Back in the saddle again

Hi all!

The Summer Meltdown has begun. I've joined the non-competitive team this time around.  That's right, I'm right there in it with you!  After losing 30 pounds last year, I've managed to gain back 8 in about 2 weeks.  They are just sitting there, taunting me, telling me that they aren't going anywhere.  WELL, I don't think I'll accept that. 

I'm back using my favorite little ap - LoseIt.  I am on a plan that has me losing a pound a week so that sets my daily calorie budget.  I input EVERYTHING I eat and it deducts the calories from my budget.  I input all my exercise and it adds those to my budget  I have a record of my wieght and which days I stay within the budget and what I'm eating...I can even see what my percentage of fat/carbs/protein is each day and a weekly trend.  It's great! 

I'm keeping up with the exercise - trying to shake it up a bit.  Trying some new things like live Zumba classes (as opposed to Zumba for the Wii) and a Boot Camp at Woodhaven. 

I invite ALL OF YOU to try something new at our first ever FIT FRIDAYS on June 3.  We'll do one of the INSANITY workouts.  A couple weeks later, we'll try one of the P90X workouts.  The idea is to challenge yourself and to try something different.  Break out of the rut.  Shock the body.  Make a difference.  (add your own little catch phrase here...)

So, who's going to attend the Fit Friday?  What are your goals for the Summer Meltdown?  Who else is 'angry' with their weight?

Get Ready, Get set...

From our trusty leader, Cyndi


Trust me when I say....soon enough it's going to be hot out there. With the sweltering heat comes shorts, bathing suits and all kinds of flesh baring clothing. Most of us will admit, that we need something or someone to hold us accountable to help us reach our weight and fitness goals.


SO, LET THE MELTDOWN BEGIN!!!! It's time for round three of the St. Gabriel Fitness Challenge...(.more like a fitness JOURNEY)

Sunday, May 22 at 9:45 in the cafeteria.

We will have the same prize structure as last time: 1st, 2nd and 3rd place individual, winning team and winner gets to have a portion of the pot go to the charity of their choice. $20 a person. All prize amounts to be determined by number of participants.

The "new" feature this time is the "NON-COMPETITIVE" fitness journey! You still weigh-in (accountability is the key!) , you still are working to help your "team" beat out the other teams and you are still working to lose, it's just not for the cash...IT'S FOR YOU!! There will be small prizes along the way....door prizes and attendance prizes for those who keep with it and come to the weigh-ins. PLUS some special rewards along the way!! Just $5.


So get yourself ready to start the Meltdown this Sunday!

Summer Melt Down is coming...

Hello again!

The last challenge has ended.  Congratulations go out to everyone who finished and kept with it! 

The next challenge, the Summer Melt Down, is about to begin.  Will you participate?  Here's a few reasons why you should:

1. You made some progress the last time around and you want to keep the momentum going.
2. You fizzled out last time and want to give it another try
3. You reached your goal and now you want to maitain your weight-loss
4. You enjoy being a part of a larger, group effort to reach your peak fitness in Mind, Body and Spirit.
5. You reached your goal but in the last couple weeks you've seen 5-8 pounds creep back on and you want to banish them forever.

All good reasons and at least one of them should apply to YOU.   

What do you need to do?  First, we hear it all the time, but seriously, talk to your doctor.  Let him/her know that you are serious about getting fit.  Find out what the medical definition of a healthy weight is for you.  Have some basic biometrics recorded:   blood pressure, body fat %, cholesterol levels, sugar levels, etc.  Plan to go back in a set period of time and re-check.  We are talking about more than weight-loss here, we are talking about overall health improvement!  At the very least record some body measurements (neck, chest, waist, hips, calves, upper arms).  Even if the numbers on the scale don't change as much as you might like, you could be very surprised at the change in these numbers.

Second, come to the kick-off on May 22 in the Cafeteria at 9:45AM to weigh-in and join up in the Summer Melt Down!  (click here for more information)  See you there!

Fun little artcile to share:
If you click on the picture, it should take you to the website with a full size page that is much easier to read...

Do you track your progress?

Well, do you? I have often touted my favorite little app, Loseit (also available online at http://www.loseit.com/). One of my favorite features is the graph it creates as I enter my daily weight. There are a lot of ups and downs; but more downs than ups! There were many times when I felt discouraged, like I wasn't making any progress. Looking at this graph would remind me that no matter the ups and downs, it was all a downward trend and the difference between day 1 and today is amazing (30 lbs!). Even if the difference between today and yesterday isn't that great. It's the BIG PICTURE. It's the LONG RUN. It's the LIFESTYLE CHANGE.


So, how are you tracking your progress? My husband kept a sheet of paper taped to the wall by our scale where he wrote in his weight each day. Some folks write it in their calendar, some keep a journal. Some focus on inches. We need something tangible that we can look at and remember, "Yes, I am doing something." Please share how you record your progress.

Monday

Only 5 more weeks to go!  The focused and motivated person could still lose 10 pounds, maybe even more.  The steady and slow person could easily lose 5 pounds.  The unmotivated could even easily-er (is that a word?) gain 5-10 pounds.  Which will YOU be?

I read a good article about self-speak.  The way we talk to ourselves has a huge impact on self-esteem.  (Are you thinking of Stuart Smalley? "I'm good enough, I'm smart enough and - darn it! - people like me.") Anyway, next time you start berating yourself, stop!  Ask yourself if that is how you would speak to your friend who was feeling discouraged...ask yourself if that is how you try to motivate your child...treat yourself as well as you treat those around you.  You deserve it.

I'll be at the LIFE aerobics tonight at 6:30PM - Hope to see some of you there!

Lent Starts tomorrow

Just a quick post.  I'm assuming most of you have seen Cyndi's weekly email with a reflection on Endurance.  For me, a key to endurance is constantly reminding myself of the goal and keeping my plan a priority.  This is true for fitness and other long term projects such as paying off debt or training the dog.  It's so easy to lose sight of why we are doing this and to let other things start pushing our fitness goals lower on the priority list.

Well, Lent starts tomorrow and it's a great time to push those fitness goals back to the top of the list!  Commit to fasting from that food that keeps luring you to exceed your calorie limit...Commit to walking the neighborhood while praying the rosary 5 days a week...It's almost like a new beginning and renewed purpose. 

I leave you with a great quote shared by Julie Cash:

“Do not ask the Lord to guide your footsteps if you are not willing to move your feet.”

And a funny: