Jawbone-UP

I got a new fitness gadget for Mother's Day!  The Jawbone UP and I love it!  So much fun information!  It goes along the free UP app on my iPhone and it syncs with other apps I use like MyFitnessPal and MapMyFitness.  It tracks my food, my sleep and how much I move each day.

This technology stuff is really taking off.  It blows my mind sometimes.  :)

You set goals for yourself.  You set a goal for how much you want to sleep (my goal is 7 hours a night) and how many steps you take during the day (my goal is 10,000 steps).  The bracelet you wear around your wrist holds all of this information and then you can plug it into your iPhone and you get all of this fabulous information.

It is addicting!  They recommend syncing it 2 times a day, but I do it A LOT more just to see where I am at any point during the day.

My Goals for the day

On the home screen, you can see an overview of my goals for sleep, activity and food.  Then it is broken down by goal.














This is an overview of my activity.  You can see the 2 huge spikes are when I worked out before work and again at lunch.  Then after work, I took the dog on a walk and it was logged as the little walking guy on the bar graph shows.

           

Information about my activity levels

 You can see my sleep patterns as well.  You can see when I was in light sleep and deep sleep.  It can even show you when I got out of bed to go to the restroom in the middle of the night (the orange line.)

                                                                    

                                                                                            My sleep patterns (how does it know??)

I highly recommend the Jawbone Up.  It keeps all of your fitness information in one app, which I LOVE!  The bracelet also comes in many color choices.  

As always, let me know if you have any questions!  I am happy to try to help in any way!

Strong is the New Skinny...

I have been thinking about how I used to struggle to be skinny when I was younger.  I don't think I was ever happy with the shape I was in.  I was always one of the tallest girls.  I am 5 feet 11 inches, now.  Growing up, people would say, "She is so tall and has high cheek bones.  She could be a model."  HA!  Comparing myself to the models I saw in my magazines, I would never be able to be like them.  I tried.  When friends would say how much they weighed, I would always just say I didn't know.  I would NEVER be able to be the 120 pounds that they were.  Even at my skinniest, I felt terrible.  I was always hungry.  I was grumpy.  I was tired.  I was UNHEALTHY.

These are all problems that almost every teenage girl goes through.  They look at the magazines and the TV shows and the movies and aspire to be like them.  Uggg, it is the worst.

Now, I work out 5-6 days a week and most of the time it is when the kids are at school.  I wake up and put on my workout clothes every school day.  They know I am going to workout when they leave.  My seven year old daughter asked me the other day why I worked out.  She asked me if I thought I needed to lose weight.  Thinking before I spoke, I told her no.  I worked out to be strong and healthy.  Do I think that response is going to change her outlook on herself when she is older?  No, but I think it is important to teach this to kids at an early age.  So maybe what you say is louder than what the media says.

I am 38 years old.  I am in the best shape of my life.  I am almost never sick.  There is no fad diet.  There is no secret.  It all happens by eating right and exercising.  Who knew that actually works?

I find myself pushing myself everyday to challenge myself.  I can do things now that I never thought I would be able to do a couple of years ago.  I like being strong.

I eat better.  I eat actual food, not food that has been overly processed and full of preservatives....for the most part.  I don't deprive myself.  If I want dessert, I'll have dessert.  It may not be the HUGE dessert that I used to comfort myself with because I wasn't skinny, but I eat a reasonable amount.  :)

I try to instill this same behavior in my kids.  Food is fuel.  Would it be yummy to eat dessert all day?  Totally!  Would it make you sick?  ABSOLUTELY!  Just eat a balanced diet and go run and play!  Unplug from the tv, ipad, computer....Go DO something!

Phew!  Moral of the story....Strong is healthy, confidence boosting, and beautiful.

STRONG IS THE NEW SKINNY!  Spread the word!

Food of the week: Fold it SOFT PRETZEL!!!

Who doesn't LOVE a soft pretzel?  Look at this!  It is a Fold it (from the makers of Flat Out) for your sandwich!  It is only 100 calories and 6 grams of protein!  It is so yummy!  Enjoy this soft pretzel sandwich with your favorite sandwich fixings.  You won't regret it!

Food of the week: UNREAL

Maybe I have been watching too many food documentaries.  I have been taking a hard look at processed foods.  There are far too many processed foods in the world and I am trying to be more cognizant of the foods that I put in my body and my family.  Now, I know I won't be one of those people who will cut all processed foods out of my diet but I certainly can reduce it.

My kids love M & M's and Peanut Butter cups...heck, who am I kidding?  We all love them.  I came across these little gems and was very pleased with them.  They are kid approved and contain no artificial ingredients, no hydrogenated oil, no corn syrup, no preservatives and no GMOs.  Even the coloring for the candy coated chocolates come from beetroot juice, turmeric root extract and purple cabbage juice.

I wouldn't call them healthy candy, but I can feel good about the fact that my family is eating food and not some Frankenfood.  Give them a try!

Food of the Week: NuttZo

I LOVE peanut butter!  That is no secret.  I have even been known to just pass through the kitchen to get a spoon full of the nutty goodness.  I found Nuttzo at Earth Fare (you can get it at Whole Foods as well).  The Original Blue Label is an Organic Omega-3 seven nut and seed blend.  There's only 2g of sugar  (2T), 50% of your daily value of Omega 3 ALAs (2T), and a complete protein –so eat it right out of the jar (You don't need to tell me twice)!  There is no added sugar or hydrogenated oils and it is also vegan and kosher.  

NuttZo Original for 2Tablespoons

There are 3 different kinds of Nuttzo.  The Original Blue label that has Peanuts, Cashews, Almonds, Hazelnuts, Brazil Nuts, Sunflower Seeds,  Flax Seeds and sea salt.  The peanut free red label kind has Almonds, Cashews, Brazil Nuts, Pumpkin Seeds, Chia seeds,  Flax Seeds, Hazelnuts, and sea salt.  There is also Chocolate Nuttzo!  It has Peanuts, chocolate chips (organic cocoa liquor, organic cane sugar, organic cocoa butter, organic cocoa powder), Cashews, Almonds, Brazilian Nuts, Sunflower Seeds, Flax Seeds, Hazelnuts, and Sea Salt.


I just want you to know that this stuff is not cheap.  At $12.99 for a 16 oz, I still think it is worth it.  I'm not making sandwiches with it.  I'll eat it with apple slices after a workout or as a snack in some celery. It is really delicious.  Give it a try!

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Apple Cider Vinegar

Before every meal I have been having a full glass of water with a couple of tablespoons of Bragg Apple Cider Vinegar to aide in digestion.  It is rich in vitamins and minerals, eases digestion and washes toxins from the body.

If you feel like you are coming down with a cold, add it to your water and drink it 3 times a day.  It is an immunity booster.  I have read that it helps with lice, warts, and reverse aging.  There are so many uses for ACV.  What are some ways that you use it?