New cardio routine

I've been feeling overwhelmed by the working mom thing, and trying to do everything else on top—mainly, getting fit and keeping my house in order. I've been feeling especially bad because my mornings at home with Evan are getting to be rushed and full of stress. Is it any wonder he gets cranky and whiney? Mom isn't giving him her full attention.

I'm making it a point to spend as much face-to-face time as I can with him, and if I have to let other things slide then so be it. He is my #1 priority, so everything else will have to get in line.

So when I can combine my priorities, that's when everything does fall into line, quite perfectly. That's why I'm so excited I found a new way to get in a good workout AND have great play time with Evan.

I had some fun pick-me-up music playing this morning as I was getting dressed, and Evan was playing on the floor next to me. When he started to get restless, I intervened with a high-energy Lady Gaga number—singing, dancing and all.

To my surprise and delight, he laughed. Laughing is new to him and he doesn't do it often, so naturally I kept up my act and really went at it. Then I picked him up and started dancing, kicking and jumping with him, and he laughed hysterically—until he threw up all over both of us.

It was so worth it :)

Weekly recipe roundup

Time for some new inspiration in the form of tasty recipes. These come from my friend Cassy and my aunt Sharon, both of whom know how to make a healthy meal. I haven't tried these yet but I plan on it soon. If any of you get to it first, post and tell us what you thought.

From Cassy:

Almost Vegan Wrap

• Low-carb spinach wraps
• Spinach
• Bell Pepper
• Cucumber
• Avocado
• Bean Sprouts
• Banana Peppers
• Black Olives
• Light Mayo
• Low-fat Cheese
• Mustard
• Salt and pepper
• Sweet vinaigrette

Slap it all together and enjoy. We love this in the summer on a hot day. 

Healing Cabbage Soup

• 1 tbs and 1-1/2 tsp olive oil
• 1/4 onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 4 cups water
• 2 teaspoons chicken bouillon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
• 1/4 head cabbage, cored and coarsely chopped
• 1/2 (14.5 ounce) can Italian-style stewed tomatoes, drained and diced

In a large stockpot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Stir in onion and garlic; cook until onion is transparent, about 5 minutes. Stir in water, bouillon, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then stir in cabbage. Simmer until cabbage wilts, about 10 minutes. Stir in tomatoes. Return to a boil, then simmer 15 to 30 minutes, stirring often.

Yield: 4 Servings

 A note from the chef: “I first made this when we lived in Provo. We were super duper poor and this was a really cheap and filling soup. Steven hated how our house smelled like a giant fart. However, this recipe lasted a whole week. I still make it sometimes. I don’t make Steven eat it all week anymore, but it is a comfort food and it reminds me of how far we have come."

From Sharon:

Mostaccioli With Beans and Roma Tomatoes

• Frozen whole wheat mostaccioli
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2-3 cloves garlic, crushed
• Fresh mushrooms, sliced
• Olive oil
• About 1 cup green beans
• 4-6 Roma tomatoes, chopped
• About 1 c chicken broth
• Parmesan cheese
• Italian spices
• Salt & pepper

Cook pasta. Meanwhile, cook onion, garlic and mushrooms in oil. When pasta is finished, drain and stir in green beans. Add all ingredients in a pot and cook over medium-low. Add spices to taste.

Anyone else with a recipe to share? Comment here or e-mail me at ltmaxfield@gmail.com. Bon appetit!

Ugh

This weekend was a disaster. Pizza, Del Taco, soda and Thai food = FAIL. I managed to hold steady at 156, but it was a close one. I'm glad I decided to measure and take pictures the 1st of every month rather than every 4 weeks, because that gives me a grace period of 5 days to get my act together.

On the plus side, I've been more active and met nearly all my previous week's goals. I only missed crunches and squats/lunges once, and I'm determined to keep going.

I do need to get some serious cardio going, though. Just doing that dinky little beginner's run on the Wii Fit kills me! You think I'd be better after carting Moose Baby around, but he's just making me weaker. The other day I walked a few houses down to visit a neighbor, and I didn't want to pack the stroller for my quick visit so I just carried my not-so-little one. Let me tell you, I was WINDED. That kid is huge—and squirmy—and I am seriously out of shape. If life were a B-movie and I had to run from a zombie horde, I'd be one of the first to get picked off.

On that note, what's the deal with jogging strollers? I'm not a serious runner, so would it be worth the investment for me to get even a used one? It seems to me his regular stroller would be fine for my pathetic running efforts, but what do I know. Any thoughts?

Until next time, when I bring you some yummy recipes shared by you, my friends and family.

Strange realization

Despite the scale telling me I've lost 4 pounds, something even better is happening: My pants are getting loose and I have gone in a belt notch or two.

Needless to say, this is awesome. Soon I may have to go through my boxes of stored clothes marked "skinny" and, instead of clear them out for space, dust them off to actually wear again.

This led to a strange realization: I've never had to do this before, meaning... I've never lost weight.

I have mixed emotions about this. On the one hand, it's awesome, a deserved sweet victory. On the other, this means that I've just continually gotten fatter and fatter.

Despite my years of good intentions and my stops and starts on exercise programs, I've never succeeded.

And that, my friends, is the most depressing thought of all—and the reason that I must push on and I MUST SUCCEED NOW.

Hiding the good stuff

I was going to do my weekly recipe roundup last night but I forgot to actually round up the recipes. So, let me issue a call:

Anyone with a healthy, delicious meal to share, send 'em over! 

E-mail them to ltmaxfield@gmail.com and I'll post them next week.

Today I'm continuing my love affair with veggies. I've been craving them more and more, but rather than cook them all as side dishes I've been adding them to a bunch of other foods.

For example:

This soup comes from a mix, Bear Creek Cheddar Broccoli. Because it was from a package it had a lot of sodium, but it was much lower in calories and fat than a made-from-scratch recipe. Then, I improved on it with veggies.

I cooked about 3/4 cup of each: carrots, green beans, broccoli and corn while the soup was cooking. I put them in the blender, added a bit of soup, and blended it enough to chop the veggies into pieces about the size of sunflower seeds. (A food processor, veggie chopper or a good old kitchen knife will work too.) I poured everything from the blender into the soup pot and let everything cook together. It was so tasty and I didn't feel as bad for eating a mix since I added nearly four servings of vegetables.

You can do the same in more things than soup. I've done zucchini and carrots in spaghetti sauce, squash and carrots in meatloaf, spinach or cabbage into mashed potatoes (for a version of potatoes colcannon) and this week I'll be adding mushrooms and carrots into a lasagna.

In other news, I'm happy to report I have made excellent progress on my weekly goals so far. I've already done the Wii fit once, gone on walks twice, and done all but one day of my strength training exercises (which I'm making up for today). I'm feeling good for meeting my goals, no matter what the dreaded measurements may say on Monday.

I am recommitting

At my weekly weigh-in I had another victory: another pound lost! I am down to 156, just one li'l pound above my pre-baby weight. Then, 30 more to go...

I've been going back and forth in my mind if I really deserve this pound lost. On one hand, I've had a LOT of desserts this week and I've let soda creep back into my diet—not on a daily basis like before, but still, I've had like 3 or 4 cans of Coke this week. On the other hand, I'm getting even more veggies in my diet by sneaking them into regular foods (more on that in another post).

On yet another hand, I have hardly worked out at all this past week. But on the other-other hand, my activity level in general is up. In fact, there have been several days when I've gone to bed with sore calves from being on the move all day long. That says something right there.

I'm deciding to be done with my mental tug-of-war.

Instead of saying, "I don't deserve this pound lost," I will say, "Think how many more pounds I could lose if I just tried a little harder."

I am recommitting to getting fit.

To help me stay on track, I'm making more concrete goals so I can feel I've actually accomplished what I set out to do. This week I will:

• Do crunches every day
• Do lunges and squats on even days
• Do push-ups on odd days
• Use the Wii Fit at least twice a week
• Go on a walk at least once a week

Next week I will have been at this for one month, which means it will be time to measure and take photos. It's a little daunting, but I know I've made some progress not only for the numbers on the scale but for the jeans that are getting baggy and my wedding ring that is feeling loose.

On to bigger victories!

Apple puree

As I mentioned, I plan on making baby food for our not-so-little Moose. Today was Round 2, after I made a batch of peaches for him last week only to discover that he, apparently, will not eat them. (Crazy, right? What kind of human doesn't like peaches?)

Today I made apple puree, because I know he will eat apples. Using my handy Baby Love cookbook and trusty Blendtec blender, it only took about 20 minutes with peeling the apples being the longest task.

Truth be told I really didn't need a cookbook. It's so simple and straightforward, so I'll show you (and show off) what I did:

First cut, core and peel the apples. I used three for this batch. The genius trick to coring an apple, explained in the book, is to cut it in half and then use a melon baller to dig out the core. It's easy, quick and gives you more apple in the end.

Put the apples in a pot and add water, about 2 ounces per apple. Turn the burner on high, put on a lid, and cook for 5-10 minutes. The apples should be soft but not mushy.

Pour everything into the blender and blend. If there's not enough liquid, add a little more water or apple juice.

Pour the puree into an ice cube tray. When it cools, wrap the tray and put it in the freezer.

There are a couple things you can do to store the food once it's frozen that are all really convenient. You can leave them in the tray until you're ready to use each cube, or you can transfer the frozen cubes into baggies, empty baby food jars, or any other little container.

To thaw, just put one of the containers into the fridge the night before you want to use them. If you're on the go, you can put a container with the cube still frozen into your diaper bag (thanks Toni for this tip). By the time your baby is ready to eat it will be thawed.

TA DA! Nutritious, fresh, preservative-free baby food!

Another great thing about making baby food is that if your baby doesn't like one item, as we experienced, you can use it in other things. For example, I now use the peach puree in my green smoothies, or you could put pureed broccoli into broccoli cheese soup. Because the food is from fresh produce, it still tastes really good. But you don't have to take my word for it:

Moose Baby Evan likes it so much he eats it off the bib when we're done!

Meal planning 101

I am not a cook. It's not that I don't possess the ability to prepare food, it's that it stresses me out. I don't understand how people can look in the fridge and just whip something up, and I cannot fathom how cooking is a relaxing hobby to people.

But then the Food Nanny taught me how to meal plan.

In her book "The Food Nanny Rescues Dinner," Liz Edmunds says this:

"The hardest part of planning any meal is figuring out what to have. If you wait until the end of the day, it is too late. You may be too stressed at that point to even decide, let alone shop for ingredients and prepare the meal. Then it is too easy to just buy processed, packaged foods; shop at the deli; pick up fast food; or go out to dinner."

Her solution is to map out meals one or two weeks at a time. This way you not only maximize your trips to the store, you are always prepared and will have everything you need. It makes cooking so much easier—dare I say somewhat enjoyable?

Here are the Food Nanny's steps to meal planning:

1. Get out your calendar
2. Go through your recipes and choose meals
3. Write your chosen meals on a piece of paper, a 3x5 card, or your calendar
4. Make a grocery list
5. Go shopping

It really is that easy. Never again will you stare blankly into the fridge, wondering how on earth you're going to get a meal out of eggs, broccoli and moldy cheese. The food will be there, and it will all work together to form something not only edible but delicious. Then you can dust off your hands, pat yourself on the back and enjoy the literal fruits of your labor.

CLICK HERE for a link to the Food Nanny's blank menu planning and grocery list charts.

Because it's just my husband and me eating meals and because I also have to worry about lunch and snacks for work, I have made my own customized meal planning sheet inspired by the awesome products at See Jane Work—and if I say so myself, it's pretty!

I also have a cutsie grocery list to go along:

If you'd like a full-page PDF of this sheet, leave a comment and I'll e-mail it to you. Then tell me how your meal planning adventures are going.

Here are some other great meal planning resources:

Meal Planning Mommies

The Meal Planner

This Week for Dinner

Weekly Recipe Roundup

I'm back again feeling better about life. I still don't have the motivation to really work up a sweat, but I'm done beating myself up for now. After all, as I'm so fond of telling my husband, I don't sit down at all during the day except to eat or feed our Moose baby. I'm always moving and usually carrying around this ridiculously heavy baby as I go. I shouldn't see it as a fluke that I keep losing weight, because I am working my body constantly and filling it with good fuel. Both of these are reasons to be proud. And hey, I'M LOSING WEIGHT! There's no room for pouting.

So here I come with new inspiration in recipe form. These are again courtesy of my parents, two great salad dressings that are easy to make and so much better for you than the calorie-stuffed and chemical-laden bottled variety at the store.



Italian Oil and Vinegar

1/3 cup red wine vinegar

1/2 cup Olive Oil

1 Tbs. water

1 garlic clove, mashed

Salt, parsley, basil, oregano to taste

Dash sugar

Shake up well. The secret is room temperature.

You can also use white wine vinegar in place or red wine vinegar.

Classic French Dressing

2 Tbs. apple cider vinegar

1 Tbs. red wine vinegar

6 Tbs. Olive Oil

1 Tbs. Chili Sauce (Homade brand preferable)

Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Shake up well and store unused portion in refrigerator.

More advice from my dad: "I find the secret to a good dressed salad is to put as little on as possible and mix well. You can always add more, but it's harder to take away if overdressed."

And what good is salad dressing without an amazing salad?

Chopped Salad

1/2 head lettuce (preferably not iceberg, but Romaine, red and green leaf, butter, spring greens, mixed greens, etc., are best)

1 seeded tomato, diced

1 small avocado, diced

2-3 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

2 oz. blue cheese, crumbled

1-2 green onions, sliced, including green portion

Optional: 1 boiled egg, diced

Dress lightly with either of the above dressings and mix well.

If you try any of the recipes I post, let me know what you thought. If you have any you want to share send them my way.

Losing motivation... already

First, some good news:

Week 2 weigh-in = another pound lost!

Actually this is FANTASTIC news, considering I had some major off-the-wagon moments this week. I may or may not have had pizza, cheesecake and coconut cake. BUT WAIT! I still get a pat on the back because my husband and I celebrated our fourth wedding anniversary with a delicious Italian dinner out, but I held strong and ordered some kind of grilled/not-too-fatty entree instead of the creamy, cheesy pasta bowl I was drooling for. So in the end, I guess I still earned this pound lost.

I'm still motivated to keep eating healthy, but I'm already struggling with the motivation to get moving. I thought it would be easier to get out and get going with the arrival of warmer weather, but life keeps getting in the way.

After all this trying to sneak workouts into my daily life, maybe that just doesn't work for me. Maybe that's what's making it easier to let it slip, whereas if I had a set workout time and a specific routine to complete I would be more likely to finish it.

I truly miss lifting weights at a gym. But even if I had the money and the time for a daily gym lifting routine, it still wouldn't change the fact that I loathe cardio.

So... Suggestions? Advice? Pep talk? Help!

Don't forget the kids!

My parents' whole foods/raw foods movement is trickling down through my family. My brother and his wife have had great success with getting their three kids—even the ridiculously picky 7-year-old—to eat healthier. It began with green smoothies, which they have daily and LOVE. In fact, my almost-2-year-old nephew is furious if he doesn't get enough green smoothie.

Yesterday my 4-year-old niece requested a "whole foods lunch." In addition to her sandwich and chips she wanted a pickle and banana—"a whole banana, not cutted." Her interpretation of whole foods is not only darling, it shows she's been paying attention to what we're saying about food. She wants to eat what's good and is making her own healthy food decisions, which is way more advanced than a lot of us adults do!

My husband and I come from families who eat dinner together ritualistically. This ideal is enforced by The Food Nanny in both her TV show and her book "The Food Nanny Rescues Dinner." She stresses the importance of using daily dinner time to bond as a family and cites studies that say children who have regular meals with their families are less likely to use drugs and alcohol and are more likely to get better grades and eat healthier.

I will refer often to the Food Nanny and share her wisdom, because she's wonderful and inspiring. One of the things she addresses in her book is parents who are too focused on dieting to cook for their families:

"Some mothers seem overly concerned about gaining weight if they cook. My cry to any mother who wants to keep her feminine form: Don't be afraid to eat! Your job is to teach good nutrition to your family. You cannot teach them to be afraid of eating. For too many girls, putting food into their mouths involves great pain and anxiety, which can lead to eating disorders... Your family deserves a well-balanced diet and all the benefits that come from sitting down together for a home-cooked meal."

I promise to never let this be me. I'm anxious to get my son on the right track from the start so I've decided to make his baby food, which is a lot easier than it sounds. I bought this great book called "Baby Love: Healthy, Easy, Delicious Meals for Your Baby and Toddler":

Another great resource my other sister-in-law shared is WholesomeBabyFood.com. It has a TON of information and more great ideas for making food the easy and healthy way.

My baby is just beginning to eat solids, but so far so good. I have even more plans for later down the road to help little Moose love healthy food, which I'll share for later posts.

Who else has experience with this? Do you have success stories for getting your kids to love healthy food?

Exercise in disguise

Today was a much better food day, and it's a good thing because I needed the fuel. My baby decided 6 a.m. was the perfect time to start his day instead of the usual 7:30, so I was forced to start mine as well. Luckily for him, he had 3 naps and went down for the night at 8 p.m. I didn't get naps and am still awake... for now.

I got my green smoothie going this morning and had a pretty good balanced food day. I even worked in a walk with my little dude and fought the urge for a soda at work. I'm glad I got in so much healthy stuff because I am exhausted, and if I had eaten like yesterday I would have passed out hours ago, probably in the middle of work or while driving home and that would be the end of me.

So, with all this exhaustion I keep coming back to my favorite excuse: I am too tired (and too busy) to exercise.

It feels valid, most likely because I think of a workout as a stairclimber sweat-fest or circuit training at the gym. Although I'd love to have the time, energy and gym membership that those require, I just don't.

But rather than give up before I begin, I was reminded recently that even moderate exercise gets the job done. I think if I redefine my idea of exercise I'll be a lot less opposed to it and a lot more motivated to get active.

This article on WebMD.com espouses the idea that we can work out without working out, stating that "one key to faster fitness is turning the things you like to do into fitness activities." Studies have known that becoming more active in our daily lives can provide the same benefits as a structured exercise program.

So in addition to the crunches, squats and lunges I try to work in daily, I pledge to get moving more by:

• Taking more trips up and down the stairs
• Dancing with my baby (or for him, and hopefully making him laugh)
• Taking far-out parking spots and walking further to work/the store

That's it for today. I'm ready to hit the hay, and this time I've earned it!

Day 9: Crash and burn

Today was a FAIL in the healthy living department, and I am feeling it. But before I delve into my woes, first I must relay the good news that I can't believe I forgot to announce:

I lost weight!

I did my weekly weigh-in on Monday. In a week's time I lost 2 (almost 3) pounds. That is a great accomplishment considering I have not been exercising very strenuously and I've had more than a few off-the-wagon moments. Huzzah!!

But the party's over. Now, back to my shame.

My morning was kind of hectic and everything got knocked off-kilter. I didn't get to make my morning smoothie; in fact, I didn't even eat anything until noon. And what I finally did eat goes in the hall of shame: Breakfast at Village Inn consisting of country potatoes, an egg & cheese omelette, fruit, and pancakes with lots of syrup. And even though it was sugar-free (and actually free), I will also 'fess up to the slice of apple pie.

For the rest of the day I felt gross. I've been sluggish and had a tummy ache, and by 3 p.m. I thought I was going to pass out from exhaustion. The crazy thing is I actually got a good night's sleep—better than I have in a long while. Despite that, I still crashed.

This is testament to the enormous difference between healthy, action-packed food and a carb-laden, sugar-loaded grease bomb of a meal.

Your body knows the difference. Your body wants fuel it doesn't have to work hard to digest, food that is actually FOOD and not a chemical clone.

Today I have wronged my body, and it is punishing me for my misdeeds.

Tomorrow I vow to start again. I will be back on the green smoothie train, back to using fresh ingredients for home cooked food.

I will return victorious!

Veggies are your friend

Not into green smoothies? There are ways to eat your veggies that don't involve blending or drowning in ranch dressing.

My parents are vegetable experts. I can probably thank them for my lifelong love of veggies, because they always made them so deliciously—rarely canned, never mushy and always full of flavor. Plus, you can feel good knowing you're eating something your body knows what to do with and can convert into energy. Win!

As my dad says, they key to a good vegetable is to never cook it in water. Steamed, maybe. Boiled, never. They should be al dente, meaning they're cooked through but still firm and slightly crisp.

Amazing things can be done to flavor vegetables beyond butter, salt and pepper. Here are a few of my family favorites. Try them, and I promise you will be surprised how un-yucky veggies can be!

Kelly's Garlic Broccoli

2 tbs extra virgin olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced

4-6 c broccoli flowerettes

3-4 green onions, diced

1/4 c chicken broth

Salt & pepper to taste

Place a wok over medium high heat and add the olive oil. When heated to simmering, add garlic and saute 1 minute. Add broccoli and cook until al dente. Add onions, 1/2 tsp salt, ground pepper and chicken broth. Stir to coat, then steam with the lid on. Do not overcook!

Hashed Brussels Sprouts

This recipe requires brown butter sauce. CLICK HERE for instructions.

Use a colander to steam brussels sprouts until al dente. They must be fresh; frozen brussels sprouts will come out mushy. Once cooked, strain and roughly chop. Put in a serving dish and add the brown butter sauce and freshly-shaved parmesan. (This does not mean using Kraft "cheese" that shakes out of a can!) Stir to coat. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve and enjoy.

Sauteed Rosemary Carrots

5 carrots
2 Tbs. butter
3 Tbs. finely chopped yellow onion
1 tsp. Finely-chopped fresh Rosemary

Peel and slice carrots 3/8 in on bias. Place in a pan with water to cover and bring to a boil. Boil to tender crisp, then drain and set aside. In same saucepan, melt butter and sauté onion until translucent. Add Rosemary and stir 30 seconds. Add carrots and cook additional 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve.

That's all for now, but I have plenty more for later posts if there is interest.

What about you? What are your favorite ways to eat your veggies?

Days 4, 5 and 6

FRIDAY

Friday was not great. It started out strong, with another great green smoothie and an uber-healthy lunch courtesy of my dad. I don't know what it was exactly; some kind of salad with quinoa, beans, onions and tomatoes. Also on the menu were celery sticks with fresh salsa and his amazing homemade muffins that taste more like cake. I had great energy for the rest of the day, which I needed because work was crazy.

In the afternoons I am an editor for a TV news website. I love it, I truly do, but when there's breaking news all bets are off. It was another one of those insane breaking news days, which led to a splitting headache, which led to the consuming of a 12-oz. Coke. That weakened my resolve, so when I was offered a big ol' piece of chocolate cake I took it and stuffed my face.

The sad thing is, neither were great. Plus, the caffeine from the soda didn't even help my headache. It really wasn't worth it.

Because work was so crazy, I got home after 8 p.m. And because the lovely dinner I had for us would have taken an hour to cook, we bailed and instead dined on Top Ramen.

Again, it was not great and not worth it.

SATURDAY (IS A RUGBY DAY!)

Saturday was much better. My morning smoothie that I shared with my hubby was delightful, and lunch was swell too: rotisserie turkey on a whole grain bread with cheddar, spinach and avocado.

We spent an awesome afternoon watching the BYU/Utah rugby match. I love seeing this game because I played on the USU women's rugby team my senior year of college. Ever since then, I've missed playing so much.

(Me, Brynn and Hailey at the collegiate women's regional tournament in San Diego, March 2004. Yes, I'm small. Get over it.)

There's a women's team in the valley and I've thought idly about joining ever since I graduated. I just heard their season is starting up again, so with this desire to get into shape maybe this is the year I'll actually do it.

The evening ended with pizza, but it was heavenly freshly-made pizza from Mountain Mike's in South Jordan with fresh tomatoes and basil and easy on the cheese. I turned down the free drink and got a salad instead, go me! I don't feel guilty because I've been working hard all week (with the exception of the Friday Fail) so it was an earned treat. Besides, it was 50 times better than Ramen and store-bought sheet cake, so it was totally worth it!

SUNDAY

It was fast sunday so I didn't eat until after 2 p.m. Since I was so ravenous I don't consider my lunch of tortilla chips, cheese and avocado a fail because I really wanted box mac'n'cheese. Thus, a minor victory.

Tonight we had dinner with my parents so it was a tasty and healthy meal. They are the ones who got us on the green smoothie/whole foods campaign, so we always eat well there—not to mention they're amazing cooks. We even had a cake with the recipe from the Green Smoothie girl. You'd never know it was actually healthy and is in fact a made with beets. Oh man, is it good! Don't believe me? Try the recipe here: Chocolate Beet Cake with frosting.

Which brings me to what will be my next post...

How do you get veggies in your diet when you don't actually like veggies?

Stay tuned for more!

Is my Wii Fit to be trusted?

I just don't know how to feel about my Wii Fit. On the one hand, it lets me exercise with virtual hula hoops and ski jumps, congratulates me on my excellent balance, and cheerfully encourages me to come again tomorrow.

On the other hand, it makes my avatar fat while playing sad clown music and tells me I have the fitness level of a 45-year-old.

Today I found myself in a new quandary.

I fired up the ol' Wii Fit not to exercise but to weigh my baby, affectionately known as "Moose." He's 4-1/2 months old and is a tank, in the 75th percentile. At his 4 month checkup he weighed in at 15 lbs., 12 oz. Since then he's been eating like a garbage disposal and I know he's gotten bigger.

I don't have a baby scale so I decided weighing him on the Wii Fit would do. I've heard you can do a weight comparison: It weighs you alone and then weighs you while holding something, then tells you how much that something weighs.

My first problem: For the life of me I couldn't find this function. Can someone tell me where the devil it is?

Anyway, so I just took my own fitness test first, then again with Moose. The good news is, in the 21 days since I last took a body test I have LOST 3 POUNDS!

***VICTORY DANCE!!!***

But my elation soon turned to perplexity when I did the test again holding my medicine ball of a baby.

Riddle me this...

Why on earth did the Wii Fit tell me, with the addition of at least 16 pounds on the board, that I just lost another half a pound???

He is not to be trusted.

The Gospel of Green Smoothies

What if I told you that starting this one healthy habit for just 10 minutes a day could give you the following:

*cue peppy infomercial music*

• More energy
• Improved digestion
• Fewer cravings for sweets and processed foods
• More positive, stable mood
• Improvement in skin tone
• Weight loss
• Increased desire to exercise
• Improved sleep
• Decreased stress level
• Blood sugar stabilization
• Shinier hair and smoother skin
• Decreased in PMS symptoms
• Improved sex drive

What is this simple habit? Making green smoothies.

What the devil is a green smoothie?

They're called green smoothies not only for their color, but for what's in them: greens, those dark leafies that are so hard to get into your diet but so healthy it's well worth the effort.

The idea is to get as many of these power-packed veggies and a variety of fruits into your diet daily, without having to spend hours gnawing on carrots, peeling oranges and stuffing yourself with spinach salad. All you do is blend everything and drink it up. That's it. It not only condenses a big pile of healthy stuff into one beverage, it helps you eat uber-healthy things you'd never eat plain, like chard, kale, beet greens and so on.

Four cups of green smoothie is less than 200 calories and equal to 15 servings of fruits and vegetables. That's a lot of awesome, all before noon!

Green smoothies are championed by Robyn Openshaw, a Utah gal who has all the info you need on her websiteGreenSmoothieGirl.com.

Why these funky, not-so-yummy greens?

Because they're unparalleled in nutrition. They're packed with protein, calcium, fiber and blood-building properties, not to mention a host of vitamins and minerals you'd have to take a handful of supplements to match.

There is an entire science to this I won't get into, but here are some of the reasons to go green:

• You don't have to use high-fat, chemical-laden salad dressings to "get it down"
• You will be living the way God or Nature has intended—and your body will recognize this and respond
• Blending the greens makes the nutrition immediately available and predigested, much better than you can do by chewing
• You get more live enzymes in blended green drinks than in any other food, which means your body can use its own enzymes for more important things than fighting to digest a greaseball hamburger or processed frankenfood
• They're really fast and easy to make
• When blended with fruit, they can taste really good!

So Lindsay, what are the benefits YOU feel?

I have been drinking daily green smoothies for almost a month now. In half of that time I noticed a lot of changes. First and best, my craving for soda and fast food disappeared. I'm not kidding—poof, gone. I was having a Coke a day and fast food three or more times a week. Now, without even having to exercise my willpower, my body has made the decision for me. The thought of french fries (once my most desired treat) holds no allure. I now crave even more veggies and fruits, actually giving me the desire to cook real food that doesn't come from a bag or box.

Just as awesome is how I feel: More energetic and less sleepy with a sharper mind. I also have the desire to exercise, which is normally a torture for me. These are SO NEEDED right now as I have a wee li'l baby who wakes up twice a night and is the reason (mostly) my stomach is out of control.

The third thing I noticed quite soon was a slimming waistline, which is likely a combination of the healthy additions and the elimination of the bloat-inducing junk food.

So how do you make a green smoothie?

You can find full details on GreenSmoothieGirl.com, or the video demo I'll post below. The Cliff's Notes version is:

Start with 1 to 2 cups of water in your blender. Fill it to the top with your chosen greens (see website or books for list). Blend it until it's liquefied. Your blender should be just under half full. Fill the rest with fresh or frozen fruit. (If you use more fresh, add ice if you like the smoothie texture). You can sweeten it, especially if you're a newbie. The Green Smoothie Girl uses natural sweeteners like agave and stevia. I use agave or juice, and occasionally a splash of cinnamon-sugar. Now blend and you're done!

There are plenty more videos on her YouTube channel.

A bit more of newbie advice: Start by doing more fruit than greens to get used to it, because some of the greens are quite strong. I love spinach because you can buy a bunch for cheap and it hardly has any taste when blended. Kale is good too, and I also occasionally throw in some carrot tops or a celery stick, if I have them lying around.

And one important thing:

You really should have a fancy blender. A regular one just isn't powerful enough and can leave you with green chunks in your teeth. Not cute. A good processor/blender, like the all-mighty Blendtec that I have, is expensive but SO WORTH IT if you're going to make this part of your lifestyle—and I highly recommend that you do.

So that's my sermon. I know some of you reading are also on the green smoothie train. What input do you have? Does anyone have questions?

......Oh, and P.S. I got in a brisk 20-minute walk today! AND cooked dinner, AND ate really good, healthy stuff. Victory!

Day 2, and ways to sneak in exercise

Another good food day, not so good active day. I had planned on taking the little dude for a walk but it got really windy before we had the chance.

Here's one way I've been working in little exercises throughout the day (thanks Kelli for the idea!). I do sets of squats and lunges when I'm doing other things, like brushing my teeth, doing dishes and putting the baby down for a nap. He works great as a medicine ball, because he's a solid 16 pounds! I also make as many trips up and down stairs as I can, and I try to do them at a spring.

I have a sweet mini workout room in the basement that I need to take more advantage of. We have the Wii Fit set up with enough room to do yoga, pilates or a workout DVD. We also have an exercise bike but we lost the power cord so it doesn't work right. Hopefully soon we'll find it, because 10 minutes on that beats 30 on the Wii Fit.

Here's my daily report.

What I Ate:

• Breakfast: Green smoothie with kale, celery, orange, pineapple, mango, strawberry, agave
• Lunch: Chicken and wild rice soup with carrots and celery
• Snack: More green smoothie
• Dinner: Sausage barley soup, spinach salad with strawberries, whole wheat roll

The Hall of Shame:

• 2 pieces of Dove chocolate (curse you, treat-happy coworkers!)

Activities:

• 2 sets of lunges

I hope to get in a few sets of crunches tonight as well. Time will tell.

Also, I can honestly say I'm not consciously avoiding snacks or trying to eat less. It's the green smoothies, I tell ya. It's just happening, without even trying. I'll get my smoothie story up soon, because it's a gospel that needs to be spread!

Bit o' Inspiration

I love this article from the Huffington Post by Jay Williams, called "The Key to Getting Motivated."

[Read the article here!]

My favorite take-away is on using positivity: Instead of "I will" or "I will not" statements, use "I am" statements, then create a mantra. So instead of "I will not eat fatty foods," say, "I am an incredibly healthy person who eats nutritious, whole foods." Or how about this: "I am an athlete. I thrive on exercise, especially walking and resistance training." The more you say it and see yourself as that person, the more you will become it.

I can testify that this WORKS. My baby had an extremely collicky first few months of life. One of the things I did to cope and stay patient was to create a mantra of my own:

"My child is a divine gift. Being a mother is the most important duty I have ever been given. I will care for my child with patience and joy and be grateful for the privilege of this honor."

I wrote this on a card that sits on my nightstand. I say this in my mind whenever he stresses me out or I find myself wishing I was doing something other than trying to soothe him. The day I created this and began repeating it, everything changed. I don't find myself getting upset, and I realized my love for him has grown. It is forever in my mind whether I'm conscious of it or not, and I truly believe these words.

Now, for a workout/getting healthy/staying motivated mantra...

Any ideas????

Day 1-B: The Check-In

Before I get down to the details, allow me to introduce you to The Plan, Phase 1:

First, I will focus on upping my veggie intake and cook more fresh food. I will also keep my ban on soda and fast food, but not go nuts if I have a small treat or two. Next, I will begin sneaking in strength training exercises until I figure out how on earth I can get a full workout in at least three days a week.

I don't want to go all hard core right off the bat. I know that's how I set myself up to fail because, let's face it, losing a lot of weight is a huge change. I'm a busy lady with a darling but demanding baby boy who takes up nearly all of my time and energy, and a part-time job and freelance career to boot. The more changes I can make the better, BUT I am okay with making them a few at a time.

So now, on with the daily check-in. I had a pretty good food day, but not such a great active day. Here's the report:

What I Ate:

• Breakfast: Green smoothie with kale, celery, pineapple, mango, strawberry, banana
• Snack: Strawberry yogurt with homemade granola
• Lunch: Turkey and avocado sandwich with spinach, olives, lettuce, tomato and cucumber; colby jack string cheese
• Snack: Green smoothie part 2
• Dinner: Leftover shepherd's pie with green beans, carrots and corn

The Hall of Shame:

• Small chocolate chip cookie
• 2 Dove chocolate & caramel pieces

Activities:

• 10-minute walk during lunch
• 3 sets of crunches

That's all for tonight. Thanks for stopping by, and I hope to see you tomorrow!

Day 1: The Horror of Reality

Clearly I knew I had a weight problem or I wouldn't have started this blog. But I truly had no idea it was so bad until I took the dreaded "before" photos. Seeing those made me re-think this project for the sake of keeping these from the light of day, but that's exactly the point: NO MORE DENIAL! I am facing this once and for all.

And so, without further ado...

BEFORE

Day 1 - 3/1/11

Weight: 160 lbs

Waist: 34"

Hips: 42"

Thigh: 25"

Bicep: 13"

I do get one moment of justification in saying that I just had a baby so it's okay that my stomach is not fantastic right now, but that's where the excuses end.

I will post body pics monthly and measurements weekly. I will also do a daily run-down, so stay tuned for more from Day 1.