Tuesday Motivation

Good morning!
Great work on sticking with it, everyone! What a fabulous response rate to yesterday's weigh in!

So it seems a TON of us have the goal of getting in more water.  That's tricky, especially to people who don't like the taste of water.  So here's a little motivation to get your little dophin tail in the game:

http://www.wikihow.com/Drink-More-Water-Every-Day

1. Determine how much water you need.
2. Measure your daily intake of water. Do this for a few days. If you find that you're drinking less than the recommended quantity, try some of the following tips:
3. Learn to acquire a taste for water
4. Carry water with you everywhere put it in a bottle or other container.
5. Keep a glass or cup of water next to you whenever you'll be sitting down for a long time, such as when you're at your desk at work. Drink from it regularly as you're working.
6. Try wearing a digital watch that beeps at the beginning of each hour. Use that as a reminder to pour yourself a glass of water. Vow to drink that water before the next beep. If you drink only one small (6 ounce or 180 ml) cup per hour, you'll have consumed 48 ounces (1.4 liters) by the end of an 8-hour workday.
7. Get a water purification system. Purified water tastes very good and may help make drinking water more appealing to you. Be aware, though, that as you grow accustomed to purified water, you may find that tap water leaves a bad taste in your mouth, even though it may be better for your teeth.[1] Keep in mind that fluoride, found in small quantities in tap water, is necessary for strong, healthy teeth. [2] Fortunately, no water filter removes the fluoride. You'd have to use reverse osmosis, distillation, or an expensive filter specific to removing fluoride. But don't do any of that. Fluoride in the saliva bathes the teeth and prevents dental decay!
8. Add lemons or limes to your water. This makes it taste better and makes you want to drink more of it. Be careful not to make it too sour; just a splash of sourness should do the trick. Cucumber slices can also be added to a glass of water. Some mint leaves can be added to a pitcher of water which should be allowed to sit overnight. These are cheap alternatives to the bottled flavored water. If you do choose bottled flavored water, check the ingredients, as these are likely closer in form to lemon- or limeade than they are to water.
9. Eat water rich foods, such as fruits like watermelon, which is 92% water by weight. Blend up some seedless fresh watermelon flesh with some ice and place a few sprigs of mint (optional) - one of the most refreshing drinks, especially for the summertime. Cranberry juice is also another option, and has a bitter taste. Patients suffering from urinary infection caused by insufficient intake of water should drink cranberry juice and eat watermelon if not plain water everyday. A tomato is 95% water. An egg is about 74% water. Always drink water before, with and after your meals; it will help you to eat slowly and prevent overeating
10. Keep water cold if it tastes better for you. Keep a pitcher of water in the refrigerator at home. Add ice or freeze water in a sports bottle before taking it with you, it will eventually melt and stay cold. Bear in mind that cold water takes energy for your body to regulate the temperature, and does burn some calories. Room temperature water is better if you're dehydrated. Your body can absorb the room temperature water immediately, instead of the body having to raise the temperature of the water first in order to process it.
11. Climate can drastically change how much water you need. On hot days that require you to be outside, you should drink more water to counteract the fluids you lose when you sweat. This not only keeps your body hydrated, it can prevent heat-related illness. Just as important (but often overlooked) is consuming enough fluids in cold & wet conditions. The human body works much more efficiently (including heating and cooling) when properly hydrated. Inadequate water intake affects the brain's function first, which can become very dangerous (especially in extreme conditions).
12. Purchase a bottle the size of your water goal. Purchase a water bottle that holds the amount of water you wish to drink each day. Try to drink the water slowly through out the day. If you don't drink it all, don't try to chug it at the end of the day. This will allow you to easily see how much water you are consuming.

And how to love the the taste of water:  http://www.wikihow.com/Love-the-Taste-of-Water

1. Learn about the benefits of drinking water. The more you know about why water is good for you, the stronger your desire will become to drink it, and the more enjoyable it will be. Some benefits of drinking water:
2. Drinking an adequate amount of water will keep you from excess thirst or dry mouth.
3. Water can help your mind function better. If you are not drinking enough fluids, you may get lightheaded, dizzy, or have a headache.
4. Water increases kidney filtration rate, so you can eliminate waste products more effectively and keep the kidneys healthy.
5. Drinking enough water will prevent fatigue or muscle weakness resulting from dehydration.
6. Water increases the metabolism rate, and so it helps you lose weight. Water also helps to lose weight because "thirst" can be misinterpreted by your body as "hunger" and cause you to eat unnecessarily.
7. Drinking water instead of juices and sodas will help regulate your appetite and help you lose weight. Juices and sodas that contain sugar obviously will increase your calorie intake and cause you to gain weight, as these are "empty calories," meaning that these calories you take in do not contribute to satiety, as they contain no fiber and are used quickly. Even diet sodas will cause weight gain, as the artificial sweeteners give a taste of sweetness with no calories, which will then increase your appetite for things with calories.
8. Water helps to lower blood pressure, by increasing salt loss through the kidney.
9. Drinking water is the best prevention for kidney stones, as water lowers the risk of crystal precipitation and helps to wash out any small stones that do form.
10. Water helps with keeping your skin healthy and supple.
11. Water saves you money! Water is cheaper than other sources of fluid.
12. Learn to love the taste of water by association with pleasant things. Each time you drink water, think of something that makes you happy -- a person you love, an activity you enjoy, a food you like, a merry song, a beautiful scenery -- whatever works best for you. And try to drink water when you are enjoying good company, or when you are doing things you enjoy. This is called classical, or Pavlovian, conditioning. When something you love (the conditioned stimulus) is paired with drinking water (the unconditioned stimulus), you eventually associate the two stimuli together, and, in this case, you will learn to love the taste of water because you associate it with things you love.
13. Drink 6-8 glasses of water daily, and drink water only. The more you are exposed to something, the more you will become accustomed to it, and it will become a part of you, and naturally you will come to love it as it has become a part of you. This also works for eliminating other sources of fluids, especially sodas and juices, so that you learn to dislike them, by alienating yourself from them, so to speak.
14. Keep telling yourself that you love the taste of water. And tell it to others as well. The more you reinforce the idea, the deeper the idea will become rooted in your mind, and, in order to avoid cognitive dissonance, you will eventually love the taste of water when it matches your beliefs.
15. Associate with people that love the taste of water. Likewise, try to distance yourself from people that dislike the taste of water. We are all influenced, to various extents, by our associations and the environment. If you associate with people that love water, you will learn to love the taste of water.
16. Always have a glass of water near you. If you're going to be sitting somewhere for a long period of time, keep a glass of water near you, and you will reach for it and drink without even noticing.

So, girls, how do you get in your water?

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???

Tuesday Motivation

Good morning, beautiful ladies! How did the first full day go?  Are you feeling pretty proud of yourselves?  You should!  Just a few little reminders to consider today:

• Are you drinking enough water?  You could aim for the old addage of 8 glasses of 8 ounces of water.  Something I prefer b/c it's more realistic for a water-liking-challenged person like me is this fun calculator that takes into effect your gender & body size: http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-242-302--5382-0,00.html
• Are you eating enough?  You shouldn't ever get to the ravenously starving stage.  Eat something light every few hours.  Your metabolism will keep revving along steadily and you'll feel more fulfilled.  Have you tried mini-meals or smaller meals w/ more snacks?  Make sure you're eating those calories you're burning, too, to stay at your net caloric goal and keep your energy up.  If you're at a net calorie for the day LOWER than what MFP says you should be at, you might start feeling low-energy, really fatigued, and your body could go into "starvation mode" meaning it won't burn much and it will store everything you eat instead of burning it for fuel b/c it senses it has no idea when or if its next meal will come.  All bad stuff, right?!  So make sure you're eating ENOUGH! :)
• Are you getting enough sleep?  Being sleep deprived really affects not just your ability to work out, but also your metabolism and mood.  Adults should aim for 8 hours a night if possible (and if not possible, then all you can do is the best you can and that's awesome).  Athletes should aim for 10 hours a night. WHOA!  So depending on how incredible you're doing at your workouts this challenge, you might want to increase your sleep habits a little bit so you don't start draggin' and feeling burnt out.

Onto today's message, which I LOVE!  I know the Olympics are over, but this is just really cool, something I came across that motivated me into action.  It's a motivational newsletter from inside my company, from a really great guy named Harry Hoopis out of Chicago.  The message is a bit lengthy, but pretty cool.  Comment on this post & let us all know your thoughts on it and how it pertains to us and this particular Ten in Six Challenge!:

WHY I LOVE THE OLYMPICS

Whether it’s the Summer or Winter Olympics, I love them. I have thought about this a great deal and have come to the conclusion that it’s not just my Greek heritage that makes me feel this way. In fact, while I am very proud of it, I know that it’s not about heritage, but instead, the significant statement that the Olympic Games make. The first Olympiad was held in 776BC and was held initially as a religious festival to honor the supreme god of gods, Zeus. The games lasted for 1170 years until 393 AD when they were abolished by the Christian Roman Emperor Theodosius.

The Greeks loved the Olympics because they put great emphasis on fitness and athletics and its importance to a good mind. Because being an Olympic Champion was so significant, the athletes competed for honor, not material goods. A simple wreath made from a sacred olive tree was the symbol of their accomplishment. After an absence of 1500 years the Olympics were brought back by a Frenchmen who shared the thinking that a strong body was important for a strong mind. Thus Baron Pierre de Coubertin is credited with bringing back the Olympics as International Games in 1896. I am personally grateful he did this for the world.

So as I thought about the games this week, I couldn’t help but think of the lessons that they teach, if we are willing to look below the hype and the competition itself. For while we have only three medals, Bronze, Silver and Gold; each and every one of these athletes are champions. They are champions for what it has taken for them to make it to Vancouver this winter. So today I would like to make some comparisons to what it takes to be an Olympic athlete and what it takes for you to win your greatest personal victory. And that victory is, as Aristotle told us 2300 years ago when he said this,” the greatest of victories is the victory over Self”. Imagine 2300 years ago and Greeks were writing self help books! :)

So here is how I will summarize my thoughts on your personal greatness and the Olympic champions.

The Five P’s

Preparation,

Perseverance,

Patience,

Persistence

Performance

First think about the preparation that it takes for an Olympian to make it to the Games? The hours and hours of training, practice and disappointment, all with nothing more than the dream of a medal. When, I wonder, does someone see the possibility that they can qualify for the Olympics? When do they finally believe in themselves enough to begin the arduous task of working toward that dream?

So the first P, Preparation, is about creating a dream, believing in yourself more than anyone else probably does and then taking the steps to get there. This will include a good coach and a commitment to excellence. You too, need a dream and like the Olympians of the Ancient games, you need to do it for honor, not material things. Honor, to me, is doing the right things for your family, religious beliefs and community.

The second P, Perseverance, is what it takes to get from the dream to the reality of just how hard this is going to be. How many kids talk about being a Navy Seal, a Doctor, and Astronaut, only to abandon their dream at the first sign of hard work? Do you think an Olympian ever has days when things didn’t go well? Do you think they ever consider quitting? My guess, everyone of them will tell you they thought of quitting numerous times. Do you think about quitting your dream? Do you play hurt like so many Olympians, or do you call in sick with a sniffle?

The third P, Patience is about your staying power. It’s about endurance and your ability to allow skills to catch up with dreams. Being realistic about the time it will take to make it to the top. The great athletes of the Olympics know this well. How many did we hear about this week, who had to wait four more years for their next chance? How many had a bad break, an injury, a fall and still came back, four years later? The dream never dies!

The fourth P, Persistence is what all champions have. My mentor, Don Clifton always said a winner “increases his/her persistence in the face of resistance.” Your ability to persist is a skill, not just a feeling. No one achieves without persistence.

The fifth P, Performance is what we have after we have done all the rest. Our performance is simply the culmination of our preparation, perseverance, patience and persistence. This is the payoff for the practice, the hours and hours of practice. Is your practice in alignment with your desired level of achievement? If you were in front of the judges for the Olympics of Life, how would they rate your performance?

So as we watch the Olympics come to a close this weekend, don’t let the memory of great achievement fade. Don’t let the emotion you felt as you watched an Olympic performance leave you. Decide now that you too can win the greatest victory of all, victory over Self!

So why do I love the Olympics? I love the Olympics because it is the greatest manifestation of Human ability. It’s about ordinary people, doing extraordinary things. Remember, anything you ardently desire and earnestly work toward will eventually come to pass.

(alright, and this cake is just funny :) )

Make it a great day, girls!

Feel the Burn Thursday

Good morning, sweating & shrinking divas!

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

One of the best workouts you can do for your body is.....SLEEPING!  If you don't get enough sleep (sorry, mommies of newborns, this might be impossible), then you're more apt to come down with illnesses or injuries in your workout regime.  This Bicycling article is pretty good. It suggests 8-10 hours!  Whoa! This RunnersWorld article says getting enough sleep (again, 10 hrs) will improve your reaction time and speed in running.  This WebMD article suggests that getting enough sleep actually affects 2 important hormones in our body that affect appetite, so if you don't get a good night's rest, the next day perhaps nothing you eat will be satisfying or perhaps you'll be ravenous.  And the thing we probably all knew, this AFPA article says that sleep is needed for our muscles to repair themselves (when you workout tiny muscle tears happen and then your muscles rebuild bigger and stronger).

The other great component to a successful weight loss program is....WATER!  We know that often our bodies confuse the signal for thirst for the signal for hunger.  Sometimes when you think you're hungry, your body is actually thirsty and dehydrated.  Being sure to drink enough water will decrease your hunger & probably the amount of food you eat b/c of that. It will also increase your energy, increase your metabolism, cleanse your body, be easier on stomach bloat than diet soft drinks, and will just overall make you feel better.  How much is enough?  The old, well-known recommendation is 8 8oz glasses of water + any you drink during a workout. This RunnersWorld calculator that I like a lot actually customizes that generic recommendation for your gender and body weight, so it results in a little bit less water intake for me than the 8x8=64 fluid ounces/day.  But this smaller calculation still has the addition of + anything you drink during a workout.  And another cool tip is that if you sip ice cold water throughout the day, you'll burn a few extra calories from your mid-section as your body spends energy to warm up the water temp in your stomach to an absorbable and usable temperature.  And I've heard that if your body feels thirsty, you're already dehydrated- so drink drink drink!  Any tips for how you get in your daily water?  There's actually a free iPhone app called "8" that tracks your intake of 8 glasses of water a day like a checklist- kind of fun :)  I like a big glass of Crystlal Light w/ dinner, too :)

So the point of this post is not just to hear about what workouts you're up to (which I LOVE hearing about), but it's also a SLEEP CHECK and a WATER CHECK!  How are you doing in both of those departments?

Whatcha Eatin Wednesday

What snacks and meals have you been trying this past week? Anything yummy or exciting????? We made up a batch of Thai Chicken Pasta (recipe from Janis) on Sunday night. So yummy! And how have you all been at getting in enough cold water sipping?

Thai Pasta

Ingredients:

1 c. green onions, chopped

1 c. grated carrots (whatever other veggies I want)

1/2 c. peanut butter

2/3 c. soy sauce

2/3 c. olive oil

4 T. chili oil or powder OR 1/2-1 T. chili paste (red rooster chinese bottle)

1 T. sesame oil

6 T. honey

2 lbs. noodles

mandarin oranges, optional

shrimp, chicken, pork, beef, optional

Directions:

Cook noodles. Toss with onions and carrots. Whisk all other ingredients together. Mix sauce with pasta. Chill. Even better the next day.

I used two boxes of Barilla whole wheat fettucine, which was scrumptious.  We actually picked up some real rice Udon noodles in the Asian aisle of the grocery store for the next time we make it, to make it even more authentically like Pad Thai from Chin's Asia Fresh (one of my fav meals ever).  Next time we're going to toss in cabbage, egg, sprouts, and sprinkle on chopped peanut bits as topping. 

Feel Good Friday

Good morning! On Wednesday afternoon, I had the chance to attend a conference with Dr. Robert Cooper, a renowned neuroscientist turned Fortune-100 business coach. He is actually my boss’s mentor. It was neat to hear all of his insights about how the brain works, how each of us is hardwired for one thing but then defaults to other things, how the brain is a forgetting instrument but how we can make changes and differences in our thought processes in increase our innovation in half the time. He’s the author of a book called Get Out of Your Own Way, which is one I plan on reading sometime soon.


One section of his presentation was all about metabolism, which I think really applies to our blog! He has teams of researchers dedicated to various research fields and projects for him. One such team is dedicated to researching just metabolism, the MetRev© team. They have discovered through their research a list of the following MetRev© Metabolic Prompts, or in other words, things that increase your metabolism, burning more calories resting:

• Breathing/Posture (Take deep breathes more often, increase the flow of oxygen, don’t cock your head to the side or forward when sitting or reading b/c 30% of your collective intelligence is determined by your shoulder to head position, decreasing the flow of oxygen and blood)

• Bright Light (Looking 5 seconds at a light will raise your metabolism 30% for the following hour, change your light often)

• Smart Snacks (smart snacks and light meals aren’t universal and what works for one doesn’t work for another, if you LOVE a snack then it doubles your metabolic rate, so if you hate rice cakes, don’t force yourself to eat them! Find a healthy snack you love to eat)

• Light Meals (higher protein adds mental alertness, complex carbs add mental calmness, fruits and veggies are mentally neutral, high fat foods are mentally fatiguing)

• Muscle Toning (our muscle fibers are metabolic furnaces)

• Physical Activity (exercise makes you sleep deeper)

• Hot Spices (I was thinking about this last night when Abrey was describing her way too firey dinner she made- hehehe)

• Ice-cold Water (the key here is SIPPING, if you sip 6 glasses of ice-cold water a day, you’ll burn 226.7 extra calories per day average, and the preferred place your body pulls calories from to heat the water within your stomach before it can be absorbed/digested is the belly fat)

• Non-Hurtful Humor

• Work-to-Home Transition

• Cool Temperature for Sleeping (1-5 am is the critical time for deep sleep, you’ll sleep deeper if it’s cooler in your bedroom, healing process of your muscles speeds up, metabolism roars, better recovery)



All of these things dial in your senses more and increase your metabolism. Another interesting tid bit was that half of all arguments are hunger related. Keep that at bay w/ the almost constant light snacking, or at least feed the one you’re about to fight with. Jk



What do you guys thing of that? I for one am really going to implement the cooler sleeping temperature, the ice cold water sipping, and looking at lights once in a while!!!!!!  Though maybe I won't go to the extreme of making an ice bed... :)

Tuesday's Motivation

We all know we should be drinking at least 8 8 ounce glasses of water a day, but that's a challenge sometimes! Here's some motivation to do so :)
Rev Your Metabolism
Drinking diet sodas may stimulate appetite
Keep headaches and fatigue at bay
Boost energy and ease joint pain

So the question I'd like to pose is this: How do you get your 8 glasses of water a day? Do you have tips, tricks, strategies?