Fit In Real Life

Eating for Energy

First, thanks to everyone for your concern about the tick bite. I called the doctor, and because I'm sure it was a wood tick and not a deer tick, I don't have to freak out about Lyme Disease. However, I am supposed to watch the area for signs of infection and of course, I'm still shuddering at the thought of little bugs on my head. Ick.

I shouldn't really be surprised that the tick was there, though. I've been doing a ton of gardening and yard work lately; it's one of the ways I cope with stress. Digging in the dirt is the total opposite of sitting at a desk writing, so it's a good refresher activity. Another way I've been coping with work stress is by going back to the eating plan I was on while I was writing the Weight-Loss Diary for Shape. It's pretty simple: mini-meals every two to three hours instead of three larger meals, a lean protein at every meal, lots of vegetables and plenty of water. I can't believe the difference in how I feel and yes, after only a few days, my jeans are already feeling loose. The pre-planning, while it sounds like it might be stress inducing, is actually relaxing, too. I'm not worrying about what I'll be cooking and I've got it all planned out -- especially helpful on deadline days, baseball nights or other times when I'm already maxed out.

If you're curious about what this eating strategy looks like, check out this post from the delightfully wise and funny MizFit. She gives a great breakdown of what "clean" eating looks like. Try a similar strategy for a week and not only will you feel the effects in your weight, you'll have tons of energy, too.

Bug Off!

My apologies, but I'm about to go all public service announcement (PSA) on you. Here goes:

Last night, I sat down to catch a little TV and as I put my hands behind my head in full relaxed mode, I felt something in my hair at the back of my neck. I scratched at it with my fingernail and when I pulled my hand away, a tiny bug dropped onto the floor and started to scurry away.

It was a tick. Ewww.

Besides the gross-out factor, now I'm freaking out about how long it had been there. In New England, where I live, Lyme Disease and other tick-borne illnesses are a huge problem. So I've been frantically researching signs and symptoms, trying to figure out if I should call the doctor.

I don't have any symptoms yet. But I'll be calling the doctor at 9 a.m.

The more I learn about being healthy, the more I know that potential problems -- whether it's a bug bite, carrying a few extra pounds, telling yourself you'll quit smoking next week, etc. -- rarely respond to denial. The reality is we need to address those things that threaten our health and then, knowing we've done that, we can relax in the knowing that we've done all we can.

Can you tell I'm trying to talk myself down from a full-out "I've got Lyme Disease" freakout?

Anyway, this experience is a good reminder to check myself -- and my kids -- for ticks after we've been playing outside or doing yard work. If you live in a tick-heavy area, I hope you'll remember to check yourself, too. And while I'm at this PSA thing, don't forget to apply sunscreen, too!

Now, back to your workout!

Empty Cart Euphoria

Is it just me, or does anyone else get a little juiced up by a trip to the grocery store? Yeah, I know it's a chore and sometimes I don't feel like doing it. But when the conditions are right -- I'm shopping sans kids and I'm not pressed for time -- I love the possibility of an empty grocery cart. It's like a blank slate for the diet.

When the cart's empty, there haven't been any bad choices. I haven't chosen to put convenience over my health. I haven't eaten too much or too little, or the wrong things. Healthy meals and snacks are still an option. If I control what goes into that cart, I control my dietary destiny.

OK, so maybe it's not as heavy as all that. I'm just being dramatic.

But it is fun to consider what I could cook or what I could put in my kids' lunch boxes. Let's face it: The grocery store is ground zero for good choices. Had a bad week last week? You can start over this week.

It's like that with any healthy behavior, I suppose. If I couldn't squeeze in a workout yesterday, I'll get one in today. I've said it before, I know, but it's well worth repeating: It's all about the little choices we make over time -- starting with what goes into that cart.

Happy shopping!

Sound Bites -- Yummy!

It's Friday, the sun is shining and frankly, I'm feeling a bit lazy today. Don't worry -- I'll still get out for my walk and throw in a few weight sets. But in lieu of a real post today, I'm finally posting the link to a radio interview I did with a local station a few weeks ago. The host of the show, herself a "life coach," interviewed my life coach for the Shape column, Pavitra Ciavardone, about the project and the methods she used to help me break through my weight-loss barriers. My part of the interview is brief, but meaningful ;-). I talk a little bit about some of the mind-body issues I faced during the weight-loss process, as well as a bit about my upcoming book.

Happy weekend!

Get Moving, Girls!

Now that spring sports are in full swing around here, I'm once again surprised -- though I don't know why it continues to surprise me, since it happens every year -- by the level of mayhem that my kids' game and practice schedule creates in our household. Everything we knew all winter has to be re-thought, from homework schedules and snacks to downtime and meal planning. And this is just for basic competitive sports teams; I don't even want to know what those "elite travel team" moms go through.

That's why this new report from the University of Minnesota's Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sports doesn't really surprise me. One of the findings was that girls' level of participation in sports is directly affected by the support of their parents. We're not talking just the "You can do it" kind of support from the stands; we're also talking about the driving, scheduling, shuttling, uniform-washing, snack-buying kind of support, too.

Getting everybody where they need to be -- and managing all the details that go with participating in sports -- can be a giant pain in the you-know-what. But I'm a firm believer in the value of physical activity as part of a healthy life and it's a value I particularly want to instill in my daughter (because let's face it, boys are expected to be sports nuts, though that's another topic for a different post). It's not just about the physiological effects of being active. When girls participate in sports, they gain a sense of mastery and they learn valuable lessons about teamwork, responsibility, effort and -- gasp! -- failure. To me, that's well worth a little upheaval in the schedule.

She's Back! It's Time to Ask the Dietitian

Melissa Kirdzik, my fabulous dietitian during the year I was Shape magazine's Weight-Loss Diary columnist, is back today to tell us everything we need to know about fiber. Fiber gets a bit of a bad rap sometimes (and you know just what I mean), but it's an important part of a healthy diet -- especially when you're trying to lose weight or maintain weight loss.

Q: What is fiber, and does it count when I'm considering my carbohydrate intake for the day?

A: Fiber gives us the "bulk" or roughage in our diet. It's the part of plant foods that we can't digest and it's characterized as a carbohydrate. Fiber does lots of great things for us: it helps lower our LDL cholesterol, it helps protect us against cardiovascular disease, it slows down our digestion and it helps us feel satisfied -- all good things when you're watching your calorie intake. I recommend aiming for 25 grams of fiber a day, although the current promotion is 14 grams per 1,000 calories eaten. The really good news about fiber is that when you're considering your overall net carbohydrate intake, you can subtract the grams of fiber that you've eaten from your overall total grams of carbohydrates. For example, if you've eaten cereal that has 25 total grams of carbohydrates and five grams of fiber, you can subtract the five grams of fiber and now you've only eaten 20 grams of carbs.

Now that's fiber-licious! Thanks for stopping by, Melissa. If you've got a nutrition or weight loss question for Melissa, post it here or stop by Melissa's site.

The Black Hole of Fit Parenting

As I sat sipping coffee and reading the newspaper on Sunday -- the last official day of school vacation -- I came across a brief item on a University of Pittsburgh study that found that being a parent reduces the amount of physical activity adults do. A little online research revealed this interesting Q&A with the study's author, Ph.D. candidate Ethan Hull.

I agree with Hull's findings to some extent. It is more difficult to find time to exercise when you're on childcare duty. But it wasn't so hard when my kids were younger. Generally, babies, toddlers and preschoolers will happily go wherever you want, whether it's for a long walk in the stroller or to the child-care room at the gym. And let's not forget that chasing toddlers and keeping them safe from impending doom burns off quite a few calories.

Now that my kids are older, I'm in danger of falling into what I like to call the "Black Hole of Fit Parenting." Last summer was particularly hellish as I was finishing up my year as Shape magazine's Weight-Loss Diary columnist. Not quite old enough to stay home alone but not quite young enough to appreciate the joys of the gym's child-care room, my kids were the epitome of childhood misery. I'd often see my son's face pressed up against the glass as I ran on the treadmill, mouthing the words, "Are you done?" in silent protest. In some ways, it was actually good for my workout -- I'd try to run faster just so I could spring him.

My kids don't require much chasing anymore, either. I often find myself sitting at their practices and games, watching them be active. I try to sneak in a workout from time to time by looping around the park, but then I feel guilty when they ask, "Did you see my hit, mom? Did you see that catch I made?"

Oh, well. Someday, they'll be off on their own and I'll have all the time in the world to hit the gym. In the meantime, I'll just keep cobbling my workout together -- a few weights here, a couple of laps there -- and try to avoid losing my toned body to the Black Hole of Fit Parenting.

A Simpler Way to Find Fit In Real Life

Dear Readers:

Just wanted to let you know that you can now find Fit In Real Life at www.fitinreallife.com. No more having to remember that clunky TypePad address!

Thanks for reading,

Dara

A Bit of Literary Inspiration

One of the ironies of trying to live a healthy lifestyle is that we can do everything right, but things may still turn out wrong. Our bodies aren't machines and there's no "do this and that will happen" guarantees when it comes to good health. We've all known people who've done everything "right" to take care of themselves, yet illness still finds them. And, just to prove my point, we've all known those who've made every poor lifestyle choice a person can make and still live to a ripe old age.

It all sounds vaguely depressing until we realize that we may not get to choose what life hands us, but we always have the power to choose our response to it -- and to learn what we can about ourselves from every situation we face. That's the premise behind the debut novel of a writer pal of mine, Allison Winn Scotch. Allison's heroine, 30-year-old Natalie Miller, is forced to face that health demon that scares all women: breast cancer. It's a moving story of one young woman's search to make sense of her life, and why she does the things she does. I won't give away the hugely empowering scene that had me cheering out loud while reading the book.

Tomorrow, Allison's book, The Department of Lost & Found, will be released in paperback. If you're looking for a great beach read (I can't be the only one already planning her beach reading list in April!) or just a touching reminder of the value of good health, order yourself a copy!

 

What I Learned In My Garden

The weather has been so lovely that I'm going to wax a bit poetic today and tell you what I've learned about weight loss maintenance while tending to my garden (Think it can't be done? Read on!):

• You have to find -- and eliminate -- the root of the problem: While turning over the dirt for my new flower beds, I came across dozens of random roots of plants I don't want to see in my garden. I spent a good couple of hours pulling them out, even though it was a difficult and sometimes painful task. Weight maintenance is sort of like that; if you don't find -- and address -- the root of what's standing between you and a healthy weight, you'll have to face those challenges over and over again.
• Gardening -- and maintaining weight loss -- is hard work: Plenty of people offer compliments on my pretty flowers -- and my newly-svelte figure -- but few understand exactly how much effort went into, and continues to go into, maintaining both. I've been guilty of admiring the plants of other gardeners and even feeling a little jealous without taking the time to reflect on how much time and effort they spend on those gardens.
• Sometimes, gardening is a bit stinky. OK, this one's a stretch, but as I spread the CockadoodleDoo (chicken manure, for you non-gardeners) in my flower beds yesterday under the hot sun and was nearly overtaken by the smell, it occurred to me that even a distasteful task like spreading manure is a necessary part of healthy plants. I'll remember that the next time I follow a really sweaty guy in the weight room (and I hope others will remember it when they follow me!).
• Do what you can, but then relax. I'm a very mellow gardener; I love perennials that come up on their own year after year without a lot of effort on my part. Once I've fertilized, weeded and mulched, I pretty much sit back and wait for the blooms to appear. Maintaining weight loss is like that; I eat right and work out on most days, then trust my body to take care of itself. Getting too obsessive about numbers -- or plants -- doesn't change anything and ruins my ability to enjoy what is.

So there you have it -- weight maintenance wisdom, fresh from the garden.