End of First Mini Challenge!

Congratulations to Michele, Meghan, and Sarah F. who all played along w/ the mini place setting experiment and won a prize! They each will be given/mailed a package of 6 Under Armor Headbands :) Email me your addresses, Meghan & Sarah F. I'll give Michele's to her on Monday at work. I love wearing a similar set of headbands when I run or workout b/c it keeps my hair out of my face, but can get tossed in the laundry to wash w/ my clothes.



Here are Michele's meals:




And Meghan's Meals:




And Sarah F.'s Meals:





Yum! Thanks for playing along, ladies! What good cooks you all are! Doesn't this make you all want to eat healthy all weekend long?! At Sarah F.'s suggestion, which sounds like a really fun idea, let's have you all guess the calories in these foods! Take a guess at how many calories Michele's 3 meals total up to in one big number, then Meghan's grand total, and then Sarah F.'s grand total. Whichever one challenger is closest to any of three grand total actual calories by Monday morning when I post will win a Clif Blox sent to them. :) (This means Michele, Meghan, & Sarah F., please total up your own foods & email the total calorie count to me)

Feel Good Friday

(The "End of the 1st Mini Challenge" post will be later on this evening, so email me your 3 pics if you haven't yet! Remember you get a prize for playing along!)

Heading into this beautiful weekend, with generally more leisure and relaxation time than during the week (unless you've got big projects or travels planned), what are you going to do to stay motivated? Are you going to find the time to get in a longer-than-usual but relaxing workout? It's not just what we put in our bodies food-wise that matters in changing ourselves for the better; it's also what we put into our minds! Fill your buckets with positive things, surround yourself with positive people, and give yourself positive encouragement. I challenge you to swing by the movie store & rent an inspirational flick or documentary (or hulu.com), or to swing by the library or bookstore and get an inspirational book or healthy cookbook, or browse online and read some articles or blogs that are going to uplift you and motivate you to be energized, healthier, and more active. What are your recommendations for us all? Share them!

I love all of these:

Hilarious movie! British humor. (Maybe not kid-friendly, since its about a chain-smoking but hilarious guy who's never done an active thing in his life trying to train for & run a marathon to show-up his ex-girlfriend's boyfriend who's a marathoner) One of my fav's that my hubby bought me this week :) PG-13



Valerie shared this beauty with me before my half marathon. Really motivational if you want to run! You can watch it online here.



One Crazy Guy! All about pushing yourself to the max.



Pretty opposite the UltraMarathon Man book, this one's about relaxing while running the listening to our bodies.



Some stuff is scrumptious! Good for sugar fixes. A lot of it is admittedly not "real food" or high on the wholesome/organic charts...



I haven't read this one but plan on it- it's a funny book Jamie (on the blog here) is reading.

Feel the Burn Thursday!

This idea came from Valerie- who completely rocks my running world :) She says on her blog "intense exercise can release the same amount of dopamine as a prozac, though the 2 are not completely interchangeable, so consult your doctor before starting this or any self medicating/exercise activity."

Nice even through its sarcasm! Intense working out really does generate a high through the release of endorphins straight into the brain, specifically the parts of the brain associated with emotions. Could lead to "chills" and "euphoria." :) I LOVE this article- doesn't it make you pumped up to work out?!?

Yes, Running Can Make You High



My favorite part is this, referring to the results of the studies: "They even offer hope for those who do not enjoy exercise but do it anyway. These exercisers might learn techniques to elicit a feeling that makes working out positively addictive."

Whoa! Get on the "euphoria" band wagon today! I love how our bodies were designed to make such a great feeling when we take care of it.

What do you have planned for this week for workouts? What have you done this week for workouts?

Whatcha Eatin' Wednesday

What yummy goodness have you all been eating this past week? Any fun new recipes you tried? Share some ideas with us!

I haven't been too fancy this past week- simple is the name of the game- particularly when my hubby isn't home. For breakfasts I've been having oatmeals, cereals, and shakes. For lunches I've been having sandwiches, salads, and the last of that summer salsa from last week. For dinnners, I have been craving and eating LOTS of vegetables. Sunday night and Monday night each I had a whole huge homegrown zucchini to myself, sliced, sauteed with a tablespoon of butter and several tablespoons of grated parmesean cheese. Yum! Last night I had two ears of fresh corn on the cob. For snacks I've been having 2 cups of chocolate milk after runs, fresh heirloom cherry tomatoes from the farmer's market, whole wheat rolls (frozen, pop in the oven for 7 mins kind), Terra Mediterranean Vegetable Chips, and Babybel cheese rounds.



Being in tune with your body is difficult, but if you listen to what it's craving and satisfy it, I think you'll feel more statisfied overall with your food. So what is your healthy or lo-cal fix for a salty craving? For a sugary craving? For a comfort food craving? For a chocolate craving?

For salty fixes, I like a few olives from a jar, a big dill pickle, pita chips, salted & steamed edamame, or Snack Factory's Buffalo Wing Pretzel Crisps. For sugary cravings, I like chocolate milk, but I really don't get sugary cravings much. For comfort food cravings, I like lean cuisine mac & cheese or lean cuisine lasagne. For a chocolate craving, I like the chocolate milk again, or Emerald Dark Chocolate dusted Almonds.

Tuesday Sleep Check

Review your sleeping habits this past week. Are you getting enough sleep? Did you know sleep can help you lose weight? It balances two hormones which affect appetite. It also improves our mood which makes us more likely to work out. It also makes us snack less. Wow, the list just goes on and on. Check this out- it was news to me! =)

The Dream Diet: Losing Weight While You Sleep

Breaking Down Weight-Loss Barriers

Of course I wouldn't suggest napping instead of working out in most instances, but if your body is exhausted and trashed beyond belief, maybe that nap would do you more good than forcing a pathetic workout. We need to be careful to get in both workouts and sleep in adequate doses each day. A lot of studies out there tout that a good exercise routine will help you sleep better at night. So what do you ladies think? How has your sleeping been this past week? Don't want to be your nagging mom telling you when to go to bed, but just tossing it out there as a suggestion....if you want your allowance that is....jk

Monday Check-In

How did the end of the first week of the 10 in 6 Challenge go for you beautiful ladies??? Let us know the results of the check-in, how much you're up or down, and how you feel about it. Push it this week and keep your momentum going strong! Only you can change you. Challenge your excuses. I know you can reach your goals. We're all here to cheer you on and support you, celebrate in your successes and boost in your lulls. Here are some thoughts for you to start off your week determined and focused:

"You must begin to think of yourself as becoming the person you want to be." -David Viscott

"You must do the thing you think you cannot do." Eleanor Roosevelt

"You see things; and you say "Why?" But I dream things that never were; and I say "Why not?" -George Bernard Shaw

"Your goals, minus your doubts, equal your reality." -Ralph Marston

"You're never beaten until you admit it." -George S. Patton

And that brings me to our first side challenge :) Yay! So this side challenge is optional to participate in, but if you do participate in it, I'll send you a prize :) Check out this article from Women's Health and do this experiment with me:


Serve dinner 3 nights (between now and Friday) on miniature place settings- salad/dessert plates, salad forks, smaller glasses, etc. Take a picture of each dinner table (or counter :P) all set up miniaturized with food on the plates. Email me the pictures sometime during the week and I'll post them this Friday. Then share with us all at the end of the challenge if you tricked your brain into being more "satisfied" or if you think the article is totally bunk. I'm curious to see if this works and I think it'll be really fun. Your kids will think it's fun, too!