DAY 18

I pinched a nerve in my back last night while exercising. It didn’t feel good at all. I wasn’t able to do my jumping jacks last night. It seems to be gone this morning, thank goodness. I am back in the saddle again.

I have found a couple really good tips that I would like to share.

TIP# 1- Have all your meals in a designated place without distractions (i.e., not in front of the TV). That way your eating episode has a beginning and an end. Eat slowly; stopping to put your fork down between bites, feeling yourself becoming fuller. Making an effort to be mindful no matter what you’re eating can help break the tendency to binge, experts say.

TIP #2- Find healthy outlets for emotions. Turning to food to “numb out” emotions like anxiety works temporarily, but after the food is gone the stressful stimulus still remains—along with a hefty dose of guilt. Find ways to experience negative emotions with a response other than eating. Try deep breathing or meditation, calling a friend or going for a brisk walk. “The more you practice these alternative behaviors, the more automatic they become,” notes Ramirez. Eventually, reaching for a bag of chips can stop being the default reaction to stress.

Thank you to eatingwell.com for those tips

Day 17

What is the determining factor to convince someone to start living a healthier lifestyle? Are we that lazy that it takes something on our body to stop working before we decide it might be a good idea? I can speak from experience when I say, sometimes that doesn’t even help. Why are we so hard headed about it? It does take more work. It does take more time. Trust me when I say, your body & health are worth it. Don’t take for granted what you have right now. Today is the first day of the rest of your life.

Haven’t you ever heard the saying “You only have one body so take care of it.”? Don’t look back 2 years from now realizing you are 30 lbs heavier than you were two years ago. Do you know how long it takes to sweat off 30 lbs? It takes a long time. Get off you bootie and do something about it now!

P.S. - I got this advice from a really good friend. I thought I would pass it along because it seemed to work with me.

DAY 16

Well, I started doing my jumping jacks last night. It definitely got my heart rate up. I am pretty sure it kept me awake for awhile too.  I will continue to do them regardless. One of my co-workers suggested doing 5 sit-ups for each commercial when watching TV. I figure there are 5-6 commercials between shows. If you just started doing 25-30 sit ups during commercial breaks, you would look great in no time. I am not sure I am ready to take on that challenge. We can revisit that at a later date. If anyone else decides to do this let me know how it works.

I am very excited that you have decided to take interest in my blog. I think there is something to say for blogging. It has given me a sense of responsibility for my actions. Check out the link below. It is an article about 8 people who lost a lot of weight with the help of blogging.

http://health.yahoo.net/articles/weight-loss/8-amazing-blogger-weight-loss-transformations