[Leavchip]

With all the stress and strains of the world today many of us have been discussing getting a healthier lifestyle by workingout, changing our eating habits and working on de-stressing our lives.

I thought with all the great ideas and advice that has been given, we needed a common thread to put it all together in to help and encourage each other along the way.

I will list on the first 2 post links that are given to websites and areas that will be helpful to everyone on this journey of getting healthy and staying healthy.

So-- lets discuss and share.

UPDATE: MAY 3, 2009 - THE DETOX BEGINS - Book being used is - The Fat Smash Diet By Ian Smith
(for other info - begin on pg. 6 here)
5/12/09: on page 29 is a complete list of workout tunes everyone has posted so far-

[Leavchip]

I will share with you that getting healthy has been a serious battle for me for years. I have fought morbid obesity my entire adult life and took a drastic step in Dec. 2004 to make a life style change. I had gastric bypass surgery done. This has changed all the areas of my life- the way I eat, workout, view myself and live my life. I did not do a quick fix but a change for the rest of my life in order to get a handle on the weight and to have a better control over it.

I workout 4 days week right now- 3 days I do cardio and weights at our YMCA and 1 day a week I have Pilates class.

I am only able to eat 3/4 to 1 cup of food at each meal. There are many items I can no longer consume and I have to take a boatload of vitamins each day inorder to maintain a balanced nutrition. Protein is the biggest source I consume- I have to get in between 60 -100 grams a day so that I do not lose my hair.

[Soaring above...]

I like http://www.fitday.com/ and http://www.sparkpeople.com/.

[jmig]

I would be a complete disaster if I didn't eat well and work out. I am in pretty good shape because I work out all the time to keep my sanity. Running, yoga, pilates clear my head. I recommend all three. Running - even if you HATE it - is such a natural high I think. Make a great playlist and just go. Outside if you can. If you don't like running, get out and walk. You can clear your head, enjoy your surroundings and think.

That being said, everything in moderation if you can balance it. I eat my share of shit food and have my lazy days. But if I didn't do what I do to stay healthy I think I would be miserable. Your mind body connection is pretty powerful.

[Lily_17]

I can't staaaaaaand running, but I don't mind the elliptical. Or rollerblading. Rollerblading is fun for me because I can just go and not think about it. Running always feels like effort.

Dancing around my apt. is good too. Haha.

I don't eat nearly healthy enough, or exercise well. *sigh*

[Jenni6277]

I have been overweight since I was 6 years old. I ate because I was depressed and then it became a habit. I ate when I was happy, sad, bored etc. I always had some "good" reason to eat. And the more fat/sugar the better.

I have always hated exercising. Only thing I like is to go biking or walking.

When I was 24 a nurse told me that my blood pressure is quite high and if I can't get it down, I may have start using medication. That really shocked me and then something happened inside of me. I started to pay more attention to what I eat and when I eat. I cut down the fat and I stopped eating poultry(ethical reasons).

I started to bike alot during the summer and quite fast I started to lose weight. At the beginning of my life change I weighed 93kg(205Ibs). Now I weigh 73kg(160Ibs).

Most important change in me has been emotional healing. I decided to let go of the past and the reasons that kept me eating unhealthily.

Now I'm a vegetarian(I eat only dairy products and fish).

I still don't do exercises except biking and walking. But I feel happy now and this is just the beginning.

Oh, and I love dancing!

[jmig]

Basically anything that is cardio and that you enjoy (i.e that you will do consistently) is good. Just get moving.

And yah for dancing, I keep thinking to take a class in ballet or something. Only for the grace and flexibility. Because I am so ungraceful.

[axm9237]

Good thread! I'd been contemplating making one for this purpose, and I'm glad you did it, Becky.

I've had problems with my weight since about 9th grade, although at that point, I was quite slim. So I guess at that time, it was more body image than weight that I had trouble with. I used to take ballet classes, but I quit because I felt horrible about my body. If I'd stuck with it, I would probably be anorexic. I was in a healthy weight range through tenth grade, but when I danced in my school's musical, onstage with a bunch of twigs, I felt like a cow.

My real "weight" problems began when I was sixteen and put on medication. Now, I'm certainly not blaming the medication entirely for my weight gain. It played a small part. I had never been taught how to make healthier food choices, so I didn't understand how to alter my diet to keep from gaining weight while on the meds. Between tenth grade and graduation, I gained about 70 pounds.

I was lucky enough to actually lose the "freshman 15" in my first year of college, and I kept it off fairly well. When I spent a semester in Ireland, I lost another 20 pounds. Since then, I gained most of it back--getting almost back to my highest weight ever--lost some, gained, lost, gained, etc.

I actually enjoy going to the gym, and I have pretty much throughout this whole cycle. I'm sure I didn't go ENOUGH; I love it when I'm there, but I often can't motivate myself to actually GO. But I exercised a couple times a week. So my real problem was the food.

Luckily, thanks to a couple lovely ladies on this forum, I made the decision to join Weight Watchers in August. Lost almost 20 pounds so far; I wish it was more, but there were a few times when I just stopped tracking, didn't go to meetings, etc. But each time, I get back on track, and I haven't given up.

I'm watching what I eat, I'm working out a lot more. I just finished a 9-week, very vigorous boot camp-type exercise program, and I plan to continue with the next round when it starts. I have another 60-some pounds to go, I think, but I'm not setting my "big goal" until I get closer to it and see how I feel in my body.

Weight loss is a journey, and for me, it's best-experienced with a support system. That's why I go to Weight Watchers; the support system at my meetings is fabulous, and it's something I don't exactly get at home. On that note, I hope this thread doesn't get crashed by meanies.

I have my favorite "healthy lifestyle" sites bookmarked at home, so I'll try to remember to post them later.

ETA: Wow, I think that's the most I've contributed to a thread (in my own words, anyway) in a long time. Goes to show how much I care about the topic.

[find-ourselves-lost]

I really need to start eating more healthy...
But i do workout, when i can be bovered.

But i wouldn't say im unhealthy... i just don't eat vegetables, or stuff that are stringy or that have "bits" in them... you know like how orange has "orange pulp" in it... THOSE BITS, eww

[Jenni6277]

One thing I can't live without is chocolate. I don't care how bad it is for me(I have milk allergy), I just have to have it from time to time.

[axm9237]

One thing I can't live without is chocolate. I don't care how bad it is for me(I have milk allergy), I just have to get it from time to time.

From time to time is great. That's one of the things Weight Watchers teaches--you don't have to deprive yourself of your favorite things in order to be healthy. If you deprive yourself, then you'll want it more, and eventually you'll cave and binge.

Everything in moderation.

[Jenni6277]

Yeah, I agree. Sometimes I've been like 3 weeks without chocolate and when I finally gave in, I ate it too much and got sick.

[TeachJoanne]

When I quit smoking (best thing I ever did - ever) I gained about 16kg quite quickly. I still wasn't obese but I didn't fit in my body properly (or, more importantly, my clothes) and got into Weight Watchers. I had never eaten so healthy in my life! I have to consciously eat healthy foods because I really don't like them at all. My food cupboards normally stock the things teens have when their parents are on vacation.

I joined a gym about a year ago and really enjoy their group lessons. Especially the combat ones. My hips don't seem to be dealing with that too well so hopefully I can get the doctor to advise me on how to make sure I can keep that up healthily. I love the yoga/t'ai chi/pilates class our gym has, too. I also try to walk pretty much everywhere and I have recently rediscovered my bike but since I am incapable of biking at a leisurely pace I always get all hot and bothered by that. Not in a good way

Taking my body into account and doing right by it has been amazing. I feel so much better now than I did when I was in my twenties.

[jmig]

ps chocolate (dark) and wine are healthy in moderation

[axm9237]

Luckily, thanks to a couple lovely ladies on this forum, I made the decision to join Weight Watchers in August.

got into Weight Watchers.

And there's one of the "lovely ladies"! Jo, I talked to Suzi back in August; she told me you kinda' got her into WW. So I should thank you for that. Thanks! I love it.

Jen--they are, indeed! Too bad I don't like either of them.

[jmig]

Loads of women I know do WW. I think it is cool because it is lifestyle changes unlike some of those other meal replacement programs. It seems like it could really have long term impact which is key to avoid yoyo dieting. Anyhow, congrats to all those taking positive steps. Our bodies are really all we have, we should treat them well. A bit of abuse now and again is all good fun too of course.

[axm9237]

Loads of women I know do WW. I think it is cool because it is lifestyle changes unlike some of those other meal replacement programs. It seems like it could really have long term impact which is key to avoid yoyo dieting. Anyhow, congrats to all those taking positive steps. Our bodies are really all we have, we should treat them well. A bit of abuse now and again is all good fun too of course.

That's exactly it, Jen. Especially the last bit.

I considered joining WW earlier on in college, but aside from not having the money to pay for it, I had misconceptions: that it would be all middle-aged, frumpy housewives; that it was just like any other diet, etc. I was so incredibly wrong. My meeting has men, women, very young, very old, and so on. It's great because everyone seems so very different, but we have this thing in common.

Since I started that exercise program I mentioned before, I've had a couple people come up to me in my meetings and tell me that I inspire them to exercise more, and to know that even with as little as I think I've done, someone was motivated and inspired by me, it's an awesome feeling, and it pushes me even more.

And then there's my mom, who told me a couple weeks ago that my butt was shrinking...but she still couldn't see through it, so get out of the way, she's trying to watch TV.

[Jenni6277]

I've never considered to join in the ww. I can't stand too controlled diet and all those points.. Gives me creeps. I like to be free and do things my own way.

[grrli]

HYDRATION!
All your cells live in a cushion of interstitial fluid, the main component of which is... wait for it...
Yeah, water.
Without proper hydration, your fascia (all the layers of skin and the layers of tissue that bind your cells together into things like muscle bellies) gets sticky. You can loose motion, or movement becomes uncomfortable. Your skin gets wrinkly faster.

Anything with caffeine in it DOES NOT properly hydrate. Anything with added sugar (corn syrup!) does not properly hydrate. If you do not eat the right foods that contain the electrolytes you need... you do not retain the water, it just goes in one orifice and out another.

Water is the basis of life. You can treat your body well in ever other way, but without water, none of it is efficient.