Weekly Challenge #19: Close the Kitchen

Late night snacking can sneak up on you when you don't even see it coming. That last bite of something left on the kitchen counter, a few cookies during the evening news, a cup of hot chocolate... Because you are slowing down for the day, late night calories don't get burned off. Instead, they go to bed with you, stowed away as fat.

To avoid late night munching, try "shutting down your kitchen" right after dinner:

• Put away leftovers and do the dishes
• Wipe down the counters
• Close the blinds and turn off the lights

Once the kitchen is closed, brush your teeth. This will further discourage you from snacking!

Creating a simple evening ritual of closing the kitchen can help you to avoid excess calories and bring an organized end to busy days.

Ashley's Story: Week 7 - Emotional Roadblocks

I have to start of by saying that this past week has gone fairly well. I've exercised. I've eaten well (mostly). And, remember those nine pounds I gained on my trip? I've lost five of them! I have a big challenge coming up next week though and I really hope I can continue the momentum that I've got going.

My Challenge
I start back to work on Monday. I could almost cry just typing that. I've had 13 wonderful weeks with my son and daughter and it breaks my heart to think about leaving them. I don't have an option though, so back to the daily grind I go.

Like I've said before, I'm an emotional eater. So, foodwise, next week could be full of pitfalls for me. I'm really going to work hard to not let this change derail me.

My Plan
One of the perks to working outside of the home is that I get some time to myself. I plan to use my lunch break everyday to exercise. Southside Park is just two blocks from my office and a great place to walk and run. With the new Hour of Power on Fridays at McKinley, I can take my bike and get in a ride and an awesome workout with other Mamas.

Another great thing: every other week, I'll be taking light rail to work. That means I'll have an automatic walk to and from my office everyday of those weeks. Exercise built into my commute; it can't get easier than that! Taking light rail also means that I won't have my car at the office, so I won't be tempted to drive through a drive thru on my lunch break.

Finally, having to pay for daycare for two kids puts a real crunch on our budget. It will be more important than ever for me to take my lunch and actually eat it instead of eating out. I just need to remember to plan my lunches so that I'm not grabbing just anything as I run out the door in the mornings.

That leaves me with the last part of all of this, the emotional part. I have to remember that it's really normal and very okay to feel sad about leaving my children. I also have to remind myself that they're going to be just fine. My daughter has been in daycare since she was three months old and she's perfect! (I maybe a little bias...)My son will do fine as well.

Time for you to share now. How do you get past your emotional roadblocks without falling apart? What's your alternative to food?

Connie Found Her Mojo

Connie Miano found her mojo with Mama Bootcamp. Read her story to find out how:

My story with Mama Bootcamp began over 2 years ago. Prior to joining Mama Bootcamp, exercising on a regular basis was just not part of my life. I had always been slim and never worried about my diet or how much I exercised. However, as I began to get a little older and went through menopause, things began to change. I started gaining weight and developed high blood pressure. Since I have a family history of heart disease, I became a little concerned and thought it was time to change my habits and lifestyle. However, I still lacked self motivation to begin an exercise program on a routine basis.

Then one day, a friend of mine told me about Lorri Ann and Mama Bootcamp. I hesitated in joining so my friend gave my phone number to Lorri Ann. I received a call from Lorri Ann and that is the day when my exercise habits changed!!

In the beginning, Mama Bootcamp was very challenging because I hated to exercise and sweat! I was also never a runner and struggled with it for the first several months. But with the encouragement and specialized training from Lorri Ann, I was able to overcome my struggles. It wasn’t long before I began to see results, which motivated me to continue with Mama Bootcamp and to NOT hate exercising.

The next step, or what I call an adventure with Mama Bootcamp, was training for a triathlon. What?? Are you kidding me? Oh my!! What was I thinking?? That was something I would never consider in my wildest dreams!! I was content with my success in simply attending bootcamp on a regular basis. With the encouragement from Lorri Ann and her coaches, I began tri-training despite my reluctance. There were a few bumps in the road though.

I bruised the ball of my foot, crashed on my bike, but I overcame those little setbacks and decided not to give up! During the tri-training, I didn’t do well in the swimming portion and did not feel ready. But after all the training I didn’t want to miss the event. I decided to participate in the Duathlon. This event consists of a 5K, which replaces the swimming, an18 mile bike ride, and the final 5K. I discussed this option with Lorri Ann and she thought it was a great idea! I completed the Duathlon, which was a rewarding experience I will never forget! It was such an accomplishment for someone like me who always hated to exercise!!!!

I can’t believe it has been over 2 years since I began Mama Bootcamp and I’m amazed that I have been able to steadily continue in an exercise program. I have now lost about 20 pounds, a lot of inches and body fat. I have gone from a size 10-12 to a size 4-6. This program really works as the results tell the truth!! Lorri Ann is amazing and puts her heart and soul in helping you meet your goals. Mama Bootcamp has truly been a positive and rewarding experience for me. All the coaches are wonderful and I enjoy the camaraderie of the fellow mama bootcampers.

My family and friends are very proud of my success and commitment to a healthier lifestyle. I am a much happier, healthier person and loving life! I owe this all to Mama Bootcamp!!

Ashley's Story: Week 6 - Mojo Rising

I got back from the Land of Fried Chicken late Monday night. I loved seeing my family, but as I'm sure you could tell from my last post, I was a little stressed. Feeling stressed does not equate to doing well with eating or exercising for me. In fact, I gained about nine pounds while I was there. I did come back with something else than those pounds though; I learned some great lessons about myself and food.

1. I felt horrible! I know that it was because of the way I was eating. It was obvious that my poor diet was affecting the way I felt.

2. To my mother, food equals love. It always has. It's one of the reasons that I struggle with my relationship with food now. I watched her try to give my daughter so much junk food just to make her happy. There was lots that I put my foot down on, but when my daughter was in bed, I found myself eating the same things that I had told my mother to not give my daughter. How does that make any sense? If I don't think it's good enough for my child to put in her body, then why is it good enough for me to put in mine?

3. I turn to fast food as a crutch when I feel rushed, but really it's not any faster than making something that's already in my kitchen.

4. I realized that even though I completed a tri last summer, I didn't really try my hardest. I went to my weekly bootcamp and my weekly tri training, but that was it. I didn't change my diet. I didn't work out at home. While I finished my race, I know that I could've done so much better.

When I got back to Cali, I felt like I was ready to try harder, to do better. So, before I went grocery shopping to fill my empty fridge, I sat down and planned out every meal and snack that I was shopping for. Sounds a little OCD, I know, but it's something that Lorri Ann has been suggesting to me for a long time. It took some time to do, so I did it while I watched TV one evening. I made sure I was getting all of my fruits and veggies. I also made sure I was depriving myself of things that I really love, but getting them in smart portions.

It has been worth every minute. This week, it's been so much easier to stay on track. I pick a day out by what we feel like having for dinner and then just follow the plan I've laid out for myself. Instead of grabbing fast food when I'm starving, I can just look at my menu and know for certain that I have the ingredients in my house and ready to go.

I really feel like I'm starting to get my mojo and my motivation back. It feels good!

Weekly Challenge #18: Express Workout

Think you don't have time to exercise? Guess again! In just 10 to 20 minutes, you can get an excellent full body workout. Its called the Express Workout, and you can do it wherever you are, whenever you want!

For a quick workout at home, on vacation, or even in the office, try this circuit (repetitions in parenthesis are for beginner, intermediate and advanced, respectively:

Pushups - box-style, on your knees or on your toes (20, 25, 30)
Dips (20,25,30)
Butt Bumps (20, 25, 30)
Wall Sit (60 seconds for all levels)
Flutter Kick Hold 10 kick, 10 hold (3 sets, 3 sets, 4 sets)

Repeat entire circuit 3 or 4 times.

Need a refresher on some of the moves? Here's Lorri Ann to show you how to do it!



Your challenge this week: Do your express workout at least three times this week. Your body will love you for it!

Weekly Challenge #17: Stop Sleepwalking through Life!

Let's talk sleep. Not "does your baby sleep through the night?" and not "what is your kids' bedtime?" but YOUR sleep. Are you getting enough? My guess is the answer is a resounding NO.

Sleep deprivation makes you less productive. It increases your stress and irritability. Chronic lack of sleep can lead to depression. There are other repercussions as well: If we sleep less than our body needs to feel refreshed and don’t catch up we might experience:

•Daytime sleepiness
•Fatigue
•Difficulty concentrating
•Poor thinking
•Increased risk of accidents
•Other health complications (i.e., weight gain)

Did I catch you with that last one? Yep, that's right - not getting enough sleep can lead to WEIGHT GAIN.

We sleep as much as one-quarter less than our ancestors did, with average total sleep time decreasing from 9 hours in 1900 to less than 7 hours over the past 10 years. In 2001, researchers found that sleeping less than 6 hours per night and remaining awake past midnight increased the likelihood of obesity. In 2002, a study of 1.1 million people found that increasing body mass index (BMI) occurred when habitual sleep amounts fell below 7 to 8 hours.

A study done in Virginia in 2005 showed that overweight and obese individuals slept less than subjects of normal weight. Another study in Wisconsin in 2004 showed that when sleeping less than 8 hours, the increase in BMI was proportional to the amount of decreased sleep.

This week's challenge: Get enough SLEEP!

How much is enough? It is different for every person, but the average adult needs an average of 8 hours of sleep every day. You might need a little more, but you probably can't easily get by on less.

Take a minute right now to look at your calendar for a week, and be sure you arrange it to allow yourself some sleep. Your mind and body (and maybe your boss, family and friends!) will love you for it.


Sources:
http://sleepdisorders.about.com/od/howmuchsleepdoineed/a/how_much_sleep.htm
http://sleepdisorders.about.com/od/sleepandgeneralhealth/a/fatandtired.htm

Weekly Challenge #16: An Apple a Day!

You know that old saying "An apple a day keeps the doctor away?" Turns out it might be more true than you thought!

Apples are the perfect snack food. They are crunchy, sweet (but not too sweet) and delicious and also chock full of nutrition. Apples are low on the glycemic index which helps stabilize your blood sugar. They are also high in fiber which is not only good for your digestive system, but also helps you feel satisfied. As an extra bonus, apples don't need to be refrigerated and come in their own "wrapping" making them the epitome of a "grab and go" snack.

Your challenge: Eat an apple a day. When you do your grocery shopping, branch otu and try more than one variety of apple. Pay attention to what your favorites are, and make this challenge a part of your regular eating routine throughout the year. Be sure to come back to the blog and post a comment letting us all know what your favorites are so we can all try them too!

Have a great week, and remember: An apple a day DOES keep the doctor away, and so much more.