2014 TypeC Health and Exercise Challenge

[Udog]

Welcome to the 2014 TypeC Health and Exercise Challenge!

The purpose of this Challenge is to offer encouragement, support, and incentive to live a healthier lifestyle. If this sounds like something interesting to you, there are two (yes, TWO!) ways for you to join us towards a healthier lifestyle:

The 3 6 (or greater) Month Challenge!

If you desire some incentive and accountability, go ahead and sign up for the Challenge. If we haven’t heard from you for more than a week, I’ll @mention your name during one of the bi-weekly updates, and the dogs of war membership can check in on you.

If you decide to enter the Challenge, here are the rules. . . which are more like guidelines, really:

1. We start January 6th and will go to April JULY 7th [with the possibility of extending beyond July- stay tuned!]. People are free to join at any time.
2. To join, post your goals in this thread. If you want to participate in the Challenge, let me know. Otherwise, I will assume you do not wish to be tracked.
3. Challenge participants should post their progress in this thread at least once a week. I recommend using this thread for weekly summaries, and using an exercise blog for daily updates, but if posting here motivates you, go for it.
4. I'll post a list of active Challenge participants every two weeks, generally on Monday.
5. Elimination works like this: If you haven't posted a summary for more than 7 days when I post the list of current Challenge participants, I'll @Mention your name. If you don't post a progress summary before the next listing, I'll remove your name.
6. If you will be out due to vacation, injury, meteor crash, etc, just post here and I’ll make a note of it.

I'll post the first list of participants on Monday, the 13th.

Participation Option

If you don't want to be tracked or worry about weekly updates, but still wish to participate in the thread and sub-forum, then this is the option for you! It'll still be helpful if you post your goals though, and share your progress with us.

Resources

If you will take a moment to look around, you’ll see that this thread is in the Exercise Challenge Subforum. Feel free to create your own personal exercise and diet blogs here – that’s what this subforum is for! I'll update this post to link to personal blogs and other resources.

Finally, please feel free to ask questions and offer suggestions. Good luck, everyone!

ADDENDUM 1/2/15: The formal part of the challenge ended in July 2014, but people are continuing to check in here since it remains helpful to many of us. A new thread has been created for the new year: http://www.typologycentral.com/forums/exercise-challenge/74132-2015-health-fitness-challenge.html Please join us in the new thread, and feel free to jump in whenever you like and update with your own health improvement efforts.

 

[Udog]

I’ll be participating in the challenge.

My initial goals are:
1. Remove sugar and minimize flour from my diet.
2. Exercise 5x a week. Four of those workouts will be resistance or interval training, while the fifth will be something more relaxed, such as walking for 30 minutes.

 

[Redbone]

I am in!

My goals are:

1. To continue my ketogenic diet...decrease the protein amount a little and increase the fat.
2. Exercise program consisting of aerobic conditioning combined with a low resistance, high repetition resistive training program to promote increased joint stability by increasing general resting muscle tone <----I ripped this from the EDS page and will need help from a PT on this one but in the meantime,
3. Walk for 30-45 minutes every other day. I'm going to see if I can add swimming to this...it would be really good for me.
4. Work with my hula-hoop for 10-15 minutes everyday.
5. Increase my intake of probiotics, fish oil, vitamins D and C.

Edit: 6. Borrowing [MENTION=2]Ivy[/MENTION] 's good idea about better sleep hygiene. This is going to be a tough one. But I'm going to give myself a bed time and a good space of no electronics prior to sleep to see how that does. And some melatonin.
7. Make weekly menus/grocery lists...I got out of the habit of doing this a few months ago and need to start again. It'll help me stick to my diet and help me keep a schedule to exercise.

I think the main things that will slow me down are lack of preparation, being in pain, or not scheduling a specific time for exercise. I'm going to need some braces and take an anticholinergic drug before exercising...even for walking. I'm really good at "forgetting" to do this and then canceling my exercise because of it. I'm hoping to get a membership at a pool so that I can still exercise on days when I'm having pain issues. Scheduling...woo...gonna have to think about that. I'm not sure what my clinic schedule will be like so I cannot make anything solid. I'll probably just cut out a time block like I do with other stuff.

 

[Randomnity]

I'm in. General goals: increase overall health --> more exercise (both strength and cardio) and also better eating habits.

Priorities: ankle rehab so I can return to soccer, start regular bodyweight and light free weight exercises, more cooking healthy meals vs. snacking on junk

Details: I'm going to modify this once a month based on how things go. For Jan I'll start easy with:

1) daily ankle stretching/strengthening exercises
2) every weekday: quick bodyweight routine (exact exercises TBD - maybe starting off really short with just a few, and then adding to it later)

I'm focusing on daily stuff now because I know in the past when I've tried to do things 3x a week or whatever I always just end up putting them off until the last 3 days of the week, and then indefinitely. So I'm going to try really hard to work this stuff into a daily routine so I'm hopefully not as tempted to skip it. Starting off very easy/quick to facilitate forming that habit. I've thought a lot about when would be a consistent time for me to do it and I'm still not sure - I know a lot of people like mornings but I shower at night so I don't want to be sweaty all day, plus I hate mornings in general already. I think I'm going to aim for either right after work or right before showering for bed.

 

[Ivy]

I'm in. My goals are a little amorphous, though. I'm a little burnt out on diets so I've sworn them off. My main goals are to improve my life and health. Weight needs to come down in the long term but I'm not focusing on that primarily right now.

General dietary goals: eat intuitively to avoid binging.
General exercise goals: break up my weekdaily sitting (I have a sedentary job but I work from home so I have some freedom to move as I might not in an office environment).
Other goals: Adequate sleep, relaxation, sex, human connection.

Dietary details: focus on fruit/vegetable/lean protein intake, enjoy all else in moderation. Main goal is no binges.
Exercise details: on weekdays, get up and move around once per hour for a few minutes, walk dog at least once, all to add up to a daily goal of 10K steps. Once or twice a weekday run through the 7 minute bodyweight workout app. Do something fun/active each weekend with the family.
Other details: focus on nighttime routine and sleep hygiene to increase daytime wakefulness. Limit one nap of reasonable length at midday. Cut down on bathing in screenlight in the evenings. Read an actual paper book before sleep. Sex at least twice a week. Continue to focus daily on really connecting in my most valued relationships.

 

[hjgbujhghg]

I am in! My goals are:
1. strengthen my muscles
2. improve my vitality
3. do some cardio
4. loose belly fat
5. loose 5-10 lbs
6. stop binge eating
7. quit smoking

 

[INTJMom]

My goals are to do a minimum of 10 abdominal crunches every morning before I get dressed, and to do my 45 minute exercise program once a week, usually on Saturday.
I have met my goal of 10 crunches every morning, but I did not do my exercise program yesterday.
I should probably set Wednesday as my back up day if I miss Saturday.

So tomorrow we begin in earnest! I wish everybody good success! In the immortal words of Nike... JUST DO IT!

 

[Udog]

Thanks to the mod that stickied this thread!

So I'm going to try really hard to work this stuff into a daily routine so I'm hopefully not as tempted to skip it. Starting off very easy/quick to facilitate forming that habit. I've thought a lot about when would be a consistent time for me to do it and I'm still not sure - I know a lot of people like mornings but I shower at night so I don't want to be sweaty all day, plus I hate mornings in general already.

When do you have the most energy? Is it a time you can aim to workout? Mornings are the most convenient for me, but I'm pretty groggy for the first hour when I wake up, so it's not a great time for me to work out. I also haven't figured out my timing just yet.

General dietary goals: eat intuitively to avoid binging.

I'll be interested in hearing more about this as we go on. I'm a bit diet fatigued as well.

 

[Ivy]

I'm really trying to change my mindset. I've been in a restrict/binge cycle most of my life (since I was 9 or 10, at least) and all it got me was super fat. So instead I'm trying this new thing where I pretend I'm somebody else and tell myself the nice, forgiving, supportive things I would tell anyone else on this planet. I try not to hate myself and punish/reward myself with food when I've been bad/good. I really feel like I need to heal my psyche before I try to tackle the weight in a HEALTHY way.

It's mainly geared towards women but I'm reading this and it's helping me a lot: http://gokaleo.com/store/taking-up-space/

 

[Randomnity]

When do you have the most energy? Is it a time you can aim to workout? Mornings are the most convenient for me, but I'm pretty groggy for the first hour when I wake up, so it's not a great time for me to work out. I also haven't figured out my timing just yet.

I'm not really sure, but I know it's definitely NOT first thing in the morning, lol. I can barely get the energy to walk around that early. Beyond that the high point seems to vary day to day so I'm not really sure. I have sports a few nights a week at varying times, so that'll make it hard to make a consistent schedule but hopefully it'll still work. If I really can't make an evening time stick, I can try out a morning time slot for a few weeks, I guess. Definitely hoping to avoid that, though.

 

[Evo]

I want to start my goals extremely low and vague so that I have a place to go up, and so that I can have fun with it. I'm only looking to start (and follow through on) a healthier lifestyle. I'm not looking to lose or gain weight.

Diet:

1) Continue having salad club at work once a week.
2) Have some raw or steamed vegetables at least twice a week.
3) Take my time eating, chew more, and chew slower. Enjoy what I eat, and really take the time to taste the food I'm eating.
4) Edit: Also Drink more water!

Exercise:

1) Devote time to exercise at least once a week. (Eventually I want to build up to 4 or 5x a week.)

Including but not limited to:

a. Exercising with a coworker on lunch
b. yoga
c. walking/running with the dog
d. crunches
e. tai chi
f. my workout dvd

2) Do breathing exercises in the car, on the ride to work everyday.
3) Do a moving meditation practice once a week/ or crunches

 

[Udog]

I'm not really sure, but I know it's definitely NOT first thing in the morning, lol. I can barely get the energy to walk around that early. Beyond that the high point seems to vary day to day so I'm not really sure. I have sports a few nights a week at varying times, so that'll make it hard to make a consistent schedule but hopefully it'll still work. If I really can't make an evening time stick, I can try out a morning time slot for a few weeks, I guess. Definitely hoping to avoid that, though.

Some form of carb + protein can help in the morning. A banana, or an work-out drink, helped me a lot when I was working out in the morning.

What I love about morning workouts is that I can do my resistance workout first thing, recover a bit, and play sports (tennis, in my case) in the evening. It works out well as long as I get enough sleep and have 2-3 lighter days for recovery.

What I hate about morning workouts is pretty much everything else.

 

[Udog]

I'm really trying to change my mindset. I've been in a restrict/binge cycle most of my life (since I was 9 or 10, at least) and all it got me was super fat. So instead I'm trying this new thing where I pretend I'm somebody else and tell myself the nice, forgiving, supportive things I would tell anyone else on this planet. I try not to hate myself and punish/reward myself with food when I've been bad/good. I really feel like I need to heal my psyche before I try to tackle the weight in a HEALTHY way.

It's mainly geared towards women but I'm reading this and it's helping me a lot: http://gokaleo.com/store/taking-up-space/

Heh, considering all the pictures that are on the front page of that link, saying "I'll check out that link" doesn't seem appropriate.

One of the programs I did a couple of years back had some stuff on countering the deprivation/binge cycle of dieting. It's an extremely common thing - not just you by any means. I'll see if I can dig up that info and post it here. I think you are on the right track, but it may have additional info.

3) Take my time eating, chew more, and chew slower. Enjoy what I eat, and really take the time to taste the food I'm eating.

Oh, that's a good one! I'll need to add that one as well, I think. (Not right away, though. First things first.)

 

[Qlip]

I am doing the Challenge. My goals will be quite modest.
1. I have become vegetarian recently, I will continue this throughout the challenge.
2. I weigh in at 164, I plan to drop 10 pounds by the end of this challenge.
3. I will be able to do 100 pushups (can currently do 30)
4. I will be able to do 100 situps (can currently do 40).

Tentative future goals will involve riding my bike weekly, when I replace my stolen bike. And doing a certain amount of pull-ups, when I get a bar.

 

[Qlip]

Dup.

 

[Udog]

Several people who expressed interest haven't commented yet. No worries if you guys changed your mind or don't want to be tracked, but just in case you just missed this thread:
[MENTION=13402]Saturned[/MENTION], [MENTION=8936]highlander[/MENTION], [MENTION=4939]kyuuei[/MENTION], [MENTION=5999]PeaceBaby[/MENTION], [MENTION=5418]Lady X[/MENTION], [MENTION=5109]Glycerine[/MENTION], [MENTION=17131]Chanaynay[/MENTION], [MENTION=5578]bologna[/MENTION], [MENTION=6164]Riva[/MENTION], [MENTION=5295]beyondaurora[/MENTION], [MENTION=7]Jennifer[/MENTION], [MENTION=6724]DiscoBiscuit[/MENTION], [MENTION=15886]superunknown[/MENTION], [MENTION=16650]AngelLight2012[/MENTION], [MENTION=16139]Honor[/MENTION], [MENTION=9811]Coriolis[/MENTION], [MENTION=5789]Beorn[/MENTION]

The TL;DR version of the original post: If you choose to be tracked, post weekly summaries. I'll Mention your name if we haven't heard from you for more than a week, and will remove you from the list if we don't hear from you after that.

 

[garbage]

Will do.

I'll post my goals here when I think of some good,, tangible ones

 

[Firebird 8118]

Whoops - sorry about that!

Will post my goals on here by Sunday, once I finish planning it out.

 

[WALMART]

I currently weigh 185. I want to finish at 188.

I eat at McDonalds about 3-4 times a week (only food in a fair radius of my work), a mcdouble and a spicy chicken every time. I'm going to replace the spicy chicken with a salad.

I started lifting again with fair enough regularity. I've been getting thinner these past few months, but my weight has not decreased. I am gaining noticeable muscle mass. I want to take my lifting seriously, though. I might sub at a gym. This is how I plan on hitting my target weight of 188, despite the fat I'll likely continue dropping.

These are my goals.

 

[PeaceBaby]

New Year's Fitness Process:

1.) Maintain healthy diet but reduce chocolate consumption to once a week.
2.) Aerobic DVD workout 3x a week.
3.) Continue daily walks, track with pedometer.

By the end of the challenge, at a weight loss of 1lb per week, hoping to be down 10 lbs.