Search results for: exercise

Lifting Weights / Resistance Training (Part 2)

17 Tuesday Apr 2018

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Please check-out Part 1 of Lifting Weights / Resistance Training post where I covered:

  1. Why lifting weights is important to me
  2. Misconceptions women make about lifting weights
  3. Things to-do
  4. Lifting program weeks 1 – 5

I completed 5 weeks of the workouts in my Part 1 post with modifications each week on number of sets, reps, or weight so that each workout continued to challenge my body to adapt (aka: change).

Then I was stupid while kayaking and got a really bad sunburn down the front of both of my legs and left arm, which prevented me from working out for a full week. You can check out my pictures on my Instagram page. My knees were swollen for 3 days and my ankle was swollen for 5 days, which made it very painful and difficult to walk…..much less exercise. Soooo, had a rest and recover week.

Below you will find my next 5 weeks of workouts (weeks 6 – 10).

Side Note: I like to super-set my workouts so that I can get them done faster and it keeps my heart rate up throughout the whole workout to obtain the cardio benefits. A super-set is when you move from exercise to another exercise without a break in between. When starting out I usually can only do one set of each before taking a break. Once my ability increases, I’ll be able to multiple sets of each before taking a break. I’ve colored the text below to show you my groupings for super-sets.

Week 6

Tuesday – Lower Body (3 Sets of 8-10 Reps)

Thursday – Upper Body (3 Sets of 8-10 Reps)

Sunday – Full Body (3 Sets of 8-10 Reps)

Week 7

Tuesday – Active Recovery Day  (I was still sore from Sunday’s workout)

  • 15 minute revolving stairs
  • 15 minute treadmill walk
  • Plank
  • Mobility Work & Stretching

Saturday – Lower Body (3 Sets of 8-10 Reps)

  • Warm-up: 10 minutes revolving stairs
  • Wide-Stance Squats – 50 lb dumbbell
  • Goblet Squat – 25 lb dumbbell
  • Hip Thrusts – 40 lb barbell
  • Hamstring Curl Machine – 50 lbs
  • Traditional Leg Press – 90 lbs
  • 10 minute walking cool down

Week 8

Tuesday – Upper Body (3 Sets of 8-10 Reps)

  • Warm-up: Assisted Pull-ups and Chin-ups
  • Incline Press – 20 lb dumbbells
  • Wide Grip Cable Row – 50 lbs on cables
  • Dips/Press-Down – 50 lb
  • Under-hand Grip Lat Pull Downs – 40 lbs
  • Arnold Press – 15 lb dumbbells
  • Wide-grip Drag Bicep Curl – 30 lb barbell
  • Lateral Raise – 5 lb dumbbells
  • Paloff Press w/ Oblique Twist – 10 lbs on the cables

Thursday – Lower Body (3 Sets of 6-10 Reps)

  • Warm-up: 10 minutes treadmill walk
  • Wide-Stance Squats – 50 lb dumbbell
  • Goblet Squat – 30 lb dumbbell
  • Seated Leg Press – 115, 125, 135 (pounds)
  • Hamstring Curls – 50 lbs
  • Glute Bridge – Bodyweight (1 set)
  • Garhammer Raise (1 set)

Week 9

Tuesday – Upper Body (3 Sets of 8-10 Reps)

  • Warm-up: 10 minutes revolving stairs
  • Incline Press – 20 lb dumbbells
  • Bent-Over Row – 45 lb barbell
  • Dips/Press-Down – 50 lb
  • Under-hand Grip Lat Pull Downs – 50 lbs
  • Arnold Press – 20 lb dumbbells 2 sets, 15 lb dumbbells 3rd set
  • Wide-grip Drag Bicep Curl – 30 lb barbell
  • Lateral Raise – 5 lb dumbbells
  • Paloff Press w/ Oblique Twist – 10 lbs on the cables

Thursday – Lower Body (3 Sets of 6-10 Reps)

  • Warm-up: 10 minutes revolving stairs
  • Wide-Stance Squats – 50 lb dumbbell
  • Goblet Squat – 30 lb dumbbell
  • Hip Thrusts – 50 lb barbell
  • Hamstring Curl Machine – 50 lbs
  • Seated Leg Press – 120, 130, 140 (pounds)
  • Stretch

Side Note: My menstrual cycle threw me for a loop so my 3rd workout this week did not happen…..and that’s ok.

Below are some article that discuss general guidelines about training and the menstrual cycle:

  1. How to Train with Your Menstrual Cycle
  2. The Underground Guide to Planning Your Exercise Around Your Menstruation Cycle
  3. Training & Recovery During Your Menstrual Cycle

Week 10

Wednesday – Lower Body (3 Sets of 8-10 Reps)

Friday – Upper Body (3 Sets of 8-10 Reps)

  • Warm-up: 10 minutes revolving stairs
  • Incline Press – 20 lb dumbbells
  • Bent-Over Row – 50 lb barbell
  • Dips/Press-Down – 50 lb
  • Under-hand Grip Lat Pull Downs – 60 lbs
  • Arnold Press – 15 lb dumbbells 2 sets, 15 lb dumbbells 3rd set
  • Wide-grip Drag Bicep Curl – 30 lb barbell
  • Lateral Raise – 5 lb dumbbells
  • Paloff Press w/ Oblique Twist – 10 lbs on the cables

Here are some of my other blog posts that discuss exercise.

If you have any questions please feel free to comment on this post and I’ll get back with you as soon as I can.

Lifting Weights / Resistance Training

16 Friday Feb 2018

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I made a commitment to myself that I would re-start lifting weights regularly, with consistency. See “Questioner/Upholder” from The Four Tendencies by Gretchen Rubin. It has been a hot minute since I’ve done this (for many reasons). My husband agreed to cook dinner on the evenings that I go to the gym, so we still have a home-cooked healthy meal and I don’t have to worry about it.

Lifting Weights is Important to Me.

It makes me feel good, strong, accomplished, and capable. The health benefits of resistance training are many, but here are some of the important ones to me.

  • Maintain and Gain Muscle Mass: eats more calories at rest = higher metabolism (less body fat), sucks up glucose improving blood sugar regulation, decreases insulin resistance, you can eat more carbohydrates, (in my opinion) muscle physically looks better on the body (even if covered with fat)
  • Increased Bone Density
  • Reduced Risk of Injury
  • Help to maintain hormonal balance as we age. (HGH, testosterone, fight against estrogen dominance)

Ability to move through life without regular assistance; carry groceries, lifting bags of soil, put heavy things on shelves and get them back down again, pick things up off the floor, open jars, move on to the floor and back up to my feet again, get up and down off the toilet and the list goes on and on. There are daily life activities that many younger people take for granted that as we age and lose muscle mass become difficult. The way out of becoming frail and incapable is lifting weights/resistance training.

Let’s Get a Few Things Straight!

  • Women do not have enough testosterone to “get bulky” or “look like a body builder”. The women who carry “big” muscles are those whose job it is to look like that. They have to work really really hard to gain that much muscle and they take supplements to help with that.
  • Lifting tiny weights are not going to have the same positive effects (listed above) on your body as lifting a weight that is challenging (aka: heavy – which is relative to each person and changes along the journey).
  • YOU CANNOT OUT TRAIN A POOR DIET! (No, I’m not yelling; I’m emphasizing)
  • No one in the gym is looking at you. They are looking at themselves.

Cardio isn’t going to achieve what you want or think it will. Cardio will make you look like a smaller flappy version of what you look like right now. If you “lift weights faster” (super-sets and circuits) you don’t need to do traditional cardio.

Things To-Do

  • Make sure you get plenty of recovery time between workouts. I think 1 to 2 days in between depending on how sore you are. On recovery days, get blood flow through those muscles. I like to walk, stretch, take hot Epsom Salt baths, and use ARES Sports Rub.
  • Make sure you are prioritizing sleep. Sleep is the #1 thing your body needs to heal and recover. If you didn’t get a good night sleep, do not go to the gym, go home and sleep.
  • Make sure you are eating nourishing foods and supplementing well. Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides is awesome recovery food (I’m an affiliate). (You cannot out supplement a pour diet.)
  • Make sure you are walking every day for at least 30 minutes

NOW TO THE LIFTING

The whole purpose of my post was to tell you what I’m doing! Soooo here goes.

I finally got around to making a commitment to myself that I was going to get back to lifting regularly at the end of January this year. Since it had been a while and I’m notorious for jumping back in full force and being so sore I can’t sit on the toilet or get up from it for that matter, I made a responsible plan to work my way back into lifting without over doing it.

The current plan is 2 days a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Tuesday is lower body and Thursday is upper body. I’m doing this for 4 to 6 weeks before adding a third workout day.

Side Note: I like to super-set my workouts so that I can get them done faster and it keeps my heart rate up throughout the whole workout to obtain the cardio benefits. A super-set is when you move from exercise to another exercise without a break in between. When starting out I usually can only do one set of each before taking a break. Once my ability increases, I’ll be able to multiple sets of each before taking a break. I’ve colored the text below to show you my groupings for super-sets.

Week 1

Tuesday – Lower Body (2 Sets of 8-10 Reps)

Thursday – Upper Body (2 Sets of 8-10 Reps)

Week 2

Tuesday – Lower Body (3 Sets of 8-10 Reps)

  • Warm-up: Revolving Stairs – 10 mins.
  • Reverse Lunge – bodyweight
  • Wide-Stance Squat – 40 lb dumbbell
  • Leg Press – 90, 100, 110 (pounds)
  • Step-ups – bodyweight
  • Glute Bridge – bodyweight
  • Plank – 15 secs.
  • Stretch

Thursday – Upper Body (3 Sets of 8-10 Reps)

  • Warm-up: Assisted Pull-up Machine
  • Arnold Press – 15 lb dumbbells (dropped to 10 lbs on third set)
  • Y-Press – 10 lb dumbbells (dropped to 5 lbs on third set)
  • Rear Delt Fly – 5 lb dumbbells
  • High Incline Dumbbell Bench Press – 15 lb dumbbells
  • Seated Cable Rows – 40 lbs
  • Stretch

Week 3

Tuesday – Lower Body (3 Sets of 8-10 Reps – Increase Weight)

  • Warm-up: Revolving Stairs – 10 mins.
  • Reverse Lunge – bodyweight
  • Wide-Stance Squat – 45 lb dumbbell
  • Leg Press – 100, 110, 120 (pounds)
  • Step-ups – bodyweight
  • Hip Thrust – 30 lb barbell
  • Plank – 15 secs.
  • Stretch

Friday – Upper Body (3 Sets of 8-10 Reps – Add Movements)

I slept poorly on Wednesday night and moved my lifting day to Friday. Which is today!

  • Warm-up: Assisted Pull-up Machine
  • Arnold Press – 15 lb dumbbells
  • Y-Press – 10 lb dumbbells (drop to 5 lbs when needed)
  • Front Raise – 10 lb dumbbells (drop to 5 lbs when needed) – (Video @ 1:00 min)
  • Rear Delt Fly – 5 lb dumbbells
  • High Incline Dumbbell Bench Press – 15 lb dumbbells
  • Bent Over Row – 30 lb barbell
  • Wide Grip Lat Pull-Down – 40 lbs
  • Stretch

Week 4 (to maybe 6)

It isn’t here yet, but it will look very similar to the above with increased weight, reps or sets to keep it challenging and progressing as well as preventing my body from adapting (plateauing).

After this 4th week or maybe after 6 weeks, I’ll continue include different movements into my routine for another 4 to 6 weeks, while still progressing in weight. I’m going to attempt to add in a third day that will focus on 10 – 15 minutes of HIIT training (I prefer sprints) followed by stretching. So, it will be a super short workout, but that is all that is needed (more is not better), because HIIT is super effective for fat loss while maintain muscle mass.

Here are some of my other blog posts that discuss exercise.

If you have any questions please feel free to comment on this post and I’ll get back with you as soon as I can.

 

 

Tips for Enjoying the Holidays

07 Tuesday Nov 2017

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As I’m writing this post, today is November 1st. Wow how this year has flown by! It is that time of year again; we are quickly approaching the holidays. There are mixed feelings about the holidays out there….some love them, some feel overwhelmed and stressed out by them, some flat out dislike them. I personally have a blend of the three feelings about them at various times. But mostly I tend to really enjoy them. I’m going to give you my tips for enjoying the holidays.

The first two tips are pretty equal in importance for enjoying the holidays.

No. 1 – Let go of expectations

No. 2 – Let go of guilt

Let me break it down for ya…..

Expectations 

Expectations will make or break you (not just in this scenario). Let go of preconceived, probably unrealistic, expectations you have of other people. Not putting your expectations of people and situations on to other people will allow the situation to unfold naturally and allow people to be themselves (despite whether you like them as themselves or not, they still are who they are). Set your mind to the fact that people are going to be who they are and know going into it that is what is going to happen and you are going to roll with it and laugh about it. You cannot control people and things outside of you. The only thing you are in control of is you, how you react to situations and people, your attitude, and your perspective. This advice is coming from a recovering control freak, so I know it is possible. If you do not think you are capable of doing this, I’d suggest avoiding the people you find difficult to be around.

No guilt!

Here’s the thing….you cannot be everything all the time to everyone. Anyone who expects that of you is unrealistic and unreasonable. You have the right to say “no”. Particularly during the holidays folks find it difficult to say no. My suggestion is to get really comfortable with say no to people, requests, and activities. You do not have to do them all and you do not have to feel guilty about it. It’s your time and you should spend it however it serves your mental health best.

Now….saying that….this is not a license to be a selfish butt-head. Let’s not do that. But it is a license to protect your time, energy, and sanity against completely unpleasant situations and people. Spend your time with the family and friends you want to spend time with.

Those are the two biggest things that will make the biggest difference for enjoying the holidays.

No. 3 – Plan, Plan, Plan / Be Prepared, Be Prepared, Be Prepared

A well-laid plan and ample preparation will alleviate stress. Even if everything doesn’t go perfectly according to plan….you are prepared!

Now….this one can be difficult for the Type B personality. BUT for us Type As over-planning can create as much stress as not planning at all! Catch-22, I know. Here is what I suggest….

  • Write your obligations on a calendar (paper or electronic) so you can see what you have already committed to. I prefer electronic because I can set reminders and share it with people.
  • As new invitations arise look at the calendar and determine if you have the time and energy to add it; if you do….then do….if you need to switch out one commitment for another…do that. If you need or want to say “No” do that.
  • Figure out what each commitment on the calendar will require of you (travel time and distance, do you need to make or take food with you, etc.) and plan ahead.
    • Buying something to take with you, takes less time than making something yourself. That is what restaurants were designed for!
    • Buy gifts and anything else you can online and have it delivered to your house to save you time and energy.

I highly suggest NOT over booking.

Allow yourself and family time to rest and recover. Rule of thumb, only say yes to one event per weekend. If that isn’t possible for you, then only say yes to one event per day per weekend. If you work full-time (home or office), I usually try and stick to the only one event during the week rule, if any at all.

Take Care of Yourself

I think that people, mostly parents, primarily women fall into doing for others before or instead of taking care of their needs. Stop that! Don’t spread yourself too thin. Taking care of yourself and your mental and physical health is so important. Not only for you, but for those around you. Saying “no” is a good step in this direction.

Take time to have a quite shower or bath. Take time to sit down….rest….watch a show, read a book, listen to music on the patio, or take a nap. If you need to be outside the house to take care of yourself, leave! Turn off your phone….go get a beverage and walk around Hobby Lobby or Target, go walk at a park and listen to a good podcast, read a book in a coffee shop or in a park, get a mani/pedi, go see a movie by yourself or with a girlfriend. Slow down and take some time give to yourself. Check out my self-care post here: What is Self-Care to you?

I think it is more than this….it is also keeping with your movement routine (walks, gym time, workouts) and eating healthy nutritious foods. You don’t have to be perfect! Below are some of my other posts you may find helpful.

Keep yourself physically well during this time. Prioritize sleep.

Here are some of my favorite products that I use daily to keep my immune system healthy and some that I use only if or when I’m feeling like I’m getting sick.

I hope and pray that you stay healthy, happy, and well during a time of year that a lot of folks breakdown emotionally and physically. I hope you find my tips helpful for you to enjoy your holiday season more.

Bring on the holidays!

Next up…..Thanksgiving!

 

Body Types

01 Saturday Jul 2017

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Your body is your body. My body is my body.

No two bodies are exactly the same.

There are three primary body types and then blends between the three.

  1. Ectomorph – “lack of much fat or muscle tissue”
  2. Mesomorph – “ well-developed musculature”
  3. Endomorph – “preponderance of body fat”

I typically do not suggest people use Bodybuilding.com as an authority or resource for nutrition, but for some things their resources work great. I’m using their page on the three body types as my resource for this information. They also provide a quick and easy test for you to take to determine where you fit into this spectrum and they provide some suggestions for food and exercise. I personally fall as an Endo (38%) Meso (63%) [Ecto 0%].

Gauge Girl Training (Christine is a mesomorph) has a YouTube channel with very helpful videos on this subject. I’ve linked to my favorites below.

She also has individual videos for each body type you can check out if you like.

I also am a big fan of Jen Heward (who I think is also is a mesomorph). Below are a couple of her YouTube videos.

Rant

One of my biggest peeves as of late is ectomorph fitness/nutrition gurus. For example, Heidi Powell (who I actually think is great and she is so sweet and funny) posts “before and after” pictures on Instagram and talks about her perspective and journey, which she has the right and space to do. If you have seen the Powell’s work and client transformations, they have worked with a lot of people and helped them regain their health and fitness.

While I do realize that thin people (aka: ectomorphs) can have body dysmorphia and struggle to keep weight on (oh poor babies), I personally find it quite difficult to take fitness and nutrition advice from someone who has no idea what it is like to live in a body that holds on to body fat.

She talks about how she is 20lbs heavier (all muscle) than she has every been in her life and how great and strong she feels; and goes on to say that we shouldn’t allow the scale to determine our self worth. I agree with that, we shouldn’t allow our weight to determine our self worth and value in the world. I say good for her! Truly! I think that she does look a lot better now than before. I tend to really like muscular looks on women.

But…I wonder if she would still feel the same way and still say all the same things, if her weight gain were 20lbs of body fat and not muscle? For me…it is a hard pill to swallow for an ectomorph to tell me “You are perfect….just the WEIGH you are”.

My Thoughts – Be the Best Body YOUR Body Can Be

  • Body comparison is the death of self-esteem. Stop comparing your body to someone else’s body. Yours is yours and theirs is theirs.
  • You cannot change your body type. It is what it is. Stop trying to change your body type to look like something it will never be able to look like.

Here is a fantastic article by Coconuts and Kettlebells called “Why I Don’t Want Six-Pack Abs“.

Jordan Syatt has videos I like too – here are a few:

I hope you enjoy the resources and videos I’ve linked to and they help you to realize that your body is your body and there is nothing wrong with your body because it doesn’t look like what you see on Instagram, Facebook, movies, or TV.

You should look like you, not like someone else. Love and Hugs

Diet – The Short Version….

13 Saturday May 2017

Posted by in Books, Lifestyle, Nutrition

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THEN

Back in the 1990’s and 2000’s I was all about a Low-Fat diet. I thought I had to eat low-fat to be fit and health. Keeping in mind I was in my early 20’s I was fit, but I was not healthy. At all. Then I also became un-fit as well. I yo-yoed back and forth for years.

Side note: Even when I was eating low-fat, I was never really able to eat as low-fat as I thought I “should” be eating. I still don’t know what people eat to maintain super low fat intake.

Enter “The Paleo Solution Diet” by Robb Wolf. This is a great book – I highly recommend it!

I again was not healthy. At all. So, I dove into Paleo face first. Over a few years I became very health and fit again. It was fantastic! I felt great – I preformed great – I looked great!

Somehow I ended up messing around with a super low carbohydrate diet. Between the low carbohydrate diet and poor lifestyle factors, and after some time…I became unhealthy and un-fit yet again.

I’ve been working to flight my way back ever since. This time my body broke down to levels I did not know existed and wish I didn’t know.

NOW

Through all of my diet and health struggles…..this is what I’ve learned.

  • Paleo is not dogmatic (you’re the only person that can impose rules on yourself)
  • Low-fat diets will eventually break you
  • Low-carb diets will eventually break you
  • Excessive exercise will eventually break you
  • It takes longer to heal the broken than it takes to break

I will no longer cut out a whole macro groups (protein, fat, carb) from my diet ever again. It isn’t necessary and in the long run it will break you.

 

Eating protein, fat, and carbs is required.

I know….I know…. everyone is either still in the low-fat camp or all about the ketogenic diet – it is everywhere and I’m sure most people are super confused about it all.

Truth is everyone’s dietary requirements are different from everyone else’s and each person’s dietary requirements change throughout their lifetime.

Recommended Books

Soooo…..I’m not a man…I realistically cannot speak to that….but I can tell you….as a women….while we can adjust our macros (protein, fat, carb) of how much of each we take-in we need to be eating all three. Maybe not at every meal and maybe not every day, but you need all three in your face…in your body if you want to maintain your life, health, well-being, fitness, hormones, sleep….etc.

I find that I personally do not do well with restriction. Restriction in anyway will send me into a tailspin. So, now….I do not tell myself that I cannot have something. I can have anything I want any time I want. It is my responsibility and my choice to eat something or not to eat something that I choose…knowing that it either helps me or hurts me and it either gets me closer to my goals or further away from my goals. I own it and I suffer or reap the consequence of my choice one way or the other (I don’t feel bad about it either way).

UNCOMPLICATED

This whole thing is less complicated than what folks make it out to be.

Eat whole real foods.

If you can answer yes to these three questions, then it is real whole food.

  • Did your food grow out of the ground, fall from a tree, or have a mother?
  • Will it spoil?

There are times when we will eat foods out of a box or a bag; this day in age it is inevitable.

  • Can you pronounce all the ingredient’s names? (if not, find a better quality product with simple/less/pronounceable ingredients)

Go back to basics.

Trust me I get it….while this is a simple approach….it isn’t necessarily easy. BUT there are lots of tools out there to help (including me). I have found that we can and will do anything that we determine is important to us.

The Trifecta

10 Wednesday May 2017

Posted by in Books, Fitness, Lifestyle

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They keys to good health, longevity, and being fit is not dependent on one thing. To achieve optimal health, live a long time, and being fit is dependent on three things.

  1. Lifestyle
  2. Nutrition
  3. Movement & Exercise

None of these three factors on their own will result in a long and healthy life.

LifeStyle

This day in age, I think lifestyle factors are the most difficult to be consistent at. The truth is….if you do not achieve this one, the other two will not yield the desired effect.  The lifestyle factors to get in check are: sleep quality and quantity, stress management, socializing with friends and loved-ones, and getting in touch with nature.

Not so long ago our lives looked very different day-to-day than they do now; the majority of the lifestyle factors were built into how our days and lives flowed. Now…we have to work at these things; put forth effort towards making sure we are sleeping well, being aware of our stressors and mitigating them (reframing our perspectives), making and scheduling time with our family and friends frequently, and getting outside in the sun, trees, and animals.

As humans these things are desires built into our DNA. We need them to be healthy and content.

Below are ideas and suggestions to guide you towards incorporating or improving in each area.

Sleep: cool dark room, little or no clothing, white noise, transdermal magnesium oi, use blue blocking glasses, and use flux and the night-shift mode on electronic devices, diffuse and topically apply cedarwood, lavender, and peace & calming essential oils, sublingual CBD oil, have dinner 2 to 3 hours before bed, read a book before bed, use a night-mask, use ear plugs

Stress: be self-aware, step-away, reframe perspective, take a walk, take an Epsom salt bath, take long deep breaths, get a massage, get a mani/pedi (yes, even you men), play with a pet (doesn’t have to be yours), read, use Stress Away essential oil, meditate (use an AP for guided meditations)

Social Time: schedule weekly and monthly meals or activities with friends and family, put your phone down and connect with the people near you, start a weekly or monthly card or domino game, find a new restaurant or activity to do together, start a weekly food-prep day with friends

Nature: take a walk every day outside or every morning and evening when the sun comes up and the sun goes down (this will help with circadian rhythm) walk the dog instead of just letting them outside…you go too, go fishing, go kayaking, sit or stand in the yard barefoot (grounding) and listen to the birds, go feed the ducks (bird seed not bread)….go outside

Nutrition

You get out what you put in. Drink clean water. Think nutrient dense. Vitamins and minerals.  Real whole foods. Organic every time possible.  Grass-fed grass-finished beef and bison, pastured chicken, eggs, pork, and lamb. Wild-caught cold-water fish.

If you can answer yes to these questions, then it is real whole food.

  • Did your food grow out of the ground, fall from a tree, or have a mother?
  • Will it spoil?

There are times when we will eat foods out of a box or a bag; this day in age it is inevitable.

  • Can you pronounce all the ingredient’s names? (if not, find a better quality product with the least ingredients possible)

My thought process on nutrient dense foods are real whole foods (as defined above) that have high nutrient content in a fairly small amount of calories. The goal is to eat as many foods as possible that have lots of nutrients in them throughout every day.

Book Recommendations

Movement & Exercise

You get out what you put in. Walk, walk , walk, walk, walk…..walk as much as you possibly can every day. We were designed to walk. People used to walk, walk, walk, walk….they had to….to get food, to work, to get from point A to point B, and to see other people.

Most of our lives today do not require us to walk, it requires us to sit. I work at a sitting job. I do my best to get-up once every hour or so and at least walk to the bathroom (if I’m drinking the amount of water I should be, I usually have to “go” anyway) do some hip opening stretches in my cube and move on. I take at least a 30 minute walk at lunch every day.

It is important to get in movement every day all day….walking, light stretching, air squats in the bathroom stall or cube, desk or counter push-ups, taking the stairs, park far instead of close, use a pull-up bar in door way every time you see it….whatever you can get in….get it in. I think that movement throughout the day is more important than “exercising” once a day or a few times a week.

Sprint for 10 – 15 minutes once or twice a week.

Lift Weights 1 – 4 times per week for 20+ minutes.  

Side Note: Please be aware – most men lift heavier than they should to keep good and proper form. And most women lift way too light to see the results they really want.

Reminders: Warm-up the muscles you are going to be using for 10-15 minutes prior to lifting. Cool-down by doing mobility work and stretching after your workout.

Book Recommendations

Also, check out the following peeps:

Having the trifecta in-check will result in a long, healthy, and more capable life.

If you need help, guidance, have questions – please feel free to reach out to me by either leaving a comment under this post, hitting me up on Facebook or emailing me directly at bycandace@yahoo.com.

I highly encourage you to Sign-up for Thrive Market. 

Thrive Market allows you to shop for all the healthy food items you know and love at discount prices, because they cut out the middle man, and it gets delivered to your door so it also saves you time. Not only do you save money, but for every paid membership Thrive Gives a membership to a family in need.

Aside from saving money, your groceries will be delivered to your door and you don’t have to go to stores thus also saving time and energy….and who can’t use more of those!?!

Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo – The Preverbal Pumpkin….?

19 Wednesday Apr 2017

Posted by in Lifestyle, Nutrition

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Does turning 40 mean I’ve turned in to the preverbal pumpkin?

Last month I made a few different medical appointments, took off work for the morning so I could knock them out; later I realized that I looked like a masochist booking all these in one morning.

I started out my day getting blood drawn to get an update on how my Thyroid is functioning. I’m currently on Nature-Throid, which is a T4/T3 combo.

Then I saw my chiropractor to get Graston Technique and myofascial release on my calves, feet, and toes. Pure and utter torture! BUT it works!

Then I headed to get my “Well Woman Exam” at the gynecologist. It had been just shy of 3 years since my last exam; I personally do not think that I need to do it every year. I am not on birth control, have regular cycles, and have no symptoms or abnormalities occurring that would warrant annual visits.

However since ovarian cancer did hit close to me, I’m looking into genetic testing for myself to see if my risks are high enough for MD Andersen’s Cancer clinic will take me as a preventative patient.

This is where the day got interesting.

The doctor and location I went to is new to me, I wanted to find someone that was close to my home. This place received good reviews, so I decided to give them a try. I go in, fill out paper word, weigh-in, urinate in a cup (apparently me telling them I was not pregnant wasn’t adequate), and strip down to nothing but my socks. Man am I happy I wore socks that day!

The lady comes in the room and much to my surprise, she was the opposite of what I was expecting to walk through the door…..she explained she was not the doctor that she was a midwife and was it ok with me that she complete my exam. I said “yes” that was fine; I thought to myself….”oh yes…maybe she is a bit progressive in her thinking, education, and more up-to-date on research than the doctor would have been”. NOPE!

While she was very good at communication and executing the exam….the education and mind-set was very old-school and not accurate.

I think I heard “Now that you’re 40…..” at least 5 to 10 times! I asked her if “now that I am 40 if I’ve turned into a pumpkin or something” and she giggled and said “ya…kinda”.

Here are the three inaccuracies that jumped out at me when she was giving me the “now that you’re 40” recommendations.

  • “Now that you’re 40, you need to make sure you’re taking calcium”. Fallacy!
  • “Now that you’re 40, you need to start getting mammograms”. Nope!
  • “Now that you’re 40, you need to start looking out for perimenopause symptoms”. What?!?

Please allow me to break down my thoughts and provide some up-to-date resources, data, and information.

Calcium

The old-school way of thinking that we need to supplement with calcium is not accurate. We do not need to supplement with calcium to have strong bones or teeth or anything else that they claim taking calcium does. Calcium supplementation is correlated with increased heart disease, kidney stones, and premature death. Calcium can cause medical issues with the heart and kidneys.

Naturally because this is a very controversial topic there are lots of articles and arguments in both directions, mostly because “big dairy” doesn’t want to lose their customers and money because people don’t “need” to drink milk, eat yogurt, or cheese (however I do love eating cheese, because it tastes so yummy, not because I need it for calcium). Also, note who is paying for these studies…..is it “big dairy”?? Think about the fact that there use to not be calcium supplements….people ate vitamin and mineral rich foods and worked hard physically and they were healthy.

Calcium needs co-factors to be absorbed and used by the body; vitamins K2, D and A, magnesium, and zinc.

Side note: Rosita Extra-Virgin Cod Liver Oil has K2, D and A in it naturally as a food derived supplement. WARNING: Not all Cod Liver Oils, Fish Oils, nor Krill Oils are created equal. The fats in these products are very delicate and will go rancid very easy, thus the “fish burps”. Do not pick the product based on price….you could be doing more harm than good to your body.

To error on the side of caution, the best way to get calcium in your body is to eat real whole foods like leafy greens, cruciferous veggies, almonds, blackstrap molasses, cold-water fatty fish, bone broth, raw grass-fed dairy from A2 cows (if you tolerate it), goat, or sheep. But milk nor dairy products are necessary to obtain calcium.

For strong bones you should include resistance training and make sure you are getting all your vitamins and minerals in your diet.

Mammogram

This can be a very controversial topic. I’m going to try and keep this section as short as I can while hitting the highlights of the topic. I’ve ran across a plethora of articles over the years that discuss mammograms not being as beneficial as allopathic (traditional western) medicine claims.

What you need to know is that mammograms are not super accurate and have lots of false positives and false negative results. The big one for me is that there is a high amount of radiation associated with this test and radiation can cause cancer. Specifically ionizing radiation is a risk factor for breast cancer to develop (see Dr. Mercola article links below).

My conjecture is that the mammogram business is so big, creates many jobs, and makes so much money that not pushing them on women and not doing them doesn’t seem to be an option – because it “works” sometimes.

The alternative that I like is a Thermogram (see links below). Thermograms are a much safer and less invasive than mammograms. They can be used starting earlier in life and can be done more frequently without harm to your health. They also provide more accurate results.

A multi-pronged approach is best, use all the tools that we know and have, including mammograms when necessary. Do self-exams, do thermograms, do ultrasound and if necessary do mammograms and MRIs.

BUT, prevention of cancer is the real key.

What you put in and on your body, your lifestyle including sleep and exercise, and your hormonal/endocrine health are all very important in the prevention of cancer.

Perimenopause

Let’s start with definitions:

Pre-Menopause is the time when a woman is having regular menstrual cycles, fertile child bearing years.

Perimenopause is the time up to 10 years prior to the full stopping of your period (aka: menopause), during which a woman’s hormones are changing typically causing a variety of unpleasant symptoms.

Menopause is when a woman goes a minimum of 12 months consecutively without menstruation.

The truth is that every woman goes through menopause at different ages, therefore I deduct that women also go through perimenopause at different ages. Some women have very gradual long time symptoms and some women it hits like a freight-train.

It may in fact be me not wanting to face the fact that being 40 means that I am now old enough to experience perimenopause symptoms, due to just my age. My brain doesn’t want to comprehend nor accept this!

What I do know is that my lifestyle (aka: long-term chronic stress) broke my body down in such ways that directly affect my sex hormone outputs and I have been working a long time to rebuild my health and hormones. I still have regular menstrual cycles. This has motivated me highly to heal as quickly as I can so that I can better manage the impending perimenopause.

Encouragement: I believe that women can transition through perimenopause into menopause without it being miserable and traumatic. This isn’t common these days, but it is possible. As I learn more, rest assured that I will be writing and sharing what I learn.

Below are a few books that I recommend:

Takeaways

  1. Do not take calcium supplements, get it from real whole foods. If you do take a calcium supplement do not take it by itself, take it with co-factors.
  2. Use more safe methods of breast cancer screening before subjecting your body to cancer causing radiation.
  3. Just because someone is 40 doesn’t mean that they are going to start perimenopause. However it does mean that one should get as healthy as ever possible before any major hormonal changes start occurring. Particularly the adrenal glands.

 

Below are links for you to read and research further the topics briefly discussed in this post.

Calcium Resources:

http://empoweredsustenance.com/avoid-calcium-supplements/

http://www.healthy-diet-healthy-you.com/Benefits_of_Calcium.html

https://paleoleap.com/calcium/

https://chriskresser.com/how-to-keep-your-bones-healthy-on-a-paleo-diet/

https://www.thepaleomom.com/why-dont-i-need-to-worry-about-calcium-2/

The following excerpt is from a PDF called “The Real Food Action Guide by: John and Ocean Robbins” Pgs. 7 – 8:

“John Robbins: For years, the dairy industry has been telling us that dairy is the best thing for healthy bones, that kids need to drink cow’s milk, and that milk is Nature’s perfect food. Actually, milk is nature’s perfect food for turning a 90-pound calf into a 450-pound cow in about 12 months. If it were true that we need dairy products to have strong bones, then the countries in the world with the highest dairy product consumption would probably have the strongest bones, and they would probably have the lowest rates of osteoporosis. Well, the four countries with the highest consumption of dairy products in the world, are: Finland, Sweden, the United States, and England. Now, the four countries in the world with the highest rates of osteoporosis in the world happen to be those very same four countries: Finland, Sweden, the United States, and England.

Ocean Robbins: This can actually seem kinda hard to believe, when we’ve all been inundated by ads telling us that the calcium in dairy products is the best way to build strong bones. Most of us have come to believe that this is just a fact of life.

John Robbins: Yes, but in reality it’s a fabricated myth designed to sell dairy products. Now, it’s true that milk has a lot of calcium, and that women, in particular, need more calcium then men do. But a famous study of 78,000 female nurses found that the relative risk of hip fracture for women who drank two glasses or more of milk per day, was nearly one-and-half times higher than for those who drank one glass or less per week. And another population that can need a bit of extra calcium is the elderly. Yet a study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology found that elderly people with the highest dairy product consumption actually had double the risk of hip fracture compared to those with the lowest consumption. Calcium is of course important. But dairy products are not the best way to get this important mineral. One reason is that the calcium absorption rates for green vegetables is so much higher than it is for dairy products. For kale, the calcium absorption rate is 50 percent; For Brussels sprouts, it’s 64 percent. But for milk, it’s only half of that – 32 percent.

If you want to have strong bones throughout your entire life, your best approach is to eat plenty of green leafy vegetables, to exercise regularly, don’t drink Coke or Pepsi because cola drinks are made with phosphoric acid that deletes calcium from bone tissue, and minimize your consumption of animal protein, which has a similar effect. You’ll feel better, your bones will be stronger, and your overall health will benefit in many other ways, as well.”

Mammogram Resources:

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2016/10/25/mammogram-effects-risks.aspx

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2015/10/14/mammography-promotion.aspx

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2014/02/26/mammograms.aspx

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2014/04/30/mammography-screening-programs.aspx

http://realfoodforager.com/3-risks-your-doctor-wont-tell-you-about-mammography/

http://realfarmacy.com/why-mammography-screening-is-being-abolished/

http://www.healthy-holistic-living.com/thermograms-safer-accurate-mammograms.html

http://realfarmacy.com/mammograms-cause-cancer/

http://thestir.cafemom.com/healthy_living/191875/women_told_having_fewer_mammog

http://www.saragottfriedmd.com/what-if-breast-cancer-dr-saras-prevention-top-10-list/

Perimenopause Resources:

http://www.bridgitdanner.com/womens-wellness-blog/2017/3/31/what-in-the-world-is-peri-menopause?rq=menopause

https://go.magicmenopause.com/waiting-list

https://www.drlovely.expert/

Your Power, Your Control, Your Responsibility

22 Wednesday Feb 2017

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I cannot tell you how many people I see and hear that bump around in life as if life just happens to them; many in a woe-is-me victim mentality.

There is a lot that can play into this mental and behavior pattern….I think this is a learned behavior. Children learn from their parent’s example. Perhaps they learned that this behavior gets them the attention they want from other people? Perhaps they are ignorant to the fact that they have more control over their life than they think they do? I think all of these things are true. The good news is that we can change if we want to.

The truth is, while there are some things that happen to us that we cannot control, most things we can. And at the very least we can control how we react and manage the few things that “just happen” to us.

I think our lives are the sum of the consequences of the choices we make. Not making a choice is still making a choice and there is still a consequence for it.

I think excuses are the most common way that people unload responsibility for themselves and their choices. Instead of making an excuse, just own it – it is what it is. What are you afraid of? That someone will judge you? They will probably judge you no matter which you choose…..so you might as well do you.

99% of the times you are the only person holding you back. Get out of your own way.

Taking responsibility for yourself, your choices, and your actions isn’t easy – it takes practice. It takes being self-aware, self-reflection, and the cojones to own your consequences.

No one likes to feel out of control. Too many people give their control and power away to other people.

Stop that! Just stop….

As with all things – you get out what you put in. You have to put in effort. You have to do the work.

Feelings

This one is difficult: The way you feel is your choice. No one can make you feel a certain way. You can choose your emotions. Yes, people say hurtful things – your feelings are hurt – Ok. Now choose to calmly communicate in a loving way that what they said or did is being perceived as hurtful to you. This gives you the power to control your emotions and work out your own feelings without having a victim mentality. Your reaction and your choice on how you will respond to a person or situation is your responsibility.

Stress is a big one – this one you DO have control of. I’ve written about stress before; stress is “your perception of a situation” changing your mind/perception changes your stress reaction. Stress is something within you, it is not external. Stress isn’t something that happens to you, it is something you create within yourself. So it is fully in your power and control to not “stress out”.

People

You can also take responsibility for the people you choose to have in your life. Removing toxic people and toxic relationships from your life is your choice. No one (except your spouse, in my beliefs) is off limits. It may not be easy to do at the time, but you will be so happy that you did it after it is done.

Health

Your health or lack thereof is your responsibility. Not your parent’s, not your doctor’s – YOURS. It is your body. You get out what you put in. Lifestyle choices (sleep, exercise, stress) and nutrition (quality, quantity) are all your choice. How you treat your body is very telling; it tells you and those around you how you think and feel about yourself. If you believe that you are valuable and worthy you will treat your body well. It is the only body you’re ever going to have, if you treat it poorly you will suffer the consequences for it. It is in your power and control to treat your body well.

The personal growth, confidence, and happiness that comes from taking responsibility for yourself, your choices, and your life is the best and most freeing choice you’ll ever make.

Don’t think about it…..just do it. Take action….starting right now.

2016 Reflection = 2017 Theme

06 Friday Jan 2017

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I realize that I’m late posting a New Year post….I hope you can forgive me.

I have decided that 2017 is the year that I’m not going to let stress or should-ofs, would-ofs, or could-ofs hold power over me and how I think or feel about myself or my life.

I am not making resolutions or goals that have anything to do with what “I don’t want to…”, or “I’m not….”, or that are in any way a restriction or way to make myself smaller in the world.

Instead….I’m only making goals for this year that allow for more freedom (mentally, emotionally, and physically).

My Theme for 2017 is “Let it Go”

Let Go of stress

Let Go of all the things out of my control, that I want to control

My active exercise:

  • Recognize – when I’m having negative or stressful thoughts
  • Stop – myself mid-thought
  • Analyze – if the thoughts are about the things I can’t really control or do anything about (which they usually are)
  • Let it Go – actively tell myself to “Let it Go!” (insert a deep belly breath)
  • Move On – to a new thought

It has only been about a week, but so far this exercise is working quite well.

 

I have written about stress before here and here, but stress is our reaction to our perceptions about a given situation. While some stress is probably inevitable, some of it doesn’t have to be….I can make a choice to Let it Go.

I believe there is freedom in Letting Go.

My hope is that by practicing this exercise and Letting Go of all the things and not allowing the unknown to stress me out….that I will be able to be more present in there here-and-now.

 

I have always been the type of person who is goal oriented and results driven; it is what propels me forward every day and in my life. I think having specific and attainable goals is important; I’ve said for years that “if you don’t know where you are going, then you will not know how to get there”. I do think that we must leave room for error, movement, bending, and flexibility in our resolutions – allowing them to evolve as we do and as our life does throughout time.

Do not allow your resolutions or goals hold more power than they actually do and dictate how you feel or what you believe about yourself and your life. Allow them to be fluid rather than the end all be all.

I wish to you all a healthy and happy 2017!

Are you applying a band-aid to a mortal wound?

14 Friday Oct 2016

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For many years, I would experience a symptom and find a supplement or medication for it. Don’t get me wrong, supplements and medications have their place and are very important.

But, you don’t want to put band-aids on mortal wounds….you’ll die. The band-aids helped me get by, but didn’t stop the bleeding.

You have to fix the big stuff before the little stuff will really have an impact. I mean who cares if there is dirt in the wound if there is a big piece of metal sticking out of it?!? You have to remove the metal projectile and then clean the dirt out….

The BIG stuff….

1. Food and Beverage Quality

You’re going to get out of your body what you put into your body. I type and say the word “quality” everyday to someone; it matters! What you put into your body is either taking you one-step closer to health or one step closer to disease.

If you would like more information about this subject please read Eat the Yolks (Audible version is $1.99). I have a post called Quality Food Sources you can check out for some quality resources.

2. Sleep Quality (and Quantity)

Your body heals when it sleeps, it cleans when it sleeps, and it rebuilds when it sleeps. If you have poor quality sleep, the wheels will fall off the wagon. Your body cannot heal and restore health unless you are getting enough good quality sleep.

A few tips for better sleep: 1) Reduce or Remove Screen Time after sundown (use flux or Apple’s “night shift” function on phones/tablets, and blue-blocking glasses), the blue light prevents melatonin production; 2) Reduce your home temperature around 70 degrees, 3) White Noise, I use fans and earplugs, but you can also use APs like SleepStream; 4) Super Dark Room, mostly the artificial light is the issue….light from devises, smoke detectors, yard lights etc., if you cannot block all the light out, use a sleep-mask, 5) If you can take an evening walk around sundown that is a great way to wind down for the night; 6) Supplements or Herbal Assistance – Doc Parsley’s Sleep Remedy (Discount Code: candace to save 10%), Epsom salt bath, EASE Magnesium on the bottom of feet, and to help your body produce its own melatonin use Cedarwood Essential Oil

3. Stress Management 

This subject is very touchy for me. I’ve shared some on stress here.

Stress itself is not a disease, but it will kill you!  I think that “mind-set” falls under this category.

There is physical stress like an internal infection or exercise and there is mental stress which is everything else…..mental stress is about your perception. The trick is learning to change your mind-set about how you perceive the things that typically stress you out.

When I get stressed out, taking a walk really helps me (inside, outside). Taking at least one walk a day helps me to prevent getting stressed as well. Using the Calm AP is helpful which has guided meditations, relaxing sounds, and more. Self-care is fantastic at preventing stress and helping reduce existing stress (schedule a massage, a mani/pedi, get out in nature (go fishing), play with pets, take a nice long bath, read, take a nap, spend time with light-hearted friends, whatever will help you relax and decompress.) I also love Stress Away Essential Oil; it smells sooooo good.

4. Smart Exercise / Movement

When it comes to exercise there are so many people who take it to such extremes and I’m not sure they even realize it.

Be specific in the goals you want to achieve; you won’t know how to get there if you don’t know where you are going. Measure your movement; use a tracker, count your steps and your stairs each day. Keep yourself to a pre-set measurable amount of time for exercise each week. Stay within the parameters you set so you don’t overdo it. Be realistic in the amount of exercise is really needed to effectively achieve your goals. Don’t do anything over what is necessary. Allow time for warm-ups, cool-downs, rest, and recovery.

Choose challenging and relevant movement and exercise to achieve your goals. For example, if you want to be able to do pull-ups do exercises to strengthen the muscles needed to achieve a pull-up.

Find the balance between achieving your fitness and health goals and all the fun stuff in life, like sleeping, eating, and hanging out with friends and family.

Recommended Exercise

Walk every day as much as possible

  • 1 – 3 sessions of around 30 minutes of challenging weight lifting per week
  • 1 – 2 sessions of 5 – 10 minutes of sprints each week
  • At least 1 – 2 sessions of 10 – 20 minutes of mobility work and stretching (Look into Becoming a Supple Leopard.)

All of the above is less than 3 hours a week of exercise time that will help keep your body healthy and mobile.

Start your health journey with what you can control – you can control these 4 things.

Once the big metal projectile is out of the wound you can clean the dirt out and really start healing.