I love getting information that will help me along my journey! I can either apply it to my journey or not...I came across these tips yesterday and thought I would share! There are a few things that I may add from my journey too.. :o)
Rule 1. Success isn't just about eating! Sure, eating is he most important thing when you're trying to lose weight. But you're gonna have to do something to speed up your metabolism if you're going to comsistently lose weight--it doesn't matter whether you ride a bike, do the elliptical, or go on the treadmill. (It's me :o) You don't have to spend money on a gym membership to exercise! Find something you enjoy doing...walking at the park or around your neighborhood..swimming etc. but have fun!)
Rule 2. Change it up! If you want to lose weight, you have to change your worou all the time because your body is so smart, it adjusts to what you are doing. Trainers I've worked with say "every week, do something different" And they're right. One of the big reasons people can't lose weight is that they're doing the same thing all the time. Try a different piece of equipment or at least go at a different intensity or for longer than usual. (It's me again... this can be as simple as going the opposite direction on the walking path or trail that you are walking on or pick a different walk to take. If you are on the treadmill..try a different incline.)
Rule 3. Do what you can! Right now, I'm not at the point where I think I can run yet, so I'm doing the elliptical and the bike. But when I lose another 20 pounds, I would like to run. When I played basketball, I loved to run because being outside frees you up. You get sick of the gym. (Yep...me again...One neat app that I have on my phone is runkeeper. It is free and it will keep track of your distance, miles..etc.. It will also let you know when you have set a new record for yourself such as distance, speed, or consistency! Set a goal for yourself and do it!)
Rule 4. Do what gives you juice! When I'm working out, I listen to music or turn on the TV. When I put on a TV show or sporting event, and I'm on the elliptical or the bike, i could go all day and never even look at the time. I go for at least an hour, hour and a half.
For Music, I'm a hip hop guy. When I played basketball, I would always listen to hip hop on the way to the gae just to get myself juiced up. I wouldn't say I have a favorite rapper, but if i did, I would say Tupac Shakur. I love Jay-Z, love Eminem, love T.I.,love Kanye. Hip hop just gives me energy when I want to workout. (Yep me again...I don't really like hip hop or rap...but I do find music that has a good, steady beat that will keep my pace up..especially when I do my 5K's! It really does help pass the time away to have music going or you get to watching a show or even a movie on TV!)
Rule 5. Work with your schedule! I don't get to do kettlebells or cross training a lot when I'm traveling all the time. But when the playoffs are on, and I'm in the same city for something like two months, i can do those two or three times a week. That's an exciting part of my workout, but I can't always get into that routine when I'm traveling so I do other things. (Yep...me again...I have really had to learn how to incorporate exercise in my traveling!! If you have a favorite DVD and a lap top that plays DVD's..take those with you when you travel and do those in your room! If at all possible, see if the hotel you are staying in has a fitness room and use it! If not, go out and walk in the parking lot or take the stairs in the hotel. If they have a pool, that is a fun way to get some exercise in!!..just use what you have!)
Rule 6. Get in the game. There's only two type of guys: Those who play sport, and those who want to play sports. And if you can't play it you want to watch it because sports are really cool. But it's even cooler to play. ( Yes..me again...do something fun..playing volleyball with your friends or kids outside. Play frisbee with your family....just get some activity in!)
Rule 7. Work it. What made me get to the top of my game? Well, I think number one is just having God-given ability. But you have to work hard. There's no way you can be lazy and play sports. (yep me...I spent a lot of my time saying there is no way I couldn't do anything athletic. So I would sit and watch or just not participate! Then I would be upset with myself that I couldn't lose weight. I have, in the last year or so since I have become more active in my walking, jogging and other exercise that I am losing weight more consistently! So just get moving and do something for yourself!)
Keep on keeping on!!!
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Saturday, June 9, 2012
Summer Time! Summer Time!!!
I have to say that I love summer time a lot!!! Seems like you want to do more things!!! One question I have though is this: Do you change the types of food that you keep in your house when your children are home on summer break from school?
I was attending my weight watchers meeting yesterday and we were discussing the difficulties of summer. Vacations, wedding, camping, kids home from school, etc... One of the people there stated that she was having a difficult time because her kids were home so she had to buy all of the sugary drinks and junk food snacks. So it was very difficult to eat healthy! I made the comment to the group that I don't change the types of food that I keep in my home when my kids are home...and this person said "Your poor kids!" I want to teach my children to make better choices while they are younger because I don't want them to struggle with the problems that I have struggled with just about my entire life! For that reason we don't keep soda, chips, cookies, candy etc...in our home. We try to keep fruits and veggies just about all of the time! We also don't have a buffett going at our house! When we fix meals, we fix 1 meal...not 5!!!
If you yourself are struggling with making healthy choices, why not try to incorporate healthy eating habits with in your entire household. Summer time is one of the best times ever to get AMAZING fruits and veggies!!! Look up local farmer's markets in your area or in the area that you happen to be vacationing in and go shop there. You will be supporting the local farmers as well as getting WONDERFUL fresh fruits and veggies! Find a berry patch that has "Pick your Own" and spend time one day picking fresh berries!!
One thing I might suggest is that when you come home with your fruits and veggies, wash them and that way they will be ready to dive into when you are ready for a snack!
Take time this summer to let your children see what types of wonderful fruits and veggies that they can enjoy this summer! It is ok to have an occassional treat but not restock your entire pantry or freezer with junk food just because the children are out of school. You are not only hurting yourself by having those foods in your house, but you are also hurting your children by enabling them to have things that aren't really good for them. If they aren't good for you, then why in the world would you stock your house full because your children are home?
Take time to enjoy all the wonderful fresh fruits and veggies this summer!!
I was attending my weight watchers meeting yesterday and we were discussing the difficulties of summer. Vacations, wedding, camping, kids home from school, etc... One of the people there stated that she was having a difficult time because her kids were home so she had to buy all of the sugary drinks and junk food snacks. So it was very difficult to eat healthy! I made the comment to the group that I don't change the types of food that I keep in my home when my kids are home...and this person said "Your poor kids!" I want to teach my children to make better choices while they are younger because I don't want them to struggle with the problems that I have struggled with just about my entire life! For that reason we don't keep soda, chips, cookies, candy etc...in our home. We try to keep fruits and veggies just about all of the time! We also don't have a buffett going at our house! When we fix meals, we fix 1 meal...not 5!!!
If you yourself are struggling with making healthy choices, why not try to incorporate healthy eating habits with in your entire household. Summer time is one of the best times ever to get AMAZING fruits and veggies!!! Look up local farmer's markets in your area or in the area that you happen to be vacationing in and go shop there. You will be supporting the local farmers as well as getting WONDERFUL fresh fruits and veggies! Find a berry patch that has "Pick your Own" and spend time one day picking fresh berries!!
One thing I might suggest is that when you come home with your fruits and veggies, wash them and that way they will be ready to dive into when you are ready for a snack!
Take time this summer to let your children see what types of wonderful fruits and veggies that they can enjoy this summer! It is ok to have an occassional treat but not restock your entire pantry or freezer with junk food just because the children are out of school. You are not only hurting yourself by having those foods in your house, but you are also hurting your children by enabling them to have things that aren't really good for them. If they aren't good for you, then why in the world would you stock your house full because your children are home?
Take time to enjoy all the wonderful fresh fruits and veggies this summer!!
Friday, June 8, 2012
Pink Lemonade Cupcakes
Summer Time is usually full of fun adventures!! Swimming pools, Amusement Parks, cookouts and just fun in general! I LOVE drinking lemonade with friends and family sitting around talking!
In looking for more healthy options to sweets, I found this yummy recipe on one of my new favorite websites! www.skinnytaste.com It is a fun website with lots of wonderful ideas for all kinds of recipes! Hope you enjoy!
Pink Lemonade Confetti Cupcakes
You will need: 1 box confetti cake mix (I used Duncan Hines)
2 1/2 tsp powdered sugar-free pink lemonade mix
1 cup water
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
lemon zest from half of a lemon
2 drops pink food coloring (optional)
confetti Sprinkles,(optional)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake tins with paper liners. Stir together the water and pink lemonade powder. Combine the cake mix, pink lemonade mixture, applesauce, lemon zest, food coloring and oil in a large bowl with an electric mixer, mix until all the ingredients are thoroughly combined. Pout the batter into the prepared cupcake pans. Add sprinkles if using and bake in the oven for 22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcakes comes out clean. Cool completely on wire racks before serving. We didn't use any icing.
Nutrition Info: Servings: 24 1 cupcake Weight Watchers Points Plus: 3 Calories: 97.4 Fat: 2.3g Carbs 17.3g Fiber: 0g Protein: 1.0 g. Sugar 9.8 Sodium 103.7
In looking for more healthy options to sweets, I found this yummy recipe on one of my new favorite websites! www.skinnytaste.com It is a fun website with lots of wonderful ideas for all kinds of recipes! Hope you enjoy!
Pink Lemonade Confetti Cupcakes
You will need: 1 box confetti cake mix (I used Duncan Hines)
2 1/2 tsp powdered sugar-free pink lemonade mix
1 cup water
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
lemon zest from half of a lemon
2 drops pink food coloring (optional)
confetti Sprinkles,(optional)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake tins with paper liners. Stir together the water and pink lemonade powder. Combine the cake mix, pink lemonade mixture, applesauce, lemon zest, food coloring and oil in a large bowl with an electric mixer, mix until all the ingredients are thoroughly combined. Pout the batter into the prepared cupcake pans. Add sprinkles if using and bake in the oven for 22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcakes comes out clean. Cool completely on wire racks before serving. We didn't use any icing.
Nutrition Info: Servings: 24 1 cupcake Weight Watchers Points Plus: 3 Calories: 97.4 Fat: 2.3g Carbs 17.3g Fiber: 0g Protein: 1.0 g. Sugar 9.8 Sodium 103.7
Motivation along the Way!
I know for myself that there are days that I just need a "booster shot" to my motivation.
I may fall off the exercise wagon or have a blackout and not make healthy food choices and will have to get my focus back into view! Just so you know, it is OK to treat yourself every once and awhile---it keeps you from having an uncontrollable binge!
For instance, my daughter had a free coupon for one of our local ice cream places for reading so many books during the school year....so off we went after dinner and I enjoyed a wonderful scoop of Snickerdoodle ice cream! Did I feel guilty? No...why? Because I had planned for that in my day! I knew we were planning to go get ice cream after dinner so I planned throughout the day to make better choices so that I wouldn't feel guilty about having ice cream with my family.
How'w the working out going? Make sure you are doing some type of movement each day! It can be a walk outside around the block or at a park, a bike ride, a swim or any type of activity that gets your heart rate up.
Weight Watchers is doing a Life Life Active Challenge for the next 6 weeks and each week if you have logged activity they will send you different things to help motivate you to keep going! Week 2 has been my favorite so far!!! Lots of great information in there! So I thought I would share it with you....just in case your desire to exercise was lacking some umph!
Top 10 Reasons to Work Out Today!:
Today's workout can:
1. Make me feel great, and leave me feeling more energized and happier than the recliner ever does.
2. Earn Activity Points (Weight Watcher term for more points) -Basically saying-Good Bye too tight pants!
3. Reduce the risk of major diseases. That includes diabetes, heart disease, colon cancer and breast cancer.
4. Makes me smarter! Cardio boosts memory and the ability to focus. Plus at the office, fit people do more work with less effort than their peers!
5. Help me feel more confident! Workouts boost self-esteem and so do their results!
6. Make me strong, and keep my bones in good shape.
7. Help me fall asleep faster.
8. Stop ______________________ (fill in name or thing) from getting under my skin. Workouts relieve stress fast.
9. Prevent "What Fits Today?" stress. When my clothes fit better, my day starts better.
10. Get me what I want. Working out is worth it to me because I want my mind/body/energy to be ________________ (fill in the blank)
EXERCISE BUSTERS!!!! The Next time your inner couch potato is telling you to take a load off, silence that slacker with these simple truths:
1. By the time I get through complaining about my workout, I could be done and showered!
2. I don't have to run a marathon in sub-arctic temperatures. I just have to do a short workout!
3. I don't have to love brushing my teeth in order to do it. Same with exercise! I just need to get it done!
4. If I have time to post facebook updates and add to my "Vacation Ideas" Pintrest board, I have time to do my workout!
I hope these help you! They really have encouraged me this week!!!
Keep on keeping on and stay hydrated!!!
I may fall off the exercise wagon or have a blackout and not make healthy food choices and will have to get my focus back into view! Just so you know, it is OK to treat yourself every once and awhile---it keeps you from having an uncontrollable binge!
For instance, my daughter had a free coupon for one of our local ice cream places for reading so many books during the school year....so off we went after dinner and I enjoyed a wonderful scoop of Snickerdoodle ice cream! Did I feel guilty? No...why? Because I had planned for that in my day! I knew we were planning to go get ice cream after dinner so I planned throughout the day to make better choices so that I wouldn't feel guilty about having ice cream with my family.
How'w the working out going? Make sure you are doing some type of movement each day! It can be a walk outside around the block or at a park, a bike ride, a swim or any type of activity that gets your heart rate up.
Weight Watchers is doing a Life Life Active Challenge for the next 6 weeks and each week if you have logged activity they will send you different things to help motivate you to keep going! Week 2 has been my favorite so far!!! Lots of great information in there! So I thought I would share it with you....just in case your desire to exercise was lacking some umph!
Top 10 Reasons to Work Out Today!:
Today's workout can:
1. Make me feel great, and leave me feeling more energized and happier than the recliner ever does.
2. Earn Activity Points (Weight Watcher term for more points) -Basically saying-Good Bye too tight pants!
3. Reduce the risk of major diseases. That includes diabetes, heart disease, colon cancer and breast cancer.
4. Makes me smarter! Cardio boosts memory and the ability to focus. Plus at the office, fit people do more work with less effort than their peers!
5. Help me feel more confident! Workouts boost self-esteem and so do their results!
6. Make me strong, and keep my bones in good shape.
7. Help me fall asleep faster.
8. Stop ______________________ (fill in name or thing) from getting under my skin. Workouts relieve stress fast.
9. Prevent "What Fits Today?" stress. When my clothes fit better, my day starts better.
10. Get me what I want. Working out is worth it to me because I want my mind/body/energy to be ________________ (fill in the blank)
EXERCISE BUSTERS!!!! The Next time your inner couch potato is telling you to take a load off, silence that slacker with these simple truths:
1. By the time I get through complaining about my workout, I could be done and showered!
2. I don't have to run a marathon in sub-arctic temperatures. I just have to do a short workout!
3. I don't have to love brushing my teeth in order to do it. Same with exercise! I just need to get it done!
4. If I have time to post facebook updates and add to my "Vacation Ideas" Pintrest board, I have time to do my workout!
I hope these help you! They really have encouraged me this week!!!
Keep on keeping on and stay hydrated!!!
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