October Slimming Mini Challenges

Challenge yourself to create the good habits to achieve your health goals.

Welcome, and I hope you enjoy participating! Let's get slim and trim together. You can start anytime. You may not be the challenger with the most points at the end of the month, but you'll still be a winner. GOOD LUCK ! ! !

(If you just want to post your goals for the day on the thread, that's ok, too.)

Here are the guidelines:

• Email me your starting weight.
• 2 points each for every 8 ounces of water. Plain or bottle (No flavors)
• 3 points for each 15 minutes of workout time. This is structured workouts - as in you went for a walk with the intention of it being exercise - and there are no points for anything other than 15 minute intervals.
• 1 point if you complete a physical challenge.
• 1 point if you complete a personal challenge.
• Send your weight at the end of the month.
• Person with the most points wins.

Please send your information to me via private message daily or every other day in the following format:
3x 8 oz of water
45 minutes of treadmill
completed side bend challenge

I usually update points every few days.

Post or message me if you have any questions.

Good luck everyone!

The Contenders - October 31st

kyashiis - 664

yiscah - 56

spacedreamer01 -0

isabelle_  - 10

theprize  - 189

goals in mind - 0

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Physical Challenges

Change It Up! - Try a workout you've never done before (1 point per new activity tried)

Strength Training - One point for at least 15 minutes of strength training - this will also get you 3 regular exercise points!

Crunches - As many sets of 25 as you can (max 1 point per day)

Pushups - As many sets of 25 as you can (max 1 point per day)

Plank - Hold the plank position for 20-30 seconds (1 point per day)

Squats - with your weight centered over the middles of your feet, squat down and stand back up again. Keep your knees centered over your toes and your back straight. Repeat as many times as you can - try it in sets of 10-25 (max 1 point per day)

Jumping jacks - one, two! one, two! try a few sets of jumping jacks (max 1 point per day)

Zany workout! - one point per day for the oddest, most creative workout you can think of

Positive Challenges

5-a-day - eat the recommended 5 fruits/veg a day (recurring)

Go Outside - enjoy the great outdoor

Litter Busters - Pick up a piece of trash when you go outside

Eat Breakfast - The most important meal of the day!

Reading - get one point per day for picking up the book you've been meaning to read (if you want to share what you are reading with others, post about it)

Finish a Book - back by popular demand - one point for every book you finish

8 a Day H2O - You will receive one extra point per day if your water totals 8 x 8 oz or more.

Straight A Students - log in your food and get an A for the day, and you get a point

Set a Goal - one point for setting a total points goal for the month or day

Meet Your Goal - one point for reaching your goal

Get Some Sleep - get at least 7.5 hours of sleep a night

Stay Under Your Personal Maintenance Calorie Level - one point

Log Your Food By Midnight - one point

Zany Workouts - one point  This is where I'll be posting your creative/crazy

Note: 1 point bonus if you suggest a challenge! You can suggest a challenge by posting it in the thread or by messaging me, and I'll post it. Challenges can be completed at any time during the month - just tell me which one you did after you do it. Give your challenge a title and give a brief description of how to complete it, and you're good to go (and you get an extra point!) For example: "I would like to challenge everyone to do 10 pushups today." would be a physical challenge. "I would like everyone to do 5 minutes of quiet reflection/meditation" would be a personal challenge."

I didn't get a run in yesterday.  Unexpectedly, I was much busier than I had thought I would be.  I did well with food though.

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I set a goal of reaching 1,200 points this month.  My reward will be buying new music for my i Pod.  For every 100 points above my goal, I will reward myself with going to the hot springs in Shirahama.

I got an A in my food I logged yesterday.  It has been a while since I did that, and at one time, I was getting an A on most days.  Not sure how that happened, but I'm sure it affects my ability to lose.

I jog/walked for 45 minutes yesterday.  It felt good.  It has turned cool at last.  This coming weekend, I will hike an 8 1/2 hour course in rugged mountains.  Hopefully, that will help me do well  this month.

Thanks again for setting up this challenge!  Here are my official estimates for the previous days this month:

Thursday

2 x 8 oz of water  (2 points each = 4 points)
0 workout (3 points each = 0 points)
completed Eat Breakfast challenge (1 point each = 1 point)

Oct. 1 total: 5 points

Friday

2 x 8 oz of water  (2 points each = 4 points)
0 workout (3 points each = 0 points)
completed Eat Breakfast, Go Outside challenges (1 point each = 2 points)

Oct. 2 total: 6 points

Saturday

2 x 8 oz of water  (2 points each = 4 points)
2 x 15 min. workout (3 points each = 6 points)
completed Eat Breakfast, Go Outside challenges (1 point each = 2 points)

Oct. 3 total: 6 points [edit: 12 points]

Sunday

2 x 8 oz of water  (2 points each = 4 points)
0 workout (3 points each = 0 points)
completed Eat Breakfast, Go Outside challenges (1 point each = 2 points)

Oct. 4 total: 6 points

So... pre-challenge days are kinda lame.  ;)  Total 23 points.  [edit: 29 points]  But I'm going to fix that today!!  Will post separately.

I'm so psyched -- I drank lots of water, did 15 min. strength training, did 30 min. elliptical, plus my usual 10 min. walk to/from work.  Ate tons of veggies, although admittedly lots of excess calories too.  Comes to about 25 points, so I'm going to set a goal to get 25 points each day this week, at least Monday thru Friday.  I'll re-assess this weekend.

Here's the official report:

8 x 8 oz of water  (2 points each = 16 points)
2 x 15 minutes of elliptical (3 points each = 6 points)
completed strength training, 5-a-day, Eat Breakfast, 8 a Day H2O, Set a Goal challenges (1 point each = 5 points)

Oct. 5 total: 27 points

And, that brings the monthly total to... 50 points, if I'm doing this correctly.  [edit: 56 points]  Until tomorrow!

Wow. Yiscah, you are doing so well.  Great goal... Now, maybe I'll try to keep up with you there.  I'm training for a 10K race on Oct. 24th.  I really want to do well for it.

I printed out a little 3 x 5 card with my running training on it to help me keep track of it.  I was supposed to run 5K today, but I opted for 45 minutes power walking because I ran yesterday.  If I put too much stress on the muscles, I could end up injuring myself and not being able to run at all.  Baby steps!

Thanks!  Having done both cardio and strength-training yesterday, I wonder how I'll accumulate those kind of points on a rest day.  Uh, not very well thought out, was it?  ;)  

I think I'll focus on the personal challenges:  5-a-day, go outside, litter busters, eat breakfast, reading, 8-a-day, and of course, set & meet a goal.  I think the sleep, logging food, and staying within maintenance calorie level challenges are tougher for me personally, so today I'm going to try to build on yesterday's success by working on those first 8 challenges.

I'm also going to try to go for a long walk, maybe one hour.  Hopefully the rain stays away and I can go outside.  If not, ugh, I might do the treadmill, but I don't know.  Combine it with a book to knock out multiple challenges!!  :)

A typhoon is coming in, so I have to exercise indoors.  It's my weak point... Can I do it today?  That's my challenge for the day.

The typhoon has come and gone, and as is often the case, the air is cleared and we have low humidity for a change.  It is still hitting the Tokyo and northern areas of Japan.  I hope the apple harvest isn't ruined.  I eat them almost every day for a low-cal snack.

My challenge for the day is to get out and run that 8K practice run I have on my practice plan leading up to the 10K run on the 24th.  I will run in the Human Race sponsored by Nike around the world.  I ran in it last year.  It was tough for me as a newbie to running, and in truth, I could only run about half of it.  But, what a high to follow through on my challenge to myself.

Hey ladies!! I'm back and I'd love to join you this month!

Hey! Glad to see you back.  Hope you get a good start in your master's studies.  Send me your estimated points and I will get you on the way to a great month of getting slim.

Yesterday was a disaster for me in terms of eating and exercising.  It's the lowest points I have ever had.  I taught 5 lessons between 10 am and 10 pm.  In between them I drove three hours and was a guest speaker for three hours to a group of junior high school English teachers.  I had no time for lunch or dinner.  I finally ate (out and didn't make good choices) at 10:30 pm.  I was really whipped.  I didn't drink any fluids through the day due to the logistics of things.  Way over calories -- above my maintenance level even.  NOT good. 

Today, I will travel to the end of the prefecture and stay over night at a Japanese inn and eat a banquet.  Tomorrow we hike.  I want to take it easy on food today and drink lots of water somehow or other. 

I'm still with you guys by the way!  I will try to check in at lunch (in a couple hours) to give full reporting.

Skipped alcohol over the weekend, which lately has been more frequent than it should.  Starting to think I should get some points for that!!  ;)

Grr, I just ate 5 little "fun size" packets of M&M's.  Whoever brought those to the office should be killed.

Such temptations!  It's hard to resist.

I did well with water yesterday.  I didn't get a lot of exercise that I had planned on done over the weekend, and now I am behind.  I  went to a concert on the beach that was wonderful yesterday.  There was a symposium after it.  Five guest speakers each told us something they think is very important at the end of their speaking.  I thought they were all good things.

• Learn something
• Give and receive appreciation
• One for all, and all for one.
• Study something you like
• Reflect back on each day at the end of the day

One of the good things about CC+ is that it helps me to reflect on things and make improvements in my life.  I appreciate being able to do that in this forum.

hey that is a really good idea. i know it's half way through the month but i might start tomorrow. i especially like the positive challenges...... reading a book, enjoying the outdoors, etc!

A personal challenge of mine this month is to study for my exams without constantly binging - eat healthy and still exercise daily. thanks kyashiis!

Welcome isabelle.  I like the positive challenges too.  Getting healthy isn't only about diet and exercise.  I think it is important to change our patterns across the board in a "lifestyle" change.  That kind of change stays with us.

You are very busy, but I hope you take the time to join us Slimming minis.  Good luck in your exams.

I would like to join also, even though the month is half past. Sounds like fun! I will start tomorrow also, if you don't mind. =c)

I think my personal challenge will be to get outside because as of now my dog is injured and unable to accompany me. =c(

I didn't get my run in for as far as I expected yesterday.  I did get out though.  Then, I realized I had forgotten some important work and had to cut it short. 

I will do the Human Race sponsored by Nike on the 24th.  I will run/jog/walk 10K.  I'm definitely not in as good a shape as I should be, but I'm making progress. 

I ran across a little sticky note (dated July 2004) stuck in my book of yoga that I have used for years.  It had my "beginning" weight and all my measurements on it.  WOW!!! I have lost twenty-two lbs and kept them off for a couple of years.  I know that I went up during that time, so really, I have lost nearly 40 lbs to date since I started on CC+. 

And, still losing.  Yay!  That's progress.

Kyashiis- gratz on the great consistency and loss!

My progress from the past few days:

13th new work out +1; 5-a-day +1; breakfast +1; read +1; sleep 7.5 +1; waterx1 +1

total 6

14th finish a book +1; go outside +1; stay under calories level+1; water x 2 +2

total 6

Can challenges be repeated?? If so I might have to tweak.

The book I read/finished the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. I wanted to read it because of the reviews I've seen; so I read both the book and listened to the audiobook. The audiobook was well done, and helped me to discover that audiobooks in the car curb nearly ALL my road rage!! The book itself was really awesome, I'm an avid reader and this now my new fav. It is a women's fiction story about a writer during the aftermath of WW2; she falls in love with an island of people and their war stories,  all around a good story. To describe it in 2 words would be - wholesome & entertaining.

I didn't go swimming today because the weather here is cold, rainy and gloomy. I plan to reschedule to tomorrow.

What does everyone else do when they can't get outside?

Great going on getting some points up on the board.  Oh, and 8 oz. of water is 2 points, so you did a little better than you expected.

I do things like crunches, push ups... calisthenic type things, go to the department store and walk all the floors at a fast pace (I don't like shopping much, so I am not easily distracted), dance, do yoga... there are kinds of possibilities.