Patty the Trainer

Had a great first meeting with Patty. We talked about her training style, some success stories including her personal weight loss success, my current habits, and my goals. She even gave me homework. I hate homework. But I guess I can manage this one. It's 30 minutes of cardio. 


She gave me a specific way to do my cardio, we talked about heart rate, perceived effort, and interval training. I'll be heading to the gym when I'm done with my workday to do my homework and hit the pool for a while. I think I'll use the recumbent bike today. Doesn't leave me with a sore rear end like the upright type bikes do.


Patty reiterated the importance of 5 to 6 small meals throughout the day to keep my metabolism burning all day. The things I know, but don't do. Silly me. I've been trying to do the small meals, but haven't been eating "good" food, so my small meals are too small. Need to pick up more fruits and veggies to bulk up those meals and still keep the calories manageable. 


Well, my first official training session with Patty is tomorrow evening. I'm looking forward to it, but a little nervous at the same time. Probably because when we went through my medical questionaire, I didn't have anything that she needed to be concerned about. I believe what she said (with an evil smile) was "Good, then I don't have to worry about hurting you." Should I be worried about that? Guess I'll know tomorrow. 


Heading to the gym, push out that cardio so I can tell Patty I did my homework like a good girl. 


Healthy and Happy Living

The Trouble with Competitions

As I type, I am walking on my treadmill, fretting about tomorrow's final weigh in for the Biggest Loser challenge at work. During this challenge I realized something about myself. That when I think of losing weight for the challenge, I can't. When I stop thinking about the challenge, I can. Weird. Glad it's almost over, I can get back to normal again.

I've always thought that challenging myself, and competing against others was the best way to get motivated in my journey. Turns out that was the exact opposite of what I should have been doing. I spend so much time worrying about it and thinking about it that I forget to do anything about it. All that stress just adds up to emotional eating, and everything backfires. There's also a little voice in my head that tells me how great it would be to see a certain other person win. That they want it more or need it more or deserve it more. And being the giving personality I am, I think I'm subconciously sabotaging myself to give them a better chance. I know, silly huh, but there you have it.

So, no more weight loss competitions for me. Just healthy choices and let the weight handle itself.

Healthy and Happy Living

Gratitude

Yesterday was a bit of a down day. Today I'm shaking it off I have decided I'm having a glorious day, so it must be true.

As my regular readers probably know, I'm participating in the 3rd Fabulous Fatties Challenge. They have such great challenges. :) Anyway, about a week ago Shannon challenged the challengers to keep a daily journal of things you are grateful for. I've decided that is a great thing to add to my journey. A healthy soul is part of a healthy life. Here are some of the things I'm grateful for:

I have a wonderful husband who loves me and thinks I'm beautiful no matter my size

My son is growing up to be a kind, caring, intelligent person

My family is healthy and happy

My mom is an amazing person, and I know she is always there when I need her

I have a large family, and our family get togethers are full of love and laughter

I have two of the sweetest most loving dogs ever

I have a good job that keeps me challenged and gives me the opportunity to grow and learn

I have fabulous friends; both the real life kind, and the blog/Twitter/Facebook kind that are there when I need a little cheering up

I set out to accomplish a goal, and although I haven't reached that goal yet, I'm well on my way and have found a wonderful support system to get me there

Oh, and now I have something new to add to my list, I just won a prize in the daily drawing for the Fabulous Fatties Challenge. It feels so good to win! Thank you ladies, you are Fabulous.

This is the start of what is sure to be a very long list. I have a nice new leather bound journal that these are going in, and whenever I have a down day (like yesterday) I can read through all the things in my life I can be grateful for, and that's sure to turn that frown upsidedown.

Healthy and Happy Living



Fab Fatties Challenge Update:
Date: 8/25
Total Entries: 5 entries
Drink 8 glasses of water a day *1 entry
5 servings of fruits or vegetables a day *1 entry
Exercise 30 minutes a day or more *2 entries
Eat a healthy breakfast *1 entry per day

Tips and Challenge

During my last training session, I spoke to my trainer and asked him for a tip for my readers. Paul's first tip is, when you are exercising, try to keep the time between exercises really short. The less rest time, the longer your heart rate stays up and the more fat you can burn. His second tip was to practice Push Aways. Paul said they are a great exercise for people trying to lose weight. Now I hadn't heard of these before, so was very interested to hear the details. So I had his explain exactly how to do one. So here's how a Push Away is done. First, while seated at the table, place your hands on the end of the table in front of you and push back so your chair and you push away from the table. Now for the important part, this is to be done while eating a meal, and before you have finished. Just when you've had enough to feel satisfied. The idea being, if you can push yourself away from the unfished meal, you'll eat less. :) We got a good laugh out of it being an "exercise," he said it as a joke, but I told him I was going to put it in anyway.

Now, those of you who have been following me for a while (or have read some of the old posts), may remember the Fabulous Fatties challenge that I was a part of. Well, they're at it again. The Fabulous Fatties Challenge #3 is in full swing. I just found out about it yesterday, barely in time to join up to participate. But even though it's too late to participate in this one, I'd recommend popping into their site anyway. They are full of life and very inspirational, plus they are sure to have another challenge soon, so you can get a feel for how they work. Stop in and say "Hi", tell them a_healthier_me sent you. :)

So far I have 5 points for yesterday (cut me some slack, I didn't find out until late in the day).
Set a goal of what you want to achieve during this challenge. *2 entries
Exercise 30 minutes a day or more *2 entries
Eat a healthy breakfast *1 entry per day

Today will be a higher point score. :)

Healthy and Happy Living

Potato Chips

My trainer gave me a fabulous tip yesterday. We were chatting a little between sets, as I cought my breath in preperation for my ball squats (that's where you put a big stability ball behind your back, lean against the wall, and do squats, great thigh workout). I mentioned that I was sitting on a ball at work now, and would find myself bouncing on it constantly. He said, "If a chip a day equals a pound a year, then that has to do something."

What? Did he just say what I think he said? A chip a day, one single, solitary, lonely little potato chip per day, equals one pound! Can it really be that simple? Lets see, so twice a week, I've been getting a particular coffee drink from a famous coffee chain. My drink has 380 calories. So if I cut just 10 of those out per year, there's a pound. Well, what if I stop drinking them all together? That's 11 pounds in a year, just by stopping my twice a week coffee habit and replacing that caffeine with a no cal drink (and yes, my no cal morning drink is full of caffeine, and yes it's soda!)

Gee, if that little change can make such a big difference in a year, what else can I change. Well, my afternoon walks (which I admit I haven't done as often as I should in the past couple weeks, I blame it on the heat, but that's a poor excuse), I burn more than 400 extra calories that I would sitting on my butt for that 45 minutes to an hour. So, lets say I go for an afternoon walk 5 days a week, every week for one year. That's 30 pounds lost in the year!

I knew I loved math for a reason. Seeing these numbers add up is driving home a point for me. If I cut one little thing out a day that I may have otherwise eaten, or replace it with something with slightly fewer calories, I can make a huge difference.

I'd love to hear about other ideas for making small changes for big results. Do you have any tips to share?

Healthy and Happy Living

Modify for Success

"Modify for Success" my trainer said to me at my session last Friday. This was in response to the horrified look I gave him when he said I would be doing pull ups. On one hand I know how trainers work, and was afraid he was actually going to make me struggle through pull ups, and I felt like I was in my high school PE class again. On the other hand, I wanted to laugh out loud at how ridiculous the prospect of me accomplishing a pull up was. OK, I'll give him the benefit of the doubt, he hasn't yet steered me wrong. So we walk through the gym to a very strange contraption, he explains it to me, but it doesn't make it seem any less strange and scary.
Basically it's a movable bar, so you can adjust the height, from almost on the floor to way above my head. The purpose is to give you a level in which you can accomplish push ups and pull ups without going full out. So with the bar about stomach high, I pushed out some pull ups, and with the bar about chest high, I pulled off some pull ups. At the time, all I thought was "Cool, like that I can do this." But yesterday as I took my afternoon walk, I started thinking about it again.

"Hm," I thought to myself. "It seems to me, I can take that phrase and apply it to just about anything. Modify for Success." Well, if that didn't get my mind churning. What else in my life needs accomplishing that is a struggle? Well, obviously my weight loss efforts. So, Modification #1: Altered mindset. It dawned on me that in the 2 weeks before the Biggest Loser contest at work started, I had dropped over 10 pounds without really trying. I just started moving more, watched my portions, threw in more fruits and veggies and increased my water intake. I wasn't thinking about how much weight I lost every single day. Well, since the contest started, that's all I can think about. Every day, "Did I lose any weight today," "Did I do anything I shouldn't have," "What did I eat that I shouldn't have," and all sorts of other negative thoughts. Head slap moment, what am I thinking! This isn't just about losing weight, this is about lifestyle changes towards a healthier me! So, switch that mindset back to what was working before. I am no longer focusing my efforts on winning the contest, I'm back to focusing on healthier living. If it isn't a change I am making in my lifestyle, it isn't something I need to do. Even after a few hours with this new mindset, I feel so much better about myself. For a while there, I had forgotten that I liked myself!

Now, a big part of my efforts are in blogging & Twitter. So, Modify for Success number 2 & 3 - Twitter is now mu homepage. So every time I log in to the internet, I'm brought right into the warm support of my tweoples! As for my blog, those of you who have been here before, probably noticed the dramatic changes. It feels more like me now. I feel at home in my blog. And besides being prettier to look at, I think it has really given me more freedom in my writing. I'm not afraid to say anything, so don't be surprised if my posts start to sound different. You're getting insight to the real me now. In addition to the cosmetic modifications, I'm modifying my blogging for success by making a schedule of things to talk about. So coming soon you'll start to see my weekly recap (including weigh in) every Monday, I'll start featuring a Weight Loss Blog Buddy, you'll see healthy recipes (deserts for sure!), Fitness tips and articles including tips from my trainer, and more.

Now, this isn't all about me anymore! If you notice, I also changed the name of my blog. It is now "Journey to a Healthier Life", I'm modifying for the success of all my followers who want to live healthier lives.

Healthy and Happy Living

De'Anna

Everyone has a bad day once in a while

And today was one of mine. I had a moment this morning when I asked if all this effort is worth what seems like such a small payback. To quote my first morning Tweet "Is it really worth it? The sore muscles, the sweat, the hard work, the avoiding favorite foods. Just to see a tiny half pound loss?! Really?" Moments like this are bound to happen to us all. Judgeing by my past experiences, I'd have to say that tough moments in the begining of a diet (although I'm not "dieting") are to be expected, along with those same tough moments whenever you hit a plateau.

How did I get past this? You may ask. Well let me tell you. It was largely thanks to my Twitter support group. After posting that tweet, I had several responses encouraging me along. The main points I got from everyone were 1) YES it is worth it, 1/2 lb here and 1/2 lb there, next thing you know, you have hit your goal and are feeling Fabulous! 2) Don't lay everything on the scale, that is only one small piece of what I'm trying to accomplish. I need to put more stock in how I feel, how my clothes fit, and what I'm able to do now that I may not have been in the past. After all, I'm now regularly climbing stairs, taking 2 to 3 mile walks, going to the gym, and have been on a hike. I haven't done anything like this in a long time.

I've also learned just how important a support group is. If you are trying to lose weight and/or get healthy, and you haven't built a support structure to help you when you fall, why not? It's like walking a tightrope without a net. Sure, you can accomplish it after a LOT of practice, but you wouldn't start out that way. You can expect difficult days when you start out on a new journey like this, and it is imperative that you have people who can help you up when you fall and pull you through it. Family & friends are great, but people going through or that have gone through the same journey will have more insight & will understand what you are going through. You can make friends with other bloggers (like me!) and encourage through comments, make friends on social networking sites like Facebook (yes, I'm there too), or for instant reactions 24/7 make friends with some of the many Twitterers who are on a similar journey (yep, you guessed it, you can find me there too).

Whatever you do, and however you need to do it to work for you, just stick with it. You will feel so good about yourself and everything you are able to accomplish. Take pride in the little things you do. And remember to smile as much as possible, it feels good, and smiles are contageous - you might just make a stranger's day.

The Hike

Wednesday, I went on a hike with some of the challengers at work. It was a beautiful place to hike. Here I am thinking a nice leasurly hike through a park would be fun. Boy, was I ever wrong there. It was not a leasurly hike, it was a grueling uphill climb for a good 45 minutes. 5 minutes in I was already feeling tired, halfway through the climb my legs burned so bad. I was miliseconds from quitting, turning around and headed right back down. But our fearless team leader, Zen, was there with me. Staying behind the pack to make sure I made it, giving me the gentle encouragements I needed to push through. She had no doubt that I would make it, that she gave me the strength that I needed to do it. As we got to a split in the path, Zen told me that one direction would be a gentle downhill path back to the cars, and the other would be a gentler uphill climb to a curve in the path. She asked me if I wanted to try going further, and there was suddenly a battle in my head. The competitive-never-give-up side screamed "YES! We can make it to the top of that! Lets Go!" while the side of me that felt the pain in my legs, and the shortness in my breath whimpered "Please no, we can't take anymore." As I waged my internal battle, Zen was once again my voice of strength, she said it wasn't that far, just around the bend and she knew I could make it. So we did. I made it. We turned around, and I looked out at the wonderful view of the hilltops, the trees, the greenness of it all. It was breathtaking (not that I had much breath anyway). And in that moment, I realized it didn't matter how much pain I had been in, it was totally worth it. I didn't even feel the pain anymore. As we headed back down to the cars, I felt a sense of acomplishment that made me feel like I could do anything. Surprisingly enough, I'm actually looking forward to the next hike.

So, ever thought to yourself "I can't do that, I'm not in good enough shape." Yeah, so have I. But instead of listening to that voice, I listened to all the other voices saying I could. We can do anything we set our minds to!

My biggest lesson through this adventure, was that it is VERY important to drink plenty of water before strenous physical exercise. Zen made sure to drill that into my head (because I didn't). So to all you out there in cyberland, if you are going to exercise, be sure you are drinking your water throughout the day beforehand, don't try drinking a gallon of water 30 minutes before hand, spread it out. Trust me, it makes a difference.

Twitter Support Group

All I can say is WOW. Through all the trials and tribulations of previous weight loss attempts (and failures), I've never had such a quick to respond, widespread, active and helpful support group. Today I was VERY tempted to fall back on good old soda, and my wonderful Twitter friends talked me out of it, letting me know how good I was doing & giving me other options to try instead. With a support group like this under you, how can you possible fail? My spirits have been lifted, my resolve renewed.

Not only do I have my tweeps, but a growing support system at home. My mom is behind me, a couple friends and co-workers and keeping me lifted, and my husband has been so supportive. He tells me all the time how proud he is of me. He even made me my healthy breakfast this morning. Then there is the Biggest Loser challengers at work, our wonderful team leader (Zen) who is supportive, encouraging, and gives us those gentle reminders to do what we're supposed to (like when I didn't take the stairs this morning, after talking to her I walked back downstairs and up again). I feel like everything in my life is falling into place to get me to where I want and need to be. Pretty soon, I'll be one hot mama!

Went for a nice long walk at lunch today with a group that is participating in the Biggest Loser challenge at work. As much as I enjoy walking by myself, I realized that walking with other people pushes me to walk faster than I normally would. I was quite winded when I got back. Follow that up with a 3 flight stair climb. Pretty good workout for the afternoon. Need to do my floor mat exercises tonight too, going to be like 2 hours of exercise today by the time I'm done. It's a good day.

Today's Random Act of Kindness: When looking for a counter to put on the blogs I manage (my 2 and my mom's 2), I found one that include a link to a charitable org under the counter. So instead of going with one that was just normal, I went with the charity link. Even if it only generates $1 for a charity, every dollar counts.