Book Giveaway! NEW healthy living & veg fitness book

[Lani Muelrath]

Hey Team McD!

As part of birthday celebrations for the official release of the Fit Quickies book - your plant-based fitness handbook, including whole-foods low fat plant-based diet and detailed support for healthy fitness and guide for change - we're throwing a book giveaway party right here at McDougall Boards!


Click here for more aboutFit Quickies: 5 Minute Targeted Body Shaping Workouts
with endorsements by John Robbins, Neal Barnard, our own honorable Dr. McDougall...among others! They're all there.

Reviews JUST opened up on Amazon and you can see the start of them here: Fit Quickies reviews on Amazon

To enter the Fit Quickies book giveaway:

It's easy! Simply post on this thread your strength (dietary plan? moving your body?) and your area of future growth (dietary plan? moving your body?)

Are you good at the eats and no so at the exercise? Or is it the other way around? Or are you stellar at both? What makes it easy, or gets in your way? Tell us about it!

Join the fun and win a copy of Fit Quickies!!

The random drawing from participants will take place on Sunday, February 10, 2013. This means you will need to enter before the close of Saturday, February 9, 2013.

Let's get people eating plants and moving bodies!

Lani

[jewagar]

x

[Lani Muelrath]

Many years ago, in my late 20's, I worked in a health club. I put people through beginner fitness routines. I looked fit myself because I exercised constantly. I didn't know the value of rest days, so I never achieved a long, lean healthy level of fitness. I felt tired and would get energy by eating chocolate. I didn't eat much meat and tried eating mostly whole grains, but I did eat dairy in the form of plain yogurt and cheese.

Fast forward to the present. I'm in my 50's. I had thought I would remain fit for the rest of my life, but being an older mom and a homemaker, caused me to lose my physical fitness. I finally re-discovered the McDougall program and am trying to stay on-plan so I can reap the health benefits of increased energy, weight loss, and general well-being. I want to prevent all the common diseases that come with age. I also want to find a fitness program that I can do the rest of my life. I know I need resistance training, to prevent muscle loss. I also need to find a balance with rest and exercise, so I don't get so tired that I reach for coffee and chocolate. I really want to get healthy and slim so I can enjoy getting older rather than dreading it. I also want to feel comfortable in my body, so I can be a participant in life.

Jewagar,

Thank you for your fine, personal report.

And what a good time for you - the food gets you going and is the foundation - you carve your figure with your fork! And the impact on your health goes without saying.

The fitness is a huge component and it needn't be grueling or over time-consumptive. In Fit Quickies I take the ACSM guidelines for healthy fitness and make it simple, and also cut through the chaos about resistance training and muscle work. The exercise collection addresses those muscles most responsible for the shape and strength of our bodies and builds a scaffold of safety and excellent alingment as a foundation. With a exercise background, you will appreciate that!

You can start better fitness today by just sitting less. True story! THere is a whole section in the Fit Quickies book about just that.

Thanks for getting things off to a great start here!

Cheerily,
Lani

[Perla]

I do really well eating this way but fitting in all the exercise is a problem. I usually get in a walk each day but fail badly in all other areas.

Perla

[kimba]

For me eating vegan is a struggle at times. I take each day as I go. Love those potatoes.

As for exercise, well...I know I should do it. Just wishing I had the body I want is not going to get me there any time soon. I have in the past started a weight training program, only to quit not far into it. I get bored so easy.

It would be great to be toned up and looking and feeling better about myself. And doing this for me and no one else.

kimba

[coachkathryn]

I've been vegan for a long time now so the vegan part is easy, the oil free is getting easier, but the eating out is hard! I live in a wonderful urban area with fun bars and restaurants! I love to be social and go out. That is my biggest food challenge but I feel like it is really becoming a strength! Especially as I teach more cooking classes and work with clients on health coaching. None of my clients are vegan right now, but I really hope that my example and the weight loss I'm experiencing will help bring me clients that want to make the transition for better health.

I teach yoga which is great, but the movement for myself....I want to GROW here!. I want to get into a more regular practice of yoga and hopefully supplement with the fit quickies!!!! The more I can find easy quick exercises for me the better I can serve others as well. I also want to do a 1/2 marathon at the end of summer. I'm working towards running 30 min. right now!

[Lani Muelrath]

I do really well eating this way but fitting in all the exercise is a problem. I usually get in a walk each day but fail badly in all other areas.

Perla

Perla, walking is SUCH a great start and it's the foundation. I look at it as just being a good animal!

Resistance training needs to work its way in for strength, shape, enhancing enzymatic action for utilization of fuel, and whole host of other reasons. I make it easy with the short workouts that you can do one at a time, 3 at a time, or a bunch all together. Very versatile, which is how I use them - in a variety of ways.

thanks for your post and you GO with getting those muscles fired up!

Lani

[Lani Muelrath]

For me eating vegan is a struggle at times. I take each day as I go. Love those potatoes.

As for exercise, well...I know I should do it. Just wishing I had the body I want is not going to get me there any time soon. I have in the past started a weight training program, only to quit not far into it. I get bored so easy.

It would be great to be toned up and looking and feeling better about myself. And doing this for me and no one else.

kimba

Kimba,

For bored, it helps to mix it up. AND the Fit Quickie concept helps too - when you can do short bursts, you work around the spectre of a long time commitment that is easier to resist.

This is also where mindset comes in. No one 'likes' to work out all the time. People think that because I'm "in fitness" that I do. Not true. Here's the secret - stay connected to your 'why'. And if you can't find it, that's part of the problem. But it can be a big plus to harness it because 'motivation' is fickle, but mindset means commitment.

'Doing it for you' is key too!

Lani

[Lani Muelrath]

I've been vegan for a long time now so the vegan part is easy, the oil free is getting easier, but the eating out is hard! I live in a wonderful urban area with fun bars and restaurants! I love to be social and go out. That is my biggest food challenge but I feel like it is really becoming a strength! Especially as I teach more cooking classes and work with clients on health coaching. None of my clients are vegan right now, but I really hope that my example and the weight loss I'm experiencing will help bring me clients that want to make the transition for better health.

I teach yoga which is great, but the movement for myself....I want to GROW here!. I want to get into a more regular practice of yoga and hopefully supplement with the fit quickies!!!! The more I can find easy quick exercises for me the better I can serve others as well. I also want to do a 1/2 marathon at the end of summer. I'm working towards running 30 min. right now!

coachKathryn,

Yoga is a wonderful foundation! That was the very first physical culture I taught, starting in college.

Having lots of tools in your fitness arsenal to meet varying needs of students and clients is so smart.

1/2 marathon? You go! I did one once and it will be fun to have it in your accomplishment arsenal!

Lani

[ETeSelle]

For me, it's all about the food. My life is very busy, and I mostly exercise via my second job (hoof trimming for horses), my farm work (nothing like bucking 20 sixty-pound bales of hay to start the day!), and riding my horses. I stick w/ the MWL plan b/c it's easy and I don't have to worry about eating too much of anything as long as it's MWL. The minute I stray even a little (some avocado, nuts, etc.) I gain a few pounds. So it's MWL for me!

[Jubilee]

Ok, to put it bluntly, both are a challenge for me.

I live in a household with 3 other adults, and I'm the only one trying to eat this way. Not only am I surrounded by non-McD foods all the time, but sometimes I get comments or pressure to go off my plan. About once a week one of my adult daughters will decide to bake and those yummy smelling treats tempt me the most.

I have been doing pretty well since the beginning of the year. Probably the secret to my success so far is that I have to be careful to make non-McD foods for the other members of my family that don't actually tempt me. If I have "their" foods on hand and ready at mealtime, they won't eat all of mine, and then follow up with critical comments about the foods. Eating a whole pot of McD soup that I'd planned for 3-4 days, and then criticizing it, seems to really discourage me and tempt me to throw in the towel. I feel hypocritical cooking that way for them, but it seems to be the way that makes it easiest on me. They're not about to switch to this woe anytime soon, so at the moment I guess I'm taking the selfish route. It's not easy.

As far as exercising, I faithfully go to a water exercise class for people with arthritis 2-3 times a week, and then when it's over, I swim laps for 30 mins. I don't actually have arthritis, but lots of joint pain issues and I find this helps me a lot. On the other days, I always plan to walk either outside or on my treadmill, and do some weights, but truthfully that doesn't happen more than once or twice a week. So, there's the challenge there- actually doing what I plan to do.

Thank you for offering this give-away. Whether or not I win, it's fun reading people's stories.

Blessings,
Jubilee

[Lani Muelrath]

For me, it's all about the food. My life is very busy, and I mostly exercise via my second job (hoof trimming for horses), my farm work (nothing like bucking 20 sixty-pound bales of hay to start the day!), and riding my horses. I stick w/ the MWL plan b/c it's easy and I don't have to worry about eating too much of anything as long as it's MWL. The minute I stray even a little (some avocado, nuts, etc.) I gain a few pounds. So it's MWL for me!

ETeSelle, you definitely have a lot of your workout built into your lifestyle - including the resistance training!

Isn't the eating freedom great?

Lani

[Lani Muelrath]

Ok, to put it bluntly, both are a challenge for me.

I live in a household with 3 other adults, and I'm the only one trying to eat this way. Not only am I surrounded by non-McD foods all the time, but sometimes I get comments or pressure to go off my plan. About once a week one of my adult daughters will decide to bake and those yummy smelling treats tempt me the most.

I have been doing pretty well since the beginning of the year. Probably the secret to my success so far is that I have to be careful to make non-McD foods for the other members of my family that don't actually tempt me. If I have "their" foods on hand and ready at mealtime, they won't eat all of mine, and then follow up with critical comments about the foods. Eating a whole pot of McD soup that I'd planned for 3-4 days, and then criticizing it, seems to really discourage me and tempt me to throw in the towel. I feel hypocritical cooking that way for them, but it seems to be the way that makes it easiest on me. They're not about to switch to this woe anytime soon, so at the moment I guess I'm taking the selfish route. It's not easy.

As far as exercising, I faithfully go to a water exercise class for people with arthritis 2-3 times a week, and then when it's over, I swim laps for 30 mins. I don't actually have arthritis, but lots of joint pain issues and I find this helps me a lot. On the other days, I always plan to walk either outside or on my treadmill, and do some weights, but truthfully that doesn't happen more than once or twice a week. So, there's the challenge there- actually doing what I plan to do.

Thank you for offering this give-away. Whether or not I win, it's fun reading people's stories.

Blessings,
Jubilee

Jubilee,

I think you are being quite innovative! Instead of complaining about your situation and creating excuses, you are taking charge and taking ACTION by being sure you have what you need for your health, while at the same time knowing you can't control the behavior of others. Nice work!

The swimming sounds fabulous. If you are doing resistance training 2 -3 times a week, then that's great too! Just maximize it by keeping correct form and working within the muscle challenge threshold by making sure to maximize challenge of those muscles within abou 90 seconds. If you could keep doing repetitions after that amount of time, you are not using enough resistance. But resistance does not have to be heavy to get you muscle training results - I go over this extensively in the Fit Quickies book. You can do it with correct positioning and form so that your joints are spared.

And I agree, it's very interesting to read about others and thanks everyone for telling your story!

Lani

[verdandi1]

Hi,

I swim Division III, and the importance of daily exercise has been ingrained in me since I was a small child. In fact, swimming helped me get a lot healthier when I started doing it at age 10. It gave me discipline, and even though I did not change from SAD until I started college, I went from being overweight to being in pretty good shape.

I love to look up new weight training and plyometrics exercises, and I like to write my own routines. I think I have the exercise part down, but being in college probably does things to my diet that could hold me back.

My diet's not terrible, but I do have a tendency to stress-eat. I'm kind of an anxious person and a perfectionist. I'll eat things like Cheerios or saltines or grapes usually, but every once in a while, some vanilla ice cream calls to me. (This is REALLY not good. I'm lactose intolerant) I need to find another way to release my stress. Exercise definitely helps, but it's not a magic bullet.

I've read about CBT, and I'm trying that. I look at the things I can control, and I separate them from the things I cannot control, and then I focus on them. It helps a bit.

[Tom Dylan]

Greetings!


After roughly one year on McDougall, I've lost 65 lbs. I need to lose another 30 lbs at least.

My biggest struggle is not snacking too much after supper, especially later at night. A full belly seems to help me sleep...

I don't seem to have any problem remaining 100% McDougall compliant, but sticking to MWL principles is a bit more challenging.

I don't do a lot of excercise, mainly walking. I have a really good excercise bike, a Schwinn 250, and use it in spurts. I've been meaning to make it a daily ritual.

Why is it every time I get really serious about excercising, I either injure myself or get sick? Is it just me?