dr. oz's challenge

have you heard of Dr. Oz? he has a tv show (which i have never seen) about health and stuff. it's been a while since i posted anything about health (my bad) and since summer is here and school is out i have lots of time on my hands! my friend Adam remarked the other day that if he was in Provo he would be working out a lot! so that is going to be one of my goals. i also want to start eating healthier than i have for the last little while. i've had this pinned on Pinterest for a little while. it's from Dr. Oz and i really like it! everything on here is something we've heard before and should really be no brainers. but sometimes eating healthy is a lot harder than working out.
Dr. Oz's Challenge
1. Cut out soda- i don't really drink soda, but sometimes i just like a good dr. pepper. soda has tons of sugar and is so fattening! plus, caffeine isn't good for you either.
2. Stop eating at least 3 hours before bed- this is one of my big problem areas. i like a good midnight snack. i'm going to set the time (since i don't have a set bed time) to stop eating each at 9 pm. at 9, the fridge and pantry is locked up tight. (of course there will be exceptions like if it is a party, ward function, date, etc.)
3. Move for 10 minutes each day
4. Exercise portion control
       - no snacks larger than your fist
5. Weigh yourself everyday
6. Take a vitamin every day (one that includes a vitamin B complex) and calcium daily
7. Reinvent recipes
8. Conquer your cravings

Pretty simple right? i hope so! i'll be focusing on the two highlighted items this week and i will report back next week. then i will go on to one or two more. i'm excited to do this and to work out more! i want to work out at least an hour each day and really start training for my marathon (if my knee will permit). yay for being healthy!

i just love this. this will be me

spring fever

winter has got me down in the dumps. february, a month which should have been filled with celebrations and accomplishment, instead became the slacking off month. i let winter get the best of me. i let all my good habits fall by the wayside and i became lazy, a procrastinator, unhealthy, and a little bitter. sometimes it just seemed like i was staying in the same place and i wondered why i wasn't progressing and why i didn't feel better about my life. i think that melissa and i have kind of been on the same brain waves or something because we have been thinking the exact same things! i need to get back into my usually sunshiney attitude and do some spring cleaning in my life. then i can get on to the real spring fever :)
1) starting March 1st I am again doing the 21 Day No Junk Food Challenge. i just have not been eating healthy since Christmas. i eat pretty healthy meals, but i snack almost constantly in between and they are not healthy snacks. i was doing the challenge in January (if you remember) but i stopped because i realized i was not doing it for me and that i ended up just comparing myself to others and feeling bad about myself. i am excited to do the challenge this time! the only exception to my following the challenge 100% will be if i am on a date (i don't want to make any guy feel bad).
2) starting tomorrow, until next Sunday (March 4th) i will not be watching at TV shows. i usually start one while i'm eating and then end up watching more and more. it's bad and it is causing my studying to be much less effective. it's going to be hard this week not to watch any of my shows! but i know if i can go cold turkey for a week then i can find a way to still watch the shows i like and still get studying done. this week, if my studying is done, i will work on projects around my apartment, or read Harry Potter!
3) this week i am going to get to bed by 11 pm every night. while studying for midterms i got in the habit of going to bed late (because i needed to stay up and study). however since midterms are over i just stay up late, wasting my time, and then i wake up late and my whole day is off to a horrible start. so i promise to get more sleep (hopefully it will also prevent me from getting sick.
4) remember Fab Ab February? well i haven't been doing so great. it's not horrible but i usually only get in 3-4 days out of the week. needless to say, my abs are not fab. so i am going to do better at working out. i decided to do my first marathon this fall so i am going to start training for that ASAP and i am going to start weight training again. this week my goal is to run 1x, spin 2x, and do the 1000 rep workout 1x. can i do it? i hope so! i gotta get back in to shape!

are you ready for this? i sure am. i've been sitting around on my butt for long enough. it's time i took control and made 2012 the best year yet.

hearts and stuff

you probably thought this post was about love, Valentine's day, or chocolates. you're wrong. read on. . .

February is National Heart Month, and today happens to be Wear Red Day (for the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute).  so i wore red today (i even changed my outfit 3 times) in honor of those who have heart, lung or blood disease and to promote living a lifestyle that is healthy for these vital organs.

having a healthy heart isn't just something that i think is important because i have read about it and learned about it and seen pictures of diseased hearts. this is personal.

when i was 17 my mom had a heart attack. it wasn't a major heart attack, but she did have to spend a few days in the hospital and continues to take aspirin (a blood thinner). she also changed a lot about her fairly healthy lifestyle. she now exercises 90 minutes each morning, takes vitamins, and rarely eats sweets or high fat foods. when my mom was in the hospital i was given time to think about life, and death, and my own health. my mom was never purposefully unhealthy. we never eat fast food, she does not smoke or drink, and a snack in my family means a slice of homemade whole wheat bread or an apple. however, i am not blind to the fact that there were things my mom (and by default, my family) could have done better. my mom was very young when she had a heart attack, and it was scary. i want to live in a way that prevents against heart disease and which promotes a healthy heart.

the Mayo Clinic gives five strategies to living a heart-healthy lifestyle. 

1. Don't smoke or use tobacco.

2. Exercise for 30 minutes 5 days a week- you can ride a bike, go running, swim, do pilates or aerobics, take a zumba class, go for a walk with your dog. just do something to get out and moving!

         this was probably the biggest change my mom made. my mom is a very busy stay at home mom. she puts her needs after every one else's. this is amazing and inspirational, but as a mother or any busy human being, you need to take time to take care of yourself. and part of that is exercising. as much as i love exercising, i find it hard to go running or get to the gym 5 days a week (what with school and work) and so this is something i need to work on!

3. Eat a heart-healthy diet- this includes cutting back on fatty foods, red meats and sweets, and increasing the amount of fruits, vegetables, good fats, and fiber-rich foods you eat. Eat your Cheerios people! (For more information on a heart healthy diet see here.)

4. Maintain a healthy weight.

5. Get regular health screenings- blood pressure, cholesterol, and diabetes.

My own suggestion: 6. Know your history! If your family has a history of heart disease, heart attacks, high blood pressure, etc. know about it. Know when these things started occurring in the family members so that if you do need to consult a physician about one of these diseases you have all the information that can help him make a good diagnosis.

This is kind of a long post, but having a healthy heart is kinda a big deal. So while you are thinking all those lovey-dovey romantic thoughts and decorating hearts with cute sayings, remember your own heart and decide to make your life more heart healthy!

1000 reps?!

if you are on Pinterest then you have most likely seen the 1000 reps workout.

the first time i saw it i was like, oh yeah, that's cool, but freaking hard. and then, i decided to do it. [these days a lot of my inspiration for working out comes from watching Biggest Loser. i mean you can't really watch that, while snacking on leftover christmas candy, and not feel guilty.]

wednesday night after an unsuccessful attempt at studying functional anatomy, i decided  my anatomy would be better put to use by pumping my muscles a little. i wanted a challenge, not just some weakling crunches and arm curls. enter- the 1000 rep workout.

peeps, it was tough. i even got a little sick at one point and had to take a breather. i had the music blasting and my water bottle full of sweet water, so i was ok. i felt super accomplished after finishing all 1000 reps- i did not even cheat. [but i could have done better. goal.] about a half hour after i finished i could not keep my eyes open. working out hard does that to ya. but, get this, i am still sore, two days later! oh hello DOMS. walking down stairs today and laughing, was a little painful, but can i tell you a secret? i love it. i think the sensation of sore muscles is exhilarating! it means i worked hard and i'm becoming stronger. [i'm a freak. don't worry about it.]

so, what's the verdict on the 1000 reps workout? i'm doing it again!!! possibly tonight or tomorrow morning. [plus repeating the workout is the only way to decrease DOMS.] and i'm going to do it harder. put more of myself into it. i can't wait.

also, you can do it too! let me know if you do it and what you think!