Free is Always Good!

Everyone loves getting a good deal, but we all know getting something for FREE is even better.  Check out last year's Gazette Healthy Challenge Winners blog! She is doing a 5 days of Giveaways! Today is only day two! I really want the sports bra, but hey, why not share this wonderful blog with everyone! It's a picture of our blog to come! Check it out! In your comment tell Jen you saw this message on the Green Team's Blog! Gazette Healthy Challenge 2010 - Prince George's County Is Here to WIN!!! GO GREEN! http://settingufree.blogspot.com/

The Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow

The thought of the Monday morning grind is hard enough, then you add in rain and overcast skies. Yuk! Thank God for the support of the team. This morning a few emails were sent out and calls were made with our usual check in. It is so awesome to know that we can celebrate our successes, get excited, and when a member is down, encourage each other.

Like the weather, life sometimes becomes cloudy and rainy, but thankfully the sun does eventually shine. So today, I sit in a Panera with a wonderful friend talking about our dreams and ambitions. Our conversations bring the ray of sunshine that I need to get me through the rest of my day. It excites me to know that each day I'm alive I have brand new opportunities to be the best me I can be. The only difference is this time, so many are watching and waiting to see just what that means.

I had someone come up to me today and tell me how proud they were of us, and said, "You know we are counting on you guys (Prince George's Green Team) to represent and win this thing!" That was the coolest thing ever! It was certainly much better than the weirdo who recognized me in at the bus stop and gave me a play by play of the recent article. He asked me if I was married...I lied...and he put me on blast. Darn! Why did the bus have to be late on this particular day??

Anyway, today is filled with endless possibilities. new opportunities, and new goals to reach, despite the dreary weather.  So I'll suck it up, put my wonderful green shirt on and head to the gym! Weigh in tomorrow!!

Are we there yet?

Have you even gone on a trip with a young child who insists on asking the question, "Are we there yet?" over and over again? Well let me tell you, tonight was our first "real" workout, and although I didn't say it out loud, all I kept thinking was, "Is it over yet?" Now don't get me wrong, I have always been the person who loves to work out. Like I mentioned, my dream is to one day be lean and fit and training others. My problem all these years is I can never seem to balance all that life has tossed me and do take care of me on a consistent basis. So I go hard and heavy when I get that small window of time and then the window and door slams shut and we are back to 24/7 everyone else’s needs and wants take priority over mine. That's why I'm so happy to be a part of this challenge. As Cliff says, I get to say, “I have to do it! It's in the contract, sorry!" and its like the "Get out of Jail Card Free" it just happens! Man that's good.


But we all know our limitations or our areas of weakness. Mine, those dag on squats! That's why my bottom half count anchor a small yacht and my top can snap off with a strong wind. I can do crunches for days and even get in a FEW girly push-ups, but make this gal sit back into a squat of any form and I my insides are screaming, "Are we there yet?" like a little baby. Ok, I did scream at least once during the workout, but come on...and that takes me back to the last post. Can someone please tell me when the heck is Marie going to learn to count? Dog gone it, she's a business owner! I'm sure she'd be able to tell if $1 was missing from the cash register! Can we just get the basic 1-10 down please? I'm sure any one of us would volunteer to help you if you need it, really! We are onto you Marie.

All kidding aside, our first real workout ROCKED! Everyone did so well. Anath, our sleek goddess-like (I'm not kidding, she is really breathtaking) reporter joined us in our boot camp like workout. Breaking a sweat and rosy cheeked herself, at one point I believe I heard her mumble a profanity, or maybe that was me doing those darn SQUATS!

So if the saying no pain no gain is correct, we are well on our way to our outward transformation. Which is one of the main reasons we wanted to do this in the first place. What I really appreciated was how after just our evaluation, Marie has already begun to custom fit our workout. She took time with each of us to make corrections, encourage us, educate us, and yes, PUSH us beyond what we thought we could do. In the end, we were all sweaty and high fiving each other, proud of all we accomplished together. What a team! I love you guys!

I wish you all could have been there to see us...oh that's right our beautiful reporter took pictures. Not before pictures, when our hair and makeup was all in place and people like Oteal had on her dangly beaded green earrings and high gloss berry lipstick, even though through all the torture those babies never came off. Nooooo, that would be too much like heaven. I'm sure every shot she took will be God's way of keeping us humble. Anath, did I mention you are "Goddess-like and breathtaking?" So if the film just happens to get lost we won’t be that mad at you. It happens to the best of us. We understand.

So with that hurdle behind us, we forge forward. No turning back. 100% committed. Everybody now:
"Gazette Healthy Challenge 2010, Prince George's County is here to win!

That was an Orientation??? Good Lord!

We had our gym orientation last night and the staff of fitness for less treated us like royalty! Marie, co-owner and Personal Trainer of our awesome sponsor Fitness4Less, was in her green and ready to go!
We filed in with smiling faces, taking in the beauty of the newly remodeled facility. Gathering in the lounge area on shiny hardwood floors lined with ceramic tiles, the team sat at cozy glass top tables just opposite the granite top smoothie bar. It had a feeling of being at a DC cafe', except there were people intensely working up a sweat on state of the art equipment all around us. Behind us was a leather sofa and a flat screen TV mounted on the wall and bookshelves with pictures of their success stories, minus ours of course, but that's on its way soon right Marie! If you haven't been there before, go check it out! For a mere $9.99 a month for 24hr access, they don't leave you with any excuse to not get in shape. They live up to the Fitness4Less name!

Marie was very detailed and thorough during our "easy" fitness evaluation, assessing EVERY aspect of our fitness level-whew! For some reason she gets stuck at the #10 and forgets how to count backwards to zero. I was hearing, "10 more, here we go...10, 10, 10, 10..." in my sleep last night. I think I actually broke a sweat rolling over. We're going to have to work on that. But in the end Norm, in true baseball style knocked it out the box, Charlene was in the ZONE walking at warp speed, Lya was able to sweat and maintain her beautiful smile-the ENTIRE time, and Oteal quickly mastered the art of sweating and STILL looking gorgeous! Me...I wore the wrong bra - Nuff said!

The Gazette reporters and photographers will be there on Friday for our first "real" workout, oh my! It looks so much easier when you are sitting on the couch watching it on TV. I wonder if someone can jump in every few minutes and yell, CUT!! MAKEUP! Let's just say I'm not sure I'll be sending copies of THAT issue to my friends and family!

Adventures of a Green Blogger - Note to self...check the weather before you leave the house, get on the right bus, make sure your bags are waterproof. Uh!

GREEN means GO!!!

The momentum was high as we greeted each other at the Gazette 2010 Healthy Challenge kickoff event. It was held at the Besthesda Double Tree Hotel, oddly a place that I have never been before. I can't wait to enjoy a lovely dinner in their posh restaurant! We arrived to a room full of team colored balloons, tables full of wonderful Medifast samples, a delicious (and nutritious) healthy spread, and bottles of much needed "Drink More Water " lining almost every table! It was also incredible to see all the family and friends that showed up in their spirit wear colors to cheer their teams on. I was so thrilled to see my best friend and sister, Robin, my personal cheerleader Barbara, and most importantly my beautiful daughter, Harmony, standing there waving at me when they asked us to say a little something about ourselves. She is such and inspiration and motivation for me. I always tell her when I grow up I wanna be just like her!

Looking at her caused me to choke up a bit because I know just how far we've come as a family to even get to this point. Being a single parent is certainly not easy, but knowing that she will soon be off to college to pursue her dreams and is becoming the awesome woman she was created to be always brings tears to my eyes. What a blessing!

Ok, sorry I got caught up in the moment again back to the point. Cliff, from the Gazette, made sure the evening was full of surprises. We had visits from County officials, representatives from all of our wonderful sponsors, and flashing cameras everywhere you turned. It was like being at a Hollywood premier! And just like the premiers, everyone of the 15 contestants when home with something!

We were given $100 gift certificate to Potomac River Running to use toward the purchase of new running shoes (OMG!- I can't tell you how much money I spent on running shoes training for my first Marine Corp Marathon), free hypnosis services, news that we would be getting water from our sponsor Drink More Water delivered to our home for the duration of the program, a blender from our friends at Medifast, and we laid eyes on our rock solid trainers Marie and DJ, owners of Fitness 4 Less, which will soon become our home away from home. I call the incline bench for my naps! Kidding, no napping in training, I know!

The night was amazing! This whole program is amazing! I still can't believe what a gift the 15 of us have been given! The best part was everyone was informed of the total amount of weight reduction as a team and as individuals! It was UNBELIEVABLE (if you haven't already, PLEASE start picking up those papers at the end of your driveway each week or log onto the website http://www.gazettehealthychallenge.net/ and read our success stories!)

I'll leave you with this last word...If I didn't think it was possible when I was selected, I certainly believe it now, the proof is in the pudding (Medifast Choc of course). Within a matter of a few short days I have added 4 new people to my family (love you Norm, Oteal, Lya, Charlene). I have round the clock information, instructions, support and guidance that is putting me on a path to making this the last time I ever have to worry about what is looking back at me in the mirror.

So the GREEN team is off and running, spirits high, energized and determined to make Prince George's County proud! Watch out y'all...Gazette Healthy Challenge 2010, the Prince George's Team is here to WIN!

Let the Journey Begin

It's hard to believe we are at this place. The place where so many of us have been before. You know, the one where you get up in the morning and rush through your bathroom ritual hoping not to get a glance of yourself in the mirror. Who's idea was it to put a mirror in the bathroom anyway? Its bad enough it is first thing in the morning and my hair looks like Kramer from Seinfeld (no offense if you are reading this blog Kramer, you work that look!) And how about that full length mirror, that had to be created by a skinny vain supermodel! Who else would want to look at the total package, especially when you have to back up, then back up again just to see your entire body. If you are like me you'll try ANYTHING just to get the weight off and feel better about yourself. But what is there left to do????



Enter a challenge you say? Well that's exactly what we did! The five of us, along with countless other people who read the Gazette, decided enough was enough. We took the plunge and entered The 2010 Gazette Healthy Challenge Weight Loss Competition? (http://www.gazettehealthychallenge.net/)



After submitting an essay, along with our "why" story (and that dreaded picture), the journey to our transformation begins. After a series of interviews with a wonderful selection committee, made up of various Healthy Challenge sponsors and last year's incredible winner Jen Green, we were asked to come for a final interview where a decision would be made as to whether or not you would be selected as a member of one of the three competing teams.



I know for me, the week before the final interview was torture! I was so nervous and worried. I only told a few people, just in case I wasn't selected. I knew I would burst into tears, embarrass myself, and probably fall to the ground fists raised screaming WWWHHHYYYY????? and one of my true friends would have to come to the rescue and smack me across the face and tell me to suck it up and pull myself together. You know exactly who you are too. Fortunately for me, and the other members the GREEN TEAM, that didn't have to happen. Don't worry, I am certain that over the course of the Challenge's 12 weeks, I will have my share of embarrassing moments for you to read about.



Until then, "Let the Journey Begin"! We welcome you to follow our stories over the next 12 weeks. Stay tuned...Watch out mirror, here we come!! The GREEN TEAM is ready to make it happen!