The Fourth TDC Fitness Challenge!
 

Welcome to the Fourth TDC Fitness Challenge!

The purpose of this challenge is to increase physical fitness - while avoiding injury - over the course of eight weeks. This is a special thread dedicated to support members of the Triple Digits Club, women and men who are (or were) looking to lose 100+ lbs. Our challenge officially starts January 23 and ends March 18, 2004.

Set yourself up for success!
Make a contract ~ commit to making fitness a priority in your life for the next two months. Also consider promising that you’ll check-in with this thread on a regular basis.

Not everyone who starts a challenge, finishes it. I've asked a few people about their decision to drop out; the common denominator is unrealistic expectations. When they couldn't keep up with their goal, it became embarrassing to come back to the thread and report failure.

Know that we are here to support each other 100%. No judgment. This is a safe place to share the triumphs, troubles and everyday trials of making physical fitness a priority.

Goals
Be realistic, make your goals attainable. Challenge yourself, but don’t set yourself up for failure by promising more than you know you can do.

Give some thought to how you’ll prevent injury during your workout.

Some of us will focus on increasing our activity each week, without a final fitness level in mind. However, if you have a set goal you want to reach by the end of this challenge, feel free to post it now, too.

If you like, include your start date weight and/or measurements.

The Alien Abduction Clause
Many of us have broken promises we’ve made to ourselves. Often we expect too much too soon. Sometimes, however, life throws us a curve ball. Be flexible when things happen outside of your control.

Should you find yourself beamed aboard a flying saucer, don’t stress that you didn’t get your workout in. Natural disasters, illness, injury, severe trauma, etc., fall into the same category. Just get back to your activity as soon as things calm down.

Extra Credit
This segment is purely optional, as is participation in the Challenge itself, of course! Extra Credit will focus on strengthening and deepening exercise motivation. At some point down the road, keeping dedicated to fitness might not be easy. The American Council on Exercise (ACE) state that dropout rates for those who do begin an exercise program reach 50% or more by the end of the first six months. I didn’t include that statistic here to discourage us. If we can educate ourselves about the personal issues that effect our decision to exercise, we’ll be prepared to face any obstacle that crosses our path.

Each week I‘ll include a question or two to ponder. Feel free to participate by mulling over the question to yourself, or sharing with the group.

Consider this quote: "We usually overestimate what we think we can accomplish in one year -- but we grossly underestimate what we can accomplish in a decade." -- Anthony Robbins

Signature Tags
 

TDC Fitness Challenge Official Graphics

We’re lucky to have graphics provided by a very talented Marebear! Mary created three different logos you may want to add to your signature line … Choose your favorite!

Basic instructions for adding a graphic
1) Copy the address
Go to the picture you like; underneath you’ll see the web address; highlight it. While your pointer is still on the text, right click the mouse and choose ‘copy’.

2) Click ‘Profile’ near the top of this page

3) Click ‘Signature’

4) Insert the web address of your favorite image
Go to the main posting area and click to bring your curser into the main posting area; right click the mouse and choose ‘paste’.

5) Highlight text and click on the Image Formatting button
The Image Formatting button is yellow and looks like a mountain and sun.

6) You should now see something like this:

[IMG]the web address you chose[/IMG]

---> Make sure there are no blank spaces

7) Click ‘Preview Signature’ to see if it looks right to you.

8) Click ‘Save Signature’ if you’re happy with the results.


That should be it! If you have any problems, please don’t hesitate to PM me or leave a message here.

And I'm in!!

I've got my signature graphic set up and I'm ready to go.

My current fitness goals for the challenge:
1. Attend at least 3 one hour aquafit classes a week
2. Participate in the Challenge to Walk 10K challenge
3. Update and increase these goals if and when I feel I need to.

Other goals:
-Continue to drink 5+ L of water a day
-Remember to take my multivitamin
-Try to eat more calories, especially if I'm exercising!!

My start weight: 221

Where do I see myself in a year? Happy, healthy & fit! I hope to be at goal and maintaining, while involved in one of my "goal" fitness activitie... horeseback riding :)

Where do I see myself in 10 years? Staying fit - not letting myself slowly slide down that slippery slope! I plan to stay constantly vigilant - no hiding the scale away so I don't see the gradual increase, no letting joint pain be an excuse for inactivity - there's always an option!

Did I forget anything??

Wynter

I, Jude of the Mossling clan, do hereby agree and avow to join the fourth TDC Fitness challenge. My goal for this challenge is to up my exercise regime at least one day per week. (Currently I "curve" 3x/week on the average.) My commitment to this challenge includes reading at least 5 times and posting here at least once each week. (Notice there's no upper limit on that one!)
Extra credit: Where do you see yourself in one year regarding exercise? In ten years?
Within the year, I have a mental image of a thinner, fitter Jude continuing to work out at Curves as well as either learning to bellydance or learning yoga. In 10 years time, I still see myself as active at a gym (might not still be Curves, but will be something that combines weight/resistance and aerobics) and able to bend and twist my body more than I can now. Heck, I might even get into spandex!

Jude

I have started a walking program to increase my stamina to do a 10K walk. I am confident through my training and participation on the boards that I will achieve this.

My current fitness goals for the challenge:
1. Add one new cardio activity
2. Participate in the Challenge to Walk 10K challenge
3. Stay faithful to my training program and keep a log!

Other goals:
-Up my water intake

My start weight: ??? (still need to get to scale at gym - I chickened out last weekend....<sigh>)

Where do I see myself in a year?
Still hear chatting with you all - sporting a nice new number in the middle column to the left. Being more active and being able to bend like a pretzel!

Where do I see myself in 10 years? Much healthier and active than I am now. Enjoying myself, losing the pain in my lower back and hips.

I am just aiming for one workout (yoga or dance) this week I am so tired from all the work me and my mom have been doing on the house (some vacation!) that I will not push it this week

other goals:
4L water a day (I got this really nice Liter glass that makes this so easy :cool: )
keep at the afirmations (they actully have started helping maybe I need to add in one about I will exercise :lol: )

Extra credit: Where do you see yourself in one year regarding exercise? In ten years?
In a year I see myself attending a dance class.. it will be nice to have someone to correct my errors
in ten years I have no clue what life is gonna throw me that far away (though I pray for famous fashion designer every day ;) )

Here we go again....WOOHOO!!! I am ready to go.

My goals for this week are

1) Stretch 3x week
2) Walk 2x week

Extra credit: Where do you see yourself in one year regarding exercise? In ten years?
In a year I want exercise not to be a chore to do but second nature. In ten years, Being able to do a variety of different activities without a second thought. :yay:

I just think this is such as excellent idea and thank-you so much AnitM for doing all this work. I committ to the 8 weeks of this challenge and my goals are as follows...

1. Go to the gym at least 2 times a week for resistance and weight training.
2. Participate in at least 1 aerobic activity per week, ie. walking, exercise tape.

Extra credit...When it comes to physical fitness, where do you see yourself next year?
How about 10 years from now?

I have found over the years that I really enjoy weight training, so I still see myself doing this activity next year. I see myself as being more toned and decreasing body fat. In 10 years I see myself as being more fit than I was in my 30's with greatly increased energy levels.

I'm so excited about participating in this challenge and am off to the gym today!!!! Good luck to all who join this challenge. I know we all can achieve our goals and be happier, healthier people for it!

Hello! I am back..I did finish the last challenge.

My fitness goals have changed a bit due to my life...lol

I promise to exercise EVERY day but not necessarily aerobics or anything organized...I always fail if I promise to do that becuase I find myselg too weak to continue for some reason. I may have been stayign too low in calories or something...who knows. I will dance with my kids or just rough house and run around for at least 30 minutes a day. I will keep my house a LOT more clean which requires a good amount of physical activity as well...



In one year I will still be here a pretty active member of this board. I am pretty sure I will not be to goal still but hopefully within 50 pounds of goal. I bet I will be doing free weights at home by then too...

in 10 years...hmmm I'll have 2 teenagers by then! I hope to have maintained my goal weight for some time by then. I will hopefully have a treadmill and be running by then too..it's what I want to bo able to do daily eventually.

I just started going to the gym, doing 5 mornings of cardio (alternating treadmill/recumbent bike and swimming laps). I really want to stay on track and think this challenge is a great way to make me accountable to that.

My goals are:
1. Continue going to the gym 5 days/week
2. Increase my stamina and intensity of cardio workouts (and add elliptical trainer and stepper to my rotation).
3. Add strength training

In one year, I'd like to still be working out and more fit and toned than I was in my 30's (or 20's!). In ten years, I'd like to have kept the weight off, continue to be fit and have enough energy to keep up with my kids (who will also be teenagers).

Hi, All --

Monika arranged a papal dispensation so I could join you all on this challenge. OK, technically I'm not a member of the TDC club, but I think this is a great challenge. Thanks, Monika!

I hereby commit to making physical activity a priority in my life for the next 8 weeks (as a start!). I will check in with this thread at least weekly. If I should have to drop out for some reason, I will let you all know instead of just disappearing.

My goals for the end of the 8 weeks are:
-- I will have been doing some form of moderate exercise at least 4 days a week for at least 2 weeks. (this can be either free weights or 20 minutes min of aerobics)
-- I will be able to do the Cher step video from start to finish with the step at minimum height (at this point, I don't use the step at all, and I only do half the tape.)

Mini-goals for this week:
Do at least one weight workout
Do at least 2 aerobics of at least 10 minutes each
Do riding lesson
Observe about how long on average I am on my feet during the day (not very!)

Extra Credit:
In one year I see myself:
-- Being able to do an extended Posting Trot (horseback) without being out of breath
-- Shovelling snow & smiling because I'm enjoying how well my body is moving (I was going to say raking leaves, but there's nothing that will make me enjoy that chore!)
-- Puttering around the garden, enjoying the fresh air. MMmmmmm, nice!
-- Going for a run with the dog ???

In 10 years, I see a still slender, fit me ...
-- Enjoying more horseback riding vacations. Perhaps doing one in Africa, with the sun on my face and looking at the lions (and hoping I don't get thrown from the horse!)
-- Participating in extended day hikes with the Applachian (sp) Mountain club - doing the hikes rated for fit/experienced hikers. I see myself with my walking poles, a backpack, waterbottles, and friends. We're going thru the trees, climbing over boulders, leaping streams (and laughing when we don't quite make it!).

hi everyone i want to join ..i thought i did yesterday but this must be the official sign up... sorry if i made a msitake but i here and now commit to this challenge by


1. 8 weeks cheat free on induction
2. hiit for 20 minutes at least 5 days a week
3. regular accountability with you folks


''YOU'RE GONNA BE BEAUTIFUL''....tag line from the infamous grapefruit diet

Monika, thanks so much for doing this. I Maureen, commit to this 8 week challenge. Starting weight 241.


My goals are:
1. Exercise 4X's per week for 30 mins each time
2. Be able to exercise without needing my inhaler
3. Not to think of working out as a chore
4. Not quitting

When it comes to physical fitness, where do you see yourself next year?
Being able to jog 1/2 mile without the need of my inhaler
Looking graceful doing it
To be in onederland
To not always park the closest to the door because I would enjoy the few extra steps

How about 10 years from now?
To have motivated my family to also enjoy physical activity through my example

Hi everyone! And thank you again Monika for being our fearless leader!

I'm in again too. I am planning to continue my 2 mile WAP video 5 days per week. I may give myself special dispensation to allow snow shoveling to supercede the walk, though. :lol: Probably as soon as tomorrow. :rolleyes:

Where do I see myself in 1 year or 10 years? That's a hard one for me. Right now I'm taking it one week at a time, and feel like I'm lucky to keep up with that! I know it's important to have a vision, but if I say I'm going to be doing all this work next year, then I'm setting myself up for failure. I like the results of exercising and while I'm losing weight, I know I need it. But I haven't yet been doing it long enough to buy in that I'm going to have to continue doing this for life! I suspect that comes with getting better and better results, so ask me again in 8 weeks. :lol: