FireWife Wellness

Fitness and Choices

September 10, 2018 by Val Leave a Comment

You have the perfect plan in place and the house is full of healthy foods. You are READY to rock this new fitness and weight loss. You get after it. Week one is hard, but you do it.

Week two? The kids have practice every day this week. There are two basketball games. Saturday is a tournament. There’s a giant project due at work. You are tired. Legit tired.

Missing out on Monday’s workout is ok. You have the whole rest of the week and will go tomorrow.

Tuesday you just can’t get up early and do it, you’ll do it in the evening after work. Crap, today was basketball night and the darn kid forgot to bring their uniform. You need to rush and drop it off and get dinner done and eaten so the rest of you can get to the school to watch.

Workout…not even a thought until bedtime and then the guilt hits because you didn’t do it and it’s two days now. Then you figure why bother you were never going to hit your goals anyways. Next Monday you’ll start again. Next week is MUCH less busy and it will be easy.

Any of this story sound familiar?

I bet it does. It’s super common for us to run through this over and over and over. Keeping this cycle of not working out and not putting our health as a priority is easy. We are legitimately busy and it’s hard to find the time.

But, that’s the thing. There is never going to be this magic free time for you to do it. You have to make the time and make it a priority.

That’s why mindset is so important when working on weight loss. It’s just about everything.

Every day you have to make the choice of what will be your priority for that day. Feed the twerps and make sure they get to school is obviously important. I guess if you have to go to work so you can buy the damn food, that could be important too.

But, after that you generally have choices about where you fit in. There are a lot of reasons why you should be making YOU the choice.

Your kids are watching you. Always watching you. When your health isn’t a priority, they grow up thinking it’s not important. They become adults that think it’s not important.
If you can’t make time to hit the gym for 30-60 minutes, how are you going to schedule in multiple doctor’s appointments, possible hospital visits and bed rest when you make yourself sick?

Is that last one dramatic? Nope, not even a single bit. Your choice is to take care of yourself now or sit in waiting rooms. It really is that important. As FireWives we know the calls our spouses go on and how many of them are preventable diseases. WE KNOW!

Is it always easy? No, but is it always important? Every day, all day.

Want to hear me yak at you about mindset & motivation? Join me on Wednesday for the webinar. If you can’t make it live, I will have a replay ready for you soon after. Just go sign up for more information. Fitness Mindset & Motivation Webinar

Happiness is a choice and so is your health. Live with no regrets,

It Can Be Hard To Set Smart Goals

September 6, 2018 by Val Leave a Comment

Did you set a big goal this New Years? You were going to get it done in 2018. How many times in the past have you set a huge goal such as to lose 50 pounds or exercise 5 days a week, only to fall off the wagon a few weeks (or usually days) later?

Why did you fail?

A big reason many fitness goals fail is because S.M.A.R.T. goals were not put in place.

The first letter “S” is for Specific. One of the first rules of goal-setting is to understand what you want to accomplish. A goal of “I want to lose 20 pounds.” is not specific as there isn’t a deadline in which you want to have lost those 20 pounds. That deadline could be 90 days down the road or 5 years, but without it defined, the ending date is unknown.

Some people intentionally leave out the deadline because of a fear of failing. In their mind as long as they lose 20 pounds, they are successful. But, if a date is not indicated, what motive is there to lose weight by a certain time?

A specific goal should answer most of the 6 “W” questions:
• Who
• What
• When
• Where
• Which
• Why

Who – If your goal is one as an individual, then this part is easy, it is you. However, if the goal pertains to a group, then it would list all members involved in the group.

What – This is your end goal – specifically what you want to accomplish. Be as detailed as necessary to get a clear picture of what it is you are trying to do. “I want to lose 20 pounds.” would be an example.

When – This should be a time goal of when you want to have accomplished your goal. It could be stated as a ending date or number of days. For example, “I want to lose 20 pounds by December 30th” or “I want to lose 20 pounds in 90 days.” Or it could even be a specific day such as “I want to lose 20 pounds by Christmas.” However, a specific date or day is better than a number of days because it is easier to keep track of.

Where – In the case of a personal goal, this might not apply. But in other cases, it could. It defines a specific location where the goal takes place. For example, I have a goal of going back and running the Rock-n-Roll half marathon in Vegas in 2019.

Which – This defines any foreseen obstacles which could get in the way of accomplishing your goal. In the case of a fitness goal, if getting to your goal involves weightlifting, but you are not trained in how to lift weight safely, you might want to include using the services of a personal trainer to learn weightlifting.

Or if you have never set up a fitness training program, hiring a personal trainer could get you on the right track right from the beginning. Or joining a challenge with instructions will be helpful, like the 6 Week Fitness Mission.

Why – This defines the reason you are establishing the goal in the first place. Why are you doing this? Be specific.

Make sure the reason is for you and not for someone else. In most cases when doing it for the wrong reason leads to failing to accomplish the goal because you did not have a vested interest in accomplishing it. The goal must have a direct benefit for you and be something you want to do.

Yes, I’m going to hit the rest of the S.M.A.R.T. goals and doing this works for any goal you want to achieve.

If you need help figuring out your plan and a place to be accountable, join us for the 6 Week Fitness Mission. I’d love to see you finish 2018 healthier and stronger.

Remember, happiness is a choice and so is your health. Live with no regrets,

PS – I’ve got a discount for you if you join before Monday, September 10th. Use coupon code fit25 to take 25% off.

Creating An Exercise Routine You Can Stick To

January 15, 2018 by Val Leave a Comment

Part of the problem of an exercise program is getting started. Then a close second is sticking to it. Especially at first your exercise routine needs to be easy for you. Did you create or grab an exercise program that you actually wanted to stick to?

Many people find working out boring and simply lose interest, especially if they don’t see quick results. The simplest way to stick to an exercise routine is to find something you enjoy doing. But you could be forcing other issues as well.

Choose Your Time

By looking at your daily schedule, and the family’s schedule, you can see when it would be best for you to exercise. It might even be necessary to split up your workout and do smaller amounts of time throughout the day. If this works for you then do it! It’s about doing it, not waiting for the perfect time you can get a 2 hour workout in.

But, before you nail down when you are going to exercise, you need to take into account what kind of exercise you want to do. That will also affect how much time is needed. If you are planning to run, you’ll need to incorporate time for warming up and cooling down. If you want to take a class, you need to see if their offered times fit into your schedule.

Pick Your Exercise Based on Time Available

Or maybe you don’t know what kind of exercise routine you want to do. In that case look at your schedule, figure out what time you have available each day and then start some research. Check out all the different styles of exercise out there, from running, aerobics classes, joining a sports team, to a martial arts school or gym. See if any of them offer a one time free trial class, to see if you enjoy that form of exercise. Just be sure to take it easy and not try to keep up with the class. More than likely, they’ve been doing it for a while and can do more. If you try to do too much, you will be horribly sore the next day and decide to never go back, even if you enjoyed it.

If you sign up for a class, the fact that you are paying for it will help motivate you to go back and get your money’s worth. It also makes it more enjoyable, as you all go through the same “pain”. The instructor can help you to get the most out of the class. By having the company of others, you can help keep each other accountable to keep going.

Some people do not feel comfortable working out with a group of people, possibly because they are self-conscious. However, working out alone is harder to stay motivated. Workout videos may be a good choice for you. Many of them are set up to be adaptable to your schedule, with some having twenty, thirty or sixty-minute workouts all on one dvd.

In order to stay on track, make yourself a chart that can be hung where you will see it everyday. Mark all the days and times you plan to exercise. As you complete a session, mark it off. Make special goals along the way. Say you complete one full week without missing a session, you give yourself a prize. No, not a cupcake. Try a new item of workout clothes 😉

My 4 steps to create an exercise plan you will stick to

Pick a type of exercise or two that you like to do.
Pick the days of the week that you are going to commit to these exercises.
Write down what days you will do what exercise.
Mark off each day you complete what you said you were going to.

Most importantly, make it fun!

PS – Need a diet an exercise program that’s spelled out for you? Check out the ONE/80 System and then hit me up for exercise routines. Join us in the 6 Week Fitness Mission!

Supplements I’m Using and Why

January 15, 2018 by Val Leave a Comment

Weight loss is personal and women feel differently about how to attack it. Some like to keep it quit and are able to do the work on their own with amazing results. Some need to shout it from the rooftops and have everyone help them. Take a wild guess at which one I am? lol

I started running regularly again a couple of weeks ago when my surgeon gave me the ok and have been doing a plank challenge until I have approval for full ab workouts.

I finished my 24-day Jumpstart over the holidays in the Advocare© ONE/80 program. I’m now into the Optimize phase of the program. We’ve been with Advocare© since 2012, but I still need to change my products up here and there due to all the life changes I’ve had over the years.

To get myself off the coffee habit I drink the Spark. Not having coffee in the morning took a little bit to get used to, but I prefer not having the crash from coffee. I have a caffeine sensitivity and this doesn’t get me all jacked and keep me awake all night. ALTHOUGH, I definitely have to pay more attention to how late I’m drinking it. My sleep hasn’t been good the last few nights. Since I’m running again my sleep is getting better.

Jump starting the diet has roller coaster days. The first week I was on it. SUPER on it. Really proud of myself on it. Then I had a few drama filled days and that emotional eating popped up. One day was bad but I’m not going to kick myself over it. Being aware of it even as you are doing it, is an accomplishment.

Also, I just really like food. Especially food I’m not supposed to have. If I actually stuck to my IBS diet, I could lose this weight quite easily. It would be all about portions. But damn if those fries don’t just call me sometimes. Since I know I need the extra help, I’m taking Crave Check to curb my appetite. I don’t take it daily. Just the days that I can tell I’m going to have an issue grazing. Or if we are going out to eat with friends. It helps me make better choices.

I’ve kept 12 pounds off since before Thanksgiving. Losing weight over the holidays when you aren’t allowed to workout because of surgery isn’t easy!

Besides all of the stuff to help me lose weight, I take a battery of vitamins and supplements. I have an old lady pill box with 14 compartments. I am horrible about taking pills and it upsets my stomach to take all of them at once. I spread them out to twice a day.

Most everything is for preventative reasons. Now that I’m in surgery induced menopause I need to get some extras. Here’s what I’m taking and the reason I take them.

Calcium – I’ve got to save my bones. I don’t have to take them daily. I save the pill for the end of the day and if my diet wasn’t full of enough green, leafy vegetables and other natural foods, then I pop one of the pills. That easy. Since I track my food I know when my calcium isn’t high enough. Most days it is even though I can’t eat dairy in any form.

Vitamin D – A couple of years ago I was going through what I thought was depression. I tried a couple of antidepressants but they made me feel horrible and didn’t help. Thankfully my PA decided to run some blood work. My vitamin D was seriously low. I was put on a super high prescription for a couple of months. I can’t remember the exact number of iu’s, but hink 10’s of thousands. Now I’m just required to take 1000iu a day if it’s sunny and 2000iu’s other days. Living in Seattle area, I generally just take the higher dose. lol

It made a noticeable difference after a few weeks, it is not instant. A couple of times I’ve ran out and my mood would change over the weeks until I finally remembered. It’s a tiny pill and not worth forgetting. If you have noticed mood issues, ask your doc to run some blood work. It may be as easy as a little supplement.

Glucosamine – A few years ago I noticed my knees were starting to get sore. I’d wake up and they were aching. Yes, I was running but it was a different ache. I asked around, did a little research and decided to try the glucosamine. This also isn’t an instant fix. It takes some time to build up in your system. But it did take away the achiness that had started.

OmegaPlex – I take the omegas to help keep my cardiovascular system going as smoothly as possible. Fatty acids have a lot of other great benefits as well. My nails grow quick and are healthy lol Now I am not saying this will work for everyone, but talk to your doctor about it. My blood pressure is significantly lower when I’m taking the Omega’s. Do your own research and see how the fatty acids help your cardiovascular system.

Vitamin E – This is something I started taking completely on the recommendation from a friend that’s into a more natural approach to life. I was having breast pain which scared me. It was so sharp that it brought me to tears a few times. It was time for my annual check-up and a mammogram anyway so they bumped me through quickly because of the pain. Everything came back perfect and the tech told me that random breast pain is normal.

WHAT?!

I was not ok with that answer. I was complaining to my gals at the senior fitness class I taught and one of them had the same issue once. Her naturopath told her vitamin E. She said it worked within a few days and she hasn’t had pain in years. I went right to the store and bought it. Pain went away like she said. I don’t even care why it works, it’s just in my supplements for good now. lol

Hmm, looking at webMD it shows there are a lot of reasons why I should be taking vitamin E. I haven’t had any breast pain since and it’s probably been 4 years since this happened.

Multivitamin – I just bought one at Costco. Figure there’s no reason not to bump up vitamins and minerals I probably don’t get in my daily diet.

As I am in surgery induced menopause, I’ve researched more natural ways to help. When I used the prescription estrogen I was given, I turned into a raging, crazy woman. It was horrible and I won’t go back to taking it. Since I have so few, menopause symptoms it’s been easy to work with my PA to find alternatives to help besides a prescription. My body doesn’t seem to react to some of the natural options like they are supposed to, so I haven’t kept up with the black cohosh I tried for a while.

Do you take supplements? What difference have you noticed since taking them?

PS – BEFORE taking new supplements or starting a weight loss routine, please consult with your doctor. Some supplements, no matter how natural, can play havoc with prescriptions and cause damage. Better safe than sorry. Check before you buy!

3 Tips To Change Your Diet

January 10, 2018 by Val Leave a Comment

You can work your ass off and not lose a pound if your diet doesn’t change. Believe me, I have done it. I trained for a half marathon and managed to put 5 pounds on because of my poor food choices. WHO DOES THAT?!

If you are looking to lose weight your diet is more important than you can imagine. When you are on a calorie deficit you need all of those calories to count. That nutrition is fueling your body for recovery as you workout and keeping your body going through the daily craziness.

1. Be aware of what you eat! For once I like paper and digital tracking. Keep track of the times you eat and if you ate something you “shouldn’t” eat, write down what you were feeling at that time. What was going on? Did you argue, did you have a success? Check that emotional eating and be aware of it. This is why I like a paper journal or use a file on your computer.

But also keep track of exactly what you are eating. Every condiment, food and drink gets added to your calorie intake. MyFitnessPal is my favorite program and it’s free.

2. Balance carbs, protein, fat. It is truly about balance. Our bodies need all three to work properly. Did you know that every cell is made of fat? Did you know that your brain can only process carbs? There is no food group that is bad, it’s all about the portions. Now the portions will change and I’ve noticed a distinct difference in how we process these three main foods by gender for one thing.

A good place to start is with 40% carbs, 20% protein, and 20% fat. Generally we can get our 20% fat without trying, so don’t go thinking you need to load it in your diet. It’s the lower carbs and higher protein that most have issues with. Protein with every meal and snack will help a lot. Every body is different so you may need to play with the percentages.

Switch your carbs to healthier options. Whole grains, sweet potatoes, get nutrients in your carbs and NOT FRIED OR PROCESSED.

3. No Foods with No Nutrients! This one is a big help. Does it have vitamins or minerals? If not, then it’s probably not something you need to be eating while you are trying hard to lose weight. It’s a junk food. Not to say it’s not awesome or within your calorie count, BUT if you are trying to lose weight, it’s just not in your ok zone.

There is a difference between needing to lose weight and eating healthy. If your goal is losing weight then you need to be very strict on those calories and make sure all of them count for nutrition. You need to pay attention to what you are eating to a T. BUT, once you hit maintenance, you will get a lot of extra calories you can enjoy in the week as long as you keep exercising and paying attention to the new habits you created. You get to add in some extra calories that have less nutrition.

It’s a lot to push into your head I know. Believe me I do KNOW! I’ve been there over the years and my nutrition classes blew my mind when I was getting my degree. Info I ‘knew’ I should do, but didn’t know the why. So please feel free to ask questions, I always LOVE questions. Again, there are quite a few differences between needing to lose weight and just needing to eat to be healthy.

Happiness is a choice and so is your health. Live with no regrets,

PS – Join the 6 Week Fitness Mission and get accountable!