My Vision Board - What I want my Life to Look Like

Sunday, June 16, 2013

As a part of our STRONGend Challenge we were to visualize life at our goal weight - what will it be like? How will life be different - what new goals do we want to achieve. And to help visualize that life, we were asked to create a vision board. This is my first attempt - its not perfect but I love it!!

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SMART Goals for BLC22

Sunday, June 09, 2013

SMART Goals for BLC22:

1. Lose 5 pounds by the end of the challenge (to give me some wiggle room in my goal weight).

2. Strength training 6 days a week. Minimum of 10 minutes a day rotating upper, lower and core exercises. Work on reducing love handles - first by losing fat then with ST?

3. Eat 6 or more servings of fruit and veggies to replace processed foods.

4. Avoid eating after 7:30 at night. This is a HABIT, not true hunger!

5. Cardio 5 or more days a week. Increase intensity by adding intervals of race walking/running in my walks.

6.Two cups of coffee (half caf), two cups of tea, then only water. Right now I'm having 3 cups of coffee. Less is more!!

7. Do de-cluttering at least 3 times a week.

8. Encourage my team mates (and all BLCers) to LOVE themselves NOW, not when they are 'perfect'!! Provide support and understanding when things get tough - because things WILL get tough for all of us somewhere along the way. But with love and support we will get right back on track!! We are a TEAM - Together Everyone Achieves More!!

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Rules for a "Spark"ling Day

Wednesday, June 05, 2013

Another Sparker ( JAZZY_JOAN) shared this with me on my SparkPage - I HAD to share it with you. I don't know if its just me (I AM already feeling quite excited what with BLC22 starting today!) but this really did it for me!! I'm making it into a blog so I can find it again if my motivation lags!!

Rules for a "Spark"ling Day

1. Wake Up !! Make the choice to have a good day and live a healthier lifestyle!

2. Dress Up !! The best way to dress up is to put on a smile. A smile is an inexpensive way to improve your looks. (Added by me - but put your clothes and shoes on too - preferably EXERCISE clothes!!)

3 . Learn!! Read as much as you can and gain knowledge about living a healthier lifestyle!

4. Stand Up!!..... For what you believe in. Stand for something or you will fall for anything.

5. Look Up !!.. to your next goal and reward. What do you need to do in order to meet or exceed that goal?

6. Reach Out !!... by encouraging others and being supportive in their times of need.

7. Lift Up !!.. Your spirit....as this journey is not only about your body and weight loss but the changes with your mind and soul too!

8, Get moving !! ... Find ways to incorporate exercise into your daily routine. Sneak in as much exercise as possible!

Thank you so much for sharing this, Jazzy_Joan!! Great motivation!!

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A Serendipitous Kind of Day

Saturday, May 25, 2013

Something interesting just happened to me. In my 'review' on SparkCoach I wrote about an NSV I had yesterday. Here is what I wrote:

"I had an excellent day - I feel good about my progress. I had a breakthrough NSV yesterday when I 'slipped' and bought a package of Grandma's Peanut Butter Cookies at the checkout at the store. (NO that wasn't the breakthrough LOL.) The breakthrough was only eating ONE with my dinner!! I was full after one and (after seeing how many calories it had) saved the other one for today. I don't think I've EVER only eaten one cookie when more were available!! So thank you!!"

Then I got to the community page and found this: "Think about the last "mistake" you made that left you feeling upset or off track. Now re-frame that event as a learning opportunity. What did it teach you? How can you be better going forward? Share your insights in a blog post."

Is that serendipity or what? I had already written my blog!! Well, most of it. My friends KNOW that cookies are a huge trigger food for me. The only way not to eat them is to not have them in the house. Of course I knew that when I picked up the cookies, but I figured what the heck? Its only two.

But to eat only one? That HAS to be all I've learned on SparkPeople kicking in!! Needless to say I'm a happy camper today!! Oh yeah - the scales were down today too!! YAY!!

Oh - and to answer your next question (I hear you thinking this Chelle!) I did NOT eat it later in the evening!! I did eat it just now - and enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed the one yesterday. Life is GOOD!!

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Diet related stress? Not really!!

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

My SparkCoach has requested that I blog about this issue: "Have you struggled with stress or anxiety related to your weight-loss program or weigh-ins?"

My answer (at this time) would have to be no, I don't struggle with stress about my weight. And thinking about it, that's a pretty good place to be in. That is not to say I have my whole program totally under control - I don't. If I did I wouldn't be 3 pounds over my goal weight as we speak.

The difference between now and the last time I got to goal weight only to slowly regain all the pounds I'd lost is SparkPeople and my SparkFriends. SparkPeople has taught me to change my whole attitude about weight loss. I'm not on a diet and haven't been for some time now. Instead I've made healthy changes in my eating and drinking habits.

And my SparkFriends? They keep me ACCOUNTABLE!! After all, if I regain all the weight I'll not only be letting myself down, I'll be letting them down as well. And why WOULD I? SparkPeople gives me all the tools to keep my weight under control. Its just up to me to use them!!

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