Now- YOU take charge!

When I began hosting these healthy living competitions I saw them as an opportunity to spend a few weeks to focus more fully on the healthy habits that help us build health, strength and happiness.


So it made me sad when after one of the competitions I hosted a participant said "I do so well on these competitions but then gain back all the weight in between." Admittedly this is something I battle as well. 


You know the old saying "When you do what you did you get what you got." So if you built some healthy habits, exercised more, ate better, drank more water and built your overall health during this competition-- perhaps with the side benefit of losing some pounds and then you go back to your previously bad habits as soon as we are done-- GUESS WHAT? You will also go back to your previously less than great health and weight.  


I will probably host the next round of our competition beginning on Wednesday May 9. SO WHAT WILL YOU DO BETWEEN NOW AND THEN? Do you find that you tend to take good care of your health when you have no plan? If not then make your own plan.

I was reading over the blog from past competitions this morning and found these challenges (this doesn't include ALL of the past challenges. You might want to read through some of the old blog posts to find more):

Abstain from Diet Soda

Drink more water (measure to make sure)

Track your intake of Vitamin C

Restrict your hours of eating

Keep Balance in your work outs- Aerobic/Strength/Stretch/Balance

Eat Berries

Use Positive Affirmations

Eat a variety of fruit and vegetables

Monitor and measure your portion sizes

Clean your refrigerator and freezer

Eat enough Protein

Use your body to give service

Make self care a priority

Do Kegal Exercises 

Work on Core strength

Go the extra mile- take the stairs, park far away

Eat enough fiber

Eat more greens

Make sure and get plenty of probiotics

Eat seeds and nuts

Wow! That's quite a list. Recently a friend that had competed on a challenge with us said "Do you do this stuff ALL the time?" And while I wish I could say I am always 100% with these habits but I am not. But honestly many of the habits on this list truly have become habits that I do all the time. And those that are not yet regular habits I am working on instituting as regular habits. 


And so we come to our last weekly bonus challenge. In order to earn the 35 points for the last weekly challenge you need to make a personal Health plan for yourself. It can be whatever you like. Perhaps you want to continue to use myfitnesspal to log all of your food intake (This one habit may have the biggest affect on my weight and health). Or maybe you want to limit your sugar intake to 2 days a week rather than one. Maybe you only want to require yourself to exercise 3 days a week. You determine the parameters. 
It can have just one thing you are working on or it can be a list of things. But write down the plan and do something to keep it prominent on your mind. Make it your phone screensaver, mail it to your partner, print it and post it on your fridge, post it on this blog but do something to solidify it and commit to it. 


And I would recommend that if you have special trouble letting healthy self care completely fall by the wayside when things aren't "normal" (you are on vacation, you have house guests, it's your birthday etc.) you make a Plan B that you will use during those special times. 


You know the old saying "When you fail to plan you plan to fail." Our last challenge is for you to make a personal plan for you to follow when we are not competing in a Healthy Living Challenge.
See you in May ladies! And don't forget our last week's results and overall results will be pokey in coming as I am off on a cruise with no wi-fi for 8 days! I will get working on it as soon as I return.