Shadow & Curve

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You can do anything you set your mind to, man" Eminem, Lose Yourself

If you gotta run, gotta lift, gotta crunch, are you doing in a spot that is truly deserving of such an feat?  Are you surrounding yourself with the motivation to kick those crunches to the curb or are you just laying down in the middle of your living room, pushing aside the morning paper and the toys that the kids didn't put away the night before?  Are you running around the neighborhood, dodging trashcans and errant dogs?

These places do serve a purpose; don't get me wrong.  Everyone needs to start somewhere, and boy do I know that something is better than nothing.  But when do you go to your sweet spot, the one place where you know that motivation runs high and finishing brings such sweet satisfaction?

I recently discovered my sweet spot. At work, no less! Here I can have a Top Gun moment (in running shoes rather than a motorcycle, mind) while I listen to tunes that keep me going.  There's nothing like it.

Can you run on a wooded trail? (Keep it safe and run with a friend!)  Along a riverfront?  How about practicing yoga in a garden, surrounded by the smells of beautiful flowers?  Find a sweet spot worthy of your activity, even if you can only go there once or twice a month.  Make it a ritual!

This is a scary trend:  young girls with diabetes purposely skipping out on their insulin in order to lose weight.  Parents, keep an eye on your kids and COMMUNICATE healthy living!

"I wonder if I take you home, would you still be in love, baby" Black Eyed Peas, Don't Phunk With My Heart

When all of these different companies started coming out with 100 calorie packets of cookies, chips and crackers I was among the first to laden my shopping cart with them, eager to indulge in the sweets that I loved. At last! Guilt-free snacking!

But after countless dollars have been spent and a little more common sense learned, I'm putting my foot down.

It's not these 100 calorie packets that either help or hinder us. It's our own sense of willpower. What's the sense of tossing a few 100 calorie packets into your lunch bag if all you are going to do is end up eating 300 empty calories anyway? Want a better snack? Grab some baby carrots. Or celery sticks and a couple of tablespoons of reduced sodium peanut butter (hello, protein!).

Open that 100 calorie bag and take a good look. How much food is really there? Just enough to leave you wanting more. And more. Call it a little tease. For those of you who have iron clad willpower: I salute you. But the rest of us mere mortals need a little extra help so we don't dive into another packet of cookies. And then another.

Kick these 100 calorie packets to the curb. Nibble on fruit, nuts, granola (the healthy kind, not the "laden with sugar" kind), or fresh veggies...these types of foods not only have the ability to give you a boost over your mid-day slump but they are loaded with fiber to keep you feeling fuller, longer.

See if you can't schedule your snacking: late morning and mid-day, and down to the hour if necessary. Knowing when you are going to get something to snack on may alleviate a sense of panic that can be brought on by new-found structure. I used to freak out if I didn't think I brought enough food to work with me. Now I allow myself two snacks and I space them out so I'm less inclined to hit the dreaded vending machine.

Edamame, anyone?

On Mother's Day I, along with two other amazing women, will be participating in the Y-Me National Breast Cancer Organization's 3-mile walk in Chicago.
It's an honor for me to participate in this event, and it comes at a time when I've learned that a former co-worker has been recently diagnosed with breast cancer. I'm doing this walk for her as well as the other women (and their families) that I know who have been affected by this terrible disease.
If you would like to support my efforts, please consider making a donation--and no amount is too small (or too big! *wink wink*).
And if I could ask one more teensy favor...please give the women in your life a great big hug. Don't ever wait to show someone that you care.
My thanks,
Elizabeth