Today I did a little over 6 miles on the stationary bike. That is not much, but it is what I was able to do in the amount of time that I give myself in the morning to workout. I am very tired today because of a restless night. So I do not believe that my workout was as good as it could have been.
SPoH: Day 21 - Colbert talks more about dinner time then any other meal. I was expecting that he would finish off the Food section with how often and when we should be eating. Instead he decides to focus on dinner time. He did mention that breakfast should be the biggest meal of the day and that the following meals get smaller and smaller. Our culture seems to have this backwards today. Even to the point that people will actually skip breakfast. I used to do this, but this is a huge no no! What Colbert talks about though is pretty important. When you are eating your dinner, you really should stay away from watching TV or having a heated conversation. Pleasant conversation during a meal is very important for your digestion. He says that when you are arguing or debating at the table or watching an intense show or movie, your blood rushes to another part of your body effecting how your digestive system works. So when you are eating, try to avoid those heated moments. The other thing that I know we have all heard is that it takes about 20 minutes for your hypothalamus to signal to the rest of your body that you are full. So take your time eating. No need to shovel everything in. Colbert also says that especially with meats and other proteins we should chew, chew, chew! Part of digesting properly for humans is our chewing. When we swallow meat pieces whole it is hard on our bodies system. Making it overwork. So take your time eating. Don't rush the chewing and swallowing process. He also advises that after each bite put your fork down. This reminds you to take your time.
Some other things he talks about are the freshness of our foods and cooking healthy. In these hard times, buying food fresh and organic every couple of days is hard for a lot of people. But if you can do it, you will maximize the nutrients you receive from the foods you eat. Also, avoid frying at all costs and when you can, eat raw or steam. When you boil vegetables in water, a lot of the nutrients are left in the water. Microwaving makes food dead. So when you can, avoid using the microwave.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Monday, November 28, 2011
Day 36 of 5am & SPoH: Day 20 - Eating Meat & Dairy with Caution!
Today, I did Denise Austin's Hit the Spot: Core Complete. Honestly I did not feel like I got much from it. I will try a different segment or two on the video to see if I get a harder workout. I decided today to do the warm up (obviously) and the 18 minute full body segment. I think if I did this video starting out I might have felt more challenged, but this segment was a little easier then my level.
SPoH: Day 20 - How much meat & dairy products do you eat? God did design us so that we can be omnivores, but there are some people out there who eat way more meat than our bodies are designed for. Colbert says that there are three reasons for limiting meat (especially red): toxic fat, excess protein, irradiation.
What can you do to safely eat meat? Choose organic, free-range, or grass-fed meats and look for the leanest cut. Go with Turkey as your first choice. Limit red meats to only 4-6 oz, once or twice a week. Take the skin off your poultry before you cook it so that you don't risk getting pesticides cooked into the meat. Don't deep fry your meat. Yuck!!! Fish is healthy, however, many have high mercury content. So again, be cautious. If you are buying tuna, look for tongol tuna, it contains much fewer traces of mercury. Lok for pacific herring, king salmon, wild Pacific salmon, anchovies, and lake trout. Avoid Shark and Swordfish.
Dairy products (definitely a weakness of mine). A lot of children suffer from chronic ear and sinus infections that are onset by dairy sensitivity. If you have one of those children, try limiting their dairy intake and see if it helps. I discovered this very thing about myself when I was either in high school or college. I have not eliminated it from my diet completely, but I certainly have limited it. It makes a huge difference. Dairy products and cow's milk can also be linked to problems with skin rashes, eczema, fatigue, spastic colon, excessive mucus production, nasal allergies, and chronic sinus infections. Dairy has a lot of saturated fat. As alternatives: consider goat milk (the biblical idea of milk), choose organic skim, eat yogurt from time to time. Another alternative that I have chosen is almond milk. While some people choose soy milk, they don't realize that there are many foods that already contain soy. Also, many people have developed an allergy to soy as well. I recommend doing your own research on the different alternatives out there. I have heard that coconut milk is also very good for you, but the taste is very different.
Good news is that chocolate is good for you! There are a lot of great benefits to the cacao bean. Specifically though, dark chocolate. Watch out for the commercial chocolates. They are highly processed and much of the benefits are destroyed in that processing. As with all other foods, stick with organic chocolates and only eat in moderation.
SPoH: Day 20 - How much meat & dairy products do you eat? God did design us so that we can be omnivores, but there are some people out there who eat way more meat than our bodies are designed for. Colbert says that there are three reasons for limiting meat (especially red): toxic fat, excess protein, irradiation.
What can you do to safely eat meat? Choose organic, free-range, or grass-fed meats and look for the leanest cut. Go with Turkey as your first choice. Limit red meats to only 4-6 oz, once or twice a week. Take the skin off your poultry before you cook it so that you don't risk getting pesticides cooked into the meat. Don't deep fry your meat. Yuck!!! Fish is healthy, however, many have high mercury content. So again, be cautious. If you are buying tuna, look for tongol tuna, it contains much fewer traces of mercury. Lok for pacific herring, king salmon, wild Pacific salmon, anchovies, and lake trout. Avoid Shark and Swordfish.
Dairy products (definitely a weakness of mine). A lot of children suffer from chronic ear and sinus infections that are onset by dairy sensitivity. If you have one of those children, try limiting their dairy intake and see if it helps. I discovered this very thing about myself when I was either in high school or college. I have not eliminated it from my diet completely, but I certainly have limited it. It makes a huge difference. Dairy products and cow's milk can also be linked to problems with skin rashes, eczema, fatigue, spastic colon, excessive mucus production, nasal allergies, and chronic sinus infections. Dairy has a lot of saturated fat. As alternatives: consider goat milk (the biblical idea of milk), choose organic skim, eat yogurt from time to time. Another alternative that I have chosen is almond milk. While some people choose soy milk, they don't realize that there are many foods that already contain soy. Also, many people have developed an allergy to soy as well. I recommend doing your own research on the different alternatives out there. I have heard that coconut milk is also very good for you, but the taste is very different.
Good news is that chocolate is good for you! There are a lot of great benefits to the cacao bean. Specifically though, dark chocolate. Watch out for the commercial chocolates. They are highly processed and much of the benefits are destroyed in that processing. As with all other foods, stick with organic chocolates and only eat in moderation.
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Saturday Workout, Body Fat, and Juice?
Today I ran a little over 2 1/4 miles on the treadmill. I was thinking that maybe after my long workout on the bike yesterday I would be too sore today, but if you stretch really well and I find if you sometimes take a warm bath or do something relaxing for your body later in the day, it certainly helps. By the time I needed to workout today, my body was ready. Maybe a few sore spots here and there, but not so sore that it feels overworked. So today I ran and I burned another 400 calories.
I also want to mention that I took time to do some measurements today and I am proud to say that I am 15 inches down! So excited. In total that means I am 22.5 inches down since I started keeping track. I only lost about a lb and a half, but the inches sure say enough for me. My clothes fit better and I feel healthier.
The last two weeks I have had enough energy to accomplish a lot of chores that needed doing around my house. Stuff that I would keep putting off until vacations saying that I will wait until then to do them. Of course, when those holidays came, I never wanted to do any work. This weekend, as a treat, I am just maintaining rather than starting big projects. I am enjoying time with family and relaxing rather than thinking about all the things that I should be doing. I feel as if my stress levels are lower right now. That is a rare thing to accomplish. I feel as if doing things like spending time with God, eating healthier, exercising, etc are having a domino effect on the rest of my life. As if everything else is falling into place nicely.
Today I am going to pass on SPoH because there are a couple of different topics I recently heard about that I wanted to share. One, did you know that there are several different kinds of body fat? And two, did you know that drinking fruit juice puts you at higher risk for type 2 diabetes than soda?
The different types of body fat are brown, white, subcutaneous, and visceral. Brown fat is the one that is found even in the smallest person. It's the fat that everyone has. We've probably all heard that our bodies need a little fat. This is the fat that we want most of. It helps our bodies to metabolize and to stay warm. White fat is another type that everyone has, but it varies more on how much. White fat helps with storing energy and producing hormones. Subcutaneous fat is found under the skin and is what is used to measure body fat percentages usually. While it is not as harmful as visceral, if it is in the belly area, it can be harmful. Visceral fat is the big culprit. It's the fat that makes us more susceptible to diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and dementia. Does it make sense why a lot of men tend to suffer from these issues as opposed to women? Women are known for having more issues in other areas of their bodies. However, they say once menopause hits for women, beware of the belly. With the changes in your body, women tend to gain a belly. Out of all the fats, the one that is easiest to lose is subcutaneous. Burning visceral fat can be hard, but it can be done. Check out http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/the-truth-about-fat?page=2, http://www.livestrong.com/article/173780-how-to-burn-visceral-fat/, and http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-visceral-fat.htm for more information.
As for juice, I heard from a podcast that there are more juice drinkers that are obese than soda drinkers. We think it is better, but if you read the nutrition labels, there are often the same or more calories in fruit juice then there are in soda. But it comes from fruit which is good for you! The problem is that it is not fresh in the bottle and all of the really good stuff is stripped from the fruit once you juice it like the skin, rinds, flesh, or pulp. All that have very good nutrients that you lose in the juice. Not to mention that when you drink a glass of juice, you are not taking just enough from one fruit but rather of like 5, 6, or even more just in one glass. And out of all those pieces of fruit you are missing out on the good nutrients? It is better to eat your fruit then drink it. :) You can treat yourself every once in awhile, but beware of Jamba Juice. You might as well have a hamburger at McDonalds instead! Ok maybe not, but you know what I am saying. Don't drink your calories as the like to say in some dieting circles. Eat them instead. Here are a few other sites to check out:
http://www.balancedexistence.com/juice-diabetes/
http://www.wellsphere.com/weight-loss-article/study-drinking-fruit-juice-worse-than-sugary-soda-for-type-2-diabetes-risk/48674
http://pediatrics.about.com/cs/nutrition/a/fruit_juice.htm
I also want to mention that I took time to do some measurements today and I am proud to say that I am 15 inches down! So excited. In total that means I am 22.5 inches down since I started keeping track. I only lost about a lb and a half, but the inches sure say enough for me. My clothes fit better and I feel healthier.
The last two weeks I have had enough energy to accomplish a lot of chores that needed doing around my house. Stuff that I would keep putting off until vacations saying that I will wait until then to do them. Of course, when those holidays came, I never wanted to do any work. This weekend, as a treat, I am just maintaining rather than starting big projects. I am enjoying time with family and relaxing rather than thinking about all the things that I should be doing. I feel as if my stress levels are lower right now. That is a rare thing to accomplish. I feel as if doing things like spending time with God, eating healthier, exercising, etc are having a domino effect on the rest of my life. As if everything else is falling into place nicely.
Today I am going to pass on SPoH because there are a couple of different topics I recently heard about that I wanted to share. One, did you know that there are several different kinds of body fat? And two, did you know that drinking fruit juice puts you at higher risk for type 2 diabetes than soda?
The different types of body fat are brown, white, subcutaneous, and visceral. Brown fat is the one that is found even in the smallest person. It's the fat that everyone has. We've probably all heard that our bodies need a little fat. This is the fat that we want most of. It helps our bodies to metabolize and to stay warm. White fat is another type that everyone has, but it varies more on how much. White fat helps with storing energy and producing hormones. Subcutaneous fat is found under the skin and is what is used to measure body fat percentages usually. While it is not as harmful as visceral, if it is in the belly area, it can be harmful. Visceral fat is the big culprit. It's the fat that makes us more susceptible to diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and dementia. Does it make sense why a lot of men tend to suffer from these issues as opposed to women? Women are known for having more issues in other areas of their bodies. However, they say once menopause hits for women, beware of the belly. With the changes in your body, women tend to gain a belly. Out of all the fats, the one that is easiest to lose is subcutaneous. Burning visceral fat can be hard, but it can be done. Check out http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/the-truth-about-fat?page=2, http://www.livestrong.com/article/173780-how-to-burn-visceral-fat/, and http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-visceral-fat.htm for more information.
As for juice, I heard from a podcast that there are more juice drinkers that are obese than soda drinkers. We think it is better, but if you read the nutrition labels, there are often the same or more calories in fruit juice then there are in soda. But it comes from fruit which is good for you! The problem is that it is not fresh in the bottle and all of the really good stuff is stripped from the fruit once you juice it like the skin, rinds, flesh, or pulp. All that have very good nutrients that you lose in the juice. Not to mention that when you drink a glass of juice, you are not taking just enough from one fruit but rather of like 5, 6, or even more just in one glass. And out of all those pieces of fruit you are missing out on the good nutrients? It is better to eat your fruit then drink it. :) You can treat yourself every once in awhile, but beware of Jamba Juice. You might as well have a hamburger at McDonalds instead! Ok maybe not, but you know what I am saying. Don't drink your calories as the like to say in some dieting circles. Eat them instead. Here are a few other sites to check out:
http://www.balancedexistence.com/juice-diabetes/
http://www.wellsphere.com/weight-loss-article/study-drinking-fruit-juice-worse-than-sugary-soda-for-type-2-diabetes-risk/48674
http://pediatrics.about.com/cs/nutrition/a/fruit_juice.htm
Friday, November 25, 2011
Day 35 of 5am, Thanksgiving& Friday Workout, and SPoH: Day 19 - Living Foods
Tuesday this week, I overslept. I was rather disappointed. I had intended fully to wake up at 5 am, but somehow I missed turning on my alarm and my body woke me up at 6am instead of 5 am.
Wednesday morning I woke up and did my 5am workout. I did the Biggest Loser Ultimate Workout game. I did just a regular workout circuit this time.
Thanksgiving day I decided to do a Pilates youtube video. It has been awhile since I have done a pilates workout and I decided to give it a try today. I liked this workout because I did not feel that the challenge was too great.
Today I was also off work and decided to take advantage of the time that I had. I worked out on the stationary bike today and rode 16.4 miles. I burned a little over 400 calories during this workout. I hope that I did not push myself too much. We will see tomorrow. Right now I can feel the workout in my stomach from the pilates yesterday.
SPoH: Day 19 - Living foods. "Worship the LORD your God, and his blessing will be on your food and water. I will take away sickness from among you." Exodus 23:25. Bread also means nourishment.
At least half of what we eat should be living foods, such as fruits, vegetables, and grains. (preferably organic) Many medicines can be avoided when you consume more fruits, vegetables, and grains. When eating fruits and vegetables, they should be raw or steamed to gain all the benefits nutritionally from them. It is good to eat a wide variety, however, you may want to limit the starchy vegetables if you are trying to lose weight (corn, peas, potatoes, beans, etc.). One of the components of fruits and vegetables that is so good for us is the fiber. Fiber helps to move things along through our system as well as help detoxify the body. It's gross to talk about, but if you are not having many bowel movements then you probably are not eating enough of these food groups. You want to gradually increase your intake though so that you don't have some other side effects such as bloating, cramping, or . . . gas. Some of the best fruits and vegetables to eat for someone who is losing weight are: Artichoke, Asparagus, Avocado, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Celery, Cucumber, Eggplant, Green beans, Lettuce, Peppers, Snow peas, Spinach, Young summer squash, and Zucchini. Next time you go to the grocery store consider putting a few of these on the list. They have a low glycemic level, which means that they are less likely to spike your blood sugar levels.
For your whole grains, it is good to stick with the actual definition of a "whole" grain. Much of what we eat today is processed and stripped of it's nutrients. The best bread that you can eat is made with sprouted grain as they did in the biblical times. It can be a bit pricy, but one brand I really like and is even mentioned in the book is Ezekiel bread. They have a variety of blavors and even offer english muffins as a product. The best price I have found locally for us is at Trader Joe's. It is not very close to where I am, but I do enjoy making a trip from time to time to pick up a few things there. Otherwise it can be found in the frozen section of some of our bigger food chains. Check with your local store to see if they carry it. It is frozen because there are no preservatives.
Fats are a necessity in limited amounts. Our bodies especially need particular fats like the Monounsaturated and Omega fats. You can find them in olive oils, nuts, and fish. Beware of canola oil and fried foods.
The challenge today is to increase your intake of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and nuts. At the restaurants you go to, ask for more living foods and ask what kind of oil is used for their salad dressing.
Wednesday morning I woke up and did my 5am workout. I did the Biggest Loser Ultimate Workout game. I did just a regular workout circuit this time.
Thanksgiving day I decided to do a Pilates youtube video. It has been awhile since I have done a pilates workout and I decided to give it a try today. I liked this workout because I did not feel that the challenge was too great.
Today I was also off work and decided to take advantage of the time that I had. I worked out on the stationary bike today and rode 16.4 miles. I burned a little over 400 calories during this workout. I hope that I did not push myself too much. We will see tomorrow. Right now I can feel the workout in my stomach from the pilates yesterday.
SPoH: Day 19 - Living foods. "Worship the LORD your God, and his blessing will be on your food and water. I will take away sickness from among you." Exodus 23:25. Bread also means nourishment.
At least half of what we eat should be living foods, such as fruits, vegetables, and grains. (preferably organic) Many medicines can be avoided when you consume more fruits, vegetables, and grains. When eating fruits and vegetables, they should be raw or steamed to gain all the benefits nutritionally from them. It is good to eat a wide variety, however, you may want to limit the starchy vegetables if you are trying to lose weight (corn, peas, potatoes, beans, etc.). One of the components of fruits and vegetables that is so good for us is the fiber. Fiber helps to move things along through our system as well as help detoxify the body. It's gross to talk about, but if you are not having many bowel movements then you probably are not eating enough of these food groups. You want to gradually increase your intake though so that you don't have some other side effects such as bloating, cramping, or . . . gas. Some of the best fruits and vegetables to eat for someone who is losing weight are: Artichoke, Asparagus, Avocado, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Celery, Cucumber, Eggplant, Green beans, Lettuce, Peppers, Snow peas, Spinach, Young summer squash, and Zucchini. Next time you go to the grocery store consider putting a few of these on the list. They have a low glycemic level, which means that they are less likely to spike your blood sugar levels.
For your whole grains, it is good to stick with the actual definition of a "whole" grain. Much of what we eat today is processed and stripped of it's nutrients. The best bread that you can eat is made with sprouted grain as they did in the biblical times. It can be a bit pricy, but one brand I really like and is even mentioned in the book is Ezekiel bread. They have a variety of blavors and even offer english muffins as a product. The best price I have found locally for us is at Trader Joe's. It is not very close to where I am, but I do enjoy making a trip from time to time to pick up a few things there. Otherwise it can be found in the frozen section of some of our bigger food chains. Check with your local store to see if they carry it. It is frozen because there are no preservatives.
Fats are a necessity in limited amounts. Our bodies especially need particular fats like the Monounsaturated and Omega fats. You can find them in olive oils, nuts, and fish. Beware of canola oil and fried foods.
The challenge today is to increase your intake of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and nuts. At the restaurants you go to, ask for more living foods and ask what kind of oil is used for their salad dressing.
Friday, November 18, 2011
Day 32-34 of 5am, Saturday workout & SPoH: Day 18 - Food 101
Ok, so rather than trying to post a blog for each day I missed, I decided to just catch you up on what I missed. Day 32 of 5 am - Thursday I did Biggest Loser Power Sculpt, which I have done before.
Day 33 of 5 am- Friday, I decided to try something different . . . YouTube video: Kickboxing with Adrienne White. I had videos but as I have mentioned before I can get bored of videos, so I thought I would try something new. Since I can access You Tube from my TV, I didn't have to turn on my computer. So awesome! Anyways, I believe Adrienne said that she is a personal trainer in Dallas. Her video was good, but I warn you that it is rather fast paced and hard to keep up with when you have more than like 20 lbs to lose. I did it anyway and had a great workout.
Saturday workout, I did a half hour running sequence on the treadmill. Alternating 3 minutes of running and 3 minutes of walking. It felt fantastic! I did running last year until I could not handle it anymore because of the feeling that I was setting myself up for a huge injury. But since it has been awhile and I don't intend to run every day, I figured why not! It was great! Now let me say that it took me a long time to be able to say that. The one thing I like about running is that I don't have to watch a screen to see what my next move is going to be. Instead I can multitask and listen to or watch whatever I want. So I listened to the most recent Jillian Michaels podcast as I ran. We don't have a television in front of our treadmill, so I don't have that option anyways. So you can listen to a podcast, listen to music, listen to a book on CD, or listen to a sermon like Beth Moore. Having the ability to do that helps my mind to be engaged as well while I am working out. I'd like to try having Saturday as my running day so that I am not overdoing the activity but that I am at least running once a week.
Day 34 of 5am - Today, I did another round of Biggest Loser Cardio Max Weight Loss. Great burn today. I was sweating more than usual. It's a great feeling when you can start to see the results of your work. :)
SPoH: Day 18 - Food 101. This is by far the longest chapter in the book so far. It was more of a refresher course for me with a few interesting facts that I did not know before. This chapter is basically covering why we should really be avoiding 'man-made' foods. He starts of with a story about a woman who comes in extremely overweight trying to understand why she has gained when she eats all the basic food groups. Whopper covers grains, meat, dairy, & vegetables and juice covers the fruit group. Anyone else see what is wrong with this? Everything is processed and while most of us will give our kids juice, it contains a lot of added sugar. Companies are getting better, but unless your juice is freshly squeezed at home, we don't know what else might be in it. It is better to actually eat the fruit itself.
So what is it that is so bad about processed food? We can put it this way. In order to give our bodies the sustenance that it needs, we need to consume certain minerals and nutrients. The hard thing in America is that all of the processed foods take out the nutrients that our bodies need and sell them to health food companies. There are a couple things about white bread that I found interesting. One, they bleach it so that it looks white, otherwise it would look gray. The other thing is that when it is wet it is sticky. So gross! It is better to stick to foods that are whole grains. I have found that more recently though, companies are starting to catch on to the new wave of the health conscious and they are providing more healthier options.
Some things that we need to look out for are MSG, Sugar and their alternatives, white flour, fast food, bad meats (such as hot dogs, sausage, bacon, etc.), and certain fats such as hydrogenated oils. There are so many side effects that it is hard to name them all just in this post. Just to name a few - headaches or migraines, a variety of cancers, joint pains, nausea, etc. The list goes on and on. All things that we would like to avoid. I am not going to say that I will avoid these foods altogether, but I certainly would limit how much I would intake. I used to eat whoppers maybe 3 times a week or so and maybe a chalupa another 3 times during the week. I'll tell you, I was not always feeling so great then. Now, I can't even remember the last time I have eaten either of them. There are a lot of 'diets' out there that say you can eat whatever you want as long as it is in moderation. However, knowing what is in some foods really makes me not want to eat them. If you knew that certain foods, particularly man made foods could hurt your health, does it not make you want to stop eating them all together? Ok, so like I said, I might not do that. But I certainly would cut back to maybe once a year for those foods that I really like.
The point of this chapter is more to be mindful of what you are eating. Read labels. Find out how much of the "bad" stuff you are taking in and try to limit it. If you can't live without something, maybe try to find a healthy alternative. You love meat and cheese sandwiches? Eat it with whole grain bread, avocado, turkey breast and mozzarella cheese slices, rather than white bread, mayonnaise, bologna, and american cheese. Stick with the less processed, less preservatives, and less hormones. I think I remember reading or hearing Jillian Michaels say, if you don't understand what certain ingredients are then don't buy it! Most likely it is something you don't want in your body. If you want to read more details on MSG, Sugar, etc. there are all sorts of websites you can check out or you can read the chapter in this book. There is just too much to include in my blog that has already become rather lengthy.
Day 33 of 5 am- Friday, I decided to try something different . . . YouTube video: Kickboxing with Adrienne White. I had videos but as I have mentioned before I can get bored of videos, so I thought I would try something new. Since I can access You Tube from my TV, I didn't have to turn on my computer. So awesome! Anyways, I believe Adrienne said that she is a personal trainer in Dallas. Her video was good, but I warn you that it is rather fast paced and hard to keep up with when you have more than like 20 lbs to lose. I did it anyway and had a great workout.
Saturday workout, I did a half hour running sequence on the treadmill. Alternating 3 minutes of running and 3 minutes of walking. It felt fantastic! I did running last year until I could not handle it anymore because of the feeling that I was setting myself up for a huge injury. But since it has been awhile and I don't intend to run every day, I figured why not! It was great! Now let me say that it took me a long time to be able to say that. The one thing I like about running is that I don't have to watch a screen to see what my next move is going to be. Instead I can multitask and listen to or watch whatever I want. So I listened to the most recent Jillian Michaels podcast as I ran. We don't have a television in front of our treadmill, so I don't have that option anyways. So you can listen to a podcast, listen to music, listen to a book on CD, or listen to a sermon like Beth Moore. Having the ability to do that helps my mind to be engaged as well while I am working out. I'd like to try having Saturday as my running day so that I am not overdoing the activity but that I am at least running once a week.
Day 34 of 5am - Today, I did another round of Biggest Loser Cardio Max Weight Loss. Great burn today. I was sweating more than usual. It's a great feeling when you can start to see the results of your work. :)
SPoH: Day 18 - Food 101. This is by far the longest chapter in the book so far. It was more of a refresher course for me with a few interesting facts that I did not know before. This chapter is basically covering why we should really be avoiding 'man-made' foods. He starts of with a story about a woman who comes in extremely overweight trying to understand why she has gained when she eats all the basic food groups. Whopper covers grains, meat, dairy, & vegetables and juice covers the fruit group. Anyone else see what is wrong with this? Everything is processed and while most of us will give our kids juice, it contains a lot of added sugar. Companies are getting better, but unless your juice is freshly squeezed at home, we don't know what else might be in it. It is better to actually eat the fruit itself.
So what is it that is so bad about processed food? We can put it this way. In order to give our bodies the sustenance that it needs, we need to consume certain minerals and nutrients. The hard thing in America is that all of the processed foods take out the nutrients that our bodies need and sell them to health food companies. There are a couple things about white bread that I found interesting. One, they bleach it so that it looks white, otherwise it would look gray. The other thing is that when it is wet it is sticky. So gross! It is better to stick to foods that are whole grains. I have found that more recently though, companies are starting to catch on to the new wave of the health conscious and they are providing more healthier options.
Some things that we need to look out for are MSG, Sugar and their alternatives, white flour, fast food, bad meats (such as hot dogs, sausage, bacon, etc.), and certain fats such as hydrogenated oils. There are so many side effects that it is hard to name them all just in this post. Just to name a few - headaches or migraines, a variety of cancers, joint pains, nausea, etc. The list goes on and on. All things that we would like to avoid. I am not going to say that I will avoid these foods altogether, but I certainly would limit how much I would intake. I used to eat whoppers maybe 3 times a week or so and maybe a chalupa another 3 times during the week. I'll tell you, I was not always feeling so great then. Now, I can't even remember the last time I have eaten either of them. There are a lot of 'diets' out there that say you can eat whatever you want as long as it is in moderation. However, knowing what is in some foods really makes me not want to eat them. If you knew that certain foods, particularly man made foods could hurt your health, does it not make you want to stop eating them all together? Ok, so like I said, I might not do that. But I certainly would cut back to maybe once a year for those foods that I really like.
The point of this chapter is more to be mindful of what you are eating. Read labels. Find out how much of the "bad" stuff you are taking in and try to limit it. If you can't live without something, maybe try to find a healthy alternative. You love meat and cheese sandwiches? Eat it with whole grain bread, avocado, turkey breast and mozzarella cheese slices, rather than white bread, mayonnaise, bologna, and american cheese. Stick with the less processed, less preservatives, and less hormones. I think I remember reading or hearing Jillian Michaels say, if you don't understand what certain ingredients are then don't buy it! Most likely it is something you don't want in your body. If you want to read more details on MSG, Sugar, etc. there are all sorts of websites you can check out or you can read the chapter in this book. There is just too much to include in my blog that has already become rather lengthy.
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