Goals: Making, achieving, celebrating!

Let's take a break from the holidays, shall we? Just for a minute, I promise we'll get back to the fun soon.  I want to talk to you a little bit about goals for next year.

I love making goals.  My imagination knows no bounds when it comes to thinking up all kinds of nutso scenarios in which I defy the laws of physics and become some kind of uber-ripped, totally lean, muscle-popping, super-fit machine.  And because I honestly believe that I really can do just about anything I want to, well, I make it a goal!  And I make a plan!

And I execute that plan!

But the plan doesn't work because it was completely ridiculous.

I make the kinds of plans that go something like this: "I'm going to exercise every single day and eat really really healthy and by virtue of my hard work, I will be rewarded with a totally excellent bod that supports everything I want to do every day all day no matter what!" *beam*

Goals are great, ya know?  They're even better when they're based in reality.  You know, goals that are SMART: Specific, Measurable, Action-based, Realistic, and Time-bound.  That R gets me every time.

You can read more about SMART goals here, but the basics are pretty profound: the chance that your goal will be achieved increases exponentially when it is:

Specific: more than "lose weight." Try "lose x% body fat."  Or "reduce cholesterol below 200."
Measureable: you can manage what you can measure...on a scale, through assessments, etc.
Action-based: specifically what will you do to get there?  Put some numbers to it!
Realistic: okay, what specifically what will you ACTUALLY REALLY DO to get there?
Time-bound: give yourself a deadline - a realistic one.

Do you have any goals for next year you can apply this to?  Give it some thought!  It's worth the time it takes to figure this out, trust me!

Okay, we're done.  Back to the holidays. Tomorrow we'll tackle that R word...

Good day! :)

January Beckons...do you have goals?

Okay so it's time to start thinking about goals for next year. Do you have 'em?  I do!  But you knew that.

This was a fantastic year.  I can't seem to wipe the silly grin off of my face when I think of all the wonderful things that happened this year and all that I achieved in my wellness.  2011 promises to be even better, if I can imagine it.  And of course I can!

So here goes!  My goals for 2011!  I can tell you're just dying with anticipation.

1. Get faster. I spent a lot of time racing this year and it was a lotta lotta fun.  But I'm tired of just participating. I want to get better! Faster! Make some PRs and really become competitive.  So, two of my morning runs are coming inside on the treadmill for a while so I can amp up my speed and start getting used to a faster pace. 

2. Get more smarter. Have I ever mentioned to you how much I loathed school as a kid? Well apparently that is not something you grow out of.  But, if I want to pass the exams to get the certifications I want, I gotta hit the books.  Personal Trainer and Wellness Coach certifications are goals so....I'll be needing some flash cards. *sigh*

3. Get certified.  See above. Not only learn stuff, but remember it long enough to pay lots of $$$ and pass an exam, neither of which will be conducted anywhere near my home.

4. Get fun! There are so many really fun events out there to do with friends and I am tired of seeing other peoples' pictures of them. So I am planning on at least one Rock and Roll Half Marathon, the Mud Run, and if I can swing it, the Warrior Dash. 


Have you started thinking of your goals and plans for 2011?  Tomorrow we'll talk more about making sure they happen!


Good day!

Healthy Holiday Tip: Get Stubborn!

Okay yesterday was really long so I'll keep it short today!  Here are a few tips to help you accomplish what we talked about yesterday - achieving a calorie deficit (AKA progress) or break-even if you want to avoid gaining holiday weight when you're at those food-laden parties.


That's right, it's Healthy Heather's Holiday Hints!


The first step, of course, is to make a plan.  Always make a plan. Write it down and stuff it in your pocket if you have to.


Then, channel your inner three-year-old. That's right, dig in your heels and get stubborn!

Learn to say “no” creatively. Save the three-year-old routine for your internal dialogue, however, unless your plan to avoid holiday weight gain is to not be invited to any more parties. Instead, when you’re confronted with something that is not on your plan, use positive language to redirect the attention away from your refusal to indulge. 


For example: 

• Express gratitude (thanks for offering! that looks delicious!)
• Acknowledge the effort (it is so thoughtful of you to make these for me!)
• Suggest an alternative (I’ll have to try some a bit later.)

And then DROP IT. Stop talking. Move on. Drink some water. Smile.  Tell a joke.


Remember – no one can force open your mouth and make you eat something. Well, they can but they won’t. Don’t engage in a debate over whether you “should” or “need to lose weight.” It’s your decision, and they don't want to hear it anyway. 


If all else fails, tell them you are allergic.


Happy holidays!

Holiday Weightloss: A How-to Guide

Ha! SO SO SO SO SOOOO not true.

Warning: this is a long one. I'm going to make you think on a Monday.


Okay, so we've been talking (or at least I have) about saying focused on our wellness goals and not gaining the average seven pounds that Americans put on during the holidays.  And you may be sitting looking at your screen saying, "Sounds good Healthy Heather but HOW?  How the heck am I going to do that?!?"  


Well keep your britches on! I'm going to tell you!  You'll need two things:


1. A calculator (yes, there is math)
2. Someplace to accurately log calories.  
I suggest an account on the free food journaling website Fitday.com.


In order to lose or maintain weight during the holidays (or any time of year) you need to know what you're working with.  In other words, you need to  determine your Basal Metabolic Rate.  Your BMR is the number of calories your body burns at rest.  That is, if you were to lie in bed all day watching Harry Potter movies back to back all day long, your BMR is the number of calories it would take for your body to keep pushing the remote control past all the parts with Dobby the House Elf in them. That's your base.  To find out what yours is, use this formula.  Keep in mind this is just an estimate!

Women: BMR = 655 + (4.35 x weight in lbs) + (4.7 x height in inches) – (4.7 x age in years)
Men: BMR = 66 + (6.23 x weight in lbs) + (12.7 x height in inches) – (6.8 x age in years)

For example, this is what that looks like for me: 

• 655 + (4.35 x 140) + (4.7 x 64) – (4.7 x 34)
• 655 + 609 + 301 – 150 = 1,415 calories burned AT REST

Okay. Now, unless you really do lie in bed watching Harry Potter every day, we need to multiply your BMR by your activity level.  Use the following descriptors to categorize yourself, and if you're somewhere in the middle of two categories, well, split the difference!

• Sedentary: multiply BMR x 1.2
• Light activity (1-3 days per week): BMR x 1.375
• Moderately active (3-5 days per week): BMR x 1.55
• Very active (hard activity 6-7 day per week): BMR x 1.725
• Extra active (training for a sport full time): BMR x 1.9

Example, for me: 
1,415 calories burned AT REST x 1.725 = 2,440 calories burned on average each day

According to my collected data, this is pretty darn accurate. On average, on days when I exercise, my GoWearFit shows that I burn between 2,500 and 2,600 calories. On rest days when I just walk around doing normal stuff but don't work out, I burn an average of 1,800 – 2,000 calories.  So I trust this formula.

Okay!  Now that we have a good idea how many calories we are using up in a day, we need to know how many we are eating.


Yep.


You gotta write it down.  Everything.   Half cookies count, that little spoonful of peanut butter counts, and food you taste even though you're making it for someone else...that counts.  Food that no one saw you eat, yeah, that counts.  If it is digested by your body, you count it.  It's science people. I can't help it.

Fitday makes it easy to keep track of it all with a ginormous food database, and it calculates everything for you.  Your goal is for the number of calories you EAT to be the same or less than the number of calories you BURN.  


To lose weight, you need to burn more than you eat.  It really is that simple.  If when you enter in your food and you don't like what you see on either end, change it. Either eat less or move around more - your choice.  I think you will see that the cleaner and healthier your food choices become, the happier that scenario begins to look.  However, pay close attention to the number of calories you are taking in; eating fewer than 1,200 calories for women or 1,800 calories for men is not recommended and can do more harm than good.  You have to eat. Again, it's science.  I can't change science. If I could, trust me things would be different around here.


Remember, our goal during the holidays is progress, not perfection. By being aware of your caloric needs and intake, you can minimize the damage done to your wellness and make January a much happier month.  


Do the math!  Do it today!  Make progress!

Wham! Pow!

What a great workout this morning!  I donned my boxing gloves and spent a little time sparring with my trainer, which was a really fun way to start the day.  People say that boxing is a good way to get rid of any frustrations, but I have had such a fun week that I don't have much angst built up.  But it still felt good to hit stuff.


We're coming into the first weekend of the holiday season, so you may be facing parties, baking, and more. Remember our deal - progress, not perfection.  I'm doing some baking myself this weekend and my goal is to weigh the same on Monday as I do tomorrow morning!  The number on the scale is just one small part of our overall wellness, but knowing you're going to be checking is a good way to stay accountable about those sneaky little things like sodium, alcohol, and sugar that will cause us to retain water and feel unhealthy, which will make us frustrated and lead us to be less motivated to stick to our healthy goals.  So give it a shot!


I've also broken out my trusty calendar stickers, and I've been putting one for exercise and one for nutrition on my calendar each day.  November looks awesome!  All of those stickers all lined up means I had one healthy month.  I have the same goal for December: a sticker on five days a week for exercise (real, hard, sweaty, calorie-torching exercise) and a sticker for every day of the week that I have a calorie deficit.  


Take the weekend to think of some small things you can do to make sure you're making progress on your wellness this month.  Then, rest up.  I have a doozy of a post for you on Monday!


Have a great, healthy weekend!  Good day!

Sometimes: A Confession

There's something I need to tell you.  Brace yourself, it may come as a shock. Are you sitting down?  Here goes:

I'm not perfect.

I know.  I know!  I was just as surprised as you!  But here's the thing - sometimes I just don't feel like doing the healthy thing.  And I am here to confess it to you today. 

Sometimes I don't feel like getting out of bed and going to the gym.  Sometimes I walk part of my run because I just don't wanna. I run harder the next day.

Sometimes I have a serious craving for a big greasy cheeseburger. And some of those times I get one.  

Sometimes I ask my husband to make me a chocolate martini even though they are loaded with sugar and I don't really have the calories for it.  And I eat the Hershey kiss he puts in the bottom.  And I put it in my food log even though I don't want to.

Sometimes I slack off at the gym and don't work as hard as I can.  I work harder the next day instead.

Probably four nights out of the week, my husband, son, and I eat completely different things for dinner and I don't care one bit even though there are probably hundreds of child psychologists  who will tell me I am ruining my family.  Sometimes we just don't want to eat the same thing and I don't see why we should have to.

I bribe my child with trips to get "ice cream" (shhhh, it's actually fro-yo) and sometimes I don't put fruit on mine. Sometimes I put little pieces of cheesecake. Scandal!

I feel better telling you this because sometimes I get worried that all of the people who think I never do unhealthy things really do think I never do unhealthy things. But I do.  Granted, my diversions from wellness are pretty pathetic in the grand scheme of things, but still.  They're my diversions.


Don't judge my diversions! LOL


And during this time of year, it's easy to let the sometimes things turn into the usual things and eventually turn into the way you've always done it.  


Look, I know its harder to be healthy during the holidays. I get that.  But I don't care!  It's still important!  


So let's make a deal: we don't have to be perfect. Gasp!  I can't believe I typed that!

You're not off the hook to be healthy just because it's National Goof-off Month! We don't have to be perfect, but we do have to still make progress.  
Because sometimes, it's amazing what you can do when you try.

Fit Tip for the Holidays

Some people say it is better to give than to receive during the holidays. I've noticed that a lot of those people are trying to give me rum cake.

But they're right - giving is a joy and the ability to give is a blessing.  So, give yourself and the people around you a gift this season: the gift of a wonderful January because you didn't eat all that rum cake.


That's right - here is today's Healthy Heather's Holiday Tip!


Tip 'o the Day: Be prepared!

Even the best-laid plans can go awry, but rarely does that happen when you are prepared. Look ahead to your week and categorize any holiday activities this way:


1. Category 1: What you can control. Like for example, YOU can control what you eat for breakfast, snacks, lunch, and dinner. For real, you can. I dare anyone to open your mouth with a prybar and shove food down your throat. 

2. Category 2: What you can’t control.  You can't control what your friend makes for a party that you attend, and you can't control what someone brings to the office kitchen and displays in plain sight.  You can, however, control your reaction to it.  Which brings us to category number 3!

3. Category 3: What battles you are going to fight.  Okay, I get that it is the holidays and I know it is hard to not get caught up in the food worship.  So, if necessary, compromise with yourself – maybe a glass of wine is okay but not wine AND cheese and crackers.  If you want to indulge in holiday food, make it worth it.  There is a difference between an indulgence and a binge.  Know your limits.

As always, please remember - the holidays are about celebrating with family and friends, and that can be done without food being the centerpiece.  By thinking ahead and making a plan, you can avoid being mistaken for Santa Claus come January.

Be good!  He sees you when you're eating! :)