30 Day Fitness Challenge - Questions

[AnthroChad 11]

If you have any questions about the 30 day Fitness Challenge, please post them here.

The Challenge starts on Feb 15th, 2012.

[hostricity 12]

If you have any questions about the 30 day Fitness Challenge, please post them here.

The Challenge starts the week of Feb 13th, 2012.

What is it?

P. S. I went to your website, but it was down.

[gbarry 2,659]

If you have any questions about the 30 day Fitness Challenge, please post them here.

The Challenge starts the week of Feb 13th, 2012.

What is it?

P. S. I went to your website, but it was down.

Looks up to me. You can read more about the challenge here:

http://blog.evernote.com/2012/02/10/announcing-the-30-day-fitness-challenge/

There are quite a few employees rocking this too. Join up!

[Andrei Thorp 20]

In my mind, tea (without sugar/milk) has always pretty much equated water. Thoughts?

Also, WOO! 30 DAY CHALLENGE!

[AnthroChad 11]

P. S. I went to your website, but it was down.

Yes, unfortunately my site went down for about an hour today. Totally unrelate to this challenge but just bad timing. It's back up now.

[gbarry 2,659]

For my part, I'll be taking on the water (nutritional) and sit ups (exercise) challenge. I don't really like sweets, so that seemed a little unfair, and I don't have any stairs handy, so sit ups it is.

I'm slightly adjusting, however. Simply cannot operate without coffee at the moment, so as penance I'll be adding 100 pushups a day. Figure that's a decent tradeoff, no?

[Brian M. Bufalo 2]

Some motivation for doing anything for 30 days, just in case anyone needs some inspiration!

http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/en/matt_cutts_try_something_new_for_30_days.html

[JuliS 2]

I choose 50 sit ups + 50 stairs and water only for my challenge!! o/

[BurgersNFries 2,407]

I'm going with the 100 sit ups.

FWIW, as a serious tea/coffee drinker, the very thought of only water for 30 days is about as likely to happen as me walking on the moon.

[BurgersNFries 2,407]

For future challenges, I would prefer more personal options. As I mentioned in another thread, I currently have a goal to run my 5th marathon in the next couple of years. And as the OC gadget freak that I am, I just got a Fitbit. (Since the Nike Fuelband won't be out for a couple more weeks & they've stopped taking pre-orders.) I always like challenging myself to running more distance today than I did yesterday, more mileage than I did last week, etc. With the Fitbit, I have another measurement to challenge myself with. And I still want to get back to going to the gym a few times a week & doing yoga (since my "natural" flexibility has drastically declined as I've moved into my 50's.) Of course, I can challenge myself to these things anyway. But I'm thinking you may get more participants if they are allowed to set their own challenges. Plus, if someone has been sedentary for a long time, it may be difficult for them to do pre-defined challenges.

Just sayin'

[wil_case 2]

Going with 100 situps, 100 stairs, and water/tea only. Would have tried the water only, but cutting out the beer, wine, vodka, soda and bourbon I think is going to be hard enough. Starting out at 222lbs today and the most excercise I've had in the past six months is the walk to and from my car, which is not a stretch.

Let's get it on.

https://www.evernote.com/pub/wil_case/30_days_2_nu_lasvegaswil

[AnthroChad 11]

For my part, I'll be taking on the water (nutritional) and sit ups (exercise) challenge. I don't really like sweets, so that seemed a little unfair, and I don't have any stairs handy, so sit ups it is.

I'm slightly adjusting, however. Simply cannot operate without coffee at the moment, so as penance I'll be adding 100 pushups a day. Figure that's a decent tradeoff, no?

Although I like the penance idea, I question the 100 push ups. Are you already good at pushups? Would they only be done on days you drink coffee? My concern is the volume and what that can do to your shoulder if you're not use to that amount.

[AnthroChad 11]

For future challenges, I would prefer more personal options. As I mentioned in another thread, I currently have a goal to run my 5th marathon in the next couple of years. And as the OC gadget freak that I am, I just got a Fitbit. (Since the Nike Fuelband won't be out for a couple more weeks & they've stopped taking pre-orders.) I always like challenging myself to running more distance today than I did yesterday, more mileage than I did last week, etc. With the Fitbit, I have another measurement to challenge myself with. And I still want to get back to going to the gym a few times a week & doing yoga (since my "natural" flexibility has drastically declined as I've moved into my 50's.) Of course, I can challenge myself to these things anyway. But I'm thinking you may get more participants if they are allowed to set their own challenges. Plus, if someone has been sedentary for a long time, it may be difficult for them to do pre-defined challenges.

Just sayin'

This could potentially be an option for future challenges. Feel free to add something to this current one if you're truly motivated.

Also, I just got the Fitbit and recently posted about starting my trail of it. Check it out here: http://anthrophysique.com/2012/02/07/fitbit-trial/ and I'd love to hear about your experience with it.

[agsteele 3,060]

I'll go with the stairs and no sugar - although I'm not sure how rigorous the sugar-free stuff can be since it's hidden in lots of things.

So find the scales and get the starting point to compare each week along the way...

Andrew

[Peter K 0]

I choose to walk 100 stairs and 50 sit-ups a day.

Because of the upcoming ski vacation, staying clear of sugar and alcohol will be a problem.

Piet

[bidfordun 0]

Can someone please tell me what 100 stairs mean? Is it 100 floors equivalent of stairs?

[AnthroChad 11]

Can someone please tell me what 100 stairs mean? Is it 100 floors equivalent of stairs?

100 stairs is 100 individual steps (stairs). 100 floors might be a little excessive. However, all the numbers in the challenge are suggestions, you can modify as you please. Feel free to make it 300 stairs if you want or you can measure it in floors. It's up to you

[jefito 5,598]

How about a translation to stair-stepper mahines? Can we use the readout/stats from the machine? I often do a half-hour session on this.

[Dpcmba 2]

Perfect timing for starting the challenge! I started a new job last week and they have a program that pays $10 for every pound you loose. I am starting my workout and nutrition program on Monday (2/13) so I will be right on time for the challenge.

For accountability, I am sharing my notebook. I am going to use it to track my workouts, goals, and nutrition. Feel free to use it as a template.

http://bit.ly/myevernotechallenge

@dcmba

[AnthroChad 11]

How about a translation to stair-stepper mahines? Can we use the readout/stats from the machine? I often do a half-hour session on this.

I'd suggest a floor count if you're going to use a stair-stepper machine. However, if you already do a half-hour session, I'd ADD the extra floors on top of that for that day. Any of the challenge components should be above and beyond what you'd normally be used to doing.

[YaRRm 1]

Great idea. I pick all four!

Regarding the stairs - is it 100 stairs up and down or both?

[AnthroChad 11]

Regarding the stairs - is it 100 stairs up and down or both?

I'm not sure I understand.. To be more accurate I'd say it's 100 stairs up. However, you'll probably have to come back down too, no? (I guess not if you live/work on the 10th floor or something)

[heather 604]

As the challenge starts today, I set up a recurring daily appointment on my own and my husband's (another Evernote Employee) calendar's. We've both decided to do the 100 stairs/100 situp challenge. There's a stair stepper in our development's gym, so one of us will use that while the other is doing a rep of situps, then switch off.

As a "team", it seems like a better way to go for us than to try to avoid sugar (I actually use Agave in place of sugar, and not much at that, but we definitely need the outlet of being able to have a piece of chocolate or a cookie every now and then.) And I can't stand the taste of water.

[BurgersNFries 2,407]

As the challenge starts today,

The Challenge starts on Feb 15th, 2012.

Ahh, well, thought it was the 13th

[BurgersNFries 2,407]

Feel free to add something to this current one if you're truly motivated.

Is it "legal" to add something like "increase weekly running mileage by 1.5 miles from the previous week"? Since my running weeks end on Saturdays, this would apply for every week that has a Saturday during the competition. IE weeks ending 2/18/12 - 3/10/12.

[BurgersNFries 2,407]

As the challenge starts today,

The Challenge starts on Feb 15th, 2012.

Ahh, well, thought it was the 13th

That was weird...

[jefito 5,598]

As the challenge starts today,

The Challenge starts on Feb 15th, 2012.

Ahh, well, thought it was the 13th

You should know by now that the Evernote crowd are all overachievers...

[AnthroChad 11]

Is it "legal" to add something like "increase weekly running mileage by 1.5 miles from the previous week"?

Technically, if it falls outside the realm of what's posted, you can do whatever you want However, the concept is that it's a daily challenge, as in, something you can do every day for 30 days. So, my recommendation would be to break down the 1.5 miles per week into a daily value and add that. (if you run every day) But again, anything outside the challenge can be done however you want.

[Andra 3]

I'm looking forward to trying this - I've been looking for online motivation! I am very unfit and almost welded to my monitor. Thanks for the links to templates, it helped me create my own simple checklist for the 30 day challenge. I hope that by keeping it to a simple list I am more likely to tick off items and be successful. My goals are very modest - stairs, walk a bit, water/tea/coffee - ideally resulting in some weight loss as well as more exercise!

I've already counted the stairs (15) at home, so I'm interpreting 100 stairs as meaning jog up 7 times = 105 =

As someone who used to play soccer and do martial arts, counting 7 flights of stairs as MORE than my current exercise level is kind of embarrassing.

[robertoerivera 0]

Beginning the challenge today. Since I work in the 3rd floor I will do the stairs challenge, no more elevator for me.

Coffee. Can't live without it. This was never an option.

[Teach2Connect 0]

I was just diagnosed with a broken sesamoid bone in my foot and taken OFF running. I'm also not able to spin/cycle because of the location of the cleat on the foot. Can you give some strength training suggestions for keeping both legs strong, especially for the non-booted foot??

Luckily this does not effect my sit-ups (ab work) and no-coke goals!!

[BurgersNFries 2,407]

Since I am not able to do 100 situps in one, uh, sitting, I'm going to start out doing 25 four times a day. First set will be right after making the bed. The three other times TBD. As time goes on, I'd like to think I could switch to doing 33-35 three times each day.

Game on! Good luck, everyone!

[GrumpyMonkey 4,320]

I was just diagnosed with a broken sesamoid bone in my foot and taken OFF running. I'm also not able to spin/cycle because of the location of the cleat on the foot. Can you give some strength training suggestions for keeping both legs strong, especially for the non-booted foot??

Luckily this does not effect my sit-ups (ab work) and no-coke goals!!

i'm sure if you talk to a personal trainer at your gym then you can get some advice specific to your situation. more generally speaking, though, when i have leg problems (left knee) i swim. get a kickboard and do butterfly kicks. you can alternate with crawl and breaststroke kicks if you like, but the butterfly ones seem to be the most demanding, and as a side benefit, it isolates your lower body, so it will really work your abs too.

[gbarry 2,659]

Beginning the challenge today. Since I work in the 3rd floor I will do the stairs challenge, no more elevator for me.

Coffee. Can't live without it. This was never an option.

Ditto on the coffee. I am, however, adding a workout regimen of 100 pushups per day to "pay for" me cheating with the coffee. I don't believe this is allowed, but I believe karma has my side

[Welmoed 3]

Looks challenging to me! Nice to have this group of people doing this and to be able to motivate one another.

Do I understand it correctly that there will be no 'build up' in the programme? Like: starting with 10 sit ups and building it up to 100 on the 30th day?

And does anyone know of good resources for cutting out sugar out of our eating habits? I have been thinking about stopping to eat sugar for some time now, and this might be the right time to actually do it and see how it makes me feel. It would just be really helpful to have resources available for this.

And: I know evernote a littlebit, but never seen it being used for tracking daily activities. Any links to info about how to do that?

Thanks a lot in advance, and all the best to all who'll start the challenge today!

[GrumpyMonkey 4,320]

don't buy sugar. if it isn't in the house, you won't eat it. buy fruits like grapes, apples, and bananas. when you feel yourself yearning for some sugar, grab one of these instead. sugar problem solved

[Welmoed 3]

And what about the water drinking, is tea ok as well? :-) Will be so hard not to drink any soda or juice....

[Welmoed 3]

don't buy sugar. if it isn't in the house, you won't eat it. buy fruits like grapes, apples, and bananas. when you feel yourself yearning for some sugar, grab one of these instead. sugar problem solved

But there's a lot of sugar in bananas and grapes as well ;-) And even in some teas, wraps, all kinds of food etc. It's easier not to add any sugar to your food yourself, but I assume that's too easy for this challenge ;-)

[GrumpyMonkey 4,320]

oh. sorry. i was talking about processed sugars; the pint of ben and jerry's americone ice cream in the freezer.

as a vegetarian (a vegan except for the occasional pizzas), cutting fruits or any other source of "natural" sugar (rice and so forth) seems lack a really bad idea for my diet. it might work for others, of course, but that is a bit much for me

by the way, i am doing all four fitness challenges, with minor adjustments. no water=soy milk, orange juice, and tea ok. mo sugar = fruits ok.

1. 100 sit ups per day. This can be done in one chunk or spread out through the day. You have the option to scale this down to 50. Pick a number and commit!

2. 100 stairs per day. You can split this up throughout the day, or reduce the total number, but again, pick a set number and stick to it.

3. Water only. Do not consume any other fluids besides water for the next 30 days. If that’s too challenging, you can also choose to only omit alcohol and soda.

4. No sugar. This one might seem simple at first, until you realize how many things contain sugar. Chad usually allows people to define what this means for them (ie: no sweets and candy, but fruit and sauces are okay).

[Welmoed 3]

I'll make it this:

1. 50 sit ups per day

2. water only

Pretty much not doing anything sporty now, so this'll be quite a challenge for me already I think :-)

[GrumpyMonkey 4,320]

sounds good. but, i think 100 will be pretty easy, no matter what shape you are in. you can do 5 at a time and spread them out through the day. if you watch tv for an hour or two at night, five every commercial ought to do it

[BurgersNFries 2,407]

But there's a lot of sugar in bananas and grapes as well

I can't speak for Anthro/Chad, but I would assume that the sugar in fresh fruit is not what he meant. OTOH, I guess everyone needs to draw their own line. IE if fruit is ok, then what about natural sweeteners like Stevia? Or is it just processed/added sugars?

as a vegetarian (a vegan except for the occasional pizzas),

Ovo/lacto for 26 years. Congrats on mostly vegan. I toy with that occasionally. But I eat out too much to be vegan. (Excuse #1). And I love cheese & ice cold milk. (Excuse #2.)

[Welmoed 3]

sounds good. but, i think 100 will be pretty easy, no matter what shape you are in. you can do 5 at a time and spread them out through the day. if you watch tv for an hour or two at night, five every commercial ought to do it

Just tried how much I could do, and felt pretty light-headed after 25... Dinner time here as well, so might just have been in need of some food :-) I'll stick with the 50 for now and see how it goes :-) It's just that I know that 100 will not happen during a day I guess, and that would be demotivating ;-)

How many people are actually taking on this 30 day challenge?

[GrumpyMonkey 4,320]

I can't speak for Anthro/Chad, but I would assume that the sugar in fresh fruit is not what he meant. OTOH, I guess everyone needs to draw their own line. IE if fruit is ok, then what about natural sweeteners like Stevia? Or is it just processed/added sugars?

actually, anthrochad allows fruits and sauces.

Ovo/lacto for 26 years. Congrats on mostly vegan. I toy with that occasionally. But I eat out too much to be vegan. (Excuse #1). And I love cheese & ice cold milk. (Excuse #2.)

congratulations! i don't like cheese or milk so much, but i like my occasional pizza! we even have a pizza stone in our oven but, soy cheese kind of sucks at this point. if they could improve it just a little bit more, i'd be a happy vegan!

[GrumpyMonkey 4,320]

sounds good. but, i think 100 will be pretty easy, no matter what shape you are in. you can do 5 at a time and spread them out through the day. if you watch tv for an hour or two at night, five every commercial ought to do it

Just tried how much I could do, and felt pretty light-headed after 25... Dinner time here as well, so might just have been in need of some food :-) I'll stick with the 50 for now and see how it goes :-) It's just that I know that 100 will not happen during a day I guess, and that would be demotivating ;-)

How many people are actually taking on this 30 day challenge?

trying is the key, right? you need to set realistic goals for yourself. i was just suggesting a way to get there through nibbling on the whale (shel reference here http://www.akoot.com/shelsilverstein16.html), rather than eating it all in one sitting.

i wonder how many of us are taking the challenge. i might share a notebook later.

[BurgersNFries 2,407]

actually, anthrochad allows fruits and sauces.

Thanks for the clarification. I pretty much figured fresh fruit was allowed.

I also love pizza. And yes, soy cheese does suck! I have a store bought pizza stone but have never mastered pizza making. I may have to revisit that.

[Welmoed 3]

Love the whale poem! :-)

I just posted a blog on my website, it's in Dutch, but anyways: now I REALLY have to do it! :-)

http://www.welmoedverhagen.nl/blog/106-vanaf-vandaag-30-dagen-lang-gaat-het-gebeuren.html

[Welmoed 3]

So how exactly do I make a schedule in Evernote and where do I see other people's achievements? And where can we motivate each other? This forum seems to be for questions only?

[Welmoed 3]

So how exactly do I make a schedule in Evernote and where do I see other people's achievements? And where can we motivate each other? This forum seems to be for questions only?

Made something in Google Docs, Excel-type thingy. Works easier for me I think :-)

Oh, and it'll be water + tea :-)

[gbarry 2,659]

I'm using a simple table in EN Mac for mine. I haven't put much into it yet, but it'll get updated. Will start the thread in another section of Fitness.

EDIT: My bad, Chad already started a thread for that, under 30 Day Challenge - Checkins

[Teach2Connect 0]

Can our "sit ups" be mixed ab work? I would like to mix obliques with crunches and maybe through in a plank or two. Is that acceptable?? Went soda free for one day, not terrible...(Ok, I do have a soda stream where I can make fizzy water but it is the sugar/chemicals I'm trying to bust.)

[farringtonpam 0]

I started the challenge yesterday...drinking only water, which hasnt' been hard. I am doing 80 situps..which is ok...buuut, my neck is so sore today - is anyone else experiencing this? Not sure I will be able to make it 30 days if my neck continues to feel like this.

[BurgersNFries 2,407]

I started the challenge yesterday...drinking only water, which hasnt' been hard. I am doing 80 situps..which is ok...buuut, my neck is so sore today - is anyone else experiencing this? Not sure I will be able to make it 30 days if my neck continues to feel like this.

[gbarry 2,659]

I started the challenge yesterday...drinking only water, which hasnt' been hard. I am doing 80 situps..which is ok...buuut, my neck is so sore today - is anyone else experiencing this? Not sure I will be able to make it 30 days if my neck continues to feel like this.

I've been doing mine for a few days on a hardish floor, so whatever bone (it's been forever since anatomy) is acting as the fulcurm point is a little sore. I just stuck a pillow under there, all fixed. No neck pain yet, it's very likely (like BNF mentioned) you're not doing them right. I wouldn't think there should be much stress, if any, on your neck. Chad shows you here:

[AnthroChad 11]

Wow, offline for 1 day and I have some catching up to do I'm not doing multi level quoting but I'll try and respond to/clarify most of the questions here.

Number of reps: As mentioned in the challenge post, 100 is a suggested number. Scale this or split it up to match your current fitness level. (It's not written in stone)

Sugar: Again, No sugar can be scaled to whatever you want. It's not about what Anthro/Chad allows, it's what will be a challenge for you. Personally, I feel fruit is okay in moderate amounts. I typically think of cutting out any added sugar, whether it's natural or not, which includes things like Stevia and Agave and all processed foods with added sugar. (yes, that's a huge list) But, that's me.

Water Only: Means water only. Period. However, that's still just a suggestion so include whatever else you want. If you can't live without coffee, you might want to look at that..

Tracking: A few people have shared their notes that can be used as templates. You can also create simple a note with the 30 days and 30 check boxes to tick off as you go. Also, please share you success/results with us all at the other Check-Ins Forum -http://discussion.evernote.com/topic/23994-30-day-fitness-challenge-check-ins/

Mixed ab work: I'd suggest picking a number of sit ups as you base and add anything else you'd want on top of that. Stick to at least the base every day for the 30 days.

Neck soreness: Our heads are pretty heavy If you're not used to sit ups, it's common to feel the neck muscles more than the abs initially. Scale back if needed but your neck muscles should get stronger as you go just like your abs will.

Tailbone (Sacrum): I'd highly suggest a stretching mat, yoga mat, or carpeted floor to help avoid this pain. Hard floors will continue to aggravate the pain over multiple days.

I hope that helps for now. Ultimately the aim is 30 days of something. Pick whatever you want, define it, and go for it!!

[GrumpyMonkey 4,320]

@anthrochad:

water only = no orange juice. it's water plus fruit, right? i'll think about the coffee and tea thing, but i'm not sure how to get that spot at the coffee shop without buying something, and all of their food is sweet. hmmm... maybe i need to rethink the coffee shop.

[AnthroChad 11]

water only = no orange juice. it's water plus fruit, right?

True, if you squeeze the oranges yourself. But why not just eat the orange?

[GrumpyMonkey 4,320]

water only = no orange juice. it's water plus fruit, right?

True, if you squeeze the oranges yourself. But why not just eat the orange?

lazy. i prefer to let the machines do that for me. and, if i have juice, i can mix it with "green vibrance," a crazy concoction of organic green stuff, for a tasty morning drink.

http://www.vibranthealth.us/?p2=/modules/vibranthealth/product.jsp&id=27

[gbarry 2,659]

@anthrochad:

water only = no orange juice. it's water plus fruit, right? i'll think about the coffee and tea thing, but i'm not sure how to get that spot at the coffee shop without buying something, and all of their food is sweet. hmmm... maybe i need to rethink the coffee shop.

Seriously GM, I think we just got called out on our coffee addictions . I'll just keep repeating to myself: I am not ashamed. I am not ashamed.

PS: I could've sworn I was pivoting on something higher up than my tailbone, but you're right, it must be the sacrum.

EDIT: PPS: You know what? I'll take that challenge. Only water. From this day forth, until the end of challenge, only water. Done.

[GrumpyMonkey 4,320]

lol. anthrochad has something against mixing hot water and bean / leaf powder, doesn't he. well, coffee is supposed to be healthy, right? i think if i drink more, it protects me against diabetes and cancer. of course, i'd have to do something about the heart palpitations, jittery limbs, and so forth...

[AnthroChad 11]

of course, i'd have to do something about the heart palpitations, jittery limbs, and so forth...

Lol.

I'm not sure I've given my "official" position on Coffee yet, but that's besides the point. By saying water only, I'm not saying that all other things are bad. I'm just saying, try drinking nothing but water for 30 days. It's a challenge, it's supposed to be hard