A Challenge for my friends...

Hi, everyone! Remember back in December when I challenged you to finish 2011 strong?? Well I have a new challenge for "Funuary"......

I joined some of the WW online community challenges, and let me tell you, they are awesome! Totally helping me meet goals. I guess having to check in is really motivating! Also goes to show that there are always new challenges to good health.

So this particular challenge I joined is to run/walk 50 miles in February. Yikes bikes, I'm nervous, but I need to get on my (half) marathon training anyway, so I think it is attainable.

So, my question to you is this: What goal would you like to reach in Funuary? What can we leap for joy about on February 29? (ok, that one was too corny)....

Comment me or hit me up on some other social media! I'd love to know what you are working toward. Now you know mine, so I guess I need to actually do it, huh? :)

(these are the pumped up kicks bout to take me there...)

Beating Winter Blues

Hello, friends!

Before I even knew it, another week has come and gone, and in a matter of days, January will have gone as well. Time is certainly flying.

I don't know about you, but I get the blues this time of year. I don't know what it is about the cold, the grey, and maybe the post holiday slump (?) that makes me feel both lethargic and melancholy; this is a bad combination! I'm not depressed, just feeling a little like I have the blues.

Here are some suggestions I have for beating the blues. I have already started them, and it seems to be helping!

• Eat lots of fruits. I like to eat oranges and imagine I'm on a tropical vacation. Something about fresh fruit makes you feel like you are eating the sun. Weird, I know. But don't tell me you didn't smile when you read that.
• Try a new exercise class. I started going to yoga at Ombodies here in Mount Pleasant with my good friend Shelly. It's a really great studio (especially for varying skill levels). Heather (the teacher) is very patient, which is wonderful because although I imagine myself looking like Hilary Swank in the Karate Kid III while I do these poses, I'm pretty certain I actually look like the love child of Gumby and the Incredible Hulk. In spite of this, it makes me feel good to try something different. Quite a refreshing break from my normal running routine.
• Spend time in prayer and the Bible. I am absolutely guilty of putting my quiet time on the back burner when things get busy-- horrible excuse! However, I noticed I was feeling edgy, impatient, and sad. Taking time to connect with the Lord really has helped me feel better, and more peaceful. After all Philippians 4:6-7 says, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. (7) And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
• Call your close friend. Most of us have at least one friend we have had for a long time and can count on through thick and thin. If we are extremely blessed, we have more than one. I am blessed and humbled by my friends that have become more like family. Sometimes, I need to stop the hustle and bustle of daily life and connect with my friends. I just spoke with two of my closest (a married couple) on the phone last night. It's amazing how friends that feel like family can lift your spirit with just a phone call, even when they are all the way across the country!

These are a few of my tips for beating the winter blues! While these things all help, it seems the best thing to do is wait it out. I'm also resolved to make this month extra special. I shall change the name from "February" to "Funuary" and attempt to have lots of fun both at work and play. We shall see, I suppose!

Stay warm and keep your chin up!

Sarah

p.s. below is a pic from the ice sculpting festival in Frankenmuth last weekend! It was totally neat!

I care about you too much...

Hello, everyone,

I hope you have had a pleasant week. I've been feeling under the weather, so I have been sleeping most of the time I have not been at work, hence the delay in this week's post. This week I want to share one of my tips for beating cravings. You see, quite awhile back, I heard something from my Weight Watchers pals from back in Muncie...

If you are craving something to the point you would go off plan to eat it, take a second and say to yourself, "I care about you too much to let you have that."

Think about that for a minute. Making good choices is a way of showing yourself that you care. Give yourself the gift of good health.

This probably means before I take a spoon to the peanut butter jar (and now you know my dirty secret), I will say to myself, "Sarah, I care about you too much to let you have that."

You'll be surprised how much you don't want that after all.

Kitchen vs. Gym

So, where do you "build" a good and healthy body? Can you work out like crazy to erase poor eating choices?

You probably could. If you had all day to do nothing else.

The point: a healthy body is 70% kitchen and 30% gym! The goa

l is to be healthy! If you build muscle but you eat terribly, you are opening yourself up to a world of trouble! So keep your focus on nutrition first and foremost! Exercise is very important, but it won't do it by itself!

And if you lack some motivation, check out my pic below from when I played with the intramural flag football team this fall. Now that is pure intimidation. So picture me saying, "Get in that kitchen and make some vegetables!!!!!!"

Intimidated??? Good.

Now have an excellent and nutritious week!!!!

A New Year!!!

Happy New Year, my friends!!!

I don't know about you, but the new year makes me feel fantastic and excited to see what God has in store for me and for my loved ones in the coming year!

That having been said, how did you all navigate the holidays??? You heard my tale of whoa and my holiday eating hangover, but I am happy to say that after Christmas, I was able to stop the madness and get on track again! It's amazing how much tracking (writing down or in some way recording) what I was eating really helps me keep it under control!

I use the eTools app by Weight Watchers (and I absolutely recommend it to everyone!!) But don't feel like you HAVE to be computer savvy to track your progress! Just keeping tabs on what you are eating can really help!

I can't help but think of my New Year's Resolution in 2010: to lose weight. I joined Weight Watchers, and 80 lbs. later, the rest is history!

What is your new year's resolution? What would you like to see happen in 2012?

God bless you all in this coming year.