Water Fitness 101

Okay.  I'm trying not to be overzealous like your typical newbie.  But I really love my water fitness class!

I discovered when I was working with a personal trainer that having a baby and then carrying a kid around on the same hip all the time has left me very lopsided in terms of strength and balance.  Exercises classes help me to be sure I'm working on all the muscle groups and doing an even number of repetitions.  What makes water fitness so great is that the water slows the action down, so I have a little more time to think the motions through and get the form right with both sides of my body.  The slowness also makes it more mindful and peaceful.  Before I took my first class, I assumed that slowness was going to be a flaw in terms of getting a good workout.  I was wrong!  Every time I think, "Oh.  This next exercise is for the old ladies," I end up realizing how great it challenges me if I just stay focused and do the form correctly.  I feel like water fitness is sort of a crazy marriage between yoga and aerobics!

A certain amount of foot-dragging when it comes to joining a gym or trying a new class is knowing you're going to blunder along feeling silly at first.  Here are some tips I figured out for water fitness classes...

1.  What to bring -- Some pools require a bathing cap while others don't.  Some have towel services while some don't.  Here is what I always stuff into my pool bag...bathing suit, ponytail holders, flip-flops (for the locker room and shower), shampoo, conditioner, soap, deodorant, a case to hold my glasses, a combination lock for the locker, change of clothes including undergarments and socks, a water bottle, and two towels.  More than one towel can come in handy if you accidentally drop yours or want a clean one after a shower.  Some of the participants wear aqua shoes, but I don't mind going without.  If you're going to a new pool, you might want to ask if you need to bring gear.  The Y provides the floatie noodles and foam dumbbells we use.

2.  Pool water can turn some silver jewelry dark, so I take mine off before I go in.

3.  Scope out the pool before you get in.  I'm tall, so it helped to learn that the front of the pool is slightly deeper than the back.  Deeper water helps me with the arm workouts.  It is also handy to know where the drain grates are in the pool.  In some of our classes we run in circles and I like avoiding the grates since I'm barefooted.  If your pool has lines on the bottom of it, you might want to claim an exercise spot on a line as it helps you to know if you're drifting while exercising.  Finally, I like to grab a spot near the pool edge.  Some of the exercises work best if you are stable and it is nice to be able to reach for the firm wall.

4.  Many exercises are easy if you do them sloppy, but challenging and rewarding if you pay attention to your form.  I love that.  When I get out of the pool, my body feels good but my brain does too because I've been focused for an hour.

I'm curious...
Would anybody like to offer a "101" blog entry for another type of exercise?  I think I'd be more likely to branch out if I had an inside view and some tips first.  I'm itching to try a yoga class.  Would anybody like to write a yoga class 101?

Water Fitness Class

A few months ago I would have sworn to you that I don't like group exercise classes and that speed walking or hiking are the only activities I really care to repeat often.  But I'm quickly falling in love with classes at the YMCA.  I love that somebody else figures out how to balance warm up, cardio, and cool down.  Somebody else worries about the right moves and repetitions to work all the major muscle groups.

I tried a water fitness class today.  Wow!  It was really fun and a great workout.  We did some running in the pool, but mostly we did various stretches and exercises that use water resistance to build muscle and raise the heart rate.  Sometimes we used floatie foam noodles for stability and also foam dumbbells to increase the workout.
(Here's a video about water fitness, if you're curious...  http://youtu.be/GfIVfibtHOs)

I loved the sound and embrace of the water.  I also loved that for a group workout, you feel sort of hidden; it was easier to be a newbie in this class.    I sort of anticipated a messy process when class is over, but actually my hair stayed dry because I put it in a bun and showering away from home went smoother than I thought.  Also, the Y has a bathing suit centrifuge!  Put your suit in, press down the lid, and it is spun almost dry.  Easy peasy.

I thought I'd just use the Y three days a week during Eli's preschool hours, but now I'm starting to think that the morning water fitness class and Child Watch Center is a great way to start the day on winter weekends.

Personal Trainer Information

I'm starting to really love the Y.  I didn't realize how much responsibility I felt for trying to figure out or remember everything when I was trying to get healthy by myself at home.  Most of the information from the Y is common-sense fare, but I love being able to ask an expert if I'm unsure or want current information.  And I love that the classes are carefully designed to work on core, cardio, flexibility/balance, and strength training in one easy package.  The last time I did group exercise was back in college.  Things have come an awful long way since then!  (More about this soon.)

The Y membership comes with three free personal trainer sessions, so I met with a lady named Tracy on the day after Thanksgiving.  First we talked about my goals and pitfalls, which was very helpful.  Ultimately, we'll create a plan that suits my needs and preferences, which makes it a lot more likely that I'll stick with it.  I have another session with her this week to actually learn the plan, but here are the main aspects she asked me to keep in mind:

1.  Core strength.  This is the most important aspect to begin with because it will keep you from getting injured and makes the other aspects easier.  Building the core includes exercises like bridges, planks, swimmer's kicks, and crunches but also classics like sit ups and push ups.  It also means better posture, standing up straight and pulling in your belly button when you walk.  Tracy says, "You can only be as strong as your core muscles."
2.  Cardio.  Three to five times a week for 20-60 minutes.  If you exercise for a shorter time, pick something that raises your target heart rate higher than you would for a longer time.
3.  Flexibility and balance.  Do five to ten minutes of stretches to warm up your major muscle groups before exercising and then again after you're done.  Flexibility and balance prevents injuries and makes all types of activities easier to do from team sports to simply getting out of bed.
4.  Diet.  Eat quality fats, proteins, and carbohydrates.  Be aware of portion sizes.  Eat five to nine servings of vegetables and fruits a day that are a variety of colors.  As much as possible, reduce processed foods in your diet.  I haven't peeked at it yet, but she said there is a free website that you can use to track your eating at www.sparkpeople.com.
5.  Strength training.  Do two to three times a week.  Work on all major muscle groups, doing 2 to 3 sets of 8 to 12 repetitions.  This can be free weights, exercise machines, or group exercise work.

One of the things Tracy stresses is that these five aspects really work together and feed into each other.  Doing just one makes it hard to get a positive, healthy spiral going.  On the other hand, chipping away at all of them does enough good that people are likely to love how they feel and continue.

Personal Trainer

The Y membership came with three free sessions with a personal trainer.  I'll post more soon, but I did meet with a trainer last week and really loved it.  I feel a little foolish now.  I  was trying to figure out so much all by myself when there are people who love to do that for a living.  I have another appointment soon and will share.

It's Fun to Go to the...

YMCA!

So I joined.

I started Persistent Elephant in the middle of the summer.  Winter is almost here and I'm not where I want to be.  I've made some real progress -- walking regularly again, eating more vegetables, cutting waaaaay back on diet sodas and artificial sweeteners, and meditating regularly.  I've read some great books that have helped me understand pieces to the puzzle.  But I keep wobbling up and down the same five pounds.

As the mom of a toddler, I often hear, "No, I want to do it!"  Sometimes my little guy tackles big things and amazes me with his abilities.  At other times, I watch him struggle to open a gigantic door by himself (completely unaware he's about to get smooshed) or carry an object twice his size up a hill.  Sometimes a little help goes a long way.

Weight loss is so simple....  You've got to expend more calories than you take in.  I already know that cutting back on food alone doesn't work for me.  I get grumpy.  By sheer willpower, I can hold on for about six weeks, but then I get fed up and relax into old habits...after a period of overeating to make up for my frustrations.  Besides, I feel better and my body functions much better with regular exercise.  I've seen that speed walking with hills helps me maintain my weight beautifully.  But I want to lose.  I also want to gain flexibility and build some muscle mass.

A few of my mama friends go to the gym and they rave about it.  I did the same thing for about six months during my Savannah years.  I looked and felt great, but as soon as nice weather and bright mornings returned with spring, I gave it up.  I'm not one for treadmills.  BUT the YMCA offers a lot of classes and I've been curious about Pilates and Zumba.  They also have yoga, which I really want to try.

Last week I toured the Y and another gym.  Both have pools and classes, so they already offer a lot more than the cardio and weight areas my old Savannah gym had.  But the Y was not only more sunny and cheerful, it was cheaper too.  With support from my hubby, I signed up and I decided November 16 was going to be my first time.  Turns out, I didn't sleep well last night.  On the way to the Y, I realized I didn't have a good enough exercise bra and I forgot to bring a scrunchie for my hair.  I started to turn the car around.  But I didn't.  I'm so glad.  I did a "high, low" exercise class and truly loved it.  It was quite the workout, but for hours later my body felt light and cool and clean and alive.  Yeah, I had to modify some.  I was a little awkward out there.  Everybody was really nice, though.  The instructor was encouraging and funny.

I did it!

Born Round

It's been a while since I posted.  But the good news is that things feel back on track at home -- Little Guy napping well and no longer sick.  My conference is over and went well.  I've been exercising a lot and doing some helpful reading...

Born Round:  The Secret History of a Full-Time Eater.
Frank Bruni (NY:  Penguin, 2009).

I was walking past a display in Barnes & Noble and the cover of Born Round caught my eye.  It was on sale, so I swooped it up.  I'm glad I did.  I'll be honest that this autobiography/memoir moved a little slow sometimes, but it gave me a lot of food for thought (pun intended).

Frank Bruni was overweight from childhood and spent most of his young adult years chunky and consumed by yo-yo dieting.  He tipped the scales as morbidly obese while following the George W. Bush campaign as a journalist.  But by 2004, he was a restaurant critic for the New York Times (which often meant multiple gourmet dinners in one night) yet now maintained a healthy, steady weight.  I was intrigued.

Warning.  Plot spoilers ahead.

I read the book for fun, but of course I was looking for clues and hints too.  There were several things that seemed to help Bruni turn his life around:
1.  A Habit for Exercise -- In childhood Bruni swam competitively.  Although there were years without exercise, it seemed that when he was ready to shed the weight for good, the discipline and love of (or at least peace with) exercise was there for him.  Whether acquired early or late, a habit for exercise seems to be a crucial piece for a healthy life and steady weight.
2.  A Helping Hand at the Right Time -- After a particularly hurtful experience related to his out-of-control weight, a friend wrote a check for the cost of two sessions with her personal trainer.  Bruni's friend took the weight of deciding a particular course of action and researching a trainer off Bruni's shoulders.  It was enough to hook him on getting healthy.  It is inspiring to remember that a little help from outside can make such a difference.  (Friends who are cheering me on and/or sharing their journeys via comments or emails, I truly appreciate it!  In particular, thanks to AM for nudging me to post!)
3.  A Moderate Environment -- Bruni moved to Italy not long after starting to get his life on a healthy track.  He found the Italians ate well and enjoyed their food, but they ate slowly and put quality over quantity.  They didn't eat when they were bored, they rarely snacked, and they ate small portions.  After watching and fumbling along with their lifestyle for a time, it eventually became second nature for Bruni.  I can't move to Italy, yet I have friends who eat this way and I'm going to watch, practice, and learn!
4.  A True Absorption with Food -- Bruni grew up obsessing about food, yet he usually wolfed his food down.  As he began spending long evenings lingering over European meals and then later writing about food, he started to see food in the light of "investigation, education, and discovery."  (Pg. 265)  Food for food's sake.  Food as an art form to share with friends.  It opened up new worlds of enjoyment.

Those first four really ring true to me.  I experienced much the same when I lost sixty pounds and kept it off for many years.  But there are two more points I gleaned from Bruni's book.  And they are the ones that hit home the most right now....

5.  Steady and Sensible -- Bruni realized that his new job as a food critic meant constant contact with food...and lots of it....so the "black magic" of fad diets and quick reducing schemes weren't going to work.  Tomorrow was going to be just as food-filled and temptation ridden as today, so portion control and exercise was the only way to avoid weight gain.  "The postponements -- the lies -- couldn't be justified.  I'd have to be steady, and I'd have to be sensible."  (pg. 273)  This idea touched a nerve with me.  I'm not one of those people who doesn't know how to start getting healthy.  I'm not one of those people who knows nothing about nutrition or exercise.  I'm just really, really bad about putting it off until tomorrow.  "I'm too tired right now."  "I just want to relax."  "It was a hard day because ____."  If I'm honest with myself, though, I know that conditions are not going to be more perfect tomorrow.  If I just keep scrapping today in the hopes that tomorrow something will magically "click," I'm really fooling myself.
6.  Honesty -- Speaking of honesty, that concept is one of Bruni's conclusions.   He learned to be honest to himself about how miserable he was when he was unhealthy and self-conscious all the time.  Bruni also says, "The main difference between then and now wasn't determination.  It was honesty.  I didn't lie to myself the way I had in the past.  I especially didn't lie to myself about food."  (pg. 347)  I have to admit that I'm often dishonest about food in my own mind.  Spoonfuls eaten standing at the fridge don't count and neither do nibbles while preparing or putting away food.  I choose to forget how many "just a little bit" snacks I eat in a row.  I eat based on how I feel rather than on the basis of how much nutrition and fuel I need.  I put the blinders on to how many other ways there are to relax and de-stress besides food.

Comments?  Thoughts?

Playing the Tape All the Way to the End

            My child hasn’t had a nap in almost a week.  In the mornings, he’s been waking up around five to cry out and shuffle around.  He goes back to sleep, but I don’t.  When daylight comes, both me and my boy are a sleep-deprived.  It shows.  My normally easygoing kid is suddenly crying every time I drop him off at preschool.  I'm now seeing the type of tantrums that give The Terrible Twos its name.  I love spending time with my child, but sometimes by "nap time" -- the time of day that used to be my two-hour break -- I'm gritting my teeth.  And this has been going on for a couple of weeks now.  I've launched into Mama Problem Solving Mode, but haven't seen a lot of results from my efforts yet.  I'm pretty sure this is the half-year developmental bump that so many child rearing books talk about.  Mostly, we have to wait it out.

            I’ve barely done anything for my Persistent Elephant get-healthy project lately.  With B working so much overtime, my consulting work project/trip looming, and E going through this strange phase of poor sleep and sudden bouts of unreasonable behavior, I feel like I’m just treading water.  After today's unpleasant preschool drop-off, I went home and tried to sleep but couldn’t.  I felt dull, lifeless, and just plain tired.  Yet something in my brain snapped.  “Enough is enough,” I muttered.  I trudged downstairs and made myself a healthy green smoothie.  I got myself out the door for three miles of speed walking.  Before long, I was finishing up the breakfast dishes and cleaning the fish tank.  I’m starting to feel a little better.

            One thing I’ve learned from reading my old journals is that during periods of great stress and poor rest, I’ve often let healthy endeavors slide.  By the time the stress eases up, I’ve gained weight and feel like a slug.  This time, being a mom is actually helping.  E’s developmental bump is the major stressor, but my responsibility to him is part of the solution and reminds me of an equal responsibility to myself.  As a mom, I have to think in the long term.  If I just wanted to keep E from crying, I’d stop taking him to preschool.  End of problem.  Yet I know he really loves school once he warms up and there are all sorts of reasons we enrolled him – socialization for an only-child, easing him up in the number of kids around him so he’ll be ready for kindergarten, giving him greater access to a Waldorf lifestyle, and exposing him to new adventures/ideas.  I’m not about to give up our long-term goals for a short-term respite, especially when it would teach E to run from his problems and feelings.  Deep down, I know E loves school and it is the right choice for him.

           Getting healthy is quite similar.  If I have one sleepless night and then cocoon the next day with comfort food, no exercise, and lots of television, it’s really not a big deal.  As long as my sleep gets back on track, I don’t really notice much difference in how I feel the next day.  The thing I have to remember, though, is that both the problem and the solution are cumulative.  Too much unhealthy food and being a couch potato leads to feeling rotten in a few days or weeks.  Similarly, I feel comparatively good today because I’ve eaten well and got exercise, but it hasn’t turned my whole mood around…yet.  If I keep at it, though, I know my sleep improves, my energy level rises, my mood lightens, and my brain works better.

            A while back I read The End of Overeating by David A. Kessler and loved it.  One of the ideas that stuck with me was “playing the tape all the way until the end.”  The idea is that we all talk to ourselves, and we tend to use shortcuts rather than new ideas.  When a familiar problem arises, we hear the same old story from our own brain and respond the same way.  Kessler learned from therapists helping addicts with their addictions that it really helps to reexamine the messages we send to ourselves and think about them from start to finish.  For example, I often tell myself, “I’m really tired tonight.  I just want to relax and I deserve a little treat.”  If I play the tape all the way to the end, look at the thought all the way to its conclusion, however, I have to add “…but I’ll still feel tired if I do that.  In fact, that will just add to a downward spiral.  On the other hand, if I eat something healthy and then take a walk or read/watch something inspiring, I’ll actually feel less tired.”

What helps you break your bad cycles?  Have you learned to play any tapes to the end?

Beginnings

I saw this random quote on the web and loved it...

 "You don't judge a book by it's cover. Don't judge change by the beginning. Wait until the end. You'll be surprised at the results."


September had so many nasty little surprises.  I feel like a swimmer who keeps coming to the surface for one more gasping breath of air to sustain me.  I find time for one more walk, one more healthy smoothie, one more hour to cook a decent meal.  But I'm going to just keep at it!

Healthy Snacks

I've been wrestling with this list.  It looks fine on my computer but then messy after I post.  I hate to delete all the information for each snack.  I think I'm just going to leave it messy.  Email me if you want a word document list with Weight Watchers points added!

Favorite Healthy Snacks

Almonds, Blue Diamond (flavored) – ½ ounce (about 14 nuts), 85 cal, 8 fat, 2.5 carb,

3 prot, 1.5 fiber

Almonds, Emerald 100 calorie pack – 1 pack, 100 cal, 9 fat, 4 carb, 4 prot, 2 fiber

Bars, Clif Mini Energy Bars – 1 bar, 100 cal, 2 fat, 18 carb, 4 prot, 2 fiber

Bars, Fiber One – 1 bar, 140 cal, 4 fat, 29 carb, 2 prot, 9 fiber

Bars, Glucerna Mini-Snack – 1 bar, 70 cal, 2 fat, 12 carb, 3 prot, 0.5 fiber

Bars, Kellogg’s Special K, Protein Meal Bar, Chocolate Peanut Butter –

            1 bar, 180 cals, 6 fat, 25 carb, 10 prot, 5 fiber

Cereal, Kelloggs All-Bran Buds – 1/3 cup, 70 cal, 1 fat, 24 carb, 2 prot, 13 fiber

Cereal, Kashi Go Lean Crisp, Toasted Berry Crumble – ¾ cup, 180 cal, 3.5 fat,

35 carb, 9 prot, 8 fiber

Cereal, Kashi Go Lean Crunch – ¾ cup

Cereal, Kashi Heart to Heart – ¾ cup, 120 cal, 1.5 fat, 25 carb, 4 prot, 5 fiber

Cereal, Wheat Chex – ¾ cup, 160 cal, 1 fat, 39 carb, 5 prot, 5 fiber

Cheese, Laughing Cow French Onion

Cheese stick, Trader Joe’s Organic Light String – 1 stick, 60 cal, 2.5 fat, 1 carb, 6 prot,

0 fiber

Chocolate, Scharffen-Berger 70% (3 ounce bar)  -- ¼ bar, 110 cal, 9 fat, 10 carb,

2 prot, 2 fiber

Chocolate, Scharffen-Berger 82% (3 ounce bar) -- ¼ bar, 105 cal, 8.5 fat, 8.5 carb, 2.5

prot, 3 fiber

Chocolate, semi-sweet chips – 1 tablespoon

Edamame, dry roasted (Seapoint Farms, Costco) – ¼ cup, 130 cal, 4 fat, 10 carb,

14 prot, 8 fiber

Edamame, fresh/frozen in pod – ½ cup, 3 fat, 9 carb, 8 prot, 4 fiber

Milk, skim – 8 ounces

Pirate’s Booty Puffs – 1 ounce single serving bag, 130 cal,  5 fat, 19 carb, 2 prot,

0 fiber

Popcorn, air popped – ¼ cup unpopped, about 3 cups popped

Pumpkin seeds, unsalted roasted in shell – ½ cup

Roasted Seaweed Snack strips, Trader Joes – 1 pack

Soup, Progresso Light – ½ can/1 cup, 80 cal, 1 fat, 13 carb, 3 prot, 2 fiber

Veggie patty, MorningStar Farms Chik Patties Original – 1 patty, 140 cal, 5 fat,

16 carb, 8 prot, 2 fiber

Veggie patty, MorningStar Farms Spicy Black Bean Burger – 1 patty, 120 cal, 4 fat,

13 carb, 11 prot, 4 fiber

Veggie patty, MorningStar Farms Garden Veggie Patties – 1 patty, 110 cal, 3.5 fat,

9 carb, 10 prot, 3 fiber

Yogurt, Yoplait Light (6 ounces) – 6 ounces, 100 cal, 0 fat, 19 carb, 5 prot, 0 fiber

Yogurt drops, Gerber Gradulates Melts (1 ounce bag) – 1/2 bag, 60 cal, 0 fat, 10 carb,

2 prot, 0 fiber

Yogurt tubes, Horizon Lowfat Tuberz – 1 tube, 60 cal, 0.5 fat, 11 carb, 2 prot, 0 fiber

Green Smoothies

In two weeks, I lost five and a half pounds without much effort.
Whoa.

Here's what's up...

The same day that I decided my next health step would be increasing my veggie intake, Amazon put out its list of the day's deeply discounted e-books.  One of the titles was Victoria Bourtenko's Green Smoothie Revolution (North Atlantic Books, 2009.  184 pages).  It promised some recipes for veggie smoothies, so I clicked on the "buy now" button.

The book is an easy read.  Bourtenko took some interesting directions such as analyzing the diets of wild chimpanzees since chimps are very close to humans genetically.  She talked a lot about organics and the importance of healthy soil for nutrition content in our produce.  She also explored the balance between healthy Omega-3 oils (found in greens!) and the more common Omega-6 oils.  What genuinely surprised me were her informational charts comparing nutrients in the roots, bulbs, and stems vegetable parts we eat compared with the leaves.  In a lot of cases, we toss out the far more nutritious part to keep the portion of the plant that is higher in natural sugars and therefore more palatable.  And they really are packed with vitamins, minerals, and healthy phytochemicals.

Here's what I didn't like about the book....  Bourtenko is one of those "all or nothing" type of people.  Since raw foods contain more nutrients, she gave up cooked food almost completely.  Since greens are powerhouses of nutrients, she starting ingesting pounds of them a day.  Greens are easiest to digest in smoothie form, so she drinks quarts.  Her way is definitely "revolution," encouraging complete change in diet forever.  Her book focused on miracle stories of lives transformed by super nutrition -- cravings vanishing, warts falling off, arthritis easing up after years.  C'mon.  A little balance, please.  Her approach was pushy enough that I found myself checking her research.  The good news is that even if she goes overboard, her science seems to be sound.

Here's what I love about the book....  I was finishing up Bourtenko's book during a routine check-up visit to my doctor, so I talked to her about it.  If your body isn't used to much raw food or greens, eating a lot of them could give you a tummy ache, but otherwise there wasn't anything to worry about, I was told.  On the plus side, adding more nutrition to your diet helps ward off disease and makes your body run more efficiently.  There is some evidence that good nutrition helps beat food cravings too.  So I stopped by the store on the way home and bought some greens -- spinach and kale.  Later that day I made my first green smoothie using a bag of frozen wild blackberries, some fresh mango, water, and a couple of handfuls of the fresh greens.  It wasn't a very green colored smoothie, but it tasted good.  All week long I made similar smoothies, going a little darker green each time by adding more leaves.  I started to like them more and more.  They also filled me up in the early afternoon so I wasn't hungry for snacks.  After several days I realized I felt a little better than before, had a little more energy and wasn't as hungry at other times of the day either.  And today I discovered I lost over five pounds just by adding one glass of smoothie to my day.

If you want convincing, you might want to read the book.  Otherwise, there's no reason not to jump in and try your own green smoothie.  You really don't need recipes.  Just start by blending some frozen fruit with enough splashes of water to make a milkshake-like consistency and then seeing how much greens you can add before the taste becomes less appealing.  I'm really wishing I had a Vita-Mix blender like they use at Jamba Juice and Planet Smoothie about now, but the old Hamilton-Beach is doing the job even if it takes a good ten minutes to finish a smoothie because of the small motor (and doesn't cost $600).

Bourtenko's Website:  http://greensmoothierevolution.com/
Bourtenko's Green Smoothie Blog:  http://greensmoothiesblog.com/

Next Step...Veggies!

I've been slogging through our family's transition period and feel like I'm finally starting to get a handle on everything.  E did great getting used to preschool and most of my husband's late work nights are drawing to a close.  I got a book review project off my plate and my work as a consultant on a grant is coming together.  And now that E is in preschool three mornings a week, I have consistent work time at home again.  Whew!

I'm itching to get back to reading old journals and draw some conclusions, put together some goals.  In the meantime, though, I don't want to stagnate.  Luckily, I feel sure of what the next step should be -- increasing fruits and veggies!

A month or so ago, I was discussing the Persistent Elephant project with a long-time friend who knew me during that previous period of successful weight loss.  "I remember one of your strategies was eating 8-9 servings of fruits/veggies every day, leaving less room in your diet for junk," she said.  Huh.  I'd forgotten that!  Sure enough, when I started reading old journals, that was one of the strategies I found.  Thank God for good friends and diaries!

Not long ago, I went searching for a pretty fruit basket to put on top of the fridge.  (Thank you, Homegoods!)  Not only will it put the fruit where I can see it constantly, but it also helps the fruit to ripen better.  Seems like some fruits like nectarines and peaches can go from rock hard to wrinkly in the crisper without ever reaching the yummy stage.  I've definitely been eating more fruit since we got the basket.

I don't want to eat just fruit, though.  It still has a lot of sugars even if they are natural ones.  Plus veggies have so much to offer!

Stay tuned...

The Upside Down Fish

My toddler son got two goldfish last winter that he promptly named Scoop and Pour.  Both were wee fry when we brought them home, but have grown considerably.  Pour, the larger of the two, is sturdy.  Unfortunately, Scoop has trouble now and then...

I walked by the tank one day and did a double-take.  Huh?  Yup.  Scoop was floating upside down.

Naturally, I thought Scoop was dead or dying, but he was actually quite active.  I did some online searches and discovered that goldfish are descended from bottom-feeding carp.  These scavengers aren't meant to have overprocessed food flakes that float.  Some fish have more sensitive digestive systems and the air they suck in with the floating food causes them to have too much gas in their bodies.  Their bubble-filled belly rises to the surface, causing them to float upside down until they can digest the food and dispel the air.

 
It's funny to watch poor Scoop rolling around like a hot air balloon in the wind at Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.  But it is sad too.  That fish really struggles.  He will sometimes swim into the space under his bridge to keep himself from bobbing to the top, gasping and letting his fins finally be still for a moment.  It looks unnatural and exhausting.

I bought sinking pellet fish food and that really helped.  I also carefully limit how much I put in the tank and drop the food in on the opposite side from wherever Scoop is swimming so it will sink before he sees it.  Still, the sinking food is also overprocessed, so it still causes Scoop occasional trouble when he eats too fast or too much.

Hmmm.

When I'm tempted to get a treat at the gas station when I fill up the car or look over a restaurant menu, sometimes Scoop comes to mind.  Too much overprocessed food...too fast...too much...  Then we're struggling (inwardly or outwardly) to keep our balance.

Getting Back Into Step

My friend Caro responded via the comment link after my last post.  I loved what she said so much that I wanted to move it up to make sure others saw it.    

"Yes, a necessary process, I think, for life to get a bit too busy to practice and then find our way back to the practice (of health eating/living.)  One metaphor, esp for me, is getting out of step in Contra Dancing, and then recovering.  As I got to be a better dancer, I was really getting better at recovering from being out of step.  I feel a bit of out of step in health eating, got to keep practicing, and maybe remind myself of the reasons, find a way to get back into practice, into step.  I also think sometimes in our lives there is just too much going on, as you describe.  Often as work heats up with the start of school, I fall out of practice.  It is mostly in order to "reward" myself after a hard day (well, not compared to miners, but...) and sometimes because not enough time for shopping, cooking, exercise.  So, some of it is for me to change my attitude about work, I just decide I'm not going to let it compromise my health.  Of course, it is a balance.  At Kripalu we made a plan for the week, maybe I'll do that, one week at a time!"

Hanging In There...

It's been a crazy month.  Summer tot music classes and playgroups are over.  My son's nanny share coasted to a close and we started the transition to preschool.  My husband's school year started back with lots to do to settle into teaching and helping new students; he's had a lot of late work nights.  As our weekly family patterns began falling apart, my son started waking up once or twice a night so he can holler for mama.  It's hard for me to fall back asleep.  In short, our house is in a minor uproar.

I'm in a transition period that finds me exhausted and scrambling for time to keep up with Persistent Elephant.  Yet by the end of next week everything should be settling down.  And getting healthy will be a huge priority for me.  Stay tuned!

Organizing Healthy Recipes

I would like weight loss to be quick and easy. But that's not what the Persistent Elephant project is about. Instead, I know I have to get my brain organized first. I have to know my reasons for getting healthy and my goals. Next, I have to break down those goals into reasonable steps and find ways to stay motivated. I also have to get my life organized. That includes making regular time for exercise and arranging my life in such a way that being healthy is easy to do. That's why I spent time making a shopping list of healthy staples to take to the store each time and also why I made a list of healthy snacks that I pinned to the inside of my pantry door. Healthy meals are also a cornerstone, so this summer I took the time to organize my recipes. Now, even when I have a toddler clinging to my knees, I can flip through my recipes for good ideas, find healthy recipes with on-hand ingredients, and get cooking.

My mom always had a metal box full of handwritten recipe cards, but that just doesn't work for me. I want something larger so I can print recipes from my computer or save pages from Cooking Light magazine. For me, three-ring binders and plastic sheet protectors are the way to go.  I can wipe away spatters and shuffle recipes easily.

  

One of the things I love about sheet protectors is that you can slide in blank paper as a background, so even tiny recipes fit well.  (See that little blue oval below?  That's a sticker from a spaghetti squash that gives cooking directions.)  The background paper also makes it easy to add notes.  I love adding notes to my recipes -- tips for making it turn out right, spice variations, serving suggestions, etc.  I believe that making notes has made me a much better cook than I would be otherwise because I remember what I've learned.

  

I take the time to type my favorite recipes into my laptop so I can always have my best recipes with me when I travel.  This way I also have backup copies of those recipes and can share them easily with friends.  The online folders for the recipe files on my computer match the headings I put on my binders.  That helps me find things quickly and easily.  Staples office supply store now offers index pages for three ring binders with movable plastic tabs that can be placed either on the sides or on top.  I find putting tabs on top makes it much quicker and easier to find my way inside my binders.

In case you are curious, here is a closer look so you can see my headings.  The beauty of the binder system, though, is that I can easily change things.  For instance, I'm trying to pay more attention to the glycemic index when I cook, which means serving more protein.  The number of chicken and turkey recipes is climbing, so I'll probably make a "poultry" section soon.

I have an awful lot of cookbooks, but I realize I only use a small handful of them.  I keep The Complete Cooking Light Cookbook, The Joy of Cooking, and a few others close at hand.  With the other cookbooks, I find that if I take the time to photocopy the best recipes and add them to my binders, I use those recipes a lot more.

How do you keep your recipes organized?

Meditating

So I’ve been meditating. I’ve tried it before, but never more than about three days in a row. I always tried doing it in the morning, but I’d either be too sleepy or too rushed. Soon I’d forget all about doing it. My Persistent Elephant get-healthy blog effort, however, has me looking at all the pieces that go into health and permanent weight loss. When I wrote a “weight loss autobiography,” it became clear to me that one of my big patterns is gaining during periods of stress. If I want to lose weight and keep it off, thoughtful stress management has got to be part of my life.

I did some poking around on the web and in bookstores about stress management. In the last few years, meditation has become quite mainstream in the Western world – at least in terms of recommendations by many doctors and other conventional health practitioners. What did I have to lose? I picked up The Quiet Mind: A Beginner’s Guide to Meditation. This book outlines six different mediation practices as described by six reputable Buddhist teachers. Editor Susan Piver is an author I know and trust from other books and articles. The small volume is easy to read, and a few weeks ago I started meditating for ten minutes a day while E is napping. It isn’t always easy. My ankle starts to itch and my back starts to ache a little. My mind is always wandering off. Yet there is something very peaceful and restorative about it. I feel better when I’m done. And sometimes it is eerie how fast those ten minutes fly by; fleeting thoughts about timing drift through my mind and I figure I’m maybe five minutes in, but then the kitchen timer starts beeping.

I decided I liked meditation well enough to stick with it. By the time E wakes up, I know I’ve had a solid ten minutes of pure peace, which makes me more patient. Then earlier this week I found myself in a temporarily stressful situation. It was close to E’s naptime and he was revved up from playing with two other little boys all morning. He was trying to talk to me, but another adult – a very longwinded one – was talking to me at the same time. All three boys were zipping around making noise. The house was a shambles from tot play and the adult I was talking to kept elaborating on a complex issue and asking my advice, yet she never stopped long enough to let me voice my ideas. I found myself trying to remember what I wanted to say while soothing my child and gathering E’s things. Normally in such a situation, I’d be trying to talk myself through it. I’d be reminding myself to stay cool and take it slow. This time, I didn’t hear my own voice scolding me to be patient. Instead, I felt myself pulling back a little emotionally. I realized I’d instinctively just stood up a little straighter and took a few deep breaths. I can’t quite articulate it, but it almost felt like the room got a tiny bit larger so that I could back up enough to see the whole situation. Instantly, I knew this came from practicing meditation. The feeling was the same as sitting cross-legged on the carpet while counting breaths.

It’s like this… Say you speedwalk regularly for fun and exercise. Then one day during your workday you find yourself needing to hurriedly catch a taxi. Even though you’re in dressy clothes on a busy city sidewalk, your body has the cardio strength for slipping into a faster pace plus your walking stride is already comfortable. Because of regular exercise, your heart and muscles are ready to help you. Earlier this week during that stressful moment, the equivalent happened in my brain. Because I’d been practicing being quiet and objective, I was able to fall into that “brain stride” in a very different setting and situation. Man, it was beautiful. I haven’t missed any days meditating since because now I get it. Now I see how meditation helps not just during or right after, bringing a momentary sense of peace and release from stress, but also brings far-reaching help!

I think I'm hooked. And that's a very good thing.

Mental Benefits of Being Active

Yesterday a friend sent me a supportive message, cheering me on with the Persistent Elephant project. Oh, many many thanks, AM! One of my favorite parts about her message was this reminder...


“When I started exercising, it was all about the physical aspect: how many WW (Weight Watchers) points I was earning so I could eat "extra"/more food.  Sometimes it's still about that. But now it's almost as much for the mental benefits as the physical: I solve problems, prioritize things, and generally sort things out when I walk. And sometimes I just think, letting my thoughts go wherever they go.”

The Shadow Lady

I’m walking four to five mornings a week around my hilly neighborhood now.  I walk fast and go for about 45 minutes at a time, trying to stay in my target heart rate.  Nowadays, I often have to walk when my son is with his nanny two mornings a week.  By the time I hit the sidewalk, the sun is already high.

I use pretty much the same route every day, passing the same houses and views but also seeing some of the same people whose routines overlap with mine.  There’s the dad always dropping off his baby at the neighborhood daycare center.  There’s the retired gent who hoses out his garage every morning and then blows it dry with his leaf blower!  

And then there’s the Shadow Lady.  That’s the name I gave her in my head.  She’s a fellow walker, although much thinner than I am.  And she dresses differently than I do.  Much differently, for she is completely covered.  I wear shorts and tee shirt to exercise, but she wears black, full-length spandex pants, a black long-sleeved turtleneck shirt, black gloves, a wide-brimmed hat, and sunglasses.  I have no idea what race she is because her face is covered in thick white zinc sunscreen like a circus clown.  Yeah, it’s a little spooky.  And although we’ve exchanged waves, we’ve never stopped to talk so I don’t know what the outfit is really about.  But it seems clear to me that the get-up is about sun protection rather than any sort of style or costume.  For that reason, I’ve come to admire her.  There are a thousand excuses not to exercise and I would think that being hypersensitive to the sun would be a big one.  (Some genetic disorders or medications can cause such a problem.)  Yet this lady proactively found clothing and gear that would work for her, then hit the walking trail.  Next time I feel lazy, I’m going to think of her!

Who or what inspires you?

Putting the Brakes on Diet Soda

The healthiest times in my life have also been the times when I haven't been drinking diet sodas.  It's not that an occasional diet drink is incompatible with being healthy.  In fact, I don't plan to give them up completely.  But I admit that during my soda-adoring days, my focus was short term -- getting a likable taste and having a treat without drinking calories.  When I mindfully consider the matter, however, I have to admit that sipping chemicals on a regular basis doesn't really jibe with my move towards being healthier.

I'm suspicious of overprocessed foods in general and artificial sweeteners in particular.  I grew up at a time when saccharine was the low-calorie sweetener of choice then watched as it was elbowed out of the way by NutraSweet (aspartame) and Splenda but also as it fell from grace with the FDA.  The FDA eventually lifted the warning from saccharine because they say the tumors in rats caused by the substance aren't seen in humans, but I've never really trusted artificial sweeteners since.  Curious what studies now say about all three sweeteners, I did some poking around on the web.  Like so many things, it is easy to find scary warnings -- even some disquieting ones from reputable sources.  I know, though, that it would be very difficult to be a sane person participating fully in society while steering clear of all additives and preservatives.  So I'll just do my best to keep them at a minimal level.  Early this summer I gave up buying Diet Dr. Pepper at the grocery store.  Adios to the IBC diet root beer and Yoplait Light dessert yogurts too.  Now I've started ordering water when I eat out.  My goal is to get diet sodas down to once or twice a month.

(Click here for an article about the link between diet sodas, weight gain, and diabetes.)

But what to drink instead?

I used to be an herb tea fan, loving peppermint and chamomile.  Recently I pulled out my tea bags and remember just how much I like a cup.  My friends tease me that it is dishwater because I drink it quite weak and without sweetener, but to me it is like water with a little kick.  Lately, I've pulled out my little green teapot and a pretty teacup on some evenings, but I crave that peaceful ritual most often in cold-weather months.  Thus I wandered around Homegoods until I found a small glass pitcher with a handle and lid.  I make peppermint tea and chill it for whenever I want a summertime break from plain water.

Mostly, I just drink water all day and organic skim milk with meals.  With the water, I had a hard time remembering to drink enough when I used a regular glass.  I have to keep open cups out of Eli's reach, so it was always up on a countertop.  Then I tried one of those stainless steel water bottles, but the top was a little unwieldy.  Although I was hoping to avoid using plastics too much with food and drink, I fell in love with the new cups that admittedly look like a fast food cup.  They don't spill if they fall over, they are insulated, the big opening makes it easy to clean or add ice, I can see at a glance how much drink I've got left, and for some dumb reason I drink a lot more water if there is a straw involved.  Hey, it is BPA free and I don't let water sit in there too long.

Between the herbal iced tea and my straw cup, I'm drinking a lot more water these days.  What about you?  What are your tricks for getting enough water?

Will

It's not the will to win, but the

will to prepare to win that

makes a difference

Pinterest

I'm reading along through my old journals.  I'm ever-so-thankful that I wrote them!  I'm a little stunned about how much I'd forgotten.  Actually, I remembered most of the bits and pieces about how I lost weight before, but by reading back I have a much better sense of how the pieces came together, worked together.

One thing I've realized is that my weight loss was partially due to the fact that I was pulling myself forward towards something good rather than pushing away from something bad.  My brother-in-law, a family doctor who helps a lot of patients with their weight, says that motivation is key and there are two forms -- the stick or the carrot.  When I have been in "yo-yo diet mode," it was usually because I hated the way I looked and yearned to ditch that feeling.  That's the stick.  I was whacking myself over the head to try to change.  When I lost the weight beginning in 1996, it was because I loved the idea of getting healthy.  Just like a carrot danged in front of a horse, I moved steadily forward because I kept finding ways to envision (and later appreciate) the rewards of a healthier life.  In particular, I started buying magazines and the clothing catalogs didn't just go from mailbox to recycling bin anymore.  There's a danger in looking at stick-skinny models photographed in ideal conditions and then airbrushed to perfection, but I generally avoided magazines and catalogs that did that.  The reputable magazines also offered health information and healthy recipes.

Now that it is 2011, I found a new fun way to get all the fun of magazines without having to put up with those stinky perfume ads.  Pinterest!

The Pinterest website (pin + interest) is a way to "pin up" interesting or inspiring images as you surf the web.  At present you have to go to the website and request to join, but it is free and easy.  There is usually a lull of a few hours before you receive your invitation to join.  Afterwards, you can create multiple personal bulletin boards to "pin" items you are interested in, saving pictures with a short description but also the link so you can visit the page again.  (Thus you can save the picture of a new dish to cook then click on it to get back to the actual recipe.)  I created a bulletin board called "Glad Rags" to save images of clothing I like.  I've pretty much been wearing the same clothes since Eli was born and I have very few things I feel truly good in.  There are few clothing stores for larger women and I'm not that excited about most of the mainstream styles in them right now.  But by looking at clothes on the web and saving a bank of images, I'm getting inspired to lose weight and buy new clothes again.  I also have a "Culinary Adventures" bulletin board where I squirrel away healthy recipes, cooking ideas, and food information.

Pinterest helps you save things you come across on the web, but it also allows you to look at other people's bulletin boards.  There is a tab marked "Everything" where you can see a constant stream of photos, articles, recipes, etc. that others are pinning.  (Warning:  There are a lot of yummy looking dessert pictures going past!)  If you see something you like, you can repin it to one of your boards.  I found one woman who kept pinning wonderful "how-to" picture-taking guides, so I became a follower of her board dedicated to photography.  I can see all the items she pins to that board.  Similarly, there are other people on Pinterest who created boards dedicated to healthy recipes, exercise, specific sports, inspiring images, etc.  When you find a board curated by a kindred spirit who shares your dreams, tastes, or interests, it can be very rewarding.

There are tons of time wasters available on the web.  I'm not knocking burning a little time with the Angry Birds or Farmville game; they can be a great escape and challenge your brain.  Sometimes, though, online games or social sites really do just suck up time.  I find that, for me, Pinterest has a lot of redeeming value.  I'll jump on late in the evening when I'm tired and might otherwise do something mindless.  But after looking at beautiful images and saving some neat ideas, I wind up feeling positive and creative.  I've found some great inspiration.

Where do you find inspiration?

?

I heard recently that one of the most important questions you can continually ask yourself is "What do I need?"


                                         What do you need?

Towards a 2011 Get-Healthy List

Last time I posted a list of the one-at-a-time changes I made in 1996 to get healthy.  A decade and a half later, sixteen of the twenty-eight changes are still part of my life to a satisfactory degree.  Yeah, I wish I’d held on to all twenty-eight.  Still, sixteen healthy habits are a lot more than yo-yo dieting ever did for me.  More importantly, those fifteen years are water under the bridge.  Looking to the past so I can thump myself over the head for my lapses isn’t going to help.  Looking to the past to remember what worked for me and then rework it for my current lifestyle IS helping.

Right now I’m working on a new one-item-at-a-time list including strategies to make sure I don’t backslide too far.  Yes, the lapsed items from 1996 are going on there, but that’s not the whole list.  I remember writing a lot about weight loss in my journal during 1997-1998, so I want to glean that for ideas.  (I get through a month or so of entries every day during Eli’s nap.)  I’ve also read some great books lately that are giving me ideas. 

It isn’t just making a list of health changes.  It’s also the order.  This time I want to put some of the changes that will affect my weight towards the top and work on them first.  I’ve lost a few pounds since starting the Persistent Elephant project, but I need a taste of success to spur me on.  In particular, writing my “health autobiography” and reading old journals made me realize what a key role stress plays in my weight and health efforts.  I’m going to target some stress management habits to put at the top of my list.

Getting organized is the first order of business.  But I wanted to work on a good habit or two while I’m still in the Grand Planning Stage.  In July, I worked on getting back into a regular exercise habit.  My walking had definitely increased, much to my joy.  As far as eating goes, I know that sweet things are often my trigger, so throughout August my goal is to kick the artificial sweetener habit (going down to just once a week or so) and then to wean myself off sugar for a while.  More on that later, but I know some readers are following along on a parallel path, so this post lets you know how the project is unfolding.  Stay tuned.

What about you?  What are you doing to get organized or stay organized for being healthy?  

The 1996 Get-Healthy List

Straight from my journal (Volume 16, Feb. 1996 to June 1997), below is a list of twenty-eight one-at-a-time changes I made in one year to get healthy.  (I mentioned this list earlier in the post "Slow Start.")  I’d read it takes about three weeks to solidify a new habit, so that’s about how often I tackled adding a new one.  I’d look down the list and pick something that sounded good at the time, but I no longer remember the order of the changes I made.  (Therefore I organized the list into four groups when I typed it up for this blog.)  Some items directly affected my weight while some did not, but all added to the conviction that I was improving my health and wellbeing.  By making these changes, I was 30 pounds lighter without dieting at the end of twelve months.

General:

--Started getting ready for bed at 9:30 PM (setting an alarm to remind me that my evening is drawing to a close) and getting in bed by 10:30.

--Started reading reputable health magazines (3-5 per month) and health books (1 per month) to learn more but also keep my enthusiasm up

Food:

--Started drinking 9 glasses of water per day

--Bought electric steamer and wok to help cook healthy foods

--Ate more fruit

--Ate more vegetables (up to 5-9 servings fruit/veg per day)

-- Switched to whole wheat bread

--Switched from white rice to brown

--Switched from regular pasta to whole wheat

--Added more soy to diet (tofu, soy milk, etc.)  [Note…there are now some issues about women eating too much soy, so I would go more carefully with this one now.]

--Added more calcium to diet (dairy, greens) and started taking a calcium supplement

--Reduced artificial sweeteners to 1 to 3 Diet Cokes per month

--Added more fiber to my diet (around 10 grams in cereal each morning plus more whole foods in diet)

--Stopped adding salt to food, stopped using vegetable broth with high sodium and chemicals, switched to light soy sauce

--Stopped eating most sugary foods, eating them rarely and trying to eat them only after eating whole foods (fiber, protein, and fat to slow the rate at which the sugar is absorbed)

Activity:

--Started walking more with friends

--Started walking 1 mile a day, then increased it to 1.5, then finally to 4 miles

--Started hiking on weekends more often

--Began stretching before and after walks/hikes

--Began 40 minutes of strength training twice per week

Body Care:

--Started taking a multivitamin

--Began wearing sunscreen daily

--Began flossing teeth consistently

--Began using moisturizer on skin

--Bought good equipment…quality weights and walking shoes (replaced shoes after 500 miles of walking or about 6 months)

--Started using night cream on my face and hands

--Bought UV protection sunglasses

--Started using rubber gloves with detergents and cleaners

Health Autobiography

To get where I want to go, first I have to know where I've been...

I first gained weight in the fourth grade (a stressful year for me) and, with the help of my mother, went on my first diet in the fifth grade.  It was a healthy diet produced by our local hospital’s education program and it resulted in some positive changes for our whole family, yet what I remember most about it is the feeling that some foods were forbidden and therefore exciting.  Throughout adolescence, I bumped up against the edge of being chubby and daydreamed a lot about being thinner, but I was able to swap clothes with my friends and felt pretty when I dressed up, so it wasn’t a huge issue.  Jaw surgery at age fifteen gave me a taste of what it was like to be on the lower end of the healthy weight range for my size, but once the wiring came off my teeth, I slowly rose back to my old weight. 

In college, living away from home for the first time, I did gain the Freshman Fifteen, but lost it soon after through exercise and re-learning how to diet.  That was both good and bad.  I went through phases at a lower weight accomplished partially by exercise, yet I also went through weeks of staving off hunger with pickles, air popped popcorn, diet shakes, and no-calorie soda.  I began thinking too much about what I should and shouldn’t eat, creating a larger pattern of virtuous hunger and relieved overeating.

Throughout my college years, my father battled cancer.  My “thick” times pretty much coincided with each time the cancer we hoped was beaten surprised us by coming back yet again.  When the stress eased up, I’d lose weight again.  After four years of this, Dad died at home under hospice care with my mother and I taking care of him.  My weight zoomed up during that time, but I quickly lost it again by exercise and dieting a few months later.  Soon, however, my mother also got sick and died under hospice care.  This time I was so shell shocked from two parents dying in two years that my weight just kept climbing.  It is strange to say, but I hardly noticed it was happening.  By the time I had the courage to step on a scale a couple of years later, I was in the lower regions of obese.  (Sigh.  Such a painful word to even write.) 

After a pause of three years, I began to turn things around.  I lost thirty pounds.  Following a move to Tennessee for graduate school, I then lost thirty more.  The exciting thing was that I exercised but also ate well to accomplish this.  It involved no weigh-ins, group meetings, formal diet plans, or food journals.  Also, I maintained the loss fairly well for almost half a decade.  Many of the healthy habits I developed stuck with me even longer.  (In fact, without them I think I’d be an awful lot bigger right now!)

Little by little, however, some of the weight crept back – vacations, holidays, periods of stress.  I started dieting to get the weight off again, wanting it to be gone quickly.  Each time I moved jobs/homes (four times), my healthiest days seemed that much more far away.  I slowly slid into a decade of yo-yoing – never near that top weight again but not very close to the bottom either.  Then came a happy but definitely stressful year-long mix of engagement, wedding, sale of my home, career change and first book deal, move to a small town, husband’s deployment, pregnancy, cross-country move, book deadline, and childbirth.  Whew!  Ever heard of the “exploding bride syndrome,” women relieved to have true love and glad to be done with skimping to fit into a wedding dress?  That was me.  I definitely found it hard when my new husband deployed the month after the wedding.  I rattled around for those months trying to settle into a place where I didn’t know anyone, that had a lot fewer resources than any place I’d ever lived, and that wasn’t going to even be home for more than a few months.  I kept busy all day, yet the evenings seemed awfully long as I tried not to wander through the kitchen yet again just to have something to do.  A lot of my clothes were already tighter when he returned and then I immediately got pregnant. 

Thankfully, I ate quite well when pregnant – no fast food, no artificial anything, avoided all the pregnancy no-no foods.  My doctor was pleased with my weight gain and I actually gained less than average.  But once my manuscript was at the press and my son finally arrived, I stopped even thinking about what I ate.  I assumed I’d just naturally lose the extra pounds.  I wasn’t sitting around eating tubs of ice cream, so how bad could it be?  But the breastfeeding hormones made me ravenous even though I was producing very little milk.  I was exhausted all the time and, because my husband worked all day and needed to be rested for that, I spent all but my evenings alone with my newborn.  When I stepped on the scale about four months later, I was stunned to realize I’d rocketed up.  In fact, I went right back up to the highest weight I’d been after my parents died.  I immediately started eating better and talking my son on walks, which dropped about fifteen pounds.  Then my weight stabilized.  In the last couple of years, I’ve yo-yoed a little, but not much.  I’ve courted Weight Watchers online a time or two.  Twice I ate low-carb for about six weeks and lost about ten pounds, but it immediately returned when I got off the diet.

Now my son is on the downward slope of age two and I find not just myself, but our whole family nearing a crossroads.  Three-morning-a-week preschool starts for my son in a couple of weeks, which suddenly gives me more time to myself again but also begins an era where my child will have more and more influence from the outside world.  My little guy is starting to be more aware of foods and definitely notices the difference between birthday cake and carrots.  He’s also not one of those hyper string bean kids, so I’m ever-aware that we have to teach him not to be a couch potato.  As he grows, I’m feeling increasingly more pressure to be a good example for him.  A year from now we’re moving back home to Georgia and I realize part of me feels conflicted because I don’t feel my external self reflects who I really am and I’ll be running into a lot of people who used to know me when I was thinner.  My military husband will soon retire and be free from the annual physical fitness tests that have encouraged him to keep his weight low; as the cook of the family, I’m feeling an increasing responsibility for what appears on the table, what foods are available for snacking, and how often we eat out. 

I’m ready to have my healthy life back.  I’ve tasted how good it can be and I know it is worth the changes and sacrifices.  It will mean building up the muscle mass I’ve lost over the years to yo-yo diets.  It will mean getting organized so eating well and exercising isn’t any more complicated than it has to be.  It will mean sorting out what works and doesn’t work for me and my family so I’m not spinning my wheels mindlessly following advice.  And it will be learning to be mindful, being aware of my own patterns, respecting the mind/body connection, and striving for a livable state of balance.

What about you?  What has your health journey been like thus far?

A's Story -- Running Mamas

Hi

I'm not posting much, but it is because I'm busy reading!  I realized that probably one of my best resources is my journal.  I write often, so I know I saved a lot of thoughts and ideas that helped me lose weight so well in the late 1990s.  Sure enough, I'm finding a treasure trail of nuggets to help me find my way back.  I'll share, so stay tuned.

In the meantime, I wanted to share an email from my friend A, a working mom with three kids (including a toddler).  I saw her at Christmas and she looked stunning -- happy and glowing and healthy, so I sent her a message about the Persistent Elephant project to get her two cents.  She kindly agreed to let me post her message:

Hey lady - just got around to checking out your blog. SOOO excited for you. Particularly with the specific reference to marathon running mamas, I felt like I should reply. So there are a couple things that I felt were critical to my success on the "quest to be a healthy mama". One was the solidarity I have found with my running group. They are right in my neighborhood, and we run 4-5 mornings a week - all mamas. So, in order to get in our run before the kids and hubbies get up, we meet at 5:30am. Its hard to get up that early - sometimes quite painful, in fact, but I know they're out there waiting for me, and I know how much I treasure our conversations on the run. The accountability I feel to them, has been they key to being consistent (and competitive) with running. 

Not sure if running is something you plan to try out, but there is a great book and facebook page called Run Like A Mother. http://www.facebook.com/pages/Run-Like-a-Mother-The-Book/317268647037

These women are hilarious and totally inspire me to keep running. 

Anyway, the second thing I find to be invaluable for motivation is similar to what you listed as your own motivation. I love it that E [her daughter] can see me run, race, win and feel good about it. She now has become a runner, and I know that she is growing up in a househild that values health and exercise, but also healthy competition. So I know that she will consider, not just exercise, but HARD, COMPETITIVE exercise, a regular and normal part of her life. And this gives her an edge in life. R and G [her sons] as well, but they are still at the stage when they cry when they know I"m going for a run, as it means I won't be back for a while.... :)

The third thing is to allow myself to have the vision of myself the way I want to look and feel. So I look at magazines of athletic women and put them on my bulletin board (kind of high school, but effective). I give myself permission to be skinny. Its hard to do this, because each time I have gotten thin in the past, I have somehow sabotaged my success, because of some underlying notion that I'm not supposed to be skinny, that I'm not a skinny person..... I've been using mantras like, " I LOVE being so thin and healthy!" Every time I wake up, and throughout my workouts I chant them in my head.

And let's see, last thing I found very helpful was a book called Skinny Bitch. http://www.skinnybitch.net/  Compelling book about health, not only for health's sake, but for the sake of our earth and our moral integrity.

So, I hope this helps. I just started incorporating strength training into my life again, to supplement the running. Been fun to have biceps again. And there is nothing like the feeling of my husband calling me a "MILF", as crass it is is..... :)

Looking very forward to keeping up with your blog.  Hope everything else is going well for you, and I'm excited about your return to Atlanta next year.

Much luck and love,

--A

A, thank you so much for sharing and your encouragement! 

Weigh-In Ambivalence, Response #2

A friend kindly sent me her thoughts and story, and she gave me permission to share it.  Thanks, AM!  Part of her experience included a traumatic head injury and hepatitis contracted from blood transfusions.

"Some of this is background, probably a repeated story for you; bear with me.  When I moved to Atlanta, and all the years between my accident until that time, there were vague periods when I'd try to get "healthy" by exercising, ignoring the eating part.  Truth be told, I truly didn't understand very much about eating healthy; not that I'm an expert now, but I have a few more clues.  Those exercise times would mean that I started walking, MIGHT do 15-20 minutes once or twice a week, and when there were no results after a week or two, or something else came up to throw me off, I'd give it up.  


"In 2002, I got on the hepatitis meds. which, in a nutshell, caused me to lose about 55 pounds.  I was not exercising at all then, and my daily calories were about 500 on the good days; bad days were obviously worse.  Plus my metabolism was cranked up, which was a definite plus.  Besides eating so little, I got sick very often, and I determined that if I could only eat a small amount, I needed to eat healthy, balanced food.  I went to my first dietitian, and she was awesome.  She told me about veggies and fruit, drinking water, whole grains, and all the other stuff dietitians know about.  

"When I got off the meds at the end of 2002, my doctor told me that all his other patients gained their weight back "instantaneously"; I told myself "not me"!  And I began to walk a little, which led to my first five consecutive minutes of running on Feb. 1, 2003.  Fast forward on the exercise part:  I ran several times a week, Saturday long runs usually with my mom.  I ran by time, not distance, although sometimes I knew both.  Now I go by time.    Beginning on Jan. 2, 2009 injuries struck.     I've tried to build up to running,  building up V E R Y slowly, but every time I try, injuries hit again.  [On a side note, other than my counselor and doctors, you are the only person who knows I've even tried to run again : ) ]   I began walking with running in the summer of 2007, I think, and as I think you know, it took over.  Originally I walked to supplement running, then it became my only thing.  Now I think I do it as much for the mental health as the physical.  Sometimes I can walk quick and get my heart rate up, other times I'm slow, pondering things.

"On the food side.  I tried WW meetings.  I got the points card, the exercise card, both of which I still use a lot, and a few other info. things.  I didn't like the weigh-ins at all, and the meetings were atrocious... instead of going to a meeting, I could be out walking!!!!  I gave up the meetings after 4-5.  Even though I hated the meetings, I liked most of the general ideas of WW.  In fact, to this day, I still keep a food journal of sorts.  I include the day, date, what I eat, drink, the amount of each as best I know it, and what I did for exercise that day, including the amount of time for each "episode".  At the bottom of the page, I list each day with its calories and points eaten, points earned through exercise, and the final tally for that day.  Also at the very bottom of the page is my weight:  I try to weigh every Saturday morning before eating or anything other than using the bathroom, I write that done and include any comments or thoughts re. it:  why it may be up or down (water loss from sweating the day before, good or bad bathroom elimination stuff, etc.), and maybe a thought on how I feel about it.  At the very top of the page are comments from particular days about especially good or bad things I did, why I did them, and how I felt before, during, and after.  It is laborious and takes a bit of time to fill things in potentially several times a day, but it is so worth it to look back over the last few days, weeks, months, or even years to see what I weighed at a given point, and what I was doing, thinking around that time:  what was working or not.  I used notebooks at first, but the last few years I've started using binders with loose-leaf paper; generally a notebook or binder lasts about two years, and I have several of them.

"My eating, like my exercise, has evolved.  What I try to do these days is eat healthy as much as I can until Saturdays:  then I eat horribly if I want to:  I eat whatever I want, in whatever quantity, but I still write it down and do my best to estimate calories and points.  In fact, that's the day I allow myself oatmeal cream pies, which I love.  And true to confessing, the last few weeks I've even been eating about three of them in one day!  Again, you're the only one who knows this.... : )

"I think you're doing great to have things organized and lined up, that's essential for me also.  I can't buy a lot of things because if they are in the house, I'll eat them.  Usually T [her husband] can have things that I shouldn't, but I tell him to keep them on a shelf I can't see or reach easily so I won't be tempted.  But I've had periods where I struggled to stay out of his cereal....  Usually I can tell my self that something "belongs" to T, so I can't have any of it; most of the time that works.  Having a little one makes your journey harder, and certainly being married and fixing regular (supper) meals would also make things tougher.  T and I have different schedules:  we usually only eat together on the weekends, although we make that effort.  Sometimes we don't even eat the same things, even if we are eating at the same time.  It's what we're comfortable with, and it's easier for us to do that since we don't have someone younger than us needing more structure."
--AM