Go Put On Some Clothes!

Yesterday I posted about a few of my healthy eating tips and tricks for the holiday season.

I know I sound pretty crazy, but really all my tricks are about bargaining with myself (yes, I talk to myself on a regular basis!).


For a quick recap:

1: Indulge in the GOOD stuff, don't waste an "indulgence" on a piece of candy or a cookie that is good but just doesn't do it for you.  In all honesty, your indulgence should be borderline orgasmic (Helllloooooo Pumpkin Creme Brulee!). Seriously.

2: Watch your portion sizes- have a piece of that cake, a slice of pie, 2-3 cookies.  That's it.  Don't eat the entire dessert or a dozen cookies! Enjoy your 1 serving and savor it.

3: Don't indulge the entire season- Thanksgiving is ONE DAY.  Christmas is ONE DAY.  New Years Eve is one party.  Don't indulge on all the days in between.

Now that we got the healthy eating tips down, what about exercise??

Honestly, I got only one trick up my sleeve.  I am no fitness guru or expert.  I read a lot and do my research and I'm into trying new things.  But I can't give running advice or Bikram Yoga tips (except don't come too close to me, I'm not good with spacial boundaries).  I experiment with running, strength training, yoga, and swimming (so far) and I know what works for me.

But one trick I do have is literally like gold to me.  I have no idea where I got this from but it works for me 100% of the time.

Ready?

If you don't feel like working out, just get dressed (head to toe!).  If you still don't feel like working out after getting your gear on, go ahead and skip your workout.


WHAAAT? Permission to skip a workout? YES. But hear me out-

There have been times where I don't feel like completing my scheduled workout.  Going to the gym just seems annoying and all I want to do is cuddle up to some Ben & Jerry's and put on a few good chick flicks.

But before I get to the point of falling asleep in a pint of ice cream, the compromise is to get dressed.

I change into my workout clothes, lace up my shoes, put on my heart rate monitor.

If after all that, all I can think of are my boys (B&J), then fine. I sit back on the couch and that's it.

Want to know a secret? That has NEVER happened.

By the time I get dressed, even if I don't want to complete my workout that is scheduled, I'm usually up for walking around my apartment complex or taking an easy cardio routine on the elliptical.  Sometimes I surprise myself and continue my exercise routine as scheduled but sometimes I take on an easier workout.

Either way, I exercise.  I do something.  


And we all know doing something is better than nothing.



So even if all you do is take a walk or complete half your workout, you did something.

And trust me, you'll feel so much better than if you didn't just get dressed.

Struggling With My New Meal Plan and Eating Habits...

I haven't been as strict with my diet as I should be and my glucose numbers show it.
This past week I've had about 4 abnormal numbers (meaning out of range) and I'm not sure if that will alarm the doc enough to recommend putting me on medication.

I can see that the reason why my numbers are so high is because I've been having more carbs than usual.

If anything, I hope they can give me another week to get everything back in line!

I also haven't been walking as much as I was in the weeks before.  Usually after lunch and dinner I go for a 20-30 minute walk.  Walking is known to greatly decrease glucose levels. 

My excuse? Well, the past couple days it's been raining around lunch time and I'm not about to go walking in the rain.  And at night? It's either raining or I'm too lazy.  Yeeeaaahhh.... I need to work on that!

A few nights where I haven't gone for a walk I sit on my exercise ball and work on some arm strength. It worked one night... and failed miserabley on the other.

My dietician has recommended a meal plan where I'm eating a limited amount of carbs, paired with protein, and sprinkled with as many non-starchy vegetables as I like.  I can eat a limited amount of fruits in the afternoon (meaning within the limits of my meal plan... so a snack will be a small piece of fruit no more than 30g of carbs), but not in the morning since that is when our bodies have the hardest time breaking down carbohydrates.  The breakdown is like this:

Breakfast- 2 servings of carbs (1 serving = 15 grams) w/ 1-2 servings of protein.
Snack- 2 servings of carbs, 1 serving of protein
Lunch- 3 servings of carbs, 2 servings of protein, 1-2 servings of green leafy vegetables
Sanck- Same as above
Dinner- Same as lunch
Sanch- Same as above

Yes, I get a snack after dinner.  One of my fave parts of the meal plan!

But lately? My snacks have been heavily carb loaded.  The other day I had a slice of pound cake (yikes!) that a co-worker made from scratch.  Today I had multiple servings of cereal.  Cereal wouldn't be so bad if 1) I limited it to one serving and 2) paired it with some protein.  I don't drink dairy milk but drink almond milk instead.  Thing is... there's hardly any protein in almond milk.

It is uber important to pair carbs with protein because it helps slow down the glucose from flooding my system.  This is also why complex carbs > simple carbs (example? brown rice > white rice).  When the body breaks down non-complex carbs (white rice, white flour, refined sugar, etc...) it floods the system with glucose and my body struggles to break down and/or store it.  However when the glucose is slowyly released, the body can handle it a lot better and my glucose levels stay pretty consistent.

When I checked my glucose levels after dinner tonight, I was over by 2 points.  I can't help but think that if I didn't stuff my face with cereal a few hours before, I might have been in a normal range.

My doc gave me the following ranges:
Fasting (before breakfast)- <95
1 hour after meals (first bite, not the last)- <140
*If I eat somewhere that takes longer than 30 minutes to eat, say like a restaurant, I can wait 2 hours after my first bite to test.  Then my limit is <120.

This meal plan is such a delicate balancing act for me.  It's HARD.

After these last few days though I found my motivation to get back to business and buckle down.  It's important for my health and also for my baby.

I've accepted that I'm going to make mistakes but I really hope the few bad choices I've made don't have a lasting impact on my baby. 

Tomorrow is a brand new day and I'm ready to start fresh!

Pregnancy and Fitness

As most of my readers know, I started this blog to track my journey to a healthier me.

I wanted to record my workouts, my weigh-ins, and also build a strong community of other bloggers with similar goals.

All of that was right on track... that is, until I found out I was pregnant!

All the health articles I read have the same conclusion: as long as you were active before, it's OK to remain as active during pregnancy (just get the OK from your doctor).

Confession: I have not ran a single mile after my 5K in May

Why?

I found out I was pregnant during my training.  At my doctor's appointment, I asked him if it was OK to continue running.  Not only did he say it was OK, but that he wanted me to continue running and complete my 5K as planned.

So what turned me away from running?

I had the WORSE RECOVERY EVER as documented in this post.

Because of my legs turning into bricks, I took about a week off from exercise.  Also around this time, I had to increase my visits to my chiropractor.  My rehab sessions were almost done but my X-Rays showed we had more work to do.  I had another 6 weeks of INTENSIVE (read 5 days a week) adjustments and stretching.  I'm proud to report that the curves in my spine have improved by 90%!

So because of the babying recovery of my legs, my chiropractic appointments, and being pregnant, I stopped working out all together.

Sound like excuses? Yeah they do.  Because they are.

I know that being overweight pre-pregnancy comes with a lot of risks.  I have to pay special attention to the amount of weight I gain, the amount of sugar intake, and overall wellness.

And as we all experienced (I hope it's not just me), just because I know something, doesn't mean I always do it.

But lately I've been getting more motivated.  Maybe it's the fear of Gestational Diabetes, or Preeclampsia, or other pregnancy complications.  Or it could also be that I want to get a head start on being a healthy role model for my child.  I didn't have the greatest examples of healthy living growing up and I hope to provide something better.

Honestly? It's all the above.

The other week I went to a Pregnancy Yoga class. It was good to move around and stretch, but I don't think I'll be going back.  For one thing, it's expensive.  So I might just buy a DVD and do it at home.  Also, for the amount of $ I paid, I didn't get a lot of instruction.

Now I know that some yoga instructors refuse to physically touch students (liability?) but this instructor didn't give back any feedback, which is what I look for in any fitness class.  The studio could have popped a DVD into a TV and had us practice on our own- it wouldn't have made a difference!

After seeing how good I felt after moving and stretching, I realized that I do need to get back into a routine.

I plan on getting back into a fitness routine (not weight loss!).  Perhaps taking a walk on most days of the week and working in some light strength training.

If you have kids, did you exercise while pregnant?

Plan for Success, Don't Plan for Failure!

I am a very goal oriented person.

Not just big, mega, 5-year-plan goals, but even small weekly (even daily) goals.  I'm a huge planner and list maker and find great satisfaction from crossing things off my lists.

Which leads me to last week.  Exercise was blatantly absent from my week, having only worked out once, and that did not include running.

This weekend I reflected on why that was and it dawned on me- I didn't set any goals for the week!

The week before I blogged about SMART Goals, and set some pretty attainable goals for myself.  And I reached every target, even going above and beyond on some days.

Why didn't I set up any goals last week? Honestly, I just don't know.  I remember thinking that I should, but just never got around to it.  Next thing I know, the week is OVER!

This week I refuse to set myself up for failure.  Here are my SMART goals for the week:

-Exercise on more days than not (meaning, I must exercise 4 out of 7 days this week.)
-Run for at least 2 of those "exercise days", minimum 2 miles each day.
-Strength train for at least 2 days.

These goals may not be as (S)pecific as my goals the week before, but they are (M)easurable, and as long as I work out 4 days this week, run at least 2 miles twice, and strength train twice, I will have reached my goals. (A)chievable? YES SIR! (R)ealistic? Well, the strength training twice a week thing might be somewhat of a reach for me, but that's what goals are for! and are they (T)imely? YES! I must accomplish this by Saturday night =)

Do you set goals for the week? day? month? If so, how do you set your goals?

Who has a bad case of the Mondays? I do! I do! I do! ugh...is it Friday yet?