Sunday, June 29, 2008

Happy Summer Holidays!

Before the next post, I want to briefly pause and wish everyone a Happy 4th; the big summer holiday. Along with big holidays come big travel plans, big plans, sometimes a loss of schedule, and some big eats. Here's how to keep it from getting out of hand:

1. Try to stay as close to your regular schedule as you can. In other words, if you usually eat breakfast at 7, continue to do so. If you eat lunch at 11, continue to do so. Do NOT try to "save up" calories for later by not eating all day. That will backfire in several ways, but mostly in that you will probably end up doubling your calories in one sitting. The body doesn't do well under that kind of pressure. Instead, on the party day, keep your blood sugar balanced with regular meals and snacks. At the dinner or snack time that coincides with the party, you are more likely to make better choices. Go for the cake? Sure! But if your blood sugar is under control and you don't feel panicked for food, you are more likely to eat one piece instead of the left hand side.

2. Move. You may not be able to keep up your normal exercise routine while out of town, but an opportunity will present itself, even if it is just moderate. Moderate is better than sedentary, yes? Strike up a family game of frisbee or offer to take the dogs out. If it is a pool party, the more movement you do in the pool, the more non-sweaty calories you will burn.

3. Keep the drinky-drink under control. Too many drinks, and you may find yourself back at the snack bar, grabbing uncontrolably. You may also end up dehydrated, which is dangerous in the summer heat. And, no one enjoys the morning hangover. Instead, enjoy a great cocktail slowly. If it does become more than one, spread them out with water in between.

Have a great holiday. Here's to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Step 1: Know Thyself

And to thy own self be true, yes? How would we ever start on a fitness journey without knowing from where we come? So, start here. THEN, we'll talk goal setting.
If you haven't seen your doctor in a year, it's time to plan a visit. Take a fasting blood test and ask your doctor to supply you with your stats. Then, ask him how your numbers appear to him. Here are the really important ones:
-fasting blood sugar
-cholesterol
-triglycerides
-blood pressure
-thyroid
For any of these numbers, there are solutions. Most problems are solved through diet and exercise, HOWEVER, if your doctor sees that you need medication for your problem, take his advice into consideration. After all, heart disease and diabetes are major killers in the United States. You may have to go on medicine for a while, but you may be allowed to go off later if you get it under control using diet and exercise.
Another topic to really discuss is the thyroid issue. Men have thyroid problems, but women are far more likely to have a problem after having a child or changing hormones in some part of life. Many doctors may try to convince you that your thyroid numbers are fine because there is a very large range of "normal." "Normal" may not be your normal, so if you experience any of the following, you must tell your doctor while going over your thyroid number:
-lethargy
-fatigue
-excessive weight change
-hair loss
If he or she is not listening to you, seek the advice of another doctor. Thyroid issues are serious, but unfortunately, they are largely ignored because the symptoms appear so vague.
Also, if you feel normal, hold on to your thyroid number. This way, if you do have a life change, you can revisit that number to see if it has indeed changed.
Once you have gotten your medical advice, and your ok from the doctor we can move on to step 2: goal setting
See you soon.

Monday, June 23, 2008

up and running

Not that it's perfect (I mean, who ARE those people on my page?), but my page is up and running. I will get in there and improve, but at least now you can get to my information.

New Blog Format

Well, I am starting my health, fitness, nutrition blogging today. This is for members of my peertrainer team and group, as well as viewers of carriefit.com and friends and family who know me as a fitness professional.
I just want to start today with a howdy, and let you know that it is my personal goal to make our world a healthier place. I want to help kids, parents, professionals, groups, businesses, and everyone simply lead healthier lives. For if we all feel better, the world will simply be a better place.
From the inside out, yes?
Feel free to comment and ask questions, and if you are not a member, please join Team Carriefit at peertrainer.com.
There will be more info coming soon, and I plan to podcast and do videos as well. I will keep you posted!

Sunday, June 15, 2008

Whoa nelly!

My face is huge and I can't make it smaller!
The scrapblog is not coming up, unfortunately. Maybe the video makes it too big.

Out

OK, so I have to be out of the class, which makes me sad. BUT, I have learned so much and I am looking through some of the things. I love scrapblog! I am excited that I can put it straight on my blog and that I can save it. It does video and pictures, which is so cool!

Jade scrapblog

Sunday, June 8, 2008

Thing 25: letter pop

http://letterpop.com/newsletters/?id=90122-b0acc6

Yes, this is an exceedingly creative newsletter. I am sure I can do better with more of a mission. I just threw together some family pictures. So, now that I know about letterpop, I can do a music monthly newsletter or a fitness newsletter. Good to know.

Wednesday, June 4, 2008

Thing 24: Zamzar

OK, so I was very excited to see this free site to convert stuff. I mean, how often do we say "shoot" when we are required to use a certain file type and we can't convert? My husband recently bought software to fix this problem between mp4 and mp3.
I uploaded an mp4, which took a long time, and I am nervous now about where it is. They are going to email me to tell me where to find that file. That sounds a little iffy.

2.1 intro

I'm starting 2.1 this week. Sounds like fun to me. I just added my blog to the summer partner list. It took me a few minutes to figure out how to make it a link, but now I'm in.