The Workout Blues
Getting Started:
Sometimes, if you’re new to exercise (or have been away from it for a while) getting started and creating a routine can be the toughest part. I know it is for me! Here’s what I’ve done. I’ve invested in a lot of really fun-to-wear exercise clothes. My collection started out with things I’d pick up at Target and Kohl's (when I had no money) and now that I’m no longer a poor just-out-of-college kid, I’ve found some adorable things from Nike and Under Armour that I can wear around the house or even out to run errands if I want to. I’ve started making it a habit to change into my work out clothes right after I get home from work (which is when I work out, this being Florida and the weather being too hot during the daytime). On my days off, I get out of bed and put on my work out clothes as soon as I change out of my PJ’s! There’s just something about getting dressed and ready for the activity that gives me motivation to actually do it. I guess I think, “Well, I’ve got the stuff on, I might as well just go do it.”

Another strategy I use for this is to pick a time to exercise, an activity to do, and then I STICK TO IT! I make myself do it, no matter how tired I feel. I ALWAYS find that I have enough energy to make it through the work out. If it’s been a while and I’m really out of shape, I remind myself that IT WILL GET EASIER and then I do what I can. Eventually, I develop a habit.

One more thing, trying to do the type of workout that “they” tell you is best, probably isn’t the best way to get started. Trying to tackle a 40 min high impact aerobics class most likely won’t inspire you to ever go back. If 10 minutes is all you can handle without wanting to kill your coach and never go back, then do 10 minutes. I guarantee you that you will, of your own accord, push yourself harder as you get better. After time, when your body is ready, you will embrace your 40 min ball-buster workout.

Getting Bored:
This is a major problem for most of us who exercise regularly. I get so bored with certain exercises sometimes! While I am writing this, I am currently bored to tears with my weightlifting routines. So what did I do? I let it go and picked up a different exercise. Several, in fact. I went to my exercise video collection and pulled out my old Tae Bo videos. I know it’s not the same as “heavy lifting” but it does work the muscles and will keep them in shape until I’m ready to go back to my Bowflex. Recently, I purchased the Billy Blanks Boot Camp collection. This was a vast improvement on the original in terms of resistance training. The use of resistance bands and low weights makes this a very adequate substitute for my usual weight lifting until I’m ready to get back into the home-gym.

The key to beating boredom is VARIETY. For a little something different all the time, I go running, I use my elliptical machine, I do step aerobics, I do Tae Bo, and I dance around my house (including up and down the stairs), I go hiking, I’ve climbed mountains, I go horseback riding, I’ve done ropes courses and I do exercise videos. I actually have several exercise videos: I have 4 Step Aerobic routines (and 2 steps, just in case anyone ever wants to join me), I have Pilates for Weight Loss,  Belly Dance Jam, Hula Buns and Abs, Paula Abdul’s Cardio Dance Workout, and 5 Tae Bo videos. I plan on adding more as I find fun things that add VARIETY!

Eating Habits that Just Won’t Go Away!
I am a grazer. Call me Cow Cud cuz I just can’t quit it! If there’s food in front of me, I will pick at it. Guaranteed. This became a problem because I’d eat my meals for the day but between meals (especially in those “danger times” when I was home watching TV in the evening) I’d snack and snack and snack. If someone brings food for everyone to work and it isn’t on my list of “Eew, that’s gross and I won’t touch it” foods (ie: anything with partially hydrogenated oils in it - become a label reader, it is a snack-lifesaver) you can bet I’m wandering over every 5 min or so to get some more. So what was happening was, I’d eat big meals and loads of snacks. Waaaay too much food.

So finally, I gave in to my grazing nature (it actually made me feel DEPRESSED to resist it). I decided that I was ONLY going to graze. No more big meals for me! Did that stop me from preparing regular lunches and dinners? No. Of course not. What I do now, instead, is after I prepare my meal, I break up one serving into two. I eat the first half and then wait 1.5 to 2 hrs and then eat the second half. I also do the same at a restaurant. I box up the second half of my meal and eat it when I get home. At first, I’d look at my little, tiny portion and thing, “Oh my GOD, I’m gonna STARVE! I’ll be so hungry in 2 hours!” And then it would dawn on me, “In 2 hours, I can eat the other half, and two hours from then, I can eat something else!” Clearly, it is not always convenient, or even possible, to whip up a meal every 2 to 3 hours. This is why I started carrying with me an arsenal of snacks. I take fruits, little bags of nuts, tiny chocolates (only 1 or 2 pieces), yogurts and organic snack bars (Odwalla or Clif) with me everywhere I go.

Some amazing things started to happen after I did this. First off, my stomach shrank quickly! I started getting that “full” sensation with much less food, though I was still experiencing hunger every 2 hours (a good sign that my metabolism was working well)! Second, I stopped being so OBSESSED with “my next meal.” I know I have total permission to eat when I’m hungry and I can have a smattering of many different types of food each day, so it’s really no big deal anymore to think about the many foods I might possibly choose for my dinner that day (which used to be, literally, on my mind for about 70% of my day).

I highly recommend listening to your body and strategizing WITH IT a way to give it the appropriate amount and variety of food and maximize your metabolic potential. When you check out my Food and Exercise Blog, you will see that I do eat a lot during the day! I just eat little bits of many different things!

Beating the Buffet
Oh, buffets. The inner Fat Kid’s version of Disney World. And I work at Disney World, second best buffet center of the world, bested only by Las Vegas! Clearly, my dietary demise at the buffet needed to be bested. Not going out to a buffet with the roommates is simply not an option!

I understand that it’s sort of a “given” that, when going to a buffet dinner, you’re going to splurge. For me, the splurging isn’t the problem. Everyone needs a good splurge sometimes. For me, the problem with buffets was (is) that I eat way too fast. It’s another one of those “Eating habits that just won’t go away” kinds of things. As previously stated, I’m also a grazer. If food is in front of me, I’m eating it. So what was happening was that I’d go to the buffet and not just over eat, but over eat to the point where my stomach actually hurt and the whole thing became unpleasant. Something needed to be done! Thus, I came up with my own “buffet rules.”

Rule 1: I can only make ONE plate of food (not including salad and soup or dessert). So, anything I want to taste has to go on that ONE PLATE. This means that I take only a small spoonful of the pasta, one rib rather than three, one scoop of veggies, one small portion of fish, half of a piece of corn bread etc., etc. You get the idea. The goal is to have a “smattering of flavors” rather than a full, or even half portion of each. This allows my palate to be satisfied without overstuffing myself. Salad gets one small plate and soup gets one half of a ladle.

Rule 2: I choose one person sitting close to me who eats slower than I do. I pick one food on their plate (say, green beans) and I say “I can’t start eating the second half of my plate until so and so is done with their green beans.” This way, I slow down the amount of time it takes for me to eat the one plate of food.

Rule 3: I don’t get up to have dessert until most of the rest of the table is ready for dessert. Why? Because if I go get dessert when I am ready, I will be done by the time others are getting their desserts. What happens then? I’m staring at them still eating yummy scrumptious dessert and I don’t have any more so I go and get more! So I just avoid the situation all together by waiting on others to be ready.

Rule 4: I make everyone promise to take a long walk with me when dinner is over, right there in the restaurant’s neighborhood. The walking helps the digestive system to work better, thus alleviating some of that “overstuffed” feeling.

I know this all may sound like a lot of “rule making” but I try and think of it as a game. I still get to taste everything, so I’m not missing out. I still leave completely stuffed, so I’m not denying or depriving myself. But, as a result of my rule game, I’m also not in pain as I walk out the door of the restaurant, begging my friends to roll me home.

Cooking Most Meals? Who has the Time!?
I love to cook, but even I get bogged down with time (especially in the mornings) and can’t always find time to do it every day. Still, it has become very apparent to me that cooking my own food is critical to the maintenance of my health. Example: I had a job recently where I was traveling Monday-Friday and, thus, eating in restaurants for every meal. I tried my best to order nutritious selections, but because I was unable to control the ingredients going into my food, I found that, in just 6 short weeks, I’d gained 15lbs and my cholesterol shot up through the roof! The worst part was that it was the most difficult lapse to recover from I’d ever experienced! It took over a year to take that weight off and I still have to get more blood work done in a few months to see if my cholesterol has improved.

This has taught me the true importance of making my own meals. So, how does a girl with 3 jobs handle said meal-making? I choose one night each week to be my “cooking night.” Yes, I said “night.” I wait until after I’ve finished my supper to do all of my cooking for the week. I choose four or five different meals to make (Example: last week I made stuffed peppers, a slow-cooked chicken, steamed eggplant parmesan and salmon with roasted veggies) and make enough to get 4-5 meals out of each. I store it in single-serving tupperware in the fridge (NOTE: I don’t freeze my food. Freezing it is just temptation not to eat it. It adds another step and encourages me to forget about it. If I don’t eat it, I throw it away - which rarely happens!). This makes packing lunch for the day very easy as all of my food is ready to simply toss into my lunch bag.

I also keep on hand an arsenal of fruits and veggies that can be eaten raw, veggie dip, lettuces and yummy salad dressings.

It’s good. It’s healthy. I have variety of choice so I don’t get “bored eating the same thing every meal.” I know what’s in it. I made it! This has helped me immeasurably to control what goes into my body every day - not to mention being far more cost efficient!

For those of you who, even after giving my suggestions a try, absolutely insist that you don’t have time to cook or don’t like cooking, I highly recommend that you try a Meal Assembly Kitchen.