Side-Challenge: Crisco Sculptures!

Amy C:
"I was inspired by the body of overweight women everwhere.  Note how her shoulders come up to her head with a little space for a thick neck.  Her arms don't hang straight down due to the size of her upper arms and breasts. Lying on her back her breasts spread down and out.  Her belly folds over even when lying down, and lists to one side due to it's size.  I'm happy to say my body never looked quite like this, but I have seen many at work. No judgement here, I'm just glad I will never have those 7# back!!"

Nicki:

"I finally settled on a heart, since hey, were all helping our hearts right? Hee hee...It really was amazing to see how much a pound of fat is in this form. Even just one pound lost IS amazing! There are three pounds here and wow is it disgusting. I found myself wishing that we could all just heat up our bodies and then have the fat melt off of us. The crisco got pretty hot and liquidy in my hands from sculpting so that should work right?"

Marianne:

"I can see what a treat it is to pass up sweets! My sculpture includes some of my all time worst temptations - things I've passed up to lose the weight it represents: a Riesen (you know, those yummy caramel chocolates) on the top, a stick of twizzlers licorice in the middle, and m_and_m's on the bottom. It was so fun to feel how much fat is now NOT on my body. And lots of it is sweets I passed up, so it's making me want to pass up more sweets and have more pounds of fat off me!"

Sarah: 
"You have to use your imagination on this one b/c my sculpting ability is pretty blindman-meets-drunkard but my scuplture is my muffin top that no longer exists!  It's a close up, so like from my hips to my ribcage.  Always having that bulge of fat, spare tire, that rolls up and out of your jeans, so excited I no longer have that after YEARS!  Wow, it's so amazing to think that the 3lbs I sculpted with is no longer on my body!  It's big!"

Thanks for you girls for participating :)  Ok, everyone, now vote on the poll I am putting up right now on the right side bar!  Remember, you vote however you want to, whether you pick the funniest one, the most professionally done one, the most impressive weight loss amount one, the most heartfelt blurb, etc.  No rules.  We'll see who the winner is on Monday!  Even if you didn't sculpt, still vote.  And if you want to sculpt over the weekend, go for it!  I'll still post our pic on here :) 

Have a wonderful weekend!  And along the lines w/ what Nicki said, let's heat up our bodies, sweat a little, and let that lard SLIDE off us!

Feel Good Friday

Here's a quote from my creation jar from the last Ten in Six challenge that I have been thinking about this morning: “Few things in life have more impact on what we become than what we think of ourselves.”- Burton C. Kelly

I'm listening to the book on CD in my car The Noticer by Andy Andrews (thanks for the recommendation, Nicki :)) and this morning on my way to work the elderly mentor-type character taught a principle of the universe to his young, troubled mentee, adding that principles work every time, "Remember, whatever you focus upon, increases...When you focus on the things you need, you'll find those needs increasing. If you concentrate your thoughts on what you don't have, you will soon be concentrating on other things that you had forgotten you don't have-and feel worse! If you set your mind on loss, you are more likely to lose...But a grateful perspective brings happiness and abundance into a person's life."

Both of these quotes have the same moral.  What we think of, that's what we become.  You can't have an action if you didn't first think about it. 

So today, you awesome, incredible, indispensible ladies in my life, are YOU focusing today on your blessings, your successes in making small progress towards your goals, your happiness, your gratitude, your beautifully designed bodies, your positive self-image, the fact that you're surrounded on here with friends who love you and cheer for you?  Chose your focus and this weekend live your dreams!

**BTW- I have gotten the Crisco sculpture pictures w/ blurbs from Amy & Nicki.  AWESOME!  I love it!  Email me your pictures sometime today or this evening.  Late tonight I'll post them all.

Feel the Burn Thursday

Ever heard of lactic acid?  Or heard that after a hard workout, your stiffness and soreness is a result of the built up lactic acid?

I wanted to learn more about it, so I Googled :)

After looking at Wiki, and reading some articles in a few online medical journal articles, I found this simply put article from the New York Times that explains that the lactic acid build up theory that it causes fatigue and muscle soreness is a MYTH. 

Lactic acid is a fuel for your muscles, and it's a good thing, but it's completely out of your muscles an hour after a workout, so it doesn't correspond even with the muscle soreness. 

So working harder & longer, building on endurance, THAT helps you get better at performance, stamina, and endurance.  The soreness after a hard workout is because of the damage you've done to your muscles, and doing that damage and letting it heal/recover makes the muscles STRONGER and more apt for excellent efficiency and endurance.

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

**Side-Challenge:   Make your Crisco sculptures today or tomorrow and sometime Friday evening I'll post all the pictures w/ blurbs that I get emailed and post the poll for you all to vote over the weekend!  Remember, the prize is smthg awesome from Arbonne from Amy!!!

And to keep the randomness flowing, here's a ditty that I came across from motivator Dale Smith Thomas & I highlighted my favorite parts that apply to each of us awesome challengers in this blog:

Beginning Today

Beginning today I will no longer worry about yesterday. It is in the past and the past will never change. Only I can change by choosing to do so.

Beginning today I will no longer worry about tomorrow. Tomorrow will always be there, waiting for me to make the most of it. But I cannot make the most of tomorrow without first making the most of today.

Beginning today I will look in the mirror and I will see a person worthy of my respect and admiration. This capable person looking back at me is someone I enjoy spending time with and someone I would like to get to know better.

Beginning today I will cherish each moment of my life. I value this gift bestowed upon me in this world and I will unselfishly share this gift with others. I will use this gift to enhance the lives of others.

Beginning today I will take a moment to step off the beaten path and to revel in the mysteries I encounter. I will face challenges with courage and determination. I will overcome what barriers there may be which hinder my quest for growth and self-improvement.

Beginning today I will take life one day at a time, one step at a time. Discouragement will not be allowed to taint my positive self-image, my desire to succeed or my capacity to love.

Beginning today I walk with renewed faith in human kindness. Regardless of what has gone before, I believe there is hope for a brighter and better future.

Beginning today I will open my mind and my heart. I will welcome new experiences. I will meet new people. I will not expect perfection from myself nor anyone else: perfection does not exist in an imperfect world. But I will applaud the attempt to overcome human foibles.

Beginning today I am responsible for my own happiness and I will do things that make me happy . . . admire the beautiful wonders of nature, listen to my favorite music, pet a kitten or a puppy, soak in a bubble bath . . . pleasure can be found in the most simple of gestures.

Beginning today I will learn something new; I will try something different; I will savor all the various flavors life has to offer. I will change what I can and the rest I will let go. I will strive to become the best me I can possibly be.

Beginning today. And every day.

Author unknown

Make it a fantastic day, ladies :)

Whatcha Eatin' Wednesday?

Good morning, gals!  What yummy snacks and recipes have you been trying this week???  Check out this article from Runners World magazine: Food for Thought.   What's your take away?  For me, I need to really think plants first instead of thinking of them as sides... I love that emphasis, and it also goes hand in hand with his other point later on about not fretting on nutrient percentages, etc.  Eat mostly whole grains, beans, & veggies, and you're getting enough carbs & protein.  I grew up with a big meaty something-er-other being the centerpiece of the meal and everything else just sides.  It wasn't a meal if there wasn't a big meat-centered dish.  I want to fight that tendency, though, and I want to follow this article's advice of thinking plants first.  What do you think?  Do you have or can you find any recipes that are meat-light?

Tuesday Motivation

GOOD MORNING :)

Did you know that laughing helps you lose weight?

• "Researchers found that a strong laughter for 10-15 minutes daily can increase energy consumption by 10 to 40 calories per day."  
• "She found that laughing 30 seconds to five minutes as often as 10 times a day, her cravings stopped. She began losing weight, had more energy and developed a yen to exercise," and from the same article, "A study from the University of Maryland School of Medicine showed that daily hearty laughing increases the blood flow by expanding stress-constricted vessels. 'A belly laugh is internal jogging,' ... Laughing involves 'a great deal of physical exercise and muscular behavior' — 15 facial muscles plus dozens of others all over your body that flex and relax. Your pulse and respiration increase, oxygenating the blood. 'Laughing 100 to 200 times per day is the cardiovascular equivalent of rowing for 10 minutes...'  Laughter sets the respiratory apparatus and its muscles into motion, he says," and again from the same article, "The biological changes we see with moderate, routine exercise...are very similar to the changes we see with the constant use of mirthful laughter...for laughter to produce the same benefits as aerobic exercise, it would require a long, sustained bout of hysterics."
• "Researchers discovered that laughing increased both heart rate and calorie expenditure by up to 20 per cent and the longer particpants laughed for the greater the effects....just 15 minutes of laughter a day will burn 10-40 calories, depending on a person's weight and the intensity of the laughter.  That's enough to shift between 1 and 4lb a year."  From that same article, "The idea that laughter benefits health has been around for many years, possibly because it reduces muscle tension, increases the amount of oxygen in the blood, exercises the heart and produces happy chemicals in the brain called endorphins. It certainly makes sense that laughing would burn more calories too, as a result of the extra movement and increase in heart rate linked with laughing. You don’t burn heaps of extra calories but as any slimmer knows, it’s little changes that make big differences. Plus, having a laugh usually makes most of us feel more positive about life – and ultimately, this can help us feel better about ourselves and make us more motivated to lose those excess pounds. If nothing else, adding laughing to your list of weight loss tips gives you the perfect excuse for watching your favourite comedy or having a few more night’s out with friends!"
• "Personally, I know it helps me. It gets me through good times and bad times, and I think laughing is one of the greatest pleasures in life. Anyone who can make me laugh is a quick friend. Laughing brings so much happiness to my life. You know how laughing just makes you feel wonderful? It releases tension and just makes the day a little bit brighter? Laughter is the best prescription on days when you need that little push to keep you going...We can’t always take everything so seriously. Adding laughter can help make the journey to losing weight and feeling better that much more fun!"

SO CHUCKLE AWAY AT LIFE TODAY, LADIES!!!!!  These cracked me up :)

Monday Morning Check-in

Good morning, beautiful ladies J   How has this past week been?  Share with us how much you’re up or down in weight.  And it’s also the halfway point in our 6 week challenge, so check those measurements and let us know your progress!  What is your game plan going to be this week?  Is there something small you want to commit to & want us to hold you accountable for?

***UPDATE***

This is the 4th week we're embarking on, so here's the side-challenge, which I think is going to be eye-opening and fun!  Should you wish to participate, there's a fun prize from Amy C. for the winner!  Create a lard sculpture using your weight lost during this challenge of CRISCO.  So if you have lost 3 lbs so far this challenge, go out and buy 3 lbs of CRISCO, plop it onto a tin foil/wax paper lined cookie sheet or plastic plate, or whatever you want to use, and let your creative juices flow, sculpting whatever it is your heart desires.  Leaning tower of CRISCO?  Little monster of weight that you get to destroy?  Something symbolic or artsy fartsy?  Sculpture of a lazy woman?  Have fun with it & be creative.  I hope this will be eye-opening when you really see how much of that lard that is NO LONGER ON YOUR BODY!  I hope it will rejuvenate your resolve to get more fat off your body :)  It will be so grossly fantastic.  I can't wait to do it.  So whenever you want this week, sculpt your masterpiece, and then email to me the picture of your masterpiece w/ a couple line explanation of what it is or what it means.  I'll post all the pictures on Friday morning and then I'll post a poll on the right sidebar for you all to vote on the best one (the term "best" being quite loosely subjective and 100% up to the voters- whether it's the most impressive amount of CRISCO, the most creative sculpture, the best explanation, etc.).  Voting will last through the weekend & the winner will be announced next Monday.  If you feel really ambitious, you can buy and use the amount of CRISCO that represents the TOTAL weight you've lost in these challenges, if this is not your first one obviously.  You can use the weigh-in amount from today or if you want a little extra motivation, weigh-in on Thursday morning and use that new total as the amount for your sculpture so it's bigger- should help push you to make it a phenomenal Mon-Weds!  Please vote even if you don't participate in the side-challenge.  Ready, set, GO! :)

Feel Good Friday

Good morning, girls! 

There are 2 common pitfalls to trying to have a healthier lifestyle ESPECIALLY at this time of year- and I fall victim to them both. First would be comfort foods- things that make us feel all warm & snuggled up, reminders of homestyle cooking & baking from when we were kids.  Second would be letting yourself go all out on the weekends (or during holiday parties)- losing the momentum and drive you  had built up during the routine of Monday through Friday.

For the first, comfort foods, see if you can snatch your thoughts before they get you to turn them into actions and eat away at the comfort foods.  WHY is it that you want them?  I am no psychologist, but they just kept saying over and over on the Biggest Loser, especially Rudy, that you have to know WHY you over eat and WHY you gained weight before you can learn how to stop it, how to lose the weight, and how to keep it off.  Recognize and acknowledge those struggles in your life, they are real, and you need to accept them and tell yourself that was ok for then, but today is a new day and find a healthier thought process and outlet for your feelings.  If you turn to comfort foods strictly for the warmth because you're freezing, try some of these other warm yummies that are also lo-cal and healthy: Superfast Comfort Food Recipes.  Or the hot cocoa recipe from Meghan a few months ago that's made w/ Splenda:

Ingredients:

2 T. cocoa powder

1 T. sugar (or use Splenda at the end to taste)

2 T. water

6 oz. skim milk or soy

1/2 t. vanilla

1/2 t. almond extract

Try flavoring it with cinnamon for a little change.

In a small saucepan, stir together the cocoa powder and the sugar. Add the water and stir well. Cook over medium heat until the mixture comes to a low boil and the sugar dissolves. Stir in the milk, vanilla and almond extract. Reduce the heat to low and stir until warmed through. Makes one serving.

Second, for letting lose on the weekends, perhaps it's because you're too denying during the week of little treats (within your calorie allottment) that you binge when the weekend hits.  Have a little piece of dark chocolate every day if that keeps you from devouring an entire Texas Sheet Cake in one weekend (  :) personal experience there).  Another reason is maybe it's the fact that everyone's home & not at work or school.  Is there a way you can get your family on track w/ your fitness goals, too?  Share with them how important this is to you, even with the kids present, and how if they can help you with eating healthy meals on the weekends and letting you get in good workouts, how much that would mean to you and how happy that would make you.  Chances are, you've decided in your head they wouldn't care before you even talked to them about it- maybe they'll surprise you!  Give it a whirl.  Another reason is maybe you get in longer runs and longer workouts on the weekends and so you feel more "entitled" to "reward" yourself.  Yes, you should feel like a million bucks after completing a tough or long workout.  But beware of that mentality of entitlement and reward.  Check out this Time article that cautions against consuming TONS after a workout, MORE than you even burned during the workout: Why Exercise Won't Make You Thin (one we've shared on here before).  Can you reward yourself with a quiet drive away from the kids after your workout?  Or dropping by Target/Kohl's to pick up an inexpensive new Yoga top?  Or drop by Jamba Juice and splurge on a small yummy fruit smoothie?  Can you reward yourself w/ a nap?  Try to find non-bingeing things that you can do.  I really liked this article about how to change your un-healthy thought processes into healthy ones going into the weekend: What's Your Diet Doing This Weekend?

I post this today because this is what I struggle with.  I don't really know why I am not as good on the weekends as I am during the week, but I'm trying to figure it out and I'm trying to challenge it.  With it so cold, I'm trying to find healthy at-home recipe solutions to warm me up and give me energy. 

What are your thoughts, experiences, tips, tricks, advice on this????

Feel the Burn Thursday

Hello, dears :)  What workouts have you been doing?  What do you have planned for this weekend?  JUST because it's winter doesn't mean you can't run outside.  Buck up!  :) 

"Do quality workouts year-round, including during the winter. You're less likely to get injured because you won't hurry the training process, and you'll race better because you build fitness on a solid foundation."

-Brad Hudson, elite coach, as quoted in Runnersworld.com's Daily Kick in the Butt

And this New Balance article on running in the winter from Amy C. has some good tips for getting started and staying motivated: 12 Tips to Winter Running.

For those of you who don't run, disregard, but let us know instead what activities and workouts you do during the winter to maximize calorie burn :)

Make it a great day!  It's sunny and beautiful here :)

Whatcha Eatin' Wednesday

Good morning, ladies!!!  So much excitement going on right now I can barely contain it!  First, My Fitness Pal app is now available for the iPhone/iTouch!  It's awesome!  I've been playing on it this morning.  It's so quick and I like that it shows net calories clearly at the top of the daily diary, and that the food & exercises are all on the same one page diary instead of on different tabs like on the website.  Second, this snow is AWESOME!  It's outrageous. Hubby's picking up a shovel for me today to go to town on it, maybe our patio and the sidewalk in front of our building :)  I really really want to go sledding tonight, too!  I just need to borrow someone's kids...and a sled... hahaha!  Third, the Biggest Loser finale last night was NUTS!  I am so happy about the outcome!  The person who won is the person I wanted to win (I'll keep that vague for you DVR'ing divas)! I think Tracey looked creepy, and Rebecca is much more beautiful as a brunnette, but overall, WOW!  It was so inspiring!  Michele & I kept texting back & forth, "WOW!!!" and "OH MY GOSH!!!!"  Something like that, watching so many success stories, it really amps me up and makes me motivated to push it harder & stronger in my resolve & workouts.  Incredible!  I think I'm going to run the stairs tonight for my workout!

Ok, so what have you ladies been eating lately?  Share some good new recipes!  Continuing on with yesterday's post & incredible comments about de-stressing to improve our health & wellbeing, here are some really cool articles on foods that you can eat that help to calm and relax you. 

Foods that will help keep you calm
Stress-busting snacks
What to eat for better sleep

Just made up last night my dinner meal plan for the next 7 days and will grocery shop tonight.  Unfortunately  most of them are NOT new recipes- they're all ones I've posted on here before- but just our favorites:

Meatloaf Mugs w/ Sweet Potato Fries
Thai Chicken Pasta (from Janis!) (my favorite meal!)
Feta-Topped Chicken w/ Pureed Cauliflower (hubby's favorite meal!)
Stuffed Pepper Soup (from Amy F!)
Sweet Potato Turkey Meatloaf w/ Steamed Green Beans
Steak Salad w/ Lemon Walnut Vinaigrette (hubby's 2nd favorite meal!)

And for breakfasts/lunches/mini-meals/snacks:

Pumpkin Pie Smoothies (had one for breakfast this morning- yum!)
Reduced-Fat Triscuits w/ Laughing Cow Bonbel Cheese Wheel & Honey Crisp Apple
Multi-Grain Cheerio's w/ Skim Milk
Roast Beef or Sliced Chicken or Turkey Sandwiches w/ Sara Lee 45 calorie Multi-Grain bread slices, Lettuce, Tomato, & horseraddish
Leftovers from dinners

Sweet Potato Fries recipe:
1 sweet potato
olive oil
paprika
cinnamon
3 truvia packets
*Peel sweet potato, cut into skinny shoe string fries, a few inches long.  Toss in bowl w/ just a tiny drizzle of olive oil until it's all lightly coated.  Spread on cookie sheet (we used baking stone).  Sprinkle on cinnamon, paprika, and about 2-3 truvia packets (zero calorie stevia sweetener).  Bake about 25 minutes at 350 ish, flipping/shuffling them halfway through.  SO GOOD! 

Pumpkin Pie Smoothie recipe:
1/4 cup canned Libby's pumpkin
1/4 cup fat free evaporated milk
1 single-serve container of light vanilla yogurt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 gingersnap cookie
1 truvia packet
*Combine all ingredients in a magic bullet or other blender.  If you want it thinner, add a half cup to a cup of skim milk.  Without the skim milk, though, it's about 198 calories.  And SO GOOD!

Tuesday Motivation

Did any of you feel the burn shoveling snow this morning?  YOU WILL TOMORROW :)  I hope everyone drives safely in the blizzard we're expecting tonight here in my neck of the woods. 

Today's post is about de-stressing and chilling because that will help you lose weight, be healthier, and be happier.  Check out this article from Women's Health: Zen Commandments.  And these articles from Fitness Magazine: Happy People and Lose the Weight and Stay Stress-Free.  And WebMD: De-Stress and Eat Less.

We all have experienced that when we're stressed to the max, we say "screw it all," and make poor decisions.  I know I have done that more times that I'd like to recall in my life.  Stress is a diet-buster, exercise-de-motivator, sleep-inhibitor, and mood-killer.  And so much of it we do to ourselves.  When we're eating healthy and exercising, though, it seems stress is lower.  And when stress is lower, we eat healthier and exercise more.  So which causes which?  Which came first, the chicken or the egg?  hahaha  We can always control how we react to different situations that arise in our lives, even if sometimes those situations are out of our hands.  We decide if we're going to let stressful situations sabotage our goals and our healthy decisions.

What ways do you ladies keep stress at bay?

Monday Morning Check-In

Good morning!!! Weigh in this morning (not measurements-that's next
week) and let us know how much you're down or up and how you feel
about it. Let us know what your game plan is for this next week and
what you plan to do to make it phenomenal. Make it a great week!!!

Feel Good Friday

Good morning, Beauties! 

"Our aspirations are our possibilities" -Robert Browning

Are you dreaming big?  Can you teach your kids to dream big & be positive?  How much would that help you hit your goals if your family fed back positivity vibes to you?

Check out this article about teaching kids to be positive, written by Jon Gordon:

"I’m not naturally a positive person. The research says it’s not my fault. Turns out some people are born with a more positive disposition while others are born with more of a negative disposition. But there is hope. The latest research in neuroscience and positive psychology demonstrates that we can mold our brains and ourselves to be more positive, which is great news for me and my children.


For the past eight years I’ve researched and practiced countless strategies to enhance positivity...  I’ve seen the fruits of these efforts in my life and in the people I’ve taught—most importantly my own children. I’ve seen how simple strategies and daily rituals can make a tremendous impact on their mindset, belief system and outlook on life.

I believe that positive kids become positive adults and as parents we can play a significant role in shaping our children’s perspective and mindset. In this spirit I want to share with you several tips to develop positive kids.

1. Success of the Day - Each night before bed, at dinner or while taking an after dinner walk ask your children their success of the day. The success could be a great conversation, an accomplishment at school, something they are proud of, a situation where they helped someone, etc. The important thing is to help them focus on accomplishments instead of failures. When we help our children expect success, look for success, and celebrate success they find more success and gain more confidence. Of course they need to learn from their mistakes and failures, but let’s help them to not dwell on them.

2. Bedtime Prayer - A ritual such as this provides your children with a foundation of peace, security, and confidence that gives them the strength to take on the daily challenges of being a child.

3. Implement the No Complaining Rule - It’s a simple rule that says you’re not allowed to complain unless you identify one or two possible solutions to your complaint. This empowers children to become a driver of their bus instead of being a passenger griping on the bus. They also learn to use complaints as a catalyst for positive change and positive action. Visit www.NoComplainingRule.com

4. Teach them the Positive Shark Formula, E + P = 0 - This is from my latest book, The Shark and The Goldfish, which is a story about a nice and positive shark who teaches Gordy the goldfish how to overcome his fear of change and find food. After all, Goldfish wait to be fed. Sharks go find food. The formula reveals that we can’t control the (E ) Events in our life. But we can control our (P) Positive Response to these events and our response determines the (O) outcome. This formula helps children develop a strong locus of control which is a perspective that through their beliefs and actions they have an influence on their life. They come to believe that they are not a victim of circumstance but rather a hero in their own inspirational tale and that they can turn their challenges into opportunities and transform bad events into good outcomes. This helps them stay optimistic and believe that their best days are ahead of them, not behind them.

5. Feel Blessed instead of Stressed - As parents we need to realize that children, like adults, deal with a lot of stress...and stress is the enemy of positivity. Well, the great news is that when you are feeling blessed you can’t be stressed. The research says we can’t be stressed and thankful at the same time. Thus, a simple ritual is to help your children identify 3 things they are thankful for each day. You can create a gratitude journal together or you can encourage them to write these blessings on their blog, diary or simply talk about them at dinner. And anytime they are feeling stressed you can encourage them to recall something they are thankful for.

I encourage you to think of your child’s mind like a garden. Each day you want to help them weed their negative thoughts and plant positive thoughts. One day of weeding and planting won’t do much. However if you practice these strategies each day, over a week, a month, a year, a lifetime, the garden grows more healthy and vibrant. Nurture your child. Take time to coach them and nourish them with lots of love and positive energy and you shall see the fruits of your efforts."

Obviously I'm not a parent, and let me know if you think this article is total bunk, but I thought it was kind of cute.  The fact that you can help over time to create a positivity nest within your own home is so intriguing to me, because if you have that nest of positive vibes, can you imagine how that would in turn make you feel about hitting your goals, whether they be physical/weight loss, or not???

Then take that thought a little further, what are some family workouts that you can do together that don't seem like workouts???  A friend of mine (in the summer) would jog next to her kids while they rode their bike through the neighboorhood.  The kids' encouragement as they would wait at each street crossing, "C'mon, Mom!" would push her to run faster & longer.  With snow coming up, what if YOU were actively sledding with your kids, instead of sending them w/ Dad or waiting for them at the bottom of the hill?  Could you run up the hill with them in the snow?  Killer burn and your kids would LOVE it.  What about YOU jumping on the trampoline with them?  What about YOU riding bikes with them?  What about YOU playing sports with them?  Laughing burns lots of calories.  So does swimming, building a snowman, making snow angels, going for walks, etc.  I'm going to pull out one of Nicki's favorite quotes here, "Action expresses priorities," -Ghandi (I think I have that right, right? :) ).  So if physical fitness and family time are priorities for you & things you want to teach your kids to value, then actually DOING the physical fitness and family time show and prove that those are priorities for you. 

What fun family fitness ideas do you have??? Can you fit any in this weekend?

Feel the Burn Thursday

Good morning, fearless females!  Check out this article: Staying Fit During the Holidays.  Scroll through all 12 pages/slides.  What stood out to you the most?  For me, it was 3 things, 1) wow, I need to eat more apples :), 2) I need to be sure to keep myself non-sleep deprived if possible, and 3) I need to hit the weights more than I am. 

So weight training, strength training, resistance training, whatever you call it, is key to shedding fat.  Doing calorie cutting alone, you're more likely to lose muscle weight in addition to fat weight.  Incorporating cardio & strength training will help you maintain and gain muscle while just losing the fat weight.  But what if you find weight training really....blah ba humbug?  Me, me, me!  One solution would be to find fun new strength training workouts that don't involve repetitious bicep curls w/ dumbells.  Try a physically intense yoga routine with lots of planks and leg lifts.  Try a Bosu or Body Sculpting/Pump class at your gym.  Try a new DVD routine using a big ball.  Try a Kbell/Kettle Ball workout DVD.  Try to mimic some of the unusual moves they do on Biggest Loser, like jerking ropes up alternatingly, rolling a tractor tire, sledge hammering a tractor tire, pushups on the treadmill, kettle ball swings, pushups w/ dumbells under your hands and lifting each side once you're up at the top of your pushup, etc.  Here is a home strength plan by Shape magazine but it does require quite a bit of home equipment like a medicine ball, bosu ball, pilates ball, resistance band, etc.  This is another strength training program but just consists of 3 upper body moves, also by Shape, but I have all the equip to do this at home, so I think I'll try 3 times a week for a while!  Hold me accountable :)

Another great option is this ab workout from Women's Health magazine, that Nicki & a few others of you have tried out and liked before in this challenge.  Or try putting yourself on the 100 Pushups challenge or 200 Situps challenge or 200 Squats challenge (each of these has an app for the iPhone to do & track the challenge). 

How do you ladies get in your strength training?????????

(BTW- I forgot to set up for the side challenge this 2nd week, so there will be just one and it will be in the 4th week, with a fun prize from Amy C. for the winner!)

Whatcha Eatin' Wednesday

Good morning, ladies! With this cold winter weather finally upon us
today, it has me thinking about soups & stews! Do you have any cold
weather healthy favorites?
I made this veggie soup recipe this week that has a lot of flavor and
is really yummy.
6 large green onions
2 green peppers
2 cans of diced tomatoes
3 carrots
1 container mushrooms (10 oz)
1 bunch celery
Half head of cabbage
1 pckg Lipton Onion Soup Mix
2 cubes beef bouillon
48 oz can of V8 juice
Pepper & Garlic salt to taste
Slice all veggies into bite size pieces. Saute just the green onions
in cooking spray in your soup pot. Then add green peppers and cabbage.
Finally add all the ingredients and up to 8 cups of water. Cook for 2
hours.
It's really hit the spot this week-even the hubby likes it :)
And did anyone see Biggest Loser last night? I really want that veggie
chili recipe that they filled the baked potato with- looked delicious!!!
So...what have you been eating this week?

Tuesday Motivation

Good morning, girls!  Have you ever heard of "muscle memory?"  It's basically when you're doing the same workout routine over and over but you're not seeing the results you used to see because your body has neurologically and physiologically adapted to it (our body's natural coping system).  To keep calorie burn maximized, shake things up!  Check out this article that talks about just that & the need to keep your workouts diverse.  And this article equates shaking up your workouts with the necessary "confuse your body" concept.  So shake it up this week with the workouts, ladies!  Try something new!  Try lots of new things!  Pepper in some dance workouts with your usual yoga or running or cycling.  Here are some fun dance workouts I found last night on You Tube.  I LOVE the first one, the brazilian samba workout :)  They're all really short video clips- just have fun!  Or you could check out some workout DVDs from the library.  Just get the heart rate up and have a great calorie burn :)  Do you have any other fun workout ideas that help keep you out of a workout rut?

Sambaerobics

Zumba

Ballywood

Zumba HipHop

Cardio Kickboxing

Jumprope Cardio

Tae Bo

Cardio Hula

Ballet

Monday Morning Check-in

Good morning! It's the first check-in for this six week challenge.
Weigh yourself this morning and enter in that new weight in your My
Fitness Pal. Your badge on the blog will automatically update. How
did you do over probably the most difficult weekend of the year??!!
Tell us all how much you're up or down. What's your game plan for this
week?

Feel Good Friday

Hi!  MIA blogger- sorry :)  Vacation is so awesome, though, even if it is just with the in-laws in Illinois.  I got to sleep in today, then did a ladder type interval session on the elliptical machine followed by some ab work.  Then out for brunch, then out to a farm to cut down our Christmas tree, then we went ROCK CLIMBING!  It was soooo exhausting on my upper body.  It was AMAZING!  I went my my father-in-law, sister-in-law, & brother-in-law to an indoor rock climbing gym all afternoon.  I climbed all the way to the top on three different routes!  There were lots of others that I didn't get to the top on, but that's ok.  It was the craziest workout I've ever done.

So, being all crazy metaphorical, and because I'm a little loopy from my exhaustion still, I see a little of our fitness/weight loss journey in rock climbing.  Sometimes we have our eyes set on a goal and we see the path clearly.  We plan on following the path undeviatingly (if that's even a word).  We set up a zero-sum-game for ourselves.  We tell ourselves, "Well, there's the plan. How simple is that? Even an idiot can do it if they stick to it."  I mean each handhold and foothold is color coordinated for the path you're attempting.  But then what happens?  We start climbing and we might get stuck, not able to find a good handhold or foothold within reach.  Sometimes when we're climbing, our arms and legs start shaking because they're so spent.  Sometimes we climb and the wall above us is blocked from view by a protrusion.   Sometimes, we're so scared standing on the ground that we don't even put our first foot up on a grip.  Sometimes, we look over and see phenomenally talented climbers zoom up the wall while we're still struggling on a lower grip.  And then WE feel like the idiot.

But be gentle with yourselves, girls.  Set your sights high, and believe in yourselves, but be gentle with yourselves.  This journey towards our goal weight or our goal fitness level is going to be crazy.  It's going to have its ups and downs.  Sometimes when we're progressing, we will find ourselves stuck, and it may be hard to see that the solution is to go down a step and then over, and then you can continue up.  How many of us (Me &  Meghan for sure) have had a great go of this weight loss journey already, but have gotten to a place where our old workout and old foods just aren't showing us the results we need.  What if we stuck over on a different path?  Tried new exercises, new routines, new food strategies, etc.? If you're on one path and you get stuck, look over to a different route to the same goal, and be strong & adventuresome :)   Sometimes we aren't forgiving enough to ourselves for slipping.  Ok, so if we had a breakdown kind of a couple of days, ate a lot of chocolate, whatever your demon is, and then what do you do?  Do you toss in the towel and say forget it all?  "The whole 6 week thing's shot."  No!  You can and you should get right back on the wagon of working out and making good decisions!  Love yourself more than that.  Forgive yourself quickly and get back on.  Starting out on this journey, standing at the bottom of the rope, have the courage to take the first step, but also, have the love and forgiveness for yourself that if you stall or stumble, you will swing until you get back onto that wall and continue climbing up.  Don't lower yourself all the way to the ground again- you can pick up where you left off!  Losing weight is hard.  Keeping it off is hard.  BUT you are capable of it.  You were designed beautifully.  You were designed with the capacity for great things.

Be courageous, adventurous, light-hearted, forgiving, loving, and believing :)  Have a phenomenal weekend, girls!

Feel the Burn Thursday!

Happy Thanksgiving, ladies!  How did the Berbee Derby go for you, Amy C., Meghan, & Abrey???!???!??  I hope it felt great.  You should be really proud of yourselves.  I just got back from a great relaxing jog here on a bike path by my in-laws.  A change of scenery is so nice!  

I LOVED this article I came across about bouncing back from a Thanksgiving feast.  If running isn't your workout of choice, you could easily change it to elliptical training, spinning, biking, walking, anything :)


I love how it's so positive- that our carb loads today can be changed into a great workout tomorrow! 
"Alas, you really did get intimate with a gravy boat yesterday. On the bright side, however, your body is perfectly primed for a workout that can burn off a chunk of last night's meal. "With all the potatoes and stuffing, Thanksgiving is a big carbo-load," says McMillan. "That means the glycogen stores that fuel your muscles are full to capacity." In addition to lots of muscle-fueling carbs, your feast contained a good amount of protein, essential for rebuilding muscles that break down during a long run."


They point out that the key, though, is keeping it long and easy, relaxing and cleansing.  Try a slow jog outside or yoga!


I am so pumped up for some great workouts this weekend!  Burn off all that turkey dinner & then some :)  Rejuvenate your resolve.  Continue to be thankful.  


What workouts have you been doing this week?  What are you going to fit in this weekend?  Decide now what workouts you're going to do Friday & Saturday :)

Whatcha Eatin' Wednesday

One of my favorite days of the week- when we all swap snack ideas and recipes :) 

First, though, here's a little ditty about protein from a post we did on October 14th.

Protein 101: Eat LOTS of it. According to Runner's World magazine, if you want to lose weight, about 25% of the calories you consume each day should be from protein sources, and furthermore clumped to just after your workout. Benefits of getting in your daily protein include:

• Making you feel fuller for longer,
• Helping to build and maintain lean muscle mass,
• and Repairing your micro-tears in your muscles following a workout.

How do you get in your protein each day?  Skinless chicken is always a good bet, as is yogurt, skim milk, low-fat cheese, low-fat cottage cheese, lean meats, fish, etc.  Some prefer protein powders and shakes, though, or Clif bars, etc.  What has been your protein strategy?

Check-in with what you've eaten the last 3 days, what yumminess you've bought or made, any delicious new healthy recipes you've made.  Did you know you can do a recipe analysis online?  There are several ways to do it and different sites you can google that do just that, but I prefer to just use My Fitness Pal, jump forward to a blank day, enter in the full recipe's ingredients like I was eating the whole batch, then divide my totals by the # of servings the recipe makes.  For instance, if I'm making a big batch of soup, I'd enter in a whole 48 ounce container of reduced-sodium V8 juice, a whole head of cabbage, 4 carrotts, etc.  Then when I got all that entered in as a meal, I'd take the total calories, total fats, total proteins, etc. and divide that by the 20 servings or whatever the recipe makes.  You can save your homemade recipes in there, too, for future use.  Or you can jot down the totals on your paper recipe. 

Here's a granola recipe from Tara:

Honey Cinnamon Granola

1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups whole oats (not quick cooking kind)
1/4 cup wheat germ
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
Handful of Craisins

1. In a small pot, combine honey, brown sugar, and vanilla. Heat over medium until sugar and honey are combined and smooth. Make sure to stir it a couple of times.
2. In a bowl, combine oats, wheat germ, cinnamon, and salt. Mix well.
3. Pour honey mixture over the oat mixture and stir well.
4. Pour granola onto a sheet pan that has been sprayed or has a silpat.
5. Bake at 325 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Make sure you stir the granola often. Maybe every 5 minutes or so.
6. Let cool on sheet pan. Stir in Craisins and enjoy. Could add chocolate chips. You could also try dried apple slices!
7. Store in air-tight container.

Last night I tried a new recipe that someone posted on the My Fitness Pal recipe forum and it was YUMMY! My hubby and I both really liked it.  Served w/ a big mound of steamed green beans.  I forgot to take a picture, though- sorry!

Sweet Potato Turkey Meatloaf

1 large sweet potato, peeled and cubed

1 pound ground turkey breast
1 large egg
1 small sweet onion, finely chopped (I only did about a tablespoon of chopped onion)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup honey barbecue sauce
1/4 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 slices whole-wheat bread, torn into small crumbs (I had to use 4 pieces)
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
1 tablespoon salt, or to taste

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 2 quart baking dish.
2. Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the sweet potato, and cook until soft, about 10 minutes. Drain the sweet potatoes, and mash or whip until smooth.
3. Mix the ground turkey together with the egg, sweet onion, garlic, barbecue sauce, ketchup, Dijon mustard, and whole wheat bread crumbs in a large mixing bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add the sweet potatoes, and stir until evenly combined. If the mixture seems too wet, add more bread crumbs. Use your hands to form the turkey mixture into a loaf shape and place in the prepared baking dish.
4. Bake in the preheated oven 1 hour. Slice the loaf to serve. {Serves 4)

Per serving:
Calories: 336
Total Fat: 2.7g
Cholesterol: 123mg
Sodium: 2478mg
Total Carbs: 43g
Dietary Fiber: 5.3g
Protein: 33.8g

I'll bet you could make this dish with leftover sweet potatoes and leftover turkey from Thanksgiving!  Probably just put it in a food processor or Magic Bullet to grind/puree.  And I think it could serve 6 no problem. It's pretty big.

And forgive me- the posts Thursday & Friday will most likely be late in the day, not bright & early :)

Tuesday's Motivation

Good morning, ladies :)  How are you awesome challengers doing?  Did you succeed at day 1?  Did you get in any workouts? Is anyone having problems figuring out My Fitness Pal?

Something I forgot to mention previously, is if you're currently a nursing mom, be sure to add in about 500 extra calories per day to your diet above and beyond what MFP suggests :)  And that's just a result of Googling the subject- I'm sure you all know more than I do on the subject!

So as the intro pointed out, the format for posting and discussions I try for is Check-ins on Mondays, Motivation on Tuesdays, Recipes/Snacks on Wednesdays, Workouts on Thursdays, and Motivation on Fridays. 

Forgive me, but this week all that's on my mind is Thanksgiving!  I am so excited for a little getaway, new trails to run on, maybe more rest & more workouts than usually afforded in a work week.  Thanksgiving tends to be such a food-centered holiday.  America plans to wear their "stretchy pants" to the feast and gorge themselves uncomfortably and painfully full.  Our "I'm full" valves don't function on the last Thursday of November.  I've been thinking a lot about it, thinking of what my strategy is going to be that day around all my mother-in-law's yummy goodness and sinfully scrumptious dishes.  Obviously we could all get in some extra workouts and having a Thanksgiving feast not affect us much in the weight department. But it bugs me about myself that at such a family schmorgusboard as Thanksgiving, I make myself uncomfortable.  I want to be comfortable.  I want to not be clutching my tummy.  A good taste of everything should be great. So for this Thanksgiving, I am going to enjoy with thankfulness and happiness a serving spoon of everything, but that's it.  No mountain 'o guilt piled high on this plate.  The holiday is not about the food.  It's about spending time with family & friends, about sharing your blessings, about recognizing the little things in life that bring you joy.  What are your strategies and thoughts?

Here are some non-food-centered ways that you can really celebrate Thanksgiving in a spirit of gratitude this year:

1. Make a Thankful Turkey: From Meghan, "Every November I make a "Thankful Turkey". It's simply an empty tissue box decorated to look like a turkey with a slit in the top for you to put papers inside. We sit the turkey in the center of the kitchen table with a tiny stack of small papers and a pen next to it. The idea is to write down things you are thankful for and slip the paper into the turkey. Whenever we think of something, we slip it into the turkey. On Thanksgiving, we "carve" the turkey and read aloud all the things we are grateful for. It's a lot of fun!You are all inside my turkey waiting to be read aloud on Thanksgiving Day!

2. Take a Thankful Walk (& continue this throughout the year): From Jon Gordon, "Take a simple 10-minute walk each day and say out loud what you are thankful for. This will set you up for a positive day."  Maybe you could take your families out for a group Thankful Walk!

Fill your heart with gratitude and you'll be healthier!!!!  Here's an excerpt from an article/newsletter from Jon Gordon, a motivational author & corporate consultant, positivity guru, & whose idea the Thankful Walk was up above: "THANK YOU. They are two words that have the power to transform our health, happiness, athletic performance and success. Research shows that grateful people are happier and more likely to maintain good friendships. A state of gratitude, according to research by the Institute of HeartMath, also improves the heart's rhythmic functioning, which helps us to reduce stress, think more clearly under pressure and heal physically. It's actually physiologically impossible to be stressed and thankful at the same time. When you are grateful you flood your body and brain with emotions and endorphins that uplift and energize you rather than the stress hormones that drain you. Gratitude is like muscle. The more we do with it the stronger it gets."

Did you know there were so many health benefits to being grateful?  Slap that smile on your face, lace up those gym shoes, and revel in all of those blessings in your lives, INCLUDING an amazing body with wonderful potential for strength and willpower.  And of course, who couldn't use more endorphins?!? :)  Have a fantastic day, ladies!