2010: The Year of the Healthy Witch

[Kitsune]

Alright, I'll confess, most of my New Years Resolutions have to do with writing.... my thoughts being that if I'm going to try to be a full time writer, I'd better be putting myself to towards that goal. However, since I turned 14, I've always added onto whatever my resolutions were "And I want to lose weight and be healthy" and, predictabily, it's never stuck.

However, this year, I've decided to tie it into my other resolutions in an attempt to get things done for once. My health goal is to lose weight and work up muscle mass this year. I will do this by punishing my writing if I fall behind on my exercise goals. I will work out 3 times a week and if I fail to keep up with that, I won't be able to write until I have caught up with it.

To forward this goal me and Grimwell went out today and bought an elliptical... Good for your poor Kitsune's knees, since she has knee problems. And with it in the house, I'll be able to exercise whenever I wish. Another nice point is that it has a speaker input for MP3 players. It's going to be delivered on Dec. 30, just in time for the new year!

So, who's joining me with definable goals for 2010 that relate to health and wellness? If there are enough of us, I'd suggest keeping track of our goals with monthly check ins just to say if we met our goals or not. Knowing that all of us are working towards it, and with the support we'll get here, we can all keep each other going on our goals.

[Kystar]

Hubby and I are actually working towards being healthier.

basically, I need to loose at least 30 - 40 pounds before October for a wedding. I'm hoping to do 5 pounds a month until I'm back in a better range.

We're planning on shifting our basic diet to be more veggies and fruit and less processed crap. And I'm going to try and push myself to go to Curves 3 days a week. I don't know what he's planning on doing for exercise. I'm also going to get a pool pass for the community pool for this summer...so when I'm not at curves come warm weather, I'll be up there. I do have a yoga video and an exercise routine to do in the house if the weather doesn't let me get to curves.

I just have to push past my natural laziness.

Having a place here on PL where we can try and support one another for that would be good.

[Kitsune]

I will try to do more of the Veggies myself, but in general, I can't stand greens. i rely more on the fruits side of that line.

The pool is an awesome idea. I wish I had a pool near my house in summer... We have an indoor one not too far away, but it also has the gym, so it's a bit expensive to get a pass.

I will definitely support you in your goals. You get definite congratulations for setting an actual weight goals too. After all, I'm just saying "Healthy" instead of saying exactly how much I want to lose. And you're setting good attainable goals, which is always good.

[Kystar]

Technically, I have to drop 70 pounds to be in the healthy weight range that my doctor wants me in. I can do 65 or even 60, but ideally, it's 70.

I set the 40 pounds b/c that will fit the time frame for the seamstress and the bodice that needs made. if I can lose more, great. See, I need fitted in September for a Wedding in October, as the bodice is custom work. I wanted a goal that was not so daunting that I would fail. 5 pounds a month X 9 months = 45. I left it at 40 to give myself some stretch room.

I'm sorry you can do the pool thing.

And I'll definitively be helping as much as I can.

[Crazy Healer Lady]

I will try to do more of the Veggies myself, but in general, I can't stand greens. i rely more on the fruits side of that line.

Greens are actually very different from veggies, in their physical makeup, in their nutrition. A good way to get greens in is green smoothies, which taste like fruit. Add a peeled apple, a banana, a big handful of greens like red lettuce or spinach (add more handfuls as the weeks go on), as well as water (add depending on the consistency you like), and blend. Tastes fantastic, and if you don't like the green look, you can add blueberries or other deeply coloured berries to have a purple or red smoothie with even more antioxidants.

Actually, many people have lost 10-60lbs just from adding green smoothies to their diet. It helps to quell other cravings (especially for heavy starchy, sugary, or salty foods), gives you the vits and minerals you need to have a healthy sense of what your body is needing, has tonnes of soluble and insoluble fibre, loads you up with energy (better than coffee, for me), keeps you hydrated, and tastes great. As a breakfast, you can't get any better.

Generally, it takes about a week to get addicted to them. You start craving more of the "good stuff."

[Kitsune]

Can't argue with your logic Kystar. Personally, I want to lose 140 lbs total... But that would get me just over my "unhealthy line". I honestly don't know what it would take to just get me in the healthy range. If you have a list, send me a copy, or check for me, kay? I used to have one, but I always chose the one that would make me the smallest they claim I can get.

Mind you, that could be because the sheet said that 150lbs was too skinny and unhealthy... Which just left me growling, since I don't consider myself that tall.

Me and Hubby will be going to the pool more often though. There is one not terribly far from our house (still a drive though) that has super cheap sundays (or at least they use to) so we might start going there again. The only annoyance with that place is that the water is usually quite cold, and they clean the hot tubs on Sundays... so they're never available to soak in; the saunas are also insanely full due to that reason as well.

Oh, Good News though... Our Elliptical arrived earlier today, and it's set up and waiting for use! I can't wait to start using it 3-4 times a week.

[Kystar]

My doctor told me that I would be fine at 145-150 despite the fact that the body mass index says I should be 125-130. She thinks that it doesn't take skeletal size into consideration.

My goal is actually 150...but I'll be able to do a little higher than that even. She said she'd be happy at this point to see me at 160-170. B/c right now I'm just over 200...215, I think. And I'm only 5'4". but I've got a basically peasant frame...so anything under 145 makes me look sickly.

What sort of list do you need?

[Kitsune]

Oh, if you have a BMI Index sheet. I thought that was what you were using.

Two, maybe three years ago, I went to Herbal Natures, a weight loss place here in town. They're very good, offering herbal suppliments to help people lose weight. They use doctors sheets to see what your "optimal weight" is. Mine was still 160 lbs. I'm nearly 5'10''. It kills me since I've always had small friends.

But, I'm taking this healthy because it's more about learning good practices at this point, than it is about losing the weight.

[Kitsune]

Okay guys, This is the first installment of keeping track with ourselves.

Me and Grimwell bought the elliptical that we were hoping for. I used it twice, for a vastly shorter time which is all I was up for, and then hurt my back on it.

I'm off the machine for now, but I can't wait for my healing to be done enough that I can jump back on (hopefully the end of next week).

We have also been trying to eat more salads, and less lunches out... more sandwiches and such.

We also bought a new ricemaker, so that we can take rice and steamed veggies (and maybe a hardboiled egg ) for luches or dinners as well.

Not as much as I would have liked, but enough to still count it a start.

What about you guys? Remember, it's not just the good we're talking about here, it's also the setbacks. If we can accept all the parts of ourselves, including the bad, we can make this "resolution/goal" really work.

[Kystar]

Sorry to hear about your back, Kitsune. That stinks!

Well, I haven't had the energy to actually get to Curves more than once or twice this month...b/c I ran into a really weird snag.

I've been a big cola drinker all my life...it's my version of coffee...my go juice. I decided that it wasn't helping me...so I'd reduce it to "once in a while treat". To do that, i started weaning down...and got all the nasty side-effects of caffeine withdrawal. Not fun. Just as I got that down to the point where I was starting to sleep, I decided that the OCCASIONAL Pepsi wouldn't hurt. When I was sort of sluggish b/c of well, Nature, I grabbed a 20oz while I was shopping. BAD choice. despite being spread out through the day, that stupid bottle of pop gave me horrible insomnia, upset stomach, jitters, and overheating. I didn't get to sleep until 4 AM, which totally hashed my sleep schedule this week. Which hashed my Curves schedule. Now, it's "that time" and my cramps are fairly rough, making it hard for me to keep the schedule right now.

On the food front, I've managed to convince myself that raw veggies with ranch or Italian dressing make a better snack than chips or sweets...to the point where I'm now craving carrots and celery at snack times. I haven't gotten myself to eat yogurt again, but I'll probably make a yogurt fruit smoothie tomorrow as a snack. Portion control is still a slight issue...but I'm reducing the amount of meat in my recipes while keeping the veggies the same...ie - if I make pasta sauce, I use a 1/2 pound of meat instead of a pound, but I used the same amount of tomatoes that I would use for a full pound of meat. Or if I make shepherd's pie, I make it with a 1/2 pound of meat but keep the veggies at full serving size. I'm also alternating my ground beef with ground turkey.

We're doing pretty good about not going out to eat as much, which helps b/c I tend to overeat more often when I'm not preping things. Like getting salads or appetizers.

Though, the good thing is that I'm not going up anymore. I'm holding steady...which I've been told is the first victory. If I can start sleeping through the night, I can start getting up with Hubby when he goes to work...and do breakfast, rest, stretch, curves. It's just the sleeping part. And all the "relaxation" teas I can find around here have chamomile or licorice root in them, and they both upset my stomach...and I don't trust "herbal supplements" b/c they're weirdly dosed.

Oh well, I didn't expect a complete 180 in myself overnight just b/c the year's numbers changed.

[Crazy Healer Lady]

And all the "relaxation" teas I can find around here have chamomile or licorice root in them, and they both upset my stomach...and I don't trust "herbal supplements" b/c they're weirdly dosed

You can make your own if you can get some lemon balm, spearmint, and catnip (I wouldn't get the catnip they sell for cats, as it tends to have a lot more 'stuff' on it due to the differences of animal vs human food regulations.) These all work on the nervous system and help you to relax (catnip is especially good for stress, spearmint for any diet-related stress). Valerian smells awful, tastes ok, but is a stronger sedative if you are wanting something to help your sleep schedule. As a tea for short periods of a few weeks it is fine, but this is one you have to watch. Valerian pills are addictive, and if you drink valerian tea every night before you go to bed you may acquire a mental addiction because it is very effective.

[Kystar]

Well, I know enough about herbals to concoct a tea that would probably help...but the problem is there's no herb shop around here. I have to drive completely out of the way to get to an herb shop. There's a place near me that has the name "Nature's Farmacy" that I THOUGHT was an herb shop, here, they're a chiropractic office with a very small "natural supplement" shop attached. Talk about false advertising, they didn't even know where I could find a loose herb shop OR a yoga studio!

I'm planning on a type of herb garden this spring...a box garden on my back deck so that I can control the herbs that tend to root spread. I'll be growing a good bit of things...and I was planning on adding a few things that are good for tension and such. Lavender and spearmint are my favorites. I have to go back through my two books, the one about medicinal herbs, and the other about gardening, and see what else I can grow in this climate...make some decisions from there.

[Willow]

My goals are to maintain my weight while writing my thesis and get out to exercise 4 times a week. I have been doing pretty good.

I do Yoga Monday and Friday Morning, Rock climb on Tuesday and run or take a spin class on the other days. It seems like a lot but I figured a half hour a day is easily what I spend wasting on the internet.

I am also going to try and ride my bike more come spring. We have pretty good public transit, but I live in a part of the city where it is sometimes faster for me to ride my bike than to take the subway.

Good luck on all your other goals. It sounds like you guys are doing good!

I used to hate greens, but I found that almost every food (raw tomatoes being the exception) if I force myself to eat them at least 5 times I develop a taste for them. Kale is now my favourite vegetable, and it grows se well here in Ontario.

[Crazy Healer Lady]

Willow, have you tried kale chips? I ate a full bunch of kale yesterday in chip form. I'm posting a recipe this week on YouTube

[Kitsune]

Hey guys, it's great to hear that your personal plans have been doing so well.

Good starts at the very least.

On my front, my back isn't hurting anymore, so I'm going to jump on the elliptical again this weekend, although, only for a very short amount of time and see if my back hurts. Hopefully it doesn't and I can just start off super slowly, making sure that I don't hurt myself again.

I've heard of kale chips... I even have a recipe for it! I've never had the chance to try them though. I'll have to check out your new video Crazy!