It’s over!

The video shoot that we’ve been preparing for non-stop wrapped last Friday.  We had an amazing time and you can read about it and see pictures over at New School Nomads.

While I enjoy health and fitness being a part of creative projects gives me an unexplainable energy and satisfaction.

But back to health and fitness because if I don’t take care of those things then everything else suffers.

Anyway…guess what?

I didn’t work out once last week.  At least not an traditional workout but there was certainly plenty of “functional fitness” to be had.

“Pools” to be filled.

Sandbags to be heaved.

Coolers to be carried.

C-stands to be moved

Whatever this thing is called to be carried.

I did manage to get in a few…

…calf raises

…split squats

…and inverted rows.

Sort of. Those were mostly for fun.  Had I not been on my feet all day that is what I would have done.  

I’m telling ya, fitness is all about function.  Speaking of functional fitness I’m going to the Perform Better 3-Day Functional Fitness Summit next month.  I’m very very excited.  The presenter line up is PHENOMENAL. It includes John Berardi (Precise Nutrition), Mike Boyle, Gray Cook (Functional Movement Screen), Brett Jones (Master RKC), Alwyn and Rachecl Cosgrove and a whole bunch of other amazingly smart fitness professionals.  Can’t wait to come back and share with you what I learn!

So my Kick Start Kick the Sugar Challenge is going ok.  I seem to be making up for my reduced sugar intake with dried fruit. Today I made raisins in my dehydrator and ate more than I needed.  At least they were nourishing.  It could be worse and I could be back to hiding out behind my house drinking syrup straight from the bottle.  True story.

I hope you had a great weekend.  Saturday, Brent and I got up early to chase rabbits film and take pictures of the sunrise before coming home.  It was an amazing morning.  One of the best in a long time.  Why oh why don’t I get up earlier more often?  The rest of the weekend was spent sleeping and hanging out with the boys.

So this is random but do any photographers read my blog?  I’ve been enjoying taking pictures lately and want to read up on ways to improve.  Do any of you know any good blogs or sites that may help me get better???

Do you like to get up early?

Hugs and High Fives,
Jenn

Check out our family’s adventures at New School Nomads as we plan to take a year long road trip through the United States!

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The post Functional Fitness Strikes Again appeared first on Girl Heroes.

I bought The Sugar Addict’s Total Recovery Program  by Kathleen DesMaisons a few years ago when I was feeling really desperate. While I don’t agree with everything in the book it is a fanatastic resource for those who feel like their dependency on sugar may be related to their depression or getting in the way of reaching goals.  What I enjoyed most about the book was it made me feel like a little less of a freak. It reassured me that there were other people out there who felt they might have a mental breakdown if they didn’t get candy in the check out line at the grocery. 

Ms. DesMaisons goes very in depth into her research regarding the chemistry of sugar addictions. In her experience she says most mild to moderate forms of depression are usually related to diet. This has been my own personal experience. Like I’ve said before, I have been able to greatly reduce my depression symptoms with dietary changes and exercise. She also talks about sugar addiction being caused by faulty brain chemistry regarding serotonin and beta endorphins.  I won’t go into details but it’s fascinating and hopeful if you struggle with an constant need to down sugar or carbs. Here are her 7 steps to a sugar free life.

1. Eat breakfast with protein every day. 
2. Journal what you eat and how you feel.   
3. Eat Three Meals a day with Protein
4. Eat a Potato Before Bed
5. Shift from White Food to Brown Foods
6. Taking the Sugars Out.
7. Staying with the Program Over Time. 

Her recommedation about eating protein with every meal and having breakfast everyday is spot on. I’ve found that these two suggestions are essential in being able to resist sugar and to lose weight. I disasgree with the only 3 meals a day suggestion.  Her reason is that sugar sensitive people have a hard time saying no and snacks encourage grazing throughout the day.  Personally I have found that if I skip meal 2 (mid-morning “snack”) and meal 4 (mid-afternoon “snack”) then I am much more likely to binge and eat waaaaaay more than I need.  Not only that but I’m more likely to choose the wrong foods, i.e. a package of white tortillas.  She says if you are engaging in “major athletic activity” then snacks are okay.  I guess my workouts could be considered “major athletic activity”! 

The potato before bed seems a little wacky to me.  I tried it and didn’t notice much or any difference. But her science behind it is intriguing and convincing when you read it.  And, despite being skeptical, I definitely think it’s worth a try.  Even if it only works because of a placebo effect.  Who cares as long as it works.  My advice would be just make sure it is a small potato and don’t load it with fat.

Yes please do shift to brown foods if you are currently eating white foods.  This is a really basic concept and I forget that not everyone knows wheat bread is better than white, brown rice is better than white and so on.

I think the suggestions in her book combined with 5-6 whole food meals a day consisting of lots of veggies and protein could do wonders in helping many sugar addicts gain control.  The book is worth reading for the motivation alone but remember her way of overcoming the addiction is not the only way. If you need to tweak it to suit you then you should. For instance, I went cold turkey and she says that doesn’t work. But she certainly offers a ton of suggestions that are really helpful.  I’m all for trying to treat depression with lifestyle choices before prescriptions. Most of all, I admire her commitment to fight a serious problem that is contributing to the health crisis we have in our country. Here is a a list of her books on Amazon if you want to see what other people have to say.

The Sugar Addict’s Total Recovery Program

Potatoes Not Prozac, A Natural Seven-Step Dietary Plan to Stabilize the Level of Sugar in Your Blood, Control Your Cravings and Lose Weight, and Recognize How Foods Affect the Way You Feel

Your Last Diet!: The Sugar Addict’s Weight-Loss Plan

Little Sugar Addicts: End the Mood Swings, Meltdowns, Tantrums, and Low Self-Esteem in Your Child Today

I have the Little Sugar Addicts book too but I haven’t read it all.  I need to because I have a little sugar addict living in my house.  My children are one of the reasons that I tend to think there may be link between individual body chemistries and dependency on sugar.  One of my boys is a complete carb/sugar addict.  He will eat it until he is sick.  The other boy will take a few licks of a sucker and then leave it on the counter and forget about it.  They are only two years apart and have the same parents but react completely different to sugar.  If anyone has and good links or info on this.

xoxo
j

The post The Sugar Addict’s Total Recovery Program Book Review appeared first on Girl Heroes.

I had my first exposure to weight training about 5 years ago. Granted it only lasted for 4 months but in that first 4 months I learned a lot. The reason was I had a personal trainer who was a competitive bodybuilder. Her name was Jen Gutierrez and she was an amazing trainer. Here is a link to a picture of her. I had belonged to a gym off and on since I was 16 but spent most of my time putzing around on the cardio machines. The few times I lifted weights, I’d sit in a hip adduction machine and put the pin in for 10lbs then quit after 12 reps. One day feeling bad about myself I saw a picture of Jen in the paper and thought it looked like she knew a thing or two about lifting weights! I had never been so sore in in my life as I was those first few weeks that I worked out under Jen’s guidance. And I never knew I had hamstring muscles. I learned a lot from her and I’m thankful for the strong foundation. Unfortunately, I lost my little part-time job teaching acting and had to quit working out with Jen. Old habits die hard and it wasn’t long before I was putzing around on the cardio machines again.

A few years later my friend told me she was doing a Body for Life challenge. Curious as to what it was all about I go out and bought the book myself, Body for Life by Bill Phillips. I read it cover to cover that first day and all the I learned years ago from Jen comes flooding back. I decide to try to complete a challenge. I failed. I tried again. I fail. I tried again. I failed. It wasn’t the book. Body for Life is GREAT. It was me. I wasn’t willing to make the commitment to change. Then as I’ve mentioned before I slipped into a deep depression and was stuck in the muddy swamp of my mind for almost 8 months. But when I finally decided to climb out I returned to the Body for Life principles. The same one’s I learned from Jen years before.

Although now I don’t follow a strictly Body for Life program I will always use the foundational principles for well…life. The beauty of Body for Life is in it’s simplicity. He takes principles that professional bodybuilders and athletes use and creates a simple and very effective program. It’s 12 week long and has you working out 6 days a week. Three days of strength training and three days of HIIT cardio. I’m not sure if Bill Phillips came up with the term HIIT cardio. There are a lot of other programs that use high intesity interval training because HIIT cardio is a great way to help shed fat.   All the exercises are basic and easy to perform. There are pictures with explanations. The weight workouts take about an hour or less and the cardio 20 minutes. The eating plan is basic as well but very effective. He has you eating 6 small meals a day with one free day a week. On your free day you can eat whatever you want. All your other 36 meals are to consist of a palm sized protein and a palm sized complex carb. You’re supposed to add veggies to at least two of your meals. If I have a problem with the book it’s I don’t think there is enough emphasis on the benefits of veggies or the quality of the food you eat. I like high quality veggies to be the foundation of my meals. Other than that detail I think it is a WONDERFUL place to start. The book Body for Life: 12 Weeks to Mental and Physical Strength has changed many many people’s lives for the better because it works.  And of course the book has lots of America’s favorite, Before and After photos for proof and inspiration!

xoxo
jenn

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The post Body for Life Book Review appeared first on Girl Heroes.