How much sugar do you drink?

I've seen this image posted through various sites and I'm unsure of who posted it originally, but I find it very informative and kind of disturbing.  I think I'll stick with water!  Wow.

I Hear You!

I just want you to know that I am reading your feedback and I'm listening!  I will agree with those of you that said that this was one of the easier challenges you've participated in.  Don't worry, I can  and will remedy that. ;)  I'm loving some of your great suggestions and appreciation, too!  It's nice to know that what we do makes a difference.

Also, I think I should explain the reasons behind the points submission deadline.  I've stayed with Monday because I really have no desire to spend my weekend nights working numbers.  My weekends are about date nights and family time and a lot of people go out of town on weekends so it might be hard to remember to submit points before taking off.  Since this isn't all about me, I've heard many people say that they stay in control better on the weekends if they know that they have a weigh-in Monday morning.  I'll agree with that.  I set the time at 8 pm MST because that's when my kids are in bed and I can spend a 2-3 hour chunk of time working numbers, sending emails, writing the results post, etc.  Yes, it really can take that long, especially when points are late.  Which brings me to the MAIN reason I moved the time up, late points!  Previously, with a 10 pm deadline, I was often up until 1 am every Monday night trying to finish up numbers.  Yeah, I know I signed up for this, cry me a river...but it was my reality and I came to realize that though I LOVE helping people with their health goals, I was neglecting my own health in the process and something needed to change.  So I changed the time and I've really felt the difference.  I figure we have all day long to get the points in so if it's easier to put them in first thing in the morning (that's a usual weigh in time) or during a lunch break go for it.  Some know that Monday's are just too hard for them so they submit on Sundays.  I'm okay with that as long as it's consistent.  In the end, my guess is that no matter what time I pick for a deadline there will still be those who wait until 5 min before (or 1 hour after) to submit their points.  So...aside from going to an all or none stance (your points are in by a certain time or zero points for you, no exceptions) I'm out of ideas.  Feel free to chime in with more suggestions in the comments and maybe we can come to a solution together.

Again, just a reminder that the Registration and Payment Deadline for the upcoming challenge is May 25th at 11:59 pm.  I will not be limiting the amount of teams that can sign up so feel free to spread the news!

WEDNESDAY TIP

Doing the same workout over and over again gets, well....really boring and you might find yourself not wanting to do any kind of exercise anymore.  So, DO SOMETHING NEW!!

If you usually use a video, go outside.

If you workout alone, bring a buddy along.

If you always run, spice it up with a little Zumba!

If you're drawn to the same step class week after week, try Body Pump or Yoga.

If you walk the same track, mix it up and find a hilly area or go on a hike.

If you lift weights, try swimming.

Try dancing, circuits at the park, martial arts, team sports, obstacle courses, skipping...whatever, just keep things interesting!

HOT TOPIC WEEK 8

This week's HOT TOPIC is all about FEEDBACK...


As always, we like to make each challenge better and better each time.  So, in your comment this week, please help us make these challenges successful by answering the following 3 questions... (please be honest and respectful)

1. What did you enjoy most about the health challenge?
2. What did you NOT enjoy at all about the health challenge?
3. What weekly bonuses did you find most effective and ineffective (and why)?
 
***Be sure to take a few minutes this week to comment on this question to earn those 5 points!!***

WEEK 7 RESULTS

This sodium Bonus was a first here at the Lifetime Wellness Challenge and I actually really liked it. I'd change a couple of things to help it be more effective, but overall I think it helped me realize just how much sodium was in the foods I often eat.  I also learned that almost all the sodium I was consuming came from the processed foods we have;  lunch meats, salad dressings, sauces, even sugars and chicken.  Yes, chicken and here's why.  Many companies actually inject the chicken with a chicken broth aka sodium to enhance flavor and plump them up so they can charge you more.  Nice, double whammy.  I hope you learned some helpful things this week also.

Wow!  Another week down and only ONE more to go!!  Remember that this last week will be a "measure week" so be sure to check the "faq" if you're unsure of what to do.  Your spreadsheet is a fabulous tool that can do all the hard work for you if you input your information.

Lastly, if this experience has been helpful to you please feel free to forward those emails regarding the upcoming challenge, post it to FB or however you want to get the word out!  Be sure to get your teams organized early so you're not scrambling at the last minute to pull it all together.

Thanks for another great week!! PS.  The numbers are ridiculously close so be sure to submit your points early and work your tails off this week.  How sad would it be to lose by 15 late points?
COMPETITION 1
TEAM 1 - Lovely Ladies
TEAM 2 - Taco Meat Redemption
TEAM 3 - CHAOS 
TEAM 4 - Tuff Enuff
TEAM 5 - Size Does Matter
BIGGEST LOSER: Burdette W. lost 5 lbs this week!!


COMPETITION 2
TEAM 1 - GoGo Team
TEAM 2 - Sunshine Ladies
TEAM 3 - Killer Bees
TEAM 4 - Hedgehogs Return
TEAM 5 - Booty Busters
BIGGEST LOSER: Since so many reported a 1 lb loss, I'll highlight the team with the most reported 1 lb loses.  That is  the Go Go Team with 4 - 1 lb losses reported!!


COMPETITION 3
TEAM 1 - Purple Pudge Busters
TEAM 2 - ROCKSTaRS
TEAM 3 - Goal Getters
TEAM 4 - Beauties & the Beast
TEAM 5 - Wood Monsters
BIGGEST LOSER:  Julie P. lost 3 lbs this week!!


COMPETITION 4
TEAM 1 - Sweet As's
TEAM 2 - 19 Kids & Counting
TEAM 3 - Waist Watchers
TEAM 4 - Fat FREE
TEAM 5 - Sole Sisters
BIGGEST LOSER: Holly R. lost 3 lbs this week!!


*NOTE: The colors are just to add variety, they are NOT indicative of a team color.

Motivate Me! Monday

I took part in the Winter challenge so the beginning of my success stems back to January. I was at a point where I wanted to get rid of those extra baby pounds that never seemed to go away (my baby was almost 2) but it seemed like with each child (I have 3) I never lost those last 5-10 lbs so each pregnancy started out a little more weight wise than the last one did so I was carrying about 20 lbs extra than I really wanted. My goal was to be back to what I weighed before I had entered the world of babies!! I had a "goal" skirt so I called it, that I wore before pregnancy and I badly wanted to be able to zip it up and wear it again!!! I was so grateful to my sister in law who got me on board because for some reason being accountable to others was one of the secrets to my success. I put every effort in and am so happy to say that I am down to what I weighed before I became pregnant with my first child and i'm feeling great. I am back in my "goal" skirt too!!! I must admit that I slipped a little in between the winter challenge ending and the spring challenge starting but i've been back on track the last 4 weeks and i'm at that golden weight for me and ready to push forward to maintain what I have worked so hard for. Things that kept me on track were like I said, being accountable to others especially if I didn't feel like exercising, no eating past 9pm and seeing the changes that were taking place in my body. It is kind of addictive!!!
-Maria S.