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
facebook.com/expectsuccess
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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

What do Blogs and Diets have in Common?

Blogs remind me a lot of diets in that I get all excited about it at first then it fizzles out. I think I'm going to accomplish this big giant goal of transforming my life and helping others do the same which can happen, but it's not overnight, maybe not even in the first year. It takes moment to moment actions, sticking to your daily routine, consistently taking positive action, and keeping the faith. Blogging and diets have those things in common, in fact any successful endeavor does. You do it even when you don't feel like it because you've made the commitment. I committed to writing this "weight loss, wellness, women's health" blog for one year. I will stick to it. I committed to getting healthier. It is a monumental task at times, but I continue to keep getting back up when  fall off the wagon and keep trying again and again and again. I will never give up. Focusing on what I want rather than what I don't want helps. I have forgotten the scales except during fitness challenges when it's part of the requirements. I like fitness challenges because it helps me stay focused and on track. I'm starting a new one June 1st with my Beachbody coach, Clarissa Lupton. YOU are welcome to join us. Just go to her page and tell her you want in! http://bit.ly/CoachClarissa. She has helped thousands of people lose weight and get healthy. I'm sure she can help us too!

I wish you abundant health and happiness,

Kathy

P.S. Check out my new business venture at facebook.com/mywoodscapes. It's keeping me busy and moving and hanging out more with my husband and family, which is a good thing. Sitting too long at the computer is not healthy and neither is isolation. Time to move it, move it. Peace, love and apple slices!