Walking in Circles: Strengthen your Relationship!

Looking for the reusable snack bag giveaway?  Click HERE. 

Every time I go to a bridal shower and am asked to give advice to the newlyweds, I always say:

Go for long walks together.

My husband and I have been doing this for as long as we've known each other. Our first date was roller skating (Hey! We were going around in circles even then!) but since we first got acquainted in the spring and summer we often went hiking on our “dates”. It was cheap, fun, and we got to talk and talk all we wanted without interference.....which cannot be done in a movie theater! What a great way to get to know one another.

We continued going for long walks even after we married and started having a family. Babies and toddlers can be sooooo demanding, but we discovered to our delight that if we put them in a backpack, or stroller, or wagon and started walking..... they were QUIET and we got to talk all we wanted. It was “almost” like being alone.... and we didn't have to pay a babysitter, which we couldn't afford anyway. This was very therapeutic for us as new parents. It might have been the biggest reason we stayed sane and were therefore brave enough to continue having more children! Through the years whenever we could work it into the day, we have gotten outside to go for a walk. Sometimes kids came along with us and sometimes they didn't. Our walks might have been 30 minutes long, or even up to an hour if we had the time to spare.

One great thing about going for a walk was that there were no TV shows or phone calls to interrupt our time together. (This was way before cell phones!) We shared hopes and dreams, made plans, discussed the children, our work, our church assignments and solved numerous problems along the way. Ken pointed out that when we got to have these discussions before bedtime, he enjoyed being able to fall asleep quicker at night! Another bonus was that we both stayed fit and healthy and strong. (You need that when you're raising kids.) We are Empty Nester's now, but we still get outside several times a week just to walk, even though we have an entire house all to ourselves.

Whether you are married or not, I recommend that you take the hand of your significant other and go for a walk. Get away from all the household chores, the media, and even your cell phone. Turn off the ringer! Unless it is the babysitter or your child,

you do not need to answer that call (or Text)!!

Whoever is trying to reach you can wait until you get home.

Remember, walking in circles means you don't have to have a destination. Just start walking, and when half of your allotted time is up, turn around and head back home. Take different routes. Get to know your neighborhood or go find a new one to explore. It doesn't even have to be a fast fitness-type walk. Just stroll. Hold hands. Enjoy the time together.

When we were younger, we sometimes saw elderly couples walking together holding hands, and we'd say, “I hope we will be like that someday”. Well, we're not exactly elderly yet, but we are in our mid-fifties and so far we are just “like that”. It's wonderful. Talk it over with your BEST buddy and make plans today to start walking together. You won't regret it. :)

Across the years
I will walk with you
in deep green forests;
on shores of sand;
and when our time
on earth is through,
in heaven, too,
you will have
my hand.

Sometimes I just need a snack.

Looking for the reusable snack bag giveaway?  Click HERE.

 

Let's talk about snacking.

We all do it.  Some of us more than others.  I find myself raising my hand sheepishly on this one.  Sometimes cooking a "real meal" is the last thing on my mind.  All I want to do is snack.  This recipe is just the right thing for those occasions.

I made this recipe last night to take to our church home community pot luck.  It was nice to have a food option that wasn't chips or brownies, but still not quite as boring as a basic crudite platter....because let's be honest...I really only like my crudites with plenty of dip, so the health benefits sort of get outweighed.  Anyway, here is the recipe.  Quick and easy.

Here is me showing you how much 

I love this stuff:

Oh...and I hope you all still like me after I posted this weirdo picture of myself mid-bite with nasty hair and zero makeup.  I contemplated not putting this up, but for the sake of honesty and being real I decided to keep it up.  Hope you'll still want to be friends with me on my grubby days.

Baked Feta with Marinara

INGREDIENTS:

*1 tsp. fresh lemon juice

*1 tsp. bottled minced garlic (-I chopped mine fresh - personal preference.)

*1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper

*1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes with basil, garlic and oregano drained

*1 (4 oz.) package crumbled feta cheese (I use the reduced fat version, to cut a bit extra and it's just as good.)
*chopped basil (whatever amount your little heart desires)

*32 (1/2 inch thick) slices French bread baguette (about 1 lb.) toasted

DIRECTIONS:

*Preheat oven to 350

*Combine first 4 ingredients.  Sprinkle feta evenly into a 6" gratin dish or small shallow baking dish coated with cooking spray.  Top with Tomato mixture.  Sprinkle basil on top.  

*Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:

*Yield: 16 servings (serving size: 2 bread slices and 2 Tbsp. spread)

Calories: 107

Fat: 2.4 g.

Protein: 4.1 g.

Carb: 16.9 g.

This is delicious and hit the spot.  Perfect for when you're feeling snacky.  Another option would be to spread this on Melba Toast or Rye Krisps which are also good low cal options.  

Hope you're all having a lovely week and making good healthy choices (hopefully you've been making enough for the both of us because my week has been total crap.  Ooops!  There's always tomorrow right?)!

xo

{Lauren}

GIVEAWAY!

(If you're looking for my Week 6 post, it's below this one.)

I've been promising you all a giveaway and now it's finally here!

Reusable snack bags!  

Made by yours truly from recycled grocery bags, these reusable snack and sandwich bags are durable, lightweight, compact, and easy to clean.

We'll be giving away two this time and (if you're good and eat your veggies) we'll be giving away more in the future.

Celery, anyone?

More matters.  Eat your fruits and veggies.

(The little green apple and "veggies" are hand embroidered.)

See?

These snack bags are eco-friendly.  "The Green Sandwich Bag" was made from a produce bag like the one you see here.  A perfect reminder to eat healthy goodies, I think.

They also hold boring sandwiches, if you prefer.

(This is not just two pieces of bread.  This was Bryan's peanut butter and honey sandwich that I borrowed for a minute.)

 

 

 

 

Did I mention these are easy to clean?

 

Just rinse...

...and air dry!

Enough pictures!  On with the giveaway!

The bags up for grabs this time are:

1.) "The Macey's Sandwich Bag"

 

 

 This bag is big enough to fit one regular size sandwich.  And it could be yours.

2.) ONE of "The BYU Bookstore Snack Bag Twins"

 

These bags will hold about one medium apple cut into slices.  Or some fresh cherry tomatoes.  Or some snap peas.

So... want to win?

Just become a follower (if you already are that counts too) and leave a comment saying that you're a follower of The Skinny.  Please also include your e-mail address so I can contact you for your mailing info if you win.

For a second chance to win, add "the Skinny" button to your blog and leave a comment (with your e-mail!) saying you did.  (I'll be checking out your blogs, so no Pinocchio business.)

(If you make a mistake and leave more than one comment for each of your entries please make sure and delete your extra posts.)

That's it!  

*This giveaway is open to our international readers also.*

The giveaway will close midnight (Mountain Time) on 

Tuesday, February 9, 2010.  

I will then put all of the entries into a hat or bucket or cool reusable snack bag or something and pick two winners.  The first one will win the Macey's sandwich bag and the second one will win the BYU Bookstore snack bag.

Good luck everybody!

*Note: I have done some research online to try and find out if this material is food-safe and I have not yet been able to find any information on it.  If you find anything on the subject please send me an e-mail at kathleenann08(at)gmail(dot)com.  In the mean time, Bryan and I have been using our snack and sandwich bags made of this material for a few weeks now and we have not yet died or suffered any ailments due to our usage of the bags.

**Note: I also just wanted to add a big THANKS! to Dana of the wonderful MADE who shared her awesome tutorial for reusable grocery bags made of this material, which in part inspired this version of these bags.  Thanks also to Jerilyn of French Sleep Deprivation Study for sharing her templates.  And if you're not feeling super lucky and just want to make your own, you can visit my regular blog HERE for some basic instructions. 

Katie: Week 6

Here we are in February!  It's hard to believe it's been six weeks already.  Anyway...

Current weight: 157 pounds
Last week's weight: 158 pounds
Total weight loss: 13 pounds

Yay!  Another pound gone!

I've talked with a few of you who are starting to want to take the plunge and try to lose some weight/get into shape and you keep asking what has really helped me, so today I'm going to do the recap of my rules in the regular purple and also take a minute to talk about tips for being successful/why these rules are so helpful and important for me in green.

My rules:

1. No Sweets!
Absolutely NO sugar sweets/junk/desserts/candy/etc. for three months (i.e. until April 1, 2010).  At that point I'll reassess and see if I can allow myself small things here and there or if I need to keep up the no sweets rule.  I will allow myself the occasional healthy dessert, but it will count as a processed snack (see below).

I am happy to report that I held strong at The Cheesecake Factory last Friday.  It helped that the big O had totally lost it by the time we started eating (there was a bit of a wait), so when it was time for dessert we just ordered it to-go.  Anyway, I skipped the cheesecake and just got some strawberries with whipped cream.  It wasn't cheesecake, but it was still yummy... and guilt-free!

I've tried a number of variations of the cutting-back-on-sweets-to-lose-weight trick.  The truth is, I just really, really love sweets and I'm bad at saying "one cookie is all I'm going to eat."  So, by the time I've eaten seven (I know, how gross?) my mindset has switched to "what's three more going to hurt?"  Well, three more does hurt (not to mention the first seven).  Too much sugar and fat isn't good for your body.  The only upside is that it tastes good.  Unfortunately, that seems to be a good enough reason for us to shove our faces with it.  So I know that saying "No sweets until April!" seems really drastic to a lot of you, but this is what has finally worked for me.  Instead of having a weekly treat and thinking "I'll just gorge myself on Friday" and spend the week looking forward to that, my brain knows that it can't have any, so I really don't think about it very much.  Yes, of course sometimes I still  have cravings for things, but--and I really mean this--it's not anywhere near as much as I craved things when I was already eating sweets all the time.  So, if you're having a hard time with self-control, I suggest something drastic.  It doesn't have to be permanent, but it should get you out of the habit of eating an excess of junk.  (Sorry, this was long.  I'll try to be quick!)

2. No Fast Food!
No fast food or eating out.  Period.  And if on the off chance I'm stranded somewhere or something and I have to get fast food I will order the healthiest thing.

Thank you so much for everyone who gave me great resources and advice for The Cheesecake Factory!  I am happy to report that I ordered the healthiest thing on the menu (a salad).  Then I asked the waiter for a box as soon as our plates came to the table and I put half of the salad in the to-go box right away.  You guys were right--those plates are HUGE!  So I enjoyed a tasty dinner Friday and Saturday evening.  Perfect!  And, I just have to say that I was absolutely thrilled when I woke up Saturday morning and weighed the same as I did Friday morning.  Success!  


I am a bit of a schizophrenic when it comes to cooking.  I love home-cooked meals and I love to cook... when I'm in the mood.  Frankly, I'm not in the mood very often.  Combine this with getting used to life with a new baby and it's not hard to guess that we had slipped into more eating out than our bodies (or budget) needed.  So I need to just say that one of my keys to success here is that Bryan does a lot of the cooking.  I cooked dinner last night and he was genuinely surprised when he walked in the door.  Bryan--you are a wonderful husband and I love you.  Thank you!  Seriously though guys, eat at home.  It's good for your family relationships and it's good for your waistline. 

3. Healthy Meals and Snacks!
Eat three healthy meals each day along with 2-4 healthy snacks, with no more than one processed snack (100 calorie packs, etc.) per day. 

This has been going really well!  (See?  I'm being quick!)

Breakfast: Most of us just eat cereal in the morning.  I suggest finding a healthy one you like and just eating it every day.  Avoid the stuff that's loaded with sugar and doesn't fill you up.  And just eat one bowl.  If you're still hungry after that, eat a banana.  And then call it quits.

Lunch: I try to pack in as many fresh veggies here as I can.  And I eat basically the same thing every day.

Dinner: I don't worry too much about what we have for dinner because I know it's healthier since we made it at home.  However, I do try to make sure we have at least one veggie with dinner.  And don't pile on salt and butter and all that stuff.  Be guilt and fatty-free.

Dessert: "What?!  I thought you didn't eat sweets?!"  I do allow myself one "dessert" each day.  This would be a couple of slices of healthy banana bread, one 100 calorie pack of something chocolatey, one cup of fat-free chocolate pudding, etc.  I get it into my head that these things are my "dessert" for the day and although I usually want more, I feel mentally satisfied and not so whiny after I have one.  And I save it for night time.  Have one treat at the end of the day and you won't have time to talk yourself into another one!

4. Fresh Foods!
Trade out cravings/impulses to eat granola bars and other processed snacks with fresh fruits and veggies.

My new found love is cucumbers.  Yum.  

Face it: granola bars are not healthy.  Neither are fruit snacks.  Neither is whatever other "healthy" packaged snack you're eating.  Your body doesn't need that extra sugar.  It needs nutrients from fresh foods.  So trade out the granola bar room in your budget for apples and cherry tomatoes.  Your body will thank you.

5. Keep Track!
Write down everything I eat in my food journal (a little notebook I can carry around and keep with me).

Wrote it all down.


Want to get skinny?  This is the key.  Seriously.  Get a cheap little notebook (it doesn't have to be a "food journal"--mine isn't).  If you know you won't use it, then get a pretty one (mine has strawberries on the cover).  Stop telling yourself that writing everything down would be impossible.  It's not.  And, frankly, there won't be as much to write down once you start writing it down... because you'll eat less!  Once your brain knows "I already ate _________" it will stop begging you for more.  Writing down how much I eat has helped me in so many ways.  Maybe I won't do it forever, but I might.  There's nothing like being accountable for that extra treat that keeps you from eating it in the first place.
 

6. Exercise 30 Minutes!
Exercise in some way for at least 30 minutes every day and write down what I did to exercise in my food journal.

I think I did really well this week, despite only doing Tighter Assets twice.  I had planned to do it for the third time yesterday, but ended up going on two walks, so I called that good and moved on to the rest of my day.  Thanks to Kendra (my sister) for doing Tighter Assets with me more and more now.  I am starting to get a little bored and doing it with her has been more fun.  

Perhaps some of you are wondering what all this business with Tighter Assets is.  No, I'm not being paid to talk about it and, no, I'm not on some Tamilee fitness and diet program.  I ended up with a copy of Tighter Assets as the result of a white elephant gift exchange this past Christmas.  We all mocked it mercilessly, of course, and I almost gave it away.  When I started exercising I thought of going to the public library to check out some fitness DVDs, but then I remembered I had that and figured I might as well give it a try.  That's my advice to you here: do what you know and try what you have.  Like running?  Go running.  Like walking?  Go walking.  Like weights?  Lift weights.  Just do whatever it is you're actually going to do.  And switch it up sometimes.  Otherwise you'll get bored and give up.  Furthermore, I recommend setting a minimum time for yourself.  Ten minutes one day and an hour the next day turns into no minutes any day real fast.

 

7. Drink 80 Fluid Ounces!
Drink at least 80 fluid ounces of water every day and write down how much I drank in my food journal.

I still struggle to get enough water every day.  But it's worth striving for!


Drinking water is good for your body.  Here are some reasons:
-We often eat when we're thirsty.
-Drinking enough water drains toxins and germs out of your system.

-It keeps you from getting dehydrated (which can cause headaches and other not-so-fun things).
-It just plain helps your body work better.
If you find that you have a hard time drinking enough water during the day, I suggest starting in the morning.  Nobody wants to chug a gallon of water right before you go to bed and then have to get up to use the bathroom five times during the night.  So start early and get ahead.  Also, I recommend getting a water bottle (around 24 or 32 oz, preferably) and keeping it with you all the time.  You'll find yourself taking a sip while you check e-mail, while you're in line at the grocery store, and while you're playing outside.  And all of those little sips add up to healthy hydration.
 

8. Balance Food Intake!
Enter the foods I eat each day into the Menu Planner on MyPyramid in order to make sure I'm getting a good balance of the foods I need.

Did it!


This is the second key to losing weight and getting healthy.  The thing I hear a lot (and which I used to say a lot myself) is a complaint that goes something like this: "How am I supposed to know how many calories are in a piece of lasagna I made?"  I don't count calories.  At least not until the end of the day.  I write everything down in my little notebook and then at the end of each day I enter all the things I ate into the Menu Planner on MyPyramid (see the links above).  They may not have every food item (my "Cracklin Oat Bran" gets counted as "All Bran" every day), but you can usually find something close.  And while the banana bread I make at home is a lot healthier than the recipe the menu planner is probably getting its info from it's okay.  I record my "estimated total calories" every day, not my "total calories."  An estimate is still going to help you out a lot more than nothing at all.  Also, watch the calorie counter and bar graph as you enter in the foods you've eaten.  You'll likely learn a thing or two about which things are better for your body.  For instance, I've learned to cut back on cheese and get my dairy from plain old milk instead.

 

9. Stay Active!
No sitting at the computer/TV for more than an hour (or one movie) at a time.

Admittedly, I have been a bit of a couch potato the past few days.  Now that the weather is a little nicer, I want to get out more.  Also, I really need to clean our apartment this week.  Wish me luck

Get up and be active.  You'll accomplish more and you'll feel more accomplished.  And if you're just having one of those lazy days (obviously I have them too), then at least make the minimum effort to get up and do a chore at least once an hour.

10. Get out!
Get out of the house at least once a day!

Did it!


No need to go rock climbing, just get out of the house!  We all get cabin fever and I think that's a good thing.  Go for a walk, visit a friend, check the mail, go grocery shopping, etc.  It's not hard to stay active when you're out and about.


I just have one more ultimate key to success that I want to add: The Skinny.  First of all, doing my weekly recap of my goals keeps me accountable.  Second, I love the posts from our other authors.  They keep me excited and inspired and interested.  Without them I would have become SO bored by now.  And third, I  love the comments that you all leave on everybody's posts.  I learn so much from the little things you add and your encouragement every week really does mean so much to me.  Thank you everybody!

Have a great week!

Pound for Pound Challenge

Have you heard about the Pound for Pound Challenge?

It's a website where you can pledge to lose a certain amount of pounds (you decide). And then the Pound for Pound Challenge will donate $.14 to a local food bank. (That's enough to deliver a pound of food to a local food bank...how discouraging is that, to think about the price of grocery store food! But that's another topic...)

Anyway, this is sponsored by the Pound for Pound organization and The Biggest Loser show.

I went to their website this evening and pledged to lose 10 pounds. I don't think they come out and weigh me or anything; it's just a pledge. It seems like a good way to do something good for others while I work on my goal of becoming healthier.

As part of the pledge, it asks for your zip code, which will then allow you to select a local food bank to receive the donation based on your pledge.

Check out their website at: http://www.pfpchallenge.com/

Shrinking and Stretching

     Allright, it's been a couple weeks since my last post. Did anyone start experimenting with running? I'd love to hear your stories. As for myself, I have been trying to run three times a week. When this blog began I weighed 139, after losing 13 pounds in marathon training. Now, that does happen to be in the normal BMI range for my height, but I have been wanting to get back to 135. I'm so close, yet sometimes it feels so far to lose those last few pounds! This week I am at 138. Woot! Woot! I have been adding a 30 minute Pilates workout twice a week to my efforts. I really like how I feel after Pilates... even though I sometimes really detest it during the workout. I just picked up a couple DVDs to follow from my local library. Also, I play volleyball twice a week. I feel like I'm shrinking down to a better size, but that weight number hasn't been moving much. I suppose I need to pay more attention to my food choices to lose the weight at this point. However, I'm not set on losing weight if it means losing the muscle I have built up. How does a person know where the line is?

     Enough about me. Now onto my running suggestions. I want to talk about stretching. There are a few schools of thought about stretching before running (or any physical activity). Some people believe stretching is a must in order to avoid injury. However, others believe that stretching can be the cause of certain injuries. I'm no expert, but I will share my opinions from experience. If your run is first thing in the morning, do some light stretches. This means pushing only until there is some tension, no further, and hold for 15 to 30 seconds. Do a few different stretches--which ones you choose doesn't matter. Just loosen things up in your legs. If you are running later in the day, you don't need a stretch because your muscles should be warmed up from walking around.

     Lots of people agree that stretches during a run can be beneficial. You are less likely to pull a muscle when you are warmed up. Still, be sure you don't push the stretch too far. Stop at the point of tension and just hold. Another tip I learned from a running partner (who learned this from ChiRunning) is to release tension in ankles and knees as soon as you feel it. Stop to gently roll one ankle at a time (if that is where you feel tightness) and/or put your knees together, bend your knees and hips to put your hands on your knees, and rotate in a circle parallel to the ground. I hope you can picture that. You may feel like you look silly doing it, but I promise it helps. As for those who have ankle and knees problems, use your own discretion on these. Unfortunately, I haven't had these issues and I'm not sure what the correct advice is. (Anybody with pain advice?? Please comment!) However, I believe that the benefits of running include lessening of chronic pain. Often a person's knees will ache (for about a day) after a run that is more than what the body is accustomed to. As you keep doing the same run, your body will adjust and your knees will feel better. They are likely to ache again when you increase your run, but that is why people increase their distances gradually. Go slowly enough for your joints to adjust to the effort. If it doesn't feel like they are adjusting to the strain, then find an activity that feels better. Running isn't for everybody. But if you really want to run yet have a serious pain, talk to a doctor. Seriously.

     After a run, I insist on cool-down stretches. I ran a few weeks without cool-down stretches and I could feel it wearing down my muscles; it made for a very difficult 10-mile run in preparation for the half-marathon. Stretching your muscles will keep your running an enjoyable experience (as much as possible, anyway). These stretches should be done while sitting or standing, but not bending. (You don't want to be bending over to touch your toes while your heart is still pounding from the exercise.) One stretch I really like to do, especially if I have run any hills, is to cross my legs in front of me while sitting. Then I bend forward and see how far I can reach my hands. I let my head hang down and just feel the stretch in my behind. I also like to lay on my back, pulling one knee up to my chest. Then I twist my knee across my body with the aid of my opposing hand to get a stretch in my back. Then I do it with the other knee. I finish it out by laying on the floor, breathing deeply and slowly, and letting my muscles appreciate the exercise they just did. It is sort of a yoga thing. I feel appreciation for my body and health and just take one last moment before moving on to the rest of the day.

     So you can see I've included pictures of a few stretches that I like. Any running website you check will have lots of other options too. For example, RunnersWorld has this whole section on stretching within the injury prevention category. If you take the time to run, you might as well take the time to stretch and keep those muscles happy.

     Do you have favorite running stretches you would like to share? Let us know what works for you!

Get paid $100 to work out for free

Hey everybody!  Want to get a good feel for where you're at with your health goals?  And get some great analysis on your fitness training?  I just got off the phone with a woman named Kathrine who's recruiting postpartum women in the Provo, Utah area to participate in a study through Brigham Young University.  They're paying a total of $100 to those who participate.  I lost my paper with the specific qualifications, but off the top of my head I think it was something like:

-baby no older than 9 months (pregnant women might qualify too, but I don't remember)
-4 month study
-no serious medical problems

If you qualify, you'll be asked to come in for two days of initial analysis (about 45-60 minutes each day), eight days apart.  After that, you'll be randomly selected to be in one of two groups.  Group one is flexibility training which you can do at home (or there's a group that meets once a week, I think).  Group two is strength training (weights).  For the strength training you have to go to a local physical therapist (they give you the info) twice a week with one of the people from the lab (They make sure you're doing the exercises right).  However, the physical therapist is open from something like 6:00am to 8:00pm, so it should be easy to make it work if that's something you're worried about.  (I was.)

I'm secretly hoping for the strength training one because I've always wanted to learn how to use weights properly (i.e. so I can do it without hurting myself or something).  But flexibility would be great too.  I would definitely benefit from either.  Anyway, I go in for my initial analysis this week and next week and then I get to start!  I'm really excited to make some money for doing things that I'm trying to do anyway!

If this is something you're interested in, give Kathrine a call at (801) 310-5295.  If you have any questions for me, leave it in the comments or shoot me an e-mail.

Oh, and of course I'll keep you all updated on how this goes.  I'm so excited!