tools of trade

It's been a very very long time since I've contributed to the Active Academic, and a very long time since I have moved through my current weight loss plateau. I've been sitting at 35lbs lost now for 8 months. Next week will mark my first official week in my new home, with a new routine and I'm determined to get back on track with my fitness and weight loss routine. I've been thinking a lot lately about the tools I've used to lose weight, and thought I would share what has worked for me, but also solicit some help from others. When I finally began listing all of the "tools" that help me, I realized I have quite a few! What do you guys use to stay in shape, find time to exercise, or generally just lead a more "well" life?

Here are the tools that have helped me (in no particular order): *

Elliptical Trainer An elliptical trainer is not an item that a lot of my grad student peers have! Mine isn't even one of those fold up ones - it's a bonafide, sturdy, full-size elliptical trainer. Although I've owned it for far longer than I've been using it, it was one of the best gifts (from my parents) I have ever received. I love it - I call her Ellie. I hate working out in public and I hate having to schedule my cardio around other people. With my own exercise equipment at home I can exercise when I want, for as long as I want, while doing whatever I want (watching TV, loud music, nothing.) On top of that, I was lucky enough to purchase it at a severe discount (floor model sale) and it even provides me with helpful inspirational messages across the screen as I go. Every time people find out I actually own one, I get astonished questions about the expense. But the 35lbs it helped me lose has been completely worth it. My only small regret is that I did not get a treadmill, as I tend to not get bored of a treadmill as I do Ellie (Sorry Ellie, I love you anyway.)

Weight Bench Last summer I took some leftover money and purchased this weight bench from Empower and I've loved it since. (I'm also happy to report I figured out how to assemble it all by myself, which was a single girl accomplishment I am still proud of.) It folds up easily against the wall, is designed for women, and comes with a DVD and sheet of free weight exercises. Adding weight training to my exercise routine, even though it has been sparse, has been a nice addition for me.

Gowear Fit Armband My biggest fitness purchase (by biggest I mean most serious, not most expensive) was the Gowear Fit Armband. I read about the armband on an online forum, and spent several months research it and other products, trying to decide what to do. Eventually a sale landed in my lap and I was also able to pick it up at a discount. Even though I have not lost any weight since I purchased my armband, I can now tell you exactly why I have not lost any weight. I also discovered that as I suspected machines were either over- or under-estimating my calorie burn. I no longer feel guilty about days where I am active but do not formally work out, as I am now aware of how many calories I am burning. I'm looking forward to using this tool once I get back on Ellie this week.

Myfooddiary.com For the past 2 years I've also had an online membership to myfooddiary.com. The membership has cost me $9/month and is worth every penny. In tandem with my Gowear Fit Armband, I know exactly how much I am ingesting and how much I am expending. To top it off, my subscription gives me access to a truly great supportive system of other people with my goals through the forums. I've never been much of a social support seeker and certainly not an online forum user, but opening up to that support has made a big difference in my attitude toward fitness and nutrition.

Reynolds Freezing "System" I know this seems like an unlikely fitness tool, but two months ago I purchased the Reynolds Handi Vac and it has really changed things for me. I love to cook - but hate to cook for just myself because I absolutely despise eating leftovers. In addition, living with roommates meant I didn't have a lot of room in the freezer for plastic containers, and my food often quickly got freezer burn from them as well. Using the handi vac I can cook a really large healthy meal, measure out servings and freeze them individually. That way I have prepped healthy meals on hand that can be easily made. This is a huge blessing for me because my biggest problem as a student is having time to cook and not falling back on unhealthy take out when I am pressed for time. On top of that, freezing several different types of meals means variety, which is good for someone who is easily bored by the same meals, like I am.

Food Steamer If you don't own a food steamer, go get one. I love it. I don't even have words to describe how much I love food I make in my food steamer, how easy it is to use, or how often I use it!

Digital Food Scale My most recent weight loss tool purchased was a digital food scale. At times I've been frustrated by my lack of weight loss despite dutifully tracking my calories consumed. I discovered that the serving sizes based on volume (like 1/4 cup) are not always the same amount of food as those indicated by the weight of the food (like, grams). I was inadvertently eating more calories than I thought I was. So as crazy as it sounds, I've begin to really weigh my food to be more accurate.

Those are the tools that help me out - what do you guys have in your tool belt?


*of course, although these have helped me, many of them cost $ and so I'm not necessarily saying you should get them or they would work for everyone!