Keep it Simple!

It's another cold and blustery day here and frankly, I'm getting a little tired of it...LOL. It didn't get quite as cold as it did last night, but the wind today is pretty strong making it unbearable to be outside. I can't even imagine what Gary has to go through at work on days like this.

I took a few pictures last weekend of what the gardens look like all snow covered, so thought I'd share a couple here. I really despise winter after about 2 months, and this winter has been a harsh one, just as the Farmer's Almanac predicted. I love the change in seasons, but the severe driving conditions and cold spells really wear on you after a while. We usually have a thaw in January, but I don't see one coming anytime soon.

Someone asked me what I learned from my gardening last year and I replied that it's better when I "Keep it Simple". This applies to my daily life as well as to my gardening life, so this year I will focus on that theme for this blog and for all aspects of my life. I think we tend to over analyze things in this world of computer gadgets and the next best thing. We tend to make things much harder than they need to be because, my gosh, it couldn't be that simple, right? How could I make money off it, if it's that simple? I need to make it seem more complicated so that people will buy what I'm saying. It's a mentality like this, that I think has contributed to a lot of the problems in this world today and a lot of my problems in the past, frankly. I don't want to be rich, I just want enough to pay my bills, buy a little something for myself when I want to, help others when needed and try to save the earth in the process.

That being said, I'd like to use this theme today to focus on weight loss and being healthier.

I just read an interesting article that stated their is no quick fix when it comes to weight loss and muscle building. Really? You don't say? We always want a quick fix to everything and don't want to hear the truth, so it's refreshing to read an article from someone who is not being paid off by the industry or promoting some "miracle" product that could kill you.

Basically, if you eat smaller portions of real wholesome foods, not store bought, frozen, canned, over processed or restaurant food, you will lose weight and be healthier. Simple, right? In addition to eating smaller portions, you want to eat more often, so that your body doesn't think that it's starving and just store all those calories. Even before I had an expert tell me this, I always lost weight when I felt like I was eating constantly. I don't mean shoveling down pounds of unhealthy foods all day long, but nibbling foods that are good for you. For example, some days I would get up in the morning and have a small bowl of oatmeal. I'd be satisfied with that and then an hour later, I might nibble on some carrots. Then an hour or so after that, I might have a fat free yogurt. By then, it's time for lunch, so I'd have a salad. Then an hour later, I might eat the sandwich I brought to go with the salad and then an hour after that I'd eat the crackers and cheese that I brought to go with it. Once dinner rolled around, I'd usually sit down to a real meal, but because I had nibbled all day, I wouldn't over-eat at dinnertime.

This is probably an extreme example. I don't normally eat something every hour, but I just wanted to show how you don't have to sit and eat an entire meal all at once. As long as you eat the recommended number of meats, veggies, carbs, etc. in a day, you'll be OK. Everyone has a different lifestyle, so it may not be convenient to nibble all day, but if you can incorporate a healthy snack mid morning and mid afternoon, along with normal sized portions at meal time, you'll be doing your body good.

Make sure you have a lean protein such as chicken, fish or a lean red meat such as sirloin. Add a side such as brown rice, or whole wheat pasta and then, of course, a vegetable like broccoli or a mixed green salad. Make sure you have 2 tablespoons of a good healthy fat each day such as olive oil, flax seed or almonds and you'll have a pretty balanced eating plan started.

Eating this way, also dramatically lowers your sodium intake. Processed foods are full of it. People think it takes so much longer to cook a meal from scratch then to throw a frozen meal in the oven. Not true. You don't have to be a master chief. If you have a small selection of fresh or dried herbs, that's all you need to make a flavorful dish. A little organizing and planning ahead and it becomes second nature and it will not consume all your time. Honestly.

In addition to eating better, we need to exercise to burn more calories and strengthen our bodies. When you burn more calories you can either eat more, if you are maintaining your weight, or eat less to lose weight. It's that simple. Obviously, athletes or people with special dietary needs, may need to pay closer attention to details, but for the majority of us, simple is better.

The type of exercise, really doesn't matter much, but you do need to incorporate a cardio workout along with strength training, 3-4 times a week for about 45 minutes each of those days. An example of a cardio workout would be running, walking fast, or cycling. Strength training could be as simple as using hand weights or lifting your own body weight, such as with stomach crunches or push-ups. Resistance bands are great for using at home. They don't take up much space and anyone can get started using them. I suppose you could get specific about working problem areas, but you really don't need to go crazy doing it.

Since starting Weight Watchers, I have been pretty sporadic about my exercise. Mainly because I just can't seem to find the time to do it. Lame excuse, I know. We've walked around the neighborhood when the weather has been cooperative and even bought snowshoes to help us enjoy the winter months more, but with the weather being so cold, that is just not a feasible option for use most of the time. So I am going to make an honest effort to incorporate more exercise into my life, somehow. My plan is to do some sort of high energy cardio for at least 20 minutes, then to work on my strength training for the remainder of the time, concentrating on my abs and arms for the most part. You may have your own problem areas :)

I know this is supposed to be a gardening and craft blog, but I am a multi dimensional person and there is more to my life then that. Since it's the slow time of year for gardening, I have to talk about something between craft projects, so I will share tips I've learned and little tidbits that just might make your struggle with weight loss a little easier. I'll share little snacks we find tasty and share just why being on Weight Watchers doesn't feel like a diet at all.

Just remember, to Keep it Simple!