Healthy Relationships

I know A LOT of people who try to keep their dieting & work out a secret, like they are embarrassed that they are trying to lose weight. They think that if they keep it a secret that it will be easier and less emotional. WRONG! I read the following on JillianMichaels.com and I could not agree more!

"From now on, I want you to surround yourself with supportive family and friends. Take the time to share your goals and aspirations with them, as well as the details about how you're going to lose weight. Give the people who are closest to you the lowdown on the types of foods you're eating and your workout schedule. Tell them how you feel about your efforts and how important it is to you that they understand your changing needs and continue to support you in this new lifestyle.

Now think of people outside your immediate circle of family and friends. People you encounter every day — whether they have a personal relationship with you or not — can help you stay on track. Your doctor can help you maintain your health while you lose weight. Your co-workers can refrain from pushing unhealthy office food. Think of everyone you regularly encounter in a day, from the guy who sells you coffee to your pals online. They are — whether they know it or not — your co-conspirators in creating a healthy new life for yourself.

If you patiently and consistently communicate what others can do to support you, you will build a network of strength that you can lean on when you feel discouraged or in need of reassurance."

And it made me think just how true this really is! Support is a KEY to changing your lifestyle. This is true in everything! Say a smoker is trying to quit but all of his friends that smoke don't support them--so they smoke around them or even offer it to them. It's the same with changing our eating and work out habits. If your friends and family know how excited and determined you are to change they are just going to want to help in anyway possible (that is if they love you)!

Start today! Share your excitement about your new journey! Yeah it may annoy them at first but who knows you might inspire someone else!

Our Country is Sick and it's SAD!

Our country is growing more and more ill by the day. It makes me sad to look around and see how unhealthy we are making ourselves. Fast food (and I'm not just talking drive thrus) seems easier now but really it causes you problems in the long run and eventually takes it's toll. Not only are adults feeling these growing pains but our children are too. I read this article this morning regarding Type 2 Diabetes in children. It gives the statistic that 17% of pediatric patients are overweight! That is nearly a quarter of of our countries children! We need to do better than this! I know it seems hard to take on. Where do we start? We start with ourselves! Make a change in the way you eat be and example to those around you ESPECIALLY your children! I challenge you to learn something new about what you are eating today and share it with someone else!

Sorry I have be MIA

Sorry for the long pause between posts. I just started working last week and I am trying to get in a rhythm! Boy oh boy it is hard to eat right when you work full time and have a family! This is really going to be a balancing act. I will definitely be posting about how to brown bag it more effectively that is after I figure it out for myself. The first couple of days I did well (yogurt/turkey sandwich/ celery & carrots/ etc) but then time slipped away and I just thought oh I'll get something healthy in the cafeteria...well that can be difficult. I just got my new Rachael Ray magazine today and on the cover it says '1 month of make ahead meals'. We will have to see if any of these will work for lunch. PS Have I mentioned that I LOVE this magazine? It is so pretty and colorful with TONS of yummy looking recipes (I say looking because I have yet to cook one of them...lol). The ONLY thing I hate is there is NO nutrition information. I hate that!

Tips to Tame Your Snacking from JM

Are you a binge eater or do you have troubles snacking? Most of you know that I this is my number 1 problem. Sometimes when I start to binge I just give up and give in. But I am learning to master this problem. So the other day I came across this Jillians Michaels podcast and loved some of the tips she gave and thought I would share a few.

When you want something sweet try fruit and try a fruit that you have to peel or something that will take time.

Try putting you treat on a fancy plate. So you want a couple of cookies? Okay have one or even two but take the time to make it look fancy and don't sit in front of the computer/tv eating. Take the time to really enjoy it. Sometimes don't acknowledge that we are having a dessert or a treat. We just graze and then feel the guilt. If you need something sweet track your calories and dish it up like it is part of the plan.

Still going? Negogiate and compromise...that is right if you are to eat 500 calories worth of cookies determine how much work you are going to have to do to burn it off. Is it worth it to you? If so, eat your cookies and hit the treadmill until those 500 calories are gone. This may even make you decide it's not worth it. Even just thinking about this causes you to slow down and think.

Also don't eat standing up or in front of the tv/computer.

Try brushing your teeth. Toothpaste + sugar =yucky!

ENVIROMENTAL CONTROL-You cannot eat what is not there!

(You know my chocolate chip cookie recipe? I no longer keep all of the ingredients in my home!)

I hope you find these helpful. I sure did.

One more random tip. Do you have problems with portion control (like I do)? Think about this:

How big are your dinner plates? I am a visual person and I like my plates to look full. Therefore I started serving my meals up on my salad plates so that I 'trick' my brain into thinking that I am getting more food. Try that and let me know what you think.

Check out this portion control plates & bowls.

The bowls have rings to tell you cup sizes. The flowers on the plates represent your portions (largest=veggies, med=carbs, small=protien).

Another GREAT Spark People Article

I get several spark people emails a week and they are always jammed packed with great information. I LOVED this last email:Burn 100 calories in 10 minutes. Here is an excerpt

People often say that they don't have time to exercise, but I disagree.Everyone can spare 10 minutes a day to work out. One of my personal goals is to do something active every day, even if it's just for 10 minutes. So even on my busiest days, I won't make excuses. And I definitely won't convince myself that 10 minutes is too little to really matter. Ten minutes DOES matter—and it really does add up to big benefits for your body. If all you only did 10 minutes of exercise per day, that's 70 minutes and potentially 700+ calories that you could burn over the course of a week.

20 Ways Burn 100 Calories* in 10 Minutes

1. Cycling (12+ mph) or mountain biking
2. Racquetball
3. Running (at least 12 minutes per mile)
4. Swimming laps or treading water
5. Playing basketball
6. Spinning class or stationary biking
7. Rowing
8. Boxing
9. Martial arts
10. Digging (heavy yard work)
11. Jumping rope (continuously)
12. Jumping jacks
13. Rock climbing
14. Walking on the treadmill (at least 4 mph with a 5% incline)
15. Water jogging
16. Kettlebell training
17. SparkPeople's Jump Start Cardio workout
18. SparkPeople's Bootcamp Cardio workout
19. SparkPeople's Kickboxing workou
20. SparkPeople's Jump Rope workout

I love working out. But I didn't ALWAYS love it. I had to grow into it. I started by trying out new things and discovering what I hated, liked, and really loved. Once I found strength training and Jillian Michaels DVDs I really began to LOVE working out. I can make just as many excuses as you can about working out. I don't have the time, I'm too tired, blah blah blah. But the simple truth is that it's IMPORTANT! It may be hard but start slow, just like this article says 10 minutes a day. And they even provide you with FREE 10 min workouts. Now 10 minutes a day is not your quick fix. It's a STEPPING STONE. You have no excuses now get to work. And become the best you you can be!

PS If you still haven't checked out the Jillian Michaels podcasts on iTunes you are missing out! They are wonderful!

PPS Have you seen the new TV show Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition! It's incredible! This last week they focused on Food Addiction! It was heartbreaking! But very eye opening. I feel like people think food addiction isn't a real thing but it is. And it is KILLING our country! It is SO sad it breaks my heart!

More Odds & Ends!

Okay so remember this post? I order Jillian's Michaels' Unlimited & the Master Your Metabolism Cookbook.

First Unlimited:

Sadly I haven't found a ton of time to really get into Unlimited but what I have read I LOVE! This book is not a book about weight loss. The information it has in it can be applied to weight loss but really it is a book that helps you figure out who you want to be and or how to be a better happier version of yourself. This book is straight forward and I find myself saying 'well yeah that makes sense' a lot! I love love it and can't wait to really dig in!

Second Master Your Metabolism Cookbook

So the first part is kind of a summary of Master Your Metabolism and I found that SUPER interesting. In fact I plan on purchasing THAT book. The recipes....eh. I really don't see myself cooking most of the stuff. Sad huh! Yeah I will be returning that book and ordering Master Your Metabolism. Once I start into that prepare yourself for some tips from it.

The Murray Fun Day 5k!

So me and my cute friend finished the 5k is 30 mins and some odd seconds! I was SUPER impressed! We literally ran (jogged really) the first 2 miles without a single walk break. Towards the finish line I almost thought about walking to the end until I heard Jillian Michaels in my head 'finish it strong! Nothing I hate more than when you peter out in the end!' and I picked it up! It was fun I and will be signing up for more running adventures. A BIG thanks to my friend Amy for motivating me! She is a SUPER athlete and was kind enough to push me along. I'm sure she could have completed A LOT faster if it weren't for me!

Dear Running Friends: I think I am going to purchase a treadmill. Any advice?

Random tip: What colors are you eating? Many of us do not get enough vitamins and nutrients from the the food we eat but an easy way to fix that is to eat the colors of the rainbow (no, I'm not talking about skittles!). When walking through the produce section try picking up all of the colors of the rainbow. Make it a game with your kids and have them help you pick the colors out!

Love ya all thanks for the love and support!

'Training' for my first 5k

I know I know those of you who are runners are laughing at me. A 5k isn't that rough right? I bet you run a 5k every morning. Well I have only run twice this summer. Yep TWICE! But Saturday my friend I decided to run 3 miles in preparation for the Murray Summer Fun Run (5k) Monday morning. And guess what!! We walked/ran 3 10 min. miles! Again my runner friends are laughing BUT I have NEVER run a mile that fast in my LIFE! Thanks Amy for pushing me to do this! I am SUPER excited!