Saturday, March 30, 2013

Week 5 Results


Next week is the half way point. Don't let all the Easter treats slow you down!

It is important that you not miss next week if at all possible. I will be posting the competition totals thus far.

Here are this week's TOP TEN:
____________________________

Heather Bowe 3.12%
John Bowe 2.39%
Stephanie Thomson 1.71%
Jennifer Bidwell 1.57%
Linda Bowe 1.47%
Sheila McFarland 1.26%
Crystal McFarland 1.24%
Tiffany Parry 1.18%
Emily Gold 0.96%
Nathan McCoy 0.82%

As a group, we lost a cumulative 27.9 lbs!! Nearly twice as much as last week!!!


Congratulations to SHEILA MCFARLAND for winning the weekly challenge drawing! You will receive either a box of assorted healthy snacks or a shiny new $5 bill. Let me know which you'd prefer.


THIS WEEK'S CHALLENGE:
___________________________
This week’s challenge is to drink 8 servings of water every day. Simple as that! If you simply can't stand drinking water, I suggest getting the Crystal Light drink mixes. They're pretty fantastic and will make drinking that much water easier.

We've all been told our whole lives that we should drink 8 glasses of water a day to keep healthy, but what exactly does that mean? Here are 11 ways water helps us maintain our health.
  1. Lose weight: Drinking water helps you lose weight because it flushes down the by-products of fat breakdown. Drinking water reduces hunger, it’s an effective appetite suppressant so you’ll eat less. Plus, water has zero calories.
  2. Natural Remedy for Headache: Helps to relieve headache and back pains due to dehydration. Although many reasons contribute to headache, dehydration is the common one.
  3. Look Younger with Healthier Skin: You’ll look younger when your skin is properly hydrated. Water helps to replenish skin tissues, moisturizes skin and increases skin elasticity.
  4. Better Productivity at Work: Your brain is mostly made up of water, thus drinking water helps you think better, be more alert and more concentrated.
  5. Better Exercise: Drinking water regulates your body temperature. That means you’ll feel more energetic when doing exercises. Water also helps to fuel your muscle.
  6. Helps in Digestion and Constipation: Drinking water raises your metabolism because it helps in digestion. Fiber and water goes hand in hand so that you can have your daily bowel movement.
  7. Less Cramps and Sprains: Proper hydration helps keep your joints and muscles lubricated, so you’ll less likely get cramps and sprains.
  8. Less Likely to Get Sick and Feel Healthy: Drinking plenty of water helps fight against flu and other ailments like kidney stones and heart attack. Water adds with lemon is used for ailments like respiratory disease, intestinal problems, rheumatism and arthritis etc. In another words one of the benefits of drinking water is that it can improve your immune system.
  9. Relieves Fatigue: Water is used by the body to help flush out toxins and waste products from the body. If your body lacks water, your heart, for instance, needs to work harder to pump out the oxygenated blood to all cells, so are the rest of the vital organs, your organs will be exhausted and so will you.
  10. Good Mood: Your body feels very good and that’s why you feel happy.
  11. Reduce the Risk of Cancer: Related to the digestive system, some studies show that drinking a healthy amount of water may reduce the risks of bladder cancer and colon cancer. Water dilutes the concentration of cancer-causing agents in the urine and shortens the time in which they are in contact with bladder lining.

"Winning isn't everything, but wanting to win is." -Vince Lombardi

Saturday, March 23, 2013

Week 4 Results



We're a third of the way through this! Don't give up! I have to admit, it was a little disheartening to miss out on seeing or hearing from almost half of you today. It's too early to be losing steam. Find some way to involve those in your life with this in order to keep you motivated.

Here are this week's TOP TEN:
____________________________

Nathan McCoy 2.80%
Emily Gold 1.34%
Jacob Cantwell 1.20%
Sheila McFarland 1.18%
Julia Armstrong 0.99%
Matthew Bowe 0.80%
Kara Herold 0.60%
Heather McCoy 0.58%
Melissa Singleton 0.24%
Linda Bowe 0.13%

As a group, we lost a cumulative 16.2 lbs.


Congratulations to JULIA ARMSTRONG for winning the weekly challenge drawing! You will receive a light WaterPak backpack from L Sports.


THIS WEEK'S CHALLENGE:
___________________________
This week’s challenge is to try a new low-calorie recipe. For a second name in the drawing, share the recipe with the group either here on the blog or on the facebook event page, or bring a copy of it to the weigh-in.




"Any experience can be transformed into something of value. Everything depends on the way you look at things. You cannot have the success without the failures." -Anonymous

Saturday, March 16, 2013

Week 3 Results


Already in Week 3, we are starting to see a larger statistical spread of weight loss successes. As a group, we lost less weight overall, but more importantly, that weight was lost by fewer people. If you're not seeing the change you're looking for, take this week to really kick yourself into gear before it becomes to difficult to keep up with the rest of the competition. 

Here are this week's TOP TEN:
____________________________

John Bowe 1.57%
Stephanie Thomson 1.45%
Heather Bowe 1.36%
Matthew Bowe 1.23%
Emily Gold 1.15%
Sheila McFarland 1.10%
Tiffany Parry 0.94%
Julia Armstrong 0.89%
TJ McCoy 0.73%
Linda Bowe 0.67%

As a group, we lost 22.9 lbs.


Congratulations to STEPHANIE THOMSON for winning the weekly challenge drawing. You will receive either a box of assorted Snackwell's 100-calorie snack packs or a shiny new $5 bill. Let me know which you'd prefer.

THIS WEEK'S CHALLENGE:
___________________________
The challenge this week is to start (or restart) a new or different exercise method. Summer is approaching. Maybe you could start running, swimming, hiking or biking. A new gym membership could allow weight training, cardio workouts, or classes. It doesn't matter what it is, but try out something new.
If you find something you like, tell us about it on facebook or here on the blog!

There'll be a drawing for prizes for everyone who starts a new form of exercise.

HARD WORK PAYS OFF!!!!

Saturday, March 9, 2013

Week 2 Results


This week saw some challenges for many of our competitors. Don't dismay, however, we still have 10 weeks left and that's plenty of time to find a routine that works for you.

Here are this week's TOP TEN:
____________________________

John Bowe 2.73%
Linda Bowe 2.28%
Jennifer Bidwell 2.09%
DeAnn Warring 2.08%
Heather McCoy 1.89%
Jacob Cantwell 1.26%
Emily Gold 1.25%
Kara Herold 0.95%
Tiffany Parry 0.94%
Julia Armstrong 0.89%


As a group, we lost 25.5 lbs.


Remember these numbers are week over week. If you miss a weigh-in, your number carries over to the next week. The trick to winning is finding yourself on this list every single time, even if you're at the bottom. Consistency is key. Slow progress is still progress.


Congratulations to LINDA BOWE for winning the weekly challenge drawing. You will receive a brand new pair of Bone Crusher ear buds by Audiology.

THIS WEEK'S CHALLENGE:
___________________________
This week's challenge is to eat breakfast every morning (preferably a healthy one)! We've all heard our whole lives that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but that doesn't mean we do it. I personally find this particularly difficult with the schedule I keep, but maintaining a regular eating routine allows your body to cultivate a healthy metabolism which makes weight control a whole lot easier.

There'll be a drawing for prizes for everyone who eats a healthy breakfast every day this week.

YOU CAN DO IT!!!!

Sunday, March 3, 2013

Week 1 Results

What a great start to the competition!! Collectively in one week, we were able to lose 59.3 lbs!
Let's keep it up!

Here are this week's TOP TEN:
____________________________

Taylor Balsmeier 3.33%
Matthew Bowe 2.74%
Nathan McCoy 2.66%
Jacob Cantwell 2.57%
Heather McCoy 2.47%
Emily Gold 1.82%
Jennifer Bidwell 1.74%
Melissa Singleton 1.53%
Crystal McFarland 1.51%
DeAnn Warring 1.49%

Great job to everyone this week. If your name is not on the list, don't worry. We've got 11 more weeks of this thing and a lot can change in that time.

THIS WEEK'S CHALLENGE:
___________________________
The focus of this week we'll be to keep an accurate journal of our eating and exercising. I have found a great way to do this is to use a calorie tracker like http://www.myfitnesspal.com/. It's available on Android, Blackberry, Windows Phone, and iOS.

There'll be a drawing for everyone who kept a journal everyday for prizes this week.

KEEP IT UP!!!!