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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Overcoming Challenges within Challenges

30 Day Challenge

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

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Day 8 & 9

Day 8 Regina, Canada

Day 8 - Tuesday November 20,2012

1. Mel - Upper body and core Strength Training Toronto. Ontario, Canada
2. Mallory - Viral chest infection - Toronto, Ontario, Canada
3. Crystal - 25 dance; 15 Nordic track. Didn't note how long I was walking. - Regina SK Canada.
4. Goanna - Twisted my knee - she has a degenerative tear posterior horn meial meniscus extending to the articular surdace. Sounds scary!
5. Lis - 25 minutes yoga (Earth series) and 10 min Abs Blaster SP New You Bootcamp video   -  San Carlos, Mexico.
6. K -30 minutes treadmill- Detroit- Detroit, MI
7. Ishii -35 mins of Jillian Michaels Power Yoga. 1 hr intermittent walks throughout the day as well! -Orem, UT
8. Tanya -"Right this moment I am having an energetic dance party of 1 while making Thanksgiving food. It will be more than 15 mins" - NYC
9. Lily -Russian Twist: 96 reps and Scissors with Hold (Beach Scissors):96 reps; High Knees:
   96 reps and then did some walking.
10. Jill -Walked for 40 minutes this time!-Toronto
11. Tofodil-  Cathe's Upper Body Workout
12. Bella - Rest Day - Ottawa, ON Canada.
13. Lilith - 25 minutes of dance aerobics  -Chibougamau, in the James Bay Region of Northern Quebec.
14. Sheila  -60 Minutes Aqua Aerobics with resistance noodles and dumbbells. FitBolt odds - App downloaded onto computer reminds me every 30minutes to step away and do something - exercise or stretch - it all adds up! - Cape Town, South Africa   

Some of our 30 Day Challenge participants are having some challenges within the challenge. How to overcome them?

• Adapt and re-evaluate - If you get sick or sustain an injury you have to adapt and re-evaluate. Adapt your physical activity. When I sustained a shoulder injury in 2009, I spent the year doing kicking in the pool and did not use my arms much at all, I had to adapt. Anyone who knows me in the pool knows how much I detest kicking. I'm not very good at it, but backstroke on the other hand is closer to being my forte.
• Be realistic - Remember it is all about cultivating a mindset of intentionally introducing activity to your life. If you are burning yourself out, you clearly need more rest and more intentional, focused activity. If you are more active than you used to be, you are making progress, but keep it balanced. Rest is just as crucial to help your muscles recover and your body to adapt.
• Fuel your body right. Make sure you are getting the protein you need to sustain your added activity. Stay hydrated and do so throughout the day, not just in the hour after your workout.
• Get up and go, if you missed a day, no biggie, that does not mean you are a failure, it means you missed one day. Don't give up, just get up and go at it again! Watch those fitness minutes accumulate again and be encouraged! We are all in it together.
• Try something new - now I am not suggesting you do something dangerous or potentially risky but how about adding something different to your workout routine. You know, get out of your comfort zone? I know that for myself I would rather just get on the treadmill and run, without having to think, than start a new regime of something that might take a little bit of mental energy to master. I have had to overcome that mindset and try new things. I even tried rock climbing once, even thought I am afraid of heights! 
• Write down your progress and keep track of it. It will motivate you and you will want to reach higher, go further and run faster. (or even lift heavier weights.) 
  

Have fun! Make it fun! Decide to have fun, doing something begrudgingly is counter productive. 

Some of the participants are heading toward a weekend filled with family and food. Thanksgiving in U.S.A. is this weekend and I wish all the participants and their families a Happy Thanksgiving.

You might want to check out these recipes:

• Pumpkin Spice Garbanzo Cake 
• Cheesy Pumpkin Bread 
• Pumpkin Latte
• Pumpkin Smoothie
• Pumpkin and Cinnamon Crepe Recipe 
  
  

  

  HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
  
  

  Day 9 (Wednesday, Nov 21, 2012)

  1. Mel - Core strengthening workout (See below)- Toronto. Ontario, Canada
  2. Mallory - Viral chest infection - Drinking lots of hot tea - Toronto, Ontario, Canada
  3. Crystal - 35 min dancing - Regina SK Canada.
  4. Goanna - Twisted knee
  5. Lis -25 min yoga (reverse planks) and 8 min upper body sculpting (SP New You Bootcamp) -  San Carlos, Mexico.
  6. K -30 mins Amy Dixon's Breathless Body DVD- Detroit- Detroit, MI
  7. Ishii - 27 mins of Extend Barre workout and a walk- Orem, UT
  8. Tanya - 15 minutes Abs workout - NYC
  9. Lily -Body Weight Lunge:
     total 70 reps; Let Me Ins:56 reps in total; Incline Push-Up: 42 reps in total and
     Walking:
  10. Jill -Walked  -Toronto
  11. Tofodil- 5 km run!
  12. Bella - 3 miles with Leslie Sansone (48mins) - Ottawa, ON Canada.
  13. Lilith - 40 minutes walking and 15 minutes of aerobic exercise. -Chibougamau, in the James Bay Region of Northern Quebec.
  14. Sheila   -60minutes Aqua Aerobics - we got new Aquatic Hand Weights as well as Noodles; 60minute BodyWorx - no weights today - used Body Weight - cardio and ST
      30minutes Walking - to recycle bins- Cape Town, South Africa  
      
      
       Day 9 : This is what I did:
      

www.melonyteague.com 
To subscribe to my consolidated newsletter, Click here 
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" 
Join me on facebook.