Quote of the month

I love this quote, "If you go on doing as you've always done, you'll go on getting what you've always got."

So true!  I have kept my goal of staying under my calorie count for 7 days now.  Feels good!  The part that I have failed on is snacking on only fruits, nuts, veggies.  I keep eating sweets.  Valentine chocolates, cookies, whatever the kids have.  sigh.
  It seems silly to me that I am half in and half out, so I decided today that for the next 4 weeks I am going treat free.  This is going to be a huge challenge, but one I am up for.  No artificial sweetner either.  Sam taught me years ago that artificial sweetner will make your body crave sugar.  What happens is our body thinks it is getting sugar because of the sweet taste in our mouth.  When it doesn't get it, it will crave it.  We drink Crystal Light around here.  I usually have one glass with dinner. 
So, no chocolate, candy, pudding, crystal light, anything of that nature until March 15th. 

I posted my goal on the fridge with a number for each day I accomplish my goal.  It feels awesome to mark off the day when I do it! 

Ready Now

I am finally ready to make and keep a commitment.  I am ready to write my written statement and stick to it.  I tried to follow Sam's recommendations below as I was writing this.

"I am achieving 35 consecutive days of being under my calorie count goal on myfitnesspal.com.  I will track my food and exercise every day for 35 days.  I will follow Sam's 12 healthy eating tips.  I will only snack on nuts, fruit and vegetables.  I will continue to be consistent in exercising and sleeping.  I will lean on Heavenly Father to help me accomplish this goal and all goals in my life.  I will be closer to Him.  I will turn to Him and give my burdens to Him as he will make my burdens light."

If there is anyone who wants to join me on myfitnesspal.com, let me know.  I would love to have someone doing this with me! 
 

Nutrition Tips from Sam

Nutrition Tip

12 KEYS TO HEALTHY EATING

1. Always eat a healthy breakfast. Healthy breakfast  options may include fruit, low-fat protein and (optional) high-fiber whole grain.
2. Eat 3 healthy meals and 1 to 3 small snacks per day. Try to eat every 2 to 4 hours during the day. DO NOT SKIP MEALS!!!!
3. Eat a protein-rich food (>10 grams) with each meal. Good protein sources include fish, chicken, turkey, lean beef, low-fat cottage cheese, cheese, plain low-fat yogurt (Greek-style is best) and eggs.
4. Eat a green vegetable salad or at least 2 fibrous vegetables daily.
5. Consume 1 to 2 servings of healthy-fat foods everyday. "Good fat" foods include: nuts, seeds, peanuts, olives, avocados, cold-water fish, olive or canola oil.
6. Eat fiber-rich foods. Try to get at least 25 to 30 grams of fiber per day. Good fiber-rich foods include: beans, lentils, oats, peas, ground flax seeds, pectin fruits and 100% whole grains.
7. Drink 12 to 24 ounces of warm or hot water first thing in the morning with juice from ¼ fresh lemon or lime.
8. Minimize or avoid the consumption of processed carbohydrates, which include: white flour, refined sugars and artificial sweeteners.
9. Avoid the 3 S's, which include saturated fat, refined sugar and excess sodium.
10. Minimize the consumption of saturated and trans-fatty acid foods such as margarine, fried foods, hard fats, red meats, organ meats and dairy fats.
11. Drink at least 8 glasses (8 ounces) of water per day, minimizing the consumption of soft drinks and other caffeinated beverages.
12. Avoid eating any food, especially processed carbohydrates, 2 to 3 hours prior to your regular bedtime.

www.samvarner.com

 

Sam is a great friend.  One of the Smith family.  I loved these healthy eating tips. 

6 steps to achieving your 2013 Wellness Goal

Sam Varner sent this and I loved it!  www.samvarner.com

Wellness Success Tip

6 STEPS TO ACHIEVING YOUR 2013 WELLNESS GOAL

1. Fix in your mind exactly what you desire in terms of your personal health and wellness. It is not sufficient to merely say, "
   I want to be healthy." Be definite and be specific.
2. Determine exactly what you intend to give in return for achieving your wellness goal. (There is no such reality as "something for nothing.")
3. Establish a definite date when you intend to achieve your wellness goal. Be realistic in your time frame. It takes quality time to manifest better health.
4. Create a definite plan for carrying out your desire and immediately begin putting your plan into action whether you are ready or not.
5. Write out a clear, concise statement of your wellness goal, name the time limit for its acquisition, state what you intend to give in return, and describe clearly the plan through which you intend to obtain it.
6. Read your written statement aloud, three times daily, once just before retiring at night, once after arising in the morning and sometime during the day. As you read your statement, see, feel and believe that you have already achieved your goal. The key to your success is constantly feeding your mind this written statement consistently throughout the day and especially before sleep.

Sample written statement:

"I am achieving a 33 inch waist by June 1, 2013. In return for this goal, I am persistently visualizing, thinking, talking and acting like the lean and healthy person that I am. I am eating healthy, exercising daily and getting plenty of quality sleep. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

Hello? New Year!

Hello everyone.  It has been a long time since I have written on here.  Well, another year has come and gone.  I didn't accomplish my goal this year.  Yeah, I stink.  haha. 

Oh well, today is a new day! 

Throughout the holidays I didn't gain much weight, but I still have 7-10 pounds I want to lose.  I am going to do this with using myfitnesspal.com.  I want to do this even on the weekend.  I tend to stay away from the computer on Sat/Sun, but I will get on and update it.  I need to keep my weekend eating under control to accomplish my goal. 

I will continue my current workout regimen of running M/W/Fr and doing what I call my butt-kicker workout on Tue/Thur.  It consists of a bunch of pullups (with assistance of a chair), ab exercises, pushups and squats. 

My short term goal is to update and track my eating on myfitnesspal everyday for 5 weeks. 

Lately I have been feeling down about how many of my life goals I haven't accomplished, but I have realized that so many of them were MY goals and not goals that Heavenly Father had for me.  I need to be better at relying on my Savior to help me through tough times and really have faith in Him and his plan for my life.  I need to rely on Him even to accomplish this goal. I need to turn to Him when I feel stressed or anxious instead of turning to food.   His peace is long-lasting.  His love is eternal. 

What are your health goals for this year?

Bad News.......Good News......

I guess I will confess the bad news part first.  I have not exercised in 2 weeks and don't plan on exercising for the next 2 weeks.  I got a pretty bad cold that kept me out of the gym for two weeks simply because it took all my energy just to go to work.  This week.....well, I don't like to exercise during this time every month.  Then, off we go to Utah for 10 days!  I will be getting a different kind of exercise keeping up with the kids on our plane rides, sleeping in a different place and our plans to camp a few nights in Moab.  But no real muscle toning exercise for me until I get back.

Good News!  I have 3 more lbs to lose to get to my goal.  I am thinking that once I get to my first goal that I will make a second goal.  One thing at a time though, right?  And when I get back I plan on hitting the gym pretty hard working on toning some more muscles. 

Jennie and Mauri keep up the good work!  Forget those scales (sort of) and focus on how your clothes are feeling and how YOU are feeling.  :o)

Jennie Update - week (who knows?)

I am doing good.  I really like myfitnesspal.  It has made me feel more accountable and I love it.  The scale says I lost a pound last week and I do feel it.  I still need to eat more vegetables, but it is on the bottom of my list right now.  I have eaten a salad now and then, but that is it.  I guess that is better than nothing!