Monday Morning Menu

First let me say I have very little to NOT be proud of in regards to how I ate this weekend.  I indulged on a couple pieces of chocolate on Saturday, but did not exceed my calorie limit and yesterday I did well also.  Today's menu is:

Snack: Muscle Milk Light w/GNC Cleanse Fiber Powder
Breakfast: Fage Yogurt (review to come), 1 cup of strawberries
Snack: 2 sticks of string cheese, 1 cup of raspberries
Lunch: Ham and Corn Chowder
Snack: Apple w/Natural PB
Dinner: I have a pork tenderloin thawed, and since my veggies are lacking today apparently (not a very well planned day), I'll probably have it with a pretty spinach and strawberry salad.

I forgot my Healthy For Life book at home, so no entry on that until later....

Stay tuned for 3 different food reviews coming soon!

Healthy for Life Entry #3

"The cell is not simply a shell with nothing inside it (like a ping pong ball); it is an intricate, complex organ all on its own.  One of its many functions is to produce energy for life."....."On the surface of each cell we have special receptors that are docking stations for unsulin and glucose and there are other transport behicles inside the cell called glucose transporters.  These transport vehicles actually pick up the glucose and carry it to the furnace of the cell where the body can use it to create energy"...."However, the choices I make in the foods I choose to eat have a direct impact on this entire process.  I will either empower, handicap or kill my body's cells."....."We must learn about the proper balance of carbs, proteins, and fats that our bodies need at a cellular level and why they are needed.  Next, we can tap into a fascinating new discovery called the glycemic index: a scale with which we can score carbohydrates and their effects on our body."...."With the glycemix index, we can choose carbs that won't spike our blood sugar and as a result, the cravings that keep us imprisoned will come to an end.  Next we will learn the role of insulin and how, when we abuse it, our bodies build a resistance so strong that our fat becomes locked into place.  A common thread through the majority of the serious health problems we are facing today - insulin resistance."..."Most diet programs are based on eatin gfewer calories, while at the same time trying to exercise more.  The logical approach to most of these diets is to significantly decrease the amount of fat in the diet while increasing the amount of carbohydrates.  Yet after the diet is over, people pick right up where they left off and start eating highly processed carbs and fast food.  I challenge you to take a fresh and serious look at this cycle, which has become our nation's number one health care crisis."...."Kids deserve a chance to live long and well.  What is the price you are willing to pay for your children's future?  No child should have to live trapped in an obese body with psychological scars and physical inhibitions"...."I always tell my patients they are learning new healthy lifestyles which just happen to have a side effect of fat loss."...."learn why you are not only aging more rapidly than you should but also learn why you cannot lose weight."...."Are you living by default or choosing to be free?"...."Imagine having the physical strength, energy, and stamina you need for all of the things you want to accomplish in your life.  Now envision being proud of your physique, how your clothes fit, and how comfortable you feel in your body.  Finally, picture the confident self that you've always known was inside you, the self that you wish others could see - fit, strong, slender, active, energetic, and healthy."

TGIF Menu

Breakfast - Cliff Protein bar, Naked Green Machine Smoothie with GNC Cleanse Fiber Packet
Snack - Hardboiled Egg, Carrots/Sugar Snap Peas (no ranch)
Lunch - Ham and Corn Chowder
Snack - Almonds & Fresh Strawberries
Dinner - Subway Roast Chicken Salad

Healthy for Life Entry #2

"Have we just become lazy and spoiled?  I don't think so.  We work hard for a living.  we keep pressing schedules, shuttle kids, sit in traffic, take night classes...all jammed around the hours we invest in our sit down jobs.  For too long people who are overweight have taken the rap for not being disciplined enough, for not working hard enough...never realizing they've falled victime to a serious addition."

"When we eat food-like substances that do not meet the body's needs, it cries out for more.  And a vicious cycle begins."

"When the body is locked in to a cycle of craving, we've lost our ultimate ability to choose...marketing companies count on it."

"Not only do advertising companies have the monopoly on our minds with commercials, they have our bodies too - we are literally addicted to the tons of processed food and sugar we eat each day."

"When you find yourself light-headed, zapped of energy, fighting back the thought of some rich carb snack and the more you push if back, the more you...find yourself shuffling like a zombie...towards the pantry door...you are not suffering a fall-out in will power; you are experiencing a real, chemical, physiological craving equal to an addict's relentless drive for a drug fix.  Does this sount too extreme?  Stay with me, the next several chapters explain how this is an absolute reality."

Thursday's menu

Menu:

Breakfast - Better Oats Oatmeal and Naked Mango Smoothie w/GNC Cleanse Fiber Packet
Snack - Cliff Protein Bar, Green Tea
Lunch - Ham and Corn Chowder (ham, corn, onions, garlic, cheese, milk) and mixed fresh fruit
Snack - Hard Boiled Egg, carrots & sugar snap peas w/ranch
Dinner - Tenderloin Medallions, steamed veggies, and Quinoa

To me, this looks like a pretty ideal menu....I should count the calories one day and see what it adds up to.

It's almost Friday, I hope every one makes the very most of their Thursday!

Healthy for Life Entry #1

Trapped in the Land of Plenty

"The body never lies" - Martha Graham

"When was the last time you ran across a mountain meadow chasing a butterfly, or breathed deeply as you jumped from rock to rock over a bubbling stream?  How many of us can take off running after a ball or chase a kite just for fun?  How long has it been since you reached your toes to the sky while swinging at the park?  most of America's adults (and more and more children) can't even fit into a park swing and get winded just climbing a few stairs!"

"We who live in the land of plenty boast freedom, and truly we are free... to choose health or to live by default.  We never intended to live in a toxic world, and we certainly didn't plan to form harmful habits; we just got busy or stressed out.  our budgets and schedules are tight and the quality of our food is our first compromise.  The next thing to go is physical play and activitiy.  Soon our hours of rest are cut short.  After years of daily choices, one day (usually in a doctor's office) we will discover the foreboding truth; we are no longer free."

"Regardless of color; race or socio-economic class, America, "home of the free and the brace," has become imprisoned food cravings and bulky, out-of-shape bodies.  We've become trapped in the "Land of Plenty."  We're now paying dearly for the cost of freedom.  Physical play and adventure are no longer options for those struggling with health and weight issues.  People in all walks of life have forgotten that their bodies are life's most precious asset.  No house can compareto the comfort a healthy body provides; no vehicle can offer such pleasure and lasting mobility.  Certainly, no man-made gadget can rival the intricate workings of the body, yet we've taken advantage , neglected and sacrificed this incredible gift given to us at birth.  In the race for material gains that soon wear out or lose their appeal, we've lost our freedom."

"Too big, too tired, or too self-concious to play, millions of Americans plop down on the sofa, and settle for watching someone else on TV or a video live out their dreams.  Tired, and aching, our nation yearns for a cold dirnk and a bag of chips.  We'd rather find counterfeit rest in processed snacks and a pillow than embrace life in this magnificent body we've been given to transport us through the pleasures and adventures of life."

"Scientific  reasearch has found that being overweight snatches a startling number of years from one's life.  For example, a 20 year old, obese, white male is estimated to lose approximately 13 years of life as a result of his weight.  Assuming a predicted life expectancy of 78 years, this translates into a 17 percent reduction in total life expectancy!"

Wednesday's Menu and Thoughts

Menu for today:

Breakfast - Morning Star Farms Bacon Egg and Cheese Biscuit, Peach/Mango Green Tea
Lunch - Hard Boiled Egg, Carrots & Sugar Snap Peas w/ ranch
Snack - Almonds and Mixed Fresh Fruit
Dinner - Ham and Corn Chowder

So I've been reading through this Healthy For Life book and I know the information in it is SO useful to a LOT of people, but I know it's a slow read and can be SUPER scientific, which is....well, it's boring to most.  So I've decided that everyday, I'm going to extract a few paragraphs or portions of the book that I believe are helpful and need to be shared.  I will be quoting the book vertabim and will not change any words or anything, but I WILL leave out unnecessary technicalities such as names of parts of cells, etc.  What average person needs to know the different or the PROPER names for that anyway?  So following this post, each day I will have a "Healthy for Life" Exerp and will number them as well in case you miss out on any you'll be able to catch up.  I'd love to hear people's opinions on this approach...like?  dislike?  indifferent?

I LOVE Jillian!

First of all the woman is smokin' hot and I would give anything and everything I own to be HALF as in shape as she is!....ANYWAY, her email today had some wonderful information and great explanation of how our environment affects our hormones and how those hormones affect weight loss and gain.  Check out her article HERE.

Since I'm sick and can't work out I've started reading "Healthy for Life" by Dr Ray Strand and within the first couple pages was amazingly motivated.  I can't wait to feel better and get back to working out hardcore.  I'm starting to feel like a lump and I hate it :(  but not being able to breathe through a workout or going in to a coughing fit so hard you vomit isn't good either, so I guess I'll have to work on the immune system now and the rest later.  Still watching portions and choices and trying to squeeze in some yoga here and there.  Today was day two of the GNC 14 day cleanse as well....tomorrow starts the fiber packets.

Good news is that the sore throat, cough, etc I'm experiencing is only a nasty virus and should clear up on it's own in a couple days, per the dr....part of me wishing it was an infection, strep or something that could be treated with meds so I could get better sooner, but what doesn't kill ya makes you stronger right?

Busting a Plateau

I'm really down and out today.  I'm getting sick and not very "with it", but saw this in my email and thought it was information that needed to be shared.  It was nothing I've ever heard before, but definitely makes sense, so ya go.  I'll be back to regular blogging when I'm feeling better...until then...lots of fluids and yoga for my workouts rather than running on the treadmill.

http://www.everydayhealth.com/have-a-weight-loss-plateau-let-me-help.aspx?xid=nl_LosingItWithJillianMichaels_20120406

FOOD REVIEW - Chocolate Muscle Milk Light

So this morning I stopped to get gas and normally I pick up a single serving "Grab and Go" chocolate milk which I recently noticed packs a whopping 240-330 calories!! YOWZA!  While it's a pretty good source of protein at 13g, the calories to me just weren't worth it for a beverage.  So this morning I decided to give Muscle Milk a try.  I've seen it and passed it by so many times in the gas stations and grocery stores, because I thought it would not be near as good as the name brand chocolate milk I buy.  Well this morning I finally gave it a chance.  Craving chocolate milk, but not wanting to drop 330 calories, I grabbed the Muscle Milk....140 cals and 20g of protein!! YAY!  But did it taste good?!?!  YES!  It totally cured my Chocolate Milk craving.  It was thick and rich just like the 330 cal milk, but leaner and with more protein.  Ladies and Gents we have a winner!

Thirsty Thursday

So yesterday was a good day and my workout with Kathy at the TEAM Training was great.  We did more assessments (push ups, plank, and full sit ups).  We did a LOT of treadmill stuff, 1 minutes sprints (I was 6.0mph) and we did some core work (side crunches, ankle touches, V-ups, etc) and we did some weight training WHILE we were on the treadmill...one of which I am despising this morning.  We jogged on the treadmill at about 6.0 incline holding a dumbbell above our head for a full minute.  Most people's dumbbells were 5 lbs....mine was 10 and my upper back/shoulders is feeling it this morning...HOLY CRAP! OW!

Anyway, it was a good workout and I feel absolutely amazing this morning and will be pleading for a shoulder rub from one of my fabulous co workers this morning!

Last night's dinner ended up being a complete surprise to me.  It was SUPER yummy, but probably a little high in sodium, so I can't enough water in me tonight and I feel a tad bloated, but it's just water, it'll pass. :)
Dinner last night was turkey andoulle sausage, loaded mashed potatoes and steamed mixed veggies...YUM!  Thanks Joe!

Today's menu:
Snack - Chocolate Muscle Milk (review to come)
Breakfast - Morning Star Farm Sausage Egg and Cheese Biscuit, Good Earth Lemongrass Green Tea
Snack - Cliff Protein Bar, Carrots/Sugar Snap Peas w/ranch
Lunch - Couscous/Ham/Broccoli salad with Pear dressing....can't wait to try it!
Snack - Apple w/Natural PB
Dinner - To be Determined

FOOD REVIEW - Better Oats mmm...Muffins Oatmeal Raisin Cookie

Better Oats mmm...Muffins Oatmeal Raisin Cookie flavor was not AT ALL what I expected it to be and it sure was not as good as I expected it to be.  It was ALRIGHT and I'll finish the box I have, but I do NOT think I will be purchasing another.  HOWEVER, the flavor is not even listed on the Better Oats website, so maybe I made the purchase after the taste testers already shot it down.  Who knows...either way, no money wasted.  Better Oats is still a great brand and I'm enjoying the rest of the flavors and I hope you are too!



National Walking Day

Apparently today (April 4th) is National Walking Day...per my email (pasted below) from the American Heart Association...get out and walk people!!!!

***************************************************************************************

Today, thousands of people across the United States are taking a stand for their health by participating in National Walking Day.

Will you join us? All you need to do to participate in the movement is ditch your desk and take a 30 minute walk.

There are countless physical activities out there, but walking has the lowest dropout rate of them all! It's the simplest positive change you can make to effectively improve your heart health. Research has shown that walking for at least 30 minutes a day can help you: 

• Reduce the risk of coronary heart disease
• Improve blood pressure and blood sugar levels
• Improve blood lipid profile
• Maintain body weight and lower the risk of obesity
• Enhance mental well being
• Reduce the risk of osteoporosis
• Reduce the risk of breast and colon cancer
• Reduce the risk of non-insulin dependent (type 2) diabetes

There really are so many benefits for such a simple activity!

Want more tools? Download our Six Weeks of Walking Tip Guide and 6 Heart Healthy Recipes and let National Walking Day become the start of a new lifestyle.

Happy Hump Day!! *Workout with videos*

It's Wednesday, it's gorgeous outside, I feel amazing, and my tax return is on it's way!  What more could a girl ask for?

Last night I was on my own for working out, but Kathy had given me a couple different workouts to try the days we didn't have TEAM training, so I gave this one a shot and enjoyed most of it.  It definitely gave me a workout, but I'm not as sore as I expected to be this morning, which is a little disappointing.  Anyway, here it is.  I sweat like a pig (yes I know pig's don't sweat) through the whole thing and my heart rate I'm pretty sure stayed up and I moved quickly from one exercise to the next and my muscles were literally trembling when I was done, so I'm going to call it a good workout...pain or not.

I did 3 sets of this workout, but you could do more or less depending what time allows

5 minute warmup - level 6 of the Elliptical at about 5.0 speed
Prone Plank on Knees/Elbows on Stability ball - 12-15 reps (video here)
Bicep Curl with Squat (instructions said 10 lbs, I did 20) - 12-15 reps (video)
Push Ups (I did them on my knees) 12-15 reps
Bicycle Crunch - 12-15 reps (video)
Single Leg Balance Reach  - 12-15 reps each leg (video)
Bent Over Dumbbell Row (I did 17.5 lbs) - 12-15 reps (video)
Squats on a Bosu Ball - (I put the bosu upside down - ball side down) - 12-15 reps - (video)

So there it is....my Tuesday night workout.  I did great with eating too!  I was very proud of myself when I went to bed last.  Dinner ended up being a combination of Couscous and Ham and not much of it.

Today's Menu:
Breakfast - Better Oats Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Oatmeal (review to follow)
Snack - Almonds (snack is late today and lunch is early, so very little snack)
Lunch - Repeat from yesterday - Steak medallions and Quinoa, possibly adding some carrots/sugar snap peas with ranch
Snack - Apple w/ Natural PB
Dinner - Ham/Couscous Salad - LOTS of veggies!

Tips for Getting Started Exercising

So as you know, I get a daily email from Jillian Michaels and today was a letter written in from a person who was 500+ lbs and was struggling with what he/she should/can do to exercise since he/she is just starting out.  I read it and first wanted to give this person HUGE props, just like Jillian did, for being proactive about moving their life in the right direction.  I thought at 280-something I didn't fit in at the gym.  If a person over 500 lbs can do, I can too.  Cowgirl up Becky!

Anyway, while you may not be 500 lbs or anywhere near that, these are some good tips for anyone just starting out on their "get healthy" journey.  I would guess these are also some pretty good exercise suggestions for anyone who needs some low impact ideas.  Check it out!  Click HERE

Food Review - Better Oats mmmmMuffins Blueberry Muffin Oatmeal

While shopping at my local Super Target last week I discovered a few news lines from the Betters Oats Brand!  Abundance and MmmmmmMuffins.  I bought a few flavors of each line and this Blueberry Muffin one was the one I had this morning.  REAL blueberries and definitely has the hint of blueberry you would expect from the name, but I don't know if it tasted like a blueberry muffin!  Yummy nonetheless and I'll definitely purchase it again to mix up my morning variety.

Some others I also purchased -

Better Oats - Abundance - Apples and Cinnamon

Better Oats - Abundance - Maple and Brown Sugar

Better Oats - MmmmmMuffins - Oatmeal Raisin Cookie

and of course I'll blog about each new variety as I try them.

Weekend and Monday Update

Well the weekend was slightly challenging.  Saturday Chad and I took the kids to the zoo and since it was so stinky cold out we couldn't have the picnic we had planned, so we opted for stopping and having lunch somewhere.  The chosen venue?  Snuffy's Malt Shop.  Now I love Snuffy's as much as the next person, but their menu is not exactly condusive to my healthy eating plan.  I order a Bison burger with O-rings and of course a brownie malt.  Sunday was a little bit better in the way of choices, but the quantity was more.  My mom fixed a full Thanskgiving style turkey dinner for my sister, the kids and I and it was SOOOOO good, but there was a lot of it and I ate a lot of it and I paid for the weekend with a 1 lb increase on the scale yesterday at my Team Training.  I normally don't struggle much during the week.  I feel more in control than the weekends.

Last night's team training was ok.  Nothing exciting or spectacular, but Kathy was trying to juggle weigh ins at the beginning of class as well, so I'm going to give her a break on this one.  We were kind of on our own the first half of class.  The second half we did a 30 minute cardio test.  Basically you go for 30 minutes on the treadmill and see how far you can get.  Clearly the faster you go, the further you'll get in 30 minutes, so some of the girls were in a bit of a competition with each other, which was fine, except one of them stopped half a dozen times to wipe her sweat and drink water.  She probably was STOPPED for a full minute if not more each of those times and was essentially cheating the assessment...HOWEVER, she is really not cheating anyone except herself.  Her progress will be staged and fake and will not show a clear representation on what's she's accomplished.  Oh well.

Yesterday's menu
Breakfast - Cliff Protein Bar, Banana
Snack - 2 Clementines, turkey breast
Lunch - Flat Out Bread with Turkey Breast, sugar snap peas, carrots, and ranch
Snack - Apple w/Natural PB
Dinner - Almonds and Zesty Bread and Butter Pickles

Today's Menu
Breakfast - Blueberry Muffin Oatmeal (review to come), 2 clementines, Lemongrass Green Tea
Snack - Sugar Snap Peas, Carrots, Ranch
Lunch - Beef Tenderloin Medallions, Quinoa, & 2 clementines
Snack - Apple & Natural PB
Dinner - To Be Determined

Happy Tuesday All!