Well-Being Wednesday

Today I'm starting a new series of posts: Well-Being Wednesdays. My health, well-being and weight are issues I could discuss at length every day, but I don't want my blog to become a place where that's my only focus. Enter Well-Being Wednesdays. I'll post my progress as well as share health and well-being tips and information. Of course, it's a given that I'll at least mention health and fitness in other posts. This is a blog about my life and it just so happens that said topic is a big part of it.

And since I'm feeling bold, brave and inspired, I'm about to share something with you that only my husband knows. My weight. "Hi, my name is Kelly. I'm 5'3" and weigh 157 pounds."

Am I happy with that number? Quite frankly, no. Do I hate my body? No. Do I want to live a healthier life and feel better about myself? Yes.

There is no doubt that shedding excess weight will help me to not only look but feel much better. The past ten years of my life have been a complete roller-coaster with the scale, dieting and exercise. I've lived my life in extremes--at times being super-disciplined with my nutrition and fitness and at times being super-lax.

I know that my body looks and feels its best operating at around 135 pounds. I've been there several times and it's my ultimate goal to get back to that place. I want to reach my "feel-great weight." And I want to do it the right way, through healthy nutrition and exercise.

As I inch closer and closer to the big 3-0, it's dawned on me that I've spent nearly a decade of my life unhappy with my body. When I was thin, I was unhappy because I thought I could be thinner. When I was at my heaviest (170 pounds) I was unhappy because I knew I could be thinner and felt like crap.

It's time for me to re-claim my body instead of it claiming me. Period.

Here's my whole-body, well-being plan to reach my goal:

• Eat a clean diet (Mostly clean, allowing room for a few treats. No deprivation!)
• Drink more water. My goal is at least 40 ounces daily.
• Exercise four times per week (to start). A combo of cardio and weights.
• Plan meals and snacks every day. Be prepared.
• Implement a "reward" system for extra motivation and to celebrate achievements.
• Work to get more sleep at night, going to bed earlier.

So, here I am, all 157 pounds of me, getting ready to embark on a new, well-being journey. And I want to clarify that this isn't all about body image. It's about feeling good, being healthy and living a life of balance. That's the ultimate reward.

Are you on a well-being journey? I'd love to hear it. Even better, let's travel together.

Healthy Inspiration: April

Here is my inspiration board for April. Here's to making it a great month!

Workin' on My Fitness

Doesn't a Fergie jam just get you in the mood to talk fitness? If that's only what it took, I'd be downloading her every album to my iTunes and setting up a shrine to her in my living room.



Let's be real for a moment, shall we? I hate working out. Yep, I said it.

Okay, perhaps "hate" is a strong word. I suppose I should say I "strongly dislike" working out. You see, exercising to exercise has never been appealing to me. My preferred physical activities are things that don't allow my brain to think my body's being worked out (dancing, playing volleyball with friends, etc.).

Several years ago I worked for a fitness and health-centered non-profit. My office was literally inside a gym and I worked out nearly every day. I would never say that I got to a point where I loved working out, but being surrounded by people working hard was great motivation. And of course, being a few steps away from a huge cardio center gave me no excuses.

Since moving two years ago, I've become a bit of a wishy-washy work-outer. Fitting in a workout here and there. As little as zero to two times a week.

As I get older, I'm finding that my body--and metabolism--is changing and I'm going to have to change my habits with it. Enter: sister-in-law.

My sister-in-law Michelle is a huge inspiration to me--or anyone--looking to live a healthier lifestyle. She's a PA, a mommy of two young children, a wife and she always makes time for health and fitness. A few months ago she challenged me to start implementing some of the aspects of a fitness plan she's using to compete this summer in a fitness competition. She generously sent me her information and I've spent the last few days scouring it.

Her plan is pretty intense and while I'm sure it would help me to follow it exactly, I think it's really important to know your body, mind and fitness level. Remember, I've been working out a max of twice per week?

Here's what I know about myself in relation to workouts and fitness:

1. I get bored easily.
2. It needs to be fun for me.
3. There must be a goal--an end outcome that's measurable.
4. I get discouraged easily.

I think it's important to make a list like this. Don't try to fit yourself perfectly into the mold of someone else's workout. Perhaps you found a new workout/healthy eating plan online or in a magazine? That's great, however don't try to implement a plan that isn't a fit for you and your lifestyle. Why not tweak it or build your own plan specific to your unique needs?

If your workout doesn't meet your needs, you won't find yourself meeting your workout. You get me?

Here's the plan I came up with for myself. And I should note that I'm not a fitness expert, nor do I claim to be. I'm just a woman who wants to improve herself and get her rear off the couch. Are there flaws in my plan? Probably. Could I do something different? Sure. But at this point doing something is better than nothing to me and I'm flexible enough to recognize that my plan may need tweaking as I get further into it.

Cardio (30 min.) + Strength = 4 times/week

• Cardio can be running, interval, elliptical, bike, swimming, etc.

• Strength will vary depending on the day with specific muscle group focus (back, chest, shoulders, arms, abs, legs).

Bonus/Fun Workout = 1 time+/week

• My bonus workout(s) can be anything I want such as taking a class at my gym, swimming, going on a bike ride, jogging, etc. Whatever I'm in the mood for.

This is my plan for now. I think it's a good place to start. Last night I did 30 minutes of interval training on the treadmill and a good upper body strength workout.

Additionally, I'm keeping a food journal and striving to drink a lot more water. I've also cut out diet/regular soda. I'm not a believer in dieting, but I do try to eat "clean" as much as possible, meaning mostly fruits, vegetables, lean meats and complex carbs and very few "processed" foods.

I'm looking forward to this journey and I plan to make updates regarding my progress here on my blog.

Source: boozebagbettygoestorehab.blogspot.com via j jump jennifer on Pinterest

Healthy holiday balance

You should never feel like food is the enemy, especially during the holidays. However, many of us feel surrounded by food during this time of year, which can throw off our normal habits. I’ve been working with a nutritionist/registered dietitian the past few months to help me develop a better relationship with food and a healthier way of eating. Before Thanksgiving, she gave me some excellent advice. Number one is to practice, as always, intuitive eating—eating only when hungry and only until you’re just satisfied. If you continue to practice this through the holidays, you won’t overdo it. Also, if you really want to enjoy something higher in calories, don’t restrict yourself. But if you’re faced with a buffet of foods, rate the foods on a scale from one to ten with the ones being foods you really don’t like and tens being foods that perhaps you absolutely love and rarely eat. For example, a slice of your grandma’s homemade cherry pie that she only makes for special occasions. If you want to splurge, only do so on nines and tens. Food isn’t the enemy and you don’t want to feel restricted. Enjoy a sensible portion and stop when your body tells you it’s full.

The following tips are from eatright.org, the website for the American Dietetic Association. They’re great reminders and helpful hints.

Health Tips for Holiday Eating

Courtesy of eatright.org

The holidays are here, and even though they come with enough cookies, candy and comfort foods to last a lifetime, don't run screaming from the buffet table just yet. Food may be a centerpiece of holiday festivities, but the holiday season doesn’t mean you have to pack on the party pounds. Try these tips for making your holidays healthful:

Take the edge off your hunger before a party. Feeling hungry can sabotage even the strongest willpower, so eat a small, low-fat snack such as fruit or low-fat cheese before you head out the door. This will help you avoid rushing to the buffet table when you arrive.

Make just one trip to the party buffet. Choose only the foods you really want to eat and keep portions small. Often just a taste satisfies a food craving or curiosity. Also, move your socializing away from the buffet table to eliminate unconscious nibbling.

Meet and greet. Conversation is calorie-free. Get a beverage (try sparkling water and a lime twist rather than alcohol) and settle into the festivities by catching up with old friends and making new ones.

Choose lower-calorie party foods. Go easy on fried appetizers and cheese cubes. Instead, have some raw vegetables with a small amount of dip—just enough to coat the end of the vegetable— or try boiled shrimp or scallops with cocktail sauce or lemon. To help ensure there will be healthful treats, bring a dish to the party filled with raw vegetables with a yogurt or cottage cheese dip, or bring a platter of fresh fruit.

Source: jeannebenedict.com via Jamie on Pinterest

If you are at a sit-down dinner party, cut your first helping in half. That way, you can enjoy seconds (and your host or hostess will feel good about that) and the total amount of food you eat will be about the same as a normal-size portion.

Enjoy physical activity after a holiday feast. Find activities the whole family can do such as walking, biking, roller-blading or hockey, and develop family fun-time habits that can continue after the holiday season.

Be realistic. Don't try to lose weight during the holidays—this may be a self-defeating goal. Instead, strive to maintain your weight by balancing party eating with other meals. Eat small, lower-calorie meals during the day so you can enjoy celebration foods later without overdoing your total calorie intake.

Source: tastykitchen.com via Hilary on Pinterest

Have fun. Enjoy traditional holiday meals and party foods with family and friends while maintaining a healthy lifestyle, too.

With a little practice and mindful eating, you and I can make it through the holidays without feeling any pressure, stress or guilt surrounding food. I plan to tell myself that the things I want to remember most about this Christmas and holiday season are people and memories. Enjoy, relax and Merry Christmas!

Weigh-in Wednesday

It's Weigh-in Wednesday! As alluded to in my post last week, I'm going to make an effort to check in regarding health, fitness and weight loss each Wednesday.

If I had to grade my efforts this past week, I'd give myself a "B" for the most part. There may have been a "D" moment or two (hello, fun-sized M&Ms).

Here's what I tried to keep in mind this week:

• Every day is a new day--a fresh start. Just because you veer off course, don't use it as an excuse to throw in the towel. You'll just be that much further behind when you decide to stick to you plan again.
• Planning meals. I tried harder this week to plan my meals (breakfast, snacks and lunch) the night before work. I typically plan our suppers a week or so in advance, but really slack in the work-food department.
• Moderation is key. We went to a football party on Saturday night and I opted for one bowl of chili and a light beer. Not to say that I didn't have a shameful moment on the ride home with a plate of monster cookies in my lap. Hey, I said I stepped things up. No one said I was perfect.
• Exercise more. Since last Wednesday, I've been to the gym twice. And guess what? That's two more times than the week before.
  

Here's what I plan to work on this week:

• Keeping a food journal. Making better use of the food journal program on my Blackberry for keeping track of my meals and calories.
• Drink more water. Enough said.
• Go to the gym at least three times.
• Be more conscious of mindless or stress eating.

I am officially down one pound from last week!

I had to share this (courtesy of one of my favorite sites, someecards.com). It pretty much sums up how I think many of us feel about fitness. And if you can't find a bit of humor in your struggles and challenges, well...find some. We're all human, we all struggle, we all need laughter.


















I'll plan another Weigh-in Wednesday post for next week. In the meantime, I'm wishing you a healthy, happy Hump Day.

Workin' on my fitness

Last night we finally joined a gym. We're now members of 24-Hour Fitness. It's close to work and home, has great amenities and we both felt a good vibe there. And, I loved their lap pool and group cycling room. I can't wait to start workin' on my fitness (cue over-played Fergie song).

I need to dust off my running shoes and workout gear--yes it's been way too long. Does anyone else find they're super-particular about what they work out in? Here is my criteria when choosing workout gear:

1. Comfort. No bulges, bare skin or muffin tops, thank you.
2. Must camouflage my excessive sweating issues. Perhaps, TMI, but I can't tell a lie.
3. Slimming. Yes, I'll take all the help I can get.

Here are a few pieces I'd love to have. Perhaps I'll reward myself If I stick with my hard work in the gym and with my nutrition.

Pavitra Top from Athleta














Nike Air Relentless from Zappos




















Leopard Yoga Foldover Pant from Victoria's Secret

Mini Meals

I've always possessed a big appetite. I've never been one to leave uneaten food on my plate or eat a few bites of something, saving the rest for later. As I get older, my big appetite has posed a big problem--issues with portion control and weight gain.

Something that's really seemed to help is eating more frequently--mini meals, if you will. I eat about five to six times each day, starting with breakfast, a mid-morning snack, lunch, a mid-afternoon snack and finally, supper. Sometimes I'll sneak in a low-calorie snack before supper, so I'm not tempted to graze while I cook.

I like to keep my mini-meals (snacks) light and satisfying. No cardboard-tasting food for this hungry, Midwestern girl.















In order to prevent a re-creation of the famous Godzilla scene at my office and home, these are some of my go-to foods:

• Mini bags of light popcorn
• Single-serve bags of pretzels
• Cheese sticks
• Yogurt
• Apples with peanut butter
• Hummus and veggies
• Oranges
• Oatmeal
• Celery with peanut butter
• Carrot sticks
• Berries
• Almonds
• Grapes
• Mini whole wheat bagels
• Cottage cheese
• Serving of dry cereal (such as Special K)

The scale! The scale!

Perhaps it was the grogginess I felt this morning after my husband left for the office at 5 a.m. Perhaps it was the fact that I'm in a good mood, as it's Friday. Whatever the reason, I decided to step on the scale this morning. I've been avoiding it like the plague.

The scale doesn't lie. Especially not when you use a purple, five-pound dumbbell to test its accuracy first.

So in an effort to 'fess-up to my past eight months of sloth and gluttony, I present you my results: 149. That's up 11 pounds from where I was when Scott and I moved eight months ago. And 11 pounds on my short 5'3" frame is visible. What's more, I'm running out of clothes. All my jeans are snug in the hips and waist and uncomfortable.

But I'm not going to focus on that. I'm going to choose to focus on the positive. Like the fact that I've been doing my workouts every night. And I've been more conscious of my food choices. And I've been drinking more water.

The way I see it, you can choose to focus on the past or the future--and the past only keeps you at the same place or behind where you are now.

I didn't put that weight on in a month and it won't come off in a month either. Patience isn't a virtue I posses a lot of, but it's going to have to be something I strive to find.

I can say that it feels good to come clean. I've definitely been in a bit of denial about my weight gain. So now that I have that out in the open, I think it's time to move on.

Here's to health, happiness and the peace a $5 bathroom scale can bring you when you are willing to accept what it tells you. (And how you got there)

Don’t Quit

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,

When the road you are trudging seems all up hill;

When the funds are low and the debts are high

And you want to smile, but you have to sigh;

When care is pressing you down a bit,

Rest if you must, but don’t you quit.

Success is failure turned inside out,

The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,

And you can never tell how close you are,

It may be near when it seems afar;

So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit -

It’s when things seem worst that you mustn’t quit!

Consumption

All I care to do lately is eat. And eat. And eat. And not foods that are healthy and life-sustaining but trash, garbage if you will. If it is greasy, salty, sugary, fattening, fried, packaged, comes in a paper bag from the window on the side of a restaurant, chocolaty or has a high fat and/or calorie count--I want to consume it.

This consumption is consuming me.

Help. Please.

I'm unsure of where this is coming from. Usually this type of behavior happens when I feel stressed. But I'm not stressed--maybe a little unsettled though. And I have a fairly long to-do list at home. And I gained ten pounds over the course of our move. So, there you have it--I suppose I'm a little stressed.

I recently read that people have the most willpower on Fridays. Tomorrow is Friday. Tomorrow I start fresh. Wish me luck...and that a good Samaritan slaps the Snickers bar out of my hand should one find its way there.

Kick This Habit

Have you ever been asked if you have a bad habit?

When asked, I almost innately think of habits such as nail-biting, smoking, drinking too much diet soda or saying "um" too often.

Recently I was thinking about my lifestyle. I haven't been exercising and somehow way too much junk food has been ending up in my clutches. Could my lifestyle be a bad habit? Um, yes.

Yes, it's one big bad habit.

Webster's Dictionary defines a habit as the following:

hab·it - noun
1. an acquired behavior pattern regularly followed until it has become almost involuntary: the habit of looking both ways before crossing the street.

Note the phrase 'almost involuntary.' Because that Snickers bar didn't totally end up in my hand yesterday involuntarily...but almost.

Join me while I work to kick my habit. Yesterday I picked up a copy of Jillian Michaels 30-Day Shred. I completed the first workout this morning. Initially, I really like this workout and the best part thus far is that it's only a 20-minute time commitment each day. Something that's always a challenge for me is planning my meals throughout the day so I picked up an insulated lunch bag to bring my lunch and snacks with me to work, rather than being tempted to eat fast food. Mine is Igloo (similar here) and it's a black and white giraffe print. I found it at my local Big Lots.

Join me as I work to make a change. For me it's about baby steps. I will keep you posted here on my progress.