Minor Setbacks

Well, ladies, I'm afraid my activity points are going to be sorely lacking for this week as I've been sick for the last 3 days. The good news, I'm injesting nothing but water and will most likely contribute weight loss points! Always a silver lining :)

I am glad to have noticed I miss getting out and being active each day. I am really enjoying this challenge and am excited to see it is becoming a life style that will stick around once the challenge is over.

I apologize that you, my teammates, are taking a hit because I am not able to be there for any extra activities. You miss out on bonus points from lunch-and-learns and community runs because I cannot participate. However, it will make it that much more impressive when we win this thing by overcoming the additional challenge of a remote team member!! Woot, go DD's!!

Hope you all are doing well, enjoying hearing your updates!

Good Morning Ladies

Yesterday lunch and learn was fantastic. I think my biggest takeaway is to take every chance you get to get a little movement in during the day.

I have two new favorite snacks I wanted to share with you all.

In place of chips: chopped up peppers and humus... YUM

also... pistachios are amazing

Have a great day.

Heather

Lunch and Learn

I think the tip that I picked up from the lunch and learn today was put food that I buy from the grocery store in little snack bags for easy grab snacks. Also, to use smaller plates and to split meals or ask them to box up half of it. I have a bad habit of finishing my plate even though I am full. I am trying to drink more water, but still need to improve. Thanks for the blog, Tricia. The scale isn't budging yet, but it feels like my clothes are not as tight, so I'm going with that. Hang in there ladies and forge on!

Water Water Water

So we've all agreed to drink more water. We've heard it helps with weight loss and overall health. But I got curious to exactly why. Being always slightly skeptical, I thought I'd read a few articles about water and weight loss. Here's what I found:

• Studies show that people who drank 16oz of water 20-30 minutes before each meal lost weight more quickly and more significantly than those who did not. Why? Water helps fill you up. The study also showed that those who drank water before meals ate an average of 75 fewer calories per meal (115-225 fewer calories per day!)
• The body processes hunger and thirst similarly so often times you may feel hungry when you are just thirsty. In this way, staying hydrated acts as a natural appetite suppressant.
• Being deyhdrated lowers your metabolism, which means you burn calories less efficiently and therefore lose less weight. Why? When your kidneys aren't properly hydrated, they don't work to capacity and the extra load gets dumped on your liver. Your liver metabolizes fat so when it is spending it's time helping the kidneys, it metabolizes less fat.
• How much water should you drink? A good benchmark is to try to drink half your weight in ounces of water each day. If you way 150 pounds, you should aim to drink about 75 ounces of water per day. If you work out, that number should be increased in order to replenish fluids lost during your workout.

Water can get a little boring, so here are some tips I found to make it better:

• Have a big glass of water at every transitional point in the day (when you first wake up, before each meal, before going to bed)
• Make it convenient, keep a water bottle on your desk all day and fill it up when it's empty!
• When you have a junk food craving, drink a big glass of water immediately. This will up your water intake and may also give the craving time to pass.
• Don't allow yourself to drink a diet soda until you've had two to four glasses of water. You'll find that you may not want soda anymore or that just half a can is enough.
• Put slices of fruit in your water (citrus works well because it doesn't break down quickly). This adds a hint of flavor to "spice up" your water!

Happy Drinking!

Push Through

Week 2!! This is perhaps the most challenging point of our stint, the newness has worn off and the initial excitement has passed. Our habits have not yet been established and it is easy to loose focus especially when it's below freezing outside!

Stay strong! Keep pushing through and it will get easier. Let's keep things interesting, find new things to try like checking out a rock-climbing session at your gym, change up your walking route to include new locations or attend one of the lunch-and-learn sessions that Brantley has set up for us. I know a couple of you have set goals, such as an upcoming half-marathon which is so awesome! My goal is to wear my 2-piece when I move back this summer :)

Keep sharing your ideas, recipes and struggles. Let's continue to encourage and support one another - I'm loving getting new ideas from you guys so far! You guys are rockin! Let's show everyone that team Double D's isn't a team to mess with!

Exercise TV

I discovered Exercise TV this weekend. We have Comcast Cable and they have tons of exercise videos that you can follow. I did a Pilates one yesterday and feel it in my abs today. I don't think we'll be able to do any walks today or tomorrow until the snow clears and it warms up. We'll see how brave we are. Hope everyone is doing well.

Tasty Chicken and Rice with Flavor!

Looking for a way to fix some healthy protein? The biggest struggle with lean chicken is keeping it moist and flavorful to the plate, a little care (and some foil) can help that!

The chicken:
Lean, boneless skinless breasts are the hardest. If you go with the skin on through cooking it helps keep moisture in, just remove before serving to take away the extra fat. A couple solid wacks with a meat tenderizer mallet won't hurt, but not entirely needed.
In a large tupperware, mix 2 parts parsley, 1 part sage, 2 parts rosemary and 1 part thyme. Mix together in enough light olive oil to take beyond a paste. Add lemon juice to nearly cover the chicken when added. (For a slightly different flavor, replace about half the lemon juice with orange juice!)
If you have a grill, you can grill these wrapped in heavy duty foil. I do not have a grill, so I stick with an oven heated to 375. Take the chicken to a safe 160 degrees, I open the foil in the last 5 min to allow the chicken to brown a little.

The rice:
Rice is boring. But, it's got possibilities! Here's just one way to add a little extra to your grain.
Heat a small pot or skillet on high, add your rice and about a quarter cup pine nuts. Keep it moving as though saute-ing, be cautious of burning, you just want them to get a nice nutty brown. Instead of water, add the appropriate amount of boiling hot light/low sodium chicken broth to the pot and cover to cook the rice.

I like to serve these elements with broccoli or another green veggie of choice to make a complete meal. And of course a glass of a favorite white wine never hurts either!

Just a couple options to keep flavor on the table while trying to eat healthy, hope you enjoy!

Physical fitness is not only one of the most important keys to a healthy body, it is the basis of dynamic and creative intellectual activity ~

Hope everyone is doing great on the fitness challenge. I saw Lisa at the gym this morning =).

So far I have clocked in a total of two hours and fifteen minutes.

A Light Pasta Recipe

Fettuccine with Salmon and Tomatoes

3/4 lb skinless salmon fillet, sliced crosswise 1/4 in thick
1/4 c extra virgin olive oil
3 T unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
1 lb plum tomatoes, halved, seeded and diced
1/4 c chopped dill
3/4 c chopped parsley
1 lb fettuccine
salt and pepper

Cut salmon into 1/2-in wide strips. In large bowl combine salmon, oil, butter, tomatoes and herbs. Season with salt and pepper. Cook fettuccine to al dente, drain and reserve 1/4 c cooking water. Transfer pasta into bowl with salmon and toss until the butter melts and the salmon is warmed through, adding pasta water 1 T at a time until a light sauce forms. Season with salt and pepper.
Since the salmon is so thinly sliced, it will actually cook as you toss it with the hot pasta. Since raw fish weirds me out, I grill the salmon in lemon juice and olive oil and add it to the dish just before serving, reducing the amount of olive oil I toss with the tomatoes and herbs. I don't have nutrient information for this recipe, but it's light and filling.

Enjoy!

Here We Go!

I've found it's so difficult for me to just start up a whole new "regime" all of the sudden, so I started building a foundation the last couple weeks to establish a new way of thinking and some good habits. It's rainy season here in Cali and wet, muddy grounds mean the local parks are closed. At first this was detrimental as the dog park is our dog's only outlet for his extreme amounts of energy. Turns out it's a blessing, as this now forced me to find another way to wear him out. The streets are not fit for taking a walk, however there is a great "open space" park on the outside of town which includes 175 acres of hilly open land where we can run around. Even when we walk I break a sweat and a couple hours pass so quickly. And with it only getting lighter longer in the evenings, we can stay out there even longer as the year goes on. It's gonna be good!

Day One

Tricia, Thanks for setting this up. I am just getting over a nasty cold so wasn't sure how I would start this off. I'm happy to say that I did drag my butt out of my warm, toasty bed and made it to spin class this morning. I'm also starting my new eating program. I'm going to try and stick to fruit for breakfast, one protein, one vegetable and one fruit for lunch and dinner. I'd also like to add an activity at night such as: extra sit ups, leg lifts, push-ups, a quick walk with the dog, or heading to the gym again. How is everyone else doing so far?

Day One, Time for Fun

Today marks the beginning of our Fitness Challenge and we're off to a great start! I've revised my workout schedule to include running 3-4 days a week and cross-training 2 days a week. Half-marathon in May, here I come!!!!!! I'm hoping for a mild winter so I can get some outdoor long runs in because more than 4 miles on a treadmill is just not fun.

Go Team Double Ds!