Health Challenge for the week of 1/7 to 1/14

Here's how it works:

Day One: (a Tuesday), Anyone can post a challenge, but only one challenge per week (so once the challenge for the week has been posted, don't post another until the next week!) The challenge can be a food-related one, or a challenge to up the workout, or it can be a fun fitness challenge--anything simple related to health. Be creative--and specific!

Anyone can report on the current challenge--how they're doing, how they adapted it for themselves, how it helped. Anyone can cheer on those accepting the challenge. Only one person can post a new challenge, and that must occur on Monday.

Second Challenge -
No soda week - No coke, no diet coke, no diet dr. pepper, no carbonated beverages for an entire week. If you do want to continue to drink your sodas - that is fine. If that is the case, you have to recycle every can at the end.

What do y'all think?

Mon. Jan 7, 6:21pm

never drink soda!

Monday, January 7, 2008, 7:28 PM

CoffeeGal Checking IN!

I never drink soda either. Oddly enough, I actually had one today. Although for the challenge...I will not have any liquor this week. THAT will be a challenge. Between the teachers hanging out on Friday and the Seahawks game this weekend....

Monday, January 7, 2008, 7:55 PM

starting today no more crap.

Monday, January 7, 2008, 8:57 PM

mejaka here--I rarely drink soda either. I know that cutting back on soda for those who drink it can have a MAJOR effect--I lost a pound and a quarter a week when I cut back on _milk_.

I'm continuing with my weakness food, which is sweets of all kinds...and I'm also taking up the second challenge in the original thread, which is about adding extraneous movement (the old idea of choosing the furthest parking spot, or taking the stairs instead of the elevator).

Monday, January 7, 2008, 11:44 PM

I don't drink sodas and I do recycle, so what is my challenge? Maybe we should have an alternate challenge or a standard alternate challenge?

Tuesday, January 8, 2008, 8:53 AM

i'm game.

i'm a junky for eating fast food in the morning so that's my challenge this week--not to eat out for breakfast and to pack a healthy breakfast I can eat when I get to work.

Tuesday, January 8, 2008, 9:01 AM

i love it! i just through out a can in the trash this morning. i'll set up another container to drop in this one, my water bottles, etc. i'll talk to my coworkers too about recycling their cans with me.

Tuesday, January 8, 2008, 11:29 AM

mejaka here--anyone can subsitute an alternate challenge that works better for them, like CoffeeGal has. It's good to keep the challenges broad enough (like "your weakness food" of last week) which I know sounds like it contradicts the "be specific" in my original explanation. I've never done this exercise in a health-and-fitness context before (it's based on a creativity exercise for artists!) so maybe it is harder to do here.

I don't mind an alternate challenge either--if the whole thing gets too muddy it will still be interesting to try!

Tuesday, January 8, 2008, 11:38 AM

extra movement

Hey ,
I don't drink regular soda but I'm going to keep up the weakness challenge for refined carbs no refined carbs thurs, fri, sat, sun because I've felt so much better since I started it.
I got a head start of extra movement walking around the neighborhood looking for my dog! Found her luckily maybe we can walk together today.

-tidyed

Tuesday, January 8, 2008, 12:23 PM

So far no sweets today, and I'm going to have a small cup of hot chocolate after I finish shoveling snow and building a snowman (I wanted to build one yesterday but the snow was too dry--the snow falling today looks better).

I did walk from Costco to the ceramics studio--in 29-degree weather and driving snow--only to find the studio CLOSED...But hey, at least I walked that half-mile!

Tuesday, January 8, 2008, 5:15 PM

saw this on Oprah...find a place to recycle in your zip for just about everything...

www.earth911.org

Wednesday, January 9, 2008, 9:23 AM

Yeah, cookie girl!

Wednesday, January 9, 2008, 10:31 AM

I drink soda (pop, etc) less than 5 times a year, so I don't think this challenge will be a problem for me.

I'm going to INCREASE my milk intake (currently 0-1 c a day) to make sure I am drinking at least 1 cup a day. Otherwise all I drink is water, and the occassional tea or coffee.

Wednesday, January 9, 2008, 12:11 PM

Cookie girl! Take a walk!

I haven't had anything sweet today except a small cup of hot chocolate. And I climbed a sledding hill 15 times...60 years per climb, in 8" of snow, carrying two sleds (mine and my 8-year-old daughter's). Plus 30 minutes of shoveling snow!

Wednesday, January 9, 2008, 6:21 PM

Well it's Wednesday and I am getting in on it a little late, but I am in! I haven't had soda at all this week so far! Everyone keep it up!

Wednesday, January 9, 2008, 7:02 PM

Cookie girl, I am still doing last week's challenge and I ate something truly strange tonight for dinner.

I saw someone making marshmallows on this Martha Stewart clip a few days ago. I don't even like marshmallows but somehow this clip captured my imagination and marshmallow keep floating up for me...I am dying to make some. So tonight I was tired, hungry and it was late and I had to pick up some things at the grocery store and DANG I walked by this display with home made marshmallows (expensive too) but they had small packages of 4....and mint flavored ones two. So I got them and ate them at the store (ok, I was in the restaurant section....sitting down...eating dinner too because it was late). I ate all four....pure sugar and squishy...like marshmallows only a little better.

So I guess I am one bite (maybe 4 if you bite marshmallows in half) above the 3 bite challenge...but I have to smile...of all things to have float up...and then to actually eat...marshmallows!

Wednesday, January 9, 2008, 8:45 PM

Cookiegirl, another rule I've used is that before I eat something I think I'm craving, I have to take a walk.

Sometimes I get back and no longer crave it. Other times, I still do, but at least I took a walk!

mejaka

Wednesday, January 9, 2008, 10:22 PM

resisted donuts and cookies!

Hey Tidyed here,

It may not seem like much but last night I went for coffee with my sister and ordered only a tea resisting all those delicious extras! It's become a bad habit ot add a cookie or donut on. So I consider it a success. This week planning to go for lunch on saturday but resist the refined carbs. I've felt much fuller and satisfied eating my veggies and more fresh fruit for snack.

Thursday, January 10, 2008, 10:29 AM

I am checking the PT lounge community now for the first time in months because this is fun...and we are doing something real...not just sharing opinions. I't also fun to have a cross culture of people I've never run across here at PT...some have been here since day one of the thread., others are just joining up, some are here for a day or two.. Just like life...but it seems we are putting winds in each others sails which is exactly the purpose of this kind of venture.

So I am still working on last weeks venture and the inadvertent activity challenge this week. Have mixed results. Had the marshmallow incident last night which was fine....marshmallows are no longer calling but today I am not off to a great start because I also got some bran muffins (which I really like). What I can say is I am glad they are gone! AND I am still struggling with carb/sweets withdrawal. Need to load up with veggies and avoid sweets a little longer....also need to get a little more active. That will turn around as the days get longer and weather is better. I am optimistic but I need to work at it more too.

Unplanned activity report....stairs are still clear and things are being walked to their destination...also yesterday I parked at far end of a parking lot.

Love reading updates of everyone passing through these 2 threads. Yay.

Thursday, January 10, 2008, 2:20 PM

Yeah! for Tidyed, cookie girl and 2:20!!!

I shoveled snow yesterday and built a seven-foot, voluptuous, buxom snow-lady in my front yard (think of the well-padded madams of the American frontier saloons). I did eat a chocolate. One. And while I ate several small handfuls of my sister's fruit-nut-and-wholegrain party mix (with the brown-sugar-and-butter coating all party mixes seem to have), it kept me from eating the chocolatey, fatty, densely caloric leftover Christmas junk. Yesterday was a stressful day, so I consider that a decent way of dealing with it at this stage of things.

mejaka

Friday, January 11, 2008, 11:10 AM

no soda so far, but much more green tea.

I had a 1/4 of a 70% coco bar and noticed that the sweetness actually made me crave a diet soda- weird eh? A sin to me that these two are connected in my mind.

Friday, January 11, 2008, 11:28 AM

i was really tempted to buy a diet coke today, but remembered the thread and kept my change in my pocket :)))

Friday, January 11, 2008, 8:57 PM

11:28 - it may have been the caffiene in the chocolate. you were probably craving more caffiene!! way to go on the green tea. keep it up! the week is almost over...

Saturday, January 12, 2008, 3:19 PM

Inadvertant activity challenge

So, last night I went to WallMart, and couldn't find a decent parking spot. Even though it was FREEZING out, I thought of you guys, and parked toward the back. Even bothered to run my cart back up to the front, instead of leaving it at the back of the lot. Thanks for the motivation, Posters!

Saturday, January 12, 2008, 3:35 PM

YEAH! See, we're putting this at the front of each others' minds...

Saturday, January 12, 2008, 4:00 PM

hello - OP here. I don't drink diet coke anymore either. i stopped on Dec. 18th after getting a urinary tract infection. When the nurse told me NO carbonated beverages, I decided it was time to kick the habit. For those of you who abstained from DC or whatever for the week, CONGRATULATIONS!!! I have felt liberated from the addiction since quitting and I haven't had one soda since. Oh, I have been tempted, but then I think of the thread and fix some water...

Since my health challenge was to give up ___________. I gave up chocolate and I am so glad I did. I was really eating one bonbon a day and it was stoopid. Glad I quit.

To the 15 min a day challenge - Just post it. You will get the, "but I already meditate every day..." posts, but the challenge is truly to create your own and inspire. Kudos on the suggestion...Thread away...

Sunday, January 13, 2008, 9:23 PM

Mandajo

Hey, I've been readin this for the last couple of days and I'm super interested!!! I guess I'll get a head start on the 15 minutes one. A bubble bath sounds fantastic. Especially since the elliptical machine kicked my butt today in my workout. I also started the little extra things when I first saw this movement, and ever since I've been trying to do a little extra, like parking further away and I decided to stand about half of the night at work last night and whenever a good song came on I walked over to the radio, cranked it up and sang and danced. What fun!!!! I rarely drink soda, so that didn't work. Instead, I'm trying to eat at least 1 fresh fruit or veggie a day. This is good, since I'm terrible with the fruit and veggie requirements. So far it's worked really well. I actually enjoy knowing that what I'm doing is good for me instead of not caring. Thanks for starting this up:)

Monday, January 14, 2008, 12:17 PM

resisted fries

Hey Tidyed here,

Well I didn't completely go without refined stuff but I went out for lunch satruday and chose fruit instead of fries and it made me really full! It balanced out the large cookie from the morning and for dinner out I had a salad and sent it back when it came dressing on. I didn't eat nearly as much when i came home in the evenings down two pounds! Thanks for the support all!
Hang in there cookie girl - I like a line beck has about strengthening your say no muscle.

Monday, January 14, 2008, 12:25 PM

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