Traveling Healthy

I just returned from my first trip since starting this new healthy lifestyle. I have to admit, I was a little panicked. What is my will power falters? What if there are no healthy options available at the event? What if the hotel doesn't have a treadmill? And on and on and on... I really didn't want to fail and there were dozens of excuses I could use to fail. So, I decided to make a plan. Failure not being an option, I put my big girl undies on and set out for a great weekend. My plan: 1. Drink lots of water. (I did...lots and lots and lots) 2. Pack snacks for the hotel room...carrots, hummus, apples, bananas, almonds. (I ended up packing almonds and boy, did they come in handy. If I hadn't had them, I would have hit the vending machine.) 3. Cruise the buffet before I dig in, then I'll know what my options are and choose the best ones. (Very helpful, I was able to make good choices and leave off what I could live without like the wonderful mac and cheese that I felt like jumping into). 4. Realize if I leave hungry because my options aren't good, I can eat afterward. (Again, those almonds came in very handy!) 5. Stay away from fast food restaurants (Do I really have to list this one???). (The only fast food I had was McDonald's oatmeal and a Wendy's chicken salad with vinegarette dressing.) 6. Choose from the broiled, baked, raw and unsauced (I know that's not a real word Mr Spell Check!) side of the menu. (One night everything was sauced. I chose the fish and ate a little of the sauce.) 7. Take the stairs (I may have to rethink this one since I fell down all those hotel stairs last August). (There were no stairs.) 8. Make it priority number 1 to do my 20 minutes of walking with or without a treadmill. (A real first. I found the hotel treadmill and actually enjoyed my walk!) 9. Think about how good I'm going to feel (and look) in a few months. (This was easy because my sweet hubby told me how proud he was of me on the day of the wedding.) 10. Realize if I have a weak moment, it's not the end of the world. (I did have a weak moment, I ate a small piece of what appeared to be homemade sour dough bread and a piece of key lime pie. However, since I'd chosen fish, salad and an undressed potato, I don't think I did too much harm.) 11. Celebrate my victories (think happy dance). (After getting home, I was proud of myself and that sense of pride is priceless.) 12 And speaking of dancing, dance the night away instead of sitting on the side looking like a frumpy ole preacher's wife. (There was no dancing however, I did my best not to look like a "frumpy ole preacher's wife"! The wedding was beautiful, the weekend was relaxing and now that I know I can eat healthy and make healthy choices, I'm not going to panic the next time I go on a trip. PS (My husband said he couldn't believe how much more energy I have after just 12 days of living healthy and I really do, it's amazing.)

Dying Healthy

I didn't plan to blog about this but heck, if it helps someone else, why not! Here's my story in a nutshell... I got older, quit moving around, starting eating what I wanted and as much as I wanted; and gained a truck load of weight. NOT PRETTY! Since I have my own cooking show and I love to cook, it goes without saying that eating is a passion. I like anything...almost (Brussels sprouts, ugh). I find myself in the kitchen when most people would be doing something else like reading or playing a sport or even watching TV. I cook lots and I cook well. I like what I eat. I like to feed people. I like to set a pretty table. I like to watch people eat what I cook. I like to sit at the table, talk and eat. You get the picture. I don't eat to fuel my body. I guess you could say I've made a sport out of eating. A little over a week ago my brother, David came to town to be a guest on Entertain With Jane. David isn't a great cook but he's a good cook and he's managed to do something most of us can't do, he's lost a lot of weight and kept it off. About three years ago, David decided he'd had enough. His blood pressure was high, he was short of breath and he just simply felt bad all the time. Oh and did I mention, he was 50 lbs overweight? So, David hired a trainer and went to work. He decided to get healthy and learn to eat and exercise properly. He adopted a brand new lifestyle. Over a period of about 12 months, he lost 50 lbs and for the past 3 years he's kept it off. I know, I know, I can't afford a trainer either but after David and I did that segment on healthy meals, I was inspired to get serious about not my weight, but my health. As David and I were cooking, I kept thinking; "I can do this." Being with David is like being with someone about half his age. He's got more energy than your average middle aged man. Did I mention he's almost 54?. He runs 6 to 7 miles a day and as the result of his good, healthy habits, he's on none of the medication he was previously on. I was inspired! And so, while I can't and don't even want to hire a trainer, and I'm pretty sure I'm never going to be runner, I've started developing some healthy habits. It's not so much about the weight...it's about my health. I'm going to die younger than I want to if I don't "shape up". I simply will not go another year putting off what I should have been doing for a long time. I refuse to die UNHEALTHY. I'm tired of looking bad, feeling bad and growing old unhealthily. For the past 8 days I've eaten like a champ. Low carbs. Low sugar. High protein. I've exercised every day except one. I started with 10 minutes a day on the treadmill and I've been adding 1 minute every day. I know that doesn't sound like much but for me, it's a marathon. I've been drinking water. I'll blog more and keep giving you encouragement and information. I'm learning but we can learn together. I may falter but I'm not going be defeated. Like they say: "No pain, no gain." Here are thing things that have "hurt" this past week: 1. I've given up sweet tea. 2. I'm getting up earlier. 3. I've had to plan my meals...no more eating whatever is convenient. Have I had a perfect week? Nope, not by a long shot. Do I feel better? Yes, I do. I'm lucky to have David; my daughter, Blake; and my husband, Dearld; encouraging me. I can't do this by myself. But I can do this! AND YOU CAN TOO!