Newsletter - Feb 2013 for Norfolk and Bristol Counties
Area
Captains Newsletter
February 2013 for
Norfolk and Bristol Counties
Gail Lewis 46 Elm Street East Bridgewater, MA 02333 (508)378-0459 gailistops@verizon.net
Quote for the Month:
“I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget
what you did, but people will never forget how you mad them feel” - Mayo
Angelou
Hey Everyone.......
Happy February
to every one. January was
one of the coldest on record – I don't know about you, but I'm sick of
seeing single digits in the morning on my thermometer!!!
I am looking forward to spring already.
Have a great month – lots of information here for you and your
chapters. Make someone
feel GREAT this month.
INFORMATION
INSPIRATION
WORKSHOP
Thank you to everyone that took the time for THEMSELVES on
Saturday, January 19th and went to the Inspiration Workshop.
I hope everyone left inspired to lose weight.
Nicole Cormier was awesome and we learned all kinds of “spicy”
hints from Kathleen Lawson.
The folders everyone received is FULL of great articles and can easily
be used in your chapters.
Share the wealth with them.
The next workshop will be in May (date to be determined) and it will be
in Taunton. Plan on
attending – lots of surprises are in store.
More to come next month on that.
Resume Workshop
Thank you also to everyone that was able to come to one of the two resume workshops that were held the weekend of January 5th. As I heard from Rosie, all the chapters in Norfolk and Bristol counties had their resumes in and are all accounted for. Well done, weight recorders. What would we do without you?
CHAPTER IDEAS
– Any chapter ideas to share?
Let me know and I will print them in the monthly newsletter.
Thanks!!!!
SRD
All chapters should
have received either an email or by snail mail the forms needed for this
year's SRD. If you did not,
please let me know and I will resend it to you.
This year, SRD will be on April 12 and 13 in Sturbridge.
The theme is “TOPS SRD 2013 Slimmer U High School Celebration”.
It looks like it's going to be
a lot of fun and full of inspiration.
Plan on attending and do some chapter fund raising events to help
defray the cost. More
information will be going out before the event.
CHAPTER CHALLENGE
The winner of the chapter challenge, although close, goes to (drum roll
please) MA 143 Holbrook.
They have been notified and lost one pound per member during the
contest period.
Congratulations to them. They will keep the trophy and will be given by
me, something for each member.
EXCELLENT RESULTS EVERYONE!!!
INSPIRATION
Here
is something from Inspiration workshop..........loved this.......
Hello, do you know me?
If you don't, you should. I'm a pound of fat and I'm the HAPPIEST
pound of fat that you would ever want to meet.
Want to know why?
It's because no one ever wants to lose me;
I'm ONLY ONE POUND, just a pound!
Everyone wants to lose three pounds, five pounds, or fifteen
pounds, but never only one.
So I just stick around and happily keep you fat.
Then I add to myself, ever so slyly, so that you never seem to
notice it.
That is, until I've grown to ten, twenty, thirty or even more
pounds in weight.
Yes, it's fun being ONLY ONE POUND OF FAT, left to do as I please.
So, when you weigh in, keep right on saying, "Oh, I only lost one
pound."
(As if that were such a terrible thing.)
For you see, if you do this, you'll encourage others to keep me
around because they'll think I'm not worth losing.
And, I love being around you - your arms, your legs, your chin,
your hips and every part of you.
Happy Days!!!
After all, I'm ONLY ONE POUND OF FAT!!!
- Author Unknown
The publication went on to talk about losing JUST ONE POUND a week
for this year. Read
on.......
If you lose ONLY ONE POUND PER WEEK, look what you'll
accomplish.......
I challenged my chapter to see who was with me to lose JUST A POUND
A WEEK – who is up for the challenge?
What can you lose.....besides a pound a week?
Those that fail to plan, plan to fail.
Get on board the losing train and let's lose some serious weight
this year – it's OUR YEAR!!!!
With February being
heart health month, what better time for a quick self-check to ensure your
heart is getting its fair share of TLC? The little things do truly
count. Here, five heart-healthy eating and active living habits, and
simple tips to build them into everyday living .
#1. Walk more often. One of the most accessible and best overall forms of exercise,
studies show brisk walking on a regular schedule can improve efficient
oxygen consumption during periods of exertion, lower resting heart rate,
reduce blood pressure, and improve heart and lunch efficiency.
-
Make it social. Arrange walks with friends as part of a regular
social routine.
-
Walk to confer with colleagues at work instead of e-mailing. If you
have extra break time, get outside for a brisk walk and enjoy some
fresh air.
-
Take the stairs instead of the elevator.
-
Park further away from your destination.
#2. Be mindful of nutrition. We all know the truth
in we are what we eat. Just as certain foods can increase risk of heart
disease, so can food and eating habits help ward off disease and promote
health.
-
Eat breakfast. Research shows that those who eat their morning meal
take in more wholesome nutrients, and less fat and cholesterol
throughout the day, making a positive difference in overall weight
and cholesterol levels.
-
When cooking, use fats sparingly. Swap out margarine and shortening
for heart-healthy monounsaturated fats, such as olive and canola
oils; or polyunsaturated fats from nuts and seeds. The American Heart Association
recommends avoiding trans fats as much as possible. A quick clue for
spotting trans fats is anything with the phrase "partially
hydrogenated".
-
Get in your omega-3s: swap a red meat meal for fish. Fatty fish like
salmon, trout, and sardines are great sources of omega-3 fatty
acids, shown to decrease risk of heart disease and help to lower
blood pressure.
-
Reduce sodium. Sodium can contribute to high blood pressure, a risk
factor for heart disease. Purchase no-salt-added canned goods, and
cut back on seasoning with salts in favor of a variety of spices.
#3. Keep hydrated.
Your body needs to be properly hydrated for your vital organs to
function properly. Dehydration can lead to constricted blood vessels,
headaches, mental cloudiness, and muscle fatigue.
-
Start each day with a glass of water.
-
Have water accessible during workouts.
-
Keep sliced lemons, limes, or cucumbers in the fridge to add some
zing to glasses of water.
-
Choose 100% fruit juice.
#4. Reduce stress. Stress is linked to high blood pressure, a faster heart rate,
and slowed digestion. Studies relate it to weight gain, illnesses, and
depression. Decreasing or managing stress is key to a heart-healthy
lifestyle.
-
Try yoga or meditation.
-
Under duress, take deep, slow breaths to manage your nervous
system's automatic "fight or flight" response.
-
Value and prioritize sleep. Sleep is vital to mental and emotional
well-being, and a cornerstone of good health.
-
Exercise regularly. Not only is it good for your body, it helps your
mood.
#5. Be positive, and find the fun.
Being healthy isn’t an obligation so much as it’s a way of life. You can
build cardiovascular fitness through an enormous range of physical
activity. Find what you love, share it, and make time for it.
-
Plan ahead, reserving time for what you enjoy: running, biking,
hiking, swimming, aerobics, pilates, you name it.
-
Try something new. Go to a zumba class, try crossfit, sign up for a
fun race. You may discover an unknown passion.
-
Involve family and friends. Skip the movies and make time for an
outing in the park, on the trails, or touring a museum.
-
Be kind to yourself. A positive attitude is essential to achieving
any goal. Set realistic goals, and give yourself a pat on the back
for making a solid, consistent effort to pursue them.
The
all-important
heart
is constantly at work, pumping blood (about 2,000 gallons a day) filled
with essential oxygen and nutrients to your body’s organs 24/7.
Everything about the heart and how it works is interesting, but here are
some nuggets of information we found particularly fascinating.
The
Heart Sits in the Center of the Chest, Not On the Left Side
Does
this blow your mind because you’ve always been told it’s on the left?
When we place our hands over our hearts to pledge allegiance, we
actually go a tad too far to the left. The
heart is located
in the middle of the chest, snuggled between the lungs.
A
small percentage of people are born with dextrocardia, a condition in
which the heart points more toward the right side of the chest than the
left. According to the National Organization for Rare Disorders, people
who have dextrocardia with situs inversus (when visceral organs like the
liver and spleen are reversed too) can live normal lives without any
disability.
In
many cases, though, dextrocardia is associated with other heart defects
or other misplaced, and even missing, organs that might require surgery
to correct.
The
Human Heart Beats Around 70 Times per Minute
This
is a ballpark figure. According to Mayo Clinic, a healthy adult heart
should beat anywhere from 60 to 100 times a minute while at rest. Do the
math, and it adds up to around 100,000 beats a day and 2.5 billion beats
in the average lifetime. That’s a lot of pumping.
Newborns have the fastest heartbeats, at 70 to 190 beats per minute, and
the hearts of well-trained athletes tend to beat slower, at a rate of 40
to 60 beats per minute.
Faster-than-normal resting heart rate (called tachycardia) or a
below-normal heart rate (bradycardia) could be signs of heart problems.
It’s
important to watch your
normal heart rate
over time, too. A recent study published in the Journal of the
American Medical Association found people whose resting heart rates
increased from under 70 beats per minute to more than 85 beats per
minute over 10 years had a 90 percent increased risk of dying from heart
disease compared to those whose heart rates stayed around 70 beats per
minute.
Having a Big Heart Isn't Necessarily a Good Thing
In
the literal sense, an enlarged heart is a symptom of heart disease. For
an adult, a normal heart is about the size of your fist.
An
enlarged heart, termed cardiomegaly, can occur for a number of reasons,
some temporary (stress on the body or pregnancy) and some tied to heart
condition (weak heart muscle, coronary artery disease, heart valve
problems, or abnormal heart rhythms).
Complications of cardiomegaly include
cardiac arrest and sudden death
(commonly seen in athletes), heart failure, heart murmurs, and blood
clots, depending on the part of the heart enlarged.
STAY COMMITTED TO WEIGHT LOSS
February is the month for Sweethearts and enduring relationships.
Believe it or not, there are many parallels that can be drawn
from the journey of relationships that apply to the roads we have chosen
to travel toward our weight-loss goals.
CHECK YOUR OWN ENGAGEMENT.
Be honest, if you are not connected, then you will not succeed in
improving the commitment.
Asses the areas that need attention to strengthen your own engagement.
TALK ABOUT EVERYTHING
Make communication a top priority and make sure it is frequent, clear
and consistent. Don't give
conflicting information.
LISTEN.......REALLY LISTEN
Don't let distractions, such as your Black Berry, telephone, email or
internal chatter get in the way.
TAKE RESPONSBILITY FOR YOUR OWN HAPPINESS
Don't expect others to “make” you happy.
Choose to celebrate with gratitude each small blessing and feel
it swell in your spirit with joy.
Here's a
recipe that I tried that was suggested at Inspiration Workshop by
Nicole. If you like salsa,
you'll like the soup. I'll
repeat it here for those interested.
Salsa and Chicken Soup
Mix them
together and you have soup.
If you leave in your fridge over night, it becomes just a little
thicker. I really liked
it....it was easy and tasty.
Contest
That’s it for FEBRUARY.
Have a great month.
