Happy Holidays!

I hope everyone has had a good holiday season. We're about to enter the new year and the cold winter months. I have certainly had exercise issues over the holidays and have eaten my fair share of Christmas goodies. I'm now back at work after being out four months on maternity leave (VERY tough to go back), and am struggling with kids not sleeping as much as I want to. I'm hoping to get my energy back after I get back into a daily routine (and more sleep hopefully). How has everyone done over the holidays?

Ok folks, new year, new decade, new start. I've started by tuning up my diet. The good thing about eating so lax over the holidays is that now I'm pretty burned out on the sweets. My next step is hopefully figure a workable exercise program I can do during my work week. I'm also planning on catching the new season of the Biggest Loser for that added motivation - if they can do it we definitely can, right?

Motivation is sometimes very elusive but we have to come up with creative ways of making it surface. Try new things, get new goals. I challenge everyone to pick one big fitness goal this year, whether it be to run / walk a 5 K (or more if so inclined), or do an organized bike ride, or do a big hike in the mountains in the summer, etc. It doesn't have to be an organized event, just something you have to work up to doing. And by all means, make it fun!

I'd love to see everyone (yes, everyone) post on this blog as to how they're doing (or not doing) over the holidays and their fitness plans for the next year. We can do this!!!

-Vic

Eat Slower, Gain Less

This article is from the Sac State Employee Assistance Program Faculty and Staff Living Newsletter, December 2009 by Douglas R. Adams, LCSW, EAP Clinician and Cathy Connors, Psy.D. EAP Clinician. I thought this article might help us keep from overindulging during the Christmas holiday.

"It tastes so good, I can’t wait to have seconds—zoom! There’s evidence that very fast eaters who eat until they are full are three times more likely to gain weight than others who don’t eat fast. During the holiday season, try enjoying what you’re eating, but take your sweet time doing it. You just may eat less. The idea is not new. “Gentle eating” seminars are a key component to many eating disorder programs, and what they teach may be a strategy that could work for you. Pause a few seconds between bites. Engage in some conversation during the meal. Don’t adapt an attitude of denial. You can still have those seconds, you will just take a few minutes after finishing the firsts to savor the experience before getting more. Allow yourself to enjoy the company around you prior to refilling your plate. By allowing your body and brain some time
to communicate, you can reduce overeating and enter the new year in a healthier state."

Here are the Winners!

Here are the results from the latest drawings!

And the Winners are (drum roll please!):

Weeks 32-35: Judy
Shan owes $7 to the winner
Kelli owes $3.50 to the winner
Rusty owes $14.00 to the winner


Weeks 36-39: Kelli
Beth owes $3.50 to the winner
Rusty owes $10.50 to the winner
Theresa owes $7 to the winner


Weeks 40-43: Shan
Vic owes $3.50 to the winner
Rusty owes $3.50 to the winner
Theresa owes $7 to the winner

Good Job Everyone! The winnings aren't huge, which means people are exercising! Please try to get your coffee cards sent out to the winners soon. We just finished another 4 week session, so as soon as everyone posts their numbers, I'll do another drawing. Keep up the great work, especially now. Its going to be hard over the holidays, so lets keep posting to the blog to support each other.

Shannon

Holiday Motivation Needed!!

Hey all! Since the holidays are here and we are all facing challenges to our diets and exercise routines, I wanted to throw a shout out for everyone to keep each other motivated. We all need it from time to time. I was looking forward to hitting the gym a lot after the baby in hopes to melt away the dreaded baby weight, but I didn't take into account a few things - 1. my gym doesn't do child care for those under 3 months, and 2. the lack of sleep I'm getting each night makes it extremely hard to want to work out. Also the fact Halloween came and went (damn those Reeses Peanut Butter Cups!), and we are now facing another holiday season full of yummy food, stressful holiday prep and lethargicism (I just made that word up). Let's all get refocused on why we want to exercise and be healthy in hopes of not needing to make new New Year's Resolutions in 2010.

We all have reasons for exercises and losing weight. We all know by now that weight loss is a continual process, and there is no easy way to do it, let alone being able to maintain a healthy weight after the initial loss occurs. I believe weight loss is so much more psychological than it ever is physical. Let's face it, our brains make the ultimate choice as to what food goes in our mouths and to how hard we choose to push our bodies in exercise. I just saw a Dr. Oz special on Morbid Obesity in America, where he took four people over a 6 month period and attempted to help them change life long eating and establish exercise habits. He said some very poignant things when it came to exercise - let me share:

"A lot of folks say they don't have time to exercise; they have excuses. They have exercise excuses coming out of their ears. The reality is you can't afford not to exercise. Exercise is the least expensive way of guaranteeing you the longevity and vitality you need to enjoy life. And by not exercising, you mortgage your future. Stop procrastinating , stop making excuses. Develop a program for yourself that allows you to get right back at it again after having a 'bad day' (or dietary indiscretion), because you're going to slip."

On the show some of the participants dropped off their eating programs because they found themselves so disappointed when they 'slipped', and used that as one of many excuses as to why they went back to the more unhealthy foods and missing their exercise. It's a spiral affect that can stop our progress quickly. In the real world it is hard to eat right despite the many temptations and make time to exercise on a consistent basis. I think especially this time of year is the toughest because healthy eating and exercise is often put on the back burner while we do everything else.

Let's not fall back and help motivate each other to keep going through the holidays. I figure we can enjoy many holiday treats but just need to ramp up our exercise to help make up for the inevitable. Just think how good we'll all feel if we all don't owe any coffee cards in December!

- Vic

Can anyone relate?

I want a cookie!

Results Anyone!?!

Hi Everyone,

I have to admit to having been a slacker recently, not only in keeping our blog up to date, but in exercising as well!

Before getting to the results for THREE 4-week sessions that we've completed, here's an update. I'm happy to report that Vicki is recovering from having the baby and Kelli's knee is healing and they are back in the ranks! Now that Vicki and Kelli are back, we have our full team back. Woot! Both are still recovering, but they are determined to do what exercise they can to keep it up. I'm so proud of them! Now if only I can be as motivated..... I've been having a harder time getting any exercise done after work. I may have to follow Rusty's lead and exercise in the morning. If anyone has any motivational comments, I welcome them!

So here are the results:

For Weeks 32-35/July 27 through Aug 23:
Vic 4 tickets
Shan 2 tickets (owes $7 to the winner)
Kelli 3 tickets (owes $3.50 to the winner)
Judy 4 tickets
Beth 4 tickets
Rusty 0 tickets (owes $14.00 to the winner)
Theresa 2 tickets

For Weeks 36-39/Aug 24 through Sept 20:
Shan 4 tickets
Kelli 4 tickets
Judy 4 tickets
Beth 3 tickets (owes $3.50 to the winner)
Rusty 1 tickets (owes $10.50 to the winner)
Theresa 2 tickets (owes $7 to the winner)

For Weeks 40-43/Sept 21 through Oct 18:
Vic 0 tickets (owes $3.50 to the winner) {only back one week}
Shan 3 tickets (owes $3.50 to the winner)
Judy 4 tickets
Beth 4 tickets
Rusty 3 tickets (owes $3.50 to the winner)
Theresa 2 tickets (owes $7 to the winner)

Please verify my calculations....I'll do the drawing in a day or so!

Thanks,

Shan

An article you might find useful....

http://www.weightwatchers.com/util/art/index_art.aspx?tabnum=1&art_id=45091

Hopefully you all will find at least one piece of useful information from this article that was in today's Weight Watcher's e-newsletter I got.

Good news! Vicki is ready to come back to EFC. Congrats to Vicki on the new baby and good luck with getting back to exercising.

Don't forget to update!

Shannon

Please update!

We need to draw winners for the past two 4-week sessions, so if you need to update, please do so.

An another note, Kelli is temporarily out due to a knee injury. Please wish her a speedy recovery!

And on yet another note, Vicki had her baby on Monday! Welcome Joshua! Also wish Vicki a speedy recovery so she can get back to EFC!

Thanks all!

Shannon

Question for Vicki....

Vicki,

Since you are pregnant and are limiting your caffeine intake, would you like a different sort of gift card for your winnings? Let us know! For example we can buy a Jamba Juice or Target gift card or whatever you'd like.

Shannon, Kelli, Beth & Rusty (those who owe for Weeks 29-32)

Updates needed on the tallies

Hi all,

We need to get numbers back to Week 35 so we can have a drawing for the last 4 week session. I hope everyone is doing well with exercising!

Shannon

Update: Vicki has to rest!

Hi All,

Vicki just asked me to pull her from EFC until after she recovers from child birth (and she already had three days in this week!). Yesterday she was put on maternity leave by her doctor and will have to rest, though technically she isn't on "bed rest" right now. The little one is trying to make an early appearance and he's not quite big enough to be born yet, so Vicki has to take it easy for the next few weeks.....she's already dreading the inactivity! I tried to bolster her spirits by reminding her she can research exercise and fitness to post to this blog! :) Please send Vicki your best thoughts and prayers while she goes through the next few weeks until the baby is big enough to be born.

Thanks,

Shan

Weeks 29-32 Results & Winner

Here are the results for Weeks 29-32 - June 29 through July 5:

Vic 3 tickets (owes $3.50 to the winner)
Shan 3 tickets (owes $3.50 to the winner)
Kelli 1 ticket (owes $10.50 to the winner)
Judy 4 tickets
Beth 3 tickets (owes $3.50 to the winner)
Rusty 2 tickets (owes $7.00 to the winner)

Congrats to Judy for getting all your exercise in!

And the winner is: VICKI!!! For those who owe Vicki, please contact her to get her address.

-Shan

How do I tally up?

uh....where and how do I post my tallies? Please help. Good news -- I hit 4 workouts. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday. Yay!

Hi all - My name is Theresa!

I just wanted to drop a note to say hello and introduce myself! My name is Theresa Garon-Ford and I met Vicki and Shannon through Bunco. They are both warm and friendly ladies and I am so glad we met. They have both made me feel so welcomed into our Bunco group. Vicki told me about this exercise blog; I finally feel ready to commit to a long term exercise program -- most of all, joining this group as there is so much accountability AND I get coffee if I religiously exercise. Yes! I love my coffee. So, two benefits -- coffee and getting toned.

So far. so good. I worked out 3 times this week. Thanks again for the invite ladies.

Welcome Allyson!

I wanted to introduce Allyson to our group - she works with me in Probation. I hope I didn't guilt her (too much, anyway) into joining but I'm happy she's here. Welcome Allyson!!

Vicki

Weeks 25-28 Results & Winner

So here are the results, (very late-sorry!):

Vic-4 tickets
Shan-4 tickets
Kelli-4 tickets
Judy-4 tickets
Beth-2 tickets (owes $7 to the winner)
Rusty-3 tickets (owes $3.50 to the winner)

And the winner is: Beth!!! so Beth only owes herself coffee, and Rusty owes Beth $3.50. This 4 week session was awesome! As soon as Beth updates her tallies for the Weeks 29-32 we'll get that session winner selected.

Shannon

Post your tallies!

Hi all,

I know I've been slacking on setting up the tallies portion of the blog and doing the drawings. All the weeks are set up now. Please update your tallies, and I do drawings for the last two 4-week sessions. Where does the time go?

Welcome to Theresa!!! I'm pleased you joined our little group!

Shan

Welcome Theresa!!

Please help us welcome our newest member Theresa to our group! Shannon and I met Theresa through a local Bunco group and look forward to having her join us.

-Vic

This little paragraph was in the July 2009 Employee Assistance Program Faculty & Staff Living Newsletter. Written by Douglas R Adams, LCSW, EAP Clinician and Cathy Connors, Psy.D. EAP Clinician. I thought it was a good piece to share with my EFC'rs. You may have heard this before, but it is a great reminder of how we can get more activity into our daily lives.

Occupational Hazard Sitting Too Long:

Are you getting 30 minutes of exercise daily but spending 18 hours sitting—at a computer, behind the wheel of a car, or in front of the TV? Health guidelines view you as a “physically active person,” but maybe this is not such a good description. This sedentary lifestyle increases the risk of gaining weight and can lead to cardio-metabolic health risks. Can you engineer more physical activity into your job? If you’re feeling a bit guilty about not getting more exercise, grab opportunities that pop up during the day to get more physical activity. They are probably more plentiful than you think. Walk farther to your car, take the stairs, straighten up your office, walk a bit farther to a different coffee location or walk to the next office to consult on a problem rather than using e-mail or instant messaging.

Any new exercising going on?

Hi All,

I hope the exercising is still happening for everyone! Summer is here, so I'm thinking about pulling out the tennis rackets and trying that sport out again. Is there any new exercises you've added to your regimen? Share! We all need new ideas now and again!

Also, please update your tallies weekly, it makes it easier to remember what you've done.

Thanks!

And we have a winner for Weeks 21-24!!

Rusty double checked my numbers and we had a student assistant choose the winning ticket...........and the lucky winner is Judy! Congrats to Judy!!!

The following people owe Judy a coffee card:
Kelli owes $3.50
Nancy owes $14
Michelle owes $3.50 and
Rusty owes $3.50

Please contact Judy by email to get her address.

Results for Weeks 21 - 24 !!!!

I'm ready to do a drawing for Weeks 21 - 24. Here are the results:

Vic - 4 tickets
Shan - 4 tickets
Kelli - 3 tickets (owes $3.50)
Judy - 4 tickets
Nancy - 0 tickets (owes $14)
Beth - 4 tickets
Michelle - 3 tickets (owes $3.50)
Rusty - 3 tickets (owes $3.50)

Great job - that is a lot of exercising! Someone please verify my calculations and post a comment and then I'll do a drawing.

Thanks!

Shannon

Anyone there?

Hi all, just wanted to check in with everyone! Please make sure your tallies are up to date. We've lost (hopefully temporarily!) a couple of our members, but don't let that get you down! Keep up your exercising - even if you dropped. The whole purpose of this membership is to motivate the members to exercise, not to be a burden. Exercise has become an important part of my life, and I hope it has for you too. :)

-Shan

Wii Active Personal Trainer - Lovin' It!

I just received the new exercise program for the Wii called EA Sports Active Personal Trainer, and after just the first workout I could see how great this "game" is! This one is a bit more expensive because it comes with an exercise resistance band and strap to hold a controller to your leg for movement measurement.

Here are the things I am lovin' about Active:

I also got a second set of the resistance band and leg strap (sold separately) because this is a multi-player game! Two people can exercise at the same time and it actually records each person's performance. So my hubby and I competed our first workout Sunday evening, and were exercised hard!!! Being able to exercise at the same time as my husband was one of the things I wished the Wii Fit would do.

Another thing that I wished Fit would do is allow you to move from one exercise to the next without the long pause in between like Fit does while it scores your performance, gives you encouragment, and then points for the piggy bank. Active has preset workouts that move from one exercise to the next quickly (after you've viewed the demo once for each exercise) so you don't lose your momentum.

The other thing it does that I wished Fit would do is allow you to create your own workout without all those pauses. Active allows you to create a custom workout. You just click on the exercises you want to do, and it creates the workout.

Other features of this game is that it uses the balance board and it has a 30 Day Challenge. The 30 Day Challenge has goal setting. I haven't really gotten into this part of the game, but I think it can be a nice motivator.

If you have a Wii, I recommend this game as nice addition to your exercie regimin. I think between Fit, Gold's Gym and Active I have a nice selection that will give me many exercises and I won't get bored!

Here is the game's website: http://www.easportsactive.com/home.action
The short videos that are on this webpage are really good in showing what the game is like.

Pause

I think I'm going to pause my particpation for a little while. I'm going to be in a walking boot for a few weeks due to an ankle injury and some heel problems. I'm still going to contiune my exercise as best as possible but I'm going to focus on my diet more in the meantime. I'll keep ya posted.

Here is some recipes from the "Cook Yourself Thin" show: http://www.mylifetime.com/on-tv/shows/cook-yourself-thin/recipes

My favorites that I've tried are:
Pasta Bake With Sausage, Broccoli and Beans
Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Peanut Butter Dream Bars
Ultimate Sausage Cheese Pizza

This are ok:
Buffalo Chicken Salad
Mushroom and Spinach Quiche with Potato Crust

Thanks, Michelle

UPDATES NEEDED!

Hi EFC'rs! Weeks 21-24 session is already over. Please update your tallies if you aren't up to date. We need to see who the new winner will be!

Happy Exercising!

A winner has been picked!!

For Weeks 17 - 20 our winner is....

wait for it....

drum roll please....

Michelle! Congratulations Michelle!

The following people need to contact Michelle to give her coffee cards:

Vic - owes $3.50
Shan - owes $7
Nancy - owes $14
Beth - owes $7
Rusty - owes $10.50

How much sugar are you eating?

I came across this website: http://www.sugarstacks.com/

I was surprised at how much sugar there is in things I think of as healthy and low calorie!

Just thought I'd share the site with you all.

Weeks 17-20 Results

Well here we are again, with our results from weeks 17-20:

Vic 3 tickets (owes $3.50)
Shan 2 tickets (owes $7)
Kelli 4 tickets
Judy 4 tickets
Nancy 0 ticket (owes $14)
Beth 2 tickets (owes $7)
Michelle 3 tickets (owes $3.50)
Rusty 1 tickets (owes $10.50)

That is a total of $45.50! Check my calculations and I'll have someone pick the winning ticket.

Way to go Kelli and Judy for getting in all 4 days for all 4 weeks! I hope everyone is doing what they can do get in the exercise, even on these really hot days.

Shannon

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all EFC Moms! I hope you had a great day! I just got done working out on my new Wii exercise game I got for Mother's Day, the Gold's Gym: Cardio Workout. And boy did I get a great workout, I'm hot and sore on my first day of lessons! This game is a boxing workout and also has a few balance board exercises, but I think the Wii Fit balance board exercises pretty much cover everything this one does. As I'm typing this I'm watching my husband work out to my Mother's Day gift! I think this will be great to add to my Wii exercise regimen. I hope over time I can get some of the other Wii exercise "games"! For those of you who have a Wii and enjoy boxing for exercise, I'd have to say I recommend this workout. (You should see my husband, he is sweating up a storm!)

Time to update the tallies

Hi All,

May 3rd ended the last 4 week session and we need to pick a winner. Please make sure Weeks 17 -20 have your total days of exercise logged so we can do the drawing. Who will it be? Maybe you!

Believe it or not we are at the end of Week 21! I hope you are staying motivated and are exercising.

Thanks!

Yikes, its Thursday and I haven't exercised!

Have any of you had this thought? There's been a few weeks where I've had to exercise Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday to get my four in - not fun! What I would like to know is what you do to motivate yourself to do your exercises. I went through a funk during weeks 17 and 18 where I just didn't wanna exercise (insert whining voice here!) and for the first time since we started EFC I had a week that I only got 3 days in when I didn't have sickness as an excuse. Even though I had a much better week, I still don't wanna and don't wanna for very long! I need some motivation from my EFC friends! If you have an idea or comment, please leave a comment! I'm sure others would enjoy hearing what works for you.

Here's what makes me exercise: EFC!!!! I know if EFC didn't exist, I wouldn't have kept exercising this regulary for this long. Also, I don't want to owe. Secondly, my body gets stiff and feels more tired if I don't exercise for more than 2 or 3 days. Thirdly, I really do want to drop the rest of the weight I'm carrying. I guess I just need to remind myself of these reasons to exercise!

Thanks!

shan

The Winner for Weeks 13 - 16...

Hi Everyone! I know I said I was going to do the drawing last week, but somehow time got away from me! So Here Is The Winner For Weeks 13 - 16 .... Nancy!

If you owe for this set of weeks, please send Nancy an email for her address.

Here's who owes:

Vic - owes $7
Shan - owes $3.50
Judy - owes $3.50
Cheryl - owes $7
Beth - owes $3.50
Rusty - owes $10.50

It goes to show even if you only have one ticket, you are still a winner with EFC! Congrats Nancy!

Weeks 13-16 Results are in

Here are the tallies for weeks 13 - 16, please check my calculations and make sure I've got it right:

Vic 2 tickets (owes $7)
Shan 3 tickets (owes $3.50)
Kelli 4 tickets
Judy 3 tickets (owes $3.50)
Cheryl 2 tickets (owes $7)
Nancy 1 ticket (owes $10.50)
Beth 3 tickets (owes $3.50)
Michelle 4 tickets
Rusty 1 tickets (owes $10.50)

If everyone agrees with this, I'll do the drawing in the next day or so. Good Job Everyone!

Thanks for getting your tallies updated so quickly!

Shannon

Correction

I had errors in my last update but I have now corrected them. - Michelle

Weeks 13-16 are over!

Hi everyone! Please make sure you've got your Weeks 13, 14, 15 & 16 tallied up properly. I would like to do the drawing by the end of this week (#17).

Thanks!

Weight Loss Tip - Eating Out

During my last Weight Watchers meeting my instructor made a point that made a lot of sense.
She was talking about how often people eat out on average - 5.8 times a week, which is a lot of opportunites to eat unhealthily - and she said that one way to help you make healthy meal choices is to remember that more often or not, the meal at the restaurant is not a special occasion for you. Ok, so if it is YOUR birthday (not you spouse's or kid's) or YOUR anniversary, go ahead a splurge if you feel that you must. Even if you included some holidays, you've got to figure that less than 15 times a year, the meal away from home is not a special occasion for YOU. If you are going out to lunch for a co-worker's birthday, that is not YOUR special occasion-make a healthy choice and don't overeat. If you are just eating out cuz you don't want to cook-that is not a special occasion. Even dinner over at a friend or family member's house isn't necessarily a special occasion. I think you get the picture. Decide what is a special occasion for YOU. This way you aren't using the excuse that just because you are at restaurant its ok to overindulge. Good luck with your next meal away from home!

Next time you eat out, try to go online and look up the menu and nutritional values so you can make great choices. Believe me, it will be an eye opener!

And the winner is....

KELLI! A totally non-biased, but very excited to be the ticket picker, co-worker picked the winning ticket for weeks 9-12. The following people need to contact Kelli to get her mailing address to send her coffee cards.

Cheryl (owes $3.50)
Nancy (owes $10.50)
Beth (owes $7)
Michelle (owes $3.50)
Rusty (owes $14)

Week 16 is almost over already, so be sure your tallies are up to date by next Monday and we'll do the next drawing much sooner this time!

Thanks and Congrats to Kelli!

Add-on to Losing Steam...

I think there are very few people in this world that exercise comes naturally and easy too. I think for most of us natural non-athletes, our brain will always veer toward the path of least resistance. Really - how many times have we opted not to go to for a walk or out to the gym or engage in any type of physical activity because staying home on the couch sounded better after a long day? Because it's easier. Thousands of Americans every day do the exact same thing and opt for non activity on a daily basis because of being busy and tired. I'm there too. It takes hard work to keep up a healthy active lifestyle. And lets face it, it's taken most of us 30 + years to get to where we are today. Nothing will magically change overnight and it takes time. Bad habits are tough to break but they can be broken.

We all will miss our 4 days once in awhile and that's ok. It's when you give up every week and settle for less of yourself is when you really lose this game. Don't get caught up in the downward spiral of missing week after week. This is about our lives and our health. We're all here for each other to succeed.

-Vic

Weeks 9 -12 Results

Here are the tallies for weeks 9 - 12, please be sure I've got it right:
Vic 4 tickets
Shan 4 tickets
Kelli 1 ticket (owes $10.50)
Judy 4 tickets
Cheryl 3 tickets (owes $3.50)
Nancy 1 ticket (owes $10.50)
Beth 2 tickets (owes $7)
Michelle 3 tickets (owes $3.50)
Rusty 0 tickets (owes $14)

I'll do a drawing tomorrow, so make sure I added everything up right. I'm hoping to get the totals tallied sooner for weeks 13 - 16, since we are are already in week 16 make sure you report your tallies ASAP. Good luck ticket holders!!

This Month

Ok, so I totally suck at this game! So sorry for my lack of participation, but I do have a few pointers. If you want to find a reason to walk more... get a puppy! I'd like you to meet Carlton. He is a labrador retriever and golden retriever mix. He is now 15 weeks old. He contributes to my chances of coffee!

Also, the weather is getting nice over here!! So sorry for all those on the east coast:( A very fun, healthy, low cost activity is going hiking. I found some easy dog friendly trails near the Sacramento area by googling "northern california hiking trails". The other doggie in the picture is Lacy. We took them on a hiking trip to Codfish Falls for Lacy's 5th birthday!! She is a heeler mix. They had a doggone good time! hehe!- Michelle

Are we losing steam?

Please make sure all your tallies are up to date...Thanks! It's the start of a new week, so let's commit to making our four for this week!

Weeks 11 & 12 need tallies

Hello Everyone! EFC's third set of 4 weeks are complete and we need just a few people to update their tallies so we can have our results posted and have our new winner selected. Please post any missing tallies ASAP!

Fifty Fifty

I just wanted to let you all know we now have pictures of half our EFC group on the slide show. If you're part of the 50% who isn't on the blog, and you'd like to have your picture up on the blog, send me a full length picture of yourself to my email.

Has it become habit yet?

In response to Vic's last blog about losing momentum, I was wondering how everyone is doing with exercising regularly. Has it become a habit yet? Is it still hard to find the time? Are you having to force yourself? To my amazement, it has become habit for me, and I don't like it if I don't get in some exercise everyday. And I'm please with the results!

At one of my recent Weight Watchers meetings, my instructor said something that stuck. She asked if we ever say "I'll try to....(insert whatever it is here, exercise, track what I eat, etc)" rather than committing to whatever it is and saying "I will do (insert here)". I got to thinking about it and realized that I wanted to commit myself to exercise daily. So that weekend I told myself "Next week I will exercise everyday." I didn't commit myself to something I knew was impossible to do, such as "I will exercise everyday for the rest of my life." I figured I would commit for a week and go from there. And guess what....it worked! I got in some sort of exercise everyday. I re-committed myself for this week, and so far so good!

Don't TRY but DO! Make the committment to yourself and let exercise become a habit that you are proud to have!

Losing The Momentum

As we enter month#3 of 2009, I'm sure many of us are feeling tired as we endure the months of the post-holiday, bad weather, soon to be day-light savings (spring forward, ugh) time of year that seems to wear all of us down a bit. It's too easy now to throw out an excuse here and there for missing a workout. And let me say the Girl Scouts touting their evil cookies are too much temptation for any poor soul to avoid. It's a tough time of year...

This is the time when we need to mix up our workouts / activities a bit so we don't fall into the proverbial rut. I just tried the rowing machine at the gym and absolutely loved it (I think the last time I used a rowing machine was circa 1992, but it still works!), and am incorporating a yoga DVD into my weekly routine. I'd suggest to everyone try a class or activity they've always wanted to do but haven't yet. Spring is just around the corner and gardening is an excellent physical activity. Lets get creative in our quest to stay active (Cheryl, remember Nordic walking?).

And most important, lets continue to stay with the blog to help support each other through the tougher times. To know that everyone feels your pain can be a wonderful source of support. If you get frustrated, tired or burned out on working out, just blog it here and let all of us provide our input. It's not easy maintaining an active lifestyle by any means, but we have a good group here that can help.

-Vic

Finally there is a winner for weeks 4 - 8!

A totally unbiased co-worker chose the winning "ticket" today from a total of 25 "tickets", and the drawing was witnessed by a fellow EFC memeber. And the winner was....wait for it....drum roll please....Shannon! Please contact her by email for her mailing address. Shannon says that Java City gift cards would be just as good as Starbucks. The following people owe the following amounts.

Kelli - owes $7
Cheryl - owes $3.50
Nancy - owes $14
Loretta - owes $10.50
Beth - owes $3.50
Michelle - owes $7
Rusty - owes $7

Good luck to everyone for next time!

Exercising in the Midst of Craziness

It has been a wild few weeks for me. My plans for exercising have fallen by the wayside as sick kids, work projects, and other commitments have swallowed up my time. Now I practically owe my first child's dowry in coffee cards to the drawing! However, this is a new week, and I am going to attack my exercise time more diligently...I promise!

Nancy

A Recipe that looks good!

Orzo-Chickpea Salad From Weight Watchers light meals POINTS® Value: 5 Servings: 6 Preparation Time: 15 min Cooking Time: 15 min Level of Difficulty: Easy Dried cranberries add just the right touch to this unique salad. Ingredients 8 oz uncooked orzo 1 spray(s) cooking spray 2 small zucchini, chopped 1/8 tsp table salt, or to taste 1/4 cup(s) parsley, leaves, firmly packed, chopped 15 oz canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed 1/2 cup(s) dried cranberries 1 tsp olive oil, extra-virgin 1/4 cup(s) red wine vinegar 1/8 tsp black pepper, or to taste Instructions Cook orzo according to package directions; set aside. Meanwhile, coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat. Sauté zucchini, lightly salting it as it cooks, until slightly crisp, about 2 to 3 minutes; allow to cool. Place zucchini in a large bowl and add remaining ingredients (including orzo); toss to combine. Allow salad to marinate in refrigerator for at least half an hour before serving. It may be served cold or at room temperature.

The Brave Ones!

Four of us were brave and provided a picture of what we look like now to compare in a year. You'll notice the slide show above the Tally Up section of the blog. Next year when we have new pictures ... and hopefully new bodies ... I'll put up another slideshow. If you put your mouse over the slidshow you will have the option to pause the slide show and move through them at your own speed. Or you can click on the slide show and it will take you to the gallery to see the pictures in a larger format.

If you are a Brave One send me a full length shot of yourself. Just remember to keep the clothes the pic was taken of, even if they get too big. That's the point. We'll want to take a new picture in the hopefully too big clothes to show how our bodies have changed.

Trying something new...

I think I figured out how to have an email sent each time there is a new post on the blog. I hope it works. If you don't get notification of a post, let me know. If you get the notifications, but don't want to let me know that too! Its my hope that there might be more blogging going on now!

Thanks!

And the Results are in ... sort of....

Here's what I managed to tally up for weeks 5 - 8. Please let me know if I misadded -

Vicki - 4 tickets
Shannon - 4 tickets
Kelli - 2 tickets (owes $7 to the winner)
Judy - 4 tickets
Cheryl - 3 tickets (owes $3.50 to the winner)
Nancy - 0 tickets (owes $14 to the winner)
Loretta - 1 ticket (owes $10.50 to the winner)
Beth - 3 tickets (owes $3.50 to the winner)
Michelle - 2 tickets (owes $7 to the winner)
Rusty - 2 tickets (owes $7 to the winner)

So if I add this up right there is $52.50 up for grabs ... WOW! I'll wait to do the drawing until Wednesday, Feb 18 for anyone to let me know if there are any corrections to be made. I seriously hope weeks 9 - 12 will have have less on the line!

I know we are in week 10 already and haven't done the drawing yet. I'm having a hard time getting people to tally up. Please keep the blog and challenge alive by posting every prior week's total on every Monday. Remember a "?" equals a zero if we don't get a number for you. If you decide this challenge isn't for you, please let either Vicki or Shannon know, and we'll take you off. We want everyone to enjoy the challenge and exercise! We don't want the challenge to be a burden that you resent.

Weeks 5 - 8 are over already!

I'm hoping to have everyone's tallies updated so I can post results of all our exercising we've done. And of coarse we need to do the drawing to see who gets coffee cards!

I'm impressed with how much we've all exercised and realize that for a lot of us (especially for me!) that if we didn't have to post our tallies we wouldn't even bother exercising regularly. After 8 weeks its actually become habit for me! I was sick last week and didn't feel up to exercising for a few days and that bummed me out. Keep up the good work and I wish you all a successful week!

It's working

I just wanted to say that this EFC business is actually MAKING ME EXERCISE CONSISTENTLY, whereas nothing before ever did. Something about having a goal and a consequence. Is anyone else finding this program unusually helpful? I owe you ladies a lot for coming up with this excellent idea. I am a true lazy-a*@, so this is rather remarkable in my opinion.

What a let down

So Friday at work I was talking with Michelle and Shannon, having gone to the gym that morning before work. I told them "yes, I have in 3 workouts this week." And I'm thinking I will easily fit in one on Saturday. Sunday was a hairy day, running around, going to birthday parties, the Super Bowl, etc. So Sunday night I'm looking at my workout schedule and realized I hadn't worked out on either Monday or Tuesday (but was so sure I had). This means I only got in 3 workouts. What a bummer that was! So this week I WILL do better. I have 2 in so far (really).

"Before" pictures

Hello everyone...a few people have either verbally or on the blog said they would be willing to post a "before" picture of themselves. Please email Shannon a full length shot of yourself in clothes that reveal your shape enough that after a year we can post "after" pictures in the same clothes that will show what a difference a year of regular exercise makes!

A Great Recipe for a peace-filled life in 2009

Hopefully some of these will apply to you....and make you have a better day!

1. Take a 10 to 30 minute walk every day. And while you walk, smile. It
is the ultimate anti-depressant.

2. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day. Talk to God about
what is going on in your life. Buy a lock if you have to.

3. When you wake up in the morning complete the following statement,
'My purpose is to __________ today. I am thankful for______________'

4. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that
is manufactured in plants.

5. Drink green tea and plenty of water. Eat blueberries, wild
Alaskan salmon, broccoli, almonds & walnuts.

6. Try to make at least three people smile each day.

7. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip, energy vampires, issues
of the past, negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead
invest your energy in the positive present moment.

8. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a
college kid with a maxed out charge card.

9. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

10. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

11. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

12. You are not so important that you have to win every argument.
Agree to disagree.

13. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.

14. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their
journey is all about.

15. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.

16. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: 'In five years,
will this matter?'

17. Forgive everyone for everything.

18. What other people think of you is none of your business.

19. GOD heals everything - but you have to ask Him.

20. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

21. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends
will stay in touch.

22. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

23. Each night before you go to bed complete the following statements:
I am thankful for __________. Today I accomplished _________.

24. Remember that you are too blessed to be stressed.

25. When you are feeling down, start listing your many blessings.
You'll be smiling before you know it.

Getting Your 4th Day in!!

For some reason, I have an easier time doing 3 days instead of 4, especially when I am able to do at least 3 days during the work week. This week I did three gym days last Wednesday, Thursday and Friday (one spin class, one day on the elliptical trainer and one day on the stationary bike on my own) but had problems making it to the 4th day on my weekend. Lets face it; weekends are when we are supposed to veg out to prepare for the upcoming work week. The last thing we want to do is more work, right? Well, when I saw I wasn't going to make it physically to the gym, I chose a home workout consisting of several sets of push-ups, abdominal crunches and tricep dips (off a chair), then spent 20 minutes on back stretches suggested to me by my doctor. At least you have to do something, right? I chose to work on my core and flexibility for the last day to at least get some activity in. I urge everyone not to avoid core strength and flexibility exercises within your routine. These are things that you can even do when you first get up in the morning just to get things warmed up. I'd love to hear comments on what everyone else incorporates into their workouts! We all need to mix it up from time to time. - Vic

Yoga?

I know some of our members had tried and or does yoga, but I never thought I would be able to do it due to my abnormal clutziness! Yes I'm still clutzy, but I've been doing the Wii Fit Yoga poses, and find I actually enjoy the stretching and balance. I've been amazed at how the poses work the muscles.

I've been doing the Wii Fit this whole month and can see an improvement in my performance of the poses as well as a change in my shape! So if you haven't tried yoga, look up a couple different poses and throw them into the mix of your normal exercise routine. I've only been doing a few poses since my knee is injured, but I am positive that the 10-15 minutes of yoga as part of my workout is making a difference. So much so, that some day I may get enough confidence...and balance...to try a class. Well maybe not, since I am no expert, but my opinion of yoga has certainly changed!

Here's just one website of the millions out there: http://www.abc-of-yoga.com/yogapractice/postures.asp I'm linking this one since it gives animated directions on how to do the poses and has the basics. Enjoy!

Old Posting Brought Back To Life

I have had my share of weight struggles over the years, and, over the years, I've learned how to lose and manage my weight in a healthy way. But I wanted to share something I posted on my own blog, www.thedrummerchic.blogspot.com, which I titled Journey From The Couch . We all had to start this process from somewhere, and this is how I finally hit bottom and decided to change my lifestyle for the better. Hope it can inspire you!

- Vic

And an idea was formed....

Today Beth and I were talking about the blog and our weight loss goals for the year. All of a sudden I had the idea that we could all put a January 2009 picture of ourselves on the blog, then put another picture at the end of December 2009 to see how our bodies have changed after 12 months of exercising. I'm thinking a full body picture with form fitting clothes so we can actually see the changes - but not exercise spandex clothes -- I'm not even willing to do that! Nor would I subject anyone to that! Maybe jeans and a T-shirt? Then we would want to make sure we keep the same clothes for the picture in December so we can see the difference in how those clothes fit, hopefully looser!

Who would be willing to do this? It would be great if everyone wanted to, but it wouldn't be mandatory if we decide to do this. I wouldn't want to be the only one! The added benefit of putting our pics up on the blog is so that everyone would get to see everyone else, which would be nice for those who don't personally know all the members of EFC.

YIPPEE!!!

I can't believe I won! I never win anything. Thanks. Now I'm even more motivated.

And the Winner is.............

BETH!!!! Watch the exciting video of the name being drawn. Please see previous post for who owes what. If you owe Beth, please send her an email for her address. She is the big winner of a total of $21 in Starbucks cards! I hope next month's winner wins less, since that will mean more exercising has been done!

Weeks 1-4 results!

From what I calculated this is how many tickets each person will get:
Vicki-1 (owes $10.50 to the winner)
Shannon-4
Kelli-2 (owes $7 to the winner)
Judy-4
Cheryl-1 (owes $3.50 to the winner)
Nancy-1
Beth-1
Michelle-1

Let me know if I miscalculated...the drawing will be sometime this evening. I thought I would attempt to video it and then post the video. We'll see if I can do that!

Welcome Rusty!

Everybody, please welcome Rusty to our group. She comes to us from the Academic Advising Center at Sacramento State and works with Shannon, Beth and Michelle!

1st Week

I finished my week with hitting the gym on Saturday with a 20 min swim and 20 min bike. I get bored easy, so I like doing more activities and less duration, it makes time go by faster!

First 4 Weeks are Complete!

Make sure you've put in your tallies for the past weeks if you aren't already up to date. I'll post our totals for the 4 weeks and how much in Starbucks Cards will be up for grabs!

I did it!

This has really motivated me this week to stick with my exercise routine! Thanks for letting me join. I even went to the gyn this morning at 7am (yes on a Saturday). Have a good weekend! Beth

Article on Fighting Mid-Life Weight Gain

I ran across an interesting article on Web MD - it has some good info.

-Vic

Someone Else's Blog

Somehow I came across someone else's diet blog. Mainly this person is discussing her use of Pure Acai Berry and Colon Cleanse as a method of losing weight. I don't know about these products, but she did have some helpful tips for losing weight. I thought I would share her blog with you all.
http://mariasdietblog.com/?sub=t5_01

This acai berry sure is getting a lot of attention. Has anyone tried it? I wonder if the fresh fruit is available, or if we can only get it in pill form. If anyone has any experience with acai let me know!

At last!

This may say signed by Strikethru, which is Cheryl, FYI.

I figured out how to post to the blog! Doing pretty well with the wimpy 30 minute treadmill workouts, am adding some weightlifting and stretching exercises because I sit on my *&^ all day at work and it kills my arms.

Hope you ladies are out there busting a move at the gym.

Thanks for letting me join!

I'm so excited about being part of this group! I needed something to get me movitated for the new year.

-Beth

Thanks for the invite!

Thanks for letting me join your club! I'm very excited and I have already started. My sister-in-law is letting me borrow her elliptical. I've had it in my garage since Christmas and have been using it more than I thought I would.

This week, I got 45 minutes in on Monday. Tuesday, I wasn't going to work out but I decided to hop on for 30 minutes after the Oprah show!

Michelle*

Each Monday...

Don't forget to sign in using our super duper secret code to update the tally for the prior week. If you don't, a zero will be assumed and you will owe a coffee card for that week. If you don't feel comfortable editing the blog, feel free to email Vicki or Shannon to update the blog for you.

Thanks!

Welcome to EFC Beth and Michelle!!!

Please welcome Beth and Michelle to our challenge. Both work with me at the Career Center and are excited to have this motivation to exercise!

-Shannon

How should we tally up our exercising?

Hi Everyone! I hope you all had a successful week last week. Even with my "bum" knee, I managed to get in 4 or 5 workouts. The reason I put in 4 or 5 in the tally is because I have a dilemma...How do we determine our count for the week? Is it per workout or per day. For instance, last Monday I did my Curves workout then a little later I did another 25 minutes on the Wii Fit. Two separate workouts but on the same day.

Please comment on what everyone feels is fair. My opinion is that we are going for 4 separate DAYS of having exercise activity. What do you think?

-Shannon

Welcome Loretta!!

Our little blog idea is very popular! My friend Loretta joins our group from Sac State PD. Loretta and I used to enjoy our parking structure walks (they have a good incline) for exercise when we were working graveyard shifts together :)

Glad you've joined us!

-Vic

Hi Vicki and Friends! Thanks for including me in this blog/coffee/exercise challenge. My goal for exercise is fairly simple...I just need to get up and move. It is a good stress reliever for me, as I tend to hold in my stress, and it manifests physically in a variety of uncomfortable ways. ;) I will probably do a variety of activities to reach my goal, including walking, a Pilates dvd, and playing Dance Dance Revolution with my kids. I enjoy running, and would like to get back into that, but I have been having trouble with intermittent pain in one of my feet, so I am hoping this lower key plan to exercise will improve my fitness and mental health, without increasing my pain.

When I am not exercising (which is most of the time), I can be found hanging with my four kids and sweet husband. As you might imagine, with four kids, I need all the energy I can get, so hopefully exercising will help! :)

Blessings,
Nancy

Welcome Nancy!!

Please all welcome my cousin Nancy to the mix! She joins us as a mother of 4 from El Dorado Hills. She writes a heartwarming blog about her family at http://ladolcevita6.wordpress.com/

I'm glad you joined us!

- Vic

My bum knee...

I am sad to say that in my desire to do something fun with the kids and still make it a physical activity, I decided to take them ice skating on December 31st. Why is that sad, you may ask? Well because after about 40 minutes of some fine ice skating I took my first fall. Unfortunately it wasn't just on my behind. I fell forward on the inside of my left knee...and heard a "pop". Not good. At first I thought it would be ok, I got off the ice on my own and was able to walk around. However after a short time I discovered I can't twist my leg at all, from my hip down to my ankle. You know the old song,

"Your toe bone connected to your foot bone
Your foot bone connected to your ankle bone
Your ankle bone connected to your leg bone
Your leg bone connected to your knee bone
Your knee bone connected to your thigh bone
Your thigh bone connected to your hip bone...."

I understand that song so much better now that when ever I move one of those connected bones, I get a sharp pain in my knee!

So after my fall, one of my first thoughts was how am I going to keep up on my exercises? Can't go to Curves, can't do most of the Wii Fit exercises, so my options are floor exercises that don't use my legs. So I will focus on my abs and arms until I find out from the doctor what the extent of the damage is. If any of you have any ideas of other exersices that don't include my bum knee, let me know! Thanks!

Shannon

Welcome Cheryl!!!

My sister-in-law Cheryl has joined EFC, starting on January 5th. I wanted to put her up on the board before she changed her mind :)

Check out her blog at: http://www.strikethru.net/. She lives in Washington, has a 2 1/2 year-old ball of energy named Iris and is an excellent writer with a passion for typewriters and all things related to old-school writing.

Glad you're here!

-Vic