http://ourwickedweighs.com/index.php/site/index/ en admin@ourwickedweighs.com Copyright 2008 2008-08-28T11:07:01-05:00 http://ourwickedweighs.com/index.php/site/shhhh_and_listen_silly/ http://ourwickedweighs.com/index.php/site/shhhh_and_listen_silly/#When:12:07:01Z I have been sick for the past 6 days. Yes. Sick. As in snot, puking, fevers, coughs, dishrag limbs....sick. I am not proud of the fact that I let myself get so run down. I do take full responsibility though. I felt it coming on about mid week last week and I ignored it. I chose to ignore it and keep pushing my bod to function. I deprived it of the proper rest. I didn’t eat right and I didn’t even juice or partake in my wheat grass consumption. The result? One sick Queenie. I am not telling you this so you can feel bad for me. I am over it. For the most part. I am telling you this, so that you might learn from my mistakes. There is one reason that I got sick: My immune system was shot. It’s the only reason that we catch colds and viruses. So, reading this, how do you keep your immune system up to par? It’s easy...eat a great diet of fresh fruits, veggies and lean proteins, consume lots of water on a regular basis, get plenty of fresh air and quality sleep. This is also the only way that you will get over sickies when they do find you. I am not even thinking of weight loss this week. I am thinking of getting myself back up to snuff. Wednesday was the first day that I made it an entire day without having to take a nap in order to continue functioning. If I had listened to my body when it started feeling crappy 6 days ago, I wouldn’t be writing this post. I haven’t exercised. I have barely gotten out of bed. Heh. I am frustrated with myself for ignoring when my bod screamed at me. Lesson learned. Hard, long, tiring lesson learned. Wicked Babble 2008-08-28T12:07:01-05:00 http://ourwickedweighs.com/index.php/site/my_top_10_list_on_why_we_dont_lose_weight/ http://ourwickedweighs.com/index.php/site/my_top_10_list_on_why_we_dont_lose_weight/#When:16:10:00Z 10.  Well because we don’t get off our lazy asses to do it Okay, that one was pretty obvious so I had to through it in there! 9.  Can you say Ben & Jerry’s? 8.  Because every time we go into a fast food restaurant we say “Super Size it!” 7.  We spend more time dieting then we do being healthy. 6.  Because we have tons of friends who love to socialize over food - you know, amazing guacamole that HAS to come with fattening chips to be good (That is for my friend Karyn, LOL!) 5.  Gym?  What’s a gym? 4.  Because we’re liars - we lie to ourselves about what we eat.  YES - those handful of M&M’s really did count! 3.  We try to starve ourselves therefore sending our body into a panic that it doesn’t really like all that much. 2.  NOT ENOUGH WATER and too much soda, juice and alcohol And finally, the #1 reason we don’t lose weight? 1.  Because we don’t really want to There you have it folks - the reasons we don’t lose weight.  You may be wondering about #1 - but it couldn’t be more true… we simply do not want it bad enough.  I know sometimes I don’t.  If there is one thing you need to overcome it has to be the not wanting it part.  You have to crave weight loss, you have to be passionate about weight loss, and most off all you have to knowledgeable about weight loss.  Because without the knowledge you can’t have the passion or the understanding to get the weight off and keep it off for good.  I have the knowledge part down, now I’m working on the passionate part - everyday I’m saying to myself - I crave weight loss.  And you know what? It’s working! The past 4 weeks I have made great decisions, healthier choices and I’m moving in the right direction (albeit very slowly).  You can do it too!!!  Motivation 2008-08-27T16:10:00-05:00 http://ourwickedweighs.com/index.php/site/lets_review_shall_we/ http://ourwickedweighs.com/index.php/site/lets_review_shall_we/#When:18:42:00Z Queenie is presently off doing some royal things - so here is a reprint of an archived post I’d use one of her posts so it would feel like she was actually here but I can’t get to her posts So, sorry, you’re stuck with me! It seems that as we go along during our day it is a relative blur of work, household chores, errands to run, kids to pick up, family to spend time with, and everything else that goes on in just a 24 hour period.  Don’t forget you also need to sleep as well (something I don’t do nearly enough)!  Trying to fit in fitness into your day can be difficult to say the least, but it is doable if you look at the different ways to bring fitness into your everyday routine.  It may take some getting used to, but even the busiest people can find the time if they have the motivation and the dedication.  The key to doing this is to make it convenient.  In order get fit everyday without overstressing yourself or your lifestyle you need to make the most of your time. You can start easily by waking up early.  Even waking up a half hour earlier will give you the extra time to walk on your treadmill or through the neighborhood, or it will give you enough time to do a fitness workout on television.  As studies have consistently shown, people who exercise in the morning tend to stick to their schedule more because things don’t pop up during the day that take you them off course.  If for any reason you can’t go to sleep earlier so that you still are refreshed when you wake up earlier then by all means fit it into your nighttime routine, although you should stop exercising at least 2 hours before bed.  Fitness can be found anywhere during your day, and nothing should be overlooked, including household chores.  Making your chores count as fitness is actually easier than you may think.  You can mop the floor, scrub the bathroom, or even mow the lawn manually instead of buying a riding lawn mower.  You would be surprised at how many calories you can burn by raking and vacuuming on a regular schedule.  Granted none of us like doing that, but hey, if we’re going to we might as well use it as our exercise!!  Another way to get exercise into your day is to do something at all times, even when watching television.  Sure, you need some time to relax but that is what bed is for.  Instead of just being a couch potato, you can use hand weights, ride a stationary bike, walk the treadmill or even do something simple stretches while watching your favorite show.  One of the easiest ways to exercise during your everyday routine is to involve the entire family.  You play a game of catch out in the backyard after dinner, or take a walk to feed the ducks at a local park.  If you don’t have time to get the entire family together for a game of soccer then you can at least get your exercise in short burst like running around the block to see who gets home first.  You can easily turn games into fitness that your whole family can be involved in.  Don’t forget to involve the dog as well.  Taking a daily walk with your pet will be sure to get you out of the house and give you the motivation to lace up your walking shoes.  Sure, exercise can be daunting for some of us, but we don’t have to just jump in to running a marathon the first month we start working out.  We can easily find ways everyday to get our heart rate up and our weight down! 2008-08-26T18:42:00-05:00 http://ourwickedweighs.com/index.php/site/back_to_school_time/ http://ourwickedweighs.com/index.php/site/back_to_school_time/#When:13:28:00Z Well, I officially became a mother to a school aged child this morning.  As I sent him off to school for the first time other than preschool, I couldn’t help but think of the past 5 years and wondered if I taught him enough, helped him enough, and gave him enough knowledge to be a good kid outside of the home.  But more importantly, as I made his lunch this morning I was thinking about what he would do if I didn’t make his lunch.  He would of course go through the lunch line, but does he know enough not to buy just 10 brownies at lunch? Honestly, probably not.  No matter how much you teach them about good food they always tend to want to go for the “bad” stuff.  I think we can all agree that if you have children you tend to feed them better than you feed yourself - am I right?  I marveled over the healthy lunch I packed for him this morning.  I had a turkey sandwich with lettuce on whole grain bread, applesauce and yogurt and for the morning snack I packed a bag of grapes.  An all around healthy lunch if I do say so myself.  You got your protein, your calcium, your fruits and a veggie in the romaine lettuce on the sandwiches.  He has his whole grains and he even had something good to drink with the bottle of water I packed him.  I feel good about my choice, but again I go back to the fact of what happens if I don’t pack his lunch?  Well I have decided that just isn’t going to be an option.  I love my son enough to know that no matter how much schools try to have healthier options they just aren’t going to do as well as me.  I have decided that he will only get to buy his lunch on very special occasions so for now I’m on a mad hunt to try to find healthier snacks to feed him so that he isn’t eating the same thing every single day.  Obviously a piece of fruit or handful of carrot sticks is the most healthful snack going. But there are plenty of other nourishing alternatives to junk food that your child will love. Here are a few suggestions even for the kids who MUST have a “good” snack, meaning something that is bad for them: • Baked chips. Deep-fried potato chips typically get more than half of their calories from fat. Stock up on baked chips instead. A one-ounce serving of Kettle Crisps, for instance, gets just 15 of its 110 calories from fat. Baked tortilla chips are another good choice; you can find flavorful brands that get only a third of their calories from fat. • Nuts. Nuts are high in fat, but it’s a kind that’s as good for the heart and arteries as olive oil. (The exception is macadamia nuts, which are high in saturated fat.) Nuts are also loaded with protein and essential vitamins and minerals — and they’re wonderfully filling. You might want to toss together a trail mix of peanuts, raisins, and low-fat granola to keep on hand. • Granola bars. A great alternative to a gooey candy bar, a sweet, crunchy granola bar has fiber and far less fat. • Sunflower seeds. High in fiber and protein, sunflower seeds are a powerhouse for growing kids. Sure, they’re relatively high in fat, but most of it is monounsaturated, the healthful kind found in olive oil and nuts. • Fruit bars. Fig Newtons are low in fat and provide fiber and potassium. Raisin biscuits are another great choice. Only 20 percent of their calories come from fat, and the best brands are loaded with those crinkly iron-rich bits of sweetness. • Frozen grapes. They’re rich in antioxidants — and freezing seems to transform them into bonbons in the eyes of kids. • Raisins. Loaded with antioxidants and high in carbohydrates (an immediate source of energy), raisins are also high in fiber and iron. Plus, kids love those little single-serving boxes. • Fruit shakes. Whip together a banana, a splash of fruit juice, and a handful of berries in your blender, and you’ve got a nutritious shake. You can add yogurt for more protein and calcium. For the best consistency, freeze the fruit beforehand or use frozen yogurt.  Put in a Thermos and it will stay for hours in their lunch bag! 2008-08-25T13:28:00-05:00 http://ourwickedweighs.com/index.php/site/misunderstood_frustrated_smart/ http://ourwickedweighs.com/index.php/site/misunderstood_frustrated_smart/#When:09:48:00Z I spent a week recently with my mom and my sister. My diet always is an issue when the family gets together now that I don’t eat meat. Not a bad issue, just one that seems to always come up. I think this is due to my family being one of those families that constantly feeds each other. That is just what we do when we all get together. Everyone has to eat. There have been times that I know my mom has been on the verge of a meltdown because we are all out someplace, the kids scream that they need food and we will stop and grab a fruit bowl, a pretzel or god forbid, an itallian ice. I am telling you - it makes my mom INSANE. She is from the time when you ate your meals at a table and they needed to be square. Main dish, side, a veggie if you can manage it and a beverage. In today’s world, we are on the go non stop. My kids are as laid back as I am. We will grab a snack and be perfectly content to continue playing and adventuring. In any case, our trip...my diet. We arrived at my sister’s house. We arranged a grocery store trip so we could all eat for the week. There was some stress about what to feed Queenie. Not from me, but from my momma. She is still trying to feed her freaky vegetarian daughter a square meal only she minuses the meat dish. Ummm NOT gonna work Momma. I managed to grab what I needed, toss it in the cart and I ate just fine during the time I was gone. I also realized quickly that not many people know what healthy food is. I would like to state to anyone reading this entry that just because a bag of food says that it’s “All natural” does not make it health food. If the label reads “Low Fat” - it doesn’t mean that it’s good for you. “Low sugar” “Low calorie” and god forbid “No Preservatives” does not give you free reign to shovel it into your mouth. All these labels mean is that you should be extra careful and read that label before you eat it. Those words should send up red flags and warning bells in that brain of yours. READ THE LABEL!!! Low sugar, sugar free etc just means that they are using chemicals that have been proven to cause seizures and contribute to alzheimers to sweeten that processed food you are getting ready to eat. Fat free and low fat on a label means that they have processed that food so darn much that they worked all of that technical fat out of it before it went in the bag. PS - You can have a fat free item that is loaded with hidden sugar. It still makes you FAT even though the label says fat free. No preservatives? Really? Unless you are buying fresh produce, I can promise there are preservatives in that food. There has to be before the FDA will let it be packaged for sale. If there is a shlef life of longer than 2 days, there are preservatives. I promise. My rule of thumb when I look at a label is that if I can’t pronounce it, I don’t eat it. I know that vitamin C is often listed as ascorbic acid on the label. I know that sugar is the master of disguise and often will look like one of these: Corn sweetener,Corn syrup, or corn syrup solids, Dehydrated Cane Juice, Dextrin, Dextrose, Fructose, Fruit juice concentrate, Glucose, High-fructose corn syrup, Lactose, Maltodextrin, Malt syrup, Maltose, Maple syrup, Molasses, Raw sugar, Rice Syrup, Saccharose, Sucrose, Syrup, Treacle, Turbinado, or Xylose. Preservatives? Here are a few ways they hide those: Ammonium Chloride, Nitric Acid, and Phosphoric Acid. I will always look at a label of any new food that I am trying BEFORE I put it in the shopping bag. If I don’t know whats in it, I don’t buy it. Let alone eat it. The times that I feel crappy, I can go back and realize that it’s because I have eaten food that isn’t on my new rule list. Loaded with processed grains and sugars. Sometimes, even I am weak. When I am feeling good though, it’s because I am eating a diet of pure foods. Making this one change in my habits is what got me well on my way to my almost 50 pound weight drop by the way. If that isn’t incentive for you all to read labels, I don’t know what is. Heh.  Nutrition Tips 2008-08-23T09:48:00-05:00 http://ourwickedweighs.com/index.php/site/guest_post_motivation_101/ http://ourwickedweighs.com/index.php/site/guest_post_motivation_101/#When:09:55:00Z Ohhhh Wicked Ones, we are in for a treat today. No having to get up on the scale and report back to us. Instead, you get to stare at a cutie pie and bask in the words of wisdom that he has for us. His topic? Motivation. He can tell me to do just about anything and I will listen. Heh. Enjoy. Motivation is hard to find sometimes and definitely hard to maintain. I get my motivation from my Dad and the way I feel after I exercise. My dad had a heart attack six years ago and was in the hospital for three months. He rarely did any physical activity and ate horribly. I told myself I will never end up like that and the only way not to is to exercise and eat right. So, if you are lacking motivation to exercise here is a list I put together of things/ideas for you try. If one thing doesn’t work, don’t give up; just try something else until you find something that works. Top 8 Ways to Overcome Lack of Motivation in 2008 Set a goal: I set small goals with my clients and I find it motivating for them to strive towards something instead of just a plane Jane workout. For me, I got bored with running outside, so I signed up for a marathon and now I am working hard to be able to complete one in a couple months. Switch up the exercise: Instead of weight training and boring cardio on the treadmill, go hiking, play tennis, run stairs, or anything else to get outside and enjoy the fresh air. Get a partner: Find a partner with the same set of goals and rely on each other to push through the boredom barrier. Join a new gym: I find it motivating to switch scenery every once in a while and a new gym or facility is a great way. Take a trip to the beach: Go ahead, set up a vacation to the beach and find a new motivation to work hard and fit into that tinny bikini.  Get a new work-out: Instead of just doing weights and cardio everyday, try supplementing combination exercises, circuit training, yoga, Pilates, or some new off the wall training program. Do it for your future: Do you want to be in a wheel chair when you’re older or do you want to be that cute 80 or 90 year old male or female that can keep up with anyone in the gym or around town. My grandma is getting a little older now and she can whoop my butt. I’m not kidding; I’m scared of the woman. She wouldn’t be able to do half the stuff she can now if she didn’t take the time to properly work-out when she was younger. Family Time: Take the kids on a walk or to the park. This is a great way to have fun and get some exercise as well. I found that taking my dog on a walk when I get home from work every day is very therapeutic for me. Fresh air and no worries. Matt Johnson, a professional trainer, is the fitness expert at DietsInReview.com, where he shares insight and guidance for staying fit and living a healthy life in the Diet Blog and newsletters. The site also provides more than 475 diet reviews, healthy recipes, weight loss tools and health news. PS - If you would like to weigh in, please go ahead and do so in the comments section. Oh and be sure to head on over and check out Dietsinreview.com today because your very own Queenie, yes, moi, was asked to put up a guest post there. I am too excited.  2008-08-22T09:55:00-05:00 http://ourwickedweighs.com/index.php/site/easy_breezy_chocolate_cake/ http://ourwickedweighs.com/index.php/site/easy_breezy_chocolate_cake/#When:10:38:01Z Oh yes. Seems funny that me here, on this site devoted to weight loss, I am sharing a recipe for Chocolate Cake of all things but I can assure you, this isn’t a typical cake. It’s made with whole wheat flour and will pass the taste tests of even the most discriminatory sweet addicts. Give it a try. PS: I hope you all will notice that there are no eggs, or butter in this either. Super Moist Chocolate Cake Ingredients: 1.5 cups of whole wheat flour 3 tablespoons of sifted good quality cocoa 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 cup brown sugar - I prefer Sugar in the Raw here. 0.5 teaspoon salt 5 tablespoons olive oil 1 tablespoon white vinegar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 cup cold water Directions: By far the most surprisingly deeelightful cake.  This recipe is great for adults and for kids ages 3 and up. 1. Put your flour into mixing bowl, add cocoa, baking soda, vegan sugar and salt and mix well. 2. Make three deep holes in the dry mixture. Into one, pour the oil, into the next, pour the vinegar into the next, pour the vanilla. 3. Pour the water into the bowl, over all of this--- making a great big mess. 4. Mix the wet and dry ingredients together until there aren’t any more lumps and pour into a 9 inch by 9 inch baking pan, two inches deep, it doesn’t even have to be greased. 5. Bake at 350 for about half an hour, test with a fork. Recipes 2008-08-21T10:38:01-05:00 http://ourwickedweighs.com/index.php/site/a_fast_food_ban/ http://ourwickedweighs.com/index.php/site/a_fast_food_ban/#When:06:48:00Z Honestly, if it isn’t one thing it is another.  This goes back to the post the other day about taking responsibility for your own health.  Well, I guess Southern L.A. doesn’t believe that it can be done and have decided to do something about it.  Check this out… Big Brother is watching you! And if you happen to live in Southern Los Angeles, he is also keeping a close eye on the restaurants in your neighborhood. The City Council in Los Angeles unanimously voted to place a halt on the development of new fast food restaurants in areas of Southern and Southeast Los Angeles. The moratorium would affect a 32-square-mile region of the city with about 500,000 residents. Many of the residents of South Los Angeles don’t own cars, so they have limited access to fresh, healthy food. The ruling is intended to help attract healthier restaurants to this part of the city and give city planners enough time to analyze the current development trends. According to statistics from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, a full 30 percent of adults currently living in South Los Angeles are obese—as compared to just over 19 percent for the metropolitan area of the city and about 14 percent for the Westside. Furthermore, 73 percent of the restaurants currently in South Los Angeles are fast-food eateries—as compared to only 42 percent of the restaurants in West Los Angeles. South L.A. also has fewer grocery stores than the rest of the city, according to the Los Angeles Times. For the purposes of this piece of legislation, council members have defined fast-food restaurants as “those that do not offer table service and provide a limited menu of pre-prepared or quickly heated food in disposable wrapping.” Casual dining restaurants such as Subway and El Pollo Loco are exempt from the moratorium. The legislation also wouldn’t affect fast-food restaurants currently open in South L.A., though it would make it difficult for them to expand or remodel during the coming year. But the moratorium isn’t official yet. The mayor still has to sign it into law, and it is expected there will be legal opposition from the California Restaurant Association. Representatives from the fast-food chains say they are being unfairly targeted. Plus, they argue, today’s fast-food restaurants do offer plenty of healthy items on their menus. Whatever happens, it is likely that this piece of legislation could set a precedent. I don’t know, but I think I proved it Monday when I wrote the post about salads.  Seriously - some of those salads had what, like over 1,000 calories?  And they are worried about fast food being bad for you?  When is it right to not give people - make that American’s - the right to choose to be fat or not?  Let’s face it, South L.A. isn’t the hotbed of opportunity or anything.  They simply don’t have the funds to spend money on a “nice” dinner out.  Is it so wrong to give them the ability to enjoy a little treat with some of the cheaper fast food places?  I honesty think that the fast food is not the reason that these people are obese - it is because they don’t have much money to begin with so that they are forced to eat much of the processed foods that are cheaper then organic or healthier foods.  I have talked about this time and time again - it is expensive to eat healthier and when you are feeding 3 or 4 kids on a very blue collar limited budget it just isn’t feasible to buy organic meat and lots of fresh vegetables that are rising in cost as we speak.  Sure, some of them are doing great and doing the farmer’s market and so forth, but many of them are just trying to survive.  Is it so wrong to have affordable restaurants (albeit fast food restaurants) that they can take their kids to for a “night out?” As you can see I’m pissed about this.  Don’t tell me what I can and cannot eat.  If I choose to eat a Big Mac then so be it!  I’ll suffer the consequences and deal with the aftereffect… but if they think that fast food is the reason these people are obese then look again at the area.  It is the processed foods, the big bulk meal choices to make at home and the cheap food that they need to buy to keep their family fed.  I say if they want to spend $15.00 taking their family out to eat so that they can enjoy it once in a while, let ‘em!  Wicked Babble 2008-08-20T06:48:00-05:00 http://ourwickedweighs.com/index.php/site/ommmmmyoga/ http://ourwickedweighs.com/index.php/site/ommmmmyoga/#When:11:22:00Z Yoga has long since been associated with health and weight loss. What you might not know is why this quieting form of exercise works so well to help you on your quest for health. People are walking around like little stress bombs lately. We are all wigged out over our jobs, the mortgages, the kids, and of course trying to look fabulous. When you are stressed out, your body sends cortisol and other stress hormones into our bodies. These stress hormones are all associated with binge eating and high cortisol levels cause any calories that you do ingest to be quickly turned into fat. Not energy. FAT. Yoga works to teach us to calm our minds. When we calm our minds, we reduce the amount of cortisol that is released and then our bods can metabolize those calories properly into energy. Most of you already know what you need to know to lose weight. The ones of us that haven’t reached our goals yet are too dan busy to take care of ourselves. We are also the ones that make all the excuses in the world why we can’t lose weight, exercise or otherwise do what we are supposed to do. Yoga, even at a light pace for a short amount of time can help you get your mind in a better place and stop your body from sending out these nasty stress hormones. Most people that can find 20 minutes to do yoga each day also find that they take more care on what they put into their bodies. Hence, the weight loss. As the weather here is cooling off, I plan to add back in a short yoga workout to my day. If nothing else, it will be quiet time for me. You don’t need an instructor either. I searched around online to find some very basic poses that I can do on my own. Classic Postures Sit/Easy Position - A starting position that helps focus awareness on breathing and the body; helps strengthen lower back and open the groin and hips. Sit cross-legged with hands on knees. Focus on your breath. Keep your spine straight and push the sit bones down into the floor. Allow the knees to gently lower. If the knees rise above your hips, sit on a cushion or block. This will help support your back and hips. Take 5-10 slow, deep breaths. On the next inhale, raise your arms over your head. Exhale and bring your arms down slowly. Repeat 5-7 times. Dog and Cat—Increases flexibility of spine. This is really two poses, one flowing into the other. Begin on your hands and knees. Keep your hands just in front of your shoulders, your legs about hip width apart. As you inhale, tilt the tailbone and pelvis up, and let the spine curve downward, dropping the stomach low, and lift your head up. Stretch gently. As you exhale, move into cat by reversing the spinal bend, tilting the pelvis down, drawing the spine up and pulling the chest and stomach in. Repeat several times, flowing smoothly from dog into cat, and cat back into dog. Mountain - Improves posture, balance and self-awareness. A deceptive pose in that it appears so simple that some students may ask - “why bother?” But just as there’s more to breathing than meets the eye, there is more to standing, too. Stand with feet together, hands at your sides, eyes looking forward. Raise your toes, fan them open, then place them back down on the floor. Feel your heel, outside of your foot, toes and ball of your foot all in contact with the floor. Tilt your pubic bone slightly forward. Raise your chest up and out, but within reason - this isn’t the army and you’re not standing at attention. Raise your head up and lengthen the neck by lifting the base of your skull toward the ceiling. Stretch the pinky on each hand downward, then balance that movement by stretching your index fingers. Push into the floor with your feet and raise your legs, first the calves and then the thighs. Breathe. Hold the posture, but try not to tense up. Breathe. As you inhale, imagine the breath coming up through the floor, rising through your legs and torso and up into your head. Reverse the process on the exhale and watch your breath as it passes down from your head, through your chest and stomach, legs and feet. Hold for 5 to 10 breaths, relax and repeat. On your next inhale, raise your arms over head and hold for several breaths. Lower your arms on an exhale. Repeat 5 times. Forward Bend or Extension - Stretches the legs and spine, rests the heart and neck, relaxes mind and body. Begin standing straight in Mountain pose or Tadasana. Inhale and raise the arms overhead. Exhale, bend at the hips, bring the arms forward and down until you touch the floor. It’s okay to bend your knees, especially if you’re feeling stiff. Either grasp your ankles or just leave your hands on the floor and breathe several times. Repeat 3-5 times. On your last bend, hold the position for 5 or 10 breaths. To come out of the pose, curl upward as if pulling yourself up one vertebrae at a time, stacking one on top of another, and leaving the head hanging down until last. The Triangle—Stretches the spine, opens the torso, improves balance and concentration. Start with your spread 3-4 feet apart, feet parallel. Turn your left foot 90 degrees to the left and your right foot about 45 degrees inward. Inhale and raise both arms so they’re parallel with the floor. Exhale, turn your head to the left and look down your left arm toward your outstretched fingers. Check that your left knee is aligned with your left ankle. Take a deep breath and stretch outward to the left, tilting the left hip down and the right hip up. When you’ve stretched as far as you can, pivot your arms, letting your left hand reach down and come to rest against the inside of your calf, while your right arms points straight up. Turn and look up at your right hand. Breathe deeply for several breaths. Inhale, and straighten up. Exhale, lower your arms. Put your hands on your hips and pivot on your heels, bringing your feet to face front. Repeat the posture on the other side. Warrior II—Strengthens legs and arms; improves balance and concentration; builds confidence. Begin in mountain pose with feet together and hands at side. Step your feet 4-5 feet apart. Turn your right foot about 45 degrees to the left. Turn your left foot 90 degrees to the left so that it is pointing straight out to the side. Slowly bend the left knee until the thigh is parallel with the floor, but keep the knee either behind or directly over your ankle. Raise your arms over head. Then slowly lower them until your left arm is pointing straight ahead and your right arm is pointing back. Concentrate on a spot in front of you and breathe. Take 4 or 5 deep breaths, lower your arms, bring your legs together. Reverse the position. These aren’t all yoga poses obviously, but these will give you a good place to start. Is anyone else here willing to try this 20 minute a day work out with me?  Exercise and Fitness 2008-08-19T11:22:00-05:00 http://ourwickedweighs.com/index.php/site/are_salads_really_that_healthy/ http://ourwickedweighs.com/index.php/site/are_salads_really_that_healthy/#When:07:46:00Z More and more restaurants and fast food joints are carrying a variety of salads.  That’s a good thing, right? In fact, I have started to eat a few of them thinking that they are healthier… It’s true that vegetables are the lowest-calorie food group; the problem is that salads aren’t just composed of vegetables anymore. Because not all salads are made the same, it takes some work by the us to figure out which restaurant salads are healthy choices. I found some restaurant salads and calorie counts to see if they are really as healthy as wel think they are: Taco Bell’s Fiesta Salad — 840 calories and 45 grams of fat Macaroni Grill’s Chicken Caesar Salad — 920 calories and 69 grams of fat Panera’s Bistro Steak Salad — 630 calories and 58 grams of fat Applebee’s Grilled Steak Caesar Salad — 1,190 calories and 75 grams of fat Compare the salads above to one of my personal favorites - the McDonald’s Big Mac, which has 540 calories and 29 grams of fat.  Whoa!  I can eat 2 Big Mac’s for the calories of one of those Applebee’s Salads!  True, I’m getting more artery clogging fat, but that is beside the point Salads don’t need to get a bad reputation, though. It’s all the extras that get added to salads nowadays that pack on the calories and fat.  Here are some tips for selecting a healthier salad: * Order salad dressing on the side. And before spearing a bite of your salad, each time dip the tines of your fork into the dressing like Gypsy has so often suggested to us! You will taste dressing with each bite but you’ll only be using a small amount. * Try a light or low-fat salad dressing or dilute the dressing with vinegar or lemon juice. This will help to reduce the calories. * Stay away from all things fried. Salads now come with fried meats. Ask that these be baked, grilled, or broiled. * Keep the toppings to a minimum. Croutons, cheese, fried wontons and noodles, eggs, olives, and nuts all add up in calories. Ask that these be replaced with extra vegetables. The Bottom line? Keep in mind that four cups of salad mix — with no added meats, croutons, sliced eggs, dressings, and so on — have only 100 calories and no fat.  So next time you order a salad stay away from all the extra stuff that you really need, and for God’s sake - stay away from anything that says Caesar Nutrition Tips 2008-08-18T07:46:00-05:00