Under Armour Storm with Micro G

   I haven't been able to run for long distances and I blame my old shoes for this. Every time I would begin running I would get a sharp pain in my right leg. It seemed to me that my shoes were not providing enough support while I ran. So, I bought new shoes.

   Anytime I make a big purchase I do my research first. This ensures that I am equipped with the knowledge to make a good decision on how I will spend my money. After researching shoes I found two pair that I thought would get the job done; Under Armour Spine Venom and Under Armour Micro G.

   After arriving at the sport store (Hibbet Sports) I found these bad boys. I tried on every pair of running shoes in the store, but fell in love with these. They are extremely comfortable and supportive. The Under Armour Storm with Micro G has tread on the bottom that makes it feel like you are walking on pillows. They actually fit to your foot instead of trying to find a pair of shoes that your foot fits in perfectly. They are made of fabric that actually does breathe which helps keep your feet dry when running. They are durable and seem to be a high quality shoe. Once again Under Armour has proven to be the superior brand in my book!

Here is the tread:

If you decide to purchase new running shoes these are a little pricey..however if you have ever bought running shoes before you know that you have to spend a little more if you want to get a quality item that does what it is supposed to do. And when you are talking about running you have to keep in mind how hard running can be on your body. Your body is worth the extra money, in fact you'll thank yourself down the road when you can still move because you chose to take care of yourself! 

Please feel free to leave your comments about Under Armour (and their awesomeness) below :) 

Until next time,
Alaina

The Time Is Now

There have been so many times that I have been asked about motivation. Motivation to begin your health journey can be hard to find and easy to lose.

It is much easier to tell yourself that you will begin getting healthy tomorrow or that you will start next week.

My motivation:

We only have so many "tomorrows". There is only a certain period of time when I can take control of the way I look and the way I feel and that time is now. Life is not forever. I can choose to take control of my life or I can let it pass me by.

When it comes down to eating that cupcake or having that one bowl of ice cream I remind myself of what I want in life and I evaluate if that one moment of happiness is worth the many hours of work it will take to get rid of those excess calories.

When I feel like taking a day off my mind (because I've formed a habit) reminds myself of how I will feel later that night if I skip out on my daily routine. I ask myself if skipping is worth the regret. I remind myself that the one hour I give now will get me one hour closer to my health goals.

In the end I keep myself motivated by staying focused. There is only so many tomorrows and today is as good of a tomorrow as the next day, so why not start now. I once read a quote, though I cannot remember the author, that stated "You may not want to start now, but a year from now you'll wish you would have started today." That is so true. To let a year go by knowing what you want to achieve and yet doing nothing to make that goal a reality is a waste of time. Why put off something for tomorrow that could be done today?

So take the first step, choose to make your goals a reality, make the choice to be the you you want to be. Your life starts now!

Until next time,
Alaina

This is Me Now...

This is me now, 9 weeks into my health journey:

I don't have a very good "before" picture. I didn't take the time to take one, but in the picture above I am at 119 pounds, which is a total loss of 24 pounds! Please excuse the mess behind me, I took the picture in my daughters room because the lighting was better.

Here is a picture of me two years ago:

In this picture I believe I weighed 135 which was the summer of 2012, so two years ago. 

This is me last year after working out, so you know it's a little rough, but I wanted to point out the difference in the picture from now (the first one) this picture. 

This is right before starting my health journey (2014) I had to weigh in for a FB contest. You can see that I started out at 143 or 144 pounds.

And this is a side view of me now. As you can see I have made progress, though I still have a ways to go. I was asked to post pictures so here they are. 

Until next time, 

Alaina

Catfish, Asparagus, and Mashed Cauliflower

Tonight I made baked catfish, garlic asparagus, and mashed cauliflower (which I will post the recipes for), and it was absolutely delicious. Plus it was only 212 calories total!

Baked Catfish

Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds Catfish chunks
Weber's Mango Seasoning

Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and spray with olive oil. Lay out the catfish chunks. Sprinkle with seasoning. Bake at 425 for 30-45 minutes, until white and flaky in the middle.

Garlic Asparagus

Ingredients
1 pound asparagus
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/8 cup olive oil
A few squirts of lemon juice

Snap the ends off of the asparagus and mix with olive oil, minced garlic, and lemon juice. Line a baking dish with aluminum foil and spray with olive oil. Lay the asparagus in the baking dish 1 asparagus deep. Bake at 425 for 10-12 minutes or until desired tenderness is reached.

Mashed Cauliflower

1 head of cauliflower
1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon garlic
2 tablespoons butter

Chop the cauliflower up, removing the leaves. (Make sure you wash first). Put cauliflower in bowl with water and cover. Microwave for 10 minutes. Meanwhile put butter and garlic in food processor (or blender, I use my Ninja). After cauliflower is done the bowl and cover will be extremely hot so use a hot pad. Pour cauliflower into blender and blend until desired consistency.

These recipes make enough to feed a family of four. If you have a larger family or desire a bigger portion size simply double the recipes. Portion sizes are around a cup of each food per person.

I hope you find them as yummy as I did!

Until next time,
Alaina

The Problem With Diet Pills and Supplements

Recently I have seen so many ads on ways you can "get skinny quick" or "lose the weight fast" (and not so recently, I mean these plans have been around for some time). However, they are not without strings.

The Strings:

Firstly most of these "lose it quick" plans come at a hefty price and I'm not just talking finances. Yes, most of them do require you to dip into your wallet, but they also require you to put your health in jeopardy as well.

Losing weight fast does not allow your body the time it needs to tighten your skin, therefore you might get rid of the fat but you are going to have a lot of skin left over. Skin needs time to adjust, and when you lose weight the "old-fashioned" way your body has time to make the necessary adjustments that keep you looking healthy.

What kinds of chemicals are you putting in your body to create this weight loss? Are they natural? Are they healthy? Are they actually good for you? Is the quantity of said chemicals (even if they are healthy and natural) safe? You should always talk to your doctor (no matter what) before you begin your weight loss journey and most importantly if you are planning on starting a new pill or diet. Learning the adverse effects of new medications (because diet pills are essentially medicine) is extremely important to your overall health. [How many times have you seen a new "lose weight" pill or drink come on the market, only to be recalled a few months or a year later in those ads that ask you to call a lawyer if you've had such and such reaction to said pill or drink.]

Losing weight with a diet fad can be successful, but for how long? When all you are doing is taking a pill or drinking a shake you are not forming healthy habits, and you are not changing your lifestyle. This means that your weight loss is dependent on that pill or that shake and in order to keep the weight off you are going to have to continue the pill or shake diet. If you quit it is likely that you will gain the weight back.

When you commit to getting healthy, and that commitment is to true health, a diet pill or diet shake should not even be an option. Yes, you can eat lower calorie foods, but changing what you eat from un-healthy to healthy foods is a change in lifestyle. It is creating new eating habits, and habits are hard to break.

Dedicating yourself to an exercise plan creates healthy habits. When you have made a commitment to work out 3, 4, 6 times a week this creates a habit, and like I said habits are hard to break. You get your mind and your body working together. After this habit is created you will find that the days you take off from exercise your body and your mind remind you that you need to exercise.

Working out does more than aide in weight loss, it creates overall health. Exercise is good not only for your body image but also for your heart, your brain, your mental health, and the rest of your body. It lets your body know who's boss. Exercise has even been proven to help you live longer. Why is that? Because exercise gets your blood flowing, it burns the energy that the food you have consumed provides, it gets your heart working.

Until next time, good luck on your journey!
Alaina

Exercise Routine

	Exercise Routine
Weekend	Walk 1 Mile, Run 1 Mile, Walk (cool down) ½ mile; 25 leg lifts on each side, 25 side crunches on each side, 25 crunches, 25 leg crunches, 30 second plank
Weekdays	Walk 1 Mile, Run 1 ½ mile, walk (cool down) ½ mile; 30 leg lifts on each side, 30 side crunches on each side, 30 crunches, 30 leg crunches, 45 second plank.

This is my routine, though I do change it up. For example I lift weights at least 2 days a week to work my arms and upper body. I also do longer planks at times (I'm up to 60 seconds now) and I increase the number of crunches, side crunches, leg lifts, and leg crunches each week. I also push myself to see how far I can run, I am up to 3 miles now, but I advise starting out slow. In fact I didn't start running until I was 4 weeks into my journey, which gave my body time to get used to exercise and strengthen some before I really began pushing myself.  I wanted to simply provide a basis to show you what I have been doing. It has helped strengthen my core tremendously! For the first time in my life I can feel my abs!

I am looking for new ways to target my core so please feel free to leave any suggestions you may have in the comment section. I also like to spice my workout up a little by changing my routine so if you have any suggestions for that I would love to hear them as well. I'm sure we all know how boring repetitive workouts can be. 

Until next time, 

Alaina

What Are Calories Exactly?

How Stuff Works

In our journey to get healthy understanding calories is pertinent. In fact having the knowledge of exactly what those things called calories are can help you when trying to make decisions regarding your health. I will start by saying calories are not the enemy, they only appear that way because of our lack of knowledge on what exactly a calorie is and how it works.

Calorie as defined by the Merriam Webster dictionary is "an amount of heat exactly equal to 4.1840 joules." (Thermodynamics) and "a unit equal to the kilocalorie, used to express the heat output of an organism and the fuel or energy value of food.-- a quantity of food capable of producing such an amount of energy." (Physiology)

Origin: French, equivalent to calor- which in Latin means heat. 

In the scientific world a calorie is the amount of energy required to raise one gram of water by one degree Celsius. 

Okay now that we have defined the word, what does that mean for our overall health. Well, learning that calories are the measurements of fuel or energy value of food, or rather that the amount of calories in a specific food item will provide your body with that much energy units tells us that by consuming some food stuff we are essentially turning that food stuff into energy. How much energy? The number of calories that food source is worth is the amount of energy you are adding to your body. 

The other important thing to note is that in order to successfully monitor the amount of calories (energy) you should consume it is important to decide on a specific number of calories your body needs to sustain health. In order to find this amount you can use a health coach such as Noom (which is the coach I use, and happens to be a very helpful and free downloadable app). Medical News Today suggests that the number of calories you should eat is dependent upon your age, size, height, sex, lifestyle, and overall health. One way to calculate your caloric intake is to use the Harris-Benedict equation:

Male Adult:
66.5 + (13.75 x kg body weight) + (5.003 x height in cm) - (6.755 x age) = BMR
66 + ( 6.23 x pounds body weight) + ( 12.7 x height in inches ) - ( 6.76 x age) = BMR

Female Adult:
55.1 + (9.563 x kg body weight) + (1.850 x height in cm) - (4.676 x age) = BMR
65.5 + (4.35 x kg body weight) + (4.7 x height in inches) - (4.7 x age) = BMR

After calculating your BMR you can then use a BMR calculator to find out how many calories your body will burn if you do nothing at all. You can find the calculator at Medical News Today.

After you have found the number of calories your body burns on average with no exercise at all you can then decide how many more calories you would like to burn and settle on an exercise plan that works for you. It is important to note that you should not begin a new diet or exercise plan without first consulting your doctor or physician.

Once you have settled on the number of calories you will consume, and the number of calories you wish to burn you need to find an easy way to keep track of your caloric intake. As I mentioned above I use my Noom Coach app (It's free and amazing!). You can do a quick google search to find other free calorie counters to help you keep track of your intake. MyFitnessPal offers a free calorie counting app to help you track your caloric intake.

Another aspect to consider when forming your new eating plan is what you are eating. While it is okay to decide that you are going to consume 1200 calories a day, you need to think about what you will "give" those calories to. I think of it as a daily budget. I question the nutritional value of the food I consume and ask myself how my body will use that energy. A question that Medical News Today brings up and is very valid is if the calories in a chocolate bar will do the same for your body as the calories in a carrot. My addition to this is the question: "am I willing to give a candy bar 140 calories from my budget?" I also ask myself how filling the food I eat will be. Is the 140 calories from a candy bar going to fill me up until my next nutritional meal? The answer is almost always no, though I do indulge every now and again because if you don't treat yourself eventually you'll frustrate yourself and quitting soon follows.

When grocery shopping I look at the number of calories in each food stuff I purchase, in addition to serving size. If it is a nutritional item that has a portion size that will sustain me it usually goes in my cart, however if I find that there are a big number of calories for a small portion I will either look for an alternative or choose something different.

I do hope that this information on what a calorie is and how your body uses calories is helpful to you and gives you some insight for your journey to health.

Until next time I wish you luck on your journey,
Alaina


dreamstime.com

Just a Quick Update

I wanted to check in with everyone because I haven't posted in a little while. I have been busy with the yearbook and school work and of course exercise and getting healthy!

I weighed in today and guess what....

I am now 122 pounds! That means I've lost 21 pounds so far! This is the middle of week 9, so I think that's pretty good progress.

I have kept myself on goal, motivated, focused, and I've been pushing for it! Losing weight is not my priority, getting healthy is, but seeing the needle on the scale move just a little bit is refreshing and motivating!

It's proof that if you want something bad enough, and you are willing to put in the work you will see results!

Feel free to leave your success stories in the comment section below, it is always nice and motivating to hear how others are doing.

Until next time good luck,
Alaina

Dessert Alternatives

Since beginning my "Get Healthy" journey I have changed my eating habits, which I believe has aided in my weight loss as well as my overall health. I want to share a few of my alternatives I've switched to in hopes that you might find them helpful as well.

Ice Cream (Okay really this should be titled Dessert, but who am I kidding?)
I am an ice cream addict, or rather I was. I think the hardest thing for me to give up when making the choice to be healthy was ice cream. However, it needed to be done because I was having a bowl of ice cream every night before I made the switch. (And I wonder why I didn't feel healthy, I was tired, and sluggish.)

I discovered Yopa! Yopa is the most delicious greek yogurt I have found and Yopa has a yogurt that comes with toppings. My absolute favorite is Yopa Raspberry with Dove chocolate pieces you can add in. It is absolutely amazing and it kicks my ice cream loving sweet tooth cravings. The other Yopa flavor I find tasty is Yopa vanilla with M&M's. Though I think I can make this one at home if I just buy the bigger tub of greek yogurt and some mini M&M's but I usually just go ahead and buy the pre-packaged version. This is an affordable alternative at only $1 per container. The only place I've been able to find Yopa, however, is Walmart and the selection basically consists of Raspberry and Dove, Vanilla and M&M, and Lemon and shortbread. When I need to switch to something else I also eat the Yocrunch yogurt with toppings. Because Yocrunch is regular (not Greek) yogurt it is a little cheaper at 5/$3 (at Walmart). It is yummy, but in my opinion nothing can beat the deliciousness of Greek yogurt, especially when you are trying to replace ice cream.

I do have to say that I still allow myself a little ice cream every now and again, but when I do I stick to the recommended portion size which is 1/2 cup.

Another dessert I have come to love that is very low in calories is sugar-free jello. It is delicious and if you buy it pre-packaged each cup only has 5 calories! This is awesome for the days you really want dessert but had a somewhat high calorie dinner.

The Black Bean Brownie recipe I referred to in an earlier post are also a wonderful alternative for those brownie lovers out there. In fact I made regular fudge brownies two days ago and tried a small slice, I think I prefer the Flour-less to the ones made with flour now.

It can be difficult to find low-calorie recipes. In fact searching for low-calorie recipes (I've found) can be frustrating because they are always attached to some special diet. I have found and made use of some weight watchers recipes that turned out deliciously and were low cal but if you want to skip the hassle of finding recipes I invite you to follow me on Pinterest. I have a special Calorie Friendly board dedicated to low-calorie yummy recipes. In fact they are so yummy your family will hardly notice they are eating healthy!

Follow my pin board Calorie Friendly here!

Until next time, I wish you good health and luck on your journey! Please feel free to share your success, motivation, and especially your favorite alternatives in the comment section below.

-Alaina

Soda, Pop... There are many names but is it good for you?

Soda can be your best friend or your worst nightmare. If you are trying to get healthy and lose weight soda is obviously your worst nightmare.

When I refer to soda I am speaking of carbonated soft drinks, whatever you call them in your neck of the woods is your prerogative.

First what is in soda?

Yes, it's delicious, but what makes it so delicious?

In most soda's you will find:
carbonated water
high fructose corn syrup and/or sucrose
caramel color
phosphoric acid
natural flavors
caffeine
and sometimes sodium benzoate (used as a preservative)

If you are anything like me you have heard of these things, or rather read them on the back of your soda can but have no understanding of what they actually are. All you know (and me too) is that soda tastes good and so you drink it. It gives you energy and so you drink it. But should you?

Let's break it down:

Carbonated water is water that contains carbon dioxide. Most of the time the carbon dioxide that creates the tiny bubbles in the water was forced into the water at a manufacturing plant, however there are some water sources that are naturally carbonated. The carbonated water found in soda is the type that was infused or charged in a manufacturing plant. Carbonated water does not become a health hazard until there are other things such as salts and some minerals are added to it, though the most dangerous use of carbonated water is in flavored soda according to wiseGEEK.

High fructose corn syrup is a sweetener made from corn starch. It contains 55% fructose and 45% glucose. This sweetener replaced common sugar because it is cheaper and is now used as the main sweetener in carbonated soft drinks (soda). While fructose has been related to the sugars in fruit which are natural sugars, the process to create high fructose corn syrup modifies this sugar so much so that the health benefits of this sweetener is questionable. High fructose corn syrup is oftentimes thought to be a contributor to obesity.

Caramel color is a food coloring, food colorings can be naturally derived or chemically derived. They can come from bugs, plants, and chemical reactions. Food dyes are the most commonly used type of food coloring used in soda. The burning of coal tar is a very popular way to create a broad spectrum of food coloring and dyes, however it is not risk free. The coal tar derivatives used to create these food coloring and dyes has been shown to cause asthma and other respiratory problems if consumed in large quantities. According to wiseGEEK it has also been linked to cancers, heart troubles, and behavioral problems in children.

Phosphoric acid, says Fooducate, is a "clear, colorless, odorless liquid with a syrupy consistency." It is used to give soda a tangy flavor. The use of this acid makes soda more acidic than lemon juice or vinegar, however the acidity is masked by the high fructose corn syrup. Phosphoric acid has been shown to cause low bone density, though Fooducate points out that according to Pepsi Co. "low intake" of phosphoric acid causes low bone density. Phosphoric acid is used to remove rust, that's right; it's a rust remover. Would you go to your garage and drink a bottle of acid? I'm sure your answer is no, and why not? Because it would eat your insides so wouldn't small quantities of acid do the same thing over a longer period of time?

Caffeine, no matter how you look at it caffeine is a drug. It is a drug that nearly everyone (at least in the US) is guilty of consuming at one point in their life or another. However there are both health benefits and negative aspects to caffeine. Caffeine can be very addicting, in fact it is one of the most addicting aspects of soda. Because of it's addicting qualities the international medical community recognizes caffeine withdrawal to be a medical symptom. Caffeine also naturally occurs in chocolate, tea, and other sources, but it is added to soda. There are current studies looking at the potential benefits that caffeine may have on some diseases such as Parkinson's, Alzheimer, and some cancers. However the beneficial caffeine is the naturally occurring caffeine. It is useful in stimulating the heart, and in small quantities can aid in your diet. However large quantities are dangerous. It can cause too much stimulation of the heart, caffeine can cause restlessness, anxiety, and sleeplessness.

Sodium Benzoate, according to Natural News, has the ability to deprive cells of oxygen. It can break down the immune system, and cause cancer. Do not confuse this silent killer for benzoic acid which is found naturally in fruits, claims Natural News, Benzoate is a synthesized (made in a lab) component and is very dangerous.

Therefore as you can see by looking at each of the individual ingredients, the things contained in a can of soda are harmful for the most part. They will not contribute to your path to health, they will not aide your journey. In fact they may do the opposite. So you are left with the responsibility of choosing whether the small joy of how a soda tastes for a moment is worth putting your journey on hold?

If you find yourself asking what are your alternatives might I suggest water. I know that water can be "plain" but I promise that if you make the switch and discipline yourself to drink only water for a week your taste buds will change and you will begin to crave water. Another wonderful alternative is unsweetened tea, and may I suggest Bigelow's Plantation Mint. It is absolutely delicious. Once again it takes time for your taste buds and your mind to give up that sugar you are used to drinking all of the time, but when you compare the small time it takes to give these chemicals up to the dangers the chemicals present isn't it worth it in the end?

Until next time I wish you good health and I am proud of you for making it this far in your journey to health! Keep up the good work, and if you may choose to take on the soda challenge, I wish you the best!

-Alaina