Last-Minute September Challenge

Hey, if it weren't for the last minute, nothing would get done, right?!

For this challenge, I need your help!

Okay, we've got 4 days to get this one done and it's all about ME.  Well, and it benefits all of you as well. 

Since accomplishing my amazing feat of running a half marathon (thankyouverymuch), I haven't done a thing except eat.  (To my credit, there have been some fruits and veggies involved in that eating).  Not a single workout to be had, though.  It's my goal to get at least ONE (and hopefully more!) workout in before Sept. 30, 11:59 pm. 

Please join me and report about it.  I need your inspiration and motivation!!! 

If you have been exercising, then this should be no problem for you, just email or leave a blog comment about what you've done and you'll get a point!  Easy peasy!  If, like me, your workouts have been struggling, let's do something these next few days.  Head out for a walk, hop on the bike, tread or elliptical, pump some iron.  It doesn't have to be anything killer, but it does have to get your heart pumping!

Let's do this, family and friends!!!  Please help me!!!

Combat your inner couch potato and Overcome Lazy this week!!!

Some Veggie/Fruit Pointers

As I've been recording my fruit servings, I actually looked up the info on how much a serving is to make sure I was being accurate.  A serving is generally measured as 1/2 cup.  So, sliced/chopped or small fruit/veggies that are about that amount will be a serving.  Also, don't forget that means that 1/2 cup salsa and tomato sauce, apple sauce, etc. are a serving.  So there's all kinds of ways to get the fruits and veggies in.

By the way, I thought I'd be cruising through this challenge - getting a point every day, easily - but apparently I've only been getting about 6 servings regularly.  So this challenge has made me more aware of my intake and I find I'm having to work at getting a few more to start earning my points!  But it's easy enough to do, it just takes a little more thinking on my part.

Click HERE to see one of my all-time favorite ways to incorporate vegetables into our diet.

And here are some more guidelines to help you:

1 Serving of Fruit

• one banana
• six strawberries
• two plums
• fifteen grapes
• one apple
• one peach
• one-half cup of orange or other fruit juice

1 Serving of Vegetables

• five broccoli florets
• ten baby carrots
• one roma tomato
• 3/4 cup tomato juice
• half of a baked sweet potato
• one ear of corn
• four slices of an onion

August Challenge (It Involves Eating!)



Awww, they're so cute you could just eat 'em up!

 Wow, is it already mid-August?!?!  This gives us 2.5 weeks to accomplish something healthy this month.  I realize that schedules and motivations are all over the place this time of year with summer wrap-up activities and school year preparations.  So, let's keep things simple.

If any of you out there are like me, you find yourself falling victim to stress-eating.  My snacking and portion sizes are out of control lately!  So I thought we could all benefit from a nutritional challenge.

We'll worry about making sure our workout routines are on track next month once we settle into our fall schedules.  But for now, let's finish the month eathing healthily and taking advantage of summer's fruit and vegetable bounty.



Fresh, frozen, even canned... it's all good!



August Challenge:

Eat the 7 daily recommended servings of fruits and vegetables.

Point Value:  Varies.  One point for each day that you accomplish this.

This is an easy way to rack up some major points!  Some of you may already be accomplishing this, so your goal is to keep track and keep it up!

I'm going to email y'all with a simple chart you can print off to easily track your progress and at the end of the month, you can add up the amount of days you reached this goal and report in.

I personally plan on not only incorporating both fruits and veggies into each meal but also not allowing myself to eat a meal or snack without first eating a fruit/veggie serving.  I'm stocking up on apples, baby carrots, small cans of V8 juice and making sure I've got plenty of cut-up green peppers, watermelon and cantaloupe handy while they're still in season.  I also try to keep plenty of canned fruit in my pantry for times that I don't have anything fresh on hand.  I love canned pears and mandarin oranges in particular.

Eating more fruits and vegetables helps you improve the vitamins and nutrients of your diet, increases your intake of fiber and helps tame your hunger for fewer calories.

So print out your charts, keep a tally, and rack up the points this month!

The-America-West-Matchup

Sharon - you will be pleased to know that I signed myself, Renae, Chrystie, Steph and Gabe up for a weigh-off contest through work called The-America-West-Matchup. We can win $10,000 for 1st place, $5,000 for 2nd and $3,000 for third.

Our Goal - "Increase output and decrease input until we reach our goal."

Our Motto - "We're on ... Like Donkey Kong!" in honor of our trainer Sharon. We all need to weigh in this week

I hope you don't mind I used your blog name "Golden Sneakers" as our team name.

We would sure appreciate reminders and encouragement from your blog every couple of days. You can earn your money as our trainer!

Thank you for your encouragement

Kirk

My Nephew's Plank



This was the original pic posted on facebook.

 Well, the planking craze is still going strong apparently (Did you watch the video yet?  Pretty funny).  My nephew, Asa, got on the bandwagon by doing one while waiting in line at a theme park.  Very impressive, I must say!  He's got abs (and a core) of steel!

Here it is a little larger but blurrier.  You can still tell he has perfect form!
He's a fun/funny kid!

June Mid-month Challenge

I know you've all been waiting with bated breath and just been chomping at the bit to get at this month's challenge.  In anticipation for this month's challenge, my niece, Ashlee shared this great clip on the planking craze that's been taking the world by storm.  Uhhh... actually this is the first I heard about it.  But it's funny stuff!

 

By the way, some of that planking is just laying face down and is not benefitting the core muscles at all!  But this month's challenge is designed to do just that:  work those "core" muscles!  Planking is an excellent activity to enhance any abdominal exercises you probably are already doing in your fitness routine. 

The core muscles basically include everything on your torso between your shoulders and hips including the front and back of your body.  By strengthening this area, you keep yourself well-balanced and better prepared to tackle the challenges of exercising as well as your routine daily movements.  Not to mention planking will work on toning and tightening your middle.

The main thing to remember with planking is, keep your tummy pulled-in and tight!  See - now the importance of last month's challenge comes to light!  And you want your body to make a straight line from your shoulders to your feet (or knees, depending on which version of the plank you're doing) just like a plank of wood.

So here's the challenge:
Point Value:  1

Do 2 sets of 10 repetitions (if movement is involved) or 2 sets of at least a 20-second hold of your plank exercise(s) of your choice... 3 x/week until the end of this month.

This challenge must be completed as stated above to earn the point!

A few notes about the demo video:  If it doesn't work for you, tell me and I'll email you written instructions and pictures.  Also, our microphone broke, so I couldn't talk you through any of the exercises.  However, I think just by watching it, you'll catch on just fine.

Report From The Next "Extreme Couponer"

Well, I did accomplish both challenges this month.  I did plenty of gut-sucking.  Easy challenge, huh?  If you didn't do it... well, then, you're just plain lazy, aren't you?!  Yeah, I said it!  Did anyone besides me do it???  You have to report in or you don't get the point!

I also organized my couponing system and that has helped a lot with my weekly shopping.  I'm not saving 98.3% on my grocery bill like those extreme couponing freaks just yet, but I feel that I'm saving the most I possibly can by having my coupons at the ready to pair them up with the stores' sales.  Some weeks are better than others and this one was a good one because I saved about 45% on my groceries.  Score!

I found a website couponing101.com that I like and followed her method of setting up a couponing system (I commandeered Keith's unused Franklin Planner binder so now I'm one of those zealots who roams the grocery aisles with her big black notebook stuffed with the weekly ads and dozens of coupons).  I do have to dedicate some time each week to clipping and filing coupons and printing off the printable coupons.  And making my shopping lists is a bit more strategic so it takes more thought than it used to, but, for us, it's been worth it so far.  Sorry to blab, but just wanted to pass that along.
 
And I know I've made empty promises before, but I'm hoping to be sincere when I say this month's challenge will be coming this week... with a video!  (That's always the hold-up).

So in the meantime, keep doing your ab bracing and be ready for.... some planking!

Deets to come soon.