It’s at times like these that you may want to turn yourself on autopilot, or as I call it, the Mindless Manipulation Mode. This mode works especially well for those times that you are losing the drive and commitment to  your workout plan, but I’m sure it could apply to other times when life grabs you by the balls and gives them a squeeze (sorry girls, I’ll try to come up with more gender-equal comments as we go along).

Mindless Manipulation Mode involves a little bit of planning and then setting yourself up so that you just do whatever it is that needs to get done. Once things are set in place, there is no thinking about it on your part. You just do it (gosh, where have I heard that before?).

Which leads me back to yesterday’s post about bootcamp class and Weight Watchers, and about the tough time I’ve been having with my dad. I’m making so many decisions and looking at so many options with my dad that I really can’t handle any more thinking or decisions right now.

So I’ve very cleverly manipulated myself into “just doing it.” Just going to bootcamp three times a week. Just eating no more than 23 points worth of food on any given day. Just eating pretty much the same foods every day so that I don’t have to decide what I should or shouldn’t eat today (check out upcoming posts for devilishly delicious easy meals that I eat almost every day).

Think about it – how can you set yourself on autopilot to reach your weight loss goals?

Take me back to Little Black Dress Fitness Tips

My parents are both 80 years old, and my father has Parkinson’s. His mobility and functionality have been deteriorating, but more rapidly over the last six months.

Then he had a fall and landed in the emergency room. No bones were broken, but he did have some heavy bruising. In addition, he lost pretty much all strength to handle daily functions. He needed assistance getting out of a chair, dressing, bathing, etc.

It was a rough couple months, but with some proper medication and in-home health care, he is improving. Needless to say, I allowed my personal well-being to deteriorate over the last few months.

But I am BACK and off to a brand new start! I joined Weight Watchers – yes, Weight Watchers! – last week. I never thought I would benefit from something as simple (simplistic?) as Weight Watchers – so here’s why I did.

• Supportive Group Environment: The supportive environment that I found at my group bootcamp classes was exactly what I needed. If it works (for me!) with exercise, why wouldn’t it work for the diet portion of my life? Just having a group of folks just like me that are going through the same struggles, and talking about it, has been a very positive experience for me.
• Keep It Simple Stupid: My bootcamp classes have been great because I don’t have to think – I just show up and work my butt off. Weight Watchers Points System is pretty simple as well – balance your food intake so that you don’t go over your point limit.
• Accountability: Weight Watchers forces me to look at my weight once a week, to acknowledge whether I’ve lost weight or not, and believe it or not, weight loss now almost seems like a challenge, or game, rather than deprivation.

I really thought Weight Watchers was “old school,” not something that a hip and happening chick like myself would be interested in, but I was wrong. They have some phenomenal online tools (available only with the monthly pass, I believe) as well as a great iPod/iPhone app that lets you track your points on the go.

I lost 2 pounds the first week (see my progress chart at the top of the page), which was big boost. And that was without any exercise! I’d suspended my bootcamp classes to deal with my father, and somehow “No Bootcamp Class” got translated into “You Don’t Have To Work Out” in my little pea brain. So a month has gone by with close to no exercise, but I start my bootcamp classes again tonight.

If you want to lose weight and have not tried Weight Watchers, or not tried it in a long while, I’d suggest giving it a shot. And fyi, I am not getting paid in any way, shape or form, at this time, to promote Weight Watchers. At some point there may be some advertising on this site, and it may feature Weight watchers, but I’ll be totally upfront about that if it happens.

Wish me luck!

I’ve been struggling lately to stay motivated. It’s so tempting to skip a workout and work on my website and blog instead. I justify it by telling myself that I REALLY need to work on my sites so that I can quit my day job as soon as possible.

So I’ve had to come up with some new ways of motivating myself, and thought I’d share them. Maybe one of them will work for you!

1. Put Yourself on Autopilot

I was struggling, trying to decide WHAT my workouts should be, WHEN my workouts should be, HOW OFTEN my workouts should be, etc. That indecision led to inaction.

So I removed the decision-making element. I signed up and paid IN ADVANCE for a Boot Camp class that meets Monday night, Wednesday night, and Friday morning.

By signing up for this class, I put myself on autopilot. I don’t need to think about what to do or when, I just go to my classes as scheduled and “follow the leader.” I’m feeling stronger after one week, and maybe because of that, I’ve added one short cardio/sprint workout and one overall strength training session a week. And on weekends I try to play tennis or go for a walk or bike ride.

So one little tweak has been just the kick in the butt that I needed!

2. Push Yourself

All too often I’ll do a cardio workout and find myself just kinda “coasting” along. What, out of breath, moi? No…

Somewhere along the way, gasping for breath just somehow became a no-no. A nice easy jog? No problem. A hard run? No way.

At the boot camp class, we do short intervals of high intensity activities, then get a brief (very brief – can we say 10 seconds?) rest, and then we’re right back at it. As the instructor is calling out the next move (”Fifteen jump squats. Go!”) I’m thinking “No way!” But guess what? I just do it.

And I don’t die, I don’t pass out, and I don’t puke. And at the end of class, I’m feeling pretty darn good. So go ahead, give it a try. Push yourself. Run faster. Left heavier. You’ll be surprised at what you’re really capable of.

3. Just Do a Little Bit

Wow, sort of contradicts #2 above! But we’ve all had days where just getting out of bed is a monumental task, let alone getting your butt out the door for a workout. On days like those, think small and just do a little bit.

Tuesday morning I was really tired and worn out from Monday night’s class. I had planned on going for an early morning run, but upon waking, I quickly changed my mind.

Instead of doing NOTHING, I did just a little bit. I did my favorite boot camp exercise, one that I had heard of plenty of times but had never given a try – hindu pushups.

Not as difficult as a regular pushup, and involving just about every muscle in your body, it’s a great way to warm up and get energized. Watch the video below for a quick demonstration.

It takes about 2 minutes to do 25 hindu pushups. That’s it. That’s all I did. BUT, it was enough to wake me up, to get me feeling energized, to get me in tune with my muscles, AND it got me to rethink my exercise plan and instead of doing nothing, I went for a long walk.

So, I went from going for a run, to doing nothing, to doing just a little bit – 25 hindu pushups – to DOING SOMETHING – going for a walk. So the next time you’re about to dis your workout because you’re too tired or too sore or don’t have enough time, DO JUST A LITTLE BIT. You’ll never know where it might lead you!

4. Find an Objective Third Party

If you just can’t seem to motivate yourself, let someone else do it for you.

I’ve always shied away from having a workout partner. Mainly because I know that sooner or later I’ll miss a workout and disappoint my partner.

I started thinking about this last night when one of my fellow boot campers invited me to join her and a few others on their twice-weekly bike rides. My first thought was to politely decline, because I know I should spend the majority of my evenings working on websites.

But then I thought, you know, it’s almost September. We’ve only got about another month or so before the snow starts to fly here in Minnesota – why not join them for the next month? It’s only 30 days or so – no long-term commitment – and it would probably help with the “kick in the pants” I’m trying to give myself. So I’m in.

And if a training partner or group doesn’t float your boat, what about a personal trainer? I know they are a bit spendy, and may seem like an indulgence in our current economy.

BUT, you could find a trainer who’s willing to meet with you twice a month or so, just to get you focused and on track, or find one that works with small groups so that the payments are diffused a amongst a small group of people.

Either way, make sure that you find a trainer that is willing to work with you and who REALLY MOTIVATES you!

5. Inspire Yourself with Words and Pictures

Maybe you’ve heard the term “vision board.” Essentially, it’s a collage of images and words that inspire you and remind you of your goals and dreams. Why not create one to remind you of your fitness goals on a daily basis?

It’s pretty simple. Go through some magazines, and cut out pictures of people with bodies that you admire and aspire to, and images of people working out. Then cut out some motivating words or phrases – “move it,” “get strong,” “feel the energy” – for example.

Arrange them on a piece of poster board and glue them on. Or stick them on your refrigerator with magnets. Or to the inside of your cupboards, so when you reach for those double chocolate chunk cookies in the middle of the night, you’re always reminded of your goal.

Another option is to design a vision board electronically, using a page layout program to arrange the images and phrases, and then saving it as a pdf. Use that pdf as the desktop image on your computer.

How do you motivate yourself to work out?

Photo by DrJimiGlide

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Today’s Menu

• Scrambled Eggs with  Salsa
• Coffee with milk
• Archer Farms Sweet Apple Chicken Sausage
• Chop Chop Salad
• Two Oreo Cookies
• Coffee with milk
• Kiwi
• Archer Farms Sweet Apple Chicken Sausage
• Chop Chop Salad
• Grapes
• Yogurt

Today’s Workout

• 50 situps
• 25 hindu pushups
• 25 squats

Today’s Weight

• 177 lbs.

I had a 30 minute massage/myofacial release session with Jodie Sonterre at Synapse. Did some glute releases and worked on upper back. That hurt so good…

Thought I might get in a workout after the massage – yeah right! So picked up a salad at Chipotle and back to work on the computer…

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Today’s Menu

• Scrambled Eggs with Veggies and Salsa (nuke some frozen veggies in a bowl for 90 seconds, add three eggs and a splash of milk, mix and nuke for two and a half minutes)
• Coffee with milk
• Archer Farms Spinach and Garlic Chicken Sausage (80 calories, 3.5 grams of fat, 12 grams of protein)
• Chop Chop Salad
• Two Oreo Cookies (I’m NOT perfect -  100 calories, 8 grams of carbs)
• Coffee with milk
• Archer Farms Sweet Apple Chicken Sausage
• Chipotle Salad – Grilled steak, fajita veggies, tomato salsa, guacamole, lettuce)
• Glass of wine
• Handful of Smoked Almonds

Today’s Workout

• None

Today’s Weight

• 177.5 lbs. (I think I lost a lot of water weight from last night’s Boot Camp class)

But today is a new day. I’m baring my soul and my body (most of it!) on this blog as well as on the homepage of Little Black Dress Fitness Tips.

I’ve got my weight posted for all to see, and I’m in the process of adding a photo gallery that will record my weekly weight loss progression.

My meals might seem a little redundant, but I’ve learned that the fewer options I have, the better. And when I know EXACTLY what I’ll be eating for breakfast, lunch and dinner, I just sort of follow through on auto-pilot.

I attended my third Boot Camp workout tonight. I skipped a day last week because I could hardly walk 48 hours after the first class. The second class didn’t leave me nearly as sore, but I know I’ll be feeling this class tomorrow morning!

All of this means that I’ll be posting on a more frequent basis. If nothing else, I’ll get my workout and food intake on a post. So check back tomorrow for a new post!

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Today’s Menu

• Homemade Yogurt with Granola and Kiwi
• Coffee with milk
• Archer Farms Spinach and Garlic Chicken Sausage
• Chop Chop Salad
• Coffee with milk
• Archer Farms Spinach and Garlic Chicken Sausage
• Kiwi
• Chop Chop Salad
• Archer Farms Sweet Apple Chicken Sausage
• Glass of Chocolate Almond Milk

Today’s Workout

• Boot Camp Class

Today’s Weight

• 180 lbs.

I decided it was time to have someone else hold me accountable for my fitness goals, as it was becoming blatantly apparent that I SUCK at holding myself accountable. And I thought a personal trainer just might be the way to go.

The gods at Google were apparently listening, as they directed me straight away to The Body Project. The Body Project is a personal training studio about 15 minutes from my house. They offer personal training, but what really caught my eye was the Group Session, which is essentially a high interval bootcamp class.

Picture this: about 12 men and women who want to get fit, and about 12 workout stations. The workout stations include kettlebell swings, rows with a twist using exercise bands, the “surfer,” and many more.

My personal favorite is squatting on a balance board while waving body blades. Don’t know what body blades are? Neither did I. Let’s just say I looked like some Aztec warrior shaking my spears and thrusting them over my head – not a good look, especially after the age of forty.

Everybody picks a station and performs the given exercise for thirty seconds. Except these particular exercises are not your typical exercises, and you do them with a HIGH level of intensity, and they somehow seem to feel as if you will NEVER EVER EVER reach the thirty second mark.

But of course you do. At which point you get to rest for 10 SECONDS, and THEN YOU DO IT AGAIN! For ANOTHER thirty seconds! Then, just when you are sure you’re going to die, it’s time to take a break and move on to another workout station that is somehow even more difficult than the previous one.

After about five minutes of this, everyone takes a quick break. Then it’s right back at it for another set of workout stations, then another water break. And then it’s all Hey, Let’s Go Outside and Do Lunges! Okey dokey!

Needless to say, this is one of the hardest workouts I’ve ever done. Or should I say, done half of. See, I only did one thirty second set, because it was my first day and I don’t think the owners like cleaning up puke.

Have you ever seen the Biggest Loser where they work out so hard they puke? I always thought that was just so PHONEY! I mean, I have NEVER worked out until I puked! Isn’t that just kinda stupid? But I’ve recently discovered that if you work out hard enough, the thought of puking does tend to cross your mind now and then.

An hour after I escaped got home, I could already feel muscles that had been on vacation form my body for years. They were all like, “Hi, we’re back! Did you miss us? No? How about now? Now? NOW?” Yeah, I missed you! UNCLE!

Enough for now. I’ll be going Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for the next month and a half, at least. Any prayers or positive thoughts or energy you wanna throw my way are appreciated.

How many times a day do you use the restroom? If you’re drinking adequate amounts of liquids, I’d guess quite a few. Why not sneak in a quick set of exercises every time you use the restroom?

No, seriously, think about it. If you did one set of 20 reps of one exercise each time you used the ladies room, you could get in a reasonable amount of work in a short amount of time. And then add that up, day after day, week after week…

“C’mon,” you say. “When would I do exercises in a bathroom?” When you’re crunched for time and haven’t been hitting the gym as often as you should be. When you’re feeling a little sluggish at work and need a quick pick-me-up (these exercises work better in a single-stall bathroom where you can lock the door and be alone – otherwise your co-workers may think you’ve finally lost it). When you’re at home with the kids all day and need to stay motivated to keep in shape.

“C’mon,” you say. “What kind of exercises would you do in a bathroom?” These kinds of exercises:

Squats: How hard is it to do 20 squats once you’re finished with business? Fitness instructors will tell you to pretend there’s an imaginary chair behind you that you are going to sit down in. In this case there is an actual toilet that you can pretend to sit down on!

Lunges: Just put one foot in front of the other and bend at the knee. You can do stationary lunges, or go a little crazy and do alternating lunges. And if there’s a bathtub in your bathroom, heck, put one foot up (carefully!) on the edge of the tub and do some elevated lunges.

Pushups: No, not on the floor. Put both hands shoulder-width apart on the edge of the bathroom counter. You won’t get quite as much of a workout as a regular pushup, but you’ll definitely feel it.

Tricep Dips: Same theory as the pushup – face away from the counter, place your hands shoulder-width apart on the counter, and dip your body, bending only at the elbows. Again, if there is a bathtub, and it happens to be directly across from the counter, you can put both feet on the edge of the tub to make the move more difficult.

Standing Side Crunches: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your hands behind your head. Lift your right leg, turning your thigh out, and crunch your right elbow toward your right knee. Be sure to do a set on the left side as well.

Do one set of each of the exercises listed above, and you’ll have worked your glutes, quads, shoulders, chest, triceps, abs and obliques. Not bad for spending a few extra minutes in the can.

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Today’s Menu

• Three Eggs Scrambled with Trader Joe’s Mirepoix
• Glass of Milk
• Coffee with milk
• Trader Joe’s Spicy Italian Chicken Sausage
• Handful of Trader Joe’s Chili Lime Cashews
• Grilled Pork chop
• Pea and Feta Salad (see yesterday’s post)
• Wee bit of Potato Salad

Today’s Workout

• 50 Situps
• 50 Lunges
• 50 Squats
• 50 Push Ups
• 30 Minute Walk

Today’s Weight

• 175.5 lbs.

1) Organic: My philosophy on this is simple – our bodies take in enough chemicals and toxins from everyday living, why add any more than absolutely necessary? So I try to purchase as much organic produce as possible, as well as milk and meat products.

2) Convenience: I have a full time job, I maintain Little Black Dress Fitness Tips website and blog (basically a second full time job!), I work out, I help my elderly parents, and I’m in a long distance relationship (I travel about 3 hours round trip per week). Needless to say, I don’t have a whole lot of time to focus on my food.

But if I DON”T focus on my food, I end up eating junk. So when I shop, I look for foods that taste good and are healthy, but are convenient and save time.

3) Budget: I’m on a rather tight budget right now, so much as I love to buy products that are organic and convenient, sometimes that goal is cost-prohibitive.

Enter Trader Joe’s. This wonderful little store carries items that fit all three of the categories listed above. Here are a few of my favorite Trader Joe’s items:

Mirepoix: A fancy French term for minced carrots, onions and celery. Use them as a base in a stir fry; sprinkle them on your salad for an extra veggie kick; mix them with Trader Joe’s Salsa for a veggieful dip. But my favorite way to use them is to put some in a bowl, nuke them for about 35 seconds, then add some eggs and mix everything together; nuke for another 3 minutes or so. Excellent way to get veggies into your morning meal!

Trader Joe’s Salsa: Near the cheeses in the refrigerator case. I buy the big tub of the Medium salsa. Great as a low-cal dip. Top your salad with salsa and avocado for a healthy change of pace. Top your scramble eggs with it! And it’s so good, I’ve been known to eat it straight out of the container.

Curry Sauce: I’m a huge curry lover, and Trader Joe’s carries a number of curry sauces. My favorite is the Thai Yellow Curry. Just stir fry some veggies, add meat if you’d like, then add sauce and simmer for a few minutes. Curry in a hurry! Be sure to check the labels – some curry sauces have more calories and sugar than others.

Trader Giuseppe’s Balsamic Vinegar and Olive Oil: Two separate products that make one awesome dressing for salads and veggies. In the past, I never understood the allure of oil and vinegar on a salad. I think I had maybe tried the wrong oil and the wrong vinegar! These products from Trader Joe’s give salads a refreshing flavor without the cloying sweetness of commercial salad dressings. I just splash on some vinegar, then a wee bit of olive oil, toss and eat! Never going back to commercial salad dressing…

Greek Style Yogurt: Now this is yogurt. Not that overly sweet, processed stuff that you find at the grocery store. My favorite is the Honey flavor – it reminds me of the yogurt we ate in France. It’s more rich than sweet, and is great mixed with cantaloupe and blueberries.

Egg White Salad: I haven’t tried this product yet, just saw it on the website, but I’m guessing it will be a new favorite. Egg whites, soy dressing, chives and red onions sound healthy and delicious to me. Plus, each 6 oz. container is low fat, cholesterol free and has 7 grams of protein and just 2 grams of carbohydrates.

So there you go, a few of my favorite things from one of my favorite stores. If you’ve never been to Trader Joe’s, do yourself a favor and go – and be sure to check out the beer and wine in the attached liquor store. It’s best to go on a weekday or weeknight – weekends tend to be crowded, making it more difficult to browse.

Click here to find a Trader Joe’s near you. And tell us what your favorite product is!

Please note that I am not affiliated with Trader Joe’s in any way – I just love their stuff!

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Today’s Menu

• Four Eggs Scrambled with Trader Joe’s Mirepoix
• Coffee with milk
• Trader Joe’s Spicy Italian Chicken Sausage
• Handful of Trader Joe’s Chili Lime Cashews
• More Coffee with Milk
• Salad: Courtesy of my roommate Steffi Weiss – peas, tomatoes, onions, feta cheese, cilantro, lime juice, and olive oil

Today’s Workout

• Step Class at the YMCA

Today’s Weight

• 175.5 lbs.

Society as a whole is accustomed to eating three meals a day – along with a wide variety of snacks to tide us over until the next meal. But what if we did away with “mealtime” and instead simply ate when we were hungry?

What happens when 12:00 rolls around and you aren’t really hungry? Du you still eat lunch? Or do you wait another hour or two until you’re really hungry?

Most of us seem to think there’s something magical about eating meals at their appropriate time. But what would happen if you didn’t? You certainly won’t starve.

Granted, it’s probably easier for families with kids to eat meals on a set schedule. But why not try “eating when hungry” yourself? Bring a few breakfast and lunch items with you to work, and rather than follow the madding crowd, simply eat when you’re hungry. Give it a try and let me know what you think!

Photo by kennymatic

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Today’s Menu

• Three Tablespoons of Peanut Butter (ran out of eggs)
• Coffee with milk
• Two Trader Joe’s Spicy Italian Chicken Sausage
• Handful of Nuts
• More Coffee with Milk
• Two Trader Joe’s Sweet Italian Chicken Sausages
• Coke Zero

Today’s Workout

• Step Class at the YMCA

Today’s Weight

• 175 lbs.

And I have to say, none of them worked very well for me.

As I’ve gotten older, I’ve come to the realization that when I eat white things – sugar, bread, processed carbs – I feel sluggish. I gain weight. Or at least I don’t LOSE any weight.

Which led me to the conclusion, at age 42, that I should focus my diet on protein, fruits and vegetables – foods that are “closer to the earth,” shall we say.

I spend a lot of time reading magazines and books and browsing websites. A recent web discovery is Mark Sisson’s website, Mark’s Daily Apple, which backs up my realizations about that “closer to the earth” philosophy.

Mark is a former triathlete and the author of The Primal Blueprint, which I’ll be reviewing on Little Black Dress Fitness Tips. Mark’s nutrition and exercise philosophy consists of “following the direction of our evolutionary biology.” In other words, he believes in eating like our caveman ancestors -  lots of lean meats, fish, greens, nuts, vegetables and some fruits, and staying away from grains in general – not just processed carbs like bread and breakfast cereal, but ALL grains.

While it’s true that the human body needs carbohydrates, it doesn’t need as many carbs – or as many overly-processed carbs – as the typical person eats every day. The average Amercan consumes between 350 and 600 grams of carbs every day. Here’s a breakdown from The Primal Blueprint of the range of carbs consumed daily and the benefits or dangers associated with the amount:

• 300 or more grams/day - Danger Zone!
• 150-300 grams/day – Steady, Insidious Weight Gain
• 100-150 grams/day – Primal Blueprint Maintenance Range
• 50-100 grams/day – Primal Sweet Spot for Effortless Weight Loss
• 0-50 grams/day – Ketosis and Accelerated Fat Burning

And note that the majority of those carbs should come from vegetables and some fruits.

You could say that I’ve “gone primal” with my diet. About 90% of the foods I eat are protein, veggies, and some fruit. It’s pretty easy to stick to – I eat a lot of salad and chopped vegetables with olive oil and Balsamic vinegar (I’m NEVER going back to what the food industry calls “dressing”!), and lots of steak, hamburger, and chicken.

I’m not perfect – I can be tempted into some macaroni and cheese every now and then (like tonight – thanks Nick!), but for the most part, my craving for carbs has gone away.

The biggest benefit from eating this way is that I rarely get that stuffed, bloated, uncomfortable feeling I would get after eating a traditional meal filled with carbohydrates.

I’ll be participating in The Primal Blueprint Health Challenge over at Mark’s Daily Apple. Follow along, or join me for the thirty day challenge!

Photo by mckaysavage

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Today’s Menu

• Three Scrambled Eggs with Veggies
• Coffee with milk
• Trader Joe’s Spicy Italian Chicken Sausage
• Chop Chop Salad – chopped cucumber, tomatoes, onions and avacodos drizzled with Trader Joe’s balsamic vinegar and olive oil
• Cheeseburger
• Small Side of Mac & Cheese

Today’s Workout

• 50 Situps
• 50 Lunges
• 50 Squats
• 50 Push Ups

Today’s Weight

• 176 lbs.