Behold - I have invented something!!!

With Thanksgiving coming, I usually do some sort of legume based "loaf" ( I make it sound so tempting dont I!??!!?  LOL )...but I really wanted something cranberry....BV ( before vegan) I used to make a cranberry balsamic pork loin, and decided to try something with the seasoning combo in that.

Sooo this morning I did it!!!  What follows is what I am calling ( drum roll please)

THANKSGIVING BALSAMIC CRANBERRY LOAF!!!!

1 small onion ( chopped)
8 baby carrots ( chopped)
1 tsp olive oil
1 tbsp fresh rosemary
 ( put all this in a pan and saute it for 10 mins)
1/3 cup LOW SUGAR cranberry jelly
1/2 cup veggie broth
1 can lentils ( any kind)
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 can chick peas
1 tsp salt
cook it all while stirring until almost all the fluid is gone.

Put it all in a blender, and blend on low, til the chick peas are small/mush ( it took me about 30 seconds in the Vitamix)  When it is blended add 1/2 cup of plain rolled oats and blend for about 15 seconds, just to mix it in.

At this point you can cool, fridge, or freeze it...OR eat it.  If you want to top crisped like real meat loaf, brush the top with a touch of olive oil and bake on 400 until it crisps.

Makes about 8 servings.

It is EXCELLENT with an onion gravy, and a tsp of that cranberry jelly mixed in on your plate, right before you eat it!!

Let me know if you try it!!!!  :)

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 178 g

Amount Per Serving

Calories  321 Calories from Fat  20

% Daily Value*

Total Fat  2.2g 3%

Trans Fat  0.0g

Cholesterol  0mg 0%

Sodium  281mg 12%

Potassium  770mg 22%

Total Carbohydrates  55.7g 19%

Dietary Fiber  22.4g 90%

Sugars  2.4g

Protein  19.7g

Vitamin A 24% • Vitamin C 14% Calcium 7% • Iron 32%

Nutrition Grade A

* Based on a 2000 calorie diet

Nutritional Analysis

Good points

• Very low in saturated fat
• No cholesterol
• Low in sugar
• Very high in dietary fiber
• High in manganese
• High in phosphorus
• High in thiamin
• High in vitamin B6

Cravings

Short and to the point....maybe......  ( LOL)

You CANT let your mouth dictate what you eat.  To be healthy you need to eat close to the following amounts of MACRO nutrients.  The vitamins and minerals are MICRO nutrients.  Most Americans are clueless about the Macro nutrients, so we will start there....



You don't get anywhere CLOSE to these numbers on the aptly abbreviated SAD Diet ( Standard American Diet).  Chances are you go over on protein, and carbs and fat, and cholesterol and ( not mentioned ) sugar, and WAY under on fiber.

Here are a few helpful hints.  A chicken breast has about 39g protein.  You just need one of those a day, coupled with an egg (6g) and 3 servings of green veggies ( most green veggies have between 6g and 10g protein) and 2 fruits ( most fruit has about 3g protein).  A "serving" of veggie is a CUP, a FULL measured CUP.  I know it doesn't seem like a lot of food, but if you eat all those fruits and veggies, I doubt you will be hungry.  If you are, eat more of ANY veggie or fruit until you are not hungry.

People are taught from infancy to let how they FEEL dictate what they eat.  Yes, you like a banana, but you FEEL like eating a donut.  Yes you like a baked potato, but you FEEL like eating pasta.  Yes you like some green veggies, but you FEEL like eating pizza.

I cant say this plainly enough,

  YOUR TONGUE AND MOOD ARE NOT QUALIFIED TO MAKE LIFE AND DEATH DECISIONS.  

What you eat, 90% of the time determines your quality of life, and length of life.  Shall I say it again?

WHAT YOU EAT 90% OF THE TIME, DETERMINES YOUR QUALITY OF LIFE!!!!!!

It just takes some focusing on eating for what you will be doing in the next 4 hours to determine what your body should be having.  Just an average day for you, then you need some lean protein, veggies and fruit, or a sandwich WITH veggies and fruit, or a SMALL serving of pasta with a good whole food sauce, and a side salad, and some fruit.  If you are walking 10 miles, doing a hard workout, ( hard workout is at least 90 minutes of you giving it 85% of sheer determination - NOT a walk around the mall) or some physically demanding work... then you will need a little more protein and a LITTLE more COMPLEX ( something that was GROWN) carbohydrates...potato, beans, rice, sweat potato.  A little being ONE extra cup serving of a complex carb.

I know you may not like this idea.  I know you may think, 

 "I cant live like that" 

... but the simple truth is, if you don't, YOU COULD DIE from NOT LEARNING to think like that. 

I get it, it seems hard, I know, I lived it and OVERCAME IT.   The truth is, IT IS WORTH the effort.  YOU are worth the effort.  You think it is hard learning to eat correctly?  Try living in a diabetic body where your feet just got amputated because of circulatory issues and endless pain and burning in your hands from diabetic neuropathy.  I assure you the 2nd scenario is MUCH harder than relearning how to think about food, and right now you have a choice!!!  If you don't change, this and any number of very unpleasant scenarios could be your future.

When you see this.... ( this is one I STILL struggle with from time to time)

DONT think....mmmmm - you need to think HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE AND STROKE.

When you see this...

You need to think clogged arteries, bipass surgery and PAIN.

And when you see this .....

You need to think type 2 diabetes, blindness, shots, amputation.

Think I am being harsh?  Take a look at the top 7 causes of death last year.....

• Heart disease: 611,105
• Cancer: 584,881
• Chronic lower respiratory diseases: 149,205
• Accidents (unintentional injuries): 130,557
• Stroke (cerebrovascular diseases): 128,978
• Alzheimer's disease: 84,767
• Diabetes: 75,578

Over 75 THOUSAND people died from diabetes.  In 2010 only 69k people died from it.  It has increased DRAMATICALLY.  Some of it was Type 1 - the kind a person is born with from a faulty pancreas.  Type 2 is LARGELY PREVENTABLE.  Type 2 is because of how you ate, or you got really old and your pancreas wore out.  As a HUGE part of this statistic is in CHILDREN and people under 30, we can rule out old age, and just put it down to the SAD ( Standard American Diet). 

The SAD isnt just high end fast food and restaurant foods.  All those convenience foods you buy in boxes - those TV dinners, those frozen Entrees  - THOSE are killing you too.  HUGE amounts of sugar, salt and fat, almost no nutrition.

You want more stats. check this out http://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/pubs/statsreport14/national-diabetes-report-web.pdf

I know, you want me to talk about a happy medium, where you can ( literally) have your cake and eat it too.  The fact is SOME people can literally have a single food treat once a week and live a pretty healthy life.  But be honest, CAN YOU REALLY limit it to once a week?  I think most of us do once a week, and it creeps to twice a week, and then all Holiday time frame, and then daily after that - because your body CRAVES that junk.  We are hard wired to LOVE high taste, high sugar, high salt foods because at one point we were like animals, and needed to LOVE occasional high calorie things, because famine happened often.  Now in the US there is no famine and we HAVE to retrain our way of thinking so that we primarily eat what we NEED, not what we crave.

We have no choice, CHANGE how we think about food and how we choose each meal, of be felled by a number of VERY preventable diseases.

If you want help, I do FREE meal plans, and exercise plans - just message me here 

https://www.facebook.com/sharethehealthfitness

PS..... HOPE......

The bottom line is - how you THINK you feel about foods you need to eat WAY less of, in 3 month will be TOTALLY different, because your body only CRAVES what it has eaten in the past 3 months.  Sooo if you cant stand the idea of giving up your Saturday morning donut, it will only be sad for you for a few weeks, and then you just wont care anymore.....case a point - it has been 1197 DAYS since I ate chocolate.  Do I remember it with MUCH love?  YES!!!  Do I care I no longer eat it, NOT AT ALL.  :)  Did I EVER think I could live without it, No, not even a little...but I did - because if I didn't I would absolutely be a diabetic by now if I hadn't stopped.  :)   If you, or someone you know is in a position where you HAVE to stop eating certain things, or if you KNOW you need to - message me...I am happy to walk you through how I did it, and actually STUCK to it :)

Finding an eating plan that works for you....Part 1....

OK so this is the things that most people struggle with the most.

I know I did for years.  No really, like 20 years.  If you don't know my story, flip back some posts.  The short version is - youth and gymnastics kept me very healthy as a kid.  Then I moved countries at age 15 and didn't keep up the same activity levels.  Being young carried me until mid college, and then my size and health changed.  I was about 23.  From that point on I tried, just cutting back on the foods I wanted to eat....it was HARD.  Worked for a while couldn't keep it up - the story of almost everyone's experience with diet.

This was me at 19

I had lost some of the definition I had as a gymnast, but was still very slender.

Soooo we know eating is the hard part, but here is why you HAVE to conquer it....

1. The obvious health issues, heart disease, low fitness, cancer, blood pressure, diabetes are ALL linked to excessive weight gain.  Some cancers are genetic - but quite a few are associated with being overweight.  

2. Working out is AMAZING for your health and strength, but it IS NOT until you control your food that you will change your size.  Food is the component if you want there to be less of you.  When I first started exercising at 35  I lost 26 inches from all over, but not a single pound.  I changed my shape and my size a little, but was still really heavy and too big to be healthy, because I didn't have the food part under control.

3. You DONT want to live your life under the control of food.  And most of us do.  How many people do you know who can literally eat 2 square of chocolate and not touch it again for a month?  Sure we all know ONE!!!  But most of us struggle.

4. Your life and quality of life REALLY depend on the food you eat.  I didnt realize how run down and tired I was, until I fueled my body correctly.  it was like going from a rusty old car body, to a racing car.  The feeling of having energy and strength cant be beaten!!  it is fantastic.  it is one of the reasons I WANT to eat like I do long term, because it is MUCH nicer being in a strong working body, than a weak tired one.  :)

Sooooo how do you do it?  How do you find a way to eat that you can live with?

1. COMMIT TO BEING CURIOUS!  Every diet you ever did and failed, is because you had to do it to reach X weight for X occasion.  You cant start like that, you have to start with CURIOSITY.  You HAVE to have non size/weight goals as your motivation.

2. COMMIT to being curious as to which way you like to eat and try something for 3 full weeks with you motivation being....I WONDER how I might like eating this way, how I will feel physically, and emotionally?  How my energy will be?  How I will like the food?

3. EXPERIMENT!  This series is going to look at several HEALTHY ways to eat, and tell you resources to find plans to try them for 3 weeks.  JUST to see if you like one.  It can be done.  I LOVE the way I eat.  I LOVE the food, the energy, that my body loves it and thrives on it, my overall health, strength, vitality.  

Remember you just have to know you need to make a change.  Forget the scales and the numbers you THINK you should be, FORGET having a size or weight goal.  Go into it being CURIOUS to try something new and commit to seeing how you feel after 3 weeks and base your decision to continue or not based on how good you feel, and your energy and if you have any health issues, if they seem the same or a little better.

Soooo I am taking requests as to eating plans to highlight pro's and cons with.  As a trainer I have a nutrition component in my qualification, and 20 years of failed dieting - so I can tell you a great many things from a nutrition stand point and from what defeated me when I tried something.

My plan is to cover Plant based, Vegetarian, Paleo, Daniel Plan, Low carb, High protein, Whole Food, Portion Planning, Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, Nutra System, Medifast, and the Zone plans.  BUT I am happy to take requests ( comment below) and add in what I know about the plans, and my take on it from a nutritional stand point and whether it is a good long term plan for someone.

Soo if you are considering following on and participating in this series, I want you to spend this week think about some BIG non weight and size goals and plans for yourself.  THE HAVE TO BE UNRELATED TO SIZE AND WEIGHT.  Long term success demands something deeper than a clothing size.

My reasons are - ( I was in early stage liver failure by age 40 from being overweight) to keep my liver healthy, to have energy to do what I want to do, to be strong enough to not be limited by my body, to live on my own terms for as long as I can ( I want to be fit and strong enough to wipe my own butt at 90 if I make it that long!!  Better yet, if I still want to paddle board and do yoga at 90, I WANT TO BE ABLE TO DO IT!!)  if I dont take care of me now, I wont be able to do that.

FIND YOUR WHY and tune in next Monday for  why I chose Plant based eating, and think about giving it a try.  I can tell you it changed EVERYTHING for me about food, cravings, health...EVERYTHING.  

Me today - not skinny, not big, a very average size 10 - BUT...VERY healthy!!  Very strong!!  No longer being controlled by food cravings and having the energy to do ANYTHING I want.  :)

If you need any help, or ideas, or would like me to review a specific eating plan, please comment below of find me on FB at https://www.facebook.com/sharethehealthfitness

See you next Monday!

It's my VEGANVERSARY!!!!

Woo hoo, CELEBRATION!!!!!!  I have eaten on a plan for THREE YEARS!!!!!



HAPPY VEGANVERSARY TO ME!!!!

So when I started this eating thing 3 years ago, if you told me I would stay plant based - I would have called you a liar.

The background is for TWENTY YEARS I had failed at EVERY diet I ever tried.  Lost and regained the same weight over and over - never sticking to anything - lived at the mercy of craving things I knew I shouldn't have, but seemed powerless to resist.

Then things got serious, I had liver issues with the ultimate catch 22.  To fix a liver surrounded by so much fat it is no longer able to work properly, one has to lose weight.  The catch - it is extra hard for a person with a fatty liver to lost weight....cue face-palm.....


I was 39.

So for a couple of years I made small head way making positive changes.  I switched to the awesome all natural whole food based Shake for breakfast - lost 10lbs in 5 weeks.... but was still around 200lbs.  My liver levels dropped a little, I wasn't in imminent danger of liver failure, but still needed to have normal liver range.

Cue me trying a 3 week plan to gently go plant based and eat nice simple whole foods to give my body a rest from all the processed chemical laden junk that we are led to believe is "normal food".  My plan was on day 22 to reinstate eggs, chicken and turkey, to stay dairy and sugar free, and to eat all whole foods.

By day 6 I noticed feeling better, by day 12 I had more energy in years, by day 21 I was 14lbs lighter, my liver levels were normal, my cholesterol dropped 56 points ( it wasn't high to start with) and I knew there was no going back.

Despite knowing I felt better I didn't know how well it would go.  I had NEVER stuck to ANYTHING in my LIFE for a long term commitment.  Yes I was and am still temped at times.  But it is VERY easy to just remind myself WHY I eat the way i do and walk away now.  I never had that before.  I have had small amounts of dairy, a little piece of egg ( veggie fried rice has it, I ask for no egg, sometimes they forget, I pick out the big pieces, but obviously I consume a little - and I am not going to sweat that). But over all I am and have been 98% plant based for THREE YEARS!!!!!

I have never stuck to ANYTHING health related for this long ever!!!  Here is the difference, and my main point here to ENCOURAGE anyone who is in the trenches with battling to eat healthy food....

FIND SOMETHING YOU LIKE - a way that is healthy you think, "I might be able to live like that".  You HAVE to think long term.  If you know you cant ( or shouldn't) eat a certain way for the rest of your life DON'T START IT!

HAVE A GOAL UNRELATED TO WEIGHT!!   - mine is to keep my liver - a rather useful organ .


DONT STOP TRYING!!!!  If you try plant based and it doesn't work for you, try something else.  If that doesn't work try something else - there are MANY paths to health, you just have to LIKE the one you are on.  It took me 20 years to find something I LIKED and that I could live with.  I know to a lot of you how I eat seems extreme, but for me and the way my mind works, I live by one rule...it is either sugar free ( no chemical sugars either) and plant based ( aka vegan) or not.  That is it.  There is no humming and hering and battles of will with myself.  If it fits the rule I can eat it, if it doesn't oh well, game over, end of discussion - I dont WANT it.  ( That part is awesome, to not WANT to eat the high taste, unhealthy food)

I know it is hard to get the eating part of health under control...I remember it so well.  It is SOOOO worth finding something you can live with, because it is like going from seeing in black and white to color.   It is the ultimate freedom to not be driven and ruled by cravings and eating things you know are killing you.

If I can do this - YOU CAN!!!

If you are reading this and need help - message me!  Click the link and then the CONTACT US button.   https://www.facebook.com/sharethehealthfitness

If you are reading this and want to know about going plant based - I have a free guide - see above to contact me.

If you are reading this and need someone to root for you and cheer you on - MESSAGE ME!!!!

My immediate advice for a VERY reasonable plan is to go check out 100 Days of Real Food.  Google it.  AMAZING recipes, all whole food ( including meat and dairy).  Get away from the packaged and boxed junk in the grocery store and start living off the foods our bodies were designed to consume.  You will notice a difference in your energy, your health, your weight, your skin, your hair - EVERYTHING.

DONT EVER GIVE UP!!!!!!

Debi

Making it easy....

Ok deceptive title...in the post food-a-holic world there is no easy.  You will always fight a little against the urges that put you in a spot where you HAD to do something or die from your food relationship.  How about making it EASIER!!

Case and point, although I have a solid eating plan, and healthy lifestyle I LOVE I still have to remind myself from time to time,

"NO, you don't eat candy anymore" or "No, if you eat that, you wont be able to stop and you will binge for weeks".

I may have a healthy life style, but I will always have the occasional thought you have to shut down.  BUT that is THE tool that was missing before, so instead of feeling like the "fight" will never end, I choose to think of it as reminders that I now have TOOLS to use, that work well for me.  So even though some days I eat less healthily than I should, I don't ever have to go to bed feeling lost and overwhelmed about making bad decisions, because I know in the morning I just use what I know NOW.

One of my fave go to tools if "winging it" is leaving me feeling sluggish or weak, is this groovy little plan with the awesome food containers.  It is a portion control way of eating that keeps you well nourished, REALLY full - it is SO much food, and takes the guess work out of calorie counting and exercise and food macros (WHAT?!?!?) yes, it is a thing.

Basically you have 6 containers, color coded for veggies, fruit, meat, carbs (which can also be used for dessert or WINE!) fats, and dairy.  Plus an addition 4 tsp for anything from peanut-butter to jelly, or sugar.  Depending on where you start, you get a certain number of eat container a day, and when you are finished you are really full and nourished, and it is AWESOME for me.

On the more advance road to health, just eating a good range of healthy foods isnt always enough, your body looks and works better if you dont over eat protein, or carbs or fat (macros) - this fab little system makes it easy for beginner AND those further along.

Sooo I was a little too carb heavy for the past 3 weeks, so started back using the container system on Monday and I am feeling much better.  This was my dinner tonight...

http://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipe/vegan-chicken-noodle-soup/

I know, most of you are meat eaters, so throw in a roasted chicken breast and use chicken broth.  Personally I added more veggies.  Either way it was FAST, IT was EASY, and it was an, all natural, healthy dinner.

FIND SOMETHING YOU LIKE - A way of EATING you LIKE.  A way to be ACTIVE that you LIKE.  Then YOU have tools :)

As always if anyone has any questions or needs any help, feel free to comment below, or send me a message on FB.  
www.facebook.com/sharethehealthfitness

I am always happy to help.

Reality, an exercise in awareness and gratitude :)

This is a REALLY important post.

Soooo I know people want to look a certain way.  Slender, toned, perhaps a little muscular.  Perhaps like you looked at a certain point in your youth?  Perhaps better?

Here is something you need to know.  It is NOT worth giving up and being negative about your journey, because you have been at it for X amount of time, and you are not there.

The reality is, NOT everyone can look like this ...


...there are SOOO many factors at work in getting to a super slender, lean, look.  I know this isn't everyone's ideal, but it is what some of you wish for, I know - I kind of do!!

Here is the reality her age, her muscle structure, her lifestyle, her dedication to exercising hard enough to get there, while eating a PERFECT meal plan, all the time, AND the fact she doesn't look like this ALL THE TIME!!!  They all play in to being super lean and toned.

People who are in fitness photo shoots, competitions etc, they have an every day look, and then a photo shoot or competition look.  To get THIS lean, they take from 8 - 16 WEEKS and follow what is called a "cutting" plan, where they reduce the intake of carbs and cut their calories back a little, while increasing cardio workouts AND maintaining muscle building workouts to look like this.

Yes there are a few "genetically blessed" people who don't have to do quite as much work, but for the most part we are talking at LEAST 2 hours of cardio and weight training ( maximum effort) 6 days a week, and ZERO off plan meals, snacks, or treats of ANY kind for 8 - 16 weeks to have this look.  The rest of the time they indulge a little, and while they are still fit and slender, they are NOT walking around looking like a sculpture for an anatomy lesson.

Here is my point...your body is doing the BEST it can, with the conditions you are giving it.  Instead of being down on yourself for not getting to where you want to be have a multi focus approach.   Focus on how far you have come.  Focus on what you CAN DO now, that you couldn't before, keep how you look on the back burner.

Here is my belly, at 46, after 2 kids, working out about 12 hours a week, a mix of disciplines...4 hours of gymnastic, 4 hours of karate, 2 hours of Ariel Silks, 2- 6 hours of training clients (so slight effort on my behalf) and in the summer I add in 4 hours of SUP ( stand Up Paddle boarding).  I do EVERYTHING I do, because I LOVE to do it, and it keeps me healthy...I also eat a pretty strict plan of whole foods, 99% plant based.  I haven't eaten any refined sugar in almost THREE YEARS....you would THINK that I would look like the picture above for all that effort, but here is a picture I just took 5 minutes ago.....

 

I am DELIGHTED with what is it, but it is NOT the lean toned look that so many of us are striving for.  DON'T MISTAKE this post for dis-satisfaction.  It is FAR from that....

I started here at age 41... over weight, with no energy, and not being able to do ANYTHING.... in early stage 1 liver distress.

...and now I am strong, fit, and can do ANYTHING I want.   This post is about NOT giving up, just because you don't THINK you look good enough, or toned enough, or aren't strong enough, or fast enough, or anything negative you can say.  

We are too negative with ourselves, on many levels, but ESPECIALLY regarding our looks and where we want to be.

Yes, I certainly hoped by this level of fitness, I had a little less padding at the tops of my arms, and around my lower belly, but fitness is a JOURNEY, not a destination.  My body has come SOOOO far in the past 5 years, it is AMAZING what it has done.  And the big thing I want to get across to you all today is HEALTHY comes in all shapes and sizes.  Here is the definition of healthy...

1. Blood pressure of 120/80 or lower

2. Cholesterol under 200 ( closer to 150 is better)

3. A resting heart rate in the 70's or lower

4. Having a waist size ( when you suck it in) of 34 inches or less ( your risk for heat disease decreases at 34 inches or less).

5. Being STRONG enough to move your body with effort, for an hour a day.

6. Being FIT enough that #5 doesn't exhaust you.

7. Being HEALTHY enough to maintain these things at an appropriate level for your age, for as many years as you can.

NOTE THERE IS NOT A NUMBER FOR SCALES IN THE EQUATION OF HEALTHY.  Your goals should include, but not be limited to those 7 things.  If you have all 7 of those, it DOESN'T MATTER what the scales say.  IT DOESN'T MATTER IF YOU STILL HAVE A LITTLE LOSE SKIN OR A ROLL HERE AND THERE!!!! 

BEING HEALTHY IS ENOUGH, regardless of what your body looks like.  DON'T sabotage your morale and efforts by being negative about your progress or continued effort.  I cant say it enough...BEING HEALTHY IS ENOUGH!!!!

I am 46

I have 2 kids

My blood pressure is 107/72

My Cholesterol is 103

My liver levels USED to be 98 and 92 ( early liver failure) they are now 18 and 20

My waist is 32 - 33 inches

I wear a size 10

I HAVE ROLLS WHEN I BEND IN THE MIDDLE!!!!

MY ARMS ARE SQUISHY AT THE TOP - even though I can do gymnastics and Aerial Silks.

I WEIGH between 175 and 180lbs!!

I am not the most toned, iron bodied,  trainer you will ever meet.  But I AM one of the most encouraging :)  And I am ENCOURAGING YOU to take where you are, and to focus on getting HEALTHIER and to keep that focus as your goal.  NOT some size, NOT some weight.  HEALTH!!!!  

 I AM HEALTHY AND I AM ENOUGH...EXACTLY LIKE THIS!!!

Let me hear you all say it!!!  IF I AM HEALTHY, I AM ENOUGH!!!!!

Type it in the comments below!!

Top Tips for staying on track while on vacation.....

Sooooo you are on vacation.  I know, I know, you want to kick back, not worry about anything and eat with reckless abandon.  After all it is a VACATION right?

Here is why you shouldn't....Yes it takes 21 days to make a good habit, but you can derail that habit in 48 hours.  Sad but true.

1. Set some boundaries.  Yes have fun but DONT do anything that will make it hard for you to get back in healthy habits once you are home and regretting those 7lbs.  Decide ahead of time what you will allow and wont allow. My big tip here is just DONT do anything that has been known to cause to you binge.  For me this is sugar.  I dont eat it.  Not ever, not even on vacation.  The price I pay for it is TOOOO high.  ( Literally weeks and months of being off the wagon, so I abstain all the time).  For me, I eat bread rolls as a treat.  I know, life on the edge eh?!  It is a simple treat I dont allow myself daily.  When on vacation, I have crusty fresh bread.

2. Take the stairs.  As much as possible.  I will be on a cruise ship, sometimes I have to go up 10 decks, which would be 20 flights of stairs.  If I have time I will, but not always.  I dont EVER take an elevator to go down.  I always walk down the stairs.  The tip here is walk as much as you can.  Find as much fun physical stuff to do, and walk as much as you can :)

3. Remember EVERYTHING counts.  EVERYTHING adds up, good and bad, and no amount of relaxing and binge eating is worth the extra effort you will have to expend to fix things when you get home :)  This is easier when you have an over all mind set of food as fuel, not pleasure.  It used to be I couldn't fathom HOW people could get there mentally, but as I am not in that spot, I can tell you the FASTEST way there is to have solid goals that are TOTALLY unrelated to size and weight.  For example, I avoid sugar because I am an addict.  I avoid dairy because my joints hurt more when I eat it, I keep my nutrition quality high because I feel AMAZING and I love being able to do thing many 46 year old women cant do.  When I look at this 4 times a day on a cruise ship

THE thing that stops me from going in face first is focusing on how I love feeling amazing and healthy and strong and eating this will take that away.

Sooooo there you have it.  3 simple things you can do to minimize vacation damage.  :)

For more help getting fit, stop on by my FB page and message me if I can help you on your fitness journey.

https://www.facebook.com/fighththefluff

Progress....

So lets talk about progress this morning. You can never ever compare yourself to someone else. Even the tiniest thing is progress. This lesson has come back around a couple of time in the past weeks, for me. 

So I started learning Aerial Silks in September, with my 11 yr old. We were neck and neck for the first month and after that she took off and left me in the dust. One of the classes we took there was a girl closer to my age who had been going for a month. I don't get to work out with her as often, but when I did last week, she could totally scorch me on climbing ( which let me tell you is NO JOKE - I come down off those things breathing so hard you may think my lungs may fly out!!) BUT I can flip upside down as easily as blinking, and she cant....YET!! Different people, different areas of strength, different progress, BUT STILL PROGRESS!!!!!

We ALL progress at different rates, don't EVER be discouraged at what you do or don't see on the scales, on the tape measure, or you perceived progress. The truth is, the LITTLEST THINGS mean HUGE changes inside. 

Last night my gymnastics class was working on kicking to handstands on mini parallel bars. Even though 30 yrs ago I was a gymnast, 6 weeks ago, I could only kick up with a booster block AND a little leg push from a spotter. Last night, I only need the booster block!!!!! It is a SMALL step, but I CAN SEE PROGRESS!!! Even though I hadn't trained on that move in 6 weeks, my over all physical activity has increased my strength and kicking and I sailed up as easily as blinking....soooo here is what you can take from this....

1. Building strength, stamina, endurance, a stronger heart, a lower BP, etc...ALL HAPPENS as long as you KEEP GOING. While there are some things you have to train specifically for to get good at NEVER underestimate the power of just keeping on training and doing what you love smile emoticon CHANGES ARE HAPPENING STRENGTH IS BEING HARNESSED smile emoticon

2. The little things ADD UP!!! I don't hashtag EVERYTHING COUNTS for nothing, because it does EVERYTHING good and bad adds up. Start putting little marks on your GOOD side smile emoticon

3. Even if you don't think you see progress, or you think your progress is too small to mention, know that thinking is INACCURATE! You cant learn to run without walking, you cant learn to walk without standing, you cant learn to stand without MONTHS of falling, wobbling, leaning, being lead, cruising furniture. So JUST KEEP GOING!!! KEEEEP GOING!!! KEEEEEEEEP GOING!!!!!!!

4. You have nothing but time. Sure we would all like to push an easy button and wake up tomorrow an ideal size weight and fitness level. Sadly that doesn't happen....but the good news is, you don't have to be at X level by next Friday lunchtime! This is your world, YOUR STORY.... you write it!!!!

My daughter will pass her level one skills test in Aerial Silks in the next month or so, and in truth , it will probably take me until well into the summer or fall before I am ready. But it doesn't matter, I am having fun and INCHING (literally) forward and every time I do a move and fail I am getting a tiny bit stronger, a tiny bit fitter, a tiny bit closer.

The time IS GOING TO PASS, spend it making teeny steps of progress - it IS worth it and it ALL adds up