My aunt is an amazing woman. Raising 9 kids, while homeschooling them...life can get, well, a little crazy. , In her Fitness Friday Post, this last Friday, Amy said "...in a family THIS size you have tons of reasons and things to celebrate. Our lives quickly became centered around food."
After one of my cousins was having health issues, a doctor recommended putting her on a gluten free diet. The family quickly followed suit to support. Amy said "It was amazing the transformation that was made in the household. More than one of us had a gluten sensitivity. My health and well being changed dramatically after I got past the first few weeks of withdrawal."
Having lost 70 pounds, to then become pregnant with her 9th, and after a series of just terribly events, depression hit the entire household. Tacking on for a 50 pound weight gain.
Well Amy's at it again! But this time, with a lot of determination! When I asked her what her top 3-8 lessons were from her journey of being there and back again (Lord of the Rings reference...get it?) she had some really inspiring answers.
1. Don't believe the hype. "Weight loss is not about being gluten free, fat free, or whatever. It is about making healthy choices!" Amy goes onto say "I learned that just because I was gluten free I wasn't going to magically shed pounds. There are a ton of things out there that are gluten free and filled with sugar and that is NOT a healthy choice. If you buy into one theory of losing weight, you still need to be careful and read your labels." Label reading is huge! I don't eat anything processed that 1. Has more than 3-5 ingredients labeled and 2.I don't buy/eat anything I can't pronounce or don't know what it is.
And pay attention to the carb count and sugar count, that's where those extra pesky pounds start to sneak in.
2. Mix things up! "If you are bored with your exercise routine or your menu don't be afraid to shake things up! It can be easy to become stagnant when you are trying to get healthy. You can get really sick of chicken breasts and the treadmill, but at the same time it can be super scary to to change up what you have been doing." I remember talking to a physical therapist who was very animated about fitness. He said you should switch up your routine every 3 months, but make minor changes 1 time weekly. So adding a new lift to your regime or instead of taking yoga take a spin class. You want to give your body some time to adapt or you will have a higher risk of injuries. Amy goes onto say "I really love doing cycling for my cardio, but one day all the bikes were taken at the gym. I swallowed my fear and got on the elliptical." I am right there with her, I can't stand the elliptical...I feel like there is so much more coordination what with your arms moving and legs moving and they're all in different directions but once I actually tried it, it's not bad. Espeically if you can hang onto the handles that don't move! For Amy her experience was much more pleasant "I had been so scared of the machine {but} I ended up loving it!"
3. Get inspired! "Reading blogs like {Moving Mountains}, watching the Biggest Loser, or reading a great book about someones battle is going to help inspire you. You can get burned out, you need to know there are others out there fighting the same battle- people who have succeed and quite possibly have started in a worse place than you! Also, if you can, don't do it alone. Others can help inspire you and keep you on track." I have plenty of running buddies and that's awesome! Iron Woman and I, when were in training were in CONSTANT communication. Our back and forth and we keep driving each other to move forward towards our overall goal. Find a friend that will be as motivated as you or more so! When one of you isn't feeling it, then the other can be the push and vice versa.
Amy has more to say, which I will share with you tomorrow! For now I would like to link you to her blog over at Amy Caroline: A Journey to Health
Keep up with her journey in real time as she posts her workouts, her habits, and all the recipes she tries. Keep in mind those recipes have to be hubby and kid approved. And she takes amazing photos!!!
I will share the 2nd part of Amy's tips tomorrow.
Blessings,
A
After one of my cousins was having health issues, a doctor recommended putting her on a gluten free diet. The family quickly followed suit to support. Amy said "It was amazing the transformation that was made in the household. More than one of us had a gluten sensitivity. My health and well being changed dramatically after I got past the first few weeks of withdrawal."
Having lost 70 pounds, to then become pregnant with her 9th, and after a series of just terribly events, depression hit the entire household. Tacking on for a 50 pound weight gain.
Well Amy's at it again! But this time, with a lot of determination! When I asked her what her top 3-8 lessons were from her journey of being there and back again (Lord of the Rings reference...get it?) she had some really inspiring answers.1. Don't believe the hype. "Weight loss is not about being gluten free, fat free, or whatever. It is about making healthy choices!" Amy goes onto say "I learned that just because I was gluten free I wasn't going to magically shed pounds. There are a ton of things out there that are gluten free and filled with sugar and that is NOT a healthy choice. If you buy into one theory of losing weight, you still need to be careful and read your labels." Label reading is huge! I don't eat anything processed that 1. Has more than 3-5 ingredients labeled and 2.I don't buy/eat anything I can't pronounce or don't know what it is.
And pay attention to the carb count and sugar count, that's where those extra pesky pounds start to sneak in.
2. Mix things up! "If you are bored with your exercise routine or your menu don't be afraid to shake things up! It can be easy to become stagnant when you are trying to get healthy. You can get really sick of chicken breasts and the treadmill, but at the same time it can be super scary to to change up what you have been doing." I remember talking to a physical therapist who was very animated about fitness. He said you should switch up your routine every 3 months, but make minor changes 1 time weekly. So adding a new lift to your regime or instead of taking yoga take a spin class. You want to give your body some time to adapt or you will have a higher risk of injuries. Amy goes onto say "I really love doing cycling for my cardio, but one day all the bikes were taken at the gym. I swallowed my fear and got on the elliptical." I am right there with her, I can't stand the elliptical...I feel like there is so much more coordination what with your arms moving and legs moving and they're all in different directions but once I actually tried it, it's not bad. Espeically if you can hang onto the handles that don't move! For Amy her experience was much more pleasant "I had been so scared of the machine {but} I ended up loving it!"
3. Get inspired! "Reading blogs like {Moving Mountains}, watching the Biggest Loser, or reading a great book about someones battle is going to help inspire you. You can get burned out, you need to know there are others out there fighting the same battle- people who have succeed and quite possibly have started in a worse place than you! Also, if you can, don't do it alone. Others can help inspire you and keep you on track." I have plenty of running buddies and that's awesome! Iron Woman and I, when were in training were in CONSTANT communication. Our back and forth and we keep driving each other to move forward towards our overall goal. Find a friend that will be as motivated as you or more so! When one of you isn't feeling it, then the other can be the push and vice versa.Amy has more to say, which I will share with you tomorrow! For now I would like to link you to her blog over at Amy Caroline: A Journey to Health
Keep up with her journey in real time as she posts her workouts, her habits, and all the recipes she tries. Keep in mind those recipes have to be hubby and kid approved. And she takes amazing photos!!!
I will share the 2nd part of Amy's tips tomorrow.
Blessings,
A
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