Too Good Not to Share

Sums up everything I try to say:


Success isn't determined by pounds, pant sizes, or inches. It is determined by your ability to make positive lifelong changes every day.
- Denise (from Denise Austin's newsletter 12/17/09)

Now, go have a wonderful day!

Good Things - 12/14/09

The Gift of Freedom.

Freedom to try the egg nog or just one more appetizer.

Freedom to not worry, for just a little while, about one extra cookie.

Freedom to enjoy the holidays, secure in the knowledge that you'll be back on track in a a couple of weeks.

But not to run hog wild and pig crazy, as my daddy used to say. Everything in moderation. You can enjoy your holidays and still maintain that healthier lifestyle you've been working so hard on.

Now, go have a great day.

Good Things - 12/6/09

Words of Encouragement.

In the spirit of Christmas I thought for the next few weeks I'd try to focus on what we can give to others rather than just what we can do for ourselves.

Words of encouragement sounds like an easy, no-brainer kind of thing but it can sometimes be more difficult that we think.

I'm not really talking about compliments here; I'm talking real, honest-to-goodness encouragement. Helping each other when we're down. Boosting each other over the humps that we will inevitably hit.

Still sounds easy, doesn't it?

Here is what I sometimes find. Even though women all talk about sisterhood, we can be each other's worst enemy. Sometimes we start to view someone else's success as a reflection of our own failure. We go from "Boy you look beautiful" to telling someone else "I can't believe she wore that dress!" We compare ourselves in negative ways so therefore we start to not truly encourage but to secretly hope for failure.

We don't tell someone that they shouldn't eat that cake because we don't want them to lose more weight than us. We don't offer to go on a walk with them and help them with their exercise because they might look better at the Christmas party next week.

That kind of makes us ugly on the inside, doesn't it?

We should, instead, help each other. Confident in knowing that we will be the recipient of that same help when we need it.

Wars are not won by individual soldiers. Football games are not won just by the quarterback.

This is a team effort I'm talking about. Everyone reading this does, or at least should, have someone that is supporting them. You know you've got me at a minimum. Likewise, I know I have all of you.

So let's remember to help not only each other, but everyone that we come in contact with. We don't always know what someone may be struggling with, but if we can somehow lend support, then we should do it.

So, my words of encouragement to each of you are these: Love yourself. You look marvelous no matter where you are in your quest for your goals. Don't give up hope when it seems impossible. Be fair and honest with yourself.

And above all, enjoy the ride. Life is a journey, after all.

Eat Right!

Borrowed from Denise Austin's Newsletter on 12/2/09:


Looking for a way to get even more bang for your nutritional buck? Try these "superfoods"! They're loaded with essential vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients to help you feel great, and they even help fight disease! Incorporate them into your diet today!

Almonds: A source of "good" fat, almonds can help your heart by lowering bad cholesterol!

Berries: They're jammed with vitamins - particularly vitamin C - but new research has found these sweet little sensations to be ace disease fighters too, helping to prevent bladder infections and even cancers, among other illnesses.

Broccoli: Folate, vitamin C, calcium - broccoli is packed with all these awesome nutrients. Now researchers think it might also fight cancer!

Avocado: The large number of calories in a serving of avocado is totally worth it! This source of healthy fat contains a ton of vitamin K and potassium and is also associated with lower cholesterol and even the prevention of breast cancer!

Salmon: Low in calories, easy to prepare, and amazingly good for you - what's not to love about salmon? And the omega-3 fatty acids in salmon are great for your heart!

Olive oil: Another good fat! Besides making your food incredibly tasty, olive oil can also protect you from heart disease.

Green tea: So much research has touted the benefits of green tea, it's hard to know where to begin! But here's a sample: A Japanese study in 2006 showed that green tea lowered the risk of death from all causes. How's that for a superfood?

I know we've talked about a lot of these before, but a little reminder never hurts...

Now, go have a great day!

I Went, I Saw, I Ate

Tiramisu, Gelato, Cannolli

Pizza, Pasta

Fortunately, I also walked.

A lot.

Miles. Easy to do when you keep getting lost.

Here's the really cool part (not that all of the above were not really cool) - I came home from Italy having lost 2/10th of a pound.

I say that not to brag. I think the real victory was not in losing but was just not gaining. (I've managed to do that since I got home and am no longer walking miles and miles every day).

My point is this, and I've said it before, don't let your quest for a healthy lifestyle ruin any fun. Yes, I paid attention to what I ate. I ate gelato once. We split the tiramisu and the cannolli. But I didn't miss out on a truly wonderful experience with food because I was watching my weight.

You still have to experience life, just do it smartly.

I've always said your brain IS the most important tool you have in this battle so use it.

Just for grins, here are the pictures of our Thanksgiving lunch. While all of you were eating healthy turkey and vegetables this was ours:



Spaghetti and Grilled Sausages over French Fries. I didn't have a vegetable for over a week. Couldn't find green beans on the menu....

Good Things - 11/30/09

Sorry I'm late! Too much to do last night and couldn't stay awake long enough to do it!

Today's tip - the entire Special K family of products.

Kellogg's has gone above and beyond in the quest for fitness. They have developed so many different things, besides their cereals, to help in this battle of the bulge.

I have tried the cereal (4 of the 8 flavors), the cereal bars (4 of the 7 flavors), Bliss bars (tried both), waffles (have had both)and the snack crackers (both flavors). They also have protein drinks, protein bars, protein meal and protein water mixes.

I have, so far, missed the protein line.

I like that the snack foods are packaged in 100 calorie or less sizes.

I like that they are portable - couple of them made the trip last week and I keep some in my desk.

I like that there is enough variety that I don't get bored.

I like that some of them taste like I'm splurging but I'm really not.

They also have a nice website to help you design a plan, tips and tools, recipes, and so forth.

I think they are committed to better health, and that is what we're all about.

So, raise your spoon to Kellogg's and Special K!

Good Things - 11/23/09

Red Wine.

I hope I don't lose a lot of you with this one, as I know that some of my readers don't drink for a variety of reasons, but, as I always say, I'm saying what has helped me. I'm not stating that my way is the only way or even the best way.

When I say red wine I'm talking about one, four ounce glass with my evening meal. Not a lot. Nothing to excess. I'm not overindulging or doing anything stupid.

There is scientific evidence that red wine is good for your heart, lowers cholesterol, and, more recently, may even help in the fight against diabetes.

Here is what I know. For diabetics the high end of cholesterol is 180. Mine went from 187 to about 132 in one year after adding red wine to my daily diet. I had gotten it down from over 200 to the 187 mark with some other food changes, but the red wine was the only change in the second year.

My A1C test, a test of the last 90 days readings of blood sugar, was 4. That is comparable to a non-diabetic. The normal range is anything below 7.

So, it is only a suggestion. Just noting some things I've done to help myself take care of this one body I have. You can take it or leave it, as is the case with everything I put here. If you disagree that is fine, I can respect that.

But, I am currently in the heart of wine country and a lot of experts say the Mediterrean diet overall is a good one. I'm willing to keep sampling and see. :)

Ciao!

WOOO HOOOO!

BB (one of our occasional contributors) got some wonderful news the other day. She finally got good results from her bone density test! She has struggled for about 4 years with osteoporisis and has tried 4 different medications to find one she could tolerate.

But the medication was only an assist. The exercise she gets - swimming, walking and Wii-ing - are the real champions here.

So, let's all give her a high 5 and hip hip hooray!

Good Things - 11/16/09

Green Tea.

Now that the weather is getting cooler, I enjoy a cup of hot green tea. I will confess that despite all the positive properties about green tea, I don't like it cold and I will only drink the hot if it is flavored. But when I start drinking it in the fall and winter, I usually end up drinking at least two huge mugs a day.

Green tea, according to sources, can help with preventing heart disease and certain types of cancers. Although it has not been scientifically proven - yet - I do fall into the camp that also believes that green tea helps with weight management. I have found over the last 3 years that I shed weight easier in the cooler months. This goes a little against conventional wisdom in that we tend to be less active when it's colder and it seems that, like the animals, we tend to add "insulation" in the winter months to protect us from the cold.

There are other reasons that I like hot tea for a healthy lifestyle. First of all, typically when you make a cup of tea you are having to stop what you are doing. You have to heat the water, wait for the tea to steep. I know you can get a cup of tea at Starbucks, but it still doesn't seem quite the same kind of "on-the-go" drink as a cup of coffee. And when you drink it, at least in my case, I'm actually just sipping on it so I'm slowing down. And slowing down can help reduce our stress levels.

And it has been proven that added stress equals added pounds. Certain hormones get released when we get stressed and we add fat.

There are some varieties of tea that help you sleep. A good night's sleep is also an important part of a healthy lifestyle, and a rested person is usually just better all the way around. And I would think that a natural sleep aid would be overall preferable to taking a pill. Call me crazy.

So, put the kettle on, grab a bag and a mug and enjoy a cup, or two, of good hot tea. I think you'll thank yourself later.

A Little Out of Character

OK, I don't normally share things like this. I've tried to be real low-key about all these lifestyle changes and such. But tonight was kind of cool.

I attended a Chamber of Commerce function. Standard stuff. Lots of people milling around, shaking hands and so on. And I went to speak to an acquaintance from one of our local hospitals. The hospital that helped sponsor the HealthQuest that started me on the right path. She'd been involved from the sponsor side so she'd seen the changes over the last couple of years. I was also in a play with one of her daughters so she'd seen me before HealthQuest as well.

She looked at me, paid me a compliment and then invited me to be a part of a wellness program that the hospital and the local nursing program were putting together (I'm also friends with the head of the nursing program). She said she wanted me to be in it because I was her inspiration.

That is cool. I guess its one thing for your family and close friends to call you that, but when someone really outside of your "circle" notices your changes and you leave that kind of impression - well, it just felt a little different.

Those of you that have read this for a while know that I really never wanted to draw attention to myself. I deluded myself into thinking that I could lose almost a third of my body weight and no one would notice.

But I've always said that if I can help someone, then that is what I need to do. That is why we blog. (Emphasis on "we") To help each other, to be supportive, to inspire, if possible.

So, it looks like there may be a new program on my horizon. I'm sort of excited about the possibility since there is no telling what all I'll learn that I can share with you. I hope a lot!

And I'll I have all of you to keep ME on the straight and narrow.

My reminder to all of you - even when you feel down, feel like giving up, don't see the point to all of this, someone might be watching. YOU are inspiring someone with your lifestyle changes, even if you don't know it yet.

So keep it up. Plug through the hard days, work through the plateaus. There is a reason. Like a lot of things, that reason may be revealed in its own time.