Let the Games Begin!!!

Congratulations!!!

You’ve been invited to participate in the coolest health competition that Fall Semester has ever seen! Ok, so let me explain for those of you who weren’t anxiously awaiting this e-mail… My cousin did a health competition with her friends recently that was outrageously successful; everybody loved it, and had a blast. So, in talking to some of you about the challenge we thought, why not have a health competition as well?

The point of this challenge is just that, it’s a health challenge. It’s not to necessarily lose weight, or be better looking, it’s to be HEALTHIER! It’s a challenge to get us to do what we already know that we should be doing to treat our bodies better, have more energy, and just FEEL BETTER!

So, this is how it works… There’s a list of 9 “good habits” (see below) that we want to incorporate into our “healthy lifestyle”. Each habit is worth 1 point (except for exercise, which is worth 2!). You earn points by each good habit you follow you successfully follow each day, with a total possible of 10 points for each day. So, if that day you:

1 point! -Drank 64 oz. of fluid (only 1 can of diet soda per day)
1 point! -Took a Multivitamin
1 point! -Eat a healthy/porportioned breakfast (So no skipping meals girls or you’ll lose points!)
1 point! -Eat a healthy/porportioned lunch
1 point! -Eat a healthy/porportioned dinner
1 point! -No eating after 8:30 pm
1 point! -No sugary sweets
1 point! -No unhealthy snacks
2 points! -Exercise 45 minutes a day

Then you earned 10 points that day!!!

I know what you’re thinking: THAT’S IMPOSSIBLE Sarah! I’ll crack! I’d rather get my hand run over by a lawn aerator than go 12 weeks without those temptations that I love!.....Ok…..calm down……BREATH….Now, for the good news.

SUNDAYS ARE FREE! Feel free to take a break on Sunday, eat what you want, that day is up to you!

So there’s 60 points a week possible. Some weeks you may come out with 50/58/43 points, others might score a perfect 60, but at the end of the week you’ll report your points to me and I’ll post them on our new blog that I’m making up to help the competition. Here’s one little twist though! Everyone is allowed 10 bonus points to use throughout the competition. (You can use these for wiggle room, while still getting a perfect score some weeks!) Any unused points will be added to their final score. If they are used, YOU MUST KEEP TRACK OF IT, and nobody else will know until the end...it keeps the winner of the competition a bit of a mystery!

The blog will be called http://chunks4change.blogspot.com/ and is for you to post recipes, ideas, encouragement, suggestions, etc. (I’ll add you all on to be able to add comments/pics and posts once we start). At the start, you can post a photo/intro of you on the blog. If you’d like to see a sampling of what a competition like this looks like, check out my cousin’s blog at: http://chunksforchange.blogspot.com/ for their competition that just ended. You can see how they planned it at http://www.oneshetwoshe.com/2009/06/how-to-start-health-competition-with.html.

This will last for 12 weeks (so, we’d like to begin August 31st and end November 2nd). We are going to start it with the first 30ish girls who sign up (tell your friends!!!!), everyone will put in $10, and at the end the winner gets $50 plus the rights to decide what we all do with the other $250: A big party? Café Rio night? The Zoo? Jump on it? Rent a Velcro Wall? Go to the Movies? We will all go and celebrate making it through the challenge.

Ok. So ask questions, let me know, tell people about it, and we will get it all set up by August 31st! So please let me know who’s all in by August 28th!!!

Thanks!
Sarah Theurer