Week five - on the home stretch!

What a great week challengers!! 
Most of the lines showing your weekly % of goals achieved have an upward slant on them - good work everyone!!!

I've been a bit unwell the past few days (hence the slight delay in the update) but am optimistically shaking off this cold faster than roadrunner can foil coyote's latest trap!  Can be hard to stay on track when you're not well, but just by looking after myself and getting to bed early I managed to do better than last week!  hehe

The past week has seen some terrible events going on in the world - the NZ mining tragedy, the stampede and loss of lives at Phnom Penh, North Korea being idiots and throwing bombs around.....  makes you really appreciate the fact that we are alive!

So this week instead of a big spiel, I'd simply like to see you all take a moment to reflect on the people in your lives - past and present - and be thankful for our blessings and grateful for what we have.  I don't mean to sound quite so sombre, I just think that sometimes when these horrible things happen it reminds you how short life can be and that we should remember to truely appreciate what we have and live for the now.



Good luck for the challenge week ahead - I know I'll be giving it my all as soon as these bugs are gone!!

Oh - and don't forget to smile!


Smiling is infectious,
You can catch it like the flu.
Someone smiled at me today,
And I started smiling too.
~Author Unknown

Week Four - the half way mark!!

If you didn’t have a particularly great week – there's no need to sulk over little setbacks, use them to your advantage. Ask yourself, What have I learned this week? What do I need to do going forward? 

Life's little roadblocks aren't the end, they're merely part of the journey as you make your way toward your ultimate goal. They're opportunities to tweak what you’re doing so you can try again. And kick butt!!

The silly season's almost upon us and it can be a very stressful time.  I very rarely buy magazines, but in one of my Womens Health Magazine (don’t worry boys, it applies to you too!) I found this excerpt from an article that I thought was appropriate to share with you all. 

6 SIMPLE STRESS BUSTERS!

You don't have to resign yourself to feeling frazzled. "What distinguishes one person's meltdown from another's indifference is their perception of control over the situation," says Paul J. Rosch, M.D., president of the American Institute of Stress. Try these strategies and you'll be prepared to shrug off any tough situation that the holidays—or any busy season—throws at you.

1. Tea off

In a study at University College in London, 75 volunteers drank the equivalent of a cup of black tea before completing two stressful tasks. Afterward, their cortisol levels dropped an average of 47 percent, compared with 27 percent for the people who didn't imbibe.

2. Just say "%&* it!"

Swearing reduces stress, according to research published in the Leadership & Organization Development Journal. We don't suggest dropping the F bomb in the middle of an intimate dinner party, but a strategically placed expletive in the privacy of your car, kitchen, or bedroom can help you blow off steam.

3. Press the issue

Acupressure is a quick and effective tension releaser—it can reduce stress by up to 39 percent, according to researchers at Hong Kong Polytechnic University. For fast relief, massage the fleshy area between your thumb and index finger for 20 to 30 seconds.

4. Treat yourself

Flavonoids in cocoa relax your body's blood vessels so that arteries can dilate, reducing blood pressure, a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found. Look for dark chocolate or cocoa powder, which have more of the stress-busting compound than milk chocolate, and keep it to one serving.

5. Take a YouTube time-out

Just the anticipation of laughing significantly decreases levels of the stress hormones dopac, cortisol, and epinephrine, according to researchers at Loma Linda University in California.

6. Chew the fat

According to a study from the University of Pittsburgh, people with the highest blood levels of EPA and DHA omega-3 fatty acids are happier, less impulsive, and generally more agreeable. Boost your mood by adding foods rich in omega-3—salmon, herring, and sardines top the list—to your holiday feasts. Or try a daily supplement of 400 milligrams each of EPA and DHA fish oils.

For loads of other handy articles on all kinds of things relating to health, fitness, general wellbeing etc you can head to the womens health magazine OR the mens health magazine sites - the links are just to the side over there -->

So there ya go!  If you’re feeling the pressure building this silly season - grab yourself a salmon bagel and some dark chocolate and while you wait for your tea to cool down, massage the fleshy area between your thumb & index finger and load up some youtube clips to laugh your worries away!

Good luck with your challenges this week – only 4 more to go!!
~Samantha~

Week three

Greetings Challengers (and anyone who happens to be browsing through the blog!)

Well the graph this week is certainly interesting!!
Some wonderful improvements on last weeks activity as well as a couple of big dips.

Staying continually motivated, focused and inspired is not always easy.
One minute you are feeling positive, unstoppable and determined to get 100%... but then maybe something happens to dampen your enthusiasm or you just get busy with life stuff. Whatever the setback, getting back on track can be a challenge.

Dont forget - there are no winners or losers in this challenge. You should be proud of your efforts to date and make sure you stop to acknowledge your achievements.

Give yourself a ‘high five’ RIGHT NOW for making the effort to create some great goals for yourself and for striving to achieve them.

SPECIAL MENTIONS THIS WEEK:
JEMMA!! Well done on achieving your #2 goal!!!!! This was a goal that Jemma set out to achieve over the course of the challenge and look at that - week 3 and it's off the list!! That is a great effort and I just know you will be VERY proud!!!

JO!! You're making great progress with some of your 'over the course of the challenge goals.' #2 has 2 out of 3 boxes ticked off AND #5 has 2 out of 4 boxes. They are great goals and I know both you and Bradly are benefiting from achieving them!!

We're nearly half way already team - so take a deep breath, refocus on your goals and GO GET 'EM!!!

~Samantha~

Week Two

Goodness how time flies!! Only 7 weeks 1 day until Christmas - which means there's still 6 weeks remaining of the challenge and plenty of time to achieve your goals!

SPECIAL MENTIONS:
JO!!!! Look at you go with 100%.... that is a fantastic effort well done!!!
You also managed to tick off 3 of your 'over the course of the challenge' boxes as well with taking Bradly out, taking yourself out!, and knocking off some of those Christmas presents. WELL DONE!!!!

JEMMA - Last week you spring cleaned out your wardrobe - if it's anything like mine that would've been a massive job hehe GOOD STUFF!!!

Still waiting on some results to come in this week but have posted the results graph regardless so that those who have given us your update can see where you're at.

If your line has take a downward turn this week, try not to let that dishearten or discourage you from giving it your all for the week ahead... instead use that as motivation to see if you can tick more boxes this week and get that line heading back up again :)

This time of year can be tricky to keep on track with your targets and you will find that some weeks you have more pressing things to worry about or are just far too busy with socialising leading up to Christmas hehe - these things are likely to take precedence over how many ticks you might achieve on your challenge journey.

Just remember that this is a PERSONAL CHALLENGE and that you set out to achieve these things for your own reasons. These reasons are what will motivate you to do well or strive to achieve your goals - so remind yourself every now and then WHY you're doing the challenge and what you hope to achieve.

Looking forward to seeing next weeks results team!
ONWARDS AND UPWARDS!!

~Samantha~