Various pics and news from an exhausted mind....

Wednesday, January 04, 2012

Day 2 of finding a motivational picture to share on my blog. I loved this one when I saw it because (a) she's running and it's sunny and (b) It's true that the little voice in your head that says you can't is a liar!

So here's my "oh hell yes I can" streak I've got going this week: 4 days of choosing healthy meals. I wanted to do a streak to see how many meals in a row I could make healthy choices with to try and eliminate the unwanted random food that sneaks in when you're mad, sad, happy, whatever just because you want comfort food. By committing to my January Daily Accountability Partner (Runningsushi - you rock) I've now made it four whole days - which by the way is somewhere between 24 to 28 meals for me since I eat 6-7 meals a day.

Today I put on my skinny jeans and they totally fit - which was not exactly the case after Thanksgiving and Christmas. Yes I could zip them up, but no I wasn't wearing them out of the house. Today I did.



Here's what was in my lunch bowl today:

I sauteed together:
1 cup chopped fresh mushrooms
1 cup pinto beans (canned)
2 large scallions chopped
1/3 c chopped fresh red bell pepper
1 cup chopped fresh spinach

Heat that all through. Layer 1 cup chopped romaine lettuce, top with the cooked veggie mixture and top with 2 T salsa and about 3 large T chopped avocado.

That was a heck of a lot of food for only 358 calories. Plus I got in well over 4 cups of veggies in one meal!

Did Day 4 of the Jumpstart January Challenge workout video. After this I'm off to do a few minutes of stretching and Yoga before hitting the bed.

I wear a BodyBugg now so I'm very aware of my sleep patterns. My husband had a tooth pulled yesterday and the pain medication they gave him caused him to toss and turn and talk in his sleep. I now know that the longest sleep I had last night that was uninterrupted was 2 hours and 6 minutes. I'm thinking bad thoughts about how to deal with that tonight if it happens again! JK I wouldn't do anything bad but I might go sleep on the couch!

My new article will come out on The Daily Spark tomorrow. I'd appreciate all the comments, likes, and shares from my buddies! It's called "Scale Haters Unite!" unless they changed the title I put on there - which is fine and totally their option.

So that's it...I must sleep but wanted to post my motivation for today.

I heart my sparkfriends!

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Today's Motivation....

Tuesday, January 03, 2012

I follow a fellow sparker on Twitter (@shellypfuhl) and she was posting some links to motivational pictures on Pin Interest. I'm grateful that she shared them. I saved quite a few and am going to choose a different one each day to think about. I have no idea who created the poster, or I would give them credit here as well.

So choose your hard...which one will it be?

I chose a new goal for 2012 to see how many healthy meals I could have in a row. I eat 6-7 times a day but I'm only tracking it by a whole day. Essentially I'm choosing 42-50 times a week what to eat. So far I'm 3 days into this streak, and being able to check that box and report to my January daily accountability partner is causing me to pause to really consider my meals. I'm on track and that feels good.

I'm intentionally not weighing myself right now. Why? Because i want to remind myself that it's not about a number, it's about my health. I have to choose everyday to eat right and workout not because of what the scale will say to me, but because of the long term value to my body and overall health.

For those of you who read Clean Eating - we tried the Walnut & herb Crusted Sirloin Tip recipe from page 55 of the Nov/Dec issue. That recipe was fine, but what I liked was that we made a double batch. We sliced the leftovers very thin, added one sliced onion and enough au jus to cover. We covered that in foil and put it in the oven the next day for a 90 min slow cook and then served that on crusty rolls for a great reuse of leftovers.

Here's a snack I had this morning that I love:



I took about 3/4 c dark sweet frozen cherries and let them defrost just a bit. Topped that with 1/2 plain greek yogurt, 1 tsp dark cocoa powder, 1 tsp evaporated cane sugar, and 2 T pomegranate seeds.

To me it reminds me of a black forest cake flavor - cherries and dark chocolate.

Today I'm grateful for the structure that SP provides to me for free on a daily basis that allows me to work toward being the healthiest version of me.

What was your motivation today? Do you have a favorite healthy snack?

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Some Interesting Questions

Monday, January 02, 2012

I'm enjoying my first issue of IDEA Fit Journal which is a magazine published by ACE for their certified personal trainers.

I found some interesting questions that I wanted to keep in mind and share:

The article called "How Can Clients Keep Their New Year's Resolutions" talked about a survey done with 256 women and by answering these questions on a daily basis through a 4 month followup. Half of the women had this exercise, and half did not. For the ones who did, exercise participation went up from 46 minutes a week to 103. That's more than double! So here is your exercise to keep you going:

1. What is your most important exercise goal?

2. What would be the most positive outcomes of meeting this goal?

3. What is the biggest obstacle to this goal?

Answer these 3 questions about the obstacle:

1. When and where is this obstacle most likely to occur?

2. What can I do to prevent the obstacle for occurring?

3. What specific thing will I do to help get back to my exercise goal when this obstacle happens?

This process should help you recognize obstacles, and help you come up with a plan of action to overcome them.

For me I think completing this the night before as I plan for a successful day to come, would help me the most in identifying the obstacle.

So what do you think of these questions? If you answered them right now for your plan for tomorrow, do they help you in any way? I'd like some feedback.

Thanks,

Michelene

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2011 How I kept 90+ lbs off

Sunday, January 01, 2012

Some of my favorite pictures of the year with my daughter Rachael, and my best Friend Susie (susiewhite1109) that show how my lifestyle has changed since joining SparkPeople.

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What day is it?

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Sometimes holidays throw me for a loop. I had to keep checking today to even know what day it was.

Today I think I am back on track - I did my leg weight routine followed by one hour of zumba. That's going to hurt tomorrow! I'm off shortly to relax in a hot bath and read!

tonight's dinner was salmon patties - used left overs from a recipe that my husband made last night. I added eggs and panko and sauteed them in olive oil. On the side - fresh zucchini. Dessert 1/2 c fresh blueberries with 2 T cool whip.

My daughter and I registered for our first race in 2012 - The Hot Chocolate Run in February. I still might do one in January - BFF and I are looking at options. I don't particularly like running outdoors in winter but hey...I will run for chocolate!

I got the latest issues of Muscle & Fitness Hers and Yoga Journal - that's my reading material and inspiration journaling for the next couple of days.

I've been wearing a bodybugg for about four days now - what I've learned is that I sleep terrible. I thought I was doing a good thing by cutting my sleeping pills in half and trying to wean myself off but I was waking up 7-8 times a night. The last two nights I've taken a full one and make it at least 5 hours before I start the whole waking up alot routine. I've never slept well and I know that impacts my abilities in a lot of areas. I will keep tracking that and talk to my doctor now that I will have good data and not just my general opinion that I'm not sleeping well.

This is what I felt like after Christmas Eve and Day where I did no tracking and ate whatever I wanted. Sugar tastes good for a moment but overall I end up feeling junky for a couple of days while I try and detox off of that. In the end I don't feel like it's worth it.

I'm one of the co-leaders for the January Jumpstart Challenge that SP is hosting - starts on January 1st officially. You can find a team link on my page if you haven't seen it broadcast through SP. It's a one month challenge and should be a good consistency aid for those looking for something.

That's all folks - just a general update tonight. Here's something for my Twilight fans...

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