Buy Local at Farmers Market = Supporting Small Farms & Eating Healthy!



Busa Farms beautiful array
of fresh, local produce

I stole away from the office for 45 minutes this afternoon to visit the Lexington Farmers' Market which was an absolute delight!  Not only is this weekly farmers' market in my backyard, I am happy to see it was named Boston Magazine's Best Farmers Market of 2010.  I've gone occasionally over the past three years after embarking on this healthy journey and have come away at different times with bags full of wonderful fresh produce, fresh herbs and flowers, home baked breads, and many other goodies from the 30+ vendors. 

Today was my first visit of the 2011 season and I purchased delicious local raspberries, romaine lettuce, and fresh sweet corn from Busa Farms (Lexington Rd., Concord, MA), picked-this-morning bouquet of thee most fragrant lavender from The Herb Farmacy in Salisbury, and cukes from Rad Urban Farmers (who brought his produce to market on a bike and grows it in his own backyard! Pretty darn cool!).  Oh, and tomatoes - gorgeous ones - from Charlton Orchard (Charlton, MA).

Beautiful flower and lavender bouquets
from The HERB FARMacy

If you're anywhere near the Lexington area, I urge you to check out this wonderful local farmers' market where you're inspired to buy healthy, wholesome foods and at reasonable farm-to-table pricing!  I am a huge proponent of buying local to support farmers having grown up in a very rural, agricultural county in upstate New York.  I know how hard it is to eek a living from the land while being a farmer and feel it is so important to support local farmers whenever I can.  The Lexington Farmers' Market gives me the opportunity to show that support weekly! 

Additionally, I noticed today the Farmers' Market is sponsored in part by Joyce Murphy, a local Lexington Realtor at William Raveis Realty, who is absolutely the ideal real estate agent! I first met Joyce when I moved to Lexington 20 years ago this week! She knows more about the Lexington area than anyone I have since met and I couldn't possibly recommend her more highly! : )


 

Enticing herbs from the HERB FARMacy

The Lexington Farmers' Market is open Tuesdays from May through October from 2-6:30pm and is located on the corner of Massachusetts Avenue (Mass Ave to locals *grin*) and Woburn Streets in Lexington Center.

Rad Urban Farmers' stand of backyard grown veggies :)

"The first farmer was the first man. All historic nobility rests on the possession and use of land." Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Let us not forget that the cultivation of the earth is the most important labor of man. When tillage begins, other arts will follow. The farmers, therefore, are the founders of civilization." Daniel Webster





Fresh, local corn from 'up the road a piece'
at Busa Farms in Concord, Mass.

Lexington Farmers' Market, Tuesdays thru October

Dream. Believe. Achieve!

Jan / HealthyLoserGal 

Healthy Habits Challenge: Self-Discipline & No Excuses!

I can't believe that in six weeks we'll be at the end of August - - summer's end!  Only SIX WEEKS!!

Well, I don't know about you - but I plan to make the most of these next six weeks!  Did you know that behaviorists have learned that it takes somewhere between 30 to 66 days to form a habit - - a GOOD one or a BAD one?!

Usually I start a Healthy Loser Gal challenge at the beginning of the month but this challenge is going to be six weeks long and is all about self-discipline and creating great habits that will carry us into a fantastic, fit Fall! (And, too, hopefully then last a lifetime!)

Someday Isle...

I've been doing a lot of reading this summer and have really been enjoying learning self-improvement techniques and quick tips.  One book, "No Excuses: The Power of Self-Discipline!" by Brian Tracy, is really aimed at self-improvement for sales and business people, but the lessons I've learned have already helped in my daily life.  Brian Tracy talks about home many people live on "Someday Isle"... because they don't have the self-discipline to work toward their dreams now. This was me for soooo many years.  I would say "Well, someday I'll lose the weight..." or "someday I'll start to exercise again..." and "someday I'll stop watching t.v. every night and eating myself into a comatose state...".  Someday Isle... Someday I'll...

Until... one day... I finally left "Someday Isle" and began living in the present, believed in my goals and dreams, and - here's the kicker - got off my backside and developed self-discipline and then habits to work hard and achieve what I truly wanted:  to lose 100 pounds and get my 50 year old self fit again! : )

"If it's to be, it's up to me," Brian Tracy says.  How true!  No one else can walk fitness miles for me, no one else can plan my meals or stop me from overeating, no one else can accept a challenge for me and then see it through.  Those are steps I proudly, confidently take on my own.  Being confident is the key - - and remaining positive!

I want the next six weeks to be AWESOME!  Will you join me? : ) I want us all to ask ourselves this question:  "If my life were ideal, what would it look like?"  Get a really good picture in your mind, write it down and then answer this:
"What is the main discipline I need to achieve that picture?"

Once you've answered that question, you now have your focus for the next six week when - with self-discipline - we can form new behaviors and form HEALTHY HABITS!  (Thank you, Brian Tracy, for inspiring me to answer this question!)

I have many things I need to become more disciplined in but planning is the healthy habit I'm concentrating on for the next six weeks of Healthy Habits Challenge.  In many cross areas of my life, planning will make a tremendous difference.  It is great to be "spontaneous", but too much spontaneity can lead (in my case) to disorganization and chaos.  And chaos = disorder and that is never good!

The healthy habits I plan to gain in these next six weeks are:
1) Planning out my week and daily schedule with some weekend flexibility
2) Planning my weekly food
3) Packing my food every morning prior to leaving for work
4) Planning in my daily fitness
5) and finally, committing time (planning it in advance) to blog regularly and track my progress, find out how friends (that's you!) in the challenge are doing!

My week days are going to start an hour earlier to plan my day out, set my goal list, and do what I call my 'home fitness' which is usually walking, WiiFit or a DVD.  (It is summer and right now my home fitness is walking 95percent of the time!)

I'm starting the Healthy Habit Challenge tomorrow morning - heck! I've really started it today as I've written this.  I'd LOVE for you to join me in these next six weeks so we can share our accomplishments, encourage one another.  There truly is power in numbers and self-discipline is so key to achieving our dreams and goals! If we say we're  going to make a commitment to ourselves, let's DO IT!  No backing away... no excuses. We determine to do it - and darnitall - we do! :)

When we give in to that inner voice that urges us to do something other than what we'd planned to do, we lose a little bit of our conviction.  And then, if we continue to give in, the habit of 'giving in' becomes our reality and wins. Let's not let that happen any longer in our lives. This time, in the next six weeks, WE WIN!

It takes only six weeks to develop a habit - a HEALTHY HABIT - what is yours going to be? : )

Dream. Believe. Achieve!
Jan ~ Healthy Loser Gal

And the FitBoston bag of goodies goes to...

Roxanne! Congrats to you and please email me your address so I can send off the wonderful products from the great FitBoston day sponsored by MeYouHealth, Modern Pilates, and Healthworks! :)

@BrilliantJen

It has been great fun to chat on Twitter and Facebook with new friends I made last Saturday at FitBoston and to have finally put real life faces to friends I've chatted with for a long time now. 



Elina Holbrook



Elise Fletcher (left) getting her bounce on! :)



Some of these great gals include Elina Holbrook of @ElinaCooks on Twitter as well as her site http://www.russianbites.com/; Laura Baker of Proliphique; Jenn Mitchell of http://www.personalfitcoach.com/; Janel of @DietitianJanel (and lucky winnner of a FitTrampoline!); @BrilliantJen; @KerryCooks; @LenaOnTheBeach; and long-time Twitter pal, @EliseFletcher!  I am leaving out tons of people - heck! even Social Media Guru Chris Brogan popped in for a few minutes!

Alicia Benjamin, Lisa Johnson, Chris Brogan (huh?), Jacqy Carly

Alicia from MeYouHealth posted a few videos from Saturday, including one of me telling what my inspiration to get fit is (see me below sans makeup and oh-so-close-up! lol):

Dream. Believe. Achieve!

Jan / HealthyLoserGal

Losing 100 pounds - - Steering Back on Course!

In a couple of weeks I will be at the one year annivesary mark of having lost 100 pounds.  And while I am so very thankful to have lost the 100 pounds, in reality - at the New Year - I was at 122 lbs. total lost, working out 4-5x weekly, and then gained back seven pounds over the course of a difficult few months AND let up on my exercise.  And those 7 pounds have stayed on me and I'm not too thrilled about it when I truly examine my own conscience.  The reason I'm a little peeved with myself is because I know in my heart I could have kept the 122 lbs. off had I tried a little harder... had I not used the excuse of my life being a little difficult.  And I *felt* better at that weight and still had some to go before I was where I think I will ultimately end up. 

So... that said, the one thing I have never done successfully is plan my food.  I'm an avid food logger / exercise log writer, but I absolutely stink at planning out my food.  As of tonight - as of this blog post - that stops. I believe that is the last hurdle I need to overcome to feel I am where I need to be in my learning curve for a truly satisfied "healthy loser" experience. 

Wish me luck.  Tomorrow morning starts with my typical cup of no fat yogurt, berries, and Kashi GoLean Crunch.  Banana at mid-morning.  Water. Water. Water. : )  Lunch will be a slice of whole wheat bread, 3 oz turkey, slice of swiss cheese, lettuce, tomato, dijon mustard and tossed salad with 1/2 hard boiled egg, balsamic dressing and a pint of low fat chocolate milk.  That's my plan thus far.  I'll figure out dinner tomorrow morning when I log the cals/fat grams for the food I already have planned.

Advice is welcomed on what I need more of, i.e. protein, fats, etc. 

I'm strong and stubborn and my decision is made.  I'm doing this!

Dream. Believe. Achieve!

Jan / HealthyLoserGal

FitBoston = Fitness & Blogging & Fun



Alicia Benjamin (MeYouHealth), me, Lisa Johnson (Modern PIlates)

I wish you all could have been at FitBoston in Brookline yesterday with me to experience the fun and absorb the great info and tips!  From the moment I walked in and was met by Lisa Johnson with a hug as she handed out FitStudio (thank you @FitStudio and Sears!) t-shirts to all attending, to the moment I walked out four hours later with an extra goody bag (more on that and how you can score that a little later) and was in disbelief that four hours passed so quickly, it was all a great time!
It was (please note the caps!!) WONDERFUL to meet friends in person that I've tweeted with and emailed with and gotten to know a bit through Twitter and Facebook and through our blogs! 

The day started with Alicia Benjamin (@LexiMaven and the gal often behind the tweets @MeYouHealth) welcoming everyone and letting us know the agenda for the day as well as getting us up and moving to warm up our bodies! Such fun!  I was so happy to finally meet Alicia as I've considered her a friend for some time now and was truly honored to be part of their Blogger Well Being Challenge on the MeYouHealth / Daily Challenge site back in December of 2010! :)

Healthworks co-sponsored FitBoston

The Healthworks facility in Brookline is REALLY, REALLY nice! LOL  Like REALLY nice - I was kind of awe struck when I went into the locker rooms.  I could get used to having a workout experience like that on a regular basis.  And Nina from Healthworks was with us throughout the day and was a great Healthworks ambassador!  And - who'd a thunk it - at the end of the day when the raffle prizes were being awarded, *I* won the month free membership at Healthworks!  Just THRILLED!!

I've admired Lisa Johnson who owns Modern Pilates for a long time. On Twitter with her own name (did you know there are 7000+ Lisa Johnsons in the US? lol) and @ModernPilates, Lisa spoke about being a successful fitness blogger (she sure is!) and shared tips for beginner, intermediate and advanced bloggers. This was one of the high points of the day for me as I took notes like a mad woman and soaked in her advice.  Make no mistake about it, if you want to have your blog be a success, you need to be consistent and put aside the time in your life to 'work it'.

I was able to speak with Lisa a bit more at a break and she was very helpful in answering questions, offering suggestions!  Big huge thanks to her for helpful advice to everyone in attendance and, too, for leading us through pilates moves later in the afternoon!

Kurt Eng is a WordPress platform guru and aficionado and - even though I may have been the only one in the room who doesn't use WordPress to blog - his tips were just as valuable to me as anyone about where and when to spend your hard earned dollars (use free templates vs. purchasing developed art work for your blog) and what add-ons are best.  I was honestly way impressed when @KurtEng tweeted at midnight last night the top 10 apps he'd suggest when he couldn't remember them all off the top of his head when asked at FitBoston.  That was pretty cool of him!  Kurt is a founding organizer of the upcoming WordCamp Boston, too... follow him on Twitter for more info on that or follow @WordCampBoston.




Jacq Carly was the key-note speaker

 Did you know that Fitarella changed her Twitter name to her real name now?  :)  I didn't 'til yesterday so y'all need to check out @JacqCarly if you're looking for her!  Jacque is a force to be reckoned with... this gal has spunk and a great, positive attitude and that is what she keynoted about yesterday.  Live your life in the present, friends.  Yesterday is in the past, the future is what you make it...but don't be looking forward or backward so much that you don't enjoy the NOW.  Her 15 minutes in front of us all at FitBoston were inspiring to listen to and left everyone with an upbeat message of enjoy the now and be happy for who you are now - don't postpone your happiness for the person you're dreaming of becoming.  I've always loved that message and try to live it on a daily basis! 

I want to thank Alicia Benjamin for inviting the college student from Northeastern who volunteers at Girls LEAP.  This young woman (whose name I cannot remember... was it Nina?) stood in front of us all and spoke eloquently and from the heart on why Girls LEAP looks to empower young girls (and really women of all ages) in finding their voice and learning the basics of not just self defense but self offense... not allowing someone to steal your voice from you.  She skillfully showed us very basic moves of self defense and how saying "NO!" strongly and forcefully at the right time can make the difference between avoiding a bad situation and being the victim of one.  Bravo to this young woman and the Girls LEAP program.

Other great workout sessions included Rachel Kobey of Energize Studio demoing the http://www.fitnesstrampoline.com/.  Boy! am I glad I didn't volunteer to be on the tramp session... Rachel is a powerhouse and really put the gal volunteers through the paces.  I think my jaw fell open at least once watching the intensity of how fast Rachel was able to bounce and turn.  (I was watching her and having one of those movie things in my brain at the same time of me bouncing OFF the tramp and into another person... us all crashing to the wooden floor... lol!)

Sarah Rhines is a young entrepreneur who has launched SunCircles which are hula hoops for fitness.  She began her presentation with hoop dancing (I believe that is what she called it) and it was lyrical and so beautiful to watch.  Who knew a hoop could be so artistic?  I didn't but do now! :)  We then were invited to try hooping with different intentions (core, bat wings, etc.) and it was great fun.  I hope she does well in her business... Sarah personally makes each hoop and can ship it off to you. : )

In the breakout sessions we were offered a number of choices and the owner (Dan Fitzgerald) of South End Athletic Company was on hand to talk with the runners in the group and offer running tips.  Other break off groups included TRX Training, table or chair massage, and interval workout advice on maximizing your training.  I opted for the interval training and was fortunate to meet Hannah of Healthworks and learn about high intensity bursts of interval training (we focused on the treadmill and pumping up the incline for 30 seconds at a time) - and finding your own personal measure of 1-10 for "pushing yourself forward" as you advance.  I probably met with Hannah for less than 10 minutes and came away with new techniques to try for my regular routine.  How awesome is that!? She was great!



Finally got to meet Boston Sports Woman!

 Just a shout out here to Kathy McConnell of Boston Sports Woman who is organizing a January event: Be Healthy Boston.  (Kathy is a lot of fun to massage kale and avocado salads with.  I'm just saying...) And she is a powerhouse of Boston women's sports info... do check her out on Twitter @bos_sportswoman and on her blogs as well as the http://www.behealthyboston.com/ site.  It was so fun to finally meet this lady in person after having tweeted back 'n forth with her for a couple of years! :)

I'll have to post more later in the week about the fun bloggers and fitness folks I met on Saturday.  But while I'm working on THAT post, I do have a fun announcement.  @MeYouHealth (Alicia) and @ModernPilates (Lisa Johnson) offered up a bag full of goodies to one of the Healthy Loser Gal readers. 

I'll be sending the bag off to one random winner and it is chuck full of great giveaways from FitBoston including:

FitStudio sportswear shirt

Mix1 all natural vanilla protein shake

Whole Foods Cranberry Trail Mix

Taza Ginger Chocolate (OH MY IS THIS GOOD!)

Delicious Pretzel Crisps and a Reusable Grocery Bag

Bearded Brothers Mighty Maca Chocolate Energy Bar

Luna Peanut Butter Cookie

Attune Foods (Yay!) Probiotic Chocolate Bar AND Free Coupons

And - if you're local to the Boston area - a 7 day pass to Healthworks to use before July ends!

Plus other fun little surprises!

All you have to do to be entered in the giveaway is to follow @MeYouHealth, @ModernPilates and me on Twitter or Facebook and then leave a comment here on what inspires you to be fit? : )  So easy!  I'll be picking the winner randomly on Thursday morning and will let you know who won by noontime EST on the 14th! :)

Yesterday was so much fun - congrats to the organizers on pulling off a great event - I think Roni Noone of Fitbloggin would be proud of you! :)  Thank you to all the sponsors for making the great event possible and to all the other participants for making it so worthwhile and fun!

Dream. Believe. Achieve!
Jan ~ HealthyLoserGal

So excited for today's FitBoston!

I may have had to miss #Fitbloggin in Baltimore in May, but I'm really psyched to go to today's local Fitbloggin meet-up at HealthWorks in Brookline.  Thanks to Alicia Benjamin of MeYouHealth (love their Daily Challenges!) for organizing what I am sure will prove to be a great, healthy, happy day! : )

Dream. Believe. Achieve!
Jan / HealthyLoserGal

Don't settle for less than you deserve!

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