Foremost, I should be a bit more clear about two things: 1) my dietary habits prior to the last 30 days and 2) other changes I made during the last 30 days.

I have been what I would call “nutritionally sound and aware” for about 4 years, now. In 2008 I began to do independent research on food and nutrition and changed my eating habits SLOWLY. I never went on a “diet” and the only things I ever gave up completely were fast food and soda (although I gave those up long before 4 years ago). I have always (for at least 10 years) enjoyed healthier foods: veggies, whole grain pastas, etc. However, I had an emotional eating habit and I never paid much attention to portions. So while I wasn’t scarffing down quarter pounders and 32 oz sodas, I was eating 4-5 pieces of homemade pizza or 2-3 servings of cereal for breakfast. When I decided to change that, I made the conscious choice to respect the slow process of learning to cope with emotions outside of food, and to maintain an activity level that helped me adjust even if I had one or two “bad days.”

As the years progressed and I lost 10, 20, 30, 40+ pounds, my motivation to hone my nutrition increased and become more and more interested in the finer points of nutrition: macro and micronutrients. I consulted a dietitian and kept reading more about food as fuel. I began to modify my intake by experimenting with different foods and finding the ability to listen to my body – to know what good digestion feels like, to know what doesn’t make me feel slow and bloated, to know what gives me energy for a workout and repair after one. Once I hit 150 lbs (down from 215 only 4 years prior), my body hit a stasis point. I still ate well, but I consumed a lot of carbs… and a lot of added sugar. I should say that this is mostly due to my endeavors in triathlon and endurance training, but it threw me off. I couldn’t lose anymore weight or body fat.

So I decided to go clean. I wanted to see if the delicious lattes and extra Clif bars, sweeteners in my iced coffee, and, ok, my addiction to bananas (sometimes 3 a day!) were keeping me from shedding a few inches around my waistline. So while the most prominent part of the past 30 days (and I’m keeping this up, mind you) has been watching out for additives (hello pasta sauces!), I have also been keeping sugar in general pretty low (under 70 grams a day) and carbs carefully monitored, as well. This is what I learned:

1) I could never have done this if it were a drastic change. If I did not have years to change my mental attitude toward food, this would probably cause me to relapse. Take it slow – always.

2) Your pallet truly does change. Bell peppers are like candy when you don’t eat added sugars for a while. And yes, you can survive without sweetening your oatmeal. I am living proof.

3) Unsweetened baking cocoa + protein powder + a little bit of water = a PMS’ing girl’s best friend. Do it. Add strawberries. Delicious.

4) You will feel better. All around. Mentally, physically – you’ll even sleep better.

5) I don’t need sugar and it’s not expensive or difficult to get rid of it. Does it take some discipline? Yeah, but what doesn’t? As long as you know what you want out of changing your eating habits, you shouldn’t have trouble reminding yourself.

6) It really is your diet. I didn’t work out any harder or any more than what I have been doing for the past 2 years. And in 30 days, I saw a substantial change in my body composition. The scale only moved 3 lbs or so, but I lost inches and body fat – and that’s what counts.

About a year ago I downloaded a free application on my iPhone called Daily Burn. The developers advertised their app as a way to track your health and fitness goals and share them with a community in order to foster support for yourself and others. Seems innocent enough, right? Perhaps.

Not long after that I realized that Daily Burn had every intention of shoving endless feet in endless doors within the wellness community (however loosely you’d like to define it). From guest-bloggers to the steady shared stream of new studies and general info on health, DB seemed to have no filter on the perspectives it chose to share to its ever-growing audience. It also became abundantly clear (after their endorsement of Gatorade products which are widely renounced by many dietitians, sports physicians, and trainers) that whomever paid to be featured by Daily Burn would in fact find a colorful promotion of their particular product displayed on the website and Facebook page.

Now, I haven’t been the only dissenter in the ranks. Other Daily Burn followers/subscribers expressed their dissatisfaction with certain choices the company made, all the while citing the obvious money-driven nature of their product promotions. And as far as I had seen, each and every one of us prefaced our discontent with “we know you have to pay the bills, but…” And the difficult part of that prefatory remark is that I do accept that a company wants to be profitable (or at least be able to sustain itself) *however* I am not comfortable with for-profit entities proclaiming to provide information for the best interests of its subscribers. Moreover, I am (and have always been) disturbed that people enter in to business to gouge people in exchange for their health and wellness. Even FURTHER, to do so without the values that do not seem to be able to fit with salary gained from advertising revenue.

It remained alright on my end because I know better – I have had years to independently educate myself about fitness, nutrition, and overall wellness. My concern is for those who turn to Daily Burn at the beginning of their journey – those who look to Daily Burn to provide them with information that will help them live a better, more active life. And my concerns have grown and multiplied in recent months due largely in part by two situations:

1) Some months back, Daily Burn enthusiastically announced that they had signed on a young lady to be their “Inspiration Ambassador.” This person, in their eyes, was the epitome of what it means to inspire others through hard work and healthy living. Her job (and their goal) is to inspire others with her story, regularly offering advice and encouragement to the Daily Burn audience. Well, that sounds lovely, right? It would indeed be lovely if it weren’t for one important factor: this young lady lost 100 lbs. Even now you might be thinking: But that’s excellent! That’s amazing! Way to go!” And I’d be cheering right along with you if she hadn’t lost 100 lbs due to dangerous, invasive weight loss (lap band) surgery. As I said in my initial comment to Daily Burn, I am not discounting this woman’s story or suggesting that she doesn’t deserve to be given respect for her personal challenges. What I *am* suggesting, though, is that there are MANY people out there who have lost 100+ lbs *not* as contestants on the Biggest Loser and *not* due to the PHYSICAL INABILITY TO CONSUME MASS QUANTITIES OF FOOD (and certain types of food).Why not ask *those* people to sign on to inspire your audience or real people with real lives and real goals?

I further push this issue because weight loss is more so about nutrition than it is about working out. We all know that you can be in the gym 6 days a week for 1-2 hours a day and you won’t see results you desire if you put toxic fuel in your tank. We all know that abs are made in the kitchen, not in the gym. We know that while being fit and in shape is an excellent way to live, it does not create the overall picture of health – not even close. And for most people, nutrition and discipline around food remains the greatest challenge of their lives. To me, when you ask people to be inspired by someone who couldn’t manage that discipline on their own but instead had to be forced into it – you’re asking a little too much.

Weight loss surgery is an incredibly serious choice and a dangerous procedure. I acknowledge that there are several complex factors that come in to play when people choose to go through with such an invasive procedure, and I respect that choice – but it is not the healthiest decision nor am I inspired by it. And in regard to the Daily Burn community, I am not alone.

2) Today, Daily Burn revealed that they would be chronicling the story of a man (a blogger who is now know to many for his podcast Fat2Fit Radio) who has decided to gain 60 pounds for the sole purpose of losing it again just to show people just how simple it is. I hope I don’t have to go on for several paragraphs about just how problematic this is. Personally, I don’t endorse anyone toying with their health/body just to prove a point (a la Morgan Spurlock in Supersize Me). Intentionally gaining weight just to lose it again to “show off,” somehow believing that your own personal experience of weight loss (your own genetic capacity to gain/lose weight at a certain rate with a certain set of training/nutrition) transcends to EVERYONE else is simply ridiculous. Experienced individuals (Mr. Fat2Fit included) understand that environmental, genetic, psychological factors are at play with weight loss – and while it’s always *possible* it is NOT ever “as simple as that!”

Again I called for Daily Burn to reach out to the undoubtedly thousands of people who have real stories of weight loss and transformation – to reach out to people who did not intentionally gain weight as if it’s some sort of show and tell. I suggested they ask “regular” people who do not have a voice in a popular podcast or don’t have thousands of advertising dollars and offer them the chance to write a blog or to have their lives chronicled. I guarantee that the average person just struggling to get through their day will find more inspiring the tale of someone who has just as hard a time getting to the gym or preparing their food for the week. I know that most people would rather read about the slow, painstaking process of losing 20-30 pounds and how it only came after a lot of pitfalls – I think people would prefer that over the borderline mockery of a man who deliberately gains weight just to show off how easy it is for him to shed it.

And speaking of shedding things, I am shedding my affiliation with Daily Burn. At this point, I’ve had enough of the insults to my intelligence and the intelligence of those in their community whether novice or expert.

Scratch that one off the list, folks – I am officially a triathlete with a shiny medal and a swollen foot to prove it!   It’s really quite funny that when racing the warrior dash last month, I worried the entire time that I would injure myself running up and down muddy hills.  Instead, I injured myself running the last leg of my triathlon.  Silly off-road running… running on grass *stinks!*

Regardless, the experience was fantastic and so were my fellow triathletes! An all-female triathlon was inspiring and I am proud to have raced beside such amazing women – especially the ones who blew past me in the swim!

Walking out to the starting buoy!

As I anticipated, my swim was a nice, slow slog through the water. I didn’t train for the swim portion as much as I should have but I swam well enough to get through it and for my first triathlon, that’s the only goal I set for myself. The swim was comfortable and fun. I’m a total fan of back-stroking my way to a modicum of glory.

As I ran out of the water, I knew I’d make up time on my bike.  And let’s not even talk about transitions – suffice to say I forgot to UNTIE MY SHOES while setting up my transition. Again, it’s a good thing I wasn’t trying to be competitive on my first time out.

This is what I think about my transition times (or, this is a candid pic of me scratching at my nose).

As I went to take off and smoke peeps in the bike portion, my chain popped. Awesome! Luckily it took less than 30 seconds for a handy dude on the curb to toss it back into place for me. Had I done it myself, it would’ve easily been another 60 seconds.  Thanks random handy dude! Aaaaaaaannndddd I’m off! ZOOM ZOOM ZOOM! The wind was pretty rough in two spots on the course, but nothing these quads couldn’t handle. I passed *several* people and nobody passed me! *beams with pride*  Yes, I take pride in my sub-4 minute miles because A) I don’t have a race bike and B) I choose not to use clipless pedals for outdoor riding.  And yes, clearly I do the bulk of my training on the bike. Feel free to tell me all about how I need to fix that. I will. I promise. Cross my heart!

Biking to the last transition, fist in the air! Feelin' so good.

Transition #2: Totally forgot to take my helmet off. Steve called it: I ride my damn bike so much that my helmet is second nature – I don’t even realize I’m wearing it.  Thanks again to another random dude who yelled out “HEY NUMBER 155! YOUR HELMET’S ON!”  I’ll call him “Random observant dude.” Very cool.

Photographic evidence of my eagerness to run without first removing my helmet (insert laughter)

Ah, yes. The run. I started out strong with an excellent pace. The sun was beating down at high humidity and about 87 degrees but I was hydrated and felt great.  1.3 miles in, I noticed the path going off-road into a long stretch of grass. I cringed inside. I am terrified of running on grass. And not long after hitting the grass, my fears were realized. *POP* *CRACK* *CRUNCH* …. not good.  I’m rather sure the lady running near me also heard the awesome sound my foot made.  She seemed more concerned than I was because, of course, there’s no feeling pain with adrenaline coursing through your veins.  I looked up to see a water station and the course returning to pavement not too far beyond it. I decided to walk the rest of the way and see if I could continue running on even ground.  While walking, a woman ran up behind me and said “You’re doing GREAT! Keep it up! I saw you pass me on the bike!”  Talk about a much-needed ego boost! I thanked the kind lady and soon after, I hit the pavement.  I progressed into a slow jog – probably the slowest jog I’ve had in 3 years… but I kept moving.  Each time my right foot struck the pavement, it got weaker. It didn’t really hurt, it just kept refusing to bear the weight. I started compensating with a heavier strike on my left foot but I knew that wasn’t smart to do for the rest of the race.  At 2.5 miles, I walked a bit (well, I limped a bit).  At this point, I had a chance to inform Steve (who had met me near the end of the race) and luckily he was close by when about .5 miles away, my foot gave out complete and I came close to biting the pavement. I didn’t fall and I didn’t quit.  Steve grabbed my hand and walked a bit with me until I shook it off and looked at my watch.

Just finishing a triathlon is excellent, but I had a goal in mind: less than 2 hours. I *will* finish in less than 2 hours.  I looked at my watch, held tight to Steve’s hand for stability, and started running to the finish line. I crossed the finish line at 1:52:06! I estimate that my injury cost me at least 10-12 minutes as my run time clocked at 40:12 and my usual 5k is about 28-30 minutes.  So, not too bad if I do say so myself!

Overall, my times were as follows:

Swim: 21:08 T1: 3:22 Bike: 45:39 T2: 1:47 Run: 40:12 Final: 1:52:06

Hell yes! I mean, just look at that! ^ I have triathlon numbers! I have times to beat!

Alive and thrive 155!

In my next race, I’ll take the swim seriously and practice my transitions. Oh, I’ll also do my best not to sprain my foot while running…. yeah. Haha.  I’m already looking for another race in 6 weeks or so… but we’ll have to see what happens with this healing process.  I’ll be sure to keep everyone updated! Until then, stay inspired – and if you need help in that department, sign up for a race – you’ll find some of the most positive, inspiring individuals at these events and they’ll encourage you no matter your time, no matter your pace, no matter your looks, no matter your gender or race.  Out there, living a fit and healthy life is what’s celebrated – and that’s all that should be.

Congratulations to athletes everywhere – And to all the ladies I raced with today, I salute you!

]]> http://www.amyanndanger.com/2011/07/trinitiation-see-what-i-did-there/feed/ 0 http://www.amyanndanger.com/2011/05/issue-5-were-back/ http://www.amyanndanger.com/2011/05/issue-5-were-back/#comments Tue, 24 May 2011 18:21:31 +0000 admin http://www.amyanndanger.com/?p=196

Summer is finally here in the Midwest (or so we hope)!  I don’t know about you, but for me, warmer weather means renewed motivation and a time to set new goals.  There’s nothing like walking to the gym at 6am wearing shorts and sunglasses.  But, little slices of heaven are not the topic of this edition of Dangerously Fit.

This issue focuses on what I like to refer to as the “myth of meal replacements.”  You see these products everywhere from the famed Shakeology sold by Beachbody – the company behind (otherwise great) fitness programs like P90X – to the pyramid-scheme (otherwise known as “multi-level marketing”) company Herbalife. Both the aforementioned companies offer heavily-processed products that are designed to replace meals in order to generate rapid weight loss.  Having gone through my own weight-loss journey, I know first-hand how frustrating it can be. I know that at times it seems that the only option to lose pounds is to resort to drastic nutritional changes instead of long-term lifestyle changes.  In fact, most people don’t even think of their food consumption in terms of “nutrition” but rather as what their current “diet” looks like.  But the reality remains that any “diet” – including meal replacements like Herbalife – is temporary.  There is no way that either your body *or* your wallet could sustain consuming Herbalife products for the rest of your life.  Ok, you’re thinking, but I only want to use Herbalife shakes and supplements until I lose 30 lbs and then I’ll go back to eating “regular food” all the time.  Well, I must ask – do you really think it’s just that easy?

Let me put it this way: Have you ever been driving down the freeway doing about 70 Mph and thought about shifting your car into reverse? Well, if you’re weird like me you’ve thought about how insane that might be if it ever happened but you’d likely never do it for fear that the experiment might wreck one of your biggest investments.  Luckily, cars are now designed to inhibit the potentially-damaging move of shifting from drive to reverse while in forward motion.  Unfortunately, your body doesn’t have a feature to automatically inhibit you from suddenly shifting from one diet to another – and the potentially-damaging moves can wreck your greatest investment of all – your health.

Suddenly changing your diet without consulting a dietitian could yield many bad results including but not limited to spikes in blood glucose levels and increases in the stress hormone cortisol.  But most importantly, allowing marketing companies to count your calories and feed you synthetic garbage doesn’t encourage or allow you the time to educate yourself about choosing natural, whole foods and learning how to count calories and maintain a healthy weight with real food.

In the end, paying for the services of a professional is far less costly to your wallet and your health.  Don’t fall victim to thinly-veiled marketing schemes – they are businesses looking to sell a product – they are not concerned about your health. Instead, ask your doctor about talking to a dietitian who can get you on the right track to developing healthy eating habits at a reasonable price.  If you have any questions about locating a registered dietitian or finding online resources for nutrition, find me on twitter @Amy_Danger or on Facebook.com/AmyAnnDanger.

In Health,

www.amyanndanger.com

For the past few months, I’ve been dealing with numbness in my feet and legs that gets worse as a I exercise.  For the past few weeks, I’ve been dealing with some intense pain in my hips and quadriceps – worse than any DOMS I have ever experienced.  For the past few days, both have been confounding, excruciating and almost intolerable. Since I don’t take pain meds, I have had a pretty interesting time dealing with this while attempting to assess the root cause.

Having suffered a back injury almost two years ago (which I since rehabilitated), I immediately diagnosed myself with some sort of peripheral neuropathy. It had to be that pesky L4/L5 disc, I thought. What else *could* it be?  I do everything right. I see a dietitian, I have a trainer, I sleep 7-8 hours a night and I have a rest day every week.

And so began making the most of the money I pay for my health insurance. In the past couple weeks I’ve been run through more tests than a lab rat. Each time the doctor’s office appeared on my incoming call list, I cringed – tense and nervous, fully expecting to hear “The doctor would like to see you in the office to discuss the results of your test.”  And each time, I heard “The test results are normal.”

MRI: normal (in fact, I was praised repeatedly by my doctor for presenting a perfect MRI after suffering a ruptured disc less than two years ago).  I am, and will remain, quite proud of this fact. So the pain isn’t my spine.

EMG: normal. Nothing wrong with my nerves.

Blood tests: normal. No vitamin deficiencies or heavy metals in my blood.

X-rays: normal. Bones in my hips and my back are fine. No calcifications in the tendons or ligaments.

Pending a visit to the podiatrist, I am completely healthy. In fact, my doctor believes that the podiatrist will likely find what he has already diagnosed me with: too much exercise.

“Are you kidding me?” I asked. My doc shook his head as I launched into a self-righteous diatribe about how I don’t train half as hard as a lot of people I know – I whined about the whole thing being unfair and how difficult it would be for me to stay out of the gym for… TWO WHOLE WEEKS!? He’s kidding, right?

Nope. Not kidding. He wants me to take anti-inflammatory medication for two weeks and do nothing but light walking. And here I sit, trying to fathom what this is going to be like.  I’m trying to convince myself that it’s going to work. I can only hope.

Never in a million years would I think that I could have symptoms of over-training. But the lesson couldn’t have been articulated with any more simplicity than my doctor presented it to me earlier today: “Your body is unique. It’s not that you did anything wrong, it’s just that doing it ‘right’ doesn’t always mean the same for you as it does others.”  And yeah – I’m still pissed. Why can’t I train hard, too? Why can’t I push myself? Why did I have to find the “wall” at the tender age of 27?

Boo hoo, piss ‘n moan, blah blah blah.  In two weeks, I’ll be swimming and practicing yoga. Switching up my routine to rediscover success. And I’ll be dreaming of plyo and HIIT and murdering that spin bike again in the future… with stronger muscles and, most importantly, a stronger resolve. Secretly, I’m looking forward to it… but don’t tell anyone

This past weekend, I had the great pleasure of participating in the 2011 Fight For Air Climb to benefit the American Lung Association.  Myself along with 700+ others raised over $140,000 for charity and raced up 70 flights of stairs!  Having registered a little late (never heard of the event before!), I didn’t have much time to formally train – but I was lucky enough to have incorporated stair-running into my regular fitness routine about three months ago.  I felt about as prepared as anyone can for something they’ve never done!

I powered up 70 flights (over 1,000 steps) in 11:17!  In the end, I placed 88th overall (out of 700+), 19th in my gender (out of 256) and 6th in my age group (out of 100+)! Needless to say, I’m quite proud of myself and I plan on raising more money next year – and not only for the opportunity to beat my time (and all the other female climbers   Rather, the true reason I want to train hard and climb again is to prove to others that it is never too late and *never* impossible to transform your body.

Three years ago I was an obese smoker.  When I would think about myself with a slender body and the ability to run, jump, climb, and hoist heavy weight – well, I would smile… and I didn’t smile because I thought it was possible, I smiled because I wanted so desperately *for* it to be possible.  But why did I want it? What eventually caused me to believe that it could, in fact, be me?

Ultimately, I never felt that I was meant to be unhealthy and out of shape.  Inside me there was a fire and a feisty attitude that wanted nothing more than the physical strength to match an already-tenacious disposition for survival.  I had gone through so much in life – I had already overcome so many battles, that I was amazed I had allowed myself to become so physically weak amidst all of it.  I began to wonder how fair it was to work so hard on my mind and neglect its vessel – the very vehicle that keeps me here.  I didn’t want to be overweight anymore. I didn’t want to strain to pick something off of the ground. I didn’t want to be out of breath from doing laundry.  I didn’t want to keep ignoring the stomach aches I’d give myself from overeating.  I didn’t want diabetes.  Call it a battle against “determinism” but baby, I wasn’t born that way – and I sure as hell wasn’t going to continue living that way.

So I bought workout DVDs and I added nutrition blogs to my RSS feed – I followed registered dietitians and personal trainers on Twitter and I asked questions. I read magazines and bought a bicycle. I kept getting on the treadmill even in the early days when I had to bind up my midsection just to run comfortably. I never ate fast food or drank soda (ever, at all), I switched white rice and pasta for brown and spent a lot of money on Lean Cuisine.  (For the record, I don’t eat pre-made microwave meals anymore but I still feel they’re an excellent resource for people who are just starting their weight loss journey).

After a year, I lost 30 lbs and became increasingly active and my smoking habit (as casual/occasional as it had become) was a hindrance.  It went.  An additional 20 lbs went with it as no more smoking meant way more physical activity. I felt great – and there was no turning back.  My outlook on life and the positive body image that I had all throughout my weight loss came in handy when I suffered an acute rupture to my L4/L5 – my ability and determination lead me to another 20 lbs of weight loss, all while rehabilitating an injury.

And now I ran up 70 flights (one flight for every pound of weight loss – huh, I just realized that! So cool!) of stairs when three years ago I could barely make it from the basement to the livingroom.  And because of it, I am able to raise money for charity and share my story with those who may be thinking “It’s just not worth it” or “It’s too late, what’s done is done.” I urge you to be your best self, not only for you and your family, but for the great inspiration you can be for those around you, young and old.  With so much bad news in the world today, why not be a beacon of light? Why not make new headlines?

One of the most important lessons I have learned is to always be prepared.  Of course, most of us can recall a time when we were told by friends and family to make preparations for several things: emergency kits in our vehicles, medical information in our wallets and on our fridge, savings accounts – the list goes on.  That said, there is one element of a prepared lifestyle that I have noticed missing from most – that of physical preparation.

But what does it mean to be “physical prepared?” Does it mean knowing self-defense tactics? Does it mean being able to run fast? Does it mean the ability to hold your children comfortably? I’m sure an argument can be made for all of the above, and I wouldn’t exclude them from a list of benefits of being physically prepared. But the most interesting part of this topic thus far is the choice of words that we use to describe these abilities or our desire to have them.

Increasingly, and all too often, our culture uses the term “fitness” to describe a particular segment of the population or a “sub culture.”  Though I have been guilty of using this term to describe myself and some of my endeavors (this newsletter being one of them), as my goals progress, I find the term increasingly problematic.  How do we define “fitness?”  What criteria must be met in order to be “fit?”  And most importantly – what is the function of “fitness?”  There may have been a time when people could associate the word “fitness” with the idea of being “fit” to do something – as in, being capable.  But I honestly believe that our culture has unwittingly forgotten what “fitness” *really* means.  I look around and I notice that in many ways we have replaced the functionality of fitness with vanity – or even disregard the notion of fitness altogether.  Now, don’t get me wrong – I do not dismiss the good feelings that can come of an improvement in one’s physical sense of self – but I do warn that exercise lacks sustainability when only one goal exists instead of a system of complex goals and desires.

But you might wonder what that system of complex goals might look like for you – and rightly, you should.  You also may think to yourself that one simple goal has gotten you quite far either in “fitness” or in some other aspect of your life – and appropriately, I commend you!  But the potential lesson is this: challenge yourself to think of any goal you may have either now or one that you had in the past.  Then, think about whether or not that goal is/was truly one-dimensional.  For example: if your goal was to lose 20 pounds – was it simply to look better in yoga pants? Or, when you revisit that goal – did you realize it was easier to get in and out of the car? That you were more likely to take the distant parking spot at the mall? That you felt better so you smiled more and perhaps because of that you created a better work/living environment for friends, family and coworkers? Perhaps you feel stronger and better prepared to deal with an emergency?

Perhaps you want all of those things.  And we see now that our goals are multiple, even if we lump them together into one easily-expressed thought.

In Health,

www.amyanndanger.com

This edition of Dangerously Fit! addresses a topic very near and dear to my heart: food! Like most all people, I adore food. My favorite meal of the day is breakfast. I often joke about my love affair with Mom’s Best Naturals Toasty O’s combined with unsweetened almond milk – honestly, the combination makes every morning feel like Christmas morning. I actually go to bed excited to wake up and have breakfast! Not to mention, 2 cups of cereal and one cup of almond milk only amounts to 260 calories!

Calorie-counting aside – I’m sure most of us have seen all the propaganda floating around the internet about how eating breakfast every morning can help you lose weight. You’ve heard it on the radio, the tv and those annoying pop-up ads. Likely the most popular ad campaign promoting breakfast is for Kelloggs’ Special K cereal and unfortunately they’re the only source from which many people get this interesting tidbit of information. Two important things to know about Kelloggs’ promotion of breakfast:

1) They’re right. Eating breakfast every day does promote long-term, healthy weight loss.

2) Eating Special K every morning will not help you to lose any more weight than eating a cup of oatmeal. Not to mention – Special K cereal contains High Fructose Corn Syrup and other preservatives that have been linked to weight gain and diabetes.

If you’re sitting there thinking “…but I would never smile if it weren’t for my bowl of Special K every morning…” This is not intended to scare you away from Kellogg’s cereal. Truth be told, I used to eat Special K *all* the time – hasn’t killed me yet. But if you’re looking to eliminate preservatives from your diet (which all health professionals would urge you do) get rid of the K and try an equally-expensive alternative like Cascadian Farms or Kashi! =)

So I’ve promoted three companies and bashed one – what’s the payoff here? Simply this: read as many articles as you want, believe any advertisements that come your way – but I am living proof that eating breakfast can and will lead to long-term weight loss. When I was obese, I rarely ate breakfast. In fact, I used to think that skipping meals would help me lose weight – ridiculous, right? Right. Eating a substantial meal within 30 minutes of waking ignites your metabolism and starts your body on a calorie-burning spree! Yes – that means that you’ll burn more calories sitting at your desk than you would without eating breakfast.

Once I understood that my metabolism burned calories while I did nothing – I was in it to win it with breakfast. So make it a habit. Think of a food that you would be excited to wake up for! And keep in mind that one of the biggest reasons people don’t eat breakfast is because they claim they’re not hungry in the morning. Newsflash: if you’re not hungry in the morning, it means you ate a little too much the day before – but we’ll talk about counting calories another time. =)

In Health,

www.amyanndanger.com

Here we are – just about three weeks in to the “resolution season.” How are your goals coming along? If you believe the widespread myth that it takes 21 days to develop a habit, then you should be well on your way to living a healthy lifestyle forever. But – if you’re a realist like me, you know that healthy habits – while seemingly habitual – take *much more* metal fortitude to execute sometimes. Let’s face it – some days it’s easier to get out of bed and go to the gym (or to the livingroom to turn on that new Bob Harper DVD).

The fact remains that there is no clearly-defined length of time to form habits, and there is no “safe zone” one can reach to be sure that getting at least 4 hours of exercise a week is guaranteed for the rest of our days. Even the recently-departed “founding father of fitness” Jack LaLanne has been quoted several times as not enjoying exercise – it’s just something that he knew he must do to stay healthy. It would be great if we all had that element of resolve, but for the most part, we typically don’t do what we don’t find enjoyable.

And you’re likely thinking to yourself “Well, without a habit and without a passion for exercise – is there any hope for me?” Well, duh! That’s where your Dangerously Fit coach comes in to play! Often time people abandon their workout routine because they get bored. And ya know if all I did was jump on a treadmill or an elliptical every day, I’d get really bored too! The key then is to diversify your idea of fitness. There are several ways to engage in exercise, and most of them don’t include a gym – in fact, even though I work out in a gym 5 days a week, I rarely use machines or conventional, designated “areas” of the gym for my workouts.

One example: instead of jumping on a treadmill, I’ll run up and down the stairs for 5-8 minutes. Not only is the cardiovascular portion of the exercise much more intense – but you’re activating larger muscle groups when you run stairs. Also – running stairs is an interval exercise which is optimal for cardio conditioning and has been proven to burn fat WAY faster than jogging at the same speed for triple the time! You run up with maximum intensity, and recover on the way down. This also gives you a faster “reward” – i.e. your recovery.

But the best part of electing to run the stairs instead of on the treadmill is the fact that stairs are free and you can find them anywhere – in your home, your office building, the library, the parking structure, etc. And once you get bored with that, find me on Twitter (Twitter.com/Amy_Danger) or Facebook (Facebook.com/AmyAnnDanger) and let me know! I’ll give you another equipment-free, gym-less activity to get you well on your way to being Dangerously Fit in 2011!

In Health,

www.amyanndanger.com

“It’s a lifestyle, it’s something you do the rest of your life. How long are you going to keep breathing? How long do you keep eating? You just do it.” – Jack LaLanne

Hi, everyone!

My name is Amy Metcalf, though most of you know me as Amy Danger.   I earned my nickname years ago from a friend who once told me that I have “Dangerous, relentless passion.”  When I want something, I go for it – and I work my butt off until I get it.  Whether it’s at the gym or in the classroom, I do my best to give everything I have to each moment of the day.  I know that each and every one of us are born with a maximum capacity for greatness, whatever we believe that to be – and if the greatest you involves being fit and healthy, I am here to tell you that it *is* possible, you *will* achieve it – and I would love to help!

This wellness newsletter will be designed to address various elements of fitness and nutrition with the ultimate goal of educating others and sharing the knowledge I have gained over the past 3 years of my life.  Over the course of the past 3 years, I have naturally lost 65 lbs and have kept it off without any crazy fad diets or super-expensive fitness equipment.  By “naturally,” I mean to say that I did not use any weight-loss drugs or supplements, nor have I ever starved myself, nor did I eat any special processed “designer” foods.   I believe that my personal health journey has been successful and consistent because I have respected the *process* of wellness, not a perceived end result.  That said, my personal wellness philosophy is a combination of diligent fitness, mindful nutrition, and positive thinking/stress management – these three components work together to create and foster overall health that is sustainable for a lifetime.

Each Dangerously Fit! Newsletter will include new perspectives on goal-setting, follow-through, and all the media distractions that prove to deter the populace from loving themselves through every stage of their lives – those distractions that encourage people to buy products that promise unrealistic and unhealthy results.  Working with me, you’ll learn that there’s no guarantee that exists other than the one you make to yourself.  If you want something, *YOU* need to put in the work – no magic pill, no fancy sports drink, and no one piece of equipment will take you where you want to go.  I am here to prove to you that you are possible, to help you respect and love the process instead of the end result, and to offer encouragement and knowledge every step of the way. J

Best of luck to you in 2011 and beyond!

In health,

Amy Danger!