The 30-Day Challenge Team Reports In!

I hope you will gain some inspiration by following the progress of the members of this 30-Day Challenge Team.

These brave people have agreed to stay accountable and committed to their goal for the next 30-days by reporting publicly to you!

Notice the passion and desire they have all expressed for wanting to make their goal successful… do you have a powerful “why” for achieving your goal? I think when you do, the “how” will come easily.

If you are reading this please feel free to support them by following their progress and cheering them on. They will greatly welcome your feedback in the comment box!

Tara Chantler

1.        Lose 5 lbs by August 25^th

^{2.       Clean a 44lb KettleBell}

3.       Be able to do 5 body weight pull ups

Why I want these goals

1.        I need to break this plateau.  I want to create less stress on my joints.  I will feel happier about myself when I do this.  It is important to me to lose that excess weight.

2.       I want to be able to say that I can do that.  I want to feel stronger.  I want to know that I can take care of myself.  It is important to me to be able to do this because I will be proud of myself.

3.       I will be so proud of myself when I can do those pull-ups.  Not many people can do them.

The biggest reason why I want to be able to accomplish these goals are because I want to say that I have accomplished “this” in thirty days … what can I do in another thirty?  I have been stuck in a rut and I think that this challenge will help me focus mentally to keep with the program and not get lost.  I need this accountability and help.  Emotionally I need this too.

Elly Fitzig

My goal for the 30-Day Challenge is to:

(1) Lose a minimum of 5 pounds by August 24, 2009

(2) Prepare my mind and body for gallbladder surgery on August 6^th and minimize recovery time

(3) Reduce stress levels

To lose a minimum of 5 pounds, I will:

–Exercise 15 minutes per day, 5 days a week, either in (3) 5-minute intervals or one 15-minute walk. After my recovery period, I will increase this to 20 minutes, 5 days a week, using the following plan:

Mon.-Wed.-Fri.:

Walking, hand weights, or balance ball

Tues. and Thurs.:

Yoga, meditation, or visualization

–Set aside time each day, 7 days a week to:

Plan healthier meals

Keep a food journal on www.fitday.com

Read about wellness

Develop affirmations

Become more mindful of my senses

–In addition, I will:

Eat organic food whenever possible

Increase my water intake to 64 oz./day

Go to bed by 11 PM 5 nights per week, and build up to 7-8 hours of sleep per night.

Use an online wellness-related support group like Lauren’s blog

To prepare my body for gallbladder surgery on August 6^th and minimize recovery time, I will also:

–Do deep breathing and relaxation exercises for 5 minutes each day

–Visualize myself healing and becoming one with nature

–Watch episodes of “Family Guy” to make me laugh, but not so much that it hurts!

To reduce stress levels, I will also:

–Help my parents resolve plans for assisted living

–Surround myself with positive people

–Listen to Louisa Chan’s tapes on managing stress

I believe it is vital that I achieve this goal, in order to be healthier and make wellness a life-long commitment. I am 61 years old and 5’ 1”. I began this challenge on July 20^th at 159.5 pounds, and am now 155.5 pounds. I find myself winded while walking long distances or climbing stairs. I was recently in the hospital CCU with esophageal spasms and am now having gallbladder surgery.

I will stay on track and make positive, life-long changes. I will break the habit of emotional eating and of dining in front of the TV, which relieves loneliness, as I work from home. I will continue journaling my food. By using an online support group, I’ll have the reinforcement of a team and will be able to help others. I will also plan meals for the week before I go food shopping, and avoid last-minute dinner decisions, which often result in take-out. Meal preparation will be a lot of fun, especially when my husband and I cook together during the weekend for the week ahead. When we do eat out, I’ll look for healthier choices on the menu and continue, as I do now, to take home one-half of my entrée.

I plan to release 30 pounds within the next year by following the plan above. It is essential that I build my endurance, balance, and reduce my weight and stress levels, in order to live longer and improve the quality of my life. I see myself exploring more of the world, climbing up the steps of Machu Picchu or hiking in Antarctica in the next few years. Time to bring it on!

Ellen Goodwin

My Goal:

To release 5 pounds during the 30 Day Challenge. To go from 148.8 (this morning’s weight-July 28, 2009) to 143.8 by the end of the challenge on August 24, 2009. I will do this by journaling what I eat and how I work out (a minimum of 20 minutes per day). I will take a walk every day, preferably after work and before dinner and I will limit my alcohol intake.

Why this is important:

This will represent a jump start to my ultimate goal of releasing 14 pounds. These are pounds that have taken over my mental dialogue and releasing them will prove to me that I can set goals and attain them. That the voices that tell me I am too fat and that I can’t wear cute clothes, can be silenced. That the stories I tell myself about food and exercise aren’t always right.

Sonja Jones

My goals are to increase my cardio by doing a hill run near my home, and take 2 of Marc Leberts boxing classes, and 1 kickboxing class.

I will work up to 20 times up and down the hill and do the hill 2 times each week, and for 30-days I will consistently go take all 3 boxing classes every week.

I will stay accountable by posting this challenge on the blog, and showing up at the boxing classes.

Why? I have put myself on the backburner for years, and it’s my time NOW! That is the driving force behind the working out method. I see myself more fit, with a smaller a*s, smaller stomach, leaner thighs, wearing smaller clothes, feeling great and looking HOT! Vain yes, but at the end of the day it’s to look and feel good.

Peggie Larson

Specific:  I will consistently follow the Insanity Program.  I will keep a food diary.  I will plan my meals and eat 1700 to 1800 calories per day of high quality, non-processed foods.  I will lose 8 or more pounds during the 30-day challenge.  I will continue to lead a healthy lifestyle.

Measurable: I will lose at least 8 pounds during the 30-day challenge.  I will lose 2 pounds per week.

Accountable:  I will be accountable to myself by recording what I eat and my exercise in a journal, which I will add to every day.  I will also be blogging on your webpage.

Realistic – I believe my goals are very realistic.  2 pounds per week is very doable.

Time Bound: I will be able to reach my goals in 30 days.  I will record my food and exercise, which will encourage me to do well each and every day.

Emotional: by eating healthy and continuing an exercise program, I will feel better about my body and not be so hard on myself.

I will feel more energetic and be physically and emotionally strong.

Reviewed often: I believe by recording my food an exercise I will be reviewing my goals often.  I plan on using your idea of writing my goals out on a card and carrying it with me all the time.

I am excited to take the 30-day challenge.

Clyde Matthews

Specific – I was interested with some help in reaching the goal of 100 push-ups and 10-15 pull-ups. I train regularly with kettlebells, bands, total gym, sledgehammers, and martial arts. I will start implementing weighted push-ups and strict pull-ups to failure immediately followed by slightly assisted pull-ups with partner twice a week.

Measurable – 40-45 push-ups and 6-7 pull-ups (baseline of 26 push-ups, 4 strict pull-ups)

Accountable – blog, training partner

Reasonable – I think in 30 days I should be able to complete 40-45 push-ups and 6-7 pull-ups.

Time bound- 30-days

Emotional Reason- I enjoy setting and achieving goals, I will share a couple with you that I have completed. The ultimate goal for a distance runner is to complete a marathon (I’ve completed 2: 26.2 milers & 3 ultras: 31 miles). The ultimate goal for a cyclist is to ride 100 miles (My wife and I have completed Hotter n Hell 2 times on our tandem and Waco Wild West Century once). For years I have heard that doing 100 push-ups and 20-25 pull-ups is quite a feat and when your offer came in my email inbox, I thought this would be a great opportunity for me to begin achieving this goal.

Reviewed often- Keep track of total number of weighted push-ups and strict pull-ups each training session and try to improve each time.

Beth Muhlenkamp

I will jog at least 3 times a week on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday’s in the morning before work for 30 minutes, and work on increasing my jogging time each week.

I have several goals that I am working one at the present time which include physical, emotional, spiritual, etc. but the reason I chose this goal for the 30 day challenge was because I have a goal of someday running a marathon.  I have never been a runner but I have been working on running most of this year.  I was doing pretty good but I have lost my motivation and focus and have let my running slip over the past couple of months.  I am ready to get back on track and work on my running again.

I will be starting out at jogging for 3 minutes and walking 1 minute and increase my jogging time by 1 minute each week so at the end of the 30 days I will be doing a doing a combination of a 6 minute jog and a 1 minute walk for a total 30 minutes.  The 30 minutes does not include warm up and cool down times.

My motivation for doing this challenge and goal is:

1.  So I can feel good about myself for accomplishing I put my mind to.

2.  I know I will feel better all the way around because my body will be toning up and I will like what I see when I look in the mirror.

3.  I just recently found out that I have a pretty high HDL BUT I also have a high LDL on my Cholesterol reading and I am pretty upset about this since I do eat pretty good, exercise currently, and the fact that I am only 26 years old and you never think it can happen to you.  The doctor thinks it’s genetic, and that this is something that I am going to have to battle for the rest of my life.  So this gives me more motivation to exercise and even increase my exercise.

4.  I also tell people that running is my anti-depressant because I know when I am running regularly my mood is a lot better.

5.  I want to be a good role model to my family, friends, and clients.  I want them to see that yes it can be done, no it’s not always going to be easy but what’s the fun accomplishing something that was easy?!

My support system includes:  God, my mom, my co-worker Teresa, and this group.

Michelle Perrone

My goal is to do 3 days of strength training for 30 minutes each day and 3 days of cardio training for 30 minutes each day.

The reason to get this goal accomplished is because  I’ve always gone to the gym and worked out.  It bothers me that I am out of shape. I can tell because I get out of breath easier than before and I see that I am not as toned as before.  I have that tiny pouch in my belly and am anxious to get rid of it. I feel that by having your core strong it makes you physically stronger.

How Lisa Anderson Lost 75 Pounds! Exclusive Interview

LAUREN- Lisa… you went from weighing 212 pounds back in September of 2006 and today, you are 75 pounds lighter weighing in at 137 pounds! First of all, congratulations!

LISA- Thanks Lauren, I always say… “I am the luckiest girl I know” I not only look and feel better…but I am developing “real muscle”… I never knew I could.

LAUREN- I want to thank you for taking the time to share your story on this blog. You are such a model for the message I try to hammer in all the time, I thought it might be nice for everyone to hear it from someone who has been there and done it, and more importantly maintained it!

LISA- You have no idea how much I love to share hoping I can help and inspire others…I know what it is like to want to get healthy… feel better… want to like what you see in the mirror…I want others to know it is possible… just believe in yourself… it’s worth the time…

LAUREN- Was there a root cause for why you put on so much weight in the first place? Did you address this issue in order to lose the weight and keep it off?

LISA- Life just happens.  Days turn into weeks, which turn into months and eventually into years! I still don’t know how that happens… time just seems to fly by and that “starting date” of Monday or the first of the month never seems to come.  I kept putting if off and before I realized it… I found myself 49 years old and weighing 212 lbs.

I was shocked needless to say.  I definitely avoided mirrors and having my picture taken for so long. I just kept wearing the sweat pants with the elastic waist and denying what was truly happening to my body and to me.

I had spent approximately a year taking care of my sick mother not to mention my 4 children and husband and completely did not think about my own self and what was happening to me.

LAUREN- Was there a point where you just hit a wall, a time when something clicked inside you to make you want to change? [Read more]

30-Day Challenge Complete!

Week 3

As I go through the 30-day challenge, it seems I have encountered
some of the “obstacles” that often get in peoples way.

This week was particularly challenging because I came home with a
minor respiratory bug I caught on the airplane last week.
Fortunately, it wasn’t swine flu, just a cold!

So this week, I didn’t try to break any records, the goal was to go
out there and try. If I felt I was compromising my health, I would
have stopped, but as it turned out, I got through 5 uphill runs and
5 downhill walks.

Like I said, not record time, but it felt good to get it done, in
spite of the obstacle of feeling congested.

I am not a big advocate by the way of working out when you are
sick. I think you need to listen to your body and know when you are
too sick and should rest vs. when it is something you can work through.

When you encounter an obstacle, it is important to reframe the
situation so that the obstacle doesn’t become an excuse to not
complete what you have signed on to do.

Was the fact that I traveling last week really an obstacle, or just
more challenging? Feeling slightly under the weather was
challenging too, but you are not always going to be on top of your
game.

Think about other situations that at first seem to be an obstacle or get
in your way of your progress. Do you throw in the towel or stay in
the game?

Now think of when you overcame that difficulty, and how much better
you felt. In spite of the challenge, you found success.

I still want to hear how those of you who took this 30-day
challenge are doing. I am already thinking of my next 30-day
challenge, are you?

I just saw the movie Food, Inc. and if you haven’t seen it I highly
recommend you check it out. I am telling you this because it is a
hint to my next 30-day challenge!

Live with Vitality,
Lauren