🧮 Countdown & Pre-Challenge Activity #1: CHALLENGE INFORMATION and YOUR INPUT/PARTICIPATION! 🧮
🧮 Countdown & Pre-Challenge Activity #1:
CHALLENGE INFORMATION and YOUR INPUT/PARTICIPATION! 🧮
On behalf of the overall leadership team (Barb @ladyluk1 ~ Ceri @Ceriusly1 ~ Diane @Dianedoessmiles1, and Heidi @hicim705) as well as the leaders of our eight individual challenge teams (Fit Force ~ Mission Slimpossible ~ Positively Strong 4 Life ~ Rain Dancers ~ Red Hots ~ Shape Shifters ~ Tenacious GR8TERS ~ Thinner Winners) …
👋 🌸💮🏵️ 🌳🏡 🌷🐣🐇 👋
WELCOME to the 2025 Spring 5% Challenge!!
👋 🌸💮🏵️ 🌳🏡 🌷🐣🐇 👋
**** CELEBRATING 15 YEARS and 63 CHALLENGES ****
~ CHEERS to 15 MORE HAPPY AND HEALTHY YEARS!! ~
👋WELCOME👋 to our 🆕newest🆕 5% Challengers and WELCOME BACK our returning 👫friends👫!
This marks our second Seasonal Challenge of 2025, and we hope you will join us in celebrating our 5% Challenges … past, present, and future!
We hope that you take some time to read about and take part in the pre-Challenge activities, as they are designed to help you prepare for success!! The Spring Challenge(s) find most of us in the northern hemisphere emerging from Winter’s cold and often snowy days and long, dark nights. Many of us look forward to Daylight Savings Time, which moves our daylight hours later in the evening, making it seem like there is more light available during our typical waking hours.
In nature, springtime is when trees bud, flowers bloom, and animals wake up from their winter’s slumber. For many, springtime stirs renewal and is a time for new hopes/dreams/possibilities. It reminds us of the circle of life, death, and rebirth. It is the rebirth or renewal that makes spring the perfect time of year to turn your focus to you and the journey you are on to continue (or start) your healthy lifestyle.
The beginning of a new season (or new year, month, or week) is the perfect time to make some new resolutions (either 📢loud and proud📢 or 🔕🔇silently, as a promise to yourself🔇🔕). Whatever you choose to do ~, please remember that you are doing this for YOU, your health, and your well-being. Jump in and join us to be the BEST YOU that you can be and make that wonderful commitment to YOU!
For the several hundred of us who join the Seasonal 5% Challenges from one season to the next, we come here because we are looking to make a change. We are seeking support, cultivating our long-time friendships, and looking forward to connecting with new members. We also look for structure and continuity. Most of our 5% Challengers followed us from SparkPeople after they closed in the summer of 2021. Our sense of community and support helps us to welcome new friends and Challengers from the MFP site who are now regulars to our seasonal Exercise and Healthy Habits Challenges.
No matter how you found us, we are so happy that you did!!
In doing some research to write these activities, an older article was found on the internet that discussed Team Challenges, and our own 5% Seasonal Challenge was highlighted. Lynn, @kaliswalker (one of the original founders of the 5% Challenge) was interviewed ~ the link to the article is below. Please read it as the writing discusses the importance of teams, just like the 5% Challenge model that was in the spotlight. The article was written in 2016: https://www.sparkpeople.com/blog/blog.asp?post=memberrun_challenges_can_help_you_find_success
(As of this writing in early March 2025, this article still shows up, and it is still worth the read.)
Our story continues to grow: When SparkPeople closed, we, the current Overall Leadership Team, realized that without SparkPeople and its team spirit, we (and hundreds of our 5% Challenge friends) would be lost and struggling. We sprang into action and searched for an alternate site where we could continue our journey and continue to write our story. Although many sites were considered, MyFitnessPal was ultimately chosen as our 'new home' with the start of the 2021 Autumn/Fall 5% Challenge. Bringing the 5% Challenge to MFP was a true labor of love, and, with full disclosure, it was not smooth sailing as we had hoped, but the Overall Challenge Leader Team put their heads down and worked hard to MAKE IT WORK! At this point, our Challenges are enjoyable and are doing what they were intended to do ~ to provide a space where you can practice healthy habits and where you can chat with other like-minded MFP members, and where you are encouraged to meet a new friend or two! We continue to have faithful 5% Challenge ‘followers’ from SparkPeople and are fortunate to have been able to spread our message to MPF and its members and welcome them into our 5% Challenge Community!
2024 presented its own set of Challenges. Due to circumstances beyond our control, we decided to change the 8-week format to a 10-week format. After a few rounds, however, we decided to settle back into our tried & true 8-week Challenge format. 2024 also reminded the Overall Leadership Team that we are mighty despite having been presented with our own share of real-life obstacles. As a result, we were not the mighty fabulous five that we had once been and struggled to find time for ourselves, never mind the demands of our volunteer time here running the Challenges. We quickly developed strategies to work together to continue to forge ahead. We collaborated with one another by sharing thoughts and ideas to stay on track and we revamped our 5% Challenge ‘travel/LTGL’ format into a more exercise-based and healthy habit focused format. Switching to this new format gave the Overall Leaders a chance to flex their creative muscles. We are proud that we were able to keep the Challenges going and even more proud that, in the end, 2024 was still a successful year!
🗬🤔 Now that you have been provided with a bit of a background of the 5% Challenge, please think about what YOU need and how YOU are going to be approaching the 2025 Spring 5% Challenge. Will you continue to practice healthy habits that you have already learned and are working for you? Are you looking to begin something entirely new? Are you still trying to identify where you are right now and what you would like to get out of the next 8 weeks? There are no right or wrong answers here as everyone’s healthy lifestyle goals/journeys are unique - like we all are. 🤔🗭
📓 Your assignment ~ 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 would YOU would like to begin to write YOUR HEALTHY LIFESTYLE 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!😊
✍️Feel free to add your comments to this thread outlining your exercise and healthy habits plan for a successful 2025 Spring 5% Challenge (if you blog, please consider writing about this topic. 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!!
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> > > NOTE: The 5% Seasonal Challenge Teams are very active. You will be expected to participate to the best of your ability. < < <
ALL challenge weeks run from Saturday through Friday - you will be expected to record your exercise and ‘Healthy Habits’ points based on weekly Challenge themes. You are expected to record these points daily or at least as often as you can during the week but no later than 11:59 pm each Saturday (your local time). In addition, you are expected to weigh in one time per week and report your results by 11:59 pm every Saturday (your local time). Your individual team leaders and/or teammates will help to answer any and all questions about where to record your points.
🔮 Our 2025 Spring 5% Challenge Teams are currently being set up! 🔮
✉️You will be invited to your individual team soon, and you will have enough time to get to know your team leaders and teammates. Until then, get to know some of the Challengers in the 5% Challenge Community who will be participating right along with you.
📢Announcements will be made when invitations to your individual teams are sent. Please visit this team, the 2025 Spring 5% COMMUNITY TEAM, often, as this will be the best source for up-to-date information.
Replies
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This will be my second challenge. I've been with MFP since 2009, and saw the challenge threads in the past but never investigated further. But when the opening of the Winter 2025 challenge was posted, I was at a crossroads in my fitness journey where it caught, and held, my eye.
As a bodybuilder I cycle between periods of bulking (trying to gain muscle) and cutting (losing the fat gained during last bulk). I had thought I was ready to begin another bulking phase, but an MFP friend told me I could stand to lose a few more pounds of fat first.
Most of my cutting phases had been unstructured "just eat less" periods without any accountability to anybody other than myself, but there was this thread about the Winter 2025 challenge which offered structure and accountability. On a lark I figured "why not" while firmly convinced I wouldn't come close to the stated 5% goal of weight loss.
Fast forward to the end, and wow, what a difference! I actually lost 4.3%, more than double (almost triple) the rate of loss from doing things by myself! My gym performance numbers remained as high as ever, and the image in the mirror had definitely taken a big step in the right direction!
So count me in for the Spring 2025 challenge, because if I can duplicate (or even exceed) the results from the first challenge, I will be not only fully primed to begin my next bulk, but also ready for my gym's swimming pool to open and stand proud next to kids half my age.
My exercise routine will remain as it has been…3 days lifting, 3 days on a treadmill…while I keep my previous Healthy Habit focus of getting adequate sleep each night (I'm up to a 50% success rate, better than before but with plenty of room for improvement).
A few thoughts for the leadership team to consider as possible weekly focus items:
- Expand nutritional profile: Try a new recipe // two new-to-you foods (we can even setup a Challenge Cookbook by having members contribute a favorite recipe)
- Expand exercise repertoire: Try a new exercise (or revisit one you haven't tried in a while)
- Expand social circle: Take the time to talk with one person each day (5+ minutes) you do not normally converse with (doesn't have to be a stranger, can be a neighbor/coworker you normally ignore or acknowledge with a wave from afar)
- Strengthen connections: Each day, reach out to somebody (family, friend) who you haven't contacted in a while (letter, email, phone call, etc)
- Expand awareness: Read one article daily (newspaper, online, magazine) about a topic you normally do not follow
- Exercise the brain: Challenge the brain for 20+ minutes daily (crossword, learning a new language/musical instrument, etc)
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The Winter 5% Challenge at the end found hitting my 25% Of the 5%! Now that's HUGE!! Huh why? The previous few challenges I had lost my WHY! WHY am I doing this? Oh, I knew it was temporary, BUT WHY!! Which took me back, to the year of 2010. At 288 lbs I was not at all healthy. This past year 2024 at 183 (my highest for a bit again) I found out what is going on health wise (heart and kidneys) my own Dr was great in saying "If you had not lost the weight you'd not be here." That hits in so many ways. But even at 183 I knew I could do more. This past challenge Winter) I had gotten down to 178 in the 8 weeks at 175. I am having success because I know my GOAL now is so much more than "Weight loss" its keeping my life going.
I had thought a choice would come I didn't want to make, well, I do not need to. Maybe. The better I eat the more that choice gets pushed away. I didn't want to eat better. HUH? But, THANKS to those on the team I am on (Can a OAL say which team they are on without LOLOLOL others going "oooohhhhh!" Of course those who are on the team I am on know)helped me during this challenge because they've been talking a LOT about food choices and recipes. This has greatly influenced me though I didn't make any changes, I sure have been adding in recipes with FREGGIES!!! But I do not care for them. BUT there's a plan in place!! More on that later!! As for exercise I am not do any strength exercising because it triggers my heart at this time. Maybe in time I can be stronger, but for now I need to stay with walking as my Dr's say to do.4 -
📓 Your assignment ~ Countdown & Pre-Challenge Activity #1: INFORMATION and YOUR INPUT! 📓
I have been regularly attending gym classes now for 11 months. I have seen a lot of changes in the way my clothes fit; and I have gained a lot of strength. (Ex: 11 months ago, I couldn't do one full sit up - now I can do 50 at a time. 11 months ago, I could hold a plank on my elbows for 20 seconds - now I can hold it on my feet and hands for 2 mins. I can even do pull-ups!)
And I want to keep all of that, but now finally - I am also seeing the number on the scale go down. And so that is my goal for this round. Focusing on Protein at 85+g/day; Carbs under 100g/day and keeping up with my gym classes.
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I’ve had a 40 year business career thus far, and I have never taken on more stress that has been debilitating to my health than my current job. This has taken a toll on my weight, my attitude and my motivation to be better.
I’ve learned the hard way that boundaries must be put up and respected in one’s life in order to accomplish things that increase the levels of quality for your own good. I fell off of a 5% challenge team due to missing two weeks of participation. I wasn’t prioritizing myself, my health, nor my life.
I have the opportunity to return and re-prioritize, my “WHY” and my health. Re-engage, get stronger and lose weight.I have 3 grandkids to have fun with and I don’t want to give up just yet. They are my WHY..
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Your FIRST Countdown Activity: Decide Where You Want To Go On Your Journey / 5% Challenge Spring 2025
I have the following goals that I plan to work towards during the Spring 2025 5% Challenge:Weight Goal: lose 10 lbs.
Body Composition: lose 4 - 6 inches total (Arms, Bust, Hips, Thighs, Hips)
Exercise: Weight Train 2x's per week, HIIT Sprint 1X per week or HIIT Climb Big Hill (400+ elevation gain) 1X per week, Walk 8k steps per day, and Reformer Pilates 3Xs per week. Rest day 1 - 2 days per week depending on how my body feels.
Nutrition: Achieve Macros, especially Protein
Hydration: Drink more than I think I need (80-90 oz.)
Sleep: Work on consistency sleeping 7-9 hours.
Mental Health: Don't skimp on Carbs, it's important to feed the brain too!1 -
Your FIRST Countdown Activity: Decide Where You Want To Go On Your Journey / 5% Challenge Spring 2025:
My reason: to be healthier and more active so I can enjoy doing fun stuff with the grandkids! Last year about this time was my first challenge - I actually had lost 9 lbs over the first 2 challenges I did, and then winter did me in and I gained 5-6 lbs back; between losing access to the rowing machine and having my back go out twice, I wasn't able to do as much physically, so this time I'm making sure to keep my core healthy so I can do more and stay active.
I am back on the rower 3 days per week and still doing treadmill or out walking 3 other days. And I'm doing stretching daily and strength at least 2 days per week (this includes my squats for core issues). I've bought a balance board for under my standing desk and I have an app for my office work desk that reminds me to get up on my feet every hour for a minimum of 10 minutes each time. I also bought a Pilates bar kit with resistance bands that I'm going to figure out and, finally, this weekend I'm joining the rec center nearby so I can use their rower and other equipment when I'm not working downtown to use the office gym. I definitely want to be more consistent with my workouts.
I have decided I will stick to my healthy foods more often (I've actually been doing really well), especially when my husband tries to lure me into having his non-healthy foods and snacks.
Oh, and work with this new smart scale to see how it can be helpful! :)
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Your FIRST Countdown Activity: Decide Where You Want To Go On Your Journey / 5% Challenge Spring 2025:
This challenge is a whole new start for me and my reasons for being here are different than they have ever been before. Everything is related to the passing of my first-born child back in October. During the months we cared for her at her home along side her husband and two daughters and mother-in-law, I put a lot of weight on. Well, for me it's a lot. I started at 135 and by the time of her passing I was up to 150 again. During the rest of the year of 2024 and up until just a week ago, the days of grief were keeping me from being able to work them off.
My daughter was up to 280 when she lost mobility shortly before being diagnosed. With the ALS diagnosis, she said it was no holds barred. She was going to eat and drink what she wanted for as long as she was able to. That didn't turn out to be very long. While I didn't eat or drink to the capacity she did, I did drink an alcoholic drink almost daily. Ate one doughnut almost daily because people kept bringing them. Didn't eat a great deal of vegetables because that's not how they eat. I had no control over the dinners because they had a meal train going, and friends and coworkers each had taken a night. Lots of pasta and sauces. One meal had vegetables because it was a chicken pot pie, loaded with mixed vegetables. But it also had sauce and a white bread crust. The food we ate was fattening, the alcohol had a lot of calories , and my husband and I walked 2 miles every day it was not raining. And my weight increased.
Then recently I had a dream about her and she was slender again. That made me start thinking about getting the weight off. So I made a commitment to myself and started. I've made a little headway, but the days of exercise are still too few. I think, though, that now I can start to keep them rolling. Spring gives everyone a charge to improve, and I'm no exception. So I'm on my way to 135!
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My goals are less weight related and more health care. As I am a care giver and still work full time it's time to put my health needs first.
Sleep is priority number 1.
increase water
Stretch every day
Hopefully get back to swimming by May.
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Lot of inspiring intentions here.
Dietician at Drs office referred me here (MFP) for logging and help understanding how the food recommendations translate. Working on that. Hope to be with some yakkers.
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My Why for being here and on my journey is to be the healthiest version of myself and to be able to get on the floor and play with my cousins young children.
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Your FIRST countdown activity: Decide where you want to go on this journey/5% Challenge Spring 2025:
My reason for me to be here doing this 5% challenge is to keep getting more weight off and to keep my pre-diabetic in check. I am not diabetic yet, but I don't want to end up being diabetic. I am also a caregiver for my DH and I don't always have the time to do everything I need to depending on how the day is going. Being on here and having a great group of teammates who are always here to help and encourage you.
I want to improve my sleep, drink more water, and do more meal planning and eating more protein and watching my carbs. I have been able to exercise every day so far and I intend on doing that during this challenge. I want to get healthier. I had breast cancer and the chemo and radiation really do take a toll on your body. I also had to take pills for five years and they packed on the weight. When I was all through I was 212 lbs and I have never had weighed that much before. I am down to 165 but I would like to lose 25 more pounds.
This is the place to succeed and there are a lot of people that have done well on their weight loss journey, so there is a lot of inspiration here, Here's to a successful journey on getting healthier.
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Yes, I want to be included and now I will be more available after School is out.
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I've completed more than 5 challenges now, and only been fully successful (if 5% loss is the measure) one time. Even though I haven't made measurable scale progress every time, the accountability to my team has definitely kept me from backsliding too far or just letting myself quit entirely. I am really excited to be moving into spring with a renewed sense of purpose.
Exercise is my nemesis, so my goal for this challenge is to do some type of exercise every day. I've found that when I'm consistent there, I'm more accountable to eating healthy, sleeping well, and all the rest.
My "why" continues to be a desire to be here for my family is an active way. Too many extended family members are sedentary, unhealthy, and unable to really participate in or enjoy life fully; I don't want that to be me as I head toward retirement.
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Your FIRST Countdown Activity: Decide Where You Want To Go On Your Journey / 5% Challenge Spring 2025:
I want to let "Spring" inspire me and to have activities that include gardening, walking, jogging and doing exercises on my deck. I want to lose some weight and get fitter to be ready for possibly a strenuous trip to visit my husbands homeland and relatives in Europe that will take place in late Spring. I want to feel prepared, looking my best and ready to enjoy this trip.
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My Why is the same as it has been for 21 years when I met my weight goal and have kept it off by staying on challenges here and on other challenges. Be healthy, eat healthy, stay active.
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WHY - lose weight, exercise more, eat healthier, sleep better, drink more water…. live longer. I'm planning to retire in June and want my life to improve. Enjoy life!
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This would be my first challenge, and I am super excited! I need the accountability and a true sense of community. I have been overweight my whole adult life, sometimes less than other times but never a "healthy" weight. This year my focused changed and I sincerely want a lifestyle change. I have been eating right and working out consistently. (WHY) I am ready for more steps for self-care. I have started to be more social, but I want to be more confident so that I don't feel self-conscious putting myself out there more.
I would like to still experiment with food choices, take my workouts to the next level, fast more consistently and have a dedicated sleep schedule.
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Eat healthy, exercise, and be mindful of stress.
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My why is I want to feel better when I look at myself, sleep better and not be out of breath after bending over for a short amount of time.
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I can't remember how long ago I reached my weight goal of 150 with Weight Watchers, but I know it was at least 20 years ago. Now I stay in the low 140s. A friend sent me a quote from SparkPeople so I checked it out and joined. I have a "join date" of May 16, 2012, but I don't know if that's when I first joined MFP, or if it's when I started SP, but it's been a long time! I was already on MFP when the SP shifted here, so it was an easy switch for me.
My "why" is that I had back surgery in 2018 that left me with a numb left leg from nerve damage. Now I'm trying to develop that leg so I can walk easier. I use a rollator/walker to get around and would love to graduate to a cane only (or better yet, no assistance at all). I'm 90 years old, so that may not happen in this lifetime, but I keep working on it.
So my goal is to walk unassisted and firm up my other muscles.
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Your FIRST Countdown Activity: Decide Where You Want To Go On Your Journey / 5% Challenge Spring 2025:
I had about decided to "forget it". I seem to have lost my Wanna Do and traded it for Who Cares! Then I read what a few others posted and applied my foot to my posterior area (nearly impossible to do! byw) There is no excuse, no reason for me to "give up". So now my focus is getting more fit thru walking. Also eating more healthfully , which means not giving in every time the kids say "do you want a burger?". I do tell them to get me kid burger-they never do "OH I forgot!"..nah you just did not believe me when I said KID burger. Really would rather go to Arbys for Roast Beef, need to check those out sodium levels on their meat.
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@katiecondy1 hope u don't mind but your answer was TOO GOOD TO NOT STEAL!
had about decided to "forget it". I seem to have lost my Wanna Do and traded it for Who Cares! Then I read what a few others posted and applied my foot to my posterior area (nearly impossible to do! byw) There is no excuse, no reason for me to "give up".
I really want to make a little progress, I do too much spinning of my wheels. And the old body tells me too much sitting makes one become a sitting duck, just awaiting being taken over by all the bad body crapola!
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I need to focus more on food and restart daily morning walks. For some reason I’ve lost my GUNG HO it has gone bye-bye. I like the challenge because it keeps me accountable. I join Silver Sneakers at they Y but haven’t gotten there in 2 months. This has to CHANGE!!!
@katiecondy1 - I too lost my WANNA DO and really need to get it back
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I want to LIKE what I see in the mirror …. I want my confidence back …… I need to dig deep and commit to myself - I know what to do I just need to choose to do it for myself ….
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Your FIRST Countdown Activity: Decide Where You Want To Go On Your Journey / 5% Challenge Spring 2025:
I spent more than a year losing 60 pounds…then gained 10 pounds back…I have been cycling those 10 pounds up and down and up again for too long. Time to focus and really get past this point.
Have a Great and Healthy Day!!!
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Your FIRST Countdown Activity: Decide Where You Want To Go On Your Journey / 5% Challenge Spring 2025:
I am now nearly 8 months out from my second spinal fusion surgery. For most of those months I was unable to do very much - partly because the surgeon gave me some strict rules, partly because it just hurt too much. My goal during these 8 weeks of the Spring Challenge is to find myself again. To take my dog for a walk, to cook healthier meals, to add one new class at the gym (I'm currently doing Yoga and Pilates) and to finally do a deep clean of my home and figure out where things are since my husband has been taking care of so much. Oh, and I'd like to get a better night's sleep! I plan to log my meals every day this challenge to see where I can do better. My favorite goal is to finally plant my garden again!
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My goal for this challenge is to build on all the healthy habits I've structured into daily living. Currently I'm happily in maintenance. I've been doing the challenges since 2012 and I'm grateful to have learned so much along the way. I remain alert and available to new healthy recipes and new ways to improve fitness. Coming into the spring and summer season I want to lengthen my productive hours in the day and have maximum fun times in good weather. We are more serious gardeners as the years roll on and look forward to eating new recipes with freshly grown garden veggies this year. Daily yoga and meditation practice continue to enhance all the healthy areas of my daily life.
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Your FIRST Countdown Activity: Decide Where You Want To Go On Your Journey / 5% Challenge Spring 2025:
I have a great need for refocusing back on my health and finding a reasonable approach for everyday fitness and good choices, whether it is food, destressing, exercise and relaxation. I really think that weight cannot be the main focus right now, as this is just making me sad. Focusing on other things like hitting my fiber and water intake, as well as a solid plan for exercise, easy enough to do every day and fun enough to actually stick with it will be the way to go. If I shed pounds on the way, all the better.
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Your FIRST Countdown Activity: Decide Where You Want To Go On Your Journey / 5% Challenge Spring 2025
My goal for this challenge is to refocus my energy on me. I have fluctuated the same 30 pounds over the last decade and while I’m not upset about that, I’m just ready to make some lifestyle changes to feel better in my body.0 -
I have gained some of my weight back after keeping it off for six plus years. This was a result of illness and a major operation. After all that in 2023 and a year to recover I am having some trouble getting my balance and determination back. I would like to change that during this challenge. Wish me good thoughts and vibrations!!!!
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