Artslim, weight, life, health management.

 
Turning Points. 02/21/2010
 
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I have had a few in my life.
Each one beginning, at a low in my life or a point where I felt I was stalling. Lows and stalls are wonderful spring boards to success. Each one kick starting a goal, a strong motivation an action plan that then sparked the daily to do actions that has set me off onto a new positive path that has brought me not only to but beyond the goal I was seeking.

Some of these turning points only seem to be small ones, when I begin them. Some have been start stops, some are start and all go. J. 

My current start in the 12WBT feels so very right , so very perfectly timed for me, here at half way through my own body transformation journey and wanting to work with people who will stimulate me to reach my full physical fitness potential.

I blogged about my turning point from three years ago, in my Life Inspiration blog, 'Bloggers Muse'

I am now ready for the new body transformation in 2010 :-).
Will you be doing a body transformation too?
What was your turning point?

 
 
Goal Setting. 02/20/2010
 
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I wrote out my one-month, three month, six month and twelve month goals last night and how I intended to achieve them. So this morning’s motivational thought for the day, appealed to me

"It is our choices...that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities" - J. K. Rowling

Tips for setting and achieving your goal.

You goal must be something you desire. Drinking 8 glasses of water is an action not a goal unless water was a hard to achieve commodity and you crave drinking 8 glasses.

Please try to find goals that excite you, things you would want to make an effort to achieve.

Would you work hard to achieve something that is easy to do that you do not actually want to do? 

Know what a Goal Is, do not mistake an action for a goal. I love drinking, water. It comes easy. If you do not like drinking it, it might be a part of your action plan but it is a very weak goal. 

This confusion about what a goal is, accounts for why so many people struggle to achieve goals. So it will help you to read up on how to set goals, not from people who are not achieving them, but from the experts.  There are many experts in this field.


Your Goal needs to be specific. Losing weight or running is not a specific goal, How much weight and in what time frame, How far, fast or for how long do you want to be able to run and when do you plan to be able to do this? Be very clear about what it is you want to achieve,

Your goal must be believable to you. Yes I believe I can achieve goal weight. No I do not believe I could ~ or should run a marathon.  I set my 12 months goal to passing my next bone density scan with at the very least no further deterioration and hopefully a drug free, all natural with diet and exercise, improvement in my bone density, I believe this can be achieved.

The Goal must be achievable. I cannot expect to achieve the looks and weight I was at age 21, lol, J, I’ll settle for feeling 21, J ~ when better than that, I’ll be a healthy and fit feeling 21 again J. I have already achieved greater health and fitness than I ever had before in my life. At 63 I am my fitness exceeds anything I knew in my youth.

You must know how you are going to achieve your goal.

You must have an action plan so you can see how it will be, achieved.

You must have a To Do List.  Write in your diary, ahead of time, those actions you will be doing to achieve the goal you set. These are appointments with yourself, appointments you commit and promise yourself that you are not going to break, short of serious emergencies.  If you do not do this step, you know you will falter, you will have times when ‘you can’t be bothered or make excuses that you are too busy, so write those to do list actions into your diary now. If someone wants you to do something else during that time, you cannot ‘you have an appointment’.

The most important appointment you could have. is the one that takes you to your goal, your realistic dream for you.   I am about to keep my appointment with the swimming pool beside me J.

 

Have a beautiful and active day. 
 
 
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I have had fun setting up my carvan pantry, fridge and freezer this morning before heading out of the suburbs, to Phillip Island where we set up our caravan site beside a solar heated swimming pool in a lovely bushland setting caravan park.

This is my pantry, fridge freezer basics shopping list.


Shopping List
  • Pantry Essentials
    • Anchovies *is not something I would usually buy but my trainer has asked me to stock this, so I have, while doing her program.
    • Canned beans (e.g. red kidney, chickpeas, butterbeans)
    • Canned tomatoes
    • Canned tuna, salmon, sardines
    • Capers
    • Chilli sauce (low sugar)
    • Cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
    • Couscous
    • Dried beans
    • Dried pasta
    • Fresh tomatoes
    • Dried herbs (e.g. mixed herbs, paprika, dried basil, oregano, cinnamon, cumin, nutmeg)
    • Light soy sauce
    • Low-cal hot chocolate powder (make sure there are no trans-fats)
    • Low GI cereal (eg Special K) *is not something I would usually buy but my trainer has asked me to stock this, so I have, while doing her program.
    • Olive oil spray
    • Olives
    • Oyster sauce (msg free)
    • Pepper grinder full of black pepper
    • Rice (basmati or brown)
    • Rolled oats
    • Seeds (e.g. sesame, pumpkin, sunflower)
    • Sesame oil
    • Stock (cartons or cubes – check the sodium content)
    • Sultanas
    • Tomato paste
    • Tomato-based sauces (no added sugar)
    • Untoasted muesli
    • Vinegar for dressing (balsamic, red wine)
    • Whey protein powder *is not something I would usually buy but my trainer has asked me to stock this, so I have, while doing her program.
      apples
      oranges
      bananas
      Fruit in season.
  • Freezer Essentials
    • Free-range, skinless chicken breasts
    • Fish fillets - not the boxed kind! (e.g. white fish, salmon)
    • Lean red meat (e.g. beef fillets, kangaroo fillets, kanga bangers)
    • Frozen peas
    • Frozen berries
    • Multigrain, rye or soy and linseed bread
      onions
  • Measuring Tools
    • Kitchen scales
    • Measuring cup
    • Measuring spoons
  • Fridge Essentials I won’t go into too much detail here as you will be getting your week one shopping list soon and I don’t want your food to spoil. To give you an idea, apart from fresh fruit and vegetables, you will need:

    • Low-cal cottage cheese or ricotta cheese
    • Low-cal (skim) milk or soy milk – high calcium is best
    • Low-cal yoghurt, no sugar
    • Meat for sandwiches
    • Multigrain or soy and linseed bread
    • Parmesan cheese (strong flavoured so you use less)
       Free range eggs
      cellery,
      carrots.
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I add more variety to this, in my weekly shopping, but these items are usually in my caravan pantry

We have just picked up the caravan from caravan court in Springvale where we have it serviced and had a new wind up TV antenna fitted and where we would get any rv repair. Work we need done, completed.  I was amazed at just how much I was able to stack into this pantry cupboard.

I have bought fresh pots of growing herbs, mint and chives and these travel with us to add extra flavour to our meals.

 
 
 
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Balancing my energy needs, when dining out.

I used to eat whatever is served when I dine out and while I do believe that where weight loss is concerned ‘it isn’t how much you eat, but when (when hungry) and how much (portion control), that counts’, when the food I eat is not nutrition dense and it is loaded in refined carbohydrates, I tend to overeat . It is very hard to portion control when food is laden with unseen fats you are not aware of.

So when my youngest daughter asked me to buy Create a Meal, which was frozen vegetables in a sauce to make the stir fry dinner, I bought that for the family meal but I also bought, plain frozen vegetables to cook in the microwave for me to eat instead.

Create a meal-contained sugar, salt and full fat coconut milk powder, and the thickener, 1422 xanthan gum. None of which I normally choose to eat and I cannot see the point of adding to my diet when I only want the vegetables and can add my own fresh spices or low sodium condiments, if I wanted to spice the vegetables up.

The family also had white rice as the meal base. Since I have been portion control aware, I have cut my rice servings from a former copious, one and a half cups to a more realistic for my energy needs, half a cup and I try to eat the most energy dense, whole grain rice, not the polished white rice, so I skipped the rice part of the meal.

Therefore, my own selection of the meal consisted of grilled chicken breast and the crisp micro waved vegetables and I ate it with chopsticks while the family, who are all slim and can afford to eat the extra calories, ate their white rice, sauce coated vegetables and the chicken.

The calorie difference would have been 500 calories. There was 800 calories in the adult serves for the cooked for the family meal and my similar but just the nutrition dense food version of the meal, was only 300 and it was very satisfying.

It was not too conspicuous, a thing to do, to arrive before dinner, bringing my own vegetables for the meal. It was not difficult to heat my vegetables on the side in the microwave, (in fact Reg did this for me while I was blogging J ),  I took my chicken before it was mixed into the sauce mixture and I really enjoyed my dinner, and knowing I was sticking within my energy needs, for the day and not exceeding them.

My youngest daughter is a naturally active person, she walks and rides a bike, works hard, and even takes time to exercise on top if this by using her Wii fit plus. She encourages, healthy activity in her family, her and her husband walk the dog for an hour when he comes home from work most nights and her meals are mostly nutritious.

 I am not as active all day, as she is, so I have a lower energy requirement.  Blogging does not burn up the energy in half a bowl of rice, easily. J.  I felt really pleased, when I woke this morning, knowing I have tidied up this one last, slack eating area in my life, finding a good way to get around, eating out at other people’s homes and not overeating, over consuming energy, in the process.

Here is the convenient one serve size pack of mixed frozen vegetables that I found convenient to bring to the meal, for myself, photographed, on the sink beside the Kohler faucets.

 
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I am 'on tour', so I had my Polar watch that I ordered through my Michelle, Bridges, 12 Week, Body, Transformation, membership discount, sent ahead to my youngest daughter’s home which I have just arrived at. .It was here, waiting for me

Because. I am dyslectic and my husband has frontal lobe brain degeneration, neither of us can work out how to set up these complex function digital heart rate monitor and exercise session, calorie counting, watches. Therefore, I took it to Rebel Sports Store, told them I have been a good customer in the past and asked for help to set my new watch up. They did a total set up for me and showed me how to use it. :-).

The watch had been pre set to a 165 suggested top pulse rate and as I am 63 and lol, did not want to have to get life insurance quote. and upgrades before I worked out, I had the gentleman who was helping me at Rebel Sport reprogram my Polar watch to show 130 as my top recommended pulse rate as I do have regurgitating heart valves, lung scaring and I am sixty three. None of those three reasons are excuses not to exercise but they are examples of why you do need to have a medical check up before exercising and you should find out what your recommended top pulse rate is, and make sure you do not exceed this.  I am all for becoming fitter, not skinnier at any cost.

Here is a link to the suggested Heart Rate Training Zones, if you know your resting heart rate and your suggested top heart rate.

I think this wanting to be fitter, not just skinnier, is why I love the title of the 12 week body transformation. J, the emphasis is on a healthy transformation, not a weight loss, the difference is clear in my mind as I do not want to lose muscle and bone density in order to increase the results on the scales.

 

Top marks to Rebel Sports store, for customer service over and above usual and for a fast service from Polar.

Rebel Sports was very impressed with my FT4, they felt it was better looking that the FT4 they have in the stores, (so do I :-) ) and they said it was the best choice for me, than my origina, more expencive and complex function, Polar, Sports watch as this one was eary to view the training and calories achieved, but was not going to be too complicated for me to be able to use. 
 
 
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As you may have read I have joined the Michelle, Bridges, 12WBT and I am very excited about my fitness plans for 2010, never mind just 12 weeks. I am not waiting until the begining of the 12 weeks not seeing the end of it as the stop, I'm living my life NOW, and loving it. :-) and I am going to 'lap up', all the extra motivation having a professionally managed sensible on line program and forum, can bring me.

I am not knocking the free forums I have been on, it is just that I want, MORE, lol, :-), I am always 'hungry', for expert knowledge and professional motivation. While I LOVE, helping motivate others, I do not want t be the most motivated to exercise or eat healthy person on a forum that I go to for support. It does not help me. I know Michelle is streets ahead of me in the fitness motivation. :-), it is her career and she is one of the best.  This decision feels SO RIGHT for ME :-).

I went into the Forum at 12WBT this morning and first thing I checked out was the Polar Heart rate Monitor post. I have a $25. Cheap one, I bought at Aldi, try as I can, I cannot set it to count calories, and it isnpt warterproof. I want to set myself a target of calories to burn in a work out, and then ...go for it, I also wanted a watch warterproof to 50 meters to allow for swimming and snorkling. 

I took advantage immediately of the 20% discount on the Polar Heart Rate Monitor Watch.

Training with a HR monitor is a fantastic way to accurately track how many calories you have burnt each session as well as see what your heart rate is doing. TBL contestants often wear a HR monitor all day, every day.

I bought this one. F4

For disappearing calories

For you who want to get a fitter body by knowing how many calories you have burned. The small and simple F4 gives you accurate information and motivates you to reach your targets.

  • See how many calories you have burned
  • Get interference-free data with coded heart rate transmission
  • Helps you keep the intensity you want
Price $127.20
I have posted my day's fitness activities and travel update on my 'gone bush blog'.
 
 
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Hi I am Kathy, gray-nomad, ` Highways of Australia'. 

I thought I would introduce myself, I travel, with my best friend and husband Reg, spending summer in Victoria, Mid Year, Northern Australia, mid season, in transit.
- I am a carer, writer and artist. my Creative Life Blog, is at http://www.kathy-shell.net
As this is my fitness blog, I wanted to share here that, - I am dong the Michelle Bridges, 12 Week, Body transformation, (2WBT), because I trust Michelle Bridges not to do crank diets.  I am for whole foods and good nutrition, so I believe in her healthy, food, portion controlled, and attitude and as I am in the lower half of my downsizing journey, I know I will benefit by having a trainer, to account to. I know I shaved 200 calories off, my eating today, after reading the Michelle Bridges books last night. I also got up and exercised in the morning instead of sitting around drinking coffee to wake up. I did not want to do this but I want what doing it will give me. This is what I believe joining this program, will do for me, it will, make me go that extra distance.

- I was very ill up until three years ago, in need of a heart lung transplant as the result of a lifetime, of respiratory illness a stroke and a PE.  I never had that operation, refusing it based on my age, I felt the young should be cared for first and I had had a great life. I now do not need such an operation.  I also needed a lot of joint pain relief , my feet had been broken and my right leg crushed, it was hard to walk and very painful. I frequently fell injuring my knees. I was 'a mess.  I wanted to be the one to care for my husband. I made a commitment to become well. I have succeeded. :-) and also kept my man a lot fitter than any predictions. I believe in Positive Mental Attitude, good nutrition and move it or lose it, even in illness, where it is possible and I have seen some amazing recoveries as a result.

I set out to live. I needed to be carer for my husband and I was not going to make the distance if I did not do something about it, so I began a self set, fitness program of exercise. (When I began I had pain just standing on my feet, let alone moving and was out of breath walking 100 yards), when I began my joyful journey back to health, on 28th January, 2017.          

-          As a writer, I have shared aspects of this journey in my blogs. This helped motivate me too, writing about my journey.
Now I need a professional to help take me to the finish line :-) to my goal weigh, and that is why I have joined the 12WBT, to go the extra distance.

-           I have made huge strides in fitness and weight reduction; I still need to go further in weight reduction and must not take my regained health and fitness for granted.

I am dyslectic. Please excuse my typos.

I have osteoporosis so I will not have the waist of a young woman, nor will BMI be right for me, as my spine has shrunk so make allowances, though not excuses.

 
 
 
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I am aiming for, this size, by the end of 2010, That is me in my thirties.
I just joined the 12WBT’ers J.

These are my pre season tasks.

Introduce: I am about to introduce myself on the forum. My user name is gray-nomad.

Get Real: Time to ‘get real’.  I am full on in my effort MOST days. I do not go far off track when I am, not fully focused. However, because I want to increase the effort I am putting in on developing fitness, I believe, that enlisting the assistance of this professional program will be highly motivational for me.

Set My Goals: I have set my goals. I plan to lose an average 2.5 kilo, every four weeks for as long as I need to.  I set a four-week goal at a time and will strive to not focus on weekly weigh in, as weekly is never a steady rate for me.

Gear Up: I have,  I just bought Michelle Bridges, ‘Crunch Time’, Cook Book and Exercise book and her Australian, calorie counter. I have and still regularly use my Wii Biggest Loser interactive fitness program for Wii and I just increased my efforts to the Intermediate level. 

Tell Someone:  Now I have enrolled in this program with Michelle Bridges as my trainer, I plan to tell everyone who is interested. J.  

Kitchen Makeover: I think even Michelle Bridges would be impressed with my kitchen, lol, o refined carbohydrates or processed foods in my place, my gains are whole grains, my nuts are raw and unsalted. My electronic scales sit on my bench top and I weigh portions to make sure I do not exceed calories.

Organize and Diarize: I made an effort today to pre plan to do my exercise as soon as I woke up and then to do a second session in the afternoon. I made the mistake, of not spending longer, on the warm up, I hurt my back. Nothing serious, I’ll still exercise tomorrow I will just go for a walk first then do the warm up exercises. Indigo our dog is going to LOVE my including a walk with her as a pre warm up routine. J. The only diet supplements. I should need to take will be my Blackmores, Calcium Plus and My Vitamin D 3 in the evening, because of my own diagnosed need for extra of these.

Measure Up:  I have already taken front and side view photos and waist measurements. This will give me a way to measure my achievements. I will add upper arm, thigh, and hips measurements to these.  I need to take my starting weight for the 12 WBT , here I have a dilemma. I get a different weight depending on what scales I weigh on. There is a 6-kilo difference, which scales are correct? I find travelling in caravans make scale measurement very unreliable.  I will use the higher measurement for the 12WBT,  because those are the scales I will take away in the caravan on tour with me. I have started a challenge with friends on the lower measurement. That will be confusing to my friends if I do not explain my scales measure differently.

 
 
 
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I am having a lovely weekend, it is free of any commitments to others and appointments, just Reg, Indigo the dog, and me, doing exactly what we like, in our own time, keeping each other company and enjoying life.

With no commitments, just choosing what I wanted to do, I have chosen a quiet day with the TV on, watching parts of the Winter Olympic Games, blogging, creative writing, a few home chores, the laundry and healthy delicious meals for two, also my  full body workout, which I now feel lazy if I do not do.

It is three weeks since I began my new exercise routine, so I should be through the hard part, it should now be ‘habit’.

I have experimented to try to work out the ideal time plan that is going to allow me to fit in all my busy life activities, when we are travelling between locations. Today I feel I have found the time management formula, I will be able to make work and one that is compatible with the contradictions of my love of sedentary creative arts and my need to be an active, person so I have the fitness level and health I desire

I can see that my current exercise and eating plan is working for me and I know that for me exercise is an incredibly important part of my initial weight loss and latter on, weight management journey. Three years ago, I was unhealthy, morbidly obese and almost very sedentary. I will never be one to exercise for the love of exercise, I LOVE what exercise does for ME and I exercise because I have learned to respect and love myself.

I know for some people, the area in their life they are working on improving is the eating part, and they do not have a problem with being active, and here am I, with no desire whatever to eat chocolate or chips. How different are we?

Certainly, no one fitness plan suits us all. The basics of energy balance remain the same but just as some people clean the skin successfully with little more than water and others have a beauty parlour of brand loyal or assorted creams and lotions, there is no ‘one size fits all’, anything. That is why I always suggest, ‘ask for personal guidance from experts’, in anything your wanting to master.

I took a look, at forum topic about blackhead treatment, about two weeks ago. I left my own advice in there, knowing at the time, mine would not be the usual suggestions. That is just an example of how, what feels right for my face, and what feels right for me to do for my body, may not be a program that is manageable nor desirable, for another.

Each person does, what works, for them.  The only time we need question this, is if what we are doing is not working and then it becomes a case of not continuing to do the same thing we always did and expecting a different result. Sometimes we have to change from what is comfortable, to attain a goal we seek. Sometimes it is even fun to push outside of our comfort zone, try something new, increase activities, and discover, we are getting results after only three weeks as I have just doneJ.  It is fun, when we get to see some results.
 
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Three weeks into my Biggest Loser, interactive full body work out training for the Wii at the begginer level and I am ready to restart at a higher level and I am seeing fantastic results.
I know the differences this week are due to the new exercises, as everything else, my diet, my incidental exercise routine, have remained the same.

Results are showing. Drum roll........I made up for a fluids weight gain last week.......a near unbelievable 5 kilo weight loss this week (I ONLY aim for 640 gram, I am not after fast, I Am after lasting excess fat loss( and I increased my exercise level and duration today, :-) I am reporting this to say 'hang in there' when the scales are crazy and show gains when you know you put in the effort, they are not as accurate as consistent effort is in showing the results, the scales are only 'a tool', not your judge and jury.

Yesterday I was noticing more muscle in my upper arms, this I want, as it will help fill up the area where I am losing excess fat. The other day when drying myself after a shower I saw muscles I had not seen before in my lower legs and lol, I often ‘feel’ the muscles in my butt these days so I know I am working these. The muscle development I am getting is subtle but considering it is only 21 days since I began my biggest loser interactive training workouts, you would think I was on hgh, the change seems so dramatic for me.

The thing that excites me the most is that I can do ‘the plank’ exercise, and the quad stretches, those were beyond my ability a month ago.  

J. Do not pop my bubbleJ, by reminding me I am still a work very much in progress, lol, I want to bask in the glow of having discovered a pair of little bud muscles on my upper arms tonight, J  and it is all, ‘home grown’ lol.