Winners

Congrats to everyone that completed the challenge.  Even if you aren't one of the 'winners' you should still feel like a winner for completing the challenge.  It is not something that is easy and I'm proud of everyone!

In the end there were 7 participants with perfect points.  They were:

Jana Bishop

Heidi Reckling

Teresa Farmer

Jeremy Wootton

Kimberlee Palm

Danielle Wootton
Lindsey Durrant

The winners of the "random drawing" who got an average of at leaset 60 points each week were:

Jon Sudar

Debbie Reiber

Marla Hansen

Leslie Barnes

I've sent all the prize money out through Paypal.  If you haven't received it please let me know!

Thanks again guys!

Giveaway

Our giveaway this week is a Danksin Core Performer.  I love using resistance bands for a little extra workout.  It helps tighten and tone, enhance your flexibility and strengthen your core all in a few simple exercise.  Plus I love that they are small and easy to store when you are done.   

And our winner this week is...

Heidi Reckling!

Keep up the good work everyone.  Only a few days left!

Giveaway

      This week we have an awesome giveaway for you!   A water bottle full of Crystal Light packets.  I find it so much easier to get all my water in a day if I take a water bottle with me where ever I go.  And my husband is a huge fan of Crystal Light.  It helps change up the monotony of just drinking water.  Thanks to Debbie Reiber for donating this weeks giveaway!

And the winner is 

Jana Bishop!

Long work hours... stress... some of us have turned to food! When we experience stressful events or negative emotions such as anxiety, anger, emptiness and sadness food can bring us temporary comfort. They don't call it “comfort food” for nothing do they?!

When we expect something to bring us pleasure and/or relief from distress, that expectation actually amplifies the rewarding value of food. This is what we call a “vicious cycle.” We can change this cycle!

1. First, change our emotional appraisal, or expectation of food to bring comfort (happiness, etc.) and “retraining your brain” to think in a different way. Draw towards what you want and push away from what is no longer desirable. Develop a statement that draws you towards healthy eating habits like this, “I feel great when I choose a healthy way to cope with my emotions!” Next, develop a statement that pushes away from using food as a coping mechanism. Something like “Eating to comfort myself actually makes me feel more miserable.”
   
2. Find behaviors to replace food. Develop a “Menu” that lists any pleasurable activities that you can think of and any comforting activities that you can think of. This way you will have a list of options that you can use to obtain pleasure and/or relief from emotional distress. Some examples of “Comfort Menu” items include: Deep Breathing, Meditation, Positive Imagery, Squeezing a Stress Ball, Giving Yourself a Hand Massage, Make a Stress Free Zone to Relax Within, Spend Time Outdoors in the Sun, Stretch, Take a Quick Walk, Listen to Your Favorite Song, Write Your Emotions Down, Light Scented Candles, Smell Citrus or Coffee, Talk to a Friend or Cuddle with a Pet.
   
3. Trigger & Strategy . You can use the items on your “Comfort Menu” to fill in as the new routine.
   1. This should look like this: “When [identify the cue], I will [identify the new routine] because it provides me with [identify the reward].”
   2. Here’s an example: “When I feel stressed, I will take a walk because it provides me with a sense of calm and peace of mind.”
   3. Whereas the old automatic response would be to eat when feeling stressed, the new routine would be to take a walk. This planned response is a guideline for you to follow. Write it down. Read it. Practice it. We are going for progress, not perfection. Change is a process, not an event. 

Week Five

Can you beleive that our challenge is half way over?  I can't.  Time is flying by.  Before you know it, it will be Halloween and the challenge will be done!  This week for our giveaway we have a Bella Rocket Blender- great for making smoothies!

The winner for this week's giveaway is

Adrienne Henderson

It seems like smoothies-especially green smoothies-are all the rage these days.  I still haven't gotten my family on the band wagon, but I like a smoothie every once and awhile.  Here are some tips for smoothie making.

1. First choose a liquid: apple juice, cranberry juice, orange juice, pineapple juice, milk, water, almond milk,      you get the idea.  It can be nearly any liquid or juice.

2. Choose a base:  Vanilla yogurt, Greek yogurt, crushed ice, tofu.  Something that will give your smoothie a     good texture and consistency

3. Add in fruit and veggies:  The sky is the limit, but try to balance out your fruit.  If you have a really strong       fruit , trying adding another more moderate fruit to balance out the flavor.  Also don't be afraid to add      vegetables.  I usually just stick with spinach.  I feel like it still tastes like a fruit smoothie, but you're still getting in those healthy greens.  Experiment a little and you'll quickly find a few favorites.

4.  Extra mix ins:  Don't be afraid to add a few other things as well.  Protein powder, honey, agave, peanut     butter, flax seeds, almond, cinnamon.  

Try making a new smoothie this week and let us all know how it goes!

Giveaway!

      Our giveaway this week is a selection of healthy options for snacking.    One of the hardest things for me is snacking.  I'm a 'grazer.'  I'd rather snack all day long instead of eating meals.  I'm getting better at this, but occasionally I just get the munchies and I need something good.  One of my favorite snacks is crackers or carrots with Laughing Cow cheese wedges.  They are delicious!  Plus the cheese wedges come in lots of different flavors and they are each only 35 calories.  You can't beat that.  Share some of your favorite snacks with us!  

The winner of the giveaway is 

Sydney Hansen!

Giveaway!

I've had a lot of people emailing me asking what to do about exercise when they are sick.  Apparently there are some bugs going around.  Walking is the perfect exercise to do when you aren't feeling great.  Or a great exercise to do with your family.  I know I love going out on a walk with my kids.  So the prize this week is a pedometer.

You should aim for getting at least 10,000 steps a day, which is roughly 5 miles.  If you are already walking this many steps a day, aim for a higher goal.  If you aren't yet walking that many try increasing it slowly.  Each week aim to walk 1000 more steps a day, increasing it by 1000 every week until you reach the 10,000 steps.  Here are few ways to add more steps into your day.  

Take a walk with your spouse, child, or friend

Walk the dog

Use the stairs instead of the elevator

Park farther from the store

Better yet, walk to the store

Get up to change the channel

Window shop

Plan a walking meeting

Walk over to visit a neighbor

Get outside to walk around the garden or do a little weeding

And the winner for this weeks giveaway is...

Kimberlee Palm

Congrats Kim!  I hope you all have a great week three!