Sugar Lessons

by Mary on June 14, 2010

in Food & Nutrition

I’ve been experimenting a lot lately with how I eat and the patterns and my thought surrounding food. Reading In Defense of Food helped with that and pushed me toward eating more (local) vegetables and cutting out a large majority of processed stuff. Saturday I bought zuchinni and kale at the farmer’s market and hope to eventually buy more great things at farmer’s markets. Once I settle somewhere I even want to grow some of my own things. In general I’m not quite worried about the whole foods that I eat.

But one thing has continued to be a struggle: sugar. I’ve been eating relatively clean and sugar free on weekdays for the past several weeks (Kepa and I have a no sugar on weekdays pact, hehe) so I don’t really crave sugar as much as I used to. If I want anything sweet after my meals it’s usually a craving for fruit. I’m pretty much amazed at how easy it has been to cut out sugar almost full time and focus on just eating high quality, well balance meals. So I haven’t wanted to eat sugar any other time but the weekend.

Even on weekends I think mostly I’ve just wanted to eat sweets because I can. I’ve done well by just choosing one thing and eating that, just to remind myself that everything is well and if I was sugar I can have it. This weekend I ended up eating a few things, the latest of which I bought yesterday: oatmeal raisin cookies.

These cookies have the potential to ruin today… because I already ate some for breakfast. I ate a few yesterday when I bought them and then decided I would try to freeze them and save them for next weekend. Well, I woke up with them on my mind and when I went into the kitchen they were all I could think about. So I ate some. I wasn’t really happy with the decision because it wasn’t a filling breakfast and it wasn’t really what I would have wanted to eat. I’ll probably be hungry again very soon, plus I have a ton of sugar running around in my system. Bad breakfast choice. It could have the potential to ruin my day, but it won’t.

I won’t let eating cookies for breakfast ruin my day because I’m going to use it as a lesson. I’m going to take the experience and realize I just can’t keep sugar around. Not even that I can’t… I really don’t want to. It somehow manages to get into my mind and I’ve got better things to think about than sugar. I am perfectly fine keeping sweets as something that I can eat out of the house or buy in individual portions and bring back to eat, but keeping a bunch of cookies or other sweets around just isn’t going to happen. Eventually I’ll probably need to work out that compulsive eating thing, but for now I’m just going to keep the stuff out of my house.

So now my new self imposed rules about sweets.

Only on the weekends.Only things in individual portions.Only things I eat with other people (this one will be easier once Kepa is around!).Only bake for events (please invite me to parties? I LOVE to bake!).

I’ve come to these rules at the end of many learned lessons about how sugar affects my body. Quite frankly I’ve learned that I don’t like it and these personal sugar rules are just guidelines to help me along the way. I’m not saying anyone needs to do the same or should.

This whole weight loss thing is about consistently. It’s not about running marathons or starving yourself, it’s just about doing enough good things consistently that they make a difference in the long run. I’ve finally worked out that for me personally I’ve reached the point where refined sugar doesn’t have a place in my life consistently.  It’s probably been the hardest lesson to learn, because I thought I loved sweet things so much. But I’m learning I love my health more.

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Fighting The Negative Snowball

by Mary on June 15, 2010

in Thoughts

One of my dearest friends wrote this the other day regarding her own life,

“I’ve been working on being positive but it’s amazing how one negative thought can get the ball rolling.”

It’s really easy to let negativity creep in. I know I let it happen. I’m doing so well and being positive then I make a mistake like eating cookies for breakfast. Suddenly my knowing what I’m doing and certainty in my future success fades a little. And once it fades a little, I sure can heap onto it a lot of other negativity.

But that’s not what I want out of life.

I don’t think that’s what anyone really wants out of life.

My day yesterday had a miserable tone to it after I let one little thing in the morning start my own negative snowball for the day. Today I want to be different. So I made sure the first thing I sent out to the world (literally, on Twitter) was,

Another new day to be grateful for! And I am! :)

I’m grateful for the fact that every new day is an opportunity to make new and good choices. Every new day is an opportunity to start fresh. It’s a new opportunity to feel positive. It’s easy to let the negative creep in, but not really worth it.

So today I am once again choosing to be positive. It’s a new day and I’m going to fill it with positivity and good choices for my health and life.

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Fitness Goals Reminder

by Mary on June 15, 2010

in Fitness

Lately I’ve been working on my relationship with food and despite a few slip ups it’s been going really well. Like, really, really well.

And then yesterday I remembered that this isn’t just about food, but fitness too. And since I haven’t had a gym membership I’ve been letting that part go.

But I have a lot of goals that I want to accomplish. I need to stop letting them sit in the background and need to start going after them.  I haven’t really done anything lately to get closer to achieving any of these goals. So this is my reminder to myself.

My Fitness Goals:

Run a mile nonstop.Run a 5k.Run Round the Bays.Walk up Rangitoto Island. (I stole some of Kepa’s goals!)Complete a triathlon.Go on a multi-day biking trip.Go rock climbing indoors

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Consistently Inconsistent.

by Mary on June 17, 2010

in Fitness

My biggest problem lately is consistency.

I realized that when I posted my fitness goals as a reminder and could do nothing but look at them. At one point in time I was doing a lot to work toward my goals. But lately? Nothing.  Somehow the fitness aspect of my life just slipped out of my hands once again.

It’s amazing that I so easily give up exercise when I do in fact really like it. But give me a few weeks without access to a gym and I just give up. I’ll walk outside a few times, but then I’ll just let the desire fade for the rest of a week. I might even have a total gym staring me in the face every waking moment of my day (literally, I do) but I still don’t workout as much as I should.

I have ever opportunity too. I have plenty of free time that could be used to workout. I have a few hours each day I could easily devote to exercise. But I haven’t been doing that every dat. Months ago that would have been easy for me to do. Now? It’s not something I have been doing. I’m inconsistent.

I’m not sure why I’m so inconsistent with my workouts. Exercise is part of my whole Operation Sexification mission, because a healthy body is a strong and sexy one. Exercise is part of my bigger health journey. Exercise is what keeps my emotions and happiness in check for the most part. It’s the key to everything, really. Yet I easily let it fall to the wayside.

A few months on, a few months really dedicated, then a few months off. It seems to be a pattern with me. Even though I love being active I somehow manage to find myself time and time again getting to a point where I am not active or exercising enough. Taking days (or when it stretches to weeks) off really messes with my body and mind. It doesn’t do anything good for me, yet I let it happen.

I just need some regular exercise. Even if that is just walking for 30 minutes every day. The key here for me is EVERY day. I’m at the point where I can’t skip days and take days off. Especially not the three or four days between exercise that sometimes I’ve been taking. No, for me I need to exercise every day.

It frustrates me that I’m not consistent like I should be.

It frustrates me so I’m going to work on that. 30 minutes of something every day. At least until I leave Oregon in July. (Because all bets are off on that roadtrip cross country.)

How about you? Are you consistent with your workouts or, like me, is that something you need to work on?

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Friday Links

by Mary on June 18, 2010

in Link Love & Giveaways

It’s Friday! It’s Friday!

There are so many reasons why I have and always will love Friday. It’s just such an exciting day with the weekend right there beckoning you to quit work or school and come play. It’s filled with promise and even when you have tasks to complete that you hate, you still have that hope of the upcoming weekend. Hurray friday!

Friday is the day that I have decided to use to share some link love and give you a heads up to some good things to read out there. I spend a lot of time reading, so I figure I might as well put that to work and share!

I’ve also decided that I might name this little weekly event. Perhaps “Merry Go Round.” It’s a name I used in high school for a handwritten/drawn “newsletter” I gave my friends and I’ve always enjoyed it. Think it fits?

of the Week

Jacq, aka Jacqueline Carly, aka Fitarella, is trying to get her own show on the Oprah network. She is amazing and totally deserves it, so go vote for her!

Something I found yesterday via Roni’s blog, is a new study claiming that the human brain naturally distorts body image. “Individuals have a conscious visual image of the body

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Operation Sexification Check In, Plus Some Weekly Goals

by Mary on June 20, 2010

in Thoughts

Without having my weigh in on Sundays I feel a bit lost about what to post! So I guess I should check in and see how I’m doing with Operation Sexification, set some goals for the next week, try to be more organized… that kind of thing.

I set out three tenets of Operation Sexification in the beginning, but really I had no idea what I was doing (still don’t). But let’s run down through the things I’m needing to work on and see how I’m doing.

Exercise. This is the main goal, yet it’s been getting the least amount of attention. That is going to change from now until July 9th. I feel myself getting smaller, even with the small amount of movement

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Weight Loss Success Story: Tyler (344 Pounds)

by Mary on June 21, 2010

in Success Stories

On and off here I like to feature weight loss success stories. It’s great motivation for me personally and for our community here as most of us are trying to lose weight or live healthier lives. It’s always a great opportunity for someone to share the story and success they are proud of as well as a chance for us to learn from what they did right.

Today’s success story interview is with Tyler who blogs at 344 Pounds. I’ve been lucky enough to exchange emails with him on a number of occasions in addition to reading his blog and can tell you that he is a really awesome guy.  He has also changed his life in a drastic way in the past 16 months. Read on to find out more about that!

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Jillian Michaels Biography

Posted By Chris Comments (10) BIOGRAPHY — From birth to adulthood

Jillian Michaels was born on February 24, 1974 in Los Angeles, California to Jo Ann McKarus. Her mother, who works as a psychotherapist, was blessed with being naturally thin and was always devoted to the well being of her daughter Jillian and her two siblings: George and Lauren. Her father, who was a personal injury lawyer, struggled with weight issues his entire life. Despite the fact that her parents were in the midst of a divorce, Jillian’s father made it a point to visit with his daughter. Unfortunately, his visits with her were not in her best interest physically. In an interview with Ladies’ Home Journal, Jillian recalls numerous visits with her dad when they would have nothing to say to each other so they would turn to food. She has been quoted as saying that she bonded with her father over food and that they only way her father knew how to relate to her was via food–mostly junk food! This unhealthy father – daughter bonding began to catch up with Jillian and at 14 years of age, she tipped the scales at an alarming 175 pounds! It was evident that she would follow in her father’s footsteps and struggle with obesity.

However, her mother began to notice her daughter’s unhealthy weight gain and immediately enrolled her in a martial arts class. It was this class that changed her life and made her into the fitness guru that she is today. Under the instruction of Robert David Margolin, Jillian turned her life around. She reached and maintained a healthy weight and thus began her love affair with fitness. After 17 years of martial arts training, she holds a black belt in both Muay Thai and Akarui-Do. She is a true success story — transforming herself from the fat girl to the fit girl.

Upon graduating from high school at the tender age of 17, Jillian put her passion for fitness to work and became a personal trainer. Unfortunately, the income was not steady and she was forced to put her love of personal training on hold and find a job that could pay the bills. She took a job as a bartender while attending the California State University, Northridge (at 17, she worked illegally with a fake ID) and after graduation she took a job as a talent agent at ICM — which was the biggest talent agency in Hollywood. This was a job that she absolutely hated!! During this time, Jillian was able to obtain two personal training certificates. One from the National Exercise and Sports Training Association (NESTA) and the other from The American Fitness Association of America (AFAA). She obtained both of these in 1993. It was only a few years later that Jillian was able to put her passion to work for her as she began to work as a personal trainer and eventually opened her very own gym, Sky Sport and Spa, with Jackie Warner. It seemed as though her once rocky childhood was over and things were looking bright for Jillian. Then in 2004, her life changed for forever.

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Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction

Posted By Chris Comments (0)

Stress is an issue for most people living in the fast and furious 21st century but there are techniques to manage and effectively reduce stress. One of stress reduction method that has gained tremendous momentum is meditation. Meditation techniques still the mind and focus it on calm and steady thoughts. As deliberation turns inward, the introversion frees the flow of thoughts, visions and memories aligning the mind and the body in awareness and relaxation.

Purpose

Meditation and mindfulness are routes to reduce stress and regain the equanimity needed for a productive life. Many types of meditation address the importance of breathing while focusing the mind on thinking positive thoughts or visualizing constructive images. Guided meditation is a growing practice for many who desire to relieve stress and enhance the peace, health and composure of their life. With various guidance topics and recordings available, meditation, sometimes termed “centering,” calls the individual to tune into the body and breathe with the energy force of the world.

Benefits

According to Andrew Weil, M.D., “Practicing regular, mindful breathing can be calming and energizing and can even help with stress-related health problems ranging from panic attacks to digestive disorders.” This reduction in stress levels often results in creating a positive energy flow through the body that can prove effective in alleviating anxiety and even chronic pain. With relaxation of the muscles and nerves, blood and energy flow more freely to all parts of the body generating an enhanced feeling of well-being.

Proponents of mindfulness and breathing additionally laud

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Best Pilates Workout Exercises

Posted By Chris Comments (2) The 5 easiest and

If you are like many Americans, you are looking for an easy way to stay fit and lose weight without too much exertion. And while numerous exercise routines and diet plans are well known, no other seems to provide the same level of mental and physical benefits as Pilates.

Pilates is essentially a series of simple, but strategic, stretching and floor exercises which target key muscle groups or areas of the body. With minimal effort, the novice fitness enthusiast can gain remarkable results by engaging in Pilates exercises a few minutes every other day.

Getting Started: The Powerhouse

In order to begin using the Pilates technique, it is important to first know and understand the

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Review of CherryPharm Cherry Juice

Posted By Chris Comments (6)

CherryPharm is a delicious nutritious, antioxidant-loaded Cherry Juice. It is NOT made from concentrate. It is a unique tasting tart cherry juice. Only cherries grown in the United States are used in this product.

CherryPharm was founded by John Davey. He had been a professional tennis player and became a New York business man. He had chronic back pain for over 20 years and relied on over-the-counter pain relievers to achieve some relief. While visiting his home state of Michigan, he began eating tart cherries of the trees. He realized after a few days, the pain in his back was decreasing.

Mr Davey decided it would be worth having someone do a scientific study on tart cherries natural health benefits. Cornell Univeristy conducted the study. The study verified that the exclusive CherryPharm Nutrient Retention Process appeared capable of retaining the fruit’s antioxidant and phytonutrient properties.


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Bob Harper Bio

Posted By Chris Comments (8) Who is Bob Harper?

Bob Harper is a generally known as a fitness guru and is most famous for his appearances on the television show, Biggest Loser, a reality television show where contestants compete to lose the most weight in a given period of time. In addition to Biggest Loser, Bob Harper is a celebrity trainer with clients like Ben Stiller, Selma Blair and Gwyneth Paltrow. As something of a celebrity himself, his sexual orientation and dating status has become a point of interest for many people. Mr. Harper is a proponent for a training regime known as the

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Gatorade Coupons

that’s Gatorade. Its journey from an experimental potion to a wildly successful beverage is one of science, imagination, and thirst-quenching performance.

1965 began as a wretched year for the Florida Gators. Their beleaguered coach begged University of Florida researchers Dr. Robert Cade, Dr. Dana Shires, Dr. H. James Free and Dr. Alejandro de Quesada to determine why his team consistently failed to perform.

After several weeks of research, the scholars decided that the athletes failed to replenish their stores of electrolytes and carbohydrates, which were expended through bursts of intense energy. The researchers created a foul-tasting concoction,

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Research on Obesity in the United States

Posted By Chris Comments (20)

How much does obesity cost the United States? See the following infographic for details.

It highlights work and health care costs by state, as well as comparing the states to one another.

Arizona, where it is hot, has the lowest percent of obese people in the country. Either the heat forces them to move away, or they sweat it off. The old grade school joke about the desert being so hot that only one S can grow there perhaps some foundation in reality.

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Andrea Ambandos Bio

Posted By Chris Comments (1) Who is Andrea Ambandos?

Andrea Ambandos may not be a household name, but if you have any fitness videos laying around, she’s probably on the credits of at least one of them. Staying behind the scenes, Ambandos has directed and produced many popular workout video series, including

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Cal Pozo Biography

Posted By Chris Comments (12) Cal Pozo, Exercise and Fitness pioneer

Cal Pozo is a fitness instructor, choreographer, director and producer of best selling exercise videos. He was born in 1946 in Cuba and moved to the US in 1960. Though he has been dancing since his early teens Cal made sure education was a priority, attending both Bowling Green University in Ohio and New York University in New York City. After college, while living in New York City, Cal became a dancer in Broadway musicals, including a revival of the original musical West Side Story, which also starred Patrick Swayze. It was during this show, in the late 1970s, when Cal suffered a serious hip injury. This ironic twist of fate was to be Cal’s springboard for launching into the fitness and exercise video industry.

Before suffering his debilitating hip injury, Pozo had been a serious dancer with no interest in the exercise and fitness instructional video industry. After suffering through the injury and subsequent rehabilitation, his doctors advised his dancing career was very likely finished. Refusing to accept such a diagnosis, Cal decided to take over on his own rehabilitation program and mixed various dancing and exercise disciplines into a system all his own. Successful completion of his own style of rehabilitation program, which included an approximately forty pound weight gain and loss, started Cal on his path to fitness stardom.

The Beginning

Cal Pozo started his career in the fitness industry with a book which was completed shortly after his hip injury rehabilitation and was called

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