Feel Good Friday

Hello, beautiful ladies! We only have 10 more days left in this challenge- I can't believe it's been so long already. First, just to flaunt, here are the prizes going out today to the two participants in the t-shirt side-challenge. Congratulations, Linds & Nicole! Linds is getting the Smartwool multisport socks & Nicole is getting the Smartwool running socks.

Second, I thought this quote from the Runner's World magazine's Daily Kick in the Butt (they email a daily motivational quote) was pretty hilarious.

"It's the road signs, 'Beware of Lions.'" -Kip Lagat, Kenyan distance runner, during the Sydney Olympics, explaining why his country produces so many great runners.



Think about that as you're out and about this weekend getting in great sweat sessions, calorie burns, and pounding the pavement. Your lion could be the positive reinforcement/motivation you shared with us at the beginning of the challenge, ie your kids, your happiness, peace, sexiness, etc. Or your lion could be the negative reinforcement of what the old lazy you was like. Let that push you forward into charging your goals! I hope you all have a fantastic weekend. Monday morning starts the last week of the 10 in 6 Challenge! Make it a great finish!

Feel the Burn Thursday!

It's getting so crisp and chilly in the mornings already and I can hardly believe that fall is just around the corner (well, except for sunny Jessie's neck of the woods)! I have felt the urgency lately to get out and enjoy the last of the beautiful weather this next month before the midwest 6 month winter sets in...brrr...:) But I love autumn; it's my favorite season! So what are your favorite outdoor workouts? Get out and have fun! Be active! Feel the calorie burn! I love this list of ideas:
Ten Ideas for Outdoor Workouts
I think my dog might actually be taken to the dog park this weekend for the first time in over a month :) Relaxed romping around sounds like such a great weekend treat. What do this week's workouts look like for you?

Whatcha Eatin' Wednesday?

Wow, so let me first of all get it out of the way- The Biggest Loser premier last night was GREAT! They push it and work it so hard and see such huge losses. They challenge their past & their bad habits and they make it work. It really inspires me to push it harder. I didn't lose my husband and two kids in a tragic car accident, my mom wasn't a heroine addict, etc. The fact that these contestants can have so much strength despite their obstacles and histories, it means that I have NO EXCUSE! NO EXCUSE AT ALL! What about you? I am going to push the workouts harder and longer this week because of it! Have you ever checked out Kristin's Blog? Just came across it. She has a good and simple smoothie idea that she uses a lot: frozen strawberries, half a banana, skim milk, and a packet of truvia sweetener.



Share with us what your favorite workout foods have been! Our favorites this week have been 6 Week Bran Muffins, a family recipe of my sister-in-law Erianne. It makes a HUGE batch, but the batter keeps for 6 weeks in the fridge, so you just bake a fresh dozen when you need more. It's chock full of fiber and energy. I haven't done a recipe analysis yet b/c I'm waiting to see exactly how many muffins the batch made (I'm thinking 5 dozen- we've baked 2 dozen so far) but someone on MFP with probably a similar recipe has estimated it at about 230 cal each, which seems about right. One muffin in the morning for breakfast and it stays with us and keeps us full all morning.



6 Week Bran Muffins

2 cups boiling water
5 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup applesauce
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 quart low-fat buttermilk
4 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup ground flax seed meal
1 tablespoon salt
4 cups All-Bran cereal
2 cups bran flakes (40% bran)
2 cups chopped dates
1 cup chopped almonds

Add soda to boiling water and let cool (I set it in fridge). Cream butter, applesauce, and sugar. Add eggs one at a time. Stir in buttermilk, then flour, flax, and salt. Add water and soda mixture. Mix All-Bran, bran flakes, dates, and nuts in a large separate bowl. Add buttermilk mixture. Spoon into well-greased muffin tins (I don't use papers/wrappers) without stirring much. Bake at 375 for 20 mins. Store the remaining batter in a covered container in refridgerator- will keep 5-6 weeks.

Share a yummy good-for-working-out recipe or snack idea!

Motivational Tuesday

So from last week, from the post that listed 20 motivational weight loss tips, it said that reading success stories will help you stay motivated and realize how accomplish-able (like how I made that word up? :P ) your goals really are. If they can do it, you can do it, right? Check out these success stories:
You Lose, You Win
This one was one of my favorite before & after pics- check out those guns! Wow!

What I gather from reading a bunch of these is that they sometimes took a REALLY LONG TIME but the women did NOT give up. Hitting our goals probably won't be on our ideal time frame, determination and hard work can get you there. Slow results add up. These stories are great. Love them! Did you find anything helpful or motivational in them? Kristin, share your success story with us! I can post pics if you have them ;)

Monday Morning Check-in

Good morning, ladies! So...what's the verdict? How did you do this past week? Share your progress with us :) If not weight being down, share with us changes you've noticed in physique, energy, clothes fitting, strength, etc.



So Meghan, Nicki, and I all watched the Ironman yesterday. INCREDIBLE! Did any of the rest of you see it? Just think of this amazing feat that these athletes from all over the world come to do: Swim 2.4 miles, then bike 100 miles, then run 26.2 miles. Whoa! I'm still astonished. My muscles are fatigued just thinking about it :) It is so amazing what the body can do with discipline and courage. It really humbled me about this upcoming race that's freaking me out- to these athletes who have mastered their bodies and their habits, a small race like mine is a walk in the park. Our bodies are amazing things that can do incredible things! So I've been thinking about what these athletes did mentally to be ready for this incredible feat. They first of all had to DECIDE to do it. Then they had to BELIEVE they could do it and IMAGINE themselves successfully accomplishing it. Then they had to EAT and TRAIN in such a way that they were willing to challenge their excuses and do ANYTHING it takes to hit their goal. So your goal is to lose 10 lbs or a few inches around the midsection, maybe just develop good habits. Do you see how the same principles would apply and how small and easy that sounds in comparision to these ironmen? We can hit our goals!!!!! You ladies are doing so well- you can accomplish whatever your mind decides to do. Decide every morning. It's not something you decide once and then forget about and lose weight anyhow. It's an every morning kind of thing. Decide to be the best you!