You may remember that in August when I added a new puppy to our family, my goal was to walk a mile day within a week. This turned out to be a big problem. My puppy Monk had a different agenda. We had to stop at every tree and bush. I was frustrated that my knees were hurting and about how much time it was taking. I had to find a different way.

Recognizing your success

This week I realized that I was walking at a mile every day.  I was just doing it in 2 walks.  One time a day we go for a longer walk of about 6 blocks and I keep making it longer.  Then in the afternoon we go for 4 or more blocks but faster. Our walks may look strange to anyone that is watching. To add distance gradually and challenge myself, I sometimes zigzag through the neighborhood or back track to add an extra ½ block.  I know if I keep doing this, I will be up to a mile in 1 walk soon.

There is more than 1 way to reach your goals.  Try different approaches for faster success. What healthy choice will you make today? Let me know?

Ask yourself everyday, “What is working and why?”  We can always make a long list of what isn’t working. So spend some time noticing the good things. The glass is half full if you want it to be. You may want to keep a notebook so you can go back and look at your progress.

Notice the changes.

This week, I had 2 experiences that showed I was having success. The first was a pair of pants that I pulled out with my winter clothes. They were BIG. Then I was at 2 places, that I had last visited  6 months ago. I found myself thinking, “I’m not tired” and “This is an easy walk”.  I had made consistent changes that were so small over the last 6 months that I couldn’t see them on a daily basis. Oh, my rings are loose too.

Trying on the pants and revisiting these places, gave me the opportunity to do something out of the normal and see the improvement clearly. Take note of the progress no matter how small the change.

Ask yourself, “What is working?” What change can you see? Enjoy your answer. What healthy choice will you make today? Let me know.

I truly believe that with any change, comes unexpected consequences.  Also, those small changes can bring big results.

Changes start in the infinite creativity of your mind!

After I went indoor rock climbing the first time, I thought “Look at me, I’m a rock climber.” It didn’t matter that I didn’t get 3 feet off the ground. It made me feel adventuresome.  I found myself taking on more challenging endeavors.

As I walked my puppy, I thought “I have to wear him out and I didn’t have a lot of time.”  I found myself zigzagging through the neighborhood with an additional ½ block in 1 direction, then in another. I ended up walking much more without getting too far from the house. I was surprised at how far we went and pleased that I was getting a workout. Now I feel like  a healthier person who looks for exercise opportunities!

So pick a small change and see what happens. Stand when you would normally sit. You will burn more calories. Get up 15 minutes earlier. You may have time for breakfast, some stretching exercise or some motivational time. Take a different route home or to work. You may see something very different.

Use the  infinite creativity of your mind to make changes and enjoy the unexpected consequences. What healthy choice will you make today? Let me know.

Having an off day happens to all of us. What separates those that are successful from those that are not? It is how quickly you can pick yourself up and get moving again.

What’s in your toolbox?

Everybody needs to have their own toolbox of strategies to shorten these down periods. Mine include:

1. Giving myself permission to be out of it with a time limit.

2. A change of pace like going out with friends. For those of us that work at home, this can be just the thing.

3. Going for a walk. Fresh air and sun can do you a world of good.

4. Finding something that makes you laugh. Find a joke site before you need it. You might like YouTube videos.

5. Play with a child or puppy. They are in the moment and don’t care about your problems.

6. Do an unexpected good deed.

You get the idea. Step away from what ever is getting you down. Take time for a little enjoyment. Put things in perspective. As a friend of mine said tonight, do you think the ladies on the Titanic regretted not eating dessert!

Does the statement “30 -60 minutes of exercise at least 3x a week” send shivers down your spine? Exercise doesn’t have to be a regimented exercise program. It doesn’t just happen in the gym or in workout clothes. It can be something you can work into your normal daily life.

Getting Started

If it has been a while since you exercised, you can break down your time into 10 or 15 minute chunks several times a day. Start with the functional things that you do everyday that provide a workout for your muscles. It could be walking, climbing stairs, biking, cleaning, yard work or chasing after grandkids or puppies. Then do more of them!

Find something you can do daily or regularly. The BEST workout is the one that you will adhere to. Try to structure your functional exercises so that they fit in with your lifestyle and habits. Now you know why I say a dog is the best exercise you can have. They have to be walked everyday -rain or shine, hot or cold.

Studies have shown that exercise can have a direct effect on preventing heart disease, cancer, and other causes of premature death. Research has also confirmed that aerobic exercise can reduce high blood pressure, obesity, type II diabetes, and osteoporosis.

So start your regular physical activity. Walk more, clean more and play more. Your heart will thank you for it. And so will your body. What healthy change can you make today? Let me know.

What message do you send yourself?

So what do you say to yourself when that does happen?
- What’s wrong with me?
- Why me?
- How could I let in this happen?
That’s like digging yourself in deeper.

It’s time for a new message.

Lets face it. These situations are going to happen. So how about giving your a different message. Here are some of my favorites:
a) It doesn’t matter how many times you fall down. It only matters how many times you get up!
b) I’m doing what some don’t, so I can have what some won’t.
c) What would ____________ (fill in the person) do?
d) The difference between Triumph and try is a little  “umph”.

What is your motivational message? Find some that work for you. Add a walk to your self-talk and you will be up and mentally moving faster than ever.

What can you do today to improve your health? Let me know.

How does this relate to us?

I’m not going to take this too far, but it made me think. Exercise for dogs is supposed to help them prevent and work off pent up frustrations. Don’t you think the same is true for us? Especially if we have been using food to work off frustration. Exercise will not only work off calories, but works on your well-being.

Discipline is training expected to produce a specific character or pattern of behavior, especially training that produces moral or mental improvement. That’s a mouthful. And isn’t that what we humans are trying to do – improve? We are trying to find structures and systems that will give us the results we are looking for in an easy and repeatable manner. So I say this is a keeper.

We all need affection and connection. A smile or a hug can change your day around. Now I know we need a lot more than just these 3 things. But I think we would all have a more balanced life if we had these ingredients in our everyday living.

Let’s start with exercise. Take yourself for a walk everyday with or with out a dog. What can you do today to improve your health? Let me know.

The results are in…

I thought it only fair to share the results of my 14-Day Super Highway Plan. Here are the goals and what I learned:

1. Lose lbs 6 – I lost 3.75lbs which is in the healthy 1 to 2 lbs a week range. Remember this is the net loss –weight loss-muscle gain. I lost an inch off my waist. My rings are loose and some items of  my clothes fit better. Drinking my 88oz. of water helped. I did this by drinking 3 glasses first thing in the morning. I will continue with this.

2. Lower blood sugar – This is still not where I want it to be. I have started taking my readings daily so that is a big improvement.  I have to continue with this.

3. Redesign/improve meals –This was the biggest success. I got back into the habit of having 4-5 smaller meals. I resigned many meals so the proportions are more balanced with protein, carbs and fat. I have added more fiber.  I stopped using loose Splenda and went back to the packets. It readjusted my sweet taste in other foods. I will definitely keep doing this.

4. Walk more than a mile – I am at ¾ of a mile and enjoying it. I was pushing to make the 1-mile mark with Monk and making both of us crazy. He was more interested in stopping or playing and I had time constraints. Now we are both getting what we want everyday and increasing our distance. I sleep great.

5) Two other things that I noticed:
a) My skin looks great thanks to the water and beauty treatments. I feel great!
b) I had trouble visualizing. I just wasn’t thinking big enough. I thought about it a lot and on day 12 I finally got it – the big WHY! This was the reason I decide to do the 90+1 Day Challenge.

I want you to have the same Ahhh that I had. You are invited to join me in the  90+1-Day Challenge. The days between now and October 1 will be used to set 3 big goals to fuel your dream life.

What can you do today to improve your health? Let me know. Join us at www.ImReady4Me.com.

Day 13 of 14 Day Plan

Scored a 5

What is the best way to lose weight?

Did you ever ask yourself what is the best way to lose weight? Should I:

A Cut calories or
B. Exercise more?

An eye opening moment

Years ago, I went to see Dr. Mike. He asked, “What are you going to do about your weight?” “Let me guess”, he continued, “You’re going to exercise.”  I nodded yes.

“Ok”, he said. “Tell me how long it takes you to eat a piece of chocolate cake?” After some thought, I asked the important question: “Am I eating by myself or in front of other people?” It was important to know.

“Less than 10 minutes” I finally replied. He came back with “How long will you have to exercise to burn up all those calories?” It was an eye opener for me! It could take me hours or days to work off some of the things I was putting in my mouth!

The small change of cutting a mere 100 calories a day will equal a 10lbs loss in a year. If you weighted 200lbs, you would have to walk 385 miles at a rate of 3 mph to burn off the same 10 lbs!

The moral of the story is you can lose more weight by cutting the empty calories in what you eat. But exercise is the additive that gives you faster and better results. For the best results, do both and make choices you can live with for a lifetime.

Do you want to learn to make the right choices for you? Join I’m Ready 4 Me! Membership. What can you do today to improve your health? Let me know.

Scored a 6.

On Day 8, after I got on the scale and didn’t see the results I wanted, I posed the question of what should I do? I gave 3 choices. Which one did you pick? I decided to do B) Reevaluate and tighten up some things.

Because I am human, my first reaction was– do C) Panic and put the Emergency Plan in place. This is not a real solution. It is treating the symptom -weight and not the problem – unhealthy lifestyle.  This is the way an emotional dieter reacts.  If the numbers go down, we’re good. If they go down quickly, we’re better. If they go up, we’re bad. If they go up a lot, we’re horrible and we don’t want to discuss it!

I thought about doing A) Keep doing what I’m doing. But that didn’t get me the biggest bang for my effort. I’m doing ok. I’ve learned some things I can improve.  But my efforts are not as focused as I wanted them to be.  So choice B) lets me reevaluate and tighten up some things that lets me continue to improve.

This is what I’ve discovered:

1. Walking Monk, my puppy is not always a consistent exercise. It has a lot to do with how many distractions there are. So I decided not to make myself crazy trying to exercise 2 x a day.

I did go swimming today. I really missed this. Stephanie Wood says that we all have an exercise type. Mine type is what she calls Inspirational. I get to exercise, zone out, be creative and feel weightless all at the same time. I want to make sure I have at least 1 good exercise and 1 small effort. I swam laps and did a short dog walk.

2. I’ve decided to count grams of fiber to replace an exercise action. A healthy lifestyle includes 35 grams of fiber. It’s a lot more than you might think. This will have an impact on the foods I buy now and in the future.  I just bought whole grain noodles and bread this week. I will also be checking what’s already on my shelve. If you do this, add fiber slowly.

3. I need some new time strategies. What does this have to do with losing weight? It initially takes time to change to a healthy life. Only because you have to take time to make conscious decisions. In my case, having a puppy has taken more time than I thought. It has also given me more pleasure than I thought. I still need to figure out how to fit everything in.

What do you want to learn? Join  the I’m Ready 4 Me! Membership.  You can learn more about how to lose weight by designing a healthy lifestyle for you on your own terms.

What can you do today to improve your health? Let me know.