April 2013 30 Day Challenge Participant List

I was asked to continue the 30 Day Challenge into April and so on April fool's day, joking aside we embark on our new 30 Day Challenge IV.  The Challenge consists of a nutritional challenge and one other change, you get to pick what. For instance, if you want to break a bad habit or introduce a good habit, this challenge is for you. The challenge will provide suggestions on how to overcome and as in all the other changes, perfection is not the goal, but being intentional. A 30 Day focus can eradicate a bad habit and set another in place!  

Check with your physician or health care provider that you are clear to participate. I am not a doctor or a health care professional and advice on this site is not meant to take the place of your health provider or doctor's advice. Check with your doctor if you have pre-existing medical conditions that might be affected by your nutritional commitment. 

I would like to welcome all the participants and introduce them to you! Tomorrow I will post the nutritional commitment of each participant. Every body is different and we all have very individualized goals! I am very excited to let you know that we will continue to have our 3 Piece Snack segments and in addition to that, this time I am honored to introduce to you author, Allison Jorgens who will be helping us make the best decisions in the grocery store.

Participants:

1. Storme from Farmington, New Mexico
2. Nicole from Seattle, Washington.
3. Elisabeth from San Carlos, Mexico
4. Anna, Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia
5.  June, Dewdney BC
6.  Sheila, Cape Town, South Africa,
7. AnnaMarie from Philadelphia.
8.  Betty, from Vancouver Island, BC
9.  Trish from Brea
10.  Nina from Oregon.
11.  Crystal, Regina
12. Wilma from Manitoba
13. Beth, Pittsburgh, PA.
14. Melony from Toronto.(That's me!) 

Day one is weigh and measure day! 

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Melony Teague a freelance writer and columnist and motivator who lives in Canada with her husband and two young children.
Founder of "Secrets of Body Transformation from the Inside Out" 
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3-Piece snack Tip # 3 Ania Anyavar

30 Day Challenge (Part III) March, 2013

Tip # 3

Extra, extra! You are in for a treat! 

This 30 Day Challenge for life and adventures includes some tips put together by TOBT's Anthony. As a Physiologist and through Achieva Fitness & Wellness Inc., Anthony Pereira attempts to continuously bring/share empowering messages of betterment to all. Train or be Trained (TOBT) is just another way. We at TOBT feel that in order to properly train, we must be strong in 3 aspects- that is why we give tips 3-fold, or better yet- a 3-Piece Snack!!
www.whotrains.com

Ania Anyavar

Nutrition

- drink hot water & lemon to aid in digestion

Strength

- strengthen those legs with some lunges

Motivation

-want to get the best of your workout- get a workout partner

by Ania Anyavar

for more on these tips, please watch this short video

 It's worth watching this video for her beautiful accent too!

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Founder of "Secrets of Body Transformation from the Inside Out" 
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Get Out of Jail Card

Sometimes LIFE HAPPENS... and when you are on a 30 Day Challenge, that means you might need a reprieve from your nutritional commitment. For this reason, I have come up with a "Get out of jail" card that will help you overcome those times when you just can't help but eat something you have committed to replace on the challenge.YOU HAVE 3 of these to use during the challenge, I suggest you space them out over the weeks.

This applies to day 8 - day 30 and you can use each card ONCE!!! You have 3 cards. ONCE ONLY LADIES, if you choose to. It is kinda like a "get out of jail" card. Not that you actually are in jail if you eat something you shouldn't, but sometimes we feel like we are. Feelings of guilt are not constructive to moving on and learning from your journey, so please, if you mess up, fess up and just move on. For those of you taking the challenge seriously (and seeing amazing results, I might add) you will love this!

I realize that once you get to focusing on replacing a few things on the replacement list....you sometimes get something that is dairy and wheat free, but has a little sugar, or it is sugar and grain free, but has dairy, or it has wheat, but no dairy or sugar....you get the idea?If you have stuck to the challenge 100 % for a while and you feel you just need a little bit of flexibility to help you stay the course.NO STRESS........this "get out of jail " card will help you out there.....

OR

You go to a friend for dinner and they are serving ALL the things on your list you can't eat. What to do? Are you going to stress? No, you are going to make the best choices you can and use your "Get out of jail " card.


This card can also be used when :

1. You have an unexpected event or something happens and your plans are completely upset and rearranged.
2. A special occasion where there are no other alternatives

This is how it works, to use your get out of jail card, you have to do this:

1. Eat a salad with vinaigrette dressing first.
2. Eat your protein and vegetables first.
3. Eat whatever you want....yes WHATEVER......
4. Abide by the "once my butt leaves the seat the meal is OVER" rule. NO going back for seconds! 
5. Report back to me.

That is it, then you have used up your one time, EAT WHATEVER, get out of jail card!

How does that sound to you? You may want to save that up for when you are really in a quandary as to what to eat, or you are at the end of the month and the budget is short. You can use it when you are invited out to dinner, or there is a special occasion.

BUT....YOU HAVE TO ABIDE BY THE RULES STIPULATED. (See rules 1 - 5 above in green)

FOOD FOR THOUGHT:
 For those of you on the challenge I want you to think about something. Some of you have reported in saying...."I stuck to not eating white carbs, except for eating such and such..." or you "mostly avoided such and such." Now stop and think about that for a moment, did you stick to it, or didn't you? I am not talking about the things you are working on reducing, but the things you have committed to replacing on the challenge.

If there is and "except for" in your thinking I want to encourage you towards avoiding the "almost did it" mentality in the next 3 weeks. Tighten up your micro amounts of things creeping in JUST for the next little while. I have every confidence that you can do it, if you decide to. All it takes is a decision. Check your food labels, and by that I mean ingredient list, if you can't pronounce it, don't eat it, just for now! Endeavor to be honest with yourself. Remember the goal of this challenge is to be intentional with what goes in your mouth this month, it is best to have food that is:

1. Fuel
2. Full of nutrients
3. unprocessed and unrefined 
4. Least preservatives, additives, salt and chemicals 

I will be doing it too, don't worry, so let's tighten up our standards and it will pay off. You are not alone in this, you have the support of your friends and family and of course, fellow participants.

For the full list of replacement foods on this challenge, click here.  Please note that I have added Sodium (Salt) to the list, not to replace it, but to be aware of how much you consume and to work towards reducing it if you are having too much.


Hang in there, it will get easier as the challenge goes on, I know you can all do this!

 

  

www.melonyteague.com  To subscribe to my consolidated newsletter, Click here  Melony Teague a freelance writer and columnist and motivator who lives in Canada with her husband and two young children. Founder of "Secrets of Body Transformation from the Inside Out"  Join me on facebook. 

Tip # 7 from Igor and the Gift of Compassion

30 Day Challenge

IGOR's Tip #7: If you want to lose belly fat, crunches are not the way to go. In fact, crunches may actually increase your risk of back injury. Here are the best abdominal exercises.

THE GIFT OF COMPASSION

A few days ago I gave the 30 Day Challenge Participants some homework. They needed to think about the following:

Write a few sentences about treating yourself with compassion when you mess up. Do you find it easy or hard? Do you treat others with compassion, but expect more from yourself? How does this affect you emotionally, particularly in regards to food. 

This homework was something that each participant found very personal. It was a cause for self reflection and not only just in terms of this challenge, but for life in general.

For myself, I put a lot of pressure on myself, and I have learned in the last year to take a step back and just take the pressure off. It helped me to find out that exercise out of obligation and guilt is actually BAD for you, it triggers all sorts of hormones. Eating out of emotional stress resulting, in guilt has a whole other release of hormones that does leave you feeling uplifted. I guess I had to realize too that I needed to treat myself with compassion so that I did not end up in a downward spiral of negative emotions. Yes, that means forgiving yourself and moving on.

I am not suggesting that making excuses is okay, but realizing that stressing about it is not going to be productive is a huge step. What I had to get rid of was that "all or nothing" mentality. When you live like that you miss out on a lot of things because of the fear of failure. I realized that one slip up was not a failure, but an opportunity to learn so that next time I am wiser. Hey, we hear all the time how great men and women failed over and over again before they became the big name they are today, so why would you and I be any different.  

I want my healthy lifestyle to be sustainable and do able. Not just a 30 day stint. Do you really believe that you deserve to be healthy or is there a little bit of self-loathing in there. We can't love others, until we learn to love ourselves in a healthy way. I am not saying arrogance, I am suggesting a humble love and compassion for your self so that you can identify and empathize with others and love them too.

A 30 Day Challenge is a good thing. There is nothing wrong with taking that time to focus in on getting rid of bad habits and building new ones, but what are you going to do when the challenge is over?

Will you ditch everything you have learned, or will you continue to be kind to yourself, give your body what it needs, whether it is food or rest? Will you continue to watch over your heart so that you can love others? If you look after your emotional state, you can make a connection with what makes you want to eat when you are upset. 

Nina from Oregon reported:

"Not as compassionate about my own mess-ups as with others, for sure! I'm an emotional eater and occasionally realize, I'm not even hungry half way through a meal. Getting better at putting the fork down and getting away from the food. Trying not to give into guilt, just makes me want to eat more. I love being sugar/white flour free. Feels great. Not eating sugar helps me eat less I think. The weight is still about the same but I feel that things are changing. Looser pants, rings move on my fingers. I'm not worried. Feeling great."

 What would your answers to the homework questions be? Feel free to comment below.

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Melony Teague a freelance writer and columnist who lives in Canada with her husband and two young children.
Founder of "Secrets of Body Transformation from the Inside Out" 
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30 Day Challenge - half way done!

30 Day Challenge - Day 14 is Weigh and Measure Day

 

How are we doing?

For the full list of participants, click here.

Note: Some participants did not join until a week into the challenge so their results will be posted when they get to THEIR day 14.

Elisabeth from San Carlos, Mexico had wonderful results and she did a happy dance on day 14. She lost  5.6 pounds and 3.5 inches in total.

She wrote:

"The challenge is going really well for me. I needed the accountability the first few days to get me going and now I WANT to eat well and no longer have the cravings for crackers and cheese and peppermint candy during the day. I love experimenting with new recipes and so far so good!
The biggest thing these last 2 weeks have been the support in this group and the feeling of being in control of my eating again."

Crystal from Regina reported that although she had not lost weight she has lost a total of almost 3 inches in 14 days. She is satisfied with her progress. She wrote:

"Challenge is awesome, I agree with Elisabeth (from San Carlos) - I needed the accountability to think more about the decisions I was making. It kept me more honest when I might otherwise have taken a short cut... I Feel good about the inches though - all measurements decreased somewhat (biggest decrease was in hips and leg :) for a grand total of 2.75 inches.
... I know somethings going right because people are noticing - they might not be able to put their finger on exactly what's changed, but I'm having people say how energized I look, have I changed something? Somethings different, but what. That does make me smile from ear to ear.

What day 14 has done is motivated me to really do even more from day 15-30. I am adding a decrease in my salt intake even though that wasn't on the list. I know it's something I should do though so I'm adding it to my own."

Nina from Oregon reported that although the weight was the same she has lost a total of 3.5 inches.

She wrote: 

"The weight is about the same as when I started, but when I measured the inches, I was surprised! I lost about the same as Elisabeth - 3 1/4 inches. I'll get the weight moving more the next part of the challenge as I pledge to record every bite I eat. I love being sugar and white flour independent! Feel great and ready for more."

Karie-Anne from Elmira reported that she has lost 8.4 pounds and I lost 7.5 inches. WOW!She wrote:

 "I feel really good...I think I could have done better if I had have included exercise."

Sheila from Cape Town wrote:

"Did well with the no-hard-cheese plan - people noticed a firmer "behind"
Weight down by 1kg = 2.2lbs."

Sue from Nottingham, UK is happy. She wrote:

"Well I am thrilled!!! I have apparently lost 3 pounds."

Bonnie from Toronto, is tracking 6 measurements:
Lower leg - stayed the same.
Upper leg - lost 1 cm.
waist - lost 3 cm.
chest - lost 4 cm.
lower arm - went up half a cm.
upper arm - lost 2 cm.

"I am really happy with the results and I am more motivated than ever!"

Sue from Toronto has added artificial sweeteners to her list of replacement foods.

What great results after 2 weeks! 
Well done to all.

COCONUT BLACK BEAN BROWNIES

 

 Ingredients:

1 Can Black Beans (540 ml/19 oz)

3 Tbsp Melted Coconut oil

1/4 cup unsweetened Cocoa powder

6 - 8 Honey Dates (make sure they are pitted) 

2 tsp Stevia Powder (for baking)

2 Tbsp unsweetened shredded coconut

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 teaspoon of ground Cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon of salt

1teaspoon pure vanilla extract

3 Large Eggs (Or two eggs and one flax egg)

 (If you want to keep it Vegan then add 3 flax eggs)

*Note: I topped the kids' half of the brownies with dairy free, peanut free chocolate chunks  after they came out of the oven,  note if you do that, they are no longer sugar free  

Method:

1. Preaheat the oven to 350 F
2. Rinse the beans thoroughly and place in food processor together with melted coconut oil. 
3. Add all other ingredients and blend until smooth, adding the eggs last. 
4. Scrape into greased square dish and bake in preheated oven for 25 - 30 minutes until toothpick comes out clean. Cool on wire rack and try not to eat them all before they cool down. 

My kids love these with frozen yoghurt, for the adults, I served them with Coconut Chocolate Ice cream which is DAIRY FREE and is sweetened with Agave. If I could find the Sugar Free version in the store I would get that rather, but it is made with coconut milk.

I waited for my husband to tuck in and then broke the news, I told him it was all sugar free. He thought I was lying!

These brownies are just the thing to accompany a nice cup of tea.

Speaking of Tea and coffee...

In the last post we discussed the merits of coffee and whether it is "bad for you" or not? If you missed it you can read it by clicking here. Crystal from Regina sent in her substantial list of teas.

Crystal wrote: "My tea list is fairly substantial, and often the joke when people come to visit. I'm often told I should open my own shop I have so many.

• Early Grey is probably my all time favourite - especially with double bergamont.

• Tension tamer (a chamomile mint rose hip etc etc concoction that I like to start my day with)

• Sleepy Time (another chamomile blend) before bed

• Chamomile vanilla and honey blend

• Green tea with Jasmine blossoms

• Chai tea (straight up or with milk)

• China Oolong tea

• Green tea with Roasted Brown Rice (somewhat coffee like)

• Cookies and cream (which doesn't taste anything like cookies and cream to me but I like it all the same.)

• Peppermint (my least favourite, actually upsets my stomach)

• Spearmint (better for my tummy)

And then of course I have the berry blends which my friends tend to like, but I usually find less satisfying."

And this is MY cup of TEA with Breakfast taken the last time I kicked the coffee habit a year ago!

When is your favourite time to have tea?

  

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Melony Teague a freelance writer and columnist who lives in Canada with her husband and two young children.
Founder of "Secrets of Body Transformation from the Inside Out" 
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Challenges are there to overcome - Day 5

REPLACEMENT CHALLENGE - Day 5

As Day 5 draws to a close, I have the final list of participants to share with you and a great sentiment from one of our participants.  When I asked Bonnie, a local participant how she was doing she  reported, "Better than I thought Mel - 4 days with no coffee, alcohol and dairy! Decaffeinated green tea is filling in quite nicely! Just a small manageable headache..." and Sue from Nottingham wrote, "Three days with no sugar. Not using replacement, but do have a sprinkle of cinnamon on an occasional coffee." Now, for a rather impressive list, Elisabeth wrote, "
No sugar, No coffee, No white carbs, No alcohol, No dairy, No wheat, No grains, No soft drinks." And let me tell you, she is feeling much better for it and the weight is coming off, which is an added bonus for her. This challenge is not a weight loss challenge as such, it is a challenge to clean up your diet and in so doing you may encounter some rather desirable side effects, like more energy, better sleep, weight loss or improved digestion.

Nina in Oregon joined the replacement challenge and committed to ditching sugar and flour- the white stuff. She went to a wedding and this was her attitude going into it which I love.She wrote. "I'll find a way to continue the challenge. Obstacles are there to overcome!" What a great attitude to have.

Crystal from Regina, SK, Canada sent in a pic of her Beef Satay Soup which she had on day 4 for lunch.

The Challenge is now closed to any more participants. 

Welcome everyone.

The PARTICIPANTS of the Challenge are as follows:

1. Kristin - Detroit, U.S.A. She is going to curb: White processed carbs - white sugar/white flour.
2. Sheila - Cape Town, South Africa. She is going to fight the urge to eat: Hard Cow's Milk cheeses.
3.  Crystal from Regina, SK, Canada and she is going to start with curbing the coffee habit.
4.  Elisabeth from San Carlos, Mexico says she is going to cut out white carbs (potatoes and rice) and coffee.
5. I will be in on it too: Melony Teague will be cutting Sugar, dairy, wheat, alcohol and soft drinks.Two cups of coffee a day, down from about 10 cups.
6. Anna from Australia is going to be starting with white carbs. 
7. Karie-Ann from Elmira, Canada wants to give up alcohol, pop and coffee.
8. Bonnie from Toronto, Canada is going to to cut out alcohol and dairy. She has added coffee to her list.
   
9. Betty from Vancouver Island is going to start with sugar, white carbs and alcohol.
10. Gail in Ottawa, CA - her challenge is as follows: first sugar (then wheat, then dairy)
11. Cheryl, Toronto, CA - Alcohol and to cut down on coffee and minimize sugar. 
12. Mallory from Toronto is replacing White Carbs, with a view to cutting back on sugar.
13. Sue from Nottingham UK is replacing sugar. 
14. Nina in Oregon: Joining the goal by ditching sugar and flour - the white stuff. 
15. Glenda from Stouffville, ON, Canada  is going to replace coffee and wheat.
16. Sue from Toronto, ON, Canada is replacing coffee.
17. Jan from Pennsdale, PA, U.S.A. is replacing white carbs. 

 To help you out please refer to the replacement guide on this page: CLICK HERE. Please share your participation with your family and friends, this will help keep you accountable. For those who are not participating, please cheer them on! I would love to hear your comments.

www.melonyteague.com 
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Melony Teague a freelance writer and columnist who lives in Canada with her husband and two young children.
Founder of "Secrets of Body Transformation from the Inside Out" 
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The First day of the Year with Quinoa Vegetable soup recipe

I was so happy to welcome in the New Year knowing that my choices were going to be a whole lot different to what they have been for the last few weeks. I got to the point where I remembered and re-lived that horrible lethargic feeling that too much sugar and carbs and basically, JUNK put my poor body into. By last night when we rang in the new year I was SO OVER the shortbread, the desserts and the copious amounts of coffee to try cope with the overwhelming fatigue. Why do we let ourselves get to that point before we make a change? Well, I think it is simply because we somehow think that we are different and it could not affect US that way....perhaps this time we will be able to eat all that junk and it will not affect us. Just as when we are born, we push the limits to see how far we can go without feeling pain or discomfort, we do so with our diet and addictions too.

Today was DAY 1 of the Nutritional 30 Day Challenge and I must admit by 4pm I had a headache. Not surprising since I was probably going through some serious withdrawals and detoxing. My body knows and remembers the great feeling that follows once it is all clear though, so I am hanging in there.

30 Day Challenge Part II participants are given a list to choose one thing to eliminate in phase one of the challenge.  Being a sucker for punishment, or rather knowing my own vices, I picked 4.

Pick ONE:

SUGAR

COFFEE

WHITE CARBS

ALCOHOL

DAIRY

WHEAT

GRAINS

SOFT DRINKS 

My choices for the first phase of my 30 Day Challenge were to eliminate the following:
SUGAR, DAIRY, WHEAT and THE DRINKS...( Alcohol and Soft Drinks)
The drinks are not really a part of my life anyway, so that was easy.

Breakfast today looked like this:

Wheat free Spelt toast with Hazelnut butter and herbal tea.

There is nothing better than some soup to help you get back to eating clean and here is one that you can enjoy too:

QUINOA and VEGETABLE SOUP

Crockpot Recipe ( serves 3 -4)

Ingredients:

Organic Chicken Broth (1 litre)

2 cups Water

1 Organic carrot sliced

1 zucchini - chopped

1/4 cup Organic quinoa (white) 

1 slice of a large onion

Italian spices (dried) 

Method:

1. Place all ingredients in your slow cooker except for herbs and quinoa. Cook on High for 6 hours.
2. 1 hour before serving add Quinoa and herbs
3. Serve with wheat free bread or another alternative of your choice.

I can't tell you how well this soup went down.

Let me introduce you to our participants! Hats off to all of you for taking the first step! 

The PARTICIPANTS of the Challenge are as follows:

1. Kristin - Detroit, U.S.A. She is going to curb: White processed carbs - white sugar/white flour.
2. Sheila - Cape Town, South Africa. She is going to fight the urge to eat: Hard Cow's Milk cheeses.
3.  Crystal from Regina, SK, Canada and she is going to start with curbing the coffee habit.
4.  Elisabeth from San Carlos, Mexico says she is going to cut out white carbs (potatoes and rice)
5. I will be in on it too: Melony Teague will be cutting Sugar, dairy, wheat, alcohol and soft drinks. 
6. Anna from Australia is going to be starting with white carbs. 
7. Karie-Ann from Elmira, Canada wants to give up alcohol, pop and coffee.
8. Bonnie from Toronto, Canada is going to to cut out alcohol and dairy

Today's task was to weigh and measure themselves. They will keep these measurements to themselves and they will serve as motivation to keep going. We weigh and measure again in 2 weeks time. Yes, some of us had to face the ugly truth after the holiday festivities, but it has to be done, so might as well face the music and get it over with.

There may be one or two additional participants added to the list tomorrow, so stay tuned.

Participants had to pick one thing for phase one of the nutritional challenge and can add one thing more as they go.....I started with my 4 or 5 things and will add more as I go too.

A reminder, it is ONLY for 30 days, not forever, however I am positive that some may continue when they experience how much better they feel for it. I am excited and I hope that you will be joining me in cheering these participants on, through the good and the bad days.

INVITE YOUR FREINDS TO JOIN WITH YOU, the more the merrier!

To let me know you are joining, please email me at:

info@melonyteague.com

LET's GO!

www.melonyteague.com 
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Melony Teague a freelance writer and columnist who lives in Canada with her husband and two young children.
Founder of "Secrets of Body Transformation from the Inside Out" 
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Day 10, 11, 12 & 13 - 30 Day Challenge

 

30 Day Challenge

New Rule: You are allowed ONE rest day. Use it wisely! 

To subscribe to this blog click here

Day 10, 11, 12 & 13.

View while exercising

Shovelling snow and scraping ice is a workout, you better believe it!

The interesting about Challenges is that at first they help us to "stretch" ourselves, and I don't mean physically. We are 1/3 way into the challenge and I am hearing the same thing, participants are adding on more minutes, loving it, and on days when they can't manage more than 15 minutes they are feeling bad about it. This tells me that the challenge has moved from being a "stretch" to being the normal expectation and that means it is working! I am so proud of my girls! What makes me smile is the number of husbands who have been roped in to go for walks with their ladies. I also noticed that there was a little bit of soreness from using muscles that don't usually get involved in exercise on a regular basis. This highlights the importance of mixing things up and not only sticking to your favorite exercises.What seems to be a reoccurring pattern is that by Sunday, participants are tired and do only the bare minimum. I am interested to see if by the end of the challenge our collective stamina will be better on Sundays? Funny thing is that by Monday participants are reporting activity way over and above what is expected. Hmm...resting on the 7th day, sounds like a familiar concept. Where have I heard that before? (Grin!) Seems a day of rest might actually prove to be a good thing. Wonder who came up with the "rest on the 7th day" thing? Oh yeah, the Guy who created us did! Funny that, that we don't think He might know a thing of two about what we need, since He created us this way.

Day 10 - Thursday, November 22nd Happy Thanksgiving to the USA'ers.

Mel - Rest Day - Toronto. Ontario, Canada
Mallory - Viral chest infection - Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Crystal - 15 minutes plowing through snow on foot - that had to be worth something!; 20 minutes dance. - Regina SK Canada.
Goanna - Twisted my knee - she has a degenerative tear posterior horn meial meniscus extending to the articular surdace. "I tried to walk a little today and went to work, but forgot my brace and nearly fell, so phoned my son and he brought it to school for me." - Goanna
Lis - 25 min yoga (Water Light sequence) and SP video (desk stretches) - San Carlos, Mexico.
K -35 minutes strength training - back & biceps - Detroit- Detroit, MI
Ishii - a beautiful run! 30 mins (after resting her knee for a few days) -Orem, UT
Tanya -Yesterday 50 min walk- NYC
Lily - Thanksgiving day of rest.
Jill -Walked -Toronto
Tofodil- 2 mile walk
Bella - No data - Ottawa, ON Canada.
Lilith - 20 min walking - James Bay Region of Northern Quebec.
Sheila - Up and down the ladder, arms up to take down the curtains and put them back up again after laundering (they can dry while they hang in the sun thru the windows), carting planters around the garden to re-plant miniature Agapanthas, mop up the pile of soap suds all over the kitchen as the washing machine leaked - twice! ("Funny thing is, last night I dreamed my kitchen was under water and I had to call in the Flood Damage people.") Neighbourhood walk for 1/2 hour - Cape Town, South Africa 




(left)Back and Biceps workout - K - Detroit



( Day 11- right ) Lis is the Yoga Queen, but she added some strength Training.

Day 11- Friday, November 23rd, 2012

Mel -25 minutes core strength training - Toronto. Ontario, Canada
Mallory - Viral chest infection - Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Crystal - 10 min Nordic track for 35 total; 30 min shovelling out the barn; 25 min dancing and stretching for a grand total today. 90 min. "My legs and shoulders are feeling it. Looking forward to a hot bath." - Crystal. - Regina SK Canada.
Goanna - Twisted my knee - she has a degenerative tear posterior horn meial meniscus extending to the articular surdace. She will be out of the game for a while, but is doing a great job cheering us on.
Lis -25 min yoga (head to knee seq) and 9 min seated arm and shoulder work out (SP video) Still using 5lb hand weights - San Carlos, Mexico.
K - 40 mins strength training chest & triceps + 20 mins treadmill walk/run- Detroit- Detroit, MI
Ishii -15 min walk with the dogs- Orem, UT
Tanya - Today took the feet instead of the subway, for a 20 min walk.15 mins of abs done! - NYC
Lily - 22 minutes cardio/ core Pilates Reformer (with rebounder) 
Jill -Walked -Toronto
Tofodil- 5km Run
Bella - - Ottawa, ON Canada.
Lilith - 1 day off- Rest day - James Bay Region of Northern Quebec.
Sheila -Aqua Aerobics with Resistance hand weights and noodles - could feel my Abs from previous classes - pretty painful to cough :)- BodyWorx; 60 minutes each as well as more ladders and curtains - Cape Town, South Africa

Day 12 - Saturday, November 24th, 2012

Mel - Last minute raking of lawn before it snowed, arms and abs exercises ( See above) Toronto. Ontario, Canada
Mallory - Viral chest infection - Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Crystal -  20 min walk, 25 dance - Regina SK Canada.
Goanna - Twisted knee - upper body work.
Lis - 25 mins yoga (Revolving Triangle ) - San Carlos, Mexico.
K -35 mins strength training back & biceps + 20 mins treadmill incline 10% - Detroit- Detroit, MI
Ishii - Did my 3o min run and 15 min dog walk- Orem, UT
Tanya - 45 min skip, walk, run in a chilly park; now 30 mins into geocaching expedition - NYC
Lily - Butt Workout - "This video says BUM, but I felt it mostly in my poor, not-yet-recovered quads!; Leg/ hip, ab & tricep
Jill -Walked 30 min -Toronto
Tofodil- Peak 10 Cardio Strength workout
Bella - No data - Ottawa, ON Canada.
Lilith - 40 minute walk - James Bay Region of Northern Quebec.
Sheila - 60minutes Fuse Ball - playing like kids with the big Swiss Ball - hectic and fun; 60 minutes Boxing - Punching and kicking the bag, using the step - loads of cardio and ST and included HIIT - Cape Town, South Africa

Day 13 - Sunday, November 25th, 2012 (one month to Christmas folks!)

Mel - 5 km/ 3.24 Miles on treadmill and it took 53:30 minutes. - Toronto. Ontario, Canada
Mallory - Viral chest infection, this poor girl has been really sick! - Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Crystal - 10 on Nordic track and a 10 min walk.- Regina SK Canada.
Goanna - Twisted my knee - She has been doing upper body work.
Lis -25 mins yoga (Crane series) and 5 min Core workout on Ball (SP video) and added Planks on a stability ball. "What a sight,  glad nobody was watching.." - Lis - San Carlos, Mexico.
K - 40 mins strength training legs + 20 mins treadmill - Detroit- Detroit, MI
Ishii - Walked the dogs- 15 mins - Orem, UT
Tanya -45 mins of chasing the little guy around the playground in the freezing cold at 5pm this evening. - NYC
Lily - Running (on rebounder): 0:27:00 || 110 BPM || flat ; One-Arm Kettlebell Swing:
10 lb x 24  sets of varying reps. Incline Push-Up:
8 sets of 12 reps (+4 pts) - As tabatas; Plank (8)As tabatas; Burpee 8 sets; Push-Up 8 sets.
Jill -Walked 45 min-Toronto
Tofodil- 30 minute run, 1 hour Yoga
Bella -No Data - Ottawa, ON Canada.
Lilith - 15 minute walk- James Bay Region of Northern Quebec.
Sheila -2 miles walked - Cape Town, South Africa

Wow! Well done ladies and here is a great idea for a snack! ANYTIME of day or night.

Enjoy some Organic Granny Smith Apples with some seed butter. Delicious!

www.melonyteague.com 
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Melony Teague a freelance writer and columnist who lives in Canada with her husband and two young children.
Founder of "Secrets of Body Transformation from the Inside Out" 
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