The thing I dreaded the most when starting this was the exercise, but now I actually look forward to how it makes me feel afterwards. You notice I didn't say I looked forward to the exercise. I am now in a routine of going to the gym three times per week, and my daughters can tell you that I am really hard put to be altered from that routine. They will invite me over or out somewhere, and I usually tell them I have to go the gym first. I know right? They are probably thinking "What the heck, this woman is not MY mom"!
I tell you though... the thing I am so excited about is that my energy level has increased since I started exercising! I am able to keep up with my daughters and the grandbabies finally, lol! My muscles are rebuilding, and I getting stronger, and more cardiovascularly fit as well. I am able to take stairs without being so worn out, and have more stamina when attending outside events or all day events. I love it... I am beginning to love life, and to love me again, even on my cheat days.
I have had my good days and my bad days with all of these changes, but that was expected because I am human, and I am as imperfect and dysfunctional as the next person on the planet. When I am having a bad day, or bad couple of days, and fall off the "good food wagon", the difference now is that I don't punish or hate myself for it. I eat that whole bag of yummy Lay's Potato Chips, dust my hands off and get back on my "good food wagon" the next day, if not immediately. It doesn't happen alot, but when it does, I forgive myself and go on. The old me would have felt so bad about it, and felt like such a loser and quit...but not anymore... I have come to terms with the fact that it is not going to be an easy journey, and is going to take a while, and I will not quit because I make a bad choice. By the way, don't even try to tell me that you have never ate a whole bag of chips by yourself, especially Lays! What do they put in those chips that make you want to eat the whole bag? Okay moving on... lets get back to my exercise issue when I am out of town.
The gym I work out is called Private Workout, and is locally owned and operated... it is not a national chain... so I don't have the luxury of having access to a gym when I am out of town. When out of town, I stay with friends sometimes, or hotels that do not always have a gym, so I have decided that an easy way to include my exercise routine, while out of town, would be to find and purchase a "travel" gym!
I found a website called SmartGym.Com and at a reasonable price of $79.95, I think their travel gym has everything I will need, including a money back guarantee, and excellent reviews!
The SMARTGYM sets up fast and easy. It has an omni-directional
pulley system, fitted with four variable-resistance Power Bands, and can be used with any conventional door as the frame.It only weigh 3.5 lbs and fits into the bag shown above.I looks really easy to use! All you have to do is change your body position relative to
the pulleys and, instantly, you're working a different muscle! No setting
up or changing the machine.
SMARTGYM's
resistance system (or weight) consists of 4 Power Bands. You get 2 light-weight
blue bands and 2 heavy-weight red bands. The bands resistance increase as they are stretched.
It is stated on the website that you can loose up to 840
calories/hour
while building strength and flexibility at the same time! I am going to purchase the SmartGym within the month, and will let you know how I like it.
SPARKPEOPLE! I found a website called Sparkpeople.Com while I was surfing the internet one day, and I loved it, and I joined it for free. It is set up like Weight Watcher's online... it has nutrition trackers, fitness trackers, weigh in trackers, and other tools and resources. Sparkpeople helps you learn to stop
dieting and transition to a permanent, healthy lifestyle, and the online program and all it entails, is a medically accepted, and endorsed by major industry affiliations. They have an amazing community of members and experts, articles on health and fitness, and awesome recipes... and its free to join! It has helped me out tremendously. Here are a few facts about Sparkpeople:
The SparkPeople Movement
- #1 Health website - highest average time spent (more than WebMD)
- #1 Food website - most minutes per visitor (more than Food Network)
- Over 15 million registered members
- 2012 OMMA award winner for Website Excellence
- Featured prominently in the media:
One of the things I love the most on their site are the recipes, and I want to feature one right now... a Tuna Salad Sandwich! This is a little different take on how I would normally make tuna salad but It it s REALLY good!
Flavorful tuna salad made with cottage cheese and yogurt
Ingredients
I can
Albacore Tuna
2/3 cup non-fat or low-fatCottage Cheese
4 tablespoons plain low-fat yogurt
1/4 small red onion, chopped finely
1 stalk celery, chopped finely
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Splash of lemon juice
Pinch or two of dill (or to your liking)
2/3 cup non-fat or low-fatCottage Cheese
4 tablespoons plain low-fat yogurt
1/4 small red onion, chopped finely
1 stalk celery, chopped finely
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Splash of lemon juice
Pinch or two of dill (or to your liking)
Nutritional Info
- Servings Per Recipe: 2
- Amount Per Serving
- Calories: 193.5
- Total Fat: 1.8 g
- Cholesterol: 29.9 mg
- Sodium: 366.6 mg
- Total Carbs: 7.9 g
- Dietary Fiber: 0.6 g
- Protein: 34.3 g
The next food find I have for you is Chia and Flaxseed. Chia and flax are awesome sources of omega-3′s. The essential fatty acids promote healthy skin
and hair, are beneficial to cardiovascular health and healthy brain function.
They are also rich is vitamins and minerals such as vitamin B and E as well
as potassium, phosphorus, magnesium and chia provides significantly
more iron, calcium and selenium per serving than flax. Chia and flax together is even more awesome... it is fabulous for you! I found a product called Spectrum Essentials Decadent Blend Chia & Flax Seed with Coconut & Cocoa, and can be found in most Whole Foods or Sprouts stores, as well as the stores listed below:
It is rather expensive...
I have found it priced anywhere from $7.00 to $11.00 depending on
it on sale, but it lasts a good while depending on how often you use it. It is excellent to use in just about anything... baked goods, casseroles, soups, puddings, and salads... but I love to put it in my oatmeal everyday.
It is really good for you!
Okay... thats my update for now. I am glad to have you all along for my little journey, and the ups and downs I am facing. I hope that if you are on the same trek as me, you have found it helpful to you. If anything, the main point I want to stress is to not give up... on any personal goal you have set for yourself...it may take a while, and some hard work, but it will be worth it in the end. I am so thankful to have such great friends and family who constantly remind me that I can do this. I especially have to give a shout to my supervisor, Andrew, who is a personal trainer, when not a work. He has given me so much support as well, always answering the many questions I continually have... and hasn't sent me a single bill for his expert knowledge, lol! Thank you Andrew... It is wonderful to have such a network of support. THANKS EVERYONE! See ya next month,
~Gina~
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