February Resolutions


Every New Year I create a vision board for my yearly goals. Some of these I’m working toward incrementally, like a veggie based diet, some I’m going gang-busters on—like exercise, and attempting to dress like an adult.

Usually I post my New Month’s Resolutions on the first of the month, but thanks to a Benadryl and a glass of Chardonnay I slept through the first of the month. Looks like February is starting out with a bang!

Usually January is a month for new beginnings, but I still had some straggling old things that needed tending…and a broken big toe that took a wee bit of time to heal. My toe is healed and my schedule is clear, now it’s time to focus on all those shiny new goals.

For starters, I’ve mentioned that I put on a bit of weight over the last year, as I spent my days glued to my computer and taking frequent breaks to eat my feelings (hey, writing a memoir is an emotional undertaking worthy of a few thousand cookies a day). One of my resolutions this month is to start focusing on peeling off some of that weight before my book comes out in July and I have public appearances to make.

In order to initiate operation Hot Author, this month I will:

  • Pre-plan my meals. Whenever I’m looking to lose weight I find meal-planning to be a hugely helpful tool. Sitting down the night before to plot my meals and snacks eliminates all those dangerous moments spent rummaging through the refrigerator and pantry looking for something to sate me. Also, I spend a lot less time thinking about food when I already have a game plan at the ready.
  • Sixty minutes of cardio a day; six days a week. Remember that I work from home, which can sometimes mean never standing up. Taking 60-minutes to cycle/run/or stairclimb will ensure my metabolism at least makes some sort of effort to behave normally.
  • No Carbs after 7pm.  Expect to see a lot of omelets for dinner.

In other non-body related resolutions, in February I will:

  • Book binge! I usually read a book a week, but in the last six months I’ve averaged about a book every two months. It was like there wasn’t enough room in my head for more words. Now I’m back to reading for pleasure.
  • Actually start studying for my personal training certification. I have no excuses now.
  • Start applying to jobby-jobs again. I have an idea about what I want to work on for my next book, but I think I need a break. Now, I’d just like to make some money and get out of the house.

That’s my February. What are you resolving for February?

 

 

Kim

Cheat Days: Sanity or Sabotage?

To cheat? Or not to cheat?

Shakespeare was the first to ask that…I think.

If you’re trying to lose weight should you ever give in to your not-so-healthy cravings?

In my ideal world I eat a healthy, well-rounded diet every day; one that leaves me neither stuffed to the gills nor starving for more. The truth is that more often than not I’m trying to watch what I eat while maintaining some semblance of a normal social life (food is fun, it is, it always will be…and no one likes eating celery when other people are scarfing down cupcakes).

It is my need for a normal social life that makes me a big fan of the oft abashed “cheat day.”

I understand cheat day critics. For starters it’s pretty easy to go overboard when food is concerned, and when calories are being counted it is very easy to ride that slippery slope to dietary downfall.

But, here’s my argument for cheating. For the most part I don’t have a problem keeping my food choices healthy and my exercise regular, but without a regularly scheduled indulgence the egg white omelets and salads with dinner that I often crave would feel like punishment and not a healthy choice. Honestly, it’s all psychological.

I have, for years and years and years, tracked my caloric intake on Livestrong.com/thedailyplate (I know that Lance Armstrong is considered evil and all, but I still think his site has the best calorie counting tool out there—and it’s totally free!), but once a week usually a weekend day, I don’t think about how much protein I’m getting, I don’t check nutrition labels or think about fat grams. I just eat whatever it is that I want, and then the next day I go back to maintaining a system in of checks and balances. For some therapist-only-knows-why reason, this one day a week keeps me sated for the other 6-days of the week.

There are some arguments that having a cheat day tricks your metabolism into burning more, but I’m not entirely sure I buy that. I do, however, believe in the advice of the late, great Oscar Wilde: “Everything in moderation, including moderation.”

Do you believe in cheat days? Or, do you steer clear of temptation?

 

Kim

The Biggest Loser, a Tirade

Can we talk about The Biggest Loser?

Okay, good, because I’m not sure how I feel about it.

I know it’s been on since the beginning of time and I should have a solidly formed opinion about it, but I don’t. I’m wishy-washy.

First of all, weight loss is an insanely hard thing, because it isn’t just about calories in versus calories out like TV trainers make it out to be; weight loss includes feeling awkward a lot of the time because you don’t want other people to know you’re uncomfortable with your weight, it’s about life and fitting in, it’s emotional, and scary when you feel awkward in your own body because it’s not the shape you are used to it being, and overwhelming when you realize that the world will treat you differently (that’s a dirty secret no one likes to tell)—whether that’s because of how you look or how you feel about yourself. For most people, weight loss needs to happen in the real world, not a controlled environment where everyone around you supports your mission to overhaul your life.

Other things that make me uncomfortable about The Biggest Loser: the fact that they force people who have very little experience with exercise into multiple hour a day training sessions right off the bat. I’m seriously amazed no one has died on this show yet. Next, they hawk oodles of processed diet foods. If I see one more contestant talk about what a great choice Subway/Pudding Cups/Reconstituted Meat-like Products are I’m going to reach through the TV and slap them around a bit. But the most important thing is that they reduce people to a number, which is exactly what people who obsess over their weight need to overcome (We are not numbers, we are people!), and yet every episode at the end of a week of puking, crying, and dramatic revelations the contestants have to take their clothes off in front of television cameras and wish for some astronomically high number that isn’t even healthy to lose in one week.

But there are a few good things about the show. For starters: Dolvett. He’s pretty. I’d like one for Chrismukkah, please. Second, watching people achieve their dreams never ceases to be an emotional and inspiring experience. And thirdly, based on the fact that no one has died yet, and they have them do some seriously insane stuff, I leave each episode knowing that the voice in my head telling me that my workout is “too hard” is just a voice, and I’m capable of so much more than I’m comfortable with.

Every few seasons I tune in and want to be super inspired by the hard work and dedication by the people on TV. My dedication to the show usually lasts four or five episodes, then when the contestants, who all seemed like really sweet people in the beginning, start getting all vicious about voting their former friends off, I lose interest.

I like people to be nice. In fact, when movies or television shows get too suspenseful I usually start cleaning…or change the channel. I’m the least suspense-tolerant person ever.

Considering we’re three episodes into this season I only have one or two left in me.

Love it or Hate it? How do you feel about The Biggest Loser?

 

Breakfast


French toast made with egg whites, cinnamon, almond milk, vanilla, and topped with banana and syrup

Lunch



This little combo came from The Fella, and it’s pure genius. Tofurky with spicy seaweed snacks. I wrap them up in Trader Joe’s reduced carb tortillas. I like the reduced carb ones because they don’t dry out like regular tortillas and don’t make a crumbly mess.
Side of hummus with bell pepper and carrots

Dinner





Garden vegetable frittata made with ¼ whole eggs, ¾ egg whites
Salad, dressed with olive oil and lemon juice

Exercise: Rest Day!

Kim

Guest Post: How to Choose a Good Personal Trainer

A Few Tips to Help You Find That Special Someone….

By Roy the “Fitness Fella”Photo Credit: http://firthfitness.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Personal-Training.jpg

Hello again, friends, fans and followers of Kim. It’s been a year now since I last blogged on The Kim Challenge, and the lady asked that I contribute again. To those who are new to the blog, just stopping by, or don’t remember me, I’m Roy, her “fella.”

My previous blog post was “Instead of a New Year’s Resolution—a New RESOLVE,” in which I explained the basic principles for efficient and sustainable weight loss, muscle addition, or body fat reduction. My professional background in health and fitness is detailed there, so I won’t bore you with it here. But I do encourage you to read (or re-read) it and leave comments, questions, or catcalls, if you have any.

For those of us who’ve been following Kim’s blog (or living with her, which is way cooler) the past few weeks have been a Rocky-like montage of light meals, protein shakes, gym workouts, runs, spin classes, and more runs (Kim has signed up for a half marathon through Team In Training, raising money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Please sponsor her by donating whatever you can here). As part of her serious commitment to get back in shape Kim wanted my opinion on hiring a personal trainer a couple of times a week. She thought my answer was worth sharing with you, her loyal readers, which (finally) brings us to the actual topic of my post; how to choose a good personal trainer.

WHY have a personal trainer?

Not everyone needs a personal fitness trainer, of course. It’s a safe bet that spending an exorbitant amount of money on someone to show you how to use the machines at your gym is mighty low on your disposable income list. But allow me to make the case for hiring a personal trainer nonetheless: first of all, if you’re not exercising with some regularity—at home, at the gym, in a class, at the beach, whatever and wherever—it’s a good time to start. Simple truth is that you can’t be healthy and look good without it. And if you do exercise regularly, chances are that you’re spending a decent amount of time and money on it already. A gym membership is a nice chunk of change, and investing a few hours a week working out comes at the expense of a million other things you could be doing. But here is exactly where a personal trainer comes in.

Firstly, with a standing appointment that costs you money you’ll actually show up. You’ll actually go to the gym, instead of just having a membership. You’ll actually use the equipment you have laying around the house.

Secondly, when you do show up you’ll have someone to make you work hard. None of the discounts you give yourself when you just don’t feel like it, no lip service going-through-the-motions workouts. A trainer will work you harder than you would (or could) work yourself.

But making sure you show up and work hard you can do with a training partner, or possibly a lot of discipline, neither of which cost you money. The best reason to hire a personal trainer is that they’ll not only work you harder, but also smarter. They’ll make sure you do the right exercises for your goals and limitations and that you perform each exercise properly. So your workouts will be more efficient and less hazardous—getting you better, quicker and safer results. It’s a lot more bang for relatively little more buck.

personal_trainer_megaphone

 

Mr. Personality over Mr. Universe

The thing to bear in mind when choosing a personal trainer is that your relationship with your trainer is no different than any other type of relationship; its success has mostly to do with subjective factors, not the least of which is chemistry, a compatibility of personalities. This is not someone who services your car; they service your body. And, as often as not, your mind, too. Half to two-thirds of your workout pass in rest, so not having anything to talk about makes for awkward sessions. And working out is about letting loose and pushing hard, not adding more pent-up stress to your day. You’re not hiring a new best friend, but if you’re not hitting it off with your trainer, as nice and professional as they may be, they may not be the right trainer for you.

einstein-muscle

 

Intellect

You’d be surprised, but even at the gym that’s important. Intelligent people tend to do things intelligently, whereas unintelligent people tend to do things, well…. If your prospective trainer seems to have a harder time constructing a sentence than squatting 500 lbs., that’s a red flag. Granted, you’re not necessarily looking for an exercise Einstein, but a fully evolved primate is a pretty good benchmark to start with.

 

Education

A trainer’s educational background is, in my opinion, the most important objective parameter to go by. You’ll find plenty of trainers who’ll boast about how long they’ve been training or how many people they’ve trained over the years, but experience without schooling is blind. Not that it’s not important, but things like physiology, anatomy, biomechanics or nutrition aren’t some esoteric, mystic disciplines; they’re sciences, researched by countless experts in innumerable studies and tests and distilled into knowledge taught at schools. A trainer who’s “schooled by experience” just isn’t enough. Think of it this way; a personal trainer is responsible for your health, not unlike a doctor (In truth, a bad trainer can cause damage that the best doctor can’t fix, and a good trainer can prevent damage that the best doctor couldn’t fix). Would you allow a doctor who never went to med school to treat you? Why not? But what if they had lots of experience? Same goes for your trainer.

A trainer can be an autodidact, of course, and no less knowledgeable than a schooled trainer, but a diploma or certification from an accredited institution is an objective yardstick. Sadly, there’s no law in any of the 50 states that governs fitness qualification, so the whole field is a bit laissez-fair. If not a degree, look for certification from a prominent institution and, ideally, in more than one field.

 

Experience

Now that I’ve made a big to-do out of a trainer’s education, I’d like to give proper credence to the importance of training experience. All the education in the world, without practice, is just theory. Would you want an inexperienced doctor, fresh out of med school, to operate on you? What if they graduated first in their class? The same rationale extends to your trainer—you want someone who knows what they’re doing but has also done it successfully many times before. Don’t be shy about asking for references; a good trainer will have plenty of gratitude letters and before & after pics of their clients.

What also helps is your trainer’s personal experience as a practitioner of what they preach. A background in competitive sports or military service is a big plus. And while they don’t necessarily have to look like Greek statuary, being in good shape certainly helps.

normal-curve-middle-80-percent

The best trainer

Looking for the best personal trainer is like looking for a unicorn or an NYC taxi driver willing to drive to Brooklyn; they don’t exist. Don’t get me wrong—it’s important that you distinguish between a bad trainer and a good trainer. It’s just that there’s no point comparing two good trainers. Like any other profession—including yours, I’d wager—professionalism goes along a bell curve; in the middle are the 80% who are average at what they do. On one end of the curve are the 10% who are dilettantes and on the opposite end are the 10% who are brilliant (that would be you, naturally). Personal trainers are no different. If they’re bad or mediocre they’re all pretty much the same, but if they’re good they each bring something else to the table. Each qualified, competent trainer usually has a field of specialty or two, and their own style and method of training. You’d be hard-pressed to find a trainer who’s good at both rehabilitation, bodybuilding, and dance. Comparing trainers to doctors again—you have your general practitioners, but by definition they don’t specialize in anything. Find a good trainer who’s also a good fit for your goals.

 

I Hope you found this interesting and helpful. Looking forward to your thoughts, and wishing you a happy and healthy New Year!

“The Doctor of the future will give no medicine, but will interest her or his patients in the care of the human frame, in a proper diet, and in the cause and prevention of disease.”

–Thomas Edison

 Roy

Diet Diva

Over the last few days I have learned a lot about myself. For starters, I’m easily swayed by peer pressure. I learned this important lesson when I went to use the leg press machine yesterday at the gym, and I had to de-weight the machine of plates.  The woman using it before me pressed about 80lbs more than I usually do. We had about the same build and visible muscle tone; therefore I immediately felt jealous and inadequate. I raised my weight level by 50lbs. I am SOOOOOOOOORE today. Luckily it’s just muscle soreness, not any sort of joint pain; which means I can probably handle the increase—I’m just a weeny.

The second thing that I have learned is this: the idea of dieting makes me obsess over food. The first few days on the Fresh Diet were awesome. There was no thinking involved—I love not thinking! No cooking. No shopping. Just microwaving and munching. The problem came about five days into the plan The Fella asked if I was “done dieting yet?”

HE SAID THE D-WORD!

All of a sudden I started thinking, “I’m on a diet!” Followed by feelings of longing and self-pity and an appearance by the crazy lady that lives in the back of my brain.

She hasn’t been around for a few years, but I imagine that she wears a super-high-cut leotard over her shiny tights and does a lot of jumping jacks while breathing all porny-like.

When she’s around all I can do is obsess over food and think about how I’ll never really be able to rock bright pink lamé leggings or tease my hair high enough.

Don’t worry if you don’t remember the 1980s. You’re probably better off for it.

It’s all mental. I cannot use the d-word.

To be fair to this experiment, I generally eat around the same caloric intake in day-to-day life, adjusted accordingly on super intense exercise days, but I never feel like I’m dieting. That keeps me sane. While I’m actually eating tasty stuff that is well within my eating norms: I think that I am on a diet and thusly can only think about food all the time.

Friday is my last day of this little experiment. I think if you have a lot of money, very little interest in cooking, and no real interest in calorie counting this is a great idea. I, I have learned, don’t do so well with outside restrictions.

I’m hoping to ditch the diet diva soon—she’s kind of freaking me out.

I have, however, shed two pounds. I should eat dessert in the middle of the day more often.

Do you have a diet alter ego? Crazy thoughts? French-cut leotard?

Breakfast


Breakfast quiche aka: super thick asparagus and cheese omelet-pie-thing
Pineapple
Iced coffee with almond milk

Lunch


Chicken and wild rice soup
Stuffed mushroom caps

Dessert


That’s my cheesecake—it has my name on it.
I was cubiclized today in Magazineland. I brought my last two packages of food to work with me. Dessert made a nice 3pm snack.

Dinner


Office lighting sucks. I swear this stuffed chicken breast, string beans and mushrooms looked way better in person.

Exercise: 60-minute Zumba
I

Kim

The Elf Diet

One of the coolest parts about having a healthy living blog is that every once in a while I get to try cool new healthy living stuff.

I’m trying a week of a meal delivery program, The Fresh Diet, out. The diet follows The Zone-esque model of 40%, 30% and 30% carbohydrates, fats and proteins. Depending on your age, gender, and activity level your caloric requirements are calculated and all your meals are prepared by magical elves that deliver it to your house while you’re sleeping.

I <3 elves.

Every morning (since last Friday) I’ve woken up, stumbled outside, cursed the Nordic gods and their vengeful winter, and found an insulated bag with ice packs carrying my food for the day. I honestly wasn’t expecting much in regard to taste, but the food is pretty decent. The program touts that it was developed by a Cordon Bleu-trained chef, which is probably true, but I wouldn’t necessarily say this is gourmet stuff. It is however easily edible. I don’t think I would be able to stay on something like this long-term, I like cooking and planning my own meals too much, but this is a great novelty—especially after the holidays.

The major boon to meal delivery (besides not having to do as many dishes or brave the grocery store) is the reminder about how important it is to plan ahead when you’re trying to lose weight. I have always found that when I’m trying to lose weight I have a much easier time of it, and better results, when I plan my meals out ahead of time. Here’s why: As soon as the word “diet” appears in my lexicon all I can think about is food. While my normal non-dieting day can consist of all sorts of thought patterns, my dieting brain only wants to eat and know when it can feast its senses and on what. Pre-planning my daily meals takes the thinking out of it. I already know what I’m going to eat next which means I don’t have to obsess over it. The second reason: I have a game plan for calories, and can plan my workouts accordingly.

The Pros: Easy-peasy think-free dieting. No calorie counting. Easy clean up. Elves!
The Cons: Random cravings must go unanswered. In order to keep it all as low in gluten as possible I’m eating way more meat than I like to. It’s a wee bit on the pricey side:


I’ll give you guys an update on my weeks results this weekend J

 

Breakfast


Breakfast quiche with pineapple

Snack 1


Olive tapenade on crostinis (not gluten-free)

Lunch


Grilled steak salad with horseradish dressing

Snack 2


Roasted Portobello mushroom with tomato, mozzarella, basil and vinaigrette

Dinner


London broil, asparagus, roasted mushrooms

Exercise: AM: Strength Training A Day-Chest, shoulders, biceps and abs; PM: 60-minute spin class

Kim

Guest Post: Instead of a New Year’s Resolution—a New RESOLVE

Get in Shape and Stay in Shape with Simple Principles and Hard Work

Hello. As you may have guessed by the little muscle man icon below, I’m not Kim. So first, introductions are in order. I’m the guy Kim has been referring to as her fella these past few months. And since she invited me to guest-write for The Kim Challenge, I figured the “Fitness Fella” had a nice ring to it. But you can call me Roy.

And why, exactly, did Kim ask me to write here? I’m glad you asked. My quick bio blurb: I’ve been a personal trainer and health & fitness journalist for 11 years now. I’m a vet (boom-boom, not mew-mew), have a B.Sc./B.Ed. in Exercise Physiology with a major in Kinesiology and minor in Performance Nutrition, grad coursework in Physical Therapy and Biomechanics & Ergonomics, and a bunch of eclectic certifications like Pilates, Pre & Post Natal Exercise, Silver & Golden Age Populations, Krav Maga, etc. I’m not a proponent of any one school of thought of exercise or diet; find what works for you, just keep at it.

That’s me (my grandma taught me a gentleman introduces himself first). You are, naturally, the adoring fans of the effervescent Ms. Miller. Aren’t we all. [editor's note: aww, blushing]

Now, on to business. If you’re a Kim reader, it’s a safe bet you know the basics; salad good, donut bad. Water good, Coke bad. Walking good, TV zombie bad. So I want to go a step further here, and focus less on the what and more on the how. It’s the difference between results and great results. Being result-oriented in your diet and exercise sounds obvious, right? But how many times have you hit the gym and spin classes for weeks on end, only to lose five meager pounds? Or watched what you ate, avoided temptations, and did lose some weight—but then gained it all back? Many times it’s because a lot of your energy is wasted in the wrong direction, and not enough is channeled in the right direction. So atten-hut, soldier! I’m going to debrief you on the winning strategy for strength training, cardio, diet, and their reciprocation.

 

First Things First: Correctly Defining Your Goals

[Read more...]

 Roy

What’s pie is pie

Here’s the thing about the past—it already happened.

You can’t change it.

I’m a dweller. Do you guys dwell?

I dwell, definitely dwell; dwell and fret.

It’s a ridiculous phenomenon, because the only thing we really have any say in is the future. The present is ephemeral, and the past has already happened. Yet, we tend to carry our what-if’s around with us—especially when it comes to our bodies.

What if I’d started losing weight at this time last year?

What if I’d played sports as a child?

What if I hadn’t gone back to the dessert table that second time?

What if I put my head on Jessica Alba’s body?

After spending months working my butt (and thighs, and waist, and jiggly part under my arms) off to prepare for my best friend’s wedding, I’ve been avoiding the scale for the last two weeks. Dwelling on it. Fretting about it. I’ve been in weight loss mindset for so long that the fact that I consciously loosened the reigns a bit for the holiday season made me super nervous. Today I faced my fears: I hopped on the scale and hopped off again with the knowledge that I have gained two pounds. Honestly, I’m relieved. Now I know, so I won’t be reliving every piece of pie (pizza or dessert variety) I’ve had in the last few weeks. It’s already done whatever damage it’s going to do and now I can let it go, and focus on the next holiday party, birthday dinner, or group outing. In the end pie is not the enemy. We have pie. It tastes good. Our thighs get bigger. Worse things have happened.

When you leave parties this season, all the while mentally tallying the caloric totals of the cookies, pigs in blankets, and nog; stop, let it go. It’s the past. And a delicious past it was.

Breakfast


Iced coffee with almond milk
Egg white omelet with broccoli and turkey bacon
Strawberries

Snack


Protein muffin

Lunch


Fruit salad

Vegetable rolls with tofu

Snack


I ate half a protein bar before my workout, half after

Dinner


Faux fried rice. I’m not sure it looks appealing, but it tastes good.
Half cup brown rice, one egg scrambled, 3 oz of chicken diced, 2/3 cup mixed vegetables, cooking spray, garlic powder and soy sauce to taste.

Exercise: Strength-Chest; Cardio-Elliptical, 45-minuts

Kim

And Now It’s Time for Maintenance

T-minus a hand full of hours until my bridesmaid dress fitting.

I did not lose my last couple of Operation Hot Bridesmaid pounds, but I’m still pretty proud of the work I’ve put into this wedding. I’ve lost 18lbs since I first tried my dress on in April. Next stop maintenance.

Maintenance is, if you ask me, the most difficult part of weight loss. There are thousands of diet books on the market at any given moment, but you never really see books on how to maintain your weight after you lose. The reason: it’s really hard, and it’s all about trial and error.

My strategy going into maintenance now is to continue with my increase in strength training, cut back a bit on cardio and slightly increase my caloric intake. I’ll do all of this incrementally and monitor how my pants fit until I find the perfect combination.

I’ll keep you posted, this may be harder in practice than it is in theory.

What are your tips for maintenance?

 

Breakfast

Breakfast burrito (it’s easier to photograph pre-rolling): multi grain tortilla, refried beans, egg whites and hot sauce

Snack

Chocolate protein muffin (unphotographed)

Lunch


Whole wheat pasta with spinach, beefless beef crumbles and marinara sauce

Post workout snack


Chocolate peanut butter protein bar

Dinner


Warm chickpea and tahini salad

Exercise: 35-minute elliptical, 60-minute strength training

Kim

October Resolutions


Source

Holy October Batman, where did 2011 go!

Yay for cardigans and scarves, boo for closed-toed shoes. Ready or not it is officially autumn.

I love fall, even if it does mean that winter is just a few short months away. Fall is crisp and invigorating, and it’s like one last shot to make the most of the year. We’re in the homestretch of 2011, and I plan on making the absolute most of October, you know the last month before the cold sets in and the epic eatathon that is the holiday season starts.

A quick review of last month’s resolutions:

  1. Finish editing sample chapters and send to my agent. I’m close guys, I’m really close. Eeek.
  2. Work on date-life balance. This one pretty much resolved itself. The fella is in grad school and once the school year kicked in we definitely spent less time cuddling. Sigh, I miss the constant cuddling, but this is far more productive.
  3. More reviews/editorial calendar. Errrr. Fail.
  4. Stretch. I’ve actually been stretching more. It hurts so good. And by good I mean it hurts.
  5. Buy a new gym bag. Gym bag accomplished. I bought the puddle jumper bag as recommended in the comments! Thanks for your expert advice TKC readers!

So what am I resolving for October? Good question… [Read more...]

Kim