I've had a challenge over the past couple of weeks - sticking to my workout program eating healthy has been really difficult. My Mom had bilateral knee replacement surgery a week and half ago and I've been spending all of my time either at the hospital and (now) at the rehab facility. I let it the stress interfere with my routine.
Today I was reading my coach's posts after he caught up on our holiday posts about how hard it is to stick to the program during the holiday. Believe me the comments were rampant in our group. He was talking to us about not letting excuses get in our way... and after reading all of what he was posting in response to our many excuses, I had a much needed epiphany.
Sometimes, MOST times, it's our mind that's getting in the way of us getting to our goals. I had excuses (good ones in my mind for why I wasn't eating right or working out daily) - I mean, I was exhausted from running to the hospital and although I drank my shake everyday and sometimes took food to eat... I didn't always work out and I frequently didn't always right. I can remember clearly commenting about how much I was struggling and everyone has been so encouraging... but as I think about this, I can see how we all enable ourselves and each other to accept excuses. Sometimes things will happen that we cannot control that absolutely preclude us from working out or eating right. BUT, these really should be the emergency situations. We need to hold ourselves accountable for getting through whatever we're doing and getting the results we want. Additionally, we need to ALL hold each other more accountable. If you're supporting someone who is truly trying to make a change, then hold them accountable to what they have said they want to accomplish. You have to walk a fine line here with how you hold them accountable but don't encourage the excuses.
I think our natural tendency is to try to be supportive and not make people feel bad. I'm not saying we need to make people feel bad. I just think we need to help push each other past the excuses. Life will happen. It always does and if we allow that to be an excuse, then we'll never move forward and overcome. This is definitely about making a life long change and if we want something different, we have to do something different. I can certainly look back and see how many times I've been knocked off my game by life happening... it's gonna happen no matter what. It's how I respond, that's going to make a difference in whether or not I reach my goals going forward.
One of the keys to success I think is being committed to my goal and also being prepared in situations that aren't ideal. I can still work out every day. I just need to commit to it - push play and do it, no matter what. No matter how late it is or how tired I am. I just need to do it. And, while my biggest issue has been eating unhealthy food when I'm out and not prepared. I can mitigate this as well. I can eat before leaving. I can take a shake with me. I can certainly take snacks or even a prepared meal. It's all about preparation. I can and will do this. I'm supposed to be at Day 50 of my workout but I'm repeating last week so I'm at Day 43. Almost halfway there. I'm committed to finishing strong. I think it will help me mentally to get through it completely. I'm going to think about how I will feel about myself once I complete this first program. I know I will feel great. I'm going to keep that in the forefront of my mind.
Don't let life get in your way. Be strong, be prepared and be committed. A change is going to come!
Monday, December 26, 2011
Thursday, December 8, 2011
30 Day update
Someone I know is going through some major struggles right now and she commented that it seems like every time she gets on track and starts taking care of herself that something knocks her down. Oh, how I have had this feeling before. But what I recognize now is that life has lots of obstacles and challenges, and our true strength comes from how we deal with and overcome those obstacles. Some may set us back for a minute or even paralyze us periodically, but we have to eventually get right back up and keep fighting the fight. We have to have faith that things will and do always get better. Also, the more we stay focused and push through the workouts, the better we will feel. We'll be able to deal with stress better and also, it's the one thing we can control. We feel better about ourselves and that creates significant strength as we deal with whatever it is we're going through.
I wanted to take this opportunity to give a 30 day update on my journey to health. I have to say that it was a tough first 30 days and what I was hoping would be a habit right now is far from it. I'm still struggling to make the right choices and to get the workouts done. I am doing pretty good though even with the setbacks and struggles. Change is hard... don't let anyone ever tell you it's not. Patience is also needed as you work to make changes for the better in your health and your life. If you're doing this the way that I am, you're not going to see huge improvements overnight. Doesn't mean I don't want them. I'm as impatient as the next guy. For the first couple of weeks, I was totally focused on how much I weighed and if anyone could see any changes. Instead of maintaining that focus though, I've now shifted. I know the results are coming and that this is a process so I've re-focused my energy on nutrition and continuing to push play. I want to do something that I can maintain for the rest of my life. No diets - just eating healthy. No workouts that I can't continue for the long run (2 hours at the gym everyday is just not realistic).
So, thirty days... I took my updated pictures today and although I haven't seen them yet, I'm told that there is a difference in my body, especially in the midsection. I'm very happy about that. I wasn't sure how much change I'd see. I know I feel some physical changes - stronger, slimmer in the arms, waist (a little), slimmer back, lung capacity improved. I still haven't gotten on the scale. I'm of the mindset that the weight isn't going to be my focus. I can tell my body is changing and I'm getting healthier and that's what matters.
Injury update: I am having an issue with my rotator cuff. I was having this issue last year but when I stopped working out, the pain went away... little did I know that didn't mean it was getting better. It was actually getting weaker. Thankfully, my sister (the ortho surgeon) gave me some exercises to help strengthen the area and to move it back into the right position. Right now, I have a lot of pain at night , but almost none when I work out - even during pushups. It's not torn, but when she asked if it felt like a bad toothache, I knew she understood what I was talking about. The pain can be pretty bad when I'm just resting or laying on it (I guess in the wrong position). But, I'm doing my exercises daily after my workouts and taking advil when I absolutely have to. It's part of the my journey but I'm not going to let it slow me down unless I have to slow down. Right now, I just have a special focus on strengthening it until it's better than before.
Nutrition update: I've learned a lot about what's good for me and what's not. Much more than I thought possible and I get annoyed often at the quality of the food that's sold to us. I swear, I could easily jump on the conspiracy theory bandwagon if I wanted to... instead, I feel like the more I learn, the better choices I can make for me. This also means that a lot of people won't agree with what I'm doing but I'm definitely working towards eating a cleaner diet. This basically means little or no processed foods. I've gotten so much better at this already but I it's gotta be tough if you eat out a lot unless you frequent restaurants that serve organic, locally grown foods. While I haven't cut out these foods completely, I try to limit them in my daily nutritional intake. I mostly eat meat, fruits, vegetables, and dairy. I'm not completely organic but I'm working my way there. What I find is that I need to visit the store much more often - I want fresh foods so I don't buy in bulk.
I can say that I RARELY visit a fast food restaurant anymore, not even for their "healthy" menu. I don't want to feel deprived by not having french fries or a taco when visiting McDonald's or Taco Bell so I don't do that to myself. Besides, I don't want what comes with the burger and fries or tacos anymore (filler, ammonia, acrylamide). This doesn't mean that I don't eat burgers or my favorite fries or even tacos anymore. I just try to get them at places that serve locally grown grass fed beef and uses fresh potatoes and make tacos (and burgers) at home (my favorite dish). (I have ground turkey tacos probably once a week LOL).
I also believe in a different philosophy around fat - all fat is not bad for you, so I don't believe in a low fat diet. I actually think our body needs fat, just the right kind though. So, I only cook with coconut oil and olive oil. (I realize that I don't get this same thing when eating out but that's ok). And, I try to use organic butter, milk, cheese, but I don't always. I never buy low fat versions of items because they have some additional processing done to them to remove the fat (and I think the more we process our food, the worse it becomes).
Why organic and locally grown food? Most people think it's more expensive but frankly I've found that as my diet has changed, my grocery bill has actually gotten cheaper. I'm not buying as many things from the mid section of the grocery store (processed food heaven) and instead, spending time with meat, fruit, vegetables and produce. Seriously, much cheaper!! Besides, I've probably said it before, but I'm focused on the long run here as well - even if it did cost me a little more today, it's worth the investment in my health which will be much improved. My recommendation to anyone would be to not take my word for it but to research on your own. Find out what works for you. Also, just because something says organic or natural doesn't mean it's good for you. The organic food industry is actually less regulated than non-organic. You have to find what works and there are a number of watch dog groups out there to tell you the truth about a particular item. Perfect example for me was Horizon brand organic milk found in Safeway (and other) grocery stores. It is organic BUT rated really low by consumer groups because it's actually been ultra-pasteurized (pasteurized twice) and this all but kills the nutrients of the milk!! I was all excited because it lasted a long long time and that was ideal for me because I wasn't drinking a lot of milk. I found out that I might as well not been drinking any milk if I was drinking Horizon since half the nutrients were killed in the processing. I have tried raw milk on a couple of occasions (tastes basically the same to me) but it's not as easy to find (in fact today they were out of it at my local natural grocer). Anyway, you get the point. If you chose to make changes, do so knowing that your nutritional choices may continue to change over time as you learn more.
Well, as promised, here are my pictures. The one's on the left are the initial photos and the ones on the right are the updates.
Front
Side:
And finally, back:
Can't wait to see what the next 30 days brings...
I wanted to take this opportunity to give a 30 day update on my journey to health. I have to say that it was a tough first 30 days and what I was hoping would be a habit right now is far from it. I'm still struggling to make the right choices and to get the workouts done. I am doing pretty good though even with the setbacks and struggles. Change is hard... don't let anyone ever tell you it's not. Patience is also needed as you work to make changes for the better in your health and your life. If you're doing this the way that I am, you're not going to see huge improvements overnight. Doesn't mean I don't want them. I'm as impatient as the next guy. For the first couple of weeks, I was totally focused on how much I weighed and if anyone could see any changes. Instead of maintaining that focus though, I've now shifted. I know the results are coming and that this is a process so I've re-focused my energy on nutrition and continuing to push play. I want to do something that I can maintain for the rest of my life. No diets - just eating healthy. No workouts that I can't continue for the long run (2 hours at the gym everyday is just not realistic).
So, thirty days... I took my updated pictures today and although I haven't seen them yet, I'm told that there is a difference in my body, especially in the midsection. I'm very happy about that. I wasn't sure how much change I'd see. I know I feel some physical changes - stronger, slimmer in the arms, waist (a little), slimmer back, lung capacity improved. I still haven't gotten on the scale. I'm of the mindset that the weight isn't going to be my focus. I can tell my body is changing and I'm getting healthier and that's what matters.
Injury update: I am having an issue with my rotator cuff. I was having this issue last year but when I stopped working out, the pain went away... little did I know that didn't mean it was getting better. It was actually getting weaker. Thankfully, my sister (the ortho surgeon) gave me some exercises to help strengthen the area and to move it back into the right position. Right now, I have a lot of pain at night , but almost none when I work out - even during pushups. It's not torn, but when she asked if it felt like a bad toothache, I knew she understood what I was talking about. The pain can be pretty bad when I'm just resting or laying on it (I guess in the wrong position). But, I'm doing my exercises daily after my workouts and taking advil when I absolutely have to. It's part of the my journey but I'm not going to let it slow me down unless I have to slow down. Right now, I just have a special focus on strengthening it until it's better than before.
Nutrition update: I've learned a lot about what's good for me and what's not. Much more than I thought possible and I get annoyed often at the quality of the food that's sold to us. I swear, I could easily jump on the conspiracy theory bandwagon if I wanted to... instead, I feel like the more I learn, the better choices I can make for me. This also means that a lot of people won't agree with what I'm doing but I'm definitely working towards eating a cleaner diet. This basically means little or no processed foods. I've gotten so much better at this already but I it's gotta be tough if you eat out a lot unless you frequent restaurants that serve organic, locally grown foods. While I haven't cut out these foods completely, I try to limit them in my daily nutritional intake. I mostly eat meat, fruits, vegetables, and dairy. I'm not completely organic but I'm working my way there. What I find is that I need to visit the store much more often - I want fresh foods so I don't buy in bulk.
I can say that I RARELY visit a fast food restaurant anymore, not even for their "healthy" menu. I don't want to feel deprived by not having french fries or a taco when visiting McDonald's or Taco Bell so I don't do that to myself. Besides, I don't want what comes with the burger and fries or tacos anymore (filler, ammonia, acrylamide). This doesn't mean that I don't eat burgers or my favorite fries or even tacos anymore. I just try to get them at places that serve locally grown grass fed beef and uses fresh potatoes and make tacos (and burgers) at home (my favorite dish). (I have ground turkey tacos probably once a week LOL).
I also believe in a different philosophy around fat - all fat is not bad for you, so I don't believe in a low fat diet. I actually think our body needs fat, just the right kind though. So, I only cook with coconut oil and olive oil. (I realize that I don't get this same thing when eating out but that's ok). And, I try to use organic butter, milk, cheese, but I don't always. I never buy low fat versions of items because they have some additional processing done to them to remove the fat (and I think the more we process our food, the worse it becomes).
Why organic and locally grown food? Most people think it's more expensive but frankly I've found that as my diet has changed, my grocery bill has actually gotten cheaper. I'm not buying as many things from the mid section of the grocery store (processed food heaven) and instead, spending time with meat, fruit, vegetables and produce. Seriously, much cheaper!! Besides, I've probably said it before, but I'm focused on the long run here as well - even if it did cost me a little more today, it's worth the investment in my health which will be much improved. My recommendation to anyone would be to not take my word for it but to research on your own. Find out what works for you. Also, just because something says organic or natural doesn't mean it's good for you. The organic food industry is actually less regulated than non-organic. You have to find what works and there are a number of watch dog groups out there to tell you the truth about a particular item. Perfect example for me was Horizon brand organic milk found in Safeway (and other) grocery stores. It is organic BUT rated really low by consumer groups because it's actually been ultra-pasteurized (pasteurized twice) and this all but kills the nutrients of the milk!! I was all excited because it lasted a long long time and that was ideal for me because I wasn't drinking a lot of milk. I found out that I might as well not been drinking any milk if I was drinking Horizon since half the nutrients were killed in the processing. I have tried raw milk on a couple of occasions (tastes basically the same to me) but it's not as easy to find (in fact today they were out of it at my local natural grocer). Anyway, you get the point. If you chose to make changes, do so knowing that your nutritional choices may continue to change over time as you learn more.
Well, as promised, here are my pictures. The one's on the left are the initial photos and the ones on the right are the updates.
Front
Side:
And finally, back:
Friday, December 2, 2011
The journey continues
I feel like some of my recent posts have been negative. I don't mean to be negative but changing is a struggle. So many things are frustrating and challenging and I can only express what I'm feeling at the time. I'm actually super excited. I am seeing some differences in my body especially with how my clothes fit. I also have much higher energy and my lung capacity is much improved. I have asthma and each time I have an episode of bronchitis, I can feel that my lung capacity has diminished to some degree. I was getting worried to the point of being ready to call the doctor and talk to her about it. BUT, since I started this journey, I can definitely feel the difference and that pleases me to no end. No asthma attacks and I can take a really deep breath without any hitches.
I have to say a big struggle is getting the nutrition piece right. I'm working on that right now and I'm committed to eating healthier. There's just so much information and so many different opinions out there. Low fat, low carb; low calorie; high protein; vegan/vegetarian; caveman; points... so many choices. How do you find what works for you? And, if you're trying to cut out many of the chemicals in your system and don't necessarily believe fat and cholesterol are bad (depends on the type and source), how do you coordinate those views with many of the mainstream views out there for healthy eating? I know the things that I shouldn't eat (my opinion) and I am avoiding those most of the time. I also know that a balanced diet (healthy eating) should include protein, fruits and vegetables and carbs. I should focus on eating nutritious foods. But that doesn't mean my food can't taste good. Many people equate nutritious with wheat grass and tofu, but it's far from that. I'm learning how to prepare nutritious meals that taste great. And, if you've been reading this blog for any length of time, you know that I have not been the one to eat veggies and fruit. Meat and potatoes baby. Meat and potatoes LOL. BUT, I'm evolving. I go to the grocery store now and laugh because what I used to hear from health "nuts" was that everything I needed was on the inside walls of the store - produce, meat, dairy are all generally around the walls of a store with all the processed stuff being in the aisles. I now mainly stay on the outside and not in the aisles. Not that I don't ever eat anything like snacks or sauces or other processed foods, like bread and pasta. I've just learned to limit them.
It's also important to watch portion sizes (because I really can eat a lot). I never understood the recommendation of 3 meals and 2 snacks a day until recently. I always said that I couldn't do it. I wasn't hungry in between meals... well, it's because my main meals were too big! When I started eating healthier, I found that after a few hours, I'd be ready for a small snack (fruit and nuts, veggies and peanut butter, etc). I feel energized throughout the day and I'm guessing my blood sugar level is staying pretty consistent throughout the day.
Health is a journey that needs to begin when you are very young. Often times it doesn't or it gets lost in our day to day grind, like mine did. On top of that, as we get older our metabolism changes and all the "bad" stuff we eat catches up with us. And, OMG, when I say bad stuff, I really do mean it. I saw someone's comment recently about ammonia in the ground beef served at McDonalds. With all that I've been reading, I'm not surprised, but of course I had to do some research. Learned a LOT and let's just say, I don't plan on eating a fast food burger anytime soon... the scary part is that the comment was true, but even scarier is that the USDA says its ok. It's common industry practice to use ammonia to kill certain bacteria and make the "meat" used in commercial ground beef safe for human consumption. That comment is scary in and of itself. Goodness! How do we know what's safe and what's not... if you're interested, this is one page that I found useful among many others that said the same thing:
http://www.lazy69ranch.com/news.html
Again, moderation is key. I'm not going to have a McDonald's burger anytime soon (or any other FF burger for that matter) BUT, that doesn't mean I'll never have one again. After all, I will need some ammonia to go with my acrylamide (in french fries).
I have to say a big struggle is getting the nutrition piece right. I'm working on that right now and I'm committed to eating healthier. There's just so much information and so many different opinions out there. Low fat, low carb; low calorie; high protein; vegan/vegetarian; caveman; points... so many choices. How do you find what works for you? And, if you're trying to cut out many of the chemicals in your system and don't necessarily believe fat and cholesterol are bad (depends on the type and source), how do you coordinate those views with many of the mainstream views out there for healthy eating? I know the things that I shouldn't eat (my opinion) and I am avoiding those most of the time. I also know that a balanced diet (healthy eating) should include protein, fruits and vegetables and carbs. I should focus on eating nutritious foods. But that doesn't mean my food can't taste good. Many people equate nutritious with wheat grass and tofu, but it's far from that. I'm learning how to prepare nutritious meals that taste great. And, if you've been reading this blog for any length of time, you know that I have not been the one to eat veggies and fruit. Meat and potatoes baby. Meat and potatoes LOL. BUT, I'm evolving. I go to the grocery store now and laugh because what I used to hear from health "nuts" was that everything I needed was on the inside walls of the store - produce, meat, dairy are all generally around the walls of a store with all the processed stuff being in the aisles. I now mainly stay on the outside and not in the aisles. Not that I don't ever eat anything like snacks or sauces or other processed foods, like bread and pasta. I've just learned to limit them.
It's also important to watch portion sizes (because I really can eat a lot). I never understood the recommendation of 3 meals and 2 snacks a day until recently. I always said that I couldn't do it. I wasn't hungry in between meals... well, it's because my main meals were too big! When I started eating healthier, I found that after a few hours, I'd be ready for a small snack (fruit and nuts, veggies and peanut butter, etc). I feel energized throughout the day and I'm guessing my blood sugar level is staying pretty consistent throughout the day.
Health is a journey that needs to begin when you are very young. Often times it doesn't or it gets lost in our day to day grind, like mine did. On top of that, as we get older our metabolism changes and all the "bad" stuff we eat catches up with us. And, OMG, when I say bad stuff, I really do mean it. I saw someone's comment recently about ammonia in the ground beef served at McDonalds. With all that I've been reading, I'm not surprised, but of course I had to do some research. Learned a LOT and let's just say, I don't plan on eating a fast food burger anytime soon... the scary part is that the comment was true, but even scarier is that the USDA says its ok. It's common industry practice to use ammonia to kill certain bacteria and make the "meat" used in commercial ground beef safe for human consumption. That comment is scary in and of itself. Goodness! How do we know what's safe and what's not... if you're interested, this is one page that I found useful among many others that said the same thing:
http://www.lazy69ranch.com/news.html
Again, moderation is key. I'm not going to have a McDonald's burger anytime soon (or any other FF burger for that matter) BUT, that doesn't mean I'll never have one again. After all, I will need some ammonia to go with my acrylamide (in french fries).
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Another wake up call
I'm sitting here at UCSF with my Mom for her prepare appointments for bilateral knee replacement surgery. Thinking about my own personal medical history and reflecting on the death of Chester McGlockton has caused me to really focus on my need to improve my life and my health. As a friend quickly pointed out, I have no idea what caused Chester to die at such a young age. He was in good shape, was focused on improving his health and had lost a lot of weight. He also had a very stressful job and was recovering from significant injuries suffered while playing professional football. What I do know is that it's caused me to think about the need to work even harder towards improving my own health.
I can use myself as a perfect example. I wasn't always so focused on my health. I was working a stressful job and in a stressful marriage. I let my weight get out of control and I stopped working out - because of that I developed high blood pressure. I knew what I needed to be doing. I didn't do it. Like many people, I had a number of excuses - not enough time was my biggest one. And, it was true. I was busy - I worked long hours and traveled for work. I was always on the road. BUT, I know that these were just excuses and if it was important enough to me, I would have done something different.
But this isn't about Chester or anyone else for that matter. The death of others, while painful, can only teach us something about our own lives.
How do we give ourselves the best possible opportunity for a long and healthy life? There are so many things that we can do to improve our health. So many things that are in our control - I have to take responsibility for my own issues - my blood pressure, my weight. These things are in my control - I can improve my health and my life. I know that tomorrow isn't promised but as long as tomorrow comes, I intend to be working on bettering myself.
But this isn't about Chester or anyone else for that matter. The death of others, while painful, can only teach us something about our own lives.
How do we give ourselves the best possible opportunity for a long and healthy life? There are so many things that we can do to improve our health. So many things that are in our control - I have to take responsibility for my own issues - my blood pressure, my weight. These things are in my control - I can improve my health and my life. I know that tomorrow isn't promised but as long as tomorrow comes, I intend to be working on bettering myself.
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