Exercise Bands...

I love using exercise bands! I started using them when I purchased the Slim In 6 DVD set last year. The thing I like best about it is that you don't really feel like you're getting a work out! lol! You should use strength training every other day with a good cardio workout on the opposite days.

I found a great workout guide over at Prevention.com called We Found It! The Fastest Way To Sculpt. This is what I want! I have 6 weeks to get back in shape for our trip to Florida with the marching band. We leave Feb. 12th and I started working out again on January 1st... So I have exactly 6 weeks!

I started with the gazelle and elliptical machine in the evenings and I'm doing Slim in 6 and the bands in the morning while the girls are getting ready for school. My goal is to be back to where I was last summer so that I look pretty good in my bathing suit. I'm at the 'kind of sore' stage right now after 4 straight days of exercise! lol! But I am bound and determined to lose the weight I gained since Halloween.

31 Ways to Motivate Yourself to Exercise

Here is a great article that I found over at ZenHabits.

How do you find motivation to exercise when you just don’t feel like getting off your butt? I ask myself this question every now and then, and I have the feeling I’m not the only one.

A few weeks ago, I wrote 4 Simple Steps to Start the Exercise Habit … and the fourth and final step was to add motivation as needed until the habit sticks. This post is to help you with that fourth step.

There are a million ways to motivate yourself to exercise, actually, but these are a few that have worked for me. And trust me, I’ve had days when I’ve struggled with exercise. Most recently, the things that have helped include finding a workout partner (one of the best motivators!), logging my exercise, reading magazines, books and websites, and rewarding myself.

1. How you feel after a workout. I always feel great after a good workout. It’s a high. And I let that motivate me the next time: “You know how good you’re going to feel, Leo!”
2. Time for you. While many people make time to take care of others (kids, spouse, other family, co-workers, boss), they don’t often make time to take care of themselves. Instead, make your “you” time a priority, and don’t miss that exercise appointment.
3. Calories burned. If you count calories (and it’s really one of the most effective ways to lose weight), you know that the more you exercise, the more calories you burn — and the bigger your calorie deficit.
4. Having fun. Exercise should be fun. If it isn’t, try a different kind of activity that you enjoy. As long as you’re moving, it’s good for you.
5. How you’re going to look. Imagine a slimmer, fitter you. Now let that visualization drive you.
6. Magazines. It motivates me to read fitness magazines. Not sure why, but it works.
7. Cover models. Sure, they’re genetically freaky, and probably Photoshopped to look perfect. But for some reason, looking at how good a cover model looks helps motivate me to work harder.
8. Blogs. I enjoy reading blogs about people who are into running, or losing weight. It can show the ups and downs they go through, and you can learn from their experiences.
9. Success stories. I find the success stories of others incredibly inspirational. If a fitness website has success stories, I’ll almost always read them.
10. Forums. Do the monthly challenge on the Zen Habits forums, or join another forum full of like-minded or like-goaled peopled. Check in daily. It really helps.
11. Rewards. If you exercise for a few days, give yourself a reward! A week? Another reward. Do it often in the beginning.
12. Fitting into new clothes. Wanna look good in a smaller size? Work out!
13. Being attractive. That’s always a good motivator, as I’m sure we all know. Edited to correct language.
14. Adrenaline rush. I get a rush when I exercise. Ride that rush to complete the workout.
15. Stress relief. Wound up after a long day at the office? Get out and work off that stress. It makes a world of difference.
16. Time for contemplation. I love, love the quiet time of exercise for thinking about things. Most of this post was written in my head as I exercised.
17. A workout partner. Best thing I’ve done.
18. An exercise class. Sign up for a class, perhaps with a friend, and you’ll be motivated to get there and work out.
19. A coach or trainer. Worth the money, just for the motivation.
20. An exercise log/graph. For some reason, writing it down is extremely important. Really. Do it for a week and you’ll see what I mean.
21. Your before picture. You often don’t realize how far you’ve come. Take pictures.
22. A 5K race or triathlon. Just sign up for one, and you’ll be motivated to train.
23. The dread of feeling “yuck” from not exercising. I hate how I feel after not exercising. So I remind myself of that when I feel tired.
24. Living long enough to see your grandkids … and play with them.
25. The scale. It’s not motivating to weigh yourself every day, as your weight fluctuates. But if you weigh yourself once a week, you’ll be motivated to have it keep going down, instead of up. Combine the scale with the measuring tape, and measure your waist.
26. Reaching a goal. Set a goal for weight, or your waist measurement, or a number of days to work out, or a number of miles to run this week. Setting and tracking a goal helps motivate you to complete that goal. Make it easily achievable.
27. Posting it on your blog. Tell people you’re going to lose weight or exercise daily, and report to them. You’ll make it happen.
28. Motivational quotes. I like to print them out or put them on my computer desktop.
29. Books. I just bought a strength-training book as a reward. It makes me want to hit the weights!
30. Others commenting on how good you look. When someone notices the changes in your body, it feels good. And it makes you want to work out more.
31. An upcoming day at the beach, or a reunion. Nuff said.

What are your motivations? Let us know in the comments.

Holiday Eating Tips

Okay, please remember, this is a JOKE! lol! But I just had to share!

I hate aspects of this time of year. Not for its crass commercialism
and forced frivolity, but because it's the season when the food
police come out with their wagging fingers and annual tips on how to
get through the holidays without gaining 10 pounds.

1. About those carrot sticks. Avoid them. Anyone who puts carrots on
a holiday buffet table knows nothing of the Christmas spirit. In fact
if you see carrots, leave immediately. Go next door, where they're
serving rum balls.

2. Drink as much eggnog as you can. And quickly. Like fine
single-malt scotch, it's rare. In fact, it's even rarer than
single-malt scotch. You can't find it any other time of year but now.
So drink up! Who cares that it has 10,000 calories in every sip? It's
not as if you're going to turn into an eggnogaholic or something.
It's a treat. Enjoy it. Have one for me. Have two. It's later then
you think. It's Christmas!

3. If something comes with gravy, use it. That's the whole point of
gravy. Gravy does not stand alone. Pour it on. Make a volcano out of
your mashed potatoes. Fill it with gravy. Eat the volcano. Repeat.

4. As for mashed potatoes, always ask if they're made with skim milk
or whole milk. If it's skim, pass. Why bother? It's like buying a
sports car with an automatic transmission.

5. Do not have a snack before going to a party in an effort to
control your eating. The whole point of going to a Christmas party is
to eat other peoples food for free. Lots of it. Hello? Remember college?

6. Under no circumstances should you exercise between now and New
Years, You can do that in January when you have nothing else to do.
This is the time for long naps, which you'll need after circling the
buffet table while carrying a 10-pound plate of food and that vat of eggnog.

7. If you come across something really good at a buffet table, like
frosted Christmas cookies in the shape and size of Santa. Position
yourself near them, and don't budge. Have as many as you can before
becoming the center of attention. They're like a beautiful pair of
shoes. You can't leave them behind. You're not going to see them again.

8. Same for pies. Apple. Pumpkin. Mincemeat. Have a slice of each.
Or, if you don't like mincemeat, have two apples and one pumpkin.
Always have three. When else do you get to have more than one
dessert? Labor Day?

9. Did someone mention fruitcake? Granted, it's loaded with the
mandatory celebratory calories, but avoid it at all cost. I mean have
some standards, mate.

10. And one final tip: If you don't feel terrible when you leave the
party or get up from the table, you haven't been paying attention.
Reread tips. Start over. But hurry! Cookieless January is just around
the corner.

Alternative exercise?

A couple weeks ago, Jillian went to the local Martial Arts Academy for a Girl Scout meeting where they would learn self defense in order to earn a badge. She loved it! They got to learn all kind of neat moves and all the girls wanted to sign up for classes!

That really isn't a bad idea. Whether you're a young girl, or an adult, there's a lot you can learn about self-defense from Martial Arts. However, you need to be careful about which programs you get into. Are you looking for self defense? or just goofing around?

I found a site online that offers Close Combat Training that you can learn through DVD's in the privacy of your home. They state that you can find out the truth about Martial Arts from their site. Many people mistakenly believe that women cannot effectively defend themselves. That is a myth that Captain Chris' Close Combat program would gladly like to bust.

Captain Chris is the world leader in Self Defense. You can read his story of why he developed this system on his website at www.CloseCombatTraining.com It's a very interesting story of how he thought he was extremely well trained, but after being attacked, he realized he wasn't trained as well as he thought and spent a lot of money to search for the "real" answer to martial arts and self defense.

Now it's available to the public. Check it out! It could save your life!

Tuscan Chicken Soup

Here's a great recipe from Prevention.com that I wanted to share.

A hearty, colorful stew like this one makes use of what's in your fridge and pantry to help you meet your daily quota for heart health: Harvard researchers found that people who consumed at least five servings of fruits and vegetables a day were 28% less likely to have had a heart attack or stroke than people eating fewer than 1.5 servings a day.

2 carrots, chopped (about 1 c)
1 rib celery, chopped (about 1/2 c)
2 Tbsp olive oil 1 med onion, chopped (about 1 c)
4 lg cloves garlic, minced (about 11/2 Tbsp)
1 lg bay leaf (or 2 sm)
8 c low-sodium chicken broth
3 c shredded roasted skinless chicken breast (1 lb)
3 plum tomatoes, diced
1/2 c grated zucchini (about 1 med)
1 can (15 oz) no-salt-added cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (14 oz) artichoke hearts in water, drained, rinsed, and roughly chopped
1 Tbsp chopped fresh oregano or 1/2 Tbsp dried
1 Tbsp finely chopped fresh sage or 1/2 Tbsp dried
1 Tbsp fresh thyme or 1/2 Tbsp dried
12 thin slices Parmesan cheese, cut with vegetable peeler (optional)

Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings: 6 (12 cups total)

1. PLACE carrots and celery in small micro-waveable bowl. Add 1/4 cup water and cover top of bowl loosely with plastic wrap. Microwave on high 5 minutes or until vegetables are almost tender.

2. HEAT oil in stockpot over medium heat. Add onion and sauté 5 to 7 minutes. Add garlic and saut? another 1 to 2 minutes. Add steamed vegetables and bay leaf. Sauté 4 to 5 minutes longer.

3. POUR in broth. Add chicken, tomatoes, zucchini, beans, and artichoke hearts. Simmer 30 minutes. Remove and discard bay leaf. Add oregano, sage, and thyme and simmer an additional 5 minutes. Top each bowl with 2 slices of cheese, if desired.

Nutritional Info Per Serving

218 cal, 22 g pro, 19 g carb, 5 g fiber, 6.5 g fat, 1.5 g sat fat, 35 mg chol, 503 mg sodium

The garlic in this broth may improve blood flow by widening arteries

Health Insurance....

With all of Becca's different illnesses and various doctors, we get statements from our insurance constantly. We are extremely lucky that my husband has a wonderful health care plan with his company, because otherwise, I don't know what we'd do.

I talk with people daily who don't have any type of insurance whatsoever! They just hope and pray that they don't get sick! With as many tests and procedures that Becca has had, we never would have been able to make it without the health insurance coverage.

So what do people do if they don't have health insurance? Maybe they are self employed or their employer doesn't offer it? Then most likely, they have to look into a private company to purchase health insurance.

I found a company called Advantage Medical Quotes which offers traditional healthcare options as well as group, self-employed and HMO and PPO plans. You start by entering your state and some basic information and they'll give you information on a plan that will work for you.

You pretty much can't live without some type of healthcare coverage, so if you are in need, check out Advantage. They should be able to help you out and give you some peace of mind.