Healthy Tech Talk: a Nails Magazine Blog

Does This Have to End?

NAILS Magazine — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 15:59:30 GMT

So I suppose this is my last blog update? Have not heard when we should stop writing. I do not want to stop. Healthy Tech Talk has been fun and is helping me keep on track!

Can you believe Holly’s new pics? Fantastic! I love the one with her son! Too cute!

I am managing to “inch” off a little more. Hard to tell if I look different. I certainly feel different. I have had to go shopping for some clothes that fit. Love it! I am going to keep on keepin’ on!

I finally got someone to take a full length picture of me. Janet was at the function too! So it’s a double feature! Hee hee! Also in the other pic is our new Education Ambassador Stephanie Johnson. We want to welcome her to the Texas team! Stephanie is also on her own weight loss journey. She looks great too! Everyone has done a great job! I am proud of all of my friends and their accomplishments.

I really am skinnier! Much love!

— Connie

A Year Later...Big Victories!

NAILS Magazine — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 20:10:32 GMT

This final day of July marks the end of the Healthy Tech Talk year that we committed to! While I usually ask how your week has been, what I want to ask now is how was your year? Do you see changes in yourself? Not all changes can be seen in a mirror or a picture! How do you feel? I hope you are feeling more energized and confident.

A year ago, several people made a commitment to NAILS and to CND, but more importantly we made a commitment to ourselves. Each person had a reason for standing in front of the room to make this commitment. My reasoning was to be a better example for my children and a better life partner to my husband. A wife and mom who is always tired and self loathing is not a lot of fun to be around. It is really easy to fall into the trap of eating because you hate what you look and feel like, then the ensuing weight gain multiplies those feelings and the cycle continues. I have no doubt that I was not headed for a good place when it came to my health and I was not setting a good example for my kids to follow.

Healthy Tech Talk has been a journey filled with new people, new ideas, and a new way of life. Along the way I can only hope others felt brave enough to challenge themselves, as we laid out our struggles here on this site. I have had so much wonderful advice, kind encouragement, and a generous outpouring of support from every angle. Thank you for leaving feedback, thank you for the wonderful e-mails, thank you for the phone calls, the text messages, the workout sessions, and the kick in the pants when needed! This is a journey best traveled with companions and I am forever grateful for all the support I have enjoyed.

So what have I done with my year? It has been a long road with lots of obstacles, whether they are imagined or literal. My weigh-in this week showed that I have lost 72 lbs! I still have a ways to go to be considered healthy in appearance to others, but this is a huge victory for me and I am pretty excited about it! Putting it into a funny perspective, I have lost twice what my son weighs! So basically if there were two of him, with one standing on the other, that is what I was carrying around with me every day! No wonder I was always tired! I enjoy activities with my kids now like jumping on the trampoline and I can keep up with my long-legged (and good-looking) husband without needing to take rest breaks. It is a feeling of freedom and accomplishment to have stuck with the journey to better health for so long. My plan is to continue down this path for the rest of my life and keep learning and hopefully sharing that knowledge with family, friends, and anyone who needs a friend.

Do I look any different to you? I definitely feel different, even if the change on the outside doesn’t always keep pace with the changes on the inside. I used to think walking 2 miles a day was for crazy people and now I am perfectly capable of doing it pushing a stroller. Working out is still not something I am in love with, but I have embraced and accepted it as part of my life. Am I perfect? NOPE! I still make bad choices and I know how to cope with them and most of the time how to combat them. We all still have free will at the end of the day and so you just have to choose if your free will takes the same side as your will power.

Do I workout every day as faithfully as I should? Nope, I am only human and there are just some days my brain can’t talk my body into much of anything. Have I met my goal for Healthy Tech Talk? YES! I am a much more health-conscious person, with tools and ideas to improve myself continually. I am constantly striving to be a healthier person and I hope to never end that battle. This in turn makes me a healthy mom. I am now the kind of mom that can play with my kids and do things without having to get grouchy because I am worn out or make excuses to sit down. Part of the goal was our reward — a trip to Six Flags that I promised us all if I could meet that goal. It is on the agenda for next summer!

Keep your chin (or chins) held high and keep marching along the path to better health no matter where you are in your journey. We never win or lose, we simply strive to do the best we can each day in this battle. I wish you happiness and I wish you good health!

— Holly

100 Pushups...or Sit Ups...or Squats

NAILS Magazine — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 20:29:37 GMT

Has it really been a year since we set our goals on Healthy Tech Talk?

I, like so many others, had the best of intentions when I set my goals. I’d like to say that I met all of mine but let’s just say LIFE got in the way, and unfortunately the things I committed to fell to the wayside.

I won’t talk about the fact that I’ve carried my jump rope on every trip and never used it, that I’m still having a love affair with my Grande White Chocolate Mocha made with soy, that I didn’t eat a low-fat healthy salad every day (I did manage to have a salad at least three days a week), or that I haven’t posted since October so my commitment to participate in Healthy Tech Talk and share my journey along the way…well, we know how I did with that.

What I will talk about is that I‘ve lost 15 lbs. (would like to lose 20 more) and I was re-inspired by my nephew, Patrick, this summer. He’s starting football this fall and asked me if I would commit to a six-week program he found online (www.hundredpushups.com) to help build his upper body strength. I can never say no to him, so I said sure. Little did I know this would require me to drop down and do pushups. Easier said than done, and after embarrassing myself with barely doing two that first day…I am proud to say that we are starting our 3rd week and I can do 20 pushups in a row! What I love about this program is that it only takes 10 minutes a day, three days a week and you can do it ANYWHERE. I love that my arms feel stronger and I can already see definition. Feeling stronger has inspired me to get back on track and make healthier choices like drinking more water, walking at least 30 minutes a day, and not worrying so much about what my scale says but that I have more energy to do things I enjoy.

Congratulations to everyone that met their goals and to those of you that have set new ones and are working toward them! A special congrats to Holly and Connie…you both look amazing and should be so proud!

Keep up the great work!

— Barb

PS. In addition to the 100 push-up challenge…there is a 200 sit-up and 200 squat challenge on the same website. I start them both this week…can’t wait.

Celebrate Variety!

NAILS Magazine — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 19:20:35 GMT

Hi! How are you today? Make any good choices this week? You ate WHAT?! That's ok I made a bad choice this week too ;o) As long as the good outweighs the bad I think we are making progress, don't you?

What is your celebration for this week? I decided to celebrate variety! Isn't it nice that we have so much variety in our healthy choices — whether it is food, exercise, or even resources? I tend to get stuck in a rut sometimes and get a bit bored; the best cure for that is to mix things up a bit and try something new! I love trying different foods, new workout ideas, and surfing websites aimed at improving your lifestyle health! I have introduced a lot of my friends to Hungry Girl and am always excited when she let's everyone know about a new yummy healthy snack that we can try.

So if you have found yourself in a bit of a rut, or the bad choices seem to be adding up more than the good, try something different. Variety is the spice of life so keep that healthy lifestyle kickin’ with fresh flavors!!

— Holly

Celebrate Summer!

NAILS Magazine — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 22:17:27 GMT

Happy mid-July people! Can you believe summer is going by so quickly? How are all your healthy choices this week? Easy? Hard? Keeping up on that water intake?

Things are going good here, have been keeping the water about 64-100 oz. a day. Slacked off on exercise for a few days and then kicked it back into gear. The break was kinda nice! My celebration for this week is encouragement! Motivation comes mostly from within to keep working at a healthy lifestyle and encouragement fuels that motivation. I had snapped a new profile shot on my phone for my Facebook and next thing I know friends are exclaiming about it! What a great fuel for my healthy fire that was. Who doesn’t like a compliment anyway?

The year of commitment for the current Healthy Tech Talkers is coming to an end so if you have been meaning to comment for anyone in feedback, there’s no time like the present!

— Holly

Surpassing Goals!

NAILS Magazine — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 22:05:36 GMT

I am so proud of everyone who is updating the blog. We all have bad days. We fall off the wagon and we get back on it! It happens.

We set personal goals in front of friends and colleagues last July while at our training. Some of us just wanted to make better choices, feel better, quit smoking, and lots of us wanted to lose weight. My goal was to lose 30 pounds. In June, I made it! The support of the blog is fun. Holly Schippers has done a fantastic job at keeping everyone in the loop! She is e-mailing, calling, texting and Facebook messaging lots of words of encouragement. Holly is our Education Ambassador of the month for the month of April. Holly is great at pretty much everything she commits to. She even won her area’s Biggest Loser contest! Go Holly!!! Her new photo on Facebook is amazing if you haven’t seen it! She is looking great!

To update my progress, I am down another 5 pounds closer to my second goal of 30 more pounds! Yay me! The healthier choices are becoming easier. I find that in Texas it is about 105 degrees in the summer many days in a row. It is sweltering out there! You almost melt just walking to your car! So, it is very easy to drink lots of water and you are not hungry when it’s that hot!

So, last words from John West — keep on keepin’ on!

I have attached another self portrait! (I can never get anyone to take a full length one that looks good.)

— Connie

A Biggest Loser Win!

NAILS Magazine — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 22:06:56 GMT

Happy Friday all, how has your week been? Are healthy choices finding their way into your summer lifestyle? All the farm fresh fruits and veggies sure make things easier!

My week has been crazy and great! The last weigh-in for Albia’s Biggest Loser was last Friday and I just found out this week that I won the contest with a 10% weight loss!!! I had forgotten how much I enjoyed losing weight; it had been so long since the scale would budge. So I will enjoy the downward momentum until the next inevitable plateau. There was prize money, which is exciting and I will be using it to go visit my brother as we just found out he will redeploy at the end of August. Smaller clothes and Six Flags just don’t seem important compared to that!

Have a great week, enjoy your healthy summer choices, and holler back with your celebrations, I would love to hear them :o)

— Holly

MEA CULPA! MEA CULPA!

NAILS Magazine — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 16:04:30 GMT

Life is so crazy. I feel like mine is never slowing down and I don't think I am half as busy as some other bloggers on here. I have gotten way off track. I could blame it on going back to school or complications in my life, but I'm not going to. I'm gonna ask for forgiveness and move on the best I can. It's all I can do. While I was in school I stopped belly dancing. Now that I have graduated, I have gone back to it. I really missed it. It is one of the only forms of exercise I know of where you really make strong bonds with the people you dance with. My dance sisters lift me up when I am down and encourage me to be better. It is awesome.

I also have a new food obsession and that is Greek yogurt. I had read about Greek yogurt in my Cooking Light magazine so when I stumbled across it at the grocery store, I gave it a try. And I loved it! And you can't beat the nutritional bang for your buck! At about 100 calories a serving depending on which brand you buy, you get 13g of protein and 0g of fat. Usually I just buy the plain and put a little honey in it. It's been a major component of my breakfast meal. Stonyfield makes a Greek yogurt called Oikos which I have found at Walmart and Giant Eagle. My other favorite brand is Fage, but they are a bit harder to find. So Opa! for Greek yogurt and for getting back on track!

p.s If you go to Oikos' website you can get some coupons! Enjoy!

— Gina

Almost to the Finish Line

NAILS Magazine — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 17:14:53 GMT

Congrats to Holly on breaking her plateau!

Almost a year after we started, I have been consistent in my eating healthy. I have not been consistent with workouts. I have lost 20 lbs. within this time but I have gained back 4. I am still committed to losing the full 30 lbs. It has just taken me longer than expected...

I have had some medical complications — not an excuse, but definitely a minor setback. You have all been an inspiration to me during this journey. Let’s (including myself) not forget how pumped we were at the start mark... and focus on the finish line.

— Slowly but surely, Wanda

Celebrate Freedom

NAILS Magazine — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 18:03:50 GMT

Americans, do you have plans for the 4th of July? What does it mean to you? Fireworks? Junk food? Lake time? I hope somewhere in there one of your first thoughts was gratitude, freedom, and sacrifice.

For the next two weeks, I would like to celebrate our freedom and the price that a lot of people have paid, are paying, and will pay for us to maintain that freedom. Here is a picture of my brother (who is one of my best friends) from his first tour in Iraq. As he prepares to redeploy this summer, I am very conscious of the cost of freedom. We all take our freedom for granted, we don't know what it is like not to have those freedoms!

For the next two weeks I would like to hear your celebrations of freedom, whether it is a soldier in your life, or a freedom you are thankful to have. God Bless America!!!

— Holly