By: SPELIZABETH1, SparkPeople Blogger
9/3/2018  12:00:00 AM   :  42 comments   :  8,569 views

SparkSpotlight CHELAGETSFIT
 
At SparkPeople, we love helping people accomplish big goals—but we believe it's equally important to celebrate the small successes along the way. Each week in the Spark Spotlight, we'll check in with a featured member about his or her proudest moments, biggest challenges and advice for others on living, thinking and feeling healthier. We hope these quick snapshots will help motivate you to keep moving steadily toward your own goals, week by week.
 
This Week's Spotlight: Maricela (CHELAGETSFIT)
Age: 35
Location: Wasco, California
 
Small Success of the Week
 
Maricela took a walk during her morning break, logging 22 minutes, 1.3 miles and burning 106 calories. "That felt good!" she says.

By: SPARK_MRUDY, SparkPeople Blogger
8/31/2018  12:00:00 AM   :  95 comments   :  72,485 views

Since launching in 2010, Pinterest has evolved into so much more than a place to post handicrafts, DIY projects and dream homes. These days, it's also a top online destination for those looking to lose weight and embrace a healthy lifestyle. You can find thousands of inspirational pins linking to nutritious recipes, effective workouts and motivational quotes. Pinterest can be a great complement to the SparkPeople community.

Most of the time.

Like any free social media network, Pinterest isn't always a reliable resource. For every handful of high-quality, expert-endorsed pins, there are likely to be a couple of bad apples with false, exaggerated or possibly even harmful information. If something sounds like it could be damaging, dangerous or just too good to be true, don't try it unless you've vetted it with a trusted professional.

By: SPELIZABETH1, SparkPeople Blogger
8/29/2018  12:00:00 AM   :  69 comments   :  134,923 views

Yoga is a practice that's been around for thousands of years. While there are different forms of yoga, the basic principles apply to each method: focus on your breathing, postures, flexibility and meditation. Many yogis practice for the spiritual aspect of the process, as it links your mind and body as you work through the postures and learn to breathe with intent.

Even if yoga seems intimidating, the great thing about it is that anyone can do it, at any level. However, if you're brand new to yoga or want to take your practice up a notch, there are products that yoga instructors swear by that can help get you in the zone and feel more comfortable while you work through your flow.

By: SPARK_MRUDY, SparkPeople Blogger
8/28/2018  12:00:00 AM   :  116 comments   :  22,573 views

Some days, it's easy to feel proud of your accomplishments and hopeful for the future. Other days, your relaxed-fit jeans don't live up to their name, your workout partner has lost three times as much weight as you, and you'd consider trading your firstborn for some french fries. When you've sworn off chocolate, finally know how to pronounce (and prepare) quinoa and have traded post-work happy hours for workouts—yet the scale hasn't budged in the right direction—well, it may seem difficult to focus on the positives.
 
But we promise, they exist. Hint: They don't have to be directly related to having a perfect, or even passable, physique. The key is to seek out the things in life that bring you happiness, humor or peace (or all three!) instead of focusing on your perceived flaws.

By: SPELIZABETH1, SparkPeople Blogger
8/27/2018  12:00:00 AM   :  35 comments   :  8,936 views

At SparkPeople, we love helping people accomplish big goals—but we believe it's equally important to celebrate the small successes along the way. Each week in the Spark Spotlight, we'll check in with a featured member about his or her proudest moments, biggest challenges and advice for others on living, thinking and feeling healthier. We hope these quick snapshots will help motivate you to keep moving steadily toward your own goals, week by week.
 
This Week's Spotlight: Jessice (GROWINGSOUL)

Age: 30

Location: Kenosha, Wisconsin
 
Small Success of the Week
 
Jessice made a small choice that had a big impact—she left her car at home and walked to and from work. The extra walking time put her at more than 10,000 steps for the day! 

By: DAILYSPARKGUEST, – Holly Martin, The Run Experience
8/27/2018  12:00:00 AM   :  34 comments   :  18,912 views

Whether you are a trail runner, a roadrunner or a combination of the two, you need hills. As challenging and unpleasant as they sound, hills can be used to work on uphill endurance, improving strength and building turnover (taking more steps per minute) to help your run form.
 
While most outdoor running routes will have some level of hills, repeating shorter runs on the same hill (a.k.a. hill repeats) is going to be more effective in reaping the many benefits you can gain from the added incline.
 
Hill repeats are a way to overtrain and exaggerate race-route conditions. Most race courses will not have as many hills at that grade or they’ll be more spread out with flat stretches in between to recover. Thus, because you’re repeating one tough hill multiple times, you're challenging your legs and lungs to adapt to the difficulty level and be better prepared when a hill does hit on a traditional race course.