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Wednesday, February 29, 2012

MARCH 30 FOR 30 DAYS BURPEE CHALLENGE!!!!


OH YEAHHH!!! We are SO gonna do this!
I have listed all of you good and brave people who have jumped on my Burpee bandwagon : )
If you dont see you name, comment below and I will add you.
Please make sure to "LIKE" the page Better Believe Fit to ensure you are counted and kept up to date with the challenge! I WILL BE CHECKING UP ON YOU!

You can break the 30 up how you want, do them together...it doesn't matter just get them done!!!
Kim Zion,Creating a Family of Lettuce Heads,Sandy Hill, Shahidan Shamsid-Deen, Tanya Wright, Eva Waldrop Lewis, Alondra Mendoza, Barb Moore, Lisa Wartner Craker, Julia Curry, Sabatino John Candelori, Patty Caristo, Mindy Fitness Journey, Heather Carson, Jj Johnson-Royer, Melissa Artiga Flores, Esma Kokol, Wendy Irving Pollak, Tammy Mosier Yarbrough, Rindy Gahnz, Allyson Whitmore Haynes, Lindsay Adams, Stacie Foy Sloan, Christina Medina-Wise, Kelly Johnson, Michelle Cyr, Megan Haddock, Sandy Hill, Lisa Thomas, Jakki Spry, Danai Marie Shnauber, Jaosh-Cae-Hutchinson, Krystyna Ekiert-Saja, Andie Rains, Corrin Burns, LaShawna Roe, Debbie Johnson, Janine McFarland, Willemina Medema Flowers, LaReisha Wright-Adams, Leah Shaffer, Patty Caristo, danyelle Ramirez, Shawna Rauch, Dawn Cournoyer-Paquin, Kristin Castaneda, kathy Wogen Kinney, Kristen Gerard Zeimantz, Tracy Chick Griffin, Ruth Eaton Armstrong, Charlene Fleming-Primeau, Patricia Jason Van-Horn, Jen Beagle, Kelli Moore, Carrie Cloutier Laudone, Courtney Leih, Valerie Goebel Peterson, Rebecca Decker, Casares Scott Thomas, Michelle Gupta, Molly Simmons Fulton, Jenn Curtis Danasius, Evren Sener, Alondra Mendoza, Maureen Hayes, Helen Corbitt Malony, ELizabeth Drummond Kulesa, Deniqua Robinson, Shannon Acuavia-Cinque, Lindsay Adams, Kali Wilson.Dawn DiNardi,Angel White Henne,Michele DiNardi Fields

WHEEEWWW!!!! Thats a grand total of 73 Better Believe Fitters that will be blasting out the Burpees for the month of March!!!!

Monday, February 13, 2012

I LOVE A HEALTHY HEART!!!

In honor of LOVE and Valentines day I wanted to talk to you about your heart! What makes your heart feel ten times bigger and full of happiness and love ???? Do not say "CHOCOLATE" or "GERARD BUTLER"!!! Well you can, but that's not what I mean.....I had the opportunity to talk with some friends about volunteering, donating your time for a worthy cause.
That has NOTHING to do with love and valentines....contraire mon frere..it has everything to do with that gorgeous love muscle we all have...YOUR HEART!!!

I asked my friend Emily a couple of questions about her experience with being a volunteer, here is her take on it.....

Q:Do you think it encourages you to make healthier choices physically and mentally?
A:It can. Knowing that you are being used to help others can push you to take better care of yourself so you don't let them down or so you can do even more.

Q:Have you noticed any changes in your health and well being since you started to donate your time?
A:It really helped me to keep things in perspective. It's so easy to turn our focus on ourselves, but being able to see others in need really helped me to be more thankful for my own circumstances.
Q: Has being a volunteer affected how you view yourself and how choose to treat yourself?
A:It really made me feel good about myself to see that my life was making a difference and also to be able to model volunteering for my children.

So let me give you my own take on it, I have had the chance to be blessed  with enough extra time that I could do some volunteering of my own. I used to take my daughter (4 at the time) up to the local nursing home with me and we would just go and sit with the residents and chat, sometimes i would read to them, or we would pray together. I would spend maybe an hour and a half with them, and I must tell you that the feeling they gave me of love and appreciation fills my heart up to this day. My daughter loved it too and it was a great experience for her to take all the focus from her daily life and cheer someone else up. Recently I was allowed to help out at a local food pantry, the people there come from all walks of life and are truly amazing. I helped box up food for an hour or so, that was it...nothing extravagant, easy to do. The interaction with the folks there was so wonderful, people so thankful to receive, and helpers just so loving and caring in how they treated everyone. I still feel overwhelmed and so happy to have been a part of that.
These great feeling that I get from the time I gave carry over into my every day life. Happy people make better choices, I know that I do.!

So do I think giving of your time is heart healthy??? HECK YEAH!!!!!! I believe 100% that a happy heart is a healthier heart. When I feel fulfilled in my life, when I feel happy, and that I have a purpose, I make better choices for myself...health wise, I feel worthy of hard efforts to improve myself...eating right, exercise, positive attitudes.

Still don't buy it....here are a few study results that may make you think twice about volunteering your free time.....

Americans' Changing Lives survey found that those who volunteered reported higher levels of happiness, life-satisfaction, self-esteem, a sense of control over life, and physical health

Researchers have also found that when patients with chronic or serious illness volunteer,
they receive benefits beyond what can be achieved through medical care.(Arnstein et al., 2002; Sullivan and Sullivan, 1997)

A number of studies demonstrate that those individuals who volunteer at an earlier point experience greater functional ability and better health outcomes later in life.
Using health and volunteering data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the Center for Disease Control, we find that states with a high volunteer rate also have lower rates of mortality and incidences of heart disease. When comparing states, a general trend shows that health problems are more prevalent in states where volunteer rates are lowest.

AWESOME!!!! Healthier hearts, lower mortality rates! WHERE DO I SIGN UP?????

You can check out this link http://www.volunteermatch.org/  or you can go to any local non profit organization and I am sure they would be happy to use your help. Your kids schools or local nursing homes are always in need of people to help out.

WILL GIVING YOUR TIME MAKE YOU A HEALTHIER PERSON???? YOU BETTER BELIEVE FIT!!!!!!

Acts 20:35

35 I have shown you in every way, by laboring like this, that you must support the weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’

8 creepy mystery ingredients in fast food | MNN - Mother Nature Network

8 creepy mystery ingredients in fast food MNN - Mother Nature Network

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Can you AFFORD your fitness????

So I have been thinking a lot about need vs. want and how that plays into my health and fitness. Sure I want to have a gym membership to a nice gym, and I want to have new weights and work out gear. Sure I would like to be able to afford going to an upscale whole foods market...but the reality is I can not afford these things in my life right now. Nor do I NEED them to stay healthy and active. GASP!!!...WHAT?!?!...NO GYM??? That's right , no gym. Same old work out clothes???..YUP! These things had fallen onto my list of excuses of why I cant get in shape for way too long. I think they also play a role in alot of peoples ways of thinking. So let me break it down for you real fast. I am on a very strict food budget. Do I still manage to eat healthy whole foods??? You bet your bippy I do!!! I plan ahead, I make sure i buy foods that will get eaten and not wasted. I only buy enough produce for the week, so we don't have rotten fruits and veg laying around, I buy things on sale that may not be the prettiest but I know that they are still good and good for me if I eat them relatively soon. 
As for the GYM, well sure I would love to go hang out at the gym, pump some iron, make some new friends, but i don't. I work my butt off at home, i plan work outs, i do HIIT work outs, I put on my shoes and head out and run, I push up , squat, burpee, mountain climb till I have nothing left, till i feel like my quads are going to explode....and let me tell you I am in the best shape I have ever been in and continue to get better. I am working harder than I have ever worked out at the gym.   You may wonder why, well i think it pretty much boils down to this.....I MADE UP MY MIND TO DO THIS! i decided that all the excuses had to stop, I do not need to order special workout DVD's or new equipment, my body is a great machine and I can use its weight and my dedication to get me where I want to be.


So when you hear someone say "I cant AFFORD to eat healthy, or work out" its just not a truth, its an excuse. I did not write any of this to make anyone feel bad or to pat myself on the back, I am writing this in hopes that one person who really needs to be healthier will see this and realize that they can do it! YOU CAN MAKE THESE CHANGES!!! You do not need a fancy gym, or the latest  Lululemon work out pants, all you need is a desire to achieve a healthy body and lifestyle. Also at www.facebook.com/BetterBelieveFit  you can find the tools to get you started, great work outs, recipe's, and loads of supports from me and all the other Better Believe Fit family. You cant afford NOT to get healthy~~~DO IT FOR YOU!!!
CAN YOU DO THIS????? YOU BETTER BELIEVE FIT!!!

Sunday, February 5, 2012

Blog Hopping at its BEST!

I have been tagged by Lori @Get-Fit-Naturally
for the 11 Random Things post!  So fun, cant wait to see all the fun answers!
 
Here are the rules:

<!--[if !supportLists]-->1. <!--[endif]-->Post these rules.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->2. <!--[endif]-->You must post 11 random things about yourself.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->3. <!--[endif]-->Answer the questions set for you in their post.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->4. <!--[endif]-->Create 11 new questions for the people you tag to answer.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->5. <!--[endif]-->Go to their blog or facebook page and tell them you’ve tagged them.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->6. <!--[endif]-->No stuff in the tagging section about you, you are tagged if you are reading this. You legitimately have to tag 11 people.
 
 
OK 11 random things...
I was born in South Africa
I am a mural artist
I have two children
I live for my morning coffee
I love visiting with elderly at nursing homes
I have 3 brothers, i am the only girl
I have never had short hair ( not brave enough LOL)
I have been in a real castle
I have a tatoo that no one will ever see
Sunny days make me extreemly happy!
I like foreign movies with subtitles
 
 
Lori's Questions for me
 
Favorite Book?  The Red Tent byAnita Diamant
Weights or Cardio? Both
What is your biggest fear? Looking back and having too many missed opportunities
What is your favorite TV show? Survivor Man
What is your favorite food? SUSHI!!!
What is your most beloved item? a book my Granny made me from magazine clippings when I was three, it still smells like her <3
What is your favorite gift to yourself? A good book, in the sunshine, alone : )
What is your favorite drink? Coffee
What would be your dream job?  artist, one that actually got paid LOL
What is your least favorite vegetable. Beetroot YUK
What is your favorite memory? Living in England when I was little ( till I was 11) and playing in the garden with our St.Bernard.
 
Here are my questions for you....
Favorite Color?
Favorite Song?
Bravest thing you have ever done?
Who would you like to meet?
If you won the lottery what would you do?
Fav work out song?
fav Actor/actress?
Favorite Cartoon?
Summer, fall, spring or winter, favorite one?
Mountains or Ocean?
Favorite tennis shoe?
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
YOUR TURN...TAG YOUR IT!!!!!!
 
 
 
 
 
 

Thursday, February 2, 2012

100 Days of Health!!!


Lets start out by all saying together...."I CAN AND I WILL!!!" Do you think that 100 days of eating clean and healthy foods is a crazy goal??? I do not! I think you and I are extremely capable of doing this and with some planning and determination we will give processed foods the BOOT!!! We will invite onto our lives more energy, more positivity from accomplishing these goals, and not to mention oodles and oodles of ENERGY!!! YAYY!!!!

So how do we go about getting through 100 days...FIRST we set some short term goals that will in the long term pay off.

I have to set a goal for myself each and every day, I plan my foods out and my work outs. I make sure that I have snacks that are healthy on hand and I make every effort to drink enough water, at least 64 oz. Then I just do it. I don't allow for excuses, because I know as soon as I allow that internal dialogue to get started of "maybe later" or "just one bite" things are going to go the wrong way fast.

I don't look at my calendar and groan and think " UGHHHHH are you serious , i have to keep this up for how long ?!??!" I look at my calendar and mark off the day i just finished up and do a happy dance for myself because I just added one more day of health to my life, which by the way is just getting longer and longer the more I do this : ) I let myself feel proud, and I am proud of my body for accepting the changes I am putting in place.

So 100 days is actually a very short time if you really think about it! My real plan with this challenge is to help others to see that after you commit to health for this long, I seriously doubt your going to decide after you reach your goal and your feeling great, and lighter and stronger and more energetic and just plain AWESOME...Nahhhh that's not for me, I'm going back to the chips, soda and cookies, I prefer high blood pressure and health issues!

So lets give this a go....we will set daily, and weekly goals for ourselves. I will help out with recipes and work outs and I PROMISE to be a CONSTANT source of encouragement to you all, I am going to do this right along with you. I know there are going to be days here and there when you need to enjoy a meal out with loved ones or its a special occasion and you deserve a slice of cake..THAT IS PERFECTLY FINE!!! Do not let those moments give you guilt or make you feel like you have failed. Because you have not, your going to enjoy your 1 slice (not the whole cake) and your going to be proud of yourself for watching your portions and then your going to have a nice big glass of water and look forward to another day of being the awesome healthy , happier you that your becoming!


So remember set short term goals that are realistic, achievable, and manageable. One day at a time, one week at a time, and before you know it you will be just glowing from how fantastic your going to be feeling. Plan for success, make time to prep meals and snacks. If you keep healthy food in the pantry and fridge your gonna put healthy food in your belly! Keep a food/workout  journal, so you can keep track of how much your eating and you can see how far you've come. You can challenge yourself in your workouts, do them again in 30 days and see how much you have improved. I am positive you will like the changes you will see and feel. <3<3<3 U!

CAN YOU DO THIS??? YOU BETTER BELIEVE FIT!!!!



We will start our 100 days countdown Monday February 6th 2012.
Take time this weekend to prep some meals (eating clean-food that includes lean protein, chicken, turkey, wild salmon, low fat dairy-Greek yogurt,low fat milk, almond milk, rice milk, coconut milk, eggs.Veggies.Fruit.Whole Carbs-oatmeal, brown rice, quinoa,wild rice. Nuts and Berries, a great tool is this site http://www.eatcleandiet.com/ its full of recipes and meal plans) and plan on times for you to work out. If you want to join me, just make a comment below and I will make sure to include you on our weekly check in.
Please ask questions, if you need help or support just let us know! I want you to be happy and healthy, so any way I can ,I will help!!!

OH YES!!! WE ARE DOING THIS!!! YEAAAHHH!!!

In 100 Days will you be Super MEGA OVER THE MOON proud?!?!?
YOU BETTER BELIEVE FIT!!!!!! XOXOXO