Fitness Challenge II - Join In!

**Beautiful Disaster** · 09-05-2011 09:10 PM

Great! New participants!!!

Even though we don't officially start until tomorrow, I'm going to go ahead and post so we can kick the week off right tomorrow. And Cheyenne, no, you weren't supposed to measure your inches lost on a strip of paper during the last challenge, this is just for Fitness Challenge II.

My current measurements are Hips 39", Waist 28", Chest 35". Current weight: 123 lbs. Height 5'3". My goal is to get my hips down to 35".

Group Goals for Week 1:
1. 30 - 45 minutes of consecutive cardio 5 out of 7 days this week.

2. For 5 minutes per day, 7 days a week (doesn't have to be consecutive as long as you get in your 5 minutes by the end of the day), do kegels. Sounds silly? Perhaps...but you can thank me later.

If you do not understand the concept of kegels, please google it but the idea is to contract and release the kegel muscles as if you're stopping the flow of urine, clenching, then releasing the flow again. Contract, hold, release, repeat.

3. 10 consecutive push ups 7 days a week. These MUST be done properly so if you're unsure, please google or youtube proper form. You can do regular style push ups or the easier "knees down" version.

Fair enough? I've set our goals high for week one because I absolutely know you can all achieve that and since our challenge is again, only 4 weeks, I want you all to maximize this opportunity as quickly as possible. Each participant should post tomorrow evening, list your measurements, let us know what you did that day (how many calories you burned), if you met your exercise goals for the day, and what your reward is going to be at the end of week 1 when you achieve all your weekly goals.

Ready...set...let's go ladies!!

**snooks** · 09-06-2011 03:11 AM

Thought I would start off by giving my stats. Exercise stuff tomorrow evening, but I thought I would just fill in a few holes in my bio.

I am 62 yrs and my BMI is 22.6. I know neither of these have been asked for but I thought I wanted to say my age - as an excuse when I am left in the dust LOL I knew being a senior would have its uses one day!!!

Anyway, the rest of me in metric first is: 86-73-92 cms and 60kg. I am 163 cms tall (or perhaps I shopuld say short! LOL).
So that it makes sense to all those not metric they are: 34-29-36in, 132lbs and 5'4"
Pretty average really.

Can't wait to get going although I think because of time zones and all that, I will actually be a day behind everyone else since we are a day and half ahead in time but I am delaying my entries. I guess that doesn't matter though! Good luck to all.

**Cheyenne** · 09-06-2011 04:15 AM

BD, ok, I was just making sure.

I forgot to measure my hips again, but I'll do it in the morning! I'll put my tape measure next to my phone, and remind myself!

1) Does it have to be all at once or can it broke up into sections?
2) Easy enough...
3) Ummm...me and push-up's.....not the best of friends...I've been trying, but it looks weird and it hurts my shoulders for some reason...
Everything sounds easy enough and I'm postive this is going to be a good month!!

**Beautiful Disaster** · 09-06-2011 06:47 AM

Snooks - I'm 5'3''...I feel your pain. haha.

Cheyenne - The goal is at LEAST 30 minutes of consecutive exercise, meaning all at once. Why is this important? Because your heart rate needs to be up for this amt of time to burn fat. So if you break it up into small intervals, you're not getting your heart rate up for long enough at a time to truly get the benefits.

3. Pushups are tough for me because I do not have a strong upper body. I will be feeling your pain. Make sure you're using correct form, and then if it's hard...well that's because it's suppose to be.

I know you're going to rock it out this month. You could prob weight yourself in the nurses office at school or in gym almost anytime. Also when you measure, you measure hips, waist and chest.

Alright ladies, it's day one. You need to shoot for 30 grams of fiber today and no less than 60 grams of protein. Don't forget: 5 minutes of kegels (sounds easier than it is if you're doing them right

), 10 pushups, and at LEAST 30-45 minutes of consecutive cardio exercise. Make it an awesome day ladies!!!

**Cyndie32** · 09-06-2011 07:46 AM

snook and bd, i as well, feel your shortness. i am 5 ft 1 in. and cheyenne i beleive is shorter yet. how tall are you cheyenne? i will check in tonite with my results for the day. it will be late tho. i have an extremely busy day after work. lets rock this challenge out. firm it up, you know, take some of the jiggle out! smile.... we are in for a great journey!

**Beautiful Disaster** · 09-06-2011 11:00 AM

I just did my 5 minutes of kegels for the day.

Since these do not require you to really do anything other than clench, hold for 3 seconds, release, repeat....you can do more of these any time you want to. If you have a stop watch on your phone, it's great even if you're sitting at a desk or sitting in class, or up cleaning the house to do as many of these as you can "squeeze" in.

**Little** · 09-06-2011 01:37 PM

I'm 23, 9 months postpartum, and 5'9" (175cm.) I didn't go to the gym today, so didn't check my weight, but the last time I did, I was 205 lbs (93 kg.)
My measurements are 39-37-43(!) (That's 99-94-109cm.) When I was in high school and at a fairly ideal weight and fitness level, my measurements were 36-30-40 and 160 lbs, so I think that's my long-term goal. I want to get down to at least 175 before I start TTC again.

1. I was going to go to the gym tonight, but I thought I'd go for a little walky with the baby and my three dogs. A 20-minute walk turned into 45 minutes of hilly terrain. Soooo that's my cardio for the day!
2. Gonna get on my kegels now while I'm still panting ;.;
3. My pushups will definitely be the modified variety. My upper arm strength is nil.

I feel tall and heavy compared to you guys :P

**Cyndie32** · 09-06-2011 02:33 PM

little, we all have to start somewhere and this is a good of a place as any. when i first started my newplan in april of 2009 (see pics at the end of the thread fitness challenge part one) i weighed 174 lbs and that is a lot of weight for a person who is only 5foot1. so relatively speaking, i was in your shoes two years ago. i am glad you are joining us. this is a fun journey. and the more people to join, the more fun it becomes. when do you start ttc and what is ttc?

**Little** · 09-06-2011 02:43 PM

Trying to conceive

Sometime next year when I become a little more financially stable and get moved into a slightly larger house, I want to start trying for baby #2. Maybe around mid-year. My son was conceived in March, and I'd like their birthdays to be spaced out some. I've already lost 25 lbs of pregnancy weight, so I've made big strides. My BMI is only slightly above 30 now

But with the 6 or so inches difference in height between me and everyone else, the weight and measurement numbers are staggeringly different!
I really noticed the last fitness thread when it was a few pages in. I have been going to the gym 4 days a week and doing 30+ mins of cardio, so I had already started. Glad to have someplace to share it now!

**Cheyenne** · 09-06-2011 04:43 PM

Ok, I didn't see the consecative part of it. I do try to do push-ups, but it seems to hurt my shoulder blades, but I do try to do one or two before switching to the easy version. Another question, does weight lifting count as the cardio?
And yet another...When we post at the end of the day, are we supposed to post our net calories or our food and exercise calories seperatly?