My Body is a Temple...

When Chris and I moved to Seattle, we relinquished our gym membership (mainly becuase there was not a 24 hour close and we were too cheap to buy a new membership). Since then my efforts in the fitness realm have been, well, a bit of a roller coaster... but I would say more of a DOWN hill roller coaster.

Chris has been quite motivated (like always) and is working towards a half marathon. He is a good runner and enjoys ( I think) running. But you see I am the EXACT opposite. Usually by the time I would get home from work, the last thing I wanted to do was exercise! I just wanted to eat and snack and hang out on the couch. THAT IS A BAD SIGN right there!

So days I would say... "Ok I am going to get back on track TODAY!" and would proceed to start my new fitness plan for all of ONE day! Chris was very supportive and tried to push me, but I was pretty good at giving well crafted excuses. My usual one was: "I have worked so hard all day, I just want to relax for a bit".

Finally, with this past week having my spring break (NO WORK!) I had plenty of time to dedicate to exercise. So Finally, for more than like three days I have been dedicated to my personal fitness and I am finally treating my body like the TEMPLE it is.

I want to share what I am doing, to not only maybe give some tips.. but more becuase I think it will make me feel more accountable knowing the blogging world now knows! So here is what I am doing...

• INSPIRATION: I have always loved the Biggest Loser and am just AMAZED by what these people can do. I always am on a guilt trip after the show thinking "if these 200 + lbs. people can work that hard, I SHOULD be able to without a complaint!" This year I especially am impressed with Tara... all I can say is WOW.
  
• TRAINER: Ok, I don't mean to offend you BOB fans out these but I am a Jillian girl all they way. I think I like the "toough love" thing better then the cheerleader type that Bob is. I like the no-excuse, hard core attitute Jillian has... and I just like BLACK (ha!). My dream would be to have a training session with Jillian. So if I ever am like terminally ill and get to "make a wish" that is what I would choose (even though I am sure at that point, working out would be hard to do, but that is besides the point). Anyway, I started looking on my ON DEMAND and saw the array of exercise programs they have for free. I was so EXCITED to see that there are Jillian workouts. So I have purchased the 30 day shred DVD and have also done many of the workouts on the DVR. I LOVE THEM. I can do it in the comfort of my own home and on my own time. Jillian is great and keeps me motivated. I love how she works out cardio and strength at the same time... DOUBLE WHAMMY! I HIGHLY recommend her stuff!
  
• EQUIPMENT: I love how Jillian's DVD's dont require basically anything... no steps, no huge weights, no balls, no resistance bands. I only had to buy a cheap 13 dollar yoga mat (since hard wood floors are not that comfy to work out on) and then I use two cans of soup for weights (can you tell it is a recession!) and then a dish towel for any extra padding and to...ummm, wipe up some sweat! So instead of an EXPENSIVE gym membership I get my own trainer and personal gym for about 15 dollars!
  
• DIET: Ok, as much as I wish working out was the only thing I had to do I have quickly realized that is not true (now that I am not a tiny teenager anymore). So I am too cheap and too picky of an eater to do a real diet plan. Instead it all comes down to calorie counting! Chris's ipod touch has a FREE application called LOSE IT. It has most foods already in the app so you just look it up, log the serving size you ate and it tracks the calories (and other things) in the foods you eat. Also it gives you the recommended calorie number for your weight loss goals. But PLUS this it also has most types of exercises in it and it will subtract the calories you burn from those. SO I get a pretty good track of my calories. Things I have learned from this that are simple if you just take a little extra time:

1. KEEP track of what you eat (in some way) so it keeps you accountalbe and aware. I have found that when I know I have to write down what I ate I am less likely to pick up that extra roll at dinner and snack on loads of crackers!
2. portion size! Many times, in order to keep up with CHRIS, I load up my plate with large portion sizes that I just done need. By really making a consciencous effort to think about the amount, has REALLY helped
3. READ LABELS! who knew that a serving size of 160 calories of cheez-its are only 27 crackers! So the endless snacking on these tasty crackers is NO good! Now before I buy I look at the labels for Cals. and also the serving size. I realize that some companies are VERY tricky in thier serving sizes to make the person feel healthy even.
4. Pre-make snacks. I have found that putting small serving sizes (about 150 cals) into ziplock bags has helped! When I need a snack a bag is already ready and I know how much Cals. are in it. Also, this helps me from over-snacking, like I used to do when I would mindlessly keep eating as I watched TV!
   
5. Learn your Measurements! For right now I still measure out my food so I know how many calories. But I have found as I have done it more and more I now know a pretty good estimate of basic sizes like TBSP and 1/2 cup. This also helps when reading labels and serving sizes.
   

I already in this short week have seen results not just with how my body appears but how it FEELS. I have more energy throghout the day, I feel MUCH better about myself, I am proud of my accomplishments and just feel that my body is truly becoming a better temple... inside and out.

I want to share some GREAT quotes I found on LDS.org about how physical fitness is connected to all other parts of us...

Not only are all three areas—physical, spiritual, intellectual—governed by these same laws, but they also seem to be inseparable in that one cannot reach his loftiest potential without the support and strength of the others. Many members of the Church have developed themselves spiritually and intellectually, but they are being held back because of physical unfitness. -Clarence F. Robison

Emotional and physical endurance are inseparable. So-called physical fatigue can destroy personality, shorten the concentration span, and make us impatient, unable to focus on the problems at hand and incapable of expressing love, kindness, and inspiration to those we serve. -Clarence F. Robison

I AM GRATEFUL that I have a body that allows me to do so much! And I hope that as I head back to the daily grind of work this next week that I keep it up. I would be crazy to stop, since I feel so good now!

ps. SUGAR FREE JELLO is the BEST snack... it is a yummy "dessert" that is only 10 CALORIES!

Fighting and Dreaming

Fighting:

Ok this is not what you think, no Chris and I are not having marital problems...Ha ha. The two of us are just brushing up on our 'fighting' skills. This morning I didn't feel like going to the gym with the late start we had. So I asked Chris (thinking for sure the answer would be 'no') if he wanted to do the Tae Bo tape his sister Heather had. To my shock he answered 'sure'. So we pushed back the coffee table and pushed play on the VCR. Billy Blanks got our heart rates up with his upper cuts and back kicks and of course his inspirational speeches. All I know is there is nothing like a man in a hi cropped shirt and leg warmers to get me going! Chris, Heather and I were sweating up a storm like ten minutes in! I just had a smile on my face the whole time to see Chris next to me giving his punches and kicks all he had! It was fun to be together and have a new way to work out. Next on the list is to talk Chris into going to a yoga or pilates class with me.

Dreaming:

Later in the day we spur of the moment got a babysitter for all the nieces and nephews and us adults went to lunch and then off to look at model homes. It has been a long time since I have walked through model homes and I forgot how much I enjoy it. It was like seeing one of my favorite pastimes, watching HGTV come to life! I love that my husband loves interior design and has strong opinions on it. Luckily we have very similar taste. The whole time we walked through we were thinking, "oooh, I like this" or "we could do this in our future house" and just DREAMING of our future home...which is probably far, far off in the distance. But we need to remember next time we get bored to just go find some model homes...great date idea!

Here are some pictures of some of the rooms we looked at. The four homes all had distinct color palates that they used throughout the whole house. They were 1. brown and robin's egg blue, 2. salmon, beige and brown, 3. Black and White (with hints of beige and grey) and 4. olive green, brown and orange.