students walking on campus (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

track your walks. I am logging in my minutes from the whole week, 180. I admit, I’m not good at tracking the daily walks because I get busy but I am walking. I actually started jogging in between my walking on the treadmill and it’s not as hard as I thought it would be.  My goal is to start walking early in the morning. I work on a college campus and there are lots of good walking paths there so this will help and I’m looking forward to getting it in this summer.

#the30andOverProject

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Lisa Oz + Mehmet Oz by David Shankbone 2010 (Photo credit: david_shankbone)

great heights this summer, I have finally decided on a program I want to follow. Since turning 40 in March, I have noticed that my metabolism is super low which is not good if you want to lose weight.  I need my metabolism to cooperate and so far, no matter what I do, it’s not being a friend to me. I have been researching and reading about many types of programs but most of them seemed too hard to follow or you needed to buy to many specialty items to get the job done.  Because I’m trying to stay on a budget while I lose weight, I thought I was at my wit’s end.

the overnight diet by dr. caroline apovian

By fate, I just happened to be sitting at home on Friday, May 3, watching one of my favorite shows, Dr. Oz (I’m normally at work when he’s on).  Dr. Oz featured Dr. Caroline Apovian, the creator of The Overnight Diet, http://www.overnightdiet.org/ and I was hooked. And I know it sounds too good to be true and I was skeptical, but really, the diet is just real food and exercise with lots of science behind it. I like that at the beginning of the book, Dr. Apovian says, “I’m not a cardiologist, or a family physician, or an emergency room doctor who dabbles in weight management on the side. I’m an obesity medicine physician, which means I specialize in weight loss”. I love this statement because she keeps it real with you and this is her life’s work and it tells me it’s not just a fad.  And I’m normally not a fan of e-books (I love real books), but I will tell you, I have never downloaded a book so quickly, than I did The Overnight Diet because I’m determined! (by the way, it’s only $10.55 on Amazon Kindle – and I don’t own a Kindle but I use their Kindle Cloud Reader online – it comes in handy!)

I’m starting with the recommended one-day cleanse/fast. Normally, I’m not good at anything that requires me to not eat, but I said, since this is for one day, what the heck. The smoothie recipes are good too and easy to make.  I started with the Banana Latte. As a person who hates bananas, I will say, it’s quite tasty. Plus it has coffee in it and that’s certainly a plus.  The true test for me will be lunch time because I’m usually starving by that time.

After the one-day cleanse, you are allowed to eat a myriad of food items that are not limiting and in fact, are foods we probably already eat daily.  The only difference is that you must eat all of the recommended daily amounts of: proteins, lean carbs (including fiber, grains, etc., fruits and vegetables, healthy fats, lots of water, and the best….wine! It doesn’t get any better than that for me!

So, with all of that said, I’m hoping, praying that I can keep up with this plan. I’ve been working out and I need this type of plan to help put me over the top and get me in better shape this summer.  Wish me luck!

thanks for reading lifestyle30!

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the fitness chronicles, walking and walking

ever changing. All the women here have their own reasons for walking. Either way it’s great. I hope to see results soon.

http://www.girltrek.org

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MS Walk Ohio 2013, my first walk ever!

do. This has inspired me to seek more events like this to participate in so that I can do fundraising for my community but also stay in shape. I also walked around at an International Fest to round out my exercise for the day.  A long nap was in order after all of that. Zzzzz……

join www.girltrek.org

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The comments varied from nice to very harsh but here’s my take on it:

Dr. Oz is the truth!

I love Dr. Oz. I think that what he does is make getting healthy more personable and a reachable goal for people. He makes medicine (particularly preventable medicine, normal and real for those of us who are not MDs.) And yes, because Oprah told us to, but like Oprah, he appeals to women, in particular, and provides practical advice on how to stay healthy and he helps answer questions about fads, etc and really calls people on the carpet if their “quick slim” product seems too good to be true. Dr. Oz makes what seem like complex medical mysteries, more understandable for the layperson. I like him and just about everything he talks about is interesting. Plus, he has some very cool guest stars and he makes healthy living fun.

#Fitness2013

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Girl Trek – Walking Tribute for Harriett Tubman – 100th!

think it will help me on my quest to become more physically fit in 2013.  As a GirlTrek.org Team Leader (Team: Athens Trekking For Change), I have been inspired to also encourage others to get fit and to focus on how we all can be a catalyst for change for our community. When GirlTrek.org asked me “What It Means To You?” I said the following:

For me, Girl Trek means focusing on community and having the type of impact on the Black community (students, faculty, staff, and other communities of color) where I currently live, it means working hard to reach my personal goals with a support team that consists of family and friends, and it means turning 40 on the path to health and wellness! Girl Trek is such a creative way to bring women together and a unique catalyst for social change. The Tribute to Harriett allows Women’s History Month to mean so much more than just history facts and figures, but gives the month purpose.

Join The Movement:  www.girltrek.org and on Twitter at @GirlTrek

Thank you for reading my blog and follow me and my fitness journey on Twitter: @ivywriter

Reblogged from Sisterhood Agenda:

GirlTrek Registers 13,000 to Walk in Honor of Harriet Tubman:
Nonprofit Organization Makes Huge Impact on Black Women's Health

Thousands of women and girls throughout the country will be walking in solidarity for 100 minutes, in their own neighborhoods, and at their own pace on Sunday, March 10, 2013 starting at 4:30 p.m. (EST) as a moving tribute honoring Harriet Tubman.

Read more… 297 more words

Cupid Shuffle (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

So, in an effort to keep my workout routine fresh and exciting, I want to revisit a couple of videos that would normally be considered club songs.  When I used to live in the MD/DC area, my friends and I used to go out dancing in the clubs almost every weekend.  This, in turn, kept me very fit. Line dancing is so fun but most people don’t realize that it gives you such a workout. Cupid Shuffle is one of those club banger workout songs that I love.  Also, because Mrs. Obama started the “Let’s Move” Campaign, Beyonce also got on the team a few years ago and did a remix of her “Get Me Body” club banger and changed the lyrics and called it “Move Your Body” to get kids (and adults) moving around.

Since it is now March and I’m on a mission to lose lots of weight before my 40th birthday at the end of the month, I have decided to kick it into gear and incorporate these two club bangers into my daily routine.  It’s not a game and to me This is a Serious Matter (Skeewee!). I encourage you to use them too because they are so fun to dance to, it’s almost like you are not working out!

“Move Your Body” by Beyonce

Cupid Shuffle (Official Music Video)

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If you are turning 40 this year, share your story here and use #weare40

English: McKeldin Library, on the campus of the University of Maryland, College Park. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

interesting situations from crime, drugs, students with mental health issues, sexual assaults, virus outbreaks, campus shooters, and the list goes on.  Recently, I heard about a shooting at University of Maryland, one of my former employers, we also recently had an alleged “shooter” in the campus vicinity at my current employer, Ohio University, which all brought back memories of a campus shooter when I was on campus as an undergraduate at Kent State University back in the 1990s, before campus alerts, text messages, and social media chatter.

See the story about the recent shootings at University of Maryland using the link below, then read my commentary.

Shootings in College Park were the latest of several recent crimes near U-Md. campus

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/university-of-maryland-shooting-latest-of-several-campus-crimes/2013/02/12/e5e3db1a-7546-11e2-8f84-3e4b513b1a13_allComments.html?ctab=all_&&wp_login_redirect=0

All of this just brought into mind some of my observations about what I think the state of campus crime is today and what I think the solutions are:

As a former professional on staff in the residence halls at UMD, I would say that a combination of things need to happen. 1) Students need to understand that they are in somewhat of an urban environment, and UMD’s proximity to DC makes that all the more evident, Keep in mind, all a criminal has to do is hop on Route 1 and head into DC or go north towards Baltimore and disappear  quickly 2) Students need to exercise safety and precautions just as much as the UMPD need to watch for crime more. Students have to be proactive in the process, stop being so lax and trusting with people you meet (you can’t party with everyone) and be more cautious about what you are sharing with people in person and on social media and be more proactive about looking out for your neighbors and friends, lock your doors, check the bathrooms, be safe about getting in your cars, put your money in a wallet, ladies carry a purse, keep your ID and keys in the same location so you can get them quickly (stop losing things), make sure your backpacks are secure, etc. 3) I’ve always said those campus “checkpoints” were not as secure as they appear especially when you only check people coming on to campus (and that’s only cars) and you don’t check cars as they leave campus and anyone coming into residence halls can just waltz in (no ID checks), and lastly, 4) Look out for your friends, changes in behavior, etc.; if you suspect someone needs a mental health professional, tell someone or offer to take them yourselves, make sure you know who your friends are hanging out with besides you, observe the amount of alcohol or drugs a friend might be consuming; all of this can play into triggering them to behave out of the ordinary.  And you can’t blame the police for someone who snaps.  I hate that these tragedies have happened but I challenge students to take on a larger role in their community because, whether you think so or not, UMD is your home and your community for four years. Make the most of it.

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