Countdown & Pre-Challenge Activity #1: INFORMATION and YOUR INPUT! ℹ️🔠
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Goals - In the new year it's always to lose the few extra pounds that come to visit during the holidays - and to make them disappear quickly since most are water or bloating weight. I do want to make a greater effort to follow the "Whole Body Reset" where I am achieving set protein and fibre goals which each meal, because I know that will help me with weight loss and satiety. Increasing freggies will help with this and limiting sweets and simple carbs. I am determined to get to my goal weight this year - I seem to be able to get within 7-8 pounds and then stall. This is the year to break down that wall.1
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doing my best while being kind to me- goals set/plan in place/ now to focus ....1
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Goals - add in a plant based lunch once a week, green smoothies, track calories, keep up my workout schedule and meditate in the mornings. Losing weight would be great too - I have 20-25 extra lbs just hanging out, I would like to reduce the stress on my knees and hips. 15 lost this year would be amazing.1
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I don't have my specific goals yet. I want to lose weight, lower my A1C, and move more. Now I need to break those down to specifics. My only specific goal right now is to finish this challenge. No more quitting mid-challenge.1
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My goal for 2024 or by May 25th, my 65th birthday, is to lose 20 pounds, 16 of those that I gained back after losing over 60+ pounds over 2 years. 4 of those pounds are to get below 140. I got to 141 last December.
I am pretty good about keeping up with the challenges, do daily exercises, or at least 5-6 days a week. I started eating chocolate with almonds last year and found it to be quite addictive (surprise, surprise) so I gained weight. I also found that I was just doing my aerobics (Walk Away The Pounds) faithfully, but slacking on my calisthenics and free weights, including my elliptical, which really slimmed me down.
Unfortunately, due to all the walking and aerobics, I've reignited plantar fascitis in my right heel, so aerobics is on the back burner for now. I am now trying to build up on my elliptical, so far only 5 minutes twice a day (was at 20 minutes twice a day, don't know how I go to that) and reintroducing my calisthenics and weights.
My goal is to continue to keep my calisthenics/weights routine into my week along with building up on the elliptical. I am hoping with all the stretching exercises I'm doing for the plantar fascitis that I'm back to aerobics by the end of the month, if not before. My overall goal is to get back to the 70-90 minutes of exercise 5 days a week at least and more when I walk around my complex, weather permitting. Right now, with the little elliptical and just calisthenics and weights I'm barely at 40 minutes.
My goals are precise so that I can achieve them. In addition, I am doing my best to stop eating chocolate. I intend to achieve my 20 pound goal, or I will be depressed on my 65th birthday, and we don't want that. 65 is bad enough! The holidays and all the sweets are almost over for me.1 -
As the researcher/author of the 2024 Winter 5% Challenge Pre-Challenge activities, you would think that I would have already done all 8 Pre-Challenge activities and would be all ready. However, I sit here at my highest weight and feel a little deflated. The good news, however, is that I'm energized by the comments I've been reading here and many posts are inspiring and hit home in a sense that I'm not the only one that has experienced feelings of being a little 'lost'. That is exactly the reason that I researched these topics and wrote them to help you; to help me!
In this FIRST Countdown Activity for the 2024 Winter 5% Challenge, I've asked everyone to decide where they were and where they wanted to go. I've already disclosed where I am; I'm actually at my highest weight and I really, REALLY need to get a handle on this. I'm getting closer to the time where I might be able to retire (at least semi-retire) and I don't want to use those years nursing 'this ache' or 'that pain'.
I've used this first week of 2024 to think about where I am and what my 5% Challenge Journey has been since I found SP back in 2008 and joined the Challenges in 2010. When I updated my profile on MFP some time ago, I took care to add some special dates so that they are not forgotten and are always available for me to reference:
~~ ** My SparkPeople 'Special Dates: Joined 8/31/08 ~ Actually started on 9/2/08.
~~ ** My MFP Special Dates: Joined 6/28/14 (did not come here regularly). Back on 6/8/21 as the notice of SP closing forced me to take a '2nd look'. Started logging in daily here on MFP on 7/24/21 as we explored the possibility of moving the Seasonal 5% Challenges to this platform**
I've already written some of my personal 'healthy lifestyle' journey story ... in 2024 my story WILL continue! I hope to continue participating in the 5% Challenges and I hope to continue to learn from all of you who inspire me. I will research (and continue to research) plans that will help me to become the best possible version of myself. Yes, my weight is up to where I don't want it to stay. Losing weight will be an additional benefit of the healthy lifestyle that I want to lead.
I come here every day to offer support to those that may need it; to receive support when I need it. I come back day after day, month after month, season after season, year after year because I feel that I've received so much more from YOU than I could ever give to any one of you. You lift me up when I'm down; inspire me when I hear about those that continue to get up and keep moving despite tremendous obstacles.
I get many notes/messages from 5% Challengers telling me that I've somehow given them support; given them hope; given them a reason to keep going and that I've inspired them. I'm humbled by those messages and know that it is truly YOU, the 5% Challenge and it's wonderful community that keeps me coming back and never lets me give up. I'm happy to have inspired but it is YOU that inspire me to keep going.
I'm still working out the 'logistics' of my 2024 Winter 5% Journey and the next 10 weeks, but I do know that consistent exercise and a healthy eating plan are the basics and I plan to work on making these basics a part of my daily life once again in 2024 and beyond! (I feel that I've lost sight of the **basics** ~ I know WHAT to do, I just haven't practiced what I know quite the way I should have).~~~~~~ HAPPY NEW YEAR, 2024!! Together we can help each other to achieve our goals; together we are better than we are standing alone. Lets stand together in this bright and shiny New Year!~~~~~~Heidi (hicim705)
Overall Co-Leader, Seasonal 5% Challenges
2024 Winter 5% Challenge ~ Captain 🔴🌡️RED HOTS🌡️🔴Co-Leader, Seasonal 5% Challenges ~ ✍️🖊️📓💻Bloggers✍️🖊️📓💻!!
Co-Leader, In Between Leader Team for the 5% Challenge
Co-Leader, In-Between Challenges (IBC) 🐦🔥Phoenix Team🐦🔥0 -
Countdown & Pre-Challenge Activity #1: INFORMATION and YOUR INPUT!
😊Your FIRST Countdown Activity for this Challenge will be for YOU to decide where YOU would like to go on YOUR Seasonal 5% Journey (as an added bonus, how YOU would like to begin to write YOUR 2024 STORY). Everyone's reason for joining this Challenge is different. We would like you to dig down deep to share what your motivation is for coming here. We would like you to share what brings you here, and even more importantly - what keeps you coming back! Perhaps there are things that you would like to get out of your personal 5% journey that we haven't discussed and/or researched. Why don't you write down some of YOUR ideas ~ we might even be able to incorporate some of those things in this or future Challenges!😊
My motivation is the accountability of the team. It helps to be a part of a competition
✍️Feel free to add your comments to this thread outlining your exercise plan for a successful 2024 Winter 5% Challenge (if you blog, you may add the link to your blog here or you may simply wish to copy/paste your writing here - or do both!), but please consider sharing!!
I am focused on walking every day plus 3 times a week doing a strength training set. I did accomplish that this week and intend to keep it going through the challenge0 -
For me, the 5% Challenge forces me to consider various aspects of my health regime. I have determined my "okay" weight (129-131) which I should not exceed to prevent my health markers from deteriorating. A 5% loss in 10 weeks would take me down to my happy "fighting weight" (where on-the-rack clothes fit easily), but generally I can attain that only if I can boost my cardio intensity and work on strength training. I review my blood pressure and heart rate behavior daily to identify what I should attempt for that day.0
