I walk everywhere, kids in tow. This is great for many reasons, including health, financial and environmental. I'm finding that I'm not getting as much of a workout as I used to though.
A couple of years ago the kids rode everywhere in our Graco DuoGlider. I was pushing close to 100 lbs (not sure how much the stroller weighs but the kids were about 35-37 lbs each), AND I was walking briskly. Since my time wasn't eaten away by dawdling toddlers, I'd schedule us a little tighter and walk faster to reach our destinations. So when you combine brisk walking with weight pushing, you get calories burned! All my exercise needs were basically met.
Now, at the ages of 5 and 6 1/2, my kids walk everywhere too. This means we don't walk as quickly, and we stop to look at flowers and bugs and anything else you can imagine would interest a couple of curious kids. I still take the stroller to carry our stuff, but as you can guess, it's much lighter.
As a result, I'm having to be more creative as far as incorporating exercise into my day. One of the changes I've made is to remove a laundry basket from the main floor of our house. Now instead of tossing items into this basket and making one trip downstairs when the basket is full, I run each laundry item downstairs in individual trips (sometimes I wish my kids still rode in the stroller ;)
What are some interesting ways that you sneak exercise into your day? I'd love some new ideas!
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7/8/09
Dr. Rhonda Low, And What Happens To You Body When You Eat A High Fat Meal
I saw this Dr. Rhonda Low segment last night on the news that analyzed the blood of two volunteers before and after they ate a 6,000+ calorie high fat meal. I can't find the segment on line to share the link with you (but I did manage to find her twitter address! @doctorrhonda )
Anyway, the segment on the fatty food was quite shocking. Even after one meal, the volunteers' blood when from clear to cloudy, and the heart rates when from comfortable to struggling. Worth noting is that both volunteers where deemed healthy prior to the test.
Ouch.
It crossed my mind to save the taped segment and replay it every time I get an ice cream craving...
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Anyway, the segment on the fatty food was quite shocking. Even after one meal, the volunteers' blood when from clear to cloudy, and the heart rates when from comfortable to struggling. Worth noting is that both volunteers where deemed healthy prior to the test.
Ouch.
It crossed my mind to save the taped segment and replay it every time I get an ice cream craving...
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7/7/09
Weight Loss With One Change At A Time
Yet again I'm trying to ditch the ice cream at midnight habit! So far so good. I'm on day 3 now.
Last night I caved a bit and had a couple of cheese strings (2 x 60 cals) and a chocolate covered chewy granola bar (150) for a total of 270 calories. This is still better than the ice cream, though, which I estimate to be near 1,000 (did I mention I dump chocolate chips, peanut butter, and chocolate syrup all over it? yeeesh. SO yummy though).
Wish me luck tonight! At the moment I'm strong, but anytime after 10:00 pm or so, I stop caring about the calories and I just want the ice cream!! Ahhhh... lol
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Last night I caved a bit and had a couple of cheese strings (2 x 60 cals) and a chocolate covered chewy granola bar (150) for a total of 270 calories. This is still better than the ice cream, though, which I estimate to be near 1,000 (did I mention I dump chocolate chips, peanut butter, and chocolate syrup all over it? yeeesh. SO yummy though).
Wish me luck tonight! At the moment I'm strong, but anytime after 10:00 pm or so, I stop caring about the calories and I just want the ice cream!! Ahhhh... lol
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7/6/09
Are Salads Really Diet Food?
Are salads really diet food?...
I'm addressing the misconception that just because something is called a "salad", it must be good for weight loss.
It comes down to common sense. If you order something with "salad" in the name at a restaurant and your plate arrives containing cheese, egg, and processed ham along with some lettuce, it's more than likely going to sabotage your diet efforts.
On the other hand, if it truly is light and low cal (greens & veggies with no dressing), it can't be ALL that you eat or your metabolism will shut down.
Two of my own friends have complained in the past about being unable to lose weight even though they "eat mostly salads". I wonder if they were focusing on the name and not content (what was IN those salads), or if they were not seeing the big picture (what else were they eating). In any case, the whole salad thing warrants a closer look...
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I'm addressing the misconception that just because something is called a "salad", it must be good for weight loss.
It comes down to common sense. If you order something with "salad" in the name at a restaurant and your plate arrives containing cheese, egg, and processed ham along with some lettuce, it's more than likely going to sabotage your diet efforts.
On the other hand, if it truly is light and low cal (greens & veggies with no dressing), it can't be ALL that you eat or your metabolism will shut down.
Two of my own friends have complained in the past about being unable to lose weight even though they "eat mostly salads". I wonder if they were focusing on the name and not content (what was IN those salads), or if they were not seeing the big picture (what else were they eating). In any case, the whole salad thing warrants a closer look...
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Renewed Weight Loss Efforts
Ok, I think I'm ready to try again. The thing that tipped the scales (pun intended ;) was when I sat down at the table last night and my tummy bumped the table. Um, sigh. Not what I want for myself.
I managed to NOT eat ice cream before bed last night, which is a really good sign. Normally my ice cream cravings completely override any good sense I may have left at the end of the day, but not last night! I kept thinking about that annoying tummy bump.
bump
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I managed to NOT eat ice cream before bed last night, which is a really good sign. Normally my ice cream cravings completely override any good sense I may have left at the end of the day, but not last night! I kept thinking about that annoying tummy bump.
bump
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