Whatcha Eatin' Wednesday

Good morning, girls!
How are you doing?  How's the challenge going for you this time around?
Remember, all the recipes that people post on here are on this site http://teninsixrecipes.blogspot.com/ which is also a permanent link on the left side bar of this blog.  I went back and got the last 6 months or so of recipes from this blog onto the recipe site, but I definitely want some fresh ideas.  Please share what you've been eating lately :)
I picked up some zuchinnis at the farmer's market on Saturday, so I'm looking forward to stirfrying those up w/ parmesean cheese.  Yummy! 

I've been enjoying Meghan's recommendation of the Arnold Multigrain Sandwich Thins (Costco here carries them but they're Arowheat brand) with the Morningstar Black Bean Burgers (also at Costco).  I've been eating a lot of PB&J sandwiches on the sandwich thins in the afternoons, and egg white sandwiches in the morning.  The wheatiness really helps me feel fuller longer. 

I love my Bonk Breaker bars, too, and the Stinger organic honey pommegranate chews (REI carries them but I bought them cheap online at Amazon.com in bulk). 

Hubby & I have been loving this ice cream substitute: put your fav yogurt cup in the freezer!  Kinda like ice cream, only healthier & w/ lots of protein.  Can nuc' for 10 secs if it's too hard for you to dig a spoon into.  We just put yoplait light cups in there, a few at a time.  And it takes a while to eat, so it tricks your mind while you're watching a movie :)  I read online that it is a good solution for taking a snack on a hike (b/c it starts frozen and then when you're ready to eat it, it has stayed safely at refrigerator temps).  I've been digging the lemons in water, too.  It's been helping me drink a lot more water than I normally would.  The lemon makes it so I can't taste the metallic subtleties of drinking fountain water or the plasticy/metallic taste of water bottles.  Yeah, I'm that picky :)

Does anyone else have good recommendations for any kind of food?  Especially appealing to me are portable foods that I can eat as I run out the door...story of my life :)

Wouldn't it be nice if these companies paid for my testimonials?! Haha....

Make it a phenomenal day!

Tuesday Motivation

Good morning, girls!
In a book I read recently, it was talking a lot about realizing our potential.  I wouldn't recommend the book as a whole, so I'm not sharing the title, etc., but this snipet has been on my mind: We know can become addicted to substances, drugs, foods, etc., but do we ever stop to think that we can become addicted to attitudes?  Whether they be weak attitudes or harmful attitudes or self-belittleing attitudes, they are things that we can be so addicted to that we don't even see it.  Do we treat the habitual bad attitude about something with the seriousness and verocity that needs to be exercised to beat ANY addiction?  Think of the 12 step program for AA.  First step is recognizing the attitude that you're victim to and acknowledging its grip on you. 
Share with us (if you're willing) a bad attitude that you think might be gripping deep into you, maybe it has been for years, and share with us how you overcame it or how you're working to overcome it or how you might in the future be working to overcome it.  I know this might take a while to think about, but just roll it around in your head :)  If nothing else but a higher consciousness about the choices you make in your attitudes results from this little post, that's fantastic. 
But share if you can! 
Love you, ladies :)

Monday Morning Check-in

Good morning, girls!
How did week one go?
Share with us how much you're up or down. And no matter what the scale says, share with us a success you had this past week. Make it a great day today, ladies!

Feel Good Friday

Hey, all!  :)
It's FRIDAY!!! YAY! 
Today I wanted to bring back to all of our awarenesses the fact that this challenge you're participating in is a lifestyle change and not a fad diet, that it's not a deprivation diet filled with rules that causes binges, but it's a realistic, slow change for better health, & that we should only put things on ourselves that are maintainable and realistic.  Does that make sense?  It's not going to be achievable if I say I will never eat another piece of chocolate.  What's more important is LEARNING portion control, LEARNING how exercise counteracts calories consumed, LEARNING to enjoy things in moderation, LEARNING when your body is really hungry and when you're just eating socially or emotionally, LEARNING to interpret what those cravings mean, LEARNING to live life feeling satisfied and fulfilled and with a happy tummy, LEARNING to make steady progress and consistent healthy lifestyle choices instead of living on a rollercoaster.  Can you beautiful ladies share any experiences or thoughts you have on that subject?  I'd LOVE to hear :) Have a great weekend!

Feel the Burn Thursday

Good morning, divas!
How are you doing?  Day Four!
Share what workouts you've been doing the last 4 days!

Here's a little post-running series I put together recently after doing a Yoga for Runners DVD, and from playing around on my own, but these poses feel really good on my hips, hamstrings, & low back after a run.  It's not meant to strengthen, for that you'd do a different style of yoga or pilates.  It's meant to loosen and open.  I'll try my best to describe the poses, but if it still doesn't make sense, just Google :) or let me know.  The whole thing can be done in a flow with just a couple breaths in each pose taking about 10 mins total, or you can spend as much time in each pose as you feel like, taking a really long time.  Just do whatever your body wants to do.  Give it a try, though!

• Standing savasana: Stand tall and straight, big toes touching, heels slightly apart, sides of the feet parallel to sides of your mat.  Palms of your hands facing forward.  Shoulders relaxed and directly over hips. Ears back slightly to be over shoulders.  Inner thighs slightly spiraled towards the wall behind you.  Just take a little bit to chill here, purpose being to feel proper body alignment w/ joints stacked over one another, having just gone for an awesome run.  You can also do a body inventory & see how every part of your body is feeling, see what's sore or what's tight.  You can have a chance to slow down your breath.  Try to slow it all the down to a six count inhale and a six count exhale.

• Ragdoll: Step your feet out to hip width, about 6 inches apart, or two fists-width.  Stand with strong legs and fold at the hips forward.  Let your upper body and your head hang down loose.  With your hands grab the opposite elbow.  Let gravity lengthen your spine.  Can bend your knees slightly.  An inversion like this with the head below the heart will invigorate your brain w/ all the blood rushing to it, after having spent so long in a run w/ gravity pulling your blood to your extremities.  It will also relax you.  This will gentlly start to stretch hamstrings & low back.  Inhale and slowly stand back up straight.

• Dandayamana Bibhapktapada Paschimotananasa (ok that one is just fun to say in Sanskrit :) ) a.k.a. Standing Separate Leg Forward Fold:  While standing upright, step feet out to 5 feet apart.  Sides of feet parallel to each other.  Inhale arms out to a T at your sides.  Exhale fold forward at the hips with a flat back, going only as far forward as you can with a flat back.  If your back starts to round, go back a smidge.  With your hands, grasp wherever you can, your thighs, your calves, your ankles, or under your heels.  Use arm strength to pull the hip stretch and hamstring stretch further.  Rocking your body weight into the balls of your feet will allow your hamstrings to relax and stretch further.  When done, inhale arms back out to the sides in a T and slowly come back upright to standing, bring legs back together.

• Tabletop:  Get down on all fours on your mat.  Shoulders directly over your wrists.  Hips directly over your knees.  Tops of feet flat on the mat.  From here you can move however feels good, swirling your hips around like you're churning butter, etc.  This loosens up your hips more.

• Cat:  Come back into a still tabletop.  On exhales, arch your back up like a cat.  On inhales, dip your lower back down like a cow.  Do this however much you want, really slowly, focusing on creating space between each vertebra, undoing the compression and you did on your run.

• Downward Dog:  Keeping your feet and hands in the SAME place on your mat (shoulder width & hip width apart), curl your toes under, and push yourself up to downward dog so your butt is up in the air like an upside down V.  Work towards the getting the bottom of your feet flat on the mat, but also play with bending your knees and feeling the stretch differently there.  Sit bones tilt towards the ceiling.  This stretches the hamstrings, calves, shoulders, back, etc.

• Runner's Lunge: From downward dog, inhale your right leg up in the air behind you, and exhale swing it through underneath you and place your right foot outside your right hand, on the right edge and maybe slightly off your mat, toes pointing out.  Lower your upper body down to the left of your right thigh, whatever feels good.  This is a major hip opener and stretch.   Move however you want here, maybe working towards getting your forearms on the mat, or maybe just staying upright with your hands on the mat, or maybe really slow circles with your hips.  When done, inhale and bring your right foot back and return to downward dog.  Do the other side the same way.

• Half Pigeon: From downward dog, inhale your right leg up in the air behind you, and exhale swing it through underneath you and place the outside of your right knee down on the mat by your right hand, and the outside of your right ankle to the left side of your mat, maybe by your left hip, or maybe if you're really flexy, closer to your left hand.  Whatever feels good.  Bring your hips down to the mat, your left leg is straight out behind you, top of the foot flat against the mat.  Check that hips are level, one's not further back than the other.  Then if you want, you can start to lower your upper body down, maybe your elbows & forearms are on the mat in front of you, or maybe you can put your forehead on the mat in front of you, or maybe you just stay upright and just your fingertips are on the mat.  When done, inhale and push up onto your hands, bring your right foot back up and behind you and return to downward dog.  Do the other side the same way.  This is a big hip opener, too.  This is one that Jen R taught me long before I ever took my first yoga class :)

• Child's Pose:  From downward dog, bring your knees to the mat.  Sit on your feet, big toes touching, knees out shoulder width or maybe as wide as your mat.  Lower your upper body down and your arms out in front of you, palms & forehead down on the mat.  Completely relax into this posture.  Your belly drops down between your thighs, let it hang.  This feels good, but it also keeps on stretching the hips and knees.

• Seated Forward Fold:  From Child's pose, inhale up to tabletop then move to sit your bottom on the mat, legs out in front of you, knees feet and ankles touching.  With your hands, move the junk in your trunk out to the side so that your sit bones are deeply rooted into the mat and level.  Knees are bent.  Inhale your arms up above your head, lengthen your straight spine up, and with a flat back fold forward grabbing your big toes with your peace fingers (your knees are majorly bent so you can do this).  Then with a very very straight back and grasping your big toes, slowly start to scoot your heels away from you on exhales.  On inhales straigthen and lenthen the spine.  Your pelvic bowl is going to tip forwards to make this happen.  Go to where it doesn't hurt but the hamstring and low back stretch feels really good.  If you're really bendy flexy and you've actually gotten your legs flat to the ground and your spine is still perfectly straight, THEN you can round down your back down and touch your forehead to your knees if you want.  Inhale back up to seated.

• Supine Twist:  From seated, lay back on your mat so you're laying completely on the ground.  Inhale, bring your right knee up to the sky above your hip and grab it with your left hand. Exhale, gently pull that knee to your left side, maybe all the way to the ground.  T-out your arms at your side.  Your left leg is straight out and relaxed.  Relax your whole body, stretching & twisting your spine and stretching your hips.  Inhale and bring your knee back upright, and exhale it down to the floor by your other leg.  Do the other side the same way.

• Bound Angle Pose: Laying flat on your back on the mat, bring your knees apart and out to the sides and the bottoms of your feet to touch.  Bring your feet as close to your booty as you can.  Let your knees hang loose to the side.  Gravity stretches and opens your hips and inner thighs here.  No need to push or strain, just let yourself flop open and relax.  When done, scoot heels and legs back together so you're just laying flat on the mat again.

• Cow:  From laying flat on the mat, inhale and bring your knees up to the sky above your hips.  Cross your right leg over your left leg, like you're sitting cross-legged in a chair.  Knees are compressed.  Grasp with your hands the backside of your your left thigh and on an exhale slowly pull towards you.  This feels really good on the glutes, hamstrings, and hips.  When done, release hands, switch out which knee's on top, and repeat on the other side.

• Savasana:  Release your legs down on the mat.  Lay flat on your back, heels touching, letting your toes splay open to the sides, palms facing up, shoulderblades together on your back so your heart is raised up to the sky and there's no tension in your neck, and relax.  Same as the first pose only laying down, take a full body inventory of how you feel.  Slow deep breathing.

And yay! You're done! 

For me this feels REALLY REALLY good post-run :)  I hope you guys enjoy it!

Whatcha Eatin' Wednesday

Hi, ladies!
Thanks for sharing all of your little successes from yesterday.  I loved it!
Share today what you've been eating lately!
And don't forget to check out the link on the left side bar to go to the page w/ recipes.  If you share recipes on here, I'll post them on there so we can all have access to them easily.  Or you can email them if you'd prefer.  Or if you have a ton to post, let me know & I'll add you as an author to that blog and you can post whatever you want to it.

This article written by a performance nutritionist is great Optimal Fuel for High Octane Workouts, albeit a little technical, but I've pulled out here to share the parts that I thought the most useful.  Cortisol is a fat storer.

• "Research shows that the more conditioned an individual becomes (exercising on a regular basis), the less cortisol is secreted during exercise. One more reason to adhere to a regular athletic lifestyle! Consuming the proper nutrients before and after exercise can protect both the beginning exerciser and the conditioned athlete.
• When the body is stressed, as in intense exercise, it isn’t interested in digesting food. Instead, most of the blood supply goes to the extremities, not to the stomach. You should therefore not consume a lot of solid food before intensive exercise.
• Contrary to popular belief, carbohydrates are not the best food source to consume just before training. They raise insulin levels, causing you to use glucose (sugar) as your primary fuel instead of a steady mixture of glucose and fatty acids.
• For best results and the highest growth hormone peaks, exercise on an empty stomach. If you do wish to eat before exercising, limit intake to 100 calories of easily digestible protein foods such as three-quarters of a cup of plain organic yogurt. Since the protein in yogurt is partially digested, it’s absorbed quicker than other protein-rich foods.
• After any athletic activity and especially weight training, the body requires refueling of its glycogen (stored sugar in liver and muscles) reserves. The body uses the enzyme glycogen synthetase to store sugar for future needs. Within a two-hour window after exercise, this enzyme is extra hungry. It’s the only time you can consume larger amounts of carbohydrates without worrying that they’ll convert to fat.
• Many of us make the mistake of consuming only simple carbohydrates post-exercise. This is wrong! Drinking carbohydrate beverages like Gatorade without sufficient protein after exercise will cause a drastic increase in insulin levels, bringing growth hormone and testosterone levels to a halt. New research confirms that protein mixed with carbohydrates after training allows for faster muscle recovery and greater hGH and testosterone increases.
• If solid food is your preference, consume a high-protein, moderate-carbohydrate and low-fat meal right after training. Solid food takes time to enter your bloodstream. Fat slows this process down considerably, taking away from the valuable timing of repair. Good food choices are plain organic yogurt with mixed fruit or egg whites and organic oatmeal. [Whole eggs and muesli are also excellent choices–Editor] The best fruits are from the berry family due to their low insulin-spiking effect and high antioxidant benefits. The combination allows for high hGH levels.
• An ideal way to increase the anabolic response immediately after exercise is to drink a mixture of no more than 25 grams of high-alpha whey-protein isolate and plain water in a shaker cup. The high-protein, zero-carbohydrate mix allows for a full surge of amino acids to enter the system without over-stimulating insulin levels. It also keeps hGH levels high. Up to one hour later, mix protein with carbohydrates to ensure rapid replacement of body sugars and protein for recovery.
• Combine from two to four parts carbohydrates to one part protein. The protein can again be an isolated whey protein for maximum timing and absorption value. The carbohydrates should come from berry fruits.
• Research confirms an increase in protein synthesis in the body for up to 36 hours following intense exercise (especially weight training). But the body can easily fall into a catabolic (breakdown) state if sufficient protein is not ingested at regular intervals throughout the day. Never allow more than three hours go by without a consuming a high quality protein. You’ll re-establish a proper hormonal environment that will set the body on anabolic mode, allowing for continued improvements from any exercise program."

Ok, so all that technical stuff, but still good info & still stuff we've been saying all along.  Be sure to eat very lightly before workouts (yogurt is a good choice).  Be sure to have some high protein mixed w/ carbs IMMEDIATELY after a workout (protein powder mixed w/ berries or a good cheap alternative to protein shakes is plain old chocolate milk or make an omlet).  And save your big carb intake of the day for about an hour or two after your workouts.

Tuesday Motivation

Hi, everybody! How did day 1 go???

Meghan, I have a great 15 minute post-run yoga series that is restorative- opens your hamstrings, hips, and low back.  I'll post that on Thursday.

Everybody, don't allow yourself to feel discouragement at the enormity of your lifestyle change!  It's tiny step by tiny step.  Relish in every minute success!!!  Everybody share a tiny success from yesterday or today!!!

I like mental chatter makeovers.  We all have minds that chatter at us a mile a minute whether for good or for ill.  So how can you change that mental troll into a mental supportive coach?  Does anyone have any ideas to share?  Check out this article Reboot Your Exercise Motivation from Fitness Magazine:

You Think: "The scale is stuck. Why bother?"

Rethink: "This pudge will budge."

• Stick with the scale: Love it and you'll probably lose pounds. In a study at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, of 3,026 adults who were watching their waistlines, those who weighed themselves more frequently lost more weight over two years or regained fewer pounds. This research backs up the benefits of daily weigh-ins, but weekly may do the trick: Three-quarters of the successful long-term slimmers listed in the National Weight Control Registry step on the scale at least once a week. "Plateaus are part of the process," says Kim H. Miller, PhD, associate professor of health promotion at the University of Kentucky in Lexington. Stay motivated in the meantime by giving yourself credit for how much better your clothes fit and for improving your overall health.

Redo: Rev up your routine

• "As your metabolism changes to accommodate your smaller size, you are going to have to change what you're doing to coax your body to keep responding and shedding fat," Miller says. If you're eating light already (around 1,500 calories a day), don't cut back more; turn up the intensity and/or increase the length of your workout session a smidge.  This will not only burn more calories but also increase your cardio capacity, meaning that everything feels easier to do, so you can keep exercising. Crank the resistance on your stationary bike, push the pace of your walk or run for one-minute intervals, or add step-ups or jumping jacks between sets of toning moves: The cardio-strength mix of circuit training burns 512 calories per hour, more than double that of lifting alone.

You Think: "I can't do another rep."
Rethink: "My biceps rock!"

• Need a lift? Just psyching yourself up while you're strength training can increase your muscle power by 8 percent, according to a study from the School of Sport and Exercise Science at Wintec, Waikato Institute of Technology in New Zealand; you'll reap about 12 percent more power imagining those perfect lifts versus when you're distracted. Depending on how pooped your arms are, "mental imagery could help to activate additional motor units," says Brad Hatfield, PhD, professor of kinesiology at the University of Maryland in College Park, stimulating muscle fibers enough to help eke out more curls.

Redo: Dumb(bell) it down

• If you can't muster more reps at the same weight, go lighter. Decrease the amount that you're lifting in 10 percent increments until you can finish the set with good form, suggests Juan Carlos Santana, director of the Institute of Human Performance gym in Boca Raton, Florida. "The bigger the effort, the bigger your body's response will be," he says. That means netting some 46 percent greater strength gains by doing two or three sets compared with only one, says a study in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. And don't beat yourself up: Pushing your limits just a little further gets you firming results you'll feel, Santana says.

You Think: "Run a mile? Me? Not!"
Rethink: "Hey, doesn't that jogger look like Brad Pitt?"

• When you're trying to slog through that first -- or extra -- mile, shift your attention to the things around you, says Alan St. Clair Gibson, PhD, MD, chair of sport sciences at Northumbria University in England: "You might slow down, but it will help you keep going." Also add a can-do mental mantra, like "I'm a running machine!" to put more mettle in your pedals.

Redo: Divide and conquer

• Split your run into walking and running parts at first, says Joe Puleo, head cross country and track-and-field coach at Rutgers University in Camden, New Jersey, and coauthor of Running Anatomy. Jog a quarter of a mile, walk for half a mile, and finish by jogging another quarter. As you improve, stretch out the jogging and shrink the walking segment before jogging that final quarter mile. Do this three or four times a week and "you'll be able to run the whole distance in about six weeks," Puleo says.

You Think: "I hurt my knee. There goes exercise for a month."
Rethink: "Pilates, here I come!"

• Your body starts to lose conditioning within three days of your becoming a couch potato. If that ain't enough to light a fire under you, tell yourself that there's more than one way to reach your exercise goal, says Trent Petrie, PhD, director of the Center for Sport Psychology at the University of North Texas in Denton. "Write down all the negative things you're thinking, and next to those, reframe them into more positive statements," he says. For example, "What a downer; I can't kickbox" becomes "Oh, well, now I'll finally pop in that Abs of Steel workout DVD."

Redo: Pull a switcheroo

• Dance class is out, but there are plenty of low- or no-impact exercise options that melt fat. Depending on your injury, moderate elliptical training (416 calories an hour), cycling (512 calories), or jogging in water (512 calories) can be an appropriate alternative, says Robert S. Gotlin, DO, director of orthopedic and sports rehabilitation at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City and editor of Sports Injuries Guidebook. But if just bending your knee causes pain, Dr. Gotlin suggests shifting your cardio to your top half by using an upper body ergometer (a hand crank that you'll find in some gyms) or hitting a boxing bag. See your doc to be sure which route is best for you.

Meghan & Mini Me, you're such great inspirations for cross training and finding other workouts when an injury threatens to get you down and also in prevention of future injuries.  Go, you!
Michele, Amy C., Maggie, Nicki, & Meghan, you ladies are such great inspirations for starting a new challenge like becoming runners!  Such bravery and determination to do those first run/walk combos that you have undertaken!  And oh my gosh, look at how awesome you're doing!  Amy, Maggie, & Meghan doing Halfies?!?!?!  It all starts somewhere! Be brave.  Go, you!
Marianne, that "my biceps rock" rethink up above made me think of you instantly.  What a positive patsy you are!  Everbody can learn to just shake off what you can't fix and just rock at changing your mind to be positive!  Go, you!
And all the other ladies on this blog, GO, YOUUUU!!!!!! for being here! For kicking the royal trash out of your excuses and taking no pity! Go gettum!!!!  You rock!

Monday Morning Check-In: Day One

Good morning, girls!

I'm excited for a fresh start here!
Please check in, let us know your goals for this challenge, and what your game plan is going to be. Offer encouragement to one another. LeT's GeT rEaDy To RuMbLe!!!! :)

For me, weigh-in this morning was humbling. This challenge I'd like to lose 10 lbs to get me to my lightest. I am looking forward to returning to intentional, deliberate, nutrititious, well-balanced eating of high-octane foods. My game plan is to not freak out or get overwhelmed at the enormity of it, but to take each pound by the horns, challenge it, conquer it, and then and only then look at the next pound. I will glory in the mini-successes. I'm doing this for me, because I'm the only person who can change me and make healthy choices second nature instead of a deprivation. I'm the only person who can change my attitude, who can buckle down in determination, and who can internalize my goals and dreams into outward actions. Oh, and I'm gonna drink more water :) Reward will be a new pair of running shoes (I've been cruising 10 months on these puppies).

Remember that weight loss goals, as with all goals, are extremely personal and we will only see success if you've set the goal for yourself- you can't use goals others have set for you- it must come from internal desires, dreams, and determination or it won't happen.

I can't wait to hear your goals, motivation behind your goals, & what your rewards are going to be! Please share!

Don't forget to enter your starting weight and your starting body measurements in your MFP profile so that you'll have something to gauge your progress by during this challenge!

Introduction & Set Up for Newbies: What's this all about?

This Ten in Six blog is a free support group environment for ladies looking to lose 10 lbs in 6 weeks. We are from all across the country and challenge our own individual excuses every day to live a healthier, active lifestyle. The only rule for participation in this blog is that you've got to try your darndest to be positive and uplifting. Over time, you'll get to know each other a little, cheer & be cheered, uplift & be uplifted, inspire & be inspired. Weight loss and lifestyle renovating take time- it's a marathon and not a sprint. This awesome group of gals will help you on your journey, whether your just starting out, if you're almost to your goal, or even if you're aiming to maintain. No fad diets, just honestly trying our hardest to make overall changes for the better in our habits.

There are a few keys to this blog's success: First, everyone's holding you accountable, in a positive and fun way, to whatever goal you've set for yourself. No nagging, but just encouragement, girls excited to hear how you're doing. Second, we have awesome tools for tracking calories burned & calories consumed with the My Fitness Pal free online profile, and awesome tips & tricks for healthy lifestyles from all the girls participating in this blog. And third, we keep healthy living at the forefront of your thoughts each day by either emailing you the post each weekday or emailing you every time another challenger comments.

Regarding the subject matter of the posts, Mondays are typically check-in days, Tuesdays & Fridays motivation days, Wednesdays recipe/snack sharing days, & Thursdays workout sharing days. Check it out by scrolling through our older posts over the last few months. You can also click on any topic that interests you in the cloud of topics on the left side of the blog and it will pull up all posts with that particular topic as the label.

So, are you in? We hope so! If you are, follow these steps to get all set up on the program. This next Ten in Six challenge will begin with weigh-in & measurements on Monday morning August 2nd and will conclude with weigh-in & measurements on Labor Day, Monday morning September 6th.

Create a free personal profile on the My Fitness Pal website. This is what you'll use to enter in your goals, weight, measurements, calories consumed, calories burned, etc. If you already have a profile, zero it out by deleting the past weight measurements (Click "Home, "Click "Check in," Click "Edit Past Entries," at bottom, delete all old entries). You don't have to delete the past measuring tape measurements.

When you're in the My Fitness Pal profile, click on the tab that's called "Tools." Then click on the link in the middle of the page that says "Get Your Personalized Weight Loss Badge Now." Then the second badge on the left down from the top, copy & paste that code to me in an email.

Email me (sarah.a.weight at hotmail dot com) your first name (or screen name if you want to stay anonymous), badge code, and what you want in your little bio on the right side bar. We'd love to see what your favorite workout is, what your favorite healthy snack is, what your goal for this challenge is, and what your reward will be when you succeed (massage, manicure/pedicure, new pair of jeans, new pair of shoes, new workout outfit, new swimsuit, new iPod, weekend getaway, new haircut, new healthy kitchen gadget, new bra, new make-up, new CD/iTunes album, etc.). Also let me know if you want your email address added to the blog so that whenever another challenger posts or comments, it goes straight into your email inbox. And of course you could choose to not be emailed at all.

On the morning of Monday, August 2nd, log into your My Fitness Pal profile and enter your starting weight and all the starting measurements you want to (read the instructions in the "How to Accurately Weight & Measure Yourself" link on the left sidebar of this blog page). Start tracking calories consumed & calories burned through workouts. Check in daily to the blog here to let us know how it's going, what you're up to, share your successes & encouragement, etc. I'll ask for specific things in the posts for you to add your comment on or to check-in on, too.

Other things to note: Weights will be private (unless you want to share) b/c we'll just be reporting how much weight and how many inches we drop; no one will know the starting #s. No references to last names for security purposes please, or neighborhoods you live in, or which trail you're going to be running on at a specific time in the future, etc. Just be smart. I don't want to have to go private with the blog. Let me know your favorite songs on your workout playlist and I'll add them to the workout playlist that plays at the bottom of the blog when you hit the play button. I might also be doing an occaisional side challenge for fun prizes.

Email me and let me know if you want to be a guest blogger! I'm always looking for fresh ideas for posts and fresh articles/studies/research/ideas to share on here. Feel free to email to me a Motivation post, a Nutrition post, a Workout post, a Feel Good post, etc. I'll be compiling them all in a big document on my computer and will pepper them throughout the 6 weeks of the challenge and of course give credit to who wrote the post. I can't wait for this to freshen things up on here! Also, let me know via email if you want to buy/provide a prize for a side challenge winner! Or if you have side-challenge ideas!

About the "keeping track of what you eat in MFP," here are some further details & instructions if you're new to the blog.  There shouldn't be anything scary about a reduced caloric intake....unless you're not eating what you're burning. If you're at too much of a caloric deficit, then you'll experience scary things like weakness or lightheadedness, not to mention you won't be losing weight to keep it off, AND your body will enter "starvation mode" and your metabolism will hit the floor in an effort to keep you alive and your organs pumping. Here's an example of how the "calorie counting" thing should be going:

• Enter in your age/gender/current weight/goal weight/activity level, etc. to My Fitness Pal (or other sites you prefer, like Daily Burn, etc.)
• It will then spit out that you should aim for (for example only) 1300 calories a day NET.
• Then you start keeping track of what you eat. So if I eat 300 calories for breakfast, 100 calorie late morning snack, 500 calories for lunch, 200 calories for afternoon snack, 300 calories for dinner, and 200 calories for an evening snack, then that totals 1600 caloiries consumed for the day.
• But you're also tracking what workouts you do. So if I went for a jog for 3 miles and burned 300 calories, that's subtracted from my total calories consumed for the day of 1600, so then my NET calories consumed is 1300, which is right on target.
• So if I don't have time to get in a workout that day, then I'm going to be extra careful w/ my food intake and stay at 1300 calories consumed.
• On the other hand, if it's a Saturday and I go on a 4 hour bike ride and burn 1000 calories, I'd better be consuming 2300 calories that day total (1000 calories above my net goal b/c I'm burning 1000 calories), b/c if not, my body is going to be burning muscle for energy instead of the fat & food I want it to burn, I'd feel weak, drained, exhausted, & have a really crappy workout.
• I can't emphasize enough how VERY VERY important it is that you're "eating what you burn" for workouts.
• After you've got that figured out, then you can work on improving the quality of your diet, being sure that what you're consuming is the highest quality, highest-octane fuel possible. Try to hit your protein intake goal, your fiber intake, etc. Try to stay under your sodium limit. Try to get in enough water. Try to limit sodas, etc. Your My Fitness Pal food diary will tell you the protein amount you should be aiming for based on your current weight, gender, activity level, etc. But if you're doing really hard strength training or race training, you should be aiming for way more protein, as close to your body weight as possible. So if you weigh 160 lbs, you should be aiming for 160 grams of protein. I know that seems like a TON, but just get in as much as you can up to that amount. Most everything I've heard on the subject goes off this basic guideline. And if you're not that active, don't worry about that much protein. Just if you're really pushing it and really building muscle. And eating every few hours is going to keep your metabolism roaring for you all day long- I like the mini meal method. Keeps you feeling fuller longer, too.
• There is lots and lots of medical advice out there for this being the healthiest way to lose weight. Yes, it's really gradual weight loss, a pound here & there, but it's the best way to lose if you want to keep it off. Ask any dietician for advise specific to your body and your circumstances- be sure to consult a physician for a good way to modify your diet if you have health concerns like hypo/hyper-thyroidism, hypoglycemia, diabetes, etc. This is the principle behind Weight Watchers, too---you gain extra points by working out.

If you were on the last Ten in Six Challenge and want to continue, just remember to zero out your prior weights in MFP & send me any updates you want to your bio and what your new reward is going to be :)


If you were on the last Ten in Six Challenge and DON'T want to continue, just let me know and I'll delete off your bio, badge, & email address.

So go out and get all your girlfriends, moms, sisters, etc. to jump on the challenge here and decide now to challenge their excuses and reach the fitness goals they want to hit! I am so excited for this to start up a fresh round :) Let me know if something's unclear in the instructions above.

The End! Final Monday Morning Check-In!

Yay! You made it to the end of your 6 week challenge. Good for you! Share with us your results!

Feel Good Friday

Good morning, babes!!!
It's FRRRIIIIIIIIDAY :)
Just a lil' excited about that....Anything fun planned for you this weekend?
Want a reminder about some things to be happy about? Check out this website!  http://www.thingstobehappyabout.com/ It's based on a woman's book "Things to Be Happy About" and you explore the site, letting your spirits lift.

Share something you found on there that resonated with you!

Feel the Burn Thursday

Good morning, girls!
I hope you're having a great day :)

Let us know what great workouts you've been up to!

Mini Me, I've been researching the hot summer runs a bit more.  Here's an article on Runner's World about it.  I guess the foods you eat the night before a long summer run can affect you?  "The night before summer long runs, he sticks with salads and fruits, which are not only light but also have a high water content to assist with hydration."  They also suggest running waaaay early in the morning to beat  the heat.  And also to let your body set your pace- not pushing yourself.  "In other words, when it's hot, slow down. "If it ain't happening, it ain't happening," says Dunaway. "What we say here is 'Don't be a hero in the heat.'"  Also, your body stresses when it's running in the heat, especially if you're in air conditioning the rest of the day.  The article suggests exposing yourself to heat in increments throughout the whole day so you adjust to the heat.  "Gradually exposing yourself to the hot weather--for as little as 30 minutes a day--helps induce changes that make the body more tolerant of heat stress."

This other article from the same site suggests pairing a run w/ a swim.  Like run to the pool, swim, and run back.  It will help bring down your body temperature. 

Take care of yourselves, ladies!!!

Whatcha Eatin' Wednesday

Good morning, healthy munchers!  Hope you're making it a fresh start to a new day :)

What yummies have you been enjoying lately?  I have a hard time w/ lettuce (silly, I know), so I am always really excited when I find a new way to get in fresh veggies that doesn't involve a salad!  Last weekend a friend of mine made the yummiest and simplest snack ever and I loved it!  Which is weird, b/c I usually don't like cucumber.  He sliced a fresh cucumber, laid them out on a plate, squeezed fresh lemon juice all over them (really soak the slices), and sprinkled on coarse sea salt.  Eat raw just like that!  The lemon juice softens them a little bit.  Better even if they're chilled in the fridge a little.  Actually looks kind of pretty on a serving platter, too :)  So I picked up some cucumbers last night & made some.  Depending on how big your cucumber is, I found about half a cucumber to half a lemon is about right. 

Share some fresh new recipes!!!

Tuesday Motivation

Good morning, girls!
I hope you're having a great day :)

Something I heard yesterday that I really like is just a rumination about how we spend our days, how we live our lives, asking ourselves if we're living life alive.... Sadly I can't find the exacty saying online....but it goes something like this....

Today is a new day.  It is a gift.  Tomorrow it will be history.  Think of the price that you will have paid for it.  You will have paid the invaluable price of a day of your life. 

Your lives are infinitely valuable.  You deserve to be happy in it, you deserve to be the you that you want to be.  You deserve to spend your life in beauty and confidence. 

I hope you beautiful ladies all make it a great day today :)  Live Life Alive!

Monday Morning Check-In

Good morning, girls!
Check in and let us know how you're doing!!! What's your game plan for this last week of the challenge?

Feel Good Friday

Good morning, girls!
I loved hearing about all your doshas ;)
Smthg I wanted to share today is a free iPhone/ iPod Touch app called Runner's World Smart Coach. You enter in your current mile pace, how many miles a week you do or want to do, which day of the week you want your long run done on, when your race day is, & for what distance, and then it generates a free running training schedule!! Can't wait to try it!!
Makes me wanna get out & run!!!
What do you have planned for this weekend?

Feel the Burn Thursday

Good morning, buff beautiful babes!!!!

I hope you're all having a great week!  Please share what workouts and activities you've been up to last weekend & this week!

In yoga teacher training last night, we explored Ayurveda and we went into the 3 types of doshas, which are pretty much personality types of people.  Of course there's a lifetime-full of information you can study further on it, but this is just the generic schpeel.  Each of us has a little bit of each of the 3 doshas within us, but usually 1 dominates or sometimes 2 can equally be dominant.  Anyways, after you take some quizes and learn more about each of the 3 types, and after you know what your dominant dosha(s) is, then you can use that information to gain a deeper understanding of yourself, to learn to not compare yourself with others, to learn how to motivate yourself, how to relax yourself, and how to balance yourself.  Back that up, I said MOTIVATE, RELAX, & BALANCE!  Sweet! 

So check out some of the dosha quizes online- there are TONS of them.  Here's the first Google hit: http://www.whatsyourdosha.com/   Then after you know which dosha you are, Google that particular dosha to learn more about it.

Sooooooo......share!  Tell us what your dosha is (vata, pitta, or kapha)!  Tell us how you feel about that!  Tell us how you can take that knowledge to then motivate yourself!!!!!

This link shows the best workouts for your type:
http://www.care2.com/greenliving/the-right-exercise-for-your-type.html

Again, each of us can be multiple types, each can go in seasons, sometimes in diff situations we're one and in others we're another, sometimes our body is one and our mind is another, etc. But still, kind of a fun way to get some new workout ideas, right?!?!?

Whatcha Eatin' Wednesday

Hi, patient girls!
How is your week going so far?
Please share what yummies you've been enjoying, any new recipes, etc.
Meghan, I tried to find those black bean burgers at Costco and couldn't track them down!  What brand are they?  In the frozen food section by the beef burgers, turkey burgers, & boca burgers?  I'll be so bummed if they don't have them out here.....whole reason I got a Costco membership this week! jk :)
I don't really have anything new & exciting to share on the food front- just loving the egg scrambles made w/ spinach & feta, the cheerios w/ banana, the english muffin w/ dark chocolate almond butter, the whole wheat waffles, the apple & peanut butter, the muscle milk, the fresh fruits & berries, the summer salsa w/ pita chips, the clif bars, etc.
Making some grilled salmon & grilled asparagus this weekend- excited for that- yum!
Share some fresh new ideas, all!
Here's a bunch of no-cook summer meals from Fitness Magazine:
http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/recipes/quick-recipes/dinner/quick-meals/
This lunch idea sounds delish!!!

Whole Wheat Pasta Salad with Blue Cheese, Fresh Corn, and Arugula:

Slice the kernels from a cob or two of sweet corn. Prepare whole wheat pasta; when it's almost done, add corn, cook for 20 seconds, then drain pasta and corn and briefly run under cold water. Drain well. Place arugula in a large salad bowl, add pasta and corn, and coat lightly with olive oil and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar. Season with salt and pepper; toss well. Crumble some blue cheese over the top.

Any of the recipes on that site sound good to you???

Tuesday's Motivation

Great job, everyone!
Here are some words of encouragement from some motivators I like:

Regarding surviving a crisis, Vanessa Kennon says, "The goal is to come out on the other end a more authentic and whole YOU, one that expresses more awareness, compassion, gratitude, and love than when the crises began."

When asked by an interviewer to explain his success, Will Smith responded: “I’m not afraid to die on a treadmill. I will not be outworked. You may be more talented than me. You might be smarter than me. And you may be better looking than me. But if we get on a treadmill together you are going to get off first or I’m going to die. It’s really that simple. I’m not going to be outworked.”  Haahaahaa.....

Dale Smith Thomas quotes Lorin Beller as saying "Give Energy to That Which You Want To Grow!" Then Dale goes on to explain, "Think about that for a minute. How many times do we give our energy to things that we really don't want in our lives? We focus on the things we "don't" like in our relationships, "don't" like in our work, or "don't" like about ourselves. What is the energy we give? Energy is our thoughts, our words, our written word, and our focus. One of the 1st steps in taking our lives to a new level is mindfulness...Give your energy to that which you want more of in your life or that which you want to grow! If you want to create more of something, like a fulfilling relationship, you have to find where that already exists in your life- even if it is small, and focus your energy in that direction. Be grateful for that. What you focus on gets bigger." 

Vanessa Kennon talks about getting back on track: "Life is busy! We all have somewhere we’re trying to get to, a goal we’re striving toward, a hurdle we’re trying to cross, or a milestone we’re trying to achieve. We work hard, keep our noses to the grindstone and still sometimes life happens and pulls us off course. Often it’s for a short period of time and other times it’s extended. The temptation is to become frustrated and want to give up on where we were headed. But we can’t let ourselves fall prey to defeat. We must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and try, try again. No matter how long it takes, we have to persist in getting ourselves back on track. How do we do it?  Sometimes it’s sheer willpower that will put us back on track. Often the fact that we got derailed is enough to fuel us and make our resolve that much more resilient. However, in those times when we’re finding it hard to regain the focus and drive we once had, we have to revisit our decision of what it was we were headed toward and remind ourselves why we wanted to go there in the first place. Then we must recommit to that decision without regard to the “How” of getting there. Action is the third step. Remember to begin with the small steps because these have a way of adding up and they often lead to the bigger steps that are surely to come. Lastly, we must persist until we achieve."

What has been motivating you lately????????? 

Monday Morning Check-in

Good morning, girls!
Check in and let us know how you're doing!!! What's your game plan for this second to last week of the challenge?