LINKY TOOL For the CDCC: Link up by the end of Sunday 9-25-11.

Here ya go!

You'll be able to link up earlier this weekend...and pray for T2KOs son...

I know some of you do your updates a day or two ahead, so I'll add a linky earlier--either later tonight or sometimes Saturday. That might make it a bit easier.

Also, one of our challengers let me know her son is ill, hospitalized. If you are a person of prayer, please pray for T2KO's boy. I hope she'll update soon with the status.

Hope everyone is doing well. If not, let us know. Blog about your obstacles, and maybe one of your fellow challengers has a tip, strategy, word of encouragement that will hit the spot.

And no matter what: No quitting!

Happy Friday!

DON'T DO-IT Self Bashing

Self Bashing = using negative terms to refer to yourself, your behavior, or your actions

I think this little ditty is needed more this week than an essay extoling the virtues of exercise. Note – there are some religious references here, because this is from my heart, and my faith is so ingrained into my being that I can't deny it.

I checked in on everyone this week, and I lost count of the number of times I read ‘fail’, ‘I’m Bad’, or some other version of self bashing. Let’s get this straightened out.

STOP IT.

RIGHT THIS INSTANT!!

First, the greatest cheerleader in your life is you. Not your Mom, not your BFF, not your husband or boyfriend, not Mir, not me. It’s all you, Sweetie. You live with yourself twenty four hours a day, seven days a week. You know yourself better than anyone else on the face of this planet. You cannot go through your days slapping destructive, negative labels on your forehead every time you miss a workout session or eat something fattening. They'll get tangled in your hair and leave sticky goo on your face.

Would you berate a little kid for eating a poptart, shaking your finger in his face and calling him a failure? Would you tell your Mom “You’re a bad person” if for some reason or another she didn’t run a mile yesterday? Would you scream at your Boss for eating a donut? No, of course not.

Then why the heck do you treat yourself that way?

You are a sentient creature, perfect in your creation, and you have a free will. This means that you are good, beautiful and complete simply because you exist. Because you breathe, walk, talk and think, you are the most amazing being in God’s creation. You are not a failure because you ate x-number of calories yesterday. You are not bad because you put something sweet in your mouth. You used your free will to make a poor choice, but you are not bad. You are NOT a failure.

What would you say to a child who has made a mistake? You’d forgive them, help them clean up the mess and then get on with the day. That is exactly how you should treat yourself. Pick yourself up, clean up the mess and move on. If you need help getting up, then ask someone. If you need help with the mess, ask someone. Poor choices are part of the weight loss game. They’re going to happen. Learn from them.

“Experience is what you get when you don’t get what you want.”

I know I’ve said this many times on my own blog – the physical part of losing weight is actually quite simple and very easy to do – eat less, move more, repeat. The mental part is a bazillion times more complicated. It starts with loving yourself, deciding to care for the body God made, making it healthy and strong. It continues with loving yourself, developing good eating habits and exercising. It ends with loving yourself and reaching out to others to share that love.

Love God above all else – love your neighbor as yourself. As Yourself. YOURSELF.

Love Yourself. Keep the Faith.

Thanks for Checking In! Pray for April!

I got late check-ins from Nanette and One Chick's, so that makes for 29 official check-ins.

April had a hospitalization, so if you're a praying sort, please keep her health in mind. She's at :  http://missapril-30before30.blogspot.com/

That accounts for all 30 challengers, I believe.

Let's continue to be supportive of each other. God bless us all this new week!

CHALLENGERS: Please, post your link to your September 18 Update Post, THANKS!

It's the start of a second week on the challenge. No matter if you did well, midling, or poorly, please post about it and link up to your update. AND PLEASE REMEMBER TO ADD YOUR ACTUAL SCALE WEIGHT IN THE BODY OF THE POST WITH THE UPDATE. (Added the previous, as I've seen three updates already that didn't include that. One of the rules, folks.) Here ya go: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I will post another blog entry tomorrow for any questions that need to be asked this week. Make sure the URL you enter is specific for your update post, not just your blog's home url, k? I have included the feature that lets you delete your own entry, in case you make an error. 30 Challenger = 30 links. Don't leave double links. Remove it if you make a mistake and re-enter. Let's see all 30 update by midnight today! A good week to all!

THANKS FOR LINKING, Challengers! And Use this post for questions for this week. I won't look at the comments on OTHER posts, K? Oh, and no, I am not accepting new challengers.

Great to see everyone updating/linking up. Yes!

Remember, whether  you've got on-fire mojo or are struggling, good or bad, keep going. Do Not Quit. I want to see 30 bloggers linking up on the final day of this challenge, be the dress fitting or no. Make progress. Make new habits. Keep going.

Me, too. I'm here striving to get and keep my mojo just like everyone. :)

Okay: This post is for any questions that arise for you this week or info you want/need to share with the group. If I am not available for some reason--hey, life happens, computers die, people go into comas--contact Angela Pea. She's smart, experienced in weight-loss, cheery, and I'm sure can answer whatever needs answering.

COMMENT HERE. NOT ON ANY PREVIOUS BLOG ENTRY...or expect to be ignored. :D

And for those curious about entering late: No, sorry. This challenge is closed to entries. There is only ONE exception I will make, and I'm not listing it here. :) But it is VERY specific and relates to past challenges and challengers and non-quitters. :D

Everyone who is in, is in and has begun their challenge plan/goal-achievements. Sorry. But there are many challenges out there. I'm sure you will find one that suits you. For example, check out Thursday Child's (http://assumingvirtue.blogspot.com) Christmas Dress Challenge, which begins on the 18th. You still have time to enter that one. There are others, too. Employ your search engine. :D 

Okay, let's encourage each other toward our goals. When we stumble, let's pick each other up. When we triumph, let's celebrate the victories.

Onward...

DO-IT Hydration

I love Mir's DO-IT!! rules for the challenge, so I'm going to label our 'information' posts with DO-IT!!

Hydration. Hydration. Hydration. You've all heard it and read it, but do you really understand why? Why is hydration so important?

Your body depends on water for survival. It makes up more than half of your body weight. Your muscles need water to stay strong, your organs need water to do their work, your joints need water in order to move smoothly. Your body is like a giant battery, with electrical impulses flying from your brain to your nerve endings...and water is the conductor. Water is essential for good health.

One of the problems with water is that you lose it just as fast as you drink it. You lose it when you pee, sweat, or even breathe. You lose water even faster when the weather is hot, when you exercise, or when you're sick with vomiting or diarrhea. The water in your body must be replenished on a continual basis, or you get dehydrated.

That battery metaphor? What happens to a battery when it gets old and cracked and the conducting stuff inside drains out? (I know you've all seen corroded batteries inside forgotten toys!) Yeah. The battery doesn't work anymore. Now think about your body as a battery...how well is it going to function without it's water conductor? Uh, not at all!! When you get dehydrated, you slow down. You feel sleepy, irritable and get a headache. In it's natural, hydrated state, your brain has the consistency of very wet sponge. If you let it dry out, you wont' be able to think or react quickly. Dehydration = Youre batteries are running low!!

You have to keep your body battery charged by staying hydrated. Drink up. At least 8, 8-ounce glasses of water a day, more if you're exercising, even more if it's hot outside. You can tell if you're drinking enough if you pee clear or very, very light straw color. If your pee is yellow, your aren't hydrated enough.

Water is the best option for staying hydrated, and most of your fluid intake should come from water. Skim milk, fruit and veggie juices, and herbal tea can also contribute to your daily fluids. Sports drinks can also provide the water we need with the benefits of electrolytes when exercising intensely in the heat, or when we're sick. Be sure to read labels on sports drinks carefully as most contain extra calories in the form of sugar and some are high in sodium.

Have trouble remembering to drink water? Here's how I do it.

• Keep a bottle of water with me during the day. It's on my desk, between the keyboard and the screen. I have to scoot it over every now and then to see something, and when I touch it, I drink at least 8 ounces.
• Start and end the day with a glass of water.
• Drink a quart* of water an hour before every exercising session and a quart after. And a quart (or two) during, especially if it's exceptionally hot. Which it has been here, all summer long.
• Drink a glass of water every time I pee. It sets up a sort of never-ending cycle that guarantees my hydration level!

*I drink water by the quart for exercise hydration. You may not need this much. I live in north central Texas where it is extremely dry and very, very hot in the summer. I once weighed my workout clothes, shoes and bike pads before and after a long bike ride, just out of curiosity. There was a 2.5 pound gain, which equates to a little less than half a gallon of sweat, not even counting whatever evaporated along the way.

Drink some water. Keep the Faith.