Although you can't tell by the look on his face here, he was loving it!
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Guess who likes green smoothies?
Although you can't tell by the look on his face here, he was loving it!
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Time for some more changes
I keep having these end-of-the-world disaster dreams. Maybe it's because I work in the news and see this stuff every day. Maybe it's because, subconsciously, I feel I need to be better prepared -- not just physically, but mentally and spiritually as well. Life is far too short to be wasting it and not living up to my potential.
A month or two ago I woke up from one of these dreams in a panic, sure it was some kind of sign that I needed to have emergency kits for my baby. Proudly I did complete these and now have one for not just our home but for his babysitter and both sets of his grandparents. I thought this would make the dreams go away, but I had another one last night that made me feel I need to be prepared in less physical ways.
After thinking about it, I've decided that in addition to getting my body in shape through this blog I need to work on the internal aspects of myself.
A year and a half ago I came to a similar decision in my life. I was stuck in a negative place and, despite all the good things I had going for me, I was angry, miserable and consumed by stress. I finally decided enough was enough. I realized it wasn't the external world that was causing these feelings; I was the one allowing them to foster and grow. If I wanted to be happy, I had to take control.
I started small and decided to first learn to control my stress. I did this by focusing on keeping my cool when driving. (Incidentally, I recently wrote an article on this for ksl.com.) The way I stayed calm was to drive compassionately -- meaning, remembering that everyone makes mistakes and I do it too, and that the things other people do on the road are not meant to personally offend or injure me. I let people in, I waved to others who let me in, I moved over for cyclists and I resisted the urge to tailgate or honk when someone was driving ridiculously slow.
It worked. Gradually I saw these habits take hold in other areas of my life. I learned to stop seeing the misdeeds of others as personal affronts and I learned to separate myself and my happiness from another person's anger. I became empowered to walk away from negative situations and gained confidence to seek out a better life. In the end, I became a happier person, a better friend, and a more patient and understanding wife. And now, it's helped me to be a caring and joyful mother.
Through all this I learned a major life lesson: If you want to change the behavior of someone else, all you have to do is change yourself. When you are kind, patient and caring, you will soften the hearts of those around you. If you change, everything else will too.
I like to think that the world (or at least my small corner of it) is a better place because of the joy I try to spread. But, even though I'm 10 times better than I was two years ago, there is still so much room for improvement.
So, in addition to working on my physical self, I will add new personal goals. I will continue my quest to find and spread happiness and to be a force for good in the world. Starting now.
For the week of May 22 - May 28, 2011:
Physical goals: Crunches daily, cardio three times a week
Personal goals: Smile at everyone I meet, sincerely compliment at least one person a day
Now... anyone else ready to change the world?
A month or two ago I woke up from one of these dreams in a panic, sure it was some kind of sign that I needed to have emergency kits for my baby. Proudly I did complete these and now have one for not just our home but for his babysitter and both sets of his grandparents. I thought this would make the dreams go away, but I had another one last night that made me feel I need to be prepared in less physical ways.
After thinking about it, I've decided that in addition to getting my body in shape through this blog I need to work on the internal aspects of myself.
A year and a half ago I came to a similar decision in my life. I was stuck in a negative place and, despite all the good things I had going for me, I was angry, miserable and consumed by stress. I finally decided enough was enough. I realized it wasn't the external world that was causing these feelings; I was the one allowing them to foster and grow. If I wanted to be happy, I had to take control.
I started small and decided to first learn to control my stress. I did this by focusing on keeping my cool when driving. (Incidentally, I recently wrote an article on this for ksl.com.) The way I stayed calm was to drive compassionately -- meaning, remembering that everyone makes mistakes and I do it too, and that the things other people do on the road are not meant to personally offend or injure me. I let people in, I waved to others who let me in, I moved over for cyclists and I resisted the urge to tailgate or honk when someone was driving ridiculously slow.
It worked. Gradually I saw these habits take hold in other areas of my life. I learned to stop seeing the misdeeds of others as personal affronts and I learned to separate myself and my happiness from another person's anger. I became empowered to walk away from negative situations and gained confidence to seek out a better life. In the end, I became a happier person, a better friend, and a more patient and understanding wife. And now, it's helped me to be a caring and joyful mother.
Through all this I learned a major life lesson: If you want to change the behavior of someone else, all you have to do is change yourself. When you are kind, patient and caring, you will soften the hearts of those around you. If you change, everything else will too.
I like to think that the world (or at least my small corner of it) is a better place because of the joy I try to spread. But, even though I'm 10 times better than I was two years ago, there is still so much room for improvement.
So, in addition to working on my physical self, I will add new personal goals. I will continue my quest to find and spread happiness and to be a force for good in the world. Starting now.
For the week of May 22 - May 28, 2011:
Physical goals: Crunches daily, cardio three times a week
Personal goals: Smile at everyone I meet, sincerely compliment at least one person a day
Now... anyone else ready to change the world?
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Weekly recipe roundup: Trainer edition
To sum up my efforts last week, I would say it was a pretty good success. If I were just going by the checklist I wouldn't have done so well, but the reason I had to skimp a bit was because I was just too sore to do some of that stuff and I had to let my muscles recover. All in all, I'm excited about the new workout and I can't wait to see bigger results!
Now, as promised, the weekly recipe roundup you'd pay hundreds of dollars for. That's because I did pay it, in an indirect way. In 2008 when I had awesome health insurance that contributed to this sort of thing, I went to a personal trainer. I worked with Jason at Custom Fit Personal Training in Sugarhouse, and it was worth every penny. If you are able to and are serious about getting fit, I highly recommend this place. It's a small private gym with a handful of trainers and the only time you're allowed in is when you have an appointment or to use the cardio machines. That way there aren't a million sweaty people in line for the weights and it's very one-on-one. After 6 weeks at Custom Fit I lost 10 pounds and 10 inches — and that's only because I cheated and hardly ever did cardio.
The other reason Jason was awesome is because he let me have carbs in my meal plan. And that's what I'm sharing with you in this week's recipe roundup. He gave me two plans, so today I'll start with the beginner and then next week I'll give you the high-protein power plan.
Breakfast:
1 Kroger brand Carb Master yogurt
Handful of berries
2 scoops protein
-or-
1/2 cup cooked oatmeal (not packaged)
Handful of berries
Snack:
1/2 apple
3-4 oz. jerky
-or-
Carrots and celery
Lunch:
Sandwich with Sara Lee Carb Smart bread or low-carb tortilla, 2 packages lunch meat, mustard, spinach
1/2 apple
-or-
Salad with spinach, romaine and red leaf lettuce, tomato, and cucumber with vinaigrette dressing
1 grilled or broiled chicken breast
Snack:
2 sticks string cheese
-or-
1-2 hard boiled eggs
Dinner:
1 grilled or broiled chicken breast
Steamed or grilled veggies
1/2 cup cottage cheese
Looking back through my measurements from the trainer, it's clear my body has changed after having a baby. Now, my thighs are a tiny bit smaller, my arms are a tiny bit bigger and my waist is exactly the same - but my hips are 5 inches bigger. While the thought of my hips horrifies me at first, I actually feel better because that's not just fat, that's an actual change in my bone structure. Sadly, if it hasn't gone back to normal after 7 months I really don't think it will now. But hey, you can't win 'em all. I'll just work on what I can and accept the rest.
Now, as promised, the weekly recipe roundup you'd pay hundreds of dollars for. That's because I did pay it, in an indirect way. In 2008 when I had awesome health insurance that contributed to this sort of thing, I went to a personal trainer. I worked with Jason at Custom Fit Personal Training in Sugarhouse, and it was worth every penny. If you are able to and are serious about getting fit, I highly recommend this place. It's a small private gym with a handful of trainers and the only time you're allowed in is when you have an appointment or to use the cardio machines. That way there aren't a million sweaty people in line for the weights and it's very one-on-one. After 6 weeks at Custom Fit I lost 10 pounds and 10 inches — and that's only because I cheated and hardly ever did cardio.
The other reason Jason was awesome is because he let me have carbs in my meal plan. And that's what I'm sharing with you in this week's recipe roundup. He gave me two plans, so today I'll start with the beginner and then next week I'll give you the high-protein power plan.
Breakfast:
1 Kroger brand Carb Master yogurt
Handful of berries
2 scoops protein
-or-
1/2 cup cooked oatmeal (not packaged)
Handful of berries
Snack:
1/2 apple
3-4 oz. jerky
-or-
Carrots and celery
Lunch:
Sandwich with Sara Lee Carb Smart bread or low-carb tortilla, 2 packages lunch meat, mustard, spinach
1/2 apple
-or-
Salad with spinach, romaine and red leaf lettuce, tomato, and cucumber with vinaigrette dressing
1 grilled or broiled chicken breast
Snack:
2 sticks string cheese
-or-
1-2 hard boiled eggs
Dinner:
1 grilled or broiled chicken breast
Steamed or grilled veggies
1/2 cup cottage cheese
Looking back through my measurements from the trainer, it's clear my body has changed after having a baby. Now, my thighs are a tiny bit smaller, my arms are a tiny bit bigger and my waist is exactly the same - but my hips are 5 inches bigger. While the thought of my hips horrifies me at first, I actually feel better because that's not just fat, that's an actual change in my bone structure. Sadly, if it hasn't gone back to normal after 7 months I really don't think it will now. But hey, you can't win 'em all. I'll just work on what I can and accept the rest.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Hurts so good
I've got a new workout that's kicking my butt! Move over Wii Fit, it's all about The Biggest Loser on Xbox Kinect.
After playing soccer, track & field and boxing on Kinect Sports the other day and working up a pretty good sweat, I had it in my mind that The Biggest Loser game would be just as fun. Well, I wouldn't exactly call it "fun," because it got pretty intense. And it's not a game, it's a full-on personal training session. Since it tracks my entire body while I'm doing the exercises, it would tell me what I'm doing wrong and how to improve, like "lunge lower" and "kick higher." It wasn't what I was expecting—it was much better.
I think I got in the best workout I've had since starting this project. I was beat after 20 minutes, and now I'm pretty sore—but the really good kind of sore where you know you worked hard and you earned those calories burned!
That's it for now. No recipe roundup today because I'm working up something really good. Like, something you'd pay hundreds of dollars to have. Get excited...
After playing soccer, track & field and boxing on Kinect Sports the other day and working up a pretty good sweat, I had it in my mind that The Biggest Loser game would be just as fun. Well, I wouldn't exactly call it "fun," because it got pretty intense. And it's not a game, it's a full-on personal training session. Since it tracks my entire body while I'm doing the exercises, it would tell me what I'm doing wrong and how to improve, like "lunge lower" and "kick higher." It wasn't what I was expecting—it was much better.
I think I got in the best workout I've had since starting this project. I was beat after 20 minutes, and now I'm pretty sore—but the really good kind of sore where you know you worked hard and you earned those calories burned!
That's it for now. No recipe roundup today because I'm working up something really good. Like, something you'd pay hundreds of dollars to have. Get excited...
Monday, May 9, 2011
I've got a plan
I tried to avoid an intense regimen with lots of rules and I've said no to an official diet. I've always thought too many restrictions would make any weight loss plan impossible to follow -- but now, I think I'm changing my mind.
I'm finding out it's much easier to flake when there AREN'T rules and steps to follow. After all, if there's no process there's no accountability, and subsequently no progress.
I'm still not going on a traditional diet. I don't think that will ever be for me, and I don't think that's a long-term solution anyway. But I do need an everything-else plan.
I thought about going high-tech with this, because there's a million apps for just such a purpose. But in the end I think a low-tech, down-to-basics approach will help me the best.
So, I've dusted off the ol' moleskin notebook and I'm making daily and weekly checklists. This way I not only know what's coming up and what's expected of me, I have the satisfaction of physically checking it off and seeing the visual progress there.
Here's what's on the agenda for this week:
Monday:
Kinect Sports (30 min)
Basic crunches (25x3)
Basic squats (15x3)
Lunges (15x3)
Tuesday:
Walk (on lunch break)
Push-ups (10x3)
Slide squats (15x3)
Wednesday:
Walk/jog with stroller (30 min)
Leg throw crunches (25x3)
Lunges (15x3)
Thursday:
Kinect Sports (30 min)
Reverse crunches (25x3)
Push-ups (10x3)
Friday:
Walk/jog with stroller (30 min)
Basic crunches (25x3)
Slide squats (15x3)
So there you have it. Admittedly, it's 1:15 on Monday afternoon and I have yet to do any of these things. That means I'm getting my husband involved and we're playing Kinect tonight!
Anyone have some additions to recommend? What other easy resistance training moves do you like?
I'm finding out it's much easier to flake when there AREN'T rules and steps to follow. After all, if there's no process there's no accountability, and subsequently no progress.
I'm still not going on a traditional diet. I don't think that will ever be for me, and I don't think that's a long-term solution anyway. But I do need an everything-else plan.
I thought about going high-tech with this, because there's a million apps for just such a purpose. But in the end I think a low-tech, down-to-basics approach will help me the best.
So, I've dusted off the ol' moleskin notebook and I'm making daily and weekly checklists. This way I not only know what's coming up and what's expected of me, I have the satisfaction of physically checking it off and seeing the visual progress there.
Here's what's on the agenda for this week:
Monday:
Kinect Sports (30 min)
Basic crunches (25x3)
Basic squats (15x3)
Lunges (15x3)
Tuesday:
Walk (on lunch break)
Push-ups (10x3)
Slide squats (15x3)
Wednesday:
Walk/jog with stroller (30 min)
Leg throw crunches (25x3)
Lunges (15x3)
Thursday:
Kinect Sports (30 min)
Reverse crunches (25x3)
Push-ups (10x3)
Friday:
Walk/jog with stroller (30 min)
Basic crunches (25x3)
Slide squats (15x3)
So there you have it. Admittedly, it's 1:15 on Monday afternoon and I have yet to do any of these things. That means I'm getting my husband involved and we're playing Kinect tonight!
Anyone have some additions to recommend? What other easy resistance training moves do you like?
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Weekly Recipe Roundup
I've been slacking on the recipe roundups, so I'm going to shake it up this week. Instead of posting a recipe or two, I'm going to feature one of the best non-recipe food books I know: "Eat This, Not That."
To be fair, it's not just a book. There's a series of books, a segment in Men's Health magazine and a really cool website. If you haven't heard of it (and I can't imagine you haven't), the concept is simple: How to choose the healthiest of two food options whether at a restaurant, grocery store or even in your own home.
I've just spent a moment perusing the site and the slideshows of the best and worst. May I just say, I am appalled. Not in a self-righteous, I-will-not-stand-for-this kind of way -- I'm genuinely shocked and disgusted every time I go through their lists. I mean, a kid's meal pasta with 1,800 calories? A fajita and rice combo with the sodium equivalent of nearly 200 saltine crackers? A cake-and-ice-cream dessert with 88 grams of fat? DISGUSTING.
So play around on the website, check out some of the books, or have fun with the interactive quiz. Whatever you do, just remember to think twice before going out to dinner next time!
To be fair, it's not just a book. There's a series of books, a segment in Men's Health magazine and a really cool website. If you haven't heard of it (and I can't imagine you haven't), the concept is simple: How to choose the healthiest of two food options whether at a restaurant, grocery store or even in your own home.
I've just spent a moment perusing the site and the slideshows of the best and worst. May I just say, I am appalled. Not in a self-righteous, I-will-not-stand-for-this kind of way -- I'm genuinely shocked and disgusted every time I go through their lists. I mean, a kid's meal pasta with 1,800 calories? A fajita and rice combo with the sodium equivalent of nearly 200 saltine crackers? A cake-and-ice-cream dessert with 88 grams of fat? DISGUSTING.
So play around on the website, check out some of the books, or have fun with the interactive quiz. Whatever you do, just remember to think twice before going out to dinner next time!
Monday, May 2, 2011
Judgment Day, Part 2
Well, this is a surprise.
If you've been following along the past month you'll know I haven't done a whole lot. Despite the best of intentions I have once again gotten complacent. I only lost 2 pounds this month, but then a mini vacation ruined all of that and I gained them right back.
And yet, my tummy continues to shrink. I'm baffled. Delighted, yet baffled.
So, without further ado, this month's photos:
I got away easy this time, but next time I may not be so lucky.
Despite my undeserved successes this month, it is a new month and time for new goals. This time, I will deserve whatever progress I make because I will be working hard!!!
I aim to lose 5 pounds in the month of May. I will accomplish this by:
I've also made a separate goal that's related to fitness. I'm trying to take my baby on a little outing at least four times a week, even if it's just to the grocery store. He needs some stimulus and I need to get moving, plus he loves people and I love to show him off—win-win! So I will plan as many of these outings as I can to involve some sort of movement on my part, and not just lugging him in an out of the car. Any ideas, please send them my way, or even join us. The more the merrier!
Because I'm realizing that I need more babysitting, I am fine tuning a more detailed plan to help me track and monitor my progress. More to come.
Until then, folks, I'm off to do some crunches!
Despite my undeserved successes this month, it is a new month and time for new goals. This time, I will deserve whatever progress I make because I will be working hard!!!
I aim to lose 5 pounds in the month of May. I will accomplish this by:
- Doing cardio 3 times a week
- Strength training daily
- Cutting out soda
- Keep up fruit and veggie intake
I've also made a separate goal that's related to fitness. I'm trying to take my baby on a little outing at least four times a week, even if it's just to the grocery store. He needs some stimulus and I need to get moving, plus he loves people and I love to show him off—win-win! So I will plan as many of these outings as I can to involve some sort of movement on my part, and not just lugging him in an out of the car. Any ideas, please send them my way, or even join us. The more the merrier!
Because I'm realizing that I need more babysitting, I am fine tuning a more detailed plan to help me track and monitor my progress. More to come.
Until then, folks, I'm off to do some crunches!
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