Spark People 31 Daily Tips for July: I got work to do!

Spark people puts out a month calendar with tips on how to learn a new skill over a month. Things like eat healthier, exercise and this month stress less. When I read this months on stress I was like ok I’ve heard all of this before. I then told myself look at it really and see what you can change. I’ve been under a lot of stress. I would say just lately but I think it’s just the theme of my life. It seems one thing after another but I thank the Lord he always gets me through. I do need to stress a little less. I guess the thing would be to pick the recommendation for the day and practice it but I wouldn’t do it. I picked a few things I know I need to work on.

• Just breath It’s recommended to take 10 full breaths to calm yourself down. I really need to practice this. It will prevent a really foul comment that I probably really mean from coming out of my mouth.
• Don’t multitask as a working mom I find this impossible to do at work but I am trying to do this at home. I try to focus on my kid at home. I limit my calls to family members. Try not to bring work home. I find if I do too much I burn dinner.
• Get a massage– At the beginning of the year I planned to put this on my schedule once a month. I made it twice in 6 months. I can do better.
• Let go of the past – I find this hard to do with a few family members. I actually forget but get burned again. I will have to work on that. My sister and I both think we are the normal one and the other needs therapy.
• Stay present – This is a big one for me. I need to focus on the here and now instead of worrying how I’m going to handle the future. When I do this I tell myself Philippians 4: 6-7 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. I need to keep repeating this some days way more than I do now.

Now time to make that hot stone massage appointment;)

Related articles

• Stop Multitasking to Get More Done (fitsugar.com)
• SparkPeople.com Helps You Create A Free Weight Loss Plan (fitnesstroop.com)

Homework

I’m doing homework wow! Sparkpeople.com has a great series Mind Over Body. It’s a 10 part series that discusses weight loss. I recommend it for everyone. Wether you want to lose weight or help someone else lose. The link for this is http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/wellness_articles.asp?id=695. I’m writing my vision statement tonight. This is really powerful. Why do you really want to lose weight? Is losing weight really your goal? I never thought if it that way. I guess the number on the scale isn’t the important thing. I must admit my reason for wanting to lose weight is different from when I was younger. Before I wanted to look cute and fit in cute clothes. Now I still want to look nice but now I really want to avoid diabetes. I want to stay youthful and be active.  I want to avoid aches and pains that are improving now that I’m exercising on a regular basis.  I want to keep up with my child. I want to be a good role model for my patients.

The article recommends asking yourself how you want to look in 1 year,5 years etc. In 1 year I want to be able to test for my red belt in Tae Kwon Do.  I want higher kicks. I want to break boards.  I want to get rid of the chicken fat on my arms and my double chin. In 5 years I want to have  had my black belt in tae Kwon do for a few years.

The article also recommends  that your Vision Statement should tell you what else (besides your weight) needs to change within yourself and your life to help you get from where you are now to where you want to be. That’s a hard one. I’m where I want to be in life. I’ve always wanted to be a doctor ,wife and mom or do I? I definitely want to be the mom and wife . The doctor thing I need to think about.

Related articles

• Why Aren’t You Losing Weight? (beyondyourlimits.wordpress.com)
• Losing it. (creatinglittlemonsters.wordpress.com)

Help! So Many Apps To Choose From

I am a Iphone addict. My daughter cheers when I can’t find it. I use it for everything, so lets see how its going to help me to lose weight. There are way to many apps to choose from. I usually pick from staff favorites. I use apps to log food, exercise, grocery shop and even to blog. I have several favorites.

• Livestrong – this is my favorite app for logging my food. It lets you log on the app and links to the web page. You can look up food as well as add your own recipes. I can track my weight, workouts and calories. Other good ones in this category are Sparkpeople and Dailyburn.
• Fooducate- This is the best app. It lets you scan food and then it grades it. It educates you on strange ingredients and gives you healthier alternatives. Its goal is to guide you in picking unprocessed healthy foods. They have a great blog as well.
• Nike + GPS- This helps you track your running or walking. It tells you how far you’ve walked,the time per mile and estimated calories burned. I love the verbal cues.
• Happiness-(HPY) This is a meditation app. It helps me relax. This has helped me reduce my stress level tremendously

These are just a few of my favorite apps. I look forward to trying many more. Let me know your faves!