Tuesday

We've all had a blah day. Rainy, overcast and ugly...ugh.

Anna Benson did indeed pass away, in Panama where she was living. She was 55. I keep thinking about it--there are no guarantees in life. Here she is, the woman who put home fitness on the map--she didn't start it, but she raised the bar, she preached good nutrition--boom, cancer.

Life is short, live it to the fullest each and every day.

We're not going to have Thanksgiving unless I get my lazy butt to the store. We're just going to have a turkey breast this year instead of a big bird. Yay. I'll whip up some fixings, and a few (yes, few) crustless pumpkin pies. I always make chocolate pie, but this year I'll do some pudding and cool whip in pretty glasses--whatever that is called. Sugar free for me, thank you.

~~~

Yesterday we bought a dirt-cheap, I mean practically giving it away--Schwinn Air-dyne. (Exercise bike.) It's older, but barely used. Hubby has cleaned it up--meaning oiling everything, doing guy stuff, and all three of us are in love.

I think it's a really good thing to not limit ourselves with our cardio. Me? I'd prefer to do a video every day. Yet I'm turning to that rebounder more often, and now we'll have the bike to use. That will be really nice when I don't want to pound my feet on the rebounder or with a video. I'm learning it's also very important to switch up our exercises. We can plateau with exercising just as we can with weight loss. I don't want my body to get used to only one thing, so this is a fantastic addition. That's why I've asked for Jari Love videos for Christmas as well--to switch things around.

My son didn't want anything to do with the bike, and last night we couldn't get him off the thing. It has been used so little that I'm sure it will last a couple years. I'm glad we stumbled upon it. This weekend hubby and I had mentioned that it would be nice to have one and then we just walked right into it! I'd say that's fate--especially because it was cheap!

I need to shower since I just worked out and then hit the grocery store!

Anna Benson

There is sad news on the fitness forums tonight. Confirmation is from friends of former FIRM instructors. So, it's still speculative and internet rumor, but the people reporting are people that I trust as well as you can trust anyone on the internet...

Anna Benson, the creator of The FIRM, my beloved exercise videos, has passed away due to stomach cancer.

When I did my give-away, I placed the order for the winner. Anna's assistant called me the day after I placed the order to confirm the address this was to be sent to, as it was different than mine. I must admit, I was giddy when I saw "Anna Benson" on my caller ID, even if it wasn't Anna herself. We chatted a bit (lovely conversation) and I asked what Anna was working on next. She paused, then said, "Well, Anna is -- Anna is working on it." I noted at the time there was a very strange sound in her voice when she mentioned this. I just assumed she didn't want to tell me as Firmies "gossip" a lot. Looking back, I know that pause and change of voice was because she knew Anna had cancer.

I would suspect that this is not a rumor and is true. I can only hope that it is a rumor. Nonetheless, I want to thank Anna Benson. While I was years late in finding her exercise videos, they have changed my life. I had an intense fear of weights, lifting, weight work. It was manly! The beauty of her productions, the femininity, the southern belle-feel, the grace--it all changed me forever. I now love weight work more than cardio.

In the few short months I have been working out to The FIRM tapes, I have become stronger, developed definition and physically and mentally felt better.

So Anna Benson will always live on in my heart, and I'll think of her every time I pop a tape or DVD in.

Rest in peace, Anna.

Monday Morning Weigh In

Weight: 225.5
Loss: -1.5

Body Fat: 43%
Loss: 1%


Wow, this weekend I was ready to declare the "P" word. Yup, I was going to call a plateau. I had been 227 since October 30. Sunday I slithered down to 226 and today was a nice surprise at 225.5.

Whew. Yay. I was tired of those zeros!

BONUS: Just checked my goal chart, and I have officially lost 20% of my body weight! I hit a major goal! Yay!

~~~
Hubby just shared his results with me:

Last week's weight: 230.5
This week's: 227.5

Loss: 3 pounds

Hubby is 6'5" tall and built well. He has no goal weight, but he wants to lose a little (he looks great around 220) and then he wants to start building muscle. So I'm sure he'll lose the little fat he has to lose, then start building muscle and going back up. =)

Yay for him! And what sucks for me is that he will pass me soon, and I will not be able to delight in the fact I weigh less than him. I will again, but we'll cross paths in there.

Healthy Family

When I started my personal fitness quest this past February, it was met with a tad bit of resistance. My husband confessed he didn't want to eat a bunch of diet food.

I was okay with that.

I see a lot of people in the weight loss community upset with spouses and children because they bring tempting foods into the home, and they consider it unsupportive. I get that, but that was never my mindset.

I'm a stubborn girl. I remembered when my husband wanted to do Atkins, and my thought was: There is no way in hell I'm going to eat like that. And I didn't. And it didn't bother him.

So as I started, I searched my recipe bank and scoured the internet for recipes we would all enjoy. It was rather limited, making sure we'd all eat something. We also had "free" nights where everyone would cook for themselves.

I never, ever looked at this as a lack of support. My family was very supportive and encouraging. They were proud of me. They would eat their indulgent food out of my eyesight. Again, I was fine with that.

I had the attitude that I'm doing this for me, and by choosing healthful meals we could all enjoy, everyone's health would improve.

I also knew what I was doing would be contagious. And I was right.

Somewhere along the line, everyone started watching calories and food groups. Everyone became aware. Unhealthy dishes were reduced greatly. There have still been indulgences, but they're farther and fewer between. And I'm okay with that.

Then I found The Firm and fell in love. I started workout out faithfully. My husband helped me pick out weights. He'd help me with form if I had a question. I mentioned I wanted a rebounder. And together, we researched rebounders and bought one.



When the rebounder arrived, everyone used it. It is still used on a daily basis. My husband gets all his cardio on the rebounder. He uses weights on it now while he's running on it. My son uses it for breaks during the day, and for his main cardio. I use it on occasion. It's funny, they use it more than I do, and we got it because I wanted it. I love it, and will bounce on it frequently through the day, but not as much as the boys. I prefer my exercise tapes.

There's some good cardio being done in this home.

Then my husband's 50th birthday approached. Even though we had a BowFlex (which I still hate), my husband wanted some free weights. Not just any free weights, but these Ironmaster things. Plus he wanted a quality bench. High-quality adjustable dumbbells, with a stand, and weight bench were ordered. You only turn 50 once.

Hubby has been working out every single day.

My son asked about weights, and would occasionally do his reading assignments in the living room while I was working out. I showed him some basic exercises. He now does light weight work.

We all work out now. We all work out with consistency, striving to improve our health. We are a fitness family.

Conversations in our home now are health related. We discuss weights, moves, books, equipment, websites--anything fitness related. It's amazing. It's fun. We discuss diet, quality foods, protein choices, how to improve. It's wonderful.

We have changed so much.

My husband and I have exercise-oriented Christmas lists. He wants a set of Rogue Rings. Santa whispered to me that his wish will come true. I want some Jari Love videos, so I can swap up my exercise routine so I don't plateau with exercise. It's good to change things up, but I still absolutely love my Firms. I also want a High Step. My son? He's 14, he still wants video games.

We have changed for the better. I'm taking full credit for it, too. I made the choice to get healthier. I made the choice to change my food, and eventually, to add exercise. I made the choice to not inflict it upon my family, because I knew they would revolt. It's one thing for me to make the decision to do things with my life, but I cannot make that decision for another adult. He had to be ready to improve on his own. And with my son, I made the choices to include recipes everyone would eat, so his food became healthier by default.

What happened was that as I was succeeding, it was inspiring to them. As I started working out, they both got the desire. I set the tone. I showed that getting healthier wasn't about deprivation, it was about freedom, it was fun, it was challenging, and was doable.

My attitude enabled them in a good way. Had I been complaining about them being unsupportive, unfair, not caring because they chose to have Lay's potato chips, ice cream, and other such indulgences in the home, it would have ticked them off. They would have been in a constant state of anger or frustration geared at me. Instead I chose to ignore it, to provide healthier meals, and be gentle with my approach. And it worked.

I can only control myself, what I put into my mouth, and if I exercise or not. To a certain degree I can control what my child does. Did it bother me having all those foods in the house? No. Well, only that they were making unhealthy choices. I was determined. Everywhere I turn, there are things I want: fast food restaurants, things in the grocery stores. I wanted health more than I wanted garbage food.

So I am thankful for many things. I am one to beat myself up a lot, but I will openly say here that I am thankful for my attitude. My gentle approach helped turn our family into a fitness family, a healthier choice family. I led be example. They didn't change overnight, but they did change. I will take credit for showing the way. They deserve credit for making good choices. They saw my success and applied it to themselves. It is a winning situation.

I am very proud of my husband and all his hard work. He doesn't have much to lose. He's always been fit. He's thinking about his food choices now, making changes for the better, and he works out. He has a series of mini-goals. He's on a mission. It just fills my heart with joy.

My son has a much better grasp on health, food, and working out. He's been doing his Wii Fit on a very frequent basis, using weights, and getting lots of cardio in. He's reading nutrition labels. He's learning to fuel is body properly.

Even though I still have a lot of weight left to lose, I can say with certainty: We are now a health-oriented family. For good. For ever and ever.

It's a wonderful thing.

Unexpected

Yesterday hubby called me from work to inform me he had vacation to burn up, so he'd be taking today and all of next week off. He only gets Thanksgiving day. This was quite a shock.

When he's home, school suffers. He throws off our routine--it just doesn't work. So I told my son we'd do two subjects each day, including math today, Mon and Tues. The rest of the week we had planned to take of.

What was unexpected was the relief it gave me to know we were going to be slack. It was like a huge weight was lifted from my shoulders. It also gave me unexpected energy. Late yesterday afternoon and into the night, I started deep cleaning this kitchen with a vengeance. Everything moved, scrubbed, polished and sparkling. At supper, I refused to cook as I didn't want to mess up my work--I like to look at it for at least a half a day--and so we ate at Subway.

Today I've been doing things all around the house, worked out, catching up on laundry and relaxing. That relaxing is good for the soul.

Played Wii Fit with my son. When we got that a year ago, I hopped on in front of hubby and son and saw that weight shoot upto 280 and I could have died on the spot. Everyone saw the weight, the BMI and the stupid Mii blow up. I hated it ever since and never wanted anything to do with it. I suppose that was the holy sh*t moment for me, not realizing I had gained that much. I thought I was 260.

Anyway, my Wii age was 37--and I'm 44! I kicked butt on all the beginner strength moves. I played Wii step aerobics--easy, but it was beginner. I actually had fun. It took 55 pounds for me to get on it. I told my son we could play every night. No way would I count any of that as exercise, just counting it as fun. (Maybe the higher levels are more difficult?)

So it's going to be a great 10 days. Hubby home, light school, a chance for me to catch up and also relax.

What a lovely Thanksgiving it will be. And I am indeed very thankful!

Sore? Try this...

A foam roller.

I was reading blogs tonight and Shelley mentioned soreness. I totally forgot to mention my best trick to fight muscle soreness, or what I call DOMS.

I bought a foam roller at Target made by GoFit. I think it was under $20--it couldn't have been much more than that because I'm cheap. I bought this at the beginning of October.

It is a self-massage tool, it is a piece of heaven on earth. There are tons of videos on you tube on how to properly roll. You don't do your knees or your lower back. It's great for IT bands and everything else.

I roll every night before bed. I've learned it's not necessarily safe to do so in a night gown because I catch the gown and it rolls up. (Talk about exposure!) I also have to wear my hair in a ponytail before I roll, otherwise it will catch my hair.

This thing is fantastic. Where you're sore, you spend more time. You use your body weight and you actually engage your core while doing this. I would not be without my foam roller for anything. Gone are the days I beg for a back rub--I can give myself one.

There's some medical mumbo-jumo: it is used for myofascial release. Whatever--it works wonders with soreness.

Google it and check out the videos on You Tube. I absolutely love mine, and when I travel, it will go with me.

Doritos Casserole

I made Doritos Casserole for supper tonight. I've had this recipe a long time, but never made it because I didn't want to buy a bag of Doritos. Well, time for a change, so I tried it.

The original recipe did not call for refried beans, but we couldn't imagine the ingredients without, so I added a can.

The result: Really, really yummy. But, not a lot of food for the points. I was hungry after supper. It made six servings, so we'll have it again tomorrow night. I will plan ahead, so that I can have more calories for a side dish so I'm not so hungry.

The boys both asked this be added to our menus. I'm mixed--only because I was hungry. Flavor was great. Also, more processed foods than I'd like, but since we don't do that often, I won't worry too much.


This is really yummy served with shredded lettuce, fresh tomatoes and a dollop of light sour cream. (those items not included in recipe's nutritional info.)

* Exported for MasterCook 4 by Living Cookbook *

Doritos Casserole

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 6 Preparation Time:
Categories :


Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
1 pound 93% ground beef
1/2 pound velveeta light
2 Tbsp chili powder
1 can FF chicken soup
1 can diced tomatoes
6 ounces baked doritos
1 can refried beans

1. Brown ground beef, add chili powder, cream of
chicken soup, and tomatoes. (I also added cumin and onion powder, and lots of both.)

Crush Doritos and pour half into a 9x13 casserole dish sprayed
with Pam, add a layer of the meat mixture, half the cheese, another layer
of chips, then meat mixture and finish off with cheese.

Bake at
350-degrees for 30 minutes.

(Used real Velveeta light, which was a pain to slice thinly, however it tasted very yummy.)

Nutrition (calculated from recipe ingredients)
----------------------------------------------
Calories: 433
Calories From Fat: 128
Total Fat: 14.5g
Cholesterol: 17.8mg
Sodium: 1138mg
Potassium: 554.6mg
Carbohydrates: 48.3g
Fiber: 7.6g
Sugar: 5.2g
Protein: 27g


- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -