Update: Spring into Summer! Down 14 Pounds!

So some of you may be wondering how things turned out with the 90-Day Challenge I blogged about in February. You may remember that we discussed that Springtime was the best time to embark on a weight-loss program:

• The days are becoming longer and warmer,
• We want to wear less clothing than we did in the winter,
• We find that we are less attached to some of our comfort foods, and
• Brighter mornings allow us to do a workout before we jump in the shower!

One of the most important components of any successful weight-loss program is support. With that in mind, a friend of mine joined Weight Watchers and invited me to attend a meeting with her. Initially, I thought that I didn't need or like that kind of crowd support, so I turned down her invitation. During the next few weeks, however, she began to lose weight, while I noticed that I didn't have much motivation to keep my eating on track, when faced with yummy goodies on the job (or courtesy of my husband).

Finally, I joined her at her Saturday a.m. meeting. The members were positive, the leader was enthusiastic. Although I already knew a lot about Body Transformation, some of the tricks and techniques I heard were new to me. I liked the friendly atmosphere and the sharing of ideas. I bought a Weight Watchers kit for $29 (on sale) and, in the first few days, was reading, writing, measuring, and comparing! By the next meeting, I was already down 1.2 pounds, so I joined on the spot.

I knew that I had to become more aware of my food triggers, so I became fastidious about keeping records. Weight Watchers uses a points-value system; whenever you want to eat a food, you run the numbers through a short formula, to determine the points. When you exercise, you add points to your day/week allowance. You have a daily target, as to the number of points you consume.

The nifty Weight Watchers app has become an indispensable tool for me, as I use it every time I go shopping. It has a built-in calculator and this comes in very handy. For example, let's say you're hungry and find yourself in a Starbucks, as I often do, eyeing the Double Fudge Brownies. A quick glance at your WW calculator will tell you that eating that brownie would use up 11 of your daily 29 points. Not worth it, right? But what if 1/4 of the brownie will do to satisfy your sweet tooth until you get home for dinner?

What did I do? I asked for a knife and cut the brownie into four pieces. I lovingly and proudly popped the brownie bite into my mouth, savoured all of its goodness, and took the other three bites home...to be freezer bound.

And has my discipline paid off? Here is a progress report:

Feb 16: attended first meeting

Feb 28: down 4.5 lbs.

Mch 31: no change

Apr 30: down 1.5 lbs.

May 31: down 2 lbs.

Jun 30: down 6 lbs. 

Total: I'm down 14 pounds so far, and still counting! My goal weight is 1.5 pounds away, which I will most likely accomplish in the next one to two weeks!

During those first few weeks, grocery shopping gave me quite a lot of anxiety. My husband eats the SAD (Standard American Diet) way...really bad! He'd text me, asking me to bring home a Ben &  Jerry's (he doesn't see much beyond his nose) or a Hagen Daas for him! Getting to the ice cream freezer  would require me to wander through the bakery. The appearance of the treats, the delicious aromas, and the memories of croissants, cheese buns, and bagels...it was hard to bear.

What did I do, to help me resist temptation? A la Regis, I phoned a friend...well not quite, I texted a friend, my dear WW buddy! 'I'm going crazy in the bakery aisle', I'd text. 'Stay strong', she'd reply, 'nothing tastes as good as skinny feels' she'd add!

Every day now, we text each other. What we're eating, what we're drinking, how we're feeling. At least once a week, we go for a long walk in the park at 6:00am. We don't talk about the program much, but we get to share about the rest of our daily lives.

After all, losing weight is just one component of a healthy, balanced life!

Get Ready for 90 Days of Body Transformation!

In my last blog post, I mentioned that April is the best time of year to start your Body Transformation program. Do you remember why? Because daylight comes early and motivates us to get out of bed! More daylight hours = more time to do the things we want to do, and fitness is right at the top of most people's list!

And with more daylight comes an interest in eating lighter. During the winter we've been trying to keep warm but, as daylight temperatures increase, we're encouraged to eat foods at cooler temperatures. Lighter food = lower calories. Think salads, fresh-pressed fruit and vegetable juices, raw veggie crudités, fruit salads, and lean meats, grilled on the BBQ.

Enter the Detox Diet, a wonderful way to begin your 90-Day program. As Roni DeLuz, author of 21 Pounds in 21 Days, and founder of Martha's Vineyard Holistic Retreat, says in her book, "Over time, toxic elements accumulate in our cells, gunk up our organs, erode our quality of life, and cause many of the low-grade discomforts that are all too familiar to many of us -- allergies, fatigue, heartburn, headaches, and a loss of energy. Toxins make us more susceptible to serious chronic diseases like high blood pressure and diabetes. In fact, these poisons foul up the delicate inner workings of many people's bodies so much that they gain unwanted weight and it becomes nearly impossible for them to slim down. Many overweight people know from experience that weight loss is often about a lot more than eating the right foods and counting calories."

So Step 1 of our Body Transformation program is a detox; maybe not 21 days, but 7 days for sure. A chance to give our digestion system a much-deserved rest, and an opportunity to flood our system with health-enhancing nutrients that scrub our arteries and our cells clean!

You can check in at your local Health Food Store, for a selection of Detox plans. Or you can join me and use the Elance Detox & Cleanse System from Body Wise.

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Why Spring is the Best Time to Get Fit!

I know that, by now, many of you will be questioning your New Year's resolutions to get fit. While Vancouver has seen some beautiful, sunny days this January, it's been cold. And dark, for much of the day. Have you ever noticed how hard it is to motivate yourself to exercise, when it's dark when you go to work, and dark when you get home from work? You're not alone. Does this sound like you?

"When hibernating animals prepare for winter, their metabolism slows down, their sex drive wanes and they sleep in dens, surviving till spring on fat reserves."

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-94678/Tired-hungry-sad-Relax-youre-hibernating.html#ixzz2HxtN7UaI 
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It's unfortunate that we make our resolutions about health and fitness during the time of year that's least likely to see us succeed. I recommend that you adjust your resolution, as follows, to incorporate the reality of your changing motivational levels, as the seasons unfold:

2013 Health & Fitness Resolution

Winter: Jan Feb Mch: I will do the research and prepare my health and fitness plan.

Spring: Apr May Jun: I will implement my plan, and complete a focused 90-day program.

Summer: July Aug Sep: I will adjust my plan for maintenance, and enjoy the fruits of my labour.

Fall: Oct Nov Dec: I will be gentle on myself, and allow my body to adjust to the coming season.

Some people will say that I'm a cheater; that I give myself too many outs; that this isn't how you do a successful body transformation. I say that I'm a realist; I look at people's results and seek ways to work around their natural tendencies, to achieve the outcomes that they're working towards. 

Whenever you set a goal, you are going from somewhere you aren't, to somewhere you want to be. There are many reasons why you aren't there and, if you were, you'd be striving to get somewhere else! We are solution-oriented beings, and are always seeking something. But often, we're fighting our natural tendencies to get there. So I say, let's tell the truth and that way, we are more prepared for the  battles that lie ahead for us.

And this is the reality of trying to accomplish your heath and fitness goals in the winter. As I write this blog post, it's 8am. It is still quite dark outside, too dark for most people to be headed outside for a run. In fact, you're probably heading out the door to your job. Sure, you set your alarm and you dragged yourself into the shower with your eyes half shut. We've all gotta pay the rent. But the motivation to get up earlier, and fit in a workout, most likely just wasn't there.

Daylight motivates us; even when it's not sunny, it's a lot easier to get up and out, when the darkness has faded and the new day beckons. So quit beating yourself up because you're failing your fitness resolution. Instead, take this time to read, to research, to plan...you have a few weeks of darkness to survive yet, so make the most of it.

By April 1st, it's going to look a lot different around here at 8:00am. You'll be finished your workout by this hour, and finished your shower; you'll be heading off to work with that satisfied grin...the one that says, "I can conquer anything that the universe tosses at me today!"

Meanwhile, stick with me, kid. I'm creating a 90-day workout and nutrition regime, planned for April, May & June. Work with me, and you'll be fully prepared to show your best body this summer. For $49 a month, you'll get your fitness plan, your nutrition plan, recipes, e-mail and tele-coaching, a support network, and my personal guidance. And I'll be implementing the plan, right along with you! Watch for free weekly updates and homework, as we move towards the end of March!

Raw Love...for Beginners!

I've been researching the raw food lifestyle for about 5 years now and, every year, I increase my raw food intake. I like to call my style High Raw. I'm not big on packaged 'raw' foods, and am certainly not going to get myself a dehydrator any time soon. I use a simple Oster blender and a small Cuisinart food processor. I augment my creations with help from the kitchen at Organic Lives and the juice bar at Whole Foods. I buy organic as often as I can.

Friends and family ask lots of questions about what I'm doing and how I'm doing it. Basically, my premise is simple. Food attachments are what get us into trouble. As a society, we no longer eat for nourishment; we eat for entertainment and, thus, we eat for flavour, not health! If you've listened to any of my talks in the last few years, I've coined the phrase 'the yumminess factor'. This is the guide by which most of us choose our foods. 

In the mid-80's, I attended a 6-day workshop in California. The week's menu was based on Nathan Pritikin's model, which included very limited amounts of sugar and salt. I was pretty dismayed by what they called 'soup', which was an almost clear liquid with a pea pod floating in it! It had almost no flavour. But sitting next to a fellow workshop attendee, Jack gave me my first introduction to the concept of eating for health, not flavour. Jack had recently experienced heart failure and heart surgery; he was exhilarated at his new lease on life and had come to the conclusion that his poor food choices had been the cause of his heart problems. That day, much to my astonishment, Jack relished in the soup!

We were told that our 'snacks' could be found in the fridge; they consisted of raw carrot and celery sticks in copious amounts. I was hardly impressed but so began my humble journey. It's been a roller coaster ride, a pendulum swing, a dance between my taste buds and my conscience! But I've successfully navigated a complex world to make it work for me and I feel like sharing this win!

So I'm compiling a list of my favourite raw recipes, as well as some guidelines about a simple and easy way to introduce the raw concept slowly into your life. I'll be putting all this into an E-book, and starting a workshop series next year. Stay tuned and love raw! 

My Raw Vegan Journey...

Last month, one of my daughters told me she wanted to go on a Juice Feast. Ten days of feasting on nothing but fresh, raw, organic juices. I'd already added green smoothies to my diet over a year ago and had a desire to go the next step and try a fully raw vegan diet. So I thought this would be the perfect opportunity, within the supportive partnership of my lovely daughter.

We set a date, and I proceeded to eat up as much of the solid food in the kitchen that I could. I ate the flour tortillas, eggs, peanut butter, bread, corn chips, chocolate...anything that might tempt me during the 10 days. I went shopping and loaded up the fridge with celery, carrots, tomatoes, cucumber, about 5 different fruits, and some young Thai coconuts. I bought some mesh produce bags, as I planned to make my vegetable juices in the blender and use the squeeze method for my juice, in place of a juicer.

Well, we're now on Day 8. Unlike Jenn, who has been drinking juice exclusively, I've been including green smoothies, a daily coffee, and a fresh fruit, once in a while. The blender's been getting lots of use.  I've also been getting some of my organic juices from Whole Foods, and mixing and matching my favourite flavours.

My husband has been eating his regular diet, and it's really interesting to observe my internal machinations as he chows down on some of my favorites. Like Ripple chips with dip, microwave popcorn, sausages, tuna, and fried chicken. Sure I was eating lots of salads, but always found the urge to munch on the tastier choices in his menu. For these last 8 days, I've watched all those foods go by...without a bite!

Whenever Jenn or I are facing a tough food challenge, we text or call each other for support. We've been keeping each other on the 'straight and narrow'...

Why am I doing this to myself, you might ask? For starters, I know that my food attachments have nothing to do with my health. And since I can't quit eating altogether, I wanted to have a really strong barrier that I could wrap my raw vegan convictions around. Once the 10 days are up, I plan to have a lovely raw vegan meal at Organic Lives.

I'm down 7.5 pounds and I enjoyed the way my jeans fit this morning.  You never know, I might just do another 10 days...

Oh That Poor Lonely Salt Shaker...over there...

Canadians eat a daily mean of 3,400 millligrams of salt, more than twice the 1,500 mg required by those aged nine to 50. Yet, along with causing heart disease, a high-salt diet contributes to stroke and kidney disease. 

If Canadians were to consume just the amount of salt needed, more than 23,000 heart attacks a day would be prevented, at a health system savings of $1.4 billion.

If you're waiting for the Food Industry to lower the total salt in their offerings, you will be waiting a long time. As with almost everything else to do with your diet (and your life), you are responsible for making the decision about how much salt to use in your food.

For years now, I've been talking about "The Yumminess Factor", which is the internal rating system by which most of us choose our foods. Yes I made this up, but it makes so much sense to me. If you need an example, I have many! 

Take the lowly hot dog...everyone knows by now that hot dogs are made from the lowest quality meats and meat by-products. But does that stop people from eating hot dogs? Not At All! The smell of an outdoor hot dog stand can be enjoyed for miles. The taste of a hot dog, complete with ketchup, mustard, relish, onions, sauerkraut, etc. is ingrained in most people's brains, from their childhood! Whether or not the hot dog offers any nutrition is irrelevant when most people are choosing to eat a hot dog (ie. see the long line of folks at lunchtime, in front of a Japa Dog stand!)...

A few years ago, I was helping to organize an annual public outdoor summer event. I wanted to offer a selection of healthy foods; salads, sandwiches, fruit and veggie trays, etc. Well, when people started to get wind of the fact that there weren't going to be any hotdogs, OMG, what an uproar! "What's a summer picnic without hot dogs", they bemoaned!

The average wiener contains about 320mg of salt. One cup of plain cooked chicken contains about 105mg, plus one teaspoon of salad dressing contains about 135mg. And it's not rocket science to compare the two types of meat for quality and nutrition.

So, if nutrition is on your mind, salt intake should be right behind it. Almost all processed foods are already heavily laden with salt...whatever you do, don't add salt! Leave the salt shaker on the table, looking lonely!

Measuring Your Fitness Output...

I am a total fresh-air lover; nothing makes me feel better than getting outside in the morning, before the traffic gets too heavy, and taking a good walk or run...rain or shine!

However, the drawback to jogging and walking, as well as to rebounding, kangoo jumping, skipping rope, and other forms of free-cardio, is that it's difficult to measure your fitness output.

My new favorite piece of gym equipment is the Precor CrossRamp. This is an elliptical machine, without the arm guides. I've always considered the arm guides a waste of time. First of all, being quite short, I never quite fit the machine properly. And I've noticed that using the arm guides reduces my calories burned per minute. And, since our biggest muscles are our legs, we burn more calories by focusing on increasing our leg work.

Hence my excitement about the CrossRamp. If you have one at your local gym, I highly recommend that you acquaint yourself with this great machine. In only 28 minutes, I burn just over 350 calories. That's only 8 songs on the i-Pod and I'm outta there.

So what about the fresh air? I still do an outdoor workout every other day, and I alternate days in the gym on the CrossRamp (and whatever else I like to do in the gym!).

Keeping in mind that my knee isn't ready for running yet, my outdoor workout includes:

• A 10-minute Power Walk
• High Knee Raises
• Squats (wide and narrow)
• Lunges (walking and stationary)
• Calf Raises
• Bus Bench Leg Lifts

I have no idea how many calories I burn on those days but I enjoy myself immensely, I love the fresh air and fresh dew on the grass, and the chirping of the birds! And that counts for a whole lot!