Use Your Resources and of course, Rock It!

I was told I needed to start posting pictures of my workouts, so I will be on target to do so tomorrow!!! Today's workout was inspired by the hardbodies of bodyrock.tv !  The exact link is http://www.bodyrock.tv/2012/07/09/hot-mom-moves-bodyrock-lite-workout-with-lish/  I pretty much just opened all of the You Tube videos I saw and did them all :)  This workout was challenging, free, and I didn't have to have a gym membership or personal trainer!  I may look into the interval clock-- Gymboss, but until then, I have an iPhone that has a stopwatch/timer so it will do!

Today is also the 8th day of my Body By Vi Challenge (ashleylove.bodybyvi.com) and I am down 7lbs-- which is 3lbs less than I weighed in this past Sunday (July 15th)!!! I am super excited to see the results after 90days.  It isn't hype, it's real, and I'm not starving, I take a shake for breakfast and one after I work out with healthy snacks such as almonds, a chicken breast stripped seasoned with Mrs. Dash, and a corn tortilla with ground turkey.  I also drank PLENTY of water...I am up to almost one and a half gallons!

All of what I am doing is a healthy plan designed by a team of enlisted help-  personal trainers who happened to be friends of mine (some of whom are trained professional athletes), a dietitian provided by work place, and a health coach also provided by my employer.  Use your resources.  I have visited the dietitian and have regularly scheduled calls with my health coach and they cost me NOTHING.  I get up to three appointments with the dietitian each year, and my calls with the health coach are free until...whenever!  You can't beat that!  Often I find that when I rely upon my friends and family for support, they let me down.  Not because they want to or are intentionally doing so, but because they lack the know-how, and they too need a support network.  It is great to have friends who hold you accountable but everyone isn't privileged enough to be the sibling or spouse of a body builder or personal trainer.  That being said, the dietitian and health coach are the best support system I could ask for.  Ask your human resources department about health coaching and weight management counseling and see what your low to no cost options are!  Doesn't hurt to ask!!!


Today, for instance, we had a discussion about calcium and iron.  I was then provided with the following information from the Harvard School of Public Health-- Enjoy!!!:

Are we getting enough calcium?

Recommendations for women:

·         1,000 milligrams/day for those age 19 to 50

·         1,200 milligrams/day for those age 50 or over

An important nutrient that us ladies need, especially in our later years to ward of osteoporosis is calcium which also has numerous other functions, including building and maintaining bones and teeth, blood clotting, the transmission of nerve impulses, and the regulation of the heart's rhythm.  The body gets the calcium it needs in two ways: by eating foods that contain calcium, and/or by taking calcium supplements and from pulling it from our bones. This happens when blood levels of calcium drop too low, usually when it's been awhile since having eaten a meal containing calcium.

People typically lose bone as they age, despite consuming the recommended intake of calcium necessary to maintain optimal bone health. An estimated 10 million Americans—8 million women and 2 million men—have osteoporosis. Postmenopausal women account for 80 percent of all cases of osteoporosis because estrogen production declines rapidly at menopause.

There are a number of lifestyle factors that can help increase calcium into your lifestyle:

·                Getting regular exercise, especially weight-bearing and muscle strengthening exercise.

·                Getting adequate vitamin D through diet, exposure to sunshine, and/or supplements. Look for a multivitamin that supplies 1,000 IU of vitamin D per day. If your multi only has 400 IU of vitamin D, consider taking an extra supplement to get you up to 1,000 IU or 2,000 IU per day

·         Consuming enough calcium to reduce the amount the body has to borrow from bone.

·         Consuming adequate vitamin K, found in green, leafy vegetables.

·         Not getting too much preformed vitamin A.

Food	Amount	Calcium (mg)
Yogurt, plain, low fat	8 oz	415
Collard greens, frozen, boiled	1 cup	357
Skim milk	1 cup	306
Spinach, frozen, boiled	1 cup	291
Yogurt, plain, whole milk	8 oz	275
Black-eyed peas, boiled	1 cup	211
Canned salmon	3 oz	181
Calcium-set tofu	3 oz (¼ block)	163
Cheese food, pasteurized American	1 oz	162
Trail mix (nuts, seeds, chocolate chips)	1 cup	159
Baked beans, canned	1 cup	154
Cottage cheese, 1% milk fat	1 cup	138
Iceberg lettuce	1 head	97
Green peas, boiled	1 cup	94
Soy milk	1 cup	93
Oranges	1 cup	72
Almonds	1 oz (24 nuts)	70

Harvard, School of Public Health

Table 1: Calcium Content of Selected Vegan Foods
Food	Amount	Calcium (mg)
Blackstrap molasses	2 Tbsp	400
Collard greens, cooked	1 cup	357
Tofu, processed with    calcium sulfate*	4 ounces	200-330
Calcium-fortified orange juice	8 ounces	300
Soy or ricemilk, commercial,     calcium-fortified, plain	8 ounces	200-300
Commercial soy yogurt, plain	6 ounces	80-250
Turnip greens, cooked	1 cup	249
Tofu, processed with nigari*	4 ounces	80-230
Tempeh	1 cup	215
Kale, cooked	1 cup	179
Soybeans, cooked	1 cup	175
Okra, cooked	1 cup	172
Bok choy, cooked	1 cup	158
Mustard greens, cooked	1 cup	152
Tahini	2 Tbsp	128
Broccoli, cooked	1 cup	94
Almonds	1/4 cup	89
Almond butter	2 Tbsp	86
Soy milk, commercial, plain	8 ounces	80