Fun at Boston Health & Fitness Expo

How gorgeous do these two look? : )

I headed down to the Hynes Convention Center in Back Bay, Boston today to take in the free Health & Fitness Expo, knowing that the reigning Biggest Loser, Olivia Ward, and her oh-so-fun sister, Hannah, were featured guests. 

I have always been a fan of Teddy Brewski of the Patriots, but today I saw even more reasons to respect this man... he was so genuine and friendly and helpful to each and every child he encountered.  He sat on the floor with them to speak to the little kids at their level and then - when they were running some football drills - he watched each child, stopping them to comment on their technique or to praise them with a 'great job!'... I was really impressed.  What a great role model he was to the kids today.

Watching drills being run...

... and then commenting on how to improve or saying 'great job!'



Along the way I talked with all different types of vendors and health professionals and listened to Joy Bauer (NBC Today Show) on her tips for 'getting healthy". 

A man from the Boston area, Joe Scott, and I chatted a little bit as he told me about his book "The Joe Dial" and his belief that there are three types of people in the world: Takers, Givers, and Take-and-Givers. (You can check out his book on Amazon.) 

A fun Life Size "Operation" Game at Expo

The New England Patriot Mascot signing footballs



It is all about knowing what a 'serving size' is!

I got in a lot of walking in addition to bringing home a bag full of health and fitness info I'll look through tonight and some fun give aways!

Dream. Believe. Achieve! :)

Jan / HealthyLoserGal

What Do You Believe In?

I'm going to ask you to do a very simple exercise:
Write down five things you truly have faith or believe in. 
Or, to make it easier... what are the first five things that come to mind when asked "what do you believe in"?
(I'll give you a few moments to think about it... one mississippi.... two mississippi... okay.... times UP! *grin*)

Did you include yourself?

Two years ago I would never even have considered adding "myself" to my list of what I believe in.  But today? Today believing in myself is second on my list. 

Believe in yourself.
You can change your life.
You can accomplish great things.
You can set a goal and accomplish that goal and much more.

Believe in yourself.
Believe in your self-worth.
Believe you are worth the work and the time to be the person you want to become.
Believe first in yourself!

Believe in you!
I do.

Dream. Believe. Achieve. ~
Jan / HealthyLoserGal

Friday Night Fat Frenzy

What the heck is wrong with me?!?  I mean... REALLY?! 

Last night I ate more calories than I usually do in three complete days.  Alone.  On my couch.  Watching hockey.

I'm so disgusted with myself this morning and FEEL so disgusting!  This lump of crap in my stomach is so evident and gross.

I've gone back and replayed the whole night - - I can tell you how it all happened - but not the why of how it all happened.  If you think you have any insights, I'd be glad to hear them because THIS can't be happening to me again. 

Here's the 411:  My son and his girlfriend are here for a couple of days.  I got home a little early from work knowing they were meeting friends in town (Cambridge/Harvard Square) to go to dinner and watch the game and that they needed a ride to the T (Boston subway).  "Oh!", I thought to myself at that point, "I'll give them a ride to the T and will order a pizza so they can have some late tonight after they get home."   I never order pizza anymore.  I used to.  Probably once a week 'back in the day'.  "And I'll get a salad, too.  And rolls.  The rolls are free... I'll get rolls."  "For them".  WHAT THE HELL?  Who am I kidding?  Where did this evil old voice appear from suddenly?   : (

I got the pizza, the salad, the rolls... dropped them off.  Drove home.  Turned on the hockey game... ate the salad with a glass of wine and two pieces of pizza.  No... "ate" is not an accurate description.  WOLFED.  I wolfed down the two slices... wolfed down the salad.

And then decided to have another slice...
And then another.
Oh, and a glass of regular soda.  A big glass.

And... now it is nearly the third period... I'd stopped eating the pizza... it was for the kids, afterall, and I had by now eaten HALF of it!!  But there were Dunkin Donut Munchkins on the kitchen counter.  Half a box.  Let's see how much damage I can do here... wait... let's carry THE BOX into the living room and watch the Bruins.

At least a dozen.  At LEAST.  And another soda.

I actually had to get up and leave the house... I went for a walk in the dark down the street, just enough to clear my tormented head and come back and STOP!  And then I logged onto Twitter and confessed.  I felt like if someone else knew, I'd stop.  WHAT THE HECK!?!!?!   Why can't I just STOP?!

But, I did stop.  I mean...too late... but I stopped.  The whole pizza wasn't gone.  There were three munchkins left.  : (  

I went to pick up my son and his girlfriend at midnight.  "How was your night, Mom?" my son asked cheerfully? "I feel like I could puke."  I answered.  Not exactly the reply he'd anticipated.

I'm out the door now to undo some of this damage.. walk and then to the Y.  But... man oh man... not good.

Digusted but moving on,
Jan / HLG

Really just BLESSED! : )

BLESSED!

I have to share with you how blessed I am and all the wonderful things that have been happening in my life - remarkably right around my 53rd birthday.  I don't know if it is because I faced my 53rd birthday with no apprehension or misgivings or because I'm truly learning to stay positive and focused and live a life of gratitude, but some wonderful things have been turning up in my life.  I'm not going to question why... I'm just going to be thankful for them and say that there really IS something to this Law of Attraction stuff and "Dream. Believe. Achieve!"... and it is ALL GOOD!  And here's the real kicker... I honestly believe if my life can having these blessings and unexpected gifts, yours can, too!  How 'bout that?  *grin*

So here is a BIG ONE... on my birthday, FITNESS Magazine's The Fit Stop featured the blog and me on their website as a Fit Blogger We Love.  When I came home from New York / Brooklyn after spending an amazing day (Mets pun intended!) with my son (more on this in a second...) I actually cried happy tears seeing this:


Click to enlarge



I am so thankful for the weight I've been able to lose, for how much BETTER I feel from getting healthier... for all of you who continually inspire me by your stories and your dedication to your wellness!  And I had one of those moments when I saw this article... moments when you rededicate yourself to being all that you can be because you know you can do even better than you are now and you want to help others start on their journeys to feel the way you do today.  That is what this birthday present brought to me- rededication and thankfulness!   So-- thank YOU - Fitness Magazine (especially Marianne) for this great birthday present!

Now let me back-up a bit to remind you that the day BEFORE my birthday I received this unexpected big box of TrueLemon products on my door!  I have been enjoying them so much as have a couple of my friends in my office. : )  Another surprise - another thing to be thankful for!

On Thursday morning (my birthday) I set off to Brooklyn to go to a NY METS game with my son, Danny.  I just adore my kid - we have the most fun together and our quirky senses of humor are never lost on one another!  He has a wonderful job this summer with the Mets organization so was able to secure us some great seats.  I have ALWAYS loved baseball from the time I was a little kid and my Dad and I would take long bus rides with the rural American Legion post to NY to see the Mets or Yankees (we were Mets fans)!  In 1969 I was 11 years old and remember every moment of the "Amazin' Mets" winning the World Series.  So to have my own son working for the Mets, in a job he considers his "dream" is - in itself - a wonderful gift.  What parent doesn't want to see their child happy? : )

My son and I were in our seats at Citi Field, in the beautiful sun, having a great time as the Mets begin to come from behind and my son says "Okay, we need to stay in the seats this whole inning...".  I look at him with a "huh?!" look and he says "You'll see, Mom..." with a big smile on his face.  Remember that I've ALWAYS loved baseball and this (below) is what Danny did for me as a special surprise for my birthday!

My "OMG!" moment at June 2nd's Mets game! :)

To say I was stunned and thrilled is an understatement.  To me, though, the greatest part is that my son knows me so well that he knew this would be better than anything I could hold in my hand or open up in a box... this is a wonderful once-in-a-lifetime ('cause there is only one 1st time this will happen!) moment that I'll tuck into my heart... especially remembering the look on my son's face when he saw me see it! As they say on the credit card commercials... "Priceless!" 

After going out to dinner (and - by the way - I walked over 5 miles on my birthday) and dropping my son off at his apartment back in Brooklyn, I headed back to Boston and listened to SUCCESS Magazine CDs all the way home, listening to Maria Shriver, Mari Smith, Peter Gruber interviews that were really interesting and inspiring.  I love finding out secrets that successful people have - no matter their field - and have been increasingly interested in how you keep hearing the same suggestions over and over again. (There's a blog post in there somewhere!)

When I got home, I was overwhelmed with all of the Happy Birthday messages on Twitter and on Facebook. THANK YOU! :)  I couldn't stay awake to read them all and respond I was so tired from the drive and the busy day... and I wanted to get my 8 hours of sleep in per my commitment to the June JAZZ challenge!



The final birthday miracle (and yes, I'm calling it that because I refuse to think it will be anything but a positive) is a call I received on Friday evening.  When I broke off my relationship with my fiance a few years ago now, I moved back to a beautiful rental home in the town I'd raised my son in.  When I first saw the home I felt immediately peaceful in it.  It is "me".  I have changed and grown and become more "me" while living in this home than anywhere else in decades.  I have had every intention of being a 'long term renter' and the landlord was happy to have me do so. 



Christmas season 2010

 On Friday evening she called and told me that she and her husband are divorcing and the status of the house is up in the air.  She was very emotional, felt bad delivering the news to me, was unsure when and if I'd need to start looking for a new home.  I truly felt this peace come over me and in the midst of the conversation I asked her calmly to give me '1st right of refusal' if they plan to put the house on the market and/or a lease option to rent and buy the house from them.   She was very VERY receptive to this idea and told me that it may, very well, be the answer they'd been looking for, too.  I hung up knowing that whatever happens - it will be the right thing for me.  And I have EVERY INTENTION (stating intentions and goals is important) of owning that house in the next six months.  I called my family and told them to pray for me - to send me positive energy that this would happen.  The amazing thing about this is that - while it may seem scary to many that I would have to find a new home to move to - to me I believe this is God's hand in my life.  A year ago when I signed the new lease I had a goal to own the house.  I told people about it - saying "I think I'll own this house one day.".  Now the wheels are in motion!  Do I have the money in the bank to secure it? No!  Do I know somehow I will be able to afford it? YES!!

So... in a few days I had a number of remarkable things take place in my life.  I am so blessed.  I believe so strongly in searching your heart for what you truly want in your life and writing down those goals, keeping them in the forefront of your mind, working toward them, and that you'll achieve them.  And - staying optimistic!  If you have negative thoughts creep into your psyche - chase them away. 

There!  I feel like I've just witnessed in church! LOL  But what I've really done is written a thank you note to you and the universe at large for blessing me!  THANK YOU! :)

Dream. Believe. Achieve!
Jan / HLG

JAZZ up your June: HLG June Challenge!

We made it, friends! We're in June and at the halfway point of 2011!  How're you doing with your fitness and weightloss goals?  Did you stall out a tiny bit during the winter months as I did and blogged about? Were you able to get yourself on a new path last month and set things straight?  Even if you didn't make all 24 days of the MayDay Challenge, did you feel good about what you did achieve?  I hope so! :)

So the June JAZZ challenge is all about three things:
Journaling
Activity
and getting your ZzZzZzz's!

While I would never lie to anyone, I find I am really great at lying to one person: me!!  I'm finding maintenance of my weight loss to be really difficult if I don't do one basic thing: journal my food and activity!  I tend to say "well, I'll log my dinner tonight tomorrow afternoon..." or "I don't need to weigh that chicken breast, I think it looks like 6 oz.".  Mhm.  Bald face lies.  I know darn well if I don't log my food the day I eat it, I won't be logging it the next day.  And eye-balling portions still doesn't work well for me because I tend to WANT that 9 oz of chicken breast to be 6 oz and know it truly isn't.  Ugh!  So... Step one of the June JAZZ Challenge = JOURNAL your food and your activity.

If you're not journaling now, this part of the challenge may be a little... well... challenging! LOL  (I couldn't resist!)  So, just like we've done in past challenges, we're not looking for perfection here, just progress.  If - by the end of June - you can get into the habit of journaling often, try to have the final week of June be a week of complete journaling of your food (time of day, meal or snack, portion size, calories, fat grams is what I do...) and your activity (the length of time, the activity I did, the time of day and the estimated calories burned is my method).  I can suggest two online sites I like for online journaling.  One is fitday.com and the other is on the Live Strong site and called MyPlate which used to be the "Daily Plate" site which I've used for about 18 months now.  Both are free and easy to use. 


Photo from womensquest.com

Step two of the June JAZZ challenge is getting in 24 days of some sort of activity during of 30 days of the month.  In June we're so blessed to have a multitude of choices for fitness and activity!  Play tennis or go for a long bike ride or play frisbee with the kids, go hiking, kayaking, learn how to fly fish, up your running miles... whatever will be a little more challenge for you activity-wise this month... GO FOR IT! :) 

And finally, the summer months tend to lead us to want to pack everything into the longer days of light... and we end up burning the proverbial candle at both ends which isn't too great for those of us who want to lose or maintain or weightloss.  Step three for June JAZZ is for us to try to get at least 6-7 hours of sound sleep a night. Research suggests that a solid night's sleep boosts levels of leptin, a hormone that suppresses hunger. This simple fact is detailed in many health articles in magazines including Fitness Magazine's 5 Steps to a Good Night's Sleep found here.  You can also take a quick peek at why you need your ZzZzZz's in Prevention Magazine 60 Second Solution video!  Take 60 seconds by clicking the video below to realize why getting a good night's sleep - even in the summer months - is especially important!

So there you have it - - the #hlgJuneJAZZ challenge.  1) Journal  2) Be active for 24 of 30 days and 3) Get your ZzZzZzs!

I'm looking forward to June... I'm setting the bar high and I will journal all 30 days, get great sleep and write down on my calendar tonight what my definite 24 days of activity will be! C'mon and join me and let me know if you're "in the June JAZZ challenge" either by leaving a comment here or on Twitter ( @healthylosergal) or on Facebook ( HealthyLoser Gal).

By Dreaming BIG, Believing in ourselves, and going for it - we can Achieve anything we set our minds to! :)
Here's to our health!
Jan / HealthyLoserGal

Lack of Sleep and Weight Gain

It is true! I love Lemons! :)

I drove into my driveway after work tonight and, lo and behold, there on my porch was a package! "Oh cool," I thought to myself, "someone sent me a birthday present!" 

I decided to fore go taking in the mail and bringing in the groceries before checking the package and was surprised and delighted to see that the bright yellow box was a surprise sample package from the people at True Citrus and the product I love called, TrueLemon - it truly is a birthday present - they just didn't know it! : )

I am going to be thrilled to try out the new products in their line including... drum roll please... Raspberry Lemonade (okay, I'm trying that tomorrow a.m. first thing and taking it to the office with me for friends to share)!!  What is a better pairing than raspberries and lemonade... hello? Nothing for this gal! lol

And - if you follow me on Twitter - you KNOW I am always nudging friends to drink water!  (I know 'nudging' is a nice way to say it... I get kinda pushy about it! *grin*)  And that is where I first started using TrueLemon... I have their little easy to store into the purse or gym bag packets and add it to my big water bottle when I feel like changing things up a little bit - and it is MmMm delicious!  0 carbs / no fat / no calories. What is NOT to like there, huh?

So... over the next couple of weeks as I'm sampling the abundant box of presents I received tonight, look for my tweets on what I liked the most (because I have a feeling I am going to like them all, honestly!).  And, I'll read thru the literature I was sent, too, and let you know a bit more about the background of the product... this much I know without reading it - it is all natural and was developed originally by a chef and tastes great! :)

If you have NOT tried TrueLemon, and you're one of the first eight to let me know in Comments here AND follow @TrueLemon on Twitter or, if you don't tweet, Like them on Facebook (plus, when you Like TheTrueLemon, you get a free coupon - all good!) I will send you a packet in the mail for you to try.  It is my birthday and I'm giving away the presents! lol

Tomorrow morning starts a new challenge, friends... it will be called June Jazz and a hint about it is that it is about taking care of YOU! ; )

Drink up that water and...

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

I'm Gonna Pick Myself Up, Brush Myself Off...

... and start all over again!

I haven't been around much in the past month - five weeks really - I haven't been blogging, or tweeting much, I haven't been posting on Facebook.  I have been reeling from some pretty tumultuous events in my life - one on top of another it has seemed - and have been knocked back on my heels by the fact that - no matter how wise or learned I may have thought I was - I can be fully, completely duped and taken for a fool.  That hurts and is a hard lesson to learn. 

You won't be seeing any more postings about HL Guy on Twitter or here.  You won't find photos of him on the blog or on Facebook and you definitely won't be hearing me talk about him.  That relationship is - as they say in Boston with the accent - "OOvah!"  And, were my Dad alive, he would add (besides the 'good strong kick to HLGuy's a$$') "Good riddance to bad rubbish!".  And he would be right.  *grin*  "Hasta la vista, bay-bee!"

A month ago I sat in the ER at my local hospital really ill with pneumonia.  Alone. Alone with a lot of time to think. Enough time to realize I was unhappy and needed to make some changes.  I won't go into details here but let's just say on top of being sick, I have had some pretty rough emotional weeks and they're not quite over yet - but I am hoping this weekend will be the turning point and I can "pick myself up, brush myself off, and start all over again".  This time I'll be a little wiser, a little more cautious, a little less trusting.  But that isn't all bad.

So now you know.  What I've been struggling with - personally and health wise.  And I've gained 6 pounds in 5 weeks.  But I'm not going to beat myself up over that either because I couldn't exercise with pneumonia and I did indulge in a tiny bit of comfort food consumption.  I'm back walking and exercising as of Saturday and feeling more like "me" every day!  That's the silver lining here! ; )

I'll see you over on Twitter for Biggest Loser tonight, huh?  I'll be back to myself.  I'll be back to being happy!

xo for listening and caring!

Dream. Believe. Achieve.
Jan

Happiness is a choice~

Congrats to... anniversary winners! : )

Thanks so much to everyone for being along on my weight loss and fitness journey these past two years. Tomorrow, April 1st, starts a new chapter for me and I am fully looking forward to rejuvenating and reaching goal weight this summer! 

Congratulations to the following ladies who were chosen from comments (and a random number generator!) as the recipients of the gifts celebrating my two year anniversary:

Congrats to "ff12A" for winning The Biggest Loser Dessert Cookbook.  Please email me your mailing info!

"Jennifer", you were selected to receive the beautiful Love,Meg Cards and Goals Journal.  Please email me your mailing info and congrats!

Chris Freytag's CHOOSE THIS! cookbook will be sent off to "Karle57".  Congrats... I know you'll love this cookbook! :)  Please send me your mailing info.

And... "Danielle", you will receive The Natural Vegan Kitchen cookbook! Please send me your mailing address... this is a wonderful cookbook which I hope will help in your April challenge. I'll get it out to you this weekend if I receive your mailing address on Friday. : )

Congrats to everyone and many thanks to Chris Freytag, Coach's Oats, "Love, Meg Cards", and Rick Diamond of Book Publishing Company for offering these wonderful gifts to the Healthy Loser Gal blog readers! 

Here's to our health and happiness!

Dream. Believe. Achieve!

Jan ~ HealthyLoserGal

Two Year Anniversary Giveaway Wrap-Up

Looking for the HealthyLoserGal Two Year Anniversary Giveaways?? Click on the links below for each individual giveaway and enter all or one! : )  Tonight (Thursday, March 31st) after 11pm the winners will be posted here!

Chris Freytag's CHOOSE THIS! Cookbook full of healthy and simple recipes

Beautiful note cards from Love,MegCards perfect for writing gratitude notes and a journal for keeping track of your goals...


The Natural Vegan Kitchen cookbook

The Biggest Loser DESSERT Cookbook

Cold morning. Warm Coach's Oats. Life Is Good! Anniversary Giveaway #5

I don't know about you and where you live, but we New Englanders have had enough of winter!  It is "spring" officially and yet - on Friday - we're in for more snow. Like half a foot of the white stuff. "Snow" has officially become a four-letter word around here.  But I have to tell you, one thing I'm not tired of that is new to me this winter, is oatmeal and the benefits of it.  I have been a creative fool with the stuff this long, cold winter - in particular, with Coach's Oats! 

As the folks at Coach's Oats will tell you themselves, they have reinvented oatmeal! Their oats have steel cut texture and taste without the wait. Coach's Oats cooks in 3 to 5 minutes and for working gals like me, the little packets slip easily into your laptop bag or purse for breakfast at the office!  And they're delicious! I mix mine with berries or sometimes just add honey and voila! low-fat-happy-belly goodness... All good!  : )

Coach's Oats is celebrating my 2nd year anniversary with me and have been so generous in offering the first four people who comment on this blog post and follow them on Facebook free samples of their delcious oats.  Simply leave a comment here, follow Coach's Oats on FB, and then send me your email address (my email addy is in the right handed column on Healthy Loser Gal  blog)!  So easy, huh? 

Thanks to Lizzy at Coach's Oats for offering the giveaway!  She is an inspiration herself and so much fun on Twitter! :)

Dream. Believe. Achieve!

Jan ~ HealthyLoserGal

Friendship Cards & Dream Journal: Anniversary Giveaway #4

Two years into this journey, there are two things I truly believe have been key to getting me to where I am today: a happier, healthier person who believes in myself!   The first is that you have to have concrete GOALS and write them down in order to accomplish great things.  I wrote about the differences between a wish and a goal back in November and how goals help you concentrate, plan, envision yourself where you want to be... wishes are 'pie in the sky' dreams that usually don't get concrete attention!  

The second thing is just important... you have to have a grateful heart.  Out of gratitude comes positive expression and positive feelings and positive actions and on and on and on.  Being grateful is saying to yourself or someone else "That was really good. Thank you."  or "I'm so glad to know you." or any simple expression of appreciation and love.  Gratitude doesn't need to be flowers sent or jewelry bought or trips given, sometimes the purest form of gratitude can be found in the written word.  Written cards and notes, expression of gratitude can be held onto by the recipient, tucked away in a drawer or a book for a moment when they NEED to feel appreciated.  They open your card or letter and they feel your gratitude and - in that moment - they experience your gratitude a second time. 

I'm really hoping you'll take both journaling and note writing to heart - one helps you be the person you want to be and the other expresses gratitude to someone in your life.  I've coupled a journal and wonderful hand-made note papers by Love, Meg Cards as the 4th Giveaway for this #hlg2Year anniversary giveaway.  Love, Meg Greeting Cards are handcrafted greeting cards, personalized invitations, announcements, scrapbooking and paper craft home decor. The cards that Meg has offered are sooo whimsical and cute - a perfect way to bring a smile to someone's face who receives your note! ; ) 

The journal is small enough to fit easily in a purse or laptop or iPad bag so when inspiration strikes, you can pull it out and go to town on your goals and aspirations... write them down - that is the power of setting goals! : )

If you'd like to be entered in the Love,Meg Cards and journal giveaway then you will only need to:

1) Follow the HealthyLoserGal blog
2) If you're on Twitter or Facebook, follow me in one or both places (I'm @HealthyLoserGal on Twitter and "HealthyLoser Gal" on Facebook)
3) For every giveaway you are entering this week, tweet or post on FB about the #hlg2year giveaways with a link back to healthylosergal.blogspot.com
4) Tell me in the HLG blog comments that you'd like to receive these beautiful cards and the journal and ...Voila! You're entered! :)

Dream. Believe. Achieve!
Jan ~ HealthyLoserGal

Chris Freytag's CHOOSE THIS! Cookbook: Anniversary Giveaway #3

I should be President of the Chris Freytag Fan Club.  Truly.  She is an inspiration in so many ways to me.  First of all - okay - there's the fact that this woman is FIT... have you ever tried to keep up with 10 minutes of this dynamo on ExerciseTV or on one of her DVDs?  Good lord - this Mom of teenagers ROCKS it!  : )

Her yoga dvds are AMAZING.  I do not know how anyone gets into the mind set to do 20 plus minutes of intense (is that wrong to say about yoga... my terminology may be wrong but I hope you know what I mean here...) advanced moves yoga.  But Chris does them, and talks through every move, demonstrating them with a smile on her face! 

Then there is the fact that she is a healthy eater and knows about being busy and having a family and a career.  And now... now she's on QVC often with great tools of the healthy living trade as well as this fabulous cookbook that offers us simple, easy nutritious and DELICIOUS food!  CHOOSE THIS! is a great cookbook and I am thrilled that Chris has offered to send one to the lucky giveaway winner! :)



Click to enlarge - delicious SORBET!

 I love this cookbook - I got it and sat down and read it cover to cover.  Beautifully shot - with the two most important things to me in a good cookbook:  1) nutritional info and 2) easy quick recipes... plus there are little bits scattered throughout that give you insights into Chris and the cool person she is! :) 



Chris can be found on Twitter and Facebook, too, if you'd like to follow her in either place.  She is inspirational, a motivator and a really nice person! :) 

If you'd like to be entered in the CHOOSE THIS! cookbook giveaway (and who wouldn't?!) then you will need to:

1) Follow the HealthyLoserGal blog
2) If you're on Twitter or Facebook, follow me in one or both places (I'm @HealthyLoserGal on Twitter and "HealthyLoser Gal" on Facebook)
3) For every giveaway you are entering this week, tweet or post on FB about the #hlg2year giveaways with a link back to healthylosergal.blogspot.com
4) Tell me in the HLG blog comments why you'd enjoy this cookbook and Voila! You're entered! :)

Good luck, friends... this is an awesome cookbook that I love and I think you will, too! :)
DREAM. BELIEVE. ACHIEVE.
Jan ~ HealthyLoserGal : )

The Natural Vegan Kitchen Cookbook! Anniversary Giveaway #2

When Rick Diamond of Book Publishing Company approached me on Twitter about reviewing vegan books on the blog I thought he may have the wrong gal!  "I'm not vegan," I thought to myself, "heck, I'm not even vegetarian!".  And then I went to his site... and looked at the amazing books he's offering ... and I realized I'm a LOT more into veggies and healthy eating/cooking than I give myself credit for! :)  These simple to follow, fully explained (to the point of a glossary in the back of the book for newbies like me who don't know all the terminology yet!) recipes are all nutritionally broken down and look AMAZING!

I've had over a month to delight in the two vegan cookbooks I'll be offering during the HLG anniversary.  

The first, The Natural Vegan Kitchen, "weaves wholesome, unprocessed foods into dishes so delectable you won’t believe they’re good for you. From nourishing comfort food to elegant celebration fare, these recipes are easy-to-understand and duplicate."  So true!



Click on the pic to enlarge

The Natural Vegan Kitchen author is Christine Waltermyer who runs an East coast Natural Kitchen Cooking School.  Her talents are sung in the Foreward by Rory Freedman, author the The Skinny Bitch who freely admits eating at Burger King used to be her style of life.  No more with Christine's inspiration! : )

Click on the pic to enlarge

In the past year, especially, I have found myself turning more and more to whole foods, natural foods without preservatives or additives.  (Plus, I am a firm believer in the Farm Fresh and Buying Local movements having grown up in rural New York state and knowing small farmers' struggles to stay in business!) I know that this little change in fresh and raw foods has helped my health and vitality.  This cookbook will continue me on the journey with inspiring new ways to 'put things together' that I had never thought about and enjoy the delicious, healthy outcomes! I hope it will give you the same inspiration! : )  I'll share the photos here and let you know what recipes I make from the vegan cookbooks, especially on "Meatless Mondays".



Thanks very much to BookPubCo for offering the cookbooks to HealthyLoserGal blog readers during the Anniversary celebration!

Rules for all the giveaways this week:



1) Follow HealthyLoserGal blog (and if you're entering the giveaway for The Natural Vegan Kitchen, please follow BookPubCo on Facebook or @Rick_Diamond on Twitter)

2) If you're on Twitter or Facebook, follow me in one or both places (I'm @HealthyLoserGal on Twitter and "HealthyLoser Gal" on Facebook, plus have the "Healthy Loser Gal" page there, too!)

3) For every giveaway you are entering, tweet about the #hlg2year giveaways with a link back to healthylosergal.blogspot.com

4) Tell me in the comments why you'd enjoy this cookbook and Voila! You're entered! :)



Click the pic to enlarge

You can enter in all the giveaways this month, but you can only be awarded one. All the separate giveaway winners will be announced on March 31st in a separate post here and it is up to you to get back to me at healthylosergal@yahoo.com by April 6th with your mailing address, etc. : )

Here's to our health & fitness, friends!

Dream. Believe. Achieve!

Jan / HealthyLoserGal

I'm proud to be a LOSER! Anniversary Giveaway #1

I am really excited to be able to pass along to you guys - readers of the journey I've been on the past two years now - some great ANNIVERSARY GIVEAWAYS this week. 

If you follow me on Twitter (thank you to those of you who do!!), then you know on Tuesday nights between 8-10pm EST you can usually find me tweeting away about the current season of The Biggest Loser.  I know there are plenty of divergent opinions about the show but I unabashedly like and watch it! Some weeks I'll take 30 minutes aside and do step aerobics on the WiiFit during the show so I don't feel too guilty for sitting on my backside while watching their challenges!  :) 



Click to enlarge for Hollie Self's words of advice :)



I've been really fortunate to connect with a few of the past contestants and see they're doing amazingly well "off the ranch" and THAT inspires me all the more.  Over the years, two women from the show have been "my favorites" and they are Hollie Self from Season 4 and Tara Costa from Season 7. I interviewed Hollie on this blog last May and know that today she was running a race in California!  I'm excited to let you know, too, that part of the HLG 2nd Anniversary celebration these next 10 days includes an interview with Tara Costa - who has begun her own foundation to inspire others to live a healthy, active life!   



Comfort food AND healthy! Brown Rice Pudding!



So the first giveaway this week is Chef Devin Alexander's wonderful The Biggest Loser Dessert Cookbook.  My son gave me my copy for Christmas and inscribed the inside with "For Mom, my favorite loser and great chef!" *grin*  I've since made probably six or seven of the desserts and they are 1) easy to make 2) DELICIOUS and 3) low in calories and fat grams.  I love cookbooks that tell you the nutritional info on what you're cooking and this one has that, too! 

Rules for all the giveaways this week:

1) Follow HealthyLoserGal blog

2) If you're on Twitter or Facebook, follow me in one or both places (I'm @HealthyLoserGal on Twitter and "HealthyLoser Gal" on Facebook, plus have the "Healthy Loser Gal" page there, too!)

3) For every giveaway you are entering, tweet about the #hlg2year giveaways with a link back to healthylosergal.blogspot.com

4) Tell me in the comments why you'd enjoy this cookbook and Voila! You're entered! :)

You can enter in all the giveaways this month, but you can only be awarded one. All the separate giveaway winners will be announced on March 31st in a separate post here and it is up to you to get back to me at healthylosergal@yahoo.com by April 6th with your mailing address, etc.  : )

Dream. Believe. Achieve!

Jan / HealthyLoserGal