Results are in...Dun, Dun, Dunnn

Great finish to our Biggest Loser competition.  We have a winner with 8.4lb weight loss making her percentage, 5.07% in less then 2 months!!!  Congrats Misty on all your hard work.  You have won a FREE month of FIT Boot Camp.  Keep challenging yourself and others on this lifestyle change.  You are turning heads and making a difference.  Great job!!

5.07% Misty

2.83% Lindsey

2.15% Christa

2.12% Kelly

2.08% Erica

Great finish, girls!!  The end isn't ever yet. “It’s not who you are that holds you back, it’s who you think you’re not.”  

How many times have you told yourself “I can’t do that?” Most us probably say it more often than we realize. Every time you are faced with a challenge, do you automatically think of all the things holding you back or do you think about the things you have that make it possible? A positive attitude about yourself can catapult you into higher achievement. So, the next time you hear yourself saying, “I can’t,” remember that YOU CAN! -sp

Make today count!!

Healthy Weight Goals

Post by Debbie Vinyard
Check out her inspiring story and fight against Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.  Check out the Happy First blog. She is truly inspiring!!

Happy Motivational Monday! Lately I have had a goal setting series on my blog on Mondays. This week I am going to talk about health and fitness goals.

Getting to and maintaining a healthy weight.

I think we are the happiest when we feel and look our best. I know when I am working out regularly and eating healthy foods I have more energy and feel so much better. When I am at my target weight I feel more confident too! Now I am not saying you have to be skinny to be happy, just at a healthy weight that is just right for you.
In an earlier blog post I mentioned you should have measurable goals. For my weight goal it is a target number and for my exercise goal  it is having a program to follow or a goal (for me it was a half marathon).
I have been wanting to be back to a certain weight for about 3 years so I finally committed to doing that this year with a specific date to be that weight. I think we have to have a healthy lifestyle and eating habits to maintain our goal weight. I can work out a lot, but if I don’t eat right, the weight won’t come off.
The three things I want to talk about with regards to weight loss are some weight loss programs, simple tips from friends, and enlisting help from a buddy.

Weight loss programs

When I want to lose excess weight, what works for me is cutting out the sugar and simple carbs. I like to follow the South Beach Diet. Some of you may think it is hard at first because the first 2 weeks you cut out all pasta, bread, rice, fruit, and alcohol. That may sound extreme to some of you but if you read the book you will see the whole purpose of this is to change your mindset and get your body off of all the excess sugar. I have felt so much better doing this. I eat about 5 times a day, 3 meals, and 2 snacks (love nuts, have them in my car). I lost 5 pounds in my first week. After the first 2 weeks you can add back complex carbs. They have lots of good recipes.  Just cutting out the sugar is amazing.
I have heard really good things about Weight Watchers too. Some people need the accountability with a group and portioned meals. There are many programs out there to help you lose weight. Just make sure it is not a bunch of processed food. Fresh food is the best. Grass feed natural meat is better for you than grain fed. Organic fruits and vegetables are best. Soon it will be spring and there will be farmer’s markets where you can find locally grown food. Again, it is all moderation and what works for you. Just set a goal and get the mindset and do it! I think that is the secret.

Simple Tips for Weight Loss

Here are a few tips from friends and me.  Do what works for you.
My friend Lori, who is super fit, wanted to shed a few extra pounds and she decided to cut out her unhealthy afternoon snacks and eat dinner before 6 pm. She also went with smaller meals. She didn’t deny herself any certain foods, just ate less.
My friend Pam reduced her portions, drank green tea and got eight hours of sleep a night. Studies have shown that when you are sleep deprived you eat more.
I feel better when I don’t eat until I am full. I don’t like that full feeling anymore. I also don’t like to eat late anymore. I like going to bed feeling just a tad hungry. I feel so much better when I wake up. And I am a big believer in breakfast! It is my favorite meal! I have read that if you eat breakfast, you won’t eat so much throughout the day.

Get a weight loss buddy

It really helps to enlist the help of a buddy to be accountable to. My friend Lori and her friend would text each other when they had a craving and then they would talk each other out of it. What I did was get a friend that also has a weight goal and we email each other each day with our daily progress. It really works!
And don’t get discouraged, just keep going. I had lost 8 pounds (my goal is 10) but then recently went on a girl’s trip to Scottsdale, Arizona and then the next week I went to Dallas. Even though I ran while out of town, I had gained some of it back, but now that I am back home with more planned meals I am losing it again.
I hope these suggestions help you get to where you want to be in getting to and maintaining a healthy weight.
Next week I will tell you my fitness goals.
What ideas do YOU all have that works for you as far as health and fitness? I love new ideas!

Thank you, Debbie!!

We Settle

Post by Amanda Torres
I don't see a way out.  We settle.

I'm not sure I can find something better.  We settle.

It's the best I can do.  We settle.

I'm not sure I can pull this off.  We settle.

I really want to do this, but I there's no way to get it done.  We settle.

We settle.  We settle.  We settle.

Maybe I'm only speaking from my own experiences here, but I have a feeling it's human nature to settle.  It's in our nature to cut ourselves short.  It's in our nature to doubt our abilities.  It's in our nature to see what we can't do instead of what we could do.  Is it just my nature here?

Let me rephrase that...

Was it in my nature?  I can recall so many times I settled because my little mind couldn't wrap around a solution to whatever I was facing.  I didn't see a way to quit my job.  I didn't see a way to move into a larger house.  I didn't see a way to reach other people.  I didn't see my place in this world.  All of these things crossed my mind.  Then I started getting serious about losing the focus of me, and putting the focus in my relationship with God. 

Now when I come against something that doesn't allow me to see a humanly way to fix it, I focus on what God can do.  Since He can do anything, it relieves my tension.  Suddenly, I'm not settling anymore.  I'm hoping for something big.  A lot of times the answer is small, but the result is big.  Here's a case in point.

Since quitting my job two years ago, we've lived on a pretty tight budget.  Our entertainment budget went way down.  Steven and I were completely okay with that.  Okay until we wanted our kids to become involved in physical activities. I didn't see a way this was possible.  I could only see the amount it was going to cost to put two kids in a sport, and the money wasn't there to do it.  I was about to settle, and accept that we wouldn't be able to do sports this season. 

Thank goodness I didn't!  Instead of settling, I prayed.  I just asked God for a way the kids would be able to participate without breaking the bank.  The answer came within a month. 

A former cheerleader I coached emailed and asked if I would be willing to teach a few gymnastics classes during the week.  I was interested.  I love working with kids and I love gymnastics.  I called the director.  After getting the details I asked if it were possible for me to work in place of my kids tuition.  Her answer..."The kids make one class each for free if you are a teacher." 

 

It's been almost a year now that I've worked at Almighty Gymnastics.  The kids love it.  They're learning the basics of every sport...balance, coordination, strength, flexibility...and I get to keep my paycheck.  Better than that, I've had an opportunity to sow seeds in other boys and girls that are in my classes.  A double blessing.

So before you're about to settle.  Stop.  Ask for help.  You'll get an answer.

Psalm 37:4 Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.

I can attest that this verse is true.  If you've got a burning desire in your heart that's pure.  It's there for a reason.  Don't settle!  There's something big awaiting you.  Now, go enjoy your day.  Expect great things.  Over and out.

 

Click here to find out Amanda's 'Favorite Prank...Ever'  Be sure to follow her.  I promise, you won't be disaapointed.  You can thank me later.

What motivates me?

Hi everybody!

Erica asked me to write a short piece for the blog this week.  I’m no expert, but I’m happy to give you my two cents.

When I heard about the first boot camp starting, my first thought was “Yeah, right! NOT for me!” As a lifelong non-morning person, the thought of a 5:30 am workout just made me laugh. But at the time it was starting up, I was preparing for a lot of changes in my life. Those changes were mostly because my husband was preparing to leave for a one-year job overseas.  After some encouragement from him and from Tuesdye and Tanae, I thought I might as well give it a chance. I figured it was just temporary insanity!

So the first week of boot camp arrived and I had a really bad head cold. And it was cold outside. And the MOON was still out, for crying out loud! But somehow I made it through. The first three weeks, I was counting down how many days were left in the session so I could quit at the end. But something happened in that last week. All of a sudden, I was getting those “happy endorphins” that you get when you’ve had a really good workout.  And then I thought, “There’s no way I’m sitting out the next session!  I want to feel like this every day!”

Now here we are about five months later. After my assessment last Friday, Erica asked what motivated me to keep going. It’s really a lot of different things. I like feeling like I did something good for myself. I don’t have much time to do that these days. I like that when I’ve worked hard, I feel great all day. I like seeing all of you. (I promise! I know I don’t say very much.) I like feeling like you are all looking for me and if I don’t show up, I’m going to hear about it (thanks, Tuesdye!).  I like feeling that I am really making progress toward being healthy and staying that way.  I think there’s something about accomplishing something I never thought I’d do, it’s really motivating me to keep going to see what else I can do!

I still struggle with the morning thing. Some days, my mindset isn’t all that great and I just have to get myself there and get through it.  But I think Erica and all of you are really inspiring. This has been a rough five months for a lot of reasons, but I can’t thank you all enough for being there for me.

-Shelley Hall

Boundaries...

I recently was told something about myself that was news to me.  Ready!!! Wait. For. It.  I use alot of exclamation points when I write!!!!  I had no idea.  That must be my happy button.  It's my inner cheerleader coming out. ;) News flash... I never cheered. :) 

 

Ok, now that I've lost you. Come back. WOW!!  What an amazing workout this morning.  Cardio Tabata was a great way to kick off my morning.  If your anything like me today, my list is already getting longer by the minute.  I'm beginning to wonder, where do I start and how does it all get done.  Ok, now breathe with me. In....and out!  I remind myself when my list starts to look nutty- I have a choice.  How will I choose to look at my situation? Positive, negative.  Good or bad.  It may seem silly but it can slowly send you in a daily down-ward spiral. 

 

As I was garage selling this weekend, I was talking to a friend about my ups and downs.  The emotional roller coaster I seemed to be on wasn't getting me anywhere.  I was tired of being dragged down by myself and others.  She explained to me BOUNDARIES.  Whats that mean??  Setting boundaries for yourself and others that share your life with you.  Without healthy boundaries you can quickly choose to hop on the roller coaster and ride the exhausting, no good ride.  Or get off and set boundaries that help you look towards your goals.

 

Debbie is a friend of mine, who recently shared her cancer survivor story on paper.  After fighting this disease she now lives 'Happy First' everyday.  Today, she looks at every first in her life and celebrates each one.  Her choice in positive thinking has helped save her life and changed her forever.  Check out her blog and follow along with her on every Happy First.

 

Make today count.  Don't think it, Do it!!