A New Way of Life

Guest Post: Tracy Hernanadez talks about HIIT and Tabata

2012-02-23T21:26:00.002-08:00

Tonight I have a very special treat for you! Remember how in the last post I talked about this thing call High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)? Well, truth be told, I know what it is, but I don't know much about it. But lucky for you I know someone who does!! Let me introduce you to Tracy Hernandez:

Pretty amazing, right?! Tracy is a long time friend of mine and very much into fitness. She is a certified CrossFit Level 1 Trainer at CrossFit Timpanogos in Lehi, Utah, a general workout/CrossFit junkie, and a triathlete. She loves weightlifting and really dislikes running, but does it anyway because it is supposedly good for her. If you have any questions for her, you can email her at tracyhernandez1@yahoo.com.

We'll actually be hearing from Tracy a bit more over the coming days. She's got a lot of information she is willing to share! It's pretty awesome!!

So, I'm not going to waste any more of your time, here is Tracy talking about HIIT/Tabata and she shares with us an awesome tabata workout. Take it away Tracy:
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Disclaimer: You should consult a physician before beginning any exercise routine.

Thanks Kim! It's really awesome to be able to share a post with your readers.

Have you ever used the excuse that you don’t have time to workout? Maybe that comes from the false idea that a workout has to be really long to be effective. Today, we dispel that myth with a fabulous full-body workout that you can complete in just 16 minutes (when you include the warm up, it will be about 20 minutes).

The workout is premised on High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT). What is HIIT? According to Wikipedia, it is “an exercise strategy alternating periods of short, intense anaerobic exercise with less-intense recovery periods.” The HIIT sessions are not long – most last less than 20 minutes, and they will improve your conditioning as well as your body’s ability to burn fat.

This workout is called “Tabata” (pronounced “tuh-bah-tuh”). It’s a HIIT routine discovered by Japanese researcher Izumi Tabata in 1996. Each round of Tabata consists of 8 intervals of 20 seconds of work followed by 10 seconds of rest, for a total of 4 minutes of each movement. In our workouts below, we are going to do 4 rounds of Tabata, for a total workout time of 16 minutes.

Tabata Workout #1 is designed using some of the functional bodyweight movements we went over in the previous blog post about Functional Fitness, but you can actually do a “Tabata” workout with anything. Workout #1 incorporates push-ups, pull-ups, sit-ups, and squats, and Workout #2 is a Tabata workout with variations of running. You could also do it with cycling, swimming, weightlifting, or a variety of other exercises. Just follow the same format of 20 seconds of work followed by 10 seconds of rest, for 8 intervals (4 minutes). During the 20 seconds of “work”, go all out – try not to rest at all during those 20 seconds for maximum benefit.

Disclaimer (this is a repeat from above, I just want to be sure you read it): You should consult a physician before beginning any exercise routine.

Tabata
You are going to perform 4 different exercises, in 4-minute blocks for each exercise. Each 4 minutes will consist of 8 intervals of 20 seconds of work, followed by 10 seconds of rest. You want to complete as many reps as you can within that 20 seconds, and try to maintain the same number of reps for each of the 8 intervals. Do not rest more than 10 seconds between each interval—you will be tired, but this is supposed to be high intensity training.

You will do the same exercise for all 8 intervals (4 minutes) in a row. Do not switch exercises until the 8 intervals are complete. After you have completed 8 intervals of one exercise, rest for exactly 1 minute before moving on to the next exercise. This workout will be easiest if you have someone who can run a clock for you, and alert you at the end of each 20 second work interval and each 10 second rest interval (I usually say “go” when the 20 second work interval begins and “rest” when the 10 second rest interval begins). If you don’t have anyone who can run a clock for you, keep an eye on a wall clock or stopwatch, or you can also download a CrossFit app on your phone called “My WOD” for $0.99. It has a Tabata interval timer; when you start it, it will count down with a 3-2-1-Go beep, then it will beep at the end of each 20 second work interval and your 10 second rest interval for 8 rounds.

If you want to “score” the workout, your score on each exercise will be the lowest number of reps that you completed in any given 20-second interval. So, for example, if you do 15 reps on the first 20-second interval, but by the eighth interval you can only do 5 reps, your score is 5. Scoring the workout will help you track your progress as you get strong and can do more reps when you repeat this workout later.

A detailed description of all these movements can be found here, or by watching this YouTube video. (Coming very soon!!)

Tabata Workout #1
3-minute warm-up: 2 minutes of brisk walking/jogging. 10 push-ups, 10 sit-ups, 10 squats (these don’t count toward the workout, you’re just warming up the muscles). 10 forward bend/hamstring stretches. 30 seconds of wide arm circles – 15 seconds forward, 15 seconds backward.

Pull-ups*
8 intervals - 20 seconds of pull-ups, 10 seconds of rest
- Rest 1 minute -

Push-ups
8 intervals - 20 seconds of push-ups, 10 seconds of rest
- Rest 1 minute -

Sit-ups
8 intervals - 20 seconds of sit-ups, 10 seconds of rest
- Rest 1 minute -

Squats
8 intervals - 20 seconds of squats, 10 seconds of rest

Photo courtesy of Google/Yukon Fitness

*If you cannot do pull-ups, do “jumping pull-ups”—find a bar and place a stool or box under the bar tall enough that you can reach the bar with arms slightly bent. Using both your legs and your arms, jump until your chin is above the bar.

If you don’t have a pull-up bar, here are some ways you can scale it: (1) Squat Machine inverted body rows – if you are at a gym, find a machine similar to this.

Set the bar at a height between your waist and your shoulders. Place your feet on the floor facing up toward the bar, grip the bar keeping your body in a nice straight “plank” position, and pull yourself up to the bar. If you set the bar lower, your feet will be farther out and the movement will be harder. If you set the bar higher, your feet will be closer under your body and the movement will be easier.

(2) Hand rail inverted body row. If you’re not at a gym, try to find something similar to that machine in real life – a hand rail, a piece of equipment at the nearby park, etc. and do the same movement. Something like this:

There is also a great description of a “handrail pull-up” or “inverted row” on the LIVESTRONG website.

Tabata Workout #2
3-minute warm-up: 2 minutes of brisk walking/jogging. 10 push-ups, 10 sit-ups, 10 squats. 10 forward bend/hamstring stretches. 30 seconds of wide arm circles – 15 seconds forward, 15 seconds backward.

Run/Jog*
8 intervals - 20 seconds of sprinting/running/jogging as fast as you can, 10 seconds of rest
- Rest 1 minute -

High Knees Running
8 intervals - 20 seconds of running/jogging with “high knees” – bring your knees up so your thighs are parallel to the floor, 10 seconds of rest
- Rest 1 minute -

Backwards Running
8 intervals - 20 seconds of running/jogging backwards, 10 seconds of rest
- Rest 1 minute -

Skipping
8 intervals - 20 seconds of skipping (just like in elementary school – try it, it’s fun! – and it will work your calves and quads), 10 seconds of rest

*If you cannot run or jog, just walk as quickly as you can.

my new aim

2012-02-20T21:20:00.000-08:00

Today I went and did something that I have actually been looking forward to for a very long time. I went and had a physical! I know, that's a bit weird to look forward to a physical, right? But I have never actually had one and I wanted to know what all my "levels" were looking like so off to the doctor I eagerly went.

After spending a length of time chatting with the doctor, a few vials of blood, and a urine sample, I'm feeling a renewed sense of direction. (Isn't that amazing that peeing in a cup can give you a renewed sense of direction? Hahaha!) It's really nice to hear someone of the medical profession tell you that you are on the right track. (I really can't tell you how refreshing that was for me!)

I know that I have come a long way from where I have been most of my life. I'm happy with where I'm at now, but I know that losing a few more pounds of fat would be ideal. I asked the doctor about the fat that is lingering around my middle section--that pudge just doesn't seem to budge--so he gave me a few pointers that I'm going to try out of the next few months and see how it goes.

Have any of you ever heard of HIIT? (High Intensity Interval Training to be exact.) This is my new aim, my new focus. Basically what it is is this: while you are out for a run you jog for 5 minutes, sprint for 30 seconds, jog for 5 minutes, sprint for 30 seconds, etc. You get the pattern right? But it doesn't have to be sprints, you could use stairs or hills or something like that. And it doesn't have to be that exact time pattern, you can do more or less. The basic idea is to just do a baseline of something and then give it all you've got for a burst of time and then repeat that action a few times. This can be done with any cardio program, biking, elliptical, running, dancing, whatever you want to do.

What's so great about it? Well, supposedly this bumps up the metabolism even more and burns fat more effectively. I have heard several people tell me about it but I have never actually tried it out for myself. So this is my new goal. I going to put some serious effort into this and see how it goes. I'd really like to work on my midsection. My abs. My core. I'd like to tighten and tone it up a bit more then it already is and just blast that dangerous fat off my middle, since we all know that is the most dangerous place to carry fat.

I'll keep you informed along my journey and plan to share with you great core exercises that I find. I have been kind of stuck in a rut and am on the search for some great new routines so I'll share with you what I find. Stay tuned!

Oh, and just in case you were wondering, as soon as I hear back about the "levels" of everything, I'll let you know. Don't worry. :)

Busy, Busy, Busy!

2012-02-15T17:19:00.000-08:00

Whew! What a crazy week!! Just in case you haven't noticed, life has gotten INCREDIBLY crazy around our home the last few weeks. I'm really not sure what has happened, but, oh my!! We may not survive! :) Of course we always pull through......it's just a matter of finding our groove again, and believe me, I hope to find that groove again very soon!! Until then, I may have to back off on the frequency of my postings, (as if you hadn't noticed) and put my focus on more important things, like my family. Sigh. Once again I am reminded that I may not achieve that superwoman status. :)

We have really gotten into a little slump in our home recently, but I certainly do intend to pull myself out of it, and when I do, watch out!! I've got a lot of really great ideas floating around my head and a lot of things I'm working on sharing with you guys. So, be patient with me. I promise, great things are on the horizon!

Also, my home has been a complete disaster the last few days, dishes in the sink, mountains of laundry, toys and play things strewn through out my home, I've got a list longer then I can see to check off, and my workouts? Well, lets just say I haven't been sitting on my hind end all day. I make sure to squeeze something in everyday.

I just had to tell someone. That makes me feel slightly better. I think too often we try to be and achieve too much and then just end up beating ourselves up for it. Life is going to get crazy! Life is going to get out of control! And you're going to have to let stuff go and let things fall by the wayside. That's life! We are not supposed to be perfect in this life. And thank goodness for that, right?! The more I try to be perfect the more stressed out I become, so I, for one, am backing off. Perfection? Forget about it!

A very dear friend of mine shared this on Facebook the other day (Hi Shaz!) and I had to borrow it, because this sums up how I feel so often:

"Where is the Mother who's house is so shocking? She's up in the nursery, blissfully rocking... The cleaning and scrubbing will wait till tomorrow but children grow up as I've learned to my sorrow.

So quiet down cobwebs. Dust go to sleep.

I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep."

(Had enough of the sappy stuff? I'll be back with more health and fitness stuff soon!)

More Valentine goodness!!

2012-02-12T21:46:00.000-08:00

I know that today I said I would talk about non-food ideas for Valentines, but let's be honest, we live in a culture that revolves around food. And we tend to give food and receive food with love. We put a lot of time and effort into making goodies, wrapping treats, writing names on cards....we put a lot of love into our gifts, right?! And don't you just feel loved when you know that someone has put all that time and effort into something just for you? I know I certainly do.

So, while I intended to share something else with you, I have found so many more ideas that I just have to share. So here they are, in no particular order:

Many of you have kids in school that will be required to hand out valentine's to their class mates. And since we don't want to spread the disease of sugar any further (heaven forbid!) I found a few really awesome ideas to aid with that.

Here is what we made and will be distributing in my daughters preschool class this year. The idea was found on pinterest, but I put this one together myself. A pair of googly eyes and rock star glasses is what makes this one so fun! My daughter is very excited about these!

Source: from my own camera. :)

While I am not a dairy person, my kids (and most kids) are and they love cheese sticks!

Source: Bless This Mess

Better yet, make your own granola bars using this recipe and take a heart shaped cookie cutter to it!

Source: Bless This Mess

I must say, I really like this idea with the oranges. And clementines are at such a great price right now, (well, at least in southern California they are) so you can't go wrong!

Source: Bless This Mess

Fruit leather! Who would have thought?! And prepackaged so parent's don't have to worry about where it came from and who tampered with it. Major bonus!

Source: Bless This Mess

Animal cookies! Why didn't I think of this?!

Source: Bless This Mess

Another great idea, who said heart shaped boxes had to be for chocolates?

Source: dailyspark.com

Watermelon and lemon wedges! So cute and so easy!

Source: Healthy Valentine Day Treats

If you've got a dehydrator, why not whip up some of these?

Source: Chalk in my Pocket

These sound super good to me. Dried apricots (try and stay away from the sulfur dioxide if you can help it) with coconut chocolate and cracked pistachios. Yum! Click on the link below for the recipe.

Source: More Fruit Please

Maybe these will be our valentine dinner? I do love a good vegan sushi! But also think of the love someone will feel finding these in their lunch box!

Source: babble.com

And last but certainly not least, these beautiful looking RAW cookies. They look so good and sound so healthy I can't wait to try out this recipe.

Source: Toneitup.com

So there are just a few more great ideas. Hopefully these have gotten your HEALTHY Valentine wheels turning. More to come tomorrow! I do love Valentine's day!!

Don't forget, switching to these healthy treats says that you love that person so much more that you are caring about their insides!

I'm BACK: With Valentine ideas!

2012-02-11T20:33:00.000-08:00

Wow! What a week! Every night has been filled up with something crazy. It's been a good week, but busy, busy, busy. And I have thought about this blog every single day but just didn't have the chance to sit down at a computer until now.

I have been so super excited about these posts! SUPER EXCITED!! So excited in fact, that tonight, while my husband is out and my kids are sleeping, I am getting them all done so I don't miss another day of the Valentine joy! :)

So we live in a culture that very much revolves around food. We are a food loving people. Always have been and always will be. And we often give food as gifts to let people know we are thinking of them, that we care, and that we love them. Valentines Day is certainly no exception. This holiday is of course surrounded by all kinds of candy and junk food. But it doesn't have to be that way. In fact, it SHOULDN'T be that way.

As I said in my last post, if we care for someone enough to give them a treat, we should make sure that treat is something that will do their body good. I know that these ideas will seem silly to some of you, but it's a matter of changing your mindset, just like leaving meat, dairy, and processed foods behind. I know I would appreciate it so much more if someone gave me one of the following instead of a box of chocolates or conversation hearts.

Today's post will focus on the food side of things. Tomorrow I will share with you other NON food ideas, for example: this year, instead of giving candy to my daughters preschool class, we will be handing out rock star glasses. I will show you what I'm talking about tomorrow. But in the mean time, take a look at some of the ideas I found on Pinterest below. (I had the links to share with you, but my daughter somehow deleted them all from my computer, so as soon as I can round them all up again I will update this post.)

Starting with breakfast. There is really so much you can do there, but here is a really fun idea that I found. Pancakes are one thing that are so easy to make vegan (plant strong) and super nutritious! Throw in a little food coloring and a cookie cutter and you're set! And just think how much your family will love you when they wake up and see these beauties smiling back at them!

Next, melons!! How cute are these heart shaped watermelon bites? WAY easier to do then sugar cookies and these will take you a fraction of the time and are healthy to boot!

These melon heart skewers (or a variation thereof) are what I am planning for my hubby. (Remember the cookie flop of last year? This ought to make up for it!)

Either that or I'll throw it all into a bouquet like this:

This would be a big hit, I'm sure! And really, super easy to make! I plan on making one this year, and will take photos along the way to share with you all how to make your own.

Also, a fun idea to share with your kids school mates (even if it isn't the most popular among kids, their parents will love you!) I really like this idea. Buy a little pack of clementines from the grocery store for $4-7 and you've got the class covered! For about the same price as a bag of candies!

Stay tuned, tomorrow we'll break into some great NON food ideas. :) See you then! (It's great to be back!)

I'm a Valentine Day Lover!!

2012-02-06T20:29:00.000-08:00

Just in case you haven't checked your calendar lately, let me tell you that Valentines Day is just around the corner. A week from tomorrow to be exact. (Unless of course you're Down Under then it's a week from TODAY!)

And I'll share a personal secret with you, Valentines day is fast becoming my all time favorite holiday. I just love it!! Partly because I am head over heels in love with my dear sweet husband, but also because it's a chance to recognize good friends and family members.

It's a chance to just be sweet and kind to all those around you. Which, of course, is something we should be doing everyday, but this gives us an excuse to be cutesy about it. :) I love making things, I love giving things, and I love being secretive about it. I love a good surprise! So now you see why I love it so much.

But, as with any holiday there is a down side. And that down side for me is all the junk and sugar that surround most holidays! And Valentine's Day is no exception. Boxes of chocolates, sugar cookies, and all kinds of candy. And for several years I have bought into it. I loved and ate it all and felt sick and nasty afterwards. Last year I made my husband a really cute (and really unhealthy) sugar cookie bouquet which apparently he's not really into because he came home and said he gave it all away to his co-workers! So I decided that next year (which is this year) I'd hit the nail on the head.

So over the next few posts through out the week I plan to share with you HEALTHY ideas for Valentine's treats. There are so many cute ideas out there that are healthy too! In fact, by giving a healthy treat you are telling your loved one that you love them so much that you are looking after their insides. :)

And who said you had to give food? We'll also be touching on great non-edible items as well. I'm really excited to share with you some of the things I've discovered!

To kick this week off, let me share with you an awesome Valentine workout. This is taken from one of my favorite webistes, toneitup.com, go there and check out all the great Valentine stuff they are sharing. I was thrilled with what I found. Below is a snip it from there workout routine they put together. You can go to their site and watch the video for it or print off the workout you see below. Its awesome! I'm actually starting a binder to hold all the workouts I've printed off from their site.

Enjoy!

Vote for me!!

2012-02-04T20:46:00.000-08:00

I am really excited about this! I have been nominated to be one of the top 25 vegan/vegetarian mommy blogs! Hooray! I have really loved doing this blog and sharing my journey with you so I find this to be really exciting!

So please, if you have enjoyed what you've been reading here, come and vote for me! I'd really appreciate it.

You can click on the button at the left to go to my page or you can click here to go to the contest page. Currently I'm number 50, so scroll down until you find me. I'd love for you to help me out!

Thank you!

My New Shoes!!

2012-02-04T20:25:00.000-08:00

Just in case you didn't already know, I am kind of getting addicted to running. I LOVE IT!! Often times in the middle of it, I hate it, but then when I finish and see how far I've gone I really feel like I've accomplished something great. It's hard work and take some dedication, (the first step out the door on a cold morning is always the hardest) but I am finding it to be really refreshing because I can actually do it now. And that's a big deal for me.

I ran track in high school and thought the mile was just excruciating. I hated running it. I would grumble and complain the whole time that somebody was making me run. Now that I am choosing to run it's a completely different story.

Last Saturday in fact I actually ran 10 miles! 10 MILES!!! That's insane for me! As soon as I was done I swore I'd never do it again, but now as I sit here typing I'm plotting the next time I can break away and do it again!

And I got an awesome present from my amazing UPS man the other day: (no, he didn't actually gift them to me, I ordered them from amazon.com. :))

My new New Balance Minimus Trail shoes with Vibram technology!! Hip Hip Hooray!! I've hardly taken them off since I got them. :)

Needless to say, I love them. But what's so amazing about them that makes me love them? Well, I'm glad you asked, let me tell you. :)

These are a minimal running shoe. What does that mean? Well, they have carved away most of the padding from a "regular" running shoe and taken it down to the very basic. These have a zero drop from the heel to the toe which makes it so that you can run with a natural gait, landing on your mid foot instead of your heel. No heel striking with these.

You see, a few months back my brother-in-law and sister-in-law (Hi guys!) introduced me this thing called "barefoot running." And to be honest, I thought they were insane. (No offense.) But then I started reading some of the information they sent to me (studies from Harvard amongst other things) and slowly I was starting to change my way of thinking.

Then a friend recommended that I read Born To Run and I was hooked! I rented the book from the library and finished reading it in a matter of a few days. Now I am in the middle of reading Natural Running: The Simple Path to Stronger, Healthier Running which kind of lays out how to direct all that enthusiasm for natural running.

A few weekends ago I went to a natural running clinic near my home. This was a really great informational meeting. They had a guy from the Natural Running Network there who took video of us running and then sat down with us to critique the things we needed to change or improve. I was a little bit shocked when I saw how I ran. (Want to improve your running form? Just have someone take a video of you and then watch it. It's kind of shocking. You'll start to be more aware of the areas you need to make improvements while you're running.)

And now I have my minimal shoes and can't wait to really get stuck into it. They recommend you start out slow so that your weak, puny muscles can get used to it and get stronger. See, you'll be using muscles you don't use on a regular basis, especially when it comes to running. So I ran a mile in them today and really tried to focus on my form and it felt great! My knees weren't yelling at me nearly as loud as they usually do. So I'll keep pushing going father each day. They say after a few weeks you'll be pretty used to it. So, here goes nothing!

Our blessing and our curse: Part 2

2012-02-02T23:00:00.000-08:00

I'll be honest, the reason for these last two posts on sugar and high fructose corn syrup is simply for the fact that I was curious. I thought, "surely they can't be as bad for you as so many people make them out to be." Particularly HFCS. I mean it's made from corn, how bad can it really be? Besides that, the government has come out on several occasion and said that it's "fine in moderation."

Sure, all things are fine in moderation, right? The problem is, you can't really do moderation when it comes to HFCS. Not if you eat the standard american diet. HFCS is in almost everything. I did an experiment, just to see for myself, I went to my local grocery store and just started reading labels. Corn syrup or HFCS really is in almost everything. I was only able to find one loaf of bread that did NOT contain HFCS. Everything from soda, to pasta sauce, to peanut butter, to crackers, to sweets, to condiments. It was really amazing!

So the question still remains, is it really as bad for you as everyone makes it out to be? Yes, yes it is. Why? Well, it silently increases our risk of obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and atherosclerosis. The alarming rise in diseases related to poor lifestyle habits has been mirrored by an equally dramatic increase in fructose consumption, namely HFCS.

I could rattle off a whole bunch of health concerns here, believe me, there are a LOT, but I am just going to send you over to this article from Life Extension blog as I believe they explain it much better then me and are much more eloquent.

Basically, the bottom line for me is this, we stay away from it in our home. We pretty much stay away from sugar in general in our home. I'll use a bit of it here and there in my baking but I cut it out as much as possible and look for sugar alternatives. I use agave in place of sugar a lot more often these days. And you know what? It works just fine!

I'm kind of developing a whole "stick it to the man" mentality these days. And honestly if the government is going to be shoving this stuff down our throats and putting it in everything, I say NO WAY!! I am willing to spend a few extra dollars to buy something with quality ingredients over a quick processed mess laden with HFCS.

If you want to watch yet another great documentary all about this, go watch King Corn. We really quite liked that one. It's about two guys who move to Iowa (I think it's Iowa, I can't remember now) and buy up one acre of farm land to so how corn gets from the field into everything else. It's pretty interesting actually. Go check it out!

Our blessing and our curse, part 1

2012-01-31T20:32:00.000-08:00

OK, so did you all watch that lecture I posted yesterday? At least parts of it? Because that is where I'm going with all this. I find it very interesting. So..."let's start at the very beginning, a very good place to start." (If any of you can name that song, you will be my new hero!)

I have to admit, I find our food history in the USA to be quite interesting really. You see, we had this little thing they called The Great Depression, I'm sure an extremely sad and trying time in our history, when a lot of people went hungry and didn't quite have enough food to feed their families. The US government noticed this and figured they needed to step in and regulate the food industry so that prices were not constantly spiking to the point where people couldn't afford them. The cost of simple household cooking ingredients, like sugar, were apparently off the charts.

It was around this time when the US government implemented programs such as welfare and WIC, both very noble things. People were (are) able to get these simple things, like sugar (and all kinds of processed foods today), with the help of the government and new subsidies they provided to suppliers. They kept people fed and regulated the price on food (mostly). By doing this, we were able to pull ourselves out of this great depression slump.

And then due to the high domestic price of cane sugar and the international tariffs on sugar, they needed a cheaper alternative. Enter High Fructose Corn Syrup. Again, this was a very noble idea. The price of sugar was through the roof and someone (Dr. Y. Takasaki at the MITI of Japan) discovered that you could make sugar (in the form of fructose) out of regular corn! What a novel idea! America was perfect for growing corn (and not so much for sugar cane)! We have all those "fly over states" in the middle that nobody lives in, right?! :) Right around 1977 mass production of HFCS began (which is also about the same time the US government started subsidizing the growing of corn). Manufacturers then began putting it in all kinds of processed foods because it was so much cheaper and easier to use, transport and store (it's in liquid form) then regular old sugar. Then in the early 1980's Coca Cola and Pepsi incorporated it into their drinks and the rest is history.

So I find this very interesting. It's like a paradox, a Catch-22 really. It's great because it helped drive prices down, and yet, as I'll write about tomorrow, there are quite a number of health concerns directly related to the consumption of all this fructose. It can apparently be quite toxic. So stay tuned, I'll go into more detail tomorrow.

(I hope you enjoyed this brief history on high fructose corn syrup. If you want to read more, there is a lot out there...including a decent write up at Wikipedia.)

Sugar: The Bitter Truth

2012-01-30T23:05:00.000-08:00

Tonight I fully intended to share some of the findings I've come across on the dangers of high fructose corn syrup, however I will take a slightly different course. (But I will still get to the HFCS debate very soon because I do find it quite intriguing.)

So this thing with sugar has really been in the forefront of my mind for months now. You see, Fibromyalgia, (this thing that I have) seems to thrive on sugar. Meaning it makes you completely miserable. I friend of mine who has fibro much worse then me informed me early on to completely cut my sugar intake. Knowing the way that I was feeling at the time, that was a no brainer for me. If I wanted to feel better, cut the sugar. So I did. And what a world of difference it made for me. I felt so much better. Almost all of my complaints were gone. GONE!! (I cut the sugar before I started the whole food plant based diet, but this certainly catapulted me into it.) I still find that amazing. 10 years ago, I would have laughed this off completely.

So in all this reading and research I've been doing, a lot of the articles reference this lecture by Dr. Robert H. Lustig, UCSF Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Endocrinology. And I got sucked into it tonight. I planned on sharing with you a much different post tonight, but I just finished watching this entire lecture and want to shift gears, slightly. He discusses what fructose does to your body and how it causes obesity. I found it to be quite compelling. "You are not what you eat, you are what you DO with what you eat."

The lecture is about an hour and a half long. It gets a bit boring int he middle (unless of course you are an organic chemistry/biology person and can understand the science of it all really well). But the last half hour I found the most interesting. If nothing else, watch just the last half hour. We'll discuss this in more detail tomorrow night.

Reality

2012-01-28T22:31:00.000-08:00

I don't know about you, but when I think about losing weight I tend to think about that amazingly tight and toned hollywood body. Am I alone in this? Surely others of you have had these same thoughts.

I've had this perception that when you drop weight, especially when you lose more then 10-15 lbs., you will magically discover this drop dead gorgeous body underneath. And while it may be there, most likely it's not going to look anything even remotely close to the bodies that grace the pages of so many magazines.

My reality is, I've had two kids, I have a nice round family gene pool (no offense family! But it's true), I'm short, and will never EVER look like I fit on a movie screen. This is something I'm still wrapping my head around. (I guess I'm going to have to give up my dreams of becoming the next big disco diva star...sigh.)

I may have lost over 30 lbs, but the fact is (and this is where it gets personal, just love me), my stomach isn't flat and probably never will be. Those two kids I mentioned were taken from my body (emergency c-sections both times) and left it, well, less then amazing let's just say. Some days I feel more like a Who (from Whoville, remember their firgures?) My thighs still rub together, (I honestly thought that that would be gone by the time I reached this weight.) I may never have that amazing bikini body, and I'm OK with that...most days. :) It's hard to break past all the images that the media portrays of what the perfect body should look like.

Bodies come in all shapes and sizes. Seriously, ALL shapes and sized. And it's A-OK if we don't look like we belong on the next cover of Fitness magazine. Our aim should just be to achieve healthy. When you are healthy, you feel better, look better, and are just all around amazing! Which is why I have chosen the tag line, "It's no longer about skinny, it's about healthy." Healthy is the new skinny. Healthy and fit together? Yeah, that's my goal. Strong, healthy, fit, that's where I want to be found. It's a journey, a process. Even if that is a bit more round then what the media says.

I have found a really cool website all about body image. It's called mybodygallery.com. It's a project that is all about portraying a real body image. You can type in your parameters (weight, height, pant size, shirt size, etc.) and it will pull up a bunch of images (that other women have uploaded to the site) of women that meet those same parameters. It's pretty interesting actually. Take a peek at it. You could be surprised.

I'm in the process of researching a (hopefully) very interesting subject. High Fructose Corn Syrup. I've had so many questions floating around in my head for so long and I've finally decided to look for some answers. Stay tuned, I'll have that one up very soon.

Some days you feel it...

2012-01-27T16:52:00.000-08:00

Some days you don't. And I'll be honest, there are a lot of days I don't. It's a commitment to maintain a healthy lifestyle. It's not easy. Somedays I actually think about throwing in the towel and taking the easy road, but I know how it will make me feel inside so I don't. Sometimes I walk down the candy isle and think about buying into the sweetness I see. Sometimes I really hate having to make healthy food to snack on at home instead of just opening up a box and going to town. Sometimes I get really annoyed that I can't just pull over to the nearest fast food joint and load up on grease.

But let me be clear, I only think about it. I have lost the cravings for those foods. I don't long for them the way I used to. And it only takes a moment to remember everything I have learned and how far I've come and am reminded of the very reason why I made this commitment in the first place. This is about improving my tomorrows. This is about really living. This is about feeling amazing so you can take on the world.

Taking the "easy road" is all about today. That fleeting moment that comes and goes so quickly. One of my parents favorite quotes that hung in our home when I was growing up was this, "Don't give up what you want most in life for something you think you want now." That resonated with me then and I live by it today. Anything in life worth having is worth working for. That goes for everything from your diet, to your fitness, to your values and beliefs.

And don't you just feel good when you realize you just worked for and accomplished something great? The sweat after a good workout, the aroma of a delicious healthy snack baking, seeing the number on your scale go down and feeling your arteries flowing better. That is what this is all about.

Recently I have been feeling very frustrated and annoyed because I haven't been seeing as many results as I did in the beginning. One day I stepped on the scale and saw 137. That's just 2 lbs away from my "goal" weight that I set thinking I'd never see it. My body has always beed a bit rounder and I've always weighed more than my friends so I figured I would never dip below 145, because that's just how it's always been. So this is really exciting! A real achievement that anyone could be happy over. I'm thinner now then I have ever been. Even my wedding ring doesn't fit anymore. In fact, just the other day I almost lost it down the garbage disposal while doing dishes. (Yikes!! Maybe it's time to resize it?)

And that's just the outside. Inside I am feeling healthier then I ever have! Things work better, my energy levels are up, and I just feel like I could do anything! I actually booked a physical today to get some actual numbers to share with you. Unfortunately that's a month away though so stay tuned! :)

"Don't give up what you want most in life for

something you think you want now."

Tofu Pesto Lasagna

2012-01-26T20:02:00.000-08:00

Let me just start off this post by saying that I am not a food photographer. I don't know how to make food look good. But just trust me when I say that this tastes SO much better then it looks. I promise!

This is actually a recipe that we loved before we made the switch to a plant strong diet. One that we loved so much in fact that we decided we had find a way to make it fit with our new lifestyle. So...tofu to the rescue!! I had never really cooked with tofu, I didn't like the texture and could never make it work quite right with what I expected it to do. But this works fantastically! And cuts the fat content in half and makes the entire dish plant strong! Awesome!!

And the beauty of it is, you can't even tell that it's tofu! No, I'm not kidding, you really can't tell. I've served this dish to guests who are very much meat eaters (vegan haters in fact) and they were shocked after they finished eating to discover that this was in fact a vegan meal. And that made me happy. It is that good.

Again, I'm really sorry about the photos! I promise, it tastes so much better then these look.

Tofu Pesto Lasagna

12 whole wheat lasagna noodles
1 jar spaghetti sauce (there are a lot of vegan options from the jar, or you could make your own.)
1 jar pesto sauce (The jars do contain cheese, if this bothers you, you can make your own, here is a great recipe.
1 12. oz package of silken tofu
10 oz. bag of fresh spinach.
1 bag rice cheese
Any assortment of veggies you want to add

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and then boil your lasagna noodles to al dente. Mix together your tofu and pesto sauce. And then start building your lasagna. Start by doing a quick layer of red sauce, then lay down 3 noodles, then a layer of your tofu mix, then a few big handfuls of spinach, then some rice cheese, then some more red sauce. Continue this pattern until you are all out of stuff then throw it in the oven for about 45 minutes. As this cooks the smell will fill your home and it will make you so hungry! I love cooking this because it just smells so good!

Like I said, you can add in any mix of veggies you'd like. I've used several different combinations and it always turns out nice. For some ideas, you can use: zucchini, mushrooms, tomatoes, yellow squash, egg plant, broccoli, carrots, celery. Really whatever you'd like to throw in, it usually turns out great.

To make it a complete meal, as it's cooking you can roast some asparagus (I like to use just a smidge of olive oil drizzled on top with some salt, pepper, and garlic powder, and then just throw it in with the lasagna for the last 10-15 minutes) and then throw together a salad and you have a nice, comfort food, type of plant strong meal! Awesome!! Enjoy!

Banana Blueberry Muffins

2012-01-23T19:41:00.000-08:00

These are seriously so yummy! I discovered this recipe not long ago and it has fast become a family favorite. The recipe doesn't make much, one muffin tray, so they disappear quickly in our home. (Mostly by me.) :) I made sure to buy extra bananas this week so I can make sure to double the recipe.

But the ingredients are all heart healthy, whole food, and plant based! Hooray! I love it when I find a recipe like this. I have altered the original recipe slightly so my changes will be included in red. I hope you enjoy these as much as we do!

Banana Blueberry Muffins

3 ripe bananas
1/4 c. vegetable oil (I use 1/4 c. applesauce)
1/2 c. organic raw sugar (If you don't have raw sugar I've used regular sugar and it still tasted great.)
1/2 c. organic brown sugar
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 Tbl. cinnamon
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ground ginger (Sometimes I just use 1 1/2 tsp of pumpkin pie spice in place of the nutmeg and ginger.)
1 c. frozen blueberries (unless you have fresh!)

Mix it all together and bake at 360 degrees for about 17-20 minutes (depending on how your oven cooks.) Let them stand for a just a minute and then ENJOY!! They are seriously SO good!

That's the basic recipe for the banana blueberry muffins, but obviously you can embellish it however you'd like. The recipe originally was just banana muffins but I added the blueberries and the rest is history. These would be great with so many variations though.

This photo is of the original recipe. No blueberries added. Still super good. But I'm warning you, they will NOT last long. They are that good!

Extreme Dieting?!

2012-01-21T20:22:00.000-08:00

As many of you readers know by now (or hopefully will discover very soon) this blog is really all about how to reverse poor health and prevent preventable diseases like heart disease, diabetes, and several others, including fibromyalgia (which I have been told I have.) For many of us we have lived a life filled with years of making poor food choices. Everything from fat, greasy, fried foods, to comfort foods, to baked goods, to foods high in sugar and everything in between.

We know the difference between good cholesterol and bad cholesterol. We know that it's best to eat vegetables over a bag of chips. We know that we should choose a piece of fruit instead of that delicious candy bar or bag of gummy treats, and yet it's so easy to turn a blind eye to the healthy stuff.

I have heard several people say that making the change to a plant based (vegan) diet is pretty extreme dieting. Completely overhauling your diet and removing so many yummy things that you have enjoyed for years is extreme right?! Is it extreme? Dr. Caldwell B. Esselstyn says, "A western diet guarantees there will be half a million people who have to have the front half of their bodies divided, their heart exposed, then veins will be taken from their legs and sewn on their heart. Some people would call that extreme."

I would certainly call that extreme. And that is exactly what I would like to prevent. I have a bad family history of all things poor health related and I would like to do what I can to prevent what I can. Your health is within your control. You choose what you want to have happen to you down the road. It all comes down to the way you treat your body today. Choose today to eat the heart healthy way. Dr. Esselstyn says that eating the heart healthy way involves not eating anything that once had a mother or a face. And that, dear friends, is the plant based diet.

Tonight I stumbled across this special report by Sanjay Gupta from CNN. He did a report called,
The Last Heart Attack. It's about 40 minutes long and fantastic! I highly recommend you watch it. In fact, I want you to watch it so much, you can just press play below. Enjoy!

What to do with all that left over pulp

2012-01-20T21:29:00.000-08:00

Yes, it's true. When you juice, you have a LOT of leftover pulp, the bulk of the fruit and veg that wasn't juice. If you become an avid juicer you realize that you throw away a lot of pulp. And while it's true that it doesn't have hardly any vitamins or minerals left in it, it is still great for fiber! Wonderful fiber! And did you know that there are actually several fantastic uses for it? Keep reading and I'll tell you what they are.

source: thekitchn.com

You can add that lovely pulp to practically anything. Well, for one thing, if you like pulp in your juice you could just plop a little back into your juice. Not too much though, otherwise you'll be drinking your juice with a spoon. (Yeah, we discovered that one the hard way.) You can also add it to any baked good. I've added it to bread, cakes, pancakes/waffles, and all kinds of cookies. You can also add it to soups, dips/spreads, smoothies, lasagna, pasta sauce. The list is endless really. You will have to adjust your recipe slightly to accommodate for the extra moisture, but it can be done.

Now I will say that not every kind of pulp tastes great in everything. You do have to kind of use your head here. I took the pulp left over from one of my veggie packed juices and added it to a bread similar to a banana bread, and while it didn't take bad per se, it didn't taste good either. So be prepared for a few flops. But I've learned that carrot and apple blends tend to go well with most everything.

Here are a few websites with great ideas and recipes of what to do with all that left over pulp:

All About Juicing: Ideas of how to use it
All About Juicing: Recipes
The Kitchen: Recipes and ideas

Those are some great places to start. As with anything, experiment! Be adventurous and try new things! You might even surprise yourself.

Delicious Juice Recipes!

2012-01-19T14:45:00.000-08:00

Let's get into the fun stuff now, shall we? As far as I am concerned the world of juicing is wide open. You can pretty much mix anything and everything. Most juices are deliciously refreshing, some combinations take some getting used to, and some just shouldn't be combined. Period. But if you are willing to be a little daring the possibilities are endless.

Here are two of my all time favorite juices:

I love pure grapefruit juice (that's the pink one on the left)! LOVE it!! Call me crazy, (most people do) but I seriously can't get enough of it. But it has to be fresh, not from a bottle. I've tried the bottle stuff and can't stand it. Luckily grapefruits are incredibly healthy for you. We also love straight fresh orange juice and apple juice. You can't go wrong sticking with the basics.

The juice on the right is my own combination and one I find myself going to quite often. (I'm still working on a good name for it.) But here is what I put in it:

(This will make a lot of juice. I make enough to serve to my family and this pretty much covers it.)
1 pear
2 apples
2 oranges
1 tangerine
2 cucumbers
1 green bell pepper
5-6 ribs of celery
2-3 big handfuls of spinach or kale (the photo above is with spinach, the photo below is with kale. See the color difference?)

And see that foam on the top? That is like manna from heaven! By far my favorite part about a freshly sqeezed juice.

Pretty much we just try and take whatever we've got in the kitchen and juice it. We watch the veggies and if they look like they are about to go off, they get juiced. I often don't follow a recipe I just use what I feel like using at the time. But if you are the kind of person that needs to follow a recipe here are a few websites that are filled with fantastic juice recipes:

Recipe Websites:
Reboot Your Life
Juicer Recipes Now
The Zesty Cook

And I am sure there are plenty more if you just look. When it comes to juicing, be adventurous! Try new things! There are some combinations that sound horrid on paper, then when you taste it, it's like you've discovered a whole new world! Do you have any favorite combinations? I'd love to hear what you love.

Where do I begin if I want to juice?

2012-01-18T20:02:00.000-08:00

So you've watched the movie Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead, you've read up a little bit about the benefits of juicing (they almost can't be numbered), and now you're ready to give it a go. Awesome!! I'm so glad you've made that decision. :) Juicing really and truly is a great way to compliment a healthy diet.

There is a down side to juicing and that is the initial cost to buy the machine, because you can't pull juice out of a vegetable with your bare hands. (Or, I suppose you could, but who has that much time and muscle to dedicate?) We (or rather I should say my husband) researched quite a few different models before we made our investment. We tried out a few different brands and decided we liked this one the best:

It's a Breville brand, like the one in the film, but not the exact one from the film. It's been really great for us, we use it a couple of times a week on average. Sometimes more, sometimes less, and it's held up great for us.

They say you want a juicer that causes minimal heat and oxidation to your juice. What? Well, the heat is obvious. When you cook your produce you lose some vitamins and minerals. And some juicers can really heat up with all that spinning they do. But oxidation? What's that? You know when you chop open an apple and it turns brown? That's oxidation. When you juice, the oxidizing that takes place causes your juice to foam quite a bit. (And in my opinion, that's by far the best part!! Like a root beer float! Yum!) So they say to look for a machine that doesn't do that, or at least on a very small scale. Check out this website for more info, I found it to be pretty informative.

And then you have all that lovely produce! It can get expensive. Because you will go through your produce like it's going out of style (but just think of all that goodness you're pumping into your body!) This is yet another reason why we buy a lot of our produce from Costco. Bulk portions of produce can disappear quickly in our home. But that's how it should be right?!

So just to completely hook you, here are a few more reasons to juice (copied over from this website):

Juicing helps you absorb all the nutrients from the vegetables. This is important because most of us have impaired digestion as a result of making less-than-optimal food choices over many years. This limits your body's ability to absorb all the nutrients from the vegetables. Juicing will help to "pre-digest" them for you, so you will receive most of the nutrition, rather than having it go down the toilet.
Juicing allows you to consume an optimal amount of vegetables in an efficient manner. If you are a carb type, you should eat one pound of raw vegetables per 50 pounds of body weight per day. Some people may find eating that many vegetables difficult, but it can be easily accomplished with a quick glass of vegetable juice.
You can add a wider variety of vegetables in your diet. Many people eat the same vegetable salads every day. This violates the principle of regular food rotation and increases your chance of developing an allergy to a certain food. But with juicing, you can juice a wide variety of vegetables that you may not normally enjoy eating whole.

Again, that was completely copied over from THIS website. Not my own words.

Tomorrow I'll start sharing with you some of my favorite juicing recipes and that should really hook you. If not come on over and share a juice with me! :)

Health benefits of juicing

2012-01-16T22:49:00.000-08:00

Juicing is probably my new favorite thing. Juicing is awesome!! My husband is the one that is really into juicing in our home, he should be writing this post, but lucky for you he's taught me a lot of stuff.

A few years back we had a few friends that had a juicer and that's where we were introduced to it and we thought it would be cool to own a juicer. Then fast forward to a few months ago we watched the movie Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead and that is pretty much what put us on the fast track. It wasn't even two weeks before we had a juicer in our possession. And it's been going almost none stop since.

The movie is all about this guy, (Joe Cross) an Aussie, (Yeah! Go Aussies!) who goes on a 60 day juice fast and documents his journey. He was suffering from an autoimmune disorder and on heaps of different medication. By the end of the fast he has drop massive amounts of weight, stopped taking all of his medication, and in much better health all around. If you haven't seen this film, it is one that I highly recommend. It's on Netflix streaming, if you have that, if not you may have to just buy the DVD. It can be purchased from their website (see the link above.)

So why should you juice? Juicing is an easy way to provide your body with good quality nutrition. It's practically a straight shot of vitamins. Juice requires practically no digestion, so all of that nutritional goodness goes straight to your body. When you juice you juice way more fruits and vegetables than you would actually consume in a day so it's a much denser and more compact way of getting so many vitamins and minerals. AND it's like a serious detoxification. Because your putting so much good stuff in, all the bad stuff gets flushed out. Awesome, right?!

So here is just a quick list of some of the health benefits of juicing and why you should do it.

Major detoxification: Our livers have 100s of important function. The main one (and I'm no medical professional here) being cleaning our blood and ridding it of toxins. With the amount of toxins that modern day life provides us our liver has a full time job. It's important for us to keep it clean so that it can keep us clean.

Healthy skin, hair, nails, and eyes: Who doesn't want all that right? Our bodies are constantly growing and replacing our skin, hair, and nails. If you're loading it with all the right kind of stuff it needs you will be able to notice it in these places pretty quickly.

As for the eyes, you need a good amount of vitamin A to keep them going strong. Carrots are an excellent source of this. And when you juice you can pack so many carrots (and other produce that has similar benefits) into a glass you're really doing your eyes a favor. (My grandpa always told me it's what kept my hair red so I have always made sure to eat lots and lots of carrots.) :)

Increased energy levels: Yes! Who doesn't want more energy? Again this goes back to all those vitamins and minerals that you're putting into your body. Everything is able to work more efficiently which the obvious result is more energy. Awesome! And when you're combining this with a healthy diet and active lifestyle, well, you'll be unstoppable.

Improved immune system: We are sitting right in the middle of winter (unless of course you're down under, then, of course, enjoy that sunshine for me!) and illness often accompanies the cooler weather. I have noticed that my body is not only stronger at keeping illness at bay, but when I do come down with something I feel like it doesn't last nearly as long as it used to. And again, it's all thanks to all those vitamins and minerals being shot directly into your system.

And that, my dear friends, is why we juice. And why I think you should juice too. We will be spending all week focusing on juicing and different recipes you can try so keep checking back.

Common Workout Mistakes

2012-01-15T22:13:00.000-08:00

Disclaimer: I am in no way a health or fitness professional. Everything you read here I have learned on my own whether through making my own mistakes or reading the mistakes of others. This is simply my own knowledge of things I've learned along the way.

Like I mentioned in my post yesterday, I am sure we all know someone who spends hours at the gym everyday and never really accomplishes much. You see them looking the same month after month. Here are a few common workout mistakes we all make and that we should try to avoid.

Not stretching. After doing a nice 5 minute warm up it's important to stretch out your muscles to avoid an injury. Stretched muscles are far less likely to be strained then tight muscles.

Using bad form. Another thing I am just learning is the importance of proper form. You can be a pro at a particular exercise and still get injured if you are not using proper form. When you let yourself get lazy and let your form slip that is usually when you will sustain an injury. Sometimes I find it best to focus more on the form then on the number of reps I'm doing. My balance is pretty poor since I've had kids so sometimes it take me a lot more time to get the form right, but I can certainly tell when I have good form and when I don't.

Don't be a weekend warrior. A lot of people when they begin to approach middle age seem to take on the mentality of the weekend warrior. These are people who try to do a weeks worth of exercise in one day. I know several weekend warriors and they suffer a lot more injuries then they need to. We are all busy and sometimes the weekend is the only time that we feel we can dedicate to a fitness program. Do the best you can to find a time a couple of times a week instead of cramming it all in on the weekend.

Waiting until you're thirsty to take a drink. When we workout we sweat. We need to make sure we are replenishing the water we're losing. Don't wait until you feel thirsty. Drink water before, during, and after your work out.

More is better. More is not always better. It's not necessary to spend over an hour doing cardiovascular exercise. Studies show that the risk of injury outweighs the benefits after 60 minutes. Sessions of around 45 minutes most days are good for weight loss.

Over the next week I'd like to focus on juicing! This is one of our new favorite hobbies in my home. I'll share with you the benefits of juicing, recipes, and some interesting facts about. Stay tuned!

Good Nutrition + Good Workout Program = Amazing!

2012-01-14T22:00:00.000-08:00

Have you see the photo challenge yet? Click on the tab above to participate.

I'd love to see what you're up to.

I am relatively new to this whole working out thing. I've always lived an active life. I grew up on a farm and my dad made sure we knew how to work. Mountains were close by and we loved to go hiking as a family. Then in college I joined the ballroom team and danced my little heart out. I know what it means to live an active life. But I never fully grasped the concept of the daily workout. I bought several different gym memberships and would basically donate my money to them every month. I'd attend a kickboxing class here and there, but nothing consistent. It hasn't been until recently that I have seen the wisdom in this.

See I had friends who would get so obsessed with counting how much fat they were burning while on the treadmill. Friends that would spend hours in the gym and never really accomplish anything. So I figured it couldn't really amount to much. I figured if they were dedicating all this time and energy to getting fit and nothing was changing that obviously it was all a hoax anyway.

Now I know otherwise. Diet and nutrition account for 85% of your results. You can dedicate all the time and energy that you want to working out and pumping iron, but if you haven't changed your diet, you most likely are not going to see the results you desire. That is what it all boils down to. You can't exercise your way out of bad nutrition. Period.

Granted, the two certainly go hand in hand. A healthy diet AND a workout program. Once you implement the two of these into your lifestyle you will be amazed at the results you find. Think about vinegar and baking soda. When you combine the two of them the reaction is pretty incredible, (especially if you are a little kid.) By combining a healthy diet with a healthy workout program you are going to see a similar reaction.

And the beauty of it is it's so simple! Anyone can do it! Anywhere, anytime. All you have to do is find your will power and determination deep inside. You don't need anything more then those two things. Once you set your mind on your goal and really gain that conviction that you will not be moved, you will do amazing things and see incredible results.

I hope you'll all join me on this journey. Living and active healthy lifestyle makes life feel more vibrant everyday. Tomorrow I'll touch on a few workout mistakes and how to correct them.

Disclaimer: I am in no way a fitness professional. Everything that I write about on this blog are purely my opinion and lessons I have learned through life and reading.

Happy Friday: A Word on Modesty (and a photo challenge)

2012-01-13T21:10:00.000-08:00

I hope today you'll forgive me, but I intend to deviate from the course of health and fitness for a day. You see, I believe in a thing called modesty. I always have and I always will. Right now I'm talking about modesty in dress. There are enough women in the world walking around giving free anatomy lessons. Plenty of women willing to flaunt it all. And you don't have to look far to find it.

Yes, that is my daughter playing behind me. :)

Well, you will not find that here. I believe it's more important to keep yourself covered. If you bare it all to the rest of the world there will be nothing left to wonder about. The more covered you are, the more mysterious you become. So, no, you will be finding no anatomy lesson here. I prefer to keep the mystery alive and well.

I find it important to remain covered even while working out. As you work towards your dream body and slowly see it beginning to take form there is a desire to show off all the hard work that you've done. And sure, we all like a little praise and adulation from time to time, but it doesn't give us the excuse to walk around half naked. Besides that, how much more comfortable would you be if you were able to work out and not worry about pulling and tucking and repositioning? Being confident that you are covered and able to complete your workout without having given away a free anatomy lesson.

Having said that, have you ever tried looking for a fitness image online? Almost every single image that turns up is a woman wearing next to nothing. Pinterest and Google alike. And when you type in "modest workout" you get a bunch of little old ladies. It's really quite a challenge to find modest, decent workout photos. But I am determined that every image that I use on this site will be a modest (or as close as I can find) image. So if you are looking at my site and thinking all these images are really lame, that's why. It's because I believe in this thing called modesty.

So this is where I extend a challenge (and a plea for help) to you. I would really like to maintain a "modest" blog so I'm asking you to snap a photo of yourself, your family, your friends, anyone that you see maintaining a "modest" healthy lifestyle and send it my way. I want images of people working out (stretching, running, push-ups, plank, crunches, weights, kettle bells, medicine balls), people eating healthy food, and people that are all around living a healthy lifestyle (roller blading, surfing, skateboarding, kayaking, paddle boarding, biking, swimming, whatever). I want all shapes and sizes, male and female, old and young alike. But the key is it has to be modest, and I'm not just talking about T-shirt and sweat pants. The clothes we wear speak volumes for the way we feel about ourselves. Show me what clothes make you feel good and that are of course, modest.

You can use your amazing DSLR cameras, your point and shoot cameras, your phones, instagram, whatever works best for you. As soon as you snap your photos please email them to:

kimthehealthnut at gmail dot com

Below you will find my very first submission. My friend Tasha sporting her modest workout attire for the day. See, it's possible to be cute and modest at the same time.

Tasha

And, of course, by sending me your photos you are agreeing that I can use them on my blog at any given time. So please consider your submission to me to be your photo release. I look forward to hearing from you and seeing you in action! Thanks in advance for your help on this project.

4 Basic Guidlines to Keep in Mind for a Healthier Life

2012-01-11T20:16:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone. Tonight I have a very special guest for you. This is Tom from Your Fitness Quest. Tom is a certified personal trainer and enjoys a healthy lifestyle and helping others get into shape as well.

After Tom was married, he took a sedentary job and experienced deconditioning and weight gain over the course of several years. In 2000, he made a commitment to get back into shape. He worked hard and got great results. He was so excited about the changes he had achieved that he decided to help other people do the same thing, so he decided to become a personal trainer...and he recently completed his second marathon. Pretty cool, huh?

You can read more at yourfitnessquest.com. Tom writes a fantastic blog that I am sure you will enjoy too. Well, that's enough from me for tonight, have a read of what Tom has to say about how we can achieve our health and fitness goals. Take it away Tom!

It's easy to get overwhelmed when you're trying to do everything right, especially at the first of the year when people are trying to improve their habits and resolving to do better. Fitness doesn't have to be complicated. I think we should keep it simple. Here are 4 basic guidelines to keep in mind as you are trying to live a healthier life.

1) Don't stress out over the latest studies you hear about on the news. In the past I would get confused and frustrated with all the conflicting information out there. It seemed that even the "experts" couldn't agree with each other on many health and fitness topics. I try not to have a knee-jerk reaction anymore when I hear about the most recent findings from the latest scientific study. Remember the guy on the twinkie diet last year who lost weight? The media loves reporting stuff like that, even though it is not beneficial to anyone. Some people will change their plans each time they hear about a new finding. Instead of always trying to adapt to the most recent news or trends, just use some common sense and be consistent with your efforts.

2) There is no single exercise program or diet that is the best for everyone. There are many disciplines and philosophies when it comes to exercise and nutrition. Even though many of us might love something and believe that it is the "one supreme program to rule them all", this may not be the case. Each of these unique systems have helped people get results and they all have their poster child who swears by it. When your life has been changed by a particular eating philosophy or workout routine it's hard not to be excited and want to tell everyone else that is what they need to be doing, but what works for one person may not work for someone else. This means you really need to customize your program according to YOUR goals, preferences, and abilities if you are going to stick with it and be successful.

3) Eat more whole foods in their natural state. Avoid highly processed foods that are high in sugar, salt, preservatives, and calories. I'm not a vegetarian, but I am moving closer in that direction with time. I believe the masses would be much healthier if they just ate more fruits and vegetable and consumed less processed foods. A quick way to tell if you are eating processed foods is by looking at the ingredients. A food is highly processed if 1) there are more than 10 ingredients, 2) you can't pronounce half of them, 3) it sounds like you are reading a chemistry book rather than reading a food label.

When it comes to nutrition, I love reminding people of the words: balance, variety, and moderation. Applying these principles not only to your diet but also in your life can help you avoid extremes and keep you grounded.

4) Increase your physical activity. Exercise provides so many benefits and helps you feel great, but many people are missing out on this, since we live in such a sedentary society. Look for ways to use your body and keep it active. Exercise should be fun, not a punishment. Find something you love doing in order to stay active.

These four guidelines might sound vague or too simple, but little things can make a big difference over time, and they can also keep you from feeling overwhelmed. My hat is off to those who are willing to invest time and effort into improving their health. Have a healthy 2012!

What makes a workout good?

2012-01-10T20:59:00.000-08:00

This is a question I find myself asking quite often, "how do I know if this is really a GOOD workout?" In fact, it's been on my mind so much lately I decided to do a post about it. So tonight I will share with you what I have learned about what makes up a good workout.

Now I am in no way professing to be an expert on this subject. Quite the opposite in fact. I am just someone who enjoys working out who has done a little bit of research and reading. That's all. But hopefully some of the lessons I have learned along the way will help you out as well. Which is why I am sharing them.

You do not need to join a big fancy gym or invest in ridiculously big fitness equipment for you home to get a good workout. But it will take more then just running, jumping, squatting, doing a push-up, and lifting weights aimlessly. You need to figure out how much time you are willing to dedicate per week, working out for hours on end will actually not be as productive as a dedicated 60 minute workout will. You can certainly workout longer if you like, but its not necessary, so don't kill yourself. You need to figure out what kind of results you want and what kind of exercises you enjoy.

You need to decide exactly what it is that you want to get from your workout program. For example if you want to run a marathon most of your workout program will include a lot of running. If you want to be better at dancing you may focus more on Zumba and Jazzercise type stuff. If you want to be better at basketball you'll focus more on jumps, lateral movement, and obviously, the game of basketball. Whatever your goal may be you'll want to include some cross training. You'll also want to do resistance training to keep your body strong for running, swimming, dancing, basketball, whatever.

So make sure you work out with a plan in mind. It can be tempting to just do whatever pops into your head at the time but sticking with a plan will show more results. Repetition and good form are key. If you are doing a movement and don't have the proper form you could be doing more damage then progress.

Okay, so here are some of the key elements you want to include in a good workout program:

Cardio/Aerobic activity:

This is often the cornerstone of most fitness programs. Aerobic activity causes you to breathe faster and more deeply which causes there to be more oxygen in your blood. The better your aerobic fitness the more efficient your heart, lungs, and blood vessels are at transporting oxygen through out your body. Some cardio/aerobic activities may include: walking, jogging/running, biking, swimming, boxing, rollerblading, vacuuming, dancing, whatever makes you happy, as long as it gets your heart rate up and keeps it up for about 30 minutes at least. I try to aim for 30-60 minutes every other day.

Strength Training:

Strength training at least twice a week and help increase your bone strength and muscular strength. It can also help you maintain muscle mass during a weight loss program. Strength training can be done with weights, resistance bands, your own body, or your baby. Whatever you may have on hand. You can even fill old juice/soda bottles with sand or water and use that just as effectively. Some great strength training exercises include: squats, push-ups, pull-ups, free weights done with repetitions, plank, among others.

Core Exercises:

You certainly want to make sure you strengthen your core. Your core includes your abdominal muscles, lower back muscles, and pelvic muscles. It's important to strengthen these to reduce your risk of injury. The stronger your core is the less of a chance you have of straining your back will be much less. Core exercises help train your muscles to brace the spine and enable you to use your upper and lower body muscles more effectively. So what counts as a core exercise? Any exercise that uses the trunk of your body without support, including abdominal crunches

Balance, Flexibility, and Stretching:

I know for me my balance and flexibility are probably my weakest point. I am not flexible and the older I get the more my balance flies out the window. So this is an area I really try to work on. Well, at least its always going through my head but it doesn't mean I give it my all. :) This is the area that if you can really focus on it you will also prevent a lot of injury as you get older. The more limber we are the less of a chance of pulling or straining something. The more balanced we are the less of a chance of falling when we shouldn't.

Okay, so there you have my novel. Tomorrow will be another exciting post. You see, we get to have an awesome guest blogger! Tom Rogers, who is a certified personal trainer at Your Fitness Quest (yourfitnessquest.com) will be teaching us a little bit more about fitness. And I, for one, am very excited!