Paint the Town RED

In case you didn't know, February is American Heart Month. Another little-known fact is that heart disease is the leading cause of death for women and men in the United States. Jonesie, Ny and I learned a lot about heart disease last year as participants in the Go Red for Women: Better U program with the American Heart Association.

During the 12-week program we learned to make better food choices, become more active, and research our family histories to determine whether we were at higher risk for heart disease. {You can see our individual stories here}. The thing about heart disease is that it is largely preventable and the smallest changes to your daily routine can make a big impact in the long run.

This Friday, February 5, women across the country are going to wear red to help raise awareness about heart disease. So decide to wear red on Friday and make health your best accessory! For more information on how you can reduce your risk of heart disease, visit the CDC's site or the American Heart Association's Go Red for Women site. You can even sign up for a free Go Red for Women pin! I'll be wearing mine at Blissdom.


*Image courtesy of Unique Vintage, a vintage-inspired clothing and accessories boutique that is supporting the American Heart Association's Go Red for Women movement throughout the month of February by donating 25% of sales from select RED items to the AHA.

Sunday Crunch

Whew. So the past 2 weeks have been beyond insane. As Murphy would have it, all angles of my life snowballed and became hectic all at the same time. So while I have tons to update you all about, I'm going to start with today. This morning at 8:30am to be exact...

Here's the background: It has become readily apparent that Hubby is fed up with my lack of fitness regiment and therefore lack of progress in the weight/appearance category. Sure, it's easy for him to judge seeing as how he hasn't popped out THREE HUMAN BEINGS WITHIN THE LAST FIVE YEARS, but whatev. Fine.

So, it appears that he took it upon his well-intentioned self to take matters into his own hands and create a bootcamp for his struggling wife. Sounds sweet doesn't it? That he was concerned and took action to support me in getting fit? I suppose it is on one level, but the real problem is that Hubby is an athlete. Used to strength coaches and 2-A-Days and training camps. Me? Not so much. Anyway, on Friday he came home grinning from ear to ear clutching a bag from Modell's and looking all proud of himself. Turns out he bought me a ProGym in a Bag, courtesy of GoFit. And then, this morning bright and early, he kicked my behind.

I did crunches (on the driveway pavement - and, no I wasn't "permitted" to get my yoga mat). I did leg lifts. I did sprints. Yes, he did set up cones up and down our sidewalk. Yes, I was mortified. I did squats with the resistance bands. I even did DB exercises, including one where the flipppin' resistance band was wrapped around my waist and I had to squat and shuffle from cone to cone. And I finished the workout up with suicides.

And I did it all. With my three darlings cheering for me along the sidelines and Hubby timing me with his Commissioner stopwatch. It was brutal. I thought I was going to die. But I had to do it. Yes, for me, but more so...for him.

BetterU: D-Day

Um, where did the summer go? It's been over 12 weeks since the MamaLaw ladies and Joshilyn flew to Dallas to get started on becoming more heart healthy with the BetterU program. I can't believe how the time has flown by. The experience has been a good one, I think, for the simple fact that my own awareness about fitness and eating habits has been dramatically raised.

Eating Habits
While I have not lost the pounds that I was hoping to (yet!?) I can say with confidence that I've altered my eating habits in a positive way. My good friend who is staying with us temporarily even said on Sunday: "You are so good with the food." Meaning, that was no longer an area that I am struggling in. And I would agree. Of course I still love food and crave the occasional carb fest, but I am much more conscientious about eating those types of foods in moderation.


Fitness
On the fitness front, you know my story. I was off to a strong start, but just didn't maintain for whatever reason. I just don't enjoy exercise! That said, I am proud that I stuck with the walk-jog regiment for 6 weeks, even though it's been almost that long since I've walk-jogged. I know this is my barrier and I'm still working on overcoming it.


So wish me luck next week! On Tuesday we will all be back at the Cooper Institute in Dallas taking our Post-BetterU health assessments. Hopefully I will have shown some improvement, especially with my BMI, which is my major area of focus. In the meantime, if you have strategies for fitting in and enjoying exercising, please, please share.

BetterU: Exercise, Groceries and Weight Loss, Oh My

Weekly Exercise Goals

Did you know that in order to stay heart-healthy you should be doing 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week?

To a busy working mom of 3 kids, that sounds virtually impossible. Laughable even. I don't have 150 minutes to do anything beyond the necessities it seems, let alone exercise. And so I broke it down. First, I need to acknowledge that exercise is a necessity. It won't matter that I packed Chatterbox's bookbag and wiped down the kitchen counters if I'm lying in a hospital bed after suffering a stroke, now will it? Second, while the 150-minute number sounds daunting, it translates into 30 mins per day/5 days a week. And what's more is that if I choose to up the level of my workout to vigorous-intensity, I can cut that amount of time spent exercising to 75 minutes per week, which provides some better options for my schedule.

The BetterU Program has a great Activity Chart that shows a variety of different exercises and how many minutes of each it takes to burn the same amount of calories. So for example, vaccuming for 45 minutes burns the same amount of calories as jumping rope for 15 minutes, which is good to know (especially since I hate vaccuming).

I'm appreciating this new information. 75 minutes, I can do! That's 25 minutes of vigorous-intesity exercise, 3 times per week.

Look for the Symbol

In addition to exercise, the grocery store plays a major role in our quest for heart health. Choosing better options can be hard, especially with all the nutritional labeling info on food packaging and the various categories to consider. Calories vs. Fat Calories. Saturated Fats. Sodium. And the list goes on.

Here's a quick tip: When you see the heart with a check mark symbol on food packaging in the grocery store, you'll instantly know the food has been screened and verified to meet the American Heart Association's certification criteria to be low in saturated fat and cholesterol for healthy people over age 2. Isn't that cool? I've never really paid attention to that before. The AHA can even help you create your grocery list. Click here for more.

Weight Update
And a spot of good news for me this week! I logged my weight into Weight Watchers and got my 5% milestone star and congratulations! This means that I've lost 5% of my original weight. Yay me! Granted, it's taken waaaay too long for me to reach this milestone (i.e. 8 months), but still, I'll take it.

Better Tuesdays: Exercise routines

I’ve been waiting for this validation my entire adult life “Like Their Lives, Women's Exercise Passes Through Phases”. Better U kept it real when they posted this link on Facebook yesterday!!! The article discussed a study that found that for many women their ability to keep an exercise routine changes with various phases in their lives - young motherhood, retirement, menopause etc. Hello....haven't we been saying that for ages?

If you remember my post last week, I was (and still am) really discouraged about the fact that I’ve only lost 5 pounds since starting Better U and was ready to quit. I got a lot of encouraging words from readers (thanks everyone) and then I saw this article that gave me a quick pick-me-up.

I am stressed right now with planning Blogalicious; dealing with my 4 year old who won’t listen and is just becoming more and more of a handful; thinking about downgrading my car to save some money when my lifeplan included an upgrade at this time; handling the disappointment that I'm not where I want to be in my career; wondering why I’m 4 weeks late and I’m not pregnant (been to the doctor); and all the other the other day to day stresses that come along with my role.

So I think I understand why I’m not seeing the weight loss that I expected. I’m just too stressed to lose weight! Once I get through this stage, the weight will drop off like magic!

Remember to check out Joshilyn's blog for more on Better U.

Better Tuesdays: Stick a fork in it

As much as I have tried, I think I must pause my journey to becoming a Better Me at this time. This is not the encouraging news that you are looking for on this Better Tuesday, but I just can't figure out how to continue. I've tried over the past couple months to change my diet, eating habits and exercise regime, and as you know, I haven't experienced the weight loss that I expected; especially in comparison to the effort expended. Now, I'm pretty much at a cross roads and I feel too confused and too discouraged to move.

Despite being about 2 weeks behind the program schedule, I trekked along because I felt that I could catch up. Now, I'm 3 weeks behind, only about 5 pounds lighter, it's over 100 degrees in DC and I just can't find the time to devote to myself. I say myself, because I really didn't care too much about keeping up with the program, but I'm also being realistic and the next few weeks are only going to get busier.

This past week I thought not about Better U - I ate whatever, whenever and there was no exercise in sight. I was tired when I got home and what little exercise I was getting (by walking in the afternoon) I could no longer get because it was too hot. Tell me, when/where am I going to find the time? Where am I going to find the motivation?

I hope that I'm just moody or stressed because I can't give up. But that's where I'm at right now...

Better Tuesdays: The Muscle Factor

[Yes, I know it's Wednesday, but humor me!]

My goals for this week are:

Do resistance training at least twice. Let's chat for a moment about resistance training. First off, it sounds so...hard. I mean, with the whole use of the word "resistance" and all? What situation have you ever been in where resistance was a good thing? But seriously. My real apprehension with resistance training is that, in my mind, resistance training tones and builds muscle. And while that's an excellent thing, I don't feel like I'm yet at the point weight-wise where I want to build muscle. What's the informed opinion on this? Should I continue to do cardio and burn fat before I take up resistance training? Or will doing it now help me with the weight loss? The American Heart Association says this:

The health benefits of resistance training include increased strength and muscular coordination, more muscle mass and higher bone density in men and women of all ages. An increase in muscle mass contributes to a higher basal metabolic rate, which can help in weight control.

So you see? It's the "muscle mass" part that freaks me out. Because let's face it, my legs cannot afford to get any bigger.

Share a healthy recipe with some friends. This one is easy and fun because I loooove recipes! I am a wannabe cookbook collector and use all of my books on a regular basis. My absolute favorite is The Joy of Cooking because it's like having your mama in the kitchen with you. This means you don't have to call your mom in the middle of making a meal to ask for her help and interrupt her very important "book club" meeting which in the background sounds like a lot more like wine drinking than book reading. Ahem. Anyway, the book offers the basics from how to make a pie crust (without help from Pillsbury) to how to make a roux. If you're looking for a fresh, easy and flavorful side this summer, try this out:

COCONUT LIME SALAD
Makes 5 servings

Combine in a large bowl:

• 2 cups grated fresh coconut
• 1 cup seeded and grated cucumber
• 1⁄2 cup chopped cilantro
• Grated zest and juice of 1 lime
• 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced
• 3⁄4 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄4 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

Let stand 15 minutes before serving. Serve this salad beside grilled fish. Add mango and papaya for juicy sweetness and colorful nutrients! You could also cut down the salt or swap in Mrs. Dash to make this salad even more heart healthy.

Hope you're having a great week.

The highs and the lows

By the time I get this post up it’ll officially be Wednesday and no longer Better Tuesday - but better late than never, right? It’s 3 weeks before we return to Dallas for our health assessments and I’m officially three weeks behind on the program. I don’t know how I got here other than to say … life; and that’s the real life of a mama, wife, attorney, conference planner, blogger, friend and all the other roles that I play. I’ve found it increasingly difficult to login AND do the course work AND try to exercise AND try to eat right – so as with all other things, something had to give.

Because I was so ashamed, I made a concerted effort today to try to catch up a little to the rest of the ladies on Better U. I logged in and there I was at Week 7 while everyone else should be at Week 10 – yikes! I managed to finish up 2 weeks of course work today and I’m proud of myself. Mind you, hubby was working out while I sat on the laptop, but that’s okay. In fact, it’s great.

On a side note, I am so proud of hubby for starting to take his health a bit more seriously. He, like many of us, has put on some weight in the last few years, but of greater concern is the fact that his blood pressure and cholesterol have sky-rocketed as well. His doctor gave him medication and he hasn’t taken them. So, now he’s really trying to eat healthier and exercise as much as he can. I’m not sure whether I had anything to do with his shift in priorities, but I’m happy about it. Ironically, the issues that he face are the program’s focus for Weeks 7 and 8 - cholesterol and high blood pressure (so hopefully he reads my post – yeah, right - who am I kidding, but then again do I even want him on our blog - I think not?)


We know that heart disease doesn’t manifest in the same way in women as it does men, so we have to pay attention to some of the warning signs and get a regular heart health checkup because some of those warning signs are pretty silent too. A couple of those signs are high blood pressure and high cholesterol and there are things that we can do to lower our risks of these two conditions – starting with getting more information. Luckily I don’t have an issue with my blood pressure which was 120/68 when last measured in April. Although it’s probably higher now because my stress levels have shot through the roof with Blogalicious planning! I do, however, have a bit of a problem with my cholesterol. I am in the “Borderline High” category at 207 and I need to bring that number down to 200 or below. I am exercising now (when I can) and I am eating better, so hopefully I’ve succeeded in that category because God only knows that the weight is the same. All I could (realistically) do at this point is keep on keeping on.

I found these tips and fats facts very helpful in better understanding these conditions and I hope you do too!

· High cholesterol has no symptoms. So it's important to have your blood cholesterol levels checked.
· Fat and Cholesterol Recommendation
Saturated Fat =<7% of calories = Choose lean meats, fish (at least twice per week) and fat-free or low-fat dairy products.
Trans Fat = <1 % of calories = Minimize "partially hydrogenated" fats. Choose liquid vegetable oils and soft margarine in place of hard margarine or shortening.
Cholesterol = <300 mg per day = Choose vegetable alternatives to meat, poultry and seafood. Vegetables and whole grains have no cholesterol and are high in fiber, which has been shown to lower blood cholesterol. An average goal is to eat about 25 grams of fiber every day.
· Many women believe that they either have diabetes, or they don’t, but they could have prediabetes (a condition where blood sugar levels are higher than normal, but not yet diabetic) which may cause no symptoms. You can be developing high blood sugar without yet having the diagnosis of diabetes.
· Ways to control stress include: Keep moving! Fuel your body with healthy foods and drink plenty of water; Get plenty of sleep on a regular basis; Practice deep breathing and relaxation exercises; Take small stretching breaks throughout the day; Keep a journal or appointment book to help you identify those tasks and daily demands that are sources of stress; Unplug and take a break from technology Practice personal stress management skills regularly.

Hope you're having a Better Tuesday/Wednesday.

Keeping it Real

We've got about one month left before our follow-up health assessment at the Cooper Institute in Dallas for the GRFW Better U program. I'm not at all excited! In fact, I'm dreading it! I fell way off the program within the last 3 weeks or so and I keep promising myself to get back on and I just can't seem to motivate myself to do it. I have lost a total of 5 pounds - yep, that's it!!! I think that's pretty disappointing and I can't get out of that low. I have been eating better, and I'm exercising. I'm walking about 1.3 miles 4-5 times a week and sometimes I even come home and hit the treadmill. So, why have I only lost 5 pounds? It isn't making much sense to me at all.

I had small triumph this week when I finally measured my waist and I was pleasantly surprised that I've lost 1.5 inches - this is good news because I am back under the 35 inch threshold for concern about heart disease (ladies, you should be concerned about increasing the risks of heart disease when your waist is greater than 35).

To be honest, I would like to see more weight loss and more size lost and that's probably the anchor on my ankle. It's so easy to say just exercise more, but really, when in the world will I find the time. I leave at 8 in the morning and return at 7 at night. When I get home I'm exhausted and then I have to take care of home (and then I'm planning Blogalicious) so where am I supposed to find any more time in my day. Whatever free time I've been able to carve out I'm exercising so what's left? Once again, I'll hope that things can pick up soon.

Go on over to our Better U partner's site for her tips.

Better Tuesdays: The Home Stretch

Holy crap. When did it get to be almost August? it seems like it was just the other day when we embarked on our BetterU journey. I started off so strong: exercising 3 to 5 times a week; eating well; etc. But somewhere around the beginning of July (ok I know exactly when) my heart-healthy habits took a backseat to...life. It's true what they say - being healthy is a lifestyle and the diet choices and workout routines have to be integrated into your every day.

This is hard for me because I tend to abandon the healthy routine when something unusual comes along. This time it was our beach vacation to the Outer Banks that threw me off. Then it was going away to Chicago for BlogHer. It's so hard for me to stick to my diet while away from home. I think it's because I feel like I'm not enjoying myself if I'm not eating what I want to eat and then I'm not really on vacation then, am I? This mentality is killing me! How do I get over it?

I also heard someone talking about how "taking the weekend off" of her diet sabotaged all her progress. I am totally guilty of that. Monday thru Friday I am great. I plan my snacks, my meals, enter my WW points, exercise - but come Saturday I kind of give myself a break for the weekend...and wipe out all of my hard work from the previous week in the process.

So, my BetterU goals for this week are:

Resume my exercise routine. This one is hard because really my only time is in the evening and between getting home from work, making dinner, getting the kids ready for bed and planning Blogalicious, I barely make it to bed before midnight as it is.

Stick it out through the weekend. It's all about maintaining.

Lose at least one pound. I put on 4 of the 8lbs I lost already and it's so upsetting. I'm a yo-yo dieter. I feel like Oprah.

Only poorer.

And without Bob Greene.

Or Art Smith.

Dammit, I'm not like Oprah at all, am I?

BetterU: Woman on a Mission

We are about halfway into our 12 week BetterU program. I've been working out at least three times a week. I keep track of my workouts on a calendar hanging in my closet. I use my calendar as a daily visual to remind me to get to the gym and also, pat myself on the back for accomplishing my weekly goals.

The jeans I wore in our photoshoot here on the right- getting just a little snug. So have I lost a pound? No. In fact, it seems like my scale is moving the wrong way. Or broken. It must be broken. Clearly, it's broken. Because after all this work, I should see some sort of results, right?

I sulked about my weight ga broken scale for a few days. Sulked might be an understatement because I was not at all pleased about the situation.

But the reality of it is, goal #1 for my BetterU campaign was to tone up and build some lean muscle. I figured that sure, I would drop a few pounds in the process but never thought I would gain weight break my scale in the process.

But I know what's wrong here. I need to watch my food intake. It's really simple. I need to stop eating until I'm stuffed and stop when I'm satisfied. I eat a lot have a very healthy appetite and eat my three square meals plus two snacks. My problem is with meals. I normally get up for seconds and even if I'm cooking healthy meals, no need to eat two portions of it, right?

So, for the next six weeks, I'm going to keep a food log. This will help me see what I'm really taking in and help me to maximize all that time at the gym.

What are you doing for the next six weeks?

Don't forget to visit our friend and best selling author, Joshilyn Jackson, to see how she's coming along in her BetterU makeover!

Better Tuesdays: Summer Vacation Sabotage

Last week we went on vacation to the beach. And I intentionally suspended my food diet because, well, it's not a real vacation for me if I can't enjoy my food! And eat I did. Hey, I'm just keeping it real. So while I didn't go crazy, I definitely didn't stay within my daily WW points. I had ice cream and North Carolina BBQ ribs and snow crab with butter and ice cream and pancakes and beach fries and ice cream and Italian sausage and ice cream and more snow crab legs with butter and fish tacos and fried mahi mahi and stone crab claws and did I say ice cream?

BUT! I did go for a jog twice once and "hiked" up the tallest active sand dune in the Eastern United States. So that must count for something.

Suffice it to say, I gained back 3lbs last week - eeek! So I am back on the grind. Yesterday I woke up at walk/jogged a mile at 6:30am, had a low fat sushi lunch and a small portion of ziti for dinner (hey, I gotta ease back into it). So pray for me this week. I'm back to eating to live instead of living to eat!

Heart Healthy gym bag winners are ...

And the winners of the Heart Healthy gym bag giveaway are (drumroll please):

LaTonya Richardson, Julie ZS, Nancy from Peter & Nancy

Ladies....please leave a comment with your email addresses.

Finding out where you're at

I can hardly believe that this week is almost over - happy but a little surprised too.

Last week I mentioned that I had plateaued in my healthy me efforts - to be honest, I was really fed up and tired of trying. I haven't lost any weight and my body is still fat. So I decided to stop and repeat Week 5 of the Better U program. I'll end up being a week behind the Justices ... but that's okay because I really need to do this.

So, this week I have 2 handy-dandy tools for you.

1. The BMI Calculator which you can find here.

2. The Calorie Calculator - The best little tool that I have ever found - this will help you figure out how to calculate how many calories you should be in-taking based on your current weight. And the magic is finding out how much is standard for your current weight and then reducing those calories so you can lose weight. Click here for a PDF version of the tool AND all the instructions courtesy of the American Heart Association.

Hopefully I'll have good news for my 6-week check in. I'm hopeful but I'm also realistic!

Backsliding

We're half way through the Better U program and I'm in the same position that I was in a couple weeks ago - stuck!!! I've lost about 5 pounds since I started paying attention to my health, which was the beginning of May (in all honesty, I've lost about 3 pounds since starting Better U).

But, I've reached a plateau. I intend on checking my measurements soon (I can't find a tape measure so add that to my to do/buy list) but the scale has not been good to me.

I will also confess that I haven't been as good as I should be - I've had my birthday, hubby's birthday, hosted a bbq, gone to a few bbqs, had a couple dinners with my out-of-country guest, and had wine (lots of it). So, I'm very much responsible for the plateau.

I have to kick start my regime again - walk every day, take the stairs all the time, get a real workout in at least twice a week. Also, I'm going to repeat week 5 of the program. I could simply go through the program at my current pace, but I think I'll be doing myself a great injustice. So, I am repeating week 5 - luckily, the program is flexible enough to allow you to repeat.

I'm hoping that the next six weeks are better than the first!

Better Tuesdays: A little something to get you started

Today is Better Tuesday (better late than never, right) and we’re taking another angle because we’ve got something for you! Something that we hope will get you on your way to Becoming a Better U. We've been urging you to join us on our 12-week journey to becoming more heart-healthy and now we're coaxing you into it. Well, not really, but kinda!

Compliments of the AHA, we’ve got three Better U, Better Me kits just for you! We all received our own kits last week and because we’re trying to get you involved too, we want to share a kit with you.

Each kits includes:

Super-cute tote bag for the gym
BPA-free water bottle
Go Red Grocery Guide to help you make heart-healthy choices at the store
Go Red yoga mat
Our signature red dress pin
Heart-healthy snack, Craisins

The BetterU, BetterMe Kit has a retail value of more than $50.

To enter you must (1) become a follower of our blog; and (2) leave us a comment with your heart healthy tip – could be your recipe or could be a change in behavior. For double entries, join the Better U program (click here) and let us know (you can become a "friend" in the Better U community).

A winner will be chosen at 9:00 a.m. on Monday, July 13.