Thoughts on MyPyramid.gov?

Has anyone tried the tracking features of MyPyramid.gov yet?

AT LAST - Corn Maze Pictures! :)

Here's a few fun snapshots (thanks to Marci) from our recent Haunted Corn Maze outing! :) Enjoy! The first one is us being scared, and then the next one is us being sweet and innocent! ;)
Look - Marci may even have discovered a real haunt in the corn maze that night! ;)

BPL Fit Club Tuesday "Walk"

A small but mighty group of us enjoyed a work out with Leslie Sansone's Walk & Kick DVD for our Tuesday get-together. There was a second DVD on the evening's agenda, a selection of 10 minute ab routines. Unfortunately we weren't willing to risk a trip to the chiropractor to follow along with Suzanne on those.

I'd like to say which team gets Lindy's pounds this week but our team hasn't selected a name yet. Just let me say to Denise, Leslie S, Emily and Larry:

1. We really need to encourage Lindy this week because our team gets those pounds.
2. We really need to come up with a name.

Laurie

Teams Update!!!!

Alright, so last week at Arbuckle Acres, we discovered that Lindy also wanted in on our get togethers but hadn't set a goal!!! So, we were going to add her to a team but that would make teams uneven. So, here's the deal! Lindy is now a WILD CARD!!! (appropriate, I know! ;) Haha!) Here's how her pounds work: Whichever team has the most members at a get-together will get Lindy's next loss (and don't forget to let me know about your losses every week so I can subtract those from the team goal!). To find out about all of our get togethers, be sure to check the intranet calendar from time to time and every time I post a new event, it will show up on the main intranet page so be on the lookout! :)

And don't forget, if your team has a name, let me know! I'll add it to the visual aid I'm still working on! :)

If You Missed Our Walk, You Certainly Missed Out on a Good Time!

So, we had a beautiful fall day last Tuesday which we used to take a somewhat leisurely stroll in Arbuckle Acres! Make no mistake - we still got a work out. I believe we all had at least a tad bit of perspiration to show for it. :) But more than anything we had fun and I think it's so important to keep that in mind and in perspective throughout our getting fit journey together! While it's important to be healthy and to workout, it also doesn't have to feel like torture! It is fun to get together and do something active! So I encourage you all to come to our next get together this weekend at Beasley's Orchard or to our get together next Tuesday night (more info to follow on intranet calendar soon!). For now, I'll leave you with some fun pictures Laurie took with my cell phone at Arbuckle Acres! :) Enjoy!

Blog Layout

In lieu of any great news on the weight loss/fitness front (at least from me) I thought I'd try and get some feedback about the Blog layout. Has anyone visited the Health & Fitness Blog at syracuse .com that's in the sidebar? If so, what do you think - should we leave it there or explore new links?



I've resent author invitations to all the participants and have high hopes that we'll have a few more active authors soon.

BPL Fit Club Teams!!!

Alright, it's finally time to get in gear, get your pom-poms and your bullhorn out! We've made teams! Here they are and you'll want to get together and come up with some names perhaps! :) Each team's total weight loss goal is 85 pounds! Good luck! :)

Team 1
Robbi
Amie
Leslie H.
Shannon
Kelly

Team 2
Emily
Larry
Denise
Leslie S.
Laurie

From here on out, anytime you lose weight, let me know and I'll add it to the team's total loss! I also work on a visual aid to put up either in the lounge or the staff entry way so we can all see how we're doing (or spy on the enemy so to speak! ;) Haha!).

Thanks for your patience also with getting this program up and running! It's appreciated!

Your Personal Path to Health!

Hey everyone! Wanda thought this might be beneficial to us! And I have to say that I certainly was not aware that fitness was added to the new food pyramid! Hopefully, you'll find lots of helpful info in this! Click on each image to see a larger version! :)

USA Weekend Advice

The USA Weekend insert had some timely advice for our group:

In committing to a weigh-loss or fitness plan, the most important aspect is sticking with it the first month, says Ariane de Bonvisin, author of The First 30 Days. 'This is the time when you build a habit and you stop thinking of something as a quick fix,' she says.

Get support from those around you. 'We do quite a bit of drinking and eating during our workday', says de Bonvisin, 'so get your colleagues on your support team and give them permission to hold you accountable.' Even the person you eye with envy each day. 'Ask them what helps them stay fit,' she says.

To stay on track look for a strong reason for trying to accomplish your goal. 'Find something that's going to give you the same amount of leverage as a bride who's getting married,' says de Bonvoisin. 'Find that reason, then write it down.'

Sounds like we're on the right track with the BPL Fit Club.

Weekend Slackers?

This past weekend, Josh and I celebrated our 3 year anniversary. Since my parents had sent us some moolah, we decided to splurge and go to The Melting Pot. Oh boy, that cheese and chocolate fondue was tasty!

But that's my problem. During the week, I find that I can stick to a fairly good routine. I am able to show some restraint with breakfast and lunch, and our dinners are usually pretty healthful. On the weekends, though, I tend to slack. I think it has to do with "thinking ahead," or lack thereof.

What do you do to keep yourself on track during weekends or "special occasions" - family get-togethers and so forth?

(Also, when will we know our teams and to whom should we be reporting our weight lost each week? Inquiring minds want to know!)

Keep up the good work, everyone!
Emily

Where are all the new posts?

So far we have three new authors added to the Blog. I have high hopes that they will soon add a few new postings of their own.

For those of you who don't want to author any new postings you're more than welcome to add a comment or two or three to any of the posts at any time.

Getting to my fitness efforts over the weekend, I can finally say I've moved beyond the gentle amble for my exercise. Jay knocked the cobwebs off my bike and we went out for a leisurely ride. Leisurely for him that is - I was starting to feel like he was more interested in collecting on my life insurance than lengthening my life span through better living.

Lastly, you may notice that I've added a link to the Health & Fitness Blog on Syracuse.com. Let me know if you think we should keep it?

Laurie

BPL Fit Club: Off and Running

My personal title would actually be "Off and Walking at a Leisurely Pace". However, that just didn't seem to have enough punch for the group as a whole.

Using the time alotted for the 4th Tuesday of the Month meeting, I created this shell of a blog. I thought it might be nice to have a forum where we could log our comments, successes, frustrations, great fitness ideas, etc. over the next 5 months without worrying about over loading the BPL intranet discussion board. I call it a shell because I expect links to websites, inspirational photos, a list of our favorite hard-body movies, whatever else you have in mind will be added as we move along.