Tools I Use for Fitness

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I have been using a few things to help me along in my quest for better health. I need to lose weight. I have put on about 25lbs over the last few years & this is the year it is coming off. I am down about 11lbs so far so almost 1/2 way there! Along with being nerdy I love technology. There I said it. I love being able to track besides a pen & paper. Although I love my pencil & paper & still have a day planner.

So the 1st tool I use is www.sparkpeople.com. This is a free website that you can use to track food AND excercise. It has a great community message board to keep you motivated & its super easy to navigate around in. And if you have a smart phone their app is WONDERFUL! I use this to track my food. They have a bar code scanner so you don't have to type if you don't want to but their library of food is amazing. If by chance what you eat isn't in there you can add it.

Body Bugg

 



2nd tool is the body bugg. This is new to me, I have only had it a week. So far so good! I love being able to see my calorie burn for the day & not guess. My husband got a great deal on this so keep you eye out for them. I just have a basic one, no watch, ect. The cons: I don't like to wear it all the time (to bed is the worst so I usually take it off then) & the website. You are able to track your food on it but there is limited selections compared to Spark People. So at this point I am only using the website for calorie tracking. You are also required to pay each month to use the website. My bugg came with a 6 month subscription so I am planning to have the weight off in plenty of time so I don't have to pay.

3rd which I don't use anymore due to the bugg is a heart rate monitor. I LOVED my Polar Monitor but the chest strap died (had it a few years). I fullly plan to replace it at a later date. I could wear it while I worked out & it was more accuate than the machines PLUS wearing it was when I found out I wasn't getting my heartrate up high enough. I have another heart rate monitor but I didn't like it as much as the Polar. My husband even has one for when he is training and we have got one of our friends who is trying to lose weight to get one. Can you tell we LOVE it!!

So there are my 3 go-to items in getting fit. Did you notice the scale is not one of my tools?? I tend to lean to how I feel and look as to if I am getting towards my goals. I weigh in MAYBE once a week, more like once a month though. I know you need to know if you are moving towards where you want to be but I also want to feel healthy & happy.

So get out there & move this weekend! Maybe do a little more for me since I am stuck home with a horrible cold.

Do Good, Feel Good

 

 

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I am sure most of you have heard about random acts of kindness but have you done them? I have been doing some research & there is even an organization devoted to this. Ann Curry started one, google it & you can find tons of examples. I am so interested as I love to give back when I can. But it seems life gets in the way & it happens less & less. Yes the holidays bring out the best but it should be a year round event. So I am adding this to my happiness project but for the whole year.

 

Please include this in your year too. It doesn't have to cost a ton or take loads of time, small tokens mean the most. As always, let me know if you do start & what you do.

January = Energy & Health

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I saw this & lol. It kind of reminds me of working out with my husband.....

 

January is my focus on my energy & health. It is hard to move through life feeling tired & worn out when you are trying to be happy so month 1 is a me month. ME, ME, ME!!!

So this month here are my main focus points:

• Exercise : It is a proven fact people that exercise are happier. It is a proven fact I feel 100% better after I exercise so why sometimes is it so hard to get my butt there?!

Plan here: Get my butt to the gym & get moving! When home get moving instead of sitting on my rear. Not only does this increase your calorie burn but it also get stuff done around the house!

• More Sleep: I tend to get overly tired, which leads to sitting on my butt, snapping at my husband & just overall unhappiness.

Plan here: Get a night time routine down. I tend to get a 2nd wind of energy after the gym making it hard to get to sleep. I am planning to be in bed by 9/9:30 & read for a 1/2 hour or so, always calms me down. I was doing this in MN & it worked wonders. Plus I LOVE to read so its a win, win.

• Eat Better & Smarter: Once again my body knows when I eat poorly. I feel gross & sluggish.

Plan here: Make better choices. I don't want to "diet", I don't believe in them at all. I want to make healthier choices & not beat myself up when I don't. Food makes me happy. I love baking, cooking & trying most new things. I also am adding in more water, less soda. As much as I LOVE my Diet Coke I know there are healthier options (water) when I am thirsty.

So it seems like this is a typical New Years story BUT it all ties to a persons happiness. I know 100% I feel wonderful when I take care of myself so why not do it. It makes me nicer to be around & my husband is so supportive it increases his happiness also. Now I have a secret, I have been working on this for a few months. I have already lost 10lbs with exercise & a smarter diet. Will I ever be 100% clean eater, no. I love sweets, breads, & food in general too much. But I do find myself making better choices.

I will continue to check in on where I am at & of course, life & all that fun stuff.

My 2013 Plan of Action

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Happiness is kitty snuggles.....

 

So I have been putting together my own 2013 happiness project & decided I don't want to do a whole year plan. I have so much I am looking forward to I am going to only hit 6 months so I can move forward!

 

So here are what my 6 months will look like, more details will come up each month for what I am working on.

 

January: Energy - Health

February: Love - Marriage

March: Family

April: Friendships

May: Attitude

June: Life

 

Besides my mini happiness project I will be focusing on finances & clearing out clutter. I have slowly been working on the clutter so that will be a continuing goal along with getting what is left organized. My finances have not been looked at in a long time & I am ready to tackle them. One major thing I will be working on this year is to curb my spending, do I really need that shirt from Target???? I have thought about only buying some stuff 2nd hand but have not set down with an actual plan. I will continue to use coupons as 2012 I saved over $1000 with coupons & we actually have some extra on hand instead of rushing to the store.

 

2013 is an exciting year for me & its been a while since I could say that. I am always so worried about my job drama, family drama & petty stuff around the house I am ready to be free & have some fun!

 

So what are your 2013 goals??



Happiness

My happiness to start my year.....

Dancing with my husband at the end of a great night out with friends. It was perfect.

Happy New Years & I can't wait to begin 2013.

Happiness Project

So I have recently read this book and it is wonderful. I have been recommending it all over the place and actually bought it for my Kindle AND the paperback for sharing.

I will be the first to admit I am happy but not as happy as I could be. I rush through life, get annoyed easily & get down when things aren't that bad. So this was an eye opener book for me. Does it teach you the "secret" to being perfectly happy.....no. BUT it does help you look at your own life & where you maybe need some work on. This book was interesting to me no only because it had great reviews but it had research on different principles of happiness. My inner dork LOVES research.

So pick it up today & I will be returning with my own happiness project 2013.

Chicken Stock

So with not baking in all my spare time I get to work on some of the stuff I have wanted to do but haven't had the time. My list is huge but I did get to try 2 of them today.
1. Roast a chicken in the oven.
2. Homemade chicken stock.

As weird as it is I have never roasted a chicken in the oven. Crockpot yes but it wasn't the same. So this morning it happened. Washed it up, dried & seasoned. baked for 90 minutes & it was done! So easy and tastes so good!

And since I had all the fixins I made some homemade chicken stock. Now I knew it was easy but I thought maybe it would be not worth the effort when you can just buy it. Its worth it. My house smelled wonderful all afternoon and I love that I know everything that is in it. As I get older I tend to be a little more aware of what I am consuming. Does this stop me from eating fast food, processed food, ect....no. I know I don't have the time to 100% do this right now. BUT when things get settled on the homefront I tend to move us more over that way.

Chicken Stock!

 

Here is my unofficial recipe AND I haven't used it yet. Next weekend chicken & noodles is on my radar.....

 

Handful of baby carrots (I had them in the house but you can always use regular ones peeled & cut up)

3-4 celery stalks cut in a few pieces

Onion 1-2 medium

Chicken Carass & Scraps

1 TBSP Kosar salt

Seasoning (pepper, rosemary, ect)

4-5 Qts water

 

I just used salt & pepper for this batch. I will play around later with new herbs.

 

Brown veggies with some olive oil, add carass, water & seasoning. Bring to a boil & then turn down to a simmer for 4-5hrs. I did 5 today & it smells so good! Strain all solid stuff & you have chicken stock. I stuck mine in the freezer & will thaw to use.

 

Super easy & a new homemade in our house!