Keeping off the Holiday Pounds

To keep off the holiday pounds I have been trying to fit in a hour Zumba workout each morning. This may seem like a lot of time to devote, but it is well worth it. My daughter loves it and usually tries to mimic the exercises or will dance around me to the music and sing along :) It is a great way to stay motivated. I have also been finding that this is a great way to make sure I get my workout in without excuses. A few great results from my new workout.....

1-tons more energy throughout the day
2--better mood
3--I feel better about myself
4-As of last week, I have lost 3 lbs.

I will say that I haven't been as good about eating all the right things, but I have been limiting the sweet things that I eat. Cookies, pies, cakes, etc are all a great temptation this time of year as well as candy and chocolates. I find that if I have a small cookie or 2 or maybe 3 mini Hershey bars, that it helps to keep me from feeling deprived and crashing into a whole box/bag of goodies.

Hope you all have a wonderful holiday and remember that you can do anything that you set your mind to :)

Self Challenge

In order to stay motivated and to drop a few pounds, I have decided to add an entry about my own journey. I am currently at 151 lbs and would love to get back to the 130s. So starting today, I have decided to make small steps each week to ensure they are steps I can continue to implement as time goes on.

STEP 1-Replace at least 3 drinks a day with water. (all others are lowfat milk, tea/coffee)
STEP 2-Work out at least 30 mins each day

I have done step 1 successfully now for a week, so now I am keeping that and adding in the 2nd step. I am hoping to make a post each day about how I have been doing to keep you all updated and to keep myself motivated as well. If anyone is interested in doing this along with me feel free to come a long for the ride. I could always use a fitness buddy even if we just support each other and hold each other accountable :)

So today--11/28/11

I had Cheerios, lowfat milk and a grapefruit for breakfast. Lunch was homemade pizza with turkey pepperoni. Dinner is going to be turkey slider burgers, salad, and sweet potato wedges. I had water with lunch and am having it again with dinner. I also had a snack of about 3/4 cup of almonds.

Used treadmill for 30 mins and then did some squats, lunges, etc....

Low Calorie Alternatives

Here are a few low calorie alternatives that I have found enjoyable.

Drinks--

• Add a few drops of MIO liquid to your water for a tasty treat. They come in all sorts of flavors and don't have an aftertaste.
• Brew homemade tea. Instead of adding in sugar, try adding in sugar free liquers such as raspberry to get the sweet taste instead.
• black coffee
• low cal lemonade

Snacks--

• Apple with 1 tbsp peanut butter (151 calories) with 1 tbsp Nutella (180 calories) with low fat caramel dip (177 calories)
• 1 cup raw veggies with 2 tbsp fat free sour cream mixed with ranch powdered dip mix (65 calories) with 2 tbsp hummus (100 calories)
• 1 cup generic white air-popped popcorn (31 calories)
• 20 Snyder's mini pretzels (110 calories)
• Most fat free varities of Yoplait are around 100 calories
• Fiber One 90 calorie bars
• 1 cup seedless grapes (110 calories)
• I medium banana (105 calories)
• Stretch Island Fruit Co.’s fruit leather (45 calories)

Hoping to add more soon. Stay tuned!!

How to Use Fruits and Veggies to Help You Manage Your Weight

Great article that I found that offers advice on how to add fruits and veggies to your meals to up the flavor and decrease the calories all while getting in your daily fill.

http://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/healthy_eating/fruits_vegetables.html

Great Book Series

I also wanted to share with all of you a wonderful series of books from the Men's Health Website called Eat This, Not That and Cook This, Not That. They have many versions of the book. One goes through all the things at the supermarket and tells you what you can substitute to make healthier choices. It also details all the bad things that are in what appear to be healthy products like Vitamin Water. They have another one that gives you good choices of substitutes for eating out at various restaurants. yet another gives you good swaps you can make to create restaurant favorites at home. I LOVE these books and would definitely recommend them to others. I have also used many of the recipes such as Dr. Pepper Ribs and Chicken Pot Pie. (The only caution I give is if you don't like a lot of onions, then don't use more than half a bag of the frozen pearl onions. They even have one for kids recipes and foods! What's not to love?

Motivation for finding time in your day to workout

Every person is given 24 hours a day, what you make of it, and what you do during it is your choice. Below are a few quotes to motivate you to find time in your day to workout. These are also taken from the same exercise quote page as the last set.

You will never find time for anything. If you want time, you must make it.
– Charles Buxton

 

Those who think they have not time for bodily exercise will sooner or later have to find time for illness.
– Edward Stanley

 

Much may be done in those little shreds and patches of time which every day produces, and which most men throw away.
– Charles Caleb Colton

Motivational quotes about getting off the couch

The first step in any fitness program is actually getting up the courage and willpower to start. You don't have to start big, but you should always give your all and remember that each day is a new day with new choices to be made. Here are a few great quotes about this from a website about exercise quotes.

 

The secret of getting ahead is getting started.
– Mark Twain

 

It's not who you are that holds you back, it’s who you think you’re not.
– Anon

 

A day will never be anymore than what you make of it.
– Josh S. Hinds

Physical fitness can neither be achieved by wishful thinking nor outright purchase.
– Joseph Pilates