Health and Fitness Bookstore Extravaganza

Yesterday, my husband and I were at a local bookstore getting some information for his presentation next month on ADHD. While he was perusing psych books, I decided to make my way over to the health and fitness books. WOW! If I didn't know better there are a million books on diet, exercise, fitness and they all seem very educational. I was standing there thinking what if was an overweight person, overwhelmed with life but trying to make a change in one part of my life. If I had decided that losing weight was going to be it and went to this bookstore, I would be overwhelmed again. Which book is going to do the job, which diet is going to make me thin, how is this going to work; the questions that would run through my head would be never ending and I would probably walk out of the store without a single book, discouraged that I don't know where to start.

It seems that everyone has an answer to the obesity epidemic in our country. But in realty, it's different for every person. What I like to eat, you may not. I remember in high school, always wanting to be on the newest "fad" diet. However, I couldn't stomach eating a tomato and every diet had tomatoes in it somewhere. I could never complete a diet plan. That was completely discouraging. As I grew up I realized that just because I didn't eat tomatos didn't mean that I couldn't eat healthy. It just meant I was going to eat healthy without tomatos. It's possible but if I would have listened to the diet books of old, I would never have experienced great whole food vegetarian cooking without tomatos.

So, if you are overwhelmed with the amount of books on the subject of diet and weight loss. If you are a person that doesn't like a lot of foods. I am here to tell you that IT CAN STILL BE DONE! You can still eat healthy around all your eating habits and lose weight. I have so I know you can too. Let me know how I can help you, just email battle2heal@gmail.com to set up a phone conversation.

Enjoy your day!

Television Facts

Eat, Drink and Be: "Those who reported watching two to three hours of TV were 77 percent were more likely to be overweight or obese, and those who watched four or more hours a day increased their odds of obesity by 150 percent, compared to people who watched less than two hours."

I pulled this factoid from another blog that was sent to me. Television is an interesting topic and quite volatile for many. For instance, I love opening day for football season. I will sit in front of the television from start to finish which means ALL DAY LONG on that one day a year and for some reason I think that is fine. However, when my friend says on Sunday afternoon for the entire summer that she sits and watches 2 - 3 hours of Nascar Racing, I seem to roll my eyes and think why would you do this. Here's the reason priorities. For me the sport of football is a priority on that day, for her Nascar Racing is a priority on Sunday afternoons. It calms me and sets me straight that we are heading into fall and all is right with the world. Who knows for my friend it may calm her week down.

Realistically I watch about 2 hours of television a night, usually from 8 - 10 pm sometimes until 11 pm depending on the shows. Here's what I find when I watch television, I find myself hitting the pantry about an hour into the television time for really no apparent reason. I'm not hungry. There are two factors working here; advertising (did you ever notice that advertisers during the 8:30 - 9:30 hour are all about fast food) and boredom (do you really want to watch a show about another person's life that is what you just lived?). I find that there are a couple of inspirational shows; American Idol, Biggest Loser and that new Food Revolution and you may have your own inspirational shows but after that I don't find anything that exciting. So I completely understand how one would be more overweight with the amount of television one watches. You can't help it with the amount of subliminal messaging from our advertisers you get hungry. The more you watch, the more hungry you get. So, 4 or more hours a day, you are bombarded with advertising for unhealthy food items and drugs with a long list of side effects. I can't see how one could not hit the pantry a few times during a 4 hour marathon television time.

How do we combat this? Let's try a baby step. When the commercial comes on they are usually 5 minutes long. During that time you can chose one one of these items to do:

1) Throw in a load of laundry
2) Load your dishwasher
3) Brush your teeth and get ready for bed
4) Vacuum any room in the house
5) Wipe down the kitchen counters
6) Move a load of laundry from the washer to dryer
7) Pick out your clothes for tomorrow and lay them out
8) Finish your water bottle for the day and refill for tomorrow
9) Get the coffee ready for tomorrow morning
10) Clean a bathroom
11) Pack your lunch for tomorrow morning

One item each commercial break, you are still watching your television shows you love and you are getting your house in order for the next day. Try it, we are taking baby steps to see what lifestyle changes we can make to ensure success with our weight loss goals.

Isn't that beautiful...look at the colors and the shapes and the textures. I love vegetables.

I know I'm a crazy person but when I go to the grocery store and walk in. I immediately smile at the colors, textures and ideas of what great food I will create from these glorious vegetables. Now to some this experience can be daunting. It can be overwhelming and something of a color kaleidoscope that they can't seem to get into. For those of you like this, take a deep breath and think about your favorite color is it red like a tomato or green like a pepper or orange - you can find all the colors in the rainbow in the vegetable section - pick your favorite color and hone in on that vegetable. Buy some and scour the Internet for how to use it or email me battle2heal@gmail.com and I'll help you use the vegetable. Take it one step at a time and when you use a vegetable of your favorite color you are more likely to smile when you cut it up then to be nervous.

I just read this article on the effects of diet and breast cancer. I don't know about you but I really don't want to have breast cancer so for me a diet high in vegetables is where I'm going to start. Now mind you, I still will have a glass a wine every now and again. This is a personal decision and I'm not on a rant about it but wanted to provide you with the most recent information. You need to make your own decision on food and drinks. I'm just here to help you with baby stepping your way to new healthier you!

Can schools stop obesity? Should they even try? | Get Schooled

Can schools stop obesity? Should they even try? Get Schooled: "Koebnick said the obesity epidemic is driven by a combination of lack of physical activity and poor eating habits. “It’s unhealthy eating habits — fast food versus slow food,” she said. Parents need to be role models for their children, Koebnick stressed. “There are studies suggesting parent’s weight has a significant influence on the child’s weight,” she noted. Extreme obesity can lead to serious health problems such as diabetes and heart disease, Koebnick added"

I get so very angry about the slow food vs. fast food issue. It still amazes me that some of my friends are in their 20s and don't know how to peel an onion. Their reasoning is I just don't like to cook. Here is a great recipe that takes 20 minutes to prepare and put in the crock pot, filled with great vegetables that you cut up yourself.

1 onion - peeled and diced
1 jalapeno - diced with seeds
1 green pepper - seeded and diced
1 pound of organic, grass fed, free range ground beef, browned
1 16 oz can of organic hot chili beans (I use canned here now but am moving towards making my own, soaking beans the night before)
1 32 oz can of organic diced tomatoes (this I just read an article on how we shouldn't use canned tomatoes so I'm going to start moving away from it)

Dump it all in a crock pot- turn on low and when you get home you have crock pot chili

Seriously what more could you ask for - you have vegetables and meats in one dish that doesn't take any time to put in the crock pot. Heck even if you serve it with Frito's you still are more healthy than fast foods. I don't understand why our country has made it so scary to cook at home. There is an overwhelming fear of cooking that I just don't understand. If you have a fear of cooking, please send me an email at battle2heal@gmail.com and let me know why. Is it that you failed home economics? Is it that you have never done it before? Is it that you fear failure? Because if it's any of these, I can help overcome these fears and get you on the road to healthy successful cooking!

There is also this thought that going out to dinner is faster than cooking at home. I have timed it - going to a Mexican restaurant or making it at home - home wins the battle of time every time. Because going out isn't just ordering food and getting it. You have to drive to the restaurant, wait in line to be seated, order a drink (hopefully water), get chips and salsa (like 1000 calories a basketful), order, get the food, eat, pay the bill, leave a tip, get in the car and then drive home. This is at least 90 minutes start to finish. When I cook Mexican total time with clean up is 60 minutes and that involves 30 minutes for eating. We save 1000's of calories in the basket of chips alone.

Okay, I'm done with my rant today. Please take a moment, cut up a vegetable, sing while you do it and I promise it will be the best tasting vegetable ever. A friend once told me there is nothing better than cooking with love for the people eating. Love yourself today!

Peer Trainer Great Article

So today I was sent my daily email from Peer Trainer and it inspired me. It talks about the fear of losing weight. You are probably thinking I'm not afraid of losing weight, I just want to lose weight. But if you look at your weight loss yo-yo you will see that you get to a certain weight and self sabotage your efforts. It's the most frustrating part. I've been at this weight for 4 months now working out 4-5 days per week and sometimes 6 days per week for an hour a day. However, when I look back on the months, I can see that once I get to within a couple pounds of breaking into the next lower bracket, I tend to eat out more, buy potato chips, cook with more butter etc. I self-sabotage because I don't know what I will do when I get to the next level down. I can't see myself being thin as my DH can. He can visualize what he will look like, how he will answer questions, what his confidence level will be. But for me I don't see that yet, I can't seem to break through the glass ceiling to get to that next level of weight loss.

Do you have this same issue? Well, this article helped me to realize what I was doing. It helped me to understand that FEAR isn't going to hold me back one more day. Today is the day that I make the change and break through that glass ceiling of weight loss into the next lower tens....(120, 130, 140, 150, 160, 170)

Chafing

Okay, this is a touchy subject. But when you start working out you have to know there is some pain. Not the "normal" muscle pain but there is chafing pain. Places you didn't think were ever going to chafe do and it hurts. I have a routine for this. Every night and every morning I use SportSlick. Any place that is sore from skin rubbing on skin gets hit with this stuff and it works. The pain goes away and you are feeling much better quickly. Try it - you can get it at any drug store.

Have you refilled your water bottle? For most of us we are well into the afternoon - refill your water bottle and start again.

Also, don't forget to follow me on twitter battle2heal or email me with questions or to set up a coaching session, battle2heal@gmail.com .

Blessing!

Moving toward a healthy future - AltoonaMirror.com | News, Sports, Jobs, Community Information - The Altoona Mirror

Moving toward a healthy future - AltoonaMirror.com News, Sports, Jobs, Community Information - The Altoona Mirror:

"Sara Miller, a junior at Cambria Heights High School, knows that small changes can produce big results. The 16-year-old Ashville girl lost about 80 pounds by cutting out junk food and getting active. Sara is 5 feet, 4 inches tall and went from 197 pounds to 115 over the course of about two years.
Her mother, Connie Miller, said she and Sara's father, Wayne Miller, are proud of their daughter's weight loss. Connie Miller walks with her daughter and has even changed her cooking habits.
'I don't deep fry stuff anymore,' she said. 'We buy more yogurt, more veggies.'
Sara said she exercises for 20 to 40 minutes most days. She's focusing on maintaining her weight loss and said she would encourage others to make healthy choices, too.
'Don't give up - it's going to be hard,' she said. 'Nothing comes easily, especially this. You'll feel better in the end, even if you only lose 10 pounds.'"

Congratulations Sara Miller for your hard work and commitment to healthy living. What can you do to support your family in a more healthy lifestyle? in losing the weight they need to and change habits?

Ask a coach and see what you can do to change for the success you want! Email me at battle2heal@gmail.com and let's set some goals for you and your family!

Brooklyn students run instead of bake

http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/education/2010/03/20/2010-03-20_brooklyn_students_ditch_bake_sale_for_charity_run_in_bid_to_help_haiti.html

Way to go Brooklyn students on a great alternative to the bake sale!!!

500 People Showed up in Dallas for Biggest Loser Tryouts

This story is amazing to me. Over 500 overweight people showed up in Dallas for a shot at being one of 30 contestants on the Biggest Loser. Now, don't get me wrong, I love the Biggest Loser and the amount of weight these contestants lose is amazing! Something to truly be proud of....however, in the real world of work, family, keeping a household, financial worries and stresses that go along with everyday living, we need to have a reality check here. The feasibility of losing 12 pounds in one week are slim for us "normal" folks. So what do we do:

1) We take it one day at a time, one meal at a time, one workout at a time

2) We do our best and forget the rest

3) We understand that 2 pounds gone in a week is great work!

How do we do this when we have 50, 75 or 100 pounds to lose. In the words of one of my mentors, Marla Cilley, "We take baby-steps." That's right we decide that we are at the beginning of a week, a time in our lives, a goal and we move forward. So this week we are taking the baby-step of drinking at least 20 ounces of water per day. In order to do this we must make some routines....

1) Fill a water bottle and put in the fridge tonight. This makes it ready to pull out and take with us to work.

2) At lunch, refill your water bottle. Even if it's only 1/2 way finished, refill so you are set for the afternoon.

3) For lunch and dinner, drink water with your meal at least one full glass. Notice I didn't say breakfast, I'm not crazy enough to think we aren't drinking coffee for our breakfasts (grin)

There the plan is set this will get you at least 20 ounces of water per day and you will start to feel better.

If you still aren't convinced this will work, try it for a month and let me know what you think. I'm here, I'm listening and I'm ready to congratulate you on taking a baby step with me!

If you need help with setting your goals or completing your goals, feel free to email me at battle2heal@gmail.com and we can work on this together in a coaching relationship. You can also follow me on twitter at battle2heal.

Blessings to you!

Weight Loss Struggles

iVillage Janet Jackson Jay Leno Weight Struggles - iVillage: "Jackson has also channeled some of her energy into writing a book, True You, which will reportedly address her history with weight issues. Jackson explained that the book is not a diet guide nor is it necessarily 'an autobiography, but there were certain events in my childhood that created issues that may have made it an issue for me -- weight loss, weight gain and self-esteem, things like that.'
The book will apparently also delve into a particular incident that happened when she starred on the sitcom Good Times. 'I wasn't a heavy kid on the show, but I was 10 years old when I first started,' she said. 'I was developing very quickly. They would put gauze around my chest to make me smaller, and I think that has an effect on you, certain things like that when you're growing up. As if who you are isn't good enough.'"


This morning my DH and I were driving to breakfast and talking about our weight struggles. He said he is visualizing himself where he wants to be weight wise and what that will transfer into in his life. For instance, how he will sit in his chair, walk with his shoulders back, answer questions with more and more confidence. He said he's visualizing where he will be and what it will feel like. He can do this because he can remember a time when he was fit, trim, confident and ready to take on the world.

For me, it's more like Janet above. I never felt good enough no matter what my weight was. I remember losing weight in high school and my gymnastics coach saying don't lose too much weight. That about killed me and I gained 10 pounds to ensure I wasn't too thin. The weight continued on me until I was at 190 pounds and 40 years old. Man that was hard to look at on the scale. I spent some wallowing time and then decided to take it one step at time, changing one negative thought at a time. I'm down to 174 and will continue on this journey with you to lose the excess weight we are carrying.

Just remember you are not alone in this stuggle, Janet Jackson struggles, Kristie Alley struggles, Karen Garrett struggles. We are all in this together attempting to create healthy lifestyles for our families and battle ourselves back to healing!!!!

"Call to me and I will answer you. I'll tell you marvelous and wonderful things that you could never figure out on your own."(Jeremiah 33:3, MES).

I just read this and thought this is exactly what happened to me. This blog, this business, these tweets, this social network all became a reality based upon what I believe was a message from God.

I've always been passionate about working out. Basically ever since I saw Jamie Lee Curtis in Perfect in 1985. I've always wanted to be that person that helped others achieve their fitness goals. However, life happened and I got scared that I wouldn't be able to pay the bills so I ended up in an office job for years. Putting on weight, not working out basically living an unhealthy, stress filled life without doing what I was passionate about so long ago. Then God came in and created a situation where I was laid off and given the opportunity to try my passion again. I had a few dreams, talking myself into and out of doing this and the above verse truly is an inspiration for the why.

So Battle 2 Heal became a reality. The goal is to heal our bodies together. The goal for me is to create a healthy lifestyle that others will want to emulate. What is your goal? Is it to lose weight? Is it to become more healthy? Is it to have accountability for working out a certain number of days per week? Is it to drink more water, make home cooked meals, take lunch to work instead of going out? What is your goal? Set a goal and let's take this journey together - I promise we will become healthier, leaner, happier souls in the process! Bring on the healthier lifestyle with your personal Health Coach. Email me at battle2heal@gmail.com to set up your first appointment on your way to fitness success.

Obesity Fact

Last night I was reading a book No-Diet Obesity Solution for Kids by Miriam B. Vos, MD., MSPH. There was a fact that brought home our situation, it is about Family Risk of Overweight/Obesity in Children. This came from the New England Journal of Medicine, published in 1997. If one parent is overweight/obese, a child's risk of being overweight increases by 3 times. Now get this secondary part, If both parents are overweight/obese, a child's risk of being overweight increases by 13 times. Now if you are overweight, look at your mother, father, grandmothers and grandfathers. Are they overweight? If so you may have a hard road because what you are going to do is upset the apple cart. I believe YOU CAN DO IT! Once you make a decision to change YOU have the power to change it. I'm just here to help you along the way. My job is to coach you, answer questions, offer suggestions but your life is your life, you are gaining the knowledge to make the decisions from your decision tree. Just because statistics say one thing, doesn't mean that you are destined to a certain outcome. You are YOU and You have strength, power, knowledge and the ability to change!!!

Email me at battle2heal@gmail.com and we can get you set up on our social network to help you make the decision to change! We are told to be good stewards of all God gave us and this includes your body and your health. I don't know about you but when I arrive at the pearly gates I want my Lord to say "Well done, good and faithful servant!" How about you? We can do this together!

Blessings!

Battle 2 Heal Created

Battle 2 Heal is created to help children and teens with their own obesity and weight loss goals. This blog is my passion. With the childhood obesity rate over 33%, our country has an epidemic on it's hands. We have become disillusioned with life and are missing out on all the God has given us to enjoy. Our children are the future of this country and we need to help them help themselves.

My goal with this blog and my Big Tent group is to bring people together in an anonymous setting where they can find support, love and encouragement along this journey. We will post articles and videos to help you find your way back to a healthy you. This doesn't mean a size 2. Lord knows, I am far from a size 2 but I believe we can change this world one pound at a time. The goal is to work together, globally to find ways to fight obesity and increase our healthy lifestyle choices.

I am a Life Coach, I am passionate about Weight Loss and I am ready to serve this community. If you would like to be invited to the social network, email me at battle2heal@gmail.com and I'll invite you to the group. We will change this great nation of ours, in baby steps, one pound at a time.

Blessings!
Karen.