Motivation

How do you get motivated to exercise? 

How do you stay motivated?

For me, my diabetes is looming and I won't go down without a fight. 

Even with that diagnosis, I still struggle. It's a habit - habits have to be built from the ground floor, then maintained.  

Each person is different - your list of why you want to or need to exercise is going to look different then mine. Your motivational will be different. 

It helps to identify goals, and set them down. I just mapped out the runs I want to do from October-May, and that helps motivate me because I have to train. My blood sugar was terrible this morning, and that motivates me.  I need to walk my dog. Etc. 

In place of excuses, look for reasons to exercise. Mine look like this: I always feel better after I go. I've made great progress and I don't want to go backward. It's only 64 degrees right now - a miracle in July! I want to wear my cute workout clothes.  If I do it now I can reward myself with a beach afternoon. 

Definitely squash any excuse that comes to mind. Unless you have been to a physician who has told you not to exercise, there IS no excuse. 

Everyone needs to exercise. It's part of taking care of ourselves. It's what we need to do to live longer, healthier lives. 

Get moving!

e b e r

You Are What You Eat

One of the best things you can do for yourself is eat fresh, local produce. 

I know some of you will say "I can't afford that!" I used to say that when I got all my produce from grocery stores.

But look a little further...online, look up U-pick and find local farms in your area. Or, if you live in a city, ask about farmer's markets. 

I bought these beautiful peaches at a local farm stand. Yes, I can get them at the grocery store, but look at the little label. From other countries, often. Or far away states. Which means there are probably more chemicals involved in keeping them fresh for market. The closer to your home you buy your food, the fresher and tastier it will be. 

Case in point - tomatoes. I'm still dreaming of the tomatoes I picked warm off the vine in my Daddy Dale's amazing garden.  Popping cherry tomatoes in my mouth seconds after I picked them. Wow- flavor explosion! Grocery tomatoes stopped tasting like tomatoes a long, long time ago.

Of course if you can grow them yourself, that is ideal - you say you don't have space? Gardening in raised gardens can yield high crops with minimal effort. Pots of fresh herbs and veggies can thrive on patios. It just takes some effort. 

I'm in the process of putting up a bushel of fresh, just picked local sweet corn. $14 for a bushel, and we are enjoying ears so sweet you don't need to add a thing. Corn chowder is next. Then the rest is flash frozen after a quick boil and ice bath. A lot of work? Sure - one days work will lead to many delicious meals, and peace of mind that I am feeding my family the best, freshest option. 

I'm no expert here - I'm just trying to get healthier.  I would eventually like to start canning. 

So where do you start? Use that internet! Find local farms, and support them. Eat fresh produce when it is in season, and put it up by canning or freezing. I'm at the beginning of this journey - I have  1/2 a side of local beef, 20 pounds of blueberries my family picked, 5 lbs of zipper peas, and fresh corn in my freezer. I have local honey and jam in my pantry. 

It makes a difference - to your health, to the local economy, and to combat the processed food industry. 

Eat clean.  It'll do a body good!

e b e r 

Where Do You Go?

Where do you go when you are stressed out? What is your "go to"? 

By the picture above you can see where I want to go. 

For most of my life I was unhealthy. But skinny.  So I could go to the pastry and ice cream and candy and sweets when I was stressed out. I never gained an ounce. I didn't work out and I still had a "healthy weight". I was slender. So for almost thirty years, I dealt with stress by comforting myself with food. I met societal body expectations, but boy was I unhealthy!

Then, slowly, I began to add weight. About 10 pounds per decade. I certainly didn't exercise! So four years ago when I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, I was overweight. Not obese, but I was not happy with my habitus. 

Now I read up on diabetes. As a nurse I knew the long term risks associated, but now I was a patient. 

I have drastically changed my diet over the last four years. Fortunately I love vegetables and drink lots of water. 

But...all those years of going after food for comfort have done me no favors. 

I still want to go to junk food when I am stressed. I have eaten things j shouldn't - two days ago I had a chocolate milk shake. And my blood sugar two hours later was through the roof. 

The point if this blog is this - examine where you go to handle stress. I'm trying to convert to going to exercise when I am stressed. Even a walk and listening to music. 

It takes time. 

Are you going to food? Smoking? Drinking? Other harmful things? 

I'm asking you to examine where you go...and purpose to change it if it's not making you healthier. 

It takes time...and it starts with looking at your coping mechanisms with honesty. 

Then, if you find they are harmful, change them. One day at a time. 

e b e r

A Simple - Yet Vital - First Step

Are you drinking your calories? One of the first reality checks I had was the caloric intake of the beverages I was consuming.  My favorite beverage was soda. My soda of choice is 340 calories per 32 oz drink - and on a hot summer day, I drank them by the gallons! 

Sports drinks look healthy, right? Wrong. 32 oz of a popular "ade" is 200 calories per serving. 

How about a refreshing lemonade? How about 300 calories in 20 oz.

Read the labels.  Look at all the chemicals and colorings and high fructose corn syrup - a dangerous, addictive sugar.

Diet sodas and beverages are a solution to the calorie trap - but you still get all the chemicals, plus more in the artificial sweeteners.

What's the answer? WATER.

I know - you hate drinking water.  I did, too. In the last three years, I have gone from hating water to drinking 80-100oz a day.

Where to you start? There are some tricks to changing over.  I use cute insulated cups that I refill throughout the day - I have one at work that reminds me to drink. 

Some people hate the "taste" of water, so they put in lemon slices, or other fruit slices, or infuse flavor into the water.

So think about it - do you want to drink your calories? Do you want empty calories full of chemicals part of your daily life? Or would you rather save your calories for tasty, healthy food! Substance!

Are you ready to drink water...water that your body needs, water that your body is made of, water that flushes out toxins, water that refreshes?

It's a first step toward overall better health. 

It's part of letting go of denial and embracing health!

e b e r

Fix Your Eyes on the Prize

Do you want to lose weight? Lose inches? Get healthy? Start exercising?

What are your goals? Why?

Before you start your journey, you have to identify where you want to be. Once you've identified that, you can determine if it is a worthwhile goal. 

If you are just trying to shrink a dress size or two, you are probably not going to be successful.  Likewise, the goal of a specific area if the body whittling down is also unrealistic. 

Getting and staying healthy - that became my goal. Before my diabetes diagnosis, I knew I had a few pounds to lose, so I half heartedly started cooking healthier. I would exercise intermittently. Because I was not giving it my all, I got little to know positive health benefits. 

Then I got serious. 

My goal became to get as healthy as I could...one step at a time. I didn't have a specific weight I aimed for - but I have dropped  from a size 14 to size 8 so far. I have gone from occasionally strolling around the neighborhood to working out regularly. 

It didn't happen overnight. 

It happens day by day.  

Every day, I set a goal. Today, my goal is to be true to my meatless Monday goal, and my goal is to not give in to afternoon junk food cravings. My goal is to get my 15k steps in, and to do my Piyo workout. 

I identified these goals this morning at 0400.  I put my eye on the goal, and I remain focused. 

If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. 

This is not a diet - it's a lifestyle. I know every day I reach my goals, my discipline and self control grow stronger. 

On days I don't meet the mark, I evaluate why...and I press forward. Begin again. I don't give up. I'm invested in myself. 

What are your goals? Are they long term? Are they realistic? 

Set your eye on your goal and get out there and get it!

e b e r

Fitbit-Words Can't Express My Love, but I'll Try!

Yes, I am a Fitbit addict. 

I love love love my Fitbit. As with most fitness related purchases, I did a lot of research before I bought it last June.  I wanted a way to track my activity, set goals, and it had great reviews.  I got mine back when slate and black were the only band color options.

It has exceeded my expectations. It encourages me daily...when I see my progress, it motivates me to keep pressing.  When I am close to a goal, I will push through to reach it.  It's durable and now with the new colors, fun! Lightweight, waterproof. I love it!

The pink is my new Flex.  When I hit my goal, it will buzz on my wrist, and I do a happy dance! Every 20% toward my goal, a light will flash, and I know where I am. It's great after a busy day to look up my stats and see I've walked 3-5 miles on a nursing shift! The other band was my Force - loved it but it was recalled due to a tiny portion of users having a skin reaction. I never did. 

The battery lasts close to a week. I love it that I can uses it as an alarm- it's a gentle buzz on my arm that wakes me up, and doesn't wake my hubby when I wake up at 0340!

This was yesterday - work, and a walk when I got home. It now tracks extra exercise - yesterday was a 13hr work day. But on days I do Piyo or run or yoga or swim, I put it in there. It's a free app for my phone - it automatically sync's my steps and active minutes, or I can look it up and it will sync. My starting goal was 10k steps a day...eventually I increase my goal to 15k.  Goals help me stay on track!

My favorite part is my Fitbit FRIENDS! People who are just like me, living the healthy life, a day at a time.  They cheer me on - both through the app, and through groups on Facebook. They have become my sisters in health - you know you are! Xox

The Fitbit site online is awesome- as a diabetic, I can log my blood sugars and A1C there, and it will show trends for morning, afternoon, and evening sugars.  I track my water,  I track all my food intake on my phone app, and the online site shows me the breakdown of percentages of carbs, protein, and fat.  Since I manage my diabetes with my diet, this is a vital tool for me. The food data base is huge, and now you can scan a food product code with your phone and Fitbit will find it and input it to the data base. It is truly a way to be totally accountable!

There are several versions of the Fitbit- the Flex is the most popular.  Their website www.fitbit.com has all the info you need, and you can order there. Or you can go to retail outlets- the price is the same everywhere. 

Last, I am humbled and awed by their customer service. No kidding! Any questions or issues were handled quickly and professionally! I lost my first Flex in Cozumel, and they replaced it for free in record time. They set the standard for how customer service should be.

This was not a paid advertisement! I'm a Fitbit fanatic- built from a novice to an enthusiastic fan! If you are thinking about getting a tracker, I encourage you to check it out!

e b e r 

Healthier Eating

Some time ago, I decided to participate in "Meatless Monday". I could easily be a vegetarian I love veggies so much, but I will always eat lean meat.  My family needed tweaking too - they did not share my love of veggies. Frankly, they got most veggies from cans. 

So I presented the first dish - baked ziti, with fresh local squash and zucchini instead of ground beef. They ate it, with a few remarks of how it was missing meat. As time has passed, the vegetable dishes I have presented have been accepted better, and even welcomed. It took time!

Now they love veggie baked ziti. At least one day a week is meat free. 

Make one change at a time...let it become habit, the norm, then change something else. Small steps that last will lead to success - lots of change at once leads to failure!

e b e r

A Million Ways To Succeed

When someone decides to get healthy, where do they go? What do they do to reach their goal? I do not believe in dieting, so I will not address any diet that is touted. I really believe that health derives from a lifestyle- a daily commitment to love yourself enough to take care of yourself - physically, emotionally, and spiritually. When I received my diabetes diagnosis, I went to the hospital class, led by a Certified Diabetic Educator.  Even though I am a nurse, I was now a patient. I needed to see the disease from a whole new angle. I learned a LOT. It was a two day class, and I left with a basic knowledge from a patient's view, and perimeters for my nutritional needs. 

That was the beginning. 

I also knew I had to get consistently physically active. How do I motivate myself to do that? I work full time, commute 60+ hours a week, and my days off were times of exhaustion and recovery. 

I decided to follow my own advice - I used to tell my kids,when faced by a seemingly insurmountable task, this silly parable: How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. 

I started with walking - I settled on "5k a day". It sounded good. The year I started this was a scorchingly hot, brutal summer, so I assigned myself times to go...and I went. 

There are a plethora of exercise applications for your phone - I randomly picked the Nike one. One thing that is important to my healthy lifestyle is goals. Measurable goals lead to measurable results. I like to see the miles adding up. It encourages me to hit milestones.  It is also a part of being accountable. 

There are also a lot of free websites that can help you.  The one I picked was www.livestrong.com. I liked it because it broke down everything I ate into protein, carbs,fat, calories, etc. By being accountable and putting every morsel of food into that data base, I could see my progress. I could tweak my carbs. I could also graph my blood sugars, and the app will graph carbs to blood sugar responses. For free! 

Any program - be it Weight Watchers, Livestrong, My Fitness Pal, etc., can be a tool to help you stay healthy, but they all share one major component: the need for total accountability!  You have to face what your weight is...put it in there. You have to admit to eating things that might not be the best choice...put it in there. Eventually, for me, knowing I would have to input that junk food I emotionally ate gave me pause. You've got to be brutally honest with yourself!

When I started my journey to be healthy, it was just me and determination. No gym membership, no friend to hold me to my word, not a vast amount of time to work with. 

When your ready to stop making excuses and accept that you need to change, you're ready. 

There are a million ways to succeed once you start seeking them!

e b e r

Accountability

I love to eat. Really love to eat...I love good food, prepared with fresh, wholesome ingredients. I love junk food, too...but I don't eat it anymore. At 69.5" tall, my top weight was 192. Overweight, but never obese. I was sedentary when I wasn't running my butt off at work. Then, four years ago, I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. As a registered nurse, something had to give. I was not going to go down a path I knew too well, of illness and concurrent problems. So I began exercising. With my physicians permission of course. 

 DISCLAIMER: Although I am a medical provider, I am not a substitute for profession advise from your primary care provider! If you want to do something I do, talk to your doctor! 

Since that diagnosis, I have lost 30 pounds, shrunk from a size 14 to a size 8, wear small bottoms and medium tops, and feel better. I am also on no diabetic medications! Is it easy? Heck no! It takes discipline, sacrifice (bread, how I miss thee), imagination, and accountability. In the last 4 years, I have run 7 half marathons, 1 15k, 2 10k's, and lots of 5k's. I used to make fun of runners. I exercise on vacation! I swore I'd never do that! 

I'm getting older everyday. Everyday brings new challenges. This is the place I will come to be real about the journey of a former typical American. Well, I was never as fat. :) 

e.b.e.r