The Power Within… Just Change Your Mind

Wow… What a Challenge!

We are fast approaching the end of the “Spring Back from Spring Break” challenge. In fact most of the participants have completed it by the time this article goes to print. Boy oh boy, was that one heck of a challenge. When I presented the challenge, I was honestly just looking for a way to kick my own butt back into shape after taking essentially two weeks off during spring break. I knew that it had to be a challenge that would really make a difference.

At the beginning of the month, I can remember Bryon saying to me (and others) that this challenge could be a life changing event for those who choose to do it. I was a little doubtful initially that it could be “life changing” but I’m not any more. It was one of the most difficult challenges that I’ve ever done and I’m a person who exercises regularly! It added a dimension to my physical abilities that far exceeded what I thought possible with general fitness and it opened my mind to a better understanding of what I would call my “normal” routine and nutritional habits.

Just to remind you, the challenge included these five things: cardiovascular exercise for 60 minutes 6 days a week, strength training at least 30 minutes 3 times a week, stretching at least 6 times a week for 6 minutes, a reduction of 300 calories to your daily intake and drinking at least 4 – 8oz glasses of water a day. Five simple, yet enhanced focal points that when put all together for only a months’ time could result in nothing less than some terrific results.

Want to hear some of the results that have been brought to my attention? Not weight loss, even though most of us have lost between 2 – 5 pounds, it wasn’t about the weight loss. Every person that I’ve talked to said that the weight came and went through-out the month, as did the eating more (due to increased exercise) but eating better (due to the 300 calorie watch). Overall, with the individuals that I’ve spoken to their bodies have tightened up and they’ve just been feeling better about everything with regards to themselves and accomplishing this challenge.

Everyone agrees that it was “one hard challenge!” In fact one of my friends (who is always honest with me) told me that the 6th day of cardio started to make her resentful and frustrated with exercise at times. She, like I, was essentially taking the weekends off from specific exercising even though we both are usually very active on weekends. I know that I would not specifically plan my weekend around getting that hour of cardio in, until the challenge. She and I both agree that having to plan our weekend “hour of cardio” really made us focus on the hows and when’s it would happen. It also made those weekend days feel a lot more accomplished (does that make sense?) than the lazier weekends I’d been experiencing previously.

I think the most important thing that came across with the challenge centered around the reduction of 300 calories. My initial intention was for individuals to take something in their day and choose not to eat it. In my case, Holli’s birthday occurred early in the challenge and she asked for a “key lime” pie for her birthday treat (that’s my Florida girl in her genes) and I chose not to eat a piece (I had only a bite). I knew that on any other given birthday celebration, I would have eaten a piece of cake/pie but on that specific day, I chose that those would be my 300 calories saved. That’s what I had intended for everyone to do and it really didn’t happen that way.

What really happened, for those not on a nutritionally regimented diet (i.e. weight watchers), was that most participants changed the kind of calories they were consuming. One of my members told me that she went completely “light” on just about everything she could and she also made sure to eat a salad every day. I chose to take out white starches from my diet for the month and it wasn’t as hard as I thought it’d be. Bryon found himself reading the labels of everything we were preparing and purchasing. I found that for most of us it was not about the reduction of 300 calories but more of a change in the kind of calories that 300 number represented.

Every participant has also agreed that they want to keep it up as much as possible. Maybe not 6 times a week for cardio, but we’ll be trying for 5! It’s not too late to try this challenge, let me know the results when you do. Look for it again next year after Spring Break.

Deborah Holmes

April 29, 2008