Day Thirty-Two: The Bad Days

You wake up in a nasty mood, don't know why. Maybe it was because you didn't get great sleep last night...someone might have kept you up. Someone else might have gotten good sleep, but it wasn't you. You're tired, you're cranky, you're hormonal, you get ready for work & you hate the way you look. You hate the way you feel. You hate the world in general today, & there's no valid reason why. You've felt this way before, but it's been awhile...

You get to work & nothing goes your way. People are nasty. You hate people today.

You eat something that you know isn't good for you. You justify it. I've had a bad day...maybe you don't justify it out loud...maybe you don't even realize what you've done. What have you put into your body today? A cup of coffee and a doughnut? Not even a multivitamin, "For real!!"...you say to yourself. "Oh well, the day is shot anyway. Have I had any water? No? Okay, a diet coke will do...I'm tired, I need energy. My goodness, I feel like crap. There's no way I can work out today, not with the day I've had. I wish today just didn't happen."

Oh, for the love of bad days. Let me tell you, there will be many. You're not the only one, we've all had them, let me say it again....WE'VE ALL HAD THEM. And, you will have many more. It's the way of life. So, you ate crap...and it was a Thursday. There's not a person out there who hasn't done it.

You have three choices. 1) You can deny what you've done, justify it by saying that your diet was better than anyone else's that you work with even though it was crappy, and continue about. 2) You can shame yourself by making yourself feel even more horrible for doing what you did. 3) You can accept that you reverted back to your old ways, hold yourself accountable, forgive yourself, & move on.

I hope you made the third choice.

How does this work? You realize that becoming healthy is a process. Even if a switch flipped in you on Jan 1, it is still going to take time for the "new you" to become the "new you". Sixty days from now, you'll recognize what is going on & make the decision to go spend some time on yourself, maybe a little more than normal. You'll recognize that contaminating your system with junk, soda, or stress only makes a bad situation worse. Right now, though, you must forgive yourself & realize that this is a process. Where you are is not where you are going to be. You will have bad days, WE ALL DO. You will have days where you fall short of your own expectations of yourself. WE ALL DO.

Hold yourself accountable. How do you do this? You do two things: 1) You journal about why you ate emotionally. This is important, because the only way you can stop eating emotionally is to recognize the triggers & how you've habitually responded. 2) The second thing you do is switch one of your cheat meals out for the day that you screwed up. Why? Because screwing up costs you, & that's part of holding yourself accountable. You don't get 3 cheat meals because you ate emotionally that day, you still only get 2 for the week.

Now that you've held yourself accountable, you FORGIVE yourself. Then, drink a liter of water to start cleaning out your system, take a multivitamin and a TUMS (or 3), & realize that tomorrow's another day.

Try: Leeks. In the produce section somewhere around leafy veggies, you'll find these awesome stalky things. I love to make veggie soup using these instead of onions. To make veggie soup, remove the outer stalk of leeks, chop them up width-wise & saute with generous amount of olive oil & fresh garlic in a large soup pot. Then, add veggies (I like carrots, celery, fresh green beans, fresh chopped spinach). Saute until carrots are slightly softened, then add generous amount of water. Add bullion, pepper, & onion powder to taste. Sometimes, I kick it up with a touch of cayenne. Bring to boil, then simmer for about 45m. Serve with lightly toasted warm Ezekiel bread with Earth Balance Buttery Spread.

Day Thirty-One: Reflection

Thirty days ago, you made the decision to change your life. It came in the form of a New Year's Resolution. If you're story is like mine, then your decision wasn't easy. It probably took a lot of pain to come to the conclusion that you needed to make some changes. Only you could make them. There was no magic pill, there was no immediate surgery, & nobody in the world could do it for you. It is time to reflect on what you've accomplished thus far.

The hardest part is the first 90 days. Experts say that it takes 30 days to make something become a habit. I think that when it comes to life changing experiences such as this, it probably takes a little longer to get it ingrained. It wasn't until day 90 that it felt natural for me.

You went from denial to acceptance. You wrote a love letter to yourself accepting all of your faults & giving thanks for everything - the good, the bad, and the ugly. You've been educated on how to buy foods, how to cook nutritiously, and you had the opportunity to cook a meal with 5 distinct colors using no canned vegetables. You learned about the importance of water, & how much is enough without going overboard. You learned what inputs you need to obtain deep, natural sleep & why rest and repair days are so important. You learned about what sugar really does to your body, and how to engage in cheat meals if you're a sugar addict. You learned why you shouldn't ever allow fast food to enter your body. You learned about guilt, getting your needs met, & realizing that you are worth every minute you spend on yourself. Most important of all, you learned how to listen to what your body is asking for & started giving it the natural solution it is requesting.

I hope that you have found these last 30 days to be amazing. I hope that you've seen a difference in the way that you eat, drink, sleep, look, and feel. I hope that when you step on the scale, it shows you to be 4-5 pounds lighter than you were a month ago. I hope that people comment on how good you look, how clear your skin is, how much you glow. I hope that you've found a support network of people with the same interests to help keep you in the right frame of mind. I hope that you've been able to find a place to find local produce and unadulterated meat.

I hope that you never go back to that place where you were. I hope that you stay focused on taking care of yourself, regardless of how difficult it may feel at times. I hope you feel balanced, and if you don't, I hope that you begin to see a little clarity as to what is out of balance in your life.

Do: Take some pictures of yourself, read your love letter, write a love letter, reflect on what you've accomplished. You're beautiful, & beautiful things are happening. Smile.

Day Thirty: Supplements

I thumb through a fitness magazine & see ads for Cytolean, Mitotropin, Hydroxycut, AMP Whey, Protein Rush, Atro-Phex, Xpel, Myofusion, Complete 7-Day Cleanse, Safely Slim, Acai...it's ridiculous. It's a fitness magazine, after all, so shouldn't everything in there really make you fit? Not so much.

"Eat natural foods" means that what we consume comes in the form of raw food that we either consume raw or cook to kill bacteria. If you close your eyes & imagine your supermarket, you walk into an area that has produce on the far right or far left of the market. Spend lots of time getting to know the fruits & veggies, and put many of them into your cart, especially the ones in season. In produce, move to the back of the market where you'll find cheese, milk, meat, butter, greek yogurt, & eggs. Sometimes, you'll even find raw nuts where produce gives way to meat. Keep moving around the market for 100% whole wheat bread. When you do have to venture into the aisles for things like olive oil, spices, & peppers, don't stay long. This should be your shopping route to purchase natural foods.

Supplements are not natural food. They are substances that chemists conjured up & marketers put into print with promises to make you thin, cut, & ripped in 30 days. It's unrealistic. If it sounds like a waste of money, it's because it probably is.

Vitamins are a little different. If we're getting all of the vitamins we need because we're consuming nutrient-dense natural foods that are primarily plants, then we don't need the vitamins & they come out of our body in our urine. However, there are times when we may be rich in one vitamin & poor in another because of our food choices that day or week. I choose to take a multivitamin for this from GNC called, "Women's Ultra Mega Active". I don't really know if I'm any more healthy by taking it, but I'd like to think that I am. I feel it's like sand filling in any little cracks I might have missed.

The other substance I like is spirulina powder. I put it in my morning shake a 1-2 times per week. It's a blue-green algae that has a high amount of protein, & it's a complete protein containing all essential amino acids. I like this because I prefer to get my protein from plant sources versus animal sources when possible.

Utimately, the best diet is a natural one, & we should strive to make our diet as close to nature as possible. Avoid temptation to buy substances that aren't natural, often they're loaded with caffeine, and many times the FDA removes them from the market altogether.

Do: If you're taking supplements, consider their cost vs benefit to you. Try to get all of your nutrients from your diet, filling in with a multivitamin if necessary.

Day Twenty-Nine: Jackie Warner's Fitness Tips

1. Be a smart consumer & read labels carefully. Fat free products are loaded with sugar. Fat does not make you fat, sugar does.

2. No overcomplicated diets. They have high failure rates because they don't teach you how to eat properly.

3. Never skip meals. When you start to feel hunger pangs, you become a fat storing machine. Eat 3 small meals & 2 snacks a day.

4. Don't juice. Blend fruit instead. Juicing takes out the fiber & leaves you with the sugary juices.

5. Sugar is the devil. Sugar throws our body into an immune suppressed, non-working state of chronic fatigue, depression, & hormonal imbalance. It is the leading cause of disease & depression in the US. To break the addiction, remove all refined sugar from the diet for 5 days straight, & have 2 cheat meals on the weekends.

6. Clean house to remove junk. Stop buying addictive junk food & then hating yourself for not resisting it.

7. Deprivation doesn't work. When beginning a diet, add healthy foods for the first two weeks. Your body will begin to naturally reject the bad food.

8. Crunches are a waste of time. If you carry a large amount of weight in your mid-section, you will just build muscle under fat, thus making you appear bigger. To lose belly fat, combine a healthy diet with resistance training.

9. Eat the good, then the bad, then the ugly. Good = fruits/veggies/lean protein, Bad=starches/bread, Ugly=dessert/alcohol

10. Satisfy oral fixation with herbal teas. Late night munchies? Brew a cup of decaf tea, it will satisfy that oral fixation.

11. Water helps you lose weight. Three liters daily doubles your energy, increases your metabolism, & clears your skin.

12. Eat whole, natural foods.

13. Don't be afraid to lift weights. Cardio is the slowest way to lose weight. Resistance training burns more calories & speeds up your metabolism.

14. ONLY do intensity cardio. Forget the heart rate monitor, unless you have a heart condition, your cardio should be intense enough to feel your muscles burning. Raise ramp to max uphill incline & do a slow walk for 2 minutes, then lower ramp & run hard for 2 minutes. Take 1 minute to bring your heart rate down. Repeat 4 times for a 20 minute session.

Day Twenty-Eight: The Victim

"You stopped doing weightwatchers, how come?" I asked. "Time & money, just like everything else, Mariah." was the response. "Time and money, how so?" I could tell I was pressing by her sigh. "I do for everyone else, and that leaves me not having the time or the money to take care of myself."

There are usually two central reasons why someone plays the victim. The first is due to caretaking, the second is engaging in avoidance behavior. When someone does this, they're often doing a little bit of both.

Caretaking is a notion that I discuss in Post Fifteen. It is the thought that one needs to self-sacrifice their own needs in order to meet the needs of others. They derive self-worth from doing so, and it can lead to controlling or manipulative behaviors. Often, one doesn't feel that their sacrifice is truly appreciated, and so there might be a martyrdom complex that arises. This is articulated in the conversation above, "I do for others & not myself..."

I definitely engaged in this behavior when I felt that my husband & children didn't appreciate the sacrifices I'd made when I gave up my body to have children. The truth is that I didn't, I gave up my body when I chose to eat poorly and stop exercising consistently during & after my pregnancy. Usually, buried somewhere way below the emotion is the truth, & it often takes immense self-searching & accountability to locate it. Caretaking's roots are in poor self-confidence, not selflessness.

The second reason I describe is avoidance behavior. Often, we don't want to do things like eat healthy or work out. We'd rather scarf down the hotdogs & mac-n-cheese that our kids didn't finish while watching Dancing With The Stars instead of taking a dancing class at the gym & cooking nutritiously. We use excuses to cover up our true desires. Again, it takes self-searching & accountability to uncover the truth & be honest with ourselves.

Why do I mention these types of behaviors in a Nutrition & Fitness Blog? If someone is always the victim or avoiding the truth, it will often affect their health. Our mind/body connection is strong, & we must improve both together. We can never get all of the good stuff in life that we deserve if we don't work on ourselves. We will try out a class, then quit. We'll feel guilty & then act the martyr. We'll eat emotionally. We'll make excuse after endless excuse, lying to ourselves about what we truly want. If we've engaged in these behaviors, we must begin to talk straight with ourselves, believe that we deserve the very best, listen to what we're saying, & question it when it really isn't the truth. It takes courage.

Do: If you find you can relate to this post, read either The Language Of Letting Go or Codependent No More by Melody Beattie. In your food journal, write down the things you've been saying & the messages you've been sending yourself and others. Look deep down for the truth & be honest with yourself when you locate it.

Day Twenty-Seven: Having The Right Tools

The other day, I was 1/2 a mile into a 4.2 mile run. Slowly, under my shirt, my sports bra started riding up. Before I knew it, my nips were coming out of the bottom. I pulled it down in irritation. About half a mile later, it happened again. This repeated itself for the entire run. I remembered, "Oh yeah, this is the one that doesn't fit...I was supposed to throw it away..." It's no wonder the elastic was shot, I think I bought the thing 10 years ago.

I hate spending money on myself. I feel guilty, always have & probably always will. I love getting beautiful gifts from people & wear them with pride. But, when it comes to forking out money on myself, I freeze up. There's some sort of psychology behind that, & one day I'll dig deeper into it. You may find that you do the same.

We wouldn't expect a surgeon to perform great surgery without a scalpel, strong light, and a generous amount of antibacterial soap...a $100K education would also help. We wouldn't feel confident if a the person building our home didn't own a hammer, a tape measure, a calculator...and probably a good truck. Yet, so many of us go into the gym with equipment that is substandard. I know, I'm the number one culprit.

If we take our health seriously and want to remain injury-free, it is important that we use the right equipment. Here are some imperative investments that I urge anyone seeking a healthy lifestyle to make.

• Shoes - Shoes are super-individualistic. Every foot is different, if you don't know if you're a pronator or supinator, you need to visit a running store where they look at your wear from old shoes, watch how you walk & measure your width and arches. Good shoes aren't cheap. Expect to spend between $85-$120 or so.
• Gym Membership - When I started out, I had a gym that included child care. It was the only way I could fit in time at the gym. It also had a spa, towel service, & an amazing pool for the kids on weekends. Find one in the right price range in the right location - imperative.
• Sports Bras - We all appreciate our "perk", so these are important. I've found quality sports bras for $16.99 at Target. You need at least 7 of these. I currently own 5.
• Water Bottle - Mine goes everywhere with me, it was a gift someone purchased at Starbucks that runs about $12-$15. It should always be in your purse or bag. I like ones that completely screw on, like a thermos. That way, there's no leaking when it turns over in your bag.
• Blender - Blending fruit is my favorite way to eat it in the morning. Juicing removes imperative fiber, blending keeps it. You need that fiber. There's nothing worse than a cheap blender. I use a KitchenAid that was a gift that retails at $179.95 from Williams Sonoma. Again, not cheap but very much worth it.
• iPod - What would we ever do without workout music? If music motivates you to burn calories, put this at the top of your list. Depending on the iPod you choose, this can run $70-$200.
• Antibacterial Soap - If you're like me, you break out easily if sweat stays on the skin. I wash my face before working out to remove the makeup. I take a hot shower after to get the sweat off my skin. Dial Gold Liquid Antibacterial soap is my fav that retails a couple of bucks at any grocery store.
• Massage - I find very good, cheap, massage therapists. I'm a fan of Massage Envy, where it's $45 for a 1-hour session. Initially, I got a massage every other week as a reward during the toughest time, the first 3 months. After about 3-4 months, I dropped to once monthly. Now, I get them only as needed because I no longer need them as a reward.
• Wrench System - I call this "wrench" because it's what happens when a wrench gets thrown into the mix. This is a home system for back-up when you can't make it to the gym for whatever reason. It includes weights, fitness magazines & DVD's with good workouts, a yoga mat, & a jumprope. I suggest buying every piece of this second-hand. You'll find people that spent a lot of money & never used it at all at garage sales & on Craig's List.
• Sunscreen - If you do outdoor activities like running or hiking, you need to protect your skin. I use a moisturizer that has SPF in it that runs about $8-$10 a bottle.
• Flattering Workout Clothing - This is one I'm still working on. It's hard for me to invest in something I'm just gonna get sweaty, but I know I feel better when I'm wearing something cute. This can be expensive, so it may take time.
• Exercise-Specific Equipment - Swimmers need goggles, a cap, & a suit. Weightlifters often wear gloves (I don't). Each sport or activity has its own equipment that it requires.
• Personal Trainer - If you don't know proper technique, have never spent time in the gym, or think you know what you're doing, but really don't...get a trainer. They are experienced, licensed professionals.

Day Twenty-Six: Fast Food Nation

I used to be a sometimes-consumer of fast food, but I've never really been into it. I've always found it a little off that an "All Beef Patty" can be sold for around a buck. I thought the phrase was a strange choice of words...what else would it be but all beef? The fact that I can find that all-beef-patty cheaper than I can find a head of broccoli is also disturbing. It should be.

I cringe when my son asks if we can stop at McDonalds. My husband & two children will eat their chicken nuggets & fries while I munch an apple I brought & sometimes have a cup of coffee. The only true benefit I see from visiting one is that they get to play indoors on a slide that looks like it hasn't been cleaned in two weeks. If you can't tell, I tolerate fast food restaurants when I have to. Right now, I'm in a stage where I detest them.

It bothers me that I have to drive 4 miles to get to the nearest health food store, and on the way I'll pass somewhere between 50 and 80 fast food restaurants. We are inundated with the way America now eats, and its scary.

Fast food tastes amazing, but that burger you're eating is comprised of about 100 different cows. They add sugar to the patty because they know its addictive. They add sugar to the fries because it makes them toast golden brown when deep-fried, & it gives them that almost-sweet taste. Again, addictive. In fact, there are three substances that have received considerable funding amongst food addiction studies: Sugar, salt & fat. All are good if from the right source in the proper quantaties. However, none of that applies inside a Whataburger. Those Wendy's corporate execs are no dummies.

Fast food companies are the number one purchaser of beef, pork, chicken, & potatoes. With that kind of clout, they are able to influence legislation, the FDA, the EPA, and literally determine the way that factory farming is conducted in the US. In my opinion, factory farming is one of the most inhumane things we could ever do to animals. Try, if you can, to sit through an entire episode of a movie dedicated to exposure of factory farming without having to walk out.

Animals that eat grass by design are fed corn because it's government subsidized & therefore cheap. Because the animals are not supposed to eat corn, they get sick. To keep them alive long enough to slaughter, they are given antibiodics. We feed chickens hormones to make their breasts bigger, then we eat the chicken, then girls at younger ages start developing breasts earlier. Hmmm...

If you've ever wished you didn't want to eat fast food, all you've gotta do is educate yourself. Believe me, once you know what's in it, you'll lose your appetite. When we have investigative journalists conducting investigative research on our food system, that should be a huge warning sign.

Do: Watch the movie, "Food, Inc." Follow this link http://www.foodincmovie.com/ & click on "Watch The Trailer" on the left-hand side to get a preview. There are a number of books & movies out on this subject. Some of the ones I like include, "Super Size Me", The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan & Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser.

Day Twenty-Five: When The Scale Moves Slowly

Frustration!! You sweat your butt off on a treadmill, exploding those last 10 minutes to burn any residual calories you possibly can. You eat nutritiously & chug water. You're working, working, working, and coming home to a scale that barely moves.

It happens to us all.

It took you years to put this weight on. It took you thousands of hours of emotional eating, choosing junk food over the good stuff, drinking beer, and sitting in front of the TV with a piece of pizza watching The Biggest Loser. It took you getting to the point where you were disgusted with yourself to finally change it. Not that you're complaining, if that's the way it had to be, then so be it. It's why you're changing your life now, so be grateful that you hit rock bottom.

If it took time for the weight to go on, then it's going to take time for it to come off. DO NOT get discouraged. Find ways to motivate yourself, concentrate on how you feel versus how quickly the scale is moving. Thinking you're going to come out of the gate losing 20 pounds your first month is unrealistic & will discourage you. That needle will come down if you don't give up on yourself. Set small goals, reward yourself without using food, look at then/now pictures, read your love letter, journal about your sleep, energy, & skin. I found that emailing myself a love letter when I felt discouraged was the best pick-me-up. It would help me sort through things & put them into perspective when the emotional frustration would get to me. Here's an excerpt from a love letter I emailed myself around day 25.

"This decision that you've made is going to take time. It takes commitment, you're worth it. So are Jet, Kimber, & Jason. You're so much happier when you've eaten healthy. You glow now that you're getting good sleep. Think about this, not the scale. It will come. Don't be so worried about how long it's taking, think about good you feel. Think about how nice it is to climb on the treadmill by yourself...no kids, no phone, no interruptions. Think about how great it feels to climb into clean sheets after a hot shower after a good workout. Think about how nice that massage is going to feel next Tuesday. Don't contaminate your system with junk food, soda, or stress. You are beautiful, & beautiful things are happening. Smile."

Do: If you're feeling frustration, do one of the many things I mention above. Be patient & don't give up. It will come.

Day Twenty-Four: Buying Local & Sustainable

In just about every city, you can find local, sustainable agriculture. It comes in the form of produce markets, farmers markets, vegetable co-ops, and clean meat ranchers that sell in bulk or at meat markets. This photo was from my trip today to the local produce market with my step-mother where limes are sold 10 for $1.

Why do I like buying at these sorts of places? There are a number of reasons. I find them to be cheaper than Albertsons. We get to commune with other people who find it important to eat healthy. They're next to you commenting on how good the pomegranates look. That builds our network. At a farmer's market, you'll often meet the person who grew your tomatoes, carrots, and celery. That puts a level of trust in your food system that you can't find in bagged spinach. We tend to buy more in these environments, and that makes for healthier snacks and an abundance of fruits & veggies that we want to eat before they go bad. That's encouragement & reinforcement of positive behaviors. Often, this food wasn't trucked from half-way across the country, but rather grown locally. This contributes to a more sustainable, green-friendly, global environment.

If you've never been to one of these or joined a co-op, it may be out of your comfort zone at first. It also may be difficult to find, & you might have to do some digging in your community to find them. That's okay, we're changing our life through eating right & so a lot of things will be out of our comfort zone initially. In the end, the investment of your time & energy will be worth it. The best bonus is that there's no frozen pizza aisle at an open-air market.

Do: Visit the site http://www.eatwellguide.org/ to find local sustainable food through a zip code search. Visit a produce market that sells local produce, & visit a meat market that sells locally raised clean, unadulterated meat. Ask people you know that are into these types of things, they'll be excited to educate you on where to go. If you're feeling really bold, join a veggie co-op.

Day Twenty-Three: Right Frame Of Mind

We've been at this for three weeks. That's a long time to stick to a New Year's Resolution. If you're still here, pat yourself on the back. You're sticking to one of the most important commitments you could ever make.

I found that when I made this commitment, a switch had flipped. It was a switch that had been tripping for some time, making inconsistent sparks. That was good, but it wasn't enough. Once the switch had finally flipped, I felt that nothing could stop me. Chinese food at the office looked disgusting to me. McDonalds & Burger King looked like dogfood. It's probably because they pretty much are with a little sugar added in for addictive effects. I took my tennis shoes to the office & walked during lunch. I didn't care that I went alone much of the time. I was motivated all by myself. I was on a mission to take care of myself and live the rest of my life as healthy as I possibly could.

Are you in that frame of mind? If you are, then it makes sticking to it very easy. It doesn't mean you're a health freak or nut, it means that you're tired of taking care of everyone else & not yourself. Rejoice.

Give thanks to the many people who encouraged you to get to this place. I had two: Megan Rencher http://personalchallengefitness.blogspot.com/ & Beth Belk. Both women were super-fit. Both women encouraged me & talked straight to me. Both were trained professionals in fitness instruction. Both were friends who cared about me.

Expand on this network. There are so many dieticians, personal trainers, fitness instructors, & running partners out there. Join a running group, meet people in your aerobics class, go to Farmer's Markets, talk to your instructor - they're human & like having friends. Meet other people who are in the right frame of mind, it will encourage you, it will hold you accountable. It will motivate you to remain in the right frame of mind as well.

Do: Check out The Rudd Center For Food Policy & Obesity at http://www.yaleruddcenter.org/. This is a great source of information & resources that can help you remain in the right frame of mind.

Day Twenty-Two: Coffee Drinks

It seemed to me that at first there was one Starbucks, then there were millions. Coffee houses exploded across the US sometime during my undergraduate years. I'm not complaining, I love a good cup of dark roast. The caffeine is like starch on a collar, immediate perk. It also has antioxidants that many experts say are good for you if consumed in moderation.

However, we've got major variations on coffee drinks now, and many of them should be treated as if they were dessert. Some have just as many calories and sugar.

Brewed Coffee 5 calories

Cafe Americano 15 calories

Cafe Latte 220 calories

Starbucks Cafe Mocha No Whip 290 calories

Starbucks Cafe Mocha Whip 360 calories

Starbucks Cappuccino 140 Calories

Starbucks Peppermint White Chocolate Mocha Whip 560 calories

Starbucks Vanilla Frappucino Whip 430 calories

Do: Consider the coffee drinks you consume and their impact on your caloric intake. Adjust where necessary.

Try: Green tea, if you've never had a cup. My favorite is called "Zen" and it's sold at Starbucks.

Day Twenty-One: Sensuality

We are sexual creatures, and the sensuality of a woman is the source of much of the art & beauty in this world. I would argue that there is nothing more beautiful than the human form.

I didn't feel sexy. For five years, I felt frumpy. I felt like the best years of my life were floating around somewhere in my past before I had babies. I was mad at my children because having them took my body from me. I was angry at my husband because he didn't appreciate the sacrifices I'd made. I was upset when I'd see a pregnant woman who had gained a healthy 20-30 pounds instead of the 45 I gained with my pregnancy.

I was mad...at me.

How could I have taken such poor care of myself? I didn't want people to take my photo. When pictures were taken of me that I didn't like, I'd pray that they wouldn't somehow end up where anyone might see them. Those photos now motivate me more than anything because I can see how unhappy I was behind my smiling eyes. Does this sound familiar to you?

It's sad that I'd place so much emphasis on my physical appearance, but it's true. It's also true for the thousands of women out there who seek breast augmentations, lip injections, liposuction, and any other physically alterating procedure to make themselves look more attractive. There's a very strong correlation between how we feel about our body and how we feel. We see it in the thousands of women in America who are obese and on antidepressants. Which causes which? Maybe it's a little of both...

One of those amazing bonuses that comes with weight loss & healthy living is the sensuality that returns to the soul. The skin regains its vibrance, there is more confidence in the human form, we put on outfits in the bedroom that haven't been worn in years. We feel sexy again.

Do: Read your love letter to yourself that you wrote at the beginning of this. If you didn't write it, see the posting on 12/31/09. Does it mention sensuality? If not, update it with something that talks to your sensual nature. Go buy something that makes you feel confident & wear it. Pull out your "before" photos & take updated photos of yourself. Look at the difference - how do you feel?

Day Twenty: Alcohol

I love a good glass of wine, a nice bottle of tequila. I love it when I recieve them as Christmas & birthday presents. However, drinking alcohol can be a hindrance to healthy living, and governing it should be done by anyone who consumes. It has addictive properties, can hinder the function of vital organs, dehydrates the body, & has a caloric content.



A 4 oz glass of wine has on average 80-100 calories. Vodka & tequila have about 60 -65 calories per 1 oz serving. Margaritas, frozen drinks, & drinks made with juices can have anywhere from 350-700 calories per glass. They are usually loaded with sugar. We're supposed to be eating 400 calories per meal & about 1500 calories total a day. Two frozen pina coladas can run up to 1400 calories...it's easy to see why alcoholic beverages can wreck the most strict of diets.



Advice that the nutrition experts give is to stick with dry wine, not exceeding 2 glasses twice weekly. If you partake in liquor, mix 1 oz with water or soda water, dressing it up with a lime or another piece of fruit. Substitute where possible for frozen drinks, sweet drinks, drinks mixed with sugar or colas. Be smart about the amount of alcohol you consume & make sure you've got a designated driver.



Do: Think candidly & journal about the effect that alcohol has on your nutrition, water intake, & sleep. Make any necessary modifications.

Day Nineteen: Alicia Marie's Fitness Tips

1. Set both wight loss & atletic goals (i.e. lose 20 pounds & complete a 10K)

2. Tell the world - we're more likely to stick to something if we've told others we're doing it

3. Procrastination is the enemy. Your diet doesn't begin next week, it begins now.

4. Do a refrigerator clean out day to get rid of the junk
5. Stuff refrigerator with good, nutritious foods & snacks

6. Find workout buddies or partners

7. Get the facts. Fruit is not bad for you, do your research & educate yourself.

8. Use a food journal

9. Lift heavy - it will boost your metabolism, builds lean muscle, & burns more calories than cardio

10. Never EVER go to a party starving. Eat healthy before you go.

11. Join a gym close to home or work.

12. Don't be afraid to experiment with new activities like a cardio pole-dancing or trapeze class.

13. Pre-workout meals should be light & provide carbs.

14. Post-workout should consist of protein & carbs.

15. Invest in cute or flattering workout clothing.

16. Keep your gym bag packed at all times.

17. Dining out - substitute veggies for fries, go w/ healthy options. It will cost more, but it's worth it.

18. Challenge yourself - do the triathlon, make lofty long-term goals.

19. If you don't know, hire a pro. A good personal trainer can be one of your best investments.

20. Get used to drinking lots of water. Eight 8-ounce glasses a day will support your bodily functions, including fat burning.

Do: Lift heavy at your next session, 3 sets of 15-20 reps. You should be sore the day after. If you don't know proper technique or are a little afraid, sign up for a body-sculpt weight class or get a personal trainer. You'll burn more calories & build more lean muscle.

Day Eighteen: Teach Your Children Well

One out of three children born after the year 2000 will develop onset diabetes before they reach the age of eighteen. A child of age 10 diagnosed with onset diabetes will lose 17-26 years of his or her life. And, yet 1 out of every 3 toys given to a child in the US on any given day comes from a fast food restaurant.

We see it all of the time everywhere we go, and yet it is taboo to discuss. Our children are becoming more & more unhealthy. They are learning our mistakes, and out of all of the sins of the parent that the child might learn, not being able to feed themselves properly is among the worst. Our children learn from us. They eat what we feed them, they exercise when we allow them to. They are victims of our poor choices if we do not teach them early in their life how to eat well. If they are unhealthy as children, that will follow them into their teen and adult years. It has been shown to affect their health, confidence, emotional well-being, sleep, even their grades.

I was a thin child. My children are thin children. This is primarily due to genetics, not due to any epiphany or major influence that I have on them or that my parents had on me. As parents, it is our job to expose our children to healthy foods regardless of their genetic predisposition. I don't think we should force a child to eat something that they don't like. However, if they have enough room for cake, then they have enough room for the green beans first, foregoing one means foregoing another. That means that we have to put green beans on their plate to begin with, and that's where we are going wrong as parents.

Our children also need a childhood, and at times this means integrating foods that they like that lack nutritional density. That's where balance comes in, & it's up to us to find that for them. But, balance doesn't look 50/50 in this case, it's more 80/20 or 90/10. We must cook meals, not only reheat pre-cooked processed foods. We must allow them to help us cook so they can begin to understand colors, textures, and flavors. They will thank us for it when they are older.

Do: Expose your child to a healthy food that they haven't eaten before. Cook a meal with your child, making it tasty & colorful. Make sure that your child gets plenty of consistent playtime, preferably outdoors.

Try: Organic greek yogurt. Make sure that you get "plain", it should be low in sugar. The texture & flavor is similar to sour cream. Pair it with a banana or berries for breakfast.

Day Seventeen: Planning For The Wrench

Establishing & maintaining structure is extremely important in changing our health. A KEY component of achieving our goals is consistency with our nutrition & exercise. Anyone can diet & exercise for a week, but that won't get us anywhere. It is only through changing our life that we become healthy & fit. We must FOREVER abandon that lifestyle which hasn't been working...it's what got us to this place.

When you establish structure, your spouse knows what to expect, your children are comfortable with your schedule. It's easier to pack your lunch for work, make your breakfast in the morning, and know what workout classes you're going to take at the gym with your favorite trainers. It also lets you plan around birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, days when your children are off school, & travel. Planning is important, especially early-on.

I plan out my weeks this way. When Christmas or New Year's Eve falls on a weeknight, I already know that my cheat meal days are changing that week. However, I plan my week, but allow for an element of flexibility in my schedule. I realize that there are hiccups that occur...that birthday party you forgot about, or a child throwing up at 2 am...Knowing that there will always be life's wrenches thrown into the mix, we must plan for them.

It's okay if you have to miss a Thursday workout, just move it to a workout on Sunday when you were planning a day off. Pull out the gym schedule, see what classes are offered on that day instead, and change it up that week. You can also get a system for at-home workouts, but make sure that it's a system that will get a good, strong workout in & your heart-rate up. Working out at home should be just as productive as working out at the gym.

What you don't want to do is throw the baby out with the bathwater & say..."Well, I already blew it because my daughter got sick, I'll try again next week." Become creative, move stuff around, negotiate with others if there are responsibilities involved so that they're getting their needs met as well, and get a fantastic workout in on a day you'd normally take off. Treat it like it's a priority in your life because it is.

Do: Plan for the wrench. Buy some GREAT workout DVD's for home, a jumprope, & a weight set - used weights work just as well as new ones & can be found cheap at garage sales. My favorite DVDs include Jackie Warner's "Work Out" and P90X. Keep an updated copy of your gym's schedule at home & work. Keep your workout bag packed with a water bottle, a workout magazine with great weight exercises that make you sore (Fitness RX is my fav), your iPod, clothes, & shoes. You'll never know when you need to work out today instead of tomorrow.

Day Sixteen: Achieving Reasonable Goals

For years, I wanted to look like Gwyneth Paltrow. I loved the waify look of her body type, the long, lean, willowy frame. But Gwyneth has an ectomorphic body type, and mine is much more mesomorphic. Isn't it that we always seem to want what we cannot have? It was not until I saw some really hot mesomorphic super-fit chicks (Megan Rencher, Beth Belk, Madonna, Kelly Ripa, P!NK) that I started to reprogram what I thought would look good for me & my body.

It is important that we set reasonable goals for ourselves so that we can achieve them. Thinking that we are capable of losing 20, 30, 40 pounds over the course of a month is not reasonable for most people. Trying to obtain one body type when you clearly have another is not reasonable, either. We have to work with what we have, and understand what our reasonable goals should be. That doesn't mean that we cannot look good, feel great, and get healthy. We can, and will. And, the full 40 pounds will come off...if we do the right things & surrender to the needs of our body. It may take many months, but consistently investing the time & energy WILL yield the right results. But, we MUST be consistent & not give up on ourselves.

One pound equals 3,500 calories. That means it takes a 3,500 calorie deficit to lose one pound of fat. When attempting to lose weight, one should not take their daily caloric intake below 1,200 calories. If you're eating 5 times a day (three 400-calorie meals and two 150-calorie snacks), you'll be around 1500 calories daily. To safely lose weight, a pound a week (or 3,500 calorie deficit weekly) is safe. In some cases, two pounds weekly. If you have a lot of weight to lose & you're strict about nutrition & exercise, you may lose more weight initially. Also, if you've been retaining a lot of water, you may lose a lot of weight initially that is attributed to water weight. This is especially true if you've been drinking 3 liters of water daily, cut out sodas, & reduced your sodium intake...the water weight will come off very quickly.

For me, the most important thing was to start doing the right things and stop doing the wrong ones. I started working out & eating right, & initially, that was enough to worry about. Then, as the weeks went by I was able to begin paying attention to the number of calories I was burning & consuming. It has now been over two weeks, and we should begin to move from setting the right habits to understanding more of the science behind our goals. We should now start to put reasonable timeframes around our short & long term goals so that we will get to where we need to be in the long-run.

Do: Think reasonably about your weight loss goals. What is the total amount of weight that you would like to lose, what is the healthy & appropriate time frame for this weight loss? Set short term goals (bi-weekly, monthly). Set up a rewards system that is not based on rewarding with food. For example, if you workout every day this week & eat nutritiously, you get a manicure or a massage.

Day Fifteen: Getting Our Needs Met

Diapers need changing, coffee needs making, homework doesn't do itself. Making lunches, making dinner, getting a shower in, writing reviews, taking phone calls, meeting with the boss, Mommmm!!...It can be enough to drive someone crazy.

We wear many hats...girlfriend, boyfriend, husband, wife, lover, father, mother, employee, boss, friend, daughter.... We have responsibilities that come with choices we have made in our lives. However, we also have needs of our own, and responsibilities to ourselves that need to be met. For a long time, I thought that being a mother meant that your needs never come first again.

If you can identify with this, then understand that this feeling comes not from an area of selflessness, but from an area of poor self-confidence. It comes from wanting to feel needed in order to feel worth. It is an incorrect notion, and requires reprogramming messages that you've long-held in your psyche.

How do you know you feel this way? If you are your last priority, if working out doesn't get done because of time & money, if YOU have to be the one to do homework, make dinner, clean house, then maybe you're putting yourself last while others are also putting you last. If you feel that if you do things for other people, they'll come to realize the sacrifices you've made and appreciate you for it...

Does it leave you feeling victimized, does it leave you feeling resentful?

The first step is to write down the messages that you've been sending yourself. For example, "I want to work out, but I don't have enough time in my day because of my responsibilies...I want to eat right, but my children want chicken nuggets & I can't get them to eat healthy food and I don't want to cook 2 dinners...I want to go to the gym, but my husband gives me a guilt trip even though he has time to tinker in the garage...."

Then, think about the needs that you have, and construct new messages that incorporate these needs. For example, "I want to work out, and to do so means that I need to share responsibilities with other members of the household so that I am not doing everything for everyone...I want to eat right, and that means that my children will also eat healthy tonight instead of chicken nuggets...I want to go to the gym and my husband needs time for himself in the garage. We will each take one hour to ourselves while the other covers the household responsibilities..."

Do: If you can identify with this, you're like so many others out there. If you don't respect yourself and your own needs, no one else will. Recognize that you, like every other human being on the face of this earth, has needs. Understand that if you constantly meet everyone's needs but your own, this can lead to being taken advantage of. In some cases, this can lead your children being raised to become irresponsible adults who expect other people to cover their responsibilities. Do some work to dig around in your past to see when you started sending yourself these messages. Start reprogramming the messages you send to yourself about your needs & your worth.

Day Fourteen: Emotional Eating & Obesity

I came across a Q&A with Trainer Jackie Warner that I found very insightful. Although I've never seen her show, her workouts are phenomenal. Although there are a number of medical influences when it comes to obesity, the below centers around the emotional eater.


"I worked with morbidly obese people on season 3 of 'Work Out' & continue to work with obese clients today. The physical work is not hard at all. It's the deep emotional work that is difficult. Obesity is a physical sign of a dangerous addiction. People literally eat themselves to death & poison their bodies. It can't be hidden and carries with it a great deal of self-loathing and emotional problems.
When I work with an obese client, we go back to their childhood & find out why they use food as a drug. Many painful memories & feelings come up that need to be worked through. I find a way to change the person's self-perception & their views of the world around them along with their body.
I set physical & weight loss goals. For example, I get them to set a goal of walking around their block every night 7 times or taking the 11 flights of stairs twice before each workout. Bigger physical goals are things like participating in a 3K. We go grocery shopping, and I teach them about healthy foods. We talk about how they feel while on their journey & how to change their relationship with food."


Do: Continue to think about your relationship with food, especially food that is bad for your health. If you find yourself to be an emotional eater, journal your thoughts & feelings. If so, psychological assistance may be needed to work through some of these issues.


Try: Spinach Shake: Blend 8oz water, 1 banana, 4 strawberries, 1 egg (optional), 1 teaspoon of lemon juice, 2 large handfuls of spinach, ice, 1 scoop of spirulina powder...tastes great, & you're getting your greens first thing in the morning. Take your multivitamin with this beverage for extra punch. Substitute for your morning coffee a few days a week. This recipe will yield enough for your morning drink and your afternoon snack.

Day Thirteen: Sugar Addiction

Out of all of the questions, the ones that I am emailed the most is about sugar. One person said that when she walks down the candy aisle at Walgreens, her mouth begins to salivate. I am right there with you, it happened to me just tonight.

The study of possible addiction to sugar is something that is getting attention and funding. A recent Priceton University Psychology Study reported that rats demonstrate addictive behavioral patterns towards sugar of increased intake, signs of withdrawal, craving, & relapse. Rats show bingeing behavior with sugar, changes in brain function, & increased sensitivity to psychostimulants after exposure (another possible component of addiction). While there are a number of schools of thoughts about whether or not someone could be addicted to sugar, I tend to think that some people can be. Why?...

Is it easier for you to not have a sugary candy at all, because once you have one you lose control & can't stop? Do you want something sugary when you feel sad, angry, or upset? Can you go without processed sugar for one day, two days, five days without it changing your mood? Do you sneak sugary foods or candy when other people aren't looking? Do you obsess about that chocolate eruption cake you saw at lunch, craving it for hours afterwards?

If so, you're not alone. Here are some tips that I have found helpful before diving into that box of chocolates:

• Realize that you are, in fact, addicted to sugar. Think about when & why you crave it. Journal your thoughts & feelings. It could be a sign of something deeper that needs attention.
  
• Avoid/minimize aspartame & pink/yellow/blue packets of artificial sweeteners, they have an affect on the blood sugar. Large amounts of exposure also has been linked to cancer.
• Eat more fruits & sweet vegetables.
  
• Choose complex carbohydrates from whole grains (brown rice, whole wheat bread, quinoa, millet, whole oats) versus from white flour.
  
• For breakfast, balance protein/fat/fruit to even out your blood sugar (omelette with strawberries on the side, cottage cheese with fruit, greek yogurt with banana or berries). The proteins, fats, and natural sugars will work together to stabilize your blood sugar early in the morning & help keep it stable throughout the day.
  
• Cut out sodas, including that afternoon diet coke. If you have to have caffeine in the afternoon, have a cup of green tea. Caffeine affects the body's blood sugar levels. If you're exercising, getting enough sleep, drinking enough water, & eating correctly, you should have energy during the day without caffeine.
• Go 5 days without sugar, then plan & have your 2 cheat meals. During cheat meals, watch portion sizes. Don't deprive yourself of sugar completely. Complete depriviation can lead to bingeing.
• Beware of hidden sugars or sugar by another name. Ketchup, salad dressings, cough drops, BBQ sauces, teriyaki sauce, juices, even McDonalds french fries all have added sugar. For salad dressing, mix 3-4 parts olive oil to 1 part balsamic vinegar. Add roasted garlic, salt & pepper to taste.

Do: Think candidly about your sugar intake patterns. Would you consider yourself a sugar addict?
Try: Agave Nectar - found next to the sugar & sweetners at your local grocery store, this natural sweetener is a better alternative to sugar than artificial sweeteners. It tastes great in a morning cup of coffee.

Day Twelve: Fad Dieting

Fad diets don't work...old saying, but yet so many of us try them anyway. I know better than anyone, I was on some version of the Atkins diet for years. It was a successful diet until the carbs found me.

Here's the thing...if it doesn't make sense, then maybe it isn't sustainable. It might work for quick weight loss, but the pounds will just come right back on again, you might even gain back more weight than what you lost. Does it make sense to do nothing but drink a water/lemon/cayenne/maple mixture as sustenance all day? No, but yet so many I know have done the "lemonade diet". They look great - until they start eating again. The same is true for Slimfast, Atkins, & a whole host of fad diets that are popular in our nation.

For Atkins, I read something that struck a nerve. Animals designed to be carnivorous have mouths full of sharp teeth (tigers, wolves, alligators). I have two sharp teeth in my mouth. The rest are flat, indicating that by design I should mostly consume plants.

The only sustainable diet is to eat nutritiously. We should be consuming mostly plants, balancing starches with proteins, fats, and vitamins.

Do: Pick up a copy of In Defense Of Food by Michael Pollan, pay close attention to fad dieting going on around you. Over a course of time, what do you see? Success or failure?

Depiction of Atkins Diet

Day Eleven: Motivation

It's not about how you look...or is it? We all want to live a healthy, happy, balanced life. That is exactly what we are striving for. However, when it comes to motivation, is there anything more motivating to a woman than to positively change the way we look?

Today is day eleven, which means that half of the New Year's Resolutioners have already begun to taper off, the gyms are starting to slim back down to the dedicated few. Right now is when all the bad food at the office your coworkers are eating starts calling your name. Right about now is when it gets difficult. That's why we need to inject some motivation.

Go buy that swimsuit now, make it the expensive one...the really hot one that you think you cannot afford. Splurge a little on yourself, put it somewhere where you will see it every time you pull on your workout clothes between now & bikini season.

Sign up for that 5K, 10K, or triathlon now. Stretch yourself...it might not be for 3 months, but it will kick your butt into gear to train harder & eat nutritiously. Find a running partner to hold you accountable between now & the race.

Find a picture of you at the weight you used to be, or a pair of jeans you can't wait to be able to get into. Figure out what it is that motivates you & use it to influence your mind in the right direction.

Do: Go buy that outfit, swimsuit, pair of jeans now. Hang it where you'll see it & try it on frequently. Sign up for a local fun run that is 2-3 months out, make sure you pay in advance. Read your love letter to yourself, remind yourself why you made this commitment.

Try: Ezekiel Bread - Located in the freezer section of the grocery store, this organic sprouted wheat bread is made from 6 grains & legumes, which form a complete protein that parallels the protein found in milk & eggs. I like to toast my Ezekiel Bread & eat it with Earth Balance Buttery Spread or natural peanut butter.

Day Ten: Balance

I went on a walk once about 7 years ago with a lifetime girlfriend of mine. During our walk, we were discussing our work/life balance. She made a statement that has stuck with me ever since. "I understand that work is a really, really important component for people. But, it's only one component in someone's life and for so many people, their entire identity is wrapped up in their job. They neglect their families, their friends, themselves..." This friend of mine has her doctorate degree & is one of the most dedicated people I know - to her job, to her family & friends, to her patients, and most importantly...to herself. She's also the best multi-tasker and manager of time I've ever seen. She can accomplish a task the right way in half the time others take to do it with less success.

We chase something, and life passes us by. It could be a paycheck or a lifestyle. It might be the respect of our peers, a promotion, the gratitude of our boss...it's an issue when it absorbs time, energy, and priority from other important areas of our life that receive a deficit of attention. It throws us out of whack, and there are negative consequences for this.

Being healthy & happy is really about bringing ourselves back into a state of balance. When we haven't been getting enough physical activity, nutrients, and water, our body shows it. Our skin gets muddled, our muscles become flabby, we have indigestion, we have difficulty sleeping. Sometimes, we even begin to get sick - heart disease, onset diabetes, irritable bowel syndrome...

However, we can also overdue it in the other direction, too. Not only do we need cheat meals to make us feel like we're not deprived, we also need rest & repair days. Too many days of rigorous physical activity can lead to injury and fatigue. Just like we need time away from work to get re-energized, we also need time off of physical activity. It's a constant state of determining what your priorities and needs are, and learning how to accomplish them in a healthy way that restores that sense of balance and harmony.

So what is the right amount of work & play, exercise & rest? Our body, mind, and soul tell us...if we listen.

Most people need to work out in some form or fashion 4-6 days weekly. Sometimes, after 3 or 4 days, what we may need is a good yoga session instead of a run or weight session. Why? We need stretching, mind-body connetion, relaxation, & flexibility. Sometimes, we need a good deep-tissue massage. Why? Massage has an amazing effect on the body. It helps get rid of lactic acid buildup (soreness), improves circulation, and brings oxygen to the muscles. It also works out negative energy. My favorite reason is that I find it to be 60 minutes of pure nirvana. There are days when work requires so much more attention, and that's okay...as long as it doesn't become the only component. Sometimes, we just need a day off of everything, & that's okay, too.

Do: Listen to your body, mind, & soul. Figure out what your needs and priorities are, this requires self-awareness & you may need to do some journaling. There are times when you need to push through, and there are times when you need to stop. Take some time to really listen & pay attention.

Try: Try a yoga session and a massage.

Day Nine: Portion Control

The average american adult consumes 2 cups of spaghetti when they sit down to eat. A portion of spaghetti is 1/2 cup, so that means that the average person consumes 4 servings in a meal instead of 1. The same is true for the garlic bread, spaghetti sauce, and meatballs. Added all together, the average american will consume 4 servings of spaghetti, 2 servings of garlic bread, 2 servings of tomato sauce, and 2-3 servings of meatballs in one sitting.

We live in an America where everything is supersized. The result is that it has supersized us. We must pay close attention to not only what we are eating, but the amount as well.

I have found that for me, the best way to keep my portions in-check is to consume healthy food, put only the right portion sizes on my plate, and recognize when my body is full. I find it much easier to eat too much when the food I'm eating is bad for me. I overdue it on pecan pie much more than I do on asparagus or salad. Getting used to what portion sizes look like on a plate is important, and putting the right portions on your plate will do this. If you don't know them, go to http://www.mypyramid.gov/ to look them up. Recognizing when your body is full is important, & that happens when you eat slowly and listen to what your body is asking. When your body hits that point where a switch flips, you need to stop eating. Remember that you will continue to get more full after you've stopped eating.

What do you do when someone spoons out heaping portions onto your plate? You tell them that you won't eat even half of that...and you don't want it to go to waste. Remember, you control what enters your body, not someone else.

Do: For your next 3 meals, go to http://www.mypyramid.gov/ to see what the portion sizes are BEFORE you consume these meals. Make notes in your food journal. Remember that each meal should have around 400-450 calories and each snack should have about 150 calories.

Day Eight: Sleep

Ahhh...to sleep like a baby. My children can put themselves into slumbering contortions that resemble Cirque de Soliel and wake up refreshed and energized.

Natural sleep is important, and it is something that cannot be forced. While nutrition, exercise, and water intake are all things that we have control over as inputs into our system, natural sleep is often a result. Most people can achieve deep, natural sleep by having the right inputs. During the hours we are sleeping at night, our body repairs itself. There are studies that show that a sleep deprivation affects mood, emotional health & physical energy; slows our ability to heal wounds; is a risk factor for weight gain, hypertension, & Type 2 diabetes. It is also associated with depression, alcoholism, and bipolar disorder. Getting too much sleep is not good for you, either. Seven to eight hours nightly is what is recommended.

"Natural" sleep means that you fall asleep without the aid of any type of sleep-aid substance such as alcohol, Tylenol PM, or any other drug.

Exercise & balance are my combatants to sleepless nights. I often worry in the evening, when my mind settles. When the worrying affects my sleep, I've usually left energy in my system that is still trying to work itself out. I combat it with a high intensity calorie-burning workout, a good yoga session, or a deep tissue massage. The solution I choose depends on what kind of energy my body is trying to expel. Sugar, caffeine, & "energy drinks" can cause sleeplessness, especially if consumed in the late afternoon or evening.

Do: Input into your food journal your sleep patterns. Are you able to get to sleep easily? Do you sleep deeply? Are you tired during the day? If so, what was your physical activity & intake that day/week? If not, what was your physical activity/intake? Do you see a correlation? Document any changes in sleep patterns and inputs that affect your sleep, positive or negative.

Day Seven: Cheating

Chocolate, wine, cheese, coffee...four of the reasons I like Europe. I love the rich, sweet taste of good chocolate, wine is so fine, there's nothing like a perky cup of coffee, and where do I even begin with cheese? When I first started eating healthy, I looked forward to my cheat meals all week.
Today is day seven, which means that we are overdue for a cheat meal. So, how do we cheat?


Sugar is addictive. Many people are unable to balance sugar into their daily intake without going overboard. I fall into that category. I have always been envious of people who can do this. If you lack self-control like me, you may have a sugar addiction. I will go into the addictive properties of the substance next week, but for now we must learn how to cheat.


The best advice I've been given as a sugar addict is to eat clean, healthy meals excluding alcohol or processed sugar for 5 days straight. This gets rid of all refined sugar in your system & levels out your blood sugar. Doing this curbs your sugar cravings substantially. Then, have two cheat meals (I do Fri/Sat dinners or Sat/Sun dinners...I adjust my cheat meals for holidays & special occasions). This could be a movie with popcorn, soda, & candy. This could be a date night at a steak house with a baked potato, wine, & dessert. This could be enchiladas with margaritas or a BBQ cookout with chips, dip, burgers & hard lemonade....you choose, mix it up. Keep your portion sizes under control. You will feel the difference in the way your body feels when you eat clean versus when you cheat. After my cheat meals, I long to eat clean again because I feel so much better when I do.


So, what do you do when you're at the office and someone brings in a chocolate cake that is calling your name...or you get asked out on an impromptu pizza & beer date? You have a choice. You can choose to forego one of your cheat meals and indulge. However, if you choose to do this you MUST forego a cheat meal. Allowing yourself only two cheat meals weekly keeps you feeling human while still losing weight. This also forces you to make a choice & gives you the option of being either rigid or flexible without feeling deprived.


Do: Plan your 2 cheat meals & enjoy them. Make note in your food journal the difference in your the way your body feels after your cheat meals versus how it feels when you eat clean. Pay special attention to any headaches, sluggishness, sleeplessness, acid reflux, or sugar rushes you might get.

Day Six: Water

Think of how you feel in a nice, hot shower. What does it feel like to dive into a cool, crisp swimming pool? Water has an effect on us like no other substance. It is refreshing, cleansing, replenishing. If it does all of that on the outside of our bodies, think of what it does to the inside.

Drinking water is absolutely essential for weight loss and clean, healthy living. Drinking 3 liters daily doubles our energy by putting more oxygen into our system & burns 50-75 more calories each day. It clears up our skin and improves its elasticity and cellular integrity, it flushes out the toxins stored in our body...and the list goes on.

Its important that we listen to our body, and if our body is thirsty, we give it water. If our body isn't thirsty, then it doesn't need water. I drink when thirsty, I don't push water into my system. Drinking too much of it is actually damaging and can cause a condition called hyponatremia. About 3 liters of water daily without exceeding 1 liter in an hour is what our bodies need.

Water is water. Vitamin water is not water, nor is any other "water" in the soda cooler that has added flavoring, sweetner, or carbonation. You can dress up your water by adding a slice of lemon or lime, or make "spa water" with a cucumber slice & a strawberry or orange slice.

Do: Replace all of your daily drinks with water. Do not drink any soda, iced tea, coffee, juice, alcohol, or other beverage throughout the day. Allow yourself one cup (8 oz) of coffee in the morning, (or whatever your morning drink is) and one cup of hot herbal tea in the evening, and drink water for the remainder of your beverages. Do this for the next 5 days.

Day Five: Move Your Butt

Running, hiking, jogging, yoga, weight lifting, kick boxing, stairmaster, pilates, bicycling, walking, cross fit training, swimming, step aerobics, skateboarding, ripstick riding, skydiving, base jumping, paragliding, snorkeling, scuba diving, strip tease dancing....if there are 50 ways to leave your lover, then there are at least 150 ways to get in shape.

Exercise gives us cardiovascular fitness (our heart, lungs, & circulation), improved strength (muscle), and flexibility. It is important that we educate ourselves on how to exercise properly when beginning a fitness routine. Depending on your fitness goals, all exercise programs are not equal. I'd like to think that some exercise is better than none at all. However, if you can carry on a 15 minute conversation on your cell phone while on the treadmill, then you probably need to kick it up a notch.

The best hour of my day is the one that I spend on myself. I used to feel guilty about this, but I don't anymore. You're not a bad mother, wife, or employee if you love to go out for a run all alone with nothing but the road, the music in your ears, and the feel of your heart pumping. That time daily is essential, like a battery getting re-charged. Here's the thing...if you've only got one hour, why not make it count? Why not sweat like a pig, feel the fat melt away, and make your muscles so tired that they are sore?

I like to do a bunch of different things, alternating cardio with weight training & flexibility. I incorporate INTENSITY cardio (muscles burning, alternating between 7-9 on a scale of 1-10 after a good warm-up/stretch with alternating cool-down periods). I alternate the cardio with days of weight training, where I work the muscle to failure (3 sets of 15-20 reps at a weight where the last 5 reps are VERY difficult). I work in yoga and stretching for mind/body connection, improved flexibility, & strength using body-weight. These are key elements in not getting injured and emotional health & balance.

Do: Try a new exercise, one that you may be afraid of or have always wanted to do. If it's at the gym, take a class. If at home, buy a DVD or workout magazine. This month my favorite trainer, Jackie Warner, has a great article with a kick-butt multi-joint body shaping workout in Fitness Rx magazine.

Day Four: Nutrition

I once knew someone who would drink 3 slimfasts a day Monday through Friday. That is all he would have for sustenance each weekday. Then, on the weekends he would gorge on Burger King, McDonalds, and Carl's Jr. Suprisingly, that person wasn't me...that sounds like something I would have done back in the day.

Nutrition is meant to support the body, not deprive it.

There are a number of problems with the plan above. Someone who eats this way doesn't learn how to eat properly. A nutrition plan like this can reak havoc on the metabolism & blood sugar. And, micro-nutrients and trace elements can easily get missed. These are just a few of the issues with a food-plan like this, but there are many more.

It is important that we learn how to eat, and to eat properly. There is a lot of conflicting information out there & a number of fad diets (several of which I have tried). Think of it this way - you're not dieting...dieting is a finite thing that comes to an end. You're changing the way you eat, and that will never end. Learn how to cook amazing foods using bright colors. Learn how to balance starches, proteins, fats, and vitamins through the foods you eat. Go to your grocery store and familiarize yourself with the produce section. If there's something you're not familiar with that looks good, google it and find a recipe. There is a plethora of amazing leafy vegetables that are seldom used in urban cooking. There are roots & fruits that have bold flavors and great texture.

Here are some nutrition tips that have helped me:

• Shop the perimeter of the supermarket. This is where the produce, meat, cheese, and milk/egg sections are located because they are perishable & must be replenished frequently. They are located nearest the back/side of the supermarket because of easy-access. The more perishable a food, the more you want it in your body.


• Don't buy anything that has more than 9 grams of sugar in it. Read the labels of the foods you buy carefully. If it has more than 9 grams of sugar, it should be reserved for a cheat meal.


• Bread should say, "100% Whole Wheat". If it doesn't, then it's not.


• Eat 5 times a day: Breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner should be about 400 calories. Snacks should be about 150 calories. Some of my favorite snacks include a handful of almonds, a piece of cheese & whole wheat bread, cottage cheese, or fruit. To find a the caloric content of foods & get other resource info, you can go to http://www.mypyramid.gov/.

Try: Cook a meal with five distinct colors using no canned vegetables.

Day Three: It's Not About Willpower

You walk by a plate of cookies that are calling your name. You decide not to indulge. The next day, you come home to freshly baked brownies & sidestep them. You start thinking about food, wanting a warm chocolate chip cookie. Instead of eating one, you stay strong. Then, you finally break down. Instead of eating one oreo, you eat the whole package.

Willpower is all about deprivation and deprivation leads to shame. Nobody is strong enough to hold out forever. We try & try to eat all of the right things by having enough willpower to avoid the bad things, then we break down. Then, we beat up ourselves for not being stronger. This does nothing for our bodies & puts our emotional health is a shaming state. Not good.

It's about surrender.

The body is a holy being. It has needs. It has a ph balance and a blood sugar level that it needs to maintain & chemical reactions that need to take place for proper cellular function. The body requires healthy, natural foods to work properly and water to aid in these chemical reactions. If the body is given too much salt, sugar, or fat, it will impede this from happening. If it is given too little salt, sugar, or fat, it can also impede these processes. We must become very in-tune with what our body is asking of us, and this requires us to pay attention to it. We must surrender to the needs of our body and give it what it is asking for.

Hungry for sugar? If so, your body is probably asking for fruit. Eat a piece of sweet, sugary fruit and see if that satisfies your craving. Do you have a headache? If so, your body might be dehydrated, and you may need water. Do you want coffee or a diet coke? If so, chances are that you need a nap or a cup of green tea. If you're experiencing constipation, you need water, fiber, and exercise. Can't sleep? Try rigorous exercise. For every artificial solution out there, there is a more natural one. Does that mean that I never take Ibuprophin? Of course I do...everything has its time, place, season, & purpose.

Try: Miso Soup - You can find packets of this soy-based soup in the asian aisle in your grocery store. I like to pair it with a cup of green tea. This is especially good on a cold day.

Do: Start a food journal. This is not to keep track of what you eat, but for you to journal what you felt & the natural solution that worked. The purpose of this is to start listening & responding to your body's needs. Journal the craving/desire/etc that you had and what your body was asking for.

Photos From New Year's Eve

New Year's Eve was spent at the Great American, then back to Tora & Mike's home for champagne to ring in the New Year. Dad played at the GA, Malori was waiting tables, and the place was jumping. They had two bands that evening.

Here are photos from the evening: Jason & I together, me with Amy John, and Dad playing.

Day Two: The Essential 5

Weight loss essentially means putting down the box of cookies and going for a walk...then doing that daily. However, I've found that for me, changing my health was composed of five main categories. Over the next several weeks, I'll go into more detail about each.

• Nutrition - Eating natural foods, incorporating the right multi-vitamin, reducing processed sugar, eliminating fast food completely
• Water - Three liters a day, not exceeding one liter in an hour
• Sleep - Good, deep, natural sleep
• Exercise - Healthy amounts of rigorous exercise on a consistent basis
• Balance - Rest/repair days, cheat meals, massage

Do: Pull out the love letter you wrote to yourself on Dec 31st (go to the 12/31 post if you didn't write it). Review the love letter, make any additions that may have come to mind since you first wrote it. Find pictures of role models & post them. My celebrity role models include Kelly Ripa, Madonna, and P!NK.

Day One: Getting Over The Guilt

My biggest obstacle when I began working out & eating right was guilt. Most of it was self-imposed. I left my home daily at 6:10 & didn't get back until almost 6:00 at night. My two children were very small at the time, & they needed me to be available to them when I got home. I also needed to spend time with them to get my needs as a mother met. So, with this type of schedule, how was I going to make fitness a priority without feeling guilty? Creativity.

How to we get fit when there are so many demands on our time? How do we keep from feeling guilty when we're spending time away from those we love? We try to minimize the time away through time-management skills. We also remember all of the amazing benefits to us and our family that a healthy lifestyle brings. We will live a longer, fuller life with our spouse. We will have more energy at the playground with our children. We will be less iritable at home, feel sexier for our lover, and cook healthier meals for everyone's benefit. We also realize that everyone, no matter who they are, needs at least 30 minutes to an hour a day for themselves & that is not asking too much from anyone.

For some, the best method is to get a gym membership that includes childcare. Others might workout after the kids have gone to bed or before they wake up in the morning. Some get a treadmill or P90X for home fitness. Some may choose to take athletic shoes to work and walk during lunchbreaks. Ultimately, its up to you when & how you can appropriately fit it into your schedule. If it's a priority for you, you'll be creative with it.

Try: Spinach Omelette ~ sautee garlic, spinach, and mushrooms in olive oil in omelette pan. Add egg/milk mixture. Add onion powder, salt, and pepper. Serve with slices of tomato and one slice of whole wheat bread with butter.

Do: Run/Walk for 30m-45m daily at pace where you cannot carry on a conversation to ease into your new fitness routine. Listen to your energetic music on your iPod. If you've been away from working out for a long period of time or have health issues, make sure you see your doctor before exercising.