Week 14: Update

This past week was not very successful. I didn't work out at all. Lots of school and doctoral project work to do... I am hoping to work out more in the coming weeks.

Posting old pics of me hiking and walking with my dogs for motivation. Maybe I should go on a hike or at least a walk this weekend...

the dogs have more energy than i do!

they love running!

Week 13: Quick Update

I only worked out for 60 minutes on 1 day last week! I spent 12 hours on Saturday working on a group project... not a lot of physical activity or even movement was involved in that. I am looking forward to today's hike.

On another note, I made a trip to Trader Joe's and bought all sorts of new, healthier foods. I bought a package of butternut squash that I will either cook as a soup or a side dish. There are preparation instructions for both serving methods on the package, which helps out a lot! I also got Apple Cranberry Fiber Mini Cakes, salad, and fresh strawberries. I ate more chicken than I usually do, which made my boyfriend happy because he says I eat too much red meat. I have always thought about being a vegetarian because of my love for animals, but I don't think I could give up red meat or seafood.

I hope that next week is more successful in terms of physical activity and that I can try to maintain healthier eating habits.

Week 12: update

This past week, I have done much better at getting myself to the gym. I was able to go 4 times for 60 minutes each time.

I also decided at the last minute that I am doing a 5k walk this Sunday. It is the 2010 Los Angeles Walk for Kids, which supports the Los Angeles Ronald McDonald House. I haven't really been "training" for it. I do a fair amount of walking everyday, so I don't think walking 5k will be a problem... running it would be a different story, haha.

Week 11: Update

Most of this past week, I have spent recovering from my cold. I also had a weekend trip planned since 2 months ago. Let's just say there was no exercise or healthy food involved in that... but I am hoping to be more successful in reaching my goal this week! Hopefully, I can manage all the school work I have to do with gym and cooking time. It should be easier now that my cold has eased off. My body really feels down after being sick and not exercising or eating healthy for almost 3 weeks!

Week 9 & 10: Quick Update

Last week was spring break, and this week classes started up again. I haven't really met my exercise and nutrition goals over these past 2 weeks because I spent most of my time doing work for school. I also caught a cold, which has left me feeling tired and groggy (not ideal for exercising). To top it all off, I have a tension headache this morning... probably from too much stressing about being sick and having work that needs to be done, hmmm.

I am hoping to get over this cold, catch up with all my work, and meet my goals next week!

Week 8: Quick Update - Midterms!

Last week, I went to the gym on 2 days (Wednesday & Friday) and spent over 60 minutes each time. I also walked my dogs around Downtown LA for 90 minutes. I am only about 30 minutes/1 day short of my goal.

Working out this week will be a little tough because of midterms & projects that are due, but I am planning on going to the gym on Wednesday & Friday night (at least).

Week 7: Helpful Websites

I only worked out twice this past week. One of those days was during our Wednesday fieldtrip to Stroller Strides... that workout was super fun but tough! It left my legs sore for 2.5 days and a little pain still lingers. Must've been all the lunges and squats.

I'm hoping to do better with exercising for the rest of this month. My current motivation is Spring Break! :)

Here are some websites I found helpful:

Women's Health Magazine - Workouts

This section of the website has a whole bunch of workouts tailored just for women. My favorite section is "Workouts To Go," where you can download a workout and transfer it to your iPod, iPhone, Zune, Blackberry, Treo, etc. I also love the yoga section!

Shape.com

Another website where I get tips and ideas about different exercises. An interesting feature is the "What does it take to burn it off? Calculator." It would take me 293.78 minutes of shopping to burn off a cheeseburger... I wonder if I could use this as an excuse to eat a cheeseburger and shop for 5 hours! :)

Healthy Eating @ FoodNetwork.com

I love watching Food Network, so its only natural that I go to FoodNetwork.com for healthy recipes. My favorite feature is the "Quick Meals" search engine. You put in what type of meal you want to make (breakfast, lunch, dinner), what you want to make it with (chicken, beef, shrimp, etc), and how long you want to spend making it (15, 30, 45 minutes).

CookingLight.com

My favorite section is the Quick & Healthy recipes. These are definitely a must for busy people. The food looks so good and they have a wide variety of options (comfort food, seafood, Mexican, Italian, Vegetarian, etc).

MyPyramid.gov

This is a great website because it tells you how much of each food group you should eat (based on your age, height, weight, and exercise level). You can also plan for future meals and track current meals and exercise. My favorite feature is the Menu Planner because it is easy to use and gives you a visual aid to understand how much of each food group you are eating.

MyPlate @ Livestrong.com

This is another great food and exercise tracker. My favorite feature is that it compares how many calories you've eaten with how much you've burned. It also gives you a Daily Nutrition Breakdown, which helps you see what percentage of carbs, fat, & protein you are eating. I see that I am overloading on carbs & fat :(

Mint.com

This is not really a fitness/food website, but it helps keep track of your spending and you can set a budget for how much you spend on food or exercise. If you're like me, you will also realize that you spend too much on discretionary items and that this money could be saved or used for healthier choices.