Critical Mass

Critical mass time...

We're already 6 weeks into the new year and I'm seeing a sad event happening around me, even here at SparkPeople. People that were fully energized and ready to take on the world have fallen off and are not exercising at the gym. Certain members on my friends list have not been active for a few days up to about 3 weeks.

While everyone that falls away has the same goal of getting into better shape, there are many reasons that some fall away from their motivation or their plans that some took some good thought and measure to create. It makes me sad to see this but yet I am not going to watch it happen quietly.

This was written by one of my SparkPeople friends. His name is Tim. I encourage you to read the whole blog entry -- it is not very long, it will only take you a minute, but it will definitely give you a lots to think about and take away with you.

One of the things that Tim made me think about is the sense of community and leadership. How many times do we see something wrong and do nothing about it? He vowed: "I am not going to watch it happen quietly." As members of this world we need to seek the opportunities to do something about things that need to be corrected. In the most basic sense, it means reaching out to someone and saying that you care and you are ready to spend some time helping them. If we help only one person per week, we will make a huge impact on the world around us. It reminds me of the movie "Pay It Forward."

When we do something for someone without expecting something back in return, we impact the world.

When we care for an elder person with love and patience, we impact the world.

When we take care of a child with love and patience, we impact the world.

When we take care of a pet with love and patience, we impact the world.

When we get involved in community affairs, we impact the world.

When we take care of ourselves with love and patience, we impact the world.

Take an ordinary life and change it into an extraordinary adventure

This is my new motto!

Take an ordinary life and change it into an extraordinary adventure.

Simple and powerful -- just like I like it!

Over 100 Super Foods for a Super You

Over 100 Super Foods for a Super You

These foods benefit your body in so many ways. They power your brain, and correctly and efficiently fuel your body. Super foods fight infection, enhance your immune system, and protect against diseases such as osteoporosis, heart disease, certain cancers, diabetes, and respiratory infections.

Daily Vitamin Doesn't Help Your Health

Study: Daily Vitamin Doesn't Help Your Health

A recent, quite sizable study of more than 160,000 women found that a vitamin regimen doesn't lessen one's chances of developing cancer or heart disease.

Habits of Fit People: Believe in Yourself

Habits of Fit People: Believe in Yourself

Patience leads to results

Trying (but failing) to see your goals realized can be frustrating. Margaret Thatcher once said "You may have to fight a battle more than once to win it," and she was absolutely right. You've got to believe that you will succeed! Never admit defeat as long as time and effort remain. Our greatest asset is patience; our greatest weakness is throwing in the towel. Banish discouragement and feelings of impossibility by working hard, doing more, and not giving in! A diamond was only made beautiful after millions of years as a lump of coal.

Source: SparkPeople

Exercising with Lower Back Pain

As someone that has suffered from back pain (and has two back surgeries to prove it) I really appreciated this article and suggested exercises:

Exercising with Lower Back Pain

Habits of Healthy Eaters: Measure Portions

Habits of Healthy Eaters: Measure Portions

Measuring portions helps keep you on track, and it keeps you from convincing yourself you only had "a few" chips when you know the bag was full when you opened it. (No one else does that? Just me? OK…) Find out how to recover from portion distortion.

When Does Food Become Fat?

This is a very interesting quiz:

SparkPeople Quiz: When Does Food Become Fat?

When the Moon and Sun say "Good Morning"

As I took Baron for his morning walk, I was treated to a conversation between the moon and the sun. To my left, just above the horizon, was a full moon, bright and beautiful, just behind a group of pine trees. To my right, the sun had begun to show its gorgeous oranges and yellows. It was a spectacular, humbling view of three celestial bodies coming together to say good morning.

The positive cycle of forgiveness

OK, be honest. Do you hold grudges? Do you allow old drama to determine your behavior? Is there someone you just can't seem to forgive? Grudges and a non-forgiving attitude do nothing but harm both parties. You might feel like you're "winning" by not letting someone off the hook, but you're only increasing your own worry and stress. Bitterness can lead to hate, which can sour a life. Today, write a letter explaining your point of view to the person you feel resentful towards. Clear the air; forgiving him. Even if you don't send it, it is an excellent way to relieve tension. Forgiving someone does not absolve them of the wrong that you experienced. It can simply free you to live a life that isn't anchored to the hurt and resentment of past events

More at: http://www.sparkpeople.com/myspark/messageboard.asp?imboard=31&imparent=1951733

Sherry: a story of endurance

If you are looking for inspiration, if you are feeling down on your luck, then I urge you to read the following page:

SHERRY528's SparkPage - Welcome

What an awesome lady!

Appreciate the plateaus

It is funny how our minds work. Some of us think that progress is always going to be steady in the direction of our goal. Progress comes in waves. It is during the plateaus, when the results we expect are not coming, that we really grow and learn how to get better. It is sometimes only when we fail at something that we get better at it. We should appreciate the ups and downs of our journey. When we look back we will see that the highs and lows, and everything in between, are what made our goals possible.

How America Grew

How America Grew

Highlights on food and America from the past 50 years:

Healthy Reflections: What wealth do you possess?

One of the many benefits of being a SparkPeople member is that I receive these amazing emails called Healthy Reflections. Here is today's:

What wealth do you possess?

There is a long-standing tradition for Buddhist monks to rise each morning very early and set out to collect alms bowls, and go out into their community to collect donations of food, usually merely rice or a simple curry. Surprisingly though, none of this food is eaten, as the monks are typically well-stocked at their monastery. Why? This age-old tradition is still in existence simply to allow the nearby townspeople to experience the joy of giving. Do you have resources or talent that you can use to help others? Hoarding what you have wastes opportunities and fails to leave a positive mark on the world. Whether you have money, talent, time, knowledge, or energy, each should be shared. No one is better off by keeping wealth--tangible or intangible--to himself or herself.

They who give have all things; they who withhold have nothing.
- Hindu Proverb

More: http://www.sparkpeople.com/myspark/messageboard.asp?imboard=31&imparent=1951733

Measuring Progress

Progress in being more fit and healthy can be measured in many ways. Some we can put numbers to, some we cannot. Many of us weigh ourselves (sometimes daily) and measure our dimensions in inches. I am fortunate to have made some very welcomed progress in both of these areas during January. I went from 255 to 236 pounds and, for example, from a 47" to a 44" waist. My hips stayed the same at 43" -- maybe there is not a lot of excess there, maybe it is not an area I have targeted properly, or maybe that part will slim down once my waist gets smaller. My neck went from 18" to 17".

But today I proved to myself that there is a different type of progress that is harder to measure. When I started this program in January, I decided to use the office staircases as an exercise machine. I could barely make it to the 8th floor without my legs giving up on me; today I made it to the 9th floor without problem, followed by a trip back to the 4th floor, back to the 8th floor, back to the 4th floor, back to the 6th, and back to the 4th floor. My legs got a bit tired but I was barely beginning to perspire. It is obvious that my conditioning has improved. THAT makes me happier than all the numbers above. The fact that I can go jogging without significant knee pain gives me great satisfaction. The idea that I will be able to coach my soccer team without being in agony the next day gives me the incentive to keep going.

I will close by saying that SparkPeople has given me a lot and I hope I can reciprocate by helping others achieve their goals.

An example to live by

So ... if they can do it, why can't we?

Dog, Cat, and Rat

The Benefits of Berries

The Benefits of Berries

Red, Black & Blue are Berry Good for You!

We simply love berries. As expensive as they can be, the health benefits of these fruits are amazing! We enjoy a combination of strawberries and raspberries as a smoothie -- a great dessert or snack!

My Gazelle -- The Buy of the Year

Last week I found a listing in craigslist for a Tony Little Gazelle. I had read some positive comments in SparkPeople and got excited by the price being asked ($30 for an item that is selling for $189 at Wal-Mart). The kids and I took it home on Saturday and I began using it immediately. What a great workout machine! Although Tony Little's infomercials have raised a few eye brows and are nothing less than tacky, I think the machine actually does a great job of giving you a fantastic workout. Thanks to YouTube, I was able to view of the possible workouts you can do on the machine. So far, 5-10 minutes is all I need to break into a nice sweat and feel my heart rate reach a nice level -- all with little impact to my joints. Although my right knee is feeling a lot better, I still experience minor discomfort on it. I strongly recommend getting your hands on one of these machines, especially if you can get an awesome deal on a used unit like I did.

10 Tips to Keep from Overeating at a Party

10 Tips to Keep from Overeating at a Party

Temptations abound at parties, but celebration doesn't have to mean overindulgence.