My Challenge for You and Me

I'm struggling losing weight, but I want to keep the cost low. This is a personal challenge and I would like others to join me on this journey. So I have some criteria to keep track of while we strive to be more healthy. The focus will be more on what we can control than what we can't control. We can't control our exact weight, but we can control other aspects of our lives.

What Can We Control?

We can control what we eat. No matter how little or much money we have, most of us can control what food we eat, or at least the portions of what we eat. Grocery bills don't have to be high on special weight loss food. Simple foods work.

We can control how active we are. Almost everyone has the ability to move around and get cardio workouts in. You can get moving anywhere. No need for an expensive gym. Toning is another aspect of activity. We need to strengthen muscles, but we don't need a lot of equipment to do so--maybe a resistance band, a couple weights, chair, and space.

We can control when and how long we sleep. Adults need 7 to 9 hours of sleep a night. It's better to get more sleep during the night than the morning. Lack of sleep can cause weight gain! I'm working on being in bed before 11 pm every night. My goal should be 10 pm. Protect your sleep as much as possible. Sometimes we have to adjust sleeping schedules for various reasons.

What We'll Keep Track Of

We can keep track of what we eat, but the focus will be on number of vegetable and fruit servings. We'll report what we eat each day in the comments. We can eat whatever, but try and keep it balanced. My former trainer suggested the Zone diet 40-30-30. Some of my food will come from that. No calorie tracking! That only stresses me out. 

We will report cardio and toning. The goal will be 20 minutes of cardio three times a week and two sessions of toning. Remember to stretch!

Finally, we will track when we go to bed and how long we sleep. You determine a healthy time for you to go to bed. We want at least 7 hours of sleep a night.

We'll keep track of each other in the comments or you are welcome to email me your report. You may report anonymously--just have some type of pseudonym to keep track of you.

10 Point System

3+ veggies                                     2 points

2+ fruits                                         2 points

20 minutes aerobic exercise          2 points

Toning                                           2 points

Sleep                                              2 points

Anyone up for the challenge?