Let's get this goal started, SPECIFICALLY

Let us begin with a SPECIFIC goal.  What is your long term goal?  If you are reading this blog, then I suggest it be fitness related as that is what we will be focusing on here.

I will be using a general goal here as an example.

My goal is to lose 10 pounds (not specific enough)
My goal is to lose 1-2 pounds per week (better, but needs more)
My goal is to lose 1-2 pounds per week in the next 5 weeks. (This is a very specific goal)

Hmm…needs more.  What is my plan to lose the weight?

I need to think of the things I might like to do.
I like the gym (but I don't know what to do there)
I like exercise videos
I like basketball
I like running
I like walking

I will begin with exercise videos that I can get from the library, Netflix, or Goodwill.  On good weather days I will walk outside 15 minutes in one direction and 15 minutes back.  I will do this 4 to 5 days a week before work.

Nutrition
I will focus on adding more fruits and vegetables to my diet
Right now I drink 1 beer every night, I will focus on drinking one beer every other night instead

Oops, I almost forgot to mention why I want to achieve this goal!

The very first reasons that have driven me to achieve this goal is to rid myself of the guilt.  I feel so guilty about my weight and how sedentary I have become.  I am tired of my feet hurting when I stand for long periods of time.  I want to go places and feel confident about myself.  Also there is this vacation and it involves Hawaii and a beach and a long flowing white swimsuit cover up I will be wearing.

Next post will be MEASURABLE.

Please feel free to give me feedback in the comments and/or on my Facebook page.  https://www.facebook.com/yourfitnessstory

Autumn and Pumpkin Spice

Ahhh, the promise of Autumn.  Yesterday I was enjoying a rainy morning with my sister, which was a welcome change with all of the brush fires Washington has been experiencing.  She was telling me how Fall is now her favorite season and how she was excited for the burst of color that happens this time of year.

As I reflect on last year, my second year of personal training, my first year working in a fitness center, I can see sort of a pattern.  The way I thought it was going to go, and how it actually went were very different.  For instance, my business didn't really pick up until the end of September.  Then in January when everyone states that New Years resolutions bring in the crowds, that was not true for my experience.  January was my weakest month.  Summer is another time of year where people just don't make it to the gym…it's pretty obvious why.

With the Autumn upon us and all those pumpkin spice latte's everyone talks about swigging down, I sure hope they plan to get their workout on!  I too dream of sitting in a coffee shop, or wrapped up in a blanket on my couch with a cup of hot chocolate in my hand, watching the fire dance in the stove while I read a good novel.  But then I hear the record scratch and get jerked back to reality.

While there is a time and a place for those moments that seem to be too few and far between with work, after school activities, homework, dinner prep, menu planning, laundry…you get the picture, there is an even bigger need for goal setting.  I assure you it is not enough to just say "Winter is upon me and I am going to take these next 7 or 9 months to really get in shape!" and wait for our bellies to magically shrink.  It doesn't work that way.  We need goals and we need them to be specific.  The only way I have ever been able to succeed in anything I set out for, was to plan a goal that included specific ideals and processes to get what I wanted.

Next post will be the beginning of goal planning…stay tuned!

I gave in, but I didn't give up.

Have you ever seen that episode on Different Strokes (excuse me while I date myself) where Arnold was sneaking powdered doughnuts and tried to lie about it, but the evidence was all over his face?

Yesterday I was that kid…sort of.

I was struggling in a major way with the weather and just plain being hungry because my body was resisting letting go of some poundage.

 No amount of self talk was working.

  I figured that out when I grabbed the rice out of the fridge, and had a spoon dipped in before I realized what was coming for the weight gain producing hole in my face.

At this point I decided to go with it, log it and face my lumps.  But before that, I was sure to portion it out with a little bit of my vegan refried beans (no oil, only beans, onions, garlic, and spices).  

The day before that, my daughter had earned student of the month and I brought her some individual chocolates.

I was in my car and decided to look in the mirror to see if there was any evidence of the three chocolates I ate.  There was none.

I had to run.  There was no other option.  If I was going to have any defense against the scale this week, I had to get a good calorie burn, because by the end of lunch time I was already down to 299 calories left in my bank :(.

But here are some good things I accomplished.
#1. After blogging earlier this week about binge eating, I decided I probably better not do it.
#2. When my family wanted Taco Bell for dinner, so did I…so.   did.   I.
  I told myself I could go home, and make my own burrito with not only less calories, but WAY less chemicals and no animal products. This made me not put in an order for myself.  And the rule of no eating in the car made the drive home easier.
#3.  I also told myself that Fridays are usually my relax day and that I should just wait it out before splurging because tomorrow we were going to dinner at my favorite restaurant.
#4.  I am accountable to each and every one of you.  Just as you are accountable to me.
#5. A new idea was born!  There is a number that I need to include into the calorie plan for me as well as all of you, it is Calories to Maintain Weight.  If you have a struggle like my day was yesterday, allow yourself to eat your calories to maintain weight for that day.

My hope is that by sharing my struggles, maybe you guys can relate and find a way out of the difficult times, and your mind will become stronger in the defense.  Just as you exercise your body, your mind is equally important.

Big dreams, Big Goals mean Big changes.   Please be conscious of your eating habits.  Please push through the struggles.  Please correct one foul move with 7 good ones.

Sincerely bearing it all,
Jolene

My struggles today

When I have extra time, especially when summer nears, I love to look at cute summer dresses and dream of looking cute in them.  This is part of what keeps me on task.

Today I ate my usual fruit sandwich and logged it into My Fitness Pal.  I had only a little over 1100 calories left after my whopping 185.  I went to the gym and led a class ( a darn good one if I don't say so myself!) and when I was done I was hungry.  As I leave the parking lot the thoughts of food enter my head.  The biggest one is the doughnut.  My kids will tell you they get to eat a doughnut once or twice a year simply because they are my weakness, so I avoid them like the plague.  I started my binge-eating thought process about how I have done so good and really just one is not going to hurt. And in the deepest part of my mind I told myself "If no one is watching, do the calories count?"  I know enough to know that I will not be able to work off that doughnut, even with the three hundred calories I will eventually burn today, it would only put me at maintain…and I need a lose!  And by the way, I did not do good previously!  I was absolutely destructive over the week end.

As I drove out of the parking lot I asked myself two questions.
1. Why are you doing this? (coating calories, trying to lose)
Answer: I really want to prove to myself that I can make better choices, and the inches won't come off without the change in my diet.  Not to mention I BETTER practice what I preach.

2. What can I do, or think at this moment to change the sabotage that is sure to come if I don't deflate these thoughts…ha ha deflate!!
Answer: Think of the food I can have, the stuff that doesn't cost me. like fresh veggies or fruit.  I know that if I can just get it into my mouth it will at least take away the hunger pain.  Think, your car needs to go home, and no where else.

By the time I got home I needed to do something.  I first went for the soup I made last night, then remembered that I could really fill myself up and have so much more if I had a salad with veggies!  I ended up having a huge bowl of lettuce with celery, green onions, and some seasoned veggies that I had water sautéed a few nights ago.  I put a couple of tablespoons of Nutritional yeast on top and viola!  It filled me up nicely.  That was at 10am.  By noon I was wanting food again, now it was lunch and now I would eat the soup (Soul soothing african Peanut Stew by Angela Lidon Oh She Glows cookbook).  This soup is very comforting, and very healthy, 1 cup at 271 calories was very satisfying.  I am now craving sweets and dreaming about cinnamon toast crunch (what is it even doing in my house?!!!) but instead I am going to have some free grapes!  I had a cup of black coffee earlier, and will have some plain herbal tea here pretty soon.  Drinking water is best.  Sometimes I shake it up with plain herbal tea :)

I decided to Google "weight loss blogs" into my computer.  This is the first one I clicked onhttp://www.canyoustayfordinner.com/2014/11/05/how-to-recover-from-binge-eating/  Binge eating…something I struggle with?  You betcha!  I am not certain that I knew that…er…admitted that until I read the blog of what she goes through when she is on a binge.  It was scary to how well I could relate.  You can read the article, she makes some pretty good points but it got me to thinking.  I don't do it near as much as I used to, and when I do I think of some key things I have done in the past to help prevent it.  It's mostly mind work, but I am going to try to recollect and list some things here.  Please excuse the messiness of this blog and my thoughts…they are pretty raw.

1.  Entitlement.  We all have entitlement issues, especially when it comes to eating.  I try to remember to ask myself why I think I should be allowed to have this.  So here is an example.

 I have a goal, 2 pound weight loss this week.  The week goes by and it was a success!  I only lost 1.5 pounds, but I stuck to everything I was supposed to.  I start next week, Monday I do great!  Tuesday is here and I can feel my weight beginning to budge, I can feel it because I am darn hungry!  NO, a celery stick isn't going to cut it this time!  I deserve just a few crackers, or something sweet, I have done good!  How about a bowl of cereal (a very personal weakness that turns into two bowls) just one little bowl.  Begin inner dialogue
"The weather is really crappy, and you know how you crave sweets when the weather is bad."
"You worked out today, there has to be some calorie allowance in there."
 "Okay, just grab a handful and eat them dry."

Enter reality, and the keys to prevent acting on my addiction

  Then I have to ask myself…
"What number did you want to see on the scale at the end of this week?" (this is attention to my goal)  "Why do you feel you are entitled to this cheat?"
 "Is there any other food you can grab?" (fruit, a small handful of nuts if it fits into my calorie allowance, celery stick, prepared soup)

When that thought doesn't work, I have to send in reinforcement:
"Go to the refrigerator, grab a stick of celery, or a carrot, or heat up some soup, DO IT"

So I do it, then I feel better.  I have succeeded.

I don't want to talk about what happens when I don't listen to that voice, but I listen to the one that goes for the cereal.  I am left with an angry, guilty conscience.  I wish I would have at least tried my other method first.  I am tired and crashing from my sugar high.  Now all I do is crave sugar the rest of the day, and many more repercussions we all have them.

2. Plan ahead.  This can be challenging.  We all have lives, but let's face it.  If we want the big changes we envision, then we need to make sacrifices and big changes in our lives.
Prep your food!  Make little meals for yourself that already have the calories counted.  I am not good at doing it all in one day for the week, so I do things in the morning, like make a salad, or a sandwich.  The easiest thing for me to make ahead is Soup.  One of my favorite soups is cream of asparagus by Dr. Fuhrman.
Cream of Asparagus Soup 
Ingredients 
1 pound fresh asparagus, chopped 
2 tablespoons Dr. Fuhrman's VegiZest (I use Krogers zesty seasoning only 1 tbsp)
2 cups water 
1 tablespoon Bragg Liquid Aminos 
1 cup unsweetened soy, almond or hemp milk 
1/4 C almonds 1/4C cashews, or 1/2 C of one kind of nut
4 pitted dates 
chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish 
Instructions 
Simmer asparagus, VegiZest, water, and aminos in a soup pot until asparagus is tender. Blend in a 
high-powered blender, with soy milk, cashews, and dates, until smooth. Garnish with cilantro before 
serving. 
I typed in this link to find the asparagus recipe, and if you scroll through the comments you will find several yummy looking recipes!!!

3. Leave (go to the library or anywhere away from your kitchen) or find a way to be incredibly busy doing whatever keeps your interest.

I came home today cold and hungry.  I had already eaten a good sized breakfast (a fruit sandwich with 1 tablespoon of peanut butter) so the excuses weren't even coming!  For me a warm cup of herbal tea will not only fill me up, it will soothe me, and help me to get warmed up.

 I took my tea into my office and got away from the kitchen.  If you work outside the home, make sure you have your lunch pre made AND bring a snack that will help you resist the doughnuts someone brought in for Sue's birthday.  When I helped out at the school for family fun night, I just knew there was going to be a lot of sweet treats there, so I ate dinner before I left, and shoved a 100 calorie packet of chocolate covered pretzels in my pocket, not so that I should eat them no matter what, but because I know myself and I wanted to have a weapon.

 I am not big on hundred calorie packs, or processed food, but I am also realistic, and I knew that crappy processed food was going to save the day when I needed it to.  It wasn't long before my 12 year old was asking me to hold her cupcake for a second.  It was at that moment that I patted my pocket and smiled.  I survived that night AND had a few calories left over for when I got home :)

So I will close for now, and hope I have time to write more tomorrow!

Why January?

It seems like every year on the day after Christmas I have at least two thoughts that go through my head.  The first thought is "Wow, Christmas has already come and gone!"  I have visions of all the preparation, and anxiety leading up to that day.  The second thought is, "Now I have a huge mess to clean".

If you are thinking like me, you have a few things on your to do list, but you are also thinking about how thankful you are that you have made it through another holiday season and will be happy to get back to a life where sweets aren't jumping in your face every time you turn around.

I have been thinking about why people return to the gym in a more concentrated fashion in the month of January as opposed to other months.  I know part of it is New Years resolution, but I think there is a little more to it than that.

TIME:
Now that the tree is back outside where it belongs, there is no more shopping to be done, and you can get back to sanity, you now realize there might be a little more time opened up in your schedule!

HOLIDAY HELPINGS:
How many sweets did you receive this season?  How many did you bake?  How many did you eat?  What about Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner?  What about all the holiday parties?  These are the thoughts that plague us and ultimately drive us into the gym.

It's continued attendance that eventually becomes a problem.  How do we get to the gym and stay there?  No two people are the same, but there are some similarities in methods to keeping ourselves committed.  The biggest aid to body shaping success is having a goal!

The best kind of goals are S.M.A.R.T goals.

This is a good place to start, and for accountability you can always call me!

5 common set backs made by people with the best intentions

1. More is more!!!!
Now when it comes to physical fitness, I am not going to say less is more, however there are certain guidelines one should follow, especially when beginning a new workout program, or returning from injury, or a sedentary vacation.  A bad example would be; using the most advanced level of that killer workout video so results can be seen NOW, only to suffer injury or burn out before the light of a smaller pant size can ever be seen.
 What I have learned with using NASM's OPT model is that there are so many acute variables, that one could start off at a reasonable pace, gently progressing each variable (speed, time, resistance to name a few) to ultimately reach their goal.
 I have noticed with this approach that progression happens much faster than first anticipated.  Also, when one begins their journey at a reasonable pace, they can much easier see ways to progress.  For instance, one might say to themselves, "I have been doing the same thing for a week, I think I will add 2 more minutes to my time on the treadmill."

2.  I sweat, therefore I will reach my goal faster!!
I understand wanting to hit that goal NOW whatever it may be.  No matter if one is striving for a smaller physique or lean muscle tissue, both goals benefit from fat loss.  There are three successful ways to lose fat and they all work together.  First and most obvious is nutrition, second is resistance training, third is cardiovascular training.  With nutrition you probably won't sweat…unless you are fighting the urge for a doughnut, or have eaten a hot chili pepper.  In that case it's okay.  What I am referring to is people on cardio equipment with jackets, hats, and heaven forbid - the sauna suit-…I admit it, I did the sauna suit in the 90's because I believed if I could make myself sweat faster then I must be reaching my goal faster.  Let's break this down.  How do we lose weight?  Calories in/calories out, right?  RIGHT.  How do calories go out?  By getting your heart rate up?  YES.  By sweating?  nope.  If calories went away purely from sweating, then I know some high temperature people who should be skinny as rails.  Sweating is simply the body's way of displacing heat so that your heart can focus on your precious organs instead of having to work harder to get around it's heat issue.  So, let yourself sweat, but keep cool for as long as you can.  Stay hydrated!  For all the sweat you lose, it needs to be replaced.

3. I will make up a goal as I go along.
Goals are very important.  Goals are sort of a form of hope, and hope is the key to survival.  A great place to start is a SMART goal. (or type http://topachievement.com/smart.html) I had to write about 20 of these while I was in school.  I had to write them for myself, my test clients, and my imaginary clients.    As frustrating as it was I could easily see the value in this approach.  A SMART goal is an excellent way to communicate with a personal trainer, what it is that a client needs and wants.  It also is a great vessel to help them know exactly what it will take to reach their goal.

4. I don't need resistance training, I just want to lose weight.
How fantastic it is to think we don't need something just because in the past it seemed to work fine.  I will not argue that one can lose weight simply by running their hind end off.  I will say some pretty awesome things about weight training.  1. It puts on muscle, no, the individual will not bulk up (that takes a tremendous amount of work) 2. Muscle burns fat while at rest.  3. Weight training (when starting out with stabilization) improves posture and prevents injury.  4. One will be rewarded by the strength to lift and do things they previously could not.

5. The hardest thing will give the best results.
People should use caution here.  If a person decides to do something challenging, they should make sure they know what they are doing, and that they have worked their way up to it.  There is nothing more embarrassing than falling from a one legged squat on the BOSU when one has never previously stepped on the thing.  The gym floor may be carpeted or padded, but it is still hard!  That stair climber may be a better form of cardio because it strengthens ones legs and gives them muscle, but if they get off with a back ache, then that machine is not right for them at this time.  I say at this time because there could be a couple of correctable reasons for back pain.  1. Poor form (hunching etc…) 2. The need to strengthen the back muscles.  There are many fabulous ways to get desired results, they may not all be easy, but they also should not cause joint or back pain.

A good guideline for how often to exercise should be 30 minutes low intensity cardio 3-5 days a week (for the beginner), and resistance training 2 - 3 days a week with a rest day in between each resistance session.  One can do cardio on their resistance training rest days, however there should be at least 2 (*active) non cardio or resistance training rest days in the 7 day week.

*Active- still maintaining light activities, house cleaning, yard maintenance, work demands etc.


Hopefully you can see the overarching theme of this article.  Please take good care of your heart, joints, back, muscles, and remember there are several paths to achieving your goal that are healthy and injury free!

If any of this is confusing or vague, please feel free to comment or email me privately yourstoryfitness@hotmail.com