Are You Big In A Small World or Small In A Big World?

People take vacations to get away from it all. But do we get away from our eating habits and our workouts too? And what kind of vacation can someone really have when their overweight. These are a few things I have been thinking about this last week.

My husband and I visited Michigan’s Upper Peninsular for a small vacation. I ate things I probably would not have if I just stayed home and on my workout schedule. Phat Camp is always in the back of my mind as it feels like its right around the corner. I get a little nervous being out of my routine and just relaxing for a week. I want to be in the best shape of my life and taking a week off has made me feel fat in my mind. I have to get back at it and stronger than ever!

My food choices failed on more than one occasion, even though we made sure to pack a healthy cooler. We took fresh cut veggies and humus, trail mix, items for sandwiches, eggs and Kashi cereal, and lots of bottled water. For the reunion cookout everyone was asked to bring meat for their families dinner and a dish to pass. While several people piled on hamburger and hotdogs to the grill, only a few brought a better option. My husband and I chose salmon fillets. We attempted to eat only small portions of the sides like potato salad and grape “salad” (not really a salad by the way. It’s loaded with creme cheese and a sugar crumbled crust, but I do agree its good). I even brought organic coffee and a grinder for the next morning. I wanted the family to experience good coffee as they are used to chemical laden grounds.

We didn’t hit a gym or lift any weights but we did try to be as active as possible. The first morning we headed out for a walk and jog. I opted to walk at a fast pace while my husband jogged ahead, turning back now and again and lapping me. (Don’t do a heavy leg workout the night before a road trip. Boy did I cramp.) It felt great to be moving and also to be in a beautiful environment. Remember working out while on vacation gives you a new atmosphere and/or approach to your routines.

We went out on our own and set up camp at a gorgeous location right on the water. Then it was off to experience the cruise around Lake Superior to see Pictured Rocks. We snagged seats on the top deck of the little ship and watched as others boarded below. Several people had to have the crew shuttle them out to the end of the dock on a golf cart. An older, overweight woman, who had obvious leg or knee issues, had to stop several times to make it to the boat. What a struggle she had. Please, I mean no disrespect to the elderly, and realize I too will get older, but I DON’T have to get older like that! You do have control of your body’s aging cycle and don’t let ANYONE tell you otherwise. Keep yourself fit and healthy and your body will work better for longer.

We later walked wooded trail to a waterfall and passed several individuals who were taking it slower as they had extra weight to carry. This started a conversation with my husband about life in general when you’re overweight. (Picture right: Indian Head, Pictured Rock Tour)

Here are the questions we started asking each other: Is a 10 hour car ride for a vacation even comfortable? Does your car feel really small? Can you even sleep in a small two man tent? How easy is it to get in and out of your tent? Do you do all the tourist attractions or pass because it’s too hard to walk? Do you quit walking around the great gift shops because you’re just too tired? Those fold out camping chairs, can you use those or do you have to find extra large ones? Are you missing out on the top level of a great boat ride because of a few steep stairs? Simply put, when you’re bigger, does your world get smaller?

I find this truly sad. I don’t want this type of life for anyone. Your weight should not be an issue when going on vacation or with any aspect of your life. Make your world BIGGER by making yourself SMALLER. You will be amazed at the things you have been missing. You may miss that candy bar the first few weeks or that pop. I will promise you this, by missing those you will not miss out on the awesome things that this life has to offer us. Get fit and in shape and really go out and live life!

Jump Snap Workout

I am always looking for something, that you my readers, can try at home and keep up on those great workouts. JumpSnap was sent to me to give it a try. I have had the equipment for about a month now and have used it several times. It's not what I thought it was going to be quite honestly. I took it out of the package and laughed at how silly I thought this was going to be. A jump rope without a rope? My husband said, "Why not just get a real jump rope?" I put in the DVD which comes with the JumpSnap. The DVD has different levels of workouts. Ranging from a 10 min. beginner workout, up to a combination of all the workouts, for approximately one hour.

I began the DVD and was thinking it was just another "As seen on TV" gimmick, but I really got in a good workout. I surprisingly jumped over 2,000 times. If you give it your all, which is the key, you can get your heart rate up and kicking.

Let's start with negatives, as I continue to be honest with my readers: I am all about rhythm and following a DVD to perfection. With these routines, you jump with the beat of the music not necessarily how you would be jumping if this were a real rope. So you may do a jump, then a squat, then a jump, but your hands are still rotating to the music. You would have tripped on your rope if it were real. So just get it in your head your hands move with the beat and not with the jump. The electronics, in my opinion, could have been a bit easier to program. You have to sit down with the instructions and carefully go through it to program. It would have been helpful if the voice activation walked you through. I did get it programmed, so it wasn't so difficult that it couldn't be done. But I would have liked to see this made a little easier.

The positives to this were: If you are someone that can't really jump rope to begin with, you don't have to worry about ever tripping. You can do all kinds of tricks you would not be able to with a normal rope. Use it inside without the worry of hitting the ceiling or worse yet, taking a valuable vase off your coffee table. I also love how you can insert weighted metal bars to give your a biceps an extra workout. I highly recommend you do this right away. Without the weights the resistance of the workout is not as intense. The handles also come packaged very nice and you receive a carry bag. This makes it super easy to take on a vacation or to carry to a gym. It also comes with an Eat Smart Guide. Just working out alone is never enough. You have to watch your calorie intake. With this guide are the do's and don'ts of weight loss and menu options.

After doing the workouts with Jump Snap, I do recommend this. It's great if someone is looking for something different to do. I don't recommend it as your only source of losing weight. It is not the magic pill, but something to mix up your routines. This will help as not to get bored with the everyday stuff. Go to the Jump Snap Store to purchase yours today. I received mine in just a few days and it was packaged well with everything you needed to get started right away.

For my girly girls, they do have a Jump Snap just for you in pink. It's a smaller package and a little more affordable. With the DVD, instructions and carry case, you will still get a great workout. This is something I recommend to the younger generation as well. If you have a teenager that is battling weight loss, this is something you can easily do together as it does not take up a lot of room in your workout area. It's something fun, entertaining, and gets the blood flowing.

I give the Jump Snap 9 out of 10 for at home workouts to add to your gym. Have fun. Leave me a comment if you have one and what you thought or if you are going to purchase one.

As always leave me comments and or questions any time.

Nurture My Body - Body Wash Giveaway

I not only want to give you great workout encouragement and exercise product knowledge but sometimes just something for fun. Something to make yourself feel that much better about your weight loss journey. I am continuously searching for fun products to share with you my reader.

We all workout hard in the gym and that can be rough on your skin. I wear weightlifting gloves to protect my hands from callouses. After a workout and a relaxing shower, I love smothering my skin in lotion. Because we are all so health conscious, we need to be that as well with our product choices. Make sure your products are not loaded with chemicals which can hinder your weight loss. Seriously you ask? Yes they can slow the process. Everything is absorbed into your skin and can change the chemical makeup of your hormone balance. Thus making it harder to lose weight.

I stumbled on a company named Nurture My Body. They are an organic skin care company that has a lot to offer. I was sent a few samples and I am really enjoying them. I am a huge ginger fan and the products I received are just that. They smell really good. For me the biggest test of a great lotion is applying to my tattoos. As your tattoo is about five layers into your skin, the dry skin on top is like a foggy window. Once you clean the glass and put a good lotion on your skin, you can see through those layers and your tattoo looks amazing. So if a lotion can absorb down into those layers and make the tattoo pop, I know it's doing more than surface work.

Shown here is the Ginger Body Lotion. Here is what NMB has to say about their lotion: Our Organic Ginger Hand and Body Lotion blend contains essential oils of cinnamon leaf for its warming and stimulating qualities, sweet orange to tone the skin and energize the mind, and ginger CO2 to soothe your achy muscles and uplift your mind.

I also received a sample of the Ginger Body Wash: The body washes are premium quality washes that use a rich formula of natural botanicals and vitamins to clean and condition your body in one easy step. They respect your skin's natural balance thanks to their SLS-free cleansing base enriched with moisturizers that make your skin silkier, healthier and more beautiful. The body wash was very refreshing in a hot shower. The aroma is exquisite and really helps you relax and unwind from a long day.

While checking out Nurture My Body's home page, just under the photographs, there is an entry form to win a $50 gift box. Enter your email for a chance to win. In addition to the gift box, Nurture My Body has offered to ship a full size bottle of the Ginger Body Wash to one of my subscribers just for taking the time to check out their site. So thank you to Rich for this great giveaway.

Here's how to enter:

#1 - Be a subscriber or subscribe today. Leave me a comment: "I subscribe" or "I just subscribed."

#2- Be a follower for a second chance to win. Leave me a comment: "I follow" or "New follower."

#3- Check out the Nurture My Body online store and let me know what you like about their site or products of interest, for a third entry to win. (Some winners have been chosen based on comment alone. So make it a good one!

#4- Follow Nurture My Body on Twitter. http://twitter.com/Rich_Arnold

*A winner will be chosen on a combination of the above.

Contest will end July 2nd at midnight. A winner will be chosen on the 3rd and contacted per email. If no response is received within four days, another winner may be chosen in your place.

Good Luck!

Getting To Know Phat Camp - Article #1 in series.

With an outpouring response on the Skinny Fat article, I realize there are so many of you out there. You are hiding in skinny clothes and are very unhappy with the current physical you. I have not only received a few comments on the site, from the brave, but personal emails as well. And yes even phone calls from those close to me. You are coming out of the woodwork saying "Yes, I am skinny fat and very unhappy." You agree the world views you as skinny. You don't feel skinny and it's almost more than some can bare. You put a smile on your face when someone tells you how good you look. Then, we you get home, you look in the mirror without the frills of the clothing and think "who were they looking at? I have a muffin top, squishy arms, and flab on my backside."

Living skinny fat for the past few years has brought me to this point in my life. The decision not only to actually be skinny but to go out and do something about it. I am going to Phat Camp!

I want to first share a YouTube video which explains a bit more about Phat Camp. This will give you a first-hand look inside camp. I encourage you to take this journey for yourself. I would love all of you to be able to meet Jenny and train with her. What an experience it's going to be. (My close friends - your going with me! Set a goal and make it happen. I love you and want you to ride this ride with me. You know who you are.... my Girls Gone Gym Class!)

Hint: If you are watching this on the YHH home page, scroll down to the bottom and pause music so you can hear Jen!

I will be working out at Phat Camp this September. Nothing will hold me back now. This is the carrot which hangs in front of me when I workout. My husband and trainer, will watch me start to waiver on a lift or an exercise and says "Do this one for Jen. Pretend you're working out with her. You wouldn't quit if she was watching, would you?" This is the "pressure" I need to push me while working out and finally become what I've wanted to be for so long.

Being trapped in a "skinny fat" body has controlled me long enough! I know you feel the same or you would not be subscribing to YHH. Most of the people around me on a day to day basis don't understand my new found goals. But that's OK. They don't have to. It's all about me at this point. And you should feel the same. Do what makes you feel great! Only you know what your goals are and do what it takes to reach them. We all make goals for ourselves or have dreams for our future. These are only what we can understand.

If Phat Camp sounds like something you would like to do please check out Jen's site and register for a class near you.

Please feel free to respond via email at anytime with questions or concerns. Maybe even a story of success or two will make it into an article. We need to learn to support each other. I have received emails here and there with concerns about weight loss and I love to help. If I don't know the answer, I will find it!

It's not easy being Skinny Fat.

My heart hurts when it comes to the subject of skinny fat. I used to be skinny fat and can finally say I have now come out of this category. With lots of hard work and sweat I have transformed myself and you can too. I am continuing this journey every day, as I am not at my goal quite yet. Through my continued progress in photos, I hope I can encourage all skinny fat people out there. To let you know you are not alone and you can achieve your goals.
So what is skinny fat? It's the world's view of someone skinny. As they may be on the slimmer side and still wearing all the updated clothing, only they know what they look like in front of a mirror. Little sag here, little pooch there, flabby arms, the dreaded muffin top, etc. They are nowhere near being "perfect" physically as the world thinks they are. We are not just being critical but honest with the body we see everyday. Others think if skinny people are not content with themselves there must be something wrong. Is this you? Are you skinny fat?

You have learned to layer clothing so no one sees the belly now rolling over the top of your jeans. You no longer wear short sleeve shirts because of the flab on the back of your arms. Pants continue to get tighter, and you being stubborn, are not willing to buy the next size. Thus causing yourself horrible frustration everyday and wondering how it got to be this way. 10, 15, 20 pounds just rolled on you and you hiding it from everyone and they wonder why your so hard on yourself. They won't say anything to you unless you happen to complain. Then the common reaction is "Oh my gosh are you serious? Your sooooo skinny. I can't believe you think your fat."

I honestly can't stand this. Someone will walk right up to you and tell you that you can eat that cake for breakfast because your so skinny and it doesn't matter. Everyone has an opinion on how you should feel about yourself. They have no problem telling you that you're being hard on yourself and you should just enjoy life and relax a bit with your eating habits. At what point do they stop passing judgment? When you are 50 pounds overweight? Then does that same person tell you "Maybe you shouldn't be eating that cake for breakfast"? Of course not.

Skinny fat people need to have confidence in their goals of weight loss regardless of what someone else says. Only you know how you should feel in your own skin. Only you know if there is an extra 15 pounds to lose. I lost that and maybe more. I stopped getting on the scale after a while. Everyone always told me I looked good, but my new found gut was not making me feel healthy mentally. At what point does everyone else want you to make a weight loss decision? When you have 50 or 100 pounds to lose and it's going to take that much longer to change your life around? It's OK for you to set new goals of weight loss and don't let anyone else tell you otherwise!

Here are some tips I have learned along the way. I have wanted to say many things that would be hurtful to the other person (as 90% of the time it's someone with a weight issue themselves passing judgment on you) but realize that doesn't help the situation get any better.

When someone at your work or at a family picnic wants you to have that cake and won't take no for an answer, nicely say: "I am really sorry but I have been making healthier choices for a few weeks now and my stomach just can't handle sugar anymore." Or "Thanks so much for offering but for personal reasons I am not eating sweets right now." Hopefully the word PERSONAL will get you out of it. Don't go into a long explanation of what you are doing. Just say no as many times as you need to and then change the subject. Don't worry if the person who made the sweet is upset or hurt. Remember it's still your body and your choice to what you put in it.

Try not to tell others about your weight loss goals unless they ask and seem extremely interested. This is the only way you will know they are going to be supportive.

Once you find that supportive group, surround yourself with them. You want people to encourage you and tell you NOT to stop a the restaurant with the big M on the way home from work. If someone doesn't have the same interests as you in fitness and eating, their lifestyle will be a distraction to you.

I hope this has helped at least one person understand it's OK if the world thinks your thin and you do not. You don't owe them an explanation. You can workout hard and not justify it to anyone but yourself. You body is in your hands and yours alone. Just keep doing what your doing and jump for joy in all that you have achieved. Know that you are worth it!