Shadow
03-07-2006, 05:52 PM
The February Challenge – Affairs of the Heart
This month, let’s focus on our healthy hearts--making them healthy, and keeping them healthy. We already tend to our heart by careful menu choices, so let's also pay attention to the mental and physical aspects of building healthier hearts.
1. Eating for heart health. The biggest part in taking care of our heart health is something we’re already doing – following this WOE. So this part of the challenge is simple – know and follow the plan! Make sure you’re getting enough good quality protein at each meal; eat at or below your ECC level at each meal; and focus on using the healthiest fats.
In each week of February, let’s pay a little extra attention to a different aspect of our menus in our daily menu threads and each new week will have a different focus.
2. Love Yourself! February is International Boost Self Esteem month, so let’s do all that we can to feel good about ourselves. This part of the challenge focuses on something we don’t do often enough – loving ourselves. Where eating right may seem simple, reinforcing our self-esteem may be the hardest thing to work on every single day.
Once a week we'll start a thread that focuses on loving ourselves in a variety of ways, and asks you to check in with the positive reinforcers you've used that week. Feeling good about ourselves reduces our stress levels and creates a more positive outlook which in turn makes us happier all around. Choose anything at all that makes you feel happy, pampers you, makes you smile. Every positive reinforcer you give yourself counts, from making a good eating choice to enjoying a satisfying workout, trying a new recipe, taking time for your favorite hobby, giving yourself a manicure, taking time for you, pausing in your day to enjoy a beautiful sight, reminding yourself of your accomplishments, etc. - anything that makes you smile and feel good!
3. Exercise for the Heart. The M’s & S’s group has really been going strong lately, but let’s take that just a step further. All too often we focus on the hard part of exercise – but this month, let’s focus on the “feel good” part. The more fun we can have at exercise and the better we feel about what we’re doing, the more likely our chances of sticking with it. So let’s remind ourselves of why we’re doing what we do. Each week we’ll discuss different “feel good” aspects of exercise. You just never know – it might inspire you to try something different!
So for week 1 (Feb 1 – 7)
-- Daily Menus: Let's talk Protein! What’s your favorite protein source? How do you make it? What do you do to “shake it up” and keep some variety in how you prepare it?
-- Celebrate "Love Makes The World Go Round; But, Laughter Keeps Us From Getting Dizzy" Week! Laughter makes us feel good. What makes you laugh? What story or joke would the rest of us get a kick out of? Share whatever brings you a chuckle with the rest of the group, and spread the smiles. Take a few minutes every day to do whatever it is that brings laughter into your life – read a funny book, watch a sitcom, enjoy time with your children, play like a kid again. Find something to make you laugh every day this week--and remember, sharing the smiles is your goal.
-- M's and S's: Let's look at our favorite exercises. What is YOUR favorite exercise and why? If you were to try a new exercise, what would it be? This can be a new move or even a new discipline.
This month, let’s focus on our healthy hearts--making them healthy, and keeping them healthy. We already tend to our heart by careful menu choices, so let's also pay attention to the mental and physical aspects of building healthier hearts.
1. Eating for heart health. The biggest part in taking care of our heart health is something we’re already doing – following this WOE. So this part of the challenge is simple – know and follow the plan! Make sure you’re getting enough good quality protein at each meal; eat at or below your ECC level at each meal; and focus on using the healthiest fats.
In each week of February, let’s pay a little extra attention to a different aspect of our menus in our daily menu threads and each new week will have a different focus.
2. Love Yourself! February is International Boost Self Esteem month, so let’s do all that we can to feel good about ourselves. This part of the challenge focuses on something we don’t do often enough – loving ourselves. Where eating right may seem simple, reinforcing our self-esteem may be the hardest thing to work on every single day.
Once a week we'll start a thread that focuses on loving ourselves in a variety of ways, and asks you to check in with the positive reinforcers you've used that week. Feeling good about ourselves reduces our stress levels and creates a more positive outlook which in turn makes us happier all around. Choose anything at all that makes you feel happy, pampers you, makes you smile. Every positive reinforcer you give yourself counts, from making a good eating choice to enjoying a satisfying workout, trying a new recipe, taking time for your favorite hobby, giving yourself a manicure, taking time for you, pausing in your day to enjoy a beautiful sight, reminding yourself of your accomplishments, etc. - anything that makes you smile and feel good!
3. Exercise for the Heart. The M’s & S’s group has really been going strong lately, but let’s take that just a step further. All too often we focus on the hard part of exercise – but this month, let’s focus on the “feel good” part. The more fun we can have at exercise and the better we feel about what we’re doing, the more likely our chances of sticking with it. So let’s remind ourselves of why we’re doing what we do. Each week we’ll discuss different “feel good” aspects of exercise. You just never know – it might inspire you to try something different!
So for week 1 (Feb 1 – 7)
-- Daily Menus: Let's talk Protein! What’s your favorite protein source? How do you make it? What do you do to “shake it up” and keep some variety in how you prepare it?
-- Celebrate "Love Makes The World Go Round; But, Laughter Keeps Us From Getting Dizzy" Week! Laughter makes us feel good. What makes you laugh? What story or joke would the rest of us get a kick out of? Share whatever brings you a chuckle with the rest of the group, and spread the smiles. Take a few minutes every day to do whatever it is that brings laughter into your life – read a funny book, watch a sitcom, enjoy time with your children, play like a kid again. Find something to make you laugh every day this week--and remember, sharing the smiles is your goal.
-- M's and S's: Let's look at our favorite exercises. What is YOUR favorite exercise and why? If you were to try a new exercise, what would it be? This can be a new move or even a new discipline.