Posted by Trish Milburn Nov 15 2011, 12:01 am in eating healthy, Emotional Eating, exercise, guest blogger, Holidays, weight loss
By Nancy Northcott
Just about a year and a half ago, the Healthy Writer team invited me to guest blog about my plans for getting back into shape. I was going to go back to the gym, cut back on unhealthy foods, and stay focused. I really was.
Only I didn’t.
Instead, I gained weight. And I truly have no excuse. I let life get in the way of going back to the gym. I made it for a week, which usually means I’m back on track, but then I pushed it down the priority list. Before I knew it, another week went by, and then another, and then I was back in the gym avoidance rut.
I knew what eating so much candy over the holidays last year was going to do, but I ate it anyway. I’m a stress eater, and the holidays are stressful for a lot of reasons many of you can probably identify with–too much to do, too little time, other projects not going well, family issues, etc. Michelle had a great post about controlling these factors the other day.
So here I am, going into another holiday season weighing not only more than I’d like to but far more. Nothing fits, including workout clothes, and shopping for things that would is irritating. It may even be irritating enough to make me do what I’ve known for months I should do, buy new (larger) workout clothes, not only pay attention to intake but control it–and, oh, yeah, use the workout clothes.
Some people swear by Jazzercise or Zumba or other programs. I always preferred cardio kickboxing, but shoulder issues are pretty much ruling that out. What they don’t rule out, no matter how much I pretend they do, is other exercise. Like fast walking. Like jumping rope.
Now, I’m a serious klutz. And my core muscles are not in great shape. Neither is my aerobic conditioning. None of this bodes well for the jumping rope thing. Right now, the jump rope and I are eying each other askance. We used to be buddies, kinda sorta, at least able to work in sync with each other, but hard-won those days are in the distant past.
I don’t have rubber mats for jumping rope on, so I’m hoping the ground outside will do. I’m not going to jump on a hard surface because my knees won’t take it. There’s also the klutz thing. I’ve never fallen jumping rope–or attempting to jump it, to be more accurate–but there’s always a first time.
We do have a membership where there’s not only a gym but a pool. Although buying a bathing suit was excruciating (and the bottoms don’t fit despite the phone rep’s earnest efforts), I do like to swim. I don’t care for the whole bit with driving over there, changing, showering, getting out of the pool, showering, changing, and then driving home. The actual swimming, however, is kind of relaxing.
So here I am again with great intentions. The trick, of course, is putting those intentions into action. With the holidays roaring toward us, that’s a bigger challenge than usual.
So I’ve set myself a modest set of goals that should be attainable by December 31:
1. Get into some sort of routine that involves aerobic exercise three times a week, either here or at the gym, for at least half an hour per session.
2. Cut desserts to once a week and limit snacks to fruit and/or nonfat yogurt.
3. Lose 3 pounds. Yep, a mere, modest three. I’d really prefer five, but I feel safer going for just half a pound a week between year’s end. If I get more, it’ll be happy dance time.
When working as a weight loss consultant, I noticed that many people shoot for a pound a week but very few people can sustain that rate of loss. Most people who want to end up disappointed and frustrated, moods that can trigger stress eating. So I’m going to shoot for a more modest level.
4. Avoid beating myself up if I eat something I shouldn’t. I’m going to try to cut myself a break. Slipping once isn’t such a total bomb as to warrant throwing my hands up in the air and declaring the week a total bust. No matter how tempting that is.
One of the big problems around the holidays is dealing with food pushers, the “oh, it’s great, you have to have some” or “but it’s my specialty, and you aren’t having any (or more than that little smidge)” people. One trick is always to serve yourself, not let one of these people control the serving spoon and thus the portion size. The other is just to be firm and tell people you’re trying to watch your weight, and you need them to help you do that by resisting that lovely treat. Politely but firmly.
That isn’t always easy to do, but it’s sometimes necessary. At the same time, having a small taste of a favorite food or dessert can sometimes be a great payoff for resisting the bigger portions.
So those are my goals. What are yours? Are you trying to maintain your weight or would you like to take off a bit? Have you ever slipped up on good intentions? If so, how did you get back on track? If not, how do you keep from straying?
Posted by Trish Milburn Nov 11 2011, 12:01 am in guest blogger, weight loss
Hello, everyone! Heather Snow here again. So, this month, in my journey to better health, I’ve been doing okay. Have really focused on drinking more water (I have to drink my full 8 cups before I allow myself to drink anything else), I’ve been working on getting in 30 minutes of exercise every day plus [...]
Posted by Trish Milburn Nov 3 2011, 12:01 am in eating healthy, food, guest blogger
By Anju Gattani If there’s one fruit that takes the trophy, it’s the banana! Unlike its close competitor the apple, you’ll never find a particular type of banana—for example a Fuji, Gala or Washington—out of stock. Why? Because there is no ‘type’; a banana is a banana no matter which way you look at it. [...]
Posted by Trish Milburn Oct 6 2011, 12:01 am in food, guest blogger, weight loss, Writing
By Anju Gattani There’s a three-letter word that’s been the cause for hundreds and thousands of articles, posts and an entire fitness industry… F-A-T. It’s there on the body. It’s there in the writing. The diet industry alone in the U.S., according to Media Awareness Network, totals a staggering $100 billion a year. Then there’s [...]
Posted by Trish Milburn Sep 30 2011, 12:01 am in exercise, guest blogger
By Kristen Painter I get swept up in things very easily. It’s a truth I learned about myself many years ago. When something appeals to me, I go after it full force, no looking back. This can be a good thing or a bad thing, but at least I’m aware of it. Like the time [...]
Posted by Trish Milburn Sep 9 2011, 12:01 am in eating healthy, food, guest blogger
By Heather Snow Okay, so the title is a bit misleading because I’m on deadline right now and can’t spare the creative energy it would take to write a proper ode. However, the sentiment is the same. I LOVE chickpeas. One day, sometime in the ’90s, my ‘meat and potatoes’ raised younger self stumbled upon [...]
Posted by Trish Milburn Aug 17 2011, 12:01 am in eating healthy, Emotional Eating, guest blogger, Heather Snow, progress, small changes, stress
By Heather Snow Hello! Heather Snow here with my monthly progress report. I wish that I had better news, but instead, I have nothing but honesty. I haven’t focused on my health at all this month. Not one little bit. This month has brought wonder into our lives in the form of our newborn son, [...]
