Thursday, July 31, 2014

Fit for a Queen

Last week I came across an interesting article on Dame Helen Mirren's fitness plan. It caught my attention because I recalled seeing this photo:


That was taken with she was 62 years old. 62!!! She just recently turned 69, and I don't think that she's changed all that much:


Honestly, I would love to look like that now

Anyway, apparently Dame Mirren is not a fan of the gym or of working out. (Sounds like someone else I know...) So instead, when she wants to shape up, she does a 12 minute workout designed for the Royal Canadian Air Force back in the 1950s. The workout, called "XBX" or "Ten Basic Exercises" has its own Wikipedia article and a link to a copy of the actual, original workout booklet. 

The exercises themselves seem relatively simple and straightforward. Based on your age, a chart tells you how many repetitions of each exercise you should complete within the allotted time. Once you master one level, you move on to the next one. No special equipment is required and the exercises can be done pretty much anywhere.

After reading about it, I decided to download the booklet and print it out. My plan is to start it this weekend. I can pretty much figure out how to get some aerobic exercise in on my own, but having this guide and some structure is just what I need, I think, to do something for tone and flexibility. 

I'll let you know what I think after I do it for a few days.

Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Rising Early

I'm not sure why, but Monsieur has been getting up extra early since we returned from Chicago. I never really thought of him as the type to get jet lag--he's never gotten it before. But for the past two days he's been up at 6:30 a.m. (Yikes!)

Today, I suggested that he go to work early and come home early, and he took my advice. He left at 7:30 and by 7:45 I was out the door, too. First I went to Starbucks for some coffee. Then, I went to Trader Joe's and to the supermarket to do my grocery shopping. Two major errands were checked off before 9 a.m.

Back home, I put away what I bought, did some laundry, tidied up the house, and performed some pool maintenance.  10 a.m. Then, my maman came over and I helped her run a few errands since she's having some work done on her house. We had some lunch, did a couple more errands, and by 2 p.m. I was back home.

By that time, I must admit I was feeling a bit pooped because I'd been going nonstop since rather early. Unlike monsieur, my natural wake up time was not 6:30 a.m.

Now it's 4:30 p.m. and all I want to do is take a nap!

Luckily, I already planned dinner and it's one of my easiest and favorite menus.  Roasted chicken wings, rice, and a salad. Once I've prepped the chicken and gotten the rice going in my rice cooker, all I have to do is make the salad, and that's usually pretty quick.

I could get used to this early schedule, but I'm not sure monsieur will like it. The (theoretical) advantage of going to work early was supposed to be getting home early, and there's still no sign of him, so...

But in either way, at least I felt super productive today!

Tuesday, July 29, 2014

R.E.P.O.R.T. card


I'm back from a really fun trip to Chicago and I'm slowly trying to get back into my routine. First thing on the to-do list was my morning weigh in.

  • Real, natural foods: Pass. We ate out but the food was always very good. Fresh and well prepared. 
  • Enjoy the dining experience: Pass. For the most part we were able to sit down and enjoy our meals.
  • Portion control: Pass. Even though there were many meals eaten out, often they were shared or else I took home leftovers.
  • Only at mealtimes--no snacking: So-So. My eating schedule was definitely off, especially in Chicago, so sometimes there were small meals at odd times.
  • Run around--incorporate exercise naturally: Pass +.  Being in a new city with lots to explore = lots of walking for me, and even though I had been to Chicago before, that didn't lessen my exercise at all. TONS of walking around.
  • Treat yourself: So-So. I definitely ate many more 'treats' than I would normally. But, I think that I partially made up for it thanks to the extra walking.

Weekly weigh-in: 165 (+0.5 versus last week and -2.0 to-date)

Final Grade: B+  Actually, I was very happy (and relieved) to see how things went, considering all the goodies I indulged in over the weekend. And, I'm actually wondering if I might have had a consistent weight reading had it not been for last night's spaghetti dinner. I hadn't made spaghetti in a while and last night's was delicious so I know that I ate much more than I needed to. :(  And, I have often noticed that my weight fluctuates up after a pasta dinner.  So, I'm hoping that things will come back down again soon.

Thursday, July 24, 2014

Chicago, Chicago

Time for another whirlwind trip. As I mentioned earlier, we're going back to Chicago to attend a wedding! (I wish I'd followed the French diet more consistently, perhaps I would be a bit slimmer. But there's no use crying over spilt cafe au lait now.) It is interesting to me, at least, that I had just started thinking about the French diet (and applying it) around the time I went to Chicago last.




I managed to score us a great deal at a five star hotel, The Langham, Chicago. It's just north of the river, and only a couple of blocks off of famed N. Michigan Ave.  From the pictures on the hotels' website, it looks super nice and I'm especially interested in exploring the spa/indoor pool and relaxing with afternoon tea. Hopefully I'll be able to do both. Sometimes, when you are attending these kinds of events it can be hard to find the time, even though you are theoretically on vacation!






I'm not sure if I'll be able to post anything tomorrow or Monday (we fly back on Monday, so my usual weigh in will be delayed), but if not, have a great weekend!

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Taking Care of Yourself & Re-focusing

For the past couple of days I really haven't been feeling all that terrific. My stomach hasn't been that happy, but I'm not sure why. I'm not aware of having eaten anything that could be responsible for the recent malaise. Then, this morning, I woke up and I was really dizzy. That seems to have passed (mostly) but there's a lingering not feeling 100% normal feeling. Sigh.

This got me thinking that probably I am starting to feel the effects from the past couple of years' stresses. As I may have mentioned (or alluded to) in previous posts, my papa's health has not been great for some time now, and in the last year and a half, especially, he's required a lot of extra care. My maman has shouldered the bulk of the burden, but I have also been very involved and sort-of "on call" every day. In fact, with the exception of some very quick family-related trips (visiting monsieur's family at Thanksgiving, or going to see his maman for her birthday), I haven't had an actual vacation in almost 2 years. What's even more challenging has been keeping my spirits up in the face of papa's occasional, "I'm ready to die and just want to get this over with" attitude. Double Sigh.

Perhaps the time has come to re-evaluate everything I'm doing and see if I need to focus some more on rest and relaxation...

On a somewhat unrelated note, I'm also wondering if I should limit the content on this blog to things that are strictly related to the French diet, or if I should branch out to other areas that interest me, like fashion or home or just whatever!

My original intention for the blog was to have a place where I could keep track of my progress and also just hold myself accountable. But the truth is that sometimes I feel like I'm struggling to come up with something, anything that is weight or health related, and it starts to feel contrived. I really don't want this blog to turn into an online food or exercise journal:
I had a grilled chicken breast with some sauteed vegetables today!
Today I walked for 30 minutes and then I had a turkey sandwich!

I mean, honestly. I don't want to read that, and why would anyone else? At the same time, the world (and the Internet) if definitely full of somewhat generic "lifestyle" blogs and maybe I'd just be adding to the noise if I started writing about general life things.

Thoughts? Opinions? Ideas?


 

Monday, July 21, 2014

R.E.P.O.R.T. card

Ah, Monday morning and it's time for another check in.


Let's look at how well I did against the French Diet's basic principles:
  • Real, natural foods: Pass. Most meals were home-cooked and minimally processed. 
  • Enjoy the dining experience: Pass. I still haven't gotten back to the days of multiple courses and finely set table, but dining has been fairly enjoyable nonetheless.
  • Portion control: Pass. 
  • Only at mealtimes--no snacking: So-so. Light snacking, but nothing excessive.
  • Run around--incorporate exercise naturally: Pass +.  Last week I exercised almost every day for at least 30 minutes. There were at least 3 bike excursions that lasted 30-45 minutes, and one walk. 
  • Treat yourself: Pass. I neither over-indulged, nor restricted myself excessively. Good balance, I think.

Weekly weigh-in: 164.5 (No Change versus last week and -2.5 to-date)

Final Grade: A  Last week when I weighed myself, I thought that my new weight was the result of a chaotic week and some stomach distress. I reasoned that I probably would see my system resettle at a slightly higher number. Luckily, that hasn't been the case this week. I think that the combination of extra, consistent exercise with a small amount of discipline (small, trust me) worked in my favor.

This week, I leave for Chicago on Thursday. Monsieur and I are going for his brother's wedding. My goal for this week will be to maintain good exercise and eating habits until I leave, and then maintain the healthy French mindset while we're gone. None of this "I'm on vacation so give me the donuts and banana split!" sort of excess. 

Friday, July 18, 2014

So far, so good

Well, this week has been decidedly better than last week! I've been waking up early, exercising almost every day (just missed Wednesday), and generally taking a bit more time to take care of myself and enjoy the summer. I've also felt a bit less stressed out than usual because my papa is back home after his stint in the hospital, and we have had 24h care, so I haven't had to worry about him or my maman hurting themselves.

Starting today, however, our 24h care schedule is changing and we will instead have someone there for most of the day (9-5) and most of the night (9-7). This leaves the early evening hours 'uncovered'. We are going to see if that will work or not, and adjust accordingly. Thank God, though, that papa has taken all of this with the best possible attitude and he seems to be committed to doing his part for his rehabilitation. So, I am hoping that he will continue to get stronger and we will need to rely less on outside help.

Anyway, I was curious about whether anything had changed, weight-wise, since I was so (pleasantly) surprised at my last check in. I wasn't sure if it had been some sort of water weight fluke or some such thing. And I was wondering if the increased exercise had had any measurable effect. So, I decided to step on the scale, even though my general rule it to not weigh myself more than once per week.

164.5

No change since Monday. Actually, this is quite good news since (as I already mentioned) I thought Monday's results might not have reflected my true situation. Or perhaps, Monday's results really didn't, but the increase in discipline this week (both in terms of the French diet and the uptake in exercise) has led me to the same result. Either way, I'll take it.

Have a great weekend!

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Le Tour de France...or of your neighborhood

Not only did the World Cup just end, but we are also in the middle of the Tour de France. I will confess, I've never followed the Tour very closely since I have a hard time getting excited about watching cycling on TV. (The World Cup, though, is another matter entirely...)

I used to ride my bike as a kid, but once I got my driver's license my interest in pedaling to get places dropped sharply. Then, in my late 20s I bought a "hybrid" bike and it sat around collecting dust, because every time I rode it I felt like I was thisclose to killing myself. Years passed, and I met Monsieur, and (wouldn't you know it) he wanted us to go biking together.

I agreed to venture back into the cycling world. I thought that my best hope of getting into it was to find a bike that I'd feel comfortable and safe on. After some research, I settled on a "cruiser" style bike--the Townie "Electra"




To further enhance my bike's appeal, I added a front wicker basket. I pictured myself wearing something cute, pedaling along, perhaps something like this:




Unfortunately, though, my experience riding my Townie was never quite as idyllic as I'd imagined. For one thing, I never looked that cute. For another, I gradually realized that the Townie was only really good if I was going alone completely flat terrain. As soon as I hit even the slightest hill, I had to do a lot of work to keep moving, and as a result, I found myself growing more and more averse to cycling.

Monsieur, however, had not given up on me yet. He suggested I try out a different type of bike. One that might make riding easier and more enjoyable. 

So, I went back to the (research) drawing board and I visited a number of bike shops to go on some test rides. Eventually I found a new bike that I hoped would make cycling more fun: the Cannondale Quick 5 (Women's frame):




Mine is exactly like the one pictured above. The official color name is "Cabernet". Honestly, I found the color was a bit more...grape-y. I christened him "Grimace", after the McDonald's character.

Since I bought Grimace last year towards the end of summer, I got a fantastic deal on him. And, I gave up on the idea of trying to look like a chic European girl while riding in favor of comfort. I purchased some Ibex cycling gear (after discovering that wool is cooler and more comfortable [even in summer] than your traditional synthetic jerseys) and I started riding.

I wouldn't say I've turned into some fantastic cyclist or that I am ready to take any cycling tours. But I am enjoying myself a lot more and I don't dread going out for a quick (no pun intended) ride. Now, I consider it one of the main ways I can get in a little (30-45 minutes) exercise in a day.

I don't regret purchasing my Townie, since I'm not sure I would have been ready to venture out on something like the Cannondale if I hadn't already built up my confidence on the Electra. But, I realize I've outgrown it and I will probably sell it soon.

If you haven't been on a bike in ages but you are considering giving cycling a try, I really recommend that you check out what's available now. There are so many options that I am sure you will be able to find something that appeals to you and will prepare you for your very own Tour.

Monday, July 14, 2014

R.E.P.O.R.T. card


As I mentioned in my previous post, last week was a doozy. My papa was in the hospital for four days and most days my maman and I were running around just trying to take care of everything.  As a result, my eating was anything but typical. In some ways, this was actually positive because since I wasn't at home, I couldn't just walk over to the pantry to forage for a snack. And, to some extent, stress functions as an appetite suppressant. But, obviously, stress, poor sleep, erratic eating, and no exercise doesn't exactly lead to glowing health.

In any case, papa is back home now and I'm hoping (fingers crossed) that I will be able to recuperate this week from last week's stress.

In terms of grades, here we go:
  • Real, natural foods: 50% pass, 50% fail. Some days, take out was the only option. 
  • Enjoy the dining experience: n/a. It's not easy to enjoy dining when you are exhausted and stressed out from other things that are going on.
  • Portion control: Pass. 
  • Only at mealtimes--no snacking: Pass. See intro.
  • Run around--incorporate exercise naturally: 50% pass, 50% fail. Did okay up until my dad hurt himself.
  • Treat yourself: Fail. Not because I over-indulged, but because I didn't treat myself well at all. :( Perhaps I'll have to make up for that this week with a little pampering? ;)
Oh, one more thing. Yesterday's lunch really didn't sit well so for the entire rest of the day I didn't eat much at all. Dinner was some herbal tea and a slice of toast with a little peach jam. 

Weekly weigh-in: 164.5 (-1.5 lbs versus last week and -2.5 to-date)

Final Grade: Obviously, I'm thrilled with the number on the scale and I plan on fully enjoying its memory for about half of the day. However, I also realize that it is probably somewhat misleading since my stomach was upset and I didn't eat much at all yesterday. Since I hadn't planned on using fasting as a means of weight control, I don't expect that weight loss trend to continue! 

Now I think I just need to focus on sticking with the plan and really taking care of myself. Hopefully that will not result in a weight gain next week, if I'm careful about how I go about things this week.

Friday, July 11, 2014

Sidetracked

My papa fell and fractured his pelvis. If you ever consider going and breaking yours, try to do it the way he did--with a stable fracture that doesn't require surgery, just time, to heal.

This happened on Tuesday evening and ever since we've been in a bit of turmoil, trying to get everything settled. 

As a result, the last two days I've been eating take out. Pizza and salad on Wednesday and Chinese food yesterday. And lunches have been slapped together. 

Add to this a lack of restful sleep and no exercise, and I'm sure you can imagine how well I'm doing, French diet-wise. 

We can't always control the circumstances of our lives, and I think that now I just have to give myself a break. What good would come from beating myself up on top of everything else that's going on?

Maybe that's kind of French after all...

Wednesday, July 9, 2014

Weight Math

After yesterday's disappointing weigh-in, I remembered (vaguely) that statistic about how many calories you need to cut to lose 1 lb. So, I turned to my friend The Google and did a little research.

There seems to be some debate over the precise number of calories you'd need to reduce or burn through exercise in order to lose 1 lb of fat in one week, but the general consensus was that 3,500 calories = 1 lb of 'weight'. Breaking that down into more manageable daily pieces, you'd need to cut back about 500 calories per day to lose 1 lb, or 250 calories per day to lose 1/2 a lb. Roughly.

Now, part of the reason the French Diet appeals to me so much is that I have never counted calories. The whole idea is anathema to me. I just hate it! I have enough things I need to juggle in my mind that I really don't want to add calorie counting to the list. First of all, I'd need to memorize the calories in  everything I eat, and then I'd have to try to calculate how much the portion of food X that I just ate contained. I just patently refuse to add this task to my daily to-do's.

Of course, with the advent of the iPhone and all the health/diet related apps that are available, you might say that all I need to do is find the right app and let it do the work. And, that might be true. But I still just don't want to do it.

So instead I asked The Google about exercise and how many calories each type of exercise (roughly) burns. Here's what I found, according to the Mayo Clinic:

For a 160 lb. person:
1 hour of...                    =              calories burned
  aerobics, high impact                          533
  aerobics, low impact                           365
  cycling < 10 mph                                292
  weight training                                    365
  swimming laps                                    423
  walking, 2 mph                                   204
  walking, 3.5 mph                                314

So yesterday, I went for a brisk walk in the morning. My iPhone app WalkTracker (I'm not opposed to using technology to help with health and fitness, it's just calorie counting that I despise) informed me that I had walked approximately 2.7 miles over 50 minutes at an average speed of 3.26 mph. According to my app, that represented 270 calories. Later that same day, I ended up walking another 1.5 miles when I found myself taking the train back home after visiting my parents. So, all in all, I had a pretty good day, exercise-wise.

My goal is to do some moderate amount of aerobic activity for 30-60 minutes each day, I probably would be able to take care of 1/2 a pound a week. The rest (if I want to make 1 lb a week my goal) should come from appropriate application of the French diet, especially from portion control.

Tuesday, July 8, 2014

R.E.P.O.R.T. Card

Despite the holiday weekend, I thought today would reveal nothing had changed. Instead, I was quite disappointed. But first, grades:
  • Real, natural foods: Pass. 
  • Enjoy the dining experience: Pass
  • Portion control: Pass. 
  • Only at mealtimes--no snacking: So-so. No crazy snacking that I recall but probably some. 
  • Run around--incorporate exercise naturally: Pass. Actually got a bike ride in and some swimming. 
  • Treat yourself: Fail. Definitely had some extra treats. Chocolate. Pancakes. Whipped cream. Ice cream. Did I mention chocolate?

Weekly weigh-in: 166 (+1.0 lbs versus last week and -1.0 to-date)

Final Grade: Sad face. 

Time to focus and take this experiment seriously. 


Monday, July 7, 2014

Stuck

I've decided to move my weigh-in day to Tuesday because, for some reason, I always seem to have breakfast before realizing it is Monday. Hopefully I will not start messing up on Tuesdays, too!

This past holiday weekend went, I think, reasonably well. I got a lot more exercise in since Monsieur is very keen on it. So, we went for a swim on a couple of days and got in a (for me) long bike ride. Yesterday, we rode for almost 12 miles. Took our bikes down to Whole Foods, picked up picnic supplies, and then rode to a park, where we ate under two huge oak trees that housed some very grumpy squirrels. Then, we looped around before returning home, so by the time I hopped off my bike, I felt I had worked out.

I think that my eating was fairly French, but I did indulge in a few more treats than needed. In retrospect, I realize that I often forget about the French mentality towards food. I just haven't yet made it my own and, truth be told, I'm starting to worry.  I don't know if I ever will.

Of course, the books (Losing It In France--Les Secrets of the French Diet and The French Don't Diet Plan: 10 Simple Steps To Stay Thin For Life) that inspired me to try the French diet are by non-French people who discovered the diet/lifestyle's myriad of benefits. Presumably, they have adopted the French diet as much as possible and continue to adhere to it, even after they have returned home. But I'm wondering if it's possible for someone who hasn't lived in France for an extended period of time to actually start to think like a French person...???

I am starting to think that I may actually be stuck and kidding myself by saying things like "my eating was fairly French". Sure, I may be more French than your average American, since I do like to cook and I have cut out things like sodas and most processed foods. But I was like that even before starting my French experiment. It's the rest of the French diet that seems so hard to make my own: portion control, listening to my body for cues on hunger/satiation, and--perhaps most importantly--feeling enough pride in myself to say "I deserve to be svelte and healthy and fit, and I deserve that a whole heck of a lot more than I need that candy".

Maybe I need to re-read those books and remind myself of what is possible?

All I know is that I haven't made that much progress in the three months and that makes me sad. I don't want my French experiment to be a failure.

Friday, July 4, 2014

Happy 4th of July!

Happy Independence Day! 

I can barely believe it is already the 4th of July and we are in the middle of summer.  The weather where I live has been a bit erratic--super hot some days and then cool and breezy others. 

Yesterday, Monsieur gave me the option to play some tennis pre-dinner or go for a swim. I felt very worn down because I'd been running around most of the day, so I chose the swim over more running around. Our pool was so warm that it felt like getting into a hot tub, and my muscles felt soothed despite swimming around for nearly 30 minutes. They say that exercise is--paradoxically--a good way to re-energize when you're feeling tired, but I've often felt that it depends on the type of exercise you pick and your reasons for feeling tired. I'm glad to say that now I'll know to choose a swim over something more vigorous the next time I feel too tired to move.

Anyway, there isn't much on the agenda for today. Mes parents will probably join us for some sort of BBQ dinner. I would have liked to have baked something special for today, perhaps something like Ina Garten's Flag Cake:



but that will have to wait for next year. Instead, I think I will just serve up some strawberries and whipped cream. Maybe I can add some blueberries, too, and really be patriotic. :)

I wish you and yours a wonderful 4th of July!!


Tuesday, July 1, 2014

R.E.P.O.R.T. card

Luckily, I remembered to weigh myself before anything else this morning.

I had no idea what to expect today. Last week seemed to fly by and I didn't do a good job of recording what I ate. I certainly didn't do much by way of planning what I ate, either.

So, I think we'll have to take these grades with a grain of salt:
  • Real, natural foods: Pass. I recall making dinner a few nights and eating things like salad, rice and some protein.
  • Enjoy the dining experience: No grade.
  • Portion control: Pass. 
  • Only at mealtimes--no snacking: Fail. Some chocolate and a bag of gummy bears went missing last week. 
  • Run around--incorporate exercise naturally: Fail. Monsieur and I went on one after-dinner walk, but other than that, I don't recall doing anything else other than thinking about how I should be exercising.
  • Treat yourself: No grade. 

Weekly weigh-in: 165 (-1.0 lbs versus last week and -2.0 to-date)

Final Grade: YAY!! 

Now I really wish I had done a better job of keeping track of what I ate and how much I exercised so I could keep on doing it. I think I'll just have to stick to the French diet principles and see how next week looks.