Darling can't you hear me, S.O.S.

The first ABBA song I remember hearing when I was growing up is S.O.S. I didn't know it was ABBA at the time because we had it on one of those cheaper "all the top hits" albums with fake singers. Later on when I realized ABBA sang that song and so many others of my favorites, I was a big fan (still am!)  But back to the subject of S.O.S. -- I need some help!

I used to love blogging about healthy eating because I had developed some healthy habits quite well, wanted to share how it worked for me, and knew that others needed support and guidance. Now I'm the one needing support and guidance. I've been struggling for the past few years to be consistent with my healthy eating and do well for awhile, then fall back, then stand up and fall again. It's quite defeating. But I recently read an article while Googling for how to be consistent with not eating sugar or something like that. When the writer congratulated herself on being consistent all these years, her definition of being consistent was that each time she faltered, she got back up and started again. She viewed that as being consistent!! That was new to me. I only thought I was consistent if I was doing well with eating healthy for months or years at a time.

Baron Baptiste uses a variation of this quote about the importance of getting up every time we fall in one of his yoga videos; I've referred to it while teaching balance poses because it's so easy to get frustrated with yourself when you fall out of a tree pose or eagle (or name your balance pose). I tell them that it doesn't really matter if they sway or fall -- the power lies in rising each and every time. I also tell them (and now I'm telling myself!) that the falling just gives us an opportunity to observe our thoughts and guide ourselves back to a calm state so we can find that steadiness (and not to worry about what I or anyone else thinks about them). So how can I adapt this to my battle with eating foods that are destructive for my body when I really don't want to be eating them, but do it anyway? I need to stand up, find my stable base, create stability and watch for the winds that may come my way. If I sway, I'll just start again and won't feel so awful that I keep falling. And I need to congratulate myself that I am consistent because I have not given up!

It's not the most fun thing to admit my shortcomings, but I miss writing and need to do it to clear my thoughts and make them more pronounced in my brain. I stopped blogging a few years ago (if you can't tell from the date on my previous post :) ) because I started doing other work that involved writing and editing and that filled that need for the most part. Now I can see I need to write for other reasons. I've always been expressive. I've written hundreds of letters and have filled up over a dozen journals in the days before email and blogs. Even if no one else reads my posts, I need them. But if they do help you or anyone else, that would also be wonderful!

I'm sure I'll be back before letting another two years pass. I need this in my journey to keep my body strong and away from the addictive substance that sugar is for me. I'll write more about that another day, but for now, I'm glad to have a clear head and pack on the path. TTFN!

Do One Thing a Day that Scares You

If you've ever seen a Lululemon Manifesto shopping bag, you've probably seen the bit of advice that jumped out to me the first time I had a Lulu bag: "Do one thing a day that scares you."  Sure, there are many other important motivational mantras on the bag, but that's the one that always hit me the most.

It's not like I thought I needed to suddenly lead a life of high adventure life (I'm not a fan of heights or many death defying feats). Yet I knew there were many things that I wanted to do or try, but stopped myself out of fear. Perhaps I didn't even know I was fearful. It was more a feeling of not knowing if it would ever be able to happen. I knew it was time to start exploring to find out!

Did I do it every day like the shopping bag was telling me to? No. But I started a new way of exploring the thoughts and desires that came into my head. Instead of tossing it aside as either not being right for me or not being right at this time of my life, I would think of something I could do to see if it could work. Just a bit here and a bit there again and again -- sometimes just taking a small step in that one thing over many days to get to where I could see if it could work. If I hit a brick wall, fine. But if I was able to go further, all the better!

Over time, I have seen things happen that I've wished could for years and I'm finding so much joy in watching it unfold. YET, it's still scary at times -- sometimes even each day. Here's an example:

Teaching Yoga -- I'm now a certified yoga instructor and am about to embark on a new teaching schedule at Perfect Union with 5 classes a week -- yay!  (I even have a new website!)  How did this all come to be? Easy peasy, right?  No, not at all.

First I had to stop telling myself that I couldn't possibly fit in a 200-hour yoga teaching training experience. How could I? This was a HUGE commitment and took up almost every weekend I had for 6 months. (Not to mention, but I am actually mentioning, the yoga classes I attended throughout the week so I could practice yoga with a variety of instructors). I had to break through that barrier of telling myself it wouldn't work and (imagine a person with a machete' hacking down tall weeds in a huge field) one weekend after another, make sure that it did work. (I only missed one workshop -- and that was for my daughter's baby shower 800 miles away). I also had to talk to people who supported my idea to help build my confidence for doing it when my own started to waver.



It was a little frightening making that first step to take the course, even though I was super excited to do it. The day I first walked into Santa Cruz Yoga for the training, I literally felt my knees buckle and almost collapsed, wanting to turn around, run to my car, and drive back home. I remember this voice in my head loudly crying, "What am I doing? I can't do this! I don't belong here." I felt this fear of not belonging as I saw all these much younger, certainly "hip"'per yoga students leaving from the previous yoga class. I was so sure I wasn't right for this -- I was too old and just didn't fit in. Remembering that it was actually a good thing to do something that scared me, I did the yoga thing and just calmly breathed my way into the entrance of the studio, stood in line to sign in for the class, smiled to the others around me as if all was well and made my way onto my mat.

Going forward that day has brought me so many moments of joy, peace and innumerable blessings. I absolutely LOVED the experience. Were there more moments of fear along the way? Most certainly -- in fact, at least one each day we trained together and some at home. But I pushed through them, literally feeling at times like I was standing at the side of the swimming pool when I knew the water was a little too cold for my liking, but that I really did want to get in. I just had to close my eyes to that initial unpleasant feeling and just jump.


I've been doing the same thing the past few months while looking into teaching yoga in my little town that has hardly any yoga opportunities (for students or for teachers). I decided if I just did one little thing each day that could bring me closer to finding a teaching situation that worked well for me, it was time well spent. Fast forward maybe only 6 weeks and all of these little efforts have brought me some new friends that I cherish and will be working with (just as valuable to me as the teaching opportunity) and a new schedule of teaching yoga in a fabulous location 5-6 times a week not far from my home. Life is good!

If you haven't tried setting aside your fears to see what you can accomplish, do it. You may hit a few walls, but more often than not, you will find yourself learning and growing and doing things that will bring you great joy!  Have at it and let me know how it goes!  TTFN!

Lululemon bag photo by Onada via Flickr Creative Commons
Brick Wall photo by Neville Nels via Flickr Creative Commons
Yoga Workshop photo by Tawnya Gilbert
Swimming Pool photo by  Althea Rose via Flickr Creative Commons

New Year, New Habit

I've been reading about habits lately -- trying to learn how to replace old, hindering habits with new beneficial habits.  One thing I learned from Charles Duhigg's The Power of Habit book is that some habits are more influential on other habits than others, meaning that some habits spread quite naturally into creating other new helpful habits. These are called "keystone habits."  If I want to develop just one new habit (focusing on one habit at a time is much easier, after all), it would make sense to be sure that habit is a keystone habit. . .

So, where do I begin?  Where do you begin?  Many of us (especially right after the holiday season) are thinking about fitness goals in January.  (And if you know me, I'm thinking about fitness goals all year round!) If I were to just focus on eating, I could get specific with what I should eat, when I should eat, and where I should eat it (I have a little problem with not sitting down to eat during the day).  But the more I think about it, my bad keystone habit that infiltrates into demolishing all my eating hopes and dreams is not about where why and what I eat.  It's a habit I have of sabotaging my goals.

There, I said it.  Hard to admit, but in my head, I have known this for many years.  I love to plan out goals.  I love to imagine the rewards, the preparations, and the satisfaction that I'll have when it all goes as planned. Sometimes I keep those plans really well, sometimes for months at a time, maybe even years. But when I need to begin again for whatever reason, I've found that I tend to throw in the towel before the journey even begins.  I am happier to give up on my eating plan first thing in the morning because it takes off the pressure of thinking about it for the rest of the day.  If I can just fail at the beginning, I won't be stressed about failing later on.  I won't have to battle anymore.  Sound crazy? Maybe it is, but I don't think I'm the only person in the world who does this.


I haven't actually read about other people doing this exact same thing to themselves, but I've read many diet books (or healthy eating books) that talk about having friends or family members who tend to sabotage your plans.  Sometimes we can separate ourselves from those people or the events that will present those situations.  But what if WE are the ones who are doing the sabotaging?  Can we separate from ourselves?  Not really. We need to learn how to stop that cycle. THAT is the keystone habit that I am going to work on this year.  Hopefully (as is the meaning of the word "habit"), I won't have to work on not sabotaging myself after awhile -- then just think about how much easier the other habits will be to develop!

Do I have any answers for how to stop the sabotaging cycle?   Not yet, but I will.  What I know is that a habit has a cue (or trigger), a routine (or behavior) and a reward.  My trigger is most likely the anxiety or self-imposed pressure of following a healthier plan. The behavior is to fail (meaning that I quickly eat something completely off plan).  And the reward is that I don't have to think about it  (thus releasing the anxiety) anymore -- at least not until tomorrow ☺

To develop a new habit, you use the same trigger and reward, but change the behavior. That scenario could be:  Feel the anxiety, _______________, Not think about it anymore.  Now I just need to fill in that blank.

Here are a few ideas that I'll experiment with -- (Yoda will be pleased that I didn't say "try"):

• Do just a few yoga poses, yes even in the kitchen.  Many relieve anxiety and maybe that could help
• Say a silent prayer for strength to break the cycle.
• Sit down and eat something healthy -- anything -- even if it's not on the original plan, just get it in your body so you can think more clearly, taking time to breathe and ponder.
• Go outside for a few minutes -- enjoy the sunshine or nature available and see if it clears your mind.
• Tell yourself that you wouldn't do this to your best friend and that you should be just as loving to yourself.
• Write down all the reasons that you would like to bail on your plans and write more to show yourself what is a better idea.

That last one was something I did when I first started exercising consistently almost 19 years ago. Whenever I came up with a reason why I couldn't exercise, I'd make myself write down why I couldn't. When I saw it on paper, I'd see just how lame my excuse was and I'd get up and exercise.  Maybe that could work with developing other habits, as well.

I will let you know how this goes.  And I'd love to hear what works for you.  TTFN!

Yoga and Nature photos by Javier Morales via Creative Commons
Stop photo by isolatecyclist

Alkaline and Acidifying Foods

There's a lot of talk about not eating too many acidic foods and having a slightly alkaline balance in your body for better health. There are nutrition experts on both sides of this theory -- some saying that an acidic body is a welcome host for cancer whereas an alkaline body is not a good environment for cancer to grow. Acidic bodies also are said to have more inflammatory diseases. I haven't read enough about it to come to my own conclusion, but from what I can see, it goes along with whole food eating. If you're eating processed foods, sugar, and too many animal products and starches, you're going to have more health problems. If you're eating a vegetable based diet with plenty of other whole foods, you'll have a stronger, disease-free body.

Here are some charts I found to show which foods are acidic or alkaline.

ALKALINE / ACIDIC FOOD CHARTS The charts below are provided for those trying to "adjust" their body pH through their diet. The pH scale is from 0 to 14, with numbers below 7 acidic (low on oxygen) and numbers above 7 alkaline. These charts are intended only as a general guide to alkalizing and acidifying foods. Note that there may be some discrepancies between foods included on these charts.*

Alkaline Foods

ALKALIZING VEGETABLES: Alfalfa, Barley Grass, Beets, Beet Greens, Broccoli, Cabbage, Carrot, Cauliflower, Celery, Chard, Greens, Chlorella, Collard Greens, Cucumber, Dandelions, Dulce, Edible Flowers, Eggplant, Fermented Veggies, Garlic, Green Beans, Green Peas, Kale, Kohlrabi, Lettuce, Mushrooms, Mustard Greens, Nightshade Veggies, Onions, Parsnips, Peas, Peppers, Pumpkin, Radishes, Rutabaga, Sea Veggies, Spinach, green Spirulina, Sprouts, Sweet Potatoes, Tomatoes, Watercress, Wheat Grass, Wild Greens

ALKALIZING ORIENTAL VEGETABLES: Maitake, Daikon, Dandelion Root, Shitake, Kombu, Reishi, Nori, Umeboshi, Wakame

ALKALIZING FRUITS: Apple, Apricot, Avocado, Banana (high glycemic), Berries, Blackberries, Cantaloupe, Cherries, Coconut, fresh Currants, Dates, dried Figs, Grapes, Grapefruit*, Honeydew Melon, Lemon*, Lime*, Muskmelons, Nectarine*, Orange*, Peach, Pear, Pineapple, Raisins, Raspberries, Rhubarb, Strawberries, Tangerine*, Tomato, Tropical Fruits, Umeboshi, Plums, Watermelon*,

*Although it might seem that citrus fruits would have an acidifying effect on the body, the citric acid they contain actually has an alkalizing effect in the system.

ALKALIZING PROTEIN: Almonds, Chestnuts, Millet, Tempeh (fermented), Tofu (fermented), Whey, Protein Powder

ALKALIZING SWEETENERS: Stevia

ALKALIZING SPICES & SEASONINGS: Cinnamon, Curry, Ginger, Mustard, Chili Pepper, Sea Salt, Miso, Tamari, All Herbs

ALKALIZING OTHER: Apple Cider Vinegar, Bee Pollen, Lecithin Granules, blackstrap Molasses, Probiotic Cultures, Soured Dairy Products, Green Juices, Veggie Juices, Fresh Fruit Juice, Mineral Water, Alkaline Antioxidant Water

ALKALIZING MINERALS: Cesium: pH 14, Potassium: pH 14, Sodium: pH 14, Calcium: pH 12, Magnesium: pH 9

Acidifying Foods

ACIDIFYING VEGETABLES: Corn, Lentils, Olives, Winter Squash

ACIDIFYING FRUITS: Blueberries, Canned or Glazed Fruits, Cranberries, Currants, Plums, **Prunes**

ACIDIFYING GRAINS, GRAIN PRODUCTS: Amaranth, BarleyBran, wheat,Bran, oat, Corn, Cornstarch, Hemp Seed Flour, KamutOats (rolled), Oatmeal, Quinoa, Rice (all), Rice Cakes, Rye, Spelt, Wheat, Wheat Germ, Noodles, Macaroni, Spaghetti, Bread, Crackers, soda, Flour, white, Flour

ACIDIFYING BEANS & LEGUMES: Black Beans, Chick Peas, Green Peas, Kidney Beans, Lentils, Pinto Beans, Red Beans, Soy Beans, Soy Milk, White Beans, Rice Milk, Almond Milk

ACIDIFYING DAIRY: Butter, Cheese, Processed Cheese, Ice Cream, Ice Milk

ACIDIFYING NUTS & BUTTERS: Cashews, Legumes, Peanuts, Peanut Butter, Pecans, Tahini, Walnuts

ACIDIFYING ANIMAL PROTEIN: Bacon, Beef, Carp, Clams, Cod, Corned Beef, Fish, Haddock, Lamb, Lobster, Mussels, Organ Meats, Oyster, Pike, Pork, Rabbit, Salmon, Sardines, Sausage, Scallops, Shrimp, Scallops, Shellfish, Tuna, Turkey, Veal, Venison

ACIDIFYING FATS & OILS: Avocado Oil, Butter, Canola Oil, Corn Oil, Hemp Seed Oil, Flax Oil, Lard, Olive Oil, Safflower Oil, Sesame Oil, Sunflower Oil

ACIDIFYING SWEETENERS: Carob, Sugar, Corn Syrup

ACIDIFYING ALCOHOL: Beer, Spirits, Hard Liquor, Wine

ACIDIFYING OTHER FOODS: Catsup, Cocoa, Coffee, Vinegar (other than Apple Cider), Mustard, Pepper, Soft Drinks

ACIDIFYING DRUGS & CHEMICALS: Aspirin, Chemicals, Drugs, Medicinal, Drugs, Psychedelic Pesticides, Herbicides, Tobacco

ACIDIFYING JUNK FOOD: Coca-Cola: pH 2, Beer: pH 2.5, Coffee: pH 4
** These foods leave an alkaline ash but have an acidifying effect on the body.

UNKNOWN FOODS
There are several versions of the Acidic and Alkaline Food chart to be found in different books and on the Internet. The following foods are sometimes attributed to the Acidic side of the chart and sometimes to the Alkaline side. Asparagus, Brazil Nuts, Brussel Sprouts, Buckwheat, Chicken, Corn, Cottage Cheese, Eggs, Flax Seeds, Green Tea, Herbal Tea, Honey, Kombucha, Lima Beans, Maple Syrup, Milk, Nuts, Organic Milk(unpasteurized), Potatoes, Pumpkin Seeds, Sauerkraut, Soy Products, Sprouted Seeds, Squashes, Sunflower Seeds, Yogurt

Ranked Food Chart : Alkaline to Acidic

EXTREMELY ALKALINE

Lemons, Watermelon

ALKALINE FORMING
Cantaloupe, Cayenne Celery, Dates, Figs, Kelp, Limes, Mango, Melons, Papaya, Parsley, Seaweeds, Seedless Grapes (sweet), Watercress
Asparagus, Fruit Juices, Grapes (sweet), Kiwifruit, Passion fruit, Pears (sweet), Pineapple, Raisins, Umeboshi Plums, Vegetable Juices

MODERATELY ALKALINE

Apples (sweet), Alfalfa Sprouts, Apricots, Avocados, Bananas (ripe), Currants, Dates, Figs (fresh), Garlic, Grapefruit, Grapes (less sweet), Guavas, Herbs (leafy green), Lettuce (leafy green), Nectarine, Peaches (sweet), Pears (less sweet), Peas (fresh, sweet), Pumpkin (sweet), Sea Salt (vegetable)

Apples (sour), Beans (fresh, green), Beets, Bell Peppers, Broccoli, Cabbage, Carob, Cauliflower, Ginger (fresh), Grapes (sour), Lettuce (pale green), Oranges, Peaches (less sweet), Peas (less sweet), Potatoes (with skin), Pumpkin (less sweet), Raspberries, Strawberries, Squash, Sweet Corn (fresh), Turnip, Vinegar (Apple Cider)

SLIGHLTY ALKALINE
Almonds, Artichokes (Jerusalem), Brussel Sprouts, Cherries, Coconut (fresh), Cucumbers, Eggplant, Honey (raw), Leeks, Mushrooms, Okra, Olives (ripe), Onions, Pickles (homemade), Radishes, Sea Salt, Spices, Tomatoes (sweet), Vinegar (sweet brown rice)
Chestnuts (dry, roasted), Egg Yolks (soft cooked), Essene Bread, Goat's Milk and Whey (raw), Mayonnaise (homemade), Olive Oil, Sesame Seeds (whole), Soy Beans (dry), Soy Cheese, Soy Milk, Sprouted Grains, Tofu, Tomatoes (less sweet), Yeast (nutritional flakes)

NEUTRAL
Butter (fresh, unsalted), Cream (fresh, raw), Cow's Milk and Whey (raw), Margine, Oils (except olive), Yogurt (plain)

MODERATELY ACIDIC
Bananas (green), Barley (rye), Blueberries, Bran, Butter, Cereals (unrefined), Cheeses, Crackers (unrefined rye, rice and wheat), Cranberries, Dried Beans (mung, adzuki, pinto, kidney, garbanzo), Dry Coconut, Egg Whites, Eggs Whole (cooked hard), Fructose, Goat's Milk (homogenized), Honey (pasteurized), Ketchup, Maple Syrup (unprocessed), Milk (homogenized), Molasses (unsulferd and organic), Most Nuts, Mustard, Oats (rye, organic), Olives (pickled), Pasta (whole grain), Pastry (whole grain and honey), Plums, Popcorn (with salt and/or butter), Potatoes, Prunes, Rice (basmati and brown), Seeds (pumpkin, sunflower), Soy Sauce, Wheat Bread (sprouted organic)

EXTREMELY ACIDIC
Artificial Sweeteners, Beef, Beer, Breads, Brown Sugar, Carbonated Soft Drinks, Cereals (refined), Chocolate, Cigarettes and Tobacco, Coffee, Cream of Wheat (unrefined), Custard (with white sugar), Deer, Drugs, Fish, Flour (white wheat), Fruit Juices with Sugar, Jams, Jellies, Lamb, Liquor, Maple Syrup (processed), Molasses (sulphured), Pasta (white), Pastries and Cakes from White Flour, Pickles (commercial), Pork, Poultry, Seafood, Sugar (white), Table Salt (refined and iodized), Tea (black), White Bread, White Vinegar (processed), Whole Wheat Foods, Wine, Yogurt (sweetened)

UNKNOWN FOODS
There are several versions of the Acidic and Alkaline Food chart to be found in different books and on the Internet. The following foods are sometimes attributed to the Acidic side of the chart and sometimes to the Alkaline side: Asparagus, Brazil Nuts, Brussel Sprouts, Buckwheat, Chicken, Corn, Cottage Cheese, Eggs, Flax Seeds, Green Tea, Herbal Tea, Honey, Kombucha, Lima Beans, Maple Syrup, Milk, Nuts, Organic Milk (unpasteurized), Potatoes, white Pumpkin Seeds, Sauerkraut, Soy Products, Sprouted Seeds, Squashes, Sunflower Seeds, Yogurt

Remember, you don't need to adhere strictly to the Alkaline side of the chart. You can still eat foods that are acidifying. Just make sure a good percentage of the foods you eat come from the akaline side of the chart (and keep your acidic foods whole!) Watermelon is one of the most alkalizing foods. Eat up in the summer! And add some slices of lemon to your water.

The Cycle of Dieting

I hesitated to put the word "Dieting" in the title because it seems like everyone is trying to say that a healthier eating program is "not a diet."  But to me, changing your eating from your usual habits is going on a diet, even one that you can stick with for a long, long time.  So that's what I'm going to call it.

Now that THAT's out of the way, let's get to the heart of this with The Cycle of Dieting.........

Have you ever heard someone say something like this:

I read this book (or a blog ☺) about healthy eating by blah, blah, blah and from that very moment, I decided that I was going to change my eating.  I've been eating this way for the past 10 months and I feel fantastic!  

What?  Who does this? I know these people are for real because I've heard this in some variation many times.  But I'm not one of them.  I have failed far more attempts at changing my eating than I have succeeded.  The big picture is that my eating has changed drastically from 12 years ago.  The fine print, however, is an exhausting pattern of making some changes, doing fantastic for a little while, then somehow tripping up and ending up not sticking with it.  It's pretty frustrating, but if I can see it for what it is and realize that I do continue making progress and I shouldn't be so hard on myself.   However, I know it's got to be better for my health to be more consistent.  And this Cycle of Dieting can get old real fast.



When I first looked into cutting dairy out of my diet (there's that word again!), I read Marilu Henner's books. In her first book Total Health Makeover (published in 2000), she calls this cycle of not sticking with a diet as "The Rainbow Theory."   Even though it doesn't describe me perfectly, it certainly hit home and made me feel happy that I wasn't the only one that went through this pattern over and over.  You can read her version if you'd like, but here's how I see it happening for me.  And I doubt I'm the only one.  How many people start a diet and can't last much more than a week? (if they're lucky to get that far).

I'll just group mine in stages:

• Stage 1 -- Revelation! --   You're starting a new diet!  You've discovered and you're convinced that this way of eating is going to improve your health AND help you shed a few pounds -- GREAT! Why would you want to eat any other way?  Of course you're not going to start today (there's a wedding this weekend, you have friends coming in from out of town, it's not a Monday -- diet changes always work better when you start on a Monday). So you start to plan and prepare for the new you.  Buy plenty of groceries, find a friend who will join you or better yet, sign up for an Facebook group for support.  This is going to be great!  
• Stage 2 -- Celebration! -- You start your diet -- yay!  It's so fun to see how you feel.  Sure you may feel some detox (there's a ton of information on that, so headaches, grouchiness, feeling like you can't stay awake past 7:00 -- Bring it on!  You've got this and you're excited to continue!
• Stage 3 -- Making Progress -- You've seen some improvements -- you're feeling lighter, more energetic, and are sleeping better.  You're not even missing the old food.  You're not sure you want to go out to dinner, though -- that may be too tempting.  You bow out of a dinner invitation until you think you can master that.  You don't really tell your close friends what you're doing yet because you'd rather just get a bit more confident and comfortable with it.
• Stage 4 -- Settling In -- You are starting to feel like this way of eating is something you can live with for a long time. You might nibble on this or that occasionally, but it's okay if you're not 100% all the time.  We're all human and all your friends and relatives who don't eat this way aren't that bad off.  In fact, they're probably having a lot of fun eating that way.  Still, you can see the value of sticking with it and stick with it, you will!  You really need to stock up on more fresh foods though.
• Stage 5 -- Too comfortable / Off guard -- You decide to order french fries when you're out for lunch with friends.  You don't really want fries, but their house salad isn't that good and you used to love eating fries when you ate out with your grandma many years ago. Just a few won't hurt.  Well, since I had those fries, maybe I should eat that chocolate that's up in my cupboard when I get home. I Then I won't be tempted by it anymore --  after all, I did already get off track a bit with the fries.
• Stage 6 -- Fickle -- I really should get back to my eating plan, but I just want to bake some cookies.  I haven't baked cookies in a long time.  Maybe after this weekend, I'll get back to my healthy eating plan.  Besides, I won't eat that many cookies.
• Stage 7 -- Remorse / Re-commitment (three weeks later after eating sugar, sugar, sugar) --Why did I blow it?  Can't I ever have some self-control?  I really need to get back on track.  *sigh!*

Marilu Henner says that it's really the most practical to stay somewhere in that middle range -- between Stages 3 and 4.  We can't all stay hyped up over our new goals forever -- it's kind of a honeymoon phase actually. It's energizing and fun, but day to day situations come and it's more realistic to stay in your stages of Making Progress (even if gradual, stagnant, or unnoticeable to others) and Settling In.

As you feel settled in, if you find yourself veering off  your path a bit, plan ahead for the next day so that won't happen again.   A wise man once said (okay, it was a man on Facebook named Scott Zimmerman who has reversed his heart disease my changing his diet to a whole food/plant based (WFPB) diet, but I'd still call him a wise man):

Planning trumps willpower. By that I mean carefully planning your meals and your snacks. If you rely on willpower, you will fail. 

He also had great advice to times that you don't stick to your goals completely (after sharing an experience of how he was in a remote place one day, got really hungry and ended up eating off plan at a restaurant because there were no healthy choices):

Here's my point: It was a learning experience. I don't need to beat myself up over it. I just need to learn from it. I need to learn the lesson that I have learned over and over again: The WFPB diet requires planning. 

So that's it.  Don't let yourself go through all the stages from start to finish.  Start if you must and even celebrate when you do if you'd like.  But there should be no finish line with healthy eating.  There may be a slight deviation, but it doesn't need to be a detour.  Realize what you need to do so that won't happen again and continue onward.  TTFN!


Diet Police Photo by Lydia via Creative Commons
Rainbow Photo by USFWS Pacific Region  via Creative Commons 
Path Photo by Loren Kerns via Creative Commons

Mega Support Sports Bra -- And the winner is . . .

I did a little test this summer in search of the best sports bra to wear for my high impact workouts.  I was tired of doubling up on bras and didn't even know if it was possible to find a bra that could work all on its own.  When I was a bit smaller, this wasn't an issue.  I've been in quite a range of cups in my adult life, from B and a half  (if there is such a thing) to a DD.  So I speak from experience on knowing that some "support" bras can cut it for smaller cups, but certainly not for all!

I tried on a variety of high impact bras before my fitness trip in July and nothing came close to the Fiona bra by Moving Comfort.  A fellow Cathlete (waving wildly to you, Terry!) recommended this bra to me when I was on the hunt, so I ordered a few sizes to try out.  While waiting for them to arrive, I also searched reviews (a little hobby of mine) and I found that while Moving Comfort has an extensive line of high support bras, the Fiona consistently had the best ratings.  I also checked reviews and tried on highly rated bras from New Balance, Brooks, Champion, Lucy, Under Armor and Gap.  None of them were as adept at avoiding the bounce factor as the Fiona and none were as comfortable to wear or get on and off.

What sets the Fiona bra apart from the rest is that it has straps with velcro that are adjustable to lift, hold and compress, while somehow not making you feel all suffocated and smooshed.  PLUS, what I love is that the neckline is high enough to not only give you more support as you move the straps higher, but to cover you up better while the smooshiness or compression of other bras would normally just expose your skin more to the world.  Also, the super wide and somehow cushy band around the bottom feels really good against your skin yet gives plenty of support (without an underwire).

New Balance has a similar bra called Shockinly Unshocking, but it has many flaws.  The fabric or shape of the pattern doesn't give as much support to begin with , they use metal for the velcro straps to go through (which rub against the skin and I would imagine could give a good rug burn on your shoulder by the end of a workout) and it just doesn't hold you together on high impact moves like the Fiona.

The only negative I found is that it doesn't have any padding.  But I just add my own pads for days that I need it (like when anyone on the planet would see me or I'm wearing a workout top instead of a heavy t-shirt or sweatshirt).  It would have been nice if they'd added pad inserts like many sports bras, too, but I'm fine using my own.

The Moving Comfort Fiona bra comes in a ton of sizes -- all the way from 30B to 44DD.  You can order several sizes from Zappos and get free return shipping on any that don't fit.  Or you can find try them on in sporting good stores like REI or Dick's Sporting Goods or at Nordstrom. (Come to think of it, Nordstrom.com has easy returns with free shipping, as well).  They retail in the mid-$40 range.  Or if you don't mind ebay shopping, you can find them new or barely used there for less.  Occasionally 6pm.com will carry them, too (6pm is the clearing house for Zappos, if you haven't heard).  But their sizes and colors are limited when they do have them in stock and they sell out fast.

No, I don't sell them or get any profit from writing this article.  I just want to share how much I love finding the best high impact bra out there.  TTFN!

How to get motivated to Exercise!

Kelly Coffey-Meyer teaching an amazingly fun BoxFit class
(I went to her class in July -- I'm more to the back in on the left -- can't see me)

There was a period of time in my life (many years, actually) that I absolutely hated to exercise.  Then somehow I became this person who LOVED my workouts.  It became the best way to start my day. My days were not the same without my beloved workout.  So just how did I get from the sluggish & demotivated to energetic and excited about fitness?  I'd say with a great big PUSH on my part after getting a desire to have a healthy body. And by a healthy body, I don't mean weight loss.  Even though weight loss was always what made me THINK I should exercise, it was never enough to get me to actually move.  It wasn't until I seriously lacked energy while pregnant with my second baby that I started researching (the old way, in magazines and books) how to get energy.  The answer was always by doing cardiovascular exercise. Oh great.  But I did and it worked.  I joined a YMCA, took step classes and swap laps and loved it!  It turned my energy around!

A few years passed and I had extreme (well, extreme for me) lower back pains after my 3rd and 4th babies. I read some more and found that abdominal strength (they didn't call it core strength back then) would help alleviate back pain.  I was hoping they'd tell me to get a massage!  I hated ab work.  But I bought myself a Denise Austin video (Hit the Spot Abs -- yay!) and it worked.  Wow!  I  eventually branched out in all sorts of fitness arenas, but it took a spark to get me moving.

Was I able to keep that spark going?  Not always, but I came up with tricks along the way.  Here are a few of them:

• Have a journal handy.  You don't have to write down your workouts (although that could be fun). You just need to write in it if you don't feel like exercising.  And you don't get to just write any old thing.  You have to write your excuse for not exercising. I did this several times and every time I wrote, I saw how lame my excuse was and got up and did my workout.  Nice!
• Plan your workout the night before.  Know what time you're getting up, when you're going to work out, and exactly what you're going to do.  That last part may sound strange if you're a runner and you always run, but if you have as many workout dvds as I do and haven't been sticking to a planned rotation, it's helpful to plan it out before so your brain is ready and you know the room is clean that you need to be in, the equipment is nearby, etc.  Make it as easy as possible to get up and do.
• Set out your workout clothes the night before -- even down to the shoes and socks.  Don't give yourself one more thing to look for or do that may distract you or take up too much time on the day of.  You can even fill up your water bottles and have them ready.
• Before your workout, do NOT, I repeat do NOT turn on that cell phone or computer.  It will distract you like crazy and you may never get to your workout.  Pretend like it's the days of taking the phone off the hook to NOT be distracted and don't turn it on in the first place.
• Tell your kids, hubby, or whomever that you will be unavailable to them during that time and give them the parameters of what it means to not disturb you.  (One of my sons thinks he can ask me questions while I'm trying to not kill myself with heavy weights or while flying over the step.  He needs some extra reminders). I used to put up baby gates when my kids were little so they couldn't come in if they woke up before I was finished. If you can, workout before any of them are even awake.  It's nice to have that solitary experience if you can.
• Get to bed early enough that you will wake up refreshed!  A successful morning almost always begins with a night of getting to bed on time.  The number of hours of sleep you need may not always be 7 or 8.  I know if I wake up feeling refreshed after 6 or so, I'm better off to get up then rather than to go back to sleep and wake up like a zombie because I've had all these stressful crazy dreams.  Listen to your body and see how it feels best (and if you're eating healthy foods, you likely won't need as much sleep as before either).
• Have a friend who you know you'll report your workout to when you finish.  It can be to a group of people on a Facebook check-in, you mom, a friend that you text . . . whomever! Just knowing that someone is waiting to hear that you did it can give you the accountability that you need.  (And you can have fun knowing that you motivated them, too!)
• If you are able to meet up with a friend to workout together, even better!  It's much harder to wimp out on a workout when you have to be somewhere at a specific time and you know your friend is counting on you. 

One of my favorite things a fitness instructor has ever said in a workout is this:

         "Don't quit because it's hard. Keep going because it's hard." 

This was Kelly Coffey-Meyer in one of her recent 30 Minutes to Fitness workouts.  I loved that advice because we often stop doing something that's good for us because it's hard when the fact that it's hard is actually what is challenging our bodies enough to the point of it being beneficial.  So if it's a challenge for you to make time in your day for a workout or you lack the desire because you know it's going to be tough, just buckle up and push through it until it's not so terribly tough anymore.  You'll be glad you did!  I know I am. TTFN!

Me gushing with excitement with Kelly, Lori and Marcus (Lori & Marcus are in her workouts, too)