tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84306669245967857692024-02-18T20:46:03.811-05:002009 Gazette Healthy Challenge Blue TeamJenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07897053755749839079noreply@blogger.comBlogger34125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8430666924596785769.post-68258691028308739012009-07-13T07:17:00.002-04:002009-07-13T07:20:43.150-04:00Come away with me...Since the competition has ended, I have had many people ask me how I did it and how I am going to keep my weight loss off. So, I have decided to start another blog to journal my efforts and to share the tips (and tricks) that I learned from the Gazette Healthy Challenge. Please, come away with me... to <a href="http://settingufree.blogspot.com/">Setting You Free </a>from your weight loss failures.Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07897053755749839079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8430666924596785769.post-89606775070769151552009-06-30T20:33:00.003-04:002009-07-01T08:27:11.593-04:00Other prizesSo, I have been given a list of the other prizes:<br /><br />1. 3 months unlimited Yoga at <a href="http://www.mycoach4life.com/yogaflyer_onepage.pdf">9210Yoga</a> valued at $375<br />2. $250 gift certificate for Day at the Spa courtesy of <a href="http://www.salonred-kentlands.com/">Salon Red</a><br />3. Home Whitening Kit courtesy of <a href="http://www.fallsgrovedentistry.com/">Fallsgrove Center for Dentistry</a><br />4. A <em>7 Plate Genesis </em>water ionizer from <a href="http://www.waterforlifeusa.com/">Water For Life</a> valued at $1695<br /><br />I am truly blessed to have all of these sponsors offer such wonderful prizes. I am in awe and still in shock.<br /><br />Thank you. THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07897053755749839079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8430666924596785769.post-32355001263679214112009-06-30T16:13:00.003-04:002009-06-30T16:36:01.658-04:00And the winner is....I am so excited to tell you... I WON! Can you believe it? I pulled it off with a 0.06% lead over Charles (from the red team). It was an incredible moment.<br /><br />I won many prizes (besides taking the weight off), but I do not have a list of them yet. So far I have received:<br /><br /> 1. 1 year membership to <em><a href="http://www.sportandhealth.com/club.aspx?id=454&sn=100">Rio Sport & Health</a></em><br /> 2. $250 gift card to <a href="http://westfield.com/montgomery/">Westfield Mall</a><br /> 3. $250 gift card to <em><a href="http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/">Whole Foods Market</a></em><br /> 4. $300 gift certificate to <em><a href="http://www.wink.net/">Wink</a></em> Eyecare Boutique<br /> 5. 3 night stay at the <em><a href="http://doubletree1.hilton.com/en_US/dt/hotel/PBIMPDT-Doubletree-Hotel-Executive-Meeting-Center-Palm-Beach-Gardens-Florida/index.do">Doubletree Hotel</a></em> Palm Beach Gardens in FL<br /> 6. Airfare for 2 to West Palm Beach thanks to <em><a href="http://www.bethesdatravel.com/">Bethesda Travel Center</a></em><br /> 7. A signed t-shirt from the <a href="http://www.womensprosoccer.com/dc">Washington Freedom</a><br /> 8. One week of free meals with <em><a href="http://diettogo.com/">Diet to Go</a></em><br /> 9. $250 deposit in a <em><a href="https://www.mafcu.org/home/home">Mid-Atlantic FCU </a></em>checking account<br />10. $50 gift certificate at <em><a href="http://flagshipcarwash.com/">Flagship</a></em> Carwash Center<br />11. $50 gift card at <em><a href="http://stretchalicious.com/">StetchAlicious</a></em><br /><br />I am so thankful for this experience:<br /><br />First and foremost, I give all my thanks for God. God has been with me ever step of the way. Without God, I would not have been kept injury free (remember I have a torn ACL that stop hurting in week 2), and definitely would not have won.<br /><br />Secondly, my family. My husband, Lyle really picked up the slack and helped out with the kids and supported me throughout. And my children, Kiera and Brock sacraficed so much time with me. I LOVE you all so much.<br /><br />Finally, I would like to thank my team and the trainers at Rio. I woke up on Monday really missing you. I hope we all stay in touch and keep the weight off.Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07897053755749839079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8430666924596785769.post-2380188246100069392009-06-24T07:21:00.002-04:002009-06-24T07:49:30.546-04:00Week #10 Weight LossHere are the results for Week #10:<br /><br />David Drayer: -2.5 lbs. <br />Richard Feld: -3.0 lbs. <br />Susan Feidelman: -0.5 lbs. <br />Jen Green: -2.0 lbs. <br />Tina Hardy: -0.0 lbs. (did not weigh-in because she out of town)<br /><br />I think the Blue Team is steady. I think we have the hearts to win... but aren't we already winners? Looking at each of us at Monday's workout made me notice that all of our body shapes have changed - for the better.<br /><br /><strong>I have a confession:</strong> Week #10's weigh-in changed my focus, not for the better. With Charles losing .5 lbs, I was only behind him .1% - I started to dwell, stress, and worry about winning the whole competition. Instead of staying focused on the real prize: weight loss and keeping it off for the rest of my life, I began seeing myself win. Now, I know it is not a bad thing to stay focus, but we all know it is a bad thing when it consumes us. And without really knowing it, winning this compeition did.<br /><br />Thanks to my ever faithful twin sister, Janet! She gave me some tough love on Monday night. It was what I needed to here. I need to continue to work out as hard as I can, not focus on the other team, encourage my awesome team and most of all trust God. God has kept me focused up until this point. My bible study the other day said that: I need to focus on not what God has done for me, but what God has done IN me. Can I get an, "Amen?" Now that is powerful.<br /><br />So as the last week of the competition comes to a close, as we all try to find as much time as we can to work our bodies to the extreme, I pray that we are all thankful to what God is doing in us and not for us. Because it really isn't about the scale. It is about our life... and making sure we are living it the way God want's us too and that surely isn't worry about winning some competition.<br /><br />Finally, if you want one more chance to meet us, our finale is at Montgomery Mall on Sunday, June 28th from 2-4. Come cheer on the Blue Team and be sure to introduce yourself.... we would love to meet our fans and pray that our journey has inspired some of you.Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07897053755749839079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8430666924596785769.post-77700392270560755182009-06-15T21:16:00.002-04:002009-06-17T14:42:41.169-04:00Week #9 ResultsThe results are published for Week #9:<br /><br />David Drayer: -5.0 lbs. <br />Richard Feld: -2.0 lbs. <br />Susan Feidelman: -2.0 lbs. <br />Jen Green: -3.5 lbs. <br />Tina Hardy: -3.5 lbs.<br /><br />At last night's weigh-in, I lost: 2 lbs. That makes my total 32 lbs. I am pleased that I continue to lose. Only 2 more weeks left. The anticipation for the finale is overwhelming.Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07897053755749839079noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8430666924596785769.post-64491907931146677562009-06-15T21:05:00.002-04:002009-06-15T21:15:49.036-04:004 for 4As I posted earlier, on Sunday, we had our 4th and Final Challenge which was the <a href="http://www.honesttea.com/"><em>Honest Tea</em></a> Outdoor Challenge which was hosted at the Germantown Recreation Center.<br /><br />There were two parts: A Physical Part and a Mental Part. The physical part consisted of a 1 mile walk/run with the pounds that we had lost in a back pack and a swim race to retrieve color coded bottles from the bottom of a 4 foot pool. The mental challenge was 3 questions based on Honest Tea trivia.<br /><br />So we had to do the mile walk/run, take the quiz and then get in the pool. Due to techinical difficulties with the color coded bottles, it was decided to have a relay race. I am proud to say that the Blue Team came out the winner. Then it came to the results of the quiz... and by .4%, we edged out the Red Team.<br /><br />That means that there have been 4 challenges, and we won all 4. Isn't that awesome? So at this point with the challenges combined, we are exactly .1% ahead of the Red Tea, Whoa, what a close race. <br /><br />Come back tomorrow to see week #9's weight loss success.Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07897053755749839079noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8430666924596785769.post-78893843747571759792009-06-12T09:49:00.002-04:002009-06-12T09:59:34.759-04:00New GoalHaving met my personal goal of losing 30 pounds in 9 weeks, I have been contemplating a new goal to be working towards. I had toyed with the idea of winning the entire competition; but with all of the stress related to that (who weighs what, how much are others working out), I received another idea. <br /><br />During a phone conversation with a close friend, she was telling me that she was worried about my concentration on winning because she was afraid I would be disappointed if I did not win even though I have lost a lot of weight already. She really knows me and knows how much of a perfectionist I am. <br /><br />It was revealed to me that I would be happy to weigh 150. Should I weigh less with my height? Yes, of course. But I truly believe that I would be happy at 150. So, my new goal is to reach 150. <br /><br />And it is a realistic goal because there is no way I can lose 17.5 lbs in the next 2 1/2 weeks. Which means it is a goal that takes me past the Healthy Challenge and it is a goal that I know I can achieve. After losing 30 pounds, 17.5 pounds seems less daunting. <br /><br />So, there it is. I am going to continue to work hard and continue to push myself and what ever comes off in the next 2 weeks is a bonus to the competition but will be helping me to reach my new goal. <br /><br />Ahhh... I feel better. I feel less stressed. And I know I can do it! Yay!Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07897053755749839079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8430666924596785769.post-46698447792312667502009-06-10T07:00:00.002-04:002009-06-10T07:09:19.553-04:00http://www.gazettehealthychallenge.net/I wanted to remind you to check out the <a href="http://www.gazettehealthychallenge.net/">official website</a>. It has all of the articles each week that appear in the paper and it has some of the archived articles about our challenges.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.gazettehealthychallenge.net/docs/wk-8_cooking.pdf">Cooking Challenge</a><br /><a href="http://www.gazettehealthychallenge.net/docs/wk-7_soccer-chalenge.pdf">Soccer Challenge</a><br /><a href="http://www.gazettehealthychallenge.net/docs/HC_ad_2009_5_20_5miler.pdf">5 Miler</a><br /><br />I know some of our fans do not get the Gazette, so this is the best place to keep up with us (besides encouraging us in person).Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07897053755749839079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8430666924596785769.post-41805521267458331002009-06-09T21:11:00.002-04:002009-06-09T21:19:32.291-04:00Week #8 Weight LossDavid Drayer: +1.0 lbs. <br />Richard Feld: -1.5 lbs. <br />Susan Feidelman: -2.0 lbs. <br />Jen Green: -3.5 lbs. <br />Tina Hardy: -3.0 lbs.<br /><br />It was a tough weigh-in but almost all pulled out a loss. I know I get more nervous with each weigh-in because we have such few left. I feel blessed that I have had a steady weight loss though. And boy did Tina rock this week.<br /><br />And as for this week's results: I lost another 3.5, which means I have lost a total of 30 pounds. Can you believe it? I started to cry a little thinking about 9 weeks ago when I pledged to lose 30 pounds in 12 weeks. I thought it might be doable, but now to see that it was. <br /><br />I have 3 weigh-ins left... dare I shoot for 40 lbs? Let's just say, I will still work hard and anything else I lose I will consider a bonus.<br /><br />Check back in on Sunday for the results of our 4th and final challenge: the Outdoor Challenge.Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07897053755749839079noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8430666924596785769.post-85948466379197585062009-06-07T18:15:00.006-04:002009-06-07T18:37:56.801-04:00I'm seeing colors...I know I have mentioned many of our sponsors of the Gazette Healthy Challenge, but today's sponsor made me see colors - when my eyes were closed.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.salonred-kentlands.com/">Salon Red</a> in the Kentlands, one of our sponsors, scheduled my massage today at 2pm. My masseuse's name was Matt and he was wonderful! I had not really experienced a massage before (beside's my husband's which is awesome), but Matt really took all of my stress and pain away.<br /><br />The room upstairs in <em>Salan Red</em> was a nice lavender color and the blankets were cozy. I had to get rid of my apprehension and allow myself to relax. He started with my shoulders and then moved to my hands, arms, feet, legs, back and neck. It was an hour long and honestly, the time flew by. Matt spent like 5 minutes of each hand, and while my eyes were closed, I saw colors. I cannot believe how just massaging my hands could put me in a state of pure bliss.<br /><br />Matt asked me if I had any particular areas that needed special attention. I mentioned that my shoulders and upper back was sore form all of the upper body work we had been doing and that my legs were tight. Well, I am as loose as a goose right now.<br /><br />If you are need of a massage then please, I am telling you, head over to <em>Salon Red</em>. Matt will take you places. And you won't regret it.Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07897053755749839079noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8430666924596785769.post-87728698890872827142009-06-06T15:53:00.002-04:002009-06-06T16:36:44.583-04:00Challenge #3: The Cook offI am pleased to announce, that the BLUE TEAM pulled out another win today at our 3rd Challenge. It was a Cooking Challenge hosted at Montgomery College's Marriot Hospitality Center and sponsored by <em>Whole Foods</em>.<br /><br />We began preparation by meeting at the <em>Whole Foods</em> in Rockville with Susan, the Marketing Rep, Claire and Mrisho our Coaches/Chefs last Tuesday. As you know Tuesdays we weigh-in so we were all starving by the time we reached the Rockville Whole Foods. Susan quickly ushered us to <em>Whole Food's</em> awesome salad and hot bar where were filled up our containers and grabbed a drink. We headed to the "back room" which was a true kitchen.<br /><br />Once there, Claire began going over the recipes and proper cutting techniques. We then decided to break the dishes up as follows: Tina/Susan - Appetizer, David/Jen - Main Course, and Rich - Dessert. By now Mrisho joined us and coached Susan and Tina with some tips for making their appetizer: Spinach and Mushroom Quesadilla's with Feta as Claire worked with David and I with our dish: Sautéed Chicken with Mushroom and Spinach and Feta. Rich began examining his dessert: Oatmeal, Sunflower seeds, and Coconut cookies. After Claire finished with David and me, she provided Rich with some helpful hints regarding his cookies.<br /><br />We left pondering our dishes and some of us even did a trial run at home to see if we could pull it off. Today's competition was more stressful than I imagined. There were 5 judges, 2 photographers/reporters, <em>Access Montgomery County TV</em> crew, 3 Montgomery College students, 2 kitchen managers,3 <em>Whole Food's</em> reps and the two teams and their families. I was ready to say: Get out of my kitchen. I think that is what made it stressful for me.<br /><br />We had a 1/2 hour for prep (cutting all of the mushrooms - thanks Susan, slicing all of the jalapeño - thanks Tina, measuring out all of our ingredients, and just getting ready). At exactly 10am, we began our cooking for an hour. At 11am on the dot, we had to put down our utensils and the judging began.<br /><br />It was a little tense just making sure we were following the recipes and not forgetting anything. The brown Basmati Rice was making me nervous because it took almost 50 minutes to cook. When you only have an hour, it doesn’t leave much room for error. Tina and Susan look like pros making their Quesadillas. They showed awesome team work. And Rich was so smooth with his cookies that they were out of the oven and we tasted them with plenty of time to spare. David was my calming factor as he just kept a clear head and always asking what else was there to do. He amazed me with his composed hand as he sautéed the chicken, mushrooms and spinach. I felt more like a chicken running around with my head cut off.<br /><br />We plated and displayed our food with seconds to spare. It looked really good. I got nervous when the Red Team won the coin toss and chose to go first. I knew that cold spinach would not taste very good.<br /><br />After the judges deliberated, the Blue Team came out victorious. I wonder if the recipes had anything to do with it as most of the comments were about the flavors, but I thought the Red Team did an excellent job on their oral presentation about their dishes. We did well too with Susan’s expertise and Rich’s sense of humor. The judges even overlooked me calling our Basmati rice, Balsamic rice – and thanks to Susan for setting me straight.<br /><br />This means that the Blue team earned about 0.5% added to their total weight loss and the Red Team earned a 0.3% for second place. We have had 3 challenges and the Blue Team has won all three. Yay!!!!! Team Blue!!!<br /><br />The next challenge is set for June 14th and it is an Outdoor Fitness Challenge. The Blue Team is ready, although we are not quite sure what to expect yet. I do know that we will give it our ALL!Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07897053755749839079noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8430666924596785769.post-82245039029781549222009-06-02T21:42:00.005-04:002009-06-05T15:44:45.201-04:00Week #7 ResultsDavid Drayer: -3.0 lbs.             Total weight loss: -21.0 lbs. (8.1%)<br />Richard Feld: -6.0 lbs.             Total weight loss: -29.5 lbs. (11.9%)<br />Susan Feidelman: -3.5 lbs.     Total weight loss: -18.0 lbs. (8.5%)<br />Jen Green: -2.5 lbs.                  Total weight loss: -23.0 lbs. (11.9%)<br />Tina Hardy: -0.0 lbs.               Total weight loss: -13.5 lbs. (6.0%)<br /><br /><br />Yay! We did very well this week. It wasn't enough to put us ahead, but we did win this week with the most percentage weight loss.<br /><br />As for the recent Soccer Challenege, the BLUE TEAM came out victorious too. Read about it all at <a href="http://www.gazettehealthychallenge.net/docs/wk-7_soccer-chalenge.pdf">here</a>.<br /><br />And do not forget to read about us at: <a href="http://www.gazettehealthychallenge.net/">http://www.gazettehealthychallenge.net</a>. There are more articles there and it is nice to check up on the Red Team every once in a while.<br /><br />At tonight's weigh-in, I lost 3.5 lbs. Yay! I am down to 171 that means 26.5 pounds lost. Isn't that AMAZING? I am so thrilled and know that I can reach my goal.<br /><br />Keep cheering us on! Each and everyone of you who recognize us in public and congratulate us makes a difference, I promise! And this Saturday is our next challenge and it is a cooking challenge. Wish us luck and check back for details. Go Blue!Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07897053755749839079noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8430666924596785769.post-67628436358217437302009-05-29T21:35:00.004-04:002009-05-29T22:10:14.014-04:00Can it get any tougher?Wednesdays workout was PAINFUL. I thought that I was the only one who could barely walk on Thursday, but Susan and Tina confirmed that they too, were in serious pain.<br /><br />Kim had us do:<br /><br />1. walking "double dip" lunges<br />2. walking squats<br /><br />In between sets, we had to run all of the stairs at <em>Rio Sport & Health</em> twice. If you have been there, then you KNOW what I am talking about.<br /><br />After our second "run", we had to do even more reps including:<br /><br />1. walking lungs with weights<br />2. walking squats and arm presses with weights <br />3. 20 jumping squats (quite painful)<br /><br />I think we did even more, but I try to put bad memories out of my head. To finish, we did high side leg kicks and a few ab workouts. <br /><br />I left "stinky". I have never worked so hard in my life. And our awesome reporter Karen was there to doucment our trama with her camera. I was so sore I could hardly walk. My cardio workout on Thursday was very light. I left feeling defeated. However, this mornings workout was much easier. I may have gotten my legs back.<br /><br />This Sunday is our 2nd challenge and it is a Soccor Challenge at the Maryland Soccer Complex with the Washington Freedom Soccer Organization. Check back on Sunday evening for the details and if you want to support us, come out to the Washington Freedom vs the FC Gold Pride, Sunday at 4pm.Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07897053755749839079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8430666924596785769.post-35521380408773392432009-05-26T22:09:00.002-04:002009-05-26T22:20:04.063-04:00Slow and SteadyOnce again, Tuesdays are our weigh-ins and here are the results that will be posted in the paper for Week #6:<br /><br />David Drayer: +0.5 lbs. <br />Richard Feld: -1.0 lbs. <br />Susan Feidelman: -1.0 lbs. <br />Jen Green: -5.5 lbs. <br />Tina Hardy: -1.0 lbs. <br /><br />It was so difficult for me being the biggest loser for week #6 as I watched the disappointed looks on my teammates faces. They are working just as hard as I am, but the scale was just not their friend.<br /><br />At tonight's weign-in for week #7 (remember, we are a week ahead), I lost another 2.5 pounds. That means that I am down 23 pounds. It feels AWESOME! Others on the team did well too, but I will not reveal theirs until the it is published. Remember, you can keep track of us online at: <a href="http://www.gazettehealthychallenge.net/">http://www.gazettehealthychallenge.net/</a><br /><br />Also today, to sweat off that extra water weight, I took my first Spin class at <em>Rio Sport & Health</em> with Kelly. I was nervous but she was a great instructor who made me feel welcomed and gave me the confidence that I needed to keep going. It was much easier than walking on the treadmill. The hour flew by. Next week, she is offering a 90 minute class where I hope to burn off even more calories. Yay! Now, if I could just get the soreness out of my bum to go away! Ha!Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07897053755749839079noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8430666924596785769.post-87178071060500288932009-05-23T21:42:00.003-04:002009-05-23T21:53:47.042-04:00Results from the Germantown 5 milerAs I posted earlier, our first challenge was the Germantown 5 Miler. The Blue Team did great. Here are our times: <br /><br />59:17 David Drayer <br />61:50 Richard Feld <br />62:32 Jen Green <br />68:04 Susan Feidelman <br />75:56 Tina Hardy <br /><br />And here is a note from Cliff Chiet, Publisher, The Gazette, Montgomery County:<br /><br /> <em>"Our first challenge, the 5 miler, was excited for all who participated. For every challenge we give .5% weight loss to the winning team and .3% weight loss to the second place team. <br /><br />After lots of consideration, we have decided to declare the BLUE TEAM the winner of this challenge. All five members of the team participated and all five crossed the finish line. <br /><br />We congratulate all RED TEAM contestants and Charles Tresky for finishing the race under 50 minutes!! <br /><br />We have 3 more fun challenges so may the games continue."</em><br /><br />-----------------------------------------------------<br />It is a good thing that it was decided that we won the competition. We have fallen behind in the weight loss, but we are only at week #6, so we have 6 more weeks to pull it out. I KNOW we have the motivation to do it... I just hope the scale starts showing all of our hard work.Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07897053755749839079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8430666924596785769.post-42951588465738610522009-05-19T19:51:00.005-04:002009-05-19T20:27:51.069-04:00Maybe even more...Hi, everyone! So... Tuesday posts usually reveal our weigh-in... and of course, remember the weigh-in tonight is a week ahead of the paper. <br /><br />(Drum roll please)<br /><br />I lost 5.5 pounds. Can you believe it? That means that I have lost 20.5 pounds so far. While it is true that I have bumped up my cardio, I want to give all of the glory to God. This morning during my bible study, God showed me the number 177. I kind of laughed it off just like Abraham did when God told him that Sarah would have a baby at their old age. I know that ANYTHING is possible with God and I give God all of the credit. God has showed me where there was time in my day to workout. God has helped me get through tough situations without making the wrong food choices. I am just so truly blessed that God is with me all of the way and I KNOW that God can give me the confidence to finish this competition strong. (Did I mention that I am in Seminary studying to get my Masters in Youth Ministry?)<br /><br />Okay, enough about me, here is the weight loss for Week 5:<br /><br />David Drayer: -0.5 lbs. <br />Richard Feld: -2.0 lbs. <br />Susan Feidelman: -1.0 lbs. <br />Jen Green: -1.5 lbs. <br />Tina Hardy: -2.0 lbs. <br /><br />There was much disappointment this week. We expected to lose more, but slow and steady always wins the race. Maybe we are at a point where our bodies are waking up to what we are doing. And we need to jump start it again. I think back to before the competition... I would have given my first born to lose a pound in a week (maybe not, I really love my children) and we are still ALL losing weight. We cannot expect HUGE weight losses each week. <br /><br />All I know is that I think we all can reach our goals. I really feel like I can reach my goal to lose 30 pounds in 12 weeks... and at this point, maybe even more.Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07897053755749839079noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8430666924596785769.post-54788536615065768202009-05-16T14:03:00.000-04:002009-05-16T14:04:06.477-04:00An hour and two minutes later...In case you forgot, the first challenge, the Germantown 5-miler, was this morning. And I am PROUD to announce that every single blue team member crossed the finish line. Yay!!!!!<br /><br />It was a long 5 miles full of hills and little girls (the Girls on the Run 5k started at our 2 mile mark). I walked more than I wanted, but I finished in an hour and two minutes. I wanted to run the entire race and finish under an hour, but I am just pleased that I finished to my children and husband cheering me in at the finish.<br /><br />As I figured, David led the blue team, followed by Rich, me, Susan and Tina, who came in at an hour and sixteen minutes. Benny, our trainer, continued with her energizer bunny performance and finished around forty minutes. The official race results have not been published yet, but I will be sure to post them when they do.<br /><br />After I got home, my body ached. I took a twenty minute Jacuzzi bath and feel great now. Hopefully, I will be fully recovered by our workout on Monday. I am sure that Benny and Kim will continue to kick us into high gear. We are approaching our half way mark at this week's weigh-in and I cannot wait to see how well the blue team is accomplishing our goals. Team BLUE!Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07897053755749839079noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8430666924596785769.post-12135082162624337172009-05-13T07:23:00.003-04:002009-05-13T07:44:15.438-04:00Half way there...The last couple of workouts have been tough. I believe the trainers want to push us past our plateau points. On Monday, Eric stepped out with us and took us for a “ride” We began by running all of the stairs that Rio had to offer us. And if you haven’t been to <em>Rio Sport & Health</em>, you have no idea what I mean – there are tons of stairs. Next, Eric took us to a racquetball court where he had all types of strength and core training activities to complete. Benny was great with motivating us and even joining in on our circuit. At the end, even Benny got a little winded which made us all feel good – that the workout was even tough for Benny. Eric said that it was meant to be tough for anyone. <br /><br />After our chant, “Team Blue”, Benny said that on Wednesday we would be running around the lake. So if you are out dining at one of Rio’s wonderful restaurants Wednesday night around 6 pm, be sure to cheer for us as we run by. Our first challenge, the Germantown 5 miler is this Saturday, so hopefully, tonight’s run will put it all in perspective for us.<br /><br />So Week 4’s results are in:<br /><br />David Drayer: -8.5 lbs. <br />Richard Feld: -5.0 lbs. <br />Susan Feidelman: -2.5 lbs. <br />Jen Green: -6.0 lbs. <br />Tina Hardy: -2.0 lbs.<br /><br />And we won for week 4. Yay! David and I lead the week with the most weight loss and I slightly edged out Susan (by 1 pound) as the leader for the woman despite my trip to NJ. I am excited. Be sure to check it out on: <a href="http://www.gazettehealthychallenge.net/">http://www.gazettehealthychallenge.net/</a><br /><br />At last night’s weigh-in, I reached my goal weight loss for the half way mark of 15 pounds. I am half way there to my goal of 30 pounds in 12 weeks. I was a little disappointed that I only lost 1.5 pounds despite picking up my cardio workouts. I need to look at the bigger picture though and dwell on the fact that I have lost 15 pounds in 4 weeks! Yay!Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07897053755749839079noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8430666924596785769.post-11752394798964287532009-05-08T07:36:00.003-04:002009-05-08T07:42:59.142-04:00Results from Week 3Did you read your paper on Wednesday?<br /><br />Here are the results:<br /><br />David Drayer: -0<br />Richard Feld: -3<br />Susan Feidelman: -1 (still leading all of the women)<br />Jen Green: -0 (I missed the weigh-in because of the forum)<br />Tina Hardy: -3<br /><br />We did not win this week. I was totally bummed feeling that my missed weigh-in caused the team to fall behind, but the team did not make me feel bad. <br /><br />I am ready to show the public my "big" weight loss in next week's paper, especially since I have been catching some heat for not losing any weight in this week's paper.Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07897053755749839079noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8430666924596785769.post-78506048036521240402009-05-07T10:48:00.003-04:002009-05-07T13:51:44.056-04:00No letting up...Even though we "won" this week, the trainers did not let up on us. In fact, they pushed us even harder. I felt like last night's workout was the toughest yet. When Kim and Benny said that we were done, all 5 of us just laid there. We were exhausted. We had been pushed to our limit. Kim said, "let's bring it in as a team over here" and I thought, "can I do it long distance?" After our quick, "Team Blue", Tina and I said at the exact same time, "Where's the elevator?" We could not bring our bodies down the stairs to leave. Of course we managed since there was not an elevator, but had there been one; I promise I would have taken it down one floor. <br /><br />First they broke us up in two (random) groups. Rich and Tina went to do 20 minutes of cardio on the treadmill and elliptical, while, Susan, David and I did the weight training. The weight training consisted of: squats while lifting weight with our arms straight out in front of us for a minute, in a squat position doing rows with our weights and then straight out to our sides, push-ups on the bench, hip lifts (or something along those lines) with us laying on the big balls and lifting both of our legs straight up and down slowly, side squats with a rubber-band around our knees, and finally wall sits. We did two reps of this and then we switched with Rich and Tina. <br /><br />I had thought the cardio part would be easier, but after I did the elliptical for 15 minutes, Benny put me on the treadmill at 10% incline at 3.5 speed level. I felt like I was going to fall off. I started to run on it and Kim said to walk. I could not imagine walking that fast. After about 5 minutes, I felt like I was getting a "charlie horse" in my right calf, so Benny lowered the incline to 5%. After 20 minutes I felt good and knew we were done, but we still had our AB workout.<br /><br />For the Ab workout: we laid on our backs in the "pencil" position and with weighted ball lifted up and touched our toes and rolled back down, sat up with our knees bent and moved the weighted ball form hip to hip, laid back on our elbows and did scissors kicks, and finally a plank each for a minute. We did two sets of these. <br /><br />Can you see why we were tired? I guess there is no letting up - even if we are in the lead.Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07897053755749839079noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8430666924596785769.post-4982431022201994532009-05-05T20:51:00.005-04:002009-05-06T07:10:32.948-04:0016.5 pounds away...Okay, so tonight's weigh-in was AWESOME! I lost a total of 6 pounds. Let me just add a disclaimer that I was unable to weign-in last week. But still, I was able to lose weight while away from the food, trainers, and my support network. Wahoo! The team did great too, but since we are a week ahead, I will wait to announce those results until next week.<br /><br />Our weigh-in tonight was hosted by <em>StretchAlicious</em> and they gave us all awesome pants with a big blue daisy on one leg. They are cute. <em>StretchAlicious </em> has a cute little boutique off of Tuckerman Lane in the Cabin John Center. I am excited to lose weight to be able to wear some of their cute tops. They would fit now, but I would just feel uncomfortable.<br /><br /><em>Diet-to-Go</em> as always provided a nice layout of healthy food and <em>Honest Tea </em>gave each of us a case of tea. I will let you know how it tastes soon.<br /><br />Well, I better hit the sack so I can hit the gym in the morning. I am so motivated right now. I cannot believe that I am 16.5 pounds away from my goal weight loss of 30 lbs in 12 weeks. I really, REALLY think I can do it.Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07897053755749839079noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8430666924596785769.post-15057609414502738212009-05-03T16:30:00.002-04:002009-05-03T16:43:02.779-04:00I found my way back home.Greetings, from Maryland! <br /><br />I finally made it back to the nest. And boy, Kim and Benny had a workout waiting for me (us). On Friday we did elliptical sprints and bicycle sprints and finished with an ab workout. My heart rate actually reached 189 at one point so you know that I was sweating.<br /><br />For the elliptical sprints, we put it at level at 5 and "ran" for a 1 and a half minutes and then "sprinted" as fast as we could for 30 seconds at level 7. The first one wasn't so bad, but by the time we got to # 5+, I was hurting. We had a minute and a half "rest" between each sprint, but we were still working out at level 5.<br /><br />After too many reps of that to count, we moved to the bikes and did the same thing except our recover time was 3 minutes. I could barely move when we climbed the stairs up to do our ab workout.<br /><br />We did inverted sit-ups (moving our legs up and down 15 times) and bicycle sit-ups. They both felt easy at the time, but I can still feel the pain in my abs today. Finally we stood back to back with a partner and passed a heavy ball around to each other from side to side. I got dizzy doing this, but felt it in my obliques.<br /><br />I can only imagine what tomorrow's workout will be like... say a prayer for us!Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07897053755749839079noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8430666924596785769.post-39937529209661715492009-04-30T19:03:00.006-04:002009-05-01T14:35:12.126-04:00I'm like the Energizer Bunny...As I have written this week, I am in Princeton, NJ at Princeton Theological Seminary for a Youth Ministry Forum. And I have taken the hotel shuttle back and forth to the seminary all week. Today, the weather was gorgeous, so I thought I would walk back to the hotel. It took 5 minutes for the shuttle to get to the seminary, so I figured it was about 2 miles.<br /><br />After I double-checked my directions with the hotel, I was off. It felt great to walk after sitting most of the day. As I walked, it felt a little further than 2 miles, but I had to keep going. By the time I ended up back at the hotel, I thought, "Wow, that was more than 2 miles" after all, I walked for nearly an hour.<br /><br />I decided to double check Mapquest and it ended up being 4.4 miles. I couldn't believe it. I was starting to wonder why it would have taken me an hour to walk 2 miles. I felt great and was completely surprised that I did it. I did not give up. I did not even think about giving up. I just kept going. A couple of weeks ago, I would have never just decided to "walk" back to the hotel.<br /><br />I am full of energy and ready to rumble after only 3 weeks. I can only imagine what I will feel like after 12 weeks.Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07897053755749839079noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8430666924596785769.post-48952318576579706002009-04-29T18:57:00.002-04:002009-04-29T19:06:01.518-04:00Did you read your paper today?I just noticed that I had not posted the results from our weigh in. Please remember, that we are actually a week ahead, but I did not want to publish the results until the paper did. Please remember to go to: <a href="http://www.gazettehealthychallenge.net">www.gazettehealthychallenge.net</a> for more information. <br /><br />So, here are the results:<br /><br />David Drayer: -4.5 lbs. <br />Richard Feld: -5.0 lbs. <br />Susan Feidelman: -2.5 lbs. <br />Jen Green: -3.0 lbs<br />Tina Hardy: -0.5 lbs.<br /><br />I am so excited!!!! The Blue team is doing great and is exactly 0.1% ahead of the Red team. Isn't that great? I love getting bragging rights for the week. It just proves that both teams are working hard!<br /><br />Give me a "B" (I got your "B", I got your "B"!)<br />Give me a "L" (I got your "L", I got your "L"!)<br />Give me a "U" (I got your "U", I got your "U"!)<br />Give me a "E" (I got your "E", I got your "E"!)<br />What does that spell? BLUE!! Goooooo Blue Team!<br /><br />(And the crowd goes wild!!!!)Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07897053755749839079noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8430666924596785769.post-17937646257263778402009-04-29T11:15:00.000-04:002009-04-29T11:16:20.927-04:00A lost chickWell, yesterday was the big weigh-in again. Unfortunately, I was not be able to weigh-in due to the forum I am attending at Princeton Theological Seminary. I am praying that the team does an awesome job.<br /><br />Since I have been away from the team it has been more difficult than I imagined. I have seen the enemy face-to-face: Double chocolate cheesecake. Yummy! At the conference dinner, I chose a nice piece of chicken, green beans, and a salad (hold the dressing and croutons). The desserts were at the end of the table, so I did not have a problem avoiding them. As I sat down with my group, I noticed that everyone had desserts. The woman sitting in front of me had the enemy next to her plate. I ate my dinner slowly and excused myself. I felt silly that I had to "run away" from the enemy, but I guess it was kind of a success story. I felt the need to give in to the enemy, but made the valiant effort to leave instead of consume it. <br /><br />This experience gave me a goal for this competition besides losing the weight. I want to be able to control myself so I do not have to run away.<br /><br />As for the physical training, I have done at least 45 minutes of cardio each day and did weight training for another 30 minutes. It is hard to maintain the intensity that you get with the trainers and teammates, but I am doing my best. This morning, I woke up at 4:30 am... for no reason. I had two choices: go back to sleep or go to the gym. I decided to go to the gym. Yay! I walked on the treadmill at 15% incline at 2.0 speed for 25 minutes. I did 30 minutes of weight training and instead of stopping there; I got on the bike and rode for 11 miles (38 minutes). It felt really good to start the morning this way.<br /><br />I need support now more than ever. I wasn't ready to leave the "nest" and have been tossed out in the wind. I will find my way back on Friday morning, but until then I am a struggling chick looking for her way back home.Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07897053755749839079noreply@blogger.com1