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Let’s Talk Gym Clothes

I remember when I first wanted to go to the gym.

It made me think of when I was a kid and getting ready to go play outside. I was a very active child and my parents always encouraged us to go play outside. It was easy in the summer, just throw on a pair of shorts and a shirt and go. I spent a lot of days just like that. No shoes, barely dressed, just outside. Even as the weather changed, I would put on pants, sweatshirt, gumboots, and go. I would go rake leaves, chop wood, just being outside with my dad and our dog.

Fast forward to being married with three kids at home. Who has time to be that relaxed. As parents we encouraged our kids to play outside as much as possible, but this time, I was still inside. I had “Mom” duties and was usually the one who spent the least amount of time in the yard. When I finally was in a place and time to go be active for me, something had changed. I no longer had that body that I could just slip into anything and go. I had packed on enough weight that when I wanted to start to go to classes, gym, activities, I actually had to go buy something to wear. But what does a ‘big girl’ wear to the gym? I was too uncomfortable in shorts. Most gym clothes were made for girls that looked like they lived in the gym. It was tough in the beginning, but things have changed for the good in the last few years.

The reality is that you don’t need to have a whole new closet or dresser for your workout clothes, you just need to be smart with what you buy. Workout clothes have become ‘smart clothes’. They are actually made for you to sweat in and for movement so you don’t get tied up in your baggy t-­shirt. Fortunately there are several options for clothes. But unless you have a healthy bank account, you don’t need to spend a fortune on workout gear, just be smart. Most of the clothes out there you can just rinse and hang and it will be dry in a couple of hours. Yes, most can be machine washed but if you only get a few pieces, hand washing works well. My suggestion is to pick up a pair or two of crop leggings. They are surprisingly comfortable, most are adjustable,(so that as you lose size, you aren't changing pants too often). Shirts are, for me, a little more tricky. Lots hug my tummy, I still have self image issues with that, but if you get shirts too baggy, they will really get in your way. A light, clingy tank underneath makes me feel more comfortable, and as the weather gets cooler, it works like an undershirt like when I was a kid.

Personally, I think if you are planning on spending money on gym gear, shoes are the answer. But for me, shoes are always the answer. LOVE them. Yeah, I know, nobody is looking at your shoes in the gym, but if you don’t take care of your feet, you will pay for it in your knees, hips, and back. So this is one of the only times where I will say out loud, cute is not the answer, function first.

So, let’s shop

Lululemon is my favorite. But when I started at the gym, I couldn’t fit there. Now that I do, they last the longest, fit the best, and the store has great service including hemming if you are getting long pants.

Old Navy is surprisingly great. They are a lot more affordable, have a larger range in sizes and have lots of styles and colours.

Under Armour, Nike, Reebok, Adidas all have athletic wear as well as most department stores. Most of these brands, by my experience, all wear well, look great, it just comes down to fit and size.

Don’t be afraid to try your clothes on and move around in them. The last thing you want is pants that roll down because the rise is too short. If you have a tummy, believe me, that will happen and not only is that embarrassing, it’s uncomfortable.

When shopping for shoes, again try them on and walk around, a lot. But make sure you talk to someone who knows what they are selling. Cheap is not the answer here. Locally here we have Kintec, The Running Room, and most other shoe retailers. Specialty stores look at how your feet land, cadence, and how you are going to spending time in your shoes. Are you inside, outside, running, walking, hiking, doing Zumba, or even general gym stuff? It all matters.

Finally, when you are shopping, don’t forget your unmentionables. Your girls will need support. Get some support. Not only will it hurt as they start to move to their own beat, but as you lose weight, you want them to rise a little to where they used to be. Also, comfortable undies is key. Most women sweat down there and you don’t want chafing if you can help it.

The key to clothes to workout in, is that you forget you are wearing them. If you are constantly adjusting them, you are not working hard enough and you can’t focus on what you are supposed to be doing. So as my mom would yell…GO OUTSIDE and PLAY! Be active and work up a sweat and look great doing it.

You can have anything you want in life if you dress for it. —Edith Head

Protein Fast Facts

We are talking about protein today. Seems innocent enough.

We all eat it and need it. But it seems like that is where the ease of this topic stops.

Growing up, we all just ate what mom put in front of us. No questions, just eat it, or you will be sitting there a long time, right? I look back now as what I fed my kids when they were
little and I realize that I really didn’t know why I fed my kids what I did. Other than that is what my mom fed me. There was always some veggies on the table, a starch, and some protein. As I went through school, I took several foods classes. I have always loved to cook, but looking back I don’t remember a lot of why we ate what we did. There was always the Canada Food Guide, but that was it.

In the last few years, I have had a rude awakening about what I eat and what I should not eat. Our daily food intake has changed dramatically and as a result, Doug and I have managed to become much healthier and as a result much smaller because of what we do now. One of the things that we have learned more about is protein.

OK, fast facts:

  1. Proteins form the basic machinery of all cells.
  2. Proteins are made out of amino acids.
  3. Amino acids are not interchangeable: to synthesize a protein, each one of its constituent amino acids must be available.
  4. Many amino acids are essential—we cannot synthesize them, and therefore must ingest them as part of our diet. Many others are conditionally essential, and cannot be synthesized or converted at the rate we require them.
  5. Since we have no way to store amino acids for later use, our bodies have a daily requirement for them.
  6. Therefore, we must ingest each amino acid, roughly in the proportion we require it, every day.

As I researched protein, I learned how much we depend on them and that they are so essential to
everything we do. Even though all experts agree how important protein is to every function we have,
there are extreme opinions on how much we need to consume.

One of the curious facts that I learned is that elderly people need to consume as much protein as
young adults. As we age there seems to be supporting studies that say that one of the reasons that
seniors have weakened bones and muscles could be from lack of protein.

After sifting through all the murky data and interpretations, the minimum amount of protein required to
avoid losing muscle mass is around .36 grams/pound of body weight per day needed for growth and repair of muscles, bone, tendons, skin, hair, and other tissues. But we are talking about inactive, non-
athletic people here. If you are active, you need to up your intake.

Here are 10 foods high in protein that should be part of your diet.

1: Fish

Tuna, Salmon, Halibut, Snapper, Perch, Flounder and Sole, Cod, Tilapia.

2: Lean Chicken and Turkey

3: Cheese 

Cheese high in protein per ounce; Low­fat Cottage Cheese, Low­fat Swiss Cheese, Low­fat Cheddar, Parmesan, Romano. *Low or Non Fat Mozzarella and Cottage Cheese provide the most protein per calorie, full fat cheeses typically only provide 1g protein per 20 calories, and are less optimal sources of protein.

4: Lean Beef and Veal (Low Fat)

T­Bone Steak, 1 Piece of Beef Jerky, Pork Loin (Chops)

Sirloin Roast, Ham, 1 slice of bacon (8g) provides 3g of protein.

6: Tofu

1 cup (252g) of firm tofu,1 cup of soft tofu,1 cup of tempeh

7: Yogurt, Milk, and Soymilk

8: Beans (Mature Soy Beans)

Kidney Beans, White Beans, Lima Beans, Fava Beans, Black Beans, Mung Beans.

9: Eggs (Especially Egg Whites)

1 Egg White (33g) provides 4g protein,  1 cup of scrambled eggs (220g) provides 22g protein.

10: Nuts and Seeds

Peanuts, Almonds, Pistachios, Sunflower Seeds, Flaxseed, Mixed Nuts.

 

Other than adding more protein overall to our diet, the most crucial thing that we did breaks most rules that you see out there. Just before bed we eat. Yup, eat. But not just a bag of chips, bowl of cereal, carb rich snack, but a serving of protein. This was explained to us in this way. Your body is like a wood burning stove. If you have ever been camping and this was the heat, the last thing you do before bed, is put more wood on the fire. It keeps the stove warm all night and hopefully, there is some warmth to start the day with rather than a cold stove. If you eat protein right before bed, it has the same effect. Your body keeps its metabolism up while you sleep and you start the next day with a head start rather than a ‘cold stove’. So, right before bed, we will have a serving of greek yogurt, or a protein shake.

After all is said and done, you need to do what is right for you. Keeping a few thoughts in mind.

● Everyone’s body is different, don’t compare an athlete with someone who is sedentary.

● Eat protein at every meal. It helps in the breakdown of carbs and keeps you full longer.

● Seek advice from an expert. Just because your doctor went to school for a long time, it doesn’t make them an expert in everything.

● Listen to your body. Most people don’t pay enough attention to what their body is telling them.

● Drink water. Regardless of what other things you try or change, drink lots of water.

● Sleep. Make sure you getting enough sleep. Your body repairs itself as you sleep.

 

Life expectancy would grow by leaps and bounds if green vegetables smelled as good as bacon.  – Doug Larson

Getting Older Sucks

Getting older sucks!  There I said it. Getting old sucks!

Ok, that’s been established. Having said that, what are our options? Well, there really are two, stop aging, not really an option for me, or age with just a little more grace.

We have just celebrated a birthday in our house. Doug, my husband turned 52. We have a lot of birthdays in our house, as most people do, but when we have a birthday you get to pick what you want for your birthday dinner and what kind of dessert you want. When the kids were little, we had a lot of hot dogs, macaroni and cheese, and pizza dinners. As we are all adults now, dinners have progressed…a little. Our youngest will probably still ask for mac and cheese this year even though she turns 19. Desserts are now more likely to be pie rather than cupcakes, but nobody complains.

This gets the mind thinking about getting old. My parents, both in their seventies, are struggling with multiple health challenges, but thank God, we still have my parents, Doug’s have already passed. Every morning I watch Doug get out of bed and creak and crack as he heads to the bathroom. I think about him getting old, then I get out of bed and snap, crackle, pop myself. Is this normal? Does everyone get out bed like this? The answer is of course no.

I remember bouncing out bed in my twenties, nothing hurt. Nothing cracked. Nothing ached. Nothing felt old. Well ok, I have never bounced out of bed. I am not a morning person. But you know what I mean. So, am I supposed to ache like this?

Well, the way I see it, you can get up in the morning drudging the day because you ache, creak, crack, are stiff, because you hiked 10km before breakfast, or you can ache, creak, crack, and are stiff because you can’t remember the last time you broke a sweat that wasn’t caused by getting out of the chair quickly or extra spicy chicken wings.

If you are blessed to keep aging, then you should in some way take care of the body you have. There are a lot of people that would love to have a family member age just a little bit longer. Our minds are trapped in a world where we still think of ourselves, when we were in our “glory days”, but our bodies are not trapped and have kept on aging.

There are tonnes of things to do to age a little better. So pick one, or two, or more. Just do something. I used to think of aging as a bad thing and now, I am grateful for getting the opportunity to do so.

Find what works for you.

● Eat just a little healthier.
● Lose a few pounds.
● Find an activity that you love to do and do it.
● Use your mind in ways that have nothing to do with work.
● Spend time with people younger than you.
● Enjoy the time that you have.
● Laugh a lot!

You know you’re getting old when you stoop to tie your shoelaces and wonder what else you could do while you’re down there. – George Burns

Pressure to Fit In

If there is one thing I learned in high school that is a part of my life everyday it's that…you have to do things for YOU!

No one else. Want to lose weight? Learn more? Be successful? Inspire/give back? Great! But make sure that you are doing this for you!

When I was in high school, I felt the huge pressure of having to be that hot and fit girl. I worked my ass off at times to get into shape…but I never realized what I had all along. I look back at pictures now and wonder “why I was so unhappy with my body”, and it’s because I wasn’t doing it for myself. I was doing it for those guys I imagined I would be good enough for and for girls to accept me more.

If anything…I was damaging myself while trying to be better. I had myself convinced that I had to be a certain way and if I wasn’t then I wasn’t good for anything. I soon learned through the people I surrounded myself with that, the girls judged me no matter what shape I was, especially if I was in good shape because they envied what they weren't willing to work for, and boys are boys…It comes down to the right boy liking me for who I am.

Times get brutal in our lives and pressure is put upon us and we are expected to be a certain way. This is a very well known discussion that I don’t necessarily believe needs a ton of attention because guess what…

YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL, SMART, LOVED, ADMIRED, AND MADE IN THE LORD’S IMAGE.

And I know that you have been told this at least once…now it’s time to start believing it!

Here are a few tips that may help you:

  1. Remove/confront those around you that put the pressure to be a certain way that isn’t yourself
  2. Have a reality check with yourself…are you really all those negative things that get thrown out there or are they excuses to hold you back from living your life
  3. And lastly…do you make an effort to love yourself as well as others?

Smile and know that you are not alone and you were not put on this earth to ever do things all on your own.

Stand up tall, take a deep breathe and do what you need to do.