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Healthy habits challenge check-in 1/3

medusa

Veteran

This is our first check-in thread for the new healthy habits challenge. Lots of us are participating with different goals, ranging from getting more exercise to eating more healthfully to weight loss. Whatever changes you are trying to make, you are welcome,to participate. We're here to support and inspire each other.

Last week was the the planning week. How did it go? What changes are you putting in place this week?

(The earlier discussion of this challenge is here, in case you missed it: http://youlookfab.com/welookfa.....-new-year/ I have to admit that I've been out of town and haven't caught up with all the new posts in that thread yet, but I'll read them all soon!)

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61 replies

Latest reply was from medusa

rute

Veteran

Great!
I don't need to loose much more weight.. well maybe two pounds (never satisfied) but I'm determined to have healthier habits!
I do exercise every day (except sundays) so my biggest challenge is food.
I'm determined to:
Eat more vegetables (not bad now, but can improve);
No sugar (oh.. this is going to be a difficult one);

Tricia

Veteran

Copying this over from the other thread:

I started back running this week - did my usual 3-mile route today and Friday. I had taken two weeks off, and I felt it! Oof!

I also took a week off from Weight Watchers last week and started again on Friday. I was surprised to see that I only gained about half a pound in that week - while I wasn't counting points, I did keep in mind the things I'd learned on WW. It was good to see that, since I'm close to goal (about 1.5 pounds to go as of today) and would like to not have to obsessively count points forever.

An

Today was Day 1 of my new healthy lifestyle :-). I'm happy with the food choices I made today and also did some waterskiing. I weighed myself this morning and I've got 11.4kg to lose to get to my goal. I'm going grocery shopping tomorrow to fill my fridge and pantry with healthy items. I will also start my running program tomorrow.

Polly (thunalata)

Veteran

Week 1 for me is drink 1 pint of water at breakfast time (well, part of that is oj). So I've started well today.

I would like to lose 18lb ideally in all, but my initial goal is 7lb. There is no time scale for this and I want to do it by making small, manageable changes.

Barbara

Veteran

Hey medusa. I've been eating South Beach "style" for 2 years now and am very satisfied with what I eat and also what I AVOID! I'd like to add variety to my exercise routine by swimming (on campus) whenever I can.

Lifetime Network has a great show for healthy eaters called COOK YOURSELF THIN. Fattening recipes are skillfully and deliciously slimmed down. The cookbook is also excellent.

kimlee

Veteran

Good Morning and Happy New Year Everyone! I spent a lot of time last week thinking about the healthy habits that I want to develop in 2011. I know that these include: eating more fruits and vegetables, give up diet soda, running a 5k and possibly a half marathon, improve my flexiblity, and a few others. When I looked at the long list of the things I wanted to accomplish I felt overwhelmed.

I decided that I would assign a goal to each month. For the month of January, my goal is to drink water or juice instead of diet soda. I can not wait to read about each of your goals and the successes.

kellygirl

Veteran

Happy new year! I love that this is a "healthy habits" challenge rather than weight loss. I'm totally in! Upon reflection, I'm looking forward to the whole family eating more healthy meals--whole grains and more veggies. I'm a pretty regular exerciser already but am planning on adding a couple extra cardio workouts to my routine and am sticking to my three days a week of weights. Good luck to everyone.

chewyspaghetti

Veteran

The last two weeks, I haven't been able to get to my regular Yoga classes at the gym- so my first goal is to get back to that schedule. I have the sitter coming today so that I can go this morning.
To those giving up sugar- will you allow yourself sugar substitutes? Just curious. I gave up sugar a while ago, but I allow myself sucralose (Splenda) or aspartame. I can't have any sugars- including corn syrup, maple syrup, etc (because of my hypo-glycemia). I didn't think that I was eating that much because I don't drink soda or eat a lot of processed foods, but I had a headache for 5 days when I came off of it. It's in everything. even thing you wouldn't think- bread, crackers, almost all sauces and salad dressings, sausages, etc. I will eat meats cured with sugar or sugar products, but not those that have sugar added. I also don't eat anything with a lot of natural sugars or carbs- pineapple, bananas, grapes or any dried fruit or juice, beans or legumes, white rice, etc. Because of that, I crave something sweet sometimes. Sugar Free Jell-O pudding is my sweet treat of choice.
Because of my wacky no sugar/low carb diet, I am getting tired of eating the same things over and over. Does anyone have suggestions?

Barbara

Veteran

Hey Khris, have you tried any South Beach recipes? I've been eating the SB way for 2+ years so I also avoid sugar and 'bad' carbs.

I do get somewhat weary of eating the same things over and over, but the results are worth it! I bake ALL my own breakfast goodies, using Splenda.

My big weakness is ice cream; I don't even buy it.

Lorem Ipsum

My goals for this week are to floss my teeth every night, drink more water, eat better, stop eating after 7:00 p.m. and to go to bed before 11:00 p.m. I've enrolled in a weekly yoga class. I need to replace my snacking habits with a new way to relax and unwind. I'm looking forward to the first class, which starts next week.

Queen Mum

Veteran

I joined sparkpeople.com the other day and it is really helping me to keep my eating on track. I've been trying to guzzle down my 64 oz of water each day. I was planning to get up and out to the gym or for a run this morning, but with hubby and the kids still home from school/work I decided to enjoy one more day of slothfulness. (plus, the fridge and freezer look pretty barren so I need to go to 3 different stores today to get things stocked back up... I guess that will be my workout!)

Lynne

Veteran

Hi, All! Made it back to the gym yesterday for the first time in a few weeks - then came home to shovel snow and carry fire wood. I have heaps more energy after a workout than I have after a day indoors :). Success, all, with your goals this week.

rute

Veteran

CS,
No, I don't like sugar substitutes (don't like the taste), I've learned to love my coffee with a bit of cinnamon and nothing more. Eat fruit instead of desserts and eat good carbs!

rute

Veteran

CS,
Here we only put olive oil in the salads! We don't use processed dressings.
I'm not crazy about this, if I eat a cracker with a bit of sugar I don't mind!
I eat dark bread and other good carbs (low glycemic).
The first time I did it I crave for sugar, I was dizzy, but then the body gets used!

JayS

Veteran

Kimlee..I'm with you on the diet sodas..I drink FAR too many.
I've already gone for my walk this morning (3 miles). Also worked out with 5 lb weights for my arms. I plan to do the weights Mon, Wed. and Fri.
If you are looking for good recipes try drgourmet.com. He has some really good ones and I think they would be ok for South Beach.

Steph

Veteran

I think I might like to join. My biggest healthy habit is going to the gym. I typically work out for an hour every day of the work week (I take the weekends off unless I skip a day during the week and have to make up for it). I haven't gone to the gym much in the past month because I have been traveling a lot, so I am starting up again today.

I would like to eat healthier, but I don't cook, which means that I end up eating a lot of foods that are processed. I'm a vegetarian and I keep my calorie intake down, but it's difficult for me to get away from the processed food thing. I might try to work on that, but for the immediate future, getting back into my five days a week workout routine is most important.

My weight right now is fine, but I would like to lose ten pounds. I have found that my best weight--where I don't have to watch what I eat too much and can maintain the weight easily--is ten pounds below where I currently am. I had a difficult summer and fall, and the weight kind of came on because I went overboard with eating things like ice cream (a lot of it!). I'm hoping that with the working out and keeping my calories down, I should be able to lose the weight in a few months.

Lisa

Veteran

My goals for this week are to: stay away from lattes and snacks at work when board (I brought gum today) and exercise more effectively at the gym. I go early in the morning and have been going for many years. My routine has been tweaked from time to time with trainer sessions but I am just plain bored and tired in the morning. Evening workouts never stick for me for consistency. Today was the first time I worked out hard at the gym. A real sweat session. I really need to keep that up though.

bella

(website)

Veteran

Hi all,
I decided to join in. I haven't posted my challenges in the previous thread so here they go:
My biggest health challenge is cholesterol. I have borderline high cholesterol. If I don't manage to lower it, I will have to be put on cholesterol medication as I get older.
In order to avoid this undesirable prospect, I have to concentrate on healthy nutrition and exercise. On the nutrition front, my challenge is to avoid eating out. We usually follow a Mediterranean diet with lots of veggies, fish, and very little meat and I do a good job of controlling the fat content of the foods when I cook at home. The problem starts when we get in the habit of eating out regularly or ordering take-out; it becomes very hard to control the fat. So my goal for this month is to get back on a regular cooking schedule and bringing my lunch to work.
As for exercise, my doctor and I have figured out that since I don't eat an excessive amount of fatty foods, the only reliable way of reducing my cholesterol would be regular exercise. I need to get at least 30 minutes of moderate-high level intensity workout at least three times a week. My problem is, I have never been able to stick to a workout regimen. I don't enjoy going to the gym. While I love open water swimming in the summer, I hate going to the pool. All in all, I have never been able find a form of exercise that I can incorportate into my lifestyle. In order to remedy the situation, I have resolved this year to take up running. To be honest, I did start "From couch to 5k" training programs in the past but never made it past the third week. This time, however, hubby and I are doing together. I even found a few races in my town that we can train for this coming spring. I feel motivated despite the cold weather.
So this week, on the nutrition front, our task is to clean the fridge, finish the junk and unhealthy food in the pantry (I am talking to you Nutella!). We also have a few late holiday celebrations to attend this weekend. By Monday, we should be able to do grocery shopping and stock up the fridge with healthy ingredients for tasty meals. We will also try to figure out a cooking schedule that works for both hubby and me.
On the exercise front, we had our second run this morning. Running is a bit challlenging in the winter and I would appreciate if you have any tips.
So that's all for now. I am looking forward to hearing from all of you and supporting you in your own journeys.

sarah

Veteran

Hi All,

Here's something you might be interested in. I'm a huge Pilates fan, and my Pilates teacher has given us a January challenge:

Every day, do:

25 push-ups
15 dips
30 lunges (15/side)
10 roll-ups (roll-ups are a pilates ab exercise - if you need to learn how to do it, see http://definingyoufitness.com/blog/?p=174)

It only takes 5-10 minutes max, and it's a great whole-body set of exercise to add to your ongoing workout.

annagybe

(website)

Veteran

I'm taking a pass this week. Picked up a nasty cold on the last day of my trip. Also jet lagged all to heck and back.

MsMaven

Veteran

One of my goals has been to cut my intake of diet colas--my doctor says three a week is okay. I'm down to two a day.

My hubby has been sick for several weeks, so we had to cancel our Christmas trip and I only gained two pounds at home--not bad. So now I want to lose the last 7 pounds, most of which is on the belly, but it's gone down a lot since September.

I realized I need to refresh my exercise program. By that I mean that I think I have fallen into some lazy habits and aren't doing them all correctly.

Also, I want to work harder on posture this year. I've got computer slump.

Steph

Veteran

Reading this thread is great. It's so interesting how different everyone's challenges are, but how many commonalities there are as well. Good luck this week everyone! And feel better, Anna!

Lisa, I find myself getting into the same rut where my workouts just don't seem as hard. I don't know if this will help you, but what I do is tell myself that I am going to be at the gym for an hour. That hour is going to be gone from my day regardless, so if I'm going to spend it at the gym I may as well get the most out of it that I can. Psychologically, it helps me to work out harder.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Wow! I'm impressed with these healthy eating habits.

catgirl

Veteran

I need to get in on this. What comes to mind immediately is that I need to get back into a regular exercise routine, especially running or skiing. And rock-climbing, which is my passion but has become low priority since having my son. I will think more on my goals and post again. Meanwhile, a huge round of applause to all of you embarking on this journey!

Bianca

Veteran

Hi Medusa!

Only a couple of holiday lbs to shed, but they are still a bummer! As a former Weight Watchers member, I will go back to tracking my intake. Now that all the xmas cookies are out of the house, hopefully it will be a little easier for me. Good luck everyone!

Kate

Veteran

During December I did a decent job of keeping up my regular walks, and held up really well during and after a several hour cross country ski trip, but I really fell off the boat with my regular exercises.

Early in 2010 I started doing the XBX (the pdf is available here: http://nonprofit.memlane.com/c.....ss/XBX.pdf). I've found that adding or changing one thing each week is good for me - when I got to my goal level on the XBX I took a week off because I felt like I had accomplished what I set out to do! I was hoping to reach a maintainable routine, but it turned out that doing just the XBX wasn't enough, and so I gradually added more exercises from 200 situps (http://www.twohundredsitups.com/) and 100 pushups (http://hundredpushups.com/) and an 8 minute ab workout (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZQ9_c4yiwY).

After taking this past month off, I cut down some of the ab stuff I was doing and decreased the number of pushups, and my routine this week is:

1. Chin up – 1
2. Pushups – 4
3. abs (first time)
a. 20 crunches
b. 20 bicycle crunches
c. 20 crunches with legs straight up in the air
d. 20 crunches with knees to the right
e. 20 crunches with knees to the left
4. Pushups - 4
5. Toes – 30 seconds
6. Knee lift – 40 (20 each side)
7. Lateral bend – 10 seconds each side
8. Pushups – 4
9. Arm circles – 40 (half forward, half backward)
10. Side leg raising – 60 (half each side)
11. Pushups – 4
12. abs (second time)
a. 20 crunches
b. 20 bicycle crunches
c. 20 crunches with legs straight up in the air
d. 20 crunches with knees to the right
e. 20 crunches with knees to the left
13. Pushups - 4

Over the next couple weeks I'll be adding back 20 each of reverse crunches, leg drops (http://www.ehow.com/video_4938.....drops.html) and the seal back to my ab routine. Over the next several months I'll be adding squats, lunges, wall sits, pull ups, a variety of planks, and upping the number of pushups, chinups, and pullups. I do these exercises 3 times a week, and walk on my "off" days. I walk to and from campus, so getting the walking in isn't hard because I have to go to school/work. I just need to be diligent about doing the exercises again.

teri

Veteran

for me, I'm back on the water wagon.... gotta get more in, I've been slacking again.

smaller food portions and I GOTTA cut back on the margaritas...eeeek

no more of these....lol
New Years EVE... and no I didn't drink all of that (well, not in one setting)

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chewyspaghetti

Veteran

Barbara- I have found a couple of South Beach Diet recipes that work for me, but most of them either have foods that I can't eat or use very expensive ingredients. The recipes always seem like they are written for singles or empty nesters. I have a 14 year old boy to feed!
rute- I also have to really watch fruit because of the sugar. I wish that I could be less vigilant, but I end up regretting it whenever I am not.
SuzyCue- thanks for the site. I am checking that out right now.
I just got back from my Yoga class at the gym. It was both terrible and wonderful at the same time. It's always like that when I don't go for a while.

Theresa

(website)

Veteran

Well yesterday was Monday here in Aus, so I started yesterday!

I actually blogged about my goals and I have set up a google doc, as my diet, exercise and sleep log, and the link to it is in my blog - I'm figuring if I have to be honest with you girls every day, I'm more likely to stick with it.

http://fitnessclothesspending......p-log.html

My main issues are health - I was very sick most of last winter and I want to avoid that this year, and being a single mummy I HAVE to be as healthy as possible, so my diet is in for an overhaul. And fitness - I may be my ideal weight, but I am incredibly unfit, and weak - I need to replace my body fat with muscle!

My big weakness at the moment is caffeine free diet coke... can we say EEEEWWWWW!!! But I am having 1 glass a day until my current stash is gone, and by then I'm hoping that all my new eating habits will be more established and it will be easy to say goodbye.

This week will simply be about fixing my sleep, improving my diet and incorporating some activities and build from there. I know once I'm back to my regular sleep routine, everything else will be easier.

Khris I'm hypoglycaemic too, but I'm not avoiding all sugars - we are experimenting with very low GI foods every couple of hours (well, that's the plan - I'm still working on getting back into it), so I'm interested to see how it goes, because I have a funny feeling that if I reduce all the excess sugar from my diet I'll be better...

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