Healthy Challenge update

I've been doing the Healthy Challenge* for 4 weeks. It's working! I'm stronger and leaner.  I'm sleeping better. I feel soooo much better about myself.

(Oh, and did I mention that I've lost 8 pounds in the last 4 weeks! Woo hoo!!)

Yesterday I put on a pair of jeans and they did not fit. As in, they were way too big. Love it.

What's working:




Exercise
I'm getting at least 30 minutes of exercise almost every day. I vary what I do.

• On Mondays we have a little group that gets together for Yoga Group. We do yoga at one of our houses for an hour. So motivating to do it with buddies. There is a mix of gals and guys--Mark and one other husband are in the group. We've limited it to 6 because that's all we can fit in a house space with our yoga mats. I often do yoga at home on at least one or two more days during the week.
• A couple of days a week Mark and I hang out with Jillian. That's Jillian Michaels (the trainer on Biggest Loser) and her "Thirty-Day Shred" dvd. Ouch. She really makes you work. Twenty minutes of non-stop circuit training (strength, cardio, and abs). But so worth it. We really are getting stronger with our gal-pal.
• We try to get out for a good brisk walk at least a couple of times a week. This evening we put on our rain gear and grabbed some headlamps from the camping supplies and went out for a nighttime walk. It feels SO good to get out and move.

Eating

Treats one day a week. Eating within the Weight Watchers guidelines.

• Initially I said I wasn't going to eat any treats until Christmas. Ummm...that hasn't been so realistic. However, I have mostly limited myself to treats only 1 day per week. Knowing that there is a "rule" I'm committed to has been a huge help with my self-discipline.
• I love the Weight Watchers e-tools. Not only can I track my food choices, but the information on the e-tools helps me to make healthier choices throughout the day. If you're thinking about joining Weight Watchers, definitely plan to use the e-tools. And I appreciate that the Points Plus system weighs food values based on a range of nutritional factors: fat, carbs, protein, and fiber. 
• Love love love Salad in a Jar. 
• Love my morning smoothies. 

Tracking my Food 

• See "Weight Watchers e-tools" above. You don't have to keep an electronic food diary for it to work. But writing down everything you eat really makes you pay more attention to what you eat. 

Drinking lots of Water

• 8 cups / day
• Glug, glug
• I'm going to hang up a pretty poster in the bathroom, since I spend so much time there.

Rewards

• It's just a small group of us doing the Healthy Challenge, so we opted not to create a $ pool for a prize at the end for the "biggest loser." We're each coming up with our own rewards along the way. I like doing it this way! Everybody wins. I'm having fun coming up with a small (non-food) treat for myself every couple of weeks.
• Black stretchy belt - here
• Silver scarf (today's photos) - This was today's reward for making it half-way through the Challenge. It was fun to wear it to Church today - elegant and warm. Definitely a win-win on a blustery day.

And by the way...
*I'm sure there are lots of ways to do a Healthy Challenge. I'm using the one the Six Sisters designed. If you want to start your own Healthy Challenge, you can find it here.