healthy eating.

Congratulations Laura! You won the May Move it Monday Contest. Contact me for your gift card. Way to go!!

Here are some tips on Healthy Eating from the Mayo Clinic that I received via my health insurance.

Healthy Eating: 10 Ways to Add Pizzazz

Mayo Clinic Staff

Healthy eating doesn't have to be boring or tiresome. Flavorful food combinations, new cooking ideas and an inventive spirit can add pizzazz to your meals and snacks and keep you motivated to meet your goals for healthy eating. Here are some ways to keep you on course toward healthy eating:

Get out of the rut. Experiment with new foods and combinations. Try mango or peach slices on whole-wheat toast with a little peanut butter and honey. Or toss some mandarin orange or peach slices into a salad.

Think beans. Add chickpeas (garbanzos) or black beans to your lunch or dinner salad. If you typically buy a salad at work and no beans are available, bring a container of beans from home.

Try tofu. Stir-fry with extra-firm or firm tofu rather than meat in Asian-style dishes. Freezing and then thawing tofu before use gives it a firmer, chewier texture.

Go short. Make a nutritious snack rather than a full meal when time is tight. For example, try low-fat corn muffins with apple and cheese slices, or fat-free refried beans mixed with salsa, a small amount of low-fat sour cream and baked tortilla chips.

Be sneaky. Add crushed bran cereal or unprocessed wheat bran to baked products, such as meatloaf, breads, muffins, casseroles, cakes and cookies. Also, use bran products as a crunchy topping for casseroles, salads or cooked vegetables.

Go greener. Vary your salad greens and enjoy the multitude of flavors and textures that are available besides plain iceberg lettuce. Choices include arugula, chicory, collard greens, dandelion greens, kale, mustard greens, spinach or watercress. Buy a different variety each week or just mix and match.

Multitask. Choose a dish that serves as a full meal for quick and simple cooking. Healthy examples include beef, barley and vegetable stew; chicken, vegetable and rice casserole; turkey and bean casserole with tomatoes; or vegetarian chili with diced vegetables.

Spice it up. Use salsa for more than just chips. Whether it's mild, fruity, hot, smooth or chunky, salsa is a great companion for potatoes, vegetables, fish, chicken, meats and even eggs.

Go herbal. Use herbs and spices to add color, savory taste and sensational aroma. Add cilantro to rice or bean dishes. Sprinkle rosemary on roasted potatoes or grilled meats. Add freshly chopped chives to omelets or pasta salads.

Explore the world. Discover and enjoy foods from around the world: Mexican, Latin American, Indian, Greek, French and Asian cuisines, just to name a few. Some of the world's most intriguing ingredients — quinoa, edamame, bok choy, bulgur — are as healthy as they are delicious.

healthy. LIFE.

vote now.

NOTE: VOTING IS NOW CLOSED.  WE HAVE A WINNER.  thanks!

So...here are the entries for Move It Monday!! The contest this month was to send in a picture of you doing a crazy exercise (you could take the picture or have someone take it for you)

The voting for this contest will end on Friday, June 5th.

Everyone can vote.

NOTE:  If you're in this contest, you may want to tell everyone you know...wink.

Here are the portraits:

#1 Yoga in the garden

#2 Training x 7

#3 Stairmaster with Weights

#4: Bucket Barbell Workout

#5 Downward dog and the Guide Dog

#6: Riding with Assistant

on Vimeo.

#7 Lifting Paint Cans

Quick reminder!

This month I'm giving away a Lowe's Gift Card for $75 because flowers and spring and sunshine and blue skies are upon us...and I love to see flowers spring up everywhere.

For May give me something crazy! Have fun! Do a self portrait (or have someone take it) of your crazy self doing some kind of crazy exercise. Send it in to me at davina at davinafear dot com and I'll post you on my blog! At the end of the month we'll all vote for our fave crazy exerciser.

funny. LIFE.

yay.

I'm hoping my body is deciding to lose weight again.  I've been stuck, plateaued, not going anywhere, jammed, unmoving...whatever you want to call it...that's what I've been.  Yo-yo-ing back and forth between 129 and 133.  I'm not going up but I'm not going down...

Hopefully, that ends today.  I broke 129 and I was 128.5 today.  I'm hoping this means I'll be going down again.

I decided I needed to get back to eating less and I started doing my sprints again.  I'm hoping that just that little bit of extra effort will get me kick started again.  Fingers crossed.

How are you doing?  Is there some little extra effort you could put forth that may make a difference?  As much as I hate to say it, cutting down on what you eat is what makes the difference.  I know when I'm exercising I want to tell myself I can eat more or not cut back...but that just makes me break even.

A little less food is what always makes a difference along with a little bit more of a kick in the pants (like sprints) when I'm exercising. 

Good luck everyone.  I'm hoping I can say I'm down next week!

How's your self-portrait coming along?

healthy. LIFE.

*tell a friend about Move it Monday.*

the winner is...

KAREN! Way to go Karen. You are workin' it girl. I am so impressed by all that effort! This is your second win in a row. Wohoo!!

For all of you girls that have been consistent and you know who each other is...you'll know Laura. She she has told us hat she does walks for charity.

She's been part of TEAM in Training.

She is an amazing woman and in the last month has lost her sweet dad to lung cancer and her little niece is fighting Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.

Laura just keeps being an encouragement to everyone in Move it Monday. She just finished another walk for her dad and Elli and she's started keeping a blog about her walking.  Check out her blog and if you can give...please do: Laura's Blog (http://pages.teamintraining.org/sf/rnr09/lcottril )

Laura's goal was $2900 and she's now over $6000! The fight's not over yet though!

So...if you're having a hard time getting motivated then maybe finding a cause will get you off the couch and out pounding the pavement.

Remember: This month's challenge is to make a self-portrait doing whatever crazy kind of exercise you can think of and sending it in by the last day of the month to me at davina at davinafear dot com.

For more info on the yearly contest. Click here.

give. LIFE.

(the two pictures below are copyright Laura Cottril)