My Thoughts on the New Weight Watchers Beyond the Scale Program

I’ve been a Weight Watchers member for so many years that I’ve lost count and am a lifetime member, which means that I’ve achieved my goal weight. Once you’re a lifetime member, you’re always a lifetime member, even if you gain weight. The catch is that you can’t be more than two pounds over your goal weight or you have to pay to use Weight Watchers. That’s why I’m trying to lose a few more pounds, so that I can get back to my goal weight range and not have to pay. This week Weight Watchers released a new program called Beyond the Scale. I was around for the last change, from POINTS to PointsPlus. In that big change, Weight Watchers put more of an emphasis on healthy eating. They realized that if a banana was 2 points and a 100-pack of Oreo cookies was 2 points, everyone would eat the cookies. So even though fruits and veggies aren’t free of calories or sugar, they made them 0 points to encourage people to eat more of them for all the nutritional benefits. Weight watcher beyond the scale In this new Beyond the Scale program, PointsPlus have been replaced with SmartPoints, and the emphasis is even more on making healthier choices. The program is meant to guide members to not just… Read more “My Thoughts on the New Weight Watchers Beyond the Scale Program”

How to Find Time & Mental Space for a Tough Training Plan

Training for an endurance event can seem daunting. When I first read the Hansons’ Half Marathon Method book, which prescribes as much or even more mileage than other full marathon plans, I didn’t think it was for me. In my early 40s, with only a few years of running experience behind me, and with no natural talent, I doubted I could even do it. There were phrases in the book that went something like: We won’t sugarcoat it. This phase is very difficult, and you will be tired. Yikes! Last summer I took a leap into the scary unknown and tried the Hansons’ plan for my fall half marathon. I was so happy and proud that I successfully completed the tough training, which was a big accomplishment for me in its own right. I’m in week 6 of the same training plan for my spring half marathon and am re-learning just how tough it is. I thought back to what worked for me the first time so that I can use it again this time. If you’ve ever really wanted to try a tough training plan but aren’t sure you can do it, trust me that YOU CAN. Here are some things that worked for me that I’ll be using again and that I hope may be useful to you… Read more “How to Find Time & Mental Space for a Tough Training Plan”

Brooks LSD Lite Women’s Jacket

I’ve been on the hunt for a lightweight, rain-proof running jacket for spring and summer and ordered the Brooks LSD Lite Jacket II from Amazon, though the actual seller was Night-Gear. There are newer versions out (the LSD III and LSD IV)   and lots of colors, and the price varies depending on version and color. I really like the Brite Green/Black color I got, and the price can’t be beat. Fit- and feature-wise, this jacket is awesome and is just what I was looking for. I ordered a medium and found it very roomy and comfortable. While I don’t anticipate wearing many layers under it, I think a tight-fitting jacket might stick to sweaty skin in the rain. If you are in between sizes, I’d consider sizing up. Here you can see how roomy it is. The length comes to mid-hip and is ideal for me. It’s a little hard to see, but there are reflective strips at the bottom of both arms as well as the bottom of the jacket.… Read more “Brooks LSD Lite Women’s Jacket”

Cute Activewear To Motivate You

Quite often each of us who is engaged in fitness has a stupor. We saw the first results and suddenly (as it seems to us) stopped. You think, “Well, I do everything right: I work out, eat right, run, follow the regimen”. It does not occur to you to talk about this with a coach, but you take out, hidden by you same chocolate bar, you eat it all without noticing it, then a donut, then something else… “So what, I’m no good at it anyway”! Tomorrow you skip a workout, the day after that another one… But, in the beginning, when you decided to do sports, you were motivated by something. There was some motive for it!  Of course, some people have been exercising since childhood and for some reason, they stopped, and in order not to lose their shape or to improve it, they continued to go to the gym. But most of us came for other reasons. Someone was inspired by the girl on the cover of a sports magazine, someone after the separation with a boy or a girl to not get depressed, someone was so upset about the clothing size, someone after the birth of children. So there are many reasons to join a gym. But that’s just the beginning…… Read more “Cute Activewear To Motivate You”