28 December 2009
And the Winner Is…
That’s right, I’m going to announce the winner of the Winter Shape Up Challenge! To randomly select the winner from all those who emailed me every single week starting way back in October, I assigned everybody a number and had a random number generator select one.
But first, I want to post some of the things you shared with me about what you learned over the course of this challenge (this time, anonymously). Thanks to all of you for participating. The challenge started with more than 90 people but WAY fewer than that made it to the end. Reading all of your emails each week was such a motivation for me to be a better health blogger. You guys even made me tear up! Check YOU out:
- “[I learned about] finding a balance between holding myself accountable for my goals and letting myself off the hook when I slipped up.”
- “I learned that the only way to lose weight is to decide to lose weight, and that working out not only helps you burn calories, but it really does give you a tremendous amount of energy.”
- “[I learned] that setting small goals and having people to be accountable to really helps you meet them! slow and steady wins the race!!!”
- “i can do something a lot more effectively if i have a goal to work towards (my 5k turned 4 mile race) and accountability and encouragement along the way goes far.”
- “The most helpful thing I learned from this challenge is that I am capable of accomplishing my goals. I may not completed every goal I had for myself but I pushed myself where I never thought I could excel. I surprised myself by making it all the way to the end of the challenge and saddened over the fact that it’s over!”
- “Small changes make a big difference!! And the other most helpful thing about this challenge was being held accountable for my actions. I always had the challenge in the back of my mind, telling me, “one portion” or “come on, a couple more minutes” at the gym. It was an extra voice that I needed to push me in the right direction.”
- “For me, this challenge was all about breaking mental food habits…The challenge really helped me be accountable for my actions. I knew that I would have to report to you and so there was a little voice in the back of my head saying “you want to give a good report on Monday!”
- “From this challenge, I learned not to get discouraged. I enjoyed reading the success stories you posted and knowing that even if I have a bad week, I can turn it around. I also will know try to keep consistent goals, because it’s much easier to keep healthy when I have a tangible goal.”
- “I’ve learned two super helpful things from this challenge: 1. I do better when I know that I have to be accountable to someone besides just myself. The challenge is over, but I still have a personal trainer, my Mom, and my fellow Tumblrs to be accountable to (and myself, too, of course!). and 2. I need to make goals for myself that aren’t too strict or lofty that I feel suffocated or stressed out over, but that are specific enough so that I know what to do.”
- “The most helpful thing I’ve learned is to stop beating myself up over small things. If I have a bad meal or something, it shouldn’t ruin the rest of my day and I shouldn’t look at the gym as torture.”
- “The most important thing I’ve learned from this challenge is to keep on trucking! I never had a perfect week but I’ve made amazing progress. There is always something to be proud of or learn from. Weight loss and healthy living is a journey.”
And now for the winner. But yes, I have to say this: YOU’RE ALL WINNERS IN MY BOOK! Seriously, you guys are fabulous. The winner of the WSU Challenge is…
Christin!!!!
Congrats, girl! Please email me asap and let me know which online gift card you’d like. Some ideas: Amazon, iTunes, etc.
And for those of you that didn’t win, I definitely plan to do another challenge — something slightly different — come springtime.
