AVOID UNHEALTHY ACTIVITIES

Narina, Elaine and all our AAY! BootCamp members & followers are committed to living a healthy lifestyle, filled with good nutrition, physical activities, adequate rest, spiritual development and fulfilling social interactions.

That's a lot to fit in along with work, school and family obligations. This week we want to focus on what extraneous unhealthy activities we can cut out of our lives in order to make more room for the good stuff.

Just like cutting out a morning donut can make room for a healthy bowl of morning oatmeal, cutting out an hour of tv can make room for an hour of exercise.

This week we're asking all of you to make a pledge to cut back on ONE activity that you know is not doing you any good & that is holding you back from living a healthier & more fulfilling life.

We're making the same pledge. Here's Elaine's:

ELAINE: One of my worst habits is watching Seinfeld at night. I love it because it makes me laugh out loud! But since it's on at 10:00 pm, it keeps me up past by bedtime, depriving me of much needed sleep. This week I will avoid Seinfeld and get into bed instead by 10:00.

Now it's your turn. Please post a comment and tell us what you're going to cut back on this week.

Lose 10 pounds a year just by moving more!

This week our AAY! inspirational theme is to incorporate more healthy activities into our daily lives.

We've all heard suggestions such as, "Take the stairs instead of the elevator." It sounds too simple to really make a difference though, doesn't it?

Well, think of it this way: by burning just 100 extra calories per day, you can lose 10 pounds in the course of a year.

Don't believe us?

Here are the facts:

• One pound of fat is made up of 3,500 calories.
• So, to lose one pound of fat, you need to burn an extra 3,500 calories.
  
• If you burn 100 extra calories for 365 days in a row, you will burn a total of 36, 500 calories
• 36,500 calories equals 10.43 pounds! (36,500 divided 3,500 = 10.43)
  

So, are you motivated now to add more movement to your everyday life?

BURN MORE CALORIES:

AT WORK:
• Walk to your co-worker's office to ask a question instead of sending an email.
• Take the stairs from the parking garage to your office.
• Every hour, take a 2-3 minute break and walk up & down a hallway or a flight of stairs.
• Take a 20-minute walk at lunchtime.

AT HOME:
• Cook your own dinner instead of ordering or eating out. (Yes, cooking burns calories!)
• Go on a walk with your family after dinner instead of watching tv.
• Now that it is staying light later, play in the yard or at a park with your kids after work.
• Do housework on weeknights instead of watching tv or working on the computer. This will also give you more free time on the weekends to go out and play!

AT PLAY:
• Plan fun activities with friends and family: hiking, cycling, roller skating, bowling, frisbee, basketball, football, etc.
• Whenever possible, walk to your destination. If you're going to see a movie, walk to the theatre to make up for the 2 hours you'll be sitting.
• Whenever you're at a party or celebration, make sure you are out on that dance floor!

OK, so now it's your turn. What are you doing this week to add more movement into your daily life? Please post your comment.