When it comes to eating I have one main theme that I try to achieve (and believe me I am not perfect but it is what I try to do ). That is the 6 small meals throughout the day. And although you are always eating and pretty much satisfied it is not an easy thing to do. It takes lots of preparation an planning. I find that when I eat this way I get less headaches and I achieve and maintain my goal weight more quickly. There are a few other ideas that go along with this. Portions sizes stay small and I add a small amount of protein to about half or more of the meals. I also try to incorporate a fruit, veggie, grain, protein and dairy in at least three meal. Either the fruit or the veggi is fresh.
Sometimes I have to get creative with my kids and make faces out of the food to get them to eat well. For example, I make a peanut butter sandwich, I cut it into squares. I use two of the squares as eyes and raisins for the pupil, then the raisins are also the mouth in a curved line. Then I take a baby carrot and cut one end off and it is a nose. Slices of aplles make good eyebrows. If they hesitate eating sometimes I have to say "Oh no don't eat his nose" and they usually do. Hopefully they will develop a taste for good food before they get older. They also love to eat "sunshines" That is apple sauce in a small bowl with little sticks of gram crackers in a circle around it like sunbeams around a sun. They dip the gram crackers in the apple sauce and have either milk or chocolate milk.
I also believe what you see is what you eat, that is why advertisers spend billions on commercials and print media. A fruit bowl in plain sight has done wonders for our family. At first I would buy fruit and would throw it away but now my kids and husband will grab it for a quick snack. I buy Gala apples usually because they come in kids size and they are sweet. I try to have them eat different colors of fruits and vegetables on different days. Variety is good.
Friday, June 20, 2008
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Marathon Training
I almost forgot what it was like to train. The random aches and pains are coming back but so is the good feeling you get after running a long run or speed work. I have heard it said that the best thing you can do for your body is train for a marathon and the worst thing you can do for it is actually run one. So true, except some of those long runs in training can be pretty brutal. It was fun the last time because I ran from my old house to my parents home in another city 22 miles a way. When my parents told some extended family what I had done they thought they were joking.
My partner and I are anticompetitive when it comes to marathons. 5ks and 10ks are a different story at least for me. I like to do well in the shorter races. I like to try to win or at least place. In the marathons there is a whole different type of group that runs those. These are the people who get up early in the morning and some have been running for most of their lives (I believe the average marathon age is 40's I could be wrong though). If i am going to run 26.2 miles I am going to enjoy it. One day when I am out of my child baring years I will do the ultras. I can't think of anything that would equal that. At my first marathon I was stretching and overheard a conversation about someone running a 100 miler. My jaw dropped to the floor. I didn't know those things existed and even more amazing is that there were people who would do them!!! I will definitely try maybe up to a 50, I think a 100 is crazy.
My partner and I are anticompetitive when it comes to marathons. 5ks and 10ks are a different story at least for me. I like to do well in the shorter races. I like to try to win or at least place. In the marathons there is a whole different type of group that runs those. These are the people who get up early in the morning and some have been running for most of their lives (I believe the average marathon age is 40's I could be wrong though). If i am going to run 26.2 miles I am going to enjoy it. One day when I am out of my child baring years I will do the ultras. I can't think of anything that would equal that. At my first marathon I was stretching and overheard a conversation about someone running a 100 miler. My jaw dropped to the floor. I didn't know those things existed and even more amazing is that there were people who would do them!!! I will definitely try maybe up to a 50, I think a 100 is crazy.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Aha Moments
So this really isn't about running but I think about it sometimes when I go running. My husband and I lived in Africa for a while after we got married. We lived and mingled with a beautiful culture that was struck with poverty. While I was there I studied the availability of health care to expectant mothers who were HIV positive. It was devastating to see so many have so little while living in a wounded economy and on the brink of political unrest. I was amazed at the strength of some and sorrowed for the hopelessness of others. I met so many children and adults that would die within months from when I met them. Although we worked tirelessly to help as many as we could it was only a drop of water on a dry and cracked desert floor.
While traveling home from our journey I had a profound experience. We were approaching the shore of the US (which I believe it was New York but I don't remember exactly.) This beautiful country came into view. We got close enough that I could see homes and streets. My heart sank and my stomach turned as we came closer to the homes. They were enormous. There were huge swimming pools and yards carefully manicured and cared for. I remember thinking to myself, "people are starving, people are dying and we care for our cars, yards and homes more than we do people." At that moment I swore to myself that I would never have something just for show. Morally, I could not do it now. Now several years have past. Every time I waste or think of living too big I get a residual of that feeling . I wish everyone could experience what we did. Not go to Africa and stay in the fancy hotels and enjoy the Safari but really live there, worry about the crime, see the poverty and let it sink in. I think a lot of changes would occur.
While traveling home from our journey I had a profound experience. We were approaching the shore of the US (which I believe it was New York but I don't remember exactly.) This beautiful country came into view. We got close enough that I could see homes and streets. My heart sank and my stomach turned as we came closer to the homes. They were enormous. There were huge swimming pools and yards carefully manicured and cared for. I remember thinking to myself, "people are starving, people are dying and we care for our cars, yards and homes more than we do people." At that moment I swore to myself that I would never have something just for show. Morally, I could not do it now. Now several years have past. Every time I waste or think of living too big I get a residual of that feeling . I wish everyone could experience what we did. Not go to Africa and stay in the fancy hotels and enjoy the Safari but really live there, worry about the crime, see the poverty and let it sink in. I think a lot of changes would occur.
Saturday, June 7, 2008
5k in the rain
I ran a 5k today in the rain. It was great to have a garmin. That thing was beaping at me the whole time to go faster. I wanted to run about 40 seconds faster than what I did but I was happy with my time. I practiced a lot of self control and didn't run my fastest at the beginning. That is usually my problem. I run hard the first mile and then I crash. I also did a mile warm up which I usually don't do. With some fast starts in between. That helped a lot. I also wore a thick jacket that was weighed down by water by the time that I finished. I had to throw it to the side for the last leg of the run.
We started our marathon training this week. I can't wait for the long runs. We will do more AI (aerobic intervals) and tempos this time. My running partner is amazing she keeps us on track. Our training will be a little more complete this time with a garmin. Last time we were doing our 20 miler and over ran it by 2 miles, we felt great but didn't want to do that again. I love the long runs. We did 14 miles in the pouring rain once and that was awesome. That is a good way to break in some shoes.
We started our marathon training this week. I can't wait for the long runs. We will do more AI (aerobic intervals) and tempos this time. My running partner is amazing she keeps us on track. Our training will be a little more complete this time with a garmin. Last time we were doing our 20 miler and over ran it by 2 miles, we felt great but didn't want to do that again. I love the long runs. We did 14 miles in the pouring rain once and that was awesome. That is a good way to break in some shoes.
Friday, May 30, 2008
Exercise and motivation factors
Here are some of my thoughts on motivation. People have been asking me for years for help on fitness goals and although I have a graduate degree in health and have been working in the fitness industry for almost a decade I stayed away from personal training. Just recently I was updating some certifications, however, and decided to take a course in it. Not to really do it (cause I have a busy life) but just be able to answer questions about personal exercise programs more confidently. I learned a ton. It also started an appetite for learning about sound personal exercise and nutrition programs.
For years I have had ideas about what motivates people to exercise. From what I have read and observed these are just a few. There are both motivation factors and deterants. They key is to increase motivation factors while decreasing the deterants to make it easier to exercise.
Motivation factors for exercise adherence-
Morning exercise- People who exercise in the morning are more likely to stick with their program than people that exercise later in the day. This usually take a substantial lifestyle change however, for those night hawk people who are awake all hours of the night.
The buddy system- There are people who turn the alarm clock off, or can easily brush off the thought of exercising but they would not even dream of letting their buddy down who is knocking on the door to go running or to the gym. These people are motivated by social factors. If this is you, your key is to get a friend involved. And chances are if this is you, you already have plenty of friends to choose from. I would suggest someone of the same gender who is at your level of fitness. (unless it is a spouse). There is nothing more demotivating than going running with someone who runs circles around you the first time.
A rewards system- It is a good idea to set up a rewards system. Of course there is that reward of an awesome body but that is months away. There should be a reward for the first few weeks for achieving your obtainable fitness goals. These goals should not be focused on losing weight but should be goals like run 30 minutes a day for 5 days of this week.
Spousal support- This is one of the strongest factors in exercise adherence. If your spouse is supportive (not pushing) your fitness program. I was in a dressing room and heard a woman and a husband in the stall next to me. They didn't know I was there but he was raving about some exercise clothes she was trying on and how good they looked on her. I stepped out of my room and they both blushed. I wanted to go hug the guy. She explained that she hadn't been to a gym in years so he took her to buy some clothes to help motivate her. A husband needs to be willing to take the kids for his wife. He needs to be willing to make her 30 minutes to an hour away from home as easy as possible. If she has come home and the house is ransacked and her husband is complaining she will be less likely to go back. A spouse can help also with a reward system. He can provide the carrot so to speak by offering a night out (for the wife) if she makes her weekly fitness goals or taking her to dinner. Negative motivation does not work and strains the relationship. An example of this motivation is "I wish you would go to the gym." or "Are you really going to eat all that?"
Reduced injury- Type A personalities (those who go all at the very beginning) are less likely to continue in and exercise program because of injury or strain of burnout. Those who slowly ease into a program are more likely to continue.
Nonsmoking- People who smoke have more difficulty with exercise and quit earlier on than others.
A desire- The desire to exercise needs to be internal in some way. I have seen people start out with no real desire and they quickly make excuses. A desire however can be created and strengthen after an exercise program has already began.
A family experience- There is nothing as motivating at times as a family member who dies early because of a condition that could have been prevented by exercise.
Answering to someone- Someone like a personal trainer or a support group can help by just asking how you are doing. A person who has to answer to someone else is less likely to miss exercise classes than someone who is not accountable to anyone.
Money- Money can be tricky. I used to sell gym memberships. Some people won't bat an eye at spending hundreds of dollars on a membership then letting it slip away with little or no use. Others however are driven by money. The biggest loser is an awesome idea because that reward of money is a great carrot of motivation.
Prayer- I have felt in the past that they Lord appreciates me exercising. Madonna Buddars a 76 year old nun who does the Iron man triathlons is one of my heroes. She started because a priest told her that he was brought closer to the Lord through running because he prayed as he ran. There is a parable of the talents where the Lord gives different servants different amounts of money. To some he gives 5 talents to another he gives 1 talent. Those with more put their money to the changers and received more in return and turned their 5 into 10 and so forth. Than he that had one buried it and gave it back to the Lord who called him foolish and told him he should have put it to good use and multiplied it. I believe this parable goes really well with exercise. Each day is a gift that the Lord has given to use. When we exercise each day we increase our life span and we expand the days (the talents) that the he has given us. It is interesting to me who those with one talent, those who are least likely to exercise often bury this idea and never let it into their life for whatever reason and miss out on not only the length of their life but the quality of life that they could live because they fear or love something more then themselves. In short, I believe that the Lord will help me when I pray for help in almost any area of my life. Especially when I make a plan and ask him to help me carry it through.
Some of the Deterant of exercise are the opposite of many of these.
A commute- If you have to drive 30 minutes to the gym, you probably won't go unless it is on your way back from work.
Spousal - If your spouse makes it hard for you to exercise you are unlikely to continue
Poor health and injury- This is just a vicious cycle
For years I have had ideas about what motivates people to exercise. From what I have read and observed these are just a few. There are both motivation factors and deterants. They key is to increase motivation factors while decreasing the deterants to make it easier to exercise.
Motivation factors for exercise adherence-
Morning exercise- People who exercise in the morning are more likely to stick with their program than people that exercise later in the day. This usually take a substantial lifestyle change however, for those night hawk people who are awake all hours of the night.
The buddy system- There are people who turn the alarm clock off, or can easily brush off the thought of exercising but they would not even dream of letting their buddy down who is knocking on the door to go running or to the gym. These people are motivated by social factors. If this is you, your key is to get a friend involved. And chances are if this is you, you already have plenty of friends to choose from. I would suggest someone of the same gender who is at your level of fitness. (unless it is a spouse). There is nothing more demotivating than going running with someone who runs circles around you the first time.
A rewards system- It is a good idea to set up a rewards system. Of course there is that reward of an awesome body but that is months away. There should be a reward for the first few weeks for achieving your obtainable fitness goals. These goals should not be focused on losing weight but should be goals like run 30 minutes a day for 5 days of this week.
Spousal support- This is one of the strongest factors in exercise adherence. If your spouse is supportive (not pushing) your fitness program. I was in a dressing room and heard a woman and a husband in the stall next to me. They didn't know I was there but he was raving about some exercise clothes she was trying on and how good they looked on her. I stepped out of my room and they both blushed. I wanted to go hug the guy. She explained that she hadn't been to a gym in years so he took her to buy some clothes to help motivate her. A husband needs to be willing to take the kids for his wife. He needs to be willing to make her 30 minutes to an hour away from home as easy as possible. If she has come home and the house is ransacked and her husband is complaining she will be less likely to go back. A spouse can help also with a reward system. He can provide the carrot so to speak by offering a night out (for the wife) if she makes her weekly fitness goals or taking her to dinner. Negative motivation does not work and strains the relationship. An example of this motivation is "I wish you would go to the gym." or "Are you really going to eat all that?"
Reduced injury- Type A personalities (those who go all at the very beginning) are less likely to continue in and exercise program because of injury or strain of burnout. Those who slowly ease into a program are more likely to continue.
Nonsmoking- People who smoke have more difficulty with exercise and quit earlier on than others.
A desire- The desire to exercise needs to be internal in some way. I have seen people start out with no real desire and they quickly make excuses. A desire however can be created and strengthen after an exercise program has already began.
A family experience- There is nothing as motivating at times as a family member who dies early because of a condition that could have been prevented by exercise.
Answering to someone- Someone like a personal trainer or a support group can help by just asking how you are doing. A person who has to answer to someone else is less likely to miss exercise classes than someone who is not accountable to anyone.
Money- Money can be tricky. I used to sell gym memberships. Some people won't bat an eye at spending hundreds of dollars on a membership then letting it slip away with little or no use. Others however are driven by money. The biggest loser is an awesome idea because that reward of money is a great carrot of motivation.
Prayer- I have felt in the past that they Lord appreciates me exercising. Madonna Buddars a 76 year old nun who does the Iron man triathlons is one of my heroes. She started because a priest told her that he was brought closer to the Lord through running because he prayed as he ran. There is a parable of the talents where the Lord gives different servants different amounts of money. To some he gives 5 talents to another he gives 1 talent. Those with more put their money to the changers and received more in return and turned their 5 into 10 and so forth. Than he that had one buried it and gave it back to the Lord who called him foolish and told him he should have put it to good use and multiplied it. I believe this parable goes really well with exercise. Each day is a gift that the Lord has given to use. When we exercise each day we increase our life span and we expand the days (the talents) that the he has given us. It is interesting to me who those with one talent, those who are least likely to exercise often bury this idea and never let it into their life for whatever reason and miss out on not only the length of their life but the quality of life that they could live because they fear or love something more then themselves. In short, I believe that the Lord will help me when I pray for help in almost any area of my life. Especially when I make a plan and ask him to help me carry it through.
Some of the Deterant of exercise are the opposite of many of these.
A commute- If you have to drive 30 minutes to the gym, you probably won't go unless it is on your way back from work.
Spousal - If your spouse makes it hard for you to exercise you are unlikely to continue
Poor health and injury- This is just a vicious cycle
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Still running
Alright so my blog is still about running. I have another one now dedicated to the family. I got a garmin the other day. Wow what a difference. I am definitely motivated by people who run by me, or when I run on the treadmill and can see the time. So to run by myself without any idea how fast I am running (besides my watch) I tend to slow down a bit. The garmin is making all the difference for me. It is awesome. I can take it home and hook it up to my computer and it will tell me my best pace for the run, how many calories I've burned, my heart rate (which is really awesome) and exactly how far I ran. No more running blind I've got a garmin whaa hoo!
My running partner and I ran up to a trail that connects our homes about 6 miles away. That is kind of neat. The trail was thin and rocky. I realized that I am not into trail running yet. I am amazed at the people that love trail running. I guess that you could get used to it. I liked the scenery and the quietness but the rocks and the down and up hill were more challenging. We were running at a poky pace.
It is nice to get to the point where 5 miles is a super easy run. It is even nicer to reach the point where 8 miles doesn't seem so far. I have to work back up to that again. Right now my time is suffering. Since my last baby I haven't been able to get my time down to where I want it for my 5ks.
I think I am addicted. If I go a day without running. Even if I do aerobics or weight training I feel like I need to run all my energy out.
My running partner and I ran up to a trail that connects our homes about 6 miles away. That is kind of neat. The trail was thin and rocky. I realized that I am not into trail running yet. I am amazed at the people that love trail running. I guess that you could get used to it. I liked the scenery and the quietness but the rocks and the down and up hill were more challenging. We were running at a poky pace.
It is nice to get to the point where 5 miles is a super easy run. It is even nicer to reach the point where 8 miles doesn't seem so far. I have to work back up to that again. Right now my time is suffering. Since my last baby I haven't been able to get my time down to where I want it for my 5ks.
I think I am addicted. If I go a day without running. Even if I do aerobics or weight training I feel like I need to run all my energy out.
Friday, May 23, 2008
The Family
Alright so I decided that I was being kind of selfish doing a blog about my running and not my family (Especially since they are more important). so I think I will include some details on them. The twins are 3. They are night and day in a lot of ways but are also very similar in others. People always look at me in wonder in elevators or in stores as I have two boys that look very close in age and a baby on my hip. They will ask "How far apart are they?" pointing to the twins. I think they ask it because there is a stark difference in height. Then of course sometimes I will say "three minutes" and other times I will say "they are twins" It just depends how tired I am and the humor of the other person.
For a long time the three have been in diapers. The baby (who is 11 months) and the twins all wear the same size. I had attempted several times to potty train but the twins banned together and decided to thwart all my efforts. I tried every trick in the conventional book of potty training. I finally got a tip from another twin mom to potty train them separately. To ignore one in that area only of course, and focus on the other. It worked like a charm at least with the one. We now officially have only two kids in diapers and I am filling up the mommy patience reservoir to get ready to train the other one. I think I am going to start training the baby while I am at it. Just kidding.
My husband is awesome. I wish every woman could have a man like him. He tells me I am beautiful everyday and does jobs around the house. He is a good daddy and the baby wants his attention almost more than he wants mine. My husband lets me have time for exercise . That is really something. He is just a nice guy and he keeps me laughing. He hates it when I brag about him so if he makes me erase this I hope you have already seen it.
I love running, and exercise of any type. I love being a mom. I love to watch my kids play together. I love little voices and morning kisses. I am not very good with late nights but I love the snuggles in the mornings. My kids are my life and though I had a good career at one time nothing compares to what I am doing now. I am changing the world, affecting future society to come. I guess you never know how your influence will influence others to change the world.
My theme is "Every day is a Gift"
For a long time the three have been in diapers. The baby (who is 11 months) and the twins all wear the same size. I had attempted several times to potty train but the twins banned together and decided to thwart all my efforts. I tried every trick in the conventional book of potty training. I finally got a tip from another twin mom to potty train them separately. To ignore one in that area only of course, and focus on the other. It worked like a charm at least with the one. We now officially have only two kids in diapers and I am filling up the mommy patience reservoir to get ready to train the other one. I think I am going to start training the baby while I am at it. Just kidding.
My husband is awesome. I wish every woman could have a man like him. He tells me I am beautiful everyday and does jobs around the house. He is a good daddy and the baby wants his attention almost more than he wants mine. My husband lets me have time for exercise . That is really something. He is just a nice guy and he keeps me laughing. He hates it when I brag about him so if he makes me erase this I hope you have already seen it.
I love running, and exercise of any type. I love being a mom. I love to watch my kids play together. I love little voices and morning kisses. I am not very good with late nights but I love the snuggles in the mornings. My kids are my life and though I had a good career at one time nothing compares to what I am doing now. I am changing the world, affecting future society to come. I guess you never know how your influence will influence others to change the world.
My theme is "Every day is a Gift"
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