Weekly Weigh In: No Excuses, Just Results!

Well, I'm a little late getting this post up today because it was a non-stop busy day since my feet hit the floor this morning. Days like this definitely require quick, healthy breakfasts like a 3 Minute Omelette or Pre-Cut Citrus and whole grain toast.


I did take 3 seconds to step on the scale. This week I lost......0, zip, zilch, nada...not a single pound! I was the same place I was seven days ago.


In the spirit of putting my goal out to the world, I repeat this quote to myself: "If it's important to you, you will find away! If not, you will find an excuse."

For all my Biggest Loser friends, this is the season of NO EXCUSES!
So, I make no excuses, I renew my commitment to myself to move towards my goal this week.

Question: Is there anything in your life that you are making excuses about? If you reevaluate it, is it something you truly want and are willing to commit to, or is it something you'd rather let go of?

Monday Motivators: Playing To Win!

Playing to win requires a commitment to yourself that even if you fail, you will never give up and never let your goals and dreams die.

Those who play to win know that success is not given to us. It is pursued with all the energy and sweat we can muster. Obstacles and struggles are part of life and only serve to make us appreciate our success. If everything came easily, we wouldn't know what it felt like to truly succeed.

Obstacles are meant to be overcome!

Fear is meant to be conquered!

Success is meant to be achieved!

They are all part of the game of life and the people who succeed are the ones who play to win, trust, and never give up until the game (of life) is over!

You can bet the Patriots aren't sitting around whining about their Super Bowl loss. Even though for some of them, this game was the greatest event of their career to date and they were looking for the WIN to propel them forward. They are already mapping out a strategy for next season. They are reviewing what they did well and in what areas they need to improve. They will put a plan in place for their workouts, rest, diet, mental focus, team members, coaching staff, and any area they can affect. They will set new goals in each of these areas and write down the steps needed to achieve those goals.

You have an opportunity to analyze your game as well. Today is the first day of the rest of your career; the next phase of life with a success mindset; a fresh start in your personal relationships; an opportunity to make a commitment to yourself that you will play to win.


My phone ringtone is Chumbawumba singing, "I get knocked down, but I get up again. You're never gonna keep me down!" Every time my phone rings I am reminded that I have a choice to get up, overcome and succeed.

The great Vince Lombardi once wrote, "It's not whether you get knocked down, it's whether you get back up." We're going to get knocked down (and around) in life. Get back up! Commit...Play...Win!!

Question: Who do you admire that is a great example of getting back up after (perceived) failure?


Click here for more Monday Motivations.

Do You Have A Weight Loss Goal? Here's Mine.

So how did you do on the 7 day challenge to record everything you ate?

Did you choose to use pen and paper, an APP on your phone or a website on your PC?

What did you learn about yourself and your eating habits?

Are you eating as many veggies as you thought you were?

Are you consuming more (or less) calories than you thought you were?

I didn’t pay particularly close attention to what I ate, but I did record everything I ate. Hubby and I attended a couple of events centered around food, and Sunday (being cold and drizzly) was a perfect day to dive into a huge pan of homemade Mac-N-Cheese (five cheeses and bacon…Mmmmmm, SO good!) and curl up on the couch to watch football. ( I can’t believe I didn’t think to take a pic of it and post the recipe; I make it so rarely. Might have to make it for Super Bowl now just to get a pic.)

I didn’t lose any weight this week, and I didn’t gain any weight this week (whew!). So what I learned is that I have pretty good instincts on eating enough to maintain my weight. However, my goal right now is to take off a few lbs that I’ve put on over the past two years while recovering from surgeries that didn’t allow me to be physically active. So maintaining is not going to work for me!

Has participating in this challenge motivated you to make changes to your eating habits? It has me. It was a good jump start to tracking food and exercise with a goal in mind.

I've heard that when you really want something it helps to tell someone so you have accountability for following through. So here's my goal. I WILL LOSE 38 lbs by my birthday, June 7th. Lofty? Maybe. Unreasonable? No! Reachable? ABSOLUTELY!

Yes, I realize that I am putting my goal out for all the world to see. Here's how I'm gonna do it.

I will continue to log everything I eat on http://www.loseit.com. I will also log my exercise there. Putting in some calories burned is always motivating! If you choose to use this website/phone APP you can connect with me there: mhobbs2001@gmail.com.

I know how many calories it takes to maintain my weight and I know how many calories I need in order to lose. I will cut some of those calories out of my food intake and I will burn some of those calories through exercise. Click here to figure out how many calories you need. I am going to give myself a range of 1200-1400 calories a day. I will eat at least 1200 but no more than 1400 calories per day. I will exercise a minimum of five days a week. I will give myself one day a week to splurge on something special or try out new recipes that I will post.

I will reach my goal by tracking everything I eat so I can stay within my calorie allotment and exercising at least five times a week. This might be walking (outside or treadmill), bicycle (outside or stationary), aerobics, video (love Bob & Jillian's Biggest Loser workouts)...anything that gets me moving and sweaty.

Now I feel accountable knowing that I have to keep you posted on how I'm doing.

What is your health goal? Take a leap and share it. Let's do this together.

What information do you need to help you?

What will motivate you to achieve your goal?

WHAT ARE WE TEACHING KIDS ABOUT RESOLUTIONS?

Have your kids heard you (or others) talking about New Year’s Resolutions?

Have they asked you about it and what it means?

Should kids be encouraged to set New Year’s Resolutions?

These questions were the topic of a discussion this week.

What’s your opinion?

Here’s mine.

If you read my post Start, Stop, Continue! you know that I am not a huge fan of ‘resolutions’ but I am very much in favor of regular personal evaluation and setting ‘goals’. What does setting a resolution on the first and breaking it by the 15^th teach kids?

In comparison, walking a child through the process of setting and working towards a goal helps them develop thinking and reasoning skills and allows them to make choices and decisions and feel success in their efforts.

The process of evaluating their life, deciding where they want to improve, setting a goal, documenting their own progress and working towards that goal can be adapted to children as young as preschoolers. The beginning of the year is a perfect opportunity to teach kids about goals and resolving to be a better person.

So what kinds of goals can improve the lives of kids while teaching them a lesson or two along the way? Here are a few ideas.

PRESCHOOLERS

• I will clean up my toys and put them where they belong.
• I will brush my teeth twice a day.
• I will wash my hands after going to the bathroom and before eating.
• I will be kind and loving towards pets and all animals. I will keep my fingers and face away from their mouths so I don't get bitten.

KIDS, AGES 5-12

• I will drink water three times each day and limit soda to special occasions.
• I will find a sport or activity that I like and do it at least three times a week.
• I will always wear a helmet when riding my bike.
• I will wear my seat belt every time I get in a car.
• I will apply sunscreen before I go outside on sunny days, and wear a hat and sunglasses when I won't be in the shade.
• I will be nice to other kids and friendly to kids who need friends - like someone who is shy or new to my school.
• I will never give out personal information (including name, address, school name, or phone number) on the Internet.
• I will never send a picture of myself to someone I chat with on the computer without my parents permission.

KIDS, AGES 13 AND OLDER

• I will eat at least one fruit and one vegetable every day.
• I will limit the soda I drink to special occasions.
• I will take care of my body through physical activity and nutrition.
• I will choose nonviolent TV shows and video games and I will spend no more than two hours a day on these activities.
• I will help others by volunteering in my community - either working with community groups or joining a group that helps the less fortunate.
•  I will talk about my choices with an adult whom I can trust when faced with a difficult situation.
• I will take a break when I feel angry or stressed out and find constructive ways to deal with the stress, such as writing in a journal, exercising, reading or discussing my problem with a parent or friend.
• I will talk with a trusted adult and attempt to find a way that I can help friends if I notice they are struggling or engaging in risky behaviors.
• I will be careful about whom I choose to date and always treat the other person with respect and without coercion or violence. I will expect the same good behavior in return.
• I will resist peer pressure to try drugs or alcohol.
• I will not use a cell phone or text message while driving, and I will always wear a seat belt.

Have you talked with your kids about goals or resolutions? What other goals have your kids set? Do you have a differing opinion?

Some goals listed above courtesy of American Academy of Pediatrics.

START, STOP, CONTINUE!

Happy New Year!

Did you make New Year’s resolutions? Are they already broken?

If you don’t like resolutions, but you do want improvement in your life, keep reading!

Here we are, at the beginning of a new year.

What does that mean to you?

Are you excited about the beginning of a new year?

Or, are you just glad to be rid of 2011?

I love fresh starts. I love evaluating my life, revisiting my goals and looking at what I am going to Start, Stop and Continue.

I’m not crazy about the word ‘resolution’ in relation to changes I want to make at the beginning of the year. In my observation, when people resolve to do something, and then don’t follow through with perfection, they consider themselves a failure and drop it all together.

I AM a believer in setting goals however. I am also a believer in reviewing my goals a couple of times a year to see what’s working and what’s not. These reviews are where I make changes to goals that may be affected by circumstances around me. I also make adjustments and fine tune my goals now that I have a few months ‘experience’ working on them. Maybe I was a little too ambitious, or not ambitious enough when I set the goal. This method allows me to realize success in my goals and move forward instead of giving it up all together because it did not go as planned.

I ask myself THREE questions in my goal setting process:

What do I want to START that I haven’t been doing in my life?

What do I want to STOP that I have been doing?

What have I been doing well that I want to CONTINUE?

It’s easy for most people to think of a bunch of big goals: stop smoking, start exercising, lose weight, get finances under control, etc.  But don’t discount the small things; small changes have big effect.

START might be something as simple as “get up at 6am every day” or “drink a glass of water before eating anything every morning” or “read one verse of scripture every morning”. I’m sure you can see how each of those ‘small’ actions would lead to a happier, healthier, more productive you.

In my opinion, every day is a good time for a fresh start. The beginning of a new year, the beginning of a new month, the beginning of a new week, my birthday, my anniversary, the first day of school, the first day of a new job, well, you get the idea. But my FAVORITE day for a fresh start is, the day I think of a new goal that I want to incorporate into my life!!

It doesn’t always fall on the first of anything, but it always falls on the FIRST DAY OF THE REST OF MY LIFE!