Congratulations on a successful first week! Of the more than 60 of you who signed up for the Challenge, I only heard results from 29 of you. I have to say I was a bit disappointed in that. I’m not going to nag or hold anyone accountable, this isn’t school! But I want you all to remember that the point of doing the Challenge this way and sharing weekly results…weight loss or not…helps keep you motivated to continue while inspiring others.

Stepping off soapbox.

Please direct your attention to the new Challenge page, where you will find a list of participants, their goals and accomplishments. Eventually I hope to include blog links, but I didn’t realize how long the updating would take so I’m a little behind. Please continue to send me your Week 1 updates if you haven’t already.

Since I organized this whole thing, I think it’s only fair to pull my stats to the forefront and be honest about my journey. At my yearly physical a few weeks ago, I weighed in at 129, a 5-6 pound gain since this past winter. I was sedentary for most of the season, alternating between unemployment depression, aversion to the cold, and just plain laziness. My goal is to lose 5 pounds before my brother-in-law’s wedding at the end of August, tone back up, and conquer the running loop near my house. I also have a long-term goal of lowering my cholesterol.

Week 1 brought two runs and daily workouts OnDemand. I tried to mix it up…I did yoga, pilates, cardio and A-List Arms, which I really enjoyed. I am disappointed in myself for not running more, and need to stop making excuses for not doing it. (The heat, being the main one. I can run in the morning or evening when it’s cooler.)

I don’t know how much I weigh, because my scale crapped out on me. But to stick with the Challenge goals, I will be heading off to Walmart today to buy one. I think I’m going to go old school and forgo the digital scale this time for one with the needle I can calibrate. I think that will give me more accurate readings each week.

My stumble was a bar crawl last Thursday, where I had three mojitos and the aforementioned big cookie. I don’t want to think about how many calories were consumed that evening.

 As I read through the amazing emails and comment updates, a common thread I noticed was that many of you had the same problem I did. You worked hard all week, then gorged on the weekend on drinks and summer food. So I think this week’s topic should be tips on how to avoid flushing all our hard work from the week down the toilet when the weekend comes. What are your thoughts?

Next week: share your best “anyone can do it” workout tip. Starting thinking!

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