2013 FITNESS GOALS

While there are many things that I do consistently, there are other things that I am not so good at.  I have episodes where I overdose on fats and sugars and because I don't make sure to vary my diet I many not be getting some of the essential nutrients to keep my body healthy.

My main priority is to increase my fruit and vegetable consumption, eat more starchy carbohydrates such as wholemeal bread and pasta, eat less processed food, and drink a litre of water every day.

Skin, hair and energy levels suffer from poor eating habits.  Once I establish good habits of eating I should see an improvement in my skin, hair and energy levels.

Lastly, but not any less important, I need to add some form of exercise.

With all these things in mind, I have written my 2013 Fitness Goals:

• Eat breakfast every day
• Eat 5 or more portions of fruits and vegetables a day
• Limit Chips & Burgers to less than once a week
• Use fruit as a snack
• Drink water or herbal tea (lemonade is okay)
• Incorporate mil, cheese & yogurt in daily diet
• Exercise at least 3 times a week
• Cover up when out in the sun
• Wear sunglasses every day
• Exfoliate no more than once a week

Two more days before I weigh-in.

BTW: when I weighed myself this morning I was at 182.6 lbs

2013 FITNESS CHALLENGE

As you know, I work for The Cheesecake Factory Inc.  I started July 16th, making it almost 6 months.  Some of the benefits of working for them is the bounty of food and beverages.  As a result I have gained nearly twenty pounds.  THIS IS NOT GOOD.

Last week a communication went out to all staff members at the Corporate Center announcing the 2013 Fitness Challenge.

The theme:  LIVING HEALTHY TOGETHER

The competition will run from January 2nd through March 29th.

Weight will be assessed by percentage of total loss.

The initial weigh in will be Wednesday January 2nd from 9:30-10:30 am in the galley.

The mid-way weigh in will be on Friday, February 15th and the final weigh in will be Friday, March 29th.

**There will be prizes mid-way and at the final weigh in**

I have made a commitment to myself to participate in this challenge.  There are two reasons:

1.  I need to get fit and healthy enough to participate with Allisa on the Washington DC trip scheduled for the end of March.

2.  I want to look healthy and fit.  When I have been my healthiest I looked great and felt good about myself.

It's time to start taking care of me so that I can do more.

Come join me in this journey.  Comments are welcome and I would love to get status updates on your journey to a healthier you.

DAY 29 - DAY TRIP WITH FAMILY

170.6 lbs

Today me and the family will be getting a little more exercise than I have had for a few months.  We are going a Theme Park.  So a lot of walking...

Walking is good for your health.  Everyone should do some walking exercises every day.  I will let you know how I do...

THIS IS A TEST.

DAY 28 - ROUTINES

DAY 28 - 170.2 lbs

Today is officially my last day on Disability and I will be returning to work on Monday.

Establishing Healthy Habits is really important so that I can continue becoming more fit.  Benjamin Franklin once said:  "Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise".

An essential part of healthy living is establishing good sleep habits.  This means that I can't stay up all night with Victor watching episodes of Voyager or Babylon 5.  Prior to that we were watching Charmed and Grey's Anatomy.

Simple fact: Healthy sleep is just as important to your health as exercise and a balanced diet. You can't live life to the fullest without it.

How much sleep does a person need?

In my home everyone has made declarations on how much sleep they need.  Sometimes this results in heated debates... :)  I say I need 8 hours of sleep; Victor says that he can function on less than six.  My kids try to function on less than 6 hours of sleep.  I know they need more...  So, I have researched the information on the internet (take it as a grain of salt).

MedicineNet.com has this to say about sleep:

"Individuals vary greatly in their need for sleep; there are no established criteria to determine exactly how much sleep a person needs. Eight hours or more may be necessary for some people, while others may consider this to be too much sleep.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) suggests that most average adults need about 7 to 9 hours of sleep each night. Newborn babies, by contrast, sleep from 16 to 18 hours a day. Preschool-aged children typically sleep between 10 and 12 hours a day. Older, school-aged children and teens need at least 9 hours of sleep a night. Women in the first trimester of pregnancy have been observed to need a few more hours' sleep than is usual for them."

There are a few things to remember.  Habits to help get good sleep:

Avoid caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol use before bedtime. Some studies have shown that caffeine consumed early in the day can have an effect on the ability to fall asleep at night. 

Have and adhere to a regular bedtime and waking schedule

Maintain a comfortable sleep environment, including a comfortable temperature

Do not lay in bed awake, worrying about not sleeping (or anything else negative). This produces anxiety that can actually make the problem worse.

Get regular daily exercise (it is recommended that individuals avoid exercise two hours prior to bedtime

DAY 27 - EVALUATION

Although I haven't recorded my progress on a daily basis for the past two weeks, I continue to work on getting fit and staying fit.  One of the things I haven't done in this process is to take measurements and to officially document my progress.  So, today I will take and write down my current measurements so that I can properly assess my progress going forward. 

I know, this is a little gutsy and daring for a usually very shy and reserved person.  However, I must be true to myself.  So, here are today's measurements:

169.6 lbs / 28.9 BMI  (I have a really nice scale that measures four different components)

Chest:  38"
R. Arm:  14.5"
L. Arm:  14.5"
Waist:  36"
Hips:  41.5"
R. Thigh:  24.5"
L. Thigh:  23.5"  (The difference between the thigh measurements could be from the physical therapy)

There has been some weight fluctuation over the past two weeks.  Over the past 4-5 months I have lost nearly 20 lbs.  Some of the weight I lost prior to my surgery on October 28th.  I guess it was about 8 lbs.  I was trying to lose some weight so that there was less weight for my knees carry.  The rest of the weight has been since I have been home on disability.

There are a few things that have changed over the past three months:

1)  There isn't a vending machine in my kitchen - I guess I need to avoid the vending machines at work when I return to work on Monday.

2)  Added a little exercise to my daily routine.  Since getting rid of the crutches and the brace I have gone to the mall a couple times and walked around.  Victor and I have also gone to the Farmer's Market the past few Saturdays.  The walking is helping me to strengthen my left knee.

3)  I love Voltage Mountain Dew.  I was drinking them every day before my surgery.  After my surgery I slept most of the day.  I detoxed my body from the soda.  I still have one every once in a while.  I never drink a whole one any more.  I will open one to drink and then it mysteriously disappears - It turns out that Aislyn enjoys Voltage Mountain Dew and will snake mine when I am not looking.

4)  I have become more aware of the food I eat and I will choose healthier foods when going out.  The grocery shopping has changed a little as well.  We used to fill the cart with cookies and crackers and other snack type foods for the kids.  The problem:  I would eat a lot of those snack foods.  We asked the kids what kinds of things they wanted for after school snacks.  Their choices are pretty healthy.  We buy more fruits and vegetables.  We bought a box of clementines and half was gone in a day.  Yesterday I bought a flat of strawberries.  1/4 of the strawberries were consumed last night.

A few small changes a little at a time will make a difference.  So, I will keep moving forward.

DAY 14 - OVER ATE

Yesterday, Evan was out of school - new semester starts on Monday.  When my kids are home we enjoy each other's company by eating together.

I ate way too much.  So, today I don't feel so good.

In the evening Victor and I dropped the kids off at Golf 'n Stuff.  We went to Topper's Pizza.  Victor ate almost a whole medium pizza.  I had a baked Turkey Bacon sandwich with Kettle Chips and a rootbeer.

We then went to Lassen's to pick up some items.  I love their Molasses cookies.

Then we went to Barne's and Noble.  While their Victor ordered a slice of Pumpkin Cheese Cake and a large Carmel Apple Cider. 

After three hours of play we went back to Golf 'n Stuff to pick up the kids.  On the way home we stopped at the donut shop and picked up a dozen donuts - my favorite...  apple fritters.

Friday was definitely my junk food day.  I am paying for it today.

DAY 13 - EATING RIGHT

Yesterday was a busy day for me.  I weighed in at 171.6 lbs with 38.6 % fat...  nice...

Ryan and Jody Maloney - the happy couple - married on the beach - and me.

Victor and I had a few errands to run before we attending a wedding at the beach.  Because we had a late start one of our stops was to get something to eat.  When Victor asked where I wanted to go and eat I mention a few places that had fruit bowls or salads. 

One of Victor's favorite fast food places is Wendy's.   He likes their fresh cut fries with sea salt.  Their okay.

When we finally got to Wendy's I chose one of their salads:  Apple Pecan Chicken Salad Half-Size

This salad contains: 
Iceberg, Romaine and Spring Mix, Blue Cheese Crumbles, Dried Cranberries, Apple Chunks.
This salad is served with Pomegranate Vinaigrette Dressing
Total calories is about 340.  Not bad for a mid-day snack that tastes really good.  I like this particular salad because it has the perfect combination of sweet and sour.

In the evening we went to dinner with friends to celebrate our birthdays (mine and Victor's).  We went to Wood Ranch.  It can be really hard to eat right here.  The food portions are larger than normal and it can be easy to over eat.

I ordered a House Salad with ranch dressing on the side:  Lettuce mix, fresh white corn, tomatoes, cucumbers, croutons and avacado.

For my entree I ordered Top Sirloin with mashed potatoes.  I had them butterfly the steak and ended up eating half.  Brought the other half for my 16 yr old son to eat. 

Extras that kill the diet:  Barq's Rootbeer, dinner rolls, fried chips (with salsa). 

It is okay to splurge a little - as long as you don't do it every day.