The Reward

If you keep up with the Healthy Challenge, if you follow the rules, avoid the sweets, exercise your little heart out, there will be a reward. At the end of the day, you too can look like this...

Now get out there and bust your buns!

Money stuff

Just wanted to let you know that I have not deposited your checks yet. My plan is to go to the bank today and cash them. I apologize for not doing it sooner but I wanted to wait until I received them all. So, they will be done today! I promise :)

Thoughts on Week 3

I apologize for not posting week three's results sooner. I spent time with an awesome friend and just didn't have time to get everything done before I went to her house.

SO!....

Things are looking very good for us all! I'm proud of us! Aren't you? Even if you don't think there's a snowballs chance of winning, stick it out. This is so good for us!

This week I've been thinking a lot about what food means to me. It may sound silly but I encourage you to ask yourself what food means to you.

Does it give you comfort? Is it your friend {meaning what you turn to when you're stressed, tired, cranky, sleepy, bored etc...}? Are there emotions attached to it? Be honest with yourself and see if you can see what food means to you.

I don't think there's anything wrong with enjoying food. What I found myself doing though, is saying things like "Boy, ice cream would really make this outing better!", "Well we're sitting around a campfire, how can you do that without eating marshmallows?", "I'm so tired, I wish I could eat some sugar.", "A candy bar would be soooo good right now.", "I've been taking care of three very challenging kids, I deserve a treat!" etc... you get the idea.

I'm making food be the fun instead of the people and the fun being the fun. Make sense? Instead of just enjoying myself and enjoying what I was eating or doing, I was dreaming about what food would make it better. How crazy is that?

So instead I'd like to enjoy the people I'm with and the lovely times we have together and not be consumed by what food I'd like to eat. I'd really like my body to be a slave to me instead of me being a slave to my body.

If you have a minute, leave a comment about what food means to you. Were you in any situations when a certain kind of food would've made all the difference in your world?

What Gets a Zero?

Jerome & I were talking the other night. Okay, we were harassing each other. And trying to figure out a very important question: How could you earn zero points for the week? We came up with a few thoughts. Things like...

* eating at Chicago Nick's.
* eating a Serious Texas Taco every day (sorry Mark and Billy, but you know it's true).

What do you think? What could someone do that should take away all their points for the week?

Just a fun thought for the day...

Interesting article

Thought you might enjoy this article about health. It's short. I promise :)

"If you're in good health, you've got everything there is."

Week 2 Recap!

Hey guys great job this week the points are awesome!

This has been a lot of fun for me, hard but fun! However I have realized how much I ate sugar! And now after not eating it really for two weeks, yesterday on my free day I didn't even want it! I have not been craving things as much as I thought I would which is really nice! Sugar really isn't something that I even want! How crazy it that!

It is still very hard for me to get motivated to work out however after I do it I feel so much better! So that is what helps me to get motivated! I am also working on walking/running in the river run for orphans this year so that is also helping me get motivated! :) I am so happy that I am doing this challenge and that all of you are doing it as well!

Good luck on week 3 everyone! I know you can do it! :)

Thoughts on Week 2

So guys, week number two is under our belt. How are ya'll feeling?

I'm feeling fabulous thank you for asking :) This has been so great for me. When I started this challenge I prayed that God would change my heart towards being healthy. I know that He did not create my body for me to abuse it. My body is a temple of His Holy Spirit. I need to be a good steward of it. I have prayed that not only would I create new habits but my mind would be renewed and I would have a different view of my body and health. Doing this challenge isn't about losing weight, it's about changing myself to a healthier me.

That being said, I have had many revelations as this has gone on. I'd like to share them with you as we continue on this journey. I don't know if I'll have anything for you every week but by golly if God gives me something I promise to share it. It may be for you as well!

This week, yesterday morning specifically, I was getting ready for church. Mark and I turn on AM radio and listen to it as we're dressing. They have very random topics in interview type programming and it's been very educational. {I know, it's weird but it's true}.

So yesterday, the cheapest family in America (who wrote a book about how they are so frugal) was being interviewed. As I was listening to their spending habits and rules in their family it totally made sense that the same was true for our bodies and our health.

We live in a very NOW oriented society. If I want something I want it NOW and I can buy it NOW and not worry about consequences. That's how we've gotten into our recession. We keep living on credit. If we want a new TV, we get one - pay for it with a credit card - and worry about paying it back later. The instant thrill we get by getting what we want over-rules all thoughts of wisdom, of patience, of saving.

That's how we are with our bodies and health. We "borrow" from our health, by indulging in whatever food we want, when we want, and decide that we will worry about paying it back later. Many of us don't have any "savings" in the health department so we are using up all our credit. So we are now in a position where we are having to work twice as hard to get out of "debt". Does this make sense to you?

The healthy challenge is about bringing our health account back into balance. Mine has been out of balance for so long. I need to stop indulging in treats and wants and get my savings built back up again. My health is, in all actuality, the most important thing I have. My world stops turning in a comfortable way when I have a headache, or a backache, or if I'm tired or have a cold. It is those times that I am reminded of how wonderful it is to be healthy. I want that to continue for as long as possible. So I need to start saving up with healthy food choices and exercises so I can splurge every once in a while and get a treat. Does that make sense?

I hope so. It was a neat new way for me to view what I am doing with my body. Now when I'm working out I think about the deposits I'm making into my health and when I'm tempted to eat something I really want, I think about the withdrawls and whether or not I can afford it :)

Have a great 3rd week everyone!

Venting about Billy being Mean!

Okay guys just so you know Billy is not allow to wine or complain anymore about Tiff's cupcakes and no one I mean no one should have sympathy for him! Yesterday I was at the hospital visiting them and bringing Billy dinner when Jerome and Tiff showed up with some yummy french desserts. Now I did not mind that they brought the desserts at all it truly was not that big of a deal until Billy walked over and put the plates under my nose! How mean is that??? LOL! No one ever listen to Billy and all his wining and crying about the no sugar rule and no eating after 8:30 he is just a big baby! And yes I told him I was going to post about this because I wanted everyone to know how mean he is and how much he acts like a baby! (giggle) :) But we still all love him! :) Just wanted to vent for a minute! :)

Week 2 here I come!

Hello all! I'm here representing the East Coast! I'm Katie Cooper, Jill's sister/Mark's sister-in-law(duh)...and somehow I thought this would be a good idea for me because I could definitely use some discipline in my life. Proof of this lack of discipline is my point total from week 1, yikes. But hey, nowhere to go but up!

Let me give you a little background...I live in New York City, I eat every meal out (including coffee), dinner is usually around 9:00 p.m., I have not seen the inside of a grocery store in 6 months, coffee is often a meal, and my roommate is a food publicist so I am her +1 to all the food events (fyi, these are not health food events). Basically, other than working out, my lifestyle isn't healthy.

I was off to a rough start considering day 1 of this challenge was my birthday which of course involved cake, cupcakes, NOT healthy/portioned meals, and a dinner reservation at 9:30 p.m. Jeez. But I am ready to go for Week 2! I like this plan because it's a great way to really think about what you're putting in your body and to be accountable. It will be a challenge because of my existing lifestyle, but again, discipline is good and I need to create healthier habits. The toughest part for me will be eating 3 meals a day, cutting out sugar, and the killer 8:30 curfew.

So I am looking forward to this and have really enjoyed all of your posts, thoughts, and comments...it makes it so much more fun! Lastly, I think it is unfair for Tiffany to bring cupcakes as I have tasted her baked goods and they are ridiculously good. Penalty!!

Thoughts on week one

I'm sitting at my in-laws house tallying points and posting them. It's been a crazy and awesome first week and I wanted to share a few thoughts on it.

First off, I'm going to be a bit lax today since I do not receive text messages up here and we all may need a bit of a break in remembering to turn our points in. Thank you to all of you who remembered to turn them in. You've got a big head start on the rest of us.

Second, I've realized that this is a very honest-based competition. It really is up to the challenger to decide what is a healthy portioned meal. Since we've been up here, in Denver on vacation, we really are at the mercy of what we are fed. What I have done, instead of freak out about there being not a ton of salads etc..., is figure that I need to learn how to live healthy in every situation in my life. So portion control and eating the good parts of a meal are extremely important.

For example, I love pizza {not so great for you if it's loaded with pepperoni and cheese which is my favorite}. They had it for lunch one day. Instead of eating several pieces, which I would have loved to do, I ate one. I enjoyed it and was fine not eating more. It really is all about moderation. Now understand, I'm not saying that pizza for every meal is a healthy choice, but there will definitely be circumstances where healthy food choices are incredibly limited. That does not mean give up, over-eat, or freak out. It means have some self-control.

Really, in all reality, this challenge is about empowering us to make healthy choices for our lives. We won't be counting points for the rest of our lives so it's a good way to teach ourselves how to say no to ourselves. Have you really ever had to do that before? Tell yourself no? I'll bet not. I'll bet, if you're like me, that if there were cookies for dessert and you wanted one, well then by golly you'd eat it. If there were unlimited pancakes for breakfast and you wanted a dozen, well then by golly you'd eat them!

This challenge is about saying 'I'm okay not eating cookies and pancakes. I will not die, nor starve, nor be deprived. I want to be healthy and live long. I will enjoy the occasional treat but it will not control my life. I do NOT want to be controlled by food. I am the boss of my body! NOT FOOD!!!'

And I've discovered that saying NO isn't easy at first but it gets easier. Of course we may have sugar withdrawl headaches - we will survive! We may pee a hundred times a day - we will survive! We may really want an extra something that we know we shouldn't - we will survive! Our minds might be screaming at us that no one will know if we cheat just a little - we will survive!

You will get out of the challenge only what you put into it. I've decided that I want a healthy lifestyle. And by golly I'm going to try!!!

Thought About the Day Off

If you eat so much junk food and drink so much pop that you are trying to make up for the 6 days a week you are good; does it really do you any good to be good for 6 days? Not that I have done that today; it was a thought that crossed my mind.

Questions from the alleged Rule(s) Nazi

While I haven't done this....yet. Jerome brought up a great point on Thursday night. SHOULD desserts fall under the healthy/portioned lunch or dinner? Heck, right now I would even include breakfast!

Also, if this is a six out of seven day challenge...then wouldn't Sunday the 5th have been everyones FREE day for week 1? And we have the option of picking a day Sunday thru Saturday for week 2. Because, I want to use a day next week after this child enters the outside world. Sitting in the hospital having to watch what I eat would be a real bummer.

One more...for right now....WHO came up with 8:30? And in which time zone are we talking? Softball starts at 7:15 and gets over at 8:30. UMM!!! NOT FUNNY! Then, Miss Tiffany, brings cupcakes? Unsportsmanlike conduct! 15 yards or points!

A new recipe

Here is the recipe I tried last night. It was really yummy, easy to make, and healthy. I'm sure you could substitute chicken or any other meat for the steak. It's also different than my usual pasta fare. Hope you enjoy!

Bow-Tie Pasta with Beef and Tomatoes

Serve a skillet-quick, homemade beefy pasta dinner, and have it on the table in less than 30 minutes.

Prep Time: 20 min
Total Time: 20 min
Makes: 4 servings


2 cups uncooked bow-tie (farfalle) pasta (5 oz)
1 tablespoon olive or vegetable oil
1 cup frozen bell pepper and onion stir-fry (from 1-lb bag)
1 lb beef strips for stir-fry or beef flank steak, thinly sliced
1 can (14.5 oz) Italian-style stewed tomatoes, undrained
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Fresh basil leaves, if desired
Freshly shredded Parmesan cheese, if desired


1. Cook and drain pasta as directed on package.
2. Meanwhile, in 12-inch skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Cook frozen stir-fry vegetables in oil 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in beef. Cook 5 to 6 minutes, stirring frequently, until no longer pink.
3. Stir in tomatoes, garlic salt and pepper. Cook 2 to 3 minutes, stirring frequently and breaking up tomatoes slightly with spoon, until mixture is hot. Stir in pasta. Cook 1 to 2 minutes, stirring constantly, until pasta is well coated and hot. Garnish with basil. Serve with cheese.

High Altitude (3500-6500 ft): After stirring in tomatoes, cook 3 to 5 minutes. After stirring in pasta, cook 2 to 4 minutes.


Nutrition Information:
1 Serving: Calories 390 (Calories from Fat 110); Total Fat 12g (Saturated Fat 3 1/2g, Trans Fat 0g); Cholesterol 50mg; Sodium 550mg; Total Carbohydrate 38g (Dietary Fiber 3g, Sugars 5g); Protein 33g Percent Daily Value*: Vitamin A 4%; Vitamin C 20%; Calcium 6%; Iron 25% Exchanges: 2 Starch; 0 Other Carbohydrate; 1 Vegetable; 3 1/2 Very Lean Meat; 2 Fat Carbohydrate Choices: 2 1/2
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.



The recipe can be found on www.bettycrocker.com.

Enjoy!

Hello everyone!

Hey guys,

My name is Alisha Palmer and I am Jill's sister-in-law. This has been a great challenge for me so far. My biggest struggle is not eating sweets. I love chocolate, cookies, cake, and the list goes on and on. My work is infamous for always having some kind of cake or yummy food sitting out for all to eat. I have already had to say no to apple pie, and two different kinds of cake just this week, but I have done it and that feels great just to know that I have the will power to say no.

As far as the exercising, I am finding it challenging to make sure I do the 45 minutes everyday. I normally do cardio 3 times a week, but now I am adding upper and lower body with weights the other three days a week. I have always read the benefits that weight training has on your metabolism and am hoping to see some of those results. If I could get arms like Madonna out of it that would be great - or maybe just arms that would allow me to open up jars without my husbands help :).

Drinking all the water has been a struggle for me too. I think the part I hate the most is how much it makes you have to run to the bathroom!

I think my biggest mistake may have come on day one. I realized at 9:00pm Monday night that I did not have multivitamins yet to take, so I lost a point on that day for the silliest thing and I think it may come back to haunt me at the end of this challenge :(.

I would love to hear about any tips you guys have on exercising and good healthy recipes.

My biggest struggles so Far!

Okay so one of my biggest struggle so far has been not eating sugar. You never really realize how much sugar you eat until you can't have it. Plus you never really realize how much sugar is in a lot of things until you truly start looking! However not eating sugar has really made me feel good! :) I look in the mirror and don't feel so blah which has been really nice. :) I had to leave a birthday party on Tuesday with Noah because they where getting ready to eat cup cakes and I just did not want to be tempted to just eat one! :) So we left which really made me feel good and realize that I do have will power. :)

Okay and my second biggest struggle has been getting the momentum to work out. I love to work out it is just actually getting up and doing it that takes the most will power. However once I start I feel great while I am doing it and after! Like I have accomplished something and it makes me feel really good about myself!

I know I can do this and I am so happy to have all of you on my team! I know you all are doing an amazing job! :) Keep up the good work! :)

My biggest struggle so far.

I don't know about the rest of you, but the hardest part for me so far has been the getting 64 oz of water down. I feel like I am drowning myself.
I find it crazy that I could drink Dr Pepper or any kind of sweet stuff really by the gallons, but I can't stomach 1/2 gal of water in a 12-14 hr period.
I am hoping this will become easier as I get farther into this, however right now water is a bad work in my vocabulary!

I also have a quick question if anyone knows. For our FREE day each week, do we have to pick one day that is the same every week? Or can they be random? If someone could let me know that would be great. Good luck to everyone.

No eating after 8:30 pm

Okay so just an idea or a thought! Not eating after 8:30 is hard that is for sure so I thought I would share something that has helped me. I normally carry a travel tooth brush and tooth paste in my purse so weather I am out and about or at home when 8:30 hits I go and brush my teeth. The reason being is because once I brush, and floss for the night the last thing I want to do is do it all over again. So it helps me not eat! :) Just a thought for those of you who eating after 8:30 is a struggle! :)

Things to Ponder

This challenge has made me realize a few things. Things like -

I am nowhere near in shape! Well, I am in a shape, but it is mostly pear-like and fleshy. I ran/walked on Monday, did pilates on Tuesday, and walked today. I think my legs are going to go on strike. They are not happy with me right now.

It has become far too easy for me to snack. And I had no idea just how much I did snack during the day. And that I don't always (or ever) pick the most healthy option.

I am reading labels more. Desperate for my morning coffee, I found a chocolate syrup that had no fat and less sugar than some other, traditionally more "healthy" foods. So excited to still have my cup of joe & do it in a healthier way!

But, Jerome brought up an interesting question last night. Does eating celery (not that I would, mind you. Celery is nasty. Just plain nasty. But I digress.) after 8:30 really count as eating, since you burn more calories eating the celery than the celery actually has in it? Just a thought to ponder for the day...

Hello from the Crazy Frenchman--- Also You CAN Do it!

Hello everyone! My name is Jerome and I am doing this challenge for a couple of reasons. One, to establish so better healthy habits (drinking more water and less soda, not eating as much junk or fast food) and secondly to cheer on my wife (Tiffany) and encourage her in this. She is doing the same thing for me. I think that we are going to see some encouraging things come out of this. For example, I think I have Tiff convinced to run the "River Run for the Orphans". I would like to know what else people are doing that you never would have thought of doing before. Mine is a little insane, but next year I think I am going to attempt the Kendall Mountain run in Silverton. (No need for insane things, but I am still curious!)

It is only Day 3 but there was a moment last night where we almost broke the no food after 8:30 rule. We stood strong and substituted it with water and milk (phew!). I say this because you CAN say "no" to something that you easily said "yes" to in the past. It will also make you look forward to the days (Sunday in our case :)) where you can throw your points out the window....or at least not keep track of them. Good luck everyone! I think that it is going to take a near perfect score to win, so press on, and when it hurts, just get through it because, "YOU CAN DO IT!"

Wonderfully Made

I'm up in Denver on vacation {great way to learn how to be disciplined!} and I'm reading my kids a book at my parents house. It's an awesome book of poems about the Bible. I'm loving it! Anyway, I come across this poem and it made me really think about myself. Thought I would pass it along to encourage us.

Wonderfully Made by Marty Nystrom

When I look at my reflection in the mirror
I'd have to say I'm really not impressed.
I wish that my complexion was much clearer;
I'd love to be a whole lot better dressed.

I wish that I was thinner in the middle
so I could fit into the coolest clothes.
I wish my hair was long,
I wish my arms were strong,
I wish there were no freckles on my nose.

I wish I had no pimples on my forehead
and didn't have these dimples on my chin.
I wish my teeth were straight,
I wish I'd lose some weight,
I wish I had no scratches on my skin.

I wish my knees were not so big and knobby
and that my feet were not so pigeon-toed.
I wish my ears were small,
I wish that I was tall,
I wish my bony legs were not so bowed.

And when I'm finally finished feeling sorry for myself,
at the end of my very long tirade,
God gently whispers to my heart once again,
"You are fearfully and wonderfully made."

So cool. I pray we would receive and believe it!

Why I am here.

Hi, My name is Sommer. I am here because I too struggle with self discipline on so many levels. Healthy living being just one of them.
It is my hope that through this challenge I will start to make some positive habits in my life. I also hope to see this new motivation help me in other areas of discipline too.
I think the hardest part about it in the past has been going at it all alone. It is exciting to have all of you way cool people on the journey too.
I look forward to the challenge and just for the record. I woke up yesterday with my game face on!

It's on people!

This is us at the starting line. Ready to run the race!
Today is the day. The first day of a healthier life! And the first day of my vacation....Anyway, we can do this. Let's be each other's cheerleaders as well as our accountability. Let's not be over picky but remember to be fair and honest. This will be as great as we want it to be. You will get out of this as much as you want to. It's up to you/us to determine how great this experience will be.

*Change requires action*

This is just a model of 2 degree changes we can all make in our life to make ourselves healthier. We only get one body. Let's be good stewards of it. In the end, even if you don't win, you will be steps healthier and that's a huge win. BUT, it would be nice to be healthier in nicer clothes, or a new Wii, or whatever else you are motivated by :) Good luck!

I am Ready!

Okay so to be honest I am excited and a little nerves to start this challenge at the same time! I have tried many diet plans since I was around the age of 12 and I have not been able to truly stick to them. This time around I am working on telling myself that this is NOT a diet plan but a way to get healthy. I am the type of person that if I get off track one day I throw in the towel and give up. I don't want this time to be like that. I want to make a life style change and get healthy. I want to be able to be honest about what I am struggling with and take it one day at a time. That is way I am so excited we are all doing this together. It is fun to have the challenge to beat Billy because I hardly ever do and I really want to lol! Plus it is fun to have all of you to talk to and get helpful tips from. I am happy to have people to keep me accountable and to walk this journey with. So as we only have 2 days left I am getting excited and ready to go and take this journey head on. I just wanted to get it off my chest that I am excited and a little nerves at the same time! So here we go all or nothing!

Allow me to intoduce myself

Hello gang my name is Kristen. I have to say that I am rather excited about this challenge.

Why am I apart of this challenge? Well ever since I got married I have put little to no effort into staying fit. I could not convince myself that I needed to stay fit since I had found a good man that said "I do" at the alter. That was two years ago. One pound turned into two and two turned into...well that is not important. This is also important to me because I want to take care of my body and live my fullest life for the Lord.

Either way I am excited about the challenge in hopes to make some lifestyle changes. I know there are certain and very obvious things I need to change, and I hope this gives me the motivation to do so. I am not very competitive so lets be honest I am in it for the shopping spree if I do win. New wardrobe here I come!

May the best person win!!

Of course!

So I read an article today that said America is fatter then ever. Well duh! Why do you think I'm doing this challenge?....

Today's the day!

Today is the last day to turn money in. Then it's on! Starting Monday, the 6th, 5 days from now, our lives/lifestyles can change. I, for one, am excited. A little nervous, but thrilled to be doing something good for myself. Hope you are too.

Don't forget that if you haven't gotten your money in, let me know your plan. Don't be all talk and no action!