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Tone It Up Bikini Series Printable: Motivational Quotes

I was a busy little bee again and whipped up this Tone It Up document with Post-it sized quotes. Cut them out and tape them to your bathroom mirror, fridge, dashboard, computer, or treadmill. The second page contains two inspirational Bible passages for all my Jesus-loving #TIUsisters out there.

A few of the quotes are from Karena and Katrina themselves, like the leading life with your heart quote. They often talk about posture and leading life with your heart has to do with standing tall and literally leading with your heart out and shoulders back. Let this note be your visual reminder to stand up tall.

A few of them motivational quotes would be great to post directly on your workout station. Use them as mantras to get you through tough workouts or reminders about why you’re working so hard. Check out a great post about effective mantras here.

Download your free copy here

Let me know what you think and if you have any ideas for more printables–I’ll see what else I can whip up!

Enjoy!

20 Tips to Help You Start Working Out in the Morning

I think the time of day you work out is irrelevant, as long as you are actually performing at your fullest capacity. This, for you, could be before work, at lunch, in the evenings, or broken up throughout the day. The most vital part is that you find what works best for you so that you can stick with it.

However, there are some undeniable benefits to working out in the morning:

  1. The evening is all yours and your family’s–no running off to the gym at the expense of family time.
  2. Working out before breakfast could increase your fat burn by up to 20%, without causing more hunger later in the day.
  3. Your workout is done before the distractions and stresses of the day could potentially keep you from your workout.
  4. It wakes you up better than coffee and the effects last much longer.
  5. You’re better equipped to run morning 5ks if you train in the mornings. Studies such as this and this suggest that you can train your body to be at peak performance at the time of day of your specified activity.

 

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Now, it may be super hard to get your butt out of your nice warm bed at 5:30 in the morning. I hear ya.
I have a really tough time with this myself, especially in the winter when cold air freezes me in my tracks and my eyeballs and body beg for “just another half hour!” Plus, it’s dark out, so your circadian rhythm fights back against your best efforts. However, since the beginning of this year, I was able to successfully transition my workout schedule with some creative tweaks.

How to Start Working out in the Morning:

1. Begin on Vacation: I had quite a few days off in a row this past Christmas break. So, I decided to start working out in the mid-mornings. Then, once I went back to work, it was much easier to transition into early-morning workouts. I wasn’t about to mess up all the progress I had made during those two weeks.

2. Prepare Ahead of Time: The night before your workout, set out your workout clothes, prepare your morning breakfast (at least set out the ingredients), unfurl your exercise mat, and decide which workout you’re going to do. You’ll have everything in place to just roll out of bed and begin, barring all excuses. You also won’t feel so scrambled in the morning rush when you have made all your preparations beforehand.

3. Write it in the Calendar: To help you decide what workout you’re going to do, it is helpful to sketch out a plan in your calendar. The calendar helps hold you accountable to your goals and breaks them down into manageable steps. Plus, it just feels great to mark x’s through all your completed sessions. Here are a few fun write-in calendar printables I found by way of Pinterest: monthly workout calendar, two-week calendar, designer calendar.

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4. Build in Rest Days: Either designate a few days during the week that will always be rest days or give yourself one or two freebies during the week to use as you wish. I always rest on Thursdays and Sundays. This gives me something to look forward to (sleeping in!) and offers a little leeway so I don’t over-train. If I need to move around rest days, it’s simple to do. Building in rest days just makes the whole routine feel more sustainable.

5. Create Plan B: Think about all the things that could happen that could make you miss out on a workout: your alarm doesn’t go off, your body feels too weak to get up, you find cat puke that needs to be cleaned ASAP, etc. Decide right away what Plan B will be, such as working out later in the day, giving yourself the day off, or doing a shorter but more intense HIIT workout when you’re running short on time. Being prepared for obstacles is more than half the battle to overcoming them.

6. Go to Bed Earlier: Start easy, going to bed maybe 5 minutes earlier each night. Then, build up to about a half hour. At the half hour point, you have quite a good base for an effective workout session. Start there and increase as you progress. As an alternative, if your workplace allows, go into work a little later.

7. Commit to just 15 minutes, for just one week: It seems a whole lot less scary to get up just a little earlier for one week than to commit to 45 minutes, 5 days per week for the rest of your life. See how that works? You can practically trick yourself into getting into the habit with this simple tip. Get up just 15 minutes early for a week and do the best workout that you can. You might just find yourself going a little longer, if your schedule is a little more flexible. You may even break up your workout routine into 15 minutes in the morning and 15 minutes after work until you’re ready to completely transition to morning workouts. It’s helpful to just start somewhere and build up from there.

8. Make a Date: If you have friends who work out in the morning, offer to join them or join the morning session of your favorite exercise class. You’ll be less apt to miss a session when your friends are expecting you or you’ve already paid for the class.

9. Nix Travel Time: You don’t need the gym. Say what? Yes, you can do so many killer workouts at home, so it’s unacceptable to use the “I don’t have a gym membership” excuse. Workout DVDs, fitness magazine printables, Youtube, Hulu and so many other resources are available to you on your own turf. Maybe you even have a pup that could use a good leg stretch in the morning. Besides, working out at home cuts out time lost on travel to the gym–another common excuse.

10. Set a Motivating Alarm: Would you like to wake up to your favorite music or a bright light? How about waking up to your trainer telling you to get your workout in? You can always check your app store for a motivational alarm clock. For example, the TIU app comes with a playful alarm clock where you hear Karena and Katrina rooting or pushing for you in the morning. If you don’t have a smartphone, put motivational post-its on your alarm clock with reasons why you need to get up and work out or reminders of events that you need to tone up for.

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11. Practice Tunnel Vision: clear your mind and just do it. Get dressed, brush your teeth and get to working out. You really have to tone up your tunnel vision muscles. Ignore the laundry. Ignore the dishes. Ignore the project you left out on the table. The more you are able to hone this skill, the better.

12. Attach Activity to Something Fun: Catch up on all your favorite TV recordings from the night before (that you missed by going to bed so early, ha!). Get your news fix or indulge in guilty pleasure magazines. Treat yourself to a good tea after you’re done working out. When you attach working out to something pleasurable, it will become that much easier and enticing.

13. Reward System: Set up a reward chart to show what you’ll get yourself after a week, month, quarter, etc of successfully working out in the mornings. Make the rewards simple–they need not be extravagant or costly. You can do something as simple as use that special body wash you were saving in the shower after each morning workout. Or buy a new flavor of tea for #12 above.

14: Warm up: As soon as you’re warm, your workout will not feel so hellish. Winter is especially brutal. I like to bring our small space heater into the bathroom to get me warmed up while I’m changing. The hardest part about morning winter workouts is the cold. The bed has a much stronger draw than the treadmill. So, beat the cold at its own game. Find ways to get your body warm, and don’t give up on your idea of working out in the morning until after you’re warmed up.

15. Watch infomercials or music videos: I sometimes find that watching P90X infomercials or music videos in the mornings pumps me up. The infomercials are great motivation to push it hard and the pop music pumps me up. It really depends on your mood and personal preferences. I just know that both of these have gotten me through tough workouts when I needed them to.

16. Employ cheerleaders: Recruit Twitter friends, follow your favorite fitness role models, or post Instagram images from your morning route. Cyber motivation is powerful and proven. My feed is filled with ladies (#TIUsisters) doing their “Booty Calls,” a term coined by Tone It Up. Announce your goals on social media. Follow those other crazy morning runners. The more “likes,” “favorites,” and “retweets” you get, the more fire you’ll have under your feet. Once you feel like you’re part of that team of morning workout-ers, your motivation will swell. 

17. Build in Snooze Time: pad in one or two “snooze” presses if you must. I have a hard time getting up after the first alarm too. If you know this about yourself, pad in a bit of snooze time. Just not more than one or two or you’ll be losing out on valuable REM sleep.

18. Start Writing/Noticing Changes: Recording inches or lbs lost, energy gained, changes in confidence levels, etc provides instant gratification for what you’re working so hard for. Maybe you’ve begun to revel in the early morning sunrise or how your belt just went up a notch. Whatever beauty you’re gleaning from your morning workout, write it down. Take note of how your body feels after an AM sweatfest and makes you feel better throughout the day. This will perpetuate the habit and be a catalyst for future workouts, perhaps one day making you feel as though you never want to go back.

19. Practice: Do one week of morning workouts here and there just to see what they’re like. Committing to the first week is always the hardest part, especially when compared to thinking about doing it for a lifetime. Try a few mornings or one week per month. You’ll start to get the hang of it with a few trial runs. When it doesn’t seem so daunting anymore, you might just make the switch with ease.

20. Drink Some Coffee: Not only will it help wake you up, but it might also help you perform better during your workout. I linked to just one compilation of studies, but if you Google “coffee and exercise,” you’ll find a myriad of proof that this works. If you struggle with the waking up part of morning workouts, this is your magic wand.

So, there you have it: 20 tried and true ways to make the transition to morning workouts a bit easier. Try out a handful of them and eventually you’ll make a smooth transition. Follow me on Twitter (@BounSee_Jess) to see what I’m getting done in the morning, before the rest of the world wakes up, and to get a dose of extra morning motivation.

Any other tips from all you morning mavens out there?

I’ll Bet You $20: The Research Behind Diet Bets

I just put $20 down on a bet that I will lose 4% of my body weight (around 6lbs) in four week. I’m participating in this Diet Bet hosted by Erica House. Diet Bet claims a 90% success rate, which got me to thinking about why it works so well. Let’s explore the research and psychology behind diet bets briefly, shall we?
1. Monetary awards motivate dieters: As this article explores, financial incentives seem to be quite effective for weight loss goals. Competition that involves money seems to spur people to action–at least more action than they would perform if going it alone. It seems to work for participants on The Biggest Loser, doesn’t it? Of course, the fame and high dollar amount attached to those winnings differ significantly from throwing $20 in a pot with a few coworkers. But that doesn’t mean a few extra bucks in your pocket isn’t effective.
2. But only in the short term: The long-term effects of diet bets are a bit discouraging though. Since bets are typically temporary, the motivation to continue the weight loss plan is temporary too. Studies have shown that the effects may not hold up long term. Even though people are successful at losing weight with diet bets, many people gain the weight right back once the bet is finished. The immediacy of money earned creates a stronger reaction than the long-term effects of healthier living. Once you’re done with the bet, you must transition from external motivation back to intrinsic motivation unless you want to keep signing up for bet after bet. Or you need to find a way to change your “diet” mindset to a “lifestyle” mindset. Diet is temporary. Healthy living must become a complete lifestyle change.
I have an example of these concepts living right under the same roof with me. Hubster lost an impeccable amount of weight about a year ago with a Biggest Loser Challenge hosted by his employer. Hubster won not only the team component, but also the personal component, taking home well over $100. The weight stayed off for a few months until Hubster went back to his old ways of eating and not exercising. Now he’s back to where he started. The monetary incentive was definitely effective in the short term, but without carrying those new habits into the future, the weight loss won’t stick.
3. Use bets for habit formation: Speaking of habits–habits are generally said to be formed in 21 days (or 66 days by some). If you’re really committed to working out five days a week and planning out meals for each week, you could make your newfound habits stick. According to Psychology Today, you should also incorporate triggers (keeping running shoes by your bed) and rewards (money, new magazine, etc.) into your new routine to make it habit-forming. However, if you’re of the mindset that this “diet” is just temporary, you will likely have trouble once your bet is over. Diet bets are an amazing premise for healthy habit formation, but only if your intentions are set for the longer-term.
4. Peer encouragement can have a profound effect upon your results. When you’re committing to something like a diet bet or a lifestyle change, consider making it public. Tell your Facebook friends, shout it out on Twitter, let your friends know at brunch and get your family in on it. Heck, why don’t you just blog about it? The more people you tell, the more deeply entrenched you become in the healthy cycle. Peers are great for keeping you accountable. Participate in the friendly chatter on the betting sites. Find a few pals on your diet bet site and keep in touch after the bet is over. Research shows that the more you log on, the more successful you’ll be at hitting your weight loss goals.
5. Positive vs negative reinforcement: Positive reinforcement seems to be the winner for creating long-term changes in behavior, although negative reinforcement is effective in the short-term. Diet Bet offers positive reinforcement for weight lost–a bigger dip in the money pool. However, on the betting site stikK.com, if you lose the bet, your money is given to an anti-charity (a democrat donating to the republican party, etc). Whichever form of reinforcement you choose, be sure it is something that really pushes you to make changes. If you’re passionate enough about the outcome, you have more chances of succeeding.
6. Diet bets really keep you honest. On Diet Bet, for example, your entry must be officially verified by a live person. You take a picture of yourself in “airport” apparel (no shoes, belts, etc) and a picture of your scale reading with a password. You can’t cheat yourself out of the results. And I think that is one of the reasons why participants’ success rates are so high.
Ready to make a bet on your weight? Here are some betting websites to check out and get started:

More Mantra Madness

Oh, the power of a mantra! No new DIY mantra ideas have popped into my head lately, but that doesn’t mean they haven’t been on my mind–or placed in front of me out of nowhere! Take, for example, my current computer wallpaper. There I was, minding my own business, when a tweet came up on my feed about a free “‘make it happen” wallpaper design. Of course, I immediately clicked.

This beautiful wallpaper is the design of the talented designer, Breanna Rose.  Add this wallpaper to your computer background to remind you every day about your goals and that you have the power to make them reality. Go ahead and search your own personal mantra on Pinterest, and you might come across some beautiful prints or backgrounds like this.

Handstamped Jewelry: Stamping a mantra into a bracelet is another fantastic way to keep your mantra within sight at all times. This particular mantra is something I say to my son every night: “Dream Big.” I want him to grow up knowing that he is only restricted by the bounds of his imagination and determination. I never want him to feel that his dreams are only pipe dreams. He can Make Them Happen. Those sweet little nothings we whisper in their ears can mean so much, can’t they?

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By the way, you can buy a basic little handstamping kit at the hardware store for less than $10. Harbor Freight carries them for around $7. Handstamping is such an easy little art, once you learn how to do it. All you need to do is hammer the letters into an aluminum disc like this, color in the letters with permanent marker, and sand over the top to give it shine and remove the surface ink. I went to a craft night at a little local handmade shop and learned just how to do it.

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If you haven’t checked out my other mantra projects, check them out here:


Four Simple Goals Update

Things I always push myself to keep up with:

1. Tweezed eyebrows
2. Inbox, sent items, and deleted items all sorted away
3. Checking account balances
4. The stack of bill papers that need to be filed
5. Making the bed
6. Reading 15 mins to my son for school
7. Daily cleanup after son/hubster mess up the place.
8. Dishes
9. Updating my blog
10. Keeping up with phones and cameras full of pictures
11. Getting enough daily water
12. Getting up from my desk at hour intervals
13. Reading several chapters of the Bible
14. Planning out each snack and meal before work
15. Wiping up the counters
16. Keeping the stove-top spic and span (you can clean ANY of it with baking soda)
17. Three cardio and three strength sessions per week

…and on and on and on…

Sometimes I get so tied up in these small things that I forget to focus on the big things. Until everything is clean, I’m fed and watered, and my son has everything he needs for school the next day, I can’t concentrate on anything else. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is in full effect once I get home from work. I’m trying to reach self-actualization, but get caught in the bottom two rungs most days.

How are you doing on your Four Simple Goals?

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I am actually doing really well on the checking account thing. At first, I started out in bad shape, letting receipts pile up and transactions slip by (which is not like me at all). By now, I’ve been checking my account balance at least once a week and keeping up pretty well with the daily ebb and flow of the budget. It feels good to always know right where we’re at.

I also have been trying to keep up with all those little messy spots in my house. I can’t say I’ve been tackling one per week, but I am doing great things with my space. We recently got a new TV, which required a new TV stand. I got to choose an antique-looking horizontal dresser from the thrift store that fit everything I needed it to fit and doesn’t block the windows. A simple sanding and re-finishing (we actually had the right color at home) of the top and it was perfection! These small projects have given me much more breathing room. And I have to say, I’ve been taking loads of unneeded items to the thrift store and I haven’t really been buying anything new lately, so the house cleansing is balanced in favor of extra space.

The last two things I have admittedly not been very committed to. I do move around throughout the day at work, and I always walk on my lunch break, but getting up from my desk at certain intervals just seems anal. I’m ok with not being anal about this goal.

I have also been neglecting my Art Journal. I love the idea of an art journal, but there just aren’t enough hours in the day. Cliche, I know. But with all those expectations of myself that I listed above, art journaling does not get the attention it deserves. I also have a different, more purposeful journaling idea in mind that I want to tackle first.

Since I’m off of work now until after the new year, I will be setting my eyes on some new goals for the coming year. I am not the type of person that thinks the only time to plan goals is in on New Year’s Day. And I never abandon my goals by mid-January. I just think it’s a great time to evaluate the culmination of one year and use the accomplishments of the year past to perpetuate even better things in the coming year.

I will also be ordering an Etsy print and a new checkbook cover because I think I deserve them for dedicating so much energy to keeping our home and finances in order.

What are you New Year’s Resolutions? Did anyone else complete Elsie’s challenge?

My Favorite Mantra is Everywhere

Now that I’ve declared “Make it Happen” my personal slogan, I am seeing the phrase pop up everywhere. Fate? Or selective attention? I’m not sure, but it sure is cool. Here are just a few of sooo many instances:

1. I keep seeing Mariah Carey’s Make it Happen all over Facebook and in my favorite magazine.

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2. I was reading an article the other day about immigrant millionaires, and one of the women gave advice to “Follow your dream and make it happen.” Exactly!

3. In another magazine, a slogan for a personal training certificate program (how perfect!) popped right out at me.

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4. At about the same time, I was reading The Art of Nonconformity (great read) and the phrase popped right out at me on many-a-page.

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5. In yet another magazine, I was reading a success story, and the woman’s chosen mantra while working out was “make it happen.”

Seeing those words popping up everywhere is pretty nifty. Once you start seeing these words constantly repeating themselves, it’s like perpetual motivation. It keeps me going.

What is your workout mantra?

Personal Weight Loss Update

It’s been almost a year since I made a weight gain confession. At the highest point, my weight crept up 11 pounds. I am happy to say that I am now within about 5 lbs of where I was last year. I’ll take it! Now, I’m not trying to be superficial here about a few pounds, but when you’ve been the same weight for three years and pounds appear out of nowhere, there could be reason for concern.

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Let me share with you what I’ve learned:

1. There is nothing medically wrong with me. I went through a slew of tests, including thyroid function, which showed that I am just fine. Thank goodness. I couldn’t be more grateful.

2. I met with an on-site nutritionist that we have at work. She looked over some of my food journals and said “you’re doing everything right.” It is so reassuring hearing those words. I know I am doing everything I possibly can, but I needed to be told by a professional that I’m not seeing something no one else sees. She told me that if she put me in a room with 30 other people my age, I would have the toughest time losing weight. There is something about our genes and the way we’re built that you can’t always just nail down with a simple eat-this-many-calories-per-day-to-lose-weight equation. That doesn’t give me an excuse, it gives me a new reason to work extra hard.

3. I met with an on-site wellness coordinator that we also have at work. I told her what was going on and she suggested adding one extra day of workouts to my regimen. I hate that suggestion, to be blatantly honest (What???? I’m not doing enough already with three 60-minute workouts a week, biking to work and walking at lunch?), but I also know that it’s a must. To push through a plateau (or gain), I need to put in extra work. She also had a hunch that it could’ve been a birth control change last October that might’ve caused some of the weight gain. Well poo, but that won’t stop me either.

4. I was under a heaping load of stress last October. My husband was going to school full-time and with crazy schedules and sometimes having to help him, I was completely stressed out. Add to that the fact that he was unemployed, and it was a doozy of a few months. Happily, my husband has found a new job and is taking a break from school to pursue a new career. The stress has diminished tenfold since this same time last year. Yes, cortisol can really mess you up. But I am so thankful for the peace I’m feeling these days.

5. I started the Supreme 90 Day workout system (I’ll save the deets for another post) to kick through this final plateau and just to try a new fitness challenge. I’ve been used to going cardio-heavy, but this system is strength-driven, with cardio built into the circuits. Plus, it’s a program that gets me working out almost every day–but not to the point of overworking. Its designed to work different parts of the body on alternate days. In fact, it’s been told that it’s a comparable alternative to P90X. I’m noticing differences, but not so much in weight as in inches of fat disappearing. I’ve never measured myself like that before. It’s truly gratifying to see exactly how the work is paying off, instead of seeing the zero progress on the scale.

6. I’ve been really conscious about eating clean and I do notice that it makes me feel so much better. In fact, when I eat clean for a week and then try to eat French fries, I will inevitably get a stomachache. Such a strong motivator to put nutrients instead of crap into my body.
Well, there you have it, a personal look into what’s been going on with my weight and fitness goals these days. I think it’s best to be proactive about your health and take the steps necessary for change. It’s a lot of hardcore work, especially so for a body type like mine, but it’s best to be as informed as possible and rule out all possible hindrances. It’s also helpful to learn as much about yourself as possible. We all lose weight differently, and it’s good to know that so we can make educated changes based on our own bodies.

What have you learned about your body?

My Foray Into Freelance Writing and Tips

I’ve also checked another item off my bucket list, this one a little more meaty than the last. It’s not so much something I want to do before I die as it is something I want to do while I’m making a living. I’ve always wanted to dip my feet into the freelancing waters, bringing in some extra cash for my family, expanding my knowledge, and adding new fields to my resume. I think a lot of us middle-ground-ish folk have toyed with the idea of getting a second job for fun money or just to make ends meet. This is my way of doing it in my own home, with my Peanut next to me stealing my headphones because he likes my Pandora stations too, ya know.

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The cash factor isn’t the only reason why I wanted to freelance. It also sounded so intriguing to me. Writing from home, developing articles, researching new subjects–it all just expands me. I’m learning so much about subjects I had never even thought of before. The doors that freelance writing could potentially open are also intriguing. Perhaps one day I will pen an article that will be accepted for SHAPE magazine because of the accumulating evidence that I actually can write well.

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Here are some of the best tips for freelance writing that I’ve quickly learned:

#1: Pick a time to do the work and stick with it.
I was in a frenzy during the first few weeks of my second job. Every night I would think, “I could be writing right now” or “I should be researching the next article instead of going to the park.” The constant inner nagging was wearing on me. Instead, I chose two nights during the week to dedicate to the job. I leave home, grab a coffee and a two-hour internet pass, and get to work. This way, I can enjoy all the other nights, guilt-free. Structure is important. Without structure, before you know it, you’ve blown three hours on a researching tangent (off the clock, naturally) for a 500-word article. And you haven’t written a word. And you’re kicking yourself because your family is waiting for you to go on a bike ride. Structure the time, just like you do at your “regular” job. This is my best gem of advice.

#2: Limit time spent surfing the web.
Similarly to #1, you need to limit time spent researching. Do not fall into the trap of surfing non-related stuff, for sure. But when you actually are researching for an article, keep a time limit. Yes, you will hear that perfectionist voice in your head telling you that you could find out more statistical evidence about teen weight issues, but you probably already have enough information to write a solid article. You could go off on “idea tangents” only to never return. And just because you’ve booted up your computer doesn’t mean you need to check your email, Facebook, favorite news page, favorite blogs, Pinterest feed, and everything else while you’re at it (including, ahem, catching up with your favorite fitness personalities).

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#3: Reward yourself.
As with any job well done, set up a simple reward system for your achievements. Say, for example, after every 5 articles, you buy yourself a new magazine. After every two months of success, you enjoy a dinner out. Just going to the coffee shop to work and getting a good latte seems like a reward in itself. Positive reinforcement is important for self-motivation. You shouldn’t be doing all that extra hard work without reaping some rewards for it.

#4: Work With Your Family.
Work with members of your family to prioritize and organize a writing schedule that works for everyone. I have a little bit of buffer time between my personal deadlines and the actual article deadlines, just in case we have a doctors appointment or other priorities to tend to. Before I even accepted the freelance writing offer, my husband and I decided on an action plan to make it work–and to even decide that it was feasible. When I’m working at home, I work with my son to ensure that both of us have what we need. Yes, sometimes that means letting him listen to my headphones while I type out an article. I always give him notice and explain to him what I need from him when I’m working so that expectations are clear. However, my son comes first, so when he really needs me, I clock out. Find that balance.

#5: Refuse to Believe in Writer’s Block.
Yes, I too have days where my wording seems sloppy to me or I just can’t think of another thing to write about. This is a classic sign of burnout. Take the night off. Sleep. Go back at it in the morning. There is something so miraculous about sleep that seems to vaporize any concerns from the previous day and wipe out those vigilantes that live in your head. I don’t believe in writer’s block. I think it’s just a really good excuse that some people demised to take responsibility away from themselves. Go to a museum, hang out on Pinterest, or zen out with yoga until your mind is freshly abuzz again.

#6: Get Into the Practice of Writing.
My mind has been so abuzz with ideas lately, because I’m in the practice of writing again. I remember when I was in college and the last page of all my subject notebooks was filled with little idea dribbles. Anytime a thought struck, I would quick flip to the back page and write it down. Those little dribbles were sometimes expanded upon later into poems or storylines. It seems like when I’m a little pressed toward my limits, the ideas come a whole lot easier. And I enjoy being in a place where ideas flow readily and I feel the writing energy at full voltage. I enjoy teetering on that fine edge between underwhelmed and overwhelmed. I don’t like either side of those “whelms,” but the middle is “just right.” But just getting back into that daily writing practice makes everything seem lemon fresh.

I owe this freelance writing job to a friend of mine, and I am so thankful to her for bringing it to my attention:) I owe her a drink, doncha think?

Book Pages: Magic Eye

My bucket list contains a few typical adventures, but mostly it contains everyday “appreciate what you have” type of endeavors. However, there are one or two items on the list that seem pretty trivial (no sugarcoating). They are skills that I’ve wanted to experience for a long time. One of them was to be able to see the “Magic Eye.” I was never able to see them as a kid. They were all the rage when I was a kid, but they frustrated me. I was a straight-A student, but when I couldn’t accomplish certain things like this, I felt downright dumb. Only once, I almost saw one, but with my undeveloped youthful eye, I looked away.

I was at the library one day recently looking for something completely unrelated, and this book was stuck in among various psychology titles. So, I checked it out along with the books about the brain. How fitting, eh?

bucket list-magic eye

My friends, I cannot tell you how excited I am to tell you that I saw one! I finally saw one!!! Actually, I saw an entire book of them! I was just as fascinated as any 1980s child to bring the book to bed with me and go through the pages. I finally have the wonky eye technique down, and I couldn’t be more proud, if only for the little girl in me that tried so hard.

magic eye

If you’re dying to know how to do it too, you put the book pretty close to your face (as if you’re trying to read it without reading glasses–about 1-ft). Then, you “soften” your gaze, so your eyes aren’t focused, but they’re not cross-eyed either. Then, just stare off “into space” as though you’re looking right through the book. I don’t know if that makes sense, but that’s what worked for me.

magic eye

Next “trivial” item on the list–learn how to hula hoop. The little girl in me still watches people that can do it with wonder, because I’ve never been able to coordinate the hip-hoop movement. I can twirl it on my arm, yes, but not my waist. Anyone know the trick?

Weekly Health Newsletter Subscriptions

I recently read an article about how Kaiser Permanente studies the effects of weekly fitness emails on weight loss. Turns out, weekly emails do have a significant impact on weight loss. Kaiser used a program called ALIVE (A Lifestyle Intervention Via Email) where they sent participants tailored weekly emails with simple lifestyle steps they could take to lose weight, such as walk for 10 minutes during lunch.

Since regular emails are probably a great weight loss strategy, I thought I would share my own personal list of newsletters that I subscribe to. Not all of these are great for everyone, and you may not want to subscribe to this many all at once, but here goes:

1. FabFitFun: easily digestible daily fitness tips for the modern-day, trend-conscious girl. Today’s feature was about hot new youtube fitness stars. E! News’ Giuliana Rancic is the driving force behind this fab website.

2. Prevention: this might sound, um, a little old, but prevention magazine has 12-and-counting great health newsletters, some of which even fit into a younger lifestyle, such as the “Feel Your Best Fitness Newsletter” and the “Eat This, Not That Newsletter.”

3. Real Age: first, I highly recommend taking the Real Age test, which asks you a bunch of personal questions to tell you how old your body actually is. Then, subscribe to the Tip a Day newsletter. Today, for example, there were articles about the evils of soda and the 25 most healthy cities. Dr. Oz is one of the big names behind this site.

4. Whole Living: It all started when I signed up for a New Years’ 30-day challenge. That easily turned into a whole-year-and-beyond challenge. The Challenge of the Day email sounds like it might be somewhat similar to the idea of the Kaiser ALIVE emails. One recent challenge was to give up one processed food today. The emails really do take a Whole Living approach, touching on so many doable mind-body subjects. The spa-worthy pictures and gentle personal-caretaking approach are refreshing.

5. Everwell: touches on subjects from healthy food (Carrot Camouflage Cupcakes) to fitness (at-home workouts) to consumer health tips (dangers of reusing plastic bottles). It’s really a nice well-rounded approach to leading a healthier life.

6. Self: A handful of newsletters are offered by Self Magazine. The Move of the Week and Recipe of the Week newsletters will steadily build your repertoire on the fitness and food fronts. Other monthly newsletters explore news, tips and health topics.

7. ACE: Get tips and research insider information straight from the organization that trains the trainers. They explore fitness trends of the year, healthy food makeovers, fitness product reviews and of course links to exercise move videos. The newsletters also include handy links to thought-provoking conversations in the forums.

8. Sparkpeople: once you open your FREE (yes, no-strings-attached-FREE) account, you can manage your newsletter subscriptions under the Account/E-mail Preferences link at the top left of your home page. They offer 10 great health, diet and inspirational newsletters and 8 condition-specific newsletters (i.e. Seasonal Allergies and Heart Health). I really enjoy the member-written inspirational emails. They are very well-chosen and highly motivational posts, which always strike a chord with me.

Not only do these newsletter provide a wellspring of helpful information, they’re just great reminders throughout the day and week to stay on track. They keep bringing your thoughts back around to getting up and moving, passing on the cupcakes, and taking your kid for a walk when you get home. After all, if studies are showing that daily emails can encourage your weight loss journey, you might as well take advantage of these wonderful, free resources. My theory is that the more knowledge you have about health and fitness, the easier it is to maintain a healthy lifestyle. It can change your whole mindset.

Do you have any other favorites that are not on my list? Please share! And Happy Reading!