Before & After Success Story (Nikki)

Hi all!  Today, I'm introducing you to Nikki (Hello Stripes) and sharing her weight-loss success story.  I hope you are inspired! Thanks so much Nikki- you look amazing!

* * * * * 

So, I've been on my Advocare journey (more about what Advocare is at the end of this post) for 14 or so weeks now (I say journey because I don't see it ever ending). 
Here I was post baby no. 2 (October 1, 2012 - he was 6 months - note: I gained the majority of my weight after baby. Yay!) at around 180# and 25.5% body fat. I was drinking a bottle of wine a day (no joke, I had it with breakfast - that's what they do on RHONJ, right?) and as it turns out, that was adding up to a whole lotta calories. I woke up one day and decided this is not cool. I was sick of my thighs rubbing together and this bat wing thing happening on my arms - I had no energy and even less self-confidence.

So, by complete kismet, I found my now dear, dear friend Danielle and long story short, started Advocare right away. And here I am now (January 23, 2013) at 159# somewhere around 18% body fat. Update: As of March 17, 2013 I am at 155# and 15% body fat and I have triceps and calves for the first time in as long as I can remember.

I followed Honey We're Healthy and was so inspired by Megan. She works, has an adorable little boy, a house that's to die forand was still able to live a healthy life style. I figured if she could do it, so could I.  I followed Megan's lead and started (and finished!)Jamie Eason's 12-week LiveFit program and LOVED it, but then read Jenna's story and decided to take the plunge and start CrossFit. Advocare also has a killer DVD with 24 minute workouts. It's great for super busy people who can't necessarily commit to the gym everyday, but still want to get fit. CrossFit and Advocare have taught me so much. I know it sounds silly, but I am a better mother, wife, friend and person because of them. I've gained so much confidence (and energy!).

What is Advocare, you ask? It is so many things to me, but basically, it's a comprehensive line of nutritionally advanced supplements that SUPPLEMENT your diet and exercise program(s). It's not magic in a pill, it's elite nutrition and really, it's notjust supplements, it's a lifestyle. A lifestyle I wanted, but didn't know where to start. I was in a place where I think a lot of people are "I want to get healthy but don't know how. Just show/tell me what to do and I'll do it". Advocare also has a TON of big name, unpaid endorsers and a solution for everyone, be it a stay-at-home mom or an NFL player. 

Advocare has taught me that nothing worth having comes easy and it doesn't happen overnight. It gave me the support and motivation to keep going when the going got tough (and believe me, it did) and just take it day by day. 

The 24-Day Challenge is the core of the line and it's meant to kickstart your weight loss or break through plateaus. You can read more about that here. And although weight loss is often a result, the whole goal of the Challenge, and all of Advocare really, is health and nutrition. 

So, here's what my day looks like - I'm still nursing baby no. 2 so, I have to do a modified routine. I think it's taken me longer to get results than most people, but I am just thankful that these particular Advocare products are safe for pregnant/breastfeeding mom's. Pretty awesome.

Supplements:

SPARK (oh how I love thee)

Probiotic Restore ULTRA

OmegaPlex - Dr. Oz endorsed

CorePlex w/ Iron

Catalyst (I HIGHLY recommend if it's tone/definition you're after)

Meal Replacement Shakes

Post-Workout Recovery (like a little treat. SO good)

Muscle Gain

Rehydrate (only if I have a super hard/long workout)

And here's what my usual daily diet looks like. I don't advocate cutting out any food groups (Atkins-type 'diets') but, I will say that I have cut out gluten (about 98% of the time) and diary (with the exception of the whey protein in some of my Advocare products) and have never felt better. 

Diet:

Upon waking:

Spark + Catalyst +  OmegaPlex

30 - 45 minutes later:

Meal Replacement Shake (on workout days) OR scrambled egg whites with avocado and sriracha and (2) slices of Udi's Whole Grain Gluten Free Bread toasted

After workout:

Post Workout Recovery Shake 

Mid-morning snack (on off days):

Apple with handful of almonds OR banana with almond butter OR Tuna Salad 

Lunch:

Savory Stuffed Sweet Potato

I hold the dairy products and add avocado and sriracha (hmmm...I'm seeing a trend here)

I also use a TON of Megan's recipes. This is one of my absolute favorites right now. 

Mid-afternoon snack:

Spark

Turkey Muffins OR Protein Bars

Dinner:

Here's where it gets tricky. My husband is a meat and potatoes kind of guy so, I've had to figure out meals that will please us both. I've got some tricks up my sleeve (I've managed to go gluten free without him knowing...)

Again, I use a lot of Megan's recipes and I have a lot pinned to my Clean Eating board that I pull from. 

I basically follow the equation (? is that what you call it? It's been a long time since algebra)

Protein + Vegetable + Complex Carb

Before Bed:

Muscle Gain + CorePlex + OmegaPlex

I won't go on and on about every dish or ingredient but please email me if you'd like me to send you a list.

It's easy once you get into a routine. I think that's one of the many benefits of the 24-Day Challenge, it's short enough that it doesn't overwhelm you but, long enough to get results, break bad habits and build a new routine. 

I have learned that it's so important to set goals for yourself and BE PATIENT! It won't happen overnight, but I promise if you stick to it - it will happen.

 Healthy living is only sustainable when you are intentional about it. It also really helps to have a support system and/or accountability partner. All of this has really helped me 're-calibrate'. I no longer consume an entire bottle of wine, a glass is almost too much. I now eat to perform. I eat what makes me feel good. I eat for nutrition. 

That's not to say I don't have my splurges, I do - I actually think that allowing yourself that actually helps you stay on track and in it for the long haul. 

I truly hope that my journey inspires you in some way to start your own if you haven't already. If I can do this with two wild boys (2.5 and 10 months), you can do it too...promise :)

I want to sincerely thank Megan and Danielle for inspiring and supporting me.

Please feel free to comment or contact me with any questions! I'd love to help you with your health and fitness goals too :) If I can do it, you can do it! It's all about doing something you never thought you possibly could.

Long Time Coming :)

This post has been a long time coming- spring break, some travel, and some R & R (resting and running) have taken place.  There have been setbacks and some steps forward as well.  I'm going to hit a few highlights and a few lowlights.  We'll start with the low:

This- can really mess with the training.  Isn't supposed to be spring?  My caption on FB was  "It's baaaacckkk." :)  LOL  Seriously though- when I went to IN, I ended up doing some short mileage (3) on Saturday afternoon because this stuff was to start moving in on Sunday (and it did just later than expected).  I probably could have still run but I'm over running in the rain and snow (more on that later).

Silly knee- I started out on Thursday (in the midst of a freeze warning mind you- and for my dad it was warmer in Spencer this day- it was 34 in Spencer and 29 in Knoxville at the time) with great plans to get 13 miles in.  I decided to do a hill that is on the half marathon route and before I actually started it my knee was bothering me.  That wasn't good :(  I ended up only getting 4.5 miles in.  9 miles short- not good.  Then Friday night I ran a 5K and it was fine.  IF I can catch the break in the rain on Sunday morning I'll give it a shot then (I went to Easter service on Saturday night).

Okay, so the highlights:
BIG BIG news on Thursday (I will share soon- need to work on a post that lays it all out)

I ran this 5K on Friday night to benefit Lupus- a cause that is near and dear because I have a very dear friend who suffers with it daily.  It was a small, local race.  There were not a lot of runners and I think even fewer than planned due to the chilly rain- yes, it was raining AGAIN- I have yet to run an IRL race this year that there hasn't been rain or snow.  Anyway, due to the small number of participants there were only 4 people in my age bracket and I finished 3rd so I actually got a medal!  It was fun and a unique awards experience (you had to be there).  On that note- that was race #7 of 13 (3 of which have been IRL and 4 have been virtual).  The course was longer than the actual 3.1 miles- it clocked in on my runtastic app at 3.25 and my time was 36:03 HOWEVER, my 3.12 miles was right at 35:00- which I am cool with since I am back to cutting time off of my runs. :)

Oh, and the other day I got notification that I won a chance to participate in an online boot camp experience that Tina puts on.  I'm excited for this opportunity and hopefully will see some great results!

Friday Q&A: Physical Therapy for Hip Replacements

Q: It is good to know that even people who’ve had hip surgeries can still do yoga, although it may be limited on some poses. Can yoga be a form or alternative for physical therapy post-hip surgery as well?

A: The short answer is no. Typically post operative physical therapy takes place in the home where the client is taught how to do basic activities of daily living while adhering to specific hip precautions like getting in and out of bed, up and down from the toilet, in and out of the shower, etc. The strict post op precautions (remember anterior hip replacement precautions are different than posterior lateral hip precautions) vary by surgeon specifics. After their first post op surgeon visit, most people are told they can start limited exercise with specifications generally on what they can and can't do. Some people will have a pronounced limp after hip surgery and may need physical therapy to address their surgical residual difficulties. Some people, I am sorry to say, may even still have pain after a hip replacement.

Typically after three months of an uncomplicated recovery, people are told they can “do anything.” So going to a yoga class earlier than that is a bit overly optimistic. Everyone wants to be a fast healer, but there are certain surgical post op norms. Some people may be quicker and others slower, but you don't want to push your joint replacement prematurely because you don't want to have a revision. That said, there is no reason why having private one-on-one yoga therapy sessions with an experienced yoga teacher can't occur after your first post op orthopedic visit as long as your doctor approves. As to what your particular precautions are, you must ask your doctor before starting any type of yoga class. Lastly, if you have done yoga for years and are experienced, you should be able to modify poses even in a general class. But if you are new to yoga, you really need to start slowly with a good teacher who has experience with hip replacements. If no teachers are available in your area, then you must learn to “listen” to your hip and respect its limitations and not push your range of motion. Good luck!

—Shari

Friendship, Fifties, Fitness and Feeling FABULOUS

Me and Fabulous Wendy!

As I near fifty, I celebrate the woman that I have become, and the friendships that I have cultivated through my journey of life.  Finding a true friend is a rare gift, and I dedicate this Blog to one of my dearest friends who celebrated her 58 year young birthday this month.  I will be calling this the fun, fit, fifty and fabulous write up, and why not feel fabulous…right?  Being a healthy person is not about a number, but how we treat ourselves every day, what we feed our bodies, how we move our bodies, and how we enjoy quality time with our self and others.  Birthdays are gifts that remind us of what a pleasure and privilege it is to wake up each day, have another day, and the opportunity to make it a GREAT one! 

In walks my friend Wendy…now she and I have had some really fun times together, some serious talk times, cry times, and kick butt fitness times. We share a sister bond of trust and vulnerability that allows us to be ourselves with each other…that is what I mean about a true friend.  And laugh…we both have that in common and we are far from frumpy… are you kidding me…fifty something does not mean that for us, exact opposite…we feel youthful, trendy, sexy, and enjoy being confident, fit women.  Here is what Wendy has to say about being 58 and fabulous:

Wendy, 58 and Fab

Being Fabulous at 58

What??!!??!! I’m 58?????? Almost hard to believe since I do not feel 58…or 48…or even 38 for that matter…I feel like I did when I was in my twenties…young, vibrant, healthy, fit, happy and full of life. Age is an attitude, not a number.  It is great genes (thanks mom and dad) combined with living life with a fresh attitude every day. To have a full heart that shines with love, faith, friendships, motherhood, fun, laughter (sometimes tears) and with a deep sense of power over my own happiness. Feeling tremendous at 58 is an understanding that I need to set good boundaries, to know when to be sweet and when to be strong. I strive to take life’s serious issues and deal with them boldly and with a productive spirit.  Working out, eating healthy, getting plenty of rest combined with a positive outlook is the key to feeling my very optimum.  And, laughing… till my belly aches, keeps the child in me alive!!!  I adore my husband of almost 30 years, my beautiful daughters and my wonderfully magnificent friends who breathe new life into me every day.  Finally, being fantastic at 50+ is having a strong love of the Lord who gives me courage, strength and confidence.

My Fabulous Friend

So, if someone comes up to me and asks me, “How old are you?” I think I’ll answer…do you want to know how old I am or how old do I feel? Because you see, the answer will be quite different…

  ”Count your age by friends, not years. Count your life by smiles, not tears.” John Lennon

Blessings,

Wendy Wise

Thanks Wendy for being such a fabulous friend, and I celebrate you and your beautiful example of living a healthy life through body, mind and spirit…YOU ROCK!!!

My Ellie Outfit

FIT GEAR REVIEW

    I am so excited to share a new online Fitness Clothing Store. Ellie designs contacted me awhile back
to try out their new fitness clothes line, and I being such a fitness fashionista and not about frump, was happy to oblige and give my 5 cents worth on their product.

 First, let me say…WORTH THE WAIT! I wanted to sample, workout in, and wash the clothing prior to giving my feedback on the product. Also, I am a firm believer of not promoting things that I would not wear myself.  To be honest, I was a bit skeptical at first due to the length of time receiving the product as the company was working through the “kinks” that all new businesses do, but with that understanding, my patience was rewarded with a fabulous outfit.  Also, what comes to the forefront of importance to me is customer service, and all my questions/concerns were promptly answered, and I would give Elliea high rating in customer service.  I am a stickler for quality fitness attire being that my job revolves around fitness and also, it is my every day ware in the studio…so I am looking for great quality and functional wear that can take me through my day, and often into the evening.  I can honestly say, that I look forward to wearing more Ellie!

Heart breaker capris

Let me move on to the product. I ordered from the February collection: the After Dark Fitness Top and Heartbreaker Capri Bottoms.  True to size and the fit was just as described and appeared on the Ellie site.  The quality of the material was superior and provided the support I needed and I felt comfortable not having to wear a bra under the fitness top. In fact, I would even wear the top with a pair of jeans/shorts for out and about.  Excellent coverage and feel, not cutting in and feeling like I had to adjust the top or bottom from riding in places that are well…uncomfortable, and you know what I mean.  The moisture wicked away from my body and did not leave me feeling like I was setting in water soaked clothes and believe me… I sweat like no other during a hard workout.  The outfit stood up well to wash, no shrinkage, and I always drip dry all my fitness clothes, so did not put my product in the dryer.  The color remained vibrant and the quality of the stitching, and straps maintained their 
integrity. 

Feb Collection: After Dark Fitness Top

Love the Straps!

 









 My Shopping Selections
After Dark Fitness Top - Left
Heart Breaker Capri's - Right







I received no payment for providing this product review, other than the outfit to provide feedback.  I am happy to promote Ellie Designs after having the opportunity to sample the clothes line and have made the decision to become an Ellie Ambassador based on the quality product. What this means is that I can provide YOU with discounts for fabulous fitness outfits, and in turn I do receive a small commission for each person that signs up using my link.  If you have not given Elliea try, it is such a great deal for quality fitness clothes at a discount price.  I say it is about time for this concept to hit the fitness clothes scene, as I for one am on a budget, and it is nice to be able to buy quality clothes, look and feel good when I workout, and not feel guilty with my purchase.

Wishing everyone a very HAPPY EASTER from My Family to Yours!!!!

Happy Spring and Stay Healthy

Thanks for stopping by my Blog, hope you enjoy the content, and if you have not become a follower yet, I would love to see your face on my friend's list.  If you are inspired, LIKE my entry, leave a comment and I look forward to responding! 

Stay Healthy~ Darla

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Healthy Spirits: DAYMAN COFFEE IPA

Stone Dayman Coffee IPA is now in stock at both our CASTRO and CLEMENT locations! To ensure everyone gets this beer as fresh as possible, we will not be taking reservations. Sales will be IN-STORE ONLY, with a 2 bottle limit per customer.

Comments About Commenting

by Nina

Several months ago, people were complaining to me about the spam filters we had turned on for comments on our blog. Having to type the verification text in the CAPTCHA box was annoying, and sometimes it was hard to identify the letters in the box (I know, sometimes those letters get so smushed together they are impossible to read). This was discouraging people from leaving comments, even though they had important questions to ask or comments to add to a discussion.

Unfortunately, because the CAPTCHA function is automatically provided by Google (as part of the Blogger product), I can only turn it on or off, not change the way it functions. For those of you who wonder what CAPTCHA is, here is the definition from a Google web site.

CAPTCHA (Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart) is a type of security measure known as challenge-response authentication. CAPTCHA helps protect you from spam and password decryption by asking you to complete a simple test that proves you are human and not a computer trying to break into a password protected account.

A CAPTCHA test is made up of two simple parts: a randomly generated sequence of letters and/or numbers that appear as a distorted image, and a text box. To pass a test and prove your human identity, simply type the characters you see in the image into the text box.

Because I was concerned about making it as easy as possible for our readers to comment, I decided to turn off the CAPTCHA function as an experiment. And what happened—you probably can guess—was that I was deluged by spam. I estimate that for every legitimate comment we receive we get at least 20 spam comments. Some days all we do get is spam. You don’t see them because I moderate all comments before they are published on the blog. But the process of moderating has become more time consuming for me as a result of the spam because I carefully read all the comments to ensure that the legitimate ones do get published (some of the spam comments are pretty tricky by the way). In a way, I was willing to do this if it made it easier for our readers to communicate with us but I admit I have been getting a bit frustrated with the whole thing lately.

But the straw that broke the camel’s back was hearing yesterday about the spammers denial of service attack on Spamhaus, a volunteer organization that distributes a blacklist of spammers to e-mail providers in attempt to reduce spam. See Attacks Used the Internet Against Itself to Clog Traffic. That made me feel that I really should be blocking spam if at all possible, so today I’ve turned CAPTCHA verification back on for our comments. Sorry about that, folks! But to be honest, I feel relieved already that I’m not going to be seeing all that stuff on a daily basis.

If you would like to leave a comment but are confused about how to do so, click on the How to Comment tab at the top of the page for detailed instructions or use this link to go to our How to Comment page: http://yogaforhealthyaging.blogspot.com/p/how-to-comment.html. If you can’t read the text in the CAPTCHA box, take a wild guess. If you’re wrong, you’ll have second chance with a different phrase, and chances are that will be easier to read.

Healthy Spirits: CASTRO New Arrivals

New Arrivals CASTRO: 

1. Russian River Consecration

2. Pripp's Carnegie Porter 2010

3. Shipyard Barrel Aged Double Scottish Ale

4.Lost Abbey Saint's Devotion (brettanomyces farmhouse ale)

Yoga for Better Sleep: Workshop and Tip

by Nina

Cairns by Nina Zolotow

I don’t teach workshops very often, but when I do, I focus on topics I really care about. My upcoming workshop on Saturday April 6th, 2-5pm at Brentwood Yoga Center focuses on one of my favorite topics: Yoga for Better Sleep. (to register, go to http://brentwoodyogacenter.com/workshops ) This is topic is dear to my heart because, well, it’s something I have to practice myself on a regular basis. Even small amounts of stress can disrupt my ability to fall sleep or to sleep soundly (interestingly, that’s something that seems to run in my family). Fortunately I’ve learned a number of techniques both for reducing my stress levels in general and for lulling myself to sleep while I’m in bed. And my feeling about teaching these techniques to others is that if I’ve helped just one person to achieve better sleep, than I’ve been successful!

I’ve written about this topic in general on the blog (see Day to Night and Yoga for Insomnia, Part 1). But the other night as I was lying in bed not sleeping, I realized that if I had to choose one single technique above all the others, it would be the breath practice I turn to almost automatically these days. And I decided then and there I wanted to share it with you all.

For most of us, what is happening when we’re lying in bed sleepless is that our minds are churning, thinking about the day’s events, ruminating about the past or worrying about the future, which stimulates our nervous systems. Turning our minds to a neutral focus, such as the breath, allows us to let go—at least temporarily—of those disturbing thoughts and helps calm the nervous system, switching on the relaxation response. And in my case, after 10 to 20 minutes of breath practice, I almost always end up drifting back to sleep.

Start by practicing simple breath awareness. This means focusing your mind on how your breath moves in your body, perhaps on how your belly rises and falls with your breath or, if it’s easier, how your chest moves with your breath. You could also focus on the more subtle sensations, such as the feeling of your breath moving in and out or your nostrils or, if you prefer, the sound your breath makes in your body. I actually like to lie on my back with my hands on my  belly because that makes it very easy for me to feel the movement in my abdomen.

For some of you, this simple practice may be enough. For myself, I like to use a more structured technique of extending my exhalation. Extending the exhalation in particular helps calm the nervous system (your heart rate slows on your exhalation) but I also find it engages my mind more completely. To do this, when you reach the end of your exhalation, simply add a beat or two—without straining—before turning on to your inhalation. Keep it relaxed and easy. And if the practice aggravates you, simply return to your natural breath.

If at any point you realize your attention has wandered from your breath (it will, of course), simply—and without self judgment—bring your attention back to your breath.

I confess that, in addition to all that, I also count my breaths. I got the idea from Baxter who showed me a technique using your fingers that he learned when he studied at the Krishnamacharya Yoga Madiram. This really helps me keep my mind engaged, and when I start to really lose track of where I am, that’s when I’m starting to fall asleep. However, this may be, well, too anal for you. (Hey, I’m just trying to be honest about what I really do—and what really works for me.) Basically, you need to experiment and see what works for you. Maybe you’ll even come up with new variations. If whatever you are doing is working, then it’s right for you.

You can do this breath practice every night when you get into bed or just on those nights when you start to realize—it sometimes takes a while catch yourself—that you’re having trouble falling asleep or are wide awake in the middle of the night.

I have more tricks up my sleeve and hope to share them with some of you in person at my April workshop, but in the meantime, if I help just one person.....