I exercise and walk daily, however I have started working out in the late afternoon and I find myself less motivated and having less time to finish my workouts when it is late. I would like to start working out in the mornings again and eating a little healthier.

My sister and I are working together to lose weight this summer. So far I have lost 2 pounds. She found an old book she had with a very specific menu plan for lower sodium, lower cholesterol. It is helping. I will need accountability on getting exercise and water in.

I feel like I failed miserably in the Spring challenge. I need to get more sleep so that I have more energy.
I also need to put myself first, getting my workout comes before the housework. I also plan to start building muscle. Basically eat less and move more

mkksemail wrote: »

Thanks for posting the history of the challenge, and the link to the SparkTeams blog article. Interesting reading!

(I also signed up at one if the other challenges mentioned, that sjso migrated from SparkPeople 😎)

Stopping at that point for now. I'll be back for the actual Pre-Challenge Activity #1 👏

Cheers!
- mk (Maine 🌧️☔)

I am back to finish.

(I really did enjoy reading that history, ty for posting it!)

I have been in an 18-mos 10k/day steps goal since Dec 4, 2021 thanks to a really great bunch of people I was lucky enough to stumble upon at Fitbit. We had a daily goal day challenge every day until the day Fitbit killed their challenges and open groups in March 2023 😩😡.

I am here at MFP for the food logging tools (which are vastly better than Fitbit's, btw!). I joined some challenges hoping to reinforce that, bc I need it. While I did manage to lose 30 lbs over about 18 mos at Fitbit (started 6 mos before steps goal streak started), I regained it all plus 5+ lbs more this fall and winter 😬.

My goals and hopes for the challenge are:

1.) To maintain/reinforce food logging habit that I restarted on Apr 30 (May 1?) of this year

2.) To add strength training and or stretching/yoga to my daily exercise. I really need to do more than walking.

Cheers!
- mk

I'm new to this group and so glad I found it. Yesterday, I was talking to my coach (professional development but we also talk life in general) and she asked me what were my intentions for wellness in this summer season? I told her I was going to make better use of my MFP Premium and use the warm summer weather to have more movement outside. We belong to a pool and I aim to be a better swimmer by improving my breathing and strokes by doing some lap swimming. I started an H20 walking class this week that goes until August. I also plan to do some yoga, pilates and/or walking for at least 15 minutes daily and build it up from there. I've been carrying the "baby weight" since my son was born 8 years ago, so I am ready to focus on me! This 5% challenge is perfect for a former gym rat who has been very inactive for years and on the tail end of recovering from a partial knee replacement. 5% is not daunting and breaks up my large goal of losing 40 pounds into a small, doable chunk. I look forward to supporting everyone and being accountable to this amazing group. Thank you!!!

I joined SP in 2010 and reached my goal weight+ in 2011, 49# total. Being in maintenance and staying in maintenance has been a challenge. Weight has fluctuated a bit, creeping upward. That's what brought me to the 5% challenges. I participated in my first challenge during the time (right before) the SP website closed.

5% challenges keep me motivated. Even when/if the scale doesn't budge, I need the team motivation.
My favorite exercises are: line dance, once or twice a week. Water aerobics, three times a week. Walking when my walking buddy is available (hit & miss, for now.)
Now that I'm over 60 y/o, extra weight doesn't want to budge. Yes, it's frustrating. Oh, and the aches and pains aren't so nice, either. But, I'm not giving up.

Re: pix - if you're accessing MFP via Android app, pix won't load. You can still do it, tho. Just go the the full site, using your browser. Then pix will upload 👏.

Cheers!
- mk (Maine)

My exercise plan for a successful 2023 Summer 5% Challenge will be to move/exercise more and eat healthier. I am reaching perimenopause and find the weight harder to come off as well as my energy level lowering. So that is my main goal and I hope I can not feel so alone and get through this hurdle in my life.

My plan for the challenge is to be as active as I can in every possible way. I have videos and dvds of everything from tai chi, to yoga, sweating to the oldies, an exercise ball, exercise bands to all kinds of aerobic exercise workouts. I have small free weights, kettlebells, a jump rope, a hula hoop, a total gym, a treadmill, and a good pair of shoes...so there is no excuse for me not to keep at it, rain or shine, whether or not the power is on.

Our indoor pool is closed for renovations for the next 4-6 weeks. It has also been over 100 since June 11 and the humidity is high. I finally made arrangements to join Planet Fitness on July 1.

I will be focusing on strength building right now. My cardiologist has put some restrictions on my cardio, but I still plan on walking at least 20 minutes a day. A lady in our resort is leading a yoga class 2X per week so I am going to give that a try.

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