Sunday, October 30, 2011

Scary, Spooky Halloween Speed Bumps!

This year, more than others in the past, I am being hit with Halloween temptations at every turn of the screw!  Candy at work, candy at nail salons, treats at every office I walk into.  People in stores offering free candy.....you get the picture!  Is it more pervasive this year?  Or am I just more sensitive to it?

Tomorrow is Halloween and I plan to work out with my trainer after work, then come home and keep the outside of the house dark, so as not to attract kids.  In years past, we always went to one of our sibling's houses where the little kids were.  Now that they are grown and live in other states, we simply keep the house dark. 

So, yesterday, Saturday morning, I did my normal hour of cardio followed by an hour with my trainer.  BUT, my trainer had a personal emergency to deal with so she was a no show ( a rare occurrance!).  There were 6 of us who were going to be doing team training that morning and we all huddled around to compare notes.  The other women were about to disperse and I said...Hey why don't we all just train together?  4 of us ended up working out together.  It was fun.  They all looked to me for suggestions on how to combine sets, so I referred to my notes from previous workouts and put some of my favorite together.  We all ended up having a good workout and a lot of fun!  I especially enjoyed it because I envision that when I retire from the corporate world, I will become a certified trainer, so it was a tiny glimpse into my future, God willing!  I enjoyed giving the other women positive reinforcement, becasue that is what I like to receive. 

There is a great little book by Blanchard, called Whale Done!  It is the story of how the trainers at Sea World get the killer whales to perform the way they want them to.  It is 100% positive reinforcement.  They actually say, would you want to get into the water with a killer whale after making them mad at you???  :-)

So, as you think about your journey, remember to give positive reinforcement to yourself as you navigate your healthy choices.  You will respond better with love and encouragement, not self criticism and upset.  If you skip a workout, don't get mad at yourself, just recognize that your body needed to take a break.  If you eat something off plan, don't get disgusted, simply acknowledge that you nurtured yourself in a different way.  Always remember to love yourself enough to return to your healthy journey.  That is the ultimate expression of love - to love yourself enough to care about being healthy!

Desire to be positive. Dedication to to realize you are worth the effort.  Discipline to always reinforce with love.

Sunday, October 23, 2011

Hurray for Pumpkin Season!

Every October I look forward to the flavor of pumpkin, and winter vegetables in general!  In previous years, I couldn't wait to have a pumpkin scone at Starbucks.  I would allow myself to have just one (490 calories, thank you very much!)  This year, they did not have the same appeal as previous years, so I did not indulge in my annual pumpkin scone. 

This morning at breakfast, the restaurant was offering hot pumpkin muffins fresh out of the oven.  That got my attention!  Allen and I split one, and boy oh boy was it great!!!  I was so happy!  There is nothing like that pumpkin flavor.  And, yes, I did figure it into my daily nutrition record!

Last night, I roasted a leg of lamb and served it with roasted veges including butternut squash, red and gold beets and onions.  Delicious!  I took the greens from the top of the fresh beets and cooked them up with onion and roasted garlic and a little olive oil - a big hit too!  The roasted butternut squash hits my taste buds in the same way that the pumpkin flavor does!  It is just such a rich yummy delicious flavor! 

Last week I was at a seminar all week.  I was so proud of myself.  I ate clean and healthy the whole week through!  I did not give in to any of the morning donuts, bagels, apple fritters or danish.  I resisted the daily snack offerings of candies, cookies and pretzels.  I did not have wine in the evening when everyone around me was.  I was very fortunate.  One of the people in charge was kind enough to have a fresh vegetable tray for me each afternoon, so I happily munched on celery, sugar snap peas, brocolli and carrots while the others were hoovering up the M&M's.  I also got in my workout each evening.  I was lucky to be at a hotel with a great gym!

Random question - in your workouts, have you ever done the thing where the trainer puts an elastic band around your waist to basically tether you and the makes you "run" away with high knees for 60 seconds at a time?  Sounds easy, but it is a killer!  :-)

Desire to enjoy seasonal flavors.  Dedication to avoid the food trash all around us all the time. Discipline to embrace my veges.

Saturday, October 15, 2011

Back to Reality!

If we had unlimited funds and unlimited calories to spend, we would have stayed on the islands!  But, alas, reality dawned early on Friday morning as we headed back to work for just one day prior to a weekend!

Re-entry is unreal.  I still feel as if I am moving slowly, sort of swimming through Jello, or something like that.  On Friday morning, I opened my food journal and wrote: back to reality, back to skinny, back to discipline!  I knew that Friday was back to the straight and clean food road.  I didn't have any trouble jumping back to healthy food choices.  But I would be lying if I didn't admit that I miss the mai tais and other island treats! 

If we could have them everyday, then it wouldn't be a treat, right???  So, I am eating very clean until Thanksgiving Day.  That will be my next stop for culinary treats!  I can say "no thank you" to Halloween candy.  For some reason it doesn't tempt me.  Thank goodness!

Next week, I am attending a seminar and staying in a hotel.  So, today I prepared my baggies with 1/2 cup of oatmeal, and baggies of protein powder with psyllium husk added.  I will have the oatmel (150 calories) for breakfast and probably again for dinner.  The protein drink will be my afternoon snack.  I will have salad with lean protein for lunch.  It will be a great opportunity to control my portions and calories.  It will help to balance the excess of vacation.

This morning it was also back to the gym.  I did my normal Saturday morning cardio and weight training.  It felt really good to be back to that routine.  I really think our bodies crave routine and consistency to work at peak levels.

Desire to achieve balance.  Dedication to consistency and routine.  Discipline to jump right back to healthy choices following a vacation.

Sunday, October 9, 2011

Hiking and Snorkeling and Kayaking, Oh My!!!!

Aloha from fantasy land. I am celebrating my birthday on Oahu this year. For the first 4 days, we played on Waikiki at the Hilton Hawaiian Village with our newly promoted Admiral, Allie. We did lots of fun things and had a ball! On Saturday, my birthday, we transitioned to the north shore and the Turtle Bay Resort, and continue the fun by ourselves.

I know I am in vacation mode, and therefore consuming many more calories, but I am also getting much more activity through the day. So far we did a KILLER hike up Koko Head. It is literally railroad ties in the side of a mountain straight up for 1,050 steps. Allen and Allie made it to the top. I went up about 3/4 of the way. What made me turn around was the bridge over a ravine where the railroad ties were far apart enough to easily fall through.....no thank you! We also did a great kayak trip out to some islands, about a 2 mile round trip. We hiked out to Makapuu point, another great uphill sweat. We snorkeled in Hanauma Bay which was great exercise for about 2 hours. Today I swam laps and am going to do yoga as soon as I post this message. So, some of my extra calories will be burned up!

For now, please let me recommend a drink we invented. I call it a tropical mimosa. Fresh pineapple juice + champagne = YUMMY! We invented it became the hotel sent us a welcome bottle of champagne that was not what we usually drink so we went in search of fresh local pineapple juice and decided it is a delicious mixture! ALOHA for now!

Desire to invent yummy new drinks. Dedication to enjoying birthdays. Discipline to move more on vacation.

Sunday, October 2, 2011

An Amazing Day!

Today was AMAZING!  We attended the promotion ceremony for a friend of ours who was promoted to the rank of Rear Admiral, USN.  Her ceremony was held aboard the USS Midway.  There were over 200 people there.  It was a gorgeous sunny day!  As I watched her ascend to this amazing accomplishment I was overcome with emotion for her success. 

Not only is this an amazing accomplishment, but especially because she is a woman and there are so few women at this rank in the Navy!  The "dress" of the day called for dress whites and she had the choice of wearing slacks or a skirt.  She went with the skirt.  She looked incredible as she took the stage to address the audience.  She is super slim and was "rockin" the dress white uniform.  Trust me when I say that this is not an easy look to "rock"! 

In the face of this historical accomplishment, why am I being so stereotypical and talking about fashion?  It struck me that she was "representing" for all women and, as such, had amazing pressure on her shoulders!  She was strong, composed and had an elegant command of the audience as she made her speech, focused mainly on thanking many people who had helped support her career over the years.  And she looked GREAT! :-)

This is a bestie that I have known for over a decade.  She and I have been together through thick and thin, literally!  She is one of those people blessed with a naturally slim orientation.  I know this because she loves to go to places that serve "endless fries" and will order extra ranch dressing for dipping her fries.  Of course, I am on the opposite end of that spectrum!  :-)  She has been a wonderful supporter of mine and my healthy journey, even though she has the ability to consume a very different diet and stay skinny.  And still I love her tons!  :-)

But today was a day to focus on her, her amazing promotion and her place in history as one of a very few women to become an Admiral in the USN. 

Desire to honor friends and their accomplishments.  Dedication to supporting strong women. Discipline to watch someone else enjoy the "endless fries".