Morning!

On my way to Flushing for DB practice.  I missed last Saturday, which feels like I've been away from practice for months.  This season I have been diligent in making it every week and thankfully, my job has allowed me to log in late when I am scheduled to work.  The work out will be intense in this heat but we keep hydrated.  Despite the smell of the bay, the heat and the hard strenuous work, I always feel on top of the world as I am driving back home from Flushing...I feel strong and my team reminds me of the challenges we have all overcome.  Paddles UP!

Nan's day

I don't eat breakfast every day. It's usually 1/2 decaf coffee with sugar free cream. If I do, it may be a breakfast bagel (egg, ham, cheese) that we split or eggs, yogurt or cereal. Had a big bowl of Amy's Chili over rice for lunch. It filled me up and cleaned me out later... yeesh. I had leftover pork loin over rice with a BBQ sauce and sauteed kale and eggplant that I tossed up. Funny, I used the rest of the kale for chips, but I over-salted them and they now sit in the fridge for tomorrow's snack. I was wondering if I could overdo it on kale? I over-ate tonight and my belly is bulging. Dessert was one chocolate truffle and a few cherry tomatoes. Yeah, strange combo... those tomatoes make nice snacks.

For exercise, I hiked with the dogs for 1 1/2 hrs. on the Ditch trail a mile from us. Unfortunately, on the way back, they took me out from behind and I took a big bruiser on my right upper leg and skinned my hand. I was in pain, crying... but then realized that no one can hear me and they had no sympathy/clueless. So, I limped home and now have a huge bruise on my leg... kinda like Annie's softball injury. luckily, I didn't sprain an ankle or something that would disable me for a while.

I have no idea how Michael did... he's been working non-stop with 2 jobs, so I'm sure he's sweating. He'll be renovating my upstairs bathroom next week, so that will be hard work. I'll be in Ca. attending/watching the CrossFit Games (for the fittest person on Earth competition), so maybe that'll inspire me... maybe I"ll get a kettlebell.

G'nite all!

Grace's post: Thursday, July 21

Yesterday was ok day but no time for exercise just running around from work to Tutoring 630p-830p in Ossining and wonderful night visit w/mom.  I brought her a personalized beauty makeup bag with Clairins moisturizer creams (body & face) that Teresa Li gave me for my 60th ,  Kiehls cleanser that I won @ Breast Cancer fundraiser, and 3 "red"  lipsticks I had. Mom was so happy and said "I feel rich". She had asked me to bring some makeup because she wanted to look nice, which is an excellent sign.

Breakfast: black slightly sweetened coffee + vitamins which is routine for me

Lunch: curry chicken I made the night before loaded w/granny smith apple, fingerling potatoes, currants, organic carrots, vidalia onion, garlic, which was yummy w/organic pink lemonade.  I use almost no salt but add cumin, stick of cinammon, cayenne, bay leaf, fresh baby basil, parsley. The chicken breast is blanched in lo-sodium vegetable broth and some oj. 

Dinner:  Lunch leftover but cold like a salad and added some almond rice brown rice pilaf from day before w/a half piece of ciabatta w/smart balance butter that was leftover from Baby Shower on Saturday. 

Did Chinese homework: 35 sentence translations due tonight.  Mandarin Conversation/Grammar class at China Institute 630p-83op

Drinking: Organic Pink Lemonade

Today: 
B/Black java and a few succulent pcs of Crenshaw melon (not long season)
L/Rescued collapsed Casablanca Lilies from my garden-Extraordinary!  Turkey, Bacon butter lettuce multigrain sandwich w/green salad, olive oil, lemon vinagrette from the jardin.
D/Frozen Lemon Yogurt w/melon

In this heat, thirsty.  Stay cool  baby x, G

Grace's Fitness Goals and 1st day

Goal:  10 lbs

Exercise: Swim 3x wk , Walk 5mi/wk, Weeding, Do Yoga stretches at  home, Looking for good Pilates class

Diet:  Cut down on Carbs; eat only Whole Grains;  no icecream (my demise); ramp up on greens; fish and chicken (quasi-vegan); reduce dairy

B: blk coffee w/ Caltrate, Lysine, 900mg Glucosamine Chondroiton

L: Cold Soup, Salad, Fruit, Fruit Smoothie

D: Fish, Chicken + greens w/Whole Grains (quinoa, couscous, rice, pasta)

My sweet tooth: icecream, lemon, ginger tea cakes, cookies (will have to cut that out).  We have 2 new organic, gluten-free bakeries in the rivertowns, which are very yummy.  If I could lose that 10, I'll treat myself to a cake!  Maybe throw a Power of 10 Party

For now, I'm going to do popcorn, rice & wholewheat, herb crackers and lots of berries.

Betsy's Post: Thursday, July 21, Sweat Fest!

My accomplishments today:
15 minute yoga before meditation.
I made Chicken Pho (homemade broth!) and Summer Rolls.
Vacuumed my lady's apartment (the elderly lady I help 4 hours a week).
Walked with Chief for a half hour.

And I sweat all the way through!

My eating was moderate today, except I might have had an extra handful of peanuts.
Otherwise a decent day. Somewhat relaxing. Cooking relaxes me.

Here's the Chicken Pho recipe. I used less chicken for the stock (just the back and neck of one bird) and it still came out good.
Next Kale Chips!

Can I count cooking in a hot kitchen as part of my workout? :)

Scarborough Temptations

Hi! Tonight's my night to man the fort while our Prince sleeps soundly. I decided to BMOD (Bring My Own Dinner) after reading the slim pickings Marge described in her last entry. Keith and I had sushi for dinner last night which is the safer way to go for us when it comes to take-in. I packed up the little salad that came with it, added some cherry tomatoes to it and it turned out to be the perfect meal with that tasty ginger dressing poured over it. I was still slightly hungry so I ate one slice of munster cheese and 3 of those dry biscuits which I love. Shocker...I'm FULL!

While clearing out some areas of Mom's desk and the top of her dresser, I went for the garbage can and noticed an unusually large number of little gold candy wrappers tossed in the bottom of the can. It appeared to me as if someone had a sweet tooth while hangin' out at Scarborough and wiped out all of the sugar free Werther Original candies. At least they are low cal, but that is proof right there that once you start with the carbs, it's hard to shut it off. I have more of a salt tooth than a sweet one. Luckily, the seaweed from Trader's has definitely satiated that craving...plus it's soooo good for you. If a sugar craving surges, I try to have fruit instead of straight sugar...peaches are delish right now!

Great efforts by everyone! I was wondering if this was going to turn into a food blog during my vacation but I think I can get on track here. Super support with the "eating time" tips so I'm hopeful that the exercise part will naturally fall into place, too.

Keith reported that he had a beef patty for dinner which is a great effort in the portion control aspect. Our new scale is definitely aiding as a daily reminder to stay on track. He lost 2 pounds since yesterday...YAY, Pea!

Good Day!

Yesterday was a good day. I went to an 1hour and 15 minute power yoga class and walked in the woods with Chief for almost 2 hours and ate sensibly. I ate sensibly during the day and no snacking after dinner! What a miracle. But it helps that I had the day off. Much harder to squeeze all that exercise in when I don't get home until 6:30pm or 10pm.

Today I did my 15 minute yoga + meditation and am now cooking some Chicken Pho broth for dinner later. I have a lot of gardening to do, but will take Chief out for an hour. What would I do without my walk buddy!

I may go the Himalayan Institute for a night and day. I feel like they get me back on track about sleeping and eating. But we'll see. I have a lot of chores to do at home.

Bad Day

So I made the mistake of eating not one, but two meals at Cedar Manor. While I did avoid all starches and desserts, the chicken marsala for lunch and the batter baked fish fillet for dinner were probably not the best heart healthy selections! Hey, I was just trying to be sociable! Dad enjoyed the fish especially with the tartar sauce!

At night I suited up to go to the gym per Betsy's suggestion, but found myself on the phone with Auntie Lucy. It got late so I skipped the gym and started rummaging for snacks, but could only find some stale crackers and multigrain Cheerios. I spared the last Skinny Cow ice cream cone in the freezer for Dad, but got desperate and ate a couple of baby cukes and some baby dill gerkins found in the fridge. Then I needed something sweet so sucked down a cup of Mandarin oranges (packed in their natural sugary juices!). Finally, I decided to go to bed. Aiyahh!!! Today I must make up for bad eating and no exercising. Wish me luck. It will be over 100 degrees today!
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Row, row, row we go!

OK, so I've been lurking for a few days now on the blog, enjoying everyone's posts and trying to figure out my own goals and strategy, besides just being a voyeur.

So, my main goals for the next two months (and hopefully going forward) are to maintain my weight, gain some more strength and tone in my body, and eat more healthy foods (without compromising in taste). On Monday morning I did weigh myself since I usually do to gauge my weight. After leading a six-person team last summer in our company's Journey Across America, it helped me tremendously to shed some most unwanted pounds and find my waistline again. Given my competitive nature, I ended up doing some form of physical activity almost every day, Wii'ing my way into the top ten groups that made it across America! My colleagues even noticed my weight loss and slimmer body, which was especially encouraging. 

With respect to my second goal, while my shoulders tend to be very square (no shoulder pads for me!), I am not very strong in my upper body. So I'd like to become stronger and toner (without looking like a football player or short Sumo wrestler). I'm hoping to accomplish this by doing push-ups, and finding those long-lost, 5-pound weights that we have somewhere in this house to do some arm work. I'm setting my immediate goal on the upcoming Dragon Boat race, so when I'm sitting next to Marge in the boat and she yells, "Come on, people....row HARDER!!!" in my ear, I'll still have some reserve left in my upper body to finish and WIN the race. Oh, and I will also be back on the Wii at least a couple times a week since Nan has challenged me to the Chicken Flying game, which will also help my arm strength and endurance....bring it, Nan!!

Last note on exercising....as you all know, I've been playing softball with my company since late April. While not incredibly aerobic, it's been more fun than I thought it would be...if only I could stay uninjured! I do try to sprint whenever I can or keep moving during those games, and the heat does allow for sweating (and hopefully weight loss!). Our last game is next Tuesday so I'm hoping I can get back to tennis for the rest of the summer.

Oh yeah, what else....FOOD!! You all know that I love to eat and I've had periods in my life that it definitely showed (damn those Friendly sundaes), but I really do hate to compromise in taste. I recall that a very good friend of mine came to visit me and brought her own rice cakes as a snack, which looked about as appetizing as corrugated cardboard used for shipping. I know that once I say the "D-I-E-T" word, I will obsess about all the things I can't eat. So I follow the French way of life...don't compromise on quality; just eat smaller portions. When I concertedly want to lose weight, I gauge myself by John's portion and if he's full since he generally eats less than I do at a sitting. Then I'll eat slower and just wait until my brain tells my stomach that I'm "full." However, I do also try to stay away from fried foods and have been eating more salads, though the tiger in me will never give up red or white meat. I also try to eat less carbs, but not totally since I believe they're necessary for my workouts and again, total deprivation leads me to obsession.

That's it for now. Lots of luck to everyone on their personal goals...I know you can all do it!! :-)

Nan's Post: "The Power of 10"

Hey... 

Got lost in the blogging arena... 

It's been a hectic week so far, but thankfully my long-time friend Hallie and her son, Adam, came for the weekend and are avid and strong hikers. They invited Michael and I and the dogs to hike up Aspen Mountain on Sunday morning. What a way to start the Power of 10! 

It took 2 hours and we gained over 3k in elevation. It was rough because we took this steep incline called Spar Gulch which is the intermediate trail that skiers race during competition. The dogs were tired and thirsty; tongues were very long. Our trooper Smokey had a cool Ruffwear backpack on carrying our water and treats and powered up to the top. Mei Li would make sprints and found occasional rest stops in the grassy areas. We reached the top, saw lots of people up there for family fun (they took the gondola up), stayed a bit, took photos and then rode back down in the gondola. Saved our knees. In sum, we think we lost a couple pounds from that hike... 

All that work for nothin' to lose (literally)... we had dinner at the Viceroy Hotel with some friends, Allyson and Justin, who just welcomed their baby boy a few weeks ago (I got to hold Andrew the day he was born!). It's Restaurant Week in Snowmass this week, so this didn't help our efforts earlier that day. We got a prixe-fix 4-course meal for $39 pp that we couldn't pass up! It was like the "Power of 10 courses!"  I know, we were not good, but the dinner invitation came first ;)  In sum, it's about moderation... you've gotta mix it up a bit, but get back on track if you mess up for the following days ;)

Michael loves competition so he's been better than I at this weight loss competition... He's going to prove a point after me getting on his case this past couple of months about him eating too much carbs, sugar and meat. I hope he wins! Since our last Wii weigh in last year, he has gained several pounds, but he believes he could lose it all and be at a healthier weight. I weighed in a few pounds less than my last Wii weigh in.. Whew!! However, I was evaluated as a 64 year old because my balance was poor, and I didn't get the rules for one squat task... yeah, thanks to the dogs leaning on my board! In sum, don't always believe the Wii analysis report.

I'm going to shoot to lose 5 lbs. and tone up more. I haven't done yoga in so long.. I've ridden my bike once and played tennis twice this summer... however, I hike almost every day. I'd rather work out than deprive myself of good foods ;)  I do best with routine, but get tired of the same things... so I have to make sure to do an activity once a day. I actually don't pig out on dessert or snack much. I may get the craving for salt and vinegar potato chips or chocolate. I try to eat and buy healthy, although we like our margaritas once in a while (I can only have one drink or I am sluggish in the morning). But really, the fact is that I am walking the dogs a lot more on a daily basis than Michael, now that he works during the day. He used to have that role and that's when he lost some pounds. In sum, dogs are great weight loss companions!

I'll report for Michael... He went river rafting with his colleagues on Monday, so he had fun working out his upper body while paddling and getting soaked as the front paddler. He knew they would make him be in the front... the biggest one blocks the waves! I was jealous. Yesterday, he rode his bike to and from work, so a fun quick 5 minute downhill and an invigorating 15 minute uphill. Michael thinks he's halfway there to his goal, but he really should lose 20 pounds (the doctor said he should be at 200, but that's not healthy for him). He is in great spirits and I see more smiles than his Eyore-like demeanor (we joke about that... "Cheer up, Eyore!"). 

Today, I put on my yoga wear just to motivate me, although I did no downward dogs yet. I took the dogs to the Vet and they have digestive and skin problems and have to put them on meds. I'm heading out to a hike with them now and then will chow down... Oh, I mean, Ciao!!

Wii Love U, 

Nan

We're home!

Hi Everyone,

This is just a check in.  Keith and I literally just walked in the door from our Cape, Boston, Medford trip.  Needless-to-say, we did some eating.  I tried to make better choices (broiled seafood, salads) but the Stuffed Quahog messed me up.  No worries...beginning tomorrow, we are both back to work and looking forward to somewhat of an eating schedule.  Unfortunately, the heat will slow us down but in the meantime, we plan to eat lean protein and salads for lunch instead of our usual fresh, hot pie...pizza pie, that is!

We'll keep you posted.  I don't think we will blog on a daily basis but we will surely keep you posted.  Our challenge is getting into a regular exercise routine.

Have a great week!
Jay + Keith

Off to a Rocky Start!

Monday 7/18
As for as my diet, I ate pretty healthy with moderation until dinnertime. I had a headache all day and was planning to go to yoga straight from work, but on the drive home I panicked about when and what I was going to eat for dinner, since the class is from 7-8:30 and that would mean I wouldn't eat until 9. I was sleepy too, and rather power through it, I ended up going home. It was really downhill  from there. I took some Alleve, ate a cucumber, then gobbled down lots of Chinese peanuts and anchovies, some other food I can't even remember and took a nap until 9. Not only did I bust my diet, I skipped the exercise for the day.

The plus side is that later, I woke up and made some healthy food for the week. Lima bean puree and succotash. Although I now know that I should be more conscious of the nibbling that goes on when I am cooking!

So I am learning about myself. That when I feel there is scarcity, I tend to want to eat more or grab what's emotionally satisfying but not necessarily good for me. I need to plan a lot ahead of time to make this diet work. The more busy I am, the harder it is to keep it. Eating is sometimes like smoking for me. I eat when I am hungry, anxious, want to relax, am tired. I need to just learn to be in those states or take more appropriate actions.

Tuesday 7/19
I got up at 5:30am to feed the animals and water the garden because I needed to get to work earlier. Luckily it rained, so I did not have to water, so I ended up taking Chief to the park for a brisk 1/2 hour walk. I was also able to do 15 minutes of yoga in addition to my meditation, which felt great! I felt good, I had my healthy lunch and dinner packed for work. But what happened was I stayed in Jersey City at the printing plant for longer than I thought and I left my lunch at the office thinking I would return in time. They ordered Italian for us. There were not a lot of vegetarian low-cal options. I ended up eating eggplant rollatini and ate about half.  When I don't eat my own food, it gets hard for me to stick to my diet. I feel like I don't eat as healthy. So the only way I can deal with it is smaller portions of something that is high in calories. But that's super hard for me. It will also be hard eating out with friends or family. Because I don't want to be fussy or draw attention to myself. It's going to take more work to diet out skilfully.

I also got my period more than a week early! Which explains my headache the day before.

When I went to see Mom at Cedar Manor, I brought and shared my food, which was good, because Mom's dinner didn't seem so good. But the night at Scarb derailed my diet again. I only did a short walk to CVS and back. I just wanted to relax and so I overindulged on some snacks.

Today is another day, and I have gotten off to a good start. I did a yoga class in the morning and will take Chief for a walk later. I'm off for the rest of the week, so maybe that will help me to get back on track. It has been challenging to introduce more exercise to my day and eat less. I need to find more time in my day. Maybe I will try to get up earlier.

Day One

I am at Mom and Dad's and luckily there is no scale. I do however know how much I weigh roughly and do know what my ideal wheight is, but for the next 8 weeks I am committed to cutting back drastically on the unecessary carbs, (bread, pasta, and rice, mainly). I have also decided not to be the human vacuum cleaner for all of Joaquin's leftovers.

I have begun to run again after not running for over a year and a half due to fear of injuring my knee again. I am just taking it a little slower these days, but back in the park.I hope to run/walk 3 miles, 3 days a week.

I also plan to do crunches and push ups daily. I have also started eating more salads and fresh fruits for at least one of my meals each day.

That's about it. We'll see.

Start with the easy things

My goal is to lose 10 lbs., fit into my clothes (!), have better digestion, and better energy.

This past year I gained several pounds. In part because I would snack while working at home as a way of taking a break. Then I would binge on snacks at other people's houses because I wouldn't keep them at my own thinking that I'm eating healthy! My vices are chips or any kind of crunchy bagged snacks. I am the kind of person that will easily finish off a bag. I love nuts too. Although they are are good for you, too many can upset your stomach and be fattening. I want to be able to know when I am actually hungry, instead of eating because I am tired, worried or bored. My basic diet strategy is try to reach for fruits or veggies if I need a snack, cut down portions, and reduce my animal product intake to one meal a day, maybe even less. And as far as starches, try to choose starches that have more nutritional value, like faro or quinoa.

My fitness regimen will be to get back on track with my yoga, taking 2 power yoga classes a week, hike once on the weekend and daily do a combination of walking or swimming or whatever for at least one hour a day.

That's it!

Let the Games Begin!

Today is the first day to a better, healthier life! 

Here are the guidelines:

1. Weigh in. You don't have to post your weight but just take note of your starting point.

2. State your goal and your strategy. It's okay if you don't want to lose 10 lbs. Maybe you only want to do 8 lbs. The purpose is to state your goal and commit to it. Details to include are goal weight loss, diet changes and exercise plan.

3. Blog each day what you did to work toward your goal. It can be short and sweet or detailed. Up to you. But try to recall your day and why you did or didn't follow your program.

4. Every two weeks I will ask that you reveal how you are doing in terms of weight and morale. I.e. "I lost 2 lbs. so far am feeling great." "I lost 1 lbs. but the dieting and exercise is improving my energy!"

5. Encourage others. Be positive. Jokes are okay, but no judgments, please.

6. You can post pictures if you like.

How to blog:
You can easily post by sending your post (msg) by email. Send to: www.heybetsyho.thepowerof10@blogger.com. Once you do that, it automatically shows up on the blog.

See you on the other side!

xoxo,
Betsy