The Morning After!

OK, raise your hand if you consumed the average calories on Thanksgiving.....that would be 4,000 calories!  I confess, I didn't actually count, but I probably came in at the national average.  And it was yummy! 

The morning of, I did a kick ass workout on my new step 360, complete with weight lifting, burpees, jacks and mountain climbers!  I worked up a good sweat, and I took a walk before the big dinner, so at least I mitigated a few of the calories!

My "morning after" included beach cardio and yoga.  Actually, Monday morning, I am beginning significant calorie restriction to get me through December.  My goal is to, not only, not gain any holiday pounds, but to actually shed a few.  My strategy is to indulge in a few scheduled holiday celebrations, but then to really restrict on the other days of this tempting month.

Wish me luck!  Please help keep me honest.  Please send me messages reminding me of my commitment to myself!  I look forward to your help!

Desire to exit the season a lighter version of myself.  Dedication to celebrating with balance.   Discipline to December calorie restriction.

Gratitude and Grace

Thanksgiving is a time of year to reflect on and express gratitude for our blessings.  I believe that gratitude is the foundation for our healthy journeys. 

As I thought about this post, our Thanksgiving post, I considered lots of different options.  There are so many things to think about.......eating healthy over Thanksgiving; not gaining weight over Thanksgiving; low fat and low calorie recipes to add to the Thanksgiving table; walking 10,000 steps on Thanksgiving to help mitigate the 4,000 calories that the average American will consume on Thanksgiving day.....and so much more.

Instead I decided it was much more important to focus on gratitude.  I think practicing gratitude prepares us to be a vessel to receive grace.  I have heard others express that perspective.  It makes sense to me.  As I scan my immediate world, the opportunity to be grateful is overwhelming.  The love that surrounds me, the abundance of material things, my friends and family, the great work I get to do, the best husband on the planet, living in San Diego, my health, my focus on my healthy journey to improve my health, course correct and celebrate health, and so much more.

My wish for you this Thanksgiving is that you will scan your world and immerse yourself in gratitude for all of your blessings.  Then use that state of grace to share with others around you who are in need.  That is the true meaning and purpose of this wonderful holiday.

Oh yeah....AND eat drink and be merry and enjoy whatever you decide is worth enjoying!  Tomorrow we can exercise and restrict our intake once again!

Desire to be filled with grace.  Dedication to practice gratitude for our blessings.  Discipline to share our blessings with others.

The Miracle Diet!

First of all, I am sorry I missed posting last weekend.  If you know me on Facebook, then you know I spent Thursday through Sunday at the hospital helping my Dad through a health crisis.  He is home now doing great.  He had to have emergency surgery to resolve a massive blood clot in his iliac and superior femoral artery.  I really felt the hand of God with us.  He is doing really well with a prognosis for a full recovery.  Hurray!

So, now for the miracle diet......it is simple.  When you go on vacation, you simply eat and drink whatever you want!  Then, if you do not gain weight....it is a miracle!  HAR DE HAR HAR! 

My sister shared that with me and I laughed so hard I almost cried! 

Of course, there is no miracle diet. The miracle is that when we carefully monitor and restrict our intake while getting enough exercise, our bodies seek a healthy weight and state.  That is the miracle.

So, if you are feeling a little out of balance, take a little time to analyze your intake and your motion.  I bet you will find your way back to balance and health!

Desire to honor the miracle that is our bodies.  Dedication to seeking health and balance. Discipline to monitor and adjust.

Whoops She Did It Again!

Thankfully, I am not talking about Britney Spears.....but I am talking about my trainer, Kathi.  Yesterday she changed it up yet again!  This time she had us doing isometric weight training.  Try these:

• pick up 2 - 7.5 lb weights (feel free to use heavier weights if you can!).  Raise your arms out into a T shape and count to 20 very slowly.  Follow that with 10 lateral raises at regular speed. 
• hold those same weights, with your arms bent at a 90 degree angle to the body pointing forward, palms up, then raise your arms slightly as though your were carrying a large serving platter away from your body.  Hold that position and count slowly to 20.  Follow that with 10 raises as you raise your arms overhead to a straight arm and return to the original position with your elbows at your waist, 90 degrees to the body, palms up through the entire move.
• do a forward lunge and hold it for a slow count of 10.  Do that 10 times alternating legs, followed by 10 regular alternating lunges.   

You can begin to get the picture.  Every movement was preceded by a slow isometric version of the regular move.  It was GREAT!  I always love an extra challenge.  This morning I can feel some of my muscles, so I am happy.

I must confess, as I was doing the lateral raises and my arms were out in a T shape, all I could think about was the Olympic gymnasts who hold that position between the rings.  I think they call it an iron cross.  Boy, am I a wimp compared to those folks!  Still, I am happy with my efforts, Olympic level or not!!!

I hope if you are on the east coast that you are out of harm's way with the impending storm!

Desire for everyone to be safe from life's storms. Dedication to try isometric weight lifting.   Discipline to hold it while counting slowly to 20.

Restructuring Is Good!

You have probably heard a great deal about how companies restructure for better efficiency and effectiveness.  How often do we look at our own routine and find a way to restructure for better results?

Well, I am doing just that this weekend.  In addition to "restructuring" my hair style (hence the updated photo), I am looking at my "normal" weekly schedule in an effort to find more calm and peace during my hectic days.  My typical day is to wake at 5:30, leave for the office at 6:30, then to try to leave the office in time to do an hour workout every evening (yoga, cardio and/or weight training) and be home before 7pm, shower, fix a light meal and then get in bed by 9:30 so I can get up and do it all over again.  By Friday eve, I am simply wiped out.

So, I am thinking about how to restructure my evenings.  When I feel the most stress is when I have to rush home to change and get to a class or a scheduled session with my trainer.  So I thought..... what if I could reduce my stress by having fewer weekday evening commitments?  I still want and need to exercise every day, that will not change.  So, I am going to go back to doing my own yoga with the help of a DVD set that Allen gave me for my birthday.  That way, I don't have to stress about either packing my yoga stuff into the car on Wednesday mornings or rushing home in time to change and get back out to the class.  Similarly, I am going to cut back to one session with my trainer per week on Saturday mornings.  For the mid-week session I am going to do a workout at home on my new Step 360, awesome cardio (which I need more of) and again eliminating the stress of needing to be "on time" for yet another appointment.

These changes will open up the possibility of increased calm and peace, while still allowing me to achieve my fitness goals.  I will let you know how it goes!

Desire to increase the calm.  Dedication to keep exercising.  Discipline to restructure and try something new.

The Beat Goes On.....

....and it is too bad, for sure.  This week, a friend of mine who is not even 30 yet, told me she is going to do a cleanse.  This young woman is a wonderful person, a professional, a yogi and a delight to be around.  I asked her what type of cleanse and why?  She said a friend of hers had lost 30 pounds in 60 days by using a product purchased on the internet for $200.  My friend is as slim as a reed and could possibly be under weight.  She definitely does not have any weight to drop.  We spoke about the dangers of not knowing what was in the "cleanse" product and of her not needing to adjust her weight.  She is convinced she needs to loose weight.

So, I say the beat goes on......another wonderful woman, a generation younger than I am, as she is struggling with her self-image, for no good apparent reason.   Let's all work towards a future that teaches girls to love and accept themselves.  Let's first begin with ourselves.  Let's be sure to shower ourselves with love, compassion, acceptance and healthy choices.  I don't mean that it is wrong to want to be at a lower healthier weight.  Many of us can gain health benefits by striving for a lower weight in a healthy way.  Let's just love and accept ourselves along the journey. 

Not to get all Gandi on you, or anything, but we have to be the change we want to see in the world.  I want my friend to look in the mirror and be in love with her amazing self.  So guess what, I go first and lead the way!  JOIN ME!!!

Desire to be in love with me.  Dedication to being a positive example in this world.  Discipline to focus on health and fitness every step of the way.

A New Year, A New Number

When I go to the gym today (right after posting this message to you), it will be the last day of being the age I am today.  Tomorrow when I climb onto my cardio machine of choice, I will enter a new number when the machine prompts me to enter my personal data (age and weight) to calculate the calorie burn.  For some reason, this ritual, above all others, sticks with me and makes me reflect on that passage of time.

I guess I don't have to enter it correctly, or at all for that matter.  But, in the end, it is just a number and one I am quite grateful for!  After all, according to Madame O (Oprah), I am just in my 30's!  Remember when she declared that 50 is the new 30?  Well, I am choosing to embrace that mentality! 

Our healthy journey should include time for reflection and the opportunity to frame our abundance in whatever way works for each of us.  So, in honor of my birthday this year, would you please pause and reflect on the abundance in your life and frame it in a way that makes you smile, dance and sing from your heart!  THANK YOU!  BEST PRESENT EVER!!!

Desire to smile, dance and sing.  Dedication to share life with loved ones. Discipline to practice frequent gratitude.