Catching Up With Runaway Wagons

Eau dear.

I've fallen off the wagon.  Not just fallen off the wagon.... fallen, skinned my knees, broke a hip, lost a tooth, and cried like a little girl.

Here are a few very large wagons that have left me in the dust lately:

• Eating healthy (the fact that we have a kitchen full of leftover party food doesn't help)
• Exercising
• Blogging
• Feeling sassy (due to all of the above)

I started this little bloggity blog to catalog all my successes, wins, thoughts, fails (including those of the epic variety) to help me through times like this when my motivation has gone by the wayside.  So I have used it as intended today -  I went back and reread my entries, and remembered how well my pants fit.  How much more energy I had.  How much self-confidence I had.  How proud of myself I was. 

Why wait until tomorrow to get back in the swing of things?  Right now sounds like as good a time as any, right?  

Here's hoping my next blog will be me shouting from the rooftops that I am back on track.

Another New Toy

The company I work for has a thing for employee wellness.  They save on insurance, have less absenteeism - I get it.  We have an on-site "mini-gym," complete with lots of ellipticals and treadmills and such, and a fitness classroom where they hold classes like Zumba, Jazzercise, bootcamps, etc.  Guess who does NOT take advantage?  Yep, this girl.  I'm not a fan of working out in front of other people, particularly people I work with.

Anyhoo, this year, my company teamed up with these guys to try to get the employees living a healthier lifestyle.  You get certain points for doing certain things, then get to spend those points in their online "mall."  So when I got the info from work, I logged on, completed an HRA, set some goals and earned some points.

One of the ways to earn points is to do workouts, and use your Polar heart rate monitor to verify it.  This is where I got a little salty.  I spent a decent amount of my own money to purchase a Polar heart rate monitor and use it religiously, but unless I spend an addition $75ish for the gadget to upload data from the monitor to my pc (and thus, their website), my workouts down count for diddly on this program.

Like I said, salty.

Company to the rescue!  For completing my HRA, my company gave me (for free) a glorified pedometer known as a fitbug.  It comes with a little USB cable, so all you have to do is download the tracking software, wear the thing daily, and plug it in to upload your steps for the day.  Easy as pie!  The program gives you 5 points for 5,000 steps in a day and 10 points for 10,000 steps in a day.

Ya know, I try not to be all pessimistic and crappy about things.  I really do.  But 10,000 steps as a goal? REALLY??  The thing is, I have a desk job.  I'm the Queen of Email.  I don't get a chance to get up and rack up steps too often from 8-5. It's only so many steps from my desk to the coffee maker.  I wore the thing for my 45 minutes of my cardio one evening, and only logged 4,000 steps during that time.  Just for kicks, the following night, I did two full workouts wearing the thing and barely made the 10,000 - and that was adding in all the steps from my day.

Don't get me wrong, I think it's great my company has taken such an interest in employee wellness, even if they do have an agenda. But, dear Fitbug and nameless company that employees me - maybe you should be a little more realistic about the number of steps a full-time desk jockey can take during the course of the day.

Now.... I'm off to log some steps.

huffin' and puffin'

Stamina?  Am I supposed to have some of that?

After 2 weeks of illness, wicked dehydration and travel, I finally got back down to my exercise room tonight.    4,000% (yes, it IS a real number) humidity didn't help much, but I made it through unscathed and 435 calories lighter.

Since that's all I have to say on the health front, I'll leave you with some yummy Hugh Laurie.  Whom I will be going to see live in August.   It's okay if you're jealous.  *le swoon*

Niki's Truths About Exercise

"I don't exercise.  If God wanted me to bend over, He would have put diamonds on the floor."

 ~Joan Rivers

I'm human.  There is ALWAYS an excuse not to exercise.  I have gone through stages of exercising like a fiend (divorce diet, anyone?), but sadly, those have all been short lived.  Over the last 8 months (eight months - whoa!), I have been incredibly proud of myself for sticking with my exercise guns.  I may miss brief stints here and there, but I always get back in the swing of things, and I always feel better for it.

I caught myself thinking, what makes this time different?  How do I know I'll still be at this in a year?

Here are just a few things I think have really made a difference.


Space.  I have a space that is just mine, and it is only used for exercise. I call it my "workout room," but that might be overselling it a bit.  It has inexpensive flooring, a tv with a DVR for all my fave workouts, a table to keep my stuff on, and fan.  Not to mention, it's in the basement - it stays about 10 degrees cooler than the rest of the house!  Knowing that space is there keeps me motivated to use it.   Oh, and no one ever goes down there but me.  I can sing along with the music and act a fool, and the boy is none the wiser.


Variety.  I am up to about 12 different workout DVDs.  They vary in length, from 20 minutes to a full hour.  I have weight training, cardio/aerobics, yoga, toning.  Of course, I have my favorites, and there are a couple that are straight brutal.  Changing it up keeps things challening, and it keeps me from getting bored.


My heart rate monitor.  Oh, I am full on addicted to this thing!  There is nothing more motivating than seeing your stats flash across that little watch.  I love knowing how long I've been in my target heart rate zone, what my maximum heart rate was - not to mention the calories I've burned!  It challenges me to keep going.  475 calories?  I can make it to 500!  


Gear.  Gear, gear, gear.  I always went el-cheapo in the past.  $10 sports bras and stretch pants from Walmart.   This time, I stepped it up and spent a bit more than I normally would. I think buying better stuff helps working out feel like a commitment, rather than a passing phase.  After all, when is the last time you saw someone run a marathon in cheap ass shoes? Here are a few things I have committed a little extra cash to:

• Ryka shoes.  I've tried several brands, but I always come back to Ryka. They are made for women's feet.  Narrower through the heel, a little wider in the metatarsal, and light!  I love that I can feel the floor through them.

• Fila gear.  Those cheap workout pants from Walmart?  Their only true use is sliding off your rear end while you exercise.  So unless you want to spend your quality workout time hiking your drawz up, pick up some pants that will stay with you while you move.

• Decent sports bras.  I have a few, mostly Nike and Fila.  The support can't be beat, particularly for aerobics.  My old ones have been relegated to sleepy time.

• Socks.  Yes, I just said socks!  I had a conversation that went like this.  Me:  I think I need new workout shoes.  The Boy:  I think you need better socks, not the cutesy dollar socks from Target.  Me:  Huh, never thought about that.  So I went and bought new socks.  Turns out, the $12 pack of socks was a waaaay better investment than another $75 pair of shoes!

So there you have it - Niki's list of fabulous exercise stuff.  Because we all know......

First Forays into Glycemic Index

After much reading and research, I decided to give the Glycemic Index "diet" a try.  As per my usual ways, I immediately ran out and bought four (yep, FOUR) new books.  I grabbed a glass of wine (which is totally okay), parked myself on the couch and started reading.

I can't lie.  The first week was tough.  Pasta for dinner 2-3 times a week?  A thing of the past.  Snacky time pretzels and crackers?  Goodbye, my loves!  Dinner rolls and *ahem* heaping *cough* servings of mashed potatoes?  Fare thee well.  But I was able to make choices about the carbs I consumed.  Unlike some of the more hardcore anti-carb diets out there, I can still eat carbs without feeling like I'm going to derail all the good I've done.

Let me just say (without getting into embarrassing numbers), I've been very pleased with the scale over the past three weeks!

So what do I eat?  Here's a lowdown of a typical day:

Breakfast:

• 1/4 cup homemade granola (See? Carbs first thing in the morning!)
• 3 celery stalks w/ 2 Tbsp peanut butter (yes, I do measure, thankyouvurahmuch)

Lunch:

• Salad made with romaine or spinach, carrots, shredded cheese, turkey breast, diced hard boiled eggs, bacon and dressing of my choice (even full fat stuff)

Dinner:

• Meat.  Lots of lean meat.
• Non-starchy vegetables
• Small salad
• 2-3 times a week, I will have 1 dinner roll, or one small serving of potatoes (I'm currently trying to avoid mashed taters - I love them so hard, it's near impossible to control myself!)

Snacks:

• Cheese (mmmm!).  I like cheddar/colby, aged white cheddar, gouda. Let's be real.  I'll eat pretty much any cheese you put in front of my face.
• Turkey pepperoni
• Hard salami with cream cheese
• 1/4 cup nuts (almonds and cashews are my current faves)
• Pork rinds (I know, kinda white trash.  But they get me over the "I want potato chips" hump.)
• Lots of water throughout the day, with the occasional Coke Zero.

Interested in reading a bit more?  Dig this article from WebMD.

I'm off to check my pot roast!!!

One Hot (cool) Dish!

I'm about two weeks in with the low glycemic plan (which is FANTASTIC, but more on that in another post).  Feeling pretty saucy with my results and getting used to making different food choices when DUH DUH DUUUUUH..... I get an invite to a cookout.  

Knowing the menu will consist of white burger buns, chips, pasta salads and all sorts of stuff I'm trying to lay off of, I went in search of a low GI side dish recipe, and found this gem. 

Black Bean and Avocado Salad

2 avocados (not quite fully ripe - easier to work with)

2 Tbsp lime juice

1 can corn (drained)

1 can black beans (rinsed and drained)

1 red bell pepper (chopped)

4-6 scallions (chopped)

2 Tbsp parsley

3 tsp minced garlic

1 tsp red wine vinegar

2 Tbsp olive oil

2 tsp salt

1 tsp black pepper

Pit, peel and dice up the avocados, and put them in a bowl. Sprinkle with lime juice, stir gently to coat, and set aside.

In large bowl, combine corn, beans, bell pepper, scallions, parsley and garlic.

In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper.  Pour dressing over veggie mixture.  Gently fold in avocados, cover and refrigerate 1-2 hours (just until chilled).  

Serving size:  1/2 cup

Glycemic Index: Low

Glycemic Load: 6

Digging Into the Low-GI Way of Life

I do realize it's been forever and a day since I've blogged.  There's a pretty good reason for that though.  I haven't had much to say.  A crazy busy social calendar combined with my efforts being relatively status quo just don't make for entertaining reading.

But!  I did get some really good news today.  After 6 months of consistently exercising, my blood pressure was beautiful!  I've always been a 120(ish)/80(ish) kind of gal.  Today, I was sitting pretty at 106/68.  Knowing that hypertension runs in my family, my doc literally high-fived me.  w00t!

Also, I'm sniffing out a new "diet" plan.  I hate the word diet.  Just saying it makes me feel deprived and hungry.  So, I'm more hoping this will be a way of life instead of a "diet."  (Did you guys here that?  I think my stomach just growled as I said it.)

I'm reading about the Glycemic Index; aka: GI.  I've done the low carb thing before, living on meat and cheese with no fruit and very few veggies.  To quote Antoine and Blaine....

HATED IT!!!

Again with the feeling deprived thing, ya know?  Since when are fruits "unhealthy"?  Needless to say, that didn't last long.

The GI plan doesn't forbid anything.  What at it does do is teach you how to choose healthy carbs. White bread?  Not so much.  Stone ground wheat bread?  Help yourself!  With normal servings, of course.  I can eat fruit.  I can eat peanut butter.  The more lean meat and non-starchy veggies on my plate, the better, but nothing is off limits.  There are no phases to worry about.  I bought three books and am totally engrossed in them, and did my first shopping excursion today.  I am really excited about this one.  It will definitely be a learning curve, but it sounds like the health benefits (including better moods - the boy will like that!) will make it totally worthwhile.

I have to go stir my homemade low-GI granola now.  Ta-ta!