Pogo Stick Workout Plan

It was a gorgeous day yesterday so the kids and I were out playing in the cul-de- sac. They were all jumping on our pogo sticks so I thought I would give it a try too. It looked fun and not that hard. HA! Well that was a humbling experience. It took my awhile to be able to keep my balance, but once I got going it was super fun. But let me tell you it was quite a workout. I was exhausted after just a couple of minutes. I googled it and learned that pogo stick jumping burns about 600 calories an hour. If I can get over the idea that my neighbors might be laughing at me, I think this would be a great alternative form of exercise on occasion. And it's fun to be doing something that involves the kids too. If you haven't pogoed in awhile you should give it a whirl. Burn calories while playing with the family. What could be better?

Think Green

Happy St. patrick's day! Are you all wearing green today?

Going green is also important when thinking in terms of your diet. Green veggies promote colon and heart health and also are great for women who are pregnant, because they contain a lot of folic acid which helps prevent birth defects. In addition they can be an excellent source of calcium, which is especially important for those who are lactose intolerant. Leafy greens are packed with antioxidants, minerals, folate and flavonoids. A tip to keep in mind when choosing greens for your salad is that the darker they are in color the more nutrient rich they tend to be.

Congratulations!!!

Congratulations to my blog contest winner Jenny Smith!!! Jenny has won $45 dollars in free merchandise from CSNstores.com  -- Big thanks to CSNstores for sponsoring this contest.

Apple Pear

Have you ever heard of an apple-pear? I hadn't before, but I saw these in the produce section when I went to grocery store yesterday and they looked interesting. They are not cheap. I think I paid about  $1.50 for each of them so they would have to be only an occasional treat. But my goodness they are delicious!!! Practically like dessert. They taste mostly like a pear to me but the fruit is softer like the apple. The skin looks a little weird but tastes just fine. I only bought three so we sliced them up and shared them here, but they were a hit with my kids too! I'm definitely going to buy them again. When trying to get in our daily allotment of fruits and vegetables it helps sometimes to have a little extra variety to choose from. I recommend you give the apple pear a try!!!

Cleanse and contest reminder

I am starting the Shakeology Three day cleanse today. It's mid afternoon and so far so good. If it goes well and I like it I will tell you more about it when it's over, but for now wish me luck ok?


Also a reminder that it's not too late to enter my contest for $45 of free merchandise from CSNstores. Just go to any of my blogs and then email the title of a post you read to admin@makessense.com. One title per blog per day. The drawing is tomorrow morning. Good luck!

Triggers

Why do you eat? To provide your body with the necessary nutrients and calories to sustain life and have optimal energy levels right?

Um...ok now let's get real. We may eat for those reasons some of the time. But what about the other 90% of our munching? When we eat things that we know are unhealthy and in copious quantities. Even past the point of being full sometimes. Or items that we have vowed not to eat, but still find ourselves binging on even though we feel guilty later.  Why do we promise ourselves to change our diets every January 1st, but by February we have gone right back to our old ways?

It's important for us to begin to recognize our "triggers". The reasons that we chow down seemingly beyond our control. Or differently than our brains know that we should be. Some of mine over time have been:

1) Skipping meals and becoming over hungry, so by the time I do eat I am ready to scarf everything in sight. I then end up overeating on items that provide immediate quick relief. These are rarely the best choices.

2) Fatigue or Boredom. Sometimes I hit the pantry just for something to do. Or to break up the monotony of my current activity...like if I've been on the computer for too long perhaps.

3) Depression. Eating can provide emotional comfort at times. I truly believe that chocolate is a natural form of therapy.

4) To follow the crowd. Everyone around me is eating so I feel I'm missing out if I don't join in.

5) Habit and tradition. We ALWAYS eat candy and popcorn at a movie don't we? We usually have a bedtime snack.

6) Sugar addiction. Food can have powerful effects on our physical and emotional systems similar to drug addictions. It can take time and great willpower to overcome these drives. Sometimes even counseling is in order if the situation is severe.

7) Availability. We haven't made the right choices while at the grocery store so when we go to find a snack there are no healthy options available.

8) Holidays or social events. Food is everywhere and we feel jipped to miss out on the items we enjoy.

9) Eating while distracted. If you start eating chips while watching TV (or writing a blog post) it is easy to stop paying attention to how much you are eating until you have finished the whole bag. Even though you only meant to eat a handful.


It's important to identify your own personal triggers so you can take steps in advance to avoid or deflect them.  Get out of a piece of paper right now and write down all the triggers you can think of. Then try to come up with at least two ways that you can tackle each one before it strikes. Some examples would be making more health conscious shopping lists and being sure to always eat breakfast.

Mary Kay -- Contest reminder

I have just signed up to be an independent beauty consultant for Mary Kay. No pressure, but if you are interested you can order from my site 24/7 from anywhere. Feel free to contact me with questions.

www.marykay.com/laurafaulkner



Also a reminder to enter my contest. Just email me at   admin@makessense.com  with the title of a post you read from one of my blogs today for a chance to win a $45 coupon to CSNStores.com  No minimum purchase. Can be used on anything you like from their site.  I don't have many entries yet so I'd love to have more participants. You can enter one blog title per day per person for up to three chances to win per day. I'll be drawing the winner randomly from a hat on Wednesday morning at 10 am. Good luck!!!!