Holiday Maintain NO Gain Challenge
Hi team, I am starting a holiday challenge at my gym for the members to get them through the holiday season. The premise of the challenge is to maintain their weight through out the holidays and not GAIN. Anyone want to take part in this challenge?
What is expected of you is:
1. weight yourself the day before the challenge starts which is December 6. It is a six week challenge that will end January 16.
You will be asked to:
a. complete your assigned OS workouts. If you are not in an OS then workout a minimum of 30 minutes 5 x a week.
b. eat well balance meals (self monitored) and drink at least 8 glasses of water a day
c. do one kind thing for another at least once a week (it is the holidays after all 
)
d. weight yourself every Sunday
My intent is to send out a weekly email that has tips on nutrition, exercise, stress relief, exercise of the week, motivational quote and perhaps some interactive websites.
Anyone interested? If so, we can arrange it via email or on this thread.
Comments
TIP 1 - Pace Yourself. It takes 20 minutes for your body to register that it is full. ACTION: pickup up a food timer, from the dollar store or borrow one from a friend GOAL: Set the timer for 20 minutes when you sit down to eat and try to pace yourself so that you finish eating when the timer goes off. If you are still hungry when the timer goes off you have the go ahead to get a second helping.
TIP 2 - Xercise. I know that I do not have to sing the virtue of exercise to this crowd, but if you have not started the OS yet, you might need some help in this neighbourhood. ACTION: set up a training log on line, or print out a calendar for the remainder of the month and for January 2011. GOAL: To workout 6-8 hours a week. You can do whatever you want, but you need to accumulate at least 6-8 hours of exercise in various forms (swimming, cycling, tobaganning, shoveling etc.). Record your progress.
TIP 3 - Recipe Makeover. We all have that favourite holiday treat that trips us up every year. Mine is shortbread. Although I am Gluten Intolerant my friends have found a recipe that they can make to tempt me. I can not stop once I have started, so I have asked my friends and family not to give me anything that resembles candy, cakes, cookies etc... this year, but if you just can not resist, then maybe this muffin recipe will help you make it through the holidays a little lighter http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=606178 ACTION: before digging into the cookie or candy jar, look online to see if there is a low fat version that you can make GOAL: to still enjoy the tastes of the holidays with a little less fat and sugar
TIP 4 - No BUTTS about it. We triathletes are known to have weak glutes. Simply put, the glutes connect the thigh bone and the hip bone. And the most important role they perform is stabilizing the hips during the "support phase" in running. Glutes keep your hips, i.e. your GCM, stable, centered and straight - exactly where the hips should be during running. ACTION: to strength our butts GOAL: incorporate this move into your workout regime 2-3 x a week. http://www.trifuel.com/training/strength-training/get-a-triathlete-butt
TIP 5 - Stretch This Out - often times when we are short on time, the first thing to go is our stretching BUT it can be the the difference between staying in the game or on the sidelines. With all the hard work with do in OS we need to pay attention to all our body parts, but I am going to draw attention to the ITBand this week.
Good luck everyone. Keep us all up to date on how things are going and I will post some more tips next Monday.
nice! my motto has been to maintain until I start OS in Jan, so this is perfect! I'm at an acceptable weight for off season now and if I can be here, if not a hair lower, when OS starts I'll be happy!
Its the start of week # 2. How we all doing. Have we maintained for the week? Below are week 2 tips. Looking forward to hearing how everyone did this week.
Week #2 - TIP 2 - Hydrate This! It has been stated that hydration signals can be confused with hunger signals. Its especially important for us who workout on a regular basis to keep ourselves hydrated, not only because it can affect performance, but also because he can affect our eating habits. ACTION: Consume 1x8oz glass before every meal and snack that we ingest during the day. GOAL: Try to consume 8-16, 8oz glasses of fluid a day. 8 glasses for a 1500 calorie diet and 16 for a 3200 cal diet.
Week #2 - TIP 2 - Xercise. We all lack motivation once in awhile, especially at this time of year when the mercury drops and the mornings seem like evening. If you are having issues with getting your workouts done, try the 15 minutes rule. If you feel like not working out, agree with yourself that you will do 15 minutes of exercise. Quite often, after getting ready and warming up, you will find enough motivation to push through a full workout.
Week #2 - TIP 3 - Recipe Makeover. Lowfat Eggnog - My husband just loves eggnog and we could go out a buy a lowfat version, but why do that when you can make it yourself. Hope you enjoy this recipe. Great for holiday parties and when guest drop in for a drink. http://www.eggnogrecipe.net/low-fat-eggnog-recipe.html
Week #2 - TIP 4 - The core. the abdominal muscles alone are over-rated when it comes to real core strength or conditioning. In reality, the abdominal muscles have very limited and specific action. The "core" actually consists of many different muscles that stabilize the spine and pelvis and run the entire length of the torso. These muscles stabilize the spine, pelvis and shoulder and provide a solid foundation for movement in the extremities. Read on to find the best exercises to work the core http://sportsmedicine.about.com/od/abdominalcorestrength1/a/NewCore.htm
Week#2 - TIP 5 - Stretch This Out - this past week my QL`s (Quadratus Lumborum) have shown me that they are very tight. Think it might be a bike fit issue, but non the less they are tight and need to be stretched. Thought I might share with you a couple of stretches for these muscles, just in case you are experiencing tightness in this area. http://livefitblog.com/2010/08/23/stretching-quadratus-lumborum-lower-back-stiffness/
10oz skim milk
1tbsp PB
1 large banana
1-2 scoops of protein powder (I did not have any, so I did 2 tbsp of fat free greek yogurt)
1/2 cup of oatmeal
I really enjoyed it, as the oatmeal was not completely pulverized, so I could do a bit of chewing. Think it might be a keeper. I estimate it came in at 300 calories.
@Brenda - thanks, that recipe looks good to me, I'll try it after my next morning workout for breakfast, I like the oatmeal twist. one of my favorite post exercise smoothies is choc milk, banana, pnut butter. Weight is creeping back down to acceptable levels as the week goes on...but another big party weekend is coming up!
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/...ef=general
161 lbs today - 2 lighter than 2 weeks ago. I am creating a holiday reserve, as I won't really get into the overindulging until the 24th. The long runs leading up to the Disney marathon help. The glutes are getting firm, but I don't think I'll be trying any smoothie with oatmeal just yet
!
Thanks for the update. I am a little behind in my post, but should have something together for you by tomorrow. I had a killer day yesterday with 8 hours of personal training clients, the bike workout and then yoga. Did not get in the house until 8:30 and was in bed by 10. Should have time tonight.
So it's back to work for me.... have a few weeks to get back to fighting weight... will count on you all to keep me honest...
I'm up an lb from last Wed, but down from Sun... so that's good. The end of the week and weekend were rough despite my best efforts. I've been eating in, eating clean, and working out all week so I feel better. But, I'm definitely worried about my trip... argh. Will do my best and buy lots of gum to keep my mouth minty fresh
Week #3 - TIP 1 - Measure Up - If you keep portion sizes reasonable, it's easier to eat the foods you want and stay healthy and maintain your weight. Did you know the recommended serving of cooked meat is 3 ounces, similar in size to a deck of playing cards? A medium piece of fruit is 1 serving and a cup of pasta equals 2 servings. A pint of ice cream contains 4 servings. Refer to the Food Guide Pyramid for information on recommended serving sizes and get those measuring cups/spoons out.
Week #3 - TIP 2 - Xercise. We all lack motivation once in awhile and all the tricks and tips you have been using to get yourself off the coach and onto the trainer are just not cutting it . What to do??? Ask yourself: Why am I training? Most likely because you have choosen some triathlon races that you want to do well at. Maybe it a race you did last year that did not turn out so well and you have some unfinished business (I have one of those) or maybe it is just a new goal of moving up in distance. Whatever it is remind yourself that without the training, you will not be able to reach your goals? It all lies within you. I like this quote, although I can recall who made it "if you always do what you always did, you always get what you always got". So, if lacking motivation is something that you struggle with at this time of year on a regular basis, do not do what you usually do. Rewrite the script.
Week #3 - TIP 3 - Recipe Makeover. Take the saturated fat out of a shortbread cookie?! What would be left? Cooking Light has accomplished what seems impossible! A low(er) in fat recipe for shortbread cookies. This Cooking Light recipe reduces the fat and calories without sacrificing the taste of these mouth-watering lemon shortbread cookies, perfect for an after-dinner dessert with coffee. http://www.wonderhowto.com/how-to-bake-low-fat-lemon-shortbread-cookies-bars-288347/
Week #3 - TIP 4 - BACK IT UP - I know most of us are not swimming yet, if we are fully adhering to the EN philosophy, but that does not mean you can not work on the muscles that are often overlooked in a training program but need to be strengthen. I like to give my clients who are not swimmer this exercise, as it works on strengthening all of the upper posteral muscles. Check out this video.http://www.rotatorcuffexercisesblog.com/shoulder/shoulder-exercises-for-swimmers.html MOVE AHEAD TO 5:38 in the video to see the YTWL exercises.
Week#3 - TIP 5 - Stretch This Out - Hip Flexors - The ‘Hip Flexors’ are a group of muscles that, flex the hip. There are quite a few muscles that actually flex the hip, but two that are specifically referred to as hip flexors. The Illiopsoas group consists of the Psoas and the Iliacus. Both attach to the femur. However the psoas attaches to the lower back, whereas the Iliacus attaches to your hipbone. Sitting down puts these muscles in a shortened position, and as a result leaves them pretty tight. The Psoas attaches to the lower back, if it’s tight, it can pull your back forward, and is a common cause of back pain.
Talk to you next week. Keep up the good work everyone.
x2 what JT said. The links are golden. Thx Brenda.