New Years Linky Party - Fitness!

Wow! What amazing success stories and resolutions posted by so many teachers on this fitness link!

I wanted to share an opportunity I was able to have just a couple months ago. If some of you have read my earlier post, you know that I lost a baby at the end of September this year.  He was full term, which left me with full term baby weight.  I had gained 35 pounds during my pregnancy and it showed.  I have always had a petite figure, usually weighing between 110 -115 and let me tell you...145 did not look good on my tiny frame! After the loss, I wanted to just feel "normal" and though I couldn't in many areas, my weight was one thing that I did have control over.  I wanted to get rid of what I called 'reminder weight' but I didn't have the option of breastfeeding to speed up the process.  

Here entered the amazing opportunity! My dear friend from work invited me to participate in a fitness challenge she was doing with a group of about 30 other men and women.  For a $30.00 entry fee, you were officially a part of a competition.  The money in the pot was to be split among the top three winners, with an additional prize given to the winner of a random draw of those who had participated and achieved at least 70% of the total points possible (more on this to come).  Those winners each won about $300! 

So here' show it worked:  

• There was a dedicated "challenge board" that all competitors had access to via Google Docs.  Each night you had to record your total number of points for the day.
• There were 9 rules to follow each day.  Each rule was worth one point.  
• The 10th point was a wild-card challenge.  These got more difficult as the challenge progressed.
• You could earn 2 bonus points during the competition by sending inspirational messages to the group of participants.
• The competition lasted 7 weeks.

Sounds easy, right?  No way! Here is a list of the rules we had to follow:

1. Record your points each night on the challenge board (easy)
2. Drink at least 6 glasses of water.
3. Eat at least 6 servings of fruits and/or veggies.
4. No eating after 8 PM or dinner time (whichever comes later)
5. Work out for at least 20 min. (In the beginning we had two freebie days)
6. No more than 1 serving of a sweet (and it had to be one actual serving size...we're talking tiny!)
7. Write in a gratitude journal.
8. Spend 20 minutes immersed in a spiritual text (this could be anything from a religious text, reading a self-help book, an inspirational book, meditation, whatever you do for this area of your life)
9. Work toward one measurable personal goal (mine was get one household chore done before I go to bed each night)

Here are some of the wild cards we were issued during the challenge:

• No soda pop!
• No more than 25 minutes of screen time (unless it was directly for work)
• No sugar...none!
• An extra fitness challenge
• No complaining, no gossip
• Sing a random Christmas carol to someone (and video for a bonus!)

Though I didn't win the challenge, I was SO proud of myself for keeping it up for seven weeks. It was way more difficult than it sounded, but it helped me in all areas of my life. I was more focused, more conscientious and accountable for my decisions, and I lost 20 pounds!  I also created some life habits that are much better than what I had before.

My dear friend and I are starting a similar challenge like this for our staff at school this month.  As teachers we can definitely throw in some wild-cards that will affect all of us.  If you want any more details of how it worked, let me know!

P.S. If you're up for small challenges here is a site that has a ton! I love them for a little extra workout:

Good luck to all of you with resolutions.  Stay strong, you can do it!

Happy New Years!

Katelyn, Abby & Liesel