Good morning, girls!
This message comes from Dale Smith Thomas, though she admits she has no idea who wrote it or where it's from unfortunately. I thought of you all when I read it! I highlighted my favorite parts that I thought really are focused just towards us and what we're trying to do in this challenge- fight those excuses! I'd love to hear what you all think of it. Please share a challenge that you've faced either during this 10 in 6 or in your "old" life that you thought at the time was all-consuming but that you've since figured out a way around it that made you able to thrive and hit your goals:
Embracing The Unexpected
"The weather is the weather. The traffic is the traffic. The more we embrace and allow the "unexpected" to be the norm, the less we're thrown off when things don't meet our expectations. Of course weather and traffic are simply two of the minor irritations and unpredictability’s we face in a given day. But if you're going to shift your attitude to embrace the unexpected, they're just as good as anything to help you do that.
Try an experiment this week. When you find yourself fighting a situation (start small with things like the weather and traffic), simply allow yourself to welcome the unexpected. Find a way to be at peace in the situation, whether the wind is blowing in May, you're stuck in traffic or you're in the slow lane at the bank or grocery store. Take a deep breath, open your eyes, and give up expecting the situation to be as you think it should be. Instead, allow it to be as it is.
Done consistently, this welcoming of the unexpected, allowing things to be as they are, transforms the relationship between you and the present moment. Coming from this more relaxed and peaceful perspective, you suddenly begin to enjoy the late spring windstorm. Being stuck in traffic and not fighting it, you're now present enough to notice the beauty of the mountains or the flowers blooming in someone's yard. And amazingly the "emotional plaque" that builds up from angsting over things that are out of your control begins to melt away
Challenges and facing the unexpected truly are opportunities. Opportunities to grow and learn, to strengthen ourselves, to test ourselves and our faith. They reveal how badly we want to create the dreams in our hearts, and how hard we're willing to work for them. This is such a blessing. It may not seem that way at first, but with a tiny shift in attitude, we can see that we have been handed an incredible opportunity.
The next time life hands you a challenge, stop and consider for a moment what it means. Is the universe saying "no," or "I want you to try harder?" Don't look at challenges as an end, look at them as a door leading to your heart's desires. That door might be locked, but you have the key. Maybe you forgot where you put the key, or you forgot that you even had it to begin with. It might take some effort and patience to find it again -- or you might even have to create a new one, but believe that you will, even if you're not sure how yet.
We should all learn it's not important to have all the answers right now. When challenges rise up before us, we may not know how to get around them, or through them. It might seem hopeless at first. Challenges can seem so overwhelming when we don't have a solution. However, life itself is very much like this too. Sometimes life is akin to bumping around in a dark room, trying to find the light switch. It is possible to get through the room without finding the light switch immediately; we just need to step slowly and carefully. Moment to moment, we find our way.
Rather than giving up when obstacles appear in your path, look at them as welcome challenges. The biggest challenge is choosing your own attitude. Will you get flustered and angry, or will you get excited and determined? Will you lay down and cry, or will you roll up your sleeves and get to work? Some of us take on a victim mentality when obstacles arise, and I can see why this happens. It does feel like the universe is picking on us, doesn't it? :-) I think we've all been there!
Why not change your mindset and think of obstacles as a personal challenge? Rather than feeling like the universe is picking on you, challenge yourself to figure out a solution. Say to yourself, "Okay, such and such has happened, now what am I going to do about it?" Put your problem-solving skills to work.
Once we begin to change our attitude about obstacles and challenges, they can actually become fun. Our competitive human nature rises up and gets ready to win, no matter what. We develop a steely determination to NOT be beaten."
2/4/10
Feel the Burn Thursday
Good morning, sweating sweethearts!
I hope you're all doing great- trying your hardest! Be sure to check out & respond to the questions posed by your fellow Ten in Sixers in the comments of yesterday's post :)
Women's Health posted this cool new Lose 10 lbs in 6 Weeks w/ Running page. What a cool weight goal and time frame, dontcha think? :) http://www.womenshealthmag.com/fitness/running-for-weightloss They have running playlists, tips & tricks, a running schedule w/ 2 strength training days a week interspersed in it, an alternate run/walk schedule to get you to build up to running 30 minutes straight, a meal plan, etc. I think it's pretty cool.
What workouts have you been doing? Let us know how you've been busting a move and breaking a sweat this week :) Keep on trucking, ladies! It's a hard and long journey, but you'll love yourself along the way!
I hope you're all doing great- trying your hardest! Be sure to check out & respond to the questions posed by your fellow Ten in Sixers in the comments of yesterday's post :)
What workouts have you been doing? Let us know how you've been busting a move and breaking a sweat this week :) Keep on trucking, ladies! It's a hard and long journey, but you'll love yourself along the way!
2/3/10
Whatcha Eatin' Wednesday
Hey, chicas!
It’s everyone’s favorite day- Wednesday- the swapping of recipes and snack ideas! Horray! What have you been eating?
I liked this article about keeping on hand at home some quick, easy, and healthy high-energy snacks. http://triathlon.competitor.com/2010/01/nutrition/eat-healthy-at-home-even-with-a-hectic-schedule_6755
Therefore, you’re eliminating your excuse that you don’t have time to eat healthy, or that you don’t have “anything” to eat in your fridge. And although none of our names are as cool as Pip :) and although the article might seem like Dummy 101, there are still some good takeaways. I like the caution that just because something says it’s “all natural” does not mean it’s healthy or low-fat. And I like the tip to cook extras on the weekends and save individual portions in the fridge or freezer for the following week’s meals. Most of all, I like that she acknowledges that coming up with meal plans is just not her style and is just not going to happen, although she respects those whose style that is, but she just accepts herself and doesn’t beat herself up b/c she’s not that kind of person.
Everybody post your quickest, simplest recipes and snack ideas!!!
I discovered a weird and unusual snack yesterday that I loved, so I’ll share. I mixed in a little Tupperware container half an avocado and one cup of Bush’s seasoned black beans. That’s it. Weird, but I ate it with a spoon and it was yummy! The carbs in the beans and the fat in the avocado really helped me stay full longer. At 381 calories, it was a perfectly-sized mini-meal for me, with lots of energy. I’m sure adding tomatoes would make it more salsa-y and yummy, too.
Saturday night I made some shrimp skewers- super quick & simple. Just took a lb of frozen but pre-cooked, de-tailed, de-veined shrimp, thawed out, skewered about 8 on each wooden kebob skewer, brushed on a mixture of 2 T of bottled teriyaki sauce and 1 T of sesame oil. Broiled in the oven, top rack, 3 mins per side. Had steamed broccoli in the steamer going, too. For each serving of roughly 2 cups shrimp, 2 cups broccoli, and the tiny bit of sauce brushed on, about 275 calories. Again, a great mini-meal.
Sometime last week we had simple BBQ chicken- again very quick. Just took thawed boneless skinless chicken breasts, brushed honey BBQ sauce on each side, put on baking stone in oven, top rack to broil 10 mins, flip chicken, 10 more mins. Super juicy b/c it’s broiled (my fav way to cook chicken) and it’s cooked quickly. Served w/ steamed sugar snap peas. For each serving of roughly one chicken breast, 1 T of sauce, and 2 cups of steamed sugar snap peas, it’s about 500 calories.
Last night we had baked salmon- again, easy-peasy. Took some No Name original seasoned frozen salmon filets (built-in pop-up timer so you know when it’s cooked) and tossed in a covered pyrex dish in oven, 400 degrees for about 35 minutes. Served w/ steamed fresh asparagus. For each filet and 1.5 cups of asparagus, it’s about 300 calories.
Which you might be wondering w/ all the steamed veggies, I do like the microwaveable steam-in-the-bag type, but I adore my electric Black & Decker steamer that we got as an inexpensive little Target wedding registry gift, like $19 I think. It’s worked like a champ for 7 yrs strong! I recommend it :) We can cook rice in it, fresh veggies, frozen veggies, and I’m sure other stuff I haven’t tried in it. I really don’t like overcooked veggies, and this just cooks them perfectly- slightly crispy and beautifully steamed. There are instructions imprinted on the back of the steamer for lots of types of foods & veggies, telling you which water level to fill the steamer to, what herbs would go well with it, and how many minutes to set the steamer timer to.
Tonight we’re making chicken burritos- no rice, just lots of shredded iceberg, diced tomatoes, half a smashed avocado, lime juice, chicken w/ spices on it, and a whole wheat tortilla. Should be good!
It’s everyone’s favorite day- Wednesday- the swapping of recipes and snack ideas! Horray! What have you been eating?
I liked this article about keeping on hand at home some quick, easy, and healthy high-energy snacks. http://triathlon.competitor.com/2010/01/nutrition/eat-healthy-at-home-even-with-a-hectic-schedule_6755
Therefore, you’re eliminating your excuse that you don’t have time to eat healthy, or that you don’t have “anything” to eat in your fridge. And although none of our names are as cool as Pip :) and although the article might seem like Dummy 101, there are still some good takeaways. I like the caution that just because something says it’s “all natural” does not mean it’s healthy or low-fat. And I like the tip to cook extras on the weekends and save individual portions in the fridge or freezer for the following week’s meals. Most of all, I like that she acknowledges that coming up with meal plans is just not her style and is just not going to happen, although she respects those whose style that is, but she just accepts herself and doesn’t beat herself up b/c she’s not that kind of person.
Everybody post your quickest, simplest recipes and snack ideas!!!
I discovered a weird and unusual snack yesterday that I loved, so I’ll share. I mixed in a little Tupperware container half an avocado and one cup of Bush’s seasoned black beans. That’s it. Weird, but I ate it with a spoon and it was yummy! The carbs in the beans and the fat in the avocado really helped me stay full longer. At 381 calories, it was a perfectly-sized mini-meal for me, with lots of energy. I’m sure adding tomatoes would make it more salsa-y and yummy, too.
Saturday night I made some shrimp skewers- super quick & simple. Just took a lb of frozen but pre-cooked, de-tailed, de-veined shrimp, thawed out, skewered about 8 on each wooden kebob skewer, brushed on a mixture of 2 T of bottled teriyaki sauce and 1 T of sesame oil. Broiled in the oven, top rack, 3 mins per side. Had steamed broccoli in the steamer going, too. For each serving of roughly 2 cups shrimp, 2 cups broccoli, and the tiny bit of sauce brushed on, about 275 calories. Again, a great mini-meal.
Sometime last week we had simple BBQ chicken- again very quick. Just took thawed boneless skinless chicken breasts, brushed honey BBQ sauce on each side, put on baking stone in oven, top rack to broil 10 mins, flip chicken, 10 more mins. Super juicy b/c it’s broiled (my fav way to cook chicken) and it’s cooked quickly. Served w/ steamed sugar snap peas. For each serving of roughly one chicken breast, 1 T of sauce, and 2 cups of steamed sugar snap peas, it’s about 500 calories.
Last night we had baked salmon- again, easy-peasy. Took some No Name original seasoned frozen salmon filets (built-in pop-up timer so you know when it’s cooked) and tossed in a covered pyrex dish in oven, 400 degrees for about 35 minutes. Served w/ steamed fresh asparagus. For each filet and 1.5 cups of asparagus, it’s about 300 calories.
Which you might be wondering w/ all the steamed veggies, I do like the microwaveable steam-in-the-bag type, but I adore my electric Black & Decker steamer that we got as an inexpensive little Target wedding registry gift, like $19 I think. It’s worked like a champ for 7 yrs strong! I recommend it :) We can cook rice in it, fresh veggies, frozen veggies, and I’m sure other stuff I haven’t tried in it. I really don’t like overcooked veggies, and this just cooks them perfectly- slightly crispy and beautifully steamed. There are instructions imprinted on the back of the steamer for lots of types of foods & veggies, telling you which water level to fill the steamer to, what herbs would go well with it, and how many minutes to set the steamer timer to.
Tonight we’re making chicken burritos- no rice, just lots of shredded iceberg, diced tomatoes, half a smashed avocado, lime juice, chicken w/ spices on it, and a whole wheat tortilla. Should be good!
2/2/10
Tuesday's Motivation
Good....er....afternoon, forgiving friends! :)
SLEEP CHECK:
First, a sleep check. Have you ladies all been improving the # of hours of sleep you get each night since our last convo about sleep last week? I'm stealing this sleep blurb from my amazing sis-in-law, Erianne:
"Everyone needs 7 to 10 hours sleep. Children (ages 1 – 10) require at least 10 hours, Adolescents (ages 11 – 22) need an average of 9.25 hours, and adults (23+ years) require 8.25 hours of sleep, on average, each night. Athletes in each age group have been shown to have a greater need for sleep than the nonathletes. For anyone, a sleep deficit is defined as the sum of all night s in which you sleep less than your sleep needs (» 8-10 hrs). The average American adolescent is operating at about a 25 hour deficit. At a 19 hour sleep deficit, athletes perform on cognitive and coordination tests, worst than someone with a .08 blood alcohol level. In the United States, a .08 blood alcohol level is considered legally drunk in 42 states. Some of the reported effects of a sleep deficit are: impaired motor skills, impaired cognition, impaired memory, inhibited creativity, higher stress levels, increased body fat, depressed immune system, anxiety, impeded growth, irritability, depression, mood swings, decreased life expectancy, and difficulty maintaining interpersonal relationships. Athletes who want to perform at their peak must outline and follow a proper sleep regime. Another study just performed at Stanford on their swim team demonstrated that extra sleep (1 hour beyond normal sleep patterns), significantly enhanced the swimmers performance! Kind of cool.
Here is a link to a good article with some helpful hints and facts about sleep and athletic performance: topspeedschool.com/uploads/TopSpeed-Sleep.pdf "
So that's you! You're an athlete I'd say if you workout daily or try to. So you need MORE sleep than others! Can you put a high priority on sleep? You're drunk if you don't! :) That's a fun light to put the issue in. So, after that cool sleep check from Erianne, on to today's info.
DECIDING ON A GOAL WEIGHT:
Leslie, to answer your question posed yesterday about the proper goal weight, there are oodles of BMI calculators and what not online. I do agree that a given BMI number IS a huge weight range, though. I've never asked a physician what my healthy weight was, or used a calculator other than my Wii Fit to tell me what my goal BMI was, but I'm sure those would all be good ideas. I took the weight I was when I graduated high school and subtracted 10 lbs. I figured that'd be a good goal weight, but that I'd probably adjust to see how it was when I got there. It just so happens that right around that goal weight was my arbitrarily set 50 lb total weight loss goal. I wanted to get to a round # (dumb, I know, totally not scientific or biologically genius). And then the biggest thing for determining my goal weight was a weight loss success story I read last summer in a magazine where the woman was 2 inches taller than me and at that goal weight, and I liked the body type (not all muscular and ripped, just trim and athletic) and the body type corresponded with my own (pretty straight up & down, I've never been hourglass-shaped). So I've determined, though, that my goal weight is a "decade" range on the scale. Just in a range of 10 lbs. If I stay between x lbs and x lbs I'll be happy. It seems I can't really lose more unless I want to lose muscle and I am not about to do that and sacrifice my athletic ability, so I'm happy where I am, which is about 5 lbs more than what I had originally thought would be my goal weight, but my body seems happy where it's at, stable. Like I said yesterday, I'm just working on being a little less gooey in a few areas and a little more solid now :) What tips do you guys have? How did you decide on your goal weight?
BEATING THE WEEKEND BINGES:
Leah & Jeanie, we all have a hard time on the weekends because it's just not in our routine. What's helped me is my hubby getting in on the healthy-eating bandwagon. If he wasn't, I know for sure I'd be a big sucker for whatever decadent or greasy foods he wanted to splurge on. So Shanda, I definitely say get Mara on the bandwagon! Have her join our group! She's such a sweetheart- I know she'd love it. Then problem solved with the healthy grocery shopping. If she doesn't want to hop on, then I'd suggest flip flopping your arrangement. Have her do the utilities and you do the groceries. Or if not that, then put your heads together and plan a meal plan for the week that works for you both, and have her go shopping for it. Or do separate meal plans and give her your healthy meal-plan-for-one (lots of little snacks you can have separate from everyone) to go shopping for. So back to the weekends in particular, one thing you can do to counteract the heavy eating is to put in a heavy workout. Usually we have an extra chunk of time to workout on a weekend than we do during the work week. For instance, I like to do my longer runs on Saturdays, because it's the only day of the week I have enough daylight to go do that. So my Saturday calorie burns are higher than any other day of the week, so if I eat more, it's ok. Another idea is to try your hardest to maintain your routine throughout the weekend, like getting up at the same time, eating at the same time, working out at the same time, going to bed at the same time, etc. If it's a matter of an extra 8 hours spent at home wearing a trail in the carpeting from the couch to the fridge because you're bored, plan a typical work-day long excursion from the house, either shopping or running errands, working out, or some other adventure. This will help keep your body on schedule for what it's used to being away from the house at work during the week. This article from Shape on the subject of avoiding binge eating says to keep up on your food diary (counting what you eat in MFP), explore food-free ways of socializing (like our active non-restaurant date night side challenge), bring your own low-cal healthy treat to a get together so you know you can eat at least one thing instead of being victim to whatever everyone else provided. What tips do you have? How do you keep from falling off the healthy-eating and working out bandwagon on the weekends?
Share, share, share :) Let's all help each other!
SLEEP CHECK:
First, a sleep check. Have you ladies all been improving the # of hours of sleep you get each night since our last convo about sleep last week? I'm stealing this sleep blurb from my amazing sis-in-law, Erianne:
"Everyone needs 7 to 10 hours sleep. Children (ages 1 – 10) require at least 10 hours, Adolescents (ages 11 – 22) need an average of 9.25 hours, and adults (23+ years) require 8.25 hours of sleep, on average, each night. Athletes in each age group have been shown to have a greater need for sleep than the nonathletes. For anyone, a sleep deficit is defined as the sum of all night s in which you sleep less than your sleep needs (» 8-10 hrs). The average American adolescent is operating at about a 25 hour deficit. At a 19 hour sleep deficit, athletes perform on cognitive and coordination tests, worst than someone with a .08 blood alcohol level. In the United States, a .08 blood alcohol level is considered legally drunk in 42 states. Some of the reported effects of a sleep deficit are: impaired motor skills, impaired cognition, impaired memory, inhibited creativity, higher stress levels, increased body fat, depressed immune system, anxiety, impeded growth, irritability, depression, mood swings, decreased life expectancy, and difficulty maintaining interpersonal relationships. Athletes who want to perform at their peak must outline and follow a proper sleep regime. Another study just performed at Stanford on their swim team demonstrated that extra sleep (1 hour beyond normal sleep patterns), significantly enhanced the swimmers performance! Kind of cool.
Here is a link to a good article with some helpful hints and facts about sleep and athletic performance: topspeedschool.com/uploads/TopSpeed-Sleep.pdf "
So that's you! You're an athlete I'd say if you workout daily or try to. So you need MORE sleep than others! Can you put a high priority on sleep? You're drunk if you don't! :) That's a fun light to put the issue in. So, after that cool sleep check from Erianne, on to today's info.
DECIDING ON A GOAL WEIGHT:
Leslie, to answer your question posed yesterday about the proper goal weight, there are oodles of BMI calculators and what not online. I do agree that a given BMI number IS a huge weight range, though. I've never asked a physician what my healthy weight was, or used a calculator other than my Wii Fit to tell me what my goal BMI was, but I'm sure those would all be good ideas. I took the weight I was when I graduated high school and subtracted 10 lbs. I figured that'd be a good goal weight, but that I'd probably adjust to see how it was when I got there. It just so happens that right around that goal weight was my arbitrarily set 50 lb total weight loss goal. I wanted to get to a round # (dumb, I know, totally not scientific or biologically genius). And then the biggest thing for determining my goal weight was a weight loss success story I read last summer in a magazine where the woman was 2 inches taller than me and at that goal weight, and I liked the body type (not all muscular and ripped, just trim and athletic) and the body type corresponded with my own (pretty straight up & down, I've never been hourglass-shaped). So I've determined, though, that my goal weight is a "decade" range on the scale. Just in a range of 10 lbs. If I stay between x lbs and x lbs I'll be happy. It seems I can't really lose more unless I want to lose muscle and I am not about to do that and sacrifice my athletic ability, so I'm happy where I am, which is about 5 lbs more than what I had originally thought would be my goal weight, but my body seems happy where it's at, stable. Like I said yesterday, I'm just working on being a little less gooey in a few areas and a little more solid now :) What tips do you guys have? How did you decide on your goal weight?
BEATING THE WEEKEND BINGES:
Leah & Jeanie, we all have a hard time on the weekends because it's just not in our routine. What's helped me is my hubby getting in on the healthy-eating bandwagon. If he wasn't, I know for sure I'd be a big sucker for whatever decadent or greasy foods he wanted to splurge on. So Shanda, I definitely say get Mara on the bandwagon! Have her join our group! She's such a sweetheart- I know she'd love it. Then problem solved with the healthy grocery shopping. If she doesn't want to hop on, then I'd suggest flip flopping your arrangement. Have her do the utilities and you do the groceries. Or if not that, then put your heads together and plan a meal plan for the week that works for you both, and have her go shopping for it. Or do separate meal plans and give her your healthy meal-plan-for-one (lots of little snacks you can have separate from everyone) to go shopping for. So back to the weekends in particular, one thing you can do to counteract the heavy eating is to put in a heavy workout. Usually we have an extra chunk of time to workout on a weekend than we do during the work week. For instance, I like to do my longer runs on Saturdays, because it's the only day of the week I have enough daylight to go do that. So my Saturday calorie burns are higher than any other day of the week, so if I eat more, it's ok. Another idea is to try your hardest to maintain your routine throughout the weekend, like getting up at the same time, eating at the same time, working out at the same time, going to bed at the same time, etc. If it's a matter of an extra 8 hours spent at home wearing a trail in the carpeting from the couch to the fridge because you're bored, plan a typical work-day long excursion from the house, either shopping or running errands, working out, or some other adventure. This will help keep your body on schedule for what it's used to being away from the house at work during the week. This article from Shape on the subject of avoiding binge eating says to keep up on your food diary (counting what you eat in MFP), explore food-free ways of socializing (like our active non-restaurant date night side challenge), bring your own low-cal healthy treat to a get together so you know you can eat at least one thing instead of being victim to whatever everyone else provided. What tips do you have? How do you keep from falling off the healthy-eating and working out bandwagon on the weekends?
Share, share, share :) Let's all help each other!
2/1/10
Monday Morning Check-in
Happy halfway point, hotties!
Hope you all had a great weekend! Tell us how much you're up or down
in weight AND measurements! I can't wait to hear :) Your measurements
are a more accurate gauge of the awesome changes happening in you!
What's your game plan for this week?
Hope you all had a great weekend! Tell us how much you're up or down
in weight AND measurements! I can't wait to hear :) Your measurements
are a more accurate gauge of the awesome changes happening in you!
What's your game plan for this week?
1/30/10
1/29/10
Feel Good Friday
GOOOOOOOD MORNING, girls :) Horray, it's Friday!!! I couldn't be happier!!!
So remember the first side challenge during this 6 week Ten in Six challenge that was to plan an active date? Well of all the participants, I drew Jen's name and here's the Polar water bottle she won that I'll be giving to her tonight. BPA-free & Phthalate-free in case you were wondering :) My hubby loves these for summer bike rides b/c it keeps the water cold in the hot sun. I know Amy uses them, too. But the gift receipt is inside the bottle.... haha Horray, Jen! Can't wait to hear how all that dancing goes!
The second side challenge is kind of a big one, but it's one that I am REALLY REALLY REALLY EXCITED about! It will last not just today through next Friday, but today through the end of the challenge (3 more weeks!). It's been something I've been meaning to do for a long time, since all my recipes are loose-leaf computer printouts smeared with food in a huge stack on my counter AND in my cupboard.....with hodge podge books & what not interspersed of course....
2nd Side Challenge: Half the battle (or more than half the battle for me) in making a healthy meal plan and grocery shopping list for the coming week lies in REMEMBERING yummy, healthy meal ideas or lies in FORGETTING the cheesy, fatty, greasy meals I grew up eating. Wouldn't it make eating healthy easier if we had a quick collection w/ nutritional facts at our fingertips in the kitchen? This side challenge is something I've had on my to-do list for almost a year now! For this side-challenge, make a small healthy recipe album of your favorite recipes (include kid-friendly recipes, too!). You could do a small online collection, add in pictures of the foods & the nutritional facts per serving. You could print it out or keep it in digital form. Could be a word document or an elaborate online scrapbooking album. You could get all crafty with decorative 4x6" paper cardstock cards inserted into a photo album to keep on the kitchen counter. Or you could simply write out healthy meal ideas on 4x6" cards and put it in a small album to keep on your counter. The # of recipes you do is all up to you. If you want to do just dinner ideas, go for it. If you want to include breakast, lunch, dinner, dessert, and snack ideas, more power to you. If you want to have a section of just quick kids lunch box components, awesome. You could use a card file box instead of an album if you want. Do whatever you want to do. You could even just have a long Word document on your computer- keep it all digital. Or put all your existing unhealthy recipes out of sight and just leave your healthy recipes in your already organized kitchen. Have a favorite unhealthy meal at a local restaurant? Then re-do it at home, making your own healthy substitutions and voila- an edited recipe! Make sure you have the serving size listed on it and all the nutritional data like calories, fat, protein, fiber, etc. (You can analyze a recipe in MFP by going to a blank day in the future, entering in all the ingredients for the dish, then dividing out the total # of calories by the # of servings, dividing fat, protein, etc.) Take a picture or two of your finished album product and email it to me. I'll post them all when I get them. Use your creativity and make it completely your own!
I picked up a 3 ring binder from a scrapbooking store last night w/ the 12" x 12" blank clear pages inside that is meant to hold 4x6 photos in different collage arrangements. I am so EXCITED! The binder is shiny buttercup faux leather so it will wipe clean easily from all my food splashes (hmmm....maybe I'm a sloppy chef) and protect my recipe cards. I want to put just healthy stuff in it, and of course it will grow and expand over the years, then maybe a sealed off top secret opaque envelope at the back for all the sinful family recipes I don't want to lose track of, but shouldn't be looking at when I'm flipping through the book planning meals :) I can't wait to start it this weekend!
So remember the first side challenge during this 6 week Ten in Six challenge that was to plan an active date? Well of all the participants, I drew Jen's name and here's the Polar water bottle she won that I'll be giving to her tonight. BPA-free & Phthalate-free in case you were wondering :) My hubby loves these for summer bike rides b/c it keeps the water cold in the hot sun. I know Amy uses them, too. But the gift receipt is inside the bottle.... haha Horray, Jen! Can't wait to hear how all that dancing goes!
2nd Side Challenge: Half the battle (or more than half the battle for me) in making a healthy meal plan and grocery shopping list for the coming week lies in REMEMBERING yummy, healthy meal ideas or lies in FORGETTING the cheesy, fatty, greasy meals I grew up eating. Wouldn't it make eating healthy easier if we had a quick collection w/ nutritional facts at our fingertips in the kitchen? This side challenge is something I've had on my to-do list for almost a year now! For this side-challenge, make a small healthy recipe album of your favorite recipes (include kid-friendly recipes, too!). You could do a small online collection, add in pictures of the foods & the nutritional facts per serving. You could print it out or keep it in digital form. Could be a word document or an elaborate online scrapbooking album. You could get all crafty with decorative 4x6" paper cardstock cards inserted into a photo album to keep on the kitchen counter. Or you could simply write out healthy meal ideas on 4x6" cards and put it in a small album to keep on your counter. The # of recipes you do is all up to you. If you want to do just dinner ideas, go for it. If you want to include breakast, lunch, dinner, dessert, and snack ideas, more power to you. If you want to have a section of just quick kids lunch box components, awesome. You could use a card file box instead of an album if you want. Do whatever you want to do. You could even just have a long Word document on your computer- keep it all digital. Or put all your existing unhealthy recipes out of sight and just leave your healthy recipes in your already organized kitchen. Have a favorite unhealthy meal at a local restaurant? Then re-do it at home, making your own healthy substitutions and voila- an edited recipe! Make sure you have the serving size listed on it and all the nutritional data like calories, fat, protein, fiber, etc. (You can analyze a recipe in MFP by going to a blank day in the future, entering in all the ingredients for the dish, then dividing out the total # of calories by the # of servings, dividing fat, protein, etc.) Take a picture or two of your finished album product and email it to me. I'll post them all when I get them. Use your creativity and make it completely your own!
I picked up a 3 ring binder from a scrapbooking store last night w/ the 12" x 12" blank clear pages inside that is meant to hold 4x6 photos in different collage arrangements. I am so EXCITED! The binder is shiny buttercup faux leather so it will wipe clean easily from all my food splashes (hmmm....maybe I'm a sloppy chef) and protect my recipe cards. I want to put just healthy stuff in it, and of course it will grow and expand over the years, then maybe a sealed off top secret opaque envelope at the back for all the sinful family recipes I don't want to lose track of, but shouldn't be looking at when I'm flipping through the book planning meals :) I can't wait to start it this weekend!
1/28/10
Feel the Burn Thursday
Good morning, slimming divas!
What workouts have you done this week (be specific so we can all get good fresh ideas)????
If you're bored with your workout, try Googling some new moves, taking a class at the gym you've never tried, or borrowing a workout DVD from a friend who's tired of it. Here's the workout page from Prevention with some good strength training ideas, since we talked about that a lot before this session. There are even a couple of free iPod download workouts! 1/27/10
Whatcha Eatin' Wednesday
Good late morning, lovely ladies! It's been quiet lately on the blog.... What have you ladies been eating? Share your snack ideas and yummy meal recipes!
Kim, to answer your question from last week about what proportions to eat of what types of foods, etc, I would say your nutritionist would know what’s best and that it sounds pretty good. I’m no expert in that area, and I’m always trying to learn more and improve. That's an area I need to read some books on! The guidelines I go off of don’t take a lot of thinking power luckily and are pretty laid back- 6 mini-meals a day instead of 3 huge meals, keeping my foods high protein, medium to low carbohydrate, and pack in as many raw foods like fruits and veggies as possible. When I have breads or pastas I make sure it’s multi-grain. I also have been trying since this post (about a fantastic Runner’s World Diet article that I can’t find any more on their site) to have the high-energy carbs of my day clustered around my workout afternoons/evenings and have my feel-full-longer fat/fiber of my day clustered around my mornings/mid-day when I’m not active. I have a lot of room for improvement in that department, though, because I don’t put enough thought into when I eat my healthy snacks, I just eat them when I want them, listening to my body.
It’s so amazing that raw foods out there were created for our every need! Here are some workout-friendly must-haves that I love:
Berries fight inflammation (relieving muscle and joint soreness post-workout)
Avocados have healthy fat to prevent muscle & joint injury, Bananas keep us from cramping up and give us energy to work out, and Chocolate Milk helps our muscles to recover post-workout
This & this & this all about how Tart Cherry Juice fights inflammation, too
I am really intrigued by the Cherry Juice. Have any of you tried it? I haven’t and I wonder if it’s yummy. I’m thinking about picking up a jug at the grocery store soon to give the experiment a shot!
Share your snack ideas and yummy meal recipes!
Kim, to answer your question from last week about what proportions to eat of what types of foods, etc, I would say your nutritionist would know what’s best and that it sounds pretty good. I’m no expert in that area, and I’m always trying to learn more and improve. That's an area I need to read some books on! The guidelines I go off of don’t take a lot of thinking power luckily and are pretty laid back- 6 mini-meals a day instead of 3 huge meals, keeping my foods high protein, medium to low carbohydrate, and pack in as many raw foods like fruits and veggies as possible. When I have breads or pastas I make sure it’s multi-grain. I also have been trying since this post (about a fantastic Runner’s World Diet article that I can’t find any more on their site) to have the high-energy carbs of my day clustered around my workout afternoons/evenings and have my feel-full-longer fat/fiber of my day clustered around my mornings/mid-day when I’m not active. I have a lot of room for improvement in that department, though, because I don’t put enough thought into when I eat my healthy snacks, I just eat them when I want them, listening to my body.
It’s so amazing that raw foods out there were created for our every need! Here are some workout-friendly must-haves that I love:
Berries fight inflammation (relieving muscle and joint soreness post-workout)
Avocados have healthy fat to prevent muscle & joint injury, Bananas keep us from cramping up and give us energy to work out, and Chocolate Milk helps our muscles to recover post-workout
This & this & this all about how Tart Cherry Juice fights inflammation, too
I am really intrigued by the Cherry Juice. Have any of you tried it? I haven’t and I wonder if it’s yummy. I’m thinking about picking up a jug at the grocery store soon to give the experiment a shot!
Share your snack ideas and yummy meal recipes!
1/26/10
Tuesday Motivation
“Guard well your spare moments. They are like uncut diamonds. Discard them and their value will never be known. Improve them and they will become the brightest gems in a useful life.”
-Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Time is the most valuable coin in your life. You and you alone determine how that coin will be spent. Be careful that you do not let other people spend it for you.”
-Carl Sandburg
How do you spend those precious spare moments in your day? Workouts don’t need to be a full hour blocked off on your schedule where you zone the rest of the world out- they can be quick little bursts throughout the day. Check out the workout page of Fitness Magazine’s site: http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/workout/. There are links to all kinds of 15 minute exercises: 15 minute butt, 15 minute arms, 15 minute cardio, 15 minute jump roping, etc. Honestly, who CARES if you’re a little out of breath and glistening when you run your next errand- you’re going to feel really proud of yourself, and your body is going to be slimming, so who cares what other people think!
If 15 minutes is too big of a chunk of time, try little things like sitting on an exercise ball while at the computer instead of on an office chair- tiny little flexes on your core will make a difference over time. Try doing plies (like Marianne) or squats while you’re brushing your teeth in the bathroom in the morning or while you’re in the shower shampooing your hair.
Park your car at the back of the parking lot and hike in. Not only will you not feel that anxious must-find-front-row-spot feeling, but you’ll be proud of yourself for the extra 50-100 steps you’re taking!
Cleaning the house, go ahead and do multiple trips up and down the stairs at a fast pace, rather than making a pile at the bottom of the stairs of stuff that needs to be taken upstairs and then taking it up only when it gets to be a massive load. Find a project that you need to do at home, like re-organizing cupboards above your head in the kitchen, or lifting and rearranging storage in the basement or garage- your arms and shoulders will love you.
Play with your kids; do airplane, horsey rides, tickling, rolling around and laughing, somersaults, cartwheels, jumping rope, hula hoop, etc. You’re doing double duty workouts & quality fun time with the kiddos.
In warmer weather, keep a jogger stroller or a wagon in the back of the car. If you’re waiting 10 minutes for picking someone up or while you’re running errands, take the littler kiddos for a walk or a wagon-pull around the school grounds. Be spontaneous and say “yes” when your kids see a fun new park or playground they’ve never stopped at and climb on the jungle gym with them for 5 minutes!
Just a little bit of exercise will ENERGIZE you for MORE exercise! Add up 5 minutes here, 2 minutes there, and you might be surprised by the end of the day how much of a workout you got in!
What other ideas do you have for squeezing in little workouts in your busy schedule?
1/25/10
Monday Morning Check-In
Happy Birthday, Nicki!
How did your 2nd week go? Let us know how much you're up or how much you're down this week. What's your game plan for this coming week- anything you're going to do differently or anything new you're going to commit to that you want the group here to hold you accountable to?
Remember, according to the instructions in the link on the left side bar for how to accurately weigh and measure yourself, don't even get on the scale if it's your week of the month, b/c it will make you cry and it's just retained water. If it's your week, just keep working hard on eating right and working out and you'll see two weeks worth of numbers on the scale the following week. Keep your head up!
How did your 2nd week go? Let us know how much you're up or how much you're down this week. What's your game plan for this coming week- anything you're going to do differently or anything new you're going to commit to that you want the group here to hold you accountable to?
Remember, according to the instructions in the link on the left side bar for how to accurately weigh and measure yourself, don't even get on the scale if it's your week of the month, b/c it will make you cry and it's just retained water. If it's your week, just keep working hard on eating right and working out and you'll see two weeks worth of numbers on the scale the following week. Keep your head up!
1/24/10
Happy Birthday, Ashley!
It's a big week w/ 3 Ten in Six birthday gals :) Happy Happy Birthday, Ashley!!!!
1/23/10
End of First Side Challenge
Good morning & happy weekend, girls! The side challenge for this week has been to plan an ACTIVE date night or an ACTIVE girls night out or adventure. I am so happy that so many have done this- 11- that's incredible! Just think what this commitment to a healthy lifestyle communicates to your family, to your friends, to the new YOU. I love it :) Here's what everybody's got planned in the order in which I received them, and I edited specifics to keep this as safe as possible:
JEN R: DANCING "[My husband] and I are going to go dancing (ward dance in Feb, specifically). If that ends up not happening, we will go Contra Dancing by the end of Feb (13th, 20th, or 26th all available...). I commit! :)"
AMY: SNOWBOARDING "[My husband] and I have set an all day date for Jan 26. We are going snowboarding... I'm going to take a lesson since I have never snowboarded. [He] is dusting off his boards as we speak!"
KIM: SKIING, RACQUETBALL, & BOWLING "Well my husband has been trying to get me on the mountain for several years now and teach me how to ski. Everyone in my family either skis or snowboards and I am the last to learn. I usually play the cheerleader role and go up and take pictures and cheer them on but this year I think I will be brave and finally learn...We are going to go play racquetball ...and then we are going to go bowling. Boy my husband is going to be exhausted by the end of the night with skiing, racquetball and bowling all in one day! It should be fun and I am really looking forward to it and I'm glad I have another week to muster up some courage to learn to ski..."
LESLIE: SWIMMING "[My husband] and I have decided to go swimming at the YMCA for one of our date nights-- instead of eating out, like we usually do. I think it will be fun to change up the usual date-night routine and do something active together."
SHANDA: DANCING "My date night is going to ballroom dance class with [my boyfriend]! Learning the merengue is amazing and such a great workout then we stay for the group lesson so we are dancing for about 2 hours. We always leave class a little out of breath and smiling. Afterwards we go home and cook a healthy dinner together experimenting with fun new ideas and foods."
ABREY: ROCK CLIMBINNG, TENNIS, SWIMMINNG, ROPES COURSE, ZIP LINE, & SNORKELINNG "We have planned for our cruise on ship : rock climbing, tennis, swimming, also [my husband] and my sister have committed to workout with me on ship at least once each!! Off shore in Cozumel we are doing a ropes course, zip line and snorkeling adventure!!"
TARA: SLEDDING "I am off to a girls weekend this weekend in Galena and we are going to go sledding tomorrow morning after breakfast."
JENN P: WALKING, RUNNING, & HIKING "Since my husband is [overseas] I can't do a date night with him until the end of March! (He'll be coming home for a couple weeks on leave!) But I do have a friend/family that we do a lot of stuff together--our kids are close in age and have a lot of fun together. This week the kids were out of school for three days so we (both families) went to the ocean for two nights. We spent hours walking the deserted boardwalk and chasing our dogs in the sand. That was my fun/active time. We are also planning on taking a mountain hike together when the rain stops here."
MEGHAN: ROCK CLIMBING "I've been wanting to try some indoor rock climbing for a while and I thought that would make a really fun date. I found a place ... they offer climbing until 10 pm M-F. -perfect for a date night! [My husband] and I are definitely going to check this out!!
CHERISE: WALKING/HIKING "My active date night idea is to go for a walk/hike. We've got a lot of great parks around here and I would love to just go for a walk with my husband!"
SARAH: SNOWBOARDING "My hubby and I are going to give snowboarding a shot the 2nd week of Feb (deals on Tuesdays for beginners' lessons). He's never tried it and I had a disastrous first attempt 7 yrs ago! We are going to be so sore, but it should be a hoot!"
AND THE WINNER IS...........
JEN R: DANCING "[My husband] and I are going to go dancing (ward dance in Feb, specifically). If that ends up not happening, we will go Contra Dancing by the end of Feb (13th, 20th, or 26th all available...). I commit! :)"
AMY: SNOWBOARDING "[My husband] and I have set an all day date for Jan 26. We are going snowboarding... I'm going to take a lesson since I have never snowboarded. [He] is dusting off his boards as we speak!"
KIM: SKIING, RACQUETBALL, & BOWLING "Well my husband has been trying to get me on the mountain for several years now and teach me how to ski. Everyone in my family either skis or snowboards and I am the last to learn. I usually play the cheerleader role and go up and take pictures and cheer them on but this year I think I will be brave and finally learn...We are going to go play racquetball ...and then we are going to go bowling. Boy my husband is going to be exhausted by the end of the night with skiing, racquetball and bowling all in one day! It should be fun and I am really looking forward to it and I'm glad I have another week to muster up some courage to learn to ski..."
LESLIE: SWIMMING "[My husband] and I have decided to go swimming at the YMCA for one of our date nights-- instead of eating out, like we usually do. I think it will be fun to change up the usual date-night routine and do something active together."
SHANDA: DANCING "My date night is going to ballroom dance class with [my boyfriend]! Learning the merengue is amazing and such a great workout then we stay for the group lesson so we are dancing for about 2 hours. We always leave class a little out of breath and smiling. Afterwards we go home and cook a healthy dinner together experimenting with fun new ideas and foods."
ABREY: ROCK CLIMBINNG, TENNIS, SWIMMINNG, ROPES COURSE, ZIP LINE, & SNORKELINNG "We have planned for our cruise on ship : rock climbing, tennis, swimming, also [my husband] and my sister have committed to workout with me on ship at least once each!! Off shore in Cozumel we are doing a ropes course, zip line and snorkeling adventure!!"
TARA: SLEDDING "I am off to a girls weekend this weekend in Galena and we are going to go sledding tomorrow morning after breakfast."
JENN P: WALKING, RUNNING, & HIKING "Since my husband is [overseas] I can't do a date night with him until the end of March! (He'll be coming home for a couple weeks on leave!) But I do have a friend/family that we do a lot of stuff together--our kids are close in age and have a lot of fun together. This week the kids were out of school for three days so we (both families) went to the ocean for two nights. We spent hours walking the deserted boardwalk and chasing our dogs in the sand. That was my fun/active time. We are also planning on taking a mountain hike together when the rain stops here."
MEGHAN: ROCK CLIMBING "I've been wanting to try some indoor rock climbing for a while and I thought that would make a really fun date. I found a place ... they offer climbing until 10 pm M-F. -perfect for a date night! [My husband] and I are definitely going to check this out!!
CHERISE: WALKING/HIKING "My active date night idea is to go for a walk/hike. We've got a lot of great parks around here and I would love to just go for a walk with my husband!"
SARAH: SNOWBOARDING "My hubby and I are going to give snowboarding a shot the 2nd week of Feb (deals on Tuesdays for beginners' lessons). He's never tried it and I had a disastrous first attempt 7 yrs ago! We are going to be so sore, but it should be a hoot!"
AND THE WINNER IS...........
1/22/10
Feel Good Friday
Good morning, fabulous ladies!
For the side challenge, send me your active date/girls night out idea sometime today! I'll post and do the prize tomorrow morning :) So far I have them from Jen R., Amy, Kim, and Leslie.
This weekend Abrey, Meghan, Amy, & I are running a team marathon relay- good luck us :)
Today's feel good post is about success stories. Reading other people's success stories can really motivate us in our own weight loss journeys. "Wow, they lost SO MUCH weight and yes, it was hard, but they did it. Yes, it took them a long time, but they did it. I too can challenge my excuses." I love it.
Please search online and find a success story that you really like, then comment with the link to it for all of us to see (we did this last session, too, but I can't get enough of it, so do it again :) ). Here's a ton of them from Women's Health in a slide show. I really like this one and this one. Stuck? You can look through Women's Health, Fitness, Shape, Runner's World, Bicycling, Prevention, and probably a million others.
From this article, 20 Weight Loss Motivation Tips, check out #7 regarding success stories, "People who lose weight are not super-human. They just decided to go for it and then never gave up!" Reading these success stories remind you of that. Re-dedicate yourself to have a fantastic and healthy weekend, girls!
For the side challenge, send me your active date/girls night out idea sometime today! I'll post and do the prize tomorrow morning :) So far I have them from Jen R., Amy, Kim, and Leslie.
This weekend Abrey, Meghan, Amy, & I are running a team marathon relay- good luck us :)
Today's feel good post is about success stories. Reading other people's success stories can really motivate us in our own weight loss journeys. "Wow, they lost SO MUCH weight and yes, it was hard, but they did it. Yes, it took them a long time, but they did it. I too can challenge my excuses." I love it.
Please search online and find a success story that you really like, then comment with the link to it for all of us to see (we did this last session, too, but I can't get enough of it, so do it again :) ). Here's a ton of them from Women's Health in a slide show. I really like this one and this one. Stuck? You can look through Women's Health, Fitness, Shape, Runner's World, Bicycling, Prevention, and probably a million others.
From this article, 20 Weight Loss Motivation Tips, check out #7 regarding success stories, "People who lose weight are not super-human. They just decided to go for it and then never gave up!" Reading these success stories remind you of that. Re-dedicate yourself to have a fantastic and healthy weekend, girls!
1/21/10
Feel the Burn Thursday
Good morning, sweating & shrinking divas!
What workouts have you done this past week? What do you have planned for this weekend?
One of the best workouts you can do for your body is.....SLEEPING! If you don't get enough sleep (sorry, mommies of newborns, this might be impossible), then you're more apt to come down with illnesses or injuries in your workout regime. This Bicycling article is pretty good. It suggests 8-10 hours! Whoa! This RunnersWorld article says getting enough sleep (again, 10 hrs) will improve your reaction time and speed in running. This WebMD article suggests that getting enough sleep actually affects 2 important hormones in our body that affect appetite, so if you don't get a good night's rest, the next day perhaps nothing you eat will be satisfying or perhaps you'll be ravenous. And the thing we probably all knew, this AFPA article says that sleep is needed for our muscles to repair themselves (when you workout tiny muscle tears happen and then your muscles rebuild bigger and stronger).
The other great component to a successful weight loss program is....WATER! We know that often our bodies confuse the signal for thirst for the signal for hunger. Sometimes when you think you're hungry, your body is actually thirsty and dehydrated. Being sure to drink enough water will decrease your hunger & probably the amount of food you eat b/c of that. It will also increase your energy, increase your metabolism, cleanse your body, be easier on stomach bloat than diet soft drinks, and will just overall make you feel better. How much is enough? The old, well-known recommendation is 8 8oz glasses of water + any you drink during a workout. This RunnersWorld calculator that I like a lot actually customizes that generic recommendation for your gender and body weight, so it results in a little bit less water intake for me than the 8x8=64 fluid ounces/day. But this smaller calculation still has the addition of + anything you drink during a workout. And another cool tip is that if you sip ice cold water throughout the day, you'll burn a few extra calories from your mid-section as your body spends energy to warm up the water temp in your stomach to an absorbable and usable temperature. And I've heard that if your body feels thirsty, you're already dehydrated- so drink drink drink! Any tips for how you get in your daily water? There's actually a free iPhone app called "8" that tracks your intake of 8 glasses of water a day like a checklist- kind of fun :) I like a big glass of Crystlal Light w/ dinner, too :)
So the point of this post is not just to hear about what workouts you're up to (which I LOVE hearing about), but it's also a SLEEP CHECK and a WATER CHECK! How are you doing in both of those departments?
What workouts have you done this past week? What do you have planned for this weekend?
One of the best workouts you can do for your body is.....SLEEPING! If you don't get enough sleep (sorry, mommies of newborns, this might be impossible), then you're more apt to come down with illnesses or injuries in your workout regime. This Bicycling article is pretty good. It suggests 8-10 hours! Whoa! This RunnersWorld article says getting enough sleep (again, 10 hrs) will improve your reaction time and speed in running. This WebMD article suggests that getting enough sleep actually affects 2 important hormones in our body that affect appetite, so if you don't get a good night's rest, the next day perhaps nothing you eat will be satisfying or perhaps you'll be ravenous. And the thing we probably all knew, this AFPA article says that sleep is needed for our muscles to repair themselves (when you workout tiny muscle tears happen and then your muscles rebuild bigger and stronger).
The other great component to a successful weight loss program is....WATER! We know that often our bodies confuse the signal for thirst for the signal for hunger. Sometimes when you think you're hungry, your body is actually thirsty and dehydrated. Being sure to drink enough water will decrease your hunger & probably the amount of food you eat b/c of that. It will also increase your energy, increase your metabolism, cleanse your body, be easier on stomach bloat than diet soft drinks, and will just overall make you feel better. How much is enough? The old, well-known recommendation is 8 8oz glasses of water + any you drink during a workout. This RunnersWorld calculator that I like a lot actually customizes that generic recommendation for your gender and body weight, so it results in a little bit less water intake for me than the 8x8=64 fluid ounces/day. But this smaller calculation still has the addition of + anything you drink during a workout. And another cool tip is that if you sip ice cold water throughout the day, you'll burn a few extra calories from your mid-section as your body spends energy to warm up the water temp in your stomach to an absorbable and usable temperature. And I've heard that if your body feels thirsty, you're already dehydrated- so drink drink drink! Any tips for how you get in your daily water? There's actually a free iPhone app called "8" that tracks your intake of 8 glasses of water a day like a checklist- kind of fun :) I like a big glass of Crystlal Light w/ dinner, too :)So the point of this post is not just to hear about what workouts you're up to (which I LOVE hearing about), but it's also a SLEEP CHECK and a WATER CHECK! How are you doing in both of those departments?
1/20/10
Whatcha Eatin' Wednesday
Good morning, healthy ladies! What have you been eating lately? Any yummy new snacks to share or healthy recipes that you like?
For those with kiddos, eating healthy to lose weight is extra hard when you have to cook yourself a "separate" meal from the family. Have any of you had success getting the whole family to eat your healthy foods and meals? Check out this link for Feeding Picky Eaters and then check out the "related links" down below the article. I think the "peaceful plate" is kind of a neat concept, but generally chaos reigns w/ hungry munchkins, so it would take a lot of effort. Is this all "roll your eyeballs" and "dream on" tactics or do you think that it could work or is worth experimenting with your kiddos? Share some things that have worked for you in this department. What healthy snacks/meals do your kids love?
1/19/10
Tuesday Motivation
Good morning, girls! Today's post will be a little rambly :)
Going into the second week here, we want to keep up that phenomenal momentum from last week. Be really proud of your accomplishments, not just any weight you may or may not have lost, but the accomplishment of giving this blog a shot, the accomplishment of trying really hard to watch what you eat and fit in a few workouts, the accomplishment of being conscious of your choices & excuses. Be really proud of all the great habits you've started! Be your own cheerleader!
This old article, 10 Tidbits of Weight Loss Wisdom from the Biggest Loser, touts just this as the second tid bit, "Be your own high-stepping, baton-twirling majorette!" Ha ha, I love that mental image :)
Life coach Dale Smith Thomas said in her motivational email yesterday that we need to be our own biggest fan: "Remember what Eleanor Roosevelt said, 'No-one can make you feel inferior without your consent.' You need to become your...biggest fan. Everyone needs a cheerleader...do it yourself! Talk yourself up...A strong, positive self esteem is essential for achieving the goals we have set for ourselves."
Today, keep in mind how freakin' awesome you are and then decide that you ARE going to be successful. "Whether you think you can or think you can't - you are right." -Henry Ford
Think that you CAN and think that you WILL! You can do it, ladies!
And I think a little self-confidence tends to cultivate even MORE self-confidence. It snowballs. "If you hear a voice within you say 'you cannot paint,' then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced." -Vincent Van Gogh
YOU can be a healthy version of yourself. Clean out the negative thoughts, doubts, fears, etc. THIS is a fresh change, a healthy lifestyle start for you, something that you CAN keep up and maintain the rest of your life, something that you WILL succeed at and feel WONDERFUL from. Stay just as strong this week as you did last week!
Everyone comment and let us all know a cheer from you to you, since you're your own biggest cheerleader (this might be hard & awkward, but that's the point)! You can also let us know any change that you've felt within yourself physically, emotionally, mentally, etc. either via your entire weight-loss journey or via this first week on the challenge here. It will build us all up and help us see that the change we are bringing about is internal and not just external, and that it all STARTS WITH US! It all starts with a decision. Challenge your excuses!
Going into the second week here, we want to keep up that phenomenal momentum from last week. Be really proud of your accomplishments, not just any weight you may or may not have lost, but the accomplishment of giving this blog a shot, the accomplishment of trying really hard to watch what you eat and fit in a few workouts, the accomplishment of being conscious of your choices & excuses. Be really proud of all the great habits you've started! Be your own cheerleader!
This old article, 10 Tidbits of Weight Loss Wisdom from the Biggest Loser, touts just this as the second tid bit, "Be your own high-stepping, baton-twirling majorette!" Ha ha, I love that mental image :)
Life coach Dale Smith Thomas said in her motivational email yesterday that we need to be our own biggest fan: "Remember what Eleanor Roosevelt said, 'No-one can make you feel inferior without your consent.' You need to become your...biggest fan. Everyone needs a cheerleader...do it yourself! Talk yourself up...A strong, positive self esteem is essential for achieving the goals we have set for ourselves."
Today, keep in mind how freakin' awesome you are and then decide that you ARE going to be successful. "Whether you think you can or think you can't - you are right." -Henry Ford
Think that you CAN and think that you WILL! You can do it, ladies!
And I think a little self-confidence tends to cultivate even MORE self-confidence. It snowballs. "If you hear a voice within you say 'you cannot paint,' then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced." -Vincent Van Gogh
YOU can be a healthy version of yourself. Clean out the negative thoughts, doubts, fears, etc. THIS is a fresh change, a healthy lifestyle start for you, something that you CAN keep up and maintain the rest of your life, something that you WILL succeed at and feel WONDERFUL from. Stay just as strong this week as you did last week!
Everyone comment and let us all know a cheer from you to you, since you're your own biggest cheerleader (this might be hard & awkward, but that's the point)! You can also let us know any change that you've felt within yourself physically, emotionally, mentally, etc. either via your entire weight-loss journey or via this first week on the challenge here. It will build us all up and help us see that the change we are bringing about is internal and not just external, and that it all STARTS WITH US! It all starts with a decision. Challenge your excuses!
1/18/10
Monday Morning Check- In
Good morning, shrinking sistas! Today's the first weigh in. Let us
know how much you're up or down in weight or how you're feeling after
your first week :) What's your commitment for this week? Anything you
plan on doing differently?
know how much you're up or down in weight or how you're feeling after
your first week :) What's your commitment for this week? Anything you
plan on doing differently?
1/17/10
Happy Birthday
HaPpY BiRtHdAy to TwO AmAzInG WoMeN! JeN R's BiRtHdAy WaS JaN 9th & MeGhAn'S BiRtHdAy iS ToDaY!!!!!!! WiSh ThEm a HaPpInEsS & PeAcE tHaT's As SwEeT & BeAuTiFuL aS tHeY aRe :)
1/15/10
Feel Good Friday
Good morning, slimmin' women :) Everyone's comments yesterday were great- I am so impressed with all that movin' & shakin' going on!
I think to change our internal dialogue, we first need to reflect on all of our accomplishments and hard work, acknowledging our little successes, the decisions where we made the right choice, each bead of sweat that dripped from our bodies, every time we reached for the veggies and fruit, etc. After you've got your good base foundation of feeling proud of yourself, then add to that all the things that you are grateful for, building your resolve tall and strong. Then finally, after you're filled to the brim with good pride and gratitude, add a little roof to that tower, a roof of all of us 10 in 6 gals who are in your same position, who are trying our hardest, who are cheering for you and supporting you. That's a pretty good looking building, eh? :) YOU are amazing and YOU deserve to feel confident, sexy, and proud NOW of all you've accomplished this week! YOU are showing your excuses and old habits who's boss! YOU are defining who you are and what you will become, not letting life just happen to you. YOU rock, girls :)
Date nights or Girls Nights Out don't have to be nights and they don't have to be centered around a 10lb italian pasta dinner with a dozen breadsticks- challenge the traditional notion of dates/GNO! Schedule a fun and active adventure instead! Plan and schedule a big active activity for you and a significant other or for you and a girlfriend to do some day within the remaining 5 weeks of this challenge. Pencil in the date, get confirmation from the other particpant, and then let me know via email what your plan is! Once I get them all, I'll make a post of them (censoring specifics so we're stalker-free). Come up with even better ideas than I have here :) Is there an indoor rock wall gym near you that you and a friend could go to for a few hours of workout and laughter? Is there local gym that you and a friend could try out a "free-look" day pass at (pretend you're interested in joining) and take a spinning class, or take a dancing class, then relax in the pool, sauna, or hot tub afterwards? Is there a local dance studio that you and a friend could venture into for one lesson? Is there a yoga studio you've been wanting to check out that you and a friend could make a date to pop in for one session- maybe try Bikram if you've never tried it before? Is there a local ice skating rink or roller rink? Is there a state park that you and a friend could plan a hike through? Is there a local park district cross-country ski class that you could sign up for? Plan an afternoon or evening at a ski resort learning how to snowboard or ski with a friend (many places offer highly discounted evening passes from 5pm to 10pm). Try something new! The key here is to HAVE FUN and to be creative! And when we do it with a friend or spouse, we have even MORE FUN! Show your friend/spouse the new committment you've made to live life with spontenaity and fun, to be active, to make workouts an adventure! "When a friend is waiting for you, you're less likely to back out!"
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