Motivations

Monday, August 2, 2010 by Dea.

I was just reading a story on Yahoo about moms who were in better shape post-baby than before they ever got pregnant.  All of the women mentioned their children and staying fit for them as their major motivation.

It’s an interesting topic, really.  I’ve allowed my kids to learn unhealthy habits from me.  That makes me both sad and angry, and it’s all directed at myself.  I know that you can’t change your lifestyle JUST for someone else, but how did I not realize how much harm my junk eating and couch sitting ways was causing?

It’s a wake up call, that’s for sure.  I got vaccines for my kids to protect their health, I take them to doctors and dentists to keep them healthy.  But I’ve dropped the ball on the most important part of their health.

I have many motivations, and I think I’m going to make a list and hang it in my house.  This one, albeit a new one, will be at the top of the list.  Our health, as a family, has to be priority.

Posted in Motivation, Health | Print | 1 Comment »

Soft Drinks are Hard on the Body

Monday, November 2, 2009 by Dea.

We’ve all heard that water is the best bet for our health.  We also know that a regular soda pop is high in empty calories.  Not everyone knows, however, that diet pop is just as bad.  And it isn’t just the sugars and artificial sweeteners that are bad for us!

Simple sugars, like the ones found in regular soft drinks, make the body’s insulin response over-react, and thus cause extra calorie consumption beyond just the soft drink!  But don’t jump over to diet sodas instead - there are several studies which point to possible weight GAIN from sugar substitutes for the same reason!

Not only is the caffeine found in  many soft drinks a diuretic, the salt found in them as well will aid in dehydration!  That’s right - the beverage that does NOT hydrate.  Pretty crazy, isn’t it?

Some sodas contain phosphorus as well - which binds to calcium, and can leave your bones being leeched of important calcium.  Yes, you can take an extra calcium supplement to counteract this, but do we always remember to do that when popping open a can of coke??

Basically, the short list of dangers from sodas, especially in children, is tooth decay, nutritional depletion, obesity, type-2 diabetes, and heart disease.  Mmmm, yummy - sure, my teeth are falling out, my butt is enormous, and I have a bad heart - but dang, it tastes good.

I’m thinking I’m skipping the soda aisle in the future.

Posted in Health, Healthy Eating | Print | No Comments »

Fun Theory

Saturday, October 17, 2009 by Dea.

Would you take the stairs over the escalator if it were fun and silly to do so?  Volkswagen tested what they call the Fun Theory in this viral video.

This video got me thinking about every day work outs and ways to be healthier. Would we all develop better habits because we’d made those habits fun? It’s an interesting concept.I like to mix up my work outs by using different equipment, different music. But I know I really enjoy my work out when I bellydance or play the Wii Fit games. I’m sure that we all have ideas that could test the Fun Theory. And I would bet we’d all do these healthy little habits more often because they’re fun.

Posted in Health, Tips and Tricks, Exercise | Print | No Comments »

Walking Workouts

Wednesday, October 7, 2009 by Dea.

One of the simplest ways to get more exercise into the daily routine is to simply walk.  There are smaller ways to get more walking into your day, and there are more complex workouts you can do to rev up your fitness.

The easy ways to add walking into life are silly, at times, but they help.  Every little bit helps.  Things like parking further away from a building, taking the stairs instead of the elevator, and taking the long way around a block instead of cutting diagonally across can all add steps to your day.

However, there are some wonderful ways to ramp up the simple act of walking, something we’ve all done since we were about 1 year of age, into a great work out.  This site lists  different kinds of workouts, like walking for health, fat burning, cardio challenge, and economy walks.  All of these types are good for anyone interested in becoming healthier.  In fact, I intend to fit more of these into my day.  With this fabulous, crisp fall weather, I want to be outside whenever it isn’t raining.

There are a lot more sites with great walking workout information, and if any of them inspire you to lace up your sneakers and hit the trail, please let me know.  The most important thing is that this is a great fitness boost for FREE.  I love no-cost movement!  It’s good for your heart, and your wallet!

Posted in Freebies, Health, Exercise | Print | No Comments »

At Home Fitness - Great Books!

Saturday, September 19, 2009 by Dea.

I have always wanted to do yoga and pilates, but have felt like there are no classes for people like me.  I’m somewhat clumsy, and I have really bad core strength.  Pilates and yoga are great for getting that core strength, but much like searching for a job, it seems like all the classes I’ve seen offered are “some experience required,” types of things.  It was getting very frustrating, to be honest.

Our new gym room is great.  It does not, however, have a television.  So videos are a bit of a hassle, since I’d have to move furniture every time I want to do one.

I found the solution, though.  Two great books.  One is on yoga, and one is pilates.

First, there’s Yoga for Wimps: Poses for the Flexibly Impaired.   This is a complete book of poses, shown with fantastic modifications for those of us who would fall over if we tried to do Downward Facing Dog during our first stab at it.  All of the modifications are done using things around the house - chairs, towels, books, and old ties, for example.  The instructions are clear, concise, and I was able to do yoga within minutes.  It’s nice to have this ultra beginner instruction.  I highly recommend this book!

Second, there’s The Book of Pilates.   This is also a very good beginner book.  There are a lot of instructions, including how to breathe, how to position your body, and when to inhale or exhale.  There are also three levels of exercises, which is very nice.  There’s Introductory Level exercises (where I am right now) and it shows modifications for doing these exercises without having the balance and strength necessary to do advanced moves.  The next level is Beginner Level, which shows slightly harder moves and different modifications for this level of strength and stability.  Finally, there’s Advanced Pilates.  These are the moves you see in classes and on a lot of videos.

These gradual progressions of both of these types of exercise help to build the core strength and balance required to do the advanced moves.  The modifications are a nice touch, as sometimes, people just can’t figure out how to do a move in an easier way.  This leads to feelings of failure - which obviously leads to quitting the exercise.  These are both such important and beneficial exercises.  These books really help get you to your goals.

Posted in Health, Fabulous Finds, Favorite Things, Exercise | Print | 1 Comment »

Climbing Back Up

Monday, August 31, 2009 by Becca.

I fell off the wagon this week in a big way.  It all started with a sore throat.  About a week ago I started to get a sore throat so I made sure I got a little more rest and made myself some tea.  I stuck to making healthy eating choices and continued to keep up with my exercise routine.

I maintained that for a few days but by mid week I was exhausted.  I was sleeping a solid eight hours at night but still yawning at my desk by 3pm.  It was a struggle to force myself out of bed and out the door to work in the morning.  My boss told me to stay home but I have been know to be stubborn and had work that needed to be done this week.

So I forced myself into the office all week, which took a lot of will power.  By the time I got home from work, I had no energy to cook or do dishes and no will power left to resist ordering takeout or swinging through the drive thru.  As far as exercise goes, let’s just say the walk from my front door to my car door was looking pretty long.

I’m embarrassed to admit that this week I probably consumed as many calories and grams of fat as I did the previous two weeks combined and moved about as much as a sloth.  So it’s been about a week and I still don’t feel that well which probably has something to do with how I’ve been treating my body for the past week.

Today is a new day and every new day is an opportunity to live my life in a healthy way.  Time to dust myself off and climb back up on that wagon!

Posted in Health, Stress, Healthy Eating | Print | No Comments »

Nothing Worthwhile is Ever Easy

Friday, August 21, 2009 by Becca.

Sometimes being heavier is easier.  It’s hard when shopping for clothes or trying to ride any form of public transportation without becoming extra friendly with the person next to you, but it’s easy sometimes too.  At least, it’s been easy for me in the past.  It’s been very easy to tell myself that I don’t care how heavy I am.  I could tell myself I wasn’t concerned with appearances and that I wasn’t interested in other people’s opinions of how I look.

All of which is true, sort of, on my good days.  What shook me out of my nice little cocoon of denial was my health.  I’ve had some health problems that I would not have at such a young age if I took better care of myself.  So I’ve made changes in my lifestyle and slowly I’m losing weight and getting more fit.

I miss that denial though, more than I miss greasy double cheeseburgers or giant chocolate cupcakes with frosting and sprinkles.  It’s hard to look in the mirror everyday and see someone who’s working on bettering her body, hard to give up the security of that bigger sense of self.  I need to remind myself why I started this whole process.

Of course it’s hard, of course there’s a struggle and obstacles to overcome.  In my experience, the easy things in life are rarely as rewarding as the hard ones!

Posted in Health, Encouragement, Body Image | Print | No Comments »