Make Your Workout a Family Affair

Workouts should be a family affair. Sometimes you might have to get creative, but the payoff is worth it.

Making workouts fun

My kickboxing aerobics instructors, Dana and Gloria Warren are always changing up our workouts and one night there were several kids that came with their parents.workout Dana started us off with a game of tag. Think you’re in shape? Try keeping up with a bunch of kids in a confined space who run for fun all day long. The Klutzy Athlete was breathing heavy in no time. Later in class, we piggy-backed the kids up and down the gym. They may not heavy, but trust me, you’ll get a good workout after a few trips with an extra 30-50 pounds on your back.… Read More

Life is More Than a Number

Outlaw Bathroom Scales

I think bathroom scales should be outlawed, banned like plastic grocery bags, sent to the crusher never to pop up an unwanted number again. My life seems to revolve around the number on that tiny screen. When I’m a few pounds under 150 I’m on top of the world, and when I’m a pound or two above it I’m down in the dumps, and yet I still look the same. scale Image courtesy of vorakorn at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Name That Bathroom Scale

My bathroom scale has two names. It’s Darth Vader when I’m over, and Matt Damon when I’m under. I actually have a love/hate relationship with my scale. Getting on it once a week motivates me… Read More

In Charge versus in Control

Being in control

I’ve always controlled my eating. In truth, I was never in control—food controlled me. Since high school, I’ve carefully monitored my food intake, and how much exercise I needed to maintain that weight. Ultimately, I failed and regained the few pounds I’d lost. As I mentioned in Tuesday’s blog, my weight started to increase and control and exercise stopped working for me.I’d always felt closely monitoring everything I ate was my only option, but then I read Eat What You Love and Love What You Eat, by Dr. Michelle May.

Being in charge

control Image courtesy of Ludmila Baryshnikova (c)/www.123RF.com  In the very first chapter, Dr. May discusses the distinction between being… Read More

Weight Loss is not for Sissies

weight loss Image courtesy of KEK064 at FreeDigitalPhotos.net Weight loss is not for sissies is a truth no one wants to admit. My experience has been there is no easy way to lose weight and keep it off, but gaining it is a piece of pie, literally. That’s not to say it can’t be done. I’m here to tell you I have done it and kept it off. I’ve always struggled with 10 to 15 pounds, but two years ago that figure jumped to 20 pounds. My fear is 10 pounds will lead to 20 pounds, then 20 pounds will lead to 40. I had a favorite weight loss program that had always worked for me until 2013 when they… Read More

Savoring Food

Savoring Food

I’ve mentioned in previous posts I’m searching for answers about how to maintain a healthy weight. I need to alter this slightly. I’m searching for answers to maintaining a healthy weight without being obsessed about food.savoring food In my search for answers, I've found a book that speaks to me. It’s not a diet book. It’s about living a healthy lifestyle that includes weight loss and savoring food. Eat What You Love and Love What You Eat, by Dr. Michelle May has given me several ah-ha moments. I’m learning that I can be in charge of what I eat and eat ANY food I love in moderation. The author calls it mindful eating.

Mindful… Read More

You Want me to Shave Where?

Swimsuit shopping is not for sissies.

swimsuit Image courtesy of stockimages at FreeDigitalPhotos.net Raise your hand if you actually enjoy shopping for a swimsuit. If there’s a churning in the pit of your stomach, then welcome to the sisterhood of ‘You want me to shave where?’ I hate shopping for swimsuits almost as much as I despise pantyhose. Is there any worse reality than standing in a department store dressing room with interrogation room lighting and mirrors that have converted me from a middle-aged woman to a squat troll? I swear if a camera adds ten pounds, these dens of horror add fifteen. swimsuit Image courtesy of… Read More

Trigger Foods & Emotional Eating

Taming Emotional Eating

trigger foods My trigger food—tortilla chips I've just turned into a giant tortilla chip. I started eating a handful of tortilla chips, and the next thing I knew, I’d finished the bag. How did it happen? I didn't want them, but one handful led to another and another. They are the trigger food that sends me spiraling into that dark hole of overeating, and it leaves me feeling bloated, fat and out of control.

Emotional Eating Studies research found these eating triggers:

  • Friends impact how you feel about food
  • Chronic work stress contributes to emotional eating
  • Exhaustion and low energy impact eating habits
  • Suppressing feelings leads to unhealthy eating
Three out of four of these were right on target for… Read More

Motivation Meals and Movement

Motivation, meals and movement.

When I have these three components in my life maintaining my weight is a snap, but motivation is a continual challenge for me. When I have motivation nothing stops me. I'm invincible, I'm Wonder Woman, I'm a mover and shaker. I’m unstoppable. When I'm unmotivated procrastination takes control. Tomorrow I will eat better. Tomorrow I will get my butt off the couch and move. Tomorrow I will start yet another diet. Motivation Image courtesy of Apolonia at FreeDigitalPhotos.net  What I need is middle ground between hopped-up-on-caffeine enthusiasm and stuck-in-the-doldrums procrastination. One of the best things I’ve found that keeps me on track is having good healthy snacks and nutritious meals available.… Read More

The Klutzy Athlete Takes on Exercise

I'm the Klutzy Athlete and I'm taking on exercise. I’ve always shied away from exercise and team sports. In fact, I started life with two left feet that became progressively more pronounced the older I got. I always envision myself as  Jennifer Grey in Dirty Dancing when in reality I dance like Elaine in Seinfeld. Exercise Mountain biking The Escalator in Redding, California Not gifted with natural athletic ability for exercise? Welcome to my world. Does this mean I don’t exercise? Absolutely not. Of course, it’s not pretty when I workout. I constantly manage to trip over my own feet, and I’ve made an art… Read More

The Lure of Small Towns

What intrigues me about small towns? For starters, I’m a fourth-generation small-town girl, born and bred. Living in the boondocks has its advantages. Small towns are intimate. The clerks in the grocery store, post office, and florist know you by name. You know your neighbor and probably grew up with them. Kate Curan - Street Where I live, there are four stoplights and the first didn't arrive until the 1990s. Murders are rare, schools are small and gossip is a given. But, there are definitely tradeoffs to living in the sticks. Shopping amounts to a dollar store and grocery store. Choices for dining out are: Mexican, pizza or burgers. Entertainment is slim to none. Everything else including movies, is a thirty minute drive. Read More