Race 8...Check!

Had a great time running with my friend, Sarah, on Saturday's Run for the Kids 10K.  It was a great fall morning to run and for a great cause...kids in our school district. 

At 24 weeks pregnant running still feels good and I am so thankful.  It's what's keeping me sane! Sometimes I feel that with pregnancy there's so much that women feel they need to give up.  Heck, I gave up many things with my pregnancy with Jax.  It got me nowhere but extremely swollen, lots of extra weight, severe back pain and mostly feeling crappy overall emotionally and mentally.  I am so glad I have a change of heart with this pregnancy and don't feel so deprived.  Maybe it's because I'm listening to my body, not pushing it and keeping a focus of just being the healthiest I can be.  Of course there's the (what seems to be more frequent) sugar spells but overall I feel I am making much healthier choices. 

With three months left in 2010 I've got 2 more races on the books and it feels good to be nearing the finish line with 10 races in 2010.

Book 14: Authentic Christianity

This is a book our pastor wrote.  We recently switched churches and in the new member class we were given this book.  It was a good read in regards to spiritual walk and an overview of what it looks like to be an authentic christian.

I had a couple of favorites with this book.  First, Kim talked about his struggle with workaholism.  That "enough was never enough" and that Satan would whisper things like, "You have to do this task now...you can't stop until you are finished...you must get everything done today...you need to work harder....you have to do more, no matter how tired you are."  This passage really hit home to me because many days I will have these same thoughts.  Kim said that he learned a life-changing lesson on restfulness, for Jesus never encouraged a lifestyle of heavy burdens or compulsive responsibility. (p 63)  What an encouragement that we don't have to live under the thumb of workaholism.  That we don't have to get everything done today.  That passage has been a tremendous help and Matthew 11:28-30 is also so refreshing...
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me., for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

One other point in the book that spoke to me was in regards to ministry.  Sometimes its hard to know where I'm suppose to be in ministry but one great point that was made was something a friend told Kim in college.  He said, "The more you do what you know, the more you know what to do."  So doing what I know and letting God reveal to me what is next in time...again simply refreshing.

Highly recommend this book if you are searching for a starting point.  Or maybe you've been a Christian for years but need a boost. 

Motivation Monday: Tiny Progressions

I've been thinking a lot about the difference in my life now from five years ago.  Even though I've been a trainer and into exercise I've slowly evolved into a much healthier person.  I've got a grip on portion control, no longer need to eat pasta every time I go out to eat, most weeks my sweet intake is respectable and exercise is a major part of everyday life.

I know this sounds crazy coming from a trainer but there are definitely trainers out there who don't practice what they preach.  Maybe they don't even preach the right things because, let's face it, there's a ridiculous amount of trainers out there and many of them don't lead a life that resembles health....but they exercise!

That all being said I'm not saying I have it all together.  Just last week I broke loose and bought a box of swiss cake rolls.  I downed 2.5 packages and threw the rest away.  The triumph here is that I threw the box way.  Typically I would have polished off the remainder in an attempt to just get them gone. 

Anyway, what I'm saying is take a look at the last 5 years of your life.  Look at where you were 5 years ago.  Are you any better off than where you are now?  Make a list of all the improvements and then make another list for the next 5 years.  Make a list of areas you want to work towards and know in your soul that it might take every bit of those 5 years to get there.  Because, "all things great take time to achieve."  Give yourself a break and give yourself time to adjust.  I think you'll find a lasting lifetime improvement. And isn't that what we ultimately want?

Book 13: The Culprit and the Cure

This is a book that would be very boring to most.  Actually I borrowed it from a client and she told me she didn't expect it back anytime soon.  She's a reader and it took her quite a while to get through so I anticipated a similiar situation.  But why should I have thought that?  I love books like this.  It's the inner nerd in me that loves numbers and solid research.  I'd highly recommend this book but know what kind of a person is giving the advice.

The book isn't anything we haven't heard before.  It's all about how lifestyle is the single most important key factor to our health diminishing as a society at large in America.  More interesting is the research and facts.  Here's my favorites:

- 78% of Americans don't eat 5 servings of fruits and veggies.  The average American eats 2.7 servings of fruits/veggies per day.

- Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death and the single most preventable death!

- Each pound of muscle uses about 25 calories every day.  That may not seem like much, but over a month or a year, it adds up.  That's why having muscle helps prevent weight gain.  Losing muscle makes you more likely to gain weight.

-Excess body weight does not suddenly appear; it tends to creep up on your.  It is a gradual process that takes months, years and decades.  If you gain only a little weight every year, it doesn't take too many years before you become obese.

So I really like this book because it focuses on all the realities of living healthy. My I-don't-care-itis post was inspired by the book.                                                                                



Motivation Monday: Water Challenge

I don't do a lot of things right.  I have my issues with sweets, portion control and the list goes on and on.  Although one task that I've always nailed is drinking water.  I'm not addicted to diet soda, tea, juice or wine.  It's probably because I consistently want to eat my calories versus drink them.   We're well versed on all the health benefits of drinking water and the many reasons to kick the soda habit but I just read a small article today on research that drinking more water can decrease the appearance of wrinkles 19-24%.  It got me thinking of a water challenge.  This week pick 3 days (we can do this, 3 days out of 7) where we only drink water.  To be really effective journal your day of only drinking water especially if this will be a challenge for you.  See if you have more energy or feel any different than normal...and hopefully it's not a caffeine headache!

Motivation Monday: Wall of Quotes

I love quotes. So I loved when we went to visit Dave Ramsey's studio that he had a full wall of quotes.  One reason I love Dave Ramsey is because he just make sense.  Common Sense.  The other reason is because virtually everything he talks about with money can be related to fitness or health or just plain lifestyle.  In this so easy, comfortable world it takes a lot of effort to be disciplined with money, food, and exercise.  They all go together. 

Quote from the wall:

"If you do poor people stuff, you'll be poor.  If you do rich people stuff, you'll be rich." -Dave Ramsey

My version of the quote:

If you do fat people stuff, you'll be fat.  If you do fit people stuff, you'll be fit." -Mandy Froehlich

Quote from the wall:

"A budget is telling your money where to go instead of wondering where it went."
My version:
A food plan is telling your food where to go instead of finding out later where it went-your hips.

Quote from the wall:
"There's a great place to go when your broke-to work!"
My version:
There's a great place to go when you're fat-the gym!"

Quote from the wall:
"Normal is broke! Be weird!"
My version:
"Normal is fat! Be weird!"

Quote from the wall:
"A broke finance professor is like a shop teacher without fingers."
My version:
"An unhealthy trainer is like a shop teacher without fingers."

Oh I could to this all day! To actually read the quotes just click on the picture to make it bigger.

Motivation Monday: Make Changes You Can Live With

All too often I see people want to radically change their life and only give themselves a short amount of time to accomplish this very daunting task.  I believe 100% that in order for permanent change to happen we need to take it slow.  So my suggestion this glorious holiday Monday is to look at your life and decide what little change you can implement.  One that you can see yourself doing for the rest of your life and one that doesn't require a total life change overhaul overnight.  And then begin to buy into the idea of gradual change over a long period of time for the rest of your life.  After all, there's really no hurry when it comes to health, it's a process we will always be working on.  Keep that perspective at the forefront of your mind and you will continue to become healthier because the decisions you make will directly relate to that type of mindset.

As an random example, it takes an average of 17 years to become a millionaire by gradually putting money aside.  Rarely does it happen overnight.  It's dedication + time.

Envision yourself becoming healthier with each year that passes.  Age is just a number and each day we are given is a gift to become a little bit fitter.

Carb Lovers Diet: Myth or Miracle?

Oh boy do I love me some carbs!  Before this pregnancy I was what I classified, a flexitarian.  Meaning my meat intake was very limited.  I did this because I really didn't like the thought of meat anyway (pregnancy has changed that).  In combination with reading a few books and watching some documentaries I was convinced limiting my meat intake would be a good thing.  Funny thing happened though, I really found myself eating way too many carbs which didn't do much good for my body because I was always hungry for more carbs.  They never satisfied.

Pregnancy has been a different story though.  I eat quite a bit of protein throughout the day via protein shakes, cottage cheese (did you know it has 14 grams of protein in a half cup serving of 100 calories?), meat and my occasional Greek yogurt (which serves as a sweet substitute).  I'm sure I get at least 100 grams of protein per day.  I'm typically done eating by dinner time (I feel like crappo if I don't stop plus I gain a whole bunch of weight it I eat late at night).  So the protein I get keeps me full and satisfied throughout the day. 

However, I came across this book, The Carb Lovers Diet and am intrigued but very skeptical because it's backwards from everything I know.  If you want to learn more about the book, the author and the premise behind the book check out this link for a quick video interview with the author.  I will say the main idea behind the carb diet is to eat resistant starch.  It's starch that is not converted to glucose for short term energy (as we would think a typical carb does) but rather is digested through the large intestine and acts like a dietary fiber.

It's a pretty cheap buy on amazon and I have a list of other books so I might give this a whirl just to get some perspective.  I still think everything in moderation and will most likely never give advice to be drastic in any certain micronutrient reduction but I couldn't help but share this new finding.