Finally Getting Fit

My husband suggested that I keep my gym membership for a little bit longer and sort of ‘wean’ myself off it by going every other day for a while and using those ‘other’ days to get used to exercising at home. We’re planning on getting a machine - I’d really like an elliptical - but he’s afraid of canceling the gym membership and having a lag time where I am not exercising. It’ll be harder to get back into things if I start and stop rather than if I am exercising at home and then get back on the machine.

So I have been doing a bit of brainstorming!

1. Walking, walking, walking. It’s free, it’s good for you, and it’s a great way to think.
2. Put on music and dance while you’re cleaning.
3. Don’t have dumbbells? Use bottles of juice, bags of flour or a full basket of laundry.
4. Stretch in the morning and at night. I think stretching is highly underrated.
5. If you have kids, go outside for a game of tag, a tickle match, or anything else.
6. If you’re like me and spend a lot of time in front of a computer working, get a stability ball to sit on. Work your muscles while earning your paycheck.
7. Get a pedometer and set a daily step goal. You’ll likely find yourself getting up for little walks more often during the day.
8. Walk/bike anywhere that you don’t absolutely have to drive to.
9. Get tennis balls to roll under your feet whenever you are sitting. Foot massage and exercise at the same time is a good thing.
10. Have a pillow fight with a loved one.
11. Play ‘hot lava’ around your house. Get squares of carpet or whatnot and place them around on the floor. Then have a rule where you can only jump from square to square.
12. Find a workout video online (there are plenty of free ones) and use that.
13. Did I mention stretching?

Check out my other Thursday Thirteens at Fiction Scribe, Write Anyway, and The Book Stacks

Well, my naturopath appointment is coming up this Friday. I’m half afraid that they are going to call and tell me that it needs to be rescheduled again. But if that happens, I’m just going elsewhere. I can’t wait on this any longer.

A friend asked me what a naturopath is – the polite way of asking me why I’m not going to a doctor.

Well, a naturopath is a doctor, but more based in natural healing and body balances, which I like much better than chemical prescriptions and whatnot. Basically I’m going there because – beyond my liking for natural solutions – I’m going to get the whole nine yards: find out my blood type, do allergy testing, get started on whatever is needed for my womanly cycles to get going again, etc.

I’m also hoping (and dreading) that she’ll be able to put me on a diet or at least giving me some starting points on things that I should and shouldn’t eat.

The annoying thing about food is that sushi rice and potatoes make me sleepy. Bread (I eat only multigrain whenever possible) doesn’t. I’ve stopped eating pasta (that isn’t made from beans), but I don’t recall that presenting much of a problem at all.

So therein lies the problem of is it sugar, carbs, or starch? That is one of the many questions I hope to get answered Friday. I have a consultation that lasts an hour – they told me that straight out on the phone – so I should be able to get a lot of ground covered just in the one appointment.

Not long to go now!

Wish me luck and a lot of answers…

I suppose it’s only appropriate that I answer my own Monday Mailbag question, hm?

But before I talk about that, I want to let everyone know that Monday Mailbag questions will be posted up here Monday at midnight EST (or CST, I’m not 100%) so you have all day to do it. I know I kind of sprang it on everybody, and I apologize for that. I hope everyone who missed it this week participates next week.

I’ll be answering the questions on Tuesdays so the question will be at the top of the page all of Monday (just in case anyone gets curious). Anywho, on to the question:

When and why did you get started on the journey to lose weight/get fit/tone up/the whole nine yards?

I guess you could say that I got started when I moved to Australia (October 2006). My husband is a very ‘natural’ kind of guy and we don’t have a microwave, so my diet switched majorly (for the better) when I got out here. As for really putting the pedal to the metal, that would be the Monday after I got back from my honeymoon (May 2007).

It all started out as just a want in me to do better and be better. It was pretty obvious that I was out of shape and not being able to keep up with my husband – who is older than me – was wearing me down a bit.

After that, with all the troubles involving my reproductive system, it became a little less about just getting fit for me and a little more about getting fit so I can have a baby.

And there you have it. My story. I’m sure we’ll get more into things on other Mailbag Mondays.

Have a great day!

Hello everyone and good morning/afternoon/evening. Welcome to the start of the last week of July.

I’ve realized that I’ve been rather dullish and boring here on Finally Getting Fit and have been trying to think of a way to jazz things up a bit more. Get more enthusiasm going, connect to more fitness bloggers, and to, well, basically be a bit more cool.

I’ve been wracking my brain a bit for ideas of what to do all weekend. Of course, lo and behold, the inspiration comes to me in a simple form on Monday morning.

I went to get the mail this morning – something I quite enjoy doing as I review books, am a member of PostCrossing, and do swaps with people from all over the world – and I was disappointed to find a single letter. A bill (most likely). For my husband. (Mwhahaha… Oh, we both pay the bills. Hrmph.)

Well, that little bit of disappointment got me thinking that it can be the same way for many of our virtual mailboxes on our blogs.

And I plan to solve that.

Welcome to the first ever Monday Mailbag. This is where you pick up your weekly letter from yours truly, answer it on your blog, and leave a note here so everyone who participates can read your response. Easy peasy! So consider this your first reader letter.

This week’s reader question from YOUR Monday Mailbag is this:

When and why did you get started on the journey to lose weight/get fit/tone up/the whole nine yards?

Tell me the date, time, epiphany, reason, episode of Oprah, whatever was involved to start you on your way. Go into as much or little detail as you want.

And remember to leave a link to your response in the comments section! The whole point of this is to reach out, connect, and find out more about

If you are going to participate and would like another graphic that is smaller, just let me know. I am happy to put some different sizes up.

This is just a reminder for the story call out for Chicken Soup for the Soul. Let me know if you submit something and good luck if you do!

Chicken Soup for the Soul: Resolution Stories

Release Date: December 2008

Everyone makes resolutions! We make them all year long - not just for the new year. Some of our resolutions are big and life changing; some of them are small. We resolve to change our behavior, to exercise more, to eat less. We resolve to be nicer, to not yell, to get more organized. You name it - someone has resolved to do it. What have you resolved?

Chicken Soup for the Soul is looking for stories about resolutions. What did you resolve to do? How did it work out? What did you learn? We would love to hear from you about the resolutions you have made– both your successes and those that didn’t work out.

Tentative chapter topics include:

• Trying to lose weight
• Getting fit (The weight loss and getting fit stories could tie into our self-esteem, accept-who-you-are theme for girls and women)
• Getting more organized
• Making more money/Giving away money
• Restoring a relationship with someone/Making amends
• Changing one’s behavior
• Stopping bad habits such as smoking, biting fingernails
• Going green
• Eating healthy
• Serious stuff such as substance abuse withdrawal, seeking treatment for mental health issues
• Self acceptance – realizing the resolution wasn’t necessary and you are great the way you are

Stories must be true (non-fiction), written in first person, and 1,000 words or less. Stories should make readers laugh, cry or sigh, and be positive, universal and non-controversial. Also, the “point” or “message” should be evident without preaching. No essays, commentaries, tributes, philosophical or biographical pieces will be accepted. Please refer to other Chicken Soup books to better understand our story-telling style.

You may submit more than one story. For each story selected, a 50-word biography will be included about the contributor and a permission fee of $200 per story will be paid within 30 days upon publication

Please submit stories through our website at www.chickensoup.com. Select the Resolution Stories book title.

The tentative submission deadline is August 31, 2008. Please note that this deadline could change so the sooner, the better!

Yesterday I confessed to the fact that I don’t trust myself to have chocolate in the house with me when I’m alone during the day. After having a talk with my husband, I began to realize just how big of a part psychology is playing in my weight loss (or lack of weight loss).

I know that I have the common lack of confidence that runs rampant among overweight people, but beyond that, I’m a bit clueless and thus a bit clueless as to how to approach things to make them better.

The thing about it is I know when it started. I actually remember one of the first (if not THE) first time I ate until my stomach hurt so, so badly. I was a child then. And now, though I can blame my weight and all the other fun things that come along with it on PCOS, the psychological fixtures remain.

And I don’t know what to do about them.

When do you hit the point when you need to go talk to a professional? Does it even really need to go that far?

The problem is I don’t know where to start. I just plain can’t keep up with food journaling. I have so much going on in my mind that I always forget about it. But then again, maybe that’s the key and I need to start kicking my arse into gear that way.

Maybe I need to explore my true feelings through journaling. Or maybe…

I just don’t know.

How have you faced the psychological side of your weight? Has it been a problem or not much to think about for you?

Tonight my husband asked me – and I can’t remember the segue into it – how I was going with all the ‘weight loss stuff’ and when I was planning to ‘get back into it’. We talked a bit about how I had stuck hardcore to the South Beach diet earlier this year but that had tapered off into not so hardcore but still sticking to most of the basic principles.

While I am more than happy to admit that the lack of progress (losing pounds) doesn’t take long to get to me, I told my husband that I was trying to ‘be good’ until I got to the naturopath appointment (which was scheduled for Monday but got rescheduled to August 1st (grr)) and they could tell me how to fix things.

However, (I went on) if I had to be really honest with myself, I think a lot of my problems come from the psychological side of things. I get daily emails from very weight loss/fitness support groups, and most of the time they ask questions. “What are you getting from being fat?” “What foods are you addicted to? Why?” “What are you giving yourself when you binge and how you can replace that behavior?”

They might not have all been those questions verbatim, but that does pretty much cover it. And the frustrating thing, to me, is that I don’t know. I don’t know what being fat is giving me that causes me to self-sabotage. I don’t know why I still can’t trust myself with chocolate in the house.

Yes, folks, that’s the sad reality. I received a bunch of chocolate from a friend who lives overseas and I just plain don’t trust myself to have it in the house with me when I’m alone during the day…

I was recently talking to a friend about a tense situation she was in the middle of with one of her family members. I remembered back to when my family situation got so bad that I ended up cutting ties and moving across the world.

The thing is people tend to not like change – especially when they are benefiting from things staying the same. In my friend’s case, her family member benefitted from being in control of her. It’s when my friend started standing up for herself and not obeying the whims of the family member that things started getting a little sticky.

The same sort of thing happened in my case when I started trying to stand up for myself and become my own woman. And the same thing can happen to you when you’re trying to lose weight.

Whether you’re the ‘fat friend’ to skinnier people or friends/family with people around your size, you could be giving friends or family benefits you don’t realize you’re giving them.

In the case of the former, having the ‘fat friend’ around makes the others look better. In the latter, people may feel more comfortable around you because they feel like they can eat whatever they want.

When you start changing and getting fit, you may be met with smiles on the outside but also a bit of negative energy in addition.

Whether or not they realize they are doing it – often they won’t realize it and will deny such behavior – you need to take stock of what is really important. If getting fit is important to you, you might need to make some tough decisions.

Have you had to make tough decisions in regards to influences on your fitness journey?

Life

Today I am a bit disappointed and I have a cold to boot.

The rest of this post might be too much information, so you can stop reading now if you don’t want to hear about the workings of the female body.

I was supposed to go see a naturopath today and hopefully get started on whatever I need to do to set my body right. (more…)

In Organic for Health, Sandy Powers gives you a no-fuss introduction to why going organic could improve your health significantly. With sections on everything from seafood to immune boosters, she briefly introduces you to what works best for your body – and what doesn’t.

I liked this book because it got straight to the point with things. You read about what works, what doesn’t, and what’s wrong with non-organic foods. She even includes recipes for you to try out and a section on meditation as well so you can look after your mind health.

I have two criticisms for this book, however. The first is that I would have like to have seen footnotes. When you have so many facts and figures in a book, it makes it a lot easier for the reader to follow up specific information with footnotes. While Powers does include a bibliography, footnotes still would have been helpful. Holly Fretwell’s book on global warming is an excellent example of footnotes used well.

My other criticism is that Powers advises the reader not to take vitamins and minerals but doesn’t advise the reader to talk to their doctor first. While it is possible to get your daily needs out of what you eat, there are some of us who need to take vitamins because of deficiencies. One of the more common ones is iron for women.

A lot of people simply don’t take vitamins, but I would still recommend talking to a doctor about your diet and especially if you are thinking about stopping taking vitamins and minerals.

Overall, I recommend this book. It’s a quick read and introduces you to the ‘darker’ side of the food industry without skirting around the issue.

It seems the fun isn’t quite yet over at 451 headquarters.

451 management recently purchased all kinds of new equipment and is in the process of switching everything over to those new systems. As you can imagine, doing all that isn’t easy and comes with its own hiccups.

I’ve been told that the blogs shouldn’t experience a lot of down time, but you can expect hiccups, burps, and maybe even the occasional fart in the next few days. Be assured that everything will still be puttering along and you should definitely come back!

I promise you that we are just as tired as you when it comes to the sites’ down time. Hopefully everything will be switched over by the end of this week and next week we will be running back to normal next week. (Or maybe even starting this weekend…)

Again, I’m so, so sorry for the down time. I know that, even when it’s out of your hands, a blog having down time can reflect negatively on the blogger. I have some interesting things coming up in the future, though, so I hope that is enough to keep you coming back.

And, just to keep you entertained while things are getting taken care of (not that I think you can’t entertain yourselves), here is the link to Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along blog. There is a lot of fun to be had and the final installment is coming soon!

Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog

Be well and have a fantastic rest of the week.

I received this in my email the other day and thought that some of my fellow getting fit bloggers might have some stories to share. Let me know if you submit something and good luck if you do!

Chicken Soup for the Soul: Resolution Stories

Release Date: December 2008

Everyone makes resolutions! We make them all year long - not just for the new year. Some of our resolutions are big and life changing; some of them are small. We resolve to change our behavior, to exercise more, to eat less. We resolve to be nicer, to not yell, to get more organized. You name it - someone has resolved to do it. What have you resolved?

Chicken Soup for the Soul is looking for stories about resolutions. What did you resolve to do? How did it work out? What did you learn? We would love to hear from you about the resolutions you have made– both your successes and those that didn’t work out.

Tentative chapter topics include:

• Trying to lose weight
• Getting fit (The weight loss and getting fit stories could tie into our self-esteem, accept-who-you-are theme for girls and women)
• Getting more organized
• Making more money/Giving away money
• Restoring a relationship with someone/Making amends
• Changing one’s behavior
• Stopping bad habits such as smoking, biting fingernails
• Going green
• Eating healthy
• Serious stuff such as substance abuse withdrawal, seeking treatment for mental health issues
• Self acceptance – realizing the resolution wasn’t necessary and you are great the way you are

Stories must be true (non-fiction), written in first person, and 1,000 words or less. Stories should make readers laugh, cry or sigh, and be positive, universal and non-controversial. Also, the “point” or “message” should be evident without preaching. No essays, commentaries, tributes, philosophical or biographical pieces will be accepted. Please refer to other Chicken Soup books to better understand our story-telling style.

You may submit more than one story. For each story selected, a 50-word biography will be included about the contributor and a permission fee of $200 per story will be paid within 30 days upon publication

Please submit stories through our website at www.chickensoup.com. Select the Resolution Stories book title.

The tentative submission deadline is August 31, 2008. Please note that this deadline could change so the sooner, the better!

Over on Long Relationships I’m talking about how much you should/do tell your partner. Do you tell little white lies, hold to ‘honesty is the best policy’ no matter what, or do something else. That got me thinking of, well, something unpleasant. It’s something I’m willing to confess here, though, because I know at least some of you will understand.

Earlier this year I had a binge afternoon. It was pretty ugly. Sushi (I’m not supposed to have sushi that involves rice), chocolate cookies (more than one box)… I was not proud of myself at all. I’m also sad to say that I didn’t speak a word of it to my husband.

What I did do was take all the wrappings and stuff them in one of my purses. I figured my purse is the last thing my husband would ever look in, and for months, he didn’t. I then took the purse and put it in my sight so whenever I walked in the room, I would see it and be reminded.

Then one night I was looking for a hat I hadn’t been able to find for weeks. He decides to help me look for it, and guess where the first place he looks is?

As it turns out, he wasn’t disappointed at all. He was sad that I went through it, but for the most part, he was just amused that he found it when I thought it’d be the last place he would look. I had a good cry and he told me it was okay, and I finally felt like a huge burden (that I didn’t realize was there) was lifted off my shoulders.

I’m happy to say that now, I don’t do that anymore. I don’t hide. The time I gave in and had a stress chocolate, it was hard to tell my husband. Ultimately, though? I felt so much better for it. There is nothing like it out there for me that fixes up my behavior better than knowing my husband will know.

Do you have anyone you tell everything to? Do you have a partner to help you through the bad times? Or do you not need one?

Today I have a special guest post from Sandra Powers who is currently on virtual tour with her organic eating book Organic for Health. I hope you’ll join me in welcoming her here.

There are two components necessary for good health: a healthy mind and a healthy body. Neither one works well without the other.

The first step in achieving a healthy mind is to eliminate as much stress in your life as possible. It is impossible to eliminate all stress and it’s not a good idea to try. We need some stress to be productive, but we all know the symptoms of excess stress, manifesting itself in insomnia, anxiety, depression, and obesity, play a negative role in our health.

When I was a busy young mother living near Seattle raising my daughters, I began to experience sleepless nights. My doctor told me “to relax.” I didn’t need him to tell me to relax. If I knew how to relax, I wouldn’t be stressed! But I knew I had to do something. One especially difficult night, a word popped into my head: meditation.

That was my path to learning a coping device that has carried me through many difficult times in my life. Yoga is another good coping device. Even 20 minutes alone everyday at the same time sitting in a comfortable chair listening to soft music will release unwanted stress. Once you have control of the stress in your life, the next step to health is the body.

The first step to a healthy body is eating the right foods. We all know that. Unfortunately, we don’t all know “what the right foods are.” We’re aware that sugar and hydrogenated fat are bad. What else? Try pesticides, hormones, antibiotics, and artificial additives in our conventionally grown foods. When we diet we are so obsessed with sugar, we load up on foods that contain artificial sweeteners that studies are now showing actually add to our weight problems.

Eat organically whenever possible. Organic fruits and vegetables have more antioxidants, immune boosters, are tastier and more satisfying than the conventional counterparts. You can eat less but get more beneficial nutrients. With organic food, you and your family can eat the same food. Downsize your portions, but with the added flavor of organics, you won’t feel like your dieting.

Meditation, along with yoga and music, are healers of the mind. Organic foods are healers of the body. Combine them and you are on your way to feeling fit and getting healthy.

Sandy Powers
Organic for Health
www.organicforhealthsite.com
sdepour@comcast.net

Well, after this month, I will no longer have a gym membership. With everything going on and trying to save money, my gym membership is just plain too expensive to keep on with. I have until then end of this month because breaking contract would mean I’d get a fine, and I can’t help but think about the reasons I’ll miss the place.

1. There’s something about being in a gym and being on the weight machines that makes me feel good.
2. 30 minutes of uninterrupted reading time each morning. Part of my routine is usually doing 30 minutes on the sitting cycle, which is a great machine for getting reading done.
3. The sauna. I never actually tried it and I probably won’t before I go, but it is cool saying that the gym I go to has a sauna.
4. Variety of machines. That was pretty much the big draw for joining in the first place.
5. Swimming pool. Having access to a swimming pool is always nice - especially in the summer.
6. Hot tub. Need I explain?
7. My daily dose of remix crap. Yeah, I’ll actually miss it because without remixed songs to complain about, I’ll have to actually admit I don’t keep up with music… HA.
8. There is also something about being in a place with other people and you all have a positive goal in mind. Getting fit.
9. Adding on to that, it’s great to see people transform from unfit to awesomely fit. I enjoy seeing that.
10. The sense that I’m actually doing something about getting fit. I’ll still do stuff, of course, but going to the gym make it a little less “it’s all down to me”, if that makes sense.
11. The treadclimber. That machine has kicked my arse multiple times, but it was good.
12. Friendly people there. (I won’t miss the not so friendly people…)
13. Yeah, I’ll admit it. Saying, “I go to the gym” is pretty nice to be able to do.

Check out my other Thursday Thirteens at Fiction Scribe, Write Anyway, and The Book Stacks