When is enough, enough?

First of all, my post today comes from listening to Dr. David Cooper's sermon this morning at Mt. Paran Church of God.  I'm not exactly committing plagiarism.  Not really. But it was such a universal message and can apply to so many areas of our lives that I had to share. For the last two Sundays he has talked to us about change.  Real change.  It made me think of many areas of my life but it certainly brought back memories of a Saturday in 2002 when I said to myself - "if I do nothing else today I am going to the gym and sign up with a personal trainer."  I was 30 some pounds overweight and had had enough.

I've never looked back or slid back into a pattern of not putting diet and exercise high on my list of priorities.  I actually look forward to going to the gym and challenging myself.  After a hard workout, a meal of seasoned broiled chicken, rice and roasted broccoli (made so simply from a recipe I found on PreparedbyPaige) is quite delicious.

Back to Dr. Cooper's message today.  There are 3 necessary components for real change.  Number one is pain. You've hit rock bottom, whether it is with food addiction, chemical addiction, a relationship, a health scare, you name it as there are many things that cause us pain.  Pain can be good in that it screams at you - enough is enough!  So you decide to do something.

Second is hope.  When I decided I needed a personal trainer,  I had hope that I would finally get results.  Weight Watchers just wasn't doing the trick, and I was discouraged. Now however, with the prospect and commitment of working with a trainer, there was hope.  I started seeing improvement immediately and nothing breeds success like success.   Now my goal was in sight.

Last but not least is a strategy to reach your goal.  Feeling the pain, feeling the hope was all good but I also needed a strategy.  My plan was to work with a trainer 3 days a week and to modify my diet so that I was choosing healthier foods.  (Know that there's a difference between "modifying your diet" and  GOING ON A

I had a strategy that was born out of pain and hope.  I stuck with the strategy and it became a way of life.  Change happened.  Simple. Start today.

Home Sweet Home

"Always keep Ithaca in your mind. To arrive there is your ultimate goal. But do not hurry the voyage at all. It is better to let it last for many years; and to anchor at the island when you are old, rich with all you have gained on the way, not expecting that Ithaca will offer you riches. "
                       from the poem Ithaca by Constantine Cavafy

I am so happy that I've learned to enjoy the journey. It's taken me most of my life to learn to appreciate the things you do each and every day to reach your goal, whatever it might be.  So much more peaceful to embrace each day rather than stress because you're not yet there.  However, there is a big BUT coming.  When it comes to travel (as in planes, trains and automobiles) - BEAM ME UP SCOTTY!

Amazing place California.  But getting there. . . .MARTA, schlepping through the airport, the plane, transportation to the desert.  Not sure which is worse MARTA or sharing a very small space with perfect strangers on a 5 hour plane ride (curse those First Class passengers.)  I find myself casing the people at the gate wondering who will I be rubbing elbows with (not in a good way) for 5 hours.  I was lucky for most of the trips in that I sat next to interesting men and one sweet, sweet 82 year old American woman reading a book in French (her life's work) that made the time well, fly by. 

So it is so nice to be home after two months in California that included a trip home for Thanksgiving and an awesome extended family get together in South Georgia.  Nothing like family. California just as soon be another country when you compare it to the ATL.  The ocean, the desert, mountains, wine country, cosmopolitan areas with wonderful farm to table restaurants, upscale farmers markets that include olive oils,  rich creams and soaps made with goat cheese or avocado, along with the usual toothless farmers with their guavas and berries. Or hippies with canes and baby boomers in biking shorts with some pretty impressive quads!! Now that's what I'm talking about.  I really love California.  It is also where my most favored (and only) son lives. Have I mentioned that? He drove down to La Quinta for Christmas and we took a ride to San Diego through the Santa Rosa mountains.

 Gorgeous!  The hotel I worked with was nestled right at the base of these amazing mountains.  Truly one of the most beautiful Embassy Suites I've seen.

I am SUPER excited to be home!  I'll need to get back in the groove here with my blog and my diet and exercise regime.  Couldn't wait to get to the gym today and sweat as my workouts and diet have been seriously compromised while living and working in a hotel for two months.  But bear with me and let me hear from you as you are a huge reason for my excitement at being home!

Blogger's Holiday!

Most of you know that my background is in hotel sales and that I only embarked on my fitness career in May of this year. Like mana from heaven this incredible opportunity has come up for me to work on an interim basis at a beautiful Embassy Suites in La Quinta, California. And have I mentioned that my one and only child moved to California in March of this year?

While this is an awesome opportunity for me it does mean a temporary disruption to my blog and to my fledgling fitness business. But that's ok as I will be back with a vengeance in 60 to 90 days so don't you dare go anywhere - just stay tuned!

In the meantime, check out the beautiful Embassy Suites La Quinta - Hotel & Spa. It's surrounded by mountains, graceful palm trees and seasonal flowers, and has an incredible amount of meeting space compared to a typical Embassy Suites! Not to mention a beautiful, nurturing, relaxing spa. . .. . . . ahhhhhh. . . . .

If you're reading this and plan meetings or you want a leisurely get away or you travel to the area on business, do yourself a favor and check out this beautiful hotel which may be the best kept secret in Palm Springs! Ask for me!

I Am All About "The Mediterranean Diet."

I thought it was just a new "spin" on healthy eating.  After all, who doesn't know we're healthier when we eat, fruit, vegetables, fish and grains?  If nothing else it's another ringing endorsement for why we should nourish our bodies with food that is health giving and avoid the processed, fast food pattern that Americans invented!

Here's the definition of a Mediterranean diet: "a modern nutritional recommendation inspired by the traditional dietary patterns of poor coastal regions of southern Italy, Crete, and Greece in the 1960s." Wasn't it in the 60's that the golden arches started springing up everywhere in the U.S.?

So it was in the 90's that the Mediteranean diet gained widespread recognition after Dr. Walter Willett of Harvard University's School of Public Health presented the Mediterranean diet food pyramid.

The lowest food group (the one they indulge in the most) in the pyramid is full of breads, pastas, rice, cereal. And olive oil is right there in the middle.  Not to mention daily cheese and yogurt.  My personal recommendation would be to move the pieces of the Mediterranean pyramid puzzle around so that the breads and grains are closer to the top and fish and poultry move closer to the bottom. But what I really think is that there are many healthy options for eating. We need lean protein, healthy carbs and healthy fat. Pretty simple.  It gets complicated however when we substitute lean protein with McAnything, and get our carbs and fats from processed, packaged foods.  What is common in healthy diets is whole food, cooked in your kitchen or at least in a restaurant that is about healthy, local, sustainable, whole food.

A trip to a remote island in Greece to experience first hand their culture and diet would be my recommendation:

Pump up Your Skin!

Healthy skin, like beauty, comes from within.  Why do expensive Botox when you can grab what you need for that healthy youthful appearance at the grocery store? One of my previous posts encouraged you to try new foods so here are 5 foods for you to experiment with. Three out of these 5 foods have never seen the inside of my grocery cart. That will change on Friday when I go to the market!

Guava

Guavas have 4 times the amount of Vitamin C than an orange. Vitamin C builds collagen in the dermis and acts like a natural botox injection. Two Cups per week will do the trick.

Wheat Germ

Wheat Germ is loaded with Zinc.  Zinc is used for wound healing, and will repair damaged skin cells to give us that healthy youthful appearance.  Very anti-oxidant rich and 1/2 half cup per day is all you need.

Brazil Nut

Brazil nuts are an awesome source of selenium. Selenium (I love this) is a trace mineral that acts as a natural building block to our bodies natural and most potent antioxidant, Glutathione. It only takes two a day and plain and simply slows the aging process not to mention boosts our immune system. Get you some Brazil nuts!

Romaine Lettuce

Who knew? Romaine lettuce is the highest in vitamin A of your typical salad leafy green.  It's vitamin A that creates cellular turnover turning sallow, old looking skin to renewed, bright and healthy skin.  Six leaves a day is all you need.

Tomatoes

Tomatoes provide us with that well rounded, helps everything antioxidant, lycopene. It works on the skin by acting as an extra protection against UV rays.  STILL USE SUNSCREEN!! Your body absorbs the lycopene much better if the tomatoes are cooked.  Ten tablespoons a week will be sufficient.

Fully nourished skin is plump and robust.  Don't let those cells in the skin shrink and shrivel! Fight back with Guavas, Wheat Germ, Brazil Nuts, Romaine Lettuce and Tomatoes. What could be easier?

When it Comes to Healthier Living Everyday is a New Opportunity.

If you're struggling with losing weight or maybe you know on an intellectual level you would just plain and simply have fewer aches and pains if you improved your diet and started an exercise program, try making small changes.  Baby steps.  Once you've mastered a couple of positive changes you can move on to incorporating another. There is such a sense of accomplishment when you know your actions are creating a positive impact, it motivates you to continue.

Try new foods:  I'm really bad about this.  I have a healthy weekly diet plan, it's easy and so why not stick with a good thing.  But on the other hand why limit myself when I can expand my nutritional benefits by trying something different.  A diet that includes a variety of fruits, vegetables, nuts, grains, and oils also includes lots of vitamins and antioxidants. If a banana is your token fruit, try picking up blueberries or kiwis and have with breakfast or an afternoon snack with some almonds.  Shoot for sampling one new ingredient per month.

Cook dinner more often: 

After a long day it's much easier when dinner time rolls around to rely on takeout, or a restaurant or throwing together an assortment of packaged foods you've picked up at the grocery store (been there done that.) Tomorrow decide you will plan, shop and cook one meal a week from fresh, whole foods.  When you make your own dinner you control the ingredients and the portion sizes and it will be healthier for sure.  Preparedbypaige blog has been an unbelievable resource for me. Her recipes are easy and always with fresh, whole ingredients. She does the work for you as far as trying out new and different foods.

Eat breakfast every day: 

You may skip because you're short on time but there is a reason it is called the most important meal of the day. People who eat breakfast everyday are leaner and more alert and attentive at work. It gets your metabolism cranked up and ready for the day.  Eggs are quick and easy to cook, whether you boil in advance or scramble so try having a egg with whole wheat toast and some fruit. Breakfast options are endless so get creative and find something that you like and can be prepared in your timeframe.  If you're not eating breakfast let this be your FIRST baby step.

Snack more healthfully: 

Little meals between meals keeps your metabolism stoked, keeps your blood sugar levels stable and is also a good way to round out your day's total nutrition. For example, snacks offer an opportunity to add healthful lean protein if it will not be part of lunch or dinner. Keep peanut butter on hand to have on apple slices, or mixed nuts.

Whatever you choose make sure it is not an empty calorie but one that provides nutritional value. For example, a pretzel isn't high in calories but it's not adding to the total nutritional picture so why fill up on foods that offer nothing but calories when you can fill up with foods that "nourish" your body.

The Swing

This can be done with a dumbbell or a kettlebell and will work your glutes, hamstrings, quads, core and shoulder.  There are a couple of variations which gives you options. My preference is holding the weight with both arms as you see here.

Form as always is important and especially with this move as it is easy to default to your back when swinging the dumbbell up.  OUCH! Please don't let your back do the work here - you should be driving up using you legs while swinging the weight up with perfectly straight and strong arms.  Set your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Keeping your lower back slightly arched, bend at your hips and knees and lower your torso until it forms a 45-degree angle to the floor. Now swing the dumbbell between your legs.

Keeping your arms straight (very important! no bending elbows!), thrust your hips forward, straighten your knees, and swing the dumbbell up till arms are in vertical alignment to your body and you are in a standing position. Reverse the movement and swing the dumbbell back between your legs again. That's one rep. Continue to swing the weight back and forth forcefully. I personally like to start at the end position with weight above head.  It helps get the momentum going. 

The next option is a one arm dumbbell swing.  You might want to start with this option using a lighter weight until you get used to the movement.

Notice he stops at shoulder height which is fine to do.  Continuing the movement to overhead allows you to engage more of the shoulder's front, middle and rear deltoids.

Here are more compound moves that combined with The Swing will give you a full body workout.

Chest Press: works your triceps, chest and front deltoid

Push Up: Just can't beat the push up - works your chest, back, shoulders, triceps, core

Lunge to a biceps curl:  Do your stationary lunch with a dumbbell in each hand as pictured in my October 5th post "Blast Your Glutes and Legs!"  First do your lunge completely and once in the upright position of the lunge then and only then execute a perfect biceps curl.  


Run through these four moves by doing 20 reps of each exercise (if 20 push ups is too much do ten then take a 10 second break before doing another 10) and repeating a complete set three times.  Between sets do jumping jacks or jump rope for two minutes then take a 60 second recovery (or as long as it takes) before starting the next set.