The Weigh-In. Happy. Picture.

199.2

I had a good smile this morning, but chose to suppress my manly roar of satisfaction in fear of waking the neighbors. I have officially entered into Onederland! I had been flirting with this level this past week and they finally let me in. I’m speaking as if someone literally opened the gates to this awesome amusement park and let me roam free. I did dip below 200 lbs earlier in the week, but didn’t want to say anything just in case - if on challenge weigh-in day, I was at or above that number. As of today, I have lost 55 pounds (!!) from my first decision to do something about my weight. You can see the day and picture that started it all here.

It really is something special for me. I’m enjoying today – at least until my p90x Yoga workout later. I do not know what will happen with that. We will see though. My wife and I also will be going to the park for a 1 mile walk and for me, an additional 1 mile run. I think this will set a good pace for me for the rest of the week.

I really thought that I would have a really cool post to write when I entered into Onederland – but I don’t. It’s simply awesome without having to add the witty fluff.

I’m simply happy.

Don't Forget about my Fitness GIVEAWAY. It is quite the prize pack for anyone! Go check it out and ENTER. It is Easy to Enter!

Feb 11th & one HUGE cramp!

Last night I played basketball as I do every Wednesday and Sunday night and it was a really good time. The first half of the night I did not make a single shot but made up for that the second half of the night. Since I started on the treadmill I have noticed that my energy and endurance level has gone through the roof when it comes to playing on those nights. I can play at a higher level of intensity for longer periods of time. That has been a gradual thing that has taken a while to get too -- not just this year. This year has just helped in making activity easier.

I only talk about basketball because it brings me to the subject of muscle cramps. Last night at about 2 or 3 in the morning. I woke up with a MAJOR cramp in my left calf. I usually have a pretty high tolerance for pain but that cramp woke me up and had me calling out. It woke my wife up. It was not good. It probably took 10-15 minutes for it to subside enough so that i could get back to sleep. Any quality sleep after that was in only in small increments. I'm limping around today because the muscle is still pretty tight. I doubt I'll get the miles in that I'd like to tonight. I had a cramp like this in high school during basketball practice when we were doing bleacher runs and the calf muscle was like an indention, (looked like it was sucked in to the bone), in my leg. Does not feel good at all.

So what causes muscle cramps (involuntary contraction of muscle)? I searched around for some information regarding this and this is what I found.

Muscle Cramp Causes.....Muscle Cramp Solutions
1. Dehydration ................Drink more water
2. Not enough rest ...........Take breaks to replenish and regroup
3. Over exercising............Take breaks in between
4. Vitamin Deficiency.........Vitamins and/or change of daily diet
5. Insufficient Warm up......Warm up before exercising/playing
6. Poor Circulation............Looser clothing, Do a warm-up
7. No cool-down period.......Come to a gradual close of workout

Here is a site that has some pretty good information regarding Muscle Cramps and prevention of them.

Food Intake:

1. 1 3/4 cup of Raisin Bran Cereal
2. cup of coffee
3. Banana
4. oven roasted chicken breast
5. sweet and salty peanut bar
6. last of the super bowl health snack
7. 12 oz sprite
8. white chip macadamian nut cookies (2) from Subway
9. oven roasted chicken breast salad
10. Mixed berry/Banana smoothie
11. 60 + oz of Water

Workout: Treadmill - 2 miles


Miles til Year Goal: 922.36

Feb 10th - Two a day!

I was looking at my mile tracker and realized that I am still about the same distance off pace as last month from where I should be for the year. Those missed days held me back some. Today, I am planning on getting a couple miles on the treadmill and then going to play basketball in hopes for a good workout there as well. I step on the scale every morning so that I have an idea of where my body is at. This could be a dangerous thing. As I've stated several times --- my journey to better health focuses not on what I can control and not what I can not control. Right now the focus is on the miles that I do and what I put into my body. Any form of weight loss will be the added bonus. I caught myself taking on the mindset of it being about the weight and when it is only about that -- people get discouraged quickly. If the emphasis is on the scale than I'll lose control --- if the emphasis is on what I can do each and every day in the form of what I eat and what activity I have done - that's when I have control.


Food Intake: will post on the 11th.

Workout: Basketball --- 3.96 miles total



Miles til Year Goal: 924.36

February 9th & a little of my story

So I'm sitting here watching the Biggest Loser and for some reason I remembered the time that I actually thought about filling out the application to join the show. I even printed it off. I probably would not have met the size requirement but the fact that I had the thought made me think of how far I have come from then. It was a mindset that I had. It's been 40 days into the new year and it's been great so far. As long as I can remember - when it came to trying to be healthier, I constantly failed. I would start a "diet" and then leave it when something better came along (usually fast food). There is something different about this. It's not a "diet" but a change of lifestyle. It's a change in mind set. My mind is clear and I think about what is good and bad now. I weigh the decisions more and try to make the better decision. This is not a shallow attempt to have the appearance of perfection because I do eat things that aren't the best choice. I still allow myself a sweet snack every day but it is with purpose. I know that I would binge if I did not. This allows me the opportunity to have the sweet but control the amount of sweets. This is just my routine that seems to be working thus far. This may not be for everyone however. It's good to have the many other bloggers out there that share a similar story. I thought that I would give a few of those bloggers that I constantly read some love and post them below.

Mac at getfitslowly

John at Johnisfit

Andrew at andrewisgettingfit

J.Darling at wellnessjourney

These are just a couple of people that I read daily or as soon as they get a post up. They keep me inspired. I also have included a photo of me with the final look at the Super Bowl Snack stuff that I won from a drawing that Johnisfit held.


Look at that beard. I started growing just before I started this journey to better health. I do have to say that it is getting pretty fierce.

Food Intake:

1. 1 3/4 cup of Raisin Bran Cereal
2. banana
3. oven roasted chicken breast sandwich
4. 10 pretzels
5. 2 cookies
6. 12 oz sprite
7. oven roasted chicken on a bed of salad with ALL of the available vegetables
8. 60+ oz of water
9. Peach smoothies - yogurt, banana, agave nectar, milk, peaches

Workout: treadmill --- 4.2 miles

Miles til Year Goal: 928.32

February 8th, 2010 & a Large Size Shirt

I'm blogging for yesterday Feb. 8th, today. Last night (8th) we were at Walmart and they were having a clearance on most of their winter clothes for some reason -- (It was 11 degrees last night) so I figured I would look around. I am a pretty stingy guy when it comes to spending money unless it's something that must last. I found a long sleeved shirt that I liked but it was a size Large. I typically get an XL because Larges are just too tight for me to wear. Not this night. I knew I had lost some weight and thought that I would try it on. It's a good thing I did because it fit and it fit well. I don't feel that my stomach is protruding out of the shirt and it is pretty slimming. I don't think my wife had realized that I had lost the weight. She had heard the number but I don't think it registered until this morning when she had said, "You could really tell that you have lost weight". Score! That is enough motivation to keep anyone going.

I didn't get a workout yesterday because my body was so sore. I can't figure out as to why it was. The only thing I could think of is that on Saturday I shoveled loads of heavy wet snow. Either way - I've got to keep pushing!

Food Intake:

1. 1 3/4 cup of Raisin Bran Cereal
2. 1 Banana
3. Oven roasted chicken breast sandwich
4. 12 oz Sprite
5. snack bag of my healthy super bowl snack
6. 2 leftover tacos from super bowl party
7. small portion of some sort of salad -- (it had romain(?) noodles plain, cabbage, almond slivers, nuts, and some sort of oil dressing---i think)
8. 60 + oz of water

Workout: none

Miles til Goal: 932.52

Feb 5-7th Weekend Warrior

This weekend has been really busy and with that -- it's been hard to blog. I still managed quality eating but missed one workout. The only differences in my eating habits this weekend are listed below:

1. 1 slice of cheese pizza (Friday at lunch)
2. latte and pumpkin bread (My treat every Saturday)
3. An extra Taco during superbowl party (healthy taco though!)


Workouts:

Friday -- 3.65 miles -- treadmill
Sunday -- 2.14 miles -- treadmill

Miles til Goal: 932.52

Feb 4th and a Day of Relaxation

I deemed yesterday the day of relaxation. I took yesterday off (only from the workout) and it was nice. My food intake was the same as it always is. I was given a thin cookie with hard icing on it. It was my sweet for the day. We made some taco's last night. We would normally use packaged taco seasoning but we didn't have any and that was before I started to be choosier on what I put into my body. I decided to make my own. I looked at a few recipes for taco seasoning and put some of what I found to use. I messed with the measurements and to be honest -- don't remember the original. The recipe just called for you to make a batch of the seasoning and use it at several times. Our version of a lowfat taco consisted of the following.

Tacos:

-Seasoning
--Cumin
--Onion Powder
--Garlic Powder
--Chili Powder
--Paprika
Don't ask me what the measurements were b/c I don't know. I changed them anyways :)

-Deer Meat (very lean)
-Store bought hard Shells

-Extras
--diced fresh tomato
--shredded Romaine lettuce (lettuce flew everywhere)
--shredded cheese

That's it. It may not be lowfat but I do think that it would be.

Overall - it was a good day and quality relaxation.

Workout:
-none

Miles til Goal: 938.31

Feb 3rd,Great Workout, and Smoothie Recipe

Last night I had the best workout that I have had year to date. At some point I really want to run a 5K (there's one coming up in April that I am planning on doing) and after reading Andrew is Getting Fit 's blog yesterday -- I wanted to get to that point. I have never enjoyed running unless it is was up and down the court for basketball or from base to base in baseball. Last night's workout I mixed it up quite a bit.

**My 'workouts' are not weight training as though I may do that in a month or two but are mainly on the treadmill or playing basketball. I know that weight lifting will help with weight loss but my goal right now is not weight loss but taking away the miles on that 1,010 mile goal**

I did a cross training sort of workout on the treadmill that I've previously posted about only ran for 5 minute increments and walked briskly the in between. I covered the same distance at a considerably lower amount of time. I finished strong with a good sprint.

I usually have some yogurt with fresh fruits for post-workout but decided to have a smoothie instead. I looked for some good healthy recipes but failed to find one that suited the ingredients that I had readily available. So, I got an idea from them and created my own smoothie recipe.

Mixed Berry-Banana Smoothie

Ingredients
- 1/2 cup Dannon Plain Yogurt (I guess you can change this but this is what I had)
- 1 Banana
- 1/2 cup Mixed Berries (frozen or fresh)
- 1 tbsp Agave Nectar (this is natural sweetener)
- 1/4 cup Fat Free SKim milk

Prep
- Put yogurt, Banana, 1/4 cup of the mixed berries, mik, and agave nectar in a blender and Liquify!
- Place the remaining mix berries in the fridge
- Put the mix in the fridge and chill it while you work out
- When ready - place remaining berries into mix, stir, and drink up.

I think it is pretty good but that is my personal opinion. I hope that you like it too if you try it.


Food Intake:

1. 1 1/2 cup of Raisin Bran
2. cup of coffee
3. banana
4. apple
5. 2 hard-boiled eggs - no yoke
6. 12 oz sprite
7. oven roasted chicken sandwich on whole grain/ w/cheese and mayo
8. small cupcake
9. 4 oz grilled chicken
10. 1/2 cup green beans
11. 1/2 cup applessauce
12. mixed berry-banana smoothie
13. 60+ oz of water

Workout:
- Basketball..............3.26 miles

Miles til Goal: 938.31

Feb 2nd & Aerobic Vs. Anaerobic Exercise

At one point in my college career I had decided to be a physical education teacher. I was going to get my associate degree from a smaller college and then go finish out at a larger college/university. I did do that but did not finish with a phys ed degree. This topic of Aerobic vs. Anaerobic exercises is the one of the few lectures I remember under that degree plan.

We hear the arguments behind each of the two words but what are Aerobic or Anaerobic exercises?

Aerobic exercise allows oxygen to be taken into the body to replenish the body's use.

Anaerobic exercise does not allow oxygen to be taken in and uses what the muscles already have.

This is how we will be able to tell what exercise is either aerobic or anaerobic.

Now that we know what is what. Which one is better?? This depends on who you are but my opinion is that both are needed for an efficient workout program.

Aerobic Exercises include:
- walking
- jogging
- cycling
- swimming
- light weight lifting

**this type is used at lower levels of intensity for longer periods of time**

Anaerobic Exercises include:
- sprinting
- jumping
- moderate to heavy weight lifting
- lunges
- Sports that use this type: Baseball, Football, Basketball, field events, etc.

**this type is used at higher levels of intensity for shorter periods of time**

So, what if we want to incorporate both into our workouts to get the most out of our body? Use cross training. Start walking and/or jogging and interval sprints every 60 seconds. Start to lift weights with resistance mixed in with lower weight and higher tempo. Don't be afraid to mix things up. Once your body gets use to what you are doing - change seems impossible.

Food Intake:

1. 1 3/4 cup of Raisin Bran Cereal
2. 1 cup of coffee
3. oven roasted chicken sandwich w/cheese and mayo on whole grain bread
4. Banana
5. 60+ oz of water
6. grilled chicken on salad w/all the veggies
7. 2 white chip mac nut cookies
8. 12 oz sprite
9. Apple
10. Smoothie - look for ingredients on Feb 3rd. (post-workout)
11.

Workout:

- Treadmill - 4.20 I had a great workout.

Miles til Goal: 941.57

February 1st & February Goals

It's time to focus on my goals for this month and put last month behind me. As I stated previously - my goal is not a certain number of pounds or a certain time of working out each day; my specific goal is to hit 1,010 miles during the year of 2010 by walking/jogging/running. My overall goal is to reach a level of better health than what I am at today.

February Starting Stats

February Miles Goal: 77.28 miles

Miles/day to reach Feb goal: 2.76

Miles off pace from January: 25.95

Miles to go to reach year mile pace: 103.23

Miles/day to reach year mile pace: 3.69

Easy to see Obstacles

- Super Bowl Party --- (Click Here to see a post by JohnisFit for a suggestion for Super Bowl Snacks)
- Taco Bell day at school

Food Intake:

1. 1 1/2 cup of Raisin BranCereal
2. half of a cup of coffee
3. 1 banana
4. 1 apple
5. handful of mini ritz crackers
6. oven roasted chicken sandwhich on whole grain w/cheese and mayo
7. 12 oz sprite
8. 60+oz of water
9. 2 peanut butter cookies (about 1 - 1 1/2 inch in diameter)
10. 4 oz grilled chicken
11. 1/2 cup steamed green beans
12. 1/2 cup applesauce
13. 1 cup plain yogurt blended with banana w/ mixed berries and agave nectar for sweetener


Workout:
- treadmill .........4.62 miles

Miles til Goal: 945.77

January 31st & Month in Review

January was quite a month for me. I feel that 2010 is the year that I do reach better health. I have been quite focused on what I'm doing and I have adapted quite well to my new way of life. I think it does help that i am an athletic person to begin with. I want to recap what has taken place during the month of January. I will surpass the food intake today (it was pretty normal) and go directly to the workout. I worked out twice today. I did 3.01 on the treadmill and played basketball later in the night and ran 3.10 miles up and down the court. We were on fire tonight. The following is the Month recap. I'm pretty proud of what I have accomplished and feel so much healthier than I did in the beginning of the month. It's a little hard to believe what I have accomplish but like I said, I am focused like no other.



Starting Mile Balance: 1,010.00
Ending Mile Balance: 950.39

Starting Month Mile Goal: 85.56
Ending Month Mile Achieved: 59.61

Miles off pace: 25.95

Days in January: 31
Days worked out: 19
Days no workout: 12

Average per 31 day month: 1.92
Average per days worked out: 3.13

Starting Month Weight: 236.01
Ending Month Weight: 220.20
Month Weight Loss: 15.81


I couldn't believe that last stat but it has been consistently dropping. I have been eating around 2000 calories daily taking in the suggested amount of carbs, protein, and fiber. The protein I had a little trouble reaching the numbers but it has gotten easier the more that I study about it. I have learned a lot this month and hope to continue in studying more and more. It fascinates me how much I neglected my body. Self control and discipline is becoming easier when it comes to food as well.

This is the year. Now to start a new month. I will have my goals for February up tomorrow.

January 30th & rest

There is something very nice about the idea of rest. It was not intentional but rest is very pleasing to our bodies. I will have a post about the importance of rest a another time but will leave it with this note. Rest is good.

Food intake:

1. 1 1/2 cup raisin bran
2. Banana
3. Oven roasted chicken sandwich w/ cheese and mayo
4. Venti pumpkin spice latte
5. 1 slice banana nut bread
6. Chicken on salad w/ cucumbers and all the good veggies
7. 2 white chip macadamiam nut cookies
8. Yoplait gurt
9. 12 oz sprite
10. 60 + oz water

workout:

None today

miles to go: 956.50

January 29th & A Good Workout

I usually workout out at night time and tonight -- I lasted longer than the treadmill. I have been putting movies in while I get
on the treadmill and get so focused on the movie that I forget what I'm doing. Now, I don't fall off or anything and I still go at a pretty good pace; it's just that the treadmill doesn't go past so many minutes.

Food intake:

1. 1 1/2 cups of raisin bran
2. Banana
3. Oven roasted chicken breast sandwich w/ cheese and mayo
4. 18 pretzels
5. Apple sauce - 1 cup
6. 3 nacho chips from taco bell
7. 1 portion of chicken ques. From taco bell
8. 5 oz baked chicken
9. Steamed brocoli
10. 1/2 cup corn
11. Salad w/ green peppers, spinach, shredded cheese, olives,
12. Small portion of bread pudding
13. 60 + oz of water & 12 oz sprite


Workout:

treadmill - ...... 5.46 miles

Miles til goal: 956.50

January 28th & Treadmill Tip #2

I spend a lot of time on the treadmil trying to log some miles and I am continually learning ways to make that time go by smoother.

If you are going for:

...distance - maybe you are struggling with making that distance goal. If you are and your using that treadmill - put the treadmil in front of the tv as I've said before. Time and distance will fly by when you aren't so focused on the digits in front of you. Now, if you are an avid runner you might not like that advice. I am not an avid runner and have a lot of distance to cover to make my goal. That tv has been nice.

...a period of time - make a playlist on your mp3 player, ipod, or cd player that is the same length of time that you want to run. When your playlist is over, you're done.

...a complete workout - do a cross training of the treadmill. Every two to four minutes change the speed that you are going and every 4-6 minutes change the incline.

Also - if you don't have an mp3 player, iPod, or cd player - get one.

Food Intake:

1. 1 1/2 cup of Raisin Bran
2. 1 Banana
3. oven roasted chicken deli on tortilla w/cheese and mayo
4. 15 pretzels
5. 12 oz Sprite
6. 4 oz grilled chicken
7. salad w/cucumbers, green peppers, and 1 tbsp ranch
8. 1/2 cup apple sauce
9. 1 cup plain yogurt w/banana, strawberry slices, and agave nectar
10. one bite rule of white cake
11. 4 oz of Dr. P.
12. 60+ oz of water

Workout:
- Treadmill.......4.03 miles....I watched Surrogates during this workout.

Miles til Goal: 961.96

January 27th & Metabolism

We all have different bodies and I'm particularly happy about that. There are numerous shapes, forms, and proportions of our bodies that exist and see every day. These bodies - as all living things do - have what is called Metabolism. Metabolism is, in layman's terms, the process of fuel (calories) being used to make your car (body) go or maintain itself. It is the chemical reaction of this process that ignites the fuel to move and provide your body energy.

Each body's metabolism will be different. The lazy, slow moving, and obese will most likely have slower metabolism while the slimmer, active, and healthier will experience what is called high metabolism. With the higher metabolism group, more calories are needed to produce the required energy. If you do not give your body what it needs than you can experience fatigue, sleepiness, and exhaustion.

When I was in college - I didn't have a lot of money (who does in college) and drove to the city nearby for something. I was on my way back home and was about five minutes away when my car ran out of gas. I literally was about 100 feet from the exit ramp and didn't have enough gas to get home; we probably drove on fumes for 10 miles. It is a lot like the body. If a body runs out of fuel(energy/calories) then it will start to run on fumes and exhaust all other resources (muscles) until it simply runs out of gas and moves no more. As all living things need this process called metabolism to be steady and efficient, when the metabolism stops - the living ceases to live.

A good way to increase your metabolism is to control your calorie intake and most importantly EXERCISE!

You can put in the calories and even cut calories but if you are not exercising then you are not expending those calories that you have put in nor are you activating the calories to be put to use. Anything above the necessary amount of calories to maintain your body weight simply turns into fat. If you cut the calories by a little and up your physical activity -- you should notice an increase in Metabolism. If you cut your calories and are not active than you will have a decreased amount of metabolism.

There are foods that will help increase your metabolism as well -- more on that later.

If you would like an in depth definition of Metabolism click Here or here is an article discussing Metabolism at greater length.

Food Intake:

1. 1 1/2 cup of Raisin Bran
2. 1 Banana
3. cup of coffee
4. Deli oven roasted chicken w/cheese on a tortilla (ran out of bread)
5. 18 pretzels
6. Apple
7. 3 small p/b cookies (not a slip up)
8. 12 oz sprite
9. 4 oz of Dr. P
10. 4 oz of ground beef
11. 4 stems of steamed brocoli
12. 1 cup of steamed green beans
13. 1 cup plain yogurt w/banana, sliced strawberries, sweetened with agave nectar
14. 60+ oz of water


Workout:

-Basketball -- 2.12 miles..........we played pretty badly for a while there but ended on a good note.

Miles til Goal: 965.99

January 26th & Temptations

Maybe you don't know but I am a teacher at a small private school. We were studying how to make alterations to recipes (increasing and decreasing ingredient measurement). They asked if they could get extra credit if they did measurements while baking at home and bring their results in the next day, today.

This is where the temptations came in. Today - during our Math class -- they all got out their gorgeous, sugary, and very carefully made temptations. I have to admit that I had the thought of eating a couple items and then just not posting it on here but I know I would think about it because I wasn't honest to those that read this. I delighted in some of those tasty treats and regretted it later. I am not killing myself over that slip-up because I have allowed myself a small sweet increment every day since I've started this. I understand it's not an over-night change and with that - I have to learn from it.

We went to Subway tonight for dinner and I did overcome that White Chip Macadamian Nut cookie that I absolutely desire when I see it. I did not buy that one and forgot about it as soon as I left the pay counter. Good advertising though on their part because while I got a healthy meal I saw that cookie and about negated the healthy portion.

As rough as it may have been today with the temptations - I know I can finish it out strong.

Food Intake:

1. 1 1/2 cup of Raisin Bran
2. 1 cup of Coffee
3. 15 pretzels
4. 1 Deli Chicken , oven roasted, sandwich on wheat w/ cheese and mayo
5. 12 oz Sprite
6. 1 apple
7. 2 small blond brownies - oops
8. strawberry cookie (?) and p/b cookie -- double oops
9. oven roasted chicken breast salad from Subway w/french
10. 1 cup plain yogurt blended with 1 banana, sliced strawberries and sweetened with agave nectar
11. 60+ oz water

Workout:

-Treadmill...................4.45 miles --------------- The last two days I have picked up the miles. I have been on the treadmill during two whole movies in two days. It really made the time go by though. Maybe I should do movie reviews at the same time on this blog.

If I finish January at this pace I will only be off pace by 22 miles (approximate).

Miles til Goal: 968.11

January 25th and Processed Vs. Fresh 2

We talked on the benefits of Fresh foods in another post and we are revisiting that today to get get a clearer viewpoint of processed foods. In comparison to fresh foods - processed foods can not hold their weight and will lose the health battle every time. There are many problems that are associated with processed foods when it deals with overall health. Will the one processed meal kill you? No. Will the one processed meal after another slowly build up and gradually take you to poor health in which increases your chances of life-threatening sickness and disease? Yes! Maybe that sounds too hard and I'm not giving it a chance but this is reality and the reality is that America is fat. That fatness is coming from somewhere and it's out of control.

What are processed foods? Processed foods are any food that has been changed in any way from the state that they were naturally. The linked site on processed foods says, " Processed foods have been altered from their natural state for safety reasons and for convenience." There are many foods that will be considered as processed foods with this definition. My opinion is that if you do not grow it or buy it in its natural form it has undergone some type of processing. This does not have to be a negative thing if you know what you are buying. There are some processing techniques that can preserve the life of the natural food; for example, freezing and dehydrating. This does not change the genetic make-up of the food. If you do not know where it came from and it does not look like the natural form -- consider it processed (this does not make it processed - just a guide to go by). Another way to consider if it is processed is to look at the Sodium. Click here to learn more about how much Sodium a healthy adult should take in.

Processed foods use high levels of salts, refined flours, and sugars among other things. This processing leads to an array of health problems like elevated blood sugar levels, digestion problems, obesity (which leads to fatigue, heart problems, gut problems, breathing problems), skin issues, and many others.

Food Intake: approx. 1,745 Calories



Workout:

- Treadmill ......4.35 miles.......

Miles til Goal: 972.56

January 24th and no Internet

I started to blog yesterday and had to leave fully thinking that I could finish my blog when we got to the place we were going but the Internet was down. I had my blackberry but there is no way I can blog and that --- makes mereally want an iPhone. My iPod is awesome and really
makes me want to change my carrier so that an iPhone is an option. Anyways, I am back and will finish my post that I started as well as food intakes. I will add my workouts though.

Workout today:

- basketball........1.59 miles

miles til goal: 976.91

January 23rd & adequate sleep

We can pick up part two of the Processed Vs. Fresh later (once I have a better outlook on processed food). Adequate sleep, I think is an important topic in which hardly gets enough credit when talking about better health. I am not the poster child for getting enough sleep but I do understand the importance of getting quality sleep and the affect it can have on an entire day.

Adequate sleep is something the body needs to have to function at 100%. Granted, some people don't need as much as the next person to function at a high level but I do think that overall health makes a difference. Sleep gives rest to the body. We don't need to go into the dynamics and science of sleep but here are a couple quick formulas for you.


No Sleep + Bad Eating = tired and fat with no energy

Sleep + Bad Eating = fat with 1/2 energy

No Sleep + Good eating = Tired with 1/2 energy

Sleep + Good Eating = Full Functioning Body

If you are trying to get to a place of better health - changes have to be made in order for you to succeed. There is a quote and I don't know the author (Einstein, Chinese Proverb, i don't know) of it that defined Insanity.

"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."

Change has to take place. We will not succeed doing the things that got us in poor health to begin with.

I found an Article done by a student at Stanford. It talks about the benefits of sleep and some of what hinders our sleep.

Food Intake:

Because this is such a long post already - I'm just going to give Calorie Intake, which was 1,849. This is the closest that I think I could get on actual calories going in. On Saturdays I have rewarded myself with Starbuck's Pumpkin Spice Latte' and a slice of bread to go with. It was the only thing different for my eating schedule. It has been a good thing to look forward too throughout the week.

Workout:
- Treadmill ....... 4.26 miles

Miles til Goal: 978.5

January 22nd & Processed Vs. Fresh

Obviously, when we speak of processed food compared to fresh food, it is no secret that fresh food is the route to take. Speaking in terms of easiest to access, buy, and make - the competition is a little closer. If we take any care for what we put into our bodies we know and can attest that processed foods are not the healthiest decision and negate much of the work that we put into making ourselves healthy. Our bodies have trouble breaking these foods down, as pointed out yesterday in the comments of yesterday post, processed food can also have much sodium attached to it. When you sodium intake is poor - poor health conditions thrive (such as heart attack, exhaustion, stroke, etc.). This topic of Sodium will be discussed at another time though because right now I'm still learning. So, what I want to do is get some more opinions on the idea of Processed Vs. Fresh foods. Today...let's discuss the benefits of Fresh food. If you have additional information -- please comment below!

Fresh foods...

- ...contain natural vitamins and essentail nutrients
- ...help to build immune system
- ...will help fight off harmful bacteria entering the body on a daily basis
- ...are able to be grown by the consumer (you)
- ...help the digestive track (better digestion)
- ...lowers chances of obesity (a person can still get fat on fresh foods though)
- ...increases your chances of fat loss
- ...contain natural sugars which provides for the sweet tooth (fruits)
- ...provide energy

Now, these are not all of the benefits and I'm sure I am missing a few vital positive benefits of fresh foods. Please fill me in if I am. I would not be doing any justice if I just said that there are no setbacks to fresh foods. While they are the healthiest route - buying fresh costs money. If you are not able to grow your own vegetables or fruits and have no local farmer's market -- then you are left with the grocery store in which can charge crazy prices for very little quantity and/or quality. This is my solution though - stop spending the money at fast food joints and you will have more to buy healthy foods with. It's an idea.


Food Intake:

1. 1 1/2 cup of Cornflakes with 1/4 cup of walnut pieces.
2. 1 Banana
3. 4 oz chicken in fresh salad (romaine lettuce, cucumber slices, carrot shavings, tomato) w/Italian dressing
4. About 18 petzels
5. 12 oz diet pepsi
6. 3 peanut butter cookies - (small girl scout cookies)
7. 5-6 oz garlic herb chicken
8. Mixed cooks vegetables (squash, carrots, brocoli)
9. Sweet & salty peanut bar
10. 20 oz sprite
11. 60+ oz water
12. 1 cup plain yogurt blended with 1 banana, strawberry slices, mixed with frozen blueberries, blackberries, raspberries



Workout:

Treadmill: I did not get to work out today-----not cool.

Miles til Goal: 982.76