Two quick morning health motivation hints

I have two ideas to offer as quick tips. I've already been doing both of them for a while, but there are few ideas without any value. I hope that you find some value in these hints

1: Change up your workouts 

I added the Beach Body 10 minute trainer into my exercise routine. Having workout options at home takes away a lot of excuses. It's short, 10 minutes!  Anyone has got 10 minutes of life during their day to devote to a workout.

I like the workouts so far. I've done 10-20 minute blocks for three times now. I plan to add one or two sessions per week to supplement gym time.

2: Pack your own lunch 

Packing gives you control of your diet, and it saves money. If your job is busy and unpredictable, packing a lunch is a powerful strategy to keep you away from vending machines.

Biggest Loser Mutiny Story

Season 13 of Biggest Loser will go down not as the No Excuses season but as the Drama Hell season. I heard a few days ago that the contestants refused to continue filming for a day or maybe more. Two of the contestants are rumored to have left the show completely. I have a TMZ video clip on the story.






The report is that the contestants refused to go forward when a twist was introduced to allow eliminated players to compete for the 250K prize. I understand their frustration. I would be totally pissed in their shoes and might have walked as well.  These folks left their jobs and families for the hardship of several months on this show. I get the argument that they voluntarily made this decision and knew the nature of the show; however, there can only be so much gameplay.

Part 2 of show recap...and the really ugly

Daphe's self destruction

Daphne eats 1800 calories of peanut butter cups to win the temptation challenge.

I'll skip my rant on temptation challenges for this post. I can understand why she really wanted to win the challenge and control the game given all the drama surrounding her and her brother.

BUT, she totally blows any advantage from the win. She only changes Conda and her brother on the teams. Her move defies logic. She says that revenge was part of her motivation. If she really wanted to take out Conda, why didn't she move all the guys onto the Black team and leave Conda on a very weakened Red team?

The whole thing went down very ugly. She left the show just like her brother in a very ugly, bitter way. Former player, Ramon Quevas, has his own comments on this past week's show.

I can just see the ugliness that could happen at the live finale. We could have a Jerry Springer who instead of Biggest Loser.

Last night's Biggest Loser: The Bad, The Good, and.....

On the road today with a crappy, slow hotel internet connection. I am still dragged down by cold symptoms. I am so ready to get to my nose and hearing back to normal.

I got thru last night's episode with a little DVR assistance before my trip today. I think that episode needs two posts to cover all the stuff. Here's my burst of thoughts.

The BAD

Being obese is not a happy state of existence for most of the contestants. We get personal pain shared from "Wrassler Kim", "Nurse Kimmy", and Cassandra. "Wrassler Kim" deals with sadness and feelings of abandonment. She is adopted, and she is away from her daughter's birthday. It was very touching to see Dolvett talk with her and give her the chance to speak with her daughter. She's a tough lady with a soft side.

"Nurse Kimmy" shares her struggle that many nurses deal with in their relationships. They are caretakers who  sacrifice their own needs to care for others. She is learning to change her priorities and help herself. I am happy for her change of mind.

Cassandra shares the saddest of the stories in her diary entry. Feelings of worthlessness and depression jump out of the pages. I felt strong compassion for her, and I am proud that she has take the challenge to move towards a better, healthier life for herself.

The GOOD

I think there is a much brokenness in some who struggle with significant obesity. The three stories really support this concept. Chris (Mrs. Claus)'s meltdown a few shows ago as well as her continued insecurity are also an example of this struggle.

It is good for BL to allow these folks to express their struggles and give them the opportunity to work on their issues. Moving beyond the pain and addressing the hurts in their lives will help clear a path for health and maintaining a healthy body weight long after their time at the Ranch ends. In addition, their stories may touch viewers and lead to a positive life change.

AND...... THE REALLY UGLY

Oh, Daphne, to be continued.

Chicken Soup for a Cold Weekend

Healthy Chicken Soup for a Cold Weekend

Soup can be a great, healthy meal for singles or families. Besides warming you up on an especially cold winter day, left-over soup stretches into a quick additional meal for later in the week.

I'll be cooking up a batch of quick chicken soup later this afternoon. I'm afraid that I don't have the specific nutrition breakdown per bowl, but it is an overall healthy dish. It will serve 4-6 people an average size bowl of soup. The addition of alphabet pasta adds interest for my family and will for yours as well. I use the microwave to par-cook the pasta and save prep time.

My Quick Alphabet Chicken Soup 

1 cooked rotisserie chicken
2 cups of chopped celery
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup chopped bell peppers
2 teaspoons minced garlic (I use the prepared garlic such as Spice World brand)
1/2 - 2/3 of cup of dried alphabet letter shaped pasta
48-64 oz of low-fat chicken stock (1 1/2 to 2 of the large size chicken stock containers)
1 teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of pepper

Strip the rotisserie chicken and remove all the skin and fat. Slice the meat (both light and dark) into small bites. Place sliced chicken into bowl
Slice raw vegetables and place into bowl.

Put pasta in a microwave safe container and cover with about 2-3 inches of extra water
Microwave pasta on high power for 10 minutes. Check pasta for softness and cook further to desired softness.

Drain pasta in a colander.

Add olive oil to soup pot under medium-high heat
Add vegetables and garlic to olive oil
Saute vegetables until they become soft
Add one 32 oz container of chicken stock to vegetables
Add chicken and pasta to soup
Add additional chicken stock to desired amount - thicker vs thinner soup
Bring mixture to boil for 5-10 minutes
Season with salt and pepper to taste
Reduce heat to simmer and serve when ready

Here is a bonus for 25 comforting chicken soup recipes courtesy of Cooking Light.

Biggest Loser Contestant Shares Struggles after Show

I am always a bit curious about what happens when BL contestants move on from the show. My original search was a check on Season 9 winner, Michael Ventralla. Michael was a really likable guy. His tremendous loss of weight and continued path of health are inspiring. I found recent updates from Michael on twitter, @bl9michael.

As I scrolled through his tweets, my search took a detour to Shay Sorrells. Shay was eliminated during Season 8. Shay had a compelling story growing up in foster care. She was raising a family but struggled with dangerously high obesity with a starting weight of 459 lbs.

Shay shares on her blog post from last month the seven biggest mistakes made after leaving the show  .

I think her post breaks down the struggles that anyone truly committed to weight loss faces including:

• Focus on managing their food choice and portion
• Awareness of physical limits and need for "training smart"
• Need for emotional health 

 I hope her story inspires you and help in your own quest for better health.

Quick tips to keep focused on diet

Feeling tired or stress?

I passed on working out this morning. I woke up feeling a little sick and needing extra rest. The beginning of this year has been challenging to keep balance between work, family, and health.

Eating healthy has also proven a challenge in the last few weeks with meetings and Valentines day chocolates. I decided to write some quick diet tips since I'm out of commission for exercise for the next day or two.


Here are a few quick tips to help with accountability and focus with diet.

Tip 1: Make a game plan

You can do the research and figure out a calorie target that is right for you, but you also need to figure out how you can move forward towards that target.

• What foods will you eat?
• What foods will you avoid or severely moderate? 
• How many meals will you eat daily? 

Write down your goals. People who write down their goals and review them regularly are more likely to achieve those goals.

Evaluate successes and reward yourself when you achieve a goal. Consider also what combination of steps allowed you to successfully achieve your goal.

Prepare ahead of time with a stock of healthy food. Do menu planning for a week or at least several days.


Tip 2: Be responsible and accountable 

Share your plan with family or friends and keep them updated. They will support you when you achieve success or experience a set-back.

A set-back doesn't mean you've failed.  Success is not a guarantee, and it's a reality that must be anticipated.   If you eat something that's not on your diet or overeat, adjust your eating the rest of the day. Also, there is the next day to begin fresh.

Again with the Biggest Loser Drama

One Player Counts at the Weigh-in

This week's twist was making only one player's weight count for elimination. The trainers get to pick the at home player. To escalate the drama, Conda and Daphne are chosen for at home.

Daphne comes off as the still more likable of the two contestants. I think her maturity sells her to me. I think that that same maturity and drive proved the ultimate key to her winning the weigh-in. Of course, Bob had a lot to do with it as well!

The rest of the show was ho-hum which sort of sums up this season in my book. Let's just weigh everyone now, shoot the confetti for the biggest loser, and then move on to season 14.

We get hints of more drama next week at the end of the show. I think Mrs. Claus may be having a meltdown. We'll see.

Speaking of  Santa

Roy gets eliminated. It's a shame that he left. He appeared likable and friendly to all on the show. The older players always get the ax first on the show.

Variety for the start of the week

These past two weeks have been brutal for workout time as well as motivation for healthy eating. I'm back on track for a healthy eating week.

I just tried out my first 10 minute trainer video by Beach Body. I think it will be a nice addition to the workout routine especially on days when running outside or going to the gym is not practical.

Still too much drama on Biggest Loser episode

I thought last week was bad, but this week was worse. The complaining, the confrontations, and the divisions were very distracting.

"Wrassler Kim" Steps In 


The Red Team lost the use of Dolvett for the week.I admire Kim for stepping in to do the training. I think that she did a good job overall even if Red Team lost the weigh-in.



 Adrian!

I liked the guy initially with his story of losing his first child. I even liked him last week after he couldn't shut his mouth.

No Surprise.... he's gone!

I still like him somewhat even after the total drama elimination. In the end, he knew he was eliminated, and he could have chosen to leave with more class. He didn't make that choice. 

My final judgement on him is that he is a My Way or the Highway personality who can't play team.

Now we find out what kind of person his sister will be.

Superbowl Health Inspiration

Football conditioning workouts

Last night's Superbowl was a fun event. The competition was great with a close game, and the commercials were good too. Jillian Michaels looks hot in the GoDaddy commercials.

Football players are elite athletes whose intense workouts keep them at peak performance. I was thinking while watching the game that football workouts would add some variety be a good way to get in shape and lose some weight.

My only experience with drills from football workouts is the running suicide drills as shown below.



Here are five more football conditioning drill ideas that you can do at home. Have your own personal football league now that the football season is over.

Oh the Drama!

Still running behind on my viewing and posting.  Three words summarize this past week's episode....

Too Much Drama 

Aqua team returns to Biggest Loser

I was glad to see the Aqua team return to the ranch. Brother and Sister, Adrien and Daphne, were very likable in the first episode and in the bits showing them at home.

They succeeded and are now back in the competition. However, there is a lot of friction between Adrien and Red Team members. Conda continues to show her low maturity level, and wrestler-chick Kim joins in as well. Both are talking trash behind Adrien's back.

I really felt some sympathy for Adrien after his story of the loss of his first child. Yet, I have to agree with folks on the Red Team that Adrien needs to learn to be quiet. The guy doesn't seem to know when to shut up and duck unnecessary confrontation.

The show ended mixed for on the drama thing. Adrien Personally, I want to see inspiration and not Jerry Springer show.



Granny Gets Tossed Under the Bus 

Granny Nancy gets the boot after the red team loses the weigh-in. Why do the old folks always get tossed out early in the season?