Family Health Challenge

            Since I’ve been on this whole healthy lifestyle band wagon, I’ve wanted to get my family motivated too. I think the more weight I was losing, the more motivated they were getting, so I said to my mom one day that we should do our own Biggest Loser competition at the beginning of the year.

            I never liked the Biggest Loser competitions that would be hosted by my job. They wanted everyone to donate the money and weigh in once a week or so, usually with the P.E. teacher. I didn’t like that I had to weigh in with anyone. I didn’t want anyone that I worked with and saw on a daily basis to know what I weighed or how much I was losing! Also, not everyone has to lose weight. I wanted to see a competition that everyone could join. So, I didn’t want to design something that would track weight loss only.

            Of course, I had help from my family and Janelle. We had to make our own rules because not everyone in my family needed to lose weight, but we all had things we could do to be healthier. After a few months of thinking, planning, and a PowerPoint presentation I finally had it nailed down of what I wanted to do. And yes, I did make a PowerPoint and send it to my family to review. I love making PowerPoint presentations. It’s the easiest way for me to present information and it really turned out like a lesson I would teach in class. I later heard my mom talking to someone about it and she was like, “Oh yea, we’re doing a family health challenge. Sarah even made a PowerPoint and emailed it to all of us.” Then she giggled to herself.

Here is the break down of what we are doing:

1. Objective: To make healthier choices in your daily life
2. Time frame: 8 weeks. Sunday, January 2 to Sunday, February 27
3. Buy in: $10/person
4. How it’s done: Set 2 goals for yourself. One goal is a daily goal and the other is a weekly goal. You will earn points for meeting your goals. The daily goal is worth 1 point per day. The weekly goal is worth 5 points, but you have to meet your weekly goal in order to get the 5 points. With the points from both goals, there is a possibility of 12 total points per week.
5. Winning: The person who has earned the most points at the end of the 8 weeks wins the challenge and collects the buy in money from all other contestants.

Here are some sample goals. These are the goals of some people in my family and my goals.

Sample daily goals; 1 point per day:

1. Saturated fat – 20 grams or less per day
2. No fast food
3. Pack lunch every day
4. One energy drink per day
5. 16 ounces of coffee per day
6. 20 minutes of physical activity per day
7. 10 or less cigarettes per day

Sample weekly goals; 5 points for the whole week:

1. 90 minutes of activity per week
2. Have dinner at the table 5 times a week.
3. Eat dessert only once a week
4. 5 or less energy drinks for the week
5. 5 of less alcoholic drinks for the week
6. Go to the gym 4 times each week
7. Run 5 miles per week

       So, as you can see some of our goals are focused on different healthy living objectives. Again, not everyone in my family has weight to lose, but we all have other vices. We all drink too much coffee, some too many energy drinks, eat too much fast food, don’t exercise enough, etc, etc.

       Currently, we are more than half way through the challenge. Some people keep changing their goals because they have been too easy or too hard, but for the most part it’s been successful. We all keep track of our own points and tell each other each week how many we earned. I’ll have to let everyone know how it turns out when we finish.

        Once we knew what we wanted to do, it was easy to get started. Maybe other people will try it too. 

Stupid yoga...why does it have to be do good for me?

I know I just did a whole blog on yoga and why I have a love-hate relationship with it, but I just found this article on Yahoo that adds more fuel to my love-hate relationship with it. As I was reading the article, Slim Calm Sexy Yoga, I was having many thoughts. Basically the article is about more benefits of yoga. The one they spend the most time on is related to food choice, temptation, and eating habits of people who do yoga. In simpler terms; people who do yoga make better food choices and resist temptations. I thought I would include excerpts from the article and my thoughts as I was reading.

“…calorie burning is not where the bulk of yoga's weight-loss power lies. An added benefit of yoga, even from gentle styles, is that it helps you get a handle on what your body needs to be healthy. A study published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association found a strong link between yoga practice and weight maintenance, and researchers attribute it to "mindful" eating. Down-dog devotees, they say, learn to stay calm in the face of discomfort, and this tendency spills over into other parts of their lives—for instance, making it easier to turn down not-so-good-for-you foods, no matter how tempting they are. The study found no such link between mindful eating and other types of physical activity, such as walking or running.”  I hate yoga. I really hate yoga, and now it’s supposed to tell me what I need? Damn. And hell yea, yoga causes me discomfort! If I keep doing this yoga crap in the morning I better start seeing the proof of this “mindful eating”.

“In studies on what causes obesity, researchers have found that overweight people tend to underestimate how much they eat while overestimating their activity. In one study published in The New England Journal of Medicine, scientists tracked the diet and exercise habits of people who claimed they couldn't lose weight even though they cut calories. The upshot was that the volunteers had dramatically underreported their calories by 47 percent and overreported their activity by 51 percent. And their failed "diets" had nothing to do with sluggish metabolisms. When the researchers compared the participants' ability to burn calories with that of a control group, there was no difference.” Oh crap. That under reporting calories and over reporting exercise is so me. Those percentages are amazing! No wonder I was having such a hard time losing weight before the meal plan. I was eating way more than I was telling anyone and imagining way more working out than I was really doing!

“And their failed "diets" had nothing to do with sluggish metabolisms. When the researchers compared the participants' ability to burn calories with that of a control group, there was no difference.” No friggin’ way. I won’t believe it! People really do have metabolism problems, right? I mean, I really thought I did, but not until after I had to go through 6 months of chemo (that’s another whole blog in and of itself) so I asked my Oncologist if there was a possibility of the chemo messing with my metabolism. He didn’t even let me finish the question. It was an instant “no”. I still wasn’t convinced. What does that doctor know anyway? (Please note the sarcasm in that statement) I eventually had blood work done to test my theory and I was wrong. My metabolism and blood work were all normal; perfectly normal.

“And another study, in Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine, found that people who practiced yoga regularly for four years or more actually gained less weight over time than those who didn't do yoga.” Crap. Now I have to yoga forever.

So, this really was a good article. I suggest reading it. I’m always back and forth on yoga. I don’t really enjoy it, but like I’ve said in previous posts, I have found a few tapes that I like. I try to do them at least 4 times a week. I have noticed a difference in my energy level, especially if I do it first thing in the morning, and I know it’s helped me lose more inches. Last month I lost 6 inches. That’s a lot for one month. It’s the most I’ve lost in one month. I’m pretty sure it had something to do with the yoga because I started it in January. I’m hoping yoga will just grow on me, but if you ever catch me telling people to breath through their eyes, make their legs tree trunks, or turn my feet into block and stand evenly on the 4 corners; smack me and bring me back to reality.

I’ve linked the full article here and I’ve also linked it at the top of the page on the article title, incase you want to read it for yourself and see what kind of thoughts you have about it.

I should be a P.E. teacher.

            I was covering for a P.E. teacher yesterday and I thought his plans were boring. He just wanted us to walk and play basketball. I’m not the only one who thought they were boring either. The kids were like, “Please, please Ms.T…let’s do something else…anything else.”

            I had no clue what to do so it was a free for all. We made up obstacle courses and other random things. They wanted to play dodge ball, but all we had were basketballs. There was no way I was going to let them play dodge ball by throwing basketballs at each others heads. Especially with middle school kids; they really would only aim for each others heads.

            By the end of out time together one kid was like, “Ms. T, we always have fun when you cover for this class. Can’t you always be out teacher?”

            “No, no children. I’m not licensed to teach P.E. I’m just covering for your regular teacher.”

            “Why not, dude? You lift weights. You told us before and someone said you can lift a ton. Do you even have to go to college to be a gym teacher?”

            This all made me laugh. I really had no response. I know a lot of P.E. teachers and they did go to college and they would be upset by kids thinking just anyone could be a P.E. teacher. This also made me laugh because in their own middle school way they recognize that I’m working my ass off at the gym. I wish I could lift a ton. Ok, not really. I don’t want to lift a ton, and here’s why: if I could really lift a lot of weight and people knew, they would expect me to move my own things and carry my own heavy things!

            Janelle and Zach keep talking about power lifting. I’m not ok with that because then people would know I was strong and every time I needed something heavy moved people would expect me to do it myself! I’m all about being strong and lifting heavy weights, but I still need big strong men to do all my heavy lifting at home! 

Hi, my name is Sarah and I'm addicted to infomercials.

             I know I’ve previously said that Richard Simmons is my new obsession and that is true, but my real obsession is infomercials. Richard even started as an infomercial. I love infomercials, especially the workout ones. I’ve watched them all.

            I started watching them out of boredom. I’m an early morning person and even the best cable in the world doesn’t have anything on before 8 AM on the weekends. They all show infomercials. I also fanaticized about being one of those people who successfully lost weight and kept it off from doing one of the programs I would watch. I also wanted to buy all of them, and sometimes I buy the cheap ones that would end up in Bed, Bath, and Beyond. I know that I shouldn’t buy them or even want to because I know that I don’t have to motivation to work out “in the privacy of my own home”. I need the gym and the gym needs me.

The key to Insanity

            I couldn’t stop watching the P90X and Insanity advertisements. They were amazing with all their talk of “muscle confusion” and “max interval training”. I love how the people in the Insanity commercial can’t think of any other way to describe the workout besides, “insane”. I love how they try to convince you that you can’t get results in the gym and ask you if you are tired of tedious, time consuming workouts.

The best thing to do
 in an Ab Lounger

            I also love to watch the ones advertising ab machines. The Ab Rocket, Ab Circle Pro, The Ab Lounger, The Bender Ball, The Ab Flyer, etc, etc…these commercials are amazing. There is so much information to get from every one of them, and they all have conflicting information about abdominal workouts. One wants you on the floor, one wants you standing, one wants you in a chair, and one talks about making your core muscles fire faster than the others, but they are all confusing. A good friend of mine bought the Ab Lounger as a late night internet shopping impulse buy. I asked her how it was working out for her, and her response was, “Well, I’m lounging in the Ab Lounger.” I think she uses it as a lawn/camp chair. The Ab Circle Pro looks like a carnival ride more than anything, but it looks like fun and want to try it.

            My sisters bought the Shake Weight for one of my other sisters. It was more of a joke than anything. We were all curious to see what it was like. I’m not gonna lie, there is no way to not look like you are an aspiring porn star while using it. There is even a video that goes with it, and it is scary. The angle that they record the woman at is not flattering to her and she looks like an anorexic giant…if that’s even possible.

            Fluidity Bar…yea, I bought it. It’s pretty cool, but I don’t use it. Iron Gym Pull up Bar…bought that too, but I bought that for the unruly teenagers in my class. They used it when they were upset and needed to blow off steam. I do like it, I’ve gotten good use out of it.

            Growing up we had a Nordic Track, Total Gym, and later we even had a Bow Flex Ultimate. All of those actually got some decent use through the years though by me or someone in the family.

            I don’t know what it is about the infomercials that draw my attention. Maybe it’s the promises they make, maybe it’s how excited everyone is, or maybe it’s the “patented technology” or “new exercise breakthroughs” they all promise. I know for sure that I love the acting in infomercials. I love how they show how hard it is to lift a weight, do a sit up, or even fit into clothes. I love how they struggle to do anything before they get whatever is being sold. Then I love how they use whatever product is being advertised and they suddenly have excellent form and strength.

            I usually watch them in the morning and then go to the gym and tell Janelle and Ashley all about them. Janelle just laughs and tells me to stop watching them and Ashley wants to know why I’m always up so early. Lately I keep telling them about the Brazil Butt Lift infomercial. This guy claims to be “the secret behind supermodel booties” and he uses his “patented triangle training”. I think this guy is a creep. I think he probably touches people inappropriately.

            If I could just sleep later into the morning, I bet I would miss all of the infomercials and this problem would go away! Until then, people around me are going to have to listen to me talk about the awesomeness of these commercials.

Here's the scenario.

            This is really about a silly conversation that Janelle and I were having at the gym, but it was really funny. It kind of became like a game, and now the topic of a blog.

            Zach is technically my trainer, even though he doesn’t come to the gym with us. He gives us our workouts and we do them on our own. He doesn’t even belong to the same gym as the rest of us. I know I say this all the time, but the gym I go to is great for people watching and this is how the conversation started. Janelle simply said, “I wonder what Zach would think of all these people. I wonder what he would do if he heard some of the things that we hear?”

            I told Janelle I knew exactly what he would do. He would probably tell them that they are dumb, but he would also be too preoccupied telling us what to do. Between sets we sit on the ground, lean on walls, or sit on other equipment. Zach would probably say something like, “You sat on the equipment, now you have to use it…you’re leaning on that wall, do some pushups…you’re standing around, jog in place.” Janelle and I were cracking up and could hardly do our pull ups.

            So, we wondered what Zach would be like in other situations if he acted like a trainer all the time. You could really play this scenario game with any trainer because they all have that same attitude when they are working with people/clients. You know, that give 100% the entire time attitude? Clearly, I know that Zach or other trainers wouldn’t act like this all the time, but what if they did? Here’s what I think it would be like.

1. What if we took Zach, the trainer, to the Fair?
1. Fair food would be out because he would demand to know the nutrition content. Of course, the Carnies wouldn’t know the nutrition content and Zach would tell them they should probably lay off the stuff because they are looking a little thick around the middle.
2. If we play games he would tell us what muscle groups each game worked and if we played the Sriker game (the one where you use the sledge hammer to hit the plate to see if you can make the ball go up and ring the bell) we would have to keep playing until we hit the bell.
2. What if we took Zach, the trainer, to a concert?
1. Well, alcohol would be out. I don’t even think I have to explain this one!
2. While we would be waiting for the concert to start, Zach would make us run up and down the stairs of the stadium to burn more calories.
3. To keep us from standing around while the concert is going on he would have us do dips on the edge of our chair or jog in place.
4. While sitting in the crowded parking lot after the concert he would have us do some kind of drills outside of the car, instead of just sitting in the car waiting for traffic to move.
3. What if we took Zach, the trainer, to the grocery store?
1. He would make us jog up and down the isles while pushing the cart.
2. He would pick up items off the shelf and quiz you about the nutrition information and you can only get the food when you know the nutrition information.
3. He would check your reflexes by throwing some food items to you in rapid succession. Again, you could only keep the items that you catch.
4. He would make you do a burn out before leaving the store and make you run up and down every isle. When you get to the end of each isle, you have to do 10 pushups and this is done non stop.

These are just some silly scenarios that I came up with to entertain myself. For some reason though I think I’m going to avoid going with Zach to any of these places. I’m worried that some of these things might happen if I do! Oh, by the way, Happy Birthday, Zach. I hope you enjoyed these scenarios!

What and where is a Bod Pod?

            I don’t always trust what the scale says, so I get my body fat measured every three months or so. I also get my body fat measured every three months because Zach and Janelle say that I have to! Also, BMI charts are full of crap, so having your body fat measured is way more accurate than a BMI chart. BMI charts are one size fits all and very unreliable. Fewer and fewer people rely on them these days.

            I don’t go somewhere where they pinch my skin with calipers either. I go to a sports training facility that has a machine that uses air displacement to measure my body fat and body composition. The machine they use is called bod pod because it looks like an egg.

Unfortunately, you have to wear the cap!

She is very excited to show off the Bod Pod

            It looks scary, but I swear it’s not. You just sit there, very still for about 2 minutes. Sometimes there are weird clicking sounds, but seriously not scary at all! It’s actually kinda cool. It does smell a little funky; like plastic and stale air, but it’s totally worth every penny! I go to one that is about 45 minutes from my house, even though there are some that are closer. I just like the lady that does them and I like to give her my business.

            The Bod Pods are good when you get them every three months because you can see how much fat you have lost in pounds, not just percentages. I also think they keep you accountable. I know they keep me accountable. If there is one near you, you should check it out.

            I found this web site recently that shows where all the Bod Pod facilities in the country are located. http://www.bodpod.com/

Time for an update.

I have a few updates I would like to pass on.

1. I’m still loving Richard Simmons and my mom is also sharing this love, even though she tries to act cool and calm when we talk about him. I know she is just as obsessed as I am. In fact, yesterday we ordered a box set of the first 4 “Sweatin’ to the Oldies”. It was $30 on Overstock.com. That was $15 cheaper than anywhere else. Soon I’ll be sweatin’ it up with Richard. I’m pretty excited. I also found out that Richard still does his “Cruise to Lose”. I was pretty excited when I saw it, but I just don’t know if I could handle a whole week at sea with Richard. I love his motivation and energy, but I think I would be on overload and my negativity would ruin the fun!

2.  I have not been adding up my inches lost correctly. Apparently, I was not taking into account that I have 2 arms and 2 legs. So to my surprise I found out that I’ve really lost 47.75 inches and when I started the blog I had lost 37.5 inches. So that was a pleasant surprise!

3. Yesterday I had my 5^th bod pod. It went really well. I’m still not ready to share exactly what the numbers say, but things are looking good. Since my last bod pod at the end of October, my lean mass went up 2 pounds and my fat went down 16 pounds. Percentage wise, I have more lean mass than I do fat mass. I think once I lose 100 pounds I will post my actual bod pod results. I’m still working my way up to it. I’m still in the Risky (high body fat) category, but I’m 15 pounds away from getting into the Excess fat category. They are both scary categories, but I’m working my way down the list to lean.

4. I’m recruiting people to go to my bod pod place. Yesterday Janelle and I got our regular bod pods and my friend Kelly came got one for the first time. I have one other friend that is going to get one, and I’m still recruiting! 

How can I breathe through my eyes?

I know this is bad, but I stereotype people that do yoga. I feel like most people that do yoga are hippie like, and not even the hippies that you like, but the hippies you want to punch. I know that this stereotype is unnecessary, but it's how I feel. I don’t even think there is something wrong with hippie like people, unless they are running yoga classes or dvds. I guess it’s really the language that yoga instructors and other yoga enthusiasts use.

I’ve toyed with the thought of doing yoga for a long time, but I do not want to go to a yoga class. There are two very simple reasons for that as well:

1. Everyone I know that goes to a yoga class says that people always fart. I’m very juvenile and gas makes me laugh. I don’t think laughing uncontrollably at someone else’s expense is a yoga philosophy.
2. I’m afraid if I go to a class my awful, sarcastic, a-hole side will take over. I’m afraid if people start talking about their energy, focus, movements, and thoughts I might laugh in their face and tell them to shut up because they are being stupid. I’m not a mean person, I swear, but I also can’t tolerate crap, and I think they are just trying to sound cool. [That’s just my opinion. Hopefully you aren’t too offended. If you are, oh well. :) ]

Because of the above mentioned reasons, I have decided to do yoga dvds to get started, but I ran into problems there too! I need a beginners dvd. I need someone to go through the poses, SLOWLY! If you haven’t done yoga, you can’t just jump right in!

I found this beginners yoga segment on the tv. It was only 20 minutes and I thought it was going to be perfect. I was wrong. They just started calling out poses and I had no clue what was going on. I was trying to watch the tv, but my head was supposed to be facing the ground. I was trying to keep up, but it was not relaxing, it was not refreshing, and I was too stressed trying to figure out what the heck I was supposed to be doing! Then the person said, “Use your leg as an extension of your spine, focus your gaze, and breathe through your eyes.” That was it for me. I stopped, looked at the tv and yelled, “What the eff is wrong with you? You can’t breathe through your eyes. You are stupid and so is your video. Beginners, my ass!”

After that it was a while until I tried yoga again. When I did I finally had success. I just wanted a beginners program that actually took the time to show me the right way to do the poses, what explained what the hell was going on, and was truly relaxing and refreshing. I found this dvd by chance.

YogaWorks for Everybody: Beginners AM/ PM

This video has everything for a true beginner. I highly recommend it. The only downfall in the dvd is the guy that does the AM segment. He looks creepy and makes creepy noises. It feels a little "late night sneaky uncle" for me. I’ve done this dvd so much that now I can tune him out, but I used to look at the tv and tell him to shut up quite often.

I’ve also found another one that is good.

The Biggest Loser: The Workout - Weight Loss Yoga

     

       I don’t watch The Biggest Loser. I don’t like that they vote people off and since they all have to lose weight they should all stay and just pick a winner at the end. It seems cruel to send them home when they want to lose weight. Anyway, I like this dvd because contestants from the show are on there and they have been where I’m at and vise versa. You can also select the segments you want to do. This dvd is very neat, and challenging. I sweat my butt off every time!

If you are thinking of doing yoga, I would try these! I’m hoping to find a few more, just to have some variety. I only do them when I can’t get to the gym or I’m bored and I want to pass a little time. I know that I will never be a stereotypical yoga person and thank God for that, but I’m getting a little more tolerant of the people in the videos. Maybe some day I’ll be able to go to a yoga class.

Temptations

             Eating every three hours is actually easy to do. I can plan all of my meals the night before and I know exactly what I’m going to have and when I’m going to have it! However, there are tricky times.

            When I walk into work and I realize that it is a carry-in day; my heart usually skips a beat. I panic a little because carry-ins have the best snack foods. People bring brownies, taco dip, meatballs, cheese balls, etc, etc, etc. I usually stare longingly at the food; thinking about what I’m going to eat and how delicious it’s going to be, and then I decide to eat none of it.

            Now, most people would be able to eat a tiny amount of these things and be ok, but not me. I know that if I eat a little, I will keep going back. It is like the snowball effect. It will just get out of control. I have to walk away from all of it and that is when I know that my self control is at a ridiculously high level.

It’s also a mixed bag of feelings after that too. I’m really proud of myself for passing up the temptation, but them I’m pissed that I can’t have any. I start to run through all the typical thoughts:

1. Everyone else can do it, why can’t I?
2. I’ll just have a taste.
3. Stupid meal plan…I should just go back to being fat and eating what I want.
4. Oh my god, why am I having these thoughts. I think I’m addicted to food!

I really think I am addicted to food. I love food, it’s no secret, but I even think about food when I’m not eating. Sometimes as I’m eating, I’m thinking about the next time I’m going to eat and what I’m going to eat! I think that’s insane behavior.

The worst temptation is when I’ve had a bad day and I really don’t want to cook; I just want to go get some delicious fast food. I just want to go home and do nothing but eat. Before the meal plan I would go get fast food and not worry about the day. Now, I have no choice, bad day or not I’m making my own meals, dirtying my dishes, and cleaning when I’m done. That does nothing but make my day worse. Who wants to clean when they’ve had a bad day? Not me! I just want to lie around and do nothing!

No matter what, there are always going to be temptations around, and for the rest of my life I’m going to imagine myself stuffing my face with delicious, fatty, deep fried foods. Then I’m going to have to snap back to reality and get on my way. I just don’t think a Whopper with cheese is in my near future.  

If Jared got Subway, I want Taco Bell.

            I love Taco Bell, and when I say I love Taco Bell; I mean I could eat it every day, for every meal, for the rest of my life. If you threw in ice cream for dessert, I would be the happiest girl in the history of the world. Now, I’m a realist and I know this isn’t possible. I know that I can’t have Taco Bell and ice cream for every meal, but I like to think I can; especially since they have that delicious “Drive Thru Diet” now.

            When I started the meal plan I wasn’t sure I would be able to have Taco Bell anymore. I think I whimpered a little when I realized that the chicken grilled stuffed burrito had around 700 calories. I started looking at the web site trying to find anything at all that I could eat from there. I kept coming across the fresco style options. I wasn’t sure I wanted to try them, because who wants Mexican with no cheese or sour cream? Not me, that’s for damn sure, or so I thought.

            I couldn’t fight the Taco Bell craving one day, so I took a little trip to the Bell. I was sure this was going to be a bad thing and I was convinced that I was going to blow the whole meal plan. I was gripping my steering wheel, my hands were sweating; I wanted that grilled stuffed burrito super bad.

I managed to do ok though. I actually bit the bullet and ordered my soft tacos fresco style. I made it through and I tried something new. It took me a hot second to adjust to the no cheese and sour cream thing. Overall, it was pretty good. I’m now a fan of the “Drive Thru Diet”.

So, I think Taco Bell needs a real spokesperson, and I think that person should be me. I’ve eaten so much Taco Bell over the years that I even shorten the name to just TB. I think I have single handedly kept the TB in my city in business! I mean, if Jared became famous from walking and eating Subway, I want to be famous for eating Taco Bell to help me lose weight!