Super Chef Austin

We had a really entertaining meeting this morning with the hospital chef, Mike Austin. He cooked up a great lettuce leaf, but more than that, he talked with us about dieting in a light, jovial way. He has had his challenges and he told us about them. I think we all could identify with his struggles. I could have easily listened to him for another hour.

Thank you Mindy for scheduling Chef Austin for us. I am going to miss these morning meetings with only one more left. It has been super getting to know such great people all fighting the same struggle I am having.

Hospital chef

Somebody said we are going to get to sample some food tomorrow morning in the nutrition class. Now there is something I am good at--sampling food. Mindy said the hospital chef will be teaching our class--what a treat!!

I ate and ate today and I am still hungry!! Some days are like that. Last Saturday I had a hot dog--I love hot dogs, or I did until the scales screamed at me the next morning. I wish I had the metabolism to eat and eat and snub the scales, but I don't.

Oh well, we're all in this together, so I guess I am not alone with my battles. Good luck, everybody !!

I have found it very hard to get my exercise in this week and I need to do some serious house cleaning. If I can just get myself organized maybe I can merge the two activities like Ali talked about in one of her blogs.

We moved our exercise training days to Monday and Thursday. I find I like the timing of the training better this way--there is more time for my knees to recover between sessions.

I surely see a lot of progress when I look around at everybody. Good work !!!

Traci

And a special thanks to Traci and Riley who are always ready to help and encourage.

Week 11 begins

Today we started week 11 with our workout with Shan'tel. Our workouts are changing a lot--new ways to exercise our muscles. We are doing a lot of exercises that we can do at home without having to go to the gym. We're trying hard to keep the muscle names straight. It is great of Shan'tel to teach us these alternate exercises since it is not always possible or easy to get to a gym; now there is no excuse.

And tonight, after our workout, I am tired for sure and feel like I could sleep for a week. But it is a good tired. It was great seeing Dennis and Marlene Murray there tonight working hard. And Traci was there teaching her son and his friend. I am really glad to have met so many great people in this Challenge. We are in the countdown now--only three weeks left after this one. Here's hoping everybody has a great Week 11!

This has been a super special week--our first grandchild to graduate from college donned her cap and gown this week at BYU. And there are several more currently in or just entering college, so we feel mighty proud of them all.

Only four weeks left for me to manage that push-up; I don't have it yet, but I am working on it. Julianne worked us hard this morning in Zumba class and I also learned the difference between the mambo and cha-cha. I particularly enjoyed the beat of the Latin music. Only one more exercise class left and I think our trainer Shan'tel is going to lead it.

Mindy's class

I certainly appreciated some of the comments in Mindy's class this morning--I especially appreciate Marlene telling us about the bone scanning going on tomorrow. Mary Halverson's bountiful baskets are certainly something to look into. What a great place to exchange information. And Mindy always brings us some information and handouts to digest. And thanks to Brenda and Brittany for the treats they so often have favored us with.

What a great group we have. I am truly going to miss the time we spend together...just four more weeks, can you believe it?! I am grateful for the change in my body. It is a long way from where I would like it to be, but it is also a whole lot better than I began with. What a treasure we were given !! And we're all in this together !!

Thanks to our trainers, especially Shan'tel

We just had another hard but great workout with Shan'tel. She keeps changing our routines so there is no slacking off. I have really appreciated the way she keeps us on our toes and keeps track our progress. She is one dedicated trainer.

Tonight she reminded us that if we want to keep up the progress, we have to continue to work out after we complete this Challenge. She is making sure we know the names of the exercises and what muscles the exercises target.

This is a busy time for the BYU trainers--so many are graduating--yet they keep our Challenge going. I am grateful that they took their time to do their interning with us; I would never have understood or done weight training without a good trainer.

Normal blood pressure

My blood pressure is now normal--that is even better than whatever pounds I have lost. I have worked hard, but without this program I would never have accomplished this feat. I am so thankful. When Riley checked my blood pressure machine (I was sure it was broken) and determined that it was correct, I could have danced a jig right then.

I know blood pressure may not seem like a big deal to some people, but to me it is a big deal--everyone in my family has fought high blood pressure. I am the only one of my brothers and sisters not on medication for it, but Traci said I probably should have been.

I have no idea what my cholesterol is doing, but just to get the blood pressure in the normal range is way more than I had expected. I think I know how Marlene must have felt when the nurse told her that her pressure was normal. I hope everybody is finding their own successes/prizes as we travel this last stretch together.

A beautiful day!

What a gorgeous day we had today! I could not help going for a nice, long walk to see my three-year-old grand-daughter this evening. The temperature was absolutely perfect. It reminded me of when we lived in Hawaii.

I had a very tired week last week, but I read that hand-out on sleep Mindy gave us and and decided I had better catch up on my sleep before I went off on a food binge. So I spent some wonderful hours sleeping yesterday. Our yard with its dandelion chorus is not very grateful for the neglect. Oh well, the weeds will wait--this much I know for sure.

Happy springtime, everybody!! I am so glad spring finally came to Utah.

Wonderful class by Alicia

I was so very tired this morning when I got up that I really did not want to go exercise with the class. But I am so glad I went. Alicia led another wonderful class. That lady is talented. She coaxed so much energy out of me that I was sweating and loving it. And somehow she makes me feel like I am so good at exercising that I want to do more. Thank you Alicia.

Then I went home and slept for three hours. Hopefully I am about caught up on sleep while my roses need cutting, grass is overgrown, and dandelions think I am running a protective reserve for them.

What a beautiful day it is today. I hope everyone can enjoy it to the fullest.

Working hard on tax day

Boy am I tired. But at least I got my income tax extension mailed and post marked today.

Shan'tel really worked us hard tonight. I feel so much stronger than I did, but I want to be able to do a decent push-up and I am not there yet. I have NEVER been able to do one. But every week I get a little closer--at least in my mind. Shan'tel said my crunches were greatly improved. That made me feel better because I thought they were better also.

If ever there was a little by little progress report, that is a description of my efforts. I want to get stronger, faster, but I think that is not how it works.

Good luck everybody.

Yummy papaya

Buy Low had some wonderful papaya today in their produce section--the best looking and tasting I have seen in a very long time. Papaya is a super source of vitamins, especially Vitamin C--good things for this heart challenge.

I find it a challenge to keep my food intake in the super nutritious range so I can feel good for the weight training and aerobic exercise. It seems there is always some temptation like pastry, ice cream, etc. calling my name and polluting my brain. I keep thinking, it will still be there waiting for me if I ever shed all this excess weight. Then I can eat moderately and not feel so guilty. And so it goes, one day at a time.

Good luck everybody, we're all in this together!

61st day of Challenge

We just returned from our training session with Shan'tel. She informed us that today is the 61st day of the challenge. Somehow it didn't register with me that we were that far past the middle of the course...so just 39 days left and we do the Race for Red.

I would like to have more time to get stronger. I just don't have the upper body strength I wish I had, but I definitely have more than I started with. When I walk I definitely feel I am stronger. And I can read on the tread mill at 3 MPH up from 2.5 MPH. I do like to read on the tread mill.

Tired as I am tonight, I love being in this program. I love the challenge to make myself healthier. I love the deadline because it keeps me focused. I love participating with my daughter, Bonnie. I think the partner idea is brilliant. And I love the way Shan'tel works so hard with us. I appreciate the effort Mindy is putting into trying to help us better ourselves. All in all, I feel we're all pretty lucky!

Exercise on a beautiful spring day.

Early this morning I walked with Bonnie and Lori a bit over three miles. We had a wonderful walk. I love the early part of the day when mostly only the birds are awake and the earth seems so peaceful. I love to watch the little buds on the trees and bushes swell as they get ready to burst forth. But mostly I love the company of my daughters as we walk and talk.

I am feeling more strength in my legs--what a good but strange feeling it is. I find that I am starting to WANT to exercise. Of course, I still don't feel any urgency to do that ball walk with my hands walking on the floor dragging my body along the top of the ball. Maybe someday I won't feel that is torture, but not today. It is worse than the plank!

Zoo Visit

Had a fun day today at the zoo with two daughters and three grand-daughters. Walked and watched the animals. It is always great to have a lot of distractions while I try to get a bit more fit. I noticed that I didn't tire like usual when I do something like visit the zoo...must be all this training. Normally I would have passed on the zoo trip, but since starting the program I try to take advantage of every opportunity to be active. Big change for me.

I am extremely grateful that it is finally starting to feel like spring. I am looking forward to riding my bike, gardening, and taking some long hikes.

Vegetables

In all my trying to find out about nutrition I have found one big bargain in the food department--vegetables. They have lots of carbohydrates, protein, minerals and vitamins for very few calories--calorie dense is the term I keep seeing. I tried it out, and sure enough, I can't hold all the calories I am allowed if I just eat non-starchy vegetables. So that is a good thing because I can also eat some things that aren't quite so calorie dense. I love fruit, but I am careful because it can add up pretty fast. And potatoes and bread go hard on the calories. I really love apple strudel, but I won't be eating that this week. Anyway, calorie dense foods are my new discovery for the week.

Good luck everybody.

Government web site

According to my calculations this is the eighth week of the challenge. It has been a lot of work, but also a lot of satisfaction to find my clothes fitting better. I would never have been this focused without the Heart Challenge.

We had a really good workout tonight at the gym with Shan'tel. I tried to get some of the tough things like the ball walk done at home before I got there. That made the workout a bit easier. Lots of fellow heart challengers were there also which really is encouraging.

I have been looking up some of the nutrition information on the government web site and was amazed at how much information is available. Our government has really done a lot of research figuring out the nutritional content of the foods we eat. I have decided to try to track the main nutrients in what I eat--a real revelation. Even though I try hard to choose foods that are nutrient dense, it is still a challenge to balance the nutrients. I find it all very interesting.

Food planner

http://www.mypyramid.gov/professionals/food_tracking_wksht.html

I just found this site. It has a wonderful food/exercise planner for whatever calorie level you are trying to adhere to. I hope it helps.

New ability

Would you believe--I found out today that I can finally cross my legs again after yea many years. Now that was a nice Easter gift if I ever had one. But it really wasn't a gift. I worked mighty hard to lose enough weight that my legs could do that.

And another good thing tonight... My son fixed my food scale; it needed a new battery. That will help me keep better track of portions--I think I estimate poorly sometimes.

I hope everybody had a good Easter and did better than I did on their food intake.

nutritional scales

Tonight I have been checking the Internet to learn about nutritional scales so I can quit guessing how big my servings are. There are several nutritional scales that weigh the item and give you the total of the nutrients in it as well as the calories. I had never heard of such a thing until a lady mentioned it to me at Williams and Sonoma.

These scales were commented on by several people on the Internet who are diabetic and they said they really make a difference for weight control as well as figuring out insulin requirements. It seems rather imprecise to try to count carbohydrates, etc. when I don't know how big around that 5" long sweet potato really is. So I would like to weigh it and get all the nutritional information at the same time.

Anyway, if anybody reads this and knows anything about nutritional scales, I am in the mood to learn all I can. As I approach my 70th birthday this year, I am trying to be as healthy as I can be.

Thanks and good luck everybody.

Mid-Challenge slump

I am in a mid-challenge slump it seems. My whole body seems to be in a state of rebellion that I am fighting hard to get past. Food has become incredibly enticing--the wrong food that is--and exercise doubly hard to focus on. I think I let myself get too tired by missing sleep. We were told how critical sleep is, and now I believe it.

Nevertheless, I really got a lot out of Mindy's class this morning. It was helpful to hear her experience about the vitamin D problems. She made me more careful to try to balance my nutrients. I also enjoyed the little sample recipe she made for us.

So now I'm going to try to catch up on sleep this Easter week-end. So Happy Easter everyone !!