Donna posted a great video the other day. It was a 10 minute cardio workout from Spark People .com

I followed the link to the site, because I enjoyed the video and I found a TREASURE TROVE! No kidding when you sign up you answer a few questions about weight and your goals, and the gosh durned thing designs a program for you including meal plan, exercises and so much more.

This is great for me, because I like a program that gives me some daily suggestions on what to eat, what to do and etc. Go check it out. It might not be for everyone, but it is a perfect tool for me!!

Weigth Loss Update

10 pounds gone since September 1st. :-))

Live and Raw Just Got Easier!

Oh Yeah! I unpacked my Excalibur 5 tray dehydrator last evening and set it up on the counter, and then I spent the rest of the evening reading about what kinds of foods etc.

When I ordered it I was mostly thinking raw crackers and cookies,  to enhance my meals so I don't feel like I am eating celery, carrots and apples all the time. I realized last evening though that this is going to be a fantastic way to save all the abundant fresh produce to eat year round.

Live and Raw Just Got Easier!

Oh Yeah! I unpacked my Excalibur 5 tray dehydrator last evening and set it up on the counter, and then I spent the rest of the evening reading about what kinds of foods etc.

When I ordered it I was mostly thinking raw crackers and cookies,  to enhance my meals so I don't feel like I am eating celery, carrots and apples all the time. I realized last evening though that this is going to be a fantastic way to save all the abundant fresh produce to eat year round.

My family is eating so much more raw then they used to. It is interesting, because I have never considered myself the driving force behind what my family eats. Even though I am home all day, I never spent much time in the kitchen, and everyone pretty much forages :-) for themselves. Of course when the kids were little it was different.

What I've noticed though, is that because I am taking time every day to plan a healthy menu, my family is following my lead. The other night I made a broccoli and cauliflour salad. Justin suggested maybe I could snap some green beans that he could eat raw since he isn't fond of Broccoli. So I did, and his beans were sitting necx to the salad.  When it came time to sit down, I noticed his plate was mounded with broccoli salad, and no beans! I said, "Hey, I thought you didn't like broccoli". He said, "I don't BUT this looks really good!". Oh man, I laughed!

So anyway back to the dehydrator. Right now I have 4 trays of tomatoes and 1 tray of garlic cloves dehydrating. It was easy…. I simply washed and sliced the tomatoes, and put them on the trays…the dehydrator is a LOT bigger than it looks in the picture too, and holds lots of food! I am going to dehydrate tomatoes, garlic, onions, peppers, carrots, zucchini, hot peppers, … you name it … everything I can get my hands on from the farmer's market. I bought a huge grocery cart full of fresh veggies and tomatoes today and all for $30. In the winter at the grocery, that same amount of produce will cost 4 times that amount. (Don't forget I live in Canada!)

I am going to powder some of it and put it in jars to use for cooking, and some I am going to store in chunks in mason jars to use in soups and stews for the family who like their hot meals in the winter! (I probably will too!)

I am also going to do the crackers, and maybe try some raw cookies too. It is SO easy. I will probably have the thing running daily for the first month while I prepare for winter. This is SO much easier than canning or pickling, and MUCH more nutritious as I am saving all the nutrients and enzymes. Very little is lost in the dehydrating process.

Read this article about Dehydrating foods, from Excalibur:

Raw Food Dehydration health benefits

Many people are now choosing to follow a raw food diet for the extreme health benefits of eating only raw, unprocessed foods. One way to follow this type of diet is to dehydrate raw foods, so that they are conveniently available. Dried vegetables and fruits provide convenient and delicious additions to all types of meals.

Raw foods, also known as living foods, are uncooked, free from animal products, organic, easy to digest and highly nutritious. Anyone following this lifestyle consumes a large portion of uncooked, unprocessed and often organic foods in their diet.

Some raw food dehydration requires refreshing the dried food.  Refreshing is accomplished by soaking or cooking the dried food in water until the desired volume is restored.  Depending on the food being refreshed, you would adjust the amount of water and the length of time.

Here are some general guidelines for refreshing various dried foods:

• Root, stem and seed vegetables are soaked for 30 to 90 minutes in enough cold water to keep them immersed.
• Spinach, kale, cabbage, chard or tomatoes are refreshed by covering with warm water.
• Dried fruits are soaked in warm water.  Of course, dried fruits can be eaten as is, and do not need to be refreshed to enjoy.

Another reason raw food dehydration is so popular is that dehydrating does not subject the foods to high temperatures associated with traditional canning.  This has an added nutritional benefit because when a raw food is heated to an internal temperature of over 120F, the majority of its nutritional value is lost, particularly the enzymes.  In addition, the canning process also leaks out water-soluble minerals and vitamins, thus depleting the nutritional value even further.

Another added bonus of raw food dehydration is the ability to make a beverage like a juice or smoothie using the powdered fruits and vegetables from the dehydration process.  This allows you to boost the nutritional value and content of your raw food beverage even further!

Visit Excalibur Dehydrator online store to learn more about the health benefits, ease and convenience or raw food dehydration.

Cardio is not enough. Add Weights for Strength.

This statement in obvious to most people. If not obvious then it is certainly something you have heard said before! You probably have already heard how weight resistance exercises can help reduce the risk of osteoporosis, increase metabolism, help prevent injuries, and look really great after you lose that weight.

Has anyone told you how you will FEEL though? Has anyone told you that you will stand with a more erect posture after only just a few days because you can actually feel your muscles. Has anyone told you that you will feel physically stronger after only a few days, even if there isn't a measurable increase in actual strength. Psychologically when you can feel your muscles your mind associates that feeling with strength, and when you feel physically stronger you also get a subconscious boost in self confidence.

Not only will your body LOOK better after the fat layers are shed, but you will actually feel stronger inside and out. You will walk faster, your posture will be better, you will hold your head higher and straighter, and long before you see a difference in your clothing you will feel a difference in your body, and people will notice a difference in your carriage. That difference will be the feeling that keeps you going back to your workout until it becomes a habit.

I feel fantastic this morning, and I can actually tell you this is why!

Now I want to share a site I came across last evening. You know, there are a lot of inspiring and motivating stories out there. If you travel the internet enough, you will find SOMETHING or SOMEBODY that will help to keep you on track. Here is the personal story of Buffed Stuff. There was something about reading her blog last night that had me dreaming about being THAT fit. It is a state I never imagined for myself before. I don't know if I am dedicated enough to get a 'lifters' body, but if an over 40 woman can transform herself to that, then I can get to looking good in a bikini again!

Talk about middle age spread I gained over 60 pounds in my early forties.I was overweight, tired, feeling old and having health problems. I could either grow worst or better I am a woman on a mission. The quest is good health and being in the best physical condition possible. I'm not looking for the fountain of youth. I just want to reap what I sow. If I eat healthy life producing foods,at least 90% of the time and I train my body with laser focused intensity at least six days per week…how will I age? Will I simply grow older or will I grow better? If I treat my body as a sacred temple, my mind as control center and my spirit as the source of my very being……How will it effect the way I age. Do I go with conventional foolishness(hey your over forty you might as well neglect yourself that is what aging is all about why bother) or do I go with pure wisdom, totally against the grain and choose life? I think I will choose life and my kind of prosperity, A fit body and a happy heart, a soul that is at peace and mind that is totally in control.

Thanks for the inspiration this morning. When I wonder why my muscles are scraming, I have you bookmarked so I know exactly where to find you! :-)

Well yesterday morning before we went out, I was able to do 35 minutes on the exercise bike, and a really good lower body workout. Today I did the bike and an upper body and then this evening I was able to sneak in 25 minutes on the treadmill. Since my attitude adjustment of yesterday I am actually looking forward to the exercise sessions.

On the bike now I am doing a 5 minute warm up and then a few minutes at resistance 3 and 80 RPM followed by 2 minutes of resistance 4 trying to keep RPM at between 95 and 100 so I feel like I am sprinting. I really want to be jogging by spring at latest providing my knees will allow it. So this was sort of my first conditioning workout.

Tonight on the treadmill I did brisk walking with 5 30 to 90 second sprints (well jogs LOL) but it's a start and I feel really great to have a goal like being able to run. I have NEVER been able to, not because of strength but because I have always smoked and have never had the lung capacity to run. I think I will be able to finally. Any way… we're gonna shoot for it! :-)

See you tomorrow!

S\

It is amazing, I feel stronger, lighter, and happier. If you read my post from yesterday, then you know that I finally conquered the exercise demon. I simply changed the way I viewed moving my body. Isn't it amazing what happens when you no longer give over the power, but take it back for yourself?

Today, my muscles feel sore. It's the good sore that comes from DOING something! I am walking with an energetic step. I am standing erect of posture. I feel strong, confident and healthy. IMAGINE all of that in just a day. Just one day that I've been building up for, and laying the foundation for this past month.

This afternoon for a while, and again this evening I browsed the internet, exploring fitness blogs. I have been browsing "loss weight" blogs for the past month, and it is interesting how the energy changes slightly with the keyword.

so while I was browsing tonight I came across a fascinating post from Dave at TheTruthAboutDiets.com. It seems that he has been saying for some time that exercise is not enough to lose weight, unless you make diet modifications as well.

Here is his post… Enjoy!

Exercise Alone Ain't Enough to Get It Done

Anyone who's read my stuff or followed any of my programs knows that when it comes to losing fat, I say that nutrition is more than half the battle.

Well, now there's some very good research that proves this point.

Basically this research took two groups of sedentary people, and gave one group a well-designed fitness program to follow for 12 weeks, while the other group remained sedentary.

They didn't change their eating patterns at all. The results might surprise you. You can read the details in a post from Dr. John Berardi, who was part of the research team.

Here's the link to the post.

If I were to go 2 weeks without losing a pound I would be thrown in to the absolute depths of despair! I would go on a rampage, exercise myself sick, and starve myself and by golly i would conquer that weight!

I am at peace this time that changing weight is easybut changing the habits (i.e. lifestyle) that created the weight in the first place requires much more discipline. I believe I said in a different post that I am laying the foundation upon which the rest of my life will be built.

 So today, given that I am a month old, I did a lot of reflecting. I realize that I've been trying to conquer the exercise demon and I've been not really sure why that is such an issue for me. Like everything though, I  have come to see that it is my attitude towards exercise that has been holding me back.

Exercise is work. Exercise is not fun. If you ask most people they will tell you they do not like exercise. These are the impressions that we have in our mind. My mind, body and soul resists that which I do not like. I don't do anything I don't like any more, and that is the truth about my life now. Luckily I have the luxury of being able to choose in that regard.

So here is how I decided to see exercise… I am approaching as the new me, and I don't look at anything the way I used to. That was another life, a different woman. Now I am a person who honors myself, and the people, and beings that I come in contact with every day. A part of honoring myself is not just putting good nutritious nourishment in my body, but also keeping this vessel supple. What good is fuel if it is not expended. Fuel is meant to be used.

So to continue on this theme, and to follow what I have practiced all of my life, I am only going to do what feels good, and honor myself. What a wonderful decision. I felt like a huge pressure had been lifted. I've got it all figured out.

I had also sent away the other day for a book and DVD set on Yoga… which I have been wanting to explore for a long time. I purchased the set from Monica Matthews Yoga and it came on Wednesday. (The DVD and Manual combined was only $40).

So I hopped on the exercise bike and set it for 20 minutes and started reading. Now let me tell you that I was soon totally engrossed in what I was reading. I find it very interesting that I have been led to explore Yoga given that I am on this journey of connectivity, and exploration of self.

Yoga seems to be the right thing for me philosophically right now as well.

Before I knew it the timer was going off, and I was still reading. How about that! I pedaled for another 10 minutes so that I could end at a place that made sense in the book, and then I decided that I would like to do some lower body work.

I imagined how good it was going to feel to be in control of the muscles of my lower body while I stretched each muscle group. I truly took my time stretching, and being present for the movement, allowing myself to really feel the muscles extending and enjoying the feel of that. When I felt sufficiently stretched, I did some crunches, some lateral leg lifts, some lunges and some squats. Yes I really did enjoy it! When I was done I felt good, and as I stretched out again I took some time to marvel that a simple change in the way I saw something could make such a profound difference in the way I allowed myself to feel about it. For me it seems to be all about choice. "I am not doing this because I have to, I am choosing to do it because it feels good."

You know I even got on the bike later in the day and did another 20. hehe I wanted to read some more and didn't want to waste the time!

I feel like I have crossed another small marker on this journey. You may be wondering what the significance of the journal picture is. Obviously this online journal is very motivating to me, and hopefully inspiring to others, but I have not been really tracking exactly what I am eating nor am I writing down my exercises for the day. I think it might be helpful for me in the future if I have some kind of physical progress record, so I started writing down those things today. Won't it be fun to look back and see what a difference it made that day I decided to love moving my body!

So anyway… Angela gave me an idea for the post and that is to give you a glimpse of my preparation. You see a huge part of my preparation takes place only a couple of times a week, and this is a huge time saver over the week. I also REALLY do not like to be caught unprepared with no ready to grab food. Eating mostly vegan, mostly raw, I am hungrier more often than if I were eating foods with denser calories.

So here is what I did this morning. First lets start with the vegetables and fruits I am going to prepare, that I get all out… (I have a very large kitchen with lots of counter space.

What I did this morning.

1. Made a huge veggie salad,
2. put veggies and fruits "ready to eat" in containers for snacking
3. made a fresh  smoothie.

Time in Kitchen 1 hour, 10 minutes. What you see above is an accurate (close to) view of the fruits and vegetable amounts I processed.

2 pounds carrots – 3 large, peeled chunked and set aside for juice,  2 large, sliced thinly in bowl for salad,, and the rest cut in 'sticks' in container for snacking.

1 head of celery – 2 stalks sliced in bowl with salad, The rest cut in 'sticks' in container for snacking.

Peppers chunked and tossed in the salad,

Beets – washed, tops and thin root removed, 3 set aside for juice, the rest in container for later.

onion – 1/2 chopped in the salad,. The rest saved for something else.

Beans (Yellow and Green) 1/2 of each chopped for salad,, the rest topped, snapped and in container in fridge for snacking.

Broccoli – 1 head…. 1/2 of the florets in salad, 1/2 the florets in fridge for snacking and the stalk set aside for juice.

Cucumber half – chopped for salad

1 cup frozen mixed berries in the blender for my smoothie

Apple set aside for juice

Grapes washed and put in serving sized containers (6) for snacking

Flax seed oil in blender for smoothie.

Once the veggies were prepared and salad put away, and snacking sticks strips etc put away, I took my carrots, broccoli stalk, beets, and apple that I had set aside and juiced them. Then I put the juice in the blender with the berries and the flax seed oil and made a YUMMY mid morning smoothie for my snack!

So now I am ready for the day. this amount of produce will do me 2 days in summer because I am not eating much else. It also encourages my daughter to eat better (she grabs a container of grapes and some carrots for school snack) and my son who LOVES raw fresh green and yellow beans. In the winter I am eating other things as well because the produce is not as nice or as abundant as it is from local farms right now!

:-)

That is what I have been experiencing this past week.

Because I have been working on getting the forums launched (and they Are launched!! YAY – you can click on FORUMS to visit!) I haven't been thinking about my lifestyle change. So what happens…. well I didn't prepare my vegetables and have them in the fridge ready to grab when I am hungry. I didn't make a careful shopping list so I ran out of some of the things I should be eating. I didn't take time out to exercise because I was so focussed on the computer… getting the website ready.

All is not lost. When I lose focus, here are some of the thins I do to get back on track:

1. Recognize (without judgement) that I have slipped.
2. Remind myself of the reasons for the change.
3. Envision myself as the "new me" embracing all the positive changes in my life.
4. Make a list, and put it where I have to look at it.
5. Prepare for unforeseen circumstances so as to not be caught without a choice.

So now I have to go exercise! :-) I will be back later to post a new article and fiddle in the forums!

I have to go out and run a few errands today, but I will be back later to work a bit on the forum and make a decent post.  I was surfing a bit though and I came across a blog from someone who talks about going raw and how hard it will be with little or no family support.

Support is so important and it is one of the reasons that I really want to get the forums up and working.

Here is an exerpt from her blog….

Well, it's Monday late-afternoon. This morning I weighed 155.5 lbs. Baby steps! I know this may take a little while. Now, I have decided to add in some physical activity everyday. I know this will help move things a little faster for me.

My oldest son, who is 10, just came home on Saturday. Reality has hit me like a ton of bricks. Not only his he not interested in my raw food, but now my husband isn't either. I have convinced my son to try eating raw for … read the rest of this story.

When the forums are up, then as a community we will be able to support those who need it the most (and that includes me!!… some days like today I need support! LOL)

Have a wonderful day. I'll see you soon!

So I am feeling a little sluggish and blue this morning. I have decided that I need to step up the exercise. My life is in front of my laptop 14 hours a day. The little bit of exercise I am doing is not going to get me fit, and it isn't going to help me lose weight. I need to move more. SO today is the start. It will be treadmill AND bicycle every day as well as weights.

I personally should be exercising 3 hours every day. Now I do not mean that 3 hours needs to be strenuous gut wrenching nauseatingly difficult. HOWEVER, I don't move at all, so it needs to be at least an hour of strength training and real exercise, and at least 2 hours of just moving.

Last night we went out for supper. I had a stir fry on a bed of rice. The rice I only had a few mouthfuls of. It was good, I was just not hungry by the time I ate all the vegetables and chicken. It was done in a teriyaki sauce and was tasty but I was aware of it being a little greasy as well. Of course we were in a tavern, so I wasn't complaining. Any place that sells draught beer by the pitcher is not likely going to have a cordon bleu trained chef on staff! LOL

I don't have much in the way of motivation for you today. I am simply going to buckle down. I have my eating controlled, and now it is time to get the exercise regimen under control.

I caught sight of myself in the full sized mirror in the ladies room last night. My shock at what I saw should be motivation enough! :-)