Keeping Up

I simply can not believe that it has been 11 days since I posted. I have been super busy keeping up with life in general and my goals.

So, I have some great ideas for my grandpa and my dad for Christmas. I have asked them both to gather some of their really old stuff for me, and I’m going to make them something out of it. I’m SUPER excited, but I don’t want to spoil the surprize, so I’m not giving away what it is just yet. Let’s just say it’s quite creative.

Also, I ordered some designer paper from papermojo.com they have a super fantastic selection, so I couldn’t possibly just pick something. I ordered a half pound of scraps. Which basically means various sizes and styles, not like real scraps. They put them together in color schemes, so i got the one set up with the most neutral colors. They will make great gifts, and when all is said and done, these are the ones that will go best with the colors in my house. That way I can still use them later. I want to do some picture frames in mod podge with the new papers, but I’m not telling who they are for *wink.

Also, if you haven’t played with the Add It Up site and you are a bank of america customer, you are definitely missing out on some savings, so go check it out.

Speaking of savings, I was at Burlington Coat Factory yesterday, and they have some really great deals on a lot of clothing. So if anyone on your list is getting clothes… that may be a great place to start!

Another note to think about. This time of year a lot of churches are having markets and bazaars. Some of them collect things from around the world and sell them for charities. So whether you are a religious person or not, you may be able to find some really neat gifts fairly cheap AND contribute to a good cause. Check your local paper to see what events are going on around you!

That’s it for now! Happy Gifting, everyone!

Add It Up

First step in accomplishing my goal this time was to figure out where I want to do my ordering. I figure this is the best place to start because some of the stuff I order will need shipped to me, and then shipped to my friends and family. So to use my time the best way possible, I started looking online.

I have Bank of America as my bank, and did some digging on their Add It Up program. If you go through them, this is a fantastic idea for the holidays at least. You can find the site here.

You go to their website, and register your card number. Then they show you which places you can order form to earn cash back. The cash back is based on your purchase amounts. They range from a few percent all the way up to 20% for some.

This program is always there, but they are running super specials for the holidays. Some places offering as much as triple your cash back, or 50% of your purchase.

It’s definitely a good place to start because who doesn’t like earning money while they are spending it? Plus, these are good store, not some little nowhere store you’ve never heard of until now. With places like Best Buy, Sears, Borders, Macy’s, Target, and tons more (even Ebay is on their list) you are sure to be able to get at least some of your Christmas shopping done there.

If you’re not with Bank of America, this doesn’t really help you… but if you chose to sign up, let me know. I’ll give you any information I can to help you out.

Happy Shopping everyone!

Challenge 2: Christmas Shopping!

Since it is the beginning of November, and it is also time for a new challenge… I decided that my new challenge will be to get all of my Christmas shopping done by the end of this month!

Truth be told, I have several people I shop for, a handful of people I order stuff for, and a few people I make things for. That means I’ll have to get myself in gear a head of time to get it all done by the end of this month.

I would rather get the shopping done ahead of time because of the crowds. I’ve always wanted to master shopping the way my Grandmother does it, but I’ve never managed to. She shops all year long storing things away in closets like a squirrel hides their nuts. Then when ever an event comes up she’s got it covered. At the end of the year, she cleans out the closets by sending everything away for Christmas. But alas, I have NOT yet the skills for these things, hahaa. Though I think I can go out and get my real store shopping done early.

Then there’s the ordering. I have a few people who, either for ease of shipping, or specific gifts, I order them things. I know some companies will hold an order for you until a certain date, so I want to see how many of these I can find. If I do it just right, I may be able to get everything on hold and paid for… that way when the time comes it is all taken care of. I even found a couple of places online that will do that with cards. I’ll be looking into it more, then I’ll let you know what I find.

Next in line is making stuff. I already have a craft date at a friend’s house toward the end of the month. That means if I can come up with good, solid ideas, and raw materials by then… I can make a bunch of the crafty things there. I will still have to do my baking and whatnot separately, but it will take care of about half of my making things. Plus I get to do it in good company, and people more than willing to help. You just about can’t ask for better than that. So I’ll be looking for some good craft ideas, and some new baking things that I can start ahead of time.

So, there it is… my new challenge. I’ve never managed to get it all done so early, it will feel fantastic!

Goal Day

Tomorrow is final weigh-in day. To be fair, I probably won’t blog because it’s Halloween. So I am doing my final Goal Day blog today.

• I am successfully down 10lbs from my starting point.
• I have kept up with a new workout routine that I love, even added new activities that I hadn’t done before.
• I am better at doing HIIT cardio, and feel like I get a better workout from it.
• I am still attempting to eat better, though the change has not been easy to keep consistent.
• I am still learning new things I can do to help improve the overall condition of my body, and general health.
• I found a new appreciation for fasting, and will keep up with at least a short fast periodically to help clean out my body.
• I am drinking my daily required amount of water everyday if not a little extra.

These are all very positive things that I have taken from this first challenge. I gave myself nearly 2 months to lose a healthy amount of weight and to tone my body. I can say that I still have a little ways to go before I am in tip-top shape… but I am well on my way with many of my new habits in place.

One of the reasons I picked this for my first challenge is because getting in better shape is a constant goal. I set a deadline and goals for myself, but the habits i formed during this time are going to stick with me. They will even evolve over time to keep myself right where I should be. I love that it is a constant goal and that I can continuously apply things I learned here, it feels good to always have something I am achieving.

I hope that you all are doing well. I have had a few commenters, and many of you emailing me to let me know where you are and how you are doing with your workouts, eating habits, and some with good information to share. Thank you all for your support, it has been fantastic to hear from every one of you. Please keep in touch and let me know how things go for you in the future.

I plan on coming back to this goal every once in a while to let you know how I am doing at keeping up with it myself.

I’m still here

Sorry I got so quiet. I got very busy. One thing I definitely noticed about being busier than usual is that it’s harder to keep your good habits.

I’m typically a pretty active person, always finding something interesting to get into somewhere. But the truth is, when you build good habits with a set lifestyle, and then get busier you have a harder time keeping up.

• I have still been working out on my regular schedule, and am still seeing results from it.
• I’ve also kept up my cardio
• I even joined a Tae Kwon Do class. I’ll be going at least once a week to add a bit of kick to my workout schedule.
• I have done my best to eat better and better, but I have to admit I have slipped a few times.

All total I have managed to lose 10lbs, which is very close to my goal. I can see it on the scale and in the mirror. Plus some places have very clearly turned into a firmer, more toned muscle than before.

I still have the rest of this week to go before my final weigh in for this challenge, but I can already say that I am proud of me! I plan to keep my new habits as an ongoing part of my life, and hopefully improve them as I go.

A Week Off

A lot of diet plans and exercise routines recommend you to take a week off every few months to help reset your body. That way you don’t become so used to your routine that you plateau.

We took our week off almost accidentally. We had intended to take it off closer to the end of this month. However several circumstances, time off from work, and a few fantastic events later… and POW it’s been a week.

We still ate as healthy as we have been. We still did some exercises at home, and all of our activities were a considerable amount of moving. That at least means we didn’t sit down and overeat for a week. Which tends to be the habit when some people decide to take a week off. We didn’t go to the gym at all, and we did have one day of indulgence as far as eating goes.

I steadily weighed in about the same until the indulgent food day. Then I had gained one pound by the next morning. Keeping with being active, and switching right back into our better eating habits, I lost that pound by the next morning. That was yesterday. Now we are back in full swing, and looking forward to the gym.

It felt good to have the time off, and I could definitely tell the difference in my body having extra time to heal. I certainly did miss the gym, though.

Back in action! Happy Working out everyone.

Results

I figured at the beginning of the new month, and only this month to go to meet my goal, I should give a results update.

I have been happier and happier with my weigh-ins in the morning lately, and the way I look. I can feel that I am getting closer to my goal.

I feel best when I manage to workout in the mornings, even if it is only a little bit. I don’t always make time for that, though. I do enjoy our newest routines. I think that they are yielding better results than before. I can feel the difference the next day when I can still feel the workout. Previous routines felt good when we were doing them, but didn’t leave much afterwards.

I also feel good about the newer style of cardio. I feel like I’m working harder, and definitely sweat more this way than just going steady for an hour. I will be sticking to the HIIT cardio even long after this challenge is over.

I am still trying to make sure that I am reading all the things I am eating, though it’s not an easy habit to get into. Especially when the things in your fridge are now bad for you, but you know you enjoy them. Shopping smarter has made the biggest difference in the way I eat. I know that as I get better at buying the right things, I will have replaced all of my old food with better foods, and eating healthier will be a breeze.

So far, I am very happy with this challenge. I think I am making good progress and creating much better habits for myself to live a healthier, happier life.

Fasting Report

I wanted to give a few days after my recent experience with fasting so I could give you the full effects.

This was my first time fasting, and I have read suggestions in many places that say you shouldn’t fast for more than 24hrs your first time. So, I did a 24hr fast on Saturday that I broke at 11:00 pm when I ate a very light dinner. It went as planned with the juice a couple times each day.

On Sunday I decided to do another 24hr fast with only water. I also broke this fast at 11:00pm with a very very light dinner.

Monday, I started with a small apple for breakfast, and then a normal lunch, snack, dinner routine. All of my portions were slightly smaller than normal, but not a very big size difference.

During the course of both fasts I can tell you that I did not experience a great problem with hunger pains like I heard some people have. I was drinking a very large amount of water, and it mostly kept me feeling full the whole time. I also did not experience a lack of energy. I took it light both days and didn’t do anything very strenuous, and that may have helped a lot. But I was able to do my normal weekend housecleaning and cooking as usual with no problem.

I can say that afterwards, I do feel a little more energetic and a little cleaner in general. In the past few days since my fasting I have noticed that I am quite a bit thirstier than I was before, but I count that as a good thing because I am getting more than enough water now. I was barely drinking the suggested 8 glasses per day before the fast.

I did not lose any extreme amount of weight, though I did only do 24hr fasts, and the first day had a few things to help me adjust. I have noticed a 2lb difference since the fast that did not come back as soon as I started eating again.

I am very interested in trying a longer fast very soon. I think I will get on board for a full 3 day fast this coming weekend. I got some good advice about preparing for my fast on the original entry, so if you are interested in fasting, take a moment and check that out. Beyond that, I will be water fasting again because I feel like that had far greater effects.

That’s all for now. Happy, healthy living everyone!

Fasting

Today I am fasting. I have decided to give fasting a shot, and the weekend seemed my best time to do it. I have never fasted before, so I’m making this up as I go along according to things I have read.

My goal for the day is to stick to only liquids (mostly water) while trying not to deprive myself of much needed vitamins. I am also going to try to get a high amount of fiber for the day. This may be easier planned than accomplished… we’ll have to see.

I started my day with a Slim-Fast shake that I added Psyllium Husk for added fiber. It was a terrible mixture. The shake is already thick, and since I use whole husks they don’t completely dissolve, making the shake almost undrinkably thick. Lesson learned. I got it down one drink at a time, chased by cold water. Psyllium Husks usually mix well with no pulp orange juice.

I’m on just water for the next few hours.

Around lunchtime I will have some orange juice with another 2 tablespoons of Psyllium Husks. The orange juice will give me a boost of vitamins like the Slim-Fast did this morning. That will help keep my energy up, and maintain a good vitamin/mineral intake for the day.

Then more water for a few hours.

Early afternoon I will mix one of my All-Bran Fiber drink mixes with a small bottle of water. Each one of these mixes pack a whopping 10g of fiber, plus they taste great! I’ll drink it quickly to help my stomach feel full and curb my apetite.

Then even more water for a few hours.

Around dinner time it will be another orange juice and Psyllium Husk mixture. By using 2 tablespoons, I am giving myself 9g of fiber each time.

You guessed it… more water.

Later in the evening, I will have one more of the drink mixes, and top it all off with some water.

If I can pull of this combination I will have achieved:
-100% of my needed vitamins/minerals form the juice and Slim-Fast -52 total grams of fiber
-More than my required amount of water for the day
The idea is to shock my system while doing a good cleaning. I have been eating better, getting higher fiber and protien intake, and adding water. So I think it’s a good time to clean up and out the old habits so the new ones can have full effect.

I am not going to the gym today because I don’t want to overextend myself during this fast. I will, however, be doing bodyweight exercises around the house to keep myself on point.

If all goes well, I may fast tomorrow as well. I will definitely be letting you know!

Sneaking In High Fiber Foods

We all know that getting enough fiber in your day will help you maintain a healthy weight, as well as many other health factors. We also know that almost no one actually gets the amount of fiber we are supposed to. So let’s answer a few questions right away…

How much fiber should I be eating per day?

The amount you need is tied to the number of calories you eat in a day. For healthy adults, the USDA recommends 14 grams of fiber for every 1,000 calories consumed. So a person eating 2,000 calories a day should aim to get 28 grams of fiber daily. If you are unsure of the amount of calories you consume in a day, you should keep a food diary for a week to get an average.

How much fiber does the average person eat now?

12 grams. That’s right, on average, we are taking in less than half the amount of fiber we need in the course of a day.

Should I use a fiber supplement?

Most health care professionals would advise a healthy adult to eat a pear or a handful of raisins instead of turning to a supplement. Satisfying your daily fiber needs with food is the best way to get a healthful balance of soluble and insoluble fiber. It’s also a great way to improve the overall quality of your diet, since fiber-rich foods tend to be rich in vitamins, minerals, and disease-fighting phytochemicals.

With that in mind, I decided to show you some high fiber foods, and give you ideas on how to sneak them in to your diet.

AVOCADO. One whole, medium avocado contains 17 grams of carbohydrate and a truly impressive 11 grams of fiber.

• Try adding guacamole to your diet, or even mixing chunks of fresh avocado into your salsa. You could also try some avocado mushroom salad (click for recipe).

ARTICHOKE. A medium artichoke contains about 14 grams of carbs and 10 grams of fiber.

• Most restaurants offer a spinach artichoke dip as an appetizer, this may also prevent you from over eating when the meal comes.  You can throw some artichoke hearts in with almost any roast, or on the side as your veggie with dinner. Or here is an artichoke crab dip you can make at home.

RASPBERRIES. A cup of these delicate, vibrant berries contains 15 grams of carbs and 8 grams of fiber.

• I suggest these among other fruits that you keep around the house to help fight off snack time. Or here is a raspberry peach smoothie you may enjoy.

BLACKBERRIES. A cup contains 15 grams of carbs and 8 grams of fiber.

• Like raspberries, these are easy to grab and eat when you are feeling the snacks if you keep them around. You can also try a strawberry blackberry smoothie.

LENTILS. One half-cup of lentils contains about 10 grams of carbs and 8 grams of fiber.

• Here is a recipe for a hearty lentil salad.

I hope that this helps you add a little bit more fiber to your day and gets you closer to goal. If you have more suggestions or recipes, please feel free to comment them here.

Happy, Healthy Eating everyone!

*information on fiber intake, and daily requirements gathered from the Ask A Nutritionist column in Vegetarian Times

*nutrition levels in the suggested foods gathered from dlife

*all recipes link to cooks.com