Okay guys...and gals...what's with the sweets? We have noticed that since Easter, the sweets have been a problem for A LOT of you. We get it...we REALLY get it. They're so delicious and it seems wasteful to throw them out and maybe your co-workers are doing their best to test your resolve by bringing tasty goodies to work every.single.day. It is hard...we'll give you that. But, think back to why you decided to join this challenge. Maybe someone forced you to do it, but most likely, you were looking for a change...a reason to live better. I know you haven't given up on that goal, but you may have momentarily forgot? So, I want you to try something different this week. It's REALLY simple, but it could make a big difference. I want you to change your vocabulary. The next time you are tempted by a mouth-watering indulgence, instead of saying, "I can't have that" or "I shouldn't have that," say, "I don't want to eat that." In four studies published in the August 2012 Journal of Consumer Research, researchers found that the effect of changing your wording when you refuse temptation can make a HUGE differnce in your ability to stick to your decision to walk away. They found that saying, "I can't" leads to a feeling of being deprived or having to go without something you really desire and only works 10% of the time, but saying, "I don't" leaves you feeling empowered and in control of the situation and is effective 80% of the time. That's quite a difference! The other benefit to changing your wording is, it leaves little room for argument. If someone offers you their homemade brownies and you say, "I can't eat those," they will probably attempt to convince you that you CAN eat them and that you DESERVE it just this once. If, however, you say, "I don't eat those" or "I don't want to eat those," there is very little left to say. So, if you're struggling with sweets, give this tip a try. You CAN do this. You are STRONGER than your cravings and YOU are in control of your choices. Let's finish this challenge STRONG by walking away from the extra portions of sweets!
Now, on to what you're really here for...Week 5 Results!!
Do you ever wonder if all those exercise memes, quotes, and motivational posters about pushing through pain, leaving all excuses behind and giving it all you’ve got could be harmful? We’ve all seen them; we even share some here on our blog and other social media accounts at times. Most of these memes can be inspirational and uplifting when we’re ready to throw in the towel, give into flimsy excuses and let our goals go. Yet, are there memes that can set us up for disaster? Could those “encouraging” words sometimes encourage us to go a little too far in our training?
Maybe it just takes a certain type of personality to read those quotes andhear, ‘It’s not supposed to be easy, so keep going even if it hurts... a lot.’ ‘I’m a quitter if I stop before I finish this run or follow my training plan perfectly.’ ‘My small gains don’t matter if I don’t reach my goal in time.’ ‘You’re injured? Bear down, grit your teeth and push forward because pain is temporary.’ Well that is until... it isn’t.
I’m so very proud of all our participants this week. I lost count of how many pushed hard to earn perfect points this week! You are all such dedicated ROCK STARS and I love it!!
Before we move onto results, I would like to address a concern of mine. I saw a lot of food logs this week and among them were quite a few very low calorie logs. Now, I’m not talking about the ones where you may have fasted for religious reasons or had an “off” day, but the logs where the calories were consistently under 1200 calories and the exercise nearly equalled the amount of calories consumed. Now, there could be a few reasons for the low calorie consumption; maybe you were really striving for a big loss this week, maybe you saw someone else post a really low calorie day and thought that maybe you would look like you were eating way too much if you posted a 1400 or 1600 calorie day or GASP! an 1800 calorie day, maybe you just aren’t sure how much you should be eating so ate as little as possible. Whatever the reason, the reality is, that we all have different nutritional needs. If you are 6’ 0” and actively training for an event or working out hard you cannot eat like a 5’ 1” person doing pilates a few times a week. You have got to fuel your workouts, whatever they may be. Even if you’re not in training, not eating enough is still not eating enough and it will affect you and is most likely killing your fat loss. Check out this article.
I know on the surface it seems backwards to say that eating a little more might help you lose weight but it can be true! I remember a few years ago when my sister called me frustrated that her weight loss had stalled. She said, “I don’t understand! I’m exercising like crazy and I hardly eat anything and the darn scale won’t budge! What am I doing wrong?!?” I asked what her intake was and she was trying to fuel 2 hour workouts on around 1200 calories a day! I told her, “You have to EAT!!” She reluctanly bumped her calories back up to 1400-1500 and she found she was losing weight again within a couple of weeks. This is not a lone example. We’ve worked with more participants who have put themselves in similar situations and were amazed at how eating a little more actually helped their metabolism kick back into gear.
As I went through some of the comments and success stories this weekend, there were a few I just HAD to share with you! These are from a couple of gals who have been with us on and off the last couple of years. Valerie and I, though we've met few of you in person, we feel a connection to you and truly do cheer for your success. Your names and little profile pictures are recognized and your stories inpsire us. We hope that these will inspire all of you as well.
The New Year, New You Challenge participants had another week of success. Whether the success was weight loss (a few had some SERIOUS losses this week), being able to maintain a goal weight for another week (this can really be hard sometimes) or the ability to overcome the difficulties of a challenging week and continue to keep their health a priority, we saw success!
We also had a first at LWC this week. We saw a three-way tie for the biggest loser this week in the Team competition. Andrew S, Angela A and Wayne W all had a weight loss percentage of 1.6%! Kristy M from the Individual competition was just behind that with 1.4% and we were amazed with Susanne H.’s loss of 2.4%. Congratulations to all our “losers” this week!
This weekend one of our Individual Challengers posted on the Facebook Individual Support Page some of the positive things she has been experiencing since having started the New Year, New You Challenge. It certainly made my day and want to share her successes with you as well.
I was thinking about all the good things that have happened since I started this challenge and I would like to share a few.
Have you ever had a desire to try something different but the fear of the obstacles you may face or the fear of failure made you feel that maybe it wasn’t worth trying? Last year, I felt like I really needed to start expanding my knowledge about fitness and nutrition. Sure, I research information all the time, but other than the few courses I took in college (Body For Life, Weight Lifting, etc.) I haven’t had much “formal training”. I decided it was time to change that, but I was nervous. I did some asking around in different forums and decided on the NASM [National Academy of Sports Medicine] Certified Personal Trainer [CPT] program. Making that decision was exciting and scary at the same time.
Taking on this course required hours and hours of study, quizzes, tests and assignments. There were definitely times that I questioned my decision and wondered, “Have I lost too many brain cells as a Mom of three to retain all this information? Have I been out of school too long? Will I be good enough?” But, I kept at it. I poured over the fundamentals of human movement science (muscular skeletal, cardiorespiratory and nervous systems. I practiced assessments, training concepts and program design. I learned about flexibility training, nutrition, lifestyle modification and behavioral coaching.
It just seemed appropriate, with tomorrow being Valentine's Day, that today's post feature a recipe that is a bit indulgent and most importantly, chocolate!! If you're looking for something that feels decadent but is healthier than the store bought treats you usually splurge on, give this crock=pot fudge recipe a try. Whether you're getting all dolled up and sharing this treat with your sweetheart or snuggling on the couch in your sweats watching Mr. Peabody and Sherman on Netflix while sharing with four crazy kids like me (my hubby will be working on Valentine's Day), you will not be disappointed (at least not by the fudge...you may be disappointed that it gets ground into your carpet or smeared on your couch cushions, but the fudge will deliver)!! I found the original recipe at SkinnyMs.com and tweaked it just a little (I basically left out the sugar since I didn't have any and I felt like the chocolate chips contained plenty on their own - to be honest, I didn't miss it much at all - and shockingly, neither did my kids).
The 6th week of a challenge can be an interesting time of motivation or the lack of... In Week 1 and 2, everything is new, exciting and there are a lot of physical changes happening. You still feel the “fire” of your decision to live healthier. Since week 4 is a measure week, the extra indicator of success can offset any waning motivation and reviewing goals can help put things back into perspective. Week 6, however, is just past that point and can feel a little more difficult to sustain that “fire”. The habits you’ve been developing are become easier but it may not be as “exciting” as it once was. So, how do we keep going? How do we continue to exercise, eat our veggies and not eat our weight in cookies when the “fire” seems missing?
It is so fun to share Turkey Trot stories. Who cares if it's months past Thanksgiving, right? I think Jan A.'s story is one of love for her family and the spirit of determination for herself. Which makes this completely fitting this week. With that in mind, I'd like to share Jan A.'s experience.
Do you know what I love? Options. I love that getting and staying healthy doesn't have to be confined to the same exercises day after day after day. There are SO many ways to add activity to life. Who says that walking/jogging on the treadmill or a specific workout video is the ONLY way to get fit? People who don't mind being bored, that's who. I like to mix things up to avoid boredom at all costs because for me, boredom is shortly followed by inactivity. Trying new things helps me to stay motivated and have fun!
Training for triathlons has given me the opportunity to mix things up and rediscover my love of biking. I love getting outside, feeling the wind across my face, pedaling hard and going fast! Well, fast in relation to my running speed anyway. When biking, I feel like I'm really "getting somewhere". My favorite part of riding is getting outside of the city on my sweet ride and enjoying the views of the mountains and farmland. With the beautiful views, the crisp clean air and lack of stop lights, it just plain feels good. The only downside? I live in Idaho and outside is not always an option. The darn snow, ice and crazy wind for 4 - 6 months of the year tends to damper my training spirits a bit.
It was another great week for our New Year "New You" Challengers! So many of you are facing tough circumstances and yet, here you are making your HEALTH a priority. You make us so proud and you should be proud of yourself, too! Wherever you may be in your journey to improved health, don't wait to give kudos where kudos are due. Each effort, each mistake, each time you pick yourself up and make another attempt show's that you are TRYING and it should be recognized.
I have been so impressed with Lori T and her positive attitude since she started competing in the 2014 Holiday Challenge. One of the weekly bonuses during that Challenge was to complete a 5K Turkey Trot (3.1 miles) over the week of Thanksgiving. It was not a requirement to participate in a local event, but to get out there and finish the distance however you could at your level of fitness. Lori chose to use a DVD to complete it. I hadn’t thought of that! Way to get creative, Lori!
“Thanksgiving morning, Jesse and I completed Leslie Sansone's Walk at home 5K with a twist, which produced a real good sweat. Jesse is my 13-year-old son. I felt a little stressed about it but Jesse set it all up for us, which relieved some of my stress. Jesse was happy to join me since he got to play a few of his favorite workout tunes while we did the 5K together. I enjoyed sharing the experience with him and hope to help my son learn to be physically active and have healthy eating habits for a lifetime. Thank you for the holiday challenge.”
I was blown away by all of the New Year Challenge participants this week! You are on FIRE!!! You are not just losing weight, which many are doing in a big way, but you are developing habits that will serve you well throughout your life. THAT, my friends, is worth applauding!! Now, let's look at the lineups for WEEK 1... Be sure to check out our biggest losers AND our combined weight loss, 220 lbs, in just the first week. That' is amazing. Absolutely amazing.
Camille D. shared this success with us recently and I just LOVED it! Her story shows her dedication to improving her health and her ability to make that process more important than what others may think.
It's so fun announcing the line-ups every week and getting the chance to give shout outs to those who continue to work hard day after day. We've got people here working to lose weight, maintain their weight as well as those who are just trying to develop healthy habits that help them live longer, healthier, happier lives. All of those goals are worthwhile and inspiring.
For those of you just tuning in, I have to tell you how incredible these MINI participants are! They may not have perfect points every week, but they have been putting in their best as they face holiday festivity temptations, busy schedules that make fitting in workouts even more difficult than usual, some have been traveling, moving households, struggling with lingering sicknesses of their own and/or their family members. All the while, they have NOT forgotten themselves!! And you know what? It’s paying off! I want to share a few of the comments we’ve received over the last few of days.
“I am so happy that I joined this holiday mini challenge. The fact that I have lost a few pounds over the past 3 weeks and maintained it is amazing. I don't think I have ever maintained over Christmas let alone lost weight in the month of December. Usually the binge starts at Thanksgiving and continues well into the New Year. This challenge has really kept me in check and I have really enjoyed the Facebook page. It is nice to chat with others going through the same struggles. Thank You!” - Holly M.
All too often women (and men) can get sucked into the false belief that their worth is determined by the size of their pants, a number on the scale, the size of their muscles or how fast they can run. Media bombards us with images that perpetuate that lie.
Here's the reality, my friends. You are of worth no matter what. You are of worth if you are overweight, underweight, tall, short, shaped like an apple, pear or whatever strange comparison is out there. You are of worth because you are YOU! And your level of worth isn't changed by the mistakes you've made or the wonderful things you've done in your life. You are of worth because you are! So, let's all stop waiting for "skinny" to make us happy, content and at peace with ourselves. Let's focus on loving ourselves for who we are, the good, the bad and the ever striving nature we possess.
I'm am ridiculously PROUD of this group of individuals! I don't think we've ever had quite a group like you. I don't know if the Facebook page is what is making the difference or if you're just a unique group of participants but I think I'm in LOVE with this MINI and all of YOU!!! You are eating healthy, trying so hard (even if not perfect) and losing weight in the HOLIDAY SEASON!! AMAZING!!! Want to know the BEST part? You are building each other up! You're not just competitors, but cheerleaders. It's that mentality that has always drawn me to the running and triathlon communities and I'm just so pleased to see and feel that same excitement and encouragement here as well. Thank you all for being so wonderful! We'd love to see you ALL make it through these 4 weeks strong or at very least hanging on! Let's all make it a personal goal to submit our points every single week, even if we're on the bottom of the leaderboard. I know we can!!
I can't help but get excited when I read the successes we hear from participants! Sure, it's fun to hear about someone losing X amount of pounds, but it's REALLY amazing to read the little differences a few changes can make.
"This challenge taught me to work through sicknesses and keep myself helathy in the process. If I was not feeling well I would make it an excuse to not exercise. I did the excersises anyway and I felt better afterwards. I worked through the food challenge part of trying a new vegetable and now I like broccoli. Who knew?!" - David H., 2014 Holiday Participant
We've all seen those big, fun looking, bouncy balls at the gym, right? If you're like me you may have seen them but were too intimidated to actually DO anything with them or maybe you just thought they were a hoaky idea and didn't see the benefits of using them. Well....let me tell you, there are some definite benefits to using a stability ball in your workouts, particularly when just getting started, and I want to share a few with you!
You won't just engage a few of the core muscles, you'll engage lots of them. You'll be using the rectus abdominis (think 6-pack muscles), transversus abdominis (deep muscles essential for good posture) and the obliques (twisting/bending) as you perform those ball crunches as well as when performing other exercises such as ball bridge, ball cobra, ball push-ups, ball squats and more.
We just posted the FINAL RESULTS for the Holiday challenge and are thrilled to announce that as a group, you lost 306 pounds and 214 inches over the past 8 weeks! That is incredible and we are so proud of the results of your hard work. This is NOT something that can be accomplished by Dianne and I. We merely provide the platform, but YOU do all the WORK. So, kudos to those of you who sincerely made an effort to earn your daily habits points and saw results...and now the REALLY hard work begins.
When you read Holly's Turkey Trot experience you'll understand just how dedicated she was to finishing her first 5-mile race! Read on, friends, read on..."
I ran the 5-mile Turkey Trot this year in Marshfield, WI. I was very nervous to say the least. I have run several 5K races before and also run/walked a 10k a few years ago, but this was my first attempt at running a 5-mile race. I made my husband come with me, because I had only run that distance one other time before and was a little light headed afterwards and the drive home was a half hour.
The race started at 8am and the temperature was in the single digits with below zero wind chills. The sun was actually shining and I actually stayed warm…with the exception of my toes. I have tried every combination of socks and cannot seem to keep my feet warm. I think I am going to have to buy some winter running shoes. Anyway, the race went really well. The first mile always drags, the second flew by. There was a water station at the half way mark. To my surprise when I tossed back my cup of water was a huge chunk of ice. It was so cold the cups of water were freezing. I am so used to the lukewarm water of the summer I almost choked on a chunk of ice! Mile 3 is always the longest for me. I think it is because my body/mind is used to stopping at the 5k mark and is trying to figure out why we are still moving. By the time I hit the 4-mile mark I was ready to go again. I took of my cowl at that point because I was overheating and kicked it into high gear and headed for the end. Actually pacing fast mile of all 5. My goal was to run it in an hour and I completed it in just over 58 minutes. So I was extremely happy. Especially when I look back at when I first started my first challenge in May and my first fitness test I was pacing over a 15-minute mile. The cold temps didn’t set in until we go to the car and my body started cooling down. I spent the rest of the day trying to warm up.
I noticed that many of you are struggling to balance the upcoming holiday and your health goals. Believe me, I understand!! I'm having a hard time, too. All the holiday prep can feel overwhelming. The travel, the shopping, the CLEANING, the baking, getting caught up at work, the recitals and the list just keeps getting longer...everyday!
Here's the thing though, you will be so much better prepared to take on all of those tasks if you put YOU on the priority list. Just think of the possibilities if you were to take 30 -45 min. each morning to exercise and plan out your day. It could literally be the difference of feeling "on top of it all" and getting near the bottom of that "To Do" list and feeling like you're "chasing the bus" all day, leaving you in frustration and STRESS. We all know what stress leads to, right? For many of us.... stress eating, stress weight gain, stress sluggishness, stress frustration and more. Let's decide NOW to evaluate our PRIORITIES and make sure that we are ON THE TOP OF THE LIST!
This is what this fitness challenge is all about people! Is it great to lose weight? Of course! But let's not forget how very important it is to improve your overall health. That includes your emotional health as well. In fact, I believe that our emotional health is directly related to our physical health. The two work hand in hand. If you don't take care of yourself physically, your emotional health will suffer. If you don't take care of yourself emotionally, your physical health suffers. Thank you, Kristy, for reminding us what is truly important!
Every one is a dreamer. We dream about all kinds of things night and day. We may dream at night but we can also "dream" or imagine what we will make for dinner, how we will deal with our cranky toddler during a meltdown (or co-worker...you fill in the blank), what we’ll do for exercise that day or even what we want for our future.
What I want to talk about today is imagery. You may hear it called by different names, visualization, dreaming, meditation, positive thinking, etc., but the idea is the same. Imagery allows us to create an experience before actually “experiencing” it. We can actually “see” ourselves performing a workout before we even change into our running shoes. What an incredible ability we possess!! The most amazing thing about this ability is that when we “dream” or “imagine” we can actually have an impact on our ability to physically carry out whatever we imagine. This type of visualization has been shown to help in managing pain and discomfort, improving positive outcomes for situations and even relieving stress through relaxation.
For today’s purposes, I’m going to use exercise as the example, but honestly you can use this same principle and practice for ANY situation you might be facing. (Avoiding sweets, making healthy food choices, career goals, social situations and more!)
I know, you’re supposed to be imagining, right? Work with me here, I promise it will help in a minute. Okay, all set? Now you can think. Ask yourself if there was ever a time in your past that you had a positive experience with exercise. Maybe you ran a really fast mile and felt really proud or just felt great after a hard workout or...something along those lines.
This is an exciting week because Monday marked the end of the September Challenge. Which means.... I get to announce the WINNERS!! YAY!!
I'm really proud of all of our September competitors! Many of you had struggles along the way and you just kept plugging along doing your best despite your circumstances. That's the true test of your commitment to a healthy YOU! Thank you for being such amazing examples to us and to others!!
I'm so excited to share today's Motivate Me story! Linda B has participated with us many times and we've watched as she's progressed each and every challenge. She made my day when she agreed to share her story with all of you! So, without further ado...a snipet from her journey in her own words...
“When I first started this particular challenge, I doubted myself about reaching a weight I haven't seen on the scale in many years. I'm a 56-year-old grandma and have had life struggles just like everyone else.
I had heard the NFL commercial a few times regarding their success and making it to the Super Bowl. The players were saying "Why not me?!" One day the slogan really resonated with me and I started to remind myself frequently "Why not me?" There's no reason why I couldn't reach the milestone of seeing the scale tip below 150#s. It's been many years since that has happened and now I'm very close to reaching the weight listed on my driver's license which I don't know if that has EVER occurred! :)
September Buddies & Individuals are getting close to the end, so NOW is the time that you might be tempted to slack off and say...'Well. I'll just try again next time', but DON'T let yourself go there!! Now is the time that you really learn what you're made of. Are you going to let your ranking get in the way of your personal goal?!? Heck No! Finish this out STRONG and know that whether or not you win this round of LWC, you will be able to take pride in the fact that you did NOT give up!
"If anybody would have asked me at anytime in my life if I would become a runner, or at least someone who chooses to run, I would've laughed and told them not a chance. But that has changed now and I just completed my first 5k. I'm still slightly shocked that I did it. But more than that, I'm proud. I'm proud of this small accomplishment that, to me, has become a huge turning point in my life.
This is my story.
Five years ago, I was about 6-7 months pregnant with my first son. I have since had two more. Yep, three boys in less than five years. Heaven help me! And while I have loved my journey of becoming a mom and raising my boys, there have been plenty of bumps along the way. The two biggest (for me personally) have been my battle with depression and my physical appearance, meaning weight gain. Those two put together make for not a very happy mom/wife. Don't get me wrong; I've had many happy moments and so many great memories being made with my children and husband. Just deep down inside, there's always been a hollow feeling that I know I'm not completely happy with my seemingly happy life. Through so many blessings, I've still found myself upset. When my last baby was born (in June of this year), I finally accepted the realization that I NEEDED to do something about my weight. Through being pregnant and giving birth three times so close together, I had gained over 50lbs from where I used to be. I knew that was part of the main reason my depression had been worse as well. Not only did I have very low self-esteem, I was tired and exhausted all the time. I just didn’t feel good. I knew that in order to take care of my kids, my husband, the house, and myself, I could not continue living the way I was. Something big had to change. After an emotional heart to heart conversation with my husband (who has been SO loving and SO supportive of me through everything), I decided to get a gym membership.
Have we mentioned lately just how much we LOVE hearing about how well you have done!?! It's not just exciting for you, it's incredibly exciting for us as well!! When Greg let us know last week that he'd been able to stay at least 20 lbs below his initial weight since beginning, we were reminded again why we continue to host these challenges. YOU INSPIRE US!
You may think it is the other way around sometimes, but not so! As you know, Valerie and I still have our own struggles that we continue to work through every single day.
by Thad Peterson, founder of You Can’t Fake Sweat
I'm 43 years old, so 1st grade was a long time ago for me. But I distinctly remember the most obscure scene from 1st grade. I was at Cabot School in Newton, Massachusetts. We had just come in from recess. It was a hot day. And a big bead of sweat was trickling down Greg LeBlanc’s temple. At that tender age, I didn’t sweat a whole lot, and I remember being envious that Greg sweated that way. There was something cool about it. Something tough about it. Something rugged about it.
Flash forward 36 years. I no longer have to envy Greg LeBlanc. I sweat like a pig these days. And I’m glad I do. I still think there’s something cool, something tough, something rugged about sweat.
Plan to have at least one serving of vegetables each morning. Throw spinach, mushrooms, peppers, broccoli, onions or tomatoes (or all of the above) into your omelets. It's delicious! Well, except those mushroom things, blech! ;) Try sneaking kale, spinach, carrots, fennel or cucumber into your smoothie for a quick veg option. Fruits are super easy to add to oatmeal, yogurt, whole-grain cereal, Cream of Wheat or my favorite pre-workout breakfast, wheat toast with natural peanut butter and banana slices on top. mmm.... Just be careful to avoid the canned varieties of fruit. They are often packed in heavy syrups and the calories/sugars add up fast. Whole fruit is the ideal, but frozen is a good option, too.
It's funny how easy it can be to get sucked into the "scale zone". It's that zone where nothing matters but what the scale tells you and then you get all depressed because it didn't tell you exactly what you wanted to hear, when you wanted to hear it.
I'm a big advocate of monitoring weight in order to keep us honest and give us a general idea of what's happening with our health, but overall, the scale just can't tell you how many inches you've lost, how energetic you feel or the comfort level of your pants! I'm always happy when our participants recognize these things!! Here's what Kristy M. shared a couple of weeks ago.
Last week I received a message that gave me a smile and made my heart leap for joy. I do tend to get a little giddy when someone has an "AHA" moment and starts to see the real progress they're making. I just have to share what she sent...
"I have struggled with this challenge because I haven't lost any weight. After I saw my pictures, I realized weight is just a number. I have been lifting weights and there is a definite difference in my body. I love lifting and feeling stronger and from now on I am just going to focus on getting in my workouts and making good choices - not the scale".
To my delight, Carrie sent her before and after pictures to show what she meant. She wasn't sure I'd be able to see the changes but I see a definite change in body shape! Don't you?!? There's no doubt in my mind that she has been putting in the "work" these past 8 weeks despite having only lost 1.6 lbs. For her, the scale isn't going to move down much but who cares? Her clothing fits better and she's building muscle that will keep her strong.
We may have different reasons for joining Lifetime Wellness Challenge. We may have different reasons for continuing and we may have different reasons for sharing our experience with others. Shenita shares a few of her reasons below.
I want to share an experience with you that I had this past weekend while competing in The Great Snake River Triathlon. After a grueling swim down the river (apparently I swim the exact same speed as a few others and we were unintentionally beating each other up the whole way), I was breathless and coming out of T1 (transition 1) and riding hard down the road trying to catch up some time lost in the swim. Down the road I saw a very large group of youth walking the same roadway as the athletes. They took up an entire lane for quite some distance. There were lots of them! I'm not sure exactly what their goal was for the day but it appeared that it was to be a long distance walk since they had crew cars carrying water and Porta Potties.
I want to share a photo and story that has been shared on Facebook this past week. This amazing woman isn't part of LWC but she is inspiring! Through her story, she is helping ME to work through some of my own body image issues. I'm grateful for her courage to get up and TRI, to work through difficult challenges and to see herself as the athlete she is and not compare herself to the competitors around her. I had a really, really bad angle professional race photo taken on Saturday and I'm still trying to truly see myself for my accomplishment and not let ONE PHOTO take away from the GREAT experience I had. Jackie, who doesn't have a clue I exist, and Valerie, of course, are helping me walk through this personal struggle of mine. I hope her story inspires you, too!
There is this misconception out there that in order to be successful, you must not fail. That couldn't be more wrong! The only way to fail is to never make an attempt to try! There are countless success stories throughout history that have proven over and over again that those who are successful are those who are willing to try even if there is a very real possibility that they won't measure up. They didn't let that stop them! They didn't let repeated failures stop them either. They just kept going and eventually...they were just were they wanted and need to be!
Few things will sidetrack success more quickly than a bad attitude! Something discouraging happens, it could be anything...a bad weigh in, a disagreement with friends/family, a rough race...anything really and without realizing what you're doing, you let one teeny, tiny negative thought creep in. Then that one little thought starts breeding other negative thought babies and before you know it, negativity and crankiness is taking over the whole think tank (and your life)! This unfortunate Negative Nelly situation can quickly result in a stall in your fitness/nutrition progress and make you downright miserable (and likely your family, too).
Well, that's no fun at all and I highly discourage taking that route. Been there, done that, got the t-shirt. I've been trying some things the past few weeks that I found really helpful in getting me out of the negativity rut and I want to share them with you because everyone deserves to be joyful, hopeful and successful!
The May Challenge is about to wrap up and every time there's a break we all seem to have the BEST of intentions for staying on track; eating adequate vegetables and fruit, exercising consistently and declining the barage of sweets we encounter daily. The next the 2 weeks of "real world" application are CRUCIAL to solidifying the change of habits you've worked so hard for. YOU have to want it to stick. YOU have to decide without your team, without us reviewing your points and without the approval of anyone else that YOUR health is more important than your excuses.
As someone who has been struggling lately with negative thoughts because of what the number on a scale says, how my favorite pair of jeans don't fit the same as before my last baby and seeing more gray hairs than ever before, I was grateful to a friend who posted this video on Facebook the other day. It spoke to me on a personal level.
I found that I am finally impressed with a mainstream pop star. Colbie Caillat's "Try" video actually addresses the pressures that many women (and I'm certain some men) feel on how they "should" present themselves to the world in the OPPOSITE way that we normally see from "stars". The message is that we don't have to "try" so hard to change our appearances or standards just for someone else's approval, we can like ourselves just the way we are.
I need to learn to come back a day early from vacation! I did have a slight gain but I am hoping it is just water weight from traveling. I tried to be aware of what I was eating while traveling and getting my water in. I did have 1 big NSV (non scale victory), I went to see a cave in Utah. The cave included 444 stairs (888 round trip). I made it, and I didn't die! Pretty sure I would have if I had attempted it a few months ago. I am getting stronger!"
- Tara E, LWC participant
I had a dream earlier this week that was different from my usual bizarre dreams and I didn't realize it's significance until I shared it aloud. So, I figure I'll share it again and maybe someone else will be able to glean some wisdom from it as well.
A little backstory is probably in order. These past few weeks, I have been feeling very overwhelmed by my responsibilities as wife, mother, and with my role in LWC, wondering if I am doing too much, not enough, and just plain feeling like I wasn't measuring up. I've been struggling to remember my worth and have let negativity creep back into my thinking. I started having thoughts of backing out of the Triathlon Sprint (yeah, the one that's tomorrow) due to feeling unprepared. On top of all that, my sinuses were going crazy and I was suffering from a serious lack of sleep over the holiday weekend. I was primed for exhaustion on my return home from Boise.
This last week's Hot Topic for the May Challenges asked for suggestions of how to maintain a positive body image despite our imperfections. Yes, we all have imperfections and unfortunately I think this a problem for far too many of us. I say "us" because it is something I continue to struggle with every day. I'm trying my darnest to get it together, but it does feel like "my trial" in life. (You know, those issues that you think you have a handle on then one day WHAM! you realize you're still dealing it with it. Oh...you don't have those? huh...) Anyway... I read through all of the comments (like I do every week) and these really spoke to me and I just want to be sure they are shared with anyone who may also benefit from their wisdom!
I love everything about summer; the warm sunshine that allows me to exercise outside instead of a stinky ol’ gym, the sounds of the birds chirping and especially the abundance of not just delicious but also nutritious foods available. Summer is a time when we start seeing an abundance of fresh produce in the grocery stores and better yet, at the farmer’s markets.
Another favorite thing about summer involves the gatherings with friends and family. Whether it is a well-planned weeklong family reunion or an impromptu backyard barbecue with the neighbors, it’s bound to be a good time had by all and plenty of foods to go around. The only downside to these events is that there can often be an overabundance of very indulgent menu choices. While a little indulgence here and there is great, it can definitely be an obstacle if you’re attempting to improve your health habits.
Marriage, children, career, civic duties and church responsibilties are just a few of the obligations that can consume us with each passing year. I remember after the birth of my second child I felt lost in diapers, midnight feedings, toddler tantrums, church responsibilities and my role as wife. As much as I loved my little bugs, my husband, my church, I was tired, overwhelmed and left wondering where I went. I used to like being active outdoors, did I still? I'd always loved music and had a fair singing voice, but it had been so long since I'd been part of a choir that I wondered...was I any good? It was hard to tell when I spent most of my time wandering behind the short ones keeping out of the many perils of life and singing nursery rhymes that I became unsure of my abilities. Not only that, but I'd started to question who I was beyond the toy picker-upper, dinner maker and payer of the bills. Those are all fine qualities to possess but I can't say that they were on the top of the list of things I enjoy.
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