MIDWEEK MINUTES . January 27, 2018

Midweek Minutes
January 27, 2018


Hello, Winners!
As I was sitting at home during the blizzard on Monday, I again realized that my eating is mainly emotional.  This is why I am SO grateful to Weight Watchers!  I didn’t act on eating my feelings, but I sure wanted to.  Heck, I want to even when there is no blizzard.  
This is why the cliché is true for me.  Weight Watchers has save my life.  It is a real life plan with real food and real, sensible weight management.  I know you all know that, but we want shortcuts. Trust me. I have tried them.
So, my short message today is to come to a meeting.  Let’s do this together.  See you Monday!  --Zig




Getting motivated to lose weight and live healthier is one thing; staying motivated—that's quite another. But a powerful, personal "why" can be the wind at your back, keeping you going even when things get tough.

Goal vs. Why

Your "why" isn't generally the same as your goal; you might have a specific "weight-I'd-like-to-be" (goal) but your reasons for wanting to be at that specific weight are your "why." Another way to get at your "why" is to ask yourself: "What are the benefits of getting to that goal number on the scale?" One of those will likely pop out as the main driver for your journey.

Elements of "why"

Your Weekly can get you started with three prompts to help you create a personal, powerful "why." A few things to keep in mind as you do so:
Be as specific as you can. Maybe you want to get back into a certain clothing size or be able to participate in a certain activity that you're not quite able to tackle right now. Name it.
Frame it positively. “I want to be able to ride a rollercoaster,” rather than “I don’t want to have to sit out the rides at the amusement park” will give your "why" more power.
Make it personal. Focus on what resonates with your life rather than a generic motivator. (If you live in Alaska, maybe "feeling comfortable in a swimsuit" won't do it for you!)

Keep in touch

The more targeted and customized your "why," the more power it will have to motivate you along the way. But remember to check in often with your "why," especially since it might change over time, as you reach goals and/or your priorities change. Want some inspiration? See what has motivated other members.









BAD WEATHER: If there will be a meeting cancellation due to SNOW, etc., please stay tuned to NTV or KHAS-TV. I will call them to announce a meeting cancellation by 3 P.M. for Superior...and as early as I can (or the night before) for Hastings Saturday morning meetings. You can also log on to their websites where they have weather closings. I might email and post on FB as well.
You can also call the Weight Watchers' 800 number to find out if we are having a meeting 1-800-651-6000.

Just a small amount of daily activity can make every movement you make seem easier. “Every biological function is supported by physical strength, flexibility, and aerobic endurance,” says Galina Denzel, a personal trainer and co-author of Eat Well, Move Well, Live Well. The good news, she adds, is that it doesn’t take long to start to see results.
Enter our 15-day movement challenge: Commit to practicing a skill daily, each day building on the previous one. By the end you’ll be stronger, move more easily, and feel fitter and more confident than when you started.
Denzel helped us design this challenge so that at the end of the 15 days you’ll be able to meet these goals:
Strength Goal: Do 10 Push-Ups
The push-up is a classic exercise that is a great way to work your upper body, core, and even your legs. You don’t have to get to a full push-up in 2 weeks—that may come with a little more time. Your goal here is to get to doing 10 modified push-ups (on your knees or a low counter) with good form.
Aerobic Goal: Walk for 20 minutes
You know how to walk—here’s how to do it so that it improves your cardiovascular fitness so you feel stronger with each step.
Flexibility Goal: Move easier
We all have different levels of flexibility, which is shaped over the years. Your goal here is to simply be able to move a little deeper into a stretch and feel less tight in your back, hips ,and legs.
DAY 1: Test your strength
Choose among one of three push-up versions:
Regular push-up: Hands on floor under shoulders, legs extended behind you so your body is a straight line from your head and shoulders to your heels.
Kneeling push-up: Hands on floor under shoulders, knees on floor so your body is a straight line from your head and shoulders to your knees.
Counter push-up: Hands on a low counter, legs extended behind you so your body is a straight line from your head and shoulders to your heels.
Choose the exercise you can safely do at your own pace and rhythm. Set a timer for 1 minute. How many push-ups can you do in 1 minute with good form? Write down your number and place it in a visible location to compare in 2 weeks after you are done with the program.
DAY 2: Stretch and Walk Test
—Stretch: Do these three stretches to help target some of the most common tight spots and support your aerobic fitness. Hold each one for 1 minute.
Double calf stretch with chair: Stand facing the seat of a sturdy chair, feet hip-distance apart and parallel to each other. Straighten knees and slowly bend forward at hips, moving only as far as you can without arching your back. Place hands on the seat as you hinge forward. You’ll feel the stretch along the back of your calves, hamstrings, and glutes.
Seated chair twist: Sit toward the right side of the chair so your right shoulder is facing the back of the chair, with feet flat on the floor. Lightly grasp the right side of the chair back with both hands. Twist torso slowly to the right, keeping lower body in place. You’ll feel the stretch throughout your upper back. Hold 1 minute; repeat on the left side.
Number 4 stretch: Sit tall near the edge of the chair, with feet on floor in front of you. Cross right ankle over left thigh and hold this position, feeling the stretch along the outside of right leg and glutes. Hold for 1 minute; switch legs.   
—Walk test. Use your smartphone or a pedometer to measure how many steps you can take in 15 minutes at a comfortable pace. Write the number down to compare in 2 weeks.
DAY 3: Push-Ups
Do the maximum number of push-ups you did on Day 1. Then rest for 30 seconds to 1 minute, then do 3 more push-ups.
DAY 4: Stretch and Walk
— Hold each stretch from Day 2 for 1 minute
— Walk for 15 minutes. Walk at your normal pace for 5 minutes, then do the next 6 minutes alternating between 2 minutes fast (almost until you are out of breath) and 2 minutes moderate (breathing feels easier). Then cool down walking at normal pace for 4 minutes.
DAY 5: Push-Ups and Stretch
— Do push-ups for 1 minute. Write down the number and compare to your first day when you tested your strength.
— Hold each of the following stretches for 2 minutes: double calf stretch with chair and number 4 stretch
DAY 6: Walk 20 minutes
Walk for 20 minutes at a moderate pace. Note how many steps you walked in 20 minutes.
DAY 7: Push-Ups
Do three sets of push-ups. Set 1: Do half of the maximum number of push-ups you can do. Set 2: After a short rest of 30 seconds or 1 minute, do the other half. Set 3: Do as many push-ups as you can before your form starts to suffer.
DAY 8: Stretch
Hold each of the following stretches for 2 minutes twice (or for 2 sets): seated chair twist and number 4 stretch
DAY 9: Walk 20 minutes
Walk for 10 minutes at a fast pace (you should be a little breathless). Cool down by walking at a moderate pace for 10 minutes.
DAY 10: Walk hills for 20 minutes
Walk up a hill for a minute, then slowly come down for a total of 15 minutes. Take 5 minutes to cool down. You can also do this on a treadmill using the incline setting or by walking up and down stairs.
DAY 11: Stretch
Hold each stretch from Day 2 for 2 minutes, do 2 sets
DAY 12: Push-Ups
Do as many push-ups as you can in 1 minute. Rest and repeat one more time.
DAY 13: Walk 24 minutes
Go outside and spend 1 minute walking to warm up. Then do 5 intervals of walking fast for 2 minutes (briskly enough so you cannot maintain a conversation) and then 2 minutes at recovery speed (talking feels easier). Spend 3 more minutes cooling down.
DAY 14: Stretch
Hold each stretch from Day 2 for 2 minutes; do 3 sets
DAY 15: Push-Ups and Walking
— Do as many push-ups as you can in 1 minute. Write down your number and compare it to Day 1.
— Go outside and walk for 15 minutes at a faster pace. Count your steps and compare to where you started 2 weeks ago.
How did you do? If you’re not where you hoped, do it again.


Member Recipes
French onion chicken
Author: Drizzle
Serves: 4
2SP freestyle,
Ingredients
  • 4 cups peeled and chopped onions, I used red onion because it's my favorite
  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • 1 cup plus 3 Tbsp chicken broth
  • 1 tsp thyme
  • 2 cloves of garlic, diced
  • 1.5 Tbsp flour
  • 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 1 Tbsp dijon mustard
  • 4- 6oz chicken breast (if following freestyle they can be larger)
  • ⅔ cup light gouda shredded cheese (77 grams)
Instructions
  1. Heat your olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-low heat, add in your chopped onions and 3 Tbsp of chicken broth. Let onions cook for 45 minutes stirring often.
  2. When onions are close to being finished you can sear your chicken in a separate frying pan, season breasts with a little salt & pepper, use a little cooking spray and cook 5 minutes on each side over medium heat, set aside.
  3. Preheat oven to 350F
  4. When onions are cooked add in thyme and garlic. Add in flour and mix well. Stir in ½ cup of your chicken broth and cook for 5 minutes.
  5. Stir in remaining chicken broth, vinegar and mustard, bring to a boil, the sauce should thicken at this point.
  6. Place your chicken in a sprayed casserole dish, top with your onion mixture and bake for 20 minutes.
  7. Remove and add your shredded gouda cheese (can substitute for another cheese if you wish)
  8. Turn oven to broil and broil for 5 minutes until cheese is melted.
  9. Serve immediately, makes 4 servings. Can be frozen.



Slow cooker chicken noodle soup
Author: Drizzle
Serves: 14
2SP freestyle
Ingredients
  • 24 oz raw skinless boneless chicken breast
  • 2 cups chopped carrots (I used fresh, frozen is fine)
  • 1.5 cups chopped celery
  • 1 cup diced red onion
  • 6 cups chicken broth
  • ¾ cup water
  • ½ tsp thyme
  • ½ tsp oregano
  • ¼ tsp black pepper
  • Pinch of salt
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 2 cups (170g) rotini pasta (picture shown for what I used)
  • Chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
  1. Plug in your crockpot and set to low
  2. Place your chicken breast, carrots, celery, onion, broth, water and seasonings in and cook on low for approx 6-7 hours. Remove chicken and shred.
  3. Turn slow cooker to high and add in your pasta and chopped parsley, cook for 10-15 minutes until noodles are soft, add shredded chicken and stir. Remove from heat and serve *do not leave on heat or your pasta will cook too much.
  4. Makes 14- 1 cup servings at 2 freestyle smart points per serving, soup will freeze well.




Bubble Up BBQ Chicken and Beans Bake

yield: 6 SERVINGS

INGREDIENTS:

  • 4 slices center cut bacon
  • 12 oz cooked, shredded or chopped skinless chicken breast
  • 15.5 oz can of navy beans (or white beans, boston beans), drained and rinsed
  • 1 cup barbecue sauce (I use Stubbs Original and highly recommend it)
  • 8 oz can tomato sauce
  • 1 (7.5 oz) can of refrigerated biscuit dough, biscuits cut into quarters (I used Wegmans brand, but Pillsbury also makes them – if you can only find Grands, weigh out 7.5 ounces and cut them into small bite-sized pieces)
  • 4 oz (1 cup) 50% reduced fat shredded Cheddar cheese

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Pre-heat the oven to 350. Lightly mist a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
  2. Cook the bacon according to package directions until crisp and set on paper towels to dry. Chop into smaller pieces.
  3. Place the chicken, beans, barbecue sauce, tomato sauce and chopped bacon in the baking dish and stir together until combined. Add the biscuit pieces and stir in to coat. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle the cheddar cheese over the top. Return to the oven for another 15 minutes until the casserole is hot and the biscuits have bubbled up. Slice into 6 pieces and serve.
WEIGHT WATCHERS FREESTYLE SMARTPOINTS:
6 per serving (SP calculated using the recipe builder on weightwatchers.com)



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 "Remove from list" in either the subject header or the body of the message.
I also try to post the newsletter on our private FB page "Zig's Winners" and the Google Blog called Midweek Minutes http://midweekminutes.blogspot.com/.







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