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Healthy Habits 10/1

gradfashionista

(website)

Veteran

It's been awhile. A few moves, and a lot of transition. Less posting.

This week, I did 5 workouts, mostly cardio. I'm scaling back on weights until my back heals. I'm not sure what the cause of the injury is, but the pain is in the lower right side and occurs when I squat a few inches, and near the bottom of a squat.

My greatest fitness insight from the past few months was that was walking is miraculous. Ok, maybe not miraculous, but I find it really helps regulate weight and appetite. The elliptical is a poor substitute, but it's better than nothing, and the time passes quickly with TV.

On the nutritional front, I'm not counting, tracking, or restricting anything at the moment because it's holiday season and there are many meals and family gatherings. I've enjoyed some new recipes (sourdough bread, black garlic dressing, Japanese pickles, and lower carb/"skinny" baklava), and may begin selling macarons within my community.

How was your week?

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22 replies

Latest reply was from Emily K

Greyscale

Veteran

Walking really is amazing. I think that should be my goal for the fall - just start walking a lot more. I love wandering around and observing things and moving.

I hope your back heals soon.

Emily K

(website)

Veteran

Sending best wishes for your back!

I walk a lot so I've been trying to maximize the health benefits. I began to hear a lot about "European Walking" and have tried to learn more about it. Mostly, it seems to involve good upper body posture, tightening the core a little bit, and engaging the hamstrings by rolling through the entire foot and trying to consciously push off with the toes? At the same time, it doesn't involve consciously contracting the hamstrings/glutes, but is supposed to do a better job of accessing these muscles. Maybe this is something you know about? I find the stepping part to be a little contrived so I'm not sure I'm doing it right.

During the last week, I've rededicated to an extremely low carb diet (5 days so far--it's a start).

I go to a yoga/core class at least twice per week and barre class once per week. Last week, I skipped barre but added two cardio sessions on the treadmill. Barre has been amazing--a really tough workout.

SandyG

Veteran

Walking rules! Two months ago I joined a local Race Walk group, nerdy, competitive and fun. It's been 8 weeks of blisters in extreme heat workouts, having a body acting up in pain with the new 'work', trying out shoes, socks and insole to hit upon the right combination, and stretching feet, ankles and hamstrings that were unaccustomed to the new, technical walking gait. Overall it's been a blast to try something so new and different! A friend joins me for early morning workouts and we figure the last two months were a prerequisite to our new hobby.

I encourage everyone to try something new, even when it starts out lumpy and bumpy

Anonymous

I'm glad you renewed this.

The last two and half months have been inactive due to a myriad of reasons. I haven't gained any weight, but I feel strongly that a weight re-distribution has occurred.

Right now, I can't exercise (even walk) until I have a doctor's permission. So I am waiting.

I thought I would watch my diet, but that was a bust too. I found I was hungry constantly (even when I knew I couldn't be).

delurked

Veteran

Good timing. I am down a few pounds, with a bunch to go. I'm trying to keep carbs to a minimum, and working on meal planning and food prep to make sure I have healthy choices available. I just hurt my tailbone, which has me in temporary pain, so I will focus on healthy eating this week.

Meredith

Veteran

Welcome back, GF! I've added cycling to my rotation of activities. It's something I do with my husband on the weekends and I love having an activity I can do with him. Some days we ride hard. Some days we stop for coffee.

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Anonymous

I agree that walking is great - and so easy! Cycling is wonderful, too.

Style Fan

Veteran

Thanks for reviving this thread. I am looking into buying a treadmill for walking. My feet are always in pain and the cushioning of the treadmill helps. This is my latest research project. I go to Yoga 4 to 5 times a week.

Anonymous

Thanks from me too . I go back and forth on the value of walking for me - but at least it's movement . I quit drinking alcohol 6 weeks ago , and have ramped up my workouts to a minimum of 5 and often 7 a week . My doctor decided I needed to lose weight , so I am . Finally . I am monitoring my food very very carefully , and eating very limited grain or non-veg carbs . Trying to remember to drink more water - which I go back and forth on . I'm down at least 6 lbs now, which is half of what I had expected /hoped to lose , but I'm having to adjust my expectations . I'm enjoying sleeping a lot more ( which sounds weird , but because I'm not having wine in the evenings , i go to bed super early and quite like it ! ) and have a more even energy level . 10 more lbs to go , ideally . I'm sorry you're having back issues , GF , and hope it's sorted out soon . What are you taking for it ? Anti inflammatories?

Carla

Veteran

I probably trained harder for the sprint distance triathlon I did last month, than any other race or event in my life. The 4 months of summer it seemed like all I did was work, and work out. I've come out the other end pretty fit, but tired. Workouts this past week have been lack lustre. Like Tolkein wrote "I feel thin, sort of stretched, like butter scraped over too much bread." I might still be dealing with some jet lag, too. I turned to my trainer for advice, and we are going to change up my fitness routine for the next 6 months. I will get my new program later this week.

Anonymous

Working out at the gym with a personal trainer for 4 1/2 months now. Building muscle in my arms and feeling stronger. Core getting stronger and working hard on balance (easy to stand on one foot, but not stand on one leg and reaching down with opposite arm towards standing leg). Rest of body getting toned and while not losing after the initial 10 that came off easily, I am definitely looking better.

What I am excited about is that my flexibilty is so much better than before and I was not too bad before. I make sure I stretch in bed before I get up and always right after a workout or a walk. Deep belly breathing has helped with falling asleep faster and with relaxing. I highly recommend it to everyone!

Anonymous

Doctor's orders not to exercise for one more week. So it goes.

Anonymous

I’m plugging away at it. Four trips to the gym per week - one hour each time, and I try to vary the exercises so I’m not doing the same thing each time. One session per week with my personal trainer leaves me sore for days, but the exercises are effective.

Transitioning to a completely WFPB diet with absolutely no junk like chips of crackers. Trying to just eat real food.

Faith

I hope it's ok that I'm posting here, I'm not sure if I need to ask to join this group first! I'm the heaviest and unhealthiest I've ever been and I'm really trying to focus on my health. My question is what does healthy eating look like to you? I'm not looking to cut things out of my diet but honestly I am so overwhelmed with information overload that I find I'm paralyzed when making food choices! Is there a way to eat healthy and still enjoy life? what should I be eating for actual weight loss? I know no one is a nutritionist etc. but I'm just hoping for some tips or plans that have worked for the 40 plus? I also am a walker and I am trying to work my way back to an hour a day, there's something so calming about walking outside in the fresh air!

Meredith

Veteran

Faith, everyone is welcome to post on this thread. I’m so glad you did!

I think it’s absolutely possible to eat healthily without cutting out entire food groups, but I hesitate to recommend a method. As you say, there are so many options out there! I’m younger than you, but I enjoy a diet that is higher in fat and lower in carbs and sugar. But you will hear a different answer from every person on this thread. I think the trick is you have to pick an area of your diet where you’re going to be disciplined. You can’t eat high carbs AND high fat. You could eat a moderate amount of both. Or higher carbs, lower fat. Or lower carbs, higher fat. What is going to be sustainable for you? And which method would be best given health issues personal to you (high blood pressure, etc)? Or would it be better to just focus on enjoying your walks and not stress about food choices? Walking is a great addition and I agree there is something healing about fresh air.

texstyle

(website)

Veteran

I haven't been walking nearly as much as usual due to very humid, often wet in the morning warm weather which I detest. I am doing more yoga stretching and still doing light weight training a couple times a week. I miss walking/hiking and can't wait for the weather to turn.

Concerning diet (for Faith), I've tried to get back to eating most of my food early in the day and just have a light, often vegetarian dinner by 7 pm and then not eating again until at least 8 am. This gives me 13 hours between meals so my has plenty of time to digest and do it's "work" - ideally I'd wait until 9 am to eat but work gets in the way as I like a big breakfast and will not eat at my desk. I could try eating dinner earlier but that just doesn't seem to ever work out. Limiting wine consumption to 1 glass a night is my best bet and also limiting heavy carbs like white bread, white potatoes and pasta to maybe just twice in a week. I eat a lot of vegetarian things - interesting salads like with roasted vegetables, rich vegetarian soups (often pureed), indian curries and asian inspired stir fry, etc. I prefer vegetables to most other food but I still eat meat due to a low iron issue.

I don't really like sweets so that's not an issue in my regular eating. An occasional treat I might have but it's limited really to like once a month. I do like to have 1/2 an apple and some pumpkin seeds and stuff like that for snacks.

Anonymous

I think that I eat fairly healthy in that I do not agonize over food groups. I try to incorporate protein, healthy fat, good carbs in my lunches and dinners more so than my breakfast, which is usually Multigrain Cheerios with a handful of walnuts and a tablespoon of flaxseed and either plain yogurt or a glass of milk (I do not like milk in my cereal) or a bowl of oatmeal with nuts and flaxseed. I will also add fruit to my cereal like strawberries, raspberries, or blueberries (I grow my own blueberries and freeze them to use throughout the winter).

On days that I workout, I make sure that I have protein and carbs to help me recover. But there is one thing that I have done which I feel has made me healthier - I cut out most condiments. No ketchup, no mayonnaise, no salt, no sugar, and no cream based sauces or salad dressings. I have developed a love affair with Stonewall Kitchen's Siracha Aioli sauce, but do use about a teaspoon or less.

Now that it is getting cooler, I make a lot of broth based soups with beans and vegetables and find that just a cup fills me up enough that I do not snack in the afternoon.

If I find that I need to snack, I have a bag of whole almonds nearby that help me get through a "mid afternoon" hunger crisis.

Sal

Veteran

Thanks GF for the thread. Interesting seeing how everyone is getting on.

LisaP - I find going to bed early is good for watching food too - also cleaning teeth early....psychologically it seems to help.

GF and Sterling - sorry to hear about injuries, so frustrating!

I am still plodding along - I gym three mornings a week - work out hard and try to add in walking, cycling or running on top of that another three days but have only been achieving two.

I used to do a lot of walking as part of my life - school run, kindy run, playground trips etc but as my boys bike to school now and I am working more from our office (12km drive - and I can't bike there easily at all) I am definitely doing less walking.

I have cut back a lot on sugar but not carbs. I convince myself they are good carbs (whole grains, oats, kumara) with minimal white bread, pasta.

And I do have one day a week that I seem to crave something sweet and will devour whatever I can find. I would like to stop this pattern.

I do drink wine (and beer too) but find since I have a soda stream that I am drinking more sparkling water and enjoying it. Also some of the herbal teas and occasionally kombucha.

Good luck to all in their endeavors.

kerlyn

Veteran

I always enjoy these threads, so thanks everyone for posting their activities and foods.

I've been fairly consistent with workouts. I've been doing strength training (in my basement) 2X a week, running 2X a week, and the other days I might walk, do a bit of yoga, or just have a day of rest.

As far as meals, I focus on lots of veggies and plenty of protein. I add in small amounts of carbs (usually hummus, sweet potatoes, a little fruit, and occasionally grains like bread or pasta). I do enjoy wine and beer, and I am trying to drink more iced green tea on a regular basis.

Last week my husband, daughter, and I went to a local restaurant for "Oktoberfest", a German harvest dinner. It was great, but of course rather carb-heavy with the spaetzle, and really good dark bread. So I used it as a mini "carb-loading" session, and I managed to get a really good run in the next day.

Greyscale

Veteran

Faith, do you perceive a particular type of weakness in what you eat now? It's hard to find one-size-fits-all diet advice because there really is a lot of individual variation.

For instance, one of my friends has a really intense sweet tooth and drinks a few sodas or energy drinks a day. That is a very specific thing he's trying to change, though it's also really hard because the sugar rush and caffeine have such a strong effect on your brain. My amateur philosophy is that we often have to reset a lot of really deep-set circuits in our brains about what is satisfying.

I haven't dieted much in the sense of really limiting my calorie intake, and my metabolism is very forgiving. But when I do try to shift something, I do the following as a first pass. I have never really liked sugar, which makes the following feel like an improvement, not deprivation -- that varies from person to person though.
1. cut out all liquid calories including juice, alcohol, and lattes (much as I love a drink now and then, I have other health issues that it exacerbates, so this is a good rule for a few different reasons).
2. try to avoid foods with any added sugar (this has a side effect of really changing my snacking habits because it's hard to find snack food without sugar)
3. eat more vegetables (I'm vegetarian but that can mean a lot of pizza and not much veg if I'm not careful!)
4. counterintuitively, use more oil in cooking. It helps veg-heavy meals fill me up.
5. dense whole grain toast with almond butter for breakfast every morning - the only thing I've found that doesn't leave me hungry, spacey, and light headed by lunchtime.

But, I don't know if that's an approach that leads people to lose weight, vs (in my case) just feeling better and dropping a few added pounds. It's a relatively easy set of changes and I want to re-commit to it.

anne

Veteran

Hi everyone.
My good news is that I did a PB for 5km the other week. Am now quite psyched to try for a 10km record this weekend. Also the weather has been at last good enough for me to cycle to work a few times.

Bad news is that my bike keeps leaking air every time I try to put more in!
And - my eating isn't where I'd like it - too much overeating. Not while I'm at work, but on my home days and in the evenings. I've just had a lovely holiday (vacation) and seem to have lost some memory of good food behaviours, in addition to have had my usual winter weight gain.But I was about the same weight this time last year and I did lose it, so here's hoping.

Emily K

(website)

Veteran

Long: (Summary) Sometimes elimination is easier than moderation.

Just chiming in to say that I'm one who has eliminated an entire food group--carbs. I try to eat <20 grams/day, although that's pretty flexible and I mostly go over, but just by a little bit. That means that, in addition to eliminating refined carbs like sugar, and unrefined carbs like whole grains, fruits, and legumes, and dairy, I also watch the carb count of starchy veggies including green beans, onions, tomatoes. An unbelievably large portion of my carbs comes from cauliflower and broccoli--one instance in which I could say, "then I should eat more kale and leafy greens instead," but I like broccoli and find it easy to eat in quantity, so that's my choice. My body wants carbs badly and eating a little produces the opposite of satiety--I want more and more and more. There is no moderation. Zero tolerance is the only way I've found to get off that hamster-wheel and manage my weight and cravings. Even though I enjoy baking breads and sweets and I love pasta--it is EASIER to say goodby to it all than to fight the metabolic result of trying to accommodate a little bit of carbs. Actually, the urge to eat those things retreats entirely when I am good about watching my intake and I don't even feel denial about skipping those foods. (Yea! Priceless piece of mind about that!)

If I consume carbs, I feel hungrier--often right away. I'll find myself hungry before every meal and often stooging around the kitchen peeking in the cupboards looking for something to eat. I'll fight the desire to binge on whatever form of carbs is available--starts with the cookie and ends with flour tortillas and sandwich bread. I'll get lightheaded and nauseous and need food immediately (blood sugar issues). My pulse will race and I'll have trouble sleeping as if I'd consumed caffeine. Worse yet, I'll wake up the next day, SUPER hungry and wanting only carbs. It can take three or four days (if I last that long) of scrupulously watching every morsel of everything I put in my mouth to repair the damage from the binge and settle back into my stride. It is HARD to string together four successful days as the raging hunger and desire to binge will be with me the entire time and, if I slip up, I'll just repeat the cycle from the beginning. Artificial sweeteners produce the same effect, so those are completely off the list, too.

Just putting this out there for all the people for whom moderation does NOT work--and also as a peek into my metabolism for all the people for whom moderation DOES For me, eliminating carbs feels more like freedom than denial.