Trigger Foods and YOLO (sorry, I had to)

I love this quote attributed to Giada De Laurentiis. I say "attributed" because quotes from the internet are shady business sometimes. I also have a hard time listening to someone who is maybe 100 pounds soaking wet talk to me about over eating, like that's even an option for her. But I digress, no skinny shaming here. My point is Giada (or the non-famous person who actually said this) has a pretty good message here. After years of learning about how my body gains and loses weight, and trying certain fad diets out here and there, I've decided that restriction dieting is for suckers. We are Americans, it's in our nature to indulge in the finest of things. That's also why we're a nation of fatties. So how do we find that fine line of indulgence without excess? That's the million dollar question.

As far as I know, I only get this one life to live. So I'm going to spend it doing things that make me happy, and yes, some of those things involve food. But remaining in control is key. In another post I'll talk about the 80/20 lifestyle, which I fully believe in and follow myself. But how to maintain that control is something I've struggled with my whole adult life (and I know I'm not alone!) When I was following the Weight Watchers plan several years ago, I learned the term "trigger foods". Here's a quick summary for you (according to the WW website):

• A trigger food is a specific food that sets off a course of overeating where control is lost.The most common trigger foods are calorie-dense, highly palatable foods that are often combinations of sugar and fat (e.g. ice cream, cookies) or fat and salt (e.g. nuts, potato chips, French fries).Research suggests that exposure to certain trigger food cues activates particular areas of the brain that are involved with the body's reward system.

Sound familiar? As a teacher, I know that once 3-4pm hits, I am usually searching for some type of chocolate, especially on particularly difficult and stressful days. One piece of chocolate wouldn't be so bad, but I can't remember a single time in my life I've ever eaten just one piece of chocolate. I'm a sweet, and chocolate is one of my biggest trigger foods. The year I was thrown into teaching second grade for the first time ever and had a neighbor teacher with an awesome chocolate stash in her room, I gained a good 15-20 pounds.

I know that chocolate is a big trigger food for me and it is practically impossible for me to eat just a little bit of it. So, I avoid it. I know that sounds hypocritical to what I said at the beginning of this post, but hear me out: knowing that chocolate is a trigger food means it is nearly chemically impossible for my brain to allow me to just have a little bit and then shut off the necessity. The best thing for me to do is to Just Say No. In doing that, I am not only strengthening my self-control muscle but also not giving into a craving (and my fellow Sugars will know that a sugar craving is very similar to this feeling:  

Though it's REALLY difficult to do in the 2.5 seconds I am making the decision to either reach for that Reese's PB cup or keep walking by, I instantly feel gratification in myself for resisting the temptation. And the 2.5 seconds of pleasure that come when I indulge in the Reese's (ha! I say "the" as if to imply there'd be just one...) is ultimately followed by shame and disappointment in myself for being weak. It's a really hard skill that a lot of us struggle with, telling ourselves "no". But it feels good, especially when it's taming the beast that is trigger foods and cravings. Other trigger foods of mine include cookies, pizza, and ice cream, but I find those are easier for me to control. 

What are your trigger foods? What are some ways you've learned to beat cravings and not over indulge on the good stuff?

Workouts for Busy Moms

I have to constantly change up my workout routine. I am definitely not the kind of person who can stick with one fitness regimen for her entire life. I enjoy being active outside, like going on hikes, long walks, etc., but when it comes to a serious routine, I have to constantly mix it up. For a long time I tried running. I only started running because it's what skinny people do (Seriously. That was my reason.) Over the years I've had a few gym memberships, attended some fun group class things, tried a few different fitness apps...all of them sustained my interest for a little while, but eventually I moved on, sometimes out of boredom, but mostly out of scheduling conflicts.

I am forever on a quest to find a way to make fitness fit into my life, rather than make my life fit around a fitness schedule. I've scheduled my plans around group class times many times before. When I'm off work in the summer time that's all fine and good usually. But during the school year my scheduling is tight. Most classes take place either in the 6:30-8:30 range or the 5:00-7:00 range, neither of which are feasible options for my life. Yes, I could wake up at 4:30 and get a workout in then, or head out at 8pm after the kiddo's in bed, dinner is cleaned up, and lunches are packed for the next day, but I don't want to do either of those things. There was a little while there when I was a single mom when I actually paid a babysitter to come over, feed my son dinner, give him a bath and put him to bed while I went to kickboxing. Though I was proud of myself for prioritizing my fitness, I had a nagging "bad mom" feeling, since that bedtime routine is such a bonding time of day for me with a kid who grows too fast as it is.

Like I said, it's all about balance with me, and I believe a fitness journey should not be a selfish one. I am no longer willing to let the way I spend my sacred time be dictated by a fitness class. Plus I think gyms are a scam, but more on that in a later post...

Right now I'm really into finding at-home solutions that work for me, so I've been on a quest to find really great DVDs or other fitness routines that I can do in my living room whenever works best for me. I tried going back to Jillian, but I realized that her style just doesn't suit me. I'm not a fan of her "I'm the toughest trainer in the world and I'm going to be in your face the entire time" approach, plus I find her a crappy motivator. It seemed to me she spent a lot of her time flirting with her "backup dancers" rather than encouraging and talking to the person at home who actually needed her attention! So I abandoned Jillian after two of the four weeks I had planned and started looking for something else. For a few weeks I was extensively researching and considering a few different Beachbody plans, but I kept balking based on money and moral nagging that I might be supporting a pyramid scheme (more on that in another later post). I reached out to my mommy group and was introduced to Moms Into Fitness.

I'll go more into Moms Into Fitness another time, as I feel it is worthy of its own post. But I love Lindsay Brin and her workouts. The best part is if you get the Moms Into Fitness App you get access to a FREE 30 Day Challenge, which is a mixture of various workouts from Lindsay's DVDs. I just completed Day 5 and am a fan. I especially love that the challenge is entirely free with no gimmicks or catches, and that it's basically a sampling of all her different DVDs to see which works best for you. Since I am 2 1/2 years postpartum, I can already tell that her Pretty Fierce workouts might be more for me, and when the 30 Day Challenge is over I might be looking into purchasing that DVD set. But for now I am grateful for the mom in my mommy group who recommended this to me! 

What are your favorite workouts for busy moms? Do you have a favorite fitness DVD in your collection? Is there a class out there that I maybe haven't heard of that you really enjoy or that works with your hectic life? Share your thoughts in the comments! 

Welcome!

This blog is dedicated to all things health and fitness related for moms of all types! Ideas for family fitness, fitness for moms, healthy recipes, mental health...all are topics that interest me, so I thought what better way to focus on them than by creating a blog to share with others looking for the same things!A little about me: I'm a mom to a lively, chatty, dirt-covered little boy and a wife to a slightly less chatty but still dirt-covered, blue collar-working husband. I'm also a full time middle school teacher. I've always been athletic and active, but a big fan of food and laziness. 

I put on a lot of weight in my last couple of years in college, when I was in a long-term relationship, working at a coffee shop, frequenting the best taco trucks and taquerias, and going out for drinks on Friday nights, all of which are big time calorie intake events. In 2007 I was engaged and starting my career as a teacher when I got into Weight Watchers and had pretty good success with that, losing about 20 pounds or so and also getting into running 5Ks, 10Ks, and even one half marathon race. After getting married I stayed moderately active with hiking and the occasional gym membership, but for the most part a lot of my motivation was gone. 

In 2011 I got pregnant, where I gained somewhere close to 60 pounds. After my son was born in February 2012 I began focusing on my health and fitness related to being a new mom. I tried out Baby Boot Camp (a stroller fitness class for new moms) but it wasn't really my cup of tea, as I found working out with an infant to be incredibly difficult. My life took an unexpected turn in the summer of 2012 when my husband and I separated. I found myself starting over in a brand new life with an infant under a year old and zero confidence in myself. I sat in my new house on New Year's Eve 2012 and made a resolution that my theme for 2013 would be "New Year, New Me". I stuck to that adage quite closely for the greater part of that year. I started dating, which kickstarted my health and fitness journey into overdrive. I created a challenge with one of my good friends who also shared my struggle with health and fitness, and together we created a daily accountability Google Doc check in to track our weight and daily workouts. I started going to a cardio kickboxing class, which I really enjoyed, getting into running again, and doing the Jillian Michaels "30 Day Shred" DVD at home. I lost about 30 pounds in the first four months of the new year and had a new-found confidence in myself with my new life. 

Late-summer 2013 I met an amazing man who changed my life even more, but for the better. He lived an hour and a half away, which meant we could only see each other on the weekends. My fitness journey waned a bit being in a new relationship, but my focus still remained on overall health. We both agree that our REAL lives finally began in the summer of 2015 when we were married.

Today we are one happy blended family.  My guy commutes to work 45 minutes each way every day, so we moved into a house that was a little closer than my place was. This created a longer commute for me though, about 30 minutes to preschool and work each day. Balance is the name of my game; every day I'm focused on timeliness (my job has a set start time with no flexibility), Me Time, making healthy, homemade meals, getting my kiddo to bed around 7:30 each night, and spending quality time with both guys in my life. I also have to try REALLY HARD to get exercise and fitness in there too. My goal with this blog is to not only use it as a tool to help keep myself accountable and motivated, but to also share it with other moms who share similar struggles of maintaining balance of a healthy lifestyle. Thanks for joining me!