It's all apart of life's pageant

Fun Friday Finds

This Friday it's all about gorgeous weather...

With all of this great weather we have been having I can finally break out the sandals! But if you are like me flip flops and other flat sandals cause my plantar fasciitus to act up. A couple of years ago my doctor recommended Chaco flip flops. Finally I pair that I can wear all day and walk around in - these sandals are certified by the American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA), I think they are the only flip flops that are!

Nice weather means bright fun colors on your toenails and fingers! A while back I had a long layover in Seattle and was able to stop in at Butter London for a mani. But before I share colors I want to tell you about their Stillehto Stick - after you put on your cute sandals above, but notice that you have dry heals...Stillehto Stick to the rescue!

Commit 2 Fit - after day one!

We are 50 people strong in the group!!! How is everyone doing? Are you hanging in there?

Here are more tips on drinking more water:

• Make it a Morning Ritual. Many of us wake up dehydrated, and the first thing you should do before you do anything else is drink two glasses of water. 
• Add Some Lemon. Back in the early stages when I couldn’t stand drinking water, I squeezed lemon juice into my water. At restaurants, ask the servers to provide lemon slices with your water.
• Keep it In the Clear. When your urine is clear, you are properly hydrated. When your urine is a dark yellow, you are definitely dehydrated.
• Think of How Pretty You’ll Look. I don’t know how direct the correlation is between having healthy, glowing skin and drinking a lot of water, but I’m not taking any chances. Whatever psychological trick keeps me hydrated!
• Do It Like It’s Hot. If you’re in the mood for a hot drink, drink heated water. Sometimes we just want the psychological pleasure that comes with having a hot mug cupped in our hands than the actual drink itself. Plus, coffee and tea contain caffeine, which is a diuretic and elevates the rate of water being expelled from your body via urination.
• Drink When You Have a Munchie Attack. Sometimes our hunger is thirst masquerading as fake hunger. Drinking a cup or two of water will make you feel “full.”
• Cheap cheap. Water at restaurants are FREE!
• Always have a full glass of water near you when you are working. It will give you something to mindlessly sip on when you are brainstorming or need something to do with your hands.

Commit 2 Fit - Life Habit One

 Drink 12 cups of water per day and eliminate sodas and coffee

Conference call tonight!!!

Date:             Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Start Time:             5:00 PM Pacific Daylight Time
Start Time:              8:00 PM Pacific Daylight Time
Dial-in Number:             1-309-946-5000
Participant Access Code              864808

 What does water do for you?

• Lubricates your joints
• Flushes TOXINS from your body
• Increases your metabolism (you burn more calories)
• Gives you the 'dewy' fresh faced look by plumping up the cells in your skin so lines are less visible
• Gives you a sense of well-being

When we are dehydrated:

• Weight loss slows down or totally stops
• Digestion suffers (constipation, mal-absorption)
• Experience the 'fake' hunger
• Loss of energy and the motivation to exercise
• Water retention (puffiness and weight gain)
• Mental 'fog'
• Irritability
• Acne
• Dry skin

Every Monday Matters

07 Write a letter to a US Military Hero

What a timely Monday to make matter! Active military members are deployed for long periods of time, and they love receiving good wishes and words of appreciation and support, even from TOTAL strangers. The most requested item by military men and women is a letter.

TAKE ACTION TODAY

1. Select a soldier you know or one who is related to someone you know.
2. If you don't know a soldier, ask a friend, fellow student, co-worker, pastor or military chaplain to help you make a connection. Make sure they provide proper mailing instructions.
3. Grab some paper, an envelope, and a pen.
4. Write a letter from your heart that expresses your gratitude, shows your support and provide encouragement. Share a little bit about yourself and ask questions. Avoid such topics as death, killing, and politics.
5. Include your e-mail or mailing address in case the recipient wants to write back.
6. SEND THE LETTER.

• You can send a postcard
• Send an E-mail
• Send mail
• Send a book

YOU MATTER

Our military protects our nation’s freedom, and, regardless of your political affiliation and whether or not you believe in war, these brave men and women need to know that we appreciate their sacrifices and service. With a simple card or letter, you can brighten the day of a soldier who is overseas ensuring your freedom. Your letter might be the only thing that makes that soldier smile that day.

Fun Friday Finds

Since I have been enjoying getting back into my yoga practice some FUN yoga finds are top of mind this week.

When you can't get to a studio or just want to practice in the home check out this Yoga Practice System

Weight Watcher Weigh In

A busy day that includes a stop to the Weight Watcher meeting to quickly weigh in for a +.4 gain. Not too bad - I need to get back to journaling, last week I did a poor job of doing that. I didn't have time to stay for the meeting today - can anyone tell me what the topic was?

Challenge Updates

We are 44 strong in our group and we are getting so excited!!! Brandon and I wanted to also see if there is an interest to maybe schedule a conference call on Wednesday evening for the kick off??? He can answer any questions and we can all sort of chat. We may need to do two calls to accommodate all the different times zones but we are up for it if you are - just let us know by leaving a comment.

We are a week away from the First day! :)

I have been receiving several wonderful emails in regards to doing a cleanse. I recommend a cleanse for when you are starting something new or you want to break a bad habit and/or gain a new one. Also I think it is important to clean out your system so your body can better absorb the nutrients or medication that you are taking. I guess if I ate better and exercised more, I wouldn't have to do this. But there is only so many bowls of spinach that you can eat right??!

If you remember back in January I did the cleanse that Gwyneth Paltrow did. It was hard - but way easier than most that I have tried. At least you were able to eat chicken and fish. I did notice that I really needed more protein though. What I gained out of this cleanse was the purging of diet coke. No longer was I the slave to the refreshing bubbly drink! Don't get me wrong - it wasn't easy. But I can say today, since January I have had two or three caffeine free diet cokes. The funny thing is that they tasted awful, but I wanted something fizzy and convenient.

Dozer Days

Last weekend we had a chance to spend some time with good friends and attend Dozer Days. This was our first time and it was a little boys (and big boys) playground! I had no idea how many people would attend and apparently in years past around 15,000 are in attendance - WOW!

So what exactly IS Dozer Days? It is an event that is organized by the Nutter Foundation here in Vancouver, WA that allows young kids to run the big construction machinery, supervised of course. The money raised from the event goes to the local Parks Foundation and the children of our community.

The best way we could describe it was a small scale Disneyland but the lines were for taking your turn at driving/running the equipment! We loved seeing all the expressions on the kids faces while they were digging with these large backhoes - eyes as big as saucers and the concentration was intense.

Every Monday Matters

06 Get Rid of Junk Mail

Take action today:

• Eliminate unwanted catalogs
• Stop calls from telemarketers for five years through the National Do Not Call Registry by calling toll-free from your home phone 888.382.1222 or TTY 866.290.4236
• Remove the names of deceased individuals from marketing lists. (Requires a $1.00 fee.)
• Remove the names of individuals in the care of Caregivers from commercial marketing lists
• Prevent public disclosure of student directory information
• Remove your name from several national mailing lists through the Direct Marketing Association’s Mail Preference Service. You can register online or by mail. This service is available only to residential addresses, and your request is honored for five years.

YOU MATTER
You receive more junk mail than regular 1st-class mail every year. By decreasing your junk mail, you’ll save trees, save waste, decrease pollution, save time, and save the mail carrier’s back because he or she won’t have to deliver mail that you don’t read anyway.

Challenge updates and Fun Friday Finds

I am so excited that there are so many of you up for this challenge and want to be apart of the support group! I think the eight weeks is going to fly by - famous last words right? I want to share a very timely blog post by Zen Habits - 6 Small Things You Can Do When You Lack Discipline. We are going to need those 6 small things to get us through the eight weeks!

Challenge Updates/Considerations

• There are some of you that want to try the Advocare products and you are on medication - please contact either myself or Brandon, but also consult your doctor. If you need any product information for your doctor it is available on the website or I can send it to you.
• A little over 70% of you want to have some competition at the end of eight weeks - I will be sure to keep you posted.
• There is also a separate page on this blog dedicated to the Commit 2 Fit Challenge - it is located on the left hand column. I will link all posts that have challenge references there.
• We have 26 gals in our group! No guys, yet...well except Brandon but he doesn't count. BTW - here is a before picture of Brandon. He was at 293 before and 206 after! Sorry gals - he is engaged to married in July :) But he looks great doesn't he?? He attributes Healthy eating, Advocare and exercise.

On another note today I had the local paper (The Columbian) at my house for a Business feature article! This was all very last minute and I have to tell you my office was not looking so good along with the rest of my house. Cleaning the office was fine - gotta love the color organization, it makes for easy pick up and put away. Getting rid of dog hair is another story, plus having one of your dogs nip the reporter...why???

Commit 2 Fit - Eight Week Challenge

I was happy to see that there are many of you that want to join the challenge Commit 2 Fit! This is an eight week program that guides you through EIGHT new healthy habits. I have received some emails as to why I am doing this challenge, here is why:

• Gain energy
• Lose body fat
• Form new habits or improve the good ones
• Improve health

These are my top four goals for a healthy life and I hope at least one of them resonates with you too. The Commit 2 Fit eight week program was developed by a dietitian and we are going to implement it in this group over the internet. We will have the guidance of Brandon Evanson, who is a personal trainer at the clinic where I train.

How it ALL is going to work

1. We will 'meet' every week for eight weeks on Wednesdays, here on the blog. If you do not want to share your information on the blog you are more than welcome to email me privately at paulamw@mac.com. Also if you do not want your standings published on the blog please let me know I will keep them between you and I.
2. The kick off will be on Wednesday, May 27th - this will give you time to prepare and it will be after the US holiday of Memorial Day.
3. Each week you are going to be assigned a LIFE HABIT, it will be revealed on Wednesday. It will be your assignment to incorporate this one new habit for the following week. A new LIFE HABIT will be assigned the next week, while carrying over the previous week's habit... and so on, until all eight habits are in place!
4. POINTS! There are rewards! Each participant will receive a 'point' for each habit they complete for each day. At the end of the eight weeks, everyone who has accumulated 80% of the total possible points will receive a secret gift! (and you know my gifts are pretty cool!)
   
   1. Each week you will report your points earned - again if you do not want to share your progress please email privately at paulamw@mac.com
   2. We are on the honor system here! Remember the saying "...you are only cheating yourself."
5. Now I know that some of you have a competitive streak (myself included)  so I would like you to decide if we should have First, Second and Third prizes for the most points? I am willing to do this but also want this to be a group decision.
6. To register for the challenge please fill out survey/profile. You will need to do this by Monday, May 26th. Most of the information is optional but this is a guide that will help Brandon answer any questions you might have.  Click Here to take survey