Office Exercising Can Be Challenging

If you're anything like me, working out can be tough to manage. I work 6 days of the week, and for the majority of the day, I'm at a desk. I'm extremely limited on what I can do most days, which is why I do most of my exercising when I get home in the afternoon. I'm not exactly a morning person, although, I should probably do some exercises in the mornings anyway.

I decided that maybe I should find a solution to my problem, and find some simple exercises I can do at my office. Luckily for me, I work by myself most of the day. There isn't anyone there to tell me how stupid I look. These are a few suggestions that might help you, and that definitely help me!

Lunch Break

Okay, I don't get a traditional "lunch break." However, I know that most people do. Take about half of your lunch break, go outside, and walk around. Walk down the road, in your parking lot, or where ever you can find some space. Maybe you have gym nearby? If so, go there. For me, I work in an office that has a large parking lot. I go out there and walk whenever I get a free minute.

Exercising at Your Desk

There are many many exercises that you can do sitting at your desk. I searched the net and came up with a few you might be interested in:

• Office Exercise on About.com
• Exercise at your Desk on WebMD.com
• Office Desk Exercises on Workawesome.com
• Exercise at the Office [VIDEO] on LIVESTRONG.com

Stretching

Okay, I understand that sometimes you just can't exercise at work. However, you can do some stretching. You can stand and stretch or sit and stretch, but usually no one is going to say a thing to you about it. Have you ever sat in a chair for hours on end without needing a good stretch? Another good idea is to stand instead of sitting. Tilt your computer up so that you can still work. Standing burns more calories than sitting.

Replace your Desk Chair

Toss that old desk chair of yours and replace it with an exercise ball. The ball will help with your posture, you'll burn calories, and strengthen your muscles. I haven't done this yet, but I totally plan to very soon! Of course, you should run this by your boss before you do it. Wouldn't want to get you in trouble!


Until next time!
-Jade

Protein Shakes & Supplements

So, I recently bought some Special K Protein shakes. I only bought them because a friend of mine told me that they were really good. She said that I could replace them with an entire meal. I sometimes need to replace breakfast with something quick because I'm a busy gal. I decided that before I go all crazy with protein shakes, that maybe I should do a little investigative research. After all, you should always know what you're putting into your body and how it will affect you.

What's in Your Diet?

So, the first thing I found out was that you could be putting excess calories into your diet if you add a protien shake or supplement. If you already get about 46g of protein (women) or 56g of protein (men) then adding extra protein will only add calories and force your body to work extra hard, as protein is harder to digest. Luckly for me, I watch my calories very closely, and I do not believe I get 46g of protein everyday. If you are eating your balance of protein everyday, you probably shouldn't be using a shake or a supplement. Unless of course you have a disease, are elderly, or are in some sort of athletic training.

Taste, Brand, & Cost

Obviously there are a variety of options on protien shakes, bars, and supplements. Because there are so many options, there are going to be different costs, and different tastes. Cost, for a lot of us, is important. If this is something you're going to be buying regularly, you want it to reasonable. And if you're going to be drinking/eating this product regularly, you're going to want it to taste pretty good, too. So, I've come up with a few options you might like, if you're interested of course.

Firstly, there are Special K Protien Shakes. Each one has 190 calories, 10g of protein, and 5g of fiber. They come in Milk Chocolate, Strawberry, French Vanilla, and Dark Chocolate. I've only tried the Milk Chocolate, but I can tell you that it's pretty good. I've heard nothing but good things about these shakes.The price is about $6 for a pack of 4 shakes.

Ensure High Protein shakes have a whopping 25g of protein, 210 calories, and 3g of fiber. I can't personally vouch on the taste, but my brother drinks them regularly, and he loves them. They come in Creamy Milk Chocolate and Homemade Vanilla flavors. The price is about $9 for a pack of 6 shakes. However, it does come in a powder, which is cheaper than buying the shakes premade.

Lastly, for someone who is doing some serious exercise, you might consider G Series 03 Recover Shake by Gatorade. It has 20g of protein, 270 calories, 45g of carbohydrates, and 680mg of potassium. It comes in two flavors, Chocolate and Vanilla. Price is about $6 for a package of 4 shakes.

You can get all three of these at just about any supermarket.

-Jade

The 411 on Fiber

I have been seeing tons of labels that say, “35% of your daily fiber” or something similar, on a lot of food products. It made me wonder, what is so important about fiber that the major food manufactures feel the need to advertise it on their products? So I did a little research, and the results really enlightened me.

The Benefits of Daily Fiber Intake:

*Creates regular bowel movements.
*Helps to lower cholesterol.
*Helps to regulate blood sugar levels.
*Assits in successful weight loss.

Those are just four of the benefits, but I felt those were the most important for my journey. I was told many years ago that I was borderline Type 2 Diabetic, meaning that I could have full blown diabetes by the age of 30, according my doctor. I had no idea that fiber could help me, or that it was that important in general.

So the question is, what foods are best to eat in order to get a good amount of fiber into my system?

A Few Good Sources of Fiber:

*Whole Wheat Flour
*Wheat Bran
*Nuts
*Vegetables
*Oats
*Beans
*Apples
*Citrus Fruits
*Carrots
*Barley

I guess it helps to do some research when you don't really know about something. I knew that fiber was good, and that I should have some in my diet. I just didn't really know why. And the “why” in this case was really important. Until next time!

Goals

I've read that it's important to make a clear outline of your goal when you are trying to lose weight. So today I'm going to outline it in detail.


My Weight Goal:

First and foremost, I want to lose a total of 60 pounds. I started this journey on June 4, 2012. To date, I've already lost 20 pounds (see chart above, provided by Lose It!). Meaning that I need to lose an additional 40 pounds to reach my goal weight. I want to have this 40 pounds gone by December of this year. That gives me 5 entire months to lose it. That equals to a total loss of 8 pounds per month.

My Exercise Goal:

Exercise is essential. I can't lose at the rate I want to lose at if I don't put forth some real effort. That being said, right now I'm walking (briskly) 3-4 times a week for 30-45 minutes. I have also been jumping rope for 5-10 minutes. I TRY to do that everyday, but sometimes I do need rest. I'd like to work up to 1 hour and 30 minutes of brisk walking 4-5 times a week, and 20 minutes every day of jumping rope. I'd like to add in a few new exercises to the mix as well, but I haven't decided on anything. Any ideas??

My Food Goal:

Oh food, how I love you! Food and I have a long history, and I believe I've loved food a little too much over the years. So here's what I want to do. Lose It! uses ChooseMyPlate.gov to show you the food groups you're eating and the food groups that you're lacking. (See above plate from June 29, 2012.) Yesterday, I did well on fruit, protien, and dairy. However, even though I ate some of all of the food groups, I didn't eat enough veggies or grains. My goal is to have the right amount of every group, every day while also staying under my calorie allowance.

I CAN, I WILL, I AM!

Jade

Overcoming!

There is nothing more frustrating than eating right, drinking tons of water, and exercising your butt off only to see no weight loss on that scale. I was on a plateau, but I finally over came it. I refuse to let that scale beat me. One thing that we have to remember is that we didn't gain this weight over night, and we're definitely not going to lose it over night. It takes time. Sometimes we hit bumps in the road but it's important to keep your eye on the goal and keep moving forward.

If there is one thing I've learned, its that if I keep eating right and moving, I'm going to lose. I may not see it right away, but eventually I will weigh in and see a loss. Impatience is something you can't afford if you want to be successful in this. At least not for me...

I've been trying to add more fruits and veggies to my diet. My husband made fish and fries last night for dinner. I ate the fish but steamed some broccoli to go with it instead of eating the potatoes. I also added an apple to the dish. Made it a healthy dinner-- for me at least. If you have a husband who is standing in the way of your goal, don't be afraid to step on his toes a little to get what you need out of dinner time. My husband isn't happy when I don't eat what he cooks, but he'll be okay. ;)

Until next time!

Jade

The Plan So Far

Hello World!

This is my first blog regarding my health and weight loss goals. To start, I am using Lose It! to record my progress. For those of you who are curious as to what Lose It! is... here's the dish: It's a mobile application and website that is used for recording everything you eat and all of the exercise you do. You've probably heard a million times: "Write down everything you eat so that you know exactly what is going into your body." Well, I'm here to tell you that Lose It! makes it easy to do, and it even gives you nice little charts and offers a social media experience to go with it. You will find thousands (millions?) of people on Lose It! who are on a similar journey. They are supportive, and offer you different opinions and experiences as you go along your journey.

Now, aside from Lose It!, I've stopped eating the things I know are pretty much off limits. After all, you can't eat pizza, chips, cake, and cookies if you plan to achieve any progress. Right?? Wrong, I don't eat those unless it's a reduced calorie/fat version. However, if I absolutely have to have one of these high fat foods, I control the portions. Meaning that you really have to watch the serving sizes, and just try to stay under your calorie budgets.

Exercise... I hate exercise. I mean, sweating sucks, and I'd prefer not to do it. Nevertheless, it is a necessary evil for my personal goals. I have a neighbor who loves to walk, so I usually go with her in the afternoons. I try to squeeze in 10-15 minute walks during my work day. Still trying to figure out what I'm going to do about being at a desk 40+ hours a week, but that's another story. I bought a weighted jump rope from Golds Gym, and I try to get in 5-10 minutes a day on that. If you're thinking that sounds short, just imagine, I'm a fat girl, and 10 minutes of jumping rope is HARD for me. :)

Anyway, I started all of this 4 weeks ago. I've lost 19 pounds so far!! Sooo, it's working. But this is just the beginning. Stay tuned!


Jade