One week later...

Hi Ladies....it's one week after the end of our fitness challenge. How did you all fare on your first week of total freedom (and with it being Thanksgiving too)? I will be the first to admit that I took the week off from exercising, though I plan to restart this week. I got a terrible cold (with fever) and needed the break. I find myself eyeing a treat in the pantry and then thinking, "oh yeah, I can eat that!" And a few times, Doug has said, "oh no, it's after 8" as I am eating something. I love the habits that were started and I am going to tailor them a bit for my own life, but it starts tomorrow. I allowed myself a full week of freedom, which was nice. But to be honest, I felt better in the challenge!

Hope you are all doing well and had a happy Thanksgiving.

WE did it!

We did it! Congratulations ladies! When I woke up this morning, I thought to myself, "I'm free!".  But as the days progressed I realized how much I want to keep up these good habits I have worked so hard to form.  I was not perfect in my points, but I was fairly close.  I am proud of myself for sticking with it and for giving it my all.  I have not been very disciplined the last couple of years, so it has felt so good to actually accomplish something I started. I like how it has made me feel!

I lost 9 pounds!  It has been hard for me to be super happy with 9 pounds because I have so much more weight to lose, but I have realized I need to celebrate each pound and continue to patient in the process.  Because I have so much more weight to lose, I can't really be "free" of this challenge.  I am going to modify it a bit and stick with it.  I am going to exercise 4x's a week, I am going to have 1 free day and have another day where I can have a dessert and eat after 8.  I am not going to eat after 8 unless there is a special occasion. 

I am also grateful for the spiritual component of the challenge.  I realized that scripture study is possible and that it is an important party of my day.

Also, it has been fun to be part of this with such a fun and supportive group.  I had many opportunities to work out in different ways and with different people and it was fun.  I loved that my life was focused on fitness and health and that other people were sharing that experience. 

Finally, I have challenged myself mentally.  I ran/walked a 15.2 miles. WE started at Battery Park City and ended up near Ft. Tyron Park at the top of Manhattan. I ran more of it than I ever thought I could.  I realized I am capable of more than I really thought possible.

Thanks to Rebecca and thanks to all of you. 

At the end of our half/marathon past the George Washington Bridge. 

CONGRATULATIONS!

Congratulations dear friends for finishing the final week of our Fall Fitness Challenge! I hope you found the past eight weeks to be of great benefit to you, both physically and spiritually. I am hoping that you will each take a moment to share some brief thoughts on the goals you accomplished. I know that many of you lost a bit of weight, or developed some good habits, or got rid of some not so good habits, for that matter. I, and the rest of us, want to hear about your successes! Don't be afraid to brag a bit. You have every right to tell us how amazing you are! How are you a better person after these eight weeks? Please either respond to the google group or feel free to post here on the blog.

CONGRATULATIONS!

Rebecca

Run/Walk the Miles...

Found this website that can measure the miles on any route. Perfect for our half marathon goal this week! It's great, just click "Start Mapping" - enter either your city or zip and it will take you to your neck of the woods. Then mark the various points and it automatically gives you the total distance! I was even able to track a route in Central Park and along Riverside/Hudson parkway...kind of fun!

Check it out:

http://www.mapmyrun.com/

Good luck going the distance!

Ideas on eating 5 meals/day

This week may require some major preparation and planning, so I did some research I thought I'd share. The 5-small meals weekly challenge appears to be a great way to change up our metabolism, control appetite and blood sugar levels as well as further improve eating habits. In looking online I found the following tips on how to plan food and eating smaller meals multiple times a day. Anyone else find any helpful ideas?

LiveStrong suggests to write down the TIME you plan to eat each small meal (i.e. at 7 am, 10 am, 1 pm, 4 pm, 7 pm) and create a meal PLAN (with two back up ideas so your food is ready every 2-3 hours).

http://www.livestrong.com/article/200706-how-to-eat-five-small-meals-a-day-to-lose-weight/
http://www.ehow.com/how_2304328_eat-six-meals-per-day.html
http://www.quinnthemighty.com/how-to-eat-5-6-small-meals-per-day/

Here's one lady's idea for a meal plan:
Breakfast/Meal #1:
1 fruit, 1/2 C. V8 juice, 1 cup of herbal tea with lemon and a bit of honey, 2 oz. protein (i.e. turkey sausages, oatmeal or soy yogurt)
Meal #2:
1 fruit, 2 oz. protein (i.e. sliced baked chicken, turkey, or fish), a small piece sourdough bread/half baked potato or 1/2 C. rice/pasta, 1 vegetable or dip (i.e. hummus, guacamole, salsa, salad, steamed asparagus or broccoli, etc)
Meal #3:
2 oz. protein, 2 veggies, 1 fruit
Meal #4:
2 oz. protein, 1 veggies, 1 serving of grain
Meal #5:
2 oz. protein, 1 fruit, 1 veggie

Sugar video on YouTube

Ditto...I feel the same way about our candy and stood staring at the hidden stash in the cupboard, hoping, wishing, thinking about that sweetness. Ah, this is certainly not easy! I thought everything might be easier by the sixth week! I guess the strength, muscles and spiritual balance has increased. Yay! (Really...that is a huge something to be thankful for!) Yet I thought my will power and desires might have had leaps and bounds of improvement too. I still have to convince myself to workout every day. I still have to talk myself into not eating that chocolate I have hidden in my closet for my free day. :) Is it always going to be a battle?

I looked up some definitions to help convince myself:
discipline -- the practice of training to obey rules or a code of behavior
will power -- control deliberately exerted to do something or to restrain one's own impulses

Again, I'm SO thankful we're doing this challenge to help me PRACTICE living better nutritional rules and to help me restrain and control myself more in healthier ways. Thanks gals! We have 17 more days to practice and train ourselves in these fitness ways.

And...Just in time to try and fight the post-Halloween candy cravings I'm currently having, my friend sent me this lecture from an MD at UCSF who discusses the role of sugar (and HF corn syrup) in our bodies & foods. It's long, but interesting (I wish we had just the condensed notes!) Wonderful info as we tackle the weight loss and overcome cravings. I understand my love of sweet things so much more now...

Enjoy if you dare. :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBnniua6-oM

Sugar: The Bitter Truth

www.youtube.com

Robert H. Lustig, MD, UCSF Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Endocrinology, explores the damage caused by sugary foods. He argues that fructose (too much) and fiber (not enough) appear to be cornerstones of the obesity epidemic through their effects on insulin. Series: UCSF Mini Medical Sch...

Share

Is it Saturday yet?

I don't know about you all, but this week has been brutal. I took my free day last saturday, and that was my first mistake. Halloween sunday was just painful... resisting all that candy and all the cupcakes that I have left over in my house. I think I need to just throw it all away, because I feel like I am just re-living Halloween day, everyday over here. It's so much easier to not eat treats when you don't have them staring at you from the kitchen counter, or from on top of the fridge. Eating fruit is all fine and good, and it's nice to get a little sweetness throughout the day, but I'm not gonna lie... all I really want right now, is a big, fat, freshly baked chocolate chip cookie. Mmmmmmm!!! I know I can (and will) make it to Saturday, but sometimes I just don't want to, you know? Kay, that's all. Sorry, not a very inspiring post. Just had to vent a little. :)