This New Year: don't feel the guilt of unkept resolutions...

I'm not one to make New Year's resolutions... I am more likely to make a resolution in the Fall when the pressure to make them is off since I often feel like the Fall is when New Year *should start*.  :)   And when I do make a resolution, I don't make a lofty one any longer that I know I won't be able to keep.  I have kept journals and diaries since I was in my early teens and looking back on past resolutions is both funny and sad. 

"I will lose 80 lbs. by the first week of June", I wrote in 2004.   I didn't.  I gained weight that year.  That was the year of my son's high school graduation.

"I will lose 100 lbs. by May 1st of this year" I wrote on January 1st, 2008.  I didn't.  I lost 12.  That was the year of my son's college graduation and I still wince when I look at the few photos of me on that joyful day.

In March of 2009 I wrote.  "I am going to reclaim myself.  I have 100 lbs. to lose.  I am going to lose 5 lbs. this month.  I am going to begin to walk again.  I will do this."  I lost 18 lbs. that month, I believe.  I began to walk 1/4 mile around the local high school track and was darn proud of doing it.  After the first five pounds were lost, and then the next five pounds, I celebrated 10 lbs. here on the blog.  And then the next ten pounds.  And then the next five when I hit 25 lbs. gone.  The small changes, the small goals, the rewards for small achievements gained worked for me.  I believe they will work for you, too, friends!

This year consider making just a small change.  Don't make a HUGE resolution.  Join me and my friends over at MeYouHealth and sign the Anti-Resolution Pledge.

Whatever your weight, health, or fitness goal is... I know you can achieve it this coming year if you believe in yourself and go for your goal by making small, sustainable changes and setting realistic milestones. : ) 

If you need help along the way staying the course, I'm only a tweet away and MeYouHealth has a great community of support at their Daily Challenge site and on Facebook. I joined the Daily Challenge community a year ago and have loved the small daily positive suggestions in my life. They're all about small actions making to attain big changes in the long run! :)

Happy New Year and New YOU, my friends!

Dream ~ Believe ~ Achieve!
Jan /
HealthyLoserGal

Merry Christmas, Friends!

From my house to yours... wishing you a wonderful holiday!

Ocean Spray Cranberries... Bogging & Blogging!

Over the long Thanksgiving holiday weekend, I took a little drive on a beautiful Saturday afternoon to the Ocean Spray cranberry bog which is located just beside Patriot Place in Foxborough, Massachusetts.  Not only did I learn a great deal about harvesting cranberries but I also enjoyed the beautiful MA Department of Conservation and Recreation "Healthy Heart Trail", something I never knew existed in the State! (More on this in a bit...)
I've been a cranberry fan for as long as I can remember.  Last year at the holidays I posted a photo on the blog of my cranberry relish. When I was growing up, my family drank "cranberry juice cocktail" and while I raised my son, we always had 100 percent Ocean Spray cranberry juice in our frig. 

In the past year, thanks to Ocean Spray providing me with samples, I learned of Diet Sparkling Cranberry juice which is now my fav drink (and mixed 50/50 with pinot grigot over ice makes a heck of a low-cal Cranberry Spritzer!).
What I didn't know about Ocean Spray is that they are a grower-owned cooperative and that the Gilmore family ancestors from South Carver, MA founded Ocean Spray and is a 6th generation (think about that for a moment... SIX generations!) grower. Their newest bog was named after their first grandchild, Charlotte, the 7th generation. : )

I encourage you to enlarge the photos (click on each photo) I took during my visit to the Foxborough harvested Ocean Spray cranberry bog (if it weren't yet harvested, the bog would be flooded and the berries skimming the top of the water) and learn about cranberries, the history of Ocean Spray, and harvesting cranberries.

And, I also hope you'll check out the Mass. Dept. of Conservation and Recreation's Healthy Heart trails in your area (if you live in MA).  I was really impressed that they have trails for ALL skill levels.  This means that morbidly obese walkers can get out into nature as they begin their weight loss and fitness journey and walk on well cared for trails (the bog trails were beautiful!) that you'll know the intensity level and length of.  The department's information on the trails take away the anxiety of not knowing what lies ahead and whether or not you'll be physically able to complete the walk.  You WILL be able to and then - when you're finished - you'll be able to say "I did it!" and be proud of your accomplishments!

Enjoy the tour, friends!

Tastes good. Good for you! (Click to enlarge)

The harvested cranberry bog

Beautifully landscaped trails lead to the bog
  
Great easy trails make this a great spot for families

Canadian geese enjoying the late Fall unseasonably warm weather

The stream floods the bogs for harvesting

How the cranberries are cultivated
A few lonely cranberries that weren't harvested remain

Beautiful male and female Mallard ducks blend in with the pond

Sloping Heart Healthy nature trail

Remnants of Hurricane Irene's damage

Beautiful late afternoon pond silhouette
I hope you'll check out the delicious, healthy recipes on the Ocean Spray site.  If you look hard enough you'll find my libation recipe for Cranberry Spritzers! :)   

Here's to our health...
Jan / HealthyLoserGal

Healthy & Fit Challenge: Week 11 (WOW!) Check-in

I was so happy today to be able to give away five $25 gift cards to Sephora courtesy of the fine folks at SlimFast who wanted to reward the challengers hard work and dedication to wellness and fitness.  (By the way, if you were one of the seven getting the Slim Fast coupons, you need to send me your mailing address, please...)  Congrats to Andrea, Jessica, Dani, Samantha, and Tiffany - - I'm so happy for you to receive the gift cards but MORESO for you all sticking it out for the 90 (well, 78 to date) Day Challenge!  Be proud of your accomplishments!  Others are sticking in there with you - and we should ALL be proud of how well we've done.

Let's finish STRONG!

Check in by leaving a Comment and, as we move closer to the big holidays, let's support one another to keep working out and mindfully eating and logging our food.  All those nibbles of cookies and candies can really add up and sabotage your good work, so if you bite it, write it! :)

In the next eleven days there are two final giveaways... both are great ones.  If you are vegetarian or enjoy vegetarian foods, please let me know in the comments this week!

Here's to our health and our dedication, friends!

Dream.
Believe.
Achieve!

Jan / HealthyLoserGal

Gift of Fitness & Health Challenge: Week 10 Check-In

Can you believe it?! Here we are in Week 10 of the challenge... only 19 days left, my friends!  Give yourself some love for hanging in!  How are you doing? I am so darn impressed with you who have stuck it through all these weeks.  I know some have fell off and then rejoined and I think that is so great... don't give up.  Keep believing in yourself and get back on the plan and go-baby-go!  Together we can finish stong! 

So how has this past week been for you?  How has the overall Gift of Fitness and Health 90 Day challenge been for your fitness and /or weight goals?  Have you been supported by others in your life or through the blog or on Twitter and Facebook?  Let's hear how you're doing in Comments!

xo

Dream... Believe... Achieve!
Jan / Healthy Loser Gal

Revisiting Slim-Fast... 'cause sometimes you're just too darn busy!

I have been really a bit crazed in the past three weeks or so.  Life is not 'out of control', but life right now is REALLY REALLY busy!  And in one of those indisputable 'law of attraction' moments in my life, the nice folks at Slim-Fast contacted me asking me if I'd like to try their newly formulated products.  Hmmmmm....

I hesitated to accept at first.  I mean, I am all about whole foods and eating local fresh foods and eating healthy!  When I was relearning how to eat last year through the Vtrim Online I remember one of the changes they encouraged in our behaviors was 'don't drink your calories', so accepting Slim-Fast's generous offer didn't feel like a fit to me.

But then life stepped in.  And I realized that I am going to have to move from the town I've been living in for the past 20 years (my choice for financial reasons) and started working hard to move toward that goal.  I began having less and less free time (more on this later in a separate blog post) and began to skip meals and - worse - much worse - began to then be starving hungry by the time I'd finally get home and would eat like a maniac.  THAT is when I revisited the email offer from Slim-Fast and accepted their offer to send me product. (And wait 'til you read on and see how incredibly generous they are not just to me, but to YOU, too!!)


Click to enlarge to see label

Guess what - the old Slim-Fast I remember from when I was in my early 30s (no, I'm NOT saying how long ago that was...lol!) is replaced with this great tasting Slim-Fast in their way cool redesigned bottle.  And - as it claims - it really does leave you feeling full for 3+ hours!  That surprised the heck out of me.  I've tried both the Strawberries 'n Cream and the Creamy Milk Chocolate shakes and both taste great. I remembered the Slim-Fast shakes as having an after-taste but that is long gone.  And the new design on the bottles makes them so easy to pop into your frig and then grab on-the-go. 

If you've been part of the 90 Day Challenge to Health & Fitness, and you've stuck in there and are in the final 30 day stretch with me, I've got a great surprise and giveaway for you, thanks to the folks at Slim-Fast.  They want to reward your dedication for committing to be healthy and fit and have offered me coupons for Slim-Fast product to give to you.  ADDITIONALLY, they've given me a limited number of Sephora gift cards to send to #hlgFitGift challengers who have stayed with the challenge. All you need to do is follow @SlimFast on Twitter or on Facebook and let me know by commenting that you'd like to receive the coupons to try Slim-Fast. If you're already a Slim-Fast fan, I'd like to hear that, too! I'll contact you directly about the Sephora giveaway from Slim-Fast. : )
THANK YOU for being a part of the 90 Day Challenge and hanging in here.  There are still more giveaways coming in this last home stretch. : )

Dream. Believe. Achieve!
Jan / Healthy Loser Gal

Greater Boston Food Bank & Healthy Loser Gal Gobblers Team Up!


There are so many who have less than they'd like you to believe.  A Wall Street Journal study recently found that 50 percent of Americans don't have $2000 in savings for an emergency.  I understand that struggle and know that many hard working families cannot manage to put together enough money to feed their families three nutritious meals each day and turn to the Greater Boston Food Bank for help. 

This Thanksgiving day I will not be hosting my regular Thanksgiving dinner at home... my son is off to his girlfriend's family's home, my 85 year old Mom has decided she doesn't want to travel or host dinner at her home and my sister and brother and families will not be traveling home to New England for Thanksgiving.  All of that said, I won't be cooking, so I thought of donating to the Food Bank and did a little research, finding out they are hosting their annual Turkey Drive for needy Boston area families in hopes of having 40,000 (!!!) turkeys donated by Thanksgiving day.

Enter the HealthyLoserGal Gobblers team idea!  I thought it would be great if we could join together and donate ten turkeys and sent out an announcement on Facebook and Twitter.  Within a day (Monday), nine of the ten have been donated for $16 each by friends.  That $16 will buy a turkey for a family of 4-6 for a nutritious holiday dinner.  A small investment by each of us so we can wake up on Thanksgiving morning and know a family isn't going hungry on this day of thanks.

I'm very thankful for all of you, my friends.  You're generous, good people and I'm honored to call you friends!

If you'd like to donate to the HLG Gobblers turkey team and help out a needy Boston area family... click here!  Thank you! :)

Here's to our health and living a grateful life...
Jan / HealthyLoserGal

Gift of Fitness Challenge: Week 8 Check-in

Simply put:  We're halfway through the challenge... we have 7 weeks left to our December 24th end date. 

Where are you on your journey for this challenge?  What have you learned about yourself?  How have you changed your habits?  What obstacles have you conquered and what do you still struggle with?  Have you asked others for help?  Have you offered help to others along the way?  Check-in through COMMENTS on how you're doing! :)

Dream.
Believe.
Achieve.

Jan/HealthyLoserGal

Halfway up the mountain! Gift of Fitness Challenge: Week 7 Check-in!

Have you ever gone rock or mountain climbing and you get halfway up to the peak and you look down?  And you stop a moment and think to yourself "Oh, I have climbed halfway, that is really great... I didn't think I would get this far.  Look down there at the base... I could climb down now and still be satisfied... and safe because I know I'll get down there without any difficulties."

Or you can keep climbing up!  You can dig in your heels and plant your feet and reach for your goals and CLIMB to the top... go for the finish... especially when the end is in site.  Does it get easier in the second half of a journey?  Not always.  You may have trained yourself and conditioned yourself during the first half to expect certain obstacles and overcome them.  But, in my experience, there is always something new that will pop up to challenge you, to allow you to test yourself and feel that thrill of reaching a once out-of-site goal.

Let's do this!  Let's finish the rest of this challenge strong and on target.  Remember to write down your goals... revise them if you feel that will help you... believe in yourself... journal your activities and food daily... plan your meals and snacks and exercise... don't waiver from your belief in your own abilities and CELEBRATE every single achievement, large or small.  Every ounce of energy you put into this challenge of fitness and health will come back to you in unmeasurable ways.  You may see 'measurable' results on the scale or the tape measure or in besting personal fitness goals, but you can't see the internal pride you'll feel by keeping promises to yourself.

I'm rooting for you, friends.  And I'm rooting for myself, too.  Let's keep supporting each other and hit the second half of this challenge full throttle! : )

Check-in here for WEEK 7 through the comments... I want to hear your accomplishments and challenges and will be rewarding those of you climbing, stretching, challenging yourself to reach your own goals!

Dream.
Believe.
Achieve!

Jan / HealthyLoserGal

Gift of Fitness Challenge: Week 6 Check-In

Apologies for getting the check-in posted a day late.  I didn't have any power at my home from Saturday night until last night (Monday) due to the freak Nor`easter than blanketed New England with snow and then with fallen trees and power lines!  I did a little happy dance and yelled out 'woohooo!' when the power was restored last night.  I think sleeping in a room that is below 50 degrees is not exactly my cup of tea.  At one point I wondered how many calories I was burning from shivering! ; )

So we're into week six now.  I'm down 8 pounds since the challenge began which I'm happy with.  I know other challengers are doing incredible on their goals and have far exceeded my 8 lbs.  But we need to remember this isn't a competition against one another but a challenge to meet our own expectations and goals that we've set.  And it isn't all about weight loss, fitness is key, too. 

Are you walking, moving, biking, Wii'ing (lol...sounds funny that way, huh?) so you can Move It to Lose It? Check-in below and let me know how you're doing... remember there are incentives coming up for those of you who keep up with the challenge and continue to check in and support and encourage one another.  Also, friends... if you're struggling -- shout out to us and let me and others know you need support.  There is power in numbers.

Here's to our health!

Dream.
Believe.
Achieve!

Jan/HealthyLoserGal

Be Proud of Your Accomplishments!

Does anyone else love the movie "What About Bob?" with Bill Murray?  If you recall the movie, Bob (played by Murray) has many phobias, one is leaving his house... so Dr. Leo Marvin (Richard Dreyfus) teaches him how to "baby step" to overcome his fears.

Not such bad advice!

I am really so impressed by how far each one of us can come if we just believe in our own selves!  Pushing aside those negative "inside your head tapes" of "I'll never be able to run" or "I can't walk a 5k... am I kidding!?" or "I used to love to play tennis, but I am not in good shape anymore!" and replacing them with "I'm going to run a 5k by year's end" and "I know I can make it to the end of the block without stopping" can help us achieve our goals.

I know I say this a lot but BELIEVE in yourself.  Set a goal for yourself and then Believe you can do what you set out to do.  Don't allow negativity to enter your mind.  Work toward your goal with 'baby steps' and soon, you're going to be so proud of yourself because you will have ACHIEVED your goal!!

Here is a tweet from @suzyscrapbook today on Twitter that illustrates just this:  Running 2mi today I was frustrated that I stopped to walk. Two months ago I couldn't even run for 5min w/o stopping. Progress! #hlgFitGift 

I'm so impressed!  And I know that Eucerin would want YOU, Leslie,  to have the giveaway set of Eucerin Everyday Protection Body Lotion with spf 15 and the Everyday Face Lotion with spf 30 so you can continue your outdoor activities and achieve your goals!  They sent me the same products to use and review this summer and I think they're fantastic!  Eucerin believes in putting the health of your skin first before we head outside. This is a little tiny reward for achieving a goal you'd set for yourself during our 90 Day Gift of Fitness & Health Challenge!  Congrats, friend! :)


Dream! Believe! Achieve!
Jan / HealthyLoserGal

Gift of Fitness & Health Challenge: Week 5 Check-in


Are we having fun yet? : )  This week, in addition to checking in, I'd love to hear if you've been doing anything OUTSIDE that you hadn't done before?  Have you been outside and walking for fitness?  Have you been biking or hiking or roller blading or anything else that has kept your activity up OUT OF DOORS?  Let me know!

And I have been struggling with food this weekend - - - unfortunately there was a ton of food left over from the birthday party I held for my Mom's 85th birthday and I ended up bringing some of it home with me.  (Believe me, I gave away all that I could!)  I should have just tossed it all because I have been nibbling here and there and - - I *cannot* nibble.  Once I get the taste of sweets and know there are more in the house (not candy - - sweets like desserts), then I want more... and MORE!   I'm purging the kitchen tomorrow night (garbage night in town) when I get home from work to get rid of what I don't take to the office in the morning! 

Usually what I do when I feel like I'm going to start eating uncontrolled is go for a walk... but having a need to walk in the late evening when it is pitch black out isn't good!  So I need to come up with an alternative... any suggestions?

Looking forward to reading your comments to see how you're all doing!  Let's make week 5 a really awesome week and keep the momentum going!!  We are SO worth it! : )

Dream. Believe. Achieve!

Jan / Healthy Loser Gal

Gift of Fitness Challenge: Conair Weight Watchers Scale Winner...

Can I just tell you that when Conair sent me my scale to review I was thrilled! This baby does EVERYTHING and is so darn stylish compared to my old Weight Watchers plain old white scale.  The Conair "Glass Body Analysis Scale" measures not only weight but body fat, body water (this is huge for me because I retain water big time apparently!), bone mass and BMI!  In ONE scale.  Plus it has 4 user memory, a 400 pound capacity, and this cool blue LCD backlight readout!  And that Conair and Weight Watchers agreed to give a second one away (this is their top of the line scale!) to a 90 Day Challenge participant, well, that made it all the sweeter! 

I am soooo impressed by how much everyone is supporting and encouraging one another and how much you all have been checking in.  We don't have to be perfect on this challenge, friends... we just need to be making progress! And we certainly are!  Challengers have lost 1.2 lbs in a week to 10 lbs. over the full nearly four weeks.  Friends are doing activities that they haven't done in years and journaling food, watching portions, reaching out to friends to join them in walks or bike rides or gym trips!  I am really thrilled for everyone.  If you haven't been completely on plan, that is okay... we have two months left.  Start fresh... four days of exercise, journaling, trying new activities, drinking your water, and checking in here and on Twitter and Facebook to support one another.

In reviewing the blog and Facebook and Twitter, I felt that nine ladies really have stood out as far as checking in these past weeks.  Jess Bentley, Pam Schill, Samantha Crowl, Leslie Burnett (Suzi Scrapbook), LilyFluffbottom, Shannon (Augmented Gem), Tiffany Miller (MrsMilli1207), and Melanie Cardell (ff12a)... you ladies ROCK at posting about how you're doing, celebrating successes and challenges, and supporting friends in #hlgFitGift Gift of Fitness & Health Challenge.

And now... without further delay... I put 1-9 into the random number generator and....
Melanie is the winner!!  Congratulations, friend!  I'm really excited for you.  Send me your address on Twitter in DM, would you? Or email me (email is in right column) your info and I'll pass it along to the Conair folks and your scale will be off to you!

Now... if your heart was set on winning the scale, don't despair... prizes, incentives, giveaways in the next four weeks include Sephora Gift Certificates, Slim Fast's new products (they're great, by the way... blog post coming about them!), Eucerin Everyday Protection skin lotion, cookbooks and more! 

I'm so glad to get to know you all a little better during the 90 Day challenge and am just so excited by all the great results both in non-scale victories (i.e., fitting into those jeans you have been wanting to or trying a new class at the gym) and great victories in weight loss and feeling better about yourself overall.  It is wonderful to make a goal and stick to it and see results, isn't it? : )

Dream.
Believe.
Achieve.
Oh yeah, and work hard! ; ) (Then Achieve those dreams!)

Jan / HealthyLoserGal

Gift of Fitness Challenge Check-In: Week 4

So how are you doing after three full weeks?  Are you feeling motivated?  What have your non-scale victories (NSVs) been?  What are your challenges to staying on track? 

I'm SO impressed with how you're encouraging one another on the blog and Facebook.  My friends, you are the best!  Believe in yourself and your own abilities every bit as much as you encourage one another!

Dream.
Believe.
Work hard.
Achieve!

Jan/HealthyLoserGal


Gift of Fitness Challenge Check-in: Week #2


Lots of activity on Twitter with #hlgFitGift tweets and it is wonderful to see everyone supporting one another through the good and the difficult!  Thank you for checking in here on the blog, too... let's keep the momentum going and keep commenting below because not everyone is on Twitter and/or Facebook... some of our friends just check in through the blog so let's encourage one another here, too! (And remember there is a GREAT Conair Weight Watchers scale for one person up for grabs... if you're checking in often, you are in the running!)

If you didn't have a great week last week, don't you dare give up!  We've got a long challenge ahead and giving up is not an option.  You don't give up on your family, your kids, your friends in need, do you?  I *know* you don't... then you shouldn't be giving up on your own goals of getting healthy and fit.  I *know* it feels overwhelming sometimes and that pint of Ben & Jerry's is much more familiar than 30 minutes on the treadmill, but guess what?  You signed up for this challenge because you know you need to kick it up a notch (or twenty notches!) and begin to make small steps to feel better about who you are and where you're going.  You *can* do this! :)

I want to live a longer, healthier life.  I want the same for you and this Gift of Fitness and Health Challenge is easy-peasy if you keep a positive outlook and say to yourself that you're worth it and NOTHING is going to stop you.  Not even yourself.  This second week is often a time when you can almost see the angel on one shoulder and the devil on the other.  The devil whispers "You've done so well, you can reward yourself with pizza and wings!".  The angel whispers, "You've done so well, let's keep it up and make this a habit, you'll feel soooo great about yourself!".  You're the only one who can make that choice of who to listen to! ; )

You don't need to be perfect.  No one is!  So this can be our motto of the week (along with "Make Results, Not Excuses")...
Progress Not Perfection

High five to you for committing to yourself!

Dream. Believe. (Work hard!) Achieve!
Jan / Healthy Loser Gal

Make RESULTS, Not Excuses!

I absolutely have a crush on Dolvett Quince, the new trainer from Atlanta on Biggest Loser Season 12.  I mean, c'mon! Have you seen the man training people on the Red Team?  Have you checked out those abs and that smile?

To me, though, the most charming thing about this guy is his personality and inspiration.  I am lucky to have sought him out on Twitter a few weeks ago before he had 20K+ followers and tweeted with him a little bit, so today I tweeted and asked him for his okay to use his great quote from last night's show... see below!

So there you go, friends!  We have a theme for the 90 Day Gift of Fitness & Health Challenge.  When you're feeling like you're too tired, don't want to get out of bed to walk or run, don't want to eat healthy when the fast food drive-in is on your way home, think of this:  "Make RESULTS, not excuses!!" 
We CAN do this!

Dream.
Believe.
Work Hard.
Achieve!

Jan/HealthyLoserGal

Gift of Fitness Challenge Check-In: Week #1

Sometimes the first week of the challenge can be the easiest (because we're all fired up to make changes) or the worst (because we're pushing ourselves outside of our comfort zones), so no matter which it is for you, let's support one another by using the Comments section to check in. 

How are you doing?  What changes are you making?  What are you learning that you can share with other challengers?

Dream.
Believe.
Work hard.
Achieve.

We CAN do this, friends!  Nothing is in our way but ourselves! :)

90 Day Challenge: The Gift Of Fitness & Health

So, where are you headed?
Do you know where you're headed this fall?  Have you made plans for what you'd like to accomplish for your weight loss, health, and fitness?  Or are you going to sit back and let life lead you rather than you lead your life? 

That's what I would have done a couple of years ago.  I liked the familiar.  I liked coming home at the end of the work day and eating myself into a numbing coma.  I enjoyed watching television show after television show and eating and eating.  I laughed through the comedies, worried along with the characters of the dramas... got up to get something more to eat and then plopped back down on the couch to do nothing but enjoy myself.

The reality of my situation was that I was killing myself.  I was numbing myself to life by overeating and allowing myself to become morbidly obese.  The continued eating of high sugar, high fat foods truly numbed my emotions to the point where - at the end of the evening - it was an effort to climb the stairs to fall into bed.

That wasn't 'the good life'.  I pretended that it was.  I pretended I was happy.  But - deep down within me - I was miserable.  My health was deteriorating.  My happiness - true happiness - was non-existent.  I was suffocating within my own self-imposed walls of fat.  And I wasn't motivated to do anything about it.

And then something within me changed.  I decided I was worth the effort and I wanted to live the rest of my life as a truly happy and healthy person.  I realized that to be HAPPY, I first needed to get healthy.  I started to listen to audio tapes about reinforcing positive behavior, positive energy and the power of attracting good things with positive actions.  I began to believe I could change my life and got up off the couch and - in the privacy of my own living room - began to move more.  Then I ventured outside and began to walk around the block, and then the high school track, and then a half mile, and then a mile, and then a 5k charity walk. 

I had given myself a tremendous GIFT.  I'd unwrapped within me the gift of believing in myself and reclaiming my health.










For the next 90 days I'm going back to basics.  Ninety days from today is Christmas.  I'm going to give myself the best gift I can imagine:  the gift of wellness. I plan to lose 25 lbs. and hit my goal weight in December.  I've been slacking for months and months and am ashamed of myself.  That disappointment all changed on Saturday when I went to the gym and 'got back at it'.

So what is the 90 Day Challenge?

I would love you to join me on the next 90 days and reclaim whatever it is that YOU have let slide or set aside, too.  Is it your weight loss goal?  Your fitness routine?  Your promise to yourself to go to the gym three times a week?  To stop overeating or drinking too much?  You know what it is... you're probably saying silently what that goal is as you read this. 

I don't need to know your goal if you don't want to share it.  But you need to write down your goal somewhere that you will see it everyday... preferably first thing in the morning and throughout your day.  Place a calendar reminder in your auto-calendar on your phone or laptop and have a "reminder" come up daily that motivates you to keep at your goal... "eyes on the prize" as the saying goes.

Only join this 3 month challenge if you're truly committed because we're going to keep one another accountable.  I need someone to get in my face on Twitter and Facebook and here and say "how many miles did you walk this week?" or "how many lbs. have you lost so far?" and badger me 'til I tell you!  Hey, I need accountability, too, and expect that if I'm supporting you, you'll be there to support me! :)

This time the challenge is accompanied by some very cool incentives! 
Besides the fact that by committing to yourself your own weight loss or fitness/wellness goal you will feel proud of yourself, if you are the challenger who checks in the most the first 14 days (either here or on Facebook or Twitter), you're going to receive the top of the line Conair Weight Watchers glass body analysis scale.*  It is so incredibly cool!

If you are in the challenge and are actively checking in and posting and have decided to start walking outdoors or begin a new outdoor activity (think canoeing, biking, hiking, golf, running, etc.), you'll be entered in the gift set of Eucerin products for Everyday Body and Everyday Face lotion

If you're going to stop eating junk food and are trying to eat healthier and are posting during the next 90 days often about how you're doing, you'll possibly win one of three cookbooks to keep you motivated and help with new recipes and changes you're making.

But, friends, the biggest, BEST gift that you will receive, is the gift of your own self-esteem and self-discipline.  You will be able to look at yourself and say "I'm worth it. I'm doing this for me! I'm accomplishing my goals!" and mean it.  You won't feel that old feeling of lying to yourself that everything is great when you can barely pull yourself up off the floor, when you have to buy another size bigger clothes when you swore to yourself you'd never get past the size you're in now... you'll really push yourself out the door to run that 2 mile loop at 6:30am. 

So here are the details in condensed form:

1.  In Comments here, on Twitter, or to my HealthyLoser Gal Facebook page, tell me that you are IN the #hlgFitGift 90 Day Challenge.  Use the #hlgFitGift hashtag on Twitter.

2.  Somewhere, preferably on paper where you can tape it to your frig or bathroom mirror or somewhere you can't miss it, you're going to write the weight loss, fitness or wellness goal you're going to challenge yourself to achieve in the next 90 days.  (i.e., I'm writing "I'm losing 10 lbs. in October, 10 lbs. in November and 5 lbs. in December. I'm walking 5x weekly.  I'm not eating after 8pm nightly.")

3.  You check in as often as you can (I'll be going for every other day here, daily on Twitter) and support other people in the challenge.  If you need help, you ask for it! :)

4.  You commit to exercise in some way for at least 10 minutes a day 4x a week every week of the challenge.  That is easy-peasy, friends!  Everyone - no matter your fitness level - can squeeze in 10 minutes 4x a week. 

5.  You drink a lot of water and be kind to yourself! Develop a POSITIVE mantra about how you can do whatever you set your mind to accomplish! :)

6.  You're honest to yourself and other challengers about how you're doing. If you fall off five times and begin again six times during this challenge, you're still in it! It isn't about how many times you fall down, it is about how many times you get back up and continue! ; )





I know where I'm headed the next 90 days... I've got goals written down and I'm going for them full throttle!  I hope you'll join me in the Fit Gift Challenge!  

Dream. Believe. Achieve!
Jan / Healthy Loser Gal


*If there is a tie on who is checking in most often, I will do the random number prize selection.