I started my diet plan just this Monday and am not off to a good start. My fitness goals are simply to be more fit and not necessarily to lose weight. When you have a goal like this, and I’m sure other ’sistas’ with the same goals would agree, it’s not terribly motivating to just not eat the piece of chocolate cake.

I work out for 45 minutes to 1 hour on the stair mill at my gym four days a week, do upper body weights two days a week and do pilates two days a week.

I started Sunday night with eating the vegetables only and let me tell you, stair mill and vegetables only just don’t mix. I had to quit at 30 minutes or pass out due to malnutrition. So…. several nachos later I was officially derailed from day 1 of my diet and I’m not really a get back on the horse kind of sista. I’m more like a “have a martini and think about it” kind of a sista. Ha!

Day two was a bit better, I didn’t eat anything bad, I just ate a lot of everything. I got a lot of veggies in though so I felt a bit better.

Day three (today) I’m off to a good start. I however didn’t have time to do my shake this morning (bigsista says it’s nasty so I’m not highly encouraged to put out the effort just yet). Thought I might make it tonight as a test run so I’m not thoroughly disappointed at breakfast tomorrow. I’m off to lunch as we speak and crossing my fingers that the special doesn’t involve anything chocolate.

Heidi Hamels

Height: 5’4”

Weight: 120 pounds

Goal: lose 10 pounds in 90 days. =110 pounds

Life situation: 31 years old and just had a baby 4 months ago. Lifestyle involves working several jobs and traveling a lot, so it is hard to workout and keep on a good schedule. Plus we eat out a lot as a family, so it will be hard for me to eat just fruit, vegetables, or fish.

How I am going to attack the problem:

· I am going to give up the main carbs (bread, pasta, potatoes, etc…) I eat on a regular basis along with sugar for one month, (brown rice is the only exception to the carb rule for the month). I am also going to try to walk or run 4 miles a day plus do the PX90 workout series everyday for 90 days.

Day 1: (Tuesday -3-2-10)

Food consumption:

· a shake- Cal=90

· 1 apple. Cal=45

· 1 bell pepper. Cal=20

· went out to eat and had onion soup, salad (with dressing), and cooked vegetables. Cal=565

TOTAL CAL=720

Exercise:

None

How I feel:

I had a headache all day. Very hungry. Not sure I should try to live on just fruit and vegetables for a month? I am thinking already that I need to add some fish or chicken into my diet.

Day 2

Food Consumption:

*went out to eat and had salad (with dressing) and stuffed mushrooms. Cal=660

*1 apple . cal=45

*1 gatorade. Cal=80

*vegetable stirfry. Cal=120

TOTAL CAL= 905

Exercise:

Walked 4.2 miles. Cal’s burned =250

How I feel:

I crashed really hard about 5:00pm. I was starving. Again, I need to start eating more small meals throughout the day in order to make it on this kind of diet. I also find it very hard to walk my 4.2 miles (which takes about an hour and 15 minutes AND do the PX90.) My day with work and taking care of a baby is not allowing for another hour to do the PX90. I need to maybe start alternating walking one day and then doing the PX90 the next day. I don’t see how I can fit in both right now.

Day 3:

Food Consumption:

*1 yogurt drink. Cal= 70

*2 cups of brown rice. Cal= 440

*1 yogurt drink. Cal=70

*went out to eat = salad (with dressing), stuffed mushrooms, one breadstick. Cal=800

TOTAL CAL=1380

Exercise:

Walked 4.2 miles. Cal’s burned =250

How I feel:

I am missing sugar big time! I used to have 1 coke a day and am really missing that! I felt a lot better after I had the 2 cups of brown rice.

Day 4:

Food Consumption:

*1 yogurt drink. Cal=70

*sugar snap peas. Cal=100

*2 Cups of brown rice. Cal=440

*went out to eat= edamame (200), salad (150), and salmon (460). Cal=810

Total CAL: 1420

Exercise:

Walked 4.5 miles. Cal’s burned =280

Day 5:

Food consumption:

*1 yogurt drink. Cal=70

*2 pks. Of oatmeal Cal=260

*1 slice of watermelon. Cal= 40

*skinless/boneless white chicken (240), steamed veg (100)., brown rice (220). CAL=560

Total CAL: 930

Exercise:

Walked 4.3 miles. Cal’s burned =270

Day 6:

Food:

· 1 yogurt drink =70

· 2 cups of brown rice =440

· 1 coke! =100

· Salad =150

· Salmon =460

Total Cal: 1220

Exercise:

Walked 4.3 miles. Cal’s burned =270

How I feel:

Ok I know, I know I cheated really bad today with my Coke! But let me explain….I was at a ballgame (very hot outside) and it just sounded so great I couldn’t resist! However I only had ½ of the Coke and it didn’t taste nearly as good as I thought it would!! Other than that I have noticed I seem to have more energy without any sugar or the BIG carbs I was eating before. Maybe the rice is providing enough energy for me to get by and to walk my 4 miles a day? If I can do next week the way I did this week, I will be really proud of myself. However I do not want to get on a scale yet in fear I have not lost a single pound! I think I will save that devastation for another week! HahaJ

Work, eat, kids, eat, sleep. Rinse And Repeat. Sound familiar? For my family this is called LIFE. While busy at work or keeping up with a new born, LIFE doesn’t leave much time for that other four letter word; DIET. EEKK! That word looks a little too much like DIED! Ha! This is a blog of three women’s journey on a 90 day plan to lose weight the healthy way. Mom is in her 50’s and is in search of the booty of her 20’s. (however this also means she will have to cut out Java Chillers. Yeah, I said it… )My big sister Heidi is 31 and just had a baby boy in October 2009. Dawn, my middle sister just turned the big 3-OH! Because Dawn works long hours at a desk usually working on the computer, she wishes speed walking was more than just rushing to the printer before it gets jammed.

While my family is busy juggling multiple jobs at a time and taking care of a newborn, they will be blogging about their three month escapade of exercise, eating healthy, and exactly what they think about it. While they will all be doing similar things to lose weight and eat healthy, they will be taking their own approach to reaching their goal. This is a journey of self improvement minus the “For only $19.99” nonsense. So get ready for an adventure of how three amazing women attempt to make a transformation in lifestyle, health, and discipline.

P.S. Feel free to try and keep up!…and laugh.

This is little sister signing off. Over and out.

Laura and Julie just returned from the 26.2 with Donna Marathon in Jacksonville, Florida. What a honor it was to be a part of something so inspiring and so encouraging. All of the proceeds from the run go to support breast cancer research and the care of breast cancer patients at the local Mayo clinic.
The race was founded by Donna Deegan, a local Jacksonville newscaster, and 3-time breast cancer survivor.
As an avid marathoner, Donna was inspired to establish the annual race 26.2 with Donna: The National Marathon to Finish Breast Cancer. 26.2 with Donna is the only marathon in the country that is dedicated exclusively to raising funds for breast cancer research and care. One hundred percent of the proceeds go directly to breast cancer research at Mayo Clinic and to women living with breast cancer through The Donna Foundation.
To learn more about this awesome run, go to:
http://www.breastcancermarathon.com/index.php
And make sure to read all of the inspiring accounts of why people choose to run this race:
http://www.breastcancermarathon.com/run/why-im-running/

Please plan to put this race on your calendar for 2011, and help to finish breast cancer!

I am very saddenned to report that Nodar Kumaritashvili, an Olympic athlete representing the Republic of Georgia died today while participating in a practice run on the luge. Here are the details taken from the NBC Olympic website:
Kumaritashvili lost control of his sled near the finish Friday, went over the track wall and struck an unpadded steel pole near the finish line at Whistler Sliding Center . . . Rescue officials rushed to the scene and were performing chest compressions and mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. Kumaritashvili was lifted into an ambulance. An air-rescue helicopter was summoned and was over the track about eight minutes after the crash.

This is not the first crash that has occurred during practice runs on the controversial course. Considered the fastest luge course in the world, many lugers are topping 90 miles per hour. It is unclear just how fast Kumaritashvili was traveling at the time of his crash.
Experts are obviously questioning the safety of the course, and it will be interesting to see what transpires now that Opening Ceremonies starts in just a few short hours.

The quest for Olympic Gold is the dream of just about any kid that runs across a soccer field, laces up her ice skates, straps on her skis, or practices free throws tirelessly in the gym. We must ask ourselves, however, at what point does the human body reach maximum potential and technology has to kick in. Is this safe? Is this fair? Is this a true demonstration of athletic ability or technology at it’s finest?
We saw unprecedented success in the pool at the Beijing Olympics by athletes wearing the Speedo LZR Racer swimsuit. 94% of all races were won by athletes wearing this suit. This suit is now banned by the National Federation of State High School Associations.
There are more than 175 drugs, both legal and illegal that make up the official Olympic banned substances list. Some of them are obvious such as cocaine, oxycodone, and morphine. But many others on the list such as common diuretics might surprise some people. But they’re all on the list for one reason: in some way, even if very slight in nature, they could provide that edge to one athlete over the other.

I’m excited about the Olympics. I plan to watch the Opening Ceremonies tonight. And I look on with eager anticipation as dreams are made and Olympic medals are placed around the necks of hardworking athletes that have trained and sacrified for years. I celebrate those athletes. I celebrate the training, and I celebrate their drive and determination. And we mourn the loss of a great athlete who died attempting to achieve that dream.

Good luck to all of the athletes from across the world! Enjoy the Olympics everyone!

Sistas Shirts was named in part because the owners are real-life sisters, but also because women athletes all belong to a special sisterhood that makes us sistas! We were curious about other “sistas” on the web and found a very interesting website that you might want to check out. No, it isn’t geared to only athletes, but it is geared towards women just like you and mean that are looking for real-life, common sense solutions to everyday problems and situations. At sistascommonsenseforum.com you’ll be able to register as a user and not only submit your queries, but provide your common sense answers to other’s questions. Here’s how the site founders so eloquently put it:

How many times have you been talking to your girls, your mother, or your grandmother, and thought, “that’s just common sense”, but what is common sense to you, may not be common sense to someone else. While some of us are fortunate enough to have someone to share the puzzling questions many of us are not. Someone may just need to hear what you have to say to get them through what you’ve been through. Sista’s Common Sense Corner is the avenue for sistas just like you!
You will have the opportunity to respond to a weekly-posted scenario, read the responses of others, and send your own question/scenario. Your answer may be common sense to you, but may be the “light bulb experience” to a sista just trying to make it through. There is no “right”, or “wrong” answers, just common sense answers to real life experiences.

So check it out, and the answer to your question could be just a click away.

Sistas Shirts frequently offers specials and discount codes. So how do you get in on these great deals?? It’s simple, keep up to date with Sistas Shirts on social network sites like Twitter and Facebook. Just follow the links on our homepage! It’s that easy!
Then you will be in the know everytime we offer a special savings code, and no longer in the “no”. Because no discount = no fun.

Although women have proven themselves to be capable of running alongside men in competitions ranging from 5Ks to full marathons, there are a few endurance events that are especially geared towards women.

* 26.2 with Donna: The National Marathon to Fight Cancer (Jacksonville, Florida - February 2010). This marathon is organized and sponsored by Donna Deegan a Jacksonville native and breast cancer survivor. Not only do you have the pleasure of running through pituresque Jacksonville, including 2 1/2 miles on a packed sandy beach, you also gain comfort from knowing that 100% of the proceeds from the race benefit breast cancer research and patient care services at the local Mayo clinic.

* The Nike Women’s Marathon (San Francisco, California - October 2010). Not only do you get to enjoy running alongside all the other “sistas” in this marathon, you get to enjoy some other perks…like running through historic Fisherman’s Wharf, catching fantastic views of the Golden Gate Bridge and Coit Tower, and receiving a Tiffany & Co. necklace as a finisher in the race. Does it get any better than that?

* Boston Marathon (Boston, Massachusetts - April 2010). Certainly not a marathon exclusive to woman, but one of such history and prestige. This is the oldest annual marathon in the world, and until 1972 did not allow women to run. The first “unofficial” woman ran in 1966 after hiding in the bushes near the starting line, and since then women have been proving themselves as champions in the sport.

For more more information on these 3 events go to:
www.breastcancermarathon.org
www.nikemarathon.com
www.bostonmarathon.org

On Thursday, Jan. 14th, Jay Leno featured a segment on his show titled, “Don’t Try This at Home.” Well, after seeing one of the guests walk onto the stage, we’d like you to know that his acrobatic trick may be too dangerous to try at home, but his shirt can be worn by all at home! Jay Leno’s 3rd contestant for this segment was wearing an exclusive Hamels Foundation shirt.

Co-founded by Cole and Heidi Hamels, The Hamels Foundation has a dual mission to provide support for quality education in the United States and establish a school in Malawi, Africa. The Hamels Foundation is dedicated to enriching the lives of children and giving them the tools to achieve their goals.

This exclusive shirt features the shape of Africa across the front by systematically arranging the words “Hamels Foundation”. This shirt is availabe in men’s and women’s sizes, and can only be found on the Sistas Shirts website and The Hamels Foundation website. To watch the clip, follow this link: http://www.thejaylenoshow.com/video/clips/head-kicking-dont-try-this-at-home/1193172

And, for more information about how you too can support the education relief efforts that The Hamels Foundation sponsors, go to www.thehamelsfoundation.org.

We just returned from the 17th Annual Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend. And what a weekend it was! Over 60,000 people visited the 3-day Expo to pick up their packets. We at Sistas Shirts were truly inspired by your stories, your enthusiam, and your determination. The weather was less than ideal for the runners, but they never stopped smiling!

Although there were many events that one could compete in over the weekend, the most grueling is “The Goofy”. In this event, you run a half marathon on Saturday morning, and the full marathon on Sunday morning. That’s right folks, 39.3 miles in all! It does sound a little goofy, doesn’t it?! Around 7,500 people competed in this event, despite freezing temperatures, sleet, and winds. Sistas Shirts would like to congratulate these amazing men and women, and again, commend them for smiling through it all!

Did you run this past weekend, or know someone that did? We’d love for you to share your stories here. We’re all ears!