Allyson | What's with all the 'racket'?!

I’m back! I’m back to blogging; I’m back to working out regularly; I’m back to drinking loads of water each day; I’m back to saying ‘no’ to sweets!

Preface: I wrote most of this blog over a month ago, just never finished or posted it. There is a bit at the end that is current as of 5/22/13.

It’s amazing the simple activities you can begin to enjoy when you don’t feel like death from carrying around so much extra weight.

I have always thought I hated tennis. Colin enjoys it quite a bit: he played on his high school team, goes out on weekends with his dad, and watches it on tv. A couple years ago he would drag me out from time to time to play with him and I absolutely hated it. I hated running around the court and I just couldn’t get the hang of how to use the racket. [I played softball growing up and just couldn’t shake whacking the ball with all my might…needless to say, not very many balls stayed in the court.] Since I hated it, I stopped going with him. I probably have not played at all since I have lost weight.

Saturday [sometime in April] was a little glimpse of spring in our nook of NE Ohio so Colin made plans to play tennis with his dad.  He asked if I wanted to go along and because I wasn’t thinking [as my thought process was scrambled due to the rare occurrence of sunlight], I agreed.  I was excited to wear my tennis ball-colored t-shirt, new hot pink sports bra and matching headband, so I didn’t even think about the activity in which I was about to participate.

To my total amazement, I actually enjoyed playing! I am absolutely no good- still trying to slam the balls out of the court- but I put forth effort to try to get to the balls and chase after them once I hit them across the three adjacent courts. [Colin’s poor dad…I really had him running all around trying to get the balls I hit to his side!]  At one point I even told Colin I was having a really good time [actually having fun, not just getting through it] and I think the reason was because I didn’t feel like I was dying as I chased after tennis balls. We realized that that day was the first time I played tennis since I lost weight and it was eye-opening to realize what a difference 40 pounds makes.

-------------------------------

Since that epiphany, we have been to the courts several more times over the past few weeks.  I must say, I am improving with each time we go out!  I actually WANT to get out and play, I don’t want to leave the courts, and I have to talk Colin into staying longer! Sometimes I still get down about not being a Williams sister, but Colin tells me I’m doing well and I’ll keep getting better.  I joked that I might be better than him one day but then quickly recanted, to which he responded, “You never know. You also never thought you’d run a 5K.”  What a great, encouraging guy! Colin’s dad is also very encouraging, gives me pointers, and picks on Colin to make me feel better =)

Physical activity in general is just so much easier now that I am fit.  For instance, we buy the mega 42-pound bag of Fresh Step from Sam’s and I could hardly get it in and out of the buggy. Well, folks, I just bought some yesterday and carried that sucker to the check-out [from the complete back of the store] and to my car all on my own!  You should see my guns =P  I can go on longer bike rides, take Brinkley on longer walks, challenge myself with more intense workouts, and participate in more events.

While looking good is a great outcome to weight loss, I’d say feeling better is an even greater accomplishment!

Allyson | I'm Alive!

I'm alive; I'm still here! I actually began a post in a Word doc for April 10, but other things came up and I never did finish it (I’ll complete it and share next week).  I have just had a crazy busy month and blogging was the last thing on my mind. Unfortunately, not having the accountability of blogging took its toll on my healthy lifestyle.  The downward spiral began at Easter...the wonderful celebration of Christ's death and resurrection consisted of sweet treats out the wazoo! Once I was back on the Sugar Train it was hard to get off. I kept up with my workouts (including 30 Day Shred), tried to hit my FitBit goals, but slacked on tracking my food and indulged in desserts a bit too much. I kept justifying why it was okay to be devouring everything sweet in sight (I deserved it after being under so much stress; that time of the month was coming up; I should just eat all of the chocolate now so it makes its way out of the house sooner; and I listened to Tom and Donna when they told me, “Treat yo self!”).

My workouts came to a halt last week when I was in a fender bender.  My poor car suffered nearly $9,000 worth of damage (ahem, my 2012 car!), but thankfully I’ve only suffered from a sore neck and back.  I have been to my chiropractor several times in the past week and he has suggested I “take it easy” and that I don’t participate in activities that involve running, jumping, or free-weights.  I’m thinking, “I’m strong, I don’t need to take it easy. I got this.”  Tsk tsk. Wrong. Last Friday I went to Zumba and, even though I honestly did take it easy as far as Zumba goes, I had a headache the rest of the day.  On Sunday Colin and I played tennis and my lower back screamed with pain, but I pushed through until I hurt my shoulder from an overly advantageous back-hand. Okay, I guess I really should take it easy.

“Taking it easy” would be an easy excuse to do nothing.  But I refuse to let that be the case. There are plenty of activities I can still do that won’t affect my back or neck including the elliptical, biking, some pilates, and walking.  Brinkley will appreciate the walking, Colin will enjoy the biking, and my booty will benefit from the elliptical (check out this elliptical interval workout…you’ll almost die). 

I am hopping off the Sweets Train and will remain stationed for four days. (I have plans on Saturday that will probably include an indulgent sweet so I’m not even going to pretend like I won’t take part.) I am back to tracking my food, recording it on my FitBit Dashboard and living up to my FitBit goals. 

Even though I haven’t been blogging, I have been following the other ladies and have found new motivation from them! One of the gals has proposed a do-not-look-at-the-scale-until-June-challenge and I have accepted. Hopefully my body and clothes will be indicators enough of that I'm back on track with my healthy lifestyle.

Allyson | Week 10 | Spring Break

I'm on Spring Break!!

That goes for the blog, too!

Happy Easter!

Allyson | Week 9 | I Want to Ride my Bicycle

¯¯Bicycle! Bicycle! Bicycle!

I want to ride my bi-cy-cle,

I want to ride my bike!

I want to ride my bi-cy-cle

I want to ride it where I like! ¯¯

(Queen- "Bicycle Race")

Let's go, spring, I'm ready to ride!             I had various bikes growing up and loved cruizin’ around the neighborhood. My 'little girl bike' was complete with handlebar ribbons and bike spoke beads [#childofthe90s]. I must confess, even though my bike was awesome I was always a bit jealous of my sister’s cooler bike that had a radio attached to the handle bars [#firstworldproblems]. I distinctly remember getting my ‘big girl bike’ the Christmas I was in 3^rd grade. I came downstairs into the room with the Christmas tree and presents surrounding it and didn’t think twice of a bike. Then for some reason I made my way into the kitchen and there her beautiful tealness was! I was so excited! I rode that beaut throughout my childhood and into my early teens. But alas, my late teens came. I got “cool”, no longer needed a bike, and my old friend found a new home via a garage sale.

And then I was bikeless.

A few years ago our pastor found a bike on the side of the road and brought it to the church for someone’s daughter. This girl already had a bike so I said I’d take it. It wasn’t in too bad of shape and Colin gave it some new tires, fixed it up, and it was good to go. The only problem was that it was more of a junior’s bike than a women’s bike. Now, I’m not tall by any means (a mere 5’2.75), but long distance riding was not an option on that hand-me-down. Last year I whined like a baby all summer for a new bike.

AND THEN what to my wandering eyes should appear?! After dropping not-so-subtle hints all summer, Colin surprised me on my birthday with an amazing new dark purple Trek!! My lovely sister knew I was getting this wonderful gift and she gave me a cute turquoise basket [adorned with flowers] and a silver bell [so everyone knows I’m coming]! Luckily the weather on my birthday was just perfect and Colin and I spent the day at the Cuyahoga Valley Towpath riding 15 miles, and then taking the scenic train ride back to give our screaming thighs a break!

We live just minutes from the beginning of the Western Reserve Greenway that spans 43 miles through Trumbull and Ashtabula counties. Since getting my new bike we try to go there as often as possible. Last season we made it several times, and made friends with the cows!  We also took another trip to the Cuyahoga Valley Towpath, a family trip to Oil City, and celebrated our fourth wedding anniversary riding around Geneva on the Lake, basking in the mist of Lake Erie.

Moooos

We relished in our first ride of this season just a couple weekends ago at the Western Reserve Greenway. It was a bit chilly, and pretty windy, so we only completed 11 miles. [Thanks to Colin’s handy dandy bicycle computer we have quite accurate readings of very important cycling information like current mph, average mph, and time/distance traveled.] We averaged about 14 miles per hour and, according to Colin’s bike computer, burned around 500 calories. I thought there was no way we burned that much-- I burn that in an hour of Zumba. However, I have searched online and found several bicycle calorie calculators that, when I input the data from our ride, give me the same number [more like 477]. Spinning off [pun intended] of last week’s post about finding an exercise I love, bicycling is another. I really have been doing it more for enjoyment than a work out, but I will absolutely take a 500-calorie burn!

Oil City

Colin and I have set a goal for ourselves to ride a minimum of 100 miles per month this season [April-September]. We thought we might be able to get 100 miles covered in March, but that doesn’t look too promising as it is still 25° and snowing. This season we will visit the path near us regularly and aim to ride the entire path in one day. I’m thinking there must be a B&B at the other end in Ashtabula [with those covered bridge attractions and all] so the plan would be to ride up, stay the night, and then ride home the next day. We will also meet up with friends at the Cuyahoga Valley Towpath and have more family trips to Oil City.

Oil City      <3 Family

I am so thankful for my new, amazing bike! I thoroughly enjoyed it last season when I was riding just for fun, but now I will enjoy it even more knowing what a good workout it is. I’m thinking I can use it as a great interval training exercise and increase those calories burned and tone my legs/gluts even more!

Anniversary ride at Lake Erie

It really makes all the difference when you actually enjoy exercise and look forward to it….and it's all the better when you have  great riding buddies! 

Allyson | Week 8 | Insane in the Membrane

I think I have mentioned before that I hate to exercise.  I can’t help it, I just do. I prefer to be lazy. However, laziness is what got me overweight in the first place, so obviously I can’t keep that up. Over the past year and a half I have tried many different exercise routines and workouts, trying to find something I actually enjoyed and wouldn’t be a chore to do. These workouts included P90X, Jillian’s 30-Day Shred, Biggest Loser DVD, Yoga DVDs, Wii Fit, running, strength training, Zumba, aerobics, etc. Out of that huge list, I can only say I thoroughly enjoy one: Zumba. I love to shake my thang and this work out lets me do just that! I actually enjoy going to Zumba, I have fun, and I look forward to going.  If you are stuck in a workout rut, I highly suggest finding a Zumba class nearby.

The problem is, I can only make it to Zumba once or twice a week and then am left filling the other days with something I don’t enjoy. If I don’t enjoy it I probably won’t do it. BREAKING NEWS: I found another work out I do enjoy!   Insanity.   (That's the name of the program...not just insanity that I found an exercise I enjoy.)  Okay, I don’t actually enjoy it while I’m working out (as sweat is dripping, lungs are burning, every muscle is screaming), but I do enjoy how I feel when I’m done and especially the next day when I just about can’t move a muscle.

Insanity is a 60-day intense workout program incorporating strength into ridiculous cardio. Monday was my first day and only a couple times I thought I was going to die.  I was actually a little disappointed Tuesday when I wasn’t that sore. I told a friend I was bummed I wasn’t in more pain, and I feel like I must have done something wrong (as another friend who did the program –a guy—said he just about died during the warm up). My friend is so dear, and she said it was no wonder I wasn’t a sore mess since I have been working out for quite some time now. That was nice…but I still wanted to feel sore. I know that might sound weird, but I really only feel like my body is changing and the program is working if I basically can’t out of bed the next day.

Since I didn’t feel like death after Monday’s workout, I decided to up the ante on Tuesday. I did Insanity in the morning and then went to my Zumba class in the evening. Last night wasn’t too bad...but I had certainly achieved soreness when I woke up this morning! My shoulders, triceps, quads, hams, and calves reminded me all day that I worked them out the day before. Love.

Even with all the soreness, I was able to get through today’s Insanity workout (“Pure Cardio”).  I am trying really, really, really hard to stick with this program for the full 60 days. I have a bad track record with fulfilling #-Day programs…and I have never even seen the third 10-day portion of Jillian’s 30-Day Shred.  I want to get to the point where I don’t feel complete if I didn’t work out that day. I want to get to the point where I can have a bit more freedom with what I eat, just as long as I workout.

The past several weeks I have done really well with keeping my carbs and cals low during the week, but as soon as dinnertime on Friday hits I lose all self control and have myself a little food party through Sunday night. This is not cool. I really need to reign it in on the weekends. Sure, I can indulge a smidge, but I just need to be wise about it. For instance, I know I am going to an Italian place for dinner on Friday. I am going to eat pasta. Since I know this in advance I can help counter my meal by working out twice as much. I will be going to Zumba in the morning and doing Insanity before going to dinner. Same thing Saturday and Sunday- If I know I am going to be in a situation where I will be eating more cals, I just need to up the workouts to help balance the intake. This seems like it makes sense….we’ll see how it goes. (Surely it will be better than not working out at all on the weekends and eating desserts like it’s my last day on earth as has been the case the past forever.)

I’m just trying to stick with the plan: Eat less, Move more.

Allyson | Week 7

I have been inundated with school work the past couple weeks (more so than normal). My brain is fried. I don’t have much to share, and I’m out of witty banter. This week I just want to share three things:

Three generations of healthy eating.  I took a break from school work on Saturday and spent the day with my mom and grandma. I snapped a picture of us munching on some healthy and delicious ants on a log (minus the ants).







Two more "Food Rules":

Rule #9: Avoid food products with the wordoid “lite” or the terms “low-fat” or “nonfat” in their names. What has happened over the past four decades since the low-fat craze began? People got fat. People are an average 18 pounds heavier today than they were in the 1970s (and I think that’s a very conservative average). It’s not always fat that makes us fat and removing the fat doesn’t mean it’s nonfattening. Taking the fat out of an item results in taking the flavor out of the item. Companies know they can’t sell a tasteless product (except maybe Quaker and those rice cakes…), so they replace the fat flavor with carbohydrates and refined sugars.  It’s better to eat the real deal, in moderation, that to eat ‘nonfat’ items that are packed with sugars and salts.

Rule #14: Eat foods made from ingredients that you can picture in their raw state or growing in nature. Next time you check out an ingredient list on a food item, try to picture those ingredients growing in nature. Chances are you won’t be able to picture that (let alone pronounce the names) for most ingredients. This rule helps keep odd chemicals and substances out your the body.

Eat less, move more. 

Allyson | Week 6 | Living Low-Carb

There are more diets and ways to lose weight out there than I could even begin to count. I’m sure many of you have tried at least one of these diets at one time or another and may have had success, only to put the weight back on.  *The problem with “fad diets” is that they simply don’t work. Once you deprive yourself of something for any length of time and then are “allowed” to have it again, you go bazurk! Whether it be no sweets, no bread, no bacon, no cheese, no food, no whatever, if you are “not allowed” to have it, it suddenly becomes more desirable. Once you allow yourself to have a bite you’ll go off the deep end and put all that weight back on you just spent weeks taking off.

*I have a tendency to over-generalize.  Fad diets might work for you. If so, that’s amazing -count your lucky stars. But, for the majority of folks, fad diets just aren’t reasonable ways to live and they end up not working.

Diabetes

When we eat foods with sugar (sugar-sugar and starch-sugar; aka: carbs) our bodies use insulin to help convert the sugar to energy. With diabetes, the body either doesn’t produce enough insulin or it has a hard time using it. In turn, the sugar (carbs) builds up in blood cells and blood sugar levels spikes.  (This is the most basic explanation of diabetes/insulin/sugar conversion ever. To find out more, I HIGHLY suggest you check out the book Sugar Busters.)

Diabetes is prevalent in my family and my doctor has told me it’s not a matter of if I get it, rather a matter of when I get it. {Awesome.} If I continued the lifestyle I was living a couple years ago, my doctor said I would develop diabetes in my 50s, but if I changed how I ate and exercised I would push back the onset by decades.  So, basically I needed to start watching my carb intake.

While I don’t have diabetes, and I don’t even have a gluten allergy, I would say I am definitely carb-sensitive and eating high amounts of carbs negatively affects my body. Amidst other immediate ramifications from over-carbing, I gain weight easily when I eat a lot of carbs and, conversely, I lose weight more easily when I steer clear of them. Further reasons why I am a low-carber.

If for no other reason than those wonderful medical ones listed above, I am a low-carber out of competition. A few months before I started my weight-loss process my mom began her own and succeeded by cutting her carb intake. That strategy worked amazing for her so I decided to try it myself. We are both competitive and we motivated each other by an unspoken competition we had. We would see who could cook new recipes or eat at restaurants with the lowest carbs. We would text each other pictures of our low-carb fare and swap recipes and tips to cut carbs wherever possible. My mom was a huge motivator/supporter/ encourager in my transformation to a low-carb lifestyle.

I must admit (I think I already have a couple times, though) that I went a little nutso with the low-carbness. Last spring I dropped my intake to under 30 a day. (This is where the “fad diets don’t work” thing comes into play.) The first week or so that I was under 30 I dropped quite a few pounds, but then I got stuck and the scale wouldn’t budge. Someone suggested I may not have been eating enough calories and my body thought I was starving it. So I counted my calories one day, and to my surprise I only consumed around 700. Ridiculous. No wonder I was at a stalemate. I immediately increased my carb allowance to 50, and strived to reach 1100 calories/day and the pounds started coming off again. {So, if you think you can lose weight by starving yourself, you’re wrong. It seems so backwards, but you need to eat more (GOOD stuff) to lose more.}

Let’s be real, even 50 carbs per day is pretty low. Once my Fit Club competition was over I went off the deep end (as many do with fad diets and/or unrealistic diets). I started eating all the sweets in sight and totally stopped working out. I indulged and enjoyed all the treats of summer a little too much….and then fall…and then the holidays. And here I am,  8 pounds more than at the end of Fit Club.

Since blogging I have gotten back on track. I have been practicing carb-cycling, which I learned from Chris Powell’s book Choose to Lose, where I cycle every other day eating “high” carbs and than “low” carbs. (High is about 60-80; low is about 40-60)

Eating a low-carb life doesn’t mean you have to completely stop eating carbs. On my high days I have carbs with every meal (!)…but good carbs. I have switched to brown rice, rice pasta, sweet potatoes, more veggies, fewer fruits, and lots of protein. I still struggle with eating enough calories on my low days, so I always have a stash of cheese and turkey pepperoni in the fridge to bump me up to a healthy amount of calories. 

It can be easy to fall off the deep end. However, you can avoid that by avoiding fad and unrealistic diets and simply try to live a healthier life style with more whole grains, lots of veggies, little sugar, and exercise.

PS- I still have a Pinterest Board entitled “Dessert is my Favorite”…it still is my favorite, I just try to have it in moderation rather than every single day!

PPS- I am not trying to convert anyone to a low-carb lifestyle. I’m just sharing why it works for me, and maybe it would work for you. If you are stuck at a plateau and have never paid attention to how many carbs you eat, I would suggest track your carbs for a day. If you’re eating well over 100, try cutting down to 100 and see if you begin to make any progress again.

Allyson | Week 5 | Bacon

Recently I read a couple articles written by some ya-hoos claiming they had scientific proof that we really don’t need to, and shouldn’t eat breakfast.  Yes, you read that correctly… “we shouldn’t eat breakfast.”  I visited the links they provided for their “proof” of this notion, [something about how our metabolisms actually get slowed down if they are fed within three (3!) hours of being awake] and sure, it seemed convincing.  However, give me any topic and I’ll give you “scientific proof” to prove either side of it.  If you don’t want to eat breakfast, be my guest, but let me use a little logic (albeit a fallacy, logic nonetheless) to explain why I eat breakfast:

Allyson is cranky if she does not eat breakfast.
Allyson did not eat breakfast.
Therefore, Allyson is cranky.
And no one wants a cranky Allyson.

I tried the whole not-eating-until-after-I’ve-been-awake-for-three-hours nonsense and, let me tell you, it was not pretty. I was starving, irritable, and had a headache for the first parts of those days.  I don’t care what proof you have as to why I shouldn’t eat breakfast, my growling stomach and irritable mood are proof enough to tell me that I do need to eat breakfast.

Last year a friend of mine was pregnant and she developed gestational diabetes.  One day she was discussing the diet restrictions her doctor place upon her.  She was completely overwhelmed that she was only allowed to have 30 carbs for breakfast. When she said that I’m pretty sure I flipped out because at the time I was only eating about 30 carbs a DAY! [That was unwise and I have since generously increased that amount and I do not recommend that anyone eat that few carbs without discussing a plan with your doctor first…and even then, I don’t think it’s the wisest move]. Anyways, my friend kept saying how there is just nothing she would be able to eat besides one piece of toast with jelly because that alone is 30 carbs and it isn’t even enough to fill her up.  Needless to say I educated her on her low-carb [and filling] breakfast options, just as I will now educate you with some of those options! 

First of all, the best part of a low-carb lifestyle: bacon! Sorry you calorie-watchers, this is one goody you’ll probably pass on, but lowcarbers can fully enjoy! [And don’t try to say turkey bacon is just as good. It’s not. That’s a lie. I’ve had both and there is just no comparing turkey bacon with the real deal.]  So, a simple, quick go-to low-carb breakfast option: 

Bacon and Eggs.  

God bless America. 

Problem: Eggs are bland and boring. Let’s give those eggs a little more flavor and sprinkle some lovely sharp cheddar cheese on them (none for you, low-cal pals!). Add a south of the border flair? Absolutely! Slice up some onions and peppers, sauté those bad boys, scramble in your eggs, melt some cheese in there, then top with salsa and guac. ¡Fiesta en mi boca!

Other low carb breakfast options:

Oatmeal. Yes, you CAN have oatmeal!

• 1/4 C dry oats
• 1/2 C water or non-dairy milk [I like Westsoy Organic Unsweetened Soy milk to add in some protein, or use unsweetened vanilla Almond milk for a bit more sweetness] 
• Cinnamon to taste
• If you wish, you can add pure syrup or honey, but then you’re adding a lot to the carbs, defeating the purpose

Read the directions on the oatmeal package. Do that. Add cinnamon or other spice or possible sweetner after you’ve cooked the oats. Roughly 12cb, 8ptn…unless you sweeten it up.

Chocolate-PB Protein Shake

• 1 scoop of protein powder [I like this one]
• 1 C non-dairy milk [I like Silk Unsweetened Vanilla Almond]
• 2 Tbls Crunchy PB [This has the lowest carb PB you’ll probably ever find]
• 3 to 4 ice cubes

This is real complicated: Blend all ingredients together to your desired consistency. Around 10 carbs and 35 protein, depending on the brands you choose...those are the numbers for what I use.

More eggs.  You’ll probably get sick of eggs.

Egg Soufflés

I often make egg soufflés containing eggs, milk, cheese, ham or sausage, onions, and spinach.  I mix the ingredients together and pour into large muffin tins. I don’t have an exact recipe because I just throw it together based on how many mini soufflés I want to make, but there are tons of recipes floating around on Pinterest. Like this one, or this one, or this one, or…you get the point, Pinterest it.

Eggs in a basket

You can even have bread! I know I just made that big post last week about only buying ingredients with less than five ingredients and most non-bakery breads do not fall into this category, but sometimes I just want bread and I don’t care about that rule! This Schwebel's bread in particular is friendly to both low-carbers and low-calers with only 11 carbs and 35 cals. [By the way….when I give the carb count, it is the net carb count. You find the net carbs by taking the total carbs and subtracting the fiber from that number. I’ll talk more about that next week.]

• Slice of bread

• 1 egg

• Butter

• Optional- Salsa

Cut a hole in the center of your bread…I use a drinking glass. DISCARD that bread! Butter both sides of the bread, place into preheated pan on the stove. Crack your egg into the hole in the bread and cook as long as you want, then flip and finish cooking until egg is desired doneness and bread is nicely toasted. I like to top with salsa and have another fiesta en mi boca.

Omelets (YouTube how to make one…they're not difficult)

Cream Cheese Pancakes- seriously amazing...especially served with bacon

(From ibreatheimhungry)

• 2oz cream cheese
• 2 eggs
• 1 packet stevia
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Put all the ingredient in a blender and mix until smooth and let rest until bubbles settle. Pour 1/4 of batter onto a hot pan greased with butter. Cook for 2 minutes, flip and cook for 1 more minute. Repeat with remaining batter. Serve with sugar-free syrup or fresh berries.

Get the idea? You CAN eat and enjoy and be filled by low-carb breakfasts.  The key is to pump up the volume with protein.

Rule #36: Don't eat breakfast cereal that changes the color of the milk. 
These cereals are loaded with carbs and sugars and obviously dyes. These cereals won't keep you full...well, they might keep your hips and booty full, but they won't give you a full-feeling in your belly.  Instead, opt for organic cereals from Kashi and Mom's Best Cereals.

                                

Allyson | Week 4| Food Rules

As I shared a couple weeks ago, I love to read.  Over the past couple years I have begun to really enjoy nonfiction books and  I have come across Michael Pollan and his books on how people should eat.  Last year I purchased a couple of his books, read them lickitysplit, and now I want to share them with you over the course of this blog. 

Give me a few moments to briefly introduce you to one of my favorites: Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual.  This book is divided into three sections, each with about 20 “rules” we should follow when eating.  (Prior to Section 1, Pollan introduces the concepts behind all these “rules” by citing a few food facts about the “western diet”, its detrimental effects on our society, and what other cultures’ healthy diets look like.)

The sections are: 

1) What should I eat? (Eat food.) This section distinguishes REAL food from all the processed crap that dominates our society.

2) What kind of food should I eat? (Mostly plants.) In this section, Pollan breaks down the different categories of REAL food and suggests what foods should mostly be eaten.

3) How should I eat? (Not too much.)  This section sets out rules for when and how much to eat.

This is a very short book that can be read while waiting for a doctor’s appointment, but is packed full of (what should be) commonsensical  rules for what, when, and how we should be eating.  Over the next several blogs I will share with you some of my favorite rules.  I urge you, though, to invest the time into reading this book, as it is an investment in your health.  (You won’t even need to invest money if you borrow it from your local library!)

Rule #2: Don’t eat anything your great-grandmother* wouldn’t recognize as food. 

Would your great-grandmother even recognize any of those packaged products in the grocery store as food?  What is meat doing in a can?  Why are you eating something out of box?  What’s that you’re squeezing out of a tube?  Most of the products in our grocery store are not REAL food.  They are “foodish” or food-like products. They are not REAL, whole foods that our great-grandmothers, or even grandmothers, would recognize as being edible.  I challenge you: If your great-grandmother wouldn’t recognize it as food, don’t eat it.

Rule #6: Avoid foods that have more than five (5) ingredients.  

Have you ever taken time to actually READ the ingredient labels on packaged foods? It can be astounding! So many foods have huge lists of foods and 90% of the ingredients can’t even be pronounced!  I truly try to stick to this rule and (when I buy prepackaged foods) I read almost all ingredient labels before ever buying a product.  Imagine my poor husband the night I decided to start living by this rule and we wanted cereal! You might think it’s impossible, but after some time searching we actually did find a few cereals that have five or fewer ingredients- and they are super tasty, too! 

I challenge you: next time you are at the store, look below the nutritional label and check out the ingredient list. Try to find (and buy) foods that have five or fewer ingredients. You might even find it to be a fun experience.  (If you share that competitive gene with me, you can compete with your shopping buddy to see who can find the most items on your grocery list with the fewest ingredients!)

*Speaking of grandmothers, I just have to give a special shout-out to mine! She called me over the weekend to tell me that I have inspired her to begin taking a line-dancing class and to join a Strong Women group.  (To think, I inspired her!  This is quite the turn of events as she has always been such an inspiration to me!) At one point she said, “…and I’m an old woman!”  So there-- if an “old woman” can get moving, so can you! 

                                       

Allyson | Week Three | Just Run

I am SO SO SO excited! Colin and I will be running in the Cleveland Color Run at the beginning of June! Listen, people, I hate running…seriously, it grosses me out. BUT, this 5K is absolutely the most fun anyone could possibly have while running! I participated in this fabulous 1/8-marathon last summer with a group of girls and we had the time of our lives!  If speed or getting a good race time is your main concern, however, you will miss out on all the fun of being blasted with colored powder as you approach each kilometer. By the end of the race you are a beautiful rainbow of sweaty powder, but you feel amazing because 1) you just accomplished completing a 5K, and 2) you just had a ton of fun!

Prior to the Color Run, I had run two other 5Ks.  Colin is a runner and has been running in 5Ks forever, but I would always just sit on the sidelines and cheer him on as he passed.  I never thought I would run one because, like I said above, I hate running.  Being overweight doesn’t help matters when you try to run, either.  However, that first summer when I started losing weight I made it my goal to run the Buhl Day 5K on Labor Day…and I did!  I trained all summer with the Couch to 5K app on my phone.  Long story short, Colin thought I was quitting and he went on without me so I started crying, then it started raining, then I started walking, but then God sent a wonderful woman to me who came up beside me and encouraged me to keep with it and we finished together! It was probably the most miserable 37 minutes of my life, but I felt like a rockstar when I was done and all my family was there congratulating me. 

My first 5K

My second 5K was a couple months later around Thanksgiving.  I participated in a 5K fundraiser for a young boy with cancer.  I got a friend to sponsor me, but he said he would give me way more money if I could finish in less than 35 minutes.  I thought that was never going to happen since my first experience was around 37 minutes, but I wanted to get as much money for that little boy that I could, so I worked hard to prepare, and then moved my booty without ceasing during the race and finished in 33 minutes!

Even with this blog and the great support and encouragement from the other writers, I have just been having a hard time getting motivated to buckle down and work towards my goal. Even though I made a goal of losing the 10 or so pounds I gained this past year, I didn’t have a definite time of when to reach that goal.  Well, now I do.  I want to have at least 7 of those pounds lost by the Color Run, and a new goal is to run a 10-minute mile.  I am not planning on running a 10-minute mile AT the run, because I want to slow down to get colorful (!!), but prior to the race I want to be able to run a mile in 10 minutes or less.  To help me achieve that goal, I will be following The Color Run’s 8-week training plan.  I’m not a brand new runner, but I am rusty, so this is a good program for me to follow.  It also uses interval training, which I prefer.

If you have the slightest interest in running, or would just like to feel the wonderful accomplishment of completing your first 5K, I would suggest a few things: 1) Set a date and REGISTER! It will do you no good to say, “oh, I think I’ll run the Gobble Wobble,” and then not register.  If you register, then that means you are really going to do it so you better get your booty moving! 2) Tell people! If you tell people you are going to do a 5K it will help keep you accountable by knowing that others know and that they are expecting you to do it. 3) Train at least eight weeks prior to the event with a high intensity interval training (HIIT) plan. Try the Color Run’s plan or try a Couch to 5K. 3.5) Purchase good running shoes.  Check out a store like Second Sole that will spend time with you, fit your feet, and find the right pair of shoes for you. 4) Have fun! Try not to be competitive with the other runners, just set out to have fun and know you are accomplishing a goal. For first timers, I would SO HIGHLY recommend the Color Run because it’s FUN, not competitive, and it’s not even timed! 

"No matter how slow you go, you are still lapping everyone on the couch."