Some little tips for a healthy day

If any of you are like me, I tend to look for any kind of healthy weight loss tips that I could easily implement into my day to day routine. I fine that if I try small things I get way better results! Through some reading I did the other day, I found that many different cultures had various ways of cutting the calories and chopping the pounds. I wanted to share some with you guys. Some I think I will try and put to use myself. This info below I got from the Best Health Magazine, May 2010.

Germany - Eat breakfast. We've all heard it before. Eating breakfast in the morning gives you a great start to the day. It will give you the boost you need and that extra oomph of energy.

India - Do more yoga. Although I am not into yoga it would be something that I can see myself doing once I was at a more comfortableweight. It has been said that people who do yoga on a regular basis have a lower BMI.

Thailand - Eat spicy food. Hot peppers raise your metabolism but also, it's been documented that spicy food makes you eat slower, therefore taking your time with your meal and allowing you to know sooner when you're full. So, make sure you add a few dabs of hot sauce to your meals.....nothing wrong with that!

South Africa - Drink rooibos tea. Drinking this naturally sweet tea instead of your specialty coffee could save you thousands of calories a month.

Mexico - Eat a big lunch. If you try to get in the big meal of your day at lunch and eat a smaller dinner, you'll wake up hungry and therefore eat breakfast and so on and so forth. Having a smaller dinner cuts the calorie intake and you aren't eating alot before bedtime.

Hungary - Eat more pickles. The vinegar in the brin is said to have an affect of lowering your blood pressure, blood sugar levels and fat formation. Although be careful as this food can be high in sodium. I wonder if the deep fried pickles I plan to eat on my vaca next week are included in this? Um, I kinda think not. *sad face*

Poland - Eat at home more often. When you eat out it is so much easier to eat unhealthy. Not being able to see what is going into your meal and how much. Limit your eating out as much as you can. This includes bringing your meals to works. I know it can be hard to always plan enough ahead of time to bring breakfast and lunch to the office, but giving it that extra 10 minutes to prepare will save you a load of money and also a load of empty calories!

Norway - Spend time outdoors. Getting out and walking can do wonders. Planning a routine to get out with yourself or family and friends and go for a good hearty walk will surely do the body good!

Japan - Take a nap. We all have said it on many an occasion. 'I'm going to have a nap when I get home' Most of us never do because once you get home there is always something that takes your attention away. It has been said that sleep deprivation can be tied to weight gain. So when you get home from work, take a little shut eye time for yourself. If anyone asks, just tell them you are trying to lose weight!

Hope these little tidbits helped! Thanks for tuning in again dudes!

Misty

xo

Just another Sunday

Happy Sunday all! Hope everyone is having a great weekend! I wanted to post a quick note here. I have had a rough week. I didn't gain but I didn't lose either. This just tells me that I need to eat better still and also sweat more. I started using one of my Biggest Loser workout DVDs and I think this will be the ticket. Yes walking on the beast is great for me, and I do get the heart rate going and work up a sweat but not enough, obviously. I'm still learning here. I'm still motivated and still know that I can reach my ultimate goals, I just need to re-adjust and re-plan my next moves. I'm down 19lbs in total and that is something to be proud of. I just have to keep up the pace and stay focused and motivated. Baby steps yes, but eventually my baby steps are going to need to turn into big girl steps.

I have been doing quite a bit of research online as well as looking for as many healthful tips as I can. Even though there are oodles of them out there and I of course won't use them all, even if I can obtain a few a week that I implement into my daily routine. thought I would share some of the tips with you.

Healing Hands

I am a crafty person. I find that if I am keeping busy doing a craft like scrap booking, it keeps my hands busy with a non-food activity.

Sweet Treats

Smoothies are my new post-workout reward. I either make a protein smoothie that gives my a yummy chocolate kick or I make a low fat fruit smoothie with lots of fruit and non-fat yogurt.

Gourmet Flavour

Instead of mindlessly eating a candy bar or a heaping bowl of ice cream, it's all about portions. I've figured out that I really don;t need the entire bowl of ice cream. I really only crave the taste so a few bites really do get me through. For Chocolate, I break off one or two pieces of dark chocolate, eating one piece at a time, letting it melt on my tongue. By the time I'm done, my craving has gone away. For ice cream, I just found the best thing at the grocery store.

These little Skinny Cow ice creams are only 150 calories and there were a few different flavours to choose from!! YAY!!!

Well, that's it for today. Tune in tomorrow. I am starting a Meatless Monday post. So if you are into trying a vegetarian lifestyle for the day, I will have some fabulous recipes that anyone can make that are so tasty and animal friendly.

Talk care kiddies,

Misty xo

I'm the $@*!

This morning, while on my way to get a coffee from the Timothy's at my office building, a feeling came over me that was a bit familiar, although it had been so long since I felt it, I wasn't quite sure what it was at first.
I finally realized what it was when a few random people walked past me and I didn't get my normal nervous fear of someone seeing me. Although the feeling only lasted for a brief few minutes, there it was! I was walking with my manager and I said 'You know I feel different today. Not like I have an attitude, but its something else. I feel like.... I'm the shit'.
I was actually walking with some confidence and it felt wonderful! For those few brief moments I felt deserving....and looked good enough to where if I was told a hot brother was checkin' me out I would actually believe it. Over the last few years if I ever heard 'Oh look, he's checkin' you' I would have an extremely difficult time believing that. (Maybe I was even walking with a strut. For those of you who know me personally, you know that I absolutely do not have a strut. I fear that I come across as looking as though I'm constipated. Fingers crossed the hot strut comes soon! LOL)
Like I said, it only lasted a few minutes but it put me in such a great mood today!
I know that I am doing something right. I know that my mind is changing, my way of thinking is changing. I think that is such a huge part of the battle right there. When you can alter your thinking and accept that nothing is just straight black and white, you are doing great! You are going in the right direction!
Black and white thinking is very hard for me to let go of. It's just the way my brain automatically is geared towards. I am feeling very optimistic that I am still on the right track and my journey to my new life has fully commenced!
So...YAY ME!!

I wanted to give you guys a few healthy tips that I find helpful. Remember, I am doing this in baby steps for the time being. Once I learn more and am more mobile, I plan on kicking this into high gear! After all, I have a 5k run to train for.

*Track what you eat. Everything. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks....Everything. There are so many apps for your cell phones that you can download for free that provide you food trackers. I use Spark People because they have an app for BlackBerry users. I know a lot of people who have iPhone's use Lost It! I was tracking for a few weeks straight and was doing so well, but began to get lazy with it. I started it back up today and writing down everything I put into my mouth!!

*Don't eat after 7pm. For me, since I try to be in bed between before 11pm I do my best to make sure I don't eat anything after 7 o'clock. If I am starving then I will limit myself to a piece of fruit.

*Fill your fridge with fresh fruits and vegetables. This is something that I still struggle with but when I am able to do it, it does wonders for the entire week of eating. On the Sunday before the work week begins, cut up all your fresh fruits and veggies and pop them in the fridge. Make individual baggies of them so you can just grab and go. The more easy you can make eating healthy the better. How many times have we all said, I just don;t have time to eat a healthy meal or have time to cut up snacks for work in the morning. If you can set aside 30 minutes on a Sunday, you can eliminate all of the excuses for the rest of the week.

*Freeze some grapes. Sweets are a major downfall for me. I have found an awesome snack that gives me my sweet fix. It's as simple and washing a handful of grapes, putting them in a baggie and popping them in the freezer. Once they are frozen, they are the best yummy snack. Love them!!

*Make changes gradually. Set small achievable goals. We all want huge results fast. But that just doesn't happen for most people. If you are like me, setting small goals that are in reach you will get better results. I have gone gung ho and many things, and after a week or two it fizzles out. I would much rather take my time and see continuous results. It is so much more rewarding!!

I hope you find these helpful and useful and by all means, if you have any tips that you would like to share, please please do!!

I have asked a friend of mine who does quite a bit of healthy vegan cooking to give me some of her recipes. I will share those when I can.

Thanks for tuning in lovelies!! Until next time...

Misty
xo