This morning on the Today Show they did a story that the Fall TV Lineup for 2010 has a lot of new shows that have a Strong Female Lead or a Female Heroine.  Yay!  I love to hear that!  I can’t wait to check them out.  A few that they mentioned were Chase (on NBC), Nikita (CW Network) & Covert Affairs (USA Network).  Let’s see how they do!

What are your favorite shows featuring tough, strong chicks?

I saw something the other day on TV with obese children and it made me think.  Does it benefit our children to let them know if they are predisposed to things, such as heart disease or addiction? Will this allow our children to use it as an excuse?  ”I was going to get it anyway so who cares?”  Will it scare them?  Or will it give them the proper warning and how early is too early to tell them about their genes?!

We know that certain diseases and personality traits run in families but we do not yet know how much is nature vs. nurture or why.  There are some studies that link this to genetics.  And, if you look at my family as an example, you would believe this.

I was taught at a young age to be careful of alcohol because of the alcoholism in my family. I don’t know if this was emphasized enough though!  I plan to emphasize this more with my kids, but will this allow them an excuse to become an alcoholic? or cause them to feel out of control? or will I overemphasize something they don’t need to focus on? or  scare them a little in order to keep them away from certain addictive substances and make them aware? I just don’t know.

I am scared of alcohol. I don’t drink it.  Very rarely will you see me drink.  There are too many alcoholics in my family.  I am scared of prescription drugs too.  I know my family history and it scares me.  I am also very aware of my moods and depression. Again, I am super-aware.  I am super-aware that there is hoarding in my family and I try really hard to be sure I show no signs of this!  I am aware of obesity and heart disease that will be a part of my children’s genes.  So, will warning them scare them?  or allow an excuse? or is it the information they need?  Will they “get” it?

I learned a lot during my contest prep over the last year.  You can read about  it here in my Figure Lessons post.  One of the things I learned is that I don’t just love food. Yes, I do love food. I love beautiful presentations and combinations of it. But, I am also a food addict…a sugar addict really.  I think many of us are…more than may know or admit it.  I didn’t know this until the last year.  It’s easy to eat enough sugar to get a seratonin release and feel better….for a minute.  It makes me feel better knowing that we are predisposed to like sugar and that it is a drug, so I’m not the only one.  But, I need to treat sugar like a drug and stay away from it like I do prescription drugs and alcohol.  Work in progress….

Once I started paying attention to my sugar-eating and unconscious eating habits, I figured out I’m an anxious eater. If I feel overwhelmed and don’t know where to start on my list of things to do, I’ll find myself in the kitchen eating to fill the time and make myself feel better.  I think it’s good to be aware. I feel better knowing about my weakness and working towards control over it. I’ve learned mostly that some people can control themselves around sugar cookies and I am not one of them SO I do not have them in the house. I don’t think I’ve had a sugar cookie in 1.5 years!  I can’t have just one so I don’t have one.

I don’t know if we all have addictions or not.  It seems like there are some people who don’t appear to have a problem being addicted to anything, but are they just better at hiding it than others?  I don’t know. I do know that everyone has things they struggle with and I think many people struggle with different addictions and obsessions.  I also know that I was aware of staying away from alcohol yet the “addiction” in my family is still a part of me…I just choose food and have to work on that every day of my life. Can I help my kids from struggling from this also?   What do you think?

If you go out to dinner (or lunch, for that matter) with me you will see me order off the Kids Menu (or at least ask, even if they say no!).  Often if you’re nice, the waitress/waiter will be happy to give you food off the Kid’s Menu and for sure when you order to take home – how do they know if you have a kid at home?!  I order Kid’s Menu items at Chick-fil-A and if I ever get movie theater popcorn, which I’ve told you not to do here, but we all have a little bad food now and then, right?

Also, if you go out to eat with me, you will see me ask everyone at the table if they will share a meal with me….hopefully there is one taker!  I like to split an entree, get extra veggies, maybe a salad (which can be high in calories, but a fun treat now and then) and maybe share a dessert too!  Another way to eat only half the meal is to take half home and go ahead and divide it out when you get the meal. So, ask the waiter/waitress for a “to go” box as soon as you get your meal and set it aside. The problem I have with this is that I don’t want to take bad food home! I like to eat out once in a while and leave it there. I want to go home and eat healthy again. It’s a rare meal that I really want to duplicate at home.

SHARE: Any other tips you have on eating smaller portions out?

Proper nutrition is important for fertility, fats included. This post applies to general health, fertility, pregnancy and nursing. Pregnancy and nursing require more nutrients and allow less leeway for empty calories!

In my fertility series, I’ve discussed protein & fertility. In general, I’ve also posted on how much protein and how much of all the nutrients.  This post is on FATS and applies to everyone.  I will get to carbs soon too. There’s a LOT to say about carbs!

There are different categories of fats. Some you should never eat, others you should limit and then some you should fill up on daily, but in the proper portions!  Beware:  fats are calorie dense so they’re any easy way to gain weight! That doesn’t mean you should be scared!  We need good fats.  They make our foods tasty and our bellies full.  They are important.

The problem is that the normal American diet is full of the bad fats and WAY too many of them!  Increasing saturated fats means increasing our cholesterol.  Saturated and trans fats are everywhere when we eat out!  We should never eat trans fats if we can help it!

Never eat these trans fats:

• dining out fried foods, commercially baked goods including crackers and cookies
• partially hydrogenated oils.

We should limit our saturated fats to about 10% of our diets: decrease butter, full-fat dairy, fatty meats, unskinned chicken, palm & coconut oils.  We get plenty of polyunsaturated fats (including Omega-6).

Limit / watch your portions of these :

• butter, full-fat dairy, unskinned chicken
• sunflower oil, safflower oil, corn oil, sesame oil, palm oil, coconut oil
• margarine, solid vegetable shortening, all partially hydrogenated oils,
• all unnatural fats, all commercially baked goods.

Now, to the good stuff.  We need to make sure we are getting plenty of monounsaturated fats and Omega 3 Fats!

Nuts in my house. Store in fridge or freezer if you can. I feel a post on reusing packaging coming up. These are salad containers

The best sources are:

• olive oil, organic canola oil, grapeseed oil
• fatty fish (salmon, tuna, herring, mackerel, sardines) beware of king mackeral and large fish during pregnancy
• walnuts, avocados, pistachios, almonds, cashews
• hempseed and ground flaxseed
• fortified eggs (with Omega-3)
• high quality chocolate

I know it isn’t popular to tell people to use real butter (just a small amount) rather than low fat margarine. It’s my opinion and I’m working toward eating more Real Food.  I will post more on this later…promise.

My idea of a strong and healthy physique has changed. I no longer think that 6% body fat is sexy.  BUT, I still think that a muscular physique on a woman is sexy!  What could be better than a woman who is strong and healthy enough to live??  I love that some of these ladies are NOT in their 20′s and they are still strong and sexy!!!  I hope to look as rockin’ as they do as I age!

I thought I’d share some of my favorite muscular physiques from the Emmys on Sunday.  Did I miss any?

Sources:

• celebrity-gossip.net
• yahoo tv
• zimbio
• accidentalsexiness.com

Many of you ask me about different fitness programs so I thought it’d be a great topic for a post!  The honest truth is…..it doesn’t really matter which one you pick!!  Just pick one and do it!! There are certain aspects you should look for in the program that I’ll tell you below. It should go w/o saying, but please get checked out by a health professional before starting a program!

I’ve done and own p90x. (I liked it more once I figured out how to turn off the music and dialogue and only kept the cues while I used my own workout music!)  I like it because it’s tough and it incorporates ALL aspects a good fitness plan should…and includes a diet plan!  You can’t get the body you want without proper eating!

What do you need in a workout program?

• First of all, get real with yourself! Will you work out at home? Will you go to the gym?  What works best for you?  Decide this before you waste your money on a gym membership or on home fitness equipment. If you’re not sure, the only thing to do is make the best decision on either one and then try it out. Find the best gym for you and try it.  Do you find a way to go?  Same with a program…be realistic about a home program.  Find one that works well for you. Schedule it into your day. Which do you prefer?
• Remember, you can also just look up daily workouts from a place like Crossfit.com (great Crossfit post on styleberryBLOG) or you can buy a book like Jillian Michael’s Making the Cut or a magazine like Oxygen or M&F Hers.  You’ll need to decide if you’re self-motivated enough (yet) to star this routine on your own or if you need a video trainer or a real trainer to push you.
• I HIGHLY RECOMMEND A PERSONAL TRAINER!!! I started out learning how to lift weights with a trainer. If you have never lifted weights before, I definitely recommend you hire a trainer for a few sessions at least. They will teach you the exercises and then watch you do them to be sure your form is correct. And, you’ll feel more comfortable in the weight room with all the men in there who seem to know what they’re doing.  (Notice, I said seem.)
• Next, make sure you pick both cardio and weight lifting. You must do both!!! I’ve heard people say great things about Insanity and after viewing their website I want to buy it to try!! But, keep in mind that’s only cardio. You still have to get to the gym to lift.  So, by all means buy Insanity but what’s your plan to lift? Will you go to the gym or will you buy another lifting program or do your own at home?  Have a plan for both!
• Then, make sure the plan meets your physical needs.  Yes, p90x is hard. It is supposed to be for athletes.  They give warnings everywhere on this program. And, I do not recommend this program if you have never lifted a weight in your life.  BUT, here’s my opinion……Do what you can do! I went to a cardio combat class during contest prep and it could be intense at times. It was intimidating to some. But, I always told the girls who were embarrassed and making comments about how they couldn’t keep up “Who cares! Show up and do what you can!”  You will get a workout even if you modify every single exercise.  If you are healthy, you can buy p90x and you can modify every single exercise if needed and you will still get a workout!  And, you will be able to progress and get better and stronger.
• Don’t trust a product that has you doing crunches every day and says you will lose 10 pounds in the first week. It’s not possible! Just like diet, with workouts – variety is key. You will have to work every muscle, in different ways and vary your workouts.  I know that p90x does that.
• Pick a plan and try it!  Make sure it incorporates weight lifting, cardio and a sound nutrition plan.  Find a plan you can stick to and JUST TRY IT!  Try it for 30 days or 12 weeks.  Go easy on yourself. Allow some leeway. Don’t make a plan that you can’t stick to and don’t expect to do anything 100% all the time! Be realistic. Start easy.  Maybe set a goal that you will work out 2-3 days a week. Schedule it into your day.  Make a plan to get it done.  Set that goal this week or next week and do it. You will feel better about yourself when you set a goal and you stick to it. Then, build on that.  Start to work on your diet, one thing at a time. Set the number of times you’ll eat out this week or every week and get your family’s buy in.

Feedback? Did this help you.  What plans have you tried that you like?  or didn’t like?  Did you fall victim to gimicks like the shake weight before you figured out what worked??  Did I forget any great info?  Please share !

What is an RSS Feed? Funny you should ask!  My BFF Shawna just wrote a great article about it recently that you can find here on her site styleberryBLOG.  I also found this great video while I was searching for info on the topic…..I still have a lot to learn myself! Check this out!  Very well done!

FITori Profile

One of my nutrition books did a Profile of Successful Dieters that I thought was pretty accurate.

• They know their weight. (They check their scale weight weekly.)
• They are motivated from within.  Check out my post on motivation here.
• They know what they eat. (They keep records.) Check out my post on food diaries here.
• They engage in regular exercise (60 to 90 minutes of moderate exercise on most days.)
• They have social support (relationships/groups, including friends and in-home support.)
• They control their intake of alcohol, fat, and sugar.
• They follow a personalized diet plan — one that they can enjoy permanently.  (This is why I am working to start my business.)
• They lose no more than a pound or two a week.  Crash diets that promise you will lose 10-15 lbs the first week do NOT work!
• They set reasonable goals, such as losing just 10 percent of their weight, as a start.  Personally, I for people to set goals regarding actions vs results.  Don’t demand your body respond, but set a goal that you will do certain things and watch your body respond by getting lean!  Make a healthy plan. Stick to it. And, watch yourself transform!
• They accept an occasional lapse rather than aiming for perfection.  I wish I had known how normal it is to fail on my contest diet and “cheat” b/c I would have beat myself up MUCH less during that process!
• They view weight management as a long-term commitment.  Anytime someone waits for the end of the diet or plans to change their behaviors once they lose the weight, they will gain the weight back.  The goal is to make permanent changes in your diet and exercise routines, rather than being on a “diet.”

Note about profiles – I used to HATE my profile in high school. I hated my nose. I was certain that as soon as I turned 18 I would get a nose job! Funny how things change!!!!  I love my nose now! Why? Because it is part of me!  What would I look like with a different nose? Not like me!  Thought I’d share….

Resource: Personal Nutrition

I’d love your feedback!!!! Please share with me your feedback on what you think of the logo and the design and any ideas you have!

Also, keep checking back for my big reveal of the designer who worked so hard on this blog for me…I’ll reveal her very soon…

In June 2004, my FIThubby (then my FITfiance) graduated from USAFA.  I had already transfered colleges (a total of FOUR) and I needed one more semester to graduate. I stayed in Denver to finish my last semester of college.  Once I finished my Bachelor’s Degree, I headed to my parents’ home in Atlanta for a month until the wedding. FIThubby was already in Macon, GA at our first assignment in the AF.  I was so lucky to have a month to finish all of the wedding details on a budget so I could have everything the way I wanted it and do it all myself to save moo-lah!

I spent that month before my wedding almost entirely on my wedding, which included my morning coffee with the Today Show Wedding! I watched them picking out things for their wedding while I was doing the same for mine.  I was scared and nervous and excited and remember sitting there and thinking about my wedding day and what it would be like.

I love this year’s Today’s Wedding Couple probably because we have a lot in common….He is in the Army. My FIThubby is in the Air Force.  They were high school sweethearts. We were high school sweethearts.  They have been separated a great deal. We lived in the same city when we were 15 years old for only 6 months and then we were long distance until we got married!!  They are from Missouri. We met in Kansas.  (Rock Chalk Jayhawk!)  This year I will be voting!! They make it so easy! There is a tab on their FB page for wedding and it’s so easy to find and click!  You don’t even need to watch the show to vote….all the choices are right there. I feel like it’s my duty this year to make sure this girl has a beautiful wedding Check out their Facebook page here.

I thought I’d share some images from my wedding and some of the details that were so important to get just right.  This was September 25, 2004.  It was the best day of my life so far (we don’t have kiddos yet).  I can’t believe we were so young! We were high school sweethearts and our first date was around THIRTEEN years ago!  :)

The first set of pictures is my favorite moment of the entire day!!!  Who knew that you had to explain to the FIThubby what he had to do with the cake cutting!!! Seriously?!  It’s a tradition at a military wedding to cut the first peice of the cake with a sword, which we did, but my FIThubby thought he had to cut the cake for all of our wedding guests!!!!  So, he tried to cut through THE ENTIRE CAKE!!!  In the video, yes there’s a video, you can see the sword coming out the back side of the cake! It was my favorite moment from the day!

Some of our wedding details…

We had so much fun that day. It went by too quickly, as all weddings do, I guess.

Most of these pics were taken by Legacy Studios though she’s taking time off to raise her kiddos!

SHARE…..What were some of your crazy wedding memories??? Anything out of the ordinary happen?  It always does, right??