The Bod Pod and Other Starting Points

You can't judge the results if you don't know where you start. This weekend was all about the starting point. As part of the program I enrolled in at the Y, I was able to do body composition testing in the Bod Pod. This was at least half the reason I signed up for the program. The Bod Pod is the gold standard for body composition testing. It uses air displacement and measures body fat percentage and resting metabolic rate (RMR). It was awesome! Well, truthfully, the entire experience was...weird. I had to get down to a sports bra and compression shorts in front of a stranger, which isn't where you want to be when you have body image issues. Then the guy operating it handed me a swim cap. I'm hoping that it was cleaned in between. I mean, really, really hoping. Then you get in the Bod Pod, which is just an egg shaped thing in the trailer. Did I mention this is all happening in a trailer in a parking lot? Totally weird.

But, at the end of this 10 minutes of weirdness, you walk out with a sheet of info that's really freaking cool. It includes % fat, fat mass, fat free mass, body fat rating, and RMR. It also includes body volume, body density, and thoracic gas volume. I don't have a clue what to do with that info, but do you know your thoracic gas volume? I didn't think so!

In addition to the Bod Pod, I also broke out the tape measure and wrote down all my starting point measurements - waist, hips, arms, thighs, calves. The waist measurement is the most important of these as this is an indicator of higher risk of Type 2 Diabetes and heart disease when over 35" for women and 40" for men. I'm in that high risk category and that's highly motivating to me.

Finally, the program has you establish your fitness starting point by doing wall sits, 1 mile run, and push ups.

Nowhere to go now but up! Or down depending on which starting point you're judging.

Put an egg on it

I'm a pretty boring breakfast girl - either fruit with almond butter or a bowl of oatmeal. I'm developing a love of eggs again and one of my goals for fixing up my diet is to eat more veggies. I'm fairly good with my intake, usually in the 3-5 servings per day range, but I want to be consistent in getting 5 or more daily servings. Breakfast seemed like an easy place to start. I always have bags of frozen veggies or a bunch of leftover veggies from dinner and eggs, so my new favorite breakfast is a bowl of sautéed veggies with an over easy egg and some hot sauce. Since this is painfully simple to make (cook egg, heat veggies, combine, eat), I thought I'd share some egg facts with you instead of a recipe. A large egg has:

• 70-75 calories
• 6 grams of high quality protein
• 4.5 grams of fat
• Vitamin D, supporting bone health
• Lutein, an antioxidant that reduces the incidence of age related macular degeneration
• Choline, which plays a part in liver function and brain development
• Vitamins, minerals, and bonus nutrients like omega-3 fatty acids based on the chicken's feed.

As an added bonus, they're cheap and versatile. And, just in case you have that voice in the back of your head about cholesterol, don't fret. Yes, eggs have cholesterol and not a small amount, but we know that blood cholesterol is not impacted by dietary cholesterol, so this shouldn't deter you. The mix of protein and fat will keep you feeling satisfied all morning. And, having this for breakfast means you're easily knocking out at least one of your 5 daily fruits and veg! 

This is your body off exercise

So, it's been ages since I've hit the gym on a regular basis and at least a month and a half since I was there at all. I've signed up for a small group personal training session - twice weekly TRX. I loooooved TRX when I did it before. If you're not familiar, it's suspension training and it kicks your ass. Should I be starting with something like this? I have no idea, but I know I need to have good reason right now to get out of bed (what's up polar vortex!) for a 6:30 am workout and paying for small group training seemed like good motivation!

Since it's been so long since I've worked out, I thought I'd do a little research into what happens to our bodies when we forgo exercise. The short answer is nothing good...

Within 2 weeks:

• Loss of endurance as measured by VO2 max (the maximum amount of oxygen you can use in one minute of maximal exercise).
• Increased blood glucose levels.
• Increased blood pressure.
• Decreased strength.
• Tiredness, grumpiness, even memory loss.

Within 4 to 8 weeks:

• Gain in total body fat.
• Increased body weight.
• Increased waist circumference (a predictor of heart disease and type 2 diabetes).

The good news is that some of these can be reversed immediately. We all feel a mood boost after a workout and get a better night's sleep. And, don't hide it, you know you walk out of the gym feeling like hot stuff after a workout! Please note: if you are sick or injured or have a legit reason that exercise is not healthy for you at this point in your life, respect that and stay healthy. All the rest of us, let's get out there and do something today!

Trying again...

It's a New Year, but today I found myself looking through some very old posts on my previous, now defunct blog today and it got me thinking about this blog again. My last post was in February 2016. At the time, I had created the blog as a way to post about healthy eating and fitness and to help with my applications to dietetic internships. I was at the gym constantly and was trying to make sure the family was eating healthy. Since then, I broke my wrist, fell off my fitness regime, got into and completed a dietetic internship, became a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, and started working at a job I love in NICU and pediatrics. Unfortunately, I've also gained 20+ pounds, struggled to get in minimal workouts, let convenience rule my plate, and have felt more unhealthy than I have in ages.

Now, I'm trying, like so many others at this time of year, to get everything back on track. I've signed up for twice weekly small group personal training sessions and have joined a group health and fitness program at my local YMCA. They both start this week and I'm pretty terrified about how I will feel when they start. I'm also trying to clean up my plate a bit and work on freezer meals and simple dinners that will keep us eating well even on nights when dinner might not be until 8 pm.

I've struggled to get back on track by myself and I'm hoping having a built in support system at the gym will get me back on track with fitness. As far as eating goes, my family is my support and I need to be sure to keep instilling good eating habits in the kiddos. And, I'm going to try to share my little journey here with whoever wants to read along. Maybe we can lend a bit of support to each other if you're also working on a healthier New Year!

Happy New Year everyone! Let's do this thing!