Fitness Blender makes me happy—and healthy!

Normally this is how I feel about exercise posts.

But I am not a skinny minny who starves herself. I am a real life middle-aged mom who believes in exercise and cake. So I hope this post is ok and doesn’t make you roll your eyes.

I love to exercise at home, in the comfort of my living room. I went to the gym for years when my kids were babies—it made a great escape. But it’s been at least 12 years since I’ve had a gym pass. Instead I opt for workout videos. As we approached January 2015 I asked my husband if he’d like to start exercising with me. He’s never been much of an exercise in our 20 years of marriage but he agreed. He’s trying to make healthy mental and physical changes to his life. That left me thinking, “Well, I better find some less-feminine workout videos that we can both do together.”

In comes Fitness Blender. I discovered them on You Tube searching for different workouts. You can find their workouts on You Tube or their website.  Daniel and Kelly are a married couple who think everyone should have access to good fitness trainers no matter your income. We tried their Five Day Challenge and Paul and I were hooked. Those five days covered High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), cardio, abs and core, upper body strength training, lower body strength training and even some yoga.  Did I mention all videos are FREE!? And they have over 400 exercise videos?

It has been six months of working out 5-6 days a week with Fitness Blender videos. We have also purchased (under $10)  and completed some of their fitness programs, like their 8 Week Fat Loss Program and most recently their Butt and Thigh Program which was a 4-week program. Loved them both! But I also love to just choose my own workouts for the week and set it up using their FREE calendar program. (I honestly don’t know how they can keep this up for free. They must get really great advertising dollars from You Tube. In fact, I hope they are millionaires if that’s possible from hosting a You Tube channel. I love their no-nonsense personalities.) Here’s what our calendar looks like so far this month. The red dots are all our scheduled workouts.

 

It makes waking up at 6am easy (well, relatively) because the schedule has already been made for the week—just click on the day and start working. The little yellow squares you see on some days are when I add a note, like “this routine was a great combo, do again”. Here’s a sample of one day’s workout routine with my added note:

Previous to doing Fitness Blender workouts I was working out 5 days a week with Tracy Anderson workouts. Those are great toning workouts but I have to say I am happier now that I am doing heavy strength training which Tracy frowns on for women. Boo!  My measurements are nearly the same but I actually weigh 7 pounds more now than I did a year ago! That proves the scale means nothing and it also proves that strength training adds loads of muscle. I can eat more calories now because muscle requires more calories than fat. Oh yea! Win-win!

I post these photos with complete embarrassment because I don’t ever want anyone scrutinizing my body but the photo on the left was working out 5-days a week with Tracy Anderson videos and the photo on the right is with Fitness Blender. A lifted bum for sure!

Exercising is NOT about looks for me. It’s about having muscle mass, a strong heart, lower cholesterol, and dense bones. I am 41 years old now. I am not interested, nor is it possible, to look like a model. Or to even look 21.  I want to be strong. These photos simply prove that exercising changes your body. Just do it.

Stash your weights under your furniture. Tacky, I know! But I have fallen in love with strength training again.

I want to have strength to run around with my teenagers and also to run around big cities like Philadelphia. I walked the old downtown cobblestone streets of Philadelphia last month for 5 days straight, alone, while Paul was stuck in a CPA conference. My iphone says I walked about 5 miles a day. Never got tired. We even did our Fitness Blender workouts in our hotel room. Body weight only since we didn’t have weights. Don’t I look happy outside the Benjamin Franklin museum? This was day 6 as I was just about to head back to the airport and return to Utah.

My top three Fitness Blender videos are At Home Cardio (better than a stupid treadmill, very dynamic moves), Tank Top Arms for upper body—the pulses are killer!, and Lower Body Workout for strong legs.

So ladies and gents, strength training is the key. Lift heavy weights. Dumbbells are cheap. Work your heart through cardio to keep it ticking too. Do it for your health, not for your looks. Oh, and keep on eating cake.

Living a (Mostly) Healthy Life

I wrote most of this post over a year ago then filed it away under “I’m too afraid to talk about this.” But I’ve been thinking more and more about this post for a few weeks yet again. So here goes.

I write and post about food more than any other topic. I can’t tell you though how often people I know say to me: “If I ate like you did, I’d be huge.” 

I mentioned to my Dad the other day that this is the primary reason I stopped posting so many cooking photos on my personal Facebook page. (Oddly enough strangers on Instagram never make body size comments.) Anyway, my Dad said to me, “You know what you should say to those comments? ‘If I ate like you thought I did, I WOULD be huge!’” Bingo Dad, thanks! And that’s what this post is about.

I write about this reluctantly for a couple of reasons—first, I don’t want to draw attention to my weight nor my body shape. I am an average middle-aged woman with an average weight. I’m happy being 5’10” and a size 10. I’m sure admitting my size to you means many of you are thinking “I’d shoot myself in the head if I ever got to be so big I wore a size 10” and many may also be thinking “I’d shoot someone else in the head if only I could be a size 10.” Secondly, I can’t think of anything more boring to read about on the internet than dieting and body size. I’d rather chew broken glass. 

But I do think you can enjoy delicious food (even cake—especially cake!) and still maintain a healthy lifestyle. Jeanne Ray, author of Eat Cake, said it best:

Now you know why I have the above passage highlighted in a novel. So when someone makes a comment to me about how they wish they could eat cake and be thin, I bite my tongue and think “one slice of cake never made anyone fat”. I know their comments are well-intentioned, even meant as compliments, but they imply that somehow all this comes easy to me.  This post is my answer to those comments; this is how I live my life so I can eat cake.

1. I do not drink my calories. I don’t usually drink anything but water and one glass of milk daily. I don’t drink soda (sugar or diet—they’re all poison), no juice, no coffee, no tea, no alcohol.  I want to chew my calories.  Don’t get me wrong—I love root beer and when I do have the occasional burger at In-N-Out I sometimes allow myself a root beer or a freshly squeezed pomegranate juice in Jerusalem while on vacation. Have mercy it was so good.

2. Whole grains, whole grains, whole grains. I mostly eat whole wheat bread, brown rice, wheat pancakes, quinoa, bran, etc. I absolutely love lentils and beans too. These are my daily staples.

3. No fast food. I keep snacks in my minivan. Things like protein bars, smoked almonds, and water bottles. I love Burger King’s onion rings and Carl’s Jr Santa Fe Chicken sandwiches (although I won’t eat there anymore until they get rid of their sexually explicit ads), and In-N-Out’s fries. Oh how I love fried taters!  But you can’t eat like that everyday, or even weekly. You just can’t! I haven’t eaten fast food since a road trip 2 months ago.  Man I’m due.

4. Don’t eat at night. This is one I struggle with because I love eating a bowl of Cocoa Krispies at night after the kids go to bed. I’m getting too old to eat after dinner. If I bake something delicious like cake or cinnamon bread, I try to eat it earlier in the day—rarely at night. If I’m truly hungry at night I go for the apple or Greek yogurt. Stupid rule.

5. Don’t eat processed foods or fake foods. The author Michael Pollan has some great food rules—one of them is this: Eat all the junk food you want, just make it yourself. Isn’t that amazing? I try to live by that. I don’t usually buy junk food in a bag. I’d rather eat one slice of  homemade pie. I was in Israel last week and the hotel we stayed at kept Kosher, which meant no meat or dairy at the same meal. At dinner they served meat which mean no dairy in the desserts or even butter for your bread. I didn’t realize this at first so I couldn’t figure out why the desserts just were not as tasty as they looked. I kept trying a few bites of all the desserts on the buffet when finally I realized puddings and pies and cakes without any butter or cream are not satisfying.  So the last few nights I skipped all the desserts except Jello. My point is this: really tasty treats leave me satisfied and happy after one serving. But imitation junk food from a bag or dairy-less desserts do not, hence a desire to overeat while still being unsatisfied. The French Women Don’t Get Fat author also talks a lot about this subject.

6. Exercise, exercise, exercise. You have to do it. All the time. I know, I know, I’d rather eat cookies and watch a marathon of Chopped episodes, screaming at the TV “Don’t put soy sauce in that sponge cake!”  too but you have to move. I’ve had an almost-daily habit of exercising for over 16 years now. So move your coffee table and jump around like an idiot like I do 5-6 days a week. I love Tracy Anderson videos, Bob Harper videos, and recently discovered Fitness Blender where all workout videos are free. Love them! In the warmer months I walk and run too. I am not an athlete, I hate most sports, and have no coordination but tough luck. I focus on being fit and strong, not a skinny little waif which means nothing.

My teenage daughter recently asked me if I had a six-pack. I said “Of course I do! It’s just hidden under a layer of cake and pasta.”  We then had a great conversation about what real health meant.  If I could make a wish on a shooting star and have a six pack would I want one? Yes! Am I willing to give up butter and live on rabbit food to do so? No! I hate the following slogan “Abs are made in the kitchen”. It should read “Abs are made out of the kitchen because you’ll never get to eat pasta in your kitchen again if you want a six pack.” Here’s a great opinion about six packs.

7. Learn to cook—learn to really, really cook. I guess this isn’t necessary if you’re happy eating boiled chicken and rice cakes, but good grief, really tasty food makes me really happy. Those who cook their own meals are usually healthier too.  Whole wheat pizza is pretty good too. So are curried lentils and roasted broccoli.  But you have to learn to cook if you are going to have any of those things taste delicious. I’ve had canned lentils. They taste like turds. So suck it up and learn to cook  healthy foods so that they taste fabulous. One of Bob Harper’s Skinny Rules is "Eat at least 10 meals at home”. What?!!! I’m lucky if I get to eat out even once a week! I eat 21 meals at home! Man I need a life!

8. No seconds. I hate this rule, I really, really do. And it is the hardest one. But If I want to keep eating enchiladas (and I do) portion control is everything. I am not eating tofu and birdseed for dinner. I don’t care how freakin’ amazing my abs will get because of that kind of diet. Eat the two beef enchiladas and three helpings of roasted broccoli. That’s my idea of portion control and moderation.

9. Treats are occasional. Instagram and Facebook friends see my posts about cake and pie and think I eat like that everyday and all day. Sadly, I can not. I eat dessert once a week, maybe twice. And often I eat treats during the day instead of at night (see #4) when my body is done burning calories for the day. I bake treats and share them with friends, have dinner parties, or put them in my kids lunches. Sunday was my son’s birthday and I made this amazing Fluffy Yellow Cake with Chocolate Frosting. I had one sliver of a slice, that was all. The next day I saw the rest of the cake sitting under that cake dome and really, really wanted more but resisted. It’s fun to post pictures of cake. It isn’t as fun to post pictures of the greek yogurt I eat daily. Or my chocolate protein shake. What a snoozer.

And the most important rule of all…….

10. I am kind to myself. We all have sorrows, disappointments and unmet expectations in life. So when I do fall off the wagon with either exercise or eating habits, I cut myself some slack. Yes, I keep two sizes of pants in my closet because life is hard. Life is messy and I refuse to beat myself up.  Some days (or months) you’d rather cry on the couch with cookie crumbs all over you rather than exercise. I have been there. You have been there. The body goes soft and the scale goes up. When your life has fallen apart who the hell cares about what the scale says?!  So stop the self loathing, keep two or three sizes of clothes in your closet, and just try a little harder tomorrow. Or next month. My worth is divine. You are divine. Be kind to yourself. Do not objectify yourself or others. We are all just doing our best at that specific moment in time.

Now pass me a cookie.

Tracy Anderson Method

I never heard of Tracy Anderson until a few months ago. Where have I been? But at the beginning of October I called my sister-in-law Ilene to ask her what exercise videos she liked. I knew she had a firm testimony of a certain fitness guru out there and I wanted to know just who it was.  With winter approaching I knew my regular routine of running the trails near my house would be impossible very soon. I needed a new plan to get me through the dismal Utah winters—enter the Tracy Anderson Method (TAM).

I started with Precision Toning. Hard, hard stuff. It’s a good toning workout that I wouldn’t describe as cardio (like the package does) although your heart will be pumping. Once I got used to her ‘method’  and decided this lady is onto something I moved on to her Metamorphosis series which is a 90-day workout that changes every 10 days. After a couple months I got bored with just the Metamorphosis cardio so I recently added the video you see on the right—Dance+Cardio. (It’s easier than the cardio from Meta so usually I can do a full hour of cardio if I choose her Dance+Cardio DVD that day.)

I just finished day 50 of Metamorphosis, so I’m more than half way there. From October 15th through today, January10th, I have been exercising 6 days a week with TAM DVDs for a full hour. Thirty minutes of toning, 30+ minutes of incredibly difficult cardio.  Have I seen a difference in my body? Yes, big differences, probably only noticeable to me, but still, big differences. I’m sorry if you found this blog post by doing a search for “Tracy Anderson results” and were expecting to see selfies of me in a bikini or sports bra, but this isn’t that kind of blog. (There are plenty out there—just google it.) I am a middle-aged woman who turns 40 in a 3 days. I’ve never worn a bikini in my entire life and I’m sure not about to start now—especially putting a bikini photo on the internet.  But my arms are toned, but boo-tay is lifted, and the scale is a few pounds lighter.

But more importantly—I feel great and I haven’t had a bit of insomnia so far this winter. I usually suffer from horrible insomnia in these dark winter months, but I discovered a couple of years ago if I exercise hard, and I mean dripping-in-sweat hard, everyday, then I’m exhausted by night and therefore sleep all through the night. That alone motivates me to work this hard every single day with TAM. I hesitate to say I look forward to her workouts everyday, but let’s say that I don’t dread them. And believe it or not, most days I actually do look forward to her workouts.

What’s genius about the TAM is that her ‘muscular structure’ (strength training) workouts change every 10 days so I’m never getting too bored. And trust me, usually by the 7th day of a routine I am hating each set of 40 reps and wanna chew rocks rather than kick my dang legs to the side one more time (as seen above). But then I tell myself, only 3 more days of this insanity and then I can move on to something else equally insane. But at least it will be different. Whereas with any other workout DVDs I’d quit once I get bored.  Her cardio work is dancey and I really think that is fun. I am not a dancer, I’ve never taken a dance class, but I am Latina, so I figure it’s in my blood somewhere. Somewhere deep.

Also genius—she doesn’t talk much. I hate peppy videos where the gals make dumb jokes and talk constantly. Shut up, can’t you see I’m in pain?! Tracy appreciates that I’d rather be eating cookies so she stays quiet. This allows me to play my own playlist of alternative music by angry people from the 90s. It really does make kicking my legs and dancing my butt off go faster.

So here’s to Tracy and her really unique approach to fitness. I’ll post a follow-up review when I’m done with the 90 days but I’m sure I’ll be moving on to her Metamorphosis Continuity series. I hear she’s taped through year three now so maybe this 90-day program will turn into a 900 day program. Stay tuned.

P.S. This post is only a review of her exercise—not her food plan mentioned in Meta and her book. Let’s just say, I have no desire to live on 800 calories a day. I am so against dieting—just eat healthy everyday of your life. Well, almost everyday.

Becoming a Runner

Today is a red-letter day. I ran 3 miles without stopping. Pride? You better believe it because I am no athlete.

Twelve years ago I was a runner for about a year and a half. I even ran a half marathon in 2000. I was slow, it always hurt, but I was indeed a runner. I found a 5k training chart on the internet and that’s what started it all way back then.

Well, now there are apps for that. Download them, use your headphones and listen for the cues and start your mix of running and walking. That’s exactly what I did.

When I started two months I couldn’t even run 1 minute without gasping. I still gasp towards the end (as evidence by this photo today), I’m still slow, but I feel stronger and more fit already.

My 14-yr old son even came with me to celebrate my final run of the app. He is young and didn’t even break a sweat. That makes me feel old.

Turns out today was the Provo Marathon. Apparently this was mile 18 for the runners (hence the orange cones). No thanks. But I feel privileged to run this beautiful route along farmlands and the Provo River. Today was gorgeous.

But this middle-aged woman feels good. My son said I should now go on to the 10K app. Ummm, I need a cookie first to think about that.