Steps to cut processed foods.

This is an interesting challenge.  Some of the weeks would be easier than others for me but it sure would get you to eating healthier and would improve health and weight loss.


http://eatlocalgrown.com/article/steps-to-cut-processed-food.html/?c=sfm

Try something new

Now that we are getting out there and shedding the weight and getting in shape try adding in something new. The weather has been nice and it is a great time to just go have fun in the sun. Go for a walk, bike ride, or take the family to the park and play soccer. You will start feeling like you can do more things easier as you get in shape. It might take a few tries to get the hang of a new activity but it will get easier each time you do the activity. You could be surprised at what activities you will find that you like by just giving it a try. Here are some ideas and feel free to let me know some of the things you like. Swim, racquetball, bowling, volleyball, basketball, a new workout video, softball, or anything that can get you moving. Most importantly HAVE FUN!!!!

chart progress

How many of you are still keeping track of your workouts and eating on the charts you made?  How did you do so far?  We are almost to the end of the month and I hope your chart is all filled up.  Even if it isn't I want you to look at it and really think about how you did.  Did you do your workouts?  Did you stay in your calorie count?  If the answer is yes and yes you should have seen some results.  If you didn't do as well, look at where you might have been able to do better.  Did you workout but over ate?  Did you eat right but just couldn't get to work outs?  Did you start out the week with dedication then fall off by the end.  Did you not keep track at all? Really try to see what you might need to work on.  Unfortunately as adults we are less willing to do what ever it takes to get a sticker on our chart :) but it can be good information for us each to see where we can improve.  Think about what you might need to work on and let’s work on it.  Let me know what areas are hard and I’ll get you more information and try to help you in any way I can.

Moments that make us fat.

http://www.organizeyourselfskinny.com/2011/03/21/the-%e2%80%9cmom%e2%80%9d-moments-that-made-me-fat/

From walking to running

For those of you that have been looking from going from waling to running here is a great plan.  Much like all the rest but having a lot of info is good :)
http://www.fitsugar.com/8-Week-Plan-Go-From-Walking-Running-3252493

artical

Here is a list of some good ideas to stay on track with your weight lose.  The truth is it can be as simple as a few little changes.   AND losing 1 to 2 pounds a week is realistic and healthy.  So many people are not happy with those kind of numbers but it adds up and will stay off if you keep it up!http://www.fitsugar.com/How-Lose-One-Pound-Week-6925344

Tricep

It is time to add a new lift! This will strengthen the back of your arm, the triceps. This picture shows how easy it is to do.
Stabilize yourself on a bench. Hold your arm at 90% angle then simply swing (and by swing i mean a controlled lift) the lower arm up to a straight arm. The trick is to really squeeze at the top of the lift. Remember 3 sets of 10 with a light weight (3 or 5 lbs). Add this into your strength training workout right after your bench press and before the squats.
Keep up the great work and remember only you can make these changes for yourself, so work hard and stay strong!!
YOU CAN DO THIS!!!!

Need help to kick sugar?

About 7 years ago I came across an article that introduced me to the specific roles of each vitamin.  Unfortunately, I can't find that article anymore but I discovered that sometimes the weaknesses we have are often deficiencies  we can overcome by adding a supplement to our diet.  Some vitamins help with muscle cramps and some help with digestion.  Other vitamins can even help you have better looking skin. This article talks about what might help you if you are always searching for the sugar.  Taking a multivitamin is a great alternative too. Just make sure you read the label and are receiving the right amounts of the vitamins YOU need to be more balanced and let your body work at it's best.
http://iquitsugar.com/magnesium-and-sugar-addiction/

Plateau

Three Must Follow Rules to Break your weight loss plateau in 7 days or less!

While I’m not big on rules or restrictions when it comes to weightloss (as people tend to rebel, binge or generally label themselves as “good or bad”. Yet to a large extent, we crave structure! We want rules. We want something that guides our day.

Today, I want to give you 3 very helpful guidelines. Now, if you are ...on a health and fitness journey, you know that 70-80% of your physical result is effected by your nutrition… As such, these three tips to breaking a weightloss plateau all pertain to IN-TAKE

Number 1:
Stop eating three hours before you go to bed.
Set a time, three hours before you go to sleep, at which you will no longer be consuming food. I promise you're not going to die of starvation.

That means that for one week, no dinner reservations after whatever time that you've set, no extra eating or snacking, just water. For one week, go to bed with an empty stomach, and I promise you'll going to wake up in the morning feeling fantastic!

Number 2:
Plan your meals based on a calorie deficict the day before. In order to do that, you will need to know how many calories you can consume tomorrow in order to create a deficit of at least 500 calories. Now, if you create a daily deficit of 500 calories per day, you're going to lose a minimum of a pound per week. If you create a deficit of 1000 calories per day, you will lose a minimum of two pounds per week. Now the only way to create that deficit ***is to know truly how many calories you burn**** That part does boil down in large part to knowing your numbers!

If you're going through your day trying to eat healthy, eat less, eat fewer calories, trying to move more, you're running a guessing game. If you want to have a successful business, you plan, the perfect wedding day, you plan, if you need to balance your checkbook, you plan your spending. Plan your nutrition.

Rule 3:

Try to eliminate all processed foods for one week. If it comes in a bag or a box, pretend it’s poison. For just 7 days put yourself on a whole foods only plan. Now…keep in mind that this is much easier than most people think, but it will require that you do refer back to rule number 2. The reason why most people turn to food of conveience is simply because they have failed to plan.
7 days… you can do it! You’re worth it! Give it a shot! If you’re serious about breaking a plateau I promise these tips will get you through it! Be patient. Be loving! Get some extra sleep. Be kind to yourself. Be forgiving. Speak lovingly about yourself, even if they’re just your own thoughts.

You can do it!

Copied from https://www.facebook.com/chalene/photos/a.102380381448.101312.99499711448/10152483487601449/?type=1&theater

Habits for life

These are all great ideas!!!
http://article.riffsy.com/article/12-habits-of-people-who-always-stay-fit-number-5-is-so-smart-1

Support System

Having a positive support system ups your chances of losing weight by more than 50%. So lets support each other. It can be a recipe, questions to everyone, how you are feeling, a workout you love, the fact that you ate the right food that day, anything you want it to be. There are days for everyone of us that we feel like we failed. We need to be the "pick me up" for each other.

Water

It is summer and so we tend to remember to drink more water but are we getting enough? You should be drinking 64oz a day.  I am going to talk a little bit about water and our workouts.  It is very easy to get dehydrated when you add workouts to your day. There are a few tips and ideas that can help keep us feeling great during and after the workout.  I don't know how many of you have weighed yourself before and after you workout but if you workout hard you can lose 2lbs of water in one workout.  That is totally normal. The question is how are you going to get those 2lbs back?  We are shooting for weight lose but not water weight.
Let’s start at the beginning.  Before you start the workout drink some water.  It doesn’t have to be a lot.  Start out with a little and work your way up to 2oz or so. Then, during your workout remember to drink water.  Depending on what I am doing I like to shoot for taking in water every 5 to 10 min.  Now, I'm not talking about 8oz at a time but enough to keep you going, maybe 1oz at a time.  After your workout you should drink at least 8oz if not more like 24oz.  You have all heard the rule of thumb, "If you are thirsty you are all ready dehydrated".  So don't wait until you are thirsty to drink water.  With all things having to do with working out it may take time to let your body adjust to drinking during a workout but it is worth the effort.  So next time you are thinking about it, weigh before your workout and then again after.  If you have lost more than 2lbs you are not getting enough water during your workout.  Remember your body needs the water to wash out the byproducts in your muscles from working out.  So drink it up and keep your body happy.

Tomorrow is weigh in day. If you are doing the challenge feel free to use your Sunday weigh in.  Your choice.

Sleep

If you want to lose weight you need to get enough sleep. I want you to shoot for 8 hours of sleep a night. Studies have shown that hours of sleep before midnight are when you get the best sleep with the most benefits. So the earlier you get to bed the better for your body and your weight loss. Studies also show that if you get enough sleep your body makes more of a hormone called leptin, which makes you feel satisfied after a meal. If you don't get enough sleep your body make less leptin and more of a hormone called ghrelin, which increases appetite and slows your metabolism. Your body also needs those precious hours of sleep to do maintenance and repairs on your body. You are working hard right now to lose weight your body needs time at rest to help it along. My goal is to head to bed by 9:30. This might be a challenge for some of us but if you get to bed earlier you can get up earlier and get just as much done in the day and maybe even more!

How many calories are Burned?

Do you ever end your workout wondering, "How many calories did I just burn????"  How many calories you burn at any given task or workout depends on your body weight, the duration of your activity, and the intensity you are working out at.  The more you weight the more calories it takes to move your body thus the more calories burned.  The longer you workout the more calories burned.  The harder you workout the more calories burned.  So with that being said, feel free to visit this site and find out how many calories you are burning during your daily workouts.  I think you might be surprised.
http://www.fitwatch.com/database/searchexdb.html
We will talk more about this later.  Keep up the good work!

Quote

"Our effort today determines our success tomorrow."

By Scott Larsen :)

Scott shared this with us a months ago but I wanted to bring it back up.  To have success we have to have effort.  That is all there is to it.

Tips!

Brush your teeth. After you have eaten your meal or snack go straight in and brush your teeth so you don’t sit and pick at the food on the table. Also if you can’t seem to get the cravings to go away during the day, brush your teeth. Nothing tastes good after you brush!

Chew gum. You can’t eat with gum in your mouth and it can give you a sweet taste.

Plan out your meals and snack the day before or a whole week at a time. If you have the calories worked out for your day in advance you are less likely to be cramming them all in at night to try to reach your calorie goal and less likely to go over because you ate to much in the morning.

Eat all 3 meals and 2 snack a day.

If you have the munchies drink water.

Use mustard instead of mayo.

Make eating purposeful, not mindless. Whenever you put food in your mouth, peel it, unwrap it, plate it and sit. Engage all of the senses in the pleasure of nourishing your body.

Prepackage your snacks. If you by a large bag of almonds (or anything) put 1 serving in each snack size bag. Then you will only have to grab 1 bag and you know that is the right amount.

Take snacks and water with you. Keep something healthy with you in the car so you are less likely to stop at a fast food place if you are hungry or get caught away from home.

Make sure your plate is half veggies and/or fruit at both lunch and dinner.

Eat the low-cal items on your plate first, then graduate. Start with salads, veggies, and broth soups, and eat meats and starches last. By the time you get to them, you'll be full enough to be content with smaller portions of the high-calorie choices.

You might be surprised at how your cravings will vanish after going two weeks without sweets all together.

If you must eat your sweets, eat them smart! Carve out about 150 calories once or twice a week for your favorite sweet. That amounts to about an ounce of chocolate, half a modest slice of cake, or 1/2 cup of regular ice cream.

Give it away! If you make desert, give away leftovers to neighbors or delivery people. (Just don’t bring it to my house :) )

Keep a food journal. It really works wonders.

Cut size – instead of using a dinner plate, use a salad plate.

Overeating is not the result of exercise. Vigorous exercise won't stimulate you to overeat. It's just the opposite. Exercise at any level helps curb your appetite immediately following the workout.

Weigh ins are tomorrow! KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!!!!

What's the plan?!?!?!

Step 1: Decide what we want to change to have a healthier life.
I hope you have all taken some time to decide what change you can make to head toward a healthier life style.

Step 2:  Make a plan to achieve this goal
Now that you have thought of something to "give up" make a plan.   Remember that we talked about making decisions ahead of time and that helping us when we came to the situation.  When confronted with the situation what are you going to do?!?!?!  When the candy is sitting on the counter, what are you going to do?  When the dinner was so great you just need 1 more helping,  what are you going to do?!?  When it is your kid’s birthday and you NEED the cake, what are you going to do?!?!  When your kids eat their snack and leave most of it on the table, what are you going to do?!?!?!
You notice that I said WHEN not IF because you know it is going to happen.  So let's prepare!  Throw those ideas out to me!!

• Throw the candy in the trash.  I through away 5 suckers yesterday that were calling my name. 
• Put the temptation out of site.  I put away the box of nilla wafers about 50 times. 
• Try drinking water first.  I thought about eating the candy and turned to drinking water instead. 
• Chew gum.  Sarah had a great idea to chew gum during that hard time of the day when it is supper easy to snack.  (I just so happen to have a post coming up next week about the dreaded afternoon snacking.) 
• Just say no.  It is getting totally acceptable to just say no to a piece of birthday cake.  In fact it is getting to be the norm at the family parties I have attended lately.
• Clean it up!  When the food is sitting out it is so much easier to eat a little here and a little there.  Put it away!

So what are YOU going to do? 

Now let's get to it! :)

DO

So, now we are scheduled and ready to make weight lose a priority in our life!  I'm excited!  The only thing left to do is fallow through.  This is the part that counts the most.  You know you can plan, plan, plan, think, think, think and never get anywhere if you don't DO, DO, DO!  Like I said this is a very busy time of year but we are going to take this one week and one day at a time.  Today get a workout in and look at those calories. Each day is a new start and an opportunity to succeed.  Put the effort out and you will get where you want to be.  Now get up and go workout :)

Eating right

This post is for ME!
Eating right is the most important part of losing weight. Remember, you can eat your way through any workout. That means it doesn't matter how many calories you burn during a workout, if you eat too many calories you will not lose weight. I have had people in my aerobic classes in the past say, "WOW, what a great work out! I can go eat ice cream now." The problem with that idea is that you just worked off 200-300 calories in a hour and the ice cream has 600 calories. Do the math! You will be gaining 1 lb a week with that theory. All that hard work and precious time is thrown right out the window! DON"T DO THAT TO YOURSELF!!!!
So here is the focus;
Count your calories
Put out the extra effort NOW
Don't short yourself.
I know we have been counting calories for a few months now and you are probably really good at it. BUT, for the next week or two I want you to really count those calories again. Get back on track. Take the time to reread http://wrachel15.blogspot.com/2012/02/eating-right-first-step.html for a reminder.

Put out the extra effort now. You will not be losing weight for ever and the more effort you put out now the sooner you can get back to maintaining instead of losing. Why drag it out? Also the longer you drag it out the more likely you are to give up. So, JUST DO IT!

Don't short yourself. Now is the time to really give it your all. Pretending doesn't count. If you are going to work hard, WORK HARD. If you are going to eat right, EAT RIGHT. Telling your self that you will do better next week only works if you are not telling yourself that every week.
So lets get our eating on track and really make this month count!

Strength Training

Strength training is so important when trying to lose weight or just having a healthy life in general. With strong muscles your body can function better and safer not to mention burn more calories. So, if you haven't started the weights workout START! It is worth the effort. If you don't have barbells yet use a can of spaghetti sauce or big can of beans, anything you can fit in your hand. If you have started but are not up to 3 sets of 10 start that today. you will be surprised at what you can do with a little effort. If you are up to 3 sets of 10 I want you to focus on doing the lifts a little faster. Go from one lift right into the next. Remember our goal is correct form so i don't want you to be sloppy and quick. I want good form, strong stances and deliberate controlled movements, just keep your heart rate up. You should be breathing hard and feeling like you are getting a workout. Remember to do your weights first before you do your cardio workout so you have the strength to do the lifts correctly and with the strength you need. I'm hoping everyone will be ready to add a few lbs to the lifts in a week or 2. Keep up the good work!!!

Ready for June!

Ok tomorrow is the last weigh in day of May. Are you ready to jump into June and really work hard at losing weight and getting fit and healthy?!?!?!?  Make sure you have all of the things you need to start the first day.   
As far as your plan goes first I want you to have a weight lose goal for the month.  Make sure it is obtainable! Losing 1 to 2 lbs a week is where you want to be. 
Next I want you to have a workout goal.  EX: "I want to work out 45 min a day, 5 days a week."
Last, I want you to have a calorie counting goal.  EX: "I need to keep my calories at or just below 1400 calories a day for at least 6 days a week."  Remember the other day is not a free for all.  It just lets you have about 200 calorie leeway to make up for those days you might go over because of special situations.  PLEASE DO NOT TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THESE DAYS!!!  Remember that weight lose is a big picture.  You need to cut 3500 calories to lose 1 lb so every day you over eat you are cutting into all that hard work that you have already done.  I want you to have success!  Be strong and really stay on track.  It is just 1 monthJ. 
Next make sure you have a calendar that you can write on, one color ink for workout and another color for calorie goal.  You can also write on the little round stickers and put them on the calendar.  If you workout more than 1 time a day write that down too.  On the calorie sticker write what your calories where that day and if you go over you can write that in a different color.  EX:  Worked out 45 min Monday. Write 45 min walk on Monday square in blue.  If you skip or miss a day don’t write anything down.   If you had 1389 calories Monday write 1389 in green.  If you go over to 1500 on the next day write 1500 in red.  This is just a system to really let you see what you are doing and might be an eye opener to some of you.  Often we think we are doing better than we are. J
  So get it all together and we will start for June!

Acknowledg your successes!!!

For most people the day you go on a "diet" you start wanting everything you have restricted from yourself, dreading the workouts and scolding yourself for every bad decision made that day. If we go over on calories one day, we think we have failed. If we don't workout one day, we think we have failed. If we don't lose weight one week, we think we have failed. We start cutting ourselves down before we even get started. I want you to think for a second. Who wants us to feel like we have failed, aren't good enough, can't do it or should give up? These are not thoughts coming from our Heavenly Father. He wants you to be healthy, successful and happy and can help you get there.

So lets start acknowledging our successes!

Today I had a break through. As I went out to move my car, I found a snack from one of my kids baseball games last night. It was a chocolate, rice crispy and carmel thing that you can buy in boxes of 10. I like those.:) It was just sitting there in the package, on the seat, with no one around. No one would know if I ate it. So what did I do? Walked in the house while unwrapping it....... still no one around. I pulled it into 2 pieces and .......called the 2 boys in and gave it to them. SCORE!!! One step in the right direction! I later went to the store. As I was unloading the groceries at home I see the fruit role up that Chase was just eating sitting there. My first thoughts were to eat it as fast as I could, after washing it off of course. :) I picked it up and walked in the house...... and throw it in the garbage. SCORE!!!!! Now that may seem silly to you but I really like fruit role ups. :) Now the question is did I have a perfect day counting calories and only eating the healthiest foods in the world. No, but I made at least 2 great choices that I wouldn't have made a few months ago. I really felt GREAT for not putting those things in my mouth! This is the feeling we are going for!!! What did you do RIGHT today? What choice did you think about and go with the healthier option? When did you not feel like working out and did it anyway? Count your successes up! See where you did a great job and say to yourself "GOOD JOB!!!" If you need to make a chart and give your self a sticker or check mark for good choices. I'm not kidding! You are all doing great so Acknowledge your successes and keep up the good work!!!

Hold Strong

The week is almost over.  How have you done?  Many of us tend to have a great first half of the week with dedication and motivation and then let it slide when we get to the second half.  Maybe you didn't eat your best yesterday or you are going to have a busy day today and tomorrow.  Don't give up on the end of the week!  Even if you slipped up on the calories or missed a workout, do better TODAY!  Get your calories on track TODAY!  Many times we have one slip up and give up all together.  We are human.  Everyone is.  No one is perfect on workouts and eating with in our calories.  So don't give in.  Hold strong clear through to the end of the week.  Forget the mistakes and move forward to a healthier you. You can do it!
Tomorrow is weigh in day.

Assess yourself

I know many of you have talked to me along the way about being frustrated the scale wasn't moving after so much hard work.  This article has some great thoughts on how to measure your improvement. 
http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/wellness_articles.asp?id=1358

Eat enough calories!

I have had alot of questions about serving sizes and calorie counting. This is the most important part of losing weight so I appreciate the questions and the effort you are all making to make good food choices.
First and most important, eat enough calories. If you are under 1200 you are starving your body. don't do that! Let me explain how the body works. Your body need a certain amount of calories for fuel to live off of without any physical activity at all. If you are not giving yourself at least that amount of calories your body goes into starvation mode. It begins to store every calorie you give it as fat and starts looking for another fuel source in your body to use for energy, which is your muscles. You don't want to use your muscle for energy. Muscles keeps your metabolism up which helps you burn calories and lose weight. Which is also the reason your body chooses to use it as fuel, to be able to cut the calorie loss. Sure with under 1200 calories you will lose weight at first, but you will not be healthy and with your body in starvation mode and a lower metabolism, you will gain it back and twice as fast. In the same respect if you are giving your body enough nutrition filled, healthy calories everyday it will be more willing to give the stored calories (fat) away as fuel for your workouts. Your body will recognize it will have more calories coming in tomorrow and it has the nutrients it needs to be heath so it sees it doesn't need to store the calories and can use them for fuel. So you have the stored fat for fuel for workouts, building muscle with weights (which burns more calories) and eating right, all working together to get your body where it wants to be. Yep you heard me right! Your body knows where it should be weight wise to be healthy. If you give it the tools (calories) and do the work (workouts) it will do the rest! That is very exciting!!! So don't cut the calories below 1200!! (For some this number may be higher. Once again please put your info in here http://www.myfitnesspal.com/welcome/learn_more to find your number or talk to me and i can help you.)
Second: As far as servings go, here is some info, and please continue to ask question!!!
Lean meats, poultry and seafood is usually about 3oz. That is about the same size as a computer mouse and a check book size for seafood.
Fruit and veggies: You need 4-5 servings a day. So get them in there. You do have to count them in your calories but they are not much and have the nutrients your body need. Try to make at lest half of those servings veggies. A salad with mixed veggies is 60 calories. It can fill you up, give you the vitamins and minerals you need AND is not high in calories.
Third: Eat your snacks!!!! if you keep your blood sugar from going up and down it will make you feel better and keep you from getting hungry. So eat a snack at 9:30 or 10 and another at 3. I eat a 3rd snacks in the afternoon if i have room in my calories.
Over all I am very happy with the feedback I have been getting. It sounds like everyone is losing weight and doing great! Remember you can ask questions on the blog at the bottom of any post or call, text, or email me anytime. It is so exciting for me to see the hard work and progress being made. The thing I love the most is being able to be apart of you reaching your goals and being healthy and happy. Keep up the great work!!!

Size Doesn't matter

I am a firm believer that healthy does not mean fitting into a size 6.  Also, healthy doesn't always equal skinny or skinny equal healthy.  I have told most of you this exact idea.  The BMI chart doesn't take build or muscle to fat ratio into consideration.  Women tend to define themselves with a number.  It shouldn't be that way. 
http://hellogiggles.com/size-doesnt-matter-chart-proves

New Priority

Now that you have a schedule written down and planned out we are on to the next step.
 Step 2: Priority.    If you have a real goal to loss weight you are going to have to put it higher up on your priority list.  You might have to make some sacrifices but in the end it will be worth it. This means don't put off your workouts. Some days I would swim at 5 in the morning.  If I wake up and am too lazy to get out of bed and tell myself I'll do it later I seem to run out of time in the day before I can get it in.  So DON'T PUT IT OFF.  Keep to your schedule.  And don't let other time consuming things distract you. (Like the computer, TV, reading, crafts) :)
   Another tip for this step is not over schedule your life.  Easier said than done but you must make time to get the workouts in.  Now, please do not get me wrong.  I am not asking you to take time away from your family.  I am however asking you to take your personal time and spend it wisely.  Some of you might say "What personal time?!?!?"  And believe me I understand that.  But I bet if you look you can find sometime to get it in.  Convenient time? Maybe not but time all the same.  Sometime I have had to make rules for myself that included, No checking facebook until my workout is done (or what ever is a everyday thing).  You can do it.  Make the time

New Schedule

Well this is the time of year when it gets crazy fro some of you.  With  school, kids, baseball and all the end of the school year stuff.   Schedules are changing and about ready to get really busy.  But the sun starts coming up earlier and it is getting warmer!  There is alot to get done and it is time to work out a new routine.  This is also the time of year when the workouts seem to go out the window.  It starts with a busy week of school and sports and no room for the workout.  We say we will start back up next week but that week comes and goes with no workouts.  I know it is a crazy time but if this is really what you want you are going to have to work for it and MAKE time to get the workouts in.  It isn't just the workouts.  It is eating healthy and keeping track of calories that takes time as well.  So what are you going to do?!?!?!?  This week we are going to take it a step each day and get you ready to have a successful May!  
Step 1:  make out a schedule of what you plan to do and when you will have time to workout.  You might have to adjust a little here and there but having a plan is the first and most important step.  Now, Go sit down with your calendar and write out the times and workouts for the rest of the month.

Water 2

It is starting to get warm again!!!!  We always need to drink water but as it gets warmer we need to make sure to keep that goal going.  Drinking enough water has alot of benefits. It helps keep you from feeling hungry (alot of time we interpret thirst as hunger).Water flushes out the waste products your body makes when it breaks down fat for energy or when processing protein.  You also need water to transport nutrients to your muscles, to help digest food, and to keep your metabolism working where you want it.  Water is important so drink up!

What works for you?

I have been eating better this week and I am excited!  One thing I have seen as far as my weigh lose goes is if I cut out empty carbs and really keep the breads to a minimum I really see results. I try to keep things to as many Veggies and lean proteins as possible.  Now, in no way am I hard core at this but I make a good effort and keep it real at the same time.  In the end we want to have a realistic diet that can be maintained and enjoyed.  When I am losing weigh I restrict more things than I do normally but I know I will be able to enjoy those things after I reached my goal and am in maintaining phase.  I'm willing to sacrifice to get where I want to be.
  So her are some things I do. One of the things that works best for me is adding tuna for lunch.  Now, tuna isn't my favorite BUT  when I eat tuna salad for lunch I see results a lot faster.  Maybe it is because I can add all the veggies I want and really get full on less calories and maybe it is because I don't EVER over eat tuna and just have to keep eating more and more and more like I do with peanut butter :).  Maybe it is because the protein helps get me through the afternoon bonk that sends me eating anything I can find.  So tuna isn't my favorite but it works so I eat it ALOT for lunch:).  Drinking water is another thing that helps me see results.  My third rule that really helps out is making sure I control my portion sizes at dinner which is when I tend to over do it.  Last but not least is an egg and a banana for breakfast.  Again, not sure if it is more because of the protein keeping my sugar levels even or if it is because it keeps me from eating 3 bowls of sugary cereal.  What ever the bigger reason is it works for me. 

What works for you? 

Change it up

I found the article that had some great idea.  The author used some shock tactics to get readers to read it and so I just took the info I wanted you to read and pasted it.  No need for miss leading info.  I found it on dailyspark.com written by Nicole Nichols

1. Mixing things up prevents boredom. While most people are creatures of habit, exercise is one of those things where variety tends to keep people coming back consistently. Sure "routine" is important. But think of routine as more of where you go and when—not exactly WHAT you have to do when you're there. I mean, you can only do a single workout DVD so many times—no matter how much you love it—before you can recite every word out of the trainers mouth and start thinking that the little joke s/he told at minute 5 is more irritating than funny. In fitness classes, instructors change up the routines all the time. That's part of the fun! You don't need a trainer or class or DVD to mix things up.  For ideas on how or what to do, use these resources:
    
2. Variety unleashes your best body. Even athletes who specialize in a single sport cross-train and use a variety of exercise types to stay in tip-top shape. Your body is a smart and efficient machine. While program #3 on the treadmill may have been challenging when you tried it the first time a few weeks ago, your body knows better. It is no longer challenged. The more you can move your body in different angles and direction and at different speeds and intensity levels, the more your body will be "shocked" and continue to respond by getting stronger, leaner and fitter. It won't have time to get used to things (think: plateau) if those things are always different.
    
3. Trying new things builds your confidence. This isn't something that's just important for teenagers, as high school health class may have led us to believe. So many adults suffer from low self-esteem and confidence. While some of that can be attributed to how you feel about your weight or body shape, it comes through at work, at home, and in everything you do. In my experience, exercise is one of the most overlooked confidence-building tools. When you try new things and see yourself improving, you feel good about yourself—no matter what the scale says or what anyone else tells you. Sure, it can be intimidating at first to try that group class and feel like "the only one" who struggled or couldn't keep up. But even that experience is helpful in building your character. And if you had fun and enjoyed it, all the better. The more things you can try through exercise—whether you fail miserably at them or master them—the better you'll be at trying, failing, succeeding, learning, and feeling confident in other areas.
    
4. The novelty will take your breath away. New things challenge your body in new ways—and will have you huffing and puffing, which means you are once again challenging yourself (that's a good thing) in a way that your previous workout routine may not. In fitness, you do have to consistently push yourself a little harder (faster speed, greater resistance, longer workouts) in order to continue seeing progress. So if you're a little hesitant to change things up completely, you can get your feet wet by upping the ante on your intensity.

Commitment

Now, we know where we are starting from. The goal is to keep our eyes on where we are headed. If you remember and DO these things you will see results in no time!
1) Drink Water
2) Eat your goal calories a day
3) Cut back on fat, sugar (candy, soda) and processed foods
4) Exercise 5 to 6 times a week
5) Check in and be accountable

Vitamins

When I first started my weigh loss journey 10 years and 4 kids ago, I read an article that was similar to this one.  I have been looking for it to put on the blog but I can’t remember where I saw it.  Anyway, I started taking vitamins D, B's and calcium everyday.  I lost weigh BUT I also was working hard and eating less calories.  I'm not saying it is a fix all but you might give it a try.  Like page 7 in the article says, you have to cut calories to lose weight.  This alone is not going to do it for you. :)

http://health.yahoo.net/articles/weight-loss/photos/burn-fat-fast-6-nutrients-faster-weight-loss#0

Food cravings

Food cravings are something most all of us deal with and when we are trying to loss weight they can be much stronger. First of all we need to know why we are having these cravings. Some of it is because we feel like we are depriving yourself from the things we are craving such as sweats. Amazing what psychology can happen when you are dieting :). But there are other reasons. Most of the time they are caused when our blood sugar drops. There are a few different reasons this might happen. First, you might not be eating often enough or the right foods. Second, stress can cause your blood sugar to drop.

Lets talk about eating right. We know we need to keep our meals and snacks balanced. Remember that protein takes longer to digest so it can help keep your blood sugar levels regulated longer. If there is a time of day that is specifically hard for you make sure you eat balanced meal, snack, and meal around those times. For instance afternoon cravings and snacking can be curbed by adding more protein to your lunch, having a yogurt or cottage cheese and fruit for snack, then eating a well balanced dinner. Pay attention to that time of the day and eat before it becomes a problem. Almonds are also a great protein source on the go. It is so important to keep your body fouled and happy.

Stress can also be a cause for cravings. I personally crave junk food and carbs just before the kids get home off the bus at 3. :) If your cravings are triggered by stress find a way to prevent the stress or let that stress out in a healthy way. We have gone over that before. Get enough sleep, take a walk, call a friend, take deep breaths, sit in the sunshine or eat a healthy snack. There are alot of things we can do before we get stressed out to keep the stress from getting to bad. It might be as easy as not letting other people get to you or keeping your thoughts positive instead of dwelling on the negative. Some of us have huge stresses that are real and life consuming and may not be gone this week or even this year. Remember there is always a great help just a prayer away. Heavenly Father wants you to be happy and can help calm the storms. I know this.

Ultimately we need to do everything we can to eat healthy and balanced, let the stress go and be happy. Remember this is a new healthy life style not a passing phase of your life. There is room for a treat here and there just don't let the situation make that decision for you. What we are trying to do is be the master over ourselves. We can choose good food. We can choose to deal with stress in a healthy way. We can make those choices part of our life for ever.

Keep up the good work. Let's make this week a great one!

Here is an article with more info on dealing with cravings.
http://www.shape.com/weight-loss/weight-loss-strategies/conquer-food-cravings

Fiber

We haven't talked much about fiber but it is an important part of a healthy diet.  We should be eating 25 to 30 grams a day!  Take a minute to read this article and get some ideas on how get enough fiber into your diet.
http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/nutrition_articles.asp?id=442&page

Who do you want to be?

Watch this!
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=628477057225847

Eating clean

I found some good whole foods recipes here.  I haven't looked at everything on the page but thought these are some good ideas
http://skinnyms.com/21-clean-lunches-that-can-be-prepared-in-under-10-minutes/

Cut carbs

We have talked about having a balanced diet and needing some of all of the food groups to achieve that.  Carbs are in almost everything and can be good and bad for you.  Most of the carbs we eat today are processed, bleached and not healthy for us.  Carbs are in a area that can easily be over done and for the most part are just empty calories. I am talking about white roles, white breads, french fries, some cereals and on and on.  Now there are also carb in fruit and whole grains that have high fiber count as well that are good for you.  As far as the whole grains go they can be over done quite easily.  So today's tip is to cut out those empty carbs and trade them for the carbs full of nutrients and fiber like fruits and veggies, and beans.  You should already be eating half a plate per meal of fruits and veggies so this shouldn't be hard.  Just cut out the white , prossesed, empty calorie carbs. :)  You will be suprised how fast you see results!!

Keep the momentom

  It is always exciteing and fun to see great weight loss in the first few weeks of making life changes to become healthier.  Some times the excitement and dedication can decreas as we are working month afte  month but this is the time to stay on track.  Don't let up!  Hopefully you have added these things into your life.

Eat more Whole Foods

Cardio Workout: 5 days a week for at least 30 minutes .

Strength Training: twice a week.

 

If you haven't added all three of these elements to your life add them in this week. 

 

This week we will focus in Whole foods.  I'll be sharing some meal ideas and recipes that I have tried.  Feel free to ask questions and leave your ideas and recipes in the comments.

 

Let's talk Whole Foods!

 "When you eat whole foods, you're getting the food in its natural state, you're getting it intact, with all of the vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients that are in the food. Basically, it's the healthy whole food, rather than the bits that remain after refinement and processing.  It's the difference between an apple and apple juice , or a baked potato and mashed potatoes."



  

That quote comes from this 3 page article if you want to read all of it.   http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/the-benefits-of-healthy-whole-foods

 

So, Why Whole Foods?  You can get all the vitamins and nutrients that your body need with less calories and chemicals.  That last part is very important.  Less Chemicals!!!!  Your liver filters out all the chemicals and "junk" out of what we eat and drink.  As we eat more and more processed foods, our liver can't keep up and we also end up storing these chemicals in our body.  That isn't good.  We end up not feeling well, our body can't function as it should, and we will have health issues.  By eating whole foods we can cut down on the junk going in that needs to be filtered out and that cuts back on filtering the liver has to do.  Get it? Just like a water filter.  If you have water running through the filter it works great, but start pouring muddy water through that filter and it gets all backed up and doesn't work well. 

You want to find and eat the food in their natural state.  Think skinless chicken breast vs. breaded chicken patty, brown rice vs. a rice dish in a box or a peach vs. canned peach in heavy syrup.  When you are looking for something to eat I want you to ask your self, "Did this food have to go through a "process" to get to this state?"  If the answer is yes,  try to find a more natural form of the food.  Now I'm not talking about cooking the meat, that is ok, but NO FRYING OR COOKING IN GREASE. :)  You also can steam veggies and use a crock pot and those kind of things. So today I want you to pay attention to what you put in your mouth.  Can you find a healthier more natural form of things you love to eat?  And let's cut out the things that have all the processed chemicals and sugars and fats and give our body a break from the junk we try to filter through it.

A new week!

This is a new week and we are ready to go again!

Lets remember the basics.

Count your calories: There is nothing more important than what and when you are eating. DO NOT LET THIS ASPECT SLIDE!!!

Excise: You should be doing AT LEAST 30 min a day cardio and strength training twice a week.

Drink water: This is important. It is a little annoying with the runs to the restroom every hour or so but your body will thank you and it help wash those toxins you are releasing, that are stored in the fat you are losing, OUT of the body!

Keep up the great work! We are going to talk about our workouts tomorrow!

April recommit

This is IT!!!! April is here and I'm ready for a great month, are you?!?!?!?! The weather is warmer and the sun is up earlier (and later). What a great time of year! It is time to recommit! I always view spring as a time of year to make those new year resolutions a reality.
I want you to think of a new weight loss or health goal you would like to reach in the next 2 months or adjust your old one. A reasonable healthy weight loss goal is 1 to 2 lbs a week. You can lose 1 lb a week just by eating healthy. If you are shooting for -2 lbs a week you will need to eat right and exercises faithfully. If you eat right and work really hard you can even hit -3 lbs a week here and there. Our goal is to lose weight in a healthy way and at a rate that can be maintained and kept off.
I want you to be successful!
If you lose more than 2 lbs a week you are more likely to not lose or even gain some back the next week because your body is trying to adjust. Remember slow and steady wins the race? We are not in a race but slow and steady reach their weight loss goal and keep it off. :)
Also for those of you that are reading but not posting your weight loss, this is a great time to jump on the band wagon(even if you are not actually reading this on April 2nd). If you want me to add you to the list on the left just leave a comment with your name on it any time and I'll get you on there. Remember my goal is not to put you up on the blog to embarrass or bully you but to add accountability to your equation. If you would rather not, that is fine too. I know some of you are doing great and I am really impressed with your determination and efforts. It can also be a great encouragement to see others succeeding and hear their good and bad times. By posting we all can be that encouragement and support group to each other.
So here we go!!! Weigh ins are tomorrow! Let's have a GREAT April!!!

Keeping it real

http://asklaurenfleshman.com/2013/11/keeping-it-real/
Love that she is being honest because it is true!  I love the pictures of just standing around verses a photo shoot or runway. 

Love your Body

Too often women don't like their body so that is their drive for weight loss.   "I'll like myself when I lose 10 pounds" or "I would like myself if I was a size....." or  "I would like myself if I looked like...." I am going to tell you a secret.  You can like your self/body no matter what shape or size you are.  We are all special and amazing and beautiful.  We all have great things about us and we should all love ourselves.  That is easier said than done for some.  So, today I want you to write another list of 5 things you like about yourself.  You might have found some new things as you have gone on this healthy journey. Post it next to your goal chart or on the minor or somewhere you will see it everyday. You don't have to over think it, just write the first 5 things that come to your mind.   I will check in with you on this and we will talk more about this soon.

Improve your mood with out food

I know we have talked about this before but I am thinking we need to talk about it again.  When my life gets crazy this is what goes out the window first.  I know it has been something I need to be reminded of and work on.  I don't know about you but I eat to deal with stress, boredom and anger and I am ready to STOP IT!.... Again :)  I really liked the section at the end of the article that is titled "One thought at a time".  You really can choose to change your attitude and have happy thoughts instead of anger or stress. Give this article a read and remember you can do this.

http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/wellness_articles.asp?id=1047

Quote

What you do TODAY can improve all your tomorrows

what you eat makes a difference

http://www.dailyspark.com/blog.asp?post=how_your_food_choices_affect_your_health

Healthy?!?!?!

Don't be fooled. A muffin is essentially a cupcake wearing a "healthy" halo.

It is really easy to think you are eating something healthy when you really aren't.  Check the labels.  I have already told you about my "healthy granola" incident.  Just because it is in a box, wrapper, or shelf that looks like it has healthy food doesn't always mean it is.

Weekend and spring break!!!!!

It is time for spring break for alot of us! YAY!!!! For me this means more time to get my workouts in. For others it might mean driving in a car or busy busy go go go. What ever your plans are remember to get a workout in everyday even if it is a family walk. Even more important keep your eating under control. It is easy to just eat what everyone else is eating or give in to the pizza and cake and ice cream. What I want you to remember is not to deprive yourself of everything you have ever enjoyed in your life but to make good choices. This is a life change so live life, just do it in a healthy way. You can give yourself room in your calories for a little treat here or there. Just don't over do it or make it a everyday thing. Remember your goals for the month of March.  Make this week fit that goal!! Have a great weekend and spring break!

Body Shapes

We all know there are different body shapes. Banana, Apple, Pear and Hourglass. As women, most of us know what shape we are. There are alot of myths that go along with these shapes as well. The most important reason for knowing your shape is to know your risks:

Significance
"Where you store excess fat determines the extent of your risk for illness and injury. Apple shapes are more at risk for diabetes and heart disease. Fat is stored deeper in the waist and abdomen, which will affect internal organs and insulin levels. Alternately, in the pear shape, fat stored in the hips and thighs is closer to the skin and increases the risk for movement issues. For the triangle, ruler or hourglass figure, excess fat is a health risk if the fat percentage is high enough to be clinically diagnosed as obese."
http://www.livestrong.com/article/250846-body-shape-weight-loss/ for more on that article

Along with knowing your shape comes all the "fix it quick" garbage. You always hear and read about ways to "loss belly fat" or "trim your hips". The truth of the matter is that there is no way to loss weight from one singled out area of the body. Your body loses weight more or less evenly. You can't take 10 lbs just off your belly or hips alone but it will come off evenly over your whole body. Where ever you store your fat for your body shape will always be where the majority of your fat is stored. Now, the GREAT thing is you can be a healthy apple, pear, hourglass, or banana! That is what we are going for! We have to learn to accept our bodies for the great gifts they are and make them the best we can. This can be hard for some of us to hear but the sooner we understand this the sooner we can stop being disappointed and stop trying to change something we can't. Everyone of us have good qualities. We need to concentrate on these good qualities and focus on being the best ME we can be!

I'm ready! Are you?

Well, with quote from yesterday fresh in my mind I will get honest with you :)  I hadn't been doing as well as I should in the eating healthy of portion control department the last few months.  I hadn't been able to workout and that has added to my poor attitude and excuses of over eating and just plain rebellion when it comes to weigh loss.    I know I'm not the only one that ever feels like this so....... I'm just going to be honest.  I had let the stress of life and inability to workout like I want to drag me down.  Sometimes I feel like "Oh, who cares anyway" or "Well you ate a cup cake, you better just eat 20 of them." and "Everyone else is ordering a blizzard!".   I had not been losing weight and in fact had gained because I had given up.  We all have times when we feel like giving up and when we feel like the sacrifice of eating healthy isn't worth it.  So, how do we address these feeling?  How do we get back on track?  How do we get past the excuses and keep moving forward?
Well honestly there is no secret fix all but it is a personal choice . YOU can do ANYTHING you put your mind to.  I promise you that.  Sometimes it might not be in the exact way you wanted things to go but you CAN do it.  You WILL have ups and downs.  You WILL have hard days or weeks or months.  You will have times of doubt.  BUT, you can do it.  You just have to decide it is THAT important to you.  So I ask you,  How important is it to you to be healthier?  How bad do you want to be able to play and run with your kids?  How bad do you want to feel as good as you can?  How bad do you want to look in the minor and be proud of what you see? 
If you are feeling an excitement or burning or emotional about those question are you are ready to really do what it takes to set and meet your goals?

I am ready! 

 

Are you?

 





I think most of you are.  So lets go over this again.  If you haven't already, let's set a realistic goal for the next 4 weeks.  A good realistic goal is -1 to -2 lbs a week.  Some of you might need to make goals that are measurable in different ways like inches lost, the way cloths fit, days kept on track with eating or workouts done .  Some will be getting stronger and fitter but not see such a huge change on the scale and that is ok too.  Some of you are just getting started and might be able to loss more and some, like me, had over eaten for 2 weeks and might see a huge drop just from getting back on track.  So write down your goal. If you need help let me know.

4 weeks  -8 lbs is mine.

Now, what are we going to do to get there?  Workout plan, eating plan.

Let's start with workout first.  EVERYDAY you need at least 20 min of a workout that gets your heart going.  The more you do the faster you will see results but we don't want o over do and hurt ourselves.  Set a time each day and make it a priority.  Write down what you will do or what you did and keep track.  I want to see your list :). 

Next is eating.  Recommit to your calorie count and eating whole foods.  THIS IS KEY!!!!!  Write down everything you eat and really be strict on your self for right now. 

I could go on all day with this but I leave some for the next few days to come.  Let's do this!!!

Perspective

"A change of perspective can change everything."

Some times it takes looking at things in a different way to get things going.

Heading in the right direction

As far as weight loss goes all weeks are not created equal. Even if you put your best efforts out every week there are other factors that can effect your weight loss along the way. Hormones, illness, traveling, stress, drinking alot of water before you weight in :) and on and on, BUT if you are putting your BEST EFFORTS out every week you will keep heading in the right direction. You might have a big loss one week and not lose any the next. You also might gain 1 lb one week then head into the biggest loss you have ever had(-4 lbs), just to jump back up a pound the next week. If you think about the long run you are headed in the right direction. Ideally we want to have consistent losses but sometimes your body takes some time to adjust to the changes despite your hours and hours of hard work. That is called a plateau. That can be a clue you need to up your efforts. The most important thing is to stay on track. Don't fall in to old habits of nibbling here or there. Push your self harder on your workouts. Make sure you are counting those calories. See your progress and Know you are doing well. Slow and steady not only win the race but in the long run is healthier and gives you a better chance of really making a life long change for the better. You are all going well! KEEP IT UP!!!

mmmmmmmmmm

"You don't have to eat alot of something for it to taste good".
Sometimes when something tastes good we think we need to eat ALOT of it.  Most the time it tends to be unhealthy food but not always.  Too much of anything is not a good thing.  So what should you do when something is just SOOOO good?  Here are a few steps to try.

Take 1 helping; put it on your plate.
Eat that helping SLOWLY.
Wait 30 seconds between each bit to really enjoy the flavors.
When you are done with your 1 serving put your plate away and walk away :)
If you are at your house put the food away so you aren’t tempted to keep eating.

So often when something tastes good we eat it fast and then go back for seconds.  One of the things I always seem to get trapped into is just eating 1 bit out of the serving dish, you know to save calories.  Just a little taste. . . then another.  . .then another.  The "just a taste” turns into me eating more than if I would have just got a plate and taken a serving.  So slow down, taste and enjoy your food and walk away knowing you stayed within your calories.

How to use a scale for weght loss

I know I have said this all before but why not have a refresher :)
http://www.popsugar.com/fitness/How-Use-Scale-Weight-34720675

Fruits and Veggies

It has been a while since we have talked about our food habits. We want it to be a great weight lose month so I thought I would remind you of a few things. Today we are talking about fruits and veggies. You should be eating them with EVERY meal and most snacks. Do you remember the half plate rule? Half of the plate should be fruits and/or veggies at every meal. Another important part of this rule is to get a variety. A great way to get this variety is to look at the colors. Does your plate look green or does it look like a rainbow? (We are going for the rainbow look) :).
You should have some fruit and some veggies everyday. Most of us have no problem eating the fruit but we leave out the vitamin packed veggies. The first step is buying them at the store so they are in your home to eat. Think about what is in season then think about what variety you might want for the next few days and only buy an appropriate amount so they don't go bad. The produce will taste better if it is ripe, in season and fresh. If you need help knowing what is in season or how to know if something is ripe just ask the produce manager that is stocking the displays.
Although you get the most nutrients eating them raw you can also add veggies into stews, casseroles, or eat them steamed or grilled. Just remember to leave out the fats that we so often use to cover up the fact we are eating healthy foods. :)
So this coming up month of March focus on getting those healthy, vitamin packed fruits and veggies into your meals. Your body will thank you!
If you have a great recipe with fruits and veggies let us know! Soups, salad, casserole, grilled, what ever let's have them.

Mental Attitude

Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude. - Thomas Jefferson
I found this quote today and it is so true. With the right mental attitude you CAN achieve your goals! There are some things that you do not have much control over but weight lose is 100% in your control. Now, I'm not saying it is easy but what I am saying is if you keep up the hard work you will reach your goal. Now is the time to remember why you are doing this and push yourself to keep it up. Make the time for your workouts. Put the effort into eating right. Put yourself where you need to be mentally. See yourself where you want to be and know that you are making the changes you need to get there.
You can do this! You can do this!
You can do this!
Nothing can stop you!!!

Motivation

Watch this. 
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10151990858913159

YOU GOT THIS!!!!!  YOU CAN DO THIS!!!!

What does sugar do to you?

Watch this!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B56Gpf1f5_A

Goal setting

  March is coming up!!! It might be time to review the goals you have made.  I found this article that might help you set some realistic goals that you will be able to measure and attain.  if you need help with finding specific ways to reach your goals give me a call, text or ask me on facebook. I'd love to help you be successful!

Creating S.M.A.R.T. Goals

Specific

Measurable

Attainable

Realistic

Timely

Specific: A specific goal has a much greater chance of being accomplished than a general goal. To set a specific goal you must answer the six “W” questions:
*Who:      Who is involved?
*What:     What do I want to accomplish?
*Where:    Identify a location.
*When:     Establish a time frame.
*Which:    Identify requirements and constraints.
*Why:      Specific reasons, purpose or benefits of accomplishing the goal.
EXAMPLE:  A general goal would be, “Get in shape.” But a specific goal would say, “Join a health club and workout 3 days a week.”

---

Measurable - Establish concrete criteria for measuring progress toward the attainment of each goal you set.
When you measure your progress, you stay on track, reach your target dates, and experience the exhilaration of achievement that spurs you on to continued effort required to reach your goal.
To determine if your goal is measurable, ask questions such as……
How much? How many?
How will I know when it is accomplished?

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Attainable – When you identify goals that are most important to you, you begin to figure out ways you can make them come true. You develop the attitudes, abilities, skills, and financial capacity to reach them. You begin seeing previously overlooked opportunities to bring yourself closer to the achievement of your goals.
You can attain most any goal you set when you plan your steps wisely and establish a time frame that allows you to carry out those steps. Goals that may have seemed far away and out of reach eventually move closer and become attainable, not because your goals shrink, but because you grow and expand to match them. When you list your goals you build your self-image. You see yourself as worthy of these goals, and develop the traits and personality that allow you to possess them.

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Realistic- To be realistic, a goal must represent an objective toward which you are both willing and able to work. A goal can be both high and realistic; you are the only one who can decide just how high your goal should be. But be sure that every goal represents substantial progress.
A high goal is frequently easier to reach than a low one because a low goal exerts low motivational force. Some of the hardest jobs you ever accomplished actually seem easy simply because they were a labor of love.

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Timely – A goal should be grounded within a time frame. With no time frame tied to it there’s no sense of urgency. If you want to lose 10 lbs, when do you want to lose it by? “Someday” won’t work. But if you anchor it within a timeframe, “by May 1st”, then you’ve set your unconscious mind into motion to begin working on the goal.
Your goal is probably realistic if you truly believe that it can be accomplished. Additional ways to know if your goal is realistic is to determine if you have accomplished anything similar in the past or ask yourself what conditions would have to exist to accomplish this goal.
T can also stand for Tangible – A goal is tangible when you can experience it with one of the senses, that is, taste, touch, smell, sight or hearing.
When your goal is tangible you have a better chance of making it specific and measurable and thus attainable.

( found at http://topachievement.com/smart.html)

The ideal doesn't exist

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=1413155718825306

The ideal doesn't exist.

Plan ahead

While you are planning your meals think ahead.  White a little forethought, dinner one night can be lunch the next day.  For dinner we ate grilled chicken, noodle salad, corn and green salad.  If you have sides like noodle salad that are not great as far as calories and whole foods you can not eat it or only take one small helping.  Add up the calories to stay on track.

I cooked a few extra pieces of chicken that night and put them in the frig and today I ate grilled chicken salad for lunch.  My salads look a little dull but don't limit yourself.  Add peppers, onions, cucumbers, carrots or what ever you like.  There are a lot of ways to spice it up a little.  Salsa can be a great toping for taco salad. Strawberries can really make a salad amazing.

 Remember to drink water and keep it up!

Vioces!!!

While I was running today I heard someone clapping, it was just my thoughts cheering me on.

OK, OK, so this isn’t the original quote. The original quote said thighs not thoughts but because my reading skills are awesome I read it thoughts the first time and really liked it. :) 

What are your thoughts saying to you?

This is a topic I have wanted to write about for a while and have talked about before.  There are always those people around or maybe our own self doubt that keep saying

"Oh, don't go workout today it is too windy, late, hard, busy, tired. ....

Fill in with you own excuse". 

or

"Oh just eat some cake and ice cream, you worked hard for it."

 or

"You can't lose weight you never have been able to, it's in your genes."

   or

"You can't lose any more weight.  You never have been able to get past this number"

To those thoughts I say

STOP IT!!!! 

 I am hoping you have some voices in your head or people around encouraging you instead....

 "I'll take the kids, go workout.  I know it is important to you"

 or

"I cooked the chicken on the grill instead of deep frying it today" 

 or 

"You walk a little taller when you workout"

  or 
"Man I feel great when I eat healthy"
or
"I went for a walk!!!"
or

 "YOU CAN DO IT.  KEEP GOING!!!" 

Now, I am one of those people that talks to myself and I am ok with it, :)  When im running or riding up a big hill I say "I can do this" when I'm looing at the thing of Oreos I say "No, find something healthy for snack!"  I want you to give it a try.  Say 3 nice, encouraging, uplifting things to yourself today.  Remember the list of things we like about ourselves we made.  Now might be the time to get it out and look at it if you need to.  Please do not let self doubt or negativity keep you down.  You CAN do this if you put the effort out.  Sometimes there are rough parts and stall parts and not enough time parts but don't let that stop you.  Take every good effort and give yourself the praise you deserve, then push through keeping your goal in mind. Tell yourself you can do it and believe it!

 

work quote

I LIKE

It is easy to get down on ourselves or be hard or negative.  We need to love/like ourselves regardless of what we think about our weight.  We all have good things about us.  I want you to make a list of 10 things you like about yourself.  It can be anything.  Your hair color, height, eye color, foot size, funny, a thinker, crafty, hard worker, anything.
Sit and look in the mirror and really think about it. I want you to write it down.  You don't have to show anyone but I want you to keep it in a safe place.  You might want to put it somewhere you can see it everyday, that is up to you but we will be coming back to it later :).

Decisions Determine Destiny

"Decisions determine destiny". That is a quote I heard in conference and it applies to so many things in our lives. Your destiny IS your decision. Your weight and fitness level is YOUR choice. No one can gain or lose weight for you. Although there can be people in your life that can encourage or discourage you, in the end it is your decision. Now is the time to decide how bad you want this weight lose and how much effort you are willing to put into it to getting there. So lets set ourselves up for success. The good decisions we make ahead of time can really help out when it comes to staying on track.
First lets work on food decisions. Eating right can be a stress if you wait until it is time to eat to decide what you are going to eat. One of the biggest things that can help in this area is making a meal plan. This could take a few min or even a hour at first but it can make all the difference when you are desperately searching for something to eat at 3:oo in the afternoon and all you can find is cookies. So write down what you will eat for breakfast, am snack, lunch, pm snack, and dinner. It can be for 2 to 3 days or 1 to 2 weeks. Count the calories in advance, then go buy what you will need. Having the healthy food on hand is HUGE! Then there is no questions, no thinking and less chance to make a wrong decision. You can have the eggs boiled, chicken defrosted, veggies on hand or a healthy packed lunch with just a little planning. You will find that you don't have to reinvent the plan every time. You will know what the calorie count is on your staple meals and snacks and can plug in the those meal choices easily. That is also handy when something comes up that you need to adjust for.
The next step is to plan out your workouts. If you are working on a training plan print it out and keep it handy. If you do not have a training plan write out your own. Then, with plan in hand, don't forget strength traingin, write on your calender what you are going to do each day for the next few weeks. Make a specific time and plan it into your schedule. For instance you might write down that you are going to jog on Monday and lift weights on Tuesday. Decide what time you will do that and keep that time open for your workout. You must make time and fallow through to be successful.
Now, life does happen and there will be things come up that you will have to be flexible for, but just move things around a bit and keep right on going. Changes don't mean you have failed or that you have to give up. Adjust and move forward!
So plan your meals and workouts!!! Decide your destiny! You can do this!

Quote

Everything you do is based on the choices you make.  It's not your parents, your past relationships, your job, the economy, the weather, an argument, or your age that is to blame.  You and only you are responsible for every decision and choice you make, period.

 

 

 

 

Choose to eat healthy and get your exercise in everyday.  YOU CAN DO THIS!

Dealing with stress

Well I have had alot of stress in my life and sometimes I tend to eat my way through it. It never fixes it but sometimes I sure eat like it was going to. AND eating doesn't do a dang bit of good. Have you ever been sitting at the table with your head down shoveling in the food like a mindless robot only to add guilt to the stress the next day for the way you ate? Lack of sleep sure doesn't  help in those situations ether!

You may not have stress this week but it will come and it is better to have a plan than to turn to food for distraction or comfort. First of all you should not eat when you are stressed!! Wait until you are calm and focused on eating rather than using the mindless shoveling technique. I know I have eaten unhealthy, high calorie, junk food that didn't even taste good because I was not putting the effort to deal with stress properly.
Working out is a great way to relieve stress. Not only does it help you get your mind off the negative it also triggers your body to release "feel good" endorphins. So go for a walk, a jog or a bike ride. Jump on the trampoline, play catch with your kids or just throw the Frisbee. Call a friend to talk or just soak in the tube. What ever it is stay out of the kitchen until you can think about what you are putting in your mouth and make good decisions.
Have a plan and post it on the frig or pantry if you need to. It might say :Count to 10, Go for a walk, Make good food choices.
Decide now to deal with stress in a healthy way and do it for life!

If you do fall off the wagon..... get up, dust your self off, and get right back on. You will be surprised at how forgiving your body can be if you get right back on track.

This is an article you can read for more info: http://www.everydayhealth.com/health-report/eating-for-better-health/manage-stress-and-emotional-eating.aspx

Some of the main points are:

"Ultimately, your best arsenal against stress should come from a different source. Using strategies such as exercise to burn off stress, calling a close friend or family member to talk out difficulties, or taking a warm bath to help relax are all healthy ways to manage stress without relying on food."

"There's a definite physiological connection between food and stress that encourages you to overeat.
When you know that stress is causing you to crave food, take steps to redirect your attention:
Take a walk.
Grab your water bottle.
Keep a stash of healthy snacks.

Stress can also distract you from what you're eating, which leads to gorging on foods that you don’t even enjoy. Here are some suggestions to help you avoid mindless emotional eating and overeating:Focus on your food.
Savor the flavors.
Don’t eat on the run.
Time yourself.
Don’t skip meals."

A Fun Way To Be More Successful

This is an article that my sister shared with me a few weeks ago. It has some great ideas that can apply to many parts or life.  One of the sections is about the "20 second rule".  It can really help in a lot of areas from getting a workout in to eating right.  It is a great tool. Well worth the read so click the link!!!!


http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2014/09/be-more-successful/

Sum Up

Here’s what we can all learn from Shawn:

1. Success doesn’t bring happiness. Happiness brings success.
2. See problems as challenges, not threats.
3. More work means you need more social support. And giving support is better than receiving.
4. Send a 2-minute “thank you” email every morning.
5. Use the 20-second rule to build the habit.

Positive Talk!

Positive talk is one of the most important things to be successful when losing weight and trying to keep motivated. It is so easy to slip into the " I can't", "I don't have time", "It wont work for me" attitudes. This is not what you want running through your head when you are trying to lose weight. It can be a stumbling block but we can over come it.

I want you to think of at least one positive phrase (the more the better) that you can post on your refrigerator, bathroom, exercise room and everywhere else. I have "Be What You Seek" on my refrigerator. I had "DON'T" on my pantrey door over the hollidays :). You can use something like "I CAN do it" , "I LOVE working out", "I AM WORTH IT" or "I have had a baby so i can do anything" :). What ever works for you. When I was training for the triathlon a few years ago I was riding my bike on a VERY hilly road. By the time i got to the top of the hill I could have walked faster than I was riding BUT, when it got hard I started talking. "You can do it", "Keep it up", "Come on you're almost there". Yep, I was talking OUT LOUD to myself. I know it may sound silly but you can be your best cheerleader.
When you pick a saying you love, say it everyday! Say it when you wake up, when you eat, when you workout or whenever something gets to be to much. By having a daily saying, you can help keep your attention centered and focused on the task at hand. If you are working out with someone make it be a buddy system thing. When one of you get a little negative the other one can say the positive saying. IF you hate running say "I LOVE RUNNING!!". If you are doing 50 sit-ups and you get tired say "I CAN DO IT!!". When you want to eat fast food say " I AM WORTH MORE!". Last night at the dinner table I said (OUT LOUD) "Don't eat the whole pan of enchaladas!!" and got up from the table and brushed my teeth. You CAN do this! You ARE worth it! Stay positive!! Let me know what sayings you find that you like!