Tag Archives | challenge

Countdown to Christmas Challenge – 3 Weeks Left!

By on December 9, 2010 in challenge, consistency/commitment, eating, goals, R2P4, working out

It’s that time again – time to recap my week for the Countdown to Christmas challenge hosted by Scale Warfare and Bella!

You may remember the rules:

1. Choose a specific, realistic goal that you can achieve by December 31st.
2. Post weekly updates (you choose the day) about your progress.
3. Add the challenge button to your blog post/sidebar.
4. Decide on a gift (reward) that you’ll give yourself when you meet your goal.

I am currently working on the following goals:

  • Commit to and follow-through on four structured workouts/week from now until the end of the year.  I have some travel time coming up, along with the normal scheduling challenges that we all face during the holidays!  So my goal is to make at least four structured workouts (and by structured, I mean “official” and not just a walk – trainer, weight lifting, running, gym, something) a priority in my schedule no matter what.
  • Be in bed by 10pm Sunday through Thursday nights.
  • Get up no later than 6:30 Monday through Friday mornings.
  • No snacking on the couch – the only eating allowed is a planned, pre-plated meal.
  • Shut my pie hole by 8:30 p.m. every night – no more eating!

In order, here’s how I’m doing:

Workouts: I had this one dialed this week, with three great training sessions and a run with a friend on Friday.  Can I tell you all (and myself, really) how much better I feel when I am working out regularly??

Bedtime: Last week I had been struggling with this since Thanksgiving, but I’m happy to report that this week, I’ve only missed doing this one out of my five nights – woo-hoo!  Does anyone else have a “problem” with reading in bed?  The kind where you start reading, get totally engrossed, and then realize it’s almost midnight and you’re still reading?  Yeah, that part of the equation is still an issue.

Early Wake-up: I mentioned sometime in the last week that I don’t really know if I am committed to this goal for the right reasons, and I still haven’t figured that out.  Regardless, I have not gotten up by 6:30 a.m. every morning during the week – I’m about 50% on this one.

No Snacking on Couch: Also something I struggled with last week, I am doing much better on this one this week.  I may look at choosing not to do any eating on the couch with the TV on; I’ll keep you p0sted.

8:30 p.m. – Kitchen Closes: This I am doing well with this week after struggling last week.  In fact, yesterday I “closed the kitchen” at 8:00 p.m. because I actually got home at a decent hour!  It takes some serious willpower for me, but I know I feel better when I don’t eat too close to bedtime, so this goal is definitely worth it for me.

So that’s my week – I’m doing pretty well.  My workouts are better than my eating, but I know that this LCJ (to crib Tara’s TLA) (that’s a Three Letter Acronym) (oh, the first one means Life Changing Journey)…okay, wait, what was I saying?  Oh, yeah – this LCJ is a process and I am giving myself lots of grace and never giving up so who cares if there are hard days along the way?  It’s not like I’m gonna quit.

How about you?  How’s life in your corner of the ‘net?  Anything we can help you with?  Any brags you want to share??

Comments { 2 }

Countdown to Christmas Challenge

By on December 2, 2010 in challenge, consistency/commitment, holiday, R2P4, working out

First off, if you haven’t had a chance to read my post on self-discipline and you have a moment, check it out.  The comments and some conversations I’ve been having with myself (yes, in my head, you gotta problem with that?) are making me think a lot more about that topic.  So there will be more to come on that in the near future!

Countdown to Christmas Challenge

Moving right along, it’s time to recap my week last two weeks for the Countdown to Christmas challenge hosted by Scale Warfare and Bella!

You may remember the rules:

1. Choose a specific, realistic goal that you can achieve by December 31st.
2. Post weekly updates (you choose the day) about your progress.
3. Add the challenge button to your blog post/sidebar.
4. Decide on a gift (reward) that you’ll give yourself when you meet your goal.

The first week of the challenge, I set my goal, which as a refresher is:

  • My goal: commit to and follow-through on four structured workouts/week from now until the end of the year.  I have some travel time coming up, along with the normal scheduling challenges that we all face during the holidays!  So my goal is to make at least four structured workouts (and by structured, I mean “official” and not just a walk – trainer, weight lifting, running, gym, something) a priority in my schedule no matter what.
  • I will post updates about my progress on the challenge on Thursdays each week.

Week before last, I added a couple more goals:

  • Be in bed by 10pm Sunday through Thursday nights.
  • Get up no later than 6:30 Monday through Friday mornings.
  • No snacking on the couch – the only eating allowed is a planned, pre-plated meal.
  • Shut my pie hole by 8:30 p.m. every night – no more eating!

As you all know (unless you are both living in a cave and have your head stuck in a hole), last week was Thanksgiving.  What you may not know is that two other circumstances combined to throw me for a loop – I got sick and Seattle got hit with a snowstorm of epic proportions (okay so it was 4 inches, bite me), making driving anywhere difficult.  Not because of the roads, but because Seattle drivers don’t know how to drive in snow so they create more of a hazard than the snow in the first place!  (Sorry I’m not sorry…you know it’s true!)

So the last two weeks I completed a sum total of…drumroll please…4 workouts.  Yep, you read that right – my weekly goal is 4 workouts, but I only fit in 4 workouts over the last two weeks.  So not what I had hoped to report!  But I am not beating myself up over it; instead I am working on getting back into my workout groove.  I’m confident that next week I’ll report a minimum of 4 workouts completed from today until next Wednesday.

The holiday, time off work, and being sick also threw my sleeping schedule off completely.  So I’m back to struggling to get up at 6 or 6:30 a.m.  Today Kim even gave me an awesome early morning wake up call…and I promptly rolled over and went back to sleep until 7:40 a.m.  This all ties back to the self-discipline post from yesterday, and what I’m trying to figure out is if getting up early is an important goal for me right now.  I think it is, but I am going to be doing some thinking and writing over the next few days so I can be sure I’m doing it because I want this to be my goal, instead of because I’m trying to jump on a bandwagon that’s not really important for me to be on.  So, as I said, more to come later.

And since I am all about the silver lining, I will share that despite my crazy sleep schedule, being sick, a holiday, an unexpected week off work, and being off my game workout-wise…and despite not having my scale to weigh myself in the mornings (something I generally do, it works for me) – I made mostly healthy choices and maintained my weight over the last two weeks.  I count that as a win!

How was your Thanksgiving?  How are you doing with your workout goals this week?

Comments { 4 }

Countdown to Christmas Challenge – Week 3

By on November 18, 2010 in challenge, consistency/commitment, eating, goals, R2P3, working out

Countdown to Christmas Challenge

Can you believe it’s been three weeks since I started, along with Scale Warfare and Bella, the Countdown to Christmas Challenge?  I won’t go over all the history; suffice it to say that my goal for this challenge was to get in four “official” (i.e., formal – running, weight training, yoga, etc.) per week until the New Year.  I’m happy to say that I’ve met that goal every week since I started!

How’d I do this week (my week runs from Thursday to Wednesday for this challenge)?  Thursday I worked out with my trainer.  Friday I walked for an hour with a friend.  Sunday I did 35 minutes of strength and core work.  Monday I did cardio at the gym.  And Tuedsay, I worked out with my trainer again.  Yep, you read it right – I got in five workouts this week, if you count the walking (it was brisk, so I do)!  I’m writing this early in the day on Wednesday, and if I can make my schedule contort like a Cirque du Soleil performer, I’ll be getting in a yoga workout tonight for SIX this week.  But if that doesn’t happen, I’m still doing well.

I’ve added a couple more goals to my life recently, and so I thought I’d go ahead and share them here so I can report in weekly while I’m at it!  They are:

  • Be in bed by 10pm Sunday through Thursday nights.
  • Get up no later than 6:30 Monday through Friday mornings.
  • No snacking on the couch – the only eating allowed is a planned, pre-plated meal.
  • Shut my pie hole by 8:30 p.m. every night – no more eating!

How are you all doing with your healthy goals right now?  Do you have a particular plan to stay on course over the holidays, or are you winging it?

Comments { 6 }

Countdown to Christmas Challenge Update

By on November 11, 2010 in challenge, consistency/commitment, R2P3, working out

It’s that time again, friends.  (Can I just tell you how happy I am that it’s Thursday??  Which (a) I am taking off work (don’t get too jealous, I’m running errands, in meetings, and doing other grown-up stuff all day) and (b) is the day before Friday?!?)  (Also, please ignore the overuse of parentheses.)

It’s that time again, to recap my week for the Countdown to Christmas challenge hosted by Scale Warfare and Bella!

Countdown to Christmas Challenge

You may remember the rules:

1. Choose a specific, realistic goal that you can achieve by December 31st.
2. Post weekly updates (you choose the day) about your progress.
3. Add the challenge button to your blog post/sidebar.
4. Decide on a gift (reward) that you’ll give yourself when you meet your goal.

The first week of the challenge, I set my goal, which as a refresher is:

  • My goal: commit to and follow-through on four structured workouts/week from now until the end of the year.  I have some travel time coming up, along with the normal scheduling challenges that we all face during the holidays!  So my goal is to make at least four structured workouts (and by structured, I mean “official” and not just a walk – trainer, weight lifting, running, gym, something) a priority in my schedule no matter what.
  • I will post updates about my progress on the challenge on Thursdays each week.

Without further ado, here’s my report for the week:

  • I successfully got in four workouts this week;
  • I had some struggles, though, including skipping a workout Tuesday when my plans changed at the last minute;
  • I am on track to get in four workouts easily this coming week.

I’m also on Phase 3 (maintenance, no starches & sugars) of my Protocol, and I am learning a lot about my “new” smaller body.  More to come on that in tomorrow’s post!

How are you doing with your challenge goals?  Have you set any goals to help you stay between the beacons from now until New Years?

Comments { 1 }

Countdown to Christmas Update

By on November 4, 2010 in challenge, consistency/commitment, goals, R2P2, running, working out

Hi friends!  I know, I know – it’s after 4pm and I’m just now posting?!  Let’s just call it a crazy week.  And by crazy, I mean that I just got back from a run.  Outdoors.  In 65ish degree weather.  In the sunshine.  In Seattle.  In November!!  #iminlove  And yes, I just hashtagged y’all in a blog post.

It’s that time again, to recap my week for the Countdown to Christmas challenge hosted by Scale Warfare and Bella!

Countdown to Christmas Challenge

You may remember the rules:

1. Choose a specific, realistic goal that you can achieve by December 31st.
2. Post weekly updates (you choose the day) about your progress.
3. Add the challenge button to your blog post/sidebar.
4. Decide on a gift (reward) that you’ll give yourself when you meet your goal.

Last week, I shared my “homework” with you, which as a refresher is:

  • My goal: commit to and follow-through on four structured workouts/week from now until the end of the year.  I have some travel time coming up, along with the normal scheduling challenges that we all face during the holidays!  So my goal is to make at least four structured workouts (and by structured, I mean “official” and not just a walk – trainer, weight lifting, running, gym, something) a priority in my schedule no matter what.
  • I will post updates about my progress on the challenge on Thursdays each week.

So, how’d I do?  Fantastic! My week, for the purpose of this challenge, runs from Thursday through Wednesday.  I worked out with my trainer last Thursday, did strength training, abs, and cardio at the gym on Saturday, ran an awesome 5K on Sunday, and worked out with Shannon again on Tuesday.  Four workouts, natch!  I know I will do equally well this coming week – I’m already off to a great start with today’s run around the lake!

How are you all doing with your workouts?  Have you set any goals to get you through the end of the year with your commitment to healthy living intact?

Comments { 4 }