Feel Good Friday

Good morning, feisty females :) It's the weekend! Yay!

Here's another mosel of food for thought from Harry Hoopis (the guy from Northwestern Mutual out of Chicago who wrote that Olympics article I posted a couple weeks ago):

"There are 3 types of people in this world:

Those who make things happen,

Those who watch things happen,

And those who wonder, what happened?"

"So which of the above are you? Are you in charge, making it happen or making excuses? Are you letting yourself off the hook or do you plan to hook a big one? Are you working to your potential or do you take the path of least resistance?  First, there is a price for success and its always paid in advance, and second, the only place I know of where success comes before work is in the dictionary."

"The reason you don’t do it is related to what author and speaker Jim Rohn says, “Either you run the day or the day runs you.” So you know you need to run your day. However, all too often the conversations I have are about the day running you."

 

"Your [success] is the accumulation of all the little decisions you make."

 

"So I am reminded of the story of the guy who is kneeling on the sidewalk in a busy city like Chicago. He is apparently pleading to the Lord to let him win the lottery. So week after week, after the winning number is drawn, he is on his knees, begging “Oh Lord please let me win the lottery!” Finally after weeks of this, the man is still pleading on his knees when suddenly a voice bellows from the sky. It’s the Lord and he says, “Hey, why don’t you help me out and at least buy a lottery ticket?”"

 

"Folks, this is not about luck. The only luck I know of is when preparation meets hard work. Make a decision now to be the kind of person that makes things happen, not one who watches things happen, or the one who wonders, what happened? It all comes down to those little decisions.  To reach your “most amazing future” you must be able to fend off distractions...and run your day the way you want it to be run." 

 

So I see this as fitting in with our weight loss and fitness goals.  We can't just sit by hoping the inches will come off.  We've got to actually get out and do hard work, even when we don't feel like it.  We've got to actually watch our calories spent and consumed.  I love the concept of running your day instead of your day running you.  Today's your day, girls! Go out & grab it by the horns!!!!!!!!  MAKE it a fantastic weekend :)

Feel the Burn Thursday

Good morning, sunshiney sistas!

I hope the reason you're all a little quiet on the blog this week is because you're OUT enjoying the gorgeous SuNsHiNe :)  It's ok, I'm just teasing, I know life's busy.

So yesterday's article had a TON of exercise info in it, too, not just food info.  So if you haven't checked it out yet, I highly recommend it! 

Here's another valuable article, this one from New York Times.  Read it all the way through as it may seem a bit pessimistic if you don't complete it. 

"When you diet without exercising, you lose both muscle and fat, which is counterproductive because muscle loss significantly lowers your basic metabolic rate, the number of calories your body uses at rest."

"The more muscle groups involved in your activities, the more calories you are likely to burn."

What do you guys think of the article?  What workouts have you done this past week and what do you have planned for this weekend?  Share your successes with us!!!!!!

I researched a bunch of online reviews for a running leash for me & the pup, and found the highest rated one was called the Buddy System.  I picked one up at a store here (Bad Dog Frida on Atwood Ave in Madison) on Tuesday night and had a great run w/ the pup on Tuesday night and Wednesday night.  I LOVE LOVE LOVE it!  I love that it's a leash that allows the pup to move from my left side, to my right side, etc. and it slides around my waist.  I love that you can adjust it to be pretty short so that the pup is forced to stay right next to you.  I love that my hands are free and my gait isn't leaning to one side like w/ a typical leash.  Fantastic! 

Whatcha Eatin' Wednesday

Good morning, girls!  Happy St. Patrick's Day!!!!!!!!

What have you been eating lately?  Share great ideas w/ us for snacks, meals, treats, etc. 

I just read this Runner's World article about Weight Loss Myths.  Great info!  Another testament that our MFP & reduced calorie diet of dropping lbs really slowly but steadily is the healthiest way to do it!  And the picture that goes w/ the article made me laugh out loud :)

The info about the "fat burning zone" on treadmills/ellipticals was news for me.  Up the intensity, gals :)

The myth about lifting light weights with higher reps was interesting, too.  We can strength train like MEN and b/c of our reduce calorie diet, we'll never bulk up or get disgusting looking- we'll just get toned faster.  Yay!

I love how it says you can't deprive yourself of "bad foods" but just keep things steady w/ your daily caloric intake goal.  And how bingeing on the weekends can undo all your weekday hard work, again, just keep things steady w/ your daily caloric intake goal.  And mini-meals, it's pointless if you don't keep things steady w/ your daily caloric intake goal.

I like the "a calorie is a calorie no matter when you eat it" part. 

There are a lot of recipes in there, too.  OK, sorry, I know it's a long article.  It's good, though!

Share what yummies you've been eating or what you've got planned ahead of you!

Tuesday's Motivation

Good morning, girls! Here's a link & excerpt from the online Athleta Chi article that Amy C shared with me a few weeks ago:

http://www.athleta.net/chi/2010/02/11/sankalpa-set-your-intention/

"In yoga we call intentions sankalpas. Sankalpa means “will, purpose, or determination.” To make a sankalpa is to set an intention.


"Often the word resolution can be perceived as a negative, since we set a resolution and then we feel guilty for not following through. Sankalpas (setting conscious intention or effort towards something) give us a more positive powerful approach. If you set your intention to lose weight to be healthier and later find yourself in front of the freezer eating ice cream out of the box you can ask yourself what is driving you to do that. Is it because you’re stressed or sad? Then you can realize how the power of conscious intention can help you deal with your feelings in a healthier way. If your intention is to be healthier then you find ways to incorporate a healthier lifestyle and not just focus on one aspect, like food. In other words…

"SANKALPA = POSITIVE POWER

"A sankalpa also praises the true effort you are making to achieve your intention rather than focusing on what you are doing wrong. So every effort that you make to move closer to your intention COUNTS!


"Anytime is a great time to look back and let go of the guilt and be open new possibilities.


"SET YOUR SANKALPA

"Start by looking inward. Take some time to meditate, to breath, or simply to journal in a quiet place. Ask yourself questions that only you know the answer to: How would you like to feel next year? Where would you like to be? What can you add in my daily life that can help you be happier, healthier, etc.


"Create a short sentence or phrase for your sankalpa. Be mindful to keep theses phrases positive and not to include any limiting words based on fear.

"Remember, change doesn’t happen overnight. So be firm, but fair. Gently remind yourself of your intention as often as you can, and if you fall off the wagon dust yourself off and continue moving forward."

Ok, girls, so what do you think?  It's a nice little reminder for us to respect ourselves in our goal-setting (lose 10 lbs) and to not be brutal if something happens to get in our way, if something temporarily blinds us to how powerful and awesome we are.  It's just that- temporary- any obstacle is just temprorary in that you just have to figure out a way through it or around it- temporary lasts only as long as it takes you to outsmart and overcome that obstacle.  You know what your excuses are, so WHILE BEING GENTLE BUT FIRM WITH YOURSELF, challenge those buggers!  I love how the article says that every little effort is a success we should celebrate, every little effort moves us closer to our goal, closer to what we want to and can achieve.  So comment on here and let us know how your setting this awesome fitness goal is helping you have a "more positive powerful approach" as the article suggests.  Share your sankalpa with us :)

Monday Morning Check-In

Good morning, healthy girls!

You made it 2 weeks! Yay!

Let us know how much you're up or down, tell us all about your side
challenge experiment over the weekend, and share your game plan for
this week.

Make it a great day!