The Mindset Makeover

Prevention magazine just posted an article on my Facebook called 17 Ways Exercise Sends Health Soaring.  I really liked it.  It gave me a different way of looking at why I should work out.  I am an instant gratification kind of girl so I need more of a reason to workout then losing weight.  I need something that I’m going to get right away.  So, I thought they were worth mentioning.

1. Be happier at work -Research shows that exercise will help you to think more clearly, get more done and interact better with your work associates
2. Improve your vocabulary-Working out can aid in brain function helping you to learn faster than those who don’t get any exercise at all
3. Get natural pain relief-Exercise can relieve pain in your back and joints
4. Feel sexy at any size-Simple working out can improve a person’s body image
5. Lower dental bills-30 minutes 5 days a week will lower your risk for periodontitis
6. Unlock hidden energy-Moving your body will increase energy and thwart off fatigue better than coffee
7. Shrinks stress fat-Exercise helps to reduce belly fat
8. Slash cold risk by 33%-regular exercise will boost the immune system
9. Improve vision-Carrots aren’t the only way to help reduce the risk of macular degeneration
10. Reach the deep sleep zone-Working out will greatly improve sleep
11. Never get diabetes-Exercise helps in releasing insulin and control blood sugar
12. Eliminate belly bloat-Physical activity help relieve gas and bloating
13. Clear out brain fog-Studies show that working out will reduce your risk of getting Alzheimer and increase brain function in younger people
14. Save your heart-Exercise lowers the risk of heart disease
15. Add years to your life-Being physically fit will help you to live a longer life
16. Erase your ailments-working out will reduce stress related ailments as well as physical (back and joint pain) ailments
17. Survive breast cancer-Physical activity can reduce your risk of breast cancer and raise your risk of survival

The above mentioned are some really good reasons for me to find 30 minutes a day to work out.  There are so many reasons to get physically fit, losing weight is a minor one and wasn’t even mentioned on the list.  I am going to make it a priority to fit in at least 3 hours of physical activity a week.  🙂  Wish me luck.  I know it’s all a mental game and I am ready to put my game face on.

Please click the link below for the complete article The Mindset Makeover

http://online.prevention.com/17waysexercisesoars/index.shtml

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I hate to workout so I’ll just do “The Danza”

I need to get myself in gear.  I have a lot I want to get done.  I guess we have decided to make tonight a Jammie party.  However, I still plan on doing my hair and make up.  I cannot enjoy myself if I am looking like a hot mess.

I must make a confession.  I don’t like to workout.  I just don’t.  I have tried everything I can think of to do it, and LOVE IT!  I haven’t been doing it but what I have been doing is putting on my mp3 player and doing my house work and cooking Tony Danza style, Ya know, from the show Who’s the Boss.

I use to love to watch him clean,  He did it vigorously, so he could get in his workout.  He would lift the couch to vacuum under it.  See, I can clean vigorously for an hour and break a sweat because when I am done I feel like I have accomplished two things.  I also love to dance so I do that, as well.  However, getting on the tread mill or lifting weights, or any of that other stuff is just so unappealing to me that if I schedule it in, I end up coming up with some excuse as to why I can’t do it.  So, for now I am going to do “The Danza” as my workout 😉  Anything’s better than sitting on my tush, doing nothing.

Do people sabotage on purpose

Bright eyed and bushy-tailed already this morning.  I have a lot to do to prepare for my company tonight.  I need to find a veggie dip that is low in fat, sodium, and calories.  To bad air doesn’t have flavor lol  Because I don’t for see me finding anything that healthy to dip my veggies in.  Last night I made cauliflower chips.  I am thinking of making those tonight.  They were amazing.

Wow, I am watching The Doctors while having my morning coffee and they were just talking about diet saboteurs.  So funny because they are out there.  Here at my house, I ask my husband and kids to keep their treats put up.  They are not very successful with it.  My husband, however, does try.  The other day he went grocery shopping while I was at work.  He bought himself and the boys a 6-pack of blueberry donuts.  He knew he had to hide them, so he put them inside the door of the fake fire-place.  The door on the fire-place is plexi glass and sits directly across from my chair.  I had to laugh when I came home from work and spotted the donuts laying just inside the door.

I don’t believe that my family sabotages me on purpose.  However, there are people out there that hate to see other people succeed.  I have actually had people scowl at me, say “Well, I am just going to eat what I want and be happy.”  and  “Have fun with that I am going to enjoy my life, thank you very much.”  I don’t really say much to them, but I am thinking, just because I eat healthy doesn’t mean I don’t have a life.  In fact, my quality of life increases 10 fold when I am eating better.

 

 

Healthy theme for New Years Eve

Just finished doing a lot of cleaning.  Preparing for a small get together with friends for New Years Eve tomorrow night.  I am trying something different this year.  We are doing a healthy theme.   A friend of mine who is a fitness expert is coming over.  She was happy to have a healthy themed party.  So, there will be no alcohol.  I am steering clear of that until my birthday in a few weeks.  I will be doing a veggie plate.  And she will be bringing a fresh fruit plate.  We are going to play xbox kinect and get it some much-needed physical activity.  We’ll be playing some Dance Central, Just Dance 3 and maybe some Zumba.  Should be fun.  It is definitely something I have never done before.

Looks amazing.  I love colorful food.

Oh yes, I almost forgot to mention, that I did weigh in this morning and I am down 6 pounds already.  YaY for me.  I am feeling pretty confident that this is going to be a successful and productive weekend.  As for now I am off to enjoy a nice cup of hot green tea and a piece of gum 😀

 

Hypnosis?

Well, it’s Friday!  I am off at 2pm today.  That would be exciting and all, if I had something to do.  It is so bitter cold outside I have a feeling I wont go outside at all this weekend.  It’s 9 degrees and we are expecting a couple of inches of snow over the next 36 hours.  A couple of inches is nothing for us.

Anyway, I am enjoying my coffee while watching The Dr.’s. this morning.  I must have ten of them on my DVR.  Today’s episode: is about ways to weigh less!  I love that they added Jillian Michaels to the panel.  Having a weight loss and fitness expert is as important as a doctor to our health.  Preventative measures to stay healthy should be first and for most in our lives. I hate to go to the doctors.

At this point they are going over all the conditions caused by being over weight.  First of all they are saying belly fat can affect your heart by building up plaque deposits in your arteries which can result in a fatal heart attack.  #1 killer in men and women: heart disease.  Being obese also makes it harder to breathe because the added fat is causing pressure on the lungs.  An obese person can also suffer with sleep apnea because of the extra fat in the neck area.  It can also affect the brain.  Holly moly, there are so many problems associated with obesity.  However, here’s the beauty part, if you lose the weight all these conditions are reversible.

They are talking of “thinking” yourself thin.  Which I totally believe.  They are discussing hypnosis.  Been there, done that and it worked for about 3 months.  And what an awesome 3 months it was.  I do believe that you can make yourself  believe anything if you tell yourself enough.  The mind is a powerful thing.  For example, there was a time in my life that I literally hated myself.  In my mind I wasn’t even human.  I felt like a martian with good hair.  It was horrible to live that way, and I was miserable to be around.  Then, as I was reading a book written by Dr. Phil.  He made a statement in that book that changed my life.  He said to look in the mirror, and tell yourself you are a beautiful, caring person and that you love yourself.  So I did.  I did it every day even though I didn’t believe it.  Then one day I looked in the mirror, said it, and as I spoke the last word a smile came across my face.  I knew it was true.  I am a beautiful, loving caring person who loves to smile and spread happiness. That moment changed the way I looked at myself and my life.  Heck I think it even changed the way I looked, because being miserable will make a person appear frumpy, dumpy, and  just not attractive.

It just occurred to me to go into the bathroom everyday look in the mirror and tell myself I am a beautiful, thin, healthy woman who makes positive choices to live a full and productive life.

 

 

Real Hunger Comes Slowly

Well folks, I am about to enter into the weekend.  I have such a terrible time staying on plan over the weekend.  Ehhh!  I am not afraid.  I know I can do this.  Primarily because my pants are pretty tight from all the cheating I did over the past several months.  When I get off work tomorrow, I am going to make a nice long list of things I have been wanting to get done around here.  My plan is to peck away at the list whenever I am feeling board. AND Before I get into something I shouldn’t.

I must remember to recognize why I am eating.  If the thought of eating comes on suddenly and with urgency, I know it’s not real hunger.  Real hunger comes on slowly and builds over time.  Hmmm, perhaps I should write this on my dry erase board, so I don’t forget it.

I wasn’t completely successful at eating slow.  For some reason I don’t think of it until I am almost done.  I only mention it because it is my way of nagging myself to get it together.

Tomorrow is a new day 🙂  Can’t wait.

I have my granddaughter this weekend.  She is so fun.  She is pretty good about eating whatever I cook, healthy or otherwise.  She loves her banana’s and her grammy.

 

Detoxing day 5

Wow, I am getting those old familiar feelings I had when I first started the 17 day diet back in April.  I am currently on day 5 and have been having really bad stomach cramps.  It may really stink that I am having these cramps, but it tells me my body is ridding itself of all the sugar and carbs I “enjoyed” over the past several months.  I am finally on the mend.  If I remember correctly it took a solid week to overcome the initial withdrawal symptoms I suffered.

If you are contemplating removing refined sugars and complex carbs from your body you could have one or more of the following symptoms.

• Constipation
• cramping
• fatigue
• head aches
• nausea

Those are the ones that I have had both times I “detoxed.”  I worst one for me is the fatigue.  It is so hard to function and prepare when you don’t have the energy to get it done.   However, after a week, the energy you will have will be amazing.  I cannot wait for that myself.  I remember having so much energy I would have to watch television while standing.  Working out was not an issue because I had to find some way to expend the energy.

Once I am completely detoxed, (that’s what I like to call it because refined sugars and complex carb’s are like crack to me) I can then add in some carbs in the form of whole wheat bread, pasta and oatmeal to my meal plan probably every other day.

 

A Light Bulb Moment

Good morning!  It is so peaceful in my house right now.  Everyone is still sleeping.  I got up this morning and knew I had so much to do to prepare for the day that it would be hard for me to find the time to get in some physical activity.  So, what I did was put on my mp3 player and danced while I prepared my meals and snacks for the day.  Needles to say I did move my body for a full hour, cooking and cleaning.  In that hour I prepared 2 cauliflower wraps, a chicken salad, Buffalo chicken pieces for a snack (just in case), a chicken parm and my yogurt.

I used to do all of this stuff on Sundays which worked great.  I think I need to get back to that.  Light bulb moment!!  When I was doing well, I would take Sunday to prepare 6 or so meals, iron my clothes and get them ready for work, including the socks and underwear hehehe..  This did a couple of things for me, #1 it helped me to be busy on Sunday.  A day in which I tend to over eat due to boredom.  And #2 It set me up for success during the week.  It is truly amazing the things I learn about myself as I write.  I guess during my busy day-to-day life I just don’t get the time to analyze the things I do.  That’s where writing comes in.  It is absolutely therapeutic.  I have learned so much about myself in the past year.  I began writing on April 6th of this year.  The day I took charge of my weight problem.  It’s a daily struggle, but I have come to realize that many people struggle with what they eat on a daily basis.  Skinny people and fat people.  It’s no longer a choice for me, it’s a matter of survival.

 

 

I got this!

Today was a much better day.  I wasn’t as hungry and preoccupied with food.  I ended up finishing my day at around 1200 calories which is right where I want to be.  I was able to come home from work today and fold the laundry, do some dishes and prepare me a yummy dinner.  Oh and I almost forgot, I also managed to fit in 30 minutes of dancing in my high heel boots.  😀 Determination baby!

As far as my goal to slow down when I eat and to not eat after 7pm.  I DID slow down my eating when I realized I was shoveling.  However, I forgot about it at each meal until about 3 or 4 bites in.  I need to work on this more tomorrow.  I still have a ways to go.  As far as my goal to not eat after 7pm.  Well, it’s 7:56pm now.  So far so good.  Wish me luck.  I am off to spend time with the family.

There is a decernable pep in my step today

Well, I am half way through my work day.  It’s a blustery cold day out there.  We are looking at a high of 23 degrees up here on the Canadian border.  Brrrrrr!  I dread getting out there to go home for lunch.

Anyway, I just had to update.  I have noticed that I have the little bounce in my step today.  I have not stepped on the scales since Monday morning.  The scales and I are not exactly buddies.  I am thinking I will be probably weigh in Friday morning.  Hoping that keeps me faithful throughout the weekend.  Weekends are pretty tough for me, but this weekend I am going to make a nice long list of things I would like to accomplish.  Things I should have done months ago but didn’t get done due to poor diet and lack of exercise.

My plan for the evening is to, of course, prepare for tomorrow and do some dancing in my 3 inch heals again.  I am bound and determined to wear those on my birthday, and know how to walk/dance in them.  I have always wanted a pair of sexy boots.  Now the trick is to wear them without falling down.  hehhee.  A friend of mine who is big into fitness told me that dancing in those boots will be great things for my calves.  I say bring it on I’m ready!