FALL CHALLENGE

Ok ladies here it is:

Nutrition goals:
1. Eat your five everyday. Five colors in five servings and you will feel great. Eating a variety of colors is a great way to get your nutrients in on a daily basis. Here is a great website to help you and your children get in your fruits and veggies. The best part of the challenge is to have your kids eat their five colors also.

http://www.fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org/

Also, check out the glycemic index of foods. Here is an easy way to do this.
Did you know that eating foods with HIGH glycemic index (GI) and glycemic load (GL) can increase your risk for many chronic illnesses such as: cancer, obesity, heart disease, high cholesterol, type 2 and gestational diabetes, and inflammatory disorders. So...what exactly ARE GI and GL? In this blog we will explore their importance in the diet and how to maintain a healthy diet.

GI is used to categorize foods that are eaten with regard to their effect on the relative rise in blood sugar (or glucose). The higher the GI of a food, the faster it is expected to increase blood sugar levels. SUGAR and WHITE BREAD have the highest possible GI sccore of 100. All other foods are scored from 1-100 depending on how they compare to sugar and white bread....(I don't know about you, but that throws up a red flag to me! Sounds like we don't need to eat much sugar and white bread!) I know, they sure taste good. Don't worry, you don't have to eliminate them from your diet. We will talk below about ways to combat those high GI foods! Unlike foods with a high GI that cause spikes in blood sugar - leaving us feeling tired and hungry - foods with a low GI are absorbed SLOWLY in the bloodstream, allowing a slow and consistent rise and fall in blood sugar (our bodies prefer to be in a more 'stable' state such as this....your body functions much more efficiently with a stable blood sugar level.)GL gives us a clearer description of HOW MUCH sugar is available from a food.

GL is categorized into ranges on a scale: 0-10=low; 11-19=medium; 20+ = high. So it's best to take GL into consideration too. BUT neither GI nor GL take into account the nutrients in food, which can be very important too! Take into consideration these examples:Carrots: HIGH GI (92) but LOW GL (4) - they release sugar into the blood stream quickly, but only have a small amount of sugar in the first placeWatermelon: HIGH GI (72) but LOW GL (4) - since watermelon is mainly water, it contains little sugar per servingCandy Bars: with minimal nutrients, these typically have low GIs but at least MEDIUM level GLs - that means quick rise in blood sugar, and little to offer you in the way of efficient fuel

http://www.glycemicindex.com/

2. Keep your food journal and watch for BLT's. Bites, licks and tastes those all add up and once you log those you may find out why your weightloss isn't as much as you think it should be.

3. Watch your sodium intake. It makes you retain water and it causes you to be more likely to have high blood pressure.

Fitness Challenge:

1. 12 minute mile for ALL by the end of October.
2. If you can do a 12 minute mile, look to drop 3o seconds to 1 minute off of your mile time.
3. Attend 80% of all StrollerFit or restore the core classes offered.
4. Check you BMI (body mass index) and try to drop it by 2% by the end of October.
5. Try to lose 1 inch around your waist, biceps and hips.


good luck!