My "I'm not going out there. It's cold!" Workout

I'm a giant baby when it comes to the cold, and the heat for that matter, and I combat both by just refusing to leave my house. Were I less industrious, that plan would really throw a wrench in my workout routine, but lucky for me, the same determination that keeps me hermitted in my house for the winter helped me develop a workout routine that I can do from my living room.

I've said before that I haven't had a gym membership for years, but that doesn't stop me from exercising. I rage internally when I hear people use the excuse that they can't lose weight and workout because they can't afford or don't have time for a gym. Gyms are great, provided you know what you're doing there, but they are by no means essential. Unless you live in the ghetto, anyone can get out and go for a walk or a run, and if you do live in the ghetto, then the workout I'm about to share can be done inside locked doors.

When the weather's nice, I usually walk a couple miles a day, but while walking burns calories and helps strengthen your heart, it really doesn't do much for muscle tone, and, if you remember my post "Strength Training - the Necessary Evil", you'll remember that muscle burns more calories than fat. So, I still have to find a way to strengthen my muscles. Back in the day, I would go out to the garage and use our power rack to bench press and do barbell squats and lat-pulldowns, but we sold it, so that's no longer an option. Plus, I'm betting most people don't have a power rack in their garage. So, I developed this routine for myself that uses your own body weight and requires nothing but your body and a floor.

Typically, you should focus on one body part per workout when strength training, like your arms, or your legs, or your back, to give each muscle group time to recover before you stress them again, but this routine doesn't put too much strain on them, so it's a full-body workout. I still recommend waiting a day between workouts if you're sore.

The system is easy. It consists of 7 exercises, and for each exercise (except the last one), you do 4 sets of 25 reps. So, basically, you're doing 100 reps of each exercise. The final exercise is holding a pose, so you only do 3 reps. I know it sounds like a lot, but you don't have to do it all together. You can spread it out however you like throughout the day, but the more you do at one time, the more you'll get your heart rate up, and the more beneficial the workout will be. If I do them all together, it takes about 20 minutes.

EXERCISE 1: Kneeling Push-ups (works your arms).  4 sets, 25 reps/set

If you're strong enough to do them correctly, you can do real push-ups, but I stick with kneeling, or girly-style of you prefer. I'm hoping that by the time I'm strong enough to do 200 kneeling push-ups, I'll be strong enough to do 1 real push-up.

To do a kneeling pushing, get on the ground on your hands and knees. With your arms straight, lengthen your body, so that your legs and back form a straight line, and your arms are straight out under your chest, perpendicular to the floor. Lift your toes off the ground and balance your lower body on your knees. Bend your elbows and lower your body until your arms form a 90 degree angle and your chest almost touches the ground. Pause, push yourself back up and re-straighten your arms. That's one rep. Continue to 25 reps to complete your first set.

EXERCISE 2: Crunches (works your core) 4 sets, 25 rep/set

Lie on the ground on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Put your hands behind your head. This is your starting position. To perform a crunch, using your abdominal muscles, lift your head and neck until your shoulder blades are off the ground. Pause, then lower back down to the starting position. This is one rep. Continue to 25 reps to complete a set.

EXERCISE 3: Oblique Crunches (works your core and helps tone up your love-handles) 4 sets, 25 reps/set

Lie on the ground in the crunch starting position.Perform a crunch, but as you raise up, bring your left knee and right elbow as close together as you can. Lower back to start and repeat with right knee and left elbow. That's one rep. Continue to 25 reps for a set.

EXERCISE 4: Reverse Crunches (works core, specifically lower abs) 4 sets, 25 reps/set

To perform a reverse crunch, lie on the ground on your back. Place hands behind your head. Rather than putting your feet on the floor, bend your legs at a 90 degree angle, so that your calves are parallel to the floor. This is your start position. To do the crunch, keep your shoulders on the ground and pull your legs into your chest as much as you can. Return to start. This is one rep. Continue to 25 reps for a set.

EXERCISE 5: Body Weight Squats (works thighs and gluts, a must-have exercise if you want a curvy booty) 4 sets, 25 reps/set

To perform a squat, stand straight up with your feet planted firmly below you, shoulder-width apart. Put your hands on your hips. Stick out your butt and arch your back. Keeping your chest straight and staring straight ahead, bend your knees and lower your body until your knees form a 90 degree angle. Be careful not to push your knees out past your toes. Push your hips forward to stand back up. (This puts less strain on your knees.) That's 1 rep. Continue to 25 reps for a set.

EXERCISE 6: Body Weight Close Squats (works your thighs and calves) 4 sets, 25 reps/set

To perform a closed body weight squat, stand straight with your heels together and your toes angled slightly away from each other, like the ballet stance. With your back straight, bend your knees and lower your body until the backs of your thighs almost touch your calves. Use your hips to push forward and stand back up. This is 1 rep. Continue to 25 reps for a set.

EXERCISE 7: Planks (works your core) 3 reps, try for 30 seconds/rep

Planks are rough, but they strengthen your core like nothing else. For this exercise, you're holding a position for a designated amount of time, so you're only going to do it 3 times. For each rep, try to hold it for 30 seconds. To perform a plank, lie on the ground on your stomach. Plant your toes into the ground, like you're bracing to do a real push-up, but rather than straightening your arms, you want to brace yourself on your elbows with your hands under your chin. Dig your toes in and lift your body off the ground, so that your back is perfectly flat and all of your weight is balanced between your toes and your elbows, tighten your abs and start counting. Since all of your weight is being held up by your core, your abs should be on fire and your whole body should start shaking as you go on. This is normal! Count to 30, then lower back to the ground. That's one rep. Rest and do this two more times.

So, there it is - my full-body "I'm not leaving the house" workout. I hope you use it and I hope you like it. If you do it a couple times a week, you should notice a difference in your tone pretty quickly. As you get stronger, add more sets or more weight. You can hold dumbbells or a barbell during squats or place a medicine ball on your stomach during crunches.

Taking the Stress Out of the Holidays

I typically hate the holiday season. From Thanksgiving through New Year's, I'm one tied up ball of stress, ready to snap at any moment. Christmas music makes me cringe, because it does nothing but remind me that the season is coming. Rather than enjoy the best parts of the holidays, the time with family, the smells (oh my goodness, do I LOVE holiday smells), the beautiful decorations, etc., I find myself instead  running to the nearest computer to check my bank account and figure out just how fast our hard-earned savings is going to disappear. Between Thanksgiving dinner, my sister's birthday and the mountains of Christmas presents for everyone we know, by the time New Year's rolls around, I'm begging for our tax return. 

Even things that should be enjoyable, like spending time with family are stressful. My husband works a lot during the holiday season, and my in-laws all have crazy schedules, so planning any kind of celebration is always last minute. I'm one of those people who can't function unless I have everything planned out weeks, if not months, in advance, and I typically don't know what we're doing for Thanksgiving until the week of. It drives me insane. Then, if I have to cook at my house, nothing ever seems to go right. The food doesn't come out the way I want it, I spend tons of time on a new dish and no one even tries it, or I go way overboard and end up eating leftovers for the next six months. 

My biggest problem is with holiday shopping. I'm a gift whisperer. I apply so much effort to selecting the perfect gift for everyone on my list that it drives my husband crazy, especially after they open it. If they don't look absolutely ecstatic, I feel like I failed and I'm depressed for days. And, although I know it's not fair, I kind of expect the same effort out of others, even though whenever someone asks what I want, I always say, "nothing." Like most men, my husband doesn't think about things like gifts, so every year, we go through the same argument. He asks what I want, and I tell him I want him to apply some effort and think of something, or else I'll just pick it out myself. I'm sure he'd prefer if I did. Picking out our daughter's gifts isn't any easier. I tell him what we're getting her, he says she won't like it and he'll pick something, which he never gets around to, so I just end up getting what I had originally picked. Gift giving is an awful painful process. 

As you can see, I get a little crazy at holiday time and that much stress is never good, not for your health and not for your soul. Last year, I eased my holiday stress by making homemade gifts for pretty much everyone on my list. I bought tins and baked and baked and baked, then loaded everyone up with enough baked goods to last them all year. Not only did it save lots of money, but it required much less effort on my part. It's a lot easier to bake than scour stores and the internet for the perfect gifts.

This year, I'm tackling a stress-free Thanksgiving. Since my husband works as a retail manager, he has to be at work at 10:30 Thanksgiving night, so I've already put my foot down and decided that I'm not doing a big family Thanksgiving. He's going to sleep until dinner time, then get up, eat and head to work. There really isn't time to go visit family or even visit with them at our house. Since neither he nor I are huge on the tradition of turkey, stuffing, etc., I saved a lot of money by not buying a turkey (he wanted ham anyway). I went to the store and found an individual packaged huge slice of ham that's just enough for the two of us, with no leftovers. Then I'm making green bean casserole, which is the only holiday food I care about, biscuits and for dessert, since we each like different kinds of pie, I picked up a couple individual serving pies from the freezer section, berry for him and pecan for me. Our daughter's three, so she'll just pick at what's available.We still get our "Thanksgiving Dinner", but it'll take me all of about 45 minutes to throw together. Plus, with all the money I saved, I get to have mulled wine AND champagne with cranberries - to unwind just in case any tension does manage to creep in. :) I'm sure the in-laws will be sad, but this will be one pleasant Thanksgiving for me!

Giving Up Sodas

If you've read any "how to lose weight" articles lately, then you know people everywhere are harping on the necessity of breaking with the soda habit. I read somewhere recently that drinking even one soda a day can raise your chances of obesity by up to 65%. I don't know if that're true or not, but what I DO know is that every soda you drink adds 200-300 calories to your daily caloric count. You'd have to run for 30 minutes straight to burn that off.

Diet sodas may not have the calories, but the sweeteners in them confuse your body and trigger it to think that you're hungry when you're not. Plus, just like white sugar, artificial sweeteners just aren't good for you. They weaken your teeth and bones, and it's best just to stay away from them.

I used to be a religious Diet Dr. Pepper drinker. I never really drank a lot of soda, but I had to have my one Diet Dr. Pepper everyday, and I'd probably had that ritual since high school. Then, about six months ago, I decided to kick the soda habit for good. In that endeavor, I realized something. I don't think it's the taste or the caffeine in the sodas that we crave. I think it's the carbonation. Sure, when a craving hit, I could imagine the phantom taste of that magical drink on my tongue, but even when that faded I still craved the soda.

I decided that I needed to replace my sodas with something else that didn't have any of the negative aspects that I was trying to get rid of. That led me to sparkling water. I've NEVER been able to stand the taste of mineral water, but I knew that if I could flavor the water, then it would essentially be a healthy version of soda. So, what do you add to disgusting sparkling water to make it taste good? Juice!

As a rule, I don't drink juice, because it's typically full of sugar and calories and it's healthier just to eat fruit, but a splash of juice wouldn't throw off my whole diet. Just find a juice that you like, but make sure it's 100% juice, not a juice blend or cocktail. I found that I really love the pomegranate-blueberry juice that Minute Maid makes. So I started replacing my daily soda with sparkling water + a splash of juice and I found that not only is it just as tasty and refreshing, but it has no added sugar or caffeine and a fraction of the calories. I even got my husband hooked on them.

We've both been soda-free for six months now. About a month ago, I actually took a sip of a soda and I didn't even like it anymore. It was too sweet for my taste. So, if you decide to kick sodas and need an alternative, take my advice and just try my replacement. It really does work. Now, if only I could get my daughter to drink it... but lucky for me, she's just as happy with plain water as sodas. For now, anyway.

Fitocracy is Where It's At

A few weeks ago, I read an article about how video gamers excel at fitness, because the same skills that are required to be a great gamer, are needed to stick to and reach fitness goals (the example they used was Vin Diesel who was an avid Dungeons and Dragons player). The article introduced two guys, who were gamers-turned-bodybuilders, and a website they had created - Fitocracy.com.

Fitocracy is a points-based "game" of sorts, where you get points for each exercise that you log. The harder the exercise and the more you challenge yourself, the more points you get for it. Your points are accumulated to help you "level up." There are also quests you can do for additional bonus points, like "Do 50 crunches at the end of your workout" and achievements you can unlock for really pushing yourself. For $4.99/month, you can become a Fitocracy Hero, which allows you early access to new content and the ability to earn titles, which you should be familiar with if you've ever played a game like World of Warcraft.

Fitocracy is really geared for people who thrive on competition, as it allows you to not only compete against yourself, by highlighting personal records, but allows you to compete against others in the Fitocracy community. There's even a Leaderboard for bragging rights. Statistically, people are more successful at fitness plans when they have someone to workout with (which is part of why I never stick to one), so when your friends join, you have the feeling of workout buddies, even if you aren't physically together when you exercise. You can still tabs on one another's activities and give encouragement when needed.

For those who lose focus easily, it helps to have the smaller goals of a quest or a new level to target. For those who are just starting out or lack confidence in their workouts, there is a social platform that allows you to make notes on your exercises and recieve feedback from your followers. It's a great way to tap the knowledge of people with more experience than you.

The site is still in beta mode right now, so joining is strictly by invitation only until they get all of the bugs worked out. I was invited by a friend a few days ago, and I'm already hooked. I'm an admitted workout procrastinator, but now I literally wake up every morning ready to knock out some squats or pushups and start accumulating my points for the day. Throughout the day, I find myself looking for quick things I can do to rack up more points. I never would have thought I'd be this motivated to exercise. The game turns working out from a chore to an accomplishment for the day. And even though I'm far from new at the fitness game, I find myself scanning the database of different exercises (which is pretty extensive and contains instructions for how to do each one) looking for new moves that I've never tried. I also love that the Fitocracy community is so diverse. The members range from elite athletes to couch potatoes.

This is the first time I've ever been this excited about fitness, and definitely the first time I've ever really wanted to shout a recommendation from the rooftops. The site is amazing and I'm so glad that it exists. If anyone's interested in checking it out, the URL is http://www.fitocracy.com/ . You can sign up to be notified when the site goes public. I also have a few invitations left, so if you'd like one, just send me an email and I'll shoot you one if they're still available. My email is kim.graydiaz@gmail.com .

I'm BAAAACK!

I know I've been on a long hiatus, and I apologize for that. I just lost focus for a bit, because things were not going as I had hoped. Despite my clean diet and plenty of exercise, I hadn't lost any weight since March and I didn't really feel like I could share any advice that wasn't working for me.

A couple months ago, I started to notice that my temper was getting bad. I'm normally pretty even-keeled, but my fuse seemed to be getting shorter by the day. I was easily irritated and feeling depressed. Then I noticed that my thought process seemed to be slowing down, along with my reflexes. I started looking into seeing a therapist, but when I started GAINING weight, which shouldn't have even been possible, I knew there was something physically wrong with me.

I did some research online, and I came across a forum where a guy listed a ton of symptoms, most of which matched mine, and asked if it could have something to do with his thyroid. I knew that my dad suffered from a thyroid disorder, so I called him to ask what his symptoms were. My dad actually has hyperthyroidism, which means that his thyroid is overactive, which makes his metabolism overactive and he loses weight very quickly. He said he was pretty sure I had hypothyroidism, or an underactive thyroid, which apparently, my grandmother and my uncle both suffer/suffered from.

I made an appointment with a clinic to get my thyroid levels checked, and sure enough, I have hypothyroidism. My body was using twice as much T4 hormone, which the hormone that controls your metabolism, as it should have been and it wasn't creating any of the T3 hormone, which controls things like your mental faculties, mood, sex drive and cell turnover (so my hair and nails were thinning and my skin was looking rough). So, for the last few months I've been on medication and the doctor's been playing guess-and-check with my dosage, until finally, over the last 2 weeks, I've started to feel like my old self again. Now I feel like I'm back to the land of the living and I can continue experimenting and dishing out my awesome know-how! Lucky you. ;)

Family Meal

I know that, at not even 3 years old, my daughter is young and there's a lot that I shouldn't start stressing about until later on, but I already worry about what kind of school she should attend, what her behavior will be like as a teen, and whether sneaking vegetables into her food will cause life-long resentment. I also worry about the fact that we rarely ever have family mealtime. I hear all the time about the importance of family mealtime to a child's well-being. Studies show that teens who eat with the family 3-4x a week are less like to drink, do drugs, develope eating disorders or suffer from depression or suicidal thoughts. They're more likely than their non-familytime peers to maintain good grades, have strong friendships and delay sex. So, I suffer with the guilt of worrying whether letting my daughter eat in the living room is going to turn her into a teenaged boozy, druggy delinquent. It's not that I don't like family mealtimes, my family ate dinner together every night. It's just that with her age and my husband's unpredictable work schedule, it's hard to get everyone together at a decent time. I typically feed her earlier in the evening, then I cook myself something, and my husband eats whenever he feels like it.

Plenty of families have the same predicament. So how do you implement family mealtimes when everyone's schedule is so whack-ado? ... I don't know. That's why I'm asking you. I guess I could feed Alex a little later and eat with her at the table. It's not quite "family time", but it's 2/3 of it. Maybe I could bring the dog in too...

Another problem with family mealtime in our house, is that we all have different diets. I've tried everything to figure this one out. When I was doing my weightloss challenges with my group, the biggest obstacle that a lot of the women had in eating right, was that their husbands weren't onboard with the idea, so they were forced to cook to their husband's preference, rather than their own. I told them that my rule was, "If you don't want to eat what I cook, then you can provide for yourself." Apparently, that doesn't work for everyone. I guess a lot of husbands are scarier than mine. It also only worked in my house for a little while. I still had to make a separate meal for Alex, because even if she could cook for herself, I don't trust her with most cooking utensils, and her meals would consist of fruit snacks and juice boxes. And I quickly found out that Nate can rack up quite the fast food bill. From a monetary standpoint, it wasn't my best policy. Fortunately, he's now trying to eat a little healthier, and even though he's on a pretty strict diet, it's done in a way that I can find a compromise. I cook for him, and then tweak the food a little to suit my lifestyle. For example, last night, he was on a "no carb" day, so he made ribeye steaks. Ribeye is a really fatty cut of meat, so instead of eating a whole steak, I cut a few slices off of one of his (Yes, I just said one of his. He ate two.) and made a ribeye salad for myself. Then, I didn't have to cook two separate dinners.

Since we cooked one dinner together last night, my husband and I were actually able to eat at the same time. Normally, Nate always eats at the dining room table, only by himself. By the time I eat dinner, Alex is usually done with her's and wants me to eat in the living room, while she watches her evening movie. Last night, however, she seemed to be content with what she was doing, so I set the table for the both of us. No sooner had we sat down, then Alex came into the dining room to see what was going on. Instead of whining for me to go join her on the couch, she went back to the living room, came back her plate of peanut butter toast, set it on the table, climbed up into a chair and proceeded to eat dinner with us. I think it was our first family dinner that didn't take place in a restaurant. And it was nice. Maybe instead of worrying about bringing family mealtime to my family, my family will bring mealtime to me.

Recipe Wednesday - Lizzie Symon's Granola

Chef Michael Symon raves about his wife, Lizzie's, granola, and apparently he got a lot of requests for the recipe, so he posted it recently on The Chew's facebook page. I've always liked granola, especially on yogurt, but I've never really loved granola. Typically, granola's very fattening and heavy-handed in the calorie area, so I've avoided eating much of it. Lizzie's recipe does contain a bit of fat, in the form of nuts and olive oil, but it's all very heart-healthy fats, and since breakfast should be a hearty combination of all of the macronutrients (fat, protein and carbs) this recipe is a great way to start your day! Just don't overdo it. It's very filling, so a cup of granola with a little skim milk is surprisingly satisfying. Plus, the flavor is awesome. It's the perfect mix of sweet and salty. I'll give you fair warning though - it's extremely addicting!

Lizzie Symon's Homemade Granola

Ingredients:
4 cups rolled oats
2 cups unsweetened coconut
2 cups almonds
1 cup cashews
3/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup honey
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp kosher salt

Toss together to coat and bake on sheetray at 350 for 30 minutes or until golden. Let cool completely in pan. Add 2 cups of dates and dried cherries & serve or store in airtight container and add dried fruit to order.

NEW - Just announced today, (05/22/12) you can pre-order Michael's new book, "Carnivore" for almost 1/2 off! 

Don't forget to check out my entertaining new ebook, "What Does That Even Mean?!: A Navigational Guide to Understanding the Health Hype" - available at the Kindle Market for just $3.99! 

Purchase it HERE