Here We Go...

How about a friendly virtual one (1) month challenge. This will all be based on an honor system, and if you cheat you are only cheating yourself right?! Feel free to share this with your friends. All right, truth be told I can make unhealthy choices anytime of the year. Here are my excuses, the kid(s) are home from school, road trips with the easy bad choices along the way, ball games, vacations. The more that join the merrier. The longer the list the more you can boast, I lost more weight than all those people. Anyhow, being a loser in this challenge still makes you a loser in the positive sense. Below are some guidelines of how it will go down. If you have any questions leave them in the comments or please feel free to e-mail me. My e-mail is beeblebrox13@hotmail.com Even, if you have never exchanged e-mails or comments with me before just do it!

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  E-mail or comment that you are interested in joining the challenge
  
  
  
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  It will be based on weight percentage lost so it is fair to all participants
  
  
  
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  The challenge will begin Monday, January 4th, 2010
  
  
  
• If you think this challenge is for you e-mail me your starting weight on or before January 4th, but not later than January 5th AM.
• I will never ever post your weight for the World Wide Web to see. It's our secret, and trust me I am sure I weigh more than you or did at some point this past year
• If you are still uncomfortable sharing your weight with me, we can kick it old school and do a "I'll show you mine if you show me yours"
• Every Sunday or Monday during the challenge e-mail me your weigh in
• I will post your percentage loss weekly, so we can see whose butt we need to kick
• The challenge will end Tuesday, February 2nd
• All final weights must be received in my inbox by 11:59 PM Tuesday - February 1st to keep you in the running for the prizes

Are You All Ready For the Next Installment?

So since this Challenge went so well I was thinking of a New Year New You Challenge. Anyone interested? What would you like the next Challenge to include? Give me feedback on what you liked and didn't like about the last Challenge. Can't wait to hear from all of you!!

And the Winner Is...

The winner is Miss Kasey Prejean. She completed the most days of the challenge and therefore racked up the most points.

So you want to know what she won.... a wonderful iTunes gift card. She can download lots of music in which to exercise and shake her booty.

Day 11 & Day 12

Ok so I wasn't able to get online for Days 11 & 12. So here is what was supposed to happen.
Day 11 - Repeat pushup and crunches challenge to see if you could do more.
Day 12 - 5k (3miles) Christmas walk
Hope you all had a very Merry Christmas.

Day 10 - December 23rd

From Sparkpeople.com we are doing the exercise of the day! Which is...
Standing Advanced Hamstring Stretch

http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/exercises.asp?exercise=281

I wont lie I really thought it was going to be something better than a stretch when I planned this several weeks ago. Well after all the lunges you did yesterday this will help stretch out those leg muscles. Consider this a gimme day. So make sure you gimme some stretches and you will get 20 points.
We are almost to the finish of the 12 Days of Christmas Challenge. Finish strong even if you have missed some things along the way.

On the tenth day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
Ten lords a-leaping,
Nine ladies dancing,
Eight maids a-milking,
Seven swans a-swimming,
Six geese a-laying,
Five golden rings,
Four calling birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree.

Day 9 - December 22nd

Today is "THE DAY OF THE LUNGE!" Do as many lunges as possible. 2 points for each lunge.

On the ninth day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
Nine ladies dancing,
Eight maids a-milking,
Seven swans a-swimming,
Six geese a-laying,
Five golden rings,
Four calling birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree.

Day 8 - December 21st

Today is workout video day! So grab your favorite or any workout video and if you complete it you will receive 35 points. Hope you are all doing well and enjoying your Christmas season as much as I am!




On the eighth day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
Eight maids a-milking,
Seven swans a-swimming,
Six geese a-laying,
Five golden rings,
Four calling birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree.

Day 7 - December 20th

This day was supposed to be find a creative way to exercise or get moving. Since I didn't post it if you did something today you will get 25 points.
So consider it a freebie or a day off!

On the seventh day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
Seven swans a-swimming,
Six geese a-laying,
Five golden rings,
Four calling birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree.

Day 6 - December 19th

Happy Saturday! We are half way there... are you having fun yet? Today I need feedback. Let me know if you think this Challenge has been too hard, too easy or just right so far. Please give me suggestions on making this even better next year and we will try to make it a yearly event if you like it.

Saturday's task is to teach someone else a new exercise...or two. Help inspire someone else to get fit and try something new. The sparkpeople website is a great source for exercises and how-to videos as I am sure you all know by now.

On the sixth day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
Six geese a-laying,
Five golden rings,
Four calling birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree.

Day 5 - December 18th

Sorry I didn't get this up last night, but here you go! End your week with a wall squat. See how long you can hold it. Points for every second. I will attach a demo for those of you that have never done this fun one before.

http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/exercises.asp?exercise=66

"The best inspiration is not to outdo others, but to outdo ourselves."
On the fifth day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
Five golden rings,
Four calling birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree.

Day 4 - December 17th

Jumpin' Jack Flash...It's a gas, gas, gas! So I hope this day finds you without gas but doing as many jumping jacks as you can. You will receive 15 points for every 25 jumping jacks you do.

Instructions

1. Step1
   Begin by standing with your feet together and arms at your sides. Tighten your abdominal muscles to pull your pelvis forward and take the curve out of your lower back.
   
2. Step2
   Bend your knees and jump, moving your feet apart until they are wider than your shoulders. At the same time, raise your arms over your head. You should be on the balls of your feet.
   
3. Step3
   Keep your knees bent while you jump again, bringing your feet together and your arms back to your sides. At the end of the movement, your weight should be on your heels.
   
4. Step4
   Repeat the exercise, working in sets and resting briefly in between. As you become more fit, perform jumping jacks faster and for a certain length of time rather than in sets.
   

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” 

On the fourth day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
Four calling birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree.

Day 3 - December 16th

WALKING!!!
Do as long a walk as you can. 5 points for every 5 minutes you walk.

You all are doing great! Keep up the good work. It is the Christmas season so remember every little bit counts. Even if you just do a little...a little eventually adds up to a lot!

On the third day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree.

Day 2 - December 15th

Fit Test Day: How many pushups & crunches can you do? Today you will test your strength and give yourself an idea of where you are starting from.

You will get points today for how many crunches you can do at one time. DEMO If you click on DEMO it should bring you to an example page.

Now that you have finished your crunches let's move on to the pushups. I am letting you choose from 3 different kinds of pushups. You will get 1x the number of pushups for doing option #1. You will get 2x the number of pushups for doing option #2 or you will get 3x the number of pushups for doing option #3.

#1 - If you are a beginner try these pushups. DEMO

#2 - If those seem easy try these pushups. DEMO

#3 - If you are really good try these pushups. DEMO

You many also mix them up if you choose. You can try each type if you would like. Just make sure you let me know which type you completed and how many.

Also weigh yourself & take measurements. You do not have to let me know any of these numbers. These are for your records only. So that you have a starting point to see how far you make it.

“Be not afraid of going slowly; be afraid only of standing still.” 

On the second day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
Two turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree.

Day 1 - December 14th

So for the first day I thought we would start off easy. 15 minutes of stretching throughout the day. What this means is that you can do your stretching any time during the day and it doesn't have to be 15 minutes in a row. It can be 5 minutes in the morning, 5 minutes at lunch and 5 minutes at night. You will get a point for each minute of stretching you do up to 20 points for 20 minutes if you want to do extra. You can earn bonus points if you actually do some aerobic exercise (walking, running, aerobics, etc) 15 points bonus for any 20 minute or greater aerobic activity. Note this cannot include your 15 minutes of stretching. That must be done separately. Best of luck on your first day! Remember you have to email me, leave a comment or text me with your daily activity in order for it to count.

“Know the true value of time; snatch, seize and enjoy every moment of it. No idleness…never put off till tomorrow what you can do today.”


On the first day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
A partridge in a pear tree.

Tomorrow it begins...

Lace up your shoes, break out your sweats... tomorrow begins 12 days of fun! Hope you all had a great weekend. I know mine was stellar. The best birthday I have had in awhile. Looking forward to tomorrow and starting the challenge. 

Reminder you must let me know what you complete each day. I will post what the activity is for the day following. So later this evening I will post what we will be doing tomorrow. Good luck to everyone. Remember you want to get as many points as possible. 

May you all have a wonderful 12 Days of Christmas Challenge!

All In?

Ok here is your call to arms... If you are planning on doing the 12 Days of Christmas Challenge starting next Monday then I need you to leave a comment on the blog so I know to count you in. Remember each day of the Challenge you must let me know what you completed (even if it is nothing) so that I can keep an accurate accounting of points. Also I assume that my plan for the Challenge is good since I have gotten zero feedback....so if you don't like something and you don't tell me...that's your fault. Remember the person with the most points at the end of the challenge gets a present. There may be some surprise gifts along the way for people with the most points on certain days....so work hard. I am looking forward to the Challenge and I hope you all are too!

Preview

Here is what I am thinking:
Day 1 - 15 min stretching done anytime throughout the day. Bonus points for actual aerobic activity.
Day 2 - Fit Test Day - How many pushups & crunches can you do? Also for your own knowledge weigh and measure yourself.
Day 3 - Walking: Do as long a walk as you can points for every 5 minutes you walk.
Day 4 - Jumping Jax- How many can you do? Points for every 25.
Day 5 - Wall squats - See how long you can hold it. Points for every 10 seconds.
Day 6 - Teach someone a new exercise or two
Day 7 - Do something fun/active. Points for the most creative.
Day 8 - Do a workout video.
Day 9 - Today is lunge day. How many can you do?
Day 10 - Exercise of the day brought to you by Sparkpeople.
Day 11 - Repeat Fit Test from Day 2- Any improvement? Weight and measure again for your own record
Day 12 - 5K walk for Christmas

Alright this is what I have so far... Please let me know if you have any suggestions or changes.