Cutting Calories or Moving your butt?

Well it looks like a toss up when it comes to which is easier or harder: cutting calories or moving your buns. Personally I have a harder time with the calories. I do love to eat. My family loves to eat. I mean we enjoy food and everything about it: cooking, the smells, textures, tastes and most of all the great fellowship that happens around a well spread table. So, . . .I find it much easier to eat and work it off later.

Neither is easy, though, to be sure. You should see me sucking wind as I climb these hills. I actually wouldn't choose one over the other in your overall plan to stay healthy though. Making sure you cut calories and that the ones that make the cut are the good kind is just as important and increasing your heart rate and sculpting your temple.

There is research that shows if you were to just choose one, cutting calories would ultimately make you lose weight faster. But here's what I found. Exercise is healthier in the long run. If you just cut calories and lose weight, you are still left with saggy remnants of a bigger you. Your metabolism will slow down and your energy stores will be depleted. I think being thin without the ability to run, lift, or enjoy the active part of your life is missing the point entirely.

If you do, however, incorporate daily exercise into your routine and marry it to a healthy diet you will have more energy, feel better, look better and live longer (of course there are things beyond the far reaches of exercise and diet that dictate this last one, but they help anyway).

So I posed the question to not only see what you all would say, but to also deal with each others' weaknesses.

If you answered that cutting calories is harder, tell us on the facebook page what you do to motivate yourself for a great workout. If you answered that moving your buns was harder, help those of us who have a hard time saying no to our cravings.

Thanks for continuing this journey with me and remember to participate.

What's for lunch?

A good thatching of the yard, pulling some weeds, mowing the overgrowth and topping it all off with a succulent, homemade blackbean burger. That's what I had for lunch today. This illustrates exactly what I'm trying to get you all to incorporate into your everyday lives. Eating should walk hand-in-hand with physical activity.

What you consume is fuel for your body. The only time a car needs fuel is if you drive it. It doesn't need much energy to just sit in the driveway. Same goes for us.

For breakfast--half the Tae Bo tape (ran out of time but every bit counts), a whey protein smoothie and a couple rounds of tennis (well sort of) with the boys while we watched Savannah's lessons.

That's what it's all about. You eat, you move. You move, you eat. And eventually your body will become more efficient at burning calories to energize your day.

Food tip: Try to think of substitutes for your favorite snack or meal. For instance, I love burgers. So, I tried the blackbean burger--homemade of course. It was actually quite filling and not bad at all. And with only

Other substitutes I've made:

• Doritos with hotsauce to Baked version with hotsauce. Pretty close and eventually it will fill the craving.
• Regular Lays potato chips to 1/2 calorie version (made with Olestra of which only one none side affect so far--more poopie and I like the poopie).
• Chocolate candy bar or fudge brownie craving to Skinny Cow chocolate ice cream sandwich (only 140 calories)
• White bread to Sara Lee Delightful whole wheat (only 45 calories per slice).
• Water with all meals. I only splurge my calories on beverages maybe a couple times a month. This may seem extreme to most, but I rather eat my calories. Plain tea or black coffee have little to no calories (like 2). If you want something other than water, get 1/2 calorie juices that are 100 % juice and PLEASE NO NUTRASWEET (aspartame is the devil in sheep's clothing!)
• Margarine or butter to vegetable spread.
• Ground beef to ground turkey.

Post some of your substitutes to the fan page.

Lunges, the real butt buster

We've talked a lot about running and cardio for our legs and bottom. We've even added in some squats. The next move I'd like for you to start incorporating is the lunge.

Lunges are great, but you have to make sure you're doing them correctly to maximize the results. With lunges (as with any exercise, but especially with lunges) you need to warm-up the muscles.

I hate that I negated emphasizing the warm-up phase before we began. I took it for granted, but warming-up is essential before you continue because the lunge will tax your legs and bottom especially if you haven't been doing them. For a quick warm-up, run in place or jog for about 2-5 minutes. Then stretch your arms and legs thoroughly. I'll give you a more extensive routine next week when we hit the track.

The Correct Way to Lunge

1. Start the lunge standing tall with your feet together.
2. Lift your right knee until your thigh is parallel to the floor (a high knee).
3. Step out with the right leg and down keeping your right knee bent.
4. Get close to the ground with your left knee but be very careful not to bang it or touch it to the ground. In this position your back should be straight with your chest lifted. Make sure you are not bending your torso over your knee.
5. Push off the ground with your left foot using the ball of the foot (area right under the toes) with as much force as you can. Make the movement a quick one.
6. Pull the left knee into the parallel position. At the point you should be back standing tall.
7. Repeat the above steps.

Complete a full set of 12-20 reps and 2-3 sets depending on your current exercise level. It is also important to cool down after these as well. Stretch the muscles in your legs when you have finished the workout.

For a more advanced exercise put dumbbells in each hand while lunging. Start with 2-5 pounds for beginners.

Dance Like David

How many of you watched the Grammy's this week? Well this year I did. When one of my favorite groups performed, I was up dancing like nobody was watching. Actually there were five people watching, but who cares. I love the dance beat of The Black Eyed Peas and for the full 5-7 minute show they put on I was dancing - hard. My thirteen year old was like, "huh?" My 10-year old completely ignored me, and my 6 and 4 year old joined in. It was great and I was sweating and breathing hard. I mean I was keeping up with the background dancers and flinging my hair like Beyonce'.

Taking another concept from my book and bringing it to you here, just dance.

I can remember in the old days when we partied from Thursday night until my 8am class on Monday. I remember dancing into the place, out dancing anyone that would challenge and dancing all the way home. Boy, I was skinny then. Think about it. You spent hours moving constantly without any thoughts about how many calories you were working off. It didn't matter and it was fun.

Time to dance again. I don't frequent the clubs anymore, but I still have the God-given talent to out dance the best of them. I find dancing with my children the most rewarding, cause they are uninhibited and think anything I do is cool (right now anyway).

During the day, I put on some dance music (always upbeat) and ever so often, I push my chair back and jam to a favorite tune. My husband and I work from home now and let's just say he's not been prone to sudden bursts of rhythm. He'll look over the computer monitor at me while I'm shaking my groove thang and say, "Uh, this is a work environment."

To that I say, "Yeah, and I'm working it!"

So, take time to enjoy your favorite song. Go wild with it. Finish the song out panting and parched. Remember it's all for fun!

Let it snow!

I almost forgot about the exercise that is near and dear to my heart. Since we've moved to the south I thought I'd never be able to take part in it again. But, lo and behold it has snowed in Raleigh, North Carolina today. Enough to pile up and make driving near impossible on the neglected streets in our neighborhood.

I couldn't believe how much I had missed shoveling snow, but it truly was my saving grace in the winter when we were holed up in the house most of the time in Iowa.

Like Christmas morning, I donned my pitiful collection of winter weather gear (we didn't even bring gloves with us) and started project snow removal. When we left Iowa we graciously gave all our winter tools away to neighbors laughing as we did so. Well, the joke was on me as I performed the advanced level of this everyday workout. I made my way slowly through the snow covering the sidewalk leading to our front door with none other than a regular metal garden shovel. It actually worked great for the heavy ice and slush under the top layer, but you can imagine the type of inefficiencies this caused. After 30 minutes, I had only managed to clear our walk. All for the sake of getting a great set of arms, right?

Well, even I'm not that crazy, so I finally walked over to borrow a neighbors snow shovel. I was flying through the chore now with ease. After my 30 minutes of the advanced, the next 30 minutes was a breeze.

Here's how to make the most of it.

1. First, change how you think about shoveling snow. Instead of a horrible task that has to get done, think about the fabulous workout you're getting doing something that had to be done anyway.
2. Make sure you're using your legs and arms, NOT YOUR BACK!
3. Squat, scoop, lift and throw.

By the time you've finished your sidewalk, stoop and driveway, you've put in about an hour or more of a good leg, butt and arm workout.

So the next time it snows, beat your kids outside to "play."

Suck in that gut soldier!

O.k. there are a couple problem areas for women after having kids. I have to vote for the tummy as the number one.

There are of course crunches, knee raises and all sorts of fancy moves on the bosu ball. But there is something you can do all the time.


Stand up straight, walk tall and suck in your gut.

That's right, correct posture while you walk or sit and the simple act of sucking in your stomach will show results. The key is not to just suck in air and try to touch your belly button to your backbone. You want to concentrate on contracting the stomach muscles and hardening them into the six pack you're dreaming of. Believe me, you have them, they've always been there--never leaving you but truly forsaking you for all others: childbirth, chips, cake, cookies, bread, pasta . . .

Anyway, if you can train those muscles by making them fall in line and whipping them into shape, they will eventually turn from their wicked ways and begin to break through the surface.

Of course, I'm going to recommend you do stomach exercises too, but I wanted to give you something you can do even when you're doing nothing.

Now, for my fab ab workout (courtesy of the United States Military Academy). We will only do crunches, no full sit-ups. Crunches are better for your back and past a certain angle in the sit-up is waisted motion. The goal is to work up to 30 reps of each move continuously (that's 150 crunches before it's all done):

The key is to do a complete set of these without stopping. If you can't at first do as many as you can before stopping. Stomach muscles are stubborn and a long hard workout is better than multiple short sets. You want to feel the stomach muscles burning threatening to rip you in half. It's the only way to cut the stubborn fat suffocating your abs of steel.

1. Start with your legs on the floor and your knees bent. Place your hands behind your head or across your chest (for beginners to lessen the chances of neck injuries). Complete 30 reps pulling your shoulder blades off the floor and driving your lower back into the floor. Remember to breathe out of your mouth on the way up expelling all of your air and breathing in through your nose on the way down.


2. Pull your knees in the air still bent crossing your ankles and complete another 30 reps.


3. Keep your knees in the same position, now touch your opposite elbow to your opposite knee each time you come up for another 30 reps.


4. Uncross your ankles and begin to pull in your knee on one leg to your chest while extending one out straight to simulate the bicycle motion in air. 30 reps.


5. Straighten your legs up to form an L-shape with your body and complete another 30 reps.

Stretch your stomach muscles right after you've completed the set. This is important and helps the muscles to retain what you've just done to them.

After a long rest, turn to lie on your side and complete 30 reps crunching on both your sides (total of 60 in all). This will work the obliques and begin to help sculpt your abdomen area.

It is o.k. to work the stomach muscles everyday, but at least take the weekends off.

Enjoy and remember to let me know how it goes.

"Run, Mom, Run!"

This journey we are beginning to get you moving mommy is going to take some change of thought and action. The nuggets I plan to give you are meant to become a part of you. Eventually without thought you will find yourself moving any way and every way you can.

One day my mom started to laugh at me as we made our way back to my van from a Wal-mart shopping spree. As was my custom, I had parked the van a good piece away from the door. I had just beat her to the van when she yelled out, "O.k. Edith Bunker." I didn't know what she meant at first cause if anyone has seen the show "All in the Family" you'd know that being called Edith Bunker isn't exactly a compliment.

When she made it to the van I asked her what she meant and she said, "You run everywhere. You've never noticed that? Don't you remember how Edith Bunker ran everywhere?"

I started to laugh and it made me start to take note. I truly do run everywhere. I run from the house to the van, from the van to the house. I run from the van to the store and I run from the store to the van. I run to the door of the schools and to the door of restaurants. If I forget something I run back into the house. I run up the stairs at home, I run down the stairs at home. Stairs - this is an incline which adds a boost to this activity. Running with high knees really burns the butt (we'll talk more about the real stairmaster in another post). But you get the point that I run everywhere.

Without thought, I break out into a sprint, light jog or trot depending on how the knees are doing that day. But, I very seldom walk any short distances.

I was a sprinter in high school and college. I've tried to run miles like people my age do, but I just don't have the endurance to get a long enough run in to make a difference. These short bursts act just like they did for me in track practice those years ago. It's like doing a 10x100's workout over the course of the day.

The time you spend walking all of these places, you could make into a short burst of calorie burning activity that adds up by the end of the day.

Today, for instance, I ran to my sons' busstop with my little yappy dog in tow. I always send them out ahead of me while I put on my shoes so that I have to run to catch up to them.

While waiting for the bus I gave my dog to one of my sons and began to run back and forth down the street where we were standing. By the time the bus came I had gotten in a quick 10-minute workout for the morning.

So, my peeps, the lesson today is don't walk, somber, lob or shuffle to your destination.

"Run mom run!"