Challenge details
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binkyjeni
Posts: 3 Member
We're going to go from 10/17/16-12/12/16.
THIS IS NOT A CRASH DIET. This is a jump-start for a healthier lifestyle, not an extreme makeover. If you, like me, look like a lumpy sack of potatoes, you’re not going to look runway ready after this. Your sack may have a few less potatoes. But it’s better than being the same sack of potatoes in another 8 weeks by choosing to do nothing at all, right?
OH NO, IT GOES THROUGH THANKSGIVING. Yes, it does. The average Thanksgiving meal is 4500 calories. You can probably enjoy the taste of Thanksgiving without the remorse. I HAVE FAITH IN YOU.
In order to complete this challenge, you are agreeing to:
1) Complete all the sign-up activities to get a clear assessment of where you're starting and what your goals are.
2) Track your food daily in MyFitnessPal, I've created a group here: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/116601-vcbc-8-week-fitness-challenge
3) Exercise for at least 30 minutes, 3 times a week
4) Participate in / contribute to the weekly meetings and message boards
5) Be accountable and encouraging to yourself and others
6) Treat yourself and others with love
More details on each of the above items:
SIGN-UP ACTIVITIES
So, why do you want to do a fitness challenge?
I know personally, I want to lose some inches I’ve gained in the past few years, and while I won’t be able to lose it in 8 weeks, I think a challenge with a group of gals is a fun way to jump start my goal to start living a more healthful lifestyle again.
I encourage you to take some time and think about why you’re joining this challenge, and what you want out of it. Please keep in mind that we’re only going for 8 weeks, and while it can seem like an eternity if you’ve vowed to give up sugar for that time, it goes by really fast. You’re not going to lose 30 pounds. You’re not going to go down 4 sizes. And if you manage to do either of those things in 8 weeks, your results won’t stick. I also know that not everyone wants to lose weight or size; some of you may want to gain muscle or just some stamina. Make your goals realistic so that you don’t set yourself up for failure. Whatever it is, write it down. It’s easier to achieve something when you know what you’re doing and why you’re doing it.
Now, the fun stuff:
Choose an outfit that you’re going to wear for your assessments. Remember this outfit so that you always do your measurements and weigh-ins in the same clothing to get the most accurate measure of your progress. If you’re doing it in the buff, all the better!
Take your measurements. Write them down.
Bust: Measure all the way around your bust and back on the line of your nipples.
Chest: Measure directly under your breasts, as high up as possible.
Waist: Measure at its narrowest point width-wise, usually just above the navel.
Hips: Measure around the widest part of the hip bones.
Thighs: Measure around fullest part of upper leg while standing
Calves: Measure around fullest part.
Upper arm: Measure above your elbows – around fullest part.
b) Weigh yourself, write that down.
c) Take some “before” photos of yourself from the front, both sides, and if you have a buddy to do this for you (or are crazy flexible?!), from the back.
d) Now that you have set a goal and taken your measurements, calculate your nutritional needs here:
http://macronutrientcalculator.com/
I suggest using the “Help Me Find My Daily Calories Needs” button instead of inserting a guess for your daily calorie intake. They use the Harris-Benedict equation to calculate your BMR and then calculate a calorie need based on your goals. Then you can either use their presets to determine your macronutrient regiment, or you can use the sliders to customize your own. The reason for this step is that I’ve found that paying attention to macronutrients is far more effective for success in body change than calorie counting alone. If you want a cliff’s notes version on what ratios will work for your goals, you can find that here: http://www.bodybuilding.com/content/macro-math-3-keys-to-dialing-in-your-macro-ratios.html
2) Track your food daily in MyFitnessPal
I've created a group here: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/116601-vcbc-8-week-fitness-challenge
Doing this is a pain in the *kitten*. However, tracking your food is one of the most reliable ways to achieve your fitness goals. Also, having a group of people doing this with you, and being able to see what you eat, will make it easier to say no to that brownie or second glass of wine.
3) Exercise for at least 30 minutes, 3 times a week.
This can be any type of exercise, but it should get your heart rate up, enough so that someone would be able to tell if they were holding a conversation with you. If you happen to use an app that tracks your activities, all the better! I use Runkeeper, and if you want to join me, you can find me with my username: binkyjeni@gmail.com. Some people wear a FitBit or similar fitness tracker and walk around all day with that thing on. I’m asking for 30 minutes of exercise outside your normal activity, so wandering around your normal day wearing a FitBit doesn’t count!
4) Participate in / contribute to the weekly meetings and message boards
I’d like to meet once a week to participate in a physical activity. I’ll only be able to do this on Sundays, mostly in the morning. I’m proposing things like hikes, bike rides, yoga classes, a game of tag, etc. I think it would be great to get together and get some exercise in, and also talk about our week. What did we succeed at? What were our struggles? We’ve decided to do a group challenge, so I think it’s important to connect as a group.
Also, during the week, let’s communicate with each other online. I’ll be sharing recipes and exercise challenges. It would be great to see what everyone else has to contribute!
5) Be accountable and encouraging to yourself and others
Check in and check up. We can’t help you stay on track if you don’t let us know what you’re up to and how you’re doing. Likewise, if you see that someone in the group is doing well or driving the struggle bus, let them know that you see them. Sometimes someone giving a virtual kudo for dragging your tired *kitten* out the door for a walk after dinner can really make a difference.
Oh - and as an incentive, if you happen to use all those new fandangled apps out there, there’s one called “achievemint”, which syncs with MyFitnessPal and RunKeeper and various other things, and it claims it will pay you money after you earn 10,000 points. www.achievemint.com
There’s also one called pactapp, which forces you to stay accountable by making you put money on it. If you don’t make your goal, it fines you. If you do make your goal, it pays you. You get to set your own goals and amounts. www.pactapp.com
6) Treat yourself and others with love
While I may self-assess as a lumpy sack of potatoes, I’m not here to judge anyone, and I’m certainly not here to promote any sort of body-shaming. Love who you are and use that to carry you to your goal. That’s why I’m doing this - because I know I’m worth the effort of self-care, I just need to make the time.
Have patience. Changing your body takes time. The shorthand is that it takes 4 weeks for you to start seeing any results when you start a new fitness regiment, and 8 weeks for other people to see it. A more in-depth look at how long it takes to see results can be found here: https://www.fitnessblender.com/blog/how-long-after-working-out-do-you-see-results-a-breakdown-by-goal
Ultimately, I hope everyone takes something away from this challenge. At the end of the 8 weeks, I think we should have a potluck with our new healthy recipes and revel in our successes.
THIS IS NOT A CRASH DIET. This is a jump-start for a healthier lifestyle, not an extreme makeover. If you, like me, look like a lumpy sack of potatoes, you’re not going to look runway ready after this. Your sack may have a few less potatoes. But it’s better than being the same sack of potatoes in another 8 weeks by choosing to do nothing at all, right?
OH NO, IT GOES THROUGH THANKSGIVING. Yes, it does. The average Thanksgiving meal is 4500 calories. You can probably enjoy the taste of Thanksgiving without the remorse. I HAVE FAITH IN YOU.
In order to complete this challenge, you are agreeing to:
1) Complete all the sign-up activities to get a clear assessment of where you're starting and what your goals are.
2) Track your food daily in MyFitnessPal, I've created a group here: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/116601-vcbc-8-week-fitness-challenge
3) Exercise for at least 30 minutes, 3 times a week
4) Participate in / contribute to the weekly meetings and message boards
5) Be accountable and encouraging to yourself and others
6) Treat yourself and others with love
More details on each of the above items:
SIGN-UP ACTIVITIES
So, why do you want to do a fitness challenge?
I know personally, I want to lose some inches I’ve gained in the past few years, and while I won’t be able to lose it in 8 weeks, I think a challenge with a group of gals is a fun way to jump start my goal to start living a more healthful lifestyle again.
I encourage you to take some time and think about why you’re joining this challenge, and what you want out of it. Please keep in mind that we’re only going for 8 weeks, and while it can seem like an eternity if you’ve vowed to give up sugar for that time, it goes by really fast. You’re not going to lose 30 pounds. You’re not going to go down 4 sizes. And if you manage to do either of those things in 8 weeks, your results won’t stick. I also know that not everyone wants to lose weight or size; some of you may want to gain muscle or just some stamina. Make your goals realistic so that you don’t set yourself up for failure. Whatever it is, write it down. It’s easier to achieve something when you know what you’re doing and why you’re doing it.
Now, the fun stuff:
Choose an outfit that you’re going to wear for your assessments. Remember this outfit so that you always do your measurements and weigh-ins in the same clothing to get the most accurate measure of your progress. If you’re doing it in the buff, all the better!
Take your measurements. Write them down.
Bust: Measure all the way around your bust and back on the line of your nipples.
Chest: Measure directly under your breasts, as high up as possible.
Waist: Measure at its narrowest point width-wise, usually just above the navel.
Hips: Measure around the widest part of the hip bones.
Thighs: Measure around fullest part of upper leg while standing
Calves: Measure around fullest part.
Upper arm: Measure above your elbows – around fullest part.
b) Weigh yourself, write that down.
c) Take some “before” photos of yourself from the front, both sides, and if you have a buddy to do this for you (or are crazy flexible?!), from the back.
d) Now that you have set a goal and taken your measurements, calculate your nutritional needs here:
http://macronutrientcalculator.com/
I suggest using the “Help Me Find My Daily Calories Needs” button instead of inserting a guess for your daily calorie intake. They use the Harris-Benedict equation to calculate your BMR and then calculate a calorie need based on your goals. Then you can either use their presets to determine your macronutrient regiment, or you can use the sliders to customize your own. The reason for this step is that I’ve found that paying attention to macronutrients is far more effective for success in body change than calorie counting alone. If you want a cliff’s notes version on what ratios will work for your goals, you can find that here: http://www.bodybuilding.com/content/macro-math-3-keys-to-dialing-in-your-macro-ratios.html
2) Track your food daily in MyFitnessPal
I've created a group here: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/116601-vcbc-8-week-fitness-challenge
Doing this is a pain in the *kitten*. However, tracking your food is one of the most reliable ways to achieve your fitness goals. Also, having a group of people doing this with you, and being able to see what you eat, will make it easier to say no to that brownie or second glass of wine.
3) Exercise for at least 30 minutes, 3 times a week.
This can be any type of exercise, but it should get your heart rate up, enough so that someone would be able to tell if they were holding a conversation with you. If you happen to use an app that tracks your activities, all the better! I use Runkeeper, and if you want to join me, you can find me with my username: binkyjeni@gmail.com. Some people wear a FitBit or similar fitness tracker and walk around all day with that thing on. I’m asking for 30 minutes of exercise outside your normal activity, so wandering around your normal day wearing a FitBit doesn’t count!
4) Participate in / contribute to the weekly meetings and message boards
I’d like to meet once a week to participate in a physical activity. I’ll only be able to do this on Sundays, mostly in the morning. I’m proposing things like hikes, bike rides, yoga classes, a game of tag, etc. I think it would be great to get together and get some exercise in, and also talk about our week. What did we succeed at? What were our struggles? We’ve decided to do a group challenge, so I think it’s important to connect as a group.
Also, during the week, let’s communicate with each other online. I’ll be sharing recipes and exercise challenges. It would be great to see what everyone else has to contribute!
5) Be accountable and encouraging to yourself and others
Check in and check up. We can’t help you stay on track if you don’t let us know what you’re up to and how you’re doing. Likewise, if you see that someone in the group is doing well or driving the struggle bus, let them know that you see them. Sometimes someone giving a virtual kudo for dragging your tired *kitten* out the door for a walk after dinner can really make a difference.
Oh - and as an incentive, if you happen to use all those new fandangled apps out there, there’s one called “achievemint”, which syncs with MyFitnessPal and RunKeeper and various other things, and it claims it will pay you money after you earn 10,000 points. www.achievemint.com
There’s also one called pactapp, which forces you to stay accountable by making you put money on it. If you don’t make your goal, it fines you. If you do make your goal, it pays you. You get to set your own goals and amounts. www.pactapp.com
6) Treat yourself and others with love
While I may self-assess as a lumpy sack of potatoes, I’m not here to judge anyone, and I’m certainly not here to promote any sort of body-shaming. Love who you are and use that to carry you to your goal. That’s why I’m doing this - because I know I’m worth the effort of self-care, I just need to make the time.
Have patience. Changing your body takes time. The shorthand is that it takes 4 weeks for you to start seeing any results when you start a new fitness regiment, and 8 weeks for other people to see it. A more in-depth look at how long it takes to see results can be found here: https://www.fitnessblender.com/blog/how-long-after-working-out-do-you-see-results-a-breakdown-by-goal
Ultimately, I hope everyone takes something away from this challenge. At the end of the 8 weeks, I think we should have a potluck with our new healthy recipes and revel in our successes.
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