Fit with FitBit

A couple of weeks ago I posted about my fun little purchase of the FitBit--we'll I've been using it for a little over 2 months now and it's really eye opening how much you walk throughout the day without even trying!

Studies say that 10,000 steps a day is necessary for "good health" approx 5 miles a day...so that's where my "goal" has been set since I started tracking things.  Here's last weeks progress report-I like getting the little updates on my "progress"

Loving the fact that steps and distance and calories burned are up from last week....

Not so much loving that the sleep duration is down but I guess that will happen as long as I am getting at least 7 hours that will work for me!

How active are you throughout the day? Do you make an effort to walk around the office regularly? Walk down the hall rather than emailing or calling a colleague or taking the stairs?

Week #3 APY60

I officially started week #3 on the APY60 Program this Monday and I am still loving it!  Each week the 40-60 minute yoga routine gets a little different to target new muscle groups. 

While I don’t feel like I am losing large amounts of weight by any means (I’m down about 4.5 pounds since January 1^st) I do feel like my stomach has flattened out (partially because of diet) and I’ve noticed that some of my clothes are fitting a bit loose (bridesmaid dress included).  Overall I just feel healthier.  I am not feeling the aches and pains in the morning and my hips while typically very tight feel amazing!

I know I’ve said it before but I really feel like practicing yoga is going to be an everyday thing for me…now if only I could convince Rene to join in.  

Yoga does wonders!

I know that people say all of the time that yoga is good for your body and mind.  While I love yoga I've never actually done weeks at a time consecutively...I can honestly say now as I come to the end of the first week of the APY60 program that I really am a believer!!

I feel so much more relaxed after an awful day, I feel like I am getting stronger, breathing deeper and letting things go much easier than normal.  That's not to say that I don't get stressed--yesterday was a crazy day!  But doing the yoga when I got home last night really helped me reflex and clear my mind.

Add to that I feel like drinking 100oz of water or at least 75oz a day my skin looks brighter and I just feel healthier.  I can't wait to start week number 2 of the program!  I've become a true believer in just one week of what daily yoga practice can do!  Maybe I should add becoming a certified yoga instructor to my bucket list...just kidding!

APY60 Day 3

I'll admit this morning it was really hard to get out of bed.  I'm not sure why, even my Fitbit said that I slept better last night than the night before (98% efficiency only woke up 5 times).  So this morning I have to admit that I didn't do the full morning blend of stretches.  I know day 3 and already slacking!  I did about half of the stretches from memory to get the blood pumping...a small setback!

Breakfast this morning I had a healthy porridge from the little recipe book that came along with the DVDs...Yum!

The "porridge" is actually a whole apple and 4 strawberries just quickly blended to a porridge like consistency with a little almond milk (unsweetened) and a dash of cinnamon.  I threw it in the microwave for about 45 seconds (could have heated it up a little more) and then topped with raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, pecans and a little chia seeds for some protein.

It was quick and simple and got me moving and heading out the door for work.

Tonight more power yoga and a tasty smoothie since Rene is working late before I hit the gym for some cardio....Happy Tuesday!

FitBit Sleep Tracker-Day 2 APY60

So apparently even though I feel like I wake up a million and one times at night it's not that much!  Per the FitBit I actually only woke up 6 times last night, and had a 97% sleep efficiency...who knew! 

Now today will be the first day of tracking all of my steps--the goal that you should strive toward to 10,000 per day!  I'm going to go ahead and say with sitting at a desk for 9+ hours a day that's going to be hard but we shall see.

Day 2 of APY60 going well!  Rene even got up and did the morning blend of stretches with me.  Now it's off to start the day!

Challenges today...

• No sugar
• No judgment - try not to label things good or bad but just accept them as they are
• 100 oz of water
• Daily Yoga Class

APY60 Day1

Last week my APY60 finally arrived. Today I started the program...60 day to a healthier me! 

Each day starts out with about 10 minutes of stretching and warming up your muscles to get you started for the day.  After which I had a veggies & eggs for breakfast.  The program doesn't give you a full meal plan but does give you some ideas and changes out and challenges you to eliminate things from your diet. 

I am really looking forward to how it works!

Here are the key things that I was to do today!

• Eat breakfast 1 hour after waking up
• No eating 3 hours before bed
• Daily morning stretches
• Clean out the pantry (get rid of the processed stuff! ) - we didn't have any of the "no" foods! Yay for us!
• Today's elimination challenge: Refined sugar - super easy since we don't eat it really anyhow.
• The goal is to drink 100 oz of water- I'm at at 30 right now at 2pm...I've got a bit more to drink before the end of the day.
• Blue Dots
• Daily Yoga

The program also came with some little blue stickers that you are to put around your home and office.  These are to remind you to breathe deep, and soon the goal is to associate blue with breathing deep, simple enough right?

And of course this evening (after Rene finishes watching the Pats game) I have a 60 minute power yoga video to work through. 

I also plan on keeping up at least 30 minutes of additional cardio each day.

Let's see how things shape up over the next 30 days!

I also got a new little gaget today - called the Fitbit!

 It's about the size of a flash drive and it keeps track of how far you walk, time of inactivity, stairs climbed, and the main reason I got it - it tracks your sleep!  I feel like 9 out of 10 days I wake up a million and one times so I plan to use this to figure out when I sleep the best (ie no TV 1 hour before bed) and when I sleep worst (ie after we've been drinking). 

Here's to a healthy 2012! And knocking one of my goals off the new years list --1 day down 59 to go!

Detox Day 2 Part II

Finished with day 2--not sure if I'm feeling "detoxified" but I am definatly not feeling stuffed after dinner or "blah" mid-way through the day (even without my 3 cups of coffee) so that's a start right?!

Lunch was a nice little mix of veggies (califlower, broccoli, shredded carrots) mixed with sunflower seeds, golden raisins, and currants topped off with just a squeeze of lemon juice--it's really good!

Whole Foods makes a salad similar to this called the Detox Salad and I've had it before and thought, why pay $7.99 a pound I'm sure someone has copied this and listed what all is in it....low and behold Google came through with my answer!

I found the "re-make" of this salad on Oh She Glows though I did take out the parsley (I'm not a huge fan) and also the kelp (because I couldn't find it) and added in some wheat germ and chia seeds for a little extra different texture. The salad is great and crunchy and a little sweet and perfect for mid-day!

And I followed it up with a second glass of my green juice from this morning -- you'd be surprised at the looks you get in the office drinking a green something.

For dinner we went with a simple little stirfry of veggies and quinoa instead of rice (added protein).  The only downfall today was that I know I didn't drink enough water, I only made it one large glass of the way into the cold detox tea (recipe here) and was just bogged down with work throughout the day and kept putting off drinking/refilling my glass.

And believe it or not I was actually able to go to the gym tonight and NOT have to wait in a huge line for a machine--this may be the first time ever that I've gone to the gym after the new year and not seen 500 people wanting to "start the year off right", but this made me think....what does that say for today's world?  Does the resolution of getting into better shape no longer top the list? And if not, what does that say about how our society has changed....something to ponder!

Detox Day 2

This morning I started off first thing with my hot detox tea (recipe found here).

I followed that up with a scrambled egg white and a nice green juice.

Green Juice Recipe:
1/2 cucumber
2 stalks of celery
small handful of spinach
small handful of kale
ginger
green apple
juice of 1 lemon

This juice is not as sweet as the red juice from yesterday but it has a nice fresh taste to it, and it was a rather refreshing way to start off the day.  The one downfall is that the kale does give a bit of a gritty feel to the juice, I may try just spinach in the future with this green mix.  

Detox Day 1

Today starts the first day of my little detox into the New Year.  So here goes.  There was a lot of liquid to be consumed first thing this morning.  First up a spicy lemonade.

This gained attention a couple of years ago when you had starlets doing a lemonade detox where this is all they would drink to slim down for a big red carpet event.  But in all actuality it does have some good reasoning behind it and any of the juice detox/diets out there (Blueprint Diet and Fresh Juice Delivery) all have a lemonade in them as a piece of their detox.

The reasoning behind it according to The Washington Post is that lemons are rich in bioflavonoids (pigments that act as excellent detoxifying catalysts); cayenne pepper is an anti-inflammatory which work to help detox and purify your body.  Which is why each day I am starting off with a cup of this lemonade before anything else.

Spicy Lemonade
1 cup hot water
juice of one lemon
1/16 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons maple syrup (high grade orangic is best)

*I may have added a bit too much of the cayenne (didn't measure just threw some in) but it wasn't completely awful.

Next up my "breakfast" consisted of what I am calling Red Juice #1 (green apple, 2 carrots, beet, small piece of ginger)

Keep in mind the ginger is something you can add as much or as little as you like, a little goes a very long way!

Beets are one of the best things to put in your juicer!  And they add a bit of a sweet kick to the juice.  Here are just a few of the benefits of beet juice:

• Lower cholesterol
• Improved brain health
• Lowers blood pressure
• Helps eliminate toxins from the body (small side effect is that you may feed dizzy because of this)
• Increased endurance for exercise (always a plus!)
• Anticancer vegetable-as with any dark red vegetable/fruit it is packed with antioxidents!

Carrots also add some sweetness and their own benefits:

• High levels of beta-carotene and vitamin A in carrots promote eye health by lubricating the eyes and preserving visual acuity.
• Healthy urinary and digestive tracts are linked to carrot consumption.
• The high mineral content in carrots aids in nourishing the hair, nails and skin. 
• Carrot juice cleanses the liver by ridding it of bile and fat. 
• Potassium content in carrots regulates blood pressure levels.

Green Apple benefits:

• Protect against diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer
• Only 47 calories per serving
• Drinking 100% green apple juice from a juicer allows you to still get all of the benefits of eating the apple.

Ginger benefits:

• Reduces inflamation
• Boosts immune system

Purchased!

Well yesterday I broke down and dropped some hard earned cash on a new iPod...I went with the nano and though it's small and I feel like if I even drop it on the table softly it's going to break, I think it was money well spent!

Not only is it an iPod it also has a pedometer and connects to the radio which I think are both pretty cool little additions!  The one downfall is that I couldn't find an arm band for the gym made for the nano at Target, instead I went with this from Belkin $19.99-- it makes the iPod into a watch more or less.....not the most fashionable, but definitely functional!

Today this little purchase makes it's way to the gym with me.  I did take it on a little test run last night walking Stitch, it keeps track of the steps via the pedometer pretty well, next step will be to see how it works with a little jog on the treadmill!

What's your daily regime?

I'm talking about your daily vitamin intake! I am not one for putting a bunch of supplements into my body and I tend to steer clear of most medications (mainly because I break out in hives with most things with acetaminophen in them) but what you take in terms of daily vitamins and supplements are just as important as eating a well balanced breakfast and exercise.

What does mine consist of?I take 5 pills daily. A multivitamin, fish oil, 2 colostrum supplements and a Clarititn D (that's for allergies and prevents an outbreak of hives). During the winter I also take Vitamin D to help since I am not out in the sun as much.

But why take these? Rene and I eat a very balanced diet with lots of fruit and veggies and we typically stay with chicken and lean proteins so there isn't a large need for additional in our diets. However each provides great health benefits!

Multivitamin: This is important for everyone even if it's the only pill you take because it helps fill in the gaps from your diet that are not met for vitamins and minerals.
Fish Oil: Omega 3 Fatty Acids do amazing things for your health. And since we don't eat a ton of fish and really no salmon (full of omega 3) we supplement with a fish oil pill instead. Fish oil also has lots of other benefits such as eliminating joint pain, lowering cholesterol, and increased focus just to name a few!
Colostrum: This is one that most people don't know anything about. I actually started taking this after reading a homeopathic website which talked about suffering from chronic hives of an unknown cause--hello that's me!
So what is it?? Colostrum is the pre-milk fluid produced from the mother's mammary glands during the first 72 hours after birth. It provides life-supporting immune and growth factors that insure the health and vitality of the newborn...well as you get older and pass through puberty the amount of immune support decreases so taking a supplement helps build up your immune system first and foremost (which is why it helps with the hives).

There are a number of other things that this supplement has been used for to aid in treatment of: acid reflux, allergies, arthritis, digestive disorders (it improves the function of your GI system), high blood pressure and helps prevent diabetes. An all around great health decision!

So next time you are at the store think about swinging by the pharmacy and picking up at least a bottle of multivitamins if you don't ready you owe it to yourself!

Have a great day!

Last minute must do's

This time tomorrow Rene and I will be enjoying stress free vacation in Napa, CA!

Now it's time to get some last minute things finished....
Packing, mani-pedi, Rene is off the the dentist and we both need to get our hair cut....busy day before vacay!

I decided to go with a simple pastel color for my nails since I won't know what I am wearing...
It's called "Fiji" by Essie it might not be very "wine themed" for the trip but I think its quite nice for the spring....

Now time to go get things done and try to get in some yoga and cardio before my hair apt!

Feeling the Pain Today (in my legs)

Wow is all that I can say today...I think that this is the first time since I started sitting on my exercise/yoga ball that I am regretting it. Don't get me wrong I still enjoy the way that my back feels compared to sitting in the normal office chair and it does give me a lot more room in my cubical....but my legs are killing me! Killing me in a good way of course since that's what a legs exercise is supposed to do for you but nonetheless it's still a bit hard to stand up in heels from the ball over and over :( You may remember when I got really excited after finding out that our OnDemand also offered Exercise TV one of my fave finds, well I decided that after my little plan to try to run failed that I needed to start focusing on not only the cardio aspects of my work out but work some circuit training in there with some toning exercises too. Last night was a core and lower body work out and it was killer! A little under an hour worth of work in the comfort of my living room with a series called 10lb Slimdown. I was able to go online and pull up a fitness plan for 30 days. I am not necessarily looking for a 10 pound weight loss since it seems like I can't lose anything after I lost around 20 pounds after we moved from Virginia but I could for certain tone up. We'll have to see what happens. Today's workout includes the "total body sculpt" I have a feeling that tomorrow I am going to be much more sore all over....but as Rene says "No pain, no gain".

5am Wake-Up Call--No luck!

Well yesterday I thought that I would be super productive and start to try to get up early to do my little mile run before work....that would mean waking up at 5am. Well let's just say that at 5 o'clock when my alarm went off I tried to get out of bed and realized 2 things. First, my legs were in some serious pain for my lunges and squats over the weekend and 2. it was early and chilly outside (around 45 degrees). I quickly got back into bed and waiting til our alarms went off at the normal wake up time. Maybe I'll have better luck tomorrow and I can do a morning run Tues-Friday and then my usual after work workout....I guess we'll see what happens tomorrow! Happy Monday!

Today's the Day

Rene has been running like crazy recently and keeps saying that it's the easiest way to stay in shape (yeah and kill your knees for when you are older!!) but I've decided that today is the day that I am going to start a new working plan and change things up a bit.


My summer after my sophomore year in college I ran/walked as my workout. My typical morning while on break and at home in PA (not working) included a morning run/walk of around a mile, then 10-20 minutes of pilates and a tofu smoothie...I must say after the summer of this I looked really good so I figure that I'll give it a try again, what do I have to loose?

I'm not by any means saying that I need to get thinner, I'm pretty happy with the 20+ pounds that I lost before the wedding after living in Virginia for a year and gaining a lot of weight, eating poorly and doing nothing in term of working out.

But I figure why not right?

So this morning while Rene was on the phone discussing our plans for the future with Sam Eppy(college friend and boyfriend of my bridesmaid Kelly) of Eppy Financial Group. I decided there was no time like the present.

I threw on my beat up running shoes (clearly in need of some new ones) strapped on the iPod and ran/walked a quick lap around the apartment complex. It's a little under a mile but I was impressed that it only took me about 10 minutes. Not the 7 minute mile that I could do a couple of years ago but not too shabby--my hip aches a bit and my allergies are horrible right now so I couldn't really breathe but we'll see how things go. Not its time for pilates and a shower, next up a 5 hour accounting exam (yuck!!) maybe running was the highlight of my day!