Ok. We R DONE!!!

You all have been AWESOME!!!

I would like to keep this open for you all to use. However, i think that I want to do it differently. i want to open it to all authors. I can have up to 100 total.

So if you want to be an author, just let me know via email at superfitandfab@gmail.com and I will add you. Then you can post whenever you want! Let's see how it works.

I kind of pooped out middle of the program, but I am going to try to do better. I am not entirely sure how we will post points, but it should be fun nonetheless with a bunch of authors.

Thanks for PLAYING!!!

Brittany

Winners and not so much winners

Natalie F.
Points: 236

Kaydi P.
Points: 248

Jan J.
Points: 279!!

Natalie W.
Points: 219

Tara F.
Points: 219

Jenny W.
Points: 261

JAN J. IS THE WINNER AGAIN!!!!
AND
Since we have a tie on the bottom,
JENNY W. WINS TOO!!

Natalie send to Jenny

Tara send to Jan

I email you both their info :)

Last week so make it count!

Post you Points.-ONE MORE WEEK

Post our points here!

One More Week!!!!

WE have a Winner!

Natalie W.

Points of the Weeks: 542

Natalie F.

Points for the Weeks: 542

Jan J. (IS ON FIRE!!!!!)

Points for the Weeks: 628

Jenny W.

Points for the Weeks: 496

Brittany K.

Points for the Weeks: 350 (Some points should just NOT be recorded :))

SO the WINNER is OBVIOUSLY JAN. J. !!!!

WAY TO GO

I think that you deserve 2 PRIZES.... SO Paige and I will be sending you a prize.

CONGRATS on Yet again another AWESOME week. Working again is going to kill me :). I can get most of my exercising in, but the whole treat thing is so NOT DOWN with me.

Sa- laaaaaa-ck-a-er!

I apologize to you all for being such a slacker....

You know. Sometimes life gets in the way. And sometimes more than we want it to :) But that is life, isn't it?

SOOOOOOO

Please total your points from last week to this week and there will be one big winner for both and one big loser (prolly me) for both.

Thanks for all still being in the game. This has been very eye opening for me. Especially the last week or two I haven't been doing as well as I would like to.

Please post your points here in the comment section on Monday am and I will post the Winner on Tuesday.

Thanks. Hope you had a great couple weeks!

Point Totals

New Look People :)

I took the side bar off and decided to do it this way. Makes it easier for me to read and see who is participating.

And it looks like our numbers dwindled this week..... CONGRATS to those of us still in the game. I did suck it up this week tho.

Amy S

Points for the Week: 264

Kaydi P.

Points for the Week: 302

Bonnie G. 289

Points for the Week: 289

Jan J.

Points for the Week: 335

Natalie F.

Points for the Week: 265

Brittany K.

Points for the Week: 250

New Winners!

OH friends. It was SO CLOSE!!!

So many of you did so good and I am crying such happy tears :)

For now, I started out strong and I am sucking in the middle. HELP ME!!!!

The WINNER is:

Jenny W. 325 points

The NOT SO MUCH WINNER is:

Paige E. 207 points

Time Flyin

Wow, I can't believe how fast the time is flying by!!!

I can't believe that points are already due.

For those of you that have lasted this long, CONGRATS!!!

Give yourself a pat on the back.

Leave your points in a comment.

WE have a WinnEr!!!

Tara is ON FIRE!!! With 321 points.

CONGRATULATIONS!

Jenny will be sending you a surprize in the mail.

Points Due and A Recipe

Points DUE!!!

Leave a comment and post your points!

I know that we are almost a month into this and some of us are losing points rather than gaining them, but HANG IN THERE!!!

Its supposed to be FUN. You know like Super FIT and FAB and FUN :)

Here is a recipe to kick off your week

30 day Bran Muffins
by Megan F.

Add 2 C 100% bran (round or long) to 2 C boiling water. Set aside to cool.
Cream and mix well the following:
1 C butter
2 C sugar
4 eggs
5 tsp baking soda
1 T salt
1 qt buttermilk (I mixed lemon juice and milk)
5 C flour (I used wheat)

Stir in above bran mixture:
4 C Bran flakes (I used Special K vanilla almond crunch)

Bake 350 for 20 minutes

Makes 5 or 6 dozen muffins. Can sprinkle with brown sugar on top of muffin before baking. Batter can be stored in covered container in fridge for a month.

ENJOY. They are TASTY!!!!

Couple of WINNERS!!!

WE have a WINNERS!

Tara F. AND Jan

oK sO Megan F. and Allie tied as the Losers

Megan sends to Jan and Allie sends to Tara. I will shoot you all emails.

Sorry it took me so long. I started my new job and am getting used to the hours and the schedule !!!!

PS: JAN PLEASE EMAIL ME YOUR CONTACT (ADDRESS).

Checking in

Well I did 20 push ups and thought I was going to die!!!

How many did you do?

PS
You can burn calories in Yoga. I recant my remark :). I think that what I meant to say was if I am going to spend 60 minutes exercising I would like to burn 700 calories running as opposed to 300 in yoga :).

PPS
And I have actually been doing Yoga with Jess for 5 years. Crazy. Has it really been that long?

AND the WINNER is.....

Glad that some of you have taken the push up challenge.

It should be an interesting way to change things up a bit. Let me know how it goes!!

Paul R. 322 POINTS.
You are the winner of the grand prize from Kristina M.

A Great Big Bag of POO :) Well hopefully she doesn't really send you a bag of poo because that is just tacky. And smelly. And really who other than Amy S. wants a bag of poo.

I will send you his address.

Loves,
B

Post points AND Fitness Challenge

Points reporting time!!!

Please report your points sometime today. I will post the winner Tuesday am.

Fitness Challenge

I challenge you all to try doing as many push ups as you can. If it is 1 GREAT, if it is 20 GREAT!!! But I want you to try it. With all the exercise we have been doing, this will be a great ending to a great workout. You don't have to report it if you don't want to, but if you DO, then leave a COMMENT!!!

Good luck this week.

100 push up challenge

You in?

http://www.hundredpushups.com

Ponder.

Let me know Monday. :)

Have great weekend!

We have a WINNER!!!

Congrats to Jenny D.!!!! You ROCK.

330 POINTS (beat me by ONE point, owell, if I won my own contest people might wonder :).... our ride will be EXTRA hard tomorrow :))

Kristen R. at 194 points gets to send you something! YAY!!

However, Kristen I don't have your email address. Would you mind emailing me at superfitandfab@gmail.com? Or you can coordinate with Jenny :). Please let me know what you decide to do.

Congratulations to everybody. We have almost as many participants report their numbers this week as last. If you are on the side bar without a number, let's make it a NEW week and get your numbers in!!!

Good luck to you all and thanks for helping me lose 2 POUNDS this week!!! I couldn't have done it without you :)

Totals

If you haven't posted your numbers and you want to, please do so!!!

I will post the winner tomorrow night!

I am so in awe of the progress over the last week. Way to go! Way to Step. It. Up.

Keep up the AWESOME work!

Points DUE!!!

I hope this week went better for you than last week and that you were able to meet your goals.

It has definitely been better for me! Even with the holiday.

I have a few little tricks up my sleeve for this week, so BE PREPARED people :)

Good luck to you all again!

Luvs

Making Exercise a Priority

Making exercise a priority.

Exercise, love it or hate it, you gotta do it.
We all know that to lose weight we have to eat right and exercise. And besides the fact that it can help with weight loss there are a million other reasons to make it a part of your day. A few of these reasons include more energy, decreased stress, disease prevention, weight management, better mood, a hot bod.

And yet, with all these great reasons it can still be a pain in the butt to get it done. Between work, school, chasing kids, housework, spouses, a social life, who's got the time to exercise?

How is it that some people seem to always get it done?
Quick answer: They have made it a priority. They realize the benefits, have enjoyed the benefits and want to keep 'em rolling.

How can you make exercise a priority? Here's a few tips.

Make up your mind. Make up your mind that you want to exercise to lead a healthy life. If you aren't convinced that it will be good for you, you won't do it. You don't have to like it you just have to do it.

Set short term goals and stick to them. If all you can do when starting is walk around the block. Perfect. Do it. Then when you have reached those initial short term goals, reevaluate and set some more.

Make a plan that is reasonable. If the only time you can exercise is before the butt crack of dawn or long after the sun has set. That's fine. Just have a plan. Make sure someone is home to watch the kids, lay out your clothes, have your breakfast ready, whatever it is, be prepared!

Find a buddy. Or a blog. Or something to keep you accountable.

Keep track of your progress. There can be motivation in knowing where you started and where you are now. Also keep track of how you feel to help remind you why you're doing it in the first place.

And of course, reward yourself. You worked hard, reward yourself. Just be reasonable. And make it worth it!

So, here's to good health and hot bods! You can do it!

Yoga

Brought to you by a dear friend of mine, Jessica Miller. I have been taking Yoga from her for about 2 years now. I used to not be a "believer" to the benefits of yoga. If I was going to spend an hour exercising then I was going to be running, biking, or aerobics class. You don't burn calories doing yoga, I used to say.... and while that is still true, what you DO build is MUSCLE and the MORE muscle you have the MORE calories you BURN DAILY. And all the other benefits listed below :)

Thanks JESS!!!

I started practicing yoga about eight years ago and it is now my primary form of exercise. I know a lot of people (mostly runners :) who think yoga is too slow or not enough of a workout. Usually this comes from someone who’s either never tried it or hasn’t found the “right” yoga yet. Yoga can be gentle and full of stretching or a difficult workout for even the most seasoned exerciser. What I can promise you is that the addition of yoga to your routine will improve your abilities in your other forms of exercise and decrease your risk of injury. Why? Because yoga provides all of the following:

1. Increased flexibility

2. Improved range of motion

3. Improved balance (also really helpful when we’re old and prone to falls!)

4. Increased strength and muscle tone

Yoga has also been shown to decrease your risk of osteoporosis and heart disease, lower blood pressure and cholesterol, and provide anti-oxidant/detoxification benefits. Yoga also improves your posture and relieves stress.

My favorite thing about yoga? My body feels rejuvenated rather than broken down when I’m done! Plus I really like that you get to lie down and meditate at the end. It’s pretty dreamy! (No pun intended because you’re not actually supposed to fall asleep. Although, I must admit that I have. Shh, don’t tell!)

Have I convinced you? If you live in Mesa and would like to try yoga, I teach a free class at the church on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday mornings. Email Britt if you want more info. We’d love to have you join us! Namaste!

You're Doing It Wrong

This post is brought to you by one of my dearest friends, whom I met through the most unfortunate circumstances, but without her I would have crawled into a hole and died. She brings me life, joy, and much laughter. AND she is THE BOMB!!! Here is to you Tiff!

To get the most out of your workout — and avoid an injury — after talking to a few different trainers at my gym and little research on my own, I've come up with 6 common mistakes that you should avoid to make the most of your workout.

1. Jerking to lift weights: Make sure your lifts are slow and controlled. Use your muscle to hoist the weight, not momentum. If you're having to put your back into it just to get those weights up...your weights are too heavy. Try lifting a lighter load and see how you feel.a

2. Leaning on the handrails of the stair climber, elliptical trainer, or treadmill: This makes the workout less challenging and can injure your wrists and back. Stand up tall and instead barely brush the handrails for balance.

3. Not getting enough rest: Working out when you're fatigued can lead to sloppy technique and an injury. It's always better to do less reps and have proper form than doing the usual in a schloppy manner! So don't forget to get your Zzzzzzz's!

4. Locking your knees: Always keep your knees slightly bent to prevent an injury.

5. Not warming up: Don't try to shave time off your workout by skipping the warm up could leave you hanging out on the bench instead of using it to power through your work out.

6. Getting stuck in a rut: If you're just going through the motions during your workout, shake things up by changing up your routine. I LOVE the results I get from doing P90X, but can't STAND to listen the guy on the videos. He drives me BONKERS! But his philosophy works...you should switch things up every 30 days or so so that your body doesn't get used to the same ole same ole!

Hope these little tips will help you improve and give a little direction so you can make your fitness goals a reality! Happy Living!

And the WINNER is....

Mistie S. with 279 POINTS!!!!!

Congratualtions to Mistie. That is AWESOME.

Ok now for the "we are all winners" pep talk. I am so glad that I decided to do this. The feedback has been truly inspiring to me.

You are all winners. Here is to another GREAT week. My goal is to BEAT my SCORE. We used to call that P.R. in track. You know, set a new 'Personal Record.' So here is to YOU and I to beat our scores from this week.

Well done.

Shandra will be sending Mistie something in the mail. HOW FUN!

TALLY the Points Peeps!

Well I guess we are here.

The final day.

Let's see how we did.

Please leave your points in comments on THIS post.
That way I don't have to fish around trying to find all our points :)

We start anew. Our week is Monday to Sunday. Please have points in by Monday at noon (following the close of Sunday).

Fruit and Veggies

There has been some question as to what classifies a fruit or veggie, so I asked my impartial, unbiased sister in law to write a post for me. She is a dietitian and puts together wellness plans for big companies. So here is to Nat! Thanks!

Fruits and Veggies

If you eat Healthy you will look and feel Healthy- who wouldn’t want that?

Eating more fruits and vegetables is a great way to improve your nutrition. It can be as easy as adding fruit to a bowl of cereal or adding grated carrots and zucchini to pasta sauce. These tips can help you get started.

Make it easy

• Keep a bowl of fruit within easy reach on the kitchen counter or your desk at work so that you can grab a piece of fruit when you're hungry. Then, you will reach for a piece of fruit instead a not-so-healthy snack. One thing that always helps me eat more fruit and veggies is to clean and/or cut them up as soon as I come home from the grocery store. Then, they are ready for me to snack on.
• Buy packaged, ready-to-eat fresh vegetables and fruits. These cut down on preparation time. They are great for making stir-fry.
• Keep dried fruit on hand for a snack that is easy to take with you when you're away from home.
• Use the microwave to quickly cook vegetables.

Take small steps

• Mix sliced fruit or frozen berries with yogurt or cereal.
• Add apple chunks, pineapple, grapes, or raisins to tuna or chicken salad.
• Make fruit smoothies by blending together fresh or frozen fruit, fruit juice, and yogurt.
• Add dried or fresh fruit to oatmeal, pancakes, and waffles.
• Add lots of colorful vegetables, such as red cabbage, carrots, and bell peppers, to green salads.
• Add lots of vegetables to sandwiches. Lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, and avocado slices are flavorful choices.
• Drink 100% fruit juice everyday, just make sure that the juice you buy is 100% Real Fruit Juice.
• Try freezing fresh grapes. Not only will this snack keep you cool, but it will give you a serving of fruit!
• I love putting fresh strawberries or peaches on top of vanilla ice-cream it is a delicious treat and a great way to get a serving of fruit into my diet!

What exactly is a serving of Fruit and Vegetables you ask? Well- I’m going to tell you.

A serving of Fruit is one Medium piece of fruit = the size of a Baseball

A serving of Fruit Juice is 6 fluid oz. = A little less than one cup

A serving of Vegetables is ½ cup = Bulb part of a light bulb

Examples

Fruit Servings

½ banana

1 medium apple, orange, or pear

½ cup of chopped, cooked, or canned fruit

Vegetable Servings

1 cup of raw leafy vegetables

½ cup of other vegetables; cooked, raw (chopped), or canned

½ cup of vegetable juice

PS How is it going? How do you like your "new fitness" plan? What do you like about it? What do you dislike about it? Let me know. I would LOVE your feedback. Just leave a comment :)

Healthy Start to your Morning

I can't guarantee that I will post a healthy recipe EVERY day, but I will do my best. Perhaps with you alls help I will be able to manage such a task.

Email me (superfitandfab@gmail.com) your FAVORITE HEALTHY recipe and I will post it for all to see.

A few months ago when we were in Idaho, my brother in law busted out this shake/smoothie if you will. He asked if I wanted to try it. Ya. Right. It's green. I am will not eat green eggs and ham. I do not like them Sam I am. Those were my initial thoughts.

I tried it. I had to close my eyes, because seriously, just to warn you, it looks like poo. I know. You are thinking well why would you post a recipe on the blog if it looked like poo. Well friends I am glad you asked. Because. IT IS YUMMY! Really. It is. And it only has 169 calories. OK this may seem weird and odd and gross and GREEN, but TRUST me it is GOOD.

Eat it for Breakfast, Lunch, OR as a snack, but seriously, you must TRY it.

And please, Don't Knock It, Till YOU Try It.

At least 3 times.

If you don't like it after that... we can still be friends.

That is if you still want to :)

Fruit Smoothie

by Tyler Overall

1 cup water

3 cups Spinach (20 cal)

8 frozen strawberries OR 8 regular strawberries (49 cal)

1 medium banana (100 cal)

Some ice if you used non frozen strawberries

Put all in a blender. I like to put the water in with the Spinach first because it blends better. Then I add the banana and then the strawberries. You can then add ice if you like.

You can also add your own kinds of fruit to it. Just remember the banana gives it volume (looks like more, but really isn't, if that is your thing) If you use frozen fruit, you don't need ice. If you use berries, it will be less green. Just sayin.

****Please please please, before you DON'T partake of this shake again, make it 3 times. It is tasty, you just have to get pass the green. Trust me. It is good. And you will like it.

ENJOY!!!

PS Did you notice that there are 3 SERVINGS of fruit in this blend? Only two more the rest of the day!!!!

A New Beginning!

Well folks. Today is the day. My 30th BIRTHDAY!!!!

The day you change your habits. The day you hopefully changed them for the better.

Good Luck to us all.

Sleep: Counts for last night.... just in case you were wondering :)

PS I have a spreadsheet brought to you by Amy S. to keep track of your points more efficiently. Email me if you want it and I will send it to you.

PPS Please make sure that your info on the side bar is correct and all the information you want (or don't) is there. And remember to LEAVE a comment with your points on MONDAY MORNING.

PPPS I am SO stoked. This should be super duper fun.

LET'S GET FIT AND FAB TOGETHER!!!!

PPPPS If your friends or fam want to join. It is never too late. They are always welcome. This works because we do it weekly!

Let the GAMES begin

And so it begins. TOMORROW!!! On my birthday.

Eat your hearts out today. Well technically you can do that after the contest begins, just as long as you only have ONE sweet and it is BEFORE 8pm :)

Good luck to you all. I must admit that I have been at this for about 2 weeks now (because I had to make sure I could get a decent point score, that it was actually feasible, that I could actually do it, because seriously HOW EMBARRASSING if I fail at my own game, or mispell embarrassing, so I did it just for you!)

And guess what? I am down 4 pounds! I can't believe I just announced that on the internet, but I have it posted to my name on the side bar, so whatever.

I have been working hard physically, emotionally, and spiritually. And it is paying off. Go figure. I am excited to see how this all plays out. Hopefully I won't mess it all up too badly.

Be sure to read the Fit and Fab Rules and IF you happened to miss the other posts be sure to read them as well. I am going to take it on your honor that you did :).

Technically there are no losers in this contest (just only one loser.... LOL and one winner) But I think that we all win by having some accountability, an incentive if you will, to do better, and I have found out in the last two weeks, this will do just that! At least for me it has.

GOOD LUCK TO YOU ALL!!!! And thanks for joining.

****PS If you have a friend or family member that is still on the fence. That is ok. They can wait out this week and start next Monday.

********PPS Our weeks will go Monday to Sunday. I know. Why can't I go Sunday to Saturday. Well that would be easier on our brains, but tis not so. Monday to Sunday it is.

Please Take Note

We start on TUESDAY AUGUST 24th:

There will only be 290 points possible for the first week.

Exercise points on Sunday do not count:

Take a load off! Total for the week will be 340.

Point total:

Changed. I have seen the light that exercise took up more than 100 points for the week so I didn't want it to have so much weight. It is important, but it had too much bearing on the final points. SO it has changed. Please take note.

Exercise:

Let's define. Full on sports bra at the gym, outside, in the pool, taking a brisk walk, heart rate up, burning some caloric intake.

Sweets:

Let's define. Anything you want it to be in ONE sitting. You can have a bowl of ice cream and a piece of chocolate cake with chocolate sauce and peanuts on top. A large Blizzard. 4 cookies. A candy bar. As long as it is in ONE sitting.

***Just remember that you are only hurting yourself if you go for the ice cream and chocolate cake with chocolate sauce and peanuts, but you are welcome to it. I would suggest One cookie. Or One bowl of ice cream. Or One piece of chocolate cake, but that is just me.

I have to tell myself that I can have the chocolate cake with ice cream if I WANT, but I am CHOOSING to only have A Cookie.

I don't know if any of you are like me but if I say I can't have something, that is the exact thing that I will binge on. :)

Things To Remember

1. THIS IS NOT A WEIGHT LOSS BLOG- I know that I have the "goal to lose" section... this is ONLY if you WANT to lose weight.

2. THIS IS A FITNESS BLOG- We can all do better in lots of areas, this is for physical and mental and spiritual health. I believe that all 3 have to be accounted for in order to truly be healthy

3. IF YOU DON'T WANT TO LOSE WEIGHT- I will only have your "points for this week" posted. If I have taken off the "goal to lose" and you want it, leave a comment here.

4. TELL YOUR FRIENDS- The more people the more fun!

5. JUST SIGN UP!!!- Stop sitting on the fence and just do it. You know you want to.

6. BECOME A FOLLOWER- That way we can all see who is on here. We don't have to "blog stalk" but I sometimes like to know who my competition is.

7. ADDRESSES- By giving me your addresses you are giving me permission to give it to the losers so they can send you, the winners. something in the mail... because that is what this is all about. The competition. The motivation. The accountability. THE REWARDS!!!!

8. I LOVE YOU ALL- Thanks for joining with me. I need some competition, some motivation, some accountability and you all are helping me have it!!!!!

Welcome to FIT and FAB

10 weeks of Fit and Fab

August 24th to November 2

(If you want to participate, leave a comment AND your EMAIL :0))

I am so glad that you want to join me at "A Fitness Blog For You and Me" It will be so much fun getting Fit and having Fun!!!

I will try each day to post a healthy recipe or a personal story or even something by YOU!!!

I started this blog because I think it would be fun to just "Be fit"spiritually, physically, and hopefully emotionally if we are the first two. If we lose weight then that is a bonus!

The rules are listed on the side bar to the left of the screen. PLEASE read them. It is set up on a point system basis. The person with the MOST points at the end of the week WINS. The person with the LEAST points LOSES.

Why is this so important? Well the LOSER has to mail the WINNER something. Because WHO DOESN'T LOVE MAIL??? It can be a handwritten note, a card, something from the dollar store, a picture, whatever. There is no minimum or maximum you can spend, however, keep it more to a minimum. We don't want to punish anyone here :). A card is sufficient. The point is to get MAIL.

Now PLEASE remember. This is NOT a "Weight Loss Blog." It is a Fitness blog. If you lose weight. THAT. IS. A. BONUS!

You will notice on the side bar to the right there are two names. Mine and one who wants to remain anonymous :) You can choose what you want.

1. Every Monday, You will send me your totals from the previous week. (Monday to Sunday)

2. I will post your totals as seen on the right of the screen. I will post the winner AND the loser.

3. The winner AND the loser will then email me their addresses and the loser will mail the winner a "prize" if you will. The PRIZE MUST be mailed within a week. That's boring to get your prize two weeks late.... just sayin.

4. In the event of a tie between the losers OR the winners, the bottom losers will be evenly distributed with the winners, and vice versa. I will try to be as fair as I can.

Hopefully the same person won't win OR lose ALL the time. But if you do, don't despair, you can try better next time :)

So all this

STARTS ON AUGUST 24th. HAPPY 30TH BIRTHDAY TO ME!!!!!

PS Please email your email and home address to superfitandfab@gmail.com (if you know my reg email, PLEASE DON'T use it for this) so that I can add you on the side bar, if I get inundated on the 24th I won't be able to enjoy my 10th anniversary on the 26th!

OH and DON'T Forget to tell your FRIENDS!!!