Day 2 of 30 Day Challenge. You can still join.

TIPS FROM THE EXPERTS:
Igor Klibanov, CEO  of Fitness Solutions Plus has a TIP OF THE DAY:

 www.TorontoFitnessOnline.com

TIP OF THE DAY:
Igor Says: " Don't focus on eliminating. Instead, think about replacing.

When you eliminate something it leaves a "black hole", and sets up a sense of deprivation. Replacing doesn't have this effect. My approach is for people to only replace one thing and only until they don't feel that it's different anymore... they have to wait long enough for that one thing to be second nature and 'just the way it is' before replacing 'one more thing'."

The PARTICIPANTS of the Challenge are as follows:

1. Kristin - Detroit, U.S.A. She is going to curb: White processed carbs - white sugar/white flour.
2. Sheila - Cape Town, South Africa. She is going to fight the urge to eat: Hard Cow's Milk cheeses.
3.  Crystal from Regina, SK, Canada and she is going to start with curbing the coffee habit. She is aiming to stay down to 1 caffeinated cup of tea a day.
4.  Elisabeth from San Carlos, Mexico says she is going to cut out white carbs (potatoes and rice) and coffee.
5. I will be in on it too: Melony Teague will be cutting Sugar, dairy, wheat, alcohol and soft drinks.  I have cut down my espresso consumption to two a day...with the view of cutting down to one.
6. Anna from Australia is going to be starting with white carbs. 
7. Karie-Ann from Elmira, Canada wants to give up alcohol, pop and coffee.
8. Bonnie from Toronto, Canada is going to to cut out alcohol and dairy.
9. Betty from Vancouver Island is going to start with sugar, white carbs and alcohol.
10. Gail in Ottawa, CA - her challenge is as follows: first sugar (then wheat, then dairy)
11. Cheryl, Toronto, CA - Alcohol and to cut down on coffee and minimize sugar. 
12. Mallory from Toronto is replacing White Carbs , with a view to cutting back on sugar. 

We are all standing together from various locations and we are all different ages to make a change for the better in 2013. What we have is common is this: we all know that we are unhappy with the way things are and know we need a push to make the change. So we are doing it together. At this stage it is still not too late to join in. See here for details.

Yesterday I posted my Easy Slow Cooker Quinoa Soup Recipe and then realized that some of the participants are in the Southern Hemisphere and soup would not be the thing for them right now. As the silent know falls it is hard to imagine being hot and bothered. Never fear, you can always try this recipe then. Banana Mint by Natalia Rose.

Now to get us focused on our mandate for the month, and that is to establish healthy habits please read a post that I wrote about Habits. It was called Habits Pointing the Way to Victory and it was inspired by Seth Godin's quote.

DAY 1 is complete and all participants completed their goals. Well done ladies! I suggested participants pick ONE THING to eliminate, but we have such an enthusiastic bunch, most picked more than one. Word of CAUTION...take your time to add each thing to your challenge, you have a better chance of sticking to it that way. (See Igor's tip) 

For example, I know I need to eliminate Coffee, but I know I am not ready for that yet, so in the meanwhile I am cutting down from my usual 8 cups a day, and I am down to 2! It is all about being realistic and intentional. Hopefully soon I will be able to replace those two coffee cups for the rest of the challenge.

Here is that list again:

Pick ONE:

SUGAR

COFFEE

WHITE CARBS

ALCOHOL

DAIRY

WHEAT

GRAINS

SOFT DRINKS 

My Breakfast today was Spelt French Toast. I have posted a spelt french toast recipe before, so here it is. Berries are low on the glycemic index and so a good addition if you are trying to keep your blood sugar stable and control weight gain. Cinnamon is a great anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant. Read this article for more on the benefits of Cinnamon. Add it to your smoothies, sprinkle on your latte, sprinkle over french toast and enjoy the benefits as well as the flavor.

Wheat and Sugar Free. If you make it with Almond milk it is Dairy free too! I sweetened this with Stevia.

If you have not joined yet, you still can. Email me to let me know you want to be part of this challenge.

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Melony Teague a freelance writer and columnist who lives in Canada with her husband and two young children.
Founder of "Secrets of Body Transformation from the Inside Out" 
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