Compliments of Dawn Kingren

Portions! Portions! Portions!

One of the key elements to losing weight and keeping it off is practicing portion control. You can eat the best food for your body, but if you are intaking too many calories daily, you will not be able to lose weight. Here are some easy tips for keeping your portions in check to effectively lose weight.

Portion Control Tip #1: Don't Leave Food in Sight

Eating meals family style (where the dishes of food are in your sight) can make it much easier to reach for seconds. If they are not in the same room, you are much less likely to want more. Leave the pots and dishes in the kitchen, and fix yourself one serving. Let it settle for at least 20 minutes so that you acquire the feeling of being full.

Portion Control Tip #2: Use Meat as a Side Dish

Don't make meat the main course of your meal. Load up on healthy grains and vegetables instead, and have meat or a meat-based side dish. This way you will feel full faster and pack your diet with more vitamins and fiber, which is better for you in the long run.

Portion Control Tip #3: Split a Serving

When eating out, try splitting a meal with a friend or taking half of your meal home. Most restaurants provide more than one serving in a typical meal. By splitting it up, you can save money and save on the extra calories.

Portion Control Tip #4: Learn Serving Sizes

By learning to visually identify some simple serving sizes, you can better control your portions. When eating a typical serving size of meat, it should be about 3 ounces or the size of a deck of cards. A standard serving of grains or raw vegetables is about the size of a tennis ball or your fist.

Portion Control Tip #5: Eat Small Meals

Keep your blood sugar even throughout the day by eating small meals. You can keep your energy up and eat less overall because you do not get ravenous and overeat. People who eat 5 to 6 small meals a day are much more likely to maintain portion control because they never become too hungry.

Portion Control Tip #6: Portion out Food

When you are having a snack, be sure to divvy up your portions before you begin eating. It is quite difficult to eat just one portion of any snack food when eating straight out of the bag. By separating out one portion, it is much easier to stick to it, and not eat too much without even thinking about it.

Portion Control Tip #7: Break Down Leftovers

Instead of storing leftovers in a big container, separate them out into single servings. Then you can easily reach in the fridge and pull out one single serving to reheat. This will help you limit how much you are eating with very little effort.

Have a fit & healthy weekend!!

Thank you very much, Dawn! You're awesome!

Shakeology: Love Potion!

You've Got To "Move It-Move It"

Good afternoon All!

Your body craves movement! Think about it for a minute. Whenever you stay immobile for too lengthy of time, your brain sends a signal for you to MOVE your body!

This tiny revelation came to me today when sitting in the cube. Now, I don't really sit in a tiny cube at work. But, I spend a large portion of my day staring at a computer screen. If I don't get up and take a little walk to the opposite side of the building, to the restroom, or randomly make a reason to get up and stretch, my body pays the price.

Movement should be considered "therapy" for the body. Not only is it good for the brain, it is good for ALL of you. Movement equates to exercise. So, if movement is good for the entire body, wouldn't exercise be as well? And, if that is true, why do so many people dislike exercise? Why is exercise such a chore? Why do people get bored? Simply, it is because people haven't found the right type of movement they enjoy.

Remember when you were a little kid? Perhaps your mom would say something like this to you, "If you have that much energy, go outside!" or "No running in the house!"or "Keep the noise down!" I don't know about you, but I heard those phrases quite often growing up.

My point is simply that we cannot allow life to get in the way of being active. If you work in an office setting, go for walks on your breaks or stand up and stretch at your desk. Just move your body and it will like you.

I encourage you to find an activity that you enjoy! Perhaps, it is playing volleyball, softball, swimming, outdoor walking/running, basketball, football, kickboxing wrestling, dancing, etc. Whatever turns you on, just do it! Find at least an hour in your day to dedicate to YOU. Maybe it's 30 minutes in the morning and 30 minutes at night. That part doesn't matter. The more you move your body at an intense rate will ultimately change who you are. It's like the curtain will be removed and you'll be able to see more clearly, think sharper, focus, and have a sound state of mind. You will actually be more HAPPY and pleasant to be around and your confidence will increase. Don't trust me? Just try it for a month. Purposefully move your body at least 5 times a week and tell me I am wrong.

You've Got to Move-It, Move-It...just like the song in Madagascar!

Yoga Socks & Gloves

Whew! I just completed a full session of yoga and I feel compelled to tell you how I finally did it! The key for me was a tiny investment in yoga socks and gloves. I know that sounds really silly and twisted, however, I always became frustrated when I'd slip & slid all over the mat. These tiny tools enabled me to stay with it and complete the poses. Now, I'm not going to lie to you and pretend like I didn't fall a time or two because I did. BUT, I could go deeper in the lunges, float my heels higher into the sky while in downward dog and not slide. To me, this is huge!

I've always known that being flexible is important. Some people are extremely flexible while others are not quite that advanced. It doesn't matter what category you fall into, the bottom line is that you need to work at your flexibility. The best time to stretch is when your muscles are warm. So before you start static stretching, run in place, do some jumping jacks, or some squats. The objective is to get some blood pumping into your muscles before you stretch them. This will prevent injury and tearing of the muscle tissue.

How do they feel? Warm, especially if you sweat a LOT. The cotton will absorp the water so don't worry about it. Clear your head and stick with it. The socks are toe socks so each individual toe has it's own slot. This can feel uncomfortable at first but doesn't last long. The gloves are like weight lifting gloves with the finger tips exposed. They have tiny rubber grips on the soles and palms which enable you to grip the yoga mat and not slide. Very cool.

Give 'em a try and let me know what you think!

Live the Dream | Joe Markiewicz

Live the Dream Joe Markiewicz

Please take a moment to listen to this video clip. Many of you may not know Joe. He is a man of passion. He is a man of purpose.

Just listen to his story because it is much like mine...don't let anybody stop you from pursing your dreams. If you have ambition, don't let corporate america frustrate you.

I have a solution. Ask me what I do to pursue my dreams. Don't be surprised when I tell you it's helping other people accomplish theirs...just ask me and I will share with you how.

Let's go 'Live the Dream'. It's real. It's out there. Let's go for it!