Hot Healthy Geek Brides

Habits

noreply@blogger.com (Danielle) — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 16:33:00 +0000

Have you developed any new good habits? Bad habits?

I have a bad chocolate eating habit right now... I'm planning on weaning myself off of it as the Halloween candy disappears!

I think I developed some good habits when visiting my in-laws a couple of weeks ago. I didn't avoid the treats, just made sure I filled up on real food first, and then if I still had room/cravings I would have a treat.

Baby Lydia is HERE!

noreply@blogger.com (Danielle) — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 05:47:00 +0000

This won't come as a surprise to any of my close friends, but baby Lydia was born on June 14th.

Next week is my 6 week post birth appointment, and I will find out how my C-Section scar is healing and what the outlook is for exercise, swimming, sex etc :)

I hope everyone is taking advantage of the cooler than average week we are having in the upper midwest and getting outside!!

No Gestational Diabetes!

noreply@blogger.com (Danielle) — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 22:37:00 +0000

No problems on how my pregnant body handles sugar! Horay!

I'm celebrating by eating jelly beans :)

February Fitness Goals

noreply@blogger.com (Danielle) — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 19:42:00 +0000

To start out with in 2009 I just wanted to ease back into exercise after a prolonged break.

January - 0-3 short periods of light exercise and stretching.

February 2nd - 20 minutes on the treadmill at any speed/incline 3x this week.

February 9th to 20th - 1 mile on the treadmill at any time/speed 3x a week. (substituted one day walking around the Home Show).

February 23rd - 1 arms, 1 legs strength training session per week.

One thing that has been concerning me lately is my hereditary predisposition to Gestational Diabetes, and I have that test this coming Thursday along with my regular monthly pregnancy checkup. I'm obsessing a bit about it this week, but I'll know for sure by the end of the week if I have it or not!

2009 Goals

noreply@blogger.com (Danielle) — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 02:57:00 +0000

Anyone making 2009 goals?

As most of you know I'm pregnant, so my fitness and health goals involve having a healthy baby and staying active throughout my pregnancy.

To quantify that..
30 minutes of aerobics and stretching 5 days a week.
Veggie or fruit with every meal (shooting for 1/2 my plate each meal)

What are some of your 2009 goals?

Food For Thought

noreply@blogger.com (Danielle) — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 21:47:00 +0000

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/15/AR2008111502467.html

Some food for thought on the current economic times. Perspectives from the older generation.

Some additional thoughts from my Grandpa "People these days don't know how to stretch a dollar like we had to, one batch of cornbread would be lunch for the whole week".

And from my Granny Lou "You never know when you might need it and might not be able to get it. so you saved it. It didn't matter what it was".

New Program

noreply@blogger.com (Karen) — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 19:37:00 +0000

My husband and I have started a new program at our gym that focuses on both diet and exercise. We are starting our 4th week and I can finally say I'm getting results! The first 3 weeks I stayed the same weight or went up. I lost 2 lbs in the past week and probably 3 lbs overall so I have now reached the weight where I was when I started to loosely follow "You on a Diet". I have a target weight in mind, but my goal is to lose a couple inches in the waist.

Meeting with a trainer has helped me stay consistent with strength training. Its helping strengthen and stretch the muscles I need to improve my poor posture (which is another goal). For cardio, we are doing target heart rate exercises; they definitely have made me bump my cardio up a notch (or 2). I really feel like I was slacking during my workouts for the past few years!

Its the first time I've tracked calories and I'm surprised of how many calories are in things when paying attention to the number of servings and the portion size. Or when comparing the calories in one food to its "healthier" counterpart. I don't mind fruits and veggies, but now I make a point to eat the 5-9 everyday. Since I'm keeping a food log, the dietitian has helped me understand why I may have been really tired or starving on certain days and avoid it in the future (too many carbs, not enough protein, etc). We've only been changing one thing each week in our diets so I hope that it will make it maintainable after the program is over.

So far it has helped me go to the gym A LOT; I feel like I've made a commitment to 4 people during the program so it helps make me go. Its especially challenging now because this time of year when it is dark after work, I just want to go home and stay there but I fight the urge and go anyways. Or I go in the morning.

The dollar diet

noreply@blogger.com (Danielle) — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 21:35:00 +0000

This is not a diet in the conventional sense of the word, but this is a blog of 2 people who decided to learn more about poverty and the food they were eating by spending $1 or less per person on food for every day in a month.

Inspiring and interesting! What do you think?

http://onedollardietproject.wordpress.com/

-Danielle

How cheap can they get?

noreply@blogger.com (Danielle) — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 21:40:00 +0000

If you are talking about laptops apparently the "new" cheap is $98 USD.

http://rj3sp.blogspot.com/2008/09/hivision-mininote-98-linux-laptop.html

Wouldn't be something I would want... but might be a great child's starter laptop, especially due to the size and quality of video it plays.

Christmas 2008 hot pick anyone?

-Danielle

Update

noreply@blogger.com (jmac) — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 20:19:00 +0000

It's been 7 weeks since I made up my mind to stop making poor choices and to start living a healthy life. I feel strong as ever. I don't even have to think about eating veggies, fruits, etc because it's just part of me. I fit into all my old clothes, this is what my hubby is most happy about since I don't have to go out on a shopping spree :-)

It's been 3 weeks today since I joined the RAC (a local gym) and I have consistently gone 5x per week. I don't feel pressure to go because I have a treadmill and some weights at home so if I'm tired or don't feel like working out hard, I do something lighter at home. The gym has really been a blessing for me and the money is not even an issue. I waited about 4 weeks after I decided to turn my lifestyle around to get a membership at the RAC and I think it really helped because I don't feel like I have to go just because I'm paying a (high) monthly fee. For me it's just a way to facilitate an active lifestyle so I can always have something to do if I'm bored of the same activity.

We always say we'll never weigh as much as we did in high school, and while that is true in so many levels, the most important thing isn't about becoming someone you used to be...it's about becoming someone new that you can really understand.

I never wanted to weigh 100 pounds again (as I did in high school), but I'm at my ideal weight which is what I weighed in college. I have a completely different mindset about what it means too.

I wish every single one of you the best healthy life that you choose for yourself.

~Jossie

Fitness centers...I give in!

noreply@blogger.com (jmac) — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 14:01:00 +0000

I was at the RAC (Rochester Athletic Club) on Wednesday for a department outing and I felt sucked in. The RAC has all kinds of activities and I can no longer hold out...the locker rooms are clean, the sauna is private, they offer all kinds of classes, there are tons of machines and they have a pool!!! On top of it all, they were really nice at the front desk...which I would expect since I'll be paying $70/month for a membership there. The membership is month to month and I'm going to try it for at least 1 month and see how things go...I'll let you know!

~Jossie

Fitness Games?

noreply@blogger.com (Danielle) — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 15:11:00 +0000

I read this article on a finance blog the other day and thought it had some good basic advice for starting an exercise plan.

http://www.fivecentnickel.com/2008/06/05/the-parallels-between-fitness-and-finance/

I found his point about making it a game very interesting. Does anyone make a game out of their fitness or diet routines? In Jazzercise they have games all the time, the one right now is get 30 points in June and July and get a free water bottle. You get a point for going to class of course, and then there will be bonus points sometimes and you get 5 points for inviting a guest that signs up to join etc.

I have never been able to create my own game for fitness that works for a prolonged period of time. I usually can go about 4 to 5 weeks before something interrupts me. Starting this blog was supposed to create kind of a competition and support structure for Mel and I with our goals lined out but it only works if there is reward of some sort. Other than staying in contact with my friends the only reward I have ever sought is the goal of being in shape. Once I did give myself a weight loss target and bought an iPod when I reached it.

Jazzercise

noreply@blogger.com (Danielle) — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 15:02:00 +0000

The last time I was truly in good shape was in the spring of 2005 when I was doing Jazzercise about 3 times a week. I signed up for Jazzercise for June to get in better shape for the summer vacation season and to lose my "winter weight".

Yesterday was my first class this week and I had a great time! I was surprised to see so many familiar faces after 2 years away! The instructor is the same of course and there was a group of about 10 women who I recognized from before. Its amazing to see how many people are that dedicated to one thing to keep themselves in shape year round!

If anyone wants to attend a class with me I have a guest pass and am going tonight at 4:15 and Saturday morning at 8 am.

consitency(eating better + exercise + dedication)===great results

noreply@blogger.com (jmac) — Tue, 27 May 2008 18:35:00 +0000

It's been a week since I made changes to my workout (even though I last posted on Friday) and I have lost 3 lbs...2 that I gained on the trip and 1 for fun :-D

There's no magic to the formula...consistently eating healthy with regular exercising and a dab of dedication goes a long way :-D

~Jossie

Kicking it up a notch

noreply@blogger.com (jmac) — Sat, 24 May 2008 01:36:00 +0000

I recently got back from my 1 week road trip with my husband. We stayed at 6 different hotels and I managed to exercise 5 out of 6 days during our trip. I made sure every hotel we stayed at had some sort of exercise room. The one in Mackinac Island didn't but we hiked 3.5 miles and biked around the 8.5 mile island...I'd say we got some exercise that day. The one day I skipped was the day after our friends wedding because ... well the night before was a little rough :-) I ate better than most people do during vacations, at least better than my husband did (but I usually do anyway so that's not saying much :-). I got home and still gained 2 pounds, not bad but still disappointing.

I'm going to kick it up a notch (like Emeril would say) and increase my cardio workouts. I'm now running 5 days a week (was doing 2-3 days per week) in addition to my 30 minute daily walking and my strength training. It has been working out really great with this awesome weather we haven't seen in a loooong time. I feel refreshed and strong...that's what its all about :-D

~Jossie

No more excuses!

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly) — Sun, 18 May 2008 20:43:00 +0000

Okay, no more excuses I have to start working out. I just purchased a double stroller so I don't have any more reason why I cant go outside. I just did 1/2 mile yesterday but now I got shin splits. I HAVE to be down to 150 by Aug. 12th any more weight after that would be great. My current weight 164.

5 out of 6!

noreply@blogger.com (Danielle) — Thu, 15 May 2008 13:55:00 +0000

I created some goals for myself to help in being healthy. Yesterday I hit 5 out of 6 of them!

Bring/eat a healthy lunch
Include Fruit/Veggies with every meal
Exercise every other day
Cut down on carbs from grains 1 meal
Eat a light dinner
Don't eat 3 hours before bed

I didn't have a healthy lunch, but I did limit myself to only 2 pieces of deep dish pizza at Pizza Hut.

I put these 6 goals on a "To Do" list on my google homepage. As I go through the day, or at the end of the day I can check which ones I accomplished and get a qantified # to evaluate how I am doing in the healthy department that day.

Its not something I heard about anywhere, but it reminds me of when I was going to a "thin and healthy" counselor. They would have me rate how I thought I was doing this week in terms of sticking to the diet and how I felt. I am a more realistic hard numbers woman, so this method will be good for me!

Healthy Environment

noreply@blogger.com (Danielle) — Tue, 06 May 2008 21:03:00 +0000

Some of you may find this a bit off topic for our blog, but I think it fits well. Being Healthy is not just about being fit but about having healthy things around you and being nice to our environment.

I already started doing "more" lately to help the environment. Getting more strict with the thermostat, starting to recycle thin cardboards and office paper and a few other things. This article here takes it so much further than I have gone... and it might give you some ideas as well. In the comments section there are even some humorous ones like "use your toothbrush to clean the toilet, a little bleach and you are sanitized and as good as new".

More than anything I just wanted to document this link so I can refer back to it later.
http://www.cleverdude.com/content/50-ways-to-save-money-by-not-wasting/

What do you think? One thing we do that I didn't see mentioned there is not throwing away plastic silverware. If it can live through the dishwasher (and most of it does) we wash it and re-use. This was more important when we were bringing lunch each day.

Spring is here

noreply@blogger.com (Danielle) — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 16:18:00 +0000

Hello my friends!

Anyone making any changes to their routines now that spring is here? Maybe some workouts outside?

I have a goal to help more with the yard work and garden this year. Also we are getting ready for summer hiking trips so some more afternoons at Quarry Hill will be a lot more fun than the treadmill... even if I can watch TV while on it.

Initiative and Action

noreply@blogger.com (Danielle) — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 14:54:00 +0000

Some of the blogs I read focus on career aspirations. A couple of these caught my eye today related to developing your initiative (not just by practice as most people say) by focusing on results and following something you are passionate about.

http://www.brazencareerist.com/2008/04/08/6-keys-to-developing-your-initiative/

http://jonathanmead.com/2008/03/27/whats-keeping-you-from-taking-action/

Its an interesting shift of your focus from external definitions of success to internal, and making use of what you are passionate about to drive that focus, instead of the brute force method which has never worked very well for me. I don't want to do this, but I'm going to make myself do it every day for 30 days etc... Those plans never work out long term.

On the way...

noreply@blogger.com (jmac) — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 17:34:00 +0000

...to achieving my short term goal. I ran 3 miles on my treadmill yesterday at 5.0 for 2.75 miles and 6.0 for the last .25 mile. I pushed myself hard because I knew I could do it even if I would end up almost dead. Brian made it all better by giving me a leg massage :-) All joking aside, I was extremely sore after the run, but this morning I'm not sore at all!!! I strongly believe it's a result from the massage last night...now I know the cure of sore muscles after a good workout :-D

I plan to run 3 miles on Saturday or Sunday, that would be 3 miles twice this week. I will work towards running for 3 miles 3 times next week and continue this for at least 3 more weeks. Then I'll add .5 miles at a time until I reach my 5 miles 3 times a week goal! In the meantime, I'm going to add some strength training 2 or 3 times a week to build stronger leg muscles.

I'm so excited about getting this close to my goal...I'm determined to achieve this by mid July!

~J

Slow and Steady

noreply@blogger.com (Danielle) — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 20:18:00 +0000

My working out and eating plans can be described as slow and steady.

Walking outside or on the treadmill 30 min.
Introducing healthier options for my favorite fatty or otherwise bad for me snacks.
Include fruit with every breakfast, and veggies with every lunch and dinner.

I think I'm going to introduce some weightlifting this week in addition to the treadmill. I might design my own routine or follow a portion of the Beach Body Power 90 routine.

How is everyone else doing with the April showers?

Down an inch

noreply@blogger.com (Karen) — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 18:30:00 +0000

I don't want to jinx my progress, but I've lost an inch from my waist! bye-bye! I don't know if I've worked out any more than I did before, but I am definitely eating more veggies and not eating right before I go to bed. I think that is helping a lot. And I'm loving my soup. I just made a curry soup. Yum. I love the smell. I'm hoping the light in the evening and warmer weather will make it easier to get out and walk or bike after work more often.

Only 25 more pounds to Go

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly) — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 01:45:00 +0000

I'm at 174 today. My goal weight is 150. I haven't started working out yet, but I hope to start soon. Now since it's been past 6 weeks I can start working out. Now I just need some time and energy.

How is everyone else doing?

Just keep walking....

noreply@blogger.com (Danielle) — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 22:05:00 +0000

I'm shooting for the 30 min of exercise every day recommended by "the experts". So far I have chosen my treadmill downstairs as my M.O.

The weightlifting program I never really got started. I'll see where I am in a week or so on getting that started again.