Better U: Week 1

The Better U program for our four challengers -- and for you, if you've signed up to join them -- begins today. The Getting Started section of Week 1 on the Better U website asks you to think of two women who are important to you. The odds are that one of the three of you will develop heart disease. Now is a great time to reach out to those women and ask them to join you in this journey. 

If you haven't yet signed up to participate in the free, 12-week Better U program, you can do so by clicking the link at the top of this page or clicking right here.

The Better U tool will help you set a goal for the week in at least one of the following areas:

• Physical activity
• Healthy eating
• Lowering your heart disease risk
• Making lasting changes

You'll also be encourage to choose way to reward yourself when you meet that goal.

We hope to make this blog a place for dynamic community conversation. Leave a comment below telling us what goal you've selected or how you intend to reward yourself for a job well done.

I can't wait to hear from Peggy, Carla, Annette and Natale to see how the first week of the Better U program is shaping up for them.

Amy Magan
2010 Better U Participant

Are you ready for a Better U?

How often have you said to yourself, "I'm starting my diet (or exercise program) on Monday"? Well, this coming Monday, March 7 is THE day.

On Monday, March 7, the four 2011 Better U challengers -- Annette, Carla, Natale and Peggy -- will lead the charge toward better heart health for hundreds of women in Indianapolis and beyond. You can join them.

Sign up to begin shaping your Better U by enrolling at www.GoRedForWomen.org/BetterU. Choose March 7 as your start date.

The free, online program will help you improve your heart health by focusing on small improvements -- one each week for 12 weeks. Our Better U challengers will be using this blog to share their successes (and challenges). We hope you'll leave comments here to share yours as well.

Sign up today. Invite a friend or two to join you. Because this time, we really are starting on Monday.

On guard

We're a little over a week past the Go Red for Women luncheon and about three weeks from the end of the Better U challenge. Since my first appointment with Dr. Branyas in mid-December, I've been watching what I eat and adding exercise to my normal routine.

Even so, I find that healthy eating and exercise is not automatic to me yet. I still have to be on my guard.

My husband hurt his leg over two weeks ago and has been unable to get around very easily. So the lion's share of the housework, kid-toting, grocery shopping, etc. has fallen to me. He doesn't sleep well, which means I don't sleep well.

All that can add up to an "I don't want to" attitude about my healthy lifestyle habits. To be honest, I've given in to that attitude a few times over the past few weeks. While sitting on the couch still seems to be my default setting, overriding that setting is much easier than it was when I started the Better U challenge.

So this morning, when my hind end, my hips and my thighs (that would definitely include my lower thighs) were aching from Saturday's workout with Kyle at LifeTime Fitness, I stuck my fingers in my ears and shouted "lalalalalala, I can't hear you" and put on my workout clothes anyway.

I took the kids to school and headed for the gym. After 45 minutes on the elliptical, I felt better -- emotionally and physically. Who knew the key to dispensing muscle pain is to work through it?! To me, the victory is not just getting myself to the gym, but also recognizing that I have to stay vigilant about staying on the road to a better me.



Amy Magan

In the moment...

I am so loving THIS moment right now! Biggest Loser is on and they're doing their last chance workout in the gym and guess what? I can identify. The gift of being a BetterU challenger is my last chance workout and after yesterday's personal training session with Kara, I am convinced more now than ever before that my body was meant to M*O*V*E! There were times during the session when I thought, "Aw c'mon...this is a piece 'o cake!" Kara saw the expressions on my face - ha - but she knew I had no idea what kind of burn lay ahead for me. And when I say burn, I mean the only thing hotter than my muscles as I type is the temperature that rises up out of my shirt collar as I go into my personal summer - again - know what I'm talking about? I'm talkin' burn baby, burn - YIKES!

After my strength training session, I saw Dee moving very quickly on the treadmill and I accused her of "showing off"...I was teasing because deep down inside I was thinking that I should get myself on the treadmill as well. So, I did and thank you Dee for inspiring me (smiles). I wasn't on the treadmill very long but I did work hard enough to get my heart rate to the 85% zone if I understand correctly and you know what? I'm happy with that because I was M*O*V*I*N*G - what a concept, eh?

On my way out of the gym I decided to stop by the Life Cafe and treat myself to a Raspberry Peach smoothie...with whey protein...I sound like I know what I'm talking about, don't I? Along with that, I bought a cup of the Asian tuna salad which was spicy and yummy and very filling. As I wrapped up I noticed the Life Salon and decided I'm going to leverage the amenities and reward myself on this journey with manicures, pedicures, and massages. Oh yeah, and shoes - LOOK at this pair - I've GOT to have 'em! YOU should reward yourself for good behavior too! And while I'm at it...you should NOT beat yourself up when, not if, but when, you have the occasional mishap...life happens and we're making some pretty intense lifestyle changes. Yay, us and yay you!

I could go on and on but I've got homework to get too and crunches and leg lifts before beddy-bye.

Here's to your heart...

Sleep well~

Jessica
p.s. So much fun to have Ruthie come greet me with that great big beautiful smile she has and a hug...I love being in the gym with my co-hearts - maybe you'll come join us sometime?

I'm a believer

About a month before my friend handed me the Star article about the Better U challenge, I joined Weight Watchers. I was fed up with my weight, with the multitude of medicine bottles in my cabinet, with running out of breath any time I exerted just a little bit of energy.

My Weight Watchers journey has had plenty of ups and downs. Some weeks I'd have a good loss, some weeks a minor one, some weeks no loss at all -- or worse, a gain. By the time I met with Dr. Branyas in early December, three months after I started Weight Watchers, I'd lost a total of 8 pounds. Now, I'm not turning my nose up at 8 pounds by any means and I take full responsibility for the slow speed at which my weight loss was moving, but losing pounds at a glacial pace wasn't exactly inspiring.

One of the things Dr. Branyas told me was that I need to exercise...every day. Actually, she said plan to exercise daily. Sometimes things come up and the exercise doesn't happen. If you plan to work out 7 days a week, it's likely you'll at least make it 5. Plan to work out 3 days and soon enough you're only hitting the gym or the exercise videos once a week.

So I've been working out on my elliptical anywhere from 4 to 5 days a week and I recently dusted off the Wii Fit. I've also been walking the stairs at work -- up and down 5 times, for a total of 500 stairs. And do you know what? I've been losing weight more consistently. For probably the first time in years, I actually lost weight over the holidays.

When I went to my Weight Watchers meeting yesterday (Melissa Wrin, the registered dietitian at the St. Vincent Heart Center of Indiana said if WW works for me and I like it, to keep it up), I stepped on the scale and I was in NEW NUMBERS!

In fact, since my meeting with Dr. Branyas and my commitment to exercising just one month ago, I've lost 8 pounds -- the same amount it took me 3 months to lose without exercising.

While I may not love working out yet, I am a believer.