Wall and Exercise Ball Workout!

This morning while lying in my nice warm bed I began my morning ritual of checking out Pintrest.  Cruising through all the pins of caramel brownie bacon cakes with extra bacon added, Chevron painting Ideas (I thought that was a gas company), and R2D2 Mittens (I totally want a pair) I discovered this little gem!  I looked at the clock and thought….hmm 5:30 a.m.? Not too early to get up and get moving.  I can do a quick, easy workout and take a shower and have plenty of time to shower, put on makeup, throw in my contacts, do my hair, make breakfast and be a super mom!  Or I can turn off my phone, roll over, and go back to sleep in my nice warm bed.  My newly blown up exercise ball was calling my name from the bathtub (don’t ask!) and so at last I got out of bed.

Exercise ball back stretch

My exercise ball was nice and cold from its overnight stay in the bathtub.  I warmed up with a 1 minute back stretches, mostly because I wasn’t quiet awake.

 

Push ups with exercise ball

As the cold began to seep into my back, I rolled over and 20 push ups with the exercise ball.  Starting with your bell on the ball, walk yourself out with your arms until your lower legs are supported.  Take a moment to balance yourself.  Lower yourself down, bending your elbows.  Return to the start position by straightening your arms.  I love these because you have to use your core muscles to maintain your balance on the ball.  Thus, I find myself squeezing those core muscles as I lower myself towards the ground.

Leg Lifts

I finished the exercise ball routine off with a leg lift move I think I may have invented this morning (after searching for an image to share I found out I am not that cleaver).  Basically after my push ups I rolled back onto my belly, lowered my arms onto the floor.  With my weight resting on my forearms and the ball under my belly I raised both legs.  I kept them raised for 30 seconds and then returned to a start position.  I did three reps of these.

 

Wall Bridge

Then I moved on to the exercises I discovered on Pintrest.  After looking at the pictures and reading the description of these wall exercise that do NOT involve squats, I said piece of cake!  Well that piece of cake will really show you how you really should stop eating so much cake!  These compose five exercises. You do 10 slow, CONTROLLED reps of each move.  Start the wall bridge.  Lie on back with butt against wall, arms at sides, knees bent, and feet planted 3 to 4 feet up wall. Exhale and peel lower and mid back off floor, keeping shoulder blades down, so body forms a nearly straight line from chest to knees.  Hold for a deep inhale, then exhale and slowly roll back down.

 

Windshield wipers

Next is the Windshield Wiper position.  From Wall Bridge starting position, extend legs straight up against wall so body forms an L. Inhale and slowly lower left leg down wall like a clock arm toward 9 o’clock; exhale and return to start. Repeat with right leg, sweeping toward 3 o’clock. Continue to alternate legs until you’ve completed all reps.

Toe Reaches

The third exercise utilizes the Windshield Wiper position.  These are toe reaches Return to Windshield Wipers starting position, hands on belly. Keeping abs tight and chin tucked slightly toward chest, lift head, shoulders, and upper back, reaching right hand toward left foot. Lower and repeat reaching left hand to right foot. Continue to alternate until you’ve completed all reps.

 

 

Wall Scissor

Next comes the Wall Scissor.  From Toe Reaches start position, bend knees to plant feet on wall. Peel back off floor, keeping shoulder blades down, and step feet up wall so body forms a diagonal line from feet to chest. Bend elbows and support lower back with hands; keep shoulder blades, upper arms, and head on floor. Lower left leg toward head as far as you can, keeping both legs straight and abs tight. Return to wall and lower right leg. Continue to alternate until you’ve completed all reps.

 

Knee Presses

Finish up with Knee Presses. Lie on back, butt against wall, knees bent, and feet planted 3 to 4 feet up wall. Peel lower and mid back off floor and cross left ankle over right knee. Squeeze butt and front of thigh to press left knee toward wall. Do 20 pulses, then lower body and repeat on opposite side.

After I was done I felt pretty proud of myself!  When I got up I realized just how much these work your legs, abs, and lower body!  For more advanced or easier ways to perform these wall exercises and for video, check out the original website here!

Fit and Flourishing Personal Training

Fit and Flourishing Personal Training

I am now a recruiter for Fit and Flourishing Personal Training!

Fit and Flourishing is an online program that is run by a certified personal trainer and certified nutritional consultant.  She is also a weight loss surgery patient so she is experienced with Bariatric surgeries and procedures.  Every week she gives you workout plans and meal plans for you to follow.  You have access to her 24/7 and she is amazing about getting back to you with any questions or concerns you might have.  The program costs $30 a month which includes both the personal training and meal plans.  You get the first two weeks for free.  She sends you a questionnaire to find out what your likes and dislikes, goals, etc are.  You don’t need to have a gym membership and you can do your workouts whenever is best for you.  Basically you have the flexibility  but also you have the accountability.

Let them know that you were referred by Kimberly Mangan!

Lasagna Soup

Two years ago I was introduced to a website called BariatricEating.com and I have fallen in love with several of their recipes.  Tonight I made an edited version of their Lasagna Soup and boy was it amazing!  The thing I love about it is that it has a total of 160 calories, 10 grams of protein and 7 grams of fat per serving (1/16th of the soup).  I made this once before when I was on the pureed section of my post-op diet and I just used an immersion blender to puree the chunks.  A regular blender would work too.  I also left out the pasta.

 

Here’s my version::

1 Tablespoon of olive oil

1 pound of sweet turkey sausage (casings removed)  You could use hot if you wanted or I have made it with veggie burger crumbles also

2 cups of diced onion (I use frozen because I HATE chopping onion)

1-2 Tablespoons of minced garlic (I buy this in bulk at Sam’s)

2 cups of diced zucchini

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

2 teaspoons basil

2 teaspoons oregano

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon black pepper

2 teaspoons parsley

14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes with basil and oregano

15 ounce can tomato sauce

30 ounce carton low sodium organic chicken broth

1 package of frozen spinach thawed

1 cup died mushrooms

3/4 box of vegetable Farfalle pasta (optional)

2 cups ricotta cheese

2 tablespoons fresh, chopped basil

In a stockpot heat oil over medium heat.  Add sausage  onion, and garlic.  Cook, breaking up with a spoon until sausage is brown and onions are clear.  Add Zucchini, spices (Except fresh basil) tomatoes, tomato sauce, mushrooms, chicken broth and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to low, cover and let simmer for 30 minutes. Add spinach and pasta and let cook for 10 minutes until pasta is tender.  Meanwhile mix ricotta and basil.  Dish soup into bowls and top with ricotta cheese mixture.  

*Note about my spice measurements.  Those are guesstimates.  I don’t actually measure out my spices.  I tend to just eyeball it.

Why I do what I do…

One tough Warrior

I was reading another bloggers post (<—read it) this morning and it was talking about misguided adventures and family time.  I get what they are trying to say.  I know that I am not a pro athlete, nor am I trying to be.  I don’t even think I am a weekend warrior, more like the towel girl for the fat guy in the kilt who brings up the rear of the onslaught!  (Sorry I think of all my warriors as men in kilts like in “Braveheart”)  But they have a point when they say “Our lives are fleeting: You are born and you will die someday.  The path between points A and B is so exciting and fulfilling, enjoy it.”  I also somewhat agree to their statement of “Explaining to your 7-year-old Son that you can’t play catch due to the fact that your close minded, harsh abuse to your body (all in the pursuit of some “vain” race bib) has left you crippled?!?  No way to live life A to B.”

My take and $0.02:

I agree with these statements to a point.  I personally don’t want to cripple myself trying to get a race bib.  (If you want to get technical, you get the race bib before the race so assuming that you didn’t injure yourself prior to the race, the only way that you would cripple yourself while getting the race bib is to trip down the stairs on the way to the expo, which in my case is highly possible!)  But I also want to show my daughter that if she puts her mind to it, she achieve any goal!  I think that doing Warrior Dash and these mud runs is making going down the path between points A and B exciting and fulfilling.

Enough quotes of someone else’s hard work, here is a little insight into my life… 

Growing up, I was fat.  I was the tallest kid in my class every year.  I was one of the heaviest kids in my class every year.  I went to

My go to food!

Catholic school for grades K-8th grade.  In 7th grade my dad died.  My dad was my whole world!  Looking back I realize how much that broke my mom and I totally get it, but she had a responsibility to take care of me.  I was told by people instead that I needed to take care of my mom.  I was told not to cry in front of her.  So you know what, I didn’t.  I stayed “strong” and I would cry in the shower and stuff my face when no one was looking.  Then in the 8th grade the guy I liked was paid $5 to go out with me by people I thought were my friends.  When I found out what did I do? Cried and ate.  Freshman year in high school I played percussion in the school band (huge school of 25 kids) and one day they locked the band room door since we had no teacher and made fat jokes about for an hour.  I didn’t cry or yell or scream while they did it.  I wasn’t even going to say anything, but the school director happened to see some of the pictures they drew on the chalkboard and they were busted.  You know what I did that night? I went home and I cried and I ate.

This is me at my heaviest! I hate this picture but it is my reminder of where I don't want to go again!

This isn’t meant to be a feel sorry for me story.  Sorry if it is coming out that way.  The point I am trying to make is that I have always comforted myself with food.  I have this love hate relationship with food. When I would gorge on food to try to make me feel better, I always felt better at first and then I would feel guilty and almost dirty for eating as much as I did.  I know why I was fat.  I know where my weight came from.  But the more I ate, the worse I felt, the more I ate to feel better, the bigger I got, the worse I felt….it was a vicious cycle.  I tried every diet out there, Weight Watchers, Atkins, South Beach, heck even prescription weight loss medication.  I would some weight and think I had it all figured out and then something would happen and I would gain it all back plus another 10 pounds.  Then I had the kiddo and my whole life changed.  I now had this person whose life and livelihood literally depended on me!  Things had to change.

I had been advised to have gastric bypass a couple of times, but kept telling myself it was the easy way out.  I knew I could do it on my own.  When I saw my cardiologist almost two years ago, he warned me that if I didn’t do something soon, I wasn’t going to see my daughter grow up.  I went to the next information session about weight loss surgery.  I called the doctor’s office the next day and I started the process. I took control of my life!!

I have lost about 160 pounds to date.  I have gone from a size 28/3xl, which was a little snug, to a size 14 and a medium or large depending on the style. (except for those damn race shirts!!!!) I can now run!  I can walk to the mailbox and not get tired!  I can play tennis and swim!  I love the way I look!  I am willing to wear neon pink tennis shoes in public and not worry that people are going to think I look like a walking blimp.  (Yes, I do know those shoes make my feel look big!) My ability to enjoy life has gone up exponentially!  This is why I get so upset at idiots like that personal trainer at the gym who make it seem like my surgery is something to be ashamed of.  I don’t feel the need to whisper the word, hell I want to shout it from the roof top! (in my neon pink shoes and matching sports bra!)

So back on track:

So my whole point of this blog was to tell you why I do what I do.  My daughter is my life.  I don’t want her to have to go through the pain of poor self esteem.  I want her to be proud of herself.  This is why if she wants to wear neon pink (I am seeing a pattern here) striped leggings with an olive green and purple plaid dress and sea star converse shoes, damn right I am going to tell her “that is the perfect style!”  I am going to take time out of my day to make sure that we go to the park or for a walk or put together puzzles.  I am going to entertain the idea of reading one more book at bedtime.  I am going to stop whatever I am doing so she can tell me how her day was, even though I spent every minute of it with her.  I will wake up from my wonderful dream about warriors in kilts to scare away monsters and spray monster spray in her room.  It also means that I will prove that anything she sets her

No More Monster Spray from Fizz Bath Shop....it really works!

mind to (except practicing mountain climbing on my counters or running with knives) is possible.  I will complete my goals so that I can set a good example for her.

She is telling us that she now wants to be an astronomer.  This means that I will rearrange my schedule to take her to the planetarium and the observatory.  I will let her go to bed 10 minutes late so that she can run outside and see Venus, Jupiter, and Saturn in the sky!

I cannot promise to be the perfect parent! I will make mistakes, but that in it self is a lesson!  It shows my kiddo that just because we make a mistake, it is not the end of the world!  It shows that we can dust ourselves off and get back to what we were doing.  So in response to the statement about broken bodies over a vain attempt at a race bib.  I don’t think that is selfish! I think it is setting the right example!