The Devil's in the Driveway!

Yup; it's the car's fault!

Recent statement's I've heard:-
"When I used to get the bus to school, before I graduated and before I bought a car, I was walking to the bus stop, to the T, to my destination and I had NO problem keeping weight off"

"As a kid, when I wanted an ice-cream I did not ask my parents for a ride, I asked them for a $1 and walked to the ice-cream stand on the corner.  Now I'm appalled at myself, when I want an ice-cream; I look for my car keys!"

"45 years ago, I began walking to help lose the baby weight, just about 1/2 an hour a day to begin with.  I am now 72 years old and have been running 5 days a week for over 44 years, I wouldn't give it up now!"

Think about the number of times you take the car out for a short trip.  I hear stories all the time in the meeting room of folks who are proud of themselves for walking to the pharmacy or post office instead of driving.  We always applaud, then as I look around the room I watch other member's faces light up as they realize that they've just heard a great idea.  And yet, the next time they need to run to the store for a pound of Brussels sprouts; they look for the car keys!!  I challenge you to leave the car in the driveway 2 times this week; just 2 times, you can do that, right?

Here are some tips to maximize your 15-minute walk and get the most from it:
1.  Spend at least the first minute warming up: Start at a slower pace and move up to a more intense walking speed.
2.  Wear the correct footwear.  It only takes a minute to change your shoes, it's important to wear the right ones to give you the correct posture and gait.
3.  Talking of posture; keep your head up looking forward and your tummy and butt tight.  Relax your shoulders while still standing up straight and roll, shrug and rotate your shoulders to loosen them.
4.  Put the "screened technology" away - no cell phones or other techie gadgets that prevent you from looking straight ahead.
5.  Add speed intervals after your warm up.  You can add a couple of minutes of a moderate intensity pace and then pull back to a slower speed several times during your short walk, that'll help you burn more calories and get your heart rate up.
6.  Bring a properly fitting backpack for carrying the shopping home.  Don't carry the groceries in your hands and don't use hand or ankle weights when out on the streets, those should be saved for your gym workouts where balance is easier to manage.
7.  Don't forget a little water, as always, stay hydrated.
8.  Keep an open mind, a short walk has wonderful benefits, a longer walk has even more and a sustained, daily short or moderate walk CAN make a real difference to your weight management.

Take 5 for YOU!

Think about the last time you took "just 5" minutes to reflect on your weight journey and how it fits in to your life.  How much of a priority are you to yourself and your family?  

This weeks meeting will allow you to do that - it's going to be calming and hopefully motivating.  Don't miss the meeting, don't come in and weigh & run, plan to stay for 30 minutes, you'll be thrilled you did!

News you'll be excited about!

Weight Watchers Gives Thumbs Up to Sandwich Thins

Weight Watchers is now endorsing the full line of Sandwich Thins for Arnold’s.  The Sandwich Thins are slated to hit national grocery store shelves in early-to mid-November.  They're are only 3 PointsPlus® value per Sandwich Thin in each of these varieties:
• 100% Whole Wheat
• Multigrain
• Honey Wheat
• Flax & Fiber
• Whole Grain White
• 100% Whole Grain White
• 100% Whole Grain
• Rye 8-Count
Weight Watchers Bread is still available. Visit WWProductLocator.com to find out where it’s sold in your area.

                                   

Thank you all for making Lose For Good a wonderful success not only for ourselves and our weight loss journeys but also for all the families we help in local communities, across the nation and around the world. Your efforts touch countless people! Check out these impressive results: Our members lost 4 million pounds in just seven weeks! This incredible weight loss and you, our members’ overwhelming participation in Lose-A-Palooza helped Weight Watchers donate $1 million to Share Our Strength and Action Against Hunger, our two hunger fighting charitable partners. We collected over 190,000 pounds of food in one day! Through our more than 860 Lose For Good Open Houses and food drives, we collected 190,000 pounds of food to aid local food banks. Over the past 5 years, our members have donated more than 5.79 million pounds of food to benefit families in their communities. That’s an astounding number of people helped.

And finally:
Please take good care of yourself in this approaching monster storm.  Be SAFE and be thoughtful about stocking your kitchen with healthier options when "storm shopping".  Remember the adage "You can't eat it if you don't have it"!

See you at your meeting.