My New Bike!

May 30, 2012

Image

This is my new bike!

I officially look like a real cyclist when I’m out on the road!  For the past three years, I road Granny.  Although she’s been very dependable, has gotten me from point A to point B, and has taken me many miles around the area, I felt it was time to graduate to a real bike.  I had to overcome my fear of falling and figure out how to get in and out of the clips.  But, I’d like to say, learning how to ride this bike hasn’t been all that difficult. . . I went for my first solo ride today and didn’t forget to unclip from my pedals, fall over or crash!

Granny (Looney Tunes)

Granny (Looney Tunes) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 

I’m looking forward to a summer of cycling!  I’ll probably still ride Granny to and from work this summer, because she’s got a sweet basket on back and I can drink a cup of tea while I’m on the bike path.  But, now that I have a new bike, I’ll be able to go for longer rides with my husband (and not look like an old lady).  I’m not sure I’ll be able to keep up, but I’ll give it a try!  Another cool thing is that several of my clients ride.  I’m working on organizing some group rides this summer.  Hopefully, I’ll be able to convince a few ladies to dust off their bikes and hit the roads with me!

Once again, as much as I hate to admit . . . my husband was right.  He told me I’d eventually want a road bike.  He told me I’d love cycling.  Dang it!  He was right again.

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Posted by Barb Macy

Funky, Smelly Workout Clothes? Try Purex Crystals!

May 28, 2012

Purex Crystals – helps remove stink from clothing!

I live with a very active family.  My husband is a cyclist, strength coach, and workout fanatic.  My son and daughter both play sports.  I own a gym.  We produce A LOT of funky, smelly clothes.  Sometimes doing the laundry makes me gag.  Gross.I’ve tried a lot of different methods for removing the funk.  I’ve soaked clothes in baking soda, but that doesn’t do much, and I have to plan soak time.  I’ve used Febreeze Sport, but that requires remembering to spray each piece of funky clothing thoroughly before I put it into the washing machine.  And, using fabric softener isn’t recommended for athletic clothing, plus it sometimes leaves a greasy residue or stains on the clothing.

A few months ago, my sister introduced me to Purex Crystals.  A new product that not only smells good, but also softens the water & helps get rid of the stink!  All you do is toss a capful into the washing machine before adding the clothes.  Then, add soap and wash as you normally would.  This is safe for workout clothes and front-loading machines.  It also works with towels that might get funky and it doesn’t affect the absorbency of the towels like regular fabric softener does.

What are your tricks for removing the funk and smell from your workout gear?

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Posted by Barb Macy

How I Eat To Maintain My Weight – Saturday & Sunday

May 27, 2012

Saturday (5/26) - 6:30AM – up!  Hot tea.  9:30AM (hungry) - chocolate banana pancakes – 10:00AM hot tea with 1/2 & 1/2, plus a trip to REI.  2:00PM – strawberries, bar & a cup of coffee w/ 1/2 & 1/2.  4:00 – first, easy outing on the kayaks!  6:00PM (very hungry) - takeout pizza from Tomaso’s.  Evening – 1 Oberon.

Sunday (5/27) – 7:15AM - Up!  Hot tea w/ 1/2 & 1/2.  8:30-9:45AM Bike ride.  10:00AM coffee w/ 1/2 & 1/2, 2 eggs over medium, leftover fish, and a handful of bacon.  I know this sounds gross, but it tasted so good.  (Maybe I was just really hungry?)  Afterwards, I had a piece of dark chocolate.  2:00PM – snack of leftover mango salsa and organic blue corn tortilla chips.  4:30-5:15PM – bike ride with my  husband on my new bike!  6:15PM – dinner – NY Strip (grass-fed), glazed carrots, green beans with diced ham, 1 piece of dark chocolate.

One thing another one of my clients and I talked about at the gym this week was how freeing it is once you get your eating figured out.  I no longer look to food for comfort.  I view food as fuel.  I no longer eat “just to eat” or because something sounds good.  I eat when I’m hungry. The way I feel about myself now that I’m happy with my fitness and my body, FEELS much better and lasts much longer than the few minutes of pleasure that comes with a bowl of ice cream. 

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Posted by Barb Macy

How I Eat To Maintain My Weight – Thurs PM & Friday

May 25, 2012

English: Breakfast for dinnerFriday (5/25) - 5:30AM – Up with the damned cat. 5:30 – 10:30AM – tea & coffee with 1/2 & 1/2. 11:00AM – workout/lift. 11:00AM – lunch (hungry) – large salad – mixed greens, baby spinach, 1 chicken breast, red pepper, goat cheese crumbles, sliced almonds, balsamic vinaigrette, 1 cup strawberries, a piece of dark chocolate. 6:00PM – dinner – shrimp cocktail, grilled fish, mango salsa, chipotle cole slaw, guacamole & chips. . . Dessert tonight . . . Robert’s Frozen Custard! It’s Ultimate Cookie Dough night!  Evening – tequilla and diet tonic w/ lime.

One of my clients asked me this question this morning, after reading my last few posts. “How come you don’t eat breakfast? You always tell us to eat breakfast!” I guess my simple answer is that I’ve found an eating routine that works for me. How I eat might not work for everyone. Some people need to eat breakfast. Some don’t. Some people are hungry when they first get up in the morning. I’m not. And, since I stand around at the gym all morning and am not exerting myself, I just live on hot tea and coffee at the gym while I’m working. (Plus, it keeps me warm in the winter!) Like I said . . . it works for me.

I encourage my clients to eat something before they come see me. If I was going to have a long, hard workout, I’d probably eat something. On days I’m going for a long bike ride, I eat a filling breakfast. If I’m planning on going for a run, I’ll eat afterwards. I know my body, when I need to eat, and when I don’t – and I plan my meals according to my workout schedule for the day. Often, I can tell if someone has or hasn’t eaten just by the energy level during a workout. So, sometimes they go grab a shake during the workout, or they might need a bar even. Others get nauseous during workouts if they’ve eaten before they come see me.

I also think one of the contributing factors to me being able to survive on 2 meals a day, is the fact that I eat a lot of protein and fat – and my body has gotten used to the way I eat. I get most of my protein from real food. I don’t have a lot of shakes or bars, unless I’m in a hurry or am going to miss a meal. Because all of the protein and fats fill me up, I usually don’t get hungry in the mornings.

Back when I was fat(ter) and working at the hospital and preaching a low-fat, heart-healthy diet, I ate cereal for breakfast, whole wheat toast, and a lot of empty-calorie carbs that left me hungry all the time. I’d eat a big bowl of cereal for breakfast at 5:30AM, then, by 9 AM I’d be famished and need food again. I’d end up eating 3-4 fairly big meals, plus snacks – which were all heavy on carbs, and light on fat & protein. . . no wonder I was hungry all the time.

So, what works for you? Do you have a routine you follow? Do you have structure in your diet? I’m at a place now where I’ve found what works for me. I have my rules that I follow MOST of the time. Occasionally, I splurge. Most of the time, I eat well. And, I don’t have to worry about what the scales tells me!

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Posted by Barb Macy

How I Eat To Maintain My Weight – Wednesday PM & Thursday AM

May 24, 2012
Keurig.

Keurig. (Photo credit: suendercafe)

I’ve changed the way I eat.  Dramatically.  Losing weight can be easy, but the biggest challenge for most people is to NOT gain it back.  When I was in “weight loss mode”, I had a loose body weight goal, a daily plan, and I kept a food log.  Once I got to where I wanted to be, I changed my focus to my fitness and body composition.  I ditched the food log, and over the past couple of years, I’ve really dialed in my diet and now have a set of rules I follow  (most of the time!) .  What have been the biggest changes I’ve made over the past couple of years?

* We don’t eat out much.  Not that we did before, but now, we are very selective regarding our splurges.  I almost never eat out for lunch.  Although, when we go out for dinner, I splurge – I’ll eat french fries, bread, pizza, or anything I want.

* I’m not afraid of fat.  Gone are the days of eating a low-fat diet.  I buy whole fat salad dressings, I use real pasture butter or ghee, coconut oil, olive oil, etc.  I do not buy any fake fats, low-fat or fat-free products.  Not only does it taste better, but it is real and not as processed.

* We used to eat pizza (homemade) at least once a week.  Now, I hardly ever fix homemade pizza anymore (sadly), unless it’s for the kids.

* I never eat cereal, crackers, chips, etc. .  A box of cereal, crackers, chips, etc. goes stale at our house.  The kids don’t eat much of that stuff either!  I’m also not much of an evening snacker.

* Speaking of kids, I quit eating their leftovers.  How many of you nibble off your kids plates?  Or, eat whatever is left that they don’t want?  Having a daughter that eats like a bird, I frequently would snarf down her leftover peanut butter toast.  Ugh.  That adds up!  No more!

* We used to always have ice cream in the house.  Now, it’s only a treat or we go out for it.

* In my chubbier days, I’d regularly “treat” myself to baked goodies whenever I’d stop for a latte.  Now, I hardly ever go to Starbucks or local coffee places.  Since, I’ve gotten my Keurig, I make my own coffee, which has helped me cut back on sugar and a lot of extra calories.  I can’t remember the last time I had a scone or muffin or piece of pumpkin bread.

My food from last night and today, so far:

Wednesday (5/23) - 4:00PM cup of coffee with 1/2 & 1/2. . . I had a headache and I was sleepy.  6:30PM – dinner (not terribly hungry) - salad (mixed greens, pear, walnuts, gorganzola cheese, balsamic dressing), 1 1/4 grass-fed burger, raspberries, 1 piece of dark chocolate.  Evening – 1 beer.  I ended up skipping my conditioning workout today and swapped days off with Thursday.

Thursday (5/24) – 6:15AM up . . . hot tea and one cup of coffee until about 10AM.  10:00AM – hard conditioning workout with medball throws outside (fun!), then I finished with 10 sprints the length of the back yard at the gym – approx. 50 yards or so.  11:30 – Lunch (very hungry) – 1 leftover grass-fed burger, leftover brussel sprouts w/ bacon, raspberries.  Dinner tonight will be eggs, since we’ve got a lot of kid-stuff going on and I won’t be able to cook a real meal.

What else have I had to eat this week?  Monday/Tuesday . . . Tuesday/Wednesday

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Posted by Barb Macy

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