For me, I'd like to get to the gym at least 5 times/week! I slacked yesterday (yep - day 1!) so today through Friday I'll be there and then perhaps Sunday afternoon I'll be able to get some time in. :-) I don't like to leave the gym if I haven't burned at least 400 calories!! (I wear a heart rate monitor)

hi i just started today i am 59yrs old and determined to lose the weight i am gaining
since i stopped smoking i have been very careful with diet but its not working i do not want to get overly depressed but im getting there, any support out there i will accept i am taking the 50 day challenge!!!!!!!!

I kinda suck in the exercise dept. I will find any excuse not to. I was doing & need to re-start Jillian Michaels Yoga Meltdown, I really love it, but stopped when hubby was out of town for work & I had a toddler with the flu.. got no sleep for a good 5 days.

I'my gonna try to start it back up next week....well I guess I could start tomorrow. see - I love excuses UGG haha.

Frogger- Bikram Yoga is some serious *kitten*! i've only done it a handful of times. Good for you!!

New to early retirement I have recruited a personal trainer. Time span for 10 sessions will take me to Christmas, so this fits well with the 50 day challenge! Good session in gym today that pushed me further than usual on running and rowing machines and set targets for weight and toning work. Happy to be accountable for this to the group!

18 lbs in 50 days would be PERFECT!! That'd put me at my goal weight. And before christmas, too - SWEET!!! C'mon people, we ALL can do this!! Get up, get out, and get moving!!! 1,2,3, - LET'S MOVE!!!

Hi! What's the Couch-2-5K?

I have 4 days left of the C25K that I keep talking myself of now that it has gotten colder here. I want to finish that up. I also started back to the gym last Thursday so my goal is to make it there at least 4 days during the week for strength training. I am going over lunch for strength and then walking/jogging outside right after work. Not sure that will work when the time changes this weekend so I may need to make another trip back to the gym to get my cardio in.

I want to PR in the Thanksgiving Turkey Trot. And be on track for a spring half marathon.

I also really want to get back into lifting/Cross Training.

What heart rate monitor do you use? I want to get one so I have a more accurate method of figuring out how many calories I burn.

I have some really high hopes for this challenge! When I logged on this morning I was looking for something just like this and I am ready! I have been slacking off and allowing myself to be lead into some bad eating/skipping workouts, but NO MORE! I have a pretty good workout routine going and now I have to concentrate on my intake.

We can do this!

Today is half way over for me.. my goal today is to drink at least 64 oz of water, create my new WOE-way of eating, and do an hour of studying. Tomorrow I will set new goals for the rest of the week. I am taking this one day at a time but I have to plan my eating. I won't alwas be consistent - that is one of my overall goals. Right now, my motivation is very high but this weekend when I am stuck on a cold rainy soccer field I will be challenged. Its a tourney so I will be there all Saturday and Sunday. Hoepfully, we will be enjoying a celebratory dinner on Sunday evening!

Did you set your goals? We can do this.

I'm restarting the C25K tonight! I've started it a couple of times and each time would get through week 3 and then stop. This time I'm hoping to complete it even if I have to do some weeks twice to work my way up to completion.

My plan is to simply do 30-60 mins any kind of heart pumping physical activity (whether its a walk, HIIT session, circuit class, elliptical, zumba, bike ride...whatever feel like on any given day) six days a week, to include 2-3 days of weight training.

I really wish I had someone who could show me what I need to do for strength training but I absolutely cannot afford a trainer. Any good sites you can recommend?

If you have an iPhone or iPod touch, Nike has an absolutely spectacular (FREE) training app for women. You can select all sorts of different workouts (cardio intervals or strength training circuits); and there are various levels so you can change things up as you progress. You can also "unlock" celebrity workouts as you log more and more workouts. When you start the workout, it plays your own music in the background, tells you when do to do the next move, and it has a video showing exactly how you're supposed to do each move. You can preview each move before you start the workout or pause your workout to watch the 10 second clip if you need a reminder. I think it's a great tool for people at all levels of fitness. And you don't need a gym membership for many of the routines, just some basic hand-weights, medicine ball, tension bands.

You can also try books like Jillian Michaels' Making the Cut or Bill Phillips' Body for Life (super amazing intro to weight training). They have every workout planned out for you so you know exactly what to do on what day and you don't have to worry about creating your own routine. In addition to providing your workout plan, they have illustrations and instructions of how to do each move. For Body for Life, a few years ago I was able to download worksheets (from their website for free) to bring to the gym to keep track of reps and weight. You have to study your routine before you do it, so you know how to do the move, but they're both good programs (in my opinion). I'm doing Making the Cut now and I've made copies of each routine and before I leave for the gym, I review the various moves I'm going to do so I can remember the right form, etc. I'll also do a quick rep of the move as I'm reviewing the pictures - without any weight - to engrain the right form into my head a bit.

When you're first starting with strength training, you'll need a couple of weeks to work through the routines - figuring out what weight to use for all the various body parts and really perfecting your form. You don't want to start too heavy and hurt yourself. Even if you don't really hurt yourself, you could make yourself so sore that you can't workout for a few days and then you fall off the wagon. Start slow and a little lighter than what you might think - better to get the form down correctly first. If you can't do the move with the correct form, the weight is too heavy.

Whether you use a book or some device that will play video demos for you, don't be afraid to bring that to the gym. For a long time, for some reason, I was embarrassed to carry something around with me. Don't be! Bring notes, bring copies of the pictures with you if you need to, and just keep it on a clipboard. Write down your weights, reps and sets so you know what do to the next time (I also try to write down my effort level on a 1-10 scale for each set).

Lastly, if you can't go to a gym - or just want to try some strength training on your own to get comfortable before making the gym debut - you could follow a video (don't have specific recommendations - sorry!). You could also check out Women's Health, they often have good illustrations of various moves. Websites like Shape.com and WomensHealthMag.com have a lot of good workout recommendations, including strength training, for non-subscribers. Even medical sites like Mayo Clinic will show you some of the basic weight training moves.

I hope this helps, even if just a little! Feel free to add me as a friend, too. I LOVE strength training and firmly believe more women should be doing it. GOOD LUCK!!

Hi! What's the Couch-2-5K?

It's a running plan for beginners (who are on the "couch") and it gives you a plan, with walk/jog intervals, that will eventually get you to the point you can run a 5K/3 miles without stopping. It's really popular because it is a really good, slow-and-steady, introduction to running. There are a variety of C25K programs out there - many of them free. I followed the plan from CoolRunning.com a few years ago and it really worked!

Good luck!!

What heart rate monitor do you use? I want to get one so I have a more accurate method of figuring out how many calories I burn.

I use a simple Polar Heart Rate Monitor that my husband got me. I think it was around $100. I LOVE IT!! I watch my calorie burn all throughout the workout and it motivates me to work harder!