100 Reasons to Exercise Today

* Borrowed from Spark People

1. Because it makes you feel confident
2. Because it helps you get stronger
3. Because exercise helps combat depression
4. Because you'll feel proud of yourself
5. Because you have goals you want to reach
6. Because you'll feel bad if you don't
7. Because you want to move forward, not backward
8. Because it burns more calories than not working out
9. Because it improves your heart health
10. Because you want a great butt
11. Because it prevents diabetes
12. Because you want to be a good example to your kids
13. Because you want to feel good in your clothes
14. Because it reduces your risk of cancer
15. Because your body was made to move
16. Because you want to be an athlete
17. Because you want to look better
18. Because it lifts your mood
19. Because you want to stand taller
20. Because it reduces back pain
21. Because it feels good
22. Because it makes you feel accomplished
23. Because you spend most of your day on your butt
24. Because swimsuit season is always coming
25. Because strong is the new skinny
26. Because dieting only works so much
27. Because it strengthens your bones, too
28. Because it helps you lose weight
29. Because it allows you to eat more food
30. Because it's the best way to spend "me" time
31. Because it helps you de-stress
32. Because it's cheaper than therapy
33. Because you want a strong core
34. Because you want to take care for yourself
35. Because you take pride in your body
36. Because it strengthens your legs
37. Because it helps your clothes fit better
38. Because you want to push yourself
39. Because you are capable of more than you ever imagined
40. Because moving your body feels good
41. Because it keeps your mind sharp
42. Because it helps you beat belly bloat
43. Because it helps you sleep better at night
44. Because it gives you energy
45. Because you want to stay healthy as you age
46. Because you want to look younger
47. Because you want toned arms
48. Because it improves your balance
49. Because it burns off last night's dessert
50. Because it boosts your immune system
51. Because sweat is sexy
52. Because you want to live longer
53. Because you want to get better at your game
54. Because you want to catch someone's eye
55. Because exercisers earn more money
56. Because you're more likely to eat better when you exercise
57. Because you want to shave time off your running pace
58. Because you want to breathe easier
59. Because you want to see the scale drop
60. Because exercise improves your sex life
61. Because you are worth it
62. Because being fit makes everything in life better
63. Because you promised yourself that you would
64. Because you deserve a better life
65. Because it'll help you drink more water
66. Because you want to do real push-ups
67. Because it reduces your health care costs
68. Because you'll miss fewer days of work
69. Because you want to create a new future for yourself
70. Because it'll help you like what you see in the mirror
71. Because it'll makes clothing shopping more fun
72. Because you want to look and feel incredible
73. Because exercising can be fun
74. Because it'll give your skin a glow
75. Because it's a good way to spend time with your friends
76. Because it'll help you prevent the middle-age spread
77. Because it reduces your blood pressure
78. Because you don't want to let yourself go
79. Because you don't want to squeeze into an airplane or rollercoaster seat
80. Because it strengthens your spirit
81. Because it's a cheap way to entertain yourself
82. Because you'll be able to reward yourself
83. Because you need a reason to wear those new workout clothes
84. Because you're tired of being tired
85. Because not working out is not going to get you very far
86. Because it's a great way to spend time outside
87. Because you made a commitment to yourself
88. Because you're tired of starting over
89. Because there will always be another wedding, vacation or reunion
90. Because you're not a quitter
91. Because it improves your cholesterol
92. Because it boosts your metabolism
93. Because it prevents age-related muscle loss
94. Because if you can do this, you can do anything
95. Because a fit body is a healthy body
96. Because it beats sitting on the couch 
97. Because everyone has at least 10 minutes to spare 
98. Because you want to be stronger than your excuses 
99. Because not working out isn't working out for you 
100. Because the only workout you ever regret is the one you skip 

*DISCLAIMER*  The following information is not based on anything remotely scientific, is not purported to be true, although I think most of it is I just can't prove it, and does reflect the opinion of this writer.....

Ohhh, I could go so many different ways with this poster and this blog today, so hang on tight - I have no idea where this could lead!!  :-)    Let me start by mentioning the news that came out this week (not that it hasn't been out there for a really long time - it just seems to have come back in the public eye this week) about the fact that sugar is bad for you.   I didn't watch the 60 Minutes episode or whatever it was that announced this fact, but I've read about it more than once. It's something I have a hard time digesting, because I'm a HUGE sugar lover.  So in order to save my sanity, I have decided that sugar is okay in moderation and in the pure form.  I DO truly believe that processed foods are killing us slowly.  The fake sugar and fake everything else that's in them.  I really, really try to keep Little Debbie out of my shopping cart.  Unfortunately she can be a sneaky little bi*** and jump in there before I can stop her, but most of the time I'm strong enough to fight her puny little weak no energy ass. Because really that's all those snack cakes are - energy zapping junk.

Anyway....in my quest to eat clean, I still justify having treats as long as they're homemade - as long as I control what's going into it and can name every ingredient.  I have a hard time believing THAT is bad for you when it's consumed in moderation.  But, that could just be  my sugar ego talking me into it.  I'm pretty sure I have a sugar devil that sits on my shoulder daily whispering sweet temptations into my ear.....

But let's get back to this poster, shall we?  I have read so many books and articles that talk about all of the health benefits of different foods.  I always get excited when I read these things thinking that I'm going to completely change my way of eating and every day I'm going to eat fish and walnuts and blueberries and avacado and almonds and every vegetable that comes out of the ground and an apple before every meal with lemon in my water and sprinkle it all with flaxseed before I eat it.  RIIIGHT after I finish this cheeseburger.  

I've always thought if I was diagnosed with a horrible disease that I would change my diet and cure myself by eating nothing but fruits and vegetables and all the healthy stuff.  And I honestly do believe it's possible to cure yourself with food.  I believe that food can be the safest and most powerful form of medicine just like the poster says, and I believe it has many, many health benefits.  The crazy, stupid, ironic thing is WHY do I have to wait until I'm already diagnosed with a horrible disease before I'm willing to treat my body well?  Is obesity not horrible enough?  

We should be treating our bodies every day like we're in a battle.  We should be feeding it the good energy it needs - the clean, whole foods that make our bodies run like a well-oiled souped up engine.   We don't need scientists deciding what goes in our body by figuring out what preservative will give their food the most shelf life and make them the most money.  I once read an article that said "If it doesn't have a mother or it doesn't grow from the soil, don't eat it."   Kind of a crude way to think about it for a squeamish person like me, but I totally got the point.  I challenge you, if you're not doing it already, for at least one meal a day try eating clean.  Nothing from a box or a bag.  Prepare it yourself so you know what's in it.  And heck, why not even try a little lemon in your water?  :-)  

Is it a coincidence that I came across this picture today?   I don't think so - and it goes right along with what I've been blogging about the last couple of days.  And allows me to move into my third 90/10 thought - and that's your actions and your attitude.   Regardless of the "stuff" that's happening in your life - if you follow the 90/10 rule - eh - this one might even fall closer under the 80/20 at times - practice positive attitude and gratitude 80 - 90 percent of  the time and you are guaranteed to be happier.    You are welcome to practice this 100% of the time - but we have to be realistic about life.  Sad things happen in our lives and we have the right and the need to allow ourselves time to grieve those things.   Actively grieve, consciously grieve, and then pull yourself back into that 80 % as soon as possible.   Surround yourself with uplifting, positive people.  Spend more time with friends who are going to encourage you and give you positive reinforcement than with those who have a negative attitude and suck the life out of you.  Smile.  Nothing to smile about, you think?  Then find something.  Create something.  Practice gratitude as often as possible. If you think you have nothing to be thankful for, then take it down to the bare minimum.   I am thankful for the oxygen that allows me to breathe.  I am thankful for hands that work.  I'm thankful for this piece of bread I'm able to eat. 

When it comes right down to it - the kind of person you believe you are - the kind of person you tell yourself you are - the kind of person you represent yourself as 80 - 90 percent of the time, even if you aren't there yet, you will be.  The universe can't stop you  - you just have to learn how to not be your own roadblock.  You deserve excellence!!!!!  Repeat it.

90/10 Rule Part 2

WELCOME BACK!!!! 

Let me share with you another portion of the 90/10 rule. We covered exercise in the last blog,  this one involves your diet.  Since this journey is meant to last a lifetime, it is completely unreasonable to think you will NEVER have another piece of birthday cake, NEVER go out with the family for ice cream, NEVER participate in the work party - you get my drift.  Life really DOES need to go on, and it's not about being miserable and depriving yourself of the things you love.  Seriously, what would be the point of getting healthy and prolonging our life of misery with no treats!!!   That's where the percentages come to play.   And this one is a little easier to drop down to 80/20, even, if you're just maintaining your weight or don't care about a quick weight loss.   But if you eat healthy 80 or 90 percent of the time - it's not going to hurt you to go "off plan" or indulge in the treats you love 10-20 percent of the time.

Life is too short not to have a little treat every now and then! Enjoy life and life will enjoy you!

The trick is knowing the REALITY of what is healthy and how many calories you are actually consuming.  So many times we think we're eating healthy - and while the actual food may contain very healthful ingredients, the overall calorie count could still push us over the limit. So you really have to know your food well, know exactly what you're putting into your body and what the calorie amounts are. Here's where it gets us into trouble if we don't keep track of our food and live by the 90/10 rule.     You think, well, I had a protein shake for breakfast, an apple and string cheese for snack, a salad for lunch, a protein bar for afternoon snack - it will be ok if I have a fast food cheeseburger and fries for supper. This is where you have to know what's going in your mouth. 


Protein shakes vary A LOT in calories.   It could be a good 190-250 calorie protein shake, or it could be a 500-600 calorie shake.   Let's say you use a protein powder, fruit, vanilla low fat yogurt, orange juice, and a little oatmeal for fiber in that shake.  And we'll even go with a low calorie protein powder - we'll assume it's 110 calories for just the powder.  Here's what it would look like in the end:


Protein powder                                                                                              110
1/2  cup strawberries frozen (you accidentally got the sweetened, but
           it's ok because it's still fruit, so it's healthy)                                           124
8 oz  vanilla low fat yogurt                                                                              193
8 oz orange juice                                                                                            112
1/4 cup oatmeal                                                                                               77


PROTEIN SHAKE TOTAL CALORIES = 616


An apple and string cheese for a morning snack because  you only had a shake for breakfast, you really didn't eat anything - CALORIES  = 167.


Lunch is a salad - so lunch is perfectly healthy!  


Lettuce                                            12 calories
1/8 cup cheese                                 50 calories
1/2 boiled egg                                  40 calories 
1/2 cup low fat  cottage cheese         97 calories
2 tbsp diced ham                              51 calories
croutons                                           40 calories
reduced fat ranch dressing               120 calories
bacon bits                                         25 calories
      
Assuming you only had one plate of salad - lunch totals 435 calories.   And that's a pretty small salad. 




Afternoon protein bar - usually around 200 calories. 


So that brings us to supper and we feel like we have been good all day so it's ok to have a McDonalds Cheeseburger - 313 calories and fries - 360 for a total supper of  673 calories.  (Thats without a soda). 


 At the end of the day that we felt like we followed the 90/10 rule and had mostly good meals and snacks, in reality we consumed  2,091 calories.  A good healthy weight loss calorie goal for the day is 1,200 AT THE VERY LEAST up to 1,500 or 1,800 if you're really active. 


Can you have a healthy day with these menu items?  Absolutely.  You just have to break it down and track the calories to make each of the meals a little bit lower in calories.  It's all good healthy food - but unfortunately we can overeat the good food, too. 

Tracking what you eat is an easy way to make sure you know what  and how much is going in your mouth!
Think: Stop! Write! Bite!

Take control of your mouth!!!  Know what's going in it - keep track of how many calories your body is consuming - and give your body that treat it wants occasionally because you know it's ok!!! 

90/10 Rule

Or 80/20 - but don't go any lower than that.  What am I talking about, you ask?  I'm talking about life.  I believe we can all live happy, healthy lives by fashioning nearly ever aspect of it around these percentages.   


What kind of ground beef should I buy?  The leaner the better - 90/10 is great, 80/20 is okay - but definitely don't drop below that or you're wasting your money and your health. 


That's a simple one, but let's dig a little deeper into these numbers.  We'll start with our weight loss plan.  The key to weight loss is 90 percent food and 10 percent exercise.   Obviously if you work out A LOT it could possibly be just 80 percent the food you eat, but again, never less than that.  Because let's face it - no matter how much you exercise, you're not going to be able to eat whatever you want and lose weight.  I am living proof of that.  I've been a certified fitness instructor for 10 years.  I have worked out consistently - meaning 3 days a week at the very, very least.  Those are just classes that I TEACH.  Right now I TEACH class 5 days a week - and that's been a pretty consistent number for me over the past 10 years.  There might be a month or two stretch where I'm only teaching one class that takes place two days a week, but that's honestly a very rare occurrence.    There have been times where I've taught two different classes on the same day, which would equal two hours of teaching exercise a day - and sometimes back to back. 


Remember, those are just my teaching hours - now let me add to that the workouts I do for myself for fun!  Yes, I said it - FUN. I have a passion for fitness - luckily Steph and I both do.  So when we find ourselves with free time we are usually looking for a good workout class to take or an opportunity to take a long walk somewhere.  We are lucky enough to have our lunch hour together, so we also generally find a way to be active for at least 20 minutes during that time period, whether it be going for a walk or doing yoga or an exercise video at the office. So, by the time you put together the teaching hours, the noon workouts, the boxing classes with our own trainer, evening walks with the dogs - it's not unheard of for Steph and I to be physically active 7 days a week, anywhere from 1-3 hours a day.    Now let me just tell you, and I hope you understand, I don't in any way say this to brag or build myself up - but I need you to understand all this in order for me to make my next point.  EVEN WITH all of the exercise I've done over the past 10 years, I have remained within the same weight range, give or take 10 (or 30) pounds, depending on whether I'm in a "diet" phase of my life or not. EXERCISE ALONE DOES NOT MAKE A PERSON LOSE WEIGHT.  

Note to reader: This eye candy was added to catch your attention....did it work?

Is exercise important? VERY.  Is it helpful in losing weight?  Most definitely.  And people who exercise AND follow a healthy eating plan are much more likely to lose weight and keep it off.   Losing weight is 90 percent what you put in your mouth and 10 percent how you move your body.   Let me give you another example.  A glass of skim milk (because we ARE health conscious) and 4 oreo double stuff (be honest - we all go for the double stuff because anything else is just a "waste" of  calories) totals up to 363 calories.    I can eat that snack in about 15 minutes - giving myself extra time to slowly dunk and drink.    In order to BURN that many calories by exercising, it would take about an hour, depending on what exercise I decide to do.  I guarantee you it would take at least twice the time to burn off that snack than it did to eat that snack.    And that's the SNACK. We have to burn more calories in a day than we actually consume, so that's just the EXTRA exercise you would have to do on top of  whatever workout it would take to burn off your regular meals.  


Bottom line is, you won't lose weight if you don't change your diet.  If you go from doing absolutely no physical activity to exercising an hour a day, you'll definitely see a change in the scale over the first couple of weeks without changing your eating habits.   But  a lot of that is water weight and bloating and sodium that your body is releasing and it will quickly level out.    


Again, I'm not saying you SHOULDN'T exercise - because I'm a huge, strong, firm believer in the benefits of exercise and I know it will help your weight and your health overall.  But if you need to lose weight, follow the 90/10 rule with diet and exercise.


This blog is getting longer than I intended - so I'm going to make this part 1 of 2 (or 3 maybe - who knows!!)  :-)


Peace, Love, Happiness and Health!!!

Motivation for a Healthy Life

Motivation. Gah. It really takes a lot of energy just to type out the word! Motivation to earn a living get us out of bed and sends us off to work. Motivation to have a nice lawn finds us pushing a mower. Motivation to smell and look descent and never get caught with dirty underwear puts us in front of a washing machine to do laundry...sometimes for what seems like an eternity. Yes, motivation....it's that one factor in our daily lives that gets us from point A to point B. It doesn't matter if your motivation is for greatness or just to make it through until you can go back to bed...it's still there.

What you do with motivation is up to you. It's kind of like water. We need it to sustain life, but what we do with it can vary...drink it straight and take it all in, dilute it with negativity and only get half of what we need, exaggerate it by freezing it and mixing it in a margarita, fill it up to the brim and pass it around to others....possibilities are endless! Leave motivation at home and end up dehydrated and lethargic.

I'm guessing if you are reading this you are on a constant search for motivation. You don't just stumble on to a blog site like this and read this far into it with no purpose! Unless you are just generally nosey and want to know what Andi and I are up to. If that is the case, you will be most disappointed in how boring we are! If you are that interested, let us know and we can spend an hour telling you about the most amazing "Wheel of Fortune" show we have ever seen (the lady told Pat that she loved him....we laughed for DAYS). But if motivation is what you are seeking, maybe we can help with that. It is as easy as one word - now.

Now is your chance to restart your life from how you lived before. Forget what you did just seconds before you read this and realize that NOW is the time that matters. I don't care if you ate junk food the past week, gained 10 lbs., kicked your neighbor's cat, made out with a guy who was a really bad kisser 25 years ago, stole post-it notes from your office, or didn't tip the lousy waiter you had last weekend...all that matters is now. Now is your motivation. It is an instant "do over" for all the things in your past. It is the ultimate personal forgiveness. What you do with now is up to you. Will you make it another regret or will you move past your regrets, your fears, your mental limits, all that bull**** that is weighing you down and give now a chance? It's here. It's waiting. It's been given to you for free. Grab it!

Pin the bib back on.

After sharing with Steph some of my struggles this week she cleverly (and geniusly - even though that's not a word, I will use it for her) made a "Start" line for me at the edge of my doorway.   Because she knows my marathon mentality, and the fact that even in the worst of circumstances, I have NEVER quit a marathon.  She expressed to me that this journey we are on is our own marathon and no matter what happens, we just can't give up. (told you she was a genius) :-)  So every morning I look down and I cross that Start line and remind myself to just keep pushing.   A running coach once told me that if I feel like I can't move my legs any further, then all I have to do is move my arms and my legs will have to follow.   JUST KEEP MOVING.  


Then this morning one of the first posts I read on Facebook was this: 


A friend sent me this, just what I needed this morning! We all run. We all fall. Each day presents us with fresh opportunities to allow the mercy, strength and grace of God to intervene in our lives. So whatever you face today, friend, run. Run to win the prize. Run like the wind. And when you fall; don’t throw in the towel, don’t point fingers, don’t stew, and don’t quit. Get right back up and run again… in the mercy, strength and grace of God. 



Coincidence?  I think not.   In this journey we're going to fall.  It's impossible to go that many "miles" without a trip up here and there.  Even if you need to lay down for a moment and take a rest, it's ok.  Just don't forget to get back up again.  Get up, look down at the start line, and keep moving forward. 


Peace, Love, Happiness and Health, my friends!!!!

One pound.....that's all.....

Yep.  That's reality now.  We just have to take it one pound at a time.  And right now in my head even THAT is not an easy task.   But I know it's where I have to be.

The last week has been difficult.  I went from the elation of the competition being over to a place of awkwardness and fear.  I went from eating very little processed food and fast food to almost every meal being junk.   And let me tell you - my body has rebelled.  It really DOESN'T want me to feed it crap, no matter HOW MUCH my head says it does.  I have had headaches and stomach aches and been horribly bloated.  The scary part of this is if I continue to eat the junk, my body will get used to it again and I won't feel this bad.   I can easily force my body to become immune to the unhealthy feelings and make me forget how bad I've felt over the last few days.   And for me (unlike Steph, whose conscience is much more pure than mine) I have no guilty emotional feelings about any of it.  My head is PERFECTLY fine with eating whatever.  In fact, it really, really wants to.  After all, I have nobody to answer to now.  Nobody to keep track of what the scale says.  Which, by the way, has changed quite dramatically over the past 6 days.  I'm blaming that partly on the bloating, partly on the fact that I'm using a different scale - but mostly because I don't want to have to face the fact that what I eat really, really matters.

This is an area where Steph and I differ greatly.  To her, food is fuel.  She eats because she's hungry.  Unfortunately that actually works AGAINST her at times because of her blood sugar issues.  It's important for all of us to keep our blood sugar stable, and in a perfect world everybody would eat a 150-200 calorie snack every 3 hours that consists of a mixture of carbs, protein and fat.  But it's doubly important for somebody with a diabetic background and type 1 diabetes rampant in the family to keep a close eye on that blood sugar.   So most of the time I actually have to TELL Steph to eat something. (Seriously, who does that?  I can guarantee you nobody has ever had to tell ME to eat!  LOL)

My point is, where Steph views food as fuel, I view food as fun.  And usually that fun food doesn't consist of oranges and celery and the like. So now that we both feel like crap I am having a much harder time letting go of my "fun" than she is.   I'm sure you've heard this before - and depending on where you are on the spectrum you either totally understand it or you don't get it at all - but it's very comparable to an alcoholic trying to come off a binge and dry up.   There are so many psychological and physiological factors that come in to play that are much more complicated than just changing the menu.

Sooooooo......here we go again. I will take up my sword and fight these demons again.  I have to keep in mind that there's a place I need to get to - a place where mornings aren't depressing when I'm looking in the closet, a place where photographs don't make me cringe and where stomach aches aren't a daily visitor.  And if I have to slay a few (more) dragons to get there, then I have to start swinging.  Because now I know I CAN - even if it's just one pound at a time.

The Day After

Anybody who has ever trained for a big event (think about any sports championship), planned something for many months (weddings, births, etc.), practiced for a performance (such as performing in a big theater production) probably understands the "day after letdown".  After all, your focus for so many weeks or months has surrounded that one event and suddenly, after just a few minutes sometimes, it has all ended. There is no more "thing" to think about, practice for, work toward......life just goes back to normal, whatever that may be.

Odd as it may sound, I am currently experiencing the "Biggest Loser letdown".  For 8 weeks every moment has been focused on how many calories will this cost me, how many calories do I have left for the day, how much more do I need to work out today to balance it out, what if I haven't done enough, what if I let my team down. And suddenly, after just a couple of seconds on the scale yesterday, all of that is gone.  We've spent 8 weeks counting down how many days of the competition were left.  Spent the last 48 hours counting down how many HOURS of the competition we had left. Talked about everything we planned on doing afterwards - everything we want to eat now that has been "forbidden".  And now that it's all over, I don't know what to do.  It's almost as though I feel I have no purpose, no goal, nothing "to do".

I know that eventually I will find my normal. And I'm not going to lie -I'm very happy to be rid of the stress of the competition.  Now I just need to focus on being healthy again.  But I gotta tell ya, today just feels weird.

Earlier this week I posted the blog with my wondering thoughts of how life would be post-Biggest Loser Challenge.  Today I received this poster as my answer.  Discipline.  It's the ONLY way to succeed at anything.  Discipline as a word has such a negative vibe.  It's almost as though "discipline" and "punishment" go hand in hand, and some days it feels that way!!  But we need to separate the two words and take the negative connotation out of discipline.  It doesn't HAVE to be a bad thing.   And frankly, discipline = accomplishment and accomplishment SHOULD feel good!

Some of us right now are starting a new phase in life, learning how "normal" day to day habits will be without a competition looming over us. Some of us are just hoping to continue the healthy habits we've created over the past 8 weeks.  And some of us are probably still thinking about "starting" a healthy living plan.  But no matter where you are on that spectrum, the common denominator is discipline.  That doesn't mean we have to be "perfect" all of the time, every day.  That just means that whatever we do, we need to make it a conscious decision.  I'm choosing today to eat a piece of birthday cake, and it's ok.  I'm also choosing today to eat a salad for lunch instead of the cheeseburger, and that's ok too.

If any of you Kingman or Cheney BL contestants watch the Biggest Loser on NBC, I wonder if you saw the irony of  last night's program in connection with our contest ending this week.   Last night all of the contestants went to singles instead of being on a team.  In essence, that's where we are at this week, too.  It's time to focus our healthy lifestyle on ourselves and do it because WE deserve it - not just because you don't want to disappoint your teammate or you fear the embarrassment of standing on a scale and having somebody else weigh you.   Our mindsets now need to shift from "diet" or "contest" to "living the life I want to live."  And the healthy life we all DESERVE.

Keep that positive, healthy, discipline in your life, my friends.  We will continue this blog as long as we know someone is out there sharing in the journey.

PEACE, LOVE, HAPPINESS AND HEALTH  :-)