If you haven’t yet joined our Project Blissful & MTM Body 8-Week Dare-to-Bare Challenge, it’s not too late! In fact, you could even still have a good shot of winning the big prize at the end of the challenge (not to mention two chances to win prizes each week you’re participating).
This week, we’re giving you a chance to level the playing field.
We’ll give you five new workouts to try–and if you complete it, you’ll get 100 points per day–that’s a total of 500 bonus points! This is a big deal!
Below, you’ll see links to each workout. Click the link and view the workout for each day.
If you complete it, add 100 bonus points to your total! If you don’t, no worries! Try again tomorrow. 🙂
Are you ready to win?
Here are your fitness and workout challenges for the week.
When you have “convenience” food bombarding you from every direction, it can be difficult to choose options that give your body the nourishment it needs.
However, if you have daily reminders and effective tools at your disposal, you just may find that eating the right foods and feeding your body the best fuels becomes a lot easier.
Of course, there will always be temptation, but when you equip yourself with anti-temptation tools, you will be able to quickly re-focus your mind on your greater goal of getting healthy!
Using Affirmations to Make the Healthy Food and Nutrition Choices
When everyone around you at the office is indulging in burgers, fries, and sugary drinks, it’s awfully tempting to join in, isn’t it?
But what if you could stop that temptation in its tracks and actually choose to make a healthy choice? You don’t need me to tell you that fatty and sugary choices are not the kinds of food that your body needs – you need to tell yourself!
It can be hard in moments of temptation to make the right choice, but with the help of positive affirmations, you can re-train your brain to replace the desire for junk food with healthy choices.
Affirmations can help you stick to your diet, say no to temptation, and eat nourishing and satisfying foods. How? By replacing the negative spiral of thoughts in your mind with powerful, positive ones.
But first you have to believe that it is possible to gain control over your thirsts, desires, and cravings. The first step in making a lasting change in your life is to make the commitment to success. Are you committed? Do you believe that you can overcome your cravings?
Once you’ve set your commitment in stone, you’re ready to learn the top 10 affirmations to get you through moments of weakness.
Top 10 Food and Nutrition Affirmations
Before reading the list below, you should know that affirmations are most successful when you internalize the saying and repeat it frequently. Whether you’re having a good or bad day, you need to be constantly repeating these positive statements in your mind. Temptation will strike when you least expect it, so it’s better to be prepared!
1. I can neutralize bad habits with good food, exercise, and healthy living.
2. I am proud to reach out to my support network instead of leaning on food for comfort.
3. I am losing weight for me because I love me.
4. I set aside time just for me.
5. My good health and productivity are the rewards for the nourishing foods I eat.
6. Weight gain happens over time, so my weight loss equally requires time, patience, and lifestyle changes.
7. I use self-care, not self-control.
8. The more I take care of myself, the better I feel.
9. I am firmly committed to staying active and healthy.
10. I deserve a healthy body and mind.
When you look at these food and nutrition affirmations, they may seem like ideals – behaviors and thoughts that you only wish you could have – but each time you reaffirm them by saying them aloud, you’re slowly changing your mindset. Over time, these ideals will become a reality through your thoughts and actions.
But remember, you must first believe you can change. Once you make the commitment to your success, you will change your attitudes about food and you’ll be thankful you did!
Answer the following questions in your personal notebook or on your blog, in the comments section here, or in the private Challenge Group on Facebook (contact me to request an invite if you haven’t already received one).
1. Are you getting in your 30-to-60-minute workouts each day? What kind of workouts are you doing? If you need help finding a workout that works for you, reach out here or in the private group, and we’ll offer ideas and suggestions. I also have a bunch of free workout videos here on the site, if you are interested.
3. Are you tracking your progress? You may choose to track your progress any way you like, but I suggest you consider tracking what you eat and how much you weigh at the very least. And in the case of the DTB 8-Week Fitness & Weight Loss Challenge, you might also want to try on your swimsuit once a week and take a good hard look in the mirror. (Or hey, if you’re alone, go ahead and stand there naked. After all–that’s the goal, right? Looking better naked?)
Weight and Size Tracking: Whether you choose weighing in, measuring or trying on that favorite pair of jeans once a week to track your weight as the challenge goes on, try to only do it weekly. Weighing too often can distract you from your ultimate goal. Focus instead on learning to get in touch with your body and to recognize its signals.
Food Tracking: Food tracking is a huge pain at first, but it really does offer amazing insight. Tracking food helped me to lose 100 pounds (and counting). You won’t have to track forever—just long enough for you to get a good handle on the good habits you’re almost forced to develop when you see what you’re really putting into your mouth (and how much it costs you In calories each day. It took me about six months before I felt comfortable with “winging it,” but you may be different. Go with your gut–but for this challenge, I am tracking again, just for kicks. I’d suggest you do the same.
Stay strong, friends. You’re worth it, you deserve it and I promise you will not regret it.
Please remember: you are beautiful exactly as you are at this moment. This challenge is not to make you feel bad about yourself or to make you think there is something wrong with you. This is about you, making a personal decision to make a positive change in your life.
Don’t Forget to Submit Your Points!
Our ‘Dare to Bare’ (DTB) administrator is Angela Atkinson, founding editor at Project Blissful. You’ll email your weekly points tally to Angela at [email protected] with the subject title ‘Weekly DTB Points for (Your Name),” and Angela will keep a spreadsheet of everyone’s points.
Please note: All points must be submitted by midnight on each Monday during the challenge. Anyone who fails to submit points by midnight on Monday will forfeit any points earned for that week.
So, tell me…how are you doing on this challenge? Need support? Have suggestions, ideas or complaints? Let me hear it, in the comments section, below!
As we continue our Project Blissful & MTM Body Dare to Bare 8-Week Weight Loss Challenge, you’re already getting on track with your new plan. Whether you’re just being a little more careful with what you eat or you’re playing the food-tracking game (yourself or via a program), you might still be working out the details of your new program.
I thought a little advice would be useful here for those of you who aren’t quite settled on a day-to-day diet plan–for the next 8 weeks and forever.
So rather than just jumping on board the diet of my choice (or the one your BFF lost all that weight on that one time), it’s important to do your due diligence and decide which one is really right for you.
That’s why I’m asking you to take a look at these things to consider before you take the plunge into your new diet. It could make the difference between one more failed attempt and sweet success.
Above all–remember this.
Regardless of the diet you choose, the only proven way to lose weight and keep it off is by burning more calories than you consume in a single day. It really is that simple. Keep this in mind when evaluating your diet.
Diving into a diet that drastically alters your food intake will cause your weight to roller coaster up and down. This is extremely unhealthy! It can cause stress on your internal organs and upset important processes such as your metabolism and control of insulin.
Sharp changes in diet shock the system, both physically and mentally, and pose a significant challenge in maintaining your weight loss regimen.
Diet in Moderation
Prominent experts in health and wellness, including most physicians, would agree that the safest and most effective way to lose excess weight is to maintain a balanced diet, exercise on a regular basis and cut calories at a modest pace.
In order to enable your body to perform at its peak while losing weight, reduce your daily calorie intake by no more than 500 to 1000 calories. This will prevent you from entering a starvation mode that forces your weight to plateau.
The best strategy is to adjust your food in moderation, exercise regularly, and get enough sleep so that you feel well rested. This way, you’ll shed 1 to 2 pounds per week, which is considered a healthy loss of weight.
If you wish to become involved in a diet or weight loss program, it’s important to ensure that the program is the right one for you based on your current health needs. When you find one that’s right for you, you’re more likely to enjoy the success you desire.
Here are some critical considerations for any diet:
1. Personal Support. Changing your eating habits when you’re alone makes it extremely easy to backslide and walk away. Find out if the program offers online tracking, support counselors, group accountability, food journals, activity logs, and more to track your progress. With the right tools, you can be your best advocate. (Our DTB Fitness & Weight Loss Challenge is perfect for this, FYI).
What kind of support system would you like to have?
Who can help hold you accountable for your goals?
Is there any kind of group meeting or individual assistance?
2. Personal Goals. Know in advance what your goals are so you can assess the new diet in terms of what you want to accomplish.
What is the calorie requirement of the diet?
Is the calorie requirement in line with your physical limits?
Diets with an intake under 1700 calories should be scrutinized and discussed with a nutritionist at your local healthcare clinic.
3. Supplemental Medications. Educate yourself about any required medications before you take them. Have your family physician look over medications, dietary supplements and weight loss pills before taking them as they could very well cause unfavorable side effects alone or when paired with your existing prescription medications. (We like Bella Vi supplements–but they are definitely not a requirement. Learn more about Bella Vi all-natural weight loss supplements and purchase them here.)
Is there a supplement or medication involved?
What are their common side effects?
Have you discussed these medications with your physician?
4. Consider the risk factors. This runs parallel to the concern over calorie intake. Any diet that drastically alters or restricts how often or what kind of food you eat should be reviewed by your family physician.
5. Are there any testimonies? Find out if you can contact existing members. Avoid depending on online or paper reviews. Companies sometimes pay ghostwriters and affiliates to generate positive reviews of products they’ve never purchased or used. Feel free to ask in our Project Blissful group too!
6. What’s the overall cost of the service? There are often fees for tests, specialty foods, supplements, personal trainers, membership service, shipping costs, online access, and more.
7. Are the staff and management team qualified? There should never be an issue with obtaining information on the experience and certifications of the individuals who will be working directly with you. These people will be partially responsible for your health and wellness, so know all you can about them.
A new diet can be just the push you need to shed those extra pounds. Take these precautions to heart and follow these strategies to find the perfect diet for you!
What do you look for in a diet plan? Which one are you on? Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments section, below.
It’s time for a check-in on our 
