My friend Beth is having a 101 Days of Summer Challenge on her blog which will go from Memorial Day to Labor Day. You can read about it here and here.  Those were two posts she had about it and I believe she will have another to start the challenge.

I have taken the challenge! I’m calling it my 101 Days of Summer Healthy Lifestyle Challenge.  I have some major goals that I want to accomplish within the next year so this will be a great push.

To be part of the challenge we have to email Beth every Saturday, send a before picture and have a goal for each week, month and/or an end goal.  I’m not exactly sure what all of my goals are going to be but the initial ones will consist of the following

• At least 5 days a week of exercise
• Running at least 4x a week
• 100 stability ball crunches every day
• Must stretch after every run!

Will you join the challenge?

If so, please share some or all of your goals or if you have a blog post them on your blog and share the link.

It’s here!  I know, finally right?  It’s time for the mini trampoline workout challenge.  And up until now I have been telling you that it’s going to be a very simple challenge and it is.  My goal with this challenge is just to help you get started rebounding.  Exercise on the mini trampoline is a great workout and I want you all to experience it.

This week the mini trampoline workout challenge has only two requirements and those are

1) Hop on the mini trampoline for at least 12 minutes a day (you can break this up if you need to)

and

2) Be safe and have fun!

Seriously that is it! I know so many challenges out there have so many requirements and this one is pretty plain.  There are no prizes other than the great way you will feel at the end of the week and finding a new exercise to add to your list of workouts.

Please feel free to check in here on this post daily and let everyone know how you are doing and/or join us over on my healthy weight loss and fitness Facebook fan page and stay accountable there.  This blog post will show up as an entry there and everyone can comment there if you want.

If you have any questions let me know!

Will you be joining the mini trampoline workout challenge?

7 Keys to a Successful 100 Days Challenge

1)  Always move forward

Don’t think about the past, start new TODAY

2)  Do what worked before

Were you successful with weight loss in the past?  If so, share some things you did that worked before and be specific.

For me it was portion control, exercising more and eating out less.  I am thinking about starting a food journal again and I would like to choose one more unhealthy thing to give up.  In the past I gave up soda and Oreos. What’s next? hmmmm

3)  No more excuses

Why haven’t you been making progress?

Health issues, injuries, too tired blah blah

4)  Create a finish line

Visualize how things will look when you meet your goals.  How will you feel in 100 days?

I’m pulling out the jeans and swim suits.   Hope to fit in those again ASAP!

5)  Kick the roadblocks

Identify anything that has held you back before, write them all down and kick them to the curb.

6)  Line up a support system

Do you have anyone that can cheer you on?

I have my awesome hubby, Kevin and of course all of you my cool blog readers and online friends.  I am very lucky to have a great support group.

7)  Learn and grow forever

How could you continue with your personal growth?

I would like to at some point hire a personal trainer!  Hopefully I will find a new class at the gym that I like and of course I’ll be training for a 1/2 marathon.  I have a lot of healthy living books still left to read so I will do that as well.

Are you fired up for what’s to come the next 100 days?

Please feel free to expand on any of the 7 Keys listed above here in the comments.

I took measurements back on November 1st and will measure again on Dec. 17th. Sure hope to lose inches because that will give me the incentive to keep up my workouts while on vacation.

The Whittle My Middle challenge includes these exercises from the Turbulence Training program:

• Plank
• Side plank
• Stability ball plank
• Stability ball jack knife
• Stability ball roll out
• Plank rotations

Of course I might just go ahead and include my 50 stability ball crunches goal in there too.  I haven’t been doing those yikes!

As for my Weekly Weigh-In, I lost another pound!  So here are the stats

Last week’s weight: 236

Current weight: 235
Goal weight: 140
Pounds left to go: 95

Next Wednesday I don’t have plans to check in as we’ll be spending time with family for Thanksgiving so have a great week.  I am going to do my best to try to choose healthier food options AND smaller portions during our family Thanksgiving.

Are you doing the Whittle My Middle challenge?  And did you weigh in this week?

P.S.  So far I’m not meeting my walking mileage goals for the Pile on the Miles challenge BUT I am still working out and getting in as much walking as I can.  So although I’m not going to meet the goal, I’m still moving!

My personal goal is 50 miles! For me this will include in home walking (Walk Away the Pounds) and outdoor walking.  Elliptical and spin (cycling) miles do not count so I’ll be working out extra hard for November because I still plan to get to the gym for those workouts.

Sure praying that I don’t have to set up any further dental surgeries for the month of Nov. or I’ll have to withdraw from the friendly competition. But as of right now, I’m in.

Saturday, October 31st is the last day to enter so head on over to Caitlin’s blog to learn how to sign up for the POTM challenge.

Are you in?

Christie over at Baby Tea Leaves has a big challenge starting this Monday, September 8th called Hot for the Holidays. Bloggers are uniting to shed a whopping 500 pounds. Are you ready to push yourself and join in on this challenge? I’m donating a prize as are others and Christie is still looking for prize sponsors so if you’re interested be sure to contact her.

I’m most excited about Hot for the Holiday’s because not too long after this contest ends, Kev and I will be heading off to sunny Jamaica. This is going to give me the extra push that I need.

Let me know if you decide to join us for the Hot for the Holiday’s contest.

Thanks Christie for setting all of this up. I’m excited to see what we all can accomplish.

BIG CONGRATS to you Annette as the winner of the summer blog party challenge here on my blog.  I am very proud of you for kicking it up a notch and challenging  yourself.  You are doing a fantastic job and I see from the most recent post on your blog that you have broke through your plateau.  That is wonderful.

Please touch base with me at angie(AT)losingitandlovingit(DOT)com with your mailing address.

I look forward to keeping up with your weight loss and fitness SUCCESS!

Angie

For those who leave an update before tomorrow (Saturday), you will have a chance to win the giveaway prize.

Thanks to those who participated and a big thank you goes to Diana from Scale Junkie for a fantastic summer blog party.

Happy Friday,

Angie

I have set up a challenge for all readers that can help kick start your weight loss, give you more energy and help you feel great.

The Challenge: 4 miles a day for 7 days

You can do any type of exercise that will equal 4 miles. It does not have to all be completed at once, you can break it up through the day. If you are using a pedometer, approx. 2,000 steps equals ONE mile so your goal each day for this challenge is 8,000 steps a day or 4 miles.

This challenge starts this Friday, August 15th and ends Thursday, August 21st with your final challenge check in to be made on Friday, August 22nd.

Be sure to eat healthy foods and drink plenty of water to stay hydrated. Don’t skip any meals and keep your daily calorie intake in a healthy range.

Are you ready to step out of your comfort zone and accept this challenge?

If so, reply here with your name and email address and “I, (your name) accept this challenge and will try my best” (use this email format angie(at)losingitandlovingit(dot)com so the spam bots don’t get your email address)

This gives you one entry into the prize drawing for the challenge. You can get another entry at the end of the challenge by posting an update and letting us know how you did.

*Get extra entries throughout the week by doing the following (leave a separate comment for each thing you do)

A) Blog about this challenge with a link back to this post

B) Subscribe to my blog

c) Sign up for my Losing It & Loving It newsletter

D) Tweet about this challenge

All names will be put into a hat (or bucket LOL) for the chance to win a weight loss/fitness themed prize and the winner will be announced on my blog the week of Aug. 25th.

* U.S. Residents only (for prize entries), No anonymous comments, no need to have a blog to enter but you must provide an email address

** Always check with your physician before starting any type of exercise program. Please read this disclaimer.

I also had a goal to get back on track with my water intake and didn’t do so well with that.  I did keep track of my water daily but only surpassed 9 glasses on Monday and Wednesday.  The other days I had at least 7 glasses.  I’ll work harder this week.

Kept up really well with my exercise and daily food journals.

I’ll be planning another exercise challenge in the next few weeks so keep your eyes open for that.

How did you do this week?