FittieFive

Hey, it’s Delana! How are you all doing?

Okay, so lately I haven’t been working out. I haven’t been eating the right things either. I feel really bad about it. I do.

I’m currently in a very weird place in my life right now. I have a roof over my head, but it’s not my roof. I have a job, but it pays very poorly. My life is extremely subpar and change is overdue. Depression may or may not have set in (okay it has). There are various reasons I’ve gotten to this point but I won’t bore you with those details. Yawn.

The important thing is to get back on track. Being poor is a problem. It’s true, produce and all that healthy stuff costs a lot. Time is also a problem. You get home from work, exhausted and/or you have to do various other things and cooking is an afterthought. I already forgot to talk exercise because I’m thinking about what I want to eat, I’m tired and I have other things to do. Oops, I didn’t make my lunch for tomorrow so I guess I’ll order out. Now it’s time for bed and exercise became something that wasn’t even an afterthought. It was something I didn’t think about at all. 

Our bodies don’t like this and can’t deal. 

Healthy ingredients do cost more, but there are ways around it. Meal plans! I used to pick out recipes I like, buy my lunch and dinner items and prepare them for the week on Sundays. Make your own take out.

As for exercise. I’m a night person. I feel more comfortable exercising at night around 6PM or 7PM. I don’t like getting up at 6AM, I’d much rather stay up until 6AM. That’s just me. Do what works best for you. 

Bad Fittie or Why I Have Been Failing at Being Healthy - This is the title of my blog post because I’ll do everything right for a long time then I’ll start slacking at one thing, then another until I’m not doing anything healthy anymore. There are times I don’t want to prepare my meals ahead of time. There are times I don’t want to exercise. 

Now, because I didn’t want to do those things and slacked off I’m tired all the time and eating bad things. 

I feel like I’m in this upward/downward spiral trap I can’t get out of. Hmmm….well life is a process and I need to find a healthy process that I can stick with!

And, here I go…

On a path that works best for me. :)

For Fitties who aren’t afraid to really commit to learning something about the biology of why obesity is such a huge issue for us.

1. Exercising to burn calories from eating is a bit backwards. If you exercise, do it with the focus of lowering stress and strengthening bones, not burning calories.

2. Sugar in nature is balanced by fiber. ALL processed sugar will lead to a cycle that makes your body believe it is literally starving, even when you’re overweight and have plenty of energy for your body to use to function

If you want a starting point on the chemistry side of things, definitely check out CrashCourse on YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00jbG_cfGuQ

- Ashley, the elusive fittie who’s lost 10 pounds in as many weeks :)

Hey Fitties! Lori chose the following topic for this round, “exercise alternatives: things that burn calories, but aren’t actually considered ‘working out’”. 

My most frequent accidental fittie activity is running to and fro at work. On a busy day, I’ll go from the production floor, to the warehouse, to color development, to R&D labs and back again. Sometimes I’m carrying around several gallons of paint or wearing steel-toed shoes, which adds to the amount of physical activity.

My favorite accidental form of exercise is dancing – usually concurrent with a wizard rock or emo concert. The trick to making this a true fittie affair is to stay away from the alcohol, because it doesn’t help to burn calories if you are consuming just as many from drinking. I always try to watch livestreams of big wizard rock shows if I have time, because even though I’m stuck at home I’ll still end up dancing the night away and yelling (a bit crazily) at my computer along with the songs. The last one of these nights I had was the 5^th Annual Hallows and Horcruxes Ball. So much fun. I’m slated to go to a HatP concert IRL in a few weeks.

My least favorite surprise excerise is anything involving cleaning. It can be useful, though. I very purposefully choose to scatter my cleaning tasks to be a break from hours of sedentary activity. This way, not only do I get the benefits of exercise and a clean living space, I also gain mental sharpness from having directed my mind to more mechanical (and less thought intensive) tasks for a few minutes.

What do you do automatically in your day to day that counts as exercise?

-Devan 

I don’t always feel like exercising. That’s okay. A lot of people don’t. There are alternatives that we Fittie Five ladies will be sharing with you this week. 

One alternative I found very helpful since it kills two birds with one stone is:

Cleaning!

Laundry for instance is very much like a workout, especially if you live in an apartment. To maximize my laundry/workout I tend to save all of my laundry for one day instead of doing bits here and there. 

Lifting and carrying your clothes gives you an arm workout, while going up and down the stairs gives you a leg workout. Btw, carry the whole big laundry detergent bottle with you. it’s like a weight. By the time all of your clothes are done you’ll feel it. 

If you don’t live in an apartment just cleaning around the house is a workout as well. Vacuum, wash dishes, mop, wash your car, clean your room, etc. It all takes effort! Have you ever cleaned your house and when finished just sat done and breathed heavily like you’ve done a workout? You have. 

So, if you don’t feel like doing a workout, give yourself a little time and do some needed cleaning. Two birds!

Need a little motivation? This is what one pound of fat looks like.

-Lori

I like to eat frozen meals, frozen vegetables and frozen fruits. I use the frozen fruit in smoothies, like Lori showed you in her vlog.

I eat frozen vegetables all the time. I use them pretty much every chance I get. My favorites are broccoli, peas and mixed vegetables. Mostly used for side dishes.

Some of my favorite frozen meals are Amy’s meals. They make gluten free, vegetarian, dairy-free, and vegan meals. They’re really good too! 

A lot of times frozen meals have a lot of sodium. Amy’s usually have half the amount I find in other products. I also look to see how much fiber any particular product has (whether frozen or not). At least 1 gram for every 100 calories. I read or heard that somewhere. Hmm…

Of course, I have to mention…waffles! My current favorites are Van’s! So tasty. I know this is about frozen foods, but I have to tell you what I use on these waffles. I don’t eat dairy so I use Earth Balance for my “butter” and agave nectar (100% maple syrup if I can’t find agave)!

It’s time to talk about Frozen Foods on the FittieFive! Lori Starts us off with a Strawberry-Mango Smoothie!

My Strawberry-Mango Smoothie:(all measurements are estimates)

1 1/2 cups of frozen whole strawberries

3/4 cup of frozen mango chunks

1/3 cup Dannon Light and Fit Vanilla Yogurt

2/3 cup of skim milk

Throw it all in a blender and Blend! Add more milk if the blender is having trouble. 

Makes 1 ~16oz smoothie (~5 Weight Watchers PointsPlus Values). 

Let me know if you have any other great smoothie recipes or if you know anything about adding protein powders to smoothies.

Hey Fitties!

How do I deal with special occasions? I don’t deprive myself. That’s number 1! After all it is a special occasion!

I’m not saying eat everything that’s there on the table (that was me back in the day…awww…all right…I still do at times). If you tell yourself you can’t have something you’ll want it even more. 

I like to make substitutes! Macaroni and cheese is a staple at our Thanksgiving table. I love macaroni and cheese, but I don’t eat dairy. I make a vegan version that’s tasty and of course ends up being better for you. 

Previously, I’ve bought sugar-free sweets but since learning about what sugar substitutes are I have been gradually getting off the sugar-free train. Now I buy sweets with organic, unrefined sugar and they have to be fair trade! 

Another thing I do is just eat less of it. Like last week with Fat Tuesday. I wanted my donuts. I ate my donuts. I didn’t eat as nearly as much as I could have or have done in the past. I didn’t drink any alcohol at all either. I’ve cut that down a lot over the years as well.

So, I say don’t make yourself go crazy. We’re exercising! It’s okay to go against your normal eating habits every now and again. Just don’t over indulge. That’s where the trouble starts. That should be with everything in your life as well though. 

Review Time!!!

Don’t deny your cravings! 

Find substitutes!

Exercise!

That’s all! :)

Lori - Happy Mardi Gras!!!