Feel Good Friday

Good morning, lovely ladies!

Check out this article:

Best Benefit of Exercise? Happiness

"Two primary chemicals involved in making exercise feel good are cortisol and endorphins.

Cortisol is a hormone produced by the body under stress, such as anger, anxiety or fear, and it ultimately inflames and damages our organs. Exercise burns cortisol, and thereby makes us healthier and happier, Mandel says.

Endorphins are morphine-like hormone molecules that enter the brain's neurons and park on receptors that normally send pain-signaling molecules back to other parts of the brain. Some say endorphins are even more powerful and yield a more euphoric feeling than opiate drugs such as morphine and opium, which park on the same receptors when introduced to the body.

Exercise stimulates the brain's pituitary gland to release endorphins, an abbreviation for endogenous (meaning "produced within") morphine, in the bloodstream."

"Mostly, you get a consistent high from a workout to music and a workout that you enjoy," she says. "It is important to realize that routine deadens the heart, and you have to change up your exercise regimen. The body always adapts and you need to challenge it. So, vary the intensity, cross train, take dance classes, try a new sport, use a personal trainer for a few sessions, etc. Keep it fresh, and you will get that high!"

Make it a happy weekend, ladies! :)

Feel the Burn Thursday

Good morning, fit beauties!

Have you ever felt like you've hit a performance plateau?  Check out this article about reaching a point in your training (whatever sport it might be in) where gains don't come so easily, and learn how to still improve.  http://www.bicycling.com/training-nutrition/training-fitness/get-your-plateau
"Plateaus happen when your body has done as much as it can with what you've given it,"

"You're given a certain set of tools at birth, DNA-encoded...As you begin to train, you have three to four years when your improvement curve is really dramatic. Then you hit your talent limit. You've fulfilled the easy part of your career—the part when gains come easy."

"The closer you get to some inherent genetic maximum ability, the more and more work it takes to make smaller and smaller increments of improvement."

Here's how to get off your own personal plateau.

First, Rest

Second, Build a Base

Tap Your Potential

Push the Pace

Work Over Your Workout

Let the Busting Begin

Ok, so now apply those lessons out to other areas of your life.  Even if you're not doing running races or cycling races or trying to perform at your absolute hardest and most efficient level, there are still other areas of our lives where plateaus hit us.  I'm thinking about hitting a plateau in weight loss.  Have you ever just stalled out w/ your weight loss (assuming you're not already in your goal range, that is)?  Follow the same formula as above!  First, rest.  Get off your plateau first by making sure you're getting as much sleep as your body and your family circumstances will allow- 6-8 hours for the average adult at least, and 8-10 hours if you're high-activity.  Second, build a base.  Do your basic calorie counting and food journaling.  Be gentle on yourself.  Just be dedicated, slowly trucking away.  Then begin to add in new-to-you workouts that invigorate and challenge your body.  Before you know it, Funktown could be in your rearview mirror.

Have any of you hit a plateau before, whether it's been in physical sports or in your weight loss journey?  Care to share?  What got you off the plateau? 

Just keep on trucking, ladies!!!  You've done the hardest part, and that's to start the journey!  You're all here on the blog, you're trying, you're learning, you've got the desire, and it doesn't matter where you are on your path- the important thing is that you're ON your path.  Go, you!  :)

Make it a great day, ladies!

Whatcha Eatin' Wednesday

Good morning girls!  With so many of you training soo soo hard and really pushing yourselves, challenging excuses, Amy C. had posed the question this week about nutrition for high-activity athletes.  I turned to my awesome sister-in-law Erianne for this, & here's what she said:

I'm an outsider to the group, but Sarah asked me to comment on nutrition for high-activity athletes trying to lose weight. I was a heptathlete for the University of Utah, and after having an anorexic roommate, I felt a constant need to eat less and less, which led me to hit a wall during practice. After passing out during practice twice in one week while running, my coach pulled me aside and told me that he saw the words all-American written on my forehead, but every time I skipped a meal or skimped on nutrition one of the letters would fall off. This visual was really powerful to me. I was asked to see a nutritionist, and through her and studying on my own, I learned a lot about nutrition related to a high-activity lifestyle. When you're burning thousands of calories, you won't last long if you don't refuel...and you can refuel on cheap gas that will get you through the activities you do, or you can choose the high-octane stuff that will get you in peak performance and help your body function the best it can as well.

So, my advice is to eat lots of really good food. Primarily what I mean is #1 complex carbohydrates, and #2 low-fat protein...duh, I know...but there is a method, and it is a mindset. For sprints and all anaerobic exercise, you are burning the energy that is stored in your muscles. After a workout, your energy stores are depleted, and there is a ~20 minute window where your body will take the food you put in and deposit it directly in your muscles to replenish your stores. If you wait longer than that, your recovery will be longer, and your food might get stored elsewhere. So, in terms of quantity, your body will tell you what you need. I personally think you should eat if you're hungry, and eat often (5 snacks a day to keep your metabolism up)...but what is THE MOST important thing is that you cut out ALL of the crap - no high fat proteins, no simple carbs. This is what will kill you in a diet/exercise regimen. Everything you touch to put in your mouth needs to be toward the goal of the high-octaine kind of food. Whole grains, brown rice, oats, quinoa, whole-wheat pasta, fruits, etc are great post work-out refuelers. Lean meat - chicken, turkey, ground turkey, fish, albacore tuna, mozzarela cheese, cottage cheese, vegetables, and lean red meat are also good.

After a while, the junk that used to seem so good actually seems gross! It tastes gross, and you get a visual of it clogging your arteries and pores and inhibiting your performance...this is what got me through the mental battle of food, weight, and exercise. I ended up becoming the athlete I dreamed of becoming, and I learned a lot along the way...so that's all I have - good luck, ladies! Kick some bootie :)

Thanks, Er!  So I hope that helps.  It made me also think about that article I posted on here a few months ago that compared fast food to partially-digested food.  Ick!  Whatever mental image you need to use, make it work for you.  I do have a good recipe for Quinoa from a friend of mine- I'll have to look it up at home later and then post it on here as a comment.  It's yummy, w/ vegetable broth, garlic, onion, etc. 

So keep in mind it's not just low calorie.  It's about high-octane fuel to give your body the energy it needs. 

That in mind, what have you ladies been eating? Any new recipes? 

Lately I've been enjoying:

• Egg sandwich (2 fried eggs on 2 pieces of multi-grain bread w/ 1 T of fat free mayo)
• Egg scramble (6 egg whites w/ 1/4 cup Athenos Tomato Basil Feta w/ 1 cup spinach)
• Chicken strawberry salad (2 baked Tyson chicken strips over 2 cups baby rommaine w/ 1 cup sliced fresh strawberries & 1 T low fat sweet vidalia onion bottled dressing)
• Thomas whole wheat english muffin w/ 1 T Maranatha organic almond butter spread on top
• 2 Kelloggs Eggo Nutri-grain low-fat whole wheat waffles
• Fresh red grapes
• Tuna bagel (1 can solid white albacore tuna drained, mixed w/ 1 T yellow mustard, on toasted sliced whole wheat bagel)
• Whole bag of Archer Farms steam-in-the-bag asparagus w/ 4 T grated parmesean cheese
• Clif Builder's Bars, peanut butter flavor
• Gala apple sliced w/ 1 T of natural PB (can't wait til Honeycrisp or Pacific Rose get back in season!)

I am excited b/c I just found a berry farm here in Colorado (sadly VERY VERY few & far between compared to midwest!) that I'm going to try to go to this weekend to pick some fresh berries!  Go to http://www.pickyourown.org/ to search for a pick your own berry farm near you.

Tuesday Motivation

Good morning, girls!  Great to hear from you all yesterday! I love it!
You're all so mentally tough- but in case you have times when you're NOT feeling mentally tough, here are some tips from Team Motivationalist, Jon Gordon:

20 WAYS TO GET MENTALLY TOUGH

Excerpt from Training Camp: What the Best Do Better Than Everyone Else
1. When you face a setback, think of it as a defining moment that will lead to a future accomplishment.
2. When you encounter adversity, remember, the best don’t just face adversity; they embrace it, knowing it’s not a dead end but a detour to something greater and better.
3. When you face negative people, know that the key to life is to stay positive in the face of negativity, not in the absence of it. After all, everyone will have to overcome negativity to define themselves and create their success.
4. When you face the naysayer’s, remember the people who believed in you and spoke positive words to you.
5. When you face critics, remember to tune them out and focus only on being the best you can be.
6. When you wake up in the morning, take a morning walk of gratitude and prayer. It will create a fertile mind ready for success.
7. When you fear, trust. Let your faith be greater than your doubt.
8. When you fail, find the lesson in it, and then recall a time when you have succeeded.
9. When you head into battle, visualize success.
10. When you are thinking about the past or worrying about the future, instead focus your energy on the present moment. The now is where your power is the greatest.
11. When you want to complain, instead identify a solution.
12. When your own self-doubt crowds your mind, weed it and replace it with positive thoughts and positive self-talk.
13. When you feel distracted, focus on your breathing, observe your surroundings, clear your mind, and get into The Zone. The Zone is not a random event. It can be created.
14. When you feel all is impossible, know that with God all things are possible.
15. When you feel alone, think of all the people who have helped you along the way and who love and support you now.
16. When you feel lost, pray for guidance.
17. When you are tired and drained, remember to never, never, never give up. Finish Strong in everything you do.
18. When you feel like you can’t do it, know that you can do all things through Him who gives you strength.
19. When you feel like your situation is beyond your control, pray and surrender. Focus on what you can control and let go of what you can’t.
20. When you’re in a high-pressure situation and the game is on the line, and everyone is watching you, remember to smile, have fun, and enjoy it. Life is short; you only live once. You have nothing to lose. Seize the moment.

So did you like any particular one of those tips?  Did any one of them "speak to you?"  Share!  If you have your own tips, too, please grace us with your knowledge :)

Monday Morning Check-In

Good morning, girls!
I hope you have a great day today.
Please share with us all how much you're up or down & also what your
gameplan is for this week!