Bonus Points Feb 26 - Mar 4

Earn 10 BONUS POINTS by

eating something new

Valid Sunday, February 26 through Sunday, March 4

Angi's Advice

Angi has taken to this challenge like a fish to water. 


So, I asked her some questions to share with our team and to help motivate us! She had some great advice.  


What is a family dinner that you like to make?


For a go-to dinner that is extremely nutritious and on the table in under 30 minutes -


I marinade or season salmon fillets with teriyaki sauce, ginger powder, salt and pepper and bake at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes.  I steam brown rice or long grain wild rice for 25 minutes and serve with parsley flakes, salt and pepper.  Anyone not watching fat intake can use butter as well.  I also steam broccoli or asparagus just until crisp-tender (about 5 minutes) and sprinkle with garlic salt.  We like to get our fruit in on that meal with either grilled pineapple, which you can do right on a broiler pan in the oven, or the kids like regular mandarin orange sections.  
 
A few things I eat on a regular basis for fruits and veggie servings are:
 
   apple slices with peanut butter (for the protein)  when I need something sweet
   celery sticks with peanut butter or almond butter
   oranges for lots of vitamin C and immune system health
   broccoli, carrot, cauliflower mix with hummus dip
   red, yellow and orange peppers with hummus dip
   pears, bananas, strawberries dipped in nonfat, light yogurt (for the sweet tooth)
   one slice whole wheat toast with a little peanut butter, banana slices and a drizzle of          honey or agave syrup
 
What do you eat when you need something sweet?

When I am totally falling apart needing something really sweet I go for dried fruit, mangoes, apricots, apples, cherries and cranberries--Have to eat with nuts to balance all the carbs from the fruit.  This is a good idea when eating any kind of carb, always eat a lean protein with it.  Your blood sugar will not spike and fall like it does when you eat just carbs.  Also, the most important thing to remember, even if you're eating really healthy, you still have to count calories and not overdo anything--food or exercise.


Any slogan that helps keep you going? Or tips?

Also, never underestimate the power of gum and lots of water:)  However, I read recently that one of the things that slows weight loss, especially when you have hit a plateau, which I have, is cutting calories too low.  We need a certain window of calories to maintain fat burn and prevent our bodies from eating away at lean muscle tissue to keep up with demands, which will in turn slow your metabolism because you will have less muscle mass, which is not good.  I think the thing that motivates me is thinking of all the energy I will have to keep up with everything I need to do.  Also I bought that really cute suit on clearance I want to wear in the Spring and I keep thinking of all the work I have to do so it will fit eventually.  Something that really motivates me though on a more serious note, is that I don't want to be in the same place I was after I had Lincoln because I want to be happy about myself and feel good about myself for having had the discipline to reach my goals.  It really is about more than just fitting into a certain size--you have to be happy with yourself.  You have to decide to have self control and work hard every day!!!   


Thank you Angi for all of those awesome tips!  The best part about this challenge is that everyone is doing it together.  Keep it up Humblers!

Points So Far

Some more points have come in.  These are the points ShaLisa has for the dates Jan. 29 through Feb. 17:

 

Humbers: 1356

Team Courage: 875

Team Bring It On: 143 (1 person)

 

 

Overall winners so far:

 

Angi Farnsworth: 216

Jane Burnham: 195

Mary Halverson: 189

Cherie Meservy: 173

 

And the following competitors are tie or within a few points of each other - a close fight for 5th place:

Roberta Bingham, Noelle Suitter, Carol Schlund, and Sonda LaDeaux

 

WAY TO GO!

 

Attention Team Bring It On.  Please send points ShaLisa's way.  Many more points are being earned than are being posted. 

Can I just say WAHOO?!!!

Healthy Tidbit #3 - Laugh!

Laughter is the Best Medicine

We’ve all heard the saying ‘laughter is the best medicine’ and like most of these sayings it has some truth in it. The positive effects of laughter and a sense of humor cover not only the psychological but also the physical and the lifestyle aspects too. Humor and laughter are infectious and can bring people together and make them forget their troubles and one of the best tools to maintain a positive outlook and good health.

Laughter has an obvious and powerful effect on the body – and is not only a result of happiness and humor but also a cause of it – making itself sustaining (which is only a bad thing if you’re at a funeral or in a lecture). These positive effects of laughter can be explained by the fact that it triggers the release of endorphins and serotonin which are the feel good hormones that create feelings of euphoria, love and happiness. Laughter also works through a psychological phenomenon known as ‘facial feedback’ whereby pulling a certain expression can actually cause you to experience the corresponding emotion. Thereby the simple act of smiling from laughing can raise your mood. Finally, the fact that laughter is contagious means that you can almost ‘contaminate’ yourself, causing an endless cycle of laughter that eventually leaves you doubled over and struggling to catch your breath… As well as triggering endorphins however, laughter also suppresses stress hormones to further increase your good mood.

On average children laugh 400 times per day, and 

adults only laugh 15 times per day.

There are also some physical and very positive effects of laughter than actual result in internal changes to your body. Firstly, laughter relaxes the body by overriding stress and anger so relieving tension – an effect that can last for up to 45 minutes after. One area that doesn’t relax however is the stomach, which works overtime to cause your hyena like belly laugh (which would be where the term comes from). If you’re looking to sculpt yourself a six pack then, laughter may just be the most fun way to do so. The aforementioned endorphins can also suppress pain making laughter a great pain killer as well as a great antidepressant.

John Steinbeck once said, "A sad soul can kill you quicker, far quicker, than a germ.”  The positive effects of laughter also extend to health benefits that can prevent serious illness. This includes an improved immune system which it achieves by increasing immune cells and antibodies to strengthen its ability to cope with viruses and disease. This effect augments the lack of stress hormone which also provides a boost to the immune system and makes laughter a viable form of combating a variety of viruses and almost antibiotic-like in its effect. Laughter also protects the heart by improving the function of blood vessels, encouraging blood flow and over time improving cholesterol and blood pressure thereby helping to prevent heart attack, heart disease or other circulatory system diseases.

Laughter  releases endorphins in the brain; these are our bodies' natural pain killers (Wooten 1995). Endorphins are neurotransmitters that attach to the same receptors in our brains as the opiates. Opiate drugs not only cause us to lose touch with reality, but they also numb pain. When we laugh, it releases the endorphins in our brain; thus, laughing is like taking opium or morphine without the adverse side effects (Kalat 1995).

Laughter is also correlated with mental health and has many social and interpersonal benefits. With all these benefits, laughter is an antidepressant, pain killer, workout, stress reliever and a great way to make friends and strengthen bonds. And best of all – it’s free!

Proverbs 17:22 says, "A merry heart doeth good like a medicine, but a broken spirit drieth the bones."

Up for a Challenge??

Does anyone want to race?  Consider the

 22nd Annual St. Patrick's Day Fun Run and Walk

Saturday, March 17, 2012 at 11:00

Hagerman Valley Chamber of Commerce

www.hagermanchamber.com

 

5.5 mile run, 3.5 mile run, or 3.5 mile walk

 

Place: Malad Gorge State Park

Pre-registration: through March 9

Race Day Registration: accepted at startling line beginning at 9:30 am on race day

Entry Fee:  $25 per individual through March 9, $30 per individual after March 9,

group rate (4 or more) $20 per individual (group entries must be done by mail)

 

A prize will be given for the best St. Patrick's Day costume.

Congratulations Humblers! 

We are currently 1st place in the competition!!! 

Keep it up, and watch out - now all of the other teams know how awesome we are and they might kick it up a notch!

Bonus Points Feb 19-Feb 26

BONUS POINTS!

 

Earn 10 points by reading a book to a child.

 

Valid Sunday, February 19 through Sunday, February 26.

 

True, this is easy for some of us because we are practically stepping on children. 

Some of us will have to seek out a child to read to.

 

Enjoy the moment.

The points are being tallied and I will post where our team stands!  

Go Humblers!

What?! MORE Bonus Points?!

Earn 10 MORE BONUS POINTS by attending our Relief Society

 ZUMBA/Health Seminar

 

Saturday, February 18 at 10:00 am

bring water bottle and comfortable clothes that move

 

YOUNG WOMEN ARE INVITED!

ZUMBA and Health Fair

Zumba

Or at least come watch others Zumba

Saturday, February 18 at 10:00 am

Bring water bottle and comfortable clothes that move.

Do you know the answers to questions such as these:

What should I look for on the label when buying bread?

What is in soda that is so harmful?  What does it do to our body?

Are processed foods as bad as I hear?  Why?

Can I get all the nutrients I need from food or should I take multivitamins?

What are nitrates?  How do I know if they are in the food I am buying?

Is organic food much better than non-organic foods?

Come to Ask the Expert Health Seminar

 Also Saturday, February 18 at 10:00 am

Bring your own questions.

Healthy Tidbit #2 - Sleep Enough

But I Have More Time if I Sleep Less

Sleep is essential for a person’s health and wellbeing, according to the National Sleep Foundation (NSF). Yet millions of people do not get enough sleep and many suffer from lack of sleep. For example, surveys conducted by the NSF (1999-2004) reveal that at least 40 million Americans suffer from over 70 different sleep disorders and 60 percent of adults report having sleep problems a few nights a week or more. Most of those with these problems go undiagnosed and untreated. In addition, more than 40 percent of adults experience daytime sleepiness severe enough to interfere with their daily activities at least a few days each month - with 20 percent reporting problem sleepiness a few days a week or more. Furthermore, 69 percent of children experience one or more sleep problems a few nights or more during a week.

According to psychologist and sleep expert David F. Dinges, Ph.D., of the Division of Sleep and Chronobiology and Department of Psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, irritability, moodiness and disinhibition are some of the first signs a person experiences from lack of sleep. If a sleep-deprived person doesn’t sleep after the initial signs, said Dinges, the person may then start to experience apathy, slowed speech and flattened emotional responses, impaired memory and an inability to be novel or multitask. As a person gets to the point of falling asleep, he or she will fall into micro sleeps (5-10 seconds) that cause lapses in attention, nod off while doing an activity like driving or reading and then finally experience hypnagogic hallucinations, the beginning of REM sleep.

Everyone’s individual sleep needs vary. In general, most healthy adults are built for 16 hours of wakefulness and need an average of eight hours of sleep a night. However, some individuals are able to function without sleepiness or drowsiness after as little as six hours of sleep. Others can't perform at their peak unless they've slept ten hours. And, contrary to common myth, the need for sleep doesn't decline with age but the ability to sleep for six to eight hours at one time may be reduced.

According to a long-term study published in the 2004 April issue of Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, young teenagers whose preschool sleep habits were poor were more than twice as likely to use drugs, tobacco or alcohol. This finding was made by the University of Michigan Health System as part of a family health study that followed 257 boys and their parents for 10 years. The study found a significant connection between sleep problems in children and later drug use, even when other issues such as depression, aggression, attention problems and parental alcoholism were taken into account. Long-term data on girls isn't available yet. The researchers suggest that early sleep problems may be a "marker" for predicting later risk of early adolescent substance abuse—and that there may be a common biological factor underlying both traits. Although the relationship between sleep problems and the abuse of alcohol in adults is well known, this is the first study to look at the issue in children.

In the August 2004 issue of the journal Sleep, Dr. Timothy Roehrs, the Director of research at the Sleep Disorders and Research Center at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit published one of the first studies to measure the effect of sleepiness on decision making and risk taking. He found that sleepiness does take a toll on effective decision making.

Cited in the October 12, New York Times Science section, Dr. Roehrs and his colleagues paid sleepy and fully alert subjects to complete a series of computer tasks. At random times, they were given a choice to take their money and stop. Or they could forge ahead with the potential of either earning more money or losing it all if their work was not completed within an unknown remainder of time.  Dr. Roehrs found that the alert people were very sensitive to the amount of work they needed to do to finish the tasks and understood the risk of losing their money if they didn't. But the sleepy subjects chose to quit the tasks prematurely or they risked losing everything by trying to finish the task for more money even when it was 100 percent likely that they would be unable to finish, said Dr. Roehrs.

According to the National Commission on Sleep Disorders Research (1998) and reports from the National Highway Safety Administration (NHSA)(2002), high-profile accidents can partly be attributed to people suffering from a severe lack of sleep.

Each year the cost of sleep disorders, sleep deprivation and sleepiness, according to the NCSDR, is estimated to be $15.9 million in direct costs and $50 to $100 billion a year in indirect and related costs. And according to the NHSA, falling asleep while driving is responsible for at least 100,000 crashes, 71,000 injuries and 1,550 deaths each year in the United States. Young people in their teens and twenties, who are particularly susceptible to the effects of chronic sleep loss, are involved in more than half of the fall-asleep crashes on the nation's highways each year. Sleep loss also interferes with the learning of young people in our nation's schools, with 60 percent of grade school and high school children reporting that they are tired during the daytime and 15 percent of them admitting to falling asleep in class.

According to the Department of Transportation (DOT), one to four percent of all highway crashes are due to sleepiness, especially in rural areas and four percent of these crashes are fatal.

According to sleep researchers, a night's sleep is divided into five continually shifting stages, defined by types of brain waves that reflect either lighter or deeper sleep. Toward morning, there is an increase in rapid eye movement, or REM sleep, when the muscles are relaxed and dreaming occurs, and recent memories may be consolidated in the brain. The experts say that hitting a snooze alarm over and over again to wake up is not the best way to feel rested. “The restorative value of rest is diminished, especially when the increments are short,” said psychologist Edward Stepanski, PhD who has studied sleep fragmentation at the Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. This on and off again effect of dozing and waking causes shifts in the brain-wave patterns. Sleep-deprived snooze-button addicts are likely to shorten their quota of REM sleep, impairing their mental functioning during the day. (New York Times, October 12, 2004)

Certain therapies, like cognitive behavioral therapy teach people how to recognize and change patterns of thought and behavior to solve their problems. Recently this type of therapy has been shown to be very effective in getting people to fall asleep and conquer insomnia.

According to a study published in the October 2004 issue of The Archives of Internal Medicine, cognitive behavior therapy is more effective and lasts longer than a widely used sleeping pill, Ambien, in reducing insomnia. The study involved 63 healthy people with insomnia who were randomly assigned to receive Ambien, the cognitive behavior therapy, both or a placebo. The patients in the therapy group received five 30-minute sessions over six weeks. They were given daily exercises to “recognize, challenge and change stress-inducing” thoughts and were taught techniques, like delaying bedtime or getting up to read if they were unable to fall asleep after 20 minutes. The patients taking Ambien were on a full dose for a month and then were weaned off the drug. At three weeks, 44 percent of the patients receiving the therapy and those receiving the combination therapy and pills fell asleep faster compared to 29 percent of the patients taking only the sleeping pills. Two weeks after all the treatment was over, the patients receiving the therapy fell asleep in half the time it took before the study and only 17 percent of the patients taking the sleeping pills fell asleep in half the time. (New York Times, October 5, 2004)

According to leading sleep researchers, there are                                                                                                  techniques to combat common sleep problems:

• Keep a regular sleep/wake schedule
• Don’t drink or eat caffeine four to six hours before bed and minimize daytime use
• Don’t smoke, especially near bedtime or if you awake in the night
• Avoid alcohol and heavy meals before sleep
• Get regular exercise
• Minimize noise, light and excessive hot and cold temperatures where you sleep
• Develop a regular bed time and go to bed at the same time each night
• Try and wake up without an alarm clock
• Attempt to go to bed earlier every night for certain period; this will ensure that you’re getting enough sleep

*Thanks to ShaLisa for these healthy tidbits!!!

...FREE SWEET DAY...

FREE SWEET DAY!

Eat all the sweets you want on February 14th 

and still receive the 3 points!

Happy Valentines Day!

BONUS TIME

Earn 10 points by organizing something.

A room, a pantry, a drawer...anything that needs organizing!!!!

Valid February 12th through February 19th (boy do I need this!)

A tally of points per team will be posted next Sunday in Relief Society.

SO - I need everyone's running totals from January 29th through February 17th.

If you don't want me to hunt you down - email me your points on February 17th or 18th!  

I have no doubts about how awesome our team is -
I just want everyone in Relief Society to 

- be humbled - 

when they see the running tallies and that we are winning!  Help me out!

Healthy Tidbit #1 - Why Water?

Water is your body's most important nutrient, is involved in every bodily function, and makes up 70- 75% of your total body weight. Water helps you to maintain body temperature, metabolize body fat, aids in digestion, lubricates and cushions organs, transports nutrients, and flushes toxins from your body.
Everyone should drink at least 64 ounces per day, and if you exercise or are overweight, even more. Your blood is approximately 90% water and is responsible for transporting nutrients and energy to muscles and for taking waste from tissues.
If you are not getting enough water, your body will react by pulling it from other places, including your blood. This causes the closing of some smaller vessels (capillaries), making your blood thicker, more susceptible to clotting, and harder to pump through your system. This can have serious implications in hypertension, high cholesterol, and heart disease. Recent studies have also linked the lack of water to headaches, arthritis, and heartburn.
Have you have ever gotten up in the morning feeling bloated, or tried on a ring or shoe that fit yesterday but is too tight to wear today? Chances are your body is trying to tell you something. If you have a problem with water retention, excess salt may be the cause. Your body will tolerate a certain amount of sodium, however, the more salt you consume, the more fluid you need to dilute it. To overcome this problem, always drink plenty of water.


What if I told you that being dehydrated promotes the increase of body fat? 


Water contributes to energy storage along with glycogen. Without water, extra amounts of glucose remain in the bloodstream until reaching the liver, the extra glucose is stored as fat. Your body takes water from inside cells in an effort to compensate for a dehydrated state, including fat cells. Less water in your fat cells means less mobilization of fat for energy.
One of the liver's primary functions is to metabolize stored fat into energy. The kidneys are responsible for filtering toxins, wastes, ingested water, and salts out of the bloodstream. If you are dehydrated, the kidneys cannot function properly, and the liver must work overtime to compensate. As a result, it metabolizes less fat. So remember, if you are trying to decrease the amount of fat on your body, drink plenty of water.
Luckily, water is a great natural appetite suppressant. There are three ways we get water into our bodies. We get it from the foods we eat, the fluids we drink, and as a by-product of metabolism. It is always better to drink pure water instead of soda, tea, or coffee. These products actually increase your need for fluids because most contain caffeine, which is a diuretic. Diuretics force out stored water along with certain essential nutrients.
Unbelieveably, although unhealthy, the practice of dehydration is sometimes used in sports. Athletes may dehydrate in order to "make weight", competitive bodybuilders may dehydrate before a contest in order to look leaner and more muscular. This is a dangerous habit, as athletes and exercisers need more water than less active people. Reducing water in the body as little as 5% can result in as much as a 20-30% drop in your physical performance, 10% reduction can make you sick, and 20% can mean death. With water pollution on the rise, it is best to drink filtered or bottled water whenever possible.

BONUS TIME

Its bonus time! Earn 10 points!

Write a note to someone anytime between Sunday February 5th and Sunday February 12th.

Pray.

Be inspired.

Calling all points!  Email your points to me or post your points on the blog!