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Health

Ways to Work Out When You Don’t Have Time to Hit the Gym

by Deborah Cruz
written by Deborah Cruz

Recently, right before my Disney vacation last week, I hit my 200th day of working out. To celebrate, obviously, I went to Disney World. That’s what athletes do to celebrate, right? Unfortunately for me, I had the best vacation ever and ate all the food on the free dining plan and came home, 7 pounds heavier, despite walking 20000 steps every single day. I know most of it is water weight from the change in diet but still, I need to figure out ways to work out when I don’t have time to hit the gym.

Old Debi would be freaking the freak out right about now. New Debi, well, I may or may not be eating my smuggled Biscoff cookies from my flight this past weekend with a hot chai tea. The thing that I’ve learned on this weight loss/ get healthy journey is that it is a journey, not a race. Being 50 pounds lighter than I was at this time last year is a huge accomplishment and I am not going to let vacationing in the real world, derail 6 months of hard work and exercise. I’m going to get over it and learn from it.

READ ALSO: How a Simple Trip to the Doctor Could Have Saved my Life

Hey, I enjoyed my vacation. I was mindful of my carbs (because I’m diabetic and I have to be) but I still ate and drank around the world. I had cocktails with meals and dessert. I don’t feel guilty about it. Guilt is a useless emotion. I feel human about it. I enjoyed the food and the drinks and now, I’ll just get right back to it. The thing is when you are out of your routine, sometimes it is hard to find the time and place to exercise and that’s why this post is so important to me because I feel like this is a universal problem for most people.

In honor of my 200th workout, I’m going to give you some pointers for ways to work out when you don’t have time to hit the gym.

A crucial part of the journey is the scenery, enjoying life on the way. I’ll be honest, working out can be boring. It can be painful and it’s hard to maintain enthusiasm when you are a grown-ass person trying to work, take care of kids, keep a house clean, a dog alive and a marriage functioning.

Sometimes you need to flip the script and do something else. Exercise comes in all shapes, sizes and in the most unexpected places so don’t give up. Set your apple watch to “other” and do you, boo! You’ll be surprised how many calories you burn and steps you take doing “other.”

Ways to Work Out When You Don’t Have Time to Hit the Gym

Walk around the neighborhood

I know this one sounds almost too simple. My mom suggested Low impact cardio exercises to me when I first found out that I had diabetes. Obviously, because I am still a teen when it comes to my mom, I poo pooed her. Like I legit, was like yeah right mom. 50 pounds later, I am woman enough to admit, my mom was right. There I said it. And for as simple (almost childish as it sounds), it is my favorite part of the day. Every morning, I get outside and get some fresh air and see the beauty in the world. It also gives me time to clear my mind and get in tune with my body. It also reminds me every day just how much I love my mama.

BBG or any home video or YouTube workout

I’ve worked out at home for years. When I was in middle school, my bestie’s mom introduced her to Jane Fonda step aerobics and we were fans. Since then, I’ve done lots of home workouts from Zumba to Tae Bo and Turbo Jam. More recently, I’ve been addicted to Beach Body’s CIZE and BBG and there are a plethora of workouts on Youtube. My point is that it’s not so much how you choose to move your body as it is that you choose to move your body.

Window shop with your teen

Remember when I was telling you about the walking around my neighborhood trails and how well that works? Well, walking around the mall with your teen, window shopping burns just as many calories and on top of that, you get bonding time with your teen. Don’t overthink it. And believe me, it is much easier to get your teenager to accompany you to the mall than it is to get up early on a weekend morning to take a nature hike with you. Hell could freeze over waiting for that to be enjoyable.

Play at the park with your preschooler

Have I told you guys that in my day job, I am the pied piper of preschoolers? I am and it has reminded me that it takes a lot of energy to keep little kids entertained. There is a surprising amount of running, jumping, chasing, carrying and picking up that I had forgotten about. If you think I’m not being serious, in about 4 hours at work, I burn about 1500 calories playing with preschoolers and if you’re carrying babies around, just think of how buff your arms will be. Not joking at all. Playing with kids especially at the park where you will most certainly be running, jumping, swinging and air planing and carrying them on your shoulders will burn loads of calories. To get proper gear to exercise at home, you should visit the Altitude Sports online store.

Beach walk with your partner

Now, you probably won’t burn a zillion calories walking after dinner on the beach with your partner in the moonlight. But you will burn some and some is better than none. But if there is some playful flirty chasing or maybe a pit stop for love under the moonlight, all of that burns more calories than just sitting on the couch, falling asleep watching tv. Bonus, you get alone time with your special someone under the moonlight and they get to burn some calories too.

These are just a few ways to get exercise when you can’t get to the gym. Also, FYI, walking around Disney in the hot sun all day having the best day ever with your whole family burns about 3000 calories a day. Just one more reason that Walt Disney World is my favorite place ever.  Of course, I went way over my calories while there too (vacation cocktails) so it all balanced out in the end.

The past few months have been life-altering for me. I was diagnosed with diabetes and, in that moment, my life seriously flashed before my eyes and I knew I wasn’t done. I was faced with the question, do I change my entire life and live or do I continue on the path I’m on and die? It sounds simple enough but it was anything but.

READ MORE: How I Cured Myself of Type 2 Diabetes in 3 months

I knew I had to change but it has been hard. I took a solid week to mourn my old life; my old ways. It’s not easy. No more autopilot. I had to put on my big girl panties (and they were getting pretty big) and take responsibility for my actions. It is a choice every single day to keep going, even when I hit plateaus and I’m not getting where I want to be as fast as I hoped. I have to accept that this is s journey not a destination.

What’s your favorite way to work out when you don’t have time to hit the gym?

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Kitchen appliances you need, 5 Kitchen Appliances You Need to Get Healthy, tips to live longer, tips to get healthy
FoodHealth

5 Kitchen Appliances You Need to get Healthy

by Deborah Cruz
written by Deborah Cruz

I’ve made a list of  5 kitchen appliances you need to get healthy. I am, once again, trying to get my groove back. Well, not so much my groove, per se, but I am trying to see my feet again. Not that I’m walking around waiting for my spot on My 600-lb to air or anything. No one is coming anytime soon to airlift me out of my house with the jaws of life (knock on wood) but I could definitely be in better shape.

Yes, I’ve been here before. My never-ending quest for perfection. But this time, it really is different. This has nothing to do with perfection and everything to do with just wanting to look and feel good. It really isn’t so much vanity as just wanting to buy off the rack and have things fit correctly.  And if I could get rid of this Mother’s apron belly and my bat wings, even better. Okay, maybe I am a little vain.

READ ALSO: The Weight of my World is a Number on the Scale

The thing is this time, I really don’t care what other people think. The Big Guy is finally on board with trying to lose some weight himself. Like, it was his idea and he’s committed to it. I’m not embarrassed by my body. I love it. It’s a little broken but mostly, it is really strong. What I do want is to feel comfortable in my own skin, to be healthy and to not have to consider whether or not my body will be a hindrance to me in certain activities. For example, I just decided to skip an activity in Cozumel that would include me wearing a wetsuit in public.

To make it easier to get healthy, I wanted some appliances that could contribute to a healthier way of eating. Appliances that make eating healthy less cumbersome. I also wanted to be able to eat things that were recognizable to me and tasted good, just healthier versions.

This is my list of 5 kitchen appliances you need to get healthy

Hamilton Beach Rice and Hot Cereal Cooker, 5 kitchen appliances you need to get healthy, kitchen appliances you need

Hamilton Beach Rice and Hot Cereal Cooker

I don’t know how it does it but this magical appliance cooks rice (yes, even brown rice and whole grains) and steams vegetables perfectly simultaneously.  I’m telling you, it is magic. I can do pretty well with white rice and Spanish rice on my own but brown rice and whole grain perfection has alluded me.

It’s also pretty fantastic at making overnight oatmeal for a healthy breakfast in the morning for the entire family. It’s about to get really cold here in the Midwest and there is nothing that beats hot cereal for breakfast. Plus, why not eliminate some of the hassles of trying to do all the things, plus wrangle children in the morning? Did I mention cooks rice perfectly?

Disclosure: I was provided a Rice and Hot Cereal Cooker by Hamilton Beach for review purposes but all opinions are my own.

Juicer

I have a Breville but there are many options out there. This just happens to be the one I have and I love it. I like to juice for breakfast. It fills me up and gives me an energy boost. You may be asking, why not just drink coffee? While coffee is delicious, it is acidic and I’m pretty sure that the last time I was in the ER with my gallbladder attack, they told me that I had an ulcer. I’m 100% certain in this statement, as I could not hear over my own sobbing and vomiting of all the bile. Either way, I drink coffee in small quantities.

Too much caffeine makes this insomniac manic. Which reminds me, I don’t recommend a juice fast and the reason I only do breakfast juicing is that when I’ve done a juice fast, I became extremely manic. It takes a lot of fruit and veggies to make a glass of juice. Fruit has a lot of natural sugars. For me, sugar is sugar. My mania knows no difference. But still, for a healthy and delicious morning pick me up, juice.

Ninja Smart Screen Kitchen System with FreshVac Technology

One smart base, three high-performance appliances: the 72 oz. FreshVac Pitcher
(64 oz. max liquid capacity), 20 oz. Single Serve FreshVac Cup, and 40 oz. Precision Processor. It makes getting your daily smoothies in easy and quick. Kids come home from school hangry, smoothies in minutes. This is one of my favorite appliance buys. It does so much.

Airfryer

The Big Guy has gone on the Mediterranean diet so we are trying to reduce frying and incorporate a healthier option. Whatever you can deep fry, you can air fry, it is safer and healthier like having a portable convection-type oven at your fingertips. The Bella Air Fryer is a multi-functional unit with traditional fryer functions can air fry French fries, onion rings and chicken nuggets. PLUS, apparently, you can also bake small cakes, cook small chickens and meat roasts and even bread. Really simple and convenient to use you can cook a 1/2 bag of frozen French fries in 15 minutes using no oil at all.

Food scale

I have the EatSmart Digital Nutrition Scale. It’s a Professional Food and Nutrient Calculator that Calculate calories, carbs, fiber, sodium, fats, vitamin k and six other nutrients from thousands of packaged and 999 whole foods. It’s lightweight and stores easily under my counter.

Weighs in grams (to nearest whole gram) and ounces (to nearest .1 ounce); Max weight 11 pounds. It’s so simple but so important. Once you get those portions under control, you’ll be amazed at how your weight begins to level off.

READ ALSO: Fat Girl Walking

These are my 5 kitchen appliances you need to get healthy. What can you not live without in your kitchen? Do you think that the appliances you have in your kitchen are as important as the food you eat?

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Kitchen appliances you need, 5 Kitchen Appliances You Need to Get Healthy, tips to live longer, tips to get healthy
HealthWeight Loss

Tips to Live Longer that I Learned from Almost Dying

by Deborah Cruz
written by Deborah Cruz

Ever think you might want to live longer than the national average life expectancy? It’s 79 years old, by the way. That doesn’t work for me. I’m aiming for 103. Life goals people. I want to live longer, bolder and fiercer. I want every moment to be packed full of living.

There are very few things that can get me to change my entire life. My children are the reason I want to live longer but other than that, I’m a creature of habit and not all of those habits are good ones. I mean, I’m not smoking crack or anything but I’ve been known to say (on more than one occasion) that I’d rather work out for 3 hours than give up my carbs and I meant it, every single time.

The thing is sometimes those things are taken out of your hands and your only option is to give up the proverbial carbs, or in my case, the literal carbs. That’s what happened to me. Can you say morbidly obese, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetic and anemic? Yeah, that will make you change your, “I’d rather workout for 3 hours than give up my carbs” mantra really quick. I thought I was special.

It reminded me that time is fleeting and I want to live longer… a lot longer.

Well, not really special but I thought, it can wait. Like you, I’ve always been the kind of mom who puts my kids first sometimes to my own detriment. It’s just I want them to fondly remember me as the best.mom.ever.

I don’t pretend that we are friends. They hate my guts sometimes because I am “so mean” because I make them do things like eat vegetables and get their homework done. There will be plenty of time for bonding like friends when they are grown. Right now, my mission is to love them, keep them safe and raise good human beings so sometimes I have to be unpopular. Eye rolls be damned. Besides, I know they love me because they hug me while they are rolling their eyes.

Anyways, back to me, because I am embracing this new “selfish mom” era of motherhood. I had an incident recently, that I truly thought was a heart attack. Went to the doctor with 187/107 blood pressure. Was literally freaking out. Suddenly, no carbs in exchange for my not-quite midlife sounded pretty damn good. I was beyond bargaining and was begging the universe to let me have another chance.

Are you there God, it’s me Deborah and I’m going to need to live longer!

Well, after lots of tests, I found out that I did not have a heart attack. Thank Goodness. But everything else I’d feared was right there in my chart confirming my suspicions, I had been ignoring my own health for way too long.

Eating cold food on the run or late at night after everyone else is taken care of is not good for you. Never taking the time to work out to lose the baby weight (for 11 years) because you are too busy rushing kids to their sports, definitely not good for you. Never looking at labels because you know what’s good for you, surprisingly not good for you. Eating out…so terrible for you. But I live in the real world and I want to keep doing so. So, I’m changing all of my bad habits with the hope of being able to live longer.

Here’s how I am making little changes that will help me live longer and be healthier.

Shaking my bootie

I’ve started at the bare bones. I’m moving. No, not across the country to a weight loss commune. I’m moving my body, morbidly obese as it may be. I, like you, don’t have a lot of extra time in my day so I am designating 30-45 minutes a day where I dance all over my house with the music blaring. I know I dance like Sam Rockwell but I don’t care I am moving. It makes me happy and it feels good.

A couple other things, I’ve gotten myself a Lotus desk stand so that I will no longer be sitting all day. In fact, I’ll probably be dancing at my desk. I’m probably dancing right now.  The Lotus™ Sit-Stand Workstation features Smooth Lift Technology™ to keep your workstation stable and make changing positions from sitting to standing effortless. Lotus is an easy to use, adjustable and worry free setup engineered with the durability to transition working positions throughout the day. Numerous studies have confirmed that sitting for prolonged periods of time is harmful to your health.

Another thing, I’m walking. Why sit or stand when you can walk. Park further away, take the stairs, just do it.

Writing stuff down

Also, like I told my mother (who was not amused at all) thanks to my past history with eating disorders, I am a dynamite list maker and a pretty damn restrictor. I’ve channeled that into something good, I am logging all of my food into my phone and then I am keeping an actual list of all the calories, carbs, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium and fiber that I am getting. Sounds daunting right? You know what’s even more daunting, being dead. Missing my girls grow up, so lists it is!

Making better choices

I am making informed decisions about what I put into my body. I have my guidelines and I am following them. I do believe everything in moderation so if I can fit what I am craving within the parameters of what I am allowed to have on that day, then I have it. I’m eating cleaner with lots more fresh fruits and veggies, no red meat, lots of lean meat and being very aware of the dairy I put into my body and only eating whole grains. Yes, it is an adjustment. My family is ready to murder me in my sleep for all the sneaky veggies that I’ve been feeding them. My daughter was not amused when she found out that her popcorn chicken was actually baked cauliflower with honey garlic sauce. She thought it was amazing until her sister ratted me out.

Letting it Go

Last but not least, I am letting stuff go. I am a long-time, Type-A perfectionist. I have doctor verified control issues but I am like a dog with a bone when it comes to issues that bother me. I can’t let anything go. I’m a fighter but with that comes stress and worry, which are two pointless emotions. They serve no purpose other than to make your situation worse so I’m stepping back, counting to 10 and recognizing my limits. If kids don’t get their homework done, I can’t stay up until 3 a.m. finishing. If the house can’t be perfect, so be it. I can’t make everyone happy. If you are someone who stresses me out, I’m probably not going to be answering the phone or interacting anytime soon.

I want to surround myself with positivity. That’s it. I want to live and I want to be healthy so I have to make it happen. I have to be selfish so that I can be around to be a good wife and mother. My dreams will never come true if I’m dead so I am embracing my new lifestyle.

It’s only been 11 days but I’ve lost 11 pounds and I feel better than I have in ages. This change is not only good for my mind and body, it’s good for my soul. I can see things more clearly when my mind is still and I can focus. So this is me becoming the best version of myself.

Since beginning this journey, I have found a lot of great family-friendly healthy recipes and discovered new and exciting ways to be active at home, with your family or by yourself and I will be sharing them all here along the way. It’s not as hard as I thought, with the right motivation.

What are you doing to live longer so that you can see your little ones grow up and you can grow old with your special someone?

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Get Healthy, working out, New YEar
HealthTechWeight Loss

Best Tech to Help You Get Healthy in the New Year

by Deborah Cruz
written by Deborah Cruz

Time to get healthy. It’s that time of year again when I’m not quite sure what day it is and my jeans no longer fit. Even the jeggings are being pushed to their limits. Well, technically, I can still zip my skinny jeans but they are functioning more like a tourniquet these days than actual clothing and there is nothing “skinny’ about the situation. Unless you consider the magic they hold that can hold a 10-pound sack of ass in a 5-pound bag sort of stretchy magic. I’m afraid I’m going to be in public and a bend in the right direction is going to send my derriere publicly exposed in all directions.

I am in full on Humpty Dumpty land and feeling every bit of all of those holiday carbs that I’ve been shoveling into my face between Halloween and the New Year holding their hands up and demanding to be counted. This happens every year. Somehow, I slowly phase out the cute skinny jeans for full skirts, A-line dresses and the dreaded Christmas leggings and voila, here we are…”fat girl in a little coat” ( or jeans as it were) time.

It sucks. I hate feeling perpetually bloated. And I’ve convinced myself that my skinny jeans have to weigh at least weigh 15 – 18 pounds. It’s not me. It’s them and they need to get on a diet STAT. It’s the only logical explanation. I’m sure this new egg shaped physique that I’m sporting has nothing to do with all the cakes, pies and alcohol that I consumed at all the holiday gatherings. Oh and I blame my period, as I always do. Has to be. I mean that’s at least another 5-10 pounds of water weight, right?

All I know is that if this state of being is not remedied soon, I’m going to go postal in the nearest fast food joint or maybe the nearest 1200 calorie latte serving Starbucks. Sonsabitches, I knew that caramel crème brulee latte was French for fat girl. Bastards. The thing is no one made me eat it. No one forced me to sip that sweet, overpriced, calorie stuffed latte. I wanted it and with wild abandon, I consumed in typical American nature. Moderation? I don’t need any stinking moderation. Come on we all know that I operate on two speeds; restriction or no moderation whatsoever. It’s a sickness. Really.

Anyways, you know me, I’m not one to go gently or silently into anything. I’m scrappy and I’m going to fight it to the death. It’s that time once again when I feel the need to beat the fat back into submission. Okay, all joking aside, I’m not delusional. I’m never going to sport the waif like body of my 20’s ever again. Mostly because I’ve been in eating disorder recovery for nearly 20 years and I can’t relapse into full on anorexic, not with tween girls in the house, that would make me a terrible role model. Hey, I didn’t say it’s right but everyone has their thinspiration’ mine just happens to be healthy for my girls without being off the rails mentally ill in front of my girls while doing it.

It’s a daily battle that I’ve mostly been winning. I won’t lie, there have been days when I’ve purged out of guilt after a particularly rich meal or simply passed on something I should have eaten because I needed the control on that day and there has even been the bad choices of mania laden juicing or over exercising. I know my triggers and I know, like an alcoholic, I’ll be in recovery (one day at a time) for the rest of my life. Eating disorders are a life sentence. Nobody tells you that.

I don’t want the setback if I can help it so that means I have to jump into that familiar territory of “healthy living” or as I’d like to call it “Moderate restriction with good intentions.” Don’t worry, it mostly entails actually watching what I’m eating, getting those 10000 steps in a day and just saying no to all the cakes, pies, fast food and alcohol for a while. But don’t feel sorry for me, it also means looser jeans, better fitting tops, lower blood pressure, lower sugar, feeling sexier in my own skin and feeling strong and the cherry on top, being a good role model for my girls.

I’m sharing a few of the things I’m using to get healthy in 2017. Because I don’t care what the number on the scale says anymore. I do, however, care about how my clothes fit me and that I have enough energy to play with my kids. They are tweens now so we’re not chasing them on the floor but the hours they can walk in the mall is mind boggling. I may as well put on a pair of good gym shoes and become an undercover mall walker. Plus, side note, no one wants to be their kid’s very own Gilbert Grape’s mom, right?

I’m sick of feeling sick and tired. Also, after the break last year and the subsequent loss of weight, now that I’ve gained it back, I can really feel the effect it is having on my knees, ankles and back. It’s not good.

Here are my favorite tools in my arsenal to battle the holiday bulge.

ExoSOLS inserts: These are awesome because they are custom-made orthotics that are made specifically for your foot, to give you the support that your feet need. No prescription is required, simply download the SOLS app and capture images of your feet to render your true custom foot support. Made for you, on-demand, ExoSOLS will be shipped six days later.

Gel-Nimbus 18 Lite Show by Asics: I found out that I suffer from supination or as you runners call it underpronation.Basically, my ankles roll out in a state of sprain your ankle or stress fracture your legs at all time so I need to take precautions (Along with my physical therapy and orthotic inserts…see above) just not to fall.My world is filled with metaphorical banana peels.

TRX training: Get the workout of your life using your own body weight and it’s easily taken with you and doesn’t take up a lot of space. TRX, the global leader in Functional Training and creators of the Suspension Trainer and Suspension Training, has teamed up with PEAR Sports, the leader in app-based, real-time audio coaching focused on performance and fitness, to provide world-class interactive training to TRX newcomers and devotees anytime and anywhere, at home or on the road.

Qardio scale: This is my favorite scale ever because it not only sleek and beautiful, it is a very functional, wireless smart scale and body composition analyzer that provides users with in-depth knowledge and a broader view of fitness goals by measuring body mass index (BMI), muscle mass, body fat percentage, and water and bone composition, in addition to weight.

QardioArm Blood Pressure Cuff: High tech blood pressure cuff that works wirelessly through an app on your phone. It is accurate, convenient and awesome. It offers users a convenient way to take medically accurate measurements of key heart health metrics including blood pressure and heart rate. It’s a great way to be proactive about monitoring your health.

PEAR Sports: PEAR Sports delivers an innovative and intuitive technology that guides users through every step of their fitness journey. With over 500 unique workout programs including running, cycling and strength, users can experience real-time, interactive audio workouts and personalized training from some of the world’s most talented athletes and fitness experts. Utilizing biofeedback and data, PEAR’s interactive software empowers its users to train smarter, keeps them motivated throughout the process and shares in their successes. PEAR is helping the everyday fitness enthusiast achieve better results, faster.

Huawei Watch: I wear my elegant like it is going out of style, which it never will. With the Huawei Watch, classic Swiss design meets smart technology to create an enduring timepiece. A superior full circle display offers a window onto the world. A wearable to be worn in the gym, to the office or on a night on the town. I loved it so much I got my husband the classic for men.

Portion Control boxes to measure my food because I need portion control in my life badly.

Oh and CIZE and Pure Barre videos because honestly, I love to do classes but I just don’t have the time and money right now to be on someone else’s schedule at the gym.

Now, I start the work. I’ve already begun the portion control and better choices, less carbs and alcohol part of the new year healthy living plan. Tomorrow, when everybody goes back to their respective places, I will begin my workout regime. Wish me luck.

What’s your favorite thing you do to get healthy?

 

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Get Healthy, working out, New YEar
Health

Getting Healthy Just Got Easier

by Deborah Cruz
written by Deborah Cruz

Disclaimer : I was provided a free Jenny Craig Weight Loss Starter Kit. However, the opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Do you ever just wish there was a magic pill so that you could take it and be happy at your perfect body size and lose all the weight? Don’t we all? This has been something I’ve struggled with my entire life. Well, at least since puberty.

I’ve tried diets, exercising excessively, restricting calories, not eating carbs, watching my sugar but I never sat down, figured out what to do and did it…the right way. Because, let’s face it, the right way is the hard way. I even tried wishing it away but by still eating French fries and milk shakes, I never really had a chance. My derriere is living proof of that.

Finally, as I’m closing in on middle age, I’ve learned that the key to being healthy and happy, for me, is portion control, regularly exercising, everything in moderation and making healthier choices when I eat. Mindlessly eating carbs until all hours of the night, simply cannot be part of my way of life anymore not if I want to be around to see my children grow up and my grandchildren be born.

I’ve finally realized that being healthy is not a diet or a temporary situation. It’s not like holding your belly in as you walk past the hot guy at the office. It’s about changing your life and the way you live it. It’s about making your health a priority, which is what I’ve actively been doing for the past month.

It’s hard though. Who has time to plan the menus, buy the groceries, clean, cut and prep meals ahead of time? No one I know who has children. I’m a busy mom but that’s just not an excuse I can hide behind any longer because it’s not doing me any favors.

I work from home full-time, I am active on the school board and in my daughters’ classes, I run our home, I cook and I clean and sort of do the laundry plus I chauffeur my daughters around from 3 p.m. until 8 p.m. six days a week. And in addition to all of that, I am trying to be more active to get healthier. That’s right, I kept finding excuses why I couldn’t go to the gym so I got an ondemand workout subscription and I love it. I used to tell myself that I could do it anytime I wanted to but then I never would so I’ve made it my routine to workout as soon as I get back from dropping my girls off at school.

The bottom line is that my work is never done, just like every other mom, but I have to prioritize myself so that I can be healthy and take care of those who depend on me. But with no extra time in my day, that’s difficult so sometimes you have to make things a little easier on yourself.

I can’t afford a personal chef or a housekeeper and I refuse to have a nanny, especially since I work from home but I can plan ahead and prep food in advance. Also, did you know that there is a Jenny Craig 5-day starter pack available exclusively at WalMart? Now, you can try the meals and experience the Jenny Craig lifestyle at home without any of the commitment of a monthly subscription service. It includes 20 delicious food choices and a free consultation opportunity with Jenny Craig, making eating healthier a little more convenient for busy people on the go.

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What’s your best tip for getting and staying healthy?[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]

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Overweight, weight loss, health, New Year's Resolutions
Girl MomHealth

The Moment You Know You are Too Fat

by Deborah Cruz
written by Deborah Cruz

What’s the moment when you know that you are too fat? The photo above is not actually me but it could definitely be my before and after photos..only I was thinner and now, I may be slightly fatter. Either way, I don’t like where I am at or where I am headed if I don’t do something this moment.

I felt my stomach on my lap! That’s when I knew. I didn’t want to admit it and I certainly didn’t want to write it for the entire internet to read but it’s true and being me, I can’t pick and choose where I’m transparent and where I’m not. It’s all transparency; all the time, even when it hurts like a damn open wound with salt in it. But it’s more than just feeling my belly in my lap it was the moment that I said no more. It was my line in the sand. I think anyone who has ever gained and lost weight knows exactly what I am talking about. That moment when you have to face the fact that you are, in fact, despite any tucking and pulling and pushing, overweight.

I’m ashamed. Ashamed that I let it get this out if control and those old feelings have been sneaking back into my head so I’ve decided to get help. I’m typing this from my first weight watchers meeting in 4 years. I’ve tried doing it alone online but that doesn’t work for me. I’ve tried everything but I need human contact. I need support from other women who know the shock and shame of their stomach resting in their lap. I can’t believe this is where I am. It’s yet another club that I wish I never knew anything about. Oh and I am taking the Big Guy along for the ride. This will only work if we do it together.

But here I am, sitting among the kind, understanding, compassionate faces of other women who’ve been here (the bottom) and it’s inspiring me. It takes a baby step followed by another, motivated by the sincere want and desire and dedication to changing your life. I am ready for me. I got up this morning and went to a meeting and faced the scale. It felt like someone punched my in my low lying, overindulgent belly.

Over the past year, I’ve learned (finally) to step back and ask myself why? To stop and pay attention, even when I don’t have a free moment. 2013 was wonderful in many ways. I grew up in a lot of ways. I am finally able to see myself more clearly without judgment or through fat goggles.I had a lot of firsts and I have begun to spread my wings and fly but this is the next step. No more stomach resting in my lap, no more flapping arms and saggy ass. But it’s not just about my belly, my belly is just a symptom of my procrastination and never putting myself first. I have to put myself to make myself feel and be better for me before I can be better for the girls or the Big Guy. I am ready to be happy. I deserve it. I’ve waited my entire life for this moment of clarity and motivation to meet. There will be no magic pills, no cheating or gimmicks, just a whole lot of hard work and follow through.

I’m not waiting for the New Year or tomorrow anymore because the beginning is always today! (Mary Shelley) THE BEGINNING IS ALWAYS TODAY…no matter what your challenge is in life….TODAY IS THE BEGINNING!

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