A new home for Kristen's Guide content about health, wellness, and life skills

Excuses Excuses

I cannot believe it has been over a year since I updated Kristen's Guide.  In Internet years, that's like dropping out for a decade.  I've been working hard in graduate school, studying mental health counseling and clinical psychophysiology, and have learned a lot that I want to share with my readers, but because I've been so busy, I haven't had time to design anything new or post any of the great information I've learned.

But Really, I Can Explain

Now, Kristen's Guide needs some serious updating.  I know you've noticed it too.  Many of my fans have been contacting me and wondering when I'll post new printables, calendars, checklists, articles, how-to guides, calculators, etc.  I've had several messages from people worried that Kristen's Guide was going offline.  I've even had multiple offers to sell it.  But, don't worry, it's sticking around.  However, rather than just updating things the same ol' way, I'm going to try something new.  Kristen's Guide will still have lots of great information about a wide variety of topics and free printables, and I will update it, but I'm also starting a new site: All Together Wellness at http://www.alltogetherwellness.com

Introducing All Together Wellness: A Health and Wellness Focused Site from the Creator of Kristen's Guide

The goal of All Together Wellness is to have a website/blog that has more specific wellness and health focused information along with life skills that everyone can use.  All other topics that don't fit into a wellness category (e.g. coding web pages and shopping guides) will still be on Kristen's Guide.  All Together Wellness will also be less focused on me personally, which will allow for guest posts from other experts and professionals instead of just having every post be,well, "Kristen's Guide to ...."  Plus, it will be database driven using flexible platforms, so we can expand it as needed.  For all you non-geeks out there, that means it can do more than the old Kristen's Guide website.  At All Together Wellness, in addition to having articles and printables, we could have life skills and wellness courses that you can enroll in online, forums for getting questions answered, and social networking so you can keep in touch with like-minded people through popular social sites like Facebook and Google+.  It will take some time, of course, to get everything up and running, but we're already posting new content, and it will continue to grow.

Local Resources Too

For those of you who live in or near Gresham, Oregon (East Portland Metro), on All Together Wellness you'll also find information about local health and wellness resources since we have quite a shortage of online resources for this area.

For those of you who live in other parts of the world, we'll do our best to put up national and international health and wellness resources that can help you get pointed in the right direction.

Grand Opening Tour Time!

So head over to All Together Wellness, take a look around, and let me know what you would like to see there.  Then subscribe to the feed or follow us on Facebook or Twitter to easily get updates.

See you there!

Spring is Coming! Get your running shoes. How to Start Jogging / Running.

Spring time is a great time to start jogging. The sun is coming out, the air is warming up, and the scenery is blooming. If you want to start running, I've updated my "How to Start Jogging" article based on feedback I've received from readers. (I've also included a couple of my own favorite personal running photos that I'm very proud to share.)

See it at
http://www.kristensguide.com/Health/Exercise/how_to_start_jogging.asp

Don't forget to leave your feedback, so I can add more updates for you.

New Menu and Exercise Planners for New Year's Resolutions

That's right, it's time to plan out the details of your New Year's resolutions!  I've been getting lots of email requests for health-related calendars for everyone trying to improve their fitness and lose weight or to just spend more time taking care of their bodies to improve their brains (a healthy brain improves mental health and happiness).  I played with lots of designs and these seemed to be the winners.

The first is a 2012 weekly menu planner.  You can plan each meal, including snacks, and note any nutritional goals you'd like to achieve (e.g. calories, fat grams, etc.).  This is great for anyone who needs more room than a single box (which is in many of my other planners) and wants a more detailed plan without having to fill in spaces for every tiny detail.

The second is a weekly workout / exercise / fitness planner.  This will allow you to plan the various components of a well-rounded fitness program (e.g. endurance, strength, agility, balance, flexibility, power, recovery, etc.).  This planner is not dated, which allows for greater flexibility, and will integrate well with most fitness plans.  (Please note, to record workout details, such as reps and sets for strength training, you will likely want a separate sport training specific log sheet.  This planner worksheet is more generalized.)

To get them go to http://www.kristensguide.com/Printables/calendars.asp

More to come!  Keep sending me your requests!

Yay! I'm no longer obese... just overweight.

In May of 200 I was 183 lbs. Today I'm a 163 lbs. I've lost 20 lbs. in 2 1/2 months, and I'm going to lose 20 more. My BMI is now in the overweight range, so no more "I'm obese" shame for me. It won't be long before I'm just at a plain ol' healthy weight. :-)

Learn more about how I've dropped the pounds at
http://www.kristensguide.com/Health/Weight_Loss/Weight_Loss_Journal/

How to Start Jogging: Updated by Popular Demand

By popular demand, I've updated one of my most read articles: How to Start Jogging.

I'm amazed by how many people send me emails about it. You guys have inspired me. When I first wrote it, I had no idea how many people were like me, thinking they could never be joggers or even just hating jogging because of all the pressure to go further and faster and endure exhaustion and pain. That's just not my style. If I don't enjoy it, I don't do it.

I admit, I slacked off. I stopped jogging about a year ago, but after my successful month of weight loss from walking, strength training, and healthy nutrition, I decided it was time to step things back up to the jogging level to strengthen my heart and lungs. I'm adding jogging again to my daily walks, and so far I've been pleased with the results. (Even bought myself a new pair of jogging shoes. :-)

So here's the updated article for all of you non-joggers who are thinking about getting into the jogging habit:
How to Start Jogging
http://www.kristensguide.com/Health/Exercise/how_to_start_jogging.asp

Climbing Back on the Weight Loss Wagon

I started my weight loss journal in 2006. Back then I was 200 lbs and wore a women's size 20. During that year, I dropped 30 lbs., but I spent 2007 on a plateau. I became so frustrated with trying to get back into the weight loss habit that I completely fell off the wagon. I stopped writing weight loss journal entries. I stopped exercising. I started letting my food get the better of me again. And that's when the weight started creeping back on. In 2008, I started gaining rather than losing or maintaining. But I'm putting a stop to that now. I'm re-dedicating myself to writing entries into my weekly weight loss journal, exercising daily, and controlling those emotional food binges.

If you'd like to join me, please introduce yourself in the Kristen's Chubby Buddies forum in the Kristen's Guide Community. I'll also be using forum discussions to help me create better weight loss articles, printables, calculators, workbooks/journals, and community tools that you can use to help you on your way to becoming a healthier you.

Oh, and you can read my latest weight loss journal entry at
http://kristensguide.com/Health/Weight_Loss/Weight_Loss_Journal/2008_march.asp

Weight Loss Journal

My motivation to exercise has been boosted by mini-workouts and giant red flags on the scale.

Read about it at
http://www.kristensguide.com/Health/Weight_Loss/Weight_Loss_Journal/2007_december.asp

Getting Over My Weight Loss Plateau

For those of you who are following my weight loss journey, you probably know that I've been stuck on a weight plateau for quite sometime. I became so discouraged that I stopped exercising altogether.

Well now I'm working on getting back into my healthy, fitness-filled lifestyle, and I'm starting small.

See the journal entry at:
http://kristensguide.com/Health/Weight_Loss/Weight_Loss_Journal/2007_december.asp

New Free Workout Printables

I just added a new 6-week workout planner (all on one page) and a more detailed weekly workout planner (with room to plan out each component of your exercise for the week: cardio, strength, flexibility, balance, and mind-body). I've also added a portrait version of the strength training log.

Get them at
http://kristensguide.com/Printables/health.asp

It's Here! 2008 Weekly Planner / Calendar for Healthy Living Available

Whether you're just trying to live a healthy lifestyle or lose weight, you can plan all of your exercise, major meals, chores, errands, appointments, shopping lists, and goals all in one place with Kristen's Guide to Designing Your Life: The Weekly Planner for Healthy Living 2008. Each week's planner page also has a healthful tip, a new healthy habit, every week, that you can easily incorporate into your life.

See a preview and buy the planner / calendar at
http://www.lulu.com/content/1431136

Weight Loss Journal: Back on the Wagon

For those of you who follow my weight loss journal, it's finally updated after I took a month off.

See the entry at:
http://www.kristensguide.com/Health/Weight_Loss/Weight_Loss_Journal/2007_november.asp

Chubby Buddies: Sometimes you must heal your wounds to lose weight

Sometimes weight loss is deeper than just diet and exercise. Sometimes it seems like we can't control what we put into our mouthes and exercise seems too overwhelming. That's when you need to start digging deep into your brain and figure out what's compelling you to eat junk food and watch TV instead of going for a walk.

It's been over a month since my last weight-loss journal entry. I've been dealing with some very bizarre and painful situations that have put me under quite a bit of stress. It has been thwarting my weight loss efforts as my emotional eating has taken over, so I'm spending this month (October 2007) figuring out how to healing my wounds.

You can read the story of my bizarre stress at:
http://kristensguide.com/Health/Weight_Loss/Weight_Loss_Journal/2007_october.asp

See all the journal entries at:
http://kristensguide.com/Health/Weight_Loss/Weight_Loss_Journal/index.asp

How to Start Walking to Get Fit

One of the easiest and most effective methods of aerobic exercise for weight loss and and overall fitness is walking. It's easy to get started, even during the chilly autumn weather, and it puts little stress on your joints compared to many other types of aerobic exercise. Whether you're just start to take those first steps or want to hike a marathon, walking can be for you.

Learn more about walking for fitness:
http://kristensguide.com/Health/Exercise/walking_to_get_fit.asp

Chubby Buddies: Up and Down

Another weight loss journal entry. (And I use the phrase weight-loss lightly lately.) My weight has hovered in plateau mode no matter what I've done. But I haven't lost hope. I'm just trying to remember to take my own advice by doing a very important workout I've stopped doing.

See the journal entry at
http://www.kristensguide.com/Health/Weight_Loss/Weight_Loss_Journal/2007_august.asp

Getting Motivated to Lose Weight and Stay on Your Plan

I've updated my page about getting motivated to lose weight and keep losing weight (if you're already on a plan).

http://www.kristensguide.com/Health/Weight_Loss/ways_to_stay_motivated.asp

Funny little story...
I was looking for something to motivate me to stick with my diet / exercise / weight loss program and drop the next 10 lbs. I decided to go online to see if I could find new ideas. And the site I ran into... was MY OWN SITE. So I read my own article and said, "Oh yeah, I forgot about doing that." Funny how we sometimes forget to take our own advice. So I decided to come up with some new ways to motivate myself and updated the article. Enjoy.

Chubby Buddies: So here's the plan...

So I've really let myself go, fallen back into my old, unhealthy lifestyle for a few week, and I've paid the price by seeing the pounds come back (gained 5 lbs. in just a couple of weeks).

What's worse? It happened right at a time when I was doing well. I had even seen the scale dip down to 167. I should have been ultra motivated. What happened? I'll be trying to figure that out this week.

In the meantime, I'm getting back on my plan, and here's how.
http://www.kristensguide.com/Health/Weight_Loss/Weight_Loss_Journal/2007_july.asp

Chubby Buddies: This is what happenes when you lose control

For those of you who are following my weight loss efforts and are trying to lose weight with me...

I think this has been my worst slip up so far.

See the journal at http://www.kristensguide.com/Health/Weight_Loss/Weight_Loss_Journal/2007_july.asp

Chubby Buddies: Weight loss journal update

I'm feeling stronger this week, and I'm more motivated to exercise. I even started jogging again, and my strength training weapon of the weak is yoga.

Visit the weight loss journal to see my journal entry at:
http://www.kristensguide.com/Health/Weight_Loss/Weight_Loss_Journal/2007_july.asp

And don't forget the BMR calculator

If you want to quickly calculate your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate: the number of calories your body burns at rest during one day), visit the BMR calculator.
http://www.kristensguide.com/Health/Weight_Loss/bmr.asp

Just a BMI Calculator

If you want to quickly calculate your BMI, you don't need to fill out the entire weight loss profile.
http://www.kristensguide.com/Health/Weight_Loss/weight_loss_profile_calculator.asp

Instead, you can go to the BMI calculator at
http://www.kristensguide.com/Health/Weight_Loss/bmi.asp
and just enter your height and weight (in metric or standard) to get a quick BMI readout.