What can you do?

Dr. Steven Joyal, M.D., Vice President of Science and Medical Affairs for Life Extension offered these tips:

• Physical Energy and Performance – Winter is the time for avoiding the outdoors and the cold, which means less outdoor workout activity. Supplements that can maximize the benefits of the workout you are getting can help sustain vitality, energy and performance levels. (Try CoQ10 or D-Ribose for boosting cellular energy).
• Mental Energy – Lack of sunlight and other factors can contribute to the “winter blahs”, a lack of mental energy and easy fatigue with even simple cognitive tasks. Supplements that have been shown to have a role in supporting a healthy, active mind (Try Rhoodiola, Ashwagandha, or Fish Oil)
• Post-sickness energy recovery – After battling a cold or flu, it is important to keep energy levels up (Try Vitamin C with Dihydroquercetin and CoQ10)

Sound familiar? That happens to a lot of people. But why should you let the stumbling blocks of January stop you from making good changes now? Self Magazine says that you simply shouldn’t. Instead, give yourself a redo and start again … Now!

Self Magazine’s Editor in Chief Lucy Danziger says that people should give themselves an opportunity to restart their resolutions today, on Mulligan Monday. Mulligan, a golfing term, just means a restart …

Now, are you ready to restart? Danziger offered these special tips for The Voice of Mom readers to get you started:

How to handle the fact that your January resolution didn’t quite get off the ground? Start again!

Realize that a date is just a date. What’s great is you can start over any day! January is full of the usual stresses but they can be magnified because December was full of fun – perhaps you went away, probably you spent some money over the holidays. Now you have more work to do in less time, more bills to pay, and you have all this expectation that diet and fitness will work out and it’s cold out! So we should give ourselves a break. January is the new December, and February is the new January!

Allow yourself a new chance. You can slip up and start over. It’s not all or nothing. If you can stop yourself and say, this popcorn doesn’t ruin my entire day, I’ll have a healthy dinner, that’s OK. Sometimes ice cream is just ice cream, it’s not a snowball. Women have to say to themselves, “they were just cookies, let them go.”

When I find myself stress eating I ask, not “what am I eating,” but “what’s eating me?”

It’s important to figure out what’s “eating you” and solve those problems. For me it’s my long to-do list, so I make a list of lists for today, tomorrow, midterm, long-term etc. If I get at least some of it done, I feel better. Sometimes it means saying I can go to sleep and do it tomorrow.

It’s important to step back and say, “why am I doing this?” You’ll keep moving the deadline on your “resolution” if you don’t figure out what your real problem is and solve it.

Every month in SELF – and every day on Self.com – is a new opportunity to learn one new piece of advice about being happier and healthier. Check out our motivating videos, fun quizzes, delicious recipes, free workouts and simple stress-relief techniques. And let us be your road map to feeling good and looking good, from the inside out!

And remember, you get a “mulligan” every morning!

Sarah W. Caron is a Connecticut-based writer and editor who is doing great with her 2010 goals. Read about them, and her favorite foods, on Sarah’s Cucina Bella.

If you have Netflix, then you have a great way to infuse variety into your exercise. Netflix can stream instantly to Xbox, PS3 and Netflix-ready blu-ray players, as well as laptops and computers. With a good-sized collection of exercise videos available for instant viewing, you can literally work-out every single day.

Start streaming today!

The armband isn’t just for contestants on this TV show though — it’s for real people too. And I’ve tried it.

A while back, I wrote about the older version of the BodyBugg. I really liked how it tracked my steps and activity, and using the computer interface, I could also see how my calories burned compared to my calorie intake. Fast forward a few months, and BodyBugg generously gave me the new version to try out as well, which I wrote about on Fit Fare.

I’ve been using the new version of the BodyBugg for about six months. During this time, I had a period where I wasn’t really trying to lose (and didn’t). And more recently, I have been trying to lose (and have lost at least 10 pounds).

The Pros:

• It’s easy. The armband just slips on and the web application is really self-explanatory. It’s nice to have access to a trainer for advice too.
• Regardless of whether I am losing or maintaining, maintaining regular fitness is important. Wearing the BodyBugg serves as a daily reminder not to fall into old habits or to be too inactive — even when I am busy and stressed.
• When I am ready to lose (as I have been for the past six weeks or so), the BodyBugg is invaluable. Seeing my deficit makes me push more and more for bigger numbers. I also raised my physical activity goal, knowing that I could do better. The tracking food component is important too, since being healthy is a whole body experience.
• It’s comfortable to wear. The new unit is thinner and lighter than the older version and can be really invincible under most clothes.

Cons:

• The food tracker is still a little clunky. To be fair, the food tracker has been improved immensely since I first tried it more than a year ago. There are more foods in there, and the search mechanism is so much better. However, I wish it wasn’t a pop-up interface.
• There are somethings that a BodyBugg just doesn’t go with — like cocktail dresses. So, there are times when it’s just not possible to track (although the system will allow you to copy info from similar times on other days).
• It cannot be used in water, so swimming as a trackable activity isn’t possible. However, you can manually enter it.
• You have to remember to charge the BodyBugg via USB every so often. It’s better than frequently changing batteries, but I often forget to charge. Wait – that might be a personal con. As in a me thing. Hmmm.

The Verdict:

I cannot say enough positive things about using the BodyBugg. It allows you to know and understand your body better than anything I’ve ever experienced. Is it always okay to wear? Well, no. I can’t exactly wear it in the summer with a dress to a business meeting. But that aside, it’s a fantastic tool for making healthy life changes. I would definitely recommend it.

This week I was sent the EatSmart Precision Pro Kitchen Scale to review and the timing was perfect.  My in-laws have just arrived from England and if my mother-in-law ventures into baking, her recipes call for weight in grams (vs using cups and spoons for measuring) and my funky old kitchen scale is frustrating to use and does not convince me of its accuracy.

The scale’s design is clean and sleek and it is simple to use.  You can weigh in ounces, pounds, grams and kilograms– up to 11 lbs.– with the push of a button.  There is an auto off switch so you don’t burn your precious batteries; speaking of which, the batteries come with the product which I am always pleased to find.

There is an simple auto-zero function that allows you to place the food and/or container and then compensate for the weight of the container when you add additional food.

An interesting accompaniment to the scale is the Calorie Factor Booklet.  If you happen to be watching calories or wanting to calculate the calories in a recipe, it is brilliant.  Instead of going off of a generic chart that tells you what the calorie count is for A apple or A banana– you can see what the calorie per gram ratio is for any food or ingredient, weigh the food and do the simple multiplication to determine the exact calories in your item.

I give this product a Yes vote and for the price of $25 on Amazon, I think it is well worth the money.

I try to exercise at home when I can, but with a rambunctious 3-year-old running around, it’s almost impossible. If I do the treadmill, she always wants on and I have to keep stopping so she doesn’t step on and fly off. I really enjoy doing the EA Sports Active on the Wii, but again she tries to stand in front of me in my small living room to do it too.

I love that she is interested in what I’m doing, but I lose motivation so fast when I stop and start so frequently.

This is the week I take a step to help myself. I do matter and I need to lose between 20-30 lbs to be healthy. I don’t want to be so tired. I don’t want to feel so uncomfortable in my own skin. I will get my beginning measurements and weigh-in. Then I will dedicate 30 minutes to an hour a day for ‘me time’ to exercise. Maybe I’ll make some great friends and lose weight at the same time. Curves, here I come!

Here is my third and final final installment of my experiment with the Fast Five lifestyle plan.  Please refer to earlier posts for background. The initial article can be read HERE and the second HERE.

Week 5: This is getting serious. The day after I submitted my last update I hopped on the scale– GAINED.  According to the BodyBugg’s calculations I’ve been consuming around 3000 calories per day, errr, per 5 hour window per day.

I don’t believe it.

I’m bloated and a bit mid-month hormonal with some GI stuff going on but this information is enough to scare me into action.  I’m not throwing in the towel– the 19 hour fast is that liberating to me.  However, I’m not assuming I do not have to take calories into consideration.  I swear to you– this is a testimony of how easily good things like hummus and home-made pita chips and other healthy delights can add up.  My extremes have been nothing compared to other tales I hear.  Ok. I’m getting serious now.  Watch. Out. Self.

(The day after writing that I got on the scale for giggles and had lost 2 pounds.  Yes, we women are blessed with the gift of fluctuation.)

Week 6. Okay, now I’m just PO’d.  My husband weighed and he dropped 8.4 lbs in one month.  A Facebook friend has dropped 19 lbs in one, YES, one month.  I took the stupid pound back off, but now I’m scared to death to get back on the scale.

I’ve been getting in an hour of exercise most days and was able to finally run 5 miles the other day (re. sprain recovery).  We head to NYC in 2 days.  I think I’ll weigh again before we leave.  We did slack off the rigidity a bit over Labor Day weekend.  I had not veered one iota til then, but after I realized that my hubby had lost while still having milk in his coffee (drinking black coffee has been the most torturous aspect of this whole thing to me) I decided I was going to follow suit.  Right now, I feel like a total freak and am disappointed that Fast Five has not been the answer for tweaking my lifestyle.

Week 7. I hopped on the scale again and am still hovering around the same weight.  Therefore I decided to eat intuitively on my 12 day trip to New York, Boston and Cape Cod.  Turns out that intuitively is turning into not eating until well into the afternoon most days.

Week 8. Upon return from our trip I walked back into stress mode with some important issues looming that were taking an inordinate amount of time this week; with a large family and having several “jobs” this happens occasionally.  This was not a great week for exercise but I also arrived home to find my cleaning lady quit and my BodyBugg tells me that simply having that knowledge and being more proactive with messes burns more calories.  That’s a good thing since being exhausted from my nonstop pace and settling back in has interfered with me reestablishing my exercise routine.  Most days I, again, didn’t really think of eating until mid afternoon therefore I am attempting to meld intuitive eating with the Fast Five and frankly?  I’m working on not thinking about it as much and really listening to my body’s hunger cues and using the tips in the Naturally Thin book I had previously reviewed.

The verdict is in:

• One Facebook friend has lost over 20 lbs since August 8 using the Fast Five plan.
• My husband lost 8 lbs in 4 weeks.
• I repeatedly lost and gained one pound.

Overall, I eat a healthy diet.  I did not binge during my five hours of eating.  I can’t really explain my dilemma except to say that the plan clearly needed to be more focused on calorie counting if I was going to lose and then it would no longer be “this” plan.

I certainly wouldn’t rule trying this method out if you need to lose a large amount of weight; I think it is probably a great kick-start in those instances.  For me, I’m back to square one and will work on just healthy living and eating.  This experiment did empower me to get in touch with eating more intuitively, the need for major attention to portion control, not eating just because it was “time,” and remembering that it really is just about the equation of calories in and calories out.

If you participated in this little adventure, please share your experiences in the comments below!

Often after the baby comes, we find ourselves too busy AND too tired to even think about physical activity beyond bouncing the bundle of love we now have.  Kim is the latest mom to put herself first after taking a year and a half off and get back into doing what she loves.  Here is an excerpt from an interview with her on the Fila website:

Fila: What is the toughest part of the return, physical or mental?

Kim: The toughest part was definitely physical. I didn’t pick up a racquet hardly at all for a year and a half so when I did, the body didn’t react in the same way. Your core goes to pot after having a baby so I had to rebuild all those muscles again, and even get them stronger than before. You don’t realise how having a baby changes a woman’s body. I played tennis four times a week and did physical training six days a week. I started on a programme in late January and gradually built it up with swimming, stretching, core stabilisation and all the usual tennis exercises, along with some yoga and pilates.

I don’t think my game has drastically changed in the two years I have been away, you are not going to see me serving and volleying for instance, but I hope to make even more improvements to what I already have.

Kim has shown that even after having children that she was able to find time to train at a sport she loves, come from behind as an unseeded player and give her all to win it all.  That being said, many of us have much smaller goals when it comes to our physical activities, but just seeing what another woman has achieved makes it seem much easier to put ourselves first and make time for exercise and other healthy activities.

I can use all the inspiration I can find when it comes to setting aside the time I need to for exercise.  So, I’ll be using Kim and Dara as my inspiration when I need to pull myself out of bed an hour earlier for my morning exercise time.

Patsy Kreitman also writes for her personal blog, Family, Friends and Food.

About a year ago I was experiencing some frustrating symptoms.  My PMS seemed to exacerbate and grow funky. My mood was a bit more– shall we say– sensitive and I generally had the sense of feeling “off kilter.”  After experiencing, what were likely, a couple of hot flashes I became suspicious.

Enter physician husband: “Honey, I hate to say it but I’m wondering if you’re looking at perimenopausal symptoms here. They can be hell.”

Me?  I had a four-year-old.  Yes, there was a minor detail; he was our surprise 4 year old that appeared in my 40’s.  Perimenopause can hit anytime during the ten years or so prior to cessation of menstruation and it is the erratic fluctuation in hormones that can cause a variety of symptoms.

Really, menopause should be called menostop, because the menses can pause for months at a time as the hormones diminish; it is when there has been no menses for 12 successive months you can officially say you’ve hit menopause.

Enter a very good friend that is twelve years older than me: I ran down my symptoms to her and she shared her very similar symptoms that she had let go for quite some time. Eventually, they became very disabling.  She explored organic, individualized hormone replacement and after finding a cooperative physician and months of  different “recipe” experimentation with a holistic pharmacist that would mix the compounds she finally found relief.  I left that conversation feeling validated that yes, maybe it could be perimenopause, but I was absolutely not ready to go the medical route yet.

Then I turned to Google.  Yes, I did what most of us do when we want to diagnose and treat ourselves — I explored the internet.  My search was short lived.  I found what has been the answer to my symptoms at a comprehensive website called Women to Women.

After perusing the website and seeing that it was an offshoot of an actual clinic in existence for 25 years, that you have the option of visiting their clinic or using the “Personal Program” that you can initiate online, that they combine conventional and alternative medicine, that it is run by women for female health issues and after getting a great sense of this being a legitimate practice, I completed the Women to Women online hormonal profile as a kick off to the personal program.

Based on my hormonal profile results, I was experiencing moderate symptoms that indicated a hormonal imbalance and they suggested some high quality natural supplements.  I don’t know about you, but I could supply a pharmacy clearance shelf with unused supplements I have purchased looking for the appropriate quality/combination or based on “the latest research.”  Finding the right supplements has been an ongoing, unsolved conundrum for me and I was thrilled at the prospect of having a solution.

Here I am a year later.

I receive my supplements, neatly packaged in the mail every month.  For the first few months I had a specialist from the Women to Women program call and check in on my progress.

How are you doing on the regime?  “I’d be doing great if I could sleep through the night.”

When are you taking your supplements?  “At bedtime.”

Bingo.  I did that too when I started and the same thing happened.  The B vitamins are affecting your sleep.  “relieved sigh . . .”

It was great advice.  I got a follow-up phone call to make sure I was sleeping like a baby and there’s an open invitation to call these women any time to check in.

At heart I’m frugal and wondered about making the commitment of setting up a monthly auto pay so my supplements are automatically shipped.  I ran it by my husband and his response was, “PLEASE.  Do it. What have you got to lose?”

Well, in the past year I’ve lost the hot flashes, the wacked out PMS, most of the moodiness, the fatigue and overall feeling that I am not in control of my body.

The website has a plethora of educational information of other ways we should be helping our bodies– nutrition, exercise and information on a variety of other woman’s health issues.

If you’re in need of losing a few symptoms that may be indicative of hormonal changes, give the hormonal profile at www.womentowomen.com a whirl.

What do you have to lose?

With our children heading back to the classroom, many homes will function with a bit more structure than they have during the lazy days of summer.  Whether the summer was a hindrance or help for your exercise routine– here are a some tips for changing your thinking and behavior that are tried and true for keeping the exercise rhythm going:

Set your alarm early and get your exercise in before the rest of the household arises. Although this may sound torturous, here is a guarantee– as you are showering to start your day while the sleepyheads of your household are just rising and you know you already have your workout crossed off your list of things to do for the day, you will feel a sense of accomplishment to equal your rush of endorphins from your workout.  When dinner time rolls around and you are not having to feel guilty for not squeezing exercise in or that you are too exhausted to move another inch, you will smile, sigh, and think, “it really was worth getting up earlier!”

It’s mind over matter. Not a morning person?   Tell yourself, “I have to get up anyway, what’s an hour earlier in the big scheme of things?”  Important information: this works much better if you compensate by heading to bed earlier.  Sleep is extremely important to our health and our temperament and to our family’s happiness.

Pretend your exercise time is your personal “spa time.” Yes, you heard that right.  If you don’t stop thinking that exercise is a hassle or torture it will never stop feeling like it is.  Appreciate the time alone when no one is demanding anything of you.  Listen to some of your favorite tunes or better yet, enjoy the peace and calm of the day and recite a positive mantra “I am strong and healthy,”  “I feel calm and energetic,” as you walk or run or bike (insert exercise of choice here).  Look around you.  Feel the air on your skin.  BE in the moment.

Tell yourself that getting your exercise is your medicine. Ever been diagnosed with a little too high blood pressure or cholesterol or blood sugar or know that it runs in your family?  Literally view your exercise routine as that important pill you must take every day to prevent or treat health issues.

Make your exercise program your new hobby. Track how much ground you cover and the time it takes and watch as, before you know it, you are covering more and more ground with more ease.  It WILL happen and it’s fun to chart the progress.  (www.runnersworld.com has an excellent Training Log that will keep record of any exercise you do and chart your progress– it’s free).

Think of the role-model you are being for your children. With childhood obesity on the rise and lifestyles that have become more and more sedentary we need to model active lifestyles or our children will not understand the necessity of movement for health.  If you can’t do it for yourself, do it for your kids.

Be the change you want to see. Most folks know what change they want for their activity level, body mass index, energy level and health benchmarks.  Turn on your rational mind: we can’t be sedentary and live on ice cream, cigarettes and martinis and reach our health goals.  Take an honest inventory of what you need to change in your life and then do it: one day a time.

Fake it til you make it. Even if it really feels tortuous, stop the negative self talk.  Negative self talk begets negative emotions begets poor motivation.  Tell yourself you LOVE to exercise and it is a JOY to do.  Repeat until no longer necessary because those positive thoughts start becoming automatic; but be prepared to reinstated faking it prn (as needed).