TEAMS!!!!!

RED TEAM
Bethanee Ray Brown
Rachel Sargent Fuhriman
Sarah Hansen
Rebecca Toussaint
Christen McSweeney
Briana Kimberly Barros Saenger

BLUE TEAM
Nicole Potts
Sonia Barney
Tiffany Hunter
Melissa Meyer
Tesa Hatfield
Leslie Sprague Pincock

GREEN TEAM
Marinda Morgan 
Erin Kearsley
Kelly Thomson
Lisa Thomson
Jessica Farnes
BJ Farnes

ORANGE TEAM
Arin Layton
Jaren Layton
Kara Kearsley
Brian Kearsley 
Brenda Barnard
Reagan Dickson

PURPLE TEAM
Melissa Pett
Natalie Zohner 
Becky Buddenbohm
Suzy Swenland
Bryan Swenland
Karina Johnson

YELLOW TEAM
Shannon Steffler
Kristi Summit 
Jessica Worley
Sue Carlile
Janell Porter
Bridgette Summers

FUSHIA TEAM

Lori Wilford

Jonathan Wilford

Amanda Wilford

Ethan Wilford

Amanda Faye Wilford

Allison Wilford

BROWN TEAM
Natausha Medellin
Melissa Allen
Travis Allen
Chris Koehler
Tami Vorwaller
Judy Gordon

WHITE TEAM
Melanie Francis
Clint Francis
Sheryl Mendenhall
Emily Empey
Will Empey
Amy Hinson

BLACK TEAM
Mary Ann Lyons
Stephanie Lyons
Anita Slaugh
Adrianne Elliott
Lynette Wilson
Larry Wilson

Kara and I are so excited to welcome you all to the challenge!!!  It grew to be much bigger than either of us anticipated, and we are thrilled there are so many people eager to improve their lifestyles!  For those of you who are brand new to the world of Health Challenges we hope you find great success in becoming healthier overall and enjoy the competition and teamwork a Health Challenge brings.  For those who are joining us again we hope you find great success as well.  

I will address some of the questions I have been asked the most:
What is a serving of fruits/veggies? generally 1/2 cup, but for leafy greens it is 1 cup, and for dried fruits it is 1/4 cup

What is a sweet?  Is banana bread or zucchini bread considered a sweet?  Is hot chocolate?  That is up to your discretion.  I personally don't consider banana bread or zucchini bread a sweet, but also don't consider it the best food choice as it is quite high in calories.  I also don't consider hot chocolate a sweet but know of people who do, again it is your discretion.  Definite sweets are desserts such as pie, cake, cookies, chocolate (then why not hot chocolate you may ask, I don't know but it just isn't to me), donuts, ice cream, etc.  What is a serving of sweets?  Again, that is up to your discretion....a serving to you may not be what your spouse/friend considers a serving, but remember the goal is not to get away with all you can, but to hopefully be developing healthier habits and losing weight as needed.

What is acceptable exercise?  Whatever gets your heart rate up and is a work out for you.  If you work at a job that is very physically demanding and are moving the entire time you are working, by all means that would count as your exercise.  Warm up and cool down count as part of your exercise time.  

I have had several people comment that they feel 7:00 is a better cut off time to stop eating.  That is great if you would like to personally challenge yourself to be done eating by 7:00 each day, but that isn't always realistic for everyone's schedule so we will maintain the 9:00 time.

What counts as a journal entry?  It can be a food journal, and if you are going to go that route I highly recommend www.myfitnesspal.com as it is very easy to sign up, it's free, and it is very easy to use and find foods both prepared at home as well as restaurant foods.  It can be a 3 sentence diary of what happened for you that day, or it can be a long entry capturing your events and feelings of the day, it is totally up to you how in depth you get with your journaling.  

What if your children keep you up at night and you can't get the sleep???  You should not be punished for being a parent, look at your situation and see what it is that is keeping you up at night...if it is truly children you should not put on a movie, play a game on your computer/phone, read a book, go fold a load of laundry, but try to lie quietly and get back to sleep as soon as possible.  If you are going to bed in time to get 7 hours of sleep but just aren't able to get to sleep,  as long as you stay in bed without distractions and keep your eyes closed and rest it can count as sleep.

What counts as team contact and what do we have to talk about?  Anything that works for you...Facebook, text, email, in person, phone; something encouraging such as "just finished my workout" or "ate a tomato sandwich for lunch" or "just turned down an ice cream cone!" Reach out when you need help..."not very motivated today, any suggestions?" You are on a team for a reason, use your teammates for motivation when you are down, and give the motivation when you are up!

For those who do 24 fasts from food and water for religious reasons you still need to get all your water and fruits/veggies in the day you start the fast and the day you end the fast so plan accordingly.  I know it is hard to fit it all in, but it is possible and just takes planning on your part.

I hope I've addressed the questions you may have had.  If you still have questions please read through the blog again, especially in the area you are unsure of, it will most likely answer your question, if not, don't hesitate to contact me through email or Kara through the Facebook page.  Although we each set up our teams separately we are definitely all one big group and will be running this together.  We will address your questions as quickly as possible.


Reminders!!!
*Don't forget to weigh yourself the first day of the challenge and take measurements of your waist, hips, neck, thigh, and bicep (right or left, doesn't matter).  These are more measurements than what I originally posted in the rules....it has been brought to my attention that we all lose weight in different areas, and if someone is losing inches in their thighs or arms and not their waist or hips they should also get credit for their hard work.  
*This week your bonus challenge is to take a "before" picture and set a definite goal to be reached during this challenge with a non-food reward.  ie: my goal could be to get 95% of possible points each week and if I do that I will reward myself at the end of the challenge with a new pair of earrings, etc.  Be sure to have it push yourself but also be realistic...probably isn't realistic (or healthy) to have your goal be to lose 40 lbs in 8 weeks.  Also have the reward really be something you want to work for.

Good luck and go get your exercise!!!

Challenge Rules and Overview

This is a competition to motivate participants to live a healthier lifestyle. It is open to anyone age 14 or older who sincerely wants to establish habits that promote overall wellness.  You will notice there are areas that cover both physical and spiritual/mental well-being.
DATES:
This will be an 8-week challenge starting Monday, August 26, 2013 and ending on Sunday, October 20, 2013. You must commit to the full eight weeks.
COST:
Each participant will pay $15 upfront to do the challenge.
Although it costs $15, you may earn back more than half of your money by getting 95% of your "weekly points." For each week that you get at least 95% (198 or more of your weekly points), you will get back $1, for a possible refund of $8, even if your team doesn't win the competition or win that week. You must earn back at least $4 for me to go to the effort to cut you a refund check.
WHAT YOU NEED:
You will need a scale. You will need a method to measure your waist and hips. That could be a tape measure or a string you wrap around yourself and measure with a ruler. And you will need an internet connection. I will do almost all of my communication with you through this blog. You will report your points for the previous week through the blog by 10:00 p.m.on Mondays, I will post the previous week's winners on Wednesdays. Questions or comments can be directed to me most easily by email or on the "comment" section when you report points.
POINTS:
These are the ways to earn points, please read thoroughly:
WEEKLY POINTS--Each week you will report your points in ten categories totaling 208 possible points.
1. Exercise: You can earn up to 35 points each week for exercise. You earn 5 points for doing 30 minutes of exercise and 7 points for doing 45 minutes of exercise up to 5 days per week. If you do more than 45 minutes of exercise or more than 5 days per week, WAY TO GO! But you do not get any additional points, and you can't carry the points or minutes over to future days or weeks of exercise. 7 points x 5 days = 35 points possible each week
2. Sweets: You can earn up to 30 points each week for not overeating on sweets.  You can choose to have one "sweet day" each week where you don't have to keep track of what you eat, or you may have up to three servings of sweets in one week.  IE: you eat one ice cream cone on Monday night= 1 sweet; you eat one brownie at book club on Thurs=2 sweets; you eat one piece of pie on your date Friday night=3 sweets for the week. You need to keep track of what you are eating, if you keep in those perimeters you get 30 points for the week, for each day you eat more sweets you lose 5 pts. 5 points x 6 days = 30 points possible each week.  Even if you don't choose to have any sweets while you are on the challenge you still just get the 30 points for the week.
3. Fruits/Vegetables: Each day that you eat at least 5 fruits or vegetables, you get 3 points. Each day that 3 or more or those are vegetables, you get 5 points. Generally speaking, one serving is approximately 1/2 cup, although leafy greens are approximately 1 cup and dried fruits are about 1/4 cup. 5 points x 7 days = 35 points possible each week
4. Water: Each day that you drink at least 64 ounces of water, you get 2 points. 2 points x 7 days = 14 points possible each week
5. 9 p.m.: Each day that you stop eating before 9 p.m., you get 2 points. 2 points x 7 days = 14 points possible each week
6. 7 hrs. of sleep per night 5 days/week (naps count).  I've had several people express concern about being able to get this much sleep, but sleep is important enough to include in a wellness challenge, and may make the difference between your success in being able to lose weight. 2 points x 5 days = 10 points possible each week.
7. Scripture/inspirational reading daily 7 days/week, there is no time requirement, simply taking time daily to read something that uplifts your soul. possible 3 points  x 7 days = 21 points possible each week.
8. Prayer/meditaion daily 7 days/week, again no time requirement. Possible 3 points x 7 days = 21 possible points each week.
9. Journal writing daily 7 days/week. No minimum amount, just a few sentences is enough. This can be a food journal or a personal journal, your choice, whatever you think will help you most in being healthier all around. THIS MUST BE DONE DAILY, YOU MAY NOT BACK TRACK TO MAKE UP. Possible 3 points x 7 days=21possible each week.
10. Team: Each day that you are in contact with a team member by any method (email, phone, blog, text, voice mail, telegram, Facebook, U.S. Postal Service, etc.) you get 1 point. As we encourage, motivate, share experiences, and stay accountable, we are more successful as individuals and as teams. 1 point x 7 days = 7 points possible each week
WEIGHT LOSS POINTS--Each week you will report your weight loss points to me. Please do your initial and weekly weigh-ins at approximately the same time and under the same circumstances each week (empty/full stomach, before/after exercise, etc.) First you must decide which of the following two plans you want to do:
1. Weight Loss Plan: If you are trying to lose weight, you will choose the "Weight Loss Plan." Each week when you weigh in, you will get 5 points for maintaining your lowest previous weight and 10 points for each pound you have lost beyond your lowest previous weight. For instance, if you gained weight, you report 0 points, AND you don't get any weight loss or maintenance points in future weeks until you return to the lowest weight you had already achieved. If you maintained your previous lowest weight, you report 5 points. And if you lost a pound, you would get 5 points for maintaining plus 10 points for that pound, so you would report 15 points.  You may also count increments if you have a scale that weighs in increments.  For example if you lose 1.7 pounds you will report 17 points weight loss plus 5 points maintenance making 22 points for the week.
2. Weight Maintenance Plan: If you are trying to maintain a healthy weight which you have already achieved OR if you are pregnant, you will choose the "Weight Maintenance Plan." This challenge is for EVERYONE trying to be healthy, not just those trying to lose weight. So if you are maintaining your weight, you must decide what weight you are maintaining, and for each week that you are at or below that weight, you get 15 points. If you go over that weight, you get 0. If you are pregnant, please don't worry about the scale, but you must get at least 187 weekly points (90%) to get your 15 weight points per week.
BONUS POINTS--There will be a bonus challenge to set specific goals the first week of the challenge, and a bonus to evaluate how you did on your goals on the last week of the challenge.  Each of these will have 35 possible points if you do all the areas.  I feel like there are enough areas to be focused on in the challenge that for the middle six weeks you will get 5 bonus points daily for every day you get perfect points equaling 35 possible bonus points each week.
INCHES POINTS--At the start of the competition and again at the end of week 4 and week 8, you will measure your waist, hips, neck, arm, and thigh (either one). For each 1/2 inch you have lost at weeks 4 & 8, you will get 5 points.
WEIGHT LOSS % POINTS--At the end of week 8, you will report your weight loss percentage points. You will get 1 point per 0.1% weight loss. For instance, if I lost 4.8% of my body weight during this competition, I would get 48 points. I will give instructions later on, but it is calculated by taking the total pounds lost divided by your starting weight times 100 to get your weight loss %.
POINT REPORTING:
You will report your points each Monday to me via the blog. Points must be reported by 10 p.m. on Monday night. I will deduct 15 points from your team's total for each person who reports late. If your points are not reported by Tuesday night at 10:00, your points from that week will not count at all.  If you are struggling reporting points the first week I will work with you.
When I declare the team that wins each week, I will NOT be posting the points each team reported. At the very end of the competition, you will get to see the point grand totals.
I want to add here that the way to win this competition is not by being on the team that loses the most weight. It is to get your entire team to commit to getting perfect or almost perfect weekly points. Everyone, please be honest in your point reporting. One team member not giving his or her very best can lead to the whole team losing because of that person's low points.
WINNERS:
Obviously, everyone wins when you implement these sensible lifestyle habits. But at the end of the competition, I will award money to the person who gets the highest point total (weekly points only), the person with the highest percentage of weight loss, and each member of the team with the highest point grand total.
ARE YOU READY TO PARTICIPATE?If you want to participate, please contact my by email as soon as possible and send your money to me right away. I am limiting the number of participants to 30. When you email me, I need some information from you:
1. Your first and last name
2. The email address you want to use throughout this competition
3. Your mailing address (to send your money at the end of the competition)
4. Which weight plan you are doing

MY CONTACT INFORMATION:
Lynette Wilson
474 I St.
Idaho Falls, ID 83402
quiltladylynette@yahoo.com
(208)604-3501

I am being brave and starting up another challenge!  Welcome to all new participants!  Our challenge will begin on Monday, August 26, 2013 and will go through Sunday, October 20, 2013