parenting

Please pass the bread

I was at a wedding last weekend and I was sitting next to a friend of the bride’s that I remembered a few years back was on the chubby side. Now he was REALLY SKINNY. I could just tell by looking at him that he had made dramatic changes to his eating… but not necessarily healthy ones.

When the bread came around he passed it by and I commented, “you look like you haven’t had bread in a long time”. I was right. Hpaleo_food_pyramid_ireye is on the Paleo Diet. I know this is the new fad thing and EVERYONE must try it and you lose all kinds of weight, but the problem is, it’s not particularly healthy. Our bodies need a certain amount of carbs and calcium, and though dairy is not necessary for calcium, one has to be very careful when one cuts out an ENTIRE food group.

The funny thing is in most cultures food graphs (they take on different shapes) grains is always very high on the list, and carbs is one of the main macro nutrients that people need. So why is it that low carb diets such as the Paleo, gluten free and Atkins are so popular and seem to work… It depends on the carbs that you eat.

56f08dc3150000ad000b2beaIn Japan where carbs are the main staple, people live longer, have less cardio vascular problems and in general are healthier. The thing is the carbs they eat aren’t processed concoctions with barely a nutrient to be recognized. They eat whole grain, mostly rice.. and veggies. Italy is another country that loves it’s carbs. Pasta, pizza, and all the other goodies get eaten in huge portions, but again, they don’t chemically treat all the grains before eating them, they don’t load them down with hydrogenated…. anything.

The problem with the new diets are that people start cutting things like pizza and chips, which is great, but they lose out on the good carbs, like whole grain rices, pastas, and yes, bread. Which is the main macro nutrient needed to give us energy. No wonder coffee and naps are so popular.

parenting

How do you talk to yourself?

I had an interesting conversation with a friend recently. This is one of those friends who is an amazing person but has extremely ow self esteem about everything. He’s the type who loves to make self deprecating comments and jokes and thinks that he doesn’t deserve anything good.

We were discussing my 3 year old son and how big he’s getting. I told him that everyone from other moms to his pediatrician comments on how strong he is. How he is very muscular even at his age. I said that he gets that from my side of the family, as his father’s side is slim, and tone, but not really bulky muscular.

His response was, “wow, that’s not cocky at all”. I was so confused by the statement. My comment wasn’t cocky, it was a biological fact. My side of the family is very broad and muscular and my ex’s is not. My brother is 6’6″ and did wrestling and football all through high school and college… that’s just the way it is. My ex is 5’9″ and wears a small-medium sized shirt. He’s not scrawny, just not bulky, and I’m not cut and defined, I just have a high muscle build. In fact, the high muscle concentration has been a problem for me as a girl and now as a woman. My scale and BMI are very misleading, as even when I was thin, my numbers said otherwise. It took me years to understand the difference.

8392d6b5d575384417308b7ac7a83413I started out a little offended by what my friend had said to me, but then I realized that it wasn’t about me at all. It wasn’t about my son. The comment was about my friend’s own person self esteem issues. He had been trained, either my himself or parents, or others, that complimenting any aspect of yourself is a fault. That you mustn’t “pretend” that you’re better than others, or point out or even accept your good qualities.

This friend has been looking for a new job, and myself and others have been telling him to go for this one or that one.. and he won’t. He doesn’t feel he is good enough, even though he is plenty qualified. He spends his time hoping for a brighter future, while constantly talking badly to himself about himself. I feel bad that he treats himself that way. He is a great guy and deserves better. The irony is that if he ever heard anyone speak to me the way he speaks to himself, he would probably knock them out.

People have to understand that self talk is the most important talk. We need to feed ourselves GOOD messages about our strengths, our bodies, our souls. We create our own lives. If we hear of a parent verbally abusing their child there is outrage and we understand the parent is creating havoc with that child’s self esteem. How come no one ever thinks the voices in our own heads do the same?… only we can’t walk away from that.

Uncategorized

It’s so not my fault

So… it’s official. I have a thyroid condition. Ugh… I’ve never had a “condition” before. At least I never knew that I did. Apparently my records indicate that I was tested a decade ago for hypothyroidism, but the doctor never told me or did anything about it. Anyway, now I have it and now I am… ON MEDICATION… as previously mentioned this is not a thing that I wanted, but also nothing that can be controlled by diet and exercise (according to my doctor, if weight-loss-diet-with-juicing-toning-plans-up-for-gym-56403you know of anything otherwise… please let me know).

The one thing that I will not do is blame my poor health choices on a gland. Yes, it may make things more difficult, but it doesn’t tie me to the couch or shove ice cream in my mouth.

I have an appointment to go back in a couple months to see how I’m doing. So far I haven’t noticed a real difference in my energy levels, but I’m starving all the time. So… yeah, not helpful. I’ll give it the couple months and then re-evaluate at that time. I also need to research how this condition can affect me if not treated. It doesn’t seem to be life threatening, so if it’s just that my metabolism is a bit slower and I’m kinda tired.. I got coffee to handle both of those things.

I’ll keep you posted….

coaching, Health

I need a new drug… or not

I am proud to announce that all of my hard work is paying off. No I am not a size 2, but I went to my doctor’s and my bad cholesterol is down FORTY points… yes, you read that correctly 40! And my good cholesterol is up 3 points. Also, though my blood pressure was never really high, it is still better than it was.

10310400-largeI have to say this feels like a huge accomplishment. Most people I have read about and come in contact with don’t bother to try to get healthy. They just pop a magic pill. Their cholesterol comes down, and they feel like they are doing so much better after. I never understood that. You’re still 50 lbs overweight, but you take medication with major side affects that could harm you, but hey… at least you can still eat pizza whenever you want and feel like crap all the time… so go you!

I have been very open to admit that my health was not always my top priority, but I have always tried to be at least a little active. I love taking my walks and hikes in the woods with my dog, but now that I have been actually up and really working out… getting my heart pumping and eating foods that make me thrive instead of just survive it’s like a whole new world.

I’m so glad that I chose this route. I know that I could have joined the masses and in-cholesterol-oil-Minnesota-St.-16125medicated myself to death. But that’s not the life I want to live. Don’t get me wrong, I understand that some medication is actually necessary. My dad was a diabetic… there was no getting around taking insulin. There are also lots of people with a genetic predisposition to things like high blood pressure, or cholesterol. My brother had a friend who’s very fit and a vegetarian and still has in the 300s… but for most of us, we need to think beyond the numbers, and start thinking about overall health. This is the only body we get. Now I’m just waiting on the results of my thyroid tests… wish me luck!

parenting

Anything GO should be a good thing

I am not getting the whole Pokemon-Go outrage. I see blog upon blog and meme upon meme about how stupid it is, how dangerous it is and how it should just be band! Seriously? It’s a game. Remember games? Things people do for FUN.

508800-pokemon-goParents are in an uproar because there are stories about kids breaking into buildings and houses and getting shot at or other kids not looking where they are going and walking into a street and being hit by a car. I’m sorry, how is this the game’s fault?

Remember when you were a child and you’d be playing ball in the neighborhood and you’d accidentally hit the ball into the neighbor’s house? Would you go breaking and entering into the house to retrieve the ball? No, of course not! Remember when yodownload.gifu would be riding your bike and laughing with friends? Would you not pay attention to the cars on the road because you were too busy chatting? Maybe… but if you got hit, that was your fault.. not Huffy’s.

This game is great! This game is getting stationary kids and young adults who have spent years with their ass on the couch up and moving… going outside even! Interacting with other human beings IN PERSON! Who knew that this was still possible?

In a era when Facebook and snap-chat are the only way people are staying connected. In a time when online has become the new pastime, having a game that actually gets people moving and socializing face to face seems like a Godsend. How about instead of finding fault with a product we tell our kids and friends to smarten up and be careful. Sadly, they probably don’t understand that there are factors outside of themselves because they have spent so long inside alone… it’s games like Pokemon Go that can get society back in action.. and I for one applaud the whole concept.

Health

Exercise is for losers

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I read the most ridiculous article in the world the other day. It was all about how exercise doesn’t help you lose weight. That was actually the title of the article. Seriously! This is what people are writing about? This is supposed to be helpful? Telling people there is no point to exercise because it takes a lot of exercise to burn calories. That’s the theory. If you have to work out for an hour and only burn off one piece of pizza it’s just not helpful. Well, is it better to NOT burn off the calories?

The other part, that seemed to have been forgotten, is that exercise boosts metabolism, builds muscle and  increases endorphins, all of which helps to not only lose weight, but also makes you actually feel better.

Exercise also helps with things like cholesterol and blood sugar levels. That’s why I started my exercise routine. After my father passed from complications from diabetes and I got the news from my doctor that my cholesterol levels were all wonky (bad too high, good too low), I knew I had to do something. I signed up for boxing classes, and my whole world started changing. As well as my perspective on health and weight. I was working out pretty consistently for about 2 or 3 months and feeling really discouraged because I wasn’t really losing any weight. I was talking to my boyfriend and he reassured me that he could definitely see a difference in my body. I decided to re-take my measurements and I was shocked. I was down about 3 inches in both my waist and my hips.

fat-vs-muscle-5719b712c0afbdfb040bc4e5I always knew that muscle weighed more than fat, but it didn’t occur to me that the reason I wasn’t actually “losing weight” was because for every lb of fat I was losing I was gaining a lb of muscle. It made the scale stay the same, but my body change. Which is the point after-all.

The other thing that the “science” article said was that when you exercise it makes you more hungry which is counter-intuitive to weight-loss, but in reality in order to lose weight you do need to eat… often. It’s just a matter of what you eat. Sure, if you exercise and then go eat a whole pizza you’re not going to lose fat, but if you exercise and eat fruits and veggies, whole grains and healthy proteins the fat will just fall off and the muscle will make you stronger and healthier than ever.

There are no tricks or shortcuts to health. You can’t exercise your eating habits away, and you can’t diet your lazy butt to health. You need to treat your body to both.

 

Health

Body Bullies

I don’t know why society has turned to shaming as their favorite past-time. I don’t know when it became the “in thing” to degrade other people but that is all I see on social media ALL THE TIME. It’s like the internet has created an entire society of mean girls.

gymjam (1)I was talking to one of my friends and he said that he was wanting to get in better shape. He’s in his 50s and in the last few years has just kind of let himself go. We were discussing different ways that he could get more exercise and he was hesitant to try anything because he was afraid of what other people would say about him.

That was the most ridiculous thing I had ever heard. He was afraid to get in shape because people would make fun of him for not being in shape, but sadly it happens all the time. Why is this ok? I’ve seen articles from other people, mostly women, where the same type of body shaming has happened and it makes me scratch my head. Are they shaming the fat person for being fat or for trying to fix their behavior? I feel like this only happens with people who struggle with their weight. If an alcoholic joins AA no one shames them for doing so. No one shames a gambler for trying to change their habits. Why on Earth would someone shame anyone for wanting to get healthy? I can just imagine if they tried to quit smoking… the snide remarks must just fly.

Health

I love my fitbit!

fitbitlineupI started really trying to get healthy a few months ago. After my father died from Diabetes I was a mess for a bit and couldn’t really concentrate on anything. After about a year my brain started to defog and I could think rationally again. That’s when I made the decision to make sure Diabetes never takes me from my son.

I started taking nutrition classes, boxing classes, joined a gym and got myself a fitbit. At first I was a recreational user. I did my best to hit 10,000 steps. Some days I would go way over and some days I’d be lucky to make 7000. I figured it all worked itself out the wash, as long as I was averaging around 10,000 steps a day per week that was good enough. That was considered the average amount a person should be walking… Then I realized. I don’t want to be average!

I don’t want my life to be skating by just trying to make the grade. I could do 7000 steps a day without even trying. On a day that I actually went out and did things I was hitting more like 18,000 steps… isn’t that what I should be aiming for? What’s the point of spending the money and tracking your steps if you’re just going to be average?

What I LOVE about my fitbit is connecting to friends. I have this one friend who is completely insane. He does an average 0f 25,000 steps a day. He is in construction and a boxer and just in great shape. He invites all of his friends to different challenges and really gets everyone pumped. I love checking in at the end of the day. I love seeing my numbers stack up against other people’s. I am a tad bit competitive.

I love my fitbit because I have changed my goal from 10,000 steps a day to 15,000 steps a day and don’t settle for less. At the end of the night, if I’m not close I will pop on General Hospital (don’t judge) and run around my house with my phone or tablet and watch as the steps tick away. I love my fitbit because it keeps me aware. It makes me want to move. It makes being active a game. I love my fitbit because it’s helping me reach my goals to live longer for my son’s sake. 

PS. I am not affiliated in anyway with fitbit.. pick any tracker you like.

Health

#healthybodyimage

We are a country obsessed with size. The size of our TVs, houses… unmentionables.. and mostly our dress size. This is completely skewing what it means to be strong and healthy. I saw an article on Facebook about a guy who was outraged that his girlfriend’s “XL” top fit him just fine when he normally wore a small or medium sized men’s s13119068_10153502081641497_5650394151177940883_nhirt. He couldn’t believe how women’s clothes are so demeaning and making women feel bad by doing so…

There were lots of people commenting on both sides. One saying that women are made to
feel inferior if they’re not a size 2 and some saying that in actuality sizes now are even bigger than ones of yesteryear, but here’s the thing. He is a guy… yes, that makes a difference. Let’s say this guy was 5’9″ and had an average to small build, which is why he is in a small-medium sized men’s shirt. That would make sense. He is small to medium for a man. Now, let’s say his girlfriend was also 5’9″… still had a medium build, but now let’s throw in a good healthy bust area… guess what? She is large for a women. She just is.

I had this problem in high school and how it was handled completely screwed up my self image for a really long time. I am 5’10”. I also have a DD cup bra…. I am not small. I have not been small since I was a child. At age 11 I was 5’6″ 125 lbs. Yes, totally healthy and normal. I also had a B cup bra at that time. I was the size of a medium sized woman. And I was good and healthy. One of my best friends at the time was like 4’8″ and maybe 80 lbs. Again, completely normal and healthy, but I felt HUGE next to her.

No one bothered to explain that this was ok. That people came in different sizes and that my being “big” wasn’t a bad thing. My aunt told me that “someday I’d grow into my size”. I still don’t have any idea what she could have possibly meant by that. But I started to feel really fat. A couple years later I was up to 5’8″ 145 lbs and a C cup bra. Still, completely healthy. I was now in a Large. I felt like a tub a lub. It was horrible. My aunt decided to make me feel better she would start taking me shopping at the plus sized store “so I would be the smallest one in the store instead of the biggest”… yeah.. that’s encouraging.. it’s like saying… well sure you’re fat, but you’re not as fat as THEM.

My whole life changed after that. I was afraid to exercise in pubic.. even in gym class. I wore really big baggy clothes that just made me look huge and frumpy and I stopped caring about what I ate at all…. why should I? I’m already fat. My whole self worth was thrown in the toilet and I had a carnival mirror image of my body. As time went on I started to grow into the person that I thought that I was and my body got bigger and bigger and pretty soon I wasn’t the smallest person in that plus sized store.

Years later I was blessed with two amazing God daughters. Both of them completely gorgeous and both very tall with decent builds and muscle structures. When they each hit about 12 years old they started comparing their legs and arms to their friends who had smaller frames and were talking about how “fat” they felt. I remembered how I felt at that age and how I had wished some
one had straightened me out then before my habits got out of hand.
I explained that people are different. That height and muscles and bone structure makes a difference and that if they really looked they would see that there was hardly any fat to be found on their bodies. They each did the classic bend till a roll appeared on their belly.. I explained that skin is not fat. The funny thing is when I had this conversation with the younger one the older one was present. She said that she remembered the same conversation about 5 years earlier and that it really helped.

We are so concerned with being the right size that we forget that numbers aren’t the problem. I used to work with a girl who was trying to get into the Army. She was not very tall but she was extremely muscular. She had played sports all through high school and college and had built up quite the physique. The problem was according to the BMI charts she was fat. Well over the average. When she went for her physical she almost failed based on the paperwork, but when they tested her body fat count she was at 6%. Needless to say, she got into the Army and did quite well there, but had someone not bothered to look past the numbers on the paperwork a very strong very healthy young woman could have been turned awashley-graham-sub-600x800ay under false pretenses.

Now the world is going crazy about this new plus sized model that’s hitting all the covers. People are saying that we shouldn’t glorify obesity… I COULDN’T AGREE MORE! The only thing is, Ashley Graham and girls like her aren’t obese. They are simply large. She has hips. She has boobs. She has muscles. She has healthy body fat. She is one of those girls who, like me, could either be the largest one in the “normal” sized store or the smallest in the plus sized store.

Sizes, weights, BMI.. they are just numbers. They are not an actual representation of health. They are not any representation of beauty. We need to start becoming a society of #healthybodyimage and not #sizematters.

Health

What happened when I stopped drinking coffee

Everyone keeps writing about the health benefits of giving up coffee… so I tried it.

  1. I yelled at my kid

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2. I didn’t get off the couch

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3. I hated my boyfriend

sex-love-life-blogs-smitten-2012-05-09-0509-couple-in-argument_sm

It was the hardest 2 hours of my life!

In actuality coffee isn’t bad for you. It’s full of antioxidants and great for energy and tastes good too. It can be a great treat and motivate you to start your day. It can help prevent Type 2 Diabetes, Parkinson’s, certain kinds of cancer and Alzheimer’s. It also boosts your metabolism to help you burn fat. It’s what you put in your coffee that matters. Coffee is a wonder bean. Cream, sugar, mocha swirl, and/or caramel… not so much.