Focus

It’s difficult to stay motivated at times. Currently my motivation is lagging which gives credence to the reality that knowledge isn’t the primary factor in maintaining a healthful lifestyle with adequate physical activity and healthful nutrition. My strength lies in finding ways to overcome “obstacles” – such as the weather, time, motivation, energy, boredom, etc…

It’s hot outside so I’ll be bonding with my treadmill this evening. It’s more than just making the decision to resume my higher level of activity that will having me hopping on today. I decided that I needed a goal to train for in order to stay focused. So for me it will either be training for a half marathon or finding out what all these adventure races are all about. The strategy of keeping the end goal in mind helps to maintain those daily lifestyle changes. You shouldn’t attempt to run a marathon without training appropriately.

Goal: Complete a half marathon in less than two hours by October 2012.

Actions: Plan for the next four weeks is to complete 45-60 minutes or moderate to high intense cardiovascular activity daily and 15 minutes of strength training five days per week.

Actions: After one month of initial activity training, complete a timed half marathon.
Reward: Schedule a spa day if each action step is completed to include manicure, pedicure and a massage.

I am still working on recruiting some exercise budies but in the meantime, I will have to trudge on indepedently in order to meet my goal.  I am definitely excited about the upcoming month.

Days of Independence- Time

I enjoyed a free day yesterday in honor of our nation’s independence.  So here comes the question I will be asking those whom shared the free day – “Did you work out?”.  By work out – I mean did you engage in physical activity, exercise, hike, and bike or do any type of physical movement that contributes to overall health.  Not surprisingly, the answer is usually are resounding NO.  This brings me to priorities.  Time is the most often touted reasoning for not engaging in physical activity.  So here was an 8-10 hour grace time for many people that removed the commitment of work, transporting children and the other many activities that fill our days.  There was a day when many of us were independent or free of the usual daily commitments.  If you didn’t choose to be physically active then maybe changing our frame of reference is called for at this time.  Why? Because if we had time but chose not to be physically active then time isn’t a reason it’s an imagined barrier at best and an excuse at worst.  We each have the same amount of time to address our own priorities; the issue is deciding those priorities and making a plan. 

Overcoming Barriers

1)     Chose a time for your physical activity that maximizing success.

2)     Be consistent.

3)     Have a support system.

Choosing a time

Time set aside for being physically active should be treated like an appointment.  For example, if your dental appointment is at 11:30 am- you wouldn’t decide that morning that you will just go after work instead.  If you missed the appointment, it could be 3-6 months before you could get another appointment.   When dealing with choosing a time, you want to be realistic.  Don’t choose a time that isn’t within your control.  For example, if you have family waiting for you to prepare dinner after work, it might not work to plan your activity after work.  I am a fan of starting my day with physical activity.  When you start your day with physical activity, it means that even if the day gets away from me or other priorities arise through the course of the day, I know that I have already accomplished my physical activity.  My mornings are the time that is mostly within my control and not at the mercy of others.  So choose a time that is practical for your lifestyle but that also increases your ability to be successful at being physically active.

Be Consistent

Once you’ve choosen a time, be consistent.  Don’t change the plan daily.  Try a routine for a set amount of time in order to make physical activity a part of your lifestyle.  Avoid the weekend warrior practice of being sedentary during the week and then going all out during your weekend.  So if you decide to go ride your bike after work each day for 30 minutes, do this according to your plan.

Have a Support System

This isn’t a baby sitter, this is a support system.  A support system can be those that you might be active with on a regular basis or it could be a place where you check in on a regular basis.  There are support systems for healthful eating and physical activity.  This could be a health care provider or a formal program in your area or on line.  Support systems can include a variety of individuals that help you stay motivated to meet your goals.  The benefit of having support within your immediate circle is that it means a higher level of interaction.  If your support system helps you experience daily success with lifestyle changes, you can see results that much sooner. 

There are many resources for helping you tailor a physical activity plan in order to make your plan appropriate, safe and effective.  I have included a link below that helps people understand recommendations for various levels of physical activity and the benefits of physical activity.

http://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/everyone/health/index.html

Today's Creation and Motivation

Today's Creation: 
Grilled Tuna in a Citrus Reduction
Mango Radish Cilantro Salad

I describe motivation as the essential ingredient to making lasting lifestyle changes.  Motivation can mean the difference between the uses of the phrase “I will try” versus “I will do” and ultimately “I have succeeded”.  A strategy for maintaining motivation is engaging your network of relationships to support you in your goals.  This network may be referred to as those nagging folks we encounter regularly.  I have my own nagging network that prompted me to use weights as part of my core strengthening routine yesterday.  Sadly, while happy I did some form of weight training, I’m not feeling the oh so pleasant muscle soreness that lets me know I challenged my body.  So, for me, that’s a telling indicator that it’s time to up the ante. 

So I’m putting thoughts of the disbursement of bacteria via the towels and cleaning solution that have probably been in weekly rotation throughout the gym, and enlisting a JUST DO IT philosophy.  I have spent a lot of time setting goals and making plans and then putting off those good intentions day after day.  So yesterday, I determined that I needed to focus on each moment as an opportunity to make the best choice to support those healthful lifestyle changes, thus the strength training.  Today I will get rid of some of those distractions – the dishes – in order to stay focused.  My focus is those behaviors such as high intensity cardio for 45 minutes each day and strength training for 15 minutes each day – yes – with weights.

Stay posted for the many anticipated creations complements of my new Wustof knives.

What Today Looks Like

I start rice to cook in the steamer, then get to work onto cutting carrots (julienne style - this not only helps with consistent cooking but it looks great and changes basic sustenance into gastronomy.  I served my portion of wine and cut the carrots with my Wustof cook's knife.  I put the carrots to sauté in a large hot skillet and then added the marinated cubed beef.  I used leftover beef tenderloin from the Father's Day Fondue.  The smell of the beef cooking with the sautéed carrots was pure heaven. I used some wine to deglaze the pan, picking up all the great flavored bits to make a light sauce for the beef and carrots.  The rice cooking time even allowed for me to take a quick shower before dinner.  So in a nutshell, I enjoyed making a home cooked meal that was prepared in less than 30 minutes; the rice cooking time meant that there wasn't really a need to pre-prep the vegetables since the rice cooking time wasn't going to change.  I realize that there are many instant rice options but I enjoy the results of using basic ingredients as well as the flavor and texture that develops as a result of minimally altered foods.  This meal took a few quality ingredients such as beef tenderloin, rice and fresh carrots and the use of good ingredients meant that a delicious meal could be developed with very little time. 

Failures: 

1)      Tomorrow bi-weekly weigh-ins resume and I’m not feeling confident about that process.

2)      I haven’t gotten back into my morning workout routine.

3)      I need to make strength training an integral part of my activity routine.

Successes: 

1)       I got in a great cardiovascular workout after work (making up for sleeping in later than planned)

2)      I prepared dinner at home after resisting the temptation of picking up what would have been a less healthful dinner.

3)      I am motivated.  My refrigerator is definitely reflecting a selection of handy, healthful ingredients from which to create some amazing meals.

(Entry: 149)

Monday Mission

So once again, today is another restart for my plan. Although, the weekend didn't go too badly I am behind on my run training while I have actually done better with other aspects of my plan. Sleeping in today means that my workout needs to take place after work. I have a long history of afternoon workouts gone awry. Sometimes this means that an interrupted mid-afternoon snack leads to such after work hunger that I don’t get to the workout or perhaps the missed or light snack means that I feel faint towards the end of my workout. I have a large apple, yogurt and granola and I have some time between patients to make snack time an enjoyable rather than forced activity. And today’s special tools – my Franklin Covey Health and Fitness Tracker and an index card with today’s workout goals.

Fat Dietitian

Let me start by saying, I hesitate to refer to any person as FAT.  I don't find some terms helpful.  I tend to focus on health indicators overall in how I might explain to an individual what some of the numbers that take place in a nutrition evaluation actually mean.  But fat is a term that is thrown around when poeple talk about dietitians. 

Google –“ Fat Dietitian” and you will get around 6,040,000 results in less than a second. There is definitely a stigma for those in the field of nutrition and dietetics whom are overweight or (God forbid) obese.. Keep in mind that dietetics actually encompasses many career paths that include anything and everything from human nutrition to food sciences. Dietitians may work in the school systems but they may also be chefs and work in food product development. Trust me – there are dietitians on board with developing many worldwide favorites such as America’s favorite cookie. You can even learn about a nutrition professor losing weight on what he termed the “Twinkie diet” based on calorie control. Today at the office, we were discussing the issue of eating disorders among those in the field of nutrition. I can state from personal experience that there are a many methods to reach the same outcomes of improved health. There are even more methods to achieve weight loss. Meaning, weight loss can be attained even with unhealthful practices. Weight is definitely a (ironically) a huge health indicator but it is a single indicator. Meeting weight recommendations does place a person at lower risk of chronic diseases but that doesn’t equate health. So if you want to gauge your number, use the Body Mass Index(BMI) calculator link below. Body Mass Index (BMI) is essentially a calculation of your weight compared to your height. The higher the number, the more you weigh in comparison to how tall you are (or in my case, how tall I am NOT). It’s a good indicator of obesity (which means- are we over fat) but a waist measurement is a cheap alternative to assessing body fat and disease risk if you don’t have the ability to estimate body fat percentage which is a number that is more important than just overall weight. An adult female should have a waist measurement no more than 35 inches; males no more than 40 inches. A waist measurement can be seen as an independent risk factor due to its indication of where your body is storing fat – apple anyone? Greater fat stores around the waist means greater risk of chronic illnesses such as diabetes and heart disease. We didn’t just pull these numbers from the sky, these measurements are based on disease risks.

http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/bminojs.htm

My Number?  28.9 - which means I am almost 20 pounds overweight and less than 10 pounds from being placed in the obese category. 

Sunday's Creation

In my pursuit to negate the assumption that "dieting" is about boring the taste buds, I made a creation usings leftover salmon that I had prepared the day before. Salmon has a great mouthfeel and is something I would recommend to those that aren't really fans of fish. It has a full texture and tons of healthful fats so salmon adds great flavor and mouthfeel without the attack on our hearts.
Instructions: Put a pot of water to boil to cook wheat pasta according to package instructions. While the water is comming to a boil, flake cooled salmon, add in capers, sliced red onion and a very small amount of olive oil. Add salt to taste. Put pasta to boil and during the last few minutes of cooking time, add in asparagus. I broke the asparagus in pieces (~2 inches in length). Drain pasta and asparagus, add to pasta and toss well.


I'm off to a great start.