New Year, New Me - "I Can"

I'm not big on New Years resolutions, never have been. When I was younger I never followed through with any of the resolutions I made so I just stopped making them. But and I know I'm not suppose to start with but, but I think not only am I going to make a New Years resolution I'm going to make several. This past year I've really accomplished more then I've ever thought possible. I've lost fifty pounds. I started exercising a little over a year ago and I haven't thrown in the towel. I like myself again. I have faith now that I can follow through with my resolutions.

My new years motto is "I can"

This is what "I can" do...

1. Continue to eat healthy. - Easy "I can" so do that.

2. Continue to exercise. - Easy "I can" so do that.

3. Put myself on a Budget. - Not so easy but "I can" do that.

4. Follow through with school. I'm going back to school if Feb. I'm really excited about this but I am also a little scared I might be taking on to much. - "I can" do that.

OK, I so can do all that.

Getting Back on Track After the Holidays.

I'm happy to say the holidays are over for me. I just went on the scale to see the damage and I'm happy to report only two pounds gained. I haven't exercised in over a week and with all the not so healthy eating and a few cocktails I thought it was going to be more. Why is it when the holidays come around I tell myself it's OK to eat all the junk I want - it's the holidays? Or it's OK not to exercise - it's the holidays. Well they are over now and no more excuses. I need to get back on track. I have the Bet Your MASS off Weight Loss Challenge that ends the first week in February and I'm going to Vegas with my girlfriends for my 40th in a couple weeks. More important I feel frumpy when I don't exercise and I do not like that feeling. Oh and another thing why do I have such a hard time getting my eight glasses of water in a day in the winter time? I should be drinking more water with the heater on. I can feel the heat sucking the moisture out of my body. So not good.

Since I've been exercising regularly...

1. I’ve lost forty plus pounds.
2. I have more energy.
3. I sleep much better.
4. I have way more confidence in myself.
5. I eat healthier.
6. My back pain has gone away.
7. I don’t get sick as much as I used to.
8. I’m a much happier person and nicer to be around.
9. I have a social life again.
10. I look and feel younger and Fabulous!

I was reading an article in the October Shape which got me thinking about what exercising has done for me. I wanted to share it with you. I started exercising last September. These effects started a month after I started exercising. Except for the forty plus weight loss. I did however lose twenty pounds the first month.

I'm so going to print this out to remind me why I exercise on the days I'm just not in the mood to.

B-ing Fabulous Beauty Smoothie

This is the smoothie I drink to get my antioxidant fill. It's yummy, filling, easy to make and good for me. Sometimes I cut half the banana out because bananas are high in calories. It still taste great. I also add ground flax seed to my smoothie to make it healthier. Enjoy!

B-ing Fabulous Beauty Smoothie

Ingredients
1 Cup Blueberries, frozen (unsweetened)
5 Strawberries, frozen, (unsweetened)
1 Cup Light Plain Soy Milk
1 Banana, fresh

Optional
1 Tbsp Ground Flax Seed

Directions: Place the fruit in a blender. Place the soy milk to cover. If the soy milk does not cover you may need to add a little bit more.

Blend until fully blended.

I feel Great!

I totally forgot how much I loved the 30 day Shred. I can't believe I didn't keep it up after I lost the first twenty pounds. I think it's a mind thing. The DVD says lose up to 20 pounds in thirty days. "Well then I guess after twenty pounds I'm done". Sometimes I just need to kick myself.

This is really an easy program. Don't get me wrong it wasn't easy when I started it a year ago. It took me a couple weeks to be able to make that statement. Even though I haven't done it in a long long time I did and do go to the gym three to four days a week (off and on but mostly on). I go for forty to sixty minutes (cardio only) and then I work with weights at home for another twenty minutes once or twice a week (I really need to bump that up and I will with the shred). So this morning when I did the DVD I could say it was easy. I use the word easy loosely. When I say easy I mean it's easy compared to going to the gym and spending a couple hours working out to the 30 Day Shred workout which gets the same results in twenty minutes. I do the level one. I hear level two is much harder. My new goal is to get to level two by the end of January and still be able to say it's easy.

The 30 Day Shred workout works your muscles as well as cardio. I just added it too the right side of my blog so you can see what I'm talking about.

I feel great too. I don't know if it's because I'm excited about doing the shred again or if it's because I did the shred. I don't care. I love it!

Don't Drink and My Plan

I have been pretty good with my eating healthy and my exercising. I went to the gym 5 days last week. However this weekend I was bad on Saturday and Sunday. I went out Saturday night and drank probably more than I should have. Then on top of that because I wasn't feeling so great the next day I didn't eat very healthy. So what I learned from that is I should probably not drink during the challenge.

I've decided I'm going to start the 30 day shred tomorrow. I haven't done it in a while and I know it will do wonders. It did before. The only reason I stopped doing it was I started up at the gym. But I really should be doing both. Then when I'm at my ideal weight I should just alternate between the gym and the 30 day Shred.

Eat your Vegies!

I really feel better and look better since I started eating more vegetables. I think I have eaten more vegies in the past year than I have eaten in my whole thirties.
I have some great recipes for vegetables. I'm working on adding them to my recipe blog. I hope to get them up before the end of the month.

Vegetables and Their Benefits

By Vicki Churchill

Today, everyone is aware that vegetables are good for you and eating the right amount can improve longevity significantly.

Many people are conscious of the fact that eating five or more portions of different fruits and vegetables a day encourages good health and reduces the risk of chronic diseases such as cancer, heart disease and diabetes.

Vitamin A is essential for healthy eyes, skin and a strong immune system.

The Vitamin A found in colourful vegetables, usually bright yellow, orange or green is called Pro vitamin which is then turned into vitamin A within the body.

Here is a list of vegetables that contain vitamin A

* Asparagus

* Potatoes

* Pumpkin

* Carrots

* Peas

* Broccoli

* Cabbage

It is unlikely you would need to take a supplement to top up your levels of vitamin A if you have a healthy balanced diet. However if you do feel the need to take vitamin tablets it is always best to seek medical advice before doing so.

Vitamin C is vital to maintain a healthy immune system, large doses can also reduce the chances of catching a cold, help reduce damage to inflamed joints in arthritis sufferers and even reduce many symptoms that asthmatics experience.

Good sources of vegetables with vitamin c are:

* Cabbage

* Spinach

* Peppers

* Broccoli

* Brussel Sprouts

* Cauliflower

* Onions

* Lettuce

* Asparagus

* Cucumber

These vegetables are not only very easy to prepare and cook but are readily available to purchase in supermarkets and farm stores.

Vitamin E is an important antioxidant; it helps to repair cells and is often found in anti ageing creams.

Recent research has shown that this vitamin can delay or even prevent cancer, heart disease and cataracts, the list of vegetables below may be small but very beneficial.

* Spinach

* Broccoli

* Greens

Most vegetables that contain this vitamin are green and leafy

To get the maximum benefit from the above list of vegetables it is recommend you buy organically produced and eat them when they are fresh.

It is a common misconception that eating raw vegetables if better than cooking them, This is not always the case and it really depends on what you want to get out of them. For example cooking vegetables such as carrots can release certain substances that help us to absorb the vitamins easily.

Overall the important thing to bear in mind is to vary the vegetables you eat. Try to eat from a range of food groups and make sure you eat a variety of different coloured vegetables.

Vicki Churchill is the owner of http://www.simplecookery.com, a site that specializes in Recipes and cooking tips to save you time in the kitchen.

Bet Your MASS off Weight Loss Challenge!

I'm so excited because I started a weight loss challenge with twelve other women this evening. So for the next three month I'm going to be very motivated to eat healthy and exercise. This is perfect for the holidays as I tend to go off my healthy eating and cut back on the exercise during these months with the excuse "it's only once a year". Well not this year.

We are going to meet up once a month to weigh in as well as in between meetup to motivate, go for walks, dance classes, etc.... The person who looses the most percent wins. It's like the biggest looser.

The group I'm doing this with is a group on meetup.com. A year ago when I started this blog one of the things I did was I made an effort to go out more. Have fun. Stop hiding indoors. I work at home so I really needed to get out more. I'm so glad I did. I've met some wonderful people and having a fabulous time.

Homemade Banana, Sour Cream and Honey Face Mask

I love the way my face feels after I use this mask. Even the next day it feel fabulous. I use this mask once a week.

Homemade Banana, Sour Cream and Honey Face Mask

1/2 mashed banana (pulp only)
1 tablespoon of honey
2 tablespoons of sour cream

Combine all three ingredients together. Apply to face and neck. Leave on for 10 minutes. Gently wipe off with damp wash cloth.

Why Banana, Sour Cream and Honey?
Banana - Banana pulp has soothing, moistening and smoothing effects.
Sour Cream - Sour cream is rich in lactic acid and helps soften and remove dead skin cells.
Honey - Honey has the ability to absorb and retain moisture which helps keep skin hydrated and fresh. Honey has natural antioxidant and antimicrobial properties help to protect the skin from the damage of the sun's rays while supporting the ability to rejuvenate and refresh depleted skin. Another advantage to using honey as a natural skin care ingredient is for the treatment of acne. Honey absorbs impurities from the pores in the skin, making it an ideal cleansing agent.

antioxidant: are chemical compounds that can bind to free oxygen radicals preventing these radicals from damaging healthy cells.

antimicrobial: is a substance that kills or inhibits the growth of microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi, or protozoans, as well as destroying viruses.

Warning: The reader of this should exercise all precautions while following instructions on this recipe. Avoid using any of these products if you are allergic to it. The responsibility lies with the reader and not with the site or the writer.

Can a video game get you in shape? I think so!

I posted this article because I received a wii console a few month ago as a gift. The first thing I did (after saying thank you) was go out and buy the wii fit. I love it! My favorite is the yoga. I've been wanting to do yoga for some time now. With the wii I feel confident I'm doing the poses correctly. I'm also a big fan of the hula hoop. Way fun!

The Wii Will Get You Into Shape With Wii Fitness Games!

Will a video game promote your good health? You bet it can, if its a Nintendo Wii fitness game! We all know the bad reputation video games have gotten in the past. It was believed video games led to a sedentary lifestyle. Parents have complained for years that their couch potato tykes do nothing but sit around day and night playing video games as their health deteriorates. And, of course, we all know the horror stories of how sofa tater children grow up to be sofa spud adolescents who can't cut it in the adult world.

Some may disagree with these fears, but now, things have changed! Nintendo Wii video games makes these fears a thing of the past. A Wii fitness game mixes all the skill and fun of a average video game with exercise you would get, if you were actually playing it. Doctors and parentshave all started to support the Wii. You may not burn as many calories as playing the actual sport, but, you will burn a significant amount and that's a heck of a lot better...and more fun, than sitting there.

Just envision yourself on a tennis court, ready to serve the ball to your opposition. You enhale, throw the ball up and swing with all you've got. Now envision doing this in the comfort of your own home, wearing whatever you find comfortable. If you are not able to find an opponent to play against, no problem, you can just play against the computer. If, on the other hand, you have a friend (or three), you can all get into the fun. Volley the ball to and fro, matching your skill against your nemesis. You start to get into the game and begin to forget it's just a Wii fitness game, and best of all, you even forget you are receiving an aerobic workout! 

The Wii game console has made it a possibility. The action can be so close to reality, and the bodily benefits so terrific that some physical therapy specialists have in reality tied wii fitness games into their patient's workout procedures, helping them to regain lost or impaired joint and muscle flexibility. 

Senior citizens are even getting in on the action. It is no longer accurate to depict the elderly sitting around living a dormant life. Wii fitness games have been turning up in more and more elderly living centers. What was once seen to be a lethargic universe has again acquired fresh life, as the elderly are able to easily learn the necessary skills to enter into all the fun the Wii gaming console has to offer. There have even been Wii bowling clubs starting up in the centers, providing hours of amusement and most importantly bodily movement and exercise.

So, if you've been considering getting into better shape, or getting your family active together, then toss out your antiquated ideas and turn to video games. Provided you're talking of the Nintendo Wii gaming console, you can't lose anything but some extra pounds.