HLG 30 DAY CHALLENGE: Step it UP September

I don't know how you're doing, but I am ready for a little September SUCCESS! : ) I'm putting away the "oh, its summer, I'll walk (bike, swim, run) off these extra pounds this summer... no worries" lies to myself and getting off of my high horse and taking *action*!

There are dumb goals and there are SMART goals and I'm into the smart kind after years of finding out the dumb ones only lead to further despair and unhealthy behaviors!  SMART goals are all about Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Time-Restricted goals.    In other words: they're the right kind of goals to set.

September for me is going to be about losing weight and shaping up.  I haven't been journaling my food and have gained weight. I tore my meniscus in April and was inactive all summer because of the pain involved in just getting around. But I'm healing up well and it is time (doctor approved, too!) to get back at being healthy!

I'd love to have you join me in the September fitness and weight loss challenge.  I'll be tweeting about it using the #hlgStepUpSept hashtag.  Let me know here in the Comments or on Twitter or Instagram if you'd like to join in! : )

When I was morbidly obese and set out on this journey, I was ECSTATIC to be able to complete one loop around the high school gym track.  That is a quarter of a mile.  I did it without having to stop and I thought I'd won the Olympic gold!  So if you're worried about starting and not being able to keep up - don't worry... I've BEEN THERE! ; )  You have to dig down deep and realize that you have within you what it takes to conquer your old habits and reclaim your health. Push those negative thoughts away.  You CAN do this. I CAN do this. We ARE going to DO THIS!

Here are the #hlgStepUpSept challenge goals:

1)  Whatever you are doing for steps per day, make a SMART goal to double it by October 1st. I wear a FitBit so it is easy for me to count my steps but there are plenty of apps that will do it for you or buy yourself a good ole pedometer which are much less expensive than they were just five years ago.  My goal is to walk 2 miles daily for steps.

2)  Set a specific goal for your calories per day and follow your plan.  I've never liked the phrase "oh, I cheated on my diet last night".  No, you didn't cheat on some fantasy diet, you cheated yourself.  You let your self-discipline slip and gave into cravings which will not make buttoning that top button on your skinny jeans button any easier. I, sadly, know this from experience! ; )  THIS will be the hardest part of the challenge for me... keeping within my planned food and journaling what I have eaten daily.  It is SO worth the effort, but - when I have slipped up - so hard to admit to.

3) Drink water or unsweetened ice tea or lemon water ALL DAY and ALL NIGHT long.  Water flushes out toxins in our fatty tissue and helps our vital organs, our skin, our metabolism.  When you drink a lot of water you don't become hydrated and you will feel more energized.  (And yes, you'll become very familiar with the path to the nearest rest room the first week or so until your body is used to you not starving it for H2o!)  ; )

4) Journal for yourself for how you're doing, positive thoughts, encourage yourself in your writing, and also encourage others in the challenge, too, on Twitter, in the comments here, through Instagram and on Facebook.  I like to hand write my goals every morning in blue ink (studies show that blue ink on white paper is proven to give better stimuli to the brain!) and then I usually - okay, this is a little over the top but it helps me, you'll have to find your own way to encourage yourself - find and write a positive quote to get my day started.  And, for me, this works!

I'll be checking in on Twitter every day as I can (while working full-time) and hope you'll join me in this month of Stepping Up our September SUCCESS! : )

Here's to our health!

Dream! Believe! Achieve!
HealthyLoserGal ./ Jan

A New Year, A Clean Slate...

If you've read the blog over the years (phew! "over the years"!! I've been working on my health for YEARS now - yay, me!!) you know that I'm not big on New Year's resolutions. I am, however, big on new starts and I believe the 1st day of a new year offers just that:  a time to start anew.  And so, on January 1, 2014 I rededicate myself to.... well... myself! : )

The year of 2013 was not my best.  It may have been my worst in my 50+ years.  First and foremost, my Mom died and while it was expected, it still has been very hard emotionally.  I had one minor and one major eye surgery.  I moved and had to pack the house and all my belongings on my own, and even though the movers pulled away on the 7th of November, I am still in the process of unpacking. I had severe poison ivy spread across my face and down my neck. I am in the process of cleaning out my Mom's home and dealing with all her estate issues which included her oil tank spilling 100 gallons of fuel onto her basement floor, damaging everything in the basement and causing an environmental disaster that included Haz-Mat teams there to gut the basement and all the belongings within.  2013 was a heck of a year and one of the major things that happened during this time was: I gained 40 pounds.  Forty.  Back.  Good Lord!

Reflecting back on the year I realize that I always felt my best when I could get some sort of activity into my day.  When I'd walk the dog for longer than a typical walk, when I could swim laps in a lake, when I could leave work for a 15 minute power walk in the middle of a hectic day and just concentrate on my breathing and restore my balance a bit.  Those were the moments when I realized that exercise, movement, putting my health first HAD become part of my daily life in the year before this one.  I knew what to do, I just wasn't doing it!

I have been looking forward to rededicating myself to my health.  And I hope you'll consider joining me as we head into a new year.  My plan to lose 50 pounds (the 40 I regained and 10 more to hit my goal weight) is not complicated at all.  It involves counting calories, staying away from fats, walking, and weight training.  I shouldn't say "weight training" because that sounds so rigid and my weight regimen (isn't there another word besides "training" or "regimen" I can use?! lol) is simple enough for anyone to do. I'm a novice, too, remember! I believe there is an athlete within me that occasionally pops up her head and says to me in this exhilarated voice, "Yay! You found me... I'm right here... let's DO this!"  One of the emotional moments for me when I first started training with a personal trainer a few years ago (for six months) was when he said to me "we're going to find the athlete within you again"...  I cried.  No, I bawled.  Right there in the lobby of the YMCA in Waltham.  My trainer had tapped into what I had not dared dream yet:  that I COULD become the person who played tennis, and rode bike 20 miles without thinking of it, and played softball, and had a college scholarship offer for field hockey.  I had been a fit, active person who LOVED being outdoors and hiking and biking and playing.  I'm ready to go back to that person again and it starts today.

Want to join me?  Stay tuned and read on for the January challenge post! : )

Here's to a clean slate in 2014 to write a new, healthy story!

Dream. Believe. Achieve.

HealthyLoserGal / Jan

Two Weeks of August ALL In Challenge

I'm a fan of Tony Robbins and have been for years and years. I have loved and believed in his quote below:

A real decision 

is measured by the fact

that you've taken a new action. 

If there's no action, 

you haven't truly decided.

I am ready for some massive ACTION.  I have goals written down that I damn well am going to accomplish. I need to take action and reclaim some pride in myself and my ability to STICK TO IT! 

Brian Tracy says that self-discipline is the most important component to any success.  Self-discipline is getting out of bed in the morning when your alarm goes off and NOT hitting the snooze button.  Self-discipline is laying your workout or walking or running clothes and sneakers (I'm an East Coast girl, we call them sneakers, you can call them 'running shoes' if you must!) the night BEFORE so there is no excuse that you can't find them in the morning. Self-discipline is walking the full three miles at 6am you planned on - - not just one mile, not just two. It is doing the whole set of repS at the gym, not just a few. Self-discipline is telling yourself that you're going to do something and DOING IT!  Self-discipline is planning your healthy meals, drinking your water, taking your vitamins, preparing your protein shakes, writing your goals out, logging your food, and doing what you said you were going to do.  Make no excuses to yourself about yourself because there is no heavier weight in this world than the weight of regret. 

On Monday, August 19th I am going to begin two weeks of an intensive (for me!) fitness and weight loss plan.  On challenges I've organized here, on Twitter, and Facebook before I have always allowed for "days off" during the month long challenge.  With only two weeks left in August, this HealthyLoserGal August ALL IN Challenge won't be taking any days off.  We're going full steam ahead into September which happens to be one of my favorite months of the year - full of new starts and new possibilities.  

For two weeks I challenge you to set a walking and/or running goal and to write that goal down in a journal. I am going to be walking a minimum of 2 miles daily to total no less than 15 miles a week.  Every other day I will be in the gym during the work week and both days of the weekend for an hour or more (but no more than 2 hours).  So Tues-Thurs-Sat-Sunday will be my gym days.  If possible, I'll fit in more.

I will be working on my core with stability ball and floor exercises and my arms and legs with free weights and nautilus machines.  I will drink half my weight in water each day (and will probably log another mile weekly in trotting to and from the Ladies Room! lol).  I will plan my food for the week on Sundays, shop on Sundays, prepare anything that needs to be cooked and/or made ahead, and not waiver from these planned meals.

I will be grateful for each and every obstacle that pops up and that I have the self-discipline to overcome. I will be positive about the challenge and the fact that I am working hard toward goals that I am achieving. I will encourage my friends here, on Twitter, and on Facebook to stick to their goals and plans because working out and reaching goals with a community is far better than going it solo! ; )

So... here are the #hlgAugALLin challenge details:

1)  Set a fitness goal for either walking or running for the 14 days.  If you're morbidly obese or completely out of shape, 1/4 mile to begin with is doable for anyone and I know you can do it!  I will be rooting you on!

2)  Plan out your food and get ready to count calories. There are plenty of online sites, apps,etc. but I like FitDay.com which is a great FREE resource for planning, counting and logging food (and exercise)! They have an iPhone app, too.  If you're trying to lose weight, don't go below 1200 calories or over 2000 daily, it is that easy.  It takes 3500 calories burned to lose a pound.  Watch what you're putting in because you're going to have to work it OFF to lose weight.  Calories in / calories out.  When planning your food, plan to drink lots and lots of water!  Water is soooo important to good health.

3) Set a second fitness goal that you can do 4x each of the two weeks.  You saw that I'll be in the gym and what I am going to be doing (notice I didn't say that I am 'planning' to do!).  Depending on your current level of fitness, you should chose something that will challenge you, that will take you a little bit out of your comfort zone so that - when you accomplish it - you will be exhilarated and proud of yourself for sticking to it!

People with clear, written goals, 

accomplish far more 

in a shorter period of time 

than people without them 

could ever imagine.

Brian Tracy

4). Finally, plan to write down your two week challenge goals and keep a journal for the two weeks.  Your journal can include as little as your goals (a must!) and a record of everything you ate and drank, your exercise log, and the times you got up and went to bed.  Or it include much more (and I suggest you write about your feelings and your own habits and self-discipline struggles in your journal) including your moods, your hopes for your health and fitness, your short term and long term goals, and your observations of how you're doing.  If you have failures, they should be journaled, too, because often times our failures teach us great lessons that we can overcome in the future.  This challenge isn't about perfection, it is about progress and improvement. 

I'd love to have you join me on August 19th to start off August ALL In Challenge!  We *can* be self-disciplined and achieve our goals without the regrets of giving in to temptation! Only 14 days are between you and achieving your August goals.  Who's "all in"?  : ) 

Jan / HealthyLoserGal 

Rise and Shine: Awesome April Challenge

Spring is such a wonderful time to witness renewal and rebirth as the world comes to life around us. Daffodils peak at us from beneath soggy leaves in gardens and burst forth with beauty.  The days are suddenly longer and warmer and call for us to get out in nature and enjoy the sites around us.

I hope you'll join me this month in the Awesome April challenge which is all about "rising" in two ways... rising in the morning and rising to the challenge.  And it is about "shining".  In this month you're going to conquer (or be on your way to conquering) something that you didn't think you could do.  It doesn't have to be a HUGE goal... but it does have to be something that perhaps only you - in the very depths of your thoughts - realize that you need to change in order to true SHINE!

If you're anything like me (and it is scientifically proven), you slow down your pace in the winter months. I slowed down to the point of hardly exercising at all and have every excuse in the book to give you if you'd like to know why! *grin*  But I'm planning to 'rise' off the couch and 'rise' out of bed in the morning and find my exercise renewed in April.

Here are the challenge details:

Rise up 30 minutes earlier than you are now.  Now I *know* this is going to be difficult for those of you who already do wake up at the crack of dawn and may have classes or kids or a husband or ... (you fill in the blank) to take care of the moment you open your eyes.  If this is the case, then you need to find 30 minutes every day AT THE SAME TIME that is just for you.  It is proven that if you can keep a new routine for 40 days (so May 10th for us if you start the challenge on April 1st), then it becomes habit and no longer may seem like a chore.

In those 30 "rise and shine" minutes you're going to dedicate yourself to renewing yourself in the month of April somehow. I'll be walking and planning out my day in my head.  You might write in a journal or write out your goals for the day.  If you're just starting to exercise, begin slowly but you might start by doing a short walk around your block or an at-home walking dvd or beginner's exercise dvd.  If you're exercising now and feel confident in that way, then give yourself 30 minutes of meditative time... quiet your inner-self and just listen to what your heart is telling you might be one way in which you could renew yourself.

Now, the second part of the challenge is all about SHINING.  If I were to have you write out an answer to a question and no one (but yourself) would ever see it, how would you answer the following question:
To be truly content and feel good about myself, the one thing I know I need to work on is (fill in the blank).

What was that one thing you JUST thought of?  THAT is what you need to rise and shine and meet this challenge to work on.  Do you need to stop watching too much television?  Do you need to stop drinking soda, diet soda, alcohol? Do you need to start eating less, stop eating processed foods?  Stop your Friday night pizza (oops... that one was for me!). Do you need to set an exercise goal and then stick to it? You know what it is.  In the next 30 days, make a plan for yourself to conquer and rise above what is holding you back from feeling content and good about YOU!  If you need help from a friend to do so...ask for the help.  If you need to see your doctor, go see her.  If you need some inspiration when you're feeling down, I'm a comment or a tweet or an email away. (And I may need some encouragement from you, too!) : )

You CAN rise above your fears and have an awesome April.  We all can do it together.

So? Who is "in" for the Rise and Shine Awesome April challenge?  We've got this! :)

Here's to our health friends!
HealthyLoserGal / Jan

PS: Use hashtag #hlgAwesomeApril on Twitter to post comments and encourage other challengers.  Thanks!

May Move It Challenge

Last night I recalled a playground song from when I was a kid in upstate New York. The person in the middle of the skipping circle had to jump around and/or dance wildly as everyone sang:


"Shake it! Shake it! Shake it!
Shake it if you can,
And if you cannot shake it,
Do the best you can!"


And then the person in the middle (yes, that's me in the middle of the photo on my 10th birthday! lol) would twirl around and around and finally stop and point to the next person as we sang:


"So round and round and round she goes, where she stops, nobody knows!"


I'm struck by "If you cannot shake it, do the best you can!"  I kind of love that line! : )  It says to me that we're not expecting you to be perfect... but, hey! Just do the best you can!  Get out there in the middle of the circle of life (cue Lion King music...) and shake it as best as you know how! 


And that, my friends, is what the theme of the May Move It Challenge is going to be.  Move it.. shake it... get out there and do it!


You've got to try something different this month, you've got to get up and out of your comfort zone and "shake it! shake it! shake it"... or in other words, let's 'move it to lose it'!

Why are you sitting at home in front of the t.v. for a few hours every night?  Couldn't you be out for a walk by yourself or tossing the frisbee with your kid?  How about remembering that favorite activity that you 'used to do' and trying it again?  The May Move It challenge is about baby steps to get you out there ready to make giant steps for your health and fitness.


This is going to be a very simple challenge.  I'm going to ask you (and myself) to commit to 30 minutes a day of movement five times a week.  If you really want to challenge yourself you'll realize that we're already 3 days into the month and count these past days as your "days off", committing to 30 minutes of movement for the next 27 days of May. 


I'm going to be walking every day but you can do whatever you  wish so long as you're moving your body for 30 minutes daily five days a week.  Who is with me? :)


Remember... if you cannot shake it, just do the best you can!


Here's to our health!


Dream. Believe. Achieve!
Jan / HealthyLoserGal 

 

Let's Get Back to Basics!

I have an admission to make... I have been slacking since December.  "Slacking" as in I've only been exercising sporadically, I've barely logged my food, and my walking is way way down from where it should be.  What's my excuse?  Oh, ya know... I have plenty of them that I feed my own self-criticism.  "I've been so busy with moving!", "I've been sick all winter and the prednisone is adding water weight.", "There has been so much tragedy in my family this winter"... and on and on.  And, yup - they're all valid if I want to be someone who can't even be honest with my own self and needs to make excuses.  But that is BULL!  I am dedicated to reclaiming myself and being the best I can be.  I slipped off track for a few months.  Now I'm back and feel the commitment again and am ready to get back at it by building on the basics of weight loss and fitness that I *KNOW* work for me.

I'm going to have another challenge this month and I'd like to have you join me.  Back to Basics Challenge.  That is it. Nothing fancy. No gimmicks. No weight loss pills or magic potions.  Just dedication.  Dedication to 1) self-discipline, 2) planning your food to equal the calories you want to consume daily  3) measuring and weighing your food  4) journaling each and every bite you take 5) drinking 1/2 your body weight in water daily 6) 20 minutes of exercise 4x week (and, for me... walking daily at least two miles and more when and if I can).

I'll repeat the challenge parts:

Self-discipline.  If I say I'm going to get up at 7am to walk, I'm not going to let myself down and turn over in bed.  Self-discipline is the key to leading a successful life.  As a morbidly obese person I was also so incredibly lacking in self-discipline it wasn't even funny.  It was pathetic. I was pathetic.  I refuse to be that any longer because of how horrible it made me feel about myself.  Now, when I make a promise to myself, I'm going to keep it.  So... number one and the most important part of the Back to Basics challenge is:  Self Discipline

Plan out your calories and your daily food.  If you cannot plan ahead for the week, at least plan out your day at the beginning so when the office surprise party at 4pm happens, you know whether or not you have the calories left to have that one cookie for 200 calories.  You don't have to be perfect every single day and you shouldn't feel like you're depriving yourself, but you do need to stay close to what you set as the right calories for trying to lose weight.  Remember, as the Vtrim Online program finally taught me a few years ago... 3500 calories = 1 lb.  If I want to lose 2 lbs per week, I'm going to have to cut out or exercise off 7000 calories. (It is easier than it may sound!)

You're going to be surprised at what one serving is if you haven't measured food before.  My guess is the majority of us are doubling our portion sizes and thinking it equals one serving size or one portion.  That bottle of iced tea you're picking up at the convenient store on your way to pick up the kids at soccer... the one you glanced at the nutritional label and saw it said 180 and you thought "oh, that's not too bad"?  That bottle is 2 and 1/2 servings and you just drank about a third of your daily calories. Ut oh!  That piece of skinless chicken you're about to toss on the grill and are feeling all proud about?  That's not 6oz of lean white meat... that is 10 oz and you just nearly doubled what you thought your evening calories were.  Back to basics: buy a small food scale (they're inexpensive) and get out your measuring cups, read every nutritional label and check calories and fat grams... measure & weigh your food.

Journal (write down wherever is convenient for you) and log every bite you eat as quickly as you can.  This is so easy to do in our tech driven lives.  iPhones, Androids, online journals, a pad of paper, apps on the internet, Twitter, Facebook.... doesn't matter where.  Just keep track because as the day goes on and it gets to be 11pm at night and you're just THEN logging your food for the day, if you're like me, you're going to forget that you had that banana at mid-day or that hot chocolate in the morning.

Here are two of my favorite online sites for logging and food planning: FitDay and MyPlate.  If you could share your favorites with everyone in the comments, that would be terrific.  I also journal my exercise because it makes my self-esteem rise daily when I see my exercise increasing.  I make comments, too, about how I'm feeling because I've found it helpful to go back and read how I was at a specific time of the month or a year later.  (November, I have found, is a great month for me... January is historically for me just awful!)

Water intake is key to every part of your body.  By the time you are thirsty, you're already dehydrated. When you're on a weight loss journey, think of water as your best friend.  I try to drink 1/2 my body weight in water daily.  I don't always get there, but I often do.  I make this easy for myself by keeping four water bottles: one in my car, one at my office, one in my kitchen, one in my bedroom.  The car water bottle goes to the gym or on walks with me.  The office water bottle is the one I use the most.  I was given a couple of great water bottles through blogging events but I highly suggest you invest in a water bottle or two that you will like and use.  Two of mine have designs that I love and the other two are plain.  DRINK WATER = you can't get any more basic than that! : )

My Yoga Online co-founder Michelle Trantina, courtesy of My Yoga Online

Exercise 20 minutes four times a week.  That is the challenge bar to try to attain.  Twenty minutes a day of SOME SORT OF MOVEMENT!  Take the stairs, try online yoga, do a Chris Freytag DVD, WiiFit routine, riding your bike, walking your dog at a brisk pace... it doesn't matter.  Just get moving to the point where you begin to be aware of your heart beat increasing and you're breaking or about to break a sweat. That's when the magic begins to happen. You HAVE to move it to lose it.  There is no magic pill.  There is no "Wishing Away the Pounds" diet out there.  This is all about healthy, long term, lifestyle change.  I'm going to do the 20 minutes three times a week, too, and will be posting here on the blog during March what I'm doing - even with pictures of my own red face when getting my workout on! : )  For me, the big thing is to begin walking again - daily walking.  And that starts tomorrow morning.  No excuses.  If you want to walk along with me this month, I would love that!  Try to get 20 days of exercise in during March and take only 11 days off.  I *know* you can do that even if you're morbidly obese. Start slow and gradually work up to 20 minutes all at once. Wait until you do 20 minutes all at the same time... you're going to feel so good about yourself! ; )

The month of March can be YOUR month!  It is going to be mine, so let's make it "our month"!  The month when you exercise your self-discipline muscle and commit to yourself to begin (or continue on) the journey to reclaim your health and wellness.  I *know* you can do this if I can do this.  Together we will support each other all month.  Someone on Twitter asked me if I'd be willing to talk with them on the phone or on Skype if they began to get discouraged.  Easy answer:  Yes.  If you guys would like to do a Skype call all together or get into a chat on Twitter all together one evening, of course we can do that!

We're worth this effort.  We're going to be SO proud of ourselves this month.  We're going to go into March like a LION and end March like a LION.  Back to basics, baby!  Who is "in"?  Leave me a comment and let me know! : )

Dream. Believe. Achieve!
Jan / HealthyLoserGal

Ocean Spray Cranberries... Bogging & Blogging!

Over the long Thanksgiving holiday weekend, I took a little drive on a beautiful Saturday afternoon to the Ocean Spray cranberry bog which is located just beside Patriot Place in Foxborough, Massachusetts.  Not only did I learn a great deal about harvesting cranberries but I also enjoyed the beautiful MA Department of Conservation and Recreation "Healthy Heart Trail", something I never knew existed in the State! (More on this in a bit...)

I've been a cranberry fan for as long as I can remember.  Last year at the holidays I posted a photo on the blog of my cranberry relish. When I was growing up, my family drank "cranberry juice cocktail" and while I raised my son, we always had 100 percent Ocean Spray cranberry juice in our frig. 

In the past year, thanks to Ocean Spray providing me with samples, I learned of Diet Sparkling Cranberry juice which is now my fav drink (and mixed 50/50 with pinot grigot over ice makes a heck of a low-cal Cranberry Spritzer!).

What I didn't know about Ocean Spray is that they are a grower-owned cooperative and that the Gilmore family ancestors from South Carver, MA founded Ocean Spray and is a 6th generation (think about that for a moment... SIX generations!) grower. Their newest bog was named after their first grandchild, Charlotte, the 7th generation. : )

I encourage you to enlarge the photos (click on each photo) I took during my visit to the Foxborough harvested Ocean Spray cranberry bog (if it weren't yet harvested, the bog would be flooded and the berries skimming the top of the water) and learn about cranberries, the history of Ocean Spray, and harvesting cranberries.

And, I also hope you'll check out the Mass. Dept. of Conservation and Recreation's Healthy Heart trails in your area (if you live in MA).  I was really impressed that they have trails for ALL skill levels.  This means that morbidly obese walkers can get out into nature as they begin their weight loss and fitness journey and walk on well cared for trails (the bog trails were beautiful!) that you'll know the intensity level and length of.  The department's information on the trails take away the anxiety of not knowing what lies ahead and whether or not you'll be physically able to complete the walk.  You WILL be able to and then - when you're finished - you'll be able to say "I did it!" and be proud of your accomplishments!

Enjoy the tour, friends!

Tastes good. Good for you! (Click to enlarge)



The harvested cranberry bog



Beautifully landscaped trails lead to the bog

  

Great easy trails make this a great spot for families



Canadian geese enjoying the late Fall unseasonably warm weather



The stream floods the bogs for harvesting

How the cranberries are cultivated

A few lonely cranberries that weren't harvested remain

Beautiful male and female Mallard ducks blend in with the pond

Sloping Heart Healthy nature trail

Remnants of Hurricane Irene's damage



Beautiful late afternoon pond silhouette

I hope you'll check out the delicious, healthy recipes on the Ocean Spray site.  If you look hard enough you'll find my libation recipe for Cranberry Spritzers! :)   

Here's to our health...

Jan / HealthyLoserGal

Go Sport ID Giveaway ~ Be Safe When You Sweat! :)

I have been so fortunate to meet many really inspiring people along this weight loss and fitness journey.  Kase at Go Sport ID and I have become Twitter friends and it has been great fun to support them in the launch of their business. Please check out the newly launched Go Sport ID website for all of their products.  I am so excited to offer one Healthy Loser Gal blog reader the chance to own this great Go Sport ID in this anniversary giveaway!

As a person who lives alone, I really feel much more secure when I'm out walking or hiking or biking now because I'm wearing one of the Go Sport IDs.  It has my personal info on the inside of the ID (says I'm asthmatic, who to call in emergency, my hospital name) as well as my name and a motivational mantra on the front.  You can actually design it with whatever you would like on the front or back within the constraints of the space allowed.   

The colorful bands allow you to switch up the Go Sport ID to whatever you're wearing as it is very stylish and you could actually wear it all the time if you chose.  One of the things that I like about it, too, is that it is light... it doesn't feel heavy on your wrist when you're exercising.  You don't really notice it is there and, because the band is silicone it is durable and can take your sweat! lol

So how do you win this great giveaway? You 1) leave me a comment below to let me know you're interested  and 2) you follow Go Sport ID on Facebook or Twitter.  That is it! :) 

Thanks for your support on my weight loss and fitness journey, friends!  This weekend and next week there will be giveaways galore, so be sure to check back in on the blog!

Here's to our health!

Dream. Believe. Achieve!

Jan / Healthy Loser Gal

FitStella Is Headed to Visit FabKate!

My fitness pal, FitStella, is winging her way to visit FabKate in Albuquerque as I write this... off for yet another fit & fab adventure!  Before she left Beantown, though, I wanted to be sure she saw the ocean and got to feel the salt air on her flat little fit face, so off we trekked to Newburyport in search of the Atlantic Ocean! :)

Along the way we stopped at my all-time-favorite lobster shack: Woodman's in Essex, Massachusetts so FitStella could see what really fresh New England healthy seafood is all about. 

We arrived at Woodman's just in time for the lobsterman to be taking steaming hot lobsters from the tank to display for the people waiting in the lines that stretched out the door and around into the parking lot. (Name dropping alert: the ex-fiance and I were here one day a few years ago and said hello to Senator Scott Brown & his wife as we all waited in line for delicious, fresh seafood!)



FitStella promoting "lobstah" without "buttah"
MmMmMmmmm!



We made our way up the "north shore" (as it is called in Boston) to the quaint community of Newburyport, a town I happen to love! Newburyport has a 3 mile river walk which starts in town on the Merrimack River and ends up on the ocean - the perfect trek for a beautiful day!

FitStella = the perfect guest!
Always willing to do whatever you'd like,
quiet & never leaves a mess! :)

I'm looking forward to reading FabKate's (who is also Fab at Fifty!!) adventures with FitStella on her blog and hope you'll follow both FitStella's and FitStanley's updates on http://www.fitstanley.com/!
Dream. Believe. Achieve!
Jan / HealthyLoserGal

May Day! Challenge

"May day" is an emergency code word used as a distress signal internationally... It derives from the French venez m'aider, meaning 'come help me'.  According to Wikipedia, "May Day" is used to signal a life-threatening emergency ... the call is always given three times in a row ("Mayday Mayday Mayday").

Here is is, May 1st.  We're nearly half way through with 2011! How did this happen? Where has the past four months flown off to - what about our New Year's resolutions - our True 2 You February promises to ourselves and each other? 



Esther Ralson, my son's great grandmom

Now the dreaded (for me, at least!!) bathing suit season is WEEKS AWAY!  WEEKS!  Not months... WEEKS.  Heck, Memorial Day is THIS MONTH!

MAY DAY! 
MAY DAY!
MAY DAY!

So here is the challenge for the month, friends.  I hope you'll join me in it!  May is upon us and it is 'call to action time'.  We can't be hiding behind baggy pants and sweaters any longer and kidding ourselves and others that we're doing the best we can do. 

Believe me - in the excuse department since January - I have all my bases covered.  I've had pneumonia, I asked my boyfriend to move out, siblings are going through divorces and a dear friend is battling for her life.  I've been using those excuses PLENTY to find reasons not to exercise or do my best.  But it is over.  I'm sending out the May Day call of distress!  I have to get my butt in gear and COMMIT!

The thing about this challenge that will be different is that we're calling out to one another.  You're not going this challenge alone.  Do you need help and know it?  Tell me or someone else you know and let's be ACCOUNTABLE to on another this month.  Let me know when you blew off that walk or the gym or inhaled that pint (or gallon) of Ben & Jerry's.  I'm not going to judge you... I've been there and have plenty of indulgences I'm none too proud of lately, too!

We're all in this together and we all need to be honest to ourselves and call out for help.   Because, for me at least, when I'm helping someone else - I feel good and - in turn - I do better myself.  It is the "what goes around comes around" cycle in the Law of Attraction! ; )

The details of this month's "HLG May Day Challenge" (on Twitter as #HLGMayDay) are simple:

Let's get out our calendars and of the 31 days of May, we're committing to 24 of them to move in some way - get to the gym - walk - climb stairs - go bike riding - do DVDs at home - park in the far lot and walk the long way into the office.  Write on your calendar which days you're committing to.  It doesn't matter if you tell me or someone else WHAT you do - you know what you will feel good about accomplishing - you write down your own goal and them commit to do it for 24 of 31 days.  The other 7 days of the month are days you can do whatever you want - you can do nothing or do something unplanned.  Totally up to you.

And here's the other part... reach out to someone specific - it would be great if it were someone else in this May Day! challenge - and let them know what your plans are and ask them how YOU can help them!  Be a life line - and be open enough, accountable enough to yourself and someone else, to give a May Day shout out for help!

I'll start us off - I need accountability that I'm walking 4 out of 7 days a week.  Anyone want to check in with me on my goal and by my May Day Challenge life line? :)

Let me know if you're "in" this Healthy Loser Gal May Day! Challenge, friends!  I know we can do this and head into the summer proud of ourselves and feeling fit and fabulous!  I can't wait to read your comments! :)

Dream. Believe. Achieve!
Jan / HealthyLoserGal

Happy 2nd "Dream. Believe. Achieve!" to Me!!! :)

Two years ago, absolutely miserable with who I was, I finally made a COMMITMENT to myself.  I couldn't hide the real me beneath any more outward weight, I wouldn't face disappointments with a pizza box on my lap, ready to be consumed with little thought to how it tasted...

Two years ago, I prayed and asked God to help me find the strength to change the path I was on and help me reclaim "me". 

April 2009 having lost 20 lbs.



God answered my prayers and now, two years later, I can same "I am BLESSED! Sooo very blessed."  Because no matter what other turmoil or drama may encircle me these days, I am solid in knowing I will not turn to food for comfort.  Instead, I'll take a deep breath, remember the lessons I've learned these past months about "calories in and calories out", know that I am strong enough to face anything and get through it without placating myself, my anxieties with food.

I have learned now to turn to friends (often you - my blog, Twitter, and Facebook friends!), to toss on my sweats and hit the YMCA, pop in an exercise DVD, tune into ExerciseTV and find Chris Freytag, or to get out of the house for a long walk. 

This is what I wrote on March 20th, 2009:

Time to become accountable...

Posted by HealthyLoserGal at Friday, March 20, 2009 comments (0)


"I am worth the effort" I say to myself over and over inside my mind. "I am worth it... I can do this... I *WILL* do this...", I repeat in mantra-like reply.


But I haven't been 'doing this' and I continue to start and then stop... self-sabotaging. I mean, what the heck AM I doing? I am closer to 300 lbs. than 200 lbs. And I should not even be near to 200 lbs. But here I am. That's the reality.

I'm 'doing it' and I know - if I can - you can, too!  Since March 2009, I have lost 116 pounds.  I've kept 50 pounds off successfully for over one year and I'm not done yet! : )  My goal now is to get to a healthy, maintainable weight of 160 pounds sometime this summer, hopefully by 4th of July weekend.  I believe in myself, in what I've learned in the past year on the Vtrim Online program, and in the exercise routines that are no longer frightening but second nature.  Who EVER would have thought I would say THAT!?  : )



Dec 2010 - 115 lbs gone!

 So, friends... the coming 10 days of March are my thank you to you for being here with me on the journey.  For confiding in me when you're feeling 'up against the wall' and like you'll never lose the weight:  you will.  For being here for me when I felt overwhelmed or saw the scale dip up instead of down - - for not letting me get too excited about magazine stories and interviews and bringing me down to earth that - 'makeover is great, but maintenance is the real work'...

I'm still only a toddler on this weight loss and fitness journey, but I'm finding my legs, wobbly though they may be from time to time, I'm learning! 

Giveaways start TOMORROW (Sunday, March 20th!)!! 

Don't miss a day between March 20th and 30th to enter the giveaways!