Move It!

If you are tying to lose those unwanted pounds and just can't quite make them budge, try moving more! Surely exercise is key to weight loss as is a balanced diet that is appropriate to your caloric needs, but increasing your metabolic rate (the rate at which you burn calories) is a much overlooked part of the equation!

So how do you increase your metabolic rate? Move it!! The more you can move throughout the day, the more calories you will burn, increasing that metabolic rate.

Movement doesn't have to be boring...

** Put on up tempo music and dance around the house

** Race yourself! Give yourself a limited amount of time (for example, 10 minutes) to vacuum the upstairs part of your house. Then see if you can dust chosen rooms in 9 minutes. The quicker you move around the house, the more calories you will burn.

** Play outside with your kids... challenge them to a race around the yard or see who can jump the most times in a row, who can hop on one foot the most times?

** During the commercials of your favorite TV show, walk up and down the stairs three times.

Making a point to move more will help you on your road to weight loss. So.... move it!

Happy Mother's Day!

On this Mother's Day, it is my wish for you to feel celebrated. Every woman should feel celebrated and appreciated, and it is today that we uphold mothers around the world.

So to my own mom, thank you for showing me how to enjoy life and live with zeal. To my friends who are moms, thank you for inspiring me to be a better mom through your words and actions. To my husband who made my dream of being a mom come true, thanks for showing me how to truly live and enjoy every moment for what it is. And to my dear son, thank you for your innocence, genuine zest for life, and the many, many wet kisses that brighten my day.

Happy Mother's Day... may you feel celebrated and nourished today!

Good luck runners!

Tomorrow is the RiverBank run which is a big deal in the Grand Rapids area, so I wish all of you who are running, a good race and lots of fun!

So whether you are running the 25K, the 10K or walking or running the 5K... have fun and enjoy the trip. Take in the excitement, the fans, and the surges of adrenaline throughout the course, for these are the things that make races so fun!

Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Hebrews 12

Delicious and NOT sinful!

I was in search of a satisfying dessert last night, and found a picture on the front of the Rice Cake bag that inspired my creation. It was really delicious but not heavy on the calories! Feel free to add your own flavors... I really enjoy the taste of chocolate and peanut butter together, but change it to your cravings!

1 Chocolate peanut butter rice cake

1/2 cup sugar free vanilla pudding

2 tbsp. light Cool Whip

1/4 banana

Directions:

1. Mix pudding and cool whip together in separate bowl and top rice cake with 2/3 of the mixture.

2. Add banana slices to top of rice cake and top with remaining pudding mixture. ENJOY!

Finished!

Well today was the big day... our half- marathon in Nashville, TN. I must begin by saying this race is SO fun and the crowds (even despite the rainy weather) are remarkable! Geoff and I entered the race with the mindset that this was to be a fun race and our goal was to enjoy it. Well we did certainly enjoy it, despite the random cramp and dehydration along the way, and in doing so, we set a personal record! We ran the 13.1 miles in 1:51:22, and beat last year's time by 1.5 minutes. We were thrilled and so thankful for the opportunity to run!

We learned a lot along the way about racing and about ourselves. Despite the rainfall this morning, we realized the importance of staying loose and staying calm... a little rain won't hurt anybody! Plus, I also learned that you never know how much is left in your 'tank' unless you push it until it's empty. Then... you know.

So with thanks in my heart and swollen feet in my shoes, I encourage you to push beyond what you think is possible and dream a big dream.

An infant reminder!

One of my friends had a little boy about 8 weeks ago. He is adorable and just beautiful! As we were talking about motherhood and breastfeeding, I reflected upon the infant's inherent knowledge of when to eat and when to stop. How does he know when to cry so he can eat, and when to pull away to signify that he is done? It's just apart of his little body and soul. We were all created with these triggers and signals, but too many of us have lost touch with them.

What if we tap back into our actual hunger and fullness, instead of being a member of the 'Clean Plate club' or emotionally eating.

A few tips on how to tap into your stomach and its level of satiety.

1. Focus on foods with more protein, fiber, and water; such as lean turkey, whole grain brown rice and richly colored vegetables.

2. Drink a tall glass of water throughout your meal.

3. Use a smaller plate and divide it into 3 sections, one section for meat or protein, one for vegetables or fruits, and one for whole grains.

4. Be fully present at your meal, avoid eating while watching TV, driving, or working on the computer.

5. Stop to really take notice of the food's textures, flavors, and smells. Enjoy every bite!

Grate away!

In a recent online article from Shape magazine, I found this very clever tip!

Most of us only reach for our kitchen graters to shave Parmesan or to zest a lemon, but utilizing the tool every day may help you shed a few pounds. "When ingredients are grated, it seems like you're getting a bigger portion, so you're satisfied with less," says Christine Gerbstadt, M.D., a registered dietitian and a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association. In fact, a study published in the journal Appetite found that people believe they're being served nearly 50 percent more of a food when it's shredded. The next time you're adding high-calorie fare-like cheese or chocolate-to a dish, grate it instead of slicing or dicing it. Not only will the smaller pieces save you calories (a cup of grated cheddar, for example, contains 77 fewer calories than a cup of diced), they'll also spread more evenly throughout the meal, infusing every bite with flavor. Our favorite serving suggestions: Grate cheese over steamed vegetables and chocolate over strawberries or bananas.