10 ways to find time to exercise

What is the number one excuse or reason you have for not working out?  Lack of time!  Sure we are all busy, with handling multiple priorities and rushing around from here to yonder each and every day.  However, I promise that no matter how busy you are, someone even busier than you are is working out right now.  If you look closer, you will discover that you do have the time to work out - and that you deserve to USE THAT TIME FOR YOURSELF!

Squeezing in just a few minutes of physical exercise a day has huge benefits on your health, gives you energy and perks up your mood. In fact, a new study published by The Lancet found that if inactive people increased their physical activity by just 15 minutes per day, they could reduce their risk of death by 14% and increase their life expectancy by three years.  Also please remember that working out does not have to be in a gym or last an hour.   10 minutes bursts of exercise over the course of the day can add up to big fitness and health gains too.

So you still are not convinced that you have the time to exercise?  Here are some pointers on how to fit in exercise into your busy, hectic life.

• Wake up earlier - sleep is definitely important to overall health and weight loss, but could you hit the sheets just 30 minutes earlier, so that you could get up and exercise just 30 minutes before you begin your day?  Working out in the morning has definite benefits including regulating your appetite, boosting energy and probably the most beneficial thing is that your exercise is check off for that day 1st thing!  Because really, how often have you had the best intentions to make that workout in the evening, but been held up at the office, or something come up with the kids, or find yourself too exhausted after the stress of the day!  By working out 1st thing in the morning your time problem is solved.

• Cut down on media - For just a few days log how much time you spend watching TV, on the Internet, checking email, playing video games.  You might be surprised at how much time is eaten up by these activities these days.  You might be surprised how much time is spent on Angry Birds or Facebook.  Just a few minutes here or there can add up to a whole hour or more each day.  Cut out just some of that screen time an Viola you have workout time for 10 - 15 minutes even on the busiest of days.

•  Be an Active TV watcher - don't just sit on the sofa,  do some jumping jacks at the commercials, sit on stability ball and do some crunches or just dance, move try not to sit for more than 20 minutes at a time. 

• Try an active commute - if you can bike to work, or walk to the store, take the bus - walk to the bus stop,  if you do take the bus, get off a stop or two before you need to and walk the rest of the way.  If you drive to work park as far away as you can and walk.

•  Make it part of your routine - one reason it is so hard to fit into our busy schedules is because we are not used to doing it.  Heck, it takes time to brush your teeth in the morning but you do it don't you?  You brush your teeth because it is important to your overall health and it has become second nature.  Try this with exercise, make it routine, whether it is walking your dog, yoga, running, walking or Zumba and my favorite swimming.  Make it a tradition, like hitting the Starbucks each morning, or showering.  When you incorporate it into your daily routine like hygiene you take the process away from willpower and make it habit.   

• Mix socializing with working out - plan events with family and friends that get you moving.  Go for a hike, play a game of tag football, make a date on the treadmill.

• Turn chores into exercise. While cleaning might not be the most fun activity, it's something we all have to do, and it can definitely be a workout if you want it to be. Set a kitchen timer for 20 minutes and see how much of the house you can clean. Try to be as efficient and quick-paced as possible, and I guarantee you'll work up a sweat. If you're doing lighter housework that is harder to get your heart rate up (like laundry or organizing), throw in some lunges or push-ups every few minutes to start feeling the burn!

• Schedule an appointment. If you had scheduled a doctor's appointment, you wouldn't miss it would you? How about that important business meeting? Of course not. Working out is actually as important as going to the doctor or any other obligation that you prioritize, because it helps you perform better as a worker, parent, student or volunteer, and keeps you in tip-top shape. So whether it's scheduling in an hour to go to that group exercise class, investing in personal training sessions or even making a date with yourself to do that workout DVD over your lunch break, write it in pen in your calendar and treat it like any other appointment you can't miss!

• Find an activity you love. Think of your favorite hobby or pastime. Do you have trouble finding time to do it? Most likely, you make time for it because you enjoy it so much. It's the things we don't enjoy that we put off and don't feel bad about missing. That's why it's best to choose a physical activity that you actually enjoy and look forward to. Not only are you more likely to do it, but it also adds more fun into your life. And we all could use some more fun in our busy lives, right?

• Say no. If you've gone through this entire list of tips and don't think a single one will work in your life, then it's time to look at your priorities and responsibilities. Do you really have to bake cookies for that fundraiser? Babysit for your sister? Take on that extra project at work? Attend that wedding shower of your second cousin? Remember that there's nothing wrong in saying no.Yes we all have obligation to others, but do not forget about your OBLIGATION to YOURSELF to take care of your body and your health.

Remember, exercise gives you energy and keeps you healthy to keep going in that busy life of yours! So don't think of exercise as another to-do to squeeze in on your already busy schedule. Instead, think of it as maintenance for your health and a way to de-stress and do something for you!

Stop Emotional Eating Before It Starts

What is the single most common problem that people face when trying to diet or lose weight?  Will power?  Nah.  Temptation?  Sometimes.  Emotional Eating?  BINGO!  That is why is takes so much more than information and good intentions to be successful.  The ability to manage difficult situations and feelings effectively, without turning to food and eating, is a necessary foundation for a successful weight loss plan and healthy lifestyle.

 
Fortunately, there are many proactive steps that you can take to keep functioning on all your mental cylinders during tough times.  These range from basic relaxation techniques, to a reliable support network.  

Other options are also to: 

Keep a food journal, this helps you to identify your emotional eating triggers. 

Yoga helps to clear the mind and cultivate mental and emotional well being as well as being great at strengthening the core.

Developing good problem solving skills.

Turning to message boards or blogging community for help and support when you need it.  Offering to help others to get your mind off of your own troubles and to gain some perspective.

All of these things take time.  Some of us want this to happen overnight, right now, we want to see the end result.  What happens when we need something right now, to keep ourselves grounded, focused and able to make good decisions?   Sometimes we do not have time to take a walk, relax in a hot bath, or call a friend to talk things over.  

Well you can try these 3 steps, that only take 3 minutes:

Stay Grounded:  Emotional eating happens when you lose your connection to your grounded self.  Stress itself is not what makes you eat.  In fact,  stress is often a good thing and your grounded self knows this!  We need the physical stress of working out to keep our bodies in good shape,  just as we need the stress of intellectual and emotional challenges to keep our minds healthy.

A lot of times what leads to the emotional eating is getting caught up in a "mind storm" of worst-case scenario's, projections, misinterpretation's, and all the emotional over reactions that come with these thoughts.  The storm turns a manageable challenge into something that makes you feel helpless, overwhelmed or afraid.  This sends you to the refrigerator to find something to stuff those feelings.  When you are able to stay grounded during these times of stress, you really have many more options.


Take a few deep breaths ( count to 10). If the stress is related to someone, take a time out, agree to continue the conversation later.

Remind yourself where you are.  Take note of the colors and shapes of everything around you.

Note the physical sensations that you are experiencing.  Whether it is a sinking feeling, turmoil in your stomach, tension in your hands, restricted breathing, try to name the feelings that go with the sensation.  


The idea here to is stay in your body and in the moment - with what is real -  instead of going inside of your mind where all of those unreal scenario's are just waiting to spin out of control.

Reality Check: Once you are calm enough to start thinking productively, put all of those thoughts clammering around in your head through a reality check.

All or nothing thinking

Example: You go over your calorie limit or eat something on your “forbidden” list, and then decide to keep eating because you’ve already “blown it” for today. Reality: Weight loss is not a one-day event. If you stop overeating now, you’ll gain less and have less to re-lose later. That’s something to feel good about! 

Reading your own thoughts into someone else’s words

Example: Someone made a mildly critical or unsupportive remark to you, and you feel completely devastated. Reality: The more bothered you are by such remarks, the more likely it is that you are being overly critical of yourself. When you treat yourself with respect, what others say won’t matter nearly so much. 

Either-Or thinking

Example: You make a mistake or have a bad day and feel like a complete and hopeless failure. Reality: No one does well all the time. Mistakes are a necessary and valuable opportunity to learn—if you don’t waste them by getting down on yourself. 

Taking care of other people’s business
 

Example: Something is going badly for someone you care about, and you feel responsible, or pressured to fix it. Reality: People need to learn from their own problems. You aren’t doing anyone a favor by trying to fix things just to make yourself feel better.

 

Putting Things in Perspective: Most common problems that you face in everyday life are much easier to handle when you keep them in perspective and avoid making mountains out of molehills. Here are some questions you can ask yourself to make sure you aren’t in the mountain-making business: 

How big a deal is this, anyway? If I knew I was going to die in a week, would this be something I would want to spend this minute of my remaining time on? 

Will any bad things happen if I postpone thinking about this until I have more time to figure things out? 

Do I have all the information I need to decide how to respond to this? Do I really know what’s going on here, or am I making assumptions? Am I worrying about things that might not even happen? What do I need to check out before taking action? 

Is there anything I can do right now that will change or help this situation? 

Am I trying to control something I can't, like what other people think, say, or do? 

Have I really thought through this problem, and broken it down into manageable pieces I can handle one-at-a-time? 

Use this approach whenever your thoughts or situations begin to feel overwhelming, and you'll quickly find that the mountains that seem impossible at first can quickly morph into what they really are—manageable hills that you DO have the ability to climb. All it takes is three little minutes of your time. 

I am so trying to live by this, as emotional eating is what got me where I am today!

Happy Hump Day!

Thursday is my Friday

Today is my Friday!  I am off work til next Tuesday!  Hurray.  I planned this four day weekend to spend some quality time with the boys before they start back to school.  I am just looking forward to it, because I also will have no homework this weekend.  I have a week off until classes resume for fall.

Nichole and I went to ZUMBA again last night.  The instructor was a woman and totally different workout from Jose`.  I like her, but not sure I like her style.  LOL only because she can freakin dance I tell you.  I look like "Holly Hippo" and she looks like J Lo.  What fun it was to do this workout for 60 minutes.  I did not once look at the clock and think OMG how much longer is this gonna be!  

I am having trouble getting in my protein by eating it and not just drinking it. I had this issue when I was first banded as well.  My surgeon would rather I eat it in food, than drink it in a shake.  The thinking behind this is that we should not want to eat things that do not stay in our "pouch" because it will not keep us as full as we need to be and it can cause eating disorders.  Ok, I hear that loud and clear as I did back in the day of old.  But how can you do that when you are tight and with very good restriction.  I can only consume about a cup of food at a time and sometimes depending on the type of food only a half a cup.  Solid protein is one of these types of food.  

This is the type of protein that I drink.  I love it, and it comes in all flavors.  I prefer the Chocolate Splendor and Unflavored variety.  The unflavored is great cause I can sprinkle it on anything that I eat to up the protein in that food or meal.


What some people may not know or realize.  Is that we can only absorb so much protein at one sitting.  That is about 25 grams.  So if you eat more than that you are just wasting it and putting undo strain on the kidneys as the excess is flushed out.  So my remedy has been to add the unflavored protein powder to my meals.  It seems to be working just fine.


I have learned so much about my body and how it works throughout my journey.  Our bodies do not store protein.  We have to eat all of our protein every day that our bodies require.  So I try to remember to eat as much as I can. It can be challenging if you stick to the three meals a day that "bandsters" are suppose to do.  I can go about 3.5 hours without getting hungry and then I must eat.  I usually have protein when I do so that it keeps me until the next meal.


I do notice that I get hungrier at work, and I have no idea why that is.  I can go all morning at home and never feel hungry and not eat!  That I still find weird.  I will say I am doing better at work by staying away from all of the food that surrounds me.  I work in an office of over 100 people, who all want to have potlucks,  fattening lunches and there are foods everywhere that should be bad choices to me.  I find I am not even craving them.  So I am thankful for that.

I am thankful for many things.  My band is my "Best Friend".