I ate too much cake.

This past week or so has been about nothing except Grace turning five and having her big birthday (pictures coming soon...).  We have about 7 cakes here at the house and a whole batch of cupcakes.  I'm not doing well.  I've eaten too much.

Send good vibes my way...

I'll be announcing the winner of our April Move It Monday competition next week.  Until then keep getting 20 minutes of exercise and keeping us in the know.

This month I'm giving away a Lowe's Gift Card 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!  So a self portrait 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.

On your marks...Get set...GOOOO!!!!

fun. LIFE.

the good.

I've been thinking this week about the power of losing the "Loser Talk".  This last week I went to a webcast by Dave Ramsey.  One of the things that he said was to not engage in "Loser Talk".

It can be so easy to beat yourself up...to say things like, "You idiot." "What were you thinking?  You weren't!"  "That was so dumb."  "Duh."  "That (negative thing) was to be expected."  When something goes wrong to say, "As usual."  "I'm never going to lose weight."  "In this economy."  "Nothing is going right for me today."

There are so many ways we engage in loser talk with ourselves.  The list could go on and on.  And then there are so many ways that we engage in loser talk with others...and that list is probably at least as long.

So make the buck stop here.  No more loser talk.  Speak with hope about yourself, about the economy, about your life, about your home, about your kids, about...everything.

You'll feel better.

You'll live better.

You'll be better.

I'm not talking about a Pollyanna view of the world or ignoring things that are wrong.  I'm talking about seeing the good in things.  Taking a situation and seeing a solution rather than a problem.  An opportunity rather than a dead end or a reason to complain.

We've all done it.  Today that can stop.

What do you say?

(the following is from my trusty health insurance lady...)

Positive Self Talk

When you focus on the positive, you can dream big and discover the best solutions to accomplish your goals. How we speak about ourselves and our situation can affect the results we get when trying to achieve a goal. It’s important to identify and amplify your strengths.

The following points can help center our attention toward our potential rather than our mistakes:

- There is something positive in all of us

- What we focus on becomes our reality

- It’s important to value differences

- The language we use creates our reality

good. LIFE.

So sorry this is  a late post!

We have just walked all over Washington D.C. for my move it Monday exercise!  I'm posting this really quickly so that you know I've not forgotten about it being Monday....

I'll post more later this week...

winners.

Yes, you read that right.  We have a three way tie for last month's contest.  I'm so impressed with the dedication that I saw this last month.  I loved that some days weren't so good and then there were days that people exercised and ate well.

The thing I love the most is how cool these people are!  And I wouldn't have known it without this contest... I loved getting to know Laura and Karen and hearing about their daily struggles and the fun stuff going on.  Both of them are funny and I'm looking forward to the day we get to meet.  We've been joking around about a trip to Hawaii...  Mike has also been constant this month and I love that he's been posting every day, too.

So...I encourage you to become one of the Move it Monday girls!  It's fun to check in everyday and the encouragement and support are a great bonus...and then when you win that's an even bigger bonus!

And don't forget the YEAR contest!  It's not too late, ever, to join the Move it Monday fun!

I'm going to have to up the ante this month because I don't know if I can keep up with having more than one winner! :)

APRIL CONTEST:

So...this month...you have to post in the comments everyday like we did for March AND you have to have done at least 20 minutes of exercise 5 days a week*.  IF there is a tie this month, we'll have a third party online company do a random selection of the winner...

April's contest winner will get....hmmm....tell me in the comments what YOU would like to see the prize be and I'll post it here by the end of the week! ...Don't get too crazy on me!  I'm not giving out airline tickets to Italy, here!:)

I have to say that the last 10 days have been really tough for me.  I haven't had anything big going on but I've been busy and I've let the busy-ness get me away from exercising everyday.  It just felt like it took so long to get the exercising done and I have so many other things to accomplish everyday. 

I decided that it's because I really have been exercising a lot more.  I've gotten excited that I was losing weight and have been working out for a longer time, etc.  So...now, it does take a long time to exercise and it does take up a chunk of my morning.  At this point, it's time to just get back to the basics.  20 minutes a day.  That's all I'm asking of myself.  20 mintues.  No more.  It needs to seem easy again so that I can get back into the swing of doing this.  I don't want to give up just when it is easy!  I mean REALLY!!  I've worked out in the freezing cold, snow, rain, all of it.  Now, it's spring and it's totally gorgeous, perfect walking weather and I'm going to wimp out?!  What's up with that?

So, it's back to 20 minutes for me.  Just get in the 20 minutes every day.

If you're thinking it takes too long to exercise.  Think 20 minutes.  Everyone can find 20 minutes in a day to go for a walk... or lift a couple of tomato cans 30 times over your head...

*Or the person who walks at least 20 minutes a day for the most days of the month.

*Contests start the day  I post them...not the first day of the month.  So...because I posted this contest on April 6th, that's the starting day...NOT April 1st.  Hopefully, this clears things up for everyone.

easy. LIFE.

*tell a friend about this contest!*

this is it.

The last couple of days of the month! We have some people who have really worked hard this month to stay consistent. I'm very impressed and super proud of you! I think we may have a three way tie...what to do?!?! :)

Don't miss a day now. And remember there's still the year contest to keep up with...

And from my fave source of good and healthy ideas...my health insurance company...

Don’t underestimate the power of a good walk!

Walking is an excellent way to participate in physical activity. You can walk anywhere, and it doesn’t require a gym membership or any special equipment. You just need a sturdy pair of walking shoes and a little time.

 Benefits of Walking

 - Helps with weight loss or maintenance

- Strengthens your heart

- Prevents diabetes and osteoporosis

- Lowers blood pressure and cholesterol

- Increases energy

- Reduces stress

- If you’re going with a friend or family member…it’s a great way to build and strengthen your relationships

Have fun this week!

healthy. LIFE.

 *Share this post with a friend*