Choose to be Happy!

It is raining outside today. It is so dreary out and the sun in hiding. Does this make or break my day? I choose to be happy no matter what the weather is doing today. It is all about my attitude in how I choose to feel about today. I could complain and be miserable or choose to be happy.

My mom used to tell me no matter where you are or what you are doing choose to find the good in any situation and choose to be happy. I never really understood that quote my mom said until I go older. There are some days it is really hard to have this outlook on life, but it is a choice. Our attitude plays a big role in our life. I know I could be depressed at working to lose weight but in my mind I am choosing to see me happy and healthy. I am telling myself that I can lose this weight and it will happen.

If you have the feeling that life won’t change, shake that bad mindset off and get a new outlook and tell yourself that this is only temporary. Your rainbow has always been right in front of you. You just have to believe and be happy.

I know after this rainy, dreary day a rainbow will appear any minute, and look at the picture below. It did appear…..right in front of me. Now to find my pot of gold!  

Julie

I AM A WARRIOR

315! That's what the scales show. I slipped for a few months, started eating whatever I wanted whenever I wanted like I have done a million times before. I didn't pay much attention. I thought you know maybe it's my destiny to be fat. What's the use of keeping up the battle day in and day out. I started dragging around, wanting to sit down, wanting to sleep. Just let me sleep...

That's when it hit me. Yes, I can eat whatever I want. I can stay 150 lbs overweight, but I will sleepwalk through life. Eating crap makes me feel like crap! So, I started thinking about it. Wondering what I did differently when I lost the 25 lbs. Well, I didn't have to think long. I was part of a challenge group. I checked in every day. I drank vegan Shakeology. I know there is controversary around supplements. But, I could plainly see that it worked for me. Should I be eating fruits and veggies and beans and other sources of plant-based proteins? Absolutely! But here's the deal. It's not always readily available. Call it an excuse. Whatever. I just know when I drank Shakeology my cravings were gone, my joint pain was minimized, I had more energy which enabled me to want to move more and workout. I LOVE the Beachbody workouts. I have several of them. As I did them, I got more energy and it broke the cycle.

So here I am six months later and trying to decide what should I do. Should I remain "impartial" and explore other avenues to health and wellness? The answer is clear as daylight to me. I'll stick with what works. I see Shakeology and the Beachbody programs as a tool to transition to the more active and healthy lifestyle I seek. When I saw the name American Fitness Warriors, I knew that was where I am meant to be. I AM A WARRIOR! I am a survivor. The enemy may try to defeat me but I put on God's armor and get back up and live my best life, every day, one baby step at a time, consistently! That's the only way I know to get a grip on obesity.

I am more determined than ever. I know that I cannot let up to win this war on fat and disease. I am digging my heals in and preparing to climb the mountain to success. I don't want to climb the mountain alone. My mentor John C. Maxwell says, "If you're climbing a mountain alone, you're just taking a hike!" I want to take as many people as I can on this wellness journey. I want us all to be warriors and claim our victory over a sickly mediocre life. We deserve to health, but only we can make the choice to be healthy.

Are you with me? I am training to win the Beachbody Challenge starting July 7th. I'm no longer on the fence. I'm in 100%. God keeps bringing me back to this. I am paying attention!

Peace, Health & Happiness,

She-ra, I mean Kathy :)
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Live the Life

Summer is finally here and that means swim time! I love to swim, do you? I opened my pool a few weeks ago and I had two little fish come to swim at my house. The two little fish is my nephews, Ian and Isaac. They could not wait to jump in the cold pool. (I had just opened the pool) They did not care about the temperature, they just wanted to jump in and have a great time!

What happens to us as we get older? We are not like children and just jump in and enjoy life. We give excuses that the water is to cold, I don’t want to get wet, and I don’t want to be seen in my bathing suit. I say, “Who cares just jump in like a kid and enjoy the life,” We only live once so make the most of it!

I believe learning how to swim is very important. It is never too late. My mom wanted all four of us girls to learn how to swim because she was never very comfortable in water. Swimming is great exercise also. If you have joint problems water exercise is the way to go. I like to water walk and enjoy the outside all while staying cool in the hot summer.

I have more nephews and nieces coming to swim throughout the summer. What a great time for spending time with family and watching all the children teach the adults about fun and exercise.

So come on and jump in and be like a kid and live the life. J

Julie

Color Me Pink

I have always heard that the best way to get in shape is to train for an event. It makes sense, but I've never done it before, ever! I have never had an interest in running, which at a Freudian glance I would say stems from childhood trauma surrounding sports. I was always last to be picked for teams during gym. I was made fun of for being big and awkward, and I was picked on by a basketball coach. 

When I was in 4th or 5th grade, in front of what felt like the entire school that was watching track tryouts, I said I could run faster with my shoes off. It didn't help a bit. I was way behind the slowest running kids and my feet were on fire from running on the scorching asphalt. That was the first time I remember the feeling of being embarrassed. There were many times I felt embarrassed after that experience, but that was the first time and here I am almost a half century later recalling it! 

So, when I hear about a "fun" run, I normally tune it out as fast as I turn screeching head banger music off of my radio. But, when it's attached to a good cause, it gets my attention. 

I just heard about a 5K Color Fun Run and Walk Family Challenge Day that Cancer Services of Grant County and She 4 Life is hosting at Matter Park, October 4, 2014 from 9 a.m. - 2 p.m. I know so many people who are dealing with cancer. I have lost loved ones to cancer. I would walk across the United States and beyond if I thought it would help cure that devastating disease. 

Immediately after deciding to "train" for this event, I wondered how one can go from the couch to a 5K Run. I have to admit, I have been sedentary for way too long! It would be a dream come true to be able to do a 5K and keep up with the crowd. It would be like the adult me helping the child in me cross that finish line! 

I Goggled Couch to 5K and found a Running Plan. There is even a Couch to 5K App on iTunes. I'm going to give it a try. I will be in Florida during this particular event, but I'm going to train for it and support them anyway. Who knows where it will lead. At the very least, it will help me overcome my reluctance (fear) of participating in sports, help me get healthier, and help others in the process. That's a worthy cause indeed! 

What about you... Have you trained for an event? Did it help you stick with your exercise routine? Did you lose weight and get in shape as a result? Maybe this 5K Color Fun Run or some other worthy event is on your radar too. If you want to train for your first 5K, let me know and perhaps we can do a Couch to 5K together.

Go Pink! 

Kathy Gerstorff

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A Praise for the Day!

This morning when I got up out of bed I could not believe how beautiful it was outside. I heard the birds chipping with my windows open and smelled the crisp cool air. The temperature outside was perfect.  As I sat with my dog on the couch I could not help but to be thankful for this day. I sometimes take beautiful days for granted.  If you really look you see miracles all around us. We all (including me) worry about our weight, everyday issues, and money on a daily basis.  I am going to take today and smell the roses and be glad I am alive to enjoy the blessings of the day.

I am going outside to walk around and thank the Lord for all that He has given me in this day. How many times do you just stop what you are doing and look around and see the miracles of the day? Put your worries aside and look up and say, thank you for this day, the first day of Summer.

Julie

Hello Summer!

Hello Summer!

Can you believe Saturday is the first day of summer? Spring and summer seem to go by so quickly. One of my favorite treats of summer used to be ice cream. Now, I rarely use any dairy products and the few times I have been out of almond milk and used a bit of milk in mashed potatoes or decided to have a few bites of my husband's butter pecan (his favorite), I got gas and stomach cramps, so somewhere along the way in the past few years that I have been a vegetarian, I must have developed lactose intolerance or maybe it was there all along and I just didn't make the connection. I still like to have ice cream on hot days, but now I have discovered the secret of having delicious ice cream without dairy and that is FROZEN BANANAS! It tastes just like ice cream. You just blend up some frozen bananas with a little bit of your favorite non dairy milk. I use almond milk, but coconut milk is delicious too. Fully Raw Kristina has a delicious recipe for Banana Peach "Nice Cream" as she calls it. I'm looking forward to trying this one! 

 


Kristina is also doing a fully raw challenge. This one has already started, but you can jump in and still see the videos and exercises that go with each day. I really want to do a fully raw food challenge, but first I need to make it through a week without eating junk food! I do fine as long as I don't go to long without eating or drinking water. More than a few hours and my blood sugar drops which creates a food emergency as it's called in The Daniel Plan. If I ever figure this out, I will have the key to success that has eluded me for so many years. I just keep on trying. I figure if I get whole, fresh foods in my body, that's better than nothing. Getting healthy is a continuous work in progress. 

I hope you enjoy the first day of summer! I will be in Celina set up with my husband showing our landscape pilings. We will be set up to support a Lupus fundraiser. If you are in the area, stop by and say hi!

Kathy

Distractions

This picture is from the Disney movie called “Up” it goes right along with my blog because the dog in this movie always gets distracted when he sees a squirrel. How many times do we get distracted from our goals in one day?

In Church today my pastor spoke about distractions. This sermon really hit hard with me in a lot of areas in my life. Since The Great Weight Off has been over I have had a lot of distractions when it comes to working on my weight loss.

I could not wait for summer to be here and now that it is I have been distracted.  I have not been a good role model that I would like to be. I have allowed all these distractions to take over and I have gained weight in the process. Cookouts, weddings, graduations, and my kids coming home for the summer. Sure, I have been having fun and enjoying life I will admit to that, but I am slowly slowing down and getting back to the old me and I am getting very tired, not energized like I used to be. I am making wrong food choices and not exercising like I should and it is my own fault.

I felt better in the horrible winter only because I was losing weight and feeling good and going to the YMCA.  As they say that you can only play so long before life catches us with you.

Do any of you let distractions get in your way of your goals? I am not going to say “No” in having fun this summer.  I am going to make better food choices and I will keep my eye on my goal in winning this weight battle! Great Sermon today Pastor John!  Thanks for helping me keep on track in so many areas of life.

Julie

Do Protein Meal Replacement Supplements Really Help?

In 2013, I drank Vegan Chocolate Shakeology nearly every morning for breakfast. I like the flavor and it was a quick meal. I often added a frozen banana, fresh spinach, almond milk, and PB2 powdered peanut butter to the mixture. It was as good to me as any milkshake I ever tasted and there was no guilt afterwards! My junk food cravings subsided and I lost 25 lbs. After a few months, I noticed my knees and elbows stopped aching and my energy level increased. I felt like exercising and wanted to move around more. The quality nutrition combined with the exercise was giving me more energy and I felt better than I had in years. Was this a placebo reaction? I expected it to help me and it did? This year, in 2014, I have discovered the answer to that question is NO.

In January, I ran out of Shakeology and didn't replace it because money is tight and I felt $120 a month was too expensive. I wanted to try other brands like Vega One, Peaceful Planet, and Garden of Life, but I just never got around to doing it. What has happened these past six months astounds me. Uncontrollable cravings for junk food returned. I gained back the 25 lbs I lost in 2013. The joint aches have returned and my energy level has dropped considerably. Was it eating just the banana and spinach that was helping me? No, I tried that smoothie and it didn't satisfy me or hold me over like Shakeology. I think it had to do with the nutrients, vitamins and minerals Shakeology provides. It also had to do with consistency. When I had the protein supplement, I drank it every morning instead of skipping breakfast or eating high-sugar foods.

I found out that Shakeology contains MSM which is a naturally occurring substance in plants that helps alleviate joint paint. I purchased that on Amazon and yesterday I purchased a Peaceful Planet protein supplement for $20 at the local health food store. I am going to see if this combination works. I know that you often get what you pay for, but I also know Shakeology is overpriced because they have to compensate their sales reps, aka "coaches" which I totally respect. I was a Beachbody coach in 2013 and I know how much work goes into what they do. It's an awesome company and I love their mission to help end the trend of obesity.  Their exercise programs rock too and I spent a fortune on them as well. I may go back to being a coach someday who knows, but my focus right now is providing my body quality nutrition at an affordable price. I know ideally that just eating fresh fruit with some form of plant protein is what is recommended by many holistic professionals. But, here's the deal, I don't always have fresh fruit available which leads to inconsistency in my diet and then the roller coaster ride begins. I want something that I know is providing the quality nutrition my body needs. I know as a vegetarian I need to supplement vitamin B12, so my thought process is if I have to supplement anyway, I may as well do it with a protein supplement that has the daily requirements my body needs, tastes good, and fills me up.

I want to be healthy, I want my energy back. I want to be at a manageable weight where I feel good in my skin. I don't think that's too much to ask of myself and I will never stop trying to find the right combination that helps me achieve that goal.

I know how controversial and confusing it is around the subject of diet and nutrition.I think we can all learn from each other, but we have to do what works for us individually.

Wishing you abundant peace, health and happiness.

Kathy Gerstorff
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Garden Time!

 

Tilling the Garden

 

It is garden time and I love seeing all the vegetables growing and flowers blooming. Summer is finally here! Hip Hip Hooray! My nephew Tony tilled my garden so I could start my planting. I planted green beans, corn, radish, carrots, tomatoes, zucchini, watermelon, and sunflowers for the birds.  I plan to plant big and little pumpkins later next month. I think that I planted too early because after I planted the garden, a big rain came and flooded a lot of the garden. I have to replant a few vegetables that didn’t make it due to the rain. If you are not able to plant a garden, check out the farmer’s markets. They always have fresh tasting fruit and vegetables.

In the picture below you see my mom and I picking green beans at my grandparent’s home in 1972. I sure didn’t look to excited to pick green beans. Yes, I ALWAYS complained about going over to my grandparents’ house to work in the garden. I used to tell my mom all the time that when I grew up I was NEVER going to have a garden and I was going to be rich and live in a city where I could have a life of luxury.  Well guess I ate my words. I moved back home and I now live in my grandparent’s house and I have planted a garden. Never, ever say never! J

Now looking back the grass was not greener on the other side. So, now I am back home and enjoying what I had all along and I never knew it when I was younger.  Maybe If I work hard enough I could be as skinny when I was a little kid. Doesn’t hurt to dream and make it a reality!

One thing that I do not like about working in the garden is picking green beans with the bugs! L  Bring on the bug spray!

Julie