I just completed an 8-week 'getting healthy' challenge. The outline is found here. There were 7 of us that took part in this challenge which entailed drinking lots of water, eating lots of fruits and veggies, no sugar 6 days a week, exercise 5 days a week, etc, etc. We earned points for everything and also for our weight loss.
It was a great motivator for me! I've been working out consistently for years now but my dieting goes up and down depending on how motivated I am. It was really hard only eating sugar once a week. I'll admit there were a few weeks that I ate treats twice. But really it was so great to not have something sweet all the time. I was to the point where I needed it every single day. But this taught me that those cravings go away quickly. I really looked forward to Sundays where I would make a really yummy treat and make it special. I think David's coworkers enjoyed them on Monday since I had to get them out of the house on my non-treat days! :) Of course there were times it was really hard and I wanted a little treat but for the most part I felt great. We all know sugar doesn't make us feel good but it's hard to say no. Knowing that 6 other people were saying no to sugar and not eating after 9 p.m. made it really easy for me to as well!
The results: I lost 10 pounds and ran a 5k! I have not been able to run a consecutive 3 miles since I was in college. It feels so good to be able to do that again. I trained with my good friend Alison and we ran in a race on St. Patrick's Day morning. Now, it was this organization's first time hosting a 5k so there were some course misunderstandings. Because of that I actually ran about 3.45 instead of 3.2. I felt like I was going to die! The only real frustrating part about that is that I had a certain time in mind and since I ran longer I didn't make my time. My goal was under 40 minutes. When I'd been training in my neighborhood I'd done it in about 38 minutes so I was anxious to see if I'd make it faster than that in the race. Anyway, since I ran longer, I finished at 40 minutes. Oh well, I know I would have met my goal! :)
13 comments:
Have I told you lately how awesome you are? (YOU ROCK!)
Love the St. Patty's activities too :-)
That is so awesome! And inspirational. Maybe, just maybe.... Either way - way to go! You do indeed ROCK!
Lookin' good! Good job! I know cutting out sugar is so hard but we just don't do it M-F and it helps with weight, cravings and makes us eat healthier sweet options. So great when you have other friends motivating you! ;)
You only had sugar once a week? You're crazy! I need it once an hour! And you look so good! Look at that tiny waist!
Poor Anna, I forgot to ask you how her surgery went, now I know.
Celebrating your holidays. Is there any holiday you don't celebrate? Ethan and I met on St. Patricks day.
Looking good Jenna!! That's so awesome you lost 10 lbs! Wohoo!. Keep it up girl.
Wow Jenna, I'm so impressed! You actually ran that far without stopping??? That's incredible! I haven't run more than a mile since we used to jog together.
So do you think this 8-week challenge has started forming new habits for you? Keep up the hard work!
Awesome! You are the bomb Jenna. Love the St Patricks day attire as well, those socks rule!
Way to go!!
Jenna you are so awesome. You Rock! I am so proud of you. Way to go!! You look phenomenal!!
I am very proud of you! I bet it felt great to run 3.45 miles.
Go Jenna!!! I'm so proud of you!!! I need you to motivate me...I miss our 6 am walks!
Awesome! I love your socks.
Way to go, Jenna! That's awesome! You do look fantastic- love the headband. We're going thru certain withdrawals here, too, since Jake has a weight loss goal. I feel the pain:)
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