Everyone, please take a moment and shed a tear for my computer - my hard drive FRIED yesterday morning. I had just updated all the point tallies for last week and was getting ready to post them on the blog, and now, well, NOPE. Mac is now in the shop, and a new hard drive has been ordered. Good news is, the hard drive is under warranty and will be replaced for free. Bad news is, I have to pay for my data to be recovered. More bad news is, I will have a blank slate of a computer and have to reinstall EVERYTHING next week. Worse news is, a bunch of my data was corrupted in this process, including my entire email database, and who knows what else. SIGH. What does this mean to you? I won't be able to get a hold of my spreadsheets or receive any emails or make any blog posts the next few days. : (
On that note, Amberly will be taking the reins for a few days. Please emaiil her at amberly.robinson at gmail dot com with your point tally for the week, etc. You can still call me with questions if you like!
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Monday, July 26, 2010
Point Tallies
Sorry I never got around to posting the tallies last week - there are a few people who I hadn't received totals for, who I am still holding out hope that they haven't quit on us yet!
Unfortunately, this week it ain't gonna happen either - until the weekend - because I am out of town - but please still email me your points by the 10pm deadline Monday night. I will know if you're late!
Unfortunately, this week it ain't gonna happen either - until the weekend - because I am out of town - but please still email me your points by the 10pm deadline Monday night. I will know if you're late!
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Week #8 Challenge: Drink 64 ounces of Water Daily
Water, water everywhere! This week is EASY PEASY, consider yourself rewarded for all the hard work you've done so far (and for all those veggies you ate last week!) 64 ounces per day might sound like a lot, until you line up just FOUR of my Costco water bottles and see how little it really is. I could do this by lunchtime every day! Amberly, munching on ice does NOT count toward your water ounces. You actually have to drink it! And for this week, Crystal Light and Vitamin water and other such "flavored" waters do not count toward your daily ounces. The point here is develop a TASTE for plain ol' WATER, if you don't have it already! Good luck!
Mystery Point...
for this last week was "No Fast Food". So, if you found yourself unprepared and grabbing a meal in a drive-thru or convenience store then no point for you! If you're trying to pass off Sonic onion rings as one of your vegetable servings, sorry, you lose on that one too! If you resisted, planned ahead, and made healthy choices, then congrats - add that point to your total this week.
Saturday, July 24, 2010
I thought I was a goner...
For the last couple of weeks one of my legs has felt very, very tight - and no matter how much I stretched before or after I exercised, the feeling wouldn't go away. When I was playing volleyball on Thursday night, I ran for a ball and felt an awful POP deep within my calf muscle. I don't know what the heck I did, but I fell to the ground in pain, obviously ending all volleyball that night. Seriously, I could hardly limp out to my car. I was hoping and praying I hadn't torn something, or else my fitness challenge aspirations were finished... My husband was so annoyed with me when I got home and tried to hop into the house... he tends to get irritated when I push myself too hard, and I already had a sore throat that day, and probably had no business going to play volleyball in the first place....
ANYWAY -
The next day, I had the worst time trying to go up and down my stairs, walking, cleaning, you name it - I didn't get hardly anything accomplished all day. I pulled myself onto the treadmill and was only able to walk a pitiful 2 miles in 36 minutes. Barely enough to call it "getting my heart rate up".
I started getting nervous not only about my fitness challenge goals, but our upcoming vacation - how can I keep up with my kids at Disneyland next week if I can't walk? Ugh.
Well, I'm happy to report that the fitness gods must be smiling at me, because I am MUCH better off today. It still hurts, definitely, but I was able to jog a respectable speed today at least. Looking forward to a day off of exercise tomorrow! Send all your good vibes to me so I can be as good as new on Monday, please!
I wanted to post this because it seems I never talk to ANYONE, and I don't know what kind of struggles and successes you're having. The point of this is to support and encourage eachother! Please feel free to share as well!
ANYWAY -
The next day, I had the worst time trying to go up and down my stairs, walking, cleaning, you name it - I didn't get hardly anything accomplished all day. I pulled myself onto the treadmill and was only able to walk a pitiful 2 miles in 36 minutes. Barely enough to call it "getting my heart rate up".
I started getting nervous not only about my fitness challenge goals, but our upcoming vacation - how can I keep up with my kids at Disneyland next week if I can't walk? Ugh.
Well, I'm happy to report that the fitness gods must be smiling at me, because I am MUCH better off today. It still hurts, definitely, but I was able to jog a respectable speed today at least. Looking forward to a day off of exercise tomorrow! Send all your good vibes to me so I can be as good as new on Monday, please!
I wanted to post this because it seems I never talk to ANYONE, and I don't know what kind of struggles and successes you're having. The point of this is to support and encourage eachother! Please feel free to share as well!
Monday, July 19, 2010
Week #7 Challenge: 4 Servings of Vegetables Daily
Q: Okay - so we're supposed to be eating vegetables this week - but how much is a serving?
A: Generally, 1/2 cup, except for fresh greens, which is 1 cup. Please read the following:
The United States Department of Agriculture sets a serving size for fruit or vegetables to be equal to about one-half cup. Greens like spinach and lettuce have a serving size equal to one full cup. One serving of sliced fruit is equal to one-half cup; however a single piece of fruit, such as an apple or an orange counts as one serving. How did the USDA decide that one-half cup is a serving size? The decision was based on the portion sizes that people typically eat, ease of use and nutritional content of fruits and vegetables.
Many experts suggest we need from five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables every day. That is a total. Older or inactive women and smaller children need at least three servings of vegetables and two servings of fruit. Growing kids, teen girls, most men and active women would eat at least four servings of vegetables and three servings of fruit everyday. Teen boys and active men should eat at least five servings of vegetables and four servings of fruit. Unfortunately many people fail to eat even five servings each day.
Here are some typical serving sizes for fruits and vegetables:
Fruits
One serving of a fruit or vegetable juice is four ounces. V8 Fusion claims to meet one serving of fruit and one serving of vegetables in one eight ounce glass. A large glass may hold about 12 ounces, which would give you three servings of fruits and vegetables.
A: Generally, 1/2 cup, except for fresh greens, which is 1 cup. Please read the following:
The United States Department of Agriculture sets a serving size for fruit or vegetables to be equal to about one-half cup. Greens like spinach and lettuce have a serving size equal to one full cup. One serving of sliced fruit is equal to one-half cup; however a single piece of fruit, such as an apple or an orange counts as one serving. How did the USDA decide that one-half cup is a serving size? The decision was based on the portion sizes that people typically eat, ease of use and nutritional content of fruits and vegetables.
Many experts suggest we need from five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables every day. That is a total. Older or inactive women and smaller children need at least three servings of vegetables and two servings of fruit. Growing kids, teen girls, most men and active women would eat at least four servings of vegetables and three servings of fruit everyday. Teen boys and active men should eat at least five servings of vegetables and four servings of fruit. Unfortunately many people fail to eat even five servings each day.
Here are some typical serving sizes for fruits and vegetables:
Fruits
- one banana
- six strawberries
- two plums
- fifteen grapes
- one apple
- one peach
- one half cup of orange or other fruit juice
- five broccoli florets
- ten baby carrots
- one roma tomato
- 3/4 cup tomato juice
- half of a baked sweet potato
- one ear of corn
- four slices of an onion
One serving of a fruit or vegetable juice is four ounces. V8 Fusion claims to meet one serving of fruit and one serving of vegetables in one eight ounce glass. A large glass may hold about 12 ounces, which would give you three servings of fruits and vegetables.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Mystery Point...
this week was "Work on your church calling on a day other than Sunday" - This can include visiting or home teaching! If you did this in the past week, congrats, please add that one point to your week's total.....
and get me your points by 10pm tomorrow night! Please email to shelliedesign at q dot com... thanks!
How did everyone do on sit-up week? Suzette, Rachel - I'm most curious about you guys! It wasn't nearly as hard as I thought it would be (I hadn't done any to get ready in weeks prior, oops) But man, that last 50 last night I thought would kill me!
and get me your points by 10pm tomorrow night! Please email to shelliedesign at q dot com... thanks!
How did everyone do on sit-up week? Suzette, Rachel - I'm most curious about you guys! It wasn't nearly as hard as I thought it would be (I hadn't done any to get ready in weeks prior, oops) But man, that last 50 last night I thought would kill me!
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Point Tallies - week 5!
I squeaked in my pound-weight loss at the last second this week- this is getting tougher for me! I can't believe how well everyone is doing - good job! Does anyone want to post and share a success story or pontificate about their love of fiber?? Anyone? Bueller? ? ? ? I'll make you a blog author if you want, I'm sure everyone's sick of hearing from me.....
Monday, July 12, 2010
Abs of Steel
The question has been brought up - do all 100 have to be full sit-ups, or can we do crunches, or what??? What say ye? Anyone care or have an opinion here?
Week #6 Challenge: 100 sit-ups per day
Don't kill yourself trying to do them all at once - best to split them up throughout the day - think about form - concentrate on breathing - I don't know what else to say...!
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Mystery Point...
This week was "Yardwork" - so if you spent time mowing, pulling weeds, etc, add that one mystery point to last week's total.
Please remember to email me your points (or comment here) by tomorrow (Mon) evening at 10pm! shelliedesign at q dot com .....
Please remember to email me your points (or comment here) by tomorrow (Mon) evening at 10pm! shelliedesign at q dot com .....
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Monday, July 5, 2010
Tick Tock -
There are several people who haven't turned in their points yet... just 1 1/2 hours left til the deadline...
Benefits of Eating Fiber
Dietary fiber, also known as roughage or bulk, includes all parts of plant foods that your body can't digest or absorb. Unlike other food components such as fats, proteins or carbohydrates — which your body breaks down and absorbs — fiber isn't digested by your body. Therefore, it passes relatively intact through your stomach, small intestine, colon and out of your body. It might seem like fiber doesn't do much, but it has several important roles in maintaining health.
Fiber is commonly classified into two categories: those that don't dissolve in water (insoluble fiber) and those that do (soluble fiber).
*** We are not going to worry about the differences between soluble and insoluble fiber for this week's challenge - we're just shooting for 25-30 total grams here - but if you'd like to research this topic more and share your insights with the rest of us, please feel free. ***
Fiber improves large intestine function and keeps the muscles of the large intestine strong. It speeds up the transit time of food and thereby helps prevent constipation. Fiber also lowers blood cholesterol, helps control diabetes, and plays a role in the prevention of colon cancer. Fiber is a very important component in weight control as well. Foods that contain fiber are typically low in fat, and one recent study showed that fiber may also block some of the digestion of fat and protein. In this study, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) researchers fed a certain number of calories to all participants, but altered the fiber content of the meals. The results? Fewer calories were absorbed with increased fiber intake. When a man increased his fiber intake from 18 to 36 grams per day, he absorbed 130 fewer calories daily. When a woman increased her fiber intake from 12 to 24 grams per day, she absorbed 90 fewer calories daily. Over a year's time, this could add up to nine to ten pounds.
You must go slowly to give your GI tract time to adapt and drink lots of fluids to keep the fiber soft. Also, choose a variety of soluble and insoluble fiber-rich food sources: fruits, vegetables, whole grain breads and cereals, and legumes (beans and peas). Remember that brown rice and 100% whole wheat bread have more fiber than white rice or white bread. Eating the skins of your fruits and vegetables whenever possible can also help increase fiber intake.
Fiber is commonly classified into two categories: those that don't dissolve in water (insoluble fiber) and those that do (soluble fiber).
*** We are not going to worry about the differences between soluble and insoluble fiber for this week's challenge - we're just shooting for 25-30 total grams here - but if you'd like to research this topic more and share your insights with the rest of us, please feel free. ***
Fiber improves large intestine function and keeps the muscles of the large intestine strong. It speeds up the transit time of food and thereby helps prevent constipation. Fiber also lowers blood cholesterol, helps control diabetes, and plays a role in the prevention of colon cancer. Fiber is a very important component in weight control as well. Foods that contain fiber are typically low in fat, and one recent study showed that fiber may also block some of the digestion of fat and protein. In this study, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) researchers fed a certain number of calories to all participants, but altered the fiber content of the meals. The results? Fewer calories were absorbed with increased fiber intake. When a man increased his fiber intake from 18 to 36 grams per day, he absorbed 130 fewer calories daily. When a woman increased her fiber intake from 12 to 24 grams per day, she absorbed 90 fewer calories daily. Over a year's time, this could add up to nine to ten pounds.
You must go slowly to give your GI tract time to adapt and drink lots of fluids to keep the fiber soft. Also, choose a variety of soluble and insoluble fiber-rich food sources: fruits, vegetables, whole grain breads and cereals, and legumes (beans and peas). Remember that brown rice and 100% whole wheat bread have more fiber than white rice or white bread. Eating the skins of your fruits and vegetables whenever possible can also help increase fiber intake.
Week #5 Challenge: Eat your Recommended Daily Fiber
I have to admit, in my last challenge I kind of dreaded fiber week - but this time I'm totally looking forward to it! I just feel SO much better when I eat more fiber - and there are yummy ways to do it, too! No, you don't have to eat bran flakes and drink Benefiber all day long - GAG, seriously. Speaking of fiber drinks, our goal this week is to EAT our fiber, not just drink it, so we get into the HABIT of being aware of, and choosing, high-fiber foods as part of our regular diet. *** Suzette is our whole-grain guru - - do you want to help us with this fiber thing and offer some suggestions???? ***
First, please go here
http://www.besthealth.com/besthealth/calculators/fiberwfu.asp
and figure out how much fiber is recommended for you. Then please keep track of your fiber and write it down as you go throughout each day.
(Or if someone finds a better calculator, let me know - I'd like to find one where you actually enter your weight, instead of your "frame size") Mine is 25 grams per day, I believe. Men's recommended fiber is always higher. I know my husband's is 31 or 32??
I suggest you google and print out a list of high-fiber foods along with their #s and try to incorporate some into each meal. My #1, hands-down favorite food is the all-perfect avocado, which has a whopping 11 grams in it! Other high-fiber foods include artichokes, raspberries, blackberries, apples, lentils, black beans..... See? I told you there was yummy ways to eat fiber!
I'd love it if people shared some recipes this week that are high in fiber - - - hint, hint - - - Good luck!
First, please go here
http://www.besthealth.com/besthealth/calculators/fiberwfu.asp
and figure out how much fiber is recommended for you. Then please keep track of your fiber and write it down as you go throughout each day.
(Or if someone finds a better calculator, let me know - I'd like to find one where you actually enter your weight, instead of your "frame size") Mine is 25 grams per day, I believe. Men's recommended fiber is always higher. I know my husband's is 31 or 32??
I suggest you google and print out a list of high-fiber foods along with their #s and try to incorporate some into each meal. My #1, hands-down favorite food is the all-perfect avocado, which has a whopping 11 grams in it! Other high-fiber foods include artichokes, raspberries, blackberries, apples, lentils, black beans..... See? I told you there was yummy ways to eat fiber!
I'd love it if people shared some recipes this week that are high in fiber - - - hint, hint - - - Good luck!
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Mystery Point...
this week was "Spend an hour outside each day" - - if you did this, congrats and please add that point to your total this week. I'm in a hurry now, but will post about this week's challenge later tonight. Stay tuned...
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