Fit Friday - Finding Your Motivation

Welcome to Fit Friday.  Last week we covered some basic good health guidelines and now we need to talk about one more piece to the puzzle - MOTIVATION.  The definition of motivation is to give reason, incentive, enthusiasm, or interest that causes a specific action or certain behavior.

I've been thinking lately about my inspiration and motivation to get in shape and lead a healthier lifestyle.  Most recently it is to feel better physically.  I've had alot of problems with my knees during the last year and exercise hasn't always been easy or I haven't been able to exercise at all.  Another motivator is to look better in my clothes - I tend to carry extra weight around my middle (now I know why it's called a spare tire).  Another motivator is that I just feel better. 

There are all kinds of things that can motivate you to stay focused and reach your goals.  The key is to find what works for you even if it changes from time to time.  I've always heard that keeping a journal or food diary is very helpful.  Exercising with a family member, friend, or co-worker is also another great way to stay motivated and encouraged.  These are some of my top motivators:

*  Pictures from when I was at my goal weight.
*  Finding some good recipes to try.  Healthy Appetite with Ellie Krieger has some good recipes to try.
*  Talking to friends about our exercise routines.  I need some variety in my routine or else I get very bored!  Check out Collage Video if you are looking for something new.
*  A kind word from my husband or my boys.  Encouraging words can be so uplifting, especially when they come from someone special :)
*  Reading other people's stories of success and failure.  There is so much to be learned from others! I like watching The Biggest Loser, reading Prevention, Shape Magazine, and Weight Watchers.   I also saw a blurb about DHC National Body Challenge - check it out here.
*  Sometimes it's nice to have an exercise buddy.  Last summer I would ride with Roxana and it made the miles not seem so long.  Can't wait to hit the road again this summer.
*  Seeing results of my hard work!

So, take some time to figure out what your motivation is.  Find a picture, a quote, a favorite outfit - search the net for one article or story that will stick with you, something that will keep you focused on reaching your goal. 

Yes, in our dream world, we would all be thin like one of those Hollywood starlettes, but it's not all about being thin - it's all about your health.

I'm ready for a heat wave

We have had some really cold days here and now the weatherman is forecasting more snow tonight through Friday morning.  I know we don't have the snow that people to the east of us have, but for me personally, I'm tired of the snow and being so cold.  On a more positive note, I think this has been one of the warmest mornings lately - a high of 13 degrees.  Well, tonight we'll be having 16 bean soup and rolls for dinner and that should warm us up even more.  Carl and Kyle even put a heat lamp out in the dog house for Snickers and Harley.  I can tell it's a cold day when Harley doesn't come out of the dog house when the sun comes up. 

The boys went back to school yesterday and somehow they managed to make the bus.  I was a happy mom!!  Now we are back in the regular schedule of homework, basketball practices and games and I have to admit that I'm looking forward to it. 

I've been working on painting furniture this week and I'm really happy with the sewing machine drawer, but I'm not so sure about the old window that I painted.  To see the before picture of the sewing machine drawer, click here.  I started by painting the drawer black - 2 coats inside and out.

Then I painted it a golden yellow - 2 coats inside and out.  After the paint was completely dry, I took a palm sander and lightly sanded the outside and as much of the inside that I could get to.

Then I put some Minwax Golden Oak stain on and  let it dry for a couple of hours.

Here it is on my counter complete with some old canning jars.

Instead of working on the red cabinet that I talked about last week, I decided to work on this old window that I've had hanging in my house for a couple of years.  I love how big it is, but it needs something.....

My plan was to do something to this that would be similar to the sewing machine drawer.  I'm kind of a matchy-matchy person when it comes to decorating, and in my front hall I have a black bench thingy and the red cabinet.  That goes right into my kitchen which is decorated in black, golden yellow, and red (preferrably barn red).  I was going to leave it black, sand it and then put stain over it - not sure I like it.  What do you think - stain is on the top and partially down the right side.

Since I didn't put stain over the entire window, I put some red and brown paint on one side to see how it would look.  Not sure I like that either.

Any ideas?  I really don't want to do the golden yellow and was hoping that the black by iteself would look right.   Maybe I need darker stain. 

Here are the products that I used.

 

I'm also painting the frame to a picture that hangs in our  bathroom.  I started this and forgot to take the shiny off the frame and had to start all over - my goal is to have it finished this weekend and get the bathroom back in order.

For inspiration and instructions on how to start your own refinishing projects, check out A Primitive Place blog.  So many ideas, so little time...  I'm going to Leslie's blog to check out what everyone else is working on for Watcha Working on Wednesday.

Stay warm, be productive, and have a great week! 

Menu Plan Monday and Goodwill finds

Ok, I have to confess.......I'm on a Goodwill kick.  I'm addicted and my husband is not happy because I keep bringing more stuff home.  But....I am slowly clearing out items at home to replace what I bought from Goodwill :)  Here are my purchases - more Pyrex and a bookshelf that I want to paint and put upstairs for the boys - the picture of the bookshelf didn't turn out good no matter where I took the picture, but I'm sure you get the idea.

      

I've found another blog courtesy of Colleen and it's called I'm An Organizing Junkie and she does Menu Plan Monday.  My husband has decided that our family motto for 2010 is "Be Responsible" and this sounds like something that will help me to be responsible with my organizing and making better meals for my family.  Here is our menu for this week and I hope that you will check out Menu Plan Monday!

Monday:  Sausage and Vegetable Skillet, pasta

Tuesday:  Red Beans and Rice with Smoked Sausage, white rice, fruit

Wednesday:  16 Bean Soup with Ham (recipe from the bag of dried beans), biscuits

Thursday:  Spaghetti, salad, and garlic bread

Friday:  Leftovers

Saturday:  Zatarain's Smothered Chicken and Rice

Have a great day everyone and see you tomorrow for Watcha Working on Wednesday with Leslie.

For Peggy and Kate plus my Goodwill finds

Oh Peggy, how I wish you were a blogger!  This blog I found is perfect for you.  And Kate, you might need to take a road trip.  This blog is called Artsy Fartsy Junk Finds and they have soooo much cool stuff.  I think I'm even addicted.  Their header description reads:  to all of us junk girls, trash can divers, and roadside junk junkes!  And, check out this blog A Day In the life of a hillbilly. Scroll all the way down to her inspirational picture - it's soooo cute! 

We went to Indianapolis yesterday and I hit one of the Goodwill stores over there and found these 2 little gems.  I don't remember what these bowls are called, but I saw different versions of them this summer at garage sales and they were a bit pricey for me.  I paid $1.99 for this one - it needs to be cleaned up, but it's a keeper.  Sorry the picture isn't very good, I was using my phone and in a hurry.  The sign is perfect and I paid $4.99 for it. 

    

Well folks, it's time to exercise, take down my Christmas decorations, and work on my furniture refinishing projects.  Have a great weekend and stay warm.

Fit Friday

Good morning and welcome to the first Fit Friday!  Since it's January 1st, I'm wondering how many people made resolutions to lose weight, get in shape, start exercising, blah, blah, blah.  Well, lets work on it together this year.  Did you know that it takes 21 days to make/start/create a habit and most people that make resolutions to start exercising, etc., stop by or before January 21? 

Today I wanted to share a few good health guidelines with you taken from Weight Watchers:

1.  Eat at least 5 servings of fruit and vegetables each day.  A serving is 1/2 cup except for leafy greens which are 1 cup per serving.  Fruits and veggies are full of fiber, water, vitamins, and minerals.  They add bulk to your meals and help you feel fuller for longer.

2.  Choose whole-grain foods whenever possible.  Try to make at least half of the grains you eat whole grains (wheat, oat, or multigrain bread instead of white bread, brown rice instead of white rice, whole wheat pasta instead of white pasta.  Ok that pasta trade-off is going to be a bit difficult for me.

3.  Include 2 servings of milk products each day.  Calcium helps strengthen bones and may protect against colon cancer and high blood pressure.  Milk products also supply your body with protein, zinc, riboflavin, vitamin D, and calcium.  If you are not able to include 2 servings each day, consider taking a calcium suupplement.  Also keep in mind thatt foods fortified with calcium don't contain the same nutrients as milk.

4.  Drink at least 6 glasses of water each day.  Water is essential for almost every one of your body's chemical processes. 

5.  Have some healthy oil each day.  Try eating more fish, nuts, and seeds.  Make sure you get two teaspoons of olive, canola, safflower, sunflower, or flaxseed oil each day so your body get the vitamin E and essential fatty acids it needs.

6.  Make sure you get enough protein.  You'll feel more satisifed if you get enough protein (a serving or two) each day.  Besides lean meat, protein is found in soy, beans, peas, lentils, milk, and eggs.

7.  Limit added sugar and alcohol.  Alcohol and sugary foods contain empty calories that don't keep you full for long.

8.  Take a multi vitamin-mineral supplement each day.  There are so many supplements on the market right now, so choose one that provides no more than 100 % of the Daily Value (%DV), Recommended Nutrient Intake (RNI), or Dietary Reference Intake (DRI).

Here are two of my favorite videos that I would like to share with you.   The first one is Leslie Sansone Walk Away The Pounds for Abs.  I know it's an oldie, but I really like this video.  Leslie talks alot, but her voice is encouraging and she doesn't hoot and hollar - that drives me crazy when I'm trying to exercise.  The ab belt may look like it doesn't work, but my arms get a really good workout especially when I do the 2 or 3 mile walk.  I do have to say that I have purchased some of her other videos and I like the older videos better.

The second video is Cathe Friedrich Stretch Max.  She is serious about her workouts!  This video has 3 different programs on it:  band-based stretching which is my favorite, stability ball stretching, and non-equipment stretching.  She is no-nonsense in her approach and I know I'm getting a good stretch in when her DVD starts playing.

A great website to go to if you are wanting to buying an exercise DVD is Collage Video.  This site has hundreds of DVDs and you can watch a 60 second clip of each video plus read reviews.  They have a good discussion forum on their site also.

Well, this is all I have for today folks.  Good luck on your fitness quest and I hope you have enjoyed what I have shared with you today.  Happy 2010 and let's get healthy together.