Journey to Health with Julie & Kathy featuring Megan Gilmore OVERCOMING FOOD ADDICTIONS Episode #4

Wow, where do I start with all the great information Megan provided for us in this podcast?! One of the biggest take-a-ways for me was using the acronym HALT to determine what is really going on when you have a food craving. H = Hungry, A = Anxious, L = Lonely, T = Tired. Megan also shares many tips for overcoming food addiction including journaling, finding support and accountability partners, affirmations, exercise, and even scream therapy. I may give that one a try sometime! Get your notepad ready because you are going to learn some very effective tools to help you live a healthier and happier life!

Megan Gilmore is the owner of Lark's Song - a life coaching and consulting service located in Marion, Indiana. To learn more about Megan and find out about her upcoming classes, visit www.larkssong.com and www.facebook.com/larkssong.

YMCA Spin Class

Ready, Set, Go…and away we went, in the YMCA spin class. Wow, how do I describe this class? I had a lot of fun riding the spin bike. The instructor was really fun, and she made the class go by fast. I felt like I had rode to Florida and back by the time the one hour class was finished. She cranked up the music and we did not stop for 60 minutes. It took my energy level to a new high! I never would have believed that there were so many ways to ride a bike! I even stood up and pedaled. I was dripping sweat the whole time. There is a little dial on the bike that you turn to up the resistance. You can make it feel like you are riding up a mountain. At times I thought I was riding up Pike’s Peak.

Bryce and Cindy Coryea, husband and wife, were spinning next to each other. I thought that was so neat that a couple was working out as a team. Don’t they look like a picture of health? I think they do!

This is one class I want to go back to because I do like to ride a bike, and I liked the way the class all worked together. We cheered each other on the whole time. No one was left behind. Then again, we never even left the room.

Julie

Cheese Soup

When it is cold outside, warm soup always tastes good, and it is freezing out. Did you know that if you eat soup before a main meal you could possibly eat less? I like to look through cookbooks and try different types of soups. My problem is that I like the creamy soups, and they are usually loaded with calories. I started thinking at how I could make cheese soup healthier so that I could eat it more often without feeling guilty. I started experimenting and looking in the grocery store for healthier cheese products. I found Healthy Request Cheddar Cheese Soup in a can. I took that and added in my favorite vegetables and skim milk to create a healthier alternative to what I was used to eating. I took a picture of the soup that I made, and if you would like to try making this, here is the recipe. I was happy with how the soup turned out.

 Cheese Soup

1 can Healthy Request Cheddar Cheese Soup

4 cups skim milk

5 potatoes diced

1 small onion diced

1 cup baby cut-up carrots

¼ teaspoon onion salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

 

Heat milk and cheddar cheese soup until  desired temperature. Cook vegetables separately until tender. Mix half of vegetables in a blender (to make soup thicker). Mix all together and cook on low heat. Serve and enjoy on a cold winter day!

Julie

What are You Thinking?

How many times have you heard we are what we eat? I believe we are also what we think.Often when we want to lose weight and get in shape, we think about two main things: what we eat and exercise. There is another very important component to wellness and that is what we feed our mind. This topic could be an entire book. In fact, there are several books on the mind connection. A few of my favorites are Battlefield of the Mind and Power Thoughts by Joyce Meyer and You Can Heal Your Life by Louise Hay.

I listen to Joyce Meyer messages almost every day as I do my morning exercises. I mute the volume on the TV and turn up Joyce's broadcast on the computer. It's a great way to start my day. I love feeding my mind with positive thoughts and faith. It protects my mind and enables me to think power thoughts that helps move my life forward. If I skip this routine, the stress starts to build up, temptations of the flesh flood my mind (like one doughnut or a few potato chips won't matter that much or wouldn't you rather just relax and watch TV than go for a walk...) and negative thoughts scratch at my mind's door like a hungry wolf. The main way I prepare for this daily combat is to nourish my mind with the word of God, pray, visualize, and mediate on what I want rather than what I don't want, and act "as if" what I want is already here. For example, I want to be at my ideal weight. If I act "as if" I am already there, then I am doing things that support that thought. I will eat as a 150 lb person eats, I will move around and be active, I will become in my mind first what I want to accomplish because according to neuroscience "brain" experts, imagined thoughts influence real thoughts. We know this is true. We cry at sad movies, we jump during the scary scenes, we are in awe of magic tricks. It's illusion and imagination, yet we react. And so it is with the thoughts we think. If we listen to upbeat music, we want to sing and dance. If we think sad thoughts, we get depressed, if we think positive thoughts, we feel hopeful and happy. If we immerse ourselves with thoughts that nourish our mind, it makes sense that our mind will become stronger and empower us to do whatever it is we imagine.

Another way I "feed" my mind is by continually learning. I read and study every day. I am taking a course on nutrition right now through Coursera, which I love because it's education from universities all over the world and it's FREE! There are 40,000 people in the nutrition class with me. What a unique opportunity to engage with and learn from like-minded people from around the world. I believe that when we study, we learn the truth and as we know the truth can set us free.

What are YOU feeding your mind? Is it nourishing you? Is it strengthening your mind, body and spirit?

Your thoughts lead to your destiny!

Watch your thoughts 

they become your words.

Watch your words

they become your actions.

Watch your actions

they become your habits

Watch your habits

they become your character

Watch your character

because it becomes your destiny. 

~ Lao Tzu

Kathy

WHAT A WORKOUT!

206.8

Lost 3.2 pounds

 

When I found out that I would be attending the group strength class at the Marion YMCA, all I could think about was how scared I was to go. What would it be like? Would everyone be looking at me? Will I fit in or will I look out of place? I had never joined the YMCA or any gym because of these negative thoughts that plagued my mind. As I walked into the YMCA, I was greeted by Marcy Moreillon, the Marion YMCA’s fitness coordinator. She was so kind, and she helped me forget about all of my negative thoughts. She explained the classes to me and gave me an overall good feeling about the YMCA. She then took me to the group strength class. So many people were in this class, and I was wanted to turn around and run, but it was too late for that. I just figured that I could hide out in the back of the room. Well, that never happened because there was only room in the middle facing a large mirror. The instructor, Laura Dodson introduced herself and explained how the class worked. Everyone in the class was so nice and they were all super focused. They were there to workout, not to look at everyone and judge who still had weight to lose. I had so much fun! It was hard, but Laura and the other individuals in the class made me want to push myself out of my comfort zone. I had to modify some exercises, but I made it through the whole class. After class I told Laura that I think that I had just lost 10 pounds. My daughter went with me and she loved it as well.

That night we went home, and I decided to cancel my order for an elliptical machine that I had placed earlier in the week and get a member ship to the YMCA instead. Why pay a lot of money for one workout machine when I can go to the YMCA where I can go for a swim, take a group class, play a team sport, and workout on an elliptical all for less money than I was going to pay for one elliptical. The next day I made the call, and now I am a member! This coming week I am going to spin class, and aqua aerobics. I am not scared of the gym now. I am excited to experience new classes and meet new friends! Take a look at the picture that was taken in the group strength class, don’t they look like a fun group?

I am glad that I had this opportunity to go to the YMCA. We all say we do not have the time to exercise, but somehow we make time to watch TV at night. We all have to stop making excuses and just do it! Make the commitment to exercise, and make it a priority in your life. Before the Great Weight Off started I gave every excuse that a person could possibly think of to avoid working out. Exercise gives me more energy to get out of the bed in the morning, and it makes me a better friend, co-worker, and mother. Every morning I would wake up in a grouchy mood. I did not even like myself. Now that I am taking time to exercise and eat right, my outlook on everything looks better. Think about it, are you worth taking time for yourself to feel better and have a healthier attitude about life? Yes you are!

Julie

Strength Training vs. Water Exercise

www.grantcountyymca.org

I am pictured at the far right in the black sweatsuit with pink shirt. Julie is standing to the left of me. 

Great Weight Off Community Challenge

Week 5 of 12

Kathy Gerstorff

Weight: 298 lbs

"Satisfaction is in the effort, not in the attainment; full effort is full victory." ~ Mahatma Gandhi

Five weeks into the 12 week Great Weight Off Challenge and the scales still haven't budged. It makes me ask myself if I am giving my full effort. Am I eating clean? Yes. Am I exercising regularly? Yes. Is it my full effort? No! My body feels like it's in hibernation mode. I don't want to go outside in sub-zero temperatures, not even to go to the gym. I just want to stay snugly warm inside until it's at least above freezing! At the same time I am determined to give my full effort to this Challenge and turn my health around in a positive direction, so last week I stepped out of my comfort zone and went to the Y for some exercise beyond the half-effort DVD workouts I have been doing at home.

The first class I tried was Group Strength Training. I expected it to be a lot of exercises with dumbbells and kettle-bells. I was in for a big surprise! While the instructor did use weights, that was only part of the variety of exercises in the class. She had us doing mountain climbers, burpees, planks, squats, lunges, tricep dips, and a lot of other exercises using your body as the weight. As you can imagine, my body was screaming like I was in a battle zone. My knees and feet went on strike! The pain was excruciating. I have been doing exercise classes off and on since I was 18. I worked at the Y for many years, so I know the number one rule very well, and that is safety first. There is a big difference between muscle burn and sharp pain. Although, you often hear “No pain, No gain,” especially in a gym, you take a big risk of injury if you ignore pain. So, I modified most of the moves and did stretches at the end. I decided that class is what I would consider advanced for my physical condition. 20-30 years ago I would have been dancing between the circuits instead of limping between them!

The next class I tried was water aerobics. Ah, that's more my speed. I used to teach water exercise and swimming at the Y back in the day. I love the water. It's so soothing on my body and uplifts my mood, especially in the dead of winter. It makes me think of warm weather and sunshine, which makes me happy! I haven't been to a water exercise class in years. The instructor had us doing cheerleader kicks, jumping jacks, cross country skiing, and a lot of other moves that would have been impossible for me on land. It felt so freeing to exercise without pain. I was moving all around and enjoying the workout. The next day I felt a little muscle soreness, but no pain. In fact, my knees and feet felt better. That's how exercise is supposed to be – fun, challenging, and strengthening to your body, mind and spirit.

So, it's clear to me that in order to give my full effort, I need to spend more time at the Y, in the pool. I signed up for their 100 Mile Swim Challenge. I'm looking forward to my aquatic journey to victory!

Kathy

HOPE

Today I walked in the Grant County Rescue Mission's "Walk-a-Mile In My Shoes" which is an annual fundraiser they host to help provide food and shelter to our community. I was happy to be a part of it and help in this small way. Within a few minutes of the start of the walk, the group of walkers disappeared out of site. I was limping along pulling up the rear. My feet hurt so bad. At one point I fell on the slippery ice, my grandson did too. We are both OK, but it sure make me grateful that we have shelter and heat. As I walked, I pictured the day I could walk pain-free. I prayed for the homeless and people who are without heat. I also prayed that those who are hurting have hope and know that there are people who care. I believe faith and hope are the most powerful things a person can have to turn their life around. I will never give up. I will keep the faith and keep the hope that I will be healed and healthy. That is my prayer for YOU too!

Kathy