Team Color and Thoughts

I kept every one's team color and logo off to the side. Let me know if you want to change your color or logo and if you want it to say anything under your name. I hope everyone is motivated to make this blog a good helper and motivational tool for all of us. Whether you have an article to share, an experience you had, or some ideas for improvement; I want you to share them. Please let me know if you haven't been invited to be an author on the blog and I can can include you so you can post when you want to. I hope that this blog will encourage, motivate, and help all of us to live strong in so many different ways. Let's make 2010 a year of change and for living a great life.

Time For A Change

Time for change......for me it's a change in weight, in endurance, in pride, in skill, in attitude. Basically I need an adjustment in priorities. Lately I've been lazy in the way I treat myself and self indulgent in the way I eat. It's time for focus, strength, and perseverance. It's time to start shredding and shedding.....thus, the new name of the blog. What do you need to change or improve? Do you want to shed those few extra pounds or shed the poor self image you have of yourself? Do you want to shred those muscles, shred that lettuce to eat, or even shred those photos you don't like of yourself. Now's the time to start. It's never too late to start and to try to be a better person. It's always time to change and to live strong. What does it mean to live strong? To me it encompasses every aspect of my life. For me to live strong I need to be a better mother, a better wife, a better daughter, a better sibling, a better woman, a better daughter and servant of God, a better friend, a better example, a better writer, a better eater, a better body......a better everything. I always liked the words of Gordon B. Hinkley when he said each day to try a little harder to be a little better. I know he was specifically speaking about spirituality but I don't think that is what he was limiting it to. I'm ready to live stronger and better. It won't happen overnight and I'm sure there will be many stumbling blocks, road blocks, and pot holes but that's what we are all here for; to provide a helping hand for those that need help. That is the whole idea of this blog. This is our support system. We can laugh together, cry together, encourage each other, give advice to each other, and simply just "be" together and all strive to live strong.

Let's get ready to rumble......

Okay, so we took a break.....a long break.....a Summer break but now it's over and I know Kandi and Jen have been up and running lately (at 5 AM.....icky!!) but I'm so proud of them. Five AM is way to early for me but it's a great time to run for sure!
Let me know if you want to start this whole thing up again. It doesn't even have to be a competition we can just weigh in every week and "weigh in" on our struggles, triumphs, and solutions. What do you say?? Are you ready to rumble???
I think we should all share fitness goals, things we are having a hard time with, weekly schedules for workouts to help better each other. I'm having a really hard time keeping consistent with my workouts and I need to also start with strength training, flexibility, and core workouts. (I've heard this will really help with running). Let me know if you have ideas, good schedules, or pointers! Hope to see everyone here really soon!

Good training ideas

I found this website with some really good suggestions for going from a couch potato to a 5K runner. I thought you guys would enjoy reading this.

http://www.marathon-training-schedule.com/couch-to-5k.html

Who's Up For A Fresh Start??

Jen and I were talking yesterday about prolonging our Biggest Loser competition because we felt like we've all slacked off and fell off the boat so I'm ready to make a new commitment.....what do you say, ya'll?? Are you in for the long haul??

shopping

nothing like trying on clothes to make you feel REALLY FREAKING FAT!!!! ugh. i'm not criticizing myself, just stating a fact. it has motivated me to get my butt moving this week because the excuses are gone. i'm not sick, not PMSing, not busy, so time to RUN!

Top Two....Because That's All There Was

There are two in the "top three" this week because that's all I heard from.

I want to hear from more of you!


Please.....

pretty please.......

Pretty please with a cherry on top??????

Where Have All The Losers Gone?

Okay......so I'm starting to hear the crickets......REALLY!!!!!
I didn't hear from anyone on their weight loss this past week and I was the only one to report this week and the week before. Let's all try a little harder this week. Believe me I'm not trying to be bossy, but it would make it a lot more fun. I don't want to be the only one having to report weight gain every week.....blah!
Hopefully my new leaf has been turned after having stomach problems last week. I'm really trying to eat better food and not so much fast food. It gets to be really easy to run through the drive thru....even after stopping at the grocery store! What!? I have a whole load of groceries in the car and I'm still stopping at McD's? It's those Monsters vs. Aliens toys.....I've got to have them all!
Okay, so I hope I hear from more people on Sunday about their progress and it will be like a fresh start. June isn't that far away!

Top Three

I didn't get anyone's numbers.....

so there won't be a top three I guess


Remember next weigh in is Sunday (Easter)

a friend of mine (diane passey) wrote this and put it on her blog and i thought it was perfect for THIS blog! it's pretty funny! enjoy.

Ode to Fat Cells

Fat cells, you are not my friend,
You haunt me to the bitter end.
Someday I will make you see
that you should not be part of me.

Why do you fight to leave my tummy?
Staying there is just plain dummy.
I squish you into all my pants
and yet you stay and do a dance.

What do I have to say to you?
Your presence makes me oh so blue!
I drink water day and night.
No soda or sugary drinks I like.

I eat my fruits and whole grain wheat.
I like my carrots- apples are a treat!
Bananas, salad, berries rock!
Beans and peas I keep in stock.

Soy milk 'stead of juice from cow,
Give me Kashi cereals now!
Fish, chicken, low fat meat
are the staples that I eat.

Watching proteins, carbs, and dairy,
being balanced as a fairy.
Working out 5 days a week
for 90 minutes, can't be beat!

AND YET...

You stick to arms, thighs, hips, and chest.
On belly, buttocks, chin, you rest.
Thinking this is great vacation
Why can't you visit United Nations?

You must leave my body soon.
I will threaten night to noon!
You must not keep sneaking round.
Leave my torso pound by pound!

You think you win, but you will see -
the battle's just begun for me.
And with warning, I'll let you know-
you'd best pack up and get ready to GO!!!

Top Three

So our new top three for this past week are:

#1-Quin with a 1 lb. weight loss

#2-Jen staying steady at the same weight along with Kandi and Clint.

#3-Me with a gain???? How can that be considered top three......i'm nixing the #3 spot this time.....

Hopefully we'll get rid of this blasted snow and it will solve all our problems in the exercise and weight loss. I know I'm having a hard time when all I want to do is stay warm with some hot chocolate and cookies. Darn food!

This Week's Top Three

I might as well name the top four people for the week because that's all I heard from.......common' people.......step on that scale and let me know!

#1- Kandi with a 1 lb. weight loss.....watch out everyone I think she's going to start really kicking our trash if we're not careful.

#2-Mom and Heidi with a 0 lb. loss ........ at least I'm consistant!!?? Argh! I really need to start trying to avoid that food!

#3-Matt with a 4 lb. gain.....he's number three because I haven't heard from anyone else.

I'm hoping the weather gets warm again because I feel the cold outside and I just want to hunker down and eat, eat, eat. Is it like that for everyone else or just me?

BIG FAT

.................zeros is what everyone is getting if don't get your numbers to me before the end of today. Is Monday the new Sunday? ;)

5K in Eagle Mountain

There is going to be a 5K in Eagle Mountain on June 6th and I wanted to let everyone know. I'm probably going to sign up to run and I hope you guys consider signing up with me. It's during the Pony Express Days in Eagle Mountain so there are a lot of fun things going on during that week. They have a 1K run for kids that I'll probably sign Haleigh up for. It will be a lot of fun and maybe we can have a BBQ at the house or something after it's over. I included a link on the sidebar for training ideas for your first 5K. I thought it was interesting.

Story contributed by Mom

Dear Diary,
For my birthday this year, my daughter (the dear) purchased a week of personal training at the local health club for me. Although I am still in great shape since being a high school football cheerleader 43 years ago, I decided it would be a good idea to go ahead and give it a try.I called the club and made my reservations with a personal trainer named Belinda, who identified herself as a 26-year-old aerobics instructor and model for athletic clothing and swim wear.My daughter seemed pleased with my enthusiasm to get started! The club encouraged me to keep a diary to chart my progress.____________ _________ _________ __MONDAY: Started my day at 6:00 a.m. Tough to get out of bed, but found it was well worth it when I arrived at the health club to find Belinda waiting for me. She is something of a Greek goddess - with blond hair, dancing eyes and a dazzling white smile. Woo Hoo!!Belinda gave me a tour and showed me the machines. I enjoyed watching the skillful way in which she conducted her aerobics class after my workout today. Very inspiring!Belinda was encouraging as I did my sit- ups, although my gut was already aching from holding it in the whole time she was around. This is going to be a FANTASTIC week!____________ _________ _________ __TUESDAY: I drank a whole pot of coffee, but I finally made it out the door. Belinda made me lie on my back and push a heavy iron bar into the air then she put weights on it! My legs were a little wobbly on the treadmill, but I made the full mile. Belinda's rewarding smile made it all worthwhile. I feel GREAT! It's a whole new life for me.____________ _________ _________ _WEDNESDAY: The only way I can brush my teeth is by laying the toothbrush on the counter and moving my mouth back and forth over it. I believe I have a hernia in both pectorals. Driving was OK as long as I didn't try to steer or stop. I parked on top of a GEO in the club parking lot.Belinda was impatient with me, insisting that my screams bothered other club members. Her voice is a little too perky for that early in the morning and when she scolds, she gets this nasally whine that is VERY annoying.My chest hurt when I got on the treadmill, so Belinda put me on the stair monster. Why the heck would anyone invent a machine to simulate an activity 20 rendered obsolete by elevators? Belinda told me it would help me get in shape and enjoy life. She said some other stuff too.





____________ _________ _________THURSDAY: Belinda was waiting for me with her vampire-like teeth exposed as her thin, cruel lips were pulled back in a full snarl. I couldn't help being a half an hour late - it took me that long to tie my shoes.Belinda took me to work out with dumbbells. When she was not looking, I ran and hid in the rest-room. She sent another skinny witch to find me.Then, as punishment, she put me on the rowing machine -- which I sank.
____________ _________ _________ _FRIDAY: I hate that witch Belinda more than any human being has ever hated any other human being in the history of the world. Stupid, skinny, anemic, anorexic little cheerleader. If there was a part of my body I could move without unbearable pain, I would beat her with it.Belinda wanted me to work on my triceps. I don't have any triceps! And if you don't want dents in the floor, don't hand me the dang barbells or anything that weighs more than a sandwich.The treadmill flung me off and I landed on a health and nutrition teacher. Why couldn't it have been someone softer, like the drama coach or the choir director?____________ _________ _________ __SATURDAY: Belinda left a message on my answering machine in her grating, shrilly voice wondering why I did not show up today. Just hearing her voice made me want to smash the machine with my planner; however, I lacked the strength to even use the TV remote and ended up catching eleven straight hours of the Weather Channel.____________ _________ _________ __SUNDAY: I'm having the Church van pick me up for services today so I can go and thank GOD that this week is over. I will also pray that next year my daughter (the little brat) will choose a gift for me that is fun -- like a root canal or a hysterectomy. I still say if God had wanted me to bend over, he would have sprinkled the floor with diamonds!!!

Top Three???

Well, this week was a slow week for most and our top "three" this week are as follows

#1- Quin with a 3 lbs. weight loss. Great job!!! Slow and steady might just do it!

#2- Kandi with a 1 lb. weight loss. Go girl!! Kick some trash! ;)

#3- Is a five-way tie with Clint, Heidi, Matt, Suzan, and Wayne staying steady at their previous weight.

Hopefully the warmer weather will motivate everyone to get out and get active and lose some weight this week! Good luck!!!

Where Does The Money Go?

I'm sure all of you have asked this question but for once I can answer it for you. To Kandi. Well, just the money that we are going to put in the pot for the competition. Remember it's $10 per person and Kandi is going to be the treasurer and hold our "funds" for us. Thanks National Bank of Kandi, you serve us well.

New Top Three

Congrats to the newest top three biggest losers!!!

#1- Jen with a HUGE loss this week!! Way to go! She lost 8 lbs.!!!

#2- Suzan with her first appearance in the top three!! She lost a great 5 lbs. this week!!!

#3-Matt with his second appearance in the top three (watch out everyone....he's known to win these things!) He lost 4 lbs. this week!

Congrats to everyone for working hard and I hope to see even higher numbers next week (especially for me....ugggg)

If you notice on the side bar we are all in order of our weight loss for the week from highest to lowest.

drowning my sorrows...another myth busted

WHAT DO YOU MEAN WATER DOESN'T FLUSH FAT OUT OF MY SYSTEM??? what the..? you know, all the research i'm doing is just making me feel worse! according to an article on WebMD, increasing your water consumption every day really only leads to about a 5 pound weight loss over a YEAR.

taken from the article: Nutritionist and American Dietetic Association spokeswoman Leslie Bonci, MPH-RD, says even if the findings are confirmed (that drinking more water increases your metabolism), the clinical implications are slight. "Obviously people are looking for ways to increase metabolism, but this is a very, very, small effect," she tells WebMD. "We are talking about just a few calories a day." Bonci says the standard weight-loss plan dictates encouraging people to drink more water stems from the belief that the liquid fills the gut to make people feel more full. "Some plans say that drinking water flushes fat out of your system, which is absolutely ridiculous," she says.

ACK!! well, i drink a lot of water anyway, due to my frequent UTIs, and seeing as how i haven't lost a huge amount of weight as a result, i suppose she's probably right. *sigh* still, drinking water is a better choice than drinking soda. you can't beat 0 fat, 0 sugar, 0 sodium, and 0 calories! plus, i think drinking more water just helps you feel better all around. obviously you can shed a few pounds of water weight if you cut out the other beverages and focus on water because you'll be peeing a LOT more! hahahahaha

my next study: fat versus calories...stay tuned.

Food and Exercise Diary

I've found my old Food and Exercise Diary and thought I would scan in the pages to show everyone so you can make copies if you want. I usually take them to UPS and blow them up so that it fits on a whole page and then I don't have to write in the book and I can keep using them. I think this will help my food problem if I'm seeing all the stuff that I'm stuffing and how much I'm really working off. It's a nice little book to have and it was only about $4. Maybe this will solve my food problem....we'll see. I couldn't get the second scan to work.....it's basically a daily log that you can record food, how many glasses of water you drink, and total calories.