March For Babies

What a great morning! It was March For Babies in Madison, WI!

The morning started off a bit rocky. We got up bit later than usual. Then Nora had gunk in her right eye and we were getting worried about a blocked tear duct causing an infection. So we called the doctor's office and talked to a nurse. Luckily, the nurse and doctor seemed to think she was fine and they would see her at her 9 month appointment soon. Once that was out of the way, we got packed up and in the car. We were running a bit later than I wanted so I was a little antsy.

Sure enough, we got there with plenty of time. They had free bagels, powder donuts, and water before the walk for people to enjoy. Then the walk started. There were so many people - really cool. We walked from the Monona Terrace, around the Capitol, down State Street, through Library Mall. Then you could turn around if you wanted to walk 2 miles. Or, you could continue down the Lake Shore Path, turn to walk up Observatory Drive, and work your way back to State Street, finishing where we started, doubling your distance.

I was a beautiful morning and a nice comfortable walking pace so we decided to go for the full 4 miles! We made it! Nora fell asleep in her stroller for the first half and then enjoyed the sites and sounds of downtown Madison for the second half of the walk. We had so much fun!

I definitely want to continue participating in the March For Babies walk in the coming years. I may even start a 3500challenge.blogspot.com TEAM! 

Hope you all have a fantastic rest of the day. I already got my 3500 calories in during the week so I don't need to count my calories burned again till Monday! 

Did you participate in the March For Babies too? Did you do something else to get some exercise - what did you do?

Successful Grocery Shopping and More....

Nora and I went grocery shopping yesterday and I was pretty excited because Hy Vee had everything in the Health Mart 10% off - I stocked up on my favorites: Back to Nature Organic Mac & Cheese, Back to Nature Chocolate Chip Cookies,and Bob's Red Mill Steel Cut Oats!

Before I go grocery shopping I always make a list so I'm not wandering the isles wondering what looks good. It helps me get everything I need and avoid getting too many of the things I don't need. I usually plan to get my usuals: string cheese, bread, peanut butter, milk, etc. And then I plan on at least 2 recipes I want to make over the next week and get all the ingredients I need. Chili and Stromboli this week! I also got lots of fruit: cantaloupe, watermelon, bananas, and strawberries.

When I got home from the grocery store I got every thing unpacked and started chopping up the fruit. I got some really cute containers from Target yesterday so I was excited to get the watermelon and cantaloupe cut up and in the containers right away. It's great having fresh fruit ready to eat in the refrigerator. Then, when you are looking for something quick to snack on you've got something healthy ready to go.

I cut up the strawberries and a few bananas and divided them into 3 freezer bags. I also got Greek yogurt and divided it up in an ice cube tray. When my cantaloupe and watermelon are gone, I can make Strawberry Banana Smoothies!

After I did all that I got dinner started. To be completely honest - I am not a cook and usually we don't sit down to a nice meal very often. And when we do, my husband usually does the cooking - such a good husband! Every once in a while I would make a nice well rounded meal, but I usually batch make things and we just reheat and eat - which is nice for when we are busy! But tonight I made whole wheat spaghetti with pasta sauce, steamed broccoli (bird's eye steamfresh), watermelon, and garlic bread sticks. I finished it off with a little red wine - Shiraz - my favorite! And the great thing is - It was all on the table ready for my husband when he came home! I felt like such a wonderful wife!

We sat at the table eating dinner as a family, feeding Nora her baby food while we ate! It was awesome. I definitely want to do this more often. Probably not pasta, garlic bread sticks, and wine all the time since we know there are a lot of calories there. But a family dinner, at the table, with all the food groups would be a wonderful dinner routine!

Do you make a list when you grocery shopping? Are you the cook in the family? Do you usually have family dinners or dinners on the go?

Burned 900 calories on the elliptical! I reached my goal for the week - now I can relax and enjoy my weekend - March for Babies and my first Mother's Day! How many calories did you burn in your workout today?

Kristi Yamaguchi's New Workout

Short post today. Here's a a new workout DVD you might be interested in if you like working out at home!

Kristi was on the today show the other day promoting her new workout DVD. I watched a clip from it on Amazon.com - it looks good. If you are looking to get a good workout in at home, check out this workout video! I'll be back to post my workout for the day! What is your exercise routine going to look like today?

Your Questions Answered

I received an email from a reader the other day who had a few questions for me I think everyone would benefit hearing the answers to. I love getting questions! If you ever have a question please comment or send me a message!

Question: I'm looking for new ways to lose weight, tone up, & eat healthier without being bored with what I am eating. I'm a picky eater, so it doesn't help matters much. I would like to tone my abs and arms the most. Are there exercises I should lean towards doing or stay away from? Heavy or light weights? Are there any shakes/pills that help increase weight loss? I don't like going to that method, but I'm just curious as to what is out there :) Thank you for any help you can give me!!

Weight Loss Answer: Great questions! When It comes to weight loss I am old fashioned. I work hard at obtaining my goals through working out hard and consistently & counting calories honestly. This is a challenging process that takes a lot of dedication, but if you really want the results, you will make it work. 

When it comes to counting calories: Don't consume less than 1,200 calories/day (women) 1,500 calories/day (men). Your body needs those calories for your daily routine. Experiment yourself to figure out how many calories you can consume that allows you to lose the healthy 1-2 lbs/week. For me it is about 1,300 calories. To make calorie counting easy try: make the same breakfast every morning, have a lean cuisine for lunch or dinner, figure out the calories/serving of your 2 favorite recipes, and make use of searching calories on your favorite restaurant foods like Panera, Subway, etc. This will also help you make healthier food choices!

When it comes to working out hard, focus on getting a good calorie burn through cardio exercises: walking, running, biking, elliptical, etc. Join the 3500 calorie challenge to motivate you to get those calories burned each week.

Together, calorie counting and cardio bring weight loss success. You won't always have to calorie count. I recommend calorie counting while trying to reach your goal, then you can ease up on the counting by being more conscientious of what you're eating, and go back to calorie counting whenever you slip up and need to get back on track. Keep up on the cardio workout on an ongoing basis - its good for your heart!

Toning Arms & Abs Answer: As far as toning your arms and abs, there are no exercises I can specifically suggest since I don't know your specific exercise background. I would say you want to find a biceps, triceps, and shoulder exercise you like to tone your arms. And find a Rectus Abdominus exercise (such as a crunch), a Transverse Abdominus exercise (such as a plank), and an Oblique exercise (such as a standing side crunches) to fully tone your stomach muscles. I have found personally that performing toning exercises 3 days/week brings results faster.  I usually lean towards a weight/resistance that fatigues me in 2 sets of 15 repetitions. While these are a few ideas along with what I have found works well for me, you will want to figure out what works best for you.

Shakes and Pills Answer: I have never used a shake to lose weight. I honestly don't know much about these. I am pretty sure they are usually meant to be used as meal replacements, but I would probably find myself having a shake and still wanting food - defeating the whole purpose since I would be consuming more calories than recommended. And based on quickly going to the Slim Fast website, their total weight loss plan is created on consuming about 1,200 calories. This is going to pretty much guarantee weight loss because the calorie intake is low. So whether you want to try a shake or not, it's up to you, just know that the weight loss is due to consuming less calories than you are burning (which is what I am recommending above).

I would stay away from pills. They can be extremely dangerous. I don't believe they are regulated much at all and can have serious side effects. While taking a pill sounds like a great easy way to lose weight, it's not worth the risk.

I hope these answers are helpful. It's great to hear from people who are reading the blog. Feel free to send me more questions via comments or sending me a message!

685 calories burned on the elliptical! 1600 calories to go! What did you accomplish today?

Having a Regular Schedule Helps

Today I am back to my regular schedule and it feels so good! My morning routine is back with getting to the gym, getting Nora down for a nap, making oatmeal, doing my physical therapy abdominal exercises, creating my blog post, and getting ready for the day! Love it! Do you have a regular routine?

I find that routines help you be healthier. It is part of my routine to have oatmeal for breakfast. If this wasn't my routine I would come home from the gym hungry looking for something tasty - probably granola bars! Instead, I just stick with my routine and I don't have to think about what sounds good in the moment.

The same goes for my morning workout. I just get up and get out the door. I just know that is how my morning is going to go and it works great for me. I don't wake up and think about whether I feel like going to the gym or not.

I don't know about you, but I feel great when I follow my morning routine. I feel like I accomplished what I needed and wanted to do and I feel really good about it. My afternoons can sometimes get a bit crazy and I get distracted from being as healthy as I want to be. At least I can reset in the morning and try again!

Burned 715 calories on the elliptical and did my leg exercises. Now off to complete my AB exercises! What are you doing today for physical fitness?

Week 10: There Are Always Excuses

Well, it has been a busy day so far. Usually get my morning workout in first thing in the morning, but today we were up and out the door running errands! I am finally caught up with my day now (kind of). There is always so much to get done! And usually we never make time for the things we want to do - what a shame! We usually don't make time to workout either. We have errands to run, work to do, cleaning to do, ironing, laundry, kid's soccer practice, dinner to make, and the list goes on. Add - I just don't feel like working out today - and we never make it to the gym.

I almost had a day like that. I almost didn't go to the gym, but this challenge inspires me to make it a priority and I love it! So I got my 500 calories burned for the day and now I get to enjoy the rest of my day with my family!

Join this challenge with me and make exercise a bigger priority in your life!

I MADE IT!

Short post today! 

My day started off pretty slow, but I made it to the gym this afternoon and burned the remaining 855 calories!

Week 10 starts tomorrow! Start the challenge with me!

And don't forget about March for Babies this upcoming Saturday in Madison, WI! The link for Meriter's team is below: 

http://www.marchforbabies.org/s_team_page.asp?seid=1439949