and I've had some people (MY DAD) tell me that I should quit running and start cycling.  My answer to that, oh so maturely, is, "I don't wann!"  I love the way running makes me feel.  I love the accomplishment.  I've done the cycling thing before (in college), and I liked it but running just makes me feel different: liberated, free, like I'm flying.  I can't exactly explain the feeling, but it's wonderful. 

I'm sorry if there are misspellings in this edition.  For some reason Blogger Spellcheck has decided it's time to quit, even though I'm not done writing.  Not thinking there will be a weight loss or exercise edition this week, as I've been too busy eating Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream, thus not following my own advice!!!

Weight Loss Tips #17: Exercise is Essential

Wow I can't believe I've done 17 of these little weight loss editions.  Crazy!  Okay: onto the good stuff.

Remember, way back in the beginning, like edition 2 of my weight loss tips.  Okay, you have the visual picture now, good.  I said that weight loss is a lifestyle change and not the D word!  This is so true.  If you're changing your lifestyle to become healthier, then exercise should be incorporated in your life.  Exercise helps you burn off any extra calories you've eaten, it helps give you energy, and most importantly (to me at least) it lifts your mood. 

One of the things I hate to hear the most is people who say, "But I have no time to exercise."  It is simply not true.  If I can fit it into my schedule with work, Number One's gymnastic schedule, three kids, and a husband, plus trying to write and publish a book on the side, then you can definitely fit it into yours.  It may mean getting up a few minutes earlier, it may be doing short, simple exercises throughout the day, but any type of exercise is better than none. 

Let's get started, shall we?

1. Exercise FIVE times a week for a minimum of 30 minutes a day:  FIVE TIMES.  Are you trying to kill me, you might be saying.  First of all, the 30 minutes is a total.  You can do 3 10 minute exercises throughout the day.  You don't have to do it all at once.  And this is your goal, so you may need to build up to this, incorporating exercise into your day one or two days at a time, and then adding in a couple more days.
2. Interval Exercises: Interval training is BEST for weight loss.  Interval training is where you go hard for a few minutes, then easy, then hard again.  I HATE interval training.  Let me say that again: I HATE it, but it works and it is great for your body. This is also good news for those people who say they don't have time, because you can do interval training in 10 minute bursts! 
3. Find an Exercise that You Love: To me this is essential.  When I found Taekwondo, I knew I would be able to stick with it. I love the atmosphere, the people, the built-in accountability, and I love the sport.  If you find an exercise you love, then you are much more prone to stick with it.   
4. Track Your Exercise:  There are 5,000 tracking tools out there, and I know I've done a list before.  Endomondo is what I'm currently using, but there is Runkeeper, Nike+, Gyminee, MapMyRun.  A lot of these have the word "run" in them, but they do track other exercises as well.  Sometimes it helps to see the visual of how much you've exercised recently.  I'll give you an example, here's a chart of my exercise over the last couple of weeks:

Unfortunately, the legend didn't populate, but the beigy pink is martial arts (what I do most).  The green is running (was taking a break because of my leg), the purple is walking and the light pink is dancing.  What a cool way to track your workouts!  I love Endomondo. 

Remember: the more you move the more calories you'll burn, the more you'll lose weight and incorporate a healthy lifestyle into your life. 

CHECK OUT LAST WEEK'S EDITION RIGHT HERE!!!

 

 

 

Whine or Wine or Wino Whining

I'm still downloading data.  I swear, this is taking forever.  I wish I had backed up every single thing on my computer WAY before it needed to be backed up.  I'm having trouble with the videos, and I don't want to lose the precious moments of Darling Daughter learning how to walk or cramming cake into her face, or Number One's school presentation, or Number Two talking to me about nothing at all in particular.  I need to find some disks and burn them, so they don't get lost.

I'm having a hard time with motivation this week.  I'm not sure why.  I had intentions of waking up early yesterday and going for a run.  I wanted to see how my leg felt, but I talked myself out of it.  Then, I thought, "Well, I'll just go at lunch," but Number Two was sick, so I didn't go.  I didn't go after sunset either.  I'll Taekwondo today, so that will be my exercise, and I guess I'll see how running goes on Sunday when I have more time to talk myself back into doing it. Lately, I've hated getting started and I think it's because I'm afraid of the pain. 

I did do something though. I got back on MyFitnessPal.  My weight crept up, slowly, while I traveled almost the whole month of February.  I knew it would: eating out is not good for weight loss and neither is drinking.  So, I logged back onto MyFitnessPal to try to take off the tenish pounds I've put on in the last month.  It's always easier to keep it off than to try to lose it again.  Logging back on made me realize: a) how much I really was overeating because the first day on there I was SO hungry and b) alcohol REALLY needs to be limited if you're trying to lose weight, unless you just want a liquid lunch, which sometimes, really, I'm not so opposed to!

So my goals for the upcoming week are:

• Attempt a run to see how it feels
• Log into MFP every day to track food
• Write and Revise (once the computer is fixed--this weekend hopefully)
• Finish reading Underworld, which shouldn't be a problem as I only have about 100 pages left.

Weight Loss Tips #14: Get Back on the Horse

I have bad luck with horses.  When I was about four or five years old, my family went to my Dad's nurses' house.  She had a lot of horses.  I wanted to ride one! Judy's husband Doug put me on a big horse, bare back, and the horse took off: bucking across the little ring they had put us in. 
 
I held onto the mane for dear life, and when Doug was able to stop the horse and pull me off I said, "Can I ride again?"   I did ride again, but the next time I was safely in a saddle with Doug sitting behind me.  My Dad used to tell this story to everyone, "Let me tell you about the time Lauren rode the bucking bronco and wanted to go again..." 

Then at 15, my Dad decided we all needed to take horseback riding lessons, because he was going to a Dude Ranch with some friends.  He signed us up, and we began taking lessons at some horse farm off of the Northern Bypass.  Things went swell at first, until one fateful day.  Dad and I were riding near each other, and I took my horse up towards Dad, sidling up too close. His horse apparently had a grudge against my horse, and the horse kicked me HARD.  My horse took off with me clinging tight, at a full gallop.  I held on, and I was eventually able to corral him back to the barn. 

Tears were streaming down my face as Mom and Dad helped me off the horse.  I couldn't place any weight on my right leg.  They took the boot off and my sock was completely drenched in blood.  I had a puncture wound on my right leg from where the horse kicked me.  Dad and Mom took me to the hospital, and Dad sewed me up.  Luckily the leg was not broken!  The scar is still there today.
 
And I even decided to go horseback riding after that happened!  I just waited awhile to face my fears again.
 
So what's the point of this blog, you may be asking yourself?  Persistence, facing your fears, and getting back up when you've fallen down.  These are all traits that can help you succeed in weight loss and any other endeavor you might wish to undertake in life. 
 


Bucking Bronco, Frederic Remington, 1908

If you are struggling to lose weight and you've had a bad week eating everything under the sun (kind of like my weekend in Panama City Beach), then just start over.  Throw that week away in your head, and get back on the horse, even if you're afraid, just do it.  You'll be happy you did, and you'll be healthier in the end. 
 
Most of the time the only person holding you back is yourself.  As a child, I could have been scared to death of horses, but I wasn't.  I faced my fears, I was persistent, and I always got back on.  This is what it takes to lose weight.  It takes looking one bad day or one bad week in the eyes and saying, "I'm going to start over.  I'm not going to let that destroy me. I'm not going to let my fear of change drive my health or my eating habits."  Positive self talk, and the ability to know that if you've failed once you can always try again. 
 
Many people eat out of fear, out of emotion, out of a desire to fill some void inside them.  Simply because eating is emotional, these people are afraid to face their demons and change their habits.  Change your habits, face your fears, get back on the horse.  You'll be happy you did it!

 See Last Week's Edition-->Right Here!

 

Weight Loss Tips #13: Scheduling and Consistency

I woke up today with the strangest memory.  I had this memory of going down to the Alabama River with my parents when I was a kid, sitting on the big steps and eating a huge Wendy's cheeseburger. (This is probably because my husband left Wendy's coupons in the kitchen for some unknown reason!)  My parents used to take the four of us down to the river on Sundays a lot.  It was one of the only times we would be allowed to have fast food and SODA!  We would picnic, watch the boats on the river, and then play on the long-since gone wooden playground near the Silos.  Some of my best memories are from those Sundays spent with my family. 

Of course the portion sizes back then, even at Wendy's, were smaller than they are today.  So my huge Wendy's cheeseburger was (maybe) an appropriate size for a seven or eight year old girl wearing turquoise overalls covered in butterflies.  Oh the 80's! 

Anyway--I'll get to the point of this blog, because apparently I just love to change subjects.  One of my co-workers yesterday said this to me, "I don't know how you do everything, Lauren."  That little statement got me thinking, because you know, I just love to spin the wheels in my brain. 

What does it take to lose weight?  It takes a REALISTIC schedule and CONSISTENCY!  I have a little bit of an obsessive compulsive personality, and when I started out I wanted to workout every single night.  I wanted to go to Taekwondo no matter what else was going on in my life.  This was not REALISTIC!!!  For one thing, I was missing out on my children's lives.  Another, I was not giving my body the time it needed to rest.

So, when you're starting a workout routine you need to ask yourself: How many days can I feasibly workout?  What times can I go?  When can I fit this into my schedule?  You need to do this and still make sure you have time for yourself, time for your spouse, time for your kids, and time to rest.  So, if the only times you have to work out are at 5 AM, then I suggest finding a morning Boot Camp, or finding a really good video that you know you'll stick to.  I, for one, really like a class because of the accountability factor, but classes are not for everyone and will not fit into everyone's lives as easy as they have into mine. 

And now for the big one: BE CONSISTENT!!!  Once you start eating well and exercising right make it a part of your life.  You know how they always say the key to disciplining a child is consistency.  Well the key to disciplining yourself is exactly the SAME.  Once you've committed to going to the gym three days a week: GO!  Stop making EXCUSES!!!  It will take weeks and weeks before you actually want to do it, so just drag yourself out of the house with the negative talk going in your head, until one day you just get in your car and drive there and realize this is now a part of your life. 

The same goes for eating well.  Yes, eating a big Wendy's burger every once in a while, will not derail you, but once you've changed the way you eat you need to try to stick with it.  Go to the grocery store and make the right food choices.  Read labels, and see if you're eating actual food or just STUFF with salt added.  Gravitate towards natural foods and try to eat whole foods more often.  Soon, you'll notice that instead of that candy bar for snack you'll want some carrots, a banana, or some nuts. 

 

If you missed last week's edition: HERE IT IS!

 

*Artwork found on Google

 

 



Weight Loss Tips #12: Stop Comparing

So I was sitting on my couch this morning thinking about what to type to you folks, who are wildly anticipating my new weight loss tips edition.  At some point, I'll probably run out of weight loss tips because most of these are common sense, and because you'll have everything you need to know in order to change your lifestyle.

I've been a little down on myself lately, because I still want to lose fifteen pounds and I haven't been able to do so.  Last night, I was wondering if giving up my coffee with creamer would be worth the 15 pound weight loss, and my answer to myself was NO!!!  My body is healthy, I exercise 6 days a week, and I eat well most days.  I know I'm leading a healthy life, so maybe I don't really need to lose another 15 pounds.  Maybe my body just needs to stay where it is.  So without further ado, my big weight loss tip for today is this:

Don't Compare Yourself To Others:  Human nature, you might say?  Comparing ourselves to others is natural, but it is a huge no-no in weight loss or for body image.  Every body is different.  Everyone loses weight in different ways.  If you're looking at your best friend and wondering how she can still wear a Size 4 jean, even though she's popped out six babies then you're not doing it right.  Confidence in YOURSELF is what it takes to lose weight.  Stop comparing yourself to everyone else, including that skinny actress who exercises 80 hours a week and lives off soy milk, and start thinking about where YOU want to be and how YOU'RE going to get there.  Live with a positive self image, inside and out and it will be easier to lose the weight.  And praise yourself for the progress you make every day, and for your ability to create a healthy lifestyle.  It's cliche, but don't compare apples to oranges.  Nothing good comes from it!

Going along with this, women don't compare yourself to men.  Men, in general, have a easier time losing weight.  It seems like they can cut out a candy bar a week and lose 50 pounds, and we whine and complain it's not fair.  There's a reason we have an extra layer of fat or two: to haves babies and to protect our young.  So if your husband, boyfriend, lover is losing weight quickly and you're not, STOP comparing yourself to him.  You'll lose it eventually, if you make the right changes to your lifestyle.

And my motto for the year: NEVER GIVE UP!!!

Click here for Last Week's Edition

 

 

Weight Loss Tips 11: What to Eat and How to Keep Going

I'm exhausted this morning.  Darling Daughter crawled into bed with us some time in the middle of the night, and she thinks that her little 2 year old body should own the whole bed!  She sleeps on my head, on my pillow, on my stomach.  So much for her staying in her bed.  I really need to work on that after my upcoming road trips, because I'm pretty much out of town every weekend for the foreseeable future, and Darling Daughter will be Hubby's child.  Hopefully without me here, he can whip her into shape (not literally, because we rarely spank!). 

So this mornind I was laying in bed wondering what I was going to blog about.  I don't really have many more weight loss tips up my sleeves.  Yesterday, I randomly took photos of my breakfast and snacks to show you what healthy, clean eating looks like, so here they are:

 

For breakfast, I had a bowl of Oats with fresh cut up strawberries.  I buy the regular Old Fashioned Oats, and for sweetness I add honey.  Honey is a natural sugar, so your body processes it better than pure white sugar.  I cook my oatmeal with 2% milk for the calcium.  This is so tasty.  Then, I added a boiled egg for some protein to tide me over.  I was seriously stuffed after I ate this.  Oatmeal expands in your stomach, and it keeps you full for a longer time in the morning and less likely to snack. 

 

 

 

Snacking is not bad though if you're aware of what you're putting in your mouth.  Here are the snacks I brought to work yesterday.  If I have these, then I'm way less likely to go to that EVIL vending junk machine that is in our hallway!  My snacks consists of a bag of pistachios, an orange, a banana, and a homemade trail mix.  The trail mix will last me a few days, as that portion size is way too big to eat in one day.  It consists of mixed nuts, raisins, Chex mix, and a few chocolate and peanut butter chips.  The homemade trail mix is really my favorite snack.  I bring it to work almost every day. Nuts provide you protein and energy throughout the day, and they also make you less hungry. 

 

Now that you have some visual aids, here are a few tips for this week:

• Stay Consistent: If you've already committed to exercising and reducing your food intake, stay consistent.  This doesn't mean you can't splurge, but make the conscious decision to live your life in a healthy way every day. 
 
• Prepare, Prepare, Prepare: Planning out your meals and your snacks helps you avoid eating catastrophes.  Having pre-packaged snacks at work might help you avoid eating something that you shouldn't.  Having a plan is always a good thing!
 
• Incorporate Exercise in Your Life: Exercise can be so fun!  That's why I go to Taekwondo, because I enjoy doing it so much, and I also get the added benefit that it's good for me.  I went to a Latin Craze class earlier this week, which I loved but alas I have no more time or money in my life to join yet another exercise group!  You'll find once you incorporate exercise in your life, you'll miss it when you don't do it.  Exercise is great for your mental health too.
 
• Never Give Up: If you give up, you'll never know what you're capable of achieving! I've achieved so many things this year I never thought I could do, because I never gave up.  I can ran 3 miles now, where six months ago I couldn't even run 1!  I can do it, because I stuck to it. I trusted myself, I egged myself on, and I stopped the negative feed in my head, tuning only in to the positive. You can do it too!

 



Weight Loss Tips #10: Splurging?

So last week, I wrote about the correct foods to eat in order to lose weight and become healthier.  I have also been emphasizing along the way that you're making a lifestyle change and not dieting.  I know you might be sick of me beating a dead horse (so cliche!), but it's very important to remember that. 

Okay, that said, the question: Is it okay to splurge?  Is it okay to eat that candy bar that your friend bought you or go to your favorite restaurant and splurge?  Is it okay to eat something cheesy and meaty and full of wasteful calories?

 

The answer is a resounding YES!  And there's no reason to feel guilty about it, as long as you're doing it in moderation.  The key to losing weight and keeping it off is to do everything in moderation.  Don't splurge EVERY DAY, but having a high calorie, high-fat, yummy restaurant meal once a week is not going to ruin you if you've already made a decision to stick to the changes you're making in your lifestyle.  You know you're going to eat it and then tomorrow you're going to get up and go for a run or pack yourself your healthy snacks and your portioned meals, and you'll be right back on the wagon.

Now, if you know you'll eat it and continue to eat it every day afterwards, then don't do it.  Wait until you know you have the willpower to make it a once a week kind of thing.  Or a when I need it kind of thing.  It's important to be able to realize when you're ready to incorporate your splurges back into your diet without getting off track.  I think after a while you'll also realize that when you do splurge you eat a lot less than you used to because your body is trained to eat what it needs. 

If you don't allow yourself to splurge, you will not stick to your lifestyle change.  You'll feel like you're limiting yourself and at some point you'll just give up (this is why dieting does not work!).  Usually this point will be when you're out with a friend and they're eating a smothered chicken breast and you're staring down at a dry salad pretending that it taste just as good as what your friend is eating. 

That said: Talk about a splurge last night!  On a whim, Hubby and I took the kids to my favorite restaurant Ixtapa, and I had a cheesy chimichanga, rice and beans.  I enjoyed every bite of that chimichanga, fried and all.  I probably ate my weight in chips.  I am a sucker for tortillas and salsa.  Such comfort food. 

I came home, went to sleep, and I woke up this morning at 4:30 AM to run.  Run I did: 2.24 miles in intervals.  Interval running is hard.  Seriously.  I never want to slow down, and then when I slow down I almost feel like I'm walking in place.  I'll get there though with the proper training.  I love running and running in the morning gives me this crazy energy.  What a great way to make up for my HUGE splurge last night too!

What are your ideas on splurging?

Never EVER Give Up

My mantra this year is to never give up.  If you don't give up you can achieve your goals, one step at a time. 

This morning, since I woke up at 4:24 AM hacking up a lung, I decided to do a little mindless internet surfing.  I started out with good intentions, working a little bit on my novel, but I was sidetracked by too many thoughts swirling around in my brain.  Maybe I do have ADHD. 

A few fews back, one of my TKD instructors posted this video on one of my friend's pages:



I had not taken the time to watch it, but Friday night Miranda Grace told me I really NEEDED to watch this video.  It's amazing, she said.  She's right.  THIS IS AMAZING!

Here is a man, all odds against him, and he transformed his life!  How?  He had one person (ONE PERSON!) who believed in him, and he believed in himself.  He knew he had the power within himself to lose weight, become happy, walk again and even RUN again! 

People, that's all it takes, the power within yourself to transform your life.  Every single one of us has it.  It's just baby steps. 

This year I realized that, and I accomplished so many things that I thought I could never do.  I lost 55 pounds, I've written half a novel, I started running, I made my home a healthier and happier place.

NEVER GIVE UP!  If the man in that video can fight against all odds, then a normal person like me and you who wants to achieve something surely can too.  The power is within you.

Weight Loss Tips #9: Taste the Rainbow

I've been thinking about food a lot the last couple of days, as I try to readjust my diet after the holidays.  Unfortunately, there is still a huge, Costco-size bag of Cape Cod chips in my pantry.  They are my downfall!  I swear, I could eat that whole bag in one sitting if I wanted to. 

Nothing taste as good as skinny feels, right?  I don't know if that statement is totally true, because the cheesecake that's sitting in my fridge right now taste darn good, maybe better than skinny.  Maybe it should be nothing taste as good as healthy feels.  But talking about taste, there are some food choices that can help you lose weight without feeling like you're depriving yourself. 

• Add Color to your Diet, Lots of It:  Not food dye coloring.  Add natural blues, reds, blacks, yellows, greens.  The more colorful your diet is, the better and more natural foods you are eating.  Some great-for-you and tasty bright foods are: Blueberries (wonderful antioxidants), Cranberries, Mangoes, Bananas, Apples, Tomatoes, Avocados, Blackberries, Oranges, Brussels Sprouts (seriously, if you have avoided these your whole life you need to try them roasted!).  Colorful, natural foods are usually beneficial foods.  They provide certain vitamins that can help you have more energy to get moving. 

• Go Nuts for nuts!  I eat a lot of peanuts, but I'm slowly learning to love other nuts like cashews, pistachios, pecans, walnuts.  I mentioned in a previous post that I make a little bag of trail mix to take to work most days with nuts, raisins and a few chocolate chips (just for that bit of sweet!).  Nuts are a great source of protein, so they'll curb your hunger.  Plus, they've been shown to fight against coronary heart disease. 

• Oats Aren't Just for Goats: I need to listen to this one, because I don't eat oats often enough.  Oats are so seriously good for you.  Not the processed packaged oats that I buy for my kids, but the oats that come in the cylindrical box with some old man's face on it.  Ding Ding Ding, those are the ones!  Oats are a great source of dietary fiber.  They expand in your stomach making you feel fuller in the morning, plus they get your digestive track moving, which is great for your overall health. 

• Reduce the Processed Food: Does anyone remember that Breyer's commercial, where the six year old is trying to read the ingredients off the other brand?  He's saying things like riboflavin and mononitrate, and wondering what the heck those things are.  Does anyone else wonder what the heck those things are and what they might be doing to your body?  Well you should!  Last I checked, an apple was just an apple and organic beef is just beef, without added processed chemicals.  Reducing processed foods means you have to get creative with lunches, if you're like me and work.  Make yourself a sandwich, eat tuna, take leftovers. I am not an all natural eater, though I would love to be, so I do allow myself one frozen meal a week.  Remember that processed food has a lot of other stuff in it that can hurt your weight loss attempts. 

Think before you eat.  Before long, you'll start gravitating towards the good choices instead of the bad, and you'll notice that it will make a change in everyone around you too. 

 

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