The challenge begins on Saturday morning, January 18th. Exercise, Water, Journal, and Healthy Habit Focus, done before Saturday, DO NOT COUNT!!!


POST THIS ONLY ON COMMUNITY TEAM PAGE:
😀This posting is for information only. PLEASE POST YOUR RESULTS ON YOUR CHALLENGE TEAM PAGE. Each team has a similar ‘set-up,’ yet each has its own ‘look & feel.’ Your team’s leaders will answer all questions. Another good source of information will be from your fellow teammates on your team’s discussion board.


Once again, it's a foot race! Dust off your boots, skis, snowshoes, and any other shoes you use to move and participate in fun winter activities that you enjoy. Get ready to help your team reach the Winter Finish Line! The winter ribbon is made of snow, so be sure to dress warm! Each team has a goal of 6,000 minutes and a " Ribbon to Break."

Exercise to ‘break the ribbon’ before the end of the week as your team crosses the finish line. One minute of exercise = one minute closer to the goal. 120 minutes maximum per challenger per day will be counted toward your team's goal).



As we are at the beginning of a New Year, the Overall Leaders have collaborated to bring you ‘Visions of a Bright, Shiny New YOU.’ We strive to bring interesting topics dealing with changes/adjustments that you can make in your daily life to help you BECOME THE BEST YOU that you can be. Having several hundred followers, we realize that not everyone is ‘starting’ this Challenge at the same place. Some are long-time followers who have been successful and are continuing on their journey; others were successful at one point and just have struggled and are back to where they originally started (or are close to being back to where they started); still, others are here because they are looking for ideas to help them formulate their own plan to ensuring that they walk their own journey as consistently and successfully as they can. Whatever level of success or struggles you have faced ~ we hope that you will find your way along your road to your successful, healthy lifestyle!

Thus far, we have explored the healthy habits of:
~ Taking our measurements (this will be done in Week #1 and Week #8)
~ Meeting our cheerleaders
~ Journaling
As we begin this week, we look at the importance of WATER in a healthy lifestyle in conjunction with a safe and healthy nutritional plan.

Q: Query for Google: What is the importance of water for a healthy lifestyle and weight loss?
A: Google’s first answer: Water plays a crucial role in a healthy lifestyle and weight loss by helping to regulate appetite, boost metabolism, facilitate efficient digestion, and prevent mistaking thirst for hunger, essentially allowing you to consume fewer calories by replacing sugary drinks with water; making it a valuable tool for managing weight.

Key points about water and weight loss:
Appetite control:
Drinking water before meals can help you feel fuller, leading to reduced food intake and potential calorie restriction.
Metabolic boost:
Studies suggest that water consumption can slightly increase metabolic rate, aiding in calorie burning.
Hydration and exercise:
Staying hydrated is essential for optimal exercise performance, allowing you to work out more effectively and burn more calories.
Reduced calorie intake:
Replacing sugary beverages with water significantly lowers calorie consumption.
Detoxification:
Water helps flush out toxins from the body, supporting overall health.

Important considerations:
Individual needs:
The amount of water required varies based on factors like activity level, climate, and body size.
Not a magic solution:
While water is beneficial, it shouldn't be considered a standalone weight loss strategy; a balanced diet and regular exercise are still crucial.

HEALTHLINE has a great article about drinking water/weight loss. As is written above, it is considered that water is very important for overall health and for achieving a healthy weight, but it is not the ‘magic solution’ that you may be hoping for. Please take the time to visit:
Can Drinking More Water Help You Lose Weight?

Contrary to popular opinion, the ‘drink eight 8-oz. glasses of water per day’ is only a guide. Once again, it is a GUIDE. Many of us ‘know’ that drinking more water is good for us, and almost as many **try** to drink 64 oz. daily. However, quite a few articles regarding water and healthier drinks are worth the read. It is strongly recommended that you consult your physician for the ‘correct amount’ for YOU. Here are some great articles regarding water and/or healthier drinks. Perhaps this is information you already know ~ perhaps some of it will make you think and prompt you to check with your healthcare provider. (The first two links are articles from the CDC, and the last is information found from Harvard Health Publishing-Harvard Medical School):

About Water and Healthier Drinks

Rethink Your Drink

How much water should you drink?

Finally, an article by Good Housekeeping explores this topic in more depth. It offers calculators, etc., to help you make the best decision for YOU (or to equip you with updated information to ask your healthcare provider).
The title of the article: The Right Calculation for How Much Water You Need to Drink in a Day
“. . .Mom said to drink eight glasses of water a day — but was she right? It's complicated. "Traditional recommendations about water intake aren't so cookie cutter anymore,". . .”
In this article, there is a section: How to calculate how much water to drink
. . . “The amount of water a person needs varies much like an individual’s nutritional/calorie requirement. A solid rule of thumb to calculate your personal hydration needs is to divide your weight in half and drink that many ounces — so if you weigh 160 pounds, aim for 80 ounces of H20 a day” . . .
PLEASE NOTE: As a couple of the above articles suggest, drinking moderate amounts of black coffee or tea can be included as part of your daily water consumption.

NOTE: We're now entering the second week of our 2025 Winter Challenge which is designed to focus on a healthy lifestyle that is a compliment to whatever exercise/movement program that you are doing. The challenge begins on Saturday morning. Water & Journaling done before SATURDAY DOES NOT COUNT!!!!

You must exercise to get to 6,000 minutes to help your team ‘Break The Ribbon.’
> > 1 minute of exercise = 1 minute toward the team’s 6,000-minute goal.
DAILY MAXIMUM 120 exercise minutes per team member < <

✔️To score points this week
1. Incorporate 💧 WATER 💧 into your daily routine. If you meet your required water intake, please give yourself 10 points. If you met your water requirement by AT LEAST HALF, give yourself partial credit of 5 points. Less than half of your water requirement? Please give yourself a zero.
2. Did you 📔 Journal 📔 today? If you did, please give yourself 10 points. (If you would like to try to journal or want to get some ideas about journaling, please refer back to Week #1 for suggestions about what to journal about as well as how to journal).


Exercise Summary: Each minute you exercise moves your team closer to “Break The Ribbon” and reaching your team’s goal of 6,000 minutes! Remember, it’s 120 minutes max to count. You may choose to do more exercise, but what is counted for the challenge is maxed at 120 minutes.


Healthy Habits Summary:
Your post should look something like this:

Saturday (Please always note the day/days you are posting for)
Exercise: 120
Water: 10 points, 5 points or nothing
Journaling: 10 points, all or nothing
Healthy Habit Focus: 10 points all or nothing (Please note your focus).
Important Notice: If your 8-week focus happens to be the same as a weekly habit, you get to claim points in both places!


NOTE: Do the best that you can. We are inclusive of all but realize that not everyone can participate fully in everything because of health/dietary restrictions and/or physical restrictions. If there is an exceptional circumstance, let your team leader know. They can reach out to the OAL team, and perhaps together, we can come up with **suggestions** for an alternative.