Things I'm teaching my daughters

Raising children to be aware of the food around them is tough these days. They're swarmed by junk food, fast food, and images of unhealthiness. Case in point: My oldest daughter has been begging to go to Burger King. Why? Because she wants the toy that's in their kids meal.

I've made a point to RARELY take my kids to fast food joints. Why? Because the healthy food choices are limited. So many people say, "But we HAVE to--we have no TIME to eat at home." Listen, I work full time, and the chicks are involved in something every day of the week--we MAKE time. When parents say that, I hear, "I don't have time for my child's health." Hey, I'm not saying i'm perfect. My kids have eaten a McDonald's chicken nugget before. But to be 100% honest with you, I can say we've been to McDonald's (or any other fast-food place) LESS than 5 times this year. Next time your kid wants you to take them to McDonald's, how 'bout you hand them a can of Crisco. Maybe a bottle of vegetable oil. Same difference.

In our home, we always have a stash of kid-friendly snacks: cereal bars, low-fat granola bars, nilla wafers, to name a few. Yep, i know we're looking at enriched flour products, but those options are a LOT better than french fries and chicken(?) nuggets--both deep fried. We also always have an assortment of fruit.

I'm NOT a health "nut," but I AM a health addict. I choose to be healthy both for myself, and my children. I want to set a good example for them. I don't always know if I'm doing it right, but there are little things that lead me to believe i'm doing a pretty good job:

• Clairey's homework was to discuss, with me, a book her teacher read in class. "What DIDN'T you like about the book?" I asked. "That the mommy was on a diet," she said. "Diet's aren't good for you--she should just eat healthy food and make good choices."
• Jenna had a friend spend the night last week, and as they were snacking, I was drinking a Shakeology. "What's that?" Jenna's friend asked. Jenna looked at her and said, "That's a Shakeology drink. It's 'the healthiest meal of the day'! That one drink has so many good things in it, it's like going to the salad bar FIVE times! It's good stuff."

Yep. Being healthy is GOOD STUFF. So do it. Do it for you. Do it for your kids.

Stay Motivated (from Tony Horton)

 How does anyone accomplish anything without staying motivated?

Getting from A to Z only comes with commitment. Everyone who has bought Power 90/P90X is committed to making huge changes in their lives. Being committed is one thing, but for many of us, staying committed and motivated at times seems impossible.


It is easy to think of many valid and legitimate reasons why NOT to do Power 90/P90X on any given day. We get sick and tired and overwhelmed and discouraged and overworked and stressed out and travel too much and undersleep, and well, the list goes on. So what do we do about it? QUIT! Some of us do. What about the people who don't quit? What the hell makes them so special? Why are some folks successful and others aren't? The answer is that the successful, committed, and motivated people have tricks. They have found a way to do it anyway. Here is my list that will help keep you motivated:



1. Stop beating yourself up if you miss a workout! It is OK to miss a workout once in a while. It doesn't mean the whole thing has gone to hell in a hand basket. Life happens. Priorities shifted that day. So what. Start where you left off. No big deal.




2. Don't freak out if you don't see results in the first 30 to 50 days. What! No results in the first month and a half! See, I knew you'd freak out. The point I'm trying to make here is that we all have a different starting point. Some will see results the first week. Others will have to wait a little longer based on age, body weight, how out of shape they were when they started, flexibility, athletic background, etc. Power 90/P90X means 90 days, not 90 minutes.





3. On your most exhausted, overwhelmed, lackluster days, stick the DVD in the player (or tape in the VCR) and see what happens. Be fully committed to having a lousy workout. You must be OK with the fact that you will be weak and puny and rotten at it. Because any workout, no matter how bad it is, is always better than NO workout at all. You just can't feel bad after a workout. Ever! If you've got good energy and you do the best you can, you'll have a great workout. If your energy and motivation are in the toilet and you do it anyway (even poorly), you've had a great workout!





4. Buy a calendar and a big fat red marker. The Power 90/P90X program has everything you'll need to rock your world. But for those of you who are having trouble with motivation, I want you to place this calendar where you see it all the time—on the front door, bathroom mirror, refrigerator, next to the TV or VCR, etc. For every day you do Power 90/P90X make a big fat red X. You might also want to write down if it was a Resistance or Cardio day. I still do this after 20 plus years of training. X means I showed up. No X means I didn't.



5. I want you to write this on your calendar: THE JOY OF DISCIPLINE OR THE PAIN OF REGRET. WHICH WILL IT BE TODAY?





Well, I hope that keeps the fire burning. We have this powerful temple called the human body. If we treat it right, the world is our playground.

It's that time of year

It's that time of year--the kids are back to school, the leaves are starting to change (well, not in Texas--YET), and the holidays are upon us. Have you seen Christmas stuff in the stores? Isn't that crazy! I'm already starting to think of Christmas shopping...ugh.

With the holidays comes food. A lot of good food. A lot of food that we don't have on a daily basis, so we think, "Oh, it's a holiday--it's a special treat; YUM!" and before you know it, it's January and you've gained 10 lbs.

It's also the time of year when a lot of people slack off on their workout programs. There are tons of excuses, one being the types of food we "allow" ourselves to have over the holidays, and the other is that we get to wear bulky clothes that hide the result of our crappy eating. Then we have the "it's so cold outside--i don't want to go walk/run," or "it's no longer bathing-suit season!" (i've been known to use that one.)

This year--NO MORE EXCUSES. Why use the season to dictate your health? It just makes no sense. Why undo all your hard work because of a few tasty treats? WHY?! It's not worth it. Don't lose your new lifestyle choices because of the holidays. "GIFT" yourself with a continuation of your healthy lifestyle! It's the best gift you can give yourself AND your loved ones!

If you need support, let me help you. You can contact me at beachbodycoach.com/FitWisdom or FitWisdom@beachbodycoach.com

Sleep it off

by Tony Horton

One of the best things you can do for yourself is to make sure you get plenty of sleep each night. A minimum of 7 hours of shuteye makes a big difference to your brain and your heart. A lack of sleep makes you more fatigued and less mentally acute, which puts you at a greater risk for poor decision making and accidents.


A few things that can help you get those zzzzz's:

1.Get on a schedule. Try to go to bed and rise about the same time each day. Your body functions best when it’s on a regular sleeping routine, just like a baby. On the weekends, try to get up within an hour of your regular “school day” schedule to keep you on track.

2.Eat foods that contain melatonin. Foods like sweet corn, rice, and oats or complex carbohydrates with serotonin (like veggies, whole-grain bread, or pasta) in the evenings. Avoid anything with caffeine after dinner and save your workouts for earlier in the day. High activity and/or eating within 3 hours of your bedtime can keep you from falling asleep.

3.Keep it cool. The ideal environment for sleep is a cool, dark room. If you’re tossing and turning, try removing a layer of clothing or turn down the thermostat.

4.Keep your bedroom a sanctuary. Limit your bedroom activities to sleep and sex. If you don’t associate your bedroom with other stimuli like work, TV, or the computer, it’ll be easier to crash out once you snuggle in

Why do i like Beachbody products?

Because they work. They are REAL. They're delivering a hard message: you need to commit to a lifestyle change. P90X/Insanity/Shakeology, etc. are not easy. You have to work.

There IS a solution for you to get fit--both physically AND financially (THAT'S a bonus!). I became a Beachbody coach NOT because i wanted to make money from this, but because i LOVE what Beachbody has done for my health and i want to help other people feel this way, too.

If you need support, you can find it at Beachbody! Go to http://bit.ly/FitWisdom Chat with people, message people--there is someone that can help you get to where you want to be!

Confessions

I cheated on my rant diet this weekend--I had a slice of pizza on Saturday night! I'm a real person; I admit it, and i'm going to fall off the wagon, so to speak, at some points. Important thing: I got right back on.

It WAS delicious pizza, though. :D

The "Rant Diet"

Here's the diet i'm following:

#1 FOR THE NEXT 30 DAYS I WILL NOT EAT WHITE BREAD OR ANYTHING MADE WITH ENRICHED FLOUR OR PROCESSED FLOUR.

#2 I WILL GREATLY REDUCE MY DAIRY INTAKE.

#3 NO MORE CARBONATED BEVERAGES.

#4 WATER AND TEA ONLY!

IF YOU'RE A COFFEE PSYCHO, 1 CUP A DAY.

#5 AT LEAST 2 OF YOUR MEALS A DAY THERE'D BETTER BE VEGETABLES ON YOUR PLATE.

1 MEAL A DAY, THERE'D BETTER BE FRUIT.

#6 HERE'S HOW YOU'RE GETTING YOUR PROTEIN.

NUTS, BEANS, FISH, TURKEY, AND CHICKEN.

THAT'S IT!

#7 FOR THE FIRST 2 WEEKS OF YOUR 30 DAY PLAN

WRITE IT DOWN!

WRITE IT DOWN!

EVERY MORSEL!

GreenBerry Shakeology

I have to admit--the first time i tried it, I didn't like it all that much. It tasted...HEALTHY. Now, i crave it for that very reason. It's really a "you like it or you don't" type of taste. It has 70 good-for-you ingredients in it (http://bit.ly/shakeItup), so it's not going to taste like candy. But, in order to GET those 70 ingredients, i'll take it in a "healthy" tasting shake. Plus, if you throw in a banana with it--it's actually pretty darn tasty.

The chocolate one is just delicious. It's healthy chocolate. It doesn't get better than that.

Almost there!

This weekend, Chris and I began the task of turning our formal dining room into our workout room. SO...we sold the family room furniture, moved the FORMAL living room furniture into the family room, moved the dining room into the formal living room, and now have an empty formal dining. Catch all that? :)

This week also begins an eating challenge set by my home thread in the beachbody.com forums--no more caffeine for me for THIRTY days. This is a tough one, as i'm a Diet Coke junkie. But, if i'm going to be fit on the outside, i need to be fit on the inside, too.

Come on and join me in getting healthy! www.beachbodycoach.com/FitWisdom