Join the Fitness Challenge 2010

If you would like to get off that holiday weight, please join this fitness challenge! It will be joined by people just like you -- ordinary people who want to shed a few pounds. If you're interested in joining, just post a comment with your e-mail (feel free to use at instead of @) and I'll add you to the list of people who can post comments.

Here are the rules: There are 10 possible points per day:

• 1 point for keeping a food journal
• 1 point for drinking 8+ cups of water
  
• 1 point for not eating any treats (use your own judgment on what is a treat)
  
• 1 point for not eating after 8 p.m.
• 1 point for exercising 30+ minutes
• 1 point for taking a multi-vitamin and/or calcium
  
• 1 point for eating 4+ servings of fruit/veggies
• 1 point for getting 6.5+ hours of sleep (adjust as necessary for babies :)
  
• 1 point for no soda pop
• 1 point for doing something that reduces your stress level in some way -- reading, bubble bath, surfing the net, etc.
  

Also, there will be 1 bonus point every week that you lose weight (1 point for losing weight, not 1 point per pound); and there will be 1 bonus point every week that you post on the blog how you did. Five bonus points will be available for sending your money ($15) during the first two weeks of the challenge. (If you don't send your money by the end of week 4, you are no longer eligible for the pot at the end, so get your $$ in soon!)

Winner takes the ENTIRE pot. Second-place and third-place winners will get the same prizes as were listed for our last challenge. (Click here to see prizes for second and third.)

This challenge begins Jan. 4, 2010 -- just in time to get off those holiday pounds and fulfill new year's goals! It will go for 12 weeks and end on Mar. 29, 2010. Round up your friends and let's make this challenge bigger and better than ever!

And the winner is ...

... about to be Jennifer. Anyone else want to submit a score before she gets the jackpot? Remember prizes are still available for second and third ...

I will wait until EOD Monday for results to be posted. Otherwise you're out of luck until the next challenge. :)

Jennifer ~ Post your address just in case ...

Week 12!!!

I rebounded somewhat this week ending with 56 points. My weeks in the 40s and 50s killed me, but at least I feel I have rebounded somewhat for the holidays! I end the challenge with 689 points and down five pounds. I had hoped to get more off, but considering I did lose 5 pounds and am now 21.5 weeks pregnant, I think that I did pretty well! I hope to continue during the holidays, and the next challenge will once again push me to modify and improve my daily habits.

I hope you all have wonderful holidays!!!

Please post results by Friday so I can get money in the mail to the winner. :)

final week

This may be our final week of this challenge, but I have to continue, for my own health and the future health of my children. I struggled with fruits and vegetables again this week, but I also had a hard time finding time to exercise. (Although watching twin infants should count as exercise, the keep me busy enough) I only scored a 53 for the week, losing points for lack of exercise and fruits/veggies. My final total is 707 (715 if we are doing bonus points for posting on Monday's). I've learned a lot about my self and my bad habits during this and I now know what I need to do to change.

On another note, I hope everyone has a wonderful Holiday Season!

** New Challenge, New Rules **

As we end this challenge, I thought I'd post a little blurb about the next challenge. I've had several friends regret not joining this one, and a few of us would like another chance at this whole weight-loss/healthy lifestyle thing ...

A few things will change to keep it fresh and to encourage us to broaden our healthy ways. Each day there will be a possible of 10 points per day:

• 1 point for keeping a food journal
• 1 point for drinking 8+ cups of water
  
• 1 point for not eating any treats
• 1 point for not eating after 8 p.m.
• 1 point for exercising 30+ minutes
• 1 point for taking a multi-vitamin and/or calcium
  
• 1 point for eating 4+ servings of fruit/veggies
• 1 point for getting 6.5+ hours of sleep (adjust as necessary for babies :)
  
• 1 point for no soda pop
• 1 point for doing something that reduces your stress level in some way
  

Also, there will be 1 bonus point every week that you lose weight (1 point for losing weight, not 1 point per pound); and there will be 1 bonus point every week that you post on the blog how you did. There may be a bonus point for posting 1 healthy recipe a week -- thoughts? Other bonus points (probably 5 points) will be available for sending your money ($15) during the first two weeks of the challenge.

Winner will take the pot. Second-place and third-place winners will get the same prizes as were listed for this challenge. (Click here to see prizes for second and third.)

This challenge begins Jan. 4, 2010 -- just in time to get off those holiday pounds and fulfill new year's goals! It will go for 12 weeks and end on Mar. 29, 2010. Round up your friends and let's make this challenge bigger and better than before!

Week 11 and I'm out of rhythm ...

Well, I gained only 47 points this week. Yes, I started strong and then withered. We had a stressful week or two, and then I knew my test was coming for gestational diabetes and didn't want to give up treats again knowing I will have to for months for a healthy baby. Good news is that I'm still not gaining, so I feel accomplished to still be down and be more than half-way through with a pregnancy. I'll try to do a little better this week (early gestational diabetes test results come back tomorrow). In the meantime, anyone got any good boys' names?!?

Week 11

61 points. I'm finding it easier to exercise and harder to eat fruits and veggies. It was easier to eat veggies when I could easily pick them from the garden and add them to my foods, now I really have to think about adding them before I start cooking. I maintained my weight, but I've lost 1 inch around my middle (YEAH!).