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 |  If you don't have a dream, how are you going to make a dream come true? |
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2013 Goals
Write 52 Reviews / current = 27 Read 40 books / current = 9 Enter 12 Contests/Activities / current = 4 Host/Judge 2 Contest/Activity / current = 2 Other goals:  Be patient Let go of anger/negativity Monthly bloggingSome other places you can find me: http://www.twitter.com/spidergirl502 http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1792019-tonia http://365project.org/spidergirl/365
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| You live, you learn. My husband and I both thought we'd be okay to go slightly off our "diets," by splurging at my birthday party on Sunday. Problem is, we started Saturday and didn't get back on track until today! We feel terrible! Not guilt, but physically, we feel icky. We're both bloated and having intestinal pains and stuff. Nothing dire, just a general feeling of discomfort. Sometimes you don't realize how great you feel when you're eating healthy until you fall off the wagon and splurge on stuff that's not so good for you. We did have plenty of healthy options at the party, fruits & veggies, sushi, and ginger chicken. But we also had chocolate cake and cookies and lots of pasta... They're okay in moderation, but we didn't feel like moderating ourselves. (Oh, and the splurging on Saturday started with a trip to McD's...) Oh well, it's a new week, and we're even stronger in our resolve to eat healthy. We want to feel good again! I started a new 30-day challenge on EA Sports Active yesterday, and I'm enjoying it. I moved up to medium-intensity so the workouts are a little longer with more reps of each exercise. I also set a goal to do 1200 fitness minutes for February, and two days in, I've got 107 minutes, so I think I'm doing well on that.  I also started the couch to 5k program again. I think I'm a little past the "couch" starting point (I know I can jog in place at least 5 minutes), but that's where I'm starting anyway. This program involves alternating periods of jogging and walking 3 times per week, gradually working in more jogging and less walking, so that by the end of the 6 weeks, you're jogging 5k (3.1 miles). More info: http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml Stats (now that I'm back on track): Nutrition: Breakfast: Kelloggs All-Bran Complete Wheat Flakes with a banana and soy milk Lunch: Bean and Pasta Soup (recipe: http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Bean-and-Pasta-Soup) and a big salad Dinner: tuna salad on Arnold's multi-grain sandwich thin Snacks: 1/4 cup mixed nuts, 1/2 c whipped pineapple dessert, 15 wheat thins fiber selects crackers I can still have 350 calories after that to reach the top of my range, and I need more protein, so I'll probably have more nuts or some peanut butter or something. Fitness: EA Sports Active: 25 minutes, 97 calories Wii Fit Yoga: 10 minutes, 17 calories Wii Fit Strength Training: 10 minutes, 22 calories Wii Fit Aerobics: 11 minutes, 36 calories Wii Fit Games: 4 minutes, 9 calories Total: 60 minutes, 181 calories burned So, the positives of falling off my healthy lifestyle for a few days are: Lesson learned - I feel tons better when I'm eating healthy, and at least I didn't gain any weight from splurging. |
It all started with the Kellogs All-Bran Challenge. I bought the cereal for this low-cal, low-fat muffin recipe. The muffins turned out terrible. Ugh, I don't even like to think about it...  But, I noticed the back of the cereal box - it issued a challenge to eat the cereal for breakfast for ten days. That was a little over a year ago, and I've been eating a high-fiber cereal every morning since then.I definitely noticed a difference after upping my fiber. At first, it was very difficult to reach the 25-30g per day requirement. I considered taking a supplement, but I thought I'd continue trying to get it naturally, and eventually it was easy. "They" say that people who get enough fiber in their diets tend to maintain a healthy weight (and lose weight) easier than those who don't. I also used to struggle with getting enough fruits and veggies in everyday, too. There were days I was lucky to have one serving! So I set a goal to get 3 per day. Then my goal was 3-5, and now I'm consistently getting at least 5 per day. My breakfast usually includes a banana and an 8-oz glass of orange juice. There's 3 servings already! (a side note - I used to get heartburn and indigestion from fruits, but since I've started working out, I get far less of those) For lunch, I like to have big salads of dark greens topped with fresh veggies like cucumbers, broccoli and carrots. Some days (like today), I'll also have a bowl of veggie soup. I'll also have a snack of a fruit or veggie at some point in the afternoon, and I try to add one or two veggies to dinner. So I'm usually in between 5-9 servings per day! (My daily menu changes depending upon if I have work. Especially if I work in the evening, it's more difficult to plan a well-balanced dinner for myself.) I think it's important for myself to make smaller, attainable goals. I didn't set out to get near 10 servings of fruits & veggies per day! First, I tried for 3, and then I worked my way up. With the fiber goal, I started by just adding a high-fiber cereal, and then slowly worked my way up to the daily recommended value (it's important not to up your fiber too fast, as that can irritate your system in bad ways). I got this idea from my sister - I have a monthly calendar and I split each day into four squares. In one square, I count my fruits & veggies. In the second, I check off if I've taken my daily vitamin. The third and fourth have to do with daily chores & cleaning around the house. If I meet my goal in each box, I get a sticker for the day. Sounds silly, I know! But it works for me! I like stickers and I like feeling like I've accomplished something. I even started adding more goals so my vitamin square also has a spot for fiber intake and another for fitness information. At the end of the month, I evaluate my goals and adjust if needed. Also, if I've established a good habit, I might change one square to something new. For me, that's the point of the calendar - to develop a healthy habit. It makes me look at something every single day. At first, it was really difficult for me to remember to take my vitamin everyday, but when I see that calendar, I remember. Today's stats: Nutrition: Breakfast: 1/2 serving Frosted Mini-Wheats, a banana, and 8oz Trop50 orange juice Lunch: toasted Arnold's Multigrain Sandwich Thin, 1 tbsp peanut butter, 1 cup Campbell's Select Harvest Light Minestrone Soup Dinner: Arnold's Multigrain Sandwich Thin, 1 tbsp peanut butter, 1 tbsp grape jelly Snacks: 1/2 grapefruit, Wheat Thins Fiber Selects Fitness: Wii Fit Yoga - 34 minutes, 59 calories Wii Fit Aerobics - 30 minutes, 89 calories Wii Fit Strength Training (core only) - 6 minutes, 13 calories Total: 70 minutes, 161 calories burned |
One week from today, I turn 30!  Maybe that's why I'm on this latest health kick... Nah, I kind of doubt it. I started getting healthy years ago. It's been an ongoing process with ups and downs. Starting February 1st, I'll be doing another 30-day challenge on EA Sports Active. My sister's going to start the same day, so we can encourage each other to finish. I'm also thinking of starting the couch to 5k program again. Last time I made the horrible mistake of not waiting long enough after eating to start jogging... Horrible pain in my stomach! Blech! Today I did some yoga and some fun games in the Wii Fit Plus. I thought I'd try a running one, and it was about 45 minutes after I had breakfast (cereal and a banana). Didn't wait long enough again. I really hate that pain! I waited another half hour and tried running again, and it came back again. I just have to work on my timing. I usually get up and workout before I eat (which is probably not a great idea...), then I have breakfast. If I'm going to run, too, I'm going to have to try to fit that in somewhere... And I don't want to be doing too much at once, either. Yesterday, I had two halves of a candy bar... Mr. J bought them from a charity raising money for cancer research. It was too difficult to resist... and then I had a couple swedish fish before bed. That's a tough time for me, I think. New product: Wheat Thins make a new cracker called Fiber Selects. Each serving (18 crackers) has only 120 calories and 5g of fiber! Woo-hoo!! The Garden Vegetable flavor is pretty good. When I first tried increasing my fiber, I had a difficult time getting the 25-35g required. I considered using a supplement, but I kept trying for it naturally. Now I have to watch to make sure I don't get too much! But for those days I'm a little behind, these crackers will help out! Totals for today: Nutrition: Breakfast: Frosted Mini-Wheats, banana, 1 tbsp peanut butter, 8oz Trop50 orange juice Lunch: Homemade Wonton Ravioli (and probably a big salad and some grapefruit) Dinner: 2oz Lite Turkey on Arnold's Sandwich Thin, 18 Wheat Thin Fiber Selects crackers Snack: Hershey's Almond Bar Fitness: Wii Fit Yoga: 10 minutes, 14 calories Wii Fit Games & Running: 10 minutes, 21 calories EA Sports Active: 15 minutes, 62 calories Total: 35 minutes, 97 calories burned. Good news for my husband: He lost 10lbs since starting January 5th! He fluctuates 2-3 lbs per day, though (and once he went up 5.5lbs in one day!) He's learning that he can't go completely off his diet on weekends and still expect to keep the weight off. I think it's okay to give yourself a treat, but he can't start eating fast food every weekend... |
| My husband and I avoid the "d" word like the plague. The word "diet" implies denying yourself, feeling hungry, and eating bland, boring foods. (It also implies that once you lose x-amount of weight, that you can go back to eating "normally.") "Diet" is a very bad word... Instead, we're focusing on living a healthier lifestyle. We're working on being more active and making healthier choices when it comes to eating. We're doing this so that we feel better about ourselves. That being said, the first few weeks were easy, and now it's getting more difficult. We both feel hungry between meals... and we're disappointed by the end of the day that we can't have more. I think we just hit a rough spot... and we need more variety! Packing the same lunch for a few weeks gets boring. I've got to look for ways to spice things up a bit! I finished my first 30-day challenge on the Wii game, EA Sports Active. It was fun and challenging. I'm looking forward to starting another one with my sister on Monday. I did a custom workout today because I kind of missed them.  Haven't done this in a bit, so I'll just start with yesterday: Nutrition: Breakfast: coffee, Fiber One Honey Clusters with soy milk, a banana, Trop50 orange juice Lunch: hard-boiled egg, big salad of spring mix & spinach with broccoli, craisins & honey-roasted pecans and zesty italian dressing, tuna salad on Arnold's Sandwich Thin, 4 strawberries and 1 cup of grapes Dinner: Pan-fried tilapia, baked potato (with light sour cream), wild & brown rice mix, 1/4 cup cream-style corn Snack: tootsie roll & roll of smarties (I'm surprised I didn't snack more in the evening, especially after learning of the passing of one of my aunts) Today's breakfast & lunch will be pretty much the same as yesterday, except for lite turkey on the sandwich thin (Dietz & Watson makes some great low-cal & low-fat lunchmeats), a grapefruit instead of strawberries, and I'll have a cup of leftover tortellini soup for dinner. Fitness: Yesterday, I did 12 minutes of Yoga and 8 minutes of Aerobics on the Wii Fit Plus, totaling 20 minutes and 40 calories burned. This morning, I did a custom workout on EA Sports Active, totaling 21 minutes and 72 calories burned. For anyone who might be interested in two of the leading Wii fitness games, I wrote product reviews for them:
To find motivation to continue when I'm stuck in a rut, I remind myself of the benefits of a healthy lifestyle. I don't feel as tired as I used to, as I've found myself having much more energy. I don't get sick as often (one minor cold in the past 3 years), and I'm able to do things like crouch in one place or walk (and shop!) for long periods of time, without getting tired or sore. (I've also started upping my calories just a little. I aim for the high end of my calorie range, 1690, rather than the low end, and my weight has remained the same.) |
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| Okay, I'll admit it. I cheated yesterday. I had a bit of macaroni & cheese and a little piece of cheesecake. Working at a grocery store makes it difficult to avoid temptation sometimes! The thing is, though, that I'm feeling like I should be eating more than I am. I'm following my diet by staying within my calorie range of 1340 and 1690. That's supposed to be for me to maintain my weight. But I've lost 2 lbs in the past 3 weeks. I'm at 104 now. If I get below 98, I'll be considered "underweight," according to my BMI. (I calculate it using this website: http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/. Also, the Wii Fit Plus calculates my BMI every day.) Of course, while BMI (body mass index, or the percentage of body fat) is an easily calculated number, it's not the best for judging if you're overweight, normal weight, or underweight. It doesn't take several factors into consideration, like muscle mass and bone density. For instance, it's been telling my husband that he'll have to weigh 165 to be "normal," though we both know he's probably not going to be able to be that low of a weight. He's a really muscular guy, one of those "barrel-chest" type of guys, you know? (He just also happens to have a gut, lol) Anyway, that's my reasoning for snacking sometimes. Yesterday's recap: Exercise: EA Active for 14 minutes, Wii Fit Plus (Core Strength Training) for 6 minutes Total time: 20 minutes Calories burned: 55 Nutrition: Breakfast: Cereal with light soy milk and a banana Lunch: Salad, one half roll of sushi, fresh fruit salad (plus mac & cheese & cheesecake)  Dinner: Pork Chops with Dijon Sauce (awesome!! recipe: http://tinyurl.com/y9oqbxn), baked potato (light sour cream, chives, bac'n bits & 1 tbsp cheddar), sweet corn Snacks: imitation crab, a tootsie roll, skittles, 2 tbsp peanut butter I didn't do too well with snacking yesterday... We have dinner around 5pm, and by 8pm, I'm starting to get hungry. By 9pm, I'm searching for anything to eat in the house! |
| I'm one of those "all-or-nothing" types of people. When I resolve to get healthy, I obsess. I read articles, make charts, keep a detailed log of all nutrition and exercise. I can't help it. That's the type of person I am. Of course, I have my off-days. I just try not to beat myself up about them. Tomorrow's another day, I tell myself. I had a pretty good day yesterday. I worked out for over an hour!  I'm looooving having Wii workout games! It mixes up my routines to keep me interested and motivated. I love getting to see how many calories I'm burning!So I started the day with 20 minutes of yoga, 10 minutes of strength training and 30 minutes of aerobics. Not bad, especially for a "rest day." Nutrition-wise: Breakfast: Coffee, cereal with light soy milk, a tablespoon of peanut butter, and a banana (peanut butter is magic, I swear! I've read that it's important to have protein after doing strength training to build muscle. I'm going to look into protein powders to add to smoothies, but in the meantime, I thought I'd have some pb. At first, I didn't like that it was going to add 100 calories to my day, but then it kept me feeling not hungry for a long time! Normally I'm really hungry by 10am, that's why I split up my lunches normally. Yesterday, though, I didn't get hungry until Noon!) Lunch: 3 pierogies, fresh fruit, and 12 tortilla strips with 2 tbsp salsa Dinner: tuna salad on an Arnold's Sandwich Thin, 1/4 mixed nuts, 3 Utz multi-grain pretzels I should have had more veggies yesterday... I try to have at least 3-5 servings of fruits & veggies per day. It seems like I get either fruit OR veggies, though. Today's plan: Breakfast: coffee, cereal with light soy milk, and a banana Lunch: Wendy's chili, fresh fruit salad Dinner: Pan-friend tilapia, roasted potatoes and sweet corn (I still need 300-500 calories somewhere, so I'll try to have a healthy snack or two) I took it easy on exercise this morning because I was a little sore from yesterday's workout, plus I won't have as much time today. I did my scheduled EA Sports Active workout, which was only 13 minutes long, all upper-body stuff today. I'll finish my first 30-day challenge this Saturday! I'm going to be starting the next one on February 1st with my sister. |
Look what I made:
I probably won't blog every day about dieting & exercise, but it's been a recent focus in my life. Mr. J and I started officially dieting January 5th. He wants to lose about 100 lbs by the end of the year, and it's my goal to maintain my weight & to get in shape. Two days after Christmas, I started a 30-day challenge on the Wii game, EA Sports Active. I like that it tells me how many calories I've burned with each workout! Recently, my husband gave me an early birthday gift - Wii Fit Plus! Now I have fun doing both workouts nearly everyday. Anyway, here are some recaps from today: Exercise: Two EA Sports Active workouts today, plus some Wii Fit Plus Total time: 45 minutes Total burned: 164 calories Nutrition: Breakfast: Raisin Bran Extra with 1 cup light soy milk Lunch: giant salad (spring mix, broccoli, cucumbers, cauliflower, carrots, bean sprouts, imitation crabmeat) & some fresh fruit Snack: medium coffee & half of a donut Dinner: steak with mushroom salsa (recipe: http://recipes.homemadegourmet.com/recipe.asp?code=6580}, tater puffs and green beans Since I started working out regularly and eating healthier, I've felt pretty good. I have a good energy level throughout the day, for the most part. Here's to a healthy 2010! |
| I grew up in Pennsylvania, so it's pretty much required that I eat pork and sauerkraut on New Year's Day for good luck. (It's a Pennsylvania Dutch thing, from what I understand, dating back to 1600). I don't believe in most superstitions, but I take part in a lot of them, anyway. I like a good pork & 'kraut meal once a year, so I don't mind that one at all. I also put a three wisemen Christmas card above my front door and leave it there for the whole year, for prosperity. My husband's family had one about putting a silver dollar (or some kind of coin) in your bathtub for the first week or so of the new year. I felt like I had a pretty good 2009. We bought our first brand new car, and we went to NJ on a mini-vacation for a friend's wedding. We had mostly good health, and we're both still employed. I have high hopes for 2010, too. We almost feel like we should do whatever we did last year so we have the same good fortune this year! Do you have any traditions? What do you do for luck & prosperity? Happy New Year! |
| Now that NaNo is over, I'm left wondering, "What now?" I guess a lot of us are thinking the same thing. I do plan on editing... I just might take a little break first. A lot of people wonder why November for NaNoWriMo. (Honestly, I wonder which came first, "National Novel Writing Month" or the group that hosts writing 50k in one month. Like, did they choose November, or did November choose them?) November is a busy month and not an ideal one for novel-writing, perhaps. It has a huge holiday which makes it difficult to write. It seems like not such a great choice, right? However, I'm offering that November works well because it's followed by December! Many of us are left with this adrenalin rush or this habit of being busy with a daily task. Once it's over, we feel lost. We don't know what to do next. That's where December helps! It's the holiday season! There's a TON to do! See, we'll be alright! |
| I crossed the finish line yesterday by writing over 3k! I think saying "I'm not in the mood to write today" or "I doubt I'll write much today" somehow makes me write more... It helped that my main NaNo buddy, Ivy, finished her novel yesterday, too. I think we were within an hour of each other, actually. It feels soooo amazing to be done, like a huge weight lifted, you know? If you're close to being done, let that motivate you! This is the first year that, upon finishing, I'm not totally sick of my plot. I actually feel like going back and editing. I think I really believe in this one. It needs a TON of rewriting. It's terrible right now, as a first draft can be, right? I think I really love writing post-apocalyptic dystopias! Now I should come up with an editing schedule so that it will be polished by next November... |
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