Blogging

I've been really good about blogging for the Heart Challenge and have neglected posting much here. During the first three weeks of the challenge, I lost 7 pounds. I'm exercising like crazy and watching everything I eat. I've cut portion sizes and try to make better choices on what to eat. I went to see my doctor yesterday and she was shocked when I told her what my beginning assessment numbers were for this challenge. She said I was probably 3-4 weeks from becoming diabetic and if it weren't for all the exercise and change to my eating, I would have been on high blood pressure medication as well. Fortunately, my blood pressure has already come down some and I tested negative for the test they do for diabetes (AC1?). The doctor had me pretty scared and it became very real to me that my health had been in serious jeopardy and I didn't really realize it. I knew I was overweight and not as healthy, but didn't know how bad the numbers were until taking on this challenge. What a blessing that I got selected for this experience!

TAKING THE CHALLENGE

On February 13, I began participating in the 100-Day Heart Challenge. It is a 100-day competition sponsored by Utah Valley Regional Medical Center to see which woman in Utah County can make the most improvement in her heart health. There were 15 women from all parts of Utah County selected for this challenge out of over 100 applicants.
We are working highly skilled heart physicians and experts in exercise and nutrition. First, we were asked to attend a workshop on heart health offered by the hospital. Then, we had a bunch of tests to see what kind of shape we were in at the beginning. The same tests will be performed at the conclusion of the challenge to gauge the success and improvement of all the participants. The woman who improves the most will win a $500 Visa card and a one-year membership to the hospital's Wellness Center. We have weekly nutrition classes, consult with a dietician, and work with a personal trainer on a workout routine. I generally do one hour of cardio three times a week and strength training three times a week. The challenge ends May 29. We are supposed to be blogging about our experiences at http://www.utahadventurer.com/heartchallenge. They have it set up, but no instructions yet on how to log in, so there are no entries to look at right now. I'm pretty excited about this and have already lost 4 pounds in the first 2 weeks of the challenge.