Community Challenge Archive

[Mitra]

February is the month we celebrate love. Of course, we usually focus our attention on those who are important in our lives. But here on the board, let’s do something different and focus on loving ourselves this month.

While there are many ways to do this, for the purpose of this challenge we are going to stick to the basics of PP/PPLP. After all, isn’t losing weight and regaining our health the best way to show ourselves some love? We don't follow the plan just to see different numbers on the scale or the lab report: we do it so we can enjoy time with our families and friends; or doing other things that enrich our lives; or even just doing life's daily chores more easily.

This month, pick the area where you most need to improve in following the plan. Set a goal that gets you focused on strengthening this area. Each day when you check in, report on how you’re doing at meeting your goal. Remember that the biggest effects come from the basics of just getting enough protein and not too many carbs, so if you're new, just getting back on track, or just like to keep it simple, that's where to start. If you've got a good handle on that, then you could look at making sure you're getting enough sleep, or exercise, or relaxation, or intellectual stimulation, or trying some new recipes...

That’s it. So think about where your focus needs to be most – carbs, protein, exercise, etc – and formulate the plan. Then come here, tell us about it, and support your friends along the way. There’s a whole lot of love to get working on here if you’re in for the challenge!

[Shadow]

In January, the challenge was to return to the basics. In February, we stayed with the basics and threw in some love. This month, let’s evaluate how successful we’ve been so far and come up with some strategies to end the first quarter of the year on a successful note . For those who did not join either of the previous challenges, never fear - you are more than welcome to start now! The sooner you begin, the sooner you'll meet your goals, whatever they may be .

How are you doing on your goals? Are you hitting some obstacles that prevent you from keeping to your plans? What are you going to do to overcome the barriers? Is there a specific area where you need to refocus your attention?

If you’ve successfully met all your goals so far this year, what new goals are you going to set? Is it going to be starting an exercise program, getting in more water, eating more protein, or something else?

As always, whoever gets here first will start the daily thread . On Wednesday, don’t forget to let your wacky side come out and share some laughter.

The luck of the Irish won’t get you to your goals, but good, hard work will. So, are you up for the challenge?

[maxlharris]

Hit the April Showers so you can be a May Flower

The assignment:
The Basics:

• Protein
• Carbs
• Exercise
• Water
• Supplements

The Plus:
If you want to bloom in May, you must learn something in April.
Pick 1-3 topics.
You will be responsible for learning something you've wanted to learn/know that touches, however tangentially, the 8 prongs of PPLP.

Weekly status report on where you're at with your learning.
At the end, we collect all that knowledge. What a resource. Could maybe add to the required/suggested reading. How exciting.

A quick example (stolen from other threads): Find some studies on L-Carnitine and figure if it has a place in your routine and share enough information so people can make the same informed decision.

Your deadline is April 30th.

As always, we will have regular check ins.

[BlancE]

So far this year, we’ve tackled:

The January Challenge

The February Challenge

The March Challenge

The April Challenge

Now we’re into May. Expanding on the April challenge, this month’s challenge is to focus on the “other 20%.” In PPLP, the Drs. Eades say that while 80% of the benefit of PP/PPLP comes from nutritional changes, “ if you want to live your life to the fullest, to extract every ounce of wellness you can wring from your life and drink it in, work the plan to its entirety.”

Wow, is that a goal to strive for!

Our challenge for May is to explore the other 20% of the PP program and enhance at least one aspect in your own plan.

The overlapping circles of health that surround nutrition (with some quotes from PPLP) are:

Stretching – “…stretching is something we hope you’ll do every day as a part of greeting the world…stretching is usually the first order of business to shake the cobwebs out of the muscles and ready them for whatever may lie ahead.” (pp. 284-285)

Exercise – “Once you begin to feel the increase in energy that comes from regaining your hormonal balance and the lightness of movement that comes from reducing body fat, you will very likely discover a pleasure in exercising that you may never have experienced before.” (p. 277)

Rest - “more is not always better…overexercising...adds stress, raises cortisol and with it increases insulin levels.” (p. 297)

Meditation and Relaxation – “But just as stress increases cortisol levels, the opposite of stress – total relaxation – can reduce them. And the best means of totally relaxing is to learn to meditate.” (p. 300)

Sunlight – “we humans ‘eat’ the sun as a nutrient…the action of sunlight on our skin produces the ‘sunshine vitamin’, natural vitamin D.” (p. 257)

New learning – “new learning should open up more blood flow along new circuits and pathways within the brain.”

So there it is…pick one or more of the “other 20%” to focus on this month, while maintaining adequate protein and keeping carbs within plan limits.

Let’s report in weekly for progress reports.

Who’s in?

[Feelix]

I went a head and started a June 1 thread because I wasn't sure where to post and I need to for me!

Challenge - Who Do You Love? I'm choosing to love me today. With each action and eat bit. I am also choosing to put my baby first with me. She needs a good foundation to start life on. What better reason to enjoy a Sunday Chicken Wing or Sunday Steak or a Sunday Pot Roast?

Choose whether you will do the same gift for yourself every day for the month or surprise yourself. I have a few gifts for myself this month.
1. I am going to sew. It is so fun for me. I love it. So if I don't actually sew, I'm going to look at fabric or patterns or design my own.
2. I am going to read before bed instead of watch tv. It's usually only 15 minutes while I'm waiting on dh, but it's 15 minutes that I could enjoy a good fiction or non-fiction.
3. I am going to keep SONIC ICE in my freezer.

Yay! To a Great New Day!

[Feelix]

Happy Canada Day to all Canadians!

Independence... Freedom.... Liberty.... It's all wonderful!

It's July 1st... for some, its an excuse to Step Off Plan to Celebrate, For others, it's a new beginning. The first of the month can wash away all the "sins" of the past and start over. What one area do you want to start over again?

************************************************** ****
What one area do you want to start over again? Relationship with the in-laws

Today I am starting over my relationship with the in-laws. They may not know it, but today is a new day for me with them. I wash away all past history on both mine and their side and seek a healthy relationship.

DH is gone on travel and the In-Laws usually don't come to visit when he's gone. However, last night MIL asked if they could come over. I usually stress out when they come over without an agenda (birthday, grill-out, dropping off or picking up something) or if DH isn't here. Last night I decided if MIL & FIL were coming over, I would put them to work in the baby room.... I figured it would be the most helpful place to spend our energy. So I got up this morning and started washing baby clothes. I want it to be fun to sort and organize all the baby clothes. However, When I woke up this morning, I realized that i waste A LOT of energy freakin' out and stressin' about when they visit AND THAT can not be helpful to our relationship. So I did a quick breath through, accepting that they do love me and the soon-to-be delivered child I am carrying. I can imagine that if I were the grandma, I would want to be apart of the experience. I would hope that my child's SO would want to share the experience with me.

So my guard is lowered. Today, I see my in-laws and myself as a team who will influence and raise this child I am carrying. I don't need to stress about the past or worry about the future, we will deal with what we need to when we cross those bridges. Our relationship can't help but be different if I'm not on the defensive.

Grandparents - Do you have any advice for me?

[Mitra]

What are your plans and goals for August?

In the M&S thread, Shadow asked people to just do one extra bit of exercise. If you don't have any special thing that you're working on at the moment, how about doing that with your food. Pick one area where you're weak, and focus on that. Getting enough protein, avoiding something that's not so good for you, eating more veggies... whatever you feel is your weak spot.

I'm doing something I started a while ago, but then let it lapse - the food tracking software I use monitors vitamins and minerals, so I'm trying to pick my foods to get adequate amounts of all the important stuff.

If you're new, or newly returned, then sticking with the basics of getting enough protein and not too many carbs is probably enough for now.

Whatever you're doing, don't forget to drop by and tell us how it's going .