4th Annual Summer Distance Challenge

I do everyone one of these and they are AWESOME!!!! Come on everyone, join me! It is only $4.00 and it is very motivating! It is a virtual walk/run. I use my pedometer and convert it into miles, you can do it however you want. For more info go to: http://www.roadtriplog.com/SDC08.htm

Their homepage is at: http://www.roadtriplog.com/

Sorry I haven't been around much this week, not a good week but I will post more about that and my birthday saturday morning and will be back to check on all of you! :-)

 

Weigh In

Good Morning everyone!  And thank you for all the wonderful comments on my walk last Sat.  I was on a high all week.. :-)  I want to do more in the future! 

I lost like .2 this morning so I will just say I stayed the same on my weigh in thingy.  I will be upping my treadmill minutes by 5 this week and my steps by 1000.  My calories will be 2500 or less with my free day of course.. :-)  For my free day today we are celebrating my birthday a day early and maybe going to a movie but for sure going to New Balance to get me some new walking shoes and to On the Border!!!  Then we will come back home and have cake Tom had made for me at Wal-mart.  I can't wait!!! 

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!!  :-)

Weigh In and Walk!!

My weigh in this week was .5 down!!  I am super happy with that, as long as I can keep the scale moving down most weeks I will take it.. :-)

The walk was fantastic!!!!  A dream come true!  We got there and got our t-shirts on and waited for it to start.  I met one of my SP friends there, she was awesome!  She has lost almost 100 pounds so far, I am so proud of her!  She did it using SP, walking and Leslie tapes!  Right before the walk they had the jazzercize team warm us up, they said bend down and touch your toes and I was like yeah right..rofl.  It was a blast though, just being with all those people that were there for the same reason was a rush!  We took off on our 1 mile walk and at first I was doing great.  Then about 1/4 of the mile I noticed I was starting to get past alot..lol  I didn't mind, I was doing it!  About half way my feet started hurting and I decided the next pair of shoes I get down the road will be New Balance for PF.  At the end of the walk they cheered us and gave us water and a pedometer.  :-)  I was wearing my omron around my neck and it works great that way.  Next me, my mom and her grandson went into the health fair, that was neat!  Then we went out to eat, my free day so OK.  I dropped them off and went to the thrift store and had a ball!!!  Then I met my daughter and hubby at wal-mart and went home.  Later that night I think every inch of my body hurt..rofl but it was worthit!!!  I can't wait until my next one!!!  :-)

Don't Cut your Steps per Day

Scary Health Effects of Walking Fewer Steps Per Day

What happens if you have been logging 6,000 to 10,000 steps per day on your pedometer and you suddenly cut your steps per day to less than 2,000? A Danish researcher says your risk of diabetes, heart disease, and premature death zooms up -- and it only takes two weeks of reduced activity to produce the bad effects. The results the study by Dr. Rikke Krogh-Madsen, from the Centre of Inflammation and Metabolism in Copenhagen were published as a letter in the March 19, 2008 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Fewer Steps, More Risk Factors
The study used healthy young men in their mid-20s who were not overweight, were non-smokers, and who had no family history of diabetes, medication use or other physical abnormalities. One group normally walked 6,000 steps per day, and a second group normally walked 10,000 steps per day. All were asked to reduce their walking by simple methods such as taking a car for short trips instead of walking or biking, and taking elevators instead of stairs.
After cutting their steps to under 2,000 steps per day, in both groups the amount of insulin circulating in their blood climbed 60% The researchers say this is a sign that the body is no longer efficiently processing energy from food and is increasing insulin to try to process the food energy. This effect was seen with only two weeks of reduced activity.

In the group that normally walked 10,000 steps per day, cutting their steps to under 2,000 produced additional increases in heart disease risk factors. Trigylceride and C-peptide levels increased and they had a 7% gain in abdominal fat without overall weight gain. The researchers were amazed that these healthy young men had impaired metabolisms in only two weeks, without the usual warning sign of weight gain.

Don't Leave the Pedometer at Home!
This research is further evidence that the body needs regular physical activity, even if it is only logging "lifestyle steps," in order to keep the metabolism in good working order. Wearing a pedometer is a good way to remind yourself to add more steps to your day by the simple means the researchers eliminated. Take the stairs. Park further from the door or walk to a further bus stop. Take a walking break at work. Check your pedometer steps often throughout the day to see if you need to add more steps.

How Many Steps Per Day are Enough?
A good starter goal is to log 2,000 more steps per day than you already normally achieve. That is the equivalent of an extra mile per day, or walking steadily for 15 to 30 minutes (depending on your walking speed).
This research study showed that the men walking 6,000 steps per day had ill effects when decreasing to below 2,000 steps per day. If you aren't at the 6,000 steps per day level, make that your goal as your daily minimum requirement.

Should your goal be 10,000 steps per day? While that number was originally given as a goal unsupported by research, the evidence is building that 10,000 steps per day is a good goal. Most people who don't have active jobs need to add in a 30- to 60-minute walk or run to achieve that goal. By making 10,000 steps per day your goal, you will likely get the level of exercise recommended by the CDC and American Heart Association.

To read this on the web go to: http://walking.about.com/od/measure/a/cuttingsteps.htm
 

I'm Soooo Excited!!

WooHoo!!!!  I am sooo excited I just regestered for my first ever walk!  I wanted so bad to do this since I was in High School and now at 42 I am getting to do it.. :-)  My mom is going with me.  It is a easy 1 mile family walk and after you get to get goodies and free screenings on your health.  To see it go to:  http://www.healthyoklahomans.org/p/7892/Default.aspx    I will let you know how it goes. 

Update on my HRM.  It didn't work so I took it back and exchanged it for a Polar F4.  I can't wait to use it today.. :-)  It says to put it under your chest..hmmm  Thanks to gravity I kinda hang now, this will be interesting...lol

Everyone have a great OP day!!!

WooHoo Weigh In Heaven

Like my title?!  I am so excited!!!  I lost 2 more pounds!!!  I love this new lifestyle change I am doing.  Since I have my calories up so high and walking 6 days per week, I just keep dropping weight even though not every day is perfect.  I mean yes I have sat and sun off on my counting calories and then Mon through Friday I make sure I don't go over 2800 calories.  I try and stay on those days between 1800 - 2800 calories.  But not matter what walk, walk, walk.. :-)  Most weeks I eat pretty healthy except on my quote free day but like this week, I was on TOM, my daughter was out of school for Spring Break and we were running like crazy getting tons of errands done that we couldn't do other times.  So we ate alot of fast food and Starbucks but I only went over my calories 1 day.  And still had a 2 pound loss.  I know that sounds like alot of calories to everyone but when you are used to eating 3000 to 4000 per day and not much exercise then just cutting back a little and moving alot more pays off huge!!!!  And not so hard to stick with.. :-)  This next week I will be home all week so will be eating healthier.  I did go to the doctor this week and she said my blood pressure is better than it has ever been and if I keep it up in the long run she will eventually be able to lower and then take me off of it.. yeah!!! 

I got an early birthday present this week, a HRM watch and a Walking Vest.  I wanted a polar one and the walkvest I showed you but Academy had a watch and vest that were a whole lot cheaper so I decided to give them a try first.  The watch died on me when I got home but hubby says it is just the battery, I pray so.. :-)  Then the vest I won't use until I lose alot more weight first.

I hope everyone has a wonderful and blessed Easter weekend!!!

Weigh In!!!

WooHoo!!!!  I am soooo happy, I lost 4 pounds this week.  I would have been just as happy with 1 especially with the week I have had and coming next week.  This week, I stayed under my calories Mon, Tues, Wed, then Thursday after we dropped the girls off at the concert, it was called the Rocket Summer, at Oklahoma University.  Which my daughter was thrilled because she will be going there next year but she is also petrified.  My mom and I went to Olive Garden, wellll I got the Tour of Italy and 2 breadsticks with the salad, and Starbucks so yeah I went over my calories.  Then Friday my plan of attack was to eat less calories before Sat weigh in and balance it out.  Well my mom had a blow out and Brandy and I drove to get her and my hubby and it was late, so we got starbucks again and Taco Bell but this time was still way under my calories for the day.  Remember I set mine real high.  I got my walking in everyday no matter what, yeah!!!  I may be going slow but I am doing it and sticking with it, and really enjoying it better this time.. :-)  Today is my free day so yes, I will be having a hollow chocolate cow, etc.. Then right back at it Monday!  Next week will be a challenge but I will have a loss next Sat.  My daughter is on Spring Break and we have seveal doctor appt and errands to run but I will not go over my calories and will get my walks in every day.. :-)

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!   hugs, April

Thursday

Hello everyone! Well overall I have done great so far this week. Haven't went over my calories and have gotten my walks in every day. I am currently doing 30 minutes on the treadmill and with that and all day doing about 8000 steps, more next week.. :-) Tonight I will be taking my daughter and 3 of her friends to a Christian concert in Norman and since it is about an hour away my mom is riding with me. We are planning on eating out at a nice place to kill some time and then going to walk around wal-mart. Since I have no idea where we will be eating yet I will be eating a light breakfast and lunch to make sure I have plenty of calories left.. :-)

I found all kinds of fantastic walking info at about.com It is at: http://walking.about.com/

Everyone have a great OP day!!!
 

Walk Like the Amish - Fantastic Article!

Pedometers Show High Step Count, Low Obesity
How many steps per day are enough to keep you trim and prevent obesity? A
pedometer study of an Old Order Amish community showed that their average
man logged 18,000 steps per day and their average woman logged 14,000 steps
per day, and they had one of the lowest rates of overweight and obesity of
any community in North America.

Old Ways = Active Ways
While typical North Americans find logging 10,000 steps a day to be a
challenge, requiring dedicated walking time to accomplish, the Old Order
Amish achieved it with ease with their typical daily activities. In fact,
the only day their average dipped as low as 10,000 steps was on Sunday,
their "day of rest." The farming community was studied in March at a
moderate-activity time rather than high-activity time of year such as during
harvest. The Old Order Amish shun any technology developed after the
mid-1800's. This pre-electrical, pre-motorized lifestyle involves much
physical activity.
Pedometer Study
The 96 Amish studied wore pedometers for a week and recorded their daily
steps and other physical activity. They also calculated the Body Mass Index
(BMI) for each participant. Use of the pedometers and scales did not violate
Amish traditions because they were borrowed. The participants were men and
women, ages 18-75, in an Old Order Amish community in Ontario, Canada. The
study was published in the January, 2004 "Medicine & Science in Sports &
Exercise," and conducted by David R. Bassett, Jr. and associates of the
University of Tennessee.
High Activity = Lower Body Fat
None of the men were obese, and only 2 of the women were obese, an overall
rate of 4% obesity as measured as a BMI of 30 or more. This compares to
14.9% obesity rate in Canada and 30.9% in the USA.
Overweight rates were also far below average. Only 26% were overweight,
which is half of the rate for Canadians and one third the rate of the USA.

Of note is that the obesity rates for this community do not compare to that
of more sedentary Amish communities where they work in tourist shops and
furniture factories. In those communities the obesity rate is similar to
their non-Amish neighbors. It might be predicted that it is the
high-activity farming lifestyle that keeps this Amish community lean.

Eating Like the Amish
Their diet is not low-carb or low-fat. The study says, "The Amish diet is
typical of the pre-World War II rural diet. It includes meat, potatoes,
gravy, eggs, vegetables, bread, pies, cakes, and is quite high in fat and
refined sugar." But it is balanced with a high physical activity level. This
is more typical of marathon training or other endurance sport training,
where carbs are considered fuel rather than shunned. This Amish community
rarely snacks between meals and has limited access to fast food.
Up Your Activity
The moral of this story: modern lifestyles have greatly reduced our everyday
physical activity levels, yet we haven't reduced our food intake to match.
To prevent packing on the pounds, we need to move more and eat a little
less.

Weigh In

Sad, Angry, Depressed!  But learning from it!  No I didn't count calories all week and paid for it.  I had a very emotional week and ate out almost every night which I never do and well, the scale showed up 5.5 pounds today!  If that wasn't bad enough our temps have been 70 now back to 18 and the humidity is terrible.  I just got done having a nosebleed so will be nervous for part of the day today.. :-(  Please Spring come on and get past winter!!!!  If I could I would start going to somewhere that doesn't have winter and come back when it is over, maybe someday.

My plan for next week is to get back on track and count my calories no matter what.  My plan can't be any easier so no excuses to not do well.  I mean I on purpose keep my calories higher than most people and even have a free day plus walk on my treadmill and I lose weight every week when I do it.  The thing is since I am not cutting my calories back drastically it is really easy, so why did this past week happen.  No excuses just my fault but that was this past week and I am putting it behind me. 

I hope everyone else is having a great weekend!!!  P.S.  I bought me a Kipling purse on e-bay and have never had one so excited to get it.  I know I need to save my money for the walkvest which I will.. :-)