Is The Gym Really Necessary?

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dot weight lifting

Me in Oct. 2013 when I first started working with a trainer. I’m lighter now but no where near as strong as I want to be. But do you really need a gym to build strength? Heck no!

Lately I’ve debated about rejoining a gym. I’m running every other day, but I need to do some weight lifting. So a part of me thinks, “I need to be at a gym.” It could be just that time of the year. Maybe there is something in our DNA that screams “Join A Gym!” the closer we get to January 1.

Anyway, my husband and I started going to our local rec center for strength training twice a week. At least our plan was twice a week. But it really is a big effort to leave our house, drive a couple of miles, pay $16 bucks and lift weights for 20 minutes.

I’d put our success rate of actually getting to the gym at 50%. Read More

Reclaiming My Active Life

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crossing finish line 2015

A heavier me in 2014 crossing the finish line of my last 5k race. Time to start running again.

While I got the all clear from my oncologist to start working out a few weeks ago, I’ve really been slow to start and I think that’s a good thing. Between the surgery and radiation treatments, fatigue kicked my butt for a while. But now my energy level is off the charts and it’s time to start easing my way back into my active lifestyle.

Starting Strength Training
Last week I worked out with the free weights at the local gym. Since I’m still healing from the surgery, I’m trying to avoid pulling or tearing anything around my abs. I’m lifting lighter weights and limiting myself to two 30-minute sessions a week.

Weight lifting is even more important now since my hysterectomy. Weight lifting is a great way to reduce muscle loss and ward off osteoporosis.

The nice thing is my husband is training with me – it’s always good to have a spotter!

Of course this means I’m looking for an awesome strength training app. Why use pen and paper when an app will do?

Shooting For Disney Races
Maybe 2017 is the year I can cross the runDisney 5k and 10k races off my healthy bucket list.

After a lot of starts and stops, I’m finally committed to achieving my running goals. This morning I ran for the first time in months. It was glorious. I’m starting with basics – interval training. I’m following the Runner’s World beginner program over the next 10 weeks. I didn’t do too bad today, only feeling a little winded during my last interval.

Obviously I’m not looking to set the land speed record. With 3 runs a week, I’m more turtle than hare right now.

Depending on how the training goes, I might be able to try a untimed 10k before the end of the year. At the very least I can do some of the upcoming holiday 5k races as I build up my strength and endurance.

bikes

We moved our bikes from the shed to the living room this summer as encouragement to hit the trail. Thankfully I now have the all clear from my doctor to ride.

Just For Fun
The husband and I are also planning some fun biking outings too. This summer we moved the bikes out of the shed and into our living room because we were going out nearly everyday before my surgery. While I’m limiting myself to just weekend cycling (don’t want to over do it), we hope we can put some miles on these puppies before the weather turns.

With the cycling it’s solely for fun and sight-seeing. I’d love for us to hit the Mount Vernon bike path, but I think I’ve got to get my sea legs back before trying that one.

I’m sure the above sounds like a lot, but each activities add up to 30 minutes a day. For someone who worked out 2-3 hours a day (yes, a day), that’s taking it easy.

Genetic Test Results Are In

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genetic_testing

My genetics test came back negative for Lynch syndrome and a host of other cancer risks.

My oncologist’s concern that I have Lynch Syndrome were for naught. My hospital’s genetics lab called to give me the awesome news. YAY!!! Of course, what doctors know about genes is limited as this is a new area of research. But for now I’m in the clear.

Why You Should Eat Real Foods
Since I’m not genetically at a higher risk for cancer in my breasts, brain, and digestive and reproductive systems, it’s clear that something external triggered my uterine cancer.

My money is on the recommended American diet (high carb, low-fat). Read More

Fitness Trackers Don’t Cause Weight Loss (Psst…Neither Does Exercise)

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Do wearable fitness trackers help you lose weight? Of course not. Why? Because exercise doesn’t cause weight loss. Yet, researchers who still believe in the calories in, calories out myth spent 2 years and some serious dollars studying the weight loss results of those who wear fitness trackers.

Since the researchers believe in the weight loss myth of eat less and move more, they’ve earned the Captain Jean Luc Picard Double Face Palm Award!

http://i.giphy.com/6OWIl75ibpuFO.gif

If you’re not convinced that eating less and exercising more causes weight loss, then I suggest you check out this article about the show The Biggest Loser. Your body fights you tooth and nail when you cut your calories and exercise more.  And as an added bonus, your slower metabolism doesn’t bounce back.

Not enough evidence? How about the famous Women’s Health Study that showed if you exercise 1 hour a day everyday for 3 years, you’ll lose a total of 0.25 pounds. Yep, 1/4 of a pound…over 3 years.

I learned this lesson the hard way. When I started on my health journey, I tried exercising like a demon to “burn” calories. The result was one injury after another and not a whole lot of movement on the scale. My doctor told me to stop exercising until I lost 50 pounds. I thought he was insane. But sure enough, I focused on learning the nuts & bolts of LCHF eating and the pounds fell off. No calorie counting. No exercising.

I’m not saying don’t exercise. I love working out. It’s good for you, especially exercise that builds strength. But it isn’t a great tool for weight loss.

As they say, you can’t outrun your fork.

Cooking fails

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Amen! We all need to learn to be fearless in the kitchen. I hear from lots of folks that they just can’t cook. My response, you can. It just takes practice and keeping it simple.

The Maverick Blended Burger

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Love this idea! It’s the ultimate mushroom burger.

10 Tips For A Successful Fast

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water 1

Staying hydrated helps me stay on track during a fast. Cucumber-mint water is one of my go too drinks when fasting. Yummmm!

This morning I’m in hour 40 of my 48-hour fast and I feel great. My energy level is high and I’m managing the hunger pains easily. It’s a far cry from my very first attempt at fasting (I broke the fast within 4 hours).

Since I incorporated fasting into my way of eating there are a few things I’ve learned to be successful when choosing to go without food. Read More

Losing Weight In Public — Week 13

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Week 1 weight: 305 pounds
Last week’s weight: 288 pounds
Current weight: 287 pounds
Weight lost since last week: 1 pounds
Total weight lost: 18 pounds

Last week was a little better, but not great. Still stuff going on, and will for a while, but that can’t be an excuse to party like it’s 1999.

Lost a pound — first pound in the slow crawl back to my super skinny weight of 285 (yeah, baby).

Last Week’s Successes

Not a weight loss success but a happiness milestone — Dot and I are still riding our bikes. Lots of fun, and highly recommended. But ouch, my poor tires…

Last Week’s Challenge

Would you believe it, but last week I had some donuts at work? Terrible. The donuts, not the screwup. The screwup was bad, and fixable—just can’t do it again. But the donuts were these horrible things a staffing company brought in. Mint donuts? Donuts with bacon and/or weird textures on them? Not a jelly or cream-filled in sight? Ugh. But looking at the skinny 20-somethings who brought them in, I suppose it’s understandable. These people don’t eat donuts. Too skinny, too cool. And only young people think a mint donut makes sense (because breath, right?).

Not right. It’s communism, if you ask me.

See you next week folks 🙂

Running Etiquette vs. Selfies

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Brambelton 5K

Race Etiquette 101: After crossing the finish line of my first 5k, I pulling off to the a designated spot to out of the way of other runners so my husband could snap this shot.

When running a 5K it never dawned on me to stop, take my iPhone out of my carrier belt and snap a selfie of me.  That’s not why I run. Sure I had my husband take a photo of me crossing the finish line for my first 5k — that was a big deal to me.

I’ve run other 5k races since and not once did I stop in the middle of the course to snap a photo.

Well apparently it is becoming a problem. More people stopping mid race — in front of other runners — to take a selfie. There will always be rude people who are so self-absorbed they are inconsiderate of others. But apparently it is dramatically on the rise in races thanks to smartphones.

Race organizers are trying to come up with solutions to this problem — no selfie sticks allowed (good start!), redesigning courses to allow selfie areas (fine), and “discouraging” runners from taking selfies or social media updates mid race (ugh!).

I think when idiots like this get their 15 minutes of fame by taking selfies of unsuspecting “hot guys” during the New York City Half Marathon, racing organizers are going to have to do more than “discourage” these folks. When media like Good Morning America covers a story like this because “oh how cute” expect more of this crap to happen. Unfortunately I think it’s going to take a serious injury for it to happen. Read More

Losing Weight In Public — Week 11

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Boo Hoo

Boo Hoo

Week 1 weight: 305 pounds
Last week’s weight: 286 pounds
Current weight: 285 pounds
Weight lost since last week: 1 pounds
Total weight lost: 20 pounds

Woo hoo, I lost 20 pounds in 11 weeks! (I’ve been told I don’t look 285-300 pounds. I am 6’5″ though, and my belly’s not in the shot).

Woo hoo, I sort of went nuts last week — I had peach cobbler and ice cream! And got away with it!

Book Launch

hells_ch_tinyWoo hoo, I launched a new book last week: Hell’s Children: A Post-apocalyptic Survival Thriller. It’s about a world where all the adults die and only the children are left. Sort of like “Lord Of The Flies” — except grimmer, haha. If you’re curious, you can pick it up for the cheaper-than-coffee price of 99 cents (an early-bird promo price). I promise to use that 99 cents only for Good, and not for Evil. Unless it’s an evil piece of devil’s food cake, then all bets are off.

Energy

This weekend, I did gardening. Ugh. What a pain. I hate gardening. I don’t think I lost a pound because of that, but I mention it because of something awesome: I wasn’t as tired as I usually get. It seems that losing the weight is letting me bound around with more energy, and I don’t have to rest as much. Woo hoo!

Ok, see you week.

Woo hoo!