The Daily Water Cooler Thread

momstime-I KNOW what you mean about being a busy individual but working at home. It's incredibly difficult and challenging and it IS much harder to not snack all day. I was really struggling with the daily grazing last year. It was beyond ridiculous. It got to a point were I'd eat a meal and turn around and open a bag of this or that because I knew I had to go work on x, which was sort of stressful. My stress-eating really became a vicious cycle because I'd feel a little pressure to do whatever report it was that needed doing, but eat 800 calories in the space of 5 min, then I'd stress about that, etc etc. Currently, I've become much more successful at stopping those terrible habits. And, yes, walking is great exercise, although, as jrbanta mentions, it's not the most prolific calorie-burner. I hadn't walked for some time because we got freezing temperatures where I am but as soon as the sun came out again I took my dogs on a walk an I swear I really felt some muscles in my legs and backside the next day. From a 30 minute walk! If you have pets or a friend, walking outside is something I find to be the best. I think it's very therapeutic and it's wonderful for breaking you out of the encased house mentality. I find that being at home all day, no matter how busy I am, or how good I've been, doesn't compare to making that time to get out of the house for at least 15 minutes. If 30 minutes seems like alot and too much, you can do 2-15 minute walks. That's actually what I do, but in succession because I'm walking one dog and then the next. I know for many people it can seem as if you should be able to spare an hour or more a day for a gym visit, and I would love to, but I live in the country and that drive to anywhere is 40 minutes. And 40 minutes back. And however long I'm there....I used to be able to devote that type of time to it when I was younger and single. But the responsibilities of the home, etc, our location, make that much more difficult. I also feel like working around the house or tending the yard actually is a great calorie burn, though admittedly it doesn't target certain muscles or engage my heart in a way that it's beat is elevated, as it needs to be, for a good cardio. All the same, I'm on a new effort to see if I can't at least put away a short 20-30 min workout at least 3-5 times a week. Some days it just doesn't happen and I really don't focus on it. I know this last Friday I actually made my way to doing the first 20 min of the Jillian Michael's DVD 6 week abs, and I swear I gained 2-3 lbs on the over the weekend just because I guess my muscles have seemed to have blown up a little and maybe it's water weight. I'm sure it will go down later on, my husband just thinks I shocked them. But I do feel great from it. I don't know if you have children or pets, or neither, but it can be hard to work out at home sometimes just because of all the distractions that I think women feel more compelled to take care of as they arise, rather than focusing on the workout. It never fails that the day I actually throw on some gym clothes and stick a DVD in, my pets suddenly find themselves needing to lay down on the living room floor, in front of the tv, and get into all kinds of shenanigans but, if I were doing anything else, would be peaceably sleeping somewhere NOT in my workout spot. I know when I was younger I'd just get up at 4:30 or 5:00 am and bang that work-out out, and it really worked to do it that early.

For snacks I know I'll give my husband some hard boiled eggs or a half a cup of veggies. I've also packed him apple slices with some peanut butter to dip in or a handful of almonds. Of course, I give him granola bars, too, or multigrain fig newtons and, if he's anything like yours, I showed up with lunch only to find him finishing off a snack pack of oreos....I'll eat fresh melon, apples, peanut butter and reduced sugar jelly on a wheat puff or rice cake. I like brussel sprouts as a snack. If I've just worked out I'll make a protein shake with slim fast or a protein powder and throw some banana in that. Carrots are good, too. If you have a probelm putting too much ranch dressing on them you an pack them with a side of sour cream mixed with a small amount of ranch dressing. Oatmeal with honey is a weakness and a great little power boost in these cold months.

I'm more of a salty. I love pretzels (hard or soft). I love baked lays. I just really have to watch those items or avoid them altogether. I did alot of lunges four or so days ago and now, where my jeans hung on me more loosely, they no longer do. So frustrating! I just can't understand it.