Weight Loss Challenge 2012 Week 26

At the end of this week we are at the half way point of this year!!! Can you believe it? Only 26 more weeks until Happy New Year 2013.

At this midway point are you midway to your goal? What things are you doing well and which things are sliding? Did you rise to my challenge last week and inspire yourself to try something new for a short term challenge?

As I'm writing I'm enjoying a bowl of plain yogurt with homemade granola, protein powder, ground flax seed and raspberries. This is my mid-morning meal used to curb spikes in blood sugar and prevent major food cravings and eatanythingIcangetmyhandson binges.

I'd like to encourage you to break your day up into 3 hour sections and make sure that you eat in each of those times. A little protein with some light carbs (think fruit or veg) at every meal will help to curb cravings and let you feel pleasantly full. You can always add other things to it but it's important to have the protein at each meal. Some meals may be smaller than others or you might have them all the same size. We really should start out with a decent meal in the morning and lighten up as the day goes on, but I'm more concerned that you regularly space your food so that you can help yourself along on this journey.

Give it a try over the next week and let me know if you find a difference not only in what and how often you feel a desire to eat but how your mood changes with it.

Have a great week!

Weight Loss Challenge 2012 Week 25

So I've been feeling the need to kick things up a notch personally. There are just times where the big goal seems too remote and so creating shorter goals within the big goal is often what makes the end goal attainable. My area of struggle is food. I love to eat! I love to cook! Those 2 things often are my downfall since I can get on a cycle of eating either too much food or making unhealthy food choices or both. I have decided in order to kick start my summer I will challenge myself to a bit of an extreme healthy food and portion size eating regime for 1 week. Based on how it's going I may add a second week and then back things off a bit. I have a very specific food menu set out for this week as well as what time I'll be eating each item in order to maintain blood sugar levels and stave off hunger and cravings. My challenge to you this week is to find youself a challenge within this challenge to motivate you onward toward your end goal. Perhaps you'll choose to exercise daily or do ab exercises daily or cut out all sugar or have a vegetarian week. Whatever it is try to make it tough but achievable. Maybe a week seems too long but 3 days would still be tough. Pick something, tell your support person so they'll check up on you and go to it! Have a great week! Maybe you could post what challenge you're taking on.

Weight Loss Challenge 2012 Week 24

Well I'm finally moved and mostly unpacked or at least enough to find my. Imputed and attempt to get. A k on tra k with the weekly blogging. I hope you are on track with the challenge. Are you finding it easier or harder in this warmer weather to get exercise in. I know this tends to be a busy time of year and it's so easy to jump off the good habits you've started and on to bad ones if you aren't vigilant. I am trying to get back on a better schedule too now that we have moved. It's far too easy to make excuses about things you need to get done and push exercise to the bottom of the list when really we would find more energy and clarity of mind to get the necessary things done well and efficiently if we only exercised first. You may also find at this time of year your body starts to look for lighter fresher foods to get more water in with the heat outside. Take advantage of the fresh fruit and produce out there and eat lighter meals more frequently. Remember to include protein such as nuts, seeds, eggs, legumes or lean meats to help fill you up and repair muscle. Also, water intake is especially important if you are exercising in hot weather. Don't replace your water with sugary drinks like ice tea and lemonade unless you are making them yourself and keeping the sugar low or non-existent. Continue to up your exercise and try a new exercise this week. See if you can entice a friend or neighbor to join you in this warm weather. Have a great week!

Weight Loss Challenge 2012 Week 22

Just a quick note of apology for not posting this week. We are in the middle of moving homes and our internet has been sketchy. I will do my best to post next week but internet connections may not be up at the new place quite on time so I thought I'd do a short post this week just to give you a couple of goals to aim at over the next couple of weeks.

Goal #1: See if you can get 2 days of weights in this week and next week. This can be done with dumbbells, water bottles, cans, whatever you'd like. Try doing lunges, squats, bicep curls, tricep kick backs, then push ups and planks each time you do weights. Do not do your 2 days of weights on consecutive days. There must be at least one day in between. This week do just one set of anywhere between 8 - 15 repetitions of each exercise. Next week repeat it and do a second set both days. You will be surprised at how much of a difference weight training makes to the look of your body and fit of your clothes.

Goal #2: Smile at a complete stranger once a day for no reason at all. Smiling improves your immune system. Chances are you'll start a chain reaction and that person will smile at someone else for no reason too. And so on and so on and so on.

Have an awesome couple of weeks! I'll be back as soon as the dust settles :)

Weight Loss Challenge 2012 Week 21

Okay, so I took a week off posting. Did it bother you? There was one comment looking for last week's post but no responses to is. I was actually testing you. I sat down to write last week's post and then thought. What will you do if I don't write? Will you decide that means you can slack off or will you press on, drink your water, add your 10%? So what did you do?

 I wonder if you realize how important it is to motivate yourself and not to rely on anyone else to do that for you. In some ways it's nice to have something to follow and some encouragement but really it's self-motivation that will cause you to continue for life, not my weekly blog or a friend who is trying as well or whatever is your, dare is say, crutch.

You need to want this for yourself. You need to find your own motivation to be healthy, eat healthy, be active, look fit. For this next week I'd like you to make a list of all the reasons you want this. Could be as shallow as looking good in a swim suit (although I like that reason) to as serious as to not have another heart attack. Find your motivation and put it somewhere you'll see it often.

Hey, and post to let me know what DID you do this past week.

Week Loss Challenge 2012 Week 19

Things are starting to progress. It really is spring, the days are definitely longer, the weather is warmer and every type of sports activity is starting up. So have you checked out your community's options yet?

I have challenged myself to getting out with my 8-year-old daughter twice a week. Once for a run while she bikes and once for a run while she runs. I have to say her running is a lot faster than mine so although we don't go far I am panting.

My son has been learning soccer indoors this spring and so I think some family soccer games will need to be added to our weekly menu just for fun. I also realize I could fit in some laps at the local pool while the rest of the family splashes in the kids area and then join them.

I too need to start looking for activity that is just fun. Why does everything have to be a timed amount of exercise? It doesn't. Besides, how better for my kids to be healthy than to see mom and dad being active and having fun while they benefit from family time. Really my kids see mom out running and going to the gym more than enough but it doesn't include them and they aren't about to "work out" at their age.

This week try to get out and active with your family, your friends, your neighbours, just for fun. Bet that's a REAL challenge. Post what you found to do so we all can benefit from your ideas. Have a great week!

Weight Loss Challenge 2012 Week 18

So, did you find something new to do this week? Have you tried out some weights or a new class or type of exercise? Did you find it challenging? If you did then you're on the right track. The moment we start finding exercise easy then we need to consider making a change in order to keep our body challenged. Now just because it becomes challenging again does not have to mean we hate it or don't want to do it. That seems to be the problem for most people and I'd like to help you get around that part.

Exercise can be fun. Really, no joke. It's just that not everyone wants their exercise to be going to the gym and doing the eliptical or treadmill or an aerobics class. Can you remember the last time you looked forward to exercise? I bet you didn't call it exercise. Maybe it was playing baseball with friends when you were 11 or going to the beach and swimming as a teenager. Maybe it was going out for a walk with your partner or biking with your child. When was the last time you were active and didn't really notice it? That may be the type of activity you are best suited for. Hmmmm.... puts things in a different light doesn't it?

Yes, it is a good idea to do weights and cardio and some form of exercise regularly, but if you are really going to accomplish this year's challenge you have to find something that you enjoy or it's just work and nobody wants to do that. If you can find a couple of things that you think you'd enjoy that are active and only have to add in some weights and maybe some walking or another form of exercise one day a week then it just becomes a part of your life rather than a big OH NO I HAVE TO WORK OUT TODAY.

Take a little time this week thinking about what forms of activity you have enjoyed or think you would enjoy and then scope out when and where those activities are going on in your community. Could you join a baseball team or a squash league or take some swimming lessons to make exercise something you look forward to? Is there something you could do with your kids or lessons you could do together? I know in my community there is a running group that caters to the whole family. Time to get creative. Find something you could really enjoy. Happy looking!