Fitness

September 27, 2016

Lessons from "French Women Don't Get Fat"

I recently re-read this gem of a book and found some very meaningful lessons and reminders:

1. Eat smaller portions of more things, not larger portions of few things.

2. Eat the real thing (when it comes to sugar and fat) in moderation. Avoid sugar free and fat free foods.

3. Eat what is in season for best flavor and value. Increase your proportion of fruits & veggies.

4. Choose your own indulgences and compensations.There is nothing noble in failing to discover & cultivate your pleasures. It will not only make you fat, but grouchy. You owe it to yourself and your loved ones to know & pursue your own pleasures.

5. Teach your children healthy habits. Age 0-7 is the time to learn the meaning of 3 meals a day.Regular meal intervals reduce the risk of snacking on junk.

6. Expose children (and yourself) to the widest variety of vegetables and fruits and how satisfying these foods can be when in season. Tasteless produce will win no one over.

7. Never use junk food as a reward.

8. Try to instill low sugar tolerance. Dessert doesn't need to be super sweet to be a treat.

9. Don't stock bad food out of convenience. Have healthy, tasty snacks (i.e. grapes, tangerines, almonds) on hand.

10. Children benefit from structure. Too many Americans fear their children won't like them and are too permissive.

 11. Allow and encourage your kids to play outside.

12. Practice healthy habits yourself. Children observe and imitate their parents.

13. Learn and teach your kids (age 7-17) how to cook simple dishes. The connection to preparing one's food is the French woman's lifeline to healthy eating.

14. Cultivate a respect for liquids. 8-10 glasses of water per day is an easier sell when you explain the benefits in weight control and keeping one's complexion clear.

15. Too many in their twenties suffer from weight problems because of not having grown into adult habits of eating, drinking, and moving.

16. It's important to develop hunger pacifiers for the times leading up to lunch, dinner, and before bedtime.

17. Walk 30 minutes each day! Muscle tone and flexibility are much easier to develop from a young age than to recover later on.

18. Write down everything you eat for a week and see how it helps you make wiser choices.

19. Avoid meaningless calories and save them for real pleasures. Practice "less is more" aggressively. Learn to say no with an eye to saying yes to something else.  

20. Bon courage, bonne chance, and bon appétit! 

April 7, 2014

Got Muscle?

After completing the 90 day challenge of P90X-3 we are pretty pleased with our results. Started another round today and can't wait to "bring it!" again.

"Aging is for people who do not know better"

March 13, 2014

The Big Picture

One of the gifts I was given for my birthday was a book called "The Big Picture". It was written by Tony Horton, creator of the P90X fitness program. It's a pretty quick read, easy to digest, and I finished it over the course of a few days during my daily commute to work. "The Big Picture" discusses 11 principles of health and wellness that can make you stronger, healthier, happier, and better in every way. Not only is it about changing your body - but how to shift your attitude, excel at things you love (and even the things you don't), and improve your relationships with those around you. I decided to go through the book again and highlight the key principles and ideas that were most meaningful to me and I thought I would share them here, if only as a reference for myself as I strive to lead a healthier lifestyle.

From the Intro
"Your body is a machine...If you want your life to be what you want it to be, your machine will need to function properly."

"There are so many things in life you can't control, but what you put in your mouth and what you do physically, those are completely up to you."

"If you want to support, provide for, and care for the people around you, you need to be your best."

"If you're surrounded by overweight, miserable people, you have a greater chance of becoming overweight and/or miserable yourself...become the antivirus. Lead the way and improve your health, happiness, and productivity. 

"Imagine if every individual, family, town, and country turned their lives around and how that would affect all of us. That's what the Big Picture is -- it's about getting your act together, taking accountability for your life, and making better choices, all while keeping in the back of your mind how that affects other people in your life."

Have a Plan
Have a plan - whether it pertains to exercise, food, balancing kids with work, or anything you want to accomplish take the time to create a plan. "Scheduling creates accountability; it gets you organized and keeps you honest"...once you create a schedule it will make sticking to your plan a lot easier. p.35

Scheduling nutrition is like planning for success one bite at a time. "Menu planning and food journaling are a must. Planning at the beginning of the week or month helps you organize cooking times and grocery shopping trips (which helps you save money, waste less, and eat healthier!). Food journaling allows you to look back at what you ate each day and see your performance peaks and sags with an eye for what foods may have influenced those shifts." p.37

Consistency Reigns Supreme
"Transformation can be a bumpy road, but if you stick with it, if you do what you need to do every day, you'll get where you want to go" p.65

"Exercise floods your brain with 'feel good' hormones called endorphins, so consistent workouts mean a consistently happy noggin...exercise doesn't just make you feel good by activating the hormones in the head, it makes you feel good about yourself because you're challenging yourself. You're achieving something." p.66

"Blood and breath are your body's way of being consistent for you, so it's important to return the favor and keep these systems working as smoothly as possible... you can profoundly influence your body's ability fundtion effectively with diet and exercise." p.68

"When it comes to consistency with fitness I recommend a five or six-day-a-week exercise habit...Three days a week of 'maintenance' doesn't exist...there's no consistency so your mind and body don't get in the habit of craving movement." p.69

Consistency in the Kitchen - "When it comes to your diet, the most consistent factor should be quality. Keep the fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins coming. The food you eat directly affects how much energy you'll have for your workouts. Every meal, all the time should support your goals and your overall lifestyle." p.80

Love It or Leave It
"Loving it means you're having fun, it's essential to keep fun in the mix as you execute the Plan that will lead you to your goals...life is too short not to explore things you love. Having fun is also good for your health. Make a point of prioritizing fun in your life, the same way you prioritize all of your other important tasks. *note: If you're a parent this is called having "mom or dad time".

Find your circle of friends. Hanging around other adventurous people who do interesting things is key to making your life an adventure. Surround yourself with people who inspire, motivate, and push you to be a better human being physically, mentally, and emotionally. p.111


January 24, 2014

A New Routine for 2014

We've started a fitness challenge for the new year. We have loved doing the P90X and P90X2 workouts, and wanted to maintain a regular exercise routine during the winter months even when Jeff is working long hours (ahh, the life of a public accountant). Behold P90X3.



This program consists of some really excellent workouts that you can crush in just 30 minutes a day! We're going into our fourth week of the program and are loving it. The 30 minutes fly by but you still feel like you get an excellent workout. Exercising regularly can be a challenge. It can be tough to stay motivated and consistent. One thing that has worked for us is doing the exercises together. I am definitely more motivated when I have someone else working hard next to me and challenging me to push harder.

It also really helps to set aside a specific time of day to exercise. We wake up early every morning because this is the one time of day that we know we can workout together without being interrupted. When you get your exercise in before breakfast, work and meals and evening activities don't have a chance to throw you off your schedule. Find a time that works best for you and stick to it!

We also print out a monthly chart and check off each day's routine. It feels good to write down your accomplishments and see the progress you're making.  

What kind of exercises do you do to stay fit? How do you incorporate exercise and healthy eating into your busy schedules? We love to hear about others' experiences about how they stay fit and healthy!