I'm Late! I'm Late!

For a very important date! I'm a day late posting the Summer Sizzle- Week 8 Update: Week 9 Deets! Sorry!

Well, kind of sorry. It's not like it wasn't crazy around here all week with the 21st birthday and Birdie coming home from London and all 4 of the lovelies and their boys being here all weekend! Whew! It's a wonder I'm still alive!

It's also a wonder I didn't gain any weight this week because I didn't really pay attention- I was just too busy. Although, everything I did eat was healthy. Unfortunately, we still have to watch those stupid freaking calories.

For our weekly challenge, I joined up with Julie who was kind enough to take time out of her incredibly busy days to set up a virtual 5k for us! I can't sign up for an actual 5k until the fall because the one I hope to walk/run is on Thanksgiving day. Anyway, I did get a 5k in even though the time was far from great. It has motivated me, though, to get out there and get my time down!

I mentioned before that I was planning on implementing the Sprint 8 into my exercise routine. I tried it a few days and it's not bad BUT I decided to buy the book that tells more about it and I'm glad I did. There's way more to it than just running (or whatever) sprints.

The book is Ready, Set, GO! by Phil Campbell. He lays the whole thing out for you including the science behind the theory. He gives you exercises WITH pictures (cause y'all know I have to have a picture or I won't understand) and schedules. He also gives detailed instructions so that you can get the best out of the workouts and avoid injury. I'm digging this book.

My dad and stepmom are coming this week with my two nieces so I will put this program into practice beginning NEXT Monday. I just hate doing things like this with an audience.

I saw a piece on Olympic race walking this morning and am going to work on my pace trying out some of their techniques. Though I'll probably look more like the Today Show team than anything resembling an athlete of Olympian proportion. I am not a Today Show fan but prefer the NBC local team over the others so I just happened to catch this. I found a video of it HERE if you want to watch. It was cute!

I'm still sitting on my exercise ball while at the computer- well, I WAS. Until I pulled my back out on the dang thing. That's right. I finally understand that engaging the core means torso NOT abs. Sheesh. I don't know if it's all the groovin' I'm doing while sitting on it, the fact that I'm on there having such a time that I don't realize 2 hours have passed OR a combination.

Ok, this week's challenge: Week 9 - (begin July 29) - NO SUGAR (unless it's all natural) AND NO SNACKING AFTER DINNER The sugar part is not an issue. I already only use honey, Turbinado or Coconut sugar. NEVER refined sugar and always organic. But the snacking after dinner? Well, I've gotten back into that bad habit. So it's good that it's included in the challenge this week.

That was my week. How did y'all do?

Summer Sizzle- Week 7 Update; Week 8 Deets

It's time for the Summer Sizzle update for the end of Week 7 and the beginning of Week 8 and, no, I don't have any idea how the time is going by so quickly.

But I'm glad it is because summer is NOT my favorite season. It's just too dang HOT. And HUMID. And MISERABLE.

So speed on by summer and PLEASE let us have a very chilly fall and cold winter! At least down here in coastal SC where fall and winter passed us by last time around.

I know. And I'll stop fussing about the weather as soon as it gets cool. :)

This last week has been CAH-RAZY around here. Self inflicted crazy. I've decided to paint some bookshelves which led to deciding to rearrange some things which led to deciding to get rid of a whole bunch of things which led to...y'all know how this goes. You start with one little project and the next thing you know---BAM! All hell breaks loose and you're left with total freaking CHAOS!

But there is light at the end of the tunnel.

So- food has been good and healthy. Mostly vegan; some vegetarian; a smidge of meat once or twice. As always, all organic/natural/non-processed/grass fed/wild caught/free range/etc. And I'm averaging about 100 oz of water every day. It's too hot not to drink the hell out of some spring water.

Still no calorie counting. And no change in the scale. Which is fine by me. Well, as long as it's NOT a gain. LOL

Exercise is as follows:

7 days/week: walk/run Strider and then walk Tucker (that's two walks usually for a total of 3 miles)
3 days/week: Sprint 8 (on the days I don't walk with walking buddy)
3 days/week: third walk with walking buddy. (on the days I don't do Sprint 8)
While sitting at the computer I'm either on the exercise ball engaging the core OR on a chair using the 8 lb hand weights while reading blogs--or other important work. 

And that's it. I plan to get back into C25k training as soon as the weather cools down. I HATE doing anything in this OPPRESSIVE heat. Especially running.

This week's challenge was to commit to and sign up for a 5k. I did NOT do this because we can't sign up for the Turkey Day Run until the fall.

Week 8 - (begin July 22) - EMBRACE A FITNESS FEAR...I am having trouble with this one because I'm not sure what fitness fear I have. Other than never getting fit and being overweight until the day I die. I'll pretty much try anything that interests me.

That's it for me- hope y'all have a great week!

It Takes Big Balls To Do That

Most of y'all are familiar with how brilliant some of my ideas are. I've had another. Two, in fact. And they turned out to be just as brilliant as my past brain storms.

The exercise ball already in my possession seemed perfect for my first particular plan. 'Seemed' being the key word there. The lovelies had all been sitting on it without any trouble so, why shouldn't I be able to? Because I'm taller and much heavier than the lovelies, that's why. So when I sat on the ball, my knees came to my ears. This is NOT a comfortable position. Though it did get a rousing roar of laughter from said lovelies.

Armed with determination and my debit card, I headed out for Wal-Mart. Surely they made exercise balls for tall people. They do.

I could hardly wait to get home and pump that thing up so I could start engaging my core immediately. I pumped (and pumped and pumped and pumped) until the ball was just the right size and took into the study where I threw the desk chair to the side and carefully placed my new seat in its spot.

As soon as I sat down I could feel my core engaging! "I must have music," I thought to myself. So I plugged in my iPod whereupon I began ball grooving to the music. For a couple of hours. Those hours went by so fast what with the music and all--seriously, it's way big fun to move around on that ball to the beat of the music. But I needed to get up and move about and do something other than work intensively on the computer (i.e. read blogs).

Lesson number 1 when using an exercise ball as a chair: it's not just your core that engages. Apparently your entire body engages---a fact that does not become apparent until one tries to stand up from said exercise ball. Thus, my legs were wobbly and my back was so sore I could hardly move. Or sit. Or lie down.

OUCH!

No worries...once I got my legs back, I sat on the desk chair and decided that, when I was sitting on the desk chair instead of the exercise ball (which I stayed off of for two days) I would use my 8 lb hand weights and lift while reading blogs doing important work on the internet.

The only problem was that my arms were so sore from all the lifting of the hand weights that I could hardly type. So, if you're have not been getting comments from me, it's not because I wasn't reading. It was due to the fact that I couldn't really move my arms which meant that my fingers couldn't get to the keyboard.

Did I stop using the exercise ball and hand weights? Nope. I did take a break---I had to, I couldn't move. But I'm back. And it's better.

And there's nothing quite as fun as ball grooving to your iPod!

Summer Sizzle- Week 6 Update; Week 7 Deets

It's time for the Summer Sizzle update for the end of Week 6 and the beginning of Week 7-

Anyone else HOT out there? And, by HOT, I mean sweating buckets upon buckets every single day even when not exercising? Yep. Me too.

On to the update-

• I tried the Sprint 8 three days. It's fine- but too soon to tell how it's going to affect any fitness/weight loss so I will continue until I figure that out.
• I'm still walking/running 7 days/week every week- even in the heat/humidity and even when it rains. I walk Strider, come back to get Tucker and then walk him. After the dogs it's ME time- I walk/run another 2 or 3 miles- except on the Sprint 8 days. I average about 5 miles/day.
• Still drinking the hell out of some water every day. It can't be helped. Did I mention it's HOT outside?
• Still not counting calories but still keeping food intake healthy only (except for those darned dark chocolate edamame that jumped into my cart at Trader Joe's. Again.). 
• Still juicing daily.
• Was successful with this week's challenge of eating vegetarian. 
• I lost 1 pound.

Week 7 - (begin July 15) - COMMIT TO AND SIGN UP FOR A 5K
Ok this one will be easy on the commitment part and difficult on the sign up. I plan to run (maybe walk) a 5k on Thanksgiving Day in Charleston--the Charleston Turkey Day Run and Gobble Wobble. We can't sign up until the fall. Besides, just signing up for one doesn't do one thing for making me commit to actually DOING it. So, I'll just continue training and sign up when we're allowed to do so. 

And there you have it. Short and sweet!

Hope everyone had a great week and has an even better one coming up! 

Summer Sizzle- Week 5 Update; Week 6 Deets

It's time for the Summer Sizzle update for the end of Week 5 and the beginning of Week 6-

The heat is still ON but I am SLOWLY acclimating myself to it. I've even been running a little! WooHoo!

The exercise is going well. I walk Strider (mostly it's a run) and then come back and take Tucker (still a pretty fast clip but not a run) AND, starting this week, I am adding Sprint 8 on my own 3 times/week.

What is Sprint 8? It's simple. After a 3 minute warm-up, you just push yourself at maximum effort for 20-30 seconds and then rest for 90 seconds. You then repeat this cycle 8 times.

Why am I going to try Sprint 8?

• It can be done with any exercise- with or without equipment. 
• It doesn't last an hour so it saves time and the sprint part is only for 4 minutes
• You only have to do it 2 or 3 times/week; any more than that can do more harm than good

Basically, it's short and sweet.Well, I'm not so sure about the sweet part. But it IS short.

Here's a video of Dr. Mercola doing Sprint 8 on an exercise bike. I'm going to be running during my intense part and walking during the rest part.

The food is going well also. I'm not counting any calories I'm just eating healthy. My recipes are from the Gerson recipe book and/or from the RAW recipes I get from various blogs (you can find them listed on the page marked Health and Fitness Sites on the tabs at the top of my blog). I am also juicing every day and making my green smoothies as well.

Our challenge for last week was to lose 2 pounds. I lost 3.5. AND I didn't hold back on July 4th. Of course, we did have mostly healthy foods. Everything was selected and prepared carefully. All meats were grass fed/free range/certified organic/etc. All sides and the dessert was organic and prepared without gluten and with organic ingredients.

This week's challenge is:  VEGETARIAN WEEK. This is not going to be a problem since I'm already doing it. Of course, you just never know until it's over.

Recap: I did lose 3.5 pounds last week but that's not THE thing. THE thing is that I am feeling better and I do NOT attribute this to the lost poundage. I attribute it to the healthy diet which has led to an increase in exercise intensity- I am running in this OPPRESSIVE HEAT! :)

Weight loss has become the proverbial icing on the cake. Getting fit is the goal!

Hope y'all had a great week and have an even better one this week! If last week sucked, don't let that stop you! Get up and get moving!


Don't forget: I have TWO giveaways going on right now! One for 250 FREE business cards from UPrinting and one for 3 bottles of flavored liquid Stevia from NuNaturals! Just click the buttons at the top of my sidebar to enter!!! Good luck!

Summer Sizzle- Week 4 Update; Week 5 Deets

It's time for the Summer Sizzle update for the end of Week 3 and the beginning of Week 4-

It's been a crazy week! Stripping and painting furniture, the garden and then there's the OPPRESSIVE HEAT that made it's appearance on Friday and has failed to leave. UGH.


The bad news (besides the OPPRESSIVE HEAT) is that I only checked in on myfitnesspal.com a couple of times.


The good news is- I lost another pound.


The bad news is---there is OPPRESSIVE HEAT and my running self is not acclimating to it.


The good news is- my speed walking self has acclimated to it.


The bottom line is:

• I felt quite liberated not checking in to myfitnesspal.com every single day.
• I ate only healthy foods with the exception of those dang dark chocolate covered edamame they sell at Trader Joe's.
• I'm not running right now but my walking is SPEEDY QUICK and  I get at least 3 to 5 miles in every single day!
• I did drink the weekly challenge water.
• I did lose another pound.

I did track my exercise via my GPS on my phone----

• Monday: forgot to track but I'm thinking it was about 50 minutes
• Tuesday: walked 56 minutes; burned 624 calories
• Wednesday: Walked 54; burned 591 calories
• Thursday: walked 69 minutes; burned 755 calories
• Friday: walked 39; burned 427 calories
• Saturday: walked 31 minutes; burned 339 calories
• Sunday: walked 31 minutes; burned 339 calories

The weekends are not about exercise around here- they are my recovery days. And I plan to keep them that way.

My focus now is NOT on tracking. While it works well for many (and it did for me about 2 years ago) it has now become a tool for making me obsess about my weight. This is not healthy. I've decided to obsess on the things that make life grand instead of that which holds me back and makes me feel bad about myself and my life. That is not what this journey is supposed to be about. At all.

One thing that this journey is about is learning more and more about myself and so I count this lesson learned as a blessing. Sometimes we just have to change things up to keep it fresh and keep it from being a downer.

I do enjoy tracking my walking (and running when the OPPRESSIVE HEAT lets up AND when I lose another 50 pounds or so) because I like trying to beat my time.

I'm not really disappointed that I'm not running right now. It's all good. For those who are not 130 pounds overweight I'm sure running is not that big a deal. For a 54 year old who is 130 pounds overweight, it's frustrating as hell when you factor in the OPPRESSIVE HEAT. I'm not quitting. I'm postponing. I still plan on being able to run that 5k. It's not until November. 

I'm not suggesting that anyone else stop tracking- I'm saying that I have to keep finding what works for me and implement it which sometimes mean stopping something else. The main thing is that I keep going!

Week 5 - (begin July 1) - LOSE 2 lbs THIS WEEK (and post pics/measurements if doing so)
Yep, holiday and all - this is the goal.
Don't question it - just do it. The reason this is the goal this week is to help us remember that the 4th of July doesn't give us free license to abandon all our diet and fitness goals. Yes, it's a holiday - but it's not a holiday meant to celebrate how many hot dogs and hamburgers our bodies can consume. This week will hopefully redirect us a bit - knowing the goal is a 2 pound loss, maybe we can steer clear of old habits of overindulgence during the holiday and make good on our promise to ourselves for better health ALL 365 days of the year!

I'm not as concerned about the 4th as I would be if this was Christmas...or Thanksgiving- because the food I have planned for the 4th is on my Gerson/RAW daily plan for July! Of course, time will tell, eh? :)

Thanks, y'all, for putting up with my constantly changing attempts at losing this weight and getting healthyhealthyhealthy. I am feeling fitter- I can do so much more than I could last year. It's all working, in it's own time. But I do so appreciate all of y'all sticking around with me! Your support and encouragement means more than you will ever know!

Also, I won a book from Cindy at For One Another and it arrived last week. AMAZING. WONDERUL. THOUGHT PROVOKING. LIFE CHANGING. All of those words describe this book. I definitely recommend reading the book whether you have weight to lose or not. And no, I'm not getting anything for mentioning this. It's just a really good read-- My Big Bottom Blessing by Teasi Cannon. Get it. Read it. It's great!

OH! I almost forgot- you can see my healthy recipe HERE!

OH AGAIN! Don't forget to check out my giveaway! Just click the button at the top of my sidebar!

Have a fantastic week y'all! Happy 4th!

Summer Sizzle- Week 3 Update; Week 4 Deets

It's time for the Summer Sizzle update for the end of Week 3 and the beginning of Week 4-

More like the summer fizzle stay the same. Again.

Except for 2 lbs that are MIA- and I am NOT going to be looking for them. And the 1/2 inch from my neck, the 1/2 inch from my waist and the 2 inches from my hips. Won't be looking for those either. They can just STAY GONE. Good riddance!

I did a little better with my calories but forgot to track ON TIME a couple of days----

The missing calories for Monday totaled 1671. Today's isn't on there for obvious reasons.
 
The exercise is about to get serious this week. I never made it over to the senior center to join but, in my defense, I was rather occupied with a HUGE project that involved stripping down and painting an entire bedroom suit so...

BFF is going over to the center with me tomorrow- we hope anyway. I may have mentioned that she's sadistic ruthless a personal trainer. I am AND am not looking forward to this. All that to say- I will be late on last week's weekly challenge. Sorry y'all.

The challenge for this week: Week 4 - (begin June 24) - 100 oz OF WATER AND SHARE A FAVORITE HEALTHY RECIPE---Well, considering our humidity is around a gazillion percent now and our temps in the 90s, the water shouldn't be an issue at all. Sheesh. I'll be sharing healthy recipes on Tuesday and Thursday!

 That's it for me- I can't wait to see how the rest of you sizzlers did this week! Keep on keepin' on ladies! 

Stupid Westerns and Food

I certainly haven't accomplished much in the last couple of days. We are still waiting on Knology to get up and running in our area- which should be only another month- so I'm still hating watching Netflix from time to time. I'd like to hook up Birdie's XBOX 360 and take advantage of Hulu but I don't know how and everyone else keeps forgetting about it. ANYWAY, I'm stuck with Netflix for now.

All that to say, I ran across the Lonesome Dove series (Comanche Moon, Return to Lonesome Dove, Lonesome Dove...) and decided that I would watch them. And that's just about all I've been doing. Shameful, I'm aware. But how I do love that series- especially Lonesome Dove. I mean- Rober Duvall AND Tommy Lee Jones?! Swoon.

Of course there is uncontrollable sobbing are tears that accompany the watching of these shows. It's that dang music. Cursed violins. And I really hate it when they kill off my favorite characters- like Deets (Danny Glover) and Gus (Robert Duvall)...I would NEVER have made it in the old west. Never.

Even with all that sobbing television watching going on, I did still manage to tear myself away to try a couple of new recipes-

This one started with a big pot of garden fresh veggies-

And ended up being Swiss Chard Rolls--

For dessert, a Rhubarb Crumble-this was my very first rhubarb anything. It turned out delish!

Swiss Chard Rolls
(a Gerson recipe for 2--I more than doubled it because we had the gang over)

4 leaves green chard
2 carrots
1/4 head broccoli
1/4 head cauliflower
2 small zucchini
1 cup corn
1/2 cup uncooked rice

Sauce:

1 1/2 tomatoes
2 cloves garlic

Directions: Put chard in hot water to soften. Cut other veggies in small pieces and simmer til done. Drain water. Make sauce in blender and pour over top of veggies and uncooked rice. Place some mixture in center of each leaf and roll up. Put in baking dish with a lid and bake at 250 degrees for 1- 1 1/2 hours.

Part of the Gerson plan is cooking food slowly. Sometimes I adhere to this standard, sometimes I don't. I didn't this time- I cooked it on 350 for about 30 minutes (everything was already cooked I just wanted to heat it through). I cooked my rice first and mixed it with the veggies and then rolled them up. When I realized I had forgotten the sauce, I just poured it on top of the rolls.

Rhubarb Crumble
(from Koko's Kitchen)

3 cups rhubarb, chopped
2 TBS orange juice
3/4 cup raw honey
1 TBS spelt flour (I was out of spelt so I just used gluten free all purpose flour)
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 TBS coconut oil

Topping
1/3 cup honey
1/2 cup spelt flour (I was out of spelt so I just used gluten free all purpose flour)
2/3 cup oats (I used the gluten free ones)
14 cup coconut oil

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease an 8 x 8 baking dish. In a bowl, stir the rhubarb, orange juice, honey, flour and cinnamon. Put mixture in dish and dot with the tablespoon of coconut oil. In a separate bowl, combine the honey, flour, oats and coconut oil and mix until it resembles a coarse mixture. Put on top of the rhubarb mixture. Cook at 375 degrees for 40 minutes. If the top is browning too quickly, cover with foil about halfway through cooking.

Happy cooking, y'all! And try to stay away from the TV! :)

To Count or Not to Count---THAT is the Question

Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows...Hahahahaha, nah, I'm joking.

What I'm talking about is counting. Counting calories. A lot of us do it. Few of us love it.

Some of us count calories as one tool in our efforts to lose weight. It's one way to see what our intake actually is- well, when we're completely honest about each and every little morsel that crosses our lips.

Counting our calories can be enlightening when it shows us not only how much but exactly what we're ingesting. It can be an aid in helping us adjust our daily eating plans. Counting calories can also frustrate the hell out of us when we go over our limit for a day. Or more. Which can lead to another day of overeating from the frustration of seeing that we overate the day before and so on. It can become a vicious cycle if we're not careful. And if our willpower is lacking.  

And now, as with most things, counting calories is the subject of a debate.

To count or not to count.

Brandon over at The Healthy Advocate believes that counting calories is a waste of time. He says that if you develop some healthy lifestyle habits, your body will 'count' the calories you need for you. Brandon suggests that we:

• Get a restful night's sleep for at least 6 hours
• Cut the sugar and the grains
• Lower our stress levels
• Get some sunlight
• Exercise

Hallie at Daily Bites also makes the case for not counting calories. Her reasoning stems from her personal struggle to try to gain weight and she found that counting calories reminds her of the time in her life that each day was a struggle just to get through it. She discovered that finding a balance made all the difference and that assigning a number to food is not the best or healthiest idea.

I get what these guys are saying. And I've made pretty much all of the changes. But my scale continues to be stationary. Surely not counting calories wouldn't make that much difference in either direction...???

I do know that I can get so consumed with counting the calories that I lose sight of my goal- getting fit and healthy. 

According to WebMD , the concept of counting calories came about near the start of the 1900s. It seems that there was a scientist, Wilbur Atwater, who claimed that if you put food into a “bomb calorimeter” and burned it you could measure the ash and discover how much energy had been released. This could also be a measure of how much energy was in the food. Once this idea gained momentum, people started counting calories- which is figuring out how many calories are consumed with different types of food and then burned off while taking part in different activities.

So, are calories important? Sure. They’re just not the whole picture and we’re cheating ourselves if we think they are.

We all know that the type of calorie we choose will determine the effect on our bodies.  But, is it necessary to COUNT OUR CALORIES?

All I can figure is, IF it works for you- then YES, it’s necessary. IF it doesn’t work for you, then NO, it’s not necessary.  The main thing is not to get bogged down with the counting and realizing that counting the calories is simply one tool of helping some of us to lose the weight.

Like it or not, there is not one magic tip/idea/method/tool/pill that’s going to get us to our healthy goal weight. Nothing. We have to do the research, try a myriad of methods, sweatsweatsweat, etc. until we each find the thing(s) that work for us on an individual basis.

If you really HATE counting those calories but want to be accountable for your caloric intake, try these tips:

• Eat smaller portions- yes, I know. We’re all doing this already. But look at your plate during your next meal at home and see where you can cut down. How large is your plate? Could you use a smaller one? (No fair if you pile the food up high in the shape of a mountain). 
• What food is taking up the most space on your plate? If it’s protein or carbs, change it to veggies. Choose foods that use more calories to digest and metabolize.  If you eat foods that require a lot of work to digest, you can save yourself calories like foods high in fiber.
• Eat the right kinds of calories. In other words, steer clear of the candy, sodas, sweets, desserts and take in more fruits, veggies, nuts, etc. Not only will you save calories, you’ll increase your health dramatically. 

So, all that wordiness to say- I am now going to try an experiment. I will continue counting calories through the month of June. But, beginning July 1, I will not count calories. I will, instead, be extremely mindful of the TYPES of calories I consume. I will keep a daily written journal of the foods I eat just so I can share with y’all at the end of July. 

I will be following a watered down version of the Gerson Therapy plan and a RAW diet. For 31 days. Without counting calories. I know that counting calories and eating MOSTLY healthy is not working to get the scale moving. I’m beginning to think it’s not doing so much for my health and fitness either.

I know most people don’t usually hear of the Gerson Therapy until someone they know (or themselves) have cancer but it’s not just a good idea once one has gotten sick. It’s good for general health and prevention- the detox alone should prove quite beneficial. Though there's no way I'm going to juice 13 times every day. Nope.

What I really want to find out is:

• Is it important to count calories or just to make my calories count OR a combination of the two.
• Will following a watered down version of the Gerson plan and eating RAW make a difference in my health and/or weight.

Yeah, I know it’s not scientific. But it’s what I’m going to try--I don't even know if I can stick to it for an entire month (and it was really stupid to pick one with 31 days). I will still check in with the Summer Sizzle Challenge- I wouldn’t let Rochelle down for anything! She’s such an inspiration to all of us! As a matter of fact, I doubt I would have come up with this plan if it weren’t for the challenge. 

Oh, and I’m not planning on eating anything and everything while waiting on July 1 to get here. 

Though it is tempting.

Summer Sizzle- Week 2 Update; Week 3 Deets

It's time for the Summer Sizzle update for the end of Week 2 and the beginning of Week 3-

More like the summer fizzle stay the same.

I'm over it people. It's time for a drastic change. I think I've come up with it, but that's for tomorrow's post.

I'm staying under myfitnesspal's recommended daily calories. But I'm not staying at 1200. O, hell no. And I have no idea why it won't put 6/11 up there- the total that day was 1726. Today's is missing for obvious reasons.

I didn't have any trouble with the 7 hours of exercise- that was a cinch. Though, for the most part, it was just walking and/or running.

And except for today where I missed it by 15 minutes--- oh well...

Next week's weekly challenge is to try a new fitness activity or exercise equipment. I hope to do that via joining the senior center (you can read about that HERE) and/or a new DVD I just purchased- The Biggest Loser- cardio max.

I didn't stick to the menu that I planned last week for two reasons- a couple of those recipes were ridiculous with the prep time being all day long and part of the night AND, I didn't want to. Stubborn much? Oh yeah. Definitely.

Anyway, there's a big change coming soon. Stay tuned.

I'll leave you with this clip from The Cosby Show- love me some Bill Cosby! Now, you can watch the whole thing, but the best part begins at 6:45- where Cliff talks about his Father's Day gifts over the years and then about how mothers get better gifts because they are better at promoting themselves! Enjoy!

Happy Father's Day to all you dads out there!

Join the Senior Center? ME?!

WTH?! When exactly did I become old enough to join the freaking SENIOR center?

Oh yeah, 4 years ago. When I hit the big 50 sucks.

I've been having an inner debate over this whole join the freaking senior center thing.



Me 1: When did I get old enough to join a senior center?
Me 2: When you turned 50, duh.
Me 1: I'm not going to do it. It's somewhat embarrassing.
Me 2: You need to join a gym.
Me 1: I'll just join ESAC.
Me 2: That's like $75/month. The senior center is only $72/year.
Me 1: But it's a SENIOR CENTER.
Me 2: There are people there your age and younger and you know them.
Me 1: But what about the eye candy in the weight room at ESAC?
Me 2: You have a point there. I mean- you need to get fit you don't need eye candy.
Me 1: But the SENIOR center? It's a SENIOR center.
Me 2: You simply MUST lose all the excess weight.
Me 1: I know.
Me 2: And the scale is not moving.
Me 1: I know.
Me 2: And it's not like you ever went to a gym filled with eye candy before you were old enough to join the senior center.
Me 1: I know. 
Me 2: Case closed.

So, I'm going to join the freaking senior center. Soon.  Most likely this week or the next--I want to use it for next week's focus on the Summer Sizzle Slim Down which is something about trying new equipment/exercises.

And I'm just going to have to accept the fact that I am indeed old enough to join. 

AND- there better not be any of those 70 and 80 somethings showing off on that freaking elliptical when I get there either.

Sizzle Summer Slim Down: Update- Week 1/Goals- Week 2

 Week 1 is a done deal. Our focus was to be on getting back into the habit (or getting into it for the first time) of tracking our food intake. This is not a problem for me- it's one of the few things that I can/will/do, do.

But the scale didn't move one iota.

I think it was due to too many of these:

Followed by too little of this:

Which didn't burn enough of these:

The caloric intake was under what myfitnesspal.com recommends for me. It was also under the 1500 that I was going to set for myself. But now I'm thinking that I have to go back to the 1200 daily calories if I expect to lose any weight at all.

The exercise has to change also (That day with no exercise? It was raining like crazy and not one time did I think to do the Shred--my brilliance astounds me at times.). It's going to have to go like this:

• walk either Tucker or Strider
• walk whichever dog didn't go the first time out (Tucker doesn't enjoy walking with Strider)
• go back out for a training run
• 30 Day Shred, level 2 OR Tae Bo OR Yoga Booty Ballet (will probs mix it up)
• Get myself over to the senior center and join (inner debate to come)

Yes. It's going to be a huge pain in the rear.
Yes. I have to do it anyway.
No. I've not lost my mind.

But I've also not lost any weight. And that sucks. Completely. Totally. Without a doubt. It sucks.

Water intake was fantastic! Wish that was all it took to get the job done!

 So this week we are supposed to focus on exercise. We are to try to get in 6 hours for the week. I'm hoping this won't be a problem since I have to change what I'm doing so drastically.

Also this week, I am going to try a little menu planning. I'm going to try a few new RAW recipes. Here's the menu for this week:

MONDAY: Zucchini spaghetti (gluten free)

TUESDAY: Sweet n’ Creamy Tomato Soup (RAW) and RAW Fajitas

WEDNESDAY: Portobello Mushroom Burger (Vegetarian/gluten free)

THURSDAY: Spinach and Raw Mushroom Quiche

FRIDAY: RAW Tacos

SATURDAY: Baked Broccoli Burgers (Vegetarian and gluten free)

I'm setting up a page tab for a list of all the participants in case anyone would like to visit and throw some much needed encouragement their way- there's no doubt in my mind that any and all encouragement is more than welcome and greatly appreciated!

Have a great week y'all! 

Stupid Sleep Cycle

I have discovered that one not-a-good-idea eating habit I have is eating to stay awake. How silly is that? Pretty darn silly.

I think I already knew this but have only recently allowed it to be recognized. And, of course, once recognized, something had to be done. So, I started going to bed earlier. The problem is, I'm ready for bed now around 7:00 pm.

Seriously, I make myself wait until it gets dark before I go to bed. I don't have any trouble sleeping but I started getting up way too early. If the first number in the time is a 3 or a 4, it's way too early to get out of bed. Tucker won't even get up that early.

Basically, the problem is, when I stay up until 10 or 11, I eat to keep myself awake.  When I go to bed as soon as I am sleepy, I awaken at one of those ungodly hours. When I awaken at one of those ungodly hours, I get sleepy earlier.

See what I mean?

I've had to call my will power into play, but it is so unreliable. It works sometimes and doesn't work other times. And I never know whether it's going to be on or off on any given night.

This is much better than a few years ago when I would wake up in the middle of the night and go into the kitchen. While there I would eat something sweet, usually, like ice cream, and then go back to bed. How stupid.

When I go to bed too early and awaken at 3 or 4 something, I just stay in bed and try to make myself relax or go back to sleep--which is not that easy since I've already had 7 hours of sleep at that point. At least there is no more getting up and going into the kitchen for something sweet to eat. As a matter of fact, I'm never ready for food of any type until after my run/walk.

I suppose I'll have to take the good with the bad here, again. It's good that I don't get up in the wee hours and eat but it's bad that I have to eat something to stay awake when I am sleepy. 

Any ideas/tips/tricks on breaking this vicious cycle will be greatly appreciated!

Anyone? 

Sit and Workout

One of the newest-to-me sites is Greatist. They have all sorts of great health and fitness tips. I am still using the exercise ball when watching television or just sitting around (well, instead of just sitting around) and was wondering what else I could be doing.

Greatist had some ideas! They're using them as ways to exercise at work, but I'm using them as exercises to do instead of sitting idle in front of the television.

Here are a few of my favorites:

1. If your computer chair swivels, this is a good one! Sit in the chair with your feet hovering over the floor- if you are doing this at your desk, hold on to the edge with your fingers and thumb; if you have moved the chair in front of the television, just use your arms for movement--use your core to swivel from side to side. 
2. You can do this one sitting anywhere! Just put your feet flat on the floor and tap your toes speedy quick. OR, to intensify this one, stand up in front of something (like a small trashcan) and touch your toes to the rim repeatedly-- like a soccer drill! 
3. Stand up and do calf raises. 
4. While sitting down, squeeze your rear, hold for 10 seconds or so and release. Repeat. 
5. Another sitting down one! Just straighten one leg (or both) and hold it (them) there for 5+ seconds. Lower the legs without letting the feet touch the floor and repeat. If you're doing one leg at a time, alternate the lifting.
6. While sitting, put a beach ball (or pillow or whatever you can find) between your knees and press your legs together for a minute (yes, 60 seconds). Repeat. 
7. Backwards push-ups. Sit in a sturdy chair and sit on the edge with your hands on either side of you gripping the side edges of the chair. Take a step of two  away from the chair and straighten your arms to lift your body. Then bend your arms to a 90 degree angle allowing your rear to dip down below the seat of the chair. Hold and re-straighten- like push-ups! Repeat 10-15 times or as many times as you can stand it. This is great for those bat wings ladies! 
8. While sitting in the chair- do some fist pumps! Just punch your fists into the air in front of you like a boxer. Gets out frustrations and tones your arms. Try doing it during the commercials
9. Stand up and hold your arms by your sides with your palms facing behind. Then just pulse the arms backward for 5-10 seconds. Release and repeat, keeping your arms long and straight. Try doing this through the commercials. 
10. While sitting or standing, raise your shoulders up towards your ears and hold them there for 5 seconds. Relax. Repeat for 15 reps. If you want more resistance, hold your hand weights (or water bottles, whatever) in your hands.

There's always a way to get moving. Even when we're sitting down! There's no reason to just sit and not burn calories! These are easy enough to incorporate into our daily lives whether we work outside or inside the home.

Let's get moving y'all!

Summer Sizzle Slim Down Challenge

I found a summer challenge! Thanks to my friend, Julie, at Healthy, Wealthy, and Wise, NOT...but learning.

Rochelle (thankyouthankyouthankyou) at Does My Butt Make This Blog Look Fat? is hosting the Summer Sizzle Slim Down and it starts TODAY!

I think this challenge will be a good one for me. I don't take it very well when people try to browbeat me into losing the weight- or anything else for that matter. It just ticks me off and I turn away from the challenge. Rochelle's challenge isn't like that at all!

Here are the guidelines:

1. Take a couple of pictures. A full body shot and a close up of your face. You don't have to post it on your blog but take them anyway so you can see the difference in September! (I'll do it but I won't post until AFTER the challenge)
2. Take measurements. Measure the basics- upper arms, calf, thighs, waist, hips, bust, neck...you can (but don't have to) post these updates once a month on: June 3, July 1, August, 5 and Sept. 2. (I will do this and keep track on myfitnesspal.com)
3. Weigh in weekly. You pick your own weigh in day but post all updates on Sundays. (I will go ahead and weigh in on Sundays and post it on MyFitnessPal.com. I will post a challenge update of the week on the blog)

Rochelle also has weekly challenges set up to help everyone develop some good habits that will surely lead to health and fitness! You can just try them for a week or keep them as part of your health and fitness routine. As Rochelle says: "And if you can do them for one week- why not two weeks? Why not three?"

Here are the WEEKLY CHALLENGES

Week 1 - (begin June 3) - "WRITE IT ALL DOWN" (and post pics/measurements if doing so)
I will be tracking EVERY MORSEL on MyFitnessPal.com. I used livestrong.com last challenge but MyFitnessPal.com has a few things that I like better. I'll post about this later. I took a break from challenges for a while because I got sick and tired of tracking the food. I'm back on it now. It DOES make a difference. As Rochelle says: "but I also know that when people DO track, they are more inclined to not eat crap because who wants to write 5 Snickers on their log?"

Week 2 - (begin June 10) - "SIX HOURS OF EXERCISE"
It doesn't matter what you're doing just MOVE IT for 6 hours throughout the week. Get those 6 hours in any way you can- break it into small segments or go for an hour every day. Whatever you do, just MOVE!

Week 3 - (begin June 17) - TRY A NEW FITNESS ACTIVITY OR PIECE OF EQUIPMENT 
I already have something planned for this week. We'll see how it goes!The purpose here is to get us to try something new. Step out of that comfort zone. It'll also keep us from getting bored!

Week 4 - (begin June 24) - 100 oz OF WATER AND SHARE A FAVORITE HEALTHY RECIPE
 I should be 3 weeks into a RAW diet for the summer and have some awesome recipes to share!

Week 5 - (begin July 1) - LOSE 2 lbs THIS WEEK (and post pics/measurements if doing so)
 Well, this one will be interesting. That's for sure. Rochelle hopes that this will help everyone realize that a holiday is not a license to take a break from our health and fitness goals.

Week 6 - (begin July 8) - VEGETARIAN WEEK
This will, hopefully, be an easy one. IF I stuck with the RAW diet all summer.  

Week 7 - (begin July 15) - COMMIT TO AND SIGN UP FOR A 5K
Ok this one will be easy on the commitment part and difficult on the sign up. I plan to run (maybe walk) a 5k on Thanksgiving Day in Charleston. We can't sign up until the fall. 

Week 8 - (begin July 22) - EMBRACE A FITNESS FEAR
Not sure what my fitness fear is. But if I have one, I'll find it and face it!  

Week 9 - (begin July 29) - NO SUGAR (unless it's all natural) AND NO SNACKING AFTER DINNER
This one should  be a cinch since we already eat only organic, natural, minimally processed sugar or honey and I don't snack after dinner. WooHoo! Already on top of this one! LOL

Week 10 - (begin August 5) - SET A FITNESS/WEIGHT LOSS GOAL FOR YOURSELF (and post pics/measurements if doing so)
This one will be a definite challenge. Maybe this is my fear? :)

Week 11 - (begin August 12) -  TELL US HOW ARE YOU FEELING AND SHOW YOUR WEIGHT LOSS IN FOOD
This will be a general update on things we've learned from the beginning of challenge to this point. Have we pushed our bodies? Have we learned anything about our eating habits? And take a picture of how much weight we've lost in food pounds. So a 10 pound loss could be a picture of a 10 lb bag of potatoes.

Week 12 - (begin August 19) - SURPASS YOUR FITNESS/WEIGHT GOALS FROM WEEK 10
This is where we post our week 10 goals and  beat them. Remind me to keep my week 10 goals low. LOL

Week 13 - (begin August 26) - LOW CARB WEEK & NO EATING OUT
We don't eat out and, IF I'm still following the RAW diet, this should not be a problem.

Sept 2 - Final Weigh-in, Measurements, Pictures and Thoughts....

Well alrighty then. It's ON! Wish me luck!

Week 1: Get back into tracking all food and exercise. I will also be keeping a journal to record my thoughts/difficulties/tips/etc. for each day.

Endorphins Do NOT Always Result in Happy

It's been a frustrating couple of days on the exercise/diet front. I let my mind take over. Again.

It all started out innocently enough. I've done something to my right knee and, after starting to walk yesterday morning, realized- rather quickly, that I was not going to be able to run. This did quite a number on my already leaning-towards-negative mood.

After running errands to procure necessary items to travel to the dang wedding this weekend -because God forbid we not have a cooler so that the husband can snack all the way to Timbuktu and back-- coming back home and making homemade snacks-- because if he's going to eat all the way to Timbuktu and back I'm going to make sure it's all healthy eating-- I then realized I still needed to do the 30 Day Shred. Freaking awesome.

I plugged my iPod into the speakers and listened for a few minutes in the hope that inspiration would pounce upon me and thrust me into a better mood and decided that, since I was unable to run, I would proceed with the shred- level 2. Idiot.

I wasn't in the mood. It was all halfhearted. But the stubborn side of me was not going to let the shred go undone. The other stubborn side was not going to let go of my set-up-for-failure mood.

The humidity was through the roof even though the AC was cranking (there's another tropical depression out in the Atlantic-you know, that big pool of water not 5 minutes from our house...), I was in a seriously not good mood, and frustrated. NOT a good time to challenge myself.

I thought that endorphins made people happy. Made them feel good. All they did to me yesterday during the shred was piss me off. If anyone had walked through the door at that time---well, let's just say it was a really good thing that they didn't.

And then, my mind took over. The mean, hateful part. The part I try to avoid at all costs.

"This is getting you no where."
"That scale is not moving."
"You're working hard for nothing."

Same sh!t, different day. Some things just never seem to change.

I didn't stop, I just had a frustrating workout. But I didn't stop. And I won't quit. But I'm still a little frustrated.

And in a bad mood- although not near as bad as yesterday.

Probably not the best weekend to attend a wedding.

The point is that, although you may be on the most frustrating journey you've ever been on in your life, you just have to keep on putting one foot in front of the other. Don't let yourself quit- do what you have to do whether you want to do it or not. That light at the end of the tunnel is there whether we see it or not.

OH- and don't buy that Cocoa Almond Spread from Trader Joe's. It is SERIOUSLY DELICIOUS. If you're on the same dang journey I'm on, AVOID IT! Of course, if you just can't help yourself, try this recipe:

Rice Krispies (of a different sort)

1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup Trader Joe's Cocoa Almond Spread
4 cups Erewhon Rice Cereal (this is gluten free)

Melt the honey and almond spread together either in the microwave (30 seconds) or stove top (about 5 minutes). When completely melted, mix together thoroughly, pour into the rice cereal and mix together. Spread the mixture in 8x8 dish and store in the fridge for at least 3 hours.

That's IT! Once they're set, just cut them and ENJOY! And don't worry, they're so dang sweet you can't even eat a whole one at one time. They'll make you feel better too! ;) 

We're off to the wedding so I'll see y'all on the flip side of the weekend! Have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend!

Big Balls

As if that darn 30 Day Shred of Jillian Michaels' coupled with running wasn't enough, I've added one more form of exercise to my daily routine.

The exercise ball.

Mine looks like the one in the picture and I've had it for YEARS. It's seen way more action from the lovelies playing around on it than it ever has from me. But all that changed this week.

I've started doing a few exercises on it while reading or watching television. And I've also started just sitting on it while doing the same activities. It's amazing how engaged your core is even if all you do is sit on it!

My biggest fears concerning the exercise ball are two-fold. First, I'm afraid the darn thing is going to pop while I'm sitting on it. I don't like loud noises. Nor hitting the floor hard. Second, I'm afraid that, while I'm walking out to a plank position as my torsopelvisthighkneescalvesankles roll across the ball, my face is going to hit the floor. I'm not fond of my face hitting the floor either. Let's just say that it's a safe bet I won't be doing many exercises requiring lying on my back on the ball--for obvious reasons.


I found a TON of ball exercises at FitnessBliss. Like the one below---which, I SWEAR, is one of the hardest one of all: 

 And this one, which seems to be one of the easiest but she is on her back so...:

And this one which is not nearly as bad as it seems...Bah hahahahaha...yes it is:

And then there's this one- which is one of those that might have me end up on my face but very doable:

I love their little illustrations over there! PLUS, they have an incredible list of exercises that utilize loads of different equipment as well as some that only require you to use--YOU! AND they provide a checklist where you can make up your own daily routine and check each exercise off as you go as well as keep track of your progress. Awesome site!

Anyway, the exercise ball is a great way to continue firming up and burning an extra calorie or two while I read or watch television! And, as long as I don't end up on my face, it's fun too!

Have you ever tried using an exercise ball? What do you do while reading or watching television?

Here I Go. Again.

I'm going to do it again. As in, I'm going to try a running program. This time, it's in the form of an app for my phone.

The last time I tried a running program, I got bored. Big time. And then I quit. But not before it got me running further than 30 feet before I died. The problem is, I still can't run very far before I have to stop- because of my breathing.

The 2-step method (you can read about it here) worked yesterday and I practiced it while fast walking this morning. It was great! Now that I can breathe, I might just make it!

I'm trying an app called Learn To Run. I'll start tomorrow since it is advised that, when training, it's important to have a rest day in between run days and I ran yesterday. I'm going to run on MWF and walk the rest of the week. Hopefully this app will help me stick with it.

The last program I tried was not a bad program. But I had to set my stopwatch on my phone and keep watching it until the time was up for the run segment and then keep watching it until the walk segment was over and then repeat. Ten times. That was annoyingashell to say the least. Plus I had to keep adding the times so I'd know when 1 minute or 3 minutes were up and then 2 minutes and 4 minutes all the way up to 45 minutes and then I'd get confused and it was just ridiculous.

With the Learn To Run app, I'm hoping none of that will be an issue. It is supposed to beep when it's time to switch from running to walking and vice versa. PLUS- I can listen to my own music and not that creepy techno crap that I hear on some of those apps. Sheesh. Anyone else out there find that music creepy? I don't like it. I think it reminds me of a porn movie. Don't ask.

Anyway, it is a free app so I really shouldn't complain if it doesn't work out.

Supposedly, I'll be able to run without looking at my watch or stopping for ONE HOUR in only 25 days. Right. Hey, if they can do that for me- it'll be a miracle. And I, for one, do believe in miracles!

Wish me luck!

Do you have trouble sticking with an exercise? Does it seem to take you longer than others to be able to reach an exercise goal?

Pace Yourself

I've never been very good at this. At least as far back as I can remember.

I think it all started with having children though. You know how it goes. The kids come along and your life is all about their needs/wants and you put yourself on the back burner. You do it gladly. Willingly.

And the results are amazing! As far as the kids go. Not so much for myself personally.

It's been three years since the youngest lovely moved out to attend college and I still haven't learned how to pace myself. I rushed the things I needed to do for 25 years so that I would always be available to the lovelies and I cannot seem to find my groove in a slower pace.

This seems to be a problem on my path to health and fitness as well. I want it all. And I want it now.

Am I afraid to work for it? Nope. I just don't want to wait for it. I want it NOW. It's not going to happen that way. So I'm going to try to slow down, pay attention and get this thing done.

This week I am going to focus on my running. I have gotten quite annoyed with this process. In my mind I should be running a 5k by now. And I'm not. It's attitude adjustment time, y'all. Again.

The first thing I did was sit down and figure out the thing that makes the running hardest for me- and I don't mean the heat or the humidity or the bugs--those are excuses.

It's the breathing. I cannot seem to sync my breathing.

Research time.

Some of you may recall that I discovered a new-to-me website, DailyFeats where they offer challenges in the form of lists and you check off each feat you complete on a daily basis. One of my challenges is through the site, Greatist, and they have TONS of info about exercising. Including how to breathe while running! WHAT?!

According to Greatist, it boils down to is this: there doesn't seem to be a 'rule' for breathing while running. Oh. HOWEVER, they do suggest taking one breath for every two strikes of your foot. For example, breathe in for two steps (right, left) and then breathe out for two steps (right, left). Apparently this will keep your internal organs from putting pressure on your diaphragm which will, in turn, make breathing easier. (Just click the links and you can read all about what they have to say).

Ok, armed with this information (which Birdie did tell me to try a couple of months ago and I forgot), I went out for my morning run.

RE-FREAKING-MARKABLE!

I'm not even kidding, y'all, one little bit. It made all the difference. ALL. THE. DIFFERENCE.

Yes. It IS a bit difficult to focus on monitoring the breathing. Even so, this was incredible. At least for today. And, should I find a little patience, this will soon become second nature. I won't have to focus so much and will be able to just enjoy the run. That's my plan anyway.

I'm looking for two things now--

1. A good running trainer app for either my android phone or my iPod. If you have suggestions, please let me know.
2. A summer weight loss challenge.

And now---it's time for day 19 of the 30 Day Shred. I'm not scared of you Jillian Michaels! Bring it on girl! WooHoo! 

How do you pace yourself?

On a Positive Note--

Since I've been working on my positivity this week, I decided to put a new ringtone on my phone. That way, every time it rings, I'll be reminded to think positive thoughts!

Anyone remember this one?

We're under a tropical storm watch. I can hear the surf from my bedroom windows and it sounds pretty rough. The storm, Alberto, is predicted to stay in the Atlantic. It's like a perfect storm-a few effects (which I enjoy) but nothing serious. So we have storm without fear!

Hope y'all have a lovely Sunday!