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!

CHALLENGERS, UPDATE HERE: Linky tool for updates due by end of October 16

DO-IT Consistency

con·sis·ten·cy (kn-sstn-s)

n. pl. con·sis·ten·cies

1. Agreement or logical coherence among things or parts; correspondence among related aspects; compatibility.

2. Reliability or uniformity of successive results or events.

3. Degree of density, firmness or viscosity.

One of Mir's DO-ITs for this challenge is Consistency. Why is consistency so important in any challenge you take on? Because it works.

Check out the definition above. Consistency means agreement among parts/compatibility, reliability and firmness. When we're talking about weight loss and finding your healthy self, consistency is your power tool.

Compatibility - Are you compatible with yourself? I mean, Can you get your head, your heart and your body all going in the same direction at the same time? Yes, it's a challenge for most of us on any given day, but it can be done. Your body wants to be healthy and strong - that's how it was formed. Your mind is an amazing motivator. Encourage yourself! Look in the mirror and say "Hot Dang, Girlfriend! You're BEAUTIFUL!!"

(Aside...your mind can also an incredible destroyer. Stop bashing yourself! Go read this.)

Reliability - Are you being reliable? I'm not talking about having the exact same loss posted every week and eating exactly 1200 calories per day with a precisely measured 100 oz. cup of water. I mean the kind of reliable that you build by developing habits that will ensure your own weight loss success. Can you rely on yourself to make the right food choice, to drink [water] like there's no tomorrow, to move your body, to love yourself enough to fight for your life?

Firmness - Firmness. Not your mattress, your head. Mental Tough. Tough enough to say no to garbage food, tough enough to exercise when you don't want to. Tough enough to walk away from a donut. I wasn't simply being flippant when I typed "...love yourself enough to fight for your life;" this is seriously a fight for your life. Don't buy it? What is obesity doing for you? Nothing but destroying your pancreas and making you insulin resistant. Nothing but putting excessive pressure on your heart and lungs. Nothing but sucking the life right out of you. It's killing you slowly. Me? I'm not ready to die.

It's time to FIGHT, my friends! Time to put on the armor of Consistency, get out there and fight for our health. It's time to make an plan and track what you eat. It's time to get off your behind and move, Move, MOVE!! Get that heart pumping, sweat until your panties are dripping and build up some strength.

You’ve got to get stronger because this is a long, uphill climb, and it will take its toll on you, both mentally and physically. You’ve got to get stronger because time is not on your side, and Life will jump up and throw hurdle after hurdle after hurdle in your path. You’ve got to get stronger because me and everyone else that follows your story aren’t going to be satisfied until you reach your goals. ~ Jack Sh*t

(Ahem. I'm sort of liking the Xena Viking Warrior look. Do you think it's available in red?)

Be a Warrior. Keep the Faith.

One Month Down..ALREADY! See how fast this goes?

We started September 11.
Today, it's October 11.

Yep. One month down. Four weeks and change.

Fewer than 10 weeks to go in this challenge.

Are you making progress? Do you feel better? Are you closer to fitting into your item of clothing..that dress, top, coat, etc?

Or are you futzing around. Are you sliding back?

Get it together. Time flies...and we'll be fatter, the same..or thinner and fitter by Challenge-End.

Our choice.

Don't give up. Let's focus. The most trying time of the year--foodwise--for many folks is coming up. Focus. If you find it hard now, you'll find it harder when traditional, emotion-laden foods start glistening on platters and in tureens and scents fill the air. Temptations are coming...they're coming. Get ready. Focus. Make progress.

I say this for me as much as for you. We're in it together. FIGHT ON!

And never quit.