Healthy Eating - April 15, 2008
"Hi, my name is Rachel and I have been Ben and Jerry's free since January 18th." It's been tough. During stressful times, I crave a container sooo badly. But, then, I think, W.W.J.D? (What would Jen do?lol...) My biggest diet downfall is about my emotions. Bored? Look for some chocolate. Sad? Have that Ding-Dong. Depressed? Have 2!Disappointed that I had 2 Ding-Dongs and now have 'ruined' my diet for the day?? Might as well finish off the box! See, I gotta break free of that crap. Will that pint of B&J help me? Nope. Will that Ding-Dong fix my overdrawn bank account? Unlikely. I feel so much better now that I have found a measure of fitness. I am amazed that I have learned so much about food choices. I am happier now than I have been in YEARS. Thank you, Jennifer. (P.S.- Tonight 4/16, I went for a short run. For real.)
Healthy Eating - March 12th, 2008
Rachel’s Favorite Low-Cal Delicious Trifle Dessert
1 Sugar-free Angel Food Cake
2 boxes of sugar-free Jello pudding mixes (I like to use white chocolate or vanilla)
1 pkg. frozen no-sugar-added blueberries (thawed)
1 pkg. frozen no-sugar-added sliced strawberries (thawed)
2 bananas
1 tub of low-fat Cool Whip (thawed)
deep bowl or Trifle bowl
Mix Jello puddings according to directions on box. Use skim milk or soy milk. Scoop a few spoonfuls into bottom your deep bowl. Slice Angel Food Cake in half horizontally and put bottom half in bowl. Tuck slices of banana against the side of the bowl all around the cake layer. Next, dump and spread out thawed strawberries on top of the cake layer. It's good to let all the juice soak in to cake. Add more spoonfuls of pudding. Set other half of cake on top. Slip more slices of banana along inside of the bowl. Dump and spread out the thawed blueberries on the 2nd cake layer. Hold aside a few berries for garnish on top. Add the remainder of the pudding and the sliced up bananas. Dump the tub of Cool Whip on top and spread evenly. Arrange the blueberries as a garnish. It's best to do this dessert the night before you plan to serve. Letting it sit gives the cake time to absorb all the fruit juices! Enjoy without guilt!
Healthy Eating - February 29th, 2008
It was certainly a real Leap Day for me! According to Jennifer's scale, I've lost another 5 lbs! Woo-Hoo! I am feeling really great. My body is thanking me in so many ways: I sleep better, my clothes and glasses are fitting better, I have more pep and I think even my self esteem is on the upswing. The healthy shopping tour was fun. Jennifer is such a WellBeing guru! She has opened my eyes to so much. One really huge thing is not only reading a food label but UNDERSTANDING the facts. Rick and Lee Ann and I added a lot of great suggestions as to what we have been incorporating into our new healthy-eating lifestyles. For example, Rick told us about some yummy spicy sweet potato chips that sound to-die-for! We are getting so comfortable together. I hope we will all stay in touch.
Healthy Eating - January 25th, 2008
"This Friday the 25th, I headed back into Boston to meet with my nutrition guru, Jennifer. By my side, my trusty new Food Diary. I was a teeny bit nervous. I feel like I want to make her proud of me... I have already found that by being beholden to writing down every morsel of food or drop of liquid that passes through my lips, I have become selective. I didn't want to write down that I scarfed down 8 mini-size Snickers while I watched SpongeBob Squarepants with my son! (My new mantra: They are not my friends, they are not my friends...) That was the Old Me. Jennifer has made me feel very comfortable talking with her from the start. Actually, probably TOO comfortable. She may end up hearing T.M.I from me! Lol"
Fitness - April 15, 2008
Today was GORGEOUS. Spring in Boston is termendous! It really enhanced our workout. Jen was in charge of us today. She's tough. Running, running, running.... sigh, I kept at it. She had us work in a lot of tricep dips, push ups and squats. Whew! I was feeling it on the train ride home. I semi-dozed off and almost missed my stop! Rick continues to blow my and LeeAnn's doors off when we run. He's a machine. Then we spent a few extra minutes hanging out discussing how our new eating lifestyle is going. We all face challenges and have people who are less-than-supportive around us. We keep plugging away. I am not my former size 8....yet. I am well on the way, though!
Fitness - April 10, 2008
It felt like we hadn't worked out in forever. Peter warned us that it was gonna be 'a big day.' Yup. He kicked out butts! Run around the Common. And back. UGH. I hate running slightly less then when we started back in February. Slightly. Then, Planks and Crunches. Oh, my. We really were on "Empty" at the end of this workout! I stayed moving even when I just wanted to lay down in the grass. The weather sure has changed since we started this - it's so cool to see how alive the Common is now!
Fitness - March 18, 2008
A great pre-spring day. It was brisk but, as usual, I was steaming up my glasses fast! Jennifer led our team since Peter couldn't be there. She was on orders as to what to do and made certain we got a great work out. The running. The triceps dips. The hill. Oh, that Hill! Jog up, jog down. Go up backwards! Whew! Jen is as motivating as Peter! LeeAnn rejoined us after her bout last week with the flu. What a trooper! I was waiting for her to cough up a lung...
Fitness - March 13, 2008
It was another cold day. But, Peter had us warmed up fast! We did something he calls "Dog Sleds." One person runs with a rubber band around their hips while another person pulls on it behind them to slow them down. It was a fierce workout. Lots of biceps work and abs work. Lee Ann missed out on a great work out again...Rick and I were spent by the hour's end!! Whew!
Fitness - March 11, 2008
I really, really didn't want to work out today. It was cold again. I had abdominal cramps and Rick still was sore with those shin splints. {Together we could have been a punk rock band: Shin Splints and Cramps.} Peter starts us out with a loop around the Common. Lots of running today. And lots of step up and step down on the benches. Oddly enough, I felt better after having worked out. Lee Ann wasn't there today and her presence was missed...
Fitness - March 6th, 2008
Well, today's workout was a true milestone: Peter asked us to jog around the ENTIRE Common for our warm-up. Wow. I am proud to say that I made it through jogging halfway and speed walking the rest! Oh. My. God. When we started, I could hardly stand from our 'starting point' down to the 1st 'crossroad.' THAT is real progress. Add to that Peter's leaving 10 minutes or so early, leaving us to keep working out on our own....and we DID! It would have been soooo easy to just make a break but we all picked an exercise to do and carried on! How awesome is that? We rock.
Fitness - February 28th, 2008
Peter was back and I think he pushed us harder because of his Tuesday absence! ha-ha We did a lot of triceps and biceps work. OUCH! But, I did it! I'm a Rock Star!! lol. Again, for someone suffering from shin splint pains, Rick blew my doors off! That man can jog! I am increasing my tolerance for running. Still hate it! Peter also had us doing something he called 'leprechauns.' You haven't lived till you've gotten THAT into your work out routine. Peter is bringing out the hidden strength in all of us. He is the Rock Star!
Work Out - February 26th, 2008
Well. Jennifer had our workout all planned for us from Peter, since he couldn't be there. I still felt sore from last Thursday's killer workout. My calves are still hurting. But, I persevered. It was a wonderful late winter day and I almost didn't mind the work-out! (yikes, what's happening to me??) I am impressed with the stamina that I have already developed since the start of all this. Rick is blowing my mind with how he is pushing through his pain! Lee-Ann? Wow. She always seems to give 110%. I am proud to be part of this team.
Work Out - February 12th, 2008
O.K. I still hate running. I'm more of a power walker. Peter had us doing some fierce running today. And arm curls and crunches. But, I did it. I am a little sore in my arms but, it's getting better all the time. Rick, LeeAnn and I are all getting a ginormous workout with Peter. It was cold and once or twice I felt like I couldn't catch my breath because the air was so arctic. In the end, I was sweating, chasing a runny nose and feeling proud that I gave it my best!
Fitness - January 31st, 2008
"Today was the 2nd torture session, I mean, WORKOUT session that the 'Great in '08 Three' did. I am proud that I was able to stay vertical and stay moving. Yeah, maybe I couldn't JOG the entire length that Peter asked us to jog but, I gave it my best and walked what I couldn't finish. I kept going. Yeah, I wanted to lay down on a bench and say the heck with it. I didn't get fat overnight, I'm not gonna get fit overnight... Down the road, I know I will have more stamina and can complete the fitness tasks. The fact that Peter is willing to help us get there, is huge. Like, when I couldn't reach back to grab my foot to do a stretch, Peter helped me get a hold of it. Slightly embarrassing? Yes. But, he is there to help us. Yay!"
Fitness - January 30th, 2008
"Where to begin? I am sore. I am so sore! And, I have to say, it's a good sore. I feel pretty good that I didn't vomit or pass out. Peter, you are a taskmaster! Wow. I feel a tad embarrassed that I felt like I couldn't keep up. The spirit was willing. The body? Not so able. I had no real idea how out-of-shape I let myself become. It was a real eye opener. It can only get better."