Productivity @ Home

Halfway to Whole? What I’ve Learned in the First 15 Days of My Whole30

For those who have been wondering what I've been up to for the past month, I thought I'd share an update on something that has been keeping me very busy for the past several days. When I snuggle into bed tonight, I will have — God willing — successfully completed Day 17 of myWhole30 challenge. If you have no idea what “Whole30″ means, take a look at this site, which spells out all of the details.

Since I haven’t personally prepared every morsel of food that has entered my body in the past two weeks, I cannot for a fact guarantee that I have been completely “compliant” with all aspects of the program. But I can vouch for the fact that I’ve made every food decision since January 1 consciously and with forethought and have not knowingly eaten anything off program. Is that important? For me, yes — I’m sadly not one of those who can “take a day off“, have a beer or an ice cream cone, and then start again tomorrow. Sadly, I am an “all or nothing” kind of person. I can’t even begin to name the list of things I’ve started and later given up because I wasn’t perfect in my execution of the plan.

Midway through, I thought I’d share a few observations for anyone who is interested. These are a few things I’ve learned about myself in this process:

1. I’m a lazy eater. I’ve gotten into the poor health situation that I’ve been in not because I’m addicted to twinkies, but because I’m too lazy to cook. Somehow, I missed the domestic gene that came with cooking skills and I’ve been lousy at even trying. Succeeding in making life changes means making an effort. Making an effort happens in my life when something is a priority. Every once in a while, my priorities need a “reset“. For me, occasions such as Advent, Lent or New Year’s mark a good time to examine where I’m off track in my life and to plan a corrective path.

2. I all too often let my busyness stand in the path of my good health. I know this is a problem in my life — in fact I wrote about it in the “Body” section of The Handbook for Catholic Moms. Making any life change is a challenge. Eating according to the Whole30 plan requires a commitment — you can’t just skip grocery shopping and hope that organic vegetables will magically appear in your kitchen. Things you don’t eat go bad and get wasted. Not having food on hand means you run the risk of making a bad choice simply out of desperation. If living healthfully in accordance for God’s plan in my life is a priority, then adding the attendant tasks that make this possible to my “to do” list must be a requirement.

3. I overlook hidden dangers. Take a look back at #1 above and you’ll like see the root of this problem. But who knew that so many things contained unknown ingredients and chemicals? Don’t get me wrong — I’m not telling you that I will never eat another processed food in my life. But trying to educate myself and my family about the foods with which we are nourishing ourselves has been an education for all of us. I’m blessed to live in an area that is packed full of great resources for healthy eating – I need to make it a greater priority to support our local farmers while feeding our family.

OK, my list could go on and on, but I’ll spare you any more today. Suffice it to say that — God willing — I think I’ll likely survive Day 15 intact. And guess what? I will likely enjoy the process! This is blessedly becoming less of a “grit your teeth and bear it” experience, and more of a joyful look at the potential my body holds for the next fifty years of my life.

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Treadmill Desk Amps Up Productivity

As an "at home worker" one of my greatest challenges lately seems to be finding time to exercise. I spend a ridiculous amount of time sitting at my computer.

That's why I was thrilled to learn about the Surf Shelf. For years, my treadmill has sat largely unused in my overheated garage. Once I found this modified laptop shelf, I immediately cleared out a corner in my office where my oversized reading chair sat to make room for my treadmill. I think I've used the treadmill more in the past three days than I did all of the last six months combined. In fact, as I type this I'm cruising through my second mile of the afternoon.

Granted, I'm not breaking any land speed records while working on the treadmill. And these "work walks" are not intended to replace my normal gym days. But they're helping me to avoid the (far too frequent) ten hours at my desk days -- the ones where the only time I peel myself off my office chair is to switch the laundry.

If you're someone who spends a good amount of time working from home and you own a treadmill, check out the Surf Shelf for yourself. And if you've found other great solutions for keeping fit and active while working from home, please share them here in the comments.

Watching Weight?

With the flip of the calendar and having spent nearly two deep-fried weeks visiting family in the South, I made the decision to finally take some action about my resolve to get healthier by dropping weight. Ten days of jambalaya, Christmas cookies, and no workouts will put you in that frame of mind.

After doing some praying, pondering and research, I decided to try the Weight Watchers online plan. I have done the program in the past and for me my least favorite part was attending the meetings, so this new option to use technology to track my progress fits well with my busy schedule and frequent travel. I took the plunge on Thursday and have been happily using my iPhone and computer since then to help me learn about the changes in the program since the last time I used it.

A lot has changed in my personal life since that first time around—I am older, but not necessarily wiser. My body has been through breast cancer and radiation, the start of menopause, and the sedentary work of sitting at my computer to write three books. What was easy in my late thirties and early forties feels more monumentally difficult and discouraging now, but I’m happy that I’ve finally committed myself to a course of action.

I’m “outing” myself here on the blog in the hopes that perhaps some of you can help me stay accountable. I’m going to be blogging a bit about my experiences, my challenges, and any tips I find that help make the process easier. For today, I’ll simply say that I’m loving the ease and convenience of using my iPhone to easily count points and keep track of exercise. Additionally, I’m a bit obsessed with the WW Scanner app that lets you simply scan the bar code on a food item and immediately send it to your tracker. For a geek like me, the convenience and ease of access to food data has already helped me avoid some bad decisions.

How about you? Do we have any other readers here at the blog who are prioritizing good health choices this January? Feel free to chime in below in the comments with your tips, frustrations, or experiences.

 

Take a Christmas Light Walk

On Saturdays, I share my thoughts on Health and Fitness.  

Tonight is one of my favorite nights of the year in my hometown of Fresno, California. Every year, we Fresnans are treated to "Christmas Tree Lane" -- a longstanding tradition of one major street in town decorating their houses with major lighting displays.

Honestly, the traffic on the lane has grown so crazy that most December nights, I steer clear of that entire area of town. The "Lane" is filled with bumper to bumper traffic. But on the first Saturday of December, it's my favorite place to be. Christmas Tree Lane is closed to car traffic and people from all over town flock to the area to walk the Lane. It's an extra treat for me because my son's jazz band provides musical ambiance for the night.

Out hear in California, we had nights that are still warm enough to make a "Christmas Light Walk" a real treat. Somehow, in the glow of decorations with family and friends nearby, I don't even notice that my heart is getting a workout. I enjoy it so much that I've started taking "Christmas Light Walks" in other areas of town that are known for nice decorations.

If you don't have a Christmas Tree Lane of your own, or if the weather outside isn't conducive to walking, consider a very early morning walk at your local Mall before it opens for business or a trek around your local Christmas tree farm. Those of you in snowy areas likely also have great options for skiing and skating in places that afford you a unique and lovely view of the season's finest.

What types of fitness activities do you enjoy during the winter months?

Are You a Workaholic?

My name is Lisa, and I'm starting to think that I may be a...workaholic...

In truth, almost twenty years ago when I decided to step away from my career in Human Resources at the birth of my first son, it was largely because I realized my workaholic tendencies. I loved my job, but I loved my son more, and I wasn't sure about how to balance the giving of myself 100% to both of these competing interests. Our situation at the time enabled me to choose to be home full time, a decision I've never regretted for our family. I do know many moms though -- my sisters among them -- who work at amazing careers, making a true difference in our world and all the while giving the very best of themselves to their families.

Lisa Likes: LUSH Seanik Shampoo Bar

In another look at simple stuff that makes my life more enjoyable, today I want to tell you about a shampoo I'm really enjoying: the "Seanik Shampoo Bar" by LUSH.

Every time I'm in San Francisco or Cambridge, I treat myself to a visit to the LUSH store and try to pick out a new product to try. My last experiment was to pick up this gorgeous little solid shampoo. Honestly, I was initially sceptical. The price ($9.95 for a 1.9 oz bar) seemed higher than what I typically spend on my hair. Also, I tend to be a shampoo shifter - I don't typically use one particular brand. I also wondered if what looked like a solid (albeit pretty) blue lump could really lather sufficiently to cleanse my oily and very thick hair.

The nice thing about actually being able to shop IN a LUSH store is that they will test the product with you. No, I didn't actually wash my hair in the store - but the associate who helped me did instruct me on how to use the shampoo, how little it truly took to clean my hair (which helped take the cost factor out of the equation) and how nice the Seanik smells.

App Spotlight: Lose It!

If you're looking to get in shape but more importantly to emphasize a healthy diet, check out the Lose It! - FitNow app for iPhone. Free through iTunes, this app is the perfect tool to help you track nutrition and fitness.  Its features include:

• log your food and exercise on Loseit.com 
• automatically keep a back-up of your data 
• add friends for extra support and motivation 
• earn badges to recognize your success 
• share custom foods, exercises, and recipes with friends
• share your progress on Facebook or Twitter
• keep your data private or share with friends

While I don't employ the social networking features of the app, I have friends who are working together using Lose It! - FitNow to maintain accountability and support one another. I have found many of my favorite brands and restaurants on the app, but there is also a way to custom create food items and most restaurants will readily provide nutrition information on request.

And best of all, this app is FREE! So what are you waiting for?

Hotel Room Fitness

Since my work @ home has me on the road quite a lot lately, I'm finding that my normal workout routine -- which depends quite a lot on meeting my best friend at the gym -- has been severely impacted.  

For me, hotels have traditionally equated to "fun" and "vacation", and not "work".  Now that my writing and speaking is taking me on the road more frequently, it's time for an attitude adjustment! It's true that many hotels offer gyms these days, but I'm finding that these often come with a pricetag I'm not willing to pay.  

So I was happy to run across this article with a few simple suggestions for cardio workouts that can be taken on the road.  

Maybe favorite option will always be to hit the street and enjoy a walk wherever I find myself, but it's good to have a few safe and easy alternatives like stair climbing, squats and other core exercises I can do in a small space.

Do you have an "on the road" workout commitment that keeps you in shape or do you find that travel turns your fitness flat?

Topic Updates

With my second manuscript in the editing phase -- and thus off my desk and onto my editor's -- I have a bit more time to spend here at P@H.  I'm going to slightly update our agenda here and will be focusing on the following daily topics:

• Monday - Working Issues
• Tuesday - Family Life Issues
• Wednesday  - App Spotlights
• Thursday - Finance and Learning Issues
• Friday - Entertainment Topics and Fitness Solutions

Is there a topic you'd like to see discussed here?  Sound off in the comments below!

Know Your Health Care Options

Yesterday, I went on a “mom field trip” to visit my new friend Genevieve who has the enviable job of “Social Media Coordinator” at our regional children’s hospital, Children’s Hospital of Central California.  In her newly created position, Genevieve is using social media sites like Facebook and Twitter to better educate the families of the Central Valley about her hospital, but more importantly about health care in general.  This is one cool lady, doing a fantastic job that will impact lots of families living in our valley.

During our tour of the NICU, Genevieve and I spent some time talking about how we wished we had been more educated about our health care options during our pregnancies.  I must admit that I gave absolutely no consideration to that horrible “what if” question and would have been completely unprepared had my boys needed neonatal intensive care services.  I thought about strollers, clothing, and a car seat, but not about what I would have done if one of my babies needed immediate treatment following his birth.  One of the things that is great about Genevieve’s new job is that she will have a voice to help new and first time moms think about these types of things before they actually might need to make a decision.

Strolling through the NICU and seeing the care being given to those tiny little treasures made my heart swell.  No mother wants to see her newborn preemie hooked up to equipment, but thankfully there are places like the Children’s Hospital of Central California where skilled and dedicated doctors and nurses are ready and waiting to help our children.

Do you have a local children’s hospital?  Have you—during your pregnancies or even now that you have children—given any thought to where you would go in the event of a health care emergency or crisis in your family?