New Favorite Exercise App!

I sincerely apologize for being so distant with this blog!! I really love to share all the exciting things I discover, but I will be the first to admit, I'm still adjusting to the move we made last year.  Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love everything about where we are living, and the school my kids are attending, but the adjustment has been huge as we have changed everything about our lives.

From country living to city, from being 15-20 minutes away from the nearest stores/friends/civilization to being 5 minutes from everything and seconds away from friends. (There are 6 families in our court that we go to church with each week and have kids the same age) I've also started to work a few hours a day, first time since 1998 when we moved back home and decided to start a family.  I could go on and on, but who wants to hear the details?  We moved. I am still adjusting. Period.

Okay, the reason for this post.  THIS APP!  I love it!  I like to be active, I really do, but I have feast and famines when it comes to it, so to have an app break things down into baby steps I can do is heaven sent!

The app is from the site Couch-to-5K and it's only $1.99.  I'm all for the free apps, but this is so cheap and it gives you SO MUCH.  Just the daily break down to help get you from walking to running is so wonderful and to have the phone talk to you couldn't be easier. Who can't run 1 minute with a 1 1/2 minute recovery? The app even tells you when to walk, and when to run.  No checking your watch or doing any math!

I have to say though, I tried it for the first time last week and nearly died.  My joints and lungs are just not ready for running I guess!  Yes, 3 minutes of running, with each minute separated by walking was still too much (it happens) so I only did half the workout.  Boo hoo, right?  NOPE!

Being stubborn and set on being in better shape, I went even easier today, I skipped the app and used a different one called Endomondo and I walked.  This app uses GPS to track your workout.  It's cool to see how far you've gone--and you can even share it online with everyone, if you like.

I am really trying to do things differently with my lifestyle and getting up early is one of them. (Hardest challenge e-ver!) So, this morning, the sprinklers woke me up just before 5 and when my alarm went off at 5, needless to say, I was pretty awake.  Hoping to fall back asleep, I laid there.  Often times, I want to go for a walk, but just don't know where to go.  I need a destination, a plan, a goal.  "Just walking" won't get me out of bed.  A scene popped into my head, a scene not too far from my home and in fact, the one that got me excited about moving here, did it.

So, I went for a walk and it was beautiful, I even saw a deer and a couple of different friends along my route! Who knew?! When I started this morning, I thought this would be nice to do daily or at least a few times a week, but about half way through, I realized it's a lot more time than I expected.  1.5 hours later, I checked my phone and it said I did 5.5 miles!  Woohoo!  But one and a half hours is not something I could do everyday, or even often.  But!  Now I have a goal to work towards.  If I was jogging this route, I could have done it under an hour, and with the Couch-to-5k app, I know I'll get there!!  :)


*I am not endorsed by anyone, I'm just a gal trying to get in shape before hitting the big 4-0.

Frustrated with the Food Chain

I'm frustrated.

Every time I go to the store I'm just dumbfounded by the lack of isles I can't bring myself to go down.  There is row after row of crap offered as food.  I suppose our definition of food is somewhat loose these days.  No wonder America has health issues.  Seriously.  We are slowly killing ourselves, one spoonful at a time.

Have you ever looked at the foods that are offered on the shelves of the local store? Lots of MSG, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Nitrates, Perservatives I can't spell and I won't even bother to pronounce... The super sad thing for me is knowing that it's there because people buy it, demand it.  It's all about the law of supply and demand.  Americans demand crap food, so that is what they are getting. Crap food.  And then we're supposed to be surprised when people get sick?

Of course I feel bad when another gets sick, but I can't help but wonder, what have they been eating? Have they been seeking out real food or are they consuming large amounts of convience food that gives more time but lacks nutrition? 

Our bodies are miraculous vessles that can heal themselves.  HEAL. When you pause and think about it, it really is amazing how the body works, but it can only work as well as the nutrition you put into it.  Like a car, if you put junk into it, it won't run properly, if at all.  Our bodies are no different.

This is just an example of a junk food gone WAY bad.  I would love to eat all organic and healthy, but at this point in our budget, the best I can do is aim for natural. I try as best as possible to buy natural foods, foods from nature.

So, yes, it's easy to pick up a bottle of syrup from the store, but do you know how easy it is to make it at home? It's also cheaper.  Bring the sugar to a boil and then let it cool. That's it. I would rather use fruit instead of sugar on the pancakes, but let's get real, kids are kids and sometimes they just want syrup. I used to buy real maple syrup, but it's gotten quite expensive and I just can't bring myself to buy the crud they have at the store. (The bottle in the pic isn't mine)  So my thoughts on this topic, at least sugar is natural and not made in a lab. That maple flavoring is probably made in the lab, but it's a Tablespoon in the whole container, and most of that Tablespoon is alcohol that evaporated away during the boil.

Which would you perfer to put on your whole wheat pancakes?  

Homemade Maple Syrup

White Sugar
Brown Sugar
Water
Maple Flavoring

Store Bought Stuff

High Fructose Corn Syrup
Corn Syrup
Water
Salt
Cellulose Gum
Molasses
Natural & Artificial Flavor (Lactic Acid)
Sodium Hexametaphosphate
Potassium Sorbate
Sodium Benzoate
Carmel Color
Citric Acid

All I can say is, REALLY!??  Why does all that stuff have to be in there?! Is it too much to demand food that we can pronounce? I mean, who doesn't want a dab Hexametaphosphate on their yummy pancakes? Mmmmmm....

5k

I did my very first 5k today. I had a cold starting to kick in, but it was for a good cause and I committed to walk it. I knew running was out of the question, but i knew I could walk it without embarrassing myself. So I tied on my shoes this morning as the sun rose, and I did it.

I'm currently in the worst shape of my life. Being busier than ever, working out hasn't found its place in my efforts to balance this last year of relocating and getting settled. (I'm ashamed to admit this, but it's true) But I think about it, and as the weather gets better, I've hoped to find some sort of routine that has regular exercise in it.

This 5k was the answer. It was fun, I walked and even ran a little. It was a beautiful day, my body felt fantastic and I could have gone farther. I finished in about 45 minutes--not bad for a computer potato with 40 extra pounds hanging off her frame.

As I returned home to life, something happened. Within me, a spark was ignited. A desire I didn't expect to have, is now there. I want to do it again. I want to do more. I want my family to do it too.
I want to make change. I want to make it a lifestyle. The desire to be different, to be better, is there.

I need to go research 5k training because next time I do a 5k, I'm going to run it.

Getting Ready For the New Year

*knocks on screen* Remember me? Yep, I may just be one of the worst bloggers, ever.  I can't believe it's been 6 months since I last posted! How is that even possible? I even have a Blogger app on my phone to make it easier--so much for relying on the app. 

I have to admit, when I looked at the date of my last post, I giggled.  Like literally.  Why?  Because it's just about the SAME time when I was asked to step up from being PSO Treasurer (think PTA) to PRESIDENT! Yep, that's me.  From what I've heard from other mothers, being PTA/PTO/PSO President is a lot of hard work and it takes a lot of time.  But what I've learned is that being the president the first year of the organization's history in a charter school that just started it's second year is beyond time consuming!  Now, don't think I'm complaining, I'm not.  I'm soooo not. I am beyond grateful for this opportunity and actually enjoy every hour I spend at the school and at home on the phone/computer.  I'm just stating a fact. It takes a lot of time, time away from other focuses.

So, maybe I'm not the worst Blogger. I've been legit busy, but I could have possibly snuck a post in here and there the last few months, right? Maybe? Was I that busy?  Based on friend's reactions, I guess I was.

Now, down to business--weight loss business.  I was doing pretty good this year, despite the relocation to a new school, town, house, etc.  The scale said I was, although I felt that I was eating whatever I pretty much wanted. I really was doing well as I look back. For two months over the summer, I didn't eat any man made carbs, and it felt fabulous! But the weirdest thing happened, and I'm still analysing it to understand the, why? 

Around early autumn I learned something that took me by surprise.  I needed to get new pants, the size I was wearing was 18.  So when I went to the store, I tried on 18s and they were HUGE.  So I tried on 16s, still huge.  I finally realized I'm actually a size 14.  I looked at myself in the mirror.  Like really. Looked. At. Myself.  And I discovered I saw myself much heavier than I actually was.  It was a real eye opener. 

Then, do you know what happened?

After being excited over this new reality, the holidays kicked in.  And you know what I did? I ate.  Like, really ate.  Like, pretty much anything that was in front of me, I ate--no restraint whatsoever.  In the back of my subconscious mind--at the place where you think you are in control, but really, you aren't--I found myself saying, "You've done well.  You've pretty much eaten what you like all year and you've maintained.  Eat this.  Eat that. You'll be okay."

So I did.  

What kind of crazy talk is that?!  It's like the whole devil on one shoulder with the angel on the other.  In my case, I swear my devil took out my angel with a huge cream puff grenade, because she was nowhere to be found.  She's been mute. During the season starting with Halloween, I just ate whatever was there because "I was size 14."  I swear I'm insane.  When I feel heavy, I tend to eat less.  But as soon as I feel like I'm in control, I soon find myself going out of control.

So, here I am at the end of 2012 and I'm not sure what goals to make.  Or if I should even make any since it's such a great opportunity for sabotage.  Maybe I should go in half effort to fool myself into doing better.  I don't know. After 30+ years of playing this game, I'm tired and I think that weight control, for some, is literally something that can put you in the loony bin.  I know what it takes.  I know it's not complicated.  I know I have the ability to do it.  So how is it that I'm ending this year "fluffy" as ever?

All I can say is this, and I make no promises, but I have one year until I'm 40. One. And I'll be darned if I begin the next decade of my life unhappy with the way I look, but mostly with the way I feel. I want to shop and have a closet filled with cute clothes, not with old familiars that are faded and getting holey because "I don't want to buy big clothes when I'm just about to get smaller."  I want to feel cute.  I've had 4 kids, and I've forgiven myself for not looking my best, I've allowed myself to be in "progress." I have no excuse now.  My baby is about to start school and I have run out of excuses.  It's all me. Now, I just need to get my focus in check, and make 2013 the year I stop the insanity. I'm seriously tired of being a yo-yo.  I'm seriously tired of this game.  You probably think I've gone insane.  Maybe I have? I want to focus on something else.

Food For Thought: Saturated Fats

Many of you who personally know me and my cooking habits know I don't buy fake foods (ie fat free/sugar free/carb free created food) and that I typically cook and bake the majority of my family's meals.  I use real butter, full fat sour cream (it has like 2 natural ingredients), mayo and if I'm making a special treat, oh yeah, I'm buying 100% heavy cream and whipping it up.  No fake, man-made, chemical filled Cool Whip in this house!

For the last 3 or so weeks? (I've lost count--it needs to be a lifestyle, not a certain period of time, right?) I've been following a special PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome) food plan to help reduce my symptoms naturally.  Modern medicine treats the symptoms with a myriad of drugs and a person with PCOS will typically have a medicine cabinet that resembles their grandparents. (This was my thoughts one day, when in my early 20's, I looked at mine) This eating plan basically has no man-made carbohydrates, dairy or grains.  At first, I wasn't quite sure how I would do it since I am naturally a carbo-loading, cheese eating, chocolate munching gal, but it got easier each day as I learned to be more creative with my meals.  So far I have lost just over 10 pounds and I honestly feel my hormones are adjusting as my symptoms are fluctuating.

In my reading today, I came across the following bit of information and it perfectly explains my reason for spending more time in my kitchen than the average American.  When I was studying for my BS in Holistic Nutrition I had countless texts express the same thing: eat natural foods. I honestly believe that most disease we have today in our country is because of our diet. Our bodies are miraculous, but they don't have super powers.  If a person continually puts garbage in, it's only a matter of time before their body can't keep up and disease/illness will be the result.

"Quite a number of native or primitive cultures in the 20th century or earlier consumed a diet high in saturated fat.  Yet they had very little heart disease, diabetes or obesity.

"Moreover, heart attacks in Americans were almost unheard of at the beginning of the 20th century, but by the 1960s, heart attack was common--in spite of the fact that total fat consumption remained virtually the same during this period.  How do we make sense of that? Has focusing on reducing fat and cholesterol in the American diet produced a healthier population? Clearly, it has not.  Ongoing nutrition research is revealing the complexity of our situation, in which we have a highly manipulated food supply with a great deal of synthetic additives and chemical alteration of foods.  These altered foods are not ideally suited to our internal chemistry.  Chronic health problems are the result.

"The American diet during the 20th century has undergone an astounding increase in the consumption of highly processed foods and beverages, many of which are laden with refined carbohydrates (sugars and starches) and refined vegetable oils.  The processing has stripped away fiber and essential nutrients.  It has degraded the proteins and fats naturally found in foods.  Modern food technology has created "fabricated" food molecules that don't even exist in nature.  Foods are contaminated with man-made chemicals and some chemicals are intentionally added for marking reasons." --Nancy Dunne, N.D.

And don't get me started about fast food...that's a blog post for another day.

Gluten & Dairy Free: Day 1

Today was the first day I didn't consume any gluten or dairy, and you know what? I FEEL GREAT! I have to admit, I caught myself several times reaching for things that contained one or the other. It's certainly going to be a challenge getting started, but shortly, I'll have new habits and it'll be easier.

Today I simply focused on WHAT I was eating, not how much--that will come later.

Breakfast-I completely forgot. (Bad me) But this has become a naughty habit and it's going to be one of the first things I work on.

Lunch-Turkey patty (plain with spices) and grapes

Snack-Nuts

Dinner-Salmon and green beans tossed with olive oil & garlic

Snack-Raspberries & nuts

I don't claim this as being a super day, but I will say it's a much improved one.

This journey will start hard, but with perseverance, it will most certainly be worth it.

*wipes off cobwebs*

*blows off dust*

Yes, I've been neglecting this blog.  I have a great reason though.  This year, we moved. Twice. And guess what? We still have half a house worth of stuff STILL TO MOVE. Yeah, relocating isn't an easy thing, especially when the market is smokin' hot!

Yeah, we went into this house hunting adventure thinking it was a buyers market. We couldn't be more wrong! Where we are at, it's a seller's market.  Around here, if you don't put an offer on a house the minute you walk through, kiss it goodbye.  When we didn't think we got the house we are currently living in, we actually put an offer on a house we never laid eyes on just so we'd have a chance to get it.  Yeah, it was nuts.  But luckily, we ended up winning the bid war and got the house we put our first offer on.

So, here I am. 

About the same weight I was in 2009.

And I hate it.

And I'm angry. Why? Because I didn't binge like I did the last time I got to this weight.  This time, I should've maintained or even only gained a few pounds. (I haven't been the most diligent) But 40 pounds? Ridiculous. I blame my PCOS.

I do admit, I need to get serious about adjusting my diet for PCOS.

"Polycyctic ovary syndrome is a chronic hormonal and metabolic disorder that presents a bewildering array of health problems such as infertility, overweight, hirsutism, hair loss, depression, dark skin patches and lack of energy.

"As serious as these symptoms are, the consequences of not dealing effectively with PCOS are even more serious, including heart disease, diabetes, reduced quality of life and shortened lifespan.

"Our review of published research on PCOS and our clinical experience strongly indicates that a healthy diet can favorably influcence the outcome of this disorder.  In other words, what you eat and drink will either improve  or worsen the symptoms and consequences of PCOS."

--The Natural Diet Solution for PCOS and Infertility

I'm going to take this as a challenge.  I'm going to kick PCOS' butt. I'm going to blog about the journey.

Update

SO much has happened this past month and I have been a bad blogger. But then again, it IS Christmas time and time is short! Especially when you are moving! Yep, we are moving in a few weeks (horrible time of year to do so I might add) but it's for a VERY good reason.

No time to go into details now, but in a nutshell:

• I'm heavier than I would like to be.  Current photos likely resemble my "before" pictures. :( 
• We are moving to be closer to our children's new school and hubby's work and we will now have sidewalks and parks and people to walk with. Big plans for a more healthy lifestyle for the whole family.
• I plan to start the year with more activity on this blog with more health info/exercise/recipes that will make an unforgettable and effective journey for this gal.

Merry Christmas to all and see you in 2012!!  

Fit2Fat2Fit - Chinese Fried "Rice" Recipe

I think this looks wonderful!! Can't wait to get to the store so I can make it! :)

Day one of Drew Manning's journey back to fit.

Be sure to watch his progress on his blog: Fit2Fat2Fit.com

I'm very excited to watch his journey. He's truly living a life of an overweight person, food cravings and everything. But it's only been 6 months since he was a picture of health and it's going to be interesting to watch his journey back.