Day 15: Run, Shin pain, and Video... Getting Stronger though

OK, so today we ran together in the evening (I currently have Monday's and Tuesday's off at my work) after Addie got home.  I think I was still feeling a little sore from our camping experience.  At any rate, my calves were really feeling the shin splints.

!No me gusta!

I did have to walk it some.  I need to stretch more I think.

"We are getting stronger"

After we got back, we did another round of Core video with Gunnar Peterson.  We are getting stronger.

Thanks for reading and take care of yourself!

Weekend #2 Recap

As John wrote earlier, weekends can be a bit tricky - but we feel like we are really focused on our goal. I think that the way to "win weekends" is to plan as much as you can, and be flexible. For example, John had a 10 hour shift on Saturday. I planned on meeting him for his two meal breaks, so we could eat together. So, I planned ahead our meals, provided snacks for him to keep with him all day, and then I followed our plan while at home all day.

Saturday, May 28:
Breakfast - "hooked up oatmeal" with Craisins, whey protein powder, almond butter, maple syrup, organic milk, and pecans. SO good and so filling :)

Snack - boiled egg.

Lunch at 1pm - turkey burgers on whole wheat bread with ketchup (corn syrup free!), mustard, spinach, tomato, olives, and avocado. YUM! Apple slices for dessert.

Snack - PowerBar with protein. I, on the other hand, splurged on an Americano...I came by John's work with dinner on Saturday night: huge salads! I assembled them when I arrived so that they were fresh - we enjoyed them picnic style, too :) They had: romaine, spinach, tomato, olives, feta cheese, chicken, green peppers, garbonzo beans, croutons, and lite Caesar dressing. SO GOOD!

For evening snack we had little bowls of multigrain Cheerios with 1% milk.

Sunday, May 29This was a camping day, and we need to get a long run in anyways, so we started out with a breakfast of French toast (2 small slices each, no butter).

(ran 8 miles) snack: PowerBar with protein, and a cheese stick. (Post-exercise protein is really important to have when you are training for a race!)

Lunch: small bowl of homemade black bean and beef chili and blue corn chips

Afternoon meal: nitrate-free beef hotdog on a whole wheat bun with ketchup and mustard (when we arrived at the campsite).

Dinner: AMAZING slow cooked beef stew with a hoagie roll.

Dessert: S'mores without the graham crackers...a strange favorite of John's...and some cocoa. little camping splurges :)

Monday, May 30
My mom made us a hooked up breakfast: a bacon/egg/potato scramble with diced veggies in it. Also, a homemade pancake with blueberries and banana on top :)

Snack: leftover chocolate from S'Mores! Yep, we did.

Lunch: tuna melt on whole wheat pita with lowfat Provolone cheese, spinach, and tomato. We were hungry by 1:30, as breakfast had been at 8:30 or so...

Dinner: BBQ! We each had a cheeseburger with toppings and baked beans. No potato salad or chips for us. And, we shared dessert - homemade cheesecake. I am a sucker for homemade treats. And, it was worth it. We also brought along real sugar sodas and each had one of those. So, yes, a lot of calories, but a memorable afternoon.

We came home from the BBQ and promptly worked out - staying with our plan! We ate nothing more all evening. We felt full and satisfied, and had great memories from camping and BBQing with friends.

The memory that sticks with me from the BBQ was when we were sharing some of the reasons WHY we are doing this (for our HEALTH) and everyone was saying how they are worried about their own parents and wishing that their health was better. It made me think of how John and I are doing something now so we are better later. Amazing.

SO there you have it - we survived our second weekend on the "shrinking belly" diet. Next weekend will be very interesting - a road trip and a visit with family...

Stay tuned - and take care of yourself!

Day 14: Exercise. The moral is you CAN make time for this

Today, we woke up in the wilderness.  Addie's parents went camping for an extended Memorial Day weekend, and we decided to join them for one over-nighter.

I haven't set up my own tent in about 5 years.  I've been camping - but usually my brother, or whomever, is already bringing a bigger tent, and I just haven't needed it.  I discovered the rain fly has gone missing.  Oops.  We borrowed a tarp from Addie's Dad, but the tent has large patches of see through screen.  The screens are great for warmer weather, but not so much, when you're trying to keep the rain off.  Oh well, no biggie right?  It's practically summer, and it was about 80 degrees during the day.  And then the rain clouds came in.  Dang it!  I ended up tying our waterproof parkas over the areas that the tarp didn't cover.  That was adventure, part 1.

The other thing was allergies hit Addie pretty badly.

So between the wind flapping the tarp on the tent all night, and the allergies, she got very poor sleep.

We left early, came home and napped.  Then off to a BBQ with some friends.  We had cheeseburgers and even cheesecake dessert, so you don't have to starve yourself.  But we didn't gorge ourselves either.  We used self-control, even though it would have been easy to go back for a second round of everything.  Addie will do a post soon on the fact that in our eating plan, we are not 'skimping' food and going hungry all day.

"You can make time for this. 

Even if it ain't perfect"

We did get the video in: 30 Day Shred with Jillian Michaels.  It is getting easier we noticed, and we aren't doing it every day (which I think the program is designed for).  We are rotating in our program, which already includes marathon training and core exercises.  But it is encouraging to see progress.

We didn't get any running in.  Hauling camp gear count?  A little.

The moral of the story is this: we are average, normal folks, who are trying to balance work, family, and life's other curve balls in our schedules.  These are the things that get people off course.  You  can make time for this.  We are even if it ain't always perfect.  We still got a half hour of exercise in on a day when most people throw caution to the wind at a big BBQ and eat until you have to un-buckle your belt.

We met a new couple at the BBQ: friends of our friends.  They have a 9 month old, and the mother has lost about 38 pounds since giving birth by watching what she eats and running.  While taking care of a baby and a 2 year old.  More proof that you can do it if you decide to do it.

Thanks for reading and take care of yourself!

Day 13: Long Run

We did a long run today: 8 miles.  We were out for about an hour and 45 minutes, so not too far off our pace.  We did have some walking breaks, and I'd like to decrease those overall.

I spent a good chunk of the run working on my stride.

I felt it along my butt muscles pretty good.  But my shins and calves are feeling great!  The stretching and calf exercises seem to be working.

"It was a gorgeous day for a run"

The water was beautiful, and a lot of families were out with their kids at the parks, and also people walking their dogs.  Good times!

We're off to go camping overnight!

Thanks for reading and take care of yourself!

Day 13: Weigh-in

Ok, our peeps... weigh-in truth time.  This is the rubber meeting the road; and our feet meeting the scale.

This week, I'm down 3 pounds, and Addie is down 2.5 pounds.  Woohoo!

"I feel pretty good about that"

Granted, it is not so about the weight itself, as it is our overall health, fitness and physical shape.  But the fact is (and you can see the pictures for yourself here), in order to achieve overall health, fitness and physical shape, I need to drop pounds.  Losing fat and replacing it with muscle is the end goal.

As I pointed out in "My Belly Doesn't Like Me Either (and Your Belly Doesn't Like You)", belly fat is a killer.  That's not dramatic overstatement - it's the facts.  The links are there to help you do the research for yourself if you want.

So the real purpose for this exercise routine for us isn't vanity or merely 'looking good' - it's for our overall well-being, and to live healthy lives.

Thanks for reading and take care of yourself!

Day 13: Saturday, Rest Day

Today, is a planned rest day.  We plan on 5 days a week of exercise, 1 light day consisting of mainly stretching, and 1 rest day.

Though I am not Jewish or a Seventh Day Adventist, Saturday actually is the Sabbath, or rest day.  You can see it in the etymology - "Sabbath", Spanish: "Sabado", English: "Saturday"... "Sabbatical" is a term for an extended work rest.

"Plan your rest"

Saturday just happens to fit as our rest day in our work-out schedule because of my work schedule (Oh, the irony...).  We have a long run planned for tomorrow.


It's the weekend!  Enjoy it, my friends!

Day 12: Stretching

Today is a 'lite' day. 

I focused on just stretching.  I also slept in a bit.  I've talked about both things - both are important for your body, especially when you are pounding the tar out of it with a workout routine.

It may seem like rest is counter-intuitive to getting in good shape, but it's not.  Again, elite athlete's often get more sleep than most average people.  Also, stretching helps loosen your muscles up and work out some of the lactic acid built up during exercising them.

Today is Friday!   Do something fun!!

Thanks for reading and take care of yourself!

Day 12 - Meal Plan - May 27 (It's FRIDAY!)

We are *really* excited that it is a 3-day weekend. Well, sort of - John has to work on Saturday but we will enjoy a mini getaway.

Our plan for today includes a "cheat" meal, but a mostly healthy one if that.

(No Smoothie today - it is a rest day from working out).

Breakfast: a Jimmy Dean "DeLight" breakfast scramble.


Mid morning snack: mango slices and Greek Yogurt with Raspberries and honey.

Lunch: Sandwich: Lean ham, lowfat Provolone, spinach, romaine on whole wheat. Lowfat pudding cup, 8 oz of 100% juice.

Afternoon snack: Apple slices, almonds, boiled egg.

Dinner: homemade "pita pizza" with monterey jack cheese, green pepper, black olives, feta cheese, and sauce. Paired with a real sugar Coca-Cola - our only soda of the week and a treat!

Evening snack: light popcorn, woot ;)

I hope you have a great weekend! Take good care of yourself.

Day 11: Exercise (and Thoughts on a Strong Core)

Oh, the irony!  Yesterday, I write about the need for sleep.  Today I have a difficult time getting out of bed.

In my defense, 1) I did get out of bed and exercise, and 2) I did just start a new shift at work.  I'm basically on 12 hour days with the actual clock time, and lunch breaks, etc.  I left the house at about 8:45am and got home about 8:45pm.  Long day.

So the morning was not my friend.  However, I did get up and get the exercise in.

Today, I did a full half hour of Core exercises with Gunnar Peterson and about 15 minutes of stretching.  Gunnar isn't paying me to say so (though I wouldn't mind if he did), but I really like his exercise videos for several reasons.

"A Strong Core can only benefit you"

One, a strong core will help you no matter what.  It's why Joseph Pilates - a boxer (not just for the girls, dudes... Joe was a man's man...) - developed Pilates exercises.  Everything in our bodies is connected with our core.  So if you are a runner, a boxer, a __________ athlete of any kind, or a desk jockey like me, a strong core is beneficial to your overall physical well-being.  If you do a lot of sitting or driving (which involves a lot sitting) for your work, then all the more reason to pay attention to this.

I highly recommend a core exercise ball or a pilates mat in your cross-training regiment.  You can only benefit from it.

Other thoughts:  I'm definitely more sore overall after charging this all week.  So stretching is just that much more important.

Thanks for reading and take care of yourself!

Day 11 - May 26 - Meal Plan

It is already Thursday! We truly live for the weekends. John and I only get to see each other during our morning workouts at 5:30am and again at his dinner break at work at 5:15pm....and for an hour when he gets home at 8:45pm! EEK. It is a good thing I pack our lunch boxes as soon as I get home from work - planning pays off!

Todays meals:

Smoothie, first thing (before and after workout - I saved half of mine to enjoy after tonights' run).

Breakfast: 1 1/2 cups of a breakfast goolosh that I made: zucchini, turkey sausages, tomatoes, spinach, chicken stock, and orzo. Hearty!

Snack: Greek yogurt and 1/2 an Odwalla bar (protein one).

Lunch: Leftover Aztec Casserole (from Tuesdays' dinner)

Snack: apple slices, almonds, other half of Odwalla bar

Dinner: Roast beef sandwich on whole wheat with veggies, hummus, lowfat Provolone cheese, and tomato.

I am already looking forward to our cheat meal this weekend..... (pizza & coke...)

Happy almost Friday, everyone!

Day 10: Exercise

By now, if you've read through in order, today's exercise routine probably seems predictable:  30 Day Shred Video and then running on the treadmill.  So rather than go through the same-old, same-old about the routine, I thought I'd share some thoughts on the process so far.

Sleep
First, sleep is important.  You need sleep so your body can process the fat you are working off, and do repairs.  If you were to research what our bodies do when we are sleeping, you would be amazed.  Don't short-change yourself - give your body the rest it needs.  If you are significantly upping the exercise you are used to, this is even more important  because your body isn't used to it and all this work is a bit of a shock.

We live in a Go! Go! Go! culture that in nearly every way is "fast food" mentality (and not just in terms of diet).  So just in case you don't believe me yet, consider this: marathon runners like Deena Kastor and Kara Goucher sleep twice a day - at night, and during the day after they've run a training regiment that would kill most of us.  They literally get up, train, sleep, train some more, go to sleep at night; repeat.  These are the people who do 'fitness' for a living.  They are the elite.

"Moral of the Story: You need good sleep"

What about the other end of the spectrum?  The super-NOT-in-shape?  The contestants on The Biggest Loser start out as about not in shape as you can get, which is part of why they are picked for the show.  The trainers have them sleep a lot when they are on the ranch as well. Why?  Your body needs it to process what it has to process when you're working it hard.

The moral of the story: get sleep.

Injuries and Stretching
Other thoughts: I have two areas that traditionally I've  had to overcome: shin splints and a lower back injury.  I know I'm not alone.  I don't have knee, ankle, shoulder, elbow or wrist injuries, but those are other common ailments that afflict people.  We can let those things be an excuse to not exercise, or we can overcome them.  Note: Be Safe!  Don't injure yourself further, but there are things you can likely do (depending on the nature and severity of the injury) to work through it.

In my case, I have to be militant about stretching.  This may deserve it's own post someday - especially since there are different schools of thought - but, I do want to cover it a bit here.

Because of my lower back injury, I tend to wake up a bit stiff.  The good news is that with regular exercise, I tend to build muscle support where I need it to strengthen my back.  The bad  news is that it is possible to push it too far - especially if I haven't properly warmed up and stretched before-hand.  So for me, I absolutely must stretch so I'm not stiff and don't hurt myself.

Shin splints may or may not be super common for runners.  I haven't take a poll, so I don't know.  But if this is something that affects you, there are some things you can do to help.  I wear compression sleeves, do calf lifts and stretches.

Compression sleeve 

Calf lifts

Note: You don't have to have any weight or a barbell in particular.  You can also stand feet just slightly wider than shoulder width, place your hands on a wall or a post for stability and lift.  You can also use stairs.  The important thing is to build strength in the calves.

Calf Stretches

For me, this stretch is important before and after I run.

Again, as before, we are not doctors, nurses, chiropractors, certified trainers or nutritionists.  We are simply sharing what's worked for us.  If you have injuries especially, consult with your physician.

Thanks for reading, and take care of yourself!

Day 10 - May 25 - Meal Plan

I watched the Biggest Loser Finale online this morning and it was so inspirational! I love what the winner said, "weight loss really starts from the inside out."

Our plan for today took some careful planning as John started his new 4-ten hour shift weeks. So, we got a bigger lunch box!

6am - smoothie with whey protein, organic milk, frozen rasberries & blackberries, ice cubes, and a scoop of lowfat natural ice cream.

8am - Breakfast sandwich on whole wheat English muffin with egg beaters and a slice of Canadian Bacon.

10am - Greek yogurt with mixed fruit, boiled egg.

1pm - lunch, a Lean Cuisine with 19 grams of protein and 300 calories, a juicebox, and a small real dairy lowfat pudding.

3:45pm - snacktime: apple slices

5pm - dinner: chop chop salad with romaine, spinach, chick peas, olives, Feta cheese, avocado, tomato and seasoned chicken breast. Fat free Italian dressing. 1 oz of dark chocolate.

Evening snack: almonds and herbal tea

Wish us luck....

Day 9: Exercise

Today, since it was such a gorgeous day, we decided to run first.  We have a couple of loops in our neighborhood that are good for half-hour runs.  The one we ran on goes by a school and a couple of parks.  It actually ended up being closer to 40 minutes by the time we got back.

Then we did a Core Video from Gunnar Peterson.  It was one that I forgot about and it's at least mid-level if not higher.  It was good though.  I should mention - we are not affiliated with either Gunnar Peterson or Jillian Michaels.  We just like those videos, and they are ones we are using currently.

It was just over an hour to get it all in.  It feels good.

"It feels good to be doing this"

I tend to get shin splints - have since high school - so running every day is having an effect on my shins/calves.  They are really sore.  I have compression sleeves for them, and I need to do some stretching and lift exercises that target the calves.

Overall, I'm really excited about this.  Without a doubt, it is taking fitness to the next level for me.  If I can do it, so can you!

Thanks for reading and take care of yourself!

Day 9 - May 24 - Meal Plan

Last nights' workout was a toughie! I can't do another pushup for a day or so...Good thing we have some yummy food planned for today:

Breakfast: Clif Bar

Mid morning snack: Greek yogurt with mixed fruit and a boiled egg

Lunch: Turkey sandwich with spinach, lowfat Provolone cheese, and avocado on whole wheat. Small side salad and unsweetened iced tea.

Afternoon snack: handful of almonds, veggies and hummus, and apple slices.

Dinner: Aztec Casserole: 6 oz of ground beef (I am using steak strips), brown rice, cumin, onion, salsa and garlic - topped with lowfat cheese.

Dessert: real dairy lowfat pudding cup.

I'm seeing some "mainstays" in our diet that we both like everyday: nonfat plain Greek style yogurt with frozen fruit (thaws by the time we eat it in our lunches and keeps it cold!), apple slices, and almonds. These are easy to plan with!

John is excited about the steak tonight :)

Day 8: Exercise

Day 8 was back into it full throttle.  My schedule changed this week and I have today off.  So Addie and I worked out together once she got back from work.

First up: 30 Day Shred video.  Jillian, you still kick my butt...  I am currently on Level 1 of 3 and needing to catch my breath for some of it.  The hardest part for me is the shoulder work.

Then...

After getting good and sweaty (and working the heck out of my calves and shins) we ran for a half hour.  It's a good 50 minutes of exercise altogether.  I keep this up, and the belly is coming off.

Stay tuned.

"It's tougher.  This can only be good"

Other thoughts:  the running is definitely tougher after doing 20+ minutes of video.  Last season we did some cross training, but we would alternate days - running or a core video, not running and a core video (or shred in this case).  My breathing is getting worked, which is good: it should increase my respiratory endurance, which can only be to my benefit.

Also, at this point, I cannot image Jillian's Level 3...

Thanks for reading and take care of yourself!

Day 8 - May 23 - Meal Plan

Here is the meal plan for Monday, May 23rd!

Breakfast: whole wheat toaster waffle with avocado and turkey slices

Snack: Greek yogurt with fruit and honey

Lunch: Roaster Beef Sandwich with lots of veggies and lowfat Swiss cheese

Snack: apples, almonds, and boiled egg

Smoothie for before and after workout

Dinner: whole wheat pasta with sauce: diced tomatoes, pasta sauce, sauteed onions, green peppers, and ground beef

Getting back on track after a weekend that had some goodies in it...and a rough week prior.

Take care of yourself!

Weekend #1

Weekend Meals - Days 6 and 7: I wish included the sundae above, but no...sadly. Our "cheat" meal actually ended up being on Friday night - pizza and a real sugar coke. SO GOOD! We ran an hour and a half on Saturday too - so sort of "earned" another treat: some dark chocolate, about 150 calories worth.

Saturday: had a great omelete - spinach, pea, egg white/egg and Monterey Jack cheese. I kicked myself later for not using Feta cheese, but it was still good!

After our run we ate leftover pizza - John had two slices and I had one. Pizza is great before and after a run because you need post-exercise protein, and salt. We love it. So, it hit the spot. We caught a matinee on Saturday afternoon and it felt good to sit for 2 1/2 hours after putting in a 6 miler!

I heated up leftovers for dinner Saturday night - leftover stir fry and minestrone, and we split a panini. It had ham, lowfat swiss, spinach, tomato, and Ricotta. YUM!

Since dinner was at 5pm we had a snack when we got home - a yogurt and a cheese stick. We slept good thanks to that run...

Sunday - I had originally planned an egg dish, but decided to go with another powerfood: oatmeal. And not just any kind! It had: dried cranberries, whey protein powder, organic milk, almond butter, pecans, and ground flax seed! Super healthy!

Breakfast kept us full until an afternoon picnic at 1:45: A homemade sandwich with: turkey, avocado, lowfat cheese on whole wheat with spinach, tomatoes, and olives. Dessert was apple slices, they hit the spot.

We went to a birthday party after that and there was a make your own taco bar along with cakepops. We avoided the soda, chips, and second servings and figured we had saved close to 800 calories. We mindfully enjoyed a taco and a cake pop - and that would be our dinner! We only had an evening snack of hummus and veggies and yogurt.

I did our grocery shopping and we are stocked for this next week. The challenge next weekend will be how to go camping and eat right!

Have a great Monday, all -

Day 6: Exercise - Long Run

Long Run!

This may sound crazy to you - especially if you read the 'About Me' post and you've seen the pictures - but I LOVE long runs.

I didn't used to.

A little background: in High School I ran Cross Country.  But even that is only about 3 miles, maybe less.  For the vast majority of my life, I had not run more than that until I met Addie.  (I did run a five miler when I was in 4th grade... and with no practice...kids!).  When Addie and I got together she was training the NYC marathon.  She asked me if I would ever want to run a marathon with her.  We were dating, so I said "sure".  I mean, after all I might.  Don't judge.  You know you've all done that, or worse.  Girls aren't innocent here either: 'sure, I'll watch the game with you - I love this sport.  Oh, they wear interesting costumes'.  Ah dating...

Here's the interesting thing: I said it, and it was out there.  I began to run again.  At first it was a challenge to get a half-hour run in and run consistently.  Meaning, no walking breaks.  But then I did it.  Then one day I was out and felt really good.  I thought "I wonder if I could run longer?".  So I did.  Then I added more.  Then more.

Addie and I began training together.  Now she was training for the Chicago marathon.  Man, does this girl quit?  I got my miles up.  I still hadn't (and still haven't yet) lost the belly, but I can go for a long time.  We're not fast compared to the true competitors, but we can go far.

So I've run 20 miles now in my run training.  I don't know many people in the world have ever done that.  I was thinking Saturday that regularly running long runs (definition: at least an hour of running, or at least 6 miles, if your pace is faster) puts us in a category that few people are in percentage-wise.

"It's great to be out on the trail"

Where we live there are a few bridges, and the loop between the two most notable ones is about 5 miles.  We parked our car about 3/4's of a mile from the bridge in the park and ran it.  Woo!  It felt good.  About 6.5 miles overall.  We will get the miles up soon.  We're at the beginning of this season.  Soon 10 miles will be considered 'dialing it down a bit'.

There was some crazy wind for some of the run, but the sun was out, the river was beautiful, and it was great to be on the trail.

One of the things that is so nice to run with the two of us is a) we really love each other's company, and b) it's nice to get some thinking and talking time in.  Oh  yeah, our pace is such that we can talk most of the time.  We run about 12 minute miles.  About 11 and 1/2 when we get into the training season a bit.  With the cross-training, we are hoping to get a bit more lean, and then - who knows? - we might lower that mile average time. 

This year we (not just she) have spots already purchased for the Marine Corp marathon.  We'll have to do a post on that later...

Sunday - Day 7 is a day of rest with no exercise planned.

Thanks for reading and take care of yourself!

Day 5: Exercise

Okay, Back in the Saddle today.  I did the 30 Day Shred Video...  Man, I gotta say: I get schooled. 

Addie got some lighter weights because the idea in this video is not so much standard weight training where you isolate and "pump iron".  The idea is you work your whole body with intensity for the entire video.

Jillian Michaels, you kick my butt!

Then after the video, running on the treadmill.  Again, sweating pretty good by the time I got done.

I am also eating a very healthy diet, based on Abs Diet mostly.

The idea in the working out is strength, cardio and abs together.  On the days, I'm not doing the 30 Day Shred, I'm alternating with a Core ball workout.  I injured my back previously, and so building my core to stabilize my back is definitely a priority.  Plus, core strength is a central feature in many exercise regiments, including Pilates.  I noticed with the 30 Day Shred video, I work my shoulders a lot more than I am used to.


So, moral of the story: even if you experience a set-back in what you planned to do, don't give up.

GET BACK UP:

YOU HAVEN'T LOST IF YOU DON'T QUIT

Again, you can't control what life throws at you, but you can control your response to it.  We're all going to make mistakes, or fall short of what we set for ourselves.  I think I got a lesson in getting back up.  You haven't lost unless you quit.  Not the perfect first week (not over so far - 6.5 mile run planned for Saturday), but still I got Mon, Tues, Fri, and with Sat's run in, 4 days of exercise.  I planned 5, but 4 isn't bad.  Also, I upped the effort in my mid-week workouts from before.

This weekend, we will take my measurements and weigh-in to see if there are any results yet.

The immediate goal is: lose the belly.  The long-term goal is healthy living in exercise and what I eat.

Thanks for reading and take care of yourself!

Day Five - May 20th - Meal Plan

WOW, TGIF! We are soooo ready for the weekend. This week was really tough for us work-wise. I am grateful that due to our careful planning we did not stray from our diet, but exercise was a bit harder to do this week. Darn 5:30 alarms - it is just plain too early...

Meals today:
1. Smoothie with chocolate milk, ground flax seed, protein powder, frozen banana, ice cubes, and a small scoop of ice cream.

2. A Jimmy Dean "DeLight" breakfast bowl with potato cubes, sausage, and low fat cheese.

3. Greek yogurt with frozen mixed berries and honey.

4. Lunch: hooked up egg salad sandwiches (boiled eggs, mustard, ricotta cheese mix) with spinach, 2 slices of black forest ham, and low fat Swiss cheese on whole wheat bread. 8 oz of 100% fruit juice. Hummus & cucumbers to dip.

5. Apple slices and almonds.

6. Dinner: Slammin' Salmon: 1 can wild pink salmon, i whisked egg, 1/2 c ww bread crumbs, red pepper flakes, Old Bay seasoning, all mixed together and baked. Served on top of a bed of greens, with homemade dressing. Low fat dairy pudding for dessert!

Special treat: a glass bottle of real sugar Coca Cola. We have these every Friday night as part of date night and make up for it with our long runs on Saturdays. We hope to get out for an 8 to 10 miler tomorrow!

Have a great weekend, all ;)

Day 3 & 4: Exercise (Confession)

OK, truth time.

This last week at work has been grueling.  Mostly because of a conflict and the resulting outcome of the situation.  Losing meant a real setback career-wise and possibly the end of my time there; winning means upward and onward.

I literally lost sleep over it.  The night before Day 3 I got about 4 hours of sleep.  I woke up in the middle of the night, and tried to get back to sleep.  No dice.


I ended up getting up and doing some of the things that I meant to do: cleaning up my computer files, deleting some stuff, transferring some video content, etc.

But with Addie sleeping, it's not really the time to put on an exercise video or run on the treadmill.  Besides at 3am (or 4am) who wants to work out?  You want to be sleeping.

I ended up getting about another hour of sleep after Addie left for work.

So the net of it is that I didn't do anything for exercisie Day 3.

EPIC FAIL

Day 4 just as bad.

I at least got sleep, but at this point in the struggle at work, it looked like things were not going to go my way.  I was SUPER bummed.  Distraught.  Depressed a bit.  I just did not want to get out of bed.  I felt defeated.

The good news is that I did get the news I wanted Day 4.  Woohoo!  Sometimes in the midst of cloudy storms, the skies break open and sunlight shines through.  Also, Addie has been amazing: super-supportive, and very compassionate.  She's my other half, that much is for sure.

More on everything later.

Thanks for reading and take care of yourself!

Day Four - May 19th - Meal Plan

UGH. This morning was another one where work stress was so overwhelming that we decided that getting up early to work out together was a bad idea. Instead, we will have to go at it alone - an evening workout for me, and one later this morning for John. (He works 11-8 this week, I work 7-5).

SO! No smoothie for me this morning, I will probably have one tonight after I do the 30 Day Dread...I mean, Shred.

Meals today:

7am: Odwalla bar (just for Allie - John will do a smoothie)

9am: Nonfat Greek yogurt with frozen mixed berries and honey

11am: Boiled Egg

1pm: lunch: Tuna sandwich on whole wheat with spinach, lowfat swiss cheese, tomato, and a thin spread of ricotta cheese. Also a small cup of pineapple tidbits.

3pm: Apple slices, handful of almonds (John), instant oatmeal for Addie

6pm: dinner: stir fried veggies and a protein (need to check the freezer, I either have pork chops or ground turkey...). Dessert: real dairy lowfat chocolate pudding.

The only frustration with meal planning is that we are on different schedules. John eats his last meal at 8:15pm - it is so late! So you have to be more careful to stretch your food out. I pack it up in a cooler for the day and you just have to make it last! I got that idea from a former Biggest Loser winner - it is just smart planning.

Be good to yourself!

Day 2: Exercise

OK, so we slept badly last night.  So it was a little bu hao (Mandarin for “not good” or “bad”) in the morning.  Addie opted to work out after she got home and we have differing work schedules.

I have been stressed by the potential outcome of a situation at work.

So I slept in a bit.  I did get up with plenty of  time and did the workout by Gunnar Peterson in his Core Video training.  It’s not as hard core for me as the 30 Day Shred at this point because I am more used to the routine of the Core video.  You’re still working, it’s just older territory than the 30 Day Shred for me.

I was going to run on the treadmill and called Addie to give her an update (between sleeping in and the workout/getting up time, it had been a while since I’d talked to her)  We ended up talking about the work situation.  So yes, I did work out; but I also copped out a bit also.

“Excuses are as excuses does”

Thanks, Forrest…

Compared to where I was when I put on the weight, I’m ahead today, but compared to the goals for myself, not as much.

Lesson:  change jobs?

Thanks for reading and take care of yourself!

Day Three - May 18th - Meal Plan

Our workout got derailed this morning. John had a wee bit of sleeplessness in the middle of the night, ok so most of the night - so he was unfit for exercising. There are times when we need to choose sleep over exercise as it is just better for our bodies, and that was John's case today.

Nevertheless we can make up for it creatively! So, we took out today's smoothie as we don't need the extra calories.

So today's menu is as follows:

1. Small bowl of multi-grain cereal with organic 1% milk

2. Energy bar 3 hours later (Triple Threat PowerBar)

3. Melon pieces, one boiled egg

4. Lunch: Lowfat swiss and turkey on whole wheat with spinach and tomoto, brewed iced tea, apple slices, handful of almonds

5. Nonfat Greek yogurt with mixed berries, light string cheese

6. Dinner: Minestrone soup

These foods make up quite a lot of the Power foods listed on the Abs Diet - Almonds, Berries, Spinach, Dairy, Eggs, Turkey, Whole Grain and Breads.

And easy way to remember the Power Foods is this acronym:

Almonds and other nuts
Beans and legumes
Spinach and other green vegetables

Dairy
Instand oatmeal (unsweetened/unflavored)
Eggs
Turkey and other lean meats

Peanut Butter
Olive oil
Whole Grain breads and cereals
Extra-protein whey powder
Raspberries and other berries

That acronym helps me with meal planning :)

A new day tomorrow - and hopefully my arms will cooperate with Jillian's Shred DVD!

A Word on Good Nutrition - GMO's

Addie here - I thought I would post today about a little something I heard about in the past couple of months that had me really concerned: Genetically Modified Organisms in our food supply.

This article really summed it up, as found on Babycenter:

"I don’t know about you, but one of the last things I want anyone telling me is what to eat. Heaven knows we’re bombarded with enough.

But I have to admit, despite all of the food-obsessing we do as a culture (you know, trans fats, high fructose corn syrup, whole-grain, etc.), there is something that most of us missed: new little proteins that scientists began inserting into the US food supply in the 1990s.

Maybe you already know this, but food is made up of proteins. A lot of them. And it’s proteins that wreak havoc on people with food allergies. Because a person with food allergies has an immune system that sees certain proteins as “foreign” and so responds by launching an inflammatory attack to drive them out. That response can be watery eyes, a runny nose, or a cough or it can be something as life threatening as anaphylactic shock where a person stops breathing.

But let’s not focus on that right now. Let’s get back to those new little proteins that scientists started inserting into our food in 1994. Why would they do this? Is there really a need to inject foreign proteins into our food? And why now? Wasn’t it fine the way it was when we were kids?

Well, in order to enhance profitability for the food industry, scientists began using new technologies, including some sci-fi sounding things like “gene guns” to blast new ingredients into the genetic material of our food supply so that food production would be more profitable (and thereby creating genetically modified organisms or GMOs).

And in most cases, they did it at the seed level. So corn, they blasted it. Soybeans? Yep, they blasted those, too. All because corn and soy are used to feed livestock.

But as if that wasn’t enough, on top of that, they started blasting the cows themselves. Well, they didn’t exactly blast the cows, but rather started injecting them with some new proteins and hormones that helped the cows make more milk.

All sounds good, right? I mean, who wouldn’t want more food?

The problem is that when they started doing this just over 15 years ago no one knew what the long-term effects of blasting our food with new technology and creating foreign proteins never-before-used-in-the-human-food-supply might be.

So if those added growth hormones getting injected into our cows found their way into our milk and those added hormones just might cause early puberty, fertility issues or anything else, we simply didn’t have any long-term studies to tell us that they weren’t dangerous.

And those proteins getting blasted into our soy and corn? Are we allergic to the new foreign proteins created in the blasting process? Well, we simply didn’t’ know that either when they were introduced in the late 1990s because no allergenicity tests had been developed to assess the impact of these novel proteins and allergens.

All we know is that they didn’t deliberately introduce any new proteins when they started blasting. But if any proteins were created in the blast (you know, kind of like genetic rubble), well, there hasn’t been any way to test for that.

In essence, just over 15 years ago, we started running a live experiment … on us.

And it’s for those reasons that most developed countries (you know, like France, Spain, Australia, Japan, and everyone that we compete with in the global marketplace) decided to take a wait and see approach to see what the long-term effects of these new proteins and “genetic rubble” might be.

So beginning in 1994, these countries either refused to allow these proteins into their food supply, because they hadn’t yet been proven safe, or they insisted on labeling them so that consumers could make an informed choice when it came to exposing their families to this new technology and foreign proteins.

Except for here in the U.S. We took a different approach. We said, you know, this new technology is great for the agricultural business and hasn’t yet (note: yet) been proven to cause harm, so let’s allow these proteins into the food supply and wait and see what happens.

Well, if truth is any indicator, our kids don’t seem to be digesting these foreign proteins all too well. And while correlation is not causation, the stunning increases that we are seeing in the number of kids with food allergies (not to mention the big kids raising them) since the introduction of these foreign proteins into the food supply in 1994 should serve as a canary in the coalmine that maybe this new technology just might not be as safe as the scientists blasting these proteins into our food supply (and then patenting them for their novelty) had hoped it would be.

Feeling a bit duped? Don’t worry. You’re not alone.

Most of us had no idea that these foreign proteins started creeping into our food supply back in the 1990s. How could we? They were never labeled.

But now that you’re up to speed, tell a friend, tell your mom and let’s get down to the business of protecting our little ones the way kids around the world have been protected for the last fifteen years and get some labels on this “genetic rubble” and these “GMO”s while we still can.

FIVE reasons you should care about GMOs (genetically modified organisms):

Introduced in the 1990s, this new technology was developed to enhance profitability for the food industry.
The technology allows food scientists to inject chemicals and food proteins into the genetic material of our food.
Eaters in other countries were given a warning sign when these foods were introduced in 1994 and labels were put on their food that essentially said: “Not yet proven safe.”
In the US, this new technology and the proteins it creates were introduced in 1994 without labels under the premise: “Not yet proven dangerous” while being patented by the agricultural industry for their unique characteristics.
Unlabeled food proteins that contain chemicals and other foreign ingredients can trigger severe allergic reactions that include difficulty breathing, asthma, eczema, inflammatory gut conditions and in some cases life-threatening anaphylactic shock.
Bottom line: Americans have the right to know what’s going into their food just like eaters in other countries.

Ready to do something about it? Learn more with the Non GMO Project about where these hidden proteins can be found in your kitchen and how you can avoid them. "

Robyn O’Brien authored The Unhealthy Truth: How Our Food Is Making Us Sick and What We Can Do About It. A former food industry analyst and mother of four, Robyn brings insight, compassion and detailed analysis to her research into the impact that the global food system is having on the health of our children. She founded the Allergy Kids Foundation and was named by Forbes as one of “20 Inspiring Women to Follow on Twitter.” The New York Times has passionately described her as “Food’s Erin Brockovich” and her work has been critically-acclaimed by Dr. Oz, Dr. Bob Sears, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Erin Brockovich, Yoko Ono, and others. You can learn more at www.robynobrien.com.

What do YOU think about this article on GMO's? I noticed on a label from an Odwalla bar this week that said "non-GMO's" on it, regarding the ingredients. I would love to see more disclosure like this.

Coming later today: Day Three meal plan and our sort-of workout....

Day Two - May 17th - Meal Plan

Reflecting on yesterday, I will say that I felt really full and satistfied, and that the meals were really tasty!

Poor John - when I packed his lunch for today, it turned into a huge plastic shopping bag instead of the normal goodies that fit into his lunch box. All that Tupperware was holding lots of healthy items though, so well worth it!

1. Smoothie - today's was "berry blast" with 1/4 cup each of blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries. John did not see the container I'd put in the freezer with pre-portioned amounts and he proceeded to dump half the bag in. I laughed so hard when I heard about this - he has had a lot fiber today, and in the first meal of the day! In addition to the fruit you add organic milk, protein powder, and a scoop of lowfat natural vanilla ice cream, with 3 ice cubes.

2. Fresh melon and non fat Greek yogurt. Greek Yogurt has twice the protein in it - try it today!

3. Boiled Egg.

4. Lunch: salad greens with pre-cooked chicken, chick peas, a few olives, 1/2 an avocado, tomato, and a whole wheat roll.

5. Cliff bar (10 grams of protein)

6. Honolulu Pizza - we buy whole wheat Greek pita bread - the round kind - and top it with marinara sauce, pineapple tidbits, diced Canadian bacon, diced spinach, a few olives, and some lowfat cheese. SO good!
Dessert - pudding cup or chocolate milk.

I also packed some apple slices, fresh brewed tea, and a 1 oz chocolate in John's bag today, because it will be a tough workday, and that is how I roll...

There you have it: day two. We are taking this one day at a time!

Day 1: 60 Day Challenge - Exercise

Day 1, Addie and I got up early enough for us to get our workout in and she to get off to work.  My work schedule starts later than hers, so she has to cut the workout into two parts: morning and evening, while I'm able to do it all in one shot.

So we are working out together to get started, but then she has to get ready and I keep working out on my own.

For the purposes of my writing, I'm going to just tell you about what the experience is like for me. First thing is some light stretching.

In addition to my hefty mid-section weight itself, I also injured my lower back several years back.  Since then, it's been susceptible to re-injury.  Running has really helped, and while I used to go to the chiropractor somewhere inbetween 14 to 17 times a year - sometimes for extreme back pain - I have only been maybe 2 or 3 times a year for minor adjustments since regularly running with Addie.

So the stretching is something I sometimes need when I get up.

Then off to the video workout.  I've been using Gunnar Peterson's Core videos, and I recommend them.  But today we are trying Jillan Michael's 30 Day Shred video.  If you don't recognise her (where have you been?), she's a trainer on TV's "The Biggest Loser" and in every Wal-Mart in America.

First impressions: DANG!  Yeah, it's a workout.  She cuts no slack, and it has 3 levels of intensity if it doesn't start out hard enough for you.

"Dang!  It's a workout...I was dripping with sweat by the end"

It's 22 (ish) minutes altogether and you work in rotating 3 minutes strength, 2 minutes cardio, 1 minute Abs.

Then off to go run.  I ran on the treadmill at level 1 incline (hey, it's above 0 incline) and varying speeds.  A good chunk of it was 5 miles per hour.  I was dripping sweat by the end.

More later on Day 1 food...

Thanks for reading and take care of yourself!

Day One - May 16th - Meal Plan

Hey everyone! I am going to help on here by posting the meals we enjoy, as it helps us keep a record, as well as for future meal planning.

John's Meal Schedule: (Mine is different times due to my work hours)

5:30am/6am: Smoothie - 1/2 cup organic 1% milk, 1/2 cup part skim ricotta cheese, one scoop natural Breyers low-fat vanilla ice cream, 1 TBSP whey protein powder, 1 tsp ground flax seed, 3 ice cubes.(we drank 1/2 before our workout, and half after - it is pretty rich, but it jump starts your metabolism).

9am (after nap): Whole wheat, low-fat toaster waffle with 1/2 an avocado sliced on top and 2 slices of turkey breast (I got the meat from the store deli, not pre-packaged).

11am: boiled egg

1pm: 4 oz yogurt

3pm: lunch - 2 slices of whole wheat bread with lean ham slices (from deli), a slice of lowfat cheese, spinach, tomato, and 3 olives :)

6pm: carrots and hummus dip (homemade: garbonzo and cannenelli beans, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt, paprika)

8:15pm: dinner: Chicken Parmesan with fresh chicken breasts, seasoned bread crumbs, marinara sauce, Parmesan cheese and a homemade whole wheat roll.1/2 low-fat, chocolate pudding for dessert (4 grams of protein and dairy, baby!)

So as you can see, we are eating frequently throughout the day as we start off. The metabolism engines are revving, that is for sure...I was hungry all day long!

This plan so far seems really good. Just one thing to keep in mind when beginning a weight loss journey - planning is key. Planning meals ahead insures that you plan nutrition well and don't have to fall upon fast food to keep you fueled.

Hello and Introduction from Addie

I am really excited for John.  He is on a life-changing journey, and it is an honor to get to be a little part of it.

A little background on me:  I was always a little chunky when I was little, as I loved sweets and found ways to get them.  Then in high school I got into athletics for the social opportunities.  I really enjoyed soccer and tennis - not so much the running, as I was going too fast to enjoy it.

In college, I really battled my weight.  It never got too crazy, but it was always on my mind and I followed one diet trend after another.  After college I was involved in a women's gym that taught me some important habits (like drinking water, getting good sleep, dealing with my stress) in addition to nutrition.  I only started running when I had a new job and lots to think about which caused me to not sleep so great - so running helped me get some thinking time in.  Then, I started doing races and got totally addicted :)

Like he has said, we have been running together since the summer of 2009 - I had just moved "home" after dating long distance for a year, and was excited to be near family again.  I was already signed up to run an East coast marathon, and was excited to have his support.  John would follow me on his bike for the really long runs, and run along side me for the shorter ones.  He watched me cross the finish line, and wanted to experience the same feeling someday.

Then, after we got married running became our routine.  We signed up for 10K races, as well as a half marathon.  Then, we took the leap of faith and signed up for a marathon.  We did months of training, and John was frustrated not to see more weight come off than was already.  Knowing that his weight gain was from a decade of fast food eating from his bachelor days, I thought maybe we had to take it up a few notches in difficulty.  More than just steady runs - we needed to sweat, tackle our diet even more, and see what results could come.

SO!  Here we are.  After lots of reading, we decided on the following routine:  daily exercise for about 45 min to an hour, first thing in the morning.  We use the Jillian Michaels "30 Day Shred" DVD, Gunnar Petersons' "Core Workout" DVD series, running, and weight training.  Additionally our diet is more protein heavy:  we are following the Abs Diet by David Zinczenko.  I liked this one because you eat every 3 hours or so, it is not calorie counting, and the food is healthy and balanced.  The meals tackle weight around the middle by incorporating DAIRY - something we've stayed away from for too long.  I've avoided milk for awhile now, scared of the hormones in it.  Instead, I buy organic milk for our smoothies :)

I am excited to contribute on here from time to time and share my own results.  Currently, I am pretty happy with my looks, but I know there is always room for improvement.  I am looking forward to getting more fit, and spend time with John and keeping him encouraged.

My Belly Doesn't Like Me Either (and Your Belly Doesn't Like You)

Don't take the tag line too personal.  If you're already in good shape, then it most certainly doesn't apply to you.  But if you're like me, then your belly doesn't like you and isn't good to you.

What I mean is: belly fat is a killer.

"Belly fat is a killer"

Belly fat, the kind of fat that makes our guts stick out and look un-sexy is classified as visceral fat.  It resides behind the abdominal wall, surrounding our organs.  Research studies have found it's the single biggest predictor of heart disease.  It's also linked to significant increase in the risk of hypertension, metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance, and diabetes type II.

So, there is more than just deciding that it is time to make the change because I don't like the way my belly looks, and despite being a runner for a while it still quite literally 'hanging around'.  The bigger issue at stake, is I want to take care of me to be with my loved ones longer, and do the things I enjoy longer.

My belly may not like me, but I'm going to change that.

Take care of yourself, thanks for reading!

"I don't like my belly"

Ok, ok.  Not to be too hard on myself, but truly - when I look at my belly, I don't like what I see.  You relate?  I'm not talking about liking myself: I'm not my belly.  I'm a good person, and I know that.  I laugh a lot, I'm married to an amazing girl, I love my family, I have good relationships with my parents and my brother.  I have the world's cutest nephews and nieces.

I'm not talking about how I feel about life in general.

But when I see my belly, it makes me pause for moment.  There's a bit of sadness there.  I think to myself "DUUUDE!!  How did you let yourself end up here?"  I used to be the skinny kid.  Now I'm a jolly belly man.  I would ask 'when did this happen?', but I know when it happened.  It was over a long time of unhealthy choices.  Now it's time to man up.

Stay tuned for "My belly doesn't like me either"

Take care of yourself!

Thanks for reading.  :)

The Journey So Far: What Led Me Here

Addie and I have been running together for over a year. So far, I've done a 20 miler in preparation for a marathon. We ended up not being able to run the marathon because of a family emergency that occurred the same weekend, but we do love to run. We're not fast. We run about 12 minute miles. It's not the pace that top runners maintain... let's put it that way.

So, we have some level of fitness.

But as you can see from the photos I posted in my Introductions post, I am not in great "shape". My fitness is alright. I'm not huffing when I run around the block, but I most definitely need to drop fat from around my midsection. We'll cover more on the specific things we are targeting in upcoming posts.

"You can't change the things life brings to you, but you can control how you respond to them"

Honestly, it can be a little frustrating to exercise, and eat healthy, and still feel like you are seeing results externally. They say you can't control things that life brings to you, but you can control how you respond. I'm choosing to use that frustration to kick it up a level. Addie and I are going to kick our butts for 60 days, starting next Monday. We've been exercising. We did a 4 miles hike in the mountains Sunday. Yesterday we ran 5 miles. Today we did a 25 minute core challenge video. Tomorrow we're running a big hile. But Monday, we take it up! Woo!

There is going to be a daily journal entry covering how I feel, challenges, the mental side of things, and anything that happens that is unexpected. Who knows what 60 days will hold?

There will also be some fun things, some recommendations for things that have worked (or not), and some links to other resources that can be a help for anyone else in a situation similar to ours.

Take care of yourself!

Thanks for reading!  :)

Introductions: About Me

My name is John (pen name).  My wife Addie (also pen name) and I live in the beautiful Pacific Northwest.  I'm in my mid-30's.  I'm not a jock or a rock star (although I love to sign vocals with friend on the video game Rock Band).  I'm actually kind of geek.  I love Star Wars, and Linux, and fun gadgets like Android phones.  We also love to hike, but to be honest, I'm no pro.  I've been on 4 hikes in the last year, and all but one were 4 miles or less.  I work at a job that is fairly high stress and I mostly sit all day.  Over a period of several years, I ate junk food for convenience.  At one point, I would pick up a breakfast sandwich or burrito at a shop around the corner from my work and eat out every day with colleagues from work.  As a result, I gained a decent amount of weight around the middle.  Addie and I have been married for less than two years.  Since she's been in my life, I've started running more as she is a marathoner (small disclaimer here: some may assume that because she's run marathons, she's a skinny little minx; not true.  She's an average gal.)  We run together - not fast, but we can go far.

I guess the biggest thing I want to get across is we're pretty normal people.  We don't have a gym membership.  We aren't in already immaculate shape.  We are planning on amping up effort over the next few months.  But where we're starting from is probably like most people - overworked and overcommuted, stressed from our jobs, and out of shape - at least what we'd like.  This is our story and we're sharing our journey here as it unfolds.

This is what I look like now: