MetaBank is doing 52 Weeks of Community Giving “Your Cause, our Cash”! You can nominate your favorite Community Charity or Nonprofit Organization and once a week they will draw a winner. If they draw your name, they will donate $100 on your behalf! NEAT!

Get over their and nominate  Sioux Falls Go Red for Women or the Sioux Falls American Heart Association!

Our hearts, an organ that we often take for granted. It plays such an important role in our lives and yet, it is often over shadowed by other concerns. We worry so much about our outer appearance we forget about the inner (where it really counts).

Imagine if the damage we did to our hearts on a daily basis was pasted to the front of our clothing, where everyone could read it.

“Today I ate a breaded chicken sandwich (with extra mayo), large French fries and a large soda (not diet) on my way home from a night out. I drank an extra large caramel mocha (with added cream and caramel drizzle). I drank three cans of soda today (but I will only admit to one). I brought a cold meat sandwich with me to lunch and I decided to order a breaded buffalo chicken ranch wrap with extra ranch instead. I did not exercise (but I packed my clothes anyway). I did not go for a walk with my dog (as I had promised I would). I watched TV for three hours (and did not do any laundry, cleaning or even cooking for supper). I ordered pizza and chicken in for supper (also added extra sour cream and butter to the potatoes that came with it)….and that was just for today.”

WOW, can you imagine, if what we did was so PUBLIC for our families to see, co-workers and even strangers! I think of how many times I tell myself little fibs to get by through-out the day, SHAME on me!It is so true when they say “You are what you eat!” I want to be a vegetable, a fruit, a whole grain wheat, person! I really do! I want what I eat to directly effect  both my inner and my outer appearance!

New adventures open new doors not only for you personally but sometimes for those around you!

I enlisted my sister as a partner and we decided to take a “Discover Yoga” Class through The Dharma Room. I thought it would be a great way to improve my overall health and help me focus on my future health goals.

I have always enjoyed it when things move along! I like dancing, fast songs and fast moves.  So I was a little worried it might be slow paced but I had no idea…HOW MUCH I WOULD LOVE IT! AND, my sister loves it too!

How great! Not only am I learning something new, exposing myself to some really great health improvement but I am also improving my sisters health!

A special THANKS to Angie at The Dharam Room (she rocks that Yoga Class)!

SORRY! I am behind on my updates! Shame on me! Look how many days just blur together when you aren’t paying attention!

More updates to come!

p.s. My husband and I were on a walk last night, we got home and literally…two minutes later the lighting was right over the top of our house and the wind picked up…scary!

Recap: Thinking smarter! It is amazing how quickly you change your diet just when you simply “THINK” about it! My family was visiting and the out-to-eat selection was Qdoba! LOVE the food! My requests were light on the cheese, no sour cream and all of a sudden I made my meal a little healthier! I also managed to stay away from the Dr. Pepper and choose to drink ice tea! WHOA! Moving along, moving along!

HOW CAN YOU HELP? VISIT….

Heart Disease & Stoke. You’re the cure!

Today how about you visit…

Ten Questions a Woman Should ask her Healthcare Provider!

Recap: Met my match! WOW! What a crazy few days…I feel as though I totally fell off the wagon, but I managed to stay clear of fried foods (minus the fries I nibbled on) and I stayed clear of heavily carameled coffee drinks. I did break down though on Sunday…it was my birthday and how do I resist home cooking, bars and cakes! Although I very much enjoyed time with family and friends I really lost sight of my goals, until I returned home and realized how terrible I had done. I didn’t even set a good example?!? What was I thinking!

SURPRISE IRONY! Monday Blues are just a downer! And then you add in a cloudy rainy day (which doesn’t help)! I just went and grabbed a Dr. Pepper (plans to eat lunch at my desk) and picked up my “BREADED” Chicken Wrap (loaded with Ranch, yes I did order it) and was half way through it when my phone rang…it was my mother.

She wanted to let me know they took my grandmother to the ER late last night, she had high blood pressure (over 200) and an enlarged heart…they moved her to intensive care…

That Dr. Pepper and loaded chicken wrap all of sudden made me sick, shame on me…that was a sign, I need to improve me health or else!

Day 2 Recap: Better but still a challenge! I managed to eat no fried food (even though my husband and I went out to eat. I even ordered water instead of soda which is like some sort of record for me)! I kept to my one Dr. Pepper a day rule; however, I have found that simply walking to the cooler, taking out a Dr. Pepper and just letting it sit on my desk unopened calms my nerves (I think I may be possible addicted to the “routine” of getting a soda more than the actual soda)! However, still no workout (shame on me)! My husband and I left our home as soon as we both were home from work and didn’t return home until 11:30! YIKES!

What did I learn today? ORGANIC is Extraordinary! “The average child in America is exposed to 10-13 PESTICIDES daily in their food, beverages and drinking water. Switching to an organic diet for just FIVE DAYS virtually eliminates any sign of exposure to organophospate insecticides!” -Source: The Organic Center, Report August 2006 & Report March 2009

THINK OF ALL THE TERRIBLE THINGS you have consumed over your lifetime? YIKES! Not only is eating healthy organic food good for your heart, it is so important for your overall health and body! Think to yourself before you consume something, “what is my body saying when I eat this?” Is it screaming, “GET THE TOXINS OUT OF ME!” or is it “I AM BOOSTING SOME SERIOUS NATURAL!”

Day 1: A challenge. I managed to stay away from the coffee, I did drink my favorite Dr.Pepper. Stayed healthy for lunch and actually did a great job cooking a healthy dinner! However, my workout never happened. I ran out of fumes and after cooking, laundry, watering flowers, more laundry and painting I was exhausted and crawled into bed. The good thing, the guilt has been eating at me all day! I will not miss my 30 minutes this time!

What did I learn today? I had a salad at lunch, and wanted to add some flavor to the somewhat dull spinach leaves. So I added a hard boiled egg. DID YOU KNOW: “One egg has 13 essential nutrients in varying amounts – including high-quality protein, choline, folate, iron and zinc – for only 75 calories. Eggs also play a role in weight management, muscle strength, healthy pregnancy, brain function, eye health and more.” -American Egg Board

AWESOME! Eggs can help me management my weight, which in returns makes my heart healthier!

So…it begins! Although I am busy with both my professional and personal life choices, I know my HEALTH choices will have the biggest impact on my future. I have tried to continuously remind myself I have been given only one body…this body…and I can either choose to respect it and treat it like the miracle it is, or I can choose to waste it away. Clearly by participating in this challenge, my decision is clear!  

Goals have been set…goals I want to reach!

Goal 1: To try and fit at least 30 minutes in my day for an actual work-out (it must include at least brisk walking, running, work-out video, Wii Fit, a work-out class, etc., etc.)Goal 2: To take my daily fix of my favorite caramel mocha’s and turn it into a twice a week fix (with the goal to eliminating it entirely bef0ore the 12 weeks is over)

Goal 3: To take my other (more than once a day) fix with Dr. Pepper to a one day a fix or an every other day fix.

Goal 4: To eliminate FRIED FOOD from my diet and try to add in other good choices such as fruit and veggies!  

Aside from my goals, I have also done a few other things that may help with my progress and heart improvements! A friend of mine had mentioned she is doing a “food journal”, writing down all the things that she is eating. I thought it was a great idea and went great with my current efforts.

Please feel free to share comments about your goals, things you have done that have worked, your personal stories (both good and bad), and any thing else you want to share. THIS IS A TEAM effort to not only save my heart but to save all of yours as well!