Speaking for a lot of us Latinos what comes to mind when someone says healthy or fitness is "boooring" but hey it's not our fault! I mean most of us were raised in households where food is not just a nutritional necessity but part of something bigger, food in our culture is an experience. From the shopping in the loud supermarkets for arroz, frijoles, carne, queso, crema... the staples of most of our Latino cuisine... to helping your mom take the piedritas out of the beans before they get boiled, mixing the masa for the tamales, I mean I could go on and on...bottom line...eating for many of us is a whole experience... and one where healthy isn't always on the menu.I've always tried to be active as a kid, through high school, and in college I jogged but didn't really maintain a routine like I had before. Slowly but surely the Freshman 15 crept up on me and now I find myself out of college and trying to get myself back to my h.s. physique, something that has become increasingly hard when i love to make enchiladas, chilaquiles, taquitos dorados, ay I'm hungry as I write!
So I signed up to do my part and get back in a fitness routine while not limiting myself to what I'm eating (mind you, I'm not a big eater anyone who knows me can tell you, I just can't stay away from sweets!). I'm on day 10 of Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred. Her program is divided into 3 levels each of which you do for 10 days and then u move up to the harder one. I found the videos free on YouTube and OnDemand on Time Warner, there are claims that one can lose up to 20lbs in the 30 days.
I haven't made it a point to weigh myself since I started, seeing as how I haven't maintained any sort of diet, I'm just sort of consciously making an effort to not drink soda or juice that often. I think that including a fitness routine in my day is a lot more than I was doing before and I'm sure its helping out in something...if not by taking off some of this weight, I can honestly say I feel that my endurance is way up, my body doesn't hurt quite as much as it did before when I wasn't doing anything, and knowing that I'm doing something positive for my body has had a positive impact on my self image.
So here are some of the things I do in case anyone out there wants to try...
1. Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred videos... daily (if u skip a day make it up somehow by doing something extra)
2. Soymilk (fortified with vitamins, no cholesterol, and delish!)
3. Limit Soda (if u think about it all it is is carbonated water, many tablespoons of sugar and some food coloring, if u tried to make it yoruself at home you wouldn't think it was delicious not to mention it has ZERO nutritional value!)
4. Jogging (I love it I run 1mile and walk another it feels great and I just do it for fun when I feel like it, no particular routine)
5. Vitamins (with all the junk we eat we neglect our bodies a lot of essential things it needs to function)
6. Fast Food ( I have officially overdosed on burgers, I ate em so much last year I can't even crave one anymore, and I have all but eliminated fries from my diet, I never thought this to be possible but the more you work out and avoid these things the easier it gets I PROMISE!! )
7. LOOK AT nutritional info, you might think twice to put some of that garbage in your body, too many carbs, or too much sugar, or too much energy in general...
****remember calories are energy if u don't burn that energy it turns in to fat!! 3500 cals=1lbs... if u are eating extra calories everyday in one week u can gain 1-2lbs think of how much that is in one year...
Eat what you want with moderation...but do think twice to give in to cravings on a daily basis its been hard for me but I'm so proud of myself to have overcome most of these and I can say no to juice and chocolates and fries a lot more than I used to.
I can't think of anything else for now but if anyone has tips...leave me a message!
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