Welcome!

This challenge starts Wednesday September 11, and ends Wednesday November 20th (the day before American Thanksgiving...that's no coincidence) for a total of 10 weeks, but YOU CAN JOIN AT ANY TIME! (Act now, but this offer will last, and thanks to MFP, it is only 10 easy payments of FREE!).

YOU WILL NOT BE DROPPED so long as you continue to report in. Holistic health is a long term challenge, so while we will have an official winner on Thanksgiving day, getting back on that horse after a rough week is a big part of long term health. Lets be honest, we will all wax and wain in the short term to be healthy long term.

In the same spirit, feel free to TAILOR THIS CHALLENGE TO YOURSELF. Maybe you don't want to participate in the challenger's choice or maybe the self care-reporting feels cumbersome and impedes on your wellness; by George, that's ok! You can still participate in the challenge! You will be able to see your own weekly points and can compete against yourself rather than others. That sounds healthy to me!

Remember to post your results on Wednesday so that I can enter you to compete for the coveted Weekly Wednesday Winner award. On Thursday I will make a chart of the results you all post this week, highlighting both the Weekly Wednesday Winner (WWW!) and the Current Cumulative Conquerer (CCC!; wellness is long term, y'all). I will post the charts in this forum.

We are using an honor system (pftt - I'm not checking in on you...you are the one trying to be healthier, right?).

Please use the following as a template to report your results in a response post to the weekly check ins (message me your email address if you want a chart that I created for myself):

- Number of days you drink 8 cups of water(3 pts):
- Number of days you have 2 (e.g. 1/2c) servings of fruit (3 pts):
- Number of days you have 3 (1/2c) servings of vegetables (5 pts):
- Number of days you avoid refined sugary snacks (5 pts):
- Number of days you log all food consumed in your MFP food diary (5 pts):
- Number of days you exercise for 30 minutes of exercise (5 pts):
- Number of days you exercised for 45+ minutes (7 pts a day):
- Additional self-care* (3 pts each day for self-care items reported):
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
- Challenger's Choice** identified and completed (10 points)?: Y or N
-Number of pounds lost (10 points per pound):
- or if you maintained your weight (5 points):
- or if you gained weight (0 points):
-Identify Challenger Choice for next week here:

You may have noticed that there is a lot of flexibility in this challenge. That is no accident. You have freedom here, because it is your health. Maybe you eat 1/4c raisins and 8oz of V8 juice. I would count those as a full serving of fruit and 2 servings of veggies. I don't count builders bars against my refined sugar snacks because, although they certainly have sugar, I use that as a healthy alternative to say, a candy bar or whatever else might be lurking in an office kitchen. You are in charge of both the challenge and your health!

So...want to participate? I know some are new, so here are the three simple steps:
1) respond to this post with your challengers choice (if you want to earn those points)
2) begin recording your daily successes from the template above
3) next Wednesday I will post a forum for the week 1 results, and you will respond there with a summary of your successes (just follow the lead of the experts!)






*self-care is defined as any non-exercize, non- food related event that rejuvenates your soul. It may mean a bath by candle light, studying for an exam, meditation, stretching, doing your nails, tai chi, camping in a tent in your backyard, reading a book, religious practice, going to pet puppies, swinging on the playground, not counting calories while on vacation, saying "no", calling a friend or family member, or whatever does your soul good. YOU define what is good for you here.

** challenger's choice="design-your-own-bonus-points" option that you intend to fulfill during the week. The idea here is to be forward thinking in our wellness. As long as it falls into what YOU consider to be "wellness," it's fair game (e.g., finish reading Omnivore's Dilemma, "friend" everyone who is participating In the challenge, complete four days of planks, make an apt to have that funny mole checked, stay under your calorie goal for 5 days that week, or try a new class at the gym). When we check in the following week, we will report on whether or not we achieved it. This is like the self-care category, but with foresight, in recognition that we need to plan for a successful future of health and wellness.