Health Challenges

In my last post, I mentioned that have some Health Challenges to keep me on track with my goals.  Three challenges to be exact, with different groups of people.  I'm really excited to have so many people in my life that want to live healthier!

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1. Couples Weight Loss Challenge
My friend, Hillary, and her boyfriend, Nick, wanted to lose weight and thought it'd be fun to have a competition with Mike and I to see who could have the highest percentage of weight loss.  Mike and I agreed and Nick's bother and fiancee (Chris and Brittany) joined us as well.

The rules:
It's super easy.   Hillary made a Facebook group and each week we post the percent of weigh our team has had so far in the competition.  It started on January 1st and it ends on April 1st.  Winner's get a night out to a local supporting event on the loser's coin.  But really we are all winner's because this is getting us healthier.

For me this challenge has been really awesome at kick starting my weigh loss.  As you know if you have been reading, I've gained all the weigh back that I lost, nothing fits, etc. so this Challenge has been great for getting my butt into gear!  AND I've already lost 5 lbs!

2. Staff Workout Challenge
A group of us at work wanted to start challenge to motivate ourselves into a healthier lifestyle.  We decided to base this challenge on the amount of times we work out.

The rules:
Every time we workout, we draw a star next to we name on a big chart that is hung up in the office where everyone can see it - thus motivating us to workout! Whoever works out three times a week for at least twenty minutes gets their name into a drawing at the end of the month for a gift card to a sporting goods store.  In order to participate we each kicked in $5 to go towards the prize.   The money also is a motivator.  This challenge lasts for three months.

For me this challenge has been great to get back into a routine of working out.  I fell out of that routine, over a year ago now, but this challenge has made me fit it into my daily routine.  Doing this for three months will definitely make working out a habit, so hopefully I won't slip back into my lazy, couch potato ways.

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3. Cooking Light's 12 Healthy Habits
Our Health and Wellness department is doing this challenge campus wide this year.  We know that the success rate to do a complete, overhaulin' change is pretty small, however if you make one small change at a time, the success rate is greater.  Cooking Light's Challenge focuses on that.

The rules: 
Each month there is a new challenge or healthy habit to incorporate into your life.  Adding a new healthy habit to your life each month equals a super healthy year and a brand new you full of healthy habits that are ingrained into your lifestyle. Join along on this challenge!

For me, this is really going to help with my diet (diet meaning everything I eat, not like a fad diet).  Most of the challenges focus on food and that is something I struggle with.  Especially right now when I'm really focused on losing the weight I gained; I'm seeing the food as the calories and not as nutrition.  January is over and I haven't started this challenge yet, but that's okay.  It's never to late to get healthy!

The best part of all these challenges is that they aren't hard, they don't cost much money and anyone can set them up.  If you a few people you know are looking to get healthier this year - try setting something like this up!

Are you a part of any challenges this year?