Did you have a good week? Sunday was Super Bowl, so I know that may have been a challenge for some of you. I know all of that yummy food was tempting for me! I think I did pretty good though. *pats self on back*

Let’s get down to business!

If you’re a Shrinker, go ahead and weigh-in and then come back. We’ll wait! After, fill out the form below then blog all about it! Alos, be sure to visit all of your fellow Sisters (and Brothers) who also have blogged all about it.

The Fitness Challenge

 The fitness challenge is simple:do either 20 minutes of vigorous exercise three times weekly OR 30 minutes of moderate exercise five times weekly. Simple right? How are you doing with that? If you’re struggling, no worries! Just jump back on the wagon today!

Don’t forget we’re also doing the 52 Small Changes Challenge over at the ‘Hood! If you haven’t joined yet, have no fear! It’s going on all year! (Haha. I rhymed and didn’t even mean to this time!)

That’s all I have! It’s time for you to fill out the form below and blog away! I hope everyone has a great day!

The Weigh In

Happy Wednesday, Shrinkers!!  Wow, here we are in February already!  How is that even possible?!  It seems like just a week or so ago that it was the start of the New Year and our first challenge of 2012!  So far, we’ve completed four full weeks of the challenge which means it’s time for another weekly check-in!

As for me, I’ve been doing pretty well considering I’m nursing a bum knee which makes exercise extremely difficult.  I’ll be having laparoscopic surgery on it fairly soon, so hopefully I’ll be able to get back to my workouts in the near future once I’ve recovered.  Even with the decreased exercise, I still managed to rid myself of 5.6 pounds in January.  Thank you Weight Watchers and GO ME!!

So, how about you? Have you been rockin’ it and shrinking yo’self?  If you have, well done!!  Keep up the great work! If not, never fear.  There’s still plenty of time to jump back on track and see progress before the end of our challenge on Feb. 29.

The Fitness Challenge

Our fitness challenge is the same each week. We’re asking you to do either 20 minutes of vigorous exercise three times weekly OR 30 minutes of moderate exercise five times weekly.  If you aren’t sure what the different is, check out Heather’s great explanation over here. Are you getting your weekly quota of exercise in?  Be sure to let us know how it’s going!

Have you joined us for the 52 Small Changes challenge? Week 5 is all about being positive and seeing the glass half full.  This is a principle I learned as a child from my Gran that I’ve tried to embrace throughout my life.  It’s definitely not always easy, but just like when we work out our muscles through exercise, being positive is also something you can get better at the more you exercise that “muscle” in your daily life, too. Give it a try!

If you haven’t joined us yet for the 52 Small Changes challenge, it’s not too late!  You can join this challenge any time and it will continue the rest of the year! Please join our group at the Hood for support, motivation and discussion.

Ok, enough from me.  It’s time for all of YOU to head on down to the form and check in for the week.  Have a great day and another great Shrink Yo’Self week!

Be sure to check out our newest development here at the Sisterhood: The Shrinking Kitchen. It’s our brand new site that just launched today!!

The Weigh In

Good morning, everyone! Wakey wakey eggs and (turkey) bakey! It’s a new day, the sun is shining, the birds are chirping, are you ready to step on the scale? I am sure that it’s going to be nice to you today, I just have a feeling! You’ve worked hard this week, you have been motivated, you’re making healthy choices, I’m feeling it, are you?? Just another week of January and we’ll really be knee deep into the new year. I hope we can all keep the momentum going!

The Fitness Challenge

Our fitness challenge is the same each and every week. We’re asking you to do either 20 minutes of vigorous exercise three times weekly OR 30 minutes of moderate exercise five times weekly. Heather outlined the difference between vigorous exercise and moderate exercise over here. Are you getting your weekly quota of exercise in?

• How many of you have joined us for the 52 Small Changes challenge? Week 4 is about keeping a food journal. Keeping track of my food was a total eye opener for me, I think it’s important for everyone somewhere in their journey to do this because it gives you a benchmark forevermore. Try it! You can start the small change challenge any time! Please join our group at the Hood for support, motivation and discussion.

Now head on down to the form and fill it in and then get on out there and kill it this week, yo!

Have a great day!

Here is the good news about that last paragraph. I am doing everything I can to regroup and change my ways. I can turn this around, if I want to. Guess what? I want to, big time!!

There is lots going on right here at the Sisterhood to help me. We have the new challenge. With the new challenge come the awesome weekly fitness challenge. We are doing the 52 Small Changes project over at the Hood. We have been doing January with Jillian where you can pick which Jillian Michaels workout dvd you want to do for the month of January.

I have made lots of plans right here at my own house. I workout every M/W/F early morning with one of my friends in my basement. We do circuits on the treadmill, elliptical and bike. I go to classes three nights a week. Zumba on Monday, Piyo on Tuesday and Kettle Bells on Thursday. I quit buying diet coke. The only time I have it is if we go out for dinner and I have one of my beloved Bacardi and diets. I drink no less than 64 ounces of water a day. It has been more than that every day this month, but I shoot for at least 64. I make myself go to bed by 10:30 which is really quite early for me. I put my vitamins on the kitchen counter at night so I remember to take them with my breakfast. I wear my Fitbit religiously.

I think you get the idea that I have put myself back on track. My mantra for the new year is “2012 is my bitch”. She will do what I say and not vice versa.

You see, it is never to late to make a new start. It doesn’t matter if you are 57 or 24. It doesn’t matter if you weigh 200 pounds or 125 pounds. All you have to have is the will power and to really want it. It took me a long time to really want it. I have been tossing around the same ten pounds for over a year now. I can’t wait for those ten pounds to take off with many of her friends in tow. And….this is truly the first time in a long time that I can say I really know it is going to happen.

It can happen for you too. Sit down and take stock and inventory of yourself. Decide what you really want. Do you want to lose weight? Do you want to get fit? How about your eating and sleep habits? Can they use some work? I’d love to have you join me in this journey of mine. I’m excited about it. Want to get excited with me? It’s never too late!

So Sunday was our kick-off for the challenge, being that it was the 1st and all it just seemed appropriate. But now we’re back to our regularly scheduled programming of Wednesday check-ins. At the end of the challenge, we’ll announce our Top 10 Shrinkers! So exciting!!

The Assignment

On Sunday, Melissa gave you an assignment to get your goals for 2012 in order and to be prepared to share them with us today. So did you do it? Gosh I hope so ;) If you did, link up your post below and then go do some blog hopping and check out everyone else’s goals. It’s fun and it’s a great way to show some support to your fellow Sisters. If you don’t blog (and OMG why are you not? it’s so fun!), then just tell us your goals in the comments section below! We love to hear from all of our Sisters.

And guess what? The fabulous Christie O. is going to be back later today with a brand new, totally freaking awesome assignment. It’s an annual thing and you are going to love it. I promise. So check back and look for it a little later!

The Fitness Challenge

Heather kicked off our Fitness Challenge on Monday. Did you get a chance to check it out yet? I am SO glad to know the difference between moderate and vigorous activity, because for so long I’ve been in the dark. Now that I know, I’m doing a much better job at getting some vigorous exercise in my plan.

Are You Brand New Here?

Is today your first day to stumble upon our happy little site? If so, WELCOME! We’re so glad you’re here. Please take a moment to look around – this is a fabulous place to start. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me – christy@shrinkingjeans.net.

Socialize

Be sure to visit your fellow Sisters and Brothers and make some new friends! A good support system will make all the difference, trust me!

Are you on the ‘hood? You might want to check out our weekly 52 Small Changes project! We just started this week, and we’d love to have you check it out and join us! It’s super-simple!! More info can be found in this post!

Make sure you are following us on Twitter and Facebook, too!

Mark your calendar!

Monday nights at 8 p.m. Central we gather at the ‘hood and have Sister Chat about all things healthy (and not-so-healthy)! It’s totally fun and funny. I promise you won’t be sorry if you come, but you will be sorry if you miss it!

Every Tuesday, we have a Tworkout (Twitter + Workout = Tworkout) at 8 p.m. Central time. You won’t find a more fun workout anywhere, trust me! April is like a drill instructor, but she totally loves listening to all of us whine about how much we hate burpees and side planks. True story.

The Check-In Form

If you haven’t had a chance to drop in over at the ‘hood, we’re having a great time over there with our 52 Small Changes group. It’s never to late to join :)

The Link-Up

As for me, I confess (oh wait, that was yesterday, right?!) that I didn’t make it to my Weight Watchers meeting on Sunday, so I don’t have an update to report this week.  I will admit though that I’ve been indulging a bit the past week.  I think part of it is due to the holidays and part of it is from the stress of studying for finals.  I’ll definitely be back on track with a vengeance on Monday, Dec. 26.

Don’t forget to let us know when you’re checking in with how you’re doing on the 10k a Day and/or O, Fitness Tree challenges.  We’re on the downhill side of both challenges, so it’s time to finish strong!  I started out really well with both challenges, but then had to bow out a couple of weeks ago because I’m dealing with a pretty severe knee injury right now.  My biggest hope right now is trying to avoid surgery. LOL

Speaking of challenges … yep, you guessed it.  There’s going to be a new challenge coming up right around the corner just in time for all those dreaded wonderful New Year’s Resolutions!  Definitely be keeping your eyes open for it on January 1st.  That will be our kick-off weigh in day for the new challenge.  Since that’s a Sunday rather than our normal Wednesday weigh-in, you might want to mark it on your calendar so you don’t forget!  This new challenge will run for 8 weeks and will have all kinds of awesome assignments, a fitness challenge, etc. like our previous New Year’s challenges.  It’s gonna be awesome, so don’t miss out being a part of it!  I know I’ll be joining!

For now, don’t forget to leave a comment below and check in with how you did this week.  If you have a blog update, please post the URL in your comment so we can stop by and cheer you on for the week.

How is everyone doing this fine day? I’m trying my hand at being annoyingly happy because I just received some very tragic news.

SNOW IS ON THE WAY!

Ugh. I realize this in no way effects anything having to do with weight loss or healthy living other than the fact that it makes me very unhappy, LOL!

Anyway, on with the post.

How did everyone do this week? Is our current 10KaDay challenge helping you in your weight loss efforts? Last night on The Biggest Loser, I heard them say that people used to get around 14,000 steps a day, but now we are down to around 3,000. That’s just crazy! Strap on those pedometers, folks, and get yourself moving!

You know what’s really been helping me? The O Fitness Tree. My six year old daughter is doing the challenge with me and she is usually the one that says “Mommy, is it time to do some fitness yet so I can get a sticker?” Or, “Mommy, don’t forget that you still have to go for a run!” She’s really been keeping me on my toes.

Gift giving time is just around the corner, so don’t forget to check out our Shrinking Gift List. You still have a few more days to enter to win the BodyMedia FIT Armband, so don’t delay! Check it out!

That’s it for me, everybody! Have a fantastic week!

ACK. The questions are overwhelming me. So I’m just going to say it:

The 25 Days of Exercise are the way to go. You get a cool Exercise Advent Calendar, you exercise everyday until Christmas, and you give yourself sticker rewards. What else do you need to keep yourself going this holiday season?!

And now, I have worked my lyrical magic to make you really want to join us for the 25 Days of Exercise (as if you weren’t already sold on the whole sticker reward thing!):

O Fitness Tree, O Fitness tree,
How lovely are your crunches!
In downward dog, your strength will grow
Through bootcamp and running in snow.
O Fitness tree, O Fitness tree,
How lovely are your crunches!

O Fitness Tree, O Fitness tree,
You are the side-plank we most love!
How must we work to make our abs tight
We need to learn to do it right!
O Fitness Tree, O Fitness tree,
You are the side-plank we most love!

O Fitness Tree, O Fitness tree,
Your jumping lunges will teach me
That strong cores & glutes will ever be
The way to shrinking jeans for me.
O Fitness Tree, O Fitness tree,
Your jumping lunges will teach me.

Yeah, I’m awesome like that!

So how can you join in this FUN for the low, low price of NADA? It’s simple! Just print out this awesome tree. Get some tape or glue and put it together, and find some really awesome sparkly, scratch-n-sniff, puffy stickers to reward yourself with every day after you exercise. If you have littles running around your house, you’re more than likely going to have to print one out for them as well because they are going to be JEALOUS!

One more thing….you know you’re supposed to water your tree right? Every.single.day or it will dry out and look like crap before Christmas even arrives. That’s right, you need to make sure you’re guzzling at least 64 ounces of water a day – it’s hard to remember sometimes this time of year!

JOIN US over on the ‘hood for the 25 Days of Christmas challenge!

And in case you’re wondering how we came up with this shrinkingly awesome challenge, you can thank Mary aka @FiddlersBride! She did this challenge on her own last year and shared it with us. How could we not be copy cats, right?! Thanks, Mary!!

We crowned the winner of our SHRINKVIVOR challenge last week, and we thought it was only right to get her thoughts on the whole losing weight/getting healthy journey! Here’s what Whitney had to say:

I wish I could say that my Weight Loss Journey began with a bang, that I woke up one morning with an “aha!” moment, and the energy to kick start my experience. Instead, my Weight Loss Journey began with a feeling of defeat. I had reached my limit. I set out to lose weight simply because I was tired. I was tired of being the fat friend. I was tired of buying new clothes for events because my current wardrobe didn’t fit. I realized I was hiding from social events or certain activities because I was insecure about my weight. I avoided physical activities because they hurt too much. There were times when I drove myself three blocks to school because I was too lazy, and the sciatica and back pain were too much for me to handle.  

Before

One night, I was lying on the couch watching TV when I saw a commercial for Weight Watchers. I called a friend and asked her to join, but I prepared myself for her to reject the idea. If she said no, I didn’t have to go through with joining, right? Without hesitation, she agreed to join Weight Watchers with me.

The next weekend, we entered the meeting center, which was full of post-holiday new members. I was overwhelmed with the overload of information. During the meeting, I kept asking myself, “Is this really what I want? Does this even work?” Even before I began the process of losing weight and getting healthy, I was doubting my ability to commit or succeed on this program. Over the course of the first month or so, I saw the weight drop. Propelled by my success, I stuck to the plan religiously, even allowing myself meals out and the occasional dessert.

While I learned how to change my relationship with food, I began to realize how badly I had been treating my body. In high school, I was an athlete: a girl who could sprint without breaking a sweat or taking a hit off her inhaler. Then, I was free from back pain and a numbing sensation in my legs. Now, I was unmotivated, out of shape, and frankly, I was lazy. As the weight slowly dropped, I found more energy and the drive to get myself into the gym.

Thankfully, as a graduate student, I had access to a free gym and dozens of classes. I joined a few and became a regular. Even if my posture was poor, or my crunches weren’t on the beat, I was proud of showing up to classes and being recognized by the class leaders. Over time, my asthma symptoms lessened; instead of going through inhalers every two weeks, I was stretching them over two months. My flexibility improved, and my back pain began to dwindle. If someone told me that my back and asthma problems would’ve improved by activity, I would’ve laughed! The idea of moving more in order to feel better did not make sense to me… until it turned out to be true.

I’m proud to report that my asthma is virtually nonexistent. My back pain rarely returns, and when it does, it’s usually because I haven’t been active in awhile. I’m by no means an expert on fitness or weight loss, but I’m happy with the knowledge I’ve learned along the way. I’m excited to see how my body works now that it’s in top condition again. Of course, pulling on the tightest, skinniest skinny jeans I could find is an excellent plus, too.

I didn’t do all of this on my own. Yes, the first step to beginning a Weight Loss Journey is admitting you need a change. That step you must do alone. The rest of the journey, though, doesn’t have to be lonely. With Twitter, The Sisterhood, and online forums, it’s impossible to be alone. Why would you want to be alone during such a challenging, exciting part of your life? Every day, I reach out to my Twitter friends and we share our triumphs, challenges, setbacks and excitement. Knowing I had a support system 24/7 really helped me stay accountable. Through this amazing group of friends, I learned about the Shrinkvivor challenge at The Sisterhood of Shrinking Jeans.

Over seven weeks, I competed with the most incredible challengers. We all worked toward a common goal: to be better, to work harder, to lose more. My biggest success was breaking my plateau and hitting my goal weight. Joining the challenge inspired me to break through that mental wall and reach my goal.

Since the end of January in 2011, I have lost 47 pounds, and dropped four pant sizes. What I have gained is worth so much more: freedom from health issues, an incredible support group of men and women with similar goals, and the ability to see a glimmer of my former self, but in a new and improved package.

After

Before/After

Read more from Whitney on her blog, and follow her on Twitter!

Hey ya’ll, hey ya’ll, hey ya’ll!

We’re starting a new challenge today and it’s been gonna be a quickie one, only 5 weeks long.

We all walk, all day long.  We walk from the bed to the bathroom.  We walk all around our kitchen.  We walk to get into our car, to get from the parking lot into the office and down the hall to our cubicle, we chase walk our children at the park, we walk in the mall and at the grocery store and at the post office.  Here, there and everywhere.

Do you know how many steps a day you take?  I have no freakin’ clue.

Is it 2,000 or 5,000 or maybe 10,000 steps?

Does anyone know that they walk 10,000 steps per day, every day?  Stand up and raise your hand!

Why 10K and who is saying what about it?

Walking Tidbits:

• The Surgeon General recommends 10K (10K = 10,000) a Day and that dude knows his stuff!
• The SG recommends that all adults get 30 minutes of physical activity several times a week.
• It takes roughly 2,000 steps to walk a mile.
• 2 miles of walking can be completed in approximately 30 minutes (that’s 4,000 steps).
• Therefore, the goal of taking 10,000 steps in one day (that equals 5 miles) assumes that a typical individual takes 6,000 steps during their normal daily activity.
• Studies have shown that 10,000 steps daily can reduce your risk for chronic disease and an early death.

GIVEAWAY!!

You see that lovely pedometer below? Well, we’re going to giveaway 3 of them! YES! We want to help you get your 10KaDay!

To win, leave a comment below telling us how you plan to get extra steps in every day for the next 5 weeks. Surely all that shopping you’ll be doing will add to the pot, right?

Contest is sponsored by the Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans, and will end on Friday, November 25th at 12 midnight PT. Winner will be announce the next on this post. Please make sure you leave a valid email or twitter @ so we can get in touch with you! Oh yeah, if you buy a pedometer using that link above, we’ll make 2 cents since it’s an affiliate link! Gracias, and Happy Thanksgiving!