A personal training & food journal. Read about our weight loss progress at Train With Ron in Chicago, our nutritional habits and the life changes we're making to get in shape and stay healthy!
June 11thWhen I hear someone say that eating healthy or organic is just a trend, it saddens me. But when I find out that companies use these terms falsely, albeit legally, to capitalize on said ‘trend’ without providing the expected benefit, well, that angers me. Healthy, good food should not be a referred to as a trend it’s something we should all demand from the places we purchase our food and aim to make it the standard. The only way we can do that is to educate ourselves on the food label terms and to ask questions.
Daley Plaza Farmer's Market in Chicago
Over the last few years I have been paying extra attention to where the food I buy comes from. The surprising fact was that this would be something I’d have watch out for. It would also be something that came at a lot higher cost. Cost in both money and in time. Things labeled organic tend to have a higher price tag. Add to that the time it takes to educate yourself on the foods you buy and you’ll most likely change your shopping list and where you shop. All of these things add up and it can be quite discouraging for some if not impossible for others. It is well worth it, in my opinion, for your health amongst many other reasons, like moral and environmental. (more…)
May 20thFebruary 16th was our last update and I feel I’ve let too much time go by. I’ve been busy, sure, but more than anything I’ve felt my progress slipping and my motivation draining. We’ve been going at this since November of ’09 and I have yet to reach my ultimate goal. My thoughts were that the last thing I want this blog to become is a place where I whine and moan. I want to inspire and motivate. So I didn’t write my feelings down thinking it won’t help anyone if I spread the negativity I felt. Truth is, that those types of struggles are the reality of so many people that maybe I was wrong not write during that time.
I wasn’t being vocal about my struggles with anyone and let it fester. I allowed myself to be convinced by my negative thoughts. I guess it was falling back on old habits. Bottom line, I’ve created the situation I am in and so I have complete control to get myself out of it. There is nothing wrong with getting stuck and asking for help. I shouldn’t take that as a sign of being incapable or inadequate. I realize how difficult it is to accept that as fact when you’re frustrated, depressed or just plain angry about a situation but I think you have to actually say the words to yourself over and over again so that you can accept it. You have to return to thinking positively. That’s easy to do when you’re feeling good and everything’s going well, but positivity is most effective when you are feeling down. I hope I can get back to being a little bit of that for you. (more…)
November 24thI think the next 5 or so weeks are the toughest for anyone in a weight loss routine. Even if you’re just trying to maintain your weight, making sure you don’t put on the “holiday pounds”, can be difficult. Especially if you’re a really good cook or you’re related to one. OR, let’s say if someone shared a picture of their Caramel Pecanbon on facebook. Hide them, immediately! Who do they think they are?? 
This just happened to me, in case you couldn’t pick that up. But I’m back here and I’m not going to think about that.
For us, it will be the first year in a few years that I won’t be cooking for Thanksgiving because Dan and I will be traveling to a football game out of town. But there will be Christmas too and I intend to participate then. So in the spirit of the Holidays I wanted to share a few tips with you of the things we will be doing over the holidays to try and be good. I realize you may not have control over all of these things but do your best. That’s all you can really ask for, your best. We can recognize when we have the opportunity to be better but maybe choose not to. Just be conscious of that.
Here are my Top 5 Holiday Tips:
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October 18thOh Sweet! I get to burn calories again!! That had to be toughest of all through these last 3 weeks. I got so used to burning 500-700 calories per workout that keeping an eye on my nutrition was THE toughest part of this “time off”. I am so happy to report that I didn’t gain any weight. I didn’t lose any either and I just feel less toned. I am not sad about any of this though, not letting it affect me. It’s just something I had to deal with and now I’m back.
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October 5thToday marks a full year that Dan and I have been on this journey, working out at Train With Ron. My tally for the year is: lost 53lbs, 16% body fat and dropped 10.5 dress sizes. These last couple of months I’ve really pushed hard trying to meet my ultimate goal (lose 75lbs) by the anniversary but instead I am dealing with this muscle strain.
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