Getting Back on Track, Part 2

Okay, so you're looking for a place to begin (again)?

Try revisiting this prior posting: Snowball Effect! in which Dr. Oz runs down 10 reasons to lose 10 pounds.  The reason we're revisiting the post is because I just want to remind you how important losing just 10 pounds can be!  So, if you're stuck on your goals and can't figure out where or how to begin--it's a good starting point and a great reminder not to be so overwhelmed if you think you have a lot more to lose than 10 pounds!  After all, the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step (Lao-tzu).  While I'm sure you've heard it a lot in your life, really contemplate what it means and remember: No matter how slow you go, you're still lapping everyone on the couch!!

~a bit of salt for your next shot of courage

Getting Back on Track...

wow.  ever feel like life has just taken over and the next thing you know it's the end of July and you could've sworn it's April???

It happens to me.  A lot.  I recently reconnected with one of my very first friends that I made here in NYC and when asked how things were I answered "crazy busy."  His response was "when are you not crazy busy?"  It made me realize that I've always joked about being crazy busy, but I really am and 97% is completely my fault.

Balance is probably the hardest thing for me to achieve.  Moderation, in my opinion is a four-letter word.  Focus is impossible when it comes to me & my personal life.  And I think these are three of THE most important things to remember and work on while on the road to hellthy.

I recently started reading the book This Year I Will... and it offers some great insight on why you might be struggling with getting healthy and how changing your attitude can change your life.  The author, MJ Ryan, offers up some really amazing advice.  I'm not going to outline it all here--because I feel like if you have a hard time committing to or following through with something, you really need to read this book!--but she reminds us that life is precious and short and we should only be committing to things that we truly want to do.

Changing is hard.  It requires work and persistence and patience.  Chances are, if you're struggling then one of these links are missing.  Mine is patience.  I ain't even gonna front!

It's time to take back your life.  Move on, forgive your past mistakes, but learn from them.  Things won't always be perfect or easy or sane, but I don't call it hellthy for nothing!

~a little salt for your courage in a shot.

Ready, Set, Goal!

The good folks at Livestrong.com have a good article [15] about how to set goals for weight loss.  As mentioned in my last post, I feel your goals should be focused on Hellthy habits that are going to that are not only going to help you look better, but feel better as well.  Of course, if you have a lot of weight to lose, long term goals and rewards are just as important as the short-term ones.  Ultimately, it's your journey--figure out what's the best way to motivate you and go for it!

Here are the 6 steps mentioned in the article (the article is a quick read, if you wanna check it out!):

1. Set your long term goals--keeping two very important things in mind so that you are not setting yourself up for failure:
• Your goals should be realistic--obviously you're not going to lose 50 pounds in 2 weeks, regardless of what the latest fad diet claims.  Experts say that 1-2 pounds a week is a realistic and healthy amount to loose weekly.  Use that as your guideline.
• You need to give yourself enough time to achieve them--to go from couch potato to running the NYC marathon in less than a month IS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN!  If you want to run a marathon--great, but plan & set goals that are going to allow you to be successful!
2. Set your short term goals.  These should be easily & quickly obtained (and I don't mean snap your fingers and poof! you're done).  These are the goals you're going to be hitting more often to keep you motivated and striving for your long term goals!
3. WRITE both down on your calendar!  This is a HUGE step!!  And quite honestly something I've never thought about doing.  Sure I'd always have tentative goals (I wanna lost 50 pounds by the end of the year), but seeing it on the calendar (I recommend writing it in a colored SHARPIE!) holds you more accountable and makes it more likely to go the distance!
4. Set your rewards for each of your goals.  Again, NOT food related rewards!  Also, the reward should match the goal.  Longer goals should get bigger rewards--think trips or spa days or new wardrobes!--and shorter goals get smaller rewards--a new book, a mani/pedi, a new album to download on your ipod.  The world (sans food!) is your oyster!
5. Post reminders of what you're trying to achieve--be it a photograph of a younger, healthier you or that weekend vacation spot that you're going to when you've run a marathon.
6. Reward often, but ONLY when you've met a goal.  Make sure that your rewards are always within reach and always building towards your long term goals.  Make sure that you never reward yourself if you haven't met a goal (no sneaking in a quick mani/pedi just because!) and don't hesitate to adjust your goals, if you find that you are never rewarding yourself.  It is possible that you need smaller steps--and honey, there ain't nothing wrong with admitting that!  On the flip side, you do need to earn them, so don't make your goals so easy you're always getting something (sorry, but drinking 64oz of water for one day does not a good goal make!)

Once you start reaching your goals and rewarding yourself, you'll work harder and harder to get to your goals.  It all starts with great planning--and a big SHARPIE!

~a little salt for the rim of your planning margarita--but only one! because you want to remain focused and realistic in your goals!!

Cookies Are For Pupcicles!

As many of you have realized (or not, depending on the craziness of your life), I have not been posting much--okay, ANYTHING in awhile.

 This got me to thinking about motivation. What is it that motivates you? Lately, it seems nothing motivates me. But of course, that's not entirely true. A paycheck and an amazing cup of coffee motivates me to get up, get dressed, and go to work 5--and sometimes 6--days a week. Big brown sad puppy eyes motivates me to take the darling princess out for a walk at least once a day--even if it's just down the block.

 I don't think there's anything wrong with a little motivation for practicing healthy behaviors--in fact, I think anything that will help give you the proverbial kick in the ass is a good thing. Everyone has different motivators. Now's the time to explore what truly motivates you and figure out how you can channel that energy into becoming healthier. There are a lot of things that can serve as motivator, but there is one thing that cannot: food. If you want to splurge and have a piece of cheesecake, go ahead--but it should be a splurge not a reward for good behavior! You are not a dog and don't "deserve" cookies for behaving or performing a trick--so save the cookies for the pupcicles! 

Find a couple of non-food treats to help entice you into regularly performing your hellthy habits. Your rewards shouldn't just be about how much weight you've lost--focus on what will get you healthy--and you can reward yourself with a new SMALLER wardrobe for the weight loss!

For example, I love getting mani/pedi's--so rather than just getting one, I've decided to start earning them. How? NOT by deciding to get one every time I've lost 10 pounds, but by walking Addy! I now have to log at least 15 hours of Addy walking time before I can get a mani/pedi. This way we both get exercise & I get cute toes & fingers to boot!! Movies, clothes, facials, books, traveling...anything that you enjoy doing or buying can easily be converted into a motivating factor.  By the way, myfitnesspal is a great--and FREE!--place online to keep track of your food & exercise (and you can log in with your Facebook or Twitter account).

 The best part? Down the road, you'll realize how good you're starting to feel and you'll want to walk the dog, drink your water, eat your veggies, etc. simply because either you like how it makes you feel when you do it or you don't like how it makes you feel when you don't do it (and I'm not talking about GUILT either!).  Shocking, right?!?!?  But just you wait & see...

Oh, and the next time you want to buy cookies, just make sure they are for pupcicles!

 ~a little salt for your foot scrub while you get your pedicure as a reward for walking the pupcicle!

Me Time!

I can't stress enough the importance of Me Time! I know, I know...we're all busy. We have work, we have school, we have 14 things on our plates and 12 more on the waiting list. But recharging is essential. Find time every day--even if it's 5 minutes--to unplug, disconnect, & recharge you! Linger over a cup of coffee, take a bath, mediate, go to a spinning class, or even lock yourself in the closet. It doesn't matter how or even how much, just make sure it's enough so that you can remind yourself that YOU ARE IMPORTANT! When you remember that you are important, you are more likely to make healthy choices. And while having a great support system makes the entire journey easier, these choices are something that only you can make. So take a few minutes or a day or even a week, but make sure your Me Time is all about Y-O-U! :)

~a little salt for the rim of margarita while I indulge in a bit of "Me Time"!

Roughing It!

To quote Havard University's School of Public Health [14]: it's time to start roughing it!

Here are some recommendations they make for increasing fiber

1. Eat whole fruits instead of drinking fruit juices.
2. Replace white rice, bread, and pasta with brown rice and whole grain products.
3. Choose whole grain cereals for breakfast.
4. Snack on raw vegetables instead of chips, crackers, or chocolate bars.
5. Substitute legumes for meat two to three times per week in chili and soups.
6. Experiment with international dishes (such as Indian or Middle Eastern) that use whole grains and legumes as part of the main meal (as in Indian dahls) or in salads (for example, tabbouleh). 

Okay, so how?  Well, again, the good folks at Harvard (all on the same website link above), nicely provide us a list of foods that you can add to your diet to increase both types of fiber (because they are both equally important!)

Soluble fiber is that which dissolves in water and is responsible for helping lower your cholesterol and regulating your blood sugar.

• Oatmeal, oatbran
• Nuts and seeds
• Legumes
• Beans
• Dried peas
• Lentils
• Apples
• Pears
• Strawberries
• Blueberries

Insoluble fiber is that which does not dissolve in water, and thus, really good at cleaning you out!

• Whole wheat bread
• Barley
• Couscous
• Brown rice
• Bulgur
• Whole grain breakfast cereals
• Wheat bran
• Seeds
• Carrots
• Cucumbers
• Zucchini
• Celery
• Tomatoes

Also, another great source of information on fiber is www.dietaryfiber.com which will provide you will all the information--and much more--you could ever want or need to know about fiber!

And again (yes, you're getting this on ever fiber post!) remember to drink your water and take it slow on increasing your fiber to avoid any unfortunate, um, side effects!

~a grain of salt for your bloody mary (because it has tomatoes and a celery stick, both of which help boost your insoluble fiber!)

An "F" for FABULOUS!

There are 2 types of fiber: soluble and insoluble.  WebMD defines them as:

"Soluble fibers bind with fatty acids and slow digestion so blood sugars are released more slowly into the body. These fibers help lower LDL (bad) cholesterol and help regulate blood sugar levels for people with diabetes. Insoluble fibers help move waste through the intestines and control the pH levels in the intestines. These fibers help prevent constipation and keep you regular." [13]

Basically one lowers your cholesterol and regulates blood sugar and the other makes you poop!  Either way, they are both very important to your overall health.

You'll feel better, you're blood sugars will even out, you'll lower your risk for developing cardiovascular disease, not to mention strokes and diabetes, and of course, you'll poop better and regularly.  All of this will make you a much happier person (just ask anyone who doesn't poop regularly!!) And, of course, one more reminder about increasing your intake slowly!

~a grain of salt for your bloody mary (for extra fiber, of course!)