DailySpark Most Recent Post
By: Beth Donovan : 1/27/2012 6:00:00 PM : 8 comments
: 1,622 views
It is my pleasure to introduce to you who don’t know him, Greg Gaul aka Ksigma1222 who has lost 155 pounds!
Greg is one of the most fascinating people I’ve had the honor to meet in person. He wears his heart on his sleeve and genuinely cares about others. He has lost so much weight and made so many healthy changes! We both spoke at the 2009 SparkPeople convention, and we have maintained a friendship since.
He is such an inspiration to me that I call him “Rockstar.” He has spoken at conventions, been on local television, hosted workshops in his hometown, been featured in both SparkPeople books, and I venture to say I don’t believe he is done yet.
He was born in Omaha, NW, but lives in Topeka, KS, where he is the Safety and Security Manager at the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library. At age 38, he is married to his wife Melinda and had daughters Hannah (9) and Rachel (7) and son Jesse (2). His hobbies are running, swimming, cooking, playing cards, pop up books, shopping, and anything that keeps him moving and living. He joined SparkPeople in October 2007.
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By: Melinda Hershey : 1/27/2012 2:00:00 PM : 6 comments
: 2,597 views
– Melinda Hershey, SparkPeople Editorial Staff
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Hey dailySpark readers!
WOW! We were blown away by the response to our last cookbook giveaway! We are so grateful for your support and are thrilled that you want to use “The SparkPeople Cookbook: Love Your Food, Lose the Weight” to supplement the healthy habits that you’ve adopted using SparkPeople.com. We are so thrilled, in fact, that we’ve decided to give two more lucky readers another chance to win a copy!
In case you haven’t heard, the book is SparkPeople’s very own cookbook, written by Meg Galvin, World Master Chef and SparkPeople’s Healthy Cooking Expert, and Stepfanie Romine, the editor of the dailySpark and SparkRecipes. The book is chock-full of over 150 quick and delicious recipes like barbecue chicken pizza, coconut lime shrimp, and mini apple tarts—and since they’re created by SparkPeople, you know they’re good for you, too! The book also includes success stories from SparkPeople members, helpful tips on food preparation, pantry checklists, and much more. Think of it as SparkPeople.com in book form, encouraging you to live your best life by making smart food choices, one page-turn at a time.
To enter, click here! Be sure to read the rules. This contest will end exactly one week from today! Winners will be notified via email.
By: Jen Mueller : 1/27/2012 10:00:00 AM : 1 comments
: 1,494 views
It’s amazing how competitive school has become since I was young. I always felt a certain amount of pressure to work hard and get good grades, but with the rising costs of a college education, most families need a certain amount of financial help (i.e. scholarships) to make it possible. Kids feel more pressure than ever to maintain a high G.P.A., and new research shows that exercise might help. Can physical activity really boost brain power?
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I almost never look at myself in a mirror. (If you saw my hair today, you'd agree that this must be true.) When I'm brushing my hair in the morning, I look at my hair for a moment, but don't notice or pay attention to any other part of me, or my body looks like as a whole. When I brush my teeth, I walk around the house or look at my teeth, but don't notice anything else. When I use the restroom during the day, I don't even glance at the reflection right in front of me when I'm washing my hands. Once every few weeks, my own reflection catches—sometimes when I'm walking past a large window or if I'm trying on new clothes in the store. When it happens, I'm always surprised. "Oh, so is what I look like!"
If your weight has had ups and downs (especially lots of ups), or if you've struggled (as I have) with body hatred or a negative self-image, sometimes it's easier to just ignore your reflection than to face it—and the hurtful silent comments that come with it. I no longer hate looking at myself, and I no longer say bad things about what I see. But I still general ignore mirrors—I think out of habit.
Recently, I started workout out at a new studio that has mirrors in the Spinning room. You could either pick a bike that directly faced the mirror or one that faced the other direction (with the mirror to your side, out of your direct line of sight). I chose the bike in front of the mirror, unsure whether it would help or hurt my exercise efforts.
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One of my favorite combo words to use is chillax – a combination of chill and relax.
From time to time, my husband and I will use the phrase "chill out, Holmes." I’m not sure how we came up with that or why we say Holmes, but the intent is certain: take a big breath and calm down. If you feel like you’re standing at the base of an overwhelming mountain trying to figure out how to get to the fit and healthy summit, then this message is for you.
I know that the information overload can sometimes seem insurmountable. I follow quite a few fit bloggers and professional fitness sites and see it every day. Try this diet, no this diet, no wait this exercise format, but wait this one is the latest and greatest. All are trying to tell you how to journey up that mountain in as few, easy steps as possible. My experience with traveling to the summit is that it takes one step at a time and no journey is the same. Allow yourself some space, breath, and peace to know that despite all the swirling piles of information, you can make this work.
I like to use me and my best friend as an example. Combined we’ve lost more than 170 pounds, or as I like to refer to it, one or two Hollywood actresses. We have met up on the mountain many times, but we both certainly travel our own path on a day-to-day basis. Together last year we ran 5Ks and from time to time rode our bikes around a large lake, but other than that we varied in how we accomplished our goals. Both of us included different weight routines, different forms of cardio/sports, different diets, etc. The end result though was the same – working to maintain weight loss and improve physical fitness, all the while having fun and supporting each other wholeheartedly.
Susie shares on her SparkPage that she struggles with compulsive eating and started her journey with surgery. I accomplished my weight loss without surgery and needed to learn portion control. One is not better than the other – we needed different starting points to help us in our journey. Susie pitched in a softball league this year and her team won the championship. I can’t pitch or catch to save my life! I ran my first half marathon, and that wasn’t on her agenda. But like the supportive trouper that she is, she got up early to drive me to my race and took pictures. I like yoga and Zumba, and she likes running on the treadmill and basketball. You get my drift, I’m sure. We are different, our bodies respond differently, and our tastes are different.
Here are a few things we both know to be true in order to reach that summit:
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By: Meg Galvin : 1/26/2012 2:00:00 PM : 6 comments
: 4,166 views
Think that you have to cut flavor as well as fat and salt when trying to lose weight? Think again.
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