I wanted to take a moment to share a wonderful resource for everyone. The American Cancer Society launched a new interactive website that allows people to hear and share their messages of hope. If you have a minute, be sure to visit http://www.sharinghope.tv/.
Watching Annie's story, it really brings you back to Earth. It makes you realize that cancer can happen to anyone - young and old, sister, father, uncle. It's scary to think that people are going through this each and everyday. But this website offers a message of hope for everyone.
I think it also reinforces why we strive to live healthy lives. I write this blogs in hopes of sharing my story and inspiring others to realize that we can get on the right track to leading a healthy lifestyle. When Annie got her diagnosis, she explained that she took it upon herself to live a better lifestyle. She went on an organic diet, started working out and really made her health a priority - and she noticed the difference.
She delivers such a powerful message and inspiration to us all. Sometimes I think we get so wrapped up with everything else going on in our lives and our to-do lists and our obligations that we forget the simple things. We forget about ourselves. We put off what's important until something major happens, like it did for Annie.
So today, think about what you can do to improve your health, and also what you can do to share hope. No one should have to go through this alone. The internet provides an opportunity to get the help, support and guidance you need. Take advantage of it. And let me know if there's anything I can be doing to inspire you.
Monday, March 3, 2008
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Squeeze It In
I was browsing the ACS website and came across something really interesting. Turns out, I don't have to always spend hours at the gym.
Last week my roommate and I were talking about why it is we don't workout as often as we should. What did it boil down to? Time. In our minds, workouts have to be 45-60 minutes. Plus you throw in the time getting there, getting back, showering, and that takes up 90-120 minutes. That's not something we all have time to do.
But that's now how it has to be. According to ACS, it may work better for some people to break it down into three of four 10-minute workouts. Working out doesn't have to be so daunting and time-consuming. It'd be great if I could get the recommended 30 minutes five days a week, but I could break it up. Chances are I'd be more inclined to get my butt out of bed in the morning 10 minutes early to pop in a workout DVD for ten minutes as opposed to getting up an hour earlier. It's all about the baby steps.
Perhaps that will be my goal for next week. I'll try 10 minutes in the morning, 10 minutes during my lunch break and then 10+ minutes during the evening. Maybe then the task won't seem so time-consuming and I'll have energy throughout the entire day. It's worth a shot, right?
Any tips you have on squeezing in your physical activity?
Last week my roommate and I were talking about why it is we don't workout as often as we should. What did it boil down to? Time. In our minds, workouts have to be 45-60 minutes. Plus you throw in the time getting there, getting back, showering, and that takes up 90-120 minutes. That's not something we all have time to do.
But that's now how it has to be. According to ACS, it may work better for some people to break it down into three of four 10-minute workouts. Working out doesn't have to be so daunting and time-consuming. It'd be great if I could get the recommended 30 minutes five days a week, but I could break it up. Chances are I'd be more inclined to get my butt out of bed in the morning 10 minutes early to pop in a workout DVD for ten minutes as opposed to getting up an hour earlier. It's all about the baby steps.
Perhaps that will be my goal for next week. I'll try 10 minutes in the morning, 10 minutes during my lunch break and then 10+ minutes during the evening. Maybe then the task won't seem so time-consuming and I'll have energy throughout the entire day. It's worth a shot, right?
Any tips you have on squeezing in your physical activity?
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Deceiving
I've decided I no longer care about the number on the scale. This semester has been busy and stressful, leading me to eat more junk than I normally would and work out far less. Actually, I've only worked out twice this semester. I'm not feeling healthy at all, and it's reflected in my attitude toward myself and dieting.
But this weekend when I was home, I stepped on the scale. I've lost 5 pounds since Jan. 1.
I realized then and there that the number no longer matters to me. Yes, I'm five pounds less, but I do not feel healthy. I don't feel good about the "weight-loss" because it wasn't done in the right manner.
A friend and I were talking tonight about how working out doesn't even have to yeild results on the scale. What matters is how you feel about it. Looking back on times when I felt healthy and really felt like I was on the path to leading a healthy lifestyle, I felt wonderful. I didn't necessarily care if the scale budged. I just felt good knowing that I was working out consistently and taking my health seriously.
My hope is that this will serve as a wake-up call for me. I want to feel healthy again. I want to go back to having my calendar filled with stickers (I put a sticker on each day that I workout, which motivates me to keep working out consistently). Mostly, though, I want to feel pride in stepping on the scale, knowing that I lost weight the right way. It's not about a number for me anymore. It's about feeling and being healthy. That's what counts.
But this weekend when I was home, I stepped on the scale. I've lost 5 pounds since Jan. 1.
I realized then and there that the number no longer matters to me. Yes, I'm five pounds less, but I do not feel healthy. I don't feel good about the "weight-loss" because it wasn't done in the right manner.
A friend and I were talking tonight about how working out doesn't even have to yeild results on the scale. What matters is how you feel about it. Looking back on times when I felt healthy and really felt like I was on the path to leading a healthy lifestyle, I felt wonderful. I didn't necessarily care if the scale budged. I just felt good knowing that I was working out consistently and taking my health seriously.
My hope is that this will serve as a wake-up call for me. I want to feel healthy again. I want to go back to having my calendar filled with stickers (I put a sticker on each day that I workout, which motivates me to keep working out consistently). Mostly, though, I want to feel pride in stepping on the scale, knowing that I lost weight the right way. It's not about a number for me anymore. It's about feeling and being healthy. That's what counts.
Saturday, February 2, 2008
Good Intentions
Yesterday two good friends of mine and I were going to detox for the weekend. We all feel like we put a lot of crap into our bodies between the food we eat and all the pop we drink. We wanted to flush out our bodies and then start a healthy lifestyle on Monday.
That was the goal.
We didn't make it.
Initially we didn't think the detoxing would be that hard. For lunch and dinner you have a cup of whole grains (they suggested 100% natural rice), 3 servings of fruit and 3 servings of vegetables. We thought it would be okay. After lunch when I was in the library, however, I realized that I couldn't just go cold turkey on things like carbs, protein and caffeine. I couldn't focus, my stomach was growling and I was just in a terrible mood. Who knew you could feel like that after eating healthy?
Ultimately, the three of us decided that's it's not about restricting yourself. That's something I learned from the American Cancer Society last summer. It's about portion control. It's about listening to your body and knowing when you're hungry and full. So today, I started fresh. I had yogurt and orange juice for breakfast, and then a sandwich and salad for lunch. I don't need to detox to feel healthy. I can just make better food choices.
Here's to a new year...a month later. But, I suppose it's better than waiting another 11 months, right?
That was the goal.
We didn't make it.
Initially we didn't think the detoxing would be that hard. For lunch and dinner you have a cup of whole grains (they suggested 100% natural rice), 3 servings of fruit and 3 servings of vegetables. We thought it would be okay. After lunch when I was in the library, however, I realized that I couldn't just go cold turkey on things like carbs, protein and caffeine. I couldn't focus, my stomach was growling and I was just in a terrible mood. Who knew you could feel like that after eating healthy?
Ultimately, the three of us decided that's it's not about restricting yourself. That's something I learned from the American Cancer Society last summer. It's about portion control. It's about listening to your body and knowing when you're hungry and full. So today, I started fresh. I had yogurt and orange juice for breakfast, and then a sandwich and salad for lunch. I don't need to detox to feel healthy. I can just make better food choices.
Here's to a new year...a month later. But, I suppose it's better than waiting another 11 months, right?
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Nike's Right
Have you ever noticed how hard it is to get into an exercise routine or get back into one?
Tuesday night after a meeting, a friend of mine and I were talking about health. Last year she lost probably 50 or 60 pounds with the help of a nutritionist and working out. She looks fabulous, and I was asking how she jump started her program. I explained that sometimes it's just so hard to motivate myself to get to the gym, especially when it's cold.
Her response was simple: Just do it.
She explained that even when you think the gym is the last place you want to be, you should still drag yourself and at least get on the treadmill or bike for 10 minutes. If you really want to get healthy, you have to do it.
It all seems so simple, doesn't it?
So Wednesday morning my roommate came into my room and said, "Who's ready to go to the gym?!" Obviously this was met with a snarl and a, "Do we have to?" But, we sucked it up and did it.
The first five minutes on the treadmill went surprisingly fast. I felt good that I was finally working out again. But then I took notice of the time... and soon it was all I could focus on. "My gosh, I've only been going 8 minutes?? Now 8 minutes and 23 seconds??"
I'm hoping that by getting into a pattern it won't seem like that much of a struggle to get me there and to stay focused on the workout itself. I did feel great afterwards, so in the end it paid off. Like my friend said, all you have to do is just do it.
Tuesday night after a meeting, a friend of mine and I were talking about health. Last year she lost probably 50 or 60 pounds with the help of a nutritionist and working out. She looks fabulous, and I was asking how she jump started her program. I explained that sometimes it's just so hard to motivate myself to get to the gym, especially when it's cold.
Her response was simple: Just do it.
She explained that even when you think the gym is the last place you want to be, you should still drag yourself and at least get on the treadmill or bike for 10 minutes. If you really want to get healthy, you have to do it.
It all seems so simple, doesn't it?
So Wednesday morning my roommate came into my room and said, "Who's ready to go to the gym?!" Obviously this was met with a snarl and a, "Do we have to?" But, we sucked it up and did it.
The first five minutes on the treadmill went surprisingly fast. I felt good that I was finally working out again. But then I took notice of the time... and soon it was all I could focus on. "My gosh, I've only been going 8 minutes?? Now 8 minutes and 23 seconds??"
I'm hoping that by getting into a pattern it won't seem like that much of a struggle to get me there and to stay focused on the workout itself. I did feel great afterwards, so in the end it paid off. Like my friend said, all you have to do is just do it.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Not As Hoped...
The new year isn't going exactly like I thought it would. But in all honesty, I didn't expect it to start off stellar simply because of my week-long trip. I was fortunate enough to spend a week in Italy on a study tour through school. The walking definitely helped...but all that amazing food didn't.
Two good friends of mine and I are going to kick of the "new year" on Feb. 1. That's when we felt we would be adjusted to the new semester. We're in the process of developing a pretty detailed meal plan (if you plan meals ahead, research shows you're less likely to binge or eat more than you want) and also an exercise plan. I'm hoping that I don't try to take on too much at once, which tends to be my downfall. I'll have all the motivation in the world and make it a goal to work out for an hour on top of drinking 8 glasses of water, incorporating new foods and such. I'm just setting myself up to be overwhelmed after a few days.
Want to know what's really weird, though? I've been eating soup for breakfast. Wrong meal, right? Not anymore.
I read a magazine article a couple weeks ago about how you don't necessarily need to stick to breakfast foods for breakfast. I used to be a big cereal person. I could eat it morning, noon and night. But I think I've exhausted that. Cereal doesn't look appetizing, and I'm not really a breakfast food person (unless it's bacon and eggs, which I don't have time to make...nor should I be making). The article said breakfast is the most important meal of the day, so why not start it off right? No one says you have to limit yourself.
And you know what? I've found in the few days I've done it that it actually works. I feel fuller quite a bit longer and I feel like I have some energy to sustain me throughout the morning. Plus the warm soup is perfect given that we just got a few inches of snow yesterday...
We'll see if I want to stick with the habit.
Two good friends of mine and I are going to kick of the "new year" on Feb. 1. That's when we felt we would be adjusted to the new semester. We're in the process of developing a pretty detailed meal plan (if you plan meals ahead, research shows you're less likely to binge or eat more than you want) and also an exercise plan. I'm hoping that I don't try to take on too much at once, which tends to be my downfall. I'll have all the motivation in the world and make it a goal to work out for an hour on top of drinking 8 glasses of water, incorporating new foods and such. I'm just setting myself up to be overwhelmed after a few days.
Want to know what's really weird, though? I've been eating soup for breakfast. Wrong meal, right? Not anymore.
I read a magazine article a couple weeks ago about how you don't necessarily need to stick to breakfast foods for breakfast. I used to be a big cereal person. I could eat it morning, noon and night. But I think I've exhausted that. Cereal doesn't look appetizing, and I'm not really a breakfast food person (unless it's bacon and eggs, which I don't have time to make...nor should I be making). The article said breakfast is the most important meal of the day, so why not start it off right? No one says you have to limit yourself.
And you know what? I've found in the few days I've done it that it actually works. I feel fuller quite a bit longer and I feel like I have some energy to sustain me throughout the morning. Plus the warm soup is perfect given that we just got a few inches of snow yesterday...
We'll see if I want to stick with the habit.
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Bad Month
I don't know about you, but it's been a bad month for eating. And exercising. Just dieting in general. Which is perhaps why I haven't posted. My apologies.
The first part of the holiday season is over. I left for home on Friday afternoon with the resolve to limit my eating. Finals week was brutal on my diet. Since we didn't have classes and I only had a few meetings, my goal was to at least get back to the gym. My hope was to work out every day for at least 15 or 20 minutes, thinking it was a start.
It didn't happen.
Then the holidays were here. Between the Christmas cookies, pie, turkey dinner, apple cider, hot chocolate and pasta salad (which I'm currently munching on, even though I don't think I'm that hungry) I just feel gross. There's no reason for me to consume all those calories. Yet I always pass it off with, "It's the holiday season...."
Thankfully, though, the new year is right around the corner. And we all know what that means - the resolution to lose weight.
What is sometimes tough is that you can get so excited for the new year. It's a time to turn over a new leaf and really start changing your eating habits. But the tough part is that you almost expect the changes occur. It didn't take me a week or month to put on this weight, and it surely won't take that short amount of time to take it off.
One thing I'm hoping to do differently is set better, and more realistic, resolutions and goals for myself. I kid you not, in the past I had goals like, "Work out 5-7 days a week for at least 30 minutes. Train to run a mile. Lose 50 pounds."
You could say I was a little more than lofty with my goals. While their fine things to work toward, I had the mentality that I could accomplish them by the end of January, and that isn't the case at all.
So, I'm taking what I learned through my GRE studying. When I was reading tips, one suggestion was to set a goal a day and make it specific. Saying "study for the GRE" was much too overwhelming and it prevents you from finding success. Instead it said you should set a goal of just conquering fractions or exponents. Much, much more manageable and you're less intimidated by the task at hand.
To make a long story short, I'm changing my resolution. Each week I think I'll try a new lifestyle change (I'm going to stop saying diet). One week my goal will be to work out three days for 30 minutes. I'll focus on trying to make one healthy change at a time so it's less overwhelming and will hopefully lead to success.
Feel free to share your new years resolutions. We're still all in this together!
The first part of the holiday season is over. I left for home on Friday afternoon with the resolve to limit my eating. Finals week was brutal on my diet. Since we didn't have classes and I only had a few meetings, my goal was to at least get back to the gym. My hope was to work out every day for at least 15 or 20 minutes, thinking it was a start.
It didn't happen.
Then the holidays were here. Between the Christmas cookies, pie, turkey dinner, apple cider, hot chocolate and pasta salad (which I'm currently munching on, even though I don't think I'm that hungry) I just feel gross. There's no reason for me to consume all those calories. Yet I always pass it off with, "It's the holiday season...."
Thankfully, though, the new year is right around the corner. And we all know what that means - the resolution to lose weight.
What is sometimes tough is that you can get so excited for the new year. It's a time to turn over a new leaf and really start changing your eating habits. But the tough part is that you almost expect the changes occur. It didn't take me a week or month to put on this weight, and it surely won't take that short amount of time to take it off.
One thing I'm hoping to do differently is set better, and more realistic, resolutions and goals for myself. I kid you not, in the past I had goals like, "Work out 5-7 days a week for at least 30 minutes. Train to run a mile. Lose 50 pounds."
You could say I was a little more than lofty with my goals. While their fine things to work toward, I had the mentality that I could accomplish them by the end of January, and that isn't the case at all.
So, I'm taking what I learned through my GRE studying. When I was reading tips, one suggestion was to set a goal a day and make it specific. Saying "study for the GRE" was much too overwhelming and it prevents you from finding success. Instead it said you should set a goal of just conquering fractions or exponents. Much, much more manageable and you're less intimidated by the task at hand.
To make a long story short, I'm changing my resolution. Each week I think I'll try a new lifestyle change (I'm going to stop saying diet). One week my goal will be to work out three days for 30 minutes. I'll focus on trying to make one healthy change at a time so it's less overwhelming and will hopefully lead to success.
Feel free to share your new years resolutions. We're still all in this together!
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