Walking, walking, walking : )

Just wanted to share that even though our Springy time is over, I think I beat my walking record today. We went with out church ladies on a walk (while the men played soccer with the boys) and we walked and walked and walked in a huge park near our church. It didn´t seem like too much, but I logged it on "dailymile" and it was almost 4 kms.
From there we rode to our camp property which had been robbed and we worked there for about an hour cleaning things, as well as doing inventory on the losses. Sadly most of what we lost was out of our kitchen, but no one was hurt and God is still in control.
When we got home my daughter Sandy and I had talked of going downtown Madrid to video tape a procession (today is holy Friday). I had been to one at the age of 13 that left a huge impression on my heart for the need here in Spain. We left the house at 6 and got home at 10:30 p.m. We can´t log this on "daily mile" because we were on and off the subway (loads of stairs) but we figure (and our aching feet are witnesses) that we did another 3 to 4 kms. Sandy was all happy for me and said, "Mom, you are really going to rack up the points today". I informed her that our Springy time is all over, but that I´d share with you that I walked a lot, and was able to do so without getting tired because I´m in better shape.
Hope you all have a wonderful Sunday celebrating our LIVING Saviour.
Love,
Joy

Last Springy Journal - Joy

We did it! Another 10 weeks of exercising has come and gone. Sure seems like it went by quickly this time : )
I´ve had something really crazy happen...and a bit discouraging. One of my birthday gifts was a new scale, and after using it for the last 5 days, I´ve discovered that my original scale was almost 4 lbs. ( 2 kilos) off. This makes my original weight (back in Sept. ) much higher.
The good part is that I have lost weight and lots of inches. The down side is that I´m weighing in today at just a kilo short of where I thought I was in Sept. Not sure if that makes a lot of sense, but mentally it has been like starting over. But, I´ve asked the Lord to help me to stay focused on the progress and not on the reality.
I could easily turn this into an inspirational post : ), but it is time to go for my 2 km. walk this a.m., so will post the measurements and the time exercised and send along a big hug to you all. May the Lord encourage our hearts and keep us all exercising and eating in a way that will care for our bodies for His glory.
Love,
Joy

P.S. I never got around to the video, but since my clothes feel looser and...I´ve now had 2 people say, "you look thinner, have you lost weight?", I´m posting a picture taken at a wedding on Saturday.

Measurements:
Chest - 104 cms. - same
Waist - 86 cms. - same
Hips - 107 cms. - same
Left and right arm - 30 cms. - same
Left leg - 62 cms. - today 61 cms.
Right leg - 58 cms. - same


Total Weight loss...lets not even go there : ( My new scale is really beautiful!!!!
Total lost in centimeters since week 1: 4 cms.
Total minutes exercised - 1440 = 24 hours

Fitness tip - The "Innocent" Causes of Weight Gain

I got this today. I´m so understanding this as it was one of my dh favorite lines "just a little bit won´t hurt", but turns out that those little bits add up rather quickly and they do make a difference in the long run. This came in an e.mail today from Joy Bauer.
Love,
Joy

The 'Innocent' Causes of Weight Gain

If you tend to grab a handful of cereal or a spoonful or two of ice cream while serving yourself a bowl, listen up. All those little extras have a way of compounding over time, and the caloric tally at day's end can be pretty sobering. Think about it — some brands of ice cream and granola contain nearly 300 calories per 1/2 cup, which means a mere tablespoon clocks in at 40 calories. Even something as innocent as cottage cheese or fruit salad can do damage if you habitually pop spoonfuls into your mouth. In fact, for many people, these little "appetizers" are a major cause of diet failure or the dreaded plateau.

The best way to nix the noshing habit is to keep your mouth otherwise occupied. Try chewing a piece of gum or sipping a no–cal beverage (like water, coffee, or tea) when you're cooking or putting together a meal or snack. Cut–up veggies are another good choice; not only do they keep you from sampling the wares, but they also start filling you up before your hit the main course.

Springy Journal - Joy

Well, today is my birthday...I´ve turned 51 young years!!! As a life long tradition, we eat at my Mom and Dad´s house and she makes home-made strawberry shortcake (so blessed to have been born in March - strawberry season in Spain : ) . I usually have 2 servings with 2 large biscuits in each serving, strawberries and fresh whipped cream.
Well, since this year I am on my fitness journey (for life!!) I decided to cut the biscuits in half and add more strawberries and less whipped cream. So I had 2 servings but only 2 biscuits instead of 4. Delicious, not stuffed and cut back on the calories big time. Yeah for the new birthday tradition I´ve started today.
Tomorrow it will be back to serious fitness as usual.
Love,
Joy

Springy Journal - Joy

Well, can´t believe how the time has gone by, but here we are on our last week. I have no good news to report as far as weight loss nor loss in measurements (the things in bold are things that have gone UP!) Have asked for a new scale, because I keep getting very different numbers on the scale. Have kicked up the walking this past week and enjoying tracking things on "dailymile".
I have several close friends that are having heart problems and am determined to continue exercising every day to strengthen my heart muscle and prevent future problems.
Allergy season is upon us with a vengeance thanks to all the months of rain, so I´m having to take meds (which I don´t like) and also am on antibiotics, cough syrup and anti-inflamatory, which always does wonders for the bod in general (NOT!) . I am already feeling better (so am not complaining) , just know that things are not good on the inside.
Said all that to say that I am so proud of all of you for keeping on (whether there has been a lot of change or not) and am personally encouraged to know that we can continue with our goals and little by little reap the benefits of taking care of these bodies. Praise the Lord for His help and may we all finish this week strong as our fearless leader, Dani, has encouraged us to do : )
Love,
Joy


Measurements
Chest - 105 cms. - same
Waist - 86 cms. - same
Hips - 108 cms. - same
Left and right arm - 30 cms. - same
Left leg - 61 cms. - today 62 cms.
Right leg - 59 cms. - same

Weight: 70.4 kilos - today 71.4 kilos

Springy Journal - Joy

Good morning to all. Can´t believe another week has passed so quickly. My dh and I have been sick again all week - some kind of a virus that is not letting go. I thought at first it could be allergy related, but now am thinking just a virus. Breathing has been hard, so the exercise all week was at a minimum. But yesterday I was able to go to camp and worked 2 hours in the morning and 2 in the afternoon painting a border on the bottom of a wall - so had a wonderful "squats" workout.

Measured and weighted in today and NO change, except up on the weight, which I´m not too worried about because I feel extremely bloated this a.m. Praying that the virus will soon be past so that I can get back to really "springing" in the weeks we have left.

Food choices were good this past week and I continue to try and add a small amount of "protein" into every meal and snack I eat (goose liver pate, tuna, nuts) which seems to be helping.

Now that Spring is in the air (sun has shined for 3 whole days here in Madrid) I´ve felt a renewed spirit of "springing" so am glad the rains have finally slowed down. Now to get out and walk more and take advantage of this lovely weather (even if the allergies flare up!) : ) Thanking God for His goodness in our lives and for His peace today.
Love,
Joy


Weight 70.7 - 71.4 kilos
Measurements - all the same

P.S. My b-day is coming up the end of this month and I´m going to do something I´ve never done (drum roll) ...ask my dh to buy me some exercise clothing so I can look good while I am getting this bod into shape. : )

Springy Journal - Joy

Spring is definetly in the air...and in Spain there is a saying that says something like "Spring alters your blood". I´m thinking it has altered my brain : ) As I checked the posts yesterday, I wondered why so many had posted on Tuesday...last night it hit me...it was Wednesday! Too bad I missed my measure-in day, because yesterday my clothes were really loose. Anyway, I measured this a.m. and have a some some changes.

I was able to do 20 min. each day last week and Mon. and Tues. of this week got to 30 min. and Tuesday also went for a 20 min. walk. It seems a little slow, but am so thankful that I´m headed back into feeling fit again, even though I know there is a long road ahead.

The food choices were good until yesterday at church for lunch and for supper - out to eat with a new missionary family. But I´m back to springing today and asking God for strength and energy to kick it up another notch, and not let "things" that happen (we had a funeral at church this weekend) let me believe that I can eat whatever I want because of the situation.


Measurements
Chest - 104 cms. - same
Waist - 86 cms. - same
Hips - 108 cms. - same
Left and right arm - 30 cms. - same
Left leg - 62 cms. - today 61 cms.
Right leg - 59 cms. - today 59 cms.

Weight: 70.4 kilos - today 70.7 kilos

Have a good day!
Love,
Joy

Springy Journal - Joy

Since I´ve been on a "medical" leave from my exercise, was a little concerned about what the scale would show today.

After doing Dani´s test (well Jillian´s test really) I found out I´m a "fast oxidizer". I´ve tried to include more protein in my diet. But I don´t digest protein well at all - it sits in my stomach and then causes other problems. Because of this, I rarely eat meat, but am now looking for other options - and trying to add some kind of protein to even my snacks.

Apparently something is right about this, because after doing nothing but walking the last 2 days, the weight has come down a little. I´ve added more nuts, a little red meat, and peanut butter and liver pate (big no-no´s before) in tsp. portions to my diet. This is an experiment, so we´ll see where it takes us. Any suggestions on "easy to digest proteins" which are also healthy choices would be appreciated. : )

Measurements
Chest - 104 cms. - same
Waist - 85 cms. - today 86 cms.
Hips - 107 cms. - today 108 cms.
Left and right arm - 30 cms. - same
Left leg - 61 cms. - today 62 cms.
Right leg - 59 cms. - same

Weight: 71.4 kilos - today 70.4 kilos

Looking for the 69 k. on the weight next week!!! That, my dear friends, would be a grand slam in my fitness game for sure!!!
love,
Joy

Last day of nixing the fix : ) - Joy

Here is my last entry for this wonderful way of pushing that ticker forward : ) Looking forward to measure/weight in day tomorrow.
Love,
Joy

Breakfast: Bran cereal with skim milk, added half an apple chopped and raisins (talk about yummy), herbal tea, rice cake with pb and honey. - 4 points

Lunch: Steamed potatoes with garlic and chicken, tomato & cucumber salad. - 2 points

Supper: wasa cracker with light cream cheese (garlic and parsley flavor) and plain tuna, baked sweet potatoe. - 2 points

snack- a.m. 1 square sf chocolate and about 10 nuts.
p. m. - 1 yogurt - w/ brown sugar and vanilla. 2 points

This post + my 20 min. of exercise - 2 points.

Food choices - Joy

Today is my first day back to exercise (after back injury) and am allowed to do something easy (like Leslie Sansone´s walking). I got sick over the weekend, virus with pharingitis...my first time down since I began exercising in Sept. 09. Thanking the Lord that I can move again, because I feel so much better when I do .
Although I´m really not as dedicated as you think I am, thankful for each of you who have written to encourage me. Many times during the recovery days, I´d just feel like what was the use of keeping on? Then I´d read one of your post encouraging me to just hang in there, and I´d straighten up my "poor me" attitude and just ask the Lord to help me to maintain my weight while I was recovering.

Food choices on Sunday were kind of difficult - we celebrated our church´s anniversary - and there were many yummy - very unhealthy choices : )

Sunday - breakfast: oatmeal with raisins, fresh squeezed o.j. and whole wheat toast - 3 points
lunch - rice with a little sauce and a flan (spanish custard) and cookies - no points
supper - 1 sandwhich (chicken, tomato and lettuce) & 1 piece of strawberry torte. minus 4 points.

Monday - breakfast: big slice of fresh pineapple, herbal tea and rice cake w/ peanut butter and honey, bran cereal - 4 points
lunch - small portion of fish, salad (lettuce, tomato, cucumber & asparragus) small serving of vegetable pasta with steamed broccoli and a little cheese. - 3 points.
supper - 2 eggs with toast. - 1 point
snack - a.m. sf chocolate square w/ nuts - 1 point
snack - p.m. slice of fresh pineapple and wasa cracker with goose liver (foie grass) - 1 point
post - 1 point

Keeping track of the food has been helpful in remembering to make good healthy choices. We did actually have a sunny - no rain - day today, so it feels like Spring is in the air and I´m ready to get back to "springing", for sure.
Love,
Joy

Thursday - nixing the fix

This is rather boring...because I ate almost exactly what I had yesterday : )

Breakfast: Cereal with fresh apple and skim milk - 1 point
herbal tea (no sugar) - 1 point
rice cake with peanut butter and honey - 1 point
Morning: snack bar - low fat and sf - 1 point
Lunch: potato, carrot and onion bake - 1 point
green salad with saurkraut - 1 point
1 small square sf chocolate - 1 point

afternoon snack: 1 piece of wasa with paté (something I´m trying after finding out I´m a fast oxidizer) - 1 point
Supper: fresh bread with ham and low fat cheese - not going to take a point here - because the bread wasn´t a real necessity - just needed to use it up : )
1 baked apple - 1 point
post: 1 point

Get the Skinny - Listen Up!

Received this e.mail today - and thought it was worth sharing. Although I´m posting it under "diet tip" it could go under "inspirational" and maybe even a "fitness tip". May the Lord help each of us to seek His help in the way we think about these wonderful bodies He has given us to care for.
Love,
Joy

"One of the worst patterns a dieter can fall into is negative self-talk — the inner voice that tells you you'll never reach your goal, you deserve a chocolate bar because you've had a hard day, you've already blown your diet so you might as well order the cheesecake, and so on.

If you're a victim of negative thinking, a little cognitive reordering may be just the ticket for you. This type of intervention involves identifying your sabotaging thoughts, questioning their validity, and then taking positive action to change things.

Consider the individual who constantly thinks, "I've always been heavy, I'll always be heavy, diets don't work for me." Rather than using past history as an excuse to do nothing, this person would be far better off questioning why no diet has worked for her and thinking about alternative approaches to weight loss.

First off, she might want to review all the diets she's been on to see if they failed because they were unreasonable to begin with. If it turns out that they were extreme (no carbs, no fat, no sugar) or bizarre (cabbage soup morning, noon, and night), she can respond to the negative voice in her head by saying, "Perhaps if I tried a healthy, sustainable diet for once, I'd actually succeed." If her diet history reveals that she made informed food choices, she might consider focusing on exercise as her primary weight-loss tool along with sound eating. Either way, she's taken a negative and turned it into a positive — and the single most important ingredient for successful weight loss is to believe in yourself and set forth with a positive attitude. Are you ready to do the same?

by: Joy Bauer

Springy Journal - Food choices Wed.

Ok, here goes.

Wednesday - breakfast - Bran cereal/skim milk/ raisins and 1/2 apple - 1 point

herbal tea - 1 point

rice cake with a tsp. peanut butter and honey - 1 point

lunch - Potato, red pepper, carrot and ground beef bake - 1 point

salad with olive oil and vinegar - 1 point

3 whole wheat crackers - 1 point

supper - sandwich - whole wheat bread, light cheese and ham (no points - I could have had this on Wasa - so not too impressed with that choice! )

5 Doritos - minus 2 points : (

Baked apple with cinammon and honey - 1 point

Post - 1 point.

8 + points minus 2 points= 6 points.

P. S. Tomorrow is my day to grocery shop and will be definetly be thinking POINTS!!! : )

Love,

Joy

Springy Journal - Joy

Sure glad for week 6 - something I can do - count the food points : )

Dr. has said that I can begin walking for a short time each day. I have weighted and measured and although the weight is up some (sitting for 10 days will do that to me!) the measurements are all the same which is encouraging...except for my left leg - which is back up the 1 cm.

Several have decided that my back sprain (not sure what to call it) is due to my exercise from a "gradual" missuse or abuse of muscles not used for many, many years. I warm up before every set, but am still not ready to blame it on the exercise. Will say that I am "very fearful" to get back to the cardio because the pain of the injury and recovery was so intense, but am going to pace myself which means I might get back to cardio in April per the Dr.´s instructions.

If anyone has a good website with back exercises for recovery, please send it along. Lets all work hard on the food nix this week and see some great results.
Love,
Joy

Measurements
Chest - 104 cms. - same
Waist - 85 cms. - same
Hips - 107 cms. - same
Left and right arm - 30 cms. same
Left leg - 60 cms. - today 61 cms.
Right leg - 59 cms. - same

Weight: (2 weeks ago) 70.8 kilso - today 71.4 kilos

Springy Journal - Joy

This past week was good (till I hurt my back on Sunday) but I felt that something was changing - maybe just in my head, and had kicked up the exercise another notch (longer time and more sweating) and was feeling great! Food choices were about the same, but I had started trying to get to bed by 11 to see if the extra hour of sleep would help with the metabolism.

Measurements
Chest - 104 cms. - same
Waist - 85 cms. - same
Hips - 107 cms. - same
Left and right arm - 30 cms. same
Left leg - 61 cms. - today 60 cms.
Right leg - 59 cms. - same

Loss this week - not sure on the weight, but 1 cm. off the leg.

I can´t weight because am staying with my daughter and she doesn´t have a scale : ), but when I get home again, I´ll post it. Thanks to all for your prayers and encouragement. I have relief from the pain this afternoon, so am thanking the Lord for that. Now praying that tonight´s massage session will be less painful!
Love,
Joy

Out of Commission...again : )

Just wanted to write and ask for your prayers. This a.m., right before leaving for church, I bent down to pick up the laptop off the couch, and couldn´t get back up. From them it went downhill, with excrutiating pain.
I´m not sure what is wrong (something muscular on the top of the left glutious maximus muscle - in my non-expert opinion), but this is a first for me. And just when I was getting excited about the 40 min. of exercise a day. I had something similar happen in the Crunch in the Fall that also put a full stop to my exercising.
I am very sure that God is in control, so am praying for patience in the healing process. My Dad will be coming into Madrid tomorrow (snow forecast!) to take me to their house so I can see my korean Dr. who specializes in traumatology. Maybe God thinks I need a vacation, but whatever His plan, I´m listening and resting.
Love,
Joy

Springy Journal - Joy

My week "home alone" has given me more time in my exercising. I´ve been able to do 40 min. on 4 of the 7 days, although one day I did one called "Dorm Room workout" that left me feeling it for more than 24 hrs.: )


For the 1st time, since I´ve started exercising back in Sept. 09, I have no change in my
measurements and am up a little on the weight. I´m kind of disgusted, but not discouraged. Off to workout this a.m. Have a good day.
Love,
Joy

Weight - 70.5 kilos - this week 71 kilos

Measurements -
Chest - 104 cms. - same
Waist - 85 cms. - same
Hips - 107 cms. - same
Left and right arm - 30 cms. same
Left leg - 61 cms. - same
Right leg - 59 cms. - same

Some days it is better to laugh : )

Going to take advantage of getting one more "easy" point and helping us to laugh while we keep exercising.
Love,
Joy


Diet Rules for No-Loss-Dieters
• If you eat something and no one sees you eat it, it has no calories.

• If you drink a diet soda with a candy bar, the calories in the candy bar are cancelled out by the diet soda.

• When you eat with someone else, calories don't count if you don't eat more than they do.

• Things licked off knives and spoons have no calories if you are in the process of preparing something. Examples are peanut butter on a knife while making a sandwich.

• Foods that have the same color have the same number of calories. Examples are: spinach and pistachio ice cream; mushrooms and white chocolate.
NOTE: Chocolate is a universal color and may be substituted for any other food color.

• Cookie pieces contain no fat — the process of breaking causes fat leakage.

And... "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst, for they are sticking to their diets."

Recipe - fish & veggies made easy

I found this recipe as I was looking for ideas to incorporate more fish into our diet (www.everwell.com). They use canned salmon, but it might be interesting to buy fresh salmon and cook it yourself. If anyone tries this (I´m waiting till dh returns) let me know what you think.

Corny Salmon Cakes
Makes 4 Servings
Two 6-ounce cans boneless, skinless pink salmon, drained and finely flaked
1 cup dried breadcrumbs, divided
3/4-cup pre-shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese
3/4 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
1/3-cup light canola mayonnaise
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 large egg, beaten
1-tablespoon canola oil
1. Combine the salmon, 1/2-cup breadcrumbs, cheese, corn, mayonnaise,
ketchup, and egg in a bowl and mix until combined.
2. Shape the mixture into 8 patties and coat with the remaining 1/2-cup
breadcrumbs.
3. Heat half the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Cook the patties
until golden brown, 5 minutes. Add the remaining oil to the skillet, flip the patties
and cook an additional 4 to 5 minutes.
Nutrition Information per Serving: 390 calories, 18g fat (3g saturated, 1.8g
omega-3), 800mg sodium, 26g carbohydrate, 2g fiber, 33g protein, 20% calcium

You can watch the video (really easy recipe) if you´d like at
http://www.realage.com/videos/#v14990692001
I´ve included a picture of "crab cakes" - to encourage someone to try it, although these look different because they have corn in them.

Love, Joy

Fitness tip - Don´t take the weekend off

After reading this tip yesterday, I understood that this is exactly what I´ve been doing...slacking up on the weekend. So working on changing the mind set, because the numbers really do make sense. Have a great day in God´s house today.
Love,
Joy

Don´t Sabotage Your Weekend.

The weekend represents almost 1/3 of our week (29%), so if you work hard during the week to nail your workouts and watch your nutrition and then slack off all weekend, you end up not getting very far. It is like taking 3 steps forward during the week and then taking 2 or 3 steps back each weekend and the result is no or minimum results.

Don’t give yourself the “It’s the weekend” excuse to blow off your workouts and to eat badly. You are better than that and you are doing too much quality work during the week to let this happen anymore.

Today is a new day and this weekend should be the first weekend that does not set you back. No Excuses! (From: "No Excuses" e-mail)