Healthy by 30?

It's the big post that you may or may not have been waiting for!  I have finally hit my 30's today.  So, first things first.  Here's how I feel about turning 30:

I feel like my 30's is going to be my decade!  :)

That being said, I thought this might be a great time to do a few things:
1. Take a look at progress in photo form
2. Take a look at progress in number form
3. Discuss if I think I made the progress I had hoped for
4. Discuss the health-oriented goals I have for my 30's
5. Rename the blog!

Let's start with #1: Progress in photo form!  Now, I will admit that looking through old photos of myself was painful.  And I mean, very painful.  It is hard to look at yourself when you know when you are not at your best.  I never saw myself as big, even though I obviously was.  The good news is that looking at these photos is very motivating as I never want to be that unhealthy again.

One thing to keep in mind with these photos:  I have always avoided cameras like the plague so I don't have that many great photos of myself at my biggest.  My more recent photos are ones that I've taken of myself (to prove to myself that I really am losing the weight and I'm not going crazy as I don't see it when I look in the mirror every day) or by my parents so I had a couple of very recent photos to post today!

All that being said, if you are interested in seeing what has been going on over the last 2ish years, click the link under the header called Progress Photos (or click here).  I will continue to update this page as I make progress!


Alrighty, let's move on to #2: Progress in number form.  Numbers don't mean that much to me but I like to see them add up over time as I often look in the mirror and don't see a change.  I will forever be a chubby girl in my brain, apparently!

As of March 17th, 2012:
Total weight lost:  91.2 pounds
Total inches lost in waist:  14
Total drop in BMI:  14.8


And... #3: Discussion of progress.  I have been saying for the last two years that my main goal was to enter my 30's healthier than I entered my 20's (I swear I wrote this on the blog somewhere along the way but for the life of me, I cannot figure out where!).  While I am NOT at my goal weight, I am very happy with where I am.  I am wearing rings that I could not wear throughout my teens and 20's.  Over Christmas, I happened upon a dress I wore for my senior pictures and it fit!  Okay, it fit over a t-shirt, tank top, sweater, and fleece pants.  I am at a weight that I have not seen since I was, oh, 14?  Most importantly, I eat very healthfully on a daily basis and I workout regularly.  These are not optional to me anymore, they are my life and I love it!

And, now for #4: Health-oriented goals for my 30's. 

1. My main goal is to continue on the same road I've been on for the last 2 years.  Slow and steady wins the race!
2. Walk a half marathon
3. Achieve and stay within a healthy weight range
4. Eat mostly whole foods and fuel my body for the long haul
5. Stay active and continue to build endurance and strength
6. Keep my Celiac and Fibromyalgia under control (sans medication for Fibro if at all possible)
7. Work on my mental vision of myself.  As mentioned earlier, I still see myself as though I haven't lost any weight.  I don't feel like I have changed.  This is something I need work on daily and probably for quite some time, if not the rest of my life.

Finally, #5: Rename the blog!  I have had a lot of really great feedback on this blog, even though I post fairly sporadically (sorry!) and I'm not listed in search engines.  There have been numerous people who have said, e-mailed, commented, or messaged me that they find this blog inspiring.  This inspires ME and I am happy that my ramblings have helped other people.  Therefore, I want to keep the blog going!  Since the name "Healthy by 30" no longer applies (being that I'm now 30!), I am seeking ideas for a new name for the blog!  Comment away below or shoot me an e-mail!  :)

Thank you to everyone who have helped me along the way over the last 2 years.  I could have never gotten this far without the support and love of everyone around me!

Coming soon:  I promised a friend that I would do a 30 during 30 list with her.  I just have to write it!

Eat for Fuel Challenge

Ah, Sunday.  I love you!  I have been going, going, going nonstop for a couple weeks and plan to take much of the day off.  I had a very hard time getting out of bed this morning and am having a hard time getting myself motivated to do much of anything lately.  I took a bit of a mental and physical break from my HM training this week as I was feeling like I was coming down with something and was just overall exhausted.

I was paging through my food journal this morning and realized that, while I my weight has been heading in the right direction (down!), I have not been hitting my calorie goals as often as I like and the foods I have been eating are not optimal.  I think this is why I have been so sluggish lately (on top of having just too much to do and too little time to sleep!).  The way I have been eating is just not going to cut it for the long term.  I haven't been too far off, but I can feel myself slipping here and there and I need to refocus myself before I let go of all control.

Since my 30th bday is officially one month (31 days) away, and my main goal is to go into my 30's as healthy as possible, I've decided to challenge myself to focus on eating foods that will healthfully fuel my body for both my everyday life and my HM training.  So, here's the plan:

31-Day Eat for Fuel Challenge

The plan is to spend the next 31 days eating 90% from the list below and in combinations that will properly fuel my body (fats + proteins + carbs + fruits/veggies).  10% of my daily calories and food intake can come from foods off the list (like coffee!).  I hope to meet my calorie goals (not over or under) 6 out of 7 days a week.  I will also be planning all of my food the night before with some flexibility built in for those times when cravings hit.

Fuel Foods:

All fruits

All veggies

Beans

Eggs

Peanut Butter (no sugar added)

Fish

Chicken or Turkey

Lentils

Quinoa
Nuts/Seeds

Oatmeal/Oats

Brown Rice

Chia and Flax

Olive Oil

Vinegar

Salsa

Spices

Yogurt

Milk

Agave

Tea

(note - I'm probably forgetting some foods and may add to this list)

Anyone up for doing this challenge with me?  I think this will be a great way to enter my 30's and am excited to be back on track.  Challenges always motivate me!

If Someone Had Told Me 2 Years Ago...

"In less than two years, you will:

1. Lose 83 pounds and 11" in your waist,
2. Be at a weight and size that you haven't seen since you were 14,
3. Happily be eating an extremely healthy, whole-food diet,
4. Be shopping exclusively in regular sizes,
5. Be saying "I'm off for a 7-9 mile walk" on a regular basis,
6. Be able to complete long walks at an average pace of 4.4 mph,
7. Work out 5-6 days a week consistently,
8. Not crave chocolate/sweets/chips/salt/Reese's PB Cups/cheese (hey, I'm a native Wisconsinite!),
9. At times have more energy than you know what to do with,
10. Not need a nap 4-5 days a week,
11. Be more worried about running out of workout clothes than work clothes before you can do laundry again,
12. Be training for a half marathon,
13. Be the first walker to cross the finish line at a 5 mile race,
14. Realize that you are an endurance-workout person - not a sprinter,
15. Eat plain yogurt happily,
16. Count your calories religiously,
17. Have Celiac Disease and Fibromyalgia, and be able to control your Fibro by exercise, healthy foods, and overall a healthy lifestyle,"

I would have laughed in their face and said, "yeah, right, sure."

How far I have come on my journey really hit me today.  I was in Target milling around the clearance racks and found myself wandering into the plus-size area.  At that point, I realized that I was among a sea of clothes that wouldn't fit and promptly got myself back to the land of regular sizes. 

I think when you work so hard on a daily basis and for so long, you kind of forget what's going on.  The changes happen so slowly that it almost doesn't feel like anything is changing.  It's so weird for me to have someone come up to me and say that I look good because I don't see that big of a change unless I put on old clothes.  Even then, I have a hard time believing that I used to fit into those clothes.

I started this journey by making small changes here and there.  Adding a little more healthy food everyday, taking out some unhealthy stuff, cutting back on habits, working out a little more, etc.  All this has added up to such an amazing experience and I am so grateful for where I am today.  I still have a little ways to go but as long as I can keep my head in the game, I'll get there.

Thank you to all of you who have supported me in the past two years!

Short Term 2012 Goals Revisited

Afternoon ya'll!  I woke up to a mess of cat toys everywhere in my apartment.  Literally.  In the bed, on the stairs, in the bathroom.  There was even one in the sink.  I live in a loft and my cat must have dropped it down from upstairs.  I piled a bunch of them up and now she's hanging out in her pile of toys...evidently making sure they are all still there and unharmed.

Since my 5-week "break" between the fall and spring semester comes to an end tomorrow, I thought that this afternoon would be a great time to revist my short term 2012 goals and add some updates on my long term goals as well.

Short Term:

1. Read From Fatigued to Fantastic:  Done!  I finished this a few weeks ago and found this to be a very useful book for those with Chronic Fatigue or Fibromyalgia.  Originally my pain management doctor told me to read this and come in with some ideas about treatment methods I'd like to try but after when I did this, he basically shot down every option I asked about.  He only wanted me on hard-core Fibro drugs.  I am not up for that.  I have been attempting to control my fibro sans prescription medications as those drugs are scary!  With incorporating some of the more holistic and natural treatment methods from this book, I am only having one or two bad flair-up days every couple of weeks. 
2. Work out 5-6 days a week:  I did well with this for the most part.  I had given myself a goal to hit 100 miles walking over the 5-weeks (average of 20 miles per week).  I met this easily (had 107.5 miles by this past Thursday) and worked out 5 days a week for the first four weeks.  During my walk on Thursday, I developed pain in the outer metatarsals of my right foot and was forced to rest up yesterday.  I am still undecided if I am going to workout yet today. 
• My lesson:  I need to incorporate cross training into my half marathon training plan.  I was thinking about this early into my workout on Thursday as I want to avoid injuries (obviously) and...well, it was too little too late. 
• Note:  I think (hope) this is an overuse injury.  Between Tuesday at 4pm and Thursday at 8:30am (40.5 hours), I walked 17 very fast miles (+ 3 miles to and from the gym/work at a slower pace because of icy sidewalks).  Stupid, silly mistake that could have easily been avoided!  Rookie mistake not to be repeated.
3. "Work" (i.e. do something productive) 3-5 hours per day:  Heh, yeah.  I tried.  I kept getting distracted.  Some days were great and very productive, others...not so much.
4. Cook good food:  Yes!  Been all over this one.
5. &    6.  Make food planning easier:  I did not finish this and hope to do so this within the next two weeks.  It's turning out to be harder than I thought!

A few notes on my 2012 Long Term Goals:

Trying a new recipe every week:  This has been going well.  We are three weeks in and I've tried several new recipes:  Tomato Bisque, Black Bean Soup, Frozen Yogurts, Blackeye Pea Stir Fry.  Ha - the funny thing is that I created three of these so I don't know if they technically count but I'm counting them since they are brand new.  I'm currently searching for a crock pot chicken recipe to try tomorrow.

Half Marathon:  I have chosen a half marathon and plan to sign up as soon as my foot is good to go again!  I don't want to sign up too soon and find that my foot issue is more serious than I think it is.  I have been working on creating my own training plan since my current fitness level would start me about 1/2 way through most walking training plans.  I'll post this when I get it done.  Lots of cross training and rest days will be built in!  I'm very excited about this and plan to complete the training and actual race by myself as I want to prove to myself that I can motivate and push myself to this level of fitness.

Here's something funny for your entertainment:  I've actually had people laugh at me when I mention that I plan to walk a half marathon (including a doctor).  Not because they don't think I can do it, because they think it's super easy.  Some of these people I have cheered on in the past when they wanted to run a race or accomplish other goals. 

Here's the deal: 

1. I cannot run on a regular basis.  When I do, I cannot walk for days.  My hips and knees just can't handle it (likely because I've been overweight for so long).  Funny enough, this pain is worse now than it was 78 pounds ago!
2. If these people think it's so easy, I'd like to see them try to train and then walk 13.1 miles at a good pace.  Not strolling.  I'm in this to meet my own goals and potential.  I do not plan on walking at a leisurely 3.5 mph pace.  Of course, my first goal is to just finish the race, but I would also like to do my best.
3. If I weren't so afraid of hurting other people's feelings, I likely would have told them to back off.  I don't care if you are the fittest person on planet earth.  We each have our own goals and no matter what they are, they are valid and should be supported by others who care about us.
4. I have had a lot of support from my family and friends and to them, I am so grateful!

Stay warm out there!  I'm glad I'm not shoveling the 6-7" of snow we got yesterday!

Year End Recap & New Year's Resolutions

Last year, my goal was to hold on to the healthy living bandwagon for dear life.  I definitely accomplished that.  The last year has been a rollercoaster ride and this is possibly the first year that I am so happy for a fresh start.  I am honestly not a New Year's Resolution person, but I do like going into a new year with goals. 

A little spring to get us through the winter.  :)

First, a 2011 recap!  For whatever reason, I do not have my stats from before last June, so I estimate that in the last year, I have lost approximately 48ish pounds, 26 since July. 76 pounds overall.  Yep, I'm a slow loser, but that's okay.  I feel more prepared to live my life healthfully once I meet goal. 

I have also completely changed the way I eat.  I try my hardest to stay away from most processed foods and have greatly decreased my meat intake (I only eat chicken, fish, and turkey in general).  I typically am only eating meat if someone else cooks it or if I go out to eat.  This means that my veggie intake is up!  Yay! 

So, here are a few good posts that puts the last year into perspective:

-Celiac and Healing Through Food Part I and Part II
-Hitting the big 5-0
-My biggest weight loss resource:  my food scale!
-The Awesome-ness of CSAs
-Learning to love veggies for breakfast
-Recap on being diagnosed with Fibromyalgia (more on that later) and my awesome Turkey Trot!

I thought I'd put forth some goals for 2012:  short term, for the spring semester, and long term.  Hopefully at the end of 2012, I'll be checking these off with glee.  Today, I'm just going to start with my short term goals for 2012 (the next three-four weeks).

1. Read From Fatigued to Fantastic!  I saw a pain management specialist yesterday who gave me a little shock: he doesn't think I have fibromyalgia.  I have all the symptoms and everything lines up but I don't "look like like a fibro".  According to this doc, I am too athletic, my muscles are in too good of shape, and I am in no means depressed (very often accompanies fibromyalgia).  Because he has no other ideas on what I could be dealing with, he told me to read this book and come back to see him with ideas about where I want to go on this.  I get to decide on my treatment options (and they will NOT include prescription medications if I have a choice)!  I like having this control and I'm glad he's giving me options.

2. Work out 5-6 day a week.  I've been doing well with this since the fall semester ended.  This is just a "keep it up!" goal.

3. Work 3-5 hours a day.  This doesn't necessarily mean work on work for next semester, but do something productive (like prepping for spring) or finish projects that I have started but never finished.  I tend to get very lazy during the breaks between semesters.  I stress myself out way too much over the semester and then just zone out until it's time to go through it again.  Time to get productive and get stuff done before the spring semester sneaks up on me!

4. Cook!  And cook good food.

5. Create menus.  I use a whiteboard on my fridge to sort out what I want to make each week but I feel like I could be making it easier on myself.  I plan to list out all the foods I make for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks so I can make meal planning quicker and easier.  I want to put these in sheet protectors on my fridge so I can look at it easily and make grocery lists easier (and hopefully save a little money this spring!).

6. Similarly to making food planning easier, I want to make calorie counting easier.  I want to go through the most common foods I eat and have a list on my fridge of the calories per ounce so that calorie counting doesn't have to be so time consuming.


Okay, off to eat breakfast (pumpkin yogurt and quinoa granola!).  I hope everyone had an awesome holiday last weekend and a very safe New Years!  Longer term goals are coming!

What are you thankful for?

Have you seen (or participated in) the Facebook Thanksgiving tradition of stating what you are thankful for every day in the month of November until Thanksgiving?  I thought this was a great idea and something I wanted to do, but I have been so busy that it has slipped my mind every day (literally).  So, I thought I would make it up to myself by posting it here!  So, below is my list of everything I am thankful for.  Though I probably could make a list that reaches into infinity, I'll cap it at 24 as Thanksgiving lands on the 24th day of November this month.  Some things might be a little silly, other things are not silly at all.  So, here we go!

I am thankful for:

1. My parents.  My parents are incredibly supportive and have backed me up my entire life - even if I was doing something they thought was stupid.  They provided a good example of how to live my life: work hard and appreciate what you are given.  They also supported (but tried to talk me out of) me not going to college straight out of high school.  I may have stressed them out a lot but in the end, I am an explorer and needed to figure out for myself what I wanted to do with my life.
2. My sister.  My sister is hard on me sometimes (in a good way!) and super supportive all the rest of the time.  I learned a sense of hard work and competitiveness from her.  She also taught me how to be tough when times get rough.
3. My sister's kids!  They are flippin' cute and so much fun to be around!
4. Pets!
• Bella.  Bella is my cat who I adopted from the Humane Society over 5.5 years ago.  She was about to be put down because no one wanted a cat who had a food allergy.  I totally know how food allergies go and decided to take a risk.  Turns out, she didn't have a food allergy (or got over it) and is the absolute best pet.  She makes living alone much less lonely.
• Copper.  Copper is my parent's springer spaniel.  I picked her out (or rather, she picked me out) over 6 years ago and she is such a good walking buddy when I'm at my parent's house.  She also loves Bella.  Bella pretends not to love her back.
5. My grandmothers.  Both of my amazing grandmothers have passed but I still remember them at every holiday (and every day).  I miss having them around but I am so thankful for the time I was able to have with them.
6. My job.  My job has taught me so, so much.  I grew up a pretty shy kid and my job forces me to step outside of my comfort zone and learn to deal with difficult situations.  I also get to be creative and set my own schedule - not too shabby.  :)
7. My work-a-holic-ness.  I'm not sure that's a word, but I can definitely be a perfectionist at work and that leads to work-a-holic-ness.  This can be a major stressor (sorry coworkers!) but I also think I wouldn't be where I am today without this quality.
8. Pumpkin.  'Nuff said.
9. Coffee.  Again, 'nuff said.
10. Being able to cook.  I live alone and I think if I wasn't able to cook, I would be a mess!  Cooking is so relaxing and you get a tasty treat when you are done.  And, getting to control what I eat = healthy!
11. My inability to bake.  Every now and then, I'll randomly be able to bake something decent, but let's face it, I really can't bake.  I have no patience to perfectly measure ingredients and bake for an exact time.  This is a good thing because I'd never get healthy if I was able to bake perfectly!
12. Charlie.  Charlie was the cat I had before Bella.  Charlie had feline leukemia (FeLV) and feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) and I only had her for a year.  The thing about Charlie is that she A) taught my parent's dog, Copper, exactly how to respect cats and B) taught me that even though you only have something for a short time, that doesn't mean that that time was wasted. 
13. My health.  Yes, I have some health issues (Celiac, muscle issues...), but in general, I am a very healthy person.  I am so thankful that I am strong and resilient.
14. Pickles.  My favorite food!  I can eat pickles any time of day - they make me happy.
15. My dad's green thumb.  I have a brown thumb.  I cannot grow much of anything.  My dad, on the other hand, can take a seemingly dead plant and bring it back to life in record time.  Because my dad has a green thumb, I get lots of free veggies, squash, apples, and pears from him!
16. Thanksgiving & Christmas.  I love the holidays.  They are such a good opportunity (and reason) to go home and see my family and friends!
17. My friends.  I have the greatest group of friends!  It's small.  There are some people I've known since 1st grade, some since high school, some since college and grad school, and some from work.  They are always there whenever I need someone to talk to and can pick me up when I'm feeling crummy.
18. Time off.  Because Thanksgiving is coming up, I will have a little time off.  I am so thankful for this as I really need time to decompress and get out of town!
19. My coworkers.  I ask a lot of questions and they are super supportive.  They also help me out so, so much!
20. My car.  So materialist.  I usually only drive 1-2 times a week (walk all the rest of the time) but I am so thankful that it doesn't break down when I need it.  I felt like my last car was in the shop every month.  My little Versa is the little engine that could.
21. Reese's peanut butter cups/trees/eggs...  My favorite candy.
22. My country.  I may not always like what's going on or want to hear everyone's opinions on everything under the sun, but I am thankful that we have the opportunity to say whatever we want without punishment and we are able to vote for what we believe in.  We have freedoms that others could only dream of.  We Americans are incredibly lucky.
23. My faith.  I do not attend church on a regular basis, but I am spiritual and believe that someone is looking out for me and my family.  I feel like everything happens for a reason and am thankful for every opportunity (positive or negative) that I receive.
24. Frugality.  I don't make a lot of money but I have everything I need (not everything I want).  I think it's totally cool to not have everything I want.  It teaches me what's really important.  In these tough economic times, I am so very thankful to have the ability to provide myself with everything I need and the ability to live comfortably.

Well, that was easy!  If only Thanksgiving was later in the month...

What are you thankful for?

Checking In

Hey folks!  Sorry it has been so long since my last post.  Things have been good yet crazy busy.  The good news is that I have lots to report so if you've been wondering how my healthy crusade is going, this post is for you!

For the most part, everything has been going well.  I have, however, been slipping on eating from time to time.  Too many sweet and crunchy things.  In times like this, I feel like it's important to check in with myself and see what up.  When I look at all that's going on, eating wise, I think I have just been too busy to make good choices.  I don't think of this as a cop out as I have been trying so very hard.  Stress, however, tends to result in bad choices for myself.  Also, I have been too busy over the past 2 months to spend weekend time cooking.  I am still working on strategies to combat these issues.  However:

Stress + no time = bad news!

Exercise, however, has been going well.  I have been skipping the gym in favor of walking outside for the past month and a half.  I am planning to walk the 5-mile Turkey Trot run on Thanksgiving.  I wanted to run this but every time I run regularly, I end up with sore knees and left hip for weeks and it just isn't worth it.  You can walk the 5-mile Turkey Trot but you have to finish it in 90 minutes.  So, I've been working to figure out if I can do it.  I have spent the last 1.5 months working myself up to 5-mile walks that I can do on a work day (as in, I don't exercise and spend the rest of the day sleeping and tired). 

Now that I've worked my way up to 5 miles, I am also working on speed.  The Turkey Trot requires a pace of 18 minutes per mile.  I didn't want to sign up without being sure I could do this and started timing 1 or 2 5-mile walks per week for a few weeks now.  Here are the times/speeds of my timed 5-mile walks (note that the majority of my walks are untimed as I tend to get a little obsessive about it):

Oct 1st (based on 6 miles):  90 minutes, 4 mph

Oct 4th:  74 minutes, 20 seconds; 4.04 mph

Oct 8th:  72 minutes, 30 seconds; 4.14 mph

Oct 10th:  75 minutes, 40 seconds; 3.97 mph

Oct 16th:  68 minutes, 30 seconds; 4.38 mph

Oct 17th:  70 minutes; 0 seconds; 4.29 mph

I'm pretty happy with this, especially since I am seeing improvement.  I had some sort of flu or other issue that has been causing me to be up all night with widespread muscle aches.  I don't know what's going on with that, but I'm happy that I am still progressing.  I took a number of days off last week when the achiness was particularly bad, thinking that I was perhaps stressing my body too much, but it did not help.  The mystery of this continues...

So, since I am checking in with myself and not entirely happy with what I see, I think it's important to look at how far I've come (plus I've had 7 people ask me to do this in the last week).  ;)  I seriously committed and started working towards my goal of being healthy around April-May 2010 but I'm going to list my stats from my most unhealthy point, which I think was around Dec-Jan 2009-2010.  First, a couple of photos.

October, 2009.  My mom and I at the Memory Walk.
2XL shirt here!  :(



October, 2011.  My mom and I at the Memory Walk.
L shirt here (and in desperate need of a haircut)!  :) 
Take a look at my mom - she is doing amazing
on her own journey!



















Okay, so a couple stats for those who have been asking:

Total pounds lost:  66 lbs (as of yesterday)
Inches lost around waist (the only one I can remember):  8.5"
Dress size:  down ~4 sizes
Clothing size:  down ~ 3-4 sizes (depending on brand)
BMI change:  down 11 points*
Walking mph change:  went from 3.3 mph to 4.4 mph when working out

I think those are all of my major changes and, wow, seeing those things written down and the photos side by side gives me quite a bit of motivation to get back on track with my nutrition.  I should have done this sooner!  The craziness in my life is starting to calm down (hopefully) and I plan to get back into meal planning and cooking every night or at least making sure I have enough healthy leftovers for the entire week if the week is going to be busy.

*For those of you who really hate the BMI scale, I understand the reasons.  However, this is what all doctors I have been to use.  Also, it gives you a good understanding of how far away from a normal weight you are.  Seeing such a huge change is so motivating, even if you don't like the scale.

Fresh Start

Fall is in the air, as evidenced by where my cat has been hanging out for the past few days:

There are a lot of great things about my job as a college lecturer, but I would say my absolute favorite thing is that I get a fresh start every few months.  Have a bad semester?  No problem, there's a new one coming!  Never fails.

The fall semester is just beginning this week and I am hoping to kick a few problems that I've had in the past.  I also had a bit of a health scare (well, it was scary to me!) this past week.  Everything is going to be okay but I have to keep a close eye on my health.  So, I have a number of goals for this fall semester.  It's always best to write this stuff down as it feels more official and it adds motivation when other people know about it.  Here we go!

1.  Make more GOOD food!  I've gotten into the habit of cooking very healthy food and processed foods are really losing their appeal for me.  This is a good thing, but it also means spending a lot more time shopping and cooking.  A few recent concoctions:

Touch crooked - sorry!   Combo of carrot juice and dad's apple cider.



Quinoa, tomatoes, white beans, and steamed kale.


Currently, since I JUST went shopping, my fridge looks like this:

In my defense of the crazy bottom shelf, I cannot put anything in the back 6-8" of my fridge or it will freeze and I will have wasted money on spinach and whatever else is back there!

My fridge is packed!  This means I had better get cooking!  I also am starting an autumn CSA this fall and the roster of veggies I will be getting for the week looks great!  I need to keep up with this.  Since Wisconsin will soon be entering what I call Root Veggie Season, I am taking advantage of getting varied produce at decent prices while I still can!  I am also becoming a huge fan of green smoothies.  Check out recipes here:  http://greenmonstermovement.com/.  I know they look gross, but you cannot taste the spinach or kale and they are so healthy and delicious!

2.  Keep up with my workouts.  I joined the gym at work a couple of weeks ago and have scheduled my workouts into my day, which means walking home at the end of the day, taking a quick nap, having a quick snack, and walking back to the gym.  I plan to workout at the gym at least 4 work week days a week and at least one weekend day for a total of 5-6 days a week.  This will depend, of course, on what else is going on in my life but seems fairly doable.  My workout shoes and weights at my house need to see the light of day more often than they have recently!

I also plan to keep a set of workout clothes in my office so that if works runs late, I can just go hit the gym instead of using the excuse that I can't go because I don't have my workout stuff.  I already keep a set of shoes and my pass there since I hate carrying them to and from campus.



3.  Read more often!  It is not unheard of for me to start a book at the beginning of the fall semester and not finish until May because I am so busy and too tired at night to read longer than 5 minutes.  I have this stack of books that I am going to get through before June!

4.  Computer is off by 7:30pm, TV is off by 9pm.  And, I say this, but it's 9:45pm and I'm blogging with the TV on for noise.  I will be working on this though!  I need to get away from these activities a little bit.  I, for some reason, feel the need to check my work e-mail before going to bed.  While this is somewhat a casualty of the job and I know my students appreciate it, I need to respect my personal time a bit more.  This leads to #5.

5.  Work during work time and play during play time.  I seriously have a problem setting work boundaries and, as a result, have worked 7 days a week every semester for the past 2 years.  Now that I'm entering my third year of this job, I am much, much more comfortable with what I teach, how my schedule runs, what I need to do for prep, and how often I need to contact my students.  No more work e-mail on Sundays!  No working Saturdays or Sundays unless it's midterms/finals, extreme circumstances, or working with the Circle K club on campus (my new service activity for the year!).

6.  Make more time for hobbies!  Since cool/cold/frigid/tundra-like weather is coming, I need to pick up my crocheting again.  I started this afghan a long time ago with my grandmother and is the first serious crocheting item that I have stuck with worked on occasionally for the last 10 years. 

6.  Get ready for work the night before!  This means packing workout clothes if I am not coming home after work, pack my lunch and 2 snacks in my new giant thermal bag (below), ironing my clothes if I'm not going to be outside romping with my students, and packing up my work bag.  I hate doing this stuff but it's necessary to do it the night before because it takes up so much time in the morning.

7.  Finally (but probably not finally because I'm sure I'll find more stuff that I can improve on), reduce caffeine intake asap!  I love coffee.  Love, love, love.  I also love tea.  A great deal of my precious counter space looks like this on a good day (and much more messy/cluttered on a bad day):

This does not account for the shelves in my pantry that are filled with coffee and tea.  I have a problem!  I've managed to wean myself down to one cup of coffee a day.  I plan to start replacing coffee with tea at least three days a week.  I'll work my way down from there.  I don't know that I'll ever be able to enter my classroom to teach without coffee in my system but I can try!

So, there you have it!  The 7 things that I need to work on this year!  It's going to be a battle but I think anything I can do to make a healthier choice is worthwhile. 

Sweating it out

I'm currently battling a cold/sinus infection/thing, which got me thinking.  Is it better to workout when you're sick (sweat it out) or just to lay low.  I always battle with myself over this.  I mean, I may be sick, but am I so sick that I need to go lay in bed all day?  Today that answer was no.  I have been lucky this time around because I've had time to sleep and rest, work (though not super productively), and workout. 

My theory is this:  If whatever illness I happen to have does not involve my lungs, stomach (flu), or a fever, I usually will try to workout, even if it's just for a 1/2 hour and isn't very intense.  Activity during a cold or sinus infection (though it can be a huge issue to breathe through) seems to lessen the symptoms, even if only for a few hours.  I've also read that working out can boost your immune system, so it's a double whammy!

Whenever I accidently ingest something gluten-containing and I get symptoms, exercise is really the only thing that will help me feel better for a little while.  Trust me, if you know what it's like to have Celiac-like issues, you know that working out is the last thing you want to do!  But, if I can get my butt off the couch and go for a walk longer than 30 minutes (no matter how slow), it really seems to help.

So with cold and flu season on the horizon, I have been considering carrying a can of Lysol (or rather Method Antibac spray) with me where ever I go.  If this is a cold, I think I got it from the gym I recently joined.  If it's a sinus issue, then I blame the season.  Soon, however, I will be in close contact with 170 undergraduates.  If I don't get sick again, it will be a miracle!

On a different note, I had a kid (estimated age of 16) congratulate me for working out today at the gym.  When she asked when I started coming to the gym, I told her I joined last week.  She then proceeded to look all smug and say that she's been coming to the gym since she's been 12 and that some people just make a habit out of it.  I, of course, kept my mouth shut, as per my personaility, but I couldn't help but think that I've been a regular exerciser for longer than she's been alive!  Aparently since I hadn't joined that gym years ago, I have never worked out in my life, according to her mind.  Oh to be so naive again! 

Oh well, I'll go on with my life knowing that even if I had just joined a gym and started working out for the first time in my life, you have to start somewhere and whenever you make the decision to make your life healthier in any form, it's a good thing.

Stay healthy!

President's Adult Fitness Challenge

Remember the fitness tests in phy ed from way back in grade, middle, and high school?  I do...in fact...I think I remember it way too much!  It was such a source of stress for a chubby little kid like me.  When I say stress, I mean from the moment that I heard that the fitness tests were coming, I would think about it all the time and wonder how horrible I would do that time around.  1-mile run?  Yeah, it was more a walk.  Shuttle run?  Not too horrific.  Curl ups?  Always semi-okay here.  But, flex arm hang?  HA!  I still can't do that even with working on my upper body strength all summer.  I was always so jealous of the kids who could do well and always felt horrible when I didn't get a medal. 

So I was thinking about this tonight (I can honestly admit that I have no clue what triggered this), I started wondering if there was an adult fitness test similar to what we were subjected to as kids.  Sure enough...there is!  And, oh it is so much easier!  Well, I mean, at least they don't expect me to do the flexed arm hang anymore!

So, I was pretty bored tonight as the semester has not yet started and I am out of books to read.  I figured I might as well give this a go.  Now, I kind of cheated a little here.  I used my average mile walk time and heart rate after one mile from the gym yesterday when I walked 4 miles on the treadmill.  Otherwise, the other components are the sit and reach (ugh...), 1/2 sit ups, and pushups.  Here's my results:

The results here are kind of funny as they are so similar to where I remember being as a chubby kid.  I probably could walk faster but I thought my heart rate wasn't too bad.  Aparently, I'm not up to par with the rest of my age group though!  BUT!  Heck yeah!  I crushed the sit-ups and push-ups!  Oh yes, my strong exercises as a kid are still strong as an adult (and I would argue they are much stronger than when I was a kid).  Flexibility was so-so.  I know I'm not the most flexible at the moment, I didn't need the President's Challenge to tell me that!

Final thoughts on this?  Basically, I am only 1/2 way to my weight loss goal and my overall score is in the 57th percentile.  I'm good with that right now, especially since I'm fighting a cold right now.

On another note, I was finally getting used to the cooler weather and getting super in the mood for fall and...wham.  Hot weather!  I'm not looking forward to baking in my extremely sunny, non-air conditioned office tomorrow, especially since I'm pretty congested with this cold/sinus infection/thingy.  I've decided to try to think of it as a free sauna!  Two more days of hot and then cool fall weather will be upon us.  I even saw some low temperatures in the 40's for next week!  Perfect weather for the start of September!

Closet Shopping

No, I am thinking about buying a closet.  However, I am basking in the glow of shopping out of my own closet!  This is something that almost anyone with a significant amount of weight to lose can relate to.  In my closet, I've had a number of bins of "skinny clothes" (anything that is likely 2-3 sizes smaller than where I started) starring me in the face for years.  Now, when I moved in May and again in July, I went though those bins and donated/gave away any article of clothing that looked as though it belonged in the 1990's or early 2000's or if it was just something that wasn't my style anymore. 

However, I kept two bins of clothes that was classified as "cute-skinny clothes" (i.e. anything that didn't fit yet, but hopefully would in the future and are cute/classic enough to still wear even though they are at least 4-6 years old).  The idea behind closet shopping is that you can go into these bins as you progress in your weight loss and pull out "new" clothes without it costing you a dime. 

As my current pile of jeans requires a very tight belt to avoid them falling to the floor as I walk (or just stand there, as I found out the other day), I thought I might as well do some closet shopping when I was sitting around not able to sleep last night.  I pulled out every single pair of jeans from the skinny bins and voila!  Every one of them fit!  It's crazy how you don't even realize you are loosing inches when you aren't paying attention.  These jeans didn't fit a month ago and I've only lost about 5 lbs since then.

Here's the important thing about closet shopping:  it shouldn't work the other way.  I am refusing to put together "pudgy bins" (sorry, I hate the word "fat"!) as I don't ever want to even think about the possibility of gaining the weight back and wearing those clothes again.  So, all my clothes that are too big get put into a big pile and are given away or donated.  I didn't even keep my largest pair of pants like you see so often in those weight loss commercials and shows.  I don't care about all that.  I don't want them in my house!

So this week, it looks like I need to go through my skinny bins and see what else I have in there that fits.  I was given some smaller clothes from a kind soul who took pity on me having to buy every size on the way down to my goal weight, so I think my skinny bins will be refilled with those clothes.

Finally, bear with me as the design of my blog keeps changing without me doing anything!  I'm going to give it (whatever "it" is) a little time to settle down and then I'll change it to fall colors (I love seasons!).

Back to Life, Back to Reality

Back to Life is an old Soul II Soul song that I woke up with stuck in my head.  The lyrics "back to life, back to reality" are also what I need to direct my mind to after every weight loss show that I see or hear about.  Yesterday, I was talking to a student that I taught during my first semester at my current position.  She asked me how much weight I had lost and how long it had taken me.  When I told her, she asked, "That's it?"

While, yes, she put her foot in her mouth a little there, it also made me realize how distorted people's ideas of weight loss have become since shows like The Biggest Loser have started airing.  I've been doing a little reading and here's the deal with the contestants on The Biggest Loser:

1. They workout for 4-6 hours a day, six days a week
2. They are constantly being monitored by doctors
3. They have personal trainers who not only do one-on-one training but also develop additional workouts and personalized nutrition for each contestant
4. They have nothing else to do, they are stuck on a ranch and aren't allowed to leave

Now, I have nothing but respect for the contestants, they are working hard and getting healthy.  However, is this something that I could do at home safely?  No!  I'm doing this by myself.  I work.  There is no way I could exercise 4-6 hours a day and still effectively teach concepts like Coriolis, climate change, and the formation of glacial landforms for another 4-6 hours a day. 

The truth is, I am happy with what I have accomplished.  I may not have lost as much as other people who are doing this on their own but I am doing something that a lot of people wish they could.  It hasn't always been easy, I have given in to plenty of cravings and missed plenty of workouts. 

Slow and steady weight loss is working for me.  Can I see myself living like this for the rest of my life?  Yes!  Can I see myself working out 4 hours a day, 6 days a week for the rest of my life?  No!  I have a life and goals and I can do this without going to such an extreme.

My response to my former student was to ignore her disdain and reply with a very cheerful, "Yep!  Isn't it great?  I feel fantastic!"  The next time the scale is stuck or when I watch The Biggest Loser finale next week I am going to be reminding myself what I have accomplished with both my body and my career and the relationships I have built with my family and friends.  All these things together have resulted in the great life that I am currently living.

Motivations

Do you ever have one of those days in which you really can't get yourself to do anything, much less workout? I have those days...all the time!  The key for me is to keep some motivators in my back pocket.  Here are a few tips that I have found exceptionally helpful:

1.  If there is a particular time of day that you are more likely to workout, try to schedule time to workout then.  For me, this is anywhere between 9:30am to 1:30pm.  After that, I'm useless.  Unfortunately for me, I am usually teaching or have other obligations during that time.  Thus, I move on to the rest of my motivational list.

2.  Find a buddy.  When I'm at my parent's house, I walk with my parent's dog and my mom.  Today, I had a running buddy.  Working out when you really don't want to isn't as bad when you can focus on your buddy instead of how hard you are breathing.

3.  Do something you love.  Don't workout just because it's good for you.  For me, I hate, hate, hate being a mouse on a wheel (which is what treadmills feel like to me).  I think it's boring and I hate that I'm not going anywhere.  In the long run, you are more likely to stick with something you like and thus be healthier than if you did two weeks in the gym, got sick of it, and gave up.

4.  Find someone or something that is inspirational to you.  It could be those pants you are hoping to wear or someone who has accomplished what you are working for.  I like Ali Vincent a lot (first female winner of the Biggest Loser).  She doesn't play games, she works hard, and I see a lot of myself in her.  If you haven't yet, read Believe It, Be It, written by Vincent.  I think I've read that book three or four times.  It helps to know that I'm not the only one who thinks this stuff is hard sometimes.



5.  When everything above fails, you have come down to the final two options.  If you know your body needs a workout and just don't feel like it, give yourself a 10 minute workout.  This tip comes from the book The Go-Girl Guide: Surviving Your 20s with Savvy, Soul, and Style by Julia Borland.  My sister gave me this book when I turned 20 and, sadly, it looks like I will need to hand it off in 10 months.

The theory is that if you workout for 10 minutes, you will likely feel better and you'll finish out the workout.  The truth is, this works!  I love Jillian Michaels' workouts.  My current obsession is Jillian's Ripped in 30.  It's literally a total body workout in 34 minutes (and it's a great workout!).  After 10 minutes in front of Jillian, I always finish.

The second of the final options is to take a rest day.  A cop out?  Maybe.  It can also be exactly what you need.  If I have worked out 4 days or more in a row, especially if they are intense workouts, sometimes I just need a day off to let my muscles rest and rebuild.  I can pick up where I left off the next day.

What are your motivations?

Challenge Update

I really did not want to go for a run today!  My muscles were tired and sore.  Luckily, I had planned to run with a good friend and did not want to cancel on her.  We did not run all that far (just under 1.5 miles) and we walked the rest of the way but it was a good workout none-the-less and it was way better for me than sitting on the couch.