smALL Things!

The past few weeks and days have been super busy, but that's the Savage Life! This week the Monroe County Fair is going on, the Governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky is visiting Tompkinsville today, and my Weight the Reality Series program started yesterday. Needless to say life is full speed ahead, so here is a quick update on the Savage Girl... 

• I've tracked my DAILY food and physical activity since my last posting using my WW app on my mobile device! 
• I've made a point to MOVE more and DIG deeper. So far this week I've moved 60+ minutes each day since the last posting and I've spent the majority of that time letting His word talk to me while I've been moving at the gym. I'm a couple of weeks behind on my daily bible reading because I've been super busy and my daily devotional email reminder stopped coming (sad), BUT I think I'm about caught back up to where I should be if I was still within the plan to read the Bible in a year. According to my Kindle app I'm 50% through the Bible now! My goal is to read it cover to cover this year... Tomorrow I'm going to try to get back in my daily DIG routine of letting His word talk to me before my feet hit the ground. If only I could get motivated to get up early and MOVE before work. I'm still working on this one, but for now my MOVEment comes after work!  
• I've not ate anything after 8:00 p.m. since the last posting! I'm a sucker for late night snacks, so this has been hard! 
• 35 people signed up for the WTRS program I'm conducting, 30 showed up the first night...and collectively lost 35.6 pounds since they registered last week! 
• The only 3 beverages I've consumed in the last few days have been water, coffee, and green tea. I cut out carbonated beverages (my Diet Coke addiction) something like 6 months ago! I read somewhere that green tea helps with weight loss, diabetes control, heart disease prevention and much more, so maybe my consumption will help ward off my extra baggage and prevent diabetes & heart disease from entering my life.
• I'm currently caught up with my daily work record keeping...thanks to a co-worker's advice on a new book idea to record my statisticals prior to my end of the month reports.

Everyone should celebrate ALL the smALL successes in life no matter the size...right? This has been my motivation for the last 6+ months...smALL life things hence the blog!    

Anyways this is enough ramblings for one day! Now off to my day job...please pray that I can get my creative juices flowing quickly this morning because I'm going to need them! 

Sources of graphics: 

http://media-cache-ak1.pinimg.com/originals/e6/98/e5/e698e54e7b073a44a6b65938cc680f13.jpg

http://pinterest.com/pin/383509724488814649/

http://living4zachary.blogspot.com/2010_11_01_archive.html

The Savage Girl Challenge

I have chosen TODAY the 21st day of July 2013 to reevaluate my healthy living goals, create a new game plan and challenge myself more in order to take off the last 25 pounds off so I can meet my goal weight.

To be 100% honest here lately I've been slacking in the department of physical activity, drinking more water, and portion control! We are at the peak of the summer and the humidity & heat are killers to my will power. I've used the excuses of having the lack of time and the extreme weather when in reality I've had a lack of will power A LOT here lately. This has become a road block in my weight loss success and today this has to STOP. So I'm challenging myself to reevaluate and set a few new goals for myself! My Weight the Reality Series (Take 2) program at work starts on Tuesday and I expect my participants to help hold me accountable to my goals and I will do the same for you...If you want to join my program the information is located in the post called "Upcoming program the Savage Girl is hosting through work...WTRS!"

So here are my new goals:

1. Measure my portion sizes. 
2. Start tracking my daily food intake (again) including my water intake. 
3. Aim for 4 to 5 days of 30-60 minutes of exercise a week. Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday are my best days to achieve this because of my schedule at work...so if you see me out and about on one of these days please ASK me if I've moved yet!
4. Get back in the habit of packing a healthy lunch and snacks to work.
5. No food after 8 p.m. in the Savage Girl household. 

So you now know my new goals. I will keep you posted on my success, challenges, and failures on this blog, so stay tuned. I will try to reevaluate each week and keep you posted...

Is there anyone out there in the blogging world having the same problem as me? Or am I am the lone ranger out there with these challenges? Well join the Savage Girl Challenge and set a few new healthy living goals and game plan for yourself. If you want to join The Savage Girl Challenge "like" the post, leave me a comment, or send me a message...please tell me (and other readers of the blog) what your new goals are. I'll help keep you accountable if you replicate for me! If it takes a village to raise a child it is going to take an entire online virtual community of family and friends to help the Savage Girl meet her goal weight.

Keep in mind I am not on a diet. I'm trying to live a healthy lifestyle for a healthier body in order to prevent the onset of a family history of chronic diseases like diabetes, heart disease, and obesity. So far I've done pretty well except for the roadblock I've recently experienced. I've lost 50 pounds thus far and would love to shave 25 more pounds off. Losing 10% of your body weight can help reduce your risk factors associated the disease and hopefully delay and or indefinitely postpone the onset of the disease. Let me know if you have any questions...      

Small Changes

My personal “get Lara healthy” and “weight loss” challenge has been stalled for the last little bit. I have been stuck, so when I started the Weight the Reality Series program at work for my community a few ago I decided that I was going to make a few small changes with what I was doing to hopefully change things up a bit and to jump start my loss again. Guess what? It worked! ( And YES I am going to blog about a work program on my personal blog again!)

These are the changes I made 2 weeks ago when I kicked off my program at work:

1. I bought a new water bottle and I started carrying it with me every day. Every day when I make my breakfast, I have tried to fill my bottle up with ice and fresh water for the day. I also try to refill it a few times throughout the day. I know that I do not get enough fluids. I am not a drinker! I sometimes can go almost an entire day without consuming anything besides my cup of coffee in the morning…, which is not very healthy! Drinking water instead of sugary drinks is one of the 2010 Dietary Guidelines. Drinking more water is a proven behavior of successful losers. Sometimes I make it a little more exciting by adding lemon, lime, or strawberries and I have tried flavored sparkling water. Choose foods and drinks with little or no added sugars. There are about 10 packets of sugar in a 12-ounce can of soda. Choose 100% fruit juice instead of fruit-flavored drinks.   
2. I also started to add more fiber to my diet. I was already consuming 100% whole grain cereals, breads, crackers, rice, and pasta, and lots of fruits and vegetables, but I knew that I needed more. Therefore, I changed up my breakfast routine and started adding a slice of whole grain bread in addition to my morning cereal and fruit routine (cold cereal or oatmeal). In addition to my usual fruit as a snack, occasionally l will add a fiber packed cereal and grain bar.
3. I also tried to stick to my physical activity routine by exercising 4-5 times per week for 30-60 minutes no matter where I was whether I was traveling for work or at home in my normal routine. Normally when I travel I just ignore my physical activity for a few days and then pick back up when I get back home, but not last week! I purposely decided to stay in the conference hotel where I would have to walk the furthest to get to my meetings and I got up early to squeeze in a little exercise before the activities of the day consumed me. Maybe you need to add this to your routine. Pick a few physical activities that you like and start by doing what you can, at least 10 minutes at a time. Every bit adds up, and the health benefits increase as you spend more time being active.

I am currently 17 pounds from my goal weight. There is a light at the end of the tunnel! My goal for the next month is to keep making small changes so I can meet my goal weight. My challenge to you is make a few small changes in your routine and you might see a difference like me!

If you need motivation from a group or someone to be accountable to then contact me at work and join my Weight the Reality Series group we meet Tuesday nights in Tompkinsville. Weigh in is from 4:30-5:30 p.m. and our program is at 5:30 p.m.  

...some of my biggest cheerleaders! My mom Leah and my sister Anna.
They joined me in my WTRS group & collectively we three have lost 7 pounds in 2 weeks!

 

Weight ~ The Reality Series

Yes, I am going to blog about a work program on my personal blog! Call me crazy, but it is something that I believe in and want to be successful. Here is a press release I just sent off to the newspaper about a program that I having coming up in Monroe County. It is call "Weight ~ The Reality Series" and it is open to anyone. Continue reading for all the details. I hope that you will join me in the series if you want to be healthier too! If you need to contact me my information is below also.  

Warm temperatures and sunny days add up to spring fever and that means getting outside and becoming more active after a long winter. For some warm temperatures, also mean that many will begin to think about their body. If you are anything like me then shorts, bathing suits, and tank tops give you the heebie-jeebies! Whatever the case may be, it is important to make sure you are healthy and have a plan in place so those heebie-jeebies do not send you into hiding for the summer. If you are in search of a new program to help you think about your body in a real way instead of how the media wants you to think, then look no further. The Monroe County Cooperative Extension Service is offering a new program that you might want to take advantage of this Spring & Summer!

Weight ~ The Reality Series is an 8-week series we will offer on Tuesdays April 30-June 18. We will explore an aspect of weight control through healthy eating and living, share healthy recipes and ideas, weigh in, and engage in learning about the human body. Based on the latest research, this program gives you more options to create a plan that will work for you. Whether you’re interested in learning some new ways to eat and be active, or exploring how your clothes influence the way you see your body, Weight ~ The Reality Series offers many choices. There has to be a better way to achieve a healthy weight than the latest fad diet! You’ll learn how to make your plan flexible and to keep it working over time.

I know my personal goal is to be healthier and reduce my body size. Heart disease and diabetes run in my family, so over a year ago I decided to start living healthier. So far, it has paid off and I have been able to lose over 50 pounds. If you want to reduce your body size like me, then this series might be for you. Your concern might also be your health, but you might also be thinking about looking better in clothes, having more energy, enjoying new and favorite foods, being able to move more easily, and feeling better about yourself. Whatever your case may be, consider joining us with our new series called Weight ~ The Reality Series.

We do not yet know how people maintain weight loss after the 8-week course. National research suggests that maintaining a lower weight is very difficult, but one way to succeed is to create your own program designed specifically for you.

The series dates are April 30 ~ May 7 ~ May 14 ~ May 21 ~May 28 ~ June 4 ~ June 11 ~ June 18. The series is open to anyone and will be held at the Monroe County Cooperative Extension Service. We will weigh-in each week from 4:30 p.m.—5:30 p.m. and then we will have a short program at 5:30 p.m. The cost is $10.00 and is due by April 30 when you weigh-in. If you divide $10.00 by the 8 weeks that is just $1.25 each week! At the end of the 8-weeks the participant losing the most percentage of weight will win 50% of the “money pot”. The remaining 50% of the “money pot” will go towards costs associated with running the program and for door prizes that will be given away throughout the series each week. The winner will be announced on June 18. If the group wants to continue the series in July we will continue and/or if new participants want to join the group that can do so at that time.  

If you’re ready, so are we. Contact your Monroe County Cooperative Extension Service office to register for this series. It’s a better way to a healthier you. Educational programs of the Cooperative Extension Service serve all people regardless of race, color, age, sex, religion, disability or national origin.