Nifty

I found a fun site where you can create word clouds or some people call it subway art. You can either put in a url to your blog, like I did above, or type in your own words to create a "word cloud". How neat would this be to do with the names of the people in your family, 2011 resolutions, goals, favorite book titles, a list of your hobbies or a favorite Bible verse? You can save them and print them out to frame, too. Here is my 2011 Resolution cloud:

Go HERE to make one of your own. If you make one and put in on your blog, but sure to leave a comment so I can see it! Have fun playing!

PS Have you seen my new blog?! I started a blog for one my New Year resolutions, taking a picture every day of the year. There's a link on the left side bar of this blog for you to find it, or just click HERE!

New Loser Tips

Just a quick post...

New Year resolutions almost always means many new people trying to lose weight. I thought of a few tips I would give someone if they were just starting out. Here they are:

1. Take a before picture, or several! You don't have to share it with anyone if you don't want to, but later you won't regret having one. I have front, side, and back view pictures along with just my face. Sometimes different angles like that show your loss at different times. Then take a new picture every 5-10 pounds, the difference is huge!
2. Take your measurements! It won't be pretty, no matter how big you're starting out. You most likely won't like doing it, but time and time again I've heard people at my WW meetings who are close to making Lifetime wish that they would have taken their measurements. Do it! I take my neck, chest above bust, bust, ribcage, waist, hips, thighs, calves, biceps and wrist measurements. I also keep track of my pant sizes. Sometimes you'll see inches lost when the pounds aren't going down, so it is a great motivator! 
3. Drink your water. WW says that any beverage that has no caffeine counts. I say drink your H2O! Nothing beats it. Get yourself a pretty water bottle to drink from, I find bottles with straws helpful as I drink more with them. I recently was given a pretty bottle that looks like something you'd put coffee in. I love that it looks like I'm drinking some posh coffee when in fact I'm drinking water. ;)
4. Wear your shoes! Put on some tennis shoes throughout the day and I bet you'll move more! Just make sure you aren't wearing the same shoes to the gym on the equipment if you're a member. They tend to frown on that.
5. Get plenty of sleep. 8 hours is a must for me to function well. If you don't sleep enough, you'll have a tendancy to eat more, at later hours and choose caffinated drinks over water.
6. Stop eating at least two hours before bedtime. Three is better, but two is good.
7. Exercise. Find something you enjoy and go with it! Park farther away from the store, take the stairs....etc. It all adds up. No one says you have to join a gym or run marathons in order to get in shape! Small things really do make a difference.
8. Don't say NO all of the time! It is okay to have a treat. It is okay to have a brownie, cookie, soda, chips, pizza, burger....etc. It is okay! Just count the points, track them, and stay on point. Use those 49 weekly points you get, they're there to be used. You're more likely to keep the weight off in the long run if you use them now. Also, don't go "cold turkey" on anything. Just set limits. If you cut something out completely that you really enjoy you'll like end up binging on it later. Don't do that to yourself.
9. Don't give up! If you have a rough day, tomorrow is a new one. If you have a meal that wasn't so great, start over with your next meal. If you have a bad week, weigh-in anyway and then move forward. It is okay to gain weight when you're trying to lose it. It is normal to do so. As long as you're accountable for every BLT (bite, lick or taste) that goes into your mouth, you're going in the right direction!
10. Enjoy this journey you've started! You CAN do this!!

Races?!

Yesterday after I wrote my New Year Resolution post, I had a "God wink", as I call them. A God wink is defined, by me, as a little feeling or intuition that tells you to do something when you weren't thinking of it already. Like back in August of 2005 when I wasn't a day late yet for my TOM and I thought to take a test and found out I was pregnant. Yesterday the God wink was to go to the Fargo Marathon site to see about participating in their 5K this year. I'm originally from Fargo ND and I have many family members and friends who participate in the marathon events. The God wink lead me to sign up for the 5K race and the 10K! Yikes!!! I walk 5K's all of the time, but not 10K's! I know I can do it, though. I got my DH to sign up for the 5K, too, and I'll be walking the 10K with my mom. I'm not doing the events for speed or anything like that, just to do it and know that I can do it (and get a little medal, too!). ;) So God gave me a wink and said, "Go ahead and resolve to do the 5K and 10K...I'll be there with you!" I have two little tickers up on the right sidebar to show when the races are. I'm nervously excited!