Thanksgiving is coming!

With Thanksgiving quickly approaching, we've been talking to our clients a lot about making healthy food choices. As my fellow instructor T says, "There will be lots more Thanksgivings to eat some of that "good" stuff". We don't want our clients to ruin everything they've worked so hard for.

I came across an article in the paper this weekend that says that the traditional plate at Thanksgiving, plus pumpkin pie for dessert, adds up to 1,211 calories -- and almost 52 grams of fat. It goes on to say, that with snacking and seconds, that total could be at least 3,000 calories!!!!!

So, let's say there is a 150 pound women. Her daily caloric need would be 1568 kcal per day. Here is the calculation: 150/2.2 = 68.18 kg (body weight) * 23 = 1568 kcal per day. If this women eats the typical 3,000 calories during Thanksgiving, that's almost double her daily caloric need! Do you know what happens to those extra calories we eat...FAT!!

Let's look at it another way...1 pound of body fat has 3,500 calories. That means that if this woman eats the typical 3,000 calories on Thanksgiving, then she could potentially gain about 1/2 a pound. That's only one meal! What about breakfast? What about if you are eating at two different locations...lunch and dinner? What about the beverages you consume that day?

When someone wants to lose weight, we tell them that they need to decrease their caloric intake and increase their energy expenditure, so that the total calorie reduction is around 500 calories a day. If you do this for 7 days, then you will lose 1 pound a week (3500 calories). This is a safe amount to lose.

Think of how much harder you just made it to lose weight, when you've just gained a 1/2 pound in one day!

Something to think about :)

The Great Carrot Battle of '08

Everyday at lunch I try to make sure that my 4 children eat a well rounded lunch. I usually try to include a protein, a carb, veggies and fruit. If that goes well, then they can have a piece of gum or candy after lunch.

For the veggie, I almost always serve raw baby carrots...they are easy and very good for them. All of my children, except my oldest, will eat the carrots without saying a word. My oldest, on the other hand, usually rolls his eyes and says something like, "not carrots". Then he proceeds to search through the bag for the two smallest baby carrots he can find.

The other day he was really having a hard time getting the carrots down. The other children had already eaten their lunches, had their pieces of candy and were off playing. I was standing there watching him try and choke down this carrot, all the while laughing on the inside. I was laughing because I was thinking, "kid, is it really that big of a deal to eat that measly little carrot". Then it dawned on me...how many times have I thrown a fit that I really didn't want to eat that healthy food, I'd rather have something "good". The only difference is I don't have someone standing over my shoulder making me eat the healthy stuff.

We have a motto in our house. We tell the children, "we don't live to eat, we eat to live". The difference between these two things is that in the first one, the food is controlling us and in the second, we control the food. I think we need to start reminding ourselves who is in control when it comes to eating. When we "live to eat", we don't end up living to well or too long.

I was sick this weekend

I had the chills, aches, headache, stuffy/runny nose yuck this weekend. Through it all I still had to be a wife and mom, and I still had to teach fitness classes. I felt awful when I'd get to class, but by the end of the class the endorphins had kicked in and I felt great...for a few hours.

I decided that I better take it easy on Sunday, so I sent everyone off to church and I slept for 4 hours!!! It was awesome...I like NyQuil :) By Sunday night I was feeling great and I think that the fact that I am in the best physical shape I've ever been in has a lot to do with it. Would it have taken longer to get better if I wasn't physically active and healthy...I don't know. I do think that it helped to have somewhere to be that required that I be physically active. I knew I had to teach/exercise and so I took care of myself so that I could get back to work and feed my exercise addiction.

I do think it helped me feel better faster, but I don't know if it's because my physical body was better able to heal or if it was because I really wanted to get back to exercising.

The reason I do what I do

There are lots of things that motivate us to do what we do. The reason that I enjoy teaching fitness classes and the reason that I am so passionate about exercise and my students is this...I enjoy the look on other people's faces when they reach their goals.

Those goals can be...lower triglycerides, lower blood pressure, weight loss, smaller pants size, etc. Whatever the goal, I just love it when they get so excited and see that their hard work has paid off. I think I would probably teach for free (don't tell my boss), if I could just see those people's faces when they reach their goals.

In my short experience as an instructor and trainer, I've noticed something. The people who reach their goals are usually the people who have the most to lose...and I don't mean just weight. It could be that their blood pressure is through the roof, or their cholesterol is so high that they are a heart attack waiting to happen. Maybe it's that their weight has hindered their lifestyle so much that they can enjoy life anymore.

Why do we wait so long? Why do we wait until we have the most to lose? Do we have to be at that point before we'll do anything? I care about these people and it concerns me when I see more and more people waiting until a lifestyle change is their last resort.

I guess that along with rejoicing when people reach their goals, it also deeply upsets me when they don't.

Mommy, look at my new exercise!

My kids are constantly making up new exercises. We'll be doing school or playing and all the sudden one of them will say, "Mommy, look at this new exercise". They'll even start telling me what muscles this new "exercise" is working.

I love it!! My kids are already little personal trainers and exercise enthusiasts!

One day I came down the stairs and found my oldest, then 6, "instructing" his two younger siblings on exercise...he was conducting his own fitness class. That's awesome!

I like that my kids are excited about exercising both their bodies and their brains. I like that my children are active children...we go outside and play, we run around the house and dance, we do exercise videos.

Does this have something to do with me...probably. I don't care who's fault it is...I just think it's great that they enjoy exercising. I love my kids and their creative exercises.

FYI...I'm writing a book of exercises my children have created. Just kidding :)

It's too cold!!!!

Fall has officially begun...and I don't like it. I am not a cold weather person, even though I've spent most of my life in the Midwest. I think I'm a southern girl at heart...I did live there for 3 years and loved it. I'm also a fair weather runner...60 degrees and above. Hubby's motto is 40 degrees and below. Another reason we can't run together...well, that and 4 kids :)

I would love to stay in bed on these cold mornings and cuddle up next to Hubby and sleep in...but I can't. If I didn't get up at 4:45 am and go to fitness classes, it would never get done. I'd keep telling myself that I'll do it later and then later, when the day is over, I would have done nothing. Do I like getting out of bed when it's dark and cold...no. Do I like not getting to sleep in, and by sleeping in I mean 7:00...no. Do I like having to find my way around in the dark so I don't wake anybody up and leaving the house while everyone else sleeps...no.

These really aren't the questions I need to be asking myself. The real questions I need to ask are...Do I like the way I feel after a workout...yes. Do I like that I have changed my body and look pretty good in my jeans...yes. Do I like that I am not depressed...yes. Do I like that my blood pressure is awesome and I have no health concerns...yes. Do I like the example I am setting for my children...yes. Do I like being in community with the other instructors and clients...yes. Do I like that I can go through the rest of my day knowing that I've already worked really hard...yes. Do I like that it's alright to occasionally eat that sweet treat...definitely yes.

The most painful part is the moment when the alarm goes off until I drag myself to the bathroom and brush my teeth and wash my face. If I can make it through those 30 feet, then the rest of my day/life is healthier. We can do this! We can make it to classes and we can get healthier. We just have to make it to the bathroom :)

I finally did it!!!! I started a blog...something my husband, and best friend, have been trying to get me to do for a while.

This is going to be a place where I can talk about my favorite subjects...exercise and healthy eating habits (with the occasional rabbit trail :))

Stay tuned...I'm sure I'll have something brilliant to say.