What have you achieved?

It is common, especially in a weight loss challenge, to measure success in terms of weight lost. But I encourage you to take a step back and recognize the other improvements and accomplishments you have made. Have you improved your endurance, or become more efficient at a particular exercise? Have you gotten better about going to the gym consistently? Are you bringing healthier snacks to work, or eating a good breakfast before you leave?

These victories are important to recognize because as you progress into your new lifestyle changes, the going will inevitably get tough. Recognizing what you have already accomplished can be a powerful motivator, and will help you get through those difficult days. Oftentimes, it may even be more beneficial to redirect your focus from losing weight to continuing these little feats throughout the day (some people may refer to this as Breaking It Down). And you may be pleasantly surprised the next time you step on the scale.

I have two challenges for you this week:

1)      Send us an email describing what accomplishments you have made (besides weight loss) thus far in the challenge. (worth one entry)

2)      In light of using this opportunity to improve overall fitness, let’s take this week to focus on consistency on some fundamental movements. Every day this week, complete:

a.       30 Squats (weight in heels, knees behind toes, thighs reaching parallel to the ground)

b.      10 Push-ups (May go from knees, BUT must go all the way to chest touching ground; core tight, body straight)

c.       2 Plank holds to failure (On elbows, core tight, don’t forget to breathe!)

These are very basic movements that build a foundation for more complex exercises. They are also all fantastic for improving your day-to-day functional movement. So make sure you have good form, and if you would like some help making sure you are doing them correctly PLEASE come ask! There’s nothing worse than doing 210 squats and then realizing you did them wrong. Well, maybe….. but it’s definitely on the list!

Let us know if you have any questions.