Small Changes

Today I had to take my car to get new brakes.  Instead of asking for a ride home from the shop or a friend like I normally would, I decided to walk home.  I live less than a mile away from the shop, and it only took 15 minutes to get home.  

Six months ago, I wouldn't have had the energy to walk to the mailbox two houses down.

Little changes like this eventually lead to big results! 


Next time you need to go out think about this...


Can you walk? 


Can you ride your bike?


Can you park at the end of the parking lot instead of by the door?


Can you take the stairs instead of the elevator? 


Little things like this can help all of us get more activity into our daily life.  


Experts recommend 10,000 steps per day (5 miles) for a healthy, active lifestyle. 


What do you do to add little bits of activity into your life? 

Accidental Exercise: Squats

I don't know about you, but I don't like going to the gym. Hate it really. I don't like feeling like a hamster in a wheel while I'm on a treadmill. It's so boring and I get bored easily. When I get bored, I lose interest.  When things are no longer interesting to me, I quit and move on to something more interesting.  Like naps.  Or surfing.  Internet surfing that is.  

No way am I jumping in the ocean to become shark bait.  

I have found that the easiest way for me to get exercise outside of the gym is what I like to call "accidental exercise."  It's the side effect of doing things you would normal do in your day-to-day routine that normally wouldn't be considered exercise, but the next day makes you feel like you completed a triathlon.  

Daisy May.  Loves to dig and run away when you call her.  

A few weeks ago, I got some accidental exercise when I had to sprint down the street to chase after Daisy when she dug out under the fence.  I got in some running, and also got some cardio.  My heart was pumping faster in 30 seconds than after an hour on the elliptical.  Dachshunds run so fast despite their short, stubby little legs.   

  

Last week, our other dog Sasha came in the house with a foxtail stuck to her side.  For those of you with dogs, you know just how dangerous foxtails can be for you little four-legged friend.  Those things can get stuck in ears, up noses, and in paws, causing pain, infections, and even hearing loss.  

One of the giant piles of weeds.  YUCK!

I knew that the weeds that I had been avoiding, had to come out ASAP.  

Early Sunday morning, Dave and I got busy working on the weeds. There were some pretty stubborn weeds out there.  In just a couple weeks, they had gotten so big and their roots had gotten so deep that I would grab them with both hands at the base and pull and I would lose my balance and fall backwards.
(And then my hubby would come up and yank it out with one hand and no effort at all...jerk) 

After a few hours, we were hot, sweaty, and dirty.  We had finally pulled all the weeds out of the yard.  It was starting to look better.  We threw all the weeds in the green bin, and it was filled up to the top.  We showered and went about our normal Sunday activities of preparing for the work week.  

Monday morning, the alarm goes off, and I sluggishly roll out of bed.  I was in quite a bit of pain, but that's sadly pretty normal for me.  I've had two significant back injuries in the past 10 years, as well as the inflammation that's most likely caused by my food allergies.  I just take a hot shower, and usually that helps me get loosened up for the day.  

I got to work, and I still wasn't feeling that great.  It hurt to walk up the stairs.  I started thinking.  What did I eat this weekend that could have caused this pain?  Right now my focus is on my food, but I couldn't pinpoint eating anything I shouldn't have.   

As the day went by, I was still hurting.  I took some motrin.  It barely touched the pain.  My calves, my quads, and my hamstrings really hurting.  My shoulders were sore.  My arms were weak. What caused this pain?  I felt like I ran a marathon. 

And then it hit me.  

I pulled weeds.

All Sunday morning, I had been going meticulously around the yard. Up and down.  Yanking out all those stubborn weeds.  Squatting down to grab each one.  Using my knees instead of my back, so I wouldn't get injured.  Pulling with all my strength to get out some of those monsters.  

I didn't realize it, but I had given myself a full body workout, without stepping foot in the gym.  I had accomplished a task that desperately needed to be done.  And I "worked out" for hours longer than I would have even spent in the gym.  

According to My Fitness Pal, the average 150lb person will burn this many calories for basic household chores.    

Cooking for 30 minutes - 68 calories

Gardening for 60 minutes - 272 calories

Light housework for 60 minutes - 170 calories

Mowing lawn for 30 minutes - 187

Walking the dog for 30 minutes - 112 

Moving boxes for 30 minutes - 238 calories

So next time you find yourself dreading going to the gym, look around the house and find some chores that need to be done.  I'll bet you will work out longer and harder than if you had just begrudgingly jumped on a treadmill.  

And your chores will be done. 

Little Things Turn Into Big Things

We've all had that day at work when we wake up feeling a little off. We go in to the office feeling a little tired, a little headachy, a little grumpy. The morning drags by, the headache gets a little worse, your eyelids are trying to shut, and you want nothing more than to make the underneath of your desk into a "Costanza bed."

Then comes lunch time.

Nothing really sounds good except a munching on a bottle of chocolate covered Advil, washing it down with a barrel of sugary caffeine, and following it up with a three hour nap in your sun-baked car. And even if you're hungry, all you usually want to eat is some deep fried salt, smothered in cheese, with a side of chocolate.

But I'm trying to be healthy.

I had that day today. Nothing sounded good. I felt crummy. I would rather have been in bed, napping the day away, than arguing on the phone with the people who like to make my job more difficult. As if working for the government isn't hard enough lately.

Source

Lunch time approaches. The angel and devil on my shoulders start arguing.

Man, a giant Dr. Pepper sure would help kill that headache of ours.

But all the sugar and empty calories. We've been doing so good lately. Drink some water. 

We should just go to In-N-Out. We could get fries while we are getting that extra-large soda. Mmmmmm salt.

More empty calories we shouldn't eat. Plus, we know we need to be limiting potatoes.   Dr.'s orders.

Eh, whatever. We're doing so good lately. A little cheat won't hurt.

No, no, no.  I'm not going to get fries and a soda.  That's not in today's plan.  Today's plan is to be healthy.  Make good decisions.  I've been strong for the past 4 months.  One day of feeling under the weather isn't going to derail my goals.  

I took a break.  Left the Arctic chill of the office and made my way to the cozy comforts of my car.  I drove down the street to the grocery store.  I made my way to the deli and visited the made-to-order sushi counter.  I asked the chef to prepare me an (my) allergy friendly brown rice salmon roll full of crunchy veggies.  Perfect.  As I walked back across the store to the register, I stopped at the wall of cold drinks.  My gaze locked in with a beautiful bottle of Dr. Pepper.  I took a deep breath, told that red vixen to shut up, and was about to reach for a bottle of water,when my eyes wandered over to the most beautiful sight at that moment.  

Tejava!!!  

Why didn't I think of that in the first place?!?!  Just enough caffeine to help kick my headache, but none of the empty calories or garbage ingredients to ruin my goals for the day.  It's one of my favorites! 

I headed back to the office.  Refreshed.  It was good to get out of the office for a few and I made good choices.  I was ready to get back to work.  

Today was a good day. 

Brings back memories of drinking unsweetened sun tea at Grandma's by the pool

Think about it.  An extra-large fast food soda will set you back upwards of 500 calories.  If you had an extra-large soda ever day with lunch, that could mean a minimum of an extra 10,000 calories per month! Consuming an extra 3,500 calories will make you gain 1 pound. 

10,000 calories = 2.85 pounds per month or 34.25 pounds per year. 

Add in a piece of candy every time you walk by the receptionists' desk and a couple donuts a week from the break room and you are on your way to needing new pants every 6 months.  

No wonder it's so challenging to lose weight when you work in an office.  Little things like swapping out soda with unsweetened tea really add up over time.