End of First Mini Challenge!

Congratulations to Michele, Meghan, and Sarah F. who all played along w/ the mini place setting experiment and won a prize! They each will be given/mailed a package of 6 Under Armor Headbands :) Email me your addresses, Meghan & Sarah F. I'll give Michele's to her on Monday at work. I love wearing a similar set of headbands when I run or workout b/c it keeps my hair out of my face, but can get tossed in the laundry to wash w/ my clothes.



Here are Michele's meals:




And Meghan's Meals:




And Sarah F.'s Meals:





Yum! Thanks for playing along, ladies! What good cooks you all are! Doesn't this make you all want to eat healthy all weekend long?! At Sarah F.'s suggestion, which sounds like a really fun idea, let's have you all guess the calories in these foods! Take a guess at how many calories Michele's 3 meals total up to in one big number, then Meghan's grand total, and then Sarah F.'s grand total. Whichever one challenger is closest to any of three grand total actual calories by Monday morning when I post will win a Clif Blox sent to them. :) (This means Michele, Meghan, & Sarah F., please total up your own foods & email the total calorie count to me)

Feel Good Friday

(The "End of the 1st Mini Challenge" post will be later on this evening, so email me your 3 pics if you haven't yet! Remember you get a prize for playing along!)

Heading into this beautiful weekend, with generally more leisure and relaxation time than during the week (unless you've got big projects or travels planned), what are you going to do to stay motivated? Are you going to find the time to get in a longer-than-usual but relaxing workout? It's not just what we put in our bodies food-wise that matters in changing ourselves for the better; it's also what we put into our minds! Fill your buckets with positive things, surround yourself with positive people, and give yourself positive encouragement. I challenge you to swing by the movie store & rent an inspirational flick or documentary (or hulu.com), or to swing by the library or bookstore and get an inspirational book or healthy cookbook, or browse online and read some articles or blogs that are going to uplift you and motivate you to be energized, healthier, and more active. What are your recommendations for us all? Share them!

I love all of these:

Hilarious movie! British humor. (Maybe not kid-friendly, since its about a chain-smoking but hilarious guy who's never done an active thing in his life trying to train for & run a marathon to show-up his ex-girlfriend's boyfriend who's a marathoner) One of my fav's that my hubby bought me this week :) PG-13



Valerie shared this beauty with me before my half marathon. Really motivational if you want to run! You can watch it online here.



One Crazy Guy! All about pushing yourself to the max.



Pretty opposite the UltraMarathon Man book, this one's about relaxing while running the listening to our bodies.



Some stuff is scrumptious! Good for sugar fixes. A lot of it is admittedly not "real food" or high on the wholesome/organic charts...



I haven't read this one but plan on it- it's a funny book Jamie (on the blog here) is reading.

Feel the Burn Thursday!

This idea came from Valerie- who completely rocks my running world :) She says on her blog "intense exercise can release the same amount of dopamine as a prozac, though the 2 are not completely interchangeable, so consult your doctor before starting this or any self medicating/exercise activity."

Nice even through its sarcasm! Intense working out really does generate a high through the release of endorphins straight into the brain, specifically the parts of the brain associated with emotions. Could lead to "chills" and "euphoria." :) I LOVE this article- doesn't it make you pumped up to work out?!?

Yes, Running Can Make You High



My favorite part is this, referring to the results of the studies: "They even offer hope for those who do not enjoy exercise but do it anyway. These exercisers might learn techniques to elicit a feeling that makes working out positively addictive."

Whoa! Get on the "euphoria" band wagon today! I love how our bodies were designed to make such a great feeling when we take care of it.

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

Whatcha Eatin' Wednesday

What yummy goodness have you all been eating this past week? Any fun new recipes you tried? Share some ideas with us!

I haven't been too fancy this past week- simple is the name of the game- particularly when my hubby isn't home. For breakfasts I've been having oatmeals, cereals, and shakes. For lunches I've been having sandwiches, salads, and the last of that summer salsa from last week. For dinnners, I have been craving and eating LOTS of vegetables. Sunday night and Monday night each I had a whole huge homegrown zucchini to myself, sliced, sauteed with a tablespoon of butter and several tablespoons of grated parmesean cheese. Yum! Last night I had two ears of fresh corn on the cob. For snacks I've been having 2 cups of chocolate milk after runs, fresh heirloom cherry tomatoes from the farmer's market, whole wheat rolls (frozen, pop in the oven for 7 mins kind), Terra Mediterranean Vegetable Chips, and Babybel cheese rounds.



Being in tune with your body is difficult, but if you listen to what it's craving and satisfy it, I think you'll feel more statisfied overall with your food. So what is your healthy or lo-cal fix for a salty craving? For a sugary craving? For a comfort food craving? For a chocolate craving?

For salty fixes, I like a few olives from a jar, a big dill pickle, pita chips, salted & steamed edamame, or Snack Factory's Buffalo Wing Pretzel Crisps. For sugary cravings, I like chocolate milk, but I really don't get sugary cravings much. For comfort food cravings, I like lean cuisine mac & cheese or lean cuisine lasagne. For a chocolate craving, I like the chocolate milk again, or Emerald Dark Chocolate dusted Almonds.

Tuesday Sleep Check

Review your sleeping habits this past week. Are you getting enough sleep? Did you know sleep can help you lose weight? It balances two hormones which affect appetite. It also improves our mood which makes us more likely to work out. It also makes us snack less. Wow, the list just goes on and on. Check this out- it was news to me! =)

The Dream Diet: Losing Weight While You Sleep

Breaking Down Weight-Loss Barriers

Of course I wouldn't suggest napping instead of working out in most instances, but if your body is exhausted and trashed beyond belief, maybe that nap would do you more good than forcing a pathetic workout. We need to be careful to get in both workouts and sleep in adequate doses each day. A lot of studies out there tout that a good exercise routine will help you sleep better at night. So what do you ladies think? How has your sleeping been this past week? Don't want to be your nagging mom telling you when to go to bed, but just tossing it out there as a suggestion....if you want your allowance that is....jk

Monday Check-In

How did the end of the first week of the 10 in 6 Challenge go for you beautiful ladies??? Let us know the results of the check-in, how much you're up or down, and how you feel about it. Push it this week and keep your momentum going strong! Only you can change you. Challenge your excuses. I know you can reach your goals. We're all here to cheer you on and support you, celebrate in your successes and boost in your lulls. Here are some thoughts for you to start off your week determined and focused:

"You must begin to think of yourself as becoming the person you want to be." -David Viscott

"You must do the thing you think you cannot do." Eleanor Roosevelt

"You see things; and you say "Why?" But I dream things that never were; and I say "Why not?" -George Bernard Shaw

"Your goals, minus your doubts, equal your reality." -Ralph Marston

"You're never beaten until you admit it." -George S. Patton

And that brings me to our first side challenge :) Yay! So this side challenge is optional to participate in, but if you do participate in it, I'll send you a prize :) Check out this article from Women's Health and do this experiment with me:


Serve dinner 3 nights (between now and Friday) on miniature place settings- salad/dessert plates, salad forks, smaller glasses, etc. Take a picture of each dinner table (or counter :P) all set up miniaturized with food on the plates. Email me the pictures sometime during the week and I'll post them this Friday. Then share with us all at the end of the challenge if you tricked your brain into being more "satisfied" or if you think the article is totally bunk. I'm curious to see if this works and I think it'll be really fun. Your kids will think it's fun, too!

Weekend Motivation

Try to be good this weekend and check-in is on Monday morning, along with the first one-week side challenge starting up :) Maybe a little reminder of why we're doing what we're doing will help us all have a tremendously successful weekend full of long sweat sessions and fresh wholesome foods :) Your motivation and enthusiasm has contagiously bouyed me up. Thank you all for participating in the first week of the challenge. Your beautiful bodies thank you, too!

Why do you want to lose 10 lbs in 6 weeks?

For me, I want to lose weight to feel sexier and more confident. Yes, you can argue that's a state of mind, just a decision that you make, but for me, when I look great I feel great, and when I feel great, I feel confident, and when I feel confident, I feel sexy & powerful & like nothing in the world can stop me ;) I might be addicted to the "high" of losing a pound. But I think that's a pretty sweet "high" to have! Another lesser side reason for me to lose weight is to become the healthiest vessel possible for a future baby (sometime in the next few years). I want unhealhty habits kicked to the curb long before that time happens and I want to be physically fit.

Feel the Burn Thursday!

You ladies are all so awesome :) I was being a negative nancy this morning with how sore my whole body is, but then after reading Sarah F's post on how we're all kicking trash and taking names together in our workouts, I'm so pumped up! Thank you! Which brings me to the topic of working out...



Have you ever heard of interval training, a.k.a. circuit training? It can be applied to any kind of workout you do, whether is running, biking, cario machines, strength training circuits, etc. The basic idea is to mix in low-intensity, med-intensity, and high-intensity in whatever you're doing. We blast more calorie when we mix up the speeds and intensities than if we just keep the same steady pace. Our muscles can get comfortable at a particular pace, and so keeping them constantly alert, working, and pushing new paces and intensities will burn more calories. Here are some ideas to mix it up a bit for you on a treadmill (Kristin's preference), elliptical (Michele & Meghan like ellipticals), bike (Lindsay & Nicole's fav), outdoor running (Sarah, Jamie, & Valerie's preference), or pool (Laura's MO):

Interval Basic Workouts from Men's Health(*my favorite of the links)

4 Cardio Interval Workouts from Fitness

Cardio Options & Strength Training Options with Intervals

Treadmill Option with Changing Inclines

Keep in mind that an interval workout is going to be more intense than a steady workout, so you probably won't go as long. One site I saw actually suggested just doing interval workouts once per week and your regular workouts the rest of the time. To keep it simple, try doing one of the pre-programmed interval workouts on your cardio machine. When running outside, I'm going to try mixing it up sometimes with peppering in 1 minute sprints in my usual runs. Try an interval workout this week!

Have any of you tried interval training before? Any recommendations, suggestions, tips? What have you done the last 4 days for workouts & what do you have planned for today's?

Whatcha Eatin' Wednesday

What healthy things have you all been eating this week? What meals do you have planned for the rest of the week? I enjoy browsing healthy recipes online, like from Cooking Light magazine and the My Fitness Pal recipe forum. Share a good recipe with us!

2 nights ago I made Summer Salsa, a favorite recipe of ours from my sister-in-law Erianne. It's a chunky and hearty vegetable dip with an Italian flavor that is delicious with pita chips. Even when not watching what we're eating, this is one of my husband's favorite foods.



Summer Salsa:
-3 tomatoes, diced
-2 avocados, diced
-2 cans chick peas or garbanzo beans, drained
-1 can black-eyed peas, drained
-2 dry packets of Italian dressing seasonings
-oil, vinegar, & water as directed for just one of the packets

Combine the dressing packets with the oil, vinegar, and water. Mix in with the rest of the ingredients in a big bowl. Makes about 8 cups. Keep refridgerated. Flavor best when allowed to marinade overnight in fridge for flavors to mix. Stir before serving.

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?

First Monday Morning Check-In

Good morning, beautiful ladies! Today is the first check-in! Check out this link
How to Accurately Weigh and Measure Yourself
and record your weight and any other measurements you want to in your My Fitness Pal profile by clicking on "My Home" then "Check-in." You may watch your waistline shrink but not see much budge on the scale, which is why it's great to do lots of other measurements, too.
Over the next six weeks, try using the food diary and workout log via My Fitness Pal to gauge how many calories you're consuming vs. how many calories you're burning. It can also help you see if you're consuming the recommended amount of proteins, carbs, etc. that your body needs to be efficient. You can customize the daily summary page to show other categories that are otherwise only viewable from the "View Full Report" screen. For instance, I like to see my sodium and fiber intake on the front food screen, so I've put them there. To customize your view, under the "food" tab, click on "settings." Here you can also change the number of meals and the meal names. If you follow the mini meal method, you might want to add in a late morning snack, an afternoon snack, and a late night snack. Maybe after a month or so you won't need the diary because you will have a pretty good internal monitor of when you reach your recommended calorie allotment, but I still think it's a great idea starting out to give the diary a whirl.
For the workout log, enter in all your workouts under the "Exercise" tab and under the "Cardiovascular" section. Enter in weight lifting as "Strength Training" and enter in pushups/situps as "Calisthenics" so that you can get the calories burned to show up accurately in your daily food summary. Any calories you burn you eat! "You have earned XX calories from exercise today." Which brings me to the educational/motivational piece for today...sorry, most days won't be a novel like this...
Why Exercise Won\'t Make You Thin
Read this article and post a comment response on this blog posting about something you thought was interesting in it, or what your take-away was. Also, commit to the group to try to bring positive energy to this Ten in Six Challenge and to work hard on BOTH your food intake and your calorie burn.
I am so excited that the challenge is starting and even more excited for all the awesome ladies who accepted the challenge and are taking the reins in their lives for positive change! I love it! Share ideas, answer questions, offer tips, pass along words of encouragement, share your successes, and chat it up with one another! You can do it! Challenge Your Excuses!

Welcome to the New Ten in Six!

Time to start fresh the 10 in 6 after the template of our predecessor! Spread the word to your girlfriends- we'll start with the first check-in on Monday, August 17th. Here are the first steps:

1. 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. Go to the Tools page and get the code for your badge.

2. Email me (sarah.a.weight at hotmail dot com) your name, badge code, and what you want in your little bio on the right side bar. I'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. Also let me know if you want your email address added to the blog so that whenever another challenger posts, it goes straight into your email inbox (I suggest this b/c it keeps the challenge at the forefront of your mind).

3. On the morning of Monday, August 17th, log into your My Fitness Pal profile and enter your starting weight and all the starting measurements you want to. Start tracking calories & 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 (weigh-ins/check-ins will be on Mondays, workout-sharing on Tuesdays, recipe-sharing on Wednesdays, etc.).

Changes from the previous 10 in 6 blogs (Marin, you rock!!!) would be: check-ins on Mondays so we don't trash all weekend & bios permanently posted on the right side-bar so we can keep all the names & identies straight. 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, no links to your private blogs, no photos, etc. Let me know your favorite songs on your workout play list and I'll add them to the workout playlist playing at the bottom of the blog. I'm hoping to do a few side challenges for fun prizes like Marin did, though ;)

I'm so excited to start the new challenge! Ok, you have a week and a half to spread the word & recruit all of our challengers! :)