Go Team!

An extremely important component in learning about your individual health needs and getting to know how your mind and body works; is becoming your own healthcare advocate. You can read it here. I’ve written about my thoughts on why it is so difficult to be and stay healthy. You can read it here. I’m expanding on each of the eight points I made, because I have a lot to say. What I write about, comes from my own personal experiences and observations. As individuals–our health–needs to be approached as such.

8. You will most likely fail, if you have no support system. A support system is a must if you are to be successful long term. We seem to need the basic information to health, pounded into our brains on a regular basis. As an example; Weight Watchers holds weekly meetings. Some of the information shared is quite simple, and even silly to some, but nonetheless, very effective. It’s all about showing up, being accountable to yourself in front of others. Knowing that you are not alone in your challenge or struggle. You may even meet some new friends, who by the way, are like-minded people who can be added to your support system. After all this, we must remember that our attitude holds huge sway, when it comes to our choices. Strength of character? You can do it! We are also the role models for our kids, and if we eat crappy, our kids probably will too. If we are heavy, then our kids will probably follow suit. Why not be the positive example for others, at work, at school, and at home. The more you have on your team, the easier it will become.

This should be straightforward for most people.

I fall under the category of: nobody tells me what to do, how to do it, or when to do it. Once I’m in the routine of exercising and eating well, I have the initiative and drive to continue on that path. The trouble I’m having at the moment is, starting over. I’ve started over many times, yet this time is taking much longer. I’m daunted by how much I’ve let myself go. My diet is improving, and the fact that I feel better physically should bring motivation back into my line of sight. I’m keeping my fingers crossed.

Regardless of how much I have contradicted myself, there are some of us who are better off going it alone, doing it our way, and in our own time. Being told what to do will work the opposite on us. Our heels will dig in and we will stop listening. For the rest of you, there is no better support system than a significant other or meaningful friend. Someone who enjoys similar activities, and/ or someone who is at the same fitness level as you. Through all the trials and tribulations you will experience together, laughter is probably at the forefront. We all know how beneficial laughter is to our wellbeing. If you can make exercise fun, half the battle is over.

Other social support systems range from an exercise buddy to a workout group. Personal trainers can turn boring workouts into effective, challenging routines. Boot camps are popular, as well as small group training, cardio clubs, running/ walking clubs, biking clubs. There are so many activities to participate in and lots of them are free. Google your local area for any clubs or activity groups, or start one of your own.

If you are a social butterfly or prefer the hermit lifestyle, there are many options to choose from. This is very simple: you participate or you don’t. Once you get started and make it through the first couple of weeks, you are well on your way to a healthier life. There will be ups and downs, just know that the options are always there for you.

Just a thought: if you have someone impressionable hanging on your every word, keep the whining and complaining to yourself. You will benefit from this too!

 Any other suggestions? Comments are welcomed and encouraged!

Unrecognizable Self

An extremely important component in learning about your individual health needs and getting to know how your mind and body works; is becoming your own healthcare advocate. You can read it here.

I’ve written about my thoughts on why it is so difficult to be and stay healthy. You can read it here. I’m expanding on each of the eight points I made, because I have a lot to say. What I write about, comes from my own personal experiences and observations. As individuals–our health–needs to be approached as such.

7. We have this grand vision of what we will look like, once we’ve started to eat better and exercise. Forgetting of course, that the changes are small, and stretched out over time. Make your goals achievable, baby steps. Don’t get stressed out if you take longer to achieve a goal or fail to achieve one. Just start again. A daily goal of eating carrots for a snack, and getting in your twenty minute walk, is a start and is achievable. Or, pick one of those, and just start. Then, because you achieved, you feel happy, you want to repeat it. That’s the idea anyhow.

What do you see when you look in the mirror? Have you ever looked at yourself naked for more than ten seconds? Are all the thoughts racing through your mind positive or negative? How many of those thoughts come from your past, like a tiny seed deposited in your brain, only to grow into something much uglier? Who were those people that planted the seeds, spilling their own grief onto you?

It may only take one tiny little comment, said in passing, to begin building self-doubt. Once the garden commences sprouting, it can become a tangled mass of self-destruction. We carry this mess with us well into adulthood, and if we don’t find a way to begin untangling it, understanding where it came from and how we nurtured it to grow, the view of ourselves is distorted. There are many varying degrees of this distortion, and I have my own to deal with. Life is full of challenges and if you can see it as a challenge, then it should be easier to dissect it and lay the bits and pieces to rest. If it has become a struggle for you and you find it overwhelmingly difficult, if not impossible, to make sense of your thoughts, then reach out for help. Most times others can see what we are blind to.

Working on ourselves is never an easy task, although with practice we can mend quicker. Self-discovery will open up a can of worms every time, but if we can prepare ourselves with the knowledge that we have created this ourselves, then we understand that we can also tear it down. Time is what we need to give in to. How much time has it taken you to get to this point? Then be prepared to spend at least as much time healing. Have expectations, but keep them very simple in the beginning. Focus on the complete picture, and avoid the nitty gritty, pick-apart everything, scenario which will slow progress.

A great place to start, now that eating healthier is on the menu, is to move the body. Change the routine and walk a little farther, take a set of stairs, do a couple of sit-ups. Anything that stirs the pot of stagnancy and changes the direction of thoughts in our brains, waking us up.

If ever we were challenged before, this will take it to the next level. We are the only ones who can make these changes, learn about ourselves, and move forward. Stop allowing the image that is burned into our brains, rule our lives. To take back that control, we need to face our fear, study it, cry and scream at it, then do something different than what we’ve been doing. These are life experiences, teaching moments, and if we keep feeding ourselves the same answers over and over again, we will get the same results…obviously.

Keep looking in the mirror, facing fear, choosing to see the beauty in nature, and the changes we desire will start to happen. Little by little, the mask we hide behind will break apart, and what is revealed will be new, exciting, and beautiful.

 

Any other suggestions? Comments are welcomed and encouraged!

Blogs I Enjoy Reading

 

Since I started blogging, way back in April, I spend a lot of time reading on my laptop. In fact, too much time. I’ve decided that I need to take some of that time, and really go through the blogs I follow. I want to share those blogs that I enjoy reading, hopefully three each month. I’ve also sent a request to each blogger, for a direct quote that I can include in this post.

lorrainesvoice

It’s been a while since reading this blog, and once again, I’m pleasantly surprised. I find it’s quirkiness just like a breath of fresh air. Loaded with little bits of humour, some of it expertly hidden so you have to read on to ‘get it’. (Well, I do anyway.) A wide range of subjects for a very happy, fun read.

Lorraine writes plays, short stories, books, and general ramblings about life.

From Lorraine: My inspiration is in the minutiae of life: the impromptu spider hunt in the middle of a committee meeting; the small child picking her nose during the nativity play; tripping up in the theatre aisle and finding yourself hanging onto a bald man’s head. (It’s all happened, believe me!) When I find myself bemused at some stupid, mind-bogglingly weird event or person, I don’t get annoyed. I just think, “Ooh! I can use that!” It’s probably a character flaw.

Half and Half

If you want a good chuckle, this blog is for you. I’m going to go ahead and say, that you will probably enjoy this more if you’re female. It is surprisingly relatable, if you are willing to admit that, and is laced with humour. Posts fall under the headings of Wit, Wisdom, and Nonsense. Bonus: lots of lists!

This would pair well with a bottle of wine and a cheese plate.

middle class fury

A plethora of all the things we think, but do not write about. Composed with a profusion of negativity, this blog had me literally putting my laptop aside so that I could bend myself all the way forward in laughter. My guy even asked if I was going to be alright. An expansive, descriptive, critical look at nearly everything under the sun, will have you doing the same.

Advisement: Visit the washroom prior to reading.

 As always, comments are welcomed, and encouraged! I would love to know your take on these blogs. Do you have any recommendations of blogs you enjoy reading? Why not share them!

If you’d like to browse a few more, click the link below.

July 2014

 

Exercise: A 4 Letter Word

An extremely important component in learning about your individual health needs and getting to know how your mind and body works; is becoming your own healthcare advocate. You can read it here.

I’ve written about my thoughts on why it is so difficult to be and stay healthy. You can read it here. I’m expanding on each of the eight points I made, because I have a lot to say. What I write about, comes from my own personal experiences and observations. As individuals–our health–needs to be approached as such.

6. Exercise. Some of you may be so far in denial, that you question what that even is. I block out exercise sometimes. I go in stages where I do wonderfully, and then I will get slammed with some physical ailment (could be a cold with a hacking cough), that will put a crashing halt to my routine. I love routine, and right now, I’m searching everywhere for the one I lost a while back. Isn’t there someone, somewhere, that can do it for me instead? It goes back to the time thing again, exercise takes time, so if you can’t find the time, then make the time. If you wrote down all your necessary tasks, including sleep, and the time allotted, there would probably be some time to fit in a few sit-ups, push-ups, or some yoga. You would probably be surprised. Simple. Instead of watching your favourite television show, go for a walk. Yah, that’ll work.

Yes, exercise. It’s a four letter word for those of us with weight and other challenges. At the moment, I too dislike the word. It’s exhausting just thinking about it, and how to find the time. What? There’s that all too familiar excuse of not having any time. Time will not drop into our laps, we have to plan for it, just like everything else we do in our daily lives.

It’s pretty repetitious, don’t you think? I believe awareness and/ or planning have reared their ugly heads over and over again. My son and I were sharing conversation and laughing, and he said to me, “Suck it up Princess”. This is such an appropriate saying for those of us basking in our sorrows. In other words, get over it. Quit whining, sniveling, and thinking up excuses. No one else can do this for us…although that would be delightful. The sooner we all realize that everything going on inside of us, is because of how we react and cope with life, the sooner we can get ourselves on a better track.

None of us are as stupid as we let ourselves believe and lead others to believe. Others are aware of our ‘poor me’ stories and the excuses we dream up. Nobody is fooling anybody. Now that we’ve established that…

I am not a huge fan of outdoor activities or having to go to the gym for a workout. I like exercise I can do at home with minimal equipment, like maybe a yoga mat. All you need for the following videos; approximately a 6X4 foot space and maybe a yoga mat, especially if you have pets, and I like to wear runners for extra padding and support.

My favourite exercise videos:

Hip Hop Abs

• combination hip hop dance moves and exercise
• focuses on abs the entire workout
• low impact
• extremely effective
• lots of fun

Yoga workouts

• so important for health and prevention of injuries
• provide stretching, balance, strength, endurance
• fantastic stress relief
• love yoga!

Tae Bo

• low impact workouts
• provide strength, endurance, balance
• low intensity
• fun and challenging

Insanity

• just like it sounds
• an all-round workout
• uses your own body weight for resistance
• can easily alternate low/ high impact
• extremely challenging

Buns of Steel

• intense workout for thighs and buns
• low impact
• just feels good

Other:

Walking/ hiking

• thoroughly enjoy walking
• when I say hiking, I mean walking with more of a challenge, not scaling a mountain
• fresh air is always good for us and being out in nature can be very relaxing and meditative

Treadmill

• love the treadmill, plug in the tunes and get lost in my thoughts
• all-year-round workout
• change the intensity as you want

The only reason for exercising, is to be healthier. Move past the idea that we do it for weight loss, or to tone our muscles, and make it simple. Do it for the bigger picture, the long-lasting picture, your health. By not focusing on individual issues with our bodies and how we need to change them, we release the negativity, thereby allowing positive changes to happen. Remember, what we focus on, is usually what we get more of. The choice is yours, negative or positive.

 

Any other suggestions? Comments are welcomed and encouraged!

Have You Got The Time?

An extremely important component in learning about your individual health needs and getting to know how your mind and body works; is becoming your own healthcare advocate. You can read it here.

I’ve written about my thoughts on why it is so difficult to be and stay healthy. You can read it here. I’m expanding on each of the eight points I made, because I have a lot to say. What I write about, comes from my own personal experiences and observations. As individuals–our health–needs to be approached as such.

5. The amount of time it takes to prepare fresh food daily, is mind blowing. The daily routine becomes much longer, albeit a healthier one. You are standing and moving about while slicing and dicing, and not being a couch potato. I attempted this a while back, making huge salads (to last a few days), and preparing mostly vegetables for meals. It literally sucked up my days. I don’t enjoy cooking at the best of times–just ask my guy–but this was ridiculous. I ended up wanting to do anything else but prepare food. Honestly, when will ‘They’ come up with a pill, that covers all your nutritional needs and fills you up? I’m sure I would still have an occasional treat, and my green tea lattes, but I definitely am not a ‘live to eat’ girl. I am an ‘eat to live’ girl. On a positive note, the four days that I completely cut out sugar, white flour, white rice, anything processed, my energy level went through the roof. A hill that might have noticeably increased my breathing, had no effect at all. That lasted a good few weeks, even though I added back a few things to my diet. Why then, since I felt so divine, am I not continuing? Well, that is a good question, isn’t it?

Take some time to write down all your activities, and the time it takes to complete them. Include the hours you sleep, how long it takes you to dress in the morning, and be honest when it comes to how long you sit on the couch. There are 168 hours in one week. If you break it down, I guarantee that there will be some time that could be freed up to pursue healthier activities, like making a salad.

If accomplishments are to be made, then efficient use of time is important. There are many new advances that seem to suck up our time, ways of procrastinating until we are cramming to get something done. What is last on the agenda? Our health. Not for everyone, but for a lot of us. Who wants to be chopping vegetables for a salad when they could be playing their favorite game on the computer, or watching their favorite television show. It’s easier to ignore our troubled minds and our fat, out-of-shape bodies, when we can have some fun with just the tap of a finger.

I’ve said before how much I dislike cooking, partly emotional, built up over years, and the lack of excitement over food. I’m alone for a week and am using this time to re-introduce a routine, which includes making myself decent meals and snacks to eat. I kid you not, end of the second day, and I’m mulling over in my head, a plan to have nachos one night as a treat. What the heck do I need a treat for? Why does it have to be something so dripping in fat? (I make them with ground beef, jalapenos, and lots of cheese.) I must have been thinking about it for a good hour, until I had my broccoli and cauliflower in sesame ginger sauce. It was delicious, as always, and I was completed satiated with no more thoughts of ‘pigging out’.

Awareness has definitely given me insight that I choose not to ignore. Until I’d eaten, I couldn’t believe how my mind was working overtime. Yes, nachos are good, but would have been more trouble to make than my veggie dinner. Day three, so far so good. I have a plan for dinner and am determined to follow through.

Planning, planning, and more planning. For me, the planning is the fun part.

• Sit down with your recipe books, a notepad, pencil, and some ideas on what your favourite foods are; chicken, beef, pasta, etc. Go over them in detail, look for lower fat, lower calorie, and generally ‘healthy’ meals. Almost any recipe can be adapted to fit your needs. Obviously you can google a ton of recipes as well.
• When making your list, group the food items according to the grocery store aisles. Gather any coupons or fliers. Check out the sales and plan accordingly. Start with the coupons, google recipes with those particular items.
• Check out the preparation and cooking times because if you’re like me, shorter is better. Some foods such as salads, there is no getting away from the washing and chopping, so increase the portions while you’re at it. I find cutting up a head of broccoli/ cauliflower and keeping it in a bowl seems to make it last longer, and it’s easy to grab a handful. Adding extra vegetables to any meal and cutting back on the sauces/ gravies is a great option to lower fat and calories.
• If you feel overwhelmed at this point, ask a friend to help with the planning. Sometimes it’s simpler, for someone outside of your ‘mind’, to make the bigger decisions. Two can make it a lot more fun!
• Get out your food processor (huge time-saver, and one of the best purchases I’ve made), to help with the chopping and grating. Grated salads taste better because all the flavours blend together and the texture makes for easy chewing. I put seeds and nuts in as well. Anything that has a tendency to go mushy, like cucumber or peppers, chop up and put in a separate bowl. Any veggies for a soup or stew can be whizzed through, and you will have uniform slices that will cook more evenly and be pleasing to the eye.
• There is nothing wrong with leftovers. Choose three healthy meals for the week and double them up. Make enough to put some in the freezer for lunches or dinners.
• If you are not feeling up to snuff for the week ahead, don’t buy a ton of fresh produce as it will end up rotting in your fridge. Been there, done that more times than I care to admit. Waste of food, waste of money. You can always take an extra trip to the store if you perk up.

The book that had me spending all my time washing and chopping was ‘Eat To Live’ by Joel Fuhrman. Love this book! There are a few recipes that having me shaking my head, just awful. Then there are a few recipes that are absolutely out of this world, delicious. Personal opinion. Eating this way is very healthy and really lacking in nothing. A lot of time is taken up with preparation, something I don’t have the patience for, and with the truckloads of produce, it was a little expensive. However, this eating style had me feeling my best ever.

Get your family/ significant other involved in the process. With all the ingredients needed for that large salad, do all the washing and chopping together on the weekend in preparation for the week. I just purchased the book ‘Mason Jar Salads and more’ by Julia Mirabella; wonderful, appetizing, and efficient plans for salads and other lunches to grab on your way out the door to work.

Check out this ingenious idea for organizing crock-pot meals: a whole month’s worth of meals via crock-pot freezer cooking. Maybe when my guy returns, we can get started on this.

Make a genuine effort to cook healthier meals and snacks. If you have kids, show some interest in the whole process and be a good role model for them. Get them involved (if they’ll let you). All this planning will leave you with much more free time to engage in all those mindless activities, only now, you won’t feel guilty.

Any other suggestions? Comments are welcomed and encouraged!