Team amazing_grace♥ (CLOSED GROUP)

amazing_grace♥

This post is for the Team amazing_grace♥ (CLOSED GROUP) for the "Kick the Crap out of August" Challenge.

This is what I know so far.....
This challenge begins August 1 and runs for the entire month! :drinker:
I will log the total weight loss of our group (as a whole) each week.

Teams will be awarded extra points by completing the exercise challenges each week. We will get 5 points for each day the entire team logs its exercise challenge as complete. These points will be added to the total weight loss of the team.

Exercise challenges: variety of cardio exercises, distance challenges, food challenges (for when our team meets their caloric goal and logs) and strength challenges.

WHAT I NEED FROM YOU..... Please send me your realistic weight loss goal for the month. ALSO, please send me your ideas as we need to come up with a list of 7 challenges for the month. 2 cardio challenges, 2 distance challenges, 1 food challenge, and 2 strenth challenges. These will be used to fuel the monthly competition.

I'll post more information here on this thread as I know more about the challenge, but if you have any questions, you can send me a message, or ask me here. Gary6030 is the guy that is heading this up, so you can also shoot a message to him.

I'm excited to kick the crap out of August!!! Yeah!! :noway:

maureendonahue

I am going for 10 lbs in August.

As for challenges, the strength challenges should be something you can do at home for those that don't have access to a gym. Maybe curls/situps, lunges, squats, push-ups. You get the idea. Strength training is something I need to do, but don't. (Yet!)

For food, my biggest challenge is getting in my water. So maybe something like that, or keeping your sodium levels below target each day.

Cardio and distance? Right now, all I do is walk (either outside or treadmill) or ride the stationary bike (although that kills my butt after 15 min!)

I am really looking forward to this!

amazing_grace♥

Here are the names of the people on our team – I would encourage you to “friend” each other and to get to know each other. I'm the Team Captain and will probably start a new thread each week so that it doesn’t get “out-of-control” long…. Lol. In the meantime, feel free to chat, post pics, or tell us a little about yourself! Remember the actual ‘challenge’ doesn’t start until
August 1.

1. lisawmyers
2. maureendonahue
3. edithrenee
4. clew
5. kat5343
6. TNGirlyGirl
7. Song2Sing
8. taranmisty
9. carrriebear
10. caza6464
11. deidreJean
12. EllieBellie1
13. cblackb
14. SarahRuth♥
15. lisaap77
16. Ginial1479
17. Xtine72
18. musky4
19. healthymern10
20. walkingingrace2011

lisawmyers

My goal for August is 8 lbs.

amazing_grace♥

My goal for August is 12 pounds!! Whoo-hoo!!

I know that's alot, but I'm tired of not meeting my mini-goals on time.. I'M GONNA BE DOWN 45 POUNDS (TOTAL) BY LABOR DAY!!!!!! :drinker:

TNGirlyGirl

My goal for August is 10 lbs, which will be a real challenge for me as I go back to work August 8th and my workout time will be more limited! This is just what I need to stay on track and not quit working out

Ideas for challenges:
20 miles (walk/run or bike ride) in one week
100 crunches/sit ups a day for one week
12 glasses of water a day
25 pushups a day
30 minutes of exercise a day

song2sing

Hey everyone, how exciting is this and look at our amazing team!! We have an amazing team captain who will be a great encourager and butt kicker as she kicks her own butt daily!!

My goal for August is 8 to 10 pounds!

Some things that I enjoy doing and find them cardio and strength challenging: fast walk to jog, walk while pumping arm to jumping jacks to walking while twisting core, some Jillian Michaels jack planks, lifting 3 to 5 lb weights while exercising, stretch bands to do crunches, etc. peak training intervals with Michelle Dozois (video), Zumba dancing (youtube), hiking cross country, walking, walking, walking to name just a few! I don't have a bike or exercise equipment so I use what I have around the house and enjoy the challenge of seeing what I can find to do around our home and mini farm!

Good luck to all!

Joyful in the Journey
song2sing:flowerforyou:

lisaap77

My goal is 10 lbs.

I agree that the challenges should consist of things we can do at home with no special equipment. TNGirlyGirl has some great ideas.

For food I think it should be something like more fiber, more lean protein, and more water.

DeidreJean

My goal for August is also 10 lbs- I really want to lose 45-55 more lbs by my next birthday (Jan. 23), and this would be a good start

getsveltEagain

My goal for August is to be down 8 pounds which is a 2 pound loss each week. So on the 1st I will weighin (hopefully at 172) and want to lose 2 pounds each Monday (reaching 164). But I will do a final weighout on the 31st

Some ideas for challenges are to do 100 squats/crunches/lats a day for the week, walk/run/jog a mile more than you do normally, do intervals on the bike/treadmill/elliptical, or watch your sodium/fat/fiber for the week. I hope this helps and I would be happy to expand on any of these ideas if you want.

SUPER EXCITED FOR AUGUST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

powerthree

Newbie member I plan on a five pound weight loss. I would Really love to see 8-10 but I am trying to be realistic. I am looking forward to this.

SarahRuth♥

Hey everyone!! SO EXCITED!! I've never done a team challenge before, but guilt is a huge motivator for me, so knowing that slacking off affects the whole group is sure to keep me going!

I would like to get below 165 in August. A loss of 6 lbs would put me at 164, so I think I'm going to aim for that. I know it doesn't seem like much, but I've been on a bit of a plateau for a couple of months now and haven't lost anything! So I don't want to push it too much and just end up frustrated and disappointed.

I have a question about how the different challenges work. Are the seven challenges supposed to last the whole month? Or will they be issued separately in segments... like one week at a time?

As far as ideas, I see some great ones listed here already! Not so sure about the 100 crunches or 25 pushups a day, though. I'm not sure I can even manage 25 pushups right now, and I did 120 crunches one day and couldn't do another crunch for at least two days after because I was so sore! I'm new to this sort of challenge, so I'm not sure how helpful I can be in coming up with ideas.

Oh! And, everyone... FRIEND ME!!

walkingingrace2011

I am setting a goal of 10 lbs for the month of August. I also agree that the challenges should include things that do not require special equipment. I am so excited to be a part of this challenge. I began with a healthier lifestyle change the day I started on My Fitness Pal, and things have steadily gone downhill ever since (I mean that in a good way!)! All the best to each of you on our journey!

caza6464

Hello folks, this is new to me but love a challenge, i am losing weight in a sponsered slim to raise money for Cancer research as i have a friend going through treatment so this will help me keep on the straight and narrow.

I want to lose 8lbs during August
I want to drink at least 6 glasses of water a day]
I want to do at least 20 mins of excercise a day

Bring on August 1st

Caroline


Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Free Weight Loss Tools

amazing_grace♥

Thanks everyone for all of your ideas and for your commitment!! I think we have a GREAT team and can't wait to kick some August boo-tay!! Have a great day everyone!!

Edithrenee

Okay my goal for weight lose is 6 pounds because it took me 6 month to lose 6 pounds before i found this site. Im hoping to lose 6 more for Augest!!! I am hoping this site will help, I think i lost 1 pound this week being on here. My scales are kinda old so I am up 1 pound then down and it keeps doing that. hmm so frustrated. As far as cardio I do DVD because it is 100 degrees or more out side. Hope we can keep that in mind to. I can try to do light jogs outside but not use to it.

amazing_grace♥

I need a full body picture of each of you. You can email them to me directly at teresa.grace@live.com. At the end of the challenge I will ask for another pic. Then Gary will compile all of the pics and we can do a before and after photo slide show. Gary is going to give a prize for the winner of the biggest transformation. He will narrow it down to the top 10 and let everyone vote! It'll be a blast!



AUGUST CHALLENGE WEEK 1

This is the week one team challenge. This should be done in addition to your normal workout routine. This is a challenge and is not a replacement! If you need a beginner workout, send me a message and I can give you some ideas.

Week One Daily Exercise Challenge

Each team member that completes their daily exercise challenge receives one point, if all team members complete each daily exercise for all 6 days, the team is then awarded 5 bonus points.

Day 1 Exercise Challenge - 100 Jumping Jacks*
Day 2 Exercise Challenge - Walk, run, or job 1 mile (extra)
Day 3 Exercise Challenge - 50 situps or ab crunches*
Day 4 Exercise Challenge - 40 "Up & Downs" * (see Youtube link below)
Day 5 Exercise Challenge - 25 Pushups*
Day 6 Exercise Challenge - 25 Squat Lunges*
Day 7 Rest!! You deserve it!!

*Feel free to do these exercises in sets if you are unable to do them all at one time. Please do your best as you are much stronger than you believe.

If you are uncertain on how to do an exercise, message me and let me know. Gary is sending me weblinks to the exercises.

Week One Weekly Team Challenge

In order to get the weekly TEAM bonus points, each team member must log their food & exercise everyday and not go over their target calories. Each person must also log at least 64 oz (8 glasses) of water each day. If EVERY team member does this all 6 days - our team will be awarded 5 bonus points for that week.

Please also note that each week the exercises will increase in difficulty. This will push each team member. Modifications will be provided for those who are unable to complete the exercise as intended.

**UPS & DOWNS

http://www.youtube.com/user/sixpackshortcuts?v=bkD9LwDBWW0&feature=pyv&ad=7237549087&kw=exercise

The very first part of this exercise is the up and downs. They may be modified by simply starting on all 4's and then standing up quickly and returning to this position to all 4's. This is a cardio exercise! Don't be freaked out but all he is doing just do the first part and modify if needed.

REMEMBER ITS THE VERY FIRST THING HE DOES ON THE FLOOR that's it! Unless you are a real rockstar then finish it out if you can. It's a crazy exercise. Be ready for great exercises you can do at home without anything!

maureendonahue

:huh: What did I get myself into!!?!! LOL I think today will be a rest day!

Good luck to everyone as we beat August to the curb!

Clew

Hi gang! This is going to be exciting!

I'm setting my goal loss at 4 pounds. I know that sounds wimpy ... but despite food tweaks and committed workouts I've been stuck at my current weight for months. Literally. MONTHS. I'm hoping this challenge will bust my plateau (because I'm certainly not at my goal weight!) but I don't want to go for too much and let the team down. Do we get extra credit if we lose more than our goal? :laugh:

A few ideas I had for challenges (and forgive me if I repeat anyone, I haven't read all the comments yet):

Food:

I am a big fan of the Primal Blueprint/Paleo/etc., which focuses on a grain-free, added-sugar-free, processed-free way of eating. That being said I struggle with all of those. LOL! So some of my ideas for food challenges are related to Primal philosophy:

A day with no processed foods
A day with no grains (bread, crackers, grain-based pasta, rice, etc.)
A day with as little sodium as possible (maybe we could pick a goal to match ... 1800 mg or less, for example ... it's hard but it'd be a challenging challenge )

Exercise:

You guys will hate me but I suggest a plank challenge. Planks are MURDER but oh my gosh do they work. I was in a plank challenge last summer and it was unbelievable how strong it made my core in just a few weeks. I was thinking maybe hold 2 planks for 15 seconds on monday, a plank for 30 seconds and a plank for 15 on tuesday, 2 planks for 30 seconds on wed, something like that.
I also thought a weight challenge would be good. Maybe increasing your usual weights to push your muscles. Not enough to hurt yourself, but just to shake things up a bit. I just increased my kettlebell weight by 5 pounds and wow what a difference it's making!
Also, if no one's said it, everyone try something you've never tried for a workout for say, a week, or even just a day. Zumba, yoga, chin-ups, elliptical, bellydancing, whatever. Your choice of course! Hey, you might find a new passion!

Clew

Hey Grace, I do that up & down thing sometimes with one of my kettlebell workouts, but they call it a Burpee. I like the name Up & Down better - LOL!!!

amazing_grace♥

A GREAT BIG thank you to eats_with_a_fist for making our team banner!!!!! If you want to add it to your signature, just copy and paste the line below into your signature. Just be sure to change the IMG at the beginning and the end to lower case...

Clew - I LOVE your planks idea... they are very hard but I bet they do work. I have submitted everybody's ideas to Gary who is coordinating this whole thing.....

So.... are you guys ready to Kick the Crap out of August?? I KNOW I AM!!!!!

caza6464

I am well ready for the challenge, really excited about it, hopefull will help me to keep on the straight and narrow, i need to lose 10lb in the next 5 weeks so this will be a massive help
Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Nutrition Facts For Foods

SarahRuth♥

I am so ready to kick the crap out of August! I'm trying to friend everyone on here, but I got to the 8th person on the list and the site stopped me... apparently you can't send more than 5 requests in a 10 minute time frame... lol. Will send out more requests in a few minutes.

So, since Gary is coordinating all of this, do all the teams have the same challenges each week? Or are the challenges different for each team?

Also, what happens if someone drops out? Not saying anyone will, but it's a fact that sometimes people do. Does the team get penalized for a member just disappearing? Or is there a method for handling that already in place?

Added the team banner to my signature, and it makes my signature HUGE! I usually try and keep my signature smaller, but I don't want to take any of them off, so I guess it will just have to be big for the next month. LOL

@Clew - Those food challenges would be HARD! But they would be so interesting to try!! And it IS supposed to be a challenge, right?? Love those ideas, and if they don't get used here, I may try them someday just on my own.

BeautyFromPain

Hey all I am off to bed as it is 2:30am on the 1st here but will log my weight and weight loss goals and send you a photo when I get up

healthymern10

hello all let's do this i am looking to drop 12lbs, and this group looks like we are all going to make it and KICK THE CRAP OUT OF AUGUST



Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Free Calorie Counter

:laugh:

BeautyFromPain

Starting weight : 89.6kg
Goal weight for august : 85kg
That is a total of 4.6 kilos lost.

Keen to start Here we go!

lisaap77

Day One Challenge: 100 Jumping Jacks! DONE!!! TAKE THAT AUGUST!!!!

BeautyFromPain

How do I put the "Team Amazing Grace" pic thingy with all the names on my signature?

amazing_grace♥

Day One Challenge: 100 Jumping Jacks! DONE!!! TAKE THAT AUGUST!!!!

Whoo hoo!!! Look at YOU!!!
Sweet!!!!

amazing_grace♥

EVERYBODY GO TO OUR WEEK ONE THREAD TO CONTINUE POSTS......

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/305083-week-1-team-amazing-grace-closed-group-august-challenge

Clew

I'm going to track my measurements as well since my weight has been stagnant forever yet I KNOW my body is changing (regular high intensity kettlebells and boxing). I havent done it regularly, I wish I have. Maybe we should all do this too - even though it's not part of the challenge, seeing improvements any way you can is always fun :flowerforyou: