Exercise Is For Life

When I exercise I feel great and I know I'm better for it.  My stress levels are less, I've been sleeping better and I would say that my energy level is stronger.  Exercise has also been of great benefit in clearing out the external negativity that constantly seems to want to feed my mind.  With all these pros, ask yourself, why do I lose interest in working out so fast?  Why do we fall back into old habits so easily?  What is it about those people who have been able to stick to it and be a success?

Let's face it, exercise, especially if you haven't done it for a long time because of a sedentary and lazy lifestyle, is very daunting.  It's darn right hard work and very challenging.  Some of the benefits I've experienced are not instantly gained right at the start of a new program.  In fact, at first, my workouts left me very sore and very tired!  I experienced shortness of breath, my joints hurt, my muscles ached for days, I felt drained and at times wondered why even bother, we all die anyway right?  There were times when I could barely finish even half of the workouts in the beginning.  It was a real struggle!  I'd put the P90X DVD disk into the player and pace the floor delaying the inevitable decision to push the play button.  I didn't see results immediately, because the truth is nobody does.  It takes time to get over the hump of pain. The rewards for those who persevere far exceed the pain that must precede the victory!  It took me time to see the results and benefits of eating healthy and working out.  It took a little time before I really began to accept and actually enjoy the workouts.  But just know that eventually, you will too, so don't give up, stick to it, and as Tony Horton says, just "do your best and forget the rest!" 

Remember my friends that EFFORT is a solo performance that only you can perform.  No else can do this for you. Someone may inspire you and you may feel motivated to make a decision, but it is entirely up to you to succeed at your goals.  Believe in yourself and trust WHY you are doing this.  It's not a 90 day program, a 180 day program or a 360 day destination.  It may very well start out that way, but then your vision changes and you begin to see a much bigger picture, a picture for a healthier lifestyle that doesn't end when the the weight loss or the muscle gain is reached.  In the beginning, setting some smart goals is very important.  What do you want to accomplish and why?  How are you going to get there?  When do you want to achieve your goal by?  P90X, or for that matter any exercise program that you will stick to, is a valuable tool to accomplishing your dreams.

Many professionals recommend a personal fitness trainer to assist you on your fitness journey.  May I recommend Tony Horton as he's been there for me the entire time, both through the extreme home fitness program P90X and through the website Team Beachbody.  There's no way I could afford a personal trainer all the time, but Tony Horton at the age of 52, seen to the right, helps you with the basics as a beginner, pushing you toward a striver level and then to an extreme warrior athlete!  Look where I was when I started out in February of this year and how far I've come since then!  Wouldn't you agree that it's an incredible transformation?  Wouldn't you like to experience it for yourself and why everyone who has gone through this is so excited about what life now has to offer!  You don't need a gym membership.  You don't need to feel embarrassed showing up to a fitness center when your home and a few simple and basic tools is all you'll need.  Just show up at home and start to make this a daily habit.

Remember, you want to exercise and you want to feel good.  You want to have an enjoyable experience and one that is positive.  I want to tell you how positive and encouraging Tony Horton is, but you will know for yourself after he inspires you to do better than you have ever done before.  Get involved with others through online support groups.  Again, you do not need a gym or club membership, you just need to decide, commit and succeed!  Yes, it is a struggle, but it's a predictable outcome based on the success of so many individuals before you.  The path to health and fitness has many side roads, many pitfalls, many valleys and peaks that will ultimately lead to your success.  Effort is a solo performance that only you can perform.  Exercise is for life and it's bright future is in your hands!

Pick Your Own and Eat it Too!

Despite my lack of childhood memories, I do remember the hours spent in the garden.  We grew up on a small 3.5 acre parcel of land, much of which was a vegetable garden.  A lot of time was spent weeding the rows, that seemed endless!  If memory serves me correctly, our parents would compensate us for each row that was weeded.  Trying to get my own children to weed is futile, even for money!  Then came harvest time and the hours that took to pick and prepare the food for canning and freezing.  What a huge chore!

I was never a real big fan of green beans as a child, unless they were smothered in butter and salt.   There's such a difference in taste, in quality, in texture between a fresh vegetable and a frozen vegetable.  And there's a difference too in whether it's mass produced with pesticides and herbicides.  When you grow and pick your own it tastes so good and it's incredibly healthy knowing it's free of chemicals.  They simply are better than anything you've ever had from a store!  I love to eat green beans!



The rewards and benefits of  picking and preparing your own food are just as huge as growing and tending a garden!  I wish now that I'd pay a little closer attention to how my parents prepared the food for canning and freezing.  Hindsight is 20/20, but fortunately there are many great resources available through the Internet that provide a wealth of knowledge on every topic you can imagine.  I came across a website as I was searching for how to freeze my green beans from my garden.  I needed clear directions, recipe, photo's and advice. 

In a nutshell, here are the 8 simple steps to freezing green beans, courtesy of pickyourown.org.

1.  Get your green beans from the garden!

2.  Wash the green beans.

3.  Trim the end, and if you prefer cut into smaller pieces.

4.  Get your blanching pots ready.

5.  Blanch the green beans for about 3 minutes in boiling water.  I steamed mine for 6 minutes.

6.  Cool the green beans in ice cold water.

7.  Bag the green beans in freezer bags or vacuum sealed Foodsavers.

8.  Place the bags into the freezer.

Beans sealed in Ziploc bags with as much of the air extracted as possible will keep for about 9 months in the freezer.   I always put aside some of the fresh green beans into the refrigerator to be eaten over the next week.  If you seed your beans in stages, you can pick fresh all summer long.  Nothing beats the flavor of a freshly cooked green bean from the garden!  I highly recommend it.  Yes, it's a lot of work.  Yes, it costs a little money to plant a garden.  It seems that anything worthwhile takes time and money.  The seeds to plant that crop of beans were a few dollars and the water was free from mother nature this year.  The time I put into it was well worth the effort.  It's an investment in my health.   This year we're going to try and harvest our own green bean seeds from our plants by letting some of them dry out on the vine.

It's never too late to start changing bad habits, habits that can shave years off your life and impact the quality of your life.   So, if you want the straight dope on fueling your body with nutritious food and what to avoid, I'm here to help and it won't cost you a penny for the free advice based on my own experience and what has worked for me.  I hope you'll follow my blog and provide me with some feedback on my posts.  I'll be catering good choices that include both dietary and lifestyle changes.  So if you could use a boost to your engine, buckle up for the ride of your life and let's get started!