Slim People in Progress

Walking Works Best When You Pick up the Pace

As I've mentioned a couple of times, I recently tore a muscle in my left calf so I cannot run for awhile. But if I'm to get back to my running shape I need to continue getting regular cardio workouts. While walking isn't an intense cardio exercise, I do still get together with my running group every Sunday and while they run, I walk. And I walk pretty briskly. No strolling for me.

Today's RealAge Tip talks about how your gait, or pace can help you lower your mortality rate. They recommend that you be able to walk 2.25 miles in one hour.  That seems a bit slow to me. I cover 4 miles in one hour. That's a 15 minute mile which actually seems slow to me. But considering I run about a 11-12 minute mile, maybe it's OK. For my pace, I take about 2000 steps per mile.

I don't get in the recommended 30 minute walk per day, but I do get in a workout of some type at least 4 days a week so I feel pretty good about that.

This Sunday is the Los Angeles Marathon. I won't be there but I have a good friend who has been training with Team in Training and she'll be walking the 26.2 miles! Awesome.

Tracking Points Works for Me

After two weeks back on track with Weight Watchers (most of the time!), I'm happy to report that I've dropped 2.8 pounds. I slipped a couple of times but overall I'm happy to be moving back in the right direction.

For me, this is what works:

1. Attending the weekly meetings even if I've heard the topic 10 times before
2. Weighing in every week. As a lifetime member I only need to weigh in once a month, but I think that's what got me in trouble. Now, even though I have to pay every week, I think it's important that I see the reality.
3. Exercise at least 3-4 times per week and make sure I get a cardio workout with a couple of those workouts.
4. Tracking my points. I think this is the most important.

I use the Weight Watchers etools which is easy for me since I'm online all day. I feel like I get an accurate calculation of my points and seeing the actual points I've consumed really makes a difference. When I try to keep track in my head, I ALWAYS over eat.

OK, what works for you? Maybe I can learn some new tricks for staying on track!

Does Clutter Make You Fat?

By way of a client's blog, Productive & Organized, I was reminded about a new book by professional organizer Peter Walsh. Walsh is known for his work on Clean Sweep and as Oprah's organizer -- where I first saw him do an amazing job on a family's home that I cannot even begin to describe.

OK, what's the point here?  Well, Walsh's new book is called Does This Clutter Make My Butt Look Fat? and he gives advice and tells stories of people losing weight once the weight of their clutter has been cleared from their life. Makes sense to me.

I actually had the unexpected pleasure of meeting Peter Walsh at the Los Angeles Professional Organizing Awards earlier this month. I had forgotten that he told me his book was about to be published, though we did talk about it.

Maybe if I would stick to what my own organizer has done for me, I would finally lose those last few pounds!

Vitalicious Recipe Contest

Vitalicious muffin tops are an essential staple in my freezer. They help me satisfy my sweet tooth without creating havoc on my points. I also have on hand a couple of packages of VitaMix, just in case I run out of my favorite tops.

I'm not a baker so I simply follow the directions on the package. But, Roni, who writea Green Lite Bites, is a baker and is having a VitaMix recipe contest. The best thing is that if you submit the winner recipe, you get $500 worth of Vitalicious products!

Check out the contest, pick up some VitaMix and create. Let us know here, what your favorite VitaMix recipe is and we'll try it out too.

Fitness Protects All Bodies Two Ways

Information and systems to help one become fit and lean are a "BIG" business.  In magazines, on the Internet, in office waiting rooms everywhere there are articles about fitness and leanness.  Most of us want to look better naked.  It is so popular it is a category on my blog Get the Skinney.

Being fit and lean may be physically appealing but they are important for another reason.  Leanness and fitness have been associated with a decreased risk of death from cancer.  Well, that leaves me out you might be thinking.  Not so fast there!

There was another important and very interesting finding in the published study.