4/13/2013: A Family Focused on Health!! I Like it Like That!!

I guess when it all becomes routine, there is just not too much to talk about anymore.  Exercising 6 to 8 times a week is pretty routine, now.  Watching what I eat is pretty routine, too.  Not eating wheat just isn't a big deal anymore (that happened fast!).  I know there will be big days...some good, some not so good, but blogging every day seems to be less important as I just don't have much to say.

The biggest news at our house these days, when it comes to Get Fit Initiatives, isn't even about me, it's about Jack.  Jack decided to stop eating wheat about 3 or 4 weeks ago.  And since his birthday, March 15th, he has lost 8 pounds!!!!  Not only that, he has committed to losing 15 more pounds by June 30th!!  I am so glad.  He has borderline high blood pressure and I've known for a long time that it would help him to lose a little weight, but this needed to be his decision, not mine.  After getting his blood pressure tested again with it still being borderline high, it was time for him to make a decision; maintenance drugs with all of their potential side effects, or lose weight.  I was voting for option 2, but it was Jack's choice to make.  I was relieved and thrilled when he chose to lose weight!!

We're making a chart for him this weekend.  He's already made most of the dietary changes he needed to make.  Giving up wheat was the last big piece of the puzzle.  With wheat off the table, he is making healthier choices for lunch.  I am cooking his breakfast every morning which is generally a couple of eggs with lots of veggies thrown in and a piece of fruit.  I also cook most of his dinners which are always vegan or chicken based proteins with lots of veggies.  He also has the healthy homemade soup in the freezer now, no more Campbells!!  The last little piece is limiting his favorite treat, dark chocolate M&M's to 1/4 cup a night.

He was also already exercising on a sporadic basis, which usually meant he was exercising about 3 times a week.  He has now committed to exercising 6 times a week for at least 45 minutes each time, even if the exercise is just a 45 minute walk.  I copied a great stretch/movement based warm up set of exercises from "Thinner This Year" which takes about 20 minutes.  A few times a week his exercise consists of that 20 minute routine with 25 minutes of cardio.  I think that's great.  I am very, very happy that Jack has chosen to commit to both the improvement in his diet and a regular exercise routine.  Yeah Jack!!!  I really do want him to stick around with me for the next 40 - 50 years.  I guess that's what they call love.

The other big news is that my sister-in-law Julie, who I started coaching several weeks ago, is doing great on her exercise/diet regimen, too.  I talked about this a little bit a while back.  She had rotator cuff surgery and was worried about not being able to stick to her plan while she was in recovery.  She's being going to Weight Watchers for a couple of years now and has lost most of the weight she wanted to lose, but she has been fighting with the last 20 pounds.  She really likes the support she gets from her Weight Watchers group and their point system works well for her, but she was having a little trouble committing to her goal of 150 pounds.  For a while, "Slow and Steady" was working for her, but in the last several months she had gotten stuck.  So we decided to work together to see if I could help her find a way to commit to her ultimate goal:  Continue to lose weight while healing from her surgery, and get to 150 pounds so she can be a Weight Watcher leader.  The arrangement has been great for both of us.  Obviously, I've known Julie for decades and I've been following her blog for a year, so I knew the challenges she was facing.  We are super comfortable with each other, so I am able to "Tell her like I see it" in a way that helps her get a better perspective of why she is making the choices she is making.  Working with Julie is helping me understand that everyone has to tackle the challenge of getting healthy in a manner that fits their lifestyle, but at the end of the day to make it work we all have to exercise regularly (as in 6 times a week) and eat a reasonable amount of the right kind of foods.   Julie is doing great!!!  I love reading her blog and seeing her enthusiasm.  She is down to her lowest weight, again, and only has 15 pounds to go.  I mentioned to Jack just this morning that he and Julie both have the same amount of weight to lose.  I thought that was a coincidence!  I am glad I can be here for Julie and am able to help her find the little things that help her stay focused on her goal.  I know how she'll feel when she reaches 150 pounds.  She'll feel awesome.  I know this because I know how I feel now that I weigh 150 pounds, I feel awesome!!!!  I really do enjoy life much more now than I did a year ago, and I know Julie will, too.  What a great feeling it is to finally not have the burden of not being able to accomplish something that you really want to accomplish lifted from your shoulders.  She'll be there soon, I know it.  She's right on track.

I might as well mention my niece, Elizabeth, while I am at it.  I am proud of her, too.  She is getting very serious about diet and exercise and she is looking awesome.  I hope she starts feeling really good, too.  I love her blog, it seems to help her be honest about the choices she is making.  I know that's what keeping a blog did for me.  I couldn't pretend what I did didn't matter.  I hope she keeps blogging on a regular basis.  I feel like I am getting to know my niece a little bit better, and that is kind of nice.  :)

My brother, George, doesn't blog, but he has also taken some pretty significant steps towards better health.  He has always exercised a lot, but his diet, for lack of a better word, sucked.  He would eat fast food because it was convenient, eat frozen "diet entrees" when he was trying to lose weight, and breakfast has been a big bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios for longer than I can remember.  George is a decent cook, but just never took the time to cook for himself on a daily basis.  He finally decided to change that and hired a nutritionist / whole food specialist, or something like that, to help him change his diet.  He is now eating mostly sustainably grown, organic, whole foods and cooking for himself.  He is seeing great results!!  He's losing weight and feeling better than he has in years.  I am so happy for him and so relieved that he has given up his diet of processed and fast foods.  I admitted to him the other day that his diet always concerned me.  He made some smart-ass remark back, but I think he knows what I was trying to say.  I'm just glad he finally admitted the role that good vs. bad food makes in his overall health and that he has embraced the concept of a diet that consists primarily of healthy whole foods.

Dad and Kay might as well get a shout-out while I'm at it.  Dad was probably the original health-nut of the family, going back 10 to 15 years or more.  He and I have talked about the merits of different diets for a long, long time.  I can never remember quite how old my dad is, but that's probably because he never seems to get any older.  He exercises daily, is focused on eating the right foods, and loves to play tennis with Kay.  Kay, of course, gets dragged into Dad's schemes, but I don't think she minds.  She plays right along.  Last I heard, Dad and Kay have given up wheat, too, with good results.  I need to try to call this weekend or sometime soon, to see how that is going.

Wow!!  So many people around me getting serious about their health certainly inspires me to stay serious about mine!!  Go Family!!  Happy Times!!