i like the inches challenge.
we could do challenges increasing the number of certain kinds of exercises.
increase in strength. like if you started at lifting 5, and ended at 20#.
the emphasis on improving ourselves, not comparing to others. we shouldn't feel bad if we can't do something. we can only improve from where we started. we are learning to walk one step at a time as renee stephens would say.
I LOVED the inches challenge. I only lost 2lbs in total over the 6 weeks and yet I managed to shed at LEAST half an inch all over if not more! Losing weight isn't just about numbers on a scale
I think that I'd most enjoy fitness-related challenges designed to accomodate our different abilities. Some specific ideas:
The "One Foot in Front of the Other" Challenge -
If you have not yet incorporated regular walking, jogging, or running into your routine, now's the time to start! Make the time for a brisk 20 minute walk around the neighborhood three times this week. Not only will you jump-start your weight loss, you might also meet some of the neighbors!
If you already walk, jog, or run on a regular basis, add a kilometer or five minutes to your work outs this week. If you're really ambitious, make it 2k (or ten minutes).
The "Sink or Swim" Challenge -
Unfamiliar with the trials and tribulations of swimming caps? Head to your local swimming hole and ease into a new sport with a few laps. (not sure what the actual distance/time challenge would be in this case)
Already friendly with the dolphins? Spice up your routine by challenging yourself to learn a new stroke! (A word to the wise: you might want to fore-warn any lifeguards of your intentions before trying out the butterfly for the first time. I've had someone mistakenly jump in to rescue me after I demonstrated particularly bad form in the public pool.)
The "If You've Got It, Flaunt It" Challenge -
This one's fairly simple. Sign up for a public fitness event in (or nearby) your community. This could be a charity walk, a 5K, a 10K, a full or half marathon, a triathlon, a dance-a-thon, or whatever crazy event strikes your fancy. To compete in this challenge, all you need to do is officially register for the event, detail your training schedule, and start working towards your goal! The event itself does not need to actually fall within the dates of this Biggest Loser Challenge.
I'd be more than happy to flesh these out a bit more if other people are interested! I have a few other ideas, too, but I feel like I should probably stop typing right about now ...
I'm glad to see you all are interested in challenges! I tried to do some for the last round, and only a couple people even tried them... then it fizzled to nobody doing them... I'll make sure to do both the exercise challenges and inches challenge. I also did food journals last time, anyone interested in that? If not, we'll discontinue it as it was not very popular in the last round either...
i'm not sure on the food journal. it does seem for a majority of posts, people say losing depdnds mostly on their food. so it could help alot of people stay consistent.
love the idea of the challenges, or shorter/weekly versions. i need short term goals. i think alot of us do. Also, focusing on other aspects of it really helps when the scale moves slowly or not at all. we can say, but i lost 2 inches. or i tried a new exercise. or i ran a mile.
Katy, I'm glad you liked some of my ideas! I also crack up when remembering the butterfly incident, though it took me years to recover from my embarrassment. I definitely thought I was Hot Stuff when I tried it out. I guess the universe decided that I needed to be taken down a peg or five.
Kim, I probably wouldn't participate in any food journalling, though I would definitely find it interesting to read what others wrote. I'm excited for mini challenges, though. I think they will provide a great incentive to actually participate in discussions with other BL Challenge participants, and I find working towards exercise goals MUCH more satisfying than losing weight (although I really do want to lose weight, too).
I like the idea of mini-challenges. I'm with the others- I probably wouldn't log my food, I already log it through FitBit, so it would be tedious just to copy everything over.
I think an exercise challenge would be motivating though.
for those that are interested in doing the food log challenge, it could be really simple. most of us already log our food somewhere. for the challenge we could just update quickly. trying make sure we do it daily, and keeping within our cal. ranges/goals. we could just update once a day/wk. if we logged everyday, and if we met cal goals/carb goals depending on their plan. i don't think there would be room for lots of people to log what they ate each day on the thread. at least that's how i read it when kim posted it.
i'm not against doing the food journal challenge. i'm undecided. still a newbie to the whole logging/cc thing. keeping consistent/pushing myself in exercise seems to be a bigger deal for me to lose wt and avoid binging. when i'm not writing down what/how much i ate, i rely on eating healthy foods intuitively. that works ok,but may be better for maintenance than losing stage.
ideas for fall into winter challenge
love those ideas! and the visualization had me cracking up!
