Winners

Congrats to everyone that completed the challenge.  Even if you aren't one of the 'winners' you should still feel like a winner for completing the challenge.  It is not something that is easy and I'm proud of everyone!

In the end there were 7 participants with perfect points.  They were:

Jana Bishop

Heidi Reckling

Teresa Farmer

Jeremy Wootton

Kimberlee Palm

Danielle Wootton
Lindsey Durrant

The winners of the "random drawing" who got an average of at leaset 60 points each week were:

Jon Sudar

Debbie Reiber

Marla Hansen

Leslie Barnes

I've sent all the prize money out through Paypal.  If you haven't received it please let me know!

Thanks again guys!

Giveaway

Our giveaway this week is a Danksin Core Performer.  I love using resistance bands for a little extra workout.  It helps tighten and tone, enhance your flexibility and strengthen your core all in a few simple exercise.  Plus I love that they are small and easy to store when you are done.   

And our winner this week is...

Heidi Reckling!

Keep up the good work everyone.  Only a few days left!

Giveaway

      This week we have an awesome giveaway for you!   A water bottle full of Crystal Light packets.  I find it so much easier to get all my water in a day if I take a water bottle with me where ever I go.  And my husband is a huge fan of Crystal Light.  It helps change up the monotony of just drinking water.  Thanks to Debbie Reiber for donating this weeks giveaway!

And the winner is 

Jana Bishop!

Long work hours... stress... some of us have turned to food! When we experience stressful events or negative emotions such as anxiety, anger, emptiness and sadness food can bring us temporary comfort. They don't call it “comfort food” for nothing do they?!

When we expect something to bring us pleasure and/or relief from distress, that expectation actually amplifies the rewarding value of food. This is what we call a “vicious cycle.” We can change this cycle!

1. First, change our emotional appraisal, or expectation of food to bring comfort (happiness, etc.) and “retraining your brain” to think in a different way. Draw towards what you want and push away from what is no longer desirable. Develop a statement that draws you towards healthy eating habits like this, “I feel great when I choose a healthy way to cope with my emotions!” Next, develop a statement that pushes away from using food as a coping mechanism. Something like “Eating to comfort myself actually makes me feel more miserable.”
   
2. Find behaviors to replace food. Develop a “Menu” that lists any pleasurable activities that you can think of and any comforting activities that you can think of. This way you will have a list of options that you can use to obtain pleasure and/or relief from emotional distress. Some examples of “Comfort Menu” items include: Deep Breathing, Meditation, Positive Imagery, Squeezing a Stress Ball, Giving Yourself a Hand Massage, Make a Stress Free Zone to Relax Within, Spend Time Outdoors in the Sun, Stretch, Take a Quick Walk, Listen to Your Favorite Song, Write Your Emotions Down, Light Scented Candles, Smell Citrus or Coffee, Talk to a Friend or Cuddle with a Pet.
   
3. Trigger & Strategy . You can use the items on your “Comfort Menu” to fill in as the new routine.
   1. This should look like this: “When [identify the cue], I will [identify the new routine] because it provides me with [identify the reward].”
   2. Here’s an example: “When I feel stressed, I will take a walk because it provides me with a sense of calm and peace of mind.”
   3. Whereas the old automatic response would be to eat when feeling stressed, the new routine would be to take a walk. This planned response is a guideline for you to follow. Write it down. Read it. Practice it. We are going for progress, not perfection. Change is a process, not an event.