Feel the Burn Thursdays

Good morning, shrinkin' divas!

Just a few little reminders here on our workout sharing day:

1. Energy Bars or Sport Beans or Gel or anything:  Keep track of ALL your calories consumed and ALL your calories burned and stay within your net caloric goal.  Perhaps you didn't burn enough to warrant a high calorie energy or protein bar.  Check out this article from Bicycling Magazine: http://www.bicycling.com/article/0,6610,s1-4-21-21630-1,00.html
2. Sleep: "Moodiness, anxiety, and irritability are all effects of losing out on sleep"  This has been big for me.  Last night I got an unusual 12 hours of sleep and it made all the difference in the world.  If I can get that in once a week, I would be a new person.  I go to sleep a grinch and I wake up a superwoman ready to take on the world.  Check out this article from Runner's World Magazine: http://www.runnersworld.com/article/1,7124,s6-238-267--8028-0,00.html#
3. Workout Outdoors: Think unconventionally with your workouts.  It doesn't have to be a dedicated hour at the gym.  It can be just a 10 minute romp around the park with the kiddos.  (Ok, except when you live in crazy Wisconsin and it decides to snow in APRIL) Except for that rarity, being in the sunshine just makes you happier than being cooped up indoors.  Check out these ideas for outdoor workouts from Women's Health Magazine: http://www.womenshealthmag.com/fitness/outdoor-workouts
4. Emotional Outlets: When your emotional trigger or stressor hits, and you turn to food, first of all try so hard to recognize WHY you got in that mood in the first place, and find an alternate method of dealing with it.  This is something I'm a novice at, but I've heard working out is a fantastic stress reliever.  For me, when I get in a good workout, I'm just proud of myself and want to shout it from the rooftops, so everything else that is bugging me in my life just isn't that big of a deal anymore.  It's all about my feelings about myself.  Here's an article about stopping binge eating from Shape Magazine: http://www.shape.com/weight_loss/diets/stop_stuffing_yourself_secrets
5. Strength Train: Don't forget this important piece to your workout program.  Cardio looks more appealing b/c you become sweaty and blast huge calories, but weight training (dumbells, resistance bands, pilates, core work, squats, crunches, etc.) has big pros that can't be overlooked.  You'll look slimmer, you'll rev up your metabolism, and you'll be strong. Don't worry about bulking up- that doesn't happen to women.  Here's info on Weight Training 101 from Shape Magazine: http://www.shape.com/fitness/workouts/weight_training_101
6. Water: Are you drinking enough of it?  Sodas, even diet sodas, tend to make your midsection bloated.  Water will energize you, keep you hydrated enough to not confuse thirst signals w/ hunger signals, & keep you healthy.  Here's the link to the tool from Runner's World that helps you calculate out how much you need to be drinking each day, something we've posted on here before: http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-242-302--5382-0,00.html#

So what workouts have you been up to lately?  What do you have planned for this weekend???