Feel Good Friday

Good morning, girls!!!!!

Check out these fun ideas from Fitness Magazine.  Click on the image and it will get bigger.

I challenge all of you to call up a friend that you need to catch up with, and make a workout/active adventure date!  You don't have to catch up with friends over dinner.  Do it doing something active!  I think that's a great idea.

For all you runners currently training, check out the cool tips on hill running. 

And I love the comment here about how you can do ANYTHING FOR 30 SECONDS! So push it to finish strong :)

Feel the Burn Thursday

Good morning, ladies!

You are awesome, just getting that out there :)

How many calories do you burn unpacking, lifting, standing, cleaning lightly?  Here's a calculator to tell you!  For me, it's 155 calories an hour.  SAWEET!

Even if you don't have moving boxes to unpack like me, pick a random closet in your home and organize it!  Or some other small organization project.  Whatever floats your boat.  So not only will you burn 155 calories + per hour, you'll enjoy some of these emotional benefits to having just one less clutter spot in your life.  "Increased Zest for Life?"  Hmmm....might be a bit of a stretch, but I'll take it!   And once you've spring cleaned your home and spring cleaned your workout, try these ideas for spring cleaning your life!  I like this, "Pursuing a simple, sustainable, flexible, happier lifestyle means that you have to choose it. And that means choosing to lose some other things. It means getting rid of things that no longer work for you, it means updating the way you do things, it means freeing up some space for new and exciting opportunities and challenges." It's all a choice- choosing to be fit, choosing to exercise, choosing to eat healthfully, and choosing to live a de-cluttered life.


Mini Me, Marianne, Meghan, & Tara (phew, that's a lot of M's): How is the half marathon training going?  Nicki: Did you decide on the marathon?!?!  YoU cAn Do It!!!!!!!  Amy C. & Isolde: How is the sprint triathlon training going?!?!?  Does anyone else have something coming up that I forgot to mention?! 

What workouts have you all been up to this week??!!

Whatcha Eatin' Wednesday

Good morning, girls!
What's on the menu for this week?

I've shared this before, but I made it this weekend and I absolutely adore it. 

P90X Beef & Broccoli

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup Low-Sodium Soy Sauce
• 1/4-1/2 medium Red Onion, minced
• 1-2 cloves Garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp Sesame Oil
• 2 tbsp Rice Vinegar
• 1 tbsp Ginger, minced (I use ground ginger)
• 4 cups Broccoli Florets (I use one package of Archer Farms Steam-in-Bag Broccoli Florets)
• 1 box Taste of Thai Plain Flat Rice Noodles (SuperTarget, Woodman's, SuperWalmart all carry it)
• 1 1/2 lb Top Sirloin Steak (I just use one steak)

Directions:

 1) Bring 2 quarts of water to a boil
2) Meanwhile, heat a small amount of soy sauce in a large saute pan, add onions and garlic. Saute until opaque.
3) Add beef and saute, turning often (total 7-10 mins).
4) Mix oil, vinegar and ginger. Add to saute.
5) Prepare noodles according to package directions (6 mins boiling), Drain.  Steam broccoli. Add to saute and keep warm.
6) Mix noodles with beef and broccoli and serve.

Tuesday Motivation

suc·cess   /səkˈsɛs/ [suhk-ses]

–noun

1.the favorable or prosperous termination of attempts or endeavors.

2.the attainment of wealth, position, honors, or the like.

3.a successful performance or achievement: The play was an instant success.

4.a person or thing that is successful: She was a great success on the talk show.

 
con·sist·en·cy   /kənˈsɪstənsi/ [kuhn-sis-tuhn-see]

–noun,plural-cies.

1.a degree of density, firmness, viscosity, etc.: The liquid has the consistency of cream.

2.steadfast adherence to the same principles, course, form, etc.: There is consistency in his pattern of behavior.

3.agreement, harmony, or compatibility, esp. correspondence or uniformity among the parts of a complex thing: consistency of colors throughout the house.

4.the condition of cohering or holding together and retaining form; solidity or firmness.

 

 

Good morning, girls!  Think to when you've been the most successful in your weight loss and fitness goal achievement.  When you were/are IN the GROOVE of things.  When your healthy routine is down pat.  When it's just natural for you.  What was it that helped you?  What got you to that point?  What is your mindset when you're in that groove?  Maggie, the consistency rockstar on here, share how you do it!!!! Everybody share.  I love love love hearing all of your advice, tips, how you lift yourselves out of funks, how you push through any struggle or stress, how you just do what needs to be done, do what you know how to do, and the lbs just come off.  I love it :) 

 

Here's an article about how to build consistency in your healthy lifestyle.  http://www.womenfitness.net/consistency.htm  Keep consistent meal sizes, eat consistently spaced times apart, sleep consistently, exercise consistently.  It also has tips & tricks on getting consistent, like finding a buddy (or a whole couple dozen of buddies on here!) to keep you accountable.

 

Monday Morning Check-In: Halfway Point

Good morning, girls!
I hope you all had a great weekend!
It's our halfway point today, so check in with how much you're up or
down on the scale AND measuring tape!
Great work, everyone!

Feel Good Friday

Good afternoon, Ladies! :P

Check out this story today.  We all have NO EXCUSES that we can't challenge!

http://athleta.m.delivery.net/w/webView?cid=12866811656&mid=1101635052&pid=5064&vid=13689&ee=c2FyYWguYS53ZWlnaHRAaG90bWFpbC5jb20_&si=&mv=H&bv=H&oc=H&sc=&k=11gPti

I hope you ladies all have a phenomenal weekend planned!  Take care!

Feel the Burn Thursday

How are you shrinkin' sistas doin' this mornin'!!!!!!
So do you have any FAT PANTS? Pants that don't fit anymore becasue your body has shrunk? 
Here's a hilarious Fat Pants anihilation app that I LOVED!  And the rest of the Discovery Health site is pretty awesome, too.  Check it out!!! http://health.discovery.com/national-body-challenge/interactives/fat-pants/fat-pants.html 

I just watched the TiVo'd (after this Friday when I leave my friends' house and move into our own brand new place, I'm no longer going to have access to TiVo and I'll have to watch BL Live! The travesty! Ha ha, oh well) episode of Biggest Loser last night that aired Tuesday.  It was all about maintenance.  It was perfect for me!  I loved hearing it.  Past Biggest Loser winners came on and offered the success stories and the not-so-success stories.  I particularly liked the guy who had won the BL grand prize in season 2 and gained a lot of it back, and is in the process of losing it all again for the second time.  He talked about the "free passes" that we give ourselves.  Which I'm 100000000% guilty of.  He said he was at his goal weight, and he'd say, "Eh, this 800 calorie meal is ok, I'll burn it off later, it won't make a difference, it's just this once."  He cautioned everyone against taking free passes because they add up, and before you know it you've slid down the slippery slope and gained weight back.  Do you ladies take free passes?  What would be your tips & tricks for NOT taking free passes?  What do you tell yourself to stay the course?

So, FEEL THE BURN THURSDAY is upon us! What workouts have you been doing since last Thursday?????!!!!!  Share with us the specifics- I love hearing them all.

Whatcha Eatin' Wednesday

Good morning, ladies!
First just a little unrelated-to-food discussion. Have you all had a
full annual physical with you doctor in the last year? If not, call
today and schedule! You can talk to your doctor about a healthy BMI
for you and perhaps the most important from my experience, get full
bloodwork done to show if your hormone levels are all ok, your thyroid
levels, your vitamin D, your sugars, other nutrients, etc. If your
thyroid is underproducing, it can make it superhard to lose weight-
you'll work and work and work out, but be plateaued and tired. If any
nutrients are low, your doctor can suggest over the counter vitamins
you should be taking. And you'd better all be taking a multivitamin!
Just a generic Target brand does the trick. Being low on certain
important vitamins can make you sluggish or your body not as strong in
defense as it should be. So let us all know if you take any vitamins
and if you like them, etc.

Ok, on to the yummies!!! What have you been eating lately? What
recipes have you tried? What healthy snacks do you or your kids
enjoy? The weather here has been cold and rainy/sleety/snowy, so it's
got me thinking about warm homemade meals. Like in a crock pot! Here's
a link with lots of healthy slow cooker recipes. http://busycooks.about.com/od/healthycrockpotrecipes/a/healthycrockpot.htm
I am def trying the chicken & apples next week- sounds yummy!!!

Tuesday's Motivation

Good morning, wonderwomen!

A friend of mine posted this as his facebook status and it made me laugh out loud: "Excuses are like armpits- everyone has 2 and they both stink."  Hahaha

On to today's post.  Have you ever belittled yourself to make yourself feel unworthy of attaining your goals?  Have you ever thought, "it's ok that I'm cushy, because it just doesn't matter what my body is like?"  Do you ever feel like getting a toned physique is vane or selfish?  Do you find yourself mentally putting down and criticizing thin people you see day-to-day, mentally rationalizing why they are like that and why you are might have some "extra padding?"  This is really hard for me to put into words.  I hope you can understand the intent behind this blubbering.

Successful and sustained weight loss is not about vanity.  It's not about comparitive greatness.  It's not you vs. others; it's you vs. you to become the BEST you.

YOU are worthy of feeling great.  YOU are important enough to deserve to be happy.  YOU are positively impactful in the lives of others and in making a difference in the world, and to most effectively be able to do so, YOU must be healthy enough to carry on day-to-day with energy and live a long, long life.  YOU teach your kids BIG life lessons through your positivity, your enthusiasm for life, your love of healthy foods and exercise, your love of other people, your CONFIDENCE, your energy, your service, your challenging of your excuses, your drive towards your goals, your positive self-image, and your comfort in your own skin. 

Weight loss success is not for other people in other circumstances, "oh it must be nice to....,"....blah blah blah....the grass is not always greener on the other side....other people don't always have it easier; no one else is at the helm of your life except you.  Sure, you can't control the winds and storms that come, but you decide what direction your life is going to be pointing in.  The other day it was so windy when I was out driving around, that I saw a bird in the air flying with all his might into the wind, and he wasn't going anywhere.  He was stationary in the sky.  At the time I thought it was hilarious and a little bit sad, this lil' guy trying to fly in the wind, but now I'm thinking of it relative to this.  Sometimes the wind's at our backs and sometimes the wind's pummelling our face.  There are always seasons to our lives.  Heck, some of us might think our seasons have Tourettes.  But you can control your determination, your attitude, and your direction.  Hang in there and eventually the wind will change and you'll get to your destination. 

You participate in this challenge because you're BRAVE.  You participate in this challenge because you acknowledge you have excuses, but you're focused on finding a way over or around them.  YOU are worthy of acheiving your goals.  You are worth it.  Your happiness and your confidence and your HEALTH.  How much to they emphasize this in their emotional de-toxing on the Biggest Loser?  It's about your health.  It's about your happines.  YOU are worth it.  You are worth being fit. 

Another way to look at it is that your body is a gift.  To abuse your body is to take that gift for granted.  To use that body like a fine-tuned instrument is to honor that gift.

Check out these stories of people who saved and extended their lives through living fittly and losing weight.  It's not about vanity.  It's about how you feel and it's about what you've done to improve the quality and longevity of your life.  And you are worth it.

• http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/weight-loss/success-stories/50-pounds-lost/losing-65-pounds-saved-my-life/  Six months after her diagnosis, she was 65 pounds lighter and her doctor took her off insulin injections. "I have so much energy now," she says. "Eating right and exercising isn't just about looking good -- it's about feeling good and being healthy."
• http://www.doctoroz.com/blog/bonnie-matthews/gym-saved-my-life [my disclaimer- mental health issues are serious and need professional help, but healthly lifestyles help (not cure)]. Working out not only changed my cholesterol numbers and my blood pressure to normal levels, it has also kept my mental health in check as well.
• http://www.quickandsimple.com/diet-weight-loss/success-stories/diet-weight-loss-davis Everything was shrinking, including her breasts, and she felt terrific....So the next month, ...she felt a lump in one breast while doing a self-exam.....Yet Michelle saw only blue skies: “If I hadn’t lost all that weight, I might never have been able to feel it and catch it in time,” she points out. “Weight loss saved my life!”
• http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/weight-loss/success-stories/100-pounds-lost/losing-100-pounds-changed-my-life/ "I think of my body as a gift," she says. "I'm determined to do all I can to take care of it."
• http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/weight-loss/success-stories/100-pounds-lost/lost-100-pounds/ Though she's thrilled about her new body, her transformation has been much more than just physical. "I feel more energetic, outgoing and confident -- and ready to conquer anything."
• http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/weight-loss/success-stories/100-pounds-lost/lost-227-pounds/ Within two years she had lost a staggering 227 pounds. "I feel powerful, energetic, and feisty," she says.

See, ladies!?!? It's about how you FEEL!  It's about your HEALTH!  You can DO IT!

Monday Morning Check-In

Good morning, girls!
Hope you all had an active weekend!
Please share with us how much you're up or down & how you feel. Own
it. What's your game plan for making this week, week three, a
phenomenal week?

Feel Good Friday

Good morning, girls!

Check out this study on laughing: http://www.weightlossresources.co.uk/calories/burning_calories/laughing-burns-calories.htm  "The researchers discovered that laughing increased both heart rate and calorie expenditure by up to 20 per cent – and the longer participants laughed for the greater the effects.  Using the results, the scientists then went on to calculate that just 15 minutes of laughter a day will burn 10 to 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."

I hope you all have a fantastic weekend!  And HAPPY BIRTHDAY TODAY TO HEIDI!!!!!

Chuckle away at all these weight loss cartoons :)

Feel the Burn Thursday

Good morning, shrinkin' divas!
I hope you're all having a great week!

A friend of mine just got recruited by her church to teach a "Frugal Fitness" lesson to a group of women, varying in age from 18 to 100.  She and I have been brainstorming ideas and I've had a lot of fun helping and learning from her.   One of the things she's going to talk about is lifting weights using water jugs, big cans, etc.  Another is doing workouts on a playground with your kids.  Have any of you ever tried either of these before?  Share your experience and what you did!  If you haven't tried, then share an idea for at-home or no-cost workouts.  At this link, www.ehow.co.uk/articles_2355-p63-exercise.html scroll down to the bottom of the page and there are a TON of playground workout ideas.  And at this link, http://www.ehow.com/video_4953237_water-jug-exercises-plie-squats.html are a lot of water jug workouts w/ videos.

What workouts have you been up to this week?  I hope you all decide to make today an active day :)  It's all about the attitude choices we make.  A 30 second workout is better than none at all. 

Whatcha Eatin' Wednesday

Good morning, girls!
I hope you've all been making this a phenomenal week. I really enjoyed all your insight yesterday. 

What have you been eating lately? Any great new recipes or snacks you've tried?  Share with us! Since I've been craving and loving fresh fruit this week, here's a fun recipe I have that's originally from Amy T. in Indiana for Pampered Chef (Isolde & Amy F know her :) ):

Apple Berry Salsa with Cinnamon Chips


CINNAMON CHIPS

4 (7-inch) flour tortillas
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

SALSA
2 med Granny Smith apples
1 cup strawberries -- sliced
1 kiwi fruit -- peeled and chopped
1 small orange
2 tbsp packed brown sugar
2 tbsp apple jelly

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. For cinnamon chips, lightly spray tortillas with water. Combine sugar and cinnamon in flour/sugar shaker; sprinkle over tortillas. Cut each tortilla into 8 wedges; place in single layer on round baking stone. Bake 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned and crisp. Remove to cooling rack; cool completely.

For salsa, peel, core, and slice apples. Cut apples into quarters; chop with food chopper. Slice strawberries and chop kiwi. Place fruit in 1 quart bowl. Zest orange and juice. Add orange zest, orange juice, brown sugar and apple jelly to fruit mixture, mix gently. Serve with cinnamon chips.

Does anyone else have summer BBQ recipes or fresh fruit recipes?  Strawberries are almost in season!

So there were too many to post as a comment on yesterday's post, so here are most of my songs on my marathon playlist.  Don't judge me- if you don't deem them appropriate- then let's just say I have the edited versions- just shake them hips, girls! :)

• Mamma Mia- A* Teens


• Take a Chance on Me- A*Teens

• I Love Rock & Roll- ACDC

• Walk This Way- Aerosmith

• End Transmission- AFI

• Beautiful- Akon

• Right Now- Akon

• Superwoman- Alicia Keys

• Swing, Swing- All-American Rejects

• Nothing on You- B.O.B. featuring Bruno Mars

• Feel Like Makin’ Love- Bad Company

• No Sleep Till Brooklyn- Beastie Boys

• Timebomb- Beck

• Steal My Kisses- Ben Harper

• Get Me Bodied- Beyonce

• Irreplaceable-Beyonce

• Single Ladies- Beyonce

• Ring The Alarm- Beyonce

• Baby Boy- Beyonce

• Crazy in Love- Beyonce

• Don’t Phunk w/ my Heart- Black Eyed Peas

• Meet me Halfway- Black Eyed Peas

• Hey Mama- Black Eyed Peas

• Imma Be- Black Eyed Peas

• Pump It- Black Eyed Peas

• My Humps- Black Eyed Peas

• Boom Boom Pow- Black Eyed Peas

• I Gotta Feeling- Black Eyed Peas

• All the Small Things- Blink 182

• Blue Skies- Blue October (this one’s from Nicki)

• Love Drunk- Boys Like Girls

• Break the Ice- Britney Spears

• Womanizer- Britney Spears

• Short Skirt Long Jacket- Cake

• Evacuate the Dancefloor- Cascada

• I Want You to Want Me- Cheap Trick

• Broken- Daughtry

• Candyman- Christina Aguilera

• Fighter- Christina Aguilera

• Get Up- Ciara

• Viva la Vida- Cold Play

• Higher- Creed

• Fortunate Son- Credence Clearwater Revival

• Born on the Bayou- Credence Clearwater Revival

• Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger- Daft Punk

• Ecstacy- Darude

• Sexy Chick- David Guetta featuring Akon

• Let ‘Er Rip- Dixie Chicks

• Boom Boom Pow Remix- DJ Ammo

• Give me the Beat Boys- The Doobie Brothers

• Best I Ever Had- Drake

• Lose Yourself- Eminem

• Enur MIMS Remix- Calabria featuring Natasja

• Love of My Life- Erykah Badu

• Bring Me to Life- Evanesance

• Tambourine- Eve featuring Swizz Beatz

• Fergalicious- Fergie

• Clumsy- Fergie

• Glamourous- Fergie feat. Ludacris

• Turn It Up

• Barracuda- Fergie (Shrek the 3rd soundtrack)

• London Bridge- Fergie

• Superman- Five for Fighting

• Jump- Flo-Rida feat Nelly Furtado

• In the Ayer- Flo-Rida feat Will.I.Am

• All My Life- Foo Fighters

• Don’t Stop Believing- Glee Cast

• Mercy- Glee Cast

• Somebody to Love- Glee Cast

• 99 Red Balloons- Goldfinger

• Leave- Chemical Brothers (Gone in 60 Seconds soundtrack)

• Slide- Goo Goo Dolls

• When I Come Around- Green Day

• Time of Your Life- Green Day

• 21 Guns- Green Day

• Bananas- Gwen Stefani

• Strength, Courage, & Wisdom- India Arie

• Beautiful- India Arie

• Feedback- Janet Jackson

• In My Head- Jason Derulo

• Young Forever- Jay-Z feat Mr. Hudson

• Spotlight Remix- Jennifer Hudson

• Jumpin- Jeremih

• Leavin’- Jesse McCartney

• Baby- Justin Bieber feat Ludacris

• What Goes Around Comes Back Around- Justin Timberlake

• My Love- Justin Timberlake

• Rock your Body- Justin Timberlake

• Dance Bailalo- Kat DeLuna

• Tik Tok- Ke$ha

• Somewhere Only We Know- Keane

• Say Goodbye to Love- Kenna

• Use Somebody- Kings of Leon

• Live Like We’re Dying- Kris Allen

• Lookin’ For a Good Time- Lady Antebellum

• Poker Face- Lady Gaga

• Everything UR- Lindsay Pagano

• Four Minutes- Madonna feat Justin Timberlake

• Just Stand Up- Mariah Carey, Beyonce, Mary J Blige, Rihanna

• The Climb- Miley Cyrus

• Lose Control- Missy Elliot

• Pocketful of Sunshine- Natasha Bedingfield

• Saturday Night’s Alright- Nickelback

• Some Kind of Beautiful- Nikka Costa

• Everybody’s Got their Something- Nikka Costa

• Sinnerman- Felix Da Housecat

• Running- No Doubt

• The Way You Move- Outkast

• Fireflies- Owl City

• So What- Pink

• Don’t Stop Me Now- Queen

• You Are the Best Thing- Ray LaMontage

• Snow- Red Hot Chili Peppers

• Distrubia- Rihanna

• Please Don’t Stop the Music- Rihanna

• Umbrella Remix- Rihanna feat Chris Brown

• Fire Burning the Dancefloor- Sean Kingston

• She Wolf- Shakira

• Hips Don’t Lie- Shakira feat Wyclef Jean

• Pedal Pusher- Stereophonics

• All I Want to do- Sugarland

• Eye of the Tiger- Survivor

• Life your Life- T.I. feat Rihanna

• Crank That- Travis Barker & Soulja Boy

• Smile- Uncle Kracker

• Yeah- Usher feat Lil Jon & Ludacris

• Ella Me Llama- Wisin, Yandel Feat Sean Paul

• Way Away- Yellowcard (this one’s from Heidi)

• Esta Amor

• Noches Enteras Sin Dormir

• Jai Ho- Pussycat Dolls Remix (slumdog millionaire soundtrack)

• Dude Looks like a Lady- Aerosmith

• Beautiful- Beyonce feat Shakira

Tuesday's Motivation

I am ever in awe for how upbeat and awesome you guys alll are :)
Good morning, girls!

Meghan, I hope you continue to feel better and great job rockin' the halfie training!  Shanda, I hope your knee heals soon or else that dancefloor is going to be missing you something fierce!  Tara, how's your halfie training going?  Mini Me, I hope your unpacking is going well and I am SOOO majorly impressed and stunned that you are already at the gym in your new town!

Something I've been thinking on lately is that you all are becoming such experts in your own weight loss and fitness journeys.  We know exactly what it is that we need to do to lose the weight.  It's a simple matter of burning calories and staying at that net calorie goal each day.  "Simple," right? When we know what we need to do to hit a goal and we don't do it as a consious decision on our part, then we feel worse or more guilty than we would have had we not known how to lose weight.  Does that rambling make sense?  I am completely guilty of this sometimes.  I know EXACTLY what I need to do to lose weight, just sometimes my bad mood overrules my desire for my goal, and BAM! Welcome to funktown, but there ain't no disco playing here. 

I would love for you all to brainstorm and share how you all overcome that.  I know I'll definitely benefit from it even if the rest of you don't :)  How do you still find success?  How do you overcome chaotic days and wild children?  How do you overcome hubbies being out of town?  How do you overcome bad moods?  How do you overcome stress?  How do you overcome emotional eating?  How do you pump yourselves up?

For me, setting really exciting goals help me to lift up and out of funktown like an arcade game claw grabbing a stuffed animal.  I love finding a new race to train for or finding a new workout to experiment with.  Also, if I want a treat I negotiate with my self (I'm nutso and talk to myself regularly :) ) and tell myself I can have it if I complete a particular workout FIRST.  I've shared this before, but buying a new workout top or something workout-related cheers me up, too (Marshalls is great for that!).  I try to overcome emotional eating by working out.  Knowing how hard I work at working out, I'm less likely to want to "throw that away" by downing junkfood/fastfood.  And a good drive in the car BLASTING high-energy workout music really loudly and singing along- that always pumps me up and makes me laugh and smile :)  I've got a phenomenal workout playlist I adore.  Let me know if you ever want me to share- I can list out some good suggestions on here.  So those are my ideas, what are yours??????

Monday Morning Check-In

Good morning, girls! How was your weekend? Share with us your results!
How much are you up or down? How do you feel? What's your game plan
for this week?

Feel Good Friday

Good morning, girls!
Over 4 days strong!  Woohoo!

I hope you all have a fun weekend planned!  Today's post, I'd love if you all could comment and share with us all your game plan for staying strong in your diet and workout department over the weekend.  We all need to whip those iron wills into place :)

Here are a few ideas (from this Men's Health article):
* Pencil in at least one longer workout later in the week to counteract the extra weekend calories you'll no doubt consume.
* Take a break from your typical routine to cross-train or, say, attend a boxing class. You'll burn more fat as you put demands on different muscles. Take a swim instead of your typical stint on the elliptical machine; or play basketball or soccer. Maybe swap a short run for a longer one that includes sprints and hills.
* Try to start Saturday and Sunday with a healthy breakfast, even if you're waking up later. It'll rev up your metabolism. Successful weight control is consistently linked to breakfast-eating.
* Jump on the scale on Saturday morning, and plan to do it again on Monday. Researchers say people who weigh themselves are better at weight control.
* Variety is the cornerstone of a healthy diet, but having too many options spells doom for persistent snackers. Restrict afternoon snacks to one healthy choice, such as almonds, popcorn, or pretzels. No refills!
* Avoid mindless eating while you commune with your DVR. Leave food and drinks in the kitchen. When food's directly under your nose, you eat more.
* Get your rest. Sleep deprivation can wreak havoc on your metabolism and makes it difficult to avoid overeating.

Which one might work for you this weekend?

Feel the Burn Thursday

Good morning, shrinking divas!
Mini Me, I hope your move yesterday went well!

Today's post is all about sharing our workouts and what we've been up to.  So, how have you been sweatin' away the inches, gals?

There are some great links on the left sidebar of the blog page here w/ workouts, like an ab workout, an upper body workout, the 100 pushups challenge, and the 100 situps challenge. 

Watching  the Biggest Loser this week, I was so pumped up by their 5K that they did in Texas.  Races  & the exhuberance of finishing something that's difficult, that gives me SUCH a high!  I love it :)  So if you haven't picked out some kind of race, I think you really should!  Walking a 5K, running a 5K, 10K, half marathon, marathon, sprint triathlon, sprint duathlon, adventure race etc.  You'll be so dang proud of yourself :)  http://www.runningintheusa.com/

Also, have you ever checked out what kind of cheap or free deals there are in your area to try some kind of new workout for free?  I'm working through a free one week unlimited classes membership to Corepower Yoga centers here in Colorado (they have them across the country).  I'm checking out free running clubs and groups here a couple times a week (just Googled them up).  Next week I'm going to print out a coupon online for one free LA Boxing class (heard that on the radio).  I signed up for a race & with that came a 1 month free membership to the YMCA (because the Y is a sponser of the event), so I'm taking their twice weekly adult swim class for free.  In the past I've used workout DVDs from the library or streamed from Netflix or borrowed from friends.  I am going to see what I can find for rock climbing gym freebies.  I can't wait to explore more online to find more freebies for different gyms & programs here!  So anyways, I'm sharing this so you guys all be creative!  Want to try something new?  Chances are there's a coupon online to try it out once for free!  I'm just going to keep being adventuresome b/c it's fun & keeps me on my toes.  These muscles ain't memorizin' nuthin' !!!!   :)

Whatcha Eatin' Wednesday

Good morning, girls!

Today's the day for sharing all our snack ideas, recipe ideas, etc.  Has anyone come across anything new?  What have you been eating this week?

Check out this article from MayoClinic.com that re-affirms our rockin' caloric strategy for dropping that 10 lbs in 6 weeks: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/weight-loss/MY00432

"Your weight is a balancing act, and calories are part of that equation. Fad diets may promise you that counting carbs or eating a mountain of grapefruit will make the pounds drop off. But when it comes to weight loss, it's calories that count. Weight loss comes down to burning more calories that you take in. You can do that by reducing extra calories from food and beverages and increasing calories burned through physical activity."

The site has a lot of different pages you can go to for diet plans, quit smoking strategies, exercise tips, healthy lifestyle tips, etc. 

Here's their page for healthy recipes: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/healthy-recipes/RecipeIndex.  You can even search for recipes based on the main ingredient.  How neat is that?!  You can also search by serving size, by cooking type, by meal type, etc.  And Cadie & Val, there's a meatless section, too.

I wanna try the vermicelli tossed with roasted asparagus and tomatoes :)

Tuesday Motivation

Good morning, girls!

Does anyone have questions on My Fitness Pal?   I know we don't have anyone "new" per say this session, but always feel free to pose questions or disucussion topics or dilemas to this awesome group of gals.  They'll help you out with anything!

I LOVED hearing about all of you with yesterday's comments, all your great goals and motivation, all the phenomenal positivity and determination :) Makes me giddy!

For today's motivation, I would love for you all to comment on the post with a motivational phrase, quote, or something that has helped you in the past to achieve things you never before thought possible.  Search something out now if nothing is coming to mind.  Share away!

Also, comment on today's post to let us know how you're doing so far!  How do you feel after your first 24 hours of re-committment?

Monday Morning Check-in: Day ONE!

Good morning, beauties! Oh how I've missed you these last 2 chaotic weeks!  Let's get this party started :)

It's a day of new beginnings :)

This morning take your starting measurements (whatever body parts you feel like tracking the next six weeks) and your starting weight.  Record these in your My Fitness Pal profile.  They'll stay confidential.  Start tracking your calories consumed and your calories burned in your My Fitness Pal profile (there's a free iPhone app for My Fitness Pal, too). 

Everybody check in here, say hi, introduce yourself, tell us why you want to lose the weight or hit that fitness goal, and tell us what you're reward is going to be when you hit it!

Make it a great day today!