TOPS News for January 28, 2016

At the Meeting

At the January 28th meeting of Imperial TOPS NE0267, Diann was the Best Loser for the Week, and the Best Loser for the month of January. She also received the Kept It Off award, which gives her a month’s chapter dues. Lorna won a little cash in the Ha-Ha drawing. Lorna and Cheryl will provide food for the Community Center Dinner on February 14.

Challenges

The challenges for the week are to add to habits formed in the “Get Healthy & Active” program: 1) Write down everything you eat for at least 4 days; 2) Walk at least the number of steps you did last week, but walk faster for a couple minutes during your walk; 3) Create a playlist of uplifting songs to listen to while you exercise or cook.

Program

Donna presented a program on how to purchase fresh and frozen fish, with instructions on preparing healthy versions of tataki-style tuna and salmon, a fish “fry,” fish cakes, and oily fish such as mackerel, herring, and sardines. Shirley will present the program on February 4, Karen on February 11.

Come Join Us!

TOPS Club meets from 9 to 10 a.m. on Thursdays at the Imperial Community Center, with weigh-ins beginning at 8:30. The first meeting is free. Find out more at imperialnetops.blogspot.com or www.TOPS.org.

TOPS News 1-14-2016

At the Meeting

At the January 14 meeting of Imperial TOPS NE0267, Donna was the Best Loser for the week.

Get Healthy and Active - Week 2

• Eat Better - Begin drinking 1 glass of water with at least 2 meals each day
• More More - For 3 days, add 1000 steps to your average number of daily steps.
• Stay on Track - When you catch yourself reviewing old hurts or beliefs ("My cousin tells me even if I lose weight, I'll just put it back on" or "I'll never be able to walk a mile"), try this: Take a deep breath in. As you exhale, let go of the negative thought.

Get Health and Active - Week 3

• Eat Better - Make half your dinner plate fruits or vegetables each day. 
• Move More - Add 2,000 steps to your average number of daily steps in Week 1
• Stay on Track - Meet with someone each week who will support your journey toward good health.

Why a Pedometer?

• Smaller than a cell phone, but can make a significant difference in your effort to keep moving.
• Just wearing one causes people to move more.
• Observational studies show that healthy adults walk between 7,000 and 13,000 steps per day.
• Start small: Keep track of your steps for a week. Increase your average steps each week by a certain number or percentage.
• Even just trying to reach 10,000 steps a day causes you to move more, which will improve your health.

TOPS members can purchase recommended pedometers from the TOPS store.

Cheryl presented the program on pedometers. Barb will present the program on January 21, Donna on the 28th.

Come Join Us!

TOPS Club meets from 9 to 10 a.m. on Thursdays at the Imperial Community Center, with weigh-ins beginning at 8:30. The first meeting is free. Find out more at www.TOPS.org.

Get Healthy & Active - Week 1

At the Meeting

At the December 31 meeting of Imperial TOPS NE0267, Lorna received the prize for Best Loser of the Month, and Barb received the butterfly pin to keep, for being the best loser the most months. Lorna won the Christmas Tree contest. Diann and Barb will provide food for the January 10th dinner at the Community Center.

Program

As her program, Lorna encouraged members to set small goals for January. Goals set included increasing exercise minutes compared to December, losing a certain number of pounds, cutting out candy and cookies, and 10 minutes of deep breathing each day.

Get Healthy & Active - Week 1

Lorna also encouraged members to follow up on the 10-week “Get Healthy & Active” program. The first week’s activities are 

1. Keep a food journal
2. Begin wearing a pedometer and calculate your average number of steps (at least 3 days), and 
3. Choose one of the following positive statements to repeat each morning as you brush your teeth: “Today I choose joy,” “Good things take time,” or “I can and I will.” Members will briefly report their progress each week.

Come Join Us!

TOPS Club meets from 9 to 10 a.m. on Thursdays at the Imperial Community Center, with weigh-ins beginning at 8:30. The first meeting is free. Find out more at www.TOPS.org.

Healthy & Active in 2016

TOPS News

At the December 17 meeting of Imperial TOPS NE0267, Lorna was the best loser for the week. All the TOPS attending lost weight. 

Challenges

This month’s challenges are part of the December “Decorate Your Tree” contest: 1) Drink 6-8 glasses of water for 5 days; 2) Exercise 10-15 minutes for 5 days; 3) Breathe deeply 10 times 5 days; 4) Be at the meeting; 5) Lose weight; 6) Keep a food diary.

Program

Cheryl presented a program from the Dec. 2014/Jan 2015 TOPS magazine titled “Get Healthy & Active,” which lays out a 10-week program designed to form small habits and add to them each week in the areas of eating better, moving more, and staying on track. She also distributed colorful weekly “Get Healthy & Active” journals found at TOPS.org that will help members follow the program.

There will be no meeting on Thursday, December 24. Lorna will present the program on December 31.

Join Us!

TOPS Club meets from 9 to 10 a.m. on Thursdays at the Imperial Community Center, with weigh-ins beginning at 8:30. The first meeting is free. Find out more at www.TOPS.org or on our About Page.

TOPS News 10-29-2015

At the October 29 meeting of Imperial TOPS NE0267, Lorna was the best loser for the week, and Karen was the best loser for the month. This month’s challenges: 1) Exercise 10 minutes a day for at least 4 days, and 2) Drink 6 to 8 glasses of water each day.

Lorna and Barb will provide food for the Community Center dinner on November 8. Lorna won the “Scare Off Pounds” contest. The next four-week contest will have a Thanksgiving theme. On November 1, the group begins using their blank November “gratitude calendars,” to daily track the things for which they’re thankful.

Donna gave a variety of tips in her program: Brain Superfoods, Six Tips for Living Longer, and Winning the Hunger Game.

Karen will lead Yoga chair exercises next week, November 5, and Barb will present the program on November 12. TOPS Club meets from 9 to 10 a.m. on Thursdays at the Imperial Community Center, with weigh-ins beginning at 8:30. The first meeting is free. Find out more at www.TOPS.org.

Imperial TOPS News 10/1/2015

Meeting News

At the October 1 meeting of Imperial TOPS NE0267, Donna was the best loser, and Barb earned a Kept-It-Off award. This month’s challenges: 1) Exercise 10 minutes a day for at least 4 days, and 2) Drink 6 to 8 glasses of water each day.

Barb and Donna will provide food for the Community Center dinner on October 11. For the upcoming Fall Rally, Diann will provide a meat dish, and Cheryl will provide a salad. Barb is creating a Halloween theme basket for the Chinese raffle. Members should bring items for the basket to the October 15 meeting.

New Contest

Barb introduced a 4-week contest called “Scare Off Pounds.” Members receive stickers for weight loss, exercising, showing their food diary, drinking water, and attending the meeting.

Program

Donna presented information on the antioxidant CoQ10, which is found in fish, beef, eggs, citrus fruits, blueberries, raw vegetables, and cinnamon. It can help with energy levels and boost the immune system. She also gave information on how foods that contain Vitamin A are good for your skin: carrots and broccoli (anti-oxidants) and food that is high in fatty acids, such as salmon, flax seed, and healthy oils like canola and extra virgin olive oil.

Lorna will give the program on October 8 and Karen on the 15th.  

Join Us!

TOPS Club meets from 9 to 10 a.m. on Thursdays at the Imperial Community Center, with weigh-ins beginning at 8:30. The first meeting is free. Find out more at www.TOPS.org.

Surprising Ways to Keep Yourself Motivated to Exercise

At the Meeting

At the September 24 meeting of Imperial TOPS NE0267, Barb and Karen were the best losers in a No-Gain week, and Barb was the best loser for the month of August. Shirley won a little cash in the Ha-Ha drawing. This month’s challenges: 1) Measure food portions, and 2) Keep a food journal.

The TOPS area fall rally will be in Ogallala on Saturday, October 17, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Diann will prepare a salad for the rally, and Barb is fixing a basket for the Chinese raffle.

Program: No Excuses
 

Find yourself giving up too soon on your exercise program?

Cheryl presented some TOPS Tips on Staying on the Road to Fitness and Health.

Here are a couple of surprising reasons you may give up exercising too soon:

1. It's too easy to talk yourself out of it. Solution: Get a fitness buddy and use each other for support and motivation. Exercise together or place a friendly wager. For example, whoever logs more steps on a pedometer for the week wins ______.
2. I'm exercising, but I'm not losing any weight. Solution: Stop exercising to lose weight. If you focus on how you feel instead of what the scale reads, you're more likely to stay active. Plus, if you're exercising and replacing fat with muscle, it might not be reflected on the scale right away.
3. I don't enjoy it. Solution: It's fine if you're not a gym person. There is some form of physical activity for everyone. You just have to find what works best for you.
4. I get bored. Solution: Try something new, like a class or an active video game. Make it a goal to try something new each month, even if you feel clumsy at first. At least you tried it and may even have some fun in the process.

Think about how you feel after exercising. Empowered? Energized? Stronger? Remember that feeling. More often than not, you will feel better after exercising than before you started. You will probably never say, "Boy, I wish I hadn't exercised today!"

from TOPS Tips: TOPS Club, Inc. 2011

Come Join Us!

Donna will give the program on October 1 and Lorna on the 8th.  TOPS Club meets from 9 to 10 a.m. on Thursdays at the Imperial Community Center, with weigh-ins beginning at 8:30. The first meeting is free. Find out more at www.TOPS.org.