Tuesday, July 29, 2014

August Fitness Challenges

August Challenges You have 3 choices for challenges, yes THREE

1. Crossjab and side kick challenge: 
https://www.facebook.com/events/745870645470684/?context=create&source=49


2. 150 miles either, walk/run/bike/ellptical/swim your choice
https://www.facebook.com/events/1478826402364332/?ref_newsfeed_story_type=regular

3. Combine 1 and 2 and do both!

What will you choose?


https://www.facebook.com/fitnesswithjamie


Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Sodas are BAD even if the marketing is good

I have seen more people drinking soda lately,  with this new coke marketing campaign.  Genius by the way, but sooo bad, as so many people are drinking more soda just to have a drink with someone aka their name on the soda bottle/can (in case you re in hiding and haven't seen these)
Tons of people are out there buying and drinking these, that normally would not. You are drinking your calories with getting no nutrients whatsoever. In fact you are getting a crap ton of sugar.  In one regular soda you are drinking 22 packets of sugar 22  that is CRAZY, You would not eat 22 packets of sugar, so why in the world are you drinking them?  You are literally pouring pounds into your body.

 "But I drink diet" well that is worse, sure you save on calories but hello you are putting Aspartame in your body. If you have never looked at the side effects of Aspartame, maybe you should. Here you go (see I won't even make you look it up):

So your "diet" soda, that you are saving calories on, is actually helping you in keeping and gaining that weight, as well as tons of other issues that if you look at the list, you may recognize in yourself.   here are 5 more dangers spelled out for you

1. Diet soda drinkers have a dramatically higher is of heart attack and stroke (that sounds fun)
2. Aspartame is linked to: High blood pressure, dizziness, fatigue, sleep disorders (and everything else mentioned in the above pic)
3. Waistlines of those who consumed diet drinks expanded 70% faster than those who didn't (hmmmmmm I think i will have water)
4. Diet soda drinkers stop associating sweetness with calories and fullness, leading to overeating, weight gain and elevated sugar levels 
5. Acid wears down your tooth enamel (battery acid is a 1 on the pH scale and cola is a 2.5) (That sounds yummy and is ALL soda, hello it can clean battery acid and a penny)

All of those sound great right?  WRONG!  So lay off your soda, if you need caffeine, grab a cup of coffee or green tea. Much better for you, (just do not over do it, 1 to 2 cups a day is ALL you need). What you do need, is water, lots and lots of H2O. Hate water taste (even though it doesn't taste) add some fruit to it (not crystal light, fruit, or lemon/lime juice). I do not have that problem, I actually crave water!  Some times I switch it up and drink coconut water (plain, no sugar added) but I love water!


Moral of today's post: Even though the soda companies are getting more clever in tricking you to drink their drinks, do not forget the harmful side effects they have. VERY VERY harmful!  It is one of the reasons Americans are so over weight. We love our sodas. I know it is hard to kick the habit but once you do, you will be much happier and healthier for it. Start with la Croix, it will give you the bubble fix you want without the bad stuff, then wean yourself from there to water!  I know you can do it. 

Who has some good tricks to kick the soda habit??






Thursday, July 10, 2014

Commitment to YOU

We live in a world full of commitments. We are committed to our families, work, friends, social obligations (church, charity organizations, leadership organizations etc.)  Sometimes the one commitment we forget about is ourselves. If we do not take care of ourselves, then how can we take care of others. Make a commitment to yourself to take time for yourself. Even if it is 15 mins before the kids wake or after the go to bed. Use that time to meditate, do yoga, do a quick work out.

A great idea is to incorporate exercise into your life, whether with friends, kids or significant other.   I do it with my little one. He plays in his bouncer while I work out, or I take him for a run in the jogging stroller.
Another idea is to cook at  home, and I know this is sometimes hard if you work late, but if you prep ahead of time, it will make cooking daily much easier. On Sunday or Saturday, make it a family event, go to a local produce/farmers market, come home, and cut up any veggies, measure things out, put things in containers, and basically have everything ready to cook. This will help with both dinner, but for lunch and even breakfast as well.

Breakfast is important, if it is hard for you to get moving in the mornings, then choose something easy, like Shakeology shake, yogurt, eggs, homemade protein bars , you could even do crockpot oatmeal or other crock pot breakfast meals so make it easy.

Next is lunch. It is easy to "forget" your lunch and eat out with co-workers. A trick I do, is either bring in leftovers from the night before, or I grab a bag of salad mix (yes I will eat the entire bag and sometimes two throughout the day) or if you have to eat out, choose somewhere that has healthy options like Panera or a local salad restaurant (we have TossGreen, check out their site, lots of yummy healthy choices). But really really try to bring things in from home.

Snacks, you can be like me and eat salad all day ( I literally eat every 2 to 3 hours) or bring in healthy snacks, those homemade protein bars, cheese, nuts, yogurt. You want something healthy and that will keep you from wanting to eat that cake that your food pushing co-worker brings in.

Next is your pantry, if you have a roommate or significant other that eats badly, this will be hard, but try to keep only healthy options in the pantry and fridge. If the bad things are not there you will not be tempted. My husband teases me that he is just helping me learn self control. I fail at this some days, but other days I win and I love those days!

With just a little bit of adjustment, you can commit to turn your life into a healthy lifestyle. Do it in small pieces, and you will be amazed at how easy it is, and how you can improve each week on your commitment to yourself!



Check me out at Beachbody or Facebook!

Have a very fit day!