Changing it up

I've been really bored with my workouts lately. So bored, that I haven't been doing much weight training at all. I've always like weight training, but I haven't really been into this year at all. Therefore, I need to change it up. Starting this week I'm going to switch to 3 days of weight training in the morning, 2 days of cardio in the morning (the elliptical or bike), and 3-4 days of running outside.

I really need to get back into serious weight training as I think it helps with the running. I recently read an article in Fitness magazine where a lady training for a marathon incorporated weight training to build her upper body strength for endurance during the marathon. I never thought about that! Reading her training for the marathon helped me to realize the importance of weight training in my overall routine, not that I didn't know it wasn't important, but I just wasn't focused or into.

I have a 10K I'm participating in next month, 5 weeks away. I have the opportunity to really make a difference if I focus over the next 5 weeks. That's my goal. To really focus.

Do you

I'm of the mindset that one should figure out what works for you and do just that!

Yes, there are many guides out there about weight loss, living a healthy lifestyle, and this that & the other. However, one person's panacea is another's worst nightmare. Therefore, find what works and stick to it.

Last week I was listening to a radio show where the guest was talking about how she lost 146 lbs in her year to renewal. One of the tips she gave was to eat every 2 hours and drink water. Water, she stated, not water w/ Crystal Light added to it. <--Those are the kinds of things I'm talking about when I say that's not everyone's panacea.

If someone needs Crystal Light added to the water, so be it! That's what that person needs and only that person knows what works for them.

When I'm asked what my "diet" is the first thing I state is that "I'm not on a diet." (I don't like that word). I'll then tell them what works for me, stressing that what I'm stating is for me. I encourage them to explore and determine what works for them. To me, the key is finding a comfortable plan that one can maintain.

Yes, I lost the majority of the weight following Weight Watchers. It worked for me because I had a variety of foods to select from, basically what I was already eating. I just changed how I was eating. I found out what would work for me.

The key to me is doing you.

Mantra: Make the Effort

Diane, at Fit to the Finish, asked the following question on Twitter yesterday:

Here's my response:

I think it is a great question, and it is one that I didn't have to ponder on. In fact, on my personal e-mail account, and facebook page that is my tag line. When I communicate with friends and loved ones about becoming more healthy (I'm all about changing your mindset long term so no diet talk around here), I encourage them to make the effort.

Make a small change one day. Do that for at least 5-7 days, then add another change. Keep making the effort and eventually you'll reach your goal. Yes, it take dedication, time, and a mindset change, but it can be done. One just has to make the effort!

My weakness

Cookies!

I

Cookies!

They are my all time favorite snack item to consume.

While I like pie, cake, chips, candy, and other items that have an abundance of calories, I can limit myself with those items. I can turn them down without a second thought. I attended several dinners a few weeks back where everyone ordered desert except me. Why? Because the extra calories weren't worth it. Yes, the desert items appealed to me, but not enough. Now, if a warm cookie had been on the menu I would have succumbed. I guess that is a plus to that being my weakness....knowing that most places don't serve cookies for desert. :)

I'm kind like Cookie Monster.

I. Want. Cookies!!!!!

If they are there, I will consume. No doubt about it.

I reflected on how I ended up at a weight of 236 pounds and one of the reasons was cookies. I used to make cookies on a weekly basis, either from scratch or those break and bake ones from Nestle (those were just too easy). I would also purchase cookies from the bakery in the grocery store of they were sold on the counter at the place I was eating lunch. That would be my desert.

Suffice it to say, I knew I had a problem with cookies. And I still do. It didn't go away because I lost weight or began eating more healthy. What happened, was I became better able to control my impulse. Yes, it is still there and I do cave at times, but not as often.

I don't keep cookies in the house and I don't purchase those break & bake cookies anymore.

I do purchase those 100 calorie cookie packs to feed my desire. Yes, they are expensive, but they work. They give me my cookie fix in a limited quantity and limited caloric quantity. I do what I have to do!

What's your weakness?

Workout time

I have been a morning workout person for the past 6 years. Basically the entire time that I have been an active person, I've worked out in the AM. I wondering if I need to make a change.

I used to be energized when I worked out in the AM. I would energy all day long. I was focused and ready to take on any task. Lately, not so much. Over the past few weeks, I've noticed my energy waning mid-day and it is hard to get it back. I just want to take a nap.

I wonder if I'm not getting enough sleep. Generally, I am in bed between 9 and 9:30 pm. I must be in bed no later than 9:30 pm if I am going to the gym the next morning. My clock alarms between 4:15 and 4:30 am, depending on what I want to do at the gym. That gives me, roughly, 7 hours of sleep. I generally get the full 7 hours as I am one of those persons that fall asleep immediately.

Today has been a struggle. Perhaps I should adjust my workout, a few days a week, to the afternoon. That's what I'm thinking about trying this week. If I go to bed tonight, like normal, and sleep in until 6 am, perhaps I'll feel better tomorrow. I can go to the gym in the afternoon or perhaps a long walk (if it is not raining).

I worry about that plan because I have an aversion to working out after work. I can come up with all sorts of excuses as to other things that should take precedence. When in actuality, there is nothing that needs to take precedence. I should take precedence. This is for my health and well-being.

Even as I write this I'm doubting I'll make the change this week. I think I should just go in the AM, like I'm used to going.

No weigh-in & plans

I've been out of town this week preventing a weigh-in at a meeting. In all honesty, I'm thinking about going back to online only membership as I am back on track now. I needed the past 3 months to relearn the program and the accountability of someone else weighing me each week. Now, I think I've progressed, with blogging & twitter, to not needing that anymore. That is a good thing for two reasons: 1) less dollars to shell out to WW each month and 2) the online support is awesome. I feel accountable to those that read/comment on this blog and those that I interact with on twitter.

I'm not going to renew my monthly pass this month, but I will keep my online membership. I like the points tracker and that is really what I need. I'm not really a user of the WW online forums, but I do like to peruse the recipes online and use the recipe builder. So there are some aspects of the online membership I like.

While I don't post on here as often as others post, I have this space for when I need to. For some reason, I just can't find the time do so each and everyday, but it is useful when I do. I appreciate those of you that read & comment when you can. Your support is valued! Being healthy is not easy to do and requires support. This is one of my outlets and it truly works.

Put the fork down

Do you take your time when you eat? That is one thing that I'm working on doing. Dong so allows you to enjoy the food and actually begin to feel full as you're eating. I don't recall where I read that, but it is true. The basic idea is to place the food in your mouth. Put the fork down, chew, swallow, enjoy the food. Perhaps take a drink of water. Repeat.

Instead, many of us practice the following: place food in mouth and immediately place additional food on the fork for the next bite. Or better yet, place more food in our mouths when we haven't swallowed the previous amount.

Raising hand. Yes, I'm guilty of that. Are you?

I'm doing better though. I'm working on taking my time to eat so that I enjoy the food. I've found that using this tactic allows me to feel full, which in turn causes me to eat less. I've also read that it takes up to 15 minutes to begin to feel full. Therefore, taking your time to eat will aid in that. If you scarf your food down in 5-10 minutes, you may have a tendency to eat more because you don't have that full feeling.

Have you thought about trying that tactic?

Are you a member?

Are you a member of the clean plate club? I'm not!

I was forced to be a member as a child. You may have heard the same thing (or a variation):

there are starving children in Africa, India, China,etc.

I paid a lot of money for that and you better eat it all!

Carrots are good for sight; Broccoli is good for you; Liver gives you iron, etc.

All of those were reasons that my brother and I had to clean our plate even if we were full. Now what did that do to our waistlines over the years.

I still hear that, at times, from my guy. We eat out on occasion and we all know how much food restaurants provide. Entirely too much! Since I've changed my eating habits, I'm determined to only eat until I'm full. There is no need to eat e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g. on my plate! None whatsoever.

Therefore, I'm not a member of the clean plate club. I think making a child or an adult eat everything on their plate because of X, Y, or Z is ludicrous. My eating all of that food is not going to help that child in whatever foreign country or even a child that is in need in my own community.

So I leave so food on my plate at times. That extra food will go to my hips, stomach, thighs, etc. Why do that to myself? Why make myself feel miserable?

It has stopped. I'm not doing it. I'm no longer a member and I'm proud to be a non-memmber of the clean plate club. How about you?

5 small changes to help you lose weight

5 small changes to help you lose weight: "Tim Kassouf lost 45 pounds, and it all started when he got really mad at his girlfriend.

(Via CNN.com.)