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.

Perfect!

That is what the Wii Fit said this morning after I headed all the soccer balls. Didn't miss a one!

Score of 655!

It was a perfect start to a Monday.

And just so you know, I played the soccer heading game 303 times before today. Every morning it is the first thing I do. Helps me get loosened up and makes sure everything is in working order.

So practice plus perseverance equals perfection!

Wonder which one I can capture next.....

Good Things - 11/9/09

Total Cereals

If you haven't checked them out lately, you should. This is not the same old boring flake cereal of yesteryear.

Everyone (at least those "in the know") will agree that getting your nutrition from your food is preferable to getting it all from supplements and vitamin pills.

Total makes it easy, and tasty!

In addition to the original whole grain cereal they now have Blueberry Pomegranate, Cinnamon Crunch, Raisin Bran, Cranberry Crunch and Honey Clusters. You can eat cereal 6 days a week and not eat the same one twice.

Great flavor and 100% of a ton of vitamins and minerals, at less than 200 calories a serving.

And did I mention the whole grains?

A great start to your day, a light supper, or a healthy snack. You choose.

I can testify to having tried, and enjoyed, all the flavors. There are currently two in my pantry as we speak.

So, take your vitamins if you must (and I must) but remember to boost that with natural sources wherever possible. I know a lot of you that read this are very "good" eaters, but there are also a bunch like me that do not fall into the "good" category. (We're just eaters.) So, anything that I can eat and that scoots me over closer to the positive side is what I'm looking for.

So, go grab a bowl, and, as they used to say at the service stations, "Fill 'Er Up!"

Get Inspired!

It's working!

I'm not going to extol the virtures of the Wii Fit Plus since I know you all are tired of hearing about it.

But I will tell you what having new challenges is doing for me. That is the important part.

If you've read lately you know that I was getting a little down about not making any progress lately, and trying to be "OK" with where I was. I talked about how maintaining my weight loss was harder than actually losing it to start with.

BUT - since I have something that is challenging me again, things are changing. Those little niggling pounds that weren't coming off, as well as those "prodigal pounds" (the ones that went away and then came back!) have gone away. I've almost gotten back to my original goal of 53 pounds - which I touched earlier this year before the rebound.

As of this morning, I was about a pound away.

But, most importantly, I'm having fun again. I'm excited about working out. Billy and I got to play tennis again a few weeks ago for the first time since I hurt my foot in June. When I was out of town on business I worked out twice a day and logged anywhere from 90 to 110 minutes a day. And I still didn't want to stop. I'm having a ball right now!

So, find your challenge. I still have ballet lessons on my To Do list but because of work trips and pleasure trips and holidays I wasn't going to be able to do the whole 6 week class and I want to do the whole thing. No halfway for me!

Think about something you've always wanted to do. If you run, sign up for a 10K. That might work into a half-marathon, then the full thing. Take dance lessons. Buy a bike.

Find a challenge and get inspired!

Your body will thank you - well, not right away maybe, but eventually.

Good Things - 11/2/09

Hostess 100 Calorie Packs.

Betcha didn't see that one coming!

Hey, I like sweet stuff just as much as anyone, I just need to be a little more careful.

There are so many times when you just want that one little bite of something sweet after a meal. Just a taste.

I find these 100 calorie packs to be just the thing.

And I am singling them out from other 100 calorie snack packs. I like the Hostess because there are 3 single bite snack cakes.

It makes it much easier when all you truly want is just that one bite. I don't have to try and ration out a bag of lots of little pieces, or feel like I need to eat more than I want to.

Yes, it is hard but sometimes I really eat the pack one cake at a time, all spread out during the day.

Call me crazy!

So, the upsides: instant portion control, sweet enough to be satisfying, many different flavors to choose from.

The downsides: it is really, really hard not to eat all three at once.

Good Things - 10/26/09

Splenda with Fiber.

Studies indicate that most adults need between 20 and 25 grams of fiber each day.

Trust me, that can be harder to achieve than it sounds. Especially if you don't just want to each a fiber bar two or three times a day.

Each packet of Splenda with fiber contains one gram of fiber.

It just got a little easier to work towards your goal, depending of course on your use of sweetener.

I use 4 packets each morning in my big coffee mugs.

I get 20% of my daily recommendation without really even trying.

Which is good since the other 80% can be a challenge.

Now, the downside: some people have experienced a little gastrointestinal upset if you try to get all 20 grams just from the Splenda right off the bat. Might want to ease into it.

Achieving a healthy lifestyle isn't always easy. This is one just little tip to make the journey a little simpler.

Got Whipped!

OK, to everyone out there who thinks the Wii is just a game, I have one word for you -

WRONG!

I got my tail whipped last night on the cycling game with the Wii Fit Plus. I kid you not - I had to take a shower when I was finally finished.

You step up and down on the balance board like you are pedaling a bike and ride around collecting flags.

I couldn't find some of the flags.

I pedaled and pedaled and pedaled.

The game kept asking me if I wanted to quit.

HECK NO!

I just kept pushing and pushing.

I did two new levels and it gave me some step to miles equivalent -

almost 25 miles between the two.

I was exhausted, dripping with sweat.

Beat to a nub as we say at my house.

But I sure had a lot of fun doing it!

Can't wait to go again tonight!

Good Things - 10/19/09

V8 Fusion Fruit Juices.

That is my plug for this week.

You get a full serving of fruits and vegetables in an eight ounce glass.

Here is why I love it. I'm not a huge vegetable eater. You can only eat so many green beans. And I get physically ill at the mere smell of tomato juice - including and especially v8 Juice.

I can't stand that smell.

I don't know what it is exactly. I don't have the same reaction to tomato sauce, just the juice.

But the V8 Fusion tastes like fruit juice. It is delicious! And good for me. So I am enjoying doing something good for me.

The positives: there are probably 7 or 8 different flavor combinations and I like most all of them; one 8 ounce glass equals one serving each of fruits and vegetables; and each glass has between 100 and 120 calories. There is also a light version that has half the calories.

The downside: one glass has 20 to 25 grams of sugar - but it isn't added sugar it is natural sugars which your body processes differently. But that still isn't a great number. So, I usually save the juice for the weekend when I'm probably going to get more exercise to offset it and I'm probably not going to eat as well so getting at least some fruit and vegetable nutrition is a bonus.

It's a good thing.