The Hot Mommas ~ Fit and Fabulous MISSION NINE

Choosing Healthy Replacements

On the road to healthy living we are always searching for small things that we can to do keep us on track.  It is amazing to find that all of these small things actually pay off and end up helping  us to get to a positive end result.  This week I challenge us to make healthy replacements daily.  Replace bad (or not-so-healthy) actions/choices with healthy and active ones. 

The MISSION this week is to use one of the following Replacement Options every day for one week (and hopefully beyond).  You can mix it up throughout the week. Also, if you come up with a healthy replacement idea of your own, feel free to post it to our Blog or FB page.

The CALORIE ERASER Water Replacer: Replace One High Calorie Drink with Water per day! Research has proven that those who routinely replace high calorie juices, smoothies, sodas, alcoholic drinks, coffee drinks, etc with good old water tend to be healthier and have more successful weight loss.  Taking in liquid calories is one of the most common mistakes for those seeking to be fit and lose weight. Liquid calories (from sugar and fat) are sneaky and go down quickly. Most high calorie drinks are not actually replacing any calories that we eat, just complimenting them.  This is where we run into trouble. If you can replace just one of your indulgent drinks per day with an extra glass of water, you will be on the road to success.

The Commercial CALORIE BLASTER Break: Replace television commercials with a get up and move living room exercise.  Why not get in a few extra calorie burners / body toners during the commercials?? Here are a couple living room ideas – feel free to add in your own! (NOTE: be sure your body is warm before doing these. The first commercial break should be filled with some low impact cardio):

Jumping Jacks + Push ups Do 15 Jacks. Follow by 10 Push ups.  Repeat until your show is back on!  BEGINNER: Do Wall Push Ups – hands shoulder width on wall, feet walked out slightly behind body. PRO: Do one Jack, fold forward, hop your feet back and perform one push up. Repeat.

High Knees + Chair Dips Jog in place, lifting your knees high for a count of 15.  Follow by 10 Triceps Dips off the edge of a chair. Hands on the edge of a sturdy chair. Elbows point back, hips lower down and the backs of your arms (triceps) press you back up.  Repeat! Beginner:  Move body down slowly while supporting your weight with your legs.  PRO: Walk your feet further out from your body.  OR cross one foot over the opposite knee for more resistance.

The Snack Attack HEALTHY Replacement: Replace an unhealthy snack with an energy boosting, healthy choice. Snacking is a good thing for a strong metabolism, a healthy lifestyle and weight loss. It is just the choices and the timing of the snacks that makes all the difference in success or failure.  Replace one unhealthy (low protein, high sugar or high fat) snack with something that will boost your mood, energy level and metabolism.   Choose foods such as fruit/veggies,  low fat dairy, nuts/seeds, whole grains, etc.

Here is a great link to 100 Healthy Snacks under 200 Calories:

http://www.ivillage.com/100-healthy-snacks-under-200-calories-0/4-b-291931#291946

Have a great week ladies! Make your replacements count and you will see exactly how little changes throughout the day add up to create BIG results!

Hot Mommas: Comment Here or on the Facebook Link ~ Mission Recieved and Mission Complete.

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The Hot Mommas~Fit and Fabulous MISSION THREE

Hydrate and Stretch those
Energized Bodies!

This week’s mission is all about getting the most out of our workouts and healthy living choices.  We can hit it hard at the gym, eat right and be strive to be super woman throughout the day… But if we forget to drink enough water and stretch our newly toned muscles… we will find ourselves sore, stiff and stressed.  The 2 simple parts of this week’s mission will take us less than 15 each day and will make everything we are doing much more enjoyable, productive and beneficial.

Hydrate that Body

60% of the Human Body is made up of water. It allows all of our bodily systems to function. As we become physically active our body changes and molds improving its structure. Water being the base of all cells in the body has to be present for the positive changes to occur (ie for our muscle to become lean and toned).  It is truly the key ingredient to life.

Weight loss is dramatically influenced by water consumption in a variety of ways. For one, if we are consuming water instead of high calorie (sugary) drinks, we will be cutting your intake significantly.  Water can help us to find satiety throughout the day.  If you find that you are hungry, and it is not a meal or regular healthy snack time, try a glass of water. Often the brain gets a signal confused as hunger, when actually a bit of hydration is all you really need.  Also, as weight loss and aging occurs – skin may feel and appear a bit loose. Staying hydrated actually fills up our tissue on the cellular level, evening out skin tone.

A very common question is “How much water should I drink per day?” There is no exact answer… the recommendations vary due many factors. The general consensus and most basic answer (summed up by the Institute of Medicine & The Mayo Clinic) is that we should be drinking enough water to not feel thirsty and to be urinating regularly (colorless, odorless urine).    The amount of water that a person needs per day varies from person to person and from day to day. Many factors influence the body’s need for water; including: physical activity, the weather, caffeine intake, alcohol consumption, pregnancy, breastfeeding, body mass, altitude, illness, age, etc. 

To assess the amount that your body will need on average for your particular situation click on this link The Water Calculator.  The answer will be given in liters (and if you can’t remember the conversion of liters to ounces from science class it is found here (I can never remember off the top of my head :/): http://www.calcul.com/measurement )

THE WATER CALULATOR:

http://nutrition.about.com/library/blwatercalculator.htm

1) Hydration: This week calculate your hydration needs and strive to consume that many ounces of water per day (or more).  I recommend using a reusable water bottle and stick a piece of paper with the number of times it needs to be filled per day to the side.  Remember – you NEVER should try to consume the entire day’s amount (just to catch up) in one setting – this is actually damaging to your kidneys. Just work to get it in throughout the day.

Find your Flexibility

The Human Body has roughly 800 muscles. If we can’t move them, they don’t do us much good. Flexibility is very important in all stages of a lifetime. Everyone can work on some form of flexibility no matter what their activity level, age, health status, etc (under doctor approval of course).  As with any physical activity, it is essential that you have doctor’s approval to perform stretches on your various muscle groups. The benefits of flexibility are vast, including: agility, range of motion, mobility with age, joint health, athletic performance, etc. Did you know that research has proven the benefits that you achieve through strength training (strength and tone) will actually last longer, if you maintain your flexibility??

How do I become flexible? It is achieved on any level through stretching your muscles in a variety of ways. There are 3 main types (static, PNF, ballistic). It is the recommendation for the general public (novice-expert level training) according to the American College of Sports Med, to use static stretching (ideally) every day of the week.  A static stretch is a slow, sustained stretch that does not induce pain. If you feel increasing discomfort, you have pushed too far, back off a bit.  You should feel the energy in the muscle you are stretching, but no pressure on the joint involved.  A static stretching is done on a “warm” muscle – one that has been active for a minimum of 5 minutes.  A stretch should be performed for all of the main muscle groups (especially the ones you are working out that day).  It should be held for 15-20 seconds, without bouncing the muscle. Repeat 2-4 times per muscle group.  Ideally, you would warm up, stretch, workout, cool down and stretch.  If it is not a workout day for you – warm up your muscles with at least 5 minutes of cardio movement and then stretch to enhance your energy level, mobility and mood for the day!

A basic stretching program (published by ACSM) is as follows Again, I remind you that you should only perform these stretches after you have doctor’s approval for this type of physical activity:

http://www.myexerciseplan.com/assessment/stretch.pdf

2) Flexibilty: Stretch EVERY DAY THIS WEEK J.  Find time daily to work in 10 minutes of stretching all parts of your body. If you don’t have a routine that you use already, feel free to use the link above to get you started (please keep in mind this link is designed for a healthy average adult).

Okay Hot Mommas! What are you waiting for?? Go fill up your water bottle, hit the gym, the pavement, the stairs and find time to stretch today as well!!! 

Don’t forget to comment here (or on FB Blog Link) that you received this mission – AND then again next Friday when you have it COMPLETE J. Have a great weekend!

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