Dear Coffeemate, It's Over.

I once claimed that sugar-free Coffemate was my one guilty indulgence. Well guess what, 3 months later and I'm done. In my quest to clean up my diet, I had to quit the hydrogenated oil. Coffee became a bit of a challenge for me because I have to admit, I'm addicted to coffee and I like it a little sweet. I didn't want to use refined white sugar so I started using turbinadosugar. I compensated for the addition of more daily sugar grams in my coffee with eating bread with lower sugar grams. Pretty easy. But mostly I have decided that I like the flavor of coffee with just milk or cream in it. I buy good coffee and brew it nice and strong. Its pretty darn tasty. I don't miss the syrupy, sweet and fake taste of the creamer I used to spend a few hundred dollars a year on at all! (By the way, I do not endorse the Sugar in the Raw brand, I just figured it was recognizable to most people since it is served in restaurants. I actually use the Trader Joe's brand. Of course.)

Rethink That Bottle of Water

Water is good for you. Since our bodies are nearly 60% water, it is important that we replenish it constantly to keep all of our organs functioning. It is necessary to keep flushing out the bad stuff. Externally, regular consumption of water keeps your skin clear and youthful...and bathing in it keeps you clean, swimming in it is not only a form of fitness but relaxation as well.

The original idea behind bottled water was great. I have to admit, when sales of bottled water became widespread, I started to drink more water than I ever had before. I am the first to admit I am a sucker for convenience. But now, with more plastic water bottles  than we know what to do with overflowing in landfills and zillions more waiting to be recycled, the fact is they are just becoming a nuisance. The photo above is of the Great Garbage Patch in the Pacific Ocean. It is the size of the state of Texas, filled with 3.5 tons of trash (a lot of it plastic bags, bottles, jugs, etc.) and is located between Hawaii and San Francisco. I hate pollution, and that is a whole other issue...littering is the ultimate disrespect for our environment and pollution is just littering on a larger, corporate-sanctioned scale. But, I digress.

Doesn't it seem silly to buy water when you think about it?  You buy plastic bottle, to ingest a single serving of the contents, and toss it.  Seems kind of costly and wasteful, doesn't it? My husband was a bottled water devotee and slowly but surely I have converted him. Take note, I am not a bottle nazi. Of course when we have parties we buy some bottled water for the convenience of our guests. But by and large we avoid it on a daily basis. We have a water filtration system at our house, and I love the filtered water and enjoy the taste. I refill my aluminum water bottle constantly and take it to work with me every day.  But even if you don't have access to a permanent filtration system, you can buy a Brita filter in pitcher form that you can keep on your countertop or in your refrigerator. Just stopping to think about what you are doing before you buy a bottle of water can help save our environment. I leave you with this: A bit of every piece of plastic that was ever manufactured still exists, because it does not naturally decompose. the plastic that has been broken down by incineration releases toxic chemicals into the air which is no better alternative. Please stop drinking bottled water.

Back In the Driver's Seat!

To a certain extent we all have control over what we eat. But if you're like me, if there are temptations to be had, the temptations will be had. I have always been really good about not buying junk to have around the house. I figure if its not there, I'm not going to go through the trouble to seek it out, and there are plenty of opportunities to eat treats and goodies at any number of the family parties, holidays, birthday parties we go to several times a month.

For the last several months I had been at a job that had me driving around a lot and being constantly on he go made it hard for me to bring a lunch to work. Not only was it expensive, but many times I was not eating the healthiest of options. "Lunch" wasn't just my mid-day meal but became an escape from the fact that I was really starting to hate my job, and something to look forward to with my co-workers whose company I did really enjoy. When I had started this blog, we were all pumped up for an office weight-loss challenge, but then some changes that the company made to our job put us all in a tailspin. Suddenly we were stressed, and unhappy and our routines had all been turned upside down. Needless to say I became truly miserable. I started slacking off on my workouts because sometimes I just couldn't get motivated. Sure I was still working out fairly regularly, but stopped pushing myself as hard as I could have,  and comforted myself with extra helpings of food.

I had always read magazine articles about eating and depression, eating and anxiety, eating and stress. I guess I can consider myself lucky that I never really experienced this until I was almost 40 years old. Ugh, I can tell you I did not like it. I knew I was doing it but was so unhappy I didn't care. Thank goodness I had recently started cutting way back on sugar in my diet, because I didn't put on very many pounds. But my body did change and I am dedicated to bring the old me back!

 I have a new job and I am SO happy to be in a positive, motivating and  respectful environment.  I am thrilled that I am more in control of what I eat throughout the day. Its a small office with a refrigerator and microwave and I have been bringing my lunch to work. Easy on the pocketbook AND on the waistline. It is a win-win! I have already added 2 extra workouts to my first week on the new job, and see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Support Our Troops: A Few Good Girl Scout Cookies

I have got to say that I have radically changed my normal every day eating habits of late, eschewing white flower and refined sugar for whole wheat products and only natural sugars. I have eaten meat all of my life, and won't ever quit - but have incorporated more vegan meals into my repertoire. Its been great...I feel better, leaner and healthier!

Unfortunately, the last couple weeks my willpower has failed me. I am trying not to view what I am doing as a "diet" per se (since I hate counting calories and weighing myself compulsively), but merely a change in the way I eat. Typically not much willpower is required to eat good, healthy, clean foods. But then some really sweet little girl came to my door selling Girl Scout cookies and naturally I couldn't say no. I love what they do and what they stand for and am all about supporting them. Just a couple boxes, I said. I figured I would take them over to my weekly family dinner at my Grandpa's house and let everyone else eat them.

It had been a year since I had a Samoa, Tagalong, or Dosi-do. I wondered if they still tasted like I remembered them. The boxes sat staring at me from the counter and I figured, "What is the harm in one? Ok, two?" I think I drew the line at 4, which really wasn't bad. I did as I said and that night took the cookies to my Grandpa's and fortunately was free of them, after eating a few more to make sure I had no regrets.

Then a couple days later my husband comes home after running errands. The troops got to him too. He was at the store and bought another box or two. I even bought a couple boxes from my co-worker who's daughter is a Girl Scout. It would be several days before we went to Gramp's again. In a moment of weakness I opened a box. By the time Sunday dinner rolled around again there were 2 boxes left to bring over. Its a good thing we have a lot of people in and out of our house because I can safely convince myself that I was not the only one who ate them. (I hope).

I just had the last 3 Dosi-dos in the house. I happily enjoyed my little afternoon sweet treat with no regrets. I am going running tomorrow and am ready to start with a clean slate! Summer is coming, which means bathing suits...step away from the cookies! ;)

My Health Essential: A Workout Buddy!

There may be some really self-motivated people out there who can always eat healthy and work out like fiends without the support and encouragement from any family or friends. I would tend to say most of us need someone to lean on...not in the way that we are making panic calls at 2 a.m. to keep us away from the ice cream in the freezer, but just a friend to check in with and keep us on the right path.

I am so lucky to have a girlfriend that lives about 10 minutes away that is that person for me. We get together about 3x per week for some type of fitness activity (running, hiking or walking). About once each winter we try to hit the slopes together and enjoy snow skiing, as we have for about 20 years. During our runs and hikes we always talk to each other about what has been going on, including what we've been eating and other exercises we have done outside of what we do together.

Does this sound boring to you? I guess I can see how it possibly would but for me, she is a lifesaver! Its fun to discuss skin care, recipes, yoga, weight gain/loss, green living and general health. As we start our 40's there are things we need to keep an eye on that we never have before. We are at the age where we are having mammograms (well I haven't had my first one yet, but I plan to soon)and having conversations about people we know with cervical and breast cancer, high cholesterol and high blood pressure. We also realize we are in the critical years for retirement savings. We motivate each other, but also keep each other informed on the latest health news.

I guess we are getting older and more responsible than ever now, so these topics are actually interesting to us. We appreciate each other and the fact that we are both fitness and health focused. Not calorie counting maniacs discussing the latest diet craze, but friends who try to get together to work out as often as possible and support each other in our healthful endeavors. We talk about plenty of other things too, my kids, her cats, politics, restaurants we love, wine and cocktails.

Having a network of some sort helps to keep you in check. It can even be a virtual network - a blog you follow, an online weight-watching program, etc. The key is to find support and motivation whatever way you can get it, in a way that gets you moving in the right direction.