Almost Done With 14 Day Challenge

I'm almost done with the 14 day challenge "Take Control of Your Health" through the thehoneyline.com. I'm on day 13. I'm so glad I did this. It really helped me focus even more clearly on my goals. I want to achieve being fit and this requires eating the right foods and exercising regularly. It's as simple as that. By doing this challenge I was more aware of the effects of gluten (yuk!), more cautious about sugar and salt (only use Sea Salt as it is natural) and even more aware that it's probably a good idea to have a daily vitamin supplement and drink a TON of water. I tried quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) for the first time (family love it), and it was pretty good...one of the highest content of protein when it comes to grains and it's gluten free---bonus! Cooked it as a substitute for rice. I tired Blue Agave Nectar as substitute for sugar...loved it, it was so subtle, but great tasting...a little went a long way...even put a little on my kids' toast. Made baked sweet potato fries from scratch...although it wasn't as crunchy as I like, it was good and good for you. The best part was all it was available right here at my local Trader Joe's. I've learned to portion my meals where it's almost automatic that I eat more frequent smaller meals (this was not easy, it took a while to really get use to this). It just feels good to fuel the body well...it's sets me up for my second goal of balance in life. It makes me a better mom and wife by passing on these good habits to them.

I'm still a work in progress, but on the right track. I ran 5 miles this morning. I made no excuses despite an oncoming of a sore throat...my concession was running 5 instead of 10 to take it easy. I know most are saying, great for you, you have a head start. The thing about is when I started training in March of this year, I started with 2 mile runs and worked up to my current speed and distance. The important part is to start. Every little bit counts! Next for me is figuring out a way to incorporate weight training...this is a must for me and easier said than done...I'll keep you posted.

Looking forward to my final challenge tomorrow!!! Have a happy and safe Memorial Day Weekend!

2nd Day of Challenge

Today was tough as far as eating. I'm still getting use to eating smaller meals more frequently. It involves a lot of extra planning on my part. Not only am I planning portions, but also the right variety of foods (big fan of non processed foods, so I try to incorporate fruits and veggies first). The challenge calls for balancing lean proteins, good carbs, and good fats. I did fit in 5 little meals, but still kind of hungry in between. I'm determined to master this because it's not one of those diets that deprive a person, but merely sets you on the right path. Besides, I'm a firm believer in the 80/20 rule...eat good 80% of the time and splurge 20% of the time. I'm looking for a diet that's not a diet, but rather a way of eating for life. Got a 2 mile run in this morning, so kind of on the light side, but better than nothing. I still need to find the courage to incorporate weight training, probably my least favorite to do (been years since I seriously had a routine w/light weights), but I know is a must to be well balanced fitness-wise. My intent is to be healthy and strong first naturally, and if I improve my physical appearance by doing so then that's just icing on the cake. My new assignment is to plan my workouts for the following week. I have already started. Since I have kids, husband and work to juggle sometimes I have to rearrange my workout schedule, but usually I always find time to fit it in somewhere just as long as I write it down---very simple and important key. Looking forward to day 3...H2O challenge.

14 Day Challenge

Today I signed up for a "14 Day Take Control of Your Health Challenge" through Gabby Reece's Honey Line website www.thehoneyline.com (one of my favorite websites for inspiration and loaded with tons of health and fitness tips). I'm a big fan of this website. Gabby to me is really a huge role model for fitness. She practices what she preaches and stands behind the belief that there is no "easy" way to get fit and healthy, you must work at it and continue to work at it. Eat good for you foods and move your body. Most of us are not built like her or have as many resources as she does, but we certainly can draw some inspiration from her fitness philosophy. Anyway, I'll be talking more about the Honey Line throughout my journey, I'm sure as I am a fan. In the mean time see for yourself what it's all about. Getting back to the challenge. Basic rules, no fried foods, limit coffee and alcohol to 8oz. per day, no smoking (super easy as smoking is absolutely disgusting), workout at least 30 mins. per day, and get 7+ hours of sleep (challenging for me - love to stay up late w/hubby to catch up). Day one consisted of structuring my meals. A normal day for me is oatmeal and coffee for breakfast, salad w/protein for lunch, and usually a decent size dinner w/meat, more veggies, and some sort of carbs (I love to cook large well rounded dinners for my family because it's our time to connect for the day and I feel great doing it for them). Well, under this "structured meal plan", it sets the pace where I'm suppose to eat every 3-4 hours of meals consisting of 250-300 calories balancing lean proteins, good carbs, and good fats. I'm sure by now everyone has some sort of idea what are lean and good foods, so I won't elaborate too much. The objective is to stabilize blood sugar so that your body processes food more efficiently. I thought this would be a piece of cake, eat small meals more frequently. It actually wasn't that easy...I forgot to eat twice and had to quickly catch up. When I'm busy working or dealing with my young kids, my day can slip away just like that. So as it happens, I was busy today and forgot to fuel up then I finally got smart and set little alarms to remind me. I will plan my day better tomorrow. I really want to master this as it totally makes sense to continually fuel in small increments instead of large heavy less frequent meals. I did cook a decent size dinner tonight, but I had a larger amount of salad and only 1/2 my "sort of" lean hamburger. Not perfect, but still striving to be better...now I have to fit in a workout...just got to do it! Oh, I also have to limit processed foods as a basic rule...apparently protein bars are processed and deemed "low quality foods"...bye, bye beloved Balance Bars.

Ok, let’s get started. First, I would like express how much I absolutely adore and love my husband. He is my main source of inspiration, my biggest supporter, my number one fan and the love of my life. We have two beautiful girls ages 2-1/2 and 5, whom I also absolutely adore, love and draw inspiration from. It is because of my family, I have committed to being the best wife and mother I can be no matter what life throws my way.

Of course this goal is easier said than done. I began with the obvious, I decided to take better care of myself by exercising regularly, being mindful of what I eat and really taking some time out to “sharpen the saw" (translation to regenerate), so I can better take care of my family. I knew if I took time out to take care of myself than I would have more energy to be a better person, wife and mother. I have always been relatively active all my life, but never to the point where I have had a set routine down every week consistently. My enlightenment really began last October. Balancing work and family life was really getting stressful to say the least and getting the best of me. I felt run down and sluggish. I’m sure all working mothers can relate. All I wanted to do was focus on my family as that's what mattered most to me, but I knew I still needed to continue to work. I needed to make a bold change to manage my stress level and reclaim my energy. About the same time my husband and I had the opportunity to visit with our close family friends, Cathy and Richard (who by the way are one of the most fit, energetic, and upbeat people you’ll ever meet). They were raving about hot yoga classes they have been attending. This really got my curiosity going because I had read about the benefits of yoga (means union & balance) and how it is a workout without being too strenuous, but most importantly adds balance and focus to what normally would be a distracted mind. Great, sign me up! I needed an activity to ease into, but still be a challenging workout. I did not hesitate, to my husband’s surprise as well as Cathy and Richard’s, I took a class immediately and loved it! I practice hot yoga which may not appeal to everyone as the room is heated to nearly 109 degrees (can you say sweaty), but there are other types of yoga practices that are of bearable temperature with the same benefits. It is a workout, so be prepared.

A few months went by and I was happily settling into my routine of hot yoga 2-3 times a week starting at 6am. I can’t speak enough about how greatly yoga helps me deal with stress, but still I knew I needed to incorporate some other variety to my fitness endeavors. Low and behold, an opportunity to run in the OC Marathon comes up, which coincidentally my crazy fit cousin, Sally, who’s 40+ was already registered in the half marathon (13.1 miles). I conservatively signed up for the 5k version (3.1 miles) thinking I’ll take it easy. So now it’s early March and with my IPod Nano w/Nike Plus in hand (thanks to hubby), I had incorporated running to my weekly fitness routine to train along with my hot yoga. I’m not a stranger to running, but I had never run in a long distance marathon before. During my training my husband realizes that I was finishing 3.1 miles in about a half hour. He challenges me to run the half marathon because the 5k would be too easy. My competitive nature beast kicked in and I excitedly upgraded to the half marathon. So down to serious business, I quickly contacted my crazy fit cousin to train along side her and her band of merry running mates (no exaggeration). The best thing I ever did. Not only was it fun, training in Orange County, CA, enjoying our beautiful scenery, hanging out with my cuz, meeting new friends (the band of merry running mates), but I was also building aerobic endurance and toning up. After 8 weeks of training, on May 3^rd, 2010, I finished my first half marathon (13.1 miles) in 2 hours 30 mins. 5 seconds. My goal was 2 hours 30 mins, but I guess it was close enough. I wasn't the fastest, but I certainly wasn't the slowest and most importantly I had the courage to finish. I felt blessed my entire family including my wonderful parents (who are merry in their own right) came to see me at the finish line. All I could think of was that I hoped I had inspired my daughters to do this one day too. I have continued running on my own tapering back a bit and running with my cousin. I really enjoy it and hope to keep it up.

It’s never too late to start exercising, eating better or taking some time out to relax no matter what your fitness level may be or how hectic family life and work may be. I continue to strive to improve each day, each week with all of the above. Find an activity you love to do and stick with it even it means you start one day a week. The first step is to begin the moment you are inspired and then commit. The rest will fall into place.

Agnes