Strap Hope

I met with Kym, one of the fitness directors and water teachers, to talk about the issue with my beautiful Polar watch in the pool.  She got a different strap for me - a T31 Coded - and promised that it would work in the water.  I've got class this morning and CAN NOT WAIT to see if it works.  Fingers crossed!!

Whole Foods nutrition concept

I read this on the Whole Foods website tonight.  It is a summary of their Health Starts Here concept, and I was really interested in how much it followed along what I learned about at tonight's nutrition seminar.

Eat whole, unprocessed foods.

We believe that food in its purest state — unadulterated by artificial additives, sweeteners, colorings, and preservatives — is the best tasting and most nutritious food available.

Eat a colorful variety of plants.

No matter what type of diet you follow — including those with dairy, meat or seafood — reconfigure your plate so the majority of each meal is created from an abundance of raw and cooked vegetables, fruits, legumes and beans, nuts, seeds and whole grains.

Eat healthy fats.

Get healthy fats from whole plant sources, such as nuts, seeds and avocados. These foods are rich in micronutrients as well. Work to eliminate (or minimize) extracted oils and processed fats.

Eat nutrient dense foods.

Choose foods that are rich in micronutrients when compared to their total caloric content. Micronutrients include vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and phytochemicals. For guidance on this, look for Aggregate Nutrient Density Index (ANDI) scoring system in our stores.

Ouch!

The other thing I did today, which I'm quite proud of, is to go to my first core fitness class.  30 minutes of Bosu, stability, crunch, squat exercises to strengthen my glutes, lower back and abs.  I suck at it - my squats are pathetic - but it was a lot of fun.  Kate mixed up the exercises, she had some rockin' music, and I'm already hurting!  A good kind of hurt.  I'm so glad one of my aqua classmates suggested I try out something new!

Nutrition Try It Tuesday

Today was my first Try It Tuesday with Lifetime Fitness' 90 Day Challenge.  Tonight Mark, the nutrition expert at our club, gave a very interesting (and jam-packed) hour long talk about nutrition.  He really focused on the social aspect of nutrition and eating patterns, which I got a lot out of.  He likened us changing our diets to dancing - we have been dancing the tango with our partners, our friends, our families for so very long.  One leads, the other follows.  Now, all of a sudden, I want to start to dance the salsa.  I either dance alone with no partner, encourage my partner to try and dance with me, or get pressured by the other dancers to get back to the tango. He talked about parties, eating out, office/workplace pressures, family issues... I know much of my issue with food is the social side to it.

But he also talked about the biological side to it.  His general attitude towards food is JERF.  Just Eat Real Food.  By ax-ing out processed, boxed, jarred food, he claims you can eliminate cravings completely.  By eating nutritionally-dense food, your body can get all its nutrition requirements satiated, and do it with lower calories.  He issued a challenge to try and consume 1200 calories by eating only "real food." Meat, veg, fruit, nuts & grains.  He said our bodies wouldn't even be able to get to that high a calorie intake because we would be full and satisfied every day.

It totally makes sense.  I look in my own pantry at the chips, pretzels, breakfast bars, pastas and cereals.  I know that if we got down to basics, we would be healthier and happier.  I've got to start paying more attention to what my friend & nutritionist Natalie has to say!

90-Day Challenge

Well, it's really time to bring it on.  In addition to my personal MMEW challenge, I have officially signed up to be a part of the Lifetime Fitness 90-Day Challenge.  From the start of Feb to the end of May, I have the chance to meet with a personal trainer for an initial assessment/strategy planning session; take part in Try It Tuesday seminars, classes and workouts to learn more about fitness, exercise, and nutrition; take advantage of discounts on personal training sessions and metabolic testing; and compete against myself and others at the club, in the state, and nationwide.  The competition part I really don't care about at all.  I'm not going to lose 30%+ of my body weight in three months.  But I'm looking forward to weekly weigh-ins, working with a trainer and nutritionist, putting together some weightlifting programs, and learning more about making this my life and not a phase.  I'm starting at 174.8.

I did it!

Got to donate today!!   My hemoglobin was beautiful, and my actual donation only took 6 minutes.  It feels so good to save up to 3 lives with just an hour of my day, start to finish.  And I did it all by myself!

Well, hello!

Wow, I've been MIA here for a few weeks, haven't I?  I'm still here, plugging away, exercising and making better food choices.  I had a major hormonal/period upset the last two weeks, and need to schedule an appointment with my OB/GYN to figure out what's going on.  I think that set me back on the weight loss part of what I'm doing, because I'm drinking lots of water and watching my sodium but am still bloated and UGH feeling. Not the happiest way to end the month of January, that's for sure.

No donation for you!

OK, I'm a really sad girl today.  I went with Nina for our blood donation/breakfast morning and found out that my hemoglobin is too low.  They wouldn't let me donate!  I cried like a baby - guess those hormones are still out of whack.  The nurse working with me told me that stress, lack of sleep and menstruation can cause iron levels to really get low.  Uh, how about a yes to all three?  So I sat with Nina while she gave blood and just cried.  I'm headed to the store this afternoon to get some spinach and an iron supplement.  Maybe with some good sleep and good nutrition, I can donate later in the week...

Look at me! I'm cooking!

I made this new recipe off of skinnytaste.com tonight - Spinach Lasagna Rolls.  I'd never tried to cook lasagna noodles before (I normally do a no-bake lasagna with uncooked noodles) so I was a little intimidated.  But with a little help from my 6-year-old sous chef, we pulled off a beautiful and delicious meal!

The recipe called for 9 noodles, but we stretched the filling out to make 10, so those calories went just a little farther!  :)  This with a salad made for a wonderful home-cooked meal.  I didn't even miss the garlic bread, which I used to serve with every Italian meal we would eat.

Now, I can't be all sunshine and rainbows.  Kyle threw such an amazing fit about the spinach before even tasting them that he never gave them a fair chance.  It makes me sad, because the spinach was just a nice, fresh, mild taste and I think he would have liked them.

And on the exercise front, I had a lot of errands to run in Chanhassen this morning, so I grabbed my gym bag on the way out of the door and headed to the Lifetime Fitness Mothership (their headquarters and supersized fitness center) and did a half hour of on the elliptical!

HRM fail

OK, I got my new heart rate monitor over the weekend and couldn't wait to try it in the pool today.  My water aerobics instructor came out of the locker room with hers on, too, so we were interested in comparing results.

We both got in the pool... heart rate zero.  Turns out a waterproof heart rate monitor still doesn't use a frequency that transmits through water.  Crap.  So I just shelled out $100 on something that does me no good.  Back to the drawing board.

But I had a really fun water class today.  It's such a great way to get going in the morning.

Happy Dance!

I'm going a little dance of joy today.  I headed to the gym this morning and it was PACKED, so I rearranged my schedule and headed to the grocery store first and planned to come back to the gym.  I successfully managed to do all my shopping without a single junk food impulse buy (not even the freshly baked Tollhouse Chocolate Chip Cookies in the bakery) and walked past Caribou without starting the day with my favorite white chocolate mocha.  THEN I went back to the gym, spent 30 minutes on the elliptical trainer, and then did an extra 10 because I was feeling so good about my morning! When I got home, I was craving cheese and crackers, but I keep hearing Cathy's "cheese with crackers" voice in the back of my head, so instead I made a curried veggie & tofu stir fry with brown rice for lunch.  It sure feels good to start off a new week like this!  

A different day in the water

Today was another water aerobics day today, but one very different from the others.  You see, there are different teachers on different days of the week.  When I started, I intended to go on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.  But then I went to the Monday class, and the instructor kicked my butt.  Like, I went home and cried it was so bad.  I took everything she said personally, she yelled at us like we were at a military boot camp, and I HATED it.

I went to the Wednesday class and met a different instructor with whom I immediately hit it off.  She is gentle and kind, encourages us to push ourselves, offers variations on moves in case we have pain, and never once yells.  She makes me smile and shares silly water and exercise trivia.  I look forward to going just so I can spend time with her, because something about her fills me up inside.

Now, there were some women in class who think she was too easy, too slow, not intense enough.  And that's what some people like best - the external motivation like the Monday teacher offers.  But not me.  I don't care what they say; I love my whole experience with the Wednesday teacher.  And, bonus, she teaches Fridays, too.

But she was gone today, and will be gone next Wednesday.  The young woman who came in to sub had a very different style.  She was smiley and fun, explained things well, but taught from the pool deck with a stopwatch around her neck, instead of in the pool with us.  She timed intervals, switched us between moderate and high intensity activities, encouraged us to work harder and was the first to point out someone's hard work.  I worked hard, by heart was going crazy all hour, and I know I got a more intense workout than on a normal Friday with my favorite instructor.  But I missed the personal connection.

So now I realize that, in order to get this same great feeling of physical accomplishment on Wednesdays and Fridays, I need to push myself, make myself run faster, scoop harder and bring my knees higher.  I need to take some of the accountability into my own hands.  And I'm OK with that.  No instructor is going to be perfect in every way.  But I think I now have the feel of a more perfect workout, and can "bring it" for myself on the days when I have the perfect personal connection with my favorite instructor.

Did I mention that I had three days of exercise this week??!!  Wahoo!

If it is important...

26.2 Ways to Get Fit and Healthy in 2012

I found this wonderful post written by Dorothy Beal for Fitfluential.com and wanted to post it here so I can keep going back to it.  The original can be found here.
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You don’t have to run 26.2 miles to get fit— make small changes each day in 2012 and you will find that you are living your best life yet. A healthy body is a happy body.

Here are 26.2 things in NO particular order that you can do to Live Well Now in 2012!

1. Make a goal for 2012, not a resolution.

Resolutions like get fit, go to the gym every day, eat only good food – rarely last longer than a month or two. Make a goal in 2012 that you can achieve and set out a plan of how you are going to do it. Want to lose 10 pounds? Set a schedule of how to lose one pound every two weeks and go about working towards that goal.

2. Don’t diet – make life style changes.

Diets rarely last, but lifestyle changes do. Don’t starve yourself to lose weight – change what you eat to get lasting results.

3. Drink more water.

The body often mistakes hunger for thirst. Next time you feel hungry in between a meal, drink a glass of water first, and then ask yourself if you are still hungry.

4. Find a parking spot far away.

Don’t search for the closest parking spot when you go to the store, find one farther away. Walking an extra ½ mile each day adds up to 185+ miles each year.

5. Take the stairs.

For some it’s not always easy to find stairs – make do with what you have. If you are at the mall and there is an escalator – get on it and walk up even though you could just stand still.

6. Shop the outside of the grocery store first.

The outside isles of the grocery store usually house the freshest, non-processed food. Only venture into the middle aisles if there is something specific you need. Remember fruits and eggs for breakfast are better than a processed pop-tart.

7. Eat whole foods.

Eat foods as close to their natural form as possible. Like applesauce – find one that is just apples, with no added sugar. Ask yourself if the food you are eating is in its natural form or does it have a bunch of other things added to it.

8. Switch out white rice or pasta in your diet for Quinoa.

Quinoa is a complete protein source and is gluten free.

9. Go to the grocery store more often.

You don’t need to spend more money at the grocery store, just go more often. Foods in their whole state like fruits and vegetables go bad quicker than foods that are shelf stable for years. Instead of wasting money on food that you might not eat in time, buy a little at a time, and go back for more when you have finished eating it. Wasting less will make you feel better about eating healthy.

10. Eat a healthy breakfast every day.

Not only does eating breakfast kick start your metabolism each morning, but it sets the tone for the whole day. Eat sticky buns for breakfast and you are more likely to eat junk the rest of the day. Eat a banana smoothie with chia seeds in it and you are more likely to make better, healthier decisions throughout the day.

11. Eat an apple a day.

There are over 7,500 different types of apples, which means there is bound to be one variety that you enjoy eating. When hungry in between meals, instead of reaching for a low-fat processed snack, eat an apple and drink a glass of water.

12. Move.

Dance. Walk. Run. Skip. You name it – just move. Moving more and sitting less means that we burn more calories throughout the day, it also means that you use your body. When it comes to staying or getting fit – it’s a use it or lose it scenario. Whenever you can, try to incorporate moving into what you are doing. Drying your hair – do air squats. Playing with your kids, turn it into a dance party. Going out to get the mail – do a quick little sprint to the mailbox.

13. Instead of going to a local bar with your girlfriends or for a guy’s night out – do something active together.

Make plans to meet friends on a Saturday morning for a run. Running with friends makes you more accountable – meaning you will actually show up. Friends can also help push your farther and faster with a little friendly competition.

14. Sign up for a race.

Having a goal to work towards also helps you stay accountable. Sign up for a distance that is challenging for you personally but not one that will break you and make you give up. If you have only ever run a 5K – sign up for a 10 miler – don’t jump to the marathon distance. Baby steps will get you some where faster than taking giant steps and getting injured.

15. If you already consider yourself a runner, mix up your routine.

The human body quickly adapts to whatever it is doing. In order to keep burning more calories and making fitness gains you want to keep it guessing. Don’t do the same routine week after week and expect great results. Move out of your comfort zone and try a tempo, a track workout, a fartlek, or mile repeats.

16. Don’t get down on yourself.

If you eat too much – workout too little, don’t chastise yourself and give up. We don’t need a new year or even a new day to start right now making changes. Each and every moment during a day is a chance for you to decide from this moment on to make better choices.

17. Cardio junkie? Lift weights.

Most women are worried lifting weights will bulk you up – this isn’t true. Lifting weights will increase your lean muscle mass thus helping you burn more calories throughout the day.

18. Beat boredom by signing up for a class at your local gym or YMCA.

No one said you had to be a runner to work out and get fit. Find a form of exercise that you like.

19. Don’t make excuses.

There are always excuses why you can’t work out. No sitter? Trade babysitting with a friend. Too tired – remind yourself you GET to work out – you don’t HAVE to.

20. Work your abs all day.

Sitting in traffic and your abs come to mind. Tense them and hold. Repeat as many times as you would like. Throughout the day repeat this whenever you think about it. Visualize your abs getting stronger and they likely will.

21. Stand tall.

Over time our bodies start to naturally slump over. Focus on standing tall throughout the day to help improve your posture. Standing tall also helps open up your lungs when you are running making it easier to breathe.

22. Meal plan.

Meal planning isn’t just about saving money it’s about making sure that you have a healthy dinner ready to go for when you get home from work. It’s easy when you are tired to dial up your local pizza joint and even easier to overeat when you feel those feel good chemicals from the cheese and carbs take over your willpower.

23. Make an effort to eliminate stress.

The hormone cortisol that is released in your body when you are stressed also contributes to weight gain. Emails stressing you out – unsubscribe from every email that isn’t from a real person as it comes in.

24. Choose your friends wisely.

You know that friend that is loads of fun – who always convinces you to have more than you should to drink and keeps you out till 4am, only to then suggest you pick up take out on the way home and eat it at 5am. Not the best person to be hanging out with if you want to get fitter and feel better in 2012. Find a friend who has the same life goals that you do and encourage each other to stay on track. Don’t have a friend like that? Make one. It’s never too late to try to find someone who will lift you up rather than bring you down.

25. Work standing up.

This one isn’t for the faint of heart BUT if you sit on your bum all day in front of a computer consider raising your desk and working standing up for a couple of hours.

26. BELIEVE in yourself.

If you don’t believe in yourself how can you expect anyone else to? What the mind believes the body can achieve. Set a goal and tell yourself it is possible – it’s not whether you will achieve your goal it is a matter of when.

• 26.2 DREAM BIG.

  Dream about the body and life you want in 2012 and go after it – step by step, day by day. Focus on the small picture, bit by bit; before you know it you will have achieved your dream!

I think I can justify it!

OK, after another week of yoga with my cheap-ola mat, I am pretty close to shelling out the money for my dream mat.  Today's class was such a great one - many of the members suggested we work on hips and lower back - and it addressed everything that was so tight in my body, too.  I feel amazing after practice (and to think I almost talked myself out of going because I was so tight!). But after an hour of almost all matwork, I'm really thinking about a nice, cushy mat!!

Water fun

Give me a big, fat star because I had a great workout at water aerobics today!!

Wonder what my heart really does during this workout?  I have seen the estimation to be around 315 calories burned in a typical 60 minute water class, but since I try and focus on interval training and getting my heart rate up 4 -5 times a class, I think an HRM will be my best indicator. I'm anxious to get to REI this coming weekend to purchase a new one, since my old one is leaky and broken.

Can I justify...

a New Year's gift to myself?  One that is a bit of a financial splurge?

I started taking yoga last month.  An entry-level Hatha Yoga class, so I can get the hang of it.  It took me months of procrastinating and anxiety before I finally pulled on my yoga pants and set off for my first class.  You see, I am flabby,  I can't touch my toes, I don't have the arm strength to do a plank for more than 10 seconds, and I was sure everyone in class would be horrified by my big spandexed body trying to do something that, to many, is so fluid and natural.

My 8 year old had been practicing yoga for months and had been nagging me almost daily to "just go and try it." It felt wrong to feed my lame list of excuses to him.  I am his mom and, in his eyes, I can do anything. So the very next morning, I put on the spandex and I went to class.  And I liked it.

And I am still liking it, both for my body and for my mind.  It makes me feel peaceful.  It makes me feel strong (though I still can't plank for more than 12 seconds!). And it makes my word slow down for a little while, which is so important in my anxiety-filled brain.

So I am contemplating a New Year's gift to myself.  A beautiful, fancy, comfortable, sticky Manduka yoga mat (in the color Amore) to replace my slippery, knee-crunching shocking turquoise Target cheapie mat.  An investment in my health, in this journey, in myself.