Plank Plank Challenge

Planking

You have probably heard people refer to “Core exercise”. The term "core" refers to your body minus your legs and arms. Functional movements are highly dependent on the core, and lack of core development can result in a predisposition to injury. In fact in many cases when you fall and incur injury (sprained wrist or ankle, broken arm, hip etc.) disaster doesn’t come because you tripped. Instead it happens because you tripped and were unable to right your course and catch yourself. Your core muscles were too weak to come to your aid so you plummeted all the way to the pavement.

Core exercises are an important part of a well-rounded fitness program. Aside from occasional sit-ups and push-ups, however, core exercises are often neglected. Still, it pays to get your core muscles — the muscles around your trunk and pelvis — in better shape. Read on to find some ideas shared by the Mayo clinic.

Core exercises improve your balance and stability

Core exercises train the muscles in your pelvis, lower back, hips and abdomen to work in harmony. This leads to better balance and stability, whether on the playing field or in daily activities. In fact, most sports and other physical activities depend on stable core muscles.

Core exercises can help tone your abs

Want more-defined abdominal muscles? Core exercises are important. Although it takes aerobic activity to burn abdominal fat, core exercises can strengthen and tone the underlying muscles.

Strong core muscles make it easier to do most physical activities

Strong core muscles make it easier to do everything from swinging a golf club to getting a glass from the top shelf or bending down to tie your shoes. Weak core muscles leave you susceptible to poor posture, lower back pain and muscle injuries. (Note back pain is often the result of weak abdominal muscles—your poor back is having to make up for what your abdominal muscles aren’t able to do) 

Core exercises can help you reach your fitness goals

Aerobic exercise and muscular fitness are the primary elements of most fitness programs. But to have a truly well-rounded fitness program, you should include core exercises in the mix as well. 

Core strength needs to be safeguarded as you age. I remember years ago when my friend Gail and visited a 94 year old friend named Lorna. Poor Lorna would be sore for days if she did something as simple as step up on a step-stool to dust something. On the other hand my daughter that was a Pilates teacher recently had her class doing a plank challenge –HOLD A PLANK FOR 3 FULL MINUTES . An older gentleman in the class (in his 60’s) said “My wife and I can plank for 6 minutes”. The whole class was impressed and after they dropped out at 3 minutes they watched the gentleman go on to plank for 6 minutes and his wife continued to 7. (Afterward he explained that he can go to 7 also but if he goes to 7 she tries to go to 8 and he didn’t want her to hurt herself.)

So what is your challenge for the week? I would like you to practice planking every day and I hope you will continue this challenge beyond this week and complete this monthly challenge. (Note I have a young friend that makes it a practice to plank every day before her morning shower- a great way to keep up with core strength)

I am including 5 levels of planking and no you don't have to do ALL of these plank exercises. You may only be able to plank against a wall or a counter or on the ground from your knees. Pick one that is challenging to you but not TOO challenging- begin where you must. Remember it’s not where you are at now but that you begin to make dedicated daily positive progress. For each day (other than Sunday) that you give your best effort to planking you earn the 5 daily bonus points. Notice that at the bottom of this post there is a chart for a 30 day plank challenge. It would be awesome if you complete the whole thing! 

Secret Exercise -- no one will know!

I am exercising and no one can tell 

I have been pregnant 5 times and most of my babies were 9 pounds plus. Consequently I have what is termed a "prolapsed uterus". No big deal as my Physician assured me that if I suddenly feel everything break loose and it feels like my uterus is going to fall out "Don't worry it's not really an emergency!" What?




Consequently Kegel exercises as well as some specialized treatments at a physicians office have become my new hobby and yes they have also become your next challenge.  I realize you aren't all old ladies that are peeing your pants when you sneeze or jump rope. But this is a good healthy habit for all of us to develop and continue throughout our lives. 




So your challenge for the next week is to complete Kegel exercises at least twice a day. For every day you do that (and yes I think you can even do these on the Sabbath) you will earn the daily bonus points . 

Important Tips for pelvic floor muscle exercises

1. Each contraction should involve a concentrated effort to get maximum tightening.
1. Try to contract only the pelvic muscles. (If you feel your abdomen, thighs or buttocks tightening then relax and aim just for the pelvic muscles by using a less intense muscle contraction. If it seems impossible not to tighten the abdomen, thigh, or buttock muscles, then concentrate on full relaxation and try gentle flicks of the pelvic muscles, for example, flick, flick, flick, relax--working the muscles to higher layers with each flick.)
1. Be sure to breathe while holding the muscles contracted.
1. Practice fully relaxing the muscle for at least 4 seconds between each contraction.
1. Experiment with contracting the muscles in many different positions (standing upright, lying, sitting, on hands and knees, feet together, feet apart).

How can I work Kegel exercise into my busy schedule?

1. Think about your typical day. Pick a time (about 5 minutes twice a day) that you should have time to do kegal training, maybe when you first wake up or maybe during a TV program you almost always watch or even in line at the grocery store.
1. Decide on a way to remind yourself to do pelvic floor muscle training. You might put a note on a mirror you always use in the morning or a reminder alarm on your phone.
1. Reward yourself for exercising each time you do it. You could draw a small flower on your calendar to mark each day you exercise and get yourself a real flower or bouquet when you have drawn 10 or 30 flowers. Any small reward that you know will keep you working on this habit is fine.
1. Monitor your progress. You might want to keep a daily diary of whether or not you have had a leaking accident. Over the weeks you should begin to see a decrease in the frequency and amount of unwanted urine loss. Another way to check your progress is to see whether or not you can slow or stop your urine stream when you are going to the bathroom. We recommend that you try this no more than once a week. As your pelvic muscles get stronger you will find that you are able to stop the stream more quickly.
How to do Kegel exercises:
The Basic Kegel: Slowly contract your muscles, drawing inward and upward. Hold for a count of four; then slowly relax for four seconds. Repeat as many times as you can, working up to 25 or 30 three-second squeezes.
Flutter Kegels: Squeeze and relax the PC muscle rapidly, in a pulsing motion. In the beginning aim for consistency of pulses, rather than speed; that will come with time and practice. Work up to 25 or 30 pulses.
The Kegel push-out: After releasing the contraction, gently push down and out with your PC muscles (no bearing down!). Create Kegel sequences that combine long and short repetitions with push-outs - for example, 10 short squeezes, 10 long squeezes, and five push-outs (any sequence will do).
Elevator Kegels: Picture your vagina as an elevator shaft, with the elevator car at the opening of your vagina. Slowly tighten your muscles as you imagine raising the elevator, pausing at the top, and then lowering it again. Repeat 10 times.

Finally, to really work the PC muscles, do Kegels in various positions - while sitting, standing, lying down, or kneeling - two or three times a day. If you do them regularly, you’ll feel the difference in eight to 12 weeks.
Finally, to really work the PC muscles, do Kegels in various positions - while sitting, standing, lying down, or kneeling - two or three times a day. If you do them regularly, you’ll feel the difference in eight to 12 weeks.

Some more information: Kegal exercises are daily training program for the muscles that support the uterus, bladder and other pelvic organs. It is also called pelvic floor muscle exercise or pelvic muscle rehabilitation. This exercise will help your pelvic muscles prevent accidental urine leakage.

Regular Kegel exercises make the muscles that support your pelvic organs stronger and helps you use the muscles more effectively. Women who have a problem with urine leakage have been able to eliminate or greatly improve this problem just by doing pelvic floor muscle exercises each day. Pregnant and postpartum women who do pelvic floor muscle exercises have significantly less urine leakage.

When you are doing pelvic floor muscle exercises in a way that will build muscle strength you will feel all the muscles drawing inward and upward. A good way to learn the exercise is to pretend that you are trying to avoid passing intestinal gas. Think about the way you tighten (or contract) the muscles to keep the gas from escaping. Bring that same tightening motion forward to the muscles around your vagina. Then move the contraction up your vagina toward the small of you back. Another good way to understand kegal exercises is to attempt to stop the flow of urine mid stream.

The most serious mistake women make when doing Kegel exercise is to strain down instead of drawing the muscles up and in. Try doing this on purpose once so you can feel what NOT to do: take a breath, hold it, and push down with your abdomen. You can feel a pushing out around your vagina. It is very important to avoid this straining down.

To keep from straining down when you do a Kegel contraction: exhale gently and keep your mouth open each time you tighten your muscles. Remember to breathe. Rest a hand lightly on your abdomen. If you feel your stomach pushing out against your hand, you are straining down. If you cannot avoid straining down, do not continue with the exercise until you check with your nurse to learn how to do it properly.

Squeezing the pelvic floor muscles can help you right away to avoid leakage. Practice coordinating contraction of these muscles with an event in which you may be prone to leak urine (i.e., coughing, sneezing, nose-blowing, lifting a heavy object, etc.) You should also contract the muscles when you need to delay going to the toilet.

Ok ladies have a great week exercising without anyone else being able to tell! 

Every day a new fruit or vegetable

Yes The Eating Fruits & Veggies You Don't Normally Eat Challenge Is Back Again 
When I have queried healthy eating challenge participants about which of the weekly challenges was their favorite this one is mentioned most often. In fact my favorite sister-in-law said she didn't even realize she liked so many vegetables until she tried some new ones on this challenge. She has progressed really far in the years since she made that comment and now she is a full fledged green smoothie drinker with her own healthy eating blog! 
If you have ever read any of the blogs or books that tout various super foods you are aware of the power pack of nutrients contained in fruits and vegetables. Yet so many of us eat the same foods day in and day out. And in making these same food choices we also partake of the same nutrients. It's time to step outside our habits and take part in a wider variety of delicious fruits and vegetables. 

I have written before about a surprising experience I had when I prepared an evening snack for some teenagers that came to our home for a church meeting. I had heard some complaints the week before when these same teens were served store bought cake and cookies at an event. So... wanting to give them some healthier fare I served warm artisan whole wheat bread with honey butter (bought at Costco I just re-heated), sliced oranges and assorted veggies served in a cup with hummus. I couldn’t believe my ears when one of the girls asked what a slice of raw red bell pepper was and another exclaimed she had never before seen a snow pea pod.
Yet in my own family I have a nephew that when we reunited after a year apart shared that the last salad he had eaten was when he saw me the year before ARRGGHHH! 

I know that throughout this healthy living challenge you have been eating fresh fruits and vegetables. But are you in a rut of always eating romaine in your salads, and always eating apples or oranges for your fruit? 

In a recent study Georgia State University nutrition students challenged fellow students to a “nutrition fear factor” test to encourage them to try new foods. Alexandra Friel, one of the organizers, said, “Everyone has seen the ‘Fear Factor’ television show, and we all tend to think we are a little braver than we really are. We wanted to put Georgia State students to the test.”So, she headed to DeKalb Farmers Market (which BTW was my favorite place to shop when I lived in Atlanta) with fellow student Rebecca Sterns to select food for the taste test. They choose some that might be familiar, such as kiwi, fresh coconut and raw mushrooms, and some that many students had never seen, let alone tasted. Jackfruit, star fruit, pomegranate and durian were on the menu, as well as baba ghanouj — an eggplant dish.

The results? “Everyone seemed to enjoy the experience of tasting different foods that were interesting and healthy to eat,” said student Lauren Sieber. “The most interesting was the durian. It is by far the worst-smelling fruit in the world, but once you get past the smell, it tastes pretty good.”

Listed below are five foods that you may not have tried and they are just a small sampling of the wonderful variety we can choose from in our diet• Plantains: A staple of Latin American cuisine, they look like large bananas, but are really a starch vegetable rich in potassium and vitamin C. Try the ripe ones (they will look almost black) for your test. Slice it, sauté with a little butter or margarine and a pinch of brown sugar and salt.• Broccoli rabe: This vegetable, popular in Italy, is also called rapini and has slender stalks with broccoli-like flower buds. It can be bitter, so blanch it, toss with balsamic vinaigrette and serve it as a side dish. It is also good in salads or soups.• Fresh or Dried dates or figs: If you like Fig Newtons, try a dried fig instead: moist, chewy and flavorful, a perfect snack. There are many varieties. The Southern California Mission fig is one of the most popular. (Note this is one of my favorite snacks when I am craving sweets. Honestly the plain dried date or fig is as yummy as a fig newton. I buy them at Costco. I also use dates to sweeten my green smoothies)• Carambola: It’s used in Southeast Asia and is also called star fruit because when sliced each piece looks like a star. Choose a sweet variety, like Arkin. Look for one that is shiny and firm to the touch. Kids will like how it looks, and moms will like the extra fiber and vitamins A and C that it delivers.• Eggplant: If you like hummus, try something new like baba ganouj served with pita wedges or as dip for veggies. This is one of my favorites. 

YOUR CHALLENGE FOR THIS WEEK IS, EACH DAY EAT A FRUIT OR VEGETABLE THAT YOU DO NOT NORMALLY EAT (to figure out if you “normally eat it” all foods that you have eaten within the last month cannot be used for this challenge. So each day you should be trying a new fruit or vegetable that you have not eaten in the last month nor during this week of the challenge) For every day that you try a new fruit or vegetable this week you earn the 5 bonus points.Here’s a recipe that might be fun to try and please feel free to share any recipes on the blog that you have found for our more unusual fruits and veggies!Baba Ghanouj 
Makes 2 cups or 8 (1/4-cup) servings
Hands on: 30 minutes 
Total time: 90 minutes
2 pounds eggplant,
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice,
1 small garlic clove minced,
 2 tablespoons tahini paste (sesame seed paste),
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil, divided 
salt and freshly ground black pepper, 
2 teaspoons chopped parsleyGrill the eggplant over a hot fire or under the broiler until the skin darkens and wrinkles on all sides, about 15 to 20 minutes, turning every 5 minutes. The eggplant should be uniformly soft when pressed with tongs. Transfer to a baking sheet and cool for 5 minutes.Set a small colander over a bowl or in the sink. Trim the top and bottom off each eggplant. Slit the eggplants lengthwise. Use a spoon to scoop the hot pulp from the skins and place the pulp in the colander. You should have about 2 cups of packed pulp. Discard the skins. Let the pulp drain for 3 minutes.Transfer pulp to a food processor bowl and add lemon juice, garlic, tahini, 1 tablespoon olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Process until the mixture has a coarse, choppy texture, about 8 one-second pulses. Transfer to a serving dish, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until lightly chilled, about 45 to 60 minutes.To serve, use a spoon to make a trough in the center of the dip and spoon in a teaspoon of olive oil and sprinkle with parsley.— From “Perfect Vegetables From the Editors of Cook’s Illustrated” Per serving: 50 calories (percent of calories from fat, 72), 1 gram protein, 3 grams carbohydrates, 1 grams fiber, 4 grams fat (less than 1 gram saturated), no cholesterol, 2 milligrams sodium.
Nutritional bonus points: Don’t let the 72 percent of calories from fat scare you. This is a low-fat, low-calorie dip, and the small amount of fat comes from heart-healthy fats in the olive oil and tahini.

Stand tall lovely lady

A couple of years ago I had a student in a college program I assist with. There was just something about her. She just had such grace and beauty in the way she moved. I was not surprised to hear that she is a professional ballerina. Her posture flowed naturally from a well trained and toned body.

As you are reading this, how is your posture right now? Are you sitting upright? Are you slouching your back? Have you totally sunk into your chair?

When I was a child I can remember hearing that princesses had beautiful posture. I even tried walking around while attempting to balance a book on my head so that I too could walk like a princess.

You may be thinking what does good posture have to do with healthy living.

Why Have A Good Posture?

There are 5 key benefits from maintaining a good posture.

1              Facilitates breathing: A good posture naturally enables you to breathe properly. This is why yoga, pilates and meditation exercises pay so much attention to getting your posture and positioning correct.

2            Increases concentration and thinking ability: When you are breathing properly, you increase your thinking ability too. Our brain requires 20% of oxygen to do its job properly. More air, more oxygen. More oxygen, more brain food. More brain food leads to better thoughts and ideas.

3            Improve your image: People with good posture look smarter, younger and more attractive. Have you ever seen someone with a bad posture and felt the person seemed unkempt, even though the person has not said or done anything yet? On the flip side, someone with a good posture naturally exudes an aura of assertiveness and appeal.

4            Feel even better about yourself:When you have a good posture, it helps to make you feel more self-confident, without even doing anything else different. Try sitting in a bad posture for 30 seconds. Now, switch to a good posture for 30 seconds as well. Is there any difference in how you felt?

5    Avoid health complications: Bad posture can result in several complications over time, such as increased risks of slipped disc, back aches, back pain, pressure inside your chest, poor blood circulation etc. 

How To Improve Your Posture

Here are some tips which can improve your posture and keep it that way. 

1 Identify your key motivation for having a good posture: Why do you want to improve your posture? Is it to improve your breathing? To boost others’ perception of you? To feel more confident about yourself? To avoid health problems? Be clear on your underlying desire so you can remind yourself of it whenever you feel lazy about your posture.

2            Pretend your body is held by a string: This is an analogy shared by a yoga instructor friend and I find it very helpful. It might sound weird, but it’s pretty effective. Pretend that your spine and head are held up by a string suspended from the ceiling. Make sure that your shoulders are relaxed and not hunched up. It can be tempting to tense other parts of your body when trying to keep correct posture. But imagining you are hanging from a string tends to help you focus on keeping your back properly aligned and loosening your other muscles.

3            Set a reminder to check in on your posture: Many of us may have the intention to keep a good posture, but we usually forget about it after 5 minutes! A reminder in the form of a post-it note, item in your calendar, alarm, etc. can definitely help. The frequency is up to you, from once a day to as frequent as every 15 minutes. With sufficient reminders, you will start kicking into a good posture naturally soon.

4            Eliminate bad habits that cultivate bad postures: This includes watching TV/reading while slumped down, working under dim light (which results in slouching), walking in a slouchy way with your stomach muscles slack. 

5Get a good quality chair: A good chair will be one that has a sufficiently firm and dense cushion with back support.

6            Ground both your feet when standing or sitting. This means having both feet planted flat on the floor and not resting your weight on a particular foot, which is a very common habit. While sitting, try not to cross your legs. This helps to keep the upper part of our body straight.

7     Avoid carrying heavy items: Just the act of carrying heavy items can be bad for our shoulders and back. I made a life change when I started working toward a daily goal of walking 10,000 steps a day and that is to “try to work inefficient.” Instead of straining my back by carrying in several sacks of groceries at once I try to practice good posture and make an extra trip or two. The extra steps are a fitness bonus! 

8            Engage in exercises which strengthen your back: These include pilates, yoga, exercise balls and simple stretching. Strengthening your core includes your back muscles so add core exercises to your daily regime. 

9            Get a professional assessment: If you have an extremely bad posture and a history of back injuries or backaches, it will be good to visit a chiropractor or physical therapist for a professional assessment. He/she can advise you on how to better take care of your back.

You guessed it ladies to earn the 5 bonus points per day for a total of 35 for the week you must make a plan to work on your posture in some way every day! It can be as simple as attempting a designated activity (like doing your grocery shopping) while attempting to use good posture. 

Daily Nutrients

    You have probably guessed that I am a BIG FAN of Myfitnesspal.com. By now you have learned to use it as a tool for tracking your calorie intake. But training yourself to not overeat is just part of our journey to a healthy lifestyle. We also need to make sure we are getting a sufficient amount of all of the needed nutrients to be healthy people and the columns that track nutrient amounts on myfitnesspal are a great tool. 

         One of my favorite books is How Not to Die.In this book Dr. Michael Greger, the internationally-renowned nutrition expert, physician, and founder of NutritionFacts.org, examines the fifteen top causes of premature death in America-heart disease, various cancers, diabetes, Parkinson's, high blood pressure, and more-and explains how nutritional and lifestyle interventions can sometimes trump prescription pills and other pharmaceutical and surgical approaches, freeing us to live healthier lives.

In the book he explores the fifteen leading causes of death that claim the lives of 1.6 million Americans annually and gives his advice backed up by strong scientific evidence to help the reader learn which foods to eat and which lifestyle changes to make to live longer.

History of prostate cancer in your family? Put down that glass of milk and add flaxseed to your diet whenever you can. Have high blood pressure? Hibiscus tea can work better than a leading hypertensive drug-and without the side effects. Battling breast cancer? Consuming soy is associated with prolonged survival. Worried about heart disease (the number 1 killer in the United States)? Switch to a whole-food, plant-based diet, which has been repeatedly shown not just to prevent the disease but often stop it in its tracks.

In addition to showing what to eat to help treat the top fifteen causes of death, How Not to Die includes Dr. Greger's Daily Dozen -a checklist of the twelve foods we should consume every day. Full of practical, actionable advice and surprising, cutting edge nutritional science, these doctor's orders are just what we need to live longer, healthier lives.

I realize you may not all have the time or interest level to read this book but what I would like to suggest is that you use your own family history to guide you to choose a nutrient to track on myfitnesspal.  Personally heart disease runs in my family so I could track fat intake. I have osteopenia (pre-osteoporosis) so it would be good for me to track calcium intake. And colon cancer runs in my family so fiber would be a good nutrient to track. Those that have diabetes in their family might want to track sugar or carbohydrate intake. 

Note that you can choose which nutrients are featured in the food diary columns. Go to Settings and then diary settings to choose what you would like to track.

So what is our challenge for the week? 

1. Choose a nutrient or vitamin to track on myfitnesspal. 

2. If it does not already show in one of your columns change the settings so it does

3. Make sure and look at how much you took in of this nutrient each day

4. Make an extra effort to be as close to perfect in your intake of that nutrient this week as possible.

5. I prefer you get these nutrients from real food rather than supplements and this week should give you a good idea if that will work for you or whether you need to add a supplement do your healthy living regimen.

Happy tracking! 

By now you have begun the hard work of making healthy habits a part of every day! I’m so proud of you. But as usual I’m going to pose another challenge by asking you to try a new healthy habit for our weekly bonus challenge. We are going to experiment with some meditation techniques. This simple, cost-free strategy can lift stress and anxiety and often help with weight loss as well. Much of the information I’m sharing this week is from Doron Libshtein, the founder of Mentors Channel.

What is meditation?

Meditation is a daily practice that involves clearing your mind in order to return to a place of straightforward thinking and calm emotions. Some people practice for only five minutes a day, but most meditation experts suggest working up to 20 minutes daily.

Meditation doesn’t have to be difficult. If you're just starting out you might want to try taking five minutes as soon as you wake up to clear your mind before you face your busy day. Simply close your eyes and focus on the pattern of your breathing without trying to change it. Focus only on your breathing. If your mind wanders — and it probably will at first — simply guide it back to your breathing without judgment.

Libshtein suggests practicing for 10 minutes daily (five minutes in the morning and five at night) but also shares that "the amount of time is not as important as simply doing it regularly." Feel free to sit or lie down, whatever feels most comfortable for you.

What’s the connection between meditation and weight loss?

"Meditation can be an effective tool to help people lose weight," Libshtein tells us, “It aligns the conscious and unconscious mind.” Those changes can include controlling the cravings for unhealthy food and altering eating habits. It's important to get your unconscious mind involved because that's where harmful, weight-gaining behaviors such as emotional eating are ingrained. Meditation can help you be more aware of these and, with practice, override them and even replace them with slimming habits.

But there's a more immediate payoff to meditating. "Meditation can directly reduce the levels of stress hormones," Libshtein explains. Stress hormones such as cortisol signal to our bodies to store calories as fat. If you have a ton of cortisol pumping through your system, it's going to be hard to lose weight even if you're making healthy choices. We know that sounds hard; we're all stressed, and it seems impossible to shake. A recent study at Carnegie Mellon University showed 25 minutes of meditation three days in a row to significantly reduce stress. In fact, participants in a 2016 study showed "increased attention, relaxation, calmness, body-mind awareness, and brain activity" after just a couple of short sessions. Your self-control can also increase with daily practice, the study suggests. Researchers found that the parts of the brain most affected by meditation were those that help us control ourselves. That means a couple minutes of meditation on a daily basis could make it easier to pass on that second cookie or avoid the ice cream when you're feeling down.

How can meditation help when diet and exercise don’t seem to be working?

"In many cases, stress is a primary trigger for excessive weight gain or the inability to effectively lose weight," Libshtein explains. So, if you've been dieting and exercising but are constantly stressed, you might not be addressing the problem that’s keeping the weight on. Again, stress releases hormones that store extra fat — exactly what we don’t want! This can even fuel a cycle of stress: You can't lose weight because you're stressed, which makes you stressed about not being able to lose weight. It's an easy pattern to get stuck in, but you can break it — and meditation can help.

How can you make sure meditation works for you?

 1. Use a mantra that helps you lose weight.A mantra is a word or phrase that you repeat to yourself to focus your practice and bring you back to center when your mind wanders. As Libshtein explains, "a mantra can give you something to focus on while you meditate." Libshtein suggests repeating it to yourself as you inhale and again as you exhale. Common choices include "I am loved," "I am at peace," and "Om." But if choosing a mantra is stressful rather than calming just focus on your breathing.

2. Follow your breath to reduce stress."Try using four counts on your inhale and eight counts on your exhale," Libshtein suggests. But meditation is all about reducing stress, so if these counts feel strained or unnatural, it's OK to deviate from them. Try to increase your counts every time you meditate. "Don't be concerned if it takes you some time to work up to eight counts," Libshtein says. "Just know that lengthening the exhale will significantly help calm you down."

3. Try a guided meditation for weight loss.Feeling a little lost on your own? No problem! There are plenty of recordings, podcasts, websites, and phone apps that connect you with experts who can guide you through meditation exercises until you feel comfortable going it alone. Calm is one of the more popular ones and one of my favorites is Stin at mythoughtcoach.com (some of her guided meditations are free) 

What should you expect from doing guided meditation for weight loss?

If you want to use meditation specifically to lose weight you can look for guided meditations that focus on that as their subject. The expert in the video or audio recording will likely ask you to imagine several things: what you might look and feel like after you've lost the weight, an inspiring person who has already managed to lose weight and what they might think and feel, what they probably do to successfully lose weight and keep it off, and how you can incorporate these habits into your own daily life.

Are there limitations to using meditation techniques for weight loss?

Meditation should be seen as just one tool in the entire weight-loss toolkit. Diet and exercise are important parts of the equation too, and you're always going to see the best results when you combine all three of them into a lifestyle that you can continue long-term. The key with meditation, like diet and exercise, is dedication. You need to stick with the practice to see lasting changes. Research shows that meditation directly changes the brain's structure after practicing for an extended period of time, such as 21 days. 

So your weekly bonus challenge is to meditate for 10 minutes a day.I realize that many of you are incredibly busy so if needed you can count these 10 minutes as part of your 60 minutes a day of exercise. And although this bonus challenge only lasts for a week I would love it if you adopt this as one to continue for a life time. 

Fresh Clean Water

To tell you the truth I wish I could drink diet soda 24 hours a day. I am so lucky I DON'T live in Utah because my car would be headed into Swig every time I was nearby. I love, love, love soda and yet I know the chemicals in it are not good for me and that it can actually cause rather than relieve dehydration. 

And like many people I do NOT love, love, love drinking water. Yet simply adding water to your diet is an effective way of nourishing healthier skin and hair, as well as flushing your system of toxins, boosting your immune system and much more. So how much water should we be drinking? For this competition we have been requiring you to drink a minimum of 48 ounces of water per day, but many experts recommend you drink between half an ounce and an ounce of water for each pound you weigh, every day. For example, if you weigh 150 pounds, that would be about 10-20 cups of water per day or a minimum of about 5 standard water bottles. 

Whatever amount you decide (And it would be great if you challenge yourself to drink MORE than 48 ounces a day this week).  I want you to also challenge yourself this week to measure every ounce. Hopefully most of you are already doing this but as part of our bonus challenge let's avoid any laziness of guessing this glass or that cup was a certain number of ounces. We will actually measure how much is in the drinking glasses, cups or water bottles we use to insure we are getting sufficient water each day. And don’t forget that if your water bottle is half full of ice and you don’t eat the ice (which by the way my dentist husband would advise you DON’T eat the ice) then you have to figure that in when counting how many ounces you drank.

Implementing this simple routine of drinking sufficient water is an excellent way to increase energy and relieve fatigue, helping you think, focus and concentrate better in the process. Water also removes by-products of fat and reduces eating intake. Simply drinking water can also stimulate your metabolism and flush out toxins through sweat and urination which reduces the risk of kidney stones and UTI’s. As far as your skin is concerned, drinking water keeps your skin moisturized and smooth, aiding with wrinkles in the process. Water also helps fight against flu, cancer and more, making it one of nature’s most important and impressive natural medications. 

Water can help prevent headaches and in many cases when you take pain medication for a headache it is actually the water you wash it down with that brings relief not the medication. Cramps, and sprains are also aided by water. So this week- drink up!  

It is also better for your health to sip water throughout your day rather than gulping it all down at once. You want to maintain a good level of hydration. 

HOW CAN YOU GET MORE WATER IN?

1. One of my favorite health bloggers Snack Girl suggests adding a drop or two of key lime juice to your water. She recommends the Nellie and Joe’s brand 

2. Another product she recommends is Nuun -- a hydration solution she says it is kind of expensive but it makes water easier to drink. I looked over the ingredients and for a product that offers some rehydration protection like Gatorade it is cheaper and the ingredients are much healthier. Snack girl says, “You pop a 10 calorie tablet into your water bottle and get a nice flavor along with electrolytes. I use this after exercise instead of drinking Gatorade. I also sometimes drink 1/2 coconut water plus 1/2 water as a rehydration drink.”

3. Buy some peppermint extract and a medicine dropper and make your own "Mint" water. Or add in some fresh mint leaves.These options add zero calories and a refreshing taste.

4. Try the book "Cool Waters" by Brian Preston-Campbell which includes 50 tasty water recipes see: How Do You Like it? Water Enhancer With or Without Chemicals.https://www.amazon.com/Cool-Waters-Refreshing-Homemade-Quenchers/dp/1558323848?SubscriptionId=0V2WKFJHBETEQ931R1R2&tag=snackgirl-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=1558323848

3. Give flavored seltzer a chance (without artificial sweeteners) 

4. Get a SodaStream and make your own seltzer. They even have flavor enhancers you can buy without artificial sweeteners - see Soda Stream USA.

5. Squeeze a lemon or lime in your water or buy a powdered form called True Lemon (there are other flavors too). There are no preservatives, artificial colors etc. see: True Lemon.

 6. Dilute your juice. Try cutting your juice with water and see how little juice you can use to make it taste good to you. Over time, use less and less juice. (My husband does this daily with Pomegranate juice)

7. Try a fruit flavored herbal tea. There are some great caffeine-free flavors such as peach, blueberry, and apple. Brew some up and chill it.

8. Buy a water infuser and some fresh fruit. See the pitcher linked below. You add fruit to the center which is filled with holes and you can refill the water when needed.

https://www.amazon.com/Prodyne-Fruit-Infusion-Flavor-Pitcher/dp/B0023UL86A?psc=1&SubscriptionId=0V2WKFJHBETEQ931R1R2&tag=snackgirl-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=B0023UL86A

9. Get a great water bottle. My favorite keeps the water cold for hours and is easy to drink out of quickly. Occasionally they have this one at Costco for half the price. 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B071WYHR68/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

TO EARN YOUR WEEKLY BONUS POINTS I WOULD LIKE YOU TO CHOOSE AN AMOUNT OF WATER (48 OUNCES OR MORE) AND MEASURE EACH OUNCE THROUGHOUT THE DAY TO MAKE SURE YOU ARE GETTING A GENEROUS AMOUNT OF PURE PLAIN WATER.