LINKY NOW OPEN FOR 9th CDCC UPDATE: Please update before end of Sunday, November 13!

~~~AS ALWAYS, if you miss the deadline (don't!), you can update your blog and add the URL to the comments section of THIS BLOG ENTRY for the other challengers to catch up with you. OK? All set. Off we go!

Angela Pea's Tip of the Week

Hey Chickies! Many of us - or our kids - have been sick during the past few weeks with the stomach virus going around or with our annual autumn colds. I thought I would offer this up as my tip of the week, you know, just to be helpful. I'm also avoiding my own workout as I sit here with a fever and feeling all achy and run over by a truck. Thank you, DirtBike, My Favorite Youngest Son, for sharing your germs with me.

Many of us are working our tails off trying to shed the body clutter and reclaim our health. So what should we do when illness and exercise collide? I wondered myself, so I did two things. Checked out info over at MayoClinic.com and called my Nurse Practitioner. They both said the same thing.

As a rule of thumb for exercise and illness:

• It's okay to work out if your symptoms are "above the neck" — such as runny nose, nasal congestion, sneezing or sore throat. Be prepared to reduce the intensity of your workout if needed, however.
• Postpone your exercise if your symptoms are "below the neck" — such as chest congestion, hacking cough or upset stomach.
• Don't exercise at all if you have a fever, fatigue or widespread muscle aches. (Gentle stretching is okay to help relieve the muscle aches.)Mild to moderate physical activity is usually okay if you have a cold but no fever. Exercise may even help you feel better by temporarily relieving nasal congestion.

If you choose to exercise when you're sick, listen to your body. If your symptoms get worse with physical activity, stop and rest. Yes, rest. Your body is an amazing machine with self-healing super powers, but it needs rest to do its work. So if you feel like crud, don't go running! Resume your workout routine gradually as you begin to feel better.

Stay Healthy. Keep the Faith.

Ask A Question, Offer a Tip...this is your spot in the beyond-halfway point of the CDCC!

We're more than halfway through the challenge now. We're at 23 challengers still in OFFICIALLY --and maybe April still in peripherally, given the tumultous changes in her life. Evil folks suck! Remember to keep her in your prayers.

Started with 30. Started with promises not to quit. Down to 23/24. And that's great. Really, I've seen many a challenge online and the drop-out rate tends to be enormous. I'm seriously crazy proud of you all. And I seriously hope the best for those who had to/wanted to quit. I hope you are moving toward your health goals--and new holiday outfit.

I wanted to add this post for those who maybe at this beyond-halfway point wanted to ask a question. We have many folks doing great with their weight loss and fitness goals and some having a hard time. Ask if you have a question or need support. ASK HERE, cause 23 blogs is a lot of blogs to keep up with. If you feel like you need a bit more support or some tips, ASK HERE.

If you have a hard time with one thing in particular, link up here to a post about it so we can go visit.

If you have a particularly great tip or affirmation, post a comment here.

Vent even, if you feel like it. Go ahead. Do it here.

We're not that far from finishing. All I wish for us is progress. Even if that outfit doesn't fit, progress and establishing of good habits.

Let's do it. DO NOT QUIT!

Comment away....

LINKY IS UP For the 8th CDCC Update--Let's Not Be Late, People!

LINKY IS NOW UP for the 7th Update Due by Midnight (Eastern Time) on October 30th--LINK UP!

Don't miss the deadline, please. If you run busy on Sundays, then update TODAY. K?

DO-IT Motivation

Motivation is literally the desire to do things. It's the difference between waking up before dawn to pound the pavement and lazing around the house all day. It's the crucial element in setting and attaining goals—and research shows you can influence your own levels of motivation and self-control.

So what do you do when you can’t find motivation?

Suck it Up, Buttercup.

You heard me. There’s actually science behind the grit your teeth and just do it philosophy! Psychologists have determined that our willpower is like a muscle; the more you use it, the stronger it becomes. Richard Restak, a neurologist at George Washington Medical School, is currently treating a patient with damage to the prefrontal cortex, the result of a traffic accident. The PFC is the brain's executive command center. "The patient has very limited self-control. He lashes out, yells at people, and is a compulsive shopper," Restak explains. Based on his work with this patient and others, Restak believes you can improve the performance of the brain itself. "Increasing activity in the area that regulates self-control, for example by thinking twice before you buy something, enhances the functionality of this area permanently," he says—and these changes are visible using neuroimaging. In other words, when you practice small instances of self control, the brain bulks up. The next time you need to exercise self control, it will be easier.

(Research data from Psychology Today)

So Start Small. Make a decision and follow through, for instance, saying no to sweets or bread for a set period of time. Once you do that, set another small goal, and so on and so on. A newby body builder wouldn’t jump into a gym and start benchpressing 600 pounds, would he? Of course not! He would start with smaller weight and build up to that 600 pounds.

You still don't want to do it? Tough. Do it any way - take charge of your own brain. Fake that motivation until you feel it for real. Figure out what you want, power through the pain period, and get it done.

Suck It Up. Keep the Faith

UPDATE LINKY OPEN NOW: Challengers, update by end of Sunday, October 23rd. DO NOT QUIT!