health challenge

 
A few weeks ago we started a health challenge run by our personal trainer friend, Becky. I'm doing it to lose my last four pounds and get some abs back. Shea is doing it because I said so.

We get points for good behaviors each day.

• Two fruits (this is my most challenging item.Winter fruit bites it.)
• Three vegetables
• 64 ounces of water
• 30 minutes of cardio
• Strength training (abs, arm weights, holding baby)

We each picked one behavior we are going to work on throughout the challenge. Mine is two desserts or less per week. I'm not really a dessert fan but considering this challenge runs through a time when there are white chocolate pretzels, fudge and pumpkin pie available in large quantities, it's going to be tough.

Cardio has proved really challenging (read: non-existent) in Minnesota this week. It snowed. And it's cold. And being outside stinks.

My goal was to register for the Rock the Parkway half marathon after getting back into a healthy routine through the challenge. But working out while taking care of a wee little baby is proving to be more than hard. Especially when I start work and only get a couple hours a night with the little man (sob).

Tips?

oatmeal: more sugar than a Snickers bar?

Drive through Mickey D's and instead of your usual egg-sausage-lard muffin, you opt for a healthier option and choose the new oatmeal. Yay for you.

But sadly, what you're really eating is basically the same calories as a cheeseburger or Egg McMuffin. And more sugar than a Snickers bar! (source) A typical McDonald's fruit and maple oatmeal includes 290 calories and 32 grams of sugar (source). That's with light cream and no brown sugar (which you know you'll get).

In comparison, this morning I had old fashioned oats. (Boil water, add in half cup of real oats, cook for like three minutes, eat.) I add 1/4 cup of skim milk and a sprinkling of brown sugar (about 1 teaspoon). Total calories = 220 and 4 grams of sugar. And the huge box of oats that lasts me a month costs less than $3. Plus, none of the ingredients in my version include "natural flavoring."

I would argue my version is faster than a drive thru, too. Eating healthy - it's just not that hard!

it's all relative, plus some greek yogurt

A heat advisory was issued for Kansas City today until 10 p.m. By mid-morning that was downgraded to an "excessive heat warning." During my run this morning, it was 80 degrees with an 88 percent humidity. (Yes, it sucked. Big time.) And currently:

{In Kansas City}

It's not hot enough for a heat advisory even though it feels like "running through warm butter" as someone on dailymile  put it.

However in Minnesota, a heat advisory was also issued. At our condo in Minneapolis right now, it's 84 degrees and humidty in the 70s. Feels like 94. And that heat advisory is going no where.

Do Minnesotan's bodies actually experience heat worse than those of us who are conditioned to experience it more months out of the year? I think not.

Also today, I am trying out Greek yogurt. After the last few days of feeling STARVING, I have determined I need more protein. Greek yogurt has more protein, less salt and less carbs than regular yogurt. 

For my weight and being a regular runner, I need 53 to 74 grams of protein a day. (Find out how much you need here.) This is hard to achieve since I am not a ravenous meat eater. So far today:

1.5 tablespoons peanut butter = 6 grams

small banana = 2 grams

1/3 cup chicken breast (in salad) = 14 grams

1/4 cup cannellini beans (in salad) = 4 grams

1 cup of romaine + 1 peach = 1 gram (ouch)

6 oz. Greek yogurt = 12 grams

Total: 39 grams 

My current plan for dinner is homemade mac and cheese. Shockingly, cheese actually has more protein than you think so I might even meet my goal as long as I have a glass of milk with it.

Other high protein foods include:

• beans
• peanut butter
• eggs
• milk
• cheese
• yogurt
• nuts
• meat, of course.

How do you get your protein?

seed-spittin' craving

All I can think about is watermelon.

I've had little tastes during  meetings where I selfishly fish through the fruit bowl for those watery red cubes. And since we're going camping this weekend where I can let the juices drip all over the ground instead of my clothes, eating as much as possible is my top priority. Plus I am fairly certain I can spit farther than the hubs.

Turns out, watermelon is also good for you and not just for hydration.

Health benefits

- Excellent source of Vitamin C and beta carotene. Also, watermelon is the lycopene king which is a potent antioxidant. The concentration is highest compared to any other fruit or vegetable.

- High in citrulline, which is a necessary amino acid to make other amino acids. It also relaxes the blood vessels along with its partner arginine, which is the same effect of the drug Viagra. So if you're in need...

- High concentration of Vitamin B6, which promotes brain activity that helps you cope with anxiety.

- Sweet taste but very low in calorie = great for cravings!

Or you can infuse it with vodka if you don't care about the hydration factor. Find out how here.

Fun fact: Most commercial watermelons are grown in Russia though the watermelon originated in Southern Africa. Want to know more? Check out the World Healthiest's Foods site for nutritional info and history of what you're eating.

finding a love for healthy food

Like anyone needs to read another thing about dieting. That being said, in the last year we've really developed a rhythm of eating healthy. So to continue eliminating lame excuses, here are the battles I face and why they don't need to be so tough.

Breakfast isn't that important. 
I always thought when I didn't eat breakfast and ate a small lunch that I was doing myself a favor. After all, that's a lot of calories I am eliminating. Turns out, I actually lost weight when I ate breakfast because my body wasn't freaking out that I would lose my wagon's food supply while fording the river. I had to find my magic calorie range that made my metabolism confident it was in good hands. One of my motivations for running in the morning is that I have time when I get home for an awesome breakfast. My favorites: poached egg, half an English muffin with peanut butter and cut up bananas or old fashioned oatmeal with almonds and brown sugar.

I'll start eating healthy tomorrow.
Except you'll say that the day after tomorrow, too. And you've probably been saying that for years. Adding just 100 calories each day will give you 10 more pounds on the scale at the end of the year. That's two cookies, a piece of sliced cheese or a handful of chips. Plus as the years increase, the metabolism decreases. Five years ago I could put away five pieces of pizza and a Dr. Pepper and never gain a pound. Now after a weekend of crap eating, I'm up by three or four pounds. Word on the street is it only gets worse.

As long as it's healthy, I can eat as much as I want.
This is my biggest trap. I'll make whole wheat spaghetti, and then eat double what I would normally. Although it's better when it comes to categorizing carbs and providing energy during my morning run, it's not really any less caloric. Then I try to bargain with myself. "Well I had an apple for lunch so I can have this cupcake for dinner." Which, I can. But, it's all about the bottom line. If I go over my body's calorie needs, I will gain weight. I can run off a cupcake in the morning but two servings of spaghetti plus garlic bread is more than I can run before I have to get to work. So I play tricks on myself. I put away the leftovers before we sit down to the table. I use salad plates instead of dinner ones. I send cupcakes to work with Shea so we only have a few for ourselves. And we just don't buy junk. No cookies in plastic trays, no boxes of crackers (surprisingly horrrrrible for you), bags of chips or juices/sodas. I don't miss it either, and now I've even been known to crave fruit. The thought! 

I don't like how healthy food tastes.
I LOVE healthy food, now that I know what to do with it. I'd never cooked with butternut squash, kale, turnip greens, fresh herbs, whole wheat flour or  ground turkey before this year. But I've learned how to delete and replace. I much prefer the taste of whole wheat to white. I can't tell a different between egg whites or margarine and their higher-fat counterparts. And if it will make a difference? I just don't make it, at least not often. Aside from spaghetti and turkey burgers, I haven't made the same recipe twice in a month. That's how many healthy ones there are out there!

I'd rather enjoy my life than live longer.
I would argue that we enjoy life more now that we're eating healthy and working out. Earlier this week, we went to Coldstone Creamery. But instead of ice cream, I got fat-free sorbet (only 160 calories) with chocolate chips. I don't miss fast food. When I eat healthy, I truly do feel better. My skin looks healthier. I have more energy. I don't get bloated (except when I eat carrots). And when we do get dessert or go on a Sonic run, it tastes 10 times better. Plus, I am more confident and when Shea tells me I have a sexy bod, I believe it.

you are not too tired

The more committed we get to working out and eating better, the more I notice lame excuses for eating junk and being lazy. I wouldn't really call us disciplined - I spend way too much time on Facebook and watching Arrested Development for that to be true. And it's not like we don't have cravings or get tired. We do. But we've decided it's important to us and really, we just feel really amazing when we work out consistently, and who doesn't want to feel amazing?!

So, on your quest to be amazing, let me render your excuses lame.

I don't have time to work out.

Even though the exercise recommendations can be intimidating, every little bit helps. Walking on your lunch break, taking the dog around the neighborhood to do his business rather than right outside the front door. Bonus: He pees on someone else's grass! I'm a strong believer in creating a routine, and for us that's worked out to be 5:45 a.m. - 7 a.m. is exercise time. What would we be doing otherwise? Going out with friends and seeing movies? Working? I don't think so!

A gym membership is too expensive.

Luckily God created the outside. And exercise DVDs. And Wii fits. And magazines and books that tell you workouts you can do in  your living room. Then there are the walking trails, swimming pools and backyards. Plus, large bouncing balls. Often gym memberships aren't that bad. We pay $35/month for two of us. I know people who pay less than $20. If you're cutting out the chips, crackers and cookies anyway, there's your membership fee!

I work hard enough in my everyday life.

You probably don't. Even with our amateur running routine, we struggle to create the calorie deficit needed to lose weight, and we run 45 minutes five days a week, at least! The American College of Sports Medicine says you need at least 50 minutes of exercise five days a week to lose any weight. If you're just looking to maintain, you still need 30 minutes each day, and that's only if you're eating the right amount of calories. Which, you're probably not. (more on this tomorrow) The Institute of Medicine actually recommends 60 minutes per day. That's moderate exercise, which means at least walking, and it doesn't count if you're walking toward a candy aisle. Bottom line: going about your daily life is probably not enough unless you've really worked at creating exercise in your normal activities. The guidelines change every year but you'll never hear that you actually need less exercise. You can stop waiting for that one.

I'm too tired!
Perhaps valid, but Mayo Clinic (the royalty of health care) would tell you that exercise actually gives you MORE energy and makes you sleep BETTER. It's true for me. When I don't work out, I want to sleep at my desk. Sleepiness makes me want to eat things like Doritos. And since I don't have Doritos, that would require me to go to a gas station to buy some, which is a waste of money and gas and calories. And when I don't work out, I watch TV til 11 p.m. because I am not tired. And then I am too tired to work out the next morning. Then? I get fat.

It hurts too much.
Yep! But then it won't as much and then it won't at all. And when it does, you'll actually like it. Unless you have old running shoes like me and your toes won't uncurl. Reversible don't worry. Running shoe store here I come! If running hurts, then start by walking fast. If walking fast hurts, then walk slow. If walking hurts, then swim or bike or lie in bed and kick your legs up in the air. 

I just need to go on a diet.
What you eat IS more important than what you do for exercise if you're trying to just lose pounds. But, dieting alone won't do it. A study done this year showed that combined with a good diet, exercise was a key factor in weight loss. When you reduce calories but don't work out, your body actually slows down to conserve energy because it thinks there is a potato famine. This study was done on monkeys not the usual rats. Totally more legit.

See you on the other side of lazy ;)

my self control went on vacation

I'm usually quite good about my eating habits, and I frequently tout the fact I rarely ever get cravings. Except certain times of the month where I am dying to poor the jar of salt straight into my mouth.

  

So these past few weeks I got kind of lazy with the working out. This was not helped by the fact that when my alarm goes off at 5:30 a.m., Shea magically is awake enough to roll over and pull me in close but not awake enough to work out with me. Last week I actually got up, put my running shorts, socks, and shoes, then got into bed to kiss him goodbye. And then I woke up an hour later with my shoes on. Completely under the covers.

Along with this laziness came the inexplicable need to eat everything in sight coupled with the fact my work had an extraordinary amount of leftover catered food just sitting there, waiting for someone to eat it all. Then I made brownies on Tuesday, and we ate half a pan in one sitting. (I am blaming most of this on Shea because it makes me feel better about myself. Especially since I don't even like chocolate. Ooof.)

In the last three weeks I have gained like two or three pounds. Which is really nothing because I could eat healthy for a week and be back to my normal weight. Or run a few miles and ta-da! And I realize that because my jean size is somewhere between 0 and -1, you think I don't have a right to whine. But now it's all I can think about. And despite this awareness of the fact I am eating like a teen-aged boy, yesterday I still had a 3/4 bag of kettle corn, a cappuccino-flavored cup of sugar and ice (because it was $1, and now that's a good reason to eat something..), a tall beer and banana bread (fruit, right?)

After my whining and moaning of really annoying things like "uhhh, I feel bloated and my stomach is touching my waistband" or "I can't run because I just ate half a pan of brownies for no reason," we made a pact. We're running everyday (or working out in some fashion if my knees give out) until we attend a wedding on June 5.

So far seven miles in two mornings (8 miles for Shea; he's better). The bad news is we have two graduation parties, a camping road trip, and the Great American BBQ Festival before then.

The good news is that my acid reflux/inability-to-digest-normally syndrome is kicking in. So if my mind can't control my appetite, the bubbling acid in my stomach will.

Running on the cheap

I am back up to my three-mile run every morning followed by some sort of agonizing behavior like body squats, lunges or reverse abs. It only took a few times to resume the pre-wedding workout pace despite our four-month hiatus. OK, it was really six months, but whatever. We had to recover mentally. And then move. And then eat candy and sleep a lot. And I don't even LIKE candy.

We joined Gold's Gym, which incidentally has no candy but a whole lot of testerone. We used to go to Lifetime Fitness, which pretty much owns Johnson County, Kansas with its super megaplex gym. However, we aren't rich and JoCo makes me itch.

Lifetime Fitness: Locker room with locks included, free towels (though quite short), hair dryers, lotion, mouth wash and tampons. Yep, tampons. Marathon runners workout here. There are running clubs, pilates, kickboxing, yoga and step. The treadmills have TVs inside them so that I could watch the Today Show repeat its content every 21 minutes. Air temperature was a cool 40 degrees so sweating while running became near impossible. Personal trainers cost a million and one dollars but the one free session meant measuring fat all over your body, running and breathing  into a machine and then determining your body's age (I'm still 18!). Recommendations included running intervals, and putting less butter on  your bread.
Pricetag: $102/month

Gold's Gym: No locks, towels or tampons. Lots of grunting noises and mind-erasing pop/punk girl music. Sidenote: I found this very ironic. Are muscle-bound men really listening to Miley Cyrus? Treadmills have a "stop" button placed perfectly at my fist level, which leads to more math that I am comfortable with at 6 a.m. to determine how many miles I ran. Classes include ones with descriptions like this: "Capoeira is a Brazilian martial art that uses circular kicks, acrobatics and various ground movements while sparring." Air temperature is a normal 70 degrees. However, when 12 people line up to run and the grunting men are added in, air temperature shoots up to a balmy 100 degrees. Free personal trainer. Recommendations included circut training, cardio if you really want to and don't eat fruit after noon.
Pricetag: $35/month

I kind of like it though. Because I'm still working out at the same intensity I was before. I can still walk over to the free weight area with my five- or 10-pound weights and lift next to some huge dude who is going to go home and drink a protein shake.

And instead of spending my morning getting ready with random strangers, I am going home, eating breakfast with Shea and watching the Today Show, whose content still loops every 21 minutes.