The Halloween Deal??

On a Night So long ago... (last year), the husky man (the hubs) gave her a deal that would change the outcome of the future. There WOULD be a deadline, and PROMISES would be kept....OR...  

Aaahhhhh... I dont' know, I can't write a scary story...haha.  But, Happy Halloween!!!

So, some of you may remember THIS little deal my husband made me last year. Hahaha.. and maybe you are wondering, what happened?? Okay, so if you aren't all caught up, you have to go read it.

I thought for sure I would have a Halloween Costume by now.  But, I have no clue what I'm wearing...BOO! I'm almost sad, even though I for sure would be in something like this.

And believe me I DO NOT have the assets for this. :)

So here is what happened.  The Hubs was all for it, doing so good, I mean this was a year ago.  He had about 50 lbs to lose.  He did lose about 30 and has kept it off, which is AWESOME! When August came around I think he felt like he had plenty of time left and then when October came I think he started to give up.  He goes really hard for a while, great diet, staying active and then like anybody else he gets tired of it.  The more I push, the less he wants to do it.  I can tell him all the info I'm learning, all the knowledge I've gained, to do "this", and he should do "that."  But, he won't listen, he DOES NOT like to be told what to do and if he really wants to do something it HAS to be his decision and he will do it HIS way.  IT DRIVES ME CRAZY!! But, honestly...who likes to be told what to do, right?! So, I've learned...(sort of) to keep quiet the best that I can.  

It's Halloween and he still has about 15 or so lbs to go.  But Hey! That is quite an accomplishment and guess what.  He's been so on board with the whole eating healthy thing and 2 weeks ago he started waking up before work at 4:30 am to do Les Mills Pump (which I am also currently doing and I LOVE).  What??? He started it on his own, and I think he is really liking it.  On his off day he even wanted to go on a family walk.  YAY!! 

I better knock on wood right now because I feel like I'm jinxing it as we speak.  I hope he continues this and he said, "I never said what year...." Whatever! Yes you did, but I'll take it.  If by next year he is down all the way to where he wants to be and has kept it off then I'll keep my end of the deal!! Or maybe we should change it up a bit.  Do you have any ideas for me?

Weekend Binge Eating

When the weekend hits, all I want is a treat.  I do so good during the weekdays and then BOOM, crash and burn! No matter how much you learn about nutrition, no matter what you do, it's so hard. The Guilt sets in and then it almost feels like you have to start over every Monday.  Food is addicting!! So, what can you do to not fall off the wagon every weekend? Binge eating on weekends is very common. Maybe its because you feel like you do so good during the week that you deserve a little something....and that's okay! But, sometimes we may take it overboard, I know I do. Another reason binge eating may occur is because we may plan the week out really good and weekends we feel like we need a little break from planning and here comes more snacking, more eating out, etc.  What are some things we can do?  Well, here are a few tips that may help out.

                                      

1. Self Control!  Okay so you want to reward yourself with a little treat.  You can still practice self control.  Instead of eating the whole batch of cookies, maybe have just a couple.  So Hard...yes! But it can be done. You still get the sweets but hopefully don't have to feel as guilty as you would if were to have more.  Drink a whole glass of water before you even try one.

2.   Keep your consistent eating- Keep your consistent eating pattern eating 5 or 6 small meals, even on the weekends.  This will help to keep you fuller longer and not wanting to just grab whatever is in site. This will also increase your metabolism. You can make a deal with yourself that if you keep your goals with healthy eating and exercise during the week then you will allow yourself one cheat meal.  ONLY if you kept your goal and keep that self control to not let it turn in to a whole cheat day.

3. Balance your meals.  If you know you are going to go out and splurge at dinner time, make sure you stay on track with breakfast, lunch and meals throughout the day.  This way it sort of balances it out and you may not feel as guilty as you would if you just splurged all day long.

4. Exercise.  You can still exercise on the weekends.  Do something fun with the family or fit in a quick 30 minute run or workout in the morning.  It's a great way to start your day and keep the habit going strong so you don't feel like you are starting over every Monday.  It just makes you feel good and helps to burn those extra calories you might be having.

5. Get your mind out of the gutter. Over eating can definitely be a mind game.  Food is an addiction like any other addiction and it takes a lot of self control to get it just right and where you feel in control.  Stop listening to the voices in your head that say, "you deserve it.... it tastes so good... just eat all these candy bars, it's not going to hurt."  Whenever you start to feel this way, you need to repeat to yourself  "I WILL practice self control." It may sound silly, but the mind is a powerful thing and if you can get the right mindset, you can take control of your binge eating. One thing that I need to remind myself of more often is my mantra... "I CAN have that, but I don't want it." "I don't have to (go to the gym) but I want to!" 

 My mind is totally on board with the whole workout side of things.  I want to workout, I love to workout! If that's not you, what can you do to make it happen? But, the eating part it totally the hardest for me and a lot of people I know.  So, let's remember these steps when next weekend rolls around.  If you do get off track you still need to be kind to yourself and not give up.  Just start again! 

Here is a great article "The Be-Kind-to-Yourself guide to getting over an Off track weekend."

I know if I get my mind set right and really use my own advice I can have an "On-Track" weekend next time! You with me?

Dixie Mud Run Recap

I had so much fun at the Dixie Mud Run!! This was the first year for the event, so they are still working out all the kinks, but I think it turned out great and was a super fun time!

We had the Best. Team. Ever!!

Everybody just made it a ton of fun.

One friend ran with us at the last minute and we are so glad she joined us!

I don't have much pics of us on all the obstacles...bummer! 

Here we are coming around the last bend :)

I believe it was about 3 miles total.

Slippin' slidin' to the finish!

 

We did one part of the course TWICE...haha, cuz we are crazy like that I guess.  We don't need to get into the details...haha, but who cares about times anyway right? :)

What a great time!

(I'm 3rd from the right hand side)

Kids 5 and up got to do a kid version of the course so my girls did it.

So many kids were losing their shoes in the first mud pit....my daughter handed me her shoe and her friends shoe too :) and finished the race with one shoe! :)

Great Job girls!!!

So Proud of them!!

I'm glad I got to experience it with my girls.

We made a whole family day out of it.

As we were getting in the car to leave my youngest daughter said,

"That was so much fun!"

They loved it & So did I!

Can't wait until the next one!

Thanks Team for making it such a blast!!

After School Snacks and Healthier Halloween treats!

My kids love that I have them a little snack ready for them right when they get home from school.  I find that If I have it prepared and ready for them to eat, they are of course less likely to go searching through the cupboards and grab stuff that isn't that great and isn't going to satisfy their tummies long enough until dinner time. It's fun to think of things to give them, but honestly sometimes I am scrounging to find something real quick because I forgot..haha, I know they will be disappointed if I don't have it ready.  I teach piano directly after they get home from school, so I have no time to prepare it after that. It's gotta be ready and quick.

I made this Banana Bread and they had a slice with a box of raisins and milk when they got home yesterday. Apples with PB or almond butter or yogurt is always a hit. Yogurt with berries and granola.  String cheese and a piece of fruit, cubed ham, olive, cucumber and cheese kabobs.  Be creative and make it fun for your kids, it also teaches them what good snack options are.  Since it's so close to Halloween there are some fun things to do.  

I plan on making this one for them sometime soon.  Cute!

from Super Healthy Kids

You might remember seeing this on my Facebook page 

I love it! Not only a great idea to hand out on Halloween, but a fun Halloweenish (is that a word ;) type snack for your kids that they would love.

Honestly my kids do get tired of "Mom's Healthy Stuff" ALL the time..they are my little guinea pigs :)  
They would be surprised if I let them have "candy" when the get home.
Shhhhh...don't tell them that this is "Healthy" Halloween candy! :)

can't wait to try some of the fun options.

Can't wait to find some fun stuff for Thanksgiving and Christmas!

Do you have some great after school snack ideas or Healthier Halloween treats??

YW Lesson: Caring for our Physical Bodies

I have the lesson this week in Young Women's, so I figured I better get working on it today.  I was excited when I looked at our schedule and that my lesson is Manual 1- #37 "Caring for our Physical Bodies."  Yay!! I get giddy when I get to talk about things like that! :)  And I love that I get to share it with young women so that they can hopefully make good habits now! Taking care of our body is an important part of our lives, not just physically, but most importantly spiritually!! I think we often take our bodies for granted and forget what a gift they are to us.  We focus a lot on saying our prayers, reading our scriptures, going to church, helping others... which are all very important things, but we forget that taking care of ourselves is equally important.  When we are taking care of our Body all the other things will start to fall into place. 

Rather than just Physical activity and eating right... taking care of our skin, teeth, hair, etc is also important and keeps us healthy and feeling good about ourselves on the outside.

There are some other fun ideas on Sugar Doodle like having an activity during the week taste testing all different kinds of fruits and veggies, ones that you may not have heard of.

Here is a fun handout that I'm going to use

The Body handout from Sugar Doodle

"There is a close relationship between physical health and spiritual development.... when one's physical health is impaired by disobedience to God's eternal laws, spiritual development will also suffer."

~Elder Delbert L. Stapley

I think I'll make some sort of "Clean Eating" treat to give the girls to show them that Healthier eating can still be good!

This is also a really great quote that brings it all together.

I love what I do here on my blog and that I can help others remember to take care of themselves.  This lesson just reminded me that I am doing something important.

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To learn more about my church go to www.lds.org or www.mormon.org

Shabby Apple Winner!!

Thank you so much to all who entered the Shabby Apple Giveaway!! Stay tuned for more giveaways!  I love to reward my readers with fun things.  

So now on with it.........

The Winner by random drawing using Random.org

is

Shelley Gajus

(I will be in touch with you shortly by email)

Congrats!!

***

To say a big thank you to the rest of my readers.....you can still get something fun.  Everybody will get 10% off anything you purchase from Shabby Apple within the next month.  Just use the

 coupon code:

sparklesandbugs10off

Shabby Apple Giveaway!! (closed)

I am honored to be able to do a giveaway for Shabby Apple! They have a variety of LoVeLy things over on their site :)

And YOU, my lucky readers get to ENTER to win a $50 gift card toward anything on their site!! There is plenty to choose from... dresses, skirts, blouses, maternity, shoes, kids & accessories.  How fun to pick something out for yourself or even a nice gift for somebody else. Go on over and check it all out.

**There will be 2 required entries and 2 extra optional entries, giving you 4 possible chances to WIN!!

Please leave a separate comment for each

Required Entries:

1. "LIKE" Shabby Apple on Facebook & leave a comment telling me you did.

2. Look at the  Shabby Apple shop and come back and leave a comment telling me which dress or item is your favorite.

(*please leave an email address with at least one of your comments)

Extra Entries:

3. "Like" Fit Mama WannaBe on Facebook and leave a comment telling me you did.

4. Share this giveaway on Facebook by clicking "Share" on the giveaway post on the Fit Mama WannaBe like page and leave a comment telling me you did.

***

Yay!! We will draw a random winner and will announce it next Tuesday October 9th

(get all your entries in by Monday 10/8/12 at midnight PST)

*must have a USA shipping address to be eligible for this contest.

GOOD LUCK!