You've all read (hopefully) my posts on Dove's Campaign for Real Beauty and how much I love its message...and now I've got something to spread the love!
I was sent 4 t-shirts (2 Mediums and 2 Larges) by the fabulous Mele (hi Mele!) to give away as a means to spread the word about the campaign. I'm happy to send these to 4 lucky people -- within the United States -- as they share at least one positive thing they like about themselves (with a brief mention which size is preferred). You have from now until Sunday, January 4 2009 to post your comment. I'll announce the winners on Monday, January 5 and they'll have 4 days to contact me (via email) with their mailing address. If I'm not contacted, I'll give the shirt away again.
To see the "You're Beautiful" shirt click here.
This isn't something to promote arrogance, but rather a way to see what "inner beauty" entails. I'll choose the winners by drawing their comment number out of a bowl.
I'll start:
Something I like about myself: I like my smile and seeing other people smile as a result.
GO!
December 26, 2008
Resolution
Exactly one week from today you'll be well into making your New Year Resolution a reality. You'll be mastering self-discipline as you learn to walk away from the thing(s) that deter you from your desired outcome. You’ll be working hard to conquer the roadblocks that may develop.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the years regarding New Year’s Resolutions it’s to be prepared for the set-backs and have a plan to overcome them. That plan needs to be in place before your start date. Here are some basics to keep you inline:
Know your goals: What’s your long-term goal? What are your short-term goals that’ll get you to your long term goal? (i.e. long-term goal is lose 25 pounds by June, short-term goals include losing 3-5 pounds/month, eat 6 fruits and veggies daily, 72+ ounces of water daily, etc.) Determine the actions you need to take along your path and write everything down where you will be able to see it often.
Date it: Write your short-term and long-term goals down on your most-used calendar and circle the dates with a colorful marker. Keep it visible so you’ll see it every day.
Journal: Write about your journey to your result daily or weekly. Note the obstacles you overcame or are battling. What motivates you? Be positive as you write, and read your past entries the night before the new week to remind you of your success.
Support: Get support from everyone by telling them your goals. Look for sites or blogs pertaining to your goal and get a group going that will support each other by reporting your daily successes.
As small as these things may seem, they will help you achieve your goals and brighten your outlook when things are looking glum.
Happy Resolutions & Live Well!
~Amy
If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the years regarding New Year’s Resolutions it’s to be prepared for the set-backs and have a plan to overcome them. That plan needs to be in place before your start date. Here are some basics to keep you inline:
Know your goals: What’s your long-term goal? What are your short-term goals that’ll get you to your long term goal? (i.e. long-term goal is lose 25 pounds by June, short-term goals include losing 3-5 pounds/month, eat 6 fruits and veggies daily, 72+ ounces of water daily, etc.) Determine the actions you need to take along your path and write everything down where you will be able to see it often.
Date it: Write your short-term and long-term goals down on your most-used calendar and circle the dates with a colorful marker. Keep it visible so you’ll see it every day.
Journal: Write about your journey to your result daily or weekly. Note the obstacles you overcame or are battling. What motivates you? Be positive as you write, and read your past entries the night before the new week to remind you of your success.
Support: Get support from everyone by telling them your goals. Look for sites or blogs pertaining to your goal and get a group going that will support each other by reporting your daily successes.
As small as these things may seem, they will help you achieve your goals and brighten your outlook when things are looking glum.
Happy Resolutions & Live Well!
~Amy
December 8, 2008
Kids cooking in the kitchen = less picky eaters?
I recently read of a study done by the Teachers College at Columbia University where researchers studied the affects of a child's eating habits when allowed to help cook. Cooking classes were offered to teach children how to cook. "The researchers found that children who had cooked their own foods were more likely to eat those foods in the cafeteria, and even ask for seconds, than children who had not had the cooking class." This included radishes, folks.
I've noticed when I allow my kids to help me prepare desserts, not only do they love the quality time spent together but they're more inclined to try the new treat we've made. [Light-bulb frantically blinking.]
What if I do what was once unthinkable and allow them to help me prepare dinner, scary knives and hot stoves included (but highly supervised and guarded)?
My second child is quite the picky eater. Children #1 and #3 will eat anything I put in front of them, so dinner for child #2 has been a frustrating task for me.
I guess it's time to play a new version of the dinner game??
I've noticed when I allow my kids to help me prepare desserts, not only do they love the quality time spent together but they're more inclined to try the new treat we've made. [Light-bulb frantically blinking.]
What if I do what was once unthinkable and allow them to help me prepare dinner, scary knives and hot stoves included (but highly supervised and guarded)?
My second child is quite the picky eater. Children #1 and #3 will eat anything I put in front of them, so dinner for child #2 has been a frustrating task for me.
I guess it's time to play a new version of the dinner game??
November 18, 2008
Recipe Time
In lurking around the NYTimes Website I came across this yummy salad and thought I'd share it with you -- maybe in time for an addition to Thanksgiving??
For the salad:
1 quart water, chicken stock or vegetable stock
1 cup wild rice, rinsed
Salt to taste
1/3 cup lightly toasted broken walnut pieces
3 celery stalks, preferably from the heart, thinly sliced on the diagonal (about 1 1/4 cups)
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh sage (2 good-size leaves) (optional)
For the dressing:
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar, white wine vinegar, or sherry vinegar
1 small garlic clove, minced
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
3 tablespoons walnut oil
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons buttermilk or plain low-fat yogurt
1. Bring the water or stock to a boil in a large saucepan, add salt to taste and the wild rice. Lower the heat, cover and simmer for 40 minutes, or until the rice is tender and splayed. Drain and toss in a large bowl with the remaining salad ingredients.
2. Mix together the lemon juice, vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper. Whisk in the walnut oil, olive oil, and buttermilk or yogurt. Toss with the wild rice mixture. Taste and adjust seasonings, and serve.
Yield: Serves 4 to 6
Enjoy!
For the salad:
1 quart water, chicken stock or vegetable stock
1 cup wild rice, rinsed
Salt to taste
1/3 cup lightly toasted broken walnut pieces
3 celery stalks, preferably from the heart, thinly sliced on the diagonal (about 1 1/4 cups)
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh sage (2 good-size leaves) (optional)
For the dressing:
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar, white wine vinegar, or sherry vinegar
1 small garlic clove, minced
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
3 tablespoons walnut oil
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons buttermilk or plain low-fat yogurt
1. Bring the water or stock to a boil in a large saucepan, add salt to taste and the wild rice. Lower the heat, cover and simmer for 40 minutes, or until the rice is tender and splayed. Drain and toss in a large bowl with the remaining salad ingredients.
2. Mix together the lemon juice, vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper. Whisk in the walnut oil, olive oil, and buttermilk or yogurt. Toss with the wild rice mixture. Taste and adjust seasonings, and serve.
Yield: Serves 4 to 6
Enjoy!
November 17, 2008
Muscle Building Monday
Try it three times this week:
Side Squats
To perform this exercise, stand with your feet together, slight bend in the knees, arms relaxed at your sides. Keep your left foot stationary as you take a side-step with your right foot, so your feet are a little more than shoulder-width apart. Squat down, remembering to not go lower than a 90 degree angle in your knees while keeping your knees over your ankles (in other words, stick your rump out).
Push through your heels to return to your beginning position (feet together). Repeat for your left side, keeping your right foot stationary, and return to beginning position. You just did 2 reps of side squats. Complete 3 sets of 12 reps, resting 1.5 to 2 minutes between sets. If you really want a challenge, hold medium-heavy dumbbells in your hands while performing side squats.
Side Squats
To perform this exercise, stand with your feet together, slight bend in the knees, arms relaxed at your sides. Keep your left foot stationary as you take a side-step with your right foot, so your feet are a little more than shoulder-width apart. Squat down, remembering to not go lower than a 90 degree angle in your knees while keeping your knees over your ankles (in other words, stick your rump out).
Push through your heels to return to your beginning position (feet together). Repeat for your left side, keeping your right foot stationary, and return to beginning position. You just did 2 reps of side squats. Complete 3 sets of 12 reps, resting 1.5 to 2 minutes between sets. If you really want a challenge, hold medium-heavy dumbbells in your hands while performing side squats.
November 15, 2008
Latest research from Dove
Dove recently completed a study entitled Real Girls, Real Pressure: A National Report on the State of Self-Esteem. A total of 4,373 girls, ages 8 to 17, were surveyed online and throughout the United States. Some highlights of the findings include:-Seven in ten girls believe they are not good enough or do not measure up in some way, including their looks, performance in school and relationships with friends and family members
-62% of all girls feel insecure or not sure of themselves
-57% of all girls have a mother who criticizes her own looks
-More than half (57%) of all girls say they don’t always tell their parents certain things about them because they don’t want them to think badly of them
-75% of girls with low self-esteem reported engaging in negative activities, such as disordered eating, cutting, bullying, smoking, or drinking, when feeling badly about themselves (Compared to 25% of girls with high self-esteem)
(For more, see the report at http://www.rocketxl.com/dsef/assets/DSEF_Report.pdf)
For those of us who care about this topic, it's not any news that our society's view of "beautiful" has been severely distorted. “The existing narrow definition of beauty is not only unrealistic and unattainable, but clearly it also creates hang-ups that can lead girls to question their own beauty,” said Philippe Harousseau, U.S. marketing director for Dove. “It’s time to free the next generation from these stereotypes and give girls the tools they need to discover their own definition of beauty.”
Dove is offering free tools to download for moms, girls, and mentors, including "True You and Mirror, Mirror" booklets, Interactive exercises, & Workshop Facilitator Guide DVD (find those tools HERE.)
I could honestly go on and on about the importance of instilling a sense of worth, value, and beauty in not only young girls but in everyone, but this post is already long enough (plus you can also check out my other posts on Dove's campaign here and here). The bottom line is we can't teach this to others unless we can accept ourselves for who we really are. If you need help or want to help, check out Dove's workshops or see what else you can do to help.
I've also pasted this video below; show it to others so they know how a photoshoot actually works!
November 11, 2008
Effects of exercising at a young age
I read this online from the NY Times today and wanted to share. It's a Q&A session with Dr. Barry E. Levin, a neurologist at New Jersey Medical School.
"Q. Does exercise really make a difference?
A. A large group of people in the National Weight Control Registry report doing very heavy amounts of exercise as part of their weight management strategy. And we know that exercise helps overcome the body's natural tendency to lower its resting energy expenditure in response to weight loss. But for most people, exercise in and of itself isn't the answer.
What we are finding is that exercise done very early — immediately after weaning in animals, and probably anywhere from age 2 to 8 in humans — may help prevent someone with an obesity-prone template from becoming fat. We did an experiment in which a running wheel was put in a cage of animals who enjoy using it. They ran on it like crazy, and we found that even animals with a propensity to obesity did not gain weight, even after the wheel was taken away. The effect was incredibly dramatic.
We had never been able to change the set point of the obesity-prone before, and we suspected that exercise done during this early developmental period somehow made their brains more sensitive to leptin signals. We don't know if the effect is permanent, but it certainly is long-lasting. And it's encouraging because it shows that there may be a way to change the obesity genotype with an early intervention."
I'm going out on a limb here, but I bet most of you reading this are not between the ages of 2 and 8 years old. However, you may have children in your life that are between these ages; encourage them to exercise for their future health. Help others live well!
"Q. Does exercise really make a difference?
A. A large group of people in the National Weight Control Registry report doing very heavy amounts of exercise as part of their weight management strategy. And we know that exercise helps overcome the body's natural tendency to lower its resting energy expenditure in response to weight loss. But for most people, exercise in and of itself isn't the answer.
What we are finding is that exercise done very early — immediately after weaning in animals, and probably anywhere from age 2 to 8 in humans — may help prevent someone with an obesity-prone template from becoming fat. We did an experiment in which a running wheel was put in a cage of animals who enjoy using it. They ran on it like crazy, and we found that even animals with a propensity to obesity did not gain weight, even after the wheel was taken away. The effect was incredibly dramatic.
We had never been able to change the set point of the obesity-prone before, and we suspected that exercise done during this early developmental period somehow made their brains more sensitive to leptin signals. We don't know if the effect is permanent, but it certainly is long-lasting. And it's encouraging because it shows that there may be a way to change the obesity genotype with an early intervention."
I'm going out on a limb here, but I bet most of you reading this are not between the ages of 2 and 8 years old. However, you may have children in your life that are between these ages; encourage them to exercise for their future health. Help others live well!
November 3, 2008
Holiday Eating
Keeping the balance of all that holidays offer with healthy living can be difficult. But with some careful advanced planning you can enjoy any holiday while sticking to your healthy living routine.
1). Plan your workouts that week to include the day before the holiday and either the day after the holiday or two days after the holiday. Don't stress about working out on the holiday. There's a very good chance that won't happen anyway. Enjoy your day off!
2). Hosting your own holiday party will ensure that you have plenty of healthy food & beverage choices.
3). If you're not hosting but instead attending a holiday party, offer to bring a dish and make it one of your healthy choices.
4). Assuming the host doesn't need any help or you don't want to offer it, eat a meal before attending so you're not hungry enough to eat everything served.
5). Attending a dinner party where #4 won't work? Watch your portion sizes during dinner and drink water during the meal. Eat very little or completely omit spreads and dips like butter, sour cream, gravies, white sauces (like Alfredo), etc. Load up on the veggies and trim the fat off meat.
6). When confronted with a buffet of desserts, pick your top two and decide if they're worth the calories. If they are, eat half of each one and discard the rest. If not, chose one, eat it slowly, and enjoy every bite. Then discard your dessert plate. Don't go back for more! If one dessert is served, again watch your portion size, and savor the yummy goodness. Drinking water after eating something sweet will help get the flavor out of your mouth and deter you from eating more.
In most cases of life planning ahead really does help you avoid pitfalls. Holidays are meant to be enjoyed. Don't dread the holiday celebrations this year and plan ahead to continue to live well!
1). Plan your workouts that week to include the day before the holiday and either the day after the holiday or two days after the holiday. Don't stress about working out on the holiday. There's a very good chance that won't happen anyway. Enjoy your day off!
2). Hosting your own holiday party will ensure that you have plenty of healthy food & beverage choices.
3). If you're not hosting but instead attending a holiday party, offer to bring a dish and make it one of your healthy choices.
4). Assuming the host doesn't need any help or you don't want to offer it, eat a meal before attending so you're not hungry enough to eat everything served.
5). Attending a dinner party where #4 won't work? Watch your portion sizes during dinner and drink water during the meal. Eat very little or completely omit spreads and dips like butter, sour cream, gravies, white sauces (like Alfredo), etc. Load up on the veggies and trim the fat off meat.
6). When confronted with a buffet of desserts, pick your top two and decide if they're worth the calories. If they are, eat half of each one and discard the rest. If not, chose one, eat it slowly, and enjoy every bite. Then discard your dessert plate. Don't go back for more! If one dessert is served, again watch your portion size, and savor the yummy goodness. Drinking water after eating something sweet will help get the flavor out of your mouth and deter you from eating more.
In most cases of life planning ahead really does help you avoid pitfalls. Holidays are meant to be enjoyed. Don't dread the holiday celebrations this year and plan ahead to continue to live well!
September 28, 2008
End of the Push-up Challenge
Okay everyone -- the end is here or near, depending if you started the week of August 18 or had to take a week off due to illness (a few of you contacted me about that). If you've completed your 6 weeks, take a day to do as many push-ups in a row without stopping, and send me the count. You have until October 6 to turn in this number! We'll see who can do the most push-ups and who had the highest percentage of improvement. Also, let me know if you did your push-ups on your toes (boy-style) or knees (girl-style).
September 22, 2008
Muscle-building Monday
This week we're going to rock it Tamilee Webb style by creating our own buns of steel. I have no idea what the "real name" of this exercise is, but I know it tightens your glutes and is a sure winner for some burn!
One Legged Pelvic Lifts
Lie on your back, knees bent, arms at your sides, feet flat on the floor. While keeping your right knee bent, lift your right foot into the air. Now you're ready! Push through your left heel to lift your glutes (and the small of your back) off the floor. Keep your upper body very still. Complete your set and switch legs.
Start with 2 sets of 10 reps for each leg, alternating legs. If this is too difficult, do the same number of sets and reps but with both heels on the ground, remembering to push through your heels to lift your glutes, not your toes.
One Legged Pelvic Lifts
Lie on your back, knees bent, arms at your sides, feet flat on the floor. While keeping your right knee bent, lift your right foot into the air. Now you're ready! Push through your left heel to lift your glutes (and the small of your back) off the floor. Keep your upper body very still. Complete your set and switch legs.
Start with 2 sets of 10 reps for each leg, alternating legs. If this is too difficult, do the same number of sets and reps but with both heels on the ground, remembering to push through your heels to lift your glutes, not your toes.
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