Eating is a 3-Part Equation

If I could have a quarter for every time people have said to me, "I'm watching what I eat, so I don't understand why I'm gaining weight," I would truly be a millionaire.

What most people don't understand is that eating a a 3-part equation. It's not just what you eat, but also when and how much. The calories in/calories out equation is true, but how you burn those calories is affected by all 3 parts of this equation.

WHAT TO EAT: Obviously you want to eat healthier foods. We all know the kinds of foods we should eat. Lots of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, things that are actually food. What you don't want to eat are things that are "food products" like pop tarts and toaster scramblers. They aren't food but rather scientific creations. No thanks.

WHEN TO EAT: If you've been on RaceDay for very long you know the answer to this question. You eat only when you FEEL hungry. That tummy better let you know and not your brain looking at the clock and thinking "Oh it's time to eat." It's never time to eat unless your body tells you so. I do realize this is harder with kids because you've got lunch times and what not, but once you figure out how to eat right you can time this to be right on schedule with them. Don't be eating because you don't want to "waste" food, or because it's there, or because it looks good, or because you're bored. Only eat when you feel hungry. That's it.

HOW MUCH TO EAT: Portion sizes have been highly distorted in this country of ours. We have fast food restaurants trying to make us feel like we have to super size everything to get a good value. Even stores like Costco are distorting our perceptions of how much is enough. There is only one meter that can truly tell us how much is the right amount for us and for our activity level for the day and that is our own body. How much should you eat? Only until you no longer feel hungry. This means that some days you may eat 2 sandwiches at lunch and other days you may only eat 1/2 a sandwich. Our activity levels, hormone levels, stress levels, etc. all play a part in the equation of how much we need and our body can tell us. If you have in your mind how much you should eat, you may very well over eat or under eat. You have to listen to what you body says. (not your tongue--your body)

If you can get this 3-part equation down--what, when and how much--you are well on your way to establishing healthy eating habits for life.

After Dinner Plans?

Do you ever get stuck in the mode where you are just eating because you're just....well, just because? You finish your meal and you're no longer hungry, but you just feel like you want to keep eating for some reason? Sometimes it's hard to pull yourself out of this place and it's where a lot of overeating happens.

One of the best ways to get past this is to have plans for after dinner, or whatever meal it is. Have a plan to read a book, start a project, clean a closet, visit a friend, go for a walk, check your email, etc. immediately following your meal. Have it be something you are looking forward to. Once you can pull yourself away from the table and get lost in your "plans" your peckishness will go away--and you'll get a lot of stuff done!

So when you make your meal plans include your after meal plans too.

It works wonders!

Ebb and Flow

So there is something you should know.

Exercise, well actually the excitement to exercise, sort of ebbs and flows....for everyone. Yes, that means me too. (gasp!)

When you are flowing it's great. You look forward to running or biking or lifting or whatever, you like to sweat, the idea of a challenge gets your heart pumping and you want to take it on.

Other times, you think,"Eh, I don't really care," and you convince yourself that you aren't really interested in being thatphysically fit, or you're fine where you're at, or sometimes you just plain don't feel like it anymore. (beware of that voice--we've talked about it before).

So what do you do when you're ebbing instead of flowing?

You find a way to keep flowing. That's what.

When you're feeling tired or frustrated with where you are at and you just want to throw your hands up in the air and quit, RESIST that temptation. Quitting never got anybody anywhere and you know you will just feel worse if you quit. Push through to the other side because the other side will come and you'll feel much better that you didn't waste so much time sliding backwards during the time you didn't "feel" like it.

So here are a few ideas of how to keep things flowing:

1. Find a race or goal that makes your heart pound and go for it. The first time I thought about doing a triathlon it made my heart race just thinking about it. I was scared and I knew that meant I should try it. I felt the same way about Ragnar Relay. The unknown is scary, but can also be exciting. When we have a goal like that it can really keep you going. Don't let the fear of failure or the unknown stop you from your next adventure. And don't let your next adventure be overcome by apathy. Lame.

2. Use your fitness. Be more active in your every day life as you clean or play with your kids or run errands or whatever. It makes life more enjoyable and then it helps you to realize that you want to be more fit for daily living. Life is fuller when it's lived off the couch! :)

3. Have fun! If you are feeling burned out at all, then at least once a week do something that you really enjoy physically. For me I love to play racquetball or tennis. I'm playing and I love that, but I'm also getting in a good workout. What do you like to do that is fun and physically challenging?

4. Get a new workout mix. Sometimes just getting new music on your iPod can help spice things up a bit. Long runs or bike rides can be such a great time to refresh your body and mind and there's nothing like a great workout mix to lift you up.

5. Take a couple days off. If you are really struggling then take a few days off. I know that may freak some of you out, but it is okay to give your body a rest now and again. Just do it with a plan. Don't say, "I'm going to take a couple days off." instead say, "I will take tuesday and wednesday off and start again on thursday." That way you know exactly when you are starting again and you won't be "taking a couple days off" for an undetermined amount of time. You have a definite plan. (this should only be an option every 3-6 months or so)

Just know that when you feel like you don't want to exercise or you want to quit, that is normal. Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, feels that from time to time (some more than others. :) ) What makes a successfully fit person different from someone that keeps struggling is that they figure out a way to keep flowing. They address the mental and emotional challenges as well as the physical ones.

So when (not if, but when) you feel yourself ebbing instead of flowing try some of the above strategies or come up with your own. You know yourself and what will work for you. With just a little thought you can work your way out of a negative zone. Just don't give yourself over to the apathy because that will never make you happy.

Keep flowing everyone!

Sugar Free in a Sugar Coated World

What would happen if you decided to go Sugar Free in this crazy candy world of ours? Well let me tell you. In the first day that you and your family decide to do it your neighbors will send over a giant rice krispy treat shaped as a Hershey kiss. Then your daughter’s friend will save a special half of his chocolate bar just for her. (so sweet). Your kind and thoughtful sister-in-law will give you the most delicious smelling loaf of Cinnamon Bread you’ve ever smelled, your other daughters’ dance teacher will line her hands with suckers, and you will have a gigantic bag of the best ever homemade chocolate chip cookies just sitting in your cupboard from the day before you decided to go sugar free. (Theoretically speaking of course. J )

Whoa.

That’s a lot of sugar.

When I was growing up and I wanted a snack my mother gave me raisins, or on a great day I’d get some coconut. When my mom was growing up she lived off of tuna fish, bread and milk, and a little piece of hard candy once every other month or so was a treasure. When her mother was growing up it was through the great depression and I’m sure she was happy to eat shoe leather.

So why do we think we need “something sweet” every day? Like we might die without it. I’m not pointing the finger. I’m just as guilty as the next person. However as I start to open my eyes more and more it is becoming quite apparent that the overabundance of food in our society, specifically sweets, is out of control and it is going to kill us. Strike that—it IS killing us.

As I sat waiting for my daughters to finish dance today I watched at least 15-20 different dancers come in and out, sit on the carpet in front of me and…eat. What were they eating? Here’s a good list for you: ice cream cones, Funyuns, M & M’s, French fries, donuts, candy bars and, oh good, Gatorade. Not kidding. It made my stomach turn just watching them. There was not a single piece of fruit or anything even remotely resembling a vegetable (no, French fries don’t count) anywhere. And these were dancers who are supposedly more healthy than your average person.

It definitely made me wonder what has happened to our society and how this is impacting our children. Copious amounts of sugar cannot be good. We all know that, and yet, what are we doing about it? Do we really think fruit snacks are a good, healthy alternative? Please. And yet I feel unarmed if I don’t have fruit snacks in my purse to pull out and appease the troops if I’m in a bind. I’m sorry, since when is bribing children with food, especially sweets, ever a good idea? I’m totally disgusting myself here.

Cookies, candy, delicious treats and other sundry foods have become our solution for everything. My neighbor is sick. Bake her a cake! My neighbor just had a baby. Bake her a cake! My neighbor’s father just died. Bake her a cake! My neighbor is really stressed out right now. Bake her a cake!

And what do we do with our kids? You got a great report card? Great, let’s go out for ice cream! You did your chores so well. Great, pick some candy out of the prize bowl! You ate two bites of your meal? Great, you can have 5 cookies for dessert! You want to have some special one on one time with Mom? Great, let’s go for brownie sundaes!

Have we become so uncreative that sweets are the only way we know how to show someone that we care about them? Have we become so uncreative that food is the only way for us to motivate or have fun? Have we become so uncreative that food is what we turn to when we’re happy, sad, bored, excited, frustrated, stressed, angry, depressed, etc?

What is the deal?!

Sweets and other unhealthy foods aren’t the solution—they are the problem. Food isn’t meant for any of these purposes. It is an avoidance of real issues which prevents us from dealing with real emotions and developing real relationships because we aren’t really thinking about anyone else. We all have needs, physical and emotional, and they aren’t solved by cakes or cookies. I hate to say this, but Betty Crocker has led us astray. There is no such thing as comfort foods. You will inevitably have to deal with how “uncomfortable” they have left you.

Now, I have personally never been much of a fan for limiting food options. I firmly believe that you can enjoy every food out there in appropriate amounts. However, what I feel like our society has lost sight of is what’s appropriate. Including me. I don’t think many of us realize just how much sugar is involved in our daily lives and it’s time to change that.

The “No Sugar Baby” Challenge is a time to re-evaluate and maybe a chance for some detox, too. J As you go throughout these next 30 days notice how much sugar is around you, available to you even when you aren’t buying it or bringing it into your home. Notice how often it is offered to your children—stores, friends, schools, extra curricular activities, etc. I think you might be surprised at just how much it is. Allow yourself to be disgusted by this because really, it is disgusting. As you evaluate this you can come up with what you think is appropriate amounts of sugar for you and for your family.

We live in a society of excess in every way. It is our job to put that excess in its place. What we eat can no longer be a passive decision, but rather an active choice.

No Sugar BABY!!!!

Can you do it?

“No Sugar Baby” Challenge

CHALLENGE: For 30 days you don’t eat any sugar. This means no cookies, cakes, ice cream, candy, donuts, soda, slushies, brownies, GIANT muffins from Costco or other kinds of muffins you are trying to pretend aren’t like cake but are. You know what falls into this category, so don’t try and trick yourself into finding a loophole. There are no loopholes because you know.If you really don’t know you can ask in the forum and I’ll tell you.

EXTREME CHALLENGE: Don’t bring any sugar into your home and get your family to do the “No Sugar Baby” Challenge with you.

Recognizing Excuses--RANT

Okay, I'm warning you right now, this is a rant. Haven't done one for awhile, so big breath, here it goes.

I have had it with excuses.

If someone gains weight and it is followed by any of these phrases:

"I've been out of town."

"I went on vacation."

"My kids were sick."
"I've been sick."
"Things have just been crazy."

"It's the holidays."
"I had to go to a wedding/baby shower/graduation party, etc. etc. etc."

"I'm just so busy."

"We've had company in town."

Etc.

...I think I might scream.

None of those, not one, is a reason to gain weight.

Those are all things that will continue to happen throughout the rest of your life. If you are waiting for the perfect time of life when none of those things are going to happen you will need to box yourself up into a little room and never leave, because that is the only way those things might not happen.

This is life.

So if those things are going to continue to happen, how do you deal with it?

Well, you first start by not accepting them as an excuse to gain weight. There simply are NO EXCUSES.

Each person on RaceDay that has completed Consistency Club knows what it is like to face something with "No Excuses." I think just about everyone that is in Consistency Club got sick at some point during the process and they were not about to quit before making it. They pushed through because they would not accept anything as an excuse. They also took it to the next step....

The next step is to DECIDE to have no excuses. You're in the drivers seat inside that body of yours. It is up to you to either accept, or not accept, weight gain on vacation as something that "just happens". I'm here to tell you it isn't. I don't worry that I'm going to gain 5 pounds on vacation because I am the same person there as I am at home. I have the same ability to listen to my body, choose healthy foods, and be active as I do at home. When I'm sick or my children are sick it doesn't make any sense that I should eat 3000 extra calories a day because I feel bad...that would just make me feel worse.

All these ideas in your head that weight loss or weight gain are situational are exactly that...ideas in your head. Don't buy into it.

You decide the direction of your health no matter where you're at.

No excuses.

Phew, okay I feel better now. :)

**FYI: The inspiration for this rant was from someone who isn't on RaceDay.

No Shortcuts

We live in a world where shortcuts and getting "something for nothing" are like second nature to us. Our computers are full of "shortcuts". We want to find shortcuts whenever we get directions anywhere. We LIVE for shortcuts. This is a problem.

So many of us are trying to figure out ways to side-step doing the real work that needs to be done in an effort to save "time". But unfortunately, all these shortcut methods that are so "time saving" start to seep into other parts of our life and before long we are trying to shortcut our emotional problems as well. However, when you try to shortcut emotions they multiply. They start to drain you physically and emotionally. You constantly feel tired. And you haven't saved any time at all...you're losing it by the minute because you're exhausted and unhappy and you can't keep up with life. You can't keep up the show anymore.

We all know when we are trying to shortcut our way around things physically (HCG, other fad diets, less exercise, starving ourselves then bingeing, etc), but I think the harder thing to recognize is when we try to take shortcuts emotionally.

The following is an excerpt from Stephen R. Covey, Spiritual Roots of Human Relations:

"We live in a shortcut world. Cities and human organizations are built apart from nature and are often goverened by artificial, rather than natural, law. Can you imagine a farmer "cramming" in the fall to bring forth the harvest, as students have done, and still do, to pass examinations? Can you imagine a mile-runner "pretending" speed and endurance, or a concert pianist "putting on the appearance" of skill and proficiency? Obviously there is no shortcut, no "something for nothing," in farming or in developing a physical skill.

Yet when it comes to internal emotional and spiritual growth, we often apply the shortcut lessons of an artificial social world where we cram and pretend, get by on appearances or glib tongues, and literally think we do get something for nothing."

It's simply untrue. You can never get something for nothing because there are basic laws by which our universe operates and you will pay for it in some way, some day. The best answer is to deal with things head on. Do the real work now. Don't put it off for later. Physically and emotionally face up to what is there. While it may seem scary you will experience growth, happiness, and joy you didn't know was possible.

So take the long road, the one you haven't taken before.

It's not scary, it's beautiful.

Day 86: Eye of the Tiger

Who doesn’t love Rocky? I mean, how can you not?

My brother and I grew up listening to Eye of the Tiger and thinking we were awesome. As a kid I liked the song because I just thought the sound was cool and made great background music for a guy getting in shape during a montage scene. But listening to it now brings a whole new meaning to me.

As we get older we start to discount what we can do. We lose sight of what we want to do. We let go of it because it’s too much work, or we think we don’t have time and we convince ourselves we don’t really want it that much anyway. You know what “it” is for you.

This is where my favorite part of the song comes in.

It says:

So many times, it happens too fast

You change your passion for glory

Don't lose your grip on the dreams of the past

You must fight just to keep them alive

A lot of times the challenge isn’t in achieving our goals, it’s in remembering what they are and that we really want them. Fighting against the apathy. Not letting go of your dreams because it seems too hard to get there. We don’t even get to try to achieve our goals because we’ve already written ourselves off.

How often do we “change our passion for glory” because it’s easier to change what we want than to change what we do?

We all have fitness goals. It is so easy to “change your passion for glory” or “lose your grip on the dreams of the past” when thinking about your fitness goals. But I am telling you right now they are attainable. Everything you want to do is within you to do.

Now fight to keep it alive and you will be shocked to see what happens.