Let's Think About What We Know About Produce

Last Spring, I was fortunate to go on a cruise around the Caribbean. During one of our days at sea, the spa & fitness center had a seminar on toxins and I decided to attend. My eyes were opened wide during the one hour lecture and I've given the information presented a lot of thought ever since then. For the most part, they didn't share anything that I didn't already know, but they put it all together in a way I'd never really considered. So let's talk about what we know. This article is the first in a series and will just cover produce.

What do we know about some of the produce we eat? Produce is sprayed with pesticides or herbicides to keep pests from destroying it before it can be harvested or to keep weeds from growing. The suffix -cide is from the latin verb 'caedere' meaning to strike down or to kill. We know that these are designed to kill the "pests/weeds" but what are the pests or weeds? Living organisms. What do we know about the human body? The human body is a living organism. Our produce is treated with substances designed to kill living organisms which includes our own bodies.

You may be thinking, 'but I wash all my produce first so the chemicals get washed away.' The truth is, washing our produce doesn't do much. First, pesticides can seep down in to the fruit or vegetable through the skin making it impossible to just wash off. Second, most of the time, the pesticides are protected. Let's think about this using apples as an example. Have you ever picked an apple straight from the tree? This is what it would look like:

Does it look different from a store-bought apple?

The apples on the tree are a little more dull, not quite as shiny as the store-bought apples. That is because apples in the store have a waxy coating added to them to make them look more desirable (to encourage you to buy them). But what does that wax coating really do? What does it do to a car? When you wax your car, it makes water droplets just roll right off it. It's no different with the apple. When you wash the apple, it just cleans off that waxy layer, which unfortunately, is protecting all the pesticides that were applied first underneath. And, just so you know, it's probably not just a couple times that it's been sprayed. The research I've done varies, but it's mostly consistent to the fact that produce can be sprayed up to 30 times with different pesticides which first seep into the produce and then may be locked in under the wax. That's a lot of pesticides that we're ingesting, which are then stored in the colon where they slowly poison the body (the living organism where they ultimately end up).

Waxy appearances aren't the only trick used to encourage you to buy. Have you ever bit into what appeared to be a red, juicy strawberry only to have it taste awful? Chances are, the strawberry you just ate wasn't ripe when it was picked and the red coloring was added to it to make it look appealing. This trick is used a lot for produce that isn't in season. Aside from the dangers of artificial coloring, which can constitute an entire article unto itself, eating unripened produce is not exactly healthy. If it hasn't had time to complete its growing cycle before being harvested, then it hasn't had time to reach its full nutritional value.

The absolute best option is to grow your own produce, where you know and control exactly what goes on it. I have two large dogs and an extremely black thumb (I even killed a cactus once - that takes a special kind of black thumb!) so I'm still working on this in my own life. For now, Farmers Markets and Greenling are my best alternatives. Organic produce is a third option, but most organic produce is treated with organic pesticides. Common sense should tell us that even a natural pesticide is still designed to kill living organisms, which is a category that still effects our own bodies. If Organic is your best option, the EWG has their Dirty Dozen and Clean 15 which rank various produce on their levels of pesticides so you know which are the most important to buy Organic.

Up next: Processed Foods

Using a Common Sense Approach

As I mentioned when I started this blog, I'm not an expert, but through research and my God-given common sense, I'm searching for the answers to a healthy life. The main advantage to using common sense is that no one is profiting from it. As much as I'm able, I research various issues first, but as anyone who has tried to find a straight-forward answer about anything health related will probably tell you, they've most likely found it to be incredibly difficult. I'm sure there are many reasons for all the contradicting information available, but I have a feeling it all boils down to money.

The pharmaceutical companies are billion dollar corporations; the diet/fitness/exercise industry is a billion dollar industry; medicine and health are billion dollar industries. The government is a billion (er, trillion, eek!) dollar industry. If it was easy to figure out what was healthy and how to become and stay healthy, there would be very little need for all of these - well, I suppose we might still need the government. None of them want that because that would hurt their profits, and money is power. Many scientists probably have a price - that amount when they're willing to alter, suspend, or outright lie about their findings. So these scientists publish information that is wrong or misleading, often with the backing of their money-men - the very people we're supposed to trust, like the FDA.

I'm sure not all scientists are like this however, and they publish their findings with legitimate results but also with little fanfare. It takes a while before the general population starts to give these studies any attention or consideration, and when they do, it starts with not knowing what to believe. (For me, the best starting point is going against what the big companies or government are supporting until I have a valid reason to believe them.)

So after reading all the contradicting "facts," I'm left with my common sense to help me figure out what to do. This is where I'm coming from when I write, which compels me to remind you that common sense can be very subjective and what makes sense to me, might not make sense to you. I'm ok with that if you are ;)

This article is mostly a prelude to the next few articles I have in mind, but for now, I encourage you to implement this one small action: Before making a decision, ask yourself, "Who is profiting from this? Do they really care about me? Or do they just care about making money?" And then use your common sense - just because someone is making a profit from it doesn't make it bad, but just because "science" is supporting it doesn't make it good.

Motivation Concept

We all have areas in our lives in which we just have a hard time. These areas are our own individual vices that we struggle with no matter how hard we try to stop. It could be overeating, laziness, frivolous spending, losing your temper, messiness - really anything that makes you feel regret later on, but you still can't deny when the urge strikes. For me, it is a really frustrating feeling and can make me feel really weak. Some people have even said or implied that I am weak, but my guess is those people just don't share that particular vice for which they're ridiculing me. To be completely honest, each item I listed is something I struggle with to some degree or another. You may share some or all of my shortcomings, or yours may be completely different. My hope is that this post will be applicable no matter what your struggle(s).

I found this idea on Pinterest (imagine that) and it's specifically for exercise motivation:

Each time you workout, put a dollar in the jar. When you reach your goal, treat yourself to something.

My immediate reaction was, "what a great idea! That would be so motivating!" However, this was quickly replaced with reality. As a stay-at-home mom - read single-family income as I haven't found someone to pay me for that yet - I realized putting a dollar in a jar, for me at least, wasn't really practical. First of all, I would have to go to the bank and trade in a twenty for ones. And then those 20 $1 bills would sit in one jar while waiting to be put in the achievement jar. That seems rather pointless to me. Secondly, I'm sure that something would come up at some point requiring me to "borrow" against the achievement jar, and Lord knows, once it comes out, it's not likely to go back in. I still really liked the general idea though and so I started thinking about how I could adapt it to make more sense.

About that same time, I was out Christmas shopping and I got a major (and I mean MAJOR) hankering for the Baconater Cheeseburger from Wendy's. (I had actually been hungry for one for a few weeks, but thankfully don't have a Wendy's near where I live. But since my Christmas shopping took me near one, the craving came back and it came back stronger.)  I know, I know, that's certainly not something that should be found on a healthy eating plan, but remember it takes a while to break the addiction and make the cravings go away. While the craving and the voice-of-reason battled it out in my head, I directed my car toward Wendy's. Before I got there though, the voice-of-reason took the lead and I turned around. I hopped on the highway before I could change my mind again and headed home.

An incredible sense of pride flooded me as I drove away from the temptation. I did it! I resisted a really strong craving! I felt like that one, small victory should be celebrated somehow (I can probably thank my dad for this who is a big Celebration fan). That's when the idea hit me - why not record my victories and put those in a jar? Each time I felt I made the right decision even though the temptation was really strong - write that down on a piece of paper, watch my achievements grow instead of money I probably didn't have anyway? I think this could be a really empowering approach by encouraging me to take ownership of the good decisions I make instead of always feeling guilty about the bad ones. I could still celebrate when the jar got full by treating myself to some kind of reward. Better yet, I could get my husband or a friend to partner with me on it and they could treat me to something when I reached the goal. And this idea could be used for anything - I can even have separate jars for separate goals (this might be a great visual for where I still need work... I'll be able to see where I'm getting better at making good decisions and where I still need help by comparing how quickly the jars grow in relation to each other).

This idea may not work for everyone, but if you think it would work for you, I encourage you to give it a try. I haven't had much of a chance to test it out so I'll have to get back with you on how it goes for me. For now, I like it. I hope you do too.

***Disclaimer***
Because of my faith, I feel that struggles with temptation, no matter what the temptation is, are very much a spiritual battle and that asking God for help is paramount to success. I Corinthians 10:13 states that in temptation, God will provide the way of escape, but we have the choice to take it or not. This idea is not to replace my need for prayer, but to records the times that I use His way of escape to make the right decision, which will encourage me to do it again next time.

Weight Watchers is Not Evil.

After reviewing the original article and all the feedback from the last post, and retracting my claws - I'm admittedly really bad at "agreeing to disagree" - two things have stuck out at me. 1) From a writing standpoint, my thoughts did not come out nearly as cohesively as my brain presented them, and by the end, it started to resemble a jumbled up mess. The writer in me is deeply horrified. 2) In my excitement for my topic, I inadvertently hopped up on an imaginary soapbox that I don't even necessarily stand by and didn't do the program justice. For that I apologize and I intend to do better in the future. I do not want to alienate any readers, I just want to present information in a way that will make you think. No one said anything that made me want to retract any of my statements from yesterday - I still stand by everything that I wrote - but it did make me want to clarify my position and add to what I wrote by giving credit where credit is due.

Here is what I think Weight Watchers has going for it:

• I think it is a valid starting point. If you know absolutely nothing about nutrition, this program can teach you about fat, calories, carbs, etc. You can then use this information to begin to make good choices.
• If you attend their meetings, they have good accountability and more opportunities for learning about what you should and shouldn't eat.
• They do not encourage deprivation. Contrary to what some people believe, I do not encourage deprivation either. I agree that it will lead to binge eating because it will make you focus on what you're going without. This is especially true if you're going without in order to lose weight; while this effect is still present, for me at least, it's significantly smaller now that I've switched my focus to whole health.
• My friend, Leann, did inform me that if you do the online option, you have access to an online coach who can help you choose healthier options and teach you what to stay away from. (I went back to their website to make sure I didn't miss something, but even on the second try, I still do not see online coaches listed anywhere.)
• They do have access to good recipes and workouts on their website and you have the option of choosing which you like and which you don't. You don't have to follow an exact eating and workout plan. 

Here is where I think Weight Watchers misses the point:

• Many of the Weight Watchers' food products are not very healthy for you. You can view information on specific items here. This site, Good Guides, ranks items on a scale of 1-10 with 1 being bad and 10 being good. They rank more than just health, they also rank the product's effect on the environment and society, but for our purposes, just look at the health scale. Admittedly, some of their products are in the green range, but as you move through the pages, orange and red become more and more prominent (green=good, orange/red=bad). This is partly because they have ingredients in them, that while lowering the calories or fat or whatever, are still really bad for you. They are chemicals designed to make the "healthy" (ie. low-fat, sugar-free, etc.) option taste like the original. It is a far healthier option to eat the product with the fewest chemical modifications even if it is a little more fattening, or for Weight Watchers, costs more points. 
• While they encourage physical activity with activity points, it appears that they seem to use it as a way to either eat more, or eat worse. Friends of mine on the program have told me that there is no daily or weekly activity points goal as there are daily food point limits. This is not a healthy way to look at eating and exercise. Exercise should not be used as a punishment for eating poorly earlier, nor should it be used as an excuse to eat poorly later. Consider this: if, in addition to your regular diet and exercise, you decide to eat a candy bar that has 100 calories in it and you then burn an additional 100 calories for the day, does it cancel out the candy bar? How do you know it doesn't cancel out the banana you had with breakfast? Does canceling out the calories of the candy bar automatically mean you've canceled out the effect of the fat, sugar, etc. that came with it? 
• Weight Watchers focuses entirely on weight. Shocker, I know. Going back to my Weight is Just a Number post, weight is not the whole story. If you're building muscle and losing inches, your body fat composition has dropped even if your weight hasn't. In the past 3 weeks, I have lost .1 pound. One-tenth. That's next to nothing. That's so minuscule that many scales wouldn't even register it. But I have lost an inch on my bust, 2 inches on my waist, an inch on my hips, 2.25 inches on my thighs, and half an inch on my arms. I am definitely in better shape now than I was three weeks ago even though the scale doesn't reflect it. 
• Weight Watchers focuses entirely on weight. Do I sound like a broken record? Let me remind you of what blog you're on - this is a blog about the adventure to Whole Health. This is not a blog about losing weight. With that in mind, while I think the points are a good guideline, I do not recommend for them to be used as a hard and fast rule. To the point of the whole article yesterday, I have come to agree with my friend who did not want to "waste" her points on the super-healthy fruit drink, but ONLY IF she was hitting her fruits and veggies goal for the day. Then I could see not wanting to spend points on fruits and veggies. But if she's struggling to hit that goal, I think she should definitely use a few points to reach it before she uses points on indulgences. 
• Anything can be assigned a point value, and the point value is based solely on fat, carbs, protein, and fiber. It does not take ingredients in to account (of course, the user has the option to do that, but the points program does not factor it in). Therefore, by not discouraging unhealthy options, it essentially says they are ok. Several people have tried to use this as their defense for indulging. As I mentioned, I definitely support the indulgence method as long as it's done smartly. Homemade cookies are a better option than an Oreo. (If you're craving an Oreo and that craving was made worse by me mentioning it just now, search Pinterest or Google it, I'm sure there are homemade Oreo recipes in which you can control the ingredients.) Chocolate Covered Kate is a blog full of chocolate recipes that she herself has created using natural ingredients. That is the best way to indulge. I'm not saying cut out chocolate or cut out ice cream (even though I have cut out ice cream for this year, I'm not saying everyone should do that); I'm just saying be smarter about how you consume it. Kate eats her chocolate creations at least once, usually twice a day but her health (nor her weight) is being effected by it. 

Remember that processed foods are full of additives designed and utilized by companies to make you addicted to their products in order to increase their profits. The foods you love (which Weight Watchers claims you will not have to give up) are likely to be full of these additives which is why you don't want to give them up in the first place. When you look at it this way, it is easy to see that our addiction to the additives is every bit as powerful as a smoker's addiction to cigarettes, or an alcoholic's addiction to beer. My friend Mike gave me this analogy which I just love: If you were to help a drug addict with their addiction, would you recommend for them to only do drugs every once in a while as an indulgence for being so good the rest of the time, or so their deprivation doesn't send diving headfirst back into drugs? Would you recommend that they try a different drug that's not as bad for them? Or would you help them get off all drugs for good? Food is not the enemy, the additives in processed foods are. I do not believe it is healthy to indulge in these naughty ingredients even if it's just every once in a while. 

Finally, I think it is worth noting a few things: 

• The very first Weight Watchers' Spokeswoman was Lynn Redgrave. Sarah Ferguson was one of her successors. Both of these women gained some of the weight back after going off the program and Lynn ultimately died from breast cancer. (Not to start another controversy, and I'm certainly not trying to say that Lynn contracted breast cancer as a result of what she ate, but if you don't think what you eat has an effect on cancer, please keep reading my blog. This topic will be covered in detail.) 
• In the British Journal of Nutrition, Michael Lowe reports his findings after following 699 participants for 5 years after Weight Watchers. 95.3% of these participants were women. After 1 year, 79.8% of participants had succeeded in keeping at least 5% off their weight loss off. (This could also read as 21.2% of participants had gained back more than 95% of the weight after only 1 year). After 2 years, 71% of participants maintained at least 5% of their weight loss, and by year 5, 50%, only HALF of the participants, had maintained at least 5% of their weight loss. And that is only 5%!!! It doesn't even mention those that maintained 100% of their weight loss, although it does give results for those that maintained a weight below their goal weight: By year 1, that was only 26.5%, at year 2, it was down to 20.5%, and by year 3, it hit 16.2%. As much as people have tried to argue otherwise based on their own personal success, statistically this program does not show encouraging long-term results if 1 out of every 2 people on the program will not see success 5 years later. View the entire report here.
• Finally, of my friends who read and commented on the article, the ones who agreed with what I said are easily the healthiest, and maybe not coincidentally, skinniest people I know. They are the people I turn to when trying to make healthy decisions, which makes me feel that I might not have been as far off the mark as many people would like to believe. 

A Fat Free Twinkie is Still a Twinkie

When I was in fifth grade, I was friends with a girl who was rather large - as in, she was probably already well into the obese category at that tender age. At one point she decided she was going to lose weight and so she started eating fat-free twinkies at lunch time. She was convinced this would help her because they were fat-free!

I was reminded of this story today when I almost got in a debate with a good friend. She stated she was hoping to get a full 6-8 servings of fruits and veggies each day and I suggested the Machine drinks by Naked (Blue Machine, Green Machine, Red Machine.) These particular drinks are full of fruits and vegetables, some in juice form and some pureed from the whole fruit/veggie. They easily have 6-8 servings of fruits and veggies in them and have no naughty ingredients. Other than being high in sugar (from the natural fructose found in the fruits), they are extremely good for you. However, this friend is on Weight Watchers and these drinks are worth 4 points each (probably due in part to the juices added which aren't as good for you as the whole fruit or veggie), and so she said she couldn't drink them.

This thought greatly confused me as some other women in our same circle had been discussing just the day before how great it was that a boxed cake mix mixed with a can of Diet Coke or Sprite made a dessert that was barely any points. It struck me that this summed up my problem with points systems quite nicely - they encourage you to eat things that may not be good for you (as I assure you a boxed cake mix most certainly isn't!) because they are low in points but discourage you to eat anything that is high in points even if they are really good for you.

In all fairness, I hadn't ever looked into what exactly Weight Watchers stands for, so before I made up my mind too firmly, I decided to research it some. My first problem with the program is that there was very little I could find out from their own website without signing up for the program. I also have a problem with paying to get healthy, but I do recognize that it can be a motivator for weight loss for some people.

I decided to do their free assessment which brings me to my next problem with the program: they claim

You don't have to give up any of your favorite foods to lose weight! 

I actually have two issues with this statement. First, what if my favorite foods are McDonald's, pizza, ice cream, chips, and cookies. Really? I don't have to give up ANY of those to lose weight? And second, the goal shouldn't be to lose weight, the goal should be to be healthy. In order to become healthy, you have to give up unhealthy foods, many of which top most people's list of favorite foods. 

Finally, I have a problem with the accountability of the program. They say they encourage healthy options, but unless you regularly attend their meetings, the only accountability is in the Points system. They use this picture to show how you can eat more if you eat better things (sounds suspiciously like trading in your "favorite" things):

 

But when I look at this picture, my only question is what's to stop you from eating the meal on the left? They're both worth 11 points, so why should I eat the rather disgusting-sounding pasta salad and soup when I can enjoy the childhood favorite of PB&J with chips? What if the meal on the left was 10 points? Would that make it a better option than the meal on the right? Unless there is a goal for how many fruits and veggies to eat each day, how much meat and dairy and grains (remember the Food Plate from last week?), people could stay within their points range every single day and still gain weight. Because I'm sorry, but if you're struggling with your weight, I can almost guarantee you that you'll have to give up at least something in order to see any success. A 2-point chocolate cupcake with Diet Coke is not better for you than a 4-point organic fruit and veggie drink. A fat-free Twinkie is still a Twinkie. 

One thing I think they do have right, they incorporate exercise into the program, although, to what extent I'm not sure. 

To be fair, there may be more that I have missed, but as I stated, this was the most I could learn from their own webpage without signing up for the program. To their credit, I do think they have really delicious recipes, but as it turns out, you can make them even if you're not on the program.

****UPDATE****
Due to some of the immediate response I got, let me clarify a few things:

1. I don't want to discount anyone who follows this program the way it is designed to be done and sees results. I'm sure if you follow it exactly as recommended, you can see results if your goal is weight loss. However, my goal is Whole Health, and for that, there are things I have to give up. For example, is it ok for me to eat carcinogenic ingredients as long as I only do it every once in a while as a treat?  I really don't think so. This program may teach you about fat, protein, carbs, portions, etc. but does it teach you about healthy ingredients? Personally, I feel that things with poisonous - I refer to these as naughty - ingredients should not be allowed, not just take up  more points. My point with this article is that unless you're going to their meetings, the accountability relies on the Points. The accountability to follow their recommendations and guidelines depends entirely on your will power, making it no different than than just watching your portions and eating a well balanced meal. That you can do on your own, you shouldn't have to pay for that. Having someone tell us what we should and shouldn't eat in order to lose weight is not what the problem is for most of us. The majority of people are probably aware that an Oreo is worse than an apple. We - or at least I - don't have to pay for that.

2. If I had gone in and met with one of their specialists, I may very well have learned more about their program, but I feel if they're going to offer an online option, then you should be able to learn everything you need to know online before signing up.

3. I'm not sure where people are getting the idea that I recommended cutting out entire groups of food - I am not saying to cut out carbs or dairy or anything like the sort. And I do think that total deprivation of something you like, on the path to weight loss, will lead to binge eating and mess up your "diet" even more. Let me make this perfectly clear: I AM NOT ON A DIET. I am on an adventure to find Whole Health. So yes, allow yourself a treat, just make sure it doesn't have naughty ingredients in it that may kill you no matter how thin you are.

4. I suppose I should not have started with a program called WEIGHT watchers, but as far as I'm aware, there is no program called HEALTH watchers. If weight loss is your goal, and you have the will power to make the right choices on your own, then I'm sure you will succeed with this diet and that it will be sustainable over the long run, in part because of their incorporating indulgences into the program. If you have seen results using Weight Watchers, congratulations!

****UPDATE 2****
Please read Janis' comment to this post. She is a Weight Watchers success story but is still able to help clarify what I'm trying to say. Maybe it will seem less offensive or judgmental if it's coming from someone who has not only done the program, but seen a lot of success with it. I'm not trying to say you can't lose weight with this program, all I'm saying is that you can lose a lot of weight with it without necessarily getting any healthier.

I do know, from my own mother who is currently on the Weight Watchers program (as is my grandma - I'm not against people on the program!!), you can apply a point value to anything using only the fat, carbs, protein and fiber. The actual ingredients do not matter. So when they encourage you to indulge every once in a while so as not to feel deprived, you can turn to Oreos or Chips Ahoy. By not discouraging these foods, they in a way do encourage them as an option for your indulgences. It'd be far better to indulge in a homemade cookie than a prepackaged cookie. What's worse, they do encourage low-fat or sugar-free or low-calorie alternatives, which as Janis very clearly stated have a much naughtier ingredient list than their slightly more fattening counterpart. Points are a good guideline, but should not be the determining factor. No one should look at a healthy fruit drink and think of it as "wasting points." Follow the points, but also look at the ingredients and know what you're eating. 

****UPDATE 3****
Instead of posting a new update, I decided to completely re-do the whole article in an attempt to better clarify what I'm trying to say, as well as give the program credit for what I like and some statistics about the program. View it here.

Frenemies, Surprising Allies, and Wolves in Sheep's Clothing ROUND ONE

Frenemy #1: While researching the best healthy snacks, one thing stood out: nuts and nut butters (peanut butter, almond butter, etc.). I get it - nuts are a healthy fat, are a great source of protein, and leave you feeling full. But they make my Frenemy list because, while it's healthy, they're still high in fat. When I was pregnant with my daughter, I lost 12 pounds during the first trimester just because I was too queasy to eat much. My OB was relatively unconcerned about this until midway through the second trimester when I still hadn't started to gain any weight. At that point she told me I needed to increase my peanut butter intake. Let me just say I didn't have any problem with weight gain after that (over the next 4 months, I gained 40 pounds!!) So while it is healthy and full of protein, it might not be the best if weight loss is your goal. I now severely limit my nut and peanut butter intake (which stinks because I love peanut butter with fruit or on toast  or with chocolate or by the spoonful....).

Surprising Ally #1: Chocolate milk is rapidly moving toward the top of everyone's favorite healthy post-workout snacks. Chocolate milk, when compared to plain milk or most sports drinks, has almost twice the amount of carbohydrates and protein which are essential to refuel your muscles after a workout. This also gives your body something to metabolize after your workout which extends the effect your workout has on weight loss. Plus, it's super yummy!! I drink Mootopia (a lactose-free brand from HEB) and in one glass, there are 150 calories, only 4.5 grams of fat, 13 grams of carbs and 12 grams of protein!!! Note: You can lose up to half of your workout if you do not eat within a half an hour after finishing, so don't wait too long!

Wolf in Sheep's Clothing #1: Many people think that protein shakes or energy bars are an excellent choice when picking a healthy snack, especially for a post-workout snack. The truth is, the vast majority of these items aren't really good for you - they're simply candy bars or milkshakes disguised to be healthy by having added protein. Yes, the protein is great, but the rest is not. A far better alternative is to make your own fruit smoothie and add some protein powder. If you like the idea of an energy bar, check the ingredients and nutritional information very carefully. Pure bars are an excellent choice - while a little high in fat due to the nuts (Frenemy #1!!), they are made with all organic and/or all natural products and are a great source of protein.

Run, Forrest, Run

Contrary to what I used to believe, and what many people still believe, running is your friend. If you don't believe me, let me throw out some startling results. In the past 3 weeks, using the Ease into 5K program for Android (very similar to the Couch to 5K program on iTunes) I have run/walked more than 28 miles. (Did I mention I have another challenge of running 365 miles in 2012?) Much more exciting, I have lost more than 2 inches on my thighs! My pants are feeling and looking looser and my legs are feeling much stronger. My endurance has also greatly improved, but that is kind of the point of the program.

Do these sound like results you'd like to see?

Running has some really positive effects on your body, but you need to make sure you're doing it right. After only 2 weeks, my knees starting hurting pretty badly. At the suggestion of several runner friends, I went out and bought new running shoes today. I went to a store just for runners (Luke's Locker in Austin, TX, but I'm sure every city has at least one running shop) and spent more money than I'd ever spent on any pair of shoes (including my most prized Steve Madden stiletto pumps), a whopping $125. But it was absolutely worth it! The experts at the shop looked at how I walked and then recommended specific shoes based on what they saw. Apparently, my feet roll inward slightly with each step that I take and so they recommended a shoe that will stabilize the movement of my foot. (The shoes I ended up with are Mizuno's Wave Inspire 8.) I went for a run as soon as I got home and I could definitely tell the difference! My feet were a little sore on the outside, but I assumed it was a result of the correction of the new shoes, and a few of those runner friends confirmed that. By my second run, my feet were feeling much better. Best of all, my knees weren't hurting!! I was skeptical that my shoes could make that much difference, but they really did. So if you want to get serious about running, start by having an expert help you pick new shoes.

The two programs I mentioned above are excellent programs for beginning runners. C25K on iTunes is a 9 week program, while Ease into 5K for Android is an 8 week program. I'm sure there are programs you can find online, but I like having it on my phone because it literally tells me when to walk and when to run. Just as their names suggest, they are designed to slowly take you from being a couch potato to being able to run a 5K. They do this with running/walking intervals - the first week they have you run for about 30 seconds and then walk for about 30-40 seconds. The second week they increase the length of each interval. And then slowly, over the course of a couple months, they increase the running and decrease the walking until you are able to run for at least a half an hour without stopping. It's certainly not easy, each progression is a challenge that pushes you past what you were able to do before, but it is definitely doable. I recommend finding a 5K race in your area within a week or two of the end of your program for the added motivation - if you've paid a registration fee for a race, you're much more likely to complete the training. I have 2 5Ks coming up in February, a 10K at the end of March (C25K is followed by Bridge to 10K), and then a 10 mile race in April. This time last year I could barely run a mile and now I'm registered to run a 10 mile race! EEK!!

Finally, let's talk about form. The following pictures explain the proper form for running pretty well:



You may notice one of these says to land on the ball of the foot and one says to land between the heel and midfoot and roll forward to the ball of the foot. I'm not sure what to tell you here... I've found a few sources supporting both positions. This might be one that is different for everyone, maybe not. I've tried both and while it works the calves more to land on the ball of the foot, neither one causes any pain.

One final note: running is not only great for fat loss and building your endurance, but it's also great stress management. If you're feeling particularly upset about something, go for a run and I promise you'll be feeling at least a little better. If you are anything like I used to be and feel there's no way you could be a runner, let me leave you with two thoughts:

I Scream, You Scream, No One Scream For Ice Cream

For those of you who know me personally, you know that am an ICE CREAM FIEND. I'm sure there has been a day in my life when I ate nothing but ice cream. The days I've had ice cream for breakfast are well beyond countable. Over the past few years, I've done a pretty good job at limiting it and had almost exclusively switched to frozen yogurt-ice cream hybrid. Dreyer's (Or Edy's for those of you in the eastern US) has a line called Yogurt Blends and their Vanilla flavor is so creamy and so yummy that I don't even notice that it's easily the most boring flavor in the history of ice cream. **Interesting tidbit: Edy, Dreyer's partner, invented Rocky Road ice cream and one of their employees invented Cookies 'n' Cream. There's a reason this is my favorite brand of ice cream.**

So given my affinity for ice cream, it's really surprising that I honestly cannot remember the last time I had any. I think it might have been sometime before Christmas. That's nearly a month. A MONTH! That's a long time for me to go without ice cream. This little fact presented itself to me as I was on my way to the ice cream aisle to grab some Vanilla Yogurt Blends and almost immediately a challenge sprang to mind and my feet chartered a new course. If I could make it a whole month without ice cream and not even notice it, then I could go for a WHOLE YEAR! I know, I know... WHOA. But I couldn't help it. A challenge is a challenge, even if it does come from some hidden corner of my psyche and is presented to myself. I can't turn it down. I think it's the grown-up extension of the childish "double dare."

So here I go, one whole year without ice cream! (Or frozen yogurt - it's a gateway drug.) At least I already have 12 days down! 344 more to go - darn you leap year! Keep me in mind in June when I'll have to forego my traditional Dairy Queen ice cream cake which has stuck by me (and probably on me!) for many years.

How about you? What does your subconscious challenge you to give up this year in order to emerge a new and healthier you?

Let's Get Reading

I've spent most of the day reading in order to prepare for my book club meeting tonight. Last fall, I started a book club and so as the leader of the group, I felt it was probably best if I had actually read the book by the time I was supposed to be leading a discussion on it. But having invested most of my free time in this blog over the past couple of weeks, I lost track of my days. This morning I woke up and realized I was only on chapter 2 of the book I was to have read by the end of the day. I spent 5 hours this afternoon hurrying my way through it and actually managed a pretty decent discussion.

Since today has been entirely devoted to reading, I didn't have much chance to think about what I wanted to write. After the meeting was over and everyone had left, I sat down at my computer to finally squeak out a post for today. But no matter how hard I tried to switch gears, my mind remained firmly affixed on reading. (Remember, I warned you that I was an avid reader.) So I started pondering if a post about reading belonged on this blog. While it doesn't have much to do with fitness other than providing a form of entertainment while on the exercise bike or treadmill, I strongly believe that it is vital to health. And since this blog is about whole health, and not just fitness, here I sit writing a post on reading. 

I love the outlet that reading offers - it can be so therapeutic! When I'm having a bad day, I can easily slip into a book and become someone else. I can read about someone going through something similar to my situation and learn from what they did, good or bad. Or I can become someone else entirely and forget about my own trials for a little while. It also gives me the opportunity to be all the things I don't have time to be. I have sincerely desired to be an astronaut, a meteorologist, a doctor, (this could go on) none of which I will ever see come to fruition. But within the cover of a book, I can be whomever I want to be, even if just for a short while. 

In addition, reading also stretches my imagination, extends my knowledge, and expands my vocabulary, all of which enable me to become more articulate and increase my intelligence. Therefore, I feel reading is important on the path to whole health. With this in mind, I'm proposing the first Challenge of this blog. (I love challenges and will probably present them often.)

This year, challenge yourself to read at least 1 book per month (that's only 12 books this year for the mathematically challenged). 

*Bonus Challenge #1: Choose your books from 12 different genres and branch out from what you would normally read.

*Bonus Challenge #2: Try to join a book club. If you can't find one near you, start your own. 

If you are an avid reader like myself, and 12 books sounds like a great weekend to you, please comment with a number that you think would be a good challenge for you to complete this year!

When Addiction Wins

Some days are just harder than others. Some days, no matter how much my head is screaming no, my taste buds are screaming louder, and they're screaming for junk. Even knowing the reason why doesn't always help. You may or may not know, but we are actually physiologically addicted to processed foods. The food industry has strategically planned this by adding things to foods that don't need anything added to them. For instance, today I noticed that my Pepperidge Farm Stuffing mix has high fructose corn syrup in it. Why on earth would my stuffing need to have added sugar (and I'm being very gracious with the term "sugar" here)?? Without looking at the ingredient list, who would even think there was "sugar" in it? It sure doesn't taste sweet! I don't know about you, but when I get a craving for sweets, I certainly don't think, 'mmmm, a big bowl of stuffing would really hit the spot right about now.' The reason there is high fructose corn syrup in my stuffing, as well as in just about any other item on the shelf, is because it's one of these additives. It doesn't need to be there, so why is it? Because it's making you addicted to that product. The food industry is using it to get you hooked on their product so that they make more money (and their main weapon is corn because of the government, but that's a discussion for another time). These companies do not care about me. They do not care about you. They care about their bottom line.... ((gasp))

But unfortunately, knowing this doesn't help. Addictions are strong. Addictions are hard to kick. Which is why last night, even after burning the popcorn three times, I still continued to make it until I had bowl of unburnt popcorn to which I could add M&M's (I'm a sucker for salty and sweet). To my credit, I poured the M&M's out into the trash can immediately following to ward off any such encounters from getting the best of me again. (Yes, I felt it was best to actually pour them out as I know I won't go through the trash for individual M&M's, but if the craving was really strong, and the trash was more paper products or not completely disgusting, I maybe just might go through it for M&M's that were safely untouched inside of the bag. Don't judge me. I said maybe.) The addiction is so strong that even some of my most motivating posters on my Healthy board, like this one, didn't save me:


Of course afterward, I not only felt immediate regret, but I had the physical side effects of heartburn and a stomachache to remind me of my bad decision.

If any part of this story reminds you of yourself, then I'm here to tell you:




It won't be easy, especially in the beginning. Trying to break addiction is never easy, but it is possible. Right now it's hard because our minds are constantly focused on it, but it will get easier. They say you crave what you eat. This is so true. I think back to certain candies I loved as a kid and I can't imagine eating them now. Once you go for awhile without something, it becomes easier to see it for what it really is, JUNK. The same will be true for the processed foods we're so addicted to now. One day we'll ask ourselves, 'how could I have ever eaten that??' But for now, if you fall off the wagon, it's ok. Just pick yourself up, dust yourself off, determine to do better next time, and hop back on.

Couch Potato Syndrome

All the signs and symptoms are there. I've tried to hide it from my husband. I've made excuses. I've even tried to justify it. But the truth of the matter is, I'm a couch potato. Alright, fine. I'm a couch potato. There, I've admitted. Hello, my name is Amanda, and I'm a COUCH POTATO. I've been sober for I've not been sober yet.

I really thought and hoped that exercising 6 days a week would be all I actually needed to do to cover my bases on the "activity scale." Ohhh how I wish that were true. Unfortunately, exercising for even an hour a day doesn't give me free reign to spend the rest of the day on the couch. Studies show that we need to be moderately active throughout most of the day. This was easier to accomplish when I had a job that had me on my feet quite a bit throughout the day. But now, as a stay-at-home-mom, I spend a lot more of my time on the couch than I should.



Well that ends now. I need to be active again outside of my exercising activity. From now on, I'm going to try and be on my feet at home during the normal workday hours, getting things done instead of watching TV, reading a book, or staring at the computer screen. Just think of the added benefits... my house will be so clean! I might even get to organize some of the closets and and cabinets that I've been putting off! And my daughter will probably run out of things to do during all the extra playtime! (Ok, that last one is probably a bit of a stretch... she's 3. She doesn't seem to run out of energy. Ever.)

Now I must find a sponsor to keep me on the wagon. I wonder where you can buy the 'X' Years Sober badges....

Planned Attack, Part 2

Yesterday I spent too much time talking about the first branch of our three-pronged attack on fitness. Today I'm going to tackle the other two: Cardio and Strength. Unfortunately, you can't pick just one - these two go together like peanut butter and jelly, but in some ways, they're about as different as peanut butter and jelly.

Cardio: You can think of cardio as working the body from the outside in. Cardio is going to target the outer layer of fat, as well as help increase your metabolism. Personally, I enjoy cardio much more than strength training because I think it can be much more fun. There are countless ways to get cardio in your life. It has even spawned an entire genre for the video game industry. Between the Wii gaming system and the Kinect for Xbox, cardio-infused games are being released it seems nearly every week.While these games are fun, and have the added motivation of competition (both with others and your own best times/scores/etc.), they probably shouldn't be used to replace traditional cardiovascular activities. Swimming, biking, hiking, and participating in a sport or recreational activity (I play on an adult kickball team, my husband plays pickup basketball) are all great activities which will elevate your heart rate and help you burn calories.

Wondering why I left running off the list? I did so intentionally because I like to further divide cardio into Running and Other. They are separate activities and therefore I schedule them differently. Running is one of the best ways to burn fat, and with this in mind, I run 5-6 days a week. Other cardio activities get schedule 3 times a week in addition to running.

Strength: So if cardio is working from the outside in, then strength is working from the inside out. While cardio is working to get rid of the extra fat layer covering the body, strength will help prepare what's underneath. As unpleasant as strength training is, it does have one redeeming quality. In order for muscles to survive, they need energy, and they get that energy from the fat stored in your body. So the stronger your muscles get, the more fat you burn simply to maintain the muscles you're building. That's bonus fat burn!

Once I started focusing on the happier side of strength training, I found it easier to work it in. I schedule it for 3 times a week because it is important to have a day of rest after a strength session. During strenuous activity, the individual tissue fibers of the muscle actually tear and then they rebuild themselves, but they rebuild themselves stronger than they were. That is how we build strength, but that is also why it's important to rest after - to give the muscle time to rebuild. If you're really strange and actually enjoy strength training, then make sure to rotate muscle groups (do upper body one day, abs the next, lower body the third, etc.) to give each group time to heal.

Planned Attack, Part 1

I had looked at all the numbers and was at the starting line, again. Oftentimes in the past, as with many people, I would want to go down one of two paths. At times I have said I will exercise 5 times a day if it means I can still eat whatever I wish; and then at other times I have said I will adhere to a strict diet as long as I never have to exercise ever. Both of these fitness personalities gave me some results in the beginning, but they were limited, didn't last long, and neither are a truly healthy approach to fitness. Instead I have to take a three-pronged approach.

You may be wondering at the three prongs. What else is there besides diet and exercise? Technically, on the path to fitness, there are only the two, but I divide exercise into cardiovascular activity and strength training as they are used to achieve different results. So my three prongs then are Diet, Cardio, and Strength. (If we're going to be nit picky, I suppose we could make a fourth prong for a good night's sleep but as there's not much more to say about that, I left it off.) Let's look at Diet first. 

Diet: This is such a broad topic that I barely even know where to begin. It is one area in which I will be doing a lot of research but for now I'll assume you have a rough idea of what to limit (fat, sugar, sodium, simple carbs, etc.), what to eliminate (trans and saturated fat, cholesterol, etc.) and what to increase (fiber, calcium, etc.). And I'll also assume that you know the basics about calories. If you're not sure how many calories you need each day I encourage you to check out  this site or this one. Keep in mind your caloric intake level will vary greatly depending on your weight, your goals, your activity level, etc. If you're anything like me, you're thinking that that's a lot to keep track of, so for those of you who just heard "blah, blah, blah," I have good news. By following a few basic dietary tips, we don't have to closely monitor much more than our calories. 

Do you remember those food pyramids we all learned about in school? The actual pyramid has changed numerous times, and isn't even a pyramid anymore (it's now a plate - see pic below), but they have always gotten one thing right: In no version will you find a category for processed foods. God, in His wisdom, purposefully gave us the foods that are good for us - He doesn't need our help in making foods to eat. Fresh fruits and veggies, whole grains, fresh meats, these are things that are good for us. Fruit is better than fruit juice, whole grains are better than processed grains, fresh meat is better than canned meat. Fresh, in-season fruits and veggies are better than out-of-season or frozen; both are better than canned. As it turns out, the way God made it is the way God intended it and who knows better about what's good for our bodies than the One who created them?

The new Food Plate gives a visual of the proportions that you can't quite see with the pyramid. Here it is:

While this is a good guide, it is not necessary to have all 5 groups at every meal. Oftentimes, my breakfasts are more fruit heavy and my dinners are more veggie heavy. As long as the fruits and veggie sides are the largest proportions, it's ok. For me, this meant I had to stop thinking of my meat dish as the main dish. It is now on the side of my veggies. Also to note: I think this plate is a little generous with the grains. But as long as I'm eating the correct things in the correct amounts, then I only need to worry about the overall caloric intake! The rest will fall into place.

The other important thing to consider about diet is meal size and timing. There is much debate about whether it's better to eat 5-6 smaller meals throughout the day or the traditional 3. What it boils down to at the end of the day is calories in vs.calories out. Meal size and timing really has little to do with how many calories are expended throughout the day - that is controlled almost exclusively by activity level. So then the difference only has an effect on how many calories are consumed throughout the day. This comes down to the individual. I know people who need to eat more frequent but smaller meals so that they feel more full throughout the day to help them with appetite control. (More often than not, I fall into this category.) Other people end up eating more if they're eating more often. You may already know which is better for you or you may need to do trial and error. Just remember the goal at the end of the day is to stay within your own individual calorie limit.

In the days to come, I'll post some rules I've created for myself to help me follow these guidelines.

Stay tuned for Planned Attack, Part 2: Cardio and Strength.

Weight is Just a Number

As I mentioned yesterday, your weight is not the be all end all of how healthy you are, but it is a good guideline to consider. Body Fat Percentage is a much more accurate depiction of your fitness, but is harder to obtain. There are websites like this one or this one where you can "calculate" your body fat percentage, but they aren't as reliable as a water displacement test. These calculations can vary between sites (mine varies even between these two) and can be skewed depending on where you carry your extra weight. If you're a pear shape, like me, these sites will calculate your percentage as better than it actually is. However, if you're an apple shape and carry all your weight around your middle, they may reflect your percentage as worse than it really is. But assuming that most of us are not equipped to perform a water displacement test in our home, this number is another good guideline to consider. Aiming for a middle of the "healthy" road BMI by weight and body fat percentage are good goals. (This chart shows healthy body fat ranges by gender.)  Trying to lose inches off your measurements (bust, waist, hips, thighs, and arms) is another great goal.

But there's more to fitness than these numbers, right? Absolutely! Your weight might not drop as quickly as you'd hope if you're truly getting fit as muscle weighs more than fat. This picture shows the difference quite well:



It is clear to see that even though they weigh the same, fat takes up much more space than muscle! This is one reason why tracking your measurements, or how well your clothes fit, is a much better picture of how well you're doing. This picture alone should be pretty motivating! I know I would certainly rather have the 5 pounds of muscle than the 5 pounds of fat!! How about you?

You Have to Start Somewhere

I imagine that most people who are looking to get healthy do not like the number that looks back at them while standing on the scale. I'm right there with you! It was made even worse yesterday when I gained 6 pounds simply by buying a scale that actually worked (and I was really hoping the doctor's office scales were wrong!) While I understand that weight is not the be all end all when determining how healthy we are, we do have to start somewhere and we may as well start there. As I was sharing this with some friends today, one of them asked me, "you're not going to post your weight on your blog, are you??" After only a moment I determined that YES, I am. One big part of this blog for me is personal accountability, and I can't think of anything more motivating than admitting my starting weight to the world ((gulp)) and being up front about my goals.

So here goes. I started my challenge on December 26, 2011 and on that day, I weighed 140 146 pounds, which may or may not sound bad until you pair it with my (non)height of 5'2". Unfortunately, that height and weight combination lands me firmly in the lower end of an overweight BMI- 26.1 to be exact. A healthy weight range for my height is 105-135, but knowing my propensity to gain weight rather than lose, my goal is get to the lower end of that range. But a goal without a deadline is completely pointless, so I needed to determine how long it would take. Instead of picking a deadline at random, I decided to map out the weight loss to see how long it should take. Healthy and maintainable weight loss stipulates a loss of 1-2 pounds per week, so on my planner I put a goal down each week. Some weeks I subtracted 2 pounds and 1 pound other weeks, but each time writing down my NEW weight. This helped me see my realistic goal of losing 30 pounds by May 28th... just in time for my wedding anniversary!! The added benefit of mapping out your weight loss like this is encouragement - it's very easy to get discouraged when a week goes by and you don't see much movement on the scale. But if you're comparing it to your weekly goal instead of your long term goal, you'll see that you're right on track and will be much more encouraged.

Well enough about weight, especially my weight! Hop on your (hopefully accurate) scale and get your starting weight, grab your planner, and create your own weight loss map!

Wake Up Calls

Yes, that says Wake Up Calls... plural... as in more than one. In keeping with my tendency to hit the snooze button on my alarm clock, I have also hit the metaphorical snooze on taking action to get fit and become healthy. And just as hitting the snooze button on the clock is more harmful than beneficial, delaying this journey to whole health has done nothing but set me back further. Each day that I said, "one more cookie won't hurt, I'll make sure to do better tomorrow," is now one more day that I have to reverse - I have that much further to go. The problem with saying, "I'll start tomorrow," is that tomorrow never comes. Today is all you ever have. The good news is that today is all you need. It doesn't matter if you had doughnuts for breakfast or McDonald's for lunch - right now you have the chance to decide to change. Turn today into yesterday's tomorrow and start your journey now! Are you ready to stop hitting snooze?

It Was Bound to Happen Sooner or Later

Over the past year or so I've flirted with the idea of starting a blog but I hadn't found my niche, that one area that I could go on and on about that people might actually want to read. Adding that I don't really know much about blogs, it continued to be a peripheral thought - one that I'd come back to if I ever really found a passion, but not one in which I was investing too much time or energy. In its place, I discovered (and quickly became addicted to) Pinterest. So instead of acting on the thought of creating a blog, I started building pinboards. One board in particular, my Healthy is as Healthy does board, has become quite popular (WARNING: I'm a pin addict and much of this blog and my healthy board will go back and forth.)

I now have more than 200 strangers following my healthy board which took me off guard. That's when I realized that so many people really are trying to get healthy. But even if they have the motivation and the self control and the persistence needed to see it through, there's still so much contradicting information out there that success may not be as simple as working hard for it. I've spent time researching and using my God-given common sense to try and unravel the mysteries of what is healthy and what is not. I have not limited this to only diet and exercise but have also looked for the truth about skincare products, makeup, etc., and have tried to get healthier in all areas of my life. While this blog will focus primarily on eating right and exercising, it will also cover topics from financial health to mental health. It's my adventure through what works and what doesn't on the path to Whole Health. Will you join me on it?