It’s an amazing thing, this website we have,

But every now and then, it makes us all mad.

When growing pains happen and the site goes down,

Behind the scenes, you’ll hear cussing all around.

Have no fear, Christy, Melissa, and Heather are on the case!

They’ll work out the kinks! They have magical ways!

They work night and day to solve the down time,

Drinking lots of coffee (and maybe shots), it’s like solving a crime!

Thank you for your patience, appeciate it we do

and for today, I have a challenge for each of you.

Write a poem about something healthy you did today.

Doesn’t that sounds fun, don’t you want to play?

And don’t worry, it doesn’t HAVE  to rhyme.

Just have fun writing about your exercise time.

Off you go, go get your work out in, I say!

And we all hope you have a really good day!

Before I begin, I realize that some of you still love the show and that’s great. However you get your inspiration is great, but for me personally, I have a little bit of a rant to go on.

Back when I began blogging, I had my feet firmly planted in the cement of the church of Jillian Michaels. She was my hero. I learned everything about nutrition and exercise from listening to her podcasts. I almost went vegan (Me! Vegan! No offense to you vegans out there, but I love me some chicken) because Jillian went vegan. I thought together with Bob Harper, she had something special in the Biggest Loser. Now, I realized that the show was just that, a TV show. A reality TV show at that, but I felt that they really cared about changing people’s lives in a healthy way. (Without using fake magic pills.)

To me, The Biggest Loser was the greatest show on the air. I felt that as long as you understood that for four months, these people live, sleep, and breathe weight loss, and the weight they lose on a weekly basis is not a reasonable expectation, you could really learn something from the show. I loved Jillian and Bob.

And then…

The first to sell out was Jillian. She marketed pills that were guaranteed to boost weight loss and enhance fat burn. Wait a second. Wasn’t this the same person who preached that there was no magic pill? Jill, what are you doing, was what I thought. Had money become so important to you that you decided to fool people into thinking that there really is a magic pill? The thought makes me sick. No matter how many warnings you put on the pill labels saying that these should be used with a healthy diet and exercise program, people are going to see it as a magic pill. Shame on you Jillian Michaels.

And if that wasn’t enough, now I see that Bob has sold out too. He’s also marketing a magic pill.

Do your contestants take the magic pill? What happened to good old sweat and determination? Was that not good enough?

I’m sorry. I just cannot sit and watch the show anymore. I’m so sad that two of my heroes, two of the people that I put the most faith in to help people to change their lives sold out. It’s like if Superman were to say, “I’m can’t really fly; it’s just a jet pack that I wear under my cape.”

I get that they are celebrities and their ultimate goal is to make money, but do you really need to make money from making people think that they can lose weight faster by taking a pill? If it were me, I would rather be poor. I would rather use my fame to educate people how to lose weight properly and how to live healthy lives.

Thanks for the memories, Biggest Loser, but I’ll find my inspiration elsewhere from now on. Like the wonderful people right here on this site. You could learn a thing or two from them.

Biggest Loser photo from NBC.com

Good morning, friends! Welcome to this week’s installment of True Confessions, the post where you can confess all of your unhealthy sins from the previous week. Once you confess it, you forget about it, and start fresh.

I’ll get us started….

We’ll do this list style:

1. I had two desserts in one meal on Saturday. Two. I didn’t really need two. I really didn’t need one, but oh how I love dessert. I did make up for it by having a bowl of Special K for dinner since I really wasn’t that hungry from the TWO desserts.

2. I headed to the cafeteria last week with every intention of buying a chocolate muffin. (Hey. It was that TOM last week. Don’t judge.) I bought Cheerios instead.

3. I’m addicted to Sheetz coffee but it’s not my fault. Do you have Sheetz? Sheetz is a gas station here and they have the best coffee in the world. And! Not only that, they’re just awesome. On Saturday, they were out of Colombian coffee (because let’s face it, Colombian coffee is the best), and we had to wait for them to brew more. So, since we waited, they gave us our coffee for free! Free! So, we went back Sunday.

4. Confession: We usually go to Sheetz on Sunday anyway. I know.

5. I had a chance to try tripe for the first time on Sunday. I couldn’t get my stomach to do it. I feel so bad. I pride myself on trying anything once, but I couldn’t bring myself to try the tripe. Maybe another day.

Ok, now it’s your turn! Let’s hear it… what do you have to confess? Tell us in the comments below or blog all about it and leave us the link to your post below! Go! Why are you still sitting there? Confess already…are you there?

I know Saturdays are mostly for reviews here on The Sisterhood, but I don’t have anything to review right now. So, if you’ll forgive me, I’m going to step away from the Saturday Review today and talk about something else.

Recently, we’ve reviewed our 2012 letters to ourselves and written 2013 letters to ourselves and we’ve also re-visited loving ourselves. This reflection of “self” is a very important part of our life journeys.

Not so long ago (in a galaxy not so far away), I was on a dark and dangerous path. I didn’t like who I had become. I was so very sad and depressed and I was ashamed to admit that. I was too afraid to look within myself to fix what was broken. I was determined to live my life the way I thought others would want me to live, not how I wanted to live.

My happy was so deeply hidden within myself that I had become very overweight. It’s funny, isn’t it? How so closely related our physical beings can be connected with our mental beings. (I say can be because sometimes we can be very happy and yet for reasons not completely in our control, we may gain weight.) I didn’t realize this until I was well within my journey. I realized that while I was happy with how my body was changing, I was not happy. Something was missing.

It wasn’t until I was sobbing over my grilled chicken salad while watching The Biggest Loser one night that I realized what was missing. My insides needed fixing, too.

Working on your happy takes so much longer than losing weight. Losing weight is easy. Loving yourself is hard.

Why is that? Why is loving yourself so hard?

I choose to think it’s because it forces you to look at the things  you don’t like about yourself. It forces you to fix those things or sometimes let go of things.

One of the most important things that I have learned recently is that I hold onto the past too much. Our pasts can have a very big effect on us. Our pasts partly shape who we are today. But if we hold on to our pasts, it’s possible we fail to progress and grow in our presents, and that’s where we can become stuck. It’s so easy to say, “Well I am like this because of how I was raised,” or, “I’m this way because this happened.” Then using our pasts becomes our excuse. I’m guilty of that.

Here’s the thing, I don’t want to become stuck again. Forgiving and letting my past go is something I need to do for me and me alone. It’s something I need to do so that I can be the best person I can be. I am in control of what happens to me in the now. I am in control of my own actions. So, this year, I’m going to work as hard as I can to forigve my past and to let go of it, so that I can continue to be the happy person that I am today. So I can be even better in my future.

Does this sound like you? If so, know that you’re not alone. If something else has made you sad, then you’re still not alone. The thing I love most about our Sisterhood is that you can always find someone who can relate to you and most importantly, you have amazing support here. I’m determined that this year will be the Year of Happy. Find your happy. It’s there, all you have to do is set it free.

Happy Friday all! It’s a new year, and every new year we see lots of new faces. So, every new year, I like to do something where we go around the room and introduce ourselves to each other.

So, if you’re new (and even if you’re a pro around here), take a moment to introduce yourself, tell us how you found the Sisterhood, a little bit about yourself, and what your favorite exercise is!

Ready? I’ll go first…

I’m April! I’ve been around here since January 2009 when I found the Sisterhood on Twitter and loved it. By June, Christy and Lissa had asked me to write for them and it’s one of the best things that has ever happened to me. I have learned more about myself and became the most authentic version that I can be through the support here and blogging. You will see me hanging out on the Twitter account on Tuesdays for the Tworkout. You should join us! My favorite exercise is cycling. There is just a magic I feel when I’m on a bike. Who knows, maybe one day I will even build up the courage to do a race.

Now, it’s your turn! Let’s here about you! Go!

As I look back on this past year, there is one thing that I know is true…well, there are several things that I know are true, but today I’m focusing on one thing in particular.

I’ve said before how this year has been a rough year for me physically. As we sit here with our coffee or glass of water, I’m battling another cold.

Also as we sit here, I know that I do have a plan in place to get back into tip top shape in 2012. I’m really looking forward to it. But I do have a confession to make….

While I’m going to get back into shape and be conscious of what I eat (I’m already doing that.), I’m not going to worry with the scales. I’m just not. I got into the numbers game once and it just didn’t work for me. It stressed me out way too much. I worried myself sick over what number I was each week.

Right now, I know I weigh more than I have in a while. And oddly, I’m okay with it. For a few reasons. First, this year has been a crazy good year for me. I’ve had to learn balance. I feel like I am learning that balance and now that I’ve found it, I can get back on track. Second, I am confident that I WILL get back into shape. There’s no doubt in my mind. As much as I hate exercise and don’t feel a high from it (that’s a whole other post), I do like how my body feels when it’s in shape. And third, I finally truly love me. I love my body no matter what size it is. I know that health-wise, my doctor says I’m in a good place (other than these damn colds), and learning to love myself has been a hard road.

I know that I will never be a size 2. I really don’t want to be. Loving my body goes deeper than the scales or the mirror. It means that I truly accept who I am. It means I am striving to be the best I can be and to live my live as healthy as possible, but that I’m not going to freak out if my weight doesn’t say 125.

I will probably spot  check myself on the scales here and there, but my ultimate focus is going to be to exercise and to make healthier food choices. The rest will work itself out in the end.

2011 was a pretty damn good year. I”m looking even more forward to 2012. Here’s to a Happy Healthy Holidays! And a Oustanding Healthier New Year!

OK, you got me. This isn’t a real Saturday Review in that, I really don’t have any products to review. But, it’ll be sort of a review if you stick with me. I promise.

You see, Thea has put a knife to my throat and made me the other day I was having a chat with the wonderful Thea, and we were talking about why exercise is so hard for us. We have something in common when it comes to exercise… we pretty much hate it. I like how I feel after exercise, and I am proud of myself when I work out, but i don’t get that high that most people get from working out. I don’t get that feeling of wanting to conquer the world with one hand tied behind my back. If I’m being completely honest, for about an hour or so after my work out, I get really sleepy.

Whle Thea and I were having our chat, I expressed interest in running/walking a half marathon. It’s just something that I want to do. I don’t anticpate getting hooked because I quite frankly hate to run, but it’s just something that’s been nagging at me. I want to be able to say I did it, and so, I put it on my list to do in the near future.

That’s all it took…

The next thing I know, I’ve agreed to a half marathon. The bad news is: I’ve agreed to do a half marathon. The good news is: It isn’t until November 2012. Now, I know that some of you guys may think I’m nuts to take almost a ful year to train for this, but honestly, that’s probably how long it’ll take for me to mentally prepare myself to do this. And for me, the mental part is 90% of the battle. I want to start slow, but not too slow. I may throw in a 5K or two, but all in all, I’m happy with the choice of race.

Now, here is where you come in… I have my shoes. I got those at Fitbloggin’.  I’ve run in them a few times and I like the way they feel. But tell me what are your favorite running must-haves. What are your favorite running clothes? Socks? Headbands? (ha) Lay it on me, folks. Help me make training easier for my brain. I’ll review as many as I can then tell you what I think about them.

Lay it on me!

Each year I get excited as Thanksgiving grows near

because to me, this means The Holidays are here!

I get up Thanksgiving morning; I travel oh so very far (two hours),

to my grandmother’s house I drive in my orange car!

After my journey, I greet my family with kisses and hugs

I walk back to the kitchen, and my stomach gives a tug.

Then all of a sudden, I’m surrounded by food!

All the treats Granny has made creates jolly moods!

I give Granny much credit for cooking healthily,

But she’s made all of my favorites, enough for an army!

As hard as it is, I’m quite proud of my brain’s fight

Because I don’t eat so much that my jeans are too tight!

If I can eat my favs in moderation, then so too can you.

Have your favorite treats; just not ice cream, you hear me Roo? (inside joke)

Enjoy your family and friends or with whomever you celebrate

Because that’s is what’s most important on this fine U.S. date.

Also, if you travel, please remember to travel safely this holiday;

You know we have a new challenge coming soon right your way!

And so I guess that leaves just one more thing for me to do:

HAPPY THANKSGIVING! From Shrinking Jeans to all of you!

Welcome to another edition of True Confessions, the post where you get to confess all of your unhealthy sins from the past week. Once you confess them, you are instructed to just let them go because the past is in the past and you WILL do better this week, correct? Correct. OK!

I think because I’m in that sort of mood today and because it’s my post, we’ll do this bullet point style.

• I haven’t exercised in…let’s see….hmmmm… We’ll just go with a really long time. I’ve been staying active, I’ll give you that, but to actually get my arse to a gym? Hasn’t happened in a while. I do have a good excuse lately, I had bronchitis and a sinus infection and battled congestion for a while, but now that I’m getting better, I hope to figure out a way to fit some exercise in.
• I had cut back on my coffee, but here lately I’ve been working a lot of OT, so I don’t want to really admit to how much coffee I’ve been drinking. Let’s just go with, I’m not falling asleep (much) at work, mkay? Plus, I just can’t always help myself. I’m halfway in love with Colombian coffee because it’s the best, and they keep Colombian coffee at work.
• I HAVE been getting more water in lately. (High fives all around!) It seems that if I drink water out of a big styrofoam cup, I drink lots of it. (Whatever works, right?) I’ve decorated my cup so that it’s really pretty. (Don’t judge. I’m drinking water, aren’t I?)
• Oh yeah. I had a really sinful piece of cheesecake at dinner on Saturday. The good part is that I shared it. And we didn’t eat all of it. Plus, we danced afterwards, so I don’t feel so bad. Except that it really was to die for. No, really.
• I have NOT gone through all of the leftover Halloween candy. (High fives all around!) I have had a piece here or there, but nothing to be too ashamed over. In fact, it hasn’t really looked that good to me.
• I’ll go ahead and confess this one now. I will be making a Sonic the Hedgehog birthday cake this weekend. I’m sure it’ll be hard not to stick my finger in the icing. I’m sure I’ll stick my finger in the icing. Once. Or twice. I love cake. Dangit.

So… I guess that’s all from me. Now it’s your turn! Give us your confessions! And also note your “high fives” so that we can high five you too!

On cold winter mornings when I was a kid,
For school I would wake, barely opening my eyelids.
I stumbled and mumbled my way down the hall
To the kitchen from where my mom would call.

At the breakfast table, a bowl appeared before me
and I opened one eye and what did I see?!
One of my favorites! Could it be? Was it real?
It was! It was! It was a bowl of oatmeal!

To this day, I still love oatmeal so much
On this cool morning, the spot it did touch.
It sticks with my stomach all morning long;
By having oatmeal, I can never go wrong!

So, eat your oatmeal is the moral here.
It won’t hurt, I promise. You won’t have tears. (Or maybe you will. Oatmeal is THAT good!)
Oatmeal is something we all should celebrate;
It’s so good for you, love for it should be fate!
So, join us and Bob Harper and Quaker Oats
Because Saturday is National Oatmeal Day!