Let me tell you about (okay, brag about) our “Family Fitness Challenge.” Late spring I had this fantastic idea to do a challenge with our immediate family (kind of like Biggest Loser, only less competitive, more supportive…nobody gets booted out!), to see if we could improve our eating and exercise habits to a healthier level. There are seven of us in the immediate circle…my husband, myself, my son and his wife, my daughter and her husband, and my teenage son. Now my teenager is a stick, and didn’t want to eat healthier anyway, but out of the other 6 of us, only my son-in-law didn’t need to lose any weight, but he was game to get “fitter”. The rest of us range from pudgy to obese, not naming any names here. Everyone was receptive to the idea, including my DH who has been saying for years that he wished we would eat healthier.

I must interject here that although I dearly love my family and want them all to be healthy, I suggested the challenge for ME! I have been headed in a very bad direction weight-wise the last several years, which I truly fear will end in a stroke or heart attack. I knew I needed to change my habits desperately, but my will is weak and wimpy and I accomplish hard tasks much better when I have someone else there to suffer with me, to cheer me on, and to hold me accountable for my actions. I most often fail when I have only myself to answer to (unlike my DH and DD who make a decision, set a goal, and just do it……I hate that!….and envy it). Once we talked about it, my oldest sister decided to join us on our journey to better health also.

Anyway, I set up the challenge to include several areas: eating healthier, drinking more water, and getting more exercise. We all have a weekly chart to fill in, earning daily points for things like eating fruits and vegetables and whole grains, NOT eating seconds or sugar, a point for every 8 oz. of water you drink. We get 5 points for every 1/2 hour of exercise, and a point for extra effort things, like parking farther away at the grocery store. If we accumulate enough points, we’re going to do something fun as a family, and the person who gets the most BIG stickers (20 points or more earned daily) gets a gift card to their favorite store (some of us do better when there’s at least a LITTLE competition involved). Those are the basics…we started June 1 and we end September 1 (only 1 more week! the 3 months has flown by).

It has been fun and rewarding to work on this together and everyone has really gotten into it, gradually. My DDIL was almost 9 months pregnant when we started, so she was limited in her participation, but she has been a real trouper trying to participate. My DH and DS have both lost at least 10 pounds. My DSIL, as I said, didn’t need to lose any weight, and he already liked eating healthy, but he has started taking long walks again which he loves, so that’s great. My DD and I have set some long term goals for ourselves, and this challenge has helped us get a really good start on healthier habits…we both feel very good about the whole thing and are determined!

The best part has been watching everyone evolve and begin to really think differently about what they’re eating (and how much). It makes me smile to watch my DH go get some yogurt and fruit after dinner, instead of something with processed sugar. And I was so proud of my DS the other night when they were over for dinner and he chose (of his own free will!) tostadas over tacos because those were baked. When we’re all together, the kids happily munch on fresh vegies and lite ranch, instead of chips. And my sis, who has some major health issues, has really been trying to earn those exercise points, even though it is a major undertaking for her. Way to go!

We’ve been so inspired by the way it’s gone, that we’ve all agreed to start a new challenge on September 1 through the new year, to help us get through those evil holiday months…I will update occasionally on our progress. Woooooohoo for us! We’re awwwwwwwwwwwwwesome!

Everyone has habits that they would like to change, and SOME people even manage to change SOME of their bad habits if they really put forth the effort. Most of us go along doing absolutely nothing about our little foibles that we feel, deep down, don’t hurt anybody anyway and besides, they’re kind of endearing in an irritating sort of way! “You love the way I always (fill in your own ickiness here), don’t you?” Of course, they love you………in spite of those bad habits. Don’t kid yourself, they’re not that cute.

At 50, I am at least AWARE of most of my little idiosyncrasies, and some I have managed to alter over the years. Procrastination, however, isn’t one of them. It is the bane of my existence, and I irritate the fire out of MYSELF sometimes, because I’ll think I’m doing better, and BAM – it sneaks up on me again. Let’s take this morning for instance. I had a very vivid and unsettling dream that woke me up at 2AM and I couldn’t get back to sleep (doesn’t really happen too often, therefore I’m only mildly irritated). So I got up and wrote my morning pages, like the good girl that I am. That usually takes 45 minutes to an hour. [I must interject here that I usually get up at 5AM, not because I am a natural very-early bird, but because I have things to do just for myself and if I wait until "real" morning, they never get done and I am cranky all day trying to fit them in. "Morning pages" I learned from the book I'm studying, The Artist's Way, by Julia Cameron. She is my creative mentor at the moment, though she doesn't know it! Anyway, one of the "rules of the road" is that you get up every morning and write your morning pages FIRST THING, while your brain is still groggy. All sorts of interesting things come up when your brain is not fully functioning yet. It's a stream-of-consciousness type writing, you just write whatever is occupying your mind at the moment. It has made such a difference for me.] Okay, back to my procrastination rant. I finished my morning pages and thought, “Hmmmm, what should I do for the next 3 1/2 hours until I go for my walk?” Of course, my first urge is to go on Facebook and play a mindless game of Farkle or Bejewelled for an hour or so, but no…I will do something productive and bring my food diary up-to-date on Med Help (health website…helping me keep track of those healthy habits I’m trying to develop…my daughter and I are doing it together). Great idea!

Here’s where procrastination rears its ugly head and bites my backside. I procrastinate the WORST on things I absolutely loathe doing (like dusting…do NOT come to my house if you have bad dust allergies). And inputing stupid meals on that stupid website (no offense, Med Help) is just one of those things I hate to do! I keep track of everything I eat in a spiral, so I don’t forget…self back-pat – best I’ve ever done in keeping a food journal. But how long had it been since I had transferred my meals to the website diary? Almost 2 WEEKS!! I sat here for almost an hour and a half typing, clicking on foods I eat all the time (e.g. turkey sandwiches) and looking up the nutrition information for stuff I don’t know (just so you know, I couldn’t find any nutritional info for the bean and corn……um salad? chutney? salsa?……that I ate 2 helpings of at the potluck last night…I substituted 4-bean salad, whatever). UGH! And of course, my serpent critic is hissing in my ear, “If you would just take 10 lousy minutes each night before bed, you wouldn’t be sitting here slaving over this stupid thing.” I know, I know! Sheesh, I get it okay? Get off my back!

It’s those little things that really bug me a 4AM………..end of rant.