Move the Candy Dish
Posted by: jennschindler on: April 24, 2012
This was the first year that I committed to giving something up for Lent. Once the 40 days were over I began thinking about how I could continue to use 40 day fasts to improve different areas of my life.
Now if you’ve read my past blogs you know that I am not a fan of adopting diet plans that involve complete deprivation. While totally eliminating certain foods can be a contributing factor in achieving positive results, I find more often than not when faced with total deprivation it becomes more of a test of your willpower than learning appropriate portions. That said, a controlled fast may offer you a great opportunity to learn more about your controlling your cravings or managing your time.
Let me share with you my 3 (or 4) step plan for controlled fasts…
Please note that the information included in this blog entry is specifically targeted at modifying a single behavior. If you are interested in doing a complete fast that involves removing entire food groups or food all together there are a number of serious considerations and you should consult with your doctor prior to beginning a fast.
Recognition
The first step is taking some time to acknowledge unhealthy habits. I encourage you to think of this from both angles because modifying behavior isn’t always about removing something.
Make a list of those things you do too frequently and those that you don’t do frequently enough. Here’s two sample lists to give you an idea…
Too Frequently
- Eating candy
- Drinking soda
- Going to bed too late
- Reading
- Praying
- Drinking water
I discovered that I was developing an unhealthy craving for candy. During the Lenten season jelly beans were abound and what started as 1 or 2 was turning into handfuls at a time. Not good. So the day after Easter began my ‘candy fast.’
Removal
The next step is to remove the temptation. It sounds easy enough but in reality this can be difficult. For me, I have 3 children who had just received Easter baskets filled with candy so locking the house down from candy wasn’t an option.
Since I couldn’t physically remove the temptation I moved the candy dish. I cleaned out a junk drawer in our kitchen and moved all of the candy from its previous home on the counter into that drawer. Did I know it was there? Of course. But without the candy sitting on the counter it was no longer a consistent temptation every time I was in the kitchen.
So find a way to release yourself from the temptation. If you are trying to refrain from Starbucks maybe you will have to adjust your route a little so you aren’t tempted each time you drive by, or maybe you are trying to refrain from watching too much television so put the remote up and away so it’s not as easy to turn it on and surf the channels. There are plenty of ways you can ‘remove’ the temptation so be creative.
Now if it’s a behavior that you don’t do frequently enough find ways to make it part of your daily schedule. Let’s say you want to spend more time reading. Instead of waiting until right before bedtime when you are already exhausted, select a time during the day to sit and read. You may want to only start with a 10-minute commitment and then build on it each week. Or if you find that nighttime is the best for reading make sure you head to bed earlier. This will help you to get in your reading time before your lids get heavy and you have to read the same sentence over and over again.
Replacement
Step three is where willpower comes into play and I’ll be honest with you willpower sometimes just isn’t enough so you need to find a replacement for the behavior you are trying to avoid.
My cravings weren’t necessarily rooted in desire for ’candy,’ but more that I wanted something sweet. For me that’s fixed easy enough with a piece of fruit. But what if you are trying to give up drinking soda and you rely on that caffeine? Try unsweetened tea instead and add only enough sweetener to make it palatable to you.
This approach is also effective when trying to increase the frequency of a behavior. For instance, let’s say you don’t drink enough water. So grab yourself a cool refillable BPA-free water bottle and set it on your desk. Instead of heading to the coffee pot to refill your mug throughout the day drink your water. Or if you are trying to eat more vegetables eat them first off of your plate rather than leaving them for last when you have already filled up on your protein.
Whatever the behavior is you can find a healthy substitute that allows you to either replace the behavior or increase the frequency. After the fast you may actually find you like the substitute better.
Replacement is slightly different when you think about behaviors that require time. Any modification that requires an adjustment in the use of your time will also require you to identify ‘wasted’ pockets of time during your day that can be better used to accomplish the tasks. Just as with the removal of the behavior, scheduling and planning is integral in your ability to replace wasted time with productive habits.
Reintroduction (if appropriate)
Not everything should be reintroduced back into your life. If it is a habit that is harmful to your health like smoking or staying up too late or driving too fast the controlled fasting period should be seen as the first phase of eliminating the behavior all together. You may need to continue to work through the removal and replacement phases for years in order to gain control over the behavior.
But if you have elected to fast from something like candy it may not be necessary for you to give it up for the rest of your life. Believe me, I’m not willing to go my remaining years and never have another jelly bean. However, when I do reintroduce them back into my diet I will need to consider portions as well as my other options.
When you reintroduce something I would suggest you ask yourself the following questions:
- How bad do I really want it? (scale of 1 to 10)
- Knowing all of the options I have to choose from do I still need it or can I be satisfied with a better option?
- Is it really worth it? What is it going to take for me to ‘work it off’?
- Do I have control over my desire for the item? Will having a little only make me want more?
Certainly there are a number of other questions that you can and should ask yourself. The key is to introduce the item slowly and to truly think about your desire for the item, your ability to control the craving and your continued will to keep your desires in check.
So what’s on your list?
It’s Not Change…It’s Transformation
Posted by: jennschindler on: April 23, 2012
When I think of the word ‘change’ I think about things that happen quickly like:
- Changing my clothes
- Receiving change from a payment and
- Changes in the weather (if you live anywhere near South Bend, IN you know what I’m talking about)
Transformation: a thorough or dramatic change in form or appearance.
Self Image
Health isn’t just about what your body looks like and readings like blood pressure and cholesterol. Having total health involves developing a positive dialog with yourself and respecting your body for the unique qualities you were blessed with. Believe me, if you don’t like yourself at your current weight shedding 10 or 20 pounds isn’t going to make you love yourself any more.
Think of it this way…is your opinion changed about someone who doesn’t treat you well just because they lose weight or get new clothes? Probably not. So why would your opinion of yourself change over night just because you lost weight?
As your body changes you have the opportunity to write a new script about what you tell yourself when you look in the mirror. Start complimenting yourself, start noticing the things that make you unlike anyone else and love yourself for those qualities, start being thankful for your current abilities and improvements, and start recognizing that you were wonderfully made.
Ability
If no training or true effort is required to achieve physical fitness goals what’s the point in even setting them? If hard work isn’t required what actually differentiates a couch potato from an olympic athlete?
Increasing ability is a process of training and preparing your mind and body to achieve limits you never thought were possible. It has just as much to do with gradually increasing your strength and endurance as it does developing the ‘mentality’ to keep you in the game.
Let’s take distance running as an example. It goes without saying that you can’t go from the la-z-boy to the start line of a half marathon without some training. A solid training program for a half marathon will include a mix of interval and strength training along with gradually increasing the mileage during endurance runs. The gradual increases and mix of exercises help to protect your body against injury while increasing your cardiac and muscle endurance for the race.
But there’s also the mental portion of the race that your body needs time to prepare for. You need time to develop the “I can do this!” attitude. You need the confidence and the courage to push through when it gets hard and all you want to do is stop. And just like developing muscle and endurance – being mentally prepared doesn’t happen over night.
Healthy Choices
Milkshake or apple? Fries or broccoli? Pasta or a salad?
For some of you the ‘right’ choice may be easy. They may be foods that you actually prefer. But for those who need a dietary transformation it can be daunting to give up all the ‘good stuff’ for the ‘right stuff.’
In order to achieve sustained weight loss you need to re-train your taste buds so that you appreciate the taste of foods without all the fat, sodium and added preservatives. If you think you can go from eating burgers to broccoli overnight and enjoy it, I think you’ll probably find yourself bingeing on a burger and anything else you can get your hands on in the not too distant future.
Slowly incorporating better choices will allow you to adjust without complete deprivation of everything you’ve become accustomed to eating. It will also help you to identify the true differences in taste between foods heavily laden with additives versus those with pure and natural flavors.
Sustained Loss
If you haven’t done it yourself you know of someone who has tried the latest weight loss fad and has experienced significant loss. At first everything is great! The weight is dropping off and compliments are abound! But it’s only a matter of time before the new clothes are suddenly ‘shrinking in the wash.’
Any diet or fitness program that guarantees immediate results should also caution of how quickly those pounds will come back on (and then some) when you deviate even just slightly from their program.
Quick weight loss is usually the result of starvation and deprivation and not a reflection of learning how to live within your limits. Where as sustained weight loss is accomplished by learning about portions, understanding calories in versus the calories you are burning and fueling your body with the right combination of nutrients.
Think about it this way…you lose a dramatic 10 pounds in one week. Great! But now you have to sustain that loss and possibly lose more. What happens the next week when you step on the scale to discover a loss of only a couple of pounds or worse none. You then will likely do one of two things – starve and deprive more (sending your body into a metabolic shutdown) or give up and pack back on the 10 you lost.
You didn’t gain it overnight and it’s not going to come off that quickly either. Accept the process and celebrate the gradual decrease because maintaining and building on a 1 – 2 pound weekly loss is much easier to do than a 10 pound loss.
These are only a few of the reasons that ‘time’ shouldn’t matter when transforming your body. If you are willing to change be willing to do it for all the right reasons. Embrace the process, but more importantly, learn to embrace yourself along the way so you experience a thorough, lasting transformation.
Learning to Love
Posted by: jennschindler on: April 17, 2012
Think about the people and the things that you love. Certainly there’s a difference in the type of love you have for people than what you have for objects but every ‘love’ is founded in the relationship you have with the person or thing.
As you think about your ‘loves’ let me share with you a little about mine…
- I love my God because He is my source of hope
- I love my husband because we share a friendship and a bond deeper than any other person on Earth
- I love my children because each of them uniquely challenges me every day to be a better person
- I love my friends because they help me to see the world through their eyes
Now for the ‘shallow’ loves in my life:
- I love my truck – it’s big, it comes in handy and it has seat warmers
- I love shoes – all kinds, can’t get enough of them
- I love raspberry gelato – there are very few sweets that tempt me but I have a hard time resisting this one
I think it’s fairly easy to make a list of the things we love and why we love them. But have you considered the love you have for yourself? Now don’t get me wrong – I’m not talking about indulging yourself with greediness or allowing your ego to get the best of you. I’m talking about the kind of self-love that allows you to look past the mistakes you’ve made and the perceived imperfections in the mirror. It’s the kind of love that isn’t tied up in actions or appearances but in the relationship you have with yourself.
Losing weight and improving physical fitness takes a lot of hard work. If your relationship with yourself isn’t founded in love excuses will be easy and perceptions will be difficult to change.
First, if you don’t love yourself you aren’t going to take the time necessary to see changes in your life. Aside from the time you need to exercise you also need to consider the adjustments you may need to make to shopping and food preparation time, as well as a potential increase in sleep and rest time. If you don’t love yourself it will be easy to find excuses to skip workouts, grab fast food or stay up late watching tv. A person with self-love stops putting poor excuses ahead of the quality decisions that will improve their life.
Secondly, without self-love it’s going to be difficult to make weight loss mean anything more than just a number on the scale. Let’s say your goal is to lose 20 pounds because you don’t like what you see in the mirror. Over a period of 3 months you modify your exercise routine and eating habits and you achieve your weight loss goal but you are still disappointed in the reflection in the mirror. While your physical fitness has benefited from the loss, your self-image didn’t improve so now the 20 pound loss isn’t a celebration rather a big let down because you’re still unhappy.
My suggestion is to keep that goal of 20 pounds because there is nothing fundamentally wrong with the goal. But to achieve satisfaction with the reflection in the mirror you will need to look at yourself EVERY DAY and find something you ‘love.’ At the beginning it might start with loving your eyes or hair but as your body begins to transform you will start loving the look of your bare arms or the trimming of your thighs. This exercise is not meant for you to become obsessed with the look of your body rather that you begin to become comfortable with it and you embrace the changes as they are happening.
Lastly, I would suggest that self-love is what will keep you from obsessing about comparing your look to those images promoted in the media. Instead of idealizing yourself through the images of celebrity air-brushed photos you will feel empowered to see the beauty in the uniqueness of your own body. We are all truly blessed with unique shapes and characteristics and I believe the more we learn to embrace them the more beautiful our world becomes.
So take some time today to love who you are now and with each passing day work on growing that love just the same way you find new ways to love the people and things in your life that mean the most.
Caffeine-Driven Workouts
Posted by: jennschindler on: March 21, 2011
For some caffeinated beverages are the only way to get going and stay moving throughout the day. Believe me, there are times that a caffeine jolt is the only thing that gets me going for my early morning training sessions (which also tells me I need examine my bedtime and get more sleep!).
Some studies have even suggested that the use of caffeine prior to a workout may have positive effects on your body during exercise. These studies claim that when it comes to exercise, caffeine:
- Delays fatigue
- Slows the breakdown of muscle glycogen, which means your body has more fuel to keep going
- Enhances endurance
- Keeps you more alert
- Can reduce muscle pain during exercise
- May lower perceived exertion, making exercise feel more comfortable
While those results may be true, caffeine is a stimulant so it has the potential to have adverse effects on a workout and as a trainer I can tell you that I see the negative far more often than I see positive results from a caffeinated-driven workout including:
- Stomach upset
- Trembling or shaking
- Increased anxiety
- Headaches
- Nausea
Any of the effects listed above results in a less than par workout. If I have a client who is nauseous, trembling or complaining of a headache it’s my responsibility to immediately put the breaks on our workout and determine if they are well enough to continue. In more cases than not, I often need to modify the intensity of the workout and we end up taking it easy for the reminder of the session. So rather than experiencing enhanced performance from the caffeine it results in the client getting less from their workout.
In my opinion if you are looking to get the most out of your workouts hydrate with water or a sports drink prior to exercise and reserve that caffeinated drink for an early morning kick-start if you need it.
Training For a Higher Cause
Posted by: jennschindler on: March 9, 2011
Is one of your goals this year to lace up a pair of running shoes and finish a race? If so, I first want to congratulate you on making a goal for yourself.
If you are new to running, or don’t especially care for it, you are going to need to find a way to remain motivated.
Last year I set out to run my first marathon. I knew that there was no way I would complete 26.2 miles unless I had a higher cause to run for. Even though my training season wasn’t ideal, I was still determined to start AND finish my marathon because I had committed to running for Solemates, an organization that benefits the non-profit group Girls on the Run.
There are several programs available to help you reach your goals and raise money for a good cause. I’m going to highlight two, however, do some research in your area and you may find a local cause that inspires you to get running.
Soulmates
This is of course a cause that is near and dear to my heart. Girls on the Run is an experiential afterschool program that prepares girls for a lifetime of self-respect and healthy living. Through the 12-week program girls participate in interactive activities such as running, playing games and discussing important issues empowering them to develop a greater sense of self-awareness, a foundation in team building and a sense of achievement.
To be a Solemate you are required to raise $262.
For more information on the program or to become a Solemate check out their website.
Team in Training
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Team In Training program is designed to help you train for a half or full marathon while raising money for cancer research. The great part about this program is that you are paired with an actual team to train for weekly runs so helps to keep motivation high. You can also choose a destination run.
The amount of money you are required to raise is dependent on the venue you choose to run.
For more information on Team in Training or to sign up check out their website.
As part of my motivation for my half marathon this coming June I am once again running as a Solemate for Girls on the Run. If you are interested in making a donation I encourage you to check out my page.
Now get those shoes on and get running!
Lessons From Vacation
Posted by: jennschindler on: March 3, 2011
I’ve just returned from an amazing trip to Colorado. Being a Midwestern girl I had no idea what to expect.
Words cannot express my appreciation for the beautiful landscape. I often found myself limited to simply conveying my awe with the words, “Wow! God did this!”
The vastly different landscape fascinated me and had some pretty dramatic affects on my body.
The first thing I noticed was a dull headache – nothing too painful but definitely an indication that something was wrong. Thankfully there was plenty of water around and after consuming about double what I normally would I found myself returning to normal.
As a runner and one who enjoys cardio workouts I was shocked when we arrived and I “sucked wind” to just get through my first day on the slopes. Simply walking my snowboard from the bottom of the mountain back to the lift left me feeling completely out of breath and thankful for the long lift ride to recover.
The thing about that long ride is that there is also a long distance down! I saw one sign that said the ride down was 2 miles long. As one who learned to snowboard on hills in Michigan the mountain terrain was unlike anything I had ever seen. Needless to say the trip down required more breaks than normal.
By day four the fatigue had set in. My quad muscles were so tired that just standing caused my legs to bounce and shake. As I headed to the top of the mountain I had lost all the courage I had the first couple days. My trips to the bottom were extremely slow to help me stabilize on the snowboard.
After just 3 trips down I realized that my body had simply had enough. The rest of my afternoon would be spent watching college basketball in the lodge.
While disappointing that my last day turned into a bust for snowboarding I was overall thankful for the lessons I learned on one of the best vacations of my life.
First, when on vacation and participating in physical activity it is imperative that you listen to your body. The headache was my first indication of the possibility of altitude sickness. If I had not taken in the amount of fluids that I did I most certainly would have experienced more dramatic effects of the altitude.
Secondly, it was very apparent that just because I was capable of certain things on my own terrain didn’t necessarily mean that I was going to be able to succeed with those same tasks in a new environment. The steeper and longer slopes kept me from perfecting my turns and the lessened oxygen levels kept me from successfully running the stairs at Red Rocks.
The last and probably most important lesson was despite any physical or environmental limitations I learned how to embrace the challenges and have fun! It’s easy to get discouraged when you are accustomed to performing at a certain level and you’re unable to attain it, however, the simple fact of getting out there and experiencing new challenges. Trying something new is an accomplishment in itself and should be enjoyed and celebrated!
The Power of Pilates
Posted by: jennschindler on: February 23, 2011
I just returned from an excellent training weekend for a Pilates Mat Certification. Two 10-hour days filled with practice and drills, followed by more practice more and drills was both mentally and physically exhausting and it was worth every minute!
I discovered Pilates last fall when I was looking for a noontime class that wouldn’t leave me a hot, sweaty mess for returning to work. And after years of countless crunches and ab work I finally found something that helped to reduce my midsection.
Pilates seeks to increase the strength and flexibility of the body through controlled breathing and movements.
If you have not tried Pilates here I’d like to share with you some reasons you may want to consider it:
- Body awareness and control: each Pilates move has a very specific purpose. As you become familiar with the exercises you increases awareness of the mind/body connection. As you become aware of the muscles used for the movements you learn how to best control your body for maximized results.
- Increased core strength: throughout the Pilates routine you are reminded to keep your navel buttoned up to your spine. Once you become accustomed to engaging your core during the exercises it begins to become natural to “button up” during every day activities.
- Adaptable to fitness levels and needs: regardless of age, gender, fitness level or size you can participate in Pilates. Almost every exercise that has a modification for special considerations. There aren’t a whole lot of exercise programs out there that offer this wide of accessibility to participants. Pilates is a gentle conditioning for those new to a fitness program and an increasing challenge to the physically fit.
- Creates strength without bulk: so many women avoid strength training because of the fear of “bulking up.” Pilates is an excellent way to build strength with natural body resistance. (As a side note, lifting weights does not mean you will bulk up – it is possible to build long lean muscles with strength training.)
- Increases flexibility: as we age we lose flexibility. Pilates movements help to increase range of motion and as a result increases flexibility – something we all can use.
- Improves posture and a lean appearance: the Pilates stance promotes a lengthening of your body. You learn to pull your shoulders down and away from your ears and to pull them back. Drawing your navel up and into your spine helps to support your lower back. Just those things alone improve will help you to stand taller, appear more confident and lean all at the same time.
I encourage you to find a Pilates class near you and to give it a try. If you like it half as much as me you will be hooked!
Note: My experience with Pilates is limited to Mat work but there are also a number of specialized pieces of equipment that can be used for Pilates exercises.
Something is Better Than Nothing
Posted by: jennschindler on: February 18, 2011
When I was strictly a stay-at-home mom I was able to carve out plenty of time for my workouts. I took full advantage of the time the kiddos were napping or at school. When the weather got warmer I moved my workouts outdoors while they played in the backyard.
It wasn’t until everyone went to school and I went back to work that I had a true understanding for the challenges of fitting in a workout along with everything else. Between my training sessions, office responsibilities and mom and wife duties I found myself missing workouts more and more often.
I came to the realization that I had to shift my approach to working out. I no longer had the freedom for extended sessions, but what I did have was smaller chunks of time throughout the day.
I began maximizing the smaller chunks of time by increasing the intensity of my exercises. For strength training I increased the weight and dropped my repetitions and sets. When possible I combined legs and arms to get the most from the amount of time I had to spend. When it comes to cardio I’ve started running intervals, meaning I increase and decrease my pace throughout my run.
By taking advantage of smaller chunks of time I was able to get my workouts back on track. The lesson I take from this experience that I want to share with you is this:
Something truly is better than nothing. Adapt your exercise program to make the most of the time you DO have.
On the days I’m fortunate enough to have the time for a longer workout I take full advantage of that time and put in a long run or a full body strength-training workout.
Take a look at your schedule for the next week and set appointments with yourself for workouts. Even if you only have time for 20-minute sessions make exercise a priority and you will feel the difference.
Overcoming Setbacks
Posted by: jennschindler on: February 16, 2011
We are already half-way through February and I suspect that if you set some New Years Resolutions about health and fitness you may have experienced a setback or two.
Setbacks are very common and happen to everyone at some point. What sets those who ultimately succeed apart from those who continue to struggle is what you do with your setback experience.
Do you allow your setbacks to define you or do you look at it as just a bump in the path to better health?
Life happens. Somewhere in your journey you will have unexpected situations that throw your workout routine off and disrupt your plans for healthy eating.
The first thing you need to examine is your schedule. Are you giving yourself enough time to exercise? If not, add an appointment with yourself on your calendar to create time for your workout. With all the demands that others have on you it’s important you take time to take care of yourself.
The next thing you need to do is look in the refrigerator. Do you have plenty of healthy choices that are easy to pull together for meals and snacks? We often find ourselves eating junk because it’s convenient. Take a little bit of time to make the healthy foods easy choices by cleaning your fruits and vegetables before you put them in the refrigerator. Prepare extra lean meats when you have time to cook so you can quickly grab them as a leftover when you’re running low on time.
The most important thing is to identify what is distracting you from your goals and plans. You have an opportunity to take those setbacks and turn them into growth opportunities.
If it’s a problem with…
- scheduling: change your workout schedule
- meal prep: cook on the weekends so all you have to do is warm your meals
- eating out: get online and find the healthiest option before you get there so you’re not as tempted by the bad choices or confused by what to order
- motivation: find a new activity or something to work towards
The better you are at identifying the reason for your setback, the more equipped you are to avoid that pitfall in the future.
Let’s be honest, victories certainly aren’t as sweet if we haven’t experienced the bitterness of defeat somewhere along the way. Put those setbacks behind you and make a commitment to get back on track TODAY!
Keeping a Log
Posted by: jennschindler on: February 11, 2011
If your goal is to lose weight it’s extremely important you keep some sort of log for your intake and caloric burn.
ACCOUNTABILITY
This is especially important for those people who like to “graze.” If you are one that eats pretty consistently throughout the day you may be unconsciously consuming calories. Getting into the habit of recording everything you eat will help you get an accurate idea of the number of calories you are consuming each day.
The other aspect of accountability with a log is that if you have to write it down you may make the decision not to eat it. It might sound silly but looking at your log and seeing that you ate a jelly donut for 289 calories and 15 grams of fat might make you think twice.
TRACKING
Looking back you can see why you lost weight or begin to identify reasons that you stayed the same or gained. Being able to identify patterns of behavior allows you a better opportunity to make the appropriate adjustments in your diet.
Tracking also involves looking at your physical activities. What is the history of your workouts, have they increased in intensity or duration? What days are more challenging for you to get in a workout? Keeping tabs on what you do and when can make your workouts more efficient and contribute to greater weight loss.
Here are some free calorie and activity trackers that you can check out on your own:
MY CALORIE COUNTER
http://www.my-calorie-counter.com/
My Calorie Counter, powered by Everyday Health, is a free online diet journal that can help you track how many calories you’ve burned and the number of calories in the food you eat.
FITDAY.COM
Fitday.com is a completely free website that tracks your foods, exercises, weights and goals. You can also view your calories, nutrition, weight loss and more. In addition to the free services there are paid options and an iPhone app available.
DAILYBURN
Daily Burn provides fitness plans, nutritional tracking and social motivation to help you reach your health and fitness goals. In addition to the free services there are paid options and an iPhone app available.
There are many more of these services available to you for FREE either through websites or phone apps. Get out there and try one, if you don’t like it, try another one until you do. I guarantee once you start tracking your intake and exercise you will see results.
