6 Month Fitness Project

My Olive Oil Experiment 2

I made another batch of my super bread, a variation on the first batch, and ate it often with olive oil drizzled over it plus a sprinkling of dried basil and shredded Parmesan cheese. It continued to have the same good effects that I experienced earlier.

However, I think I kind of overdid it, maybe eating more olive oil than my body wanted. So, I've  been off the olive oil experiment for about a week. But, I'm about to make more of the bread that seems to be a good vehicle for it, and I'm getting a desire for more of the oil too. I'll be more temperate in the amount of oil I eat this time, and report on the continuing experiment.

According to an article on the How Stuff Works web site:

"Research indicates that replacing other types of fats with monounsaturated fats, especially olive oil, helps people lose weight without additional food restriction or physical activity (although doing so would further increase weight-loss!). A number of studies showed that when people substituted MUFA-rich olive oil for saturated fat, they ate less food and either maintained their weight or lost weight. Several other studies indicate that monounsaturated fat enhances the body's breakdown of stored fat."

And, an item on Web MD states:

"...one study from Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston found that a Mediterranean-style diet containing olive oil helped with weight loss. In this study, one group limited fat intake to 20% of calories and a second group followed a Mediterranean-style diet with about 35% of calories from fats in olive oil, nuts, and other natural foods. Both diets were very low-calorie (1,200 calories a day), and both groups initially lost weight (11 pounds in six months). But after 18 months, the Mediterranean-style group kept their weight off, while the low-fat group had begun to regain the lost pounds. The Mediterranean-style group reported it was easier to stick with the plan because they didn't feel like they were dieting; they could sauté vegetables, use full-fat salad dressing, and curb cravings between meals by snacking on nuts."

The Better Health Channel:

"Research has also found that olive oil may influence body fat distribution, with less fat stored around the stomach."

Days 24-34

During the past ten days I've exercised most days. Some days walking almost two miles, some days one mile plus, and when it's been raining I've ridden the airdyne exercise bike. Some days I've used the bike and walked too.

My going to bed time is still erratic.

I've eaten healthfully, drinking lots of water.

I'm glad I'm making this a six month project, finding finding I'm going up and down in my adherence to fitness activities, and making corrections when I get a bit off course.

Days 22, 23

Walked two miles, airdyne biked, ate well, still not going to bed early enough. Bummer.

Picking a Yoga Studio

If you're planning on giving yoga a try I suggest giving more than one yoga studio a try before making any decisions. There are many variations of yoga and each studio has a different style. I've found that yoga studios tend to be much more soothing and true to traditional yoga than the type of yoga class you will find at your local gym. This is because a yoga studio is built around practicing yoga, whereas the gym needs to be more utilitarian for multiple purposes. Here are a few things to consider:

- Location: the closer the studio is to your home, the more likely you are to attend regularly.

- Atmosphere: if there's hard core throbbing music in the next room, chances are you are not going to get the full benefit of your yoga session.

- Instructors: the instructors should be experienced, well trained and have a personality you are comfortable with. The last point is important, there is a certain amount of trust involved with yoga and if you don't like your instructor you just won't do as well with the class.

- Class times: many studios have classes throughout the day and are easy to fit into your schedule.

- Cost: in my area typical classes are between $8 - $12 per session, they may be more or less depending where you live.

- Class size: avoid classes that are packed to the gills with students, it's too uncomfortable to move and make the most of your practice. Smaller class sizes tend to allow the instructor to give more hands-on personal instruction.

Hope this is all helpful, next time I'll talk about what to expect during a yoga class.

Ann Teliczan

http://www.anntopia.com

Days 20, 21

I've been exercising, but not as much as I want to. The snow is off the sidewalks again, and this should be the last of it for the time the project will last. I've been doing some dancing to recorded music, and airdyne exercise bicycling. Tomorrow I intend to walk outdoors, probably two miles of it.

Now I want to work on shifting my regular bed time to an earlier hour because I think that will help me fit my intended exercise into my daylight hours better, and also make my mealtimes more regular. It's surprisingly difficult for me to make that shift. I thought it would be easy, but it hasn't been.

Maybe part of why people have difficulty getting fit is that there are a lot of pieces to the project that they don't realize are a part of it, like regular meals, regular bedtime, and other items, even things like clutter in their home or in their TV viewing or online browsing could be getting in the way of their fitness producing actions.

My Olive Oil Experiment: 1

A few days ago I was reading reviews of books on Amazon and came across one (not sure which one it was now, but I'll try to find it and add the info in a future post) that encouraged readers to eat a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil each night before going to bed. It gave several reasons that sounded good, if true, and they said they had research to back it up.

Although I had no intention of trying to swallow a tablespoon of olive oil, I thought I'd try upping my olive oil intake by pouring it on a slice of the super nutritious bread I'd baked a day or so before, and sprinkling a bit of grated parmesan on top, plus a bit of dried basil, just like one gets in some restaurants as a dip for the bread.

It tasted so good that I ate that instead of a sandwich for lunch, and for a before bed snack for about three or four days. I seemed to have a real craving for it, and felt better than I'd felt for some time. Today I ate the last two pieces of bread for lunch, with lots of olive oil, maybe more than I needed. It sort of satisfied the craving and left me wanting to counteract it with some grape juice or a raw carrot.

I felt lighter, and though I avoid weighing often, I was curious to see if I had lost some weight, so weighed myself, and I weighed two or three pounds less than before. And, I think that it has been a mood elevator for me too, just feel more together, more smooth and happy. That doesn't actually describe the difference very well, but the best I can do right now.

This evening, having eaten all the bread I'd made, and having had my fill of olive oil for today anyway, I decided to go to the grocery store and look around since I'd not been to the big one nearby for quite awhile. I wandered the aisles for quite awhile, began getting hungry, filling my cart with things that
appealed to me at the time, including some fresh asparagus, a couple of dessert items, and a bar of chocolate from Germany that I thought I'd taste test.

Well, after I got home I cooked and ate the asparagus. It was delicious. Then I ate an Amy's
burrito, and it was good, and a bit more nutritious food, not much more though. I still wanted to test taste the chocolate, and take a few bites of the other sweet things, just to see how they tasted.

But, I couldn't stand to eat them. I managed a small helping of one thing, and only two bites of another, and could not bear to eat the chocolate bar after the first couple of bites.

I can only attribute this to my olive oil and bread eating for the past few days. Someone else had written about a similar experience with eating more olive oil. They said it satisfied their appetite and they found themselves eating considerably less other foods. I not only ate quite a bit less, but just could not stand to eat the sweet foods. I could have eaten more vegetables or fruits, but the sugary things....ugh!.

Very interesting. I'm going to bake some more of that good bread, and continue my olive oil experiment. I'll be sharing more on what I discover from my own experience, and also my research.

Day 19

It's supposed to be Spring where I live, but there is a considerable amount of new snow sitting on the sidewalk this evening, so no walk outdoors. I did ride the airdyne bike, and it felt good. Also did most of the other things that are in my fitness program at this point, and think I'll even get to bed earlier than usual. I feel successful.

Tomorrow, I hope to do even better.

Reminders/Talismans

There are lots of ways to remind yourself that fitness is your objective, and/or to do some of the fitness creating activities you've chosen to be a part of your own fitness project for these six months.

You can create your own reminder silicone wrist band/bracelet at several web locations, including:

Wristbands Now

Band-Together

A search on Google for silicone wristbands will give you many more choices, not all of them with low minimum orders however.

At CafePress you can create your own reminder or search among the creations of others who offer their own designs on CafePress' many products.

Then there is Zazzle, similar to CafePress.

Ralph Strauch has created a series of wooden ornaments that can be used as reminder objects. You can see them, along with his other creations at his web site.

Amazon.com has a deck of fitness cards, with exercises on each one.

And, guest author Ann Teliczan has gift items on her own CafePress store site featuring her HybridArt images that can be chosen as a visual representation of your personal fitness aims and goals.

Any object can be used as a reminder or talisman for your project, or for parts of it. It's fun to look for things to use this way. You might go to a shopping mall or import store like World Market or Pier 1, or a Dollar Store, or card shop and look for designs or objects that could serve you as a reminder and inspiration.

Days 13-18 Time Off

I haven't posted for five days. Just didn't do it, though I did do my fitness actions, somewhat to a fair amount. I drank the water, got exercise, and ate pretty well.

But I did not write here, and really, I didn't go full steam ahead on my other fitness project objectives.

I thought about it a lot though, about not writing the daily journal entries and also about sort of taking a mini break from the project. And the more I thought about it the more I thought it is a good thing to do, to have a time out from the project occasionally. To expect to do that, not look at it as "falling off the wagon" or as making a mistake or misstep, but as a natural ebb and flow of attention to a project. Any other project does not have to be a 100 percent of the time effort with no days off. This one doesn't have to be that way either.

Though I was a bit uncomfortable doing it, I think it's really a good thing, to have some spaces in the project for letting it go for a day or a few, to take a break, have a little vacation. Then, when one is ready, go back to it, pick it up, and continue on for the rest of the six months.

This is a project, not a forced march, not an ordeal, not a marathon, just a nice project to do because you love you enough to get fit. And since I love me, I'm continuing the project, and writing about it.

Guest Post: Yoga, What a Deal

Yoga has been the most rewarding form of exercise that I've found. It makes me stronger, mentally and physically while increasing my flexibility. I feel like I'm getting the most for my efforts because of this. The most surprising thing I noticed about yoga is how important improving my flexibility has been for me. When I was younger, I was pretty proud of being able to put both my feet behind my head... that is until a bratty neighborhood kid pushed me over when I was showing off.

I always took this flexibility for granted until I went to yoga about five years ago and realized how stiff I was. I was having low back pain and my physical therapist recommended it. In two weeks Yoga cleared up what massages and physical therapy couldn't even touch after months of treatment. Once I was better I quit going, until I started having problems again.

This year I took a different approach, I started attending yoga class regularly even though I felt fine. In fact, last month I bought an unlimited monthly membership and started attending class several times a week. I noticed a huge difference in how happy I was, how much stress I felt and how well I slept at night. Next time I post, I'll give you some tips on how to get started.

Ann Teliczan

Day 12

I was sore and tired today, felt sluggish and slow. I suppose some of that is from doing exercises I'm not used to doing. Maybe some is from a weather change from warm to cold. I suspect weather sensitivity affects most people to some extent, and others enough to interfere with their fitness activities. At least, enough that they need to expect less of themselves when under the influence of weather and weather changes.

Several people have told me recently that they feel tired, sleepy, and a bit less mentally sharp than usual. We're in a seasonal change now from Winter to Spring, going back and forth from cold to warm and now back to cold again. I think that's it.

It's tempting to accuse oneself of being lazy and looking for excuses for not doing one's intended exercise, and maybe that's true sometimes. But, I still believe that we need to be kind to ourselves about any lapses or slowdowns in our performance of what we've thought we'd do on a particular day. We don't know everything, and don't understand all the factors and elements that can get in our way on our fitness project.

Why not make a place for them, build in some extra space and allowance for variation? As long as we know where we want to go, and how we intend to get there, speed can be variable.

Day 11

I'm writing this a day late because I decided yesterday evening that I could stay up and write my fitness project journal posting, or I could go to bed earlier and thus help me shift my inner clock to a more useful time profile. I opted for sleep.

However, this evening, I'm back at the computer at nearing 2 AM. My, this is not easy to do, shifting one's body clock back where it belongs. Either that, or I'm very inefficient.

The rest of my intentions worked out pretty well yesterday. So I'm pleased that I'm succeeding at least partially at what I'm hoping to do.

Water

How much water should you drink? We've been discussing water drinking on our email discussion list. Some of the subscribers want to drink more than they currently do, and someone asked me recently just how much water he should drink in a day.

I've read conflicting advice about water drinking, some saying that the water in the food one eats is sufficient unless the weather is hot or you are doing strenuous work or play. Others say that water is a key piece of improving fitness, particularly for people who are carrying a lot of extra fat around during their day.

Some water advice is presented as standard for everyone: eight 8 ounce cups of water per day. Other advice is specific to body size, as in, one ounce of water for every two pounds of body weight.

I like a lot of water, come from a farm family that worked outdoors. Drinking plenty lot of water was impressed upon me from childhood. I've always drunk water with my meals, plain, without ice.

But, for many people, ironically, water isn't a natural thing to drink. They drink soft drinks, or tea or coffee with their meals, always have. Drinking water as plain water is a new thing for them, and it's easy for them to forget to do it.

Water Drinking Tips

1. Link drinking water to some other repetitive activity. For example, each time you use the bathroom drink water afterward.

2. Put small magnets on one side of the front of your refrigerator door or on some other metal object in the kitchen, one for each glass of water you wish to drink in a day. Each time you drink a glass of water move one of the magnets to the other side of the refrigerator door.

3. Place coins or bottle caps, beans, raisins, etc., one for each glass of water you intend to drink, in a particular location, maybe the kitchen counter, and move one of the items to another location each time you drink a glass of water.

4. Drink a glass of water on arising in the morning, and each time you eat.

5. Place a pitcher or jar full of the day's water ration in the fridge or on your desk and sip it throughout the day.

6. If it's difficult for you to drink a whole glassful at a time do any of the above, and begin with a half glass of water for the first week, and each succeeding week add a bit more water to the glass until you are drinking a full glass each time.

For more about the benefits of drinking water, plus 20 tips for how to drink it all, click here.

More here.

Day 10

I used my new form 6 Month Fitness Project Daily Sheet for the first time today, and found it very useful and satisfying for keeping track of what I want to do, and what I've done toward fitness today.

It shows me exactly where I've succeeded. Looking at it this evening, I felt good about what I'd accomplished, and not disappointed that I'd not done more. There are so many action choices on the form that it's unlikely anyone will choose them all on any one day. That means we can be successful no matter how little or much we do.

There are spaces for five intentions to be listed for the day. Please don't think you need write fitness actions on all five lines. You might also use some or all of the lines to write intentions for actions or states of mind that are not directly related to fitness, and check or circle the fitness related items below the intention lines as a way of indicating you've done them.

No Criticizing Yourself

Along about now, if you've started with the Day 1 post, you may be saying unkind things to yourself about your tendencies to keep on doing what you were doing before you began this project. If you have been, stop. Don't criticize or shame yourself, don't be demanding or harsh with you, be kind. This is not an easy thing to do, to change one's habits, to learn new ones.

It looks like it should be easy, but if it were, you'd probably not be here.

This is a long project, six months worth, for a reason--as I've probably stated before. It's long because that's the kindest, most ecological, and sure way to get where you want to go. You want to become fit, not just for a short time, you want to become fit from now on.

I've been surprised at how difficult it has been for me to make simple changes, like doing floor exercises, exercising early in the day, going to bed earlier. Those changes should be easy, I think, but they just slide through the cracks, day after day.

If you're finding it difficult to do what you've decided is the best way to start the project, then, please cut yourself unlimited slack.

And, if you've done what so many people do, set out to do too much, to make too many or too big changes in the beginning of the project, then please reduce your objectives, for now, down to what may seem to be ridiculously easy. Success creates more success. Reduce what you're attempting to the point where you can succeed almost every day without stress or strain. Then, and only then, build on that success, with small additions, one at a time.

Mariel Hemingway, in her book Healthy Living From The Inside Out, asks readers about to begin the 30 Day Quickstart Program in the book to send themselves an email message, filling in the blanks, that says:

I, __________________ agree to be kind to myself through the four weeks of following these suggestions. I agree to put myself first. To treat myself with the compassion and patience I would treat a close friend. To drop the harsh criticism I put on myself when I look in the mirror or eat something bad or am not perfect at everything I do. For four weeks I, ____________________ agree to act like I am my own best friend. If I catch myself thinking mean thoughts about myself, I pledge to ask myself, "Would I say that to my best friend?"

You may want to send yourself that email message, and make it for six months rather than four weeks.

And/or you could copy and paste it into a text document, print it out, and place it where you can see it often during your six months long fitness project, and beyond.

Day 9

Today I've been thinking about timing. Personally, I don't like to think about time, don't like schedules,  feel boxed in and harassed by them. But, I notice that exercise/fitness action done earlier in the day tends to be more comfortable, and tends to actually get done. Whereas, such actions, if not done earlier in the day tend to be displaced by other things until the evening, and then until late in the evening when one should be sleeping.

There are more reasons than that to do physical exercise earlier in the day, it raises the metabolic rate so that one burns calories at a higher rate the rest of the day, it energizes the exerciser so that one is more awake and keen the rest of the day. And, it just plain makes a person feel good.

Early to bed, early to rise, early to exercise,
makes one happier, fitter, and in the right size.

6 Month Fitness Daily Form

I've created a sheet/form you can download, print out, and use to keep track of your daily fitness intentions and actions. You can use check marks, or circle the appropriate word, or write in the numbers or items in areas provided for them. Use it any way you like.

You will need Adobe PDF Reader software to open the file after you download it. The Adobe PDF Reader is available free on the Adobe web site at:
http://www.adobe.com

To download the form's PDF file to your computer click on the link below:

Download 6monthfitness.pdf

Day 8

Today has been low key. I've enjoyed being peaceful and relaxed and doing what I want to at the moment. I think that's an important element in this project. Becoming fit isn't just about muscles and weight and eating and sleeping and exercise. There's an inner game of fitness too. Without inner fitness, which I take to mean peacefulness and calm along with energized and lively, the more obvious and specific actions and outward appearance will be more difficult to attain and maintain.

I also began reading a new book that looks like it's going to be a good one, which I'll share more about soon. It's Mariel Hemingway's Healthy Living From The Inside Out. I've added it to the sidebar book recommendations that have clickable links to their pages on Amazon.com.

The book fit so well with how I felt today, peaceful, relaxed, unpressured. I have been wanting to write about how important those states are for wholistic and personally ecological fitness.

Here's to a peaceful day, every day.

Day 7

Wow, a whole week! If I weren't blogging this project, sharing it with the world, I think I'd have already fallen by the wayside on it. I have to come back here and write about it every day, and there's the email discussion list where I write my daily intentions and then what I actually did fitness wise. I can't just quietly slide out the back door.

What I've noticed particularly this week is why I've not succeeded in previous efforts to get fit. I've been fit, and got sort of out of fit afterward. I knew why and how it happened, but didn't realize how and why I'd not picked myself up, dusted myself off, and gotten right back on the fitness wagon again.

And, now I think I know a big piece of why. I think I'll call it "The Injured Leg Factor." Or, maybe "The Compensation Factor." Or, "The Replacement Habit Syndrome." When one has a sore leg, one must compensate for its inability to bear the full weight or motion that it did before the injury. That is, one must let it rest, favor it until it heals. And, in so doing, one asks other parts of one's physiology to compensate by taking on more work, and/or doing it differently.

You'd think that after the leg heals, the body automatically returns to it's pre injury load sharing, motion sequences, and movement patterns. But, it doesn't necessarily do so. It will partially do so, but there may be added movements and/or continued extra work for other parts of the body to do.

When one becomes less fit than before, for whatever reason, other activities step in to take over the time, effort, and attention fitness generating activities used before the fitness gap occurred. The new compensatory activities fill and utilize the time and energy available. What used to come naturally, generating and maintaining fitness, seems like an imposition, and there "isn't time" for what used to fit in well.

I've found, this week, that my fitness project activities don't "fit" into my day and evening. They don't fit because I've filled their space with other things. And I'm loathe to push those other things out of the nest.

My job, it appears, is to restructure what I do and what seems important in order to allow fitness related activities back into my day. I'm curious about how easily and satisfyingly I can do that.

Slimtree Online Gym

I've been checking out what's available at SLIMTREE "The Broadband Gym" online. What I found most appealing there is their downloadable exercise videos. They seem to be about 20 minutes long, and you can view a sample before buying. I thought their pricing and packages were a bit confusing, but it looks like one can wade through the various offers and pick one that fits individual needs.

Lots of various offers, products, and services there. I have no connection, affiliate or otherwise with SLIMTREE and I haven't bought or used any of their services or products.