MIDWEEK MINUTES February 13, 2016
Midweek
Minutes
February 13,
2016
Hello,
Winners!
I just got home from
buying some amazing decorations and stuff for the baby shower I’m giving my
daughter next week, so even though I am pumped, I am also a bit pooped-out!!!
Here’s a photo of a couple of my favorite Valentines, granddaughter Serenity and
little Lincoln!
Wishing you a pleasant Valentine's Day
tomorrow! This is a day to say how much we appreciate each and every person
important in our lives. I hope you know how much I enjoy being a WW leader and
coming to do a meeting with you each week. Thank you for making my Mondays and
Saturdays special.
Valentine's Day is also a day to do
special things for yourself. We can never get away from ourselves. We must be
with ourselves 24/7, and while I know that each of you is special, do YOU
believe it about yourself? You are a Weight Watchers member doing GOOD things
to take care of yourselves. I don't mean over-indulging in chocolates and
actually stuffing your feelings with food. That's not taking care of yourself.
I mean working the program, taking time out to nourish your spirit as well as
your body with good things. I wish for you a day with those you
love, get in some cardio for those great hearts of yours, and PLAN for those
chocolate treats, okay?
Sorry about the brevity of the
newsletter. See you at the meeting! –Zig
Member
Milestones
Superior: –27.2
lbs.
Hastings: –26.8
lbs.
5 lb.
star
Joan K. ( S
)
Kathy W. ( S
)
Don W. ( S
)
Lori S. ( H
)
10 lb.
star
Kathyrn W. ( S
)
Brenda Q. ( H
)
LOOK WHO’s
AT LIFETIME!!!
CONGRATULATIONS
TO
LINDA K. ( S
)
Work, family, social obligations—in other words, life—can jam up your
schedule to the point that sometimes, exercise falls off your “to-do” list. Or
maybe you’re not exercising because you’re still getting a handle on the
SmartPoints™ plan. Heck, maybe you’re a true gym rat, but looking to throw a
couple of moves here and there into your day. Whatever your situation, the new
Fitbreak by Weight Watchers™ app can help
you jump in—literally—to the benefits of moving more. Choose from dozens of
one-minute moves that you can do at home, at work, or outside; set your level of
difficulty, and identify the target area you want to work. Then go for it! You
can earn FitPoints™ as well!
When you’re ready to add a little more time and intensity, you might
want to try our new Hot5® by Weight Watchers app: as you’d
guess, they’re five-minute mini-workouts; the free app includes several
workouts, and you can upgrade to unlock more.
If you can find 10 minutes in your day to sneak in a round of
push-ups or a brisk walk, even better. You can reap some of the same health
benefits from 10 minutes of aerobic exercise that you can from longer, sweatier
stints—including stronger muscles, better mood, and lower blood pressure—which
can ultimately play into weight loss and help stave off health problems like
diabetes and heart disease.
The more mini-workouts you can shoehorn in the better: To have a
truly healthy and fit body and maintain your weight loss, being active
throughout your day is key. The trick is to build exercise into activities you
do every day.
Need some inspiration? Try these fast moves:
Making dinner... Turn on the stereo or grab your smartphone to queue
up a favorite playlist and dance, dance, dance!
Buying groceries... If you have canned items in your cart, do a few
arm curls while in line. Have fewer than six bags? If it’s not too much of a
strain, carry them to the car.
Gassing up the car... Alternate calf raises with forward lunges while
you’re filling the tank.
Watching TV... Work your core by doing a series of planks or crunches
during commercials.
Working at the office... Set your calendar to give you hourly
reminders to get up and take a walk or do quick exercises like chair dips,
squats or stretches.
Of course, sometimes you need more than just ideas and apps to get
you moving. Check out these 10 smart ideas for making workouts happen and you’re more likely to hit your FitPoints goal every week. And
keep in mind trick number 5: Anticipate motivational dips. The answer to that
one? Check out the Connect tab (the “people” icon at the bottom of the screen)
on your Mobile app!
You’ll tap into an inspiring, energizing, kick-in-the-pants feed from your Weight Watchers community. Get great ideas for activity and healthy eating—and share your own #GreatIdeas!
“Loving
yourself…does not mean being self-absorbed or narcissistic, or disregarding
others.
Rather it means welcoming
yourself as the most honored guest in your own heart,
a guest worthy of
respect, a lovable companion.”
- Margo
Anand
Read All About The
Sales and $AVE!
12/6 until further notice:
Buy two companions for $20 (Grocery Guru and Menu Master).
1/24/16–2/13/16: Fitbit Sale:
Fitbit Charge HR on sale for $139.95, Fitbit Flex and Fitbit One on sale for
$89.95, and Fitbit Zip on sale for $54.95 Extended!
1/31–2/27: Mini Bar Sale:
(ALL SKUs) will be on sale for $5.95.
1/31–2/27: Beverage Enhancer
Sale: All Water Enhancers and Café Creations will be on sale for $3.95.
PointsPlus items reduced until
further notice:
50% off PointsPlus Cookbook Sale:
Small cookbooks $4.95, large cookbooks $7.45.
Oil Sprayer, Salad Dressing Cruet
(PointsPlus version ONLY), Salad Solutions To-Go and Fruit Solutions ToGo
discounted to $9.95.
All Fitness items discounted to
$9.95, excluding FitPedometer and Fitbit devices.
Old packaging Smoothies (ALL SKUs)
& PointsPlus Oatmeal (ALL SKUs) discounted to $4.95—this does NOT include
PointsPlus Slim Pack Smoothies.
Granola Bites (ALL SKUs)
discounted to $3.95.
PointsPlus Mini Bars (ALL SKUs)
discounted to $4.95.
PointsPlus Crunchy Snacks (ALL
SKUs) discounted to $3.95.
PointsPlus Snack Bars (ALL SKUs)
discounted to $3.95.
Cookies (ALL SKUs) discounted to $1.95. o
Candies (ALL SKUs) at the regular
price of $2.95.
Healthy Valentine's Day Dining
Article By: Mark
Scarbrough
|
How to enjoy a Valentine's Day dinner the healthy way.
The
greatest part about Valentine's Day is spending time with your honey. And what
better way to do that than with a nice dinner out?
With a little planning and these six easy strategies, you can take control and treat yourself to a special night. |
1. Relax
Don't approach the dinner with trepidation. You're not denying yourself anything, you're making choices about your life. And you're sharing a meal with those you love, whether that is your honey, your family, or a group of friends. How could it get any better than that?
Don't approach the dinner with trepidation. You're not denying yourself anything, you're making choices about your life. And you're sharing a meal with those you love, whether that is your honey, your family, or a group of friends. How could it get any better than that?
2. Ask for what you want
Scan the menu to create your own dinner. If you want the fish, but don't want the cream sauce, ask for it to be served with the salsa that comes with the chicken, or the fresh herbs from the pasta. If you want veal but don't want it drenched in butter, ask for it with lemon juice and herbs.
Fancier restaurants prepare dishes to order, so it's no problem. Less fancy dining establishments are often willing to make changes too. There's no harm in asking!
Scan the menu to create your own dinner. If you want the fish, but don't want the cream sauce, ask for it to be served with the salsa that comes with the chicken, or the fresh herbs from the pasta. If you want veal but don't want it drenched in butter, ask for it with lemon juice and herbs.
Fancier restaurants prepare dishes to order, so it's no problem. Less fancy dining establishments are often willing to make changes too. There's no harm in asking!
The same goes for the sides
That shrimp dish you want might come with potato gratin, but the roast chicken comes with grilled asparagus. Just ask for the shrimp with asparagus.
That shrimp dish you want might come with potato gratin, but the roast chicken comes with grilled asparagus. Just ask for the shrimp with asparagus.
Tell the chef not to "finish" the sauce
Chefs sometimes swirl butter into a sauce before it's served. Ask if the sauce can be plain, fresh and bright, not "finished."
Chefs sometimes swirl butter into a sauce before it's served. Ask if the sauce can be plain, fresh and bright, not "finished."
Ask for recommendations
If the chef cannot accommodate you, ask your waiter to suggest an alternative, lighter preparation. But ask for what you want the way you want it.
3. Order simpler food prepared light
In terms of calories, grilled is usually better than fried; baked is better than braised.
In terms of calories, grilled is usually better than fried; baked is better than braised.
4. Ask for your meal to be divided
Meals these days are often served in enormous portions. Ask the waiter to divide yours before it's served and put one half in a take-home bag that's reserved for you in the kitchen. That way you'll have dinner the next day too.
Meals these days are often served in enormous portions. Ask the waiter to divide yours before it's served and put one half in a take-home bag that's reserved for you in the kitchen. That way you'll have dinner the next day too.
5. Cut things out during the meal
Forgo the cocktail, which can be loaded with sugar, and have
a glass of red wine instead.
Ask for lemon juice or vinegar on the
salad.
Ask for cocktail sauce or chutney on your baked potato, rather than
butter and sour cream.
6. Share
You can split an appetizer, a salad or a dessert. It's very romantic to share a dish with someone you love!
You can split an appetizer, a salad or a dessert. It's very romantic to share a dish with someone you love!
AND
Lose Weight to Save Your
Heart
Article By: Melissa Sperl
|
If there is
heart disease in your family, or you're on prescriptions for blood pressure, or
your doctor warns you about extra heart risks, you may feel a bit like disease
is your destiny. But take heart. In its Guidelines for the Treatment of
Overweight and Obesity, The National Institutes of Health report that a 5
percent to 10 percent weight loss can make a huge difference, and February —
American Heart Month — is a great time to pick up the pace toward your weight
goal.
But first, find out what losing
weight can do for you. It can:
- Lower the scary numbers. "Obese people frequently have abnormal blood-cholesterol levels, higher blood pressure and even sometimes bigger hearts," says Gerald Fletcher, MD, a cardiologist at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, FL, and a spokesperson for the American Heart Association. All of these things are risk factors for heart disease, but losing weight can help you reverse them.
- Do double duty. Overweight and obesity are independently linked to heart disease, too. "Until a few years ago, it was thought to be an indirect link (for example, excess weight causes elevated cholesterol, which causes heart disease), but now we know that even if blood pressure and cholesterol are normal, extra weight can mean extra risk for heart disease," says Karen Miller-Kovach, Weight Watchers chief scientist. So when you lose weight, you can get double and triple benefits — you'll lower your blood pressure and cholesterol, and you'll conquer a primary risk factor for heart disease.
- Work overtime. You don't have to wait for your weight goal to see a difference in your heart health. "When it comes to heart disease and weight, there's an exponential curve," says Miller-Kovach. "A little bit of extra weight increases your risk for heart disease a little bit, and vice versa." In other words, a little bit of weight loss decreases your risk a little bit.
- Add exercise to the equation. As you're losing weight, you're more likely to start exercising, which has bonuses of its own: "Exercise has been recognized as an independent positive factor to heart health," says Miller-Kovach. "We now know that exercise tends to mobilize the fat stores in the abdomen, which are the ones that put you at the greatest risk for heart disease." Plus, says Fletcher, in addition to preserving "good" cholesterol, exercise will help you control your blood pressure, among other things.
- Help at any age... "Age factors into [the weight-heart connection] prominently," says Miller-Kovach. "Being slightly obese at a younger age causes a greater increase in risk of heart disease than does being slightly obese and elderly." In other words: It's not just how much weight you have, it's how old you are. So you might reconsider the idea that there's no reason to worry about your heart until you're older.
- ...and no matter who you are. Weight loss will improve the heart health of both men and women. (Women, take note: After menopause, you're just as likely as a man to suffer from heart disease.) It will also make a difference even if you're African-American, Hispanic or Native American, populations that are said to be at a higher risk for high blood pressure, obesity and diabetes.
According to a 2006 report published in Circulation, the journal of the American Heart Association, "diet and lifestyle therapies remain the foundation of clinical intervention for prevention." In other words, while drug treatments and surgical procedures can treat cardiovascular disease, the best protection you can get comes from eating right and exercising.
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Member Recipes
Dark Chocolate and Walnut
Cigars
2 SmartPoints each
The trio of dark chocolate, toasted walnuts and gooey
dates can’t be beat.
Ingredients:
3 1⁄2 oz 70-85% dark chocolate, high quality, cut into
chunks
4 dates, pitted
1⁄3 cup walnuts, toasted
1 pinch ground allspice
1 pinch table salt
24 wonton wrappers
4 spray cooking spray
1 Tbsp powdered sugar
Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Line two baking sheets
with parchment paper.
2. Place chocolate, dates, walnuts, allspice and salt in a
mini chopper or food processor; pulse
until finely minced.
3. Place 2 tsp filling diagonally across center of each
wonton wrapper; roll two opposite corners
in towards center, overlapping slightly to cover most of
filling, but leaving a bit of filling showing.
Place on prepared baking sheets; lightly coat with cooking
spray. Bake until lightly browned,
8-10 minutes; dust with powdered sugar and serve warm or
at room temperature.
4. Serving size: 1 cigar
Italian Sausage and Pepper
Pasta
6 SmartPoints for 1 1/3 cup
Spicy sausage, red wine and fire-roasted tomatoes come
together in this ragout-like sauce.
Truly hearty and satisfying.
Ingredients:
1⁄2 pound uncooked turkey sausage, Italian-style, casings
removed
2 tsp olive oil, extra-virgin
2 medium yellow pepper, cut into 2-inch long thin
strips
1 medium uncooked onion, thinly sliced
4 fl oz red wine, (1/2 cup)
1 1⁄2 Tbsp minced garlic
28 oz canned crushed tomatoes, fire-roasted
recommended
1⁄2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes, or less to
taste
1⁄4 tsp table salt
8 oz uncooked whole wheat pasta, fusilli
1⁄3 cup basil, fresh, chopped
Instructions:
1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a
boil.
2. Meanwhile, to make sauce, in a large nonstick skillet
over medium-high heat, cook sausage,
stirring and breaking up meat with back of a wooden spoon,
until cooked through, about 3 to 5
minutes; remove to a plate.
3. Heat oil in same skillet. Add yellow peppers and onion;
cook, stirring frequently, until
vegetables are lightly colored and crisp-tender, about 5
minutes.
4. Add wine and garlic; cook until most of liquid
evaporates, about 1 minute. Add tomatoes,
crushed red pepper, salt and browned sausage; bring to a
boil. Reduce heat to medium-low,
cover and simmer until vegetables are tender and sauce is
heated through, about 10 minutes.
5. While sauce simmers, add pasta to boiling water and
cook according to package instructions.
Drain pasta; return to pot. Add sauce and basil; toss to
mix and coat. Yields about 1 1/3 cups
per serving.
Notes:
The sauce is also good spooned over rice. Toss in some
fennel seeds for even greater flavor.
This
newsletter is in no way affiliated with Weight Watchers, Inc. It is simply a
motivational tool that I offer to members who attend my Weight Watchers meetings
and wish to receive it.
Remove from list? If you no longer wish to
receive weekly newsletters from me, please reply to this message indicating
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message.
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called Midweek Minutes http://midweekminutes.blogspot.com/.
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private support group
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