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Wednesday, November 30, 2011

I have a new header!

This morning I weighed in at 202.7. I gained .7 lbs. this week and I am so happy that’s all I gained after some very terrible eating days last week and sinking back in to old habits. I felt terrible. I do not want to go back there again!! I am glad to be starting fresh today. There’s something about weighing in, facing that scale and realizing that I can move forward now. I have such a hard time doing that midweek and can’t seem to start fresh until I get that weigh in over. Now I am READY!

For breakfast this morning, I had a piece of toast with egg beaters on top, a banana and a glass of milk for 7 points. You can hardly see that toast under there! I was trying to use up the egg beaters because they expired yesterday. lol

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Weight Watchers has announced there will be changes to the plan starting on Friday…I’m interested to see what they are. Has anyone heard anything other than the vague info. they’ve posted?

While working, I sipped on coffee with creamer for 1 point.

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On my first break, I ate 1/2 serving of almonds for 2 points.

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For lunch, I ate roasted potatoes with a tomato and turkey bacon sandwich for 10 points.

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We are really low on groceries and are trying to make it through the week on what we have. I did buy bread and bananas, but that’s it. I look forward to having more groceries in the house this weekend!

On my last break, I ate an apple for 0 points.

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Last night didn’t work out to meet my Dad, so we’re going to meet him tonight instead. I have 12 points left for the day. I definitely need to get some veggies in!

We are half way through the week!!

By the way, how do you like my new header!?

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Just a Regular Tuesday

I am so ready for the weekend! I need a few days to relax after Thanksgiving weekend! We had a lot of fun and enjoyed every minute of it though.

This morning I got up at 5 AM with hubby and was so tired and didn’t feel very well so I went back to bed for a couple of hours. I think I could have slept all day. But I had to write a paper, so I couldn’t sleep too long!

After my paper was done, I ate a filling breakfast of an egg, chicken sausage, oatmeal with cinnamon, a glass of milk and a banana for 8 points.

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Staying at home in my PJs, napping and reading a book sounded like what I needed today, but unfortunately with only 4 class periods left of class before finals, I really needed to go to class. Not to mention, I had to turn in two papers today!

On my way to class, I sipped on coffee with creamer for 1 point.

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Before my second class, I ate a Peanut Butter Cookie Larabar for 6 points.

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Wow, those are so high in points…but all healthy ingredients I guess…

Classes went fine today. I got a paper back and got an A- on it. I have gotten an A- on both assignments so far in that class…it makes me nervous because if I would get a B on the final then I’d get a B for the class! I like to be safe within the A range!

On my way home, I ate a banana for 0 points. Yes, I already had a banana today, but I stopped at the store to get these and they looked so good and I was starving!

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Tonight, my Dad is in the area for work, so we might be going out for supper with him. Hopefully it works out!

I am looking forward to starting fresh tomorrow after weigh in. The last few days have been a disaster for me eating wise. Today has gone well and I still have 17 points left, so that’s a good place to be.

Monday, November 28, 2011

The Benefits of Vitamin E for Skin

It’s that time of year for dry skin and lips. The air is frigid, cold and dry and it’s hard to keep your skin moisturized. This time of year, I am constantly applying lip moisturizer and rubbing lotion on my hands. The moisturizing lotion that I use has vitamin E in it and it always feels like I’m giving my skin a cool drink—it’s refreshing.

Did you know that vitamin E is an antioxidant that can help protect and repair your skin?

Vitamin E is not something that your body produces, but is something that you can get through eating the right foods or supplementation. You can get vitamin E in foods like sweet potatoes, avocados, and nuts, to name a few.

You can also use vitamin E as a topical treatment. As mentioned before, you can find it in many moisturizing lotions. Vitamin E is also available as an oil or in capsules that can be cut and applied to the skin. Vitamin E can also be used to soften and hydrate your cuticles as explained in this great video:

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Whatever you do, make sure to keep your skin protected during the winter months. No one likes dry and cracked skin! It’s painful and can be prevented with the proper care. You can buy vitamin E from http://www.hollandandbarrett.com or at your local drug store.

This post is in association with Holland and Barrett.

Sunday, November 27, 2011

Thankful Healthy Blogger 5k 2011: Results and Winner Announced!

Thank you so much to all of you who participated in this 2nd annual Thankful Healthy Blogger 5k! This year, I counted 53 participants and numerous dogs! I wanted to double last year’s participants and we did it!! It has been so much fun getting all of your emails and photos. Enjoy taking a look at everyone who participated this year!

We also had numerous entries into the giveaway, whether it was getting extra people to participate with you, Tweeting, or mentioning it on Facebook. Thank you to all who helped spread the word and helped make this Thanksgiving a more active one!

THE WINNER OF THE GIVEAWAY IS…

SARAH @ Ripley Eats

I have the participants listed in order of the time that they finished the race. Congrats to Sarah from Montana for finishing first in 22:28! Enjoy!

Sarah (22:28)-“My name is Sarah and I am from Montana. I ran a 5K today before turkey dinner on my family's cattle ranch in central Montana. The wind was blowing, so I ran on a gravel road with the wind at my back most of the way. As you can see from the picture, my running partner is my toy Australian shepherd, Molly. It was a warm day and I was happy with my time, I finished in 22.28. Thanks for the motivation to make myself push hard today on my run.”

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~K~ (22:51)- “I ran an organized Turkey Trot 5k today with my sister and my niece. My finish time was 22:51 -- my personal best for this (hilly) course, so I'm happy!”

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Kim (24:55)- “We actually ran a 3.7 mile race (well, the
boys ran 5.2 miles) and I calculated my 5k time to be 24:55.
I won my age group and the kids took 2nd in theirs! What a great morning.”

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Angie (26:30)- “It was a little windy, but fun nonetheless! Listening to Flo Rida kept me going!” (Angie is in the white shirt)

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Erin (26:44)- “I ran the Turkey Waddle here in San Tan Valley, AZ and it was an amazing day for a race!! I did it in 26:44 and LOVED it!!”

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Darlene (27:58)- You can read all about her race here.

Jess (29:19) “I ran 3.2 miles at Thanksgiving sunset.”

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Kiri (29:36):

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Kittee (30:25)- “I started my Thanksgiving day with the Thankful Virtual 5K. I ended up running 4.3 because I was feeling so good. I was also able to run outside which was a huge bonus. It has been too cold here to even think about running outside. This was fun, all other family members had good intentions but decided to stay in bed or stay home drinking coffee. I ventured out alone.”

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Derek (30:30)- This is Angie’s hubby, “Yay, Hubby, on his first 5k!!” We didn’t get pictures of the individuals, so that’s why I’m posting this picture a couple of times. Smile Derek is #24.

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Alicia (30:35)- “Here is a pic of my boyfriend and I after our 5k. My sister ran with us too, but I forgot to snap a picture when we were all together :/ Oh Well! We did the Turkey Trot in our hometown, and a record crowd of 3,000+ people showed up! Great event (and we got neon yellow race shirts!).”

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Courtney (31:52)- “I ran a Turkey Trot with my husband this AM.”

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Jillan (32:20) had a blast running her 5k, “In my town, it's an unofficial shindig hosted by the local bagel company. We ran 3.1 miles around the Indiana University campus (unofficial watch time of 32:20) and finished with free bagels and coffee. I got my husband to join, and then convinced five more friends to join too!”

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Karla (33:00)- “You inspired me to run my first 5 k ever. I did it in 33 minutes!!! my first 5 k at 52 wow how cool is that!!”

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Rebecca (33:12)- “I was able to enjoy a run outside and bask in the wonderful weather. It made me remember why I run. Why I continue to run. If you would have asked me a year ago, I would have said never, but now, 115 pounds lighter and a runner, heck yeah, sign me up. So thanks again. Oh and it was a great time too...33.12...one of my better runs!!” What a beautiful photo!

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Suz (34:42)- “No PR's set for me but this is the first 5K I've done with my dogs. My two labs and my dad's dog ran with me in the pasture this morning for our 5K.”

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Morgan (36:00)- “I ran the Run to Feed the Hungry 10k, and my 5k time was something around 36 minutes. I ran it with my friend Brandi, and in the picture I am the brunette. We had a great time running, even though it rained the whole run! The tutus I made for the occasion made it much more fun - there were so many compliments that it kept me going. This was the first time I have run a solid 6 miles without walking at all - it was a great feeling!”

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Alissa (39:15)- Here I am completely and utterly exhausted! I’m holding up two fingers because this is the 2nd annual race.

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Hubby (39:15)- He was such a great motivator for me on this race. He can run much faster than this, but stayed with me to cheer me on. He just told me to put one foot in front of the other. Thanks, Hubby! Smile

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Kristina (41:00)- “Here I am (106) after our Turkey Trot 5k run at 9am this morning, for a family friend/officer who was killed June 2010 by an intoxicated driver.”

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Yasmine (41:21)- It looks much warmer where she is!

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Lyndsay (43:02)- “Working in retail, I've been going nonstop since right after dinner ended on Thursday. I actually forgot to take a picture to start with on Thursday (my brain has been all over the place this week), but I did finish in 43:02. With my bum ankle, I sped walked most of the 5K, but jogged when I felt I could handle it. Can't wait to do it again next year!!”

***WINNER***Sarah (44:28)- “The pup and I ran our 5k this morning before our houseguests woke up for Thanksgiving festivities! We did 3.27 miles in 44:28. Not the best ever but at least we did it!! I'm sending a photo of an exhausted Ripley and my beloved shoes. :)”

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Kim (46:00)- “I had a great time getting out today and walking. My cousin came along and walked it with me. We walked it in 46 minutes.”

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Traci (46:10)- “Last year, I did this race in 53:37 -- this year, my time was 46:10. I ran more in this race than I have any so far this year & I conquered three HILLS! I felt more in control of my breathing and stronger than ever.”

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Ashlee (50:59)- “I feel great after doing the 5k. I usually do 3.6 mph at a 6.5% incline for an hour or so, but today I bumped it up to 3.7 and 7%. After the first half mile I felt good and decided to increase my speed to 3.8 mph. To push myself even more I did 3.9 mph for the last 6/10 mile. :) I am not sure if this is a PR compared to 5ks I have done in competition, but I know this is the best I have done on the treadmill. 3.2 miles in 50.59 min…then I got back on and did a cool down at 3.3 mph until I got to 4 miles.”

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Lori (51:00)- Lori walked her 5K this year. She was our winner last year!

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Cyn (51:39)- “Just wanted to send ya the photo of my 14 year old son, peyton, and i who walked a 5k this morning. we walked it in 51:39 minutes -- forgot to take a pic of that. it was a great bonding experience.”

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Susan (52:16) finished walked her 5K on the treadmill in the morning.

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Wendy (60 minutes)- “I did it in 2 steps, because my kids wanted to walk with me. I did 1.61 on elliptical, then 1.73 walking!!”

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Wendy also completed her first official 5K on Saturday and I wanted to share one of her pictures because it’s so cute!

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Julie (1 hour 2 minutes)- “I walked 4 miles with my sister at a local race.”

Sommer (1 hour 15 minutes): I’m glad to see she’s sporting her Zippearz ear buds she won! Smile

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Carrie (1 hour 4 minutes 8 seconds)- “My name is Carrie and I just started my weight loss/healthy me journey in mid-October. I found your blog via someone else's blog and saw the 5k idea. I had been wanting something to hold me accountable to exercising on Thursday and it was perfect. We were out of town so I mapped a 5k route near our campground before I left home and at 6:30 that morning my mom dropped my husband and I off at the starting point. I can't yet run but we moved as fast as we could and did it with only one short stop for my husband to tie his shoe. I finished in 64:08. So that is my first ever personal record and I look forward to breaking it soon!”

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Kim- completed a 20 mile bike ride:

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