FamilyInShape

Journal: Day one on the Push Up Challenge

Journaling, I've mentioned, is one of the best things we could do to help us stay on track with fitness and nutrition.  It is a great way to be accountable to ourselves.  Grab a notebook and start writing.  What did you eat throughout the day? Were you active or sedentary? No need to be too specific, you just want to get an idea. You don't have to do it everyday, although it helps at first.  A while back I did this and realized that I wasn't drinking enough water or eating enough protein.  There was no need for me to wonder why I was dragging my feel and feeling sluggish--it was an all carb day and not good carbs either.

So here's my journal for today:

During my initial test on the hundred push up challenge I scored 15.  That means I did 15 well-formed, full body push ups.  It was what determined my course of action for the next seven weeks.

Fitness:

10-12-7-7-max 9

That's how many push ups I have to do today.  Five sets.

Easy enough.  If you're following along, remember to take the minute recovery in between sets.

A long walk awaits. I will compliment my workout today with a long walk pushing my 30 lb toddler in the jogging stroller and following the seven year old munchkin on her bike.  

Nutrition plan:  

Breakfast: Kashi Crunch cereal with 1% milk and frozen berries

Snack: Apple

Lunch: Salad- romaine lettuce, carrots, tomatoes, cucumber, peppers, almonds, olive oil

Snack: Frozen Peaches

Dinner: Garlic & Mushroom Tilapia, Brown Rice, mixed vegetables

Special treat: Chocolate Eclair Pudding Pop (Skinny Cow(r))

... and of course, water all day long.

Get out or stay in but get active, alone or as a family. Eat well and stay healthy!

Stay Well,

 

Really Missing the Farmers Market

 

Photo: "Healthy Food" by Spin Diva

I suddenly came to the realization that eating organic, market-fresh, good for me fruits and vegetables was going to be nearly impossible here in GiTMO and I am disappointed because this is, after all, a tropical island where things are supposed to grow abundantly year round.  So yes, my expectations were a little on the high side.  In the Dominican Republic, where I was born, we had just about everything we needed or wanted to eat growing all around us.  Not in GiTMO.  It seems that this beautiful weather comes with it's own set of consequences.  We have warm mornings, hot afternoons and cool nights in the Winter - everything gets about 20 degrees hotter in the Summer; however, we have the pool, the beaches and the AC to keep us cool.  Overall, it really is beautiful, every single day.  So what's the problem?  It doesn't rain.  The ground is dry, vegetation is scarce and the water is tightly controlled.  That's insane, how we could be surrounded by water (albeit, ocean water) and have such arid, dessert-like terrain.  That really stinks!!

I really miss the open air, farmers markets.  If you have them in your area, learn to appreciate them, visit them often and enjoy the real flavor of the foods you eat.  Unless one exists on base that I don't know about, it looks like I will have to depend on the food that we get at the Commissary (not always the freshest or bestest), frozen fruits and veggies (very limited options) and growing my own (Yikes!), I don't have the greenest thumb but maybe out of necessity I will acquire one, who knows. Will most likely be consulting my mother-in-law frequently in matters of the garden.

This makes being a semi-vegetarian very challenging but I'm up for it and will have to see what creative recipes I can come up with using only what's available to me from the produce and frozen isles; at least until something starts to grow in my own garden.  As for the dry goods I think I can make do with what we have. Many different types of grains are not available but I'm sure I can get someone back home to send me a box of goodies with things like Eight O'Clock Colombian Whole Bean Coffee (hint, hint), Quinoa, Bulgur Wheat, Barley and Sea Salt.  

In the mean time I will continue to climb that hill, get back in the swing of things with Spinning and Swimming.  The kids are spending a lot more time outdoors and because we are in such a small base there really is no competition or try-outs for sports, the kids just join a team and play "competitively" for fun, so we're looking at tennis, soccer, swim lessons and volley ball.  I'm really excited to get all that started. 

I hope you have resolved to not make resolutions this year; instead, put your time and energy into staying active, eating well, and enjoying life indefinitely!!

Stay Well,

For more GiTMO adventures check this out:  http://lifeingtmobay.blogspot.com/

School is now in session

Photo from The Hot file

For many of us whose children attend school outside of the home (public or private) this is a time of year when we are rushing to get school supplies, school clothes & shoes, the new back pack and that really cool pencil pouch.  OK maybe not rushing, some people actually plan ahead and all this done early in the summer.  I'm not one of those people, I confess.  Stress and pressure are my friends.

While it is important to prepare all the material stuff needed, apparently, on the first day of school, we also have to focus on the child and making sure they are prepared mentally and physically.  

I have to digress here and say something about the school supplies. Really? She's in second grade, she needs all that paper to write on?  She better be working on a dissertation or some long physics problem to be using so much paper in one school year.  Sometimes I get the feeling that I'm shopping for others as well.  Don't get me wrong, that's cool, I don't mind donating school supplies, I just wish I was given the option and not feel pressured to buy and send in a 24 pack of pencils, several glue sticks, six composition notebooks, a two inch binder and 2 packs of loose leaf paper for my 2nd grade kid. Anyway, it seems I took off in a new direction for a moment.  

But as a parent we need to place to focus back on the child's health.  It is extremely important to discuss nutrition, sleep (seems teens need to stay up late and get up late which doesn't fit in with their current school schedule-oh shucks!), physical activity AND personal hygiene.  I don't mean their daily bath and brushing their teeth - that's a given or it should be anyway.  I mean the hand washing before eating, not drinking from other people's drinks and washing those grubby hands as soon as they walk in the door.  Kids touch everything.  Ugh!

About nutrition.  Boy in my house new habits have to be established.  Not because they eat poorly, I think in general my kids eat pretty healthy.  I don't really buy junk food.  I mean we usually have chips and salsa, crackers to eat with cheese or in soup and our fantastic neighbor might bring over her most delicious brownie (she hates me, I just know it!).  But none of these things are eaten in excess so I don't worry about it.  The new habit is getting up at the crack of dawn and eating a healthy breakfast before 6:30 in the morning.  

Photo by TowerGirl

Some ideas we like to share - 

Hot breakfast - oatmeal, cream of wheat, pancakes and waffles, eggs and toast.

Cold Breakfast - High fiber, whole grain cereal with low fat or no fat milk, yogurt with granola, fruit & yogurt, mini bagel with peanut butter, hard boiled egg

After school snacks - apple with peanut butter, cheese stick and green apples, hummus and vegetables, fruit or fruit smoothie

The biggest concern, however, might be lunch time.  Most or many kids bring lunch to school, some buy the school lunch and that's fine if they make the right choice. I was able to make them pack lunches until the first two hit high school years then it was just embarrassing to carry around a lunch bag. Well forgive me, mam/sir for wanting you to eat a good meal.  Appearances mean a lot more I guess. However, that's only one meal in the day and although they may not have too many "good" choices to make, they need to know how and why to choose healthier options.

Listen here, this is important stuff --

With the rate of childhood obesity growing in the United States, it is up to us parents to help kids make better choices in any situation, stay active and live a healthier lifestyle.  You can't expect one child to be on a diet while everyone else enjoys the goodies.  It's not happening and it's not fair to the child to be singled out.  So what do you do?

You (the entire family) should adopt new healthy eating habits because everyone should be eating healthy.  You limit sedentary time and go do something fun and active TOGETHER.  You encourage everyone to live healthier.  Yes, that includes you - the one that makes the meals, serves the meals and buys the groceries.

That's my rant on nutrition for now because I can go on for ever.  I hate to sound like we live this perfect life, like we never eat junk food or indulge in a most delicious ice cream or brownie cake.  Oh we do. Trust me on that.  We enjoy eating the food we like, but moderation must be taught and exercised, and as the parent I also encourage (enforce) portion control.  There's a time and place for everything.

So now the kids are going back to school, we're done shopping for supplies they probably wont ever use and clothes they'll outgrow by the fall and the shoes they'll wear out before Christmas.  Let's go shopping for the food they WILL consume at home and put your focus on those meals.  If they eat at school for lunch, again, it's one meal of many.  Think about it, the more you enforce healthy eating at home, the more likely they are to choose healthier meals at school.  But if they don't, again, one of many meals in the day.  

Stay Well,

 

crossposted at BlogHer

Kids do listen when we talk

(cross posted at Blogher.com)

Have you ever heard a toddler, your toddler, repeating a word you clearly should not have said during a moment of frustration?  Well, I have.  More times than I care to remember, I have wiggled my way out of a potential "bad" word in front of my kids.  I admit that dropping an object on my toe has caused me to say the "S" word outloud only to find out that my little man was not far behind all too ready to repeat that word clearly as if he had been saying it all along.  So sometimes Sh*t becomes shhugar and of course he doesn't bother with that one.  How do they know?  It's amazing.  

Aside from the occasional slip of the tounge, I mostly try to talk to my kids about the benefits of good nutrition, about reading the food labels and what those things mean, about wellness, fitness, sleeping, hygene and being happy.  These are the times when I want them to really listen to me and remember what I said.  I think most parents would agree that these little details are learned at home right along with the morals and values that will make them super fantastic human beings.  

I sometimes wonder if they hear what I say, if they care, if they even remember it later.  Sometimes I get a nod or an "I know mom" and sometimes I get a little undivided attention (such a thrill when that happens).  Still I don't know how much of what I say sticks and becomes the source for making decisions later.

Three things happened today which made me proud to have talked to the back of my kids' head because today they made me proud.

1.  My son has had acne, on and off or more on than off he would say, for several years now. As a teen  I remember being told to wash regularly, change my pillow case frequently, don't use the same face cloth twice and treat my condition with whatever stuff was given to me at the time.  It took me a while to realize or admit my parents were right.  So I passed along the same routine to my son and it took him a while as well but still I persisted and reminded him to follow the routine.  He finally found a product that works well with his schedule, his habits and his skin.  He said to me the other day when I complimented his skin that he followed my advise and was staying on top of his treatment.  It's obviously working.  His face looks awesome.  He was listening :-)

2.  My 15 y.o. girl talks about her "weight issue" which is really non-existent and what can she do for this, to tighten that or to shrink this, etc.  As a trainer I am inclined to break it down like I would a client but I have to remember that I have to live with this one and keeping the peace is pretty important.  She's a lot like me which means if I tell her what to do she'll likely do the opposite.  So I leave my little nutrtion articles laying around, I tell myself (really, I talk to myself) some new tips and nutrition facts I learned along the way.  When I do have her attention I give her little bits of information about portion control, exercise, what works best for the amount of time she is willing to dedicate to exercise etc.  Today, she was reading a magazine article which discussed the benefits of eating raw foods 70% of the time.  She was excited about this and asked if we could eat more raw foods.  Hmmm, funny, I've always had loads of raw foods available for my family.  Where has she been all these years?  Anyway, I said, sure.  We'll go grocery shopping for MORE fruits and vegetables and some healthier snacks.  She'll never admit it but ... She was listening :-)

3. Finally my 7 y.o. girl.  She's becoming such a great reader. Today we were walking around a store and she wanted a snack.  So I said go ahead, grab something you like.  She picks up a bag of chips and as we continued to walk she begins to read the food label out loud.  "Total Fat = 17 grams...mom this is kind of high, don't you think?" Oh, such a proud moment.  So I said, well what do you think?  She agreed.  She continued to read the label, now as she ate the chips.  She read all the way down to the vitamins and then she said, "wow, there aren't very many vitamins in this bag of chips huh?" Nope, not many at all.  Her response, "well I guess I'll have to jump on the WiiFit when we get home so I can work this off doing the hula hoop."  She was listening :-)

Kids listen. They learn even when we think they're not hearing us.  They hear us even when they roll their eyes. As frustrating as it might be at the time, talk to your kids about the benefits of self care, nutrition, exercise, sleep, etc. Because all these GOOD habits can only lead to living a healthier lifestyle by making smart choices.  And when they do decide to speak... shhhhh, just LISTEN :-)

Stay well, 

Consistency is key for long term fitness

Over the last, oh I don't know, eons, I have tried every diet, fitness routine, quick fix pills and several equipments, and even several diet products that promise to make me skinny in no time flat. Some worked short term then I had to get back to reality, others just didn't work at all and for sure I figured it was the crappy product or diet plan I was on.  It couldn't be me right? 

I have become a little bit smarter about all the dieting and quick fix programs and their false promises - basically I don't believe in strict diets nor do I believe that diet pills or quick-fix equipment work, at all.  OK maybe some of you might have lost some weight or lots of weight taking an over the counter or prescription pill but go ahead and stop taking that pill and see how long the weight stays off.  Strict diets only work if you do them consistently for the rest of your life.

I learned, the hard way, that the #1 key to success is consistency.  Once you have a plan that includes eating healthy and exercising then all you have to do is follow through and keep doing what you planned to do.  The best laid plans are nothing if we don't follow through.  

So buying a journal, a gym membership, cute workout clothes and new running shoes and paying a trainer will not increase your ability to lose weight or get in shape or even improve your health if you don't use them.  You still have to watch what you eat (and I don't mean watch it go in your mouth, I mean be aware of what's good and bad in what you eat each every meal).  The gym membership is just a waste of money if you don't actually go to the gym; cute workout clothes and new shoes are pointless if you don't ever break a sweat in them.  Go ahead, make them stinky - that is the smell of a hard workout. The Personal Trainer still gets paid regardless of your progress - he/she is there to lead you, teach you, motivate you and guide you - but you have to want it more than the trainer.  Show up, work hard!

I'm sure, in fact, I know I have not reached the MY personal fitness goals. Not for lack of motivation, know-how, or consistency but simply because I set goals for the long term and I know that it can take as long to get there as it did to get where I am now.  Funny how my body just didn't bounce back after baby number 3 and 4.  What was I thinking?  Regardless of the changes in my body as I age, umm  get wiser, I can't give up and blame it all on my "maturity," in fact, I work harder because it takes longer to achieve the same results.  Add to that the added stress of raising kids, added stress of packing out and moving every 2-4 years due to military orders, school, work, etc..etc. 

With a well laid out plan and taking into consideration holidays, kids getting sick, family visiting, etc. What can possibly keep me from getting a workout in today?  Well, first my attitude can get in the way of things.  If I get up looking for an excuse not to go to the gym or for a bike ride or a walk then, believe me, I will find a way and a reason why I can't exercise today.  Secondly, preparation.  If I don't lay out my clothes, pack my gym bag, fill my water bottle AND write on my calendar what my next day will be, it's very likely that it will be filled with a lot of things, none of which include my fitness routine. 

To avoid these potential interruptions in my fitness routine I first fix my attitude, before I even get to bed.  I write down what class I'm taking or how far I plan to walk/run/ride, etc.  When all else fails, I call someone and tell them what I'm doing. Now there's one more person I'm accountable to.  Second, I plan to succeed the next day by preparing everything the night before - gym bag, food, water bottle, clothes, etc. 

OK so I have control of these two issues in my life.  I can fix that.  But what about the others, the unexpected or even expected events that come up. I have those days.  Believe me, with four kids and a husband whose not always here, the last minute cold, tummy issue, and food spill rests on me to clean up.  No matter how great a plan I had to go to the gym at 9:30 am, things happen.  

It's OK to stop and do what needs to be done. Deal with the situation and move on.  I can't beat myself up about it, I can't beat my kids up either -- that would be counter productive. So I have to go to plan B.  We all should have one.  Options:  Once all the clean up is done and the child is settled or asleep, workout at home, use FitTV, ExerciseTV, YouTube, and the million and one blogs out there with easy, no equipment required fitness programs that can be done at home in a short period of time.  In fact I have a few of those myself.  Checkout the links below.  The idea is to keep moving, do something, don't just give up for the day and call it quits.

The last minute visitors...they have a place in my healthy heart too. Either come with me to the gym or wait here, I'll be back shortly.  Many of my friends already know to show up prepared, just in case we go for a long walk or in case we go to a Spinning Class.  When I have overnight visitors coming and I know they're coming I tell them in advanced that I plan to go to the gym and I would love for them to come along.  But if they don't want to, that's OK.  Mi casa es tu casa...be back shortly.  I know there are times when you have company coming and you have to prepare, clean, cook, etc.... that's different, but not so.  This is a great opportunity to get the workout in around that particular visit - very early or late on the day of, or the day before or after.  No one ever said we had to be working freakishly hard 7 days a week.  But we can certainly plan to exercise and eat healthy before a party.

It is not difficult to be consistent with matters of the heart and health.  We can consistently find time to do a great deal of things in our every day life, except taking care of #1- that usually goes to the bottom of the list.  Maybe it's time we reset our priorities and put YOU back on the list as #1, permanently.

Here's a tasty, easy, breakfast recipe - try it, hope you like it!

Egg white & Salsa Wrap

1/2 cup egg whites

2 TBS Salsa

1 TBS Mild Cheddar or Colby Jack Cheese

1 Small wheat flour tortilla

Cook egg whites

Add Cheese and Salsa

Scoop it into the tortilla, wrap it and eat it!!  

It's delicious.

Stay Well,

Relevant Links:

Are you Stuck: Here's a quick fat-burning workout

Staying focused when kids are sick

Cool sites you should visit:

LoveEshe - Exercise advise, nutrition tips and tough love!

The Jungle of Life - Traveling through the jungle we call life- one step at a time.

Create a Balance - A life balance personal development blog to help you embrace your authentic self.