Category Archives: Health

The Chunky Dunkers Club!!

Good evening!

I wonder where that phrase comes from “Hump Day”???

Anyway, I momentarily got sidetracked!! Today is the day that I get back on track with making healthy life choices!! I know, what a novel concept, but for some reason I have become the QUEEN of excuses!

  • I don’t have time
  • I am too stressed out
  • I deserve this cookie
  • I have had a bad day
  • It’s rainy
  • It’s too cold
  • I don’t wanna
  • I will start over tomorrow
  • I just conditioned my hair – really, I use this one to get out of swimming!!!

All of this procrastination will leave a girl worse off than when she initially started in the first place!!! Which is EXACTLY where I am at!!!

“If your mind believes “I can’t,” you will sabotage your own efforts. You won’t do what is required to realize your goal. But when you believe “I can,” you follow paths of behavior and thought that help ensure that the dream will be fulfilled. The psychology of dream fulfillment includes the mindsets of hope, motivation, commitment, confidence, courage, concentration, excitement and observation.”

~Jerry Lynch and Chungliang Al Huang, Thinking Body, Dancing Mind

SO…

Today officially starts the first day of the

Chunky Dunker’s Club

This is the name that my husband and two youngest sisters came up with for our new get healthy support group!!! Chunky dunkers is what we call plus-sized women who skinny dip – get it??? Well, when they suggested this name I just couldn’t stop laughing, when I realized that this is the PERFECT name for us!!! A group of people who want to have fun getting healthy, and remembering to laugh is where our success is going to lie!!! 🙂

I will post a new Chunky Dunker’s article ever Wednesday evening, and you can have the opportunity to comment, and cheer each other as you each go through your journey to get fit and healthy!!! The articles will have hints, tips, and ideas on losing weight, staying motivated, and achieving your fitness goals, whether that is to lose 5 pounds, to do 10 sit-ups, or just incorporate some healthy habits into your daily life!! This meeting every Wednesday will be win-win for me and for you, so let’s get started!!!

So, I call to order the first weekly meeting of the Chunky Dunker’s Club!!

Are we all present and accounted for??? I am sure we are!

Tonight, I thought I would share my health coach’s 10 Tips for Speeding Up Your Metabolism with you this evening! I found that there are a lot of things that we know, but may not be doing, and a couple of things that might be new that might be fun for you to incorporate into your day!!

10 Tips For Speeding Up Your Metabolism

Weight management is a balancing act between taking in calories and burning them up. New research suggests that the way your body burns energy may be at least as important as how much you eat. Try these tips for keeping your body’s idle speed high.

1. QUIT STARVING YOURSELF

When you deprive yourself of food, your body reacts protectively against an ancient threat: famine. Your resting metabolic rate — the calories you burn just to keep your body going — drops to a lower level to conserve energy. Your body works harder to preserve the food it gets by storing it as fat. That’s why people who regularly diet have higher percentages of body fat than non-dieters. Instead of counting calories, focus on cutting back on the fat and sugar in your diet.

2. GET EXERCISE

Exercise helps you lose weight in several ways. It raises your resting metabolic rate, thus offsetting the lowering effects of dieting and helping you burn more calories even when at rest. Strength training is especially important here, because it increases the amount of muscle you have. And muscle cells burn more calories than fat cells.

3. EXERCISE LONGER

After 30 minutes of low-intensity exercise — walking, bowling, gardening — your body begins to burn stored fat for energy.

4. EXERCISE LARGE MUSCLE GROUPS

Choose high-energy exercise — such as walking, bicycling, cross country skiing, swimming, step aerobics — that gives your arms and legs a good workout.

5. VARY YOUR WORKOUT

Your body gets efficient at doing the same exercise day after day and you burn fewer calories. Try alternating gym workouts with outside activities. Or change your routine every six weeks. You’ll burn more calories — and you won’t get as bored.

6. EAT A GOOD BREAKFAST

People who skip breakfast burn 5 percent fewer calories than those who eat a healthy morning meal.

7. AVOID ALCOHOL AND SMOKING

Both may inhibit the loss of abdominal fat. That’s why drinkers and smokers tend to be bigger around the waist than abstainers.

8. RESIST PMS CRAVINGS

The evidence is that women’s bodies burn more calories between ovulation and menstruation. That’s why sugary snacks look so good then. Don’t starve yourself, but if you can resist the cravings for high-energy foods, your body will burn fat stores for energy.

9. EAT LESS FAT

Your body is very efficient at turning the fat you eat into body fat. It takes a lot more energy to turn carbohydrates into fat. That’s why cutting back to less than 30 percent of your calories from fat can help you reduce your body fat more than just cutting total calories.

10. EAT THREE MEALS

Studies show that eating only one or two large meals tends to lower your resting metabolic rate. Make sure you eat three small meals and a healthy snack or two.

Come on ladies and gentleman, we can do this!!! Try implementing just one or two of these things this week, and add additional items only after you are comfortable with the changes you have made thus far. In the comments, let me know which changes you are going to implement, and I will do the same thing!!!

We will meet again next Wednesday evening!! and if you watch my blog daily, I will make sure to post some words of encouragement under my signature line just to keep us going, and to remind you that I am in this with you!! YOU ARE NOT ALONE!!!

Until next week GO CHUNKY DUNKERS!!!

Have a FABULOUS evening!!

Note to Chunky Dunkers:
If you find that your path to healthy living hits a speed bump, reach out to someone who you trust for support and ask for some encouraging words – you don’t have to go it alone!!! 😉

Life Needs More Green Lights!

Good evening!!

I have had a day, but enough about me!

Tonight I thought I would do something a little different! I have this sign on my living room wall, and it says, “Life needs more green lights”. It is one of my FAVORITE pictures, but tonight, I wish this sign said, “Life needs more laughter!”

They say that laughter is the best medicine, and today my co-worker reminded me of this fact. In the middle of a rather stressful afternoon, Chris stopped and sent me something that really just made me almost fall of my chair laughing!!!

Here is that little ditty:

I was in Starbucks  recently when I suddenly realized I desperately needed to fart. The music was really, really loud, so I timed my farts with the beat of the music. After a couple of  songs, I started to feel much better. I finished my coffee, and noticed that everybody was staring  at me….

Then I suddenly realized that  I was listening to my  I-Pod.

Oh my goodness! That seemed to do it! We both busted up into a fit of laughter, and it seemed to really just lighten up our afternoons! None of the demands, or issues actually  went away, but laughing seemed to really put it all into perspective. This too shall pass.

I have always heard that laughter was the best medicine, but I decided that I wanted to look into it a little more this evening, and just see if I can find what the benefits actually are. Here are some of those that I found:

  • Laughter relaxes the whole body. A good, hearty laugh relieves physical tension and stress, leaving your muscles relaxed for up to 45 minutes after.
  • Laughter boosts the immune system. Laughter decreases stress hormones and increases immune cells and infection-fighting antibodies, thus improving your resistance to disease.
  • Laughter triggers the release of endorphins, the body’s natural feel-good chemicals. Endorphins promote an overall sense of well-being and can even temporarily relieve pain.
  • Laughter protects the heart. Laughter improves the function of blood vessels and increases blood flow, which can help protect you against a heart attack and other cardiovascular problems.

Isn’t that AMAZING??? It would be so handy to bottle up little fits of giggles in pill form, so we can take, as needed!! Life would be a funnier place, I think!!

Have a FABULOUS evening!! 😉

A Savvy Life Morning!

Good morning!!

I woke up early this morning, and straight away picked up a book that I just started reading last night. The book is called Living the Savvy Life: The Savvy Woman’s Guide to Smart Spending and Rich Living by Melissa Tosetti. So far, it is a pretty good book! I think it is going to be a short and sweet read, but it is basically a reminder of a lot of things that I already know, but haven’t taken advantage of in my life. I will have to keep you posted on how that goes!!!

I am off to work late this morning!! I think I am near hitting burnout, and if we weren’t so short-handed I might have taken a personal day today. Instead, I decided to just let myself take an easy extra half an hour and don’t let myself get too anxious!! Work is still tricky right now, and I am not sure I see the light at the end of the tunnel, but I am sure things will work out – they always do!!!

OH, and I am saving the BEST for last!! It is my girlfriend, Dawn’s Birthday!!!

WHOO! HOO!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY CRAZY, ZANY, WACKY FRIEND!!!!!

I hope you have all that your heart’s wishes come true – ESPECIALLY TODAY!!!! I love you, CHICKA!!! 😉

With that said…

Have a FABULOUS day!!!

A COLD Happy Friday!!

Good morning!!

We are expecting record cold here in Oregon today, and possibly tomorrow – so I am bundling up to head to work this morning!!!

As I was laying in bed, trying to coax myself out of it’s deliciously warm blankets, I started thinking about recess when I was a little kid!! If recess was a profession, I would have be an expert in my field!!! I remember just being a ball of energy! I loved playing:

  • jump rope
  • hopscotch
  • Chinese jump rope
  • wall ball
  • four square
  • tether ball
  • balance beam
  • crawling tunnels
  • parallel bars
  • monkey bars
  • swings
  • H-O-R-S-E
  • kick ball
  • teeter-totter
  • hula hooping
  • big wheels
  • climbing trees
  • bicycles!!!

Man remembering all these just takes me back!!! Does that make me old?? 😉

At what point in your life do these activities leave your list of fun activities??? I am thinking that if I would have continued all or some of these activities, I would not have had the issue with my weight that I do now, and I would presume that the American culture, as a whole, would benefit from the health benefits that these activities provide!! Ok, so now that I am 35 years old, how weird would it seem to see me doing double dutch, or throwing my hopscotch marker, or playing a rowdy game of wall ball??? Who cares if it looks weird, I think I am going to give it a go! I wonder if the condo association would care if I used chalk to draw out my four square grid on the ground?? Having that would just leave me to go round up a friend or two who would be willing to come out and “play”!!!

As I dream about incorporating some recess activities into my regular day, I would LOVE to hear some of your FAVORITE recess activities as a kid! Do you still do any of them? If not, what made you stop?

Have a FABULOUS day!!! 😉

A Night of Empowerment!!

Good evening!

You know what? This may TOTALLY JUST BE MY RAGING HORMONES SPEAKING, but…

I usually take a lot of crap in my daily life and normally that is ok with me! There are a lot of perks to the life that I have created for myself, but tonight I have just HAD IT!!!

I AM SO SICK OF PEOPLE TAKING PIECES OF MY POWER!!
MY JOY!!! MY BLISS!!!

Tonight, even if it is for just one night only – I am TAKING MY POWER BACK!!! I will let all of you who need some of it borrow it tomorrow, but tonight IT IS MINE!!!

I am not your mother,
your slave,
your lackey,
your sugar momma,
your door mat,
your alarm clock,
your personal secretary,
your gofer-girl,
your Prozac, I’m not!
So get your crap together
and get outta my way honey!!
Because tonight, I am SOOOOOO TAKING THE NIGHT OFF!!!
I AM WOMAN HEAR ME ROAR!!!!

WHEW!! Ok, thanks, I just REALLY had to get that out of my system!!! but I feel much better now!!! Sorry, I know that that rant may have seemed to come out of left field, but I have been letting my power be spread a little too thin amongst my circle, and it is leaving me unhappy, and angry – but REALLY??? It is my own fault, I am the one who lets my power be “loaned” out, and I haven’t been doing too much to make sure that it comes back to me! I am going to have to seriously work on that!!!

So all of you out there, you know who you are – I love you, but tonight I am taking care of MYSELF!!! Trust me, tomorrow I am sure you will thank me for it!!!!

Have a FABULOUS evening! 🙂

Getting Out of the Doldrums!

Good evening!

You may not know this, but my life has gotten to be in a little bit of a rut! Doing the same thing every day, day in and day out! Get up, go to work, come home, eat, watch tv, go to bed, get up, go to work…well, I think you can see what I am talking about!

I have just this moment made the decision to look into taking a dance class!! Matter of fact……………………….

TIC-TOC
TIC-TOC
TIC-TOC

I just made a call to one of the local dance studios, and I am making arrangements to get into the beginning belly dancing class that starts at the beginning of March. It is an 11 week class, and it is going to cost me about $9 per class!!! YEAH!!! Now, the hard part will be going – but HONEY, I have got to do something crazy to build my courage muscles and get out there and be brave enough to be me!!!

Wow!! Now, that I have had a chance to think about what I have just done, I am going to have to REALLY get my bravery muscles out!!! I know it will be a BLAST!!! I love the idea of idea of feeling comfortable in my own skin, and learning how to move and undulate with grace and confidence. Plus the idea, that I will be doing something outrageous for just myself is rather exciting!!! Plus to be able to say that I did something scary, is motivating and I know that if I can do this, I can do ANYTHING!!! PLUS – I think that this will be a fun way to get exercise and get in a little better shape!! I can’t wait until classes start!!! 😉

Have a FABULOUS evening!!! 😉

You Have Your Vision Board, Now What?

Thank God it is Friday evening!! My stress level is so high, that my eye has started to twitch – NEVER A GOOD SIGN!! LOL! My go-live week, at work,  is technically over, BUT we have sooooo much work to do!!! I am going to have to work a little bit this weekend, but if it gets me even a little bit more caught up – it will be worth it!! I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel – WHOO! HOO!!

On a completely different note a WAAAAY more UPLIFTING NOTE: I have been getting a lot of questions that go something like this, “Ok, I have created my vision board, now what???”

So I thought that I would take a some time to answer this question! Take your vision board, a pad of paper (or journal), a pen (or a bunch of different colored pens), and go find a comfortable place to sit and write. This part may take you a little while, but in my opinion it is one of the most important parts of making your images on your vision board come to fruition. Deciding what DIRECTION you want your life to go!!

“Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?”
“That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,” said the Cat.
“I don’t much care where–” said Alice.
“Then it doesn’t matter which way you go,” said the Cat.
“–so long as I get SOMEWHERE,” Alice added as an explanation.
“Oh, you’re sure to do that,” said the Cat, “if you only walk long enough.”
~Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland

I know I have posted this before, but just for a refresher, here is my vision board:

Ok, so make sure you have your vision board out where you will be able to see it! Grab your blank piece of paper and write your name write in the smack dab middle of it!! Don’t write it too small – this is a mental representation of your presence in your own life – so make sure are visible!! 😉

Next, while looking at your vision board, decide what are the top 5 or 6 things that will get you to the life that your vision board is describing??? Write those things in small descriptive sentences around your name.

Now is the fun part! On the back of this sheet of paper, you need to figure out what steps you would have to do to get each one of these goals. This may seem kind of tricky, but this is how I make this work for me:

Choose your first goal that you have written: I want to be fit, healthy, & vivacious!
Re-write it like this:  How can I be fit, health, & vivacious?

Then spend the next 10 minutes, 30 minutes, hour, day, week, or however long you want to give yourself just writing down ANYTHING & EVERYTHING that will make this goal a REALITY in your life!

Some of my list items could be:

  1. Exercise every day
  2. Eat more fruits and veggies
  3. See a nutritionist
  4. Get liposuction
  5. Have gastric-bypass
  6. Follow a specific diet plan
  7. Pray for a miracle
  8. Make exercise fun
  9. Take up an outdoor hobby like hiking
  10. Join walking club
  11. Get a physical trainer
  12. etc.
  13. etc.
  14. etc.

You get the idea – write IT ALL DOWN!! Not everything has to be realistic/feasible, but that crazy, zany idea might open your mind up to that ONE IDEA that clinches your mode to success!!!

Do this same thing for EACH of the goals that you have chosen!!! This may take you a while, matter-of-fact, I am sure that it will, but you are laying the FOUNDATION FOR YOUR FUTURE!!! So DON’T skimp on this step!!

WITH EVERYTHING IN ME – I KNOW YOU CAN MAKE THIS LIFE HAPPEN FOR YOU!!!

Let me know, in the comment section how this goes for you!! Even from afar, I am cheering you on!!!

Have a FABULOUS evening!

A Dapper Evening!!

Good evening!!

My sister, Alex and her kiddos just left for the evening!! Since Christopher just turned 13 on Tuesday, we decided to let him choose dinner – pizza, of course!!! We played a fun game of Clue, which I haven’t done in quite a few years, and I WON!!! WHOO-HOO!! Then we went swimming, and we swam around like crazy people!!! I AM LOVING SWIMMING – it is making me feel so much stronger and more energetic!! Next a relaxing soak in the hot tub, home and a bowl full of cut-up strawberries, and I am a VERY HAPPY girl!!!😉

Well, last evening I spent at least an hour or so perusing the web for some inspirational outfits, to help me think about my wardrobe pieces with fresh eyes! While I was doing that, I ran across quite a few fashionable men too!! I asked my husband what his fashion style was, and his response was “functional”. BUMMER – not exactly what a girl wants to hear, but I really shouldn’t be too surprised! When we first started dating his idea of dressing up, was to wear something with less wholes in it!! 😉 That is ok, I still love his wraggin’ muffin looking self!!!

Here are some of those Hottie-McHottie pics I found last night:

Man!! OH MAN!!! I can’t put my finger on EXACTLY what I like in men’s fashion, but I think it is the juxtaposition between rugged tough man, and old-world gentleman!! Maybe you can see that in those pictures!! If only I could find a way to somehow rub just a smidgen of these dapper men’s fashion sense onto my husband, OH WHAT A MIRACLE DAY THAT WOULD BE!!! You know, like a retro-sexual pill!! 😉 and I am sure I am not the only woman out there thinking it!! 😉

Have a FABULOUS evening! 🙂

 

Blogging On The Commute!

Good morning!

That is right I am blogging on my way to work this morning!! Today is an early work day, but because it is so freakin’ cold here that we have had to de-ice the car twice!!! Don’t ask! 😉

Anyway, we are almost on our way and I am just so grateful to have had the past two days off – I really needed that!! Work is going to be interesting today, since I am not sure what systems are going to be up or down when I get in this morning, HOWEVER I am having lunch with my sissy, Alex, so I AM TOTALLY EXCITED!!!
😉

She leaves in 8 days, I may have to start stalking her for the next 8 days, since I don’t know when I will see her next!!! I love you, Sissy!!

I got a little daring in my work outfit today, I did take a pic but unfortunately was having some technical difficulties so I will have to post it this evening!!!

Oh, I almost forgot tonight is swim night too, which has been sooooo much fun. When my neice Megan spent the night last night, my husband pointed out that she doesn’t say, let’s go exercise, she says let’s go play, so that is the new mantra that we are adopting in our house! PLAY! PLAY! PLAY! 😉

Anyway, I am almost to work, so I will let you go! Hee! Hee! Like I am on the phone with you or something!! (Sorry, my tiredness is showing!)

Have a FABULOUS morning!!! 😉
~Christina

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